Absolution of Fate (Fate Series Book 3) (24 page)

“Don’t look so surprised,” Lucias continued. “Through that bond, I was able to command Christopher, to help him repress any thoughts that could jeopardize his mission. Thus, there was nothing for William to detect but his commitment to his duty. But now, thanks in part to you, dear Chloe, there is no longer a need for us to hide.”

“I’m happy for you then,” Chloe replied and it was, in fact, the truth. The Captain’s presence provided yet another distraction to keep Lucias’s mind off of her, and with the vision she’d just had, she was fairly certain holding Lucias at bay wouldn’t be a concern for much longer.

“Retire to your quarters and rest,” Lucias commanded Chloe. “You will need your strength for tonight,” he continued, moving with Captain Erikson to take her hand as well. “Come, I think it is time for the two of you to get better acquainted,” Lucias murmured as his eyes darkened with desire.

CHAPTER 18 -
Worth Fighting For

“So that’s everything,” Cami said with the eyes of her entire family locked on her.

“Oh, my God!” Alexa said, looking to Ethan. “It’s really happening.”
 

She turned to her father and the smile melted from her face at seeing his expression.

What is it? Aren’t you happy?
she sent.

Of course I am, darling. It’s just, the Captain. I don’t understand how he could do this, after all our years together.

I’m sorry, Father; truly, I am.

He replied with a weak smile.

“We’re going to start moving out at noon. That will give us about six hours to get everything in place before the sun starts to go down.”

Ethan’s glance moved to Alexa and she sighed, knowing what was coming. “I want to go out with you,” he said to his sister.

“Ethan, we’ve already discussed this. You and my daughter have been through enough already, I won’t see her hurt again if something happens to you,” William replied.

“It’s okay, Father,” Alexa chimed in. “Josephine, you believe this meeting of the armies is what you saw in your vision, right?” she asked of her mother-in-law while keeping her eyes on Ethan. He watched her curiously.

“Yes, I am now certain it was at this factory.”

“Then that means Chloe will be there during the battle. I can’t ask Ethan, as a father, to stay behind, knowing that,” she continued. Ethan smiled and pulled her into his arms. “But, with that being said, I am Chloe’s mother, so he can’t ask it of me either.”

“Alexa, no!” he said, stepping back from her and grabbing her shoulders.
 

“Ethan, if you go, my whole world will be out on that field. You can’t expect me to stay back here while my fate is decided without me. And I’ve given it a lot of thought; I want you to go, I want us to go. All of the soldiers, they are going to have their hands full fighting the infected. I know they will do what they can, but they don’t love her. She’s our daughter and we will protect her more fiercely than anyone else possibly could.”

“Alexa’s right,” Jared added, stepping closer. “I’m going, too, and don’t you dare try to stop me,” he said when Cami opened her mouth to protest. “My mate is going, my sister is going, and it’s my niece out there.”

Everyone, apart from Cami, looked at Jared with shocked expressions. “Oh, yeah,” Jared said, running a hand through his hair and flashing a lopsided grin, “we didn’t mean to tell you all like this,” he started, grabbing Cami’s hand and pulling her in front of him, “but we completed the mate bond. It’s official. Well, almost official.”

Sorry, Father.
he sent immediately knowing they’d broken with tradition and the regulations of The Agency by not getting approval first.
 

“We’d like to complete the ceremony with all of you there when all of this is over,” Cami added quickly.

William stepped forward, his face serious as he looked at his son, then Cami, before a bright smile lit his face and he yanked them into a warm embrace. “I couldn’t be happier!” he said aloud.
The rest of The Agency doesn’t need to know about the timing.
he added silently.

“
I think you may have gotten the order of things backwards, son,” Elijah joked, shaking Jared’s hand. “I did warn you that my daughter doesn’t exactly like to follow tradition.”

“Congratulations to you both,” Rebecca said, taking each of their hands before she turned to her husband. “William, I agree with Alexa and Jared. I think we should all go, for Chloe.” William began to shake his head, but his wife was having none of it. “Not only that, but it seems the fate of our people may very well rest upon the outcome of this one night. I refuse to stay behind and do nothing. You are our leader and Chloe is our granddaughter.”

