"If we love her, how can we go in there and destroy the new life she's living. How can I tell her who she is now that she's able to smile again? She's with someone who cherishes her, people who adore her, in a place that if they had to, would protect her. I don't have the fucking guts to rip that all away from her. I didn't have the guts to tell her just how much I loved her. There's no way I'll go there and destroy her new home."
Kai lowered his head, and I knew he finally got it. "Let's go home, Kai," I whispered. "Mako's safe. She's happy...that's all we could ask for. Maybe we aren't cut out to be her knights. She deserves better. Better than the stress and burden we've brought to her. Don't add more."
Kai nodded, walking towards me. "Let's...tell the others. We'll figure something out."
I nodded and tried to move, but the tears continued to roll down my cheeks. I wanted to leave. I needed to leave, but now I didn't want to.
I loved Mako. I loved Midnight. If I love them, I should be able to leave, right? They're happy without me. I should just love them from afar. That's what an ex-lover would do.
Ex...lover.
"Elyion." Kai was standing in front of me, but I hadn't realized it.
I lifted my gaze and opened my trembling lips. "I guess we're her ex-lovers now? She's not our Firefly....anymore," I choked, unable to hold back my sobs as my shoulders shook.
Kai sighed and pulled me into a hug, rubbing my back as I broke down. As long as she was happy, I had to move on.
I guess this was how it truly felt when love was one sided.
"I'm totally taking a nap when this last group is killed," I grumbled, feeling horrible.
Today we'd been called during the middle of the night by Jeffrey himself to deal with a group of rogues who decided it was cool to chill close to a supply house that Wintalyn depended on for food and emergency supplies.
We were supposed to be heading to our two-week vacation. Jeffrey had given us the approval and even allowed Isa to come with us. She'd earned a well-deserved vacation, and Jeffrey was pleased with the idea of us having a break.
It was a tad weird for him to be so chilled about us taking a break, but I wasn't complaining. I needed at least two days of sleep with how sick I felt.
We only had a day to pack for our trip, and most of it was spent taking care of Nikolai who'd been sick the entire day. The voices and sadness were so strong, he broke down and cried, which was something I'd never seen from Nikolai.
He had an extremely high pain tolerance and could at least last until we reached Isa’s place, but this time, he couldn't even move. Ann ended up getting Isa, and she had to examine him in his room.
She'd given him sleeping pills and blockers that would help ease his mind from whatever was going on, but they would begin to fade in their effect soon, and I wanted this job to be over with by then.
At least if the voices came back, I'd be by his side to make sure he was okay. I just hoped I'd be able to stay awake, seeing as Jeffrey thought the night post team couldn't handle seven rogues.
"Bloody Butterfly, my area is clear. Yours?" Ann's voice came through the earpiece in my ear. I sighed and lifted my hand to press the button of the communication device.
"Not done, Ann," I muttered
"Anna."
"Sure."
"I'm coming to where you are. You don't even sound well," Ann pointed out.
"I feel like a truck hit me. I think I spent too much time in the hot bath with Blaze," I admitted.
"Steamy bath sex doesn't make you sick." Ann huffed.
I blushed, hoping Nikolai didn't hear that. "Ann! We didn't have sex, and Nikolai has a speaker too!" I pointed out.
"He's in his shifter form. Nikolai with a man cold is like taking care of a sick child. He can't even function. Blaze took over and is scouting the area."
"Either way, we didn't...ACHOO! UGH! We didn't have sex. Dammit, I think Nick got me sick. Can't I just go home? I'm tired," I complained.
I just wanted a nice glass of milk and to cuddle my huge unicorn plushie. Having Nick there would be a bonus, even if he was sick too.
"I'm coming. I'll take you home," Ann declared.
"Thank you, Starlight. I'll try not to sleep," I admitted.
"Please don't fall asleep and make yourself vulnerable. I'm telling Isa to come to where you are. At least she can examine you before we head back. I don't want Jeffrey stopping us from our vacation," Ann explained.
"I'll be fine. Still on the job," I replied before I yawned.
Nighty was sleeping on my shoulder, her tails wrapped around my neck. She'd been staying up with me, and now she was catching up on some sleep, just in case I needed her.
