Silas reached into his storage band and pulled out four small pouches of leaves, tossing them toward Corvin. "Here, one pack each. Split them among yourselves." Then he took out a more exquisite-looking pouch and handed it to Emma. "This one's for you." "But you just gave me a bag last night." She reminded, looking up at him. He hasn't gone and plucked himself bald again, has he? Silas chuckled. "My ability has fully recovered now. I can grow plenty of new leaves every day—and shed plenty too." If he didn't collect them, they'd just go to waste. The leaves he'd given to Corvin and the others were the ones that had naturally fallen from his vines. The packet he handed Emma, however, contained only the prettiest ones—freshly hand-picked. "Emy, in another couple of days, I'll be able to bloom again," Silas said softly, brushing a kiss against her cheek. "When that happens, you can come pick the flowers yourself, all right?"The memory of how radiant he looked the last time he bloomed made Emma smile. "All right," she said warmly. Corvin tucked his packet away and asked in a whisper, "Silas, can you give me a few of your flowers too? I'll trade you for gear." Silas was, after all, the only mutated Crescent Vine in existence—his flowers were nothing ordinary. Silas flicked a leaf into the small tank for the pink fish and replied, "This time, all the flowers are for Emy. You'll have to wait for the next batch." Lucien, who had been listening, immediately cut in. "You can't play favorites. If Corvin's getting something, don't forget about me, Edric, and Marcus." He had no intention of missing this chance. The last time he'd tried to get even a single flower from Silas, the male had acted like he was asking for a limb. Marcus didn't care much either way—he had no use for the flowers—but since everyone else was getting something, it would look odd if he didn't. Emma couldn't help imagining Silas as a bare vine stripped of all its leaves and blossoms. The mental image nearly made her laugh out loud, but she bit it back just in time. To avoid looking at Silas and bursting into giggles, she turned her gaze toward the little pink fish. It was happily nibbling on one of Silas' leaves. When she lightly tapped the tank, the fish startled, clutching the leaf in its tiny mouth as it darted into a corner. Silas turned back to Lucien and Edric. "It's not that I won't give you any," he said coolly. "But Corvin offered to trade equipment for them. What are you two putting on the table?" If they wanted his flowers, fine—they could pay up. Edric spoke first. "You can have anything you want from the Interstellar Hunter Alliance." Silas nodded, then looked at Lucien. "And you, Your Highness?" Lucien sighed. "All right, name your price." It was just as he had thought. Anything personally from Silas came with a price. And this was exactly what Silas had been waiting for. "My sources tell me your men developed a barren planet beyond the outer rim. The environment's perfect for a training ground. Give me half of it." Unbelievable! Lucien's inner voice dripped with disbelief. That barren planet took two full years to develop, and he's asking for half? Why not just rob me outright? "You've got some nerve," Lucien scoffed. Silas leaned closer, his voice low and persuasive. "Don't be so quick to refuse. I'm not trading you just a few flowers. For the next two years, I'll give you as many leaves as you need—and every month, I'll send you some flowers too. You won't lose out." His leaves and blossoms grew with his strengthening ability. In the past, he'd sold most of them—he had his own faction to fund, and everything cost money. But now that he had Emma, her needs came first. Whatever she didn't use, he could still sell later. Selling to Lucien was as good as selling to anyone else—and at least this way it stayed in the family. Silas' leaves and flowers worked far better than most healing elixirs. Lucien hesitated, then nodded. "As always, no one ever gets the better end of a deal with you." Silas grinned. "Oh, you're making out just fine. If this were before, I'd never have agreed to a trade like this."Although he and Lucien were equals and had fought side by side many times, they'd never been particularly close. If not for Emma, Silas would never have risked trading his flowers and leaves with him. He knew how dangerous Lucien could be—one wrong move, and Lucien would turn him in without hesitation. Silas was dark, but Lucien wasn't exactly pure white either. Lucien gave him a sidelong glance. "Deal." His vines must be hollow!