Bound by Destiny

by Stephanie Yarns

  A hand closed around the back of her neck and she could hear the breath it took. It smelled her. Perfect. It. Because her love was gone.

  She quit thinking for a moment as he jerked her up. The brokenness of her body pulling a scream from her that ended with her coughing up more of the red stuff. She could feel the heat from his mouth and even though she couldn’t see, she closed her eyes. “My Sebastian.” She could feel the tear that slid from the corner of her eye.

  One day, if he ever found himself again, he was going to hate himself.

  “This is it, Eve.” She could hear Gabe’s voice coming from the end of a long tunnel. Even from so far away, she could hear the satisfaction in it. “Relax, it’s almost over. Don’t fight it anymore. Let it happen. No more pain. Won’t that be pleasant?”

  Teeth ran over the flesh of her wrist and despite knowing better, she tried to pull away. “Don’t do this,” she groaned through the new fresh hell. He had her broken arm and he twisted it. A hand grabbed the back of her head, yanking on her hair, exposing her throat, and she screamed her throat raw at the agony that ripped through her skull. Sharp fangs pressed hard against the vein in her neck. Verging on passing out, she almost took the cowards way out, almost fell into the peace the pure blackness offered when she heard something else.

  “Eve!”

  She wasn’t remotely coherent enough to try to figure out whose voice it was, though it did pull her away from the death that toyed with her.

  There was a hollow thud and the hands holding her let her go. Her arm hit the ground followed by her head and she lost all sense for a moment. One blissful moment. She came back to her body in time for the agony to dim and she knew she was going into shock. But that was okay. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt so bad when he destroyed her.

  Time passed as muffled sounds flowed over her. Someone was fighting, maybe. But she didn’t care as the darkness called for her.

  Hands on her face now, fingers tracing her eyes.

  “Eve,” The voice was one she thought to never hear again. The pain in it almost made a mockery of her own.

  Another cough hit her, and she choked, gagging on the blood filling her mouth.

  “Did we save the —.” Another voice, one that abruptly ended. “Goddamn, Sebastian. What in the fuck did you do?”

  “Stay with us, beautiful.” Gideon.

  “I didn’t know.” The tormented one spoke.

  Somehow, she got her eyes open, but it didn’t matter. She was blind. “I…” Another cough but it didn’t hurt. The only pain she felt was the pressure in her head. “I can’t see.” Could they hear the words she couldn’t?

  “Princess, I don’t have time to explain, but I’m going to heal you. Do you trust me?” Fallon’s voice was beside her ear.

  Everything she had in her went into one last whispered word. “Yes.”

  “Are you sure about this?” Gideon again.

  “She’s going to drown if I don’t. I’m guessing Gabe is out, otherwise, it wouldn’t be this bad. So, yeah, boss, I’m sure.”

  She could hear them talking, but they were getting further away.

  “Just open your lips, sweetheart.” Sebastian.

  “Don’t make me force you, because I will, promises be damned,” Gideon growled, fingers tightening on her shoulders.

  She did as he said. Something hot and wet hit her cheek and she knew what was happening. Before she could close her mouth, tell him no, she didn’t want it, warm flesh covered her lips, hot copper filling her mouth.

  “It’s okay, baby. It’ll make you better,” Fallon said as fingers stroked her throat, pressing hard against her skin and she swallowed by reflex.

  After the initial gag factor, it wasn’t too terrible. Like licking a hot penny. Then something happened. She lifted her good arm, fingers wrapping around the wrist that supplied her with the nectar of the gods. There was nothing on earth that was remotely as rich, sweet, salty, all perfectly combined to satisfy her.

  “That’s it. Swallow me. You’ll be back to driving me sane before you know it.”

  She pulled from the fount against her lips, taking him in again and again. She could feel things now. Bones knitting back together, tears inside her mending. Her once broken arm joined her good one in holding him to against her. The room flashed almost strobe-like as the swelling of her brain went down.

