Destiny Rising: Destiny Series: Book Two

by Cooke, CJ

  “I’m sorry,” I muttered, suddenly feeling like a bitch.

  “How are we going to tell them all this? How do we tell them they don’t even get to bury their children? Dom and Caleb, they warned us this was coming. They told us there was a threat. We should have done more about it. We should have done something, anything. Marcus was wrong to imply any of you held any blame for this. It’s our fault—his and mine. We’ve failed the pack. We don’t deserve to keep our positions.” He sounded so sad. He was a man with the expectations of the pack on his shoulders, and he knew he hadn’t met them.

  It wasn’t my place to point fingers at people or place blame with anyone. Maybe some of that blame did belong to me. The Headmaster and Caleb had told me what was coming, and I didn’t warn anyone. I decided to train only nine people, even though I knew I had the skills to help more. Maybe I should have done more as well.

  “Now isn’t the time to decide who is to blame,” Kyle said, almost like he could hear my thoughts. In fact, could he? That was one of the things they’d spoken about potentially happening when the mate bond solidified. Had it solidified? Crap! I was going to need to do one of those stupid questions and answers sessions with them again.

  “Now is the time for the pack to mourn their loss. We need to tell them what we know, and we need a solid plan for what we are going to do next. My father needs to stop burying his head in the ground.”

  Kyle climbed to his feet, and Wyatt nodded and suddenly stood as well.

  “Now?” I asked as they turned and started up the steps. “Shit, I guess we’re doing this now,” I said more to myself, seems as Kyle and Wyatt had just got up and walked away. A bit rude if you asked me, since I’d just flown a three-hour round trip, alone, to bring them this news. But like a good little soldier, I climbed to my feet and followed them up the stairs and into the house. I had a feeling this was going to go horribly wrong.

  Marcus was, like before, sitting behind his massive desk in the library. There was nothing on top of it he seemed to actually be doing. The more I was around him, the less I liked him, which could be a problem. You know, because not only is he the ‘Prime’ Alpha but he’s also my mate’s father. The look he gave me as I walked into the room gave away exactly how he felt about me. It was definitely a ‘shit on his shoe’ type scenario.

  “Aria, can you go to the kitchens and make sure the other women are settling in okay?” he said in an overly pleasant voice to me.

  “Sure, I’ll get right on that,” I said as I dropped down to sit on the sofa off to his side.

  He glared at me, and I smiled sweetly back at him. I heard Wyatt chuckle quietly behind me. Unfortunately for him, Marcus also seemed to have heard him as well.

  “I’ve heard you left the house today. That you flew off leaving other members of the pack to do the work which you should have been doing. The pack has a hierarchy, Aria. Everyone has their place, and everyone must contribute to earn their keep.” He always said my name like it was trying to kick him in the nuts on the way out.

  “Yeah, we can circle back around to that hierarchy comment in a bit,” I said sarcastically, and we would be. “As you said, I left the grounds today. I shouldn’t have been the only one to do so, but I can understand this time your need to make sure your people were safe.” That pissed him off. I could tell he was getting ready to lay into me. “I went back to the academy to search for any survivors.”

  “So, you wasted your time on a fruitless and naïve quest, and you have the audacity to sit there and judge me for not doing the same,” he said, calmly leaning back in his chair.

  “It wasn’t fruitless. They’re all gone,” I said.

  We were both starting to get angry. I could feel my anger rising, and my magic was singing like fire through my veins. I would love to throw down with this piss poor excuse of a man. My magic was calling out for his blood, and I wanted nothing more than to watch it spill.

  Kyle’s father made that angry scoff noise all pompous twats make. “Of course they’re all gone. The demons weren’t going to just hang about the school. They have no doubt gone back to where they came from.”

  Wyatt chose this point to jump into the conversation, no doubt to prevent the situation from escalating further. Spoilsport.

  “She means the bodies, Marcus. All of the bodies are gone.”

  That at least had his attention, and he sat forwards in his chair, resting his elbows on the top of the desk.

