“I know a plastic surgeon who’ll work with us on price. If you’d like, I can make an appointment for you to talk with him. I know it’ll be a lot to get everything worked on at once, but it’ll be the cheapest route. I won’t offer to pay for it, but I’ll finance it for you at no interest, and we’ll work out a payment plan you’re comfortable with.”
I opened my mouth to object, but he shook his head and smiled. “You’re one of mine. This means I’ll help you to help yourself, and you won’t argue with me about it.”
I turned my palms over and looked at them. I’d sliced into them when I left the hospital, and altered the symbols they’d carved into me, so they looked like flowers. My left hand was a rose, my right hand was kinda-sorta a tulip, if you looked at it just right.
“I want to get my forehead done more than anything, but I’d also like to get my stomach and thighs done. I took control of my palms, and I’m taking control of my chest.”
“And your feet?”
I blanched. “Yeah. I’d love to be able to wear sandals again.”
A biker in a leather vest with patches all over it came up the steps, and Nathan motioned to him. “Duke! Come sit with us a second and meet Destiny?”
He talked to us for maybe ten minutes, and by the time he left I was feeling a little silly for having thought he was a bad guy.
I told Nathan, and he chuckled. “He can be a very bad guy when it’s called for. If anyone lays a hand on his wife then there’s a good chance he’ll make them hurt in ways you can’t imagine. But, he won’t hurt someone without reason, and if he saw someone bothering you, he’d make them stop.”
“Was he serious about Zeke and I coming to their party next weekend?”
“Yes, and it’d be good for the two of you to stop by during the day, when the kids are still around and it’s a family atmosphere. The more of the RTMC you meet, the better.”
A few more bikers stopped by and chatted, and by the time we left I no longer viewed the leather vest with all the patches on it as a scary, bad thing.
Viper — my tattoo guy — walked in as we were leaving, and I was surprised he was wearing one of the biker vests, too. He’d been recommended as someone who could cover scars with his designs, and I was so glad I’d found him. He talked me through how to breathe while he worked on me, and I’m not sure I could’ve gone through with it if someone had just tattooed me and expected me to deal with the pain. We talked a few moments, and he hugged me as we left. It felt good to know someone Nathan hadn’t needed to introduce me to.
As Nathan pulled out of the parking lot, I asked, “You wanted me alone, without Zeke, so you could gauge whether I’m considering moving in with him because I want to, or feel I have to — right?”
He nodded and I said, “I appreciate it. I need to talk to him before I make a decision, but thanks for looking out for me.”
Zeke
* * *
I trust Nathan with my life, but I was still on edge while he was gone with Destiny. He’s my liege and his word is law. If he told me I couldn’t be around her, there was no higher authority to appeal to.
I walked onto my porch as Nathan pulled my car into the driveway, and stood waiting for him to get her out of the car and bring her to me. She carried a box with the food she hadn’t eaten, and I smelled fries and a burger. Grass fed beef — had he taken her to the RTMC bar?
I smelled Duke and Bash on her as she came up the steps, but I didn’t say anything about it as I opened the door to let them in.
“I need to put my food in the fridge,” Destiny said, as she quickly made her way through the house toward the kitchen.
I looked to Nathan, hoping for answers, and the fist around my gut relaxed at his smile.
“Everything’s fine, Zeke. Give me a hug and I’ll go. Destiny can tell you about our conversation.”
Everything is always right with the world when Nathan hugs me, and today was no different. He’s larger than me, and way more powerful, but he also loves me. Most are terrified of him, and I have a very healthy respect for his power and the weight of his office — but I don’t fear him.
I heard Destiny behind me as I closed the front door after Nathan, and I turned to her with a smile.
“I’m glad the two of you have each other.”
Her words caught me off guard. I could see why she’d be glad I have him — but I couldn’t see it the other way.
“He’s the King of the Lions, Teeny. He doesn’t need me in his life.”
“Yeah, I think he does. The two of you have a special connection, and no matter how powerful he might be, those connections are important. Never doubt the role you play in his life. I may not know much of anything about him, but I recognize the fact you’ve helped keep him grounded. You’ve helped him stay in touch with feelings I think he has trouble remembering.”
It was true he’d personally worked with me when he’d found me. A man as busy as the Amakhosi wouldn’t have been faulted for handing me off to others, but he’d kept me with him and taken charge of teaching me control.
“How did you get to be so smart?”
She shrugged, obviously uncomfortable. “My parents, my church, our work helping others less fortunate? I don’t know. I can just see it.”
I pulled her into my arms as she stepped near, and her body molded to mine like it belonged.
“What did you and His Majesty talk about?”
“He’s going to arrange for me to get a college scholarship through Drake Security.”
Once she’d explained the offer, I realized His Majesty had once again swooped in and saved the day. Of course, he’d also messed with my hopes of having Destiny live with me, but I couldn’t argue with his logic. Having her choose to stay with me when she had options would mean so much more than having her stay with me because she didn’t have much of a choice.
