When Fate Unravels

by A. K. Koonce

  Asher’s jaw clenches, a look of vacantness filling his smooth features when I offer him a tense smile in reply. I ignore him, not letting the excitement slip away from me. He doesn’t trust Declan but he doesn’t know him either.

  I stand and walk slowly toward Gabriel. My palm slips over his arm, he tenses under my touch. His limb is smooth, the tissue nicely healed. A good sign. Asher was careful with his work even if it was rushed.

  “You know if you wanted to get me alone, I’d be happy to tell Asher to get lost,” Gabriel whispers loudly to me, leaning his body intentionally closer.

  He’s nervous, I can hear it in his uneven voice even if his face doesn’t show it. Hybrids don’t seem short on confidence even if they can’t see the world around them.

  “Don’t ruin this, Gabe,” Asher says laughing, pushing his friend’s shoulder lightly.

  I settle the metal carefully against his limb. It aligns perfectly. The strap slips over his wrist, I fasten it a little tight, making sure everything is in place before activating it. It hums quietly to life at his new metal fingertips.

  “What – What the hell is this?” he asks harshly as the tendons in his arms shift beneath the skin and the fingers wave slowly.

  “It’s a bionic prosthetic,” I say quietly, my eyes mystified by the fluid bionic actions.

  I’ve never had access to anything so medically perfect. Things like this aren’t made for lower class mortals. It especially isn’t made for a mystic. Just like Ky, we’ve fumbled around with supplies that aren’t making anyone’s lives any easier. Ky was lucky to have been approved for a prosthetic at all. If Gabriel was mortal they’d never waste a prosthetic on him. Not when he still has one other good hand.

  Flawlessly it moves without any tics or pauses, as if the hybrid was born with it. My heart booms and an enormous smile consumes me with a feeling of achievement. Without sound or struggle, he waves his new hand at us. He brings his other hand up to meet it and steeples his fingers together, the hard metal pressing against smooth flesh.

  Asher’s dimples appear as a wide smile slowly crosses his face, all thoughts of Declan are gone. I’m captivated by every small move he makes with it. When I look to Luca, I expect the same reaction to the bionic hand but she isn’t looking at it at all. She’s watching Gabriel’s face, a small smile pulling at her parted lips.

  “What’s it feel like?” Asher asks, his silver eyes catching the glare off the sleek metal.

  Gabriel touches the wall with his new hand, brushing over the concrete, his nimble fingers effortlessly open the blinds. Then he bends to unlace and re-lace his shoes with quick fluid gestures.

  “It feels like a memory,” he says, standing still now turning his hand back and forth before us all. “It feels simple and easy and taken for granted and,” he pauses, his eyebrows arching, “normal.”

  A mixture of pain and happiness pushes into my chest, Asher reaches out without looking at me and takes my hand in his, his warm fingers fitting perfectly against mine. I can feel his simple happiness spread into me from the small touch.

  “So, you like it?” I ask, trying to contain the smile that threatens to consume my whole face.

  “It is better than a band-aid.”

  He swallows and looks away from us, his white eyes shining in the sunlight that he let in from the open blinds.

  It’s that easy. The government has this technology laying around and millions of people all over the world need it, but only the deserving receive it.

  Gabriel deserves it and more. He’s survived so much. So much that he’s no longer living. Just surviving. Taking each day with the expectancy that it might be his last. He smiles freely, he laughs loudly, he talks candidly. Because he knows there isn’t time to wait. Time doesn’t wait. It presses you forward whether you’re ready or not.

  Gabriel’s been there, to the place time took him against his will. He lost so much.

  But I can give him this. The best medical technology the world has to offer and it’s now at his fingertips, a gift of power and love offered between a human and hybrid.

  * * *

  “What you did today, for Gabriel. That was amazing,” Asher says, breathing me in as his hands hold me tightly to his chest.

  His head rests in the nook of my neck, his breath fanning down my back, sending a tingling sensation across my skin. Another perfect night in his arms.

