~DANIEL~

^“I haven’t seen him lose his cool like that since our younger days...you guys have been straining him these last two weeks.”

I could remember the times when we were younger, and we’d have our disagreements. We, as in Azriel and Stryker, would argue every single time they took over, leaving us both exhausted and annoyed.

I sunk down into the black sofa, giving myself a moment to relax. Marcus made his way to sit beside Elias, while Kai went to the kitchen.

Didn’t take him long to return with our usual drinks – two mugs of hot green tea, a glass of juice and a carton of chocolate milk.

I smiled at the miniature carton of milk. Mako would love Kai within five seconds of finding out that he also drank milk. I seriously had to find out why she was so obsessed with the white liquid.

“Do you think Midnight’s a spirit and not her split personality?” Elias questioned.

“To be honest, anything can be possible when it comes to Makoto. It just comes down to whether having five spirits is going to be detrimental to her mental health,” Kai pointed out.

“We could try and attempt to figure out what the possibilities are, but there wouldn’t be any point. If Winter’s hypothesis is right, she’d be the first shifter ever to carry five spirits,” Marcus noted.

“Meaning she’ll also become a target,” I whispered.

“Whatever happens we have to start protecting her properly. The exam incident was uncalled for, but from now on we should keep a very close eye. At least, we’ll be leaving for Heila very shortly,” Kai concluded.

We all sat in silence as we took our time enjoying our drinks.

I pulled off my glasses, setting them down on the coffee table. I was already exhausted and knew they wouldn’t do any justice in helping me see better.

I had to be the odd angel of the bunch with bad vision. Karen kept saying it was because my power generally hosted itself within my eyes, such large amounts of energy affected my eye sight, but I think there was more involved.

I personally think it’s due to all the swearing I do.

Angel spirits didn’t use such slang, their hosts usually copied the spirits likes and dislikes, except for me that is.

I think I did it out of rebellion more than actually having the need to use such foul language. As long as it pissed my parents off, I’d swear all day long. I could already remember the multiple times my older brother would come home to me in the corner of shame for my bad behavior.

He’d merely shake his head with a large smile, asking me if I went on another swearing fit again. I wondered how he was doing down on Earthala? I guess at this point, anywhere was better than being stuck in that kingdom.

“You should check on the little one once in a while. She probably misses both of you. Especially with that witch,” Azriel noted, compassion rolled off his low voice.

Freila will be just fine. She’s the good child. You know how parents are. The last child always gets spoiled and never beaten. She’ll probably grow up to be their perfect angel. Maybe they’ll give her the throne instead of me or Michael. We’d just wreck everything.

“She’d like Mako,” he acknowledged quietly, before leaving my mind.

I continued to stare at the steam that rose up from my green tea; the small waves of smoke distracted me from my multiple worries.

He was right. Freila would adore Mako. Probably ruin her perfect behavior streak in three seconds flat, but it would be the fresh air she needed to realize how suffocating our dad and our step-mom were. I miss mom...

“Daniel?”

I glanced up at the others, all of them staring at me with grieving expressions. I know my emotions were working on our knight bond – leaking through to everyone else.

They knew how close I was to her. Michael took her death just as hard. Maybe that’s why we left ArchAilennia so quickly. It was thanks to Michael bringing me to Heila that I got to meet the others, finding out about my new purpose. The perfect distraction. Anything to stop the constant ache and regret. It was my fault.

“Daniel. Stop,” Kai whispered, turning to walk towards me. He ruffled my hair, a gesture that still pissed me off. I knew he was doing it on purpose, because I hated when he messed up my hair.

“I’m fine, leave my hair alone. You don’t wash your hands. I can only imagine the germs on them,” I huffed, slapping away his hand irritated.

He laughed, before sitting next to me; his arms lifted to rest on the top of the sofa as his left leg relaxed across his right. His smile dimmed as a serious expression took over.

“Ryder asleep?”

We glanced at one another, concentrating to feel the demon shifter. Ryder was the easiest to sense in our bond, being the leader of our group strengthened his connections with us. It was beneficial for us, but for times like these, it was a pain in his ass and we all felt guilty frustrating him.

“That’s pretty much the second time he’s lost his cool. Of course, the first time doesn’t necessarily count since we all felt like shit,” Marcus confessed.

