“Liar. Unicorns are pretty and majestic with a hint of mysterious beauty. Eli said she wasn’t a unicorn so you must be the culprit. The stars told me so.” I slurred, wondering if my explanation made sense.
“We aren’t unicorn shifters Mako love.” He assured me. I allowed my eyes to close, as I pondered his statement, the word love made me smile.
Hmm, love as in lover? I like that. Do I love the boys? I guess I do. Maybe it’s too early to say that? I like them though. Ryder and his dedication to protect me, Daniel’s kindness, striving to heal my wounds. Marcus and his brilliant laugh, making every effort to make me smile. Elias’ empathy towards me, hiding his true intentions with those little remarks. Eli’s happiness, her bubbly personality feeling like the sun’s appearance after a rainy day. The boys and Eli; I’ve claimed them all.
“Starlight sakes, what’s she slurring about? What happened?” Marcus voice flooded the room. I heard a bunch of footsteps. I tried to open my eyes but they were heavier than before.
“Marcus? I love you. Did you know that? I love Ryder, Elias and Daniel too. Oh, Elias’ a unicorn shifter by the way. Did you know that too? I know all his secrets.” I hummed happily. I didn’t know I could be happy and feel like shit at the same time. There was a first time for everything.
“Daniel! Do something, I’ll explain later!” Elias stressed.
“Mako, I’m going to do something. It won’t hurt, I promise.” Daniel announced.
I couldn’t help but cling to whatever was next to me, the sudden mention of the unknown. Do something? What was he going to do? He can’t reassure me that it wouldn’t hurt.
The Owner always said that before the devastating waves of pain began during those torturous nights. The nights where I and Midnight would suffer together, in an excruciating spiral of pain, consuming us.
“Don’t lie! It’s going to hurt! It always hurts! Are you going to torture me like the Owner does? Did I and Midnight not perform well? I didn’t do anything bad, I swear.” I cried, panic blossoming within in. I attempted to push away, not wanting to be in anymore pain. The constant banging in my head and the suffocating heat was enough. I didn’t want anymore, I didn’t deserve anymore suffering.
I felt myself being lifted into a familiar embrace. My stiff body suddenly relaxed, the onset scent of roses overwhelmed my nose. My Ryder. I wrapped my arms around his neck, allowing my nose to inhale his clothes lightly. I felt him rub my back soothingly. He understood me. He knew I didn’t like those experiments. How hard they were on me. He cares about me. He loves me. He’ll never forsake me.
“Yes, Mako beloved. I will never forsake you. No one will hurt you. You’re safe with me, remember?” Ryder whispered in my ear, his voice so low and deep, it caused my body to shiver with excitement. I started to wonder when I’d started to fall in love with him. Was it due to his acceptance of me, or was there more?
“Don’t leave me.” I whispered, my conscious starting to drift as the exhaustion settle into my bones. My resolve to fight had faded, the darkness that threatened to steal me away was suddenly inviting. I craved for it.
“Never.” He replied, his words fading away into the black abyss. I welcomed the darkness with open arms, whisking me to the land of nothingness.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
~ELIAS~
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. I closed my eyes, summoning a small amount of wind; its soothing wave caressed my body, bringing calm and clarity to my rattled heart. I was grateful to nature’s wondrous methods of bringing peace to my troubled soul.
I had enough anger within me. I didn’t need more. Yet, the fear in her eyes, was intolerable. What had this Jeffrey person possibly done to her to induce such a reaction? I never heard Eli sound so frantic, so afraid?
I looked up to see Daniel walking out of Ryder’s room. Myself, Marcus, Karen and Matthew were gathered in the living room, currently sitting on the sofas. Ryder had taken up my usual position, standing in front of the black bookshelf, which for all of us wasn’t a positive sign. Whenever Ryder stood there, it meant he was pissed, needing some space from the rest of us. He usually was calm and collected but with his escalated breathing and twitch of his right hand, I knew he was dealing with an internal battle.
