Fated Desire: A Paranormal Romance Novel (The Twisted Destiny Saga Book 1) (9 page)

CHAPTER 16

By the time Ryan and Cora left the house and approached their bikes parked by the porch steps, it was dark outside. They’d both fallen asleep. Apparently, bonding took a lot out of you—even for creatures as powerful as them.

As they walked hand-in-hand to their bikes, Cora said, “You know, whenever your eyes glow gold like that I think you’re gonna wolf out.”

He chuckled. “Trust me: I won’t ever wolf out on you while we’re fucking. Besides, you’ll know when I’m gonna shift because dark energy rushes through me. I know you can sense energy, so that’s how you can tell.”

“Okay,” she said. “Thanks.”

He pulled her to him as he said, “You know you fuck like a wolf, right?”

“What? Really?”

“Yeah. You get that same primal look in your eyes and you let yourself go. You get wild.”

“You’ve slept with a lot of wolves then?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “A few.”

“How come there aren’t any female wolves in your pack?”

“The temptation is too great. I don’t trust my boys to be careful enough around them.”

“Careful?”

“To use protection or, at least, to pull out. It’s too easy to get a wolf pregnant. And that’s the last thing I need—litters of baby wolves to take care of all over the damned place. When a wolf is ready to mate, it’s different. He’ll stick around if he knocks her up. But otherwise, they’ll just leave a string of bastard pups in their wake. Not an ideal situation.”

“We didn’t…
we
weren’t careful,” she said, rubbing her belly protectively.

He shook his head at her. “It’s impossible to conceive a child during a bonding, my love.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. It’s been that way for centuries. And not just for wolves. Of course, vamps don’t have to worry about that. They can’t bear children. No, we’re okay here.” He grinned at her and added, “Good to know where you’re at, though.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

He pulled her to him and whispered in her ear, “I love you.”

Before she could answer, a powerful rush of dark energy assaulted her senses, followed by several gusts of ice-cold wind. Ryan must’ve felt it too, because he spun around, pulling her against him protectively.

There, a few feet away by the lake, stood Luca and four vampire guards flanking him, decked out in tactical gear.

“How did you track us here?” Ryan demanded.

“She was bleeding. I smelled it. And here I am,” Luca responded.

Shit, the mating ritual. Of course.
“Leave. Now,” Ryan ordered.

“Hand over my bride and I will.”

“I am not your bride!” Cora thundered.

Luca took a step forward and studied her. A confused expression came over his face and he sniffed the air, drawing her scent to him. And then he snarled, his eyes narrowing in fury at Ryan.

“You took her!” he bellowed. “She is no longer pure!”

“By wolf law, I am his wife,” Cora said. “His.
He
is my mate. I know everything that there is to know. This is over now, Luca.”

Luca laughed maliciously and told Ryan, “Isn’t she cute? So naïve, so young compared to us.”

“Stand down,” Ryan responded, seething.

“You are weak with love for her, brother. You need to see the big picture. She is but a bargaining chip. It is in all our best interests for you to let me take her. Even hers. Her father will be tortured brutally and killed in the most agonizing way possible. My father is very creative in that respect. And his kingdom and his people—her people—will be ripped to shreds. Will you allow that to happen, due to your own selfishness?”

“Things aren’t as they were, Luca. The White Realm is no longer weak.”

Luca snarled and turned his attention to Cora, telling her, “If you deny me, princess, I will make you watch your wolf die at my father’s hands. By openly defying the treaty like this, Ryan is effectively declaring war on the Dark Realm. Do you understand that?”

Cora took his words in and eyed Ryan worriedly.

He’s just trying to scare you.

She blinked hard, realizing that she’d just read his thoughts.
It must be the bond.

It is
, Ryan responded in her head.

Cora eyed Luca and saw the frustration on his face. She realized why. He couldn’t read her anymore. She watched his eyes blacken and his features distort as the demon within rose to the surface.

But before he could make a move, another gust of ice-cold wind swept through the front yard. They all started in surprise as Michael appeared, flanked by eight vampires—double the size of Luca’s small army.

“Leave,” Luca snarled.

“Kill him, Luca,” Ryan called.

Luca hesitated.

Michael laughed and said, “That won’t be happening. There’s too much at stake for him to do something so incredibly stupid. Isn’t that right, Luca?”

“What’s he talking about?” Ryan demanded.

“Nothing,” Luca said. His eyes narrowed at Michael.

“Right. Our little secret. Sorry,” Michael said, holding up his hands. “It won’t be if you stand in my way here, Luca.”

“Why do you want her?”

“The princess is the bridge between the light and the dark.”

Luca rolled his eyes. “What?”

Michael laughed. “You are fools. All of you. You focus so much on your history that you’ve missed the signs of what the future holds. You have no idea of her true potential, her true power.”

“I’ve seen her power for myself. She possesses a
fraction
of White Realm magic. That is all, Michael,” Luca said.

“She is still learning. What you
saw
is nothing! She is the bridge, you fool. She is destined to unite the White and Dark Realms. Is that what you want? Do you think your father would want that, to share his power with Vazra? With the damned faeries? White witches? Warlocks? Dragons?”

Luca eyed Cora, stunned by Michael’s revelations.

“You see? For once our agendas mesh. This is bigger than the betrothal, Luca.”

“I need to talk to my father first. I will take her with me and bond with her anyway. If my father confirms what you’re saying is true, then I will give her to you.”

“I’m gonna need a guarantee on that.”

Luca brought his wrist to his fangs and bit down hard and angrily. Michael did the same. They both approached one another cautiously. They pressed their bloodied wrists together. A flash of red light cut through the night briefly and then they both pulled away.

