by C. L. Parker
But then his angelic senses had started tingling in overdrive right after the solar eclipse on Tori’s eighteenth birthday. Dark had eclipsed light, and everything seemed to go to Hell in a hand basket from that point forward. In the three years that followed, weather the world over had changed dramatically; war, famine, and disease had increased tenfold; and earthquakes, tornadoes, flooding, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions were at an all-time high.
Dominic remembered having a particularly foreboding feeling one afternoon only two weeks ago. His protective instincts had kicked into high gear, but he couldn’t quite figure out the reason. Since Kerrigan had lost her Guardian abilities, he had reached for the phone to call the one person he knew he could turn to for answers. The phone had rung in his hands and one look at the caller I.D. was all the validation he had needed. Drew had beaten him to the punch. It seemed the whispering through his Guardian blood had become almost deafening, warning that it was time for everyone to be ready, specifically beckoning the Guardian of Mankind—Tori.
Having pledged to never keep secrets from his wife again, Dominic had decided it was best to tell Kerrigan. After the initial shock had worn off and she had dried her tears, she went about the business of making the arrangements to get them all to London as quickly as possible. He knew she was freaking out on the inside, but she had become quite the soldier, despite losing her gift. Her first and foremost concern would forever be their daughter, no matter how strained their relationship.
“Dominic?” Kerrigan smiled and tilted her head to the side to regard him as if she was trying to pluck his thoughts out of his head. “You haven’t touched your food and it’s obvious you’re a thousand miles away right now. Is something wrong?”
He cupped her face and leaned in to give her a kiss, then pulled back with a contented grin. “Nope, nothing at all.”
Kerrigan looked at him skeptically. “I know you better than you know yourself. What’s up?”
Dominic leaned forward, putting his lips to her ear. “Put your hand in my lap and find out for yourself.” She wouldn’t have to see his face to know there was a self-satisfied smirk there because he made damn sure she could hear it in his voice.
Kerrigan laughed. God, how he loved that sound. “Okay, whatever you say, Romeo.” She pushed him back to regain control over her space, but he knew her just as well as she knew him. If they had been alone, she would have already been straddling his lap. And that wasn’t his ego talking. That was a fact. She straightened in her seat and tried, unsuccessfully, to appear unaffected.
“So . . . where’s Dante?” Kerrigan asked.
“I imagine he’s out on his bike, consorting with his friends,” Drew said. “I’m just hoping that when he comes home this evening it’ll be on his own and not with a police escort.”
He laughed and Sinclair smacked him on the arm. “Drew! That’s not a very nice thing to say about our son. You’ll have our company thinking we’ve raised a hellion.”
“Oh, bollocks!” Drew scoffed. “Dante’s just being a boy—one that lives life according to his own set of rules and makes no excuses about it. I’d think Dominic could certainly appreciate that about him. Right, mate?”
“Nothing wrong with that at all. I turned out okay, so I say let him be.” He lifted his beer bottle and clinked it with Drew’s in a toast.
Tori scoffed from her seat, not lifting her eyes to meet his as she pushed the food around on her plate. He knew she hated that she couldn’t live as carefree, and he wished he could give her that sense of freedom, but dammit, he just couldn’t risk losing his baby girl. Add to that the fact that she was supposed to be someone of great importance to the world and there definitely was no room for error. It wasn’t only his instinct as a father to keep her well protected, but his sense of duty to his Guardian Angel bloodline as well.
The rebel in him understood how hard it had to have been on her. She was just a kid, and so much like him it wasn’t funny. To keep her caged seemed like a crime against nature, and he feared once the leash around her neck loosened a little it would be hard to rein her back in. Give a little, take a lot. It was what he would have done, after all. The protective father and sympathetic rebellion inside him warred constantly over what was best for her. He had trained her well over her young life, so he knew she could take care of herself if it came down to it. Still, it was so very hard to let his baby girl go.
