My eyes fluttered. The bright light burned, and I squeezed them shut, groaning. My breath was heavy, and it felt like a struggle to fill my lounges. Trying to rub the sleep out of my groggy eyes, I realized how numb my hands were, and I began to remember. The fireplace, the little shelter, and Fury! Fury and the other wolves! We were attacked! I jerked up and swore like a drunken sailor as my forehead collided with something hard and cold.
It's a lamp! It's just a lamp! I nearly laughed out loud, but then every fiber in my body was on high alert. There was no lamp in my little shed or in the woods!
Slowly, my eyes adjusted to the bright light, and a vast bedroom emerged from my sleepy fog. Sun rays danced in two massive windows, casting shadows on the cream-colored walls. It was such a big room, so light and welcoming at the same time. Someone obviously spent a great deal of time planning this, then why the heck would they place a lamp there? I glared back at the lamp, quite literally hanging right over my head. Movement caught my attention from the corner of my eye, and I sat up. Avoiding the stupidly placed light, and my eyes landed on a tall and slim woman. She was wearing a light pink dress, floor length, so thigh around her tiny waist. She had to be wearing a corset. Long sleeves, her dark chocolate hair had perfect curls as they softly bounced over her shoulders. She would have looked like the ideal princess if it wasn't for that deep, vulgar cleavage. Her breast clawing onto the fabric for dear life, the opening stopped just above her belly button and was held together by a thin golden chain right under her breasts.
I arched a brow, and our eyes met. Long, nearly white lashes decorated her ice-cold eyes. Those green eyes bore into mine for a second, and none of us said a word. Her skin was flawless and pale, shimmering as the sun grazed her cheeks. I blinked, and her cold stare was gone. On the girl's perfect face was a bright warm smile, beaming enough to warm up the entire room.
"Don't worry; you are safe. I'm Myranda, but you can call me Myra."
I observed her, and her change in demeanor didn't go unnoticed. It didn't have to mean anything, but my first impression was that she didn't want me here. Wherever here is. I opened my mouth to answer, but my throat was dry as a dessert, and all I could do was cough. I didn't even notice that she moved, but her hands wrapped around mine as she held up a glass of cold water and helped me by lifting it to my lips.
"Here, take this! You have been through so much, and your throat must be dry and soar!"
Maybe I was wrong about her, and I took big greedy sips of the water. Cold, fresh, and soothing, it ran down my throat, bringing my body back to life. As she sat this close, I noticed her pointy ears and her skin that seemed to glitter, just like Luca's.
"Thank you. I'm E.."
I stopped and remembered my old name. The human name, then the name I was given. I'm not quite sure why, but I decided to go by my new name.
"I'm Eir."
"Nice to meet you, Eir! You have to excuse my first reaction; I haven't met many girls! I'm so excited to have a girlfriend around, finally! I'm sure we will become good friends!"
She beamed; I could only smile back. But in the back of my mind, I saw Fury. Fury is facing two wolves. I remembered his soft fur between my fingers and how safe he made me feel. What happened?
"Where am I?"
"Oh, where are my manners? Welcome to Errithia, Eir! The land of the light is the safest place for a female on this earth! You won't have to worry about a thing for the rest of your life!"
I frowned. I've never heard about Errithia. But then again, I don't really know much about this world. I swallowed hard as it dawned on me, a completely different world! Not in a new country, world! Then I remembered something Toke told me about the Fay. They treated their females as princesses and shielded them with their lives.
"Is that a fay village?"
She snorted,
"Village? God no! This is our capital city! Poor thing, you spent too much time with the wolves! We are not savages or barbarians like those creatures!"
Hurt flashed through me; why? I'm not a wolf, I don't belong with them. Don't even want to stay with them! I pushed it away while she rambled on about modern houses and the best clothes in this world. Spices other places in the world could only dream of and their exquisite wine and tea. I didn't really listen, my eyes wandered around in the room. Small golden flowers decorated the doors, the handles were gold twisted like twines even the bed sheet had small golden details to it. Luxurious, extravagant. I would never feel at home here was my first thought. But then why should I? I don't belong here either. I interrupted her rambling about some small, expensive shops,
"How did I get here? Why am I here?"
She glared at me, and I started to think I had been incredibly rude to interrupt her. But I didn't care about the shops, the dresses, or all the variety of teas and wines. I know I should be grateful that I won't become a wolf trophy, but something deep down ached. This was not my choice either. Was I a prisoner here? Could I leave if I wished to? Would I see Fury and Toke again?
She sighed and rolled her eyes a little, looking to the side. Like I bored her beyond belief.
"You were saved! Isn't that enough? You will never have to slave for those animals, obey them or degrade yourself by being in their presence. As for why? Well, it's no rush, of course, but as a female living in Errithia, you are expected to choose 5 mates. It's a small price to pay, after all, but you have a couple of days before choosing your first. And I'm guessing you don't really have to choose; one is already waiting for you!"
She winked at me with a sly smile, and my blood ran cold.
"And if I prefer to leave?"
She laughed, then noticed I meant it she looked at me like I was crazy.
"You do realize your safe now? That you are free here? That you can have everything and everyone you want? Why would you want to leave? No, that's just foolishness, girl!"
Yes, why would I? What was waiting for me back home? Mom? She probably didn't even notice that I was gone. The only place that may know was the school. But would they care? Not likely. They all expected me just to stop showing up one day. To end up like my mom, and no matter how many tests I had top scores on, they all seemed surprised every single time. No, I had nothing waiting for me or going my way back home. But, even if I hated myself a little for it, I wanted to see Fury again. Fury, the beautiful black beast and his human that had kept me safe and warm.
"You are over 18, are you not?"
"Yes?"
"Good! The servants will get you something to eat and help you clean up. Then I'll take you down to meet them and tell you all about the Lilifolia days. You are going to love it!"
She walked away before I could answer, and something told me I would not. Lilifolia days? Never even heard about something similar and met them? Who are they? And why are they waiting for me? An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach, and something told me I would not like this as much as Myranda claimed.