Redemption of Fate (Fate Series Book 2) Page 9

  “Well, that sounds just about right to me. What do you say, Violet?” Chuck asked without looking at his wife.

  “Mmm; sounds delicious. And you know, I think we might have a little bit of refreshment for the ride over,” Violet responded with a wink.

  Chuck settled his tab and the trio abandoned their drinks, leaving arm- in-arm to take the short walk to the couple’s new Cadillac.

  “Listen, Chuck. I was thinking, why don’t you drive and let me and Violet here sit in back and get better acquainted,” Molly suggested as she slid across the supple cream leather of the back seat, spreading her legs just enough to give them a peak at the silver piercings adorning her sex.

  “Only if you let me get a little taste first,” Chuck replied as Violet opened the passenger door and lifted the hatch on the center console. She reached up and turned off the overhead light then pulled out a small square mirror and bag of coke, setting it on the lid after she closed it.

  “Sounds like a fair deal to me, Chuck,” Molly replied sliding back further to make room for him as he climbed in, his eyes fixed on his prize as Molly slid her skirt up to her hips.

  A fast snorting sound cut through the air as Violet did a line of coke. Sniffing repeatedly, she leaned over the seat to watch as Chuck inched closer to Molly; the streetlight outside casting just enough light for her to see clearly.

  Chuck slid down onto his elbows and pushed his hands under Molly’s bare ass, lifting her up to meet his eager mouth. He slid his tongue up over her slick flesh, the motion tugging slightly on the thin silver chain attached to the two rings piercing her left lip.

  Molly moaned and tossed her head back, as he gripped the chain between his teeth and tugged ever so slightly.

  “Shit, baby; you taste even sweeter than you look,” Chuck groaned as he moved back, hesitantly.

  “Mmm; my turn,” Violet said climbing into the backseat while Chuck rounded the car and hopped in the driver’s seat. She held up the mirror with four perfect white lines on top and offered it to Molly. She took it and quickly inhaled two of the lines while Violet closed the door and Chuck started the car.

  “Pass that shit up here,” Chuck demanded.

  Violet quickly obeyed. When she set the makeshift tray on the console, Chuck grabbed her chin in one hand as crashed his mouth to hers roughly. He released her just as roughly and pushed her so hard she fell back into the seat before he leaned over and snorted back the two remaining lines.

  As the drugs slid down the back of his throat, Chuck hollered, “Whoo; this is going to be one hell of a night!”

  “You have no fucking idea,” Molly responded with her voice low. She reached over and pulled the front of Violet’s dress down, setting her large breasts free. Leaning down, she took one hard pink nipple between her teeth while Chuck turned the rearview mirror for a better view.

  Thirty minutes later the car turned into the long driveway and stopped in front of the gate as Molly instructed.

  “Damn; this must be one hell of a nice place,” Chuck said as he put the car in park.

  Violet she sat up and looked out her window while Molly pretended to rifle through her purse. Before the redhead could agree, she slumped down in the seat as the M99 Molly injected into her neck took effect.

  “Well come on, sweetheart; let’s get this show on the road,” Chuck tossed over his shoulder, growing impatient to get on to the evening’s main event.

  “Sure thing, sugar; but how about a little kiss first?” she requested sweetly leaning up between the seats. Chuck obliged and turned back, the sharp needle piercing his neck the moment their lips met. He fell over instantly and Molly wiped her lips with the back of her hand before she hopped out of the car and strolled up to the gate.

  “Hey, Sean,” she said to one of the guards posted just inside the tall iron structure. “Can you boys give me a hand with the new toys I brought for the master? You can have the one in the front; just take the redhead to the playroom,” she said sweetly as if she had merely baked too many cookies and was giving them the extras.

  Without a response, the gate slid open and the two red-eyed guards walked out and gathered up their unconscious guests.

  CHAPTER 9 - Training Time

  Cami paused for a moment, her chest heaving from the exertion of the intense workout she had been punishing her body with for nearly an hour. She had been coming to the underground workout facility to work off her frustrations every day since she’d taken Chloe horseback riding.

  The rest of her time was either spent in seemingly pointless strategic meetings or alone taking long rides on Pegasus. Although Chloe had asked to go riding again several times, Cami always made excuses, for fear of being forced to see Jared. Since that first day, Cami had managed to almost completely avoid him, only seeing him occasionally and from a safe distance.

  She’d considered going for another ride that morning; riding had always been one of her favorite ways to pass the time, but right then she didn’t need a peaceful retreat. She needed pain.

  It had been nearly a week since she’d returned from the refreshing ride with Chloe and was called into a meeting that changed everything. The civilian resource who’d been sent to Eleuthera had finally reported back, having discovered the bodies of the pilot and flight attended Ethan had hired. Beyond the two dead humans, there was no information to be found nor had anyone seen or heard from Ethan. Starting that night, Commander Claesson ordered Elite security patrols in every major city in which the group had a presence. It was a long shot, but they didn’t have anything else to go on.