"Okay. Be there shortly."
I sighed and walked toward the suspected area. I left my hood down, simply because my instincts weren't giving me any weird vibes.
I reached the supply house and noticed nothing was out of place. This is such a waste of time.
"Meow."
I turned around to see a black cat with blue eyes sitting a few inches away from me. I gave it a confused look, unsure why a cat was around here. Nighty lifted her head and stared at the cat for a long moment.
"Mew..." Her tails began to glow a number of colors. From blue to gold, pink to red. I frowned, picking her up from my shoulder to get a better look at her. "What's wrong, Nighty? Do you know the cat?" I asked.
"Mew," she whimpered, looking sad and in pain, but I didn't know why. I cuddled her to my chest and looked at the cat. Its blue eyes seemed so sad, like he was lonely.
"Why do you look so sad? Hmm...something tells me you're a guy. Are you alone here, Mr. Cat?" I asked. He took a hesitant step, then another, until he was at my feet. I crouched down and stroked his fur while Nighty stared at him. She still looked sad and I knew it from her now blue glowing tails, but she stopped whimpering.
"Are you sad that Nighty doesn't know you, Mr. Cat?" I wondered. Was she in the same predicament as me? Why else would a cat be here? He looks like a familiar, but whose?
"Mako...to?"
I lifted my gaze to see familiar emerald eyes and ash blond hair. The guy from before...Elias?
"Is this your cat, Elias?" I asked. He looked down at the black cat at my feet and shook his head. "Um...no. That's Scarlet's cat."
"Who's Scarlet? She shouldn't leave her cat out here, it's dangerous," I pointed out.
"I don't think she knows he's here. Moonlight, come here," Elias called out. The cat named Moonlight gave Nighty another look before he ran back to where Elias stood.
I rose up and patted Nighty's head as I stared at Elias. I didn't know what to say, but I realized Ann would be here soon and this wasn't a safe place, to begin with.
"You should go," I declared.
"Why?"
"Rogues come around here. You'd be in danger," I admitted.
He studied me for a long moment and frowned. "Are you getting sick, Mako?"
Huh? How would he know?
"No."
"I don't need to be an angel to know that was a lie," He pointed out. I pouted my lips and looked away.
"I don't think some stranger cares whether I'm sick or not," I countered. He was silent after my response, and I immediately felt bad. I glanced back at him to see his sad eyes.
"I didn't...you should just go. It's safer for you and your cat."
"He's not my cat."
"Sure," I replied. I heard the sound of footsteps, and I was ready to turn and walk away when a man emerged from the woods behind Elias; identical turquoise eyes meeting mine.
His eyes widened, and I knew mine were just as wide as I gawked at him. Holy Starlight, I have a twin?!
"Makoto? Sis?!" the guy whispered, sounding stunned. "And, wait. I'm not your twin."
"Is that really important right now?" Elias mumbled.
"Mako?" the guy said again, and I frowned.
"I don't get how all of you know my name," I mumbled, giving Elias an accusing glare. He probably told them about m
e. Crazy girl who almost killed me.
"Mako...shit, she doesn't remember?!" he snapped at Elias who looked a bit taken aback by his anger.
"Jeez, I told you I'd explain when you and Xavier came back, Kade. Don't get snappy with me," Elias huffed.
Kade...Xavier? Those names felt so familiar yet again, I was drawing a blank and my headache decided to make an appearance. Ugh. Not now. I'm too tired for this shit.
"I'm leaving," I declared.
"Wait Mako, hold on," the guy who I assumed was Kade, urged.
"What's taking you guys so long?"
All of us turned to the right, and my heart almost stopped beating; five other guys emerged from the forest, all of their colorful pairs of eyes landing on me.
I stared at all of them, noticing the person who spoke and stood on the very left side of the group had sapphire eyes. The shifter next to him had gold ones. The one in the middle had amber ones, and the one next to him had the exact shade eyes Ann had.
I blinked a few times, realizing how similar he looked to Ann that I could have mistaken them for siblings. I forced my eyes to look over to the final person, and that's when my head began to pound furiously.
