UGH! This was the first time this story went out of my control. Next chapter will be better. We will get Arion’s story and finally meet the Seers.
Enjoy. Lia
Jebidiah POV
I was lying on my back as I stared up unblinkingly at the ceiling trying to calm my racing thoughts. I was in a small room within the nymphs’ home. The nymphs’ house was basically a giant cabin build in several trees. They chose trees that grew close together and connected them with wood and plank; it was very luxurious and everything about it scream wilderness. From what I understood, the material they used to build it was all found in the forest and nothing else.
I sighed and turned on my stomach gazing at her beautiful face; she looked peaceful as she slept but I needed her to wake up. I lied over her putting my hands on either side of her head so I could hold my weight. I intertwined my left hand with her right and used my right to play with her hair, running my hands through the soft locks.
I gazed at her sleeping face for a long time and then groaned, resting my forehead on hers.
“Please wake up.” I beg softly and waited to see if she would hear me – nothing – no change at all. It has been one week since we arrived at the nymphs’ house. One week and Primula was still sleeping. At first we thought it was a coma, but Sarion, the satyr for the nymphs’ assured us that she was merely sleeping. We waited for hours for her to wake up, but hours turned into days, days into week, still nothing.
I stopped playing with her hair and took her left hand, kissing her palm. I looked back at her face to see if she moved or show any sign that she was feeling me, anything, but there was no movement, only the soft sound of her breathing as her chest move up and down.
“Why won’t you wake up?” I asked her tiredly. Everyone was worried. We had no idea what was going on inside her head and if she would ever wake up. There was so much going on since we arrived at the nymphs’ place but it was all put on hold as we try to find a way to wake up my sleeping mate.
Right now Vates and Krista were making different potions the witch thought would be helpful, not that I was allowing Primula to drink any of them. The first few tasted disgusting and they didn’t even work.
“Come on Primula, wake up.” I held her and turned us around until I was lying on my back and she was sleeping on my bare chest. Sarion said we should move her once in awhile because sleeping in the same position was bad.
“Baby wake up or gave us a sign as to how to help you.” I waited, searching her face for any type of emotion. I didn’t care which – it could be discomfort or happiness as long as I was seeing something, I would be over the moon. Still, she didn’t move, not her face or her body. I kissed her neck and bite down, putting pressure on it a little. I remove my mouth from her neck and gazed at her face to see her facial expression but she was still the same. I was running out of ideas and ways to wake her up. We had tried everything, from shaking her awake to putting ice cold water on her face and even feeding her some of the concoction Vates and the nymphs cooked up, but still nothing worked. I kissed her so many times to see if she would react but nothing!
I let out a huge breath and absent mindedly bite her neck as I thought back to how we were led to the nymphs.
After our battle with Dahaka, we followed Dean throughout the forest hoping that my hunch of him leading us to them was spot on. At first I was confident that my plan would work but after seeing the crazy turns and twist Dean was making as he danced around the forest gyrating his hips like he was some belly dancer, I was beginning to doubt myself. Soon, Vates comment of us being led into a trap started to creep up inside me. I was nervous. I didn’t want to lead us into a trap especially with Primula sleeping as she shakes in my arms.
And that was another thing that scared me; my mate was not feeling alright so I needed to find the nymphs very fast. What happens if I was wrong and we didn’t find what we were looking for but instead found something sinister? I could not afford to put Primula in anymore danger. Plus we really needed to get her help as fast as possible.
“If it doesn’t work we will find another way.” My uncle Arion spoke pulling me out of my thoughts.
I looked up at him for a while and sighed. We were walking through the forest following a dancing Dean. This bothered me a little – why was he dancing? I swear if we were being led to some dancing demon, I will rip it to shreds before it even take a single step.
“I hope it works, because we need to help Primula before things goes bad.” I spoke, he nodded and we focused back to Dean.
