Angel of Fire (con't)

* * * * *
PART 15:

Chaos broke out as Corin Mainprise darted around Delano Saldivar and up the stairs and out the basement door. As Marcellus had promised, he discreetly got between the Daybreakers and Corin to allow for the Lamia’s escape. He tripped over an overturned bucket and flopped down on the ground right in front of Delano, taking Destiny and Leandra down with him.

A word not fit to repeat floated out of Delano’s pretty little mouth as his way to Corin was blocked by three tangled bodies. After what seemed like hours, but was only seconds, he finally got past the knotted mess at his feet and dashed after Corin.

Moments later, crashing ensued, followed by the frantic slamming of a door. More words not fit for paper were uttered upstairs and presently, a terribly agitated and vexed (to say the least) Delano thundered down the basement stairs.

"What the hell did you do that for? Wait, don’t even answer, I know. It’s obvious that we were naive in trusting you! YOU helped him escape! How else could he get away?"

"Delano, calm down," Leandra had, at last, disentangled herself from the other two and put a hand on his shoulder. "How could Marcellus have helped him? This is the first time he was down here all day and Corin was free before we even came down. There’s no way Marcellus could have untied him. There wasn’t a chance."

Seeming to forget that the few minutes they had been discussing what to do to Marcellus was a substantial amount of time for him to get to Corin, Delano’s conviction wavered. "He blocked our way when he was getting away," he pointed out, slightly uncertain now.

Turning to say that he had tripped over the bucket by accident, Marcellus found himself gazing into two deep pools of midnight fire. His mouth half open already, he stopped without making a sound, utterly transfixed. He had the feeling of seeing someone he’d known all his life for the first time. Suddenly, he was having a hard time breathing.

Marcellus could easily have stayed frozen like this forever if Destiny hadn’t moved her left arm from its present position under his stomach. A puzzled, slightly annoyed expression flickered in here yes before she got up.

When he looked up again, three sets of furious or skeptical eyes were staring down at him. "What?" Marcellus demanded, all of a sudden terribly angry. "It was an accident. I fell. Is that such a horrible crime, a loss of balance? Now, if you will quit gawking, I am TIRED!" Getting up in a swift motion, he was out of the room before anyone could say another word.

@~~>~~>~~~

That night, Marcellus woke up at 2 in the morning to realize that he was extremely hungry. Quietly getting out of bed, he made his way to the kitchen. To his surprise, the light was already on and the scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air. Peeking in, Marcellus saw Destiny huddled at the kitchen table in a white bathrobe that greatly contrasted with her ebony hair, a mug in hand, poring over a book.

"Don’t tell me you actually drink coffee to get to SLEEP!" he remarked incredulously without thinking.

The dark haired witch jumped a mile high, obviously startled. Coffee spilled everywhere, on the floor, the table, the book and all over her white bathrobe.

"Goddess, I-I am so sorry," Marcellus stammered as he frantically looked around for some paper towels. Spotting them, he brought the whole roll over, taking some for himself and giving the rest to Destiny. He immediately bent down and started wiping up the spilled liquid on the floor.

Ripping off some paper towels to wipe her robe, Destiny cried, "Goddess, Marcellus! You couldn’t have given SOME warning!"

When the vampire glanced up at her, she stopped a moment in her tirade to say, "Hey! Don’t look at me! Why do you think I’m wearing a robe in the first place?" Quickly, she pulled her wet, coffee stained robe tightly around her.

However, she wasn’t fast enough. As Marcellus ducked his head, the image of Destiny in no more than a bra and very short shorts was burned into his mind. For the first time in 800 years, Marcellus D’Alimonte blushed at the sight of a half-dressed woman. Not that he liked the picture and less that he did before, of course, maybe even more.

"Vampires," Destiny muttered, half to herself. "Not only are they stealthy, that all have 20/20 vision or better. There is just no end to the surprises."

