^“Is this a bicycle? Like the song from Queen that you want to ride?”

I stared at the metallic blue and silver contraption with immense fascination as my hand reached out to touch it; the cool metal made me shiver with anticipation.

“It’s a motorcycle. You can ride it just like the bicycle from the song, but it has an engine like Matthew’s car. So, no need to pedal our way fifty kilometers to town,” he explained.

I looked over his appearance for the thirtieth time, licking my lips as I hid my hands against my back, fighting off the urge to let them rub all over him.

He wore leather pants similar to mine. His fitted navy-blue shirt was snug against his muscular, broad chest and clung to his slim waist, a large skull on the front in black and white. The bottom half of the shirt had rips and tears on purpose to give a rugged appearance. Topped off with the leather jacket that had gold zippers and matched my pant design; he looked smoking hot.

He’d trimmed his beard to small stubble, but left his long hair intact, the wild mess hanging way past his biceps and down his back. I watched as he pulled a hair tie off his wrist before tying up his hair and miraculously making it into a sexy man bun, the entire process was in slow motion to my mind as I gaped at him. He didn’t understand what effect he had on my body.

He walked forward before pulling me into a side embrace, looking down at me as I blinked out of my daze, a pleased smile on his lips.

“Am I distracting you?” he quizzed

“You’re hot in leather,” I admitted, surprised by my flirtatious tone. When did I become so flirty with Marcus?

“Ryuu rubbing off on you.” Lexi entered my mind, yawning. I noticed how quiet they’ve been.

You guys sure have been sleeping a lot.

“Yeah. We’re taking a break from bothering you non-stop. Don’t get comfortable though. We’ll return to full power once we reach Heila,” Lexi teased, fading away before I could argue.

Ugh, evil I say.

He gave me a kiss, his hand slid down to my ass, gripping it gently as I moaned into his mouth.

“We won’t get anywhere if you tempt me like that Firefly,” he admitted against my lips before pulling away, walking over to the front of the bike to retrieve two shell-like things with a strap and a glass front.

“What are those?” I asked, tilting my head.

They reminded me of the protection device, the picture book showed a shifter wearing when he rode a bicycle for the first time.

“These, are helmets. We have to wear them when we ride this type of vehicle for our safety. Just in case we lose control and slide or fly off the bike,” he proposed.

My eyes grew wide. “Flying off? Are we going to fly off?” I questioned, horrified. Why would you ride a machine that flings you off? Please don’t tell me these are those silly rollercoasters that humans think are fun.

Marcus laughed, my inner monologue clearly becoming outer as his shoulders shook.

“No, Firefly. This motorcycle is as safe as a car. It’s the driver who determines whether you’re going to fly off or not,” he explained. He leaned down and licked my sensitive spot on my neck, before whispering in my ear. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe and sound,” he promised.

The sexual tension would kill me if this continued.

He stepped back and placed the helmets on the seat before picking up a gift bag that was hidden behind the motorcycle.

“What’s that?” I questioned, eyeing the pink, sparkling bag.

“It’s for you. Seeing as the Starlight gods wanted us to dress alike for today, I think this will be the icing on the cake.” He presented me the bag; my hands grasped it before my eyes inspected it.

I reached into it; a smooth, textured material met my hands before I pulled the item out.

I squealed before opening it up to get a better look at it.

“A LEATHER JACKET! Oh my Starlight! It’s exactly like yours!!! We match! Can we take a picture?” I couldn’t hold back my excitement, lifting the jacket in the air as if it was a gift from the gods themselves.

He gave me a sleek smile before helping me put it on. The jacket fit me perfectly.

“Perfect. I’m glad you like it Firefly, and yes, we can take as many pictures as you like.” He pulled out his phone before pulling me into his side as he smiled up at the camera.

We took a few pictures; Marcus took some singles of me next to his motorcycle stating he wanted it as his wallpaper. I didn’t know how he’d get my picture on his wall, but I didn’t question such dynamics.

