Dangerous Obsession

Tragedic Beast

She tried to speak but no word formed in her distorted mind, no words came out of her trembling lips.

“Do you like it?” He asked, ignoring her shocked expression. He bent to her level and flickered strands of hair, fitting it carefully to the back. He looked at her trembling lips and felt the urge to capture it fiercely, he made to accomplish this when the door burst open and he raised his head in anger at the unwanted intrusion. Ramon widened his eyes and blinked severally. Asher slowly left the wall, glaring hard at Ramon as he approached him.

“What are you doing here?” He asked hoarsely.

“I brought the clothes you requested for,” Ramon replied, directing quick glances at Indira. Asher glared at him and snatched the clothes from him.

Indira took advantage of Ramon’s intrusion and slipped out of his chamber. She sprinted across the courtyard, praying that she doesn’t set her guilty eyes upon Kalen. The spot where Asher had bitten her burned as she hurried back to the slave clan.

* * * * * *

“Tell me about Kalen, he fell head over heels when he saw you, right? What about commander Jazmine? I guess her face reddened in anger and almost blew up,” Loretta inquired. She was shocked that the marplot Indira didn’t respond to her questions. She stared intently at Indira and grinned.

“Aha! It must be the prince, people says he’s as handsome as a god,” Loretta chuckled.

Loretta was obviously right, Indira’s mind was occupied with the event that took place in Asher’s room. It wouldn’t stop replaying in her head no matter how hard she tried to erase it.

Loretta shook her violently and she jumped in fear.

“You are not okay,” Loretta said, alarm written on her face as she searched for the initial friend she knew.

“I’m- I’m fine,” she stuttered and sighed.

“No, you’re not!” Loretta threw her hands in the air, “when will you ever tell me the truth, Indira?” She bellowed. The thought of her best friend distrusting her brought tears to her eyes.

“No, I’m just sad about Binu,” she responded and touched the spot Asher bit her. Loretta followed the movement of her hand and batted her lashes, unsure if she has seen right.

“Is that a love bite?” Indira jumped at her statement and shook her head.

“A bug bit me,” she lied.

Loretta frowned, Indira’s lies has come to the height of it, she couldn’t take her obscurity anymore. She pranged up and glared at Indira.

“Since you no longer see me as your friend, I shouldn’t be here. I will be better off making embroidery in solitude than sit with a friend that doesn’t trust me one mite. I’m leaving, Indira, if you decide to trust your best friend with some of your secret, you know where to find me! Anyways, that looks like a fang.” And she was out, staggering off without a glance at her friend or a heed to her calls.

Indira knew she had lost another true friend, the only friend that can never remind her that this was not her home, the only friend that understands her weird ways and disregards her numerous flaws. She sniffed and for the first time, let the tears flow out publicly. She thought of the tragedies that has taken place; Binu’s death, her betrayal to Kalen and now Loretta’s departure.

“Will there be more?” She muttered.

For the first time in her life, she yearned for her true home, she often wondered who they are. Are they a set of helpless beggars who couldn’t keep an innocent child? She sniffed and wheezed. Whoever they are, she does not care, she wants to meet them, ask them why they left her in a dark and cold forest to die, why they had chosen no other place but a slave clan to dump her.

Someone cleared a throat behind her and she swiftly wiped her tears.

“Indira, dear,” her foster father called and she turned, feigning happiness.

“Did anything happen between Kalen and you?” Akshar asked and Indira’s heart jumped.

“No, I was thinking about our future together, before you interrupted,” Indira teased and rolled her eyes.

“He did not tell you anything?” He pressed further, giving no room for her flattering.

“We did not speak to each other.” she perceived that her father was heading to something sour.

“What’s wrong, father?” She questioned.

“I heard people saying that Kalen will be getting married to your rival, Jazmine.” Indira couldn’t believe it. Her body became numb in shock and her eyes dilated in disbelief.

“It’s a lie, Kalen told me that we will get married the next moon, irrespective of his father’s opinion,” she blurted out. Akshar remained indifferent and Indira knew that there was no joke in it.

“I’m going to Kalen, I’m going to prove you wrong!” She declared and dashed off before Akshar could stop her.

********

Indira slammed her fist on the heavy door, maniacally yelling Kalen’s name. The door swung open and Kalen’s aide popped out his head, a scowl appeared on his face when he saw Indira standing by the door.

“You again?” He muttered disdainfully.

“I want to see Kalen,” Indira breathed out, ignoring his scowling.

“Can’t you see that he’s not here? Go away,” he said and shut the door to her face.

Indira’s chest tightened in pain and her eyes became rheumy. She felt like slamming the i***t’s head on a wall.

“I won’t blame you, stupid fool,” she fired.

“Go away, coward!” He said from inside and Indira hit the door with her feet.

“Bastard,” she muttered, and swirled around when she heard Jazmine’s distant laughter.

Her throat ran dry and sore, her eyes bulged out and the insulin in her stomach seems to burst out, feeding her internal organs with bitterness.

She watched in perplexity as Kalen removed strands of hair from Jazmine’s grinning face, they both smiled at each other and Kalen placed his hands on her waist, Jazmine circled her arms around his neck and Kalen muttered something that made her shriek in laughter.

“Kalen?” She called and he looked up. His eyes dimmed in shock and Jazmine smirked in triumph.

“Indira?” He replied and let go of Jazmine.

Indira shook her head and trotted off, tears blurred her vision but it did not stop her from running away from him. She was perplexed, angry, frustrated, she was extremely bitter. All her life, she has always experienced tragedies upon tragedies, but this was worst. She has betrayed and has been betrayed. Her parents betrayed her by leaving her to die. The woman she called ‘mother’ betrayed her by dying when she was needed the most, leaving her and her father to watch over a sickly child. Loretta betrayed her by misunderstanding her now that she needs her consoling understanding, now that she is being controlled by what she does not know. Kalen betrayed her by lying to her, he pierced her heart with a venomous dagger of betrayal.

Her feet squished as she walked in the mud to the cave where Kalen confessed his love to her.

And Asher? She wondered if Asher had betrayed her, of course, he is the reason for all her recent troubles. And she will forever hate and blame him for all the tragedies that took place today.

* * * * *

A pang of nausea hit Asher as the scent of oak wood invaded his thoughts. He wondered who reminds him so much about his mother. He staggered to his feet and trailed the scent to a little pond in the cave.

Asher was shocked to find her again, but this time, it wasn’t a dirty rebellious girl nor a charming handmaid, it was a broken mirror that seeks obscurity and solitude.

“You?” He muttered, and Indira swerved around.

Her face were red and swollen and her eyes weren’t any better.

She sprang up and gave him a deadly glare.

“W- what…. Do you want? Hav- haven’t you d-done enough already?” She stuttered.

“You are the root of all my misfortune!”

Asher realized that she had found out about the marriage between her lover and her rival.

“Won’t you say anything? I guess you are happy, right?”

Asher’s attention was diverted to a cackling sound. He felt a strong and repulsive presence around them and motioned Indira to be quiet.

Indira rebelled further and poked his chest continuously.

“You bastard, you think you can make me keep shut? You’re a monster, I will…” she kept shut as she heard the sound.

“What’s that?” She whispered to Asher.

The stillness of the water broke as a creature emerged from it.

Before Asher could reach out to Indira, she turned and met face to face with a set of fiery red eyes, it’s nostrils breathed out smoke and the sharp, dangerous horn on it’s head could rip a person apart. Indira felt the earth stopped revolving as she stared at the ferocious bull-like creature. When her tongue snapped out of the hold of paralysis, the on

ly sound that came out was an ear piercing, horrified scream.