Of Flame and Fate: A Weird Girls Novel (Weird Girls Flame Book 2)

by Cecy Robson

  “Fine.” Gemini jerks his head in the direction of the door. “Let’s go.”

  Johnny rises a lot faster than I do. I stand slowly, pulling away from Gemini when he tries to help me. “You’re letting him leave, just like that, even after seeing what he can do.”

  “I sent a wolf to inform our Elders of the Fate’s abilities before I shut the door,” he tells me. “But his magic changes nothing. He’s not Pack, he’s no lone I need to monitor, nor is he a rogue vamp or witch who needs to be accounted for.” He looks to Johnny. “He’s a Fate, who with or without us, will meet his.”

  Johnny hurries to the kitchen where he left a T-shirt draped over a stool. It’s too big for him, the were he borrowed it from far exceeded Johnny’s leaner build, making Johnny appear smaller and younger.

  “What do you see?” I ask Johnny. “When your predictions come, do you know what’s going to happen to you?”

  There’s no genuineness in his smile, and far too much bitterness. “Yeah. I’m going down as the greatest Fate that ever was. Don’t you worry about me.”

  It’s what he claims, but I don’t think he means it in the way he intends.

  “Can I get a phone? I need to call my manager.” He swipes at his face. “Drake thought I was tripping. He didn’t understand what I was saying the last time we spoke. I-I-I need to tell him I’m coming back, and that the tour is back on.”

  “Sure.” I reach for my phone in my back pocket and hand it to him, noting how badly he’s shaking. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, and no. I don’t know what I’m going to tell him. It looks like I just up and left. He’s probably going to lose it on me.”

  I remembered hearing Johnny on the phone with his manager. He was scared, promising to continue touring regardless that it seemed he was really gunning to quit. I don’t know Drake, but I imagine that like his fans, he probably can’t get enough of Johnny.

  “Were you planning on walking away from the music industry?” I ask.

  Johnny looks up from fiddling with my phone. “No. I just wanted to take a break. Stop touring for a while, maybe try acting or take a real vacation, you feel me?” He taps the numbers on my phone. “I’ve been on the road since Drake discovered me three years ago—Drake, it’s Johnny. Sorry, I’ve been out of touch.” He glances my way. “I lost it a little. But I’m okay now. I’m coming back to you, to the hotel. Just wait for me, okay?”

  He disconnects. “He wasn’t there. Do you mind if I hang onto your phone for a while?”

  “No, but I do,” Gemini answers for me. “We’ll provide you with a secure line.” He shoots me a look, warning me it’s a done deal and not to bother arguing. “I’ll be the one taking you back to your people. Where do you want to go?”

  “Take me to Santa Barbara,” Johnny orders. His voice lowers when he catches Gemini’s non-too-pleased expression. “Please,” he adds. “He’s at the Belmond.”

  “You’re sure?” Gemini asks.

  “Positive,” Johnny answers. “It’s been a few days, but Drake wouldn’t just leave me. I’m his only client.” He shrugs. “He booked the top floor for us for a week.”

  In other words, Drake wouldn’t leave without his meal ticket.

  Gemini reaches for his phone, tapping an icon with a moon on it. “I need a private plane chartered for the Fate . . . Santa Barbara.” He shifts his stare on me. “As soon as possible.”

  He disconnects, motioning me to follow him out.

  “Wait, where are you going?” Johnny asks, hurrying to catch up with us.

  “Nowhere you need to be,” Gem tells him. “Wait here until I come for you.”

  “I thought you said I wasn’t a prisoner,” Johnny calls after him.

  “You’re not, I just need a moment with my mate,” Gemini replies. He throws open the door where about four imposing and snarling weres wait. “My pack doesn’t like the aroma of your magic, and the scent of blood has them on edge. I’d encourage you to stay on your own accord.”

  “I can wait here,” Johnny stammers.

  Gemini slams the door behind him. He continues forward, his movements so quick, I have to run after him. “You weren’t very nice to him,” I say.

