The Glorious Flame (#2)

Chapter 15

Inferno

     The weary pixie wiped the sleep from her eyes and dragged herself out of bed, grinding her teeth together in response to her whining bones. In the next few moments, she covered her body in a simple pick of clothes, trying to gather her thoughts into something less chaotic. How long was she out? 

     She frowned as she examined the sleeping prince who sat against the wall. A worried sweat drenched his brow. Whatever he dreamed of was not to his fancy. His breath was shallow and frantic. Maybe it was a nightmare, or a memory he wished to forget? She knew all too well what that was like. 

     Inferno ignored that even then he was the most handsome specimen she had ever encountered. Lush, golden skin. Ridiculously perfect curls that somehow managed to style themselves in a perfected lazy look. Plump lips. Slender nose. A true prince. 

   "Hey, Cupcake, wakey-wakey before Inferno decides to get out a bucket of ice water," Inferno announced, making her way toward the bathroom in case his subconscious mind decided to challenge her threat. 

     He jolted awake, coming to a stand, gun pointed at who dare wake him. He too woke that way? Maybe they did have more in common than she initially believed. 

     "Bad dream?" Inferno blew out as she picked up the mug, "and what the hell is this?"

    She looked over, only to struggle from fainting. It caused her great distress that he looked ready to step onto some hot-guy magazine by simply fixing his disheveled appearance. What torture this was! "It is supposed to make you feel better, that is what they told me." He responded.

     Inferno was confused. "Feel better? Nothing can help this... Right?" She thought back to all her periods of transition and the raw pain she thought she could do nothing about. There was no knowledge in her mind of remedies which could help alleviate her natural-occuring torture. Then again, she was the only pixie she grew up with. 

     The pixie felt a flame of rage flare in her heart. All that pain could have been prevented. A lot of her pain in her life could have prevented had things played out differently. If only...

     "Well, all I want is their contacts' responses, not their magical pixie herbs," Inferno responded with heat directed at no one in particular. She seized the mug and prepared to throw it out the window. 

     Shock radiated in her mind when she saw a flash of glowing grey in the reflection of the dark liquid. She cursed and raced to the bathroom, ignoring Rouhem's firing off of questions and the protest of her sore limbs. "What the actual fuck?" Inferno demanded at the new pair of eyes on her face. 

     Rouhem barged into the room, set on investigating. His flurry of curses informed her that he too noticed the extreme change from dull orange to luminescent grey. Inferno twirled in front of him. "Notice any other changes? Do I have a third eye? Go on, give it to me straight!" 

     He paused, as though pondering his answer. "I do not exactly keep a checklist of your usual body features." So very helpful!

     "Leave, Queen Elizabeth, I gotta check this situation out and I would not appreciate an audience!" That was all it took to expell his presence from the room. He moved like his ass was on fire! Good, because she was prepared to get out the gasoline. 

     Inferno stripped in pain-filled, measured moments. Her body felt the ghost of agony she could never escape. What caught her eye was her tinier waist, sharper ears and cheekbones. Even her hands appeared to adopt a more delicate construct. She registered the pulsing ache in her teeth, found also on the nails both for her fingers and toes. There was an alien gloss sheen to her skin, though not nearly as eye-catching as Rouhem's golden complexion.