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have panicked like that. I just thought I was gonna lose her after these agonizing two weeks, not knowing if she was going to make it. With that, and Eli being so worried and the stupid medical treatments, I just couldn’t see her walk away. She deserves to be angry with us,” Elias explained, sighing as he placed his head into his hands. Kai got up from his seat before facing us.

“It’s YOUR guys fault for not telling her. You seriously think she wasn’t going to put the pieces together? I may not know Mako like you all, but from what you’ve described the last two and a half months, she’s very perceptive of what goes on around her, whether it’s intentional or not. Even if she hadn’t noticed, none of you decided to tell her, because you assumed she couldn’t handle it instead of giving her a chance. She was stuck in the facility for sixteen cycles and was able to accept the fact she was a stolen princess from some far away realm she had NO clue of, but you couldn’t be honest and inform her that Elyion was Elias? You didn’t even need to give her the whole backstory. All she’s asking for is trust. She told you about Midnight, am I correct Elias?” He ranted before his attention turned to Elias. He lifted his head before nodding with a frown on his face.

“That’s exactly why she’s pissed and has every damn right to be. Imagine finding out your life was a lie, being forced to live in a tortuous environment with no memory of your past, assuming you were taken into the arms of a saint, only to find out he’s the devil. I don’t even want to imagine what our Princess went through there, and now that she’s finally set free, thanks to you guys, her saviors and star knights, she has to learn to trust again. But you guys blew it with not telling her that small detail, even though you saw how close she is with Elyion,” he continued to scold us.

We sat there in silence, unable to find the words to argue against his claims. Everything he had just stated was true and we deserved it. We’d been so caught up in our concerns and joy of having Mako in our lives that we hadn’t been considerate, to say the least.

“We should have known better. I know what it’s like to come out and see how big the world is after cycles of confinement. She deserves an apology from all of us,” Marcus whispered.

“I agree. We need to trust her and be open. Sure, it may hurt her at times or be something she may not want to hear, but at least we’re being straight forward. She’s our Princess after all and deserves our respect; that starts with honesty,” I lectured.

I knew; I struggled with being honest with my feelings and concerns, but maybe I’d try to connect more with Mako and the others. I just wondered if Midnight would be a problem.

Elias nodded.

“I’ll apologize when she wakes up,” he confirmed.

We all nodded in agreement.

“You should also apologize to Ryder. You almost knocked him out while we were in the middle of campus. Matthew practically forced him to sit down,” Marcus noted.

“He needs to sleep it off. Daniel, can you make sure you check on him in two hours? Maybe less than that. Now that Mako’s recovering, he should sleep a bit longer, but I’d rather play cautiously than deal with the cranky him,” Kai confessed.

“Yup, Azriel loves giving them an extra dose of sleep just to annoy Stryker,” I admitted, scoffing.

“Tell Azriel he’s gonna get all our asses in trouble with his continuous quarrel with Stryker. Can’t they admit they’re best friends already? You and Ryder get along, can’t they put aside their differences and do the same? Just because you guys have complete opposite gifts doesn’t mean you have to war with one another. It’s been what, twelve cycles?” Marcus complained shaking his head.

“You have to admit, it’s amusing to see Ryder storm in here after sleeping for eight to ten hours.” Elias chuckled. It was nice to him smile after all that occurred.

“Remember the time Azriel used a ton of his voodoo sleeping dust and Ryder was knocked out for the whole day. I swear Karen lost her shit.” Kai laughed, the others followed.

“Don’t remind me of that. I had to wear that stupid, magic sealing bracelet for TWO weeks! I bet Stryker got a laugh out of that. Not to mention he made sure to knock me into the fucking pool during training as pay back! PAY-FUCKING-BACK! I would have drowned if Ryder hadn’t resurfaced and grabbed my ass out of there!” I snarled.

The day I learned how to swim would be the end of the galaxy. I could handle water, as long as it was up to my chest. Anything higher than that would probably kill me. Michael was just the same. We still believed we were probably gonna have to deal with the weakness sooner or later, or we’d be in big trouble if we actually had to face a situation that required a heap load of water. I wondered if Mako knew how to swim?

“Hey, why don’t we throw a pool party?” Kai suggested, his eyes sparkled with excitement. I

frowned, raising my eyebrow at him.

“Did you not hear what I just said?” I questioned.

