Risa's Destiny

by Rachel Starkie

  Isaac closed his eyes and tried to feel Risa. He felt a flicker and sighed. “We will find her,” he said, more to himself than the others. “Or, I will burn that village down to the ground,” he growled.

  “You and me, brother,” came Ash’s voice as he walked in. “I will not lose my mate before I even get a chance to claim him, as you will not lose yours. I have your back, and I may have called in some backup,” he said, grinning evilly.

  “Who did you call?” Isaac asked, worried at the grin on his brother’s face.

  “As if I would tell you before they show up; this will be fun,” he said, smirking and walked over to sit on the floor beside Zuko. Isaac groaned. It was either one of their family members or one of Isaac’s exes. He just hoped it was not one of his exes, or Isaac would kill Ash for sure.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Ben found himself back in the mist, but no voice this time calling to him. “Hello?” he shouted, looking around. He then felt something behind him and spun. There in the darkness, the sharp point of something in the being’s hand moved closer to him. “You seemed in a rush to leave before; why are you back now?” it asked, the being's voice hard and cold.

  “Because I need help; I left because the woman I plan to mate with was being hurt. She was taken by something of darkness, which caused her great pain. Then, she was gone,” he said, watching the being.

  “You think I had something to do with it, boy?” the being questioned.

  “No, but you are clearly a being of darkness; you may be able to spot something we cannot. Maybe, if you are who I think you are, it means I can spot something if I learn,” Ben said, watching as the being came closer.

  “And, who do you think I am?” the being asked in a smooth voice.

  “My father,” Ben said and waited.

  He watched as the darkness moved away, and standing there, was a male who was clearly an older version of Ben. “Very smart boy,” the male said, grinning now; his voice lighter and friendlier. “You would be right if you are who we think you are,” he said as Ben rolled his eyes. “Come on, boy; you did not think it would be that easy,” the being said, laughing. Only to stop when Ben grabbed him.

  “The woman I love is gone; she is hurt. The Eye of Tumon is after her because she is one of the seals to keeping Tumon locked away. This is not a laughing matter,” Ben growled, the male watched him, frowning now. Ben did not know why he said all that, but something in his gut said he could trust this man.

  Ben waited for the man to say something—anything. He felt like hours passed, but it could have only been a minute. “We will see you soon, son; tell your bond mates that a party will be coming in. You need all the help you can get, and you, my son, need training. The Eye of Tumon is not going to be easy to beat. If they took your girl, as you think, it will not be easy to get her back. However, the seal is still tight. Risa is not dead; her demon is still locked away, and she’s happy to remain locked,” the male said, smiling at Ben's confused look. “Risa’s demon, as well as her brother’s, are different than most. They are past selves for the twins. Risa’s and Zuko’s souls were once powerful demons—twins again. Their souls like to stay linked, or as a whole, as they swap from life to life. In this case, the demons did a spell to seal themselves to their own souls, causing them to be reborn as Risa and Zuko, but sleeping until they were ready to wake. Risa woke too soon; when taken from her twin, the fear and pain of being alone were too much. However, it let Risa’s mother and father seal it to the first seal of the Tumon lock; after all, it was Risa, and Zuko’s demons that beat and sealed Tumon in the first place. So, she remains behind, and Zuko’s demon sleeps on and off. His job has always been to keep his sister safe and make sure Tumon stays sealed,” the male said and turned.

  “Wait, who are you?” Ben called, wanting…no, needing to know what his dad's name was.

  The male turned to reply. “My name, son, you will learn once I can hold you. See you soon; now, wake up. It is not safe for you to stay here very long.” Then, he was gone.

  Ben sighed and woke, but found himself falling right back into sleep, this time, a deep, dreamless one.

  When Ben woke next, he was in a puppy pile of bodies. “How does Risa sleep like this? By the goddess, I am hot!” he moaned, trying to push Zuko off him, only to find the guy snuggling into him deeper. He heard someone chuckle on his right and turned to see Apollo yawning.

  “Risa likes the heat; how did it go?” he said, kissing Ben’s cheek.

