Daughter of Destiny

by HC Playa

  Katarina grew quiet. She didn't want to end the banter, but she needed to know what happened to convince her father to abandon her for so many years. "I need the truth, Finn."

  He sat for a long minute pushing a piece of French toast around on his plate. "Your mother was a beautiful, vivacious woman. I didn't know it at the time and neither did she, but she had Mage blood in her. Eons ago a number of Mages intermarried with a species called the Dedanaan. That race died out, but some of their DNA remains in a handful of Mage lineages. It was that DNA which allowed her to get pregnant by me, which was not something I had ever considered as a possibility."

  "She was married, wasn't she?"

  Finn sat back and sneered. "Separated. The bastard lied to her. He couldn't keep it in his pants and let her think she was the reason she couldn’t get pregnant, but he knew he was sterile. I don't know what game he played with her, but I despise that human." Some of the sternness left his countenance as he continued his story. “I met Maureen on a cruise. She was wrestling with the idea of divorcing him. I liked what I saw and something in her drew me. I could certainly make her feel passion and joy for at least a time. I enjoyed our time together, but your mother had a fragility I found wearing. She was like a beautiful orchid, wonderful to enjoy, but a pain to take care of."

  Katarina couldn't fault him for his opinion. Her mother had been one of those high maintenance types, always seeking reassurance of affection and complaining when she felt she was being ignored. Yet no matter what anyone told her, she never believed them.

  "We both knew it was just an affair. Then she discovered what I was."

  "How did she find out?"

  "I was a damn fool." Finn cleared his throat. "One night we were, uh, you know."

  Katarina smirked. "Having sex?"

  Finn winced. "Yes." He squirmed in his chair before continuing. "Fae males are slightly different than human males. It is rare for us to actually ejaculate during intercourse. We reach an extremely pleasurable climax of course, but ejaculation itself is somewhat painful and only done to create life. Another side effect, per se, is the wrenching away of a portion of our life force."

  "Ouch."

  "Yes. Well, it didn't occur to me that a human woman could be compatible, even if she was fertile." He shrugged. "That sensation of attraction I couldn't ignore was compatible biology demanding we procreate. It occurs so rarely among the Fae anymore that I had no idea what I sensed." Finn glanced at Katarina's rounded belly. "For the Fae, the drive to mate can be an all-consuming need, most especially for females, when in the presence of a suitable mate. It isn't something humans understand."

  Katarina thought back to those first few days with Zane. They still shared an intense need for each other, but mind blowing need definitely described the initial attraction.

  "The energy required for a mating is immense, and even though I tried, I couldn't maintain my glamour."

  She examined a piece of bacon, debating if she should risk heartburn and eat a third piece. "Mom saw your eyes."

  "Yes."

  "I bet that was awkward. Let me guess, she turned into a hysterical, screaming woman?"

  "You have no idea. She struggled and fought, which made it worse for her, but I couldn’t have released her even if I wanted to."

  Katarina winced at that image and decided against eating another piece of bacon. The image her father painted killed the remainder of her appetite. "Why?"

  "I was hoping you wouldn’t ask."

  She waited.

  Finn sighed. "A human male’s sperm travels to the egg. We, however, contort and expand to completely fill the womb so that the sperm and egg are ensured to meet. It hastens the implantation process and the energy we imbue onto the fertilized egg draws forth some of the female's energy as well, like a magnet. It is not a short process, and she was human, not Fae. Our females are physiologically designed to allow us passage, whereas a human woman's body isn't."

  Katarina imagined the pain her mother felt and her stomach threatened to heave everything into her lap.

  "I had no choice but to force her submission at that point. Only then could I heal her and replace the pain with pleasure. At the end of it, I spent more energy than I had in centuries. I think the only thing that got your mother through the experience was the possibility of a child."

  "She wanted one that badly?"

  Finn shook his head. "Yes. Even one from me was preferable to none at all." Finn patted Katarina's hand. "Trust me, I more than made it up to her for the pain. I seriously doubt Patrick ever measured up after me." He frowned and cleared his throat. "I'm not sure this is appropriate for a father to discuss with his daughter."

