Fate Fixed (10 page)

“I real y like him,” she admitted. “Does he live here in town?”

“Sure, between his parents and the rest of his family, they own most of the private property down by the lake.” An amused smile skirted across his face, “In fact, I think it would be a perfect day to go for a swim after school. I’l make sure

Brooke invites Cian so we can find out if Torin’s been asking about you.”

A warm flush spread across her cheeks as she looked

down at her own untouched lunch tray. She wanted to see Torin again, but worried about what Cian might have to say.

She might not like what Torin told him.

“Don’t look now the she-devil is coming,” Theo uttered his distaste.

Courtney ambled over to their table and stared down.

“Wel if it isn’t Erris’s model-minority and his new bestie,”

her sarcasm was so thick it dripped. She turned her glare on Lexie,

“I see only your brothers have social skil s. Oh, that’s right – they aren’t real y your brothers, are they? Yeah, they were quick to point that out.”

Lexie wished she had Liz’s comeback skil s. Before she could respond, Theo retorted, “Ignore her Lexie, she bleeds from her mouth every twenty eight days.”

Lexie’s laughter bubbled up. Courtney sneered at Theo’s rebuff before charging after Alik who was heading out of the cafeteria without her. It seemed every school had one

student who made it their personal mission to be absolutely horrendous

– at least Lexie discovered where she stood with Courtney.

The constant hum of the grasshoppers and the katydids

were like a nonstop lawnmower in Torin’s ear. The hotter it was outside, the louder they vibrated. He was slowly

acquiring the focus to tune them out. The sunshine made it almost ninety degrees in the shade but he didn’t want to sit in the renovated carriage house his parents provided him for privacy. He sought the sunshine with the hopes it would lighten his mood.

He watched his graceful mother as she tended her

gardens. Her flaming red hair glistened in the sunlight, spil ing around her ivory skin in long tendrils. When he was a little boy he would fol ow along behind her, trying to learn the enchanting Gaelic songs she would sing to her plants.

She insisted the songs were composed by the Daoine

Sidhe, the Gentle People,

fused with an enchanted harmony to make them grow. Now that he was older, he realized it was his mother’s diligence and care that had the power to create the most beautiful blooms each summer.

Endel ion stood back from her row of Japanese Anemones and admired the saucer-shaped white and pink blooms before noticing her son sitting on the stone wal overlooking her garden. With a gentle smile, she motioned for him to fol ow her to the gazebo by the lakefront.

“How are you feeling love? You haven’t been yourself,”

her ethereal voice had a natural singsong quality. “Your father mentioned that you do not sleep like you once did.

The final phase wil be upon you soon.”

Torin shrugged, unsure how to open up to his mother.

They had always been close, but now that he was older, he wanted to protect her from things that would worry her. “I only sleep a couple of hours now, but I am not tired,” he began. He looked out to the water, noticing the smal rings that appeared across its surface when a fish popped up to feed. “There have been other signs that the change has begun: my senses have sharpened, I am faster and gaining strength.” He felt odd describing the way his body was maturing to his mother, but she listened with understanding.

“Your father has always tried to prepare you for your second life Torin. From the time you were a wee lad, he tried to
help you understand that the change isn’t just a curse, ‘tis a gift,”

she was serene as she aimed to comfort him. “These are birthing pains you feel, soon you wil become a ful damphyr and this time of anguish wil pass.”

He recal ed when he first understood the difference in his anatomy compared to mortals. He thought if he could

remove his vampire heart before it came to life, he would never have to go through the change and become half

monster. Torin found it hard to meet his mother’s eyes. “I have never wanted that, I have only wanted to be human.”

Endel ion nodded in understanding, “I know that my love.

None of us decide what we wil be born into in life, but we face our destinies with what we have been given.”

“But what if I fail?” he searched for understanding.

“What if I give in to the temptation the way some of our people have?” he knew he sounded like a smal child

again, but he needed the reassurance that his parents

would be okay if he was gone.

