In addition to that delightful sound coming out of her mouth, two bright-pink spots appeared on her cheeks, which only made her even more radiant.
When she managed to stop, she said, "You're a pure one, aren't you?"
Pure? Me? Why would she choose such a word to describe me?
"Tell me your name," she asked as her eyes looked deeply into mine.
I didn't know how or why, but suddenly I felt weak, light, and a little dazed. It was as if I weren't in control of my own body and mind anymore, the deeper I gazed into Aria's beautiful green eyes.
As if in a trance, I answered, "Alfie Yuki Akari Nakamura."
"Alfie Yuki Akari Nakamura," Aria said in her singsong voice. "That's a lovely name. How old are you, Alfie?"
"Nineteen, turning twenty in a couple of months," I said, staring into the depths of the green void. I felt like I was floating in the air as gentle breezes caressed my body. I felt like I was in paradise.
"And how did you come to be here, Alfie?"
From a distance, I sensed I was watching myself, shaking my head.
"I don't know," I said softly. "I was in the bathhouse, and then I heard men shouting and loud banging noises. I got scared, so I came to find out what was going on. I thought it was World War III or an earthquake or something. Then I saw men running toward me, and I was frightened, so I ran. Then these two brutes, Caleb and Felix, caught me, and the bastard Felix even stole my first kiss. I was going to give it to the one I love, but that bastard stole it, and it pisses me off so bad and…"
I felt tears brewing in my eyes. I just didn't know why, but I started to sob. I said, "I'm scared, Aria. I don't know where I am, and I don't know how I can get back home."
"Shh…" Aria gently cupped my face and said, "It's all right, Alfie. Look at me and just let me do the rest."
Her words were gentle and soothing, like Mom's voice consoling me, and oddly enough, at that moment, I felt like I could trust Aria with all my being. So I found myself nodding my head. Then, as I gazed deeper into her eyes, I felt as though my body were floating gently in midair. I felt like I was being embraced in a pair of warm arms, soothing me and easing me of my problems and worries.
Then I closed my eyes, and I simply let everything go. In an instant, I felt a pair of strong, ironlike arms around me, and my back and head were resting against a warm, hard chest.
In my dreamlike state, I felt Aria move her hands up, and her soft, warm palms pressed firmly on my temples. Then I heard her saying, "Alfie is from a faraway place. I see him at home, which is beautiful and full of love and joy. I see him studying and working hard to make his parents proud. His father is a highly regarded man in society. He is a man with much knowledge and creativity, and many, oh so many people that it seems to be countless, look up to him and admire him. He is a powerful man, Alfie's father. As for Alfie's mother, she is much loved by family and friends. She runs her own manor, with many guests coming and going. Her husband and Alfie are her top priority."
Aria finally stopped, and it was only then that I felt the release of her hands from my temples.
She said, "Alfie is very pure, my lords. There's no doubt that he is lost here and is not involved with the bandits, nor the raiding that has been happening around the land. I have invaded his memories, and there are none that involve the bandit crews or even our kingdom itself, my lords. Alfie is a completely new being here. He is not a suspicious being in our kingdom."
In a dreamlike state, I heard Felix chuckling beside me, which told me that he was the one embracing me in his strong arms. He said, "Ah, you poor little elf. No wonder your actions are so strange."
Aria asked, "What are we going to do with Alfie, my lords?"
Felix said, "We can't leave him when the kingdom is in such a chaotic state and the border is this dangerous. He'd be captured and slaughtered for sure."
"My thoughts exactly, my lords," Aria said.
Caleb said, "We'll take him back with us until the mess is sorted out."
Felix said, "Good call, but the others won't be happy, bringing this little elf back. Alfie is sure to cause a stir."
Aria chuckled. "It can't be helped that Alfie's qi is so pure. He's a rare one, and we must protect the rare ones, mustn't we, my lords?"
Caleb said, "They'll have to deal and behave themselves."
"You're staring at me, Caleb." I heard Felix chuckling. "The boy is fucking hard to resist, and you of all people should know it. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been coming down on the poor mite the moment we finished off those fools. Alfie's qi was drawing us to him."
Aria asked, "What was it like? Sucking that pure qi, my lord Felix?"
"It was delicious, Aria," Felix said. "So fucking delicious that I can't wait to sample more."
Despite me being in this half-conscious state, his words pissed me off.
Caleb said, "Control your urges, Felix. Otherwise, we'll have to chain you up again."
Felix chuckled. "I'll do my best, Caleb. But shouldn't you be more worried about yourself? I can sense that you were almost at your breaking point from the moment you took a sniff of our little elf."
Our? I was their little elf now?
"Shut up," Caleb snapped. "I'm not into boys, let alone one this unusual and impetuous. Now put him into bed. The boy looks damned uncomfortable in your arms."