Destiny's Revenge (Destiny Series - Book 2) Read online

  His guilt was deeper than I could have imagined in my worst nightmare. I tried to comfort him, telling him it wasn’t his fault, that there was nothing he could have done, but nothing I said could ease his regret. Every kind word I had only made him cry more. I sat there on the ground with my arms around him, trying to think of a way to ease his pain. I knew no matter what I said, it wouldn’t ease the ache he was feeling, so I just sat there crying with him.

  After the sorrow seemed to subside a little, I said flatly what Rewsna had told me. “I was targeted by a beast. He was waiting for an opportunity for me to be alone so he could attack me. If it hadn’t been on the mountain, it might have been in a park or my parents’ back yard. The circumstances aren’t all that important: he was going to attack no matter what.”

  The torture was still evident on his face, but he was finally composed enough to speak, “So this thing, Rewsna told you it was targeting you? Why?”

  “I’m not a hundred percent sure, but Rewsna said it saw me as some kind of threat.” Max looked at me as if he needed to process, and I didn’t wait for a question. “I know you’re pretty decent about my weird stuff, but I do have something else to tell you. I guess when I escaped from this Beast, I took a piece of it with me, kind of.”

  Max’s eyes got wide and a confused expression flashed across his face. I continued, “You know how I can tell when someone is lying to me, and I get weird vibes from people sometimes?” Max nodded. He had witnessed these skills first hand. “Now I can kind of see things. I know I told you about dreaming about you before. It’s a little hard to explain, but I can project myself away from my body now.”

  He didn’t say a word. I could see him trying to absorb it. “Max, I was there in Afghanistan with you.” He cocked his head sideways as if trying to reason through what I was saying.

  “When you were dragging Ski up the mountain, I was with you all day.” A bewildered expression stared back at me because he hadn’t shared anything with me about Afghanistan, the fire fight that wounded his friend, or anything about Ski at all. “I could see you, I could touch you, I was right there – you just didn’t know I was with you.”

  “While you were in a coma?”

  I shook my head, “No, after I woke up. The first time, I thought it was a dream.”

  Max cut me off again, “The first time?” A look of wonder appeared. “How many times did you see me?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh when I had to confess, “I’m not very good at it. Rewsna said I needed to practice. I was there twice: the first time you were dragging Ski up the mountain, the second time you were about to be rescued. By the way, what happened to Ski? Is he okay?”

  Max stuttered for a second when he said, “He’s, he’s fine. So you were right there the whole time?”

  I shook my head, “Not the whole time. The first time I was there I thought I was dreaming, I didn’t realize that I was really with you, but the second time I was really trying. Once I knew you were okay, I came back.”

  “So can you go anywhere?”

  I hesitated for a second, “I’m not sure. I really only wanted to see you. Once I knew you weren’t stuck on a mountain in the middle of nowhere, there didn’t seem to be a reason to do it again.”

  “Wow, so you knew I was coming to see Gramps?”

  “No, that was a shocker. Joe said his grandson was coming to see him, but he had never shown me a picture, so you walking through my door was a complete surprise.”

  It felt good to finally fill Max in on everything, more like old times. Every minute we had spent together since his return was great, but so much had happened in a short period of time that I didn’t want to tarnish any of our bliss. This was my first real stab at trying to share everything with him.

  “So this thing, you took visions from it? How?”

  “I wish I knew. Rewsna says it’s a good thing, because now it shouldn’t be able to find me again.”

  “Find you, again!!! What do you mean?” Horror was looking back at me through Max’s eyes, and I could feel his anxiety immediately. “It’s still out there? What is it?”

  I shook my head. There wasn’t much of an explanation that I could offer that would make any sense. “I guess it is something like a demon, maybe? It is supposed to be able to shift into any shape it wants. Rewsna said it feeds on people’s spirits. She thought whatever it was – was extinct, but obviously that wasn’t the case.”

