by G. Bailey
“Let’s go for a run,” Freddy nudges Mich’s shoulder, and they both run towards the doorway, where there used to be door. I watch them both chuck their tops off and shift, ripping their trousers. Mich is a grey wolf, the one I saw before when Jaxson was crowned. Both the tops of his ears are missing. Freddy’s wolf is much bigger than the last time I saw him, at least half the size of me now. They both quickly run off out of sight.
“Everyone, your queen needs your help,” Leigha says loudly next to us as Harris moves to her side. I see his hand gently brush hers. It’s so sweet, and I have the urge to help them be together. I know it’s not accepted, but isn’t Freddy proof enough that two races can be together?
The wolves all stop what they are doing to come over and bow at me.
“Please stand in a line by that wall,” Leigha says and I glance at her with a ‘what the fuck’ expression. Harris joins the others until they are all lined up, around a metre apart.
Leigha walks off and grabs a belt that has a line of throwing stars on it. She hands it to me, and I slip it over my head. I know where this is going, and she is bloody mad.
“I want you to throw one star at each person, just above their heads,” she says, confirming my thoughts.
“Are you crazy?” I whisper harshly, and she just looks at me with a blank, unimpressed face.
“No. Just do it, Winter,” she says and steps away. The distance I’m standing is at least ten metres away and every one of the wolves looks nervous. I try to give the first guy a reassuring smile, if anything he looks more nervous afterwards. I pull a star out of the belt; it’s light and made of black metal in the middle. Each end of the five star points are silver and look very sharp.
I pull my arm back and try to calm myself. I close my eyes and open them just as I throw the star. The star hits perfectly, just above the man’s head with a little of his hair caught around it. Harris starts clapping and grins at me.
“Again,” Leigha says. I move down the row of men, throwing star after star until I run out. I turn and Leigha smiles at me as the men clap with Harris.
“That is a power of yours. Proof that you are strong and in control. If you weren’t, you would have killed one of them. When we are fighting, you need to let your senses and mind take over. Stop thinking about how to beat me, and trust that you will. Like you trust your power to make those hits perfectly.” Leigha says. She chucks a sword at me from off of the wall as I put back the star belt. I think about her words, I need to trust my powers.
“Come on then, Princess,” Leigha says with a nod, and we face each other on one of the mats. I watch her closely, knowing when she is going to attack, and I move to deflect her. I pull the calm feeling to me that I used when I threw the stars. I feel myself move–faster than I thought I could–and I finally understand what Leigha means. I can’t think about every move or plan the fight. I have to feel it and trust myself. I move quickly towards Leigha as we battle. She pushes me back step-by-step with each hit. I feel myself getting close to the wall, so I throw a hard hit to her sword. I turn and run towards the wall, Leigha quickly following me. I jump, using the wall for momentum to push off, and land behind Leigha; kind of like how I saw Mich go over Freddy’s head. I pull my sword up and point it at her back, not enough to cut her, but enough, so she knows I’ve won.
“About time,” Leigha turns and bats my sword away. I lower it with a grin and wipe the sweat off my forehead.
“I won’t say this again, but you were right,” I tell Leigha. She simply smirks.
“Why do I never hear you tell me that?” Jaxson says behind me, and I grin, turning to see him walk through the doorway. He glances at the door on the floor and back at me.
“Guys are never right, man, best learn that quickly,” Harris says walking over to us. “Can I have a word?” Harris asks Leigha.
“Outside,” she says and walks away with Harris following her. I walk over as Jaxson picks up the door. It’s really hot to watch him carry the door like it’s a bag of potatoes to the doorway and rest it near the wall. He goes into the cupboard and brings out a large toolbox.
“I'll fix this, lass, Dabriel wants to see you in the main cabin,” he says while I watch him as he slowly pulls his shirt off; like a teenager discovering her hormones for the first time. I’ve seen him without his shirt plenty of times, but hot damn; he gets me all flustered every time.