  "Since when were the Fae concerned with propriety?" Katarina had to bite her cheek so she wouldn't grin at his discomfiture.

  He frowned and proceeded, ignoring her comment. "Our original agreement was she would rear you and I would visit and teach you how to use whatever power you inherited." Finn’s expression turned thunderous. "Then Patrick tracked her down and talked her into forgiving him. He didn’t care at first that she was pregnant with someone else’s child because she was happy and willing to forgive him. What he couldn’t stomach was that I’d be in their lives as a constant reminder." Finn looked away, but not before he could hide the regret which carved his face into taut lines.

  "You have to understand that I did things because it pleased me to do them, not because something was kind or not. I was the only Fae to sire offspring in several millennia, so I felt a duty the child know my world if it survived birth. When I showed up and Patrick informed me Maureen bore twins I was shocked. I agreed to his idea of taking only one of you before I ever saw you."

  Katarina’s heart raced in her chest at his words. Twins? She had a twin?

  Finn looked her in the eyes. "The moment I held you and your brother everything changed. Leaving you behind tore my heart in two, but a Fae’s word is binding. I can never go back on an oath. The only out I had was if you manifested Fae power and discovered your heritage, and even then I had to wait until you sought me out."

  Katarina blinked back tears. "That’s why they made me promise. Isn’t it?"

  Finn nodded. “Torin contemplated not telling me, but I sensed his fury and I had felt the flare of your fledgling powers. I expected you to show up any day, but he told me what Patrick and your mother made you swear.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I thank Fate you are not as rigidly bound by oaths as a full Fae."

  Katarina took a deep breath to cool the anger which boiled to the surface. Every time she thought she forgave Patrick, she learned more and hated him all the more. Instead of the past, she concentrated on what her father had revealed. "I have a brother?"

  Finn smiled. "Yes. He’s supposed to be at home. I told him about you right before I came here." Finn was quiet a moment. He raised his hand. "Will you let me in, Kat? I need to remove a binding spell."

  "A what?"

  He explained, "You are telepathically bound to both your brother and me, and to a lesser degree, Torin. I couldn’t leave that link open or you would never have been able to live happily in the human realm. Even with the spell, I know you and your brother maintained a sense of each other when you were small."

  Katarina covered her mouth as a dim fuzzy memory came into sharp focus. She recalled "talking" to her invisible brother up until she was about two and half, maybe three. One day her mother heard her babbling in her room and asked her who her imaginary friend was. Now she understood her mother’s fury and fear when she demanded Katarina never speak to the voice again, to block it out. She recalled her brother’s voice calling for her, but her mother's and father’s tempers were more real than a voice in her head. So, she ignored it until she no longer heard it at all and it became nothing more than a buried memory.

  "Kieran?" She couldn’t help that her voice came out in a squeak and her hand trembled.

  Finn nodded.

  Katarina allowed him to take her trembling hand and
she lowered her mental walls. He had to go deep, and it made her nervous letting anyone but Zane that far into her mind. She started to pull away.

  "Shh. I won’t hurt you. I promise, princess." She felt Finn’s humor and it dawned on her she really was a princess because Finn was a Fae prince. That thought distracted her long enough for him to remove the spell and he pulled back before he intruded on her thoughts.

  The sudden shadow of Finn and two more distant presences in her mind made her head swim. At first, she felt the urge to throw up walls, but as with Zane, no amount of walls erased their presence. She could control the information they received, but the faint shadows of their psyches remained in the recess of her mind. The connections felt less intimate than her bond to Zane, more distant, so it took little effort to filter sending emotions and thoughts did not travel the links unless she desired it.

  She shook her head. "I’ve been isolated for so long, and now I’ve got all of these people in my head."

  "It takes getting used to. Aside from you and Kieran, I’m the only other faerie to have a sibling. He’s much older than me though, so our link isn’t nearly as strong." Finn grew somber as he looked at her. "I understand that I cannot make up for the years I missed, but do know that I love you. Your mother was very wrong." He reached out and traced her cheekbone with his fingertips. "This faerie loves very much so."

