Morning
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Waking up, I feel the warmth of Dalia's body still close to me, and looking at her neck, I see a bunch of hickeys on her neck from last night, making me smile.
Sitting up, I watch Dalia sleep for some more minutes before leaving the bed, putting on my clothes to make some warm tea for her, just as a gesture of kindness, truly not because I'm starting to realize I might be falling for her.
I leave the room, and my feet guide me downstairs to the living room. Reaching it, JB is sitting on a chair.
As I come to her vision, she rises from the chair and approaches me, hugging me tightly. "It's good to see my little pup is okay."
I hug her back, and even if I don't understand why she keeps calling me 'pup' or 'puppy', I still can appreciate her actions. "I'm all better now."
Parting from the hug, my eyes lock on hers. There's no need for the question; everyone knows what I would want to know.
"Well, I have a bad, a good, and a depends on you, news; which one do you want to hear first?" JB asks as she sits on the sofa, petting the empty space beside her, a gesture for me to sit beside her, one that I follow.
My hand instinctively goes to the bridge of my nose, preparing myself mentally. "The bad one first."
JB nods her head. "You were fired from the station by the mayor's orders."
A dry laugh escapes my throat before my eyes lock on the floor, JB's hand gently resting on my knee. "No surprise there, with the number of days I got late."
"But," JB continues, a small smile on her face. "The agency will provide payments for you, and they will all fall right here."
She hands me a credit card with no name on the front and no numbers on the back. I raise an eyebrow, but she doesn't elaborate further.
"Now, to the good news:
Your friend, Verda, I believe is his name; he's all good and should probably be back to his job."
I let out a relieved sigh, but as JB's expression shifts to a more and more careful one, with a small smile that nervously stays plastered on her face, no good.
"Now to the neutral, your friend, Tina, we are taking care of her; she's stable and asleep right now, but we don't know when she will wake up.
It will take some time to get the bad blood out of her and give her body time to make more."
"I see." It's all I can say.
"We believe the scrappers will stay quiet after the loss of one of their pillars, so you'll have some free time, and tomorrow I'll talk with you again, but with everyone else as well."
She gets up from the sofa and pets my head. "Rest for now, and if you want to see your friend, ask Dalia to take you to the agency."
I nod, and JB leaves the house. Shaking my head, I resume my task. Reaching the kitchen, I find a mug and a stash of various types of tea.
But I'll make something better; I just need ingredients. Looking around, I find some fruits, among them an orange.
I spend the next few minutes preparing an orange peel tea with honey, and by doing so, I feel at least my mind calming down a little.
The agency is taking care of Tina; she'll be okay; she needs to be... And Cole, I hope he's okay and in the agency's care.
Maybe they can rehabilitate him and give him the right meds and therapy.
Walking back to the room, I enter.
I notice Dalia waking up; after yawning and looking at her side, she starts to look around frantically, looking for me.
And not many seconds later, she finds me grabbing a cream from the bathroom and coming back. At her side, she notices the tea I made for her.
"You made this?" She asks, surprised.
I nod my head, sitting on the edge of the bed near her and opening the cream. "Thought you would like something to warm you up; it's pretty cold outside."
Grabbing a little of the cream on my fingers, I start to use it on her hickeys. It would be bad if the others saw it.
But as my fingers reach it, Dalia grabs my hand and looks at me in the eye before looking away. "There's no need; I want to keep these."
Her words take me by surprise, making me stare at her for a few seconds before coming back to earth.
"Okay." I put the cream away, and we stay for more time like this, shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart.
Time: 9:30
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Closing the door behind me, I leave the house.
After yesterday's incident, everyone is still a little on edge. Yui is napping on the sofa, Colette is training, and Dalia is out helping JB write a report about Wednesday.
I feel kinda bad doing the same thing again, but Flamma, who is happily humming on top of my head, said the queen would speak to no one but me, so I guess there's nothing I can do.
