Bloom & the Wolf

by MarieVS

You know that saying "careful what you wish for"? I wished my whole life for better parents, and then hijacked the body of one of my favorite fictional characters. But nothing is like the Winx Club I had watched as a kid, everything is more grown-up. Ugh, it's like I'm stuck in some bad fanfiction. AU & SI

20. Chapter 19

"Is anyone still alive?" I ask while hiding behind my couch and pushing my cats forward as human/feline shields. "Alive and not out for my blood?"

I'm so sorry! I feel like it's been ages and I can't apologize enough! I've had the most miserable few months and I've barely had the time to write or the energy. I haven't even responded to the messages I've received, which I'm even more ashamed of! But to make up for it, I now present ya'll with an extra long chapter (which is also something to keep you entertained because I've been stuck on the next chapter for weeks and it's not progressing in the least!)

This is an important chapter. Lots of discoveries and world building, lots of hints being dropped about just who Bloom really is. Lots of everything. Because we're drawing nearer to the big reveal and even closer to the ending (though I have yet to decide if I will write a sequel or will just split this story into two books).

I will not keep you any longer. Enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!

Usual disclaimer: I do not own Winx Club or the cover of this story.

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"Well, I hardly think that's fair." I crossed my arms, pouting a little while Brandon laughed beside me. "Why do you guys get a three-week break while we only get two?"

"Malacoy only gets one," countered Brandon, running his fingers through his hair and messing it all up. "And we don't get three weeks in our senior year. We actually have no break at that time."

"You told me five minutes ago that seniors finish their studies this time of year!" I protested with a laugh. "That the last handful of months are dedicated to the exhibition and finding a job!"

"Yeah, but that is hard work." Brandon laughed at the scowl on my face. "Things are just different between Alfea and Red Fountain."

"I got as much." I tilted my head curiously at him. "So are you heading home to see your family?"

Brandon pulled a face and shook his head. "No, Sky and I are staying here."

I arched an eyebrow. "Don't you miss them?"

"Not in particular, no." He stuck his thumbs in his belt, staring ahead with an absent look in his eyes. "I don't get along with my parents all that well. If I'm not forced to go home, then I rather stay here."

"Hmm…" I chewed my lip. I could understand that only too well. If I had been given the choice to stay at Alfea or go home to the Blackburn Manor, I would have stayed at Alfea too. "What about Sky? Surely his duties as a prince regularly force him home?" Brandon tensed beside me. I instantly cocked my head. "What is it?"

Brandon didn't answer straight away, just staring unseeingly into the distance. "You asked that day in Magix about why Sky is even attending Red Fountain, do you remember that?"

It was hard to forget when I had discussed it with the girls only that morning. Guess I didn't have to interrogate him after all. "Hmm-hmm."

"Well…" Brandon let out a deep sigh. "What exactly do you know about Eraklyon?"

"Not much," I admitted with a shrug. "That it is one of the most powerful and certainly one of the richest realms in the Magic Dimension, that it is ruled by King Erendor, and that Sky is heir to the throne." I hummed thoughtfully. "I believe Stella might have mentioned something about it being a bit conservative. Or was that Andros?"

Brandon's lips twitched up slightly. "That's not a lot."

I shrugged apologetically. "While Barbatea has already taught me quite a bit about the Magic Dimension, I'm afraid we haven't quite gotten to Eraklyon yet."

"Well, you were right about what you remember." A bitterness crept over his face as he glared up at the moon. "After Domino's demise Eraklyon became known as the most powerful realm in the dimension. It is also one of the oldest realms, after Domino, Solaria and Magix. We are nearing our 1000th anniversary. And the royal family has been in charge pretty much that whole time."

I let out a low whistle. "That is impressive. I mean, I don't think any royal family on Earth has survived for that long, including the ones from ancient times."

Brandon snorted. "There is a reason for that. The king rules-" He hesitated. "-yeah, you could call it conservative. Sure, things have changed over time, but not like they have on Solaria and Zenith."

I tilted my head, my gaze flickering from his face to his aura and back. The bitterness was still on his face, but his aura was bothering me. There was a haze of black, brown and even red surrounding him. Honestly, it worried me. "From what I have heard, you can't exactly compare Eraklyon to them. I mean, Zenith is the realm of technology and Solaria is so important that they are practically forced…"

"Domino wasn't like that," interrupted Brandon. There was a sharp edge to his voice. I was tempted to call it resentment. "Quite the opposite, they led the way. They set the example. They didn't stick to centuries old rules and customs. Why should Eraklyon?"

I chewed my lip while observing him carefully. He looked like a bomb that could go off at any minute, though things were starting to make a bit more sense to me. "You believe Eraklyon is too conservative, but the king and queen don't agree." And I added silently: "Your parents don't agree."

"It IS too conservative," stressed Brandon out, his aura growing even darker. My stomach twisted uncomfortably. "The people can't express their opinion without there being consequences, not when it comes to how the realm is ruled or anything related to the royal family. Those with power are practically forbidden to socialise with commoners, and they rarely show their faces to them. Any form of protest is forbidden and insulting the royal family often leads to years in prison. They don't even KNOW what the heir to the throne looks like. Nobody knows. How is any of that right?"

"On Earth we call that a dictatorship," I told Brandon, still eyeing him worriedly. "It is a form of government where the power rests in the hands of a single person, or a small group of people, and other political views are not allowed, nor is the media free. The people have no say in the matter and usually have to fear for their lives if they disagree or voice their opposition. It is pretty frowned upon where I come from."

Brandon snorted bitterly. "You basically summed up Eraklyon."

"Perhaps, but things are different as well." I gently placed my hand on his arm. "I mean, the next king is here, studying at Red Fountain and good friends with commoners. He shows his face."

Brandon shot me a tight smile. "He is only here because he threatened to refuse the throne if he wasn't allowed to."

My eyebrows all but disappeared into my hair, my hand slipping off his arm. "Really?" He nodded. "That…" My heart gave a little jump. "That is…" I smiled warmly when he eyed me tensely. "That is rather brave of him, not to mention progressive."

Brandon's aura lightened at my words – I quietly let out the breath I had been holding – but he shrugged it off like it was nothing. "I guess he was lucky."

I nudged him, smiling when he arched an eyebrow at me. "How come?"

"Well, the servants working at the palace also live there, along with their children. And since he wasn't allowed to leave the palace to play with children of his age, Prince Sky played with their children and befriended a handful. He got especially close to this one boy…" He drifted off, a small smile tugging at his lips. I smiled at the softness on his face, my insides practically melting. Here was a man who looked back fondly on his childhood memories. It was a good look on him. "When the boy's parents were dismissed from the palace because of the father's gambling debts, Sky worried for his friend's fate and insisted on making the boy his squire. And this squire had once confided in the prince that he wanted to attend Red Fountain and become one of, if not the finest warrior they had ever trained. So when they were old enough, Sky insisted on attending Red Fountain. He wanted to get as far away from the palace and his responsibilities as possible. His father was naturally all against that –"

I snorted, drawling out: "Naturally."

Brandon shot me a grin, his eyes sparkling. "– and fed up with his parents and the whole conservative mess, Sky swore he would refuse to take the throne if he was not allowed to attend Red Fountain. The king and queen caved, and Sky ran off to Red Fountain along with his squire. And they try to visit Eraklyon as little as possible."

"I like this prince Sky and his squire. They sound like good men." I playfully nudged Brandon again with a laugh. "Any chance you can introduce me to them? Better yet –" I winked playfully. "– are either or possibly both single?"

Brandon's whole face lid up, his eyes twinkling and his dark aura changing to a white glow with swirls of blue, green and pink. Internally I did a little victory dance. "One of them is madly in love with this princess of Solaria. Honestly, you should see him when he is around her, or even hear how he talks about her. Like she is the reason he is alive. It is a little pathetic." I laughed, because that was true. Sky wasn't just in love with Stella. He was utterly devoted to her. I could picture him going on and on about her with the guys – lying on his bed with a dreamy look on his face – while the others were just desperate for him to shut up. "And the other guy has it pretty bad for one of her friends. She is kind but snarky, selfless but straight to the point. And she has this ability to light up a room with just her smile."

I bit my lip to suppress my laughter. "Oh, yeah… Flora is awesome like that."

Brandon chuckled, shaking his head. "She also has this weird sense of humour."

"Hey!" I jabbed my elbow in his ribs in fake offense. "I do NOT. Things just aren't all that funny unless someone suffers a little."

"I just don't understand it sometimes," admitted Brandon, with something of a lovesick look on his face. "There are times when I listen to you and Stella and I'm positive the two of you are actually fighting and hating each other's guts, while that isn't remotely the case. And those conversations between you and Riven… Often the flirting seems so real that-" He cut himself off before he could say too much, but he couldn't mask the green glow in his aura.

I came to a halt, grabbing his arm to force him to a stop as well and shooting him a pointed look while placing my hands on my hips. "Okay, let me just clarify something first: Riven and I are never happening. We share way too much characteristics for that to work. We would literally bite each other's heads off the moment we tried to be more than friends." Brandon's shoulders visibly relaxed. "But the flirting, the teasing, the snide remarks… That is just our way to try and get under the other's skin. To push until we strike a nerve. It's our way of showing we care."

Brandon's brows furrowed. "And I don't understand that. Why would you try to deliberately say or do something that hurts the other?"

I shrugged. "I can't exactly explain it. It is who we are, how we express our feelings. I would never intentionally hurt Riven, or anyone else I love. But-" I chewed my lip thoughtfully. "I guess- What I'm trying to do-" I hummed. How could I best explain this? "It is a way to proclaim to someone that no matter how fucked up they are, or what issues they have, they are still worthy to be loved. That they don't need to be perfect. That I am willing to love them and stand by them despite their darkest and most messed up parts. Though "despite" is not the right word…"

I snapped out of the endless thoughts on what I actually meant to say when Brandon plucked a strand of hair out of my face. He still had that lovesick look on his face, not to mention he was wearing this devoted smile that made me extremely uncomfortable. I wanted that comfortable teasing atmosphere from earlier back. This was too heavy. "But you are perfect."

I snorted, a shudder running down my spine that I did not consider all that pleasant. "If you think that, you haven't spent enough time around me." His eyes lit up, a new bright smile tugging at his lips. A twinge of annoyance shot through me. He was focussing on the wrong thing. This was not me trying to invite him to spend more time with me. He was completely missing the point. "I'm serious." I frowned at him when he just continued to smile at me. "I have a lot of issues and I'm nowhere near perfect. It might look that way, but it isn't even remotely true." I sighed, taking a step back when that still didn't wipe the smile of his face. "Stella was the first true friend I made. And despite knowing I had some serious mental health problems, she still deemed me worthy. And I-" My chin landed on my chest as I let out another sigh, my shoulders slumping. "I just want to make sure that others do not feel like I did until Stella appeared."

"Please explain to me –" Brandon gently nudged my chin up. The way he looked at me… It reminded me of how puppies stared at their owners. "– how this proves that you are not perfect."

