Spirit Elfen

Chapter 2

2

How did he always end up in the same place? Tall grasses around him, a forest in the middle distance, blue sky with white fluffy clouds. Total cliché. Honi had been coming to the spirit world for over fifteen years, and every time he went into a trance or had a dream, he found himself in this exact same spot.

He lay on his back, staring up into the sun through his eyelashes. His hand rose instinctively, shielding his eyes. What was the point of this? Ever since the traumatic events when Adi had defeated the entity that ruled this realm, he’d avoided coming here. Shaman John had to remind him again and again that ignoring the spirit creatures would have terrible consequences in the long run.

Honi knew that. He just didn’t care anymore. He had returned twice since last year, and both times, it had been boring. Where before, he’d encountered lots of different creatures, his last visits had been entirely uneventful. He shouldn’t have bothered, he thought. The problem was that while he could consciously decide to enter the spirit world, he couldn’t leave when he wanted. He had to wait until either he woke up, or something else pulled him back into his own reality.

Something tugged on his mind, like the insistent buzzing of a fly. At first he ignored it, but it grew increasingly uncomfortable. A particularly sharp wrench made him turn his head. Get up, get up! The words reverberated through his brain as a rough, cold tongue licked him from collarbone to ear.

“Ew! Get off!” Honi wiped the slobber of his face, scowling at his wolf. Ho’neo’s sapphire-blue eyes laughed as he jumped out of the way of Honi’s swipe. The spirit wolf didn’t give up so easily and came at him from the other side. Growling and grumbling, the animal shoved his hard head against Honi’s shoulder, trying to push him to get up.

When that didn’t work, the giant predator jumped on top of Honi’s chest and started licking him in earnest. Spluttering and spitting, the Mekui’te had no choice but to surrender. The moment the spirit animal read his intent, he jumped off and waited. Sitting on his haunches, tongue lolling, the large beast seemed to laugh at the puny human, struggling to get to his feet.

“Fine, you win,” Honi grumbled, hiding his amusement. Wiping the wetness off his face and neck, he turned away and looked at the landscape apprehensively. Deep inside, he knew that it wasn’t boredom that stopped him from returning. The several horrific attacks on his girlfriend he’d witnessed not long ago had colored his perception of the spirit world.

Last year, it had been a safe place for him—a place that very few other humans ever managed to get to. But now, after everything that had happened, it didn’t feel safe anymore. Every time the grass rustled, or a shadow briefly covered the sun, Honi flinched. He suspected that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. That was the real reason he couldn’t sleep and refused to meditate much anymore. He would live happily if he never had to return to the spirit world. And yet, here he was.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that it came as a shock when Ho’neo pushed at the back of his knees. Honi’s legs buckled, and he nearly went down. His glare was met by an unimpressed shaking of the large predator’s head and a lolling grin. The wolf trotted a few steps ahead, then turned around.

Come on, chicken. I’ll protect you. There was a tone in the animal’s voice that Honi interpreted as smugness. He was used to sharing his mental space with the telepathic spirit animal, but today Ho’neo irritated him. Why couldn’t he just shut up? It was all his fault anyway. Honi had been more than happy to carry on with his daily routine.

He missed Adi. If he was totally honest with himself, he had to admit he should try harder to spend quality time with her. She was the only other spirit walker he knew, and she still had a lot to learn. Between preparing his thesis and guiding her through her own meditative training, there was precious little time for anything romantic.

He was ripped out of his thoughts yet again when his hand was gripped gently by two rows of giant teeth. The spirit animal tugged carefully, and Honi finally gave in to the wolf’s insistence. Together they walked down the hill, Ho’neo skipping ahead and Honi trudging behind.

Honi slowly blinked his eyes open, squinting against the bright sunshine. He always took a long time coming back to himself after a trip to the other realm. He would probably feel groggy all day. Without Ho’neo bugging him, he wouldn’t have bothered today. But his wolf had been a pain in the ass since Honi had woken up this morning.

He’d jumped on the bed, licking Honi’s face, and whined until he’d given in. He hated meditating right after waking up. Sleep and trance were so similar to each other that he fell asleep more often than not. Usually he slipped into a trance within seconds, but this morning, it had been harder than usual. His nerves had been on edge, and he didn’t know if it was the stress of still not having handed in an outline for his thesis, or his personal issues.

Adi had told him how she’d beaten the entity that had ruled over the spirit realm. She was convinced that the queen was dead, but Honi doubted it. His mind returned to Adi. Honi stretched out under his covers, luxuriating in the smooth fabric’s caress on his naked skin.

Not only had he not seen his girlfriend for days, it seemed even longer since they’d had s*x. Honi’s hands slowly pushed along his chest, one hand lingering on a n****e while the other glided lower. His index finger first circled his n****e, then pinched it gently between his thumb and middle finger. He sighed with how good it felt. He was just getting into it, little sparks of lust shooting into his groin, when his phone rang.

He ignored it. His eyes closed and his fingers brushing against his d**k, he imagined Adi’s face close to his belly. Her eyes trained on his, hot mouth wide open, about to sink down on him. The phone chirped again. Honi huffed in annoyance, the mood broken. He glanced at the display, then quickly sat up, pulling the blanket up to cover his body. If the shaman called twice, it was important. No way would he take John’s call naked, though. Ugh.