Destiny Divided (10 page)

H
e roared, pulling the knife out of his hand with a sickening sound. “Yes, it hurts! What the hell was that?”

“
That’s
for the batting cage,” she told him, lighting her palms in case there was retribution.

His glar
e was cutting. “Do that again and you won’t like the consequence.”

A free pass?
She couldn’t hold back a smirk as he clutched his hand tenderly. But it took only minutes to heal.

“Are you dead?” she
asked once the fury left James’ eyes.

He laughed out
loud, a strange contrast to the growling only moments before. “No. I breathe, I bleed, I feel pain. I’m just…altered. My body composition is different from a human.”

Maybe there was a
biology class on vampires. Now
that
would be a science course she’d sign up for.

He arched a brow.
“Now, are we done with the twenty questions?”

“Not hardly.” She shifted on the uncomfortable cave f
loor. At least the fire kept her warm. “Who else knows?”

“Not many. And you can
’t say a word about this to any –”

“Who would I
tell, James?” God, she was pathetic – a juicy secret and not a soul to tell it to.
She could tell Erin, but she’d been vague with her sister about the past couple of weeks. It was uncomfortable to keep secrets from her, but she had to be sure this wouldn’t put Erin in any danger. The two of them had always fiercely protected each other.

“You’re right. Sorry. It’s just…” he took a deep breath, “the only people who know are
Maddox and Ruby. If anyone from Caerwyn ever found out, my life would be over.”

A
twinge of sympathy made her yearn to reach out and touch him. She refrained. Comfort and encouragement didn’t come naturally to her. But to hate such a big part of oneself…how sad. It didn’t make any difference to her that James was a vampire, as long as he kept his fangs to himself. But what about his family? Would they disown him if they found out?

She
decided to change the topic, for now. “What about werewolves? Tell me about them.”

“T
here are three forms of werewolf. In human form, they are larger, stronger, and faster than regular humans. But their most deadly form is called crinos. It’s a sort of half wolf, half human shape. They can walk on two legs or run on four. Their teeth get longer and sharper, their vision and hearing more defined. It’s…horrifying. But silver weakens them too.”

“And what’s the third form?”

“Lupus. Full wolf.”

“Full wolf? You mean like…an actual wolf? The animal?”

“Yes.”

She pondered that then asked, “And how do you turn into one? Biting?”

“No, werewolves aren’t like vampires. They’re born that way.”

“Y
ou sniffing the air at the bottom of the mountain, weren’t you? At least, that’s what it looked like.”

“Yes.
I could smell others. Not far away. Werewolves, mostly, but they’re just as dangerous.”

“Why are they here?”

He shrugged. “Could just be chance.”

Sage narrowed her eyes.
Liar. “But it’s not, is it?”

James stared into the fire for a
long moment. “It’s late,” he finally said. “You need to sleep.”

She sighed. “When am I ever going to get a straight answer from you?”

“When you start doing what I tell you.” He smiled then gestured to the equipment. “Get some rest. We’ll talk about it in the morning.”

Telling herself she was tired anyway, she obeyed.
After unrolling a sleeping bag, she kicked off her boots and climbed in.

James didn’t move
from his spot against the cave wall.

“Aren’t you going to sleep too?”

“In a little while. I don’t need as much as you,
human
.” He smiled.

She chuckled.
“That’s
sorceress
to you, vampire.”

When Sage opened her eyes, she expected to see the striped wallpaper from the spare bedroom at James’ house. Memories from the night before plunged into her consciousness with a dreamlike quality. But the chilly morning air was very real.

She pulled the sleeping bag to her chin and rubbed her cold feet together.
Still horizontal, she watched James scavenge through the backpacks. He took out a navy blue t-shirt and pulled the old one up over his head. She couldn’t tear her gaze from his sculpted back. Maybe being slung over his shoulder twice in one night put things in perspective because she’d never noticed how fit he was.

When he turned back around, he must have caught her gazing at him because he grinned
. Cocky bastard.

