Out of the World

39. Hali

Nina

Blinking twice, I took a better look at the lady at the far end of the almost completely dark room. Her arms were covered with scars and cuts. Her silver and pink hair was also dirty with blood and wrapped in a messy bun. Strangely enough, she had two pins on her hair, just like the girls in Human Mangas or Animes do.

A sigh left my lips. She looked so small and fragile, shrinking in the corner, hugging her knees and humming something under her breath. Her face moved very fast as she glanced at me, but surprisingly, it was enough for me to see the bruises on her face and on her back, and purple marks surrounding her eyes. She surely had been heavily beaten.

The girl looked like a Fairy or maybe a Pixie – I’ve seen some of them at the Ball. They were very drunk and one of them even shrunk in size and danced n.aked in a small fountain of wine.

Carefully, I took a seat next to her. The urge to help her was growing so fast that it made my heart expand in my chest.

“Are you alright?” I asked the dumb question since it was obvious she wasn’t even close to alright.

The girl nodded without looking at me. Suddenly, my hands started glowing again and it seemed to attract her gaze.

“I hope they won’t hurt you. These Demons are horrible, I don’t know how long I have been here with no light, I am growing crazy!” she mumbled, scratching the sides of her face.

“I am so sorry. I am Nina.” By some kind of weird instinct, I placed my hand on hers and she seemed to calm down a little.

“I am Hali. I think they will sell us somewhere, probably at a Vampire Auction house. The King and Queen of Hell closed all the Auction Houses that had existed in this Realm. It’s a much safer place for us Pixies now. Well, not safe enough, given crooked Demons and Vampires still get their way,” Hali sighed. So that was what she was, a Pixie.

“I don’t understand why they got me,” I sighed deeply, still a little confused by the Demons’ words.

Maybe it was the fact that I was a Demon-human hybrid? So, if this theory is right, one of my parents is from Hell and the other one is Human. Maybe it was the Human parent who threw me away like garbage. It seemed like it would be even harder to figure out now that I was caged. But hell that I wouldn’t break free, I was no bird and no chicken and I wouldn’t chicken out!

“They sell some rare specimens, I think. This way they can make good money. In my case, as you know, Pixies are as rare as fire in Hell, so they got me for information,” Hali told me, wrapping her tiny fingers around mine.

“Information?” I asked, my forehead creasing with lines of confusion.

“Yes, my big brother is some kind of genius, you could say. Funny, right? Everyone underestimates us Pixies, but it was a Pixie guy who found a portal to cross through Dimensions. That’s something not even the almighty Kings or the Gods achieved. When my brother found it, he got himself a ship, gathered a crew and they started to go around different dimensions, selling and sometimes stealing stuff. He is what someone would call an Interdimensional Pirate.”

“That’s so cool!” I gasped.

“Not so cool for me. These Demons think I know where my brother found this Interdimensional Portal-X and they are beating the crap out of me until I say something. That was why my brother, Lynx, tried to convince me to hide out in our big mushroom-home in the Pixie Kingdom. But no, I had to go away and look for him, look for adventures too. A girl gets bored when she only sees the same old mushroom and goes to the same old rave parties. Oh, Nina, I’m sorry that I am mumbling like a crazy gossip-bird. I am not like that normally, I don’t know why, but something in you makes me trust and feel comfortable – feel better than I have in a long time. Maybe it’s the light. I really missed seeing light,” Hali said, looking at my hands. The glow was now more intense and roaming up my arms. I could feel my broken heart growing warm. The fact that my light and my presence could bring her some reassurance and peace brought a strangely familiar feeling into my soul.

“You look so young. How old are you?” she asked.

“I am nineteen. Hmm. Oh, actually, I am supposed to be twenty in a few days.”

“When is your birthday?”

“I don’t really know. The anniversary of the day I was found on the outskirts of the town is in five days,” I replied.

Hali nodded at my words, holding my hand tightly. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to reassure me or herself.

An idea popped into my mind, “We will find a way out, Hali. I already know what to do!” I told her as I took my cell phone out of my purse and I dialled Lola’s number, but the phone didn’t even ring.

“Give up, phone connection in Hell is s**t, and even worse in a basement in the middle of nowhere.” Hali lowered her gaze, a soft exhale leaving her nostrils.

I only nodded in response, putting the phone down. My back started itching a lot, maybe it was the dress and the fact that it was damn hot in here. That was surely why people didn’t go around Hell wearing ball gowns.

“How about you? How did you end up in this dark basement?” Hali asked, sighing deeply and looking directly at my face, and that was when I noticed how beautiful her purple eyes were.

“I was in a bar and they took me. That’s it. It's not an interesting story. It was probably the most random kidna.p of the history of Hell and I am still half-convinced that they took the wrong chick. You see, there is nothing special about me,” I mumbled.

“That’s not true, Nina. You have this light in your hands, and you make me feel as if my heart was embraced. No one else I’ve ever met had such a gift,” Hali’s words made a rogue tear slide down my face. It felt right. In a cage in the middle of nowhere in Hell, I felt much more right than pretty much anywhere else. Well, except in Zorion’s arms, or by his side.

But this feeling was different, somehow I felt as if I was starting to build a home inside myself.

~ * ~

Lola

My eyes blinked in shock as I couldn’t believe Avalon’s words. He had no right, the bond between mates is something sacred and no one, not even the Goddess herself, intervenes. Not even Daddy intervened in my bond with the Angel who hates me — even though I know how much he wanted to.

“What in the fvckery fvck?” Lena blurted out.

