Embracing Destiny Read online

  “I’ll go with you,” Ristan offered.

  I shook my head. “I need you to stay with Ryder. New recruits are gathering at the guild. I don’t want them bailing before they’ve signed a contract.”

  “Be careful, Pet,” Ryder warned.

  “I’m always careful.” I smiled as I crossed the room and lifted on my toes to kiss him. “I love you. I’ll be back shortly. Liam has the triplets at the Blood Castle, so keep our spies outside of its borders. I know their tower that matches ours is supposed to be foolproof, but it’s not one hundred percent.”

  “You have them checking in every hour, on the hour. They think you’re the most overprotective mother in all the lands.” Ryder snorted, watching me.

  “I am,” I shrugged. I wasn’t ashamed about it, not when we had enemies marching toward us, and traitorous allies looking for any weakness to exploit. “I make no apologies for being overprotective; I grew those little monsters from scratch. They’re our world, and our enemies are very aware of it. Better to have spies watching the spies and be certain of who is on our side and who isn’t. You taught me that too, Fairy. Now kiss me like you fucking mean it, big boy.”

  “Sassy witch,” Ryder chuckled as his hand threaded through my hair, pulling my head back to bare my mouth for his heated kiss. His tongue pushed past my lips, claiming me as a moan built in my throat. Coughing sounded behind us, and he pulled away slowly. “To be continued when you get back.”

  “Are you two done tongue-fucking each other?” Zahruk asked.

  “For now,” Ryder snorted, looking over his shoulder to where his second stood.

  Zahruk was decked out in armor. His freshly polished swords slung low on his hips, and his hair was pulled back into a leather strap, away from his face. His sapphire gaze observed me, a slight smirk lifting his full mouth into a slant. He was perpetually ready for war, or to stroke his swords. I wasn’t sure which one he preferred, but that was his business.

  “There have been some skirmishes from within the shifter camps. I guess not all of them agree with aiding our war. Some went into the Unforgiving Forest and have not been seen since. The camps on the other side have yet to send word that they made it through alive.”

  “Unfortunate, but if they were fleeing rather than helping, I fail to see where it’s our fucking problem.”

  “My brother, Fang, was in the group that fled,” Zahruk admitted.

  “Wait, you have a brother? Well, I mean besides the ones here?” How did I not know this?

  “My mother had a life before she became a concubine. My father murdered her entire pack while he forced her to watch. When Alazander asked what my mother would give to spare the lives of her sons, she offered herself if he would allow them to live. Fang isn’t much for the horde or my help. He’s rather reclusive and has his pack to protect. I’m guessing the thought of war wasn’t appealing to them.”

  “I didn’t know you had family outside the horde.” I looked to Ryder, and he nodded, indicating the truth of Zahruk’s words.

  “I don’t. To Fang, I am nothing. He doesn’t like or want my help, but he gets it regardless. I promised my mother that I would endure Alazander’s wrath to protect him. I look after him from afar, and the horde leaves his pack alone, so they don’t get a visit from me.”

  Turning, Zahruk tilted his head and made direct eye contact with Ryder, his brows drawn together slightly. “I need to send scouts out to make sure he didn’t end up dead from foolishly running. I’m asking you for this, Ryder, not as the second-in-command, but brother to brother. I need to know he made it through alive.”

  “Do it, send the scouts with a war party.” Ryder’s amber eyes locked with mine, and I nodded in agreement. It was foolish to send any of our forces through the forest, but it was for Zahruk. He had never asked for anything himself, expecting nothing in return for his never-ending service. “Make sure the scouts are aware this is an escort detail. They are not to be seen unless they cannot avoid it.”

  “Thank you,” Zahruk said, nodding to Ryder before he sifted out of the room.

  “You think they’re already dead.” Ryder brought his hand up, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger. The scent of sandalwood and masculinity assaulted my senses with his subtle movement.

  “I think they ran, and if they did, then yes, they are likely dead. I gave the order to slaughter anyone who ran. I was trying to prevent our forces from abandoning us.”

  “Why, Ryder? Tell me you didn’t give that order to everyone. Tell me you didn’t issue that order against those who had yet to swear allegiance to the horde,” I demanded. My stomach twisted with anger and fear. “These are our people.”

  “They’re your people. I am the King of the Horde, not of Faery.”

  It felt as if he’d slapped me across the face with his words. “You’re my husband.”

  “Which makes you the Queen of the Horde,” he growled, lifting his chin in challenge. “There is no place for weakness or pity for those who flee our kingdom amidst a war that will decide the fate of Faery.”

  “You get that I am the Goddess of the Fae, right?” Taking a deep breath, I began speaking through gritted teeth, trying to hold back my temper. “I cannot select with whom I wish to give a fuck. We need allies, not enemies. You have the horde. You have them all on their knees, fighting for you and beside you because you rule them ruthlessly. Do you know what happens when your people fear you?”

  “They obey me.”

  “No, they do not!” I pounded my fist against the table beside me, and Ryder glared at me. “The horde looks for the first fucking chance to be rid of you. They may follow you, but they do so with a dagger ready to stick in your back. Take your father, for instance, Ryder. He ruled with absolute terror instilled in his people. What the fuck did you do to him?”

