A Secret Fate

by Susan Griscom

  The click of the door lock had him looking up and his hand settled on the revolver at his hip as the door slowly opened.

  “I got the crystal.”

  Moving his hand away from the gun, he asked, “What do you mean, you got the crystal? How? Where did you find it?”

  “I stole it,” she said smugly.

  He was on his feet now, walking toward her. “From who? Who had it?”

  “I snuck up behind the woman who had it and clunked her in the head with a tire iron from the trunk of the rental car. Then I cut the chain with some wire cutters I had from my jewelry making days and snatched the crystal. Easy peasy.”

  “I told you I didn’t want anyone hurt.”

  “I didn’t hurt her very much. I just knocked her out a little. She’ll be fine. You know I wouldn’t hurt anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. But Carly is in danger.”

  “God, you could have killed her.”

  “I didn’t and if we don’t give them what they want, they will kill Carly. You told me that.”

  “Why didn’t you come get me to help?”

  “I didn’t have time. When I opened the door of the bathroom at the bar and grill, the light from the crystal had the whole room illuminated in its glow. I thought, how lucky could I be? I knew it had to be the crystal. I think she’d been using it while she was in there for something. I saw her slip it inside her blouse as I walked in. I looked for you at the bar but I couldn’t find you so I followed her home when she left. The woman was stupid enough to take a walk along the beach, alone.”

  “Next time you have to let me know your plans. If anything had happened to you …” The words stuck in his throat.

  “Daddy, she’s my sister. I will do anything to get her back.”

  “I didn’t raise you to be a killer.”

  “I didn’t hurt her. I promise.”

  “How do you know? Did you wait around to see if she was okay?”

  “No, but I’m sure she’s fine. I checked her pulse; I’m not stupid.”

  “I know, sweetheart, I know. I’m proud of you and your sister and I’m sorry to have dragged you both into this.” His daughters. His children were everything to him. She went to him, wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. He couldn’t resist returning the hug. She was his light, one of them anyway. He loved his kids more than life itself.

  “How did you know to come here anyway? I mean, how did you know the crystal would be here in this town?”

  He gave her a sideways glance, then rubbed his chin on the top of her head and stared out the window. “That is something you don’t need to worry yourself with. I’ve been in this business a long time and I’ve always kept tabs on that crystal.”

  “Dad, sometimes I feel like I don’t even know you. You had this other life before Mom and us, I get that, but I don’t see why you have to keep it all such a secret.”

  “I told you. I don’t want you to know any more than you have to. The more you know, the more your life will be in danger.”

  “Like Carly’s?”

  “That was my mistake, Caitlin. You and your sister mean everything to me. I let that show too much and they used it against me. I’m sorry. I know you don’t understand any of this, why it has happened and I’m not going to involve you anymore than I already have. I shouldn’t even have let you come with me.”

  “I know this has to do with your work.”

  “And you wouldn’t even know that if you hadn’t been eavesdropping on my conversation. But now that you’ve gotten the crystal, let me see it.”

  She unzipped the pocket of her jacket, pulled out the long chain with the locket and opened it, dropping the amber stone into the palm of her hand. “It doesn’t look like anything more than an ordinary gemstone, but I saw the light when I walked into the bathroom. She didn’t hear me come in at first, and when she noticed me, the light went out. She had her hand closed over the pendant and looked very shaken, worried I guess that maybe I saw the glow.”

  He held the stone up to the light of the small bedside lamp. It looked like the pictures he had seen but he couldn’t understand what would make it glow or fathom how powerful it must be. He only knew that the life of his child depended on it and he would do anything for her safe return. He could only guess why they wanted the crystal, and they were using him and his family to get it.

  Chapter 12

  Cael stared at Addison, waiting for her to answer him. She admitted to having Ristéard’s last name, so maybe she wasn’t married, but then, many women kept their maiden names after marriage.

  The room grew cold and she shivered, rubbing her hands over her arms in an attempt to warm herself. Facing the fireplace, she stoked the flames a little from where she sat on the sofa.

  Keeping his emotions in check, Cael didn’t give her any indication of being surprised other than the slight rise of his brows. Ristéard had control of fire as well as telekinetic abilities, so it seemed natural that his daughter would possess the same. So, she truly was his daughter.

  “Of course we know each other. We met at Breena’s party.” She laughed. “Why would you ask me such an odd question?”

  What was he hoping she would say? Oh, yeah, Cael, we have a hot and spicy sexual encounter every night while my fiancé/husband is busy singing his heart out at the bar and grill. Well, that would have been preferable to “we met at Breena’s party.” Besides, she was Ristéard’s daughter. In all fairness, now she was more like a sister, considering. Nah, no way he could wrap his head around that idea. Never like a sister.

  “I … uh … just thought maybe we would have known each other over the past five years, considering I always thought of Ristéard as a father. I figured maybe he would have introduced us.” Had Ristéard betrayed him as his own father had? He thought he’d known everything about Ristéard. The memory of the shocking encounter he had earlier that night with his biological father, who’d left his life when Cael was a child needled its way into his brain like a nasty worm. Betrayal seemed to be running wild at the Sectory.

