Choices of Fate (Fate Series)

by Chavous, S. Simone

  “Is he alive?” Ethan cut in.

  “Yes, I can still feel him, but he was running, carrying Barb. She was gone.” She continued to cry, feeling Elijah’s grief along with her own at the loss of such a dear friend and all his loyal employees.

  Ethan dropped the phone at hearing his fear confirmed.

  Alexa was watching him helplessly with tears streaming down her face.

  Gathering himself, Ethan retrieved the phone. “Where is Cami?” he questioned cautiously, afraid of the answer.

  Josephine took a deep breath to calm herself. “She just left to meet with her unit in the city. They are going to take care of the clinic, to make sure there are no questions from the humans.”

  Just then Ethan’s phone beeped, the screen showing his father calling. “Father is calling me now, stay on the line,” he said tightly as he answered the call.

  Elijah did not wait for a greeting. “Son, you need to get back immediately. We were ambushed at the clinic, everyone is dead,” he paused choking back his grief, “Barb is dead, we are all exposed. I have called the High Commander, they are moving Chloe to the Elite compound. I must call your mother,” he said in one breath.

  “I have her on the other line, she had a vision, she already knows, but she needs to hear your voice. We will leave immediately for the compound, just let her know.”

  “Be safe, son,” Elijah said as Ethan ended the call.

  ✧

  Ethan pulled Alexa up off of the bed into his arms, hugging her tightly as she continued to cry. “We will be okay, just sit here, I will take care of everything,” he whispered, trying to convince himself as much as her. She nodded affirmatively, yet remained silent.

  Within moments he had called the rental company to arrange for their car to the airport and flight to the compound. When he made the original arrangements, he had paid for the crew from their flight down to remain on the island. At the time he had only been considering that Alexa might find it too difficult to stay away from Chloe the whole week.

  By the time the car arrived, Ethan had packed all of their bags and he and Alexa were waiting anxiously on the front patio.

  “Sorry to see you go so soon, sir, I hope you enjoyed our little island while you were here,” the driver said with his Bahamian accent as he took their bags and loaded them into the trunk.

  “We enjoyed it very much, but there has been a death in the family and we must go home,” he stated without emotion. Alexa had not said a word since he hung up with his father and he was determined to remain strong and in control for her. Saying there was a death in the family provided a reasonable explanation for her red, swollen eyes, and in truth, that is really what had happened. Barb had been a part of his life for as long as he could remember and he knew he would feel her loss deeply. He refused to think of it now, he had to take care of Alexa and Chloe, that was all that mattered. Once they were safe, he could grieve.

  Their car pulled up next to the jet and Ethan helped Alexa from the car as the driver loaded their bags onto the plane. A flight attendant came down the ladder as they approached it, but it was not Allie as they had expected.

  “Hi there, I’m Molly and I’m gonna be taking care of ya’ll on your flight today,” she said cheerfully with her thick southern accent.

  “Where is Allie?” Alexa questioned. Ethan smiled just hearing her voice again after such a long silence, but he was curious too since he had anticipated the same crew would be flying them home.

  “Oh, well, I don’t really know, I just got a call from the company a bit ago saying they needed me on a flight back to the states right away, so here I am,” she said completely unfazed.

  “Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Ethan said as they followed her onto the plane. At this point, he didn’t care who got them there, they just needed to get to their daughter.

  Within a few minutes they were seated with Alexa snuggled comfortably on Ethan’s lap, his arms wrapped around her as they taxied to the runway.

  “Would you like a blanket or some extra pillows?” Molly asked from a few feet behind Ethan.

  “I’m actually a little chilly, a blanket would be great,” Alexa tossed over her shoulder.

  She heard the front cabin door open and close, then a strange clicking sound behind her right ear as Ethan’s body tensed, then his arms fell limply away from her body. Alexa started to turn, but before her mind could even complete the thought she felt a small pinch in the side of her neck, and everything went black.

  ✧

  Ethan had picked up on the increase in the flight attendant’s heart beat when Alexa had said she wanted a blanket, but he didn’t really give it a second thought. She was human and didn’t pose a threat. At least that was what he thought until he felt the sharp pinch of the dart in his neck. The tranquilizer was extremely potent, rendering him unconscious before he could react, even with his preternatural reflexes.

  Molly had retrieved the gun from the front cabin when she got the blanket for Alexa. She hadn’t expected her opportunity to come so quickly and it was all she could do to keep from jumping up and down with excitement. She covered the weapon carefully with the soft beige fabric and walked towards the unsuspecting couple. She was nervous of course, knowing what he was, she only had one chance at this and if she failed death was the only thing that waited for her, whether it be by his hands or by her master’s.

