Absolution of Fate (Fate Series Book 3)

by S. Simone Chavous

  After what seemed like forever to Alexa, Jared finally gave the signal, placing his hand on Cami’s right shoulder.

  “Did you hear that?” Cami asked, interrupting the guard’s explanation of the security protocols from his compound and looking off to the left away from her and Jared.

  “I didn’t hear anything,” the guard replied, taking a step towards Cami while focusing his preternatural hearing down the corridor.

  When the door to the containment unit slid open, the guard startled, and they all laughed a little as the exiting scientist shuffled away without acknowledging any of them, keeping his eyes focused intently on the notes he was making on his tablet.

  “I guess it was just my imagination,” Cami said, turning back towards the door to the containment unit as it slid closed. Her eyes darted around, looking for the telltale, though nearly imperceptible, shimmer of Martinez’s mist. With the guard being from another compound, he would never have seen Martinez’s ability so, even if he noticed the anomaly, it wouldn’t register as anything other than warm air moving around. When she found no sign of it, she knew her friends had made it through the door in time.

  “I think we’ve kept you from your duties long enough, soldier,” Cami said, taking Jared’s hand. “I’d love to hear more about those new security procedures later.”

  With that, she and Jared disappeared around the corner.

  ✧

  “Now we wait,” Cami said as soon as the soundproofing to her quarters engaged.

  “I’m starting to feel like this was a bad idea,” Jared said, running a hand through his already tousled locks. Cami’s eyes followed the motion. She loved the way it made his sandy hair looked like he’d just gotten out of bed. “No one will be entering that room for almost an hour. What if something goes wrong? I should have gone with them,” he continued, oblivious to her stare.

  “Dante and Martinez will protect Alexa. We have to trust that Chloe’s vision was correct,” Cami replied, pulling Jared down to the bed. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but now that I have you, now that I know what true love is like, I know their bond is strong enough to save my brother.”

  She took Jared’s face in her hands and stared into his eyes for several long seconds, the lust that had just started to simmer in hers giving way to something deeper. The love that flowed between them seemed to fill the surrounding air, blocking out everything else. Their lips drifted closer and closer, drawn to one another like magnets until they finally came together. The kiss was soft and sweet, full of nurturing and comfort.

  “There’s nothing we can do for now,” Cami whispered, drawing back slightly, her lips drifting over his as she spoke. “I don’t want to waste this time together.”

  The future was so uncertain. They both knew the world could be turned upside down at any moment; right now was the only time that was guaranteed.

  When their mouths met again, there was urgency and desperation in their kiss. It was as if they were both pouring everything they had to give, every hope, every fear, into that one act.

  Jared slipped his hands into Cami’s soft curls, tugging her head back slightly to gain full access to her mouth. He swept his deft tongue across her swollen lips, then took the lower one between his teeth and tugged. He released it and groaned when Cami’s fangs dropped from her gums, an undeniable indication of her desire. As if on cue, the scent of her arousal reached him and his own fangs lowered in response.

  In a flash of movement, Jared had her pinned beneath him on the bed, his fingers making quick work of the buckles and snaps of her weapons harness. In their short time together, he’d become an expert in removing the many layers of her soldier’s attire.

  Cami pushed up to aid him in slipping the black leather over her shoulders and off her arms. When he pushed the contraption aside and it slid off the bed, the loud clang of her swords hitting the floor didn’t faze either of them.

  Unlike Jared, Cami didn’t have the patience to undo all of the buttons holding his blue button-down shirt in place. She simple grabbed each side of his shirt and yanked, sending white buttons flying in all directions.

  Jared flashed a lopsided grin; her impatience thrilled him. She was the most passionate and uninhibited woman he’d ever known; something he would never have guessed when they first met. He continued to hover over her, just looking down, taking in her remarkable beauty despite the insistent throb in his strained jeans.

  Not in the mood to take it slowly, Cami grabbed Jared’s shoulder and had him on his back before he could protest. Once in control, her favorite place to be, she had the rest of their clothes on the floor before the next beat of their vampire hearts.

  As much as she wanted to feel him inside her, Cami couldn’t help but pause to take in the masculine beauty of the man she could now freely admit she loved. Her eyes drifted from his full lips turned up in that sexy grin he often wore, to the golden skin covering his pecs and chiseled abs. A shiver went through her when her gaze reached the light trail of dark blonde hair, most of which was covered by his thick length laying slightly to the side and almost reaching his navel.

  She licked her lips, considering how the soft, skin-covered hard steel would feel and taste in her mouth. Jared’s cock jumped, her thought flowing freely to him. She normally didn’t like for him to listen in on her thoughts, but the couple had quickly discovered it was an amazing ability to have when it came to making love.