  “Gone, how?” he asked, looking at me.

  This was a delicate subject, and I wasn’t going to antagonise him over it. So, like the big girl I was, I took a deep breath to calm myself before continuing.

  “They’re just gone. I couldn’t see any drag marks. It didn’t look like anything had, well, eaten them. They’re gone.”

  Marcus sat back in his chair again. It seemed like how he was sat in his chair was a general indication of his mood. He was a strange little megalomaniac.

  “The pack isn’t going to take this well,” he said, more to himself than us. When he looked up, he was back to ignoring me and instead addressed Wyatt. I’d get pissed, but I suppose he was his Beta. So, whatever. “What would you suggest?” he asked.

  “Margie wants to have the funeral for Britt tomorrow night. We have to tell them before then. They’re going to want to retrieve their dead and include them in the service. We should gather them tonight and tell them so they can have the privacy of this evening to mourn alone,” Wyatt suggested.

  Marcus just nodded and sat there thinking for what was the most awkward five minutes of my life. Were we supposed to leave? I looked over at Kyle, who had remained quiet this whole time. He was looking at his father in concern. Maybe we should have a chat before I completely blow up at his father. It’s hard going from being an independent person to suddenly having people to take into account when you’re trying to make your life choices. He caught me watching him and gave me a shy smile. He looked sad. These were his friends we were talking about, I suppose. The kids he grew up with. I could be such a dick at times. I hadn’t even thought about his feelings.

  I sucked at this whole mate thing. I felt my burning anger suddenly drop, and the shame take over. How will I ever keep them if I couldn’t even consider their feelings? They’d been so attentive to me, and I hadn’t even asked them how they’re doing. I was still looking at Kyle as the thoughts ran through my head, so I saw when he tilted his head slightly in confusion. Now, I was definitely convinced he could read my mind.

  “Aria,” Marcus said, interrupting what no doubt looked like Kyle and I making eyes at each other. “Go to the kitchen, and before you start to yell at me, I mean to eat. As much as I may dislike it, you are our strongest fighter, and I need you to remain that way. Kyle, Wyatt, put the word out that we will be having a pack meeting in the great room in half an hour.”

  Wyatt and Kyle just nodded at him and got up to leave. I followed them, realising that there was not going to be any room for argument. But also, now that I was thinking about food, I was starving. As we left the room, Kyle slipped his arm around my shoulders and dropped a kiss on top of my head.

  “Liam and Sykes should be in the kitchen. I’ll come to find you in a bit.”

  “Okay.” I leaned up on my toes and kissed him on the cheek. “Are you alright?” I asked him.

  “I will be,” he told me before he squeezed me and left with Wyatt. Guess I’d be finding the kitchen on my own then.

  I looked around me at the house. I hadn’t paid it that much attention until now. Until I was supposed to magic my way to the kitchen. It was a classically, beautiful house. I think the most shocking thing about it was how exactly it had got here. From my flyovers, nothing except forest surrounded it. It must have been a pain for whoever built it, but then everything must get easier when you factor in magic. The house had a very country mansion vibe to it. The ceilings were high, the walls were panelled in wood, I’d call it oak, but I had no idea, wood was just wood to me. Right now, thi
s beautiful house though was just a maze of corridors and rooms. Unfortunately, the person who found me there, looking around in confusion, was Marcus.

  “Are you waiting for me?” he asked, looking around as if for someone to rescue him from me. That almost made me laugh. If anyone needed rescuing it was probably going to me. Was it? Nah, probably not.

  Unfortunately, I laughed at his question. This was probably why he didn’t like me much. “No, I’m … well, I don’t know where the kitchen is.”

  “You don’t like me much do you?” he asked with a smirk on his.

  “No.” I shrugged.

  “Want to fill me in on why?” he said, leaning back against the doorframe.

  It was clearly a way he thought made him look casual, but it set me on edge. This could go horribly wrong and, even if I didn’t want him to, this was a person that was likely going to be in my life for some time. But then, fuck it!

