CHAPTER FIVE: A CIRCLE MADE ANEW

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"Alexia! You must wake up now!" A nagging voice tells me.

However, I am more likely to turn over and go back to sleep. I moan and try to turn over on the bed, but the bed is firmer than I like.

"Harald, get her to wake up. It is imperative that she wakes within 2 hours of a soul scream with the wounds she had two days ago." A voice says.

Wait, I know that voice. "Un-" I start coughing as I try to say my uncle's name. A glass of water gets put to my lips and I drink deeply. I sigh and try to open my eyes. I see Uncle Alcandor over me along with two unknown Merrows, purple and light blue. "Uncle Alcandor, what happened? You weren't here after we left the house..." I narrow my eyes and then try to get off the bed. "Tobias! Where is Tobias? He's been stabbed!" My arms scratch deeply at the arms holding me down and I hiss out while looking down to see him. "Tobias!"

"'lexia, can you please stop trying to scratch my armor? It'll have to be polished if you scratch it too much." Tobias says while slightly letting go.

I instinctively turn around and bite him in the spot where I always imagined my circle to have my mark. A spot high on the right side of the neck, but lower than the jaw.

"Poeira’s scales" He exclaims as I slowly nurse on the wound. "Did you need to bite me that hard Alexia? You nearly made me tear my wings out."

I get done nursing on the wound and give it a small kiss as I stop. "I want my mark right here!" As I point to the tip of my chin. "I want all my markings to be from wrist to wrist!" I say to my new circle and angle my chin so Tobias can bite it there.

"Fine, you win this time princess." He sighs and bites the tip of my chin. After biting it, he quickly kisses the new mark and hands me back over to my uncle. My uncle who scolds me for a good ten minutes about everything that I had done. And what I hadn't done. I'd probably do it again for Tobias.

"Well now that you're awake niece, you should probably spend time with your circle as I talk with the Mage about how this plot of land has to be warded for your protection." King Alcandor says, before handing me to the Alpha and Beta. He then walks over to the probable to talk about warding.

"Why don't we start from the beginning, exchange basic info, have you exchange marks, and then catch up with more details later?" Says the dark blond-haired Dragel. "My name is Leonard Zharim. I am a Water Alpha. Where do you want your claim mark?" He asks me.

I point to the left side of my neck, under where Tobias' mark already is. He bites me there and afterward, I bite him on the same spot as I did Tobias.

Next, I get introduced to my Beta ("Noel, Air Beta"), and his bite goes under Leonard's. And then a dragel with pale white skin comes forward.

"I'm Gerhard Knol. Nameless Rheyo. Necromancer. Where do you want me to bite you?" He asks and his bite goes under Noel's.

Then Leonard beckons the next dragel over to talk to me. "My name is Artak Miller, princess. Nameless Pareya Banza. Halfling Merrow" a pale white dragel comes over to greet me.

But, I want someone else. I instinctively whine loudly. "I need..."

Tobias goes over and grabs a terra-cotta colored gheyo and a tanned gheyo while motioning to a pale almond gheyo. "Here princess, these three might be more what you want to mark next. You really want protection don't you." and caresses my cheek and rubs my chin where his mark is.

Stolen novel; please report.

The terra-cotta-colored woman comes up and croons at me. "I have waited an eternity to meet you, Alexia, but I would've waited for more if this is an indication of my future. My name is Tânia Galvâo and I think I am your first feathered shadow. I am a Water Pheolix. Where do you want your mark to be put?"

I only point to across Leonard's bite on the other side of my blank neck and sigh as she bites me there. I happily bite her at the same place as everyone else.

Next comes a pure-white man with gorgeous molten silver eyes. "My name is Gaspar Molinari, Ice Fae. Water & Fire Pareya Toracle and your second shadow. I promise to protect you and yours with my entire being." I only need to point to under Tânia's before it is done.

The pale almond dragel comes back with a tanned gheyo. "My name is Monika Cardillo, princess." She looks at me with the most brilliant seafoam-colored eyes. "I am the second Gheyo Joker and I am Storm, but prefer Water. I will be your third shadow. Do you want your third bite under Gasper's?" She asks and I nod. Then I feel protected. I go limp against Monika's body and nuzzle her marked neck.

After a few minutes, I let go and turn back around to Artak; I hold my hands out for him to grab and smile as he does. "So, Artek Miller and nameless Pareya, where do you want to place your mark?" He smiles at me and bites the crease of my left elbow. I let him nurse for a while before placing my mark in the usual spot.

Afterwards, Leonard motions a gold-haired dragel over. "Hello, your princess-ness! My name is Rebeca Vilches! I am a Shadow Pareya Gehrca and my job was to acclimate newly inherited halflings. Oh! I am also half Dragel and half Vampire. Do you want the mark in any particular place?" I shake my head and she bites me high up on my right bicep.

"My name is Nicolae Vilches." A tanned dragel comes over and gives me a kiss on the hand. "I am a Shadow Pareya Sylven. And I was in charge of keeping the schedule at the library. But, I will enjoy keeping yours." At this, his green left eye winks at me while his gold right eye shimmers in happiness. "I assume you don't have a specific location for anyone else's mark?" I again shake my head no and he bites me on my left forearm.

Then a dark-skinned dragel comes up and says. "My name is Alan Warren and Alice in my other form. I am a Storm Pareya Oracle. I have not had a job yet." He bashfully says while closing his indigo eyes. "But you can still count on me." He bites me on my upper left wrist in his fist form and on the lower in his second form.

At his heels is a pale white dragel. "My name is Alexei Galieva, but everyone can call me Zephyr. I am an Air Pareya Deracle and my special magic is blood magic. As Alan said, I have not had a serious job outside of doing courier work for the family." He bites me on my upper left bicep.

After both Alexia and Alexei are done, Tobias pokes the same pale almond Gheyo as before. "I guess your King wants me to go first, Princess. My name is Armin Mayr and I am a Were-Snow Leopard. My elements are Fire & Air and I am a Gheyo Ace." His bright orange eyes shift over to a tan man. "That," he says tilting his chin, "is my brother Lucas, different bearer and sire though." He rakes his dull orange hair back and continues. "My job was patrolling the Shadow Haunts." He bites me on my left forearm, next to Nicolae's.

Next a pale white Dragel pulls two other Dragels with her. "My name is Loreta Shae. I am an Air & Fire Gheyo Prince. My job was to patrol the Air areas with the two beside me. We bonded about five years ago." She bites me on my right forearm, right near the elbow.

"My name is Philipp Perevell, 5th. I am an Air Gheyo Queen." He says with his brown eyes twinkling at me. "Our job will probably be to patrol the air around this plot of land and its surroundings." He bites me next to Loreta's mark.

The third olive-skinned dragel walks over to me. "My name is Ferran Belaire, Princess. I am a Storm Gheyo Princess. I am the reason that the three of us got bonded before." He bites his lip and averts his ocean-blue eyes. "I am willing to tell the story, but in private." He bites me on the right forearm, almost making a triangle with their bites.

Uncle Alcandor comes back with Marin and says, "Well, his thoughts on warding the property is a good start. I will send some of my Gheyos out to patrol the waters until you can come up with a suitable schedule yourself. Look and see if you're willing to bond with them, niece, as it will make your uncle feel safer." He nods at me and portals away. 'Well, more Gheyos wouldn't be that bad. Then I'd be even more protected from being kidnapped.'

Leonard steps up and says, "With that, we should probably eat lunch and then continue introductions afterward." All the Pareya sprang into action with that.

Rebeca steps forward. "While I don't normally cook, I'm willing to do it today. We'll need -"