Destiny Divided (7 page)

She ignored him.

“Get back here. We’re not done.”

“Fuck you. I didn’t come here to get bruised and bloody.” Walking backward, facing him, she gave a mock bow. “Thank you for your generous hospitality, but now I will be leaving.”

“No you will not.”

“You can’t make –” She was about to say he couldn’t make her but a vision of the magic rope stopped her. “I swear, James, if you try to tie me up with that freaky rope, I’ll….I’ll…” Fuck! What could she do?

“Well
, you certainly tempt me. But I don’t have to tie you up with a rope, magic or otherwise, to make you stay. You’re not a quitter.”

She stop
ped. “You know nothing about me.”

“I know you’re smart and resourceful. You’re stubborn as a mule but you’re ambitious. And you know your powers are getting out of control.
You need me, Sage.”

She snorted. “
Yeah, I need you like I need a lobotomy.” When he only raised a brow,
she sighed and perched a hand on her hip. “I’m going to end up putting a smoking hole through his chest.” She gestured at Maddox. “I don’t want that on my conscience.”

“That’s exactly why you’re going to stay.”

Part of her knew that if she didn’t settle this now, she would live in fear her whole life. There was nothing worse than being afraid of yourself.

“I don’t like being whispered ab
out in a language I don’t speak,” she told him as she walked closer and pointed a finger at him. “And I don’t like being referred to as a head case or a liability or a giant cockroach hell-bent on destruction.”

He nodded. “So you’ll stay?”

She’d take the head nod as a promise to stop acting like a jerk. “I’ll stay.”

“Good.”

“Good?” She cast him a dirty look. “That’s all you have to say?”

James looked at
Maddox’s disapproving frown, then back to Sage. He threw his arms out to the side. “So? You made a good choice for once in your life. Good on ya’. What do you want? A cookie?”

Maddox grunt
ed. “She wants an apology, dumbass.”

She narrowed her eyes.
“Now I want
two
apologies.” Folding her arms across her chest, she added, “
And
a cookie.”

***

“I think that’s it for the day,” James yelled to Maddox, after two more hours of training.

Sage rose unsteadily from the ground where she’d been thrown by another powerful Bolt. He looked over her
broken body. Dried blood coated her arm and shirt. Her hair was matted with dirt, a few twigs stuck out the back. Luckily she’d worn black pants so the streaks of mud covering the back of them wouldn’t stain.

“Bet a shower
would feel good right about now,” he said.

A
muscle ticked in her jaw and she shot him an evil glare. He had the sudden urge to whisk her into the shower and wash her himself. “Can you manage it yourself or will you need some help?” He tried to bite back a smile.

With an obscene gesture, she
turned around and limped into the house.

James opened his mouth to thank
Maddox.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do here
, James, but I’m not sure your motivation is honorable,” he said. “Please tell me you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking.”

Keeping his expression blank, he walked toward the house.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Maddox ste
pped in front of him and wagged a finger. “Sage is not a weapon for you to use against the Dark King.”

James slapped his hand away and kept walking. “Not with that temper she’s not. But with some refinemen
t…”

“I don’t like this.” He shook his head
. “I definitely do not approve of this.”

James spun
around to look him in the eye. “I’m not asking you to approve of it, Maddox. I’m just asking you not to tell anyone.”

He sighed. “I won’t tell anyone. But
it’s not because I don’t want to.”

“Because you’re scare
d of me?” James mused with a mocking smile.

Maddox
blinked. “Very funny. But no. I won’t tell anyone because you’re my best mate. And I trust you.” His brows furrowed. “I think.”

J
ames laughed then walked toward the house, leaving Maddox at his car. “I’ll give you fifty dollars to come back tomorrow,” he yelled over his shoulder.

“No. I refuse to support this.”
Maddox raised his voice as James walked up the front steps. “I am putting my foot down. I am finally standing up to you James!”

“A hundred?”

“God, I hate you,” he murmured before opening his car door.

James turned around and
flashed a smile. “See you tomorrow then,
mate
.”

Sage stepped out of the longest, hottest showe
r she’d ever taken. After her second day of training with Maddox, every muscle she had – and some she didn’t know she had – screamed in protest with each small movement. Sitting wasn’t any better. It felt good for a few minutes but when she’d try to rise, her body locked up, shooting pain through her limbs.

Today’s training hadn’t gone much better than the day before
. Apparently she was a freak even among other sorcerers. Her powers were not only unpredictable and out of control, but also subject to every passing whim. She could kill someone simply by being annoyed with them. It was disconcerting, but she couldn’t deny it was empowering.

Anger seemed to be the most
prominent trigger for her power. It was a delicious feeling – gathering electricity from the air, letting it wind its way through her body until it pulsed through her veins, growing stronger with each pump of her heart. The power was a high and she rode it gladly. It was all she dreamed about anymore.