Would being a father ever get any easier? He doubted it. Regardless, she was twenty-one—an adult by every standard—and if she was ever going to live up to the responsibility placed at her feet, she was going to need a little life experience of her own. Maybe it was time to let her take the leap. If shit went south, he’d just have to make sure he was there to catch Tori and put her back on her feet.
Dante hadn’t shown up to dinner that night and had already left the next morning before anyone else woke up. Tori envied his freedom. While he was out doing who knew what, she was stuck sightseeing with her parents. She had never met Dante and had no desire to be off running around with a total stranger, but it had to have been better than the alternative.
Although, it was quite comical to watch Gabe grope the guards at Buckingham Palace—just because they weren’t allowed to move in an attempt to stop him, and only when Colton’s back was turned. And it was even funnier when he had snatched a toupee from some man’s balding head, thrown it to the ground, and then stomped on it, swearing the thing was alive. The British gent, who had a long pointed nose that stuck way too far into the air and an Adam’s apple the size of a walnut, had gasped in insult and gone in search of the nearest officer he could find to file a complaint.
“I was doing you a favor, Ichabod Crane!” Gabe had yelled after him. “Go on, then! Go tattle-tell, biatchness! I . . . am an American citizen, and in case you forgot, we spanked y’all’s asses in the war! Mess around and see if we don’t do it again!”
That was about the time every citizen of good ole London within earshot had turned their scowling faces toward their group. That was also about the time all seven members of said group had taken off running to avoid being pummeled. Once they were safe and sound and everyone had looked at Gabe in annoyance, he had said, “What are you sourpusses looking at? That wasn’t no empty threat. Me and the First Lady have been tight as thieves ever since that drunken night in Laos when I taught her how to tie a knot in a cherry stem with her tongue, and Mr. First Lady takes his orders from her. Or at least he better if he ever wants to reap the benefits of that nifty trick.”
They had called it a day after that.
Not really having anything else to do, Tori had gone back to her bedroom and curled up on the window seat that overlooked the park. She’d had every intention of cataloguing her day in her journal, but not really much had happened of any real significance. The park, though . . . that looked interesting. The tug was still there, stronger than the day before, so big and in her face that it was borderline annoying. What was so frigging important about grass, trees, benches, and a bunch of people playing Frisbee or having a picnic?
Finally, Tori couldn’t stand it anymore. She had to know. The problem was how to get around her overprotective mother and father so that she could check it out on her own. Something told her she needed to go alone; their presence wouldn’t quite satisfy the urge pulling at her insides. So, that night at dinner, she asked to be excused, claiming to not be feeling well. To keep up the pretenses, she went upstairs, waited for a moment or two, and then sneaked back down to make a break for it. She had just opened the front door when Dominic appeared in the hallway.
Busted. Dammit.
“I thought I heard someone out here,” he said with a disapproving scowl as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Your mother wanted to check on you, but I told her I’d take care of it. Imagine my surprise to see you here instead of in your room. You want to tell me where you’re sneaking off to?”
Tori had always heard that saying, the truth shall set you free, so hoped tha
t ideology would work on her father. And if not? Well, she was daddy’s little girl. Surely that would work in her favor. Maybe some pouting would be in order. Or had the cuteness of that worn off now that she was legally an adult? No time like the present to find out, but she would only pull that card if the truth thing didn’t work out.
“The park. I won’t be gone long.”
“And what should I tell your mother? You know, the woman I love and would never dream of lying to?”
Tori rolled her eyes with a sigh, answering him without needing to use words. Okay, so her annoyance over her father’s unyielding loyalty to her mother—which really was a good thing when it wasn’t being the bane of her existence—probably put the whole cutesy pouting thing to bed way before it even had a chance to work its charm, but at her age, pissy teen tantrum mode seemed to kick in on its own when she didn’t get her way. There really was no fighting it. However, realizing that she was indeed a legal adult, she questioned why she even cared what her parents said. Oh, that’s right. It was because of the thing where she had some huge role to play in the universe and people, or things, were likely to be after her, and that pretty much scared the bejeezus out of her and made her want her mommy and daddy. Wow, she had come full circle in her mind in such a short span of time it had to have been a record or something.
