by Karen Kelley
Chance knew there were several foster homes, but he didn’t see too far into that part of her life. One foster mother regularly beat Destiny. No one gave her a chance.
“Damn them! Damn them all,” Chance swore. “She was just a kid.”
What had happened after that? After she’d gotten older. There were too many missing pieces. He looked out the window, as if he could find his answers in the stars above.
Why did a demon think Destiny’s soul would be easy prey?
And why did Destiny think there was no other path for her to take?
He stepped away from the window and walked to the double doors that led to his balcony. Once outside, the crisp, clean air cleared his senses. He had to watch the rest of her life. He had to see what else had happened.
“Give me strength, Father,” he prayed and closed his eyes. He raised his arms toward the heavens above and let the images come to him as he once again spoke the ancient words that would take him back in time.
He watched her life as if it played on fast-forward. Each foster home was worse than the last. She had no friends. No one to hold and comfort her.
She changed from the scared little girl and survived any way she could. She became hard. She didn’t care about anyone, not even herself.
Destiny’s foster mother slapped her across the face. Chance jerked back as if he was struck. In truth, he would’ve taken the blow if he could have.
Destiny ran from the house. Through the dirty back streets. Scared, alone, but determined to find something different. Like a movie, Chance watched her life play out. Her pain became his pain.
Older kids took her in. Rejects. Throwaways who learned to survive any way they could. Destiny found her home, but it was the wrong kind. She only thought they cared for her, but how could they when they couldn’t even care about themselves?
Years were swept away until a man swaggered into Chance’s line of vision. Immediately Chance tensed, even though he knew it was just a vision of what had already happened.
But Destiny was hungry for the affection he tossed her way, like bones to a starving dog. Chance was pretty sure the guy knew it, too.
Drugs, sex, alcohol. She shoplifted for the creep. She did whatever he asked. It wasn’t enough. He began to beat her. She cried. She begged.
The man laughed.
Destiny’s boyfriend raised his arm one more time. Chance felt the guy’s fist slam into her face, felt the blood spurt from her nose.
You bastard, you won’t hit me again. Never again!
Chance felt the weight of the gun in his hand—in Destiny’s. It was almost as if he pulled the trigger, smelled the acrid smoke, heard the thump when the bullet hit the creep in the center of his chest.
The gun landed on the floor with a loud clunk. Destiny realized what she did and desperately scanned the room for a way to escape. She had to get the hell out of there! She had to run. His friends would hunt her down.
She opened the door and stumbled from the room, slamming into a hard chest. They surrounded her.
“Stupid cunt!” they yelled.
A fist slammed into her face, blood spurted from her mouth.
Mommy? Where are you? Why didn’t you come back?
Another fist pounded her face.
I waited, Mommy.
The darkness closed in around her.
Someone whispered in her ear, “I can make the pain go away forever. I can give you everything you’ve ever wanted.”
“Yes, take away the pain,” she whimpered.
Chance gasped as the vision was swiftly swept away. He went to his knees, trying desperately to fill his starving lungs with air. He’d taken Destiny’s pain and made it his own, he’d felt the demon’s breath on his face, burning him, and it sucked the life from him. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t draw in enough oxygen.
He shouldn’t have let her life play out that far. It had been too much. The nephilim were never supposed to hear the bargain made with the Devil.
Never.
Too much.
It was too much.
Suffocating darkness closed in around him.
Chapter 10
Destiny started to step inside the elevator, but hesitated when she saw Beulah. Oh hell, the mortal demon. Beulah glared at her. Destiny glared back as she stepped inside. The old battle-axe wore a shapeless, dark blue dress and heavy combat boots. At least that’s what they looked like to Destiny. They were so ugly she couldn’t look at them very long without causing eye strain.
“I guess he bought you that necklace.” Beulah sneered. “It doesn’t quite fit with your image.”
