Destiny, YA Paranormal Romance (Brightest Kind of Darkness Series, Book #3)

by Michelle, P. T.

  Ethan straightens and shoves a hand through his wet hair. “I only fill in with the band when I need to work through stuff, like us fighting earlier. I didn’t tell you about the music because this talent isn’t mine, Nara. It’s Adder’s.”

  I tilt my head and frown. “You are Adder.”

  “No, I’m not,” he says and then snorts, shaking his head. “Remember when I told you that we have memories from others who’ve hosted the Corvus before us?” When I nod, he continues, “Just like drawing soothes the Corvus craziness going on in my head, I think Adder’s sanctuary was music. And because Adder came before me, his music does help me cope in some ways, but—” Ethan brushes a wet strand of my hair from my cheek “—I didn’t want to introduce you to a guy who wasn’t me. I wanted you to fall for the real me. The one who draws and understands what animals are thinking.”

  My eyebrows shoot up. “I thought the animal thing was just an intuitive sense. You actually understand them?”

  “Yeah, mostly. The way I came to work for CVAS was a little different than I originally told you.” He shrugs sheepishly. “I wanted to be as normal as possible.”

  I rub my wet hands on my jeans to hide the fact that they’re shaking. His closeness is making me aware of how much I crave him touching me. “I’d rather you just be you, past talents included. Authentic and original is all the rage, you know.” When Ethan starts to smile, I press my lips together and shake my head. “Why didn’t you tell me about Danielle kissing you?”

  His mouth thins and his shoulders tense. “For the same reason you didn’t tell me about Drystan kissing you. It didn’t mean anything. Right?”

  “But Drystan didn’t kiss me. I made sure it never happen— ” I cut myself off, but realization filters in Ethan’s eyes anyway.

  “He did kiss you, didn’t he? Just not today. That’s what you were talking about when you said you changed your dream.” Blackness swirls in his eyes and tension etches in his face. “I should’ve followed my Corvus’ instincts and really hurt the bastard this morning.”

  Why would Ethan think that Drystan had kissed me today? I don’t have time to ponder, because he steps close and cups my jaw, his anger shifting to focused intensity. “You’re the only reason this Corvus stuff is bearable. The thought of losing you wrecks me.”

  “Ethan…” I clasp his hand, trying to regain control of my ability to think, but something dark on the inside of his wrist captures my attention. Pulling his hand back, my pulse races as I inspect the tattoo. The artist had masterfully incorporated TTTWFO, the sun, yin-yang, and a raven into an infinity symbol, making a gorgeous piece of art. I turn his wrist and run my thumb over the curved edge I’d only seen a glimpse of in the hospital. Emotion tightens my chest as I meet his gaze. “You got this while you were gone?”

  He nods and traces my lips slowly with his thumb. “You were always with me, Sunshine.”

  The tattoo must have been under the bracelet they’d cut off at the hospital. “I wish I’d seen it before now.”

  A wry smile twists his lips. “I drew it and had it inked to keep you close no matter how far apart we were, but a tattoo can’t tell you this…” Running his knuckles tenderly along my jaw, he says, “You’re my direction. I never feel lost when I’m with you. Each time we’re together the need to touch you, to be with you on a deeper level makes me shake. It grows stronger every day.”

  When he slides his fingers into my wet hair, the tension in his hold sends goose bumps down my arms, while the fact that he designed the tattoo himself melts my heart. “It means more than you realize,” I say and start to press a kiss to his wrist, but Ethan tilts my face and hovers his mouth close to mine.

  “There will never be anyone else for me.”

  His warm lips pressing intensely against mine sets off a firestorm of emotion. When he murmurs my name in his husky baritone, I open my mouth and welcome the urgent thrust of his tongue.

  Ethan clasps my face tight and slants his mouth against mine. His hunger ignites my own and I grip his shoulders, digging my fingers deep. We fall against the wall, Ethan’s weight pressing my damp sweater against my back. I gasp at the cold, but Ethan chuckles against my lips and slides his hand under my sweater. Flattening his palm against my upper back, he says, “Better?”

