Destiny United (2 page)

“Fuck! I should’ve known this wouldn’t go well. Look,
just calm down. I know Marcelo isn’t Mr. Personality but he won’t hurt you.”
Erin continued to breathe raggedly into the receiver.
“Slow down,
Dot. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth. Marcelo will take
care of you. I promise. You can trust him with your very life. Just calm down.”

“I’m…trying…”

“Hey, remember when I punched that kid Joey in the face
cause he called you a freak? The principle was going to expel me but you convinced
him my fist had Tourettes.”

Erin choked on a laugh but the distraction seemed to calm
her enough to listen to reason. Though Marcelo could hear Sage as clearly as if
she were in the room, he kept his concentration on Erin’s eyes. They narrowed,
taking him in with skepticism as Sage described his appearance.
So mistrustful.
He supposed it was only fair. If she’d
had a life similar to Sage’s, then she had every right to be mistrustful. Once
Sage had confirmed who he was, relief washed over her features. Marcelo smiled
when her heart rate slowed to a steady pace. He hadn’t realized he’d been
holding his own breath until he finally exhaled.

“I’ll see you soon,” Sage said. “Miss you, Dot.”

“I…miss you too.”

She shut the phone then looked up at him with those big
brown eyes. No, not brown. Amber, with flecks of orange and black. Captivating.

“Will you speak to me now?”

She shook her head.

“Just one little word?” he coaxed with a half-smile.

She stared at her hands for a long moment, then inhaled
deeply and squeaked a meek, “Hi.”

He offered her a comforting smile. She scooted back an
inch.
Guess I need to work on that.
“You’re
going to have one hell of a hangover.”

She winced and nodded. Sage had been right, Erin was
timid. Then why had she been dancing on a bar table? He shrugged. Wasn’t his
problem.

“Come then. Let’s get you some coffee. I won’t be
bringing you to your sister half dead.”

She took his outstretched hand and he helped her off of
the bathroom floor.

“We need to treat your head wound as well. How do you
feel standing up? Are you dizzy?”

“I’m fine.” Her voice came out hoarse. She cleared it
with a cough.

“I think you’ll be okay. Coffee first. Then I’ll get ice
for your head.”

She nodded, pulling on her boots when he handed them to
her. Silently she followed him out the hotel door towards the 24 hour gas
station and snack shop across the street. Marcelo smiled to himself. Maybe this
would be easier than he’d thought. Although he was still confused and worried
that he hadn’t been able to
traverse
that night,
at least the girl followed directions. Not like her sister at all. He stepped
over a bum passed out against a garbage can. The store’s florescent lights
stood out against the black of night.

Outside the snack shop, Erin froze. “I’ll wait here,” she
said, her voice no more than a whisper.

He shook his head. “Not possible. You go where I go.”
Clearly she didn’t know the danger she was in. They’d be having a talk about
that later.

“Not in there.” She gestured to the store with her eyes.

“I’m not asking,” he said with a warning growl. Perhaps
he had spoken too soon about her willingness to follow his orders. Either way,
she needed to know that they would be doing things his way. And better to clear
that up right away.

“No!” She took one shaky step back.

What the hell is wrong with this girl? “Why not?” he demanded.

She didn’t answer but she tensed as if she were going to
flee.

“Damn it, tell me!”

She shook her head.

“If you won’t give me answers I’ll assume you’re being
difficult. In which case I’ll throw you over my shoulder and march you in there
myself.”

Her skin paled at least three shades. Her eyes turned to
saucers as air hissed in and out of her mouth. A wild heartbeat reverberated in
his ears. She smelled like fear.

Grasping Erin’s elbow he pulled her down an alley,
stopping under the brick building’s outside light. She leaned forward, bracing
herself with her hands on her knees, calming her breaths. Marcelo looked from
the store, to Erin’s face, then back again.

Realization struck. “Are you having a panic attack?” he
asked.

She cringed and nodded.

“Because of this store?”

Another nod.

“Only this store?”

She gazed up at him, auburn eyes peeking from under thick
lashes. Slowly she shook her head.

“Everywhere?” he asked, praying to gods she said no.

