Destined

by Sylvina Storm

  While we were in there, someone had cleaned the room. Lukas’ suitcase propped against the unused bed, and the tatters of fabric were missing. I looked up at him with heated cheeks.

  “Mimi’s handiwork?” I noticed the new blanket and cringed.

  He turned me to face him. “Does it bother you? The things we did?”

  “Not at all. I don’t look forward to going downstairs and having Mimi give us the look. She’s your grandmother!”

  “To be fair, she probably knew before we did.” He smirked.

  “Oh my god, don’t tell me that!” I smacked him with a pillow. “It reminds me of when I was sixteen and I’d snuck into the house after losing my virginity. My dad waited for me in the kitchen, cleaning his damned guns. It was the most awkward conversation I’d ever had.”

  “So what did he say when you got in?”

  “He asked, ‘did you use protection?’ I wanted to melt into the floor. All I could do was nod.”

  I shook my head in mock horror, though I’d been mortified when it occurred. “Then he asked if he had to take the boy out back and shoot him for messing with his little girl. I told him if anyone needed to be shot, I’d do it myself. My daddy was an officer, and he taught me how to handle a gun.”

  He laughed and pulled me into his chest. “I don’t doubt you’d do it. So what happened next?”

  He looked curious, so I slipped away to dress as I spoke. I wasn’t comfortable with the subject, but I knew Lukas wouldn’t hold it against me. Still, I couldn’t keep the hurt from my voice.

  “Sean was my first boyfriend. We dated through my junior and senior terms in High School. A few weeks after our discussion, my father died in an attempted robbery and my mom followed eight months later. She’d battled cancer for ages, but after dad passed away she stopped fighting.”

  He hugged me, but didn’t interrupt.

  “Sean and I tried to make a long distance relationship work during freshman year of college, but we kind of drifted apart. Then I discovered he slept his way through the sororities.”

  That was five years ago. I’d had temporary boyfriends off and on since, but after his betrayal, I’d focused on my education rather than romance. When I was lucky the same guy stuck around for a while, but it was always about the sex. My Dominican heritage made me a hot commodity, but only as a notch on the bedpost.

  Each failure hurt me more and more until I’d all but refused to leave my apartment. If it hadn’t been for Toby, I might have given up. So I was determined not to repeat the mistakes of my past.

  This attraction between us had to mean something.

  Lukas swept the hair off my neck and kissed me under the ear. He pulled me into his chest, and I shook off the somber mood. “He was an idiot. Then again, if he’d been faithful, I wouldn’t have met you, so let’s call it a good thing, okay?”

  I remained silent since I agreed with him.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ryleigh

  Darian rode with us to the storage facility where we would meet Erick and Daniel. With my obvious attraction to both men, I’d expected the ride to be awkward, but we settled into an easy camaraderie. He seemed wary of Lukas, as though something was going on between them.

  I couldn’t figure the two out, and I stopped trying.

  After a while, the conversation turned back to my situation. He sat in the backseat, letting me sit shotgun. Lukas kept my hand in his, except to shift gears, and I found the intimacy embarrassing in front of the other man.

  “You’re quiet today, Lia.” Darian leaned forward. “I still can’t get over how well you’ve taken all this.”

  “Mimi’s filled me in about your culture and history. It’s fascinating. There’s so much to learn.”

  He shifted, as uncomfortable with the sudden silence as I. “We have a bit before we arrive. If you’ve got questions, it’ll pass the time.”

  I took a minute to think of one; I had so many. “How did you guys meet?”

  He studied me for a moment as he considered me, my question, or both. They shared another look, and I could tell the story wasn’t pleasant. I was about to rescind the query in favor of one a little less personal, but he answered.

  “It isn’t like you won’t hear it from someone else, anyway.” Darian tried to speak a few times before he shook his head in resignation. “You need some background, first.”

  “Okay.” I turned in my seat so I could see him as he spoke.

