Divine Destiny

by Hayley Todd

  I gave myself one instant of silence, one instant of relaxation before slipping my mask back into place and finishing up, donning my outfit for tonight and the fun it held.

  We met quickly with the guys and a long black SUV pulled up to the curb before the exit. It was time to enjoy being with each other for an evening. We piled into the vehicle, Anton and Kellic climbing into the back, followed by myself, Carson, and then Will. The moment the doors shut, the driver pulled away, leading us into town and an exciting evening at my night club.

  Chapter Two

  I spent a moment marveling at the sight before us as the SUV cruised into the city. I still wasn’t completely accustomed to being driven around but I knew it was what my father preferred. Each of his SUVs had militarized technology built into them, enabling a much faster response in the event of a situation. I would never stop loving the sporty build of my Mercedes but it spent most of its time parked at Damien’s mansion now.

  Instead, I could see the electric blue exterior of my new vehicle, a gift from my father for my coronation two years ago. My Lotus Evora was parked on the curb in a designated spot for my apartment in the building beyond. It didn’t get much use either anymore, but that didn’t keep me from trying. It was a family favorite for the few moments when we drove ourselves.

  Beyond the Evora, a line of people stretched around the block, giggling and talking excitedly. They drew short at our approach, watching the sleek SUV drive around the corner and stop just in front of the Evora. We climbed out, all eyes centered on us, smoothing clothing creases and trying to look dignified. Or at least, I was. I put on a face, trying to appear as though I didn’t notice hundreds of eyes swiveled in my direction and made my way to the club door, my arm slung through Carson’s, Kellic and Anton whispering behind us.

  We stepped past the crowd, approaching a line of bouncers outside the door and earning some scorching looks as we passed. The giant of a man that peered down at us, gave me a soft grin once he realized who stood before him.

  “Ms. Lucius,” he greeted. His smile made him look a bit less intimidating, though not much could soften his overwhelming size. He had a mop of curly reddish brown hair and golden green hazel eyes. His skin was pink and flushed with color.

  It had taken me close to a year before I accepted my father’s last name. Though I hadn’t been certain, it turned out my mother had indeed married him before she had been kidnapped--and presumed dead--when I was six years old. It quickly became apparent that my legal last name hadn’t actually been Santina, my mother’s last name, as I had thought. It was Lucius. It seemed to pain my father when I didn’t use it, so I had adopted it, becoming more accustomed to it over the year between.

  “Isaac,” I replied, giving him my friendliest grin. He clapped me on the shoulder and opened the door for me.

  Isaac was one of our originals. He had been with the club since its opening and had become a regular fixture. I had unintentionally exposed what I was to him by feeding on Carson in my office. He’d walked in and had seen the whole thing. Carson’s immediate reaction had been...harsher than what I could’ve done to him. I managed to convince him to go a more peaceful route.

  Carson ended up convincing my father to get him on his payroll and in the running for being turned. Isaac was intrigued by the world we lived in. He wanted to become a part of it but Damien didn’t take the request lightly. He made applicants go through rigorous internships of sorts. Isaac has already worked for me at the club and saw it as a perfect reason to stay.

  He was a good guy. Isaac was trustworthy and brave. I hoped he got what he wanted in the end. He wore a gaudy silver talisman around his neck now, a precaution against having his mind manipulated. If we could do it, we could only expect our enemies to be capable of the same.

  Will had actually tested it out with him once, trying to compel him while he clutched the amulet. Isaac hasn’t reacted in the slightest. When Anton and Carson used their abilities to push against him though, it seemed that some of their manipulation slipped through. It seemed to be protection enough against Vampyres at least.

  Isaac presses the door open, maintaining that eager grin all the while. We piled in quickly, entering a world of night.

  Inside the club, hot bodies gyrated in rhythm to the music blaring throughout the room. The atmosphere of the club crashed into us, a force of its own as it passed across us. The place was intoxicating in and of itself.

