Realms of the Otherworld Box Set

by Jana LaPelle

  ​"Mmhmm, I don't mean to interrupt and as sweet as this little reunion has turned out to be we should probably get going." I hear a male voice over my shoulder.

  ​“Declan, I think we can give Ashlinn some time to get her bearings.” Alaric’s voice rumbles through his chest as he pulls me in tighter. “She’s been through a lot and needs time to adjust. Ashlinn, how are you feeling?” He asks, as he gently strokes my hair and kisses the top of my head.

  ​I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, "I feel like I've known you for a thousand years, but we've only just met, how is that possible? How is it that I dreamt of you for weeks before the accident? What just happened to me? I feel different; I don't know how, but I do." I'm aware that I'm rambling but can't seem to stop, all the while I find that I can't let go of Alaric as I hold him close, clinging to him like a vine.

  ​"We have a lot to discuss," Alaric says as he puts a finger under my chin lifting my face to his. "First, why don't we see if you can stand? Then I'll have Jasmine assist you in getting cleaned up, we can get everyone fed, and I can see to Alexia's injuries while you shower. Do you trust me? I need you to know before you see yourself in your true form for the first time that you have never looked more beautiful to me as you do at this moment.” He says as he looks deeply into my eyes. I nod as the realization hits, I trust him implicitly.

  ​I have been so focused on Alaric I've forgotten Lexie! How could I forget her? I whip my head around and look at Lexie sitting quietly in her wheelchair taking everything in, with a handsome elf standing behind her with his hand resting on her shoulder. “Oh, my gosh! Lexie, are you okay? I'm so sorry that I haven't been here for you." I stumble forward on wobbly legs and reach for her as Alaric helps to steady me. I'm down on my knees in front of her as I take all of her in. Her auburn hair hangs in soft curls around her face and reaches more than midway down her back. Her emerald green eyes are large and shimmering with unshed tears. Her skin is fair with a light dusting of tiny freckles over her nose. She and I have always been on the petite side, both standing only around five foot. The bandage around her head has been replaced with just a bandage on the right side of her forehead, her right leg is in a cast, and her right arm is in a sling. I place my hand gently on her left cheek and repeat my question from before in a soft voice, "Are you okay?’

  ​Lexie lowers her eyes and looks down at her lap as the tears begin to fall in earnest. I can't imagine what she has been through since the accident. I reach up to take her in my arms careful not to squeeze her too tightly not wanting to hurt her. "Shhh… it's okay, I'm here now. You're not alone anymore; I'm so sorry." I say as I begin to cry right along with her. Our grief rolls out of us for all that we have lost. We both stay that way just clinging to one another and crying until we can't cry anymore. "We're going to be okay, you and me. Whatever happens, from this point forward we're a team, okay?" I ask as I pull back and look into her tear streaked face, and for the first time, I notice the uncomfortable silence in the room as the men shuffle their feet from side to side. I look at each of the men and ask, "What? Have you never seen two women cry before? Seriously, you would think that we just grew horns or something."

  ​At that moment I notice Jasmine for the first time, she is fluttering about around Lexie and me snickering, "I knew I liked you Ashlinn; you have spunk. These guys aren't going to know what hit them." Then looking between Lexie and me she says on a more serious note, "I look forward to getting to know the both of you, I think that we're going to be spending a lot of time together." Then she lands on my shoulder and latches on to my hair to steady herself as I pull back to look at Lexie.

  ​Lexie looks at me with wide eyes, "What was that Ash? You look different." Lexie says as she looks me over. "Wow, you're beautiful, not that you weren't before, but now. Just, wow. You've changed, you have this pixie-like look to your features, and your hair has this shine about it. I don't want to spoil the surprise, so I'm not saying anything else until you've had a chance to see for yourself. And Ash? Don't beat yourself up for not being here for me after the accident; you couldn't help what happened any more than I could. You're here now, and that's what matters. We can face the rest together. I’ve missed you.” She says with a wistful smile and squeezes my hand. Then she looks up at the handsome elf that has not left her side, and her smile widens.