“Tori, you can’t just disappear without telling someone where you’re going. Besides, I thought you were going to wait for Dante to go with you?”
Her head dropped back and she closed her eyes in frustration. “Daddy, please. Dante has been MIA since we got here and I’m going stir-crazy. If I don’t get out of here soon, I’m going to lose it.”
Dominic’s bullshit meter was in full effect, as always. “We’ve only been here one day, Tor. How are you already stir-crazy? Talk to me, baby girl. What’s really going on?”
She huffed and leaned against the doorframe while looking down at her hands. “It’s not just from being here. It’s everything, my whole life, or lack thereof. It’s like I’m on permanent lockdown and I’ve never done anything wrong. In fact, I’ve always done everything you’ve asked, with minimal complaining, but I’m feeling a tad bit smothered. I . . . I need a break from you guys, okay?”
She knew the words would sound hurtful, even if she didn’t really mean them to be, but it was the truth. It didn’t change the fact that she couldn’t look in her father’s direction to gauge just how much they had hurt him, though. She was such a chickenshit, and if she couldn’t even look him in the eye while saying the words, no way were they going to have the impact she was going for.
“Go . . . but . . . be careful. Your mother will have my ass if anything happens to you.”
Tori’s head snapped up in shock and she smiled from ear to ear. She ran over and kissed him on the cheek, almost knocking him off balance. “Thanks, Daddy! Love you!” Then she made a break for it out the door and across the street to the park before he changed his mind and insisted on going with her, or her mother caught her before she got away.
Dominic smiled as he watched his daughter skip across the street to the park. He had let her go simply because he knew she was right. As much as it stung to hear the words, he understood their meaning. Regardless of the danger involved, he relented, but only because he trusted she would be okay because she had to be. Score one for the rebellion, finally.
When he went back into the dining hall where the others were having dessert, Kerrigan turned to him. “How’s Tori feeling? Should I go up?”
Dominic looked away, not wanting to meet her accusing glare when he gave her an answer he knew she wouldn’t like. He shrugged nonchalantly. “Um . . . she’s feeling much better. So much so that she went for a walk in the park across the street. She’ll be back soon.”
“She what?” Yeah, that was the reaction he had expected. Kerrigan pushed her chair back and stood, ready to go running out the door to drag their daughter back, kicking and screaming all the way if necessary. “I can’t believe you let her do that, Dom! You know it’s not safe for her to be running around by herself!”
Dominic put his hand on her arm to stop her from tracking Tori down like a crazed lunatic. “She’s fine, Querida. There’s nothing wrong with her getting some fresh air and taking in the sights. Besides, she’s just across the street.”
“Just across the street? How can you act like it’s no big deal? You know how important she is. Anything could happen to her.”
Gabe let his fork drop with a clank to his plate and sat back with a roll of his eyes. “Kerr, you need to pop your tittie outta that child’s mouth and let her grow up already. I swear! You do know she’s twenty-one, right?”
Kerrigan narrowed her eyes at him. “Yes, Gabe, I am very much aware of how old she is. I gave birth to her; not you. Regardless of her age, she’s still very naïve about the world. She doesn’t realize the dangers out there. Especially for her.”
Gabe guffawed. “Bitch, what the hell are you talking ’bout? You’ve been drilling all the dangers, both real and fantastical, into her head for her entire lifetime. You’ve got that child ready to go all Bruce Lee on her own shadow.”
She could do it, too. While Kerrigan handled Tori’s Guardian training, Dominic had taught her everything he knew about fighting and weaponry. And what he didn’t know about that, they had taken classes to learn together. She had become a very formidable opponent, even for him.
“And she’s not as naïve as you think. She’s actually pretty damn smart despite your attempt to shield her from the real world. What I’d like to know is how you think she’s going to gain any genuine life experience if you never let her . . . oh, I don’t know . . . live?”
