My mind buzzes with many wishes, but I narrow them down to what truly matters. I wish to be free of this curse. I wish to be loved unconditionally. I wish to be happy, feel safe, and live my life to the fullest. I bit my lip, then frown and gaze into Warrick’s eyes.
‘I have a few wishes, but I’m not sure which one to choose,’ I tell him.
A smile curves Warrick's lips, his eyes sparkling from the reflection of stars. 'You can make as many wishes as there are jellyshrooms,' he says.
I glance at the object we hold in our hands and gesture towards it, seeking clarification. 'Is that what these majestical mushrooms are called?' I ask. Warrick nods, affirming my guess. 'Yes, they are jellyshrooms.'
'They wobble like jelly and feel like it too,' I remark, a sense of childlike wonder seeping into my voice.
Warrick's smirk widens. 'Just wait until you discover what they are capable of,' he replies.
'You have to tell me what they do!' I reply, my smile radiant with excitement.
'Even better, I'm going to show you. All you have to do is think of your wish, lift the jellyshroom into the air, and let it go.'
I nod, absorbing his instructions, and fixate my gaze upon the jellyshroom cradled in our hands.
With my desire to find happiness welling inside me, we simultaneously raise our jellyshroom into the air and release it. For a fleeting moment, it defies gravity, but then something extraordinary happens. Dozens of slender, translucent tendrils unfurl from beneath the jellyshrooms, gracefully weaving through the twilight sky. 'It's like a jellyfish swimming through the sky,' I exclaim with awe.
Warrick takes a blue one, and after a quick moment of staring at it, then into my eyes, he lifts it in the air. The jellyshroom releases its tendrils and swims through the sky.
With a beaming smile, I quickly stand and pluck a yellow one, making a wish for unconditional love. I lift it towards the sky, then grab a green jellyshrooms wishing to be free of the curse. I laugh, and dance around as Warrick, throws dozens of them into the air. It reminds me of a lantern festival in my world, where countless flickering flames ascend into the night sky. Only this time, the sky is adorned with a resplendent rainbow of luminescent hues.
Pixel flutters from my shoulder, playfully bouncing from one jellyshroom to another.
I squeal, my arms spread wide in exhilaration. Tilting my head upward, I watch the jellyshrooms swim higher and higher, taking in the majestical beauty. 'I've never witnessed anything so breathtaking,' I confess, a radiant smile adorning my face as I lower my outstretched arms and turn to face Warrick.
Warrick steps forward until our bodies are almost touching. At least a hundred jellyshrooms are floating around and above us, creating the most enchanting and majestical scene. Warrick’s hand gently cups my left cheek. The sensation causes my breath to hitch. He smiles at my reaction, his midnight eyes never leaving mine as they sparkle and bore into mine. ‘I have,’ he replies, staring deeply into my eyes. ‘I’m staring at it now,’ he says softly.
‘Warrick,’ I say breathlessly.
'Rose,' he replies, his voice mirroring my breathlessness.
His forehead gently presses against mine, and I cover his hand, cupping my cheek. His touch, his closeness, feels indescribable, as though we are meant to be—a soul that had been torn in two and finally reuniting as one. When Brad touched me, it felt cold and forceful and was mostly painful, leaving marks and bruises. But with Warrick, it feels warm and magical, leaving me to yearn for his touch again.
‘Rose, I know you only want to be friends right now, and I know our future together is uncertain, But I wish, just this once, you will allow me to hold you in my arms and savour this moment, to enjoy the bond we share, without either of us fighting it. Let me have this one memory of us together to remember,’ he requests, his eyes reflecting both sadness and a desperate yearning.
I gaze into those captivating eyes, witnessing his longing and the pain of knowing that the bond might break once I consume the reversal potion, returning to my human form. With a mixture of compassion and a desire to grant him his wish, I nod, wanting to give him at least this moment between us.
I lean against his chest, my heart syncing with the rhythm of his own. Carefully, I wrap my arms around him, surrendering to the magnetic pull of our bond. As I allow myself to revel in the intoxicating electricity that courses between us. His touch as his fingers glide gently across my arms ignites a sense of magic, each caress feeling like delicate butterflies are dancing across my skin. Warrick's tension melts away, his shoulders easing into a state of relaxation. He nestles his cheek against my ear and wraps his arms around me to share the magical moment of the bond between us as we watch the enchanting scene of the colourful jellyshrooms glow around us and into the night sky.
'Thank you,' Warrick whispers, with gratitude and tenderness, and gently kisses my forehead before he rests his face back against the silken cascade of my hair.
After an hour of finding solace in Warrick's arms, our ethereal sanctuary is interrupted by the distant call of Xander, beckoning us back to camp. Warrick lets out a resigned sigh, ‘I guess we should get back to camp,’ he says.
I nod and extend my hand out. Pixel gracefully lands upon my palm. I give him a gentle scratch beneath his chin. He elicits a contented purr. I place him upon my shoulder and follow Warrick's lead as we return to camp.
Xander's stern voice pierces the air upon our arrival, scolding us for our absence. ‘Where have you been? What have I told you about wandering off?’ Xander scolds.
‘Didn’t realise you were my Daddy now, Xander,’ I retort. ‘You need to stop worrying. Warrick was with me anyway.’
Xander shakes his head. 'Being alone with him only heightens my worries,' he argues.
Warrick emits a low, rumbling growl, his protective instincts flaring. He cracks his neck in a display of restrained frustration. 'She is allowed to be alone with me,' he snaps back at Xander with conviction. 'She is my mate, and you know I would never harm her.'
‘You know darn well, spending more time with her only strengthens the bond, which will only make it more painful when the bond is broken,’ Xander replies.
‘Have you ever considered that if Rose were to drink the reversal potion and be human again, that the mate bond might remain and not break?’ Warrick argues.
‘Unlikely, but even so, what would it matter if you are living here in Felderia and she is living back in her world?’ he asks, but his face pales. ‘Wait, you intend on coming back with us through the portal, don’t you?’ he asks.
Warrick’s eyes lock to mine. ‘I’m leaving that choice up to Rose, and I have offered to remain by her side as a friend and protector until she is ready to accept me as her mate or otherwise remain as her friend indefinitely. If having her friendship and being near her is all she can give me, then that’s what I’ll take,’ he tells Xander.
Xander bristles, invoking the rules as a counterargument. 'That decision is not hers to make. You know the rules,' he insists.
Warrick's growl reverberates through the tense atmosphere. 'Yet, you are allowing Orelious through, and with the Mystic Council gone, the rules have become obsolete. You're being a hypocrite,' he asserts, his voice dripping with defiance. 'Consider how you would feel if Janie wasn't ready or interested in being with you, but you knew there was a chance for a future together. How would you feel if you were forced to live in different worlds, separated from your mate? It would shatter you, and deep down, you know it.'