  “That’s enough, princess.” Fallon gave her a smile as he tried to pull his arm away.

  She made a sound of protest and his chuckle slid over her skin. He freed his arm and she tried to follow before realizing what she was doing. Sebastian’s arms tightened around her as she groaned, wanting more.

  Fallon ginned at her. “No more for you, you lush. You don’t want to be like us.”

  Speechless at what she was seeing, she looked around the room. The only light was from the patio doors letting in the moonlight, but it was so bright. Almost unbearable.

  “Eve?” A single word. Her name. So soft, so hesitant, so terrifying.

  Her Sebastian. Her lover. Her murderer.

  As soon as she did it, she regretted it, but she could no more stop her actions than keep the moon from rising. She bit off a cry as she twisted in his arms, bringing her fist up into his jaw. The fact that it didn’t seem to hurt him only pissed her off and she attacked, swinging wildly as his arms hung by his sides.

  “Eve, stop.” Gideon tried to grab her, but Sebastian pushed him back.

  “Let her.”

  “It’s possible she can hurt you now.” Fallon reminded him but he didn’t care.

  “Let her.” Didn’t they see? He almost killed her. The woman he loved. He hurt her. They had to fix what he did to her! If she wanted to hit him, he couldn’t stop her. If she wanted to cut out his heart, he wouldn’t stop her.

  Her fists slowed then stopped, her panting sobs breaking the heart he should have left buried. Green eyes met his and while he saw the fear in them, there was something else. One second she was looking at him and the next, she was in his arms, clinging to him like she would die without him.

  “Sebastian,” she cried into his chest and finally, he moved his arms, circling the woman sobbing against his chest.

  “I’m so sorry.” He closed his eyes against the red tears that wanted to fall. Hadn’t he scared her enough?

  “I thought you were gone. That had I somehow managed to survive, I would never get you back.”

  “Wait,” Eve heard Fallon’s voice, so rich and deep. Silk couldn’t have felt better. “You’re hitting him because you were afraid for him?”

  All she could do was nod.

  “I’ll try not to piss you off too much.” She heard him say and a hand ran down her spine. She took a deep breath.

  She finally pulled her face out of Sebastian’s shirt and looked around. The visual overload hadn’t dimmed at all. Everything was so clear. Too clear.

  Her eyes wanted to focus on everything at the same time and her brain wasn’t wired for it. The clarity was painful, but she couldn’t stop looking at the carpet, the men, the window. The shards of broken glass from the busted bottles. Everything wanted her attention and it got it.

  “What’s wrong with me?” Brain damage. She already knew the answer. That was why she felt their voices. It explained why the touch on her back almost made her moan from the sensation.

  A soft laugh had her turning toward Gideon. “It’s the blood, Eve.”

  She leaned back against Sebastian’s chest and stared at the man across from her. With these eyes, it was so easy to get lost in his. Every shift of the light brought out another color to dazzle her.

  “You mean, this is how you all see all the time?”

  “What you’re getting is only a fraction. But yes, every second of every night,” Fallon said, kneeling on the floor beside her.

  With effort, she pulled her eyes away from Gideon.

  “It’s too much. I can see everything.” She looked at Fallon. “I can feel… I… What did you do to me?”
r />   He laughed at her. “We make it look easy.”

  His already sinful voice stroked her skin and she curled her fists against Sebastian’s legs. How? How was that even possible?

  The wonder and fear and desire in her wide eyes pulled at him, tearing away his willpower. “Eve, please, I’m begging. As a thank you for healing you, don’t look at me like that.”

  She ran her hands up her arms as she closed her eyes. Sebastian’s hands covered hers and she wanted to crawl into the warmth. She pulled his arms around her.

  “I’m sorry, Fallon.”

  “It’s not what you think, princess.”

  She opened her eyes again and fell into Gideon’s, the colors in his eyes playing with her. The weight of his gaze a touch she could feel. “It doesn’t matter what I think. I’m doing what you asked.” She didn’t think she could look away from the hazel in front of her if she wanted to. “It’s probably for the best anyway. I don’t know how to control myself like this.”

