Seeking Fate

by Brenda Drake

  It was warm in his arms, almost too hot, but she didn’t care. “It wasn’t him.”

  “What?”

  “I had him pull a card, and it wasn’t Death. He pulled the Lovers. What am I going to do? It wasn’t any of them. There is no one else.”

  His arms tightened around her. “We missed something then. Don’t worry we’ll find him. When we get back, we’ll pick up the search again.”

  “What if we don’t find him?” If they didn’t find the guy, he’d die, and she would with him. It was as if she could hear a ticking bomb in her head.

  “We won’t give up until we do,” he said. “Okay?”

  She might not have a choice. Her lips trembled, legs suddenly weak, his embrace was the only thing holding her up. What would happen? Would her heart just stop when the boy’s did or would it be slow and painful?

  “I’m scared.” Her voice came out shaky.

  “Hey,” he said, pulling back to look at her. “No one knows how much time they have in this world. You could have years.”

  “I could have days.” She lowered her head and whispered, “Hours.”

  He hugged her to his chest. “We’re not going to think like that. I’ll go through all our notes and records. There has to be something we missed. No giving up, okay?”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  He was right. The only option she had was to continue. To search until she couldn’t anymore. If she gave up, the curse would win.

  “Listen.” His warm breath fanned over her head. “We need to have some fun. All this curse stuff is intense. What do you say we explore Le Marais? There’s a train in the morning, which will get us back to Amsterdam before eleven. I called the hostel and reserved two beds. We have all night.”

  “Really? I’d love that.” The thought of going there excited her. It was on her list of places she wanted to see in Paris.

  They released each other and continued down the cobblestone road.

  The light from his phone lit his face. “It’s too far to walk, but there’s a taxi station the next street over.”

  The breeze rolling over Daisy was warm. Never had she had a better crêpe than the one the café served. She actually hadn’t had that many in her lifetime. Only ones at the boardwalk back home. The one she chose had cheeses and meats, topped with an egg. Andrei’s had smoked salmon. When they were finished, they shared a dessert crêpe with a caramel sauce.

  “I’m so full,” she said, dabbing her mouth with the linen napkin.

  Andrei dropped his on the table. “We have some time left to take a walk. See some of Le Marais.”

  “Are you kidding? A million times, yes!”

  After paying the bill, they strolled down the cobbled streets lined with seventeenth-century townhouses. Elaborate streetlamps hanging from the buildings lit up the sidewalks in a golden glow. Scooters and little bitty cars passed them on the enchanted roads. Lazy diners sat at outdoor tables under twinkling lights.

  When her thoughts went to the cursed heir, she shoved them aside. She was going to enjoy her last hours with Andrei. Once back in Amsterdam, she would be going to the Van Burens’ castle for Aster’s wedding, and he would pack to leave for New York in a few days. Their high-speed journey through Europe was almost over, and she wasn’t sure where that left their relationship.

  They ended up in the Place des Vosges. Andrei’s app said it was the oldest square in Paris. The palatial redbrick buildings with arched entries surrounded the center park. Four large fountains sat at each corner of the lawns. The statues looked like ghosts in the night within the manicured gardens.

  Andrei dropped his backpack on the ground and sat on the grass, stretching his legs out and crossing them at the ankles. Daisy placed her bag next to his and plopped down beside him.

  She leaned against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm behind her back. “It’s beautiful at night here. If not creepy.”

  “If you could be anywhere in the world, would this be it?” His voice was just above a whisper.

  “Yes, this would be it.” She picked at the grass and added, “With you.”

  He shifted to face her, took her hand, and stretched over, bringing his face closer to hers. There was a hint of caramel sauce on his breath. She closed her eyes and met his lips with hers, the pressure of his mouth sending tingles to her stomach. Their kiss deepened, and he gathered her into his arms, lowering her on the grass, his body pressed against hers. It was as if she were floating away on the Seine.