  Neon lights pulsed across every surface, thumping with the bass. There was a subtle vibration that ebbed and flowed beneath obvious perception. It dragged the spirits of its inhabitants together, forming them into one self-contained wave of ecstasy.

  This was what I loved in a nightclub. This was what had pressed me into forming my own. And boy, was it living up to the hype.

  Carson’s warm arm draped around my hips, tugging me toward the bar. He grinned at me as we found our way to the counter.

  The man that approached was eager to see us. He sidled up to the counter with what seemed to be forced lethargy. “Anton, Ms. Lucius,” he said nodding at each of us. “Kellic,” he greeted her with a wide grin. “Carson,” he continued almost in a hiss. Carson was not Tyler’s favorite person.

  “Hey, Tyler,” I greeted with a smile, placing a gentle restraining hand on Carson’s arm as I felt his demeanor change. He tended up, a step forward prepared.

  “What can I get you?” He asked. Tyler was a long time friend from high school. I used to have a giant crush on him but ever since meeting Carson, most of those feelings had dissipated. Tyler and Will were close friends. He greeted him last, and they crossed forearms, clutching each other’s wrists in some goofy secret handshake sort of way. They were each beaming, ear to ear. It was good to be with all of my friends again.

  Carson, Kellic, Anton, and I had just completed a round the world coronation tour. We had journeyed through city after city, meeting with vampire leaders on their home turf. It was a necessary tradition in Magick royalty. The better you associated with the leaders, the better your reign would be.

  It had been a wonderful time with Carson, seeing places I had only dreamed about, Paris, London, Moscow, Hong Kong. Some of the encounters had been more...trying than others but it had been the trip of a lifetime.

  This was actually our first time back to the club after our return. I had been looking forward to it for a while. Don’t get me wrong, I adored all of the time in fantastic cities across the world but I missed this club. This was my place.

  “Let’s try whatever is popular now,” I told Tyler. “And make it a tray!” I called as he ventured down the bar to create some mixologist masterpieces.

  “Boy, I have missed this place!” Anton shouted, draping one arm over my shoulders and the other over Kellic’s. He looked significantly younger with the playful expression on his face. There was a mischievousness in the bar and I knew precisely what he had in mind.

  Anton could manipulate emotions and in humans, he could even create blank spaces in their minds. At places like my club, he enjoyed seducing his way across the dance floor, taking a bite here and there, healing his victim and sending them away with a cloudy recollection of the last few minutes. I couldn’t exactly fault him. The practice was thrilling and exalting. As long as no one was injured in the process, I wouldn’t stop him. I might even join in.

  “Heads up!” Tyler called as he swept back down the bar, a large flat tray poised in his hand. He gently swirled it to the counter and placed it before us. It held dozens of shot glasses filled with a bright orange liquid. “Enjoy your sunrise shots,” Tyler said with a smile. He traipsed away, moving to another patron and taking their order.

  The five of us reached forward, snatching up a glass and lifting it high. “To some sense of normalcy,” I called, raising my glass.

  “To some badass friends,” Kellic chimed, glancing at each of us.

  “To being with family,” Will responded.

  “To an insane night!” Anton chuckled, thrusting
his glass closer to ours.

  Carson ducked his head suddenly, pecking my lips with a kiss. Then he raised his glass alongside us. “To us,” he said, gazing down at me. His eyes had a loving twinkle in them that I had to fight not to fall into.

  We tapped glasses gently, the ring of it raining on us. I tossed my drink back. It was warm, tangy, splashed with a tart orange flavor. It warmed me as it traveled into my belly.

  In this moment, I couldn’t help but reflect back on when we first all truly came together. I was broken. I had been brought back from the dead, sneaked clear to Rome, fought my bad guy, had been raped, all only to have Will he killed in front of me. Or so I had thought anyway.

  It turned out that my father had removed Will from the fight, knowing through his connection with the earth that, though it were faint, Will still had a heartbeat. My father’s best friend, Lucas Fifth—leader of the Vampyre people—had chosen that moment to give me a coronation gift, also gaining my favor, and showing my father that he was an ally to myself as well as him. He had fed Will his blood, then killed him himself. He had known that Will wasn’t going to be able to recover from that fractured spine and come to find out, Will had already been discussing turning with my father.

