Cora's Kismet (The Twin Destinies Saga Book 1) (10 page)

When they arrived at the warehouse where Viola and Cora had
first been taken, after Liam and his team extracted them from the Kilpatrick’s
house, Cora expected to see Liam waiting outside for their return. Seeing the
disappointed look on her face when she realized he wasn’t there, Sage reached
out and patted her knee.

“It’s ok. He’s probably just working,” Sage said, trying to
soothe her.

“I guess,” Cora said, still disappointed.

“What is wrong with you girl? Since when have you ever acted
like this over a guy?” Viola asked, shocked at her sister’s behavior.

Sage opened his mouth to explain, but Cora shook her head
no, so he closed his mouth again and left it alone.

“I told you I’d catch you up and I will,” Cora responded in
a clipped tone. Her feelings were hurt that Liam had not met her out front.

Viola didn’t say anything as she stared in shock at her
sister. They got out of the SUV together and moved as a group toward the
entrance.

One of the guards moved forward and opened the door for the
group. Cora got shuffled to the front and was the first one to enter. Just
after she moved over the threshold, she was swept off her feet and up into the
arms she’d been missing. She was spun around in circles that moved away from
the entrance and kisses were rained down across her face, she couldn’t help but
let a giggle escape her lips.

“Stop Liam,” she said between giggles. “You have to stop or
I’m going to throw up all over you.”

Laughing, he stopped twirling her around and set her on her
feet. He didn’t let go as he leaned down and kissed her thoroughly. Cora
returned the kiss with all of her heart, feeling complete for the first time
since the night before. A stern sound of a throat clearing behind them broke
them apart.

She looked up to see Thomas standing over them and Viola
standing by the door, with her jaw resting on the floor. She glanced at the
others to see Angelica’s ear-splitting smile and Sage’s smirk. It was apparent
to Cora now that he’d known Liam was waiting just inside the door for her and
had made sure she was the first inside. She grinned back at him.

“Are the two of you quite finished?” Thomas asked with an
uncomfortable gruffness to his voice.

“Yes, sir,” Liam replied, although he still hadn’t removed
his arm from around her waist and she didn’t want him to.

“Oh Thomas, they’re fine. Weren’t you the one telling the
girls yesterday they had to find their mates as soon as possible? Well Cora’s
found hers, let her enjoy it,” Angelica admonished him, only as a loving wife
could.

“Your mate? Are you serious, Cora? You just met the dude like
yesterday!” Viola exclaimed stalking forward from the entrance. “I get
kidnapped and you go shacking up with the guy who brought us here? I guess I
know what took you so long now!”

She threw her hands up in the air as she stalked off. Cora
looked after her with hurt in her eyes. “Viola,” she called out after her
sister, but all she received in response was a crude gesture.

“I need to go catch up with her and talk to her,” Cora said
to Liam, with her heart breaking a little. She understood Viola’s feelings
because, if their roles were reversed, she’d be feeling the same way.

“I’ll go with you,” he offered, not ready to let her go just
yet.

“No, she won’t talk to me with you there. I need to do this
alone. I will catch up with you soon ok?” she said and her eyes lit up with
hope. It tore her apart to leave his side but she couldn’t, and wouldn’t, leave
her sister so upset, especially when it was at her.

“Can I go with you?” Angelica asked almost shy.

“To be honest, I don’t know how she’d react to that. We’ve only
had each other all of our lives. We don’t know you, even though you are our
parents. Both of us are going to need some time to adjust,” Cora said, trying
not to hurt her mother’s feelings.

“Well, I can at least try,” Angelica said, straightening her
shoulders and falling into step beside Cora.

The walk to find Viola was a quiet one between mother and
daughter. Cora felt awkward having her there. It took them quite a while before
they found Viola sitting in a bathroom stall, near the rear of the warehouse,
sobbing.

“Vi?” Cora called out, cautious to not startle her twin.

“Leave me alone and go be with your mate Cora! It’s not like
you need me anymore is it?” Viola shouted, and started sobbing harder.

“That’s not true Vi. I will always need you,” Cora responded,
with hurt in her tone. “Come out so we can talk please.”

