Destiny Redeemed

by Gabrielle Bisset

  Naomi Cooper motioned to Markku to lift Harold Adams from the floor. He rose, bloodied and bruised, to face his colleagues and immediately hung his head.

  “What is your name?” she asked Markku. When he remained silent, she continued. “Sir, while I’m sure if I did some checking I’d find your past to be rather unsavory, we have no wish to punish you. We’ve bigger fish to fry. So tell me your name.”

  “Markku Dunning, ma’am,” he said, his voice full of respect, and then added, “I’m here with Gethen and Amon to rescue Thea.”

  Naomi Cooper smiled. “Something tells me you’re a very clever man to have around, Mr. Dunning. Please tell your Sidhe friend I’m thankful for his help. And my apologies for any loss you’ve suffered because of the actions of this council.”

  Markku’s smile at her compliment faded and he rushed to locate Gethen, finally finding him standing in the doorway to a room halfway down the hall. He looked pale and sad and held himself up against the doorframe.

  “Gethen?”

  Silently, the Sidhe moved aside to allow Markku to enter the room. Two steps in he saw what had turned Gethen pale. Kiril Gault lay dead in a pool of blood with a dagger stuck in his chest. To his left, next to him on the bed lay Amon, his shirt soaked in blood, and on top of him was Thea, covered in blood.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Slowly, Amon became conscious, feeling Thea on his chest, and looked down to see her covered in his blood, her long, blond hair sticky and pale red. On her face, arms, and hands showed the effort she’d made to save him.

  He waited to feel her breathe, his heart in his throat at the idea that she’d given her life for his and would be gone from this life at any moment.

  “Thea?” he asked, his voice almost pleading with her to still be alive.

  Rubbing her back, he repeated her name as fear gripped him. But almost imperceptibly, her chest rose and fell against his, and he wrapped his arms around her as fear was replaced with purer joy than he’d ever felt in all his lifetimes.

  Beside him, Kiril Gault began to fade from this lifetime, and Amon watched as the man he’d killed went on to await his next lifetime, his violet eyes still wide with terror from his last moments in this one.

  “Amon?”

  Turning his head to face the door, he saw Gethen and Markku both with worried looks on their faces. They looked at Thea, not knowing she’d survived and waiting for the sad moment when she’d slowly begin to vanish just as Kiril just had, as all Aeveren did after death.

  “Gethen, she’s going to be okay. Come here and help me.”

  “Thea, honey. Open your eyes for me,” Amon whispered next to her ear as he stroked her blood soaked hair.

  “Help me lay her on her back, Gethen,” he said looking up at him.

  Carefully, he rolled Thea over and placed her on the bed. Her eyes remained closed, and as Amon sat next to her pushing her hair away from her face, he saw just how much like an angel she truly looked.

  My angel.

  “Markku, get me something to clean the blood off her,” Amon said looking up at him as he remained in the doorway. “There’s got to be something in Kiril’s bathroom.”

  Nodding, Markku seemed to come out of his shock at Amon’s command, and he scurried into the adjacent bathroom to do as he’d been told.

  Amon’s gaze returned to Thea’s face. He stroked her cheek tenderly as he waited for her to regain consciousness.

  “What happened with Kiril?” Gethen asked quietly.

  Staring at the placid face of the woman he loved, Amon answered coldly, “I did what I said I would.”

  Gethen sighed, and Amon continued. “I know what you’re worrying about. Don’t. If they want to punish me for Kiril’s death, they’ll have to catch me first.”

  Markku returned and quickly handed Amon a wet cloth. Turning to Gethen, he asked in a nervous voice, “I thought she was okay. What happened?”

  Amon looked up as he cleaned Thea’s face. “Markku, I’m going to need to take Thea out of here my way. I need you to get rid of any spells or whatever else Kiril had that would prevent me from teleporting.”

  “No problem, Amon. It’ll only take me a few minutes.” Then quietly, Markku said, “I hope she’s going to be okay.”

