Prim and Proper Fate (Twisted Fate Series Book 2) (21 page)

As she hurried out of the room, she couldn’t help but wonder: why was he still hitting on her? Gaya had cursed him solidly back on the island, so he couldn’t do anything about it if he wanted to.

With less than ten minutes to Sydney’s deadline, Lily hurried through the house, heading outside to the training field, where she assumed she would find Brandon.

But he wasn’t there. Unfortunately, a small contingency of other shifters from their pack were, and it took her far too long to extract herself from their clutches, as they all attempted to one up each other in an effort to impress her. She wanted to scream at them, “It doesn’t work! Stop showing off, if you want to impress me!” But she didn’t.

Sydney’s life was on the line, and she’d run out of time. She had to find Brandon and tell him where she was. He had to save her. She rushed back to the house and nearly collided with William, who was carrying a bag of trash out the backdoor at the same time.

“Whoa, Lily, slow down. Something wrong?” He glanced over her shoulder, as if he expected someone or something to be pursuing her.

“I have to find Brandon,” she said in a rush.

William’s face took on a worried look. “Why?” he asked sharply.

“I just need to talk to him.”

“About what?”

“Why are you so concerned?” Lily demanded with exasperation.

“I just . . . Have you, you know, decided on a . . . mate?”

Lily gave him an incredulous look. “Are you insane? Of course not. Now, where is Brandon? I really, really need to speak with him.”

“Oh, good. Not that you wouldn’t make a lovely couple, but honestly, I think Prim deserves her happily ever after. That’s why I’m so relieved.”

“Okay, great. Now, do you know where he is?” Lily squeezed her hands into fists to keep from grasping his shoulders and shaking him. The Fate was not exactly one to get right to the point.

“I suspect he and Prim are upstairs. But they probably don’t want to be—” His words were cut off when he simply . . . disappeared. The bag of trash he’d been carrying dropped to the floor with a thud.

Lily blinked. “William?” she asked uncertainly. And then she realized what happened. “Oh no!” Sydney must have summoned her Fate. Which meant she was in trouble.

“Brandon,” she shouted as she raced through the kitchen and practically flew up the stairs. She flung open the door to Prim’s bedroom and came to a skidding halt. Her eyes widened and her mouth formed an O as she stared at her Fate, sitting astride Brandon’s hips, as he lay on the floor, a few feet from the door. His fingers dug into her backside, his glowing gaze was glued intently on her face, and Prim rode him as if she were the champion bull rider at the rodeo.

“Oh,” Lily said.

“Shit!” Brandon winced and grabbed Prim, pulling her down on top of him, as his gaze darted around the room, no doubt searching for something to throw over top of them to hide their nakedness from Lily’s eyes.

“Lily, I can explain,” he sputtered, but Prim interrupted.

“Lily, I have something to tell you. Brandon and I are, that is, we’ve decided . . . we’re—”

Lily waved impatiently. “Yes, yes, I know. You’re sleeping together. You’re madly in love with each other and you plan to be together forever. But we have more important issues right now.”

Prim used a bit of magic to summon the sheet, which she used to wrap around herself.

“What about me?” Brandon protested when Prim climbed off his lap.

“Lily, turn around,” she commanded.

Lily turned around. “Listen, I have something important to tell you.” She could hear Brandon scrambling to his feet and presumably getting dressed.

“I assume we’ll continue this . . . soon?” he asked Prim. If the situation weren’t quite so desperate, Lily might have snickered at the way Prim’s cheeks reddened. She didn’t think she’d ever seen her Fate blush before.

“I can’t believe you knew,” she said to Lily. “And you’re really okay with it?”

“Can we discuss this later?” Lily asked.

“If we’re discussing it later, then go away, so Prim and I can finish what you interrupted.”

“Brandon, really,” Prim admonished.

“You guys aren’t listening to me,” Lily complained.

“Yes, we are,” Prim said. “You told us you’re perfectly fine with Brandon and I being together. I was really worried, you know. I intended to try to mate you to him.”

