Gabe's Destiny (Alien Mates Book Three) (18 page)

It stood at the base of the hill, an ax in its hand. A smile was painted on its face.

“Yes Taya, come face me.”

She trembled. It was one thing when she was facing Gabe’s fears or even encouraging him to face his fears. That was reasonable, something they could defeat together. Facing her fears, on the other hand, was next to impossible. Her life had been spent running away from the apparition in front of her. It was crazy and it didn’t make sense, but she knew if it killed her in her dreams, she would die. Now they were here in the trials and the one thing she knew for sure was that whatever happened here was permanent.

“Taya,” his voice was low a taunt. It was also guttural as if she didn’t deserve his best.

“Go away. I’m whole, I got over the whole thing and you have no power over me anymore.”

He laughed almost dropping the ax he laughed so hard. She shrugged, it was worth a try. Why couldn’t anything be easy?

“What do you want?” She pulled herself up to her full height and faced the monster from her dreams with dignity. She owed herself that since one of them would die this night.

“What I’ve always wanted—you.”

Yeah, maybe talking to the thing that haunted you at night and scared the living day lights out of you wasn’t the smartest thing to do. She flicked her fingers hoping she could get a spark, just enough to burn him alive. Maybe she was a bit kill happy right now, but he had every intention of killing her.

“No fire for you. You don’t get to cheat this time. Taya, you should never have left that room alive. They intended to tear you apart, use you for all you were worth and then kill you.” He smiled at her allowing his mouth to open and his black teeth to show.

“He would have cried at your funeral and told the world how smart you were and what a great girlfriend you were. They were looking forward to hugging your mother and shaking hands with your father but you cheated. Fire emerged from your hands and you burned them and escaped.”

Her trembling stopped. Fury, hot and hard hit her body. How dare he blame her because some freaks of nature singled her out to abuse and she defended herself? There should be a Taya Clark day as a national holiday where she got parades and interviews when the world acknowledged a woman’s right to defend herself. She wouldn’t apologize because she was pretty, or because she was intelligent, and she definitely wouldn’t apologize because someone couldn’t handle the length of her skirt or the length of her shirt. Her body belonged to her and no one had the right to think they could take advantage of it simply because they couldn’t control their baser urges.

“He deserved more than a small burn and a slap on the wrist to do better. He killed before me and what was there to stop him from killing after me. And that’s my secret shame. That I didn’t find a way to lock his ass up in prison so he wouldn’t ever touch another woman. For the rest of my life, I will always feel like their blood is on my hands. But you, you will die tonight because I won’t be taking the blame for that sick son of a…”

He threw the ax at her cutting off her words. Gabe tackled her, taking her down to the ground as the ax swirled over their heads. His scream of sheer frustration reached her ears making her heart light.

Pushing up, she looked down the hill where he still stood.

“Who are you? What are you?” Gabe stood and reached down for her hand pulling her to her feet.

The darkness that shrouded them didn’t feel as dark any more as if a sliver of light crept in allowing her to see a little better.

“Show yourself, take off the disguise and show your true self. I’m betting you’re Michael or some sick version of him. Am I the one who got away? The one you curse with a vengeance when you’re all alone? Did your face ever heal or do you carry the scare of my fire every day? I healed; it took me years and this trial but I healed. No longer do I carry around hatred for you. It was black and putrid and colored everything I did, slowly taking the joy out of my life leaving me to be nothing but bitter.

“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t feel sorry for you or wish you had received therapy. I don’t grieve for the person you could have been. Not even close. In the end you are dead to me. Like you never lived, your life has no relevant meaning on mine. If I saw you lying on the street I would step over you because it would take too much effort to go around, and then I’d keep walking like you weren’t there. So go ahead, Michael or whoever you are, take off the mask and face me.”

She looked down at herself and smiled. Everyone should come to the trials. She was dressed in her favorite outfit, crop shirt with cute skirt. She was wearing a pair off kick ass boots with a weapon belt hanging from her waist and a knife strapped to her thigh. This was who she always wanted to be. Taya, who handled life on her own terms and not someone else’s.

Her eyes went to meet Gabe’s to see what he thought. His eyes were dark with stormy passion. He liked what he saw and he wasn’t having any problems letting her know. Her soul-bonded, what she always wanted in her life but didn’t know until now.

When she was younger she thought she wanted a husband, someone on the rise like her. Together they would take the world by storm. Now she knew she really wanted was someone who would love her through the good and the bad times. He would stand by her side and help her hide the bodies if need be. What she wanted was Gabe.

He stood beside her and took her hand. The look of pride on his face made her chin notch just a little higher.

“Your move,” she said to the apparition.

He started advancing up the hill; another ax appeared in his hand.

“You’re going to die this time.” The darkness around him began to fall away. The illusion that covered him began to tear the closer he got to her. She held her ground not moving until he stood almost close enough to touch.

The final illusion fell away and she gasped because Michael wasn’t standing in front of her. It was his father.

“What…I…how are you here? I don’t understand.” This was the one thing she hadn’t been prepared for. Her head was reeling as she tried to catch up to what was happening.

“I understand.” Gabe stepped between the two of them. “Sometimes a child, despite all you do for them, does something you never thought they would. Other times a parent makes the monster. He knew who and what his son was and encouraged it. Egged him on in his depravity, because it was handed down from father to son. They had enough money to hide it, to never get caught. Although some suspected, what could they do?

“His son was meant to walk in his same footsteps and one day he would father a monster like himself to keep the family legacy alive.”

“But he chose you.” The father spoke, his voice bitter. “I knew you were a mistake, I told him that. He ignored me; something about you drew him in like a mouth to a flame. He had to have you. You ruined his life and you will pay for it.” Hatred twisted the features of a man who once could have been called handsome.