Destiny absently reached up and fingered the angel necklace as the elevator doors closed and the tired box began to ascend. It was a good thing Beulah was the one to see the little angel that dangled from the chain, rather than a demon spotting it. She shuddered to think what would happen if one of them saw her wearing the necklace. Just to be on the safe side, she tucked it back inside her shirt.
“As a matter of fact, Chance did buy me the necklace, and the hat.”
“Services rendered?”
Destiny smiled sweetly. “And I’m very good at it.” On the inside, her gut twisted. She’d met Beulah’s kind before. She probably went to church faithfully every Sunday and on Wednesday nights. She would be holier-than-thou until she left the sanctity of God’s house, then she would find fault with everyone except herself.
“You’d best be getting on your knees and prayin’.”
“Oh, I get on my knees, but I’m not praying.”
“I never!” she sputtered, drawing herself up to her full height of five feet four inches.
Destiny raised an eyebrow. “That’s pretty obvious. I doubt any man would ever look twice at you.”
Something flashed in Beulah’s eyes. Pain? For a moment, Destiny regretted her words.
“You’re going to Hell!” Beulah ranted.
The elevator ground to a stop. It was a good thing because Destiny couldn’t stop laughing, and Beulah’s face was turning redder by the second. What would Beulah say if Destiny told her she was already there?
But Destiny held her words as she stepped off the elevator. What purpose would it serve to tell Beulah the truth? Before Destiny reached her apartment, LeAnn came out of Charles’s apartment. He was right behind her.
“You’re back early,” LeAnn said.
“Thought you and that young fella would still be together, the way you was hangin’ on to each other,” Charles said as he stepped into the hallway.
Beulah snorted, glaring at LeAnn.
“What did I do?” LeAnn asked with surprise as she encountered Beulah’s anger.
“You used to be a good girl, LeAnn West. Now here you are, seen leaving a man’s apartment who’s old enough to be your grandfather! Shame on you!”
Charles frowned. “I ain’t dead yet.”
“And I was only getting some stew started cooking,” LeAnn defended herself. “If he doesn’t start eating, he’s going to dry up and blow away in the first wind that comes along.”
Beulah pursed her lips. “I just bet you were cooking up something, but it wasn’t stew!”
“She ain’t lyin’, Beulah.” He let out a frustrated sigh. “She even told me how to make it thick by adding powdered brown gravy mix.”
Beulah grimaced. “That isn’t cooking.”
“You think you can do better?”
“I know so.” She squared her shoulders.
Charles opened his door a little wider and waved an arm. “Then have at it, woman. Lord knows I can’t cook.”
“I’m only helping you because if I don’t, you’re liable to be corrupted and since you’re getting up in years, I won’t have it on my conscience that you went the opposite way of heaven on account of me keeping you from acting a fool around young girls.” Without a glance in their direction, she waltzed into his apartment. At the last minute, she turned. “But don’t go getting any ideas that I’m easy.” She turned
on her heel and didn’t look back again.
Charles winked. “She’s a feisty old broad, but she sure can cook.” He quickly followed Beulah, shutting his door.
“Leave the door open! I won’t have anyone talking about me being loose!”
The door opened again, and Charles grinned at them. “She may be ornery as sin, but I sure do like a woman who takes charge.”
“Charles, get in here!”
When he hurried away, LeAnn turned and looked at Destiny. “Gross.”
“I’m confused.” What would a nice guy like Charles see in an old hag like Beulah?”
LeAnn chuckled as she looped her arm inside Destiny’s. “I’ll tell you the whole story over a cup of coffee.”
It wasn’t a good idea, but the thought of going back to her empty apartment held no appeal whatsoever. She would only think about Chance and wonder why he left her. Was there something wrong with her? Why did he always leave?
Her decision made, she walked with LeAnn. The minute she stepped inside LeAnn’s apartment, she felt better. There was something warm and cozy about the over-stuffed furniture with doilies draped across the back. Destiny couldn’t help herself; she stared. It was so LeAnn.
