A Destiny Revealed (18 page)

“I know this, baby, but once
there,
believe me, family starts to slowly fade.” Isabelle insisted.

“I would never-” Dalia started.

“Listen, Dalia!” Isabelle snapped. “Family is not enough. Do
not cross the veil until you have a strong anchor mi’ja. Don't allow arrogance
to cloud your instincts.”

“Yes, mama,” Dalia said quietly.

“Now, you must always guard your body Dalia, even when you
sleep. Every time you cross the