  “Just be prepared for an endless stream of Fallon lent me a hand once jokes.” I laugh quietly at his words. “No seriously, I already heard it three times today and he doesn’t show any signs of stopping anytime soon.”

  “I hope he doesn’t. I like his jokes.”

  “Oh, for the love of everything good in the world, please do not tell him that.”

  A smile consumes my face, a happiness I feel deep in my chest… in my heart. Everything is so easy now. Asher and I, even if we are only ever friends to one another, we click. He’s like soil and I’m a seed and with him holding me together, supporting me, something beautiful grows. Something undamaged and untouched by society.

  His arms tighten around me, pulling me flush against his chest. Warmth spreads into me, his scent filling the air around me. My eyes drift involuntarily and a peaceful sleep falls over me.

  For a few hours at least.

  Before the voices return, clawing into my subconscious and settling in there.

  Chapter Twelve

  What I wanted

  The Infinity witch’s words have been on my mind relentlessly lately. Every time I catch Asher looking at me, I can’t help but dissect his appearance, trying to see what he holds in his eyes when he watches me.

  But I don’t see it. He’s the same handsome hybrid he’s always been.

  Except right now.

  He nods his head, motioning me to follow him into the shadows. He walks away, leaving Gabriel blankly staring after him. The redhead gives me a knowing smirk as I follow discreetly after Asher into the night.

  The firelight and laughter is left far behind as I search blindly through the darkness for the one mystic I can’t seem to stay away from.

  I find him lying near the Emerald Ocean, an enormous cliff is just a few feet away from him. The moon is full tonight and seems to cast down on just him, highlighting his body against the dry, scorched land.

  The sound of my steps are quiet, my boots falling softly with each careful step I take. He looks up at me as I stand over him, the moon directly behind me. A smile hesitates against his lips.

  “Lie down with me.” It isn’t a question or a command. His voice is almost… unsure, like I might walk away from him at any moment.

  I don’t of course. I lie down, leaving a few inches of space between us until he drags my body against his, swooping me up into his arms in one quick motion. My head rests against his chest, my limbs not quite sure where they should go. Usually, he holds me and I don’t have to question what I should do.

  He lets a minute slip by with my hand held awkwardly above us before he takes it in his and rests it against his abdomen. His warm palm easing any nervousness I had felt just moments ago.

  The endless starlight shines above us, lighting up the sky, keeping my attention off of the nerves that fill my restless body.

  “Your heart’s so loud,” I finally say to fill the quietness as I listen to the strong beats within his chest.

  A long breath is his only reply before he finally replies in a whisper, “That’s because it beats for you.”

  My own heart flutters and a smile fills my face. “Have you waited an entire year to use that line?” I ask teasingly.

  Laughter rumbles through his chest as he brushes his thumb back and forth against my hand.

  “I’ve had a year to think about what I would say to you. I’m just getting started, baby.”

  The celebration is wildly heard within the night but for a few moments it’s just him and I.

  “Did you speak to the vampires?” I ask in a quiet voice, already knowing the answer
to my question.

  “I did.” He shifts beneath me, not pulling away but moving with restlessness.

  “What did they tell you? Did they tell you where I was?”

  He clears his throat. “Don’t ever go back there. They were not left here to help us, Fallon. They might be near dead, but they’re more dangerous than they appear.”

  I nod, knowing he’s right, but they still got me what I wanted.

  Him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Mine

  The boards creak in protest under the movement of new weight behind me, interrupting another clawing nightmare. My eyes flutter open in the darkness, the shadowed forest greeting me, but I don’t turn to him. He pulls himself up onto my pallet as quietly as possible, the boards whining, the woodlands silent in the presence of an age old predator. The warmth of his body sliding against mine wakes me in an instant.

  Over the last couple of weeks, it’s become our introduction to the hours of words to come. These hours are the most we ever speak to one another. The night eats up our words in the warm breeze, words that are lost to us by the following dawn. Passing each other as strangers during the day among the other Wanderers.