She’d suffered from nightmares since she was a
child – a result of trauma, therapists had told various foster parents. Now she dreamt only of her light, stronger and brighter than any other sorcerer, taking over her body and carrying her into a sweet omnipotence.

She didn’t dare mention this to James
though. Each time she proved more powerful than the last, his face grew strained with concern. Afraid he would report her to the Counsel, she figured it was best to tread carefully. Though Maddox had assured her he wouldn’t, she didn’t survive the last twenty-five years by trusting just anyone.

James
had proven his word on one account. He’d produced a cookie after yesterday’s training session. And not just any cookie. James had sent Maddox to the best bakery in town and he’d returned with the largest, softest, most delicious cookie she’d ever tasted.

For dramatic effect, s
he’d made a big showing of eating it too. And to her surprise, James had bit his lip to keep from laughing.

He’d said to Maddox, “
Frenhines theatr
, is she not?”

She’d looked to Maddox for translation. “A Welsh term. Literally, ‘queen theatre.’ But the American equivalent, I think, is ‘drama queen.’”

“Better than Flying Fists,” she’d said with a chuckle. “That’s what my last foster home called me.”

She’d spent the next hour relaying tales of how often her temper
had gotten her in trouble as a child, and how her foster sister, Erin, had talked her out of it.

Her mouth twisted into a smile
, remembering the carefree laughs of the previous night. For that short time, there had been no Sorcerers Counsel, no out-of-control magic, no Dark King or Underworld creatures. No homelessness. No hunger. Just light-hearted conversation, good-natured joking, and peace. And for the first time, in the last few years at least, Sage had felt like she belonged.

After dressing in a pair of faded jeans, a black tank top and a hoodie, she combed
through her wet hair. A minute later, she opened the bathroom door and walked straight into James’ muscled chest.

H
e looked down at her, his eyes blazing. “You’ve been lying to me.”

She bl
inked. “Undoubtedly. But can you tell me more specifically what you’re referring to?”

“Everything.”

“That’s not very specific.” She tried to step around him but his body took up the most of the hallway and he wasn’t budging.

“Let’s
start with your name,” he said.

She tried to side-step him again but he put an arm out to bloc
k her.

She sighed.
“Sage is –”

“Your middle name,” he answered for her
.

“
If you already know it then why are you cornering me like this?”

He flinch
ed back with a look of surprise. “I’m not cornering you.”

“
Look,” she said jabbing a finger at his chest. “I’m perfectly willing to talk about this with you, but can you please be a little bit civilized? No stomping around or tying me up.”

He stepped aside and gestured to the kitchen.

She sat down on a stool at the counter. Trepidation filled her. How much did he know? How much did she want him to know?

James stood across from her with
his arms folded in an intimidating stance. At least he wasn’t stomping around.

“What do you want to know?” she asked.
Maybe it was time to come clean.

“Everything
.”

“Again, not very specific.”

“Let’s start with what I just learned via extensive background check then you can fill in anything I’ve missed.”

She nodded
. This way she could continue to keep what he didn’t know hidden.

“I already know you falsified documents to change your name and get a job at the school.”

“I had to. I have a –”

“Crim
inal record. I know that, too.”

His disappointed tone hit a nerve.
“One little grand theft auto conviction when I was fifteen and everyone gets all pissy.”

Not to mention a few petty thefts after she
’d turned seventeen. Those pesky ones had stayed on her record, making it a bitch to get a job. Hence why she’d changed her middle name to her first and made up a last name.

He stared at her, brows raised as if waiting for an explanation. She didn’t have one.
She wasn’t going to apologize for doing what she had to do to survive.

Maybe
the joy ride in her ex-boyfriend’s father’s Porsche wasn’t exactly life or death. That was just stupidity. But she’d learned a valuable lesson – never steal anything you can’t conceal on your body.

“Why do you look so surprised?
” she finally asked. “I steal, I cheat, I lie. Really James, I thought you would’ve caught on by now. I’m never going to be the sorceress you want me to be.”

His shoulders sagged and, for a mome
nt, she stupidly regretted she couldn’t be what he wanted. He closed his eyes and inhaled. When he opened them, she could see hope still held a firm grip on him.

It would
’ve been so much easier if he’d given up like everyone else.

“Why did you lie to me?”
he asked, his tone more hurt than angry.

“Because I didn’t trust you.”

“And now?”

She
sighed. “Well, if trust were on a scale of one to ten, with ten being my trusting you with my life…then I’d say you’d be about a two.”

He frowned.

“But since everyone else I’ve ever known, aside from Erin, is a zero, you should be pleased.” She gave him her best consolation smile.

He scowled then shifted his stance
and relaxed against the counter. “No more lies.”

“I can’t guar
antee that.”

He grunted his displeasure.

“What? Do you want me to lie about lying?”