I was already pumped to be sitting on his motorcycle, my helmet securely on my head as I tightened my grip around his waist; my body pressed against his back.

“Is this your only ride?” I questioned, wondering if he had a car like Matthew.

“Nah baby. My other ride is a dragon.”

I laughed, shaking my head at his fair statement. Dragons totally rule.

The motorbike roared to life, the vibrations between my legs sent chills up my body as Marcus twisted the throttle lightly, the roar exhilarating. He peered over his shoulder, a wicked smile across his face.

“Firefly, you ready? I drive fast so make sure you cling to me.” He yelled over the loud noise.

“Yes. I’m safe with my dragon,” I happily replied as I laid my head on his back, preparing myself.

He squeezed my hands that were around his waist before it returned to the silver handle and gripped it, his leg lifted off the ground as we began to move.

I practically squealed as we began slow, leaving the garage on the side of the house to the entrance path.

“I’m going to speed up now, Mako,” he warned me.

I gave him an extra squeeze around his waist, encouraging him to go faster. I took a glance back at the house, a ginger haired male relaxed against the gate, a glass of brown liquid in his hand.

I summed up the courage to remove one of my hands to wave at him before we began to speed up; his figure became smaller and smaller as he waved back.

Bye-bye Kai, see you later.

“C’mon Firefly, I think we should head back. It looks like it’s going to rain.”

“Give me three more minutes, there’s one more thing I want to pick up!” I called out while looking through the aisles of the jewellery shop.

We’d spent the entire morning and afternoon shopping around the entire town.

Marcus showed me around, helped me take pictures and taught me about the different sights, giving me the background of each shop and gadget as we walked around.

We’d grabbed a ton of stuff, picking up many items to pack up and send to Heila. He didn’t know when exactly he’d go back to Earthala or get a chance to pass by the marketplace in Heila, now that they’d be returning to duty upon arrival. Therefore, he wanted to make sure we were stocked up.

He’d treated me to a variety of food, my stomach roared to the sky above upon our arrival. I’d completely forgotten to grab some cookies before leaving so Marcus bought lunch, something he called a hamburger and fries. He said he loved this restaurant because many of their dishes were based off food from Earthala.

I didn’t blame him for his excitement; the food was amazing. Midnight decided to drop by as we passed by something called a pastry shop – various cookies and other sweets displayed at the window, catching our attention.

Marcus didn’t even ask. He strolled in and came out with a bag filled with different types of cookies and sweets.

Midnight ate a handful of cookies until she decided to retreat, apologizing for interrupting our date. I didn’t mind, and it looked like Marcus didn’t mind either, looking pleased with Midnight’s appearance.

Now we were at a jewellery shop, Marcus looked for a specific stone at his friend Junho’s request. The owner was in the back checking his inventory, so I decided to walk around.

What can I get them?

I turned to the next aisle, bumping right into someone causing both of us to stumble on our feet.

“Oops! Sorry.” I quickly apologized as my eyes locked onto the female before me – her striking Tyrian eyes made me freeze in shock. Holy Starlight!

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking. Did I scare you?” the stranger questioned; her confusion was apparent. She had black hair, which was tied in a ponytail, and was the same height as me.

I could see a glimpse of her markings which were located on her medium sized breasts; her cleavage peeked out from the purple dress she wore. She wore black combat boots and was holding a small, stylish leather backpack. She had a bag filled with craft stuff she most likely just purchased.

“Huh?”

“You said Holy Starlight.”

“OH! Sorry, I talk out loud by accident,” I apologized.

“Ah. Well, my apologies.” She bowed her head.

“No worries...what’s that in your bag?” I questioned, my eyes became distracted by the reflective coloured beads peeked from inside the open bag.