  She slipped her arms around his neck, their mouths moving perfectly together, his tongue igniting a desire inside her, heating her body. His hands traveled up her sides, to her back, and delved into her hair, fingers gently grasping her head. A moan slipped from her and the kiss became more urgent.

  She didn’t want this to end.

  “We have to go,” he said against her lips.

  Groaning she said, “No. Let’s stay here forever.”

  “I wish we could.” He released her and stood, then reached his hands out to her.

  She heaved a sigh before taking his hands and letting him help her to her feet. He stared at her for a second before giving her a quick kiss.

  “Let’s do one more thing before going to the hostel,” he said. “We can have the taxi driver take a detour. Drive by the Arc de Triomphe.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Never surer,” he said, slipping on his backpack. “I know it’s on your list.”

  She picked hers up and trotted after him. “You read it?”

  “It was in your notebook. In all fairness, you gave it to me to read.”

  It took longer to grab a cab than earlier. Daisy texted Iris the time she’d be arriving at the train station in Amsterdam.

  She didn’t receive Iris’s response until they were in the taxi. Okay. Blecker and I will be waiting.

  Blecker?

  Who’s that? Daisy texted.

  He’s on the Van Burens’ staff. Tall. Scary. Very serious. You’ll like him.

  Daisy chuckled.

  “Something funny?” Andrei scooted closer to her. “You’re missing the City of Lights.”

  As they approached the Place Charles de Gaulle, the circular road surrounding the Arc, tears gathered in her eyes.

  Andrei slid his arm across her shoulders. “Are you crying?”

  “I’m just happy. It’s so…amazing. Majestic.” She didn’t want to miss any details on the Arc and wished the driver would slow down. He guided the cab quickly through traffic. Andrei snapped photos on his phone, swaying with the movements of the taxi.

  “Want to get out?” Andrei lowered his phone.

  She scooted to the edge of her seat. “Of course.”

  Daisy had studied the city so much, she could’ve been a tour guide. Seeing it all in real life was beyond surreal. And it was all because of Andrei. It didn’t escape her that he wanted to make her dreams come true.

  How did I get so lucky? With him by her side, she had a sense everything would be okay.

  He noticed her staring at him. “What?”

  “Thank you.” She tried to keep the tears from glossing her eyes, but there was no holding them back. Her gaze drifted over to the monument.

  Many tourists lingered around the Arc. The white stone structure was massive and the Arc expansive. There were four groups of relief sculptures on the columns of the Arc. One was Le Triomphe de 1810, celebrating the triumph of Napoleon. The other depicted the French people ready to fight in a battle.

  Andrei jogged in place. “Want to race to the top?”

  “You do realize it’s a long way up, right? And it’s a narrow spiral staircase.” The eager expression on his face was so darn cute she almost caved. “Besides, I want to savor this time, not rush through it.”

  He swung his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to his side. “You’re right. This is our last night. Tomorrow, you’ll be living it up in a castle, and I’ll be packing for New York.”

  Her stomach tightene
d into a ball. She was going to miss him. It would only be a few months until she arrived in New York for school, but it still seemed like forever.

  Climbing up the spiral staircase took Daisy’s breath away. There was a little museum at the top and Daisy barely browsed things. She’d seen it all before in her obsessive Googling of all things Europe. Plus, she was too anxious to get a bird’s-eye view of Paris.

  The city was beautiful and the lights of the nearby Eiffel Tower were magical. Hands down, this was the best night of her life so far.

  Andrei cuddled up to her side. “Someone made this almost two hundred years ago. Left their mark. What will we leave?”

  She pulled herself out of the trance of the sparkling city. “That’s intense.”

  “You’ve never thought about it?”

  “Nope. I’ve been a little busy. You know, with graduation, getting into college, and that whole curse thing.”

  “Funny.” The deadpan way he said it told her it wasn’t that humorous.

  “I have my moments.”

  “Yeah, well,” he said, shifting to look at her. “It’s cute you think that. I seem to remember an attempted joke at the hospital. Total bust. Maybe you should work on your delivery.”