  The skin-to-skin sensation creates a pocket of warmth that’s so intimate, a heated response begins to rise within me, spiraling to every nerve ending. Ethan must have felt it too because his other hand falls to my rear, pulling me up and against him. He’s so strong my feet are dangling off the floor. When I grip his neck tight and wrap my legs around his waist, Ethan groans and leans us back against the wall, kissing me harder, deeper, his fingers digging into my butt. As I cup his jaw and whimper against his mouth, wishing we weren’t standing in a pub’s back hall, Ethan’s hips slowly move under me and all thoughts of where we are completely vanish. I cling to him as our world closes in around us in a shock of electric sensations moving between us, fusing our wants and needs toward an intimate connection we’re building together.

  “There you—” A bald guy at the end of the hall starts to say while noise from the bar floats through the open door behind him.

  When Ethan quickly sets me down and I bury my face in his shoulder, the guy coughs and turns his gaze sideways. “The crowd’s gearing up, Adder. We’re on in five, but I’ll give you seven.”

  My face flames when a wide grin slides up the drummer’s face before he shuts the door, leaving us alone. “I’m so embarrass—”

  Ethan clasps my face and presses a kiss to my forehead, whispering in a hoarse voice, “Don’t you try to erase what just happened between us.”

  He’s so adamant, I can’t help my wide smile. “I would just rather not share it with anyone.”

  The tension in his shoulders eases and he gently pushes my damp hair away from my face with his fingertips. “I definitely don’t like to share.”

  “Really?” I tilt my head and laugh. “Never would’ve guessed that about you.”

  Ethan mock scowls, then his brow settles into a serious look. “Why didn’t you call me back earlier? I left several messages and texts, then spent the rest of the day thinking you might never speak to me again.”

  I know we only have a little bit of time, but I think it’s important he knows his training with Danielle is dangerous.

  I lightly place my hands on his chest. “There’s something I want to tell you, but you have to promise not to freak out.”

  Ethan’s hands freeze halfway down my waist. “For the record, that’s a terrible way to calm me.”

  I shrug. “If you want to hear what I have to say, you have to promise.”

  Taking a deep breath, he raises his hands. “Not freaking.”

  “I’ve spoken to the Order.”

  “What?” Ethan begins to pace, then faces me. “Why?”

  “It was after Danielle’s nocturnal visit. I needed another perspective.”

  “But I told you not to seek them out—”

  “Technically, I didn’t. One of them found me.”

  Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Ethan steps close, his broad shoulders blocking out the light bulb above us, and says in a calm tone, “Tell me where to find this Order person.”

  I push on his chest. “Don’t worry. I was careful. That’s why I didn’t call or text you. Just in case, I didn’t want him to trace me to you. He has no idea you’re Corvus. He approached me because of my Internet searches. He thought I was Corvus.”

  “Approached you—where is he, Nara?”

  His tone might sound normal, but his eyes are glittering black and his face is as hard as steel. I shake my head. “If you don’t calm down, I won’t tell you anything else.”

  “I’m calm.” He juts his hand out between us, palm down. “See, steady.”

  I twist my lips. “Uh, yeah. Like the eye of a hurricane.”

  “I can’t keep you safe if I don’t know where he is, Nara.”

 
I ignore the warning in his voice and finish telling him what he needs to know. “I went to him to learn what I can about the Order’s history with the Corvus.” When Ethan’s brow furrows, I put my finger up. “I needed to figure out how I fit in, but I kept my questions very general. You have to give him credit for admitting that the Corvus and Order’s current relationship isn’t fully healed, that they’d had some kind of falling out in the past. He said the Order has spent the last three decades trying to rebuild after that happened.”

  Ethan scowls. “Where did the trust fail?”

  “He said the Master Corvus killed the leader of the Order and the only knowledge as to what transpired between them died with that man.”

  “This doesn’t make sense. A Corvus can’t kill a human. It’s ingrained in us not to.”