  ​If I didn't know better, I would think there was something there between the two of them, or was there? I'll have to ask Alaric about that later. About that time I feel Alaric behind me helping me to my feet and turning me to face him. He surveys my face with a tiny frown and gently wipes the remainder of my tears away with his calloused thumb as he asks, "You okay?" I nod, and then he says, "Tolin, Torin, I need you to round up some food for all of us, dawn approaches, and we have much to do in the days to come before we can head back to the Otherworld. Nemus, you and I can see to Alexia's injuries. Jasmine, I need you to help Ashlinn get cleaned up."

  ​"Whoa, there mister, I know you like to give orders, and I know you mean well, and all but, I think I can manage in the bathroom on my own. No offense Jasmine, I'm really not sure just how much help you would be. Besides, I have a feeling that I will need some time to myself. A lot has happened, and I need to see these changes for myself. I would prefer to do that on my own." I say to Alaric.

  ​He gives me a long hard look, and then asks, “Are you sure? You can barely stand.”

  ​"I can manage." Looking at this elf man in front of me it's almost as if I can sense what he is feeling. He looks so unhappy that I can't help myself from lifting my hand to caress his cheek, and say, "I'll be fine. If I need any help I'll let you know, I'm just going to be in the connecting bathroom, it's not like you won't be able to hear me."

  ​He’s not happy, but he relents, “Alright, don’t push yourself, promise? It may take a few days to get your strength back.”

  ​“Are you going to hover the whole time? Because we may have a problem it that’s the case. Just saying.” I say with a smirk.

  ​"Damn straight I'm going to hover; I almost lost you, so you had better get used to having a permanent shadow. I'm going to stick to you like glue." And with that, he pulls me tightly against him and against my will I feel myself melt into him. With a chuckle, he says, "Alright, miss independent, get to it, times a wasting."

  ​I look up at him; he towers over me, and I guess his height to be somewhere around 6'2", his cocky smirk showing off his adorable dimples and I just shake my head as I say, "So cocky…" I hear a male voice behind me say with a smile to his tone, "This should be interesting."

  ​I turn away from Alaric to gather some clothes out of the tiny hospital closet, and with a sigh I enter the bathroom on shaky legs to discover the new me.

  Chapter 8

  (Ashlinn)

  ​As I make my way to the bathroom, I admit to myself that Alaric is right, I can barely hold myself upright, I feel as weak as a day-old kitten. Thank god there's a seat situated in the shower. I move about slowly going about my business trying to ignore the white elephant in the room. Taking a deep breath, I slowly walk towards the mirror with my gaze steadfastly at my feet. I grip the counter by the sink, and slowly move my gaze up to meet my reflection in the mirror. "Well, crap on crackers!" I exclaim. "Whoa…" I'm at a loss for words at the reflection looking back at me. My hazel eyes are now a brilliant tawny amber color and are now more almond shaped, slanting upwards. They are a bit larger than I remember with long thick eyelashes. Gone is the softly rounded face from before, in its place, my face is more angular. My cheekbones are high and prominent, and my mouth is fuller and poutier than I remember from before. I turn my head to look at my profile, and that's when I notice my ears, "Well snap, I wasn't expecting that." I mumble to myself. My ears are pointed like the elves and Jasmine's. I touch the point of my ears tentatively and watch my ear twitch ever so slightly, they're very sensitive. Stunned, I continue to take in the many changes I endured during my awakening, or should I say meta
morphosis? Gone is the mousey brown hair, my hair is now the color of rich caramel with dark golden hi-lights throughout, making it look multi-colored. Now it reaches past my waist and is so much thicker, with a gentle wave, and heavier than before. My skin is now a light golden brown, and does my skin sparkle ever so slightly? "Wait. That can't be right. How am I going to explain that?" Overall, my features look similar but different, and the longer I stare, the more I realize that I like the changes. Really like them. I'm no longer ordinary. I have this otherworldly pixie-like look about me. I think to myself, okay I can do this. I can get used to this new me. It's not so bad. I'm no longer ordinary. I'm really kind of extraordinary.

  ​“Ashlinn, are you okay in there?” I hear Alaric at the door.

  ​“Yes, just getting acquainted with this new version of myself. Give me about twenty minutes. Okay?” I say through the door.

