Choices of Fate (Fate Series)

by Chavous, S. Simone

  “You would betray me, your family?” Ethan asked his anger evident.

  Cami narrowed her green-grey eyes at Alexa as she responded to her brother. Her eyes were identical to Ethan’s but they contained none of the warmth and affection that Alexa was accustomed to seeing in those eyes. These were full of anger and resentment. “I am already betraying my family by letting you take them from here. You are the one who turned your back on your own people, on your family, on me. And for what, because you are afraid of your destiny, of your duty to our kind. You have squandered your gifts all these years and mother will always go along with you, so proud of her precious pacifist son,” she spat as she returned her gaze to Ethan. “The Elite are my family now. I only help you because our father has commanded it. So take them and leave, I have work to do.”

  Ethan opened the passenger door and placed his hand on the small of Alexa’s back guiding her into the seat.

  Closing the door, he turned to face his sister with a deep sadness in his eyes. “I am sorry that I am such a disappointment to you, sister. There are things that you do not know, they are not your burden to carry, but I hope someday you will understand and forgive me for my choices.”

  Faster than Alexa’s eyes could follow, Ethan sped around the vehicle and was in the driver’s seat. With one last glance at his sister standing in front of the garage door, her arms crossed over her chest, he shifted the car into reverse and backed out of the driveway.

  Alexa turned around and watched as her home shrank into the distance before they turned out of the neighborhood and it was forever gone from her sight.

  ✧

  Ethan looked over at Alexa briefly and reached for her hand. “I am very sorry about my sister. That is not how I hoped for you to meet, but it could not be helped. We have to be certain the evidence of the attack at your home is removed, and only the Elite have the capability to discreetly contain such incidences with so little notice.”

  “Your sister is one of the Elite?”

  “Yes, she was the first female ever invited to join. There have been others since, but she opened the door,” Ethan said, obviously very proud of her.

  “Why is she so angry with me? I could sense it coming off of her in waves.”

  “It is not you she is angry with, not really, but I think it is easier for her to direct it at you. She believes that you are the reason I left so many years ago.”

  “It seems like you have a bit of a pattern doing that,” Alexa said trying to be funny. She immediately regretted the comment when she felt the shift in Ethan’s mood.

  “She was right to call me a coward. I have lived in fear for so long, always running from my destiny, from you.”

  “But you came back to me, that’s all that matters now,” she said squeezing his hand.

  They sat in silence for a few moments before Ethan began speaking, his voice sounding as if he was off in another place.

  “When I went through the change, when my abilities surfaced, I was so arrogant. Like so many other young vampires, I left, wanting to break free from my parents and their rules. It was different for my parents, it was far more dangerous for me to be on my own, but I was too selfish and stupid to care. They had warned me that Lucias would be looking for me ever since that night we escaped from Spain. But even with my powers only newly emerged it was obvious that my strength and speed were extraordinary. And I had Barb’s spell protecting me, so I thought I was invincible. I traveled all over the country, using my ability to control minds to get whatever I needed, or wanted. I stayed away, torturing my parents for over seven months.”

  “A few months after I left my mother started having visions, she could not see my future because of the spell, but she could see my presence in the futures of those I was around. Then there were the reports of the attacks on the colonies. It took some time to piece it together, but eventually she saw the pattern. Lucias was using his seer to track me through similar visions and his men were attacking the colonies I had visited, torturing and killing anyone he thought had knowledge of me.”

  He took a deep breath. “Dozens perished because of my arrogance while I was having the time of my life. When they realized what was happening, my parents used the blood bond to find me out west. It was then that my mother revealed the details of the prophecy to me. She told me of the woman I would love,” he reached up and stroked the side of Alexa’s neck, “and the extraordinary child she would give me. How the future of our people was tied to my fate.”

  “That is a lot of pressure for a young man,” Alexa said trying to imagine what it must have been like for him to carry such a heavy burden.

  “Yes, Amor. I was so riddled with guilt over the deaths I had caused, I could not bear the thought of anyone’s life depending on me again. I refused to accept that my future was not my own to choose. So I went home and secluded myself, avoiding anyone who was not protected by Barb’s magic for fear of showing up in their future’s streams.”

  “My mother had seen that Lucias would no longer pursue me once I was fully matured, instead turning his focus towards the child I would father. The year that I reached that milestone, Camille was recruited by the Elite, despite our mother’s protests, having shown great promise in the training program of a nearby colony. She was young and so eager to please her new comrades. She told them of my abilities, causing them to pursue me endlessly, hoping to persuade me to join their ranks.”