“I said leave me alone,” Viola snapped.

“Not gonna happen and you know it Sis. You might as well
come on out here and talk. You don’t want me to start singing do you?” Cora threatened.
Both twins knew Cora could sing about as well as a screeching cat during a
fight.

“You wouldn’t,” Viola responded, shocked.

“Yup, I sure would. Let’s see… what should I sing first?
Hmm, I’m thinking something by…” Cora started to run through a list of all of
Viola’s favorite songs. Angelica stood off to the side watching the interaction
with wonder. “I got it! I’ll sing
Pocketful of Sunshine
by Natasha
Bedingfield! Isn’t that your favorite song? Yep, I think it’s perfect for this
moment.”

As Cora opened her mouth wide and began sucking in a huge
breath to start belting out Viola’s favorite song, the door to the stall swung
open.

“Don’t you dare butcher that song Cora. I swear I will knock
you off in your sleep if you commit such sacrilege,” Viola threatened, before
noticing their mother standing off to the side.

“It worked didn’t it?” Cora asked, smugness in her voice and
face, as she moved forward and wrapped her arms around her twin as tight as she
could. “You are so very important to me and you always will be. There is a lot
to explain and I’d like to, if you’ll let me. Angelica would like to help. Can
we all sit down, maybe somewhere other than the bathroom, and talk?”

Viola looked back and forth between Cora and Angelica and
debated as to whether or not she was alright with that. After a minute passed,
she decided if she was going to get any answers, she’d have to suck it up and
agree, but she didn’t have to like it, so she nodded her head.

“Come on, I have the perfect place,” Angelica said, as she
reached out her hands with a hopeful look on her beautiful face. Cora, not
wanting to hurt her feelings, reached out and took the outstretched hand, but
Viola wasn’t ready for that yet, so she put her hand in Cora’s other one.
Angelica nodded her understanding and turned for the door.

She led the girls down to the kitchens first, where she
pulled out double chocolate chunk ice cream and three spoons, then led them to
a small room that seemed to be deserted. The twins looked around as they
entered and noticed Angelica had added little touches of her own throughout the
room. They sat down together on an old sofa and dug into the ice cream.

“Oh this is so good,” Viola exclaimed, after her first bite.
“Now this is girl time.”

Cora smiled at her sister’s outgoing personality and ability
to bounce back from bad situations. They were two of the things she loved best
about her.

“So, where were you when they grabbed me from our room? You
were nowhere to be seen when they were shoving a rag in my throat and dragging
me out of there,” Viola said, with a twinge of bitterness.

“I’d woken up for some reason. I still don’t know if I
sensed someone was there that shouldn’t have been or what. I got up to
investigate, and ended up in the bathroom attached to our room. I guess I got
distracted by how big it was, and believe me you could fit two of our old
bedroom in there easily. Then I was attacked from behind. I fought back and
managed to get away and back into our bedroom screaming my head off. Thomas and
Angelica came racing into the room with guards, but by then, you were gone,”
Cora said with tears in her eyes. “I was so terrified for you they couldn’t
calm me down. Then Liam came in and managed to calm me down enough to tell them
what was going on. Liam stayed with me while they launched an all-out search
for you.”

“Really?” Viola asked.

“Yeah. While they were out searching for you, Thomas called
Liam and told him to take me someplace safe so I wasn’t at risk of being
kidnapped too, because with almost everyone out searching for you, the house
was a lot less secure and safe. With me somewhere safe they could concentrate
all of their efforts on finding you. When we were almost out of the house
someone shot the guard, right outside of the front door. So they took me and
Liam out through this secret tunnel in the wine cellar. It was way cool, and
way creepy, at the same time. I was so terrified.” Cora continued filling Viola
in on the story and how Liam took her to his family cabin. She told her all
about how she ended up realizing Liam was her mate and Sage’s arrival. Then she
got to the part when Patrick and his team attacked them at the cabin.

Viola’s eyes got bigger and bigger the further Cora got into
her story. When Cora told her about using her bound powers, she thought Viola’s
eyes were going to pop out of her head.

“You got to use your powers?” she screeched out.

“Not on purpose. I didn’t even know I could,” Cora shrugged
embarrassed.