  “He died before he had the chance. Look, if it’s any consolation, I never knew you and he were as close as you were either. I never knew he spent so much time with you when you were younger, teaching you to fight and whatever else he trained you to do. He probably spent more time with you than me.”

  That struck a chord as he thought back to his youth, and how Ristéard had been there almost every day in his adolescent years, spending so much time training him. Now Cael was feeling sorry for her. This lovely creature sitting in front of him had a childhood sequestered away from everything that he always thought necessary in order to recognize the powers granted to his kind. But still, there were too many pieces of this puzzle unconnected to completely let down his guard with her. Oh, but he wanted to. There was something so special emanating from her soul, something that he couldn’t quite figure out. Then again, as Ristéard’s only female heir it made sense she would possess that essence. Besides her being the only one to take Ristéard’s place and ignite such a feeling of euphoria within him, there was still something stronger going on. He really wanted to possess her.

  She’s taken, he tried to remind himself, but it wasn’t working. He wanted to know more.

  “How do you know all this? Oh wait, let me guess. My mother.”

  “Well, yes.” She nodded. “Your mother has been instrumental in helping me learn about my family.”

  “And that is how you know Breena.”

  “Yes. Now that we’ve established all that, we need to find out who hit me and stole the crystal.”

  “How do you recommend we do that?”

  “Well, I don’t know. You’re the private investigator. Investigate.”

  He smiled at her. Feisty. Ristéard would have liked that.

  ***

  After taking a flashlight down to the beach and searching the area where he’d discovered Addison, Cael came up empty-handed. It was too damn dark. Not even his keen eyesight helpe
d locate the crystal. He must have spent an hour down there walking back and forth over the area looking for the thing. Better to come back first thing in the morning and search some more. He didn’t believe it would be there anyway. Whoever hit Addison over the head had to have taken it, considering nothing else seemed to be missing.

  Now back in the little bed at Bart’s, his feet dangling over the end, Cael lay naked and wide awake, staring at the ceiling, thinking about Addison MacKenna. His hand gravitated toward the heavy muscle of his sex; he groaned and stroked, eventually cupping the thing tight enough to choke a small animal. He remembered the way she looked when she’d been dancing and imagined her gazing up into his eyes, smiling as though she were his, wanting to be with him. He closed his eyes and saw her face, those golden brown eyes, the tiny dimple at the side of her sensual lips when she smiled at him. He imagined kissing those lips, tasting the sweetness of her tongue as he … fuck! The orgasm burrowed through his body and he had to grab hold of the pillow behind his head to smother the sound of his voice as he cried out. Why couldn’t he get her out of his head? He groped around on the floor beside the bed, grasping for the T-shirt he’d left there so he could clean up the mess he’d made all over his stomach and hand.

  He’d left Addison after making sure she was okay and the head injury wasn’t going to cause her any major problems other than a headache. He needed time to process all the information she’d given him, which he still hadn’t done. Besides, he wanted to get out of Dodge before that fiancé or husband, or whatever he was to her, came home. There were definitely signs of a masculine presence in that house and he didn’t want to be subjected to twenty questions about why he was there. Because, hell, if she’d been his woman and he came home to find a strange man with her—even though they weren’t doing anything—he’d have blown a blood vessel, struck first and maybe asked questions later. Cael liked his face just the way it was, thank you very much.

  He had to wonder what other little secrets and pieces of important information about the past five years his friends and family were keeping from him. The bigger question was why?

  Unable to fall asleep after that pathetic and dissatisfying waste of energy to get his rocks off, he threw the covers off and got out of bed. Walking over to the window to gaze at the moon, he remembered that weird tide, which in turn made him think of her again. Addison. His eyes traveled down to his sex. He was still so fucking hard.

  Maybe it would help if he concentrated on who her father was. Still hard to believe Ristéard had a daughter, a beautiful, sexy daughter. Christ, why hadn’t anyone told him? The Sectorium had more secrets than Victoria. He knew the many repercussions of leaking certain aspects of his people to the rest of the human race. Hell, “certain aspects” was a total understatement if there had ever been one. Any detail about his kind trickling out to the so-called “normal humans” who didn’t possess an ability was like asking for a death sentence. Or worse, subjection to tests and procedures that were too terrible to even think about.

  Yep, glancing down at his crotch, he realized the influences of the current thought process were working. His erection was now only at half-mast. An improvement, he supposed, and by time he got ready to go, he was certain it would be all the way down.

  He needed to get to the bottom of who Addison MacKenna was, aside from being Ristéard’s daughter. That thought only made him think of her sweet, round sexy behind. Fuck, picturing her bottom didn’t help his current situation, but thinking about another female in his life most certainly would—the only person he knew who could help him. He tugged on his jeans and grabbed for the T-shirt, the sticky mess getting all over his hand. Shit. He tossed the shirt in the basket along with the other dirty clothes then washed his hands before grabbing a clean one and shrugging into the soft black cotton.

