Destiny Redeemed (30 page)

Amon
knew it was likely he’d have to spend the rest of this lifetime and probably
the last three of his remaining lifetimes running from the long arm of the
Council, never being able to provide Thea with the peace of a stable home. He
thought of the life they’d be forced to live, always on the run. What if they’d
just conceived minutes earlier? What kind of life would their child have? He
couldn’t show Thea that any of this concerned him, though. He’d promised her
she’d be safe with him, and no matter what it took, he’d ensure that, at least.

Tickling
her sides, he made her squirm up against him. “Ready for another round? We’re
going to have to move to the bed then.”

“I’m
serious, Amon,” she said with a voice to match the look on her face.

“So
am I, love. You’re starting to prune up.”

Thea
put her hands on her hips in mock anger and squinted her eyes. “Amon.”

“Althea,
I don’t want you to worry about the Council. I’ll take care of that. You just
worry about becoming one of the California raisins.”

Amon
lifted one of her hands to his mouth and kissed her puckered fingertips as he
hummed the chorus to “Heard It Through The Grapevine.” When Thea saw she wasn’t
going to get a serious answer about her concerns with the Council, she snatched
her hand from his hold and wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Kissing
him, she stood to step out of the tub. “You’re lucky I love you so much, Amon
Kalins.”

As
he watched her dry off and leave the bathroom, he silently agreed.

I
am lucky, and I have no intention of letting the Council or anyone else take me
away from that love.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Gethen
and Markku sat downstairs quietly waiting for Amon. His eyes closed, Gethen
silently prepared himself for his return to his people. With Thea safely
returned and the head of the Council at Nil exposed, he knew the time would
soon come for him to leave.

It
was with mixed emotions that he decided to leave, but now that Amon was no
longer alone in the world, he knew in his heart that it was time to rejoin the
world of the Sidhe. With a destined one, Amon would finally have what he’d
missed all those lifetimes. At least Gethen hoped he would if his sense of
Naomi Cooper was right.

“Why
so quiet, old man?”

Markku’s
intrusion on his thoughts annoyed him, and he shot him a nasty look. “What do
you plan to do now that the Soren has lost its leader, Markku?”

The
magickian blew the air out of his lungs through puffed cheeks and rolled his
eyes. “I don’t know, but that’s the $64,000 question, isn’t it? There aren’t
many places for someone like me to go in our world.”

“Our
world?”

“Don’t
act like you’re not one of us, old man. You may not be Aeveren, but after
spending lifetimes with the big guy, you’re as good as one, even if you’re a Sidhe.”

Gethen
smiled at Markku’s attempt at a compliment and for the first time didn’t feel
revulsion for him.  “Thank you, Markku.”

“Anytime.
Do you mind if I ask you something?”

Cautiously,
Gethen answered, “No. Feel free.”

“What
kind of Sidhe are you?”

“The
dark kind.”

“You
don’t say? I know some dark Sidhe—spent last Samhain with them. Now there’s
some ladies who know how to have a good time, if you know what I mean.”

Gethen
grimaced in response to the wink Markku made to punctuate his point. Sighing in
disgust, he closed his eyes and hoped for once Markku would understand the
clues his body language was sending. In no way did he want to hear another of
Markku’s tales of sexual exploit.

Thankfully, before
Markku could misinterpret his silence as his tacit agreement to continue, Amon
joined them and took a seat on the couch next to Gethen. Silently, Gethen
thanked him for saving him from the torture of another Markku sex story.

Amon
smiled his acknowledgement of his message and turned to Markku.

“Did
you make sure no one can get into this house?”

“Yeah,
just like you said. But that’s not a problem anymore. The councilman’s been
removed. Nobody’s going to be coming after Thea now.”

“I
don’t want to take any chances.”

“Amon,
you’re going to have to deal with the Council, even if Adams has been removed,”
Gethen said quietly.

“Now
isn’t the time to think about that. We have to get you back home. It’s time I
fulfilled the promise I made when I took you from your people.”

