My Master (intersex x woman)

Chapter 8 - Shadows

She took a few steps back, a gasp caught in her throat as the shadow of a man appeared to be getting closer. The blonde spun on her heels, rushing back inside and locking the large glass door behind her.

Emily counted to ten before turning to face the door. The shadow of a boy stood with his palms against the glass. She was so terrified, she felt as though she'd pass out.

"Emmy," she heard her brother's voice.
"Manny?" her eyes were wide now.
"I was worried about you. I just needed to see you."
"Why are you worried? And how are you doing this? Where are you exactly?"
"Everything is fine. I'm safe, and soon you will be too. We're almost ready for you."

The boy whipped his head around before sighing. "I've got to go."

The door to Emily's room swung open, and Annabelle stood beside her.
"Are you...talking to yourself?"

Manny's shadow had already vanished.

"What does it matter?" she scoffed. "You're just looking for another person to lock up and throw away the key."
Annabelle frowned. "Is this about that boy?"
"Get over it Annabelle. He's already locked away, just...leave me alone." The blonde huffed. "I'm sure you've got enough on your plate considering the sinister things that have been happening around here."

"What's that supposed to mean?"
When Emily didn't answer, the queen grabbed her arm. "What do you know about this? This curse, this plague that's taking over?"
"You're hurting me," she winced, the grip like a vice around her wrist. "I don't know anything. I'm not involved."

Annabelle released her, hands dropping to her sides with an exasperated sigh. "There was a war many years ago with the witches. The King declared they were too dangerous; their practices were too harmful...so he made it illegal." She begun.

Emily stared up at her and saw something. She saw emotion. She saw...sadness.

"We had to get rid of them. I won't say our methods were the best—but it got the job done. There shouldn't be a witch capable of doing something like this, not anymore. We burned them all, and their practices with them."

"I swear," Emily whispered. "I have nothing to do with this."

A part of her wished that she could help, that she could give Annabelle the answers she needed. But, she couldn't. She was just as clueless, if not more than everyone else.

Annabelle stared into her eyes, searching, wondering, getting lost in the blue seas. The taller woman leaned towards her, pressing their lips together. Emily felt shockwaves through her body, blood boiling heat ran through her.

"I'm going back into the city with Tristan." She said once they'd parted.

As if the moment meant nothing, Annabelle turned and left the room. The blonde stood in the middle of the room feeling disappointed, but certainly not surprised. She didn't expect much more from the Evil Queen. But within herself—there was a war happening. Being torn between the feelings that stirred inside her every time she was in the presence of the taller woman, and her strong dislike for the creatures and their violent nature.

***

Victoria met the blonde in the foyer as they'd planned. They chat a bit on their walk through the castle's flower field. It a truly magnificent sight when they were all in bloom.

"As bitchy as you are, I've missed seeing you around."
Victoria chuckled, "Very kind words coming from you I suppose."
"Still see me as a threat?"
"When did I ever say that?" the wolf perked up, spinning Emily to face her.

"You didn't have to...I know I'm young but I'm not completely oblivious. You still love her."

The brunette ran a hand through her silky hair that she loved wearing loose. They sat in the shade of a tall tree, both staring out into the field.

"I don't think I'll ever stop loving her Emily." The taller woman finally spoke. "But our time...our time together has ended."

Emily's heart hurt for her. Although the woman didn't seem sad, the thought made Emily sad. The thought of being married to someone for so long, for it to just fizzle out. To exist in the same place and time with them and not be with them anymore, to know that they traipsed around, dangling women in front of her. It made Emily upset.

--

Annabelle's feet were sore from all the running she'd done that day.

"Are you sure that's where they're headed?" she yelled, the witch hunter struggling to keep up with her.

"Yeah, they'll be here any minute now."

The two ran towards the fields, Annabelle coming to a halt as her eyes fixed on the familiar blonde under a large fruit tree with Victoria. The wolf's hand touching Emily's cheek gently, the two appearing to stare deeply into each other's eyes. It was triggering for the queen.

As she stormed towards them, Tristan grabbed her arm. She spun, almost ripping his arm from its socket.

"Ouch," he rolled his eyes, shaking out his arm. "My Queen, not to be a pain but we do have more pressing issues than your lover and ex-wife at the moment."

"It won't take long for me to strangle them both."

"Jealousy is a horrifying look on you." The man snorted beside her. "Look, we have company."

Dark shadows steadily approached from the south, there were too many to count. Annabelle couldn't decipher if they were actually people or just spirits barreling towards them.

Tristan drew his sword and the two charged towards the darkness. His swore proved to be completely useless against the shadows, Annabelle's claws the only thing slicing through them. Annabelle decided that she couldn't take them all on her own, there was no way. She ordered Tristan to retreat; and gather the guards to batten the castle down in preparation for a potential breach.

Shock was written on their faces but Annabelle ignored it, scooping Emily up from the ground with her letting out a shriek. "We'll talk about this later." She said, and somehow it was directed to them both. "Right now, you need to get out of here." She nodded in the direction of the darkness that approached and Victoria nodded.

She raced back into the castle, taking Emily to the safest place in the building. The cellar.

"Why did you leave her out there?"
"I take you to safety and you still find a way to be upset about it." Annabelle groaned.
"You could have brought us both."
"Am I fucking Hercules now?" Annabelle spat. "You're the human. You're the one who's in danger here, my mad woman of a wife can defend herself until I get back."
"You're so full of shit!"

Annabelle stared at the blonde, genuinely taken back by her outburst. She'd been rude before, disrespectful even, but this felt...different.

"Emily." She warned. "This isn't the time."
"You know what? This is the time. I'm sick and tired of this game you're playing. You're playing it with me, with your wife and with every woman you bring in here." Her face was red, the woman was fuming.

"You don't care about me. Stop acting like you do, stop with the special treatment like you're fattening me up for the kill."

"You don't get to tell me what to do Emily. In fact, you don't get to tell me shit. I'm the Queen, I'm the last fucking hybrid." The woman barked. "I'm the thing standing between you, and those.... things out there." She grabbed Emily and pulled her to the window, shadows gaining in the horizon. "So, if I were you, I'd be a little more grateful."

Annabelle's eyes were blazing red, she was angry—angrier than she'd thought. Emily stood completely silent.

"Now you have nothing to say?" Annabelle let out an exasperated groan.

The blonde's lips parted, retching a few times before throwing up on the queen's boots.

Definitely not the response she'd been looking for.