“A pool party would be fun. Matthew can help us fill the pool with fresh water and I can pass by Earthala and try to find a unicorn float. Can you imagine Mako’s face when she sees it?” Marcus offered.

“Hello? Anyone care about the non-swimmer here?” I mentioned.

“Has Mako ever swam before? I wouldn’t mind giving her lessons. It could come in handy one day. I think Eli would have fun teaching her, too. Be a good way for them to bond again,” Elias voiced out as he stood up; his usual self-confidence returned.

“You never offered me swimming lessons.” I continued my protest.

“Because you won’t even go near water unless forced by Karen or Matthew. And you can sit on the side of the pool, or even put your legs in,” Elias suggested as he grinned.

I groaned, glaring at him.

“OH! I know! I’ll get him those floaty things for kids! What are they called? Damn, I’m gonna ask Junho when I get there. He’ll be able to get me the perfect size for you. Your older brother is a tad taller than you, right? You guys are the same body build though, so it’s all good. I’ll tell Junho to use him as an example,” Marcus commented, brushing off my concern.

“I’m not wearing those stupid floaty things for kids,” I argued.

“But if you do, you’d get to swim with Mako.” He argued back, smirking at me.

I glared back, unable to argue with that statement. Fuck, I’d love to have some quality time with her.

“Hey, Mako doesn’t have a bathing suit then,” Kai pointed out. We all turned to glance at him, realizing he was right.

“Mako in a bathing suit,” Elias whispered.

“With her markings on display,” Marcus noted.

“I call first dibs,” Kai announced.

We all whipped our heads to stare at him.

“Oh, hell to the Starlight’s no!” Marcus argued.

“She doesn’t even know you, yet,” Elias added.

“Yes, but she will and the last time I checked, you owe me five more favors, Marcus, and you four, Elias,” he reminded, a pleasurable smile formed on his lips as his amber eyes glowed slightly.

They both groaned, sitting back down in their seats in a huff.

“Fuck you, Kai. It’s times like this I wish you were in Heila still,” Elias mumbled.

“I know right. Stupid favors. What possessed us to promise him favors?” Marcus questioned to Elias, ignoring our presence completely.

One thing we learned in our youth – every favor would have to be returned when it came to Kai. To bad we’d collected plenty; enough to let him get whatever he wanted when the opportunity arrived amongst us. He wants first dibs on something, he’d most certainly get it.

Kai turned my way, raising an eyebrow at me. I lifted my hands in surrender.

“I wasn’t even going to fight for it. Don’t need to remind me of the ten favors I owe you,” I admitted.

He smiled wickedly, pleased with the outcome.

“Then it’s settled.”

“How about Ryder?” I asked. There was a moment of silence.

“Fine, he gets first dibs, but I get seconds. Not for the fact, he doesn’t owe me, but Stryker would kick my ass and I hate dark flames. They’re hotter than my phoenix fire. No one got time for that.” He gestured; his hand rubbed his bare arms, the orange, short sleeve shirt he wore, unable to hide the multiple goosebumps forming.

“If your bad ass self is afraid, imagine us. Nope, not dealing with it. I think Azriel only messes with Stryker because our gifts counter each other. We can’t really win or lose. But the moment he brings in dark flames, I’m out,” I revealed, shaking my head at the thought.

No one in their right mind would be stupid enough to challenge someone with enough dark magic to summon those deadly flames.

It took Ryder cycles to summon them, let alone use them as a weapon. They only truly came to his aid without any struggle when he was fucking pissed.

“But seriously...Mako’s gonna look fucking hot in a bathing suit,” Marcus mused, quietly.

“Get her a nice swim suit from one of those expensive stores,” Kai urged.

“Get her a pink bikini,” Elias ordered, staring directly at the dragon.

We took a moment to ponder it, more than one of us imagined her curvy body sporting the two-piece.

“Neon pink or a tropical type one. It just has to have pink in it. Just not that shitty, ugly pink. The neon pink looks way better on her,” I admitted. My hand rose to stroke my chin as I wondered what else was needed.

“Get her a nice pair of pink sandals, too. With diamonds in the middle,” Kai requested.

“Real diamonds?” I asked.

“Do they even add real diamonds to sandals?” Elias inquired.

