Sunset Legend

• 20 •

"You are a professional at this," Aurora said, staring at the lifeless frog that laid in the yard in front of us. "Killing? Not a problem. Let's move on to the possession, shall we?" She turned to me, eyes bright with excitement. I nodded.
I have been practicing in my room, urging for the flash of hot and cold to expand through my body. I had succeeded a few times, but had no body to steal. My hands felt sweaty as I looked at the queen.
"Are you sure this is okay if I do this?" I questioned. She nodded eagerly. The sunset was nothing short of breathtaking as it glowed behind her. My muscles were sore from the intense workout session with Sol and my heart still racing from the thought of Jaxon.
My lips were in a tight line as I felt the heat and cold slither into my body with little effort at all. Before I knew it, I was in the queen's body, staring at myself.
My red hair was wild on my head in a mess of a knot. My workout clothes clinging to my body as I stood there, frozen. My golden eyes that appeared a fierce yellow from the sunset, glowing. My hand, the queen's hand shot to her mouth as I stared at myself in awe. I looked beautiful. I looked dangerous.
"So I was thinking..." Jaxon arrived on the back patio with Ray behind him. His voice trailed off, watching me, his mother, stare at myself.
"Holy cheeseballs. Is she in your mom?" Ray whispered, eyes widening.
"Solstice?" Jaxon asked, looking at the queen.
"Do I sound like her?" I asked, my voice coming out as her smooth and calming tone. Ray mumbled something under his breath, jaw dropping as Jaxon looked over at me, the actual me. I watched as he took in my current state, a smile slowly spreading on his lips.
"Our kids would be fucking amazing," he blurted. I saw, for the first time since I arrived, a light pink spread across his cheeks. Ray opened his mouth to talk, but I stopped that.
I looked over at the queen, standing next to Jaxon.
"Wow! I just feel like I slept for an hour. Just slightly dazed! I couldn't even..." she trailed off too, looking at me the same awe struck way I had done a moment ago.
"Over here." I laughed as the deep voice drifted away from me. Then laughed even harder at the male laugh that shook through me. They both turned to me, confused as I stopped laughing.
"You are just simply astounding," Aurora whispered. The smile on Jaxon's lips made my stomach do flips as I returned to my own body.
"Did you just? Wow. I feel like. Wow okay," Ray mumbled, turning on his heel and returning to inside the castle. I chuckled lightly, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear that fell.
"I feel powerful," I admitted, grinning at the queen of the lands that glowed behind her. Her hands landed lightly on my shoulders before she squeezed, looking me in the eyes.
"You are powerful."

