~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 dealt 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.

“We have to wake her up though, before Karen gets here.”

They all froze; their eyes landed on me.

“How long?” Ryder asked, unease dripping off his voice.

“Please tell me I have enough time to hop over the wall?” Elias inquired, a shiver clearly ran through him as he fidgeted in place.

“Do I have to fly off the balcony like last time?” Marcus questioned; his body rotated to the hall in case he needed to sprint.

I grunted, placed the sketch book and pencil on the arm rest before rising to my feet. I took a moment to close my eyes, feeling the warmth of power trickled to my fingers; my markings probably glowed from the initiation of power.

“Two hours, twenty-five minutes and that all depends if Matthew goes to see her, which is a ninety percent possibility. They’re gonna go out for lunch before heading back here after,” I announced before opening my eyes, my power dissipated.

They all sighed with relief.

“Can’t we let her sleep a bit longer? I doubt she’s strong enough to even sleep walk right now, let alone attempt to pick up a fork and aim for her mouth. You know how incoherent she is when she’s half asleep.” Marcus glanced at Makoto again who hadn’t budged.

“You have a point,” Elias agreed.

“I’ll wake her up in an hour and a half. By then you’ll probably be done with your running session Marcus, and Elyion will probably be back here,” I explained.

Marcus and Elias glanced at each other before they both looked my way in confusion.

“You didn’t use your gift this time?” Ryder acknowledged; his eyes on his book as he turned the page. He knew I barely needed any energy to see such predictable events.

“Don’t have to. I know you two don’t want to cross paths with Karen. Anything to avoid being lectured for three hours.” I shrugged, revealing my prediction.

“You’ve never gotten lectured by her!” Marcus complained; his body shivered as he rubbed at his arms.

“He doesn’t understand our pain and suffering. He knows exactly when she’s coming so he just bails. I bet you teleport the moment you sense her,” Elias accused.

I smirked before I shrugged again. “Not my fault you can’t teleport. Let Elyion bail you out,” I encouraged.

“You know we can’t switch without a spare set of clothes,” he argued, grunting.

I could see the flicker of green in his eyes, glowing on and off. I bet Eli was furious.

“Then carry a bag with clothes in it. Elyion practically lives in shorts and pretty tank tops. That isn’t heavy to carry about.” I presented the idea, knowing Elyion hated carrying around anything bigger than a miniature sized purse; the small piece of leather not even big enough to fit Mako’s familiar, Nightmare, who was fucking small.

His eyes glowed green as he glared at me. “You’re testing my patience, aren’t you?” His voice was higher than his norm.

Elyion would have to switch completely with Elias in order for her usual high pitch voice to return.

“Maybe,” I admitted.

His eyes returned to normal, Elias shook his head as he sighed.

“I’m going for a walk before you two start arguing. I don’t want to wake up Mako. I’ll see you guys later.” Elias nodded to the others and he walked up to Mako, kissing her lightly on the forehead before walking to the door. He slipped on his black runners and headed out the door.

“I’ll be back later, aka I won’t come within twenty feet of the property unless you tell me Makoto’s eaten,” Marcus insisted. He waved goodbye, leaned down and kissed Mako on the cheek, whispering see you in a bit, Firefly. He grabbed his gym bag from behind the door and left.

“I’ll take Daniel to his room.” Ryder announced, closing the book in his hands as he stood up. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips before smiling down at her, the compassionate expression on his face showed how much Mako meant to him.

He made his way to Daniel. He pulled off the blanket, before he put Daniel’s arm over his shoulder. I made my way to the other side and lifted his other arm over my shoulder.

“I can do it you know.” Ryder reminded.

I smirked.

“Two is better than one. It’ll be faster.” We lifted him up, making our way to the hall with ease.

“What about Mako?” Ryder asked.

“Nightmare will be here in five seconds,” I answered.

Within five seconds, light taps could be heard. We both glanced over our shoulders, the bundle of white fur coming in sight from the door.