“I’m happy. Do you hear me? I’m happy I interrupted his life of abuse. I hope he never touches another female. Actually, I hope he went to church and found God and that the very sight of him repenting for the sins you taught him repels your evil soul!”

He swung that ax at her but Gabe was there in his Matra form. He caught the ax tearing it out of his hands. His thick claws caught him in the side lifting him up and tossing him away like useless trash.

“No!” he screamed and ran at Taya again. “You will die for your sins.”

She stepped in front of her soul-bonded drawing the knife from her thigh. When he ran at her, intent on beating her with his fists, she held that knife in two hands and brought it up at the last moment. He impaled himself on it. She twisted the knife and watched the body of Michael’s father fall to the ground before it slowly disappeared.

“It is over?” she turned to look at Gabe, her grey eyes brimming with unshed tears.

Who would have thought such a prominent family in society harbored such a dark secret? She had been so blessed not to become part of that sickness.

“It’s over. He can’t hurt you anymore.” He drew her into his arms. She burrowed deep into his warmth never wanting to let him go.

“How could this have happened? He’s human. There’s no way he could have been a shadow in my subconscious like that, following me, terrorizing me, plotting my death.”

“Taya, the strongest force on this planet is the human soul. I don’t know what he was into. What he practiced, but I do know to never underestimate the soul when it wants something and he wanted you dead. Maybe in the end he sold his own soul for a chance at yours.”

The darkness of the night began to recede; the sun rose on the horizon. The sound of clapping drew their eyes back to the base of the hill. Voyager stood there with a smile on his face.

“Thank you for the show, it was entertaining.”

Taya tried to get away from Gabe so she could choke Voyager. Gabe held tight while Voyager laughed.

“I do not die easily. If you are interested, I can give you some names to ask. Actually no, they didn’t survive our confrontation.” He shrugged his shoulders and gave a distinctly bored look. “You can try me if you want to.”

“Thanks, but no. You’re not on my list.”

“Pity, maybe the simplicity of being human is what I need in my life.”

“Can we leave?” Gabe’s voice came out rough; he didn’t appreciate Voyager talking to his soul-bonded.

Voyager winked at her. “I do believe your soul-bonded is a little jealous as well as possessive. Seems he does not want to lose you. Smart male. You cannot leave. If the trials were through with you they would show you the way out. You must have missed something.”

He turned around and began walking away.

“Where are you going?”

He turned to look at her. “You are always asking me that.”

“Because you’re always turning around and walking away.”

“This time you should thank me.” He lifted his hand and snapped it over his head. “Follow the path.” He disappeared in a blink of the eye.

They turned around to find the prettiest cobblestone path she ever saw snaking through a field. Flowers lined it on either side.

“We’re not in Kansas anymore, Taya.” Gabe smiled at her, reached down taking her hand, and led her onto the path.

The field they were walking through was beautiful. It was open and wide with wildflowers growing everywhere. There was even a babbling brook off to the side. The smell of the flowers combined with the grass was making her happy.

She kept telling herself to stay on guard, to look for evil hiding in the shadows, but there were no shadows.

“What do you think Voyager meant?”

“I think he must be taking classes to be an oracle, nothing that male says makes sense.” Gabe pouted just a little; the last thing he wanted was to be talking about another male when they were in such a beautiful location.

Taya pulled at his hand and left the path going towards the brook, the beauty of it was calling her.

“Can we sit a while and just soak our feet?”

He looked at her and smiled. They could do anything that made her happy because she made him happy.

She pulled off her boots and watched as he pulled off his shoes. They sat at the edge of the brook feet splashing in the water, hands entwined.

“One day I’m going to tell our children about this moment. How in the midst of the trials we found this moment of peace.”

She looked at him both joy and doubt warring for a place in her eyes. “You want children with me?”

“As many as you’ll agree to but at least one. Do you want children?”

Did she? Another dream that had been rudely ripped away. Another dream she hadn’t fought for.

“I used to dream about the day I had kids. I would love them like my parents loved me and protect them from the world, but you can’t always protect them. No matter how hard you try.”

“No you can’t, but that doesn’t mean you give up hope. What if my parent’s decided that fighting the Sudir was too much and they didn’t have Ry and me. Or what if your parents decided they could only take care of each other? Then one of us would be without a soul-bond. We will do what the best parents do. Give them all our love, hide behind the bench or the tree when they go on their first date, and catch them if they fall.

“We will do what your parents did. Take care of them no matter what happens and always believe in them.”

She nodded thinking about what he said. She could see a little Gabe running around the house. Eyes so blue she wanted to weep because they reminded her of his father with black straight hair. Then there was little Gabrielle who was twisting her dad around her finger while trying to get her mom not to say anything.

“They’ll be a handful,” she said, looking up at him.

“I know, but we can handle them.”

She agreed. “You know what I was thinking?”

“What?” he whispered in her ear while he nuzzled her neck.

“We should get started now.”

“You’re the smartest, most amazing soul-bonded ever and I love the way you think.” He picked her up and carried her to a soft grassy area before gently lying her down. “Right here feels like the perfect place.

His lips touched her, setting off fireworks with just a press and once again she knew he was the male for her. A sigh of satisfaction emerged when his tongue plundered her mouth.

Her tongue battled with his even as she ran her hands down his back. Part of her still couldn’t believe they were destined to be together for the rest of their lives.

“Gabe?” her hands pushed against his chest. It was so easy to suddenly not be sure of herself or them.

He broke the kiss and looked down at her.

“Taya?” His voice was soft and warm when he said her name.

She was crazy. Why was she questioning? Common sense said take what he was offering for as long as he was offering it.

“You said you loved me?” Why did it have to come out sounding like a question?