Destiny Revealed

by Bailey, Nicole

  I pictured Gia’s face clearly in my mind and searched for her. It was like I was zooming in on Google Earth. I saw Pinetop, then narrowed in on an apartment complex, but couldn’t see the name of it. I zoomed in more and ended up in an apartment again. The walls were a pale gray, there was a black sofa, a coffee table that was pushed out of the way, and Gia sitting on the floor. She was in her own circle, her eyes closed, candles around her, a bowl in front of her with dark liquid and what looked like fur floating in it. Her eyes flew open and she looked straight at me. “It is time,” she said wildly. “He will be mine.”

  I opened my eyes, startled, and Nat was shaking me. “What happened? What did you see? You were screaming,” she said with wide eyes.

  Nick was pacing outside the circle in human form now. “Crap!” I breathed out.

  “What is it, Sofia?” Nick practically yelled. He was doing a good job of holding himself back. I had chastised him enough times about disrupting a circle.

  “I saw her. It was the weirdest thing. I was like zooming in on where she was. I kept getting closer. She’s in Pinetop for sure. I couldn’t see the name of the complex, but I saw the inside of the apartment. Nat, she was sitting in a circle with a bowl in front of her.” I was shaking now and breathing rapidly.

  “Calm down, you’re starting to hyperventilate. What exactly was she doing?” she asked.

  I took a deep breath and told her, “I’m pretty sure… I mean I think she…”

  “What is it already?” Nick asked anxiously.

  “It looked like a bowl of blood in front of her. There was something floating in it.”

  Nat sucked in a breath, “Blood magic.”

  “What is that?! Will someone tell me what the frick is going on?” Nick was right behind me now, just outside the circle.

  I ignored his question and continued talking to Nat. “I’m almost one hundred percent sure it was fur floating in the blood.”

  “Ah crap!” Jack spoke for the first time. “That’s not good.”

  “Really not good,” Nat agreed.

  I could see that Nick was about to break the circle, so I quickly said, “It is done,” and scraped away an opening with my athame.

  He was crouched down to my level and I practically fell into his arms. “Will you please tell me now what the hell this all means?” I could hear the frustration in his voice.

  “It means she is casting powerful, dark magic, and she has…”

  “She has what?” I could hear the nervousness in his voice.

  “She has your fur,” I finished.

  “Ah damn,” he whispered.

  “She must have gotten it out here at some point. She has to have been watching you to know your color and where you run.” I let go of Nick and turned to Nat. “Crap, Nat, she’s gonna do it. She’s gonna take him away from me,” I cried.

  She held me silently for a few minutes before speaking. Nick was up and pacing again, mumbling swear words in Italian under his breath. “No, Sof. We absolutely will not let that happen. We can get the entire coven together if necessary. We will find a way to block her and protect Nick.”

  I couldn’t speak. I was still crying softly while Nat rocked me gently. Jack stood and cleaned everything up for me. Nick had stopped pacing and was standing there unsure what he should do. Nat helped me stand, called him over and handed me off to him.

  I couldn’t even walk. I was too upset so Nick carried me back to our place, Nat and Jack following behind. I wasn’t speaking, and as we got to our door, Nick asked Nat, “What can I do for her? Is she going catatonic on me?”

  “Just hold her. All night if you have to. I’m going to call my maman right now and tell her what happened. She’ll know what to do about Gia. I’ll call you first thing in the morning.” He nodded and pushed the door open with his foot. Nat pulled it closed behind us and Nick carried me to the bedroom.

  He put me on the bed, kicked his shoes off and lay down next to me. I still wouldn’t speak. My mind was on overdrive, replaying every detail of the vision. I realized I needed to put my plan in to action. The one that made me sick to my stomach. But I was willing to do anything it took to keep Nick away from Gia.

  Nick had his arms wrapped around me, my head resting on his warm chest. I stopped crying at some point and let the beat of his heart lull me to sleep. I had to act quickly before he could stop me. Gia’s spell would be strong. Blood magic was powerful and I didn’t know what she was planning. And now that she knew I had seen her, I was worried it would be something that made him walk out on me right now in the middle of the night.