  She glanced to up at Jared and he tilted his head, his expression asking “what are you waiting for?”

  Cami didn’t need any more encouragement. She slid back on the bed and grabbed the base of Jared’s cock in her hand. She put the head against her mouth, and then slowly smeared the drop of clear liquid rising from the tip over her lips. Jared growled low when she started to slide her lips over the head, moving achingly slowly towards the base as she flicked her tongue skillfully over the underside of his shaft. She took him in as far as she could, using her fist to cover the inches her lips couldn’t reach, before she moved back up, going just as slowly.

  Jared’s body was trembling with the need to move as Cami continued her delicious torture, stroke after unhurried stroke, until he didn’t think he could take anymore.

  “Fuck, Cami. Please,” he muttered grabbing her shoulders, wanting her to stop and to keep going at the same time.

  She finally released him with a triumphant smile. He started to rise, wanting to take control, but Cami planted a firm palm on his chest and pushed him back to the bed.

  “I didn’t say you could get up yet,” she said, sliding her hips forward, covering the length of his cock with her wetness before she reach between them and positioned his length at her opening. She hovered there, moving up and down so slightly, testing him, teasing him, until he grabbed her hips and forced her down, filling her in one motion.

  Cami cried out as he stretched her to the limit, at the razor’s edge of pain and pleasure. He kept his grip tight on her hips and rocked her back and forth, knowing from her thoughts how much she loved the way his length pushed against her most sensitive of places when he was buried so deep. He released one of her hips and used his thumb to rub her swollen clit as she took over rocking against him.

  The warm fire of her orgasm flooded over her and she instinctually turned her head and sunk her fangs into Jared’s wrist, unable to resist the extra burst his blood would give her climax.

  Jared moaned as her teeth pierced his skin and the walls of her pussy clenched around his hardness and moisture dripped down the base and onto his heavy sac.

  Without waiting for her orgasm to end, Jared pulled his wrist away from her mouth and flipped Cami to her back. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and inhaled as he thrust hard. His mouth felt full with his fully extended fangs as her sweet essence called to him. Cami pulled his head closer, urging him on, wanting to feel the delicious sting of his bite as much as he wanted to taste her blood. When he struck, she immediately cried out his name as another orga
sm claimed her. With her blood sliding down his throat, his release was quick to follow, his cock throbbing in sync with her pulse against his lips.

  When the last wave of his climax had passed, Jared released Cami’s neck and slid his tongue over the two punctures to speed the healing. She followed suit, pulling his wrist to her mouth as he collapsed on the bed beside her.

  Jared pulled her into his arms and she nestled her ass against him, his cock still hard against her as he kissed the back of her neck.

  “I love you, Camille,” he whispered against her ear. She normally hated being called that, which is why no one ever did, but that somehow made it special when Jared used her full name.

  “I love you, too,” she replied with a sigh as she started to move away.

  “Please don’t get up yet,” Jared pleaded.

  “Five minutes,” she conceded, knowing all hell was about to break loose on the compound whether she stayed or went. Even if everything went exactly as they hoped and Ethan was cured, there would likely be consequences for her and the other soldiers who’d disobeyed the Commander, a fact she conveniently neglected to share with Jared. Martinez was the only one who could have snuck past the guard; Claesson would know that, so she and Dante had devised a plan to exonerate him, but that would implicate Dante. Jasmine’s role was far enough removed that she didn’t have to worry, but Claesson was ancient and smart; he would figure out they had more help. A quick review of the security footage would point to Cami and if it didn’t, there was the chance Rachel would be pissed off enough to turn her in.

  As if on cue, a soft groan came from the bathroom, letting them know their time was up.

  “She is going to be so pissed,” Jared said before placing one last kiss on Cami’s cheek and quickly dressing.

  “Yeah, I’m guessing Martinez is going to have some choice words for us as well,” Cami replied, following suit.

  CHAPTER 5 - Saving Ethan

  Alexa took a deep breath, trying to slow the pounding of her heart as she leaned against Dante just inside the door to the containment unit. But the spike in her anxiety wasn’t due to her fear. It was Ethan. Her body was responding to their bond and it was clear to her that he felt her closeness as strongly as she felt his. She wondered what he must be thinking. Did he feel her and believe she was alive, or did his mind, altered by the virus, make him believe it was something more sinister, perhaps even a trick perpetrated by his evil master?

