Cursed by Fate

by Renee Shearer

  Mate.

  His head snapped up and his gaze was glued to the elevator when the doors opened her saw her. Ariana had her hair pulled up into a messy bun and wore her usual work attire of black skinny jeans with a black V-neck t-shirt. He straightened up; the movement must have alerted her as her head snapped up and her hand went to the knife on her belt. She stopped dead in her tracks and scowled at him and the others.

  “Damn it all to hell, didn’t I say not to call me I would call you? Or some shit like that?”

  “No, you didn’t. We need to talk.”

  “Oh, really? You think?” she said sarcastically while shaking her head. “Yeah, maybe, but not at fucking one o’clock in the morning Aiden. I’m tired and pissed off and want to be with my girls. Now go away.” Her phone chose that moment to go off. Aiden was observing her intently, so he saw when she stiffened at the sound and the reservations she had when she plucked her phone out of her back pocket. Her eyes were pinched at the corners with stress lines that hadn’t been there a few weeks ago. Come to think of it, looking closer, she seemed to have aged at least five years since then.

  He shared a look with Mateo and Roman; something was wrong with their little Eye. He knew they could see it as well as sense it, even if they hadn’t spent as much time with her. Mateo scowled just as Ariana’s face paled and she gave a strangled gasp. She rushed the rest of the way to her door, nearly knocking Mateo on his ass. Her hands were shaking so badly she couldn’t get her key in the lock.

  What the hell had been on that phone? He had a feeling the shitbag who had sent the first photo had just sent her another one—maybe he had continued doing so ever since the first. Aiden needed clarification before he jumped to conclusions though.

  “Ariana? What’s wrong? What was on the phone? Has that person still been sending you shit?” He rapidly fired off questions at her that made her growl low in her throat.

  Okay… time to take action.

  Ariana dropped the keys and Aiden snatched them before they hit the ground. He quickly shoved the key into the lock and twisted, successfully unlocking the door. She shot him a grateful look and pushed her way inside, completely forgetting the keys in the lock. Roman grabbed them and stalked inside after her.

  If Roman weren’t like a brother to him, and he didn’t know him so well, just the way he walked would be enough to send shivers down his spine. He walked like he was constantly stalking prey. Roman prowled. As Aiden followed Roman into Ariana’s house with Mateo following him, he glanced around. Quickly assessing that everything was in place, he opened up to his wolf. Scenting the air, he could tell there was no one else in the house except for the girls and another female he assumed to be the babysitter.

  They found the babysitter sleeping on the couch at an awkward angle. To her credit, when the door slammed closed she jumped up and looked ready to fight. Miraculously, a short sword had appeared in her hand. It was curved slightly, had three holes in the handle that could be used for brass knuckles, and a sharp looking talon protruding at the bottom of the knuckle holes. The hilt was wrapped in black and red leather. It was a thing of beauty.

  She was a short little thing with wavy honey brown hair, layered so that it framed her diamond shaped face. Her almond shaped eyes were such a deep, dark green they almost looked black, but they went well with her tanned skin and cupid’s bow lips. Topping out at a mere 5’4, he towered over her. She had to be around their age of twenty-five, but there was no denying that she was a skilled fighter, her eyes cold and flat as she zeroed in on him and the guys. She quickly lunged while snarling at them. What the hell? Where did this chick come from? He quickly side stepped and held out his hands.

  “Whoa, we’re here with Ariana. We’re friends.”

  “Then where the fuck is she? I won’t let you harm the girls!” The small sprite of a woman spoke while still balancing on her toes, ready to lunge and fight to the death if needed.

  His gaze flicked to the hallway where he knew Ariana headed down—probably to check on her girls. Something had shaken her; she was spooked like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. The woman didn’t even blink or twitch in the direction his gaze had wandered. Oh, she was good. He breathed a sigh of relief when Ariana trudged back out into the living room looking relieved but exhausted.

  Stopping short, her eyes nearly bugged out when she spotted her babysitter in a perfect fighter’s form with a small wicked looking sword in her hand. “Holy shit, Jessica!” She rushed over and, instead of berating her for having a weapon, she took it and was lovingly running her hands over it. “Is this a new one?! I love it! Who made it? It’s exquisite work!”

