Predestined

by Abbi Glines

  “It was Leif that taught me to ignore the souls.”

  Gee rolled her eyes, “Well, let’s give him a medal of honor for that act of kindness. Since the reason you can even see souls is because of him.”

  She was right of course. Still, the Leif from my dreams was so similar to the boy I had known this past year. It was hard to forget that. Nothing about him felt dangerous.

  “Now, I want some of that chocolate stuff your mom made and I want to watch some more of that show we watched yesterday. I’m exhausted from taking care of your ass. I need some down time.”

  It had been days since I’d seen Dank and Gee hadn’t left my side once. I knew this wasn’t her ideal job and I hated she was growing tired of it. I got up from the couch and headed for the kitchen, “You want soda or milk with your brownies?” I asked her.

  “Milk. It makes those brownies taste better.”

  The excitement in her voice caused me to laugh. I cut both of us a large chunk of brownie and poured two tall glasses of milk. We could comfort eat and watch Gossip Girl while she cackled and made fun of everything they did. The crew from the Upper East Side amused Gee to no end.

  Dank

  I hadn’t seen Pagan in three days. Stepping into her room, I watched her as she brushed her hair. The jeans she was wearing were a little too snug for my comfort. I didn’t handle jealousy well. It would be safer if she wore something a little less sexy. My eyes traveled up from the tall black leather boots she wore to the extremely tight fitting jeans that cupped her ass like a glove. Then the bare skin at the small of her back flashed at me as she raised her arms to twist the long dark locks of her hair up into a wild mass of curls on the back of her head. She was gorgeous and she was mine.

  I closed the door behind me and she spun around startled. A smile instantly lit up her face when her eyes seemed to drink me in. She ran toward me and threw herself in my arms so quickly that a regular guy would have dropped her. The jean encased legs of hers I’d been admiring were firmly wrapped around my waist and she was raining kisses all over my face. Was it possible for my heart to swell when I didn’t have one? I tightened my hold on her waist, “ I missed you too,” I whispered, catching her busy lips with mine. She didn’t press for more but let me taste just enough before pulling back and gazing down at me.

  “I’m so excited. I’ve missed you like crazy.”

  “It’s going to be hard for me to concentrate on that stage tonight with you strutting around in jeans that showcase your incredibly beautiful body. You know that right?”

  Giggling, she wiggled in my arms and grabbed my face with both her hands and kissed my nose and forehead.

  I immediately took advantage of the situation and laid her down on the bed. Her eyes went big and round with surprise as I lowered myself over her and began kissing her neck and taking small little licks at her collar bone. This was the kind of kissing we could do safely.

  The pleased sigh from Pagan made me a little crazy. I loved the sexy little sounds she made when we were together like this. “Mmmmm, kiss my mouth,” she whispered.

  I shook my head knowing a kiss would end this moment too soon. I wasn’t ready to stop just yet. I’d been fantasizing about her unique scent and taste for days. Now that I had her under me, I was greedy. I needed enough to get me through tonight.

  “AH,” she gasped as I bit the tender flesh at the curve of her neck and shoulder. Smiling against her warm silky skin, I inhaled deeply.

  Pagan lifted her hips pressing closer to me. Insane need ignited inside me and I knew I needed to put distance between us. When she rubbed and pressed against me so trustingly it always ended up being my undoing. I pushed up from the close contact of our bodies putting some much needed space between the warmth she seemed so willing to share with me, I groaned in frustration and denial.

  Pagan sat up and crawled over to wrap her arms around my neck. Her soft lips kissed my temple. “Trust me, Dank Walker I will only have eyes for you. No one else even comes close.”

  With a teasing growl I turned my head and nipped at her ear. “Good to know. No need for some clueless guy to meet Death tonight when it isn’t his time to go.”

  “Dank!”

  I chuckled and shrugged, “I’d say I was kidding but I’m not.”

