“We don’t want to hurt you.” Lexi admitted quietly.
“We’re worried about you Mako. You’ve never gotten sick like that before.” Lily admitted, her voice filled with concern.
“Your body is still recovering. You should rest some more. Don’t force your body to function if you're still exhausted. We don’t want you getting worse.” Rose encouraged.
If only I was connected to my body, I would be smiling from ear to ear. I knew my spirits cared about me. Just felt nice to have a reminder of their love and compassion. They were more than just spirits blessed to protect me. To me, they were a part of me, and I loved them dearly.
Okay. I’ll sleep some more. Goodnight.
I felt something cold press against my forehead. The cool sensation felt nice and soothing. My body felt achy, but the heavy feeling had vanished. I had enough energy to open my eyes. A pair of golden eyes were peering down at me, a captivating smile on those pale pink lips. I felt my lips curl up as I looked at Daniel, his eyes emitting a light gold, cueing me in that his angel was in control.
“We meet again, Princess. I’m glad to see you’re in much better condition than earlier.” He greeted softly, his voice was soothing to my ears. I could see the relief in his eyes.
“It seems whenever we see each other, I’m usually on the verge of death and you’re here to save me.” I blinked, giving my best puppy eyes.
“It’s a duty I most happily accept. I feel honoured to save you from the clutches of death. Though, I do encourage you to decrease your visiting hours. Three times in less than a week can be considered an addiction.” He remarked smoothly.
“How bad was it?” I asked, my voice raspy and low. I need to drink some water, a jug of it.
He chuckled, the sound a soft hymn, flowing smoothly through the air. He walked over to the small desk, and lifted a silver jug and glass. He filled the glass with water and returned to my side, but he sat the glass on the nightstand next to the bed. He shook his head at my apparent disappointment.
“No drinking while lying down. It isn’t good for you.” He pointed out, his amused expression made me pout.
“Boo.” I replied, returning my attention to the glass. You’ll be mine soon enough.
He let out another chuckle before helping me sit up. I realized I was in Ryder’s room, the purple sheets and a maroon blanket triggering my memory. I was wearing cotton pajamas; the light pink material was decorated with stars. How ironic.
Once I was in sitting position, he passed me the glass of water. If an angel serves you water, would that make it holy water?
I placed the glass on my lips, and gulped down the cool, refreshing water.
“No Princess, it would not. Though, that would be convenient if true. Would you like me to bless it?” He teased. Once more, my inner monologue betrayed me by escaping my lips. He then began to laugh as he noticed the now empty glass in my hand.
“Um…if I knew you were going to bless it, I would have slowed down.” I confessed, looking down at the empty glass in my hands.
“Would you like more? I’ll make sure to bless it before you gulp it down.” He suggested.
“Yes, please.” I replied happily, lifting the glass towards him.
By his expression, it was obvious he was having an awesome time. I wondered if he ever dealt with someone like me.
I finished two more glasses of holy water before I felt satisfied. He truly must have blessed the water, because by the time I finished the last glass I felt rejuvenated; my once aching body no longer aching.
I felt content until my stomach decided to take the opportunity to cry out to the heavens, notifying the universe of my hunger. I had to admit, I was famished. When was the last time I ate? Wait, how long have I been out for?
“You’ve been out for fifteen hours and you haven’t eaten since breakfast yesterday. I can safely say that before our last encounter, you hadn’t eaten anything either. You look like you’ve lost weight too.” He explained, frowning.
“That would explain why my stomach feels rather empty.” I concurred.
“As for your previous question, besides from you’re fever and moments of confusion, you were a good patient.” He praised, his smile returning to his lips.
“Confusion? What did I do?” I questioned, feeling nervous. As long as it wasn’t embarrassing.
“It wasn’t anything embarrassing. You just had difficulties distinguishing where you were. I believe in your mind you thought you were back at the facility. Ryder has been by your side the whole time, till just a few minutes ago. He could barely keep his eyes open, so I forced him to go to sleep.” He explained. Hmm forced huh.
