When Fate Aligns: Book One of The Mortals and Mystics Series

by A. K. Koonce

  “Just because I’m not leaping through windows after you doesn’t mean I don’t want to be here. I didn’t realize your confidence was so fragile.”

  His lips tilt up just a little at my words, happiness inching its way onto his beautiful face. I raise my hands, reaching out to him, feeling like a puppy wishing to be held. He grabs me under my arms, then slowly lifts me. My hands grab his shoulders like my life depends on it. My feet slip against the window sill and then I am suspended without support. My boots kick lightly against the old siding. My heart thrums violently in my chest as I try to remain calm. I’m hanging two stories in the air in the arms of the mystic I trust with my life.

  Stay calm.

  After only a few seconds, he pulls me up onto the roof. I hold onto him until I find my footing against the metal roof. My feet slip when I try to find some traction, but fail. Asher guides me to a sitting position next to him, our legs arched and our feet just inches from the edge. Our knees brush against each other. That tiniest amount of contact sends an electric current through my body.

  I smile like a mad woman at him. Adrenaline blazes through my body. I feel like I just cliff jumped instead of snuck up onto his grandparent’s roof.

  “Glad you could finally join me,” he says with a smirk.

  I nudge my shoulder into his, the only revenge that feels safe at this steep of an incline. Once my heart rate finds a sense of normalcy—as normal as it might ever be with Asher Xavier sitting next to me—my eyes start to trail the horizon.

  The sky is so clear. The stars appear brighter up here. The night sky drifts on for miles and miles. We traveled all of that. I passed each mile just to come to this spot, on this roof, with him.

  I inhale the clouds, seemingly just within my reach. I feel light and free, right where I’m supposed to be in my life. Finally.

  “Why didn’t you just heal my palm when we first met?” I ask, trying to fill the silence.

  He shifts in his spot, his head angled down slightly. “Hybrids tend to lie low because humans have a tendency to use us,” he says, giving me a side glance.

  I bite my lip as a strange question threatens to slip over my lips.

  “How do you know I won’t use you now? With the union,” I finally say, but I can’t look at him when I speak. What if he doesn’t trust me like I do him?

  He leans a little closer to me, his chest brushing my shoulder. “Because I know what being used feels like and this isn’t it,” he whispers in my ear. “Not by a long shot.”

  He pulls away from me, his arms leaning against his knees. I can still feel his breath against my neck. His strange words echoing through my mind.

  Why him? Why did society decide his dwindling race would be the oppressed? Of all the diminishing cultures in our world, both mystics and mortals, why did they choose to brutalize and abuse his? The war against the vampires has destroyed the divide between our own people. Our heritage, skin tone and religion is no longer the focus of animosity. But there will always be someone to hate …

  My heart falls to pieces in my chest. His pain—the pain he never shows—seeps into me. A sharp ache splinters through my chest, but I take a deep breath to ease it away.

  We’re quiet for a few minutes. Both of us tracing the stars. Everything feels so monumental with him. With us. Like we’ve been through hell and the smallest mistake will send us spiraling right back into it. Everyone’s waiting for us to figure ourselves out when I can’t even figure myself out. I’m not capable of deciding my future and his.

  “I used to hang out up here with Micah.”

  I still, looking at him. His silhouette is outlined by the moon as he sits high in the night sky, an archangel watching over the mortals.

  “He was my only friend. The friends I met in the woods were not friends my grandparents wanted for me, not the friends humans like very much.” He looks at me for a moment, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Not that they wanted me contacting Micah either, really.”

  He takes a breath before leaning back on the roof, the metal groaning under his weight as he lies down. He places his arms behind his head like a pillow. I join him, my back leaning onto the cool metal.

  “When I was younger, your mother used to check up on me.”

  I turn my head to him, surprised by his words. His gaze still assesses the stars. My mother never told me that. Another secret among many.

  “Every couple of years she’d come, like she felt responsible for the pike she delivered in the dead of night in an underground house to a family who didn’t understand him. She’d do her little mortal checkup, see how I was progressing. It seemed to settle my grandma’s worries.”

