Before Nick could catch his breath after his little tirade, Michael was off his feet and slammed Nick into the wall. The air was knocked out of Nick’s body from the impact and Michael had his forearm pressed against Nick’s throat.
“Guys, stop it!” Kimberly yelled out as I jumped off the bed to try and break them up.
“You just stay out of this! I don’t want to hear a word out of you. Especially considering what you have going on with Isaac,” Michael hollered at Kimberly and pointed a finger at her in anger.
“What are you talking about? I don’t have anything going on with Isaac,” Kimberly insisted.
“Sure you don’t. Bullshit! You didn’t know? Thanks to your little healing trick, you two now have some little telepathic connection going on,” Michael explained with a growl, and I watched the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
“Michael, you need to calm down. It’s not her fault they have that weird connection now. It happened because she saved him. You need to stop taking the anger you have for your grandpa out on us. We didn’t do anything wrong, and neither did Josh or Isaac.” Nick’s tone was firm but soothing. But Michael seemed too far gone at the moment. All the anger and resentment he seemed to have toward his grandfather that had been simmering under the surface had finally erupted.
“Shut the fuck up! Do you think this was easy for me?” Michael asked as tears streamed down his cheeks. “Do you? I love Isaac with every fiber of my being! I want him here by my side! But unlike you, you selfish son of a bitch, I did what I needed to do! So fuck you! And don’t ever talk about my grandfather again!” Michael yelled in Nick’s face before he brought up his free hand to punch the wall, right beside Nick’s head.
“Do you really want to go there?” Nick asked and shoved his palms into Michael’s chest, knocking him backward. “Do you really want to go against me?”
“Stop it!” I yelled as I stupidly tried to get in the middle of their fight.
“Courtney, back the fuck off!” Nick growled and turned his stony stare back to Michael.
Kimberly ran over to me and pulled me back to the bed. “Let them do this. This needs to happen.”
“I can’t see them hurt each other. They’ll regret this more than anything else,” I cried out.
“Maybe. Maybe not. But you getting in the way won’t help. You’ll only get hurt in the process,” Kimberly said and squeezed my hand.
“Are you seriously wanting to fight me? Because I did something that could save Josh’s life?” Michael asked Nick in exasperation.
I watched as two of my best friends squared off in the middle of the hotel room. Both were breathing heavy. Both had tear tracks staining their cheeks—though I didn’t think Nick was aware of his—and both had pure fury burning in their eyes.
“You should have talked with me about it first! Josh is to me what Isaac is to you. I love him with every breath in my body. So how do you think it made me feel?” Nick asked in anguish as he pressed his hand to his chest. “Better yet, how do you think that made them feel?”
“I’m sure once they understand why I did what I did, that they‘ll be fine,” Michael ground out through his gritted teeth.
“Keep grasping at bullshit answers, Michael! You are seriously being a selfish asshole right now!”
“It’s not bullshit and you know it!”
“Oh, really? Because from where I’m standing, I’m sure they most definitely won’t understand. The group can’t be split up, you dumbass! Once it’s formed we have to stay together! Did you forget that little tidbit from your grandmother’s fucking journal? Because I sure as hell remember! You put them in more danger by having them leave than by keeping them with us! Or did you stop to remember that when you were having your fucking pity party over your asshole grandfather?” Nick yelled and ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration.
“Isaac almost died because of us, Nick! He fucking mutilated himself for us. He will never be able to fly again. Because he was saving us. Watching him lay there lifeless like that was the most painful thing I have ever experienced. I couldn’t handle it if I lost him, Nick. I love him so damn much, just the thought of him dying makes me sick. I’ve already lost my family. I can’t lose him too. Sending him away was the best thing I could do. For me and for him,” Michael said, his voice full of turmoil.
Nick sighed and walked closer to Michael and rested his hands on Michael’s shoulders. “I know what you’re going through, because I feel the same way you do. We have all lost something here. Just like your grandfather said. Our families, friends, and everything else we knew cease to exist now. We are literally all each other have. But, Michael, you cannot make decisions like that without consulting us first. Everything we do affects each other now.”
