Page 21 of My Dark Obsession

‘Fates Be Damed-Damnari Fates’

Amaya

I couldn’t stop thinking about Cole and his tired eyes. Something was seriously wrong, and it added to the noise in my head.

“I know of a quicker way to the Village than the portals if Ye’ want to try.”

I looked over to the dragon stood in the castle doorway with his arms crossed and a mischievous grin playing across his face. Squinting at him I made my way back into the castle in search of my shoes.

Jerry waited by the fire in the foyer, my boots in one hand and a thick black cloak in another.

“This may be of use to you this evening my Lady.”

Sliding my feet into the boots, I took the cloak from the ghost, its thick splendorous material soft to the touch. With a deep purple clasp at the neck and an opulent hoop, it fell to my calves.

It was stunning.

Smoothing my hands down the front, I noticed a deep embroidered L.A. on the right breast.

“Lady Amaya.” Jerry bowed low before straightening up and tucking my hair into my hood. Freezing, I stood still as he fussed over me.

“I know this realm, magic and well…everything is a lot for you right now. But I hope you know my Lady; that the Dark Mountain and I have waited a long time for you to return to us. I cannot pretend to fathom the life you had in the human realm. But know this; you are a powerful Dark Witch, with more strength and love in your soul than you could ever imagine.” Brushing off the invisible lint on my shoulder, he stood back with his jiggling moustache and something suspiciously like a tear in his eye.

Could ghosts cry?

To think that someone had been waiting for me this entire time. All those years of being alone and not knowing I was needed, not knowing I had a home. Not knowing I had a family waiting for me.

Elyas and Ellfyn were going to be so happy here, so welcomed.

Rí’s rumble of appreciation by the door had me grinning with a warmth in my chest.

“Thank you, Jerry,” I said quietly as I turned back to the ghost. And then I did something unexpected even to me, I laid my hand on his arm, and I gave him a real smile, one I know was full of gratitude as something akin to affection filled my cold heart.

His moustache jiggled like crazy and that’s when I knew.

Jerry the ghost butler was also mine. Mine to protect, mine to keep. Just as my boys were.

I strolled over to the dragon, my cloak billowing behind me like the badass witch I was going to make sure I became and waited to be told of this short cut.

A loud rustling out the front door had the dragon grinning as he jumped out, a bounce in his step as he moved into a now clear space. The trees had created a clear area with enough space to fit a shifted dragon.

Holy fuck.

I finally realised what Rí had meant.

His large body blurred and cracked before a monstrous black dragon stretched its long scaly neck.

This close I could see everything, including the humps along its back, the long tail that ended with an orange flame glowing and bright.

Its huge talons dug into the stones before releasing, bringing up tufts of dirt.

Slowly, I walked forward, my hand outstretched to touch him, his huge head lowered to my level, resting his scaley chin at my feet.

“You’re amazing,” I breathed out in awe. Before me, with his head at my feet stood a real-life fucking dragon. His bright glowing red eyes stared at me. I knew it was Rí of course, but something else stared out at me, something primal.

Hot air blew at me, blowing my cloak and hair around my face as he chuffed at me, his teeth bared, sharp and dangerous.

They were longer and thicker than my damn thigh.

I reached my hand forward and smoothed it down his black glistening scales.

They were almost hot to the touch. My fingers tingled as a loud humming came from his chest. Was he purring again?

His red eyes were closed in contentment as I continued my exploration of him.

I ran my hand along the ridges on his nose leading to his eyes.

He was taller than the trees even laying down as he was now.

He was absolutely magnificent, a true mystical creature I thought only belonged in the books I used to steal.

He surprised me by standing up, lifting his head to the sky and letting loose a long loud roar. It echoed around the mountain, and I could just tell, this wasn’t an angry roar like before. I covered my ears and smirked at his showing off.

“How am I supposed to get up?” I pondered as I walked to his side and stared up at the hump-like seat on his back.

Before I knew it, his big claws grabbed me and threw me up into the air.

A small screech escaped me as I flailed my arms about, waiting to fall with a crunch to the floor.

Instead, I landed with a “humph!” on his back as my heart tried to escape through my chest.

“A fucking warning would have been nice,” I snapped and slapped my hand down on his scaly neck.

He made another chuffing sound before his wings spread out on either side of us; they were even bigger that I had thought.

They stretched out almost as wide as the front of the castle before he slowly began to rise into the air.

I gripped his hump with both hands and enjoyed the warmth his scales provided me.

His dragon form was solid, impenetrable, powerful.

You would be really fucking stupid to piss this dragon off. I understood why people avoided him.

We flew through a large portal in the thick clouds, its blur almost unnoticeable in the wind that blew around us.

It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before: the pure freedom the open sky provided, the peace that had settled over me.

I wanted to close my eyes and enjoy the sensation, but I couldn’t stop my eyes from taking everything in.

The sky cleared as we flew through the Light city, the stars clear and vibrant above us.

I looked down at the city, at the near empty streets and the contempt on the few people that did rush about.

The people that resided there couldn’t truly be happy, could they? Or were they stuck in the same sluggish slime as the humans were? Wake up, work, lie, deceive and wish for a better ending. Sleep and repeat.

It was as if they were missing something, something so very important. But what was it? What was missing from all their lives?

I squinted into the night sky as we neared another portal.

Rí’s wings glided effortlessly, his red eyes a beacon in the dark night.

I slowly let go of his hump, spread my arms wide, tilted my head back in the wind and closed my eyes.

I embraced this freedom and peace. I embraced the moment and held it deep within like a hug.

