Out of the World

26. Of Art and Life

Nina

“Let’s walk this time. The flashing thing seems great, but I don’t have a magical bvtt, mine needs some exercise to keep up and round,” I told Zorion.

Zorion chuckled at my words, as his hands slid down my back and cupped my backside. “Sure, anything for this bvtt!”

Oh, Dream-guy. Don’t you start, I don’t want to get all wet and bothered!

After a single knock, a short beautiful woman opened the door for us. Was everyone here gorgeous? Was it the magic thing or super DNA?

“Nina, Zorion! My father is waiting at his atelier,” Alexander greeted, giving each one of us a half-hug. Lena was right, her half-vamp cousin was very handsome, but nothing compared to Zorion.

Alexander led us to the ample and well-lit atelier upstairs, where a tall, blond and even paler man was working on a painting. He stopped what he was doing and strode towards us as soon as we came in.

“Zorion, so that’s your mate. I’m Alexus and I am pleased to meet you, Nina,” he said as he kissed the back of my hand in a very formal and chivalrous way, like someone out of an old-time movie would do. “Alexander told me that you study art. I’ve been to many museums and galleries and even acquired some art from the Human Realm, there are fascinating pieces,” he told me, motioning to some impressionist paintings that were to die for.

Holy Damn! That was better than the national museum!

“Those are incredible!” I exclaimed, looking at his collection like a kid would look at a toy store. Pulling my mate by his hands, I walked around the ample room, looking at the paintings and the Roman-like sculptures. My mouth opened in a gasp as I came across the eyeless paintings, they were really haunting. Lena was right. Yet they were technically perfected, they felt lacking something, not only eyes.

“I painted those before my mate and I got together,” Alexus explained.

“Zorion, let’s go downstairs, and let them talk about art. When Dad starts, it takes a while and I will pass listening about the history of art in the Six Realms for the tenth time,” Alexander chimed in, placing a hand on my mate’s shoulder.

Zorion placed a kiss on the top of my head and gave me a reassuring look.

“I- stay,” I asked in his mind.

“Honey, you don’t have to paint if you don’t want to. Don’t be afraid, my Uncle doesn’t bite… he does bite, but he won’t bite you. I will be waiting for you downstairs,” his words of reassurance resonated inside my mind, and I nodded in agreement.

“Do you want to try something yourself? I have some pollen and my Lea made me fresh ink with her flowers.” King Alexus popped the question after we went around his amazing collection and I heard about some amazing traditions like the Fae painting using flowers and pollen, and some awkward ones - vamp’s blood painting.

“I -” I started, stammering like an i***t. Way to go, Nina!

“You don’t have to worry about technique or beauty. Beauty should be the collateral effect of art, not its aim. Real beauty is something that happens almost by accident, like lightning caused by too much pressure in the skies. Your work doesn’t have to be beautiful, but rather raw, and genuine. Your art shouldn’t pursue beauty, for this pursuit would make it plastic, mechanical, but rather dig a deep truth that you are yet to tell yourself,” he told me, his voice calm almost like velvet. He was good! Damn, after these words my fingers were almost itching to touch the brush.

He guided me to a canvas and from where I stood I could see what he was painting, it was his mate, Lea. He painted two suns coming from her amber-golden eyes. It was stunning and so full of soul that I could feel a tingle in my spine.

“It’s incredible! So beautiful!” the words left my lips of their own accord as my gaze lost itself in the shades of gold in her eyes. In this painting, Lea seemed like the most incredible creature, made of sheer light.

“Lea is beautiful, magnificent. Yet I can only capture part of her beauty because of the way I feel about her, my eyes can see her deeper than other gazes could. With Lea I let myself feel everything, and that transpires in every painting I make of her.” His eyes were also fixed on his canvas as a smile of love formed on his lips.

I looked at the flower-based inks Lea made. They were really fantastic. Trying to let go of my insecurities, I let the brush glide on the canvas, and using different shades of pink, purple and orange, I tried to reproduce the sunset of the Fae Realm. Time flew fast as I tried to do the best I could and get the sky just like it was.

“Is it ready?” I heard Alexus say and looked back at him. My nervous hands fidgeted with my hair as he looked at my canvas. I really tried my best and used all the best techniques I could recall in the sky and the garden. My guts churned a little with expectation. Could my stomach have a heart attack?

“You are very talented, Nina! The technical part is perfect.” I gasped so hard that my jaw hurt as his words surprised me. He really thought I was talented! Yet as I expected, there was a ‘but’ to it, “but you don’t take any risks in your art. You should let go and feel it only. Art is instinct, emotion, raw, impossible, uncontainable, art is when our dreams possess us and we can’t keep any sort of control,” King Alexus added, making me grow self-conscious. He was right, but that wasn’t my biggest problem right now. As I looked down at my arm, I saw it glowing slightly. It wasn’t the same as last night, but the gleaming points were there dancing around my skin.

“Damn, this again!” I grumbled, a shiver of tension making my muscles lock slightly.

“What’s happening?” he asked, looking between my face and the glowing sticks that my arms had become.

Shaking my head and snapping out of panic mode, I explained to him what happened last night.

The vampire King looked thoughtful for a moment, before he started, “I can’t tell you much about glowing. Vampires don’t glow, never. It’s a fairy thing. But from what I heard, they glow either when they are happy or when their light powers surface through their skin. It doesn’t seem like a bad thing, don’t be afraid. Fear won’t bring anything good to your art or to your life, but only make you bitter.”

Big Daddy vamp seemed to be talking by experience. Maybe he painted the eyeless figures when he was afraid of something.

“What are you afraid of, Nina? What’s the fear that doesn’t allow you to paint and be what you want to?

“I don’t know.” So many things, I couldn’t name one.

“Are you afraid of your feelings? Are you afraid of losing yourself? Of losing control?” he asked, his purple eyes fixed on mine. I wasn’t a shrink or anything but now I could see that I was right, he was definitely talking out of experience.

“I used to be afraid of those things, now I don’t know anymore - I think I still am,” I sighed deeply. I was a coward in my life and art, always taking the safest way not to break myself further. But maybe being broken and embracing it would make my paintings better, would make my art real. Maybe it would help my mate-thing with Zorion too. Staying here in this world was taking a risk, daring to dream and to...love. Even though it wasn’t really my choice and this crazy police and that b.itch of a manager, Gabrielle played a huge role in it. Anyway, if I had to choose now, I would want to stay here in this new life, with Zorion, with risks - the unknowingly and thrilling world of magic and love.

“Don’t avoid living your life fully because of fear, Nina. Be honest with yourself and your art. Get lost in it. Be complete in whatever you do, no reservations,” he added.

The door opened abruptly, attracting my gaze to a tense Zorion. He almost ran towards me and wrapped me in his arms, “What happened, Honey? I could feel your tension.” He cupped my face gently, his glare studying me for some kind of injury. Did he think I was bitten by the big vamp daddy? As he saw the now slight glow, he inhaled sharply.

Engulfing me in his arms, he did the flash thing again, “Let’s go see Mama Schawn now and find an explanation for this.”

Damn, I couldn’t even say goodbye to the Vamp King. I only hoped that his words could help not only with my painting, but also with my life. Both really needed a makeover.

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Guys, sorry, this chapter wasn't properly edited, but I didn't want to make you all wait even longer.