  “Are you all right?” Dante asked with concern, as his well-trained eyes scanned the area around them. There was one security camera covering the corridor they were in, and two in the room where Ethan and Layla were being held. They could easily avoid the first by remaining within Martinez’s mist until they entered the other room. Once inside, Dante would have to work quickly to disable the other two; one was pointed directly at Ethan, and the other covered Layla’s cell and the lab where the scientists worked with the samples they took from Layla and Ethan. The point of taking out the cameras wasn’t to cover their tracks, as it was inevitable that at least some of them would be caught, but to buy them time for Alexa to get to Ethan. The security feeds around the compound were constantly monitored; if they were seen in the restricted area, a full-scale lockdown could be initiated, making it impossible to open Ethan’s cell.

  “Yes, it’s just Ethan; there’s so much pain, I, I don’t know how to describe how it feels,” she said breathlessly gripping her chest.

  “Alexa, you have to try to block him,” Dante said, his brows furrowed with worry as Alexa shook in his arms.

  Alexa took another deep breath and focused on Ethan and the invisible link between them, carefully pushing her mental shields against it without blocking the tie entirely because she feared what that would do to Ethan.

  Dante immediately felt the change in her and loosened his hold. He steered Martinez, who was so deeply focused on maintaining the veil around them that he was completely oblivious to the conversation occurring right beside him, to the door. With the mist blocking the camera’s view of the keypad, Dante entered the code that opened the door and they slipped inside.

  ✧

  Ethan’s eyes snapped open and he scanned the empty room outside his cell. He knew there was only Layla there with him in the next cell, though he couldn’t see her due to the wall that separated them. He gripped at his chest, trying to ease the ache that had overtaken him. It felt as if his heart was being tugged against his ribs. The beast within him grew restless and he could feel it pacing on the edge of his consciousness.

  For the first time since he arrived, Ethan stood and moved towards the edge of his cage for something other than blood. He didn’t understand why, but he needed to get up. The thick plexi-glass of his cell blocked all sounds and smells, but something was coming; he could feel it. A darkness covered his mind when he realized it was the blood bond. So it was as he had suspected all along. Lucias had been using the bond to torment him and he was certain his master was near. Perhaps he and his army of infected had invaded the compound and he was coming to retrieve his prized weapon.

  While Ethan began to slip into despair as the last sliver of hope he had left faded away, his beast began to rise, eager to be unleashed by its master.

  The red glow of his eyes reflected back at him from the glass, growing brighter and brighter until the door outside slid open.

  Both parts of him waited anxiously, Ethan and his beast; one hungry for a fight, the other ready to give up. But no one appeared and the door closed again. As quickly as it rose, the pull from the bond lessened and Ethan began to calm. Was he losing what was left of his mind?

  ✧

  Alexa couldn’t breathe. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she stared at the man she loved, seeing him for what felt like the very first time. To the man beside her, Ethan looked like some kind of demonic monster with his red eyes glowing bright, reflecting off of the glass before him and casting a red haze over his face, but she felt a peace she had not known since Eleuthera.

  She started to move towards him, but Dante grabbed her; holding on tight as she fought against him.

  “Alexa, wait! I have to get to the camera. If you step out there now, we’ll be discovered and you won’t have time to save him,” he said aloud and into her mind for emphasis as he channeled her telepathy.

  “I’m sorry,” Alexa began, never taking her eyes off of Ethan. The glow in his eyes was fading and he turned away from her. “Please hurry, Dante.”

  In a flash, they were beneath the first camera where Dante made quick work of inserting the looping program he’d convinced Jester was needed for a recon mission in the city. Per Jester’s instructions, it would need twenty seconds to record the feed to loop. In the meantime, Dante moved them to camera on the other side of the room and repeated the process.

  “This is the longest twenty seconds of my life,” Alexa stated, eager to finally reveal herself to Ethan.

  Dante looked at the watch he’d strapped on specifically for this mission as the last few seconds ticked away. It was all he could do to keep his eyes on the digital screen. He’d vowed to not as much as look at Layla until he had Alexa safely in the room and Martinez could keep an eye on her and Ethan. Of course, he couldn’t admit it to Cami, but she had been right to worry about him. He didn’t exactly know what he was going to do when he finally saw Layla, but he was fairly certain, based on the scenarios that had been running through his head, that Cami wouldn’t like it.

  ✧

  Ethan moved, intent on returning to his solitary space on the cold floor and the silent torture of his own mind until a flash of movement caught his eye.

  He turned towards the source of motion, immediately falling to his knees as he took in Alexa’s beautiful form standing a few short feet away.

  I’m dreaming. He thought, never blinking or taking his eyes from her face. But he didn’t recall allowing himself to sleep. Since becoming infected, he’d needed very little sleep and avoided it as much as possible because
when he did dream, it was always the same nightmare. It was never anything as beautiful as what was before his eyes now. Perhaps, over the weeks, his memory of her had faded. Standing on the outside of his cell, she looked different somehow; more beautiful than he remembered if that was even possible.