“I like it,” she said softly. “It fits you, plus a leaf was the first item you ever gave me,” she pointed out, remembering the very pretty red leaf he had given to her. They had met when Risa had a fight with Zuko over something silly; she had gotten lost in the woods, and Forrester had found her. To cheer her up, he had given her a leaf.
“I did not know you remembered that,” he said, smiling as he sat down, pushing some of Risa’s hair from her face. “Hello, Risa,” he said lightly. “How I have missed you,” he went on and ran a hand over her face. “Gone is the annoying brat I knew, replaced with a woman,” he said more to himself, only to laugh when Risa stuck her tongue out at him.
Risa sat up and lifted her arms over her head, yawning. She frowned when she saw Forrester blush and look away. She looked down, then yelped and grabbed the covers, pulling them over her. “What happened to my clothes?” she growled, looking around.
“You threw them away,” a voice replied.
She turned to see Sky beside her bed. “What is with you and Apollo sleeping on the floor?” Risa asked. Sky just smiled and shrugged, handing Risa back her clothes. Risa dived under the covers to dress and came out, blushing softly. “Anyway, Leaf,” she said, not paying attention to the eye roll she got for using his nickname.
“Apollo, said you might have a spell on you; well, I just so happen to be ranked at the top for spell work and curses,” he said, clearly showing off.
“Well done, I bet Zuko would have beaten you,” she said in a whisper with a sad smile.
He smirked “He would have for sure,” he said, the look on his face confused Risa, but she pushed the thought away.
“How is he?” she asked, and Forrester looked at her.
“He is as good as can be,” he said, without adding anything else and sat down next to her. He took her hand. “Close your eyes; I will scan you for magic.” Risa shut her eyes. As she did, she heard Apollo and Ben walking into the room.
“Forrester, what do you think…” was all Apollo got out before Risa felt lips on her own. She snapped her eyes open to see Forrester kissing her.
As he pulled back, he grinned. “Sorry, I could not help myself. I have missed you so,” he said and kissed her again. Risa moaned, blinking when he pulled away again, wanting more.
“Now, to work,” he said, smirking at Apollo and Ben, who both did not look happy.
Risa heard Ben saying, “Great another one. How many guys will she end up having?” he huffed.
Apollo just pouted. “Too many if you ask me,” he said, making Risa giggle.
She closed her eyes again, and this time, she felt magic running through her hands and down her body. She heard Forrester hiss softly, and when the magic left, she opened her eyes to see him frowning. “You have a hate curse on your heart. Someone wants you to rage about something. It is strong and will take me some time to break it safely. It has been there for a long time,” he said, kissing her hand.
“A hate for dragons,” she said, making Forrester frown. “I have been thinking for some time why the hate I have for The Dragons of this mountain was so strong. Hell yes, I blame them for Mum and Dad’s death, but they did not kill them. So, the burning hate, when I stop to think about it, is just not me,” she said. “Great, I owe Ice an apology,” she huffed, pouting, making everyone laugh at her.
“Ice will like that; just pet him. He will fall for you in no time,” Apollo said lightly. Risa smiled.
“Maybe once the curse is broken.” Forrester nodded. “We will start on it tomorrow, I think. I need to rest; we traveled non-stop to get here as Apollo was very pushy,” he said, earning a growl from Apollo. Forrester yawned and then laid down on Risa’s bed. “I will sleep now,” he said, winking at Risa. He grabbed her pillow and hugged it close before he was fast asleep. Apollo jumped on the bed beside him and yawned. “Good plan,” he said, and he too fell fast asleep. Risa watched the two and shook her head. She turned to Sky, who was looking out the window and got up. “Ben, make sure they don’t get in any trouble,” she said and pointed more at Sky than the boys. Ben nodded and sat on the bed as Risa walked out.
Risa made her way down the hall, her mind running over the kiss. Okay, so now she had Apollo, Ben and Leaf kissing her. What next? But then Isaac came to mind, he seemed to want her as well. So far, the only guy who did not seem to want to get into her bed was Ash. Thinking about the man, he came around the corner. “Hello, Risa,” he said, smiling. “I hear you have another one of your puppies,” he said, grinning.