His eyes were closed shut, in concentration. I knew he was mad. I couldn’t help but shiver, fully aware of the fact that his anger was going to be aimed at Eli’s spell casting.
“She’s stable. Her fever has gone down significantly. Now, she just needs to sleep it off.” Daniel announced.
I heard Marcus sigh, the others tense postures easing up slightly, yet the tension in the room was still palpable. I took another glance at Ryder; his straight posture hadn’t changed. I knew he was struggling, attempting to calm his demon that was probably fighting for control.
I had heard when he was first told that Rosalina was kidnapped, and the rescue team had been unable to locate her across the galaxy, that he had shifted fully at the very young age of nine cycles. That was on record, the youngest any shifter had been able to shift completely. It had been an apparent struggle to get him to shift back, draining Ryder to the point of unconsciousness. He hadn’t woken up until four days later.
The second time was when Anya was taken. I’d known him for five cycles when it happened. He had fought the rouges, killing four of them, but was unable to stop the last one from stealing his sister away, because of the multiple injuries he’d received. I remember his pale face as he realized he couldn’t stop the kidnapping from happening, receiving the news that Anya was still missing.
He always projected himself as in control, mature for his age as he excelled in anything he put his mind to. He was one of those born leaders, able to lead a bunch of grown ass men to victory if a fight suddenly arose.
Yet, there he was, his usual bright Tyrian eyes had been dull and filled with tears as he broke down. It hurt me deeply, to watching him become so vulnerable, consumed with pain and agony.
Daniel has always been the closest to him, giving him as much closure as his angel spirit could offer. It took a long period of time and therapy for Ryder to bounce back to the collectively calm individual he was now. Collectively calm when his family and friends weren’t in danger.
Now, I couldn’t tell if I should run, hide or beg for forgiveness as he silently stood there, his power flickering on and off as he continued his internal struggle for control.
Matthew turned his glance my way, pulling off his glasses, his orange eyes focused on me.
“What happened? Why does she have fairy magic all over her?” His toneless voice questioned. I knew he wasn’t happy with the situation at all, clearly taking a liking for Mako after her little dominant display during class. Operation, become a badass had been successful in their books.
“Eli panicked, okay. She said during their walk to your office, Professor Sepherant deliberately crashed into Mako and she just froze up like a deer in headlights. Not like when she found out she was a princess. This was different. She was scared shitless! She was trembling and was barely breathing. Eli was able to diffuse the situation. She took her to the empty classroom, thinking she could calm Mako down, but Mako went into full on panic mode. Her power was surging all over, shaking everything in the classroom and once she started emitting too much heat, Eli was worried she would summon her spirits! She had no choice but to cast that spell on her!”
I agreed with what Eli did. It was the right thing to do. I knew what had occurred in that facility. Makoto had suffered enough in her life; she didn’t deserve to suffer any more. Whatever connection between Professor Sepherant and Jeffrey was, it would only hold her back from moving on. Marcus stepped forward.
“Elias, Eli should have known how strong magic like that can be on shifters. Our spirit magic is similar and using such spells is extremely hard on the body. She must have summoned her fire magic or something, causing the intense heat wave. Because of Eli’s spell, the heat had nowhere to escape, b
uilding up within her instead, inducing the fever. She should have known better.” Marcus stated coldly.
I couldn’t help but lower my head in shame. Marcus didn’t get angry often, but when he did, it was troublesome and scary. When Ryder gets mad, it induces chills within your soul, making you wish you never existed, but Marcus’s anger was slow and menacing.
“She’s sorry. I apologize on her behalf…I…I feel the same way she does though. You didn’t see what she saw. She acted out of instinct. Eli just met her today, but already ranked her as a sister. She’s scared of her getting seriously hurt. I don’t know who this Jeffrey guy is or his connection with King Aspen, but whatever Mako has seen in that facility was more than enough to cripple her in fear. The spell Eli cast made it so that if Mako sees Professor Sepherant again, she won’t know who he’s apparently related to. He won’t appear to have any relation to this Jeffrey man.” No one said anything and I directed my eyes to the ground.
