Gabe's Destiny (Alien Mates Book Three)

by Serena Simpson

  It had taken another six months where he felt Ry’s beating intimately; he was raped along with his brother and drained of his strength on a daily basis. They each prayed the other twin would find relief but that never happened. They shared hell together.

  Why was he here? This was in the past now he simply needed to break a connection.

  He walked out of the room to see the shadows of the past haunting him. He stood aside as he saw a younger version of himself helping Ry up the stairs. They finally found him, setting him free. Ry had taken out the Sudir that held him captive but he was so weak. The only person he would let touch him was Gabe.

  He had been weak also but he found the reserves he needed to help his brother to their room. The way he felt when he saw his brother lying in his bed brought tears to Gabe’s eyes. His brother looked over and said in a whisper, ‘I want to cry too. I’ve dreamed of this moment forever.’ Gabe crawled into his bed and they closed their eyes and slept. Colun said they slept for four days straight.

  Shaking aside memories of the past, he walked down the steps and out the door. The place looked the same but different at the same time. The wards that protected home weren’t as strong as they are now. They grew, learned, and matured.

  What could the past teach him that he didn’t already know? He watched as Victor and Selma walked down the path. How could he forget that they were already grown when he was still a child? Victor was the oldest of them all by more than several centuries. Only the old ones were older than both him and Selma. Selma was soul-bonded to Victor for so long that Gabe could barely remember a time they weren’t together.

  He walked up to them wanting to see if they recognized him. No, this was a shadow. What was done here was set in stone, unable to be changed unless someone with greater power than theirs tampered with the fabric of time.

  They walked to the porch and he followed them taking a seat on the banister as he listened to them talk. He was being given an insight to a time he tried to forget.

  “Do you think he’ll be all right?” Selma placed her hand on Victor’s arm and squeezed before laying her head on his lap.

  “Which one?”

  “Surprise me.”

  Victor’s hand went through her hair. It was shorter than she was wearing it now. Back then she thought she should look her age. Ry had teased her once that looking dead wasn’t a good look for anyone.

  “I worry about Gabe.” Gabe tensed and focused back in on the conversation. Why were they worried about him? Rylan was the one with issues; he should know, he spent years watching over his brother.

  “Why do you say that?”

  He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “I could be wrong, but Rylan suffered incredible physical abuse. His body is beginning to heal. I called in Dante. Fortunately, he seems to like us. He took a look at him, and then had both his brother, Damon, as well as his half-brother, Nicolas, take a look at him. They all said the same thing, Rylan’s body would heal. His mental state was more difficult but Dante believed one day that would heal also. He just needs a reason to live. Then I had them look at Gabe.”

  They looked at him? When had this happened, when he was sleeping? When Ry first came home? Victor never mentioned he had them looked at medically. Yet he wasn’t surprised, that’s part of what Victor did, what he always did. He protected them because they were his people.

  “What did he say about Gabe?”

  His eyes darkened with real sadness. “Of the two of them, they were more concerned about Gabe. He suffered more mental abuse than his brother did. Yes, he spent six months feeling the actual feel of the whip breaking his skin and being raped, but for him it was more. While Gabe struggled for years to heal his body, keeping his mind somewhat sane, all Gabe felt was mental anguish. There was nothing to distract from it. There is a chance Gabe won’t make it.”

  This was it, he should have known. When he cut Taya lose he would die.

  He stood up. It was time to start saying his goodbyes. He entered the house and took the steps. He loved this house and its ability to change. He’d only seen the whole structure change once, but Colun told him the house grew as they grew. It changed to accommodate them.

  He walked into the room he shared with Ry all those years ago. He wanted to say bye to the boys they used to be. His brother would be safe now; he spent his life watching over him, making sure no harm ever came to him again. Now he was soul-bonded and had a daughter. Every dream Gabe ever had for him came true. He could say goodbye and leave him in peace.

  He knelt over the shadow of his brother. Ry’s eyes opened and his hand shot up and caught his.

  Gabe fell backwards and landed on his behind. This couldn’t happen.

  “You will not die. You will do everything in your power to live. Don’t leave me alone.”

  Gabe stood up in an empty room. There were no shadows of the past but Ry’s voice burned its way through his brain.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Taya was sitting in an interrogation room. They said she burned them. There were whispers around her by cops who felt sympathy for her. They believed the boys got what they deserved but they all knew she would be the one to pay for their crimes.

  The door opened and a man in a suit walked in with her parents. He was the lawyer they went away to hire. The public defender told her from the beginning she was going to jail; it was just how much time she would spend in there that was the unknown.

  Her dad walked up to him and whispered in his ear. The man blanched, grabbed his brief case, and ran out the room. Now her parents were back with another lawyer.

  “Hi, I’m Marcus Gramby, the lawyer your parents have hired for your case.”

  “Hi,” she gave him a weak smile. “So how much time do you think I’ll have to do in jail?”

  “None. The question is not about time behind bars but how far you want to take this case.”

