Seducing Destiny

by Amelia Hutchins

  “You’ve been shown all you need to know; it’s up to you now. Your children will have their own destiny, but I wasn’t actually here for yours. I’m here for someone else.”

  “Who?” I asked, as I felt another wave of pain.

  “I won’t tell you that, but what I will tell you; is that your time of pain is almost over. You’ve secured your destiny, and you’ve almost made it. You’re a fierce warrior, one I am glad to call my niece, as I am Danu’s half-sister. I’ve blessed your children, and bought you a little extra time as well. Be well, and Synthia, be humble in the presence of the Tree, for everything in Faery depends on it.”

  I turned around to find both Ristan and Ryder watching me closely. “What the hell was that?” Ryder asked.

  “What did you see?” I asked and watched as Ryder turned to Ristan and looked back at me.

  “Blinding light, and you talking to the chair,” he admitted as he rubbed his neck.

  “I just met Destiny, and she’s my aunt,” I admitted. “Someone in this room is about to go through utter hell, or so I think,” I said. “She wasn’t here for us; she’s been helping Danu. I guess I passed destiny’s test, but it’s not over yet.”

  “I need to go,” Ristan said.

  “You’ll accompany us to the Tree,” Ryder said, and it wasn’t a question.

  “I planned to,” Ristan said as he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at me. “I owe you both an apology.”

  “No you don’t,” I said as I watched him carefully. “You went through hell and we were too busy with our problems to notice you were gone. We should have been there sooner, and done better by you. You deserved better friends than I was.”

  “Synthia, your child is sick and could die. I knew when I left that something was off, and yet I chose to go. I said I owed you an apology, and I do. I’m sorry I yelled at you both, and I’m sorry, Flower, that I took some of my anger out on you. You didn’t deserve it.”

  “Is Olivia alive?” I asked, noting his defenses were down.

  “She’s alive, and that’s all you need to know,” he replied harshly, as if he thought I’d ask for her immediate release.

  “That’s all I wanted,” I admitted.

  “Good,” he said as he lowered his eyes and smiled. “So, the Goddess of Destiny was here, in this room?”

  “Yeah,” I said and then looked at Ryder as her words filled me. “Take me to my babies.”

  We sifted into the nursery and Darynda looked up at us with a beautiful smile on her lips. “She’s awake,” she whispered and handed me Kahleena.

  Ristan and Ryder both watched as my golden-eyed beauty looked right at me as if she was aware of everything going on around her, and smiled. I smiled back at her. “I love you sweet girl,” I whispered brokenly as I stared into her eyes, so like her fathers. “I’m going to fix the Tree, and you’re going to live forever.”

  “Can I hold her?” Ristan asked. “I promise not to be long,” he whispered as he traced a finger down her cheek. “I miss those beautiful eyes.”

  I handed her to Ristan even though I wanted to snatch her back and enjoy the moments of her being awake since they were few and far between. Unlike her brothers, she slept more than anything. They watched us and made noises, but she barely made any sounds.

  I watched as a smile covered her tiny mouth as she watched Ristan’s eyes. Silver and black patterns swirled, beautiful against his complexion, but to her, they drew her eyes and held her mesmerized. She was his calm, and he was her protector, as he’d said.

  “My turn,” Ryder said, as he reached out for Kahleena. She turned her tiny little head and gave him a toothless smile, and I watched as his heart melted for the little minx. “Kahleena,” he whispered as he kissed her forehead, and totally melted my heart. “Fight for me,” he said barely above a whisper. “Be my brave little fighter, just a little longer for me, please.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “What did you find?” I asked as Savlian walked into the nursery.

  “Nothing, just the Tree,” he said as he turned to Ryder. “We scouted the surrounding area as well. I fear they know the power of killing that Tree, and what it will do to us. I think they figured with no way to break the spell, they had no reason to stand around and watch it.”