  “Good, met my dad—got told we have a party coming—him and my mum, not sure if others will be with them,” Ben said, looking down when he felt fur on his belly. “I thought Hellion was bigger than this?” he asked.

  Apollo looked down. “Like most hell beings, he can change his size at will,” Apollo said, watching the others in the bed. At some point in the night, Isaac and Forrester had joined them all on the bed. Ash was still asleep on the floor, his head by Zuko's arm.

  Ben huffed. “Get off me!” he yelled, making everyone wake, startled.

  “Don’t do that, asshat.” Zuko got up.

  “I am hot and hungry and need to piss, so move it, people,” Ben said smirking, as he got up and listened to the groaning going on around him.

  Ben walked into the bathroom; taking care of business, he sighed. He did not know what was going to happen, but he got a feeling it would come to a head now. He washed his hands and left. Heading to the kitchen, he found the rest of the guys already there.

  “So, want to tell us what happened?” Isaac asked, his voice strong, making Ben want to drop to his knees.

  He shook it off and sighed, sitting down. “Well, I met my father and spoke to him for a bit. Once he heard about the Eye, he said that he and a party were coming—just not sure who. I take it, he and my mother, but as for any more, I don’t know. Also, he told me more about Risa and your past, Zuko, and I don’t mean in this life,” he said, and went on to tell them about Risa and Zuko being powerful demons in a past life, and how Risa's demon had been okay with being placed as the seal to keep Tumon trapped, seeing as she and Zuko's demons had trapped him in the first place so long ago.

  Zuko blinked and nodded, frowning. He closed his eyes, but he could not feel a demon inside him. Must be asleep, he thought. Sighing, he rubbed his head. Why was this happening? Why couldn’t his sister just have peace? He looked at Ben, then at the other men; at least Risa had strong men around her now.

  “So, we have people coming in from Ben's side, and someone Ash sent for, so yeah, it should be a party when they all come here,” Isaac said. “Right...still no clue what Ben is, but at least his family is on its way and clearly knows something. We need to find out who took Risa and how to get her back,” he said, looking at the men. “Let's get to planning boys,” he strode out of the room. He had a feeling this was going to be no easy fight. Whoever took her did it around not only his and Ash’s wards but the ones Zuko had put there as well. He would kill them if they hurt even a hair on Risa’s head and make them pay for taking his mate from him, but he had to be calm—had to think clearly, or he could overlook something important.

  As Isaac walked outside, he looked at the sky, then he felt it, a power coming in hard and fast. He growled, not knowing what was coming, but he could not stop it. He felt the others rush to join him, also feeling the power. Ben walked to the front, his eyes wide, as four lights hit the ground in front of them, two dark and two light. Then two beings walked forward and became clear. They were his father and a woman who had to be his mother. “My son,” the lady said, rushing to hug him.

  Ben swallowed. “Goddess Winter?” he asked in shock, unable to believe his mother was a goddess. “Well, this is interesting, but move woman, so I can hug my son,” a male said. Ben could not stop the smile; his dad clearly did not mind annoying a goddess.

  “Oh, shut it! You are just a dad; I am his mother. I have first hug rights”, the woman said and stuck her tongue out at the male, making him laugh. When she
pulled away, Ben was pulled into a strong hug.

  “Hello, son, good to see you in the real world and not the death plane,” the male said and backed away.

  “Big Brother!” came two smaller voices, and two girls jumped on Ben. One of them clearly took after their mum, the other after their dad, but both looked up at Ben with big grins.

  “Mephistophben, meet your sisters; Amber is a goddess of winter like myself, where Ember takes after Nightmare and is a reaper,” the lady said. When she saw Ben's confused look, she laughed. “Sorry, maybe I should start with us. I am Lady Elella, one of the goddess of winter and your mother. This is my mate, your father, Nightmare. He is a lead reaper,” Elella said kindly to her son, who was looking more and more lost.