  I forced myself to dream of Ky. I focused my energy on his face. A face I knew from the time we were babies. As angry as I was with him, it really did make my heart hurt that we were no longer friends. I really had meant it when I told him I loved him. It just wasn’t romantic love. But I had to put that aside now and become the best actress possible if this was going to work.

  I found him lying on his back in a bed, staring at a gray ceiling. I could tell it was the same place Gia was and knew I would have to act fast if I didn’t want her to find out what was going on in the next room.

  He must have been thinking about me because it was almost too easy to reach him. I sat down on the bed next to him. He sat up as he realized who it was. “Sofia, amore mio,” he said. I almost threw up when he called me his “love”. “What are you doing here?”

  Time to act. “I’ve missed you Ky. You were right.”

  “Right about what?”

  “Us. You and me.” Before I could say anything more, he was kissing me. Now I really felt like I would puke. Hold it together. Think of Nick, I told myself. I let him kiss me for way longer than I should have, but I needed to be convincing.

  He finally pulled back and looked into my eyes. “Have you really changed your mind?” he whispered. It genuinely made me sad. I saw the love in his eyes and it broke my heart even more. “Gia’s spell must have worked.”

  “Nick is still here with me, if that’s what you mean. He hasn’t left, but I’ve been thinking about you.” Oh barf, I don’t know if I can do this. “But if I’m going to leave him, I need to know where you are. I have to come to you before he finds out.” I could hear Nick stirring in our bed and I tried to ignore him. I needed to stay focused or I would lose the dream.

  “We should meet somewhere. Gia will be mad if I tell you where we are.”

  “What does it matter if I know? I’m already planning to leave him. She can have him. I realized after your last visit how much I missed you. You’ve always been in my life and I don’t want to lose you forever.” I could feel Nick shaking me, trying to wake me up. I concentrated harder.

  “I’m in Pinetop. Woodcrest Apartments. Number two twelve. How soon can you get here?”

  “I’ll have to wait until he’s out running tomorrow night. I have to go now, I can feel him waking up.” Ky grabbed my face and kissed me even more fiercely than before. I pulled away and promised, “Tomorrow night” before waking from the dream.

  “Damn it, Sofia, wake up,” Nick was shouting.

  I opened my eyes and immediately ran to the bathroom where I threw up in the toilet until my stomach was completely empty.

  Nick followed me in there and held my hair off my face and rubbed my back. I leaned back against the wall and he handed me a towel to wipe my mouth. I stood up and brushed my teeth while Nick sat on the edge of the tub silently. I saw his face in the mirror and knew I was about to be yelled at—again.

  “Are you going to tell me what the hell that was all about?” I had only seen him look this angry when he was facing Ky.

  I walked back into the room and sat down on the end of the bed. “Please don’t yell. I can explain,” I started.

  “That better not have been what I think it was,” he fumed.

  “Um… well, what do you think it was?” I asked without looking at him. I couldn’t look him in the eye after I had just been kissing Ky.

  “You to
ld Ky you were leaving me,” he said flatly. “Please tell me it was a lie.” It came out in barely a whisper.

  I looked up at his beautiful face and saw his anger turn to grief. “Oh my gosh, Nick, how could you ever think that?” I pulled him to me and held on as tightly as I could. His arms went around me and squeezed back.

  “Then tell me what that was.”

  I didn’t want to look at him when I said it so I kept holding on to him, my face in his chest. “I visited Ky. Like he did with me. I got him to tell me where he is.”

  “By telling him you were leaving me? He actually believed you after everything you’ve said to him?” I kept quiet. I didn’t want to confess anything further. He pulled me away from him and made me look at him. “Sofia, answer the question.”

  I couldn’t help the tears that escaped when I answered. “I had to convince him.”

  “And how exactly did you do that?” I could see the anger returning. His chest started to rumble and I remembered that it was still the full moon. I was suddenly afraid of him. Not that he would hurt me, but that he was going to blow up and start destroying the apartment.