  Instead of joining those patrols, Cami was stuck on lockdown, along with the rest of her family, and it was driving her crazy. After decades of self-imposed separation, she had finally repaired things with her brother, only to have him ripped away again. The thing that infuriated her most was that while she was hopelessly worried about Ethan, her thoughts were almost constantly consumed by Jared. Knowing he was always nearby, thanks to his father’s mandate prohibiting anyone connected to Chloe from leaving the compound without express permission, her mind constantly wandered to him.

  More than anything, she felt guilty for indulging in some silly school- girl infatuation when she should be out looking for her brother. When she went to Commander Claesson, practically begging him to speak to the High Commander on her behalf only to be told that he saw no reason to challenge the mandate, it took every ounce of her willpower to keep her insubordination in check and not tell him to fuck off. She couldn’t deny that his reasoning was solid, when he said she was too close to the situation and that her attachment could be a liability. Reasonable or not, it still pissed her off.

  At least he still allowed her to attend the debriefings every evening after the patrols, and he had assured her that if any situations arose which required her expertise, he would see to it that her skills were properly utilized.

  Cami swung her arms back and forth to loosen her tight muscles, and reached up to rub the knot in her left shoulder. Touching the tattooed skin reminded her of Barb and, for the second time since returning to Boston, Cami felt the sting of tears in her eyes as she thought of the kind old witch who had been like a mother to her for so many years.

  Wiping her eyes, and feeling pissed at her display of weakness, Cami turned back to the workout dummy and readied her stance. Jumping up, she spun around and kicked her leg out, connecting with the rubber man’s chest and sending the entire rig flying backwards to the mat as she landed silently, precisely where she’d started. The dummy smacked into the floor and bounced back up only to be met with Cami’s favorite sword straight through its painted red heart. With a yell, she ripped the blade out and spun around again, this time striking the side of the neck with enough force to cut completely through the rubber to the metal rod in the center.

  “I think you got him,” a deep voice said from across the room. Cami sighed audibly as she looked up to see the soldier’s reflection in the mirrored wall and instantly felt irritated by the
amused look on his face.

  ✧

  Since the day she’d joined The Elite nearly two centuries ago, Dante had taken more of an interest in her than she had been comfortable with. Based on the way other women responded to him, vampire and human alike, she should have been flattered by his attention.

  Standing at six feet, four inches, with well-toned muscles, spiky, jet-black hair, and piercing blue eyes, Dante was unusually attractive, even for a vampire; all members of the race being blessed with above-average good looks. Yet another positive side-effect of the genetic mutation which had spawned their race.

  Cami found his advances annoying at best, especially considering the way that women rotated through his life. Not that she would have been interested otherwise; her focus having been entirely on her duty as a member of the Elite; but if she was ever going to get involved with a man, it certainly wouldn’t be a womanizer like him.

  If I was going to be with a man, it would be someone like Jared, she thought, immediately dismissing the idea, telling herself it could never happen. She would never let it happen.

  She slid the sword into its sheath across her back and faced Dante, as he leaned in the doorway staring at her shamelessly. Cami silently cursed herself for her choice of workout attire as she stood there in skin-tight pants, a sports bra, and her weapons holster. Having planned on being back in her room before the soldiers returned, she hadn’t given the ensemble too much thought.

  “Hello, Dante. I was just finishing up if you want the space,” she said as she grabbed her bag and moved towards him, hoping to make a quick exit.

  “You know, your skills are impressive; but you might find it a bit more challenging if you faced an opponent who can actually fight back for a change,” he smirked.

  As intended, his little taunt struck a nerve. Up until the attack in Indianapolis, it had been years since Cami had been in actual battle; The Elite commander keeping her occupied with recon and clean-up missions despite the fact that she was one of his best fighters. When she questioned him about it respectfully, of course, he simply said she was the most efficient team leader for those types of assignments. She knew it was bullshit, considering the other three women in The Elite always seemed to end up on her teams. It had been decades since a female was even inducted and, though no one ever spoke of it, Cami was pretty certain that since his own daughter’s birth, the man just couldn’t stomach the idea of putting a woman in combat.

  “Screw you, Dante,” she spat as he started strolling towards her.

  “Well, I was only talking about a little friendly sparring; but I’m down for screwing instead,” he taunted, further inciting her anger.

  “God, you’re an asshole. You want to fight, fine; let’s go. Pick the weapon,” she said, dropping her bag and strolling toward the racks lined up against the wall and ignoring the satisfied smile which spread across his annoyingly perfect face.