“Me?” Lily squeaked. “But I don’t want to mate with Brandon.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Brandon said sarcastically.

“Yes, well, we’ll have to start discussing who you should mate with, unfortunately,” Prim said with regret in her voice.

“I’m not sure why this was so important that we had to stop bang—”

“Brandon!”

“Sydney’s in trouble,” Lily finally blurted.

That got their attention. And then she shook her head. “She went to go meet Gavin. Alone. And I was supposed to tell you ten minutes ago. And now William has disappeared and—” she prattled on, pouring it all out without taking a single breath, and Brandon and Prim stood and stared, dumbfounded, through it all.

When Lily stopped to take a breath, Brandon leaped into action, cursing like a sailor the entire time. Prim didn’t bother to admonish him. She was clearly too busy worrying about Sydney’s safety.

“Go, go, go,” Brandon instructed a short time later, as he ushered Prim into the car, while Lily stood on the porch, gnawing on her fingernail and desperately hoping they weren’t too late.

Chapter 15

“That was quite an appetizer, Chala,” Gavin commented, his chest rumbling against Sydney’s back. He rolled off her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw his eyes, glowing like embers, so bright they could light the way on a moonless night.

“Sydney? Gavin? Oh my Fates! Gavin! Gavin! Sydney, what in the world are you doing here? Where
are
we, anyway?”

Gavin and Sydney both whipped their heads around to stare at the Fate who had suddenly appeared in the motel room.

“You summoned your Fate?” Gavin glared at the dress-clad Fate.

“I didn’t summon him,” Sydney protested indignantly as she struggled to tug the corset up high enough to at least cover her nipples.

“Were you–were you having sex with him?” William asked incredulously, staring at Gavin’s still-exposed genitals.

Gavin snarled and tugged his pants over his hips. “How the hell did he get here, if you didn’t summon him?”

“
You
summoned him,” Sydney replied, recalling how he’d called out, “Fates, Fates, Fates,” as they made love. Well, what they’d just did couldn’t exactly be called making love. But oh, it had been
hot
. Her body still tingled.

“Rakshasa can’t summon Fates,” Gavin stated.

“Is he cursed?” William wondered, peering at Gavin.

Gavin leaped from the bed, grabbed William by the lapels of his dress and flung him against the nearest wall. “Does that feel like I’m cursed, Fate?” He stood over William, growling.

William held his head as he struggled into a seated position. “No. I suppose it doesn’t. So what the hell are you doing here, Sydney?” He looked up at Gavin. “And why is she still alive?”

Gavin twisted his head and his gaze settled onto Sydney. The glow was beginning to fade. “She decided to give me an appetizer, before the main entrée.” He grinned his evil grin.

“You met him, alone, so you could have sex with him?” William asked, glaring at Sydney.

She continued to struggle with the corset. Why the hell were they designed so that it required two people to put the damn things on?

“Are you out of your mind?” Williams demanded.

“I . . . er . . . I . . . maybe?”

“Sydney Renee Amataya!” William admonished her like a parent scolding a naughty child. “Shame on you!”

Gavin stretched and yawned and Sydney tried unsuccessfully not to admire the taut muscles on his chest. Especially that V-shaped one that disappeared into the waistband of his pants.

“Okay, I’m good now. Time for the kill. Fate, do you want to watch your Chala die, or do you want me to send you away first?”

“You’re so considerate,” William said with a sniff. “But I’m not leaving Sydney.”

Gavin shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He turned away from the Fate.

William lunged and landed on his back. Since William was approximately a hundred pounds heavier than Gavin, Gavin’s knees buckled under the pressure. He swore violently as he was crushed under William’s weight.

“Run!” William commanded, and for once, Sydney obeyed without hesitation, despite the fact that the corset was still not quite covering enough of her breasts and the skirt was still on the floor and the heels were much too high for her to run in. She burst out of the hotel room and rushed out to the truck. She could hear the sounds of a scuffle behind her, but she didn’t turn around.