Jax follows right behind me; good thing the queen apparently doesn't mind him coming along. He's a lot more glued to me after yesterday; I guess he misses Tina just like I do, and neither of us can be alone doing nothing but sitting around right now.
We need a quest, something to make us forget, even if for one moment. Yeah, that sounds nice.
"We are almost there," Flamma says, getting out of my head and flying in front of me, guiding us towards a collection of tall rocks, forming almost what looks to be pillars to nothing.
"I'll deactivate the barrier and..." She stops talking as my curious finger touches the rock, and nothing happens. At least nothing to prompt the silence out of Flamma, her half-finished words making me uneasy that I fucked it up.
My vision darkens for a moment before it comes back. The once normal forest is now vibrant and huge, with trees as tall as buildings everywhere and faes and other creatures walking around, flying, or whatever they are doing to move.
"Well, it looks like you didn't need my help anyway," Flamma says as her shoulder slumps.
I put my palm under her before bringing her close, my fingertip petting her red hair. "Thank you for bringing me here."
Flamma's smile gets back to her face before she points me in a direction. "We need to go there, to the ancient tree."
Looking at the place she's pointing, it's an impossible sight—a tree so high that it reaches the clouds, its roots being the foundation and mother of all the others in this place.
My feet start to move despite my wanting, like a moth to the flame, like I'm reaching for a call from someone—my job, my friends, my family.
My head starts hurting; images flood my mind of places I've never been, faces I never saw, bodies I never touched, and people I never killed.
Red hair swaying with the wind, caressed and blessed by the forest, hands drenched in blood, eyes wide and alert.
The queen stands in front of me, Eris. But how do I know her name? Fear, hunger, but especially injustice; a warm heart suddenly cold; a purposeless sword; a lost girl.
A white-haired man raises his hand—the end of an era, the beginning of a curse.
Jax barks, bringing my attention back to myself, making the headache feel like it never existed, but the feeling that something, someone, touched my heart and pulled me into its strings stays hosted deep inside my heart.
Looking at Flamma, I see that she didn't seem to have felt it, even if we are now sharing most of the sensations.
Composing myself, I continue walking with her towards the tree to meet the queen, but now I don't feel so assured. Or safe.
I should have stayed home; I could have been reading with Dalia, training with Colette, or even talking with Yui.
A palace.
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Or whatever I can call an enormous place like this. Different from what I'll call the main part, this place has almost no faes flying around; only the sounds of hums echo in the long, open hallway.
Passing by all the wood furniture that composes this place, I see lots of what I would call treasures from various places in the world.
Finally, at the end of the hallway, a big throne comes into view. A beautiful woman sits on it, her long golden hair resembling a sunset, tied up with a blue lace, and a simple white dress adorning her features.
At her side stands a tall figure with white hair and super pale skin, blue eyes like the ocean, and a lance resting at hand distance.
Stepping closer to them, I kneel, keeping my head low.
Silence extends in the room... Wait, wasn't I supposed to kneel?
A sweet laugh escapes the queen, who rises from her throne and moves in my direction.
"I see I was right about you, child." The queen stands in front of me before tapping the top of my head, permitting me to look up. "You saved my children and maintained your purity."
"No blood stains your fragile hands; no hate lives in your heart; and there is not a single fracture in your soul." The queen gestures her hand to the knight, and nodding his head, he leaves the room.
After a few seconds, the man returns, carrying in one hand a box and in the other a vial with what seems to be a gold liquid, like honey.
The man puts the items on my hand without ceremony before walking back to his spot, like a statue.
Raising an eyebrow, I look at the queen. "What is this?"
"A gift." She smiles. "Two, actually, one for you and the other for your sick friend."
Sick friend, wait? Does she mean Tina?
My face contorts into a smile for a second, but at the same time, something inside of me stirs—emotions that aren't mine—disgust.
