by Layla Heart
Rune flushes, fluttering his hands, which looks really silly on a huge guy like him. He doesn’t get flustered like this often. “I felt danger. They were in danger. It wasn’t this...” He looks confused between the two of us and I feel my cheeks heat up, not normal. Fae do not blush.
I make a small awkward sound. “Well... She had been in danger... Strangle vines went for her. I saved her and then...” I shrug. Somehow we ended up kissing, somehow. I don’t know, my brain sort of stopped giving input for sensibility with her so close in my arms, and when she’d been so obviously wanting to kiss me.
Kit bursts out laughing, staring at me with a cocky grin. “You just got your first kiss after saving the princess in a heroic deed? Like a knight from a fairytale? You kidding me?”
Next to me, Litha makes a small surprised sound.
Rune’s low laughter rumbles over the clearing, obviously enjoying himself too. “He wasn’t the only one whose first kiss that was.”
Wait, what? I look to Litha, who is trying everything to hide her face behind her hands. Oh! Wow!
Laughter bubbles up in me too, relieved somehow. Relieved that this was special for both of us, even though it kind of happened out of nowhere and we didn’t really make it special or anything.
“Of course, it would be Finn.” Bane is the only one still standing, looking down at all of us. There isn’t anger in his voice, or sadness, not even really surprise, but something that sounds like a quiet acceptance. Then he walks over to Litha, kneeling in front of her, like a knight from some fairytale story, his gaze on her honest and open. A prince, accepting his fate, the good prince, the one who will give up everything when he believes that there is no way to change it. Who will quietly put up with a situation, even when he doesn’t like it.
Litha looks at him, her eyes guarded, pain flitting through them.
“I promised you that we would protect you. I will keep that promise.” He bows his head and she touches him with awe, the look in her eyes going more intense, strengthening.
Moments, later, Kit is at his side, also kneeling. “I will also protect you. You’re our queen.” She softly touches him next, smiling with something akin to adoration.
Then Rune is at Bane’s other side. “So will I, until death.” When she touches him, she seems to become stronger, surer, making a decision.
Finally, I move, kneeling just like the others. “We will protect you, forever.” I can’t see what she looks like when she touches me, but I can feel her determination in her touch, forged in such a short time. I don’t know if she’s chosen me or not, if I’m the one, but I know that no matter what, we’re going to have to work together to protect her. Until the end.
Because this heavy feeling inside me, I can’t contain it and I know that the others feel the same. We’ll have a long path ahead of us. No matter who she chooses or what she does. We all have to protect her, because she may choose just one of us, but we’re all connected, not just by the prophecy, but also by years of friendship and bonds that go much deeper than that. We’ll always be connected, together. Always.
12
I’m sure I felt Litha and Finn panic and that they were in danger, I felt it through the dragon’s bond. But when we caught them making out... That was a surprise, even to me. Way to misinterpret and intrude on a situation.
But maybe this is the right thing, maybe Finn will be the right choice for her. We have to let her choose herself, no matter our feelings on the subject, it’s her choice.
Litha’s fingers touch my jaw, sliding to my chin, tipping up my head. And then she leans in, giving me a soft kiss on my lips, her lips hot like they’re burning, her eyes so honest. “Thank you. Thank you for looking out for us, for protecting us.”
Then I watch as she tips Bane’s head up too, giving him a slow kiss. “Thank you. Thank you for the food and the chat last night.”
Kit is up next, and she leans into his kiss, her cheeks flushing. “Thank you. Thank you for holding me and keeping me safe when I felt I was falling apart.”
Finally, Finn, his kiss is softer, tender. “Thank you. Thank you for protecting me when I had no idea of the danger I was in.”
