Chosen Destiny Read online

  “What are you talking about?” One of his hands braced on his hip and the other hung at his side. Even nude he looked formidable. She created some clothes, unwilling to go around the room and pick hers off the floor. Being dressed made her feel a little less vulnerable.

  “I’m not willing to take whatever you think you can give me. I want emotion along with the sex. I won’t accept less than all of you in that part of your life. If you can’t handle that, then don’t come near me again.” She turned and stepped forward as she created a spatial portal.

  White light streaked by her in the dark tunnel. She took two steps forward as the tunnel opened in front of the coven. She wearily trudged up the steps. For the first time in days, she didn’t even think about returning to the library and researching. She needed a bath and then to get out and do something. She didn’t want to stay and think about what had happened. The wave of dejection and sheer helplessness wasn’t something that was going to fade in a few moments. She needed to move.

  Chapter Nine

  Meagan grimaced as an enraged merdanon roar ripped through the night. They’d been spotted outside the walls just as the sun had set. She and some of the other witches had hurried to transport the citizens who weren’t trained to fight to safety. Now there was nothing left to do but wait until the Dark Sorcerer decided to make his move. She was waiting, but it wasn’t patiently.

  The seven creatures outside the walls would be the least of their problems. The beasts would appear inside the walls when the sorcerer was ready to attack and there would be more than seven. She hated the waiting. It was the hardest part. Once the fighting began, she wouldn’t have time to do anything more than focus on clearing the village. Now her mind was running in hundreds of different directions. A few of which led to the dragon and vampire who claimed to be her mates.

  She still didn’t completely believe that story about them being certain she was their mate by the feel of her magic. They had seemed convinced, but she hadn’t seen either one of the men since she’d had sex with Samiel. She’d expected to see him shortly after she left. He didn’t seem to be a man who’d quietly take an ultimatum like the one she’d thrown.

  She’d expected an argument or at the very least an explanation. There was more to it than mere control, probably some incident in his past. She knew it wasn’t fair to expect him to just change, but she knew she couldn’t accept that little of him. There had to be some kind of fear or something behind it. There would be no other reason for him to put up that kind of wall between himself and her. She had thought of little else while taking the people unable to defend themselves to safety. The duty was tedious and the time to think hadn’t yielded any answers.

  She leaned against the wall. The attack would happen, probably after the moon rose. That was the usual routine. She looked around, alert to any type of movement. The sight of two men walking down the street caught her attention. Immediate recognition sent a thrill of nervousness through her. Jaeson and Samiel walking toward her. She didn’t know what to say, what to expect. She straightened her shoulders, pushing the personal thoughts to the back of her mind. The battle had to come first. She’d have to deal with Samiel and decide what they were going to do later.

  “There’s movement outside the walls. Merdanons will begin appearing inside the walls soon. You’ll be with us during the battle.” Jaeson walked over and slipped an arm around her waist.

  Meagan nodded. This should be interesting. She was fairly certain that those two had never worked with a witch. She’d worked with wizards before and a lot of the more powerful ones tended to believe that females were weaker and in need of protection. The wizards had soon learned she wouldn’t run and hide while they did the work—the dragon and vampire would have to do the same. She wasn’t going to stand back and wait for them to kill the merdanons. She’d fight at their side or she’d go to another area where she could be of some help.

  “You look serious.” Samiel stopped in front of her. His eyes searched her face as if looking for some clue to what she was thinking.

  She exhaled and titled her head. She ignored the opening to talk about what had happened earlier. They’d never get through it before the merdanons attacked. It would only frustrate both of them to start before they settled it. Better to wait until after the town was safe.

  “This is a serious situation. Protecting this village has been a duty and honor in my family for generations.” She crossed her arms over her chest and held his eyes. She wanted him to know that she wasn’t afraid of him or of meeting any challenge he offered.

  “We’ll protect this town.” Samiel’s mouth kicked up into a smile. “And we’ll talk afterward.”

