"Cowards suffer, heroes enjoy."
Henry David Thoreau
5
*First Mission…
It was only a few days before Xana got her first mission. A rogue vampire, who killed a human, then went into hiding.
"Uriel's message said he is hiding in Cotswolds, in one of the stone houses. We have to keep watching out for him and when he shows himself, we take him down." Xana said while she examined her swords for the third time. She was standing in the middle of her room in the wolves' sanctuary. The sun illuminated the room that was on the third floor through the open window. It had a wooden bed with four posts and white lace drapes. Accalia picked them for Xana when they assigned this room to her. A dresser, with many wooden brushes but not a single hairband, a wooden cupboard, and two armchairs by the window. A white fluffy carpet on the wooden floor, again, was chosen by Accalia, but Xana liked how her feet sunk into the soft material. A small bathroom with a wooden door. Most of the rooms looked the same in the sanctuary. The boys' rooms were beside Xana's room at the end of the corridor. "This is an easy mission. It's just one vamp, but you have to remember to never turn your back on him..." Michael said and Xana rolled her eyes and cut him off in a gentle tone. "Mikey, I know. We have been over this for the last, I dunno, nine years." Michael was in his sleeveless gear, his brown eyes full of concern. He was sitting on the windowsill. He jumped off and moved toward Xana and placed his hand on her shoulder, looked down into her bright eyes, and said softly. "I know you are an excellent warrior. You know how to fight a vampire, but the actual battle differs from any training we had before. Many things can go wrong and you are not experienced yet. Please don't do anything reckless and follow our lead. Okay?" Xana sighed, "Okay," she said, and looked up at Michael. Alston came into the room, his gear also sleeveless like Michael's. The tips of his pointed ears turned pink; his green eyes clouded with anxiety. "Hey, you two agreed on this or what?" Xana asked, and pointed at the boys' bare arms. "It is better this way." Alston told her. He looked worried, too. Xana hated to see them like this. She wanted to show them there was no need for this. She could fight well; she could take down the vampire. "Take out your knife, Michael, and cut out my sleeves, too," Michael obeyed. She threw the torn sleeves on her bed and stretched her bare arms. "You were right, that's much better. Hope Uriel won't be too upset." The boys smiled. "We better go now. Are you sure you are ready?" Michael asked Xana. "I have been waiting for this day for ten years." She lifted her chin up while she was talking. She reached behind her shoulders and placed her swords, and they vanished. Michael lifted his backpack on his shoulder. It was filled with chips and sandwiches, Arthur had made them for the three of them earlier. "I got Sam's truck downstairs, the road shouldn't take long, maybe two hours." He said and walked out of the room, Xana and Alston followed him.
***
Xana enjoyed the view. The English countryside was simply outstanding. Michael was driving and eating what appeared to be the last sandwich. Alston was enjoying the view as well. "You have to follow our lead in this. You must promise." He said firmly. "Michael already talked to me about this, don't worry, I'll let you do the hard work and I'll just watch and learn." Xana said with a grin, which made Alston more uncomfortable. He shook his head and looked out the window. The weather was nice, and the sun was almost down. They reached the place Uriel told them to camp at. They hid in the trees near the stone houses. There were about eight houses and the vampire was in one of them. As the night had fallen, smoke started to come out from the yellow limestone chimneys. Xana thought of the innocent people living in these houses, totally unaware of the presence of a vampire who could end their lives in a few seconds. "Poor humans." She didn't realize she said that aloud until Michael replied to her, "Lucky they got us." And he gave her a reassuring smile. The trees were thick and wild, the same as the grass beneath them. It reminded Xana of the enchanted forest.
"A hooded figure just came out. Look." Alston whispered, and they looked at where he pointed. A hooded figure came out from the third house. He moved swiftly on the stone floors without making any sound, almost gliding.