“Hello Ash,” she said, laughing. She walked over and linked her arm with the arm he held out to her. “Are you sure you don’t want to join in?” she asked playfully. Ash shivered. “God no, you don’t have the right bits, my dear,” he said.
Once again, she heard a growl in the back of her head “Bad, Risa, he is mine, stop trying to take him,” the voice huffed, making Risa smirk. She still did not know who this guy in her head was, but he made her happy, so she left it. For all she knew, she had snapped and was now talking to herself, or it could be…she shook her head, pushing the thought away; it hurtt too much.
“So, Ash, what is there to do around here, anyway?” she watched as he grinned. “How about a swim?” Ash said but was already leading her down a tunnel she had not been down before. This place was way bigger than she could believe.
Smiling, she watched him. “I don’t have anything to swim in,” she said, laughing at his boyish grin.
“My dear, I am only interested in males, and you have your own lot of guys to look at. I am sure we can both swim nude happily without worry,” he said sweetly. “Plus, Isaac and I have the same body, being twins and all,” he said, making Risa laugh even harder. “No, you don’t. You don’t look alike at all,” she said, giggling, looking up to his flaming orange hair, and he winked, “In places where it counts, we do,” he said smugly wiggling his eyebrows.
Soon, they came out into a cave that had a huge pool. “How many pools are in this place?” she asked, remembering the one she had found Ice in. “This one is Flame’s, so no worries about someone walking in here. Flame told me to share it,” he said as he let her arm go and started to pull his clothes off. Risa watched him smiling. He was right, he had a nice body, but it did not move her like the thought of the others. She did, however, slap him on his ass as she walked by, making him yelp. “I do love making men yelp,” she said, laughing as she pulled her clothes off.
“Right,” Ash said and picked her up.
“No! No! No!” Risa said, laughing as Ash took a run and jump right into the middle of the pool. She came up laughing and splashed him, swimming around. They spent the next hour swimming, splashing and talking. Being around Ash made her feel like she had someone on her side, and she liked it. She laid with her head on the side of the pool, watching as Ash swam and thinking about everything that had happened. Her eyes dropped as she yawned, and she sighed as she fell asleep. Her last thought was one of loneliness, wishing Zuko could be here. She felt a warmth at the thought of her twin, and then she was fast asleep.
Chapter Nine
When it was time to wake, Risa didn’t open her eyes as she felt someone watching her. She did not know who but did not want to know. “Are you going to keep your eyes closed?” came Forrester's voice.
Sighing, she opened one eye and found she was in her bed. “Okay, first off, how did I get here?” she asked, looking down under the covers to find herself in a… she blinked. “Who the fuck put me in a teddy?” she growled, looking at the bright pink, lacy thing she wore which showed off more than it hid. She held the covers close when she saw Forrester's eyes go wide. He slid his eyes down her body, taking in the sight before him, and she growled at him, making him look away fast.
He coughed. “Ash I believe. He sent a blast of flames through the tunnels making everyone get out of the way. So, no one saw him carry you, but we believe it was him.”
Risa blinked. “How did Ash use fire? You mean Flame helped,” she said,
and once again, she got that funny look. The one Isaac had given her the day Flame flew them to the cave. “And what is that look about?” she asked.
Forrester just shook his head. “Nothing, anyway, no one saw you.”
Risa sighed and sat up, keeping the sheets over her body, she pointed to the door. “Get out and let me get dressed,” she said sighing.
“No, it is best if you are naked for the spell removal,” he said, blushing now. “With the spells I have to use, it may be easier if we find a spot near a stone; it will help,” he said, looking at the floor. Risa blinked and sighed. “Fine,” she growled. Throwing the covers off she got up and this time she was the one to blush. Forrester's eyes had gone wide and seemed very hungry as he looked at her; she covered her breasts looking down. “Stop it,” she said in a small voice. She felt fingers under her chin, lifting it. “My dear, don’t hide.” Risa looked into Forrester’s eyes, getting lost in his silver pools. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen; you have nothing to hide.” Risa blushed and nodded her head, unable to do anything more. The moment was broken when Forrester seemed to lose his cool and looked down and blushed again, before turning and walking out. Risa giggled. It seemed he had not changed at all, she thought. Forrester loved to play the whole dominant guy who is in control, but he was always so easy to make blush and was so sweet.