Michael nodded his head and let out a loud sniffle. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You warned me about calling Everett, and I should have listened to you.”
“Damn right, you should have. Why did you want to call him, anyway? I know he’s your grandfather, but he’s an asshole.”
Michael closed his eyes, and when he opened them up I saw the pain reflected in them. “Because he was the only member of my family who knew and understood what I was going through, and I was hoping to keep that connection.”
“Michael, I know that’s how you feel, but that just is not true,” Kimberly argued from where she was sitting beside me.
Michael sniffed again and looked over at her. “Yes, it is. You heard what he said. We can’t see or talk to anyone in our families ever again.”
“Maybe so, but we are your family,” Kimberly said with a gesture to all of us. “And, hell, Nick is even blood related to you. Those two frustratingly annoying Fae who love each of your equally frustratingly annoying asses, are your family. And we all understand what you’re going through, because we are going through it, too.”
“Exactly what Kimmie said. We are here for you just as much as you are here for us. Just like Josh and Isaac were, too,” I added.
Michael nodded. “Until I stupidly sent them away.”
Nick sighed and removed his hands that were still on Michael’s shoulders. “Well, hopefully they didn’t go too far and we can catch up with them.”
Before Michael could answer Nick, the door to the hotel room opened and a voice cut him off. “That won’t be necessary. We never left.”
Nick made a beeline over to Josh and pulled him into his arms. And not giving a care who was in the room, he planted a kiss on him that could have set the entire building into a blazing inferno.
“By the way, I heard you tell Michael that you love me. No take backs,” Josh said against Nick’s mouth and sighed in contentment.
“How did you hear that?” Nick asked.
“We’ve been standing in the hallway the entire time, waiting for Michael to get his head out of his ass,” Isaac answered and glared at Michael.
“So you heard everything?” Michael asked, his eyes wide.
“Every last word. And do you know how hard it was to hold Isaac back the minute he heard someone get slammed into the wall? Not easy at all,” Josh said with an eye roll.
“I was the one who got slammed into a wall and not in a good way, either,” Nick informed Josh.
“You slammed him into the wall?” Josh asked and shot a death glare at Michael.
“I was pissed,” Michael said sheepishly with a shrug.
Josh narrowed his eyes at Michael. “Don’t ever do that again,” Josh warned him in a voice that I’d never heard him use before.
Michael’s eyes widened as he nodded his head. “I won’t. I promise.”
Isaac said, “And for the record, I do understand why you said what you did, but Josh and I have already discussed this. And the fact of the matter is, I love you, Michael, and I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me for however long you’ll have me.”
Kimberly and I watched as Michael swiped furiously at his eyes and marched over to Isaac to pull him into his arms. The k
iss he planted on Isaac’s lips could have easily rivaled the one Nick gave Josh.
“And you, my sexy alpha man. I’m pissed you didn’t tell me you loved me first before saying it to someone else,” Josh said with a pout, and then pressed his fingers to Nick’s lips when Nick opened his mouth to speak. “But I’m in agreement with Isaac. This, as Kimberly puts it, frustratingly annoying Fae loves the fuck out of you. And you’re stuck with me as well.”
“Thank fucking god. Because with you, I don’t think forever will be long enough,” Nick sighed and pulled Josh as close to him as their bodies would allow.
I watched as the two most important men in my life stood wrapped in the embraces of the loves of their lives. At that moment I couldn’t have been any happier. Kimberly was alive. Nick and Michael had made up. And I was with who I considered to be my real family. No, we didn’t ask for any of this to happen. And, no, we sure as hell weren’t expecting to be heroes. But fate had a funny way of working out. And no matter the circumstances, I felt better knowing that two protectors, a healer, and two Fae to guide the way had my back. I couldn’t wait to see what was in store for us. And I couldn’t wait for all of us to do it together.
