~KAI~
I smiled at the scene before me, slowly backtracking out of the room and closing the door behind me. I blinked back my own tears, turning and heading down the hall and into the elevator.
I watched the doors close, leaning against the metal walls as I looked up to see a reflection of my watery amber eyes. I blinked, the first tear rolling down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away, not wanting Daniel to ask me twenty-one questions as to why I had been crying.
It was a valid reason to shed a few tears, seeing a family reunite after cycles of wondering if their daughter was alive. It was something that tore at your heartstrings to see and feel the emotion in the room.
Makoto had been so tense and nervous throughout our trip down on Earthala, trying her best to distract herself during the multiple events that occurred when we met up with Scarlet and her team of investigators.
Even though she tried to hide it, when the lights went out and each of us enjoyed a night with our princess, she couldn't help but express her nervousness about meeting her family after sixteen cycles.
It was hard to give her the reassurance she needed and the understanding that her family would accept her no matter what. So to see them accept her when she was vulnerable and expected everyone to abandon her just because she couldn't walk, made the reunion even more emotional.
I exited the elevator, making my way out of the medical center and into the halls of the castle. I turned right and began to make my way to Daniel's room. I knew he must have been asleep, having stayed with Midnight all night and all day today after she'd apparently had another dream. She hadn't shared what her dream was about, but Daniel mentioned she mumbled about someone named Samuel.
I didn't want to peek into her business, but I needed to know if this was a person in the facility and if he was alive or deceased. If he was alive and did harm to Midnight, I could guarantee the others wouldn't want him enjoying life without facing whatever wrong deeds he had done for Midnight to have ongoing nightmares regarding this shifter.
When I researched, I discovered he was an angel shifter— an Archangel like Daniel.
It finally made sense why Midnight hated Archangels, having reviewed some of the surviving video clips of their fights. I found he had been killed by Midnight herself.
What made me pissed were Aspen's notes— his plot to make this Archangel, Samuel use his gift to make Midnight find him attractive and slowly fall in love with him. He wanted to test if she would be strong enough to fight him and thought it would be humorous to see her reaction when she realized Samuel was merely toying with her.
He wrote that he also wanted to see if she'd succumb to her heartbreak which would result in her death in the arena match he would set up or if she would kill him nice and slow when she found out.
It was infuriating and made my blood boil. Just the thought of it made my emotions flicker from sorrow to a wave of rage.
"Kai?"
I stopped in my tracks, taking a deep breath to center my breathing before I exhaled, trying to calm the spiral of emotions that threatened to spill. The majority of them would leak through the knight bond if I wasn't careful.
"I'm okay, Ryder. Sorry. Was reading something that upset me," I confessed, answering his concern through our bond.
"Okay. I'm going back to sleep. Midnight okay?" Ryder inquired. I could sense his exhaustion in his deep voice.
"Makoto's awake," I announced, ensuring it went through the bond with enough power it would reach the others. I wasn't as strong as Ryder, but with a little extra magic, I could share it with the others.
"What?" Daniel exclaimed.
"Thank you, Starlight." Marcus sighed.
"How is she?" Elias questioned.
"Are you with her?" Ryder asked.
It took me a moment to gather all their questions before thinking how to answer them all at once.
"Yes. Makoto's awake. She's okay. A little vulnerable, but her mother seemed to have been there when she woke up and worked things out. I'm not with her. Kade and the King of Heila are with her and the Queen. I left them alone to have family time. They'll probably stay with her till morning and I've already informed Karen and the others to give them space unless requested. I'll drop by sometime tomorrow to help with her therapy," I explained, followed by a yawn.
"That's good." Ryder sighed in relief, yawning through our bond.
"You sound tired, Ryder," Marcus pointed out.
"Ya. I think the lack of sleep got to me. If it's okay with you guys, I'm going back to bed. If you need me, Stryker will be awake for a little bit," he mumbled, sounding like he was already drifting back to sleep.
"Go rest, Ryder. Mako's safe so we all should get a good night rest. I don't think we should bombard her all at once though. I have physiotherapy with her tomorrow. I'll see how she reacts and we'll take it slow," I coached.
"Hmm," Ryder mumbled, leaving us as he faded out of the bond.
"He's seriously tired, to have fallen asleep during a conversation," Daniel pointed out.
"He's been helping with trying to get Makoto out of the competition. He's been having meetings with his father in Kade's and the King of Heila's stead," I explained.
"No wonder. Any words on that?" Marcus questioned.
"They don't want to budge. They don't care if Makoto is injured," I announced.
"I'll have a talk with my Father," Daniel retaliated.
"He won't budge," Elias pointed out.