Then she sits back, her eyes more serious as she looks at each one of us individually, letting her strength and determination flow towards us, flaring in the bond. “Thank you for everything. But I’m not ‘choosing’ anyone. I’ve not ‘chosen’ anyone. I’ve got no plans of getting married any time soon and I don’t want to have to choose between four best friends. Especially when it could mean the downfall of whole kingdoms and cultures, just from one small choice. One emotional impulse. It’s not right.” Tears twinkle in her eyes for a moment. “Prophecy or not. It’s not right.”
I glance at Finn when relief floods him, the emotion so strong that even Kit looks his way, confused. I guess he has his own reasons for not wanting to be ‘the one’. Which I can imagine, after this summer...
Litha holds her arms out to all of us, and as one being, we all reach for her, taking her in our arms, putting our bodies around her, ready to protect her from any harm that may come.
She’s so confused and lost, but she’s also sensible and strong and maybe more rational than any of us. “I’m not ready. Please put up with me for a while longer. I’m sorry.” Litha’s voice sounds like it’s full of tears and I feel the sudden fear flooding her. No, she’s just as scared as the rest of us, she just knows how to hide it better.
I put my lips to her temple, relishing the closeness. “Take as long as you need. The prophecy didn’t mention that you had to choose overnight.”
Kit snorts and then Bane too. “Way to sound all smart and wise.” Bane’s voice is filled with laughter and when I open my eyes, Kit winks my way, his eyes twinkling.
That definitely broke the serious mood and we all sit back on the grass, laughing. Yeah, that mood went way too serious way too fast.
Litha’s eyes go over Kit curiously, and she eyes me too. Our shirts are kind of hanging around us in shreds right now. We really need to stop pulling our wings out or partially transforming without taking our shirts off. But what she is actually looking at are the marks on our chests and necks, they’re kind of on display right now. Then she lets out a soft sound and her gaze fills with warmth and delight. What? What’s there to smile about?
She reaches to me, her eyes twinkling with mischief, pulling me closer. Where she seemed reserved before, she’s bolder now, taking chances, making her own choices. “I bet he tastes really good.” The sexy edge to her voice puts my body into overdrive and I nod, surprised. As soon as I do, she puts her lips to mine, kissing me hard.
For a girl who hasn’t kissed before today, she’s definitely got a taste for it now. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her into my lap, and deepen the kiss, seeking out her tongue with mine. She loves the teasing, playing, sliding together. It’s a heady mixture, but I love the joy sparking in her, the total delight. She’s happy, curious, wanting to explore more, learn more, try more.
The others are close to us in moments and when she breaks the kiss with me, Bane is next, her fingers sliding up into his hair, holding on, as she leans to him, and he lets out a slight growl, a look of pure bliss on his face.
A strong emotion fills my chest, it inflates in my ribcage, taking up all the space inside, making it hard to breathe. So hard to breathe. It’s taking over everything in me, heavy but light at the same time. A sphere that could break with the prick of a needle, but also resist a blow from a big hammer.
I wrap my arms around Bane and Finn on both sides of me, and Kit takes my hands from the other side, meeting my eyes with a smile, easing the tightness inside just a little.
This is right. This feeling, it’s the feeling of things being right. A dragon’s sense of completeness, of things being whole. Of a dragon’s completed hoard.
I don’t know how long we spend in the forest, talking, holding each other, Litha kissing and touching us, but it feels like two seconds and ten hours
at the same time. It’s like we’re in a bubble of our own, nothing to do with the outside world, just being together, whole. But, of course, everything has to come to an end at some point and as the sun is setting behind the tops of the trees, our time is also coming to an end.
“What are we going to do now?” Bane sits up, Kit’s head in his lap, Bane’s fingers playing with the strands of his hair as Kit is softly snoring.
“About what?” Litha looks up from Finn’s shoulder, rubbing her bleary eyes.
“Everything.” Bane lets out a soft frustrated sound. “I mean...” He shrugs. “Classes, protection. You’ve been able to just be a student for two days, but as soon as people find out your full name... That will change.” Litha is an uncommon name, but it’s not unique, especially not among witches, so her first name alone doesn’t make her stand out.
