A Destined Death

by Rayns, Lisa

  I melted into his arms and a moment later, I felt a fresh South Dakota breeze welcoming me home.

  One week later…

  The day before the wedding brought my yard to life. Wave after wave of vans arrived, and people unloaded tables and chairs to set up for the double wedding which was scheduled to take place at sunset the following night. From the porch swing, I watched Tina flutter around, making sure every detail was perfect. By the time she finished, the entire yard had become one big well put together reception tent.

  Everyone had something to do. I wrote. Armando and Draven spent the day in Seattle, catching up on old times. Tina and Candy finalized all of the wedding plans and spent the rest of the afternoon making sure any relative who could attend was flown in on the jet and put up in a nice motel in Watertown. Ben stayed in Watertown too, and Charles taught Coty how to play chess.

  Half way through the last chapter, I set my laptop down. Through the trees in the yard, I watched the sun start to fall. When I realized it might be my last sunset, I tried to hang onto it in my mind. I’d never appreciated it quite as much as did now. The image seemed like a painting as vivid pinks and blues swirled across the beautiful canvas sky.

  “What’s wrong?” Draven asked into my head.

  Cold feet.

  When the last speck of the sunset sunk under the earth, Draven appeared beside me, smiling. “You are not allowed cold feet.”

  I rolled my eyes. “And why not?”

  “Well, now Anna is dead,” he teased. “I have no backup plan.”

  Narrowing my eyes playfully, I stared back at him. “Ha ha. Why didn’t you tell me she was so in love with you?”

  He shook his head and put an arm around me. “When she befriended you…Alicia, I thought she was over it.”

  “Apparently not.”

  “Apparently not,” he agreed with a shrug. “What’s this about cold feet?”

  I hummed the words nervously, “Oh, I was just thinking about… dying… really…and the sun thing.

  “Well, I’m sorry,” he said, kissing me on the forehead, “but I love you too much to let you live.”

  Giggling, I leaned into his arms. “When I’m dead you better learn some better ways to sweet talk me.”

  “I vow to you now that I shall spend the rest of eternity laboring at the task.”

  Contented and happy in his arms, I thought about how wonderfully everything had turned out. Draven and Armando were united again as brothers. Coty and Armando were back together, and they had found a happy family with Tina. Tina, herself was now a decent person that I had actually started to like, and Coty had acquired a mother who loved him dearly.

  Ben had some vampire friends now and vowed to only kill the evil ones. He even considered staying in Watertown on an extended vacation because he said it was peaceful, and he could sleep at night.

  Candy and Johnny had made up too. He admitted to following her to Paris because he feared for her life, and he felt responsible since he’d been the one to make her a mark. After saving her twice, he finally considered them completely square.

  Charles was glad Draven was back, and he and Candy were both as anxious for the wedding night as Draven and I were. Weird, but if it meant being with Draven for eternity, I was willing to make sacrifices.

  “Something’s wrong,” Draven said seriously, pulling me out of my happy place in his arms.

  “No!” I said, snapping upright to stare into his eyes. “It’s over. Everything’s perfect now!” I insisted, willing it to be true.

  He shook his head gravely and turned toward the black limousine pulling into the yard.

  “No!” I screamed, scrambling to my feet. “No! No! No!”

  An ominous silence followed my tantrum but the outburst had already alarmed everyone in the house. Soon they all appeared on the front porch, each staring cautiously at the approaching vehicle.

  I looked around for the nearest object to use as a stake but paused when the back door of the limousine closed. There stood a gorgeous white-haired vampire with turquoise eyes. His short hair spiked upward, and he wore a tuxedo.

  “I’m not too late, am I?” he asked.

  Draven stared at the man like he was seeing a ghost. Minutes ticked by before he finally moved to greet the visitor. “Damion, old friend. You look different…again.”

  After a sudden movement behind me, I heard the screen door open and close, but I didn’t turn to see who’d just went inside. I felt too confused and interested by what was taking place in the yard.

  “Yes,” the man continued. “I heard all about what happened, well, parts of it, at any rate. Unfortunately, I was driven underground for a stay. Apparently, someone had put a hit on my head, and I spent that time trying to figure out why. That led me to you.”

  “I don’t understand,” Draven said.

  Damion shook his head slowly. “You always were too trusting, Draven. That’s what I like about you. Boys!” he called, turning toward the car.

  When the three bounty hunters stepped out, I kicked a spindle off the porch railing and ran to Draven. I stood in front of him, furiously waving the stick at the men. “Touch him and die!”

  All three muffled a nervous laugh before Josh, the head man, finally cleared his throat and spoke. “We are not here for Draven, ma’am, and we apologize for the…mistake that occurred the last time you saw us. That is why we are here now.”

  “That was truly impressive, my love,” Draven whispered into my ear as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek from behind, “but please, put it down.”

  My heart raced. I had a death grip on the stake, but I let him slowly pry the stick out of my rigid fingers and he tossed it aside. With the stake out of sight, all the vampires in the perimeter seemed to relax a little.