Headlights flashed, blinding her for a moment, and Sydney froze, lifting her hand to block the glare. The car came to a screeching halt before her, and then two doors opened and she heard someone shouting her name.

“Sydney! Sydney! Are you okay?”

Prim and Brandon hovered on either side of her, with Brandon trying really hard not to look at her practically naked body.

“Is that my corset?” Prim asked in surprise.

Brandon’s gaze went to the corset and then he cursed and looked away again.

“And my shoes?”

Brandon glanced at the shoes. He whistled. “Hot damn, those are sexy.”

“Inside,” Sydney said, gasping and stabbing her finger at the door she’d just run from. “Gavin. William has him trapped. Hurry! Curse him, Prim. Please!”

Prim glanced at Brandon.

“Go,” he instructed. “I’ll get her in the car and find her a goddamned blanket or something.”

Prim nodded and rushed into the motel room. She found William, sitting on top of a struggling, red-faced Gavin.

“I’m going to tear off your limbs,” Gavin said, snarling as he fought to free himself. Luckily, he wasn’t able to shift in this position.

“I’m going to make you die slowly and painfully.” He growled. “You’re going to regret your decision to mess with me, Fate.”

“Prim,” William said when he spotted her standing in the doorway. “Hurry! Curse him!”

“Not on your life.” Gavin snarled and struggled with renewed vigor.

“Hold him still,” Prim commanded.

“I’m trying,” William protested. “It’s like mud-wrestling,” he complained as he shifted his position in an effort to contain Gavin’s struggles.

“You’ve been mud-wrestling?” Prim asked, momentarily distracted by this bit of information.

“Geerrrofff!” With a loud growl, Gavin managed to finally wiggle out from underneath William’s girth.

“Uh-oh,” William said as he clamored to his feet.

“Where’s the Chala?” Gavin wiped spittle from his face. His eyes were glowing, but Prim knew it had nothing to do with pleasure.

“You can’t have her,” Prim said, and she tossed the curse at him. He ducked and the magic exploded against the wall behind him, bursting like fireworks and leaving a cloud of smoke and a giant black mark on the wall.

“You’re dead.” Gavin waved away the dissipating smoke and lunged for Prim.

“Move,” William screamed.

Prim shifted to the side, but Gavin anticipated it. He adjusted his movements, body slamming her into the wall behind her.

“Damn it,” William cursed, and he rushed forward, tackling Gavin in much the same way. It had the same effect: Gavin slammed into the wall and crumbled to the floor in a dazed heap. William sat on his chest and dragged Prim’s limp body into his lap.

“Oh Prim, sweetie pie. Wake up. You need to wake up. Come on, Prim, dear. Wake up and curse him. Prim. Please, Prim!”

Brandon rushed through the doorway. “What happened?” he demanded. “Prim!”

He dropped to his knees and pulled her out of William’s arms, crushing her against his chest. “No, no, no, no,” he chanted, his voice full of anguish.

William touched his shirtsleeve. “She isn’t dead, Brandon. Or even if she is, she’ll be back. It’s okay.”

Brandon looked down at the unconscious woman, and realized what William said was true. Which only made it marginally easier to accept her possible death. He cupped her face.

“We’re losing our opportunity,” he murmured as he watched her face.

“Yeah,” William agreed. “She’s going to hate herself when she comes back.”

“It’s not her fault,” Brandon said hotly.

Prim’s eyelids fluttered, and then her mouth contorted into a grimace.

“Prim!” Brandon gave her a little shake. “Prim, wake up!”

She lifted her hand and gingerly touched her head. “It hurts.”

“Yeah, I know, baby, I know. But look. We have Gavin. He’s stunned. Let’s curse him, and then we’ll get you an ice pack and a nice cozy bed. Come on, honey.”

Prim blinked dazedly. “Curse?”

“Curse. Yes, curse. You have to curse him, Prim.”

“I . . . can’t.”

“Can’t? What do you mean, ‘can’t’?”

“I . . . can’t.” She shook her head. “I can’t remember it.”