No one said anything; Vates and Krista were now walking with me, Arion and Zero as we all watched Dean apprehensively. At first it was entertaining but now, we were just disturbed. Seeing my best friend dancing like that was very creepy and well, gross!
“Is anybody concern why he’s hearing them?” Arion asked frowning as Dean spun around the trees shaking his hips.
“At this point I don’t care. I just wish he would stop dancing.” Zero shouldered and we all sighed. We became silent after that and when I was about to suggest we turned back since my fear of being wrong was getting stronger, we heard music.
We snapped our heads up, looking around for the sound. I look back at Dean, understanding some of his strange movement now. He was dancing to the music that was playing – although it was a very weird music, I could stand watching him dance without wondering what nightmare he invented his moves from.
The closer we got to the music, the more we heard other sounds as well, like laughter. Whoever was playing this music, they were having fun. It took me a while to understand that the music and laughter was coming closer to us, becoming more louder.
I stopped, so did the others as we waited for the parade to arrive, alert and anxious. I looked to Primula who had her head buried in my neck as her soft breathing tickle my skin. I held her closer to me in case of anything.
The laughter and music finally arrived. The first thing I noticed was a group of ten young girls dressed in green clothing made out of plants as they materialized in the forest. They were maybe a year older than Primula, so about seventeen years old. They had flowers in their hair, necklace made from flower and tree vines coated their necks. They were very colorful and happy, like nothing in the world could touch them.
They reached us, no Dean and dance around him, touching him and laughing as they play with my best friend. He had finally stopped and watched the girls anxiously. It was like the fog that was causing him to dance was finally gone from his eyes and now he was just as concern about them like we were.
“Free aren’t they?” We all jumped at the voice and looked to where it was coming from. Standing to the side was a short man probably 5’5 as he played a small musical instrument I didn’t recognize. His hair was reddish brown and wild, eyes as green as the forest; he wore a long green pants with no shirt or shoes, his feet was bare. He was lean with a swimmers’ body, his skin surprisingly pure for someone who lives in the forest.
He was probably in his early or late thirties but his face was so young and lively. He smiled up at us, showing purely white teeth – the smile brightening his entire feature while he continued to play his strange instrument. The aura around him was calm, content and free; this was a person who had no worries or burden in the world.
“The name’s Sarion.” He held his hand out to us as we studied him suspiciously. We all hesitated, not sure of what to do second. Arion step up to take his hand but before he could reach him, Sarion stopped playing his instrument and walked up to me. “Oh this is not good.” He commented touching Primula’s forehead. “Let’s get her inside.”
The moment those words left his lips, the group of girls stopped dancing and playing with Dean and walked up to me gazing at Primula curiously.
“Girls,” Sarion called and they nodded. One of them grabbed my bicep, her hands not even able to hold it as she led me to back the way they came.
Our group followed them, staring at the nymphs and their satyr weirdly. I think their happy aura and carefree nature was turning us off. I don’t know what we anticipated but after the rough three weeks we had, happy people were the last thing we expected to see.
Looking around, I saw the other nymphs holding the hands of the rest of our groups, and the five that didn’t have people to hold, clanged to Dean as they smile and touched his face, hair, kissing his cheeks and jumping on his back while laughing. I bet he was in heaven right now. He always wondered if there was a land of only women; I guess he found it.
We were led to a clear opening in the forest and my jaw dropped. There was a small river to the side and a giant waterfall cascading over it. I looked up in the trees to see a huge cabin built like a tree house. How the heck did they managed to accomplish that? I wondered to myself.
I heard laughter but it was not coming from the girls leading us. It was coming from the side of the river. I looked towards it and almost dropped Primula on the floor. I held her tighter burying my face in her neck to hide from the sight before me.
“Oh my!” My uncle said but I didn’t lift my face to see his expression.
“Wow!” I heard Zero said. “Ow! My eye! Krista, my eye,” he cried.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Krista and Vates snapped bitterly.