  Gemini stalks forward. “He’s lucky I didn’t throw him against the Goddamn wall giving the way he was looking at you.”

  I roll my eyes. Now I get it. I snag his wrist and pull him into a small lounge, shutting the door behind me. “You’re being ridiculous—”

  I squeak when Gemini hauls me against his hard body, the passion surging within him stirring my own. I wrap my arms around his neck. I want to kiss him, but the fierceness he greets me with turns my caress more soothing than sexy.

  “Taran,” he says, his tone severe. “I don’t like the Fate and I don’t trust him.”

  I tilt my head. “Because you think he’s hitting on me, or because of something else?”

  He turns his gaze in the direction we came from. “I’m not sure, maybe both. What worries me most is that your magic is different when you’re around him.” He looks at me then. “It clashes with his in one way, but in another, it seems to compliment it. I can’t explain it. All I can tell you is my wolves warn against it.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  I didn’t like what Gemini had to say about my magic and Johnny’s clashing. I didn’t like what he had to say about them complimenting each other either. It doesn’t seem right, considering we’re so different. Or maybe that’s what I want to believe.

  I turn the wheel, gently guiding Gemini’s SUV along each curve in the road. I’m so lost in my thoughts, I don’t realize how close I am to Tahoe until the highway leading to Squaw Valley ends and the one running parallel to Tahoe begins.

  My gaze flickers to my arm as the road evens out. There’s a definite pull when I’m around Johnny. I just didn’t attribute it the same way Gemini did.

  I began sensing magic more strongly when we first moved to Tahoe, so as much as Johnny’s magic felt different, it didn’t surprise me to feel it once I realized what he was. What did surprise me was how easily he mesmerized me with his singing and power, and how the ache from his past stirred the ache I’ve tried too many times to forget. My sisters and I are immune to vampiric hypnoses and suggestions. None of us, however, seem immune to Johnny’s draw.

  It wasn’t until Gem told me how unnerved his wolves were by Johnny’s mojo that I took more care to try to understand it. This isn’t simply my lover being jealous and protective. He’s leery, very much as he would be in the presence of another predator.

  My right arm gives a shudder as I remember that surge of power that filled the foyer when we entered the dorm. In making himself bleed, maybe he also bled out an extra dose of his magic.

  “Are you agreeing or disagreeing?” I ask Sparky when she twitches again.

  She doesn’t respond, but I suppose that’s a good thing. I’m weird enough. The last thing I need is my hand turning into a talking sock puppet, minus the sock.

  I rub the back of my neck, trying to ease some of the stress from the day. It’s close to dinner. Soon the sun will turn in and allow the moon to take charge. I never expected to arrive this late and planned to leave for home immediately following lunch. But then Johnny happened.

  Spell-wielding or not, it was hard to find him as I did. I didn’t feel right taking off until the plane was secured and Johnny was escorted from the Den. I couldn’t abandon him, knowing how intimidated he is by the Pack. Being the odd guy out takes on a whole new meaning around beasts with fangs and claws just waiting for you to make one wrong move.

  “Poor sap,” I mutter.

  Despite the day, and the last few, my mood lifts when the sign for Dollar Point comes into view. I’m almost home. But as I catch my first sight of Tahoe, and how the swirls of orange and pink sky cast light along the lake’s gentle waves, my smile vanishes.

  “Destiny isn’t well, T.” Those were Shayna’s exact words when I called to make sure it was okay to visit. �
�But it would mean the world to her if you came by.”

  Jesus. How could I refuse?

  I pull into my neighborhood, a small cul-de-sac with a few homes. Most of our neighbors are young professionals, here for the serenity the lake offers and the night life just a short drive away. Most things they’ve seen, they’ve been “encouraged” to forget through magic, for their safety, but more so for their sanity.

  Two SUVs are parked directly in front of the house, and two more are stationed close to the path that leads to the lake. Mrs. Mancuso is sweeping her walkway. I nod in the direction of the stiff middle finger she waves at me. Oh, yes, it’s good to be home.