  I lift my shoulders. “There’s obviously stuff we don’t know.”

  Ethan looks away, his face lined in frustration. “Danielle refuses to discuss it, but I feel an inexplicable pain in my chest just hearing about it.”

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t find out more. He did tell me that each Corvus is assigned a Paladin—a person who also must have some kind of special ability the Corvus can relate to—in order to help keep the Corvus grounded in the human world. When he told me what the Paladin does—helping you accept your Corvus, training with you, being a friend to talk to, whatever the Corvus needs—at first I thought that’s what Danielle is. But when he told me he hasn’t assigned a Paladin in Virginia, that’s how I knew Danielle had to be Corvus.”

  Ethan’s gaze narrows. “You knew she was Corvus when you asked me what she was?”

  I shrug. “I guessed that’s what she might be. You just confirmed it.”

  He folds his arms and grunts, clearly unhappy I’d tested him.

  Be glad you passed, Mister. “That night Danielle came to me, she told me that you need to fully embrace your darker side to fight effectively, but that’s not what the man from the Order told me. He said that the Corvus will go dark from constantly fighting demons without a Paladin to be there to help the Corvus stay grounded in the human world. He said that a Corvus training another Corvus is putting two dark forces together, which will only accelerate the two Corvus’ absorbing the evil they fight that much faster. It’s the kind of darkness you can never recover from. Your human body can’t take that kind of contamination, Ethan. It will die.”

  He stares at me, his eyes intense and focused. “What does the darkness do to the Corvus spirit?”

  After I explain what happens to the Corvus spirit, I say, “You can’t continue to train with Danielle. You need a Paladin.”

  “If any of what this man from the Order told you is true…where does the Master Corvus training a Corvus fit into his scenario?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. “If I can’t trust my creator to train me with the intent that I survive, who can I trust?”

  Me! I want to scream, but he has a point. If the Master Corvus is where broken Corvus spirit goes to heal, why would she do this to Ethan? “Did Danielle tell you why she’s here? Who she’s supposed to stop?”

  Ethan shakes his head. “We haven’t had a chance to talk yet.”

  “Why don’t you at least consider talking to this man? Let him assign you a Paladin.”

  His lips form a stubborn line. “Even before Danielle told me not to trust the Order, my gut told me not to either. She just validated what I already felt. And if you didn’t call me because you didn’t want to expose me, then you don’t quite trust him either.”

  I fling my arms wide. “With everything that’s happened to us, I don’t trust anyone blindly.”

  “But you trust me, right?”

  I nod. “Of course, I do. Danielle’s a different story. She’s very bad for you. She’s definitely bad for us.”

  His face sets in harsh lines. “Even though I know why Danielle was here tonight—she’s been constantly telling me that if I don’t accept all my abilities, I can’t fully accept my Corvus either—her idea of celebrating went over the line. I told her to stay away from me for a couple of days.”

  A couple of days? Permanently is my preference. “I’m scared for you, Ethan. I don’t trust her.”

  “How do you know you’re not buying into this Order guy’s story because you want to? That woman you talked to was wrong about Furiae existing.”

  I open my mouth to speak, but don’t have an answer; my feelings definitely skew my opinion. It basically comes down to Danielle’s word against Mr. Wicklow’s.

  “What do you want me to do, Nara? She made me what I am and expects me to fully live up to my potential.”

  I want to tell him to cut ties with her completely, but I would never forgive myself if he didn’t learn something from her that could save his life in a battle with a demon. Instead, I speak from my gut. “Question her methods. Challenge her when you feel something isn’t right.”

  “How do you know I haven’t done that already?” he snaps.

  His sharpness sets me off. “Well, I hope you figure it out before I end up standing over your grave in Oak Lawn Cemetery too.” I turn and grab the door handle to walk out into the alley, but Ethan puts his hand on my shoulder.

  “Nara, wait.” I try to pull away, but his hold tightens. “When did you get this?” His voice is laced with worry as he pushes my hair out of the way, then slides my sweater’s wide collar fully over my shoulder.