“Shit, I don’t know. Doesn’t that Victoria store all the girls talk about have it?” Marcus questioned, confused.

“How should I know, you go to Earthala more than me,” Kai acknowledged.

“Fuck. Elias. Tell Eli she’s coming with me. I doubt Scarlet will have free time and I’m not fucking this up,” Marcus ordered.

An idea entered my mind, a smile formed on my lips as I looked at the others. They all turned to me, noticing my change in mood.

“What?” They all said in unison.

“I have the perfect idea of what to get her. But knowing Mako, we have to make sure it’s water proof and pink,” I whispered.

With this, she’d always be connected to us.

~STRYKER~

I opened my heavy eye lids, immediately cursing at the exhaustion still tugging at my mind, let alone my actual body.

I’m going to fucking murder Azriel the next time I see him.

Yes, I considered the sinister angel a best friend, but that sleep-inducing dust was a fucking drug! Why did the Starlight gods think that was a good gift to give him out of the all the angel spirits in ArchAilennia? I had some questions for them.

I was ready to move, but realized the arms wrapped around my waist. I glanced down to Mako curled up against me, her breathing slow as long, brown locks were scattered across her bare back. One leg was relaxed on mine, her right arm laid across my stomach, her other lodged beneath me. I had no idea if she subconsciously snuggled against me or woke up in the middle of the night.

If it wasn’t for Azriel’s voodoo, sand man dust, I or Ryder would have woken up with her movement. Curse him. I’ll get my payback, mark my words, Azriel.

He was well aware of demon spirits holding grudges. I may not get my revenge today or tomorrow, but I’d get my revenge.

Mako stirred, mumbled something incoherent before pushing against me, such actions having absolutely no effect as my body stayed in place. She continued mumbling, before she opened her eyes, glancing up at me in confusion.

“Mako?” I whispered, staring at her drowsy expression, her usual turquoise eyes now dark blue.

“Oh. Midnight?” I asked again.

She tilted her head, blinking as if I was a stranger.

“Demon Ryder,” she pointed out, her voice low, indicating she was half asleep.

“Stryker,” I replied.

She stared at me, her blank expression gave me the impression she didn’t care about introductions. She stared down at her arm which was still under me.

I shuffled to the edge of the bed, letting her arm free. She stared at it for a moment, before returning her gaze to me.

“My arm,” she stated.

“Yes, it’s your arm,” I replied.

“But, you had it,” she argued.

“What? It was just underneath me,” I protested, confused at her accusation.

“I’m watching you,” she whispered; her eyes narrowed on me.

“Midnight, I’m not gonna steal your arm.” I sighed.

“Lies,” she argued.

“Are we actually having this conversation?”

“I know where you live,” she confirmed.

“...”

“...”

“Midnight, go back to sleep,” I encouraged. Ryder was better at dealing with such interesting situations. He thought it was cute.

“I’m sleepy. Goodnight.” She rolled to her side, falling asleep within seconds.

I didn’t know whether to be surprised or bewildered. No wonder Elias told the others she was incoherent when she exhausted herself. I sighed, pulling at the blanket and covering her. I was about to turn on my side to sleep when she stirred again.

I waited for her to settle, but she rolled over, her eyes opened – royal purple orbs greeted me. I smiled as joy blossomed within me.

“Rose,” I whispered, unable to hide the happiness in my voice. It took her a moment before she smiled seductively at me; sleep still in her eyes as she yawned.

“Hmm. Morning Stryker. I wondered when I’d get alone time with you.” She whispered back.

I lifted the blanket, encouraging her to cuddle next to me.

She smiled, shuffling into my embrace; her warm body lay against me as I wrapped us with the oversized maroon blanket.

I pressed my lips gently against hers, attempting to appear confident on the outside as I ignored the nervous butterflies that fluttered in my stomach. It had been cycles since I’d had a true alone moment with Roseline.

I remembered our final evening together, sitting in the castle garden as we stared at the multiple stars in the sky. Even for our ages, we weren’t shy to show our affection for one another. Making sure to hold hands whenever we were together.

No words were needed to enjoy one another’s company. Just the warmth of her hand was enough to enjoy Mother Starlight’s gift to us, giving us a chance at life within our hosts. We’d been blessed to be royals and we never took such blessings for granted. Not to mention our hosts being so cooperative.