"Destiny, I truly am sorry," Marcellus apologized again when he had cleared the floor, shielding his eyes in case she was still incensed. To anyone else, he would have just openly and shamelessly looked, but he found, surprised, that he actually cared what Destiny thought of him.

The witch had finally calmed down considerably as she replied, "I guess you couldn’t help it. After all, it is your nature and all. I’m used to it...most of the time. Don’t worry about it."

At the moment, Marcellus would have traded anything for it NOT to be his nature. But since that was obviously not appropriate, all he said was, "I suppose. But your robe is all wet and stained..." he drifted off as he followed Destiny’s raised eyebrow to his own costume.

"I guess I shouldn’t comment," he said with a laugh as he took in his green silk boxers and bare chest.

"Right," Destiny said with a nod. "Look, I’m going to go change. I’ll be right back."

As much as Marcellus would have liked to tell her to stay, he restrained himself and silently watched her retreating back.

@~~>~~>~~~

Damn, that boy was fine!

The thought hit Destiny fast and hard just as she was pulling on an old and worn gray T-shirt. Her reflection in the mirror was telling her to put on something better looking, sexier.

*Why should I CARE?!* Destiny shot back mentally. Marcellus was the enemy. He couldn’t be thought of as some kind of lover or even a friend!

Almost in defiance, Destiny left the baggy shirt on, adding the matching pair of oversized basketball shorts and stomped out of her room.

In the kitchen, Marcellus was still only covered from the waist down and the sight of him took her breath away. Destiny quickly dashed away the though. She couldn’t forget Devon or Delano, even if the former was three years dead and the latter was acting like a prick.

Marcellus looked up from the soggy book he was reading as she walked in. Her book. "Why did you let me stay?" he asked outright.

The question caught Destiny off-guard. She had expected meandering small talk. "Well, we..."

"No, not we. You," he corrected. At her confused look, Marcellus proceeded to explain. "The whole day, Delano has been after me like the Bubonic Plague or something. There’s no way he agreed to this. Leandra, on the other hand, seemed dead set on letting me stay. So, you see, you were the wild card. The deciding vote and the only one I couldn’t predict."

Oh. "The reason Leandra wants you to stay is because she thinks you can tell us something about Nick," she explained irrelevantly.

A sight from Marcellus. "I guessed as much, but I don’t know how much I can tell her."

There was a long pause as both thought or didn’t think. Finally, Destiny whispered, "I think I agree with Leandra. After all, I care a great deal about Nick, too. Besides, what great harm can you do?"

Suddenly, Marcellus was standing and only inches away from Destiny. She could feel the warmth emanating from his half clad body and wondered absently how he had gotten there. "Yes, what harm can I do?" he breathed as his lips brushed hers.

Completely taken by surprise, Destiny hesitated for a second before kissing him back.

A small groan escaped Marcellus’ lips. Or so Destiny thought. When he hastily pulled away from her without warning, she realized she was wrong.

Following his gaze, Destiny’s eyes came to rest on a dark haired, dark eyed Italian of average height.

Damn. Why couldn’t have been Leandra?

Preparing herself for an all out blow-up, Destiny was horrified when it didn’t come.

Quite calmly, Delano said with an undertone of danger, "Why is it, that I always find you, Destiny, in the middle of the night with some barely dressed guy that never turns out to be me?"

This wasn’t Delano. He was supposed to be ranting like a lunatic, not filled with this deadly calm.

Murder in his eyes, Delano continued "Now, if you two would kindly excuse me for a moment, I must go get the last member of our little group. I hope you will have the willpower to keep your hormones in check until I return," he snarled and disappeared from the kitchen.

* * * * *
PART 16:

"There is no way I can condone this," Delano said softly as he silently raged inside. "Devon, I could understand, I could accept. But that soulmate excuse can’t work a second time."

And so, of course, that left Marcellus without an argument. He truly was going to claim the soulmate link drove him to kiss Destiny. But then, he had forgotten she had already found -- and lost -- hers. But how else would he explain that feeling of belonging? Marcellus had no idea.