"Now you're just being cheesy." I waved his hand away, taking another deliberate step back. He was starting to make me really uncomfortable. "I don't like cheesiness. It makes me want to vomit." I locked my hands behind my back, clearing my throat. "Do you know those couples that constantly hold hands, and are always wrapped up in one another? The type that are either constantly kissing for no reason whatsoever, or falling into each other's arms at even the shortest separation?" Brandon nodded, the smile slowly fading a little and his brows furrowing as if he could not understand where I was going with this. "I bloody hate them." His eyes widened so quickly that it was a right miracle they didn't pop out. "It's just… Ugh!" I pretended to throw up, all while trying to put as much distance between us as possible. That uncomfortable pull in my stomach was still there. "They make my teeth ache and it just feels so fake."

"But why?" wondered Brandon, his brows knitting together. "Surely love –"

"– doesn't require the constant touching." I crossed my arms, shooting him a stubborn look. "What all that proves is insecurity. They don't trust the other, don't feel they are worthy of the other's love, and constantly have to show the world and each other how much they love each other. It isn't healthy."

"Alright, I see your point. I don't completely agree, but I get it. But it does make me curious…" Brandon cocked his head curiously. "What type of behaviour do you think is normal?"

Now we were getting somewhere!

"Well, look at Stella and Sky." My hands landed almost automatically on my hips, a proud smile tugging at my lips. I barely noticed that Brandon flinched when I mentioned them. "They trust the other, know that if they are flirting with other people it doesn't mean anything. They even have playful competitions to see who can get the most attention. Sky loves having her in his arms and showing her off, not to stake a claim but to show what a lucky bastard he is to have her as his lady love. When they kiss or are wrapped up in one another, there is usually a reason behind it. Something the other said that made them realise just how much they love them, or simple worry. Sure, there're moments there's lust involved, but isn't that normal in the early stages of a relationship? The most important thing is that their relationship is built on complete and utter trust, that they are completely honest with one another."

And that right there was probably the main reason why I had hated Bloom and Sky together, but loved Brandon and Stella. The two relationships were so different. Brandon and Stella were equals in the relationship, while I had always felt that Bloom had been less than Sky, not to mention dependent on him.

But Brandon – this fake Brandon – did not seem to agree. He had started to fidget the moment I pointed out that they trusted one another and he was currently unresponsive, not to mention refusing to meet my eyes. And it reminded me of Stella's insecurities from earlier that day, her worry that Sky might not be truthful with her. And I knew that was the case. Brandon also knew that was the case, but he didn't know I knew.

Time to put the screws on and prove I was still worthy of that Oscar.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Their relationship is built on trust, right?"

Brandon's gaze snapped back up, his eyes threatening to pop out again. "What… Why…" He cleared his throat, taking a step back when I leaned forward a little to shoot him a suspicious glare. "Why are you asking that so specifically?"

"Because you grew visibly uncomfortable when I said their relationship is built on trust." I narrowed my eyes even more at him. "And because Stella might have mentioned something to me. That she worries Sky might be cheating on her –" Brandon's instant protest was enough to dismiss that from my mind, though it never had been something I suspected. "– or isn't completely honest with her." Brandon's protests died down and he scratched the back of his neck, chuckling nervously. "No protests this time?" I eyed him suspiciously, crossing my arms. He dodged my gaze actively when I tried to meet his eyes. "Does that mean he isn't honest with her?"

He rubbed the back of his neck again. "Look, Bloom…"

I hated that dismissive tone of his, that "you're new to this world and therefore don't understand everything". While that might be the truth, love was a universal thing and I wasn't a child who needed to be shielded from the harsh truth or didn't understand how the world truly worked. I knew better than most. My parents had made sure of that.

"No," I interrupted, glaring harshly. "I don't care what his reasons might be. I want a straight answer. Is he hiding something big from her, or not? It is a simple yes or no question." He tried the "look, Bloom" again, and fed up with his attitude, I gave him a firm shove. He actually stumbled back, his jaw slacking in shock at my sudden turn to violence. "This is my best friend we are talking about, my best friend who already has gone through hell these last few months. As you well know," I hissed angrily. "If he isn't being truthful with her, she deserves to know. And the Lord forbid, if he hurts her – whether intentionally or not – I will skin him alive and not care whether he is some big shot heir or not." I crossed my arms with a glare. "So what is it going to be, Brandon? Are we worrying over nothing, or is he hiding something?"

"Things are more complicated than that," tried Brandon, some desperation on his face. I noticed drops of sweat forming on his forehead. "He…"

"Yes or no," I interrupted, my tone icy. "I'm not interested in hearing anything but a yes or a no."

His lips parted, but he sighed and closed them again, gently shaking his head. Just when I thought he was finally going to answer, a roar ripped through the silence along with shouts. Brandon all but froze, his gaze snapping up, and I whirled around, eyes darting around to search for the cause. My heart was practically jumping out of my chest. That hadn't sounded good.

"What was that?" Brandon raced past me without so much as a word. "Brandon?!" He didn't stop and damn, he was fast. I bolted after him, struggling to keep up. He would have disappeared into the distance if he hadn't arrived at his destination and came to a halt.

Another roar filled the air and the side of Red Fountain we were standing near to – a part I wasn't entirely familiar with – literally shook. I swore even the ground was shaking.

"What is going on?" I panted, skidding to a stop beside my date, my date who was busy opening a large- No, scratch that. The door he was trying to open was enormous, big enough for a whole house to fit through it. I jumped back when something heavy landed against the other side of it, causing the thing to shake like a leaf and moan under the force. Actually moan! Something told me I did not want to meet whatever was behind door number one. "What is making that noise?!"

Brandon grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. "Stay here, Bloom. It isn't safe for you to enter. I will be right back." He pressed a kiss on my cheek before ripping the door open – it was a sliding door much to my shock – and slipping inside.

I blinked, gazing after him through the crack he had left, and the air stilled in my lungs. I was peeking into the largest stables I had ever seen. Not that I had been in a lot of stables. I didn't like horses all that much, not after a Halflinger had taken a bite out of me and I had been rushed to the hospital with a gaping wound in my side. Cows and donkeys were just fine, but horses? I wouldn't want to be caught dead near one.

These stables were gigantic and seemed to be carved into the rock on which Red Fountain was perched. Large archways made out of light stone created a gigantic circular room. In the middle was something of a courtyard, also made out of stone. Honestly, there wasn't any wood to be found which made sense for in the middle of that courtyard, surrounded by Codatorta and some specialists, was the most magnificent creature I had ever laid eyes on.

The creature was nearly as tall as a house and was covered in pearl white scales. Only the spikes covering its spine from head to tail were different. They seemed to be made out of solid silver.

Instantly I knew that for the first time in my life I was watching a real dragon in action.

Roaring and swiping its long tail at the people surrounding it, the dragon was trashing around and clearly not in the mood to play. It did not breathe fire, though judging from the scorch marks on the stone that did frequently happen.

"Get DOWN!" Codatorta had barely uttered the words when the dragon swiped its tail at the bystanders. They all dropped to the floor – the tail hitting the other stable doors – but one of them wasn't fast enough and let out a cry of pain when one of the razor-sharp spikes hit his arm.

My breath hitched in my throat at the sight of the flowing blood but even more because of the dragon's reaction. It took a deep breath in and then turned around towards the bleeding specialist, slowly but deliberately. And something inside me screamed that it was about to start hunting.

I barely registered that I moved, that I squeezed myself through the tiny opening and ran straight towards danger. "STOP!"

The dragon whirled around at me and within a blink of an eye, I was face to face with a furious dragon, who opened its large mouth and roared right into my face.

The first thing that hit me wasn't the deafening sound.

It was the smell.

I gagged. "Ugh, what do they feed this thing? Troll? It sure smells like it eats troll three times a day!"

Then the noise caught up. I wasn't sure how I managed to stay on my feet. My ears certainly rang due to the thunderous roar. It even seemed to rattle my bones and my teeth. When I would later tell the girls of what happened, Tecna would explain to me that the paralysing fear was why I hadn't been able to move, or even think properly. I would believe her, but at that moment, despite getting up and personal with a dragon's mouth and my body shaking with adrenaline and fear, I stood my ground and glared at the dragon – it had the most astonishing icy-blue eyes – while my head screamed that I was utterly mad and I should run away.

"You done?" The dragon blinked at me. I couldn't blame it; I would probably have a similar reaction if the roles were reversed. And how my voice was so steady or so unimpressed, I had no idea. But it was and it clearly took the creature by surprise. It even sat back on his hindlegs and cocked its head. I mimicked it. "I think you're done," I decided to answer my own question. The tone in my voice reminded me an awful lot of my mother. She had the ability to both sound disappointed and unimpressed at the same time. "Now that your tantrum is over…" I pointed to the large stable on my left that was wide open. "Get. In."

The dragon narrowed its eyes at me and then slowly leaned forward on its front legs, its lip curling over the razor-sharp teeth while it puffed out air and breathed it back in. I didn't move, just kept eye-contact while holding my breath. The feeling of a large nose being pressed into my stomach was an odd one, especially since it was a lot colder than I had expected. Weren't dragons supposed to breathe fire? Then why was this one so cold to the touch?

I could feel the dragon suck in large chunks of air and I prayed my heart wasn't actually beating as loudly as I thought it was.

And then…

"Ew!" A large warm tongue flicked over me, like a dog snogging a hand, and I gagged at the slime that attached itself to my skin, not to mention the smell. "Gross!" The dragon did not agree, instead it was nudging me with its nose and… "Are you purring?!"

"I guess this is the first time you're up and personal with a dragon." I glanced over my shoulder. A tall specialist with steel-grey salt-and-pepper like hair was rolling the door behind me further open and smirking while stepping towards us. "Hey, Cavidid, old boy. Are you terrorizing the locals again?" The dragon – whose name apparently was Cavidid – purred and bounced towards the specialist, giving him a firm lick as well. The specialist wrinkled his nose, but other than that didn't react. Instead, he petted his scales and nodded, chuckling, when the dragon purred and bounced back to me, nudging me eagerly with his snout. "Yeah, yeah. I see you made a new friend." He glanced past us, shaking his head with a quirk of his lips. "And some more enemies…"

I also peeked past the dragon and was greeted by absolute chaos. Codatorta was fuzzing over the wounded specialist, while the others were running after more dragons who had busted out of their own stables and were running around. I glanced at the doors Cavidid had hit earlier and snorted when I saw their locks had sprung open, hence why they were now open and dragonless. You would think that a stable housing dragons would have locks on the doors that were dragon proof. Apparently Red Fountain hadn't quite gotten the memo.

I yelped when the snout returned and pressed urgently in my stomach, causing me to stumble back and land on my ass with an "oomph!" Cavidid purred and mirrored my position, dropping himself to the ground and whining softly. He was all but wagging his spiky tail.

"Never thought I see the day…" The specialist laughed, offering me a hand. I gladly took it and allowed him to pull me up. "You alright? He sometimes forgets he is as big as he is."

"How is that possible?" I wondered, brushing the dust of my jeans. "He is enormous. And yeah, I'm fine. A little shaken and grossed out, but fine."

"I like to compare this big grump to a dog." The specialist petted the dragon's neck with a fond smile. "Sometimes he still thinks he is the size of a hatchling." He pushed the dragon a little. "Come on, big guy. You heard the beautiful woman: get in your stable." The dragon huffed and puffed but obeyed and slowly moved towards the stable I had pointed to.