Shaking my head, I get back on my feet and quickly bow my head. "Thank you; I'll come at a later date to chat; I just have t-"
The queen nods her head with a gentle smile on her face. "Go ahead, child; on some other day, I'll invite you over for tea."
I nod as I turn away, but before I can completely, she opens her mouth again. "One last thing."
"I hope I can count on you if another problem arises, my hero."
Hero, a title, a word that holds heavy significance, a sense of duty, justice, or a mix of both, turning one into a tool of rightness.
I nod my head, and without losing much more time, I leave the palace with a bittersweet taste in my mouth.
Some hours later
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Uhhh, this sucks. Dalia is out with the medicine; she went to deliver it to JB for me, as apparently, I don't have permission to see the agency. Yet.
In my hands is one of the books Dalia left for me to study, and on the bed, Flamma is sleeping on Jax's side as he naps.
These books are quite good; most are filled with children's tales, sketches, and various information.
I already know most things regarding the faes, and the book doesn't go as far regarding the lore. The next part is what I was looking forward to studying.
Werewolfs, a being between man and beast, the combination of the worst parts of both.
The book goes on about lycanthropy, talking about how the bite is what either kills or transforms one. The moon is mentioned too, but more like an entity.
It reads:
'Werewolves are capable of hearing the moon, like a radio that pushes one's sanity to the edges of the mind, forcing the transformation and the embrace of the instincts that compose one's self.
In a full moon, a newly transformed werewolf will be forced into transforming, but an older one will be less affected, sometimes being able to not feel any effects at all.
But the red moon is the only exception; no werewolf was recorded to not be affected by the moon in its most volatile state.
DON'T APPROACH A WEREWOLF ON THE RED MOON; DEATH AWAITS.'
Furrowing my eyebrows, I put the book away. Too much information in a short space of time, meaning I'll need some time to really process everything.
I put a marker on the page I was on, and slowly I get up from the bed, making sure not to wake up Jax or Flamma.
Leaving the room, I check my phone.
Midday.
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Maybe I'll grab something to eat in the fridge.
Reaching the kitchen, I see Yui sitting on a chair, sucking on what seems to be a blood bag. I'm not going to lie; I sometimes forget that Yui is a vampire.
Well, at least it isn't my blood.
Opening the fridge, I grab two things: a sandwich that Dalia seems to have left for me and Yui's attention.
They look at me, seemingly searching for something on my face, but as soon as they don't find what they want, Yui raises an eyebrow.
"I was expecting a scream," Yui admits, putting the bag down on the table.
Crossing my arms, I tilt my head. "Wait, why?"
Yui points at the blood bag. "Humans generally get scared easily, so I thought you would be bothered by this."
"You realize I know you're a vampire, right?"
Yui nods their head, and so I continue. "So you should know I won't shame you because you need to feed, as long as you don't feed off me."
My words seem to light up an idea in Yui's head, and before they can talk, I shake my head, opening the sandwich and sitting at the table with them to eat.
The silence between us stretches; there's a certain familiar feeling to this. It's been a long time since I've eaten at the table with someone; the job didn't make it easier to have time for things like this.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Even if Wayhaven is a small town, the problems were much more than anyone would expect—seriously, cats in trees, old people calling about teenagers skating near their houses or in the street, and night patrols in the cold—all in one day, believe me or not.
Looking at Yui, I notice her smile as she sucks happily the blood out of the medical bag, and my attention travels around the kitchen.
I hadn't noticed before, but there are lots of vials with herbs on the upper shelves, a mini fridge where Yui gets the blood, and a freezer smelling of meat—probably what Colette eats.
The sandwich in my hands disappears in a few bites, and I'm left with a less empty stomach.
Rising from the table, Yui looks at me. "Thanks for keeping me company."
The smile on their faces is sweet, but their fangs drenched in blood make it less. But it doesn't make me uneasy, at least not as much as it could.
