“I will fly you down; however, you will come back here tonight. Odd people have been hanging around your house. I don’t like it,” Ice said, watching her. She seemed lost in thought.
“Fine, whatever,” Risa snapped as she looked at him then away.
“Good, now...” he said. Risa blinked, but before she could reply, she felt something pushing her into the water. Gasping, she swam to the top and rested on the side. She growled and hissed at The Dragon who was laughing. His laugh reminded her of someone, but who she could not put a finger on it.
“What was that for?” she snapped. “You looked like you needed to cool off,” he said, watching her.
Risa rolled her eyes, but she did not get out. She laid herself just flat on the side of the pool; her head rested on her arms, kicking her feet slowly out behind her. “So, tell me Ice, why do you seem to want me sooooo bad?” she said, watching him now. Her eyes locked onto him.
“Because I do,” was his only reply; as he got out of the water. “You will soon see. Now, get changed and let’s go,” he said and turned to leave.
Risa looked after him. Sighing, she pulled herself out of the pool and headed back to her room to change out of her soaked clothes. She walked in, then froze, not only was Apollo still there, but now Ben was there too, and well, she had clearly walked in on something. Apollo had him pinned to the bed, and Ben clearly had a hickey on his neck and was panting. Apollo looked at Risa and sent her a wicked smirk. “Come join us, poor Ben here needs some TLC,” he growled in a way that shouldn’t have been sexy, but it was. Risa blushed, her mouth opening then closing unsure what to do. Her eyes went to where Apollo's lips moved back to Ben's neck, licking it slowly. Ben moaned, he looked so happy, so turned on. His eyes met Risa's.
“Come on, Risa, join us,” he begged. Risa took three steps to the bed, then moving as fast as a snake, Apollo grabbed her and pulled her onto the bed.
Risa yelped and fell on top of Ben, who grabbed her and kissed her deeply. Risa froze, not sure what to do when a guy kissed you. She felt someone’s breath softly on her neck. “Kiss him back, Risa. He has waited so long for it,” Apollo whispered into her ear, making Risa shiver softly. And soon, she found herself kissing Ben back just as deeply. He held her close as if he was scared she would get away. Apollo kissed his way down her neck. “My sweet, sweet Risa, how I have longed for this,” Apollo moaned as he slid his hands over her body, only to growl when someone stepped into the room. Risa pulled away from Ben, who whimpered, trying to follow her. “No, more,” he begged so softly, even Risa’s amazing hearing almost missed it. She looked up to where Isaac was standing. The look on his face was a mix of anger but also arousal. Risa blinked.
He was aroused?
“Risa, Ice is ready to go if you are,” he said and walked out.
“Oooooo, he was so mad,” Apollo said, then pouted when Risa pulled him off and got up.
“So, was that your plan to make him mad?” she asked, her voice going cold. Had this all been one of Apollo’s games? Apollo grabbed her face and kissed her deeply.
“Oh no, this was Ben and I making our wants very clear. We want you, your body, your soul, your heart, everything,” he said.
“We love you, Risa,” Ben added when he saw that Risa did not believe Apollo. He leaned closer, moving to the edge of the bed. “I have loved you for a long time, Risa, from the day you fell out of a tree and on my head as a child,” he said, smiling, softly kissing her cheek. “Sorry, I have been an ass for most of it, but I had to. If my dad knew what I wanted, he would have sent me away, and then how could I be close to you?” he said, winking playfully. Risa got up and walked away without a word. She did not know what to say to that; after all, what did one say to a man she had a crush on? And yes, if she was honest with herself, she did love him or thought she did.
She rushed to the bathroom to change, ready to head out. She met Ice inside the main tunnel she had used earlier, trying to find her way, as Isaac had not waited for her. Eventually, she found Ice waiting for her inside a chamber. She glanced up at him. “Okay, let’s go,” she said as she moved closer to The Dragon. Her anger grew as she got closer to him, but she pushed it down. She did not understand why it grew so fast. Yes, she blamed The Dragon for her parents' death, but she also knew he was not the one who killed them. She shook her head and just jumped on his back.