His stern look of disapproval
brought up memories most unwelcome. She’d been on the receiving end of many scornful looks. Social workers disappointed in her behavior. Foster parents exhausted by her tenacity. And now James stood, brows furrowed, mimicking their disappointment. She could almost hear the social worker’s lectures as the foster moms wept to the side.

“Don’t look at me like that!” she
growled.

“Like what?”

“Smug judgment oozing from your pores.”

He cr
ossed the length of the kitchen. “I’m not judging you.”

“Bullshit.”

“I just don’t understand. You’re so smart. You could do so much better…”

Ugh!
She’d heard those words before too. Ugly memories bubbled to the surface. She couldn’t handle this. Not when she’d just begun settling in, finally feeling something more than constant failure. She didn’t want to relive that part of her life. Maybe she should start over again, somewhere new. Somewhere no one could do a background check. Africa. Africa seemed nice. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about having a coat.

But
James would never let her. Fear flooded her, making her hands tremble. Adrenaline kicked into gear.

She burst from her seat and yelled
, “Don’t you dare lecture me right now, James! I don’t want to hear a damn thing about your perfect fucking life in Wales! I had nothing when I left Albany. Do you understand what that’s like? Nothing!”

J
ames remained a vision of calm, even as she panted and glared at him. Screw him all the more!

“That’s not true anymore,” he told her.
“You are a sorceress. You have a community in Wales waiting with open arms to embrace you.”

“I truly doubt that –”

“And you have me.”

Sage slid her
gaze to his. She was itching for a fight but the depth of honesty in his eyes deflated her anger. She slumped onto the stool and stared at the floor. Her past was her weakness. She hated feeling weak. She hated that she’d become a walking foster care statistic.

James closed the remaining distance between them. T
he heat from his body her eased her anguish. He was like a rock – an anchor of stability in her chaotic world.

She kept her head down
, knowing that if she looked at his face, she would fall apart. Then, as if he knew and understood every little thing about her, James placed a hand softly on the back of her head. She let him guide her forehead to rest against his stomach. Tenderly, he held her. In his quiet confidence, he knew just what she needed.

“
Eirian Nathara,” James finally said, using her real name. It sounded beautiful on his Welsh tongue. People had been pronouncing it with a long “e” at the beginning so it started out like “eerie.” But James put the emphasis on the end syllable, “yon”, and began it with “air”. It sounded regal and unique instead of just plain weird.

He stroked her hair
. “You are not alone anymore.”

She almost believed him.

“It means bright,” he told her. “Eirian.”

She lifted her head and looked him in the eye. Though her vision was misty, not a tear fell.
“James,” she pleaded. “Make me forget.”

He stared down at her for a few moments and
she thought he might refuse.

Her cheeks heated and she tried to pull away.
What was she thinking? Before she could get far, he grabbed her hair in his fist.

She gasped, but he didn’t give her time to protest. He
yanked her head back and teased her mouth with his.

With an arm around her waist
, he pulled her to stand. As they kissed and nipped at each other’s lips, he unbuttoned her jeans and she fumbled with his belt.

He maneuvered her toward the couch. When she slid her hands under
his shirt, he grabbed them. The firmness of his hands around her wrists, his easy control of her body…she melted. Arousal cranked up a notch. Her clit throbbed and she squeezed her thighs together to ease it. It wasn’t enough. She needed his hand down there – his mouth.

“Let me touch you,
” she rasped.

He pushed her down onto the couch and stood over her. “Not until I have a taste.”

She didn’t think she could get any wetter. Screw foreplay. She wanted cock. Now. Reaching up, she tried to finish undoing his pants but he gripped her wrists again.

With a sly smile he said, “
Stubborn girl. I said not yet.”

He lowered he
r onto the couch then brushed his hand up her thigh and inward until he pressed against her clit. The seam of her jeans rubbed against it and she gasped and arched off the couch.

In
a wild frenzy, he lifted the hem of her shirt with his teeth. Those same teeth nipped sharply at the cleavage spilling over her bra. She moaned and writhed beneath him, rubbing her aching clit against his knee.

It’d
been too long, she thought as she bucked against him in desperation. He sat back on his knees and tugged her pants down over her hips. She wiggled to help him.

He froze. “Up,” he said, patting her hip. “Get up. Maddox is here.”

“Shit.” She yanked up her jeans and straightened out her shirt.

James did the same.

She ran her fingers through her damp hair then stopped when James chuckled. “What?”

“It’s not your hair you need to worry about.”
His gaze dropped to her mouth.

Her lips were sore, which meant they were
probably red and swollen.

“Sorry. I didn’t have time to shave last night.” He drew a finger along her bottom lip then followed the line with his tongue.

“James…”

He stepped back, holding her chi
n between two fingers. “I like you like this. Flush and freshly kissed. Quiet because you don’t want to admit you liked it.”