  ​I make my way over to the shower and strip out of my, oh so attractive, hospital gown and step into the hot spray of the shower. I let it cascade over my body, and as it does so, I imagine washing the old me away to make room for the new slightly improved version of me. Who knew how much shampoo it took to wash a mane this long and full?

  ​Ten minutes later I'm standing in front of the basin and mirror dressed in a green sundress that hits mid-thigh, I've pulled my unruly damp hair back into a high ponytail and take one last look in the mirror stealing myself for what's to come. My body has also filled out, and I have a little more curve to me that I didn't have before. I ready myself to step out into the room beyond and figure out what comes next; I sigh deeply. There is so much I don't know, but I have Alexia and Alaric, and Jasmine and whoever else is out there that I haven't yet met. My life up to this point has been ordinary, but I know that's about to change. On unsteady legs, I emerge from the bathroom to meet my destiny.

  (Alaric)

  ​She's stunning. She steps out of the bathroom with her hair in a high ponytail that reaches to almost beyond her waist. I can hardly breathe when I see her. She has that kind of an effect on me. All the past few days have been washed away. Her true form is simply beautiful, and her soul sings to mine.

  ​I hear Alexia call out in the background, “My turn! Ash, can you believe that Alaric and Nemus were able to heal my leg? That cast was so itchy.” She squeals as she dives into Ashlinn’s arms.

  ​Ashlinn catches her in a hug, and I see her waiver as her strength is fading. I'm by her side in an instant, and I catch them both before Ashlinn has the chance to collapse under Alexia's additional weight. She pulls back from Ashlinn quickly; concern etched on her face.

  ​"I should have known. I'm sorry Ash. I thought you were feeling better. I would never have jumped you like that otherwise, are you okay? I'm just so happy to have you back."

  ​“I’m fine, just extremely weak. How long was I out?” Ashlinn asks.

  ​“Almost a week, you need to eat and gather your strength, okay?” Alexia says with an apologetic look.

  ​"Okay, food sounds and smells really good right about now," Ash replies with a small smile.

  ​I sweep her up in my arms and cradle her to my chest. I hear her sigh contently. Just having her in my arms after waiting for her for so long is like coming home. It’s a balm to my aching soul. I make my way over to the table in the room and settle my precious cargo in my lap. “We have eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, syrup, biscuits, and gravy. You name it, what sounds good?” I ask.

  ​She chuckles, "All of it." She says with a smile and hooks her arm around my neck leaning into me. "Thank you," she whispers.

  ​“For what?”

  ​“For finding me.” She says as she lays a gentle kiss on my cheek.

  ​"I'll always find you," I say taking all of her in as I breathe in her scent. "Alright, beautiful, let's get you fed, okay?" I fill her plate with everything and watch what she chooses to eat so I can know what she prefers. Her scent is intoxicating, and I find that I'm so distracted by her that before I know what I'm doing, I lean in to kiss her. I catch myself at the last moment and instead, I run my nose along the curve of her cheek. She leans back into me for a moment as we both just sit there absorbed in one another. The kindred bond is wreaking havoc on my self-control. As much as I want to kiss her, this is not the time, nor the place. I need to show some restraint.

  ​​I hear several of my men clearing their throats, I pull back and gaze into her eyes and say, “Ashlinn, we have an

  audience.” I whisper, leaning my forehead against hers. “Tonight, I will make sure that we have our privacy to talk, okay? I take a deep breath stealing myself so that I can allow her to eat.

  ​"Tonight, Elf-Man, we talk, and you can help me understand what you already know. I feel like a kitten lost in high weeds, learning my way. I expect you to help me and not just protect me." She says, looking deep into my soul. "I will not have you protect me to the point of ignorance. If you try to do so, we're going to have problems, understood?"

  ​"You ask a lot of me, but I will promise to treat you as an equal." And with that, my men at the table snort as if they disagree with what I just said, but I disregard them because I know that I will do everything in my power to keep my promise to her.

