Cecy Robson - Cursed By Destiny

Tye regarded me like I’d missed something important. The creases in his brow softened when he realized I was genuinely awaiting his response. “Destiny is not her name,” he said slowly. “It’s what she is. About once every century an especially gifted baby girl is born from a union of two witches—a sort of soothsayer. The extra talents she’ll possess vary from each individual, but the common trait is her aptitude to predict the future. It’s tradition to name her after the original soothsayer, but she’s always referred to as Destiny.”

I adjusted my position as much as the small area would allow, but the so-called cockpit was too cramped to permit much movement. “That’s kind of strange. If she has a given name, why don’t people use it?”

“Because it’s Trudhilde Radinka.” He shrugged. “If it were me, I’d sure as hell go by Destiny.”

I blinked back at him. “No kidding.”

“Give her a chance, Celia. She’s a good girl with a heavy burden on her shoulders. Since her birth, her parents have always thrown her power in people’s faces. It’s been hard for her to make friends.”

I never thought I could relate to Destiny, but I did then. Friends weren’t a gift that came easy for me. I hadn’t stopped to think how someone like her would fare. “She seems so peculiar. Between her style of dress and my experience with her in vamp court, she’s not someone I’ve longed to approach. But . . . if you consider her a good person, I’ll make an effort to be nice if I see her again.”

“I’d appreciate that,” he said quietly. The fondness in his tone returned and his expression softened, but it didn’t take long for an underlying hint of mischief to brighten his features. “So, dovie, now that you know more about Destiny, are you more apt to believe what she says?”

“Not when she’s talking about us.”

He smiled at me with curiosity. “Why are you so certain?”

I smiled back and crossed my arms. “Why are you?”

“For one, Destiny’s predictions are never wrong.” His voice dropped an octave and his playful demeanor vanished. “For another, I’ve been attracted to you from the first moment I caught your scent.”

I inched away from him. “I think it’s just a cat thing. I don’t find there are many of us around.”

“You’re . . . blushing. ” He sounded surprised.

I shifted nervously, except there was no place to go but down.

“How can someone who’s mated to a wolf and living with one of the earth’s deadliest masters be so shy?”

My body heat rose the more Tye continued to watch me. “Don’t look at me that way.”

The timbre in Tye’s voice lowered to a bedroom whisper. “Why shouldn’t I?”

I focused on the control panel. It was better than the alternative. “Tye, I’m not used to this kind of attention. It makes me uncomfortable. You have to understand, Aric and Misha are among the rare few who have given me more than a passing glance.”

Tye started to say something, but instead paused to sniff the air around me. His expression changed from someone ready to make a smart-ass comment to an individual who knew compassion and carried it well. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” I nodded with my now crimson face. He scoffed. “I had you pegged all wrong, girl. Here I thought you were another stuck-up princess. In truth, you’re just a timid little bird.”

I couldn’t argue. Aside from my relationship with Aric, I knew nothing when it came to romance. I barely understood the male species, and had absolutely no desire to learn more.

I’d seen Tye-the-player and Tye-the-jerk in action, but at that moment, he showed me a different side. Instead of continuing his banter, he spared my feelings and described some of the animals we’d see on safari.

We talked for about an hour until the plane struck some kind invisible wall. It didn’t make sense. The plane continued to speed forward. But then it jolted as if rammed by something hard, and the controls went haywire. Lights blinked off and on and several alarms blared a warning. The nose dipped and the steering mechanism wrenched free of Tye’s grip. My stomach lurched to my throat as the plane plunged downward in a spiral. My sisters screamed. Tye fought to regain our altitude, only for us to be jerked back down. Again, he managed to level the plane, but just barely.

“The Tribe knows we’re here!” he shouted. “Get ready to jump!”

Everyone in the back scrambled for parachutes. I unbuckled and hurried to help, while Tye fought to keep our plane in the air.

We turned the plane inside out, only to find one chute.

“ Shit! ” Bren growled.

I scanned the compartment filled with terrified faces, desperately trying to figure a way out of this. Only Chang and Ying-Ying remained surprisingly calm. I thought it was because they didn’t comprehend what was happening. I swallowed a lump in my throat. How could I possibly explain we were all about to die? Charades at a time like this seemed completely inappropriate. I opened my mouth to say something when Ying-Ying pointed to the plane door. I didn’t move, so she pointed again. “Bren,” she said.

Emme clutched the headrest in front of her, her fair skin pale with fear. “I—I think she wants one of you to open the door.”

Bren and I tried to explain that we couldn’t open the door when Chang stood. He calmly strapped on two backpacks and grabbed a blanket from one of the storage compartments. A huge smile lit his face as he kicked open the door. Gusts of wind overtook the small cabin, smacking my hair into my face. I pushed it out of the way in time to see Chang grip Shayna’s arm and leap out with my poor shrieking sister.

Bren and I rushed to the door in a panic. I gasped when I caught a glimpse of a white parachute. Chang had somehow magically converted the blanket. “Holy shit !” Bren yelled.

Bren and I continued to gawk while Ying-Ying slinked her way through the small space. He freaked out when he saw she was carrying two packs: hers and his. “No. No, no, no, no.” He held out his hands trying to block her. I watched in horror as the tiny yogi shoved my extra-large friend into the air before diving after him. Her maniacal laugh exploded out of her, drowning out Bren’s hollers as she flew toward him.

Tye grunted. “I can’t keep the plane up. Get going, now! ”

Danny had just finished securing the parachute to Emme. “Celia, grab Emme and go—the parachute will hold you both. Tye and I will jump before the plane crashes.”

“Screw that!” Tye shouted. “Go with Emme, Dan. They’re going to need you to find the stone. Celia will just go eagle and fly us out.”

“Good idea!” Danny yelled and leapt out, clutching Emme.

Good idea? GOOD IDEA!?

“Tye, I don’t think I can—”

Tye grabbed our packs and flung us out the door.

I didn’t have time to think or attempt to calm the hysterical female shrieking inside me. The wind whipped against my body and the earth spun below. I gritted my teeth and called forth my will to survive.

But then my call turned into a screech—the mighty screech of an eagle.

My legs shrank and my arms lengthened, sprouting feathers from one breath to the next. I righted myself and glided into the night with a grace and speed I’d never known. My sharp vision fixed on Tye, who was hurtling toward the ground at an alarming rate. With one, two, three flaps of my powerful wings I had him.

I dug my talons into his shoulders and cried out in triumph over the sounds of the plane exploding below. My new form felt natural, as if I’d done it a million times. Unfortunately, this was my first flight, and if it hadn’t been for the tree we smashed into, I wasn’t sure how we would’ve landed.