“Go, you stupid dragon,” she snapped.
He said nothing as he took off, heading down the mountain to Risa’s house, Risa looked around, shocked, the view was amazing. She could feel the wind blowing her hair, making her ears flick as she took in the sounds. She could hear birds, which shot in and out around them, she could see the trees and animals below. She loved it, but she did not want him to know, so she keeps her excitement to a minimum, but her smile was fixed in place. Well, until they were there, and she let it drop before she jumped from his back and walked away, heading to her parents’ grave. Tears filled her eyes, but she did not let them fall. She moved past her house toward the side of the hill where the great tree was. She stopped after an hour of walking, looking down at the gravestones, only to fall to her knees in horror. Someone had wrecked them, or one of them—her father’s. Her mother’s was clean with flowers, but her father’s was broken into pieces, the ground over where he was lying was burned. She screamed and screamed, and then it became a roar filled with so much rage and anger, she could not hold it back. She felt her power growing, heard Ice calling to her from far off—but nothing. The darkness overtook her mind.
She felt something, a touch then a voice she did not know, but one that made her feel like she was at home. “Risa, don’t let go. Don’t let them win. We are coming. It is time we show them what happens when you mess with a Nightshade,” the voice filled her, then a second joined in, “My Lady, wait for us.” It was strong and powerful but was fast gone as quickly as it had come.
Risa found herself floating in darkness. Her only companions the voices that had come and made her calm down, but she still felt the power inside her. It was then that she worked out what was going on. She was growing stronger—meaning, she was close to gaining a new form, but what would it be? Before now, it had been cats, but something was different. This darkness was something bigger, something which, if let out, it would go on a rampage through the village. As she paid attention, the blackness changed and grew, but then, something, a feeling, formed into words. “Not yet, you are not ready for me yet. Break the spell on your heart; then, I will come.” As suddenly as it appeared, it was gone, and she found herself lying on her side with Ice wrapped around her. She was cold. Her body hurt and was shaking.
“I will kill them. How dare they come here and do this?” Ice was saying more to himself. “How did they do it without me knowing? A spell? Yes, a spell! They blocked me. They will pay for hurting my Risa like this.” Risa found herself believing him. She coughed and felt him jump under her. “Risa, are you okay? What happened? It was as if you were covered in black mist. Then it was gone, but you were out cold,” he said, worry filling his voice as he looked down at her. Just then, she heard running footsteps. Looking up, she saw Apollo and Ben racing to her. “I leveled up,” she said in a small voice. “But, it has been sealed; something is blocking it, making it unsafe for me to shift into it right now,” she said, then she let the darkness, which wanted to pull her down into the unconscious, take her once again. The emotional torment of the last two days had, at last, got to her, and she couldn't take anymore she welcomed the cold nothingness, as her mind slipped away. She was safe; Ice, Apollo, Ben and Ash would never let anyone hurt her; she was sure of it.
Chapter Seven
Ice looked down at the girl, sighing. He had to do something. This was not going as planned at all, with one thing after another pushing Risa to the breaking point. He could not let it. He would not let anyone hurt her; she was his. He slowly got up and picked her up. Then, holding her close, he took off into the air. He flew fast to the cave. As he landed,
he saw Flame and walked over. “What is going on, Brother?” Flame asked, his voice a soft growl knowing something was wrong from his brother’s face.
“Someone had broken Asta's gravestone,” Ice said and watched as fire danced in Flame’s eyes.
“How dare they?!” Flame growled, his eyes dropping to Risa. “Will she be okay?” he asked and Ice nodded.
“Yes, she just needs rest, I think; everything has just become too much for her,” he said and carried her slowly through the tunnels. Once he got to the house, he stopped in front, wondering how to get her inside.
Ben rushed out he and Apollo had rushed back when Ice took off with her. “Give her here, please,” he said softly, and Ice let her go. Ben rushed her into the house, taking her upstairs.
