Fated

by Liza James

  We pass a room on the right that has been covered in caution tape and dons clear signs that say not to enter. I look up to Elijah in curiosity and he nods, acknowledging my thoughts that it was Camden’s office. “It’s under investigation now. We’re going through all of his records, his trials, anything that can give us more information on the drug he created, or his intentions.”

  I nod silently, squeezing his hand in recognition as we finally come to Nathanial’s office. The room is larger than all the others and, in the center, sets a grand black desk. His computer and files are neatly stacked on top and on the other side of the room sits a hospital bed with scattered cabinets. Stella observes the room surprisingly, and I suddenly realize that she doesn’t know what Nathanial does for a living.

  “He’s a doctor. And he rules over the race of Fallen Angels,” I speak quietly as I take a seat across from the desk in one of the two large, black suede lounge chairs.

  Stella’s eyes widen in surprise. “Like you’re the King?” she asks. “And a doctor? As in, you help people?”

  Nathanial’s eyes narrow as he watches her make herself comfortable in the large chair behind his desk. She’s small, and the chair practically swallows her tiny frame.

  “Yes, is that surprising to you?” he asks, an edge lacing his tone as he leans against the hard desk in front of her.

  Stella scoffs, a wicked smile playing along her lips. “No. I guess not. I just didn’t think someone as saintly as a King or a doctor would want to be called Daddy while he fucks,” she replies as she kicks her tiny feet up on the edge of his desk, intentionally pushing him slightly out of the way in the process.

  Elijah laughs. A full blown, harsh laugh that falls out uncontrollably and I can’t help but join him while Nathanial’s eyebrows furrow in annoyance at Stella’s comment.

  “Maybe little Stella has no idea how a real King would fuck his subjects senseless. Maybe little Stella won’t ever have an idea of how good I fuck them.” He leans forward, venom and lust dripping from his words.

  Stella meets him halfway, challenging him in every sense of the word as she stands against him in defiance, “Good thing I’m not your fucking subject then.” She backs up and steps away from him, shaking that milky fog out of her eyes in a split second before coming to sit in the other chair next to me.

  A tense silence fills the room briefly, so I interrupt to go over the details of what we know. “Okay, so let’s lay it out. What do we know for sure and what questions do we still have?”

  “Firstly, we know your parents are Archophys who was a Demon, and Estera, who was an Angel. They were one of the few public couples from different races. We don’t know anything about them other than they didn’t survive. Amelia mentioned that they were Fated, but that would mean they were the first Fated pairing that we know of in thousands of years. Let alone the first Fated from different races.” Elijah speaks sympathetically, explaining one piece of the giant puzzle we’re working through. I never thought our parents were alive honestly, so the news of their death doesn’t surprise me, and Stella doesn’t seem horribly affected by it either.

  “We know that both you and Stella have Demon and Angel blood. And we have an idea that Camden and Amelia, probably Danner as well, believe you are a disgrace to the race, that you shouldn’t be allowed to exist,” he continues, anger lacing his tone and filling the bond as he speaks.

  “Fucking assholes,” Nathanial adds as he sits back in his chair and rests his elbows on the desk in front of him.

  “We also know that Elijah and I are the first Fated to come out in decades. But we need to decide what that means for us,” I interject, approaching the subject I know Elijah is the most uncomfortable with.

  “If we don’t hide the fact that we’re Fated, we will suffer attacks from all angles. Both Demons and Amelia’s army will find ways to come after us,” he states, trying to convey the most dangerous aspect to our relationship.

  “But if we do, we offer a new sense of hope and peace amongst the Fallen Angel race, right? It would be beneficial to those who aren’t at war with us?” I offer the other perspective. This is the side that’s been nagging at my mind since I learned of the wars within the races.

  “Yes. That is inarguable. Those that loyally serve us and support our race would be a new force to reckon with if they learned that Fated connections were resurfacing. Especially if you both decide to take over the throne,” Nathanial speaks this time, tentatively supporting my point of view.