“She’s right,” Josephine chimed in. “I’m going, too.”

Elijah looked at Ethan, then William, and shrugged. “It appears we have been out-voted.”

William sighed up at the ceiling, knowing this was one battle he couldn’t win. As the High Commander, he could, of course, force all of them to stay within the safety of the compound, but they would never forgive him, especially if something happened to Chloe.

“Fine,” he said, finally relenting, “but we will stay near the Commander and you will all give me your word that you will follow his orders no matter what occurs.”

Alexa threw her arms around her mother. A moment later the buzzer at the door sounded.

William opened it and Alexa’s face lit up even further at seeing Dante and Layla standing just outside. “I’m sorry to disturb you, my lord,” Dante began. “We realize you are incredibly busy, but this will only take a moment. We’ve come to request permission to be wed, to complete the mate bond. In light of what’s happening we want to do it today, right now really. The Commander has already given his blessing and an officer from one of the other compounds has agreed to perform the ceremony,” he said and smiled down at Layla proudly.

Alexa squealed and rushed forward, throwing her arms around the couple as her father stepped back to let them into the suite.

“There must be something in the water,” Elijah said, nudging Jared.

“I’m sorry, Dante, but that plan isn’t going to work,” William replied seriously. Dante’s smile melted. “I’ll only allow it if you grant me the honor of performing the ceremony myself, and if we can make it a joint celebration.”

Relief and confusion swam in Dante’s eyes. “You see, my son and Cami have just told us they would like to be married today as well.”

Dante and Layla both looked more than surprised as their gazes shot to Cami and Jared.
 

“Well, now. Come on, dears,” Rebecca said, rushing to Layla while Josephine grabbed Cami, “it seems we have a wedding to plan.”

✧

The visiting soldiers continued with preparations for the coming battle while the Boston Elite gathered outside. Commander Claesson felt it only right that his men attend the ceremony since it was two of their own being joined. It may have seemed inappropriate to some to take the men away from their duties for even a moment, but considering that so many of The Elite were without family, living their lives dedicated only to the fight, he believed they needed a reminder of what they were truly fighting for. Something to show them that, despite their pledge to protect the people of their race, there was more out there for them. That they could have love.
 

He thought it was the least he could do as he looked at his beautiful wife seated next to him.

“This is so wonderful, Daddy,” Ella whispered from the seat on his other side. “Do you ever think I’ll get married?” she asked, with a hint of sadness in her voice. The Commander’s heart squeezed tight. In his desire to keep Eva and Ella safe, his daughter had lived a life that went beyond the definition of sheltered. Not to mention, any man who knew who her father was would have to be legally insane to pursue Ella Claesson.

“Of course you will, baby. After today, things are going to be different,” he replied, while silently praying it was true.
 

“Sir, Esther just called. The other witches will be here soon t—”

Jester stopped cold when his eyes fell on Ella, sitting next to her father. She smiled up at him. “Um, Esther called…”

“You said that already,” Claesson said, eyeing him suspiciously, seeing the direction of his gaze. He snapped his fingers in Jester’s line of sight.

“Sorry, sir,” he said with a goofy grin. “The other witches will be here soon to begin casting the concealment with Martinez.”

“Good; thanks, Jester.” His gaze returned to Ella, who was looking up at him through her lashes with a slight blush dusting her cheeks. “That’ll be all, Jester,” the Commander added, with a slight edge of irritation in his tone. He liked Jester, a lot, but he was beginning to rethink his good opinion of him after the way he was looking at his baby girl.

Jester finally got the hint and headed back to his seat at the back of the crowd. He’d set up back there with his laptop, wanting to attend, but needing to continue monitoring what was happening outside. There were mixed reports coming in regarding the human response to the broadcast. There were pro-vampire rallies and celebrations popping up all over the map and a number of hate groups taking form, but nothing more than what The Agency had anticipated and prepared for.
 

Due to the serious time constraints, the two couples had chosen to forego most of the pomp and circumstance of such an event, but the intricate gardens of the mansion provided an ideal setting nonetheless. The four of them met William at the front of the crowd with the beautiful mansion setting the backdrop as he began to speak in the old tongue.