Ben laid Risa down, looking at her. He ran a hand over her face, sighing. He took off her shoes and jacket but left the rest of her clothes on. As much as he wanted to change her, he did not dare as he did not want her punching him when she woke up undressed. He grinned at the thought. He slipped his boots off, followed by his shirt and slid into bed beside her. Holding her close, he kissed her head. “Oh, Risa, what am I going to do? I seemed to have messed this up. In my drive to stay by your side, I pushed you away, so far, I fear I will never get you back,” he said softly more to himself than the out-cold Risa.
“That is for sure, my friend,” Apollo said from the door. “But, I have a feeling Risa will forgive you in no time. Just hang in there,” Apollo said, smiling. He left, letting Ben have this time, for now, anyway.
Hours later, when Risa woke, she found herself hugged tight to a chest she did not know or at least did not know until she opened her eyes and saw Ben fast asleep snuggled into her side. He looked so happy, she thought. She looked to his chest again, frowning. She lifted a hand to run it over one of his scars softly. When did he get these? They look like whip and blade marks. She felt Ben go stiff and moved her eyes back to his face.
“Dad used to say a man needed to be strong, be able to handle anything,” he said.
It took Risa some time before it clicked what he meant. “He did this to you? Why?” she asked, horrified as she ran her finger over another scar.
“He said he had to whip your taint from me,” he growled, and when Risa went to move her hand, he grabbed it and kissed it softly. “But, it was no taint that had grabbed me,” he said softly, smiling but said no more, knowing Risa was not ready to hear it.
Risa raised her eyes to his again, but she let it go for now. She would find out more when Ben was ready; she was sure. She looked at him before she rolled onto her side, her back to his front. She felt him follow her and spoon her from behind. “You know I never said you could share my bed,” she said playfully.
“I know, but I sneaked in, anyway,” Ben said, kissing her head. Risa closed her eyes, just letting everything sink in, now that she was awake. She thought over everything: the grave, the two voices which reminded her of someone, the darkness which was blocking her new form and this spell on her heart. She sighed. Maybe she needed someone who knew spells and curses. She frowned, then grinned. Apollo. He would know someone; so, she got up and slipped out of bed, only to scream and jump right back on it when she stepped on something alongside the bed. Ben jumped up and looked over the side and then started to laugh hard. Risa looked at poor Apollo; he was lying on his side on the floor, covering his groin from where clearly Risa had just stepped on it.
“Damn it, Risa; what a cruel way to wake a guy up,” Apollo snapped, making Risa roll her eyes.
“What were you doing on the floor beside my bed?” she huffed, eyeing Apollo now who blinked at her and grinned.
“Sleeping,” Apollo said, making Risa sigh again.
“And, what is wrong with your bed?” she asked.
“You are not there,” Apollo said, shrugging. Risa just blinked.
Ben, taking pity on Risa, seeing as Apollo was just his usual pain in the ass, spoke up, “I think he was worried when Ice carried you in knocked out cold,” he said softly. Apollo growled at him but sighed, shrugged and looked down.
Risa smiled softly. She lifted her hand as if she was going to touch his chest. Apollo's eyes went wide—his tail wagged only for him to yelp when Risa grabbed it and pulled it. Apollo, who had been standing by the side of the bed, fell on the bed, pouting.
“Risa, don’t pull my tail,” he huffed, then moaned when Risa ran her hands over it softly.
“Yea, yea,” she said lightly. “Hey, do you know anyone who knows spells and curses?” she asked as she worked his tail. Apollo was turning to goo in her hands, moaning softly. She had learned years ago that if she wanted Apollo to reply, then playing with his tail got past most of his flirting bullshit.
“I may…so good, higher…what do you need…oooooo...them for?” he asked.
Risa had to dissect his words, seeing as they were mixed with moans of pleasure. “Well, I think someone put a spell on me,” she said, then it was her time to yelp when Apollo spun and pinned her to the bed. He started to sniff her. “Hey,” she said only to blush and yell louder when Apollo’s nose went under her top and up her breasts.