"If he hasn't budged after you've explained Makoto's situation, I doubt a plea from his son will do anything," Marcus commented.
"I'll try. If not, we'll just have to let Makoto know after next week and maybe we can request an extension. At least we're not trying to stop the competition, just requesting enough time for Makoto to recover. They can't go against that," Daniel proposed.
"Sounds like a plan. I'll let Ryder know tomorrow and he can bring it up at the meeting," I confirmed.
"Okay. Keep us posted," Marcus urged.
"Ya. Let us know when we can see her," Elias requested.
"Got it," I reassured them.
They both bid farewell before leaving our knight bond, leaving Daniel and me.
"You going to bed?" Daniel asked me.
"Actually, I'm three minutes from your room," I confessed.
"You need me?" Daniel wondered.
"Ya. I have some information," I revealed.
"Give me five minutes, I'm showering."
"Okay.”
"The door’s unlocked. You can come relax. You sound tired," Daniel pointed out.
"I'm a little tired," I admitted, beginning to walk again after standing in the hall for so long.
"I'll finish up, just relax on the couch or bed," Daniel offered.
"Kay," I replied, leaving the bond before yawning again.
I think I'll get a good night sleep after I talk with Daniel.
"Indeed, you will," Hinotori suggested.
I reached Daniel's room. I entered, closing the door before slipping my shoes off and heading straight to his bed. I rested on one side, face planting into the sheets and sighing in relief at the softness.
I could smell the lavender scent in his sheets which made me smile. I didn't get how we all got our own scents we couldn't pull away from— lavender being Daniel's. I couldn't talk much, loving the scent of pumpkin spice when I first arrived on Earthala when my mother was still alive. We'd go during the fall season and Mother had said fall was her favorite season down on Earthala because humans had an obsession with pumpkin everything and she could stock up on all the body care and scented candles. She especially loved the Starbucks’ pumpkin spice lattes.
Since then, I'd been just as obsessed with the fragrance and never stopped even after she passed away. I pulled the pillow to hold in my arms, perfectly fine with my head laying on the soft surface of the bed.
I closed my eyes, listening to the soft sound of the streaming water coming from the bathroom. I must have dozed off, waking up to the darkened room; only the small night lamp on the other side of the bed was on. It took me a few blinks before I could see Daniel who was sitting up in bed, wearing his gold-rimmed glasses as he flipped the page of what looked like a bunch of bundled sheets from the medical archives.
He noticed my gaze, giving me a smile before he pulled off his glasses and placed them on the top of his head.
"I wanted to wake you up, but you looked exhausted and deep in sleep," Daniel admitted.
"Hm. Guess so," I mumbled, my eyes already beginning to close.
"Sleep a little longer. I'll wake you up," Daniel reassured me.
I didn't argue, letting my eyes shut as I went back to sleep.
"You promised you'd wake me up," I complained, rubbing my eyes as I sat up.
Daniel slipped on a white dress shirt, beginning to button up his shirt before meeting my dazed gaze. "I tried. You were knocked out. I even tried Hinotori," Daniel confessed.
"Oh..." I frowned. Hinotori?
He didn't give me a response, meaning he was still in dreamland.
"Guess he's still asleep, I'm assuming," Daniel inquired.
I nodded. "Ya," I replied.
"You guys have been helping us non-stop, before checking in on the others to make sure they're okay. You deserved a good sleep," Daniel encouraged, finishing buttoning up his shirt and rolling up the sleeves. He then relaxed against the drawers to face me, crossing his arms. "What's up?" he asked.
I cracked my stiff neck, making Daniel frown. He hated when I did that. "I'm fine. Just stiff. And I know the person you have to talk to, but I don't know if you're going to be able to extract the information you need from her," I confessed, remembering my conversation with the only person I could think of who'd know the second victim of Nephilim poison.
"Why are you here so late, Kai? I know Daniel's with Midnight doing a night shift, so it's not about her," Karen questioned, lifting her eyes from the stack of papers she was reviewing.
"Well it does revolve around Makoto," I announced, closing the door behind me before walking toward her desk.
She frowned. "No."
"I haven't said anything," I countered.
"I've known you for cycles, Kai. I've helped raise you and the others and from the look in your eyes, you need something from me." Karen went straight to the point.
"It's not me who needs something from you," I replied, closing my eyes and allowing Hinotori complete control, my mind going into a deep slumber.
~HINOTORI~
I opened my eyes, meeting Karen's wide ones, her face showing how confused and shocked she was with my random intrusion.
"Where's Kai?" Karen demanded.
