Marked by Destiny

by Lisa Cardiff

  “Despite whatever you think you walked in on this morning, I don’t think Kalen is trying to manipulate me for his own benefit,” Avery interrupted.

  “Perhaps.”

  “No. I know he wasn’t.”

  When Cian didn’t respond, she decided to elaborate. “I can read some of his thoughts.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just something I’ve always been able to do, and I haven’t discovered anything to make me believe he’s not being open and honest with me.”

  Cian smiled. “Yes, it makes sense that you know how to read people to some extent, but he knows how to block you from reading all of his thoughts. He can show you what he wants you to see and block the rest, right Kalen? Did you share that with her?”

  “No, we didn’t discuss it in detail,” Kalen said, his eyes cool.

  Avery looked at Kalen and tried to search his mind. She felt him mentally push her back, but he couldn’t fully keep her out. She held onto the connection and kept pushing.

  Kalen ran his hand through his hair then shoved both of his hands into the pockets of his pants.

  Get out of my head, Avery. His voice whispered through her mind.

  “I’m judging from the look on your face that you sense the wall he’s built. Kalen would never let you in fully. I don’t think you’d still be here if he did. No, I seriously doubt he’s been completely honest with you.”

  “This is ridiculous, Cian. She’s agreed to crossover. We don’t need to do this. We don’t need the added drama.”

  Studying his fingernails, Cian appeared to consider Kalen’s request. “Sorry Kalen, I’m done with deceptions.”

  Avery stood at the entrance to the living room, her bare feet rooted to the hardwood floor. She knew she wasn’t going to like whatever her father had to say. Part of her wanted to run and hide, but she was unable to move as though her life depended on the next few minutes.

  “Like I said earlier, part of the reason I came here was to investigate the Queen’s claims that Kalen had been compromised. As alarming as that allegation may have been to some of the members of Court, I wasn’t convinced. Even after what I walked into, I still don’t believe it.” Cian turned to look at Kalen. “That really isn’t your style.”

  “If you say so,” Kalen responded.

  “I was, however, alarmed by the Queen’s verbal slip that she advised you to seduce Avery if you thought it might help you convince her to crossover. Being familiar with some of the things you’ve done in the past, I knew you wouldn’t hesitate to gain the upper hand, whether emotionally or physically, by using any means available to you.”

  “And your point is?” Kalen responded, mockingly raising one well-defined eyebrow.

  “I’m well aware of what I walked into this morning. I won’t let you hurt my daughter. She not some disposable plaything.”

  “Sure, Cian, whatever you say.” Kalen stood up. “I think I’ll let you two get on with your father, daughter reunion without me.”

  Kalen moved to leave the room, but as he passed by Avery, she stepped in his way. Reaching out, she pressed one of her hands on his chest, signaling him to stop. Her hands shook, so she took a deep breath and prayed they would stop. Feeling his heartbeat steady and slow, she perceived the first stirrings of outrage at her father’s allegations.

  Kalen looked at her, his eyes composed and calculating. “Would you mind moving out of my way or do you have something you want to say to me?” he asked, his voice vacant of any emotion.

  “Is what he said true?”

  “What part?”

  “You know which part.” She wanted to slap him, but she felt her anger descending into despair. She didn’t think she had the energy to fight him mentally or physically. She just wanted him to answer her, to be honest with her. She was tired of lies and partial truths.

  “Sure, she mentioned using the tactic as a means to ensure your compliance.” He let his answer hang in the air, purposefully vague, not quite answering the heart of the question.

  Avery’s eyes filled with tears, and she felt that mental barrier he worked so hard to breach snap shut. “How could you do that to me?”

  “It wasn’t personal. You didn’t say no, so no harm was done,” he responded, avoiding her eyes.

  Thousands of thoughts collided in her head, but her mind faltered trying to figure out how to respond to such a cynical comment. His harsh tone revealed an entirely different man from the one Avery thought she had come to know. She released a hollow laugh. “Not personal? Are you kidding me? I would call what we did very personal.”