  Something in his voice has changed. He’s not the careless, confident hybrid he portrays. There’s pain and sadness in his words.

  “I didn’t grow like a normal boy. I didn’t go through normal growing pains as other children did. I never got sick or had scraped knees. When I was ten, I fell from this roof.” He looks at me with a hint of a smile on his lips, but it’s gone in an instant. “I didn’t tell anyone … There was nothing to tell, really. No bruises, no broken bones, just another reminder that I was different from the other kids.” His eyes drift over the sky.

  “So, Charlotte checked in on me and my grandparents. She studied me like she does the others imprisoned in Compound 186.” He says the numbers like they’re heavy for him to speak. “I was her secret project.” He pauses, his eyes narrowing. I hang on his every word. “I hated her.” The confession comes out quiet, but he quickly regains his voice.

  “I was everyone’s secret. Kept from the only brother I had. They were afraid I’d be caught. I understood that, but it didn’t stop me from looking for him. We were friends the moment we met. I was the hybrid reflection of himself. I amazed him with my abilities, and he amazed me with his lack of hate for what I am. A decade passed, and our short interactions were the only thing I looked forward to. As much time as we spent together, I’m surprised I didn’t cause us trouble sooner.” His words trail off quietly.

  He looks at me out of the corner of his eye, his dark lashes lining the sadness in his eyes. I want to comfort the friend I’ve grown so close to, I want to remind him that I am his friend. I reach my hand out to his, my fingers drifting into his with ease. His face still holds the tragic memory. Asher will always hold these memories, but right now, I’ll hold them with him.

  “When I was caught and taken to the compound, I had no idea who you were to Micah. Just another human who despised me for what I am.” My heart sinks because he’s right in a way, and I can’t correct him. His words aren’t angry, just factual. “But what fate knew and I didn’t was that my brother spent all his short life excelling at academics, just like you. Struggling to accept politics, but desperate to help his community, just like you. All so he could be matched with the beautiful, quiet girl that glared at me through the window of Compound 186. All so he could die just before your union. All so I could meet that beautiful girl, the daughter of the woman I loathed. All so she could remind me of what my brother taught me all my life.”

  My chest rises and falls as the warm air fills my heavy lungs. My eyes are wide, taking in every vulnerable part of him.

  “He taught me that not all humans are bad. A few have clean hearts. Souls that, even under the shadows of life, still shine within.”

  His sweet, sad words warm my chest, and my eyes start to water as I realize I lost Micah, a boy I’ll never know, but Asher lost his brother, the only person who understood him.

  “I feel guilty and blessed every time you look at me. Like Micah should be here in my place, but I can’t stop myself. I’m addicted to your smile and your resilience and your ability to look past what someone appears to be.” His voice is a whisper, his eyes blink rapidly. “I ruined his life just by existing. First my mother’s, then his … and now yours.” I shake my head at him, rejecting his words, but he keeps going. “What if I hurt you, too? My own trifecta of tragedy.” His fingers
trace my jaw line, his eyes study me.

  I’m reminded again how human he really is. He’s not invincible. He’s not perfect, as much as he might seem to be. He has regrets and flaws and insecurities.

  I squeeze his hand in mine. My heart breaks for him, but I can’t fix his past. I can’t even fix my life; how can I fix his?

  “Just because he isn’t here doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be. So I matched your brother as a life partner?” His brows rise as I all but agree with him. Yeah, I’m pretty terrible at this.

  “So what? It’s my life, Asher. I could have lived decades following the rules with Micah,” I take a big breath, preparing to lay my erratic heart at his feet, “or I could have lived five minutes in your arms and felt things I’ve never felt my entire life. A feeling that tells me I hadn’t lived at all until I met you.”

  I once thought Asher lived a sedated life, but he wasn’t the only one. My life lit up when we met. I can’t go back to the fumbling darkness I had before. Not when my world has been illuminated with him in it.