Litha nods, sitting up too, looking over each one of us, then she looks to the campus. “I don’t even know what classes I can take. I’ve been trying to figure it out with Aideen, but it’s... I don’t know.” She sighs, sadness tinging her gaze. “I had plans. For years, I’ve had plans. None of those involved being sent to some other world, to an academy I don’t know and being told that...” She falls quiet, shaking her head, and she swallows hard. I can feel the pain in our bond, her sadness.
Finn moves, weaving his slender fingers between hers, holding her. “You had plans that didn’t involve your worth being related to who you marry.” If anyone knows what that feels like, it’s Finn, the pressure on him to marry Litha, to be the ‘rightful ruler’, it’s been crushing him ever since he was a kid.
She nods, tears now slowly sliding down her cheeks, her lower lip wobbling. “I’m sorry. It’s just... It’s not who I am.” She wipes the tears away with a frustrated jerk of her arm.
We all look at her, the silence stretching. We all know that, and still... We’re just as much bound by this prophecy as she is, but I guess that it’s different when you’re the one whose choice ends when you get married instead of your power growing, like it will be for one of us...
“I don’t want you to be like that either.” I don’t realise I’ve spoken until everyone looks at me. “I like who you are. Independent, not scared of anything, a fast mouth.” She smiles a little at that last one. “Don’t change, because it wouldn’t be you.” I reach out to her and she takes my hand, squeezing it a little. “And I don’t think anyone who isn’t you would be able to handle any of us, let alone all four of us together.”
This time she smiles more, letting out a little laugh. “You can bet on that.” She takes a deep breath, her energy calming down. “I think I should go back to the campus. I promised Aideen that we’d have dinner together, meet some of the other people from the building.”
“Sounds like a plan. Also...” I think, but I have no idea. “Is Aideen your roommate or do you have another roommate?”
“No, she’s not. I’ve got a girl called...” She thinks hard. “Phoenix, I think, as a roommate.”
Kit snorts, the first sign that he’s apparently no longer asleep. “Good luck with that.”
“Why? Aideen also said something like that.” Litha looks confused.
“She’s headstrong and bossy, always thinks she knows best.” Kit shrugs, finally sitting up. “But maybe it’ll be fine for you. Although... I don’t think I’ve heard about her having a roommate in a long time, so she may need some time to adjust to not having her own room.” He grins almost evilly. Kit is crazy smart, but Phoenix comes close, so the two have had a rivalry for years. It’s normal for them to jab at each other.
“You’ll be fine.” Finn hums a little. “I think she’s easier to live with than with some, at least she won’t keep you awake with loud sex for hours on end...” He levels a gaze at me and then at Kit, who just smirks.
I shrug. “You’re welcome to join in, you know.” I can barely believe I said it, and Kit laughs, it would have been something he would say.
“No, thanks.” Finn gets up, knocking leaves and grass off his clothes. “Let’s head back. Our queen needs to interact with the commoners and I’m fairly sure we’re expected back at the house too...”
Litha blushes and then pinches Finn’s side, who flinches away from her. This gives Litha an evil smile and she jumps up, trying to tickle Finn more. Finn darts away from her, laughing, and she keeps following him, until he catches her, and pins her hands to her sides. They’re both laughing, happy.
I can’t help my smile. This is good. Just seeing them interact like this, being silly, is good. This tension gone, everything out in the open.
We have no ideas or plans on how to move forward, but I guess that’s not that important right now. We’re all together, we’re all in this together, and that’s the first step.
Maybe we can defy fate or find a way to change it, something. Anything. But I don’t want to have to choose between Litha and the guys, and I don’t want Litha to have to choose either, unless she really wants to.
Unless she really wants to...
I squash the flicker of dread in my chest. If she wants to choose just one of us, we’ll deal with that when the time comes.