  Pagan shook her head in exasperation and reached for her jacket then stood up. “Let’s go see my rocker boyfriend in action,” she replied with a smirk.

  Tonight was about having fun with Pagan. I wasn’t going to let the issues surrounding us get in the way. Leif had kept me away from her enough. I needed to do a gig with the band and Pagan wanted to experience it so this worked out perfectly.

  Pagan walked into the hallway then glanced back over her shoulder and smiled, “You coming or what?”

  Pagan

  Smoke curled up from the floor of the stage as strobe lights flashed and fans screamed. Dank pulled me up against him and kissed my lips, “You stay here. I’ll be back and forth between breaks. I want to be able to see you while I’m singing.”

  I nodded excitedly and he pressed one last kiss to my forehead before running out onto the stage where the other members of Cold Soul were already in place and ready to go. The full intensity of the stage lights came on and Dank joined the drummer and bass player in a wild intense opening to a song I didn’t recognize.

  Dank sauntered up to the microphone as his fingers danced across the guitar strings. I had the urge to scream along with the crowded civic center. The tight charcoal grey t-shirt he wore highlighted every delicious ripple in his stomach. I was very thankful for the guitar that covered his impressive abs. I didn’t necessarily like the idea of the girls screaming his name getting such an eyeful of his perfectly formed body but I was forcing myself to deal.

  His head turned and his eyes locked with mine. A pleased gleam flashed in them then he winked at me. Of course he’d heard my worries. Not surprising that he liked the fact I was unhappy about other females looking at him. The wicked grin on his lips grew and his sexy little dimple flashed at me.

  I blew him a kiss and he reached up with one hand and acted as if he was catching it then touched his lips with two of his fingers before turning back to the crowd. Honestly, I was very close to having a swoon moment myself. Who would have thought Death could be so incredibly sweet?

  Suddenly the screaming crowd quieted as if on cue and Dank opened his mouth to sing.

  “Daylight fades away as I watch you.

  Darkness claims the sky and I wish you knew

  that nothing you can do can keep me from you.

  But I stay out of sight and only whisper to you.

  Words I can’t say. Words you don’t need to hear.

  Words I can’t keep from tangling my way.

  Now, I can’t stand alone.

  Now, I am under your influence.

  You’ve taken over me and Now, I can’t ignore what I’ve been shown.

  You’ve claimed me and I don’t care who knows.

  You’ve claimed me and I don’t care if it shows.

  I’m weakened and I’m strengthened in your arms.

  You’ve claimed me and I need to feel you close.”

  My heart sped up as his eyes turned to me. I hadn’t heard this song before and I had all his albums on my iPod. His tongue barely peeked out from his lips as he wet them then held my gaze and opened his mouth again.

  “You stand wanting more than you could ever understand.

  I stand helpless needing to give in to your every command.

  Wanting to see you smile has consumed me and tied both my hands.

  Nothing I offer could ever be worthy of your love.

  It’s a miracle that you saw me and never ran.

  I will spend my whole life trying to be the man you think I am.

  Now, I can’t stand alone. Now, I am under your influence.

  You’ve taken over me and Now, I can’t ignore what I’ve been shown.

  You’ve claimed me and I don’t ca
re who knows.

  You’ve claimed me and I don’t care if it shows.

  I’m weakened and I’m strengthened in your arms.

  You’ve claimed me and I need to feel you close.”

  His lips puckered slowly as if to kiss me before he turned his attention back to the crowd and continued to sing.

  “You hold fire within your gaze.

  It mesmerizes everyone you allow into your maze.

  I know nothing of your thoughts

  but I need to bask within the warmth of your rays.

  Nothing you do could ever be wrong.

  You’re forever perfect in every way.

  Now, I can’t stand alone. Now, I am under your influence.

  You’ve taken over me and Now, I can’t ignore what I’ve been shown.

  You’ve claimed me and I don’t care who knows.

  You’ve claimed me and I don’t care if it shows.

  I’m weakened and I’m strengthened in your arms.

