Destiny Be Damned

by Rebecca Royce

  Daniella had embraced her daughters, and her husbands circled all of them as well. I’d gotten the girls home. That was key.

  Teagan must have turned on her power. She blinked several times. “How is that possible? We’re closer to our future now—the one we want. How could that be? When everything showed differently?”

  “I have possibilities. Not destiny. They picked me for this job because they want me to do it. I’m a different Oracle. I have my own rules.”

  Teagan scrunched up her face. “I really screwed this up.”

  “No, I got to experience life as a blind person, which taught me never to underappreciate my sight. I learned I was pretty tough, and I met my husbands’ families. I saw where they grew up. I know where we come from. Katrina is possessed by a shadow. The one that started all this mess. She let it inside of her and…”

  Cold moved through me, and I stopped talking.

  See what is…

  I turned from Teagan and Anne to where Krystal leaned against the doorframe of the house, watching me from inside the circle of Sisters I needed to meet. The guys weren’t really just men. We weren’t really just women. We were spirts. They were birds.

  See what is…

  There was something about Krystal that was just wrong.

  Demons had been humans.

  I walked toward her, and she widened her eyes.

  “Mika?” Neil called out to me. They would be feeling my concern right now. They ran fast behind me, surrounding me in a half-circle.

  I touched her hand. Like Teagan, I wasn’t a real touchy person outside of my guys. I’d touched Krystal before, and I’d paid little attention to it. Had she always been this cold?

  Maybe I just hadn’t seen what was right in front of me. “What are you?”

  Everyone had gotten silent. I stared at her, not letting her lose my eye contact. This wasn’t Krystal. Whatever was in front of me didn’t belong. What had Reed told her when she asked after powers? They were where they’d always been.

  Why didn’t Krystal have her powers? Because this thing wasn’t really Krystal, and although she might have been able to fake it for a while, in the long run, our powers come from divinity and they couldn’t be copied. Not by whatever this was.

  She hissed in a breath. “You know, after years of enduring this, it’s going to be a relief. Even if Katrina doesn’t like it.”

  Krystal changed shape. I backed up. She was some kind of shifting demon. I hadn’t known there were such things. The guards all moved. There were too many Sisters here unprotected. Wayne grabbed onto me, tugging me even further backward. When my shock lifted, I resisted.

  Whatever this was that wasn’t Krystal had taken its true form. I took a deep breath. I wouldn’t show it I was terrified. I wouldn’t indicate how I wanted to vomit at the thought that we had all been living with it for some time, told it secrets, believed it to be one of us.

  “See what is.” That’s what I kept hearing. “I see you.” I pointed at it. “You’re a demon.” Okay, I had to do better than that, but I was stunned. Wayne let go of my arm. He understood I wasn’t going to be moved away. “Clara,” I called over my shoulder, “what level demon is this?”

  They hated to be labeled. I hadn’t been afraid of the thing on the road, and this one—huge, almost as big as Beelzebub. The size meant the second it moved, it was going to take down the awning on the house, horned, with beady, red eyes and a green body—wasn’t going to know that it rattled me.

  Whatever it was, shapeshifter or not, I could manage it. My power jerked to life. How had it managed to hide itself from my abilities? How had Katrina? Those were questions for another day.

  “Um, level two, Sister Mika,” Clara called out to me.

  I shrugged. “I think it’s a three. The horns are kind of repulsive looking. But other than the hiding in the shadows, I don’t see anything about this foul creature that says two to me. Kind of pathetic actually.”

  The demon roared at me and rushed forward. Sisters, most of whom didn’t have powers, and two very talented ones who could probably take it down, too, surrounded me. But this one was mine.

  I squeezed my fist together, and the demon roared. That was right. I had it. The demon’s life was tight in my hand. I squeezed the energy right out of the thing.

  Until it exploded into nothingness.

  “Wayne.” I turned around, knowing he’d catch me when the blackness took me under. I could squish demons in my hand. That didn’t necessarily mean I should.

  That was a distinction I wasn’t grasping nearly as fast as I should.

  “How did you know?” Gordon whispered in my ear in the darkness. Next to me, Wayne snored. He wasn’t the reason I was awake. I’d passed out, and now it seemed like I might not get any more rest the remainder of the evening.

  Outside, ravens cawed. “What are they saying?”

  “Question for a question?” Gordon’s tone was teasing, not upset.

  Neil rolled over in a cot across the room, muttering something in his sleep. Ren and Lennon were silent, their breathing even. I was glad they could rest. They’d certainly earned the break. Too much had happened and too much time on the run. It wore down even the toughest of souls.

  “I knew because she looked wrong. I had a dream where we were all flying together. Since then, I can sometimes see you guys as though you have wings. It changed my sight. I can see what is now. She looked wrong. That’s the best way to describe it. I wish I had known earlier. I… She was here a long time.”

  “You knew when you knew. That was the best you could do. No one could ask more from you.” He kissed my cheek. “I had the same dream. Thought it was just me.”

  I rolled onto my side. “Did that really happen?”

  Gordon’s smile lit up the night. “Maybe it did.”

  He kissed me gently. “The ravens are saying something kind of interesting, actually.”

  Well, that was just vague enough to be concerning. “Which would be what?”

  “They’re saying that you’re pregnant. Are you?”

  “I…” Truth was I hadn’t given it a single thought. We used to believe we were infertile, but we understood that to be a lie now. Teagan and Anne had been surprised by their pregnancies. I hadn’t given it much thought, not even to prevent it. I’d never thought I’d live long enough to have this happen.