  “I’m not my father,” he snapped.

  “Thank the gods for that, Fairy,” I laughed mockingly. “Retract the order.”

  “I will not,” he seethed.

  “Why?”

  “Because now is not the time to appear weak!” Ryder slapped his hands down on the table that separated us, narrowing his eyes, daring me to continue challenging him.

  I stiffened and shook my head angrily. “You ordered anyone murdered who chose to flee from war! You ordered my people and our people to be put down like dogs with rabies because they’re running scared?” My fingernails began to bite into my palms as I clenched my hands into fists, trying to force myself to calm down. “Everyone is scared, Ryder. Everyone! The war drums beat every night, and each night we all pray it isn’t our last. Be their king, be the man I married. The one who didn’t make mandates of his people without just cause.”

  “It’s not that easy.”

  “It is that easy. You’re the fucking king. They fear you, but they won’t respect you if you kill their families or friends who run from this war. If they have no family left, what is their reason to fight? We’re fighting for our family. Don’t be the king who slaughters innocent lives because the people who fight with us are scared. Not when we’re terrified too. It doesn’t make them weak to want to protect their families from what is coming by running with them from the danger. It makes them worth having on our side.” Sighing, I dropped my shoulders and relaxed my stance, offering a small smile as I reached out to touch Ryder’s hand. “If they have something to protect, they will fight harder.”

  His amber eyes narrowed on me as he pulled his hand from mine. “I’ll run my kingdom with or without you at my side, woman. I want you here, but this is the horde. If you show an ounce of weakness, they will descend on us, and we will have a war on two fronts instead of one.” Leaning across the small table, Ryder bared his teeth and glared at me as he spit out his next words. “I cannot allow that to happen, not now, not ever! You knew who I was when y
ou married me, keep that in mind.”

  My eyes widened, and I swallowed hard. “Understood.” I turned to look at Ristan, then back to Ryder as a cold resolve filled me. I drew myself up to full height, lifted my chin, and cocked an eyebrow. “I may be longer than I had planned at the guild. Don’t wait up for me.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Ryder demanded.

  “What’s it to you? You will run this kingdom as you see fit, so fucking run it.” I walked away from Ryder and Ristan with a purposeful stride. “I have other commitments that need and want my opinion.” I vanished the moment the words were out, appearing at the guild. “Fucking fairy,” I snapped into the darkness that filled the street in front of the guild.

  “Problems at home, kid?” Alden asked gently.

  I turned, staring at him, his grey eyes softening as I moved up the steps to where he stood. “Hey, old man,” I smirked, hugging him tightly. “I hate war.”

  “No one likes war,” he replied, wrapping his arms around me.

  “That’s not true,” I said, pulling back to stare at him. “Why are you outside? What happened?”

  “Getting some air,” he chuckled awkwardly. “Come, let me show you what you’ve missed, Syn.”

  Chapter Five

  The guild was filled with hunters from other guilds around the globe, some from different branches of the military. With the newly redecorated world of brimstone and angels falling daily from the skies, it was all hands on deck, and yet not one other organization dared to set up amidst the chaos, except us.

  “I’m glad you could make it, but you probably should be at home, all things considered.”

  “Alden, we’re opening, and this is my plan. I am the one who wanted to do this, and now you’re stuck doing everything. I asked Adrian and Adam to help you since Ryder and I are preparing for war. Now Adam is doing the same in the Dark Kingdom, and Adrian is dealing with the demon infestation in this world while doing what he and Vlad can to protect humans.” Alden nodded, silently agreeing with the reason for Adrian and Adam’s absence as he began walking me through the halls of the guild. “That has left you to do everything yourself, but tonight we are here to celebrate your kicking ass on this place.” I waved my hand in the direction of the main gathering hall as evidence. “So, tell me what’s new, how many recruits did we end up with, and what do you need that I can provide to make this easier on you?”

  “Three more hunters showed up last night. We’ve got the dormitories set up for species.” Passing a door on the left, I peeked inside to see rows of beds and makeshift closets against the walls between each bunk. “So far, it’s mostly witches and a few wayward creatures that are tired of being kicked around by demons. Headcount as of last night was sixty people. Not bad for our first week open, huh?” Alden’s eyes sparkled with renewed life. I also noticed the old pep in his step that he’d lost months ago, which made my insides warm with happiness that he was filled with purpose once more.

  “You’re in your element, Alden.” I took in the men and women moving about and winced at how scrawny and undernourished they were. “You need food?”

  “No, you guys supply enough to keep them fed. They just need time to recover. A lot of them come from towns that had little left. Some came from as far as California when rumors of a new hunters’ guild reached them. Others are from guilds that went down when Seattle fell. It’s not like they could go out and just grab some food.