  “Promise me you won’t go ballistic,” I pleaded as I lightly touched his arm. His face softened slightly, so I hurried to tell him before the anger came back. “I let him kiss me.” I couldn’t even finish because he was off the bed, growling. He grabbed the first thing he saw, a half empty water glass on the dresser, and threw it at the wall. I cringed and he looked down at me.

  “Continue,” he growled.

  “I had to, Nick. It was the only way to convince him. He grabbed me as soon as I showed up. I told him I missed him and was ready to leave you.”

  “I heard all of that. How many times?”

  “How many times what?” I played dumb.

  “How many times, Sofia?” he practically shouted.

  “Two!” I yelled. “It was two times. Nothing more. He told me their complex in Pinetop and his apartment number. He thinks I’m coming tomorrow night,” I rushed to finish. His phone was on the dresser next to him and he threw it against the wall, shattering it. “Nico Bartolini,” I yelled. “I bind you from doing harm to others or yourself.”

  I stood up and grabbed his arm hard. He practically collapsed on the bed. His shoulders started to shake and I realized he was crying. I sat down next to him and wrapped my arms around him and held him for a few silent minutes.

  When he finally looked up at me he looked defeated. I had to reassure him. I had to let him know that there could never be anyone but him, so I kissed him hard and pushed him down on the bed. He had my shift off within seconds and I showed him just how much I loved him.

  ~Chapter Seventeen~

  Afterward, I lay there with my head on his bare chest. “Is that why you threw up?” he asked.

  “Oh, Nick, it was so awful. I can’t believe I managed to hold it in as long as I did.” He ran his fingers through my hair and sighed deeply. I looked up at him and whispered, “I’m so so sorry, Nick. I had to do it. You didn’t see Gia’s face tonight. She told me it was time. She’s going to take you from me.” I started to cry.

  “Shh, no more tears, Bella Mia.” He wiped my tears away with his thumbs. “She will never have me. There is no spell on this earth strong enough to take me away from you.”

  “Nick, you don’t understand blood magic. And she had your fur!” I was starting to get hysterical.

  “Sofia, look at me,” he held my face gently. “I know. There is nothing she can do. I don’t need to be a witch or know anything about magic to know that there is no way whatsoever to break this bond we have. We were pulled together for a purpose. And not just to bring our people together again, but because of love. There is no force on this earth more powerful than our love.”

  In that moment, I absolutely believed him. He was so calm, so serious. I knew he was right. It didn’t matter what Gia did. It wasn’t going to work. I nodded and he kissed me gently. “Now, you must be exhausted. Between the scrying spell and the other thing, not to mention you spelled me.” He chuckled at the memory.

  “Sorry about that. I know I told you I would never use magic on you like that, but you were out of control. I was afraid you would do something really bad. I mean, look at your poor phone. It never did anything to you.”

  He looked over in the corner at his phone lying there with its cracked screen. “Wow, I really did a number on it, didn’t I?”

  “And you are absolutely going to clean up that broken glass.”

  “Yeah, my bad. I would blame it on the full moon, but I probably would’ve done it anyway,” he smiled. I relaxed back into him, and as he played with my hair, I let the sound of his heart lull me to sleep for the second time that night.

  Way too early the next morning, my phone rang. I felt Nick lean over me and answer it. “Hey, Nat,” he said. “Yeah, she’s doing much better. Rough night, but she knows where they are now.” He paused while Nat spoke. “Not important and I don’t want to get into it. The good thing is that she knows the exact apartment. He’s expecting her tonight. What did your maman say?” I could hear her voice on the other end, but not exactly what she was saying. “Okay, sounds good. I’m going to let her sleep as long as she wants. Last night was hell for her. Talk to you later.” He ended the call and put the phone on the nightstand next to his side of the bed.

  “What’d she say?” I mumbled without opening my eyes.

  “Sorry, Bella. I didn’t mean to wake you. Go back to sleep.”

  “K. But tell me first.”

