Out of the World

13. A New World

Zorion

Still giggling in my arms, she looked around. Her eyes filled with fascination at the flowers and little animals around us. For me, the only sight to behold was her mesmerising smile, her sweet honey-coloured eyes.

I expected her to react differently, be a bit more shocked and question things as she normally did. Something wasn’t right.

“This place is so beautiful! Like in a painting!” she smiled, her voice lower than normal. Her soft body felt different in my arms. It was as if she couldn’t hold herself, keep herself straight. Her skin was warm, hot even.

Taking her face between my hands, I looked intently at her tired eyes, “Nina, you are burning. Your skin feels so hot.”

“I think you did this to me, Zorion. I am burning for you,” her gaze was unfocused again like when she was drunk. This time, her pale cheeks were flushed, crimson and so was her neck.

“I’m quite sure you are ill. Are you feeling alright?” I tucked her into my chest; I had to take very good care of her since her being a human made her fragile.

“I am fine.” She let out a stubborn shake of her head.

I looked intently at her, letting her know that I believed she was hiding something. My intense gaze successfully bared the truth as she said with a sigh, “My head is spinning a little and my throat feels funny. It isn’t a big deal, Zorion.”

“It can be a big deal. Come, let’s go to get you something. My aunt makes the best healing balms.” Before she could protest, I scooped her up in my arms and teleported us in a flash of light to my mum’s office. There I could find something for her.

She looked around the richly decorated wooden cabinet as if she was seeing something very special, unique.

“This place looks Royal,” she murmured as I sat her on a dark-green armchair and headed to the top drawer where all the balms and potions were kept.

“It is somehow royal, the decoration,” I replied.

The room was decorated in the same classical and — according to my mum — over the top style as my father’s palace. I had yet to tell Nina that I was the crown prince. After her reaction to me being a wizard, I decided to keep this information from her for a little longer.

The door opened slightly, attracting my gaze, and my six-year-old sister, Auri, came inside. Her curious hazel eyes were fixed on Nina and she smiled. My mate stood up slowly and approached Auri.

“Hello, my name is Auri. Who are you?” she asked with a coy smile.

“I am Nina.” My face lit up at the sight of my sweet mate bending down to talk to Auri, who smiled in return.

“You are Zo’s mate? He was very very far away looking for a lot of days. We missed him,” Auri told her. I was about to reply to the little munchkin when the door burst open.

My father entered the office and took Auri in his arms in a rushed movement, stepping away from Nina as if she was a rabid Pixie-monkey. A frown formed on my face. I wouldn’t have him or anyone making my mate feel unwelcome or uncomfortable.

~ * ~

Nina

Looking up, my gaze met austere grey eyes. The febrile haze in my mind dissipated a little as I was confronted with this rigid and dense presence.

Some kind of raw power exhaled from him, making it hard to breathe properly. Moving his eyes away from me so abruptly that it almost made me lose balance, he scooped Auri up and almost covered her entirely with his giant arms. I could only see a few locks of her golden hair.

This man was as big as Zorion and he resembled him somehow: the same hair and build, but instead of warm and tender eyes, his gaze was dry and cold. Swallowing hard, I stood straight, keeping my shoulders squared. I would do the same thing I used to do at my foster families and institutions; regardless of how I felt, I wouldn’t show my fear to strangers. Ever.

“Father, this is my mate, Nina,” Zorion said, looking at the man.

“Your human?” his father asked without looking at me. My fever seemed to cool down a little only to be replaced by indignation at the way he said the word human. Did he have his head stuck up in his bvtt or something? I was surely getting the vibe that he was too high up on his magical horse.

“Nina is my one and only soulmate,” Zorion’s voice was pure determination; he put an emphasis on the word soulmate. It sounded a bit funny, like a fairytale or teenage magazine thing, ‘find your soulmate and live happily ever after’. Hearing these grown, big and otherworldly men talking about it, sounded odd. I bit a giggle on my lips, my head feeling foggy and my body edgeless. The floor disappeared beneath me slowly.

“Nina,” I heard the urgency in Zorion’s voice as he said my name. My head was light and all my senses numb. I felt my body fall, and a warm tingling embrace engulfed me as everything went completely dark.

Light dabbled between my opening eyelashes as I opened my eyes slowly.

“Zorion?” I murmured, still not completely awake. His name left my lips almost inadvertently, as if something deep inside me was seeking for him. Hell, I was indeed high with fever, loca!

