Angel of Destiny (con't)
* * * * *
*For a scrawny teenage witch, this Devon Corona sure is strong,* Hunter Redfern mused as he held the squirming boy in
his arms, trying to bite his neck.
Devon was gasping from pain while trying to get away at the same time. He hadn’t expected his little dash for the door to
work and had been prepared for this. It was obvious that punching or kicking wouldn’t faze Hunter, so Devon did the
only thing he could. He pinched the Lamia’s arm. Hard.
A startled yelp came from Hunter and his grip was loosened a bit from his surprise.
This was Devon’s only chance. He slipped expertly out of Hunter’s grasp and headed for the maze in an all out run.
Almost immediately, he found the entrance to another maze. To his horror, this one was much less complicated. The
lighting was also of no help. It was flashing, like the light of a dance floor. This would only disorient Devon while Hunter
wouldn’t be effected at all.
Suddenly, a roar pierced the silence and Devon stopped in mid-step. He whirled to his right, expecting to see Leandra.
Instead, he saw Delano being cornered by Ara, Mariah and Taran.
The witch didn’t know if this was a blessing or a stroke of bad luck.. On one hand, Delano could see better and would be
useful in the next maze. On the other hand, they would have Hunter and half of Black Dawn after them. But Devon
couldn’t just leave Delano there to die now could he?
It was a split second decision. The blond witch veered right and tackled Taran from behind. Before the two vampires and
shape-shifter had time to realize what was going one, Delano was already racing for the next maze, only stopping for a
second to help Devon up off the floor.
Then both Daybreakers were off, with four very angry Night People right behind them, ready to kill.
@~~~>~~~>~~~~
"I don’t care anymore if Hunter Redfern wants you alive or not," Jason Reed snarled. "You’ve caused us way too
much trouble. You have to pay, and the only way to do that is with your life."
Every time Nick breathed, a blast of pain exploded inside of him. Trying not to let it show, he gathered up all that was left
of his tough guy attitude and put it behind a deadly glare.
Gavin just laughed. "You’re going to die, little bird. That pathetic excuse for a glare isn’t going to save you."
Nick glanced from one Night Person to another. *This must have been how Delos felt when we were going to hunt him,*
He mused, feeling oddly distant. He knew he was going to die and knew he should be afraid, but all he felt was numb.
Closing his eyes, Nick prepared for the pain.
"No!" He heard Leandra cry out.
Nick’s eyelids flew open.
He didn’t know when it had happened, but Leandra was standing between him and the other guys in half and half form.
*Huh?* He thought, thoroughly confused. *I should be dead by now.*
Jason and Gavin both looked as bewildered as Nick. They had no idea what had brought this sudden change of mind on.
"No," The lioness repeated. "I won’t let you kill my soulmate."
*WHAT!?!?* Nick was sure he’d lost part of his hearing when Leandra had pounced on him. She couldn’t have just said
what he thought she had.
Jason had regained some of his composure by this time and approached the lion shifter. Leandra swatted him like a fly.
He slammed against a mirror, the impact knocking him unconscious.
Gavin, seeing what had happened to the vampire, stayed frozen in place.
Nick was still feeling dazed and confused when he felt two hands that were more like paws, pull him up from behind.
"Let’s go," Leandra whispered. "Gavin’s not going to stay frozen forever and Jason is going to be real mad when he
wakes up."
As soon as Nick tried to take a step, a sharp pain shot through his leg. Goddess, it HURT. Not only was he having more
trouble breathing, but now his whole body was aching and he felt like he’d broken every bone in his body.
Leandra winced. She was, after all, the cause if Nick’s agony. "Nick, I’m sorry about that," she apologized. "Maybe
I should carry you."
He lifted his brows, in expression that said, ‘Are you CRAZY?’
The lioness snorted in exasperation. "You change into a macaw first, silly!"
"Oh, yeah I guess that would work," Nick said, feeling stupid that he hadn’t seen the obvious solution. A macaw wasn’t
very light, but at least it weighed a lot less than he did right now. He began to shape-shift.
They’d only gone a short way when they heard Destiny’s scream right to their left.
Leandra didn’t even pause. Just because she loved Nick didn’t mean she liked his friends. But the bird on her shoulder
was lightly yet urgently pecking her shoulder.
"You want to help her?" The lioness finally asked reluctantly.
The blue macaw nodded eagerly, which was a strange sight to see, even for a parrot.
She sighed in defeat. "Fine," Leandra grumbled.