"That's him." Michael said and phased in an instant, baring his fangs. Alston drew his bow and placed one arrow, ready to strike, as the figure drew closer to their hiding place. But before any of them could attack the monster, a black figure launched forward, leaped in midair in a perfect flip before it landed in a balanced standing position behind the vampire, a gleaming light sliced the air in a quick movement and the vampire's head rolled on the ground and hit one of the trees, the body collapsed to the ground and turned to ashes on the spot. Michael phased back. He and Alston looked confused, as if not really sure what had just had happened. Xana stood there with one of her swords gleaming in her hand, she bent down and wiped it clean from the blood on the vampire's hood, looked up at the boys, and laughed at their expressions, her dimples visible as she laughed, her hair flowing behind her and her eyes blazing with satisfaction and pride. Michael and Alston looked at each other and back again at her. Michael's mouth was slightly open. Alston's face was white as a sheet. She moved towards them, pushed Michael's chin up to close his mouth. He swallowed visibly. "That was unexpected, but awesome." He said, shaking his head, his brown wavy hair fluttering in his face as he moved, his brown eyes even brighter than usual. She turned to Alston, who was staring at her with a piercing gaze. "That was reckless and unnecessary." He said and clenched his fists. Xana's face fell. "Come on now, she did everything right. She fought like a true warrior," Michael said. "Well, not exactly fought considering she took him out by surprise, but still." "You should not encourage her like that. You could get her killed." Alston was furious. Without a second look at Xana, he turned around and walked away swiftly among the trees. "There has to be a Mr. Grumpy in every group, but don't mind him. You did well and Uriel will be proud. That flip in midair," Michael told her and threw his hand in the air, imitating her flip, and whistled in amazement. Xana smiled and turned to look for Alston. "I should talk to him about his attitude." Michael said. "No, I got this, burn the hood, will you," Xana said and walked with steady footsteps towards Alston, who was leaning against one of the trees looking up at the first stars of the night, his fine hair was very bright silver under the moonlight and the tips were hugging his pointed ears. Xana reached him and grabbed something hanging from his neck. He didn't look down.
"I like what you did with your knight leaf." She said softly, while she toyed with the silver leaf in her fingers. "Being brave does not mean taking risks. Especially when it is your first time in a battle." He said, still gazing at the stars. "I'm sorry I made you worried." Xana said in an apologetic tone. "I know you are a perfect warrior, brave and strong. You do not have to prove any of these things." "I wasn't trying to prove..." Xana started, and he looked down at her and she went quiet right away, then smiled and added, "Okay, maybe I was but only a little, besides only the brave ones get to have all the fun." She beamed at him. He shook his head and smiled. "Just be careful." He said in a gentle tone. His green eyes were twinkling like the stars above, and she nodded. "Besides, I know you got my back." Xana said with confidence. Yes, she wanted to show her friends that she could fight and that she was not afraid. But what assured her to take that risk was because she knew they were there for her and were ready for anything and would always watch her back. "We should be going. I'm really hungry." Michael said, and Xana laughed. Black smoke was visible from behind him. "Okay, we better go before he eats us," she said, and Alston laughed. They went to MEAT Mission, a restaurant back in London, Michael's favorite meat restaurant. Xana liked it too, the velvet red couches, the paintings, the painted glass ceiling, and, of course, the food. Michael, as usual, ordered everything on the menu, Xana ordered two cheeseburgers, large fries, and a large soda, Alston ordered a chicken burger and fries. Alston usually had many people looking at his ears, but he learned to ignore them. "I want to tell Calum all about it," Xana told the boys after she finished her meal. Both of them agreed and drove to Calum's apartment near Hyde Park. Xana rang the doorbell eagerly with one hand while knocking with the other, "Calum, it's us, open up." The door swung open and Calum stood behind it. He looked sleepy. He was wearing a silky knee-length white robe and his feet were bare. His white hair was disarranged and sticking out in all directions. Xana looked down at his feet and stared. She had never seen him without pants and shoes on before. His legs and feet were furry, black, and thick fur, like a werewolf's. "Umm... we were just..." she said, still staring at his furry legs and feet. Calum laughed and said. "Do come in all of you, what brings you here anyway? It must be important." Xana went inside. Michael and Alston hesitated at the door. They were staring at Calum's legs as well. Calum snapped his fingers to draw back their attention, and they looked up at him. He bowed dramatically and waved his hand signaling them to come inside, they moved past him slowly and went to stand beside Xana. The apartment was fabulous, with wooden floors and high ceilings with Hyde Park as a view, the furniture neatly arranged, a lot of sculptures and paintings, the living room had a huge fireplace and many comfortable velvet armchairs, crystal chandeliers, and white curtains covering the glass windows. Calum stood before them smiling at the puzzled expressions on their faces, his gray eyes gleaming. He looked down at his feet and said, "My warlock mark. I didn't realize you haven't noticed before." "We never saw you in a gown before," Xana teased him and he laughed aloud. "What happened to your beard?" Xana added. "Shaved it to match the gown." Calum said and moved his fingers to his newly shaved beard. He looked so young without it. "I just came back from my first mission." Xana said with excitement. Calum beamed at her. "Well done, my dear." He said and ruffled her hair. "You should have seen her, she flew through the air and attacked the vamp in one move, tearing his head off." Michael said with enthusiasm and threw an arm casually around Xana's shoulder. "What Michael means is she did not listen to anything we said and acted on her own." Alston said, throwing Xana and Michael an accusing glare.
