Obsidian, p.1
Obsidian, page 1
Obsidian
Rigby Brothers
S L Davies
Published by S L Davies, 2022.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
OBSIDIAN
First edition. September 14, 2022.
Copyright © 2022 S L Davies.
ISBN: 979-8215623497
Written by S L Davies.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Epilogue
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About the Author
Prologue
Obsidian
I sighed as I watched over my nephews and nieces as they played. They ran about the backyard at my parents’ house laughing and chasing one another. Iver had organized a game of tag and was teaching Drake and Arsen’s daughter, Whisper, to pursue after Bear, who was currently shifted, and let the others chase him. Whisper had just started to walk and watching Iver and how gentle he was with her was so cute.
All of my brothers other than Jericho now had mates and children. Jericho said he didn’t care if he never found someone. But I didn’t feel the same. I’d always wanted a mate. I remembered when Bacchus saw Anghus and how they almost broke apart because they were two alphas. Then when they found Joachim, it seemed to complete them. Apart from the slight hiccup with a thought that Joachim and Anghus could have been related. But once that was found to not be true, they were inseparable.
I remember speaking to Bacchus and being horrified that Anghus would consider walking away from his mate. I could never have done it. I’ve wanted a mate for as long as I’ve known what they were. We had grown up in a fantastic house. Mama and Papa never hid their love. I wasn’t naïve enough to think it was all sunshine and lollipops. I was sure there were times that they had trouble or disagreements. But for the most part, they were happy. Their love was evident.
I desperately wanted it. But I felt like I was never going to get it. Even Macklin, the grumpiest of us all, had found a mate and was in love. I was never hard up for sex, which came easy. But it wasn’t sex that I wanted. I wanted someone that I could call my own. I wanted my mate. I’d asked the creator so often to send me a mate. But still, I didn’t have one.
“What’s crawled up your ass?” Jericho asked as he sat down beside me and bumped my shoulder.
I thought I’d been hiding my grumpiness, but obviously not well enough. But then again, Jericho had always been the most observant of my brothers.
I sighed. “I want that,” I said, nodding my head to the backyard, where my brother Asher shifted into his bear form and allowed the kids to climb over him. Whisper threw her head back and giggled as Iver lifted her onto Asher’s back and held her so that Asher could take her for a ride.
“Why?” Jericho asked.
“Don’t you get lonely, man? I mean, I can’t help but think how much happier they all are with someone they get to come home to. Their kids seem to make them smile a lot more.”
“Yeah, but then they don’t get to go out whenever they want. They have to be responsible and grow up.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t see the bad side to that.”
“Really? You want to give up all your midnight booty calls to settle with one?”
I sighed and nodded my head. “Yeah, man, I do. Don’t you get tired and sick of chasing tail all the time? Wouldn’t you rather settle down, knowing that the one you love is there for you?”
Jericho shrugged. “Na. Not really. I mean, sometimes I think about it. Especially when I’m by myself at home. But I don’t know. I’m not sure my life is meant for someone to be in.”
“Why?”
Jericho shrugged again. “Dunno. I mean, it’s not like I’m home all that often. I work weird hours. My job isn’t really made for a successful relationship. Lots of the guys have had relationships, and they never end up working because of our hours.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I suppose.”
“Don’t worry so much. You will find someone. I know you will. Have you tried asking Iver?”
I shook my head and chuckled. “Na. I don’t want to use the kid as a party trick for my own use.”
“You know he doesn’t mind.”
“I know. Maybe I don’t want to know if the answer is that I’m never meant to have someone.”
“I don’t believe that. I think there is someone out there for you. They will come when you least expect it.”
I smiled over at Jericho. “You trying to take on Iver’s role?”
Jericho grinned and stretched in his seat. “Someone has to pull you out of this dark cloud you’ve been lingering in.”
“Have I been that bad?” I asked with a wince.
Jericho smiled and shook his head. “Na. Not really. I don’t think the others have really noticed, but I had. You haven’t been as smiley and playful lately. Mama had noticed too.”
I nodded my head. If Mama noticed, that meant she had sent Jericho to give me a slap under the ear and tell me to buck up.
“I’ll give Mama a big bear hug and a kiss and apologize.”
Jericho chuckled. “See to it that you do,” he replied with a wink before climbing off the back deck. He aimed up Anghus and leaped into the air, tackling the gargoyle to the ground. Anghus grunted and caught Jericho as they began to wrestle.
“Go, Dad,” Iver yelled. “Don’t let him take you.”
I chuckled as I watched their shenanigans. I was fortunate to have the family I had. I shook my head. Enough moping. I stripped out of my clothes and called my panther forward. Crouching low, I stalked down the back stairs and moved slowly towards where Jericho and Anghus were still wrestling.
“Go get ‘em, bro,” I heard Asher chuckle through the link. I crept closer, timing my leap.