  She grasped his hand and once again he moved with supernatural speed, standing and scooping her into an embrace faster than her eyes could follow.

  A moment later a voice snarled in Standard, "Get your hands off my wife!"

  Zane wrenched Finn away by the collar of his black silk shirt, letting go as Finn stumbled back. Katarina winced at the distinct sound of ripping seams and the solid thud as Finn slammed into the wall. Finn gaped for all of ten seconds before answering Zane's fury with his own. Katarina sighed. Men.

  Zane chambered a fist and Finn summoned energy to hurl at Zane, but Katarina intervened. She created a bubble of energy around Finn that would absorb his blast, at the same time Zane's fist glanced off the bubble.

  "Stop it, Zane. You’re being ridiculous. I wouldn’t have come all of this way to save you if I was having a torrid affair with another man."

  Zane lowered his fist, and mumbled an apology to him in Standard, but he continued to glare at him.

  "English, dear. He’s from Earth."

  "That’s okay, Kat," Finn said. "I understood him, and while appreciated, the apology is not really necessary. Any consort would act thusly," he replied, but his attention was focused on the energy shield around him. "Very interesting. Usually they're designed to repel the energy back at the occupant."

  "That's fine, if you want to hurt the person inside. I don't."

  Zane made an impatient sound. "Katarina, who is this man?"

  "My father."

  Zane’s face clouded in fury and he made another rush at Finn, only this time he bounced off the invisible wall. He shook his head to clear it. "Drop the shield, love. I’m going to kill the bastard."

  Katarina’s heart filled with love and exasperation. "Not that one. My biological father."

  "Like I said, I’m going to kill him."

  "No, you’re not."

  "He abandoned you to that asshole."

  "He had his reasons. Can you please calm down?"

  Just when she thought she might have to resort to dragging him across the room by his earlobe, Zane stepped back, exclaiming, "O mala omea. You’re a Danua."

  "A what?" Katarina said.

  "Indeed I am."

  Katarina closed her eyes as she went through the possible reasons why Zane would have any knowledge of the Fae, especially by a name that was suspiciously similar to an ancient Celtic goddess.

  She removed the energy shield as she said. "Let me guess. The Fae are actually an alien race that settled on Earth?"

  Finn grinned as he addressed Zane. "She inherited my I.Q. you know."

  Zane turned back to Katarina, utter astonishment on his face. "The Danua live on Earth? That’s where they disappeared to?!"

  Katarina shrugged. "Like I was supposed to know that?"

  Zane spun back toward Finn. "Why the hell did you leave her with that spineless woman?"

  Katarina went to Zane and put a restraining hand on his arm. "It’s all right, Zane. He’s explained everything." Silently she urged him to look in her mind and see their conversation. It was simpler than repeating everything.

  Zane held Katarina to him. He brushed her hair away from her face. "Sure you don't want me to beat him up for you?"

  "I'm sure," she said and patted his hand.

  "What does that vision mean?"

  She looked to her father and waited for him to answer.

  He sighed. "It appears you're to be the emissary between humanity and the Fae. A prophecy was made eons ago before our planet was split by war. 'The races shall divide and tear asunder that which once was whole. Wither and die they both shall suffer until two once more become one. The daughter of destiny shall tread the path of both.' In truth, most of us thought it was nonsense. The Dedanaan are long dead, but I suppose the human offspring which share their lineage are close enough."

  Katarina tilted her head as she mulled over the prophecy and the legends she knew of the Fae. "So we're coming full circle? The Fae destroyed their homeworld because they could not share it peacefully with their cousins. Now I get the job of teaching them to play nice with humans. Joy."

  Zane growled low in his throat. "I do not like this. It is said your kind destroyed a sun in your war. You erased more than a single planet. Other worlds and races paid the price for your war."

  Finn raised both his hands. "I don't disagree, but I wasn't even born then. Yes, I'm old, but I'm not that old. I don't like it either, but seeing as how the binding spell is removed, someone will have to play go-between."