“It happened because you were terrified and your mate was
threatened. Then when you were interrogating Patrick it happened because of
your rage. It’s something you’re going to have to learn to control when we
unbind your powers or a lot of people are going to be hurt or killed,” Angelica
informed them with compassion. “Believe me, I was shocked beyond belief when
Sage and Liam told us about that. I am so proud of you for doing it though,
because if you hadn’t, I don’t want to even imagine what the outcome of that
situation would have been.”

Cora saw her shudder, as if she were imagining just that.
She exchanged a look with her sister and shrugged.

“It was Patrick who told us how to find you,” Cora told
Viola with a laugh. “Ironic huh? He wants us both dead but gave you up rather
fast when threatened. He’s such a loser.”

“Loser is a compliment for him. That guy makes slugs,
snails, spiders and everything else creepy crawly seem appealing,” Viola said
with a shudder.

“Well, you won’t have to worry about him ever again,”
Angelica said with a smile.

“Good!” both girls exclaimed in unison and then fell back
laughing their heads off.

Just as their laughter was dying down, they heard a soft
knock on the door.

All three women turned toward the door when it opened and
Liam’s head peeked inside.

“Is it safe?” he asked, and the three women laughed a little
more.

Cora looked over at Viola, to see her reaction, before she
told him he could come inside. Viola nodded her head and Cora called him in.

He entered without hesitation and strode right over to Cora,
lifted her up and sat her down in his lap, right where she’d been sitting
before. She giggled a little as he nuzzled her neck in a loving manner. After a
minute, Cora swatted him back and looked at her mother and sister.

“So what was so funny in here?” Liam asked with a grin.

“Nothing important,” Cora responded with another giggle. She
couldn’t believe how happy she was in that moment. It was an incredible feeling
she never wanted to get rid of.

They were all quiet for a few minutes when Viola cleared her
throat and spoke up.

“So Liam, what are your intentions with my sister?” she
asked, with as straight of a face as she could muster. She burst out laughing
when his head shot up and he stared at her with disbelieving eyes.

Cora looked at him over her shoulder and burst out laughing
as well. The two girls kept laughing until tears were streaming down their
cheeks and they were holding their stomachs. Cora would have fallen to the
floor if Liam hadn’t been holding onto her so tight.

“Wow, gotta love his reaction to that one,” Viola managed to
sputter out after a few minutes. Even Angelica was laughing with the girls, but
not quite as hard.

“Yeah, I remember your first boyfriend’s reaction when I
asked him that question,” Cora said and both girls erupted in laughter again.

“Are they alright?” Liam asked Angelica in a worried tone.

“Yes, they’re fine. They’re just releasing some tension
through laughter,” she replied with a smile.

Liam nodded and Cora felt some of his tension release.
Pulling herself together, she turned to him and stroked his face with a light
touch. “We’re fine. This is how we’ve always gotten through the tough times.
You don’t have to worry.”

The rest of the tension left his body and he leaned in and
placed a kiss on her lips before turning to Viola.

“Do you mind if I answer your question?” he asked her.

Shocked, Viola shook her head in response. No guy had ever answered
it before. She knew if he was willing to answer it, then it must be serious
between them.

Cora turned her wide eyes to him as well. Liam tightened his
arms around her but talked to her sister.

“I want to apologize first, for being the reason it took
Cora so long to find you. I didn’t know that by us realizing we were mates, it
would disrupt the connection the two of you have. I never want to come between
the two of you. I realize that, until now, you are all each other have ever had
and that means something to me. I don’t know what I’d do without Sage and
Sassy, my sister, and we’re not even twins. Even though the timing was lousy, I
do know, without a doubt, Cora and I are mates. I already think of you as a
sister and I know my brother already thinks of Cora as a sister. My intentions
toward her are to love and care for her, every day, for the rest of my life. I
intend to keep her safe and protected from anyone who might be out to harm
either her or you, because by hurting you, they hurt her. I intend to live my
life making her the happiest woman in the world,” Liam said, and tears spilled
over onto both girls’ cheeks. Angelica just sat back and smiled as bright as
the sun.

