When I finally opened my eyes again in the real world, I found myself staring up at a familiar ceiling which made me smile. I was home once again. My body ached and was stiff as I slowly sat up which made me wonder just how long I had been laying here. My room was empty, but a couple of chairs had been pulled over at some point, so I knew there had been people staying by my side. A quick check of the clock told me it was the middle of the night, but I knew one person who would be up as long as she wasn"t spending the night with my brother.While I made my way out of the room, I easily shifted back to my "human" form with far more ease than I remembered. The hall was dim, but I could still navigate the empty corridor and made my way downstairs. I stopped in front of a familiar door and knocked gently.
A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing a tired-looking Alice. She was wearing a low-cut top that accented her chest and a pair of leggings which hugged all of her curves. She threw open the door the moment she realized it was me and threw herself into my arms. A dampness slowly seeped into my shirt as her silent tears fell and I stroked her hair comfortingly.
"I hate you," she mumbled into my chest.
I chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "I know, sweetheart, but hey, I"m still alive, right?" I asked, but before I could say anything else, my stomach gave a loud growl.
Alice chuckled and lightly hit my stomach. "Way to ruin the mood," she grumbled as she finally released me and looked at me with tear-filled eyes, but giving me a loving smile. "Come on, I know you are starving... It"s been three months," she said quietly.
"Three months?!?" I exclaimed.
"Quiet," she snapped, poking me in the stomach. "Come on, I"ve already got the golem started on a stir-fry of your favorites."
"But three months?!?" I said, quieter this time.
"Come on, we can talk in the kitchen. I"ll need to start waking people soon," Alice said as she pulled me by the hand.
"Can you wake Katye first? I need to thank her for saving my life, among other things..." I requested.
Alice chuckled and replied, "I don"t really have a choice even if you didn"t request it... She has staked a claim on you."
"What?" I asked, confused which only made her laugh more.
"Just do as your told and I promise you will be happy," Alice said with a mischievous grin.
I rolled my eyes and allowed myself to be pulled into the kitchen. Alice sat me down at the table and made me a drink while grabbing some jerky strips. She pa.s.sed me the snack and a gla.s.s of Kilao which I took happily. Since I knew everyone was fine, my hungry took over my focus as I worked of the stack of jerky while I waited for my food. Alice slipped out of the room when the golem walked over with a large, steamy bowl of stir-fry, that was mostly meat and coated in a tangy, spicy sauce. I dug right in right away, momentarily forgetting that she was likely waking Katye, only satisfying my hunger was in my mind. Only when half the bowl was gone did I finally take a break and drained my cup then, almost as if on cue, I heard the door creak open.
Suddenly remembering who it would likely be, I wiped my mouth with a napkin before I stood up and turned around. Katye stood frozen in the doorway as she looked at me with tear-filled eyes. She only wore a small tank top and a pair of short shorts. It may have been my imagination or her charm abilities, but she seemed even more beautiful than before. Her skin was pristine and gave off a shimmer, not a glow. The very air around her seemed to refract the light, making everything behind her hazy. A single tear started to roll down her cheek before she ran forward and threw herself into my arms.
"I never thought I would see you again!" Katye cried.
"Shhh... I"m here now," I said soothingly as I wrapped an arm around her waist and stroked her short hair with my free hand. "I"m sorry to have worried you so much."
"You nearly died because of me," she sobbed into my chest.
My hand slid from the top of her head to her chin and I tilted it up to look at me. "But I am also "alive" because of you. It was my choice to take that attack and I would do it again. I know I"ve spent most of our short time together keeping you at arm"s length, but I do have feelings for you and I couldn"t lose you."
Katye raise up on her tiptoes as I leaned down and our lips met for the first time. Before, she had been maintaining control over her mana, so I hadn"t felt the normal "spark" between us, but that all change with our kiss. I could already feel her warm body pressed against my own, but now there was literal electricity flowing between us, bring a pleasant, tingling sensation everywhere she touched.
Her arms wrapped around my neck and both of hands found their way to her hips as our kissed deepened. Her lips were soft and there was a light sweet flavor that I couldn"t place, but it drew me in all the same. I brushed the tip of my tongue against my lips, savoring the sweetness, but I quickly felt the "rise" of something else and I pulled away.
"I"m sorry, Katye... I have to be careful. I can"t always control myself," I said.