“Just about,” she answered.

He staggered back several steps. “Bloody hell!” He rubbed
his hand against his forehead as if soothing a headache. Only vampires didn’t
get headaches. “Bloody, bloody hell.”

***

I hate when they do that.

Erin watched the towering figure pace before her. He was
obviously irritated about her…disability. Most people were, once they found out
exactly what it meant. Erin had social anxiety. Anytime she was around new
people, she panicked. No grocery stores, no restaurants, and no shopping malls
for her. Not without alcohol. Lots of alcohol. Which was why she often drank.
It was the only time she felt free. Free of fear. Free of anxiety. She could be
herself. Well, a really loose, reckless, impulsive version of herself.

She trusted the man her sister had sent only because she
trusted her sister.
I wonder if he knows she’s not my
real sister
.
Sage and Erin had spent several years in the same
foster home as children. They were the closest thing either of them had to family.
And they’d fiercely protected one another throughout their lives. Sage would
never have sent someone who would hurt her. That was why she felt like she
could give him a little push.

“Is it that big of a deal to just let me wait outside?”
she asked though she knew he wasn’t upset about the coffee. “I’m not going
anywhere. And you can see me from the window.”

He whipped his head around to pin her with a stern glare.
“Yes it’s a big deal!” he snapped. “Clearly you don’t understand the danger
you’re in.” She didn’t, really. All she knew was some wizards were after her
and it had something to do with Sage. It was no surprise to Erin. Her sister
was good at pissing people off. “You stay by me at all times until this is
over, is that clear?”

The menacing look on his face was enough to make her nod
her head in agreement. Taking out her arsenal of weapons, she slapped on her
most charming expression. “But,” she said, taking a tentative step towards him,
“you could just run in real quick and grab me a coffee couldn’t you? It would
only take a minute.” She shrugged with an innocent smile. “In, out, no big
deal.”

He stopped pacing to face her with an arched a brow. “I
could say the same to you,
querida.”

Damn. He’s got me there
.
She hung her head then looked up at him with the puppy dog eyes she’d mastered
over the years. She knew the moment he became putty in her hands.

He inhaled deeply then ended in a long, drawn out sigh.
“All right. I’ll get you coffee. But you are to stand
here,
”
he dragged her by the arm and placed her in front of the store window, “and you
don’t move. Understand?”

It was a tad overdramatic for her taste, but she nodded.
Hopefully she wouldn’t have to deal with him for long. In only the few minutes
they’d spent together she could already tell he was arrogant, overbearing, and…grumpy.
She couldn’t help but feel like she was the reason for his bitterness.

At least he wasn’t bad to look at. No, he was sexy as
hell. Tall, dark, and handsome came to mind. Only, replace handsome with
terrifyingly delicious and you would be spot on. His black leather pants hugged
his backside perfectly. His powerful thighs, thick and rooted like tree trunks,
were wrapped cozily in the soft pliable leather.
Men
just don’t wear leather pants enough anymore
,
she thought,
nibbling her lip, staring shamelessly while he waited in line. Thick raven hair
framed his gorgeous bronzed face reaching his chin. His face was rough and
strained, but it was handsome in a rugged Hugh Jackman as Wolverine kind of
way.

She gave her head a shake.
I have
a boyfriend!
She shouldn’t be drooling over a friend of Sage’s when she
was completely happy in her current relationship. That reminded her, Jimmy
would be back from poker night soon. He’d be worried if he found the apartment
empty. She would text him as soon as she found out from this mystery protector
what the hell was going on.

Coffee in hand, Erin followed her bodyguard back to their
room where he ordered her to sit on the bathroom counter so he could treat her
wound. She insisted it was fine but the unbending look on his face told her she
should just go along with it. She hopped onto the counter while he ran cold
water over a washcloth.

“You never told me your name,” she said, pulling back her
hair to give him access to her wound.

He leaned forward to study her temple. “Marcelo.” His
breath whispered across her skin giving her goose bumps.

“Marcelo? Is that Italian?”

“Spanish.”