  “I don’t think you want me to answer that question. Surely we have enough going on,” I said in what I liked to think was a mature, political way. I gave myself a little mental pat on the back.

  “Ah now, of course, I do. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.” I couldn’t decide if he was trying to goad me or if he genuinely wanted to know.

  “Because I think you are a worthless excuse of a man. You are worse than a rapist. And really that is an impressive threshold to be able to exceed. You gave Britt to that pack so they could habitually rape her for the rest of her life. You think women are beneath you, that they are less than males. You judge them. Well, you know what? I judge you! And I find you wanting,” I spat and turned walking away towards the back of the house. It seemed like a sensible place to look for the kitchen.

  I didn’t think he would follow me, and I was surprised when I heard his footsteps behind me. When I felt his hand land on my shoulder, I may have overreacted slightly. As I span towards him, I pulled one of my daggers into my hand and held it against his throat. Give him his due, his eyes only slightly widened and he didn’t even drop the smile from his face.

  “Hmmm, Wyatt mentioned your history, I apologise, I shouldn’t have put my hand on you.” Most people would look somewhat guilty whilst they said that. It would be the appropriate emotion to go with the statement, but he just continued to smile at me. Like this was the most fun he’d had in ages.

  “Did you need something?” I gritted out, still holding the knife to his neck.

  Marcus made the mistake of letting his eyes flick over my shoulder. I’d already clocked someone approaching from behind because I could hear them breathing. It was nothing to move behind Marcus, keeping the blade at his throat and a sword shimmered into existence in my free hand as I pointed it at Wyatt who’d been trying to creep up on me.

  Wyatt raised his hands in the air, similar to what you would do when approaching a spooked animal. “Aria, what’s going on here?”

  “Oh, nothing. We were just having a chat.” This situation was spiralling out of control. I let the dagger in my hand fade out, followed by the sword. “Just a misunderstanding,” I said, stepping back from Marcus. I needed the distance to pull another blade if Marcus was going to turn and try something.

  “It was my fault, Wyatt.” Marcus filled in. “I grabbed Aria’s shoulder from behind. I should have known given her history that she would overreact and find that threatening.”

  Even when he was trying to be nice, he was a dick. What right did he have to make any comment on my history? He knew nothing about me or my past. The guys wouldn’t have told him anything, that only left Wyatt or anyone else who’d been there when he’d asked about my back.

  “How about I show you where the kitchen is, Aria?” Wyatt asked.

  “Sure,” I simply said, walking past Marcus to Wyatt. Marcus didn’t make any move towards me, and he didn’t say anything else. It was a shame. I would have loved to have an excuse to punch him in the face.

  Wyatt turned as I reached him and we walked down the corridor together. We’d made it to the end of the corridor until the brief amount of silence started to grate on me.

  “You told him,” I said quietly.

  “He is my Alpha,” Wyatt simply said.

  “Noted.” Clearly, anything said to Wyatt, was said to Marcus. I’d need to make sure to remember that for the future.

  We didn’t say anything else until we reached the kitchen and Wyatt opened the door for me. My emotions were running high, and they were just fanning the chaos that was my magic. I could feel the burn starting inside. I’d need a release soon. I’d have to find somewhere to train. I was feeling too volatile to risk sparring with anyone. My magic was calling for blood, and I didn’t feel like I had the strength to deny it.

  When we walked into the kitchen, I saw Liam and Sykes sat at the kitchen table. Two other women from the pack were in the room. They were all laughing at something, one of the women was seated next to Sykes, and she had her arm around his shoulders. He was smiling at her when I walked in, his hand was on her knee. The other was leaning into Liam, whispering something into his ear. It was all too much. I wasn’t welcome here. I wasn’t one of them.

  “Actually, I’m not hungry anymore,” I mumbled as I pushed back past Wyatt and went back out into the corridor.

  “Aria …” I heard Sykes call out, but I was gone before I could hear anything else. I quickly made my way back the way we’d come. When I rounded the corner to head to the front door, I found Marcus in the corridor, still leaning against the library door with a grin on his.