  “Pace,” I say, whispering the word that allows me safe passage through the wards and into the garage. My body cools as I feel the wall of protection part. It’s only then do I hit the garage door opener and drive through.

  The double wide door creaks open loudly, in the way it has since we first moved in. The sound brings me comfort and I’ll take all it gives me. This isn’t going to be a fun visit. I only hope that I can somehow offer comfort, and that I don’t yet have to say goodbye.

  The door leading into the laundry room opens as I slip out of my ride and near the steps. A few weres I don’t know pile out in human form.

  “The mate,” the one in the lead tells the others.

  They nod, understanding. “I’m Taran,” I clarify, offering a wave.

  Their gazes shift to my arm and back to me. “We’ll be outside guarding the perimeter, mate to Gemini.”

  Oh, yes, weres are all about the warm and fuzzies. “Thanks,” I say, beaming. “Glad we had this time to bond.”

  I hop up the stairs. It’s warm in the laundry room with the dryer on, the clothes spinning gently as I step into the kitchen.

  I’m surprised to find Bren there.

  With Emme.

  And enough tension between them to spackle tile.

  He leans back into the kitchen chair, threading his hands behind his head, watching Emme prepare a tray of food, and overall acting very mate-like.

  “Emme is Bren’s mate,” I insisted the other night over dinner.

  “He can’t be,” Aric replied, not bothering to look up from his food.

  “Why? Because you don’t think he’s good enough for her?” I countered.

  He looked up then. “That, and because he’s been a lone all his life.”

  “He’s not a lone. He’s part of the Pack,” I reminded him. “Your pack.”

  “No, we welcomed him into the Pack,” Gemini clarified. “But his lone tendencies have kept him from fully committing to being one of us.” His expression sharpened. “It’s these same innate tendencies that will keep his wolf from recognizing and committing to his mate, if he even has one.”

  “Bullshit,” I said, and I’m saying it now.

  The strain between them reminds me of the time when Gemini and I broke up, how awful it was, and how far away he seemed even when we stood mere inches apart. Yet as much as I hate what’s happening with them, and to them, it doesn’t compare to the despair competing for space in the room.

  Death lurks close. I feel him. And there’s nothing I can do to kick his ass out.

  “Hey,” I say.

  I wasn’t sure Emme realized I was waiting by the door, not with the way she kept her head down and her full attention on preparing the tray. She covers a hot bowl of soup with a lid, and arranges a cloth napkin and a spoon carefully beside it, taking her time to make sure everything is just right. It’s only when she finishes that she walks toward me and hugs me gently.

  “Hi,” she says.

  I hold her against me, worried I’ll somehow hurt her, even though I realize she’s not as delicate as she appears. “I didn’t know you were here,” I admit. “I thought Shayna and Koda were watching Destiny today.”

  “They were, but they’ve been here a lot. I told them I’d take over her care and stay the night. This way, they can get a break, too.”

  “You’ve been here a lot, too,” I remind her. “Just as much as Shayna and Koda.”

  “It’s all right. I want to be,” she whispers. “No one else comes, but us.” She lifts away from me so I can see her face and all the sympathy it carries. “She doesn’t say much. But she always seems happy to see me.”

  How could she not be? Emme is like an angel you’d want welcoming you into heaven. At least, she’s who I’d want for me.

  I play with her hair, praying heaven won’t claim Emme before me. I’d gladly go first. The world is kinder with her here, more soft, and maybe more innocent, too. “Can I see her?” I ask.

  “That would mean a lot to her,” she says, reciting Shayna’s almost exact words.

  I glance at Bren who’s unusually quiet. “You okay?” I ask.

  “As good as I can be, considering all this shit,” he says.

  “I know what you mean,” I mutter.

  He pushes out of his seat and lifts the tray, easily balancing everything with one hand. “I can take that,” Emme says, not that she looks at him when she says it.

  “I got it,” Bren says, his tone making it clear there’s no sense in arguing. “I’m not sure what kind of mood you’ll find Tye in, and I’m not taking any chances.”

  “He hasn’t left her side,” Emme adds, her attention darting briefly to Bren.