Gethen
nodded solemnly, knowing with a sense of pride that his life since he’d left
his people had been enough to help Amon keep his pledge. He had served him
faithfully, never harmed another person, and had earned his people’s
forgiveness.

Markku
stood to leave and Amon followed to escort him to the door. An awkward silence
hung in the air until Amon said, “If I need you, I’ll call.”

“No
problem, Amon.”

As
Markku turned to leave, Amon caught him by the sleeve. “I forgot to ask. I
wasn’t affected by Thea’s emotions at Kiril’s this time. Any chance the spell
Sevine put on me is gone?”

Chuckling,
Markku said, “I wouldn’t bet on it. Kiril had that place so charmed up,
leprechauns couldn’t have worked their mojo there. I think you might still have
to make her happy. But you never know.”

“Thanks,
Markku,” he said as he slapped his back.

*

With
Markku gone, Amon and Gethen sat reminiscing about the times they’d shared.
Neither man wanted to admit how much he was going to miss the other. For Amon,
it was seven lifetimes, but for Gethen, it was over two hundred years that
would end that day.

Thea
joined them as Amon teased Gethen about one of their escapades. “I won’t ask
about what I just heard about flappers,” she joked as she sat down.

Gethen
looked at her sheepishly as Amon began to explain one time in France when a young burlesque dancer had taken a fancy to Gethen.

Smiling,
she put her hand up to stop the story. “I think it might be better if I pretend
I didn’t hear this. I’d rather keep my ideas of Gethen.”

“As
you wish, miss,” he said, ever the servant to the end.

When
they were finally ready to go, the three began the journey north to the land of
the Sidhe. For Gethen, the road home was as fresh in his mind as the day he’d
left. Even though much had changed over the years, the realm of his people
remained in the hills and forests of Ireland. With each step they took, he felt
their presence grow around him.

Feelings
of insecurity rose in him as with each step he got closer to the world he’d
been absent from for centuries. Would he be accepted back into the world he’d
been banished from? He knew he’d paid for his crimes and Amon’s word would be
proof of that, but he knew memories died hard.

Would he be
alone for the rest of his existence, officially forgiven for what he’d done all
those years ago but still a pariah?

As
he wondered about his future, his thoughts traveled back to his family. Were
his parents still living, elderly members of the royal court to the Sidhe king?
What had become of his brothers and sisters in the years since he’d left? Had
their lives turned out as his parents had hoped—husbands and wives to the royal
children?

With
his thoughts on the many questions he’d soon have answered, Gethen stepped into
the edge of the woods that concealed the realm of the Sidhe. Just a few more
minutes and he’d be home.

*

Amon
kept an eye on the area around them as they walked, still not convinced Thea
was safe. As long as he had his arm around her, he knew he could teleport her
out of harm’s way, so he made sure to remain close to her.

As
he walked, memories of his time with Gethen’s people drifted back into his
mind, of his friend’s exile and his promise to allow him to return when his
debt to the Aeveren world had been paid. He’d kept Gethen long after that had
been settled, but now he’d finally return him to his rightful place.

After
they’d walked in silence for a while, Thea asked, “Can we go all the way to the
Sidhe world, or will we have to say goodbye to him before?”

“No.
We’ll be welcomed by the Sidhe. But I want you to stay close to me there too.”

“Why?
What’s going to happen?”

Smiling,
he said, “Nothing bad, but the Sidhe are very seductive creatures.”

Thea
chuckled and kissed his hand. “Oh, I see. Jealous?”

“And
what if I said I was?”

Squeezing
his hand at her side, she said, “Well, that would be silly since I only want
you. On second thought, maybe I like that. It makes up for how jealous I was
with Kiril’s women.”

Thea
stopped walking and dropped her head.

“Oh,
Amon! I promised one of the girls I met that I’d get them away from that
horrible place when you rescued me. How could I forget them?”

Amon
hugged her close to his body and tried to comfort her. “Don’t worry. I’ll get
Markku to find them and as soon as we get back, I’ll make sure they get to
safety. All of them.”

Thea
wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. “Thank you. I
can’t let them down. I can’t believe I forgot them. What kind of healer am I?”