Epilogue
One year later…
“I can’t believe you wouldn’t allow Elvis to be there,” Nick sighed from behind the steering wheel of the car.
“Because that would have been tacky,” Michael said indignantly.
“Tacky? It’s fucking Vegas. Can’t get any tackier than that,” Nick replied.
“Oh, and the courthouse is better?” Isaac shot back.
“It’s better than Vegas,” Nick shrugged.
“As if we had time for anything else,” Isaac argued. “And we were already in the general area.”
“It just wasn’t how I envisioned to going,” Josh mumbled and stared down at his hand.
“I’m sorry, honey. Maybe once things get settled down we’ll be able to do it right,” Nick offered and reached over to grab his brand-new husband’s hand.
“And hopefully we can do the same,” Isaac said, and I turned to watch him as he brought Michael’s hand to his lips to kiss the ring that was on his finger.
To say the last year was hectic was an understatement. After Josh and Isaac swore that they weren’t going anywhere, that we were all a group and a family, we hit the ground running. We relied on my instincts and visions to take us wherever we needed to go, never staying in one place longer than necessary.
The money from Michael’s grandfather had run out a few months ago. We’d stretched it as far as we could. Michael, Nick, Kimberly, and I all discussed finding odd jobs when we were stuck in town for a few days to make money, but that wasn’t necessary. Isaac and Josh decided that then was the perfect time to drop the bomb that they had enough money to keep us set for many, many years to come.
Throughout the year we’d run into many paranormal beings. Ghouls, Strigoi, Liderc, and even a succubus. Boy, that succubus was fun—NOT! But the Exi prevailed and rallied together, and we were becoming an unstoppable force. Yes, there were injuries, near-death experiences, and a lot of fighting. But we were a family and that’s what families did.
It was during our recent stop in Arizona that the boys decided it was time to get married. Their arguments were that we were close enough to Vegas, so they might as well do it. Kimberly and I jumped at the idea and wasted no time to climb in the car and drive to Nevada, then find an all-night wedding chapel. The guys didn’t bother with suits, we women didn’t put on dresses, and in less than two hours the couples were joined as husbands. A bit unorthodox, to say the least, but the ceremony was beautiful nonetheless.
“How’s Aidan?” I asked.
“Sound asleep,” Josh sighed in relief. “I didn’t think that’d ever happen.”
“I’m sure he looks very peaceful,” Nick said softly about his son who rested peacefully in the car seat beside his other dad.
“I still can’t believe you had a baby,” I said in wonderment.
Josh shrugged. “Like I told you earlier on in my pregnancy, it’s not something we advertise. The Fae like to keep it amongst ourselves until we are with a partner. We take a special medication that prevents pregnancy. Nick and I discussed it and decided we wanted to start a family.”
“Are you sure a life on the road battling paranormal beings is the kind of life you want your child to have?” Kimberly asked hesitantly.
“That was one of the things we discussed. Right now, with Aidan only being a month old, it’s pretty difficult for us. And watching Josh fight those monsters was especially hard when he was pregnant. Luckily, he spent most of his time in the air. But we can always slow down. Nothing is saying we have to fight those things. We just do it because it’s become our job,” Nick explained.
“That’s true. Now that we’re married and there’s a baby, we can slow down and just try to live somewhat normal lives for a change,” Michael agreed.
“Did you know Fae could have babies?” I asked Michael.
“Of course I did. Isaac told me shortly after we started seeing each other. But for the time being, we don’t want kids,” Michael said.
“We’re content with just being uncles,” Isaac added.
“You mean guncles,” Michael corrected.
“Right, guncles,” Isaac amended with a smile.
“What’s a ‘guncle’?” I asked in confusion.
“A gay uncle,” Michael explained. “Get it? Guncle?”
“Oh, that’s cute,” I said with a laugh.
“Good thinking. I love this little guy, but, fuck, this little shit is exhausting,” Josh whined from the front seat.