  “Well, your parents, hers, and Jack’s are all getting together to find a way to stop Gia. They are contacting Rosetta to get her involved as well. They hope to bind her magic, at least temporarily until they can get her on a plane back to Europe. They don’t think dirtbag will be able to do anything on his own, so they are trying to decide if he needs to be punished at all.”

  “Mmm ‘kay,” I mumbled into my pillow. “What about his parents? They aren’t going to help?”

  “They don’t want to get involved. They aren’t supporting him, but he’s their son.”

  I sat up on my elbows, “They don’t think trying to kill you was bad enough to deserve some sort of punishment? I mean, I know they aren’t exactly thrilled that I’m with you instead of him, but still.”

  “Don’t worry about it right now. You really need to get some sleep. It’s still so early. Close your eyes and rest.”

  I lay back down, but mumbled, “Don’t leave me, k? Stay right here next to me.”

  “Always,” he whispered as he snuggled in next to me.

  It was almost noon before I finally woke up and Nick wasn’t in the bed anymore. I called out for him, worried he might have left. “I’m here, Bella Mia,” he said, rushing in to the room and sitting down on the bed beside me. “I had to call Babbo to tell him I wasn’t coming in today and didn’t want to wake you. I promise I haven’t left the apartment.”

  “Have you talked to anyone else?” I asked as I got up to get in the shower. He followed me in the bathroom and sat on the counter to talk to me as I showered.

  “Your mamma called to check on you. She’s really worried about you and your state of mind. You need to call her.”

  “Did she say anything more about them getting together?” I asked.

  “They can’t all get together until tonight. And they want the location.”

  I finished and Nick handed me a towel. “I’ll call Mamma now and give it to her. I want them to do a protection spell on you again.”

  “I thought you agreed that she couldn’t do anything to me?” he asked as he sat on the bed.

  “I know, but still. For my peace of mind, just do this for me,” I said as I got dressed. He nodded. “Where’s my phone?” He reached in his back pocket and handed it to me.

  “I should probably get a new one at some point. Do you think you can leave the apartment today, or do you want to stay in?”

  “I’ll be fine. I need to put my big
girl panties on and stop being so pathetic. We can go get you a phone after I call Mamma and eat something,” I smiled.

  “You are not acting pathetic. We’ve had to deal with a lot of crap the last couple months. It’s getting to me too. You are one of the strongest people I know, but sometimes there’s only so much a person can handle before they break,” he assured me. There was a knock at the front door and Nick got up to answer while I dialed Mamma’s number.

  She picked up on the first ring, “Oh, Piccola, are you okay? Nathalie told me everything.”

  “I’m okay now, Mamma. Nick is confident that her magic won’t be able to break through our bond. But will you do a protection spell on him tonight? Just to be safe?”

  “Of course. We have talked to Rosetta and she will be there too. She doesn’t understand what has happened to Gia. Babbo will be home by eight, so we are meeting at our house and going to the altar in the woods.”

  “Okay, Nick and I will be there. Should I have my whole circle there too?”

  “No, ours will be strong enough. We will bind her magic and keep her from leaving until Rosetta can drive to Pinetop in the morning and pick her up. She is taking her back to Italy herself,” she assured me.

  “What then? I mean, do you really think she’ll just give up? Stay in Italy, leave Nick alone? She really thinks that she can have his baby,” I sighed.

  “You do not worry about this right now, Piccola. We will take care of it.”

  “And what about Ky? You guys never did anything about him after he tried to kill Nick. Doesn’t he deserve some sort of punishment?” I asked.

  “We did nothing before because Enzo would not allow it. He told us that Kajetan would never mean to kill Nico, and Angelo and Carlo were only there to support him.”

  “That is such a bunch of crap!” I yelled. Nick walked in from the living room to check on me. “I’m fine,” I told him. “They were all there to hurt us. Mamma, they were throwing spells at me!”

  “I know, Sofia. We will do something this time. Enzo will not have a say over all of us. I am leader here in America, so I will take care of it. You are my baby and you will be happy. Now, go be with Nico and we will see you tonight,” she finished.