They turned the corner and froze in their tracks. There in front of them was a nightmarish scene. Destiny was trapped
under a writhing corpse that should have been dead, desperately trying to get unpinned. The stinking body on top of the
witch was working untiringly to strangle her. Insects were crawling all over the place, trying to avoid being crushed by the
two struggling bodies.
"Goddess, they turned her into a ghoul," Leandra said in a horrified gasp. She put Nick down so he could shift back into
human form and she could turn into a lioness.
As soon as she was no longer human, Leandra pounced. She may not have liked Destiny, but no one deserved this. The
lioness tore Lunae away from her prey and Nick immediately dragged Destiny away from the fight.
"Do you have your knife?" Nick asked the sable-haired witch.
Destiny, still trying to catch her breath, shook her head. "I lost it somewhere in the maze. You have anything?"
"Nope."
There wasn’t really much one could do about a ghoul if they didn’t have any wood, so along with Leandra, the
Daybreakers turned and fled. Well, actually, Destiny and Leandra fled while Nick tried to hobble along and eventually just
shape-shifted and was held by his self-proclaimed soulmate.
In seconds, they had found the entrance to the next maze (the same maze Devon and Delano went into, but not the same
entrance). They also found Gavin and Jason, both conscious and very angry.
"Shit," Leandra muttered under her breath. "I just can’t get rid of them!"
"I don’t know what went on with you guys, but you can explain later," Destiny said. "Right now, I just want to get out of
here." With that, she took Leandra’s free hand and bolted for the doorway into the labyrinth, a shifter, vampire and ghoul
following closely.
* * * * *
Devon and Delano darted from maze to maze, always one step ahead of Hunter and Black Dawn. But soon, a new
problem awaited them. They had arrived at the exit of the Fun House, with no where to run and would have to fight a
hopeless battle without half of their team.
*You ready?* Delano asked telepathically.
Devon’s expression said, ‘Not a chance.’
Anyone would have to admit that they tried, but it was clear from the beginning that without Destiny and Nick, the two
Daybreakers didn’t have a hope.
It all ended with Delano being held back by Taran and Mariah while Hunter held Devon in his arms almost in an embrace.
If the situation hadn’t been so serious, one would have laughed at the scene.
*Goddess, I’m going to die,* Devon thought frantically, not wanting to believe it. *At Hunter Redfern’s hands, no less.*
There was no way Devon could have braced himself for the pain. It came in one overwhelming wave, both physically and
telepathically. Something tore at his throat, Devon could feel his life-blood seeping out, and then there was nothing.
@~~~>~~~>~~~~
"Ahhh!" Destiny McNite staggered and screamed in agony.
The blond girl beside her glanced at the witch sharply, alarmed. "What’s wrong?"
"Devon," the taller girl gasped.
The macaw in Leandra’s arms squawked loudly in alarm.
The lioness voiced Nick’s question. "What’s wrong with him? And keep on running," she added, "they’re catching up."
"I don’t know!" Destiny cried in a rare burst of frustration and desperation. "All I know is that I have to find him!
Wait, I’ve got an idea."
The ceiling of the present labyrinth wasn’t all that high. If Destiny jumped, she could probably reach one of the pipes that
ran along the top and see if the exit was near, maybe even swing there over the maze. "If I see some exit near us, I’m
going for it, all right?" She asked the lioness shifter.
Leandra nodded in understanding. "Just go find Lover-boy. We’ll be fine."
Destiny leaped. Seeing the exit out of the Fun House up ahead, she swung her body and to her surprise, gracefully landed
where she wanted to be. "I hope that’s a good sign," the witch muttered.
It wasn’t. As soon as Destiny ran out of the Fun House and stepped into the setting rays of the sun, she wished she was
blind. There, in front of her was the most horrifying scene she could imagine.
Her soulmate was dangling limply from Hunter Redfern’s arms, blood splattered all over his neck. Apparently, Hunter
was a messy eater.
Delano was futilely trying to wriggle out of Taran and Mariah’s grasp, though it was plain by the expression on his face, he
knew it was too late to save Devon.
*No! No! Devon, no!* Destiny pleaded soundlessly. She couldn’t believe this, it couldn’t be true. Devon just couldn’t be
dead, but there was so much blood.
A moldy hand clamped down on her shoulder. Destiny just caught herself before she screamed. Surprise was the only
advantage she had, she wasn’t about to give that up. There was still a slight chance Devon was alive.