  But if she succeeded, he was going to make her an immortal, his queen to rule by his side.

  That was what Lucias said when she had impressed him all those days ago. Instead of screaming with fear and fighting, or begging for her life as he tortured and fed on her, she had reacted as if it was pleasurable. Only pure fascination in her somewhat empty eyes as she took in his glowing irises and long inhuman fangs. This human female had intrigued him and might prove quite useful in his plans. Of course he had lied to her, one was either born a vampire or not, there was no way to turn a human. By the time she figured that out she would have served her purpose and could either accept it and stay on as his pet, or be killed.

  Everything was falling into place perfectly. Lucias’ spy had proved invaluable by not only confirming with absolute certainty that Chloe Ryan was the child from the prophecy, but also providing the location of her father, a much sought after prize. Unfortunately, he had been unable to track Chloe’s current location, the High Commander having moved her after the little incident at the clinic, but no matter, once he had her parents, it would only be a matter of time.

  Lucias’ phone vibrated on the desk in front of him. “Yes,” was all he said in greeting. He listened intently, a satisfied smile spreading across his flawless face. “Excellent, I will meet you there in two hours.”

  ✧

  The heavy blackness began to recede and Ethan could feel that he was moving. The last thing he remembered was sitting on the plane with Alexa, but he could no longer feel her warmth in front of him. He attempted to open his eyes, but the lids were so heavy they only fluttered before falling closed again.

  Alexa! He tried to call out her name, but had only managed to do so inside his own mind. The panic began to flood over him when he realized he could not feel her at all. Suddenly the motion he was feeling stopped.

  “Place him in room two, and bring the woman, Alexa, to me. I would like to have a little chat with her before we begin,” came from a voice that Ethan did not recognize. Relief washed over him hearing that his wife was alive.

  “Yes, Sire,” came the response from behind him. When they started to move again, Ethan realized he was lying flat, on some sort of gurney or stretcher which was hard and cold beneath his back. He struggled to remember what had happened. He recalled the new flight attendant and the change in her heart beat, then the click and the small pinch in his neck.

  She shot me with a tranquilizer. He realized.

  As much as he hoped there was some other explanation, he knew who was behind this.

  Lucias. He thought with disdain.
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br />   He didn’t know what the maniac had planned for them, but he could only pray that the High Commander got Chloe to the safety of the Elite compound. She would be shielded within those walls, the blocking spell having been reinforced by several witches over the years. Thinking of the spell was a painful reminder of Barb Instead of letting the sadness weaken him, Ethan used it to fuel his anger. Lucias was responsible for her death.

  I will kill him with my bare hands and if he so much as touches Alexa, I will do so very slowly. He thought feeling the sedative beginning to wear off.

  With effort, he opened his heavy eyelids and strained to look around as much as possible, still unable to lift his head or move any other part of his body.

  From what he could see, it looked like he was in an exam room in some sort of medical facility, which was further confirmed by the antiseptic smell that permeated the air.

  Just then, he felt a spike of panic that was not his own.

  ✧

  Alexa jolted up suddenly, feeling completely disoriented as she tried to look around but her vision was distorted by the contact lenses that were stuck to her eyes. She moved to lift her hands up to her face, but was stopped by the tethers around her wrists that were attached to the metal railings of the hospital gurney on which she sat.

  She blinked repeatedly, trying desperately to get her eyes to focus. When she was finally able to see, she looked down at herself, noting that she was wearing a rather thin robe. She felt ill thinking that some stranger had removed her clothes. Her eyes fell on her left hand and the IV that was taped to the back which gave her a sense of false relief.

  I’m in the hospital, was I in an accident? Where’s Ethan? She wondered, trying to remember what had happened. Her eyes followed the tube from her hand up to the hanging bag of fluid and she jumped at seeing the man standing there completely silent and still.

  She already knew he was a vampire and could feel the panic rising in her throat as her eyes filled with tears. Almost immediately she was hit with Ethan’s anger and frustration through their bond. She knew he was close, which both comforted and scared her.

  I hoped we would have more time, she thought as she closed her eyes and struggled to choke back her fear and sadness.

  Opening her eyes, she looked back to the strange man, then glanced at the tray beside him and the empty syringe laying there.

  “What did you give me?” she asked nodding towards the tray, doing everything in her power to keep the fear from her voice.