  “Why you? Does Rewsna think it’s going to look for you again?”

  Not wanting to lie to him, but terrified to tell him the truth, I just shrugged my shoulders. Max nearly yelled, “You are the world’s worst liar! It is coming for you, isn’t it?”

  In barely more than a whisper, “It’s a possibility.”

  “Lauren, tell Rewsna to come here now. Tell her I want to talk to her, now.” Max sounded fierce, a cross between fury and fear.

  Without having to call to Rewsna, I heard her answer resonate in my head. “Tell Max I am on my way. It is good you finally told him. I will be there in an hour.”

  Chapter 8

  Rewsna pulled into the driveway, and I could feel her energy before I could see the expression on her face. She wasn’t overwrought like Max. He had been pacing for over an hour, switching between horror, madness, and anger from one minute to the next. She was here to help, and I believed her serene way not only would calm my nerves, it might even diffuse some of Max’s hysteria, too.

  The three of us sat at a picnic table in the shade. Rewsna was not at all troubled with Max’s demeanor; she must have expected it. She went into a much more detailed explanation than she had with me previously.

  “Max, you know how special Lauren is, but you think of her gifts as isolated parts of who she is. You must wrap your mind around the idea that her gifts have a specific purpose. Her friend Paul, whom you disliked so much - do you know she was summoned to delay his death?”

  Max shook his head that he didn’t, and she continued. “There are errors in everyone’s destiny. Paul was supposed to have been killed that day with Mr. and Mrs. McMasters. The Council would not have involved Lauren had it not determined her assistance was necessary. If Paul’s murderer was not caught, he would have executed two more families in an effort to cover up his actions. To prevent those other tragedies, a murder suspect had to be caught. By Lauren intervening in Paul’s destiny, she merely delayed the inevitable, but in the process the police looked more deeply at other suspects and did find the real killer. Had she not intervened, the killer would have escaped and may never have been stopped. Involving Lauren before the man developed any level of proficiency or thirst for murder prevented the slaying of more innocents. She was critical in stopping a serial murderer-in-the-making.”

  She looked at me, “I know you believe you failed Paul, but I can assure you that you did not. He saw both paths after his death, and was pleased that his family was given closure, that seven people whose destiny was not to be murdered were spared, and that he was cleared of all wrong doing. All of this was possible because of you, Lauren.” I looked into Rewsna’s face as she said this and understood just how truly profound she was.

  Rewsna redirected her gaze from me back to Max, “The Beast studied Lauren, knew that her path in life was to alter destinies, not change them, but bend them to suit the needs of the souls. Paul would have died in vain had she not involved herself. Because of his death, his sacrifice allowed others to live. The Beast has plans, plans that he does not want Lauren to prevent. He knew of her gifts, but he grossly underestimated her strength.”

  Max cut in, “So this Beast is still out there? Lauren said he could come for her again.”

  “Yes to both. He is unable to see her remotely. If he could have, I believe he would have killed her at the nursing home. He did send a creature to locate her, but Lauren fought it off very quickly.”

  Max flashed a disturbed look at me – I could see that he believed I had hid information from him. Rewsna continued her explana
tion with, “I think that creature simply used process of elimination. It must have followed someone to the nursing home that had visited her. It tried to attack Lauren but she only saw a flash of light – it was never able to possess her.”

  Less angry but still intrigued, Max asked, “Possess her? This thing wasn’t the same thing that attacked her on the mountain, it was something else? So that monster isn’t a threat to her anymore?”

  Rewsna’s eyes went wide at the conclusion Max had drawn. “Of course he is still a threat; he just hasn’t found her yet. He will eventually be bold enough to come back when her guard is lowered. He knows to watch for you and for her family, believing one will lead him directly to Lauren.” Rewsna paused for a minute looking all around us, then asked, “Where is Missy?”

