“Gather ye’ urns, it’s time ye’ was incinerated,” Rí rumbled as he reached forward to grip the cloak of salt and pepper man.
It would be the perfect time to reach forward, grip salt and pepper man’s hair and pull his head back. This would give me the perfect angle to grip his overused, presumptuous tongue and pull with all my might. God, it would be glorious to feel the tendons tearing beneath my fingers as the muscles tore and parted in their-
“Hold on, hold on.” Cole sputtered as he stepped in front of the men, pulling me from my vivid imagination. Rí’s hand was engulfed in orange flames and the room became unbearably hot. Sweat beaded at my curled lip as I glared at the White witches.
“Damn it Rí! I said hold on!” A rush of cold air burst from Cole as he pushed it at Rí, cooling the room and diminishing the flame in its wake.
“No one is having an arranged marriage.” He gave the councilman a questioning look and carried on, “Amaya wants to go back to the human realm; she wants to leave. So, instead of allowing her ‘pure’ magic to scare our people, let's help her get back then all is well. Right?” His tired eyes met mine and I tilted my head at him, a nod of agreement. I didn't have to tell them I was planning on returning and that it wouldn't just be me this time.
“You want to return to the humans?” The red-haired man on the right of salt and pepper asked in confusion. The utter disdain dripping from his face and voice as he said humans was a sign he hated them.
Well I hated them too, but I wasn't going back for them.
“Yes.” I bit out.
Silence resumed as Rí walked backwards until he was next to me once more, his big muscles tense and ready for a fight. I laid my hand on his forearm to calm the beast. At my touch his entire frame relaxed and he edged closer to me still.
This dragon was one needy beast.
“We need time to discuss this, your lack of care towards our messengers last night and your inability to refrain from allowing the beast to control himself are signs we can’t leave you to roam the realm without being watched.” The original councilman spoke with a cold sharpness that had me gritting my teeth.
Control the dragon? Watched? Wow the more this man spoke the more pissed off I got.
“Until we have made a permanent decision, you will reside at the–”
I cut him off there. I wasn't having any of this and I couldn't hold my tongue anymore. The utter disrespect from these men and Cole-good fucking lord that man was on my hit list for sure.
Yeah, he may have potentially stopped their idea for an arranged marriage, but I didn't trust him. Not one bit.
“I will be staying at the Dark Mountain. Not that it concerns you where I will be because my life has nothingto do with you. You cannot and will not make a decision on behalf of me.”
I was angry. I was tense and my stomach churned with the tell-tale sign another hour had passed without the twins. The now clear blue sky and bright sun peered down at us through the tree’s clusters.
How could such a beautiful tree be the centre of something so ugly.
The three men before us sputtered and looked at each other in outrage.
“The Dark Mountain is not yours to claim!” Salt and pepper gaped.
“The Dark Mountain is the home to all Dark Witches, and my Mate is a Dark Witch.”
“Mate? Now Rí surely you will not be continuing this charade with the Dark Witch, if you only joined our–”
The loud roar of a pissed off dragon shook the room; the vibration had the clusters falling to the white floor as the room heated up again.
“Do no’ disrespect my Mate like tha’ again!” He roared.
The hairs on my arm stood on end as the tingle of magic filled the air. The power that was spilling from Rí sent a familiar buzz through my veins, my idle magic was responding to its Mate.
The councilman began to yell at him to calm down as the air shifted around the dragon.
Holy shit. He was shifting.
He turned his blazing red eyes to me and spoke through gritted teeth, “The mountain–return...to the mountain Mo Chridhe.”
“Hell fucking no. I want to see the beast!” I said excitedly. I'm not ashamed to say I was slightly giddy. This was the most fun I had ever had. I was going to see a real-life dragon and he was no doubt going to eat these annoying men. All for me.
So chivalrous!
