"Hey, Rainbow. We need to talk."
I mentally groaned, really wishing I didn't have to deal with this right now. My ass was fucking exhausted after today’s class, which involved us going through a number of drills. I was in no mood for this after wasting a whole bunch of energy to prove I could jump, fly, and shield myself from income attacks, something Magnor had taught me when I was ten.
"What, Jess? Wait, it was Jess right?" My memory failed me since I zoned out during the icebreaker game we did on the first day of classes, too busy chatting with Arielle who'd been chilling in one of the trees watching our group.
"Jessica. Not Jess. We aren't close enough for you to call me Jess, unicorn wannabe,” she huffed. I sighed, focused on looking for my hair tie I knew I'd put in my bag. Ugh, Orion better have not taken my hair tie again.
"Okay cool, can you give me a sec?" I huffed, pulling out my phone and dialing Orion's number. Magnor had gotten all of our phones as a congratulation gift for getting into New Aslan, something I was super happy about because it was the newest model, which people would talk and boast about both in person and all over social media. I had no idea how he managed to get me a pink to purple metallic one with gold outlining, but I absolutely loved it. Even the guys’ phones were individualized to match their color preferences, which really tugged at my heartstrings because I knew Magnor hadn't just gone and picked any phone for them. He must have spent A LOT of time making sure it was a present they would cherish.
"Are you-" She began to huff but I cut her off. I lifted my hand as I pressed the phone to my ear.
The phone picked on the third ring. "Hey, Dearest, what's up?" Cairus answered.
"Cairus, why do you have Orion's phone?" I asked, a little puzzled.
"Oh, he's playing some game on mine. You throw birds or something," Cairus replied. I smirked, trying to imagine how Orion would look playing Angry Birds.
"Did you take a picture?" I whispered, feeling a little excited to have evidence of Orion's cute concentrated face staring at the screen as he tried to beat each level.
"Caio got a picture AND video earlier. We got you, Dearest." Cairus chucked quietly.
I giggled. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Here I'll give the phone to Orion."
I could hear Orion in the background. "I'm not done."
"Our lover is on the phone," Cairus hummed.
"Oh, I want to talk to Cutie Pie!" I heard Finn in the background.
"Sit down, Finn. You have a phone, call her yourself," Hunter huffed.
"I love how he realizes this now only when Celestia calls someone else." Theo laughed.
I knew the guys were having lunch at the moment and I'd be joining them momentarily now that I’d had a chance to shower after that madness.
"Stop being so loud, you’re gonna wake Caio up," Orion pointed out. "And give me my phone."
"You didn't care about your phone earli- Ah. Fucking, OW. Orion, jeez, here."
I grinned, unsure what Orion did but thought it was probably something entertaining. I noticed four other girls crowd around Jess, all of them looking pissed and impatient. I lifted my finger to signal I needed a minute, not giving a shit that they were kept waiting.
"Celestia?" Orion's sweet voice made me grin as I absentmindedly ruffled my hair, which was frizzy after I washed and blew it dry.
"Hey, hair tie stealer. Did you take the pink hair tie from my gym bag?" I asked. He was silent for about five seconds, which was more than enough time for me to put two and two together. "You took it!"
"I borrowed it."
"From my bag?" I asked.
"Yes. I needed it for something,” he muttered.
"I bet Celestia's calling because Orion stole her hair tie," Cairus chimed in.
"Again? Is Celestia on the phone?" Caio's tired voice asked.
"Orion, do you secretly have an obsession with hair ties?" Hunter wondered.
"Celestia’s hair ties," Theo amended.
"You guys are noisy," Orion grumbled.
Finn's laughter could be heard. "Aww, Orion's blus- AH!" I heard a crash and the other guys started laughing.
"Totally deserved that," Hunter laughed.
Orion cleared his throat and spoke up. "Do you need one? I can come bring one to you."
"Can you?" I purred.
"Yes, if you want me to. I'll come over and maybe we can walk back and have a little date?" he asked in a low husky voice.