"Unavailable. It's just you and me, Karen, and I need a favor." I went straight to the point, pulling out the brown leather chair and sitting in it, relaxing into the firm material while I lifted my right leg to rest on my left knee.
"Hinotori. I can't give you the information you or Kai, or anyone seeks," Karen declared.
"Yes, confidentiality etcetera, but this is for the sake of the Princess and when it comes to the Princess, I don't care what I have to do to retrieve information. And last time I checked, I have one favor from you," I reminded, narrowing my glowing eyes.
She sighed, closing her eyes. When they opened they were emerald gold with a hint of green. "Hinotori."
"Katelizana," I greeted.
"You can't go threatening my host. It is something I won't allow, you know," she reminded.
I sighed. "If she told me the information I needed, I wouldn't have to and you know that.” I countered.
"What do you need to know, Hinotori? I know very well you wouldn't put yourself in a sticky situation unless it had to do with a certain recovering Princess," Katelizana questioned, smiling as she leaned back, crossing her arms.
I tried to ignore the suffocating feeling that began to fill the room. Her power leaked off her in waves to prove to me that I was in deep shit if I didn't somehow convince her that my intrusion was worth wasting her time.
"I need the name of the second victim who suffered the effects of Nephilim like Makoto is currently facing, and to find out how they were able to retrieve her ability to walk," I announced.
Katelizana looked at the pen in her hand, her eyes staring at nothing in particular, giving me a hint that she was in a deep discussion with Karen. Her eyes met mine as she tilted her head.
"How do you know it's a Her and not a He?" she questioned.
"One of the files, there was an error when they began writing the patient's name, having to white it out. They only whited out the first and last name, not the Miss. Even though you ensured all identities were blacked out, this one was missed by the machine," I revealed.
She smirked, looking quite proud of my investigation.
"You went through all the files in the cycle to find that one little clue?"
"Yes. Daniel discovered it."
"Ah, the Archangel. He's keen when he's very serious," she praised.
"Daniel wants to help Mako just like myself and the others. She deserves to get a chance to this potential solution," I argued.
"You know if I disclosed this information, you'd owe me a favor. Not only would I have to give you a lock code that would give you access to the cabinet, but you'd be given permission to view the individual's entire history. That's a breach and though I wouldn't get in trouble, if you approach this person they may not be as forgiving," she warned, her pen lowering to her paper as she began to doodle.
"I'm aware. I'll do any favor you need me to."
"Does that include your marrying the woman you're supposed to be engaged to?"
I frowned, my hands clenching to fists in an attempt to hold down my anger. I didn't want to wake Ryder up and let anyone else know I was having this conversation.
"If it means the Princess will be able to walk again...I'll do it," I whispered. My heart was already hammering against my chest, trying to keep my left foot from tapping the floor in a rage.
"Even though it will shatter your heart? Even though you wouldn't be able to get out of it, no matter how much you later begged?" she questioned, dropping the pen and rising to her feet before making her way over to me.
I stilled, trying to keep my breathing calm.
"Yes."
She sat on the armrest, looking down at me before she tilted my head upward with her hand that was now under my chin.
Her glowing eyes met mine, making a hint of fear flutter through me as I saw her seriousness.
"Even if it broke Makoto's heart? What if your one sacrifice to make her happy backfired? You wouldn't regret this?" Her voice was low, like an enemy ready to torture its victim.
I tried to open my mouth to agree, my lip trembling as I tried to muster the words. I needed to do this for the Princess. If it's for her, I'd give my life and soul for her to be happy and smile again. Before I could reply, her finger pressed against my lip.
"You love this woman to the point of selling your happiness for her. Interesting," she whispered. She grinned. "I've changed my mind. All you have to do is give me some of your energy in return. You'll feel extremely weak for a few days, but it's better than being married to that vile woman," she proposed.
I blinked, my shoulders sank in relief. "Fine. What are you using the energy for?" I questioned.
"It will be reserved for certain phoenix shifters who are injured. You know very well the rarity of your kind and it's extremely hard to treat them without another phoenix present to exchange some of their energy or flame. This way I can treat those who need it and you'll get the information you need. And my favor I owe would be cleared. Deal?"
"Do you have to kiss me to take the energy?" I wondered, knowing energy exchange needed some type of contact. I would still do it if I had to, but I felt it would be some type of betrayal to Lily.
"I'll make an exception." She smiled, staring at my neck. She lowered her lips, causing me to flinch at the frigid touch.
I groaned at the drain of energy, feeling the once cold part of her lips grow extremely warm as she drained bits of my energy. It came to the point where I struggled to stay awake, the world spinning before I leaned forward. Her arm caught me, not stopping her from draining a bit more of my energy till I almost black out.