“Err yeah, I’ll get to that,” I blurt out. Jaxson merely smirks at me and slaps my ass as I pass by him. I find Dabriel in the dining room, books all over the table he’s sitting at. Just the top of his white wings and white hair can be seen as he leans over a massive book. I walk around the table and rest my hand on his shoulder. He takes my hand in his and kisses the tips of my fingers as he speaks.
“I missed you this last week,” he whispers.
Dabriel went back to the angels to find a way to kill demons or anything that can be used on them. The angels apparently have a large library and many records, if anything could be found, it would be there.
“Me too,” I sigh. Dabriel pushes the chair back with his large legs, his wings hanging over the back and spread slightly out. He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me onto his lap. I wrap my arms around his neck, resting my head on his shoulder. We don’t say a word for a while; just enjoy being near each other.
“Did you find anything?” I eventually ask as he runs his large fingers up and down my back. The effect is soothing.
“No, well not really,” he says.
“Not really?” I ask.
He sighs. “There was one book, about a bundle of weapons that could kill demons. The writer says they were Fray touched,” Dabriel says, his voice sounding annoyed.
“Fray?” I ask, having no clue what that is.
“Fairies. The writer believed that fairies exist, and that they can place their magic in weapons. These weapons can kill demons,” he answers, but his tone is laced with frustration, suggesting he doesn’t believe it.
“Do fairies exist?” I ask.
“No, my little wildfire. I don’t think they do,” he says, and I stay in his arms for a long time. If only I knew how to speak to a fairy.
Chapter 11
Winter
"Hello," I shout through the trees that greeted me when I opened my eyes. This place is nothing like I've ever seen. Large, purple trees stretch into the bright-blue skies, and the grass is a yellow colour instead of green. This place is spectacular. I watch as a butterfly the size of a cat flies past me, the wings filled with bright colours. This is a dream, but I don’t see Elissa anywhere, or anyone for that matter. There is nothing but the purple trees and yellow grass.
"You called me?" a woman asks with a little laugh as she walks out of the trees to my left. She stops dead in her tracks when she sees me, giving me time to look at her.
She has on a long, purple dress that is split in the middle showing off her stomach and the flower tattoos that cover it. The tattoos look like marks as they slightly move; they are lilies, I think, on blue vines. They also cover all of her arms and her shoulders as well. In the middle of her forehead is a weird symbol that looks like a half moon inside a circle. Her long, strawberry-blonde hair is braided and hanging over her shoulder. Bright-yellow eyes meet mine; they remind me of a cat.
"You look just like your mother. I never would have guessed you inherited her ability to dream-call," the woman says, her voice is soothing and sweet.
"You knew my mother? And what is a dream-call?" I ask her. I try to move forward, but I can’t, my feet are rooted to the spot.
"Yes, I knew her very well. She would call me often after we met,” the woman says, speaking fondly of my mother. “Dream-calling is rare. It's the ability to call people you want into your dreams or travel into theirs. Have you not had strange dreams before?" she asks me.
"Of my dead grandmother and her sister," I reply.
"You can call your family spirits? It must be easy for you. Have you called your mother
yet?" she asks me.
"I didn't know she existed until recently," I tell her, and she nods.
"Isa will come if you call," she tells me. I’m not exactly sure I want to do that. I didn’t even know that I had wanted to call Elissa and see her past. I guess in a way, now I did, but not at the start. So how did that happen?
"I don't even know how I called you," I tell her. "Wait, who are you?" I ask quickly before she can answer.
"My name is Lily, or at least my shortened name that you may use is. I am a fray or fairy as you like to call us in your human words," she tells me. I fell asleep with Dabriel thinking of fairies and how I wanted to know if they were real. I guess I got my wish.
"Fairies exist?" I ask her. I realise how silly a question it is when she giggles. Her laugh sounds perfect.
"Demons have invaded your realm, and you question if fairies exist, child?" she laughs.
"Well," I say, and she laughs more. "Why would I call you?" I ask her.
"You need my help, and you wish for a promise,” she tells me.
"How can you help me?" I ask her.
"The question is, will I help you?" she says and laughs.
"Forget it," I mutter and try to pinch my arm. It only hurts, and I still don't wake up.