“I am here, Nina.” He squeezed my hand. I looked around the dimly-lit ample bedroom. He was on a comfy chair beside me with my hand comfortably tucked between his.

Looking down at myself, I noticed that I was wearing an impossibly smooth white dress. The blanket over me felt so damn soft too. Were those things made of clouds and magic? Magical clouds, maybe?

Wait, I wasn’t wearing any bra, which meant he saw my buns.

“Zorion, did you change me?” I asked with a frown.

“No, Nina. It was me,” I heard a soft and somewhat familiar feminine voice. Blinking twice to adjust to the darkness, I saw Aurora standing in front of the large bed.

“I wouldn’t peel your clothes off when you are unconscious, Honey. Only when you look into my eyes and ask me to strip you.” Zorion murmured in my ear, making my breath catch in my throat.

Looking back at Aurora, I was about to thank her, when I saw slightly glowing pink eyes. “Your eyes; they are…pink,” I gasped, my mind still involved by a thick fog of confusion. The last time I saw Aurora, she was wearing sunglasses indoors, so I couldn’t see her eyes. Or maybe I only imagined things — my head was so foggy now.

“Yes.” Her voice was low, filled with deep and soft sadness.

“They are beautiful!” her sad expression quickly morphed into a sweet and surprised smile.

“Thank you!” Her face contorted with raw emotion. Maybe even gratitude, joy, “I am happy to see you again, and this time, here with us. We were afraid my brother would take much longer to convince you that he wasn’t insane,” Aurora’s giggle was almost musical.

“What happened to me?” I asked, still trying to understand how I ended up in this huge room.

“You fainted, Nina, you are burning with fever. A Fae healer is coming to see you,” Zorion replied, softly running his fingers up and down my arm. He was so gentle,something I wouldn’t have expected from such a big man.

“Fae?” I furrowed my brows in confusion.

“Yes. Fairies, maybe you know this word? Fae aren’t only fairies, but we can tell you more about it later,” Aurora explained.

“I have to go to the café, I have to take my shift at three pm,” I said, looking at my watch. It was already two pm, I had to jump off this bed and run.

“You are sick, burning, Honey. You have to rest,” Zorion told me.

“I was late once this week; if I do it again, I will lose a second job within twenty-four hours. Sick or not, I can’t afford it,” I shook my head. Them living in this beautiful magical house, surely meant they couldn’t understand how my jobs were important to me, how I needed them.

Zorion exhaled sharply, almost impatient. He wasn’t lying to me about the magic stuff and maybe he was my soulmate, but it didn’t mean I would have him ordering me around and telling me what to do. I could be his soulmate, but never his obedient pet dog.

“Nina, he is right. We are very worried about you, and you should be healed before anything else. It will be fast, the Fae Healer should arrive at any moment,” Aurora said softly and I nodded. I could wait a few minutes if it would make me fit to work. Fainting at the café also could put me in trouble, so better healed than sorry.

Zorion flashed Aurora a thankful look, making me shake my head. Soon, a flash of yellow light surged into the room and a small brunette woman with kind almond-shaped eyes materialised in front of me. Startled, my body jerked up slowly, but Zorion squeezed my hand, grounding me a little. I should have expected this by now, no? After my first flying-squirrel, things shouldn’t shock me that much, yet they did.

“Thank you for coming, Sienna. That’s my mate, Nina,” Zorion introduced me and I nodded at Sienna. Wait, didn’t fairies have wings? Where were hers?

“Nice to meet you, Nina. Zorion! I am so happy you found your mate at such a young age! Your parents might be delighted,” Sienna said with a glowing smile, taking a few steps closer to me.

His father seemed anything but delighted unless he had a very peculiar way to show his happiness.

“I will examine and heal you with my light, Nina. I will have to hover my hand over your forehead,” the Fairy explained patiently, and I nodded. As she did what she said, I felt a soft light entering my body, flowing through my veins and wrapping me in some sort of contentment. It felt so good and soothing! Suddenly, the light stopped flowing and I could feel my body growing heavy and warm all over again.

Pulling her hands away, she breathed deeply. Was something wrong with me? Zorion almost jumped off his chair, his jaw locked and all muscles tensed as his expectant stare flared at Sienna.

“What is happening, Si?” his voice was coated with worry. No one had ever sounded that worried about my wellbeing before.

Sienna’s widely opened eyes did nothing to calm any of us. It was only a fever, it couldn’t be that bad, right?

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