The Lilium
Adrian POV
The Lilium, in simpler terms also known as the red spider lily, a flower that has been extinct for over a century, it was a flower that had unknown magical properties. Some could say that it grants immortality, healing life-threatening diseases or wounds. It was the kind of power that Defaeron desired but could never be found.
"Where did you hear that?" I questioned Azaliah. That flower was something that only a caelestian would know, not a human that's lived on Terrae for all of her life.
"T-that demon was searching for it..." She quietly spoke turning her attention to the flowers.
"I know you don't want to talk about what happened but you need to understand that you weren't attacked by humans but by a caelestian. I won't be able to help you if you don't talk about it."
She remained silent. I wanted to help her. I wanted to protect her. She plucked a flower from the ground and began to remove a petal one by one.
"After my dad called me, I ran back home as fast as I could but it was too late. By the time I got there, they were already dead. The vampire had my mother against the wall and was sucking her blood dry. The wolf had my father on the ground; his body was torn to pieces."
Her voice began to break and she glanced at me. She was breaking again and I felt heartbroken for asking her to recall such a terrible moment. I opened my mouth to stop her but she raised her hand to silence me.
"After my presence became known by those two, I thought I was going to die too. Until that demon appeared. He said that his sister never had a daughter and demanded to know who I was. He claimed that my mother was his sister. And he wanted to know where my brother was because he had the Lilium. When he realized that I knew nothing, I thought he would have killed me but instead, he wanted me alive. He thought that I could be useful to him one day. But then he said something that shattered my whole body with pain."
She removed the bandages that were around her forehead. Etched into her skin was ancient writing that looked like she had a tattoo…
"He gave me this mark. He cursed me with eternal pain." She had a smile. It was a bloody damn smile of pain. Clenching my fists, I felt so much anger towards Defaeron. I wanted him to burn in the deepest, darkest abyss.
"I'm sorry that you had to go through all of this. You don't deserve any of this. If I could take it all back, I would do it in a heartbeat." She shrugged it off and kept walking ahead.
"How do you get rid of this curse mark?"
There was only one way to get rid of it... To end your life or succumb your soul over to Defaeron but I wasn't going to tell her that. My beast rumbled in agreement. We didn't want to hurt her.
"There is a way to get rid of it but it's going to take a while and we'll have to get the ingredients from Exaltatio." My beast hated lying especially to her. But he could shut the hell up. Azaliah wasn't our mate... our mate died a long time ago... I snapped at my beast and he shivered with anger, his scales were ready to pierce through my mind.
"Stoneface? Are you okay?" I felt myself jolt out of my mind, staring down at the redhead. Azaliah looked at me with so much concern. I nodded to her but she didn't seem convinced.
"If you were fine, your eyes wouldn't change to a different color." She replied amusingly. She was right; my eyes always change when my beast was close. She didn't seem afraid to be around me, a caelestian.
"Why are you not afraid?" Her smile faltered.
She was scared and pretended to be fine. No one would accept this kind of life so easily. I know I couldn't but I couldn't do anything about it.
‘Adrien! Get back to Jade's house. I think we found something.’ Isaac buzzed through my mind.
"Let's get out of here." I knew she wouldn't answer me so I gently grabbed her arm and pulled her along as we walked back to the seer's house. It was a silent but comforting long walk back.
"Thank you for saving me." Barely a whisper, but I heard her say it.
"Don't thank me. I couldn't watch you die. You would have done the same if you were in my position."
"Yes, that's true."
My beast was content with her answer and went back to slumber in my mind. Returning to the seer's house, Isaac and Daniel were training outside. Isaac was in his fur attacking while Daniel was defending and dodging his claws.
Azaliah grabbed the back of my jacket in fear of them. Isaac retreated from Daniel as they both noticed us. This was the second time she's seen a wolf shifter.
"Don't be afraid... Don't let what happened that night fill you with fear." She listened intently as she eyed Isaac. His wolf whimpered and came forward towards us. She was contemplating and eventually had let go of her hold on me.
Isaac collapsed on the ground on all four of his paws as Azaliah kneeled on the ground. One thing about wolf shifters was that once they were in their fur, their beasts took control of them. So at the moment, his beast was in control while Isaac watched from his mind.
Daniel came to my side as we watched her interaction. Slowly she lifted her fingers and touched his fur. At first, she was afraid but now her fears were disappearing for now. Her eyes became glassy and ever so slowly, her tears began to fall.
"Isaac told me that his wolf feels a familiar bond with her. After she received the curse mark, Jade noticed a change in her body. And because of this, his wolf began to pick up a new scent from her."
"A new scent?" He shrugged.
"It's as if her body is transitioning." That was impossible. A caelestian only goes through the transitioning when they come of age. It's impossible for a human to even become one. I turned to Daniel in shock.
"That's not-"
"Possible? I'm afraid it is so." The four of us turned our attention to the seer as she stepped down the steps of her house.
"Azaliah..." Jade bent down to her level and put her hands out for her like how a mother will comfort her child. Azaliah only looked up at her risen hands and at that moment I knew. I knew that her mind had cracked as she whimpered. Whatever pent-up emotions that she had were overflowing from her as she cried her heart out. She collapsed onto Jade as she cried for her parents and her brother.
My beast had awakened at the sound of her crying. He roared in my mind and was fighting control. If he had taken control, he would have only frightened her. And I didn't want that. My essence was leaking out and the three of them noticed.
'Ecno ta em esaeler' He roared inside of me clawing his way around my mind. His scales formed on my hands. I blocked my ears and closed my eyes as his roar was too loud for me. I couldn't lose control here.
"Azaliah? Wait! Don't!"
I opened my eyes only to meet bright green eyes like the color of a forest on a rainy morning. Her tears were still flowing but at the moment she felt different. She felt like her. Like how she was when she was alive. The roaring had stopped and my beast glared at her. Azaliah raised her hand to my forehead. The slight touch sent shivers down my beast's spine.
"Nwod mlac."
And in that moment, my beast calmed down and proceeded back inside my mind curling up, with his wings draping around him. Azaliah looked at me woozily and collapsed against me. Whatever she did now clearly proves that she is transitioning and that she may very well be a caelestian.