  Until Rewsna asked, it hadn’t occurred to me that Max’s Labrador Retriever wasn’t on the farm. Max looked down at the ground instead of directly at Rewsna when he answered. “She got real sick while I was gone, and she had to be put down.”

  Rewsna reached across the table and patted his hand, “I am sorry for your loss, but you need to get a new dog.”

  Max answered that he would, but Rewsna interrupted, “No, you do not understand. The Beast is able to shift his shape to any animal but a dog. Dogs are far too loyal of an animal, and the Beast cannot fool one if he were to come here in human form. A dog is the best protection from the Beast. It cannot conceal its identity from a canine. Dogs are also known for fighting to the death for their owners. Get a dog that will protect you both.”

  “So you are suggesting we just wait here for it to eventually find Lauren and a dog will protect us?” He was livid at the absurdity of the suggestion.

  Rewsna shook her head, “No, I do not believe you should wait, but what I believe will only enrage you further. I prefer for you to create your own strategy to best handle the situation.”

  Max was annoyed with her evasiveness. It made me want to laugh because I was finally used to it. There was no sense getting irate about anything. It didn’t do any good, and she rarely gave me a straight answer to any question.

  For the first time I chimed in, “I think I should be watching the Beast, waiting until he is most vulnerable and we should attack him.”

  Max scowled at me and Rewsna nodded her agreement with my assessment. Max all but shouted, “You must have lost your mind! That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. This thing almost killed Lauren once. I don’t want it within ten miles of her.”

  I shook my head, “No Max, I don’t want to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life, and I don’t want him to be able to do this to anyone else. We need to find him and destroy him. He took more than two years away from us. I don’t want to give him one more second. I don’t ever want him to have another chance. We take the fight to him this time.”

  Max’s disapproval was as transparent as a window. He refused even to talk about my idea and went storming off into the barn. Rewsna began talking to me telepathically.

  “Do not be offended by his actions, Lauren. It is not that he does not believe in your talent; it is that he cannot risk losing you again. You will find a way to convince him that this is the correct approach. His devotion to you never waivers, his emotions just get in the way. The Beast can be killed in any form, but when he shifts his shape to a beast, it is more difficult. Do your best to trap him as a human. Do not let him come between you and Max. If divided you can be conquered; together your advantage is absolute.”

  As I walked Rewsna to her car, she suggested I try practicing my skill. She warned me not to look for the Beast, I wasn’t ready to see him yet, but to practice by looking for family and friends at different times during the day. I told her I would try and would check back with her soon.

  When Max heard Rewsna’s engine turn over, he nearly sprinted out of the barn. I don’t know what he was thinking, but I saw his relief when he saw me standing in the yard. He started in immediately with, “I don’t want you looking for that thing. We’ll figure something out, but don’t look for it, okay?”

  “Okay - I’m going to see if I can find Rachael.” I sat at the picnic table with Max right beside me and didn’t have any luck. I concentrated on a conversation she and I had had about her boss and some problems she was having at work. I looked at my watch – it was still working hours for her, so I could peek in on her and see how everything turned out.

  I could feel Max watching me, and for whatever reason, I couldn’t concentrate on Rachael. When I asked Max to go back into the barn, his response was instantaneous, “You will not ever be out of my sight until this Beast thing is dead, so just get used to it.”

  I was a little taken back that he had decided I needed his protection. But Rewsna had been crystal about that, he wasn’t necessarily protecting me but together we were a dynamic duo. I couldn’t help but throw in, “You remember how I feel about controlling men, right?”

  Max walked over to me in three easy strides, holding out his hand in some chivalrous gesture. I stood up; he led me on the sidewalk as if our conversation had ended, and we were going into the house. A tree was on my right hand side as we walked. With no warning at all, Max shoved me up against the tree with both of my hands pinned above my head.

  My eyes were wide with shock and fear, my mind unable to process what was happening. Then his lips were on my neck. A few seconds later his hands released mine and his began gliding all over me. Max smiled a little mischievously, and said, “Sometimes, controlling men are sexy.”