I tried not to grimace when my blue eyes met his, but his mere image triggered a wave of anger through me, it was almost palpable. His expression grew weary, and the others cautiously moved to where Elias and the twin look-alike was.
"Um...Elias. Are you sure Eli was right about Mako not remembering because it looks like she remembers Xavier," the gold-eyed boy announced.
"She doesn't remember, Daniel," Elias replied.
"Well it's triggering something because Firefly doesn't go giving off ‘I want to murder you’ vibes when she meets strangers," the sapphire eye man declared.
"Thanks for the obvious observation, Marcus," Elias mumbled.
"Xavier, I think you should leave for now," Kade suggested.
"You said she doesn't remember? Can't I at least apologize? Maybe she'll remember?" the boy named Xavier suggested.
Apologize. Apologize?! He....he..he's the reason. Yes. He's the reason. Did he take my memories? That's why he wants to apologize. He thinks an apology can make up for it?
"Well, you better do something because the longer you’re standing there, the angrier our Princess looks," the amber-eyed person pointed out.
"Kai's right. Mako, look at me?" the purple-eyed male who looked like Ann suggested. I diverted my gaze to meet his eyes, and he took a cautious step forward.
"Do you know who I am? Or anyone here aside from Elias?" he questioned.
"No," I said with a cold voice, and turned back to Xavier who looked a bit worried. Yes, he should be worried. He doesn't know what he's about to deal with.
"Uh, Ryder. I may not have your gift, but her anger is unmistakable," Marcus announced.
"Let me handle it. She deserves to be angry," Xavier admitted. He walked forward, and I took a cautious step back. He stopped in his movement and put his hand up.
"Rosalina...I won't hurt you."
Rosalina? Who the fuck is Rosalina? My confusion must have been apparent because Kade groaned. "She doesn't remember her birth name, idiot! You're just confusing her. "
"I am not!" Xavier argued back.
"Nighty," I whispered and in seconds she was her scythe form, my hand gripping the staff of the large scythe.
Everyone froze, the guys huddled near Elias looking shocked and Xavier appeared troubled.
"You're the reason why I'm here," I said dryly, my eyes staring into Xavier’s with rage. Xavier gulped and gave me a sympathetic look.
"Mako...I didn't mean to. I was afraid you were a fake. I was scared you were just going to get my family's hopes up...my hopes up and we'd find out you weren't real," he confessed.
I frowned, the anger in me only boiling. "Weren't real? So you took my memories," I hissed. His eyes widened, and he looked shocked as he shook his head.
"No! I didn't take your memories, Mako. I-"
"I'm done talking," I declared, already making up my mind. Maybe if he wasn't breathing he'd learn what was fake and real.
"Wait! Mako!" Elias called out, but I already pushed off the ground and headed straight for Xavier. He cursed, summoning a pair of swords into his hands, and went into a defensive stance as my scythe hit his swords.
I made sure I didn't hold back my magic power, the simple impact sending a wave of energy which blew the others off their feet and onto the ground. A number of them cursed, but I didn't care. My goal was to kill this person.
He was the cause of the emptiness I felt. The reason why I had to train hard to get to this point. If it weren’t for the good people I'd met in this realm, there would have been no way for me to survive here.
He placed me here to die! It was now his turn to feel what death was like.
I pushed him back with ease. He gritted his teeth and skidded to a stop, readying for my next attack. I took a step forward but noticed the Kade person coming from my left.
A large teal magic circle appeared beneath me, and with one glare a wave of wind was sent in Kade's direction. He cursed, attempting to avoid it but was pushed back.
"Kade!"
I glanced over at the guy named Daniel who jumped, and in seconds, had black wings break out from his back. He flew fast enough to catch Kade before he hit a stack of trees. I frowned, returning my attention to Xavier who was focused on Kade. Idiot.
I dashed again, taking advantage of his lack of attention.
"Fuck, Xavier!" I heard one of the guys shout, the sound matching the amber eyed male named Kai.
Xavier jumped to the side and tried to make some distance between us, but I was faster and used my staff to slow my skid before I went after him.