Mum’s face grew red like a ripe cherry, anger radiating from her, but it was nothing in comparison to the hot smoke leaving Dad’s ears. His horns were growing a little and he was partially shifting to his demoniac form, which is something that only happens when his anger reaches a deeper level than the Sixth – and most terrible – Pit of Hell itself. I placed my hand over his, and gave him a reassuring look, trying to calm him down.

“I told her to leave and gave her a teleportation rune. I did it for him, Livia. I was worried about him in a way you and everyone in this house should have been as well. First, Nina was probably syphoning his magic and life energy, which was obviously bad for her. Second, he wanted to consolidate his bond with Nina and she would end up dying sooner than later, in the end of the quick blink that consisted of her short human life. He would either die or have the Darkness in him growing fast after her demise. Those were my reasons. I could never imagine that his Darkness would grow that fast with her departure. It makes no sense, it shouldn’t be like that,” Avalon explained.

“I could never imagine that you were that dumb! Avalon, I thought you were over this. Freaking Damn! If you were worried, you should have talked to him, talked to me, instead of acting sneakily like a snake King. Look at Zorion, Avalon. Look at him, he is being consumed by pain and freaking Death itself!” Mum motioned to Zorion frantically, “It’s your fault. He was happy, healthy and you made him like that. You are the one sucking the life away from him like a damned parasite! The King of all the Parasites! I have no words in my freaking vocabulary to express how much I want to kick your dumb as.s right now. Well, that would mean kicking everything you are, since you are a big, fat as.s!” Mum blurted off, her hands moving frantically and pressing on her own head.

“Livia, please!” Avalon took a few steps towards her and she walked back.

“No! Stay away from me! You had no right to do that to him and to Nina. You know well how much sh!t happens when someone decides to play God. It just ruins other people’s lives. Didn’t you learn anything?” she asked, tears of anger rolling off her cheeks. Da Elric stood up fast and wrapped Mum in his arms. She was quivering and I knew it wasn’t out of cold but rather rage.

“Avalon, where is Nina?” Da Elric asked, always trying to be diplomatic and solution-oriented. He was always the last one to freak out in any given stressful situation. Thus, he was some kind of safe haven for Lena and me – a word of wisdom, a hug of peace and eyes always filled with love and sympathy. That was why I loved him as much as I loved my biological Dad.

“I don’t know. I told her I could transport her safely to the Human Realm but she wanted me to give her the rune instead. I sent some guards there, to watch for her and make sure she was safe and sound. I am not a monster, I don’t wish any harm to come to my son’s mate. Yet between his happiness and hers, I would always choose Zorion’s. The guards couldn’t find Nina anywhere in the Realm, so I went there myself and tried the most powerful and sophisticated locating spells with no success,” Avalon said without even stopping to take a breath.

At least he cared enough about Nina to make sure she was safe, except it wasn’t anything near enough. My heart shrinked in my chest and I had to contain the hot jolt of panic threatening to run down my veins and convert my blood into Hellfire. No, I couldn’t feel bad now. It wasn’t about me — we should all focus on helping Zo and Nina.

Noticing my condition, Dad hugged me, placing my head against his warm chest and calming me down like he used to do since I was little and had a hard time controlling both my emotions and the all-consuming fire that has forever threatened my life.

A sigh parted my lips. Poor Nina! I couldn’t even imagine what she went through being asked to leave her own mate with the argument that it was the only way to save him from a miserable future. Her act of leaving was out of love. Now she was lost somewhere, broken-hearted and maybe even in danger.

My gaze roamed towards Mum once again, she was still in Dad Elric’s arms.

Avalon exhaled deeply and started pacing around the room once again, “I made a mistake with Nina. I couldn’t foresee that Zorion would react this way and you are right. I should have talked to you and Zorion first, even though you–”

“Don’t even finish this freaking sentence, Avalon! Find Nina, and do it fast. Undo your freaking sh!t, ask her to forgive you and beg for her to return. Zorion needs her, and she needs him too. I can’t even imagine what that poor girl is going through — and she is alone, with no mum to wipe her tears!” Mum crossed her arms against her chest, tears still flowing from her.

“Liv, I will find her and tell her that Zorion needs her, but it might take some time. In the meanwhile, we all should find a way to block Zorion’s powers.”

“We, as in my good mates and I, will find a way. You will get out of this house, now! Zorion, Auri and I don’t need you anywhere near us, you arrogant, God-entitled prick!” Mum’s voice blurted with determination. I could almost see a flame shining in her blue eyes.

“I will kill him,” Dad muttered between gritted teeth, and I squeezed his hand.

“Dad, no, please. We don’t need more suffering or drama today.” He nodded at my appeal, but a thin thread of smoke left his nostrils.

“Livia! You don’t mean that. I won’t stay away from the three of you. My little Princess needs me too. You are my family, mine,” Avalon declared.

“Well, it seems you can’t take good care of what is yours. Or even in the heck bare minimum here of not scre.wing up the people you love! So, you lost the right to be with us! Out, now!” Mum yelled, freeing herself from Da Elric’s embrace and taking a step towards Avalon. I think I’ve never seen her that mad. She argued and fought with her three mates from time to time, and even put one or another in the dog house – as she likes to call it — but never anything like that.

“Livia, you can’t do this!” Avalon argued.

“Watch me! If you still want to have a chance with me and be part of his family, leave now!” Mum fired back and Avalon left through a portal of blue light.

I ran towards Mum and hugged her as well. I could see how she was suffering, for Zo, Nina, herself and even Avalon. It was always hard to be harsh with those you love, even when it was called for.

Now we had to figure out which Realm Nina ended up .