Tainted Rose

by Yumoyori Wilson

  “Makoto said something similar. You think you can stand?” he questioned.

  I frowned, attempting to stand up straight but felt the world spin. “Dizzy?” I questioned, my hands gripped his arm for dear life. No falling to my demise like Mako.

  I felt another pair of arms wrap around me before I was lifted into the air. I held the shriek that tried to escape my lips as my body floated to the lined-up row of stools, a foot tugged at the pink stool and placing me gently on it. I turned my head to see Elias’ worried expression, the sight of his vibrant green eyes made me smile.

  “Elias!” I greeted; my voice expressed the sudden joy in me.

  “Hey, Midnight,” he replied, before leaning forward and kissing me.

  I blinked as he pulled away just as quickly, a proud smirk on his face.

  He leaned forward to whisper in my ear. “That was from Eli this time,” he admitted before turning away towards the stove, grabbing an apron off the hook and placing it on his neck, before he tied the string behind his back.

  I blushed, unable to hide my embarrassment. I fidgeted in my seat.

  Eli...I shouldn’t...

  “Midnight. They aren’t like Samuel. Give them a chance.”

  I felt goosebumps at the mention of the Archangel’s name. Then I tilted my head. Wait a minute.

  “Mako?”

  “What?” she questioned. Her voice projected her confusion and annoyance.

  “What do you mean what? You’re TALKING TO ME,” I argued.

  “Huh?” she asked, surprised.

  “Midnight? What’s wrong? Your face is pale,” Kai’s worried voice questioned as his figure appeared opposite of the kitchen island.

  “Makoto’s talking in my head.” I brushed him off, attempting to return to the conversation before a yawn escaped me; my head felt heavy.

  “Ryder. Hold onto Midnight,” Kai ordered.

  I was about to answer when dark spots formed in my line of vision, my conscious wavered before plummeting into darkness.

  ~MAKOTO~

  “HOLY STARLIGHT!”

  I opened my eyes, five pairs of eyes landed on me as I blinked away the haze.

  “Firefly, jeez. You scared us,” Marcus confessed, relief formed on his face as he ruffled his long, brown hair. They frowned at me which made me confused.

  “Oh. My bad. Why are you guys looking at me like that?”

  “Your eyes are mismatched Mako,” Elias pointed out, his usual voice betrayed him, the concern oozed off his words.

  “Huh?” I asked, tilting my head.

  Kai moved forward, pulling out a bright pink mirror in the shape of a pink rose. He opened it up, facing it at me. I wanted to question why he had a pink mirror, but the image that greeted me was different.

  My eyes widened as I stared at my reflection. My usual turquoise eyes were now mismatched; my right remained its turquoise colour, but my left eye was now a midnight blue.

  “Um...am I sick?” I questioned, my voice low as I gulped.

  Daniel’s eyes glowed as they roamed my body; his concentrated expression made me more anxious.

  “It’s...hard to explain. Mako, why did you just yell when you woke up?” he questioned.

  “Uh...I hmm. Oh! MIDNIGHT! I heard her. I think I heard. My memory is kinda fuzzy,” I admitted, trying to remember what she’d said.

  “It was only a minute ago and you forget. Makoto.”

  “FUCK! Midnight!!!!” I cursed, shooting off my stool, the world spinning again.

  Arms stabilized me before I fell backward. I looked up to see Kai’s amber eyes as he sighed.

  “You seriously need to eat or Karen’s going to ban us from being near you till we sign a contract, ensuring we feed you...and you’ve lost weight,” he insisted before blankly pointing out that small fact as he helped me sit back on the stool.

  I was greeted by the smell of Pumpkin spice; the soft scent made me smile sweetly at him. “You smell good,” I whispered.

  “You get distracted easily,” he replied.

  “I do not,” I argued, frowning.

  “Your eyes are back to normal again,” he noted, shaking his head at me.

  “Oh, RIGHT! I just heard Midnight in my head! Uh...shit. I can’t remember again,” I complained. My shoulders sank in disappointment.