“I do love a good blood vow. It ensures compliance,” Michael said. He eyed Cora and licked his lips as he said, “Soon, princess.”

And then he was gone in a flash of vampire speed.

“Please tell me that was just a ruse, Luca!” Ryan thundered.

“It was a blood vow, what do you think?” Luca snapped.

“You aren’t giving her to that monster! Do you have any idea what he’ll do to her?”

“Yes,” Luca said simply.

Go back inside the house. Now. They
can’t
get to you there. They haven’t been invited.

Cora shook her head vehemently against Ryan’s telepathic orders.
I’m not leaving you.

Yes, you are. I’ve got this. I need you to call the pack. Go, my love.
He discreetly slipped his cell phone into her hand. She took it and moved away and hurried up the porch steps.

#

After making a quick call to Josh, Cora watched from the window in the front door as Ryan shifted, becoming the huge white wolf that she had seen only once before. He swept his left paw at Luca, connecting with the side of his face and swiping him away like he was nothing.

But then the other four vampires attacked. All at once.

I’m not standing here and letting him get attacked.

She hauled open the door and hurried down the steps, drawing a stake from each of her hip holsters strapped to her leather pants as she went. She watched Ryan bat away two vamps and lunge at another. As he mauled the life out of that one, the other one sank his fangs into his shoulder. Ryan yelped and tried to shake him off, but the vamp hung on tightly, biting deeper and ripping his flesh apart.

Cora sped towards him. When she was close enough, she threw her stake. It propelled through the air with lightning speed. She watched as it penetrated his heart.
Dust, bitch.
The white wolf turned and she was sure she saw surprise flicker in his eyes when he saw her standing there. She smiled at him and then ran towards the other two vampires who were quickly recovering. She heard the ripping of flesh behind her and a sharp crack and she knew Ryan had ripped the head off the other vamp he’d been mauling. She felt him bound over to her. He swept his claws at one of the vamps. As she engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the other, an awful chill shot through her.
Where is Luca?

A horrendous, primal cry pierced through the night suddenly. She thrust her stake into the heart of the vampire in front of her and spun around in terror. She knew what the cry was immediately.
Ryan!

When she turned around, she saw Luca standing over Ryan, who lay immobile on his side. A huge tree branch protruded from his back. As she ran towards him, he shifted back. And that was when she saw that Luca had driven the four-foot branch all the way through his body, from his stomach and out the other side.

“No!” she screamed.

She watched as Luca bared his fangs and lunged at Ryan, now that he was in human form. She felt her power rising up within her suddenly. She reacted on instinct and let it go. Silver fire shot from both her palms. It struck Luca and he roared in agony and flew back several feet. She stepped in front of Ryan and held her palms steady as she watched Luca struggle to get to his feet.

“You want more, vampire?” she asked, seething.

He hesitated. And then his eyes darted around frantically. He was sensing something.

Moments later, Cora heard the screech of tires coming up the dirt road towards them.
Yes, the pack is here.

“I will take you as my bride, princess,” Luca snarled before taking off in a sudden burst of vampire speed.

Cora turned away and skidded to her knees beside Ryan. She laid her hand gently on his arm.

“Ryan,” she rasped. “You’re gonna be okay. It’s gonna be okay, baby.”

He smiled at her weakly and told her, “Go…the pack…they’ll…protect you. Forever.”

She shook her head, tears filling her eyes. “No. I’m not leaving you.”

“I need…you…safe…
wife
.”

“Ry!” Josh bellowed from behind her.

She turned to see the entire pack rushing onto the front lawn. They encircled her and Ryan. Josh broke through and skidded to his knees beside her. She watched him quickly examine the wound.

“Fucking hell.”

He reached for the tree branch and motioned the pack to step back.

“No. You’ll hurt him!” Cora cried.

“He can’t heal with it in.”

Cora felt hands on her shoulders suddenly. She looked up to see Roy and Ben smiling reassuringly at her.

“Ready, Ry?” Josh asked Ryan.

He nodded weakly.

And then he ripped the branch out in one sudden motion.

Ryan bellowed in agony and writhed on the ground. His claws sprung from his hands and he thrust them into the ground wildly. Cora bolted forward and laid her hands on him. Josh joined her again. She watched, as to her horror, Josh looked away sadly. Emotion welled in his eyes and he rubbed his face roughly in an effort to conceal it from her and the pack.

“What? What is it?”

“He’s…not healing.”

“Wolves take some time to heal.”

“It should’ve started by now. The wound’s still bleeding.”

Cora followed his gaze and saw he was right. It
was
still bleeding. In fact, he was bleeding out. And fast. It was then she realized what she had to do.

She shook off her jacket and held her wrist out to Josh. “Cut me.”

“What?”

“Summon your claws and cut my wrist. Deep. I would do it myself, but I only have a stake and no claws to speak of.”

“Cora, you’re not a vamp, sweetheart.”

“I am
more
,” she said. “I heal fast. Faster than vamps. Faster than wolves. And Ryan told me tonight that my blood was powerful when he tasted it. And if my blood is a power rush for an Alpha like him then it’s damned powerful.”

“You guys did the ritual tonight? You mated?” Josh asked, surprised.

“Yes and we haven’t been married a day yet so I’m not gonna sit here and watch my husband die, okay? So just fucking cut me, dammit!”

Josh smiled at her and nodded. “All right. He’s barely conscious. He won’t be with it, which means he won’t be able to pull back on his own. I’ll stop him from bleeding you dry, okay?”