The silence lasted a moment longer before I heard footsteps. I kept my eyes downward and clenched my hands into fists, my body growing tense as a figure stood in front of me, Ryder’s purple shoes coming into my line of vision.
I was ready for my punishment, squeezing my eyes shut as I anticipated the wave of power that would surely hit me at any moment.
“Raise your head.” Ryder declared, his voice low and controlled.
I opened my eyes, slowly, looking up at him in confusion. His bright purple eyes returned my gaze, looking relaxed. I wouldn’t allow my body to relax, waiting for the moment his eyes would phase to black, his demon surfacing to deliver my portion of misery but the shift never came.
“If I were in EliaseAnne’s situation…I would have done the same thing. We wouldn’t have even known if spells would induce such an effect on her. Mako hasn’t mentioned much on this Jeffrey person, aside from him being the Owner’s right-hand man. If Professor Sepherant has any connection, we’ll find out. Mako…she’s fragile. Cycles of being trapped in a box, unable to see what’s beyond it. The Owner inflicted a lot of pain on her, emotionally and physically. I’m surprised she can even function properly to all these new changes. She’s trying her best to fit in and cope with everything that’s going on, and all the changes she’s being slammed with. If Eli had to use a spell to ease her burden, then I’m okay with it. She couldn’t have known the effect it would have on Mako and now, we know Mako is going to be okay. Either way, we have bigger things to worry about and can’t afford to be angry with one another.” He looked around the room, making eye contact with the others.
I was waiting for someone to defy his reasoning or make a comment, but as the seconds continued to tick by, no one said a word.
Marcus took a deep breath, his hand pinching his nose. He looked agitated, but at least he didn’t seem as peeved as before.
Daniel looked exhausted. He had been using his angel spirits power of healing a lot recently, the frequency increasing since Makoto’s arrival. His eyes lacked their usual golden attribute, settling on a dull yellow colour. His glasses were on top of his head, a usual sign that indicated his eyes were tired and glasses would make little to no difference with his vision.
“No arguments?” Ryder questioned, glancing around the room a second time. When no one replied, he nodded.
“I’ll be in the library if you need me.” He turned and left the room.
The library was Ryder’s sanctuary. If he was ever upset about something and you couldn’t find him anywhere, simply go to the library. He would probably be relaxing at a corner chair, sleeping with a book in his lap. Ryder and books. I didn’t understand his fascination for those bundles of paper. I hated reading.
“Call us when she wakes up. I’ll make sure to do another scan.” Karen commented, bowing slightly before heading to the door. Matthew stepped forward.
“You guys have today and tomorrow off, training this weekend is cancelled as well. I don’t want her pushing herself anymore. We all need to remain aware that her adapting to this new environment is going to take some time. So far, she’s handled it better than any average shifter who’s been rescued from those dreadful facilities. Regardless, just because she’s adapted well doesn’t mean she won’t have a breakdown or exhaust herself.” Matthew pointed out, his serious tone made me straighten up. It was a bad habit, but you couldn’t help but stand at attention when the leader of command was talking, his authoritative voice was strong enough to induce such respect.
“Yes, sir.” All of us replied in unison. Karen turned around and pointed at me.
“Elias, make sure she eats something as well. You boys clearly don’t pay attention, but she’s lost weight since coming here. From what I’ve heard, she only had breakfast which was aeons ago. The moment she wakes up make sure she eats. I want her eating every two to three hours, understood?” Karen stressed, turning back around to open the door, Matthew walking to stand next to her.
Shit. I hadn’t even realized she wasn’t eating. We were so used to doing our own things throughout the day and gathering during dinner time to eat, but since Makoto arrived, we’ve just been eating when we needed too, neglecting the fact she wasn’t used to our routine. Not to mention the last four days, she’s either been sleeping or being overwhelmed with information. I couldn’t help but feel disappointed for not realizing earlier.
“Understood. I’ll make sure she eats.” I vowed, bowing. They both nodded before exiting, leaving me, Marcus and Daniel alone.