  “How was your day?” he asks in a hushed tone, slipping his hand easily around my hip. The hard board bites into my side as his gentle fingertips caresses my other side.

  His touch settles into my body. A chain reaction of warmth, tingling, and near lightheadedness flows through me.

  “Uneventful,” I reply, waiting for his next words, hanging on words unspoken. A feeling of intoxication spreads through me from our few minutes we’ve had together already.

  His hand shifts slowly from my hip to my stomach, resting flat against my navel. His strength pulls me closer to his hard body. I feel his breath on my neck before he speaks.

  “Kaino pulled me aside today.” He leaves the statement hanging between us for a moment. “He asked if I knew you from somewhere. He said the two of us appeared to be conspiring and asked if there was anything he should worry about.”

  My body tenses against him. Kaino noticed us noticing each other? How is that possible? We barely speak in public. Not that it’s a major deal. Raske seems to accept Asher and Gabriel and that’s all that really matters. Would he still accept them if he realized my lack of interest in Kaino and my overwhelming interest in Asher?

  Asher’s long fingers start to massage and dance along my stomach.

  “What did you say?”

  His hand pauses for just a moment before restarting, his touch distracting me from the topic.

  “Hmmm, what did I say?” His deep whisper vibrates against my back and into my chest. My eyes close, enjoying the feeling for just a moment.

  “Don’t tease, what did you tell him?” I ask in all seriousness.

  A low laugh brushes against my hair, rumbling through me in a delicious and unique way. The feeling tumbles through my body and settles low in my stomach.

  “I didn’t break his heart, don’t worry so much.” His fingers travel down my stomach, lightly skimming my skin and playing with the top of my jeans. “Why? Would it bother you if I told your prince that I held you in my arms every night? That I wrap myself around you like I used to before.” His voice is even quieter now but with more confidence, his warm breath whispering over my flesh. “That the only happiness I feel every day is the few hours I get when my hands are on your body. That the sharp breaths you take when I touch you are the only indication that you care for me at all.”

  I open my mouth to speak, his surprising confession startling me. But I don’t know what to say. His hand stops toying with my body and pulls on my hip until I’m flat on my back, looking up at him leaning over me, the bright stars glistening behind him, once again the archangel within the heavens.

  I breathe in the dry, salty air and take in his clean scent. His crystal eyes search my face. His jaw strung tight, like the day I first laid eyes on him in the compound. He leans against one arm while his other drifts low over my hips, his fingers lightly digging into my skin.

  “Are you jealous of Kaino?” I ask in a speculating whisper.

  A small smile tugs at his serious face. His eyes narrow and his breathing accelerates just slightly. Just enough for me to notice in our close proximity.

  “Kaino, no. Declan…” He pauses looking into my eyes for any signs I might give him.

  I give him nothing.

  “Maybe.”

  I smile shyly at his confession. I make him jealous? The idea of it flutters happiness through me and guilts me all at once. Asher’s so perfect, even his imperfections are perfect to me. He’s hurt, and our past has hurt me. We’re both pained and jagged but together we’re almost smooth again. Our fates have been mixed together so much it’s strange that we are where we are right now. Side by jagged side. Together.

  He has nothing to be jealous of. But a question still swarms my mind.

  “Why not Kaino?”

  He gives a deep and knowing laugh. It’s loud in the silence and fills the forest, scattering a few birds from their quiet hiding spots. It breaks across his face and his rarely seen dimples even make an appearance. Why is that so funny? I understand Kaino may not be the most… affectionate person towards almost anyone. But the idea of Kaino and I together is really this laughable to him?

  My brows lower in annoyance and I shift slightly away from his warmth. There’s limited space on the pallet but I still put the effort into disconnecting my body from his side.

  “Hey, don’t do that,” he says playfully, still displaying the world’s most annoyingly beautiful smile. He pulls me back to him and lowers his body closer to mine, his bare shoulder brushing against mine. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just,” He pauses and looks away from me for a moment. He’s considering his next words carefully. “There are a hundred reasons why I’m not jealous of the commander.” He bites his lip to try to keep from smiling again. “But him placing that sexy hitch in your breath that I give you every night, isn’t even a possibility.”