Amon
stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t ever let me hear you
say that again, Althea Forester. I’ve never met another soul in my forty-seven
lifetimes that cared about others as much as you do.”

With
his forefinger, he lifted her chin up so she faced him. “I mean it, Thea. And
don’t worry. I won’t let you down.”

Amon
closed his eyes and loved what he heard in Thea’s mind.
I have a destined
one finally, and he’s just what I wished for. A knight in shining armor.
He
silently swore he wouldn’t disappoint her, no matter what he had to do to find
Kiril’s former slaves.

*

The
canopy of trees shielded the path from sunlight, and Gethen knew he was close.
As he realized he’d left Amon and Thea far behind, he turned to wait for them.

“Hello,
Sidhe,” a man in front of him said as his hand struck out to grab him. Before
he could react, he was immobilized, a prisoner of a Council at Nil bounty
hunter.

“Where’s
your master? Seems dangerous to let a servant wander around by himself. But
then again, he’s got to keep an eye on that girl of his. He can’t watch both of
you, can he? Oh well. You understand, I’m sure. You liked Aeveren women too,
didn’t you, Gethen?”

Ryu
Jansen held Gethen tightly to him as he spoke, but Gethen didn’t fight back.
Instead, he focused his thoughts, hoping Amon would hear them.

Amon!
The bounty hunter. Get Thea out of here!

Over
and over, he repeated the same thoughts, but Amon didn’t hear him.

“Looks
like your master’s forgotten you. No wonder you hate women,” Ryu taunted.

“I
don’t hate women,” Gethen said calmly, unable to avoid the bounty hunter’s
verbal baiting.

“That’s
not what I hear, Sidhe. Three Aeveren women murdered by you tells me everything
I need to know about what you think of the females of my kind.”

“I’m
not that creature anymore. That was a long time ago.”

Gethen
hoped if he kept Ryu talking, he could give Amon enough time to get Thea out of
danger. Again, he tried to connect with Amon’s mind to warn him.

Amon!
Turn back around! You’re in danger. The bounty hunter!

“I
bet you’re wondering why he hasn’t come to save you yet, Sidhe, aren’t you.”

Gethen
didn’t answer, but no, he didn’t understand why Amon hadn’t sensed his
thoughts.

“He
can’t see either of us thanks to the sorcerers at Nil. See this?” he asked as
he raised his left hand to show him a golden brown stone. “Gotta love those
sorcerers. When I realized I was going up against one of the Soren’s
magickians, I asked them for something to give me the upper hand. This is it.
This little stone possesses an enchantment that makes us invisible and...and
this is the best part, makes it impossible to sense us. That’s why your master
has no idea he should be helping you instead of playing kissyface with his
newest girl.”

Gethen’s
body involuntarily tensed up. Ryu was leading Amon and Thea into the woods
where he would suddenly lift the spell and Amon would naturally try to save
him. He’d unknowingly put himself and Thea in danger!

Panic
raced through him as he watched them walk toward him into a trap. He had to do
something to alert him to the danger. Desperate, he began thrashing his arms against
the bounty hunter’s hold hoping to escape him and the enchantment so he could
run back toward Amon and Thea and save them.

“Stop
fighting!” Ryu commanded while he threatened Gethen with a knife he placed
close to his neck.

“Smell
that? One more move to fight me and you’re as dead as those women you
murdered.”

Gethen
froze at the knowledge that Ryu had a knife coated in deadly poison pointed at
his throat. If he moved to dislodge the charmed stone out of his hand, he
risked being stabbed and possibly not alerting Amon to what awaited them. But
if he didn’t, they’d walk right into Ryu’s trap.

One last time he
tried to reach Amon’s thoughts.

Amon,
please. The bounty hunter has me just inside the wooded area. Take yourselves
out of here now!

*

As
he and Thea got close to the woods, Amon sensed something was wrong. He
couldn’t see Gethen in front of them, although he knew Gethen understood he
wouldn’t be allowed back into his world without him. Quickly, he scanned the
area around them for anything odd but saw nothing.

“Amon,
what is it?”

“Did
you see Gethen since we started walking again?”