“You used some of your mojo juju magic and put him to sleep against his will, didn’t you?” I accused, grinning. He shrugged his shoulders.
“Take it from me; Ryder’s spirit is a pain in the you know where, especially when Ryder has no sleep. Neither myself or Daniel want to put up with their crankiness. So truthfully, I sprinkled some sleeping dust and got Marcus to haul him to my room.” He admitted. Yup, I like him.
“I think you and Hope would get along.” I suggested, feeling her nudge into my mind the moment I called out her name.
“Really now. May I say hello?” He whispered, raising an eyebrow. I nodded, closing my eyes for a moment to allow Hope to take over. I gave her a moment of privacy, not wanting to intrude in their introduction. After a minute she retreated, giving me control once more.
“How did it go?” I asked, smiling at him. I could see a hint of blush on his cheeks, his smile even more radiant than earlier.
“Pleasant. I thank you for letting me talk to her.” He responded, bowing deeply.
“Ah, don’t need to act so formal with me. It’s embarrassing…” I confessed, glancing to the side.
“Wait till you return to Heila, Princess.” He stated, a mischievous grin forming on his lips. Rule number one; no bowing. I made a mental note.
“Till next time, Princess. Hopefully, in a different situation that doesn’t relate to your health.” He mused, bowing his head once more before closing his eyes. Hope, are all you angel spirits so formal?
“No. Depends on the host. I guess Daniel’s upbringing runs along the lines of such formalities.” Hope concluded.
I could sense her excitement and happiness. Ugh, another love-struck spirit. Does anyone believe in dating first? You know, grab a coffee or something.
“If it's written in the stars, who are we to argue?” Rose replied.
Written my ass.
It’s not like I blamed them. I felt eventually, I could come to love Ryder. It’d only been a few days and I already had feelings for the demon. I didn’t know if it was because of our past and the feeling of familiarity I felt whenever he was near or if the stars were simply pointing me in his direction. I couldn’t help but wonder about the others. Would their other halves come along the path and where would that leave me?
Daniel opened his eyes, the golden glow gone. He smiled as his shoulder sank, the tension he had been holding onto fading away.
“How are you feeling Mako?” He questioned, gently placing his hand against my forehead. I couldn’t help but smile, a wave of butterflies assaulting my stomach. That was never a good sign, down hormones, down.
“I’m fine now. Thank you, Daniel. You always seem to patch me right up. Sorry for always tiring you out.” I apologized, frowning up at him. He simply shook his head in response.
“It’s my pleasure. If I can help ease your pain, I’ll do it in a heartbeat.” He whispered.
Oh Starlight’s, this boy is doing more harm than good to my heart. Was there a law against loving more than one person? He is making it quite hard to not love him too.
“There's no law against having more than one mate sweetheart.” Lily announced, using a matter-of-fact tone. I rolled my eyes. Hush you. Not helping my heart’s dilemma.
I rubbed at my eyes as a yawn escaped me. I felt tired but didn’t want to sleep ju
st yet. I wanted to see the others, the thought reminding me of something.
“Shouldn’t you tell the others? Before they get jealous.”
He smirked right back, lifting his hand to tap the side of his head. A light bulb went on in my head.
“Of course. Star knight communication, how useful.” I gloated. I used my hand to stifle another yawn, my eyes getting heavy.
“Looks like you need another nap.” Daniel gestured.
“No, I want to see the others and I’m hungry.” I murmured, leaning my back against the headboard as my body relaxed.
“Elias is making something. Why don’t you close your eyes for a bit? The moment the food is ready I’ll wake you up?” He offered. That sounded like a good deal.
“Would it be selfish of me, to ask if you can stay for just a bit?” I asked hesitantly.
He didn’t say anything, making his way to the bed, taking his slippers off. I moved over to the other side of the bed, making room for him to sit next to me. He pulled me into a side embrace, allowing my head to lie against his chest, pulling the blanket to cover us.
