Destined for Time (27 page)

The humans still died and since I was there as more of a
ghost, the
me
who belonged in that time still reacted with uncontrolled
rage and frustration when Rachel was shoved off the dais into his arms. It was
the first time I’d ever gone back without falling into my own body. I wasn’t
sure how I did it, but I got the sense that I never left the ether between
times, that I was never actually there for a second time like I normally would
have been. As for Rachel, I simply traded one version of her for another
without anyone noticing the difference.

Having completed my task I came back to the present where I
was still sheathed to the hilt and greedy for more. I expected my powers to be
depleted but instead I felt energized. The River was still flowing freely and I
drank in its power as I began moving my hips yet again.

Now that Rachel was taken care of I could focus on sating
the pheromone driven need consuming me and Angela. Unable to tear myself away
from the amazing sight of Angela reflected back at me in the mirrors I pushed
us both to the edge and beyond one more time before moving to the nearby chaise
lounge chair. Later we’d move to the couch, then maybe we’d try out the swing
hanging in the far corner of the room. After that, I’d try to convince her to
dance for me in front of all those mirrors.

Oh how I loved sex demons and their pheromones...

* * * * *

Groaning, I stretched my aching body and realized I was
alone in Rook’s bed again. And just like the last time I woke up here alone I
had no idea how I got here. I remembered most of the night before, but at some
point I must have passed out and been carried back here to sleep. Thinking a
hot shower was just what I needed, I rolled out of bed and headed into the
bathroom where I turned on all four massaging shower heads and stepped into the
heated spray.

After letting the water work its magic I cleaned up and got
dressed, then went in search of Rook. He wasn’t anywhere inside the apartment
so I ventured out into the open space with all the cement pillars. The sun was
low enough in the sky that Rook had lights turned on in the far corner where he
was apparently painting. Moving in for a closer look I realized he was working
with plaster and paint to create a tile similar to the ones I’d seen in the
spa.

When I came up beside him he stepped back and we admired his
work together. The background was grim, obviously the aftermath of an epic
battle with scattered bones and scorched earth, bloody, broken bodies and fires
burning everywhere. In the midst of all that destruction stood one man. The
black dragon scales encasing his body were also covered in gore and in his hand
he held a severed head. He seemed to be roaring to the sky and the look on his
face could only be described as triumphant.

“Is that Dragon,” I asked.

Rook glanced at me and answered, “It is. This is how I
remember that night in Solaria when he finally avenged his father and ended
Travali’s miserable life.”

“And the painting in the spa, the one that Camila saw me
touching, was that you?”

At the time I’d thought the warrior in that painting looked
familiar but it wasn’t until the other morning when Rook’s face turned demonic
that I realized it was him.

“Yes, that was one of the many battles we fought during The
Great War.”

“Do you mind?” I gestured to the other paintings on display
a short distance away.

“Not at all,” he said then went to a sink and cleaned up his
hands.

Wandering from one painting to the next I noticed that all
of Rook’s paintings depicted scenes from his life or the lives of the people
around him. There was one that appeared to be Dragon and Serafina’s wedding,
one of an enormous red and black dragon breathing fire in the middle of
Mystique, a scene from outside The Gateway after the bombing, and a portrait of
me, among others.

When I saw myself immortalized in paint and plaster I could
hardly believe my eyes. The woman in the painting was me but it wasn’t, at
least not how I saw myself. This woman was beautiful in a way I would never be.
Her beauty came from an inner strength that was evident in the set of her jaw
and the fierce gleam in her eyes. Even with her hair whipping wildly in the
wind and storm clouds roiling above her she stood proud, determined, and ready
to face the darkness closing in on her.

“You painted this?” I asked Rook without looking away from
the painting.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind and I wasn’t
startled in the slightest even though I hadn’t heard him approach me.

“Yes.”

“And the ones in the spa?”

“They’re mine as well.” He kissed the top of my head.

“They’re beautiful Rook; you’re an extremely talented
artist. What was it Camila called these? Frescoes?”

“Yes, in the past many frescoes were painted directly on
walls especially in churches and other public locations. I prefer to work here,
alone, so I paint on tiles that can be easily moved when they’re finished.”

“Someday I’d like to see how these are made from start to
finish, if you wouldn’t mind me watching you.”