I watch as Yui's gaze runs down to my neck, their smile turning into a grin.
"Not even one bite? I swear it will be quick." They beg.
"No," I answer plainly before leaving the kitchen, Yui's groan vanishing as the door closes.
Time: 14:00
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A yawn escapes me; at least I managed to finish one of the books Dalia gave me in the meantime.
My back hurts a little; even the comfort of the sofa can't help much against my bad posture. Jax and Flamma migrated from the bed in my room to the sofa in the living room, where I am now.
These two really like being around me, huh? And sleeping for long periods of time—like, almost all day.
It's impressive, really. I would love to be able to sleep like them—no responsibilities, no worries, just eat and nap.
While I'm deep in thought, I don't notice Colette sitting on the chair in front of me, waiting for me to snap out of my own head.
Blinking once I return my focus to the real world. "Uhm... something happened?"
"I'm waiting," she says, crossing her legs and arms like a statue... Didn't I think this earlier about someone else too? "I have something to discuss with everyone regarding the free time we will have for the weeks to come."
"Free time?" I ask.
Colette nods her head. "Yes. I believe JB will want to talk with us about a week's vacation somewhere, so I believe that we should decide on a place that's good for everyone."
I nod my head, resting my chin on the palm of my hand. "Do you have somewhere in mind?"
Colette nods her head back, looking at the painting on the wall. "I do."
"Well, it's best to wait for the others to come," I say, putting my book away.
But as I shift my mind back to my thinking, Colette's eyes fall on me.
"Just so you know, your training was paused because of what happened, but on vacation, we will resume it."
A sigh escapes me, and nodding my head, I reply, tired. "Yes, ma'am."
Some minutes after
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Yui and Dalia joined us, and for some reason, Yui started competing with Jax for space, both resting their heads on my laps. As a precautionary action, I put Flamma to rest on my shoulder, just so neither of them hurt her.
Looking at Colette, I see her discussing with Dalia about the location of our trip.
"I still think a hotel would be a better option, but the cabin can be good too," Dalia says, reaching her hands to a lonely tea cup on the table.
Colette keeps her eyes focused on the painting, her deep gaze lost somewhere in the forest of the art. "If we got to a hotel, it would make things harder to deal with."
"I want the chances of me hurting someone to be minimal." She states, her words heavy with a feeling I can't really pinpoint.
Dalia nods, drinking her tea, before looking at me for a quick second. "You really don't want to tell he-"
"Not now," Colette states, her words indicating that the discussion is over. "She'll learn it at the proper time."
...
"So... what place are we going to?" I ask out of curiosity and to cut the thick tension in the air.
Dalia smiles. "France, to an old cabin in the woods I built some years ago." On her smile, I spot a feeling of pride.
I raise an eyebrow. "You built a cabin alone?"
She nods her head. "I used magic to help me, but most of the work was made with my own two hands." The way her eyes glint brings an involuntary smile out of me.
"Dalia and Yui will spend most of their time in the city, but you and I will stay in the forest," Colette says, finally breaking her gaze from the painting.
She continues. "We will up your training, both your fighting skills and how to apply your knowledge into a battle, especially as now you can do some magic because of your pact with a neighbor."
"Uugh!" Yui's tired groan breaks our conversation. "If we are done, can I go back to sleep?"
Dalia nods, and with a yawn, Yui gets their head off my lap and lazily climbs the stairs. Actually, that's something I've been noticing lately.
Yui seems a lot energized at night, but during the day they seem to be more prompt to be lazy.
Dalia's cough grabs the attention of the remaining ones on the table, those being me and Colette.
"I'll make dinner tonight, and we will eat by the table, so don't forget." Her words seem to be more directed at Colette than me, but still, I nod along with her.
With those words, Dalia grabs her tea cup and goes to the kitchen. At the sound of the door closing, Colette checks her watch before looking at me, wearing a serious expression.
"Stop your lazing around and come with me; we'll at least use the hours we have left before dinner to train."