I got within inches of my brother just as he turned and spotted me. His eyes widened, but they danced with humor as he screeched and jumped off Anghus before landing heavily on my back and clinging to me as I rolled to my side with a grunt. I chuckled and lay in the sun as the kids piled on me.
Chapter One
Pitt
“Are you sure you have everything?” Papa asked as he looked me over. My car was packed, and I was about to head off. I was nervous but needed this. It was time to grow up and move out on my own.
“I’m sure I have,” I said as I glanced over at my car while biting my bottom lip. I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t have a plan, which was probably the most stupid thing I’d ever done. But I needed this. I needed to heal. After losing yet another job because of my anxiety, I needed to get away.
“And you got your car looked at?” Dad asked as he stood beside Papa.
I nodded my head. It was a lie. I hadn’t. I didn’t have the money to get my car serviced. It was either paying for fuel to make this insane trip or getting my car looked at. I’d chosen instead to ignore the rattle that my vehicle had going on and go on this trip.
“I’m worried about you,” Papa said. “Are you sure you are going to be alright?”
I nodded my head. I wanted to burst into tears and say no. I wanted to hide and not come out. But that had never done me well. Hell, I couldn’t even keep a job because of my fears. Irrational fears at that.
“I will be alright. I’ll ring you every day,” I promised, putting on a brave face.
“No matter the time or where you are, if you need us, ring. We will come and get you or find a way for you to come home,” Dad promised.
I blinked back the tears that were forming and nodded. “Thank you,” I croaked.
“Oh baby,” Papa said as he pulled me into his arms. “I’m so damned proud of you.”
That was all it took. The tears I’d been bravely pushing to the side started to fall, and I hiccupped a sob as I questioned again whether I was doing the right thing. I’d always been a nervous kid; even when I was little, I struggled with separation anxiety from my family. I often stuttered when I talked, could barely speak to strangers, and hated being the center of attention. As I grew, my nervousness became full-blown anxiety to the point that I could no longer attend school.
I’d had so many jobs to break free of the anxiety. I’d see therapists and take all the medication. But it didn’t seem to make a difference. It wasn’t until my therapist, Naomi, suggested I go for a holiday somewhere. I think she meant just a few days in a hotel somewhere. However, my brain didn’t work like that. I’d got it in my head that I would travel around Australia. Sleep in my car and do odd jobs for money.
I’d planned out my budget, but not the actual trip, I’d decided that it would be more fun to be spontaneous. Then I lost my job at a restaurant when I screamed as a man touched me. I didn’t mean to; I just hadn’t realized he was behind me. However, it had a knock-on effect. I screamed, he shouted and jumped, stumbling into Mark, the waiter carrying a glass of wine, spilling on another customer, who got angry and yelled at Mark.
My boss, Dorothy, ultimately told me I could no longer work there. I understood it as much as it was a blow to my confidence. But I didn’t blame her. There was no way that I could continue working in a place where I became a danger to customers.
“I’ll be alright,” I said again to reassure myself as well as Papa who looked like he was on the verge of putting his foot down and demanding I stay home.
“Remember what we said, you ring at any time, and we will be there to help you,” Dad said as he pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head.
Some may say I was spoiled as the youngest of the Stein children, but the truth was that Dad and Papa had loved all of their children equally. My eldest brother Nathan was already mated to a wonderful man named Christopher. Nathan had gone on to become a surgeon while Christopher was a nurse. Together they had six children. Each of the kids was just as spoiled as we had been. Then my older sister Talia and brother Carson lived in Melbourne. Talia was a graphic designer, while Carson was a real estate agent. They were yet to be mated, but I don’t think they were in any hurry. And then there was me. The fuck up. Well, no, I couldn’t really say that. It wasn’t exactly my fault my brain didn’t work like other people.
I pulled away from Dad and opened the car door with a creak. “I love you both,” I said with a smile as I brought the engine to life with a rattle. Dad winced, and I could tell he wasn’t convinced my car would make it.
Dad and Papa had offered to buy me a new car. All of my siblings had new cars bought for them on their eighteenth birthdays. But I hadn’t wanted a new car. I liked the old Valiant that I saw. It had been owned by one man since brand new. In my eyes, she was beautiful. While others looked and saw a broken old car, I saw beauty. She reminded me of me. But her engine was old and tired, and I wasn’t sure she would last all that long. I just hoped she would last long enough to get me somewhere I could work for a bit and earn enough money to get her fixed up.
With a final wave, I pulled out of the driveway of my childhood home in Croydon in Melbourne and took off for destinations unknown. I breathed in deeply as I pointed Valerie, my car’s name, towards the Western Freeway and started my journey.
Chapter Two
Obsidian
“Uncle Sid, where are you?” Iver yelled from the shop office. I rolled out from beneath the car I was currently working on and grinned up at my nephew staring down at me.
“Iver boy, is it already two?” I asked. I sat up, pulled the rag from my back pocket, and wiped it over my face.