“G
ood morning,” he said. “Did you sleep all right?”

She
sat up and rubbed her arms, trying to warm up. “Of course not. I’m on a dirt floor in a cold, damp cave with no pillow.” Her neck cracked as she moved it side to side and she groaned. “Did you happen to pack coffee in your crazed frenzy last night?”

He nodded
and reached for a travel mug on the cave floor, already steaming with something liquid. After taking it from his hand, she sniffed it suspiciously. Smelled like coffee.
Good coffee too, not instant.
“How?”

“Ran to a coffee shop
before the sun came up.”

Impressive.
“You’re quite handy to have around.”

He chuckled. “Cream and a dozen sugars. That’s how you like it, right?”

“Very good. Keep this up and I’ll be putty in your hands.” Her lips curved into a flirty half-smile. Her good mood surprised her, especially considering the awful sleep that night.

“That easy? I’ll have to remember that.”
He winked.

James, flirting? Impossible
.

“But for now,
we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

She shook her head. “Uh-uh. Not until I get some answers.”

He sighed then took a seat on the dirty floor. “Stubborn girl. Let me make my elixir then we’ll talk.”

While he poured various liquids into a second travel mug, she took a moment to investigate
her surroundings. Everything looked so different in the light. The cave was smaller than she’d imagined, which suited her just fine. The bigger the cave, the bigger the animal living in it.

She almost laughed out loud. James was a vampire. What, in the animal population, could be more deadly than that?

Their makeshift campsite wasn’t situated at the top of the peaked mountain they had climbed – well, the mountain James had climbed with her draped over his back – but it was high enough to see a good distance around them. The opening of their secluded cave faced the sunrise. Below them, a valley of trees painted in reds and oranges mimicked the colors of the sunrise on the ground. The long, curvy road they’d traveled last night was visible in the distance, cutting through the natural contours of the land.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, sucking in a deep breath of fresh air. “But still, I hope we’re not staying long.”

“We’ll stay until I come up with another plan,” he said gruffly. “Or until we’re found. Whichever comes first.”

She had a fe
eling she wasn’t going to get the answers she wanted today. “I need to get changed.”

The
scrape on her knee had left dried blood on her jeans, making them stiff and uncomfortable. After placing her coffee on the ground, she rustled through her pack and pulled out her favorite pair of black yoga pants and a purple long-sleeve, fitted shirt.

James hadn’t moved from the spot across from her. She gave him a questioning glare
but he only leaned back on his hands with an assuming smile.

“Turn around,” she demanded.

His brows darted up. “I saved your life last night. Don’t I get anything in return?” Too easily he dodged the large rock she threw at his head. His throaty chuckle echoed in the cave. “All right, kitten. No need to get violent.”

He turned around and she quickly
changed clothes, keeping a watchful eye on him. On the trust scale, he still hadn’t moved past a two.

“Done,” she told him and he turned back around. “So who’s hunting us?”

“Not us. You. The Dark King is hunting you.”

She took a swig of her coffee. “Mm…right. That mak
es so much sense now. He must’ve heard about my reputation for being a pain in the ass. He couldn’t resist having me in his royal court.”

“It isn’t funny. I don’t think you recognize the danger you’re in. He’s sent a fleet of
Underworld creatures out to look for you. He knows you’re here in Mass.”

“A fleet? Are you sure that’s right? I always thought a group of vampires
was a flock.” She paused, tapping her chin. “Or maybe it’s a gaggle. No, that’s geese. Now werewolves would be a pack, of course…”

“Smartass,
” he mumbled.

“
I’m just trying to make a point. I’m not scared of this douche bag and his army of freakazoids.” She gave him a once over. “No offense. And you shouldn’t be scared either. Let’s just go after this guy together. We can kick his ass.”

“Actually, that was my original plan. B
ut now…” He trailed with a defeated sigh.

“But now, what?”

“I don’t know what my plan is.”

“Okay,
” she said slowly. “But we’re forgetting about something important here. Me! Why don’t I get a say in any of these plans?”