"I see," Calum said in his calm voice, he folded his arms behind his back and started pacing then added, "So she didn't follow your advice, jumped headlong into the face of danger, and stood laughing after she was done?" The boys nodded and Calum threw his head back and laughed so loud his voice echoed off the walls. "Well, what else did you expect? Isn't she always like this?" Calum asked and all of them smiled. Xana blushed. "At least I got the job done." She said, looking at her boots. Calum gave her a wink and said, "Go make yourselves comfortable while I make some tea." "Do you have anything to eat?" Michael asked. Xana and Alston looked at each other and laughed. Xana and Michael went to the living room, each sat in one of the velvet armchairs, and Michael turned the TV on. Alston followed Calum to the kitchen and leaned on the counter, watching Calum making tea and sandwiches. The kitchen was very modern, with marble counters and high chairs, a huge two-door fridge, and a small table under the window with four chairs.
"I wanted you to talk to Xana, convince her not to take risks like this. She will listen to you." Alston said, toying with his knight leaf and looking down at it. "What makes you think she will listen?" Calum asked, while taking out some food from the fridge. "She has to. You just have to put some sense into her because Michael is totally useless. You saw how he encourages her." Calum turned and looked at Alston for a moment. "She is not the one you should worry about, and she can take good care of both of you if you ask me." Alston sighed and straightened up. Calum put everything on a tea table and snapped his fingers, red sparks appearing around the table and moving it toward the living room. He touched Alston's arm lightly and added, "Just be honest with her." Alston tensed for a moment and went to the living room. Calum shook his head and went after him. "URRGHHH!" Xana exclaimed in frustration while struggling with her tangled headphones. The wires were twisted and formed into a large disfigured ball of wires. "Here, give it to me." Michael said and took the headphones and started to rearrange the wires back, "I swear if I got a pound each time I fixed these for you, I'd be a millionaire within two months." "You can be, without having to fix this mess," Calum said and looked at the headphones in Michael's hands, then added in an incredulous tone, "How did you manage to get it to look like that?" Xana shrugged. Michael threw her the headphones back after fixing them, she caught them and plugged them into her phone. Michael went straight for the sandwiches and started eating. "What did you mean by he can be a millionaire?" Xana asked Calum.