  “That’s good,” I whispered as I rocked with Cade on my arm, burping him. Darynda was a gem, and had known how to handle babies; Madisyn had joined me this morning and was holding Zander, who she couldn’t get enough of.

  She lifted her eyes and met mine with a soft smile on her lips. “Your father has called the Blood warriors to arms, and Kier, he has brought the Shadow warriors here to assist the Elite Guards, for the blessing. It’s time; your daughter cannot wait much longer,” she said sadly as she kissed Zander’s soft forehead.

  “Ryder, dress the children for the blessing, please,” I whispered as my heart thudded against my ribs.

  “As you wish,” he said and I watched as Kahleena was dressed in a white dress of pure cotton, and then the boys changed into little robes that matched their sister’s dress.

  “Just remember one thing today, Synthia. If the world doesn’t accept your little angel, you still need to become the leader to our people, one they would follow even if you lack a title. This world will still need you, just as Ryder and these boys do. Anyone can lead a garrison of warriors into battle, but only a few can lead them to be victorious, and the two of you, you can be the ones to lead this world to victory, but only if you gain the respect of the people.”

  I looked at Madisyn and had to admit her speech was moving. “I want to be what this world needs, but how can I fight for a world that won’t accept my child?”

  “You’re a warrior, Synthia. It’s in your blood, and you will have to fight and stand up for what is right. You’ll survive it, you may not want to, but you will,” she said softly; Darynda agreed.

  “You’ll need to, for the lads. They need their mother, and, Goddess be willing, their sister. You came in here strong and you’ve only grown stronger. I know you can do this, and your mother is right. You may not want to, but you will, because you are stronger than you think,” Darynda said softly. “I don’t have very many friends, but you are among those I consider as such. I’d like to think it gone both ways.”

  “It does, Darynda. I just can’t stomach the idea of losing something so precious.”

  “We won’t lose her,” Ryder said.

  I turned to ask Madisyn if she would assist us in carrying the babes to the Tree, but she was frozen in place, as was Darynda. I looked up to find Danu watching us.

  “We’re out of time,” I said as I stood.

  “I know, I felt her,” she said as she walked over to Ryder and caressed her granddaughter’s cheek. “She’s growing weak, even with the jumpstart from Destiny. There is something you both should know. Destiny was here for a reason. She’s a sly one. She didn’t make you an offer, did she?”

  “No,” I said as I narrowed my eyes on Danu, who looked healthier than she had in a while. “She said my pain was almost over.”

  “She knew I didn’t want her help, and yet she still somehow managed to learn about you,” she whispered as she bent down and kissed Kahleena. “Has the Demon been feeding her?”

  “Why would Ristan feed a Goddess?” I asked, and watched as a guilty flush stole across her cheeks.

  “I meant your daughter. Ristan has different power than average Fae,” she whispered. “Kahleena has been given strength.”

  I remembered Ristan’s kiss, and I also remembered the raw power that I received from it. Then it hit me. “Uh, please tell me he didn’t kiss my daughter like that!”

  Ryder lifted a brow and smiled. “I asked him to give her a little jolt—and no, Synthia, he only kissed you like that because he wanted a taste. His n
ose healed nicely considering how hard I hit it for overstepping. Hence why his lips haven’t touched you since,” Ryder said with a knowing grin in his eyes.

  “How exactly did he manage to feed her?”

  “His touch; when he holds her. He’s been helping to keep her alive long enough to get her to the Tree,” he said.

  “It was the least I could do after what I’d done to bring her into this world,” Ristan said softly from the door, but his eyes weren’t on me or my child; they were on Danu with something dangerous in them. “I just came to see how she was doing. I’ll come back when it’s less crowded.”

  I handed Zander to Danu and walked over to Ristan. I didn’t know what was going on between him and my mother, and I seriously doubted that I wanted to know. I wrapped my arms around him and held him, but I felt his body tense uncomfortably, and I wondered at it. Either he didn’t want to be touched, or something else was going on with him.