"Demons can be killed with fairy-touched weapons," she tells me. The stories Dabriel found must be true. I snap my eyes to her yellow ones as she smiles.
"When you realise how much you need me, only call and we shall make a promise," she says.
"Wait," I say when I see her walk away.
"Goodbye, Winter, daughter of my friend," she says, and the world goes black as I fall backwards onto the yellow grass.
"She’s awake," Dabriel’s voice flutters through my mind as I open my eyes. He is leaning over me while I lie on a bed. I sit up, feeling slightly dizzy. I’m not in a bedroom that I’ve seen before; it’s modern with black and white dressers. The curtains are grey and open, so I can see the mountains outside. It’s Atti’s house, and I think this is his room. The bed is huge, with a black headboard that I move back to and lean on. Atti and Wyatt are leaning by the wall and staring at me, both of them look angry. I feel my hair being tugged and look up. I see Milo sitting next to my head on the headboard.
He flies over to my shoulder and kisses my cheek.
"No dream-call so far," he says.
"What?" I ask croakily and sit up. Dabriel brings me a glass of water, and the room is silent as I sip it. I feel like I’m starving. The dizziness is from me needing blood, but I just fed yesterday, at least I think I did. Everything seems fuzzy.
"So, you want to explain where you’ve been the last two weeks?" Wyatt snaps. I raise my eyes to his and put the drink down on the black side unit. Wyatt’s hair looks like he has just woken up, his skin is pale, and he seems angry. Our bond tells me he’s worried.
"In bed?" I ask nervously, and he groans.
"You’ve been sleeping for two weeks, Winter. The first trial is today, and I thought . . . ," Atti says, and his words drift off. Atti runs his hands through his hair and comes to sit on the end of the bed. He rests a hand on my knee.
“We were all scared. It’s no fun being this powerless around you,” Atti whispers in my mind.
"The sleeping beauty act is getting old, and I'm going to get grey hairs at this rate," Alex says as she walks in the room. She jumps on my bed and gives me a side hug.
“Sorry. It’s not like I asked to sleep for so long. I feel worn out,” I say honestly.
"Milo told us you where dream walking, and we figured out the rest. Milo and Dab were sure that nothing bad was happening to you," Alex says. She’s dressed in tight jeans and a white cardigan over her vest top. Her long hair is up in a messy bun.
"I saw a fairy, or dream-called her. She knew my real mother,” I say. Alex winces a little; it’s weird knowing that our mum kept this from us. Alex grew up at my side, and the same woman adopted us both.
“Apparently, I've been calling Elissa into my dreams for years. It's a power of mine," I say.
"Leigha picked up on it and understood it when Milo explained," Alex tells me. I forgot that Leigha could touch people and find out their powers.
“Did you know Leigha and Harris are getting jiggy with it?” Alex whispers to me, not caring that there are three large, scary men glaring at her.
“Jiggy with it?” Milo asks, and we both start laughing.
“That’s not a sentence you need to know. Wait maybe you do, mini-demons must make new demons somehow,” Alex says.
“Fire born,” Milo huffs.
"We have a bigger fucking problem that includes my mate fighting for her life in two hours," Wyatt cuts in, and our laughter dies away.
“I woke up just in time, then,” I say.
“You haven’t trained, and we have no weapons that you can use on the Dentanus,” Dabriel says shaking his head.
"I best get showered and dressed," I say quietly into the tense room.
"I need a second with Winter," Atti says, and everyone nods. Dabriel kisses me gently, whispering in my ear, "I will heal anything that happens today, but I know you can do this. Remember, I’m here for you," before walking out of the room. Wyatt just gives me a look, a look that promises that we are going to talk later, and leaves.
"There's a leather outfit in the bathroom. Before you say ‘no’ to wearing it, you need to, it’s easy to move in, and you need to look strong out there. Jeans will not do that for you. There are also daggers that Jaxson made for you. He says good luck, and he loves you," Alex says, and I nod, feeling a rush of warmth at her words. She leaves; taking Milo with her, and Atti shuts the door.