“Sleep Mako. I’ll wake you up in a bit okay?” He whispered.
“Hmm.” I was caught up smelling his white golf shirt, the mixture of lavender and green tea surrounded me. Ryder was roses, Daniel was lavender. I wonder how the others smelled.
Those were the last thoughts I had before I fell into another round of slumber.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Daniel kept his promise to wake me up once Elias had finished making dinner. It was night time; the moon was high in the sky as the stars twinkled brightly. Their luminous glow made me remember all the times I would stare out the cell window back at the facility, dreaming to witness the stars as I prayed to the Starlight gods for a chance at freedom.
I always took a moment at the end of the day to thank them, regardless of whether my pleas were answered or not. Now, I thanked them for allowing me to meet this group of amazing shifters. I’d forever be in debt to them.
Dinner was magnificent; the amount of plates spread across the kitchen island was enough to feed about ten bear shifters, their hunger usually had no end. I took every opportunity to stuff my face, my manners thrown out the window. When you were as hungry as I was, you wouldn’t give two cents about which fork you should use to stab the chicken with. As a matter of fact, screw the fork, hands worked just as good.
I did join in to say grace, courtesy of Daniel and the power of his raised eyebrow. Curse him, stopping me from my attempt to devour my food right away.
Everyone was at dinner except for Ryder. I attempted to inquire about his whereabouts, but the boys brushed away my concerns, stating he would probably show up during dinner. When I filled my stomach to the point of protest, I relaxed in the living room, watching Elias wash the dishes. Daniel had gone straight to bed, and Marcus said he was going out for a night run, leaving me alone in the quiet living room.
I was staring at the coloured stools that were neatly tucked under the kitchen island, my eyes landing on the orange one. It always stayed in place, between Daniel’s and Marcus’ stools. I continued to stare at it in wonder, curious as to who was designated to sit there.
“It’s Kai’s stool.”
I lifted my head to see Elias before me, a glass of milk in hand. I beamed, sitting up to accept the glorious gift. A small smile formed on his lips as he sat next to me, a cup of tea in his other hand.
“Why isn’t Kai here with you guys?” I questioned. I wondered if Kai’s eyes were orange to match his stool. The vibrant colour reminded me of Professor Oxwell’s eyes.
“Kai was left behind in Heila. As knights, it’s our duty to protect you, but we didn’t think it was a good idea for all of us to come to Minato to play student. Heila was already at a disadvantage, since we took both their first and second in command, Matthew Oxwell and Karen Knightly. Myself, Ryder, Marcus and Daniel are also high in rank over there. Bringing Kai with us would leave them struggling in the defense department. Kai’s strong enough alone, so we aren’t too concerned with security measures with him being by himself. He’s a phoenix shifter after all. No one likes playing with fire.” Elias summed up casually, sipping on his tea, the steam curled up from the mug.
“A phoenix shifter huh. So, his eyes are amber?” I asked. Like Lily’s eyes.
“Your best friend was a phoenix shifter?” He asked back.
“Yes. She was pretty powerful at ten cycles. She could summon fire as easy as breathing; her flames were strong, burning anyone to ash at contact. She was killed in front of me, in order to teach me a lesson for participating in an escape attempt back when I was eight cycles. I wasn’t born with a phoenix. Only with Rose and Hope who are my demon and angel spirits. Lily released her phoenix during her last moments. When she died, instead of her phoenix ascending to the gods, she dove straight into me. That’s how I acquired her, naming her after Lily’s memory. Lexi emerged after that. So, I’m assuming I was destined to have three spirits, Lily being added into the picture.” I explained softly, turning my head to the side to stare at the quiet forest outside.
Lexi was most certainly destined to be mine; being dormant within me till that incident with the bear guard in the village. Lily however, I couldn’t know for sure if her passing was a part of the Starlight gods plans for me to gain my fourth spirit.