  “Thank you, Demon,” I whispered and lifted on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “You’re her protector, and I’m glad it’s you. Cailean said you’d been staying in the room more lately, and I’d wondered if it was because you needed her, or she needed you. But, it seems it’s both. Carry my daughter to the Tree, please.”

  “Flower,” he started to argue but I shut it down.

  “No, she needs it. She’ll need all the help she can get right now and if you feeding her can make her stronger, do it. Please,” I whispered as I watched the indecision play in his eyes.

  “Fine, it would be my honor,” he said softly as he kissed my cheek back. “It’s hard to resist her anyway; she’s as beautiful as her mother. She’s also as smart as her mother, and is already showing some sass.”

  “Is she now?” I asked, but my eyes were on Danu, who was watching Ristan uneasily.

  Okay, something was not right here, and I needed to know it. Problem with knowing it was I couldn’t un-know it afterwards if it was what I thought it was. I fought a battle, inside my head on whether I should ask, or just stay out of their damn business. I lost. But, on the bright side, I didn’t need to know it all, just one thing.

  One simple thing.

  “I don’t want details, but I need to know if whatever the hell is going on with you two, is going to cause a problem,” I held up my hand and shook my head. “Don’t tell me it’s nothing. I’m not a blooming idiot!” I shouted as I eyed them both seriously. “All I want from you both is an honest answer about whatever it is that you two have going on—will it affect you today, since Danu, you kinda need to be on point and you can’t mess this up. My daughter’s life depends on it. And, Ristan, I need you. So, is whatever the hell’s going on here going to end up at the Tree, or can you both forget it until we save the Tree, and the lives of my children?”

  I waited and watched as Ristan murderously glared at Danu, who smiled seductively back at him.

  “I’m here for you and the children, Synthia. I’ve fed, and made sure I was in fighting form,” Ristan said as he tore his eyes from hers to mine.

  “I am also here for my daughter, and hers,” Danu said softly. “I need to do something first, so I’ll meet you at the Tree. Call for me when it’s been thawed out. Good luck,” she said before she left, and the women started talking again.

  This had to work, and we all knew it.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Cade had been fussy so I brought him along with me for a visit with Alden before we left for the Tree. He was snuggled up on my shoulder, content for the moment as I sat in a chair near Alden’s bed, watching him sleep. Alden had been through hell at the hands of the Mages, and Eliran had been trying to accelerate Alden’s healing process. One of the other Fae healers who I knew had been working on Ristan a few days ago had used her healing touch on him as well.

  Bruises and angry red welts remained on his hands and arms, but he was a fighter. I readjusted Cade in my arms, and turned to find Ryder watching me from the door of Alden’s room.

  “I thought I’d find you here,” he said softly.

  “He doesn’t deserve what the Guild is doing, or the Humans.”

  “No, he doesn’t. We can fix it though, and luckily the children we saved can vouch for what occurred at the Spokane Guild.”

  “The children,” Alden whispered and turned to look at me.

  “Are recovering,” I said softly. He’d taken blows to the head, which the healer had been working on. Luckily she’d caught the blood clot in time to remove it before it could have done any real damage, but the side effect was a massive headache. “We saved a lot of them; some are still receiving medical care from Eliran as we speak.”

  “My head feels like it was used as a soccer ball,” he said as he tried to sit up.

  “Don’t get up, Alden,” I said, watching as he gave up. I stood and handed Cade off to his father. “We have news from Vlad and Adrian. It’s not good.”

  “Damn, kid. I’m already on my ass, what could be worse?” he asked as his gray eyes watched me. I felt my stomach flip-flop as I tried to figure out the gentlest way to deliver this blow. “That bad?” he asked as I continued to search my brain for the way.

  “The Seattle Guild is accusing the Fae of attacking the Spokane Guild. They’re labeling you as a traitor. Because of your connection with the job at the Dark Towers, they’ve seemed to connect the dots and now think you allowed us in to kill and destroy the Guild.”