  Kai rubbed my back soothingly. “Don’t get so disappointed. Matthew’s friend will be here in a few days to help figure out what’s going on with you and Midnight,” he explained, his soft, calming voice helped relieve the anxiety at my current predicament.

  “Are you sure I’m not just crazy?” I suggested. I did have four spirits, so it was a matter of time till I showed signs of losing it. Maybe the whole magic limit thing triggered the progression of my insanity.

  “Mako, you’re not insane or crazy. We have a few guesses, but let’s wait till Winterlya gets here, okay?” Ryder encouraged, making his way over to my stool and placing a kiss on my forehead. Winterlya hmmm.

  “Okay. Can we eat now? Or I can call Karen to—”

  “NO!” They all protested before Elias rushed over to the stove.

  “Five minutes,” he promised as he turned the stove on; Marcus and Daniel helped him get the ingredients out of the fridge.

  I looked up at Kai who had a wicked smile on his face. “You guys are afraid of Karen aren’t you and how did you catch me so fast? You were standing on the opposite side.” I narrowed my eyes at the ginger haired shifter.

  “It’s my specialty,” he replied; his hands left my arms as he made his way to the fridge.

  Speciality as in what? I was ready to question him when he opened the fridge and pulled out a brown and white carton. He grabbed two glasses, making it back to the island. I stared at him in horror as he poured the contents into the glass.

  “Mako, why do you look like Kai’s about to drink a shifter’s blood or something?” Ryder questioned, noticing my disgust. I lifted my head to face him.

  “He’s drinking expired milk,” I pointed out as my outstretched finger landed on the two glasses filled with the brown dairy liquid. Everything edible had an expiration date to my knowledge, always turning brown as it decayed. Milk was no different...right?

  Multiple snickers could be heard from the others, as their shoulders shook. Or not?

  “Baby that’s not expired milk. It’s chocolate milk,” Ryder acknowledged, doing his best to hold back his laughter.

  The huge grin on his face caused me to roll my eyes. “There’s no such thing. Don’t lie,” I argued, crossing my arms over my chest to glare at him.

  “Mako, I’m not lying. It’s chocolate flavoured milk,” he reassured me.

  My eyes turned back to the brown, liquid filled glass. I looked at Kai. “Is it safe to drink? Will I die? If so, your previous comment would be invalid.” I reminded him of his earlier statement. I’d probably have a word with the Starlight gods about expired milk and how it led to my early death.

  He picked the glass up, taking a giant gulp of it before placing it back down on the table, a brown line around his lips. He licked it off and smiled. I wanted to lick it off.

  “See? Haven’t died yet,” he revealed.

  I reached out for the glass, inspecting it with my eyes before sniffing it, the smell similar to the white milk I usually drank. Only difference was it did have a hint of a chocolate smell to it.

  “If I die...my ghost will come and haunt all of you for the rest of your lives,” I threatened, power flowed through my words as I took a slow glance around the room.

  They all froze before Elias cursed, quickly flipping the pancake.

  “Just try it, Mako,” Kai insisted. He was the first one to recover from my threat.

  I took a final glance at the liquid before I put the glass to my lips, taking a generous sip. I sat there for a moment, as the liquid swished in my mouth before swallowing.

  Happiness flowed through me as I looked down at the liquid, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Where
have you been all my life?” I cooed before gulping the rest down.

  The others sighed in relief.

  I finished the glass, reaching out for Kai’s.

  “Mako?” he cautioned.

  “But...” I looked up at him, blinking my wide eyes. He blushed before looking away.

  “Fine. You can have it, Princess,” he mumbled.

  I squealed, grabbing the glass. I was ready to drink it when my body felt warm and tingly. “You’re mine now,” I declared staring at Kai.

  He looked back in confusion. “You mean the chocolate milk?”

  “No, I mean you Kai Akiyama. You’re mine. I claim you, too,” I commanded before the mark on my hand blared to life; his left hand which was relaxed on the table began to glow a mellow orange, similar to a flame.

  His eyes glazed over as he opened his mouth.