Iver nodded his head before he giggled. “You just made it worse, Sid,” he said before taking the rag from me and wiping my brow where I had a smear of grease.
“Thanks, kid. Papa in the office, is he?” I asked.
“Yep. McKenna didn’t come; she wanted to stay with Daffodil and Royal.”
I placed my hand to my chest and gasped in pretend hurt. “I’m wounded. My niece would rather spend time with her cousins than her favorite uncle.”
Iver giggled and reached out a hand to help me stand from the trolley I was sitting on. “So what tatt are we getting today?” he asked.
I’d promised Iver that I would take him to Shifter Ink when I got my next lot of art from Burgess. Iver was going to get a tattoo also. A fake one, but until his Papa finally convinced him to wash it off his back, Iver had a tattoo.
“Well, I’m getting more work down on my back. What have you got planned?” I asked.
“I’m going to get a kraken on my back.”
“Nice. Your Dad will love that,” I said. My brother Bacchus was a kraken shifter. Iver grinned and nodded his head. “Who have you convinced to do your work for you?”
“Sloane,” he answered. “She’s the best at doing old school.”
I chuckled. All my nephews and nieces loved going into Shifter Ink to get their tattoos drawn on with sharpies. Burgess adored all of them, as did the other tattoo artists.
“Well, then let’s get going,” I said as I walked over to the sink and looked in the mirror to ensure I’d got all the grease off my face. I quickly scrubbed my hands. Not that it was getting rid of all the motor oil that stained my fingers and fingernails. That would take months of manicures to fix that mess. It was part of being a mechanic. I remembered that about Papa growing up; he always had grease-stained fingers. Unlike Asher, whose fingers always looked manicured and soft.
I walked with Iver into the office where Anghus was sitting with Alena and Donte, one of my mechanics and a member of the Devil’s Advocates. He was also Asher’s brother-in-law. I swear that the way my family interweaved with everyone in town was getting more complicated.
“Tattoo time?” Donte asked.
I grinned and nodded my head. I had a regular appointment with Iver every fortnight. We all took turns in having the kids with us during the weeks. It was our way of giving our brothers and their mates a break but also a chance for us to spend time with our nephews and nieces. I loved it. Even though I was an alpha, and the stereotype was that alphas weren’t paternal, that was different for me. I would give anything to have kids of my own. One day. Hopefully.
“Be good for Sid,” Anghus said, pointing at Iver, who grinned at his father. The kid looked just like my brother Bacchus. His eyes sparked the same with mischief. But he was so much like Anghus in his personality. Iver could be so serious that sometimes it was easy to forget that he was still just a little boy.
“Iver’s always good. What are you talking about? He isn’t like you, Anghus; he is good,” I said.
Iver threw his head back and barked out a laugh. Anghus smirked and held his hand out to shake mine.
“Don’t teach him anymore swear words,” Anghus warned, causing me to chuckle.
So, I may have a bad habit of swearing when things went wrong in the shop, and I may or may not have inadvertently taught my nephews and nieces some bad words that they went on to use in front of their parents. Thankfully my brothers loved me and hadn’t killed me yet.
“Can’t make any promises,” I said with a laugh as I led Iver out of the office and towards my car. “Let’s get us some tatts, and then I reckon we deserve a burger.”
“Yes,” Iver said with a cheer as he climbed into the passenger side of my car and buckled his seat belt.
I chuckled and brought the car to life with a roar. My Mustang was my baby. I’d got her from an old guy that had left her in his shed for years. After replacing the engine and the interior, I was in love. She was my pride and joy; I’d be lost without her.
Chapter Three
Pitt
I was singing, well, I guess some may call it howling, as I sped along the freeway to destinations unknown. ACDC played loudly. The window was down, whipping the breeze through my long hair. I felt a sense of freedom. It had taken me a couple of hours before I finally started to ease into what I was planning on doing. I’d turned off the Western Freeway and decided to head towards the coast and follow it. My stomach started to growl, and when I glanced at the time, I realized that it was after lunch, and I hadn’t eaten anything since leaving early that morning.
Glancing up, I noticed an offramp and a sign to a town called Lalbert. I slowed for the exit and pulled off, following the signs to Lalbert. I had never been really outside of Melbourne. Dad and Papa used to take us down to Port Phillip Bay in the summer to swim in the ocean occasionally. Still, we swam in the Yarra River most of the time and didn’t travel. We didn’t need to. We had everything we needed at home.
The open plains of farms changed to the forest until I was driving along tree-covered roads, with woods on either side of me. The scenery changed the more I went towards where the signs for Lalbert sent me. The sign told me I had about five kilometers before I got to Lalbert. There was a little knife and fork picture on the town sign, so I knew I could expect to find something to eat there.
Suddenly Valerie started to sputter. I looked down at the fuel gauge, but it was still reading that I had plenty of fuel. A loud bang sounded, and steam started pouring out of the bonnet. I edged Valerie to the side of the road and popped the hood.