“Because
you fail to see the bigger picture. If I didn’t hold you back, you’d go running off and jump head first into…you don’t even know what. It’s irresponsible.” He paused to look her in the eye. “And you’re too important to lose.”

“Important?”

“I mean as a sorceress. We’ve already established you’re more powerful than what’s typical. It would be a waste if you went and got yourself killed.”

Wasn’t that just like James. Everything for the good of his people. She couldn’t deny it stung a bit. He didn’t want to protect her because he cared about her – only because she was an asset.

“Why does this guy want me anyway?” she asked. “How does he even know I exist?”

“He
thinks you’re somehow connected to his heir.”

She gasped, but with a mouthful of coffee she launched into a coughing fit that had James slamming
his palm against her back. “His heir?” she yelled when she recovered. “Like his son? The one you want to kill?”

He nodded.

“Well? Am I?”

“No
.”

“Good.” She stood up and dusted herself off. “Can we please get a hotel room now?”

He chugged the last bit of his elixir. “No hotels. The Counsel is looking for you too. Maddox texted me last night that they came to the house. They know you’re with me. They’ll just track my credit card info.”

With
animalistic grace, he rose to his feet. “Come on. We still have training to do.”

Ja
mes led Sage through the thick forest, where she was accosted by any number of pricket bushes, pointy twigs, and roots that seemed to jut up out of the ground just as she tried to step over them. As if that weren’t bad enough, the hike was up steep terrain. She’d been mumbling colorful profanities for thirty minutes straight.

“Can’t you do that over-the-shoulder running thing again?” she asked after tripping over a root, again.
“Spare me this stumbling around. It would
not
be ideal if the most powerful sorceress in the world twisted her ankle while a pack of Underworld-ish creatures were hunting her down.”

James didn’t stop his vigorous pace. “
And miss all this creative cursing?”

She swore
again.

“Here we are.”

They reached the top of the mountain. The view was incredible – a sea of rainbow leaves among rolling hills. Pretty but not worth the aggravation of getting to. She was so not an outdoorsy girl.

She looked
at James. He was sniffing again. Weirdo.

A crisp wind tickled her neck. The air felt clean and refreshing in her lungs.
Wasn’t her witch side supposed to like Mother Nature? Maybe she should make an effort to commune with it more often. Talk to bugs or something.

The top of the mountain provided plenty of space fo
r training. It was mostly free of brambles and trees, except for a few stocky bushes and large boulders. James led her to a flat spot.

“We’ll start with the Underworld-
ish
creatures,” he began with a smirk. “Magic is your best ally. Whatever you can throw at them, do it, and to the best of your ability. Don’t hold back. Always take the kill shot because they will.”

She
nodded.

“It’s best if you can keep your distance because once they get in arms reach
, they can overpower you easily. But if you do find yourself in a werewolf or vampire’s grasp, pull as much of your power into your fists and hope you can get a good enough swing to hold them off until I can get to you.”

“So I should just wait for you to save me?
” She scoffed. “That doesn’t seem like very good advice.”

“Shall I show you why?”

She shrugged.

“Go on then. Give me your best shot.” He stood perfectly still,
an open target.

James di
dn’t know it, but she’d been the best fighter in both group homes she’d lived in.

Her tongue darted out and she slowly licked her lips. When his gaze was riveted
to her mouth, she faked a left hook and threw an uppercut to his chin instead. But before she could connect to her target, he caught her hand in his fist then spun her and pulled her back up against his chest.

Something sharp glided across the skin between her neck and shoulder. Fangs? Goosebumps rose on her arms
and she shuddered. The eroticism mixed with the slightest bit of pain sent tingles to her core. A wet slide of a tongue followed the line where he’d grazed her. Her knees wobbled. If he hadn’t been holding her up with an arm wrapped around her chest, she would have melted onto the ground.

So abrup
tly she almost took a nosedive onto the grass, he released her and stepped back. “You’re already a scrappy little fighter, aren’t you?”