Ryder never showed any mind with me having my time with Rose. Mako and Hope were both cooperative, usually falling asleep right before our nightly hangouts, giving Rose privacy and peace of mind.

I was happy to be able to hold her in my arms; her vanilla aroma surrounded me, the smell easing my tense muscles as I relaxed. Ryder knew how much I struggled with the idea of Mako not making it after the exam incident. Even with her recovering, I’d heard nothing from any of her spirits, especially Rose who was the most outspoken. To finally be able to communicate with her again made me beyond relieved.

“I’ve missed you, baby,” I whispered against her lips as I pulled away, unable to break eye contact with those magnetizing eyes.

“I’m sorry I worried you,” she apologized, kissing my neck. I closed my eyes, trying to hold back the moan that wanted to escape. One thing that attracted me the most about Rose was her undeniable confidence. She never hesitated to demonstrate her compassion and love for someone.

When she’d kissed me on the cheek during the locker room incident, I was filled with such joy, the emotion was forgotten to my senses after cycles of regret and disappointment.

She pulled back after a minute; her eyes returned to look up at mine.

“You look exhausted. Did Daniel use his mojo, juju dust on you?” she questioned.

“How do you know about that?” I questioned back.

She smirked, her mischievous smile lit her face as her purple eyes glowed lightly.

“Magiccccc,” she slurred.

I laughed.

“Baby, don’t try to fool me. It never works.” I tightened my grip around her waist.

“Oh really?” she challenged, pressing her body against me as she bit her lip.

My body responded immediately; my cock grew hard from the bold move. Her voice enough to turn me on.

She leaned upward to kiss me; her lips dominated mine as I pressed against her. I wanted her to know what she was doing to me; how much her confidence affected my lust for her. We kissed for what seemed to be hours, unable to pull away from each other until our bodies required oxygen. The deep kiss left us breathless as we pulled back, panting.

“I’d love to do more than just kiss you love, but I think we should let Ryder and Mako have that first moment. Don’t you?” She purred.

“I guess we should be courteous and let them. If only they would get some actual alone time,” I confessed.

I knew if it wasn’t for the fact our hosts hadn’t gotten the chance to be intimate thanks to all the events that had happened, I believed they would have done more than just making out in the campus classrooms.

“They will. I don’t think either of them can continue doing their long make-out sessions without tugging at each other’s clothes.” Rose’s amused voice made me smile in delight.

I couldn’t help but widen my grin as I remember Ryder’s meditation attempt with Mako. I told him it wouldn’t last ten minutes with her in the room, and I was right, lasting four minutes and ten seconds before he had Mako pinned down on the floor, kissing one another like it was the last day in Starlight history.

That fairy boy, of course, had to interrupt, as usual. I’d need to find a way to rid him of his sly tactics.

“Will we get more alone time?” I whispered.

She smirked; her hand left my waist to glide through my messy hair before she kissed me from my cheek to my chest, leaving a trail of kisses. “Of course,” she confirmed before sucking at my flesh, surely leaving a fresh hickey on the base of my neck.

Her breath was warm against my skin and sent chills racing down my arms. I felt her tongue curl along my neck and I couldn’t stop the deep moan that left my lips.

“You like teasing,” I acknowledged.

“I’m a demon, it’s in my nature. As a bonus, I like seeing your reaction,” she admitted.

Her head laid on my chest as we relaxed in the silence of the pitch-black room. My fingers had a mind of their own, unconsciously twirling in her long, brown locks as I closed my eyes, my head rested against the headboard.

“Did you tell Ryder about the Mako-Midnight situation?” Rose questioned. She sounded half asleep, her toneless voice returned.

“I didn’t, but he has found out,” I revealed. I lift my head to look down at her as she lifted her head to frown at me.

“How mad was he?” she inquired.

“Almost snapped at the others. I know it’s not his true intentions, but between Elias’ little scare freaking him out and the other’s emotions slammed into him, he’s just about fed up. He doesn’t like to admit it but, having the ability to feel other’s emotions is a hard burden to carry. He must deal with being connected to his team through this bond, feeling their emotions constantly. He can sometimes pull himself out of it and disconnect for a while, but there’s no off switch; 24/7 in the back of his mind he knows exactly what’s happening to the others. They do try to lessen the burden and control their emotions, but situations like today show how connected he is to them and how much of a struggle he faces controlling his emotions,” I explained, feeling sorry for my host.