  “And that is the last thing in the world I needed to hear.” Fallon gave a sharp laugh and she flinched from the roughness. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I forgot that you are new to this.” The feel of his lips against her knuckles made her shudder and he let go of her hand like she burnt him.

  “I…” He cleared his throat. “I’m going to deal with this guy.”

  She twisted in Sebastian’s arms. “Don’t hurt him. He’s still you’re friend.”

  Fallon glanced over his shoulder. “I’m not going to hurt him. That’ll make you heal him, and I will never be up for feeding you again. I mean, fuck my life. I already have to fight —” he cut himself off, leaving Eve in agony as to what he was going to say. He sighed before glaring at her. “Tomorrow. You and I are going to have the conversation that I promised. I need to make some things clear to you.” Turning his back to her, she watched as he pulled the smaller vampire over his shoulder and left the room.

  “I don’t know what I did to him.”

  “With Fallon, there doesn’t always have be a reason.”

  Of course. She knew that. Tomorrow. She would deal with it tomorrow. There was enough going on now.

  “Gideon?”

  “Yes, beautiful?” He was sitting cross-legged in front of her and leaned forward when she said his name.

  “Did…” She was afraid to know the answer to her question.

  “You can ask me anything.” He reached out and she put her hand in his.

  “Okay.” Holding his hand was a mistake. The warmth of his flesh, the movement of his thumb over her skin, took most of her thought process. She shook her head, trying to clear the dirty thoughts before she asked her important question.

  “Focus, sweetheart.” Sebastian said and she wanted to laugh.

  She was trying, but she was focusing on the wrong thing. A deep breath didn’t help because she could smell them all around her. Gideon scent was spicy, heady, like an expensive red wine. Sebastian was more earthy, woodsy, something that reminded her of home. The combination was devastating.

  Come on, Eve.

  Finally, she got the words to come. “Did you find Alex? Micah? Are they okay?”

  The expression on the face in front of her tightened. Had she been normal, she probably wouldn’t have seen it. But right then, she wasn’t normal. “Gideon, please, are they okay?”

  “They will be.”

  “What did he do to them?” She tried to stand, ready to go find them when Sebastian tightened his grip on her arms and she bit off a moan.

  “You can’t see them now. Physically, they’re fine. But there is a good chance I will have to send them away for a while.” His voice was deadly serious.

  “Why? What happened to them mentally?”

  His eyes looked behind her as he shook his head. “I can’t talk about it. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to talk about it.” He looked at her again and his face was expressionless. “They’ll be okay but it’s going to take some time.”

  “I’m going to see them before they leave, right?” It wasn’t really a question and Gideon watched her for a for a moment before dropping his head.

  “Yes, you will. But make sure that you are either with me, Sebastian, or Fallon. You can’t be alone with them.”

  “Why? Did they do something wrong? Did I? Does this have anything to do with our earlier discussion?”

  “Easy, beautiful. No, no one did anything wrong, exactly. I’ll try to tell you enough, but not tonight. Please, not tonight. And no, Eve. This has nothing to do with earlier.”

  It was then she remembered what Gabe had said. Feasting on Fae blood. “Damn it.” She wanted to cry. “I just got him back.”

  “What do you mean?” Gideon asked.

  “I remember what he told me,” she said with a shiver. “He said ‘sweetest of whispers and all the Fae blood they could want.’.”

  “I guess I don’t have to try to sugar coat it for you.” His smile was bitter as he got to his feet.

  She reached out for him, wanting to do anything to take that look away from him. It wasn’t just his twisted smile, it was the flash of hunger she saw in his eyes, the haunted expression on his face.

  He took her hand, pulling her to her feet. “They sacrificed themselves. The Fae were willing to die for the person who is after you. Alex and Micah never stood a chance.” he said, pulling her into the warmth of his embrace. “And whoever did this knew it.”

  “What happened?” She closed her eyes, letting his hands comfort her.