“These? They’re crystal beads! You can make crafts and stuff with them. Each colour has different powers. You can make a bracelet with one set of beads and it can heal or summon an element depending on the ones you choose. If you use a balance of multiple ones, they can do different skills as well,” she explained.

“Is it only for female shifters?” I questioned, hesitantly.

She shook her head before smiling softly, her eyes peeking over my shoulder at Marcus who was staring at his phone.

“There’s a section for boys and girls. My boss is waiting for me, so I have to leave, but I can show you real quick which ones are the best. Who are they for?”

“My...um...lover...lovers? Hmmmm, let’s just go with love interests.” I blushed, scratching my head as I let out a nervous giggle.

“Multiple interests huh. Hehehe, totally fine by me. Why choose?” She winked at me, her bright purple eyes and mischievous smile reminded me of Ryder.

She helped me pinpoint which ones to get for each of the boy’s and Eli before I thanked her.

“Um...can I ask a weird question?” I voiced softly as I picked up the basket filled with goods, ready to ask Marcus if I could buy them.

“Sure! I like weird. Normal is totally boring.” She shrugged.

I like her.

“Do you have an older brother...or siblings?” I questioned.

She gave me a sad smile.

“Nah, I’m an orphan, but I got adopted by a family in Wintalyn. I have a pretty good job that allows me to travel around the realms. I’m here for work,” she explained, solemnly.

I frowned. I’d seen a picture of Anya at her death anniversary, the little girl’s vibrant eyes, hair colour and couture of her face looking so similar to the girl before me. Wouldn’t that be my luck if there was such a chance of her still being alive.

“Oh. Sorry for asking such an intrusive question. You just reminded me of one of my boyfriend’s sister who went missing cycles ago.”

“That’s depressing. Hey, you never know. Maybe, she’s out there somewhere. As long as you have faith in the stars, you never know what to expect.”

I nodded giving her a genuine smile. Too bad...she’d be a nice friend.

“My name is Anna, but it seems everyone can’t remember the “A” at the end, so simply call me Ann. A pleasure to meet you...um,” she introduced before trailing off.

“Makoto. Everyone calls me Mako.” I introduced myself.

“Mako. I like it! Very unique.” She shook my hand.

“I know. I’m one of a kind.” I joked as we both laughed.

“I better go! I hope we get to meet again Mako!” She gave a curtsey before taking off in a sprint, turning back once more and waving again.

Marcus came to my side, tilting his head.

“Who are you waving to?”

“A girl who helped me pick these! She was super nice.” I presented the basket of beads and other materials. He smirked.

“Is Eli’s craftsmanship side rubbing off on you?” he questioned.

“It’s fun to make things! Plus, you guys are going to be returning to duty when we get to Heila, right? So, we won’t get to see each other,” I pointed out, swallowing the lump in my throat.

“I’ll always have time for you Makoto. All of us would drop everything just to see you. We’re pretty high up in rank at Heila. Kai’s working on our scheduling, but we’re trying to make it so it’s similar to our routine at Knightwood. No matter what we’ll always have breakfast and dinner together,” he reassured me.

“Kai did that? You guys are okay with that? Doing that for me?”

“Our Firefly gets priority more than anything else. We’re your knights. Regardless of what happens in Heila, I’m hoping at least one of us will be with you at all times.”

He reached out for my hand before he pulled me forward to walk to the cashier.

“Now, let’s buy all this stuff so we can try and outrun the storm. I don’t think we’re going to make it, but I know somewhere close to our place where we can ride out the rain. It won’t be a long storm.”

“Okay.”

“Marcus. I have a question.”

I was relaxed in a pair of shorts and a tank top, my legs crossed as I sat in front of the fireplace.

We’d got caught in the wild thunderstorm, so we found safe haven in the small cabin, a few kilometers away from our home. Marcus knew we’d never make it as we left the town, the grey clouds filling the dark sky.

It rained so hard we’d got drenched in less than a minute, resorting to changing into some clothes we had bought, while ours dried on the wooden table in the dining room.