  Amon gave him a slight smile and returned his attention to Thea. When he’d almost finished cleaning her face, her eyelids begin to flutter and slowly she opened her eyes.

  Whispering, she said his name, as if she were unsure if she were dreaming or truly awake.

  Bending to kiss her, he felt her press her hand to his chest where Kiril had stabbed him. He covered her hand with his and smiled.

  “Once again, you saved me. But I’m more concerned about you. As soon as Markku does his thing, I’m taking you home.”

  Thea tried to sit up, but even with help she immediately sat back and closed her eyes.

  “Don’t try to move. Just be calm. We’ll leave soon.”

  “Home?” she whispered.

  “Yes, home. For now, Ireland. When you feel better, we can go anywhere you want,” he said as he ran his finger over her lips.

  “But what about the Council?” she asked in a worried voice.

  Amon shook his head. “Don’t worry about that.”

  Before she could voice any protest, Markku returned to proudly announce that the Soren headquarters was a charm-free zone.

  Pulling Thea to his chest, Amon said, “Markku, I want you to get Gethen back to the house in Ireland. Once I get Thea settled, I’ll meet with both of you.”

  Gently kissing Thea’s ear, he whispered, “Hold on. We’ll be home soon,” before they vanished from Kiril Gault’s bedroom, leaving everything there behind them.

  Amon made sure to arrive in their bedroom and carefully set Thea on the bed. Seated next to her, he returned to stroking her face as he silently thanked God for letting her stay with him.

  Almost fully recovered, Thea caught his hand in hers and repeated her concern from earlier. “Amon, what about the Council? I’m worried.”

  Leaning in to kiss her, he cradled her face in his hands. “I told you not to worry. I have no intention of letting them take me away from you.”

  Concern clouded her eyes. “But all the things he said.”

  Amon knew she meant what Adams had said about Victoria. As much as he wished he could deny everything, he kept his focus on her eyes and said the words he dreaded.

  “Thea, it’s true. I did what Adams said I did. I can’t deny that.”

  Thea closed her eyes as he continued.

  “I’ve never wished more that I wasn’t the kind of man he described, but I was for lifetimes. I know that.”

  Amon watched in sadness as a tear slid down the side of her face. She was breaking his heart. As he kissed her cheek, he whispered, “I’m sorry. All I can promise is that the man I am now isn’t that person anymore.”

  He waited for what seemed like years until she opened her eyes again. What he saw was worse than any punishment they could devise for him in Nil. Unable to look at the distance that had settled into her eyes, he focused on his fingers as they stroked her hair.

  “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

  *

  Thea stood in the shower and let the hot water run over her body. Pinkish colored water pooled at her feet as Amon’s blood left her hair. The gentle pelting of the jetted spray on her back felt good on her aching and bruised body.

  As much as she wished her mind would just go blank, thoughts of what the councilman and Amon said ran around her brain. Her destined one had callously discarded a woman who loved him—another man’s destined one.

  She knew Amon stood just outside the shower, ready if she felt weak and needed help. Everything she knew about the man he was told her he wasn’t the man he’d been with Victoria Adams.

  Amon made a noise and she looked out to see him as he kicked off his shoes and peeled off his socks before climbing into the shower to stand behind her.

  “
Amon, what are you doing?”

  He filled his palm with shampoo and began massaging it into her hair. As he lathered her up, he said all the things she knew he had to if she were to fully accept him again.

  “Victoria was sweet and kind. She loved me, and I mistreated her. What I did makes me cringe when I think of someone doing that to you.”

  Thea closed her eyes as he continued.

  “I was selfish. It doesn’t matter why.”

  Amon gently pushed Thea toward the water and waited until the soap was rinsed from her hair before he pulled her back toward him and wrapped his arms around her, whispering into her ear. “Thea, I can’t change who I’ve been. But for whatever reason, you’ve been given me as your destined one. All I can promise is that I will do whatever it takes to make you happy.”

