Taunting Destiny (4 page)

Nightshade
was full tonight. Humans and Vampires mingled together while Vlad once again, tended his own bar. I smiled and walked over to him. “Full crowd tonight,” I shouted over the music as I took the only free seat at the bar.

Vlad smiled
, showing off his wicked set of fangs. “The band is playing, and there’s a lot of press in here tonight. I didn’t figure I'd be seeing you for a while, Syn. What gives?” Vlad said as his silver eyes took in the leather I wore.  “Hunting? Because I hope you didn’t come in here, thinking you could take me out.” He clasped his hands over his heart and rolled his eyes in mock fear.

“
I'm not hunting you, Vlad. I'm wondering if you have seen a new vamp, someone who doesn't care if he drains the blood bank.”

“
We don't allow anyone to be drained inside my club.
Ever.
Anyone who disobeys the rules inside this club forfeits his life, or
hers
,” Vlad replied testily. Great, I’d managed to offend him. Like my day wasn’t bad enough, now I’d pissed off Dracula!

I smiled at his play on words.
“And what would be the rules?” I asked, narrowing my eyes as he rolled his.

“
Don't hunt inside my club, Syn. You won't like the results. This place is a neutral zone; we don’t allow our own to get harmed. Nor do we allow those who come inside to get hurt. If they are dumb enough to leave the premises…” he let his words trail off with the implication hanging in the air.

“
So, let's say someone is here, and they’re draining humans…what happens then?”

“
The Horde takes care of it.”

“
Without its King?” I replied lifting a blonde eyebrow in surprise.

He smiled and leaned over the counter with hi
s elbows resting on it casually. “Look, Syn, I respect you. You get knocked on your ass, and you get up swinging. You have every reason to hate me for what I did to Adrian, and hell, maybe you have every right to mark me as a target, yet you didn’t. You're smart, so do the math. No one is leaving here tonight in a body bag, and no one from the Guild is being allowed through the doors, so if that was the plan…I already sent your back-up packing.”

“
Speaking of Adrian, why him? Why did you turn him, and not me?”

“
He was the easier target in the coven.”

“
That's a fucking lie. Larissa was the easiest target. Try again.”

His face shut down and he stood back up
, narrowing his eyes. “Adrian was more accessible.”

“
No, he wasn’t. We were all at different locations inside that parking garage.  I was the easiest to get to, second only to Larissa, who was in the van alone. Someone sent you to take him and only him. I want to know why.”

His eyes swirled
, and he shook his head. “Like I said, you're smart. Leave this one alone, Syn. It isn't something you could come back from anytime soon. This wasn’t his choice
exactly
, but the kid’s got heart. He’s doing the best he can right now, and he needs to know you are okay with it. Your opinion means more than it should to him.”

“
What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I asked, feeling anger rise within me.  He was telling me that Adrian had been handpicked to be turned, but to leave it alone. Was he serious? I was about to argue when a guitar started from the stage. I turned, finding Adrian staring right at me as the band played a few notes doing a quick sound check.

I met his turquoise eyes and smiled until he returned it
, showing off his fangs. He'd been my first love, and Vlad had turned him Vamp, because he'd said I'd gotten too close to him. As a warning, he'd taken Adrian, which I hadn't understood.  Still didn't understand.  Vlad had a secret, and I needed to know who had ordered Adrian to be turned. Adrian set the guitar down on a stand and approached the main microphone on the stage.

He smiled
, even though I was no longer smiling. “This first song goes out to my girl, my first and only girl.”

The band began playing
Buckcherry's
Sorry
, and it took everything inside of me to hold the tears back. I stood before I knew what I was doing, and walked towards the stage.  He looked good, even if he was undead. His dark hair was pulled back and hidden in a ponytail. His skin was a little lighter, and he lacked a pulse, but he was still Adrian.  He was still the first boy I'd ever loved.

I sang
silently along with the lyrics, his lips moving with a cocky grin as he sang. I stopped at the edge of the stage and watched as he moved to stand directly in front of me.  I hadn't expected him to stop in front of me, but he did. The microphone still in his hand and held up to his mouth, so that it didn’t disturb the song he was still singing. His hand reached out and grabbed mine.  I closed my eyes so he wouldn't see the flinch that came with his icy touch.  I tried to pull away, but he held me in place as the song slowed and then stopped.

He leaned his face close to mine as if he would kiss me, but instead he kissed my cheek and pulled me against him.
“Mark’s in the back with a willing victim, and I'm your back-up baby.”

I pulled away and smiled at him, but it left my face with the implication his words held.
“Adrian, no—” His mouth crushed against mine, cutting off my words. His lips weren't as cold as the rest of him, and I felt his fangs graze my lips, before his tongue pushed into my mouth.

His kiss was gentle
, and yet I could feel his urgency…and it was more than just to shut me up. There was fire inside of it. I melted against him, uncaring who was watching, even as the entire club erupted with cheers that he'd gotten the girl. When he pulled away, his eyes narrowed. “You let him mark you?” There was hurt in his tone, and regret.

Unfortunat
ely, I had no idea what the brand on my hip did, but I had a feeling it was to repel all other men and deter them from being interested in me. It sounded like something Ryder would do, since he tended to mark ownership on the things he wanted. It’s what I was to him, just a pretty thing to own. Adrian sensing the brand confirmed it, and made me want to spit nails at Ryder.

“
I didn’t let him do anything,” I replied crisply, knowing exactly who he was referring to.

“
Do you have any idea of what that means, Syn?” He countered, ignoring me.