I could see where they were coming from. To the side of the river were a group of ten women bathing naked. The thing that made it all worse which had Krista and Vates snarling bitterly was when the women saw us; they just got out of the water and walked to our group. With no clothes! Seriously!
On the side Sarion was laughing at our discomfort. “So innocent,” he commented. I lifted my head from Primula’s neck peeking up to see Sarion walking to the women. He stopped them from reaching us and mumbled something; they looked back at us and smile with twinkle in their eyes before sprinting through the forest and disappearing amongst the green trees.
“Sorry about that. I forgot how modest city people can be.” We all glared at him and he laughed again. “This way.”
He led us to the cabin, jumping up the trees to climb. He was really agile and flexible. The young nymphs let go of our hands and disappeared amongst the trees finally freeing Dean. He walked closer to us and stopped by me gazing at his sleeping sister.
“In heaven?” I asked him.
“I will never live this one down, will I?” he asked, frowning. I refrain from saying if we survive but let it go and shook my head, nope.
Zero picked up Krista and Arion picked up Vates as we jumped up trees following Sarion’s example. We landed on a deck of the cabin; I’m guessing it was place there for this example. We stopped at a green door – green, I’m guessing was the theme – and it instantly opened, the women who were bathing stood at the door laughing. At least now they were wearing clothes.
“Welcome.” One of them said in a sing song voice opening the door wider to let us in. We entered, thanking her and my eyes widened in amazing. The place was beautiful; the way it was built was starting to remind me of the neutral zone. If I didn’t know better, I would think the same person or thing who built the neutral was responsible for the cabin as well. And the aura surrounding the place felt like the neutral zone. I guess this was theirs?
We stood, gawking at a large living room. To the side were green brand new couches and a giant flat screen television.
I asked, “Why do you have a TV in the forest?” As the same time Dean said, “you get cable here too?”
“Yes I get cable,” Sarion answered him and turned to me. “…because I refuse to miss my Soap Opera.”
“That explains it.” Zero said sarcastically.
“I know right?” Sarion answer happily not understating the sarcasm at all. I could see the others trying hard not to laugh as Zero grumbled under his breath – “you and Primula will get along perfectly.”
We were led through the living room and to a narrowed hallway. We stopped at a door and Sarion opened it, inviting us in. It was a room with a bed and clean white sheets. I wanted to ask where they got everything from because I don’t think the forest had anything electronics, but I was more concern about my shaking mate. Sarion waved to the bed and I lay Primula down stepping back. But the moment my hands released her, she started shaking harder than before. I turned my panic eyes to Sarion and Vates as the others demanded to know what was happening.
“I’m guessing she’s your mate?” Sarion turned from Primula and stared at me.
I nodded. “Let’s go with that.”
I mean I don’t think Primula consider us mates and I didn’t want to stake any claim to her without her permission; plus I don’t deserve to be call her mate. Sarion frowned at my answer but didn’t ask for further elaboration on the subject matter.
“Hold her.” He told me. I gazed at him, question in my eyes. “The bond you share with her helps with whatever is wrong with her, so holding her will probably ease the shaking.” The moment those words left his lips, I jumped on the bed and pick Primula up, lying down on my back and laying her over me. Indeed her shaking slowdown to how it used to be.
“I was wondering if you could help me with some ingredients. I want to make a portion for her.” Vates turned to Sarion. Before he could asked, the nymphs, the women who were bathing, grabbed her hand volunteering their service and leading her outside the room.
Everyone else sat on the bed with me and Primula looking exhausted. I was thirsty and hungry but before I could voice out my needs, the young nymphs materialized in the room with food and water. The trays they brought contained fruits – one of them was yellow berries, I didn’t think they had those – and vegetables with bread and cheese. I’m guessing they didn’t eat meat, something we werewolf was very fond of. There was also a large bowl full of soup I’ve never seen before. It looked too colorful to be edible. We thanked them diving into the food right away.
“Stay away from the soup unless you want to change your hair color.” Sarion said causing Zero who was stuffing his face with the thing to spit it out.
