Impulsive Destiny

by Cassandra Lawson

  “So, they’re in contact with you by phone?” Connor asked.

  Abram nodded. “We are technically under the council’s authority and receive the benefits of their protection,” he explained, sounding more sarcastic than anything else. Apparently, Abram wasn’t convinced the council offered them any real protection, which proved he wasn’t stupid.

  “Figures,” Ian muttered, earning him a sharp look from Connor.

  “Who contacted you?” Connor asked.

  “Some dick named Alistair,” Abram spat out. “He said there were others with him and hinted that some were higher up. He even gave me some veiled threat about how they’re monitoring communications in Fangri La. I guess he figured I might try to call some other council members to tell them what was going on. As if I’d trust any of those pompous bastards. Not one of them gives a fuck if we live or die. Yesterday, he contacted me again and mentioned a council member by the name of Richard. From what I hear, he’s one of the top twelve.”

  Ian suspected most of the council really didn’t care what happened to Abram or his people. In fact, many probably hoped they’d be killed.

  “How do you play into all of this?” Connor continued after taking some time to consider Abram’s response. “The attacks I mean.”

  “Alistair asked me to help kill you, promising I’d be able to take over your settlement and rule this area,” Abram explained.

  “Sounds like a pretty good deal for you,” Connor mused. “I’m wondering how this proves you aren’t involved with the attacks. It seems to me you’d jump at the opportunity to take over more of this territory.”

  “I might if that was what they were really offering me,” Abram admitted. “The problem with their offer is that most of the council doesn’t consider us any better than the feral turned vampires. If we help the council take you down, they’ll destroy us when they come into this territory. Besides, something tells me this is about a lot more than your territory, and it could result in some big trouble all over. There’s also something off about Alistair being involved in all of this—not so much him being involved as him claiming to want to help me.”

  “I agree,” Nate jumped in. “Those of us who went to Fangri La after you’d captured Claire remember Alistair because he was very vocal about us being an abomination. While Abram wasn’t there, he heard the reports when we returned.”

  “That’s right,” Abram agreed, studying Nate. “Looks like living with the enemy has been good for you.”

  Nate chose to ignore him. Ian knew what Abram was talking about. Now that Nate and the other vampires they’d taken in from Roger’s settlement were getting enough blood, they’d all filled out. Nate no longer looked like a skinny kid. Abram had also filled out, so Ian had to assume he was enjoying the benefits of being in charge.

  “So, you expect us to believe you’re on our side now?” Connor asked with a raised eyebrow.

  Abram shrugged. “No, but that’s okay since I’m not on your side. Like I said before, I prefer you to them. Near as I can tell, as long as we don’t start killing your people, you’ll leave us alone. Those council assholes will use us and then destroy us.”

  “And you didn’t try to contact anyone in the council about what Alistair said?” Connor asked.

  “Even if I trusted any of those pompous pricks on the council, I have no clue if our communications to Fangri La are really being intercepted.”

  “It’s true, from what we’ve heard from other settlements,” Connor told him. “At this point, we have no idea how far that goes, but it’s best you don’t try contacting the council.”

  “Good to know,” Abram said with a nod.

  “Tell me, Abram, if you aren’t involved with the attacks in my territory, why are they being committed by vampires infected with the new version of the Moon virus?” Connor asked.

  Abram no longer looked relaxed as he stalked closer to Connor. Now, he looked somewhere between pissed and scared. “What the fuck are you talking about? My people wouldn’t dare cross to your side of the bridge without my permission, and I can assure you, I have not given them permission.”

  “A survivor clued us into the fact that their attackers were much too coherent and organized to be normal feral turned vampires. The shapeshifters have also been able to identify their scent at the attack sites and on the victims,” Connor explained before crossing his arms in front of his chest and waiting for Abram’s reaction.

  “Fuck!” Abram shouted, and Ian was pretty sure by the way he was losing it that Abram didn’t know anything about the attacks. “I have no idea what’s going on, but the only way they could be using some of our kind, is if they have access to the virus.”