Leandra spoke next, after letting a yawn escape her. "Destiny, he’s right. I don’t mean to lecture you. I know you can take care of yourself. But Marcellus? We didn’t let him stay so he could seduce you."

Destiny’s eyes looked downward in shame. She agreed with her friends and she had no idea how what had happened had happened. She said as much and immediately regretted it, seeing the hurt expression on Marcellus’ face. It was plain ht hadn’t regretted what they’d done until then.

"What do you have to say for yourself, D’Alimonte?"

Eyes like emeralds blazed suddenly in anger at Delano’s question. "I think you should stop referring to me like I’m not here or some observing third party. I AM here and this concerns me. But since you’re all bent on acting like I’m not and this IS your house, I guess I’ll just have to play by your rules." And for the second time that day, he marched out of the room without a word.

Not making a sound, Leandra also left, thinking that this stomping out of the room was becoming a habit. Marcellus’ mood swings could certainly rival the best woman with PMS.

Now Destiny and Delano were alone. The Lamia was about to leave after a long moment of silence when, her eyes riveted on the kitchen floor tiles, Destiny whispered a bit shakily, "I’m sorry, Delano. I really am. I don’t expect to be forgiven, just like that. I know I don’t deserve that. But I just --" she was cut off as Delano’s arms encircled her in an embrace.

"Destiny, don’t cry. Goddess, please don’t. I couldn’t stay mad at you for any reason, not for long," he said softly, kissing away her tears.

It wasn’t until he’d pointed it out that Destiny realized she was crying. Damn. She didn’t was to win Delano back like this, but it was too late now. So, as the Lamia sought out her tears, Destiny sought out his lips, locking then in a passionate, if a bit teary kiss.

Watching secretly from the doorway, Marcellus wished he had a stake to tear into his heart, so it would physically match his emotions.

@~~>~~>~~~

While her brother’s heart was breaking, Keiara D’Alimonte was bursting with joy.

As soon as he’d gotten away from Delano, Corin had headed to Keiara’s house. It was only minutes later that he had knocked on her door, then swept her into his arms.

Now, as he sat across the kitchen table from his love, a glass of A positive blood in his hand, he recounted what had happened.

"So, they didn’t say anything about Dion?" Keiara asked carefully when he had finished.

Corin shook his head. "Not that I can remember, love. Why do you ask?"

"I sent Brock to scare Destiny a little on her way home from school. Don’t ask why," the flame haired vampire added hastily, strangely uncomfortable with Corin finding out he was the reason she had sent Brock. "I told him to do something only if she was alone in the car and no one was around to see. When he called to report, he said that Dion Vitani had been in the car with her. Which can only mean one thing: the Daybreakers have gotten to him."

"So, what do you propose we do?"

Keiara sighed, initial ecstasy evaporating. "I don’t know. I’ve already told Brianna Silverfang to talk to him tomorrow. There’s not much we can do until I get more information. I need to talk to Marcellus."

Corin sneered. He hated how Keiara was always talking about her brother. What did Marcellus have that he didn’t? He didn’t mention it though. Keiara wouldn’t like it. "You sent a wolf?!" he asked instead. "They are the lowest of life forms, aside from the ameba!"

A dark purple glare was his answer as Keiara replied carefully, "I would watch what you say to me, Corin, I may be your girlfriend at the moment, but that can easily be altered. By your death. Need I remind you who is in charge and who has a number of very intelligent werewolf friends? Ann is one of them and besides, she’s the only person other than you and Marcellus that I dare trust completely."

Even though Corin knew Keiara would never murder him, she could easily dump him and he didn’t fancy the notion. He knew his place right now. Softly, he apologized.

To show he was forgiven, the small made vampire gave him a peck on the lips before rising from the table. "Come on," she said. "It’s time we paid Mr. Corona a visit."

@~~>~~>~~~

Nick awoke with a start, roused by a noise drifting towards him from another room.

"...paid Mr. Corona a visit," he heard someone say and seconds later, footsteps sounded outside the door. A tawny haired vampire 6 inches shorter than Nick’s 6’2’’ appeared beside Keiara D’Alimonte.