  (Ashlinn)

  ​I turn my attention to the food in front of me, and I realize just how famished I am. I take solace in the fact that Alaric is here with me as I happily devour my meal. So much has happened in such a short amount of time. I quickly realize that I have been so focused on Alaric and Lexie that I haven't taken in the rest of Alaric's men. For the first time, I look around and begin to process that there are four other men with Alaric, all strangers who I have yet to acknowledge. Wow, I'm either a total bitch or just seriously overwhelmed with everything that has just happened.

  ​"Alaric? I think that given the circumstances, introductions are in order." I say. About that time Lexie exits the bathroom looking totally refreshed. The bandage on her forehead is gone, along with the sling and the cast. She looks like her old self in a cute little white eyelet sundress. “You hungry?” I ask her.

  ​“I ate while you were cleaning up, I’m good. You forget that you’re the one that hasn’t eaten in like a whole week. How are you feeling?” She asks.

  ​“Better now that I’ve eaten. Have you met everyone?” I ask her.

  ​“Not everyone. Things got really crazy as the whole gang came crashing into the room. Then there was the whole scene where you are literally spinning like a top in midair, giving off an amazing light show and transforming before my very eyes. It’s been a lot to process.” She says half kidding, but really serious.

  ​“I bet you were just a little freaked out. Sorry for that. I guess that couldn’t be helped. Although, I think you’re ahead of me in the introductions department.” I turn towards Alaric, “Alaric, introductions please. I need to offer my sincere thank you to everyone.” I say sincerely.

  ​“No thanks are necessary, my lady.” I hear a male voice say from over my shoulder.

  ​"I happen to disagree. And why has everyone taken to calling me "my lady." I mumble under my breath.

  ​Alaric smiles at me and then says, “Men, meet Ashlinn, my kindred. Ashlinn, meet Tolin, Torin, Declan, and Nemus the Druid. You already know Jasmine.” Alaric gestures with his hand at each man in the room so that I may tell them apart.

  ​I take a moment to assess each of the men. Tolin and Torin are definitely brothers; they look so very similar, both with long dirty blond hair pulled up in a messy top knot, sporting twinkling brown eyes, and have a mischievous look about them, pranksters to be sure. Declan is much more reserved with his almost military cut short black hair and eyes that appear to be dark as midnight, eyes that never stray very far from Lexie. Again I take note and need to talk to Alaric about that. Last but not least is Nemus, his dark hair is graying slightly at the temples and is kept buzzed short on the sides and longer on top in a wavy mass swept off of his forehead, his slate gray eyes are sharp as a hawks, t
aking in everything around him. He has an intense look about him and looks to be the only human in the group. All of the men are exceptionally well built as if they train daily. I get the impression that they do.

  ​Alaric continues, "These men are my Guard and are trained warriors." He gestures to Tolin, Torin, and Declan then he inclines his head toward Nemus, "Nemus' talents lie elsewhere, he is also trained in defense but is more comfortable wielding majic and was instrumental in your awakening."

  ​I take a deep breath and say, "Thank you all so very much for coming to my aide. I appreciate all that you've done for me. Especially you Nemus, without you I might still be stuck in limbo. It was horrible, to say the least. Thank you, I will forever be in your debt." I say, and for some silly reason, I attempt a curtsey.

  ​I hear Jasmine snicker. Evidently, she has woke from her nap on the pillow. "That's as sorry an excuse for a curtsey if I ever saw one. You could have face planted on the ground, and it would have been more graceful." She snorts.

  ​“Seriously, you’re going to make fun of the girl that’s been in a coma for a week and just underwent a transformation from human to, I’m not sure yet?” I come back, trying to hide my smirk with little success.

  ​"Hey, don't get your panties in a bunch; I'm just pointing out the obvious. I have much to teach you before you'll be ready to be presented at court." Jasmine says, hovering in front of my face with her hands on her hips.

  ​I laugh out loud, "Jaz, you and I are going to get along just fine. Guys, thank you again, I can't wait to get to know you all." I become more serious as I gesture to Lexie, "We have a lot to discuss and much to do. Lexie, I really hate to ask, but it's been a week, I believe we have funeral arrangements to make. Are you okay with helping or would you prefer that I handle the arrangements?"

  ​Alaric interjects, “Ladies we can make plans on the way. We really need to get moving. I would like to have you both home before noon.”