  “Most of the enforcers hid. It’s been weeks since the walls fell, and even with Lucian and his men keeping the streets clean, they can’t get all the demons. By the time they clear one town, another fills with those nasty creatures. Lucian and Vlad have been rather helpful, but there’s only so much they can do, all things considered. Now, Erie, she’s enjoying hunting demons, and most of the ones around here are now under her control, somehow. I choose not to ask since she smiles, and it freaks me out a little. She’s using the demons in her influence to fight against the others.”

  “Erie is? I would think she would be too busy running from Callaghan to be useful.”

  “He’s around too,” Alden muttered. “It’s a fucking mess out there. Vlad has sent some humans here, and he’s housing a few below his bar. My guess is he doesn’t plan to run out of food anytime soon, so they’re safe enough there.” Wrapping one arm around my shoulders, Alden pulled me into him in a side hug. “Why are you really here, kid?”

  “I need to go through the archives.”

  Coming to a stop, Alden dropped his arm and took a step back. “You could’ve just asked me to bring the files you needed.” Rubbing his chin, he arched his brow, studying me before he cleared his throat. “What else is going on?”

  “Ryder gave the order to slaughter anyone who fled the Horde Kingdom and the war.”

  “That’s expected in the middle of a war, kid.” Nodding at my angered expression, he smirked, crossing his arms, willing me to argue against what he’d just said.

  “It’s not, though, Alden. Think about it.” I began walking again, my feet falling heavy on the stone floor as my previous anger started to build again. “I’m the Goddess of the Fae, and those are my people. Ryder didn’t even ask me what I thought. He just gave the order,” I said, my voice raised enough that it echoed slightly through the hall, and I winced apologetically at my outburst. “These people just want to protect their families, and if we’re the ones killing them, then how can we expect them to fight with us?”

  “Ryder’s the King of the Horde, kid, not the fae.” Sad, understanding eyes met mine, and I knew Alden was about to impart his wisdom on me, and I wasn’t going to like it. “His job is to rule the horde, and the only way to do that is if they fear him. That puts him in a position where he must do the hard shit no one else wants to do. One of which, it seems, is to slaughter those who run from their responsibility in the impending war. It’s coming one way or another; they can’t run from it.”

  “Why? Why is it the only way? They’re scared, but so am I! It’s a war that no one thought would happen, and while we saw it coming, no one listened. The mages are fucking changelings, for fuck’s sake.”

  Alden snorted, and we continued to walk. “Yeah, but they’re changelings with a god on their side. Are you pissed off because Ryder didn’t ask your permission first?”

  “No. Maybe. I don’t know. I’m pissed off because when the fae die, I feel it. I’m attached to them and the land that my mother created. It’s too much, and yet last night I saved a babe’s life. I glowed like Danu. I forbid the babe from dying, and he didn’t die.” I looked at Alden and took a step back. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open and then closed quickly. “It was insane. I have never been so terrified in my entire life. I held their babe’s life in my hands, and I panicked.”

  “And did you have to pay a price for that?” His voice trembled slightly, and I could sense his fear.

  “No, because they are my people,” I admitted, frowning as he exhaled the breath he was holding while he studied me. “I’m allowed to save them, but not if they die before I reach them. He wasn’t dead; he just hadn’t taken a breath. It was Sinjinn and Icelyn’s child. Their son was born early with premature lungs, according to Eliran, but he’s alive. Speaking of babes, I need Olivia’s files.”

  “You won’t find anything in the files. Besides that, Olivia and Ristan took them,” he shrugged. “They’re being kept in the basement of the Shadowlands. Our information on angels is less than two pages in a manila envelope. Demons, there’s over nineteen rooms on demonology, and yet nothing on Ristan’s breed. Ryder and Ristan asked me to look through the files a while back. Did you know harpies can reproduce offspring in a matter of weeks or that a demon’s child can take anywhere from five days to two years to be born?”

  “Ouch,” I winced at that news. “Olivia is eleven months pregnant. I doubt Ristan will surv
ive much longer. No one we’ve talked to has any idea what happens when an angel and demon create a child.”

  “You could kill the mother, and the child before it’s born,” a deep timbre offered from behind me.

  I turned around slowly, taking in the male who had spoken. “That little baby dangle is my family.”

  “Demons are evil, in case you’re not aware of the current situation, sweetheart.” He shrugged from where he leaned against the wall, carving a piece of wood with a wicked-looking blade. He had a swimmer’s body with dark black hair and smoky-colored eyes that surveyed me carefully. He had thick tattoos, visible through the AC/DC t-shirt he wore, and his arms crossed over his chest as he glared at me. “And you’d be?” His gaze slid down my body, stopping at my breasts before slowly perusing my frame down to the high-heeled, leather knee-high boots that hugged my slender calves.

  “Synthia, Queen of the Horde and Goddess of the Fae, and you?” I returned pointedly, studying his kind eyes.

  He smirked as if he thought it was cute. “I’m Lucifer. If you’re the Goddess of the Fae, I’m motherfucking Lucifer, baby.”

  “No, he’s a lot taller than you and better-looking too. Even though Lucifer’s got a crushed skull at the moment, he’s still better-looking and built for sin.” I cringed at the memory of what Lena had done to his head. “But, to be honest, he deserved that one.”