  My confession isn’t one of love, not really. I think our society has twisted the idea of love so much that I might never recognize the emotion. But I know how this amazing mystic makes me feel whenever he’s around me. I may not be able to put the feelings into words, but I know … I know that it’s special.

  His eyes search my face, amazement glowing in his wide eyes. He spent all that time avoiding my gaze and now I have his complete attention. My nerves hum under his scrutiny. He’s leaning into me, and I’m arching toward him. The panels of the metal bite into my side, but I don’t fully feel it.

  He licks his lips slowly, and I’m mesmerized by the simple gesture. He leans closer to me, dissolving the space between us. My body is pulled toward him on pure instinct. He pauses when our lips brush faintly. The small contact feels electric and pushes the air from my lungs. His eyes search mine, his deep stare looking into my heart that I have all but released to him.

  Just when I think I can’t take the anticipation any longer, his lips press softly against mine. His hand drifts to my waist, pulling me closer to him as my fingers dig into his shoulders. His other hand cradles my head, his fingers pushing through my loose hair. My eyes drift closed, falling into the sensation of our bodies finally together.

  I arch my back into him as he parts my lips and his tongue slips slowly against mine. A feeling kindles low in my stomach, furling into an energy I can’t understand or control.

  Asher moves toward me, his weight settling over me. His body aligns perfectly with mine, his lips never leaving mine in the process. His hand travels over my hip and against my stomach, his light fingers warm against my skin. A tingle follows the path of his hand over my body. A euphoric haze fills my mind; the world and our past fall away. Only the two of us matter right now. The feel of his hands against my body is all I can think about.

  My fingers trail down his chest, pushing at his soft shirt until they find the contact they need. My fingers brush against the hard panes of his stomach that tense beneath my touch. My heart races but then calms slightly as my palm flattens against his chest, just over his heart. It beats recklessly against my fingertips, mirroring my own emotions.

  His hips push into mine, and I deepen the kiss like I’ve waited my entire life to feel his lips against mine. He pulls away and takes a ragged breath; disappointment bubbles in me for mere seconds before he begins kissing slowly down my jaw. I tilt my head to the side for him as he sucks lightly at my pulse. My eyes flutter as the sensation spreads over and through me; my breath catches audibly. We really could stay here like this forever.

  Everything is perfect.

  The sound of metal shredding and vibrating beneath us separates us instantly. I’m still dazed and my chest rises and falls unevenly, but the euphoric feeling I had just moments ago is ripped away.

  Crouching on the opposite end of the roof is a veil. Its claws are sunk deep into the now crumpled panes of the roof. A foam drips down its mouth and a high shriek is emitted from its lips. The grayness of its body appears even more ashen under the moonlight.

  Asher stands, his hand already silently pulling the length of the Crimson Sword from its sheath. I fumble against the slick roof. Once my feet are under me, I reach for the gun holstered at my waist. The weight of the weapon steadies my shaking hand. I try to focus on my breathing. Try to allow the oxygen to calm my racing heart.

  My gun won’t be enough to harm the creature.

  Asher backs up until my chest is against his back. He grabs my arm, pulling until it’s wrapped around his waist. He slowly takes my other arm and wraps it around his waist as well. The creature senses us, turning his head from side to side, obviously as confused as I am.

  “Hang on tight,” Asher says quietly.

  The sound of his voice sends the veil into a shrieking fit as it stands to its full height, its long shadow reaching up to us against the moonlight.

  Asher doesn’t hesitate. He grips my wrists that are fastened around his waist. My hand still clings to the gun in my fist. Within seconds, we are free falling from the roof of the house. My breath falters as I press my face into his shirt. My legs cling to him out of fear of the brutal landing we’ll inevitably have.

  The impact is harsh, rattling my teeth, but I’m unharmed. When I open my eyes, Asher’s head is tilted up to the roofline above. I climb ungracefully down from him, trying to catch my breath as my heart hammers away at my ribs.

  “Go inside and do not come out. Do not let anyone come out, Fallon,” he says in a rush.

