Six
CHAPTER
Agroan parted from my lips. I lay on my stomach, half hugging my pillow beneath the sheets. The birds were singing, and the sun was shining into the open windows of my bedroom. My eyes fluttered open, and I quietly watched the ivory curtains gently flow from the breeze.
I didn’t remember coming back to the Realm of Clouds or crawling into bed.
What happened last night?
I rolled over from my stomach and onto my back, my silk sheets shifting with me. My mouth felt like cotton. Dryer than dry. My right hand rested on the pillow beside my head. The other slid to my forehead in a failed attempt to shield my face from the sunshine that beamed into my bedroom.
I noticed the dark purple bruise around my wrist from where Zathrian had gripped me with force. That, I did remember.
How much did I even have to drink last night? However much it was, I was regretting it. I promised never to drink that much ever again.
Sweet drinks were always so dangerous. That wine was sweeter than strawberries and sugar combined, and it was oh so good, but there was no doubt that I indulged just a teensy too much last night, and I was suffering the consequences.
That’s what I got for not knowing my limits.
Something I would keep in mind next time, if there ever was a next time.
I was no longer in the Mortal Realm. Then again, even when I was, I’d never had the luxury of drinking in the first place.
What time is it?
The sun was high in the sky, so if I had to guess, it was early afternoon.
“Oh, you’re up!!” Aradia hummed in a cheery sing-song tune.
I groaned. “Go away.” I huffed under my breath, rolling back onto my stomach and burying my face back into my pillow.
Thump, thump, thump.
“Ah, too much wine?” She sat at the edge of my bed. “There, there, Miss! I can fetch some elderberry potion for you. I didn’t know you were awake, or I would have gotten some for you already.” I groaned, and she gently patted my shoulder to comfort me.
“I just wanted to make sure you were alright,” she continued.
I muttered, “I am just fine, Aradia, just…”
“Hungover? Exhausted? Nauseous?” She giggled, finishing my sentence for me.
I silently nodded.
“I assumed so. But you seemed to have had such a good time last night. Perhaps some toast would make you feel better!”
“It’s all a blur, honestly.” The thought of food only furthered my nausea.
“Perhaps it’s for the better, Miss.” She stood up. “It was quite the eventful evening,”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Aradia was quick to skitter off without replying. Her hesitation made it seem as if something happened last night. Surely, she simply went to get medicine and perhaps toast. I could live without the toast.
Did something happen last night?
If my head didn’t hurt so badly, then surely, I would have pressed her for more but, Gods, I felt horrible. The sound of the door closing behind her echoed, furthering my headache.
Thump, thump, thump.
I sat up. The sheets bunched at my waist. I realized I had a white silk nightgown on despite not remembering changing. At this point, I wasn’t even going to question it. I was in too much discomfort.
At least I slept comfortably and could breathe freely once more. It was the little things that meant the most to me. I could not fathom how uncomfortable it would have felt to sleep in a corset.
Come to think of it, what was in that wine that made it so strong?
I combed my fingers through my curls, pushing my hair out of my face. I looked out the nearby window, admiring the waterfalls that cascaded off the distant cliffs, past the meadow of clouds.
Thump, thump, thump.
Rubbing the sleepiness from my eyes, the door opened moments later. Neil’s features were soft as he stared at me from the doorway, eyes wide and a ghostly expression. He quickly rushed to my side.
Confused as ever, I stammered, “G-good morning?” Neil sat at the edge of the bed and tenderly cupped my face with both of his hands. His eyes searched mine, looking for answers. Answers to what, I did not know. Why are you so worried?
“Are you alright?” he asked with great urgency.
I blinked. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?” Why is he looking at me like that?
Neil leaned in closer to my face, his nose nearly grazing mine. His thumbs rubbed small circles against my skin, a sense of longing lingering in the air around us.
“Neil?” I whispered.
Silence.
“Neil? Talk to me.” Please.
Silence.
“Don’t make me worry about you like that.”
What does he mean by that?
“I won’t let him take you from me.” He leaned his forehead against mine.
I blinked. “Wh-what are you talking about?” He? He who?
He pulled back enough to gaze down at me. “What do you remember of last night, Little Dove?” He turned to the bruise on my wrist, carefully lifting my arm and planting a soft kiss against it. The dark purple bruise faded away.
