Morrigan - ACOTAR Fanfic

Chapter Thirteen - Shirtless Jacked Body

Helion threw himself onto the furthest chair, his robe swaying against his powerful thighs with the movement. It was then that I realised he'd forgone his usual radiant crown, but kept that gold armband of the upright serpent. Alex slumped not-so-gracefully in the remaining chair and faced us both.

I tipped my head to the side. "What is this place?"

Alex took a second to think, then said, "Think of it as the inner workings of my mind."

Helion rose his brows. "How did we get here?"

Alex grinned. "Magic." When neither Helion nor I replied, she sighed and said, "It's a long and boring story. Do you really want to hear it?"

We nodded and waited patiently for Alex to think up an explanation. She crossed one leg over the other and said, "Prythian and everyone in it are part of a beloved book series written by a favourite author of mine."

I rose my brows but Helion merely said, "Go on."

Alex released a breath. "It's called A Court of Thorns and Roses." I remembered hearing that title a lot in my dreams. She nudged her at me. "Although you don't appear until the second book. And Helion, not until the third." 

My mate asked, "Have you heard of reality shifting?"

We shook our heads. She nodded and explained, "It's something humans discovered, like the light-bulb. Except this time it isn't a physical act. Essentially, one must shift their consciousness to wherever they want to go. Their favourite book, a popular movie franchise involving wizards and wands, any particular place really..." She trailed off.

Helion asked, "Why?"

"The purpose of shifting varies from person to person. I invented and shifted to this place for the sole reason of meeting my favourite fictional characters." 

I leaned forward in my chair. "Does that mean we're not actually real?" 

Alex shook her head. "Not necessarily."

Helion blew out a breath. "Thank fuck for that. Without me, the world wouldn't know what perfection was."

I snorted, but Alex smiled sadly, as if she knew something we didn't. I couldn't stand to see my mate feel such despair that I changed the subject.  

I asked, "Why us?" Why me?

Alex must have detected my unspoken words for she shot me a look, then said, "My favourite characters are not usually the main characters or the heroes or the prettiest. Although, it just so happens that you both inherited that last trait."

Helion grinned and she laughed. But, sobering quickly, she continued. "I fall for the characters with deep, heart-felt backstories. Characters that have been driven to the point of breaking but instead decide to step back from the edge. Characters with kind, warm hearts."

Both Helion and I appeared ready to retort, but Alex cut us off and offered me a secret smile as she said, "I like the characters that teach me to not let the hard days win." I inclined my head in thanks. 

She finished with a joke. "And I have a wing fetish. Much like Thesan." 

Helion barked out a laugh and I rolled my eyes , both of us understanding the reference to the High Lords' Meeting. 

Alex gave a cocky smile. "Want to play Truth or Dare?"

After we agreeed, she decided to go first. "Have you met your mate yet?"

I spent a few moments pondering my response and settled on a quick, "Yes."

Her brows furrowed slightly, but she covered it with a swift smile. A smile that didn't quite reach her ocean eyes. "It's your turn now. Ask anyone."