  “I was born the heir to Lord Farkas of Hungary in the summer of seventeen ‘o six. The Farkas family dates back to the original Elitists who arrived here five thousand years ago. My father led their council of Elders for over seven centuries when I was conceived.”

  His face twisted in pain. “A handful of the Elitists are fanatical in their views, but he was the worst. He trained me to take his position one day. As expected, I did my duty.”

  He leaned back, defensive. “You have to understand, I didn’t agree with everything they taught me. I knew it was wrong, but they conditioned me to embrace their dogma, so I did what I could to survive. For decades, I obeyed without ever questioning a single thing my sire asked of me. I was the perfect successor in every way.”

  He paused for several minutes. I saw the memories weighed on him, even after so long. He gave me a self-depreciating smile.

  “I’d been doing little things against the ‘Natural Order’ by the time I encountered Perry in eighteen ten. Small, insignificant bits of resistance. At best, I’d offer mercy. Death, instead of captivity and torture. I was supposed to break him until he talked, so they gave me three weeks alone with him to ‘practice my technique’. My objective was clear. This prisoner was not to die by any means.”

  Oh, god. The way he twisted his words, I heard his father’s orders. What a terrible command to give your child. “What happened?”

  “As a hybrid with chameleon type properties, Perry was unique. He blended in with the people around him without Shapeshifting or using Illusions. He’d spied on our facilities for months before he was discovered.”

  Though he looked uncomfortable, he continued.

  “When I couldn’t bring myself to hurt him, I befriended him to get the intel.”

  Darian met my eyes and his smile turned wistful. It made me sad for the man he must’ve been. He shared another look with Lukas through the mirror, and his face fell.

  “We became closer than friends. My betrothed and I knew what they expected of us, and I understood my duty, but Perry was my first love. I was young and foolish and thought I could free him before my father learned our plans. We tried to run away together.”

  Stunned, I leaned back. From our few heated moments, I would’ve never guessed he was interested in men. He gave me a rueful grin. Did he guess where my thoughts had gone?

  “The whole setup was a test. I failed. I spent the next one hundred and twenty eight years in an Elitist prison paying for my defiance and failure. Perry, at least, died in the bungled attempt to flee. He was fortunate.”

  Lukas cleared his throat, and they exchanged a fierce glance. With Darian’s confession, it also explained the strange undercurrent between them. I wondered if they felt more than platonic friendship for each other. If they were lovers, I had no clue how to react.

  “How did you escape?” I couldn’t ask about his time in captivity. By the look on his face, those wounds still haunted him and might never heal.

  “Nineteen thirty-eight turned into a difficult year for our people. Hitler discovered the Intarans and attempted to capture us for experimentation. The Kindred stayed a step ahead of them, though, and kept us out of human hands. During a Nazi raid, the Elitist facility took damage, and several prisoners escaped with me.”

  “Where did you go?”

  He grinned. “It was easy to get through all the war zones as one critter or another. I boarded the first ship I could find, and traveled to America as a rat aboard a shipping vessel.”

  My nose wrinkled up as I tried to ima
gine his journey. “A rat?”

  “What? I had lots of company.”

  “Ick.”

  “You have no idea.” His expression went deadpan, and I giggled.

  Lukas snorted and took up the story. “He wandered the Florida Everglades as an animal-hippie tree hugger type until I stumbled across him in nineteen ninety-eight.”

  “I was not a hippie! I was evading my father.”

  “You lived in a tee-pee.”

  “It was a tent.” Darian grumbled.

  “Tents are made from canvas; that was a mishmash of branches and doe skin.” Lukas teased.

  “At least I stayed warm.”

  “And your beard stretched longer than my arm!” Lukas gestured to his chin, stroking an imaginary beard.

  Darian scratched his scruffy jaw and smiled at us both as he leaned into the front of the car. “Yeah, it did. But living off the land when you can hunt on four feet is the most freeing experience any man could ask for.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.” Lukas quipped.

  They laughed.