“Goddamn it!” Brandon swore and punched the wall. His hand went through the flimsy plaster, sending a white cloud of dust into the room.

“Hit me,” Prim said suddenly.

Brandon looked at her as if she’d just . . . well, asked him to hit her.

“Do it. Maybe it’ll bring the curse back. Hit me!”

“I’m not going to hit you,” Brandon said, highly indignant.

“Oh for the love of—” William hauled off and smacked her. Her head whipped to the side and bloody spittle flew from her mouth.

Brandon punched him, breaking his nose and causing blood to splatter against the wall and pour down his face. To William’s credit, he managed to remain seated on Gavin’s chest. Which was a good thing, because the Rakshasa was stirring.

Prim moaned and grabbed her head again. After a minute, she said, “I remember! I remember!”

“Well, do it already,” Brandon demanded.

He watched as she reached out her hand, stretched toward Gavin, her fingers straight and stiff as pencils. Chanting words in a language he did not know, she stared at Gavin, a determined glint in her eye.

The air around her hand shimmered and electricity snapped as if they were caught in the middle of a lightning storm.

She could do it. He knew she could. Brandon had faith in Prim. In his Fate.

Gavin shook his head like a dog and then turned to look at her, just as she flung the curse at him. His eyes grew wide, he gasped, and for several heartbeats, he stopped breathing, and everyone in the room held their breath right along with him.

And then he sputtered and coughed and gagged. He blinked rapidly, and when he finally focused again, his eyes were palest blue, no longer black.

Prim, William, and Brandon all sighed a collective sigh of relief. William patted Gavin’s head.

“Good to have you back, Dark One.”

Gavin’s brow furrowed. “Get the hell off me, Fate,” he said, growling. “I can’t breathe.”

“Are you . . . are you . . .?” Prim sounded as if she were afraid to say the word.

“Cursed? Yes. Hello Prim. Never thought I’d actually say I’m glad to see you. William, get off me, goddamn it. Where’s Sydney?” William obligingly climbed off his chest, holding his bleeding nose as he walked over to the attached bathroom.

“Out in the car,” Prim replied, as she allowed Brandon to help her to her feet. He could tell she was still a little woozy, so he wrapped his arms around her, hoping his touch would sooth her.

“Alone?” Gavin demanded, his eyes going wide.

“Yeah, well, the threat was in here, so we figured it made sense,” Brandon pointed out.

Gavin pushed past him and rushed for the door. “Wrong,” he said as he ran. “The threat is out there. I set a trap for you and Prim. There are a dozen Rakshasa four doors down, just waiting to pounce!”

Brandon glanced at Prim and then swore violently as they chased Gavin out the door.

At least Sydney was momentarily holding her own, thanks to the fact that she was locked inside a car, and the dozen stalking Rakshasa were on the outside. But with the shattering of the glass on the windshield, the game instantly changed.

She screamed and kicked at the first shifter who crawled through the opening. He tumbled over the hood of the car and collapsed on the pavement, clutching his face as blood poured from between his fingers.

There was a reason the shoes she wore were called stilettos.

Two more shifters climbed through the windshield, unlocking doors as they went. Brandon and Gavin exchanged glances.

“How many can you take?”

“Six. You?”

“Six. Easy.”

“Sydney’s already taken one down, so that leaves five for you. Let’s go.”

It was over twenty minutes later.

Brandon piled the dead bodies into a dumpster in the back of the parking lot, and left William to watch over the fire. When he returned to the car, Gavin was in the backseat and Sydney was cradled in his lap. Brandon didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but he heard Gavin beg her forgiveness for everything he’d done.

She assured him all was forgiven, although she hoped his reaction to her strip tease was not simply a result of the curse being lifted. He promised her it wasn’t, and informed her she could strip for him anytime she damn well pleased. When she suggested he strip for her the next time, the look on his face was comical. Brandon shook his head and turned away from the image of the two of them kissing, making up.

Gavin was back. It was over. What the hell they did with their time now was their own business. Brandon headed into the motel room to collect
his
mate and take her home.