Destiny: A Hunter's Novel, Book 3 (4 page)

“Let me go, I don’t want to be your hero, I don’t want to be a big man, Just wanna fight like everyone else.”

-
Family of the Year
, Hero

I rubbed the compass marked into my skin, and it warmed. A spinning hand appeared and pointed to J, for my Father Janesh. I figured he would be the best to locate first. It would allow my Granddad and him to speak before everyone arrived.

I could feel Cade near my Dad too. I pulled them toward me with a thought. My Dad and Cade appeared in the living room next to my Granddad’s recliner in a swish of air. My Dad was holding a coffee cup that clattered to the ground, while Cade was still in a sitting position with a mouthful of food. Cade waivered, almost falling on his butt, then stood to his full height and smiled at me, the little shit looked pleased without a hint of shock. My Granddad simply looked up and smiled, swigging back more of his whiskey. I made a face at Cade then looked at my Dad.

“Delaney? Thank God.” My Dad pulled me off the couch, my feet dangling off the floor, and hugged me to him. I knew I wasn’t
that
heavy but my Dad was no spring chicken, either.

“Janesh. Good to see you,” My Granddad said as I was being put back down on the ground.

“Fergus?”

“In the flesh.” My Granddad got up and hugged my Father. My Dad didn’t hesitate to return the embrace.

A part I hadn’t even realized was broken, even after the Black Shadow was gone, had healed with just that little hug.

“Granddad, this is Cade.” I had already explained who Cade was to me, so my Granddad didn’t pause and went right from my Dad to Cade, hugging him just as tightly.

“Uh, nice to meet you Sir.” Cade didn’t know what to do with my Granddad, patting him on the back uncomfortably. I laughed.

“No formalities. You can call me Fergus.”

“Yes, Sir.”

I could still hear them talking, but I was focused on the compass on my arm. I found Anie and Fitz in my apartment. I pulled them next.

I refused to think about why I was holding off on finding Az. I thought I’d find him in the apartment with Anie, but he wasn’t there. I didn’t want to find him because I was scared. What if he’d found someone else? I knew I’d only been out of his presence for almost 24 hours, but that was the way Demons were. Their lust could drive them very quickly. I almost gagged thinking about Az with another woman, but instead swallowed it with another drink of whiskey.

Anie and Fitz were in an embrace when they appeared. Anie pushed back realizing, before Fitz, that they were now in a stranger’s living room. Anie finally spotted me on the couch with my drink, and frowned.

“Drinking already?”

I looked at my watch, realizing how late/early it was. It was 4:00 a.m. in Miami, which meant it was 9:00 a.m. where we were now.

“Why not?”

Anie studied me for a moment longer, then realized what no one else had – or maybe they had noticed but had the decency not to mention it.

“Where’s Az?”

“He was supposed to be with
you
at our…the apartment.”

“He was, but he left. Said he had something to do.”

Or
someone
I thought. Oh how the doubt was eating me. And even though I was filled with doubt, I would rather doubt than know definitively that he was with someone else.

I guess it was time. I rubbed the compass once again and felt warmth. I had missed him. Did I have to feel his warmth even through this connection? I pulled him. And when he appeared, he was in the middle of zipping up his fly. My eyes froze on him and I felt ill again. I drank the rest of the whiskey and fought the wet emotion that was trying to claw its way out of my body any way that it could.

“You better be putting that thing away because you just took a leak.” Cade had been the one to speak.

“It’s none of your business. And you are?...”

“Cade. Laney’s best friend,” He said not missing a beat.

“Second best friend.” Anie chimed. My group must’ve figured out what the sacrifice I’d made had been. Fitz still had his arm wrapped protectively around Anie’s waist and I envied her.

Cade and Az knew each other but it had all been in relation to us as a couple. I guess he had lost more than I realized. He had lost more than just me.

“Can everyone leave us please?” I waived my Granddad over before they left the room, “Can you show everyone to their rooms?”

“Sure thing, Lass.” He smelled like whiskey, the sea and warmth.

“You are a Demon.” Az said to my Granddad.

“Or an Angel, depending on who you ask, but only a little. But I am much older than you.”

Az opened his mouth to speak again, but I put my hand up.

“Sit down Az.” He reluctantly did as I’d asked. Everyone else followed my Granddad up the stairs to the house with unlimited possibilities. I finally turned to Az once we were alone.