  My mind agrees in an instant, but my limbs do not adhere. My spine straightens, my hands grip the handgun with confidence.

  I can’t leave him with that thing. Again.

  I left him once, and he was fine. But I shouldn’t have. He should have someone he trusts, even if they aren’t as tactical as he is.

  He should have someone.

  He has me.

  “I’m not leaving you,” I say sternly.

  “Fallon—“

  Whatever Asher’s disapproving voice was about to say is cut off when the veil comes crashing to the ground at our feet, as graceful as if I had leapt from the building myself. It stands unsteadily, shrieking in our faces just a few feet away. My courage wavers in the presence of the monster.

  Faintly, the sound of a dog barking echoes in the wind, muted by the shrill of the veil’s cries.

  Asher aligns himself between the creature and myself, his blade held high. His posture is a figure of strength. His steps are assured but cautious.

  He takes a step forward, closer to the beast. It doesn’t move from its spot, as if it’s a trained animal with its master.

  Out of the darkness behind the veil, a thin figure similar in build to the creature before me approaches, walking with ease and setting Asher on alert. His stance shifts back, away from the unknown threat. He lines his body up with mine until I can no longer see anything past Asher’s shoulders.

  What could be more threatening than the veil?

  I lean out of the safety of Asher’s shadow, so that my body is only partially concealed. Dr. Shaw steps beside the slender creature, his small body like a figurine next to the towering veil. He offers us a curt smile as his thin graying hair lifts in the breeze.

  “Good evening, Fallon. I was hoping to see your mother again one last time, but I suppose you will have to do.” He nods a hello to Asher and me, but neither of us moves. His thin fingers unbutton his suit jacket before tucking his hands into the pockets of his slacks. My mind is astounded at the way he moves around the creature, like a dog he’s loved and cared about for ages. “You have something that belongs to me, Fallon. I won’t use my animal if you promise not to use yours,” he says with a chuckle, nodding toward Asher.

  My lips curl in disgust. There was a time I took this man’s intelligence to mean he was justified in demeaning those of a smaller race. But I’m not that girl anymore—the one who believes the stories of monsters and legen
ds. The only monsters here are man. And Shaw’s not the deity he believes himself to be.

  The veil shrieks, spewing green fluid at our feet, performing for its master. The veil might have been born from monsters, but they were raised by demons who call themselves doctors.

  “They don’t belong to anyone,” I say, my voice commanding and filled with anger. My thoughts are filled with how many times I glared at Asher through the window of Compound 186 because of what I was told to believe about him and his kind. “His heart beats like yours and mine. He deserves a real life. He’s more human than you’ve ever been,” I say, taking a step closer to them. Asher follows my movement, not shielding me as he was before but not allowing me in front of him either.

  Shaw steeples his fingers; his lips thin as he shakes his head at me. “That’s where you’re wrong. You can’t really believe one girl’s feelings will overthrow the laws of a nation, do you? That pike is my property. He is not a person or something to be pitied. He is an abomination that has screwed up for the final time!” He points at Asher. His voice has raised, and he’s no longer the poised doctor he pretends to be in public.

  “You two have taken enough of my time and funding. Are you aware he killed one of my veil? Do you know how much those are worth to the compound, to our government?” The doctor’s words are spewed with anger, but then a twisting calm fills his face.

  “This ends tonight,” Shaw says adamantly.

  He lightly touches his hand to the veil’s boney arm. A gesture done as a motion. Two more veil walk from the shadows of the woods. A few armed men walk like toy soldiers between them. They wear all black and have guns raised in their hands. Between the men is a familiar face.

  Gabriel stands with his head hung low, a bandage wrapped around his head concealing his eyes. My heart pounds harder at the sight of him.

  “I have one more minor thing I wanted to share with you.” Shaw waves his fingers toward Gabriel. “One of the other pikes said this one carried a human scent back from his search. It then occurred to me Forty-four might have an alliance within the compound that I was not aware of. I questioned this one, but my efforts were … inconclusive. I thought it would be best if other methods were used to reveal the information he was concealing.”