Scrappy?

“That’s good.” He nodded curtly. Apparently, his little nip and kiss on her neck hadn’t effected him nearly as much as it did her.

Damn him. Her knees were still quaking.

He held up a finger. “Rule number one. Always fight dirty.”

She
grinned. That, she could do.

“This is about survival. There’s no such thing as an honorable duel. Assume your enemy will fight dirty and beat him to it.”

With a smirk she said, “Someone is sounding an awful lot like a vampire. Tell me, would Caerwyn warriors agree with that?”

He scowled. It’d been a joke but it seemed to have
hit a sore spot. Was he still holding tightly to the idealistic version of himself as an honorable sorcerer?

She didn’t know whether she wanted to hug him in sympathy or to slap him in the head and welcome him to reali
ty.

“Second rule,” he said, raising two fingers.
“Use the element of surprise. Strike first and strike fast. Anything you can do to throw your enemy off guard might give you enough time to save yourself.”

She
rolled her eyes. Old news.

“Go for the sensitive area
s. Groin, eyes, throat, knees.”

Obviously
, James didn’t understand how much of this one learns living on the streets among drug dealers and criminals. And worse, sharing a room with three teenage girls.

***

Hours later, James was pleasantly surprised. Sage naturally fought dirty, which he should have expected. She was fast and strong for a female, and that was without magic. Although she would be no match for a werewolf or vampire, she might hold her own against a sorcerer.

When he’
d first met Sage, he hadn’t been able to see past the dishonest, anger, and sarcasm. Now he admired her courage, her strength. She’d confronted her first vampire last night and had come out swinging. All she needed was to learn a little trust, then she wouldn’t feel the need to scratch and bite her way through the world.

She was still dishonest, and every other word out of her mouth was either irreve
rent or sarcastic, but it was forgivable, all things considered. Finally, he was done trying to mold her into his idea of a sorceress. Now he only wanted her to know she could depend on him to take care of her, to protect her. More than anything, he wanted to win her trust.

Last night had been a game changer
. No longer would he use Sage as a weapon. He was daft to think that would’ve worked. Now, his only goal was to keep Sage safe. That meant out of Cadmael’s reach and within his own.

After spending all day training, Sage’s stomach had demanded food loud enough to send small animals scurrying away. It was dusk
and he’d been feeling guilty about her famished condition.

“Come o
n,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’ll take you somewhere nice to eat.”

With a saucy
tone and a half-smile, she replied, “Why, Professor Elias, are you asking me out on a date?”

He rolled his eyes. “Do you want to go or not?”

Her stomach growled again. “I think my stomach answered that. But we shouldn’t waste money eating somewhere nice. McDonald’s is fine.”

He grabbed her hand and kept it when she tried to pull away. The thick trees made it hard to
see even at dusk. Sage didn’t have his eyesight so he held her tight as they started down the mountain.

“First of all,
” he said, “when a man takes you out on a date, you don’t question his choice of restaurant. And you most certainly do not bring up the subject of money.”

“This isn’t a real date.”

“Secondly, don’t ever doubt my ability to provide for you,
anwylyd
.”

She stopped and raised a brow.
“Your ego is legendary. It’s like its own entity. No, really. We should name it.”

With a quick
tug on her hand, he made her stumble off balance and fall into him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her still when she tried to squirm away. “Wicked little witch,” he whispered in her ear.

She arched her back and looked him in the eye.
“Oh, a witch now, am I? I thought we were ignoring that part of me.”

He couldn’t resist. Her plump lips were far too tempting. H
e kissed her, deep and hard. To keep her from pulling away, he threaded a hand through her hair.

When she moaned, he almost ripped off her clothing and took her against a tree. Her heart beat wildly in her chest,
matching his own thudding rhythm.

It took all his effort
but he managed to stop before he did something too bold for her to forgive.

She gave her head a shake
. “James, I –”

“Shh.
” He couldn’t stomach a rejection right now. “Let’s go eat.”