  “Our Princess, future Queen of all the realms. We offer you our protection. As your knights, we come to your aid, protecting and loving you as we strive together to bring peace upon thy lands. You shall be our light as we follow you across the galaxy. Bestow us with your power, as we bring evil to justice. Guide us away from the darkness that plagues our galaxy, for the greater good of all Starlight.”

  I continued, unable to stop the words that needed to escape.

  “My lovely Star Knight. Oh strong, kind and forgiving. May the Starlight gods grant you strength for the journey before us. Vanquish such fears, leave hopelessness behind, and replace calamity with feelings of hope. Be strong, my dear Star Knights, for we shall conquer all who oppose our forward march towards salvation. I, your Princess, shall stand not behind, but with you, as we protect our lands, restore thy peace and unite all shifters alike.”

  My left arm stretched out as my hand lifted like a stop sign before the words flowed out.

  “I entrust this duty upon thee, to protect and serve me, as long as I see fit. May the Starlight gods bless our bonding, for everlasting love and trust. I proclaim, the gods as my witness.” I finished, a gentle light formed in my hand.

  An orange-red light that reminded me of a phoenix’s flames brightened as it surrounded his hand; the Celtic marking took form. I glanced at my own markings, the once black line that spun around to the centre of the flourishing blossom lit up, an orange colour replacing it. Now, I had five different colour strings twisting to meet at the centre. Only one line remained black.

  “In stars, we trust.”

  He whispered, blinking out of the trance.

  Ryder pulled me into an embrace as I leaned to the side, my body felt weak as I sighed.

  “Easy now.” He lifted me up, carrying me to the sofa.

  “Rest for a bit, while Elias finishes breakfast. We can’t delay you from eating any longer. You can take a nap after ’kay?” he assured me as he laid me in the soft cushions, my eyes heavy.

  “So, a five-minute nap...” I slurred.

  “I’ll make it ten,” he joked.

  I felt another hand brush against my forehead, my eyes opening to see Kai.

  “Rest up Princess and thank you,” he whispered, the sincerity in his voice relaxing my mind before it drifted far away.

  Five down...one more to go.

  Chapter Eleven

  ~KAI~

  I twirled the mechanical pencil between my fingers, allowing my right leg to slide to the floor before I repositioned myself. I lifted my left leg to rest on my right, placing the sketch book to rest on my human made desk.

  I stared at the sketch, the unfinished drawing of the beautiful woman sleeping before me. I turned my attention to the spinning pencil, stopping it with the pinch of my fingers.

  I frowned and realized that no matter how much detail I input into this sheet of paper, it would never be able to portray how magnificently beautiful Makoto was.

  I never knew anyone who could be able to look so peaceful and serene while sleeping. I glanced at the time; twenty minutes had flown by without any of us realizing it.

  I’d heard so much about the sleep walking, milk addicted female. Ryder had the strongest connection through our knight bond and always kept me posted on their development with our Princess and how she coped.

  Now that I’d met her face to face and watched her sleeping, peaceful figure, I now understood why the others fell in love with her as quickly as they did. She was a breath of fresh air – her vibrant personality matched her beauty, and her brain was a rarity among female shifters.

  I’d had my share of encounters with females – both human and shifter alike. None of them compared to Makoto. She’d surpassed my expectations and made me wonder if I’d be privileged to be more than her star knight like the others.

  I wanted so badly to introduce myself sooner – to make her aware of my presence instead of hiding in the shadows and only appearing when she was in deep sleep. But, I didn’t want to overwhelm her; wanted her to recover and be in a familiar, calming environment before I showed myself.

  I never expected her walking into me would have led to me officially receiving her anointing as her star knight.

  I lifted my left hand up, taking another moment to admire the new marking on the back of my hand. The design alone was magnificent – the swirls and variation of thick and thin lines aiming for the centre in an Ombre transition of orange to red. The two-toned colour represented myself and my phoenix well, making us overjoyed with happiness and excitement to be accepted.

  Makoto rested on the three-seater sofa, Ryder sat on the floor next to the sofa as he read a book. It was nice to see him be able to show such compassion to his long, lost crush.