“
I don’t care, and as soon as I finish Transition I won't be seeing him again!”

He shook his head
as his eyes flashed from turquoise to red. “Good fucking luck with that. You can't just undo a brand like that. He owns you right now, and it’s dangerous to play games with Ryder.”

“
What does that mean?” I asked, unsure I had heard him right.

“
He’s fucking marked you, Syn, and it wasn’t just because he wanted to be able to find you. That mark means no other fucking Fae can touch you. No one can, but Ryder. He made you his own little fuck toy by placing that on you.”

“
That's bullshit, Adrian. I'm not anyone's toy.”

He laughed
, the sound was chilling, and so unlike him.  His eyes turned turquoise again, but his posture was stiff. “You better get going. Your owner just walked in with his crew.”

I turned
, looking through the crowded club. Everyone was watching us. “I need to go,” I whispered, pushing away from him.

“
Syn, listen to me carefully. After Transition is done, or hell, even before it is, choose me. I promise to keep you safe. You know I’d walk through hell for you, girl.”

“
Adrian,” I warned as I was surrounded by Ryder and his men.

“
She chooses you, and she won't live through Transition, and neither would you, boy.” Ryder growled in warning.

“
Is it true? Is this thing you put on me more than just some fucking property tag?” He narrowed his eyes and said nothing. “You fucker! You
tramp
stamped my ass!”

“
It
isn't
on your ass, Syn,” Ryder growled as he pulled me against himself, even as I fought to stand my ground.

“
Get away from me. I've lost everything! Everything, Ryder. I'm barely fucking standing on my feet and you just keep taking from me. I signed the fucking contract. You have me through Transition! Why the fuck would you mark me as your whore?” I was losing it.

He crushed me
closer to his body and snarled in my ear. “If you ever call yourself a whore again I will put you over my fucking knee and spank your tight, fucking ass until you can't sit down again.”

“
Let me go. Now!” He released me, and I felt it. My body sizzling with magic, as anger poured through me and lit up the brands on my skin. I'd thought that I would never see them again. I inhaled and exhaled, wild magic was coursing through me and I didn't have Adam with me this time to stop it. Shit! “I have to go,” I whispered, pushing away from him and through the club in a hurry to get to the cool night air, before I went nuclear.

I could feel it building inside of me, pulsing through my veins.
The crowd of people split, and moved out of the way, opening a path as I ran through the club, oblivious if anyone was trailing me—or stupid enough to. I didn't have anyone to help take the power, or neutralize it. I could feel it growing unstable, a wild tangible thing that wafted
from
me.

I rushed out the doors as both huge boun
cers parted to allow me outside. The cool air did nothing to quench the power raging inside of me. I felt my heart rate increasing and my throat closing. I was dying, being consumed with power overload, which was almost hysterical, since I didn't have any power ten minutes ago…and I'd wanted it. Ryder started toward me, and then pulled back in frustration, as if remembering something.

“
Fuck, Z. Go get Adam,
now
!” Ryder growled.

“
Let me through! Now,” Adrian shouted, trying to be heard over Ryder.

“
Adam's um…Ryder—” Zahruk stopped as Ryder growled an inhuman sound that made everyone stop and take a step back away from him.

“
Ryder, let Adrian through. He's connected to her too. He might be able to stop it.” Vlad said as the voice of reason.

Adrian was
suddenly there, pulling me against him as he took me to the ground. I wasn't drawing in air. I shook my head as panic started to kick in. “Breathe. Come on, Fancy Face, let me in.”

I felt his magic touching mine. His
was as cold as he was. The powers inside of him were deadly, and untapped, as if he hadn't been able to use them without the help of the coven. I watched his eyes light up as they held my own; beautiful turquoise so striking that I allowed myself to get swallowed inside their endless depths. I could feel him connecting to Adam and completing the link that the Coven had.

“
That's it, Syn, give me more,” Adrian crooned as something growled from behind us. Adrian ignored it, but something inside of my body acknowledged the growl and heat flared up inside of me. I pulled Adrian closer, feeding him more power, until I could sense the others around us.

Something inside of me wanted out, violently. My body was teetering
on the edge of something, my core drenched with need from whatever was inside, trying to get out. I shook with the force of it. It was overwhelming and primal, and out of my control.

“
Oh, fucking hell,” Zahruk growled.

I heard a scuffle of feet moving and something struggling
, but I ignored it as I cupped Adrian's face and kissed him. I didn’t know why I did it. Only that I did, and that we both were glowing, raw current flowing through us, around us. He moaned against me and ran his hands through my hair as he deepened the kiss.

And then he was gone
, and Vlad was shouting curses violently.

I looked around
, stunned. What the hell had just happened? I looked up at the faces of Ryder's men. They looked unsure and worried. Ryder and Adrian were both missing. “No,” I shook my head. This wasn’t happening. “Get him back here, now! Zahruk, bring them back, now!” I was screaming, coming off the ground quickly as my hair flew around my face with the current running through me as the glow left my body, along with the rush of power.

“
Sorry, Synthia, this isn’t our quarrel. Ryder will bring the boy back in one piece—I think,” Zahruk said carefully.

“
No! This isn't happening. I don’t know what the fuck just happened, but I need him. I need him alive, dammit. I can't lose anyone else.” My voice cracked with unshed tears. I couldn’t handle it if Ryder killed Adrian because of something I couldn’t control.

“
Go home, Synthia, and tell the Guild I took out the problem. Tell Alden if he ever tries to turn another of my
creations
against me, it will be war,” Vlad snapped, before he went back inside the club, leaving me alone with Ryder's men.