Where the witch was standing, there were plenty of sticks. Quickly reaching down to pick one up, Destiny gracefully
stood and turned in one motion, plunging the wood into Lunae’s body before she could make a sound. The ghoul
crumpled to the ground.
*I wonder how she got here before Jason and Gavin,* thought Destiny in bewilderment. Her question was answered in a
hurry. Two sets of hands grabbed her by the by the arms and legs.
"Hunter, we’ve got the little witch!" Jason called ahead.
Try as she might, Destiny couldn’t get free. If Jason and Gavin had been human, she could have fought her way to safety,
but these were Night People. There was no contest.
Hunter Redfern, silhouetted by the setting sun, looked up from his prey at Destiny with cold, hungry eyes. He smiled.
"Hello, my dear. How are you feeling tonight." He glanced down at Devon. "Better than your companion, I hope."
*What an unimaginable bastard!* Destiny thought silently, but couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. She was more in
despair than angry. There was no way she could save Devon now. He would die and she would never be complete
again.
Destiny almost didn’t see Monaco and Aria sneak up behind Taran and Mariah, stakes in hand. She started screaming at
the top of her lungs to create a diversion. "Devon! Goddess, no! Devon! Please! Hunter you fuckin’ leech! How could
you?!?! Devon!!"
A horrified look spread across Monaco’s face and he hesitated a moment before realizing Destiny wasn’t really
hysterical.
*I must be pretty good, if I could fool a team of Night People and an Old Soul with my hysterical act,* Destiny mused in
a moment of calm right before Monaco’s team burst out from the shadows. At the same time, Leandra and Nick ran out
of the Fun House, looking a bit dazed, but ready to fight.
Black Dawn was caught completely by surprise and didn’t realize what was going on until too late. By then, Taran and
Mariah had been staked. The remaining members were totally outnumbered, and it was obvious that the Daybreakers
were not going to let then out of the park alive.
As soon as Destiny was out of Black Dawn’s grasp, she sprinted towards her soulmate. Hunter was still holding him and
it looked like he was making Devon drink his blood. Horror washed over Destiny. "Get the hell away from him!" She
shouted in outrage.
Hunter’s head snapped up in alarm, but he smiled when he saw Destiny. "He’s all yours," He said, dropping the boy on
the ground, then turned away and disappeared in the shadows.
Destiny contemplated going after him, but decided not to. It would be like a suicide attempt. Besides, Devon needed her.
Dropping to her knees, she lifted her soulmate into her arms. Devon looked like an angel. A teardrop landed on his cheek
and Destiny realized she was crying.
Golden lashed fluttered open to reveal innocent aqua orbs. "Destiny, princess, come on, don’t cry," Devon whispered
weakly.
"Devon, oh Goddess. I’m sorry. Angel, I’m so sorry." Destiny sobbed.
"For what?"
All she could do was shake her head.
By now everything had been taken care of and the other Daybreakers were standing around in a semi- circle behind
Destiny.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, princess," Devon smiled faintly and added, "You know I love you right? I’ve never said
it before but you mean more to me than life itself. I’ve always loved you and I always will."
"I know." Destiny whispered and put a finger to his lips. "You didn’t have to say anything, I knew. And I love you too,
Angel."
Devon kissed her finger. "You can’t get rid of me so easily, princess. In the immortal words of Arnold Schwarzenagger,
‘I’ll be back.’ I could never leave you. I’ll be watching over you, love."
Destiny was laughing and sobbing at the same time. She couldn’t believe Devon was quoting movie stars when he was
dying. She knew that she would never really lose him though and that brought a feeling of peace. The memories she’d
seen in his mind, the images that couldn’t have happened in his lifetime, proved it. However, that didn’t make losing him
any easier.
She touched the patch of blood on Devon’s neck and remembered what Hunter had done before running away.
"Delano?" she asked, not turning away from Devon. "After being drained, can someone be changed into a vampire by one
exchange of blood?" Destiny felt she already knew the answer.
"No," came the grave reply. The vampire knew what she was getting at. "I’m sorry Destiny, that would just change him
into a ghoul."
Destiny closed her eyes.
*Do what you have to, Destiny.* Devon’s voice echoed in her mind. He picked up a piece of wood beside him and
handed it to her. "This will do nicely," he whispered almost inaudibly. There was a faint smile on his lips that said he wasn’t
afraid.
Destiny took the make-shift stake. "I love you," she whispered in his ear.