"Orion Meadow, are you fucking flirting right now?!" Finn huffed before I heard muffled shouting.
"Go, Orion!" Caio called out.
"We'll take one for the team," Cairus added gleefully.
"Mjdslkdf!" The sound of Finn’s muffled voice continued.
"Remember, safe sex!" Hunter called out.
"And look both ways when crossing the street!" Theo added.
"That has nothing to do with anything," Hunter scoffed.
Orion sighed; it sounded like he was walking. "They're weird."
I giggled. "But you like them as friends."
"I do,” he said simply and I smiled.
"I'll see you in a bit," I whispered.
"Okay. Bye Celestia. Don't cause trouble,” he added. I smirked, noticing how red Jess' face was and the mean looks from the other shifters in the room.
"Trouble? I never cause trouble. I'll see you in ten minutes," I hummed, hanging up the phone. I took a deep breath and turned to the group of ladies.
"As you were saying?" I asked with a sweet voice, blinking my eyes innocently.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Jess shouted.
"Oh, me? Well...my name is Celestia Rainbow. I'm twenty-five, I have an awesome, one of a kind familiar who’s a phoenix AND harpy shifter, and did you know my dear father is the headmaster of Aslan?! I sure didn't, hah!" I laughed, knowing my little defiant introduction was only pissing the girls off.
"I don't give a shit who you are!" she snapped.
"But you just asked me who the hell I thought I was?" I asked in a shocked voice, once again feigning innocence.
One of the girls leaned in to whisper to Jess. "You kinda did ask her technically." The others sighed while Jess glared at her friend, who slowly backed away.
"ANYWAYS, do you guys need something from me? I have a date in less than eight minutes and would love to be able to maybe put some clothes on. Of course, I could always walk out in the lingerie set my boyfriend made for me, but that would attract unwanted attention and NO ONE wants that," I emphasized.
"Boyfriend?! I didn’t realize you had one, since one moment your holding hands with one guy, then go off flirting with another, only then to kiss our sweet Orion!” Jess huffed.
Our? She did not just attempt to claim one of my men. I took a calming breath, trying to maintain my innocent facade. "Our? What do you mean ‘our sweet Orion?’ Last time I checked, he was my boyfriend," I pointed out.
Jess opened her mouth to speak, but I continued. "AH! But I'm also dating Finn Charm, Hunter McGinty, Theo Kristopher, and both the Sun twins, so I guess maybe that's where all this confusion is coming from? Aww sweeties, are you jealous that I have a harem?" I clapped my hands excitedly at their stunned expressions before giggling.
"I know, it's a hard role to play. It's kinda like being an awesome succubus but without the cool attraction powers and stuff. We're actually in a mutual agreement and it’s been working rather nicely, but why am I even telling you this when it's none of your fucking business?" My once sweet voice switched to a deadpan tone and I narrowed my eyes at Jess.
"You can't have all the new recruits!" she huffed.
"Why not? Last time I checked, I was with them before we even came here, so what makes you think I'll let any of you girls have MY men?" I demanded with a grin, my fingers itching to get a good shot at that long plastic nose which was really beginning to piss me off.
"You're too fucking weak to hav-"
Multiple gasps were heard when my body acted instinctively; my leg shot out and hit Jess straight in her nose. The impact sent her flying across to the other side of the change room. I slowly lowered my leg and the girls nervously looked back at me. I gave them an eerie smile. Time to channel a little Sia for a daily dose of “fuck off bitches.”
"Listen real carefully, bitches. Do not mess with me. I'm not here to play and I'm certainly not here to make fake friends with you plastics who think you can look at MY men and tell me you suddenly have ownership. They are MINE and I'll fight every single one of you to prove my point," I snarled, making sure I made eye contact with every single one of them, with Jess being the last to feel my glaring wrath. She stood up slowly, her nose bleeding all over the pink tiled floor.
"Five against one, you fucking slut," she reminded.