  No need for a jacket, as he dematerialized from the small bedroom at Bart’s house and reemerged inside his mother’s bedroom. Standing there watching her sleep reminded him of his childhood when he had entered her room after having a nightmare or when he was sick. It was probably ridiculous that he was here now considering he was a grown man and it was the middle of the night. Waking her up would no doubt piss her off, but hell, he knew there were too many things she was keeping from him and he wanted to know what they were. If he couldn’t sleep because of them, then she shouldn’t get to either.

  She’d slept alone in that big bed ever since his father left. He wondered if she was lonely. He shook his head, not wanting to go there. Did she know the old man had come to see him? What had really happened between them? Another string of questions he had for her. Hell, he might be here all night at this rate. He walked over to her bed and gently shook her shoulder.

  “Mom?”

  “Hmmm?” Her blue eyes opened wide. “Cael? What … what are you doing here?”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “Now? What time is it?”

  “I … I don’t know.” He picked up the small clock beside her bed and glanced at it. “It’s three-thirty.”

  “Cael, what is it, honey? Are you all right?” She sat up instantly, pulling the blanket up to her neck, covering up the powdery blue nightgown she wore.

  Okay, so she wasn’t pissed that he woke her. Mothers were strange beings. He’d have been mad as hell if she’d snuck into his room and awakened him at such a God-awful hour.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” Well, that was a lie. “No, actually I’m not okay.”

  “Why, what’s going on?”

  “Too many things. This memory, or rather lack of memory thing.”

  “Let me get up. How about if you wait for me in the parlor. I’ll have Ben bring us some tea.”

  “Don’t wake him.”

  “Oh, you’re right. I’ll get it myself.”

  “Mom, I don’t need tea. I need answers.”

  Setting her lips to a thin line, she studied him. The sweat literally flowed from his brow and he swiped the back of his hand across his forehead. Fisting his fingers, he felt the clamminess in his palms, and even felt a little feverish. “You need tea,” she said, walking off toward the kitchen.

  Ten minutes later, Siana Sheridan walked into the pristine formal sitting room. Cael’s nerves were shot. Realizing that, he took several deep breaths as he stood staring out at the garden below. Even in the dark, especially in the dark, it was beautiful with the landscape lighting placed strategically around to illuminate the vast foliage surrounding the array of camellias, pansies and other flowers his mother loved, all a variety conditioned to grow in the winter. He guessed the next time he came to visit, there would probably be a completely different combination as spring continued to unfold.

  “Here we go.” He turned as she set a tray with a pink-and-yellow-flowered pot of tea with two matching cups in the center of the table between the sofa and the two adjacent chairs. “Come sit and tell me what has you so upset.”

  “Who says I’m upset?”

  She smiled. “Cael, honey, you’re pale as a ghost, your breathing is labored, your heart is heavy and it’s after three in the morning. Last time you came into my room at that hour there was a monster in your closet. So, tell me, what monster has my boy upset this time?”

  “The monster wasn’t in my closet. It was in my nightmare.”

  “Okay. So, did you have a nightmare?” Her kind features suggested a little teasing, which he considered loving and well deserved, considering the hour.

  “There are a couple of things I need to talk to you about.”

  “Well, let’s start with the first one.” Her smile helped him not come across as nasty, even though the subject justified a lousy attitude in his opinion. There was really no way to beat around the topic so he just blurted it out.

  “Why didn’t you mention that Addison MacKenna was Ristéard’s daughter?”

  “Oh. I was wondering when you would find out. Didn’t we all agree that it would be best for you to try to learn things on your own rather than bombard you with
details that you might not have been ready to accept?”

  Well, damn. She had a point there.

  Siana lifted the teapot, poured some of the smooth golden liquid into the cups and handed one to him. “Drink this, honey. It will help.”

  He took the warm tea and sipped before placing the cup down on the saucer. “Still, this was something that I think I could have handled. After all, she is Ristéard’s legacy, a part of him that lives on in this world. I was upset about losing him, but knowing he had a daughter helps me cope a little better with my loss.”

  “That’s a nice thought.” She sipped some of the tea. “I haven’t seen you since Breena’s party to clue you in on things and to be honest, I didn’t think that was the right time, given the fact that you just found out about Ristéard. Besides, Cael, there wasn’t much time then, you had to get Finn to the police. Then I guess afterwards, nobody told you about her because when you met her the first time, you were on your own. Red thought it best if you learned in the same way about the people you knew during the five years’ worth of memories you’ve lost, so it would feel more … natural.”

  “Well, now that I know who she is, tell me more.”

  “Do you really want me to?” He nodded even though he thought it was just a rhetorical question, especially when she continued with, “I think some things are best left discovered on their own. However, I will tell you that she is very capable of taking care of herself. Her mother was my best friend. She died while trying to give birth to Addison’s twin brother. Ristéard had been on an excavation and didn’t know she was in labor. I begged her to let me get him, but she was scared and didn’t want to be left alone. There was nothing the doctor could do. We lost her and the baby boy. Addison was sheltered and hidden because of a promise Ristéard and I made to her mother to keep her safe. Even then, there were people who wanted to destroy her because of who she would become. Addison is a very strong individual with the same abilities as her father.”