“MEW.” The familiar announced, standing in the middle of the room. She glanced at us, her mismatched eyes blinking a few times before walking to the couch. She jumped onto the edge, making her way to Mako’s shoulder. She walked in a circle a few times before sitting, her tails wrapped around her as her head snuggled between Mako’s neck and shoulder.

“See? She’s fine,” I reassured him.

He shook his head. “Honestly, doesn’t the predicting thing get to you?” he questioned as we made our way to the stairs.

“Sometimes,” I admitted.

If you could see the person you love die, regardless of the multiple possibilities, you’d never want a gift like mine.

Only a person who’d lived with such a gift would truly understand the unbearable heartbreak it could bare. Many shifters would have applauded me for having such a gift, envious of my ability to foretell or forewarn, but they didn’t understand the consequences it came with; the underlying fear you endured when the future revealed something you had no control in preventing.

“Sorry,” Ryder apologized.

My feelings of sadness must have leaked into the knight bond.

“Hmm...so this is how it feels when I predict shit.” I chuckled, shaking the negative thoughts away. I didn’t know how Ryder could handle feeling all our crazy emotions 24/7.

“You know—” he began, but I cut him off.

“If I ever need to talk about it, I’ll make sure you’re the first one on my confessions list,” I finished.

He smiled. “Better. Or else,” he threatened.

I gulped. “Leave my tail out of this,” I muttered.

“Hmph, no guarantee. Depends if I lose my shit or not,” he continued displaying his just try me, smirk.

Diabolical...

~MAKOTO~

“Makoto? You have to get up.”

I turned, curling into the warm cushions. I smelled multiple scents – roses, lavender, mint, Pine...oh pumpkin spice, yum.

The thought alone of the rich, sweet smell made my stomach roar in protest as it reminded me of how hungry I was. I mumbled something before I relaxed, wanting to go back to sleep. Oh, that was Kai calling me. Hmm.

“Makoto.”

“No. I’m not hungry,” I lied, wanting to stay in the multiple scent heaven that surrounded me.

“Princess.”

“But I want to sleep,” I whined, tightening my eyes.

I felt a hand brush against my back, the touch sent tingles down my spine.

“Mako. I need you to eat,” he whispered in my ear, his low, seductive voice enough to convince me to do anything he wanted. I lifted my head, turning it in an awkward position to stare at the amber eyed shifter – my fifth star knight.

“Can I sleep after?” I questioned, needing to know for sure if I’d get to return to the realm of sleep.

“Yes. You can sleep after, though I can guarantee you’ll want to stay awake for just a bit.” He smiled, that sinful gesture enough to send excitement down to my core. Hormones, settle down! I swear this is an act of revenge. Aren’t four sexy shifters enough?

“You have to admit, he’s hot in all areas. Even the ones you can’t see through those sexy fitted clothes.” Lily flowed through my mind; her voice proved how impressed she was with the muscular, hot stuff in front of us.

OR you’re just smitten, like the other three love struck fools.

“From the girl falling in love with the stranger she met an hour and a half ago before passing out multiple times and finishing your knightly starlight bond. Hmmm,” Rose coaxed, her toneless voice returned.

Go away. Your opinion doesn’t count in this situation.

“You’re just mad because I’m right,” she argued before leaving.

Whatever.

I sat up slowly; my body protested my actions. I tried to get up, but Kai stopped me; his hands landed on my shoulders as he shook his head.

“Sit. I’ll get your food,” he encouraged, rising to his full height as he made his way to the kitchen. I smiled, relieved to be able to sit here instead of walking to the kitchen island that looked so far.

“MEW.”

I jumped at the sudden sound; my head darted to the ball of fur next to me. Nightmare’s tails waved back and forth as she clawed at the cushion, wanting my attention.

“Nighty! Hello. Are you starving, too? I’ll save you some of my bacon,” I whispered, lifting her in my arms. She purred, cuddling against me. I took a moment to pet her before I placed her in my lap, noticing Kai walking toward me; a plate filled with blueberry pancakes, bacon, boiled eggs and a glass filled with white milk.