  Darian scowled. “Farkas refused to let me go. Even in all my years in prison, he still had hoped he and Cedric could ‘recondition’ me. They were unsuccessful.”

  By the look in his eyes, their ‘efforts’ left lasting damage. I’d seen similar looks of horror on the faces of men returning from war on the news. He banished the mood and sat back again with a sad smile.

  “My father hunted me, and Lukas tracked him. Lukas found me first, and we trailed him for a few weeks. Long story short, my sire captured him, but we got free, and here we are.”

  Lukas shook his head, but I already knew there was more to the tale. He sighed and lowered his voice, as if afraid of upsetting Darian.

  “The bastard buried me alive to punish him for running and evading him. He tried to use me to get his son to go with him without a fight, but Darian killed him. It’s one reason everyone acts so cautious around him. Well, he also has a crazy streak.”

  “Hey!”

  Darian protested, but the jab did the trick. The conversation turned to all the daredevil stunts and missions the two had done over the years. I watched them tease each other about past mistakes.

  If I ignored their history, I could almost convince myself they were human, and I had a chance.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Darian

  Now she knew.

  Part of me wondered what Ryleigh thought of me. Few among Thane’s council were aware of my time in prison at my father’s mercy. They were informed because no one got close to Thane without his mind readers dissecting their lives. Lukas had stumbled across my Dreams and experienced my nightmares firsthand.

  I shrugged off the dour mood invading my thoughts and continued the light banter.

  “So, Darian.” She teased. “Should I call you ‘my lord’?”

  A devilish glint illuminated her eyes now. I loved this side of her.

  “Absolutely not.” My shudder wasn’t exaggerated. “I’ve been disinherited, thank the gods.”

  “Well, that’s a relief. I don’t know how to curtsy. I’d probably fall over if I tried.”

  “Hmm, it would be worth it to watch you attempt it, though.” Lukas added.

  When we reached the garage, Erick and Daniel met us outside. Daniel drew Lukas aside to discuss various aspects of the investigation.

  “Hey, Erick!” Lia’s face lit up when she saw the blond.

  He pulled her in for a hug and ruffled her hair. As expected, she squealed in protest. It disconcerted me to see the quiet man treat her like a little sister, but the two clicked like siblings from day one. Even Daniel treated her like family.

  When she wandered my way, Lukas gave me a subtle look. As if I didn’t know to keep an eye on her. So maybe I attempted to get him to reassign me yesterday; it didn’t mean I wouldn’t protect her with my life. I wanted to be fair to them both due to the conflict of interest.

  When she stood at my side, she put her hands on her hips. “I’m confused. Why did you flirt with me if you’re… you know?”

  “You’re the first woman to ever make me feel this way.”

  The words left my lips in a tortured whisper. I turned her back toward the garage and we walked to the door. Before we went inside, I stopped her.

  “If it were anyone else I’d fight for you, Lia. You’re special. But I can’t hurt him. Not like that.”

  I paused before I did something stupid like caress her when she was my… what was Lukas to me now? Last week, I’d called him my best friend. In my fantasies, I’d regarded him as my lover. Why did he have to go and kiss me? What the hell was his game, anyway?

  As if this wasn’t hard enough.

  Daniel yelled. “Hey, Ryleigh. We found your wallet.”

  She looked like she’d rather keep talking, but I proceeded inside and gave her no choice but to follow. Knowing her, this wasn’t over. I would never admit how much their relationship pained me. I wanted them both to be happy. Even if I wasn’t.

  “Thanks, Daniel.” She took a small handbag from him. She hummed as she unclasped it and rummaged inside. “What’s this?”

  When she dumped the contents into her palm, she disappeared.

  “Ryleigh!” Lukas shouted.

  Within seconds, I reached his side and looked through the spilled items from her bag. A shiny pebble wobbled on the ground next to her coin purse. It appeared smaller than the Portal Stone I’d seen in Thane’s vault, but the sheen of the metal seemed similar. Lukas braced himself and tapped the tiny device with the tip of his finger. When it didn’t react, he picked it up and examined it with his Psychometry.