My first response was to tell her, “Nothing has to be decided today. We’ll move your clothing and other basic necessities into my guest room. I hope you’ll sleep in my bed, but I want you to have your own private space, too. Once you’ve reached some decisions, we can figure out our next steps.”
Now, two hours later, she was in her room with the door closed, playing her violin.
My lion paced inside me, desperately wanting out, but I didn’t dare change without warning her ahead of time she might encounter him. I instinctively knew she was playing a super-challenging piece as a way of shielding her emotions — something to focus on rather than the problems she apparently didn’t want to have to face at the moment.
Her parents had hurt her, and she had so much uncertainty in her life. The closed door wasn’t a rejection of me, it was just Destiny needing space.
I walked outside, stripped to nothing, and dove off the diving board. I could hear the violin as I swam laps, so I knew when she changed from fast to slow. When the tenor changed again, her violin literally pouring waves of grief into the air, I stopped swimming to listen more carefully.
A sniffle. And another. I leapt from the pool and stalked towards her window. A minute later there was no doubt she was crying as she played.
The man might have continued to give her space, but the lion wouldn’t consider it. I shook the water from my hair as my body heated to dry the drops on my skin before I took a few seconds to slide into my jeans. I took long, fast strides into my house and through it.
She hadn’t locked her door, and I didn’t knock. She stopped playing when I walked in, and I gently moved the violin and bow to the side before I took her into my arms and held her. Tears streamed down her face and the scent in the room was full of grief. My Destiny was never going to cry in a room alone again — not when there was breath left in my body.
Her arms circled my neck, her face buried in my throat, and now huge, wracking sobs tore from her.
“I have you. You’re safe, and we’ll figure everything out. I have you.”
“I’m a mess,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry.”
&nbs
p; I kissed the top of her head. “Today’s been hard. No one would expect you to hold it together. Cry all you need to. Scream and yell and hit things if it’ll help.”
She stopped crying and looked at me like I was crazy. “Hit things?”
I kissed her forehead. “Yeah, it works for me – though you apparently play beautiful music instead of punching inanimate objects. I have ice cream in the freezer. If you have another comfort food preference, I’ll go buy whatever you want.”
Chapter 12
Five months later
* * *
Zeke
* * *
I’ve never been so happy to move someone out of a dorm before in my life, but I had to admit her moving into it had been the right decision. I’d been disappointed, but I’d made sure to be supportive when Destiny had moved in.
She’d spent plenty of time at my house, and lots of weekend nights, but this had given us our space as we’ve gotten to know each other better.
Also, it went a long way toward healing her relationship with her parents.
Was I crazy for asking her to marry me so soon? I didn’t think so, and Nathan was the only one with the balls to bring it up, but even he was in favor of it — once we talked.
She and I had an open invitation to Sunday dinner at her parents’ house, and we both went, every Sunday. She’d found a non-denominational church in town she felt fit her needs, and her parents had gone with her to it once. They didn’t exactly approve, but they didn’t disapprove, so it seemed to be working out for all of them.
However, this Saturday, we’d be married in her parents’ church by the pastor who’d been over her since she was a small child. It was important to her, so I was good with it.
My family went to church maybe four or five times a year when I was growing up. I was exposed to religion without it being pushed down my throat, but I hadn’t been back inside a church since I’d been bitten and turned. Not because I turned my back on it, but because I’d only gone when my parents had taken me, and they were no longer around to take me.
Destiny and I’d had hours and hours of conversation about faith, religion, spirituality, and God. We tried to make it work with what we know of the supernatural world, but I couldn’t get permission to tell her about the gods of old who still occasionally walk among us, so there were some things I couldn’t tell her.
None of that really mattered, though. She uses her beliefs as a foundation for her morals, but not as a club to beat people over the head with.
And I love every inch of her, and wouldn’t want her any other way.
Much to my surprise, Destiny’s become good friends with Tippy, a little deer-shifter mated with one of the RTMC wolves. Nix was out of town at a big biker thing, and Tippy had planned to stay home alone from the beginning because she doesn’t do well in raucous crowds. My little Destiny planned to stay at Tippy’s place for the two nights before the wedding, and then she’d live with me after the wedding — with her parents’ blessing.
Or, as close to a blessing as I’m ever likely to get from her dad. I’m not sure he exactly likes me, but I think he’s relieved to have her married off.
I lost my parents, though, and I know how important it is to have them around. Nathan’s been like a father to me and I appreciate him more than I’ll ever be able to tell him, but I still miss my mom and dad.
So, I’ll do whatever I can to facilitate a good relationship between Destiny and her family. Even if it means biting my tongue around them a whole helluva lot.
Destiny
* * *
I have one year of college under my belt, and I’ve yet to make my first B. Every grade has been an A, but I’ve had to work my ass off to make it happen.
