Fate Fixed (17 page)

powerlessness he experienced trying to save her in the dream was because she was rescuing him instead.

He bent over and picked up the heavy book that skidded under his bed. It had been a gift from his father. Donovan was a voracious reader and always passed down his

favorite novels.

Quoting Rand’s famous work from memory, he whispered:

“In the hopeless swamps of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at al , do not let the hero in your soul perish and leave only frustration for the life you deserved, but never have been able to reach. The world you deserve can be

won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.”

He stood and placed the book on his stand before stuffing his duffle bag back into the closet. He wasn’t going

anywhere.

He wanted a life with her and would die protecting her if need be.

Lexie sat alone on her balcony al Saturday morning. It was the one place she could be outside of her home without her brothers chaperoning. She desired the solitude, the breeze and gentle rustling sounds of the animals. She needed to be in nature, around a world she understood and could live with.

Before dawn she was awake, using the stil ness of the

morning to settle her thoughts. Every moment with Torin replayed in her mind, from the night they met and shared their first kiss, to the day at the lake when he admitted he liked her.

How did those precious minutes with him fit in with what she had seen yesterday?

When she met him, she felt like she was final y home.

Deep within her, where her heart and spirit merged, she found a connection with him that she hadn’t ever

experienced. That was

why she believed dreaming of him was magical, that

something greater than themselves brought them together.

They were meant to be.

Now, she didn’t even know what he was. How could she

reconcile her feelings and not be afraid? His eyes – with their sweeping lashes and depth were so easy to get lost in, but they changed and she didn’t know who he was.

Never had she seen eyes that were completely white with just a black rim around the iris with liquid pupils. Equal y upsetting was how his complexion faded and his mouth

revealed the teeth of a predator.

His usual sweet smile was replaced with fangs. She didn’t believe it.

Al night she had tried to convince herself that it was trick lighting or a bad prank, but she couldn’t deny how he flew through the air, capturing her when she fel . People can’t move like that. Just like they can’t have a have rotten piece of building material impale their arm only to have it fuse together in seconds. But Torin did.

And then there were his cousins. They had to be like him.

She didn’t say anything to Teagan when he dropped her off in front of her house. She could tel he wanted to talk, but
she hopped off the bike before he could. She saw Maxim waxing the Jeep and El a was shooting hoops with Nicolai, but she rushed

straight into the house without talking to any of them. She hadn’t left her room since.

Lexie studied the cel phone Torin gave her as it vibrated across the balcony’s old floorboards. She had forgotten he gave it to her until its ringtone startled her this morning. He had cal ed her three times but she didn’t answer. She wasn’t sure what to say
. I’m okay, I just need time. I don’t
know what I want. My
heart wants you, but I am scared.

She picked up the phone and looked at the text he sent.

He wrote, “Please trust me.”

A tear slid down her cheek as she typed. “I don’t

understand. You said that there is such thing as magic – then why am I afraid?”

After she hit send, the phone rang back in reply. She

wanted to answer, but couldn’t talk to him yet. She needed more time.

She looked up as the gravel in the driveway grinded

together under the weight of Theo’s station wagon. Lexie
was tempted to yel down to him that she wasn’t up for visiting, but couldn’t keep putting off her friends. She slipped down through the house and out the kitchen door just as he climbed from the driver’s seat.

Theo’s usual smile was missing, his olive toned skin was blotchy and his almond shaped eyes were red rimmed and puffy.

Had he been crying? He wrapped his arms around Lexie

and gave her a big hug.

“I’m sorry for just showing up like this,” he sniffled. “I just needed to talk to you.”

Lexie hugged him tighter. “What’s wrong Theo? You look like a wreck.”

He pul ed back and gave her a discerning look. “You are looking a little less than cheery yourself.” His face

brightened,

“Good thing I brought us lattes.” He reached into his car, producing a drink holder with two Styrofoam cups.