I shrugged, picking up my clothes and putting them in my locker. I closed it so they wouldn't get stained with the blood I knew wouldn't be mine.
"Bring it on, sweetie. The more the merrier, if you know what I mean." A surge of adrenaline and excitement ran through me at the thought of beating all of these fakes who'd been really pissing me off.
"BRU-REE BITCHES! I HAVE ARRIVED!"
We all froze, turning to see Arielle walk into the room, a pink towel around her human self. Her hair, which had been strawberry pink, was now dark purple with pink highlights that reminded me of my own. Her eyes were still their amber shade, but were practically glowing as if a flame resided within them. Her 6'2" frame and amazing curvy body put the towel to shame and would make even a straight girl question their sexuality at this point.
She crossed her arms over her bountiful chest and cracked her neck, snapping her fingers which created magic circles around her that transitioned from gold to red.
"My Mistress is right. The more, the merrier. So who wants to fight me and my Mistress' new friend?" she demanded.
"New friend?" I whispered, unsure who she was referring to.
"Ah, so this is your Mistress, Arielle? No wonder why you have such a fierce personality for a familiar."
A few of the girls moved back, looking like they would rather bolt out of here naked than face whoever the voice belonged to.
My eyes widened at the majestic beauty that stepped into view, her confidence in each step was enough to vibrate through any person and ensure the world itself knew of her presence.
Her hair was long, her roots were a dark brown, shifting to a beautiful balance of orange, reds, and golds making it look almost like her hair was on fire.
Her skin was pale, making her rosy cheeks and smooth heart-shaped lips stand out. She stood at 6'0” and had a white towel wrapped around her curves. Her breasts were slightly larger than mine and she had a small waist which gave her the perfect hourglass shape. She lifted her hand to run it through her hair. I caught a glimpse of the marking on her wrist as she raised her hand, it was one similar to mine but instead of a heart, hers was a feather.
Her eyes locked on mine and I was left in awe at how beautiful those glowing orbs were. At first they were aqua blue, then they began to shift from a teal color to an emerald green. Upon catching sight of me, they shifted to amber, a mixture of golds and oranges similar to her hair.
"Wow, you're pretty." I complimented.
She giggled. "Why thank you, Celestia. You're looking gorgeous yourself. Sucks that these girls won't let you change in peace."
"Not to mention disturbing our sauna session," Arielle added, the flames circling around her.
Jess shuffled to stand before turning to glare at the newcomer and Arielle. "Don't fucking interfere, Faelia the Forbidden,” she spat.
Faelia? The Forbidden? The girl named Faelia grinned, ruffling her soft locks. I noticed her pointy ears and I realized why she was so stunning. Fae?! But...she has phoenix in her?
I didn't know if it was because I'd raised Arielle, but I could distinguish rather quickly who was a phoenix shifter or not, except for Hunter for some strange reason, so I could sense the flames and magic in her and the aura around her that blazed with confidence.
"Now, that's rather rude to use names you don't know the meaning of. You wouldn't like me calling you Jess-Fake-A-Lot now, would you? Since you like faking that you’re all tough and shit. Now, get out of here by the time I count to five, or I'll make sure I leave third-degree burns all over your precious acne free skin,” she declared, narrowing her eyes.
She hadn't even started counting before 80% of the girls ditched, some of them running out naked while others grabbed their stuff and dashed, not bothering to even change. Well shit, I wish I had that kind of effect on people.
"One," Faelia began.
I watched in astonishment as the group of girls who had been supporting Jess suddenly ditched, grabbing their stuff and bolting, leaving Jess standing there in shock.
"Two," Faelia continued and Jess stomped her foot before dashing off with nothing but a towel around her waist.
"I'LL GET YOU BACK FOR THIS!" Jess screamed and the door to the change room slammed shut. I looked to Arielle and Faelia who exchange glances and shrugged.
"I never make it to five anymore. By three, everyone's gone. No fun," Faelia grumbled.
Arielle giggled, igniting her flames as she walked over to me. "Celestia! Orion's going to be here in five so you should get some clothes on,” she hummed. When she reached me, she wrapped her arms around my neck.