  "Why can't her brother do the job?"

  "He cares less for humans than I do. Katarina is the only one capable of commanding the respect of humans and Fae alike."

  "What if we don't let her do it, at least not until the twins are born?" Zane asked Finn.

  Katarina shoved free of Zane's confining embrace. "Let?! LET?! Zane Ahmrain Gratig--"

  Finn took a step back. "How about I let you two--"

  "You stay put," Katarina interrupted as she shot out a hand, immobilizing Finn in his tracks.

  "I'm just trying to protect you, Katarina," Zane argued.

  "I'm not a glass doll. I'm also not a brainless nincompoop who needs the big strong males to make decisions for her."

  "Of course, you aren't brainless. I never said you were."

  Katarina counted five breaths before she spoke again. "Zane, I love you, but I need a partner, not a parent." She jerked a thumb at Finn. "That's what he's for. I won't be letting him rule my life either. If I have to be emissary then I will be the emissary and heaven help anyone who tries to fuck up my planet."

  Finn cleared his throat. Zane turned and snapped, "What?"

  "You really think there's someone else out there with her brains and that 'mess with me and mine and die' attitude?"

  "Point made."

  "Zane," Katarina growled his name.

  He raised his hands in surrender. "Remember that macho attitude problem I have? I blame it on that."

  Katarina covered her face with her hand and shook her head. "I suppose as long as you recognize you are overbearing, I'll forgive you for your lack of brains."

  Zane winced.

  "Ouch," Finn said.

  Katarina lowered her hand and pointed a finger at Finn. "We need to go to Fairy. I can't have the Fae popping up in the middle of an alien invasion and confusing matters."

  "Ah, so that's what broke the spell. That sounds like a good plan, but you'll have to release me and cease donating energy to your consort."

  She released him. She opened her mouth to deny his accusation but he shook his head.

  "I'm not a fool, iníon. I admir
e your strength, but I fear you overestimate yourself." His tone brooked no argument.

  "Love, what is he talking about?"

  Katarina bit her lip and debated how to answer, but her father beat her to the punch.

  "The only reason you have enough energy to stand without falling flat on your face is because Kat is giving you some of hers."

  Zane walked over and pulled Katarina into his embrace. He tilted her chin up and then brushed his thumb over her pale skin. "Thank you, rahmali o mi, but do as your father says. I’ll manage."

  "Do not worry daughter. I will heal him." He grinned. "After all, you are my daughter. He’ll need every ounce of energy to keep up with you." He laughed out loud when she sent him an image of her bashing him on the head.

  Katarina withdrew the stream of energy she fed into Zane. As soon as she did, Zane’s legs buckled. Finn flashed to his side and caught him under the arms.

  "Easy." He helped Zane into the chair Katarina conjured earlier. "Close your eyes and relax. I’ll heal your body so you can properly care for my daughter."

  Katarina rolled her eyes. "Oh, for heaven's sake! Did we not just have this discussion?"

  ***

  "What will I tell General Xu?" A man came in, following on Katarina's heels. Every ounce of his attention focused on Katarina. "Shouldn't you rest awhile longer?" The desperate edge in his voice was a sound Finn knew well. The Fae could have that effect on some people, arousing them to the point of obsession.

  Finn raised an eyebrow at the man and glanced at Zane to see if he noticed the problem. Zane glanced away and coughed behind a hand, but Finn saw the grin he attempted to hide. For Katarina's sake he figured it better Zane viewed the situation as humorous. In Zane's place, he did not think he could be so benevolent. Granted, Katarina seemed oblivious that her looks and pheromones turned the poor alien into a corked bottle of lust. She didn't pack as much punch as a full-blooded faerie, but judging by the man's aura, which swirled with desire and desperation, a trip to Fairy looked better and better, even though he hated going there.

  "I’m sorry Commander Vrion, but we dare not stay longer. We have more important things to do than to wait for General Xu to figure out how best to use me to his advantage. Besides, we both know I won't let Zane be arrested. My government agreed to grant him asylum, so IGC can't touch him," Katarina explained to the man.