"What is it? It’s rainbow looking," I mumbled. Finn smirked at my apprehensiveness, walking over and presenting me the warm pink drink in a clear mug. It had different color star shaped things that reminded me of sprinkles and the whipped cream was topped off with pink and blue syrup with marshmallows of different pastel colors.
"Unicorn hot chocolate. Caio texted me the recipe yesterday when I said I was bored and wanted to make a magical drink without pulling an Orion and burning down Magnor's kitchen," Finn explained as I accepted the drink warily. He sat in the armchair just next to the burning fireplace, looking down at me as I sat crossed legged with my drink in hand.
Magnor encouraged me to stay at his place tonight, wanting to make sure I was okay and worried about me getting sick after being in the cold rain for too long. I'd showered first, then stationed myself on the red carpet in front of the fireplace, waiting for Finn to be done with his shower. Magnor went over to our dorm to tell the others I'd be staying with Finn for the night. He said afterward he'd be going to Father's office to have a “chat.”
I knew that meant Magnor was going to have a long argument with my father and was kinda glad I wouldn't be there to see it. Magnor was nice, but when he was angry, it was pretty terrifying.
Magnor explained to me that I could be a part of the old legend Hunter and I had read in the library a few weeks ago that was coming to fruition. He thought it was just a theory, but with everything that had happened from my dreams, the increasing occurrence of Forsaken outside the school's barrier, and now almost being consumed by that mysterious man with white eyes who to Finn, apparently looked like a large Forsaken, I was starting to believe Magnor was right.
Our only problem was figuring out how to stop the legend and figuring out why I was the prime target. It couldn't be as simple as me being the only female unicorn shifter. There had to be something more to it than that.
Till then, the plan was to finish the final trial and Magnor would petition the Council for our team to be given some time off.
A few had made similar requests in the past and been granted with little fuss. If Magnor represented us, they couldn't refuse, especially after everything he'd done over the years. He'd already informed Othello and Miona, and they both agreed and reassured him if there were any problems, he could contact them for extra support.
It felt reassuring to know that all these people wanted to help. Even Hellsin had looked gravely concerned when he came by on Magnor's request to report the sighting of the Forsaken. He had given me a big hug, lifting me up like I was but a child and told me to not lose hope.
I lifted the mug to my lips, tasting the star sprinkles and sweet syrup before taking a sip of the pink hot chocolate. I sighed in satisfaction and looked over at Finn, who had a small smile on his lips.
"You like it?" he asked.
I nodded. "Love it. Sweet, but not too sweet. Just perfect," I whispered, deciding to have some more.
"Perfect like you,” he said softly.
I giggled. "Smooth move."
"In the ways of Orion. I think I should graduate from Alicorn school for Smooth Material," he teased.
"Smooth degree from Orion Academy. Maybe you can sneak into those direct messages and wing yourself a unicorn."
"That doesn't sound too bad, though I'm not that smooth. Direct interaction is better. So we'd have to go on a date so she can see how manly I am." He winked and I almost snorted on my drink.
"Manly, my ass." I giggled and he chuckled, the combined sound of our laughter warming my heart. It felt like it had been so long since we'd both laughed and joked with one another, making me miss how things had been at Old Aslan. I knew we'd get stronger after all we’d been through, but I wished they didn’t try to break and shape us into people we barely recognized.
We focused on drinking the warm liquid until nothing was left. We set our mugs down on the coffee table before watching the flames that burned in the fireplace.
"Finn," I whispered after a time.
"Yes, Cutie Pie?"
"How did you know I was in danger?" I asked, looking down at my chest. I wore one of Finn's pink t-shirts that apparently used to be green until he pissed Orion off and he decided pixies deserved only light pink shirts, changing the majority of Finn’s wardrobe to the pastel color.
I at least wore lingerie, Magnor having a few spare sets of clothes here on my behalf, just in case I came and visited him during my time after the trials. The V-neck shirt was low enough to show my cleavage and the visible mark of the girl with broken wings, surrounded by little pixies and vines. Upon closer inspection, you could even see little blossoms of flowers at the base of the vines.
Finn was silent, prompting me to turn my head. He looked deep in thought as if I wasn't even there. I crawled over to him to sit on his lap. He blinked out of his daze, blushing at my sudden presence on his lap.
He didn't push me off, though. Instead, he secured an arm around my waist, positioning me so my legs rested on one arm of the velvet red and gold chair and my back could rest on the other side.
