ZARAMANNI (BOOK ONE)

“I can’t believe I forgot to get shoes,” Clarissa sounded displeased as she watched Zaramanni struggle with the second leg of the thick socks she brought for her.

They were on their way to the library when Zara pointed out how chilly the ground was. Clarissa rushed to a nearby room to get some footwear, but, somehow, she forgot shoes.

“Are the socks okay?” Clarissa asked, with great worry. “Are they a perfect size? It seems your feet are a little bigger than mine.”

Soon, Zaramanni planted her covered feet on the ground and she relished how comfortable she was. It was as though the footwear had cushions in them because they made standing more convenient.

“They fit very well, Clarissa. You don’t have to beat yourself up.”

“If Beta Zoey hears about this, I won’t be spared. He specifically told me that he wants you to be as comfortable as possible.”

“I am sure he won’t be that angry,” Zara tried to soothe her concerns.

“No.” Clarissa instantly grabbed Zara’s right hand. “He is quite scary when it comes to people or things he likes. If anything goes wrong, he won’t go easy on me.”

“P-people he l-likes?” Zaramanni was flustered but she instantly caught herself before her thoughts could start to wander.

The man-wolf could just like her as a person who he felt would make a good friend.

“He likes you a lot,” Clarissa replied, her eyes twinkling and her earlier concerns fully gone. “I can tell that much. Besides when he called me to give instructions about taking of you, his lips kept tugging with small smiles.

Oh my,” Clarissa’s excitement caused Zara’s mind to race. “What if you two are mates? I know it is less likely for a human and wolf to be mated, but the goddess does the unthinkable at times.”

“Clarissa, that’s okay.” Zaramanni had no idea how to react to the woman’s excited words.

Zaramanni was already taking pleasure in liking Sham from afar just like she did whenever she had crushes back on Earth.

And truthfully, ever since he helped get rid of the vampire’s toxin, she grew strong admiration toward Beta Zoey.

But that was the most she wished to happen.

Zaramanni didn’t want her admiration toward either man to be reciprocated. The thought of someone liking her sounded so foreign and she hoped that neither of the men-wolf would definitively grow fond of her.

The possibility of that happening scared her.

Before she could frighten herself some more, Zaramanni pushed her thoughts aside and transferred her gaze to the huge double doors behind her.

“The library is on the other side of this door?” she asked Clarissa.

“Yes. I am sure Lord Elias is waiting for you.”

“Lord Elias?” Zara’s brows lifted.

“That is the librarian you will be working with. His name is Lord Elias. He is the longest-living wolf in Zenrada.”

“Oh.”

“You should hurry, he hates lateness. I will dash to the kitchen right away and get you that ice cream. It might get boring for you, so you will need it.”

Zaramanni turned to face the woman. “Is there a ’no eating rule′ in the library?”

“No,” Clarissa responded as managed a delightful scoff at Zara’s question. “There is no such thing.”

“Alright then.” Clarissa’s response gladdened the girl who soon pushed one of the doors open and proceeded toward the world hidden behind the entrance.

And when her eyes settled on the sight behind the doors, a loud gasp escaped Zaramanni.

The glossy-looking room was huge. Very, very huge.

The plentiful arraign of book-filled shelves that started a few distances from where Zara stood seemed unending. And no matter how she craned her neck, Zara failed to determine the end of the room.

That was not ordinary.

Zaramanni didn’t know the exact size of the manor, but she could tell that the size of the library could easily rival the entire manor.

But then, there was no doubt that magic was involved in the unusual largeness of the room with high, dome-shaped ceilings and insane illumination.

“You must be Zaramanni,” someone said from behind.

Zara turned. All she saw was the door.

With a small frown, she faced the front and a small yelp escaped her.

As Zaramanni gathered herself and caged her shocked lips with her hands, she studied the man that stood a few steps away from her.

If indeed he was Lord Elias, the longest-living wolf, he didn’t look like the old man she thought he would be.

For a second, when Clarissa mentioned him, Zaramanni could already imagine a man with grey or silverish long hair. His skin was highly wrinkled in her imagination.

But, no.

He radiated the beauty of youth.

He looked like a thirty-something-year-old man would look on Earth. Zaramanni was certain that his handsomeness would never be overlooked if he was a person living on Earth.

A closer look and she noted his mischievous-looking eyes which were housed in his roughly round and tan face.

“Are you... Lord Elias?”

“Hmm...” With a thoughtful look on his face, he started to entangle his fingers with the length of his black hair. “Are any of us who we think we are?”

Zara frowned, her eyes wearing uncertainty as to what her reply to his vague question should be.

“King Darren told me about you, half-fairy,” his raspy voice, which shared the wittiness in his eyes, said. Instantly filled with caution, Zara took a quick look around the library. It would be unwise to announce to the tiniest of ears that she was a half-fairy, she knew that much.

Lord Elias continued, “I am glad he has decided to keep you here.”

“How is that a good thing? I should be on my way home right now,” Zara retorted.

“Yes, you should. But the long journey to Mount Hermos will be hell. And, if you do make it there, you will be stopped from leaving because they will instantly know that you carry special blood.”

“B-but…” Zara hoped that he was just trying to scare her. But the serious look on his face didn’t seem like it would be ruined by something humorous.