A slow smile spread across Keiara’s lips. "So, we’ve finally awakened, have we, Angelface?"

Nick refused to reply to such an obvious taunt.

After a pause, Keiara continued as if Nick hadn’t slighted her at all, "Well, I’ll admit that I was a bit hasty this morning in saying you’ll be dead soon. I was...impatient. So, I’m here to offer you an alternative to death. Join us, join the Night World," she said so simply, as if it were no big deal.

"I would rather die," Nick said in disgust, voice slightly raspy from disuse.

The made vampire at Keiara’s side laughed wickedly. "If that’s your chosen fate, it can easily be arranged."

Keiara’s purple eyes slid sharply toward Corin in a warning Look that escaped the shapeshifter before her. Turning her attention back to Nick, she advised, "That may well be your choice now, but I urge you to consider my offer. I’m not usually so merciful and in two days, if your mind is unchanged, you’ll see just how merciless I can be." As she spoke, a metallic CLICK sounded and the vampire slowly drew out a thin, silver dagger. To better illustrate her point, Keiara drew the blade down the length of Nick’s arms, from shoulder to bound wrists, leaving a trail of red in its wake.

Nick bit his lip, drawing more blood to keep from crying out. He wouldn’t let Keiara have the satisfaction of seeing how much it hurt.

" ‘Night," Keiara whispered as she calmly stood. With Corin, she quietly left the room, leaving only the moonlight and his pain to keep Nick company.

* * * * *
PART 17:

"Well, I’m off!" Destiny cried the next morning as she ran into the kitchen to grab an apple before school. She came to a halting stop when she saw what seemed to be an interrogation going on in front of the fridge.

"What’s going on?" she asked, more bewildered than accusing.

Turning around, Delano offered her a sunny smile. "Good morning, love. We’re just asking D’Alimonte here, about Nick."

Leandra also caught her friend’s eye and smiled.

Destiny was dismayed to find that, though Marcellus didn’t seem greatly disturbed or uncomfortable about the questioning, he would not look at her. She decided that she would try to talk to him anyway. "So, can you tell us anything, Marcellus?"

"No, I can’t say I know anything about Nick," Marcellus replied, speaking to the kitchen cabinets rather than Destiny.

If anyone other than Destiny caught the double meaning, they didn’t let on.

"But the Night World must have taken him," Leandra insisted. "We did catch that vampire snooping around the house with a note," she pointed out.

At the mention of the note, a eyes turned to the lioness. Destiny and Delano stared at her, their mouths agape while Marcellus was secretly amused.

"Goddess, we totally forgot about that note!" gasped Destiny. "Where is it?"

Marcellus sighed in exasperation. He was torn between admiration and scorn for these people. One minute, they were the legendary Daybreak figures they were supposed to be, the next second, they were like feather-brained humans. "You’re never going to find it," he said, stopping the Daybreakers’ frantic search. "I saw him pick something up off the ground before he ran out the basement door. That’s how I tripped, I wanted to see what he had and accidentally tripped," he added, seeing the chance to explain his otherwise unlikely clumsiness.

"But don’t worry. If the Night World has him, they’ll let you know some way or other. They always do," Marcellus mentioned, like an afterthought.

Despite his reassurances, Marcellus heard Delano curse under his breath just as Destiny jumped out of her chair, saying, "Great, now I’m late. I gotta go, guys. Have a nice day." Hastily, she rushed out of the room.

More quietly, Marcellus slipped out of the kitchen and followed her to the front door. "Destiny," he called softly. The witch whirled around, her black hair hitting Marcellus square in the face. He staggered a bit at the force.

"Goddess, I’m sorry. This is the second time I’ve done that! You okay, Marcellus?" She apologized as she helped steady him. As soon as he could stand on his own two feet, Destiny moved to draw her hands away from his shoulders. Before she could even twitch, the vampire had her hands in his and was raising them to his lips.