"Oh, dear me, I almost forgot." He snapped his fingers and three pouches appeared in his palm; black velvet pouches that looked a bit heavy. He handed each one a pouch. All of them opened the pouches and got bemused. Xana dropped what was inside in her palm and examined it under the light. Four golden coins with angelic symbols. Michael dropped his sandwich and took out his coins, and looked at them with awe. Alston was just toying his idly between his fingers, looking utterly uninterested. "Calum, did you rob one of the vaults in Gringotts?" Xana asked and raised one eyebrow. Michael snorted. "Warlocks are not thieves. And no, that is your payment." "For what?" Xana asked again, flipping one coin in her hand. "For fulfilling the mission, of course. What did you think? You will do all this risky business for nothing." "You mean they will pay us for every mission? With these?" Michael asked and whistled in amazement. "Of course, my dear boy. Uriel sent them and told me to hand them to you when the mission is done." Calum said and smiled. Xana and Michael looked at each other and grinned, sat back down, still examining their gold coins. Michael's face suddenly fell, and he said to Calum, "But I can't use these anywhere outside Myron." "True, but I happen to know where you can change them into human money." Calum winked at Michael, and his face lit up again. "Where?" Xana asked. "Edward Wood." Calum said and ran a hand through his hair. "Who?" Xana and Michael asked together. "He is the merchant. He deals in all sorts of things and he will take your gold and exchange it with mundane money." Michael closed his eyes and said in a dreamy voice, "I can hear the sound of my motorcycle already." "The Harley Davidson?" Xana asked, and he nodded, his eyes still closed. "Hey, they didn't pay them before. For a whole year," Xana said, and that got Michael's attention. He opened his eyes and stared at Calum. "Because they were doing their duty to their people. What you are doing now is official angelic business. We can put it that way. And when you work you get paid, just like that." Calum said matter-of-factly. He reached and poured himself a cup of tea. Xana leaned back in her comfortable chair, and rested her legs on the wooden table in front of her chair. "I can get the car I always wanted." "The Mustang?" Michael asked, his mouth full now with his sandwich. "Yup. GT500, black with two silver lines." Michael gave her a high-five. "We are going to be a damn good-looking team." He said and grabbed another sandwich. Calum was watching them with amusement, but he noticed that Alston was very quiet during all of it. "Alston, what about you, my boy? What will you buy?" Calum asked with evident curiosity. "I'm the Prince of Alavara. I already have all that I need." he said with a superior tone. Xana rolled her eyes and put the headphones on her ears, played music, and watched Michael eating a sandwich with one hand and grabbing his pouch in the other. He looked really happy, his eyes were so bright and dreamy. She looked at Alston, he was staring at the TV, he looked distant. Sometimes she just couldn't figure out what he was thinking about, unlike Michael, it was almost as if she could read his mind. Calum was drinking his tea thoughtfully, he looked so young without his beard, almost as young as them.
***
Their next few missions weren't so different from the first one. Xana was leaping to do all the action, leaving the boys stunned behind her. Michael was taking it well. He said she has to learn. Alston was angry. He said he felt useless and Xana was taking too many unnecessary risks. Then, reluctantly, she let the boys help out and they made a sort of routine. Xana and Michael engaged with the outlaws while Alston stood behind them with his bow and arrows, giving them a cover and making sure no one got to them from behind, the way it had been in all their training. All their missions were a success and soon enough, they were the most famous three among the enchanted creatures. Not just because of what they did, but for being different enchanted creatures working together like that. They even picked a name for them, 'The Slayers'. The first team with different enchanted creatures fighting side by side. Michael and Xana loved the name, and Alston hated it. Whenever they went to the Green Fairy, someone offered to pay for their meals and drinks. They were treated like heroes, saving the humans from rogue vampires, werewolves, and demons. Outlaws feared them despite their young ages. The mention of their name gave a cold shiver down the spine of any lawbreaker. Xana and Michael saved their payments for a while. Calum promised to take them to Edward Wood whenever they wanted to change their gold. Both of them wanted to have enough money to buy the Mustang and the Harley Davidson. Calum assured them they wouldn't have to wait for long. Angels' gold was worth a lot in human money. Michael couldn't wait much longer. After a few months, he told Xana he wanted to get the motorcycle. "Okay, when we are done here, we go to Calum and he will take us to that merchant." She was sitting on a tree branch, dangling her legs and watching the small road ahead. Michael crouched beside her, grabbing the tree trunk for support. Alston was on a higher branch, his bow ready in his hands. Xana shifted in discomfort and flipped her hair away from her face. They had been waiting for almost an hour.
"Xana, hair." Michael said. She turned around and saw that her hair hit Michael straight in his face and got plastered there. This was something that always happened. Her hair was always in Michael's food, drinks and face.
"Sorry," she put her hair over one shoulder, "I really hate waiting." "Two men just emerged. Get ready." Alston warned them.