I took a deep breath, the sweet heavenly smell made me want to devour the food in one sweep.

He placed the glass of milk on the table and sat next to me on the couch as he held my plate. I reached out to grab the plate from him, when he pulled it away. I gasped in sadness, looking up to him in horror.

“The princess is tired. Which usually means you can potentially stab yourself with the fork, or so I’ve been told. Therefore, as your new knight, I think it’s my responsibility to feed you.” The soothing flow of words made me swell with excitement, in more ways than one.

“I’d bet you’d love to suck on that—” Lexi began before I cut her off.

Nope! We just met. Geez, let me know him for twenty-four hours for Starlight’s sake. Stop encouraging Lily, too.

“I didn’t even say anything,” Lily defended herself. I rolled my eyes.

You don’t have to say anything for me to feel the utter excitement in my mind coming from your corner. And it’s NOT my hormones this time.

“Not my fault he’s an attractive, phoenix shifter with gorgeous eyes, a voice that belongs to an angel and smells so addicting. I wouldn’t hesitate to—” Lily explained before I silenced her, shooing them out of my mind.

Enough of, “Kai’s delicious, addicting scent and seductive voice that can turn any female shifter or spirit on, sending her to the land of pleasure without a touch” for today.

“Mew?” Nighty looked at me, her head tilting to the side in confusion.

“What?” I asked her, frowning.

“I didn’t know my smell and voice could do that to anyone. Good to know. Maybe I can convince you to eat your food while it’s warm. Ma. Ko. To,” Kai whispered, his lips right against my ear.

I felt the blood rush to my head, making me dizzy.

His hand pressed against my back and stopped me from falling back as I blinked.

“You’re...such a tease,” I whispered. I knew my face was red from top to bottom, replacing my usual pale complexion.

The contrast between his dark, fiery red hair, bright amber eyes, and creamy complexion mixed with his strong, angular jaw line and deep, seductive voice was enough to have me obeying any command he issued.

“Teasing you is fun, Princess. But, I’ll stop for now. I seriously need you to eat. I don’t like you fainting every five minutes,” he admitted, picking up the plate from the table.

I didn’t remember when he placed it back on there, but as I watched the food get closer, I didn’t care. I licked my lips, ready to devour the food Elias created.

He held the fork in his hand, the silver metal twirled a few times, catching my attention.

“How do you do that?” I questioned, looking closer as it spins with no effort between his index and middle finger.

“I’ll show you after you eat,” he replied, the fork stopped as he faced it down to cut a piece of the warm pancake. He stabbed at the piece and spun it in a generous amount of the maple syrup that pooled at one side of the plate before he raised it towards my lips.

I opened wide, anticipating the sweet goodness. I closed my mouth around the cool metal fork, the warm, fluffy texture of the pancake filled my mouth as the sweetness of the syrup and blueberries made me moan. I love blueberry pancakes.

I felt the drizzle of syrup escape from the corner of my lip and begin a slow, a steady pace to my chin, but it was short lived, as the tip of Kai’s thumb stopped it. Gently wiping it away, he slowly brought the gathered drop on his thumb to his creamy, pink lips. I watched as his tongue flicked out and removed the syrup from his finger, and for the first time in my life, I was jealous of a thumb. I wanted to know how it would feel to have his tongue caress my skin that way.

My eyes found his as he flushed; his eyes flickered as he blinked at me. I began to blush as his glowing, amber eyes roamed my body once, before returning to normal.

“Oh...I guess you’re not the only one being turned on.” Lexi purred.

I gulped, unable to pull my eyes away from him, his lips catching my attention as I glanced at them. Fuck, I’m so screwed.

The door opened, causing us to both flinch, before our eyes landed on the tall, blonde followed by the tall, silver haired man: Karen and Matthew.

“Oh, thank the Starlight gods, you guys are feeding her. Hello Makoto, you look horrible this afternoon,” Karen greeted before glaring daggers at Kai who merely shrugged. Karen could always be trusted to tell me the truth…even if it meant insulting me.