  “Now,” Damion said with a kind smile directed at me. “As for what happened, it’s the most curious thing. Someone put out a hit on me, as I said, but then someone took over my castle to impersonate me, if you will. That’s when I ran into these boys. They told me a wild story that I’d had you brought in. Crazy, isn’t it?”

  Draven looked at me curiously.

  I shook my head. “It wasn’t Anna. She freaked when I told her someone was going to kill you.”

  “My suspicion is that the imposter had never planned on killing Draven at all. He just wanted to get to you, Elizabeth.”

  “No,” I insisted. “She really didn’t know Draven was being held by anyone.”

  “That may be true,” Damion said, “but someone else wanted you and I both dead.”

  I sucked in my breath and held it, trying to block off the blood flow to my brain so I wouldn’t have to hear anymore. I felt like a fragile doll that might break into pieces if I heard another word. Knowing that another person wanted me dead was more than I could handle. I wasn’t a bad person! I didn’t deserve this!

  “I had a visitor the other night,” Damion continued. “Alexander, one of the Elders, found me, and he told me that he knew who was really responsible.”

  I exhaled and listened more carefully at the mention of Alexander. He’d said he admired Draven, and I had sensed even in that dark castle that he truly did want to help.

  “Excuse me.” The head bounty hunter brushed past me and walked into the house. He returned carrying Charles over his shoulder and then set him on his feet in front of us. “Do you have something to say?” he asked angrily.

  Charles’ eyes were wide and frightened. “I’m sorry, Milord,” he said, dropping to his knees. “I’m so sorry.”

  “You did this?” Draven gasped, his voice raspy.

  Charles closed his eyes and nodded. “I put out the hit on Damion. I knew if Elizabeth died, he would kill you, and I couldn’t let that happen. I hired Dredge to take his place and promised him Elizabeth,” he confessed, looking up. “You’ve been so good to me, Milord. I just thought that if Elizabeth was gone, you might consider me this time.”

  “That doesn’t make sense,” Draven
said. “You saved her from Anna.”

  Tears seeped out of his eyes after he closed them. “Forgive me. It started with Anna. I gave her Elizabeth’s name, but she took so long. I was going to let her kill Elizabeth in that dungeon…until she threatened to kill you.”

  After minutes of contemplation, Draven finally turned to the visitors. “Forgive me, old friend. As a servant in my household, I should have known. I should have paid more attention.”

  Damion smiled at me. “You had other things on your mind. And rightfully so,” he added with a nod.

  “I will deal with him personally, I swear it.”

  “That’s not an option,” Josh said. He dragged Charles to the car and effortlessly threw him inside. “You know our reputation. We don’t work for humans, and I’m afraid we need to settle this ourselves.”

  Draven started to protest, but a glance at me stopped him. “He tried to kill you.”

  There’s nothing you can do. I applied pressure on his arms that hugged me, hoping to ease the guilt I knew he felt.

  “Again, please forgive the misunderstanding,” Josh said with a nod before the three returned to the car and backed out of the driveway.

  As soon as the car was out of sight, Candy turned and went inside. I immediately grew worried that she resented Draven for letting them take Charles. Draven stayed in the yard to talk to Damion so I followed the rest of the bystanders inside and found Candy on her laptop in her room.

  “Are you all right?” I asked carefully.

  “Yes, Milady,” she said brightly. “Are you?”

  I shrugged. “Let’s just say, people can stop trying to kill me any time now.”

  Her eyebrows pulled together.

  “Oh! Except for Draven, that is,” I restated. “Are…are you all right with what happened to Charles?”

  “He tried to kill you! Of course I’m all right with it. I’ll have his replacement ready for tomorrow night,” she said proudly.

  I nodded and handed her a small, red velvet bag. “Thank you for everything, Candy. I want you to have this.”

  She frowned when she pulled out The Forgiving Heart. “I don’t understand.”

  I shrugged. “For safe shopping. I won’t need it anymore.”

  Her eyes lit up. “Thank you. This will look stunning with my dress!”

  ****

  Giving the white ballet gown one last twirl in my bedroom, I grinned at my mom and handed her the three black jewelry boxes. “I feel like the Swan Queen.”

  “You’re very beautiful.” She kissed my cheek and opened the first box. “Oh my goodness, your fiancé has excellent taste! Why haven’t your father and I met him yet?”

  “I told you. He’s out of town for the day, but I promise he’ll be back by sunset.”

  When Vera wrapped the necklace around my neck and snapped it into place, the floorboards didn’t shake around me, and when she put the bracelet on me, I felt no piercing pain in my stomach. It was as though the jewelry no longer carried the sorrow it once held onto. I took that as a hopeful sign.

  With the jewelry in place, my mother stepped away to look at me. “You are the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.”

  A loud cough startled us both.

  “Sorry, Tina,” Vera said, looking flustered. “You’re a very beautiful bride as well.”

  “Thank you,” she sang out as she entered the room. “One hour until…damn it, Elizabeth! You have a matching set of diamond and ruby jewelry?”