Xana crouched on the branch and Michael lifted his head and smelled the air. "Vamps." He said. Xana nodded, and Alston jumped lightly beside them. The two vampires came closer, moving swiftly and silently on the ground. Michael jumped down and phased in midair, somersaulting and landing on one of them. Xana jumped at the same time and landed in front of the other, one gleaming sword in her hand. The vampire slashed with his hands at her, baring his fangs, she moved fast, away from his reach, but he was fast too, he reached for her again and she ducked, slashed one of his legs with her sword, he fell back hitting the ground, shrieking. She glanced at Michael and saw him biting off the vampire's head. She lifted her sword and cut the vampire's head off. Michael phased back, wiping his mouth with the hem of his gear. "Yuck, I hate the taste of their blood." He took out his lighter, the bodies turned to ashes, he burned their clothes. Alston jumped down. "Well done, both of you." They watched as the fire died, then went to Sam's truck, heading for Calum's apartment.
***
Calum made a portal to Edward Wood's shop, a dusty bookstore, selling nothing but magic and spell books. Fake ones, of course. It looked like any old bookstore, with piles of books on wooden shelves, cobwebs covering the rusty chandelier, a rug with a weird color. Maybe it had been gray at one point or perhaps even white. Xana picked a book titled 'Incantations for Beginners', then shoved it back on the shelf and wiped her hands on her gear. Michael kept his hands in his pockets. One pocket looked lumpy. Alston stood in the back, looking around with mild interest, avoiding his dusty surroundings.
"How can I help you?" a voice asked. Xana turned and saw a young man behind the counter. She didn't notice him when they portaled. He was about eighteen, pale, skinny, red-haired, and clearly uncomfortable.
"I'm here to see Edward. He is expecting us." Calum told the young man. The boy nodded and disappeared behind a heavy curtain.
"Human?" Xana asked Calum, and he nodded and said. "With the sight." Humans with the sight weren't uncommon, they could see the demons and identify enchanted creatures. But they had no magic.
The young man appeared after a moment, pushed the curtain away, and bowed. Calum went first, Xana on his heels, then Michael, and finally Alston. The boy looked at Alston's hair and ears, then looked back at the floor. They were in a narrow corridor, dimly lit with candles on golden candleholders stuck on the walls. "Why is he hiring a terrified human? Can't he do his business by himself?" Xana asked, a glint of sympathy in her eyes. "That, my dear, is not his official business. It's camouflage. Edward deals with his clients directly at his office, which is right here." Calum said and pushed a curtain at the end of the corridor and went inside.
The room was huge and fancy, nothing like the dirty shop outside. A high ceiling with a massive ivory chandelier, shelves along the walls filled with books and jars. No windows and a mahogany desk. Carved on the desk was a battle scene, warriors in armors pointing their swords and arrows at what appeared to be a demon. A huge figure looming over the warriors who looked eager to kill the demon. Xana liked the scene. The warriors reminded her of Michael and Alston and herself. She wandered around the shelves, examining what was in the jars. Michael followed her. Alston was examining a book now, finally interested in something. "Calum! Finally, you decided to visit your old friend!" a booming voice echoed in the room. A slender man emerged from a door behind the desk. He had black, disarranged hair and odd eyes. One eye was orange, amber orange and the other was dark pine green. But that wasn't what caught Xana's eyes. The warlock had a tail, a long tiger tail, sticking out behind him. He was very tall, towering over the four of them. Calum beamed at him and the tall man bent down and gave him a brief hug. "Always good to see you, Edward." Calum said.
Edward eyed Xana and the boys, clearly very interested and amused.
"Well, well. What have we here?" he asked in an amused tone and walked toward Alston. "A fey prince. I can recognize that arrogance anywhere," he scanned Alston for a moment before giving him a polite bow. Alston said nothing. He wasn't even interested.
"A moon child. Your silver circle always gives you up." He said to Michael and moved closer to him. "Michael Oakstaff, nice to meet you." Michael said, and extended his hand out. Edward shook his hand eagerly.
"Fenris's son! Good man, Fenris. I like your father," he said with a smile. Finally, he turned and gave Xana a full look, from head to toe. "Oh my, it's the princess," he put one hand on his chest and bowed. Xana lifted her eyebrows in surprise. Edward straightened up and added, "Such an honor to have you in my humble place." She extended her hand and shook his. "Thank you." she said with uncertainty, she thought he was a bit weird. Not because of the tail and the odd eyes, she was used to even weirder-looking creatures. It was the way he acted, so …formal!