  “Now who’s not funny?” She laughed, and he joined her.

  A silence fell over him and he cupped her face in his hands. “I don’t want this to end here, Daisy. I’ve had my share of girls, but they’ve all been shallow and only cared about themselves. But you… Your beauty goes deeper. It’s in your spirit. Your heart.” A nervous laugh escaped his lips. “Listen to me. You’ve turned me into a sap.”

  His words lit her up like the bright lights illuminating the sky.

  “I like sap,” she said.

  He kissed her, a short sweet one, and it was as if she were soaring out of her body. They snuggled up close and watched the lights. Neither of them saying a word, their silence saying so much more. That they belonged to each other.

  Bram, Joost, and Niels weren’t the one. Maybe the Van Buren curse had died when Daisy released Crina.

  Maybe the cards were wrong.

  They had less than twelve hours left together, and she didn’t want to think of fates and curses anymore. The few months’ separation would be agonizing, but knowing she’d see him again in New York gave her hope. She was excited to see where their relationship would lead. But just like the night, she wanted to savor every bit of it slowly. Why did things always have to end? She didn’t want it to end.

  She tightened her arms around him. And she didn’t want to let him go.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Andrei

  As the train approached the Amsterdam station, Daisy’s grip on Andrei’s hand tightened. His gaze met hers. All the sadness crushing his heart was mirrored in her glassy eyes. The compartment rocked and settled beside the platform.

  “Well, we’re here.” Her shoulders hunched, and the corners of her mouth turned down.

  Andrei lifted his backpack, scooted across the seat, and stood in the aisle. “Hey, it won’t be that bad. Just a few months. I’ll even FaceTime you.”

  “Still.” Grabbing her bag, she slid out and waited beside him for the line of people to move. “It seems like forever.”

  They shuffled along with the other passengers, down the steps, and onto the platform. The terminal was crowded. Summers were always busy, and he hoped it would delay Iris, so he’d have more time with Daisy.

  “Do you see her?” he asked.

  She stopped and glanced around. “No.”

  “Daisy!” Iris called from somewhere in the hive of bodies zipping around them. She squeezed by a break in the people. Wearing a walking boot, she hobbled toward them. A tall, lanky man of about fifty with pointy elbows and knees wearing a dark suit followed.

  Daisy sent a bland look in Iris’s direction. “She just couldn’t be late.”

  A smile lifted his lips. Her pouty face was cute. “I’ll walk you to the car. We’ll take our time.”

  Iris reached them and swung her arms around Daisy. “I’m so glad to see you. Alive.”

  “Of course, I’m alive.” Daisy looked over Iris’s shoulder at the tall man behind her. “Who’s the bodyguard?”

  Iris released her and glanced back at the man. “Oh, this is our ride. He works for the Van Burens. Blecker, this is my baby sister, Daisy, and that’s Andrei.”

  “My pleasure.” The man’s voice was impressively deep.

  “Iris, do you think we can give Andrei a ride?” Daisy looked hopeful. “I have to get my suitcase anyway.”

  “We have it,” Iris said. “Andrei’s grandmother met us here with it. She’s waiting in her car next to ours.”

  Did I hear right?

  “Bunică? She never drives that old Aston Martin.”

  “Well, she did.” Iris whirled around on her walking boot. “Follow me.”

  Andrei held Daisy’s hand, fingers intertwined. They strolled behind Iris and Blecker, their gazes constantly drifting to each other. When they arrived at the entrance to the parking garage, he stopped her, letting Iris and Blecker go ahead of them.

  “I thought we should say goodbye here,” he said. “Without an audience.”

  Iris twisted and sent a knowing smile at them, before disappearing down the stairwell. Blecker pounded down after her. Andrei turned and faced Daisy. Tears spilling from her eyelashes and wetting her cheeks caused a lump to form in his throat. He hated to see her cry.