I eyed the caretaker curiously. He was pretty good-looking in that confident bad-boy way I had a soft spot for. He was about Valtor's height, probably just a little shorter – that did mean he was towering well a head over me – and currently dressed in some ripped jeans, white shirt and killer red leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up. On top of that, he was absolutely ripped if the bulging muscles straining against the leather was anything to go by.

When he turned a little, I caught sight of several piercings in one of his ears, though I almost missed them simply by admiring the handsome sideburns he maintained. Sideburns which moved effortlessly into a light shadow that covered the lower half of his face and part of his throat. And his hair! A little on the long side but styled in messy locks with just a little bit of wave.

Good God, this man was right up my alley. Athletic, bad-boy, leather jacket… If only I could allow myself to admire him without comparing him instantly to Wolf and finding him lacking in more ways than one.

I was truly in deep trouble and I realised that more and more with each passing day.

"Beautiful woman, huh?" I teased despite not feeling much attraction to the man, following him and the dragon into the stable. "I bet you say that to all the girls."

The specialist grinned cheekily at me. "Nah, just the ones brave but foolish enough to run straight at a dragon and then proceed in ordering it around."

"Brave and foolish. That is me," I chuckled, offering him a shy wave. "I'm Bloom."

He shot me a grin and a wink back. "The name is Nex. And this grump –" He petted the dragon's neck again. "– is Cavidid. I'm his caretaker."

"Pleasure to meet you, Nex." I placed a hand on the scales. The dragon turned his blue gaze at me and whined. I smiled warmly at him. "Hello, Cavidid."

Cavidid moved and despite with how slowly he had walked earlier, he was surprisingly fast and agile. One moment I was meeting his gaze and gently touching his neck, the next moment I was sitting and the dragon was wrapped around me, resting his nose against my stomach. And Nex the caretaker? He completely lost it.

"This is fucking hilarious!" He all but doubled over, resting his elbows on his knees. "Never thought I see the day!"

"Uh…" I eyed him with a grimace. "A little help?" Instead, the guy took out his phone and snapped a picture. I huffed indignantly. "Oh, yeah. That is really helpful."

"Calm down, woman. I had to take that picture. The others would never have believed me if I hadn't," sniggered Nex. "Red Fountain's most feared dragon is currently snuggling up against a pretty young woman as if he is a cat in heat. You just sent your fearsome reputation down the drain, buddy."

I blinked, gazing from the dragon to Nex and back. "You mean this is not normal behaviour?"

"Quite the opposite." Nex shook his head. "Cavidid is a dragon with a temper. He only tolerates a handful of specialists. Anyone else can expect hostility and injuries. It is why freshmen and sophomores aren't allowed near him."

I tilted my head at him curiously, resting a hand on top of the dragon's head. He purred loudly and practically swooned underneath my touch. "How long have you been his caretaker?"

"Almost four years," grinned Nex, his back straightening and his chest puffing out just a little bit. "He picked me during the exhibition a few years back, long before I even got accepted to Red Fountain."

"So you're a junior?" I guessed. He nodded. "Bet the other guys were really jealous that you got to ride big bad Cavidid here from day one." The dragon purred when I scratched him under his chin. "Note to self: dragons are basically oversized, scaly cats."

Nex barked out a laugh. "Oh, you have no idea. Most specialists never even get to ride a dragon, which is real disappointment since Red Fountain sells itself as the only school still teaching their students how to ride one." He scoffed. "Fake promises to draw in more students, that's what it is."

I huffed, shaking my head in disbelief. "As if they need more students."

Nex' eyes lit up. "Exactly! We barely have room to house all our students, yet they just want to get more. And then they are surprised when the dragons start to act up more and more with each passing year." His eyes moved towards the content dragon in my lap, his eyes softening. "I wish they would just set them free."

I chewed my lip, watching him carefully. There was a sadness to him, a grieve, that I couldn't quite place. "You are against dragons in captivity, despite being tasked with caring for one?"

Nex blinked and the sadness just disappeared. He grinned happily at me, but there was something fake to it. I could see there was. "Don't get me wrong, I love being Cavidid's caretaker and I wouldn't trade these last years with him for anything. But the truth is that dragons don't like just anyone and getting a new caretaker every four to five years is not good for them. If you ask me, Saladin should have just released them on Pyros after the caretakers from Domino passed away."

Like always the mention of my realm sparked my interest. "Caretakers from Domino?"

Nex cocked his head, observing me as if I was a science project. "Yeah, back in the day you could only keep dragons if you had a caretaker from Domino, or someone who had learned about dragons on Domino. Red Fountain practically had an army of them. But they lost most with Domino's demise, and the ones who remained have long passed away." He tilted his head. "You're that girl from Earth, aren't you? One of the friends of Riven's girl?"

I blinked. "Yeah, how did you…"

"The story is basically common knowledge. It pretty much gave it away," chuckled Nex with a shrug. "When the last caretaker passed away, the entire dimension grieved. She had been the last living citizen of Domino. The council wanted to set the dragons free, in memory of her dying wish and out of respect for Domino's ways. But Saladin wanted to keep the dragons no matter what."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Who knows?" shrugged Nex, sounding more than a bit resentful. "But it has to be pretty important. The dragons have acted up ever since Domino's demise. Things got even worse after the last caretaker passed. He has to compensate a lot of parents each year because their sons got injured. And then there are the deaths…"

"Deaths?" I echoed, my eyes nearly popping out.

"Of course, dancing with a dragon isn't exactly safe," snorted Nex, rolling his shoulders back before leaning casually against the stable door. It worsened the strain of his muscles against his leather jacket. "Despite the strict rules and precautions, every year one or two students don't get to tell the tale of their encounter with one of the dragons. And the silence of those parents can't be bought. They protest, demand that the dragons are set free. That if Saladin hadn't insisted on keeping them, their sons would still be alive."

I chewed my lip. "They have a point…"

"Saladin doesn't agree." Nex smiled when Cavidid groaned and curled himself tighter around me. "And sometimes I understand why he wants to keep them. I am going to miss this big grump after graduation, so I would too if he was set free. But…"

"When you care for an animal, you always have to do what is best for them." I ran my fingers over Cavidid's neck, following a particular scar he had there. It seemed like teeth mark. Cavidid whimpered when I pressed down. I shushed him, rubbing circles over his head with my free hand while placing the other hand over his scar. "Medeor."

My inner flame roared as the magic flew out of me and into the dragon. Cavidid's ears twitched but he did not move, not until the spell was finished and the scar was gone. Then he slowly raised his head and met my gaze. I smiled at him, placing one hand between his eyes and the other against my heart. "We're the same you and I." The dragon slowly closed his eyes and lowered his head. Almost as if he was bowing, though I refused to think that he was. It was just coincidence. "I will take care of you. I promise."

"Bloom? Hey, Bloom?" I blinked at the urgent call of my name and tore my gaze away from the dragon. Nex had pushed away from the wall and had inched closer with a deep frown, his eyes flickering between me and Cavidid. "You good? You seemed to space out."

"Yeah…" I absently scratched Cavidid's chin who instantly dropped his head in my lap again. "Just got lost in thought…"

He didn't seem to buy it. "Hmm…"

At that moment Cavidid blew out a particular long breath and the stench reached me again. I gagged. "What do you feed this guy?!"

Nex laughed. "Dragons all have peculiar taste pallets, the ones in captivity even more. Cavidid refuses to eat anything but carcasses that have ripened for precisely one week."

I all but threw up. "That's disgusting!"

"Well, I can't exactly disagree with you on that. But it is not the weirdest diet." He jerked his head towards the large stable doors. "Nipher is one of the smallest dragons we have. She is a real sweetheart, but a diva through and through. She only wants livestock. Life livestock." I frowned. That didn't sound too weird. "It gets worse," he continued with a laugh. "No, livestock isn't enough. She wants them covered in herbs and oils, with vegetables on the side. And she refuses to eat the same thing twice in one month, so we stick to a tight schedule. And may all that is holy be merciful to those not following it, because Nipher certainly won't."

I laughed. "She sounds like my friend Stella. I bet those two would get along splendidly." Nex grinned and seemed to want to respond, but I would never learn what he was about to say.

"Yo, Nex!" called a familiar voice. I instantly glanced up with a smile. "You almost done, fucker? We are supposed to be drinking and guess what?! I'm fucking thirsty." His voice took on a hopeful edge. "You change your mind about going to town?"

"You fucking wish," called Nex back, fondness curling into his aura. "Get in here, you asshole."

Riven appeared in the door opening and instantly froze. He blinked as his eyes landed on me, rubbing his eyes and then taking a second look. "Uh, Nex?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"You mean Red Fountain's grumpiest dragon curled up around your girl's friend and purring like a cat?" chuckled Nex. "Yeah, I'm seeing that."

Riven just stared at me, not even responding when I cheerfully waved. "What the actual fuck…?"

I laughed. "I think I broke him, Nex."

He grinned, sneaking his phone out and taking a picture of Riven's flabbergasted face. The flash of the camera made him snap out of whatever state he had been and he glared at Cavidid's caretaker. "Delete that," he ordered.

"No, I want that picture. I have to show the girls," I piped in. "Not to mention it's great blackmail material."

Nex winked. "Just give me your number and I will send it to you, pretty lady."

"Why you smooth bastard." I laughed. "Normally I only give my number to the guys kind enough to buy me a drink, but I can make an exception for a handsome man like you."

"Stop," groaned Riven, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Please. You two are making me sick. It's like watching my little sister flirt with my best friend. It's disgusting."

Nex and I laughed, Nex making his way over and clasping Riven's shoulder. "Just messing around, Riv. You know me. I flirt with all the ladies."

"You flirt with everything," corrected Riven with a scoff. "Male, female, dragon… Fuck, you traumatized Helia with all your flirting."

"Puh-lease, Helia loved my flirting," drawled Nex with a grin. "Besides, who wouldn't flirt with Helia? He is simply gorgeous."

I chuckled, watching the two amused. I had never seen Riven quite so relaxed before. Not even when it had been just him, Musa and I.

"Bloom…" Riven turned to me. "Don't take this the wrong way because you know you're always welcome at Red Fountain, but… What the fuck are you doing here?"

I cocked my head teasingly. "Here as in Cavidid's stable with Nex, or here as in Red Fountain?"

Riven pinched the bridge of his nose, slapping Nex' hand away when he laughed loudly and grasped the back of his head teasingly. "Both."

I shrugged, giving Cavidid another chin scratch. His eyes actually rolled in the back of his head with a quiet mewl. "Well, I'm here at Red Fountain on a date. Except the man in question ran off to help when Cavidid started making a racket and I followed, which eventually brought me here to this stable with Nex."

"She was ordering him around when I arrived," continued Nex him with a grin. Riven's jaw clenched. "Stood her ground while he was in her face being all intimidating. She didn't even blink. I'm telling you, buddy. It gave me the biggest boner ever."

Riven pretended not to have heard the last part, instead pinched the bridge of his nose again. "Of course she did." He narrowed his eyes at me. "You're trouble, you know that?" I smiled innocently. "Musa will kill me if something happens to you while I am around. The swamp thing proved as much."