“I’d like that too,” he said quietly. “I want to share every
part of my life with you and this is something that has always been important
to me. I started painting when I was very young. One of my trainers, Kalen,
suggested I give it a try. He said it would be a good exercise in working
quickly and accurately at the same time. It also gives me an outlet for
emotions that might otherwise remain bottled up.”

Turning in his arms I said, “He sounds like a very wise man.”

“He is,” Rook replied, smiling fondly. “Kalen is one of our
Elders but he doesn’t agree with the rest of them very often so he mainly keeps
to himself. He arrived here earlier today because the Elders have summoned me
to appear before them later tonight. Kalen will escort me to their chamber.”

My brows drew together and I asked, “Why do they want to see
you.”

“I won’t know until I get there, but I was very careful not
to break any of their laws so there shouldn’t be anything to worry about,” he
told me, but the way his eye twitched let me know he wasn’t being completely
honest. Before I could call him on it he said, “Rachel is no longer addicted to
Oblivion.”

“Oh, thank God,” I sighed hugging him tighter.

I hadn’t forgotten about Rachel, I’d just been too afraid to
ask if he’d been able to help her. I knew last night was likely our only chance
to make things right for her and if it hadn’t worked, she would have been lost
forever.

“Where is she?” I asked.

“She’s been given and apartment on the third floor.”

I pulled back ready to ask all kinds of questions but he put
his finger over my lips and smiled. “Claire put her to sleep as soon as I
brought her here from the past and the Oblivious version of her ceased to
exist. We’ve been waiting for you to wake up so you could decide what to do
about her memories. If you decide to let her keep her memories and tell her
about our world she can live here at the resort and work for Serafina full-time
once she graduates from high school in a few months.”

Moving away from him I bit my lip as I started pacing. “Is
that what you think we should do?”

Leaning back against a table he crossed one ankle over the
other and replied, “In my professional opinion, she will be safer if she knows
the truth. We can start training her to defend herself against supernatural
threats, and when she’s proved herself responsible enough, she can ask Dragon
for permission to become a nightshifter if she so chooses.”

Coming to a stop I told him, “I’m going to wait and see what
she has to say before I make any decisions.”

“A wise choice,” Rook commented and gestured towards his
apartment. As we started heading in that direction he said, “Now that you’re
awake, Dragon wants us to meet him and Serafina, along with Kalen and Claire in
The Dragon’s Lair.”

“Um, Rook...”

He turned to see that I’d stopped after only a few steps. “What
is it?”

“If Rachel is going to have her own apartment, where will I
be staying?”

His lips curved with a knowing smile as silver stars filled
his black eyes. How could silver or black, such cold colorless hues hold so
much heat, burn with so much passion?

I licked my lips and he began walking back towards me,
closing the distance between us slowly.

When he was only inches away he brushed his fingers down the
side of my face. His voice when he answered my question was low, sensual, like
a velvet caress that sent shivers up my spine. “With me.”

One hand went under my hair to the back of my head while the
other wrapped around my waist. “In my home.”

He pulled me closer until I was surrounded by his heat and
his lips were just a breath away from mine. “In my bed, every night for the
rest of our lives.”

His soft lips brushed mine then pressed harder as his tongue
tangled with mine and his arm brought me flush against his body. He was
aroused, so hard and ready under those worn leather pants. All I had to do was
say the word and he’d have us both gasping for breath in orgasmic pleasure.

But even as moist heat rushed to my loins, I knew my body
needed a break after everything we’d done the night before. Withdrawing from
the kiss I rested my forehead against his chest and tried to catch my breath.

Smoothing his hand over my hair Rook told me, “Claire left
some herbal tea that she promised would take care of any aches and pains you
might be feeling today.”

I looked up and smiled at him. “How do you always know what
I need without me having to say a word?”

“When you care enough about someone it’s easy to see what
they need,” he said, then added, “It also doesn’t hurt to have a psychic giving
you advice once in a while.”

We both laughed, then we went inside to make some tea and
get ready to meet the others at The Dragon’s Lair.

We didn’t talk any more about me moving in with him, but
then we didn’t need to. I knew how he felt about me and I knew he wanted me to
be his
anai
. The only thing standing in our way was me. Was I ready to
give him the commitment he was asking for? When I tried to picture living even
one day without him I knew there was only one answer to that question.