  Opening her eyes, she saw he stood behind her fully clothed and soaked to the skin. She turned to face him and wrapped her arms around him. As she looked up toward him, he carefully pushed the hair from her face.

  “I believe you’re not the man you were. But I need you to promise me there will be no more killing.”

  Shaking his head, he grimaced. “I can’t promise that, my angel. Anyone who tries to hurt you will be in grave danger. Your safety has to be my primary concern.”

  Thea accepted his answer, even if she didn’t like it, and turned off the water. Looking at his soaked shirt and pants, she smiled at the difference between what she knew of Amon’s past compared to the man who stood in front of her looking foolish after a shower with his clothes on.

  As she stepped past him, she said with a chuckle, “Maybe next time you might try it with your clothes off.”

  Arching one eyebrow, he put on an irritated face as he followed her and began peeling off his wet shirt. As she watched, she wrapped herself in a towel and for just a moment, she stopped to admire his body.

  *

  Amon looked up from undoing his pants when he realized she was staring at him. She looked beautiful standing in only a towel and he so much wanted to just reach out to draw her body to his, but what he heard in her mind stopped him.

  “Yes, I loved her. Not the way I love you, but I think I did love her.”

  “Oh. How did you know I was thinking that?”

  “It seems I’ve been given another power since Nil.”

  “Another power? Just how many do you have?”

  He stepped toward her smiling. “Let’s just say I’m not lacking in that department.”

  “That’s one of the things I love most about you, Amon. Your humility.”

  Thea pushed by him to leave the bathroom, but he had other ideas. Hooking an arm around her waist, he pulled her back to him and held her close. As he feathered kisses down her neck, he whispered, “My humility? I think I have to remind you of the other things that are far more interesting than that.”

  The feel of her damp skin against his lips excited him, and as a tiny moan escaped her lips, he pressed his hard erection into her back. He slid his free hand to where she’d knotted the towel and freed it from her body. As the towel fell to a heap at her feet, he ran his hand over her breast and cupped it while his thumb and forefinger squeezed her excited nipple.

  “Good, but I think you need more reminding,” he teased as the hand that had held her to him slid down to tease her sex.

  Her head fell back against his chest, and he heard the hitch in her breathing when he slid his finger down her moist slit. As his fingers played, she covered his hands with hers, guiding him to the spot that with just his touch would deliver sweet release.

  “Not yet, love. I want to remind you some more,” he said as he slid a finger inside her.

  In a keening voice, she said his name and turned to free his cock, wanting what stood proudly behind the fabric of his pants. He watched her efforts eagerly, licking his lips for a delicious taste of her and waiting for the touch of her hand on him.

  He didn’t have to wait long, and at the first touch as she gripped him, wrapping her fingers around him, his thick cock kicked in her hand. Looking down, he watched as she stroked the full length of him, aroused even more by how erotic her hand looked as it created waves of pleasure with each glide over his skin.

  He dipped his head to nudge her face up toward his and kissed her mouth impatiently as she continued to pleasure him with her hand. Sliding his tongue into her mouth to mingle with hers, he began to back up toward the bathtub and broke away from her mouth to quickly turn the water on.

  “You’re not planning to take a bath now with your pants on, are you?” she teased as she tugged his pants toward his thighs.

  Amon said nothing but smiled and shook his head as she undressed him. Knowing she wanted what he wanted, he stepped out of his pants and sat down on the edge of the oversized tub. Thea kneeled in front of him and pushed his legs open as she ran her palms over his thighs, exciting him even more.

  Thea looked up at him, her eyes full of desire, and licked her lips. “Remind me again why you like me to do this?”

  “Because the feel of your mouth sucking my cock is better than almost anything in this world. When you run your tongue...”

  Amon abruptly stopped talking and sighed deeply when Thea’s mouth covered the head and she began to tease him with her softly flicking tongue. Slowly, she sucked him into her mouth and then retreated, sliding back up to the swollen crown. He watched as she became more aroused with each movement she made. Breaking his stare at the erotic scene between his legs, he turned to shut off the water.

