First Vision of Destiny - Alicia (5 page)

Ben remained silent for a moment. His arm,
curled around her waist, tightened almost imperceptibly. “I don’t
know,” he said at last, very low. “Maybe.” A handful of seconds
trickled by before he added, “Probably.”

Alicia picked up his hand and drew it up to
her mouth. She kissed his knuckles, wordlessly thanking him for
realizing that they might need help working things out. And if he
could admit it, maybe she could do the same. She had balked, years
earlier, when he had warily suggested it. Maybe it was time.

“And maybe I should see a shrink, too. About…
about the biting.”

His hand let go of hers and slid back until
his fingertips were touching the scars on the inside of her wrist.
A shudder ran through Alicia. Over the years since she had first
told him about her visits to blood bars, he had always avoided
touching the bite marks on her wrists. She wasn’t sure what it
meant that he was touching them now or that he had kissed them
earlier, but a knot inside her chest loosened a little bit,
allowing her to breathe a little better.

“I should have noticed.” His whisper tickled
the back of her neck. “I’m sorry. And I’m sorry about the rest,
too. I swear—”

She turned in his embrace, facing him and
laying a finger across his lips.

“Maybe… Maybe we could stop saying we’re
sorry. Both of us.”

His lips pursed and he kissed her finger.
“Anything you want.”

Arms wrapping around each other, they pulled
closer until their bodies were flush. As his warmth enveloped her,
Alicia tried to clear her mind. It felt like a lot had happened in
just a few hours. It had all gone very fast. As she held him tight,
however, as she took in the comfort, forgiveness, apologies and
love she could feel in every touch, she was filled again with that
unexplainable yet deep certainty. This was the right thing to
do.

“Alicia?” he murmured just as she was
drifting into sleep. “Will we be OK?”

She pressed her lips to his shoulder,
caressing satin-like strength. “I think…” She frowned to herself.
That wasn’t right. “No, I
know
we
will be.”

* * * *

The kiss only lasted for a second, just long
enough for Daisy to take a sip of wine. Alicia’s eyes remained
closed when Woods pulled away. She wavered for an instant before he
gently took her elbow and guided her into the iron chair just a
foot behind her. He placed the other chair across from her and sat,
forearms resting on his thighs as he leaned intently toward her,
watching her for a few seconds. He then closed his eyes too and
bowed his head as though in prayer.

“Did they start?” Lydia asked, her voice very
quiet just behind Daisy.

Daisy didn’t take her eyes off Alicia and
Woods, answering with a nod.

Lydia touched her arm. “Come on, let’s leave
them to it.”

With reluctance, Daisy followed her back to
the dining room where her friends were gathered around the
table.

“You knew, didn’t you?” Mike asked. “About
the kissing part?”

Daisy couldn’t quite tell if he was amused or
annoyed. He had always been good at hiding behind masks. She
shrugged.

“I knew. I didn’t think it’d stop anyone who
truly wanted to do this.”

She let her questioning eyes glance around
the group. They seemed to have settled down since the initial
revelation.

“It’s just a kiss,” Rachel said. “We’re all
adults here.”

Her words would have carried more weight if
she had not blushed as she finished. Joan patted her back. They had
been best friends since high school, and while Joan was the most
daring of the two of them, Rachel was always at her side whenever
they did something.

“
Just a kiss? Easy for you to say!” Brett
shook his head as he filled his glass, then two more when they were
extended toward him. “He’s a guy. I don’t
kiss
guys!”

“Could be worse,” Jack said, tongue in cheek,
and waited for Brett to look at him questioningly before he
finished. “He could have been ugly.”

They all laughed at that, even Brett, who
raised his glass to Jack before taking a long drink. “Even so, I
think I’ll need a few more drinks if I’m going to do this.”

“What about you? Will you do it?” Lydia
asked, looking at her boyfriend with some surprise. Jack only
shrugged.