  “Did you find the kitchen, Aria?” he asked. Fucker.

  “Yeah, I made it there,” I said, striding past him.

  I threw open the front door, and my wings burst from my back. I heard the sounds of running behind me, followed by Liam and Sykes, both shouting my name. I didn’t wait to listen to their excuses. I stepped out through the door, fully opened my wings and took to the sky. This wasn’t where I belonged. I was kidding myself that I could have found a life here.

  I didn’t have to fly far before seeing the perfect way for me to deal with my anger. There was a small cottage in a clearing about a fifteen-minute walk from the big house. It must have belonged to one of the other pack members. The trees weren’t as thick in this part of the forest, and it was easy to see the four demons moving slowly between the trees heading towards it. There was still smoke coming from the chimney. I thought all of the pack members were supposed to be at the big house, but it would seem someone was still at home. As harsh as it sounded, it didn’t matter to me either way. I was angry, and my magic was raging. Me against four demons was just the fight I needed to help calm down.

  I landed in the clearing just outside the front door of the house. The demons were still moving between the trees, they hadn’t reached the cottage yet. As my feet touched down on the soft grass, I pulled both of my short swords from their sheaths at my back. It would have been smarter to take them by surprise and at least take one demon out before the others knew what had happened. I didn’t want to fight smart, though. I wanted to fight bloody.

  Two of the demons stepped out of the tree line together. I could see the other two hanging back in the dimness of the trees. As long as they stayed in front of me, whoever had stayed behind in the cottage should be safe. If they circled to the back of the cottage, then they were going to be in trouble. My need for blood and pain had put this person potentially in danger, and a fleeting feeling of guilt flickered at the back of my mind. That was the point both demons charged and I had no option but to concentrate on the fight in front of me.

  I charged to meet the first demon head-on. He was a step in front of the second one. It just meant he was going to get to die first. They were the same type of demon that had attacked the school. I knew from that fight it was the long claws on their hands I needed to watch out for. As the first demon swung for me, I ducked below his arm and sliced up with my sword at the same time. It only glanced off the back of his arm, but at least he wouldn’t be swinging
that arm about any time soon.

  Spinning around and with a low slice of my second sword, I was able to take out a leg of the second demon following. We then continued in a dance of turns and slices as I took my time, dodging their blows and slicing deep with my own.

  It was stupid, really. I got so caught up with the first two I forgot to keep an eye on the others waiting in the background.

  I dealt a killing blow to one of the demons, severing his head with one sword. I turned quickly to take out the second, and as I raised my sword to take his head as well, I left my left side exposed. A third demon dived in from what seemed like nowhere and managed to get a swipe of its claws down my left side. My armour took the majority of the blow, but it managed to slice through, and the wound to my side was deep enough that raising my left arm was going to be painful.

  I spun through the pain and landed a vicious sidekick to the diving demon, driving it down to the ground. It was time to stop playing with them. As soon as it fell, I brought my right sword down and severed its head. When I looked up, the fourth demon was gone. I managed to get both swords sheathed and pulled my left arm in tight against my wounded side before jogging around the house to check the perimeter. There was no sign of the last demon. It must have fled during the fight, but it would no doubt be back.

  I made my way back to the property's front door, and it opened as I approached. I was surprised to see it was the Headmaster that opened the door and rushed out to me.

  “Aria, you’re hurt!” he rushed, ducking down to take a look at my side.

  “It’s nothing, it’s just a scratch,” I said, twisting slightly to angle my side away from him.

  I didn’t want him poking at me and seeing just how bad it was. My magic was still raging through my system. My anger was just fuelling it. The pain was the only thing keeping it in check for now. Hopefully, when I finally managed to calm down a bit, it would cool down to a more manageable level.

  “It doesn’t look like a scratch,” he said unconvincedly as he straightened up. He turned and indicated through the door. “Come inside. There’s someone I want you to meet,” he told me.