  “But is that worth the potential loss of either of us? I don’t think so. I can’t fucking lose you, Luna. And this doesn’t mean I want the throne.” Elijah snaps the words out as he crosses his arms tightly against his chest. He props one leg up against the wall as he leans back, but I can see through his tough exterior now. He’s losing himself, collapsing on the inside as the control he fights to maintain slowly unravels.

  I stand up and cross the room to meet him, lifting my hands to rest on either side of his face. “You could never lose me. And I’ll never lose you. We will train and learn from other’s past mistakes so that we don’t suffer the same losses. We become stronger and better together. We fight to protect each other and this race against people who have set out to destroy it. We don’t have to take the throne if we decide not to. Nathanial is doing a wonderful job as it is.”

  Elijah searches my eyes painfully, wanting desperately to convince me otherwise. I can feel it inside of him, but something else springs up within of our bond that excites me. It’s the smallest glimmer of hope, the smallest inkling that maybe this could work. That maybe we could change the direction that this war is headed.

  He leans down and takes my mouth with his, fisting his hand in my hair and holding me tightly against him. “I love you,” he whispers against me and I melt against his hold as the world slowly slips away around us.

  “All right. Next on the agenda, when do we kill Camden?” Stella chirps in, effectively breaking our trance as I turn around quickly to address her.

  “No one is going after Camden,” I say pointedly to both her and Elijah who tenses behind me.

  “No one said anything about going after him, my Luna. But he is going to pay for what he’s done. In blood.” Elijah’s quiet but dangerous words elicit a shiver across my spine as he leans down to kiss the soft skin at the nape of my neck.

  “I don’t want anyone getting hurt by seeking revenge,” I say quietly, wishing I could change their minds on this point.

  “When it happens, it’ll be the right time and the right place, m’aingeal,” he says finally, leaving no more room for discussion.

  Nathanial clears his throat, drawing our attention towards him. “We also know that Amelia somehow stole parts of our memories from the beginning. I don’t ever remember learning Stella and Luna’s names when we found them in the woods years ago.”

  “How is that even possible?” Stella asks.

  “Amelia can absorb the life of a person. Their strength, their essence, and their power. It may be possible that within her skill, she can manipulate or take parts of memories,” Elijah explains. “That’s the only possibility I can think of.”

  “And yours and Luna’s ability is seeing visions of the past?” she pushes into another subject that has been plaguing my mind.

  “Sort of. I think I have an idea of what we can do together. My ability alone, is sort of like a shield. I can manipulate situations to benefit me. I can mostly block my feelings from the blood bond, which is what I was doing before. But I’ve never tried strengthening the ability, I don’t necessarily use it often. I believe Luna can affect the mental state of things, whether it be through visions as we’ve seen, or her surroundings. I found her once, seemingly frozen in the shower as she slept. But as soon as she woke everything shifted and changed back to normal.” Elijah’s voice is hesitant as he reveals what he’s been researching over the last few days. “Together, I think we can manipulate our surroundings entirely. We can potentially affect othe
rs in the manipulation as well, possibly use it as a weapon if need be in the future. It’s something we need to practice and enhance, especially if we come out as Fated.”

  Nathanial and Stella watch us intently as they process everything Elijah explained.

  “Well, that will be helpful in defending you both against any attacks,” Nathanial finally speaks. “We should also move. Into one big home, truthfully. Until everything settles and we know you both are safe.”

  Elijah groans behind me, adamantly against the idea. “No,” he says dryly.

  “I know you don’t want to, but we need to keep the girls safe. We need to keep you and Luna safe, and we need a location that is completely off the grid to everyone’s knowledge. Too many people know where you are now.” Nathanial is the voice of reason, quickly offering points that are too strong to refute.

  “Shit,” Elijah’s voice rumbles behind me as he lifts a hand and scrubs it down his face.

  “All right, so we find a new place and you don’t come out as Fated until we’re already moved. Deal?” Stella finally says, laying it out plainly.