  “I can only guess that Gabe led them downstairs. The voices were strong there, so strong.” The tremor that ran through him told her the rest.

  Sebastian spoke. “We have to find him.” His words were low, deep and she could hear in them the need to make something hurt for what he did to her.

  She twisted in Gideon’s arms, not leaving him as he held her around her waist. “We need to do it carefully, but yes. We need to end him.” She held her arms out for her other vampire.

  “My bloodthirsty witch.” His smile was tender and he let himself be drawn into her love.

  Standing there, surrounded by her men, despite what happened, despite how close she came to losing her life, she had never felt more safe than she did at that moment.

  Of course, it couldn’t last.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Fallon’s voice cut through the comfortable silence.

  “Gideon.”

  Eve looked over Sebastian’s shoulder as his arms tightened around her. She didn’t much care for his tone either.

  “Did he get away?” Gideon took a step closer to her, trapping her between him and Sebastian.

  “Nope. I’ve got him… contained. But our unwelcome visitors are gone.”

  “That’s a bad thing?” she asked.

  Fallon’s eyes dropped to hers. “Considering I had them locked in the basement, yeah, it’s a bad thing.”

  “Was the door—.” Gideon started to ask.

  “Yep, still locked, key where I left it. They had to have done it from the inside.”

  She looked up at Sebastian’s growl. “The marks. I’ll bet everything…” He glanced down at her before pressing his lips to hers. The feel of them almost made her forget the danger around them. She already knew that touch was devastating to her now, but this was on another level. She shivered and the way Gideon’s arms pulled at her immediately recalled her dream.

  “Behave,” Gideon said in her ear and his breath traveled through her to settle in her womb. He was one to talk.

  “Gideon and I will go investigate. Stay with Fallon, he’ll keep an eye on you.”

  Sebastian kissed her again and her fingers gripped his shirt.

  “Please, I’m begging, Sebastian, be careful.” She forced the hunger for them aside and her body almost cried out at the pain of the coming separation.

  “Why do I have to babysit?” Fallon asked and she threw him a look. Babysit? Really?

  “Fine. Besides, I’m not much of a procra
stinator. Why put off till tomorrow what can be said tonight.”

  He gave her a grin and she swallowed.

  The men protecting her took off and with the new vision, she could almost see them run. She closed her eyes, but that didn’t help. That half a second could replay itself over and over on the back of her eyelids.

  “It won’t last, princess,” his voice was closer to her now and she opened her eyes to find him watching her with a disarming smile.

  “How long? Because this is too much.” His eyes pulled at her, willing her to lose herself in them. Hints of black toyed with chocolate and caramel and all she wanted to drown in that darkness.

  “Not soon enough,” he groaned, taking her hand before turning away from her. “Don’t get any naughty girl ideas, but I’m taking you to my room. I don’t like being by the windows. Easy targeting.”

  Walking quickly, he almost had to drag her a couple of times when something caught her attention. Like the atrium.

  The green was breathtaking, and she could almost see the life that pulsed through the veins of the massive fronds. Vibrant and breathtaking. How could they bear this? How could they deal with the nearly visible light running through the veins of the leaves, the vibrancy of the color of the flowers?

  He looked back at her and followed her look when her feet stumbled. He stroked the softness of her cheek and her eyes focused on him with an intensity that had him cursing himself. “That’s nothing compared to your eyes,” he said before laughing at the expression on her face. Tugging on her hand, he got them moving again.

  As they passed the indoor pool, she balked again. “Why is the water pink?” she asked. It wasn’t actually pink, but there was a hue to it that she could see.

  “Don’t ask questions you don’t want to answer to, princess,” he sighed before picking her up, throwing her over his shoulder. “Sorry for the lift, but you take too long.” That wasn’t entirely true, he just needed to get her away from where he dumped Alex and Micah earlier. It was the quickest way he could think of the get the blood off them and possibly snap them out of the frenzy the whispers had driven them into. It mostly worked.