“She is under my protection.”
“And mine,” he said gently, his gaze steady on hers.
Destiny’s soft mouth firmed, formed a straight line. She inched closer, angling toward the left of the couple. She was on the balls of her feet, ready for his single mistake, a single opening.
Without warning, a shadow dropped from the sky. Silent. Deadly. A wicked beak and razor-sharp talons flew straight at MaryAnn’s face. Destiny leapt to put herself between them, but the owl was already climbing, and MaryAnn looked terrified at the near miss. The beak had driven straight for her eyes.
“Don’t move,” Destiny cautioned MaryAnn. “Call him off, Nicolae. Call him off now.”
“He is only protecting me,” Nicolae explained gently. “He knows your intent and knows I will not hurt you. It is his warning to you. Should you harm me, he will kill her. I cannot stop him, and you know that, Destiny. He is my brother and seeks only to protect me. Think before you act.” Nicolae kept MaryAnn firmly between them.
MaryAnn frowned. “Destiny, are you angry with Nicolae? I asked him to do this. I wanted him to take my blood.”
Destiny winced visibly. “You have no idea what that means. You didn’t want it. It isn’t reasonable to think that you would. His voice is a weapon. It can deceive you into doing anything. His voice holds compulsion. Do you know what that is? It means you’ll do anything he asks, anything he commands, anything he wishes. You think he gave you a choice, but he didn’t. There was never a choice. You would have said yes to putting a gun to your head and pulling the trigger.”
Lightning slashed the skies, nearly striking the owl as it circled above them, but the raptor dissolved in midair, leaving behind a trail of vapor. A shower of sparks scattered like gems, seeking a target, but just as quickly a fine mist blanketed the night, snuffing out the hot points of light.
“Do not do that again, Destiny.” The warning was a low growl. For the first time there was a distinct threat emanating from Nicolae.
“Wait, stop this right now!” Mary Ann shook her head decisively. “This was my idea, I reasoned it out every step of the way. Nicolae wanted to remove my memories, as a protection for you, for his people, and even for me. He said that my knowledge made me more vulnerable to a vampire.”
That revelation penetrated Destiny’s red haze of anger. The terrible pain of betrayal. There was truth in what MaryAnn said. A vampire could easily scan MaryAnn’s thoughts and learn she had knowledge she shouldn’t possess. Destiny took a breath, let it out slowly, trying to be calm while the wind whipped at her and lightning split open the sky. The crash of thunder reverberated loudly, shaking the ground, shaking the buildings.
The owl had settled on the rooftop above their heads, its dark eyes fixed intently on Destiny’s face. It was silent, watching with a predator’s rapt attention.
The wounds in her heart felt fresh and jagged. She had allowed Nicolae to get too close to her. She had let him inside.
I did not betray you, Destiny. I did what had to be done, what I knew you could not do. She is unharmed and now protected. It was her choice alone. I give you my word of honor.
His voice was always the same. So perfect. She lowered her lashes, indecisive again. She had come to the alley to kill him, but hope was swirling in her stomach and crushing her heart at the same time. She loved his voice and she hated it.
“Destiny—” MaryAnn could see tiny beads of sweat on the young woman’s forehead. Only it wasn’t sweat, it was beads of blood. “Look at me. Please look at me. If you can do what you say you can, look into my mind and see what happened between us. I wanted this. I don’t want to forget you. I’m your friend. That matters to me.”
Destiny’s fingers curled into tight fists. “I don’t have friends.”
“Yes, you do. It might be frightening to have friends, but they’re there for you. You know how I feel; you know it’s real. I care what happens to you.”