"Well, to be fair you guys didn't exactly keep your word," I countered, swirling a lock of my hair around my finger and pretending to be a right angel. Riven just glared at me while Nex was not so subtly trying to cover his laugh with a cough. "And you love my ability to get into trouble. Without it you would never have grown to tolerate me."

"Don't forget your wicked sense of humour," added Nex with a devious smirk. "He is a lot less moody since the two of you started to torment that high and mighty bastard that leads his group. Though he still refuses to explain who or what Voldemort is."

"Am I going to end up wishing the two of you never met?" Riven glared at the both of us. "Never mind. Don't answer that. I already do, especially if you're teaming up against me."

"Speaking about teaming up…" I arched an eyebrow at Nex, grinning wickedly. "What's your opinion on Musa? I could use some help kicking sense into him."

"Asshole." Nex gave Riven a firm shove. "What did you do this time?"

Riven just shoved him back with a snarl. "Mind your own damn business!"

"He overreacted when she invited him to Melody over the break," I answered in Riven's stead. Nex arched an eyebrow at me and I pretended Riven wasn't giving me the evil eye. "And while I agree that Musa wasn't the most tactic about it, she only asked with good intentions. Nothing to do with introducing him to her father. She just wanted to help him since she knows how much he hates Koria and its competitive culture."

"Riven…" Nex sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Man, you know I love you and consider you one of my closest friends so don't take this the wrong way but… You need help. Professional help."

"Nope." Riven shook his head violently. "We ain't fucking talking about this. I'm way too sober for that." Nex and I exchanged a look, silently agreeing we would not just drop the subject. "I much rather want to know who you were on a date with, Bloom."

As if he was summoned by Riven's questions, Brandon appeared in the door opening. He was standing with his back towards us and working together with three other specialists to capture a fluffy punk dragon that seemed to grow and shrink in size, using that ability to evade their grasps.

"Oh, fuck no," groaned my reluctant friend after following my gaze, pinching his nose so harshly I worried for a moment he would break it. "Don't tell me Voldemort finally got you so far."

"The fuck?" All good humour instantly disappeared from Nex' face. "Why would you even bother with that fucker?" He glared at Brandon's back, his aura slowly twisting into a deep dark red colour. "You don't look like the type who is into adultery."

I arched an eyebrow. "Adultery?"

"Nex," hissed Riven.

"You still didn't tell her?" Nex glared at him. "Asshole. I told you months ago to tell her and your lady love."

"Tell me what?" They ignored me, just glaring at one another. I sighed, leaning back against Cavidid, crossing my arms with a scoff. I was going to take a leap of faith here. "That Brandon is actually Prince Sky?" Their heads snapped at me, their eyes practically popping out. I chuckled smugly. That confirmed that Riven and the other guys had known about it. "Don't look so surprised. I might be new to this world, but I'm not stupid, fellas."

Riven stared at me. "You knew? For how long?"

"Suspected," I corrected light-heartedly with an innocent smile, folding my hands together on top of Cavidid's head. He let out a deep delighted sigh. "There's a difference. And pretty much from the first meeting? Brandon is way too much in charge to be a mere squire, and Sky always consults him first before doing anything."

A shit-eating grin pulled itself onto Nex' face. "Not just a pretty face then."

Riven frowned. "Why didn't you say anything?"

I arched an eyebrow. "Why didn't you?"

He huffed, inclining his head. "Point."

I turned to Nex. "How did you know? I mean, I understand how Riven knew, being in the same team and all of that, but how did you know? No, better question: why would you want Riven to tell Musa and I? What's your deal with him?"

Nex and Riven exchanged a look, shared a silent conversation. Riven eventually sighed. "It's your decision. But who knows? She might be able to help in some way."

My ears perked up, curiosity rushing through my veins. "Help with what?"

But Riven moved towards the entrance of the stable and closed the door, staying partly hidden in the shadow with a gap just big enough so he could keep an eye out on what happened in the courtyard.

Nex moved towards me, letting out a deep sigh when he took a seat beside me. Cavidid murmured contently, wrapping his tail around the both of us. I watched the specialist tensely. His aura was all over the place. Anger, sadness, fear, hope…

"Ever heard of Isis?"

I doubted he meant the Egyptian Goddess, so I shot him an apologetic smile. "Uh, no. Sorry."

"That's okay. I won't hold it against you. You're new to this world after all." He shot me a tense smile. "Isis is a moon of Eraklyon. It's not a big realm, or very powerful. But it is wealthy. Very wealthy." My stomach gave a pull. I had a bad feeling about where this was going. "Wealthier than Eraklyon. Always has been, always will be. And Eraklyon's royal family doesn't like that much, never has. How often they haven't tried to annex it over the years…" He snorted bitterly. "And for what? Some rare gems and jewels. Ridiculous."

I placed a hand on his arm, smiling sadly, and guessed: "You're from Isis."

He nodded, a shadow passing over his face. "I was born there, but I grew up here in Magix. My mother and I… We couldn't stay on Isis." He eyed Riven for a moment, who gave a stiff nod, before he turned to me and lowered his voice. "Despite all Eraklyon's affords, Isis remains an independent realm. It has its own laws and customs, even its own royal family. And when force and promises of power did not work, Eraklyon decided to appeal to the royal family and promise them something they could never refuse: to make their heir to the throne the future queen of Eraklyon."

Fury rushed through me. "He is married?! That cheating son of a…"

That was a shock. Sky had only been engaged in the cartoon and I had – somewhat naively I now realised – assumed that was the case in this universe as well, despite Sky being much older than in the cartoon. The sudden urge to strangle my adulterous asshole of a date, or better yet give his wife a call and fill her in on her husband's actions, arose. If there was one thing I despised, it was men who cheated on their spouses. My father had made sure of that.

"Shh." He moved his hand to get me to lower my voice. "Not yet. He was supposed to marry Diaspro – that's the heir to Isis' throne – when he turned eighteen, but they postponed it to after his graduation from Red Fountain. I don't know why. Neither does Riven." Nex nodded at our mutual friend. "He tried to get the story out, but His Highness doesn't want to talk about it. Anyway, what I do know is that the moment they have exchanged vows, Isis loses its independency and becomes a colony of Eraklyon."

"Colonisation…" I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Of course that is a thing here as well. Well, I suppose the people of Isis don't exactly like the idea of becoming a colony."

"You guessed correctly. Anyone voicing their opposition against it is quickly and quietly disposed of."

My jaw slacked. "As in murdered?!"

"Shh!" hissed both Riven and Nex. I quickly slapped a hand over my mouth, murmuring a quiet apology. When I got upset over something, I tended to raise my voice. Much to my mother's displeasure. I had always tried to make her see that that was only a normal reaction, that anyone had it, but she never agreed.

"Yes, as in murdered," sighed Nex, dropping his head back against Cavidid. "Erendor has soldiers stationed on Isis, both in uniform and in civilian. He wasted no time in putting them there after they came to an agreement. And ever since, anyone opposed to the union vanishes into thin air, never to be heard of again." He sighed, his head slumping. I grasped his shoulder tightly when a deep grey with yellow edges wormed its way into an aura. I still wasn't sure but I suspected it was something like grief. "My father was one of the leaders of the opposition. That was why my mother and I couldn't stay on Isis. He sent us away long before the news of the engagement got out. We never heard of him again."

My heart broke for him and I blinked at the tears while tightening my grasp on his shoulder. Was it too soon to hug him? I wanted to hug him. Really really badly. "Nex, I'm so sorry…"

He shot me a tight smile. "That is sweet, but it's not your fault." His eyes moved to the stable door, fury washing over his face. "It's Erendor's."

I nodded sadly. "And you blame Sky as well."

"Yeah…" He scoffed bitterly. "The guy preaches how he wants things to change, that he does not agree with his father in the least, that he wants to make Eraklyon more progressive." He rolled his eyes with a hateful sneer. "He wouldn't be the first to preach change but do shit after he's crowned. I doubt he will be the last either. After all, if he really wanted to change things, he would refuse to marry Diaspro and since he won't…"

"Yeah, practise what you preach does not exactly apply to him." I gritted my teeth. "Why doesn't the council interfere?" I snorted the second after I had voiced the question. "Never mind. They are useless and by the time they have come to a decision, Sky's grandchild will be on the throne."

"That and Erendor has basically all the members in his pocket." I pinched the bridge of my nose again. Great, corruption was a thing here too. "Besides, what is one lousy moon? If they keep Erendor happy and their pockets filled by turning a blind eye, then they are more than willing to sacrifice Isis' independency. Their personal gain is much more important."

"What about the other realms?" I continued, searching for some back-up from Riven. He just stood unmoving by the door, his aura resembling a thundercloud. "How can they accept this? Don't they have a conscience, that they just let this happen?"

"They don't know." I froze, staring wide-eyed at Riven. He scoffed bitterly. "Bloom, Sky's daddy has the entire council in the pocket. He will pay them handsomely to make sure they keep their damned mouths. Even any news on the engagement is kept under wraps. As far as the media knows, Sky is really Brandon and therefore currently dating Stella."

I turned to Nex, who looked like a kid that had dropped his ice cone. "But you and your mother made it off Isis, right? Surely there are more. If you speak up…"

My heart sank when he just shook his head, his shoulders slumming even more. I hadn't known anyone could look that defeated. "Erendor's reach goes far. Even those who escaped his clutches aren't safe from him." He huffed bitterly. "At first I was more open about what happened. I couldn't just keep quiet, not after what happened to my father. But then…" He shook his head again. "I wanted to become a paladin like my father, to fight with everything I had and protect those who couldn't. But for some reason I wasn't accepted to Malacoy."

"Malacoy never turns students down," clarified Riven through clenched teeth. "There are too little paladins as it is. Most boys with magic decide to become wizards, so anyone with potential and the desire to choose the other option is welcome at Malacoy."

"Hence why I'm stuck here." Cavidid made a noise behind us and Nex chuckled, petting his flank. "Though the friends I made are irreplaceable. You know that, buddy."

"I hate politics," I mumbled balling my fists. "I really really hate politics."

"Yeah, that makes the three of us." Nex sighed deeply. "Part of me wants to keep fighting. Tell the world what is happening to Isis, what Eraklyon is doing now that Domino is no longer around to keep them in line." I instantly gazed up at the mention of my realm. "My mother is too afraid of what will happen to us to even consider speaking up, as are most others who made it off Isis. And I know there are some who have disappeared into thin air after trying to tell their story to the media. Even council members who object too strongly are suddenly forced to retire and in the worst cases, assassinated when their identities became public knowledge."

I wanted to throw my hands in the air and shout, march right towards the council and give them a firm piece of my mind. "Why isn't anyone noticing that?"

"Corrupt law enforcement for one," shrugged Nex. "If the bodies are actually found – and more often than not they aren't – they are usually staged to look like natural or accidental causes. And who cares about politicians? They come and go, and everyone knows that accepting a position on the council is practically a death sentence."