One of my professors arranged for me to play my violin with a special practice session of the Atlanta Symphony a few weeks ago, and I’ve since been invited to audition for a seat. It’s only a two-hour drive, and the opportunity to play with them is incredible. If I’m not selected, the experience has given me the courage to audition for the Chattanooga Symphony in the fall.
So many directions my life can go, but right now I’m focused on starting my life with Zeke. He had the bedroom on the other side of the bathroom turned into a closet for me, even though I don’t have anywhere near enough clothes to fill it. He says I will, eventually, but I don’t see it. Still, it was a nice gesture.
We’ve moved my things to his house over the past weeks. I didn’t have that much, but it’s nice to see my things mixed with his on the mantle in the living room. He’s also taken more pictures of me than is reasonable, and has about a dozen of them around the house. I don’t really mind though, because each picture reminds me of a fun day with him — rock climbing, or paddleboarding, or even the time I convinced him to take me to the beach for spring break and we went snorkeling.
There are people who say they never completely got over their first love, and people who say you need to date around to get an idea of what you want. I say, if you’re never going to get over your first love, and he treats you good and the two of you are great together… what’s the big deal about dating around?
I’m glad we’ve had time to date without living together. I think it was important for me to have my own place — even if it was just a dorm and not an apartment.
But now? I’m ready to spend the rest of my life with this man. He feeds my heart and soul, and he says I do the same for him. Zeke and his great big, beautiful white lion. I need them both in my life.
Chapter 13
Destiny
* * *
Zeke and I hadn’t had sex for two weeks before the wedding. It wasn’t really planned, but I was on my period, and then we were so busy with the final wedding plans, and he’s been working long hours in preparation for being gone for our month-long honeymoon. When we finally started fooling around earlier in the week, I mentioned it might be good to hold off until our honeymoon, just to make it a little more special.
He’d given me a mock glare, but had smiled to let me know he’d indulge me.
So now we were walking up the sidewalk of a rented vacation home on a little island off the Maine coast. He said I’d liked the beach, he’d hated the heat, so this was where we were going. I got the smell of the ocean and the sound of the waves lapping the shore, and he got temperatures in the seventies.
None of that mattered though, because I’m not a virgin anymore and sex with Zeke has turned into one adventure after another.
Aaron flew us to Maine on his private jet, and Zeke had arranged for a boat to take us to the island. Still, even though we hadn’t had to deal with commercial transportation, it’d been a long day when we finally arrived.
I know Zeke, though, and I wasn’t about to let him pull the, “You’re tired, let me help you get to sleep,” thing. I may be human and fragile compared to a shifter, but I’m not a baby and this was my wedding night.
And it’d been sixteen days!
Much to my surprise, however, he brought our suitcases in, set them in the bedroom, and met me on the deck where I was listening to the surf crash on the rocks below. I could see a little of the waves as they turned white in the dark, but it was overcast and pretty dark.
Zeke surprised me by wrapping his arms around me from behind and saying, “You have entirely too many clothes on, wife.”
I leaned back, into him, and said, “I don’t have any underwear on under my skirt.”
His vocal chords changed enough for me to hear a bit of a low roar as his chest rumbled behind me, and the next thing I knew, I was bent over the balcony, my long skirt over my back, the warmth of his hands at my hips, and his hard length entered me from behind.
This was the rough, coarse, wild man with a lion inside, and I loved it when he took me like this. I knew he’d make love to me later, and I’d enjoy that, too.
But this? The feral, raw, animal side of him? Spikes and slivers of ecstasy shot through my veins when he entered me with no preamble, no warning, no
finesse. One minute we were standing, cuddled like an ordinary couple, and the next he was inside me, moving fast and hard as spasms of pleasure ripped screams from my throat.
Twice, I haven’t wanted him to be rough with me, and both times he stopped before the head of his cock pressed inside. He knows by my smell whether I’m good with it or not. He’s never going to do anything I don’t want, and I love that he can get physical and demanding and know it’s okay. My body and psyche were damaged the night he met me, but I was whole again — in large part because of the way he’d shown me how great sex can be with the right person.
And this was the perfect way to consummate our marriage. He loves having sex outdoors but it’d taken me a while to be okay with it. I mean, sure, there’s a huge privacy fence around his pool, but what if someone heard?
He’d installed speakers and played movies with people running, or fighting, or doing other things to mask any orgasm noises I made, and then had made excellent use of the diving board.
I was hooked. There’s nothing quite like looking into the night sky as you orgasm, and tonight, when he brought me to a screaming, pulsing, out-of-control release, I knew my noises were covered not only because no other houses were near, but also because of the sounds of the ocean crashing onto the rocks below us.
Tonight, he apparently was okay with me being tired, because as soon as the orgasm faded, he had me undressed and inside as he told me, “That was one. I’m going to make you orgasm nonstop until morning, and then maybe I’ll let you take a nap.”
Hallowed Destiny Page 8