Confusion shone bright in Destiny’s eyes. "Marcellus, what are you doing? I-I’m already late," she stuttered quietly, at a loss.

Beseechingly, almost desperately, Marcellus looked at her with those emerald eyes. "Destiny, can you truly say you don’t care about me? Can you say you hate me, for being who I am? Can you say that you’re not attracted to me, even a bit?"

Anger sparked inside Destiny at his last remark. Trying to keep her heated voice to a minimum, she replied indignantly, "Do you think you’re every girl’s dream or something, D’Alimonte? Is your ego that big? Well, guess what? You’re not this girl’s dream. True, I can’t lie and say you’re not attractive. But you’re evil, D’Alimonte. You don’t have to be, but you choose to be. You seem to revel in it. Last night, I saw something gentle, something kind in you. Which means you have the potential to be good. But now you’re accosting me in hallways and what I saw last night is gone. You can change, but you don’t seem to want to. How can I love someone like that?"

In one wild and powerful motion, Marcellus flung Destiny’s hands away, as if they were killer bees who’d just stung him. But not only was he in pain from the attack, he was shocked and furious.

The momentum of the vampire’s throw sent Destiny reeling backwards. Regaining her balance, she stared hard for a moment at the enraged vampire before her. Then, without a word, she turned her back and strode out the door, not wanting Marcellus to see the tears in her eyes.

@~~>~~>~~~

Marcellus D’Alimonte had to suppress the urge to shout after Destiny. He couldn’t believe she had just shot him down, just like that! He had to admit, she might of been right when she said he thought he was every girl’s dream. But that had always been true until he had met Destiny McNite.

Well, he wasn’t going to waste his time worrying about her feelings anymore. It was obvious she hated him, no matter how painful it was to admit. So, there was only one thing to do to stop the hurt. Of course he had to plot revenge. The only question was, how?

@~~>~~>~~~

Destiny impatiently swiped at her tears as she drove down the street. They were blurring everything, making the sky look like the road and turning people into what looked like fire hydrants.

Marcellus! Goddess, who did he think he was? She didn’t regret telling him off, not really, but it saddened her to think that she couldn’t change him. Only his soulmate could do that and he would probably never find her. It was pity that drove Destiny to cry her tears, not sadness. He had such potential! He could be whatever he wanted, if he could only see.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

She had just come to a Stop sign not far from the school. Looking around to see where that vexatious sound was coming from, Destiny caught sight of Dion Vitani’s head peering at her from the passenger side window. Unlocking the door for him, he stepped into the car.

"Why d’ya look so glum, chum?"

Dion’s expression was one of a child trying to cheer up a depressed parent and Destiny couldn’t help but laugh.

A matching grin appeared on the werewolf/vampire. "But, seriously, what’s wrong?" he still asked.

Destiny looked at him a while, wondering if she should tell. Finally, she decided that Dion probably wouldn’t give up until he knew, so she related the whole story, starting from when Nick had gone missing to that very morning.

"And that is what we, glorious Daybreak agents, do for a living," she finished sardonically as she pulled into the high school parking lot.

"Well, it sounds like you have Marcellus taken care of, more or less," Dion pointed out after a pause. Later, he would find out just how wrong he was, but at the moment, Destiny nodded in agreement.

"You and Delano seem perfectly happy," he continued. "So, it’s just a matter of finding Nick and I think Marcellus was probably telling the truth. The Night World will probably call you and you’ll just have to wait until then."

"There’s also the problem of Leandra," Destiny reminded him.

The handsome boy beside her frowned. "I’m not sure what to do about that. I’ve only heard of her, not met her in person. And I don’t know much about girl’s feelings, that’s for certain. I guess you could find her another guy?"

Destiny gave her friend an incredulous Look. "I don’t that’s going to work, Dion. Besides, where am I going to find a guy she’d like anyway?"

Both friends were baffled, but there wasn’t much more to say except, "Destiny, if we don’t hurry, we’ll be late for class."

* * * * *

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