  He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her temple. “This is tough.”

  “It so is.” Her voice sounded fragile. “I hate goodbyes.”

  “Then let’s not say it.” He smiled down at her. “How about we say, ‘see you in September’?”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  Lowering his head, he kissed her soft lips. It was a slow one and not nearly long enough, but if he stretched it out anymore, he’d lose it. He straightened and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ears.

  The starbursts in her eyes were brighter than usual, hypnotizing. How did she root herself so deeply into his heart? It happened while he wasn’t paying attention. He was going to miss her. Miss the way she’d wrinkle that upturned nose of hers at something distasteful, miss her sad attempts at jokes, and miss how she made him feel less lonely when she was around.

  Her head nuzzled against his chest. He held her tighter, inhaling the sweet scent of something fruity in her hair, realizing they couldn’t keep Bunică waiting. It had to have taken a lot for his grandmother to drive to the station, and he didn’t want to push her too far.

  “We should go.”

  She lifted her eyes, the corners of her mouth pressing dimples into her cheeks. “Yeah, I guess we should.”

  He released her, his empty arms suddenly feeling cold.

  “I’ll see you in September,” he said.

  “September,” she repeated.

  It’d been two days. Two days and he still couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  A few months. He kept telling himself as he stared at the door to the room where she’d slept that first night in Bunică’s apartment. They’d be in the same city then.

  The air adjusted in the apartment as the front door opened. Bunică entered with Aunt Miri, dragging her suitcase behind her. Miri abandoned her baggage and hurried over to Andrei.

  “Aren’t you handsome,” she said. “You get taller every time I see you.”

  He gave her a quick hug. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  She patted his cheek. “It’ll be okay. You’ll see. The meeting is in a few hours. I’m going to freshen up.”

  She gathered her things and went to his bedroom.

  “You want coffee?” Bunică went into the kitchen and grabbed the press without waiting for Andrei’s response. She wasn’t handling Andrei leaving too well. He’d caught her crying twice since he had returned from the station. The grinder screeched, and the aroma of coffee filled the apartment.

  After he sat with her a
nd had two cups with sweet bread, he decided to finish packing. His flight left for New York in the morning. If he knew he’d meet Daisy and they’d hook up, he wouldn’t have agreed to move early to the university with his roommate. It seemed like a good idea to join the summer orchestra program, get a job, and start making money. He’d never met his two roommates. One was from Texas, the other from Indiana.

  “What do you say we kick some Thorn ass?” Miri leaned against his doorframe. Her short, dark hair was a bunch of messy curls. She had her usual uniform of seventies band T-shirt and ripped jeans with colorful patches sewed on them. Eccentric and loud, she had her own sense of fashion.

  He shut his suitcase and zipped it closed. “You think we can do it? Make them end their evil ways?”

  “Don’t worry. I have my secret ammunition.” She held up a flash drive. “We just need a projector and your laptop.”

  “They have one at the meeting house,” Bunică said from behind Miri.

  Miri glanced at the jacket in Bunică’s hand. “You’re not going with us. It’s best they don’t know you’re involved. You have to live here. Andrei and I don’t. We’ll be gone.”

  Bunică nodded. “All right. You take care of him. Yes?”

  “I will.” Miri smiled.

  Andrei picked up his laptop from his bed. “Let’s do this.”

  Salted ham and aged cheese lingered in the air of the small room behind one of the elder’s deli shop. Andrei’s extended family crowded in, and he wondered what it would be like to have so many brothers and sisters like his cousins had. The majority of the group were extremely religious. Their Catholic faith strong.

  Miri and Bunică were like royalty to the group. Their father was the first elder of the group for over fifty years. If they knew Miri was a tarot reader, they would shun her. That’s why Miri moved to America, so she could practice what she loved to do—reading people’s cards.

  His grandmother’s cousin, Lavinia, Ramon and Bart’s mother, intercepted Miri and him as they searched for a seat. She snapped at Miri in Romanian.