"Ah. Arielle, what are you even doing here?" I asked, completely confused.
"I was enjoying the sauna!" Arielle replied happily, still hugging me tightly.
I sighed, giving her a wide smile. "I figured from your lovely attire, but what were you doing there?"
"Sitting and talking to Faelia, silly. Of course, Faelia was giving me the details about ‘How To Wrap Your Harem Around Your Finger for Dummies.’ I really wish we had a whole section of books in this weird series. Of course, my Mistress isn't a dummy in the department of love with her six loyal men, but I had to get you some tips anyway," Arielle stressed and I blushed at her direct approach.
"Arielle?! I don't need to know how to wrap my harem around my finger. Wait, it's not even a harem. I think? Ugh! This is embarrassing, Arielle," I confessed, feeling shy with Faelia standing there. I lifted my gaze to look at her. She had such a beautiful smile on her pink lips.
"The bond between you two is strong. No matter what happens in the future, don't let it break,” Faelia whispered, looking to be in some kind of a daze.
We both paused and Arielle spoke up. "Faelia?"
Faelia was quiet, watching us carefully. It made me realize she must be seeing something else and wasn’t really present with us, her eyes shifting to different colors.
"One will want to claim you, Celestia Rainbow. One of pure light and kindness, a leader, a lover, a king. Another will also be a leader, but tainted by darkness and greed. Believe in yourself and your love. Believe in the people who will do anything for you. Follow your instincts and your pure heart, because they will lead you on the path to victory," Faelia foretold.
She then looked at Arielle.
"Challenges are ahead of you. Some that will push you to your breaking point, leaving you wondering if the struggle is worth it. Do not fear. Do not forget. Let your heart guide you and let your kindness continue to grow. Loyalty is in your blood and no matter the distance, you'll always find your way to those you love and cherish."
Arielle and I both nodded slowly, pulling apart to stand straight. Faelia blinked a few times, wobbling on her feet. Arielle and I both rushed to her side, holding her steady as she shook her head.
"Anddddd I did the weird fortune telling thing, didn't I?" She giggled weakly, opening her eyes to give us an appraising look.
"Well it was just a little spooky, but your eyes were all cool and shit," Arielle admitted.
I snickered. "Arielle, that's not the way to comfort someone."
Faelia giggled. "Sorry about that. It happens once in a while. Can't help it. I should formally introduce myself though." She stood straight, her previous confident appeal returning with force.
"Faelia Blessheart. A pleasure to meet you, Celestia. I heard many good things about you from Arielle."
I quickly stood up straight, bowing my head. "Celestia Rainbow. A pleasure to meet you as well. Um...how do you know Arielle?" I asked, confused.
"Ah. She took my hairpin," Faelia stated with a smile. I looked at Arielle who blushed, hiding behind Faelia.
"Don't be mad. It was shiny...and sparkled...and she smelled nice,” Arielle defended.
I sighed, shaking my head. "Sorry. Arielle just can't stop herself from taking shiny things. She loves buttons especially."
Faelia smirked. "I realized that. Don’t apologize. She's been keeping me company while you're in class. I heard the headmaster's daughter was attending and the girls were talking smack as usual. Didn't think you'd also be the Mistress of Arielle. Your energy must be extremely strong to be able to host her human form and still do normal activities,” she pointed out.
"Ah. Ya. We've been practicing," I admitted, feeling a little happy Arielle was getting the chance to meet other people and mingle in her human form.
It gave me reassurance that she'd be able to make friends and maybe find someone to love as well. She'd always be my loyal familiar, but I wanted her to enjoy life as well, even if it meant she wouldn’t always be by my side.
"My Mistress is amazing. That's why no bitches can try and lay a hand on her. Hmph!" Arielle declared and Faelia and I laughed.
"That reminds me, shouldn't you change?" Faelia asked.