The small, wooden cabin was very plain and clean, looking as if no one had lived in it for a while. Marcus explained it was on a part of their land; the boys used it on occasion for survival practice.

As the teachings of Knightwood state – you never know when you’re going to be in a forest filled with snakes. Blasphemy I say.

Marcus walked out of the washroom, my eyes roamed his bare chest. He’d only bought stuff for the others and not one top for himself. I was thankful he’d at least bought a pair of black, workout shorts, which he was now wearing as he strolled towards me. Don’t get distracted by the sexy dragon shifter.

“Ask away, Firefly. And, I’ll try not to distract you,” he commented.

I stuck my tongue out teasingly.

He licked his lips before sitting next to me, crossing his legs as he rotated to face me instead of the fireplace. “Don’t tempt me Makoto. I can teach that tongue of yours a lesson or two,” he warned, making me gulp.

I took a deep breath as I tried to tame my overly excited hormones. “Who’s Elyion? I found out that Azriel is Daniel’s angel spirit, but last time you said Elyion and Kai’s mentioned that name too when he was talking to EliaseAnne.” I had my speculation as to who this Elyion was, but the only culprit in my mind made no sense.

Why call EliaseAnne a different name, especially when she didn’t look pleased by the term. Did it mean something else?

“I don’t know if I have the right to answer that, love.” He tugged at the hair tie still holding up his man bun, pulling it out to allow his long, brown hair to fall. He ruffled it for a bit, looking deep in thought, his eyes closing for a moment.

I sat patiently, watching different expressions morph on his face before his eyes opened; his sapphire jewels looked beautiful as the fire’s light reflected in them.

“I’m only telling you because I asked Elias and he said he’s fine with you knowing, but apart from our group, no one knows about this. It’s being investigated so we have enough evidence to place on the table before we can make an accusation about this individual. He’s too high in rank for us to use just our word against his, even with physical evidence. Do you understand Makoto? You can’t share this with anyone. Only you and your spirits,” he stressed; his deadpan tone frightened me as his eyes bore into mine.

I pushed my fear to the side and sat up straighter. I wasn’t going to back away from an opportunity to find out more about my knights.

“I swear to secrecy. The Starlight gods are my witnesses,” I swore.

He nodded before beginning. “Elyion is EliaseAnne’s original birth name. When Elias was really young a woman arrived at Miolana and offered the king a chance at a higher, political position with the promise of a higher percentage in the stock markets down on Earthala. King Kingsley would never pass up such an offer, agreeing to the terms with little questioning. The terms included his son would undergo spirit transmutation. It’s similar to what King Aspen did with his son Malik, but from what we’ve gathered so far regarding the case, the King wanted to replace Elyion with another spirit – something stronger and deadlier: a dark fairy spirit.”

I was speechless; my brain tried to roll around the fact Elias’ own father, another king who’d witnessed the end results of King Aspen’s actions, would stoop so low and agree to such terms without caring about Elias’ well-being.

Marcus turned to look at the fireplace, the flames burned away the remaining wood.

“Dark faeries are one of the rarest spirits in the entire galaxy, aside from Vermillion birds. They have a few numbers left living on Miolana. However, they began to disappear which of course, pointed our suspicions to Kingsley and this woman’s experiments. Their hypothesis was that they could implant a dark fairy into Elyion, changing his spirit. After rotations of experimental trials, they succeeded with their final dark fairy – she was only eight cycles. The woman had finally succeeded in altering the spirit species, but when Elias woke up and shifted, Elyion was no longer male, but a female hybrid.”

*Silence*

“Hybrid.” I choked the word out, unable to say another.

“Yes. Half-light fairy, half-dark fairy. It was determined that due to the dark fairy being a female instead of a male and the powerful nature of her spirit; she overpowered Elyion’s male attributes. Thus, his spirit morphed into a girl, EliaseAnne. They couldn’t continue on with their experiment, concluding that they needed a male, dark fairy to attempt to change Elyion back. The problem was risking Elias and Elyion in general, having gone through so many forced experiments led them to being diagnosed with severe PTSD. They both still deal with it today.”