  “I’m sure we will.” She kept her voice even, but a small thrill went through her.

  She’d had a little doubt that he’d press for more. She couldn’t be sure how much the relationship meant to him. He hadn’t tried to bite her or even given much indication that he really wanted her. She knew nothing about him and she was fairly sure it was going to take years to find out what was behind that control thing. She just didn’t know if she had the patience to work around it or if they’d be together for long after this Dark Sorcerer was routed.

  “The merdanons are within the walls as well as at least one Dark Sorcerer.” Jaeson straightened. His voice had hardened.

  Meagan glanced at him. She could almost see the tension rolling off him. Pushing away from the wall, she summoned the sword and dagger. It was time to go to work. She stepped forward and looked up and down the street. They’d better get started. The sooner they began fighting, the less damage the beasts would do to the town.

  “Did whoever told you about the merdanons give you any hint about where they are?” She raised an eyebrow. She felt confident that the beasts would be defeated. She just wanted to get that battle started.

  “We’ll be starting at the far end of the village. Come here and I’ll transport us to the spot.” Jaeson held out his hand.

  She stepped forward and slid her hand into his. He drew her close until her body was pressed against his. Samiel stepped behind her. His muscled thighs pressed against hers even as she felt his chest against her back and head. She took a deep breath trying to quiet the sudden sensation of being trapped. Letting it out slowly, she reminded herself that this was necessary. Jaeson was taking them closer to the fight.

  She felt hot moist air puff over the shell of her ear. She knew it was Samiel, because, she could see Jaeson. Samiel’s tongue flicked over her earlobe.

  “There definitely will be a next time.” His voice rumbled into her ear.

  Darkness surrounded them and she felt a light sense of movement as the tunnel carried them. She saw the streaks of white against the darkness and knew they were moving even if it didn’t really seem like it. She felt a little as if her stomach flipped as the black mist dissolved, leaving them on a darkened street. That was definitely weird. She wondered if she’d be able to learn how to do that. It would be nice not to be launched out of a spatial tunnel. She waited until Samiel stepped away from her and then eased away from Jaeson.

  The two men took a position side by side. From the first, she saw that the two men were accustomed to working together. She had no idea how they’d do with her or if they’d even given it any thought. She didn’t know exactly how they planned to do this and if they had some sort of strategy for the fight. Opening her mouth to ask them exactly that, she gaped as they began walking down the street without even a word to her. She raised her brows. She hurried to catch up to them. Maybe they expected her to take the first step forward. Even if they didn’t, reminding them that she was there couldn’t hurt. They might need to see that she would be right at their side.

  She stepped up beside Samiel. He looked at her and stopped. His eyes widened and he looked at her as if he couldn’t believe she was there. She blinked. He couldn’t have just forgotten about her. He’d just been holding her.

  “What are you doing?” he asked. “You
stay behind Jaeson and me.”

  She stiffened, felt all of her muscles lock tight. He couldn’t have surprised her more if he’d taken a swing at her. In spite of her doubt about how they’d work with her, she hadn’t expected her worst fears to be realized.

  “No, I don’t stay behind either of you. Not in battle. If either of you think that I’m going to stand behind you while you fight the merdanons and the Dark Sorcerer or even a minion, you’re both idiots.” She put her hand on hers hips.

  “You are not going to get hurt.” Samiel growled.

  “I can hold a shield and have been fighting on my own for years. If you can’t treat me as a partner when we’re fighting, then we won’t be fighting together.” She leaned closer, not intimidated by his scowl.

  “We have work to do. We’re going to work with you. It’s just going to take some time to get used to it,” Jaeson said.

  Meagan glared at him. She knew he’d stopped her from delivering her ultimatum on purpose. She didn’t know why he was so wary of her angering Samiel. She’d learned enough to know that whether in dragon form or human form, Samiel’s primary focus would be on keeping her safe and with him.