His green eyes met mine and he lifted his free hand to play with my long hair. Then his finger trailed down my neck and stopped right before the newly added mark. I'd tried not to touch it, the surrounding area still tender and sensitive. I figured it was a blessed mark, just like the one Orion had given me, but I didn't understand how it was possible.
"The necklace I made, I added enough magic to have a little backup reaction if something threatened to hurt you. At the time, I had no idea the dreams would escalate to this, but my mom always taught me that when you want to protect what's important to you, you need to make sure there's a backup plan in place. Then if all else fails, you won't lose them because you have a hidden plan," Finn explained.
He gave me a small smile before he continued. "I had a hunch that the others’ magic would fade if we didn't top it off soon. So the backup plan was that if you were in danger and no one could get to you on time, the necklace would use my magic to protect you as long as it could till I could get to you."
He took a deep breath. "I was already walking around before the rain began and then I got a text from Faelia saying Arielle was freaking the fuck out, saying you were in danger. At that point, I was able to sense exactly where you were and arrived just in time to see the Forsaken thing trying to hug you. I knew there's no way I'd make it in time...and well...I kinda marked you by accident,” he confessed.
"Accident, huh?" I whispered, shifting slightly to wrap my arms around his neck and stare into those green orbs which reflected his despair.
"I thought I'd lose you. During the trial...I saw the Forsaken consume you. I knew it was a simulation, but it felt so real. The pain I felt...just remembering, I still feel how afraid I was that I'd allowed the woman I loved to be consumed. The girl who cared about everyone but herself, and I couldn't even tell you. I couldn't say, Celestia...I love you. I didn't get to prove to you how worthy your life was to me...to our little group of Misfits."
I fought the tears that threatened to escape my eyes as I watched a sad smile form on his lips. "So when I reached you and saw the Forsaken just a few steps away from you...I got angry. I was so mad that this Forsaken thought he could have you. This reaper or whatever he was, though he could take what was ours. You are our Celestia, our girlfriend...our queen. What makes him think he could have you?"
"Finn..." I whispered. He looked to my chest and ever so gently traced the outline of the new mark. I closed my eyes, biting my lip and holding back my moan. I opened my eyes when his finger left my skin.
"I couldn't afford to lose another person. It was wrong of me to put a claim on you without your permission, but if I was given the same choice, I'd do it again. My love for you is strong and if you ended up hating me, I wouldn't regret this. I'd be able to live with the fact you're alive and breathing. I'd survive not being able to marry anyone else, just to be able to hear your voice, even if it was only from afar."
"I'd never hate you," I whispered, tightening my hold to give him a hug.
He sighed, resting his head on my shoulder. "I know."
I held him for a long time, the only sounds were that of our breathing, our rapid heartbeats, and the crackling of the fire that continued to burn away, giving the room warmth amidst the storm happening outside.
"Finn...what do you mean by you losing another person?" I questioned, that sentence lingering in my mind. Finn had never expressed having lost anyone. In fact, his family had called just two weeks ago and teasingly told him he should come home to introduce his new lover.
He was silent and I pulled back. My eyes widened at the sight of his tears, immense sadness in his expression. "They're dead, Celestia."
"What?" My voice was barely audible.
"They traveled to a dimension nearby due to the recent Forsaken outbreaks happening. Other shifters had fled as well and there was a shelter for them until they could migrate to another dimension the following day. The shelter got attacked by a group of Forsaken...and...well…you can guess what happened."
"No..." I whispered. "Why...why didn't you say something?"
He had been acting like everything was okay. He never looked depressed or sad all week, aside from the stress of the trials and the worry he showed regarding my health during my recovery and our trial. I would have never guessed he'd been in this much pain.
"You were dealing with a lot, Cutie Pie. That would have been rather selfish of me to dump my burden on you after the trial, your continued exhaustion, and the incident with Arielle. I hate seeing you in pain. There's no way I'd be able to worsen that burden with the death of my family,” he whispered.
"No...survivors?" I asked.
He shook his head. "None. I got the call and Orion was there to see me break down. He took me to Magnor who instructed Orion to keep a close eye on me, but after the recent trial...I broke. I felt so sick and felt like I was going to die. I couldn't eat for a bit and the guys had to end up picking me up from the washroom floor after I kept vomiting and lost consciousness at one point. I just didn't want to function anymore. Pixies don't handle death well. When we lose even one person we love, it's...hard. Really hard. I'd lost my family and then watched you disappear. I just couldn't. Magnor forced me to stay here so he could watch me."