Post-traumatic stress disorder. I knew of such diagnoses from the multiple shifters that experienced such circumstances in the facility – myself included.

I recalled Eli being sick yesterday, running a low-grade fever throughout the night. I’d taken a quick peek when I made my way downstairs to meet Marcus, Kai relaxed on the floor, his eyes closed as Eli slept, a cloth on her face. I smiled at their joined hands, before walking away, not wanting to wake either of them up.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, deciding to confirm my thoughts.

“Is that why Eli can’t stand medical centers?” I questioned, remembering how anxious she looked during my recovery time as they ran tests on her. She tried to hide it during my presence, but it was hard to hide the tremendous amount of fear reflecting in her eyes.

“Yes. She has panic attacks. It’s been awhile since her last major one, but I feel like she had a mini one in her last checkup. Karen said she didn’t look well when leaving, but she insisted she was fine. When she got home she looked horribly pale and almost fainted. I ended up having to carry her to bed and now, the fever she’s experiencing is a common after effect,” Marcus confirmed.

I turned to face the fireplace, allowing my mind to reel over everything he’d just explained.

EliaseAnne is a boy. He was turned into a SHE against his own will thanks to his oh so loving father, who was too greedy to care about the consequences of such altercations.

I could only imagine the scrutiny he experienced growing up through his teen and adult cycles – a teen male shifter with a female spirit. The thought alone was rare and probably still wasn’t accepted.

“That’s why they pretend to be two different people at school.” Midnight proposed; her once monotonous voice filled with grief.

I felt a hand rub my back, my head turning to face Marcus, who was right next to me, his eyes glossy.

“Don’t cry Firefly,” he whispered.

I lifted my hands to my cheeks which were wet with tears. “How can I not? My knight was tampered with like a lab rat for such a stupid, selfish reason as STOCKS! Not only did he have to go through such experiments, so many dark fairies were murdered and are now extinct! If it wasn’t for Midnight and Eli being a hybrid, there would be none. Even if there are a few throughout the galaxy they would stay hidden thanks to one man’s greed. Now EliaseAnne is STUCK as a female for the rest of his life,” I yelled, the anger raged within me, my power began to build.

I rose to my feet and began to pace around the cabin. Marcus watched me cautiously.

“Did his Father not once imagine how life would be for him? The amount of scrutiny and humiliation he’d face! Yet for money and a position of power, he was perfectly fine with selling his son to this devilish woman for her own fucking reasons. And where is he now? Still a fucking King! Where’s the justice!” I roared, the windows shook as the cabin trembled, dust floated down from the rafters.

Marcus rose, approaching me and placing his hands firmly on my shoulders.

“Firefly. Calm down,” he ordered.

I glared at him, Midnight coming forward.

“Calm down? The woman oh wait, scratch that, the man I care about is now resting in bed thanks to his traumatic, fucked up past that will NEVER stop haunting him till he ascends to Starlight, because of his father who’s walking freely and ruling a kingdom! Where’s the fucking justice!” she shouted.

Ryuu came forward to face us, his arms wrapped around my trembling body.

The wind smashed against the cabin as the rain pounded so loudly against the wooden frame, I didn’t think the cabin would survive.

“Midnight, enough. I get your frustration, I really do. I would be one of the first to burn that castle to the ground and torture that man till he begged for Deathpre to take his soul. Even then, I’d make sure he didn’t rest till he received his portion of pain and solitude. But we need every bit of evidence and have to locate the woman and gather Elias’ file. If we’re able to reclaim that, it would be smooth sailing. Your father and other higher-ups he entrusted with the case are looking into it. Please, calm down. The cabin won’t handle this beating much longer,” he begged. The lights flickered on and off.

