My Fiction Fix #01

Writing Idea #70: Regretful Obsession

Regretful obsession

CHAPTER 1:

If the story ended with happily ever after, then who was the scapegoat to balance out that happy ending?

I watched closely as Leander Forlorn watched his older brother save and imprint on the girl Leander's pined over for years. Her blue-black glossy hair was a greasy mess as Ace Forlorn pulls her out of the tome, all three of them covered in soot and harshly scraped from whatever was within. We didn't see, we didn't need to know, that's a story for another time. But if I were to tell you in this short span, they—Ace and the girl, Irina—were the first to imprint in two centuries, no one believed such a thing would exist. A human, and an elemental. The Forlorn family were cousins of old royals, they may be the last royal family alive.

Long story short, Irina got her dumb self kidnapped by an enemy whom only recently became more vacant in the Summit, our council for all creatures of the world, and Ace imprinted on the human. It's a fantastic, cute fairytale that required the assistance of other clans to help, when Leander and I...imprinted. And he couldn't have hated me more.

We barely spoke to each other during the meetings that involved locating the human.

Now that she was in the arms of her greatest protectors, it was time to return to our duties. Once the council chooses to go over every detail of her kidnapping with the rest of the board, the Forlorn family, and anyone else who sacrificed a lot helping the Forlorn family.

It helped that my sister was not only a board member, but she was second-in-command to the head of the council. I purse my lips as the rest of the Forlorn family surround them both, embracing them so tightly it almost looked like it hurt. I turned away before I was forced to watch any longer. I didn't know what it was like to love someone so much that you'd die for them, it's not like my sister and I would do that for each other. Everything had to be logical. If one was in trouble, the other claims it was 'her own fault'.

The saying if you dug your own grave, you lie in it, comes into motion here.

I walked with many of the other employees who were more accustomed to combat than I was moved like demons in the night while we surveyed the area as four SUVs pulled up. Each for the Forlorn family.

Leander stepped out first, his eyes worried and searching for something before his Uncle places a hand on his shoulder, Leander's parents step out, his mother holds Irina and his Father has an arm around Ace. The doors to the vehicles open, the guards there worked for us too, and they waited for the remaining family members and friends to step it.

"Madeline." Leander's Uncle calls out my name. I narrow my eyes and step away from the others in my group. Leander stares at me, masking his expression while I stoically meet his eyes.

His uncle was Dominic Forlorn, brother to Leander's father. They were twins, so I was staring at another version of Leander, given how alike they all looked. Brown hair, a mixture of blue-grey eyes, tanned and all of them were broad-shouldered, muscular, "Mr Forlorn." I say his name, my eyes moving to his.

He glances at his nephew, "I was wondering if you would ride with our family. There are things we need to discuss." He says softly. Gratitude and sadness crept within his voice as his brother looks this way in slight confusion, but it's Ace who steps over and smiles at me sadly.

"Madeline Kahn, thank you for helping me and my family. We are forever in your debt." Ace says to me, tenderly as he ignores Leander's tense posture and taut expression. He meets my eyes and stills, he steps forward, I step back with a harsh look etched in my eyes. Leander's breath hitches and he squeezes his eyes closed, his lips tremble.