Destiny: A Hunter's Novel, Book 3 (9 page)

“Dear doubt, you wore out a path to my door, And it’s needless to say that there’s no way that I want you here. Dear doubt, please just go. You’ve been chasing me too long, so please just go.”

-
Michael Schulte
, Dear Doubt

“Every connection I’ve ever had has come with consequences.”

It was Anie’s voice but it sounded smokier than usual. I opened my eyes to orange and yellow creeping in around the closed curtain. I could tell the sun was setting.

Anie had woke me up with her pain and I wouldn’t have it any other way. She wasn’t screaming at least, but she was staring in a vacant-like state at the ceiling of Michael’s bedroom.

“Not with me,” I said groggily, from under the covers of Michael’s bed.

“With you, maybe the biggest. I never would’ve met Fitzroy had we not been friends. Had I turned down your offer to be part of your group, I never would’ve known him.”

I knew she was speaking honestly from a fathomless dark chasm of pain.

“I should’ve gone after Fitzroy. I’m sorry.”

“I thought you should’ve at first, too, but I realize now that Fitzroy should’ve loved me enough not to leave. I’m angry at him. I’m angry at the world…mostly, though, I’m angry at myself.”

I was glad she was talking, but her words echoed hollow. Absent was the anger she spoke of.

“He was just trying to build a life outside of this one. If he had a pack, you two would always have a place.”

“Or be fighting for one.”

She was right. But even if she was right, I wasn’t about to tell her that.

“Why are you mad at yourself?”

“I should’ve gone with him. But I was too worried about you. Then again, maybe Fitz should’ve stayed to comfort me instead of forging a war against his father alone.”

She had the same case of what ifs, only a hundred times worse, as I had when Alewar died. While I understood her pain, I didn’t think comforting her was the right thing to do at that moment.

“What do you need me to do?”

“Change the world. I can hear the meeting downstairs, you should probably go down.”

“I’m not going if you need me. I’ll stay.”

“You’re better than that. As much as I need you, Mastema needs a slap in the face more.”

“Are you going to be able to stand with me when I go against him?” I asked, but already knew the answer.

“No. I want to be there for you, I would give you everything I have, but if I stood there and I was forced to watch you die too…I may as well die with you.”

Her spoken words were my silent fears. I was glad she was being honest, but I felt that pang of fear that I couldn’t look too closely at, not if I wanted to succeed against Mastema.

“I’ll go downstairs. I’ll do my duty for the Greater Good. But I’ll be back up afterwards.”

“Okay.”

“Any ideas who should take your place?”

“No.”

She was scaring me. She had none of the Anie-fire I’d come to know and love. I stood up and stretched my back. I felt exhausted. Even though I’d slept it had been fitful. I could also feel the exhaustion the meeting downstairs would, no doubt, bring.

As I left Michael’s bedroom, I closed the door behind me. Part of me saying I did it so Anie wouldn’t have to hear the arguments from below; the other louder part of me knowing I closed it because I was afraid that when I came back she’d be gone. The door clicked shut and I tried to keep the fear I felt for Anie locked tightly away.

When I reached the steps down, I found Cade sitting at the bottom, resting his head on the wall next to him. When he heard me coming, he stood and turned to face me.

I put my hand on his shoulder.

“I wanted to come up, but Michael said that you were both resting.” The silent questions were pouring from him:
Is Anie okay? Is Fitz really gone? What are we going to do?

“Can you go sit with her?” Answering all the questions he had silently asked me.

I was being selfish and selfless in that moment. I needed to have as much backing in the meeting as I could, but I also wanted someone to stay with Anie in case she needed something. I put the ball in Cade’s court and let him choose.

“Of course.”

I knew before I’d asked what he’d choose, and I was happy he’d made that choice. Cade made his way up the stairs.

I heard a question through the swinging door that led to the main area of the pub. It was yelled over the murmur of quieter conversations.

“How do we know she is the one the Prophecy has spoken of? We’ve never seen her until now. Who’s to say she can do anything?”

“Are you questioning me?” It was my Granddad’s voice holding menace.

“Not questioning you, Fergus. Just questioning if you know what she’s capable of. We heard what happened with her and the dark magic.”

I decided it was time to speak up. I opened the swinging door to a room heavy with magic and skepticism. There were people at every table, as well as others standing against the walls. It was musty with too many people pressed together.

Michael noticed me enter and nodded his head to me. His motion didn’t go unnoticed. The room’s eyes fell on me, including my Granddad’s. I frowned, looking for my rock, but he found me first. Az put his hand on my back and nudged me forward. I didn’t turn to him, I kept focused on the room around me.

“I can’t tell you if I’m the Prophecy come to life. I don’t know. But I know what I can do, I do have power.”

“We all do. What makes you special?”

I recognized the voice as that of the man who’d challenged my Granddad. I made my way over to where he sat, the others sitting with him backed away. It was a good move, since I had no idea what sort of magic this particular mix of supernatural wielded.

As I got closer to him I could see he was a beefy man, but had soft facial features. He had dark black hair on almost every part of body I could see and grey eyes that sat in stark contrast to the rest of him. He was a strange mix of man and beauty.

“Who are you?” I asked him when I finally stood firmly in front of him.

“Keenan. Roma Keenan.”

“Well, Keenan. I’m,” I turned in a circle around the room, making eye contact with anyone looking at me. “Delaney Hinders.”

I knew by the reaction my name was known but not my face. Every eye was round, every mouth moving to the closest ear to them.

“I know you’ve all heard the Prophecy.
The one who could rule them all.
” I paused. It had been the first time I’d spoken the meat of the Prophecy aloud. “And Keenan is right, I did fall for the dark magic of Mastema’s book.”