  Touching her jaw with his hand, he motioned to the water. “Come here.”

  Thea rose and climbed into the tub after him. Amon sat with his back against the cool marble above the water and stretched his long legs out in front of him. From across the tub, she stared at him.

  He looked down to see the spot on his chest that still bore a pink scar where Kiril had stabbed him, where she’d healed him taking every ounce of pain from his body with her touch. She crawled onto his lap and softly ran her fingers over the fading scar as she stared into his eyes. Her other hand held on to his broad shoulders, hardness under her gentle grip. But her focus was on the soft skin where she could have lost him.

  “Amon, I was so afraid I was going to lose you.”

  He slowly traced his hands down her sides as she spoke. “When I thought you were gone, my heart felt like it had broken. I’ve never loved anyone like I love you. I know having a destined one isn’t new to you, but I’ve never felt like this. I can take the life that comes with you, and even the past, but the thought of losing you hurts me more than I can stand.”

  Taking her face in his hands, he kissed her softly. “My angel. Don’t ever think you’re just another destined one. You’re more special to me than I can ever explain. I owe you my life. I can’t promise our life together will be like other people’s because of who I was before you, and you’ll never know how sorry I am for that, but I promise I’ll never give you any reason to doubt my love, no matter what happens. Of all the gifts I’ve been given, you’re the one I deserve the least and cherish the most.”

  Thea closed her eyes, and he softly kissed her cheek. He’d meant what he’d said. Never before had he been blessed so much and deserved it so little. Gently, he lifted her and settled her onto him, his cock pushing into her, filling her. Gentle thrusts gave way to more frenzied movements as he held her by the hips and guided her to ride him. As the water lapped gently against their skin, she moaned the arrival of her orgasm as she dug her nails into the smooth skin of his back, skin she’d healed.

  Buried so deeply that her body melded with his, Amon felt his release pump into her and bit her shoulder as she whimpered through the end of her climax. When she finally lifted her head from his neck to look at him, her face wore the sultry, satisfied look he loved to see.

  “I like that much better than your humility,” she said quietly.

  “Me too. Humility never feels anywhere as good,” he joked.

  But Amon saw
the shadow of worry cross her face as she remembered the world outside their watery sanctuary. “Amon, what’s going to happen with the Council?”

  Amon knew it was likely he’d have to spend the rest of this lifetime and probably the last three of his remaining lifetimes running from the long arm of the Council, never being able to provide Thea with the peace of a stable home. He thought of the life they’d be forced to live, always on the run. What if they’d just conceived minutes earlier? What kind of life would their child have? He couldn’t show Thea that any of this concerned him, though. He’d promised her she’d be safe with him, and no matter what it took, he’d ensure that, at least.

  Tickling her sides, he made her squirm up against him. “Ready for another round? We’re going to have to move to the bed then.”

  “I’m serious, Amon,” she said with a voice to match the look on her face.

  “So am I, love. You’re starting to prune up.”

  Thea put her hands on her hips in mock anger and squinted her eyes. “Amon.”

  “Althea, I don’t want you to worry about the Council. I’ll take care of that. You just worry about becoming one of the California raisins.”

  Amon lifted one of her hands to his mouth and kissed her puckered fingertips as he hummed the chorus to “Heard It Through The Grapevine.” When Thea saw she wasn’t going to get a serious answer about her concerns with the Council, she snatched her hand from his hold and wrinkled her nose in disgust.

  Kissing him, she stood to step out of the tub. “You’re lucky I love you so much, Amon Kalins.”

  As he watched her dry off and leave the bathroom, he silently agreed.

  I am lucky, and I have no intention of letting the Council or anyone else take me away from that love.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Gethen and Markku sat downstairs quietly waiting for Amon. His eyes closed, Gethen silently prepared himself for his return to his people. With Thea safely returned and the head of the Council at Nil exposed, he knew the time would soon come for him to leave.