"Well, I am not forgetting about this." I instantly jumped to my feet, ignoring Cavidid's quiet moans of protest. "If that royal arse of a muppet thinks he can shut me up, he has another thing coming." I turned to Riven, giving him an accusing glare. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Stella probably doesn't even know, and if she had…"

"Don't underestimate the danger you are in, Bloom." Riven shot me a tight look. "Erendor isn't anything like our resident Voldemort. He won't hesitate to get his hands dirty. Well –" He chuckled, though there was little humour in. "– he wouldn't actually get his hands dirty, but he would definitely pay someone to do it for him."

"He can't make the heir of Solaria disappear without King Radius blowing his lid," I pointed out, balling my hands into fists. I wanted to punch something. No, I wanted to fly to Eraklyon and punch Erendor. Maybe if I broke his nose or his jaw, I would feel better. Possibly set a few things on fire… "And I would like to see him try with me. On Earth we have this saying that cockroaches don't burn, but I would just love to see if that applies here as well."

Riven smirked, his eyes shining proudly. "Told you she might be able to help."

Nex glared nastily. "If you had told her sooner…"

"Fucker."

"Asshole."

I chuckled at the fond exchange, though it did make me wonder. They looked like they had been friends since childhood, and I knew Riven had trouble making friends. He did not trust others easily. Not even me. While we were comfortable around one another, I knew he did not confide in me quite as much as he did Musa, that there were things he felt he could share with her, but not with me. Then again, the two of them had spent a lot more time together. It wasn't that weird.

"How did you two even meet?"

"Helia and I were dormmates," answered Nex, jerking his head into Riven's direction. "After he became their mentor, he always dragged this fucker with him whenever we met up. We are into the same things. It was just bound to happen."

Riven scoffed. "And now I can't get rid of him."

"Like you want to." Nex blew him an air kiss. Riven scowled and rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't know what to do without me."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't be dragged to Magix every Friday to get drunk," snarked Riven back.

Nex scoffed. "If I didn't forcefully drag you out of your dormitory once in a while, you wouldn't even know what Magix looks like. You're a damned hermit, that's what you are."

"I could go for a drink," I interrupted before their bickering could spiral out of control. "I sure need one after- Well –" I gazed at Cavidid and then at the two men with me. "– everything."

"Yeah…" Nex shot me a playful grin after blowing another kiss at Riven who just glared. "Maybe after a few drinks this fucker will finally open up about Musa and consider getting some professional help."

My eager grin made Riven groan pathetically. "Yep, I already regret the two of you meeting."

---

"You're late."

I rolled my eyes when I landed and that was the first thing thrown my way. "And hello to you too, Wolf. How was my day, you ask? Oh, just wonderful. I woke up way too early because some idiot forgot the time and decided to give me a ring to ask me out on a date. Then I had this big exam that I totally nailed – you know, the one I told you yesterday about and was really stressing over – and I ended the day with getting up close and personal with a dragon. Thank you so much for asking." I scoffed when the man had the nerve to chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." But his lips were quirking up in that amused half smirk of his.

I narrowed my eyes. "Then. Stop. Laughing." He didn't, instead the way his shoulders were shaking was becoming even more prominent. Oh, I wanted to hit him. Really badly. Gritting my teeth and balling my hands into fists, I crossed my arms and bit out: "Yes, I'm late. But I had a date."

All humour instantly disappeared of his face. "You had a what?"

"A date, old man." I rolled my eyes at the reaction. "It's what people nowadays get up to when they want to see if there's a possible romance in the cards."

"Yes, I know what a date is. I'm ancient, not dumb," snapped Valtor. "Why were you on one?"

"Because I was asked out?" I arched a sceptic eyebrow. If he had not asked because he had no idea what a date was, then why was he reacting like this? "And because I want to date and find someone to spend the rest of my life with? Just because I have this big destiny hanging above my head, doesn't mean I don't want to be normal."

"But you're not normal," reminded Valtor me, still with that sharpness. "And if you're not taking what I'm trying to teach you seriously…"

"Let me just stop you there," I interrupted, perching my hands on my hips and glaring furiously at him. "I went on one lousy date – one! – and suddenly you're accusing me of not taking this seriously? What the actual fuck?! When have I ever given you any reason to doubt me?" I mentioned angrily to the world around us. "Coming here every single night despite being completely worn out, should be testimony enough that I'm dedicated to seeing this through, that I'm NOT taking this lightly." He just scoffed, turning away from me with a dismissive wave of his hand. And honestly, that hurt. A lot. A knife to the chest would have been kinder. "After everything, all my hard work and all the long hours…" I blinked against the tears which abruptly filled my eyes, biting my lip when I heard how insecure my voice was. "You still believe that this is nothing but a game to me?"

"This is what you get when you don't listen to me." I couldn't bite back the whimper when for the first time in months, my mother's voice echoed through my head. And here I had hoped I had banished her from my thoughts. A fool's hope as it turned out. "You're useless. No one wants you around. Why would they? You're nothing. They are just humouring you."

"So that's what she sounds like." I jumped when Valtor unexpectedly spoke, cutting through her words like glass through skin. There was an edge in his voice, a coldness, that made me want to slink away into the darkness. "Never thought I could possibly hate someone so much without ever meeting them."

I blinked, my heart doing a little somersault. "Did he just…"

"She would have made a fine fourth Ancestress," continued Valtor with a humourless laugh. "Darkar certainly would have loved her. It's a shame she doesn't exist in our universe."

"She does."

I wasn't sure why I confided that in him. Probably because I had been dreaming about my parents – and Carson, though those were more memories – these last few nights, which I blamed on the stress of my midterms. Whenever I had big exams coming up, their disapproving glares and scowls upon being presented with my grades – which always disappointed them no matter how high they were – haunted me. Three years, but I still hadn't shaken their pressure of. I still tried to do my best and make them proud.

Possibly the large amount of alcohol I had consumed with Nex and Riven wasn't helping either. I tended to lose my filter and flip my slut switch when I consumed a bit too much of the good stuff…

Whatever made me blurt out the truth, I regretted it the moment the words left my mouth.

Valtor whirled around and arched an eager – yes, actual eager – eyebrow at me. He seemed… Well, excited. Really excited. Like a kid in a candy store. It was disturbing.

I cleared my throat awkwardly, shuffling backwards and glancing uncomfortably at the sky above us. Was I finally getting used to the darkness or was Dream Domino developing some light source? "Uh… I should NOT have said that…"

"Oh, you most definitely should have." My eyes flickered at him and I gulped when I noticed he was stalking towards me. I did not like that look in his eyes. It reminded me of a big cat stalking some innocent deer. Or – if we were sticking to our fairy-tale thing – the Big Bad Wolf preying on Little Red Riding Hood. "Your dearest mother is alive in this universe?"

I swallowed, giving a tight nod. "Yeah… My father as well. They just don't have any children."

His lips quirked up, his eyes gleaming. "Interesting…"

"No, it's not," I argued quickly, worriedly. He was up to something and I did not like it. Not one bit. "And whatever it is you're thinking… Forget it. It's not happening." He arched a daring eyebrow at me and I scowled, giving him a small shove. I prayed my hands weren't actually shaking as much as I feared they were. "Knock it off."

"I'm not doing anything."

"Yes, you are." I glared, crossing my arms and hiding my fingers in my armpits. "You're acting like my overprotective, possessive husband hell-bend on taking revenge on those who wronged me. And guess what? You're not. And I?" I gestured wildly to myself. "I don't need to be avenged. Least of all by you."

A cruel smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. "Who says I would kill them to avenge you? I'm the one who has to listen to you constantly kicking yourself while you are already down because of them. Extremely annoying, might I just add."

I opened my mouth to argue, when it dawned on me that we were completely off topic.

I narrowed my eyes, waving a finger at him. "Who is dodging the subject now, hmm?" Valtor shot me an unimpressed look. "We weren't discussing my parents. We were…"

"Oh, we were definitely discussing your parents," interrupted Wolf lightly, with that damned cocky smirk on his lips. "Your mother in particular. Do you always hear her in your head? Or are that just your own insecurities voiced by her?"

I scrunched my nose, crossing my arms with a huff. "What are you now? My shrink?"

"Please," drawled Valtor with a roll of his eyes. "As if I would care about the whole soul-searching thing. I have better things to do with my time."

"Like overreacting when I mention I was on a date. Yes, I noticed." He glared. I mimicked him. "If you're not doubting my dedication, then why act like a first-class dick over it? It was just one stupid date, and a lousy one at that." I wasn't sure what it was, but a potential answer popped into my head the moment the words slipped past my lips. "Wait…" My jaw slacked a little, my stomach doing an excited somersault at the mere possibility. "Are you jealous?"

His grey eyes narrowed. "Don't be preposterous. Why would I – the most powerful wizard in the Magic Dimension and Keeper of the Dark Flame – be jealous of some pathetic teenager? There is nothing to be jealous of."

Brandon's lovesick face shortly before he had bolted for the stables popped into my head, as well as me ditching him at the stables – he still had been running after that pink dragon – to go to Magix for a drink with Riven and Nex. That had been more fun than the entire date together which honestly said enough. And Riven hadn't even given up his complaining, mentioning whenever he saw fit that we could have gotten drinks at Red Fountain just fine and that the music and crowd surrounding us was giving him a headache. He had bailed when Nex had pulled me onto the dancefloor. A dick move, one we had agreed to get him back for.

I inclined my head. Yeah, he had a point there. Fake Brandon versus Wolf? Wolf would crush him, even without magic.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." I blinked out of my thoughts when Valtor spoke again, an eyebrow instantly shooting up at the pure disgust dripping of his face. "Erendor's son? Really? Oh Red, please tell me your annoying friends dared you to go on a date with him, that you didn't actually accept out of your own free will. Tell me you're not that desperate."

"Hey, who are you calling desperate?!" I scoffed indignantly, my cheeks tingling. "And for the record, I only accepted because I wanted a distraction and he was the first to ask. Not that that is any of your business."

Valtor instantly cocked a curious eyebrow. "A distraction from what?"

I tensed, heat rushing up my spine so quickly that it was a right miracle my head didn't explode. "Fuck. I shouldn't have said that. I should NOT have said that."

Valtor's lips quirked up, his eyes sparkling as he heard my inner turmoil. "Well, well. Aren't you in a right flustered state?" He cocked his head. "Hmm, I wonder what are you so ashamed of. Must be something naughty." I could practically feel him prodding our connection. "Go on. You can tell me."

"Nope. Not going there." I shook my head stubbornly, resisting the urge to slap my hands over my cheeks and hide their bright colour from his eyes. "You can go to hell."

His eyes only lit up more. "That bad, huh? You've utterly captivated me now."

"You –" I pointed a finger at him, a shaking finger, and bit the words out a little louder than was necessary. "– are dodging the subject again."

Valtor's lips curled over his teeth into something of a ferocious smirk. "Pot, kettle, darling."

"Huh, that's a new one…"

And one I found myself not minding all that much. Quite the opposite, the way he drawled it out along with the smirk made my heart flutter and new heat to rush to my cheeks. I could get used to him calling me "darling". For some weird reason I didn't consider it belittling or even an insult. If I allowed my heart to overrule my head – which obviously I would never do around Valtor – then believing the pet name was actually one of endearment, would be almost too easy.