Ethan squeezed Alexa’s hand as they listened to the same words that had been spoken at their own mating ceremony only months before. William moved first to Jared and Cami with the small dagger and red satin ribbon and said the sacred words in English.

“I bind myself to you, Cami; blood, mind, body, and soul. I give myself to you freely and without reservation, to serve you, by my life or my death, from this day into eternity,” Jared repeated and took the dagger. Making a small cut in his wrist, he passed the blade to Cami before she spoke the same words and slid the cool metal across her skin. William smiled at them as he joined their bloodied wrists and bound them with the red ribbon as he spoke the final words of the ritual.

“I love you,” Jared mouthed silently to Cami, while his father moved to Dante and Layla, repeating the ceremony with them. After their wrists were joined, William stepped back to his place and spoke out to the crowd in the old language.

“Let all those present witness and rejoice in these most sacred of unions,” he repeated in English.

“By the blood, we bear witness,” the crowd recited as one.

✧

Dante carried Layla over the threshold of their room, having grabbed her hand and disappeared through the crowd before the applause had even died down. He knew that they only had a precious few minutes to complete the mating ritual. After everything Alexa and her family had done to help him save Layla, there was no way he could abandon them as they fought to save Chloe.
 

He set Layla down on her feet, lowering his head to kiss her, but she flashed away just before he made contact. Dante growled, seeing her already completely naked, standing beside the bed with a hand on her hip. She bit her lip, flashing fully- extended fangs as she crooked her finger at him. Perhaps even faster than she’d done it, Dante stripped off his own clothes and was before her with only a few short inches of space separating them and several thick hard inches pressing against her belly.

He stared down at her, his eyes smoldering with love and desire, and pure unadulterated need. His gaze drifted from her eyes, to her full lips, then lower to the base of her neck, where his vision narrowed on her pulse for two slow beats as his fangs pushed even lower, before traveling to her perfect milky white breasts, and he growled again. Somehow, he managed to remain still, waiting for her to make the first move.
 

She didn’t disappoint. Layla pushed up on her toes and captured his bottom lip between her teeth, her tongue sliding over it as she wrapped her fingers around his cock. Dante groaned at the feel of her finally touching him and his hips thrust involuntarily into her grasp. She released his lip and led him back, still gripping him tight until her legs hit the bed. She sat down and slid back, finally letting go as he crawled with her and covered her body with his. She grabbed his face and kissed him forcefully while he hovered above her with his palms pressed into the bed.
 

“I love you, Dante,” she moaned.

“I love you, Layla, so much,” he replied kissing her again. He tried to nudge her legs apart with his knee, but she smiled against his mouth and flipped beneath as she grabbed one of his arms. The rapid motion caught him off guard and he lost his balance coming down on top of her. It seemed that had been her intention as she buried her fangs into the flesh of his wrist. Dante cried out with the pleasure of her bite as she pulled hard on his vein. His hard length throbbed between them and she shifted her hips in invitation. Dante rolled just enough to get use of his free arm and position himself between her legs. She raised her hips as he rubbed against her opening and pushed back against him. He moaned at the feel of her tight body swallowing the head of his erection as he lowered his body, letting his weight push him in to the hilt. Layla cried out against his wrist, but didn’t release it, knowing she needed to be drinking his blood when he bit her. Following her lead, Dante pushed her blonde locks to the side, exposing her long neck, before he struck. His eyes went wide as he tasted her for the first time. It was like nothing he’d ever felt as the separate sensations of their bodies melted into one simultaneous feeling. He rocked into her and her body trembled beneath and around him as her sweet essence ran down his throat.
 

Layla released his wrist and he let go of her neck, giving him the freedom to really move. He slipped one arm beneath her hips and pulled her up to her knees as he marveled at the incredible sensation of feeling her tight walls clenching him, while at the same time feeling her pleasure of being filled by him. As difficult as it was, Dante pulled away from Layla’s warmth, wanting to see her face when she found her release, and flipped her to her back. He crushed his mouth to hers as he thrust inside her again and she came apart, the waves of orgasm crashing down on her like a tsunami. It was too much. Dante roared out into the room as her pleasure set off his own climax.