Midnight retreated, allowing me to take over before I closed my eyes, using Ryder’s meditation techniques to calm the raging inferno that still wanted release.

I grit my teeth and struggled to calm myself. I felt Ryuu’s arms leave me before his body pressed against me from behind; his arms returned to my waist before he rested his head against my shoulder, whispering in my ear.

“Mako, I can calm you down using my gift if you need it.”

I pondered on his statement, remembering the time I’d woken up from my nightmare, his chest glowed a bright, sapphire blue.

“Okay,” I agreed, realizing my anger wouldn’t settle; not with the idea of that man walking around and our fairy shifter carrying such a heavy burden.

A calm wave went through me as my back felt warm, Ryuu’s markings on his chest the culprit of such sensation.

My shoulders dropped as I relaxed; the anger that was once furious and ready to destroy dissipated. I leaned into his embrace, feeling a tad weak. I’d taken off the bracelet Karen had given to me to wear for safety, in case I needed to protect myself if Marcus and I were separated.

“Easy, Firefly,” he soothed before lifting me up, lowering me into the chair near the fireplace to rest.He knelt down; his left hand rose to rest on his chest as he looked up at me. “Princess. I and my host swear that justice will be served. Let’s get to Heila and once everything’s settled with introductions that will be on the top list of priorities.”

I nodded. “Fine. Sorry for losing control like that,” I apologized.

“It warms my heart that you care for us so dearly that you’d respond in such a way, Princess,” he praised before bowing his head and retreating.

Marcus opened his eyes, smiling softly at me.

“Don’t worry Makoto. We’ll deal...with...” He began, but trailed off, frowning as he gave me a confused expression.

“Marcus?”

“I can’t believe this. Now out of all times,” he grumbled before rising back up to his feet, his face scrunched in anger.

“What’s wrong?”

“We need to head back. There’s a situation that needs your attention, or I should say forgiveness. The rain should stop in a few minutes.” He helped me rise before we began gathering our belongings.

Forgiveness?

The rain stopped, and we packed everything up in silence. Thanks to the log-made car port and Marcus’ bringing a motorcycle cover, his bike was safe and dry from the storm.

I didn’t like the quiet atmosphere, the fear of not knowing what this situation was had my anxiety growing with each minute that passed. I decided to ask a random question.

“Marcus?”

“Yes, Firefly.”

“Why does Ryuu know so much about sex?”

His cheeks flushed as his eyes focused on putting the helmet on my head.

“Well—” He began, but was cut off, glowing eyes peered into my shocked expression.

“You sure are good at the element of surprise.” I commented, shaking off my shock.

“I like seeing your expression. It’s amusing and kinda hot.” He confessed with a smirk, making me blush.

He leaned in till his lips were inches away from my ear.

“Dragon spirits are a little wilder in that department. We like it fast, rough and daring. It doesn’t hurt to know a lot in the pleasure department. It can come in handy.” He bit my ear lightly, tugging at it. I closed my eyes, moaning at the sudden contact. Dammit, how does he turn me on so quickly?

I opened my eyes to face his seductive smirk.

“It pains me that we have to leave due to such hindrances, but mark my words Firefly, we’ll have our playtime. Tell Lex—”

My body wouldn’t allow him to finish, Lexi took over and pressed our lips against his.

We didn’t dare close our eyes, pleased by his wide eyes that reflected his shock before being replaced with an intense hunger.

His lips pressed against ours as we deepened the kiss, our eyes closed to enjoy his lips.

We finally pulled apart after what seemed to be minutes of passionate kissing, panting as we held our stare.

“Trust me, baby. There will be no disturbances during our play time.” Lexi purred before leaning and giving him one last kiss, biting his lower lip and tugging at it gently. She pulled back, smirking before giving me control.

Marcus’ eyes returned to normal as he blinked, shaking his head before he let out a deep huff.

“Dragons.”