“Have you had sex with anyone since I put the protection spell on you?” I had to know. The knowledge would either break me or help me. But I had to know.

“Why do you want to know, Laney? Why were we acting as though we were together in front of Mastema? I’m missing something and I don’t like it.”

“You’re right. It’s not my business. I shouldn’t’ have asked. We played the game to protect ourselves. And you are missing a piece of the puzzle, but you have to find it for yourself. No one can hand it to you.”

I got up to leave. I needed out of the house. Just for a moment. Away from Az’s heat and searching eyes. Away from our forgotten love.

I sat down on the patio chair furthest from the door. I took a deep breath, smelled the sea and felt comforted. Maybe it was coming back to my roots, but this place made me feel untouchable. I knew that was stupid to believe, but I let the feeling wash over me.

I heard the door open, and Az stepped out. He sat down on the other patio chair, and put his feet up on an old stool that sat in front of him. He clasped his hands on his head.

“I went to search for a woman, got her to bed but couldn’t screw her. I saw your face and I couldn’t go through with it. I don’t know what happened, but I feel like it’s just out of my grasp, like I’m living my life in a constant déjà vu moment.” He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. When I was brave enough to look over, I could see more of him. I wanted to wrap my arms around him. “I want to reach for
you
,” He said quietly.

Azrael had no idea the things he was doing to me with this little confession. He had such a kind heart, so much so that he had pulled back from having meaningless sex because
something
was telling him not to. Maybe it was someone. Maybe Kai was keeping an eye out for me. It had been his spell, after all.

“Thank you for being honest with me Azrael.”

“That’s all you’re going to give me?!” He stood up, pulling at his hair now.

“You have to figure this out for yourself. I’m sorry.” And I was. If I helped him in any way to remember who I’d really been to him then I’d lose him for good.

Az huffed his way into the house, with quick loud footfalls, and a pull and slam of the front door. I sat and laughed humorlessly. My life was such a mess. Every turn brought me to a new level of screwed up.

I leaned back in my chair, relaxing. I hadn’t slept in almost twenty four hours. I was beat. I closed my eyes and let the cool morning breeze carry me to dreams of angry Devils.

“And there are times I know when I will have to chase you, And the further from my side you go, the longing grows, And I will hate it, I still want you, Cause even when the flower dies something’s by its side, A helping hand or a kiss goodbye, to ease it on its way…”

-
James Vincent McMorrow
, And if My Heart Should Somehow Stop

Someone kicked my foot. My dreams had finally faded from Mastema to become less menacing. I had been dreaming about a field of wildflowers. It was beautiful. My Mother had been there talking to me but I couldn’t remember what she’d said. Then Serafine had shown up looking upset. I had been pulled from the dream a moment later with a second kick to my foot.

“She might be hung over, you should go get some painkillers and water.”

“Shee cahn get ‘er own pahn killers.” It was Anie and Fitz. They sounded like two concerned parents.

“Do you want to get laid? Of course you do. Then go get what I asked.” I was smiling before I opened my eyes.

“You should give him a break.” I said.

“You’re lucky he didn’t just see that smile on your face. He would’ve made you go get your own stuff.”

“You would’ve made him go still.”

Anie just sat, looking pleased with herself.

“You okay?”

“Of course I am. Mastema? Not so much. He’s pissed at me. I guess pissed off is too light a term for what I did. I enraged him. That’s it. Enraged,” I recalled the way he’d looked when I brought up Serafine. “You should’ve seen him. It was insanity personified.”

“There’ve been earthquakes and tsunamis all over the globe.”

“I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth.”

“What’s done is done.”

My stomach rumbled when Fitz came outside with a glass of water and a handful of pills. Apparently, he was trying to kill me. I picked out four, because I still had a fast immune system, and took them. He took the rest of the pills and threw them in the grass in the front yard.

“Fitz, can you go get everyone together for me? Let’s meet in the conference room. Start with Fergus, and ask him to show everyone where the conference room is at.”

I knew, currently, my Granddad didn’t have a conference room, but with Fitz posing such a question, he would know I needed one.

“Nah prahblem Prophacy.”

Fitz kissed Anie and went inside.

“Anie, I need you to do something, along with my Granddad. I know this will be difficult, but I need you to do this for me.”

“You know I’ve got your back.”