  “Her ambition clouded her judgement, she wanted so desperately to prove herself. She revealed the prophecy to them, something my mother has yet to forgive her for. I think she believed they could use it to convince me that it was my duty to join them, to fulfill my destiny and give our people the weapon to defeat Lucias.”

  Alexa cringed, and Ethan gave voice to her thought. “I would not think of my own child as a weapon, thinking it better to never have a child than to see them used so callously. So I left. I spent many years alone, traveling around the world, never staying in any one place for long and over that time I built a wall around my heart, thinking if I never fell in love, the prophecy could never come to pass. I eventually found my way home, and made what I now know was only a shell of a life for myself here.”

  “I was so very foolish, so focused on not letting the prophecy control my future, I did not realize that was what it was already doing. When I tasted your blood that night, I panicked. I was afraid for you. I am still afraid for you, and for Chloe. Lucias will not give up the hunt for our daughter, and it is only a matter of time before the Elite learn of her.”

  His fear and his words laid heavily on Alexa, she was afraid too.

  “I do not know what will happen, but with you here next to me, I cannot imagine a life without you, Amor. You are my destiny and I refuse to let go of you ever again.” He pulled her hand up to his chest and placed it over his heart. “This belongs to you, it has always been yours. I love you, Alexa.”

  Alexa smiled and closed her eyes as a joyful tear ran down her cheek. “I love you, Ethan. So much. Whatever happens we will face it together.” She pulled his hand to her heart, mimicking his gesture and his beautiful words. “This belongs to you, it has always been yours.”

  CHAPTER 16 - Girl Time

  They passed the rest of the drive in contented silence, reveling in being together again. Alexa looked up as the car started to slow on the seemingly never-ending country road they were on. Chloe and Tilly had been silent for the majority of the drive, only the sound of their slow even breathing floating up and occasionally falling upon Alexa’s ears in the quiet. Ethan, of course could hear every breath, every heartbeat, every small shift in movement. All of it warmed his slowly beating heart.

  Alexa looked to her right and then up trying to see the top of the massive wrought iron fence that encircled Ethan’s parents’ property. It was the only structure she had seen for miles. Ethan turned right and eased the car onto the short drive before the gate. He opened the window and leaned out, rapidly entering a long series of chara
cters on the keypad which caused the giant gate to part.

  They continued down the long driveway and around a barrier of trees before Alexa caught her first glimpse of the massive house and gasped.

  “Oh my God, Ethan, it’s so beautiful,” she exclaimed, her eyes drinking in the beautiful architecture and intricate landscaping that surrounded them.

  “Yes, it is,” he said never taking his eyes off of Alexa’s face. “My mother has excellent taste, it runs in the family.”

  The sexy tone in his voice pulled Alexa’s attention back to Ethan. Her cheeks flushed slightly when she realized his meaning.

  Ethan maneuvered the car into a space in front of the open door of a multiple car garage to the right of the house. She could see Elijah’s BMW inside and something cherry red parked next to it, but she couldn’t make out what it was in the darkness. She imagined there were a variety of beautiful vehicles in the large structure. She unbuckled her seatbelt and reached to open the door, but it was already open before her hand touched the handle, Ethan offering her his hand as she stepped down from the SUV.

  She inhaled deeply, the smell of lilacs and a variety of other fragrant flowers tickling her senses. The sound of running water drew her eyes towards the house to a beautiful waterfall flowing into a lily pond, the reflection of the full moon dancing brightly on its rippling surface. It made her koi pond look like a little mud puddle.

  Chloe giggled as Ethan lifted her from the car, which was rocking with Tilly’s excited movements in the back. She squeezed Ethan’s neck with her little arms, causing a full-dimple smile to spread across his face. The impulsive display of affection between Chloe and her father made Alexa’s heart light.

  After releasing Tilly from the back, and still holding Chloe in one arm, Ethan slung the bag Alexa had packed over his shoulder and grabbed her hand, gently pulling her towards the house while Tilly ran around exploring excitedly.

  “Come, Amor, it is time I introduce you to my mother. She is rather excited to meet you, and her granddaughter.”

  She was suddenly nervous and her heart began to pound as a result.

  Hearing the change in the steady beat, Ethan stopped and turned to face Alexa. He released her hand and placed his on the side of her neck drawing her closer as he looked into her grey eyes.

  “Do not be nervous. She will love you, as I do.” He placed a soft kiss against her lips and stroked the side of her neck with his thumb.

  His words and his kiss gave her the reassurance she needed. She took a small step back and gave Chloe a quick peck on the cheek before taking Ethan’s hand again. “Okay, let’s go.”

  ✧

  They quickly made their way across the driveway and took the stone path past the pond and up to the house. Alexa looked around in awe of the beauty that surrounded them, catching the occasional glimpse of Tilly as she made her way through the wide variety of flowers, shrubbery, and trees.