I grab my book to tell her I wasn't lazing around, but her hand grabbing my hoodie stops my action before I can complete it, and so I'm dragged away effortlessly.
I don't know if I should be happy that I'm light enough to be carried by her or offended by the fact that she's carrying me in the same manner you would a rice sack.
Time: 18:47
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After a long session of training, I find myself lying flat on my stomach on the ring, my ribs and arms burning, which means the pain I'll feel later will be hell.
Colette rests her head against one of the ring's ropes, sitting next to my miserable form. She drinks from her water bottle before gently hitting my head with it, the coldness of the bottle making me jolt up.
"Drink." Colette orders, and with a grateful nod, I comply.
The cold water travels down my throat, making the heat from the training slowly go away, giving room to a cold and refreshed feeling.
My eyes travel to Colette; there's something I've been noticing since we began to train; she sometimes eyes me like she wants to say something before looking away with a shake of her head.
"You know that if something is bothering you, you can talk with me, right?" I ask before passing the water bottle next to her.
My words seem to surprise Colette. "You're right,"
"I have something of importance that I need help with, and I believe you're the only one here who has the right pair of eyes."
Colette raises herself from the soft ring floor and extends her hand, pulling me to my feet and helping me walk to the bench, where she continues her talk.
"In the forest that we are going to, I need you to investigate something with me, something only you and I can know of."
I wait for her to continue talking or at least give me a better context, but it never comes.
"I don't know if I can be of much help, but I'll do my best," I say, looking into Colette's eyes. Something in the way her eyes are avoiding mine and how her tone from earlier seems to return activates my instinct of wanting to help and understand.
"Thank you." Colette mutters the words in a tone so low I almost don't hear them, and before I can ask more, she leaves the training room, making me follow behind.
Arriving at the kitchen, it feels like the scenery has changed.
Candles illuminate the room, making every piece of furniture stand out. The smell of meat and herbs adorning the air makes me involuntarily take a deep breath through my nose, filling my tired lungs with happiness.
On the table are some different dishes: rice, curry, meat, and some cut vegetables. Four plates divided on the table, each for all the people in the house, and on the floor, a food bowl for Jax.
Yui's already stalking the meat, the grin on their face exposing their sharp fangs.
Colette walks to her chair and sits down without ceremony. I see she's trying to keep composed, but the way she looks at the dishes tells me how hungry she is after our training.
Dalia stands near the sink, grabbing some cups and a jar of juice.
Walking to Dalia's side, I grab from her busy hands the loads of cups she's trying to get to the table at the same time.
"Let me help you."
Dalia smiles sweetly before muttering a 'thank you'. We start working in sync, like an old couple dancing around the table, finishing the last preparations for the table. Which are just pouring some blood on Yui's cup and grabbing a beer for Colette.
Now with everything ready, I take my seat, with Dalia sitting right beside me. Jax's wet snout presses against my hand before he sits down, waiting for me to feed him.
I grab one of the cut stake's pieces on the center plate before taking a good one and putting it in his bowl, and without even waiting for me to drop the food, he steals it from my hand and lays on the ground, eating his prized possession without mercy.
"He seems really happy about the food," Dalia comments as she makes her plate. I notice she is avoiding the meat and focusing only on the rice and vegetables.
I smile, petting Jax's ears as he eats. "Yeah, he can't control himself when he can have real food instead of dog food."
"I know someone who is just like that dog." Yui smugs before the sound of someone stepping on a foot rings. Yui's smug quickly changes to a painful smile.
Colette closes her eyes and starts to make her plate, grabbing an ungodly amount of meat like it is normal, making me question if she doesn't have a hole for a stomach. The way she moves her hands and acts now seems graceful and trained, like nobles in movies.
After making her plate, Dalia grabs mine and starts to help me pick up some food. I end up mixing the rice with the curry, and Flamma, who just woke up at the smell of food, jumps to my hand and instructs me to get her some vegetables.