Her lips finally left my neck, leaving me panting in exhaustion.
"Relax and breathe. It takes a bit for your body to increase your energy levels in response," she encouraged.
I nodded, trying to stabilize my breathing. It took five minutes before I could lift myself back to sitting position without her assistance. "Never doing that again," I grumbled.
"It's better when your lover does it." She patted me on the shoulder.
"I think I'd hate you if we weren't acquaintances," I mumbled.
"Maybe. Karen's the nicer half of me. I'm the more lethal, does things in her favor type woman," she replied, not even a hint of remorse in her voice. She continued, "Your energy will go up and down the next few weeks. Try not to work so hard or you'll surely faint. The mark on your neck will fade by the morning. Make sure you eat too," she directed, standing up before heading toward the door.
"Thanks?" I replied, unsure what else to say.
"Night, Hinotori. Don't threaten me again or I'll take enough energy to knock you out for days," she hummed, opening the door and exiting the room. I listened to the door close before I groaned, feeling utterly exhausted. I'd be lucky to get out of this office.
"You did not just allow her to take our flame?" Kai greeted, sounding both exhausted and irritated.
It was for the Princess, I mumbled, trying to stand but struggled.
"You want me to try?" Kai suggested.
If we switch, you're going to pass out right away, I pointed out.
We both were exhausted. Any switching would lead to us face planting the floor.
"How are we going to get the file?" Kai questioned.
Before I could reply I heard the click of the door opening and then quietly shutting. I had enough strength to turn my head, hearing the sound of little tapping noises against the dark brown wooden floor. I expected to see Nightmare, but my eyes landed on a black cat with bright turquoise eyes.
"Wait...isn't that..." Kai trailed off, sounding just as confused as I.
"Aren't you Scarlet's cat? How'd you get all the way to Heila?" I questioned, utterly confused.
"Meow."
"I don't speak cat," I replied, struggling to keep my eyes open.
He strolled past me, moving to the desk. I felt the shift of magic in the air. My eyes went wide at the being that appeared before me.
I blinked, staring at the six-eight male who stood before me. He wore a black outfit which peeked out from his large cloak that was draped over his shoulders. I noticed the white trim fur on the coat and the blue chained locket that kept the cloak from falling. It looked like it weighed a ton and not by its appearance, but the radiating energy that flowed off it and into the air, making it hard for my weak body to breathe.
His jet-black hair had blue streaks and his intense turquoise eyes twinkled with magic as white stars seemed to glitter in his irises.
From the power that surrounded him and took over the room and the way his aura blared with power, I knew he was a Starlight god.
His eyes stared at the doodle on the paper.
"You could have remembered to make sure she gave you the code," he pointed out.
"Um...aww shit," I cursed, forcing myself to stand up. I struggled to reach the desk, but made it, placing my hands on the oak surface to stabilize myself before checking the doodle and noticing an entry code of five numbers.
"There's the code," I pointed out.
"It's a six-digit code. Not five," he countered.
Fuck. I'm going to fucking kill...wait a minute.
"Wait? Shit...I need to bow. No...which Starlight god are you? No...I should have bowed first, then asked what god you were...this really sucks," I rambled, my thoughts already going all over the place.
"Risuki."
"You’re a god and Scarlet's familiar?" I questioned, remembering his cat form. I noticed he'd had an interesting connection with Nightmare and we'd discussed Nightmare being a Starlight god in the shape of a familiar to guard Makoto, but I didn't think of other gods.
"I'm surprised you're shocked by this when you met Vinzent," Risuki mumbled, picking the pen up and scribbling a number.
I blinked, trying to remember what Vinzent had to do with anything.
"When you’re stronger, ask your host. That's your last number. I'm going away," he announced.
I glanced down at the last number. "Is that a five?"
"It's a six."
"That looks like a five."
"Shifters and their silly numbers. Why couldn't we stick with Roman numerals," he mumbled, scratching the number and writing it in Roman numeral form.
"Thank you. You didn't need to interfere," I whispered.
"Scarlet was worried about Makoto and asked me to come down here and check on all of you. Nightmare's been depressed too and it bothers me," he mumbled the second part.
"Why don't you two just date?"
"We're not together."
"That didn't answer my question."
"I think you have a cabinet to be focusing on."
"You should just admit you like Nightmare and take her out. How about if one of the other gods steal her away?"
"I'll kill them," he declared.
"Uh huh," I replied, already tired of the conversation. I didn't get why he was so shy when from what I remembered from our trip on Earthala, Nightmare seemed madly in love with him in their familiar forms.