“Man, you better stop,” Ben said, watching Risa’s knee, which was rising and aiming, only to be grabbed.
“Hold still,” Apollo snapped, holding her knee, so it did not hit him in the groin. “There is a faint smell of magic on you, which belongs to an unknown person,” he said. He looked down at her. “I will make a call to a friend.” He did not look happy about it. “Why do you look like you have just been given a lemon?” Risa asked.
“Well, you see, my friend, he is an elf, and, well, he may have a crush on you,” he said, making Ben growl.
Risa blinked. “How can an elf I have never met have a crush on me?” she asked softly. “Because you do know him,” Apollo said, clearly trying not to tell her anything.
“Apollo, tell me, or I will never touch your tail again,” she growled.
Apollo whimpered and sighed. “Fine,” he said but turned and wagged his tail.
Risa, rolling her eyes, took it and started to run her hands along it again.
He moaned softly. “You and Zuko knew him when you were children; he was a couple of years older than you,” he said. “You liked to make fun of him because he was an elf prince,” Apollo said happily. Risa thought back, an elf prince, she thought, and then slowly a face came to mind, of a cute boy, older than her by about four years. He had been a sweet boy, who Risa had loved to tease. He had always been Zuko’s friend more than hers. After all, she just liked to play with his hair, but what was his name? She thought hard. “Wait,” she said at last. “You don’t mean Leaf, do you?” she asked. Apollo blinked at her clearly confused.
“No, his name is not Leaf,” he said, thinking, maybe they were talking about two different people. “His name is Forrester,” he said.
“Yea, Leaf,” Risa said, nodding. “I hated his name, so renamed him Leaf as a child,” she said, waving her hand. “Anyway, can he help?” she asked.
“Yeah, let me give him a call,” Apollo said and walked away, clearly not happy about it.
Risa watched him leave. She thought back on the boy she had known. She had longed to play with his long silver hair; she smiled as she remembered running after him with a brush as he ran away. Zuko would be on the floor, rolling around laughing, yelling for Forest to run. For some reason, both Risa and Zuko had hated Forrester’s name, and both gave him a nickname. Zuko called him Forest, which he had liked, where Risa called him Leaf, which he had not. But, that never stopped Risa from using it. She smiled to herself; it would be good to see an old face.
Maybe he knows something about my brother.
She got up and looked to Ben, who seemed at a loss. “Ben, why don’t you go get me some food?” she asked and watched as Ben ran out, happy to have something to do. Risa sighed; this Ben was so confusing. Gone was the ass she was used to, in its place was a, well...she thought on it, a puppy best fit, but she
did not mind. She liked it. He was cute, reminding her of how he used to be. She walked off to go shower and get ready for another day, hoping nothing more would happen.
Chapter Eight
Days later, Risa woke with the feeling of being watched. Apollo had been gone for days to find Forrester. So, she had a nice calm time playing games with Ben. She had got to know more about Isaac and Ash, as well as grow to maybe like The Dragons. Ice was more of a pain because he always wanted to help but had a bad habit of knocking Risa into water. She was starting to think he did it just to see her wet, where Flame told her story after story of when he and Ice were younglings. But still, even as she grew to like them, a part of her wanted them dead. It was starting to hurt her head, swapping from one mood to another, from liking them to hating them.
Opening her eyes, she glanced at the door to see a man standing there. She blinked, taking in the long silver hair and the bright silver eyes. He had a shy smile on his face and was dressed in a long black coat, which had metal plates on the shoulders and side. It fit him nicely and showed off his chest. He wore black pants which hugged his legs, and she was sure his ass as well. It took her more time than it should have to stop checking him out. “Well, well, well,” she said lightly. “If it is not the prince of the elves, Leaf,” she said and laughed when Forrester stomped his foot and pouted.
“My name is Forrester, or at most Forest, not Leaf!” He stormed across the room to look down at her. “Why must you always call me that? What prince wants to be called ‘Leaf?’” he asked, eyeing her now.
Risa's Destiny Page 4