Twenty minutes later Fitz returned to get Anie and I for the meeting. He had told me my Granddad had the biggest, most opulent conference room he’d ever seen. He had no idea how the house was still so small on the outside. He had even walked around the house to see the outside windows of the room, only to find there were none. Tricky Witch my Granddad was.

The conference room had an oversized conference table that sat twenty, along with old overstuffed wood and leather chairs. There was also a large chandelier hanging from a wood pillar in the ceiling. It was amazing. I really was going to have to learn a few of my Granddad’s tricks.

I walked to the front of the conference room, everyone sat at the table, including my Granddad. I didn’t sit this time. I had too much to get off my chest.

“As you all have heard by now, I have severely pissed off Mastema. I mean, we are talking earthquakes and tsunamis, avalanches. I royally fucked up.” I paced at the head of the table. “I have to figure out a way to fix this. And I need ears while I figure it out.”

I moved to stand across the table from where Fitz sat.

“Fitzy, I’m going to ask you for a big thing, and I need you to be honest with me and tell me everything of what’s happening.”

“Yar mah leader, I will tell yah everyting truthfully.” And he crossed his heart. Bless him for thinking that was enough for me.

“You will swear on your Mate.” Fitzroy froze and I knew he hadn’t been planning on telling me the whole truth or everything.

“I wahl naht swear on such a sacred ting.”

“Hell yes you will. That is my best friend standing there. If something happens to her, you might as well bury me too.” Fitz’s eyes widened and I could tell he had been expecting Anie to back him.

He had no idea the depth of my commitment to my inner circle and vice versa. He was only a part of the inner circle because of Anie, otherwise he wouldn’t have even been there.

“I swear on my Mate,” Fitz spit out, realizing he’d been beat.

“I need you to tell me if you hear anything from Mastema’s side of the fence. Any inkling about what he’s planning on doing
–
anything.
”

“Dahn.”

“Anie, I need you to keep tabs on the Weres, Vamps, Drovers.”

“I got it.”

“Dad, Cade, I need you to make sure the Hunters are ready for the Demon influx that is, if not already, going to happen.”

“We’re already tapped with the last wave of them, but we’ll make sure we’re prepared,” Dad said. Cade nodded his head gravely.

I hadn’t realized how bad it’d been for the Hunters recently. I may not have been a Hunter anymore but it didn’t mean that they hadn’t once been my people. I still cared.

“Az, you’ll be translating the book with me.”

“Why are you still going forward with that?” Cade asked.

“I’m hoping I can use it as leverage.”

Everyone looked like they were ready to roll.

“One last thing. Thank you. No matter what happens, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you all.”

“Why does that feel like good bye?” Az asked astutely.

“You never know.”

Mastema was definitely gunning for us, and if not us then at least me. I had to make sure I’d thanked them for everything. My family had done nothing but protect and support me. I would’ve been in a much worse spot without them.

“Let’s get this party started.” I clapped, dismissing everyone.

Fitz and Anie had their heads together at the table. Fitz’s face was red and Anie looked ticked. She was looking straight ahead while Fitz was growling something in her ear.

Fitz stood up abruptly, picked up the candlestick from the conference table and threw it at the window behind him. The candlestick bounced off. That pissed Fitz off even more and he left, shifting on his way out of the conference room. I was standing with my mouth open, shocked. I had never seen Fitzroy act like that.

“I knew that was a smart move,” My Granddad stood next to me.

“The candlestick or the window?” I asked.

“I put the candlestick on the table, because I figured it would be a high emotions meeting. Tossing something always makes me feel better. The window’s not real; it’s a reflection of the outside. He basically just tossed the candlestick at my magic.” My Grandfather was extremely pleased with himself.

“When are you going to show me some of those tricks?”

“You’ve got it in your blood. Haven’t you ever just wanted something to happen and it did?”

I nodded my head, recalling the chess table in Hell that I had willed to incinerate and it did. As well as the room I had willed into existence when fighting the Black Shadow. I had thought it’d been from the power I’d pulled from the surrounding supernaturals, but the room I had willed I now knew had been a result of my will and the Witch side of my family.

“It’s inconsistent, but yes.”

“You aren’t trained. You’ll get there. We’ll work on it.”

“That’s what we’ll do. Part of what we’ll work on daily.”

Not to mention it would be a good distraction. I had plenty of things I needed to accomplish before I came face to face with Mastema again, and no idea how long I had to get it all done.