  She gave him a slow blink. They should be in jail for what they did to her. If she was correct, she wasn’t the first girl this happened to.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Taya, I need to be honest with you. Michael Harwith II has the backing of his father’s money. As long as he has that, he can fight this case and if he loses he can appeal. You have the backing of a strong father, he’s the reason I am here, but he doesn’t have the same access to the resources the Harwiths have.”

  How could she have been so clueless? When she met him she was excited that someone with so much prestige saw that she was up and coming. He never saw that. To him she was a wanna be to be taken down a few pegs and shown her rightful place in life.

  “So you have a choice. You can go to court and explain to the world and believe me this will make the news. They will ask you how the boys were burned although I don’t believe you did it, that doesn’t matter; you will be seen as vindictive. Some will say you deserved to get your payback; others will look at you differently. No matter what, your life will always be shadowed by what happened and the trial that followed it. Your other option would be not to press charges as long as charges are not pressed against you. This, of course, would be in writing and if either party violated the terms of agreement there would be a trial as well as prosecution for breach of contract.”

  Taya raised her eyes and looked at her parents. Her mom with her straight black hair that Taya inherited from her and her sky blue eyes looked close to tears. Her mom, she’d fight until she died for her daughter, but in the end it was the look on her dad’s face that allowed her to come to a decision.

  He was quietly calculating how he would take that family down. Her mom might fight for her but her dad would kill for her. If this went to court, she knew her dad would murder both father and son and then start in on the other boys. She couldn’t let that happen. So much had been lost, but the one thing that mattered most was her family and she couldn’t lose them.

  “If you think they will agree to the terms you are stating then I will agree also. No one goes to trial and no one goes t
o jail.”

  “Taya!” her father stood up and rounded the table.

  “Daddy,” she threw herself into his arms. “Listen to me. This is more than a trial. It’s our lives and I won’t have us dragged through the mud so Michael and his crew can be slapped on the wrist, given community service, and told to be better boys. I just can’t live with that. You have to agree, dad. Promise me you won’t go after them. Please promise me.” She laid her head on his chest as she relaxed into him, she wanted to rant, rave and cry, instead she never made a sound while she waited for his decision.

  “I will live by the terms you set up, Taya, but I have a few I want added. If I ever see him around you…” He let the sentence drop because she knew what he was saying.

  “You’re a very strong young woman. I became a lawyer because I wanted to help the innocent. When all I can do is stop them from being further abused, I wonder why I try.”

  They sat down and hammered out the terms they wanted to present to the other party, hoping for an agreement.

  The lawyer finally stood up collecting all of his paper work and placed it in his shoulder bag. Then he took out a check and showed it to her dad. When her dad looked it over the lawyer tore it up.

  “Pro Bono,” he said with a smile and walked out.

  An older cop came in the room. She knew they were watching her through the big mirror. She was used to it by now.

  “It’s time to take you back.”

  She nodded her head and kissed her parents. She was still being housed in the local jail. There were just a few cells and no one else was there when they brought her back. Lying on the narrow bunk, she fell asleep into the ever present nightmare.

  They had gone two rounds each while they laughed and called her names. They told her how no decent man would ever want her, not that it mattered because she wasn’t worth it. They wanted to hurt her more. How could they hurt her more? She didn’t know, all she could see was the horror on her parents’ faces when they found her dead.

  She tried to struggle but her body was in so much pain. Tears wouldn’t even come anymore. She was all cried out. All that was left was the insane itching in her hands and the voice in her head that begged to be set free.

  He leaned over her and asked her if she liked it in the back door. She knew they would kill her. They would never let her make it to the cops and she just gave up. Yes, she told the voice in her head. Maybe it could save her or at least take her into unconsciousness so she wouldn’t see death coming. Her hands exploded, the rope holding her tied spread eagle to the bed burned.

  The bed burned; it caught on fire and she stood up as they boys were fleeing into the other room. She lifted her hands and flames shot from them catching each one of them knocking them out. No, she screamed in her own head, it didn’t happen that way. For years she denied it, but now there was no denying what happened that night.

  She got up and walked to the cell door. This was the past. Maybe she would never be redeemable, worthy of love, but she didn’t have to live her life filled with regret for a chain of events she didn’t start.

  That night Michael called her a whore but he was wrong. She was simply a young girl who couldn’t see the evil that lived in his heart.

  She walked out not knowing where she was going. As she walked, the chains that held her in place all her life fell from her.

  “He changed the course of your life.” The woman from earlier said to her. “Nothing you do will bring back the girl you used to be. So now the question is will he steal the woman you were meant to be?”

  She laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and everything changed in a blink of an eye.

  Taya was standing outside of the cabin she saw in Gabe’s room. This was his cabin, it had to be. She walked up to the door allowing her hand to hover over the door knob before she decided to knock. The door was opened and he stood there. No shirt on, his chest gleaming under the setting sun, he was barefoot wearing only a pair of jeans. Before she could open her mouth, he pulled her into his arms.

  “I was going crazy trying to find you, and then I ended up here. I knew if you were in these mountains, you would come to me. I just needed to be patient.”