“I would expect no less from you Liam,” Angelica responded
with happiness evident in her voice. “I am so glad you are Cora’s mate. We’ve
already thought of you and Sage as sons for a long time now.”

“Thank you ma’am,” he responded, respectful of her, and
turned his eyes up to Cora’s. He reached up and wiped away the tears that were
still making their way down her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“It’s just, that was the most romantic thing we’ve ever
heard from any man who wasn’t acting in a movie!” Viola said, swiping at her
cheeks. “I think you better hold onto him girl, he’s a definite keeper.”

“I know. I’m a lucky girl,” Cora said and then leaned down
and kissed Liam with all of her heart and soul.

“Is that what it’s like to find a mate?” Viola turned and
asked their mother.

“Most of the time. It depends on the couple,” Angelica
responded with a shrug.

“If that’s what it’s like, maybe it’s not so bad. So what
was it like with you and Thomas?” Viola asked with open curiosity.

“I’m assuming it’s too soon for you both to call us Mom and Dad?”
she asked.

“Yeah, a little bit. Let us get used to you guys and get to
know you better, and then it’ll be easier,” Viola replied. Viola had always
been the more blunt and expressive one between the two.

Angelica nodded her head, “I guess that’s to be expected.
For Thomas and me, it was unexpected. In fact, our parents hated each other, so
never in a million years did we ever expect to find we were mates. One day when
we were at school, we walked past each other in the hallway and our hands
brushed, that’s when we both felt the spark. We stopped and stared at each
other in horror. Thinking about it now, it was the funniest thing in the world.
But then it was just horrifying. We didn’t know how our parents were going to
take it at all so we took it slow, just meeting each other for lunch at school
and during our free periods. It wasn’t until prom that either of us had gotten
up the nerve to tell our parents what was going on. My father, as well as
Thomas’ parents, were kind, supportive and accepting of our mating. My mother,
on the other hand, attempted to destroy us all on the night of our mating
ceremony. That’s a story for a different time however,” she said with a deep
sadness in her voice.

“Wow. I hope when I find my mate, it won’t be someone I’m
scared to be with,” Viola said in a dramatic whisper that had Cora and Viola
cracking up again, despite the sadness that had entered the room.

There was another knock on the door and Sage’s head popped
in. “So this is where the party is. Thanks for the invite, I’d love to come,”
he said with a smile,
but he picked up on the
tension as he stepped into the room.

Cora and Viola started laughing again. Both girls thought
their insides were going to burst and their faces were going to crack from all
of their laughter.

“I take it everybody’s getting along again?” Sage asked,
feigning caution.

“Yep, we don’t stay mad at each other long,” Viola said,
licking at her spoon.

“Nope, never have, probably never will,” Cora responded with
a huge smile.

“That’s a good thing,” Sage nodded.

“I hate to break up the party, especially when I just got
here, but Thomas wants to know what happened to you while you were being held
captive. He sent me to bring you guys to his office,” Sage said changing the mood
in the room.

“Can’t it wait?” Angelica asked exasperated. “Yes, I believe
it can. Let me go talk to him. I’ll be back.”

Everyone watched as she stood and whisked out of the room in
a hurry. They looked around at each other for a minute and then delved back
into conversation.

“Wow, it may be tomorrow but he’s not gonna let it go,” Sage
said to Viola as a warning.

“I know. I just don’t want to think about it right now. I’m
glad to be back here with Cora,” Viola said with a sigh.

“Was it that bad?” Cora asked, her voice a whisper, reaching
for her sister’s hand.

“They didn’t hurt me or anything, but they kept me locked in
a room by myself. The windows were painted black so I couldn’t see outside, or
even tell whether it was day or night. The worst part though was the awful
recording, with a creepy voice, that kept playing into the room. It told me how
awful the prophecy was and why I should sacrifice myself so it couldn’t come to
pass.” Viola shivered at the memory and gripped Cora’s hand tight in her own.

Sage rose from his seat on the floor, moved onto the couch,
where Angelica had been seated, and wrapped his arms around Viola in a
comforting hug. They all remained quiet for a little while and let Viola work
through her feelings over all she’d been through in the last day and a half.