“We had another fainting spell episode prior to this,” Kai explained, lifting his hand up to reveal the new knight bond.

Matthew walked to Karen’s side, both of their eyes widened in awe.

“And after that, she could barely keep her eyes open, so she napped again. She just woke up and only had a bite of her pancakes,” he continued.

Karen looked at me, raising an eyebrow. I quickly sat up, turning back to Kai.

“Feed me please. AHHH.” I opened my mouth.

He chuckled, but cut another piece of the delicious fluffiness, before placing it in my mouth. I smiled, taking my time to savour the taste.

“I’ve never seen anyone look so happy over food,” Matthew pointed out, his hands in his black, dress pants. I looked between the two of them.

He wore a simple, white dress top, black tie, dress pants, and black running shoes, which were the only non-professional attire in his whole outfit.

Karen wore a black and white dress that reached just above her knees, her black heels outlined with a white crisscross pattern. Her usual down, curly hairstyle was tightly tied back into a neat bun, not a strand out of place. Her black rimmed glasses relaxed on the bridge of her noise, dimming her usual brilliant emerald eyes by a pinch, versus Matthew’s which relaxed on top of his silver hair, his amber eyes bright.

“Did you two go on a date?” I questioned before biting on the strip of bacon Kai presented to me. I noticed Karen blush as she looked away and Matthew grinned.

“We had a meeting,” Matthew answered.

“Which lead to a date?” I pressed on before my attention returned to my bacon.

I looked down at Nightmare who stared anxiously at the bacon pierced on the fork Kai was holding. I nudged him, my eyes returned to Nighty. He nodded, giving a piece to my familiar who began nibbling on it.

“Why are you so curious?” Matthew asked, his smile widened. I chewed on my bacon, swallowing before continuing.

“Because you look good together,” I blankly stated; my attention caught up at the remaining strips of bacon.

Karen face had begun to turn red as she fidgeted in place, Matthew pulled his glasses off, looking very intrigued at his usual pair, ignoring my statement.

“Only you can say that so easily,” Kai complimented.

“But, it’s true? They like each other, don’t they? Karen stares at him when he passes down the halls, while Matthew peeks through the window when she’s not looking and has this big smile on his face. Oh, and one time—” I began to explain to Kai before he pressed his hand lightly on my mouth.

“I think you’ve proved your point, Princess.” His eyes landed on the couple.

I glanced back at them, noticing their flushed expressions as they glanced away.

“Oops. Was I not supposed to say that?”

“Yes, Mako. But, between you and me, they did go on a date and usually when you go on a date you—”

“Enough! We just came to check on you! Mako, make sure you take these pills three times a day starting tomorrow. It will help restore your iron and other levels. And Kai! If I come back here in three days and Mako loses any more weight, so help me Starlight. I’ll lecture ALL of you boys for five hours straight. You KNOW I can,” she threatened.

The smile on his face fell as he stared at her. I could already see the fear in his eyes.

“Yes Ma’am.” He nodded his head, gulping; his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

“We’ll take our leave. Rest up Makoto. I’ll see you later Kai.” Matthew waved, confidently reached out and held Karen’s hand before leading her to the door. Karen’s face was beet red by the time they left, making me smile.

“Karen’s scary when she’s mad,” Hope whispered.

“Never anger a fairy. Totally dangerous,” Lily added.

“Lethal for sure,” Rose agreed.

“A phoenix and fairy spirit. Not bad at all,” Lexi approved.

I didn’t bother to reply, staring at the last piece of bacon. Kai must have noticed my stare, stabbing it and feeding it to me. I took my time to enjoy the oil filled, crispy strip of pork before I glanced at the glass on the table, frowning.

“You want your milk now?” Kai asked, reaching out to grab it as he placed the empty plate on the table.

“I want chocolate milk,” I whispered.

He laughed, the vibrant, new sound made my heart soar as my ears yearned to hear the sound again. “Coming right up Princess.”