  “Fine,” we both agree reluctantly.

  “Things we don’t know. Why Stella is an irritatingly raging sex addict,” Nathanial tacks on sarcastically at the end.

  “Ha ha. We also don’t know if Nathanial is always an asshole, or if the saint is just deliciously tempted by my sinful nature.” She smirks maliciously as she stands, “Can we go find some food now? I’m horny and starving and honestly, I want to get this dinner with Michael over with. Maybe we can just do lunch.”

  “Yeah, call him now and see if he’ll meet us at home. We can grab food on the way,” I add as I step forward and pull Elijah’s hand into mine.

  “I assume you’re going home, King Nathanial?” Stella asks mockingly.

  “No way, there’s no chance I’m missing the meet and greet for your loser boyfriend,” he replies dryly. But a possessive growl rips from his throat at the last second when Stella suddenly stops mid-step, her eyes ghosting white as she looks back over her shoulder at him.

  Elijah and I stop as the two watch each other, Nathanial’s eyes mirroring hers in a lusty haze. Neither of them makes a move towards the other, they just simply watch as their breaths become heavy and labored in their lungs.

  Finally, Elijah steps in between the two, effectively cutting through their trance as they return to their normal state.

  “Come on, you two. Let’s figure out what the hell is going on.”

  Stella still doesn’t know the details of how intricately Camden is involved in my life. She doesn’t know about the attack all those years ago, and I’m not sure I want to tell her about it yet. She’s going through so much as it is, and I can see that she’s afraid. She does a damn good job at hiding it with sarcastic comments and crude humor. But every time her eyes go milky white and she falls into this uncontrollable trance she has to fight her way out of, there’s that flash of confusion and fear lingering there.

  “Are you okay?” Stella’s voice quietly cuts through my thoughts as she comes up to stand behind me while we fix food together in the kitchen. The guys are in the living room, trying to put something on the television that we all agree on, which is practically nothing.

  “Of course, sorry. Just thinking about everything. It’s a lot, honestly,” I say as I begin stacking assorted sandwiches on a tray. Suddenly, Stella sways where she’s standing, reaching quickly for the counter before she falls to the ground.

  “Shit,” she says, confusion pulling at her features. “That was weird, I felt dizzy all of a sudden.” She offers me a casual smile, brushing off the odd sensation that washed through her.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” I offer her words back to her, concern coursing through me and a strange feeling of familiarity wafting across the room.

  I glance towards the door, immediately noticing Elijah stalking through it and over to us. “What’s going on?” he asks as Nathanial quickly comes up beside him.

  “I don’t know,” I start, entirely confused by how Stella and I are feeling. “Stella was dizzy. I feel like something’s coming, like something is wrong.”

  Instantly, Stella’s eyes glaze over again as she stands, completely balanced and steady on her feet while she turns and walks out of the kitchen. Nathanial is hot on her heels, his body strangely not responding to her like he usually mirrors when she falls into a trance.

  I look to Elijah, concern reflecting back in his eyes as he takes my hand and pulls me behind him. We move into the living room and watch as Stella steps towards the front door silently, Nathanial keeping a safe distance between them but still following her protectively.

  “Stells, where are you go—” I start, but as soon as she opens the door, everything inside of me freezes as a terrifying panic consumes me.

  “Well, hello everyone. It’s about time I met my girlfriend’s family.”

  Danner stands in the doorway, his narrow figure towering over little Stella as she moves beside him, her eyes ghostly white and completely unresponsive.

  A snarling growl rips from Nathanial’s throat as he lunges forward to grab my sister. But she was already too close to Danner and his arm snakes dangerously around her throat as he pulls her against him.

  He uses his ability, simply nodding his head backwards to throw Nathanial against the staircase effortlessly. Elijah immediately steps in front of me as Danner drags Stella into the living room. Fear engulfs my heart as it hammers against my chest at the sight of them together.