  “Of course not,” I say, casting them one hell of a look. “They’re mates. Together is how they belong.”

  A small line forms between Emme’s brows when she frowns. She may not know what I’m talking about, but Bren does, and that shit needs to come from him.

  He looks at me as Emme turns to fill a glass of iced tea. “You know what I mean,” I mouth.

  He straightens to his full height. “You’re wrong,” he replies.

  “What?” Emme asks, glancing up.

  She lowers the pitcher of iced tea back on the counter when all Bren and I do is glare at each other. The Lord is testing me because I’m ready to knock this wolf out. Except now isn’t the time to zap some sense into him.

  Bren marches ahead of us, his stance as rigid as the strain surging between Emme and him.

  I should say something, again, now is not the time to rip into him. So I take in my surroundings, allowing the familiarity of my home to settle me.

  It hasn’t been that long since I was last here, but already it’s too long. God, how I wish things would get back to normal, at least normal for us. I miss the days where my sisters and I would sit at the table and have tea. It’s something we all used to enjoy. We’d talk about everything or nothing at all, laugh at something goofy Shayna said, something raunchy Bren did, or the plans we had with our wolves.

  I took it for granted, and didn’t realize how much I look forward to it. Life’s like that. The simple things are often the ones we most want back.

  The heels of my hot pink shoes barely make a sound against the dark hardwood floors as I cross the kitchen, despite how each step feels more leaden than the last.

  “I wish Destiny would stay in my room,” I say quietly.

  Emme pauses behind Bren as he reaches for the door leading to the basement. “I told her you’d offered,” she explains. “But she said she didn’t want to die in your room and have you think it was haunted. Especially if you and Gemini were having ‘relations.’” Her face reddens. “Those are her words, not mine.”

  I laugh a little, and so does Emme, no matter that anything surrounding “relations” always cause her cheeks to redden. It’s such a Destiny thing to say, and am I ever going to miss her saying them.

  Bren opens the door and hops down the steps, the ease and speed in which he moves (even with his hands full!) a great deal more graceful than what I manage in my shoes. He stops halfway down, his spine stiffening. “You want me to help you or something?”

  I grip the railing, thinking he’s talking to me. “I’m all right,” I say. “I just need to go slow.”

  “I meant Emme,” he says, turning back. “But
I can help you, too, I guess.”

  Emme is in flats and a soft pink maxi dress. If she wanted to, she could probably swing from a vine in the clothes she’s wearing as opposed to the ensemble I chose to strut around in. So, yeah, what in the hell is up with him? He’s not just some horny wolf like Gemini and Aric claim. It’s more like the lone and the man in him are fighting fang and claw not to see what’s in front of him. Or should I say, who’s in front of him.

  “I’m fine, Bren,” Emme says, her voice mimicking the confusion I’m feeling.

  “I’m just saying, I don’t mind carrying you or some shit,” he says.

  He stomps ahead. I do, too, catching Emme’s arm. “Did you kiss him again?” I mouth, not wanting Bren’s super-hearing to pick up on what I’m asking. I do a double-take at the sight of Emme’s blush.

  “No.” She glances in the direction he disappeared. “I think he’s trying to be a gentleman.”

  I’m not sure if she’s trying to mean what she says or if she actually believes it. All I know is that there’s more here than either are saying, and likely more they’re doing.

  I release her arm slowly when I hear Bren address Tye.

  “Taran’s here,” he says. “And Emme has food for Destiny.”

  I know Tye is upset, and too many other horrible emotions to name, and because of it, I’ve tried to prepare myself for how I’d find them. But I’m still not ready.

  I step down. To our right is our game room with a pool table, large sectional, and a flat screen fixed to the wall. To our left is the bar area. In front of the bar, a full-sized bed has been placed, the electronic kind used in hospitals to elevate the foot and head of the bed.

  Destiny’s upper body is positioned sitting up, with pillows propped behind her head and under her arms to keep her supported. Strands of her long dark hair fall free from her lopsided bun, making her appear haggard while the white of her zebra print pajamas further highlights her pallor.