  Just as they ascended the stairs and passed through the tall white pillars that framed the entrance, the double front doors flew open. Ethan’s mother stepped out from the dim light inside into the bright light that flooded the porch and stood for a moment looking first at Chloe, then Alexa, then Ethan.

  Seeing Ethan’s mother for the first time, Alexa’s anxiety ratcheted into high gear, the similarity between the woman before her and Cami, who had been less than warm towards her, was absolutely uncanny. Josephine could have more easily passed for Cami’s twin than her mother, the only noticeable differences being their eyes and hair. While Cami’s eyes were green-grey, identical to Ethan’s, Josephine’s were a deep rich brown and where Cami’s hair was wildly curly, her mother’s was perfectly straight.

  When those brown eyes returned to Alexa, her nerves receded as she saw the genuine warmth in them and felt the wave of affection and excitement radiating from Josephine. She considered lowering her shields to test her ability on Josephine, but as the thought registered, she realized her shields were almost completely down already.

  Before she could give it another moment’s consideration, a bright smile spread across Josephine’s face and she flung her arms open as she moved towards Alexa. She pulled her into a tight embrace, holding onto her for far longer than what Alexa would have normally been comfortable with, but this felt natural, not at all forced or awkward as she would have expected.

  When Josephine finally released Alexa, she stepped back slightly and gave her a light peck on each cheek before saying, “Alexa, I am overjoyed to finally meet you. I, we,” she corrected glancing at Ethan with a smile, “have been waiting a very long time for you. I am Josephine, but you can call me Jo, or mama if you are comfortable with that.”

  Ethan cleared his throat and glared at his mother as Alexa coughed and stuttered trying to respond. “I, I, um, it’s very nice to meet you too,” she finally managed.

  “I am sorry if I have made you uncomfortable, you must forgive me. My sight sometimes gets me into trouble when I forget that others have not yet traveled the paths I have seen.”

  Alexa’s cheeks flushed slightly at the implication of Josephine’s words.

  “Oh my, look at me, being so rude and pouncing on you before you have even gotten through the door, please come inside.” Jo closed the doors and turned to her son. “Mi hijo, you know that I am happy to see you, as always and I know we have much to discuss but you will have to wait. So kindly hand over my beautiful granddaughter.”

  Ethan chuckled as he passed Chloe to his mother. Chloe practically jumped from his arms to get to her. Ethan watched his mother carefully, concerned that she might have a vision when she touched Chloe since she didn’t have a charm to block her yet. But several minutes passed, the two just staring, assessing and absorbing one another.

  Elijah stepped up behind his wife, surprising Alexa with his sudden appearance. She still hadn’t adjusted to the supernatural speed. “Dearest, how do you feel?” He said, the concern in his voice evident.

  “I am filled with a joy that is beyond words, but that is not what you are asking. There is no vision, I do not see anything of Chloe’s future now, even when I try to focus on it. Perhaps her future is still too uncertain to form in a vision. Or, it could be…” her voice trailed off as if she was suddenly lost in thought.

  “What is it, my love?” Elijah inquired.

  “She is very strong, I can feel it in her, it is possible that she shields her own future, though that should be impossible without the aid of magic.”

  “There is no way for us to know the bounds of her power yet, but we cannot take any chances,” he said as he pulled something from his pocket. He moved around behind Chloe and lifted the delicate silver chain up over her head and brought it together behind her neck to clasp it.

  Ethan looked at his father, a question in his eyes. Elijah responded aloud, “Barb made it right after they left my office. Said there was no point in waiting for the blood, she already knew Chloe was the one.”

  Alexa leaned around to get a better look at the necklace. She gently picked up the little four-point star the rested against Chloe’s chest. “What does it mean?”

  “It is the mark, your mark. The birthmark that identified my soulmate,” Ethan said smiling, no hint of the resentment that he once felt about the prophecy remained as he placed his hand against the small of her back.

  “This is what my birthmark looks like?” Alexa asked, having never actually seen it because of its placement and the thickness of her hair.

  “Well, I see everyone is acquainted now,” Barb said stepping out from a door a little way down the long hallway that led into the house. “Jo, I think it is high time you had a little chat with, Alexa, alone,” she said pointedly looking at Ethan.

  “I do not see why I should not stay with her. There is nothing mother need say that I should not hear,” Ethan responded through gritted teeth.

  “That’s not for you to decide, boy. You can take your things to your room and join me and your father in the kitchen and let these two
have a little, girl-time, or if you prefer I can stick you right where you stand for the rest of the night, and it will happen anyway,” Barb said standing up as tall as her short frame would allow.