  Suddenly things begin spiraling out of control even further as both Camden and Amelia enter the house and come to stand on either side of Danner.

  “What the actual fuck,” Elijah roars, anger and apprehension bleeding through our bond and seeping into me. I can already feel the power begin to merge between us, the way our bodies are going on alert in every sense of the word.

  Nathanial quickly comes to stand next to his brother, both men towering over the four bodies in front of us. Unfortunately, though, the unwelcomed guests hold the upper hand with my tiny sister at their mercy.

  “Surprised? It’s been a long time coming, Elijah,” Danner remarks, and Camden laughs at his side when his gaze meets mine between the two men in front of me.

  “Missed you, little Luna.” Camden’s voice is sick and scrapes across my skin in all the wrong places. Elijah’s lip lifts in a growl as he moves to step towards Camden, but Danner is quick to reign everyone in.

  “Now, now, let’s take a moment to lay out the ground rules.” His hand tightens around Stella’s throat as he twists her head towards him and captures her mouth with his own. At first, Amelia doesn’t look phased, but I notice the tiny flicker of jealousy in her eyes when Danner deepens the kiss and Stella sags in his arms.

  “First of all,” he starts as he pulls his lips away from her. She seems hungry for whatever he’s giving her, and she whimpers at the loss of his contact. Her eyes stay that same milky white the entire time he’s near her. “At the end of all of this, I’m leaving with either Luna or Stella. I do have a preference, but either way, one of them is coming with me.”

  “No fucking way,” Nathanial grinds out, his body trembling with an uncontrollable rage that Elijah mimics exactly.

  Danner laughs, “Second, let me explain to you what has been happening over the last several weeks.” He shifts Stella forward and grips the back of her neck in mock offering to us. In actuality, he’s dangling her possessively in front of our faces. “While you all have been engrossed in Luna and this disgusting blood bond between her and Elijah, I’ve been taking the time to get to know our sweet Stella. You may have heard of me as Michael, her newly acquired boyfriend who has been dying to meet all of you.” His lips pull up into a sick smile as his thumb grazes up and down the side of Stella’s neck. He could easily snap it if he wanted to.

  Nathanial is practically seething with hatred and anger at what’s ahead of us and my own mind is racing with the possibilities o
f what she’s been enduring without any of us realizing it.

  “See, I’ve had my own work to do. In creating the perfect little Demon that would lead us to you all. This little pixie suffers from the traits I’ve successfully pulled out of her. They were buried, far deeper than I initially thought. But after a lot of sexual awakening, she’s become quite the little Succubus.”

  Succubus.

  I wish I knew exactly what that meant, but I vaguely remember old myths of the kind of creatures they were. They fed off sexual energy and as much as I want to believe Danner is lying, I have a sick feeling he’s telling the truth. My heart sinks at the realization that Stella has been manipulated and abused over the last several weeks right under my nose.

  “Come show them,” Danner instructs Camden, who saunters forward and wraps his thick arms around Stella’s little waist. I immediately step forward, the protective need rising inside of me to keep him from my sister.

  Danner clicks his tongue in a disciplinary tone at me, urging me backwards before he hurts someone I care for. Rage boils inside of me as I step back to stand level with Elijah and Nathanial. The heat radiating out of both of them is dangerously high. It consumes every inch of me in seconds and poisons my blood with a heavy blaze.

  Camden’s hands snake into Stella’s hair as he drops his lips to her neck and begins slowly kissing a trail down to her shoulder. She turns for him, tilting her head and giving him more of her skin for him to touch. Her lips part slightly, and her breaths become heated and quick as he moves farther down her chest, trailing his tongue across the swells of her breasts. Stella whimpers in an achy need and instantly things around us begin shifting as hatred burns inside of me.

  Watching one of the men who attacked me all those years ago, and then who manipulated me again just recently, forcibly touch and influence my sister without her consent is too much. I can’t control the power as it rises between Elijah and I and begins spilling out into the area between us.