  “Your grandmother’s pearls look lovely,” Vera soothed before her smile widened. “That reminds me, I have something for you both. Your jewelry is old, and your dresses are new, but now you need something borrowed and blue.” Reaching into her purse, she pulled out two blue garters and handed them out. Then she loaned us each a hair comb. “Oh, and a sixpence for your left shoes. I had to order these off the internet and then pray they made it in time. Who gives their parents a week to prepare for something so important?”

  “Don’t look at me,” Tina scoffed. “Draven and Elizabeth are the one’s rushing the wedding.”

  I cringed inside, fearing Tina had just set off my mother’s worry alert, but Vera just sighed. “She never did like to date.”

  Tina giggled. “It’s almost time. Go sit down and we’ll be out soon.”

  Vera gave me another kiss and hug before she went to take her seat with the rest of the guests.

  “What are you going to do after your honeymoon?” Tina asked once we were alone.

  I thought for a minute. “First, I’m going to remodel the mansion.”

  “Oh, I love to decorate. Maybe we could…hang out…you know, more than we have.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “I’m looking forward to getting to know Coty too.”

  She nodded with a bright smile. “Me too.”

  The enormous reception tent blossomed with red and white roses intertwined with little red and white lights that created a cozy, romantic atmosphere. The tables that were set up for the reception lined the perimeter to make room for the rows of chairs. In front of all the chairs, Draven and the minister stood waiting below a rose covered trellis.

  Tommy was the best man, Candy was the maid of honor, and Coty was the ring bearer. Johnny brought the cake.

  As my father walked me up the aisle to give me away, I stared at Draven. Handsome as the day I met him, he wore a tuxedo and a blissful expression. In his chocolaty eyes, I saw my future; in his smile, I saw my happiness. He was my destiny. When I finally reached him, he shook my father’s hand, thanked him several times, and then dipped me in a long, romantic kiss.

  The world stopped for one perfect moment in time, and I knew I’d love him for all eternity. During the ceremony, Draven surprised me with a ring that matched the ruby set of jewelry I wore. It came in a box that read: Elizabeth Tarkson, South Dakota, For All Eternity. Just knowing it was the final piece to the set, brought happy tears to my eyes. We’d finally made it.

  Tina and Armando were married directly after us, and Tina actually cried during her ceremony, just as I had. Ben stood in the back with his arms folded but a small smile brushed across his face more than once.

  The reception rolled along wonderfully. Thrilled that all of our guests arrived safely, I marveled at the cheek kissing, the hugging, and the hand shaking and thanked everyone for coming. I didn’t even stress about the gifts. It was the happiest day of my life.

  My parents loved Draven. I knew they would. Once they found out he lived in Seattle and we would be able to visit often, they wished us a long and happy life together. They had part of it right, but I didn’t want to bring that up.

  Brenda seemed a little irritated that she didn’t get to be the Maid of Honor but once she saw Tommy, she forgot all about it. The two were inseparable by the time the night ended.

  After the reception, I snuck into the house to write the last few lines of my book.

  A moment later, Draven appeared behind me. “What are you doing?”

  “Finishing my book. I’m thinking about calling it A Destined Death. What do you think?”

  “I think you should hurry.”

  I touched his cheek and rubbed my hand along his stubble. “I love you, Draven Blackrayne.”

  “I love you, Elizabeth Blackrayne.”

  I squealed at my new name that verified the beginning of our forever. In his arms, I felt complete and I knew I belonged with him. It was my own romantic story come true. We were truly…meant to be.

  Draven held onto Elizabeth tightly while she screamed with the pain that he’d inflicted by feeding her his blood. Killing her had been the hardest thing he’d ever done, but he longed for her eternal safety. Even with Anna dead and Charles gone, he could never be sure an accident wouldn’t take her from him.

  He could not help the arousal he felt when she held his hand and gazed into his eyes, accepting her death, accepting him. She gave him her complete trust and her life, for the promise of never being separated again. Since she’d first died as
Alicia, he’d dreamt of that moment, and having it finally come to fruition, overwhelmed him to say the least. Moisture filled his eyes when she gasped as though the pain had ended.

  Her beautiful green eyes opened, sparkling in their candlelit bedroom at the mansion. She gazed into his eyes for a long moment before a smile touched her lips. “I didn’t succumb.”

  “I knew you wouldn’t.”

  “Well…” she said, glancing around the room. “We’re married now. Show me what this huge bed is for.”

  “Don’t you want to feed first?”

  She pushed him onto his back and moved down his naked body. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  This story was written as a stand-alone novel. However, if enough readers want more, I would love to continue with these characters. You can vote for “more” by liking the Facebook page for A Destined Death. Thanks for reading!

  Lisa Rayns lives in a small town in South Dakota. She gave up working with explosives to write paranormal romance novels so her occupation hasn’t changed much. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and two adorable Siamese cats.

  My Website: http://www.lisarayns.com

  My blog: http://lisarayns.blogspot.com/

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