"Dammit, Mako! Listen! I said I'm sorry!"
"Sorry means shit when you're the reason for all of this!" I snapped. He turned around to face me, and again, I didn't give him a chance to attack.
I swung my scythe at him and he dodged in time, a few of his silver locks cut off by the sharp spinning weapon that soared past.
"My Starlight, which parent did you take your temper from?!" Xavier huffed.
"How the fuck would I know!" I snapped back as I reached him in three seconds. He couldn't even blink before my hand punched him the face, which knocked him back.
He didn't fall, but he held the part of his face that I had just punched and stared at me wide-eyed. "Shit, Mako, I'm sorry! I wasn't the one who took your memories! I swear to the Starlight gods," he defended.
I trembled in anger as I tried to catch my breath. "Then why the fuck are you apologizing?!" I demanded.
"I'm the reason you got kidnapped!" he admitted. What? Kidnapped?
"Hear me out! Please?" he begged. I bit my lip and noticed the glint of Nighty return.
"Duck," I huffed.
He shot me a confused look before his eyes widened and he dropped down to the ground in time to avoid Nighty's counter attack.
I lifted my hand and caught the scythe with ease, twirling it like it was nothing but a pencil. "Either you say what you have to say, or I'll make sure my next attack doesn't miss," I threatened.
He gulped, sensing the seriousness in my voice. I felt like shit, and I knew it wouldn't be long till help arrived.
"You were taken from your home, Mako. I...I really upset you, and it led to you going to the garden alone. I don't know what happened after that, but a man named Jeffrey took you," he revealed. Wait...what?! Jeffrey? Why would he take me?
I wanted to call him a liar, but I didn't feel it. Even without Hope's assistance, I should have been able to detect if he was lying.
"I get this is confusing...and I'm not really good at words. But you’re our little sister, Mako. You don't belong here. You're supposed to be in Heila."
"Why would I be in Realm 8? And aside from our eyes, we don't look alike," I huffed.
"What do you say about Kade then?" Xavier asked. "And you're in Heila because you're the Princes
s."
I glanced at the others who all had worried expression, none of them interfering during my fight aside from Kade, who'd recovered from my attack thanks to Daniel.
"So what if he looks like me? The gold eyed guy looks like Isa. I don't say they're related. In fact, the purple eyed guy looks exactly like the male version of Ann, and you don't see me saying they're related," I declared.
"Wait, what?!"
I glanced over at Daniel and Ryder who both looked shocked. Why are they so shocked?
"Mako? What did you just say?" Xavier whispered.
"I said, Daniel looks like our healer and Ryder looks like my commander. Why the hell is this so fucking shocking?! You know what, I'm done. Too sick for all this bullshit," I grumbled. Nighty changed back into familiar form and dropped to the ground to stretch.
I moved forward, walking past Xavier who seemed stunned. "Wait, Mako, Hold on!" Xavier huffed, grabbing my hand. I groaned.
"Let go, crazy. I'm done with you. All of you," I snapped.
"Mako, we aren't crazy. Just give us a few minutes to listen to our side of the story."
"Let. Go. Or. I. Will. Break. Your. Arm," I emphasized and my eyes darkened.
He opened his mouth to speak, but I felt a shift of magic. I ducked in time to avoid the wave of dark flames. Xavier let go of my arm and was able to make a shield fast enough to avoid being burned, but the impact sent him flying towards the others.
He crashed into Marcus and Kai, all three of them falling to the ground. I lifted my head to see a very angry, Ann. Her eyes bled black, but I knew she was still in control. She slowly prowled toward me until she stood protectively in front of me.
"Either one of you explains why the fuck you dare get near my friend, or I'll turn every single one of you to ash," she snarled.
The guys all looked shocked, so stunned I wondered if they even understood what she just said. The person who looked so shell-shocked was Ryder. His eyes were wide and his hands trembled.
He took a step forward, catching Ann's attention. I scrambled to my feet, trying not to wobble from my sudden dizziness. I stood next to Ann and noticed her conflicted expression as she stared at Ryder.
Forgotten Fairytale (The Starlight Gods Series Book 7) Page 13