But I wasn't going there. And I refused to let my heart rule, stomping the fluttering feeling down and reminding myself Valtor did not call me pet names out of love or adoration.

Luckily his next words only reconfirmed that.

"Besides, me thinks the lady protests too much." I bristled, he smirked in response. I was sure we were going to have something of a staring contest to see who would break first, but we were interrupted – in other words I was saved – by a loud noise. We simultaneously glanced up to the sky above us and Valtor clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "What in the Dragon's disgustingly flower-smelling breath is that awful racket?"

"Uh…" I grimaced. "That's probably still the princess of Solaria cursing Brandon, Sky and Eraklyon. Just before I fell asleep, Flora was rushing towards Stella's room because she had started to throw things around…"

Valtor cocked an eyebrow at me, eyeing me with no small amount of suspicion and disappointment. "What did you do, Red?"

"Nothing!" I protested with an offended glare. "And why is it that every time someone seems to be upset, you instantly jump to the conclusion that it's somehow my fault?"

He shot me a deadpan look. "Because subtle is not exactly your middle name."

My jaw slacked before snapping audibly close. I had the sudden urge to growl at him, or wave my finger in his face again. "Okay, I take offense to that. Yes, I might not be a master manipulator like you, but as of yet no one has figured out my secret. And Stella's anger has nothing to do with my knowledge of the future, nor is it my fault. I was just the messenger. Riven and his friend Nex –"

Valtor's eyebrows shot up. "What kind of a ridiculous name is Nex?"

"– were the ones who told the story and I just shared it with the girls," I continued, pretending he had not interrupted. "Honestly, if it is anyone's fault… Well, Sky and Brandon are to blame for lying and keeping major secrets. And who can blame Stella for being angry that the love of her life has been lying to her for nearly two years?"

"Oh, yes, because you definitely haven't been searching for a none suspicious way to tell your annoying friends the truth about Erendor's son." Sarcasm basically dripped off his every word, which was only enhanced by his dramatic eyeroll. "You did nothing to coax the story out of this oddly named boy and consort?"

"Well…" I rubbed the back of my neck, pushing some snow around with my foot. "I might have mentioned I knew about Brandon being the real Prince Sky…"

Valtor pinched the bridge of his nose with a deep sigh, as if I was the biggest disappointment in the Magic Dimension. "Of course you did."

"But the topic was not brought up by me," I defended myself, crossing my arms with a scowl. "That was all Riven. I was not fishing."

Valtor still wasn't impressed. "And pray tell how you explained this knowledge to them."

"I didn't." I smiled smugly. "Just told them that I wasn't dumb and it was pretty obvious."

"Hmm…" His response caused my smugness to instantly vaporize. I thought my response had been pretty devious. "And then you decided to share your new "knowledge" with your friends. To make it look even less suspicious."

I did not like this tone of his, or what he was hinting at. I narrowed my eyes at him, perching my hands on my hips and leaning just slightly towards him. "And just what exactly do you mean with that?"

Valtor shot me a look. "You can't protect everyone from getting hurt, Red. Trying to make that happen will just end up fucking you over more."

"Are you scolding me for caring?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He just shrugged, turning away from me, and I found his dismissal more than a little infuriating "There is nothing wrong with caring!"

"It's a weakness. The sooner you get rid of it, the better."

"Excuse you, the list of people I care about includes you," I shot back hotly, the annoyance quickly turning to anger. "Is that another weakness?"

He visibly tensed but that was the only visible reaction I got. "Well, it is a horrible decision."

I balled my hands into fists, finding that I was literally shaking in anger. Was I happy I was crushing on him? No, but that didn't mean I resented caring for him. Not when being around him felt this good, not when he understood me so well. That he was actually telling me I shouldn't… As if I needed another reason to hate the Ancestresses and Darkar: this was their doing just as my insecurities were my mother's doing. Of that I was sure. Only parental figures could do that kind of damage. Though…

"Is this about you trusting Griffin and her betraying you?" I got a one-shouldered shrug and my nails dug into my palms in anger. Now I wanted to find Cloudtower's headmistress and break her nose. As if he had needed even more trust issues. The one time he had actually given in and allowed himself to trust someone, that person had stabbed him almost literally in the back. "You shouldn't give up on something after just one bad experience, Wolf."

"I guess that means you will be going on another date with the future king of Eraklyon."

"What…?" I frowned, the anger leaving me like air escaping an open balloon. What remained was utter confusion. How had we ventured back to this? Better question, how had we ended up from discussing my date to him having trust issues and wanting me to develop the same issues? I massaged my temples. He was giving me a bloody headache. "No, I won't be going on another date with him. Not after what Nex told me. Which reminds me…" I stomped towards him and took a threatening stance in front of him, rolling my shoulders back and perching my hands on my hips to make myself look bigger and more intimidating than I was. His eyes momentarily flickered down to my chest – I suppressed the urge to cross my arms over my cleavage to block his view – and then back up, cocking an unimpressed eyebrow. "Did you know that Eraklyon is trying to annex Isis?"

"Is the Omega Dimension cold?" countered Valtor in a deadpan voice. I shot him a confused look. What the actual hell? Where had that question come from? "Oh, we aren't asking each other pointless questions that anyone with a brain can answer?" I shot him my most furious glare. I hated that belittling tone in his voice. He rolled his eyes before continuing with a deep sigh: "Yes, Red. I knew about that. It is common knowledge that Eraklyon wants to get their filthy paws on Isis' wealth."

"And you couldn't have told me that earlier?" I protested indignantly. "It would have explained a lot, not to mention spared me from feeling dumb. And guess what, Wolf? I don't like feeling dumb."

Valtor rolled his eyes at me again. "No one does, Red. Get over yourself."

"Get over myself?" I spluttered. "You're trying to teach me to plan ahead! How can I plan ahead when I don't have all the facts? That Isis will belong to Eraklyon in two years, when Sky marries Diaspro, isn't exactly what I would call a minor DETAIL!"

Valtor's eyebrow shot up and for the first time that evening he actually seemed interested in what I had to say. "You did not tell me that his fiancée was the princess of Isis, let alone the heir to the throne."

"I didn't know," I admitted, my previous annoyance deflating. Of course he couldn't have known beforehand. I hadn't known so he couldn't have either, not while being a popsicle for so long. Ugh, this conversation was giving me a serious whiplash. "I can't remember if the cartoon ever mentioned where she was from. Just that she was a princess and that the marriage was arranged. I think…" I mentioned absently towards my head. "It's all a bit blurry up here. I mean, I don't have photographic memory like Tecna." I hummed thoughtfully to myself, wishfully. "That certainly would have been most helpful…"

"Hmm…" Valtor brushed a finger over his lips, holding his elbow steady with his other hand. "What more did that weirdly named boy tell you?"

I rolled my eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Nex, Wolf. His name is Nex."

"Like I care, Red. Now stop being so annoyingly righteous and just tell me what you learned."

I gritted my teeth. Why did I even bother? It was like flogging a dead horse. Honestly, I should have known better by now.

With a deep sigh, I crossed my legs and slumped down on the ground, resting my elbows on my knees and just recounting everything I had learned that evening. Brandon's cryptic resentfulness to his parents, the story of Saladin and the dragons, Isis' background that Nex had shared, the arranged marriage and soldiers from Eraklyon stationed on Isis… I even told him how Nex had spoken out, and then hadn't gotten accepted to Malacoy.

Valtor started pacing halfway through the story, his fingers wrapping around his chin and his brows furrowing. I wasn't sure why, not until I had finished the story.

The first thing out of his mouth was: "Well, he certainly didn't waste any time."

I arched an eyebrow, demanding silently for an explanation, but he was still pacing and did not notice. "Uh, care to elaborate, oh annoying one?" I urged on, my eyes following him. It was as if I was back in London and being forced to accompany my mother to Wimbledon. "Because I'm missing something here."

Valtor scoffed, clasping his hands behind his back. "Doesn't that pathetic school of yours teach history?"

"Barbatea teaches me the dimension's history, as you well know." I scowled. "But we haven't gotten to Eraklyon yet, and since she still has orders from Faragonda, recent history is off the table as well. And Selim's history lessons are more about how magic developed over the centuries. He expects the dimension's history to be common knowledge." His lips parted, a disgruntled look slipping over his face, but I beat him to it. "Please don't give me another tirade on how Alfea needs a new curriculum and headmistress. You're not wrong, but there is nothing either of us can do about it, now can we?"

"You could just kill her."

"What?!" I spluttered, my eyes all but popping out. Alright, he had not just said that and meant it! I did not care that his face was all "let's get down to business". He had not suggested I murder Alfea's headmistress and fucking meant IT. "You're not serious?! I am not killing Faragonda!"

Valtor's lips quirked up in half a smirk. "Why not? You'll enjoy it, not to mention it'd be justified. Payback is just another word for Karma, darling."

"I would NOT enjoy killing Faragonda!" My cheeks burned in indignation. I even felt a little sick. "Hell, I would not enjoy KILLING anyone! Why would you even…"

"Don't insult me," interrupted Valtor sharply. He paused in his stride – he was still pacing for some reason – to turn to me and shoot me a look that would kill anyone else on the spot. "You might succeed in selling that disgusting righteousness to anyone else, but I know you better, Red. You enjoy making people squirm, to intimidate them, to make them to listen to you. You love the power that you have, which is partly why you're so set on keeping it safe and –" He pointed at me with a smug grin. "– why you hate it when you don't know something."

"I do not get off on other people's misery!" I protested fiercely, my hands shaking. I hated that a part of me could find itself in that, that there was a large part of me that did actually want to hurt Company of Light in some way or another because they hadn't done their jobs properly, for keeping pretty important secrets, and for treating me like a clueless child. "And I would never deliberately hurt anyone!" He just cocked a sceptic eyebrow and my cheeks burned even more. I did not like being called a liar either. "I wouldn't!"

"Did you or did you not want to coat the streets of Magix with the blood of the Trix?" dared Valtor, the smirk on his face had something cruel. My stomach dropped, and that must have shown on my face because he got this awfully pleased smirk on his face. Like the cat that got the cream. "And pray tell, what would you have done to dear Ms. Faragonda when you confronted her with the truth IF it had just been the two of you and you hadn't had an audience?"

I swallowed against the tightness in my throat. No, I was not a sadist. I was not – I could not be – power hungry. Wanting to hurt the former Company of Light wasn't because I actually desired to hurt them or prove I was more powerful than them. It was about vengeance and making them understand their actions had been wrong, that it had cost me my realm and my family. It had nothing to do with me being bloodthirsty, vicious or establishing dominance.

Right?

"Face it, Red. We are exactly the same, except I do not deny what I want. But you…" He cocked his head thoughtfully, murmuring softly to himself. "You insist on keeping up this tiresome act."

I shook my head, swallowing the lump in my throat away. I was not falling for this. "It is not an act." He arched a sceptic eyebrow. "It is not an act," I repeated, more strongly this time, while rising to my feet. "Maybe you're right and there is something inside me that is violent, power-hungry and ruthless. But as long as I live and have any free will, I will not just give into that. I AM better than that." I balled my hands into fists, glaring up at him through the tears. For not the first time I really wished I was taller, that he did not tower a full head above me, that I would reach a little higher than just his shoulders. "I am NOT a killer."