  Being able to see his relationship with Mako made me happy. Ryder always attempted to keep his image and not show an ounce of emotion. Now he openly kissed the woman he loved without a care in the galaxy.

  It was like reading a book – watching two shifters who loved one another dearly, but unable to reach each other; finally overcome the barriers and being reunited.

  I could feel our shared happiness through our knight bond, myself and the others glad to see Ryder back to his normal self. I knew it wouldn’t be long till he’d be super busy, always scurrying around the realm to help with the preparations in mourning his deceased sister, Anya.

  I bet more than one of us was grateful about the King’s absence. All he did was add pressure on Ryder, either trying to force him into some type of arranged marriage for his personal benefit or simply taunting him.

  Since Anya’s kidnapping and death, all the burden and responsibilities had been placed on Ryder, the future heir of Minato. We all witnessed his ongoing struggle, the mask he placed on when he left our safe home; he focused on maintaining his image as a leader who was respected by many. He could never show signs of weakness or it was considered the demonstration of a weak King, as his father would imply.

  I just hoped he didn’t return till the day of Anya’s celebration of life. Once that happened, maybe Mako would be fit enough to go to Heila. I’d love for us to avoid any drama with his family; though, I knew Mako would love Ryder’s mother, the Queen. She’d love Mako’s feistiness. I personally thought she’d enjoy her inner-outer monologues.

  Daniel slept at the kitchen island; Marcus walked by as he placed a woolen blanket over him. He was in workout gear which indicated he was going to go for a run.

  Elias sat next to me; his eyes closed as he relaxed, his calm facial features alternated from time to time. He most likely was talking to Elyion.

  I made a mental note to annoy Eli by using her given name. She absolutely hated it. I didn’t even understand why I kept calling her that, doing the evil deed since we were gathered together that faithful day, but the habit continued till now.

  I enjoyed seeing her get flustered before trying to break the closest piece of furniture around her. I lost count of how many glasses she’d shattered. I sometimes wondered who had it worse when it comes to anger management – Elias or Elyion.

  I didn’t blame them for their short temper. Anyone who had de
alt with a past like theirs would NOT be as forgiving and kind-hearted as they were. I don’t think any of us would have turned out like they did.

  “Shouldn’t we wake Makoto up?” I suggested. Ryder looked up from his book, before shifting to face Makoto.

  “Mako?” He reached out and gently nudged her.

  She didn’t even stir, her breathing stayed at its normal, slow pace as she continued to sleep peacefully.

  “The knight bond exhausted her,” Marcus noted, walking up to our sleeping beauty; his fingertips moved the strand of hair that was misplaced and hung in her face.

  “She’s not the only one who’s exhausted,” Elias noted, not even opening his eyes. We knew he was referring to Daniel who was knocked out at the island.

  Poor guy trained a lot lately, sneaking off in the middle of the night to the training centre at Knightwood to practice.

  I doubt the others had noticed the difference, assuming he was sleeping as usual. I commended him for his hard work. I knew he was doing all this training on Mako’s behalf. After what happened in Latelia, I knew he wanted to be stronger for whatever was coming our way.

  Both myself and Daniel could predict the future; a gift known as foresight, but it had its limitations. Daniel could see only glimpses of events that were moments from happening; triggered by the mentioning of a word or by touch of objects.

  I, on the other hand, had a stronger foresight calibre – the ability to predict the future a few days or weeks ahead. It was usually triggered through the mentioning of an individual or event. The memory of the vision lingered for a day or two and faded completely if I didn’t draw it out.

  The strongest level was touch, which left the individual in a trance-like state till the vision was complete and faded within minutes, but it provided the most detailed imagery of the future. I was personally glad I was middle ground. I couldn’t imagine living a life with such a strong, sensitive gift.

  “She fainted the first time, right?” I questioned.

  “Yeah. But, it was kind of our fault for shocking her. We kinda bombarded her with a lot of info, told her she was a Princess of an entirely different realm and stated the oath,” Elias replied, rising to his feet before stretching. He looked tired.