  Damien and Lucas kept Will until he had completely turned before telling me, just in case he died anyway.

  I had been decimated when I watched Will’s neck snap. Between that and the sexual assault that Henrick has committed, my psyche had snapped. I...hadn’t been myself. I had pushed myself way farther than I’d been prepared to be pushed. It had killed me. Just barely, but I’d definitely died. Anton and Carson had actually used their blood and their own life forces to draw me back from the darkness.

  They’d both been making efforts to help me heal some...less visual wounds ever since but when Lucas had shown me what he’d done to Will, that had truly made the greatest impact. It was like a balm to all my scars. I couldn’t even begin to detail my relief to have Will back in my life. Lucas has become my favorite “uncle” ever since. He doted on me, as though I really were his niece.

  I’d had time to come to terms with what Henrick did but it didn’t erase the pain from my heart. I could only be thankful that he hadn’t known I was still imprinted to Carson and Anton. There had been little concern of pregnancy due to the imprint though they’d carefully checked me over for a while.

  He had wounded me eternally. But he had lost.

  We went in for our second round of shots eagerly, drawing them quickly to our lips and downing the next round of burning liquid.

  Carson leaned down, pressing orange scented lips to my forehead. “What are you most excited for being back?” He asked, wrapping his arms around me and swaying me gently to the beat.

  I considered. I hadn’t really been home in nearly the entire two years since Henrick’s death. I had only just moved in when the cataclysmic events had begun spinning in my life. It had all equated to very little alone time.

  We were well into our seventh round of shots when Anton suggested it was time to hit the dance floor. I knew what delicious activities were hidden in that offer so it didn’t take much convincing to get me moving out onto the floor with Carson’s hands clinging to my hips.

  Chapter Three

  Believe it or not, Anton seemed to be made for the club scene. I loved it. But even I didn’t seem to suit it as he did. He couldn’t help but draw from the furious fervor around him. The crowd rolled together, dancing to the rhythmic beat.

  Anton had his arm slung about Kellic’s shoulders, his hand clutched around mine. I had been snuggled under Carson’s arm but had barely managed to catch Carson’s hand as Anton dragged us out onto the floor. I laughed at his eagerness, tugging my hands free and hold them up in a placating gesture when he whirled around.

  I spared a quick glimpse over my shoulder. Will and Tyler we’re happily chatting back and forth though I couldn’t hear their words from where I stood. Will glanced over, gestured to Tyler and gave me a shooing gesture.

  Go. Have fun. I’ll distract Tyler.

  His thoughts rang plainly to me with the expression on his face. He delved back into conversation.

  I turned back to Carson. “He’s going to keep Tyler out of our hair,” I said, grinning up at him.

  His responding smile had a hint of mischievousness to it. We caught up with Anton and Kellic pretty quickly. They were talking but the music drowned them out and they came to an abrupt stop when we approached.

  Kellic looked surprised but Anton slipped back into a lazy grin with ease. Their body language was a bit too stiff. I prodded them each with my eyes, only reading an urgency to have fun now and speak later. I have a sharp nod, continuing to weave through the crowd. I knew they’d followed me without looking.

  I fell into an open space, already swinging my hips to the beat. Carson’s hands snaked around my waist, his lips pressing against my neck as he writhed against me.

  It took me a moment to notice that funnily enough, this had been the song playing when we’d first visited the club as a group two years ago. I, like everyone around me, subtly hesitated at a silent point in the song. The beat crashed over us and we all slammed into it, rolling back into eager dances as neon illumination splashed over us.

  The furious energy in the room was palpable even to us non-empaths. It was hot and pleasant and poured over us like a balm. Any tension slid away as we were encompassed by that bass.

  Carson and I curled and rolled into each other like one smoothly swaying entity. I melted into him, and he to I. The fervor was intoxicating.