T
hey walked the two miles down the mountain to the stashed car in awkward silence then drove to the nearest town. Turned out there wasn’t much of a choice for places to anyway.

Entering the small diner,
James requested seating in the back, away from any windows. Sage rolled her eyes and mumbled something about not needing a personal bodyguard. He knew how wrong she was on that account.

“Tell me what it was like being in foster care,”
James said after they’d settled into a booth and Sage had ordered her meal.

“Tell me what it was like being turned into a vampire,” she countered.

He stared at her for a long moment. He hadn’t intended to tell her much about his history. But if he wanted her trust, he’d have to give his too. “Alright. I’ll go first. It was a hundred and fifty years ago.”

“Holy shit!”  She ignored the customers and staff scowling
at her.

James frowned. “You need t
o work on your swearing habit.”

She waved a
hand, dismissing him. “I can’t believe you’re more than two hundred years old. That’s so creepy.”

“It’s not creepy,” he snapped, slightly offended. “I’m young compared to most vampires.”

A delicate brow lifted.
“It’s creepy. If you were to be with a human…that would be some serious cradle robbing.”

He
rolled his eyes. “Anyway, we stormed Cadmael’s castle at dawn with three-hundred strong, well-trained men –”

“Oh right, because women weren’t allowed to fight ba
ck then, huh?” The contempt in her voice was obvious.

He
found it too endearing not to poke some fun. “Back then? They’re not allowed to fight now.” Even though it would instigate her temper, he sat back in the booth and gave her a once-over. “As is right for the world.”

Her eyes narrowed into thin slits of rage.
“Let me tell you something, you sexist pig!”

He had to bite his cheeks to keep from smiling.

“All it takes is one flash of these babies,” she hoisted up her breasts, “and I’d have every guy in sight stuttering while I thrust a sword through his heart.”

He
could no longer hold back a grin. “You would objectify your body to win a fight?”

She shrugged. “You told me to fight dirty.”

He laughed out loud. “Well done,
cariad
. I no longer think women shouldn’t fight in battles.” Although he hadn’t anyway.

She furrowed her brow. “
Cariad
?”

“A Welsh term of endearment. Lik
e honey or darling.” Not entirely true but she didn’t need to know it.

“Do
n’t call me that.”

He gave her a wicked smile
. “Why not,
cariad
? Does it make you uncomfortable?”

“Yes,” she admitted, sinking into the
booth.

He
would call her
cariad
from then on. Revenge for the knifing yesterday and more than a dozen other transgressions, and just for being a general pain in the ass.

After an evil chuckle, he asked,
“Shall I finish my story?”

She nodded.

And so he recounted the epic battle between sorcerers, many his close friends, and the Underworld, more than a century and a half ago.

The two sides
were well-matched in numbers but the sorcerer’s mortality was too much of a disadvantage. If they wounded a werewolf, he would simply push through the pain and heal as he fought. A sorcerer, if wounded, was incapacitated. Or dead.

Even with the str
ength of magic, they weren’t able to take down as many beasts as they needed to win.

He remembered it like it was yesterday. G
roans and screams of his brothers filled the air as they were bitten or sliced open with claws. The sound of clashing blades echoed in his mind. Creatures panted and growled as they fought. When the werewolves turned to their preferred fighting form, they became gruesome animals – not quite human, not quite wolf. They were a cross between both but almost as big as a bear on two feet, faster than a wolf on four. They had upper and lower pointed fangs, massive jaws, and long claws. When they turned, they didn’t even need swords to kill James’ men – just a swipe with their sharpened claws could slice a man almost in two. The army tried to fall back when they saw the werewolves easily defeating them. Very few made it out of the Underworld alive that day.

James had been
mortally wounded. Cadmael found him among the slain on the battlefield. He laughed as James clutched his chest, panting and wishing to die. But Cadmael had him dragged into the castle and locked up while he twisted and writhed in agony. A day later, when infection took over his body and he almost bled to death, Cadmael explained he was saving his life although he’d never be a Caerwyn warrior again.