13
The end of the second day at the academy isn’t as impressive as the first, and that’s actually really nice, not having to stress about it. I’m sitting in a corner of the common room with Aideen, who is showing me how social media works in this world on her phone. I guess not everything is different between the human world and this world, especially not how people use social media apparently.
Aideen explained that it’s because the two worlds haven’t always been so disconnected, for a long time, there was regular travel between the two worlds but wars on both sides made people less likely to travel, and then the longer the two worlds had been separated, the humans stopped thinking this world was real and witches and dragons became the things of legends instead of just another world that wasn’t actually that far away. The upside was that things like the internet, though it works a little differently here, and smartphones and social media all still exist here, and that meant I had to find a way to get into all of that myself...
Or, well, when people find out who I am, I don’t know how much time I’ll have for all of that anyway. Aideen has already shown me the fan pages of the princes, a whole lot of them, including ones really interested in potential shipping situations between some of the boys, pairing them up and imagining that they have sexual relationships. It seems that fandoms are the same, no matter the world you’re in, and enemies-to-lovers seems to be a very popular trope here too, going by how many Rune/Finn and Finn/Rune fan pages there are. Not that I can’t understand the appeal...
I didn’t tell Aideen anything about a certain popular pairing being real, because not only would that have blown Aideen’s mind, but would have given away how well I already know them, which isn’t a good idea.
Not that it’s not totally sexy... The way Rune is the big protector of the four, and the soft looks he gives Kit. Also, the bedroom eyes Kit keeps giving him... Just remembering it makes me hot all over, and the things going on in my mind... Imagining myself between Kit and Rune, or between all four of them... I think I may need a cold shower at the end of today. Shipping real people has some icky factors, consent and everything, but with those two? They really do have sex with each other, and I have a feeling they’d love for me to join in with them too...
“Litha.” Aideen levels a look at me, but I can’t decipher the strange glint in her eyes, like she’s hurt for some reason.
“Yes?” I glance at her, but she jerks her head to the front door.
“Litha Vigil? I’ve got a delivery for you.” A man is looking around, holding a big box. The others in the room are also looking around them. Well, so much for being ‘normal’ for a while longer. My real name is out there now... Thanks.
I stand up, sighing. “That’s me.” The whole room falls quiet and I hear the little gasp coming from Aideen, making me cringe. My whole
face is on fire as I walk to the man and he gives me the box.
“Nice to meet you.” He smiles, staring a little too long. I get it, I’m special, I’m ‘chosen’. Like I actually want the attention over that...
“You too.” I nod, taking the box, and then I turn around.
All the eyes in the room are on me, whispers starting up, I know what they’re whispering about already. The girl from the prophecies, right here, hiding among them... That’s going to be great gossip tomorrow.
When I glance at Aideen, she looks... upset, confused, and seeing her look at me like that hurts. She’s been nothing but nice to me and this is how I repay her, by hiding who I am.
I flee to my room, putting the box on my bed, tears of shame running down my cheeks. Fuck. I wasn’t ready for this. Just a few more hours. Just a couple more... Maybe even three days. That’s all I wanted, get used to this world before I have to face all these responsibilities that have been put on me because of some stupid prophecy. I don’t want any of this, I don’t want this pressure on me.
Wiping at my eyes, I check the label on the box, it’s from Dad, his precise handwriting so familiar that it makes me wish he was here right with me, and not in a totally different world, making me feel so alone, and the tears come out in full force this time.
Is it stupid that I’m crying because I want my mum and my dad here? Because I miss them? I miss the life I used to have. I miss everything, everyone, and it hurts so much... I feel so alone, and it’s like my heart is breaking in my chest. I want to go home, back to my own world, my own house, my own place. I don’t want to be here anymore.
I jolt when there is loud knocking, not on the door, but on the window at my side. When I glance up, I find Rune hanging in the air in front of the window, his massive wings slowly flapping behind him, keeping him in the air. He looks really serious.