Endel ion touched his knee and gave him a light squeeze, “It wil be difficult son, but you wil overcome. Even when you were a babe, you had a strong spirit. Your self-control has always been a lovely strength of your character and it shal
serve

you now. Even your father struggled for a while when he first changed, not with his lust for blood, but his temper was out to bite him. He overcame it and I know when the time

comes, you wil too.”

Torin tried to imagine his father being in his eighteenth year and going through the change. Donovan was always in

such control of his emotions, he could not imagine him struggling with anything. “How did he final y gain control of his temperament?”

Endel ion braided the end of one of her long curls, “He found me after we had been dreaming of each other for

years.”

She gave him a knowing grin, “I made him work at

improving his constitution if he wanted to remain in my good graces.”

“But, I thought Father had been a damphyr for almost twenty years when he first dreamed of you?” he asked.

“Yes, I would imagine I came along in good time then or his cousins would have considered feeding him to the fish.”

Her laughter made her eyes dance, “You know – we who

are fated to be partnered are not just passive and pleasant
women randomly selected by the good Lord to live an extra-long life with our men. Even in magic, there needs to be a balance between good and evil. We are the perfect balance to one another. Picture the yin and yang symbol of Chinese philosophy: light and dark, male and female, hot and cold – al interconnected and only

existing in relation to one another in our natural world. I needed your father as much as he needed me and that is why our love continues to flourish al of these many years.”

Torin thought of his consuming desire to be with Lexie.

He longed for them to share a life ful of passionate love.

But what about the timing? Why the violent end of the
dreams?

He trusted his mother and hoped she could help him

understand. “What if I have dreamed of my fate-partner already?

What if she is here in Erris?”

Endel ion tucked her chin between her fingers while staring thoughtful y at the lake. “Perhaps it’s because you both need each other now.”

Lexie was surprised when the dismissal bel rang. Not only did the day fly by, it was much better than she expected.

She real y liked her classes and being in a smal school was nothing like the stereotyped version acted out on

television.

With her books gathered, she headed out into the busy

parking lot with Brooke and Theo. The sun was brutal and the humidity made the air thick and hot, like walking through pea soup. She was thankful she wouldn’t have to crowd into a bus ful of sticky passengers for her ride home.

Brooke was complaining about the syl abus in their

psychology class, but Lexie failed to concentrate on her friend.

She scanned the parking lot in hopes that Torin might be there.

Instead, she saw Maxim sitting up against the Cherokee waiting for her. His usual pale skin was beat red from the heat and his

fair hair was saturated from perspiration. Looking at the Jeep, she could see Alik was already waiting inside with the air conditioner blasting.

Why is Max waiting in this heat instead of cooling off?

Once his eyes met Lexie’s, he gave her an uneasy smirk and brief wave.
He’s trying to be polite?

Theo snapped his bubble gum, “Why don’t you tel your

jailor that I’m giving you a ride home.”

It was almost tempting. Lexie was stil irritated with Maxim, but deliberately making him angry wasn’t in her best

interest. She knew it would offend him if she rode home with her new friends. From what she had seen in the

hal ways and at lunch, Max’s behavior on Friday didn’t win him any popularity votes. The sucker only hurt himself with his outburst. She would try to let it go, although ‘try’ was the optimal word.

She smiled at Theo, “That’s okay. You wil pick me up in an hour, right?”

After saying her quick goodbyes, she approached Maxim

with hesitancy. She hoped that he wasn’t waiting outside the Jeep to give her grief. “How did you like school?” she asked.

Dragging his big hand across his moist forehead, he grumbled, “There was no air conditioning in there al day.

Other than that, it was the same as any other school I’ve been to.” He opened the front passenger side door and

motioned for Alik to

scramble to the back. Maxim grabbed Lexie’s books so

she could climb in. “From now on, you ride in the front.”