“Do you think spending centuries locked away in a one-window room on Mount Hermos is better than staying in a luxurious place in Zenrada?” Lord Elias asked. “You get to walk freely in this place and a fine room has been assigned to you so that you feel no discomfort.”

Loud clicking sounds pierced the air he began to walk toward her, the tail of his long jacket dragging after him.

Once in front of her, Lord Elias folded his hands behind him and said, “I know it looks like the King is being wicked. He is not. Keeping you in the manor is his way of protecting you. He is doing this to make sure nothing happens to you.”

Zaramanni found it hard to speak as she stared into the twinkling eyes of Lord Elias. His words rang in her ears and she wondered once again why she had such a damned fate.

“I have to admit though,” he drew a sharp breath, his words pulling Zara out of her thoughts, “King Darren has his selfish reasons for keeping you here.”

“He does?”

A worried look found its way to his face. “Have you had encounters with the King’s wolf?”

“Y-yes,” Zara stuttered.

“His wolf is tamed whenever you touch it, isn’t it?” Lord Elias pinned his gaze on Zara and the persistence in his eyes urged her to give in to his interrogation.

“Yes.”

“He needs you to tame his dangerous wolf. You need to stay here for King Darren to successfully win the fight against his inner beast.”

“But, I can’t stay here forever.”

Zara’s voice was loud, it echoed in the large space that was filled with thousands of books.

“No, you can’t. But, the King has to focus on re-building the kingdom, he will deal with the sudden connection you both have later on.” He placed small pats on her shoulder. ” Till that time comes, I, Lord Elias, will teach you all you need to know about being a half-fairy.”

“Oh.”

“Umm, it is very likely that you start to experience peculiar changes. King Darren already told me about some instances when your powers manifested. I fear that your unexplored powers will keep growing if we don’t keep them in check.”

“Do you have powers as well?”

“Well...” Lord Elias wore a shy look as he rubbed his neck. Then, he replied, “No. I am afraid I am just an old librarian.”

“And the longest-living wolf in Zenrada,” Zara completed his words. She just felt like he was going to say that as well. “So, how are you going to teach me about managing my powers if you don’t have one?”

“We have books!” His mischievous look was back as he excitedly threw his hands into the air. “Our library doesn’t have many books on fairies, but surprisingly, there are a lot on half-fairies. You are not the first half-fairy to grace our universe.” He gestured at her to walk with him.

She obliged.

“Half-fairies are rare yet important to a Kingdom’s growth. They can be a Kingdom’s downfall as well. Thousands of years ago, despite it being a taboo, a human mated with a fairy and produced a son with special blood. In that same period, the vampires suffered a huge loss because there was a pandemic in their lands.”

“So they kidnapped the half-fairy and used his blood to bless their lands?” Zara tried to take a guess as her attention stayed on Lord Elias whose gait was very firm.

Lord Elias chuckled.

“You are half-right. They kidnapped the boy from his fairy mother and mixed his blood with that of Zenrada’s prince. The prince had just been chosen to be King by the moon goddess at that time. But he was yet to find his wolf. So, the vampires performed the ritual and made a monster out of the prince.

They used the prince’s wolf to wreak havoc on Amok, the witches’ Kingdom. They used the prince’s beast to exercise extremely dangerous powers. But it didn’t last long. The prince didn’t stay their puppet for too long.”

“Did something good happen?”

Zaramanni asked as her mind annoyingly reminded her of the moment her blood was drawn in the sacred room of Amarxona.

“No.” Lord Elias halted his steps. “The half-fairy died.” His eyes pierced Zara’s once again. “The prince died because the half-fairy died.”

“So, are you saying that,” Zara’s brows twitched, her eyes darted to the side, “if I die, King Darren will die as well?”

Lord Elias nodded. “The same would happen if he dies first.”

With a deep frown etched on her forehead, she stared at Lord Elias. Because of the startled state of her heart, she failed to utter words.

With slight pity in his eyes, Lord Elias continued, “The fairies that forced you into our realm must be in search of power. I don’t know what has pushed them to take this route, but they clearly have a plan. They attacked Zenrada, lured the King, drew his blood for the ritual, and gave him a murderous wolf.”

Zara let out a shaky breath as Lord Elias’s words settled in her mind. At that point, it became too much for her to handle.

So, her silence still maintained, Zara walked toward the draped windows on her right and all her eyes saw were the chairs resting against the wall.

Once she settled on one of the cushioned seats, another shuddering exhale came and Zara buried her face in her palms.

~

While Zaramanni was struggling to grasp the reality of her situation, King Darren, who was worn out from the just concluded celebrations and urgent kingdom matters, laid flat on his bed.

He was trying to blank his mind while he worried about his backache when his ears caught the sound of approaching footsteps.

With an alert mind, the Alpha King sat up and watched the door.

But, when Laura walked into the room with her sleeping robe barely wrapped around her curvaceous body, he relaxed.

“My Alpha,” she called softly from where she was. “Isn’t it awesome that you finally got your wolf? I know it bothered you that you became king without shifting. But this changes things.”

Before she got to the bed, her robe dropped to the ground and her full nakedness teased the man’s eyes.

“Laura...” Alpha Darren almost moaned her name and he began to imagine the many ways he could make love to her.

“We need to talk, Alpha Darren.”

“Now?” His dark eyes stayed glued on his wife’s body as she climbed the bed, her body wiggling with seduction.

“Later,” she replied with a whisper.

A whisper that made him hungry for her.