  The song flowed seamlessly into the next. Our rhythm changed to match it, flowing as though we’d shared the thought to.

  Moments like these truly made me appreciate my bond with Carson. I could feel everything that he felt, carefully overlaying my own emotions. Eagerness, awe, joy filled me. I knew that same of these emotions mirrored my own but after having the imprint for this long, I had pieced together which belonged to me and which didn’t.

  We moved in perfect synchronization. Every move from me was mimicked by him without a thought. Being with Carson was so effortless, every second flawless.

  After a few songs and sweaty, delicious dancing, another eagerness swept through me. I knew it wasn’t Carson’s because his still filled my body. This excitement was overlaying both of ours, separate but tangible.

  “Ready for a bite?” Anton whispered into my ear. Carson stiffened against me. He didn’t feel Anton the same way I did so his approach had startled him. A quick glance showed Anton with a mischievous look on his face. His gaze lifted, settling on a man and woman, pressed away from the crowd toward a nearby wall. They were enthralled in each other, oblivious to our stares.

  I felt the grin that spread my lips, without any conscious effort in doing it. I gave Anton a slow nod, feeling the song of needy hunger filling my belly.

  It only took a second for me to disentangle myself from Carson. His fingertips trailed along my spine, leaving a delicate tingle rippling through me.

  Anton approached the couple, gently pressing his palms to each of their necks. They went rigid in one swift movement, but neither moved, hesitated, or let out a sound. Kellic swept past me, the ecstatic hunger obvious on her face. She didn’t even hesitate, pressing her hand into Anton’s back pocket and leaning over the woman. Her teeth sank into the delicate skin at the woman’s neck but she didn’t flinch.

  Anton pressed his mouth onto the opposite side of her neck, his eyes filling with glee. Carson and I traded a glance, his eyes dancing. He stepped closer to the man, leaving an opening for me between himself and Anton.

  I didn’t have to be asked. I entangled myself with the man, hovering over him like a teenage couple making out, forgetting where we were. I bit him, lust filling me, though for the blood or the pressing of lithe bodies I couldn’t decide. I knew when Carson had pierced his other side because the man stiffened, if only for a moment.

  The explosive pulse of his blood ig
nited me, filling my body with strength and satisfaction. Anton pressed against my spine, eagerly pushing closer toward his victim. We all swayed unconsciously, even the unaware humans we fed on, leaving no obvious change.

  His blood was tangy and metallic in my mouth, but filled with so much more than just the crimson liquid. I felt him. James. In that moment, I knew him. He was young, barely twenty one, and I could just tell that he was a university student. The girl with him—Rebecca, my mind told me—was another student. They were on their first date. He cared for her and I could feel that it had taken a lot of courage for him to invite her here tonight.

  I only drew on him a tiny bit, not eager to fall into the swallowing pit that was his mind and emotions. I wanted to enjoy this explosive touch on my own, as it’s own carnal delight. I didn’t need to know that James studies graphic design or that Rebecca was the grandest thing in his life in that moment.

  I didn’t want Anton’s touch to tell me what I already knew. That Rebecca didn’t feel the same way about James that he did about her. I didn’t want to know that Rebecca had only come here tonight to hopefully run into a man she had lusted after for eons. I didn’t want to know that poor James here was simply a means to an end.

  I lurched away from them, pulling my teeth from James’ neck. Carson peered up at me, his teeth still embedded in the man’s skin. His eyes spoke a thousand questions.

  I shook my head, forcing the couple’s thoughts from my mind. “I need to use the restroom,” I hissed in a rush and turned away from my friends. They were raptured, lost in the feeding and barely noticed me stepping away. I could feel both Carson and Anton briefly stiffening in alarm but I walked away, headed toward the lady’s room tucked along a side hallway not far away.

  I burst into the restroom, nearly falling through the door. It was blessedly empty, the room a figure of silence. I still heard and felt the pulsing beat from the grander room but it barely brushed my skin instead of drowning me in it.