Risa found a shirt. She smelled it, and Apollo's scent came to her nose. She shrugged and pulled it on. She walked out following Forrester, who she could see was pulling his hair. She jogged to catch up. linking his arm softly with hers. “So, is this going to hurt?” she asked him. “I don’t know,” was his reply. He looked at her. “I really don’t know. You have held this curse for so long; it may hurt.”
“Then don’t do it,” came a voice behind them. They turned to see Ice standing there. “If it will hurt, why bother?” he asked, giving the elf some very cold, evil looks.
“Because I want to know if the hate I feel is my own, or if it is for another reason,” she said, watching him. “Plus, this way, if I find it is for another reason, we have a link to who would have killed my family—seeing as the curse hit about the same time. It is the only reason I can think for my hate of dragons,” she said and carried on down the tunnel, leaving the two behind. She did not like knowing her feelings were not her own. Plus, the thought that someone in that village had messed with her and placed a curse to throw her off hunting the real killers pissed her off all the more. She would find them and kill them herself.
Forrester came to stand beside her. “This way,” he said, leading her to the side and down into a different cave.
She blinked. It was fully empty, apart from a stone table. “What, did you have sacrifices here or something?” she asked Ice, who had followed behind them.
“No, this was once a meeting room, not used for anything really, now,” he said with a shrug and lay to the right side of the cave, out of the way, but close by, in case he was needed.
As Risa was lead to the table, she saw the others coming in. “What is this, a show?” she asked, smirking. Apollo even had popcorn of all things, “Hey, give me some,” she said, making grabby hands at him.
Smirking, Apollo walked over and popped a bit in her mouth. He then kissed her and walked to the side, sitting down beside Ben, who did not look happy. “Ben, stop pouting, she will be fine. Come on, Leaf has loved her for way longer than you,” Apollo said, hitting Ben in the side lightly.
“Damn it, Apollo, don’t call me that,” Forrester hissed but did not comment on him being in love with Risa.
Ben frowned. “What happens if this goes wrong, and it kills her?” he asked. Just then, a dark pulse went through the room, making everyone react. Risa jumped a mile as it had come from her and spun around. Forrester rolled his eyes and paid it no mind. Ice and Flame, who had just come into the room, growled darkly. Apollo jumped up, pulling a blade and looked around. Ben had gone pale. “What was that?” he asked.
Forrester shrugged. “Let’s just say, someone who I am more scared of than any of you. Trust me, if Risa died because of this, he will make my life so bad, I will want death,” he said, as he walked away.
Risa blinked. “Who is that?” she asked. “Should I be scared of this guy?”
“NO, NEVER!” the voice in her head yelled, making her wince.
“No, Risa, you don’t need to worry; he would never hurt you,” Forrester smiled. “Trust me on this. I can not tell you more as he wants to be the one to tell you, but he loves you more than anyone here.” The guys all huffed as if that was not true. “He will do everything to keep you safe; so, don’t think on it. He should be here in the next week.”
Risa closed her eyes. ‘Who are you?’ she asked her mind, wondering if this would work.
‘I am your other half, your missing piece and the most important person in your life,’ came the voice, sounding very smug about the fact.
‘Are you sure about that?’ Risa asked the voice, playfully, as she opened her eyes.
‘Very,’ the voice replied smugly.
Risa shook her head. Great another smug male, just what she needed. She headed to the table to lie down. She heard two sets of laughter in her head, and then it was gone. She looked at Forrester. “Okay, let’s get this over with,” she said, closing her eyes.
Forrester approached her, blushing. “You need to remove the shirt and the teddy,” he said, coughing the last bit.