To my surprise, she actually giggled at that and replied, "The others told me a bit about it... I guess I should take it as a compliment."
"What all did they tell you?" I asked suspiciously.
She giggled mischievously as she took a seat at the table and said, "Quite a bit... You may not be as bad as your brother, but something seems to run in the family."
"Ugh," I groaned as sat down across from her while turning red. "I... I can explain."
She giggled as she rested her chin on her hand and motioned for me to go ahead with her other hand while giving me an amused look.
Honestly, at the moment, I would rather have to face the skeletal pit than try to explain my relationships with the other girls, but I had already opened my big mouth. "Well, how to start this..." I said, scratching the back of my head.
"Making her squeam, huh?" Alice"s voice came from behind me as she walked in.
"You"re no fun," Katye said in a different tone.
"Shoo, Zlo, we don"t need you," Alice said.
I turned around and found not only Alice, but Terri as well, walking in. Terri was still in her sleepwear which was just an old shirt and a pair of loose shorts, but she had an excited look on her face and she gave me a big smile when our eyes met.
"Katye just couldn"t keep a straight face," Katye replied.
I looked back at her and saw her eyes flash with a violet light before Katye blushed while she quickly turned her head. Confused, I turned back to Alice who motioned for me not to ask as both, she and Terri, walked over.
"It"s good to see you awake," Terri said while she gave me a hug.
"Thanks," I replied with a light chuckle.
"Lesedi and Sophia will be along shortly... They had to get dressed," Alice said as she took a seat at the head of the table.
"Of course, they need to... It nice to know some things haven"t changed," I said with a bit of humor. "Did you wake anyone else?"
"No, I figured we would get this awkwardness over before the rest rush in to see you," Alice said while Terri sat down next to her.
I let my head bang on the table, but with my horns, it lost the normal effect while groaning and asked, "Why do I feel like you control my life?"
"Do you want me to stop?" Alice asked while giving me an innocent look.
Both Katye and Terri snickered and I sighed. When it came to Alice, I knew she had my best interest at heart and without her, I likely wouldn"t have opened up as much as I had in the past three years. Before she forced her way into my life, I didn"t really love myself and with her help, I learned how to.
"So, who is going to catch me up to speed then?" I asked as I sat back up when another bowl of stir-fry appeared next to me.
"Have you agreed then?" Alice asked sweetly.
I stuck my tongue out at her and picked up my bowl without answering. The others chuckled while I ate. Before we could talk anymore, two more people entered the room, Lesedi and Sophia. I quickly dropped my bowl and kicked the chair away as I stood since I knew what was about to happen. Lesedi bolted at me laughing as she gave me a bear hug, lifting me off my feet. I could hear Terri and Alice laughing, but Sophia gave an annoyed sigh and yanked on Lesedi"s ear.
"Put her down, now," Sophia said firmly.
Lesedi laughed as she nodded and set me back on my feet. Sophia pushed her aside and stepped forward as she gave me a hug. She squeezed me tightly and rubbed my back.
"I"m glad you are awake," she said softly.
"Thank you, I"m sorry to make you worry," I replied.
"Dumby," she chuckled as pulled back.
I smiled and retrieved my chair. The pair sat down at the empty end of the table while I sat as well.
"So, Alice," I said as I skewered a piece of meat, "care to explain now?"
"Well, obviously, you owe Katye a nice date somewhere while the rest of us are going to take a step back. Everyone agrees it would be a lot better if you had a normal relationship for awhile. With Gustavo"s bloodline awakening, there are going to have to be some adjustments now that you are awake," Alice said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Dragons don"t play well with other dragons. The only reason why the Dragon Clan didn"t rule the "Old World" was because they never would unite except to avenge a fallen member. Siblings were very rare... I don"t know how things will go. Yue had to install special formations on both of your rooms to block the dragon-blood aura, so that Gustavo could sleep peacefully," Alice answered.
"Oh... Koken warned me about that," I said then chuckled, "I actually shouldn"t have too much of a problem since I"m stronger."
"We"ll see. He has been growing at an incredible rate since the awakening," Alice said.
I just chuckled and ate my food. The three months that they a.s.sumed I was sleeping was instead spent constantly brawling with Koken. Although I was still unable to defeat him due to his centuries of fighting, I could at least keep up with him now and even keep my feet on the ground for a few minutes. A spar against my brother actually sounded fun.