  Kalen never promised her anything, and he never discussed what would happen between them after he delivered her to her father. Now she knew why. She said she could read him and she could, but she ignored her instincts when she convinced herself his impenetrable core didn’t matter. The distance she sensed in him was all too real. It had been all about the mission from the beginning. He had seduced her to keep her close and to insure her compliance. How ironic that when she had finally felt secure enough to open up to someone, that person was using her as a means to an end.

  “It passed the time rather effectively. Don’t you think?”

  She sucked in a sharp breath, searching his impassive face for any sign of the person she thought she knew. “Yes, I guess it did.” She noticed the strain in her voice and paused to regain control over her emotions. “You carried your plan a little far when you offered to take me where no one could find us, but I suppose you needed me to trust you, so giving me a false alternative was just part of your seduction. You could have just told me the truth in the hotel room instead playing games. We both could have avoided the unpleasantness of you sacrificing your body in the name of your mission. I personally could’ve done without all the added drama.” Her words were stony and vindictive as she dug her nails into the palms of her hands to stop herself from crying. She refused to cry in front of Kalen and her father. Her mother never wanted her and neither did Kalen. The only reason people wanted her was because she could harness the power of the Four Treasure so in truth nobody wanted her at all. They only cared about what she could do.

  “Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind in the future,” he drawled, shoving his hands in his pockets.

  He started to leave the room, and she didn’t have the energy to stop him this time. She couldn’t even look at him, much less touch him.

  When Kalen left, Cian got up from the chair in the corner of the room and grabbed Avery’s hands, studying her with an anxious expression. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “I’m fine,” she said stoically.

  “You shouldn’t feel naïve falling for Kalen.” She flinched, but he continued talking. “He’s very good at what he does. That’s one of the reasons the Queen assigned him to this mission. If I knew this would happen, I would have defied her and found you myself.”

  “You should have come for me a long time ago. I’m your daughter, so waiting twenty years to find me and then sending some mercenary in your stead is hardly a reassuring way to rekindle our relationship.”

  Cian squeezed her hand. “Let me explain.”

  “No. I don’t need or want explanations. It’s done. I don’t want to discuss it with you. Maybe someday but not today.”

  Cian dropped her hands so they hung limply at her sides. “We don’t have to talk about Kalen now, but I do need to know what you intend to do.”

  “I told Kalen I would cross over and I will.” She stopped, letting out a laugh entirely lacking in amusement. “Kalen was kind enough to explain what would happen to me if I didn’t go with him. The alternatives aren’t very appealing. Neither is going with you, but the course has been set, and since my life has already been crushed into pieces, I don’t see any point in delaying the inevitable unless I do have some alternatives Kalen didn’t bother to mention.”

  “No, he told you the truth. You don’t have many options, but you shouldn’t look at going with us as a sacrifice. It’
s your destiny, what you were born for, and you’ll only be happy if you embrace it.”

  “Happiness from a forced destiny—it sounds more like a prison.” She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. She wished he cared about her more than he cared about the Four Treasures. “No, father, I am not happy to learn I am the result of some genetic experiment.”

  “Don’t think of it like that. You will be happy. I promise.”

  “And if I’m not, will you let me go?

  Cian didn’t answer. Instead he tugged on the cuffs of his shirt.

  “I didn’t think so. Can I go back to the room now? I need some time alone.” She looked away, refusing to make eye contact. She had to get away from him; if he said one more word to her about Kalen or her destiny, she’d scream.

  Cian hesitated for a moment and she thought he would argue with her, but in the end, he just nodded, and she went back to the bedroom.

  Cian found Kalen in the kitchen staring out the front window. The silence in the room was thick with anger. Before Cian could say anything, Kalen said through clenched teeth, “I don’t want to discuss what happened between Avery and me.”

  “Fine. It can wait until later.” Cian’s mouth compressed into a thin line.

  “Is she still planning to crossover?”

  “Yes. I think the discovery of your betrayal completely demoralized her. She’ll go without a fight.”