“I know what you’re thinking,” LeAnn said with a grimace. “Suzy Homemaker.”
“Huh?”
“When I’m nervous, I crochet. I don’t even care for the silly things, but I can’t seem to stop. It’s like an epidemic. My mother taught me how to crochet.”
“I like them,” Destiny told her.
LeAnn’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
“Really.” Destiny wondered why she lied. Doilies reminded her of something she had never had: a real home.
LeAnn smiled. “I’ll get the coffee started. Make yourself comfortable.” She left the room.
Destiny wandered around, picking up trinkets then setting them down. She stopped at a picture. This must be LeAnn’s family. She picked up the picture. LeAnn resembled her mother, a pretty woman smiling at her husband. LeAnn, on the other hand, had such a look of adoration on her face as she stared at her brother. Why did bad things have to happen to good people? She set the picture down when she heard LeAnn returning and quickly sat on one end of the sofa.
“I hope you like hazelnut coffee.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never had it before.”
“Boy, you’re really missing out on a lot of stuff.”
Once they were comfortable and they each had a cup of coffee, LeAnn began her tale. “From what I’ve heard, Beulah was married once.”
Now Destiny was really shocked. “Who would have her?” She took a sip of her coffee and decided she liked the taste of hazelnut.
“Exactly. But from what I heard, Beulah was desperate to get married because she cared for her ailing parents and hadn’t had time to date. After they passed, she didn’t want anyone calling her an old maid. She said she was going to marry the first man who asked her, and so she did. Only problem was, he was two weeks out of prison. A real ass. She didn’t know that. Her parents left her pretty well off. Had their own laundry and all. They had Beulah late in life and died when she was twenty-five.”
“Twenty-five is not old.”
“I agree, but apparently back then they were already putting her on the proverbial shelf for spinsters.”
“So what happened?”
“He bilked her out of every last cent she had, then ran off with a younger, prettier woman. Beulah started letting herself go after that. I heard she swore no man would ever take advantage of her again.”
Oh hell, that put a whole new spin on everything. Destiny absolutely did not want to feel sorry for the old hag, but for a moment she pictured another Beulah. A young woman desperate not to feel so alone.
“And she’s in love with Charles.” LeAnn set her cup on a coaster. “And he likes her, too, but I think Beulah’s afraid to take a chance.”
“If I was Charles, I think I would be the one more afraid.”
LeAnn chuckled. “Yeah, that’s what I kinda thought.”
“The coffee was good.” Destiny set her cup on a coaster and came to her feet. The room suddenly began to close in on her and she had to get away.
“Do you have to leave?” LeAnn stood. “I could fix us something to eat.”
Destiny was tempted, but the feeling quickly passed. LeAnn was a mortal and she couldn’t afford entanglements of any kind. “I have some things I need to do.”
“Well, here, I don’t want you to leave empty-handed.” She hurried to a chest sitting on the floor in one corner of the room. She knelt down and opened the lid, bringing something out. When she hurried back, she placed a doily in Destiny’s hand. “Here, I want you to have this.”
“Oh, I couldn’t.” She opened the soft white star shaped design. It was exquisite.
“I insist.” LeAnn smiled.
Destiny reached toward her, then pulled back at the last second. “Thanks,” she spoke gruffly and hurried out of the apartment. No one had ever given her anything except trouble and today she’d already gotten three gifts. Her eyes misted as she hurried to her apartment.
Just as she got to the door, Charles’s door opened and Beulah stepped out. Destiny tried to picture the other woman as someone who was desperate for love.
“What are you staring at?” she growled.
Okay, the picture just wasn’t going to form. “Not a damn thing.” She opened her door and stepped inside, closing it firmly behind her. “Old battle-axe,” she grumbled.
Chapter 11
Chance vaguely heard voices, but they seemed to be coming from a long way off.