Calum said, "We are here for some business, you see. Michael wants to exchange some gold." Edward's eyes started shining at the mention of gold, his tail was wagging slightly behind him. Michael took out a pouch from his pocket and gave it to Edward, who took it and went to the desk, sat down and emptied the gold coins, and started admiring them. Xana went to stand beside Alston, who looked bored, staring at the ivory chandelier. She leaned against him and whispered, "Strange warlocks. Do you think there are any normal ones out there?"
"What do you mean by 'normal' exactly?" he asked with a smirk.
"Right. No such a thing, I guess," Xana shrugged, and Alston nodded. Something caught Xana's attention in one of the jars. She walked towards it and examined it. Her eyes went wide and she bit on her lower lip, trying to force the anger down, but it was too late. "WHAT IS THIS?" she shouted and held the jar in her hand. Michael was standing in front of the desk. He turned immediately and looked at Xana. His eyes fixed on the jar in her hand. Calum was staring at the jar in her hand as well. His mouth tightened into a thin line. Edward was sitting at the desk. He stood up slowly and swallowed visibly.
"Those are just ... errr..." his voice was trembling. His hands clenched by his side, he looked more ashamed than afraid.
"Why are you keeping pixies locked up in your stupid jar?" Xana demanded fiercely; her bare shoulders started glowing. Michael and Alston both moved to her side quickly.
"It's just... some clients..." Edward started, avoiding eye contact with Xana. Xana cut him off in a harsh tone. "Are you selling pixies? To some lunatics and God knows what they do with those helpless creatures." Her voice was loud, she was fuming. She felt her rage growing wild inside her like a fire catching in the hay. Some silver beams shot from her body and hit the jars. Many of the jars shattered, and the floor was suddenly full of broken glass, herbs, and other weird materials that were in some jars. She opened the jar and released the pixies. The two tiny creatures flew up to the ivory chandelier, then back towards Edward. They stuck their tongues at him before flying again and resting on a shelf behind Xana. The shaky human from the front room stuck his head in between the curtains and asked in almost a whisper. "Is everything all right, Mr. Wood?"
"Get out." Xana shouted at him and he disappeared. A clanking sound, followed by a thud, was heard in the corridor. He must have fallen down. Michael bent and whispered into Xana's ear. "Calm down. Edward's tail is going to fall off." The corner of Xana's lip twitched. A semi-smile appeared for just a second. Her glow started fading until it was gone, and she released her lower lip from between her gritted teeth.
"I'm sorry." Edward said, his head bent down. His tail was motionless on the floor.
"Consider that a warning. Next time I'll make sure you get punished." Xana's tone was final and scary. Edward only nodded. Selling another enchanted creature was a crime, how could he not know that?
"Let's get to business, shall we?" Calum said and clapped his hands once, trying to change the mood back.
"I'll go get your money Michael." Edward said and went inside the door behind his desk.
"I have never seen Edward afraid before. And I have been living for quite a long time." Calum said and winked at Xana. He looked amused. She put the jar back on the shelf, carefully stepping away from a sticky substance on the floor and a single bat's eye.
"He wasn't supposed to lock them up." She said and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I don't think he will ever lock anything up ever again," Michael said, and laughed. It made them all laugh, even Alston.
Edward returned. He was avoiding looking at Xana directly. She was calm now, examining more of the unbroken jars. Edward handed Michael his money, and he jammed them in his pockets. He shook hands with Edward and promised to come back soon for more exchanges. Calum said his goodbyes and walked toward the curtain covering the corridor. Edward walked slowly, his shoulders hunched and his head down, dragging his tail behind him. "I'm sorry, princess. I hope I didn't offend you in any way, my apologies." He said to Xana with his deep voice. He was so tall, towering even over Michael, his odd eyes dimmed with shame.
"My name is Xana. Nobody calls me princess." Xana said casually.