I fell back asleep for another hour before waking up, thanks to drinking a glass of my new addiction. Why hadn’t I discovered chocolate milk earlier? I would have broken out of my cell back at the facility every night, just to enjoy the chocolate sensation.

Kai sat next to me on the sofa as we talked about little things. He informed me that he had arrived in Minato just after our battle on Latelia.

“What is Heila like? Does it look like Minato?” I questioned.

“Nothing like Minato. Heila is far more grand and pure. Even the way the air smells and the flowers blossom through the seasons demonstrates how well the realm is taken care of. Your parent’s love nature and such likes influenced their kingdom. The shifters of Heila work together to keep the realm clean and growing. That’s one of the reasons why Heila’s so popular,” Kai explained.

I nodded, trying to imagine his description in my mind. If Minato was nothing compared to Heila, I was in for a sight. I frowned, the mention of my parents made me nervous.

“What’s wrong Mako?” Kai questioned.

“I’m afraid my family won’t like me. It’s been cycles…” I confessed.

“Mako, they’ll love you. Trust me. You’re an exact copy of your mom so the Kingdom will embrace you. Once they get to experience your feisty personality, they’ll all fight to get a chance to meet you.” Kai laughed.

I poked him in the side. “I’m not feisty. I’m unique.”

“Yes, yes. Whatever you say princess.” He chuckled, bracing himself for another poke. I relaxed, wanting to discuss other things.

I questioned him as to why I had only met him now instead of earlier, like in the medical centre.

“I didn’t want to stress you out. You just woke up and had to deal with a lot during the exam and being checked on non-stop. Adding a fifth person into the wave of shifters would have been too much,” he summarized.

“That makes sense.” I yawned. My head began to fall forward before jerking up.

His arm wrapped around my shoulder, pulling me into a side embrace.

I relaxed, enjoying his scent.

“Get some rest. We have a surprise for you,” he encouraged.

I lifted my head up to stare at him with wide eyes. “A surprise! What is it! Tell me,” I begged, thrilled to be getting some type of surprise from them.

“If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise, Princess,” he reminded me.

“But I want to know,” I argued, frowning.

“Go to sleep. When you wake up, then you can see,” he reassured.

“Fine...as long as there’s chocolate milk.”

“I’ll make sure Ryder gets some,” he promised.

He began to hum lightly, the tune as calm as his voice. It didn’t take long before I fell asleep, not waking up till the next day.

I must have felt better, because I’d apparently went from Marcus’ room to Elias’. Too bad he wasn’t in bed. I took the pills Karen instructed me to take before heading to the bathroom.

I took a relaxing bath, while I nibbled on this thing called beef jerky. Matthew instructed Kai to litter the house with snacks, yes, that included the bathroom. The packaging looked intriguing, so I decided to try them out while I waited for the bath to fill. Now, the almost empty package was in my hand, another salty, savory strip of jerky entering my mouth, sending out bursts of flavor across my tongue as I sat in the bubble bath.

It gave me some time to myself. My mind attempted to grasp all the events that had taken place in less than three rotations.

The dark feeling was still shut down, not making its entrance into my mind or dreams. My nightmares hadn’t come to assault me either. I finally had a sense of peace. Now, I was excited to find out what this surprise was.

After I listened to Rose nag me for ten minutes, I reluctantly left the bath and slipped into white, jean shorts and an oversized green shirt I “borrowed” from Elias. My mission in collecting things from the boys was still ongoing.

I’d successfully acquired multiple clothes from Ryder, including his favourite maroon sweater he liked to wear in the fall and winter. I simply needed to blink my eyes a few times before he blushed, giving in to my request. Both Rose and I liked to smell the lingering rose and cinnamon scent when we missed our demon boy, though he’d made it his mission to either stick by my side or check in every hour.

I had collected a few of Marcus’ workout towels I’d borrowed to “use” but, hid away in my locker. I’d finally gotten the chance to retrieve them all before the exam, placing them neatly in his souvenir section of my drawer. I wondered if he’d noticed yet.