Gabe had a point. Dominic had been as guilty as Kerrigan when it came to being overprotective of Tori. That’s when it occurred to him that for all the years he had thought they were finally living a normal life, they hadn’t been at all. And it was by their design. Still, he couldn’t make himself regret how they had raised Tori. At least he knew she was ready for whatever it was she was destined to do. And that something was going to be pretty damn big.
“Querida, he’s right. She can handle herself. If she’s not back soon, Colt and I will go look for her.”
“As will I,” Drew added.
Kerrigan begrudgingly sat, but Dominic noticed her eyes were trained on the front door. He put his arm over her lap, lifting her shirt enough for him to slip his fingers inside the waist of her jeans to find the birthmark on her hip that matched the scar on his shoulder. She might have lost her gift, but their twin marks worked just the same. He massaged it discreetly, trying to calm her. When she noticeably relaxed in her seat, he turned his attention to the head of the table where Drew sat.
“So,” Dominic began, attempting to change the subject. “Where has Dante been hiding?”
“He’s around,” Sinclair said, unconvincingly.
Drew reached over and took her hand. “There’s no sense in hiding things from our friends, poppet. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
“Understand what?” Kerrigan asked.
“Well, let’s just say he’s a loner, a free spirit if you will. We decided it best to tell him what this visit is about, and now he feels forced to—”
“To spend time with Tori,” Dominic finished.
Drew frowned. “Yes. He’s duty bound and he will; he just wants things to be on his own terms, for it to happen naturally. His absence is his way of asserting control where he feels it has been taken away from him.”
“That’s sort of the point of free will and all, isn’t it?” Dominic said, knowing what having that taken away felt like.
Sinclair’s eyes dropped to her lap. She was a changed person, Dominic knew that, but it didn’t change what she had done.
“I think maybe Dante has a point,” Kerrigan said, and then in a move that nearly floored Dominic, she continued, “Maybe we need to let both of them find their way to each other instead of trying to orchestrate everything fo
r them. It’s the only way to know for sure. After all, I think we all should have learned by now that we can’t force the hand of destiny. We just have to trust it to keep them safe.”
She looked at Dominic and he smiled proudly, wanting nothing more than to take her into his arms. “I couldn’t have said it better myself, Querida.”
Tori navigated her way through the thick underbrush of the park. Having left the wide open space of a lush green lawn, she had found an opening in the fence that surrounded its perimeter with a worn path of singular tire tracks that led into the trees. Even though there was a ‘No Trespassing’ sign nailed to the post, she ignored it and followed that trail. It was the pull again; something beckoned and pulsed through her blood, giving her direction. She had no idea where she was, but instinct had taken over and there was pretty much nothing she could do once that happened.
Sunny skies had quickly turned overcast, the scent of impending rain permeating the air around her. Despite the threat of a downpour, she couldn’t turn back. She had to know what was so alluring about the park. What was at the end of the trail? And why couldn’t she shake the feeling that she had to be there?
Tori had been on the path a half hour or so when she felt she was being watched. She looked around, seeing and hearing no one. The sounds of children’s laughter from the more public area of the park had long since faded away, replaced by what she had first thought was serenity but was quickly turning into something that bordered on spooky. A chill swept down her spine when a stiff breeze blew through the branches of the trees looming overhead, but it wasn’t from the rapidly dropping temperature that accompanied the thickening storm clouds. She was sure she felt someone there.
Surrounded by a forest of ivy-covered trees and thick foliage, she began to rethink her motivation—motivation that hadn’t really been hers in the first place. Someone or something wanted her there, and she was determined to find out who or what that was. She steadied her nerves as she pushed forward, prepared to warp herself into her sanctuary at lightning speed should the need for more energy arise. She could hold her own in a showdown; she had proven that time and time again. Her only sparring partners had been her dad and uncle, but she knew if something supernatural attacked her, she stood a fighting chance with it as well. But she couldn’t help but think that if a murderous lunatic managed to take her by surprise and ended her life, her parents would probably never find her corpse.