“TEDDY!?” Apollo yelled, jumping up. “Oh God, Risa, take my shirt off now. I have to see this,” he said, almost panting, his ears sticking straight up into the air, his tail wagging.
“Sit down, Apollo,” Ben snapped, grabbing Apollo by the tail and pulling him down, huffing. Risa, blushing, sat up and removed the top and then the teddy. She fixed her eyes on her feet, but when she looked up, she found none of the guys or dragons watching her, not even Apollo. They all had their heads turned. She smiled; maybe they were not so bad after all.
Forrester placed a hand on Risa’s chest, right over her heart. He closed his mind and let his magic flow into her. This time, he started to trace the curse around her heart. He pulled softly to unwind it. The curse fought back; flashes of red and black crossed his eyes, and he growled. He would not lose. He fought back, pulling harder, now twisting the curse with his magic and unhooking it. He faintly heard Risa whimpering and growling, but he kept on working. He lost himself in the task. He started to think he was winning, but something dark moved over the curse, making it fight harder, making it grab Risa’s heart and dig deeper. It seemed as if it kept fighting to remain as if the curse had a life of its own. He heard Risa scream now. He paused, not sure if he should back up and try again later or keep going.
“Don’t stop now, you fool!” the voice said.
He smirked; he should have known he would stick his nose in. After clearing his head, Forrester went back to work, knowing he was watching over Risa. He could not even think the guy’s name, as the asshole really did not want Risa to know who he was. Over time, he started to remove the curse bit by bit.
What felt like days later, when it was only hours, he removed the last bit of the curse. As he did, he felt a lightness come over Risa, as if she were free. He smiled, and then blackness took him, as he fell back toward the hard floor. He heard someone screaming his name, and hands grabbing him before everything went black.
Risa could not move as she watched Forrester fall. “FORRESTER!” she screamed. Apollo, thank God, grabbed him before he hit the floor. “He is okay, Risa, just tired. He has been at it for six hours.”
Risa laid back. She felt drained, and she had not even been doing anything. “Six hours, really?” After he had started, Risa had lost the conception of time. She had felt the curse fighting to remain on her. She looked around, finding Flame had Ice pinned to the floor. She blinked.
“He lost it when you started screaming. Hell, we all did it one way or another,” Ben said. She looked to her right, finding him there holding her
hand. She smiled softly. “I think I will sleep, I am so tired, but I feel …” she did not say how she felt as she was looking at The Dragons. Waiting for the hate to come, but it did not. All that came was sadness at the long years wasted hating them. She closed her eyes and let herself fall asleep. She did not want to think of it right now; she would make it up to them somehow, tomorrow.
Apollo watched as Risa fell asleep. He touched her face, not believing what had just happened. He had felt her almost die many times in the last six hours. The curse was strong, trying to kill her before it was removed. He had also felt another power, someone who was tying Risa down. Someone had a bond with his Risa, a bond that kept her in this world, and he hated it. He hated someone having a closer bond with her than he did. Only family was allowed to have that close of a bond to his Risa, so whoever it was had better be ready to have a beat down. This male who Forrester was scared of had better not try and take Risa from him, or he would kill him. Risa was his; he would share her as he wanted her happy. But, he would be in her life. He loved her too much and for far too long to lose her now to some unknown male. He rubbed his eyes, looking at Ice, who had reacted very badly to Risa’s screams. “Well, she did not hate you two, so it looks like it has worked, maybe now it is time you—” Ice snapped at him with his jagged teeth. “Okay, okay,” Apollo said, holding his hands up, leaving it for now. He watched as Ice moved closer, laying his head as close as he could to Risa’s without touching her or knocking anyone away from her.
Chapter Ten
Across the valley hidden behind a group of trees, a black dragon laid watching the hills. A man walked up beside The Dragon as the sun started to rise over the hills. “Soon, my friend, we will be with her once more, soon,” the man said, smiling. “Those men with her, will regret it if they hurt her in any way,” he added, a small, evil smile on his lips.
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