  You’ve claimed me and I need to feel you close.”

  As the song came to an end the crowd began screaming out his name. Pride welled up inside me to think this brilliant... being was mine.

  “So you’re Dank’s new fling?” I looked back over my shoulder to find the source of the snarky voice. The girl had an annoyed smirk on her very attractive face. A head full of blond curls hung almost to her tiny waist which seemed unfair considering the size of her chest. The tight tank top she was wearing had those double D’s of hers spilling out of the low cut neckline. If she told me she’d just walked off a photo shoot for Playboy I wouldn’t have been surprised.

  “He normally goes for um... well a more noticeable type. I’m shocked you’re what’s keeping him so busy.”

  Yep, I hadn’t mistaken the snarkiness in her tone. The girl didn’t like me. But what she was saying made no sense. I knew for a fact Dank didn’t have “flings” and that I was the only relationship he’d ever been in. I wasn’t sure how to respond to her obvious lack of knowledge about him so I turned my attention back to the stage and watched as he brought thousands of people into a frenzy of excitement.

  “Too good to talk to me, are you? Well, we’ll see about that. I’ve been around a lot longer than you and my daddy is the reason Cold Soul even got recognized by a label. Dank won’t like it that you were rude to me.”

  Finally unable to bite my tongue any longer I turned my head to meet her glare with my own. “When you say something worth responding to then I’ll gladly reply. But it’s obvious you don’t know Dank at all. If you did you’d realize how incredibly idiotic you sound.” Her eyes lit up with fury and I wanted to laugh at her reaction. The girl could dish it out but she sure couldn’t take it.

  “I hope you enjoyed your ride, slut, because it’s over. Dank won’t put up with that shit from you. I’m too important to upset.”

  My blood began to boil and I took a step toward her, “Did you just call me a slut?” I hissed.

  She looked entirely too pleased with my anger at first but then her amused grin vanished and a terrified expression lit up her face. She began backing away from me. I wanted to laugh out loud. She reminded me of one of those bullies from elementary school that was all talk. Once someone called them out they backed down. I felt a sense of power at being able to handle this situation myself. Instead of waiting on Dank to set the bitch straight I was doing it.

  “Don’t,” the girl backed up against the wall and I kept my angry glare fixed on her loving her horrified expression. This was fun.

  “Pagan, stop.”

  I froze at the sound of Dank’s voice as he stepped in between the two of us. The sweat on his chest had soaked into his shirt and it clung even tighter to his skin. Then he turned and looked back at the other girl.

  “What’s going on?” I heard him ask. What? Why was he worried about her?

  “She attacked me, I was just trying to talk to her and she just attacked me,” the girl blubbered in tears. She was crying? Dang, she even sounded believable.

  “I didn’t touch her. She--”

  “Not now, Pagan,” Dank interrupted me and I stood there gaping at him and the girl he was apparently consoling. Had I just stepped into some alternate universe? None of this made sense.

  “She... she hissed at me,” the girl stuttered, pointing one of her long red nails in my direction. Well, maybe I had done that. But she’d called me a slut.

  “She called--” I began and once again Dank cut me off.

  “Wait, Pagan.”

  Confusion quickly turned to anger and I didn’t wait until he finished talking to the girl and listening to her mouthful of lies. He should be asking ME if I was okay. Not her. I wasn’t going to stand around and listen to this. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to stand there and try to defend myself to him if he wasn’t going to even give me a chance to talk. I stalked toward the back entrance expecting Dank to get a clue and follow me but once I opened the back door that we’d entered when we arrived he still hadn’t come after me.

  Hurt, furious, and confused I stared out into the night. I didn’t have a car. Dank wasn’t coming after me. And he’d just completely blown me off and left me to hang in there. Tears blurred my eyes and I started to wipe them away and decided to leave them alone. No one was here to see me cry.

  “I’ll take you home,” Leif’s voice startled me. Spinning around I found him leaning up against his truck watching me.