Once seated on the Adirondack styled chairs tucked in the
corner of the yard, Theo declared what was bothering him.

“Have you heard what’s been going on around here? First, Cat Barry, the animal patrol officer has been missing since Thursday.” He nibbled on his nails in between sips of his hot drink. “Now, Courtney Parsons has disappeared.”

Lexie shifted in her seat. She hadn’t heard Officer Barry was missing, only family pets in the area. “When did that happen?”

“My dad is the county coroner – that is why we moved up here from Boston. I heard him talking to my mother about it.

Sheriff Timmons cal ed at three this morning, and my Dad left and didn’t get home until breakfast time.” Theo’s eyes were wide. “I heard him tel her that he couldn’t do much because

they didn’t locate Courtney’s body, there was just a huge blood smear leading from her bed to an open window.” He swal owed loudly. “But they found her foot – my Dad

bagged it.”

Nausea crept up from the center of Lexie’s bel y and

burned at the back of her throat. As much as she detested Courtney, she would never want to see her harmed in any way.

“Are they sure it’s hers?” her voice shook. “I mean, could someone else have been in the house or something?”

Theo shrugged his shoulders in confusion. “Sheriff

Timmons told Dad that her mom slept through the whole

thing.

She takes pil s and knew nothing about it until the cops roused her from bed. It was the neighbors that heard

screams. They cal ed the police.”

“What about her Dad?” Lexie couldn’t imagine what her

parents were feeling. Losing a child is supposed to be the worst possible grief experienced.

“He’s been sleeping at the Moose Tale for the last few months,” he said. “I kind of wish I at least tried to be tolerable of her.”

Lexie nodded. She didn’t realize Courtney’s family was so messed up. No wonder she was so demanding at school.

People like that wil look for negative attention when there isn’t enough positive supplied at home.

“But that’s not al .” Theo’s tears streamed down his cheeks as his face crumbled. “Last night Tomo kept jumping on my bed and licking my face. I got fed up because he would not let me sleep, so I put him out.” Theo kept trying to wipe off his tears with the back of his hand, but they flowed without ceasing.

“He didn’t come back. He never does that.”

Lexie wrapped her arm around her friend’s shoulders.

She could feel his smal build shake with sadness. “Maybe he wil come back.” She hoped so anyway.

“The worst part is, I know who is responsible, but no one wil ever believe me.” His sadness was crushing.

Lexie wondered who Theo would suspect. Wouldn’t it be

the sick animals Officer Barry mentioned? Her mind

flashed Torin’s image with eyes glowing and teeth bared, but quickly dismissed it. She wasn’t sure what Torin was, but he would never hurt anyone. The realization sank

through her with powerful certainty. She believed in him.

Giving Theo a reassuring squeeze, she asked, “Who?”

As Theo gazed at her, he looked so young, his buoyancy missing. “It’s the aliens Lexie. They are taking our dogs so they can’t alert us to their presence.” As he tried to straighten himself in the chair, he used the back of his
sleeve to dry his face. “It’s been on record for years that we have had actual abductions in this state park. It’s the only thing that can explain al of this.”

Lexie wasn’t sure about aliens, but after the last twenty-four hours, anything was possible. She ran her hand across her hip and felt Torin’s phone in her pocket. It was time for her to meet with not just him but his parents too. She needed to learn the whole truth of what he was and why she was linked to him.

If she was going to go against Alik’s warning and insist to her family she wanted to be with Torin, she needed to know who she was fighting for.

Lexie stood outside Torin’s house, hesitating at the front door. She wasn’t sure what she feared most, having her boyfriend’s parents act like she was crazy and maintain their family was like everyone else’s she had ever known, or have them tel her a truth she couldn’t live with.

She shook her head, unwil ing to let her reservations have a voice. He was different, but he wasn’t evil. When she was with him, she could feel his spirit. It was genuine and matched hers. He had asked her to trust him and she was here at this moment to do so. She had sent him a text on the way, letting him know her plans to ask his family for the truth.