"They must. It's your birthright." Edward said and nodded sharply. "It's not necessary, Edward. Anyway, I'm sorry too for blasting many of your jars." Edward smiled and shook her hand. Alston just turned and walked out without saying anything to the warlock.
Back in the front room, the young man was trembling slightly, standing behind his counter and watching as all of them came out from the corridor. Xana walked towards him and he took a step back. "What's your name?" she asked the boy. He tilted his head to the side and took a moment before he replied, clearly, he wasn't expecting her to ask him that.
"Johnny." He said in a small voice.
"Get yourself something nice, Johnny." She placed something on the counter and gave the boy a wink. He relaxed and grinned at her. Michael shook his head. The boy grabbed the gold coin and said. "Thank you." Xana gave him a small nod and walked into the portal, the pixies following her. "You shouldn't smile at humans like that. You will break their hearts." Michael said in his teasing tone, and Xana elbowed him.
"He looked pretty shaky and it was my fault, I had to fix it," Xana said matter-of-factly, "And Edward shouldn't hire scared humans, with or without the sight."
"He is new, soon enough he will learn," Calum explained, "Edward's helpers change on a rather frequent basis."
"I wonder what sort of weird things they must have seen to make them flee!" Xana mused. "You didn't have to fix anything." it was Alston, cutting their chat with his usual superiority. Xana rolled her eyes. Alston never believed in apologizing or even being nice to humans. "And Edward was right. Everybody should address you with your rightful title." Alston added. Michael asked, still in his teasing tone. "Are you going to call her a princess too, then?" and wiggled his eyebrows, a sly grin on his mouth.
"No. I am a prince. I can call her by her name." Alston's tone was superior, as usual.
Michael just shook his head. Alston's royal background was something forced upon all of them, and Alston made sure they never forgot that. "Well, I think what you did was nice and kind," Calum assured Xana and patted her lightly on the back. "Who wants to eat?" Calum asked and Michael immediately said, "I do."
***
The Harley Davidson was everything Michael expected. Fast, reliable, and tough-looking, smooth on the ground, and the most enjoyable ride he ever had. "What a beauty." He said for the seventh time, or was it the eighth? Touching the cold silver metal with the tips of his fingers.
Xana patted his arm. "She sure is." She was watching the bike with awe, just like Michael. She loved all things fast and strong and good-looking.
The first time Michael drove and took Xana behind him was something they never forgot. Michael was radiating with joy. Xana let go of Michael's shirt and spread her arms, letting the wind blow fiercely on her bare arms and her face, lifting her hair behind her like a curtain. Michael was yelling something, but she couldn't hear him over the sound of the bike and the wind. He slowed down.
"Grab tight, don't let go. Xana, please." He said firmly. "Okay, okay." This time, she obeyed. They drove along the shore, the salty wind blowing on their smiling faces and the blue water looking formidable under the sun. The sun was warm on their backs that day, with no clouds on the endless horizon. They looked like a normal, happy couple.
"That was amazing. That feeling of freedom, how it cleared my head." Xana said in a dreamy voice. "Said the girl who can actually fly." Michael teased her.
"I know, but that is different. I don't put in any effort. Wings are overrated. Besides, I can't fly with you, can I?"
Michael gave her a wide, dazzling smile and an agreeing nod.
Alston hated the Harley bike. "It is noisy." Was all he had said about it. And he refused to ride it, which made Michael frustrated. They couldn't go with his motorcycle anywhere now. He couldn't take Xana on it and leave Alston behind. Alston couldn't drive because he refused to learn how. They couldn't take Sam's truck often like before because Sam now had a girlfriend and was always with her. They didn't have any other choice but to take Billy's old Mini. It was so small and not so fast, but Xana didn't have any other choice but to drive with Alston until she got her own car.
Alston wasn't so comfortable in it, either. His head hitting the roof, he had to sit leaning to the side, his knees jammed against the glove compartment. But he couldn't complain. He suspected Xana would kill him if he did; he knew she wanted to be with Michael on that silver noisy machine. But he was too arrogant to ride such a thing. He never understood what Xana and Michael saw in that cold piece of metal. Why did they love it so much and why wouldn't they stop talking about it as if it was a living thing?