I nodded, sighing before I moved toward the cabinets and immediately found the specific drawer. I noticed the locked number pad. I quickly tapped the code in, trying my best to stay awake. It unlocked it with ease. I opened it up and retrieving the file I needed, I opened the file, noticing how thin it was.
They must have made this case very specific and put the remaining documents and health records in its designated area.
"Most likely," Kai agreed, leaving my mind.
I knew he was absolutely exhausted and needed to rest, leaving me to finish up.
We finally found the name, our eyes growing wide. It was the last person I would have thought of. I nodded my head, closing the file and placing it back in the exact location I retrieved it from. I closed the cabinet, returning to the sheet of paper before I took a deep breath, setting it on fire and letting the ashes fall into the tray on the desk. I knew Karen didn't smoke but Katelizana did. I faced Risuki who was eyeing the ashtray. I bowed my head.
"Thank you for your assistance, Risuki. You didn't need to interfere," I thanked, not knowing how else to share my gratitude for his interference.
"It's fine. Raise your head. I don't like being so formal in my human form," he mumbled.
I tried to obey, but a wave of dizziness hit me. I groaned falling forward.
Strong arms stopped me from hitting the ground.
"Hinotori?" I heard Risuki question, but I couldn't stay conscious anymore, passing out.
The next morning, I'd woken up in my own bed. I had no idea how I got there but I assumed Risuki had brought me back. It would be a trying few weeks, but at least I'd gotten the information I needed.
As long as I didn't use my teleportation skill often, I'd be okay when my flame returned to its normal power level.
"Who is it?"
"You have to confront her yourself. I'll text it to you," I replied.
"Why text it?" Daniel questioned.
I eyed the door. "Five seconds," I replied.
Within five seconds the door clicked open— tyrian eyes meeting our gaze. He raised an eyebrow at me and closed the door behind him.
"What you doing here? And you look like shit. Did you sleep?" Ryder questioned, concern blossoming on his face before he turned and greeted Daniel.
"I did. All night apparently," I replied.
"You need to take it easy. You haven't rested properly since we got here and you still haven't recovered from teleporting all of us," Ryder lectured.
I smiled, nodding my head. "I'm fine, Ryder. Don't worry. I'll make sure I get enough rest," I reassured him.
He eyed me for a moment, but nodded, turning to face Daniel. "Makoto's with her family this morning so you don't need to do any shift today," he announced.
"Did you check on them?" Daniel asked.
"Ya. I walked in while Arthur was tucking Mako and Kade in bed. They're both knocked out. Catherine said it would be fine to leave them be without attendance. Kade has ultra-sensitive hearing and awareness. He knows when someone unfamiliar approaches him from afar, so no one can get through the medical center during the day. If they tried, Kade would know," Ryder explained.
I began to close my eyes, keeping them closed long enough to feel an arm softly landed on my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see Ryder's concerned look, Daniel right next to him.
"Kai, seriously. Are you okay?" Ryder questioned.
"I'm fine. I just need a little more sleep. I'll be strong enough to help Makoto later today with her stretches so don't try to talk me out of it because I won't budge," I stressed.
They exchanged looks, but nodded.
"Fine. But make sure you sleep from now till when you’re needed. We can get Karen to check on you if anything," Ryder suggested.
"Sure," I replied. Of course, she'd know why I'm exhausted as fuck.
"Get some rest, Kai. I'll go continue the research," Daniel reassured me.
I nodded. "Thanks."
"No, thank you," Daniel replied, taking his glasses off his head and placing them back on his face. He said farewell to both of us and left.
I was already struggling to keep my eyes open, yet again. I felt Ryder gently push me to lay back down. He placed the blanket on me, a hand laying on top of my forehead.
"Hm. You’re warm, but that's normal for a phoenix shifter," he mumbled.
"I'm fine," I mumbled, already beginning to drift off.
"Okay. But if you pass out, I'm kicking your ass. You'll worry Makoto, and EliaseAnne especially. She doesn't like when you get sick," Ryder pointed out.
"She doesn't like it because she takes it upon herself to nurse me back to health for no reason. Elyion’s annoying," I mumbled, relaxing in the sheets.
"Just don't push it, Kai. Seriously," Ryder replied.
I didn't answer, already too far gone to fight the darkness that wanted to take me away. I heard a sigh, but felt something stroke my hair before I heard fading footsteps and a flick of a switch.
I knew being forced to give a large amount of my phoenix energy was a risk, but I'd do anything for Makoto and at least my energy would be used for good. That was a little reassuring, even if I felt like shit.
I finally allowed the darkness to claim me, glad to finally return to slumber.
Good luck, Daniel.