“Now you tell us.” He snapped at Sarion.
“Of course I tell you. I don’t want something you didn’t approve us to happen.” Sarion answered him smiling; again, he did not understand the sarcasm at all. I choked on my food as Zero hair started changing to very hot pink. It was so shiny and pink! The nymphs giggled coming to touch it but stopped when Krista growled at them. Zero gazed at us suspiciously not understanding why we were choking as we laughed our heads off. I wanted to keep the noise down as to not wake Primula but I couldn’t stop laughing long enough to tell the others to shut up. Sarion brought him a mirror, smiling helpfully.
Zero gazed in the mirror at his reflection, touching his hair, as his mouth shook. He was at the brink of tears at the pink locks framing his head. “WHAT IS THIS?” he cried in hysteria. “It’s PINK!” He screamed at Sarion never removing his eyes from the mirror. He looked so sad and depressed which caused all of us to laugh harder.
“Sweetie I think it’s cute.” Krista walked up to him playing with his hair.
“CUTE?” He screamed and Krista winced, realizing that she said the wrong thing. “CUTE! She said it’s cute. I’m going to be known as the cute vampire. Oh Mortkros I’m cute!” He ranted hysterically, twisting the mirror around so he could see his hair more. The more he gazed at his reflection, the angrier and sadder he became.
“You know what make this funnier?” I asked the others, not waiting for them to reply. “He’s a vampire. I’ve never seen a pink vampire.”
This only caused us to laugh harder as Zero sat down gazing at his hot pink hair in tears. “I had a good thing going for me.” He mumbled to himself. “I was the dark, mysterious and sexy vampire, but now I’m… It’s pink. PINK, I said PINK!”
“Don’t worry Zero. You still have a good thing going for you. Now you look Pink, fluffy and ridiculous.” Arion laughed falling on the ground. Out of all of us, he was really enjoying Zero’s pain. I suppose this was payback from all the years Zero flirted with him until he met Krista.
I gazed at my uncle and frown, something was wrong with his hair color. It was changing to blonde. “Arion, did you also eat the soup.” I asked him as we all stared at his hair that was now completely yellowish blonde.
It was like a banana peeling was sitting on top of his head. He snapped his eye towards me and he stopped laughing. He stared at us as we looked at him in surprise. He walked up to Zero and jerked the mirror from him, gazing at his hair; he screamed. I winced looking down at Primula but she didn’t even stair.
“I didn’t eat the soup thing!” he demanded to Sarion.
“Did I mention not to eat the yellow barriers too?” Sarion asked smiling at Arion sheepishly. Dean, Krista and I recoiled from the small yellow fruit; I almost ate the thing.
“No, you didn’t mention that.” Arion snarled at him. “Is there anything else we shouldn’t eat?”
Sarion lowered his eyes shamefully. “That’s all.”
“When will this ware off?” Zero cried continuing to touch his pink hair in disbelief.
“In a few Weeks,” Sarion spoke in a small voice. Me, Krista and Dean laughed as Zero and Arion sat off to the side glaring at us.
After we were done laughing, we all sat in the room waiting for Vates to bring Primula the energy drink. I was absently mindedly played with her dark locks when my head snapped up from the footstep walking towards us. Arion sat next to me on the bed and touched Primula’s forehead.
“She feels fine.” he said.
I gazed at his yellow hair and snorted hiding my laughter before answering his question with a nod. He glared at me and took Primula’s hand playing with her fingers. I watched eyes wide as Primula responded to his touch with the flex of the hand he was holding. He squeezed her hand back, like he was answering her. I frowned slightly and gazed at his face – he wasn’t looking at me, he was lost in his thoughts as he played with my mate’s fingers.
“You share a bond with her. You like her.” I commented sorrowfully.
His eyes snapped towards me and he frowned slightly before releasing Primula’s hand. I gazed at her face to see a small frown on it before going back to normal. “If this is what Zero said, then don’t worry about it. I’m not interested in her like that. Plus only mates have a bond.”
