Christine Feehan - Dark Destiny (Dark Series - book 13)

Destiny pressed her body so tightly against the side of the church, her skin hurt. They were both in terrible danger, but only one of them was aware of it.

“I know you’re here; please don’t run away again,” Mary Ann said softly. Despite her thick jacket, she rubbed her arms to ward off the cold. “Just talk with me. I have so much to say to you, so much to thank you for.” Her voice was low, gentle, as if she were speaking to a wild thing, coaxing it to trust her.

There was a terrible tightness in Destiny’s chest. She was choking, suffocating, hardly able to breathe.

She waited a heartbeat. Two. Drew deeper into the shadows. She could hear the sound of her own heart beating. She could hear Mary Ann’s heart following the rhythm of hers. She could hear the beckoning invitation of the ebb and flow of blood rushing through veins. Calling to her. Intensifying her terrible hunger. Her tongue felt the sharpness of her lengthening incisors. She trembled with the effort to control herself, to stop the inevitable.

This woman was everything that she was not. Mary Ann Delaney. Destiny knew her well. She was compassionate and brave, her life dedicated to helping others. A light seemed to shine from her very soul. Destiny listened to her often—her lectures, her group discussions, even her one-on-one counseling sessions. Destiny had appointed herself Mary Ann’s unofficial protector.

“You saved my life. A few weeks ago, when that man broke into my home and attacked me, you came in and saved me. I know you were hurt—there was blood on your clothes—but when the paramedics came, you were gone.” Mary Ann closed her eyes for a moment, reliving the terror of waking up to find a furious man standing over her bed. He had dragged her out from under the covers by her hair, punching her so hard and so fast she had no time to defend herself. He was the husband of a woman she had helped escape into a sanctuary and he was determined to get the address from her. He had pounded her into a bloody heap on the floor, kicking her and then stabbing at her with a large knife. She had the raw scars on her arms where she had tried to protect herself. “I didn’t tell anyone you were there. I didn’t say a word about you to the police. They thought he must have tripped over the overturned furniture and fallen awkwardly and broken his neck. I didn’t betray you. There’s no need to worry; the police aren’t looking for you. They don’t know anything about you.”

Destiny bit down hard on her lip and stubbornly remained silent. Fortunately, the incisors had receded. She had enough sins on her soul without adding Mary Ann to the list of her victims.

“Please answer me.” Mary Ann opened her arms wide. “I don’t understand why you won’t talk to me. What harm could there be in telling me if you were hurt that night? There was blood all over you, and it wasn’t from me and it wasn’t his blood.”

Destiny felt tears burning in her eyes, clogging her throat. Her hands clenched into two tight fists. “It wasn’t my blood. You don’t owe me anything.” The words were strangled, barely making it past the lump in her throat. It was partially the truth. Mary Ann’s attacker had not put a scratch on her. “I’m just sorry I wasn’t there earlier, before he hurt you.”

“He would have killed me. We both know that. My life isn’t the only thing I have you to thank for. You’re the one who leaves me the money for our safe houses, aren’t you?” Mary Ann pursued. “And our women’s recovery programs.”

Destiny leaned against the wall, tired of pain, tired of being so alone. There was something incredibly warming and soothing about Mary Ann. “It’s no big deal, it’s just money. You do all the work. I’m happy to help in some small way.”

“Come home with me,” Mary Ann said. “I’ll make us tea, and we can talk.” When Destiny remained silent, Mary Ann sighed softly. “At least tell me your name. I feel your presence often and think of you as a friend. What would it hurt to tell me your name?”

“I don’t want the ugliness of my life to touch you,” Destiny admitted softly. The night was enfolding her as it always did, gently whispering to her so that she saw its beauty despite her determination not to see anything good in it.

“I’m not afraid of ugliness,” Mary Ann persisted. “I’ve seen ugliness before, I will again. No one is meant to be alone in the world. We all need someone, even you.”

“You aren’t making this easy.” The words were wrenched from Destiny, almost a sob. “You don’t know how evil I am. There is no redemption for me. I should never have allowed our lives to touch, not even for a moment.”

“I’m very grateful that you did. I wouldn’t be here otherwise, and I have much to live for.”

Destiny pressed her palm to her mouth, ashamed that her hand was trembling. “You’re different from me. You’re good, you help so many people.”

Mary Ann nodded her agreement. “Yes, I do, and without you, I would never have been able to help another woman or child. You’ve done that, not me. I couldn’t have saved myself; I’d be dead right now.”

“That’s twisted logic,” Destiny pointed out, but she found a small smile hovering on her lips in spite of the pain knifing through her. She had heard Mary Ann talk with other women many times, her voice always gentle and understanding. Mary Ann always knew the right thing to say to set her clients at ease. She was using that same gift on Destiny. “My name is Destiny.” Her name sounded strange to her own ears, it had been so long since she had heard it. Saying it aloud was almost frightening.

Mary Ann smiled, her teeth very pretty, her smile contagious. “I’m so pleased to meet you. I’m Mary Ann.” She stepped forward and held out her hand.

Before she could stop herself, Destiny gripped the outstretched hand. It was the first time in a very long while that she had touched a human being. Her heart slammed painfully in her chest and she jerked away, sliding back into the shadows. “I can’t do this,” she whispered. It was too painful to look into those clear eyes, to feel Mary Ann’s warmth. It was easier to be alone, to hide in the shadows, forever a night creature.

Mary Ann stood quietly, faintly shocked by the extraordinary beauty of the young woman hiding in the shadows. She was smaller than Mary Ann had first thought—not short, but not tall either. She had lush curves, but her body was sculpted by muscle. Her hair was thick, wild, a mass of dark silk. Her face was arresting, her eyes enormous, haunted, long-lashed and mesmerizing. They were a vivid, brilliant blue-green, holding shadows and secrets and unimaginable pain. Even her mouth was sculpted and inviting. But she had much more than physical beauty. There was a subtle allure that Mary Ann had never seen before in a woman. The voice was musical, mysterious, compelling. Mystical. Everything about Destiny was different. Unexpected.

“Of course you can do this. We’re only talking, Destiny. What’s the harm in talking? I was feeling a little lonely tonight and I knew I had to see you.” Mary Ann took a step toward the shadows that held Destiny, wanting to ease the terrible despair on that beautiful face. She had seen trauma many times, but those enormous aquamarine eyes were haunted beyond anything Mary Ann had ever known. Those eyes had seen things that should never have been seen. Monstrous things.

Destiny allowed her breath to leave her lungs in a little rush. “Do you know how many times I’ve watched you wield your magic on a woman in need? You have a gift for giving hope to someone who has stopped believing there is hope. If you think you owe me, you don’t. You’ve saved my life many times over; you just haven’t been aware of it. I listen to you often, and your words are the only thing in this world that make sense to me anymore.”