Dinner ends; everyone had their fill and left. The only ones left in the kitchen are me and Dalia, along with a pile of dirty dishes.
I start washing them, and Dalia uses the dishcloth to dry the plates and cups I pass to her in a natural flow.
A now familiar melody escapes Dalia—the same lullaby I heard from her before. The song makes my worries slowly dissipate, and my shoulders feel almost weightless.
As all the dishes are clean and dry, I find Dalia's arms wrapping around my waist from behind, her chin resting on my shoulder, and her body finding support on mine.
"Sleep?" She asks, the tiredness in her voice now not hidden behind a smile. I guess her trip to the agency was tiring, and still, she made dinner for everyone.
Pinching Dalia's cheek gently, I hear a playful groan escape her throat.
"Yeah, best to sleep early for tomorrow's trip."
As I finish talking, I grab Dalia's hand and start pulling her to the bedroom. Jax and Flamma follow us as soon as we walk past them in the living room.
Reaching the bed, Dalia hugs me before quickly falling asleep. Jax rests his head on my stomach along with Flamma, both too succumbing to sleepiness.
I don't even notice my eyes getting heavier or the small, genuine smile on my face; perhaps this is family.
Morning
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Everyone sits around the table, waiting for JB to finish drinking her coffee and talk. For the first time, she's not in the far-end chair but rather sitting in the middle of the sofa.
Her third mug goes as fast as the first two; her usual blue-sky eyes look grayer and tired, probably because of the 'Cole incident'.
"If you all agreed on a place, you can use the portal. Just remember the rules."
Yui groans. "No magic, no transforming in public, and no killing, right?" The way Yui talks and moves shows how much they would rather stay home. According to Dalia's words, Yui doesn't like crowded places or places they don't know well.
JB nods, letting out a yawn as she shifts her gaze to me. "I'll leave them in your hands; just make sure the agency is not compromised and everything will be okay."
I watch as JB lays her body on the sofa, her head meeting the softness of a pillow. Dalia moves, grabbing a cover from beneath the coffee table and putting it on top of JB. Apparently, this is something that happens frequently.
Poor JB; she looks overworked, just like me when I was an officer still.
Colette's voice breaks my line of thought. "Come on, better not to waste sunlight if we can."
Everyone grabs their bags, mine being a simple backpack with some important items, a flashlight, a pocket knife, the box from the Fae Queen, and a medkit just in case.
The others seem to carry small bags too, the exception being a gym bag Colette carries. The sound of metal rings at every step makes me curious about what's inside.
Strangely, everyone walks towards the odd painting on the wall, with Dalia grabbing it and putting it up next to the fireplace.
Dalia, noticing my clear confusion, signals for me to wait a second. She starts drawing symbols on the edges of the painting frame, which is interesting.
I take out my phone discreetly and snap a quick photo of the symbols before pocketing it back.
Finishing the symbols, a gentle breeze starts coming from the picture, like someone opening a window, the sound of a forest, and birds taking over the living room.
I watch as Yui and Colette walk, entering the painting like magic. I shouldn't be surprised at this point, but it's hard not to be.
"Cool, right?" Dalia smiles before walking to my side.
I nod my head. "Yeah, you're really cool." My statement seems to make Dalia smile a little more, and the hint of red on her cheeks becomes more obvious.
She extends her hand, grabbing mine and gently pulling me to the portal.
"Let's go before Yui starts missing us."
Before entering the portal, I look at JB sleeping. Jax quickly grabs the opportunity and cuddles next to her.
We decided to leave him here to be in her care, but she'll know that when she wakes up and reads the letter on the coffee table. And Flamma, who has been quiet for some time, moves on my head.
She has been porting some serious eyes since the meeting with the queen; better to ask her about it later.
Without losing more time, I enter the portal with Dalia, ready to start the real trip.
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