  “Let’s get started then.” She turned back to face the street.

  Samiel nodded, but moved to her other side so that she was between Jaeson and him. She looked at him, considering the situation. He’d offered a compromise. She’d take the offer and do her best to make it work. She nodded. They started forward again. A gray-skinned beast loomed in front of them. Her heart beat faster and her mouth felt as dry as the Agrio desert. All thought of her argument with them faded. She strengthened her shield, expanding it to cover both the men because she knew the tactics of these creations better than they did.

  The merdanon ripped a lantern off one of the houses that lined the street and the hinged hook it was attached to hung precariously until the beast ripped it off too. He hurled the lantern toward them. Samiel’s hand swept out and he pushed her behind him. She saw the flare of light even from behind his large body. She slipped away from his restraining hand. Going around his outstretched hand, she moved back between them. Fire burned on the ground at the base of the shield.

  “Don’t do that again. I know what I’m doing. Nothing’s going to get through my shield.” She glared at Samiel.

  “It was instinct to protect you. I had no idea what your shield could stop. I couldn’t take the chance.” He put up his hand. “I would have done that for almost any female if I didn’t know how she fought.”

  She took a couple of deep breaths while she thought about it. The explanation made sense. It would take at least two or three battles before they learned what to expect from each other. She smiled a little and nodded. Hope that they would be able to work together rose.

  “Let’s take down that merdanon.” She looked at the advancing beast which was getting a little too close for her comfort. She pushed it back.

  Jaeson threw a glittering orb of magic. It flew through the air and flared as it hit a shield in front of the merdanon. Magic sparkled as it fell to the ground. Samiel hurled two quick orbs. Meagan let the energy build inside her. It gathered at the tip of the sword. The merdanon hurled a chunk of rock and Samiel stepped in front of her. Her eyes widened and her stomach felt heavy. The sick feeling swept through her, leaving a trail of chill bumps over her arms. She had been preparing to throw a bolt of energy. If he’d stepped in front of her as she’d thrown that, he could have easily been killed. Her hand trembled. She stepped around Samiel and threw the bolt of energy. It hit the shield and flared as the barrier held.

  “Don’t ever step in front of me when I’m forming an orb.” She looked at Samiel her throat felt tight. She wanted to yell at him. Her voice sounded raspy and almost strangled.

  “What?” Samiel’s head titled to the side. He looked confused.

  “I had formed an orb to hurl. If you had been a few moments later, it would have hit you in the back.” She exhaled, trying to get the image out of her head.

  “Point taken.” He nodded, glancing down at the sword.

  “Get back to work, you two. I’m not going to do all the work during this fight,” Jaeson growled, grabbing her attention.

  Meagan laughed softly at the annoyance she heard in his voice. She let the matter drop for now. Give it time, she reminded herself. She faced the merdanon again. She tossed another orb. The wariness and caution didn’t fade. She swung her sword, sending an orb flying down the street. It hit and the beast’s shield finally fell. Jaeson tossed an orb. It slammed into the beast just before another ball of magic flew down the street. It hit the merdanon and the gray-skinned creation toppled back.

  One dead, too many more to go. The thought fluttered through her mind. She saw movement in the shadowy street ahead of them. She knew another merdanon was already moving toward them even if she couldn’t see it yet. She took a step forward, drawn to take the energy of the fallen beast so that the wizard couldn’t use it again.

  “Slowly. We’ll get to it, but we’re not taking any chances.” Jaeson put his hand on her arm. “We have time. The sorcerer won’t be close enough to know that his creation has been defeated already.”

  She nodded, but it wasn’t easy. She couldn’t just ignore it completely. Part of her was hyper-aware of what she needed to do. The other part focused on the shadows searching for the enemy concealed by the darkness. She formed a small ball of light and tossed it into the air.