“Sorry guys, but I’m going to go crash. I used a bit too much energy today.” Daniel confessed, rubbing at his exhausted eyes as a yawn escaped his lips. I couldn’t blame him; he looked like he got hit by a shifter.
“Are you going to be okay? I can give you a hand?” Marcus suggested, his face filled with worry.
We all knew when Daniel got to a certain level of exhaustion, it didn’t matter where he was, he could easily sit on the ground and pass out for hours. We had agreed amongst ourselves since we were younger that we’d always make sure one of us escorted or checked on him to make sure he landed in his bed and not the bathtub.
“Um…yes. Maybe I’ll take you up on that offer. I honestly don’t see myself making it up the stairs.” He admitted, smiling weakly. He walked towards me, placing his hand on my shoulder.
“Relax. Don’t need to hold such a burden within you. Nothing bad happened to her. She’ll be as good as new by tomorrow. Make it up to her with a good breakfast.” Daniel suggested.
I sometimes hated his angel instincts. He could sense my stress a mile away. He always had to come and encourage me to let things go, instead of allowing me to beat myself up which was a bad habit of mine. I knew my built-up anger was the cause of that issue, but as they say; old habits die hard.
“Sorry I caused you trouble.” I apologized, bowing my head towards them.
I couldn’t help but feel bad. They were brothers to me, my true family. My real family was too concerned with galaxy politics than their only son, who would one day be heir.
As star knights and friends, we didn’t need to be blood related to feel connected to one another. They understood me more than I understood myself at times. They hadn’t yelled at me or belittled me for my mishaps. They always took the initiative to understand the situation and determine what action would be best. They simply got me and I loved them for that.
“Don’t worry about it Elias. I’m not mad at you. I’m mad that our princess has to deal with so much shit. Tell Eli not to get all depressed either. She’s a pain in the ass when she’s in self-loathing mode. It doesn’t benefit anyone.” Marcus confessed, walking up to me to pat my other shoulder. I sighed, feeling the tension in my shoulders leave.
“Thanks guys.” I said with a smile.
I thanked the Starlight gods for guiding me from Realm Nine to find them.
They both nodded with light smiles on their lips. Marcus went over to Daniel, lifting his arm to rest on his shoulder.
“C’mon healer boy. I can only
deal with one sleepwalker in this life time. I can’t deal with seeing you dead on the stairs again.” Marcus complained as they made their way to the hall towards the stairs.
“I wasn’t dead, I was sleeping.” Daniel mumbled before yawning.
“Dead, aka coma, aka we couldn’t wake your ass up until Karen came and did that spell on you. I swear, I bet you can sleep standing.” He pointed it out with a huff.
“It’s happened.” He confessed, prompting Marcus to chuckle lightly.
I watched them disappear, leaving me alone in the room, the sunset’s multicoloured rays radiating through the glass door.
I couldn’t stop myself from walking toward it. I slid the door open, walking onto the green soft grass. I took a long, deep breath, exhaling slowly as I closed my eyes.
Nature soothed me, the wind making its appearance to comfort me. I couldn’t stop the smile that formed on my lips as I allowed the tension to leave me.
As long as Makoto was safe, nothing would burden me. I would keep her safe, regardless of any obstacles that stood in our way. Jeffrey huh…guess it's time to catch a mouse.
***
“Mako?”
I attempted to open my heavy eyelids for the twenty-fifth time. Who knew trying to wake up would be so stressful.
My body felt heavy, as if someone had placed a bunch of weights to hold me down. Was this one of the Owner’s new experiments?
My mind continued to wander, after failing at opening my eyes. It took me a moment to remember where I was. I’m not at the Owner’s facility anymore. I was with the boys; I had my first day of school. Then I went to get my familiar and…hmm, blank. What happened after that?
“You developed a fever and passed out.” Hope voiced out, her angelic voice was soft, barely high enough to register as a whisper. Why do you sound so far away? They usually were loud and made every effort to induce headaches.
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