"What would happen..." I tried to ask, but trailed off when Finn smiled.
"Perfect bait for Forsaken. Pixies are extremely powerful with nature magic. It's just our size that fools people when we're in our true forms. If a pixie is consumed by a Forsaken in a natural environment, the darkness grows significantly and is given the ability to manipulate the earth with the lingering magic in the body of the pixie shifter."
"Wait...so what happened to the dimension your family was in?" I asked.
"It's gone."
I was silent, blinking a few times as I processed his words. "G..one?'
"Poof,” he said and a tear rolled down his cheek. "My family were some of the stronger pixies in our community. My parents had lived many years, far longer than the average shifter or even pixie, making their magic both old and extremely powerful. I'm only guessing, but after they were consumed, the combined power and their deaths probably vibrated through the dimension. We sometimes say that Mother Nature can sense each pixie's death. One death leads to an area in the forest to wither. A group of pixies and the added magic probably caused the planet to weep in agony. Maybe the Mother Nature there knew that if the problem was unresolved, every living thing would be consumed by the darkness."
"She self-destructed," I whispered.
"Bingo. I'm assuming she must have somehow released a toxic gas that put everyone to sleep across the dimension. Once that was done, boom! Gone. That's the most likely explanation I’ve come up with," Finn concluded.
"Finn...I don't even know what to say." I sobbed.
He smiled, pressing his forehead against mine. "There's nothing you can do or say to change it, my Sweet Blossom. At least I know they're not in pain. They've moved on and hopefully are looking down on me, telling me I made the right decision by claiming you."
"You won't regret it?" I asked. I didn't want him feeling that he had to do this. He didn't need to be with me.
"Never. I love you, Celestia. I've known that for a while. Just haven't had the guts to tell you. My parents were aware the last time I talked to them and both they and my sister approved of me going forward with it. I have their blessings, even if I can't hear them say it one more time." He gave me the best wide smile he could muster and I sobbed, leaning in to kiss him hard.
"How did I get so damn lucky?" I whispered against his lips.
He smirked. "I'm called Lucky Charms for a reason, Sweet Blossom,” he whispered, before claiming my lips. We kissed, muffling our sobs as we held each other tightly.
We finally broke the kiss when we were both breathless. Finn chuckled. "Plus, Orion got first dibs and Theo slid in there without realizing it."
I blushed before giving him a confused look. "Theo slid in where? I didn't get a direct message." I huffed. Finn laughed and I smiled in relief, lifting my hands to wipe his tear-stained cheek.
"Your bite isn't fading anytime soon,” he revealed.
I blinked, looking down at the mark before returning my gaze to him. "It's not?!"
"Orion and I knew right away it was a blessed mark. Even Magnor knows. That's why Theo got a long talk from Magnor after your guys’ trial. Theo still doesn't know why and neither do the twins. We haven’t really had an opportunity to discuss it with them. It's rare for vampire shifters to mate at first bite, but it's possible when the vampire has a strong connection and feelings for the person being bitten," Finn explained.
I gawked at him. "Well...shit. Um. Does that mean Sweet Blossom is what you refer to me as? Like um...how Orion says Blessed Love?"
"Ah, yes. Pixies call our partners Sweet Blossom because when you officially marry, the female always seems to blossom and become even more beautiful,” he elaborated.
I grinned, loving the meaning of it. "I like it."
"I'm glad,” he whispered, his eyes lowering to my lips. I didn't give him a chance to think, leaning in to kiss him again. Kiss after kiss, we sat there until Finn scooped me up. He carried me up the stairs and straight to the bedroom, while kissing me passionately.
He kicked the door shut, lowering me to the bed. His hands roamed my body possessively while we continued to kiss.
Clothes quickly fell to the floor, and in seconds I was naked in bed with Finn hovering over me, his hard cock at my wet entrance and both of us breathless. Our eyes locked on one another in desperate need.
"No condom?" I asked.
"Unicorns don't get pregnant easily." He grinned proudly, making me laugh.
"Please don't tell me you got the talk too? How?" I huffed.
"Magnor has some weird sense shit. But we'll talk about that later. Maybe when we have a nice hot bath."
"Why would we need a bath?"
He grinned. His eyes darkened with lust, making my stomach flip and pussy ache with anticipation. "When I'm done with you, Sweet Blossom, we'll both be a sweaty mess and need a long relaxing bath to soothe our aching muscles,” he promised before he leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Well, soothe them enough so I can take you all over again."
With those final words, he thrust his length inside me and kept to his word.