  The response came from behind her, instead of from the man she was watching.

  “Just a small shot of adrenaline to wake you, my dear. A rather potent sedative before that.” The sound of the cold, overly controlled voice sent a chill down her spine.

  When the owner of the voice stepped into view, Alexa couldn’t deny that he was extremely handsome with his neatly trimmed sandy blonde hair, high cheek bones and straight, even nose. He appeared sophisticated and polished in what was clearly a several thousand dollar suit, but there was a darkness surrounding him and bleeding into his green eyes that she would only ever describe as pure evil.

  “So you are the mother of the child, bride to the infamous Ethan Kellar,” he stated with certainty. “I must admit I expected something, more.”

  He placed his hand under her chin and forced her face up. Unwilling to show weakness, she met his gaze defiantly. “I cannot doubt the strength of your will, but everything else about you appears human. But for the small taste of your blood that I took, there would be no way of knowing you were truly vampire. How very odd,” he stated as he took a few steps back.

  Alexa felt the bile rising in her throat at the thought of him taking her blood.

  “Lucias,” she spat venomously.

  “Ah, my reputation precedes me,” he responded with amusement. “Well, I suppose that saves the trouble of an introduction.”

  “What do you want?” she asked cautiously.

  “You already know what I want, my dear. Your daughter, so tell me where she is and perhaps we can avoid any further, unpleasantness,” he stated.

  “I don’t know where she is, but even if I did, I would sooner die than tell you,” she stated with all the conviction she could muster as she stared at him.

  “As you wish,” he said and then moved across the short distance to her with amazing speed to hover directly above her as Alexa squeezed her eyes shut preparing for the attack that didn’t come.

  He leaned down running his finger down her neck over Ethan’s mark and between her breasts as he whispered, “I will have her, make no mistake about that. In fact, you should be proud, I intend to make her my queen. In my long life, I have never taken a bride, she will be the first and once we are bonded, she will help me rule this world,” he stated confidently.

  Alexa opened her eyes and looked up at him with disgust. “She is just a baby,” she said in disbelief, never before considering his vile intentions for her baby girl.

  “Not for long,” he said as he moved to the door. “I believe it is time you were reunited with your husband,” he tossed over his should with a wicked smirk.

  ✧

  A jolt of adrenaline passed through Ethan from the turmoil of Alexa’s emotions. He felt fear, disgust, worry, sadness, and then a small glimmer of relief. He used it to push up on his elbows, feeling a small amount of strength returning to his paralyzed body.

  He looked down to see the shackles around his wrists and ankles, binding him to the steel table on which he was lying. He didn’t have to try to realize he was far from having enough power to break free as he struggled just to stay up on his arms.

  As he prayed for a miracle to release him and get him to Alexa, the door off to his right swung open.

  “Wonderful, I see the tranquilizer is starting to wear off, excellent timing,” Lucias said as he stepped into the small room with one hand behind his back and followed closely by his son, Kaleb.

  “I was just speaking with your wife. She truly is lovely, every inch of her,” he said as he walked over to Ethan’s side, “and her blood, well, it tastes positively divine,” he husked as he licked his lips, hoping to incite Ethan’s anger.

  It worked, causing Ethan to roar loudly as he struggled against his chains, but even filled with pure rage, he could barely move the heavy metal.

  “If you touch her, I will rip your heart out,” he promised, glaring at Lucias.

  Lucias’ wicked laugh filled the room. “I very much doubt that, but rest assured, I have no intention of touching her, again at least,” he said with a smirk. “Now your daughter, that is another story entirely. As I have just shared with your new mate, I intend to touch her in every way possible.”

  Ethan’s eyes filled with red as the fury washed over him and he bucked against his restraints causing the table to bend slightly under the force.

  “The rumors of your strength were not exaggerated,” Lucias stated with wonder as he moved closer. “You will make an excellent addition to my forces.”

  With his last statement, Kaleb, who had been silently looking at the ground, looked up with confusion. “But father, I thought you-“

  “Silence!” Lucias bellowed as he pinned Kaleb with an icy stare. “I have already warned you about questioning me, Kaleb. Do not force me to repeat myself. I have in my possession one of the most powerful vampires in existence. I would be remiss in my duties as a leader to waste such a splendid weapon. He will become a captain in my army and he will lead us to the child.”

  “My apologies, Sire,” Kaleb stated and returned his gaze to the ground. It was then Ethan’s turn to laugh. “I will never help you, I would sooner die.”