His accent mixed with his rich, husky voice was hot
enough to melt ice on any Albany winter day. His language was from a different
time but he didn’t look a day over thirty. Brown eyes as dark as chocolate
flickered back and forth between fury and a strange sort of warmth. Just when
she was about to ask if he was from Spain strong fingers gripped her jaw and
tilted her head to the side. She flinched when he pressed the washcloth to the
wound.

Immediately he backed up, his eyes filled with concern.
“Did I hurt you?”

She smiled.
Hm…maybe there’s a
gentleman under all that uncombed hair and surly exterior after all
. “A
little, but I can take it.”

Marcelo nudged her knees apart and settled his hips between
them. He leaned in so close she could hear his heartbeat. Or maybe that was her
own. Yep. Her heart was pounding ferociously in her chest. She never would have
guessed hands as big as his could be so gentle. Warmth poured off of him,
wrapping her in his scent. Inviting, relaxing, seducing. Pure male. She almost
moaned out loud in pleasure.

Snap out of it, Erin! You’re
being ridiculous!
Even the sting of the alcohol he dabbed on her head
wasn’t enough to stop her from breathing him in and feeling the sudden urge to
just melt into him.

“What were you doing at that bar alone, Erin?” he asked,
breaking the silence with a cool voice. Something about his tone and the way
he’d used her name made her feel like she was about to be scolded. It was
enough to snap her out of the strange hypnotic trance his body had induced.

“Umm…just having a couple drinks…with some friends,” she
answered casually. But she’d never been a good liar.

Marcelo lowered his head and looked her in the eye. Yup,
he saw right through her. “You cannot lie to me. I was there, remember? I
caught you when you tumbled from the table you were dancing on. And you didn’t
have just a few drinks. You were quite drunk.”

A chuckle escaped her. “No…I was
tanked
.”
But it had been fun and she had no regrets. “Ow!” she cried when he scrubbed
the dried blood viciously from her head. What happened to the gentle giant?

With a disappointed sigh, he wet the washcloth again and
soothed the sore area with gentle strokes. “Why do you laugh about getting
drunk? You could have been raped. You don’t know how men think when they see a
girl like you dressed up like…this.” He waved a hand at her clothing.

She furrowed her brow. What was he trying to say? She
looked like a slut?

“And when I left with you, I saw no friends step forward
to defend you. You put yourself in a very dangerous situation,
cosita
.”

“Well aren’t you a downer,” she grumbled to herself. But
he was right.

With a sideways glance he plopped a towel filled with ice
into her hand. “Put this on your head.”

She frowned. It was just a little bump, wasn’t it? She
opened her mouth to argue then shut it when he arched a challenging brow. This
was a man used to getting what he wanted.
I better pick
my battles.
Slapping the ice onto her head she jumped down from the
counter. “So, what do we do now?”

“Now I take you to your sister.”

“Where is she?” Sage had been vague about her location in
the last few months. The more questions Erin asked, the less her sister
answered. But they were the kind of friends that could go a long time without
talking then pick up right where they’d left off. It was the perfect
relationship for people like them. For people who’d grown up never really
having a home, never having a family.

Ignoring her question, Marcelo turned away and strolled
into the bedroom. “Where’s your car? Is it at the bar?”

She followed him, ice against her head. “Yes, it is. Now,
are you hard of hearing or just ignoring me?”

He paused at her sour tone then dropped his gaze. “I
better let her explain where she is.”

She scrunched her nose in displeasure. “Okay. What about
the wizards –”

“Sorcerers.”

“Whatever. What do they want with me?”

“I better let her answer that as well.”

She sucked in a sharp breath, attempting to tame her
rising frustration. “Is there anything you can
tell me?”

He ran a hand over his chin, studying her face as if the
answer were written on it.
Uh-oh.
She knew that
look. Either Marcelo was going to lie to her, or, at bare minimum, give her
half-truths.

“There is a group of sorcerers who want you in custody. We
think it has to do with Sage but we don’t know for certain. They are powerful
and dangerous. I will protect you until I hand you over to Sage and James.” She
scowled at the implication that she was some sort of package. “This can happen
quickly if you cooperate.”