  Not wanting him to see me cry, I wiped at the tears running down my face. I couldn’t get in a truck with Leif. He was an evil spirit after my soul. The concerned frown on his face reminded me of the boy who’d come to the hospital to see me after my wreck. He’d been so worried he’d slept outside in the waiting room all night. My entire life Leif had been there when I needed someone. Nothing about him was ever scary. Never once did he let me down. I glanced back at the closed door wishing Dank would walk through it but nothing happened. Anger burned my throat and my heart ached.

  “Sure, thanks Leif. I could use a ride.”

  Dank

  Letting Pagan walk off hurt and upset had almost been impossible. But the more distance she put between herself and the soulless creature in front of me the better. The anger and pain rolling off of her had been so distracting. I needed to figure out what this thing was. I couldn’t do that with Pagan distressed behind me. I’d wanted to wrap her up in my arms and reassure her but I couldn’t give this thing a chance to get away.

  “Who are you?” I growled, glaring down at the blonde.

  She smirked and straightened up from her cowering stance once Pagan rounded the corner.

  “No one you know Dankmar,” she replied and ran a long red fingernail up my shirt, “but we could change that.”

  I slapped her hand away with enough force that she gasped in pain. Good. I wanted her to hurt. She’d been too close to Pagan. And my foolishly brave girl had been glaring her down like she could take on a demon from Hell with her bare hands.

  “You’re beneath me,” I reminded her in a cold flat voice. “Now tell me why you were near my Pagan.” I demanded.

  She shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest, “I did what I was told to do. It’s my job, Dankmar. You understand about doing your job, don’t you?”

  “Don’t play games with me. I want answers now. I need to get to Pagan. I don’t have time for this.”

  She giggled and icy fear gripped me.

  “Too late,” she said in a sing-song voice before she vanished.

  Not wanting to believe the truth hammering in my head, I broke into a run down the hallway Pagan had run to only a few minutes ago. There was no sign of her. I threw open the back door and the parking lot was full of empty cars. Nothing. Closing my eyes I searched for her soul. And for the first time since I met her I was unable to hear it.

  “NOOOOOOO!”

  Chapter Eight

  Pagan

  My eyes were so heavy. I couldn’t remember why. I fought to open them but nothing
. Where was I? What had I done? Where was Dank? Why wouldn’t my eyes open?

  “Shhhh, it’s okay Pagan. Don’t get all worked up. I’ve got you.”

  Leif’s voice. Why was Leif here?

  “Leif?”

  Abnormally warm fingers brushed hair from my face and I shivered as goosebumps covered my body. They weren’t from pleasure.

  “Yes, I’m here,” he murmured and continued playing with my hair.

  “Where am I? Why can’t I open my eyes?” the panic in my voice was evident.

  “You’re with me for now. Where you belong. Where you’ve always belonged. You’ve been mine since the moment I chose you when we were both just children. And as for your eyes they’ll open soon enough. Your human body had difficulty dealing with the travel and for that I’m sorry.”

  Nothing he said made any sense.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Just rest. You’ll feel better soon.”

  I used every ounce of strength in my body fighting endlessly to open my eyes. But nothing happened. Everything remained dark. Until, exhausted, I slipped away into the darkness.

  Blinking slowly, I stared up at what appeared to be black chiffon. Studying it in confusion I realized it was draped over the bed I was laying in. Turning my head to take in my surroundings I noticed the room was illuminated by a faint orange glow. I pushed up on my elbows and wondered if this was real or if I was dreaming. Candles covered the room and flickered causing light to dance across the ceiling. The walls were made of stone yet the room was elaborately decorated with silver candelabras and a crystal chandelier. I had to be dreaming. Shaking my head to clear it, I swung my feet over the side of the bed noticing for the first time the black silk sheets I’d been sleeping on. Like the other parts of the room the massive iron bed frame looked out of place in a room with stone walls. Where was I supposed to be and how had I conjured this place up?