  Ben sighed. “First, can we stick to calling me ‘Ben’ for now, please? Mephistophben may be my given name, but Ben is the one I am used to the most.” he said, smiling when they all nodded. “Next, what am I? If Amber takes after mum, and Ember takes after dad, do I take after one of you?” he asked, looking between them.

  “No, you are a halfling,” Nightmare said. “Son, you are rare. When you were born, you were blessed with both the power of light and dark. You became something wholly different, a reaper god,” Nightmare added. “But, don’t think you are all that powerful; gods and goddesses have to earn their great power, and trust me, that can take a long time. They are a race just like all others; so, do not overthink it,” he said, smiling at his son, who looked a lot happier knowing that.

  Nightmare walked to his son and pulled at Amber and Ember, who were still holding onto Ben’s legs. He cupped his son's head. “You have the power of light and dark; now, I believe it is time we find your mate. After all, I do want to see the woman who is to be my daughter by mating.” With that, Nightmare walked right past the other men, who were standing with their mouths open and went into the caves. He had clues to find, and he was not letting the Eye of Tumon go and take the girl who was to bear him grandkids.

  Elella looked at her son and smiled; she then looked to the men behind him. “Now, Son, why don’t you tell me who we have here,” she asked, gently.

  Ben spoke, “Mother, this is Isaac, first mate of Risa, he is a dragon.”

  Isaac moved closer and took her hand. “Welcome to my home.” He nodded, then backed up and followed after Nightmare.

  “Next, we have Apollo, second mate of Risa, a wolf shifter,” Ben explained, and Apollo came forward and kissed Elella cheek softly.

  “Hello,” he said and moved to the side.

  “Next is Hellion; he is the hellcat. He bonded with Risa, but they have yet to mate.” Hellion purred and huffed softly.

  “Then, there is Forrester, the elf prince,” Ben went on, smiling as Forrester came forward and bowed to her.

  “My pleasure, My Lady.”

  Before Ben could go on, Zuko walked up. “You already know who I am,” he said coldly. “I am Risa’s brother. If my sister dies, I will burn this world to the ground, before joining her.” He walked off without another word.

  Ben gasped, but his mum held her hand up. “You don’t understand the bond a soul twin has, my son, and Zuko is in his right to do as he wishes, but do not worry, we will get her back before that,” she said, then turned to Ash the last remaining person.

  “I am Ash, Isaac's brother. Zuko is my mate; however, he will not claim me until Risa is fully claimed,” he said, and with a nod, he followed after Zuko.

  “There are a few others here—Onyx, a wild black dragon, and Sky, Apollo's sister,” Ben said and smiled shyly at his mum, not sure what to do really.

  “Come, my son, it is time you learned how to unlock your powers; you will need them before this is over,” she said and led him inside to find a room they could work in. Amber and Ember following behind, just happy their family was back together, and they would soon have new family joining, once they found their sister by mating.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  As Risa awoke, she looked to her right. She could not help but smile at the man that lay beside her. Osta was so different from her dad, but she always felt safe around him, even if he was nuts. Right now, he lay fast asleep, one arm sticking up in the air. She lifted her hand, without thinking, and pushed the arm down. At once, Osta woke with a start and grabbed Risa's hand. “Now now, Princess, you know better than to do that,” he said and kissed her forehead before getting up. “I see the spell wore off?” Risa blinked then sat up, rubbing her arms. “It would seem so,” she said. Looking around, she saw Nicho lay on the floor. She walked over and sat on his chest and poked him on the nose. “Boop,” she said, grinning as he wiggled his nose.

  “You know, I am not one of your followers; get off me,” he huffed, opening his eyes slowly to look at her.

  Risa got back up and yawned; she looked around.

  “How do you feel?” Nicho asked, getting up.

  Risa stopped. “Everything hurts; I feel like shit and my skin itches, but apart from that, I am fine,” she said, shrugging it off. She was facing the wall and did not see the two men behind her, look at each other.

  “Risa, that is not good. I healed you. You should not feel anything right now,” Nicho said, watching her. When Risa turned with a sad smile, he blinked.