“Joshua Matthew Goodwin! I cannot believe you just said that about our son,” Nick scolded with a bit of laughter in his voice.
“It’s still true. You are just as exhausted as I am,” Josh pointed out.
“That’s valid. But there is no one else I’d rather be exhausted with than you.”
“Ugh, you guys are so sickening. Isaac, promise me we will never be that gross,” Michael begged from beside his husband. “So, does he have wings?”
“He does,” Josh said with a proud smile in his voice. “They are dark purple. I saw the color one night when Aidan was having a crying fit and one was trying to pop out.”
“I can’t wait to see them,” I said, and the others made noises of agreement.
Thanks to the extra additions, meaning the two Fae and a baby, we had to trade my car in after a few months and upgrade to an SUV. The third-row seating was a wonderful necessity, but the gas mileage was atrocious.
“Yes, a small break would be nice. It’d be great to just relax with my family, eat pizza, and watch a movie.” I smiled at the image in my head.
“I do believe a pizza and movie night is what got us into this mess,” Michael joked from the third row.
“True. And yeah, it might not have been what we wanted, but considering it was fate that brought us together, there’s no one else I’d rather be in a mess with,” I told him.
“Absolutely. Let’s just hope the next time we have to go hunt down a monster, it’ll be as easy as the last few have been,” Nick said from beside me.
“Let’s hope. But I have a feeling we’re all going to be needing to rest up for when the time comes,” I sighed.
“Well, that sounds pretty fucking ominous,” Josh piped in from behind me.
“As if there is ever any other way for me to say anything,” I laughed. “There’s no rest for the wicked.”
“Wicked, my ass! I think we’re pretty awesome,” Kimberly laughed.
“I would agree with that,” Isaac said with a smile in his voice.
Even though I didn’t say it, I’d been having a feeling all day. A bad feeling that we were about to have an even bigger battle on our hands than we had ever encountered. I just hoped it happened later so we could get some much-needed rest and relaxation. And so that Nick and Josh could have some more quality time
with their child.
I glanced back and took in the sight behind me. All of my friends were laughing and had huge smiles on their faces. The baby slept peacefully in the car seat, completely unaware of what kind of life he’d been born into. A life that was going to be hectic, chaotic, and sometimes dangerous. But he was born to the most loving parents and aunts and uncles who were going to spoil him rotten. My family was amazing, and I was so grateful for them. And if I was going to be in some weird, prophetic group that hunted things out of ghost stories, I was ecstatic it was with them. Whatever sinister being was coming our way, I knew that the Exi could stop them.
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind, then I was nearly crippled with a blinding headache. Over the course of the year since this whole crazy adventure had started, I had gotten a better handle on my visions. But this one was different. This one felt like my brain was about to combust through my skull. I bent over in the car and nearly screamed in agony as I pressed both of my hands against my temple. I put all of my strength behind that push as I tried to relieve my head of the pressure.
I could hear my friends yelling my name. I could pick up on the fear in their tones, but the pounding in my head overpowered their voices. Hot tears streamed down my face and my entire body felt as if it was on fire. I couldn’t do anything but scream as visions started to flash before my eyes. Images of a winding snake formation nestled in the trees, an ancient-looking scroll, and two strange men I didn’t even know filled my mind. The men seemed to be walking with us somewhere—almost like they were helping us. But it was the eyes of one of the men that shook me. They were gray and I felt like he was staring straight into my soul.
“What the fuck was that?” Nick demanded to know when I finally quieted down.
I slowly sat back up as my body trembled in pain, and I wiped my eyes and running nose with the back of my hand. Belatedly, I realized we’d pulled over at a gas station and Josh was trying to quiet down Aidan. Evidently my screaming had woken the baby up.
“I don’t know. That’s never happened to me before. That vision was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced. But we need to get moving,” I explained and flashed Josh an apologetic smile.
Fated Heroes: The Consequence of Destiny Book 1 Page 18