I moved my head from side to side taking her left hand he was holding and placing it back in his. “It may not be a bond but you both share something, almost like an unspoken understanding. You get her on a level I will never understand and even if I could, she will never let me in the way she let you.”
What I said was true. I knew that Primula and I will never be the same even if she decided to forgive me and be with me. My heart contorted from my realization.
“Jay…” I saw my uncle staring at me in sympathy.
I shook my head, causing him to stop what he was about to say. I didn’t need or want his sympathy; the time for having people feel sorry for me was over. I was even sick of feeling sorry for myself. I guess I just have to accept what is.
The room was tense and quiet, even the young nymphs were silent as they all sat by Dean playing with him. Krista was sitting on Zero lap in the corner of the room looking pained. Sarion stood by the window and gazed from me to Arion with a puzzle look on his face. I played with Primula’s hair as Arion played with her left hand. I was watching him; every once in awhile he would bring her hand to his lips and kiss it. I don’t even think he knew what he was doing. I knew that their relationship was not romantic, nothing close to that, but they both share something.
“Um… I was wondering.” Zero spoke causing all of our heads to snap to him as he played with his pink hair. Even seeing his ridiculous hair did not eliminate the stabbing pain in my heart. “What is this?” He pointed to Dean and the nymphs.
“Ah,” Sarion walked up to them. “My daughters have chosen.”
“Your daughters?” Krista asked in disbelief.
“Chosen what?” Zero asked frowning at the happy expression on Sarion’s face.
“Yes they are my daughters. I believe you’ve met their mothers?” He asked and our jaws dropped. All those women were his? This guy was a Casanova. And they all seem happy with the situation too. I looked at the girls he called his daughters and saw him in all of them. They all had his forest green eyes with their mothers’ beauty. So that’s what a satyr was?
“You mean those babes were all your wives?” Dean asked, smiling hugely at Sarion with envy in his voice. I rolled my eyes. I guess old habits die hard.
“I am their satyr or I believe, we, shifters call it mate.
“You’re a shifter? What animal if I may ask?” Arion questioned him, fascinated.
“Yes I’m a shifter, a jaguar to be exact. Twenty years ago, I was picked to be the satyr of a group of nymphs. Now my daughters here have chosen Dean to be their satyr.” Our eyes snapped to Sarion and then back at Dean. He was those girls new satyr? Wow!
“How… I don’t – I don’t understand.” Dean stuttered. He gazed at the girls apprehensively now, getting up and moving away from them. They frowned and got up to follow him but stopped when Sarion held his hands up.
He turned to Dean who was pacing up and down the small room. “I know it’s difficult to accept but you were chosen for a reason.”
Dean shook his head and gripped his hair with both his hands and stared at Sarion in frustration. “I can’t. I just can’t be their satyr.”
“Why not?” Sarion asked him. The way he asked sounded like he already knew the answer to his question.
“You don’t know me. The things I’ve done. I don’t deserve them.” Dean cried stepping further back away from the group of girls who were holding out their hands to him.
“That’s exactly why they chose you.”
What?” Dean whispered.
“Your soul is twisted, tainted and stained. You are far from perfect. In fact, you consider yourself a monster for all the things you’ve done. And that’s exactly why they chose you. Your rotting soul somehow attracted them and they wanted to heal it. You don’t have to make the decision now. Finish your quests and when everything is over, decide what you want. But… try not to repeat history.”
At Sarion’s words, Dean closed his eyes as silent tears fell down his cheek. The nymphs pouted but didn’t come to him. Krista got up from Zero’s lap and walked up to her brother, hugging him as she cried. I looked away from them, the scene tugging at my heart. The room was once again thrust into an uncomfortable silence but was broken when Vates entered with the nymphs, I guess Sarion’s mates? The entire situation was very confusing and astonishing.