I cursed. "Shit! I don't want him coming in here and seeing the blood all over the place. Ugh. Stupid Jess couldn't even clean shit," I huffed, running back to the locker to put the clothes that Orion had given me back on.
"Meh. Someone will clean it up." Faelia shrugged, looking unconcerned.
"Can we finish our sauna time now?" Arielle asked.
"Yes. Let's go back!" Faelia cheered. I closed my locker, making sure I looked decent before I went back over to them.
"Um, will I get to meet you again sometime, Faelia? Like when I'm not running to meet my boyfriend...oh ya, boyfriend." I was still trying to get used to the term.
"For sure. I'm a senior here and assist Orlando, Othello, and Ms. Arcadia in classes and stuff. I'll be around and Arielle can easily find me. We'll probably see each other soon since two of my guys know two of your guys." She grinned.
"Two of my guys? Wait...two of YOUR guys? You mean..." I trailed off, unsure how to say it without sounding disrespectful or weird. She merely giggled.
"Five men, two of whom are brothers and know a set of twins in your harem. I only know since they share the same class and I saw your group of men waiting for your class to finish so you all could walk back to your dorm. If you need any harem advice, feel free to ask me." She winked and turned around, heading to the sauna door.
Arielle quickly hugged me, pressing her cheek against mine like she always did. "Bye, Mistress! I'll take notes for you!" she hummed before following Faelia, who grinned.
"I foresee a certain phoenix harpy human having her own harem. I think you should take notes yourself," Faelia teased.
"As if! Stop teasing Faelia," Arielle whined, her cheeks turning a light red. I smirked, watching as Arielle continued to defend herself. Faelia laughed as they entered the room, but then the door closed, silencing their bickering.
Faelia the Forbidden. I really wonder who she is. I already liked her and wondered if we'd be allies and friends. But for now, I had to go meet Orion. I ran to the door, opening it up and running forward just to crash into a hard chest.
"Ow," I mumbled and looked up to see Orion looking down at me with a raised brow.
"Took you long to get changed today,” he commented.
"Uh...I was talking," I defended.
"To?" he pressed.
"Arielle!" I replied.
"Where is she?" he asked.
I groaned, pushing him out and letting the door close behind me. "In the sauna," I revealed.
He eyed me for a moment before reaching out to stroke my head. "My guts are telling me you caused trouble," he hummed with a small grin on his lips.
"I was good," I whined, giving him my best pout. Come on, pouting game. Don't fail me.
He looked at me and his cheeks grew a light red as he glanced away. "Alright. Turn around," he instructed. I giggled, turning around and relaxing as his hands ran through my locks. He tied my hair up in the perfect bun and I looked back at his long white locks.
"I like when you have your hair down," I admitted.
"Thank you, but it gets messy and in the way after class if I don't tie it back. A little annoying. Ready for a little date?" Orion asked.
I grinned seductively, slipping my hand in his. "Yes. Do I get a hint of what it involves?"
"Well, it involves whipped cream,” he hinted.
My face grew red. "Whipped cream...as in..." I trailed off. He noticed my flushed expression and it took about five seconds for it to click. When it did, his entire face grew red.
"I meant....cupcakes...or cake...or something baking related....unless you want to do other stuff." He mumbled the last part, my ears almost missing it.
"All the above?" I suggested and he had a small smirk on his face.
"Only if we have time,” he teased, leaning in to kiss me. I smiled against his lips, lifting my hand to run through his white strands.
"Then we shouldn't delay. I like saving the best for last,” he whispered.
"Who is teaching you to be such a smooth talker?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.
He chuckled. "Finn and Theo...well Hunter too. The twins also. Hmm. I guess I like listening and not showing all my cards." He tightened his hold on my hand before he pulled away.
"That makes you the most dangerous of them all," I teased before we started heading down the hall towards the main hall.
"I thought you knew that,” he joked. I giggled and he ended up laughing. It was nice to know I not only had a potential new friend but the reassurance that my relationships would only keep growing from here.
My gut told me our bonds would need to grow stronger for us to survive what was to come.