"Don't do this; not for me," Atti says, I can only see his back as he faces the door. I don’t need him to turn to know how angry and stressed he is.
"Atti, I can't walk away from this," I say gently, and he turns to look at me. The grey, playful eyes I'm used to are now stormy and dangerous looking. At times, Atti can seem big and scary, yes, but dangerous, no. Now, he seems more dangerous by the day. Atti looks close to losing it, and I don’t want to see the after effects of that happening. I never realised how dangerous it is to fall in love, let alone with four powerful princes. Princes that will be kings; princes that could destroy the world if they lost me.
"Not for this, for me. I love you, and I cannot lose you!" he shouts, his fists tightly clenched together. Atti’s hair is curled around his face, looking wild and unkempt.
"And, I love you, so I will fight for you!" I shout back, and he stomps over to me. I expected a fast and punishing kiss. Instead, his lips move over mine slowly, embracing me with every brush of his soft lips against my own.
"Mine," Atti says as he pulls away to kiss down my neck, his hand holding the back of my neck as he steers the kiss exactly where he wants it.
"Atti," I moan when his other hand slides slowly down my body, grazing my breasts. We kiss for a long time, with me sliding my hands around his chest and into his soft hair. My neck straining to meet every kiss because of how tall he is compared to me.
"Soon," Atti says suddenly and pulls back. We lie close, both of us breathless and staring at each other.
“I love you,” I say quietly, and he smiles a little.
“I will always love you, Winter. I did from the moment I saw you. The moment you told me about those kitten knickers, I was a lost man,” he says making me a chuckle a little. "I won't let you lose this, no matter what." Atti says, straightening out with a stern look replacing the carefree one I just saw.
"Where has my playful Atti gone?" I ask, smoothing my hand down his cheek.
"Not gone, just suspended," he replies gently.
"Like you've been naughty in school?" I tease him.
"I bet you were a naughty girl in school," Atti chuckles, and I grin.
"Shame I didn't have you around to spank me," I reply as I wink at him, and he laughs.
"I'm sure you are going to give me plenty of reasons to spank your pretty
ass in the future," he tells me.
"Perhaps I will," I giggle as Atti laughs. I walk around him, knowing he’s likely looking at my ass as I go to the door. I open the door and laugh as Alex falls on her butt.
"Eavesdropping?" I ask, and she glares up at me.
"She was," Milo offers and flies up off the floor to land on my shoulder.
"I made you Choco Pops cereal this morning and then gave you a bath after you swam in it. Yet, you still snitch on me," Alex says.
Milo just shrugs a tiny shoulder at her as she gets up.
"You can take your pet back, he is a pest," Alex says, and I hear Milo laugh. He clearly doesn’t care about her insults.
"You love Milo anyway," I say, and she looks at me with raised eyebrows as Atti walks past us all and goes downstairs.
"I'm glad you and witch boy are happy again," she says when he has gone.
"Thanks," I say with a slight blush.
"I've said it once or twice before, but you are a lucky bitch," she says with a small grin, and I laugh. She isn't wrong.
“If you take photos of all those guys topless and put them in one of those calendars, we would make a killing,” Alex winks.
“It reminds me of that time we were in the university entrance, waiting for someone to show us around on our first day, and there was that hot guy,” I say, and she laughs,
“Ah I remember, I tried to take a sneaky picture,” she says.
“It was so funny when the flash went off and you shouted shit, dropped the phone, and then told him he was hot,” I laugh.
“I did get his number, though,” Alex grins. That she did.
"That's the bathroom," Alex says and points at the door next to Atti’s bedroom. She looks at me for a second, her face instantly sobering.
"I’ll be okay," I say, and she nods.
"Atti told me what your mum said," Alex says quietly. I didn’t want to tell her, so I’m glad Atti did. I know she already guessed, everyone did, but it was only me that needed to hear it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
"Mum told me a lot. There's a box at Jaxson’s with a letter from my father. I want you to read it, okay? Ask Jaxson, he’ll give you it," I tell her, and she nods.