  My breath falters and I gasp when he lowers his strong body against me. Silver, questioning eyes search mine. His face is once again serious, all shadowed angles emphasized in white moonlight. His weight pushes against me deliciously and nothing has ever made me feel so… complete. His legs settle between mine and a feeling begins tingling through my stomach as my thighs clench tightly around his hips.

  My hands drift up his body to his hard chest, the need to be closer soaring under my skin. He leans against one arm near my head as the other trails up my body from my hip, lightly traveling over my stomach, my ribs, my chest and collar bone, before cradling my neck. Clear eyes question mine, a look of uncertainty fill the depths of his gaze. He leans into me, our hair brushing. My heart pounds into his chest, communicating to him without words. The only sign language he ever taught me.

  “So no, I’m not jealous of Kaino, because,” he lowers his lips to mine, not quite touching, our warm breath mingling, “no one will ever take away what’s mine again.”

  His lips brush mine, warm and slow. Then the world stops around us. Falling into nothingness. It’s a gentle kiss. My heart flutters in my chest, softly against his hard body. My fingers release his shoulders and push into his thick hair, pulling him nearer as his lips part mine. His tongue slips against mine until we can no longer keep our patient pace.

  He kisses me like he’s giving me his soul to keep. All this time, I’ve searched for the hybrid that was missing. I didn’t realize until now that I, too, was missing. I feel alive with his hands on me, my flesh tingling, a relentless feeling coming to life within me.

  A feather light touch moves down my neck, his fingertips trailing along my hot skin before pulling my hip firmly into him. I moan into his mouth at the friction. My back bows of its own accord, trying to eliminate any lingering space between myself and him. His lips leave mine, kissing down my jaw and nipping at my neck. My chest heaves with each breath and the electric current
tugs at my core until I can’t take it anymore. I grind my hips into his for relief. A low groan escapes his lips into the hook of my neck, the vibrations humming through my chest.

  A long and uneven breath leaves me just before his mouth pushes hard against mine again. His teeth rake across my bottom lip in both pain and pleasure before his tongue slips into my mouth and slides against mine. A sweet but salty taste fills my senses.

  The feeling of his lips against mine and his hard body grinding into me is stirring a feeling that’s restless in my core. It’s demanding and threatens to take over entirely. My body works against his to achieve what seems to be the same goal. His hand roams farther across my hip pulling me impossibly closer to him, drifting lower and lower until he stops suddenly, his fingers lingering at the underside of my thigh.

  The air leaves my lungs in a heap as he pulls away, my fingers still clutching his neck to me. His chest heaves into mine with each breath he takes. Why is he stopping? His heavy gaze never leaves mine. His hair sticks up wildly from where I pulled at it earlier. He licks his lips slowly. I’m reminded of what he tastes like and my body thrums to close the distance again.

  “I’m… sorry,” he says with a groan. “But I think I should go, before your prince and his, uh,” he looks out into the forest, breaking our stare for the first time, “friend finds us.”

  He’s smirking again but I don’t know why. My prince and his friend? I lean up into his chest, my hands drifting down to his smooth shoulders, refusing to let him go. My heart flutters at our nearness again. My eyes search in the darkness to see what he sees. It takes me a moment to actually focus on something other than his body against mine. Once my eyes adjust it takes no time at all.

  There, against a tree, maybe ten yards away is Kaino and Shane. They’re holding each other closely—their bodies difficult to make out in the dark.

  “Oh.”

  Not too difficult… Kaino has the warrior pushed against the tree and they’re clutching each other, the commander’s lips slipping down the warrior’s neck in a worshiping way. Kissing. Kaino is kissing him. He’s kissing another guy. I guess our friendship makes sense now. Kaino doesn’t dislike me, he just is the furthest thing from interested.