"We all are." I actually took a step back when he spoke those words so casually. "Do not fool yourself. Deep down there is a killer in all of us, waiting to be awoken by the right circumstances."

I refused to believe that, shaking my head lightly. "Most people are good," I told him, repeating the words I had once read in a book. 'Human kind, a hopeful future' by Dutch historian Rutger Bregman. One of the few none-fantasy books I had practically devoured. "Yes, there are exceptions – there always are – but the majority wants do the right thing."

Valtor cocked his head slightly. "Put anyone in a place of power for a longer period of time and they will only crave more of it. The same applies to wealth." His mouth curled up into a half smirk. "Just take Eraklyon and Isis as example. When Eraklyon's rule was established, those who favourited a democracy above a monarchy fled to Isis and settled there, for their own safety. They chose a leader, but overtime that leader became their king. And no one complained anymore because they had gotten filthy rich and under their leader, the promise of more wealth was enough to cast aside their previous beliefs."

My head was spinning again. Were we having a conversation about my bloodthirstiness or about the history of Isis? This man was giving me a literal whiplash.

Valtor smirked. "I'm multitasking, my dear: giving you a history lesson while questioning your intentions at the same time."

"Why?" I demanded to know, crossing my arms. "Give me one good explanation as to why you're suddenly questioning my morality."

Valtor's eyes slowly dragged over me, as if he had never seen me before. "Because, Red –" His lips curled into a wide smirk. "– you should never judge someone until you have endured what they have, especially not the ones who are willing to do what needs to be done."

I rubbed my forehead. "You're seriously giving me a headache, Wolf."

"Fine, I will simplify it for you." I shot him a nasty look. "Preaching righteousness and holding onto ridiculous high morals, does not give you the right to judge or look down on those who do not agree, or live by different standards."

That did not clarify much, if I was honest. "Is that what you think?" I wondered, truly confused. "That I judge and look down at you?" He cocked an eyebrow, the look he shot me practically screaming "duh". And I wasn't sure whether I was offended or sad. Maybe both. "Have you ever killed for pleasure?" I asked softly. "Taken someone's life simply because you could? And I truly mean the times you made those choices, not when the Ancestresses or Darkar gave you orders." He pulled a face, like I had sucker punched him rather than asked a simple question. "You told me yourself that you are not a person who attacks someone while their backs are turned. That there is no honour in that." He did not answer, but he didn't need to. "Do I understand why you kill, maim and terrorize in your quest for power? No, I do not. Do I condemn it? Yes, I do. But I also believe that you had your reasons. You're many things, Wolf, but not a sadist or a psychopath. I do not look down at you for having done what you have. But if I ever gave you that feeling, than I apologize. That was not my intention."

I got no response and he did not give me the time to try and read him. He turned away the moment my eyes searched for his.

I sighed in defeat, rubbing my temples against the quickly rising headache. "Can we just agree to disagree and move on? I mean, we were not questioning each other's morals. I don't even know how we got there. I just…" My chin fell to my chest when another sigh ripped itself out of my chest. "Can you please for once just indulge me and explain some history? Just some background information on Eraklyon and Isis. It's not like I am asking you to share the dimension's entire timeline with me."

He turned back to me, cocking an eyebrow. Sadness rushed through me when I noticed the unreadable mask he had put on. It had been a while since he had worn that around me, which could only mean I had hurt him in one way or another. "Do I look like a fucking history teacher to you?"

I couldn't help myself. Despite our little argument, my eyes trailed to the outdated clothes he wore and I cocked my head, my lips twitching up in half a smile. Dark breeches, white tunic, deep purple waistcoat, long leather coat, and knee-length boots. It was a good look, definitely not one just anyone could pull off, but he did dress a bit "last season" as Stella would call it.

"Don't fucking answer that," he growled. I giggled. He rolled his eyes dramatically, but his lips were twitching just slightly up and amusement was cracking through his mask. I mentally congratulated myself on a job well done. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother with you, Red."

I shot him a radiant smile, detecting the fondness he wasn't hiding as actively anymore as the first time we had met. "Because my mere presence lights up your life. I make your imprisonment so much more bearable."

He barked out a laugh, his lips quirking up a little more, and I silently cheered that his previous sore mood seemed to quickly disappear and leave nothing but a shadow. "You're not that cute, Red."

"Not that cute? Excuse you," I protested, perching my hands on my hips in fake indignancy. "I'm fucking adorable."

"Fucking annoying is more like it." He scoffed, rolling his eyes fondly at me. "And you're fishing for compliments again."

"I do NOT fish for compliments." My lips quirked up. Victory, we were back to our regular banter, the one I enjoyed way too much. This was so much better. "You're just incapable of giving them and I like to see how far I can push you until you crack and admit that I'm bloody amazing."

He rolled his eyes again. "If I agree that you are, will you then finally shut up?"

"Well, not with that attitude I will." I grinned victoriously. "Besides, you need to mean it, not just say it to humour me."

He just shook his head, the ghost of a smile creeping onto his face. "Sometimes I wonder if there is literally anything in my power that I can do or say that will shut you up."

"You could try to give me what I want and see if that works," I suggested sugary sweet, twirling a lock of hair around my finger and bashing my lashes at him. "Just one little history lesson."

Valtor scoffed at my not-so-subtle attempt to sway him. "Knock it off, Red. Like I said you're not that cute." I pouted, dropping my hand. "And I will absolutely not humour you. You're like a stray kitten. If I give in and feed you even once, I will never get rid of you."

I cocked my hip, shaking my head at him. "Come on, Wolf. You're being overly dramatic again. Honestly, what's the worst that can happen?"

He scoffed. "You do not want me to go down that road. That will make it even less likely I will give you what you want."

I chewed on my lip thoughtfully. How to get him to give in…? I all but bounced on my feet when the answer came to me. "What about a deal?"

"A deal?" He visibly perked up at the question, arching an eager eyebrow. "Explain."

"You want me to shut up," I pointed out with the sweetest and most innocent smile I could master, one that only seemed to make him more wary. "I want some answers. If you give me what I want, I will take my position and practice for as long as you want me to without complaining." He did not seem to be swayed, so I quickly added: "And I will only speak when you want me to."

"Hmm…" Valtor stroked his chin thoughtfully, his brows furrowing a little while his eyes slowly moved over me again. "Alright, Red. You have a deal." I refrained from doing a little victory whoop, trying to not look too happy about getting my way. Judging by the amused half smirk he was shooting into my direction, I was failing miserably. Still, he did not comment or even chide me and just jerked his head to the circle of fire. "After you, my dear."

I moved to the middle of the circle and slumped down crossed-legged again, relaxing my arms in my laps before glancing expectedly up at him. My heart all but gave out at the sight that greeted me.

Valtor shedding his coat was as normal as our banter. Him shedding it and then proceeding in rolling his sleeves up? That was a first.

With each careless flick of his wrist, more skin appeared and I found myself unable to tear my gaze away. I had expected it to be paler, since he was always covered from head to toe – showing absolutely no skin from the chin down – but it was remarkably tan. Yet what fascinated me even more were the lines on them.

He had tattoos.

The great and powerful Valtor had actual tattoos.

I never would have guessed that. He did not seem like the type but there they were: thick lines and swirls standing out against the tanned skin and curling up around his arms before disappearing under his sleeves.

On his left forearm the tail feathers of a bird slowly came to light. They were not as detailed as some of the art I had seen on others. Instead the feathers resembled fire rather than the fluffy but often eccentric coats the former dinosaurs wore. I half hoped he would roll up the sleeves even more, to see to what type of animal the tail belonged.

The other tattoo reminded me of the snakes most men enjoyed putting on their bodies. The scaly tail emerged from under his gloves. I guessed that it started on the back of his hand and then twisted and turned all up over his arm. I had no idea where the head or tail was at it, though. I just saw the middle part.

Unlike the feathers, the scales were lighter. The bird seemed to be made out of shadows in the form of…

Oh!

The penny dropped. "He has a phoenix and dragon tattooed on his arms, to represent the two sides of his powers. Good and evil."

Now I was even more curious to see the top half of the tattoos, though that would require him to shed the entire thing. The mere idea made one part of me dry and one part of me wet.

Valtor was a handsome man, illegally handsome. I tried not to pay too much attention to that when we met up, but in moments like these it tended to catch me off guard. To the point it was like a sucker punch in the stomach. And it hurt just as badly.

Why couldn't he have been an ugly toad? I would probably still be crushing on him due to his intellect, but at least there was something to level it out. Instead he was all brawl, beauty and brains: the three things I was most attracted to.

"Don't take the whole thing off." I repeated the words in my head over and over again, like a mantra. "That will fry my circuits, to quote Tecna."

A better idea would be to look away, to not pay attention to the smooth skin appearing and just focus on something else. But for the life of me, I couldn't look away. There was something poetic about each careful and measured flick of his fingers, to the softness and care he used to move the delicate fabric up.

"I wonder if he is just as careful and thorough with his lovers…"

The unexpected thought set my entire body on fire and it was that my body wasn't glowing or I would have guessed I was turning into a human inferno again. It was nothing sort of a miracle that the snow around me hadn't melted away.

I had always imagined Valtor as a rough lover. A man who became more animal in the heat of the moment. An endless tease just shy of torturer. With him pleasure would not come easy. You would have to work for it. He would make you work for it.

But this made me rethink the notion. Perhaps I and the world of fanfiction had been wrong. Perhaps the fact that he was picky when it came to lovers testified for him, that he was gentle and would not show that side to just anyone.

My lower body clenched in on itself, a war raging in my head. What would he do if I walked up to him and ran my fingers over his tattoos? If I unbuttoned his waistcoat and shirt to discover the rest of the tattoos and possibly discover if he had even more? How would he react if I brushed my lips over the ink and trace that beautiful artwork up his arms? Would he pull me into a fierce kiss before I could do anything truly exciting and claim the control or would he shiver and watch entranced yet smug with the patience of a saint?

The two options clashed inside my mind yet at the same time they fit together perfectly. Why could he not be both?

"Down girl." I tore my gaze away, pressing my shaking hands against my burning cheeks in embarrassment. "Jesus, what is wrong with me? I'm eyeing him like a piece of meat." Of course I had fantasized about Valtor. A girl had needs, even a girl now stuck in a cartoon, and his potential administrations… I bit my lip, shuffling in the snow to achieve some friction, some form of satisfaction. This was getting out of hand. Touching myself in the privacy of a bathroom or my bed and imagining they were his fingers was one thing. Fantasizing about him fucking me raw or drive me crazy with slow and soft while he was right in front of me…

"I need to get laid," I decided with an internal groan. "Maybe I should ask Stella for those names of the specialists good for an one-night stand. This itch needs to go, possible virginity be damned."

Valtor cleared his throat loudly. "Red."

I squeaked at the clipped tone in his voice, quickly looking up at him and tearing my hands away from my cheeks. I prayed they weren't still burning as brightly as they felt, or that the absolute filth currently floating through my head was on full display on my face.

"Yes?"