  “Shit,” he said as he rested his head back on the pillows and looked at me. “I knew there would be accusations, but that’s extreme, even for the Seattle Guild,” he mumbled.

  “It gets worse,” I continued. “The Humans in Spokane are calling for blood. I believe the Seattle Guild is fueling the fire—well, I believe the Seattle Guild has a couple of Mages inside that are helping to fuel the fire.”

  “I thought the same thing. But even without the Mages prodding things along, you know how the Elders are. If they think the Fae attacked the Spokane Guild, they’d be forced to call for blood or chance being challenged for new leadership. I don’t blame all of them for this, and you shouldn’t either. Losing the Spokane Guild was a huge loss to them; it’s where our history was stored. We can fix it, kid.”

  “It’s still there,” I corrected. “Ryder sealed off the entrance to the catacombs before we burnt the Guild down so the history is still there and safe. But fixing this won’t be that easy,” I said as I moved closer to hold his hand reassuringly. “I think they set us up. They knew we would show up, and I think we were meant to take the fall for what happened there. I think the Mages are ensuring that war is openly declared on the Fae and that we have nowhere to run. Within minutes of the Guild being burned, national news, international news, and social media had the story up. As if they’d been tipped off and had a prepared story beforehand. We think that a glamour or illusion spell had been placed on the Guild, because up until we entered it, the Humans walked by as if nothing was amiss. After we entered, it broke. There are pictures of us entering the Guild, taken just before Ryder dropped the invisibility veil over us, which means someone was there watching us from the outside. Bilé was who you saw in the catacombs, and he let the Mages know some information about the Demon and it might have given them some ideas. Adrian and Vlad were there, and yet they didn’t feel or see anything wrong. You know Adrian’s instincts as well as I do. He’s normally able to smell a trap from a hundred feet away, and he didn’t sense anything. The person there who reported it has to be either in league with the Mages, or had been tipped off.”

  “How would they know you’d even be there?” Alden asked.

  “Good question,” I said and shook my head sadly. “But I don’t really have a good answer to it. They just could have guessed that we would show when they started in on Ristan. Right now I have to worry about saving my children and that’s why I came to see you.”

&nbs
p; “How’s the little miss?” he asked with a guarded look.

  “She’s a fighter,” I said with a broken smile. “I wanted to be the one to tell you what’s happening. I’m sure we can fix it, but I need you to be a little patient with us. Get better first and we’ll get a plan together after we get the babies to the Tree. I’ve threatened everyone inside these walls with certain death should they assist you in leaving here before I return.”

  “Is that so?” he asked as he narrowed his eyes on me.

  I smiled.

  “Damn, kid,” he said as he shook his head, and then winced in pain. “Don’t think I’m ready to do much of anything right now anyway.”

  “Good,” I said. “You can join us today if you wish. I know you love learning the Fae’s secrets. I took them into the Guild and showed them some of yours, so it’s only fair that you be invited to this event,” I teased lightly.

  “You took them inside of the Guild, kid, but it was to save us. I know that had to be hard for you to do, and couldn’t have been easy on your conscience. What you did wound up being for the good of those children, too. They wouldn’t have lived if you hadn’t intervened and found them.”

  “Be that as it may, that argument won’t help us with the Seattle Guild. I do however have plans in mind for them, but my children come first right now,” I said as I watched him.

  “Kid, you do what you gotta do. You go take care of those children and I’ll be right here when you get back. I’m glad you asked me to go, but this one has too much riding on it and I don’t want to slow you down. Besides, if the Mages attack, you’ll need to be focused on those babies and not this old man.”

  I looked at him and shook my head. “Please wait for us; together we’re a force they can’t beat. I can’t lose anyone else, and I won’t. If you leave, and they kill you, there will be no Guilds left standing when I am done. Do you understand me? I will personally make it my mission in life to rid the Human world of them. Do you understand me?” I asked with a don’t-fucking-do-it-look.