*Remember me when the night birds sing.*
In reply, Destiny lightly brushed her lips against Devon’s, brought the stake up and placed it in his heart. Then she just
held Devon and cried.
A while later, she felt Delano’s hand on her shoulder. She just let him wrap his arms around her and cried harder. The sun
went down behind her, basking everything with it’s golden glow, signaling the death of another day and the end of a life.
* * * * *
Three figures stood on the small hill, silhouetted by the rising sun. One an adult, the other children.
Destiny McNite stood in front of two gravestones, one reading:
PART 31:
PART 32:
EPILOGUE:
the other:
It had been Destiny’s idea to bury Devon with his brother. That is, after she found out about him.
The scene after Devon’s death had been chaotic. The moment Destiny had calmed down, Nick had demanded why she had staked his brother. Monaco had started making funeral arrangements, Leandra was trying to explain to everyone how she was Nick’s soulmate and everyone was teary-eyed. Destiny had felt like she was going to break down again.
However, everything had worked itself out. Delano got everyone to calm down enough so Destiny could explain and Nick told Destiny more about their family while everyone finished sobbing.
The funeral had been beautiful, but it was one of the things in Destiny’s life she didn’t wish to remember.
Circle Daybreak gave all Devon’s belongings to Nick, since he was his brother. However, the shape-shifter had then given most of it to Destiny.
"They’re not really all that significant to me," Nick explained sadly. "I didn’t know him long enough."
When Destiny had finally gotten the courage to look through everything, she found a little box with her name inscribed on it. Inside was a silver dahlia and rose twined together to make a bracelet. The note enclosed had been written the day Devon died and had made Destiny cry for no real reason other than that it was from him.
Dear Destiny,
Well, I’m not sure where to begin, so I’ll start with the bracelet.
It used to be my mother’s. Obviously, the dahlia is for witches, but the rose I don’t understand. You’re so smart, maybe you’ll figure it out.
The reason I’m writing this, is because I have the feeling I won’t have the chance to say this to you in person. We’re going to meet Black Dawn today, and even though I’m no master in premonition, I get the feeling I’m not coming back.
I want you to have this. I’m not rich and other than my love, it’s the only thing I can give you.
I hope you like it. Whenever you wear it, think of me. I’ll be watching over you.
Love, Devon
Just a month after finding Devon’s little present, Destiny had found out she was pregnant. She could still remember how happy she’d been.
Now it was almost 3 years later. Destiny had borne twins, a boy and a girl. Gabriel had been named after his father, but had the colouring of his mother. Selena was Destiny’s own middle name and her daughter’s name as well. Unlike her brother, she was blonde, like Devon.
The millennium was fast approaching and the fourth Wild Power was yet to be found. Circle Daybreak was now also busy recruiting the other 3 teenagers like Nick. One other had been found, Jezebel Redfern’s equal. The additional two were currently being sought after. They had a name now, Dark Angels.
Destiny herself was still in a team with Delano, but Nick, being so important, had been substituted by his girlfriend-but-not-soulmate, Leandra. However, the team didn’t work much anymore. Now they just basically dealt with issues concerning the Wild Powers and Dark Angels.
Devon’s death had taken a lot out of Destiny, but in the end, it had made her a stronger person. She had even recently started dating Delano again. She knew Devon wouldn’t have minded. He had said himself how perfect the vampire would be perfect for Destiny if she hadn’t found her soulmate.
Also, the two million inheritance would be hers in three months. It used to mean so much to her, but that was before she had met Devon. Now, Destiny couldn’t care less. The only use the money would have was to put her kids through college, providing there were still such things after the final battle.
Gabriel tugged on Destiny’s pant leg, reminding her that she would have to find a baby-sitter if she wanted to go out with Delano. She found herself wondering if Nick had an engagement with Leandra tonight, as Gabriel said, "Mommy, is Daddy in heaven now?"
Destiny smiled at her son and took his hand. *Those damn Sunday School’s, teaching everyone about Heaven and Hell!* She thought silently in amusement. Out loud, she replied, "Yes, honey, Daddy’s in heaven. He’s watching over you right now."
Selena, standing on the other side of Destiny looked amazed as she gazed silently up at the painted sky.
Destiny stooped to pick her daughter up and Selena asked quietly in wonder, "Mommy, is Daddy an angel now?"
That was a question Destiny couldn’t really answer. Glancing down at her bracelet, she thought of Devon and said the only thing she knew to be true. "Daddy was always an angel."
* * * * *
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