The fireflies danced as the sounds of the forest – an owl hooting softly, birds singing a nightly song – could be heard inside.
Elias was quiet for a moment, joining me in observing the night sky through the glass door.
“I think…you were destined to have four spirits of your own…” He admitted slowly. I have four spirits. What does he mean by that? He turned his head to look at me, his face stern.
“I don’t think the Starlight gods destined your friend, Lily, to die. You acquired her phoenix due to the gods approving her to reside within you. I personally think it wasn’t planned.” He elaborated; his face was tense in concentration like he was listing the possibilities in his mind.
“If what you're saying is true, wouldn’t that mean I still have one more spirit to acquire?” I proposed.
Four spirits and a split personality was enough on my plate. Five would be a chaotic mess. I already struggled with talking out loud; the bad habit has only become worse ever since I gave up on practicing to refrain.
“Maybe…I don’t know. I just feel like they're more within you.” He replied, his expression softening as he stared into my eyes.
I couldn’t help but get lost in his emerald eyes, the rich green sparkled as the moonlight shone softly.
“Maybe you’re referring to Midnight.” I stated softly.
I didn’t understand why I felt compelled to tell him and not Ryder or the others. There was simply something about him that made me want to tell him more about her. I knew the others wouldn’t judge me for my weird attributes.
Midnight was weird to say the least, but when you had four spirits and had to inform people you also had an alternate personality, they usually put you in the mentally insane category rather quickly.
“Midnight? Is she a spirit?” He asked.
“She’s my split personality. During my teens, I had some adaptive issues. I struggled with the multiple experiments and tests that were being conducted on me every day. Soon enough, with the help of the Owner’s sinister motives, Midnight was created. I didn’t understand her existence in the beginning, but as time went on, I got to understand her. I can talk to her sometimes, I write down what I want to tell her, and basically summon her. We’re able to switch places; I fall into this deep subconscious state while she has full control of my body and spirits. Perfect weapon if you ask me.” I explained, mumbling the last part.
Now that I had a full understanding of the Owner, or should I say King Aspen’s underlying motives, we were his best and only shot at getting revenge on the other realms.
“Can you keep this a secret for now? I don’t want to tel
l the others just yet.” I requested.
“Your secret is safe with me.” He replied, taking another sip of his tea.
I finished my milk, placing the glass down on the glass table across from me. I crossed my legs, allowing my hands to relax behind my back. I glanced up to the ceiling, inspecting the little stone detailing as I tried to recap everything that had happened so far. I wondered what the Starlight gods had in store for me.
I felt something grasp my hand, bringing me out of my thoughts to stare down at Elias’ hand in mine. I looked back up to him staring at me, a blank expression on his mesmerizing face, the moonlight only enhancing his attractiveness.
“I can only imagine what you went through back at the facility, Mako. Nothing can justify King Aspen’s actions. However, you determine whether the past consumes you or motivates you to push forward. I know as star knights, we took way too long to find you, something we will always regret. But we’re here now. We’ll always support you in everything you do from here on out.” He whispered, his face softening. The moonlight illuminated the room, surrounding us with its soothing rays. I smiled back.
“EliaseAnne said something similar, heh. Thank you, Elias.” I responded, hoping my voice could project my gratitude.
He nodded, returning to stare at the backyard. We sat there, holding hands till the early hours of the morning, enjoy each other’s company.
I rubbed at my eyes, attempting to clear the little specs of sand dust that lingered on my lashes. I had woken up in Daniel’s room today. I honestly had no idea how my sleep walking self knew where his room was to begin with, but she discovered it with ease.
I sometimes wondered what influenced her in determining which bed she would want to invade and claim for the night. At least I was wearing pajamas this time.
Daniel didn’t seem to mind. He still looked exhausted this morning, barely able to keep his eyes open as he greeted me good morning. I didn’t blame him; my whimpering had woken him up in the middle of the night. I shivered as I remembered the events in my nightmare.
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