CXXXVII ||| Fight for Me

I turned to Bell, ignoring him.

"Come on, let's look around, I want to talk to you about some things," nodding, we began to walk through the alleys of the market. Passing through a bit of everything, all types of food, jewels, arts, decorations, and even services such as nail polishing, and even tarot, tea leaves, and crystal ball reading.

"So, you're Mia's goddaughter," she purred. "I'm kind of jealous that it's not me, but okay. And I'm also jealous I didn't meet you before."

Cute. She can be my step/foster-mom though. "Well, you know me now," I winked. "So, Mia is your grandma, uh? The witch you mentioned to me when you tattooed my body."

"I knew you would figure it out quickly. Your mom did too," she giggled softly. "Yes, she's my grandma."

"Your grandma and the Crone," I whispered near her ear.

Her eyes widened in surprise, "Smarter than I thought."

"That make you what? A demigod? Demigoddess?"

Bell chuckled softly, "Kind of, yeah. You mom had no idea."

I knew it.

{"Correction. We knew it. We!"}

"Maybe she had and kept it a secret," I rolled my shoulders.

"Maybe," she bounced her head. "She did have foresight."

"She did," I licked my lips. "And, you dated Naël."

She let out a long sigh, "I did, yes. Cosmos told you?"

A nod, "He did. I'm sorry, Bell. For the way I popped into your life that night and threw it all at you. Mom and Naël's deaths. I knew you two were linked somehow, but I had no idea. I was indelicate."

"No. Don't worry. It was better to know all at once. It's fucked up."

Scoff, "Fucked up is an understatement. I had no idea that you were Naël's girlfriend, that father loved my mom, that he was best friends with Naël, that you were best friends with mom, or," I looked away, "that you loved father," let's just drop it.

Bell halted on her steps and froze, "H-how did… how did you…?"

Hah. I called it. She loves him.

{"Funny you're good on this for anyone, except yourself!"}

Ignoring his bitterness that was bothering me more than I want to admit, I turned to her, a mischievous grin taking over my lips, "Don't worry, he doesn't know. I kind of got a feeling when he talked about you, and then when I asked about his type, he may not have realized but he described you," I pointed at her breasts shamelessly, "even your size. Then I talked to you and the way you cursed him was all too familiar, and I knew you were into him, and must have been for a long while, but he's blunt and blind."

Her jaw dropped, "I'm his type?"

Oh, my. I'm amazing.

{"Too familiar, uh? Like the way you curse me."}

I have no idea what you're talking about.

{"You're full of shite, Wilhelmina!"}

And you only noticed that now?

"Oh, yes, you are. So," I grinned, "you think he's your mate?"

Her eyes widened further, "What are you?"

Fuck. I'm right! "I'm amazing, that's what I am."

{"You're right because you saw yourself in her,"} he mocked.

"No, I'm serious. How do you do this?" She gasped in shock. "I never even told your mom about this. And you what? Just fucking guessed? Just like that?"

I pressed my lips together, "It's what happened to me."

{"See? I am right."}

"What?"

"I knew Oliver-Sean was my mate on the exact second his eyes and mine met on that damn hall. I tried to avoid his bloody touch like a vine, but that bastard insisted in trying to touch me. When he did, it snapped and well," I rolled my shoulders, "here we are."

His anger snapped. {"Here we are with you trying to break us."}

You say it as if I'm doing this because I can't stand you and not because I'm scared of losing you. It's really pissing me off.

{"I'm pissed off, because you don't want to try. You are scared and you're hurting me because you're afraid, in the same way Russell did to your mom. That's not fucking fair. No matter if you're trying to help or not, that is not the fucking way!"} He yelled on my mind.

Converging thoughts.

{"Are you going forward with this madness, Wilhelmina?"}

It doesn't matter.

{"Yes, I think it fucking does!"}

Oli yelled again.

{"You don't get to break me like this, just because you're scared. You can't do this. It is not solely about you, Wilhelmina. You're being a selfish bitch who refuse to listen to fucking reason, and it's tearing me apart. It's tearing me apart because I fucking love you, and you seem like you couldn't care less about my emotions on this. I begged you and you ignored. I cried for you and you ignored. I fought and I'm still fighting for us, and you do what? Ignore me. What am I supposed to do? Wait miserably in here until you tear us both apart because of your stubbornness?"}

"Hey. You look pale," she turned me to her, hands on my arms. "Do you feel sick, honey? Can I do something?"

{"Talk to me. Don't leave me on this bloody silence, Wilhelmina."}

I sat down in a empty place she took me to, conjured my bottle and drank from it. I probably drank one liter in one go. "Hey, come down. Is that alcohol? You shouldn't drink it so early in the morning, honey."

{"All I'm asking if for you to fight for us. Is it that hard?"}

"I can hear his thoughts. He can hear mine. And feel each others emotions. It's all because I'm a winged-serpent," I blurt it out to her. "We have been fighting for a while and he doesn't stay quiet. He's angry and sad, and he's making me feel that way because I feel what he feels. It's too overwhelming and I'm going insane."

{"It's your fault that I'm feeling this way. It can't be helped."}

Bell kneeled in front of me, "Calm down. Is it the mating bond?" A nod. "Why are you two fighting?"

I clenched my jaw, "I've been trying to… break the bond."

Her eyes widened in horror, "Have you lost your mind?"

"Probably," I mocked myself.

"Hel, you don't joke about this stuff. You cannot break a mating bond. Your father tried to break his with Shay and it was fruitless. Like you said, she died alone and he's to blame for it. For letting his fear take over. It cannot be broken. If you insist on this, you will hurt Oliver the same way your father hurt your mom," she closed her eyes, frustrated. "I can't see this happen to their daughter. You mom suffered too much, honey. I can't let you break yourself and him like this."

Avoiding her eyes, I kept my mind blank, "There is a way."

"No, there none."

Sigh, "Yes. There is. Mia told me. That's why Oliver is angry."

She turned pale, "There is a way?"

A nod, "Y-yes."

{"What way?"} He growled and I felt like he was almost crying. It wouldn't be surprising, given the suffocating sadness that's overflowing in me, and it's coming from him.

"What way?" She mirror his question.

I bounced my head negatively, avoiding talking or thinking of it.

"You can't do it," she whispered as she looked at me. "It must be a high price to pay, is it not?" I didn't think, only nodded, keeping Oliver in the dark.

After some time taking a deep breath, I turned to her, "Since when do you think father is your mate, Bell?"

"Since I met him. I avoided him and he thought it was because I despised all dragons except Shay, and because I didn't like him. I would have said something, but he was in love with your mom and she hadn't mated yet. I didn't want to be that person who gets between others just because of a feeling I had. I tried it out with Naël and it was good, but I couldn't take Cosmos out of my mind. Last time I saw Naël, he broke up with me, I think he must have seen it on a vision, but we were friends above all. I never saw him again and I began to grow restless."