  “Broadswords,” he responded as he pulled his tight black shirt over his head, revealing perfectly formed six-pack abs and an intricate tattoo which covered one side of his bulging pectorals and ran down his side.

  Seeing the dark ink of the witches’ mark in that location shifted her thoughts to Ethan. She, like everyone else, whether or not any of them were willing to admit it out loud, knew Lucias had captured her brother and Alexa. There was simply no other conclusion to be drawn. Her heart constricted as she considered the atrocities they must have endured at that monster’s hands. Lucias would undoubtedly torture them for information on the location of their daughter, but Cami knew they would rather die than see their child fall into his clutches. So, after so much time had passed, they were either dead; or worse.

  Again seized by her own impotent anger at the situation, Cami picked up a broadsword, letting the comfort its weight gave cover her like a warm blanket, and turned to face her opponent.

  God, it’s going to feel good to kick his ass! she thought as they started circling each other cautiously.

  Dante watched Cami carefully as she moved gracefully, and stepped sideways into a defensive stance. He prepared to strike, expecting to be the one to initiate battle, but she beat him to it; moving in and bringing her sword down expertly, catching him off guard as the blade grazed his forearm.

  He looked down at the small trickle of blood and smiled.

  “I’d forgotten how good you are,” he said with admiration.

  Dante twirled his sword around in his palm, slicing the air to show off a bit before he lunged. Cami was unimpressed and met him blow for blow, their blades colliding in perfect synchronization over and again as they battled; their movements like those of a dance perfectly choreographed to the music of the clanging metal.

  He attacked again, hoping to use his intimidating size to push Cami into the corner; but she spun away easily, jumping into the air and landing a hard elbow to the back of his head as she leapt back to the center of the floor.

  Reaching back, he touched the knot at the base of his skull and brought his hand forward to reveal the smear of blood on his fingertips. Damn, she hit hard. The fight in her turned him on; he had never met a woman equal to her in his long life and he felt determined to have her, at least once. He stared at her with hunger as he licked the blood from his fingers.

  She responded with a look of disgust and he laughed before gripping the hilt of his blade again. Charging at her with staggering speed that would have been nearly imperceptible to human eyes, he found she was ready for the attack. That was until a familiar scent hit her nose and she hesitated for just a moment as she realized they were no longer alone.

  Dante took full advantage of her distraction and knocked the sword from her grasp as he took her to the ground, pinning her with his full weight as he lightly pressed the edge of the blade against her throat. With her lying beneath him, he couldn’t help his body’s response to her beauty. He stared down at her full lips, unable to think of anything but feeling them move against his own as he moved the sword away and grasped her wrists, effectively pinning them to the mat above her head. He was surprised by the way she had given in, letting him grab her arms that way when his moving the blade had given her an opportunity to escape, but he certainly wasn’t going to complain.

  Cami stared up at Dante, willing her body to calm down as that intoxicating scent filled her lungs and she felt a flood of moisture between her thighs. She didn’t dare glance over to the door where she knew he was standing. She’d been learning to focus and control her emotions when he was near; but being like that, in the heat of battle with adrenaline coursing through her veins, she couldn’t contain the raw sensations he stirred in her body.

  A look of surprise entered Dante’s eyes as he inhaled heavily, taking in the obvious scent of her arousal. The look quickly morphed to one of desire as his lids lowered and he leaned in. “Now that is an unexpected surprise,” he whispered, so close that she could feel his warm breath against her cheek and his growing arousal pressing into her belly.

  She knew what was coming, knew she needed to get away; but finding herself paralyzed by Jared’s presence, she squeezed her eyes closed as Dante pressed his lips hungrily against hers.

  Before her mind could even process the strange sensation, it was gone along with the pressure of Dante’s large body.

  ✧

  Jared was powerless to stop the possessive growl that burst from his throat as he covered the distance to Cami in the blink of an eye, hurling Dante across the floor and sending the broadsword he was gripping crashing into the mirrored wall. Before the last shard of broken glass hit the mat, Dante was on his feet, stalking towards Jared.

  “Watch it kid. I don’t give a fuck who your daddy is; you put your hands on me again and I will end you!” he yelled, stopping just short of Jared with Cami still lying on the ground between them.

  Without even acknowledging Dante, Jared knelt down beside her, looking over her body for any sign of injury. “Then you keep your filthy hands off of her,” Jared said, quietly turnin
g to face his opponent; his tone no less menacing than Dante’s.

  “What I do with my hands isn’t up to you, sport,” Dante stated, emphasizing the last word before he let his gaze roam greedily over Cami’s scantily-clad form. “Besides, it’s obvious she wanted everything I was giving,” he said with a smirk as he glanced back at Jared, who was watching him with rage burning in his eyes.