Because you never knew when you would need to relive it, to bring the memory forward and hold it tight when there was nothing but horror and pain in your life.

I had wished for a memory such as this growing up, something that would take me from the beatings I had endured.

A memory that was peaceful, an escape from reality.

Books had been my only saviour. The story I wished I had lived amongst. I never wanted to be a princess.

I just wanted to be me. But in a land where I could be me.

Books weren’t just knowledge or stories; they were my escape from reality…

until reality ruined them for me. Who knew I would actually find somewhere I could be free, somewhere my twins could be free?

The wind whipped at my cloak, pulled at my spread arms and yet no fear, no weakness and no pain pulsed through me. I was safe here, riding on the back of the last ever dragon.

Lowering my arms, I held back onto the hump as Rí’s purr vibrated along my body just before his body tensed and he shot forward. Wings folded in, he aimed towards the ground. I screamed as the thrill buzzed through my veins,

He landed more gracefully than I expected and before I could even wonder how I was going to slide off his back, he changed with a loud click and an oddly familiar hum. I began to fall towards the ground but landed up in Rí’s arms bridal-style.

“Ye’ did no’ think I was going to drop ye’ did ye’?” He grinned, his hair wild and unkempt, eyes bright and zoned in on me. As always.

I raised my brow at him and noticed we were in the streets of the Shadow land, just a few steps away from his bar. The red glowing ‘Kings Liquor’ shone brightly in the dark streets.

Patting his hard chest for him to put me down, I frowned, “Why are we here? ”

He placed me down as if I was an unchipped diamond and smoothed my hair from my brow.

I knocked his hand away and took a step back.

He loved to touch, to be near me at all times.

I had noticed his eyes never left me, constantly searching me out.

It was...different. Different to being avoided, ignored and hated.

To being judged. Everything was becoming a lot.

Rubbing my hands down my clean jeans, I looked at my perfect boots, tugged at my thick warm cloak with my initials embroidered so neatly.

Everything was so different.

I was different.

“I thought we could check on my bar first, perhaps a drink, then we will make our way to the Dead Village.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, ignored the cold churning in my stomach and nodded.

I didn’t take his outstretched hand, but I did walk beside him with my head held high.

I walked with my eyes bright and clear; I walked with the knowledge that I, Amaya of the Dark Mountain, was different to the first time I had entered this bar.

Loud greetings cheered for Rí as we pushed through the crowded bar. Half full glasses were raised in welcome; music continued to be played from the petite women strumming on a guitar in a small corner, two burly men enraptured with her every move as she smiled lovingly at them: Circle Mates.

I looked at Rí behind the black mist in my peripheral vision.

Circle mates. I remembered the book hidden under the mattress back at the castle, waiting to be read.

“Rí!! I heard you shifted!” That grating voice had my back tensing and teeth grinding together in seconds.

Cece the barmaid threw her arms around the dragon’s neck and beamed up at him. Her thick lashes fluttered, and her low-cut top revealed her bright pink bra.

I had her face smashing into the bar with a loud bang and a smashed piece of glass to her throat in three seconds flat. Her yell of anger and pain had the entire bar in silence.

Rí stood with his arms crossed and his grumpy expression back in place.

If the dragon thought I was going to just stand around and let this slut throw herself at him when we were…well whatever the fuck we were, he could think again.

“Get this bitch off me!” Cece growled, her eyes changing to the yellow of a wolf. Made sense, she was a bitch after all.

I snickered to myself internally as I gripped the glass tighter slicing my skin open oh so perfectly.

“I will slice your pretty little head clean off if you touch him again. Understand?” I said flatly. I was the new Amaya, right? The Dark Witch who took no shit? Well that Amaya certainly didn’t hold back anymore.

“Rí, she’s crazy! Get her—”

I growled and slammed her head on the bar again. Her nails gripped my arm and dug in; her claws peaked through and drew blood.

I bared my teeth and growled at her.

“My mate can do as she pleases in our bar; if she wants to chop ye’re head off because ye’ touched what was hers, then so be it. ”

That’s not what was happening...was it? I wasn’t claiming him as mine. Was I? No no. Nope.

I let her go with a shove but not before I let the glass slice into her skin. Just a little yanno?

“I wasn’t claiming you,” I said flatly as I looked to Rí, the glass still in my hand with my blood dripping to his deep wooden floor.

He threw his head back and let out a deep booming laugh. Others joined in as I stared at him in bewilderment.

What the fuck was he laughing at?

“Of course ye’ aren’t.” He chuckled once again before he pulled out a chair by a small empty table. Cece had disappeared and the bar had resumed their chatter and merriment. “Looks like I will have to cover the bar tonight,” he muttered as he looked around the room.

“I’m not apologising,” I muttered back as I leaned back in my seat, mesmerized at the slice in my skin as it slowly knitted itself back together. I wiped the blood on my jeans and ran my finger along the now healed skin.

That would have been so handy in the human realm.

I sat and watched as Rí bustled about the bar, filling glasses, chatting to the loud leprechaun and other shifters.

His grumpy frown had smoothed out and he seemed…

happy. I observed the room- the Circle mates were obvious, as they stayed close to one another, their constant touches and smiling eyes a sure sign of love.

It made me nauseous.

“Sickening isn’t it.”

I jumped in my seat as a deep voice rasped beside me.

I squinted at the figure hidden by the shadows as he leaned back against the wall covered in pictures. The bright glowing cherry of whatever sour-smelling drug he smoked lifted and glowed brighter as he sucked on it, inhaling deeply before releasing the smoke and letting it drift over me.