  “Nicho, I have had pain all my life, from the day I was ripped away from my brother. It is healing slowly now that Zuko is back, but the pain remains. Also, having my first form locked away, I am sure is a big reason for pain too,” she said, winking at their shocked looks.

  Nicho walked over to her. “It seems you know more than we thought,” he said but stopped when they heard footsteps. The guys moved Risa behind them, making her roll her eyes again. She watched the door as it opened slowly. Two men stepped into the room, wearing cloaks to hide their faces.

  “Remove yourself from the seal, before we shoot,” one of the men said, holding up a gun, pointing it at the guys.

  “Go for it; let’s see who dies first,” Osta growled, his eyes going black as his inner demon came to the front.

  “What do we do?” the second guy asked in a low voice.

  There was a bang, and Osta huffed. “Is that all you have, plain bullets?” Osta asked, grinning. The men backed out; clearly they had thought it would work. They shut the door, and footsteps could be heard as they walked off, speaking low to each other.

  “Humans are useless; they really should get to know who they are holding,” Risa said. She then started to poke Osta’s side. “Top off, Uncle,” she said, smiling when he pouted and tried to look super cute, even making his wolf ears and tail come out. “Now!” she snapped. He rolled his eyes and pulled his top free. Nicho hissed before he could stop himself.

  Osta’s body was filled with cuts, scars, holes and marks, signs of what he had lived through, Risa ran her hands over where the bullet went into his chest. She took it out and watched as he healed. “One of these days, Uncle, someone is going to hit you, and you will not be able to stop it,” she said, chastising him. He smiled at her and kissed her head.

  “On that day, you and your brother will be dead, and I will just be trying to follow my family,” he said gently, lying down, letting his body heal.

  Risa moved to the walls, trying to work out a way to get free. She looked over her shoulder to Nicho who was looking at Osta in a funny way. She shook it off and went back to trying to find a way out before they came back with bigger guns.

  Meanwhile, Ben was having a stare down with his father, who was eyeing him with amusement. “Ben, we do not have time for this,” Nightmare said in a calm voice.

  “I need to know, Night…Father,” he said, changing the last word when his father raised an eyebrow.

  “First, Ben, I do not like my son calling me by my name; please don’t use it again,” Nightmare said, walking over to Ben. “Next, we have much to talk about, but the ‘how’ and ‘why’ you were taken, is not important. just the fact you have been returned, and we will find your mate and bring her home. Then, we
can work on the rest,” he said, turning away.

  Elella was leaning against the wall. “You will not have much luck there, Son. Your father is stubborn. He likes to do things in his own time and his own way. Right now, he wants to get your Risa back,” she said walking over. “Now it is time you learn, come,” she said, holding her hand out.

  Ben watched her. “Goddess, I need to know….” He rolled his eyes when she pouted. “Mum, I need to know because it has something to do with Risa. Look,” he walked to the wall and picked up a letter and handed it to his mum. “Asta and Annabell believe my powers are going to be used to draw the magic from the well, to revive this Tumon. That means someone in this whole mess was able to kidnap me as a baby, from a goddess and a reaper, and they are still here and are holding Risa. If I knew how they got me, then maybe we can know something of what we are walking into,” he said, seriously.

  Nightmare looked at Ben, now frowning. “If that is the case, then we have more to worry about than I thought. Why do they want Risa; do you know?” he asked, but Ben had the feeling his dad knew already and was just trying to find out how much information his son already had.

  “Risa’s first form was sealed to keep the magic in the well from being drawn out. We think they either want to break the seal or kill her to get Tumon to revive, and then, use me to draw the magic or something,” Ben said, sighing.

  Nightmare nodded. “In a roundabout way, yes, but they don’t want Risa dead. They want Zuko dead.”

  “Why me?”

  Everyone in the room jumped. Ben had to chuckle, the look of shock on both his mum and dad’s faces was worth it. “How did you?” Nightmare growled.

  “I am more powerful than you know,” Zuko said as he walked into the room. “So, why do they want me dead?” Zuko asked again, insistently.