Gods. I had no words. None at all. His magic was astonishing. I did not know those from the Realm of Clouds were able to do such things.
I blinked. Struggling to focus due to the warmth of his touch and the sudden thump, thump, thump that didn’t just come from my headache, but my heart, and the sudden heat between my legs.
“Uhm.”
Silence.
“Well, I remember…” I paused. “I remember meeting Calix. And drinking sweet wine. And dancing with you. And…” I trailed off, briefly remembering sitting on his lap.
The feeling of his hands around my waist, around my cheek, around my throat.
I forced myself to keep going. “And I remember… uh, I will be honest, I really don’t know what you’re getting at, last night was such a blu—”
In one graceful movement, Neil pressed his lips against mine.
He tasted airy, like crisp apples and cotton candy.
Melting against him, I embraced the kiss he blessed me with.
He didn’t know that it was my first kiss ever.
I suppose it didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.
What happened next came just as unexpectedly.
I knew each of the four Realms had magic of their own, but Neil had never told me about the magic the High Lords had.
Nor had I seen with my own two eyes. Until now.
A moment of pure, genuine bliss.
The magic on his lips was refreshing, like a gentle breeze on a summer’s day. The blanket of clouds that once blocked my memories of the night before unraveled before me. Except it wasn’t from my own eyes, but from Neil’s perspective.
Dancing the night away with Neil and—Adrian. Zathrian. The last memory that flashed across my mind was Zathrian making his grand exit after their heated argument. An argument that Neil seemed to purposely hide.
Neil deepened the kiss. His magic tingled against my lips even when he pulled away. I gawked at him breathlessly. I had wanted him to kiss me for so long, and now that it happened, I was at a loss for words. A moment passed, and then it all came back to me.
“I—” I paused. “I remember now.”
Silence.
“He lied to me?” My voice cracked, and a sense of betrayal and hurt washed over me. It didn’t make any sense. He had always been cruel, but this was far worse.
“But, why? Why would he—why would do that I-I don’t understand.”
“I know.” He pulled me to his chest. One hand still cupped my cheek, the other cradled the back of my head. “I know,” he cooed.
Silence.
I sank against him, taking in the familiar and comforting scent of citrus and cinnamon.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” Neil breathed deeply.
“There are those who seek to destroy and extinguish the blinding light from within you, Aerilyn. You’re not like the others who were reborn into our Realms. You’re different.
You’re special. You’re… you.” He tightened his embrace.
I did not understand what he was implying.
“Zathrian—or you know him as Adrian—was in the Mortal Realm for reasons you are not ready to hear. He and his people will try to whisper lies in your ear. They will try to poison your mind against me. Those of the Realm of Stars are deceitful, but…”
Gently he slid his hand from my cheek to just beneath my chin, tilting my head enough for our eyes to lock.
“Do not listen to them. For I am the only one who truly understands you, my dear Darling Dove.” He paused.
“I am your protector. Your savior in a world full of individuals, such as Zathrian, who are ravenous wolves disguised as sheep who will stop at nothing to get what it is they truly desire. The Realms, as beautiful as they are, can be a very dangerous place. Especially for someone like you. I would never harm you, nor let anyone harm you, either.” He brought our faces closer together.
“I believe that there is great power within you, and when the time comes, and we figure out what that power is, I promise you I will be there to help you every step of the way. I will always protect you.”
Silence.
Neil leaned forward, pressing his lips gently against my forehead.
That small forehead kiss meant everything to me.
A sense of calm washed over me, whether from his magic or his lips, I did not know.
Nor did it matter. There was so much I had yet to understand.
One thing was certain, I was eternally grateful for Neil.
I pulled myself closer to him, finding comfort in his embrace.
“I promise you, you’re safe here, with me,” he whispered into my ear. His breath was hot, and my face was mere centimeters from his.
Nothing made sense anymore.
“But—” I shook my head.
“You must trust me,” he cooed.
“I do. Always,” I replied, just barely above a whisper.
His hand at the back of my head slid toward my cheek once more. “That is all I ask of you.”
I nodded.
Tension lingered in the air around us, like a thick cloud that had yet to be seen. The same tension from the night prior resurfaced, and neither of us could keep our hands off one another. I watched Neil’s eyes flicker between my eyes and my lips.
Kiss me.
“Kiss me,” he whispered
“What?”
“I want to kiss you again,” he pleaded.