  “It looks as though you have everything under control, so I’m going to leave now. It will probably be more palatable for her if I’m not around when you cross.”

  “You’re right. I think we’ll be fine. When the window to the Faerie Realm opens, I’ll sift with her to the crossover point.”

  Kalen walked to the front door and opened it. Without turning, he said, “I don’t think you should make a report to the Queen or Aerin. I’m not sure what is going on, but I have a feeling someone is leaking information to the Foundation.”

  “Too late, I already reported that I located both of you.”

  “Of course you did. Well, good luck with that.”

  Before Kalen shut the door, Cian said, “Just one more question. Why did you tell her you would take her someplace where no one could find her?”

  Freezing with his hand on the doorknob, the sudden tension in Kalen’s shoulders was evident. He looked down and saw his hand shaking around the doorknob. Clutching it tighter to stop the shaking, his knuckles visibly whitened. “Does it matter?”

  “I suspect it matters very much to Avery.”

  “Not anymore, it doesn’t. You made sure of that,” Kalen said softly, closing the door behind him.

  Chapter 15

  Thomas Flannigan pressed the end button on his cell phone. He was more than pleased with the progression of this day. He eliminated Catherine, and now he had Avery within his sights. He loved the feeling of his plans coming together, the power of success gathering and churning around him, finally within his reach. After decades of meticulous planning, the Treasures would be his. He was amazed people couldn’t see the forces of power swirling around him, just waiting to be claimed by him, the rightful owner. Fate had favored him when he found Avery, and it continued to favor him now.

  He had the exact address of her current location and he knew, based on information from his source, Avery only had one or two Faerie protectors. He could dispense with them using a well-trained team of Foundation agents.

  It was fortuitous that his impulsive decision to follow Dierdre into a pub one evening led to this day. An implausible tip to the Foundation pointed him, a lowly Foundation agent, in Dierdre’s direction. He actually laughed when a Board Member instructed him to follow up on the anonymous tip and contemplated ignoring it entirely.

  The anonymous informer alleged that the Tuatha Dé had selected Dierdre to be the mother of the offspring of a Faerie Prince. He knew as well as any other member of the Foundation the Tuatha Dé strictly prohibited any interbreeding with humans after the Foundation’s systematic destruction the half-breeds during the witch trials of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries. The Foundation’s stance on interbreeding was ultimately found to be shortsighted when the Foundation realized this offspring could have helped the Foundation once and for all destroy the Tuatha Dé and control the Treasures. Much to the Foundation’s dismay, the descendants of the offspring who escaped the viscous witch trials were unable to find the Treasures. However, they were effective in battling and killing the nearly immortal Faeries.

  Out of the desire to impress his superiors, he had followed Dierdre to Catherine’s house. When Dierdre carried a child into the house, his blood began to pump with the possibility that the tip may be credible. Leaving the child with Catherine, Dierdre fled, visibly distraught. After hours of driving in circles, Dierdre parked and went into a local pub. Seizing the moment, Thomas followed her in and, after several minutes of discreetly watching her, he joined her at her table.

  Several drinks and a few hours of flirtatious banter later, Thomas had all the information he needed to confirm the tip was accurate. Coddling Dierdre and coxing her into his bed to seal her trust was easier than he expected. Once she was there, it was easy to convince her to fake Avery’s death and leave Ireland without a trace. The rest is history.

  Thomas picked up his phone to execute the final part of his plan.

  Avery stripped off Kalen’s shirt, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it on the bed. She found more of her mother’s abandoned clothes in the closet and dressed. Pushing the lace curtains to the side, she saw a blue sky unmarred by a single cloud. She couldn’t tell what time it was, but Kalen had mentioned crossing over in the afternoon, so she and her father wouldn’t have much time to sit in awkward silence before leaving the house. She waited for relief to flood her senses, but astonishingly, she craved a relationship with her father especially now the Kalen was not who she had hoped. Just the thought of Kalen, no matter how fleeting, left emptiness in the pit of her stomach that both depressed and enraged her. Looking at the disheveled bed and his discarded shirt, she wanted to collapse on the bed, cradling his shirt and breathing in his scent. The weakness displayed by that thought was enough to make her gasp. She pushed her emotions into a mental box so deep, even she wasn’t sure she could find them again. She left the bedroom to deal with her father.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked. “There’s some food in the pantry. It’s not the best selection, but I’m sure you could find something acceptable.”

  “I’m fine, right now. When are we leaving?”

  “In a couple hours. I think we should wait here until the last minute, so there’s less of a chance of encountering anyone from the Foundation.”

  “Where’s Kalen? Is he coming with us?”

  “He left. He thought it would make you uncomfortable if he stayed here.”

  “How considerate,” Avery responded sarcastically. “Please be sure to pass along my gratitude the next time you see him.”

  Cian merely nodded in response, his attention focused elsewhere. Avery sat on the stiff, upright sofa, trying to feign indifference, but in reality she was having difficulty breathing. The soft clicking of the grandfather clock perched near the entrance to the kitchen steadily marked the passage of time and accentuated the uncomfortable silence looming in the room.

  Cian was busy studying his phone, which happened to be identical to the one she’d seen Kalen using. There was something about the idea of Faeries using modern technology that seemed counterintuitive. Maybe they weren’t Faeries anyway, and it was just some far-fetched story to tell her. She didn’t know anything anymore, and she didn’t think she cared either.

  “Let’s suppose I’m able to crossover into the so called Faerie Realm, what then?” Avery said.

  “We’ll probably have to hone your skills first so you can reverse the spell concealing the Treasures, but it won’t take long because you’re the Guardian.”

  “I’m the what?”

  “The Guardian of the Fo
ur Treasures.”

  “What does the Guardian do?”

  “The Guardian is the only person who can break the spell on the Four Treasures and weld their power, but most importantly, the Guardian must prevent the Treasures from being used for evil.”

  “What do the Fae want with the Treasures?”

  “From the day the Tuatha Dé realized they could not live in the same realm with the mortals, our goal has been to remain hidden while retaining the current balance of power between the Fae and mortal worlds. All we have ever wanted since the day we descended on this Isle thousands of years ago was to live in peace. As the Guardian, your job is to keep the peace between the realms.”

  “What about me? What about what I want?”

  Cian grabbed her wrist, pushed up her sleeve, and held her arm in front of her face, exposing her birthmark. “It’s immaterial. You were born to be the Guardian, marked by destiny. Your soul was claimed before you entered this world.”

  “So, my soul isn’t even my own?”

  “The mark of destiny isn’t a burden, it’s an honor. Your soul was claimed by destiny. You should be proud.”

  “Just like Dierdre should have been proud to the sacrificial lamb in this whole convoluted mess?”

  Cian sighed. “I’m sorry how everything unfolded with Dierdre and with you today. I cared deeply for Dierdre, and it makes me sick that my involvement with her brought the Foundation down on her. If I could do everything over, I would make so many different decisions, but that’s not possible. However, we are together now, and I want you to be in my life. I want to be a father to you, one you can be proud of. I love you, Avery. I have missed you every day of my life since you disappeared.”

  Avery avoided looking at Cian as she thought about his request. Her initial reaction was to push him away for abandoning her, but then she remembered his letter to Dierdre where he said he loved her, and he would fight to be a part of her life. Her decision made, she raised her eyes and said, “I’d like that too.”

  Thomas Flannigan was in a good mood as he approached the house where Avery was hiding. After years of carefully prepping Avery and a week of watching his plans fall apart as the Fae gained the upper hand in securing Avery, things were finally going his way. If his insider had accurate information, Avery was sitting in that house virtually unprotected; he was being handed the gift of his lifetime. He suspected his insider wanted this confrontation to cause a lot of chaos so the girl and her protectors were killed, but he wouldn’t let that happen. No, her protectors would certainly die, but not Avery. She was his prize.