  I waited, hoping he could discover the device’s purpose, and what it had done to the woman I loved.

  “It’s a teleportation mechanism, but it’s too weak to take her far.” He rolled it over his fingers.

  “One time use?” I already itched for battle, but had no foe to fight.

  He sent me a speculating glance when Erick burst into the garage. Lukas addressed the other men. “They hid an artifact in Lia’s belongings. I missed it when I looked through. Double check the van. We’ll get her back.”

  He pulled me aside. “The majority of the charge depleted while porting her, but she’s close. Cedric’s son altered the trap from its original design and keyed it to Ryleigh. It wouldn’t have triggered if you or I had touched it first.”

  “This is specialized magic.” I whispered.

  “I doubt anyone has had this talent since the Portal Stones’ creator.” He handed me the device. “There’s a hint of energy left. I think you can duplicate Ryleigh’s essence enough to fool the spell. It should teleport you to wherever they took her.”

  “What if she isn’t alive? We have to consider the possibility.”

  He shook his head. “I still sense her, but she’s unconscious. Be careful when you arrive. She may be injured.”

  My blood hummed with the pending change as I matched my aural signature to hers. Most pure bloods could alter their aura to match another’s, but it took years of practice. I’d learned to mimic others before I’d started walking.

  Since I only had to deceive an inanimate object, I didn’t modify my appearance. Arriving as her naked twin would be awkward. After a few minutes of modulating my ambiance, he nodded. The moment he backed up, I reduced my molecules to impish proportions.

  Then I fought my way free of my over-sized clothing.

  Being four inches tall unnerved me. One wrong step and no more Darian. Lukas remained motionless as I approached the device, which was now the size of my skull. I prepared to shift right away if needed, and grabbed on with both hands.

  The bright garage disappeared, and I found myself smothered in a pile of Ryleigh’s hair. I couldn’t read her while standing so close, but I didn’t dare move because I heard someone approaching. They’d bound her wrists and feet, and a nasty bruise marked her exposed cheek.

  I almost changed then in a fit of anger,
but the low buzz of a containment field warned me. She hadn’t been beaten; the magic knocked her out. Lucky for me, it ignored creatures under a certain mass.

  The voices stopped somewhere down the hall and the muffled conversation roused Ryleigh. She moaned and shifted, but I pinched her to prevent her from squishing me. Gods, I hated this vulnerability. I wondered how they would keep her unconscious without succumbing to the spell, but the faint hum dissipated as they approached.

  The guards remained beyond sight, but near enough I caught snippets of dialog. Kevin and his brother Frank were on their way to collect her. The men sounded like common mercenaries. I’d met dozens of them over the years, and few matched me in combat.

  With the element of surprise, the advantage was mine.

  Ryleigh stirred, and I pulled myself toward her ear. Moving risked exposure since the bastards could come in at any time. But a far worse scenario involved her rolling over me or thrashing thinking critters crawled in her hair.

  I held onto her earlobe and leaned close. “Lia? Wake up. Please?”

  She mumbled, and I sensed her awareness return.

  “Hey. Don’t squish me, okay?”

  “Darian?” She groused. “Shit. Where am I?”

  She turned her head and I almost lost my grip.

  “Don’t move. And don’t give me away.”

  “Why can’t I find you?” Her initial panic receded as she looked around the room.

  “Right now I’m four inches tall.”

  She moved again, and I tugged a fistful of curls to stop sliding.

  “Stay still! Pretend I’m not here.”

  “But, I wanna see.” She pouted.

  “Yeah, about that. I can’t change with my clothes. Being cold ain’t got nothing on standing at four inches and freezing. I’d rather keep my dignity, thank you very much. No peeking.”

  Her shoulders shook, but she managed not to laugh too loud. “There’s a tiny naked man on my shoulder?”

  “Emphasis on tiny. Har har. You ready to escape?”