The nymphs walked up to Sarion playing with him. They must have whispered something to him and he nodded smiling. I noticed that they didn’t talk much. They were the type of people who let their actions do the talking.
“Here, give her this.” I saw Vates handing me a drink in a green cup. “Who are you?” she asked Arion sitting right by me. I wanted to laugh when he turned to her and she choked on her spit but I was more concern about my mate.
I put some of the drink in my mouth, enjoying its fruity taste and lashed my lips to Primula. I fed the concoction to her from my mouth, repeating the process until the cup was empty.
I licked her lips cleaning it when the drink was completely gone from the cup. The effect was instantaneous as her body stopped shaking and relaxed into my arms.
After Primula stopped shaking, I lie her down on her back resting her head on my chest. Arion continued to play with her hand, and although it unnerved me a little I let him.
Dean was now sitting far away from Sarion’s daughter as they watched him. We fill Vates in with the details when she forced us to tell her what was going on after she saw Zero’s hair. She basically took ten minutes to laugh before finally settling down far away from an annoyed Zero and Arion.
When everything was calm, we told Sarion and the nymphs why we came and they said, they knew we were coming. We were even more excited to know that the Seers had contacted them and that they were expecting us. It was the best news we heard all day. Now all we needed was for Primula to wake up so we could leave.
At least that was the plan but it has been one week and Primula was still seeping. I continued to bite parts of her body hoping she would feel it and wake up, but nothing.
“She still hasn’t woken up?” I snapped my head up to see Arion entering the room. He was wearing a green pants – courtesy of the nymphs who sew our clothes – and a white shirt. I nodded and he sighed, coming to sit on the bed. Soon the others entered the room asking the same question. Sarion entered and gazed at Primula for a long time and frowned.
“You know something.” I commented.
He sighed. “I don’t know, I’m only guessing.” I lifted my brow waiting for him to explain his comment. “I think by now you all noticed that this place has the same feel of the neutral zone.” we nodded. We had discussed this amongst ourselves earlier. We thought it explained why they were not attacked at all. I guess that’s why we needed Dean to bring us.
“As you all know, we are aware of the shadows and who all of you are. We also know who Primula is.” I stiffened when he said that as my heart rate picked up an unnatural beat. I could see the others shuffling in their seats as well.
“What I’m getting at is that Primula can get up. Nothing is stopping her accept herself.” I stared at him with wide eyes.
“You mean she doesn’t want to wake up?” I whispered sadly and he nodded confirming my fears. Of course she didn’t want to wake up. Why should she wake up to this world? There was nothing there for her accept us. After Sarion said that we all sat in silence gazing at a sleeping Primula. The portion Vates and Krista brought for her was forgotten as we all sat down lost in our thoughts.
I gazed around the room; Krista was sitting on Zero’s lap, his hair still pink. Arion was sitting with me on the bed as he played with Primula’s finger, his hair still yellow. Dean was sitting in the corner. He has been very quiet since the revelation that he was to be Sarion’s daughters’ satyr. He still hadn’t made his decision although he was now wary of the nymphs.
I stared back down at Primula’s face hoping and praying she wakes up. She was wearing my white shirt; I liked to see her wearing my clothes so every time the nymphs bath her, I ask them to put my shirt on her. I lied her down on her back and rested on my side staring at her face. Arion was still playing with her hand while the others sat in silence, no one wanting to break it. I snapped my eyes towards Arion when I saw him lifting his head. He stared at Primula face and whispered – “she’s waking up.” Everyone stood up, coming closer to the bed and staring at Primula’s face.
We waited, and saw her move a little. Tears started to fall from her eyes, tugging at my heart painfully. She finally opened her dull gray eyes staring up into mine looking more sad and broken than I have ever seen her.
***
This chapter made me very angry. I almost didn't post it. It was out of my control before I knew what was happening. I had to cut some scenes out because it was too long and drag on. So, sorry if not enough is explained about the nymphs. They are not that important.
Anyway, I would like to hear your thoughts. What did you think of this chapter?