  “Meaning they must have taken blood from one of you,” Connor deduced thoughtfully. “Have any of the council members come here?” Connor asked.

  “No,” Abram replied as he considered what Connor was saying carefully. “This could be their way of getting us to kill each other, but it also could be a way to prove my vampires are dangerous and unstable. Maybe the attacks are really just meant to destroy my vampires and have nothing to do with any big council plot.”

  Connor blew out a frustrated breath. “Alright, so I’m pretty sure we can safely say you had nothing to do with these attacks.”

  Abram let out a humorless bark of laughter. “You were really hoping it was me, weren’t you?”

  “Would have made things much easier,” Connor admitted.

  “Would have made me happy,” Danny muttered, ignoring Connor’s warning glare.

  “You already have my number,” Connor began. “Loathe as I am to admit this, I think we may have to work together, so I need you to contact me if you find out anything.”

  “How’d you get my number?” Abram asked. “I wasn’t even sure it was you when you started messaging me, but I figured I was going to ignore the messages either way, so it didn’t matter.”

  “I got it from Eleanor right after you took over Treasure Island, but I never expected to use it,” Connor replied.

  Abram made a face. “How do you know it’s safe for us to contact each other? Didn’t you say communications may be compromised? This might go further than communications to Fangri La.”

  “It’s possible,” Connor admitted. “We believe they’re mainly listening in on conversations into Fangri La and at the settlements in the south, but we should limit our talks.”

  “So, no late night chats about our feelings?” Abram joked, and Ian almost laughed.

  Connor just shook his head. “I’ll be in touch if I hear anything,” he told Abram before they started back to the jeeps.

  “What now?” Danny asked, looking somewhat disappointed that they hadn’t been able to kill Abram.

  “Now, I call Eleanor and try to figure out what’s going on,” Connor said. “I have no idea how I’m going to do that, considering her calls will almost definitely be monitored.”

  “I might have some information that could help,” Ian offered, stopping at the jeep and looking over at Connor. “One call from Kyleigh, and Eleanor will head up here as soon as she can get away.”

  Connor’s eyes narrowed. “Why’s that?”

  “You know Zane’s woman, right?” Ian asked.

  Connor nodded. “The one with the strange drugs in her system who has no idea how she got here? Yeah, I know her,” he replied with obvious impatience.

  “Do you know how she got here?” Ian asked.

  “The shifters say she’s Fae, and they think she time-traveled or something,” Connor answered in a skeptical tone.

  “Zane’s woman was brought here by the Fae,” Ian explained. “She was pulled from her own time shortly before the initial Moon virus outbreak by her father.”

  “No matter how many times I hear that, it still sounds crazy, and I don’t see what this has to do with Eleanor,” Connor snapped impatiently.

  “Kyleigh’s the one who contacted Lexi’s father and convinced him to bring Lexi here,” Ian explained.<
br />
  “And no one thought to tell me this?” Connor demanded.

  “We figured Arawn wouldn’t do it. Here’s the craziest part. Lexi is Eleanor’s daughter,” Ian added. “Eleanor asked Kyleigh to convince Lexi’s father to help save her. I guess she was torn apart by turned vampires.”

  “You want me to believe Eleanor’s daughter time-traveled here?” Connor asked. “You also want me to believe that, at some point in Eleanor’s human life, she gave birth to a half-Fae daughter?”

  “Kyleigh says it’s not really time traveling so much as moving to a different plane, whatever that means,” Ian said. “As for Eleanor, that’s her story to tell, but Lexi is her daughter. If you want Eleanor to come here, let Kyleigh tell her we have Lexi, and she’ll come.”

  Connor was silent for a long moment, just standing beside the jeep mulling over what Ian had said. Ian didn’t blame him for being skeptical since he’d had a hard time with it himself. Finally, Connor nodded. “I’ll have Kyleigh contact Eleanor when we get back to the settlement. You’re right about it being best if Kyleigh calls, but I don’t want her revealing too much.”