My eyes went directly to my Granddad’s. There was a proud twinkle to them that sent my own pride to the front.

“I have mixed blood from every lineage, including Hunter. I was the one no one saw coming. No one except my Mother.”

I dropped my eyes to the uneven wooden floor in front of me. I had never gotten much of a chance to know my Mother, so speaking of her in front of strangers who, some at least, had known her, was difficult. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I met Serafine’s eyes as she stood behind me, giving me quiet support. She squeezed my shoulder and walked to stand behind the bar with Michael.

I didn’t know if her support would help or hurt me in the room I stood. I didn’t know how many knew about her Mating with Mastema or if they felt as hateful about Angels as Michael, her own flesh and blood, did.

I knew what I was going to do when I’d walked up to Roma Kennan. I had to show, not tell. They would need to see for themselves what I could do.

“Everyone please step back.” Keenan got up to move back but I put my hand up. “Not you Keenan.” When the group didn’t immediately move, my Granddad stepped up to us.

“Do as she says.” I could tell by the look on Roma Keenan’s face that he didn’t want to listen, but did anyway. Most likely because my Granddad, whether formal or not, sat in a position of power.

Keenan sat down slowly. When I was satisfied with the room I’d been given, I turned back around to the grumpy looking man in front of me. I focused on the man who had challenged my Granddad’s authority. He had an air of shifter and I could feel it at the front. He wanted to shift. If there hadn’t been so many surrounding us in the small tavern, I might have encouraged him to.

I tentatively thought of how I’d felt when Mastema had taken Alewar from me. I didn’t want to enrage myself and lose control.

As my anger took hold, I felt a spice in Keenan’s magic. I had only tasted this magic one other place, and that was the night the witches had purged me of the dark magic. Shifter and Witch. I pulled from my anger and let the magic take hold.

My body popped and snapped, but there was no pain. I just knew that I was shifting into something else. I thought of the joke I had made about Michael being a kitten, and felt myself get smaller. I was close to the ground, everything was void of color. My vibrant world was black and white and I could smell the tavern’s floor remnants: beer, old food and feet.

I opened my mouth to make a comment to Keenan and a squeaked meow came out. Keenan’s eyes were saucers. I wondered if he could shift into different forms, so I tried it out.

I pictured a polar bear with dirty white fur and a big black nose. The change happened almost instantly. I was about eye level with everyone now. I could see color again and Keenan’s face was bright red. He looked a bit angry so I roared in his face. He backed up, losing his red color.

I let go of the shifter magic and hung on tightly to the zesty Witch magic, slowly coming back to myself. I tapped into the lessons my Granddad had given me on my Witch roots and how to control it and mold it the way I needed it to. Control of Witch magic was a lot like being a grateful child to Mother Earth. Witch magic was more basic than that of other supernaturals.

I asked the magic to allow me to move water between my hands. I watched as water formed in my palms and I threw it between my open palms, like a tiny wave in a bottle. It was amazing. I was so lost to the feeling that I missed the looks of awe and appreciation. As well as the look of outright indignation Keenan was giving me. I dropped the magic, as well as the water. I dried my hands on the two day old jeans I was wearing.

“You are the Prophecy.”

Keenan seemed resigned. I simply nodded. Nothing else needed to be said.

A woman, that had the same blue eyes and red hair as Serafine, stepped close to me, pushing my hair out of my face in a motherly way.

“Those who believe and want to help will. I know I will.” She looked over my shoulder at Serafine, wetness clinging tightly to her eyes. She hugged me, whispering in my ear, “Thank you for giving my family back to me.” She pulled back and I knew then that this had to be Serafine’s Mother.

I turned to my Granddad.

“You all know Fergus.” I waived my hand at my Granddad where he stood next to Serafine, Michael, Az and my Dad behind the bar. I knew they were giving me support, but they looked like they were part of a lineup. “He will give you instructions on what needs to be done.”

I’d instructed my Granddad to get everyone’s cell phone numbers so I could tell them when to gather, as well as to give the strongest witches special instructions. They were key to helping me win the battle – them and Serafine. He was also to tell everyone who volunteered where we would meet when the time came.

I considered for a moment asking Michael to be a part of my plan, but I didn’t want to do that to Serafine. If Mastema killed Michael, then she would never be able to forgive him. I would have to stand without Anie. But at least I had the support of some in the town.

I met Az’s eyes and smiled. He came to me and wrapped me in his embrace. He was almost a normal temperature now. The warmth I felt when he touched me was completely from my own blood heating up for him. I wondered if we’d still be Mated since everything that happened with him not being a Demon anymore and the spell I’d cast.

Az pulled me from my thoughts and the bar.

We walked for what seemed like forever in silence, simply holding hands. I knew I had work to do, but I couldn’t work if I wasn’t rested. The quiet comfort was helping center me. I realized my center didn’t even exist anymore. It was probably floating out in space somewhere. Az finally stopped at a grassy field. There was a waterfall I could hear and smell but not see in the dark. The moon stood brightly in the sky with the company of the stars. Az sat on the dewy grass.

I could see the playful smile on his face. Before I sat I allowed the moment to sink in. Although there was a lot of uncertainty in my life, there was also a lot of things to be thankful for: my Dad, my Granddad, Anie, Cade, Serafine, Michael, and mostly Az.

Azrael, Angel of balance and enforcement of that balance had chosen me before he’d even met me. I felt unworthy of such love, but thankful that he gave it to me so freely. Lord knows I needed it.

I plopped down on the grass next to Az. He laid back, pulling me with him. I propped my head on his chest, and rolled to my side, trying to get close to him without actually laying on top of him.

We had lain like this so many times before, but I had never felt more thankful. I was glad we got the chance to do this again. Hopefully we’d have countless other chances, but I knew what we were facing.