  As I stepped away from him, I was able to get my breath back, and convinced my heart it didn’t need to pound through my chest. I had to agree with him, “Sometimes, they are sexy.”

  Chapter 9

  I wandered into the living room with Max following me. I spread out on the couch and closed my eyes, replaying the last conversation I had with Rachael a week or so ago. I could recall the conversation perfectly.

  She described her boss in an ornate manner, “He is such a prick. If I didn’t need the job so much, I would call his wife. Do you know he made me schedule a ‘date’ for him with a prostitute? Evidently this was part of my job that didn’t make it into the formal job description. He is such a slime ball it makes sense that he would have to pay for it.” Rachael was not at all happy with the collateral duties she’d been assigned and was really just venting.

  I tried to be as supportive as possible, “I don’t know that I would call his wife, but you may want to keep a log of any questionable tasks he assigns you. That way if tries to fire you later, you can either keep your job, or get a pretty decent severance out of the deal.”

  She got really animated when she said, “He hasn’t had the same assistant longer than eight months, so I know it’s just a matter of time before he finds a reason to fire me.”

  “So are you looking for anything else, or are you just waiting for the day when he hands you a pink slip?”

  “I’ve been looking.”

  I replayed this conversation between Rachael and me several times in my mind, willing myself to find her. I concentrated on her office building and her apartment but didn’t have any luck at all. Rachael and I had been close friends since first grade; if I were genuinely worried about her work situation, you would think it would be a whole lot easier to see her. After nearly thirty minutes of trying, I gave up.

  How in the world do I practice a skill I have no idea how to work? It can’t be like rocket science, but I did have trouble seeing Max that one time that I tried and Rewsna was with me. Maybe that’s it. Maybe I have to be alone? No, the second time I was with Joe, but was tuning him out. Max was absently flipping pages in a magazine, not really paying attention to what I was doing.

  “Hey, Max, can you go in the room next door while I try this again?”

  He looked over at me with a frown and shook his head, “I’m staying right here. I won’t bother you, but I’m not leaving.”

  I sighed deeply, “Look, I’m trying to figure out how
this thing works, and right now it isn’t working at all. I just want to see if I can zero in on Rachael if I’m alone.”

  Max didn’t waiver, “Not a chance,” and returned his focus to his magazine.

  I tried several more times unsuccessfully and decided to take a breather and try again later.

  ****

  The farm was in really good shape. It is amazing what three people can accomplish; well, technically four if you count Julio the caretaker. I don’t know how long Julio had been Max’s caretaker, but he lived in the guest house out back. After Joe, Max and I arrived that day from the nursing home, Max told Julio to take a vacation, that he deserved it.

  Max decided it was time for some recreation when he asked, “You want to go see Marvin and squeeze a few off?”

  “That sounds great!”

  Marvin was a friend of Max’s who owned an indoor shooting range. We hadn’t been there together since our first date. The day I met Marvin was the first time I’d ever shot a gun. It was a lot of fun. This might be a great stress reliever for both Max and me.

  The two of us were in his truck driving down the road five minutes later. We had just turned onto the main road, “Should we have invited Joe to go along? It doesn’t seem right to leave him at the farm alone?”

  Max shook his head, “Gramps will be fine, I’m sure he’s taking a nap or something. He won’t even know we’re gone.”

  I had a really strange feeling, the hair on my arms stood straight up, and I could feel beads of sweat on my forehead forming. I put my hand over Max’s arm and told him, “No, Max – go back right now.” The urgency in my voice was unquestionable, and Max pulled a U-turn right where we were. He sped back down the road, turned onto the driveway with a cloud of dust six feet in the air behind the truck.

  We pulled up to the front door of the house and saw Joe sitting right where we had left him on the front porch. Max rolled down his window, and said, “Gramps, we want you to come along with us.”