  When had I last bled? I didn’t even know. “I might be, Gordon.”

  “All right, everyone up.” His voice traveled through the room. Wayne sat straight up, his covers falling down, and the others jumped to their feet.

  “What is it?” Wayne tugged me against him. “Are you hurt? Danger? What?”

  “She’s pregnant.” Gordon grinned.

  I had not been prepared for this, but I supposed we were all in this together. They started speaking all at once. The gist seemed to be happiness. I took a deep, steadying breath. What was any of this for if not happiness? Small gifts in long days. As long as the world still spun, seeking joy was the reason for everything.

  * * *

  Nine months later…

  I clasped my sleeping son to my breast, letting him feed. I closed my eyes. His labor, ending five hours earlier, had taught me I really hadn’t understood anything about pain when it came down to it. Magic could hurt, but it was my very human side that had nearly died bringing him into the world.

  The local doctor had saved us both. I stared out the window. Divinity wanted me here as the Oracle but apparently couldn’t intervene when it came to a breech baby.

  In any case, Warden was born healthy. At the moment, that was about all I could care about. I was pretty sure he looked exactly like Ren, with slightly darker skin. It didn’t matter. We weren’t going to concern ourselves with which one of the guys was his biological father. As had been very clear when they’d each held him an hour earlier, they were all head over heels in love with him.

  I’d finally come to understand why the mothers I saw in my visions arrive
d here so terrified. I’d thought I understood their terror. I hadn’t had a clue. Nothing was going to separate me from Warden. Not ever.

  A knock sounded, and Wayne, who had passed out in the chair next to the bed, jumped to his feet. They had all been awake during my thirty hours of labor. The difference was now I was loaded with energy and couldn’t sleep. They, by contrast, were either knocked out or asleep on their feet.

  Wayne opened the door, and Daniella stood there. She handed him a drink, keeping her voice down, and left.

  He walked over and set down the drink next to me. “She says it’s for the pain and won’t hurt the baby.”

  I didn’t have pain yet, but I was sure it was coming. “Thanks.”

  The other four shuffled into the room. I thought I’d sent them all to rest, but they’d clearly not listened. “If you stay in here, all of you, then you will wake up every time he does.”

  Neil shrugged. “Who needs sleep?”

  “Not me.” Wayne yawned before he collapsed in the chair.

  Gordon gently cupped the back of the baby’s head before he lay down next to us. “I want to be up if you need anything.”

  Ren scooted in on the other side of us. “It’s better for both of you if we all stay in here.”

  Lennon squeezed my feet. “Need anything now?”

  I was really okay and told him so. I brought my eyes back to the window. The moon was full, and the thunder in the distance told me the weather was about to be bad again. It might be a weather demon. I didn’t know. My powers had been off for the last weeks, while my body got ready for the baby, and they weren’t turning on now.

  I held Warden tighter. The winds had changed lately. The ravens were circling faster but not talking to the guards. I thought there was likely more happening than just the birth of my beautiful boy.

  Teagan said there was a path to our future—the one we wanted. It was right in front of her, but the details were fuzzy. That meant we could fall off the way and not even know. She cared more about that kind of thing than I did. While I found visions of the future interesting, and sometimes important, I would never base my life on them.

  I believed in us. We were strong, powerful women. We had a path to walk and the will to travel it. With our five loves watching us, helping us, loving us, we could win this war and defeat the evil that would rule us. I loved my men fiercely. We would have a future. I would make it happen.

  I was the Oracle, and although I’d had to be blinded to do it, I’d finally learned how to see.

  * * *

  THE END

  Thank you so much for reading Destiny Be Damned (Last Hope 3). If you have a second and could leave a review, I would be so grateful. Reviews really help authors. If you would like to stay in touch, please join my newsletter http://www.rebeccaroyce.com/ or come to my Facebook page dedicated to Last Hope https://www.facebook.com/groups/1841635032766330/ and meet other fans of the series (I hang out there too sometimes). And please be on the lookout for Compassion Be Damned (Last Hope 4) coming soon!

  Also by Rebecca Royce

  Tradition Be Damned

  Past be Damned

  * * *

  Other Series you might love

  Wings of Artemis Series

  Warrior World

  The Cascade

  About the Author

  As a teenager, I would hide in my room to read my favorite romance novels when I was supposed to be doing my homework. I hope, these days, that my parents think it was worth it.

  I am the mother of three adorable boys and I am fortunate to be married to my best friend. I live in Austin Texas where I am determined to eat all the barbecue in town.

  I am in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal and try to use all of these elements in my writing. I've been told I'm a little bloodthirsty so I hope that when you read my work you'll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. I love to write series because I love to see characters develop over time and it always makes me happy to see my favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.

  In my world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.

  Follow Rebecca on Social Media

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  Finding Honor

  The Searchers, book1

  By Ripley Proserpina

  Get it at your favorite ebook store: https://books2read.com/u/4Xg2E9

  Love finds her in her darkest hours…

  Nora Leslie’s twenty-year existence revolved around one thing—survival. A split second decision under a hail of gunfire saves the lives of her students and alters her own forever.

  When she wakes in the hospital, Nora finds herself a suspect in the worst tragedy to ever strike her small college town. Thrust into the spotlight as the villain, instead of the hero, she is in desperate need of allies

  A chance meeting introduces her to Ryan Valore, a young law student searching to outrun the guilt of his past. With the world turned against her, Nora accepts his aid, and the help of his roommates, a group of guys with pasts as dark as her own. For them, Nora is everything they never believed they deserved.

  Note from the Publisher

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