Christa’s Obsession (Obsessions #3)

Chapter Seven

Christa

She hesitated before knocking on the door in front of her. It wasn’t like she wouldn’t be welcome. She would, although possibly just not this late. But she had no clue how to actually start the conversation she wanted to have with Dakata.

The sounds of mumbled curses and the thud of feet on wood came before the door swung open. Dakata wore a scowl as he tugged his shirt into place. “What are you doing here this late, Christa?” he demanded.

Unable to resist, she rose on her spiked heels and kissed his cheek. “It’s good to see you too, darling.” She effortlessly moved him to walk past into the cozy living room. The herbal scent was subtle and didn’t disguise the woody smell of the tree sitting next to the house.

“What’s good about it? I was busy…” Dakata looked over his shoulder at the soft pad of feet on wood.

Silas appeared, a long flowing robe tied at his waist, which didn’t quite hide the fact he was naked beneath.

“Oops, my bad.” She winked at Silas, who smiled serenely at her, his hair a tumbled mess around his flushed cheeks.

“Can I get you a cup of tea? Something else?” Silas questioned, walking to Dakata and stroking a hand down his arm.

“She’s not staying,” Dakata muttered crossly, even as his expression softened as he brought Silas closer and wrapped an arm around his waist. “She can come back at a more reasonable hour.”

“Don’t be rude, my love.” Silas rested his head against Dakata’s chest, giving Christa a look she couldn’t decipher. “Christa has much on her mind.”

“She does?” Dakata said at the same time as Christa answered.

“I do?”

“Yes. Now would you like a glass of cider? It’ll help you both relax, then you can talk to Dakata about what’s on your mind.”

His ability to simply roll over Dakata’s grumpy mood left Christa grinning as she took a seat at the table as directed by Silas, where she proceeded to watch the pair together.

Never would she have thought that Dakata would act the way he was. He was not someone to trifle with. For decades, he had built an empire in the human realm. He was a force to be reckoned with in both his demon and human side. The destruction and devastation he had caused in the Dusken realm would be talked about for centuries to come. His connection with Silas had changed his life… for the better.

For the longest time, she had enjoyed her freedom to seek and taste the sweetest flowers, never wanting to keep one forever. Witnessing the couple in front of her, she yearned for what they had. She had touched her blissful one and the connection between her and Wanda was unbreakable. The feeling of separation was real, almost as if she was missing a limb, or her heart.

How could she get Wanda to ever accept her? Did she feel their separation as acutely as Christa?

Being taught about a blissful bond and knowing no one in the realm who had ever had one left many demons struggling to believe they truly existed, including Christa. Until Dakata had met Silas. Then, as if in a domino effect, she had met Wanda and then Dakata’s best friend, Merihem, had met his blissful one, Peni.

Silas and Dakata didn’t have an easy start to their relationship. Was it the same for Merihem and Peni? She suspected it was because of Merihem’s behavior.

Who would be next?

What did it all mean?

She didn’t know. What she did know was that what they sold as a blessing was actually the most painful experience of her life.

The glass Silas placed on the table brought her from her thoughts. “There is honey in the pot if you want to sweeten the cider.” Silas pointed to the small, brown-lidded pot.

“Thank you,” she murmured, reaching for the glass. The scent of apple and something else came from the glass.

“I’ll leave you to talk.”

Glass in hand, she considered asking him to stay, then discarded it, unsure if she wanted to talk about what happened in Dusken in front of Silas. Dakata had explained at the time about Silas’s connection to Wanda and how it hurt his soul. She didn’t want to inflict more pain.

“I won’t be long,” Dakata said pointedly, looking at Christa.

She refrained from laughing when Silas shook his head and said, “No need to rush.”

Dakata’s scowl was back as Silas left the room. “Be quick,” he muttered.

“Wanda is my blissful one.”

Liquid sloshed over the rim of the glass Dakata had reached to pick up as he stared at her wide eyed.

When he said nothing and continued to stare, she sighed. “She rejected me.”

“Seriously!”

“As a heartbeat, on both counts.” She sipped her cider, getting a solid punch to her system, and figured that Dougal had to have made it.

Dakata’s glass landed on the table with a thud, more cider splattering the wood, though he didn’t seem to notice. “When did you… when?” he finished softly.

“When Merihem pulled up the vision. My demon side was—”

“A pain in your ass? Difficult to control?” he replied, sounding a little amused.

“Yes.” She ran a finger up the side of the glass, staring at the pale, straw-colored liquid. “I didn’t know what to think… I took some time…”

“To think? To resist?”

She met his gaze. He knew her better than anyone. “Yes.”

He matched Christa’s pose. “When did you go to see her?”

“A few days ago…”

“And?” Dakata pushed, his gaze holding sympathy.

“My hand brushed hers. She felt our bond and when I told her what we were to each other…” A hot ball of tears gathered in her throat, stopping her from carrying on.

Dakata reached over and cupped his hand around hers and the mug. “What happened?”

The soft request had her dashing her free hand over her cheek to catch the tear working to ruin her make-up. “Those demons that took her, do you know what they did to her?” she asked, instead of answering him.

“Beat her and molested her.” His reply was swift, like pulling off a band aid.

Christa’s hands shook, the sips of cider attempted to force themselves up her throat. Dakata took the glass from her lifeless fingers.

No.

No.

Oh, to the demon gods, no!

Wanda’s vehement refusal of her made sense. She had seen the marks on Wanda’s flesh, but she had not considered they would molest her.

“I’m sorry.” The depth of feeling in those two words left Christa in no doubt that Dakata meant them.

“I know, brother. It’s not your fault.” She took a second to regain her composure. “Tell me those you got to first suffered in the most painful ways imaginable?” The malice was all her demon because she could think of many ways to make someone suffer.

He nodded before she’d finished speaking. “They did and if I could make them suffer again, I would.”

She worked to keep her composure. “What do I do now?”

The shudder was visible as he lost some of his color. “You need to be careful. Staying away from her, her trees… will kill you.”