Across from them, Mike was teasing Brett,
asking with the deepest serious if he wanted some practice before
he stepped on that balcony. Brett groaned and covered his face with
his free hand, causing the people around them to laugh. They all
knew Mike was gay; he had come out to them three years earlier
during a party very much like this one. The first person he had
ever told, however, had been his childhood friend Brett. If that
revelation had cost him Brett’s friendship, he had once confided to
Daisy after a few too many drinks, he’d never have found the
courage to tell anyone else.

Daisy surveyed the table as her friends
continued to chat, now divided into two groups. In a moment, she
would pull more food from the fridge, and maybe another bottle or
two. For now, though…

She left her empty glass on the table and
returned to the living room, unable to stop herself. As she stood
in front of the French doors, looking out onto the balcony, she
couldn’t help but wonder what Alicia was seeing. She and Woods
hadn’t moved since Daisy had left them there. In the pool of light
cast by the living room chandelier, however, she could see tear
tracks on Alicia’s cheeks. Something tightened in her stomach, and
her hand came to rest on the door handle before she knew what she
was doing. She stopped when Alicia’s lips curled into a faint
smile. With some difficulty, she let go of the handle. What was
Alicia seeing, she wondered, that could make her both cry and
smile? She doubted she’d ever find the courage to ask her
friend.

She watched for a moment longer, as still as
they were. Finally, Woods sat up, then stood, returning to his
place against the railing with his back to Daisy. Seconds later,
Alicia’s eyes opened and she took a deep breath. She remained
sitting a few more seconds, then stood and briefly touched Woods’
shoulder. He turned his face to her, and nodded, smiling, when she
said a few words to him. She was thanking him, Daisy supposed.
Things must have gone well, then. She let out a relieved breath she
hadn’t realized she was holding.

Turning back to the house, Alicia took a few
hesitant steps toward it. Daisy opened the window for her. Alicia
thanked her with a smile as she walked back in, pausing for a
second to rest her trembling hand on the doorjamb as though to
stabilize herself.

“Are you all right?” Daisy asked.

Alicia nodded. “Fine.” The word came out as a
croak. “But I could use a drink.”

Daisy walked ahead, pouring two glasses of
the white wine. When she turned, Alicia was there, her hand already
reaching for one of the glasses.

“How was it?” Joan asked, sliding closer to
Alicia. “What did you see?”

The others had stopped talking and turned to
Alicia, their faces showing various degrees of curiosity.

Having no
desire to hear this, Daisy took the second glass out onto the
balcony. Woods was still against the railing, looking out at the
ocean as she had earlier. The sun had fully set, but the very edge
of the horizon was still glowing, like the embers of a fire only
waiting to be reawakened. She stood by his side and offered him the
glass. He took it with a grateful nod. Like Alicia’s, his hand was
shaking a little when he brought the glass to his lips.

Clutching the railway with both hands, Daisy
observed him with a critical eye. The rough wood pressed into her
palms when she tightened her grip. She had never seen him do his
little trick before, and she had just realized something. Her lips
twisted in a grimace.

“You didn’t tell them everything,” she said,
almost accusing.

Woods seemed startled by her words. He
blinked as he looked at her. “What?”

“You didn’t tell them you see everything they
do.”

His awkward smile assured her she was right.
“I’m just trying to spare them embarrassment.”

She snorted. “You’re too kind.”

“Not really. I’m sparing myself the
embarrassment, too.”

She tried not to let her eyes stray down to
the bulging reason why Woods was facing away. “Right. And next
you’re going to tell me you don’t enjoy what you see.”

He actually blushed at that, and took a sip
of wine rather than answering.

“I knew it!” She shook a finger at him.
“Pervert!”

Still looking embarrassed, he grinned.
“Honestly, I like it much better when it stays PG. But whatever I
see, it’s just… nice to know things work out for so many people in
the end.”

