Dark Destiny: Book One of the Destiny Novella Series (Destiny Novellas 1) (14 page)

“No! Dammit, he still has it!” Poppy scrambled to her feet and tore out the door after him as chaos erupted outside.

“Poppy!” Dahlia stood and tripped over her dress, cursing fluidly as she fell and fought with the material that had twisted around her legs.

“Go get her,” Lily yelled as Dahlia finally managed to regain her feet. The pounding in her head returned with a fury as she used the last bit of energy she possessed to make it to the door.

Dahlia ran from the building as Lily slumped just outside it, her body refusing to support her. For the second time in less than a month, she heard Bennett Duschesne calling to her from afar, felt his aura as he fell beside her, heard the desperate beating of his heart as he pulled her close against him. And for the first time since leaving his house earlier in the day—had it been only a few hours?—she was finally warm.

CHAPTER TWENTY

When Lily blinked and pulled herself from sleep, she was disoriented. The room was dim, as though approaching either dawn or dusk, the bed was soft as a cloud, and she was wrapped in someone’s arms, blissfully warm. The pain from the bruises on her battered body had receded to a dull, distant ache that was far more manageable than it had been. She focused on her hand, again in a splint, which lay comfortably sprawled on a broad chest. The scent of clean laundry, a blindingly white t-shirt, and a smell that was so uniquely him she would know it anywhere invaded her senses like a gentle breeze. She flexed her fingers, feeling the muscles beneath them react as she lifted her eyes to Bennett’s face, inches from her own.

“Hi,” he whispered, a gentle smile turning the corners of his mouth.

“You look tired,” she murmured.

“Maybe a little.” He skimmed her cheek with his knuckles, closing his eyes and placing a kiss on her forehead. “You scared me.”

“What time is it?”

“Almost seven.”

“A.m. or p.m.?”

“P.m.”

She blinked. “I slept all day?”

“You slept for two days.”

Anxiety crept up her spine. She was so tired of feeling afraid. “Are my sisters ok? My family?”

“Yeah.” He traced his finger down her nose and across her lips. “Everybody’s fine, and Ronnie is awake.”

“She is?” Lily’s eyes burned and he thumbed away a tear before it could get too far.

He nodded. “Responding well to medication, can probably start rehab in about a week or two.”

Her mind stirred, then, swirling with questions. “What happened at the mausoleum?”

“A lot. Do you feel like eating anything? Hungry at all? I can bring you something.”

“I’m a little thirsty.”

Bennett rolled onto his back, reaching for a water bottle on the side table. She sat up slowly, took a drink and swished it around in her mouth, starting to feel human again. “Where is everyone?”

“Your sisters took Mimi to dinner. She’s been at the hospital night and day. Between Ronnie and then you, I was afraid the poor woman would have a stroke.”

Lily smiled. “Mimi never has strokes.” She settled back into the covers and lay on her side, reaching for his hand and then frowning at the splint. She pulled the velcro straps loose and slid her hand out, lacing her fingers with his and not even caring that she was sore. “Ok. Tell me everything.”

“Jeremy had put a tracker on the limo, so we knew where you were without having to follow too closely. Took the driver into custody before he could notify Othello that we were there. And we waited, and waited, and waited. And it nearly killed me.”

He swallowed and shook his head. “When we got to the mausoleum and one of the rookie cops saw Othello with his hand around Poppy’s neck, he shot him, hit his shoulder. Jeremy was furious—the kid could have hit Poppy by mistake. So Othello took off running, and Poppy went after him. She says she caught up to him, saw that he was losing blood, told him to give her the talisman. He refused and ran off, didn’t say anything else to her.”

“You don’t believe her?” Frankly, neither did Lily. There was something weird now between her sister and the
bokor
, and Lily knew Othello didn’t like it. She doubted very much he would have run off without saying
something
of significance to Poppy, even if it was only to tell her to stay the hell away from him and the talisman.

“She’s sticking to her story. She wasn’t hurt, that’s the important thing.”

“Where’s Othello?”

Bennett lifted a shoulder. “Gone. Vanished.” He frowned. “And I’m not happy about that. He could resurface any time.”

Lily bit her lip. “You know we did a blood pact, I assume?”

His features tightened. “Yeah.”

“So he can’t hurt us. We’ll be ok.”

“He can find you anywhere in the world. So whenever he decides he needs one of you for something, you’re at risk. He knows now what your skills are, each of you.”

Lily frowned. “I don’t think he knows about Dahlia. He never mentioned anything about her premonitions.”

“Regardless. I don’t like it.”

“It’ll be ok. Maybe he’ll just call someday for a little reunion at the mausoleum. We’ll have a picnic and reminisce about old times.”

Bennett closed his eyes and muttered something she couldn’t quite make out.

“I’m good, Bennett. I feel tons better and even though he’s still out there, I really don’t think we’re in danger from him anymore.” She kissed lifted their clasped hands and kissed his. “No worries.”