  Just as they reached the downed merdanon another appeared out of the darkness ahead of them. She kneeled and drove the blade into the beast. Energy flooded into her. Her eyes closed as she tried to adjust to the influx of power. She didn’t know if she’d ever get used to that rushing surge. She slowly stood and fell into step between them.

  The beast slowly advanced. Samiel tossed an orb toward the beast. He seemed tense. She threw a sizzling bolt down the street. The merdanon screamed. A man appeared just behind the beast. The creation didn’t even seem to notice the man. Meagan didn’t recognize the wizard. He wasn’t one of the locals. She would have recognized him. There weren’t that many wizards in the area. Most left when they reached maturity. Normally, there wasn’t enough excitement or challenge here. Judging from the lack of greeting or even an attempt to kill the merdanon, he wasn’t with the vampires and dragons.

  “You won’t keep this village. It’s ours.” The wizard stepped up beside the beast.

  Meagan stiffened. She opened her mouth. “Your village—”

  “Be quiet, Meagan. We’ll handle this.” Jaeson’s hard voice slashed through the night.

  Her head whipped around to look at him. He glared at her. Fury rose inside her. She’d told him she’d fight at his side as an equal. She didn’t take orders from anyone in battle. Her days as an apprentice were over long ago.

  “You don’t tell me what to do in battle,” she said quietly. She’d never been treated like this. Not even by her older sister and brothers just after she’d gotten out of training. Her youngest sister hadn’t even been coddled nearly this much.

  Jaeson’s eyebrows rose as if he was surprised by her reaction. She didn’t know how they treated other women, but they’d better learn fast. She was getting tired of giving them time. Many more incidents like this and she’d go where she could actually feel as if she was doing something useful. Truthfully, they could handle all of this on their own. They didn’t need her. She’d only stayed this long because of something one of those books had said. They were stronger as three. Her power was stronger with them. She had no idea how that would happen but she had a feeling they’d need it later. She wanted to get as much practice as possible. Even knowing that, she couldn’t let them order her and do as they liked. She wanted their respect and she knew they probably wouldn’t just give it to her. They were too accustomed to protecting others for that to happen.

  “We’ll talk about this later.” Samiel’s voice drew her attention. “Let’s deal with this sorcerer and clear the town befor
e we get into that.”

  Meagan had to admit that Samiel was right even though it infuriated her to admit it. They had to clear the town. That had to come before straightening out those two.

  “Yes, just stand there and look pretty. I’ll get to you as soon as I deal with your two escorts,” the Dark Sorcerer said easily.

  Meagan wanted to retort, but she wasn’t going to let him know that he’d irritated her. She gathered energy, letting it build. With a swish of her blade, she hurled the bolt down the street. It flared as it hit the shield in front of the Dark Sorcerer. She didn’t know if he was leader or minion and didn’t care right now. That would matter only after they removed the threat. In spite of how strong he was, he couldn’t hold out against all three of them.

  The Dark Sorcerer glared and sent three bolts of energy hurtling toward them. The energy flared, forming a nearly solid curtain of white in front of them. Meagan was a little worried that the Sorcerer would flee while they were nearly blinded by the shower of magic. She didn’t see any movement, but knew the man could disappear as easily as he’d appeared.

  Samiel hurled a flaring ball of fire down the street as soon as the light cleared and they could see. Meagan gathered energy. She was relieved to see that the sorcerer was still there. The magic hit, but it didn’t flare as much as it had before. The sorcerer’s shield was weakening. Excitement stirred, but she refused to let her mind get ahead of the fight. Something could easily go wrong before the sorcerer’s energy failed. Meagan let the orb fly. It slammed into the shield. She knew it wouldn’t hold for much longer.

  “I’m going to kill you,” the sorcerer grated.

  “Not this or any other time.” Jaeson threw an orb toward the sorcerer.

  The sorcerer slammed orbs down the street in quick succession. She felt an arm hook around her waist. Startled, she whipped her head around in time to see Samiel’s determined face just before he put her behind him.