Tonight I would tell Rook what he already knew, but needed
to hear me say. I would tell him how I feel and show him that I was through
wasting time. After tonight nothing and no one would ever come between me and
Rook again.

When we arrived at The Dragon’s Lair we did the meet and
greet thing then everyone sat down and we ordered our food.

Kalen was an attractive man who looked about my age with
darkly tanned skin and shoulder length jet black hair. All through dinner he
and Claire talked and laughed like old friends happy to see each other after a
long time apart. More than once Dragon scowled at them but then Serafina drew
his attention with a humorous comment or what I suspected was a wandering hand
under the table.

After the dishes were cleared Kalen told Rook, “We’ll need
to be on our way soon.”

Rook inclined his head and replied, “I’m ready when you are.”

“Would it be possible for me to go with you?” I asked.

Rook opened his mouth but before he could answer Claire
said, “I think that would be a wonderful idea.”

Everyone at the table besides me and Serafina looked at her
sharply but it was Kalen who spoke next. “You must understand that to many of
our kind humans are lower beings hardly worth our notice. If you accompany us
tonight, you will not be allowed to speak. No matter what you see or hear, you
must not say a word. If you interrupt the proceedings in any way, Sa’jon will
be punished severely.”

Proceedings?
He made it sound like Rook would be on
trial.

Looking from him to Rook I knew that whatever was happening
tonight was a lot more serious than Rook had led me to believe.

Meeting Kalen’s eyes I said, “I understand, and I still want
to be there.” Especially if Claire thought it was a wonderful idea. What did
she know that the rest of us didn’t?

Kalen inclined his head then spoke to Rook in their native
tongue. A few moments later we all said our goodbyes and Rook asked me to join
him for a walk on the beach.

Once we were alone with only the torchlight and rolling surf
nearby I rounded on him and demanded to know, “What aren’t you telling me Rook?”

He scrubbed his hands over his face then fell back onto a
bench. “I’ve been accused of breaking our laws. I don’t know the specifics, but
Adan is the one who made the accusation. He will be there tonight.”

My whole body shuddered at the thought of seeing Adan again.

Rook noticed of course, but all he said was, “I don’t think
it’s a good idea for you to come with us. Kalen will do all he can to help me
but there are four other Elders and a majority vote rules. If I am somehow
found guilty I will be taken into custody immediately and you will be left in a
demon realm without me. Not even Kalen will be able to guarantee your safety.”

“I will not let you face this alone Rook. Whatever I have to
endure I want to be there for you.”

“You are the most stubborn woman I have ever met,” he told
me, his eyes full of love and wonder.

Going down on my knees in front of him I said, “I’m not
stubborn, I’m in love, and this is what you do for people you love. I will
stand by your side tonight because I love you Rook, and I can’t imagine my life
without you.”

He pulled me up into his lap and kissed me. It was a long
passionate kiss full of love and the fear we both felt that this might be our
last few moments together. When he drew back he breathed, “I love you Angela,
with my heart and soul, I love you.”

“I love you Rook, and when we come home tonight, I want you
to make me your
anai
.”

He brushed my hair back from my face and searched my eyes. “Are
you sure?”

I nodded with tears running down my face. “I’ve never been
more sure of anything in my entire life.”

He rested his forehead against mine and whispered something
in his language.

“What did you say just now?”

He gave me a small smile. “I asked the Goddess to help us
through this night so that all my dreams may finally come true.”

“Don’t worry Rook, I have a feeling she’s already looking
out for us. Between her and Claire, I’m sure we’ll make it through whatever the
Elders have up their sleeves.”

He kissed me again then rose to his feet and took my hand. “I
hope you’re right Angela, because if you’re not, this is going to be a night
neither one of us wants to remember.”

With that grim truth in the front of our minds we met up
with Kalen and we all prepared to face the rest of the Elders and Adan. I knew
it would be difficult to see him again, but my gut told me I had to be there.
Something deep inside me knew that our future together depended on my being
there tonight. I couldn’t explain the feeling, but as I’d learned since the
night of The Gateway bombing, not everything could be explained. Sometimes you
just had to believe and take a leap of faith.

* * * * *