Later that night in bed, my head was dizzy from today. The world was dark, only lit by the stars and full moon. My legs and arms ached any time I would roll over and try to get comfortable. So now I was laying flat on my back, arms and legs spread out since this was where they would hurt the less. I stared up at the ceiling, replaying the training with the queen. It was thrilling to think how dangerous I could be with my tamed powers. My mind drifted to all the ways I could murder Frosts... crush his heart, make him stab himself, have Jaxon hurl him off the castle. My dark thoughts turned light as my legs turned soft as I thought about him. His lips were so soft, his body so warm.
A crashing noise came from inside my closet that shook me out of my daydreaming. I was going to disregard it as something falling, until it happened again. A low voice followed it. I sat up in bed, looking around the room for a weapon until the door swung open so hard it rattled off the hinges and fell to the floor.
A man stood in the moonlight, heaving as his eyes locked onto mine. He was bald, his eyes an undeniable piercing blue of the Winter lands.
"Solstice." A chill ran down my spine as he whispered my name in a scratchy voice. He took a step towards me, already halfway across the room. "Frosts told me his pretty little bride ran away. Cold feet?" He laughed at his own joke, his laugh anything but cheerful.
"You can tell Frosts that I will never marry him," I said, a bite to my voice as I stared at the man.
"Oh no, darling. That's unacceptable. He said either bring her back or don't come back at all because I will tear you to shreds." The thought of my old broken castle flashed before my eyes as the comforting feeling of anger surged my body.
"I could just kill you now," I said. He lunged for me then. Sol's training was taking over my mind as I leaped from the bed and towards the door. He missed me, crashing into the bed and breaking a post. The snapping sound was loud, echoing through the room.
"I'm always down for a good time," he said. I took the chance to possess his body, but hit a wall instead. I stumbled back as if I was actually struck. I tried for his heart, only to be blocked again. My anger rose trying to overpower my growing fear. "I was told that you may have some special powers. Good thing I know a guy who likes magic."
He was slowly walking towards me, like a predator that knew his pray was trapped. I was stronger than before, but not nearly strong enough to fight him without any of my powers. With lightning speed, I grabbed the vase next to me and smashed it on my door. The man roared as we heard the noise echo down the hallway. He began charging for me.
Sol came crashing through the door, tackling the man to the ground before he was three feet away from me.
"Who the FUCKING HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?" Sol roared, throwing punches repeatedly at this man's face who was blindly swinging his fists. "You do not. Come into. MY. House." Sol growled, striking until the man's blinded swings finally came to a halt.
"Enough," Aurora said, her usual calmness seeming unsteady as she switched the light on.
The man's face on the ground was unrecognizable now as it was smeared in blood. Sol stood above him, eyes unmoving as if he expected the man to start swinging again.
"He showed up in my closet..." I trailed off. Teleportation. Summer had just walked in as I said that before rushing to my closet to make sure he was alone. "And he had some kind of spell against my powers. I was useless," I whispered, my adrenaline dying. He could of returned me to the Winter lands, to Frosts.
"Now?" The queen asked, kicking the unconscious body on the floor.
I tried to reach out, expecting the wall I hit before. I didn't.
"Kill him," Jaxon demanded from where he stood in the doorway. I looked to Aurora. With a nod from her I reached out, feeling his slow and broken heart beat. My jaw was clenched tight, my legs shaky as I crossed the room to the body. I kneeled down, looking at the broken nose and deep gash in his forehead.
"Tell Frosts I said hi when you're both in hell," I said, before feeling for his heart and squeezing it, so painfully slowly. His breathing became raspy and more blood spilled from his mouth as I finished him.
Sol didn't wait for any instructions as he threw the dead body over his shoulder and left the room. I would of wondered where he took all the bodies, but Aurora was giving orders.
"Summer, go get Ray and come with me to the border. This is not okay. I'm starting to believe they may know we are here. I can only pray that these men are stumbling upon us by chance." Summer nodded sharply, leaving the room without even looking at me. Aurora came to me, pulling me into a hug and rubbing my back. "This will all be over soon." I nodded into her shoulder before she walked to the doorway where Jaxon was standing off on the side. She whispered something in his ear that caused his jaw to twitch.
Sol returned the second after the queen stepped out of my room. He didn't even notice Jaxon was still here as he brought me to his body, squeezing me so tight I almost lost my breath.
"I am the worst bodyguard ever," he mumbled, his body leaning on mine for support. I tried my best to keep us stable against his heavy weight.
"No. Do not think that," I said, grabbing his chin so he would have to look at me, "you did the best you could do. You saved me, Sol." I refused to let my mind drift to the what ifs. If he hadn't charged in when he did...
"I did? I did," he said. He nodded in confirmation and gave me another back breaking hug before standing tall again. I stared into his violet eyes and found myself smiling.
"They're going to the border," I said. He gave me a half bow and bid me a good night before launching out of my room. If he saw Jaxon, he did not show it.
"I suppose we should clean up the vase," I said to myself, looking at the shattered pieces of glass that everyone has been stepping over.
"I'm more concerned with the Sol size hole in your door," Jaxon said. I looked at the door that was swung open to my wall. There was anything barely left of it from the massive hole in the middle. I felt my laugh rising in my throat and tried to swallow it.
"Let's just clean the glass first," I said, my voice cracking with laughter. Jaxon looked at me with an eyebrow raised and suddenly I felt hysterical. What just happened left me a mess as I bent over my knees, laughing uncontrollably.

Thirty minutes later I had finally calmed down, the glass was cleared, and I had a new door to my bedroom. I was standing in the bathroom with damp hair and in a new pair of pajamas. I felt much better having washed away the night. I stopped short when I saw Jaxon sitting on the edge of my bed, a pillow spread across his lap that his finger was tracing circles on.
"Thanks for cleaning up," I said, slowly making my way to the bed. My heart was beating slow as we were alone for the first time since our kiss. Now that my head was clear and I could think again, I noticed that he was shirtless, sitting in nothing but checkered pajama pants and his hair sticking up in every direction.
"My room is on the other side of the castle," he said softly. I reached the bed, quickly deciding to sit next to him at the end. His shoulder brushed mine as I sat, his body warm.
"And?"
"I didn't want you to think I heard it and didn't do anything," his gray eyes met mine. They looked like concrete, deep with sadness. My heart dropped as I looked at his hand, I couldn't look into those eyes.
"I would never think that. You would of done the same thing as Sol."
"He can literally teleport. He just wanted a dramatic entrance." I snorted before quickly covering my mouth with my hand. Jaxon chuckled, grabbing the hand that covered my mouth and holding it as he rested his head on my shoulder.
It felt natural. It felt right. I wanted to think about all the normal nights we could have soon. I just wanted to feel free.
"Are you nervous?" I asked into the silence.
"About going back? I'm terrified," he admitted. One minute we were sitting, his head on my shoulder. The next, he had pulled us back on the bed, lying so that his arm was wrapped around my waist as I rested against him.
"Why?" The darkness answered me for awhile. I raised my head to rest against his chest.
He sighed. "Because something could go terribly, terribly wrong if this does not work."
I couldn't see it anymore now that moonlight was gone, but I knew exactly where it was. I traced the sun on his chest. His breathing slowed.
"Don't think about that now. Just be with me tonight," I whispered.