  “How long did you wait for me?”

  “A month.”

  She looked at him frowning. A month, was that possible?

  “I would have waited years, Taya. Come in.”

  The living room was just right, big enough to fit a couch, several chairs and a couple of side tables. Big enough for a family of four. There was a roaring fire and she found herself walking toward it. She placed her hands in front of the flames allowing herself to be warmed.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “I am.” Until he asked food hadn’t crossed her mind.

  “My pantry is stocked. I will make you a meal.” He turned to walk into an open concept kitchen so she could see him from the living room.

  “Can I cook for you?” She almost stopped breathing when he turned to look at her. The look on his face meant he knew this was monumental. He might not know why, but it was obvious things were changing between them.

  She hadn’t cooked a meal for a man since the night Michael ruined her life. Not even her father. There was no way she would ever be thought of as less by the opposite sex.

  “I would like that.” The honesty of his words touched her heart.

  She looked in the fridge and pulled out the fixings for a salad and steak.

  “I could make a steak salad.” Her voice wobbled she was so unsure of herself.

  “That’s one of my favorite meals.”

  She smiled at him, thankful he was trying to make this easier for her.

  “No seriously, I love steak salads. It’s my go to when Ry takes me to some high end restaurant that has food I can’t pronounce and I think no one should eat.”

  She laughed. She’d been to one of those restaurants once with friends. Friends, what happened to all of hers? Slowly, over time, they drifted away and she never fought to keep them. That would end today also.

  There were potatoes in the pantry. She grabbed a few and started peeling.

  “What are the potatoes for?”

  “You can’t have a good steak salad without French fries.” Her lips quirked as she kept peeling and then cut up the potatoes.

  “I don’t know who told you but that’s how I always make my steak salads. I start with a good blend of vegetables, a nice cut of meat, and potatoes for fries.”

  She looked up to give him a quick smile and got lost in his eyes. They called to her making her want to spend eternity looking into them. One moment they were sky blue, the next they reminded her of the blue of the turbulent sea.

  She turned on the burner and placed the pan with the oil on it. She rinsed off the fries adding them to the pan when the grease was hot, then washed the vegetables and the steak. She cut up the steak and set it aside. After drying off the vegetables she cut them. The steak went into a pan to cook with some seasonings and a little olive oil. When was the last time she enjoyed making a meal?

  Gabe turned on the radio, it was low but the background noise made her feel comfortable.

  “You could take of your shoes if you want, the floor is heated.”

  She looked down at her feet; they were clad in running shoes. Her favorite shoes. There used to be a time when she loved a pair of heels but things changed. She went to the living room, toed off the shoes, and walked back. The floors were warm and for a minute she wished this was her house also.

  The food was ready. She made two healthy plates putting more on Gabe’s. He told her the first night that he ate a lot so she made extra for him. His eyes lit up when she placed the plate in front of him and her heart turned over.

  “I guess we have milk to drink?” He gave a soft laugh.

  “There is also juice, water, soda, and coffee. I have a feeling if you’re in the mood for Gatorade I have some.”

  She picked up two cans of soda, one diet for her. She looked at i
t and shrugged; she appreciated diet soda after months of drinking it. Two tall glasses of ice and she was ready to eat.

  Gabe took a bite and moaned, then he took a second bite. “This is good. What seasonings did you use on the meat? I make this all the time but this is excellent.”

  She just sat there and watched him eat as her heart slowed down just a little and the thought of not being worthwhile gave her a break. She felt normal, no, that wasn’t right. She felt special, appreciated.

  Chapter Seventeen

  He got up to help her clean the kitchen. She had been strangely quiet but he didn’t want to press her. It was obvious to him that she was coming to a decision, what kind of decision and what it meant to them, he didn’t know. He simply knew enough not to press her.

  They went into the living room where she sat on the couch and he took a chair next to her.

  “You could sit on the couch with me, if you want to.” She looked up at him with her beautiful grey eyes; they were so earnest and so scared.

  Slowly he rose from the chair certain that one wrong move would make her retreat behind the wall she built up over her lifetime.

  He slid onto the end of the couch then angled his body toward hers. She leaned back until her head was pillowed on the arm of the couch.

  “I never made love before.”

  That little bombshell hit him in the pit of his belly making him want to hunch over and wretch with the pain that laced her voice. She wasn’t shyly telling him she was innocent. No, he knew he could hear it. She was telling him she’d been hurt, abused.

  He moved his hands behind his back so she couldn’t see his finger nails that were now razor sharp claws. He bit his lip to keep the roar inside and his offer to kill any idiot that had been stupid to enough to touch her was trapped between his teeth. Why? Because she didn’t want that. This wasn’t what this confession was about.

  “For a long time I thought I deserved what I got. I was too trusting, too friendly. I wanted more out of life. At one point I was going to be a doctor—a surgeon—helping people who couldn’t help themselves. I don’t believe that anymore. I started to wonder when Zuhun captured me. I thought once again I was getting what I deserved, but then you were there fighting for me. Telling me without words I deserved more than I was getting.