  “Good point. We don’t want to clue them in that there’s something they can use against Eleanor,” Ian agreed.

  “Exactly,” Connor said. “It would be nice if we could get a few days without the world falling apart.”

  Ian had nothing to say to that. He agreed completely, but something told him things were only going to get messier in the near future.

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  A buzzing sound woke Zane, but it took him a moment to figure out that it was the phone Connor had given him. He still wasn’t used to these things. Based on the light coming from the window, he’d guess it was early evening. Lexi was sleeping soundly, and Zane couldn’t help but smile at the memory of their activities that had led to her exhausted state. Their sexy game had been a lot of fun, and he was definitely hoping for a repeat. Maybe next time he’d make it through more than two hands.

  The phone buzzed again, proving he couldn’t simply ignore it. Since he still wasn’t very good with the technology they had here, it took him a few tries to answer the call, and when he looked over, he found Lexi watching him with an amused grin.

  “Hello,” he answered the way he’d seen some of the others answer the phone.

  “Zane, it’s Connor. I wanted to let you know that we’ll be coming by in a few minutes to talk to Lexi.” Connor’s solemn tone led Zane to believe that this wasn’t a casual visit.

  “About what?” Zane demanded. “I’m not going to let you harass my mate.”

  “Zane,” Connor began, but Zane interrupted him.

  “She helped Mark today, and she deserves your gratitude, not an interrogation,” Zane snapped. “I’m about ready to take her to my home where she won’t be treated like a prisoner.”

  “Zane,” Lexi said as she stroked his chest. “Calm down.”

  While he knew she was right about him needing to calm down, he was on edge at the idea of Connor upsetting Lexi after they’d had such a great afternoon together.

  “I’m not planning to interrogate her,” Connor assured him. “I’m bringing Kyleigh with me. She knows how Lexi got here. There’s a lot we need to tell her.”

  Zane let out a sigh. “Fine, but give us thirty minutes to get ready.”

  There was a pause, and Zane had a feeling Connor didn’t want to wait that long, but he finally relented. “Fine, we’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

  “What was that about?” Lexi asked after he set the phone down.

  “Connor’s coming over in thirty minutes, so we need to get ready,” Zane explained. “He’s bringing Kyleigh. She’s half-Fae, too, and, from what Connor says, she knows how you got here.”

  Lexi scurried out of bed. “I guess I’d better shower quickly.” When Zane grinned at her, she put up a hand to stop him. “Alone, Zane. I need to shower alone or we’ll never be ready in thirty minutes.”

  Zane chuckled and watched her disappear into the bathroom. She really did know him pretty well.

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  Lexi was nervous when she heard the knock on the front door. She couldn’t help wondering if they were going to tell her that being in this time was a big mistake, and her involvement with Zane was unnatural. Lexi felt foolish hiding in the kitchen, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to face their guests.

  “Why are you muttering to yourself,” Zane asked her, wrapping his arms around her from behind after letting their guests in.

  Until he’d mentioned it, she hadn’t realized she was muttering to herself while she paced. “I was just thinking about how I might be screwing up the space-time continuum or something like that,” she explained. “Oh, God, I don’t belong here and we’ve been having unprotected sex!”

  “But I already told you that you aren’t fertile right now. Soon, you will be,” Zane tried reassuring her. “Based on your scent, your fertile time will start in a few days. If you want, we can get some of the stuff the vampires use to prevent pregnancy. If not, I’ll be more than happy to get you pregnant.”

  “I can’t get pregnant!” she insisted.

  Zane cocked his head to the side and studied her. “Why do you think you can’t get pregnant? I’m sure it’s almost your fertile time.”

  “That’s not what I meant. While I can get pregnant, I definitely should not get pregnant,” she began ranting. “I don’t even belong here. I should be in my own time. There’s a strong possibility I’m screwing things up. Having a baby would make things even worse. What if me being here changes things and people die because of those changes?”