Her curiosity piqued by his tone, Daisy
peered at him more closely. As he continued to take slow sips from
his glass, the grin faded, replaced by wistfulness. Her disbelief
that he might like innocent visions more than explicit ones was
shaken, and rather than mock him she said, “I guess I hadn’t
thought about it that way. So… your visions… they always end
well?”

“To this day.” He knocked twice on the wooden
railway, the sound clear and sharp in the night.

“How many people did you… show their future
to?”

“I’ve lost count. Too many, probably.”

The comment surprised Daisy, but before she
could say anything, Woods looked at her sideways.

“Are you next?”

“You wish. Let me go get your next
victim.”

She reached for his empty glass. He didn’t
let go. “But you will let me show you?”

As she forced herself to meet his eyes,
Daisy could only hope that she didn’t look as scared as she had
suddenly felt. “You mean, will I let you inside my life?” she said,
pushing a sardonic smile to her lips. “Why would I let
you
see what I think
I
shouldn’t see?”

He finally let go of the glass and turned
back to the ocean. “Think about it, Daisy. It could change your
life.”

Even though she wouldn’t admit it, at
least not to him, she
had
thought about it. From the first time her sister had told
her, beaming, that a seer had shown her a vision of her future
husband to the moment she had met Woods at the wedding, she had
wondered what it would be like to get a glimpse of her own future.
She didn’t let herself wonder anymore.

“Giving you a hard on would change my life?”
she said, her voice turning more teasing than she wanted. “Don’t
flatter yourself. And try to calm down before I send you the next
one. They were spooked enough by the kissing part. They don’t need
to know you’re getting off on it.”

He was chuckling when she left. In spite of
herself, Daisy smiled.

To be continued in: Second Vision of Destiny
- Lydia

About the Author:

Kallysten’s
most exciting accomplishment to date was to cross a few thousand
miles and an ocean to pursue (and catch!) the love of her life. She
has been writing for fifteen years, and always enjoyed sharing her
stories and listening to the readers' reactions. After playing with
science fiction, short stories and poetry, she is now trying her
hand, heart and words at paranormal romance novels.

To see her other stories, including free
short stories and sample chapters, visit
http://original.kallysten.net

Also available from
Kallysten:

On The Edge

Brett Andrews thought he had it all.

His new club, On The Edge, catering to
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vampire Lisa is everything he could have dreamed of.

When an old lover of hers, Leo, shows up at
the club, Brett's immediate fear is that he will lose Lisa. But if
he just stops thinking long enough to follow Lisa's lead, he might
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Forever Starts Now

After receiving pictures that prove her
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throws him out of her house. As a Special Enforcer, Jonas’ job is
to hunt vampires who kill humans, but while she packs his
belongings, Claire discovers he might be killing innocent vampires
as well. Needing to know more about vampires before she decides
whether to turn Jonas in, she visits a club where vampires and
humans come in close contact, On The Edge.

There, she meets the attractive and
mysterious vampire Matthew. She observes him from afar for a few
nights, and when he finally comes to talk to her, it is to scare
her and ensure that she will not return to a place he considers
dangerous for her--a view he unexpectedly shares with Jonas.

Claire does return, however, and discovers
more about Matthew’s past than he wanted her to know. She also
discovers he is attracted to her, just as much as she is to him.
Their first night together is passionate, but, with the
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Carte Blanche

When a lobbyist opposed to vampires’ rights
is found drained of her blood, Special Enforcer Grace Alkins
investigates the woman’s connection to a local BDSM club and its
vampire customers. It has been a long time since Grace played on
this particular scene, but old habits return easily when she puts
on the attire of Mistress Red.

On her first undercover visit at the club,
however, she finds herself tricked into playing a scene with Ray, a
submissive whose Master left town abruptly. The Dominant in her
enjoys the opportunity – while the Special Enforcer is shocked to
realize Ray is a vampire, and possibly a suspect for the murder she
investigates.

Will Grace
manage to keep a cool head and find the killer when every new
meeting with Ray cranks up the heat a little more?