“Lily, I died a thousand times that night. I was so afraid for you and beyond pissed that I couldn’t step in, couldn’t do a damn thing. I’m never going through that again. You have to marry me.”

She blinked. “What?”

“I want you legally tied to me. I want you in my bed every night. I want to grow old at your side and be with you until you’re sick of me and make me go golfing or something so you can play canasta with your sisters.”

“That’s weird. I don’t even know what canasta is.” Her heart thumped and a giddy sense of joy spread through her, starting in her heart and winding its way through her limbs until she was filled with it.

“Please.”

“Not very romantic, you know. What’s a girl supposed to do with a proposal like that?”

He winced. “I know. I had much bigger plans.”

She laughed and pulled her fingers from his, laying her palm alongside his cheek, feeling the tears return and glad that this time they weren’t from pain or fear. “Yes, yes, a million times yes. I’ve loved you for a very long time.”

He closed his eyes and sighed. “Thank you,” he said and then looked at the ceiling. “Thank you very much.”

She laughed again through her tears. “I never pegged you for a praying man, Bennett Duschesne.”

“I am from now on. Promised to go to church and everything if you said ‘yes.’”

She smiled. “I guess we’d better make sure you have some shirts pressed, then.”

He grinned at her, and it nearly took the breath from her lungs. He lowered his head and captured her lips with his, deepening the kiss as she responded and pulling her close against him. She sighed as he trailed his lips softly along her jaw and across her neck. She would have time later to visit Ronnie, to hug Mimi and her sisters, to make plans for rebuilding the Bohemian Boutique. For now, this was everything, and it was perfect. The family legacy, her destiny, plans for a wedding—it could all wait.

She threaded her fingers through his hair as he brought his mouth back to hers and she realized with a sense of delight that sometimes it was nice to not think about anything at all. The world could wait while she relished what she’d hoped for since the moment a sexy co-ed had asked her about her unique last name.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Dahlia Bordeaux sat back in her seat on the flight to Boston next to her sister, Poppy. She was exhausted to the bone, unsettled from recent events, but happy that her older sister, Lily, was engaged to the man she loved and was thrilled about it.

It wasn’t every day a person battled with a
bokor
and lived to tell about it. But it wasn’t done, it still left a flutter in her stomach that Dahlia didn’t appreciate. Othello hadn’t been captured for his attempt on Lily’s life—far from it. He’d escaped, and now was tied to the three sisters in a way she wasn’t sure any of them fully comprehended.

She glanced at Poppy, who leaned back in her seat and prepared to put her ear phones in.

“You ok?” Dahlia asked.

Poppy nodded and touched a spot behind her ear. “I’m wearing my patch. No throwing up for me.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Poppy took a breath. “I’m good. I swear.”

“What did he say to you outside the mausoleum? For real.”

“Nothing. Really. I would tell you.” She smiled, but there was something in her eyes that was…off. Poppy was notorious for trying to keep the family from worrying about her. She took care of everyone else, it was a role she’d perfected when Lily had left home for college.

“You’re not telling me everything. You know it and I know it. And this isn’t the end of it.”

Poppy rolled her eyes and put her earphones on. As the plane filled up with people shoving bags that were much too big into overhead compartments that were much too small, Poppy eventually closed her eyes and shut Dahlia out completely.

Dahlia sighed, tense. She rolled her head around and massaged the back of her neck, knowing she’d have to see the chiropractor in a few days. She was active, fit, and toned, and prided herself on her ability to hold her own in a street fight. Not that it happened too often. But she was ready, stayed ready. She’d been ten years old when her parents had been murdered, and it had defined her motivation since. Relaxing was hard for her, as a consequence, and she’d come to know her chiropractor on a first-name basis. He and his wife had named her as their first child’s godmother.

She couldn’t very well force Poppy to tell her what had transpired between her and the
bokor
in those final moments outside the mausoleum, and she was going to have to let it go. Dahlia had always called Lily a control freak, but if she had to be honest, that mantle probably settled better on her own shoulders.

Lily had completely turned off her paranormal abilities when their parents had died, and Dahlia had embraced them to the hilt. Honed her strength, stayed vigilant, fine-tuned her premonitions of the future when they flew at her out of nowhere. It hadn’t worked so well in New Orleans, though, and that scared her. Her visions had been scarce, and hardly of any use at all. She was going to have to do something about that.

She glanced at Poppy and felt a sudden sense of loneliness as the passengers settled into place and the plane taxied toward the runway. She watched the flight attendants go through the motions of routines they’d done a thousand times, heard a toddler two rows back scream for a piece of candy, and closed her eyes as she settled her own earphones into place. Lily had Bennett, and she was genuinely happy for her sister. Poppy was no longer the little sister Dahlia could boss around, and Mimi was staying behind in New Orleans to be with Ronnie while she healed. Dahlia was a tense bundle of nerves and she felt absolutely isolated.

It was just as well. She didn’t have time for a man or even a best friend. She had a lot on her plate and it kept her busy. And busy was good.

It kept the fear at bay…