Lexie stared out the window. She was blessed with yet

another awkward silent ride with her two brothers. She had tried to engage them in conversation, but even Alik did not have much to say.
He never does around Maxim.

When they pul ed into the yard, Ruby teetered up the front steps with arms stretched around two packed brown bags of groceries. Lexie tried to relieve her of one, but her mother refused to let go and gave her an icy glare. Ruby crammed her key into the front door and retorted, “I can do it myself.”

Startled, Lexie averted her eyes to Alik. He gave her a wink and mouthed, “Don’t sweat it.”

Concern edged at her. What had she done to upset her

mother so much lately? The two of them had always been attached at the hip. She only wanted to make Ruby happy,
that had been her one wish for her mom since her dad died. Lexie swal owed back her hurt feelings before attempting a brave smile as she fol owed them into the house.

Lexie changed into her swimsuit and applied a liberal does of sunscreen. Her fair skin usual y tanned but could stil fry in this heat. After pul ing on her denim shorts and a green tank, she managed to find a beach towel and her

sunglasses. The only thing missing was a working cel

phone.

Through the wal , she could hear her mother’s voice. She knew that Dragos was doing business in Bangor and

wasn’t expected home until evening. The guys were outside and Nick and El a weren’t home from school yet. Lexie

gave a light knock and poked her head through the door.

Ruby was sitting at her vanity table, running her hairbrush through her long tresses. Her glossy eyes were rimmed

with tears as she stared into her reflection. She didn’t acknowledge Lexie’s presence, just continued to quietly sing the lyrics from one of Taylor Swift’s hits.

Mom isn’t talking to anyone, she’s singing.

Lexie noticed that with each drag of the round brush, big clumps of her mother’s hair pul ed away. “Mom, have you been feeling okay?” The smooth surface of the vanity was littered with Ruby’s dark curls. Maybe caring for the large house and a big family was too much work and the stress was getting to her.

Ruby paused from singing and tilted her ear towards her daughter. “I’ve been just fine dear, why do you ask?”

Thoughts raced through Lexie’s mind.
Because you’re
looking a little scary and not acting like yourself.
She tried to muster a smile, “I just worry. You look tired.”

Ruby didn’t reply, just waited for her to continue. Lexie didn’t want to give her more stress, but needed to know what the situation was with the phone. “I’m about to go swimming with a

few friends, but before I go, I was wondering about my cel phone. I noticed this morning that it is no longer in service.”

Ruby’s tongue darted out over her cracked lips as she

slowly returned to grooming her long chocolate curls.

Although Lexie couldn’t see Ruby’s ful reflection, her mother’s tone was icy clear. “Don’t think that I don’t know what you are up to. You are trying to take my place in this family. You have no phone until further notice. Now go play
family. You have no phone until further notice. Now go play with your friends and stay out of my room.”

He could see her sitting on the beach, the warm tones in her hair reflected gold in the sunlight. In her green two-piece, she was flawless. He longed to run his fingertips over her velvety smooth skin. Even from a distance, he could feel his body’s response to her.

Lexie sat with Theo and Brooke in the sand
.
Her two friends chatted amicably, but Torin could tel the smile she was giving them was forced. It was her eyes that gave her away – there was sadness in them today.
Will she be happy to see
me?

He walked with Cian down the path to the smal beach.

Most people frequented the larger swimming area in town with lifeguards on duty and a concession stand. Only the locals knew about the smal er spot and favored its remote privacy. Torin usual y swam right off of his parent’s private dock, but when

Cian asked him to come along and see Brooke’s new

friend – he couldn’t resist.

Since they first met on Friday, Torin could feel her essence within him. He tried in vain to ignore the constant pul , but she consumed his every thought. Instead of dreading his coming change, his thoughts shifted to her and how she made him feel. He needed to touch her and make sure she was real and that he wasn’t just dreaming about her. He wasn’t sure how Lexie felt about meeting him, but her