I hadn’t been very considerate either these past two weeks, unable to control my own worries and concerns. It had only been a matter of time till he broke down, which he did. The only time he had shed tears was Anya’s death anniversary. That’s coming up soon.

I felt a hand brush against my cheek. I hadn’t realized I’d zoned out, too focused on worrying about Ryder than the beautiful woman lying against me.

“When is it?”

“When is what babe?” I questioned.

“Anya’s birthday. It was always close to this time of the cycle, correct?” she asked.

“How did you know what I was thinking about?” I questioned back.

“You zone out when something is really bothering you. Seeing as I’m right here, the only two individuals who you care about are your mother and Anya. I know your mother is fine, so that leaves Anya,” she narrowed down, laying her head back against my chest as her finger drew a circle on the unoccupied spot on my chest.

“You read me too well,” I whispered.

“Someone has to. You’re hard to figure out, but I like mysteries,” she confessed.

“Rose.”

“Hmm?”

“Will Mako and Midnight be okay?”

I needed some type of confirmation that they wouldn’t perish from this new predicament.

I knew Mako was strong, Midnight a reflection of her strength, but I knew what happened to shifters with multiple spirits. Throughout the cycles of our training, we’d seen shifters succumb to such circumstances.

It still amazed me that Rose and the other spirits cooperated with one another with such little space. I couldn’t imagine sharing my section in Ryder’s mind with anyone else.

“I’m worried. I don’t question either of their strengths, but if Midnight truly is a spirit...I’m worried her spirit nature won’t be compatible with us. Midnight as a personality is fine and cooperative. However, if her spirit’s nature unlocks, such a powerful influence may not be in our favor. Of the four of us, Lexi is the strongest, but Midnight’s power alone in the physical aspect is unheard of. It frightens even me,” Rose acknowledged.

“You have a feeling what spirit she is?” I rubbed her head lightly, wanting to look at her expression. She lifted her head to face me; her royal purple eyes darkened. It was only for a split second, but I saw the fear in them.

“Yes...but I pray to Starlight she’s not what I’m assuming or Mako’s mental state is at risk.” She bit her lip as she glanced away. I frowned. Rose rarely showed her unease. This situation may turn ugly if not handled with delicacy.

I reached out to cradle her cheek, turning her head to face me.

“We’ll figure it out. I’ll be here if you need me,” I consoled.

She nodded, giving me a weak smile before she yawned.

“You should rest up,” I encouraged

“Stryker?”

I smiled, kissing her lightly on her lips. I loved the way my name rolled off her tongue, sending waves of desire through me. “Yes, Rose.”

“You’ll talk to me if anything is bothering you, right?”

I didn’t like the worry in her eyes. “This isn’t like you, Roseline. You don’t need to worry,” I replied.

“Stryker.”

I sighed, but smiled. “I promise to inform you when something is troubling my soul. As long as you go back to your usual self. This side of you makes me uneasy.” I muttered the last part, feeling my cheeks burn.

I didn’t want to admit how satisfying it was to know she worried about me, just the same way I worried about her well-being. As spirits, we were outspoken and open in many aspects, but we still struggled with admitting how we felt with one another at times.

“Okay Strykey, I’ll return back to my voluptuous self, so you can enjoy listening to me explain our inner monologue with Lexi.” She purred with a mischievous smile.

I groaned.

“No, I don’t want to hear about your long, dirty talks with Lexi. I swear, dragons with their play time. I’m surprised she hasn’t taken control and jumped Ryuu yet, and don’t call me Strykey. That was hella annoying when you guys were younger,” I pointed out, scrunching my face in disgust. I seriously hated that nickname.

“Oh, I bet she would if she had the chance,” Rose replied with a laugh.

“I...I love you, Rose. Just wanted you to know,” I admitted, my voice barely a whisper.

“I know. I love you too, Stryker.” She leaned upward, giving me one final kiss before pulling away. She snuggled against me as I repositioned myself in the bed, my head relaxed on the pillow, Rose cradled in my arms.

It didn’t take long for her breathing to lower to a steady pace, her deep inhales and exhales indicated her unconsciousness. I pressed my lips against her forehead before closing my eyes.

Whatever happens, I’d make sure to be there for her.