Her eyes closed as she wil ed her breathing to steady, determined to feel grounded before entering through the big door

of his family home. The Victorian was extraordinary, a word she didn’t often use when considering architecture. The lawn was manicured with healthy lush grass and bright

flower beds with beautiful pink and white blooms. Like many houses in Maine, there was a good sized barn

attached to the house, although not for animal use. Its doors were open and she recognized Torin’s dirt bike parked in the entranceway. The whole scene was family friendly and wholesome. No one could guess there was something

wrong.

With a steady breath she resigned herself to face the truth.

Marching straight up the considerable front steps, she raised her hand to knock on the front door. It swung open before her knuckles even made contact with the wood. A
petite woman appearing in her mid-forties with long curly red hair, stood before her with a welcoming smile on her pleasant face.

“I saw you standing out front and hoped you would decide to come in for a visit.” As she ushered Lexie into the foyer, she wrapped Lexie in a gracious hug. “I am Torin’s mother Endel ion, and I am glad you are here.” She had a lovely Irish accent.

Unsure of where to begin with her questioning, she simply fol owed Torin’s mother into an expansive kitchen with a large fireplace. “We are big tea drinkers in Ireland. Won’t you

have a cup with me? Donovan should be here in a minute, he’s just finishing up some work in the backyard.”

Lexie watched her fil a large brass tea kettle and fil it with cold water from the tap. Her hair was stunning. It went clear past her shoulders to her mid back, the color a rich

strawberry that reflected pure bronze in the light. Her skin was a creamy ivory, with only a spattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.

“I want you to know dear, how much we have al enjoyed my son’s company since he first dreamt of you. He has always been an intense young man, much like my own father was.

Always so serious and focused, I was beginning to fear he wouldn’t enjoy this time of his life.” She removed a china plate from the cupboard and a large canister of cookies, and began to arrange an assortment to have with tea. “But over this past week, we have been able to see the lighter side of his personality, much like when he was a wee lad.”

When she smiled, dimples in her cheeks made her even

more endearing.

Lexie wanted to ask her about the dreaming. “He makes

me happy too,” she replied, searching for the courage to say what she needed to. “I am just confused about him, especial y after yesterday.”

Endel ion met her gaze with understanding. “What

happened yesterday, dear heart?”

Lexie could feel her body tense with anxiety, now was the time to confront her fears and get it al out in the open.

“Torin brought me to your old family home in the woods. He and I sat on the porch roof, just outside of the first bedroom at the top of the stairs.” Lexie looked at her hands folded in her lap, too embarrassed to mention that they were kissing.

“When Teagan and Braden pul ed in, I was startled and I fel off the roof. I must have dropped ten feet when Torin caught
me…but he flew.”

“I see,” her voice was calm, “I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”

Lexie nodded. “But he was. He was bleeding real y badly.

But, then he healed like nothing had happened.”

Endel ion gave her an encouraging nod to continue. “Al he had said to me before was that he was different, that you al were. I mean – I dreamed of him long before I moved here, which is unexplainable on its own. Now he has these

other…” she paused, looking for the right word, “abilities.”

She bowed her head in shame, “I didn’t even give him a chance to explain. I made Teagan bring me home.”

Endel ion reached across the table where they sat and

placed her hand on top of Lexie’s. “You might be surprised, but I was in your place once. I know how amazing yet

confusing it is for you. You deserve to learn the truth. Know that we wil always be straightforward with you.” The older woman gave

Lexie a gentle pat on the hand. “But first, I want you to look within your heart and ask yourself if you are in love with my son, because if you are, then you wil discover the truth of who he is won’t change that.”

Lexie felt a shiver run down her arms and legs. She did love
Torin. She had been refusing to admit it to herself because love doesn’t happen without months of knowing someone – but since she first found him in her dreams, she felt it. Being with him now only made it stronger.