  A soft lilting voice interrupted her panic attack. “It doesn’t really work that way,” the woman assured her. “Sorry for barging in.”

  Lexi gave her a wobbly smile. “It’s okay. Can you tell me what you meant about things not working that way?”

  “Time isn’t quite as linear as many people believe. Well, at least, it’s not for the Fae.”

  “Are you telling me people can just go back and forth with no consequences?” Lexi asked.

  The woman shook her head. “Just the Fae. Had you been fully human, you would have died when Arawn transported you here because you would have aged as if you’d lived all these years. Humans traveling back is possible, but still very risky. Since you’re Fae, you were able to move across the dimensions to get here with no consequences. From the look on your face, I’m confusing you more.”

  Lexi just stared at the woman with the red hair and kind brown eyes. What the woman had said sounded crazy, and Lexi was definitely more confused than before.

  “I’m Kyleigh,” the woman introduced herself.

  That was a name she recognized. “You’re the other half-Fae.”

  “That’s me,” Kyleigh replied with a grin. “I’m also the one who asked your father to bring you here.”

  “The guy with the silver eyes like mine,” Lexi added more to herself. “How do you know him?”

  “That’s a story best saved for another day. Would you mind if we go in the other room with Connor and Ian? I really need to sit down.”

  It was then that Lexi noticed Kyleigh’s very swollen belly. “Of course,” Lexi said and followed Kyleigh into the front room, where Connor was standing close to the front door, waiting for them. She assumed the man with the annoyed expression, who was sprawled out on the sofa, must be Ian.

  Kyleigh sat beside Ian on the sofa, while Connor remained standing. Lexi was too nervous to sit, so she also stood, and Zane took his place beside her.

  “What did your father tell you when he transported you here?” Kyleigh asked.

  “Not much,” Lexi replied with a snort.

  “Have you seen him since then?” Kyleigh asked nervously.

  Lexi shook her head. “Based on your reaction, that’s probably a good thing.”

  “A very good thing,” Ian muttered, earning him a scowl from Kyleigh. “That goes for any Fae. They’re all ass
holes, but Arawn is the biggest asshole of them all.”

  “That says a lot coming from Ian,” Connor told her. “He’s an expert on being an asshole.”

  Kyleigh shot them both a warning glare.

  “Sorry,” Ian said. “I guess it’s not the time for Fae-bashing.”

  “You still haven’t told me why you asked my father to bring me here,” Lexi pushed, because she needed to understand why she was here. There had to be some reason for all of this.

  “Your mother asked me to do it,” Kyleigh explained.

  Lexi shook her head, wrapping her arms around her own waist. “Nice try, but my mother was dying of cancer when I saw her last. I was supposed to visit her the night I was pulled through time.”

  “How much do you know about the Moon virus?” Connor interjected.

  “Not much,” Lexi admitted.

  “The original Moon virus results in two types of vampires, born and turned,” Connor began. “Admittedly, born is not the best term, but it’s what we’ve used for decades, and better than what humans originally called us. Basically, the turned vampires are undead and have no sense of reason. They hunt for blood and kill without mercy. Born vampires are still alive, and while we need blood to survive, we aren’t ravenous killers. Some of us were born this way, and we can all have children. Others, like your mother, were infected with the virus while they had HIV, cancer, or were pregnant.”

  “You’re telling me my mother is alive, and she’s a vampire?” she asked in disbelief.

  Connor nodded.

  “Where is she?” Lexi demanded.

  “Fangri La,” Connor replied. “She’s on the main vampire council.”

  “Like in the movie we watched?” she asked Zane, and continued when he nodded. “I was sure that name had to be made up.”

  Zane grinned. “Yeah, it’s a pretty stupid name, but apparently, it’s for tourists. From what I hear, people come from other parts the world to see vampires.”

  “I can see why that might be a tourist draw,” Lexi told them in a distracted voice. “I want to see her.”