Elias allowed me to take some of his – four, different styled shirts sat in his designated section. I glanced down at the friendship bracelet on my wrist. Now that EliaseAnne was involved, I’d have to add her to the mission list. Girls are easier to “borrow” stuff from.

My eyes landed on the empty section in the left corner of my drawer – Daniel’s designated area. He was the only one I hadn’t been able to acquire a souvenir to lust over. I sighed. Will he ever let me in?

I felt Hope emerge in my mind; her sing song voice rang through.

“It takes time Makoto. We all have a past. He’s probably struggling with having someone to rely on as he admitted. It won’t take a day to change a habit that’s been going on for cycles. Give him time.”

I nodded, closing the drawer as I turned to leave the room. Hope made a valid point. I was just being impatient. Yet deep down, my gut told me we didn’t have much time for peace and getting to know one another.

Once we figured out what was happening with me and Midnight, we’d be headed to Heila, once everything was clear. I doubted we’d have any free time by then. My focus would be on trying to restore whatever family bond I once had. Not that I even knew what that looked like, since I still couldn’t remember them – except for my mother. I pray to Starlight my family accepts me...this version of me.

“Makoto.”

I turned my head, noticing EliaseAnne leaned against the door frame. She wore black shorts, a red rose design on the pockets created intricately with black rhinestones. Her simple, black top clung to her curvy figure, low enough to show a glimpse her cleavage. Her straightened blonde hair was loose, different from her usual, bountiful curls.

I gave her a look, noticing the gold rimmed glasses that sat comfortably on the bridge of her nose, those ravishing emerald eyes bore into me. I tried to ignore the weird sensation running through me – Attraction.

“Why are you wearing Daniel’s glasses?” I questioned.

“Cause it’s fun and I assumed you’d need something to add in his section of that drawer of yours,” she revealed with a shrug.

My eyes widened as I began to blush. “How...?”

“You told me when you were half asleep before the exams. Well...you told Elias, who told me. I figured you’d have some problems with Daniel, so I took his glasses and walked away,” she explained, glancing away as her fingers began to fidget.

I could see her body grow tense as she tried to look anywhere but directly at me, like when she first announced her presence.

“Do you want “this” to continue...whatever it is,” I questioned.

She glanced my way, her eyes wide. I could see her confusion as well as her realization as to what I referred to.

“How did...?” She stopped, her face turning red.

“I heard everything. It’s a bit fuzzy, but Midnight explained it to me the other day in writing. I...I don’t know if I’m ready for that just yet,” I admitted; the thought of being with Eli in such a way hadn’t registered in my brain yet.

I already had to deal with loving the others. I had a hard-enough time trying to figure out how to split my time with them; Daniel my main concern now, and with the introduction of Kai, I didn’t know if I wanted to put my friendship with Eli on the table and exchange it for something more.

She frowned, her eyes blinked rapidly as they began to tear up.

I shook my head quickly. “I’m not rejecting you. Just because I can’t return your feelings now, doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Midnight...likes you, I think. She likes Elias, too. I don’t know if her being a split personality has anything to do with it. Nevertheless, she has feelings for you...and I do, too…somewhere in my heart, but I need time.” I sighed and turned away for a moment to compose myself; my eyes stung. I don’t think she understood how difficult this was to say out loud. I glanced back at her before continuing.

“There’s a lot going on. I’m just getting serious with Ryder. Daniel and I are having issues due to Midnight’s dislike problem. I still need more one-on-one time with Marcus that doesn’t revolve around weapon modification or workout clothes, and to continue enjoying my walks with Elias. Now that Kai’s in the picture, I want to get to know him as well. I also want to have some time with you. That’s asking a lot from me. I’m just one individual with multiple spirits. I somehow, have to spread myself amongst you all and it’s hard. I’m just trying to go in some type of order. Therefore, I need time.”

I stared into her eyes, determined for her to understand that I wasn’t rejecting her, but putting whatever feelings we had for one another on hold, hoping she’d allow me enough time to sort through the current situation before tackling that area.

“We can still be friends, right?” she whispered.

