Mage Chronicles: The Journey.

HEAT.

I dry heave again, fighting a consecutive whimper when a cramp flash through my abdomen again.

When nothing else comes out of me, I melt into the floor curling up protectively over my spasming lower half. Damn I haven' had cramps this bad since...

Shit! Cramps! Was I getting my period? That would explain a lot.

But why was it happening now? I

You seem to have figured it out yourself.

"Dru? Do you know what's happening to me? And why it's happening?"

You're right, these symptoms are normally a prelude to you getting you cycle.

"But? I can hear a but coming..."

It is not the case this time around.

"Can you quit being cryptic I need—-" I stop as another sharp pain tears through my abdomen and the tears come unbidden.

"Mahina! Are you okay in there?" Rhysand yells knocking frantically on the door.

"Don't come in!" I shout back anticipating the pain at my sudden movement.

"You don't sound okay, please open the door so we can check on you," Keon counters.

"If any of you get in here, I'm going to geld you!" I yell in answer.

I wouldn't do that, Dru starts sounding thoroughly amused, you are going to be needing those parts in a few days.

"Shut u—-, wait, what do you mean?"

Your ascension is impending and inferably, so is your first heat.

"Huh?" I ask my pain firmly in the back burner.

You need your mates now more than ever, the pain is going to be unbearable since it's your first time and all your normal cycle characteristics are going to be more amplified, your hormones on the other hand are going to run you ragged.

"That aside," I start firmly ignoring her statement about amplified pain, "What the fuck is a heat! I'm not an animal!"

No, you're not, but you are a female fae, going into heat is inevitable.

"Why?" I ask wondering at her choice of words.

Normally, you get an ovulation phase, where your body essentially drives you to procreate right?

I sit up at that, "Yeah, I hate ovulating," I murmur cringing away from the feeling.

Well, a heat is similar only, as you'd put it; on steroids. We somehow harken to our baser selves, where our constraints and inhibitions all but disappear, all that is left is the one goal, find suitable partners and getting down to business.

I gape in the general direction of the ceiling head reeling at this revelation. "Wait, we? Do you also—-"

After your heat, who's duration is entirely dependent on the number of your heat partners, if fertilization takes place, well and good, if it doesn't, then the normal bleeding starts.

"I have to go through that every month, maybe I shouldn't ascend."

You don't have an option, but no, this doesn't happen every month, it all depends on your physical and emotional state, there's no given timeline, it could happen twice a month or once a year.

A pregnant pause feels the bathroom before I feel Dru sigh.

May I ask what you're doing.

"Manifesting," I answer eyes still closed legs crossed like a Turk, hands clasped together in prayer.

Manifesting what?

"Once a year, please let it be once a year, this poor girl cannot handle this shit every month, I whisper fervently.

Who are you praying to?

At this point I didn't really care, anyone who could answer my prayers.

"Dru, can I get a..." I break off as a hot water bottle lands on my lap.

"It's really scary how you do that," I mumble getting up gingerly, only for a pair of arms to come around me taking all my weight.

"Should have known you wouldn't listen," I huff at Rhys but melting into his arms anyway feeling instantly better.

Physical contact with your mates should also help, the more intimate the better.

"Go away Dru," I grumble glaring at the ceiling before tilting my head to look at Rhys, "And you, didn't hear that, capiche?"

He nods face still showing concern despite the humour bleeding through his beautiful eyes.

"Do I have to pretend I didn't hear too?" Keon asks as Rhys helps me into my bedroom settling me on my bed.

I just glare at him as I carefully adjust myself, lying back in my scrunched form clutching the hot water bottle close.

"What happened? Keon asks at the same time Rhys voices his own question, "What do you need?"

Before I could answer any of them, my door opens letting in Andrei and Killian, the latter looks like he'd swallowed poison while the former had concern etched all over his face.

It takes seconds for them to find me and twin expressions of intense relief flood my vision as they move towards the bed.

"Take your fucking shoes off," I command with zero heat.

The two comically back-track in sync removing their shoes and placing them on the rack by the door before moving back to my side.

"Are you okay? Oh! fates Mahina do you have any idea how terrified we were when you just vanished into thin air?" Andrei babbles sounding overwhelmed.

"I'm glad you are okay," Killian murmurs hesitantly.

I scoff, "Are you?"

He looks insulted but I proceed, "You didn't seem concerned when you wanted me to run up a freaking hill, or when you insinuated, I was weak while I was trying hard not to throw-up all over myself now did you?"

"What?" Keon yells while Rhys moves swiftly clocking Killian right in the face sending him flying across the room.

"We had an agreement Freyr!" Rhys growls advancing on the man.

"She needs to be stronger to...she needs to get stronger!" Killian yells desperately.

What was all this about?

"And she will, but your methods are bordering on physical abuse, you are slowly turning into the very thing you're striving to protect her from." Rhys continuous sounding menacing.

That wasn't Rhys.

"Rhian," I call out softly, "Come here," I instruct when he turns back to me.

He promptly runs moving towards the bed as I move back to make space for him. He settles in ignoring Keon's grumble about being lucky.

I glance at Killian who looks like he's fighting a pretty intense internal battle, before he walks out leaving Andrei and Keon staring after him puzzled.