  He’s seen my feather. I close my eyes, my stomach tensing. “I discovered it when I woke up Sunday morning after you left.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks as he pushes my bra strap aside.

  “I didn’t know how. I didn’t know what it meant.” My voice breaks as I finish, “I still don’t.”

  His fingers tremble on my shoulder. “Why is it white?”

  I turn and face him. “The feather hasn’t changed, but it came from you.”

  “No, Nara.” He grips my shoulders and shakes his head. “I would never do that to you.”

  I blink away the emotions surging. “You don’t want me to be like you?”

  His anguished gaze travels over my face. “I don’t want this life for you.”

  I hold back the sob that lodges in my throat. Corvus or not, I like the idea of the feather linking us together. “You did this, Ethan. I remember feeling strange yet connected when you kissed my shoulder in that coach’s closet.”

  Ethan’s looking at me, but his gaze is unfocused. Just when that moment between us clicks in his mind, his face pales and regret filters in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Nara. I never meant to—”

  “Mark me?” I shrug and act nonchalant.

  Ethan shakes his head. “I don’t understand how this happened.”

  Someone knocks three times before excited cheers filter into the hallway as the drummer pokes his head through the doorway once more. “Adder! Show time, bud.” Then he lets the door slam behind him.

  I pull the door open and look at Ethan over my shoulder as I slide my sweater back up to cover the feather. “Don’t worry. I guess that’s one connection that never formed between us. I’m not Corvus.”

  Before he can say anything, I step out into the rain and let the door shut behind me.

  Ethan

  “We need to hunt. I saw two demons entering Wave nightclub earlier.”

  I pause from sliding my key in the car door and turn to see Danielle standing behind me in the empty parking deck, dim lights shining down on her. “I told you to stay away from me for a couple of days. I’m not going.”

  She stiffens. “You don’t get a day off. Corvus never do.”

  The band played an extra long set tonight. I’m tired and frustrated that I didn’t get to finish talking to Nara. “I’ll take a day off when I damn well please. Go on your own. The Master Corvus shouldn’t need my help.”

  Her lips press together. “Stop being an ass. This is for you, not me. This helps you train.”

  “Not this way.” I shove my hands in my jeans’ pockets and lean ba
ck against my car. “I’ve told you before, you risk too much by going after them the way you do. What if one gets away?”

  She snorts, arrogance in her expression. “That’ll never happen.”

  My shoulders tighten. “I don’t understand why we don’t follow them, find out where they live, and then take them out in their sleep. That way the demon is caught completely by surprise.”

  “What’s the sport in that?” She huffs, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

  “You might think you’re invincible because you’re Master Corvus, but your body isn’t. We should only take risks when we don’t have a choice, not because we want to feel superior by going on the offensive. Your arrogance is going to get you killed.”

  “I shouldn’t have to remind you that our job is to send demons back to Under, Ethan. That’s our first priority. Battling with demons isn’t a once in a while luxury. It’s a necessity to stay primed so that when we’re attacked by them, we are ready and not caught unaware.”

  “Then we work out with each other.” I narrow my gaze. “It’ll be a good way to deal with you when you piss me off.”

  Her nostrils flare and she tilts her head. “Fine. Come spar with me.”

  “Hell no, I’m ticked even talking to you.” I yank my hands free of my pockets and push off my car, taking a step toward her. “Why are you here, Danielle?”

  “I’m here to train you.”

  “I’m asking why the Master Corvus is here on our plane. Is there some major threat?”

  She flings her arms wide, annoyance lacing her tone. “There’s always a threat.”

  “No, I mean a global threat. That’s usually the only reason the Master Corvus appears in physical form. Is Lucifer coming? Is he already here?”

  “Who told you that—?” Cutting herself off, she snorts. “Nara.” Shrugging, she continues, “She doesn’t know everything. Sometimes I like to check up on my Corvus. To see how they’re doing and direct them to do their job as best they can.”

  “By teaching us to inadvertently create more demons?”