“Seeing as you’re the only female shifter that can stand my craziness, yes. Plus, I’d be lost without my best friend. Who’s going to help me be fashion worthy when we go to Earthala? Don’t want to be stopped by those, uh, fashion police? I think that’s what the book called it,” I reassured her, wondering if I’d got the terminology right.

She pulled me into an embrace, catching me off guard. I blushed as her strong mint scent, attached to the cherry blossom shampoo we shared, flowed around me.

“I’m sorry. I really am. I know you may not understand now, but I’ll explain everything once we have time, just us. Then, you’ll understand why I did it. It doesn’t support the fact what I did was wrong and ruined the trust we had formed, but I just want you to know, it won’t happen again. I swear to the Starlight gods above, I’ll be honest with you. Even if I know it may hurt you. Just...can you promise no matter what I reveal to you, you’ll still be my friend?” she cried.

I hugged her back, tightly. “As long as you’re not a mass murderer. Actually...if you murder stupid shifters like Brittany and her crew, I guess it’s for the better good. But, if you’re a mass murderer of innocent shifters, then I can’t. Or if you hate milk. Then, we seriously can’t be friends anymore.” I pulled back to stare up at her with a serious expression.

She laughed, tears flowed down her face. “I would NEVER hate on your dairy addiction and no, I’m not a mass murderer. If I was, Brittany and her gang would have been eliminated and buried LONG before you enrolled at Knightwood,” she confirmed.

“Then, I forgive you.” I grinned sheepishly as I attempted to think of a punishment, a sensation flowed through me with excitement at the thought that popped into my brain.

“As compensation, you owe me a date,” I announced.

She beamed; her hands grabbed onto mine. “DEAL! I’ll even treat you to strawberry milk!” she rejoiced.

I stared back at her eager expression, mortified.

“Strawberry...milk?” I glanced at her in shock, attempting to imagine such a thing.

“Yes, and guess what?” she whispered.

“What?” I leaned in closer, intrigued by what she had to share.

“It’s even pink.”

“STOP! No, it’s not! You’re lying!!!” I exclaimed. My mind was fucking blown away. First, I found out the existence of chocolate milk, and NOW, there was pink, strawberry milk.

“Yup! We don’t have it here, but maybe when we go down to Earthala, I’ll take you to this nice dessert place. Scarlet can come, too.”

“Scarlet? The one whose boyfriend knows Marcus?” I questioned, remembering Marcus’ mentioning her name when he got me the e-reader.

“Yes! Oh, trust me. You two will get along. We’ll order vanilla, chocolate and strawberry milk shakes and share,” she announced happily.

“Milk...shakes?” I asked, astonished.

“It’s milk with blended ice and ice cream, kinda like a smoothie, but with milk. Thus, a milkshake. They can put different syrups or even fresh fruit on top with whip cream! The place Marcus took me to had milk shakes with crazy straws and a scoop of ice cream on the side of the glass, drizzled with nuts, cookies, and chocolate.”

I stared up at her, wide mouthed. I was surprised I wasn’t drooling yet. “Do they top it off with a cherry?”

“With a nice, juicy cherry on top.”

“You owe me a date there.”

“Promise.”

“Promise?” I urged her, my pinky up and ready as I glared at her.

She laughed. “Promise. Cross my heart, hope to die—”

“Hope to die! That’s not how it goes!” I argued.

“Oh really?” She questioned, lifting an eyebrow at me.

“It goes like – Cross my heart and hope to fly! Poke a flower in the sky!” I corrected with confidence.

“Well then, guess I have to learn the proper way. I promise Makoto, I’ll be truthful to you and owe you a date on Earthala that includes a massive cherry. Cross my heart and hope to fly, poke a flower in the sky.” Her pinky finger wrapped around mine as she offered me a light smile.

“Friends?” she whispered.

“Best friends,” I replied.

“I guess this is a good time for you to see your surprise.” She beamed before giving me another hug.

“Take me ther – Hehehehe, ah, Eli! That tickles. Dammit! Tell Elias I’m going to kill him.”