“Is he going to be okay?” Hunter asked, concern lacing his words. “He’s been out for a long time.”
“Of course he’s going to be all right,” Ryder told him, but he didn’t sound so sure.
“What happened?” Dillon grated out.
“We all know what happened,” Ryder said grimly.
“Yeah, we do.” Dillon sighed. “He’s too close to this assignment. She got to him. He had to know more, to see more.”
“He shouldn’t have watched her life play out. Fool! He knows how dangerous it can be. We’re only supposed to see pieces of their lives. All of it at once can kill us,” Hunter said.
Chance felt like crap as the world slowly began to emerge through the darkness of where he’d been. The droning voices didn’t help.
As always, Dillon, Ryder, and Hunter came to the rescue. They must have sensed he was in trouble. Chance wondered if they would leave if he didn’t open his eyes. No, he knew that wouldn’t happen. They were too much like mother hens.
“I’m okay,” he wearily told them as he opened his eyes. It took a few seconds for him to focus. When he could see clearly, he almost closed them again. He was in deep shit. All three looked at him as though they were about to permanently put him out of his misery.
He should’ve pretended to be out. At least then they were concerned for his well-being. Now they looked as though they wanted to kill him.
Ah hell, he knew he deserved whatever they gave him. He’d stayed too long in Destiny’s past. He might as well bring it right out in the open before they did. “I know I should’ve stopped the vision before I did.”
“Ya think!” Hunter said, losing his cool. He glared at Chance.
Hunter, in all his gruffness, was probably the caretaker in their ragtag group. He didn’t like it when one of them was in trouble, either. The guy really needed to take a class on anger management.
“I didn’t think Destiny’s life would be as bad as it was,” he admitted. “Yeah, I knew she had it rough, but I didn’t realize just how rough.” Even now he could feel the remnants of the beating those men had given her.
“Walk away,” Dillon told him in all seriousness. “Just walk away. If it was that bad, you’re probably not going to save her anyway.”
Walk away? The idea had never crossed Chance’s mind. He shook his head. “Can’t do it. I’ve got
to at least try to save her soul.”
“Why?” Ryder asked. “What makes this one so special? You’ve dealt with past lives that were horrible and kept your emotions intact.”
Rather than answer right away, Chance started to get up. When he wobbled just a little, Hunter grudgingly stuck out his hand. Chance gratefully grasped it. Hunter hauled Chance to his feet with little effort, then pushed him into the nearest chair. Chance landed with an oomph. The guy had some serious strength.
“Chance, why this one? Why her?” Ryder asked, reminding Chance that he didn’t answer the question.
Chance shook his head. He didn’t know. He wasn’t sure. There was just something about her that wouldn’t let him give up.
“Destiny was never given a choice in life,” he finally began as he tried to explain. “Everything was shoved down her throat. Her mother left her to fend for herself, leaving her in a grocery store. It was as though she had a dark cloud over her from the very beginning.”
Once more the pain threatened to engulf him as Destiny’s fear came flooding back. He drew in a deep breath, then exhaled before continuing.
“Her mother threw her away like she was trash. A string of lousy foster homes followed.” He shook his head. “Even when she ran away, she ended up in a worse place.”
Chance’s words trailed off and the images flashed before his eyes again. He forced the pain to stay buried. No, he was in control. It was more like looking at quick pictures of what her life had been.
Dillon touched his arm, bringing Chance back to the present. “Stay with us, buddy.”
“Yeah, I’m still here.” Chance forced the images to the far recesses of his mind. “Everyone should be given a choice in life. If we choose the wrong path, well, it’s our fault and we have to find a way to undo what went wrong. Destiny never had a choice. I want to give her one.”
“You want her to choose between becoming a demon or being reborn,” Hunter said.
Chance nodded. “Yeah, I want her to have that choice.”
Ryder walked to the window and looked out. “Demons can be pretty persuasive,” he said without turning around.