For the first time since I had met him, Valtor seemed to be in agony. His face was pulled away in a scowl and his eyes were a mixture between… Well, I wasn't sure. But there was a darkness to it that made me want to run away screaming but jump his bones at the same time.

He cleared his throat for a second time, his Adam's Apple bobbing. I watched it do so more than a little transfixed. "You're not paying attention."

"Sorry…" My eyes flickered towards his arms again, the sleeves now perfectly rolled up to just above his elbows. "Where do they end, I wonder? Just under his shoulders or do they continue to his shoulder blades?" The question burned on my tongue, but I swallowed it back. "Alright. Show me what you've got." Valtor arched an eyebrow and I tried to ignore the new surge of heat that shot through me because of it. This time it wasn't heading to my cheeks. It wasn't even rushing up my spine, instead going the complete other way. "Down girl," I told myself for a second time while also swearing I would never drink alcohol again before meeting up with Valtor. "What did you mean with "he certainly didn't waste any time"?" The words left my lips so quickly that I practically stumbled over them. I needed something to distract me, something that was not arousing. Something like… "You meant Erendor, right?"

"Of course I meant Erendor." Valtor huffed. "Now pay attention. I will not repeat myself." I was pretty sure he was asking the impossible, but then he started the story. "In a dimension where Eraklyon was among the most powerful and wealthy, there was always one realm that rose above it: Domino. When your family spoke, their word was final. If they said no, then no one argued. If they desired to see something done, then everyone agreed. And Domino supported Isis' independency." And just like that, I was entranced. With each word he spoke, my heart started to beat harsher against my ribs. "Whatever they needed to stay out of Eraklyon's grasp, Domino helped them with and because Domino supported them, so did everyone else." I swallowed against the new tightness in my throat. "Now Erendor and your father had this rivalry that started around the time they both ascended to the throne. Erendor believed that since your father had only married into Domino's royal family and was not of royal descent, he was less than the other rulers. What he hadn't taken in account was how powerful Oritel was, and that not just anyone is accepted into Domino's royal family. The first time he tried to put him in his place…" Valtor actually chuckled, a deep dark sound that made me shudder and goosebumps to erupt all over my skin. "Well, it was humiliating. Your father absolutely obliterated him, without ever raising his voice or even using any magic. And just like that, the ruler of the second most powerful realm in the Magic Dimension became a laughingstock." A cruel smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "He never quite got over that. The egos of those royal snobs are so easily wounded."

"Figures…"

He shot me a warning look and I quickly closed my mouth again, pretending that I was locking it and throwing the key away over my shoulder. He scoffed at the childish display.

"Now Eraklyon's efforts to get their hands on Isis, especially their wealth, were getting more desperate, and sneakier on top of that. Their own wealth was not so slowly declining, leaving Erendor to deal with massive debts by the time he took the throne. The treasury was basically empty. Eraklyon was on the brink of bankruptcy. And Erendor is a prideful fool. Not only was he determined to make Eraklyon wealthy again, he also had his sights set on doing that what no one before him had done: annexing Isis. The problem was – once again – Domino." Valtor sneered. "After failing to intimidate your father and becoming the unspoken leader among the royals, Erendor turned to sneakier ways to get what he wanted. He tried to threaten and intimidate the ruling king of Isis. He was an older fellow, nearing the end of his reign. I can't remember his name… Diabolo or something. They have this thing where the next in line has to be named something beginning with "Di"…" I almost laughed at the thoughtful frown on his face. "Anyway, Erendor probably thought he would get away with it, that his status as Eraklyon's ruler was enough to scare him into silence. He hadn't considered that Isis would instantly reach out to Domino and alert them of Eraklyon's latest try." His lips twitched up in a wide grin, his eyes sparkling deviously. "Your father then proceeded in heading straight towards Eraklyon's court, storming inside and breaking Erendor's nose in the middle of the throne room. Old-fashioned style. No magic needed." My jaw slacked just a little. "It was caught on camera and displayed all throughout the Magic Dimension. I believe it even ended up on the late-night news. And from that moment on, Erendor just hated Oritel's guts, and he hated Domino and everything it stood for."

I couldn't help myself when he finished his storytelling dramatically. The story made my stomach flutter and I felt proud to call a man with such principles family. I had to say something, but my mind drew a blank and I only ended up stuttering: "Seems Oritel had the bad habit of breaking people's noses."

"Oh, yes. He had a right temper." Valtor cracked his neck in that way he tended to do to focus, before turning to me with a smirk. "One you seem to have inherited." I bit my lip and ducked my head. I never liked it when he compared me to Oritel and Miriam, or pointed out how much like them I was. It was still weird to think of them as my parents. "Truthfully, a lot of people mistook him as the rightful heir to Domino's throne. Your mother was much more diplomatic and controlled. But if you angered her…" He chuckled. "Well, just look into the mirror when you're angry and you will have a general idea."

My fingers landed absently on my chest, on the spot that separated my heart from the outside world. I could feel its rapid rhythm under the skin. I might not be ready to start calling them my parents, but the more I learned about the former King and Queen of Domino, the more kinship I started to feel for them. And hearing even Valtor speak about them with such respect…

I was proud of them, proud that I could call them my family, that I was associated with them. I had experienced it before with Mike and Vanessa, but never before that. It remained an odd feeling but one I was slowly growing more familiar with.

"No wonder Erendor was so against Sky falling in love with Bloom and choosing her over Diaspro," I murmured, thinking back on all of those tries of Erendor and his wife to see Sky and his ex get back together. It had always unnerved me, especially since Bloom had been a princess herself, not to mention powerful. Who wouldn't have wanted a girl like that as daughter-in-law? Now it made a lot more sense. "In his eyes that must have been like sleeping with the enemy."

"Oh, there is even more to that story." The grin he now wore was just downright malicious and I swallowed back the bubbling fear. "With your birth nearing, Darkar grew more relentless in his attacks on the free realms of the Magic Dimension. He set the Ancestresses and I on all the important ones, slowly putting more pressure on them and cutting them off from others. He wanted them to worry so much about their own safety that they would not rush towards the aid of others. Especially Domino's." My stomach turned, the pleasant feeling from earlier disappearing in a puff of smoke. "As the power-hungry bastard that he was, Erendor approached Darkar before Eraklyon truly suffered the brunt of his viciousness. He was willing to give up anything to keep his realm safe, to not be involved in the war Darkar was slowly waging. And when I say anything, I mean anything. Including Eraklyon's piece of the Codex."

"You are FUCKING KIDDING me?!" I protested loudly, my eyes practically jumping out of their sockets. "THAT PIEC…"

"Hush, Red," scolded Valtor me with a smirk, the glint in his eyes devious. He was enjoying this too much. I scowled at him, silently wondering why he had not told me this before if he enjoyed telling it so much. "Darkar naturally agreed. Not that he was too worried about Eraklyon. It might be powerful and rich, but it is no real threat, not with it practically being magicless. And honestly, what are a bunch of well-trained warriors going to do against the most powerful magical creatures in the Magic Dimension? He also doubted Erendor would send help to Domino. The rivalry between him and your father was common knowledge." He scoffed, his lips pulling up in a smirk though there was little humour in it. "Boneless bastard, that is what he is. I do so very much detest the weak ones." I jumped a little when he suddenly clapped in his hands and turned to me. "And there you have it, darling. History lesson is over. I suspect that the day after Domino was destroyed, Erendor visited Isis and forced the arranged marriage onto its new king. After all, the only obstacle standing between him and Isis' wealth had just been destroyed. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he even threw a party to celebrate its destruction."

"And he is keeping it all under wraps because he is afraid the other realms will protest too much, in honour of Domino's beliefs," I guessed, resting my chin on my palm.

Valtor wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Aren't you a smart one."

I absently chewed on my lip, this new information raising a hundred and something new questions. "So you didn't steal the Codex piece from Eraklyon? Erendor just handed it over?"

"And gave up the locations of the other pieces," confirmed Valtor, cracking his neck for a second time before rolling his shoulders. "All part of the deal to not get involved. Afterwards it was easy for me to disguise myself and sneak into the castles and steal the remaining pieces. Without the exact locations, that would have taken me forever."

I rubbed my forehead. "The timeline is confusing me. When exactly did Darkar station you on Domino and when did he get his hands on the Codex pieces? Because Daphne said…"

"Ah-ah-ah," interrupted Valtor, wiggling his finger at me. "A deal is a deal, Red. I gave you your history lesson. Now it's time for you to keep to your part of the deal."

I opened my mouth to protest, but the only thing coming out was a strangled noise. My hand landed on my throat and I grimaced at the odd feeling. I slowly opened my mouth to speak again, but the sharpness that followed had actual tears jumping to my eyes. It was almost like the string from the swamp had returned and was tightening itself around my throat every time I tried to speak

I glared accusingly at him but he eyed me thoughtfully, his brwos furrowoing just slightly. "I am not doing this, Red. I might be an evil fiend, but I do not take pleasure in torturing unexpected victims. And if I wanted you to keep quiet, this would not be how I would do it."

I blinked, a heavy weight dropping in my stomach. If he was not the one doing it, then who was? The urge to throw up was suddenly overwhelming.

"Hmm…" He edged closer, kneeling down in front of me and brushing his fingers over my throat. I waited for him to come across the invisible string and give it a tug, but nothing of the sorts happened. Instead the leather of his glove brushed effortlessly over my skin. "Interesting…" he murmured. I wanted to scream in frustration. I probably would have if I could actually make a sound. "Very interesting…"

"Can you undo it?" I thought as loudly as I could and hoping he would hear it. i had no idea how the whole telepathic thing worked. The string tightened unexpectedly, my hand shooting up in a desperate try to relief the pain.

"No." I almost burst into tears when he shook his head somewhat solemnly, though with no small amount of intrigue. "It's not a spell."

He said it as if it should be a comfort. It wasn't. Not even remotely. If it wasn't a spell, then what was it?

"I am not sure…" The corner of his lip quirked up and my stomach dropped when the twinkle appeared in his eyes. The twinkle was a particular look he got when something – and usually that something was me – new and fascinating presented itself to him. "But I will thoroughly enjoy taking advantage of this."

"WHAT?!" I screeched, yelping soundlessly when the string all but choked me and prevented me from actually making a sound.

"You promised me your silence," he reminded me easily. "And practising for as long as I desired."

I gave him a shove, but he did not even budge, and yelled as loudly in my mind as I could: "I can't speak, you maggot!"

"Seems to me like something is forcing you to keep your end of the deal." My stomach dropped at the grin he shot me. "Maybe we need to make deals more often." I made a silent miserable noise. "None of that, Little Red." He tapped my nose with the most pleased smile I had ever seen on him. "Practise. Get to it." I didn't get the chance to protest again, though I had every intention to do just that. He grabbed my chin and tilted it up before I could even form one sentence. "And that promised silence includes your thoughts, darling."

I narrowed my eyes at him, half a mind to try and bite him. This was the first and only time I would ever willingly make a deal with the despicable devil-incarnated man that was my Yang.

---

So what did you guys think? Are you all O_o or more *squeal*? What about Cavidid and Nex, huh? And who saw the whole Erendor thing coming? :D

I would love it if you take the time to comment.

And Happy Easter!