  Huh? What fucking hell was going on here?

  “Master Yoshi finished it last week. This is the first time I’ve brought it over.”

  “Think he’d make me one?”

  Jessica shrugged. “Probably. I’ll give him a call.”

  “Sweetness!”

  Seriously, what the fuck was happening? Aiden shared another perplexed and loaded look wish the guys.

  Eleven

  Ariana

  As Ariana turned around, she saw Aiden looking handsome as ever in a three-piece suit. That man really did look like a GQ cover model for Hottest CEO of the Year. She knew he was probably vexed with her, and if she had been paying better attention, she would have remembered to check to see where the hell he was before going home. But with everything that had happened at the club and running through different scenarios on what she was going to do next, she had completely spaced. Now, here he was standing in her living room glancing between Jess and her.

  Awesome. She snorted.

  Aiden gave her a heated glance as if he knew what she was thinking. Shaking her head, she turned around fully to see the other two fine specimens currently standing in her living room—Mateo and Roman. She promptly forgot everything, even how to breathe. She had seen the guys speaking to them when she had snuck a peek at the guys. She had to say… Damn. They looked better in person!

  Mateo was 6’6 of Asian, chiseled goodness. He had a lean and toned swimmer’s body, and a yummy looking tattoo peeking out from underneath his tight shirt. Desire to lick that tattoo ran through her, an image of her tracing it with her tongue flashed quickly in her mind. And that hair, it was so black it seemed to swallow the light. His facial features were pure perfection—slanted eyes of moss green, a straight nose that tilted ever so slightly at the end, and plump kissable lips. Lips I totally want to nibble on, she thought as she bit her own and saw his eyes darken. She slid her gaze down the rest of his body like a loving caress. He sported tight leather pants she was sure showed an incredible ass, a white T-shirt, and a leather jacket. She bit her lip again, a little too hard this time, and licked it slowly to soothe it. As she looked into his eyes once more, she saw they had taken on an almost feral hunger. Good, he wasn’t immune. Yep, she totally just added some new material to her naughty bank. When Mateo chuckled, she narrowed her eyes at him… could he read her mind? What had the guys said? He was Fae. What did their abilities amount to? She checked her mental walls, just in case, and sure enough they were as solid as ever.

  Movement to the left of Mateo caught her eye. She suddenly found herself sinking into the most intense and beautiful pair of hunter green eyes she had ever seen. Giving herself a mental Gibbs slap to the back of the head, she moved onto checking out the rest of him. Man oh man, was it something. His hair was a darker shade of red than her own; his was more of a deep merlot color with hints of garnet thrown into his wildly curly shoulder length hair. Hair that she really, really wanted to touch. To run her fingers through the silky looking magnificence. His face was just as spectacular, even with the beard covering the lower half of. She normally wasn’t a beard girl, but hot damn it looked good on him. Roman kept it neat and trimmed so it accentuated his high cheekbones. She admired his lightly tanned skin, unlike her own paleness as she had a hard time tanning without burning, such was the curse for most redheads. And his l
ips! They were works of art, full and yet pouty, slightly pink, and looked so soft, like she could just sink into them! As she gazed at him in total wonder, they were quirked up at one corner, giving him a sexy badass look.

  She continued her ogling, sweeping her gaze down his body, and what a body it was! So muscular she was sure she wouldn’t be able to fit her hands around his biceps. His black leather trench coat hugged his upper arms like a lover, and she was jealous. A black vest showed off some of his chest in the V; it was smooth with not a hair in sight. Leather pants, also black, caressed his tight thighs and showed off what she was sure was an impressive package. Gulping, she started to rethink her no touching policy. With all of the guys looking like they made a deal with the devil to be sexy as fuck, it wouldn’t be too hard to try.

  Maybe. Possibly.

  Aiden cleared his throat loudly, snapping her out of her appraisal and fantasy moment. Turning her head slowly, she didn’t want to stop gazing at them, who would? Her gaze settled on the handsome southerner as he looked at her in frustration. Well too bad. She was frustrated as hell! And scared to boot, which did not make for a happy Ariana.

  Raising an eyebrow and showing her frustration, she snapped tiredly, “Well, what the hell are you doing here, Aiden?” She held up her hand so he wouldn’t speak, knowing it was bound to piss him off. She turned to Jess and handed her money. “Thanks again Jess, and I’m sorry, but I won’t be needing you anymore.”

  Not even bothering to look at the money or reach for it, Jess asked with a concerned expression, “Why? Did you get fired?”

  Smirking, Ariana shook her head and put the money back in her pocket. She’d find a way to slip it to her later. “Naw, he was a vampire and wanted me to join his legion of undead.”

  Laughing as Jess was well used to her quoting lines from Disney movies, she retorted, “I knew it!” The smile slid off her face in the next instant. “But seriously, what happened, Ari?”

  Ariana sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’s just been a rough couple of weeks, and I finally snapped when some moronic buffoon asked how much for me.” She shrugged. “I mean, seriously? How stupid could he get? Let me paint a picture. He was the kind of guy they use to make the blueprint for idiots.”

  Aiden spoke up. “What did you do?”

  Putting her hand over her heart, she looked at him incredulously. “Mwah? Do anything? What makes you think I did something?”

  He just stared at her, not saying a word. “Fine.” She huffed and threw her hands into the air. “So, I may have thrown him across the bar then insulted his intelligence, which was way too easy by the way. And well, wiped the floor with his ass.”

  Raising a perfect eyebrow Aiden shook his head. “Did you leave him breathing?”

  Mateo laughed, causing Ariana to glare at him and Aiden. Roman still had that smirk on his face. “Of course! I only knocked him out with a very flawless roundhouse kick. That, by the way, would have made Chuck proud!”

  “Chuck?” Roman asked looking confused.

  Ariana gasped. Who the hell doesn’t know who Chuck Norris is?

  “Have you been living under a rock? Chuck Norris…” She gaped at him.

  Roman held the expression on his face for about ten seconds before laughing. “Aye, I know who he is. I was just teasin’ ya lass.” Oh lord that accent! As her panties dampened and her body heated up, she was very seriously contemplating her no touch rule again. She just wanted to hear him whisper dirty secrets in her ears.

  Cue swoon.

  “So now that we got that out of the way.” Aiden gave her a stern glance. Crap, she did not want to deal with this right now. “What had you in such a panic Ariana?”

  “Panic? You were in a panic? Ari what happened?” Jess asked, coming forward.

  “It’s nothing I can’t handle, okay?” she said, exasperated. Who the hell did he think he was? Storming into her life and acting like he cared. He didn’t even know her or her girls. She could handle this stalker person.

  She hoped. Still she wasn’t about to let the possibility of dying make her run into the arms of any man hoping they would fight her battles for her. Especially when they had just met. Mates be damned. Ariana had been on her own too long to allow anyone to come into her life and try to dictate anything to her. She was all for compromise, but if they wanted a Stepford Wife… they had the wrong mate.

  But this guy did have her freaked out. Her PTSD might make her freeze at times, but when push came to shove her training always kicked in. This stalker was something different. Always in the shadows, never showing his, or hell, her face. Ariana never knew when the other shoe was going to drop. What new way he had found to invade her space. He got her new numbers almost the day after she had them changed, and now the recent picture he sent was of the girls playing Sorry with Jess at the table. It had to have been taken on the balcony. How did he get so close? That’s what was so terrifying for her. This was a behind the scenes assault on her privacy. Even in her own home. She took the fourth floor apartment for a reason, to feel safe. She didn’t feel safe anymore, and that pissed her the hell off. Maybe the guys were right… she couldn’t do this on her own. Ariana felt useless. All of her training was for nothing until they showed their face. Maybe she should ask the guys for help; they seemed to want to help her.

  No, it was time to run again. Maybe go back to Montana, and stay at her aunt’s ranch? The guy who had assaulted her before was dead, so that should be safe. Right?

  “Ariana, what was on your phone?” It wasn’t really a question, more of a demand, a command to answer like she was some sort of officer.

  “I said it was nothing! Now back the fuck off before I lay you flat, Aiden!” Ariana gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She was at the end of her rope with his overbearing ways.

  “You can lay me flat anytime you want, doll face.” Mateo spoke up for the first time. “To answer your question, Capt, it was from her stalker and it was a photo of Jess and the girls playing Sorry.” Ariana’s mouth opened in shock. “She’s thinking of running again...”

  Ariana cut him off, “What the hell do you think you are doing? How the hell did you know that?”

  “Like you, I can read minds and teleport. You have Fae abilities. Granted, you are very good for being self-taught, but not as good as a full-blown Fae. Your shield has holes.”

  Well damn! A knock came at the door making her jump and spin towards it. It was way too late for anyone to be knocking on her door.

  “Were friends of yours coming?” she asked Aiden who shook his head.

  Fuck. Now what?

  Mateo

  The guys had been right. Ariana was very powerful and had no idea what she was doing with her powers. She was certainly gorgeous. She had the flawless beauty of the Fae, shifter strength, and the Mage’s power. It was a heady combination, and one he felt drawn to.

  Seeing the fear in her eyes, even though she tried to hide it, made his gut churn. He tuned into the person who was on the other side of the door. All he caught was, We’ll be together again soon my pet, and this time you won’t escape. I hope you enjoy your present, as Mateo felt the person retreating.

  “Wait!” he yelled, flashing in front of her to stop her from opening the door. He was careful not to touch her as she ground to a halt and looked at him in awe.

  “Why did you do that?”

  “I heard their thoughts as the person left. It was a male, possessive and angry. He said to enjoy the present.”

  Roman grumbled and stomped to the door. “I’ve got this.”

  Ariana moved to block Roman—damn she was fast! Even at her height she had to crane her neck a bit to look at Roman, he really was a beast. Mateo watched as she planted her feet, her hands shooting to her hips, as she glared at him.

  “This is my home. Who the hell do you think you are? I answer my door no matter what it is! I can take care of myself dammit!”

  Oh, she was pissed alright, but underneath all that bravado
she was scared. Mateo rocked on his heels as he felt her power flare.

  Ariana packed some serious punch, that was for sure. Roman however, showed no signs that he felt her flare of power, even though Mateo knew he had to of felt it. As he watched Ariana get angrier, her skin flushed a pretty shade of pink, which was much better than her earlier pale, almost waxy looking color. Roman just crossed his arms over his chest and growled at her, “Fine, be my guest. Risk your fool neck for something that someone expendable can do.”

  “What the hell do you mean expendable? No one is expendable in my opinion. Besides, I have a few tricks up my sleeves I’m sure even you guys haven’t seen before.” Ariana saucily winked at Roman. Turning around, she crouched near the bottom of her door and ran her hand along the seam.

  Shocked, he felt himself go stone still when her power flared once again, only this time brighter and hotter than before. Her hands started to glow with flame, much like Easton’s. Except whereas East’s was more of a blue hue, her’s took on a more iridescent look. What shocked Mateo the most was the fact that she had lightning mixed in with that shimmering blue.

  He had never seen nor heard of anything like it. How was this possible? Glancing at Roman, Mateo snorted a laugh. He had no idea eyes could bug so far out of their sockets without actually popping out. Aiden made a strangling sound in his throat as he looked on. Aiden seemed perplexed, in shock and awe and angry all at the same time. Seemed the Capt. was just as spell bound and shocked as the rest of them. Mateo had assumed the good Capt. had no feelings on the matter of Ariana, he was always so calm and controlled. But looking at him now Mateo realized how wrong he was. Aiden did not look calm nor controlled at the moment. Mateo once again shifted his gaze back to Ariana and saw her start to sway. She’s running on fumes, he thought just as a feminine voice startled him by his side.

  “She’s running on empty,” Jess said quietly. “I’ve been trying to find this son of a bitch myself for a month now. I keep coming up with nothing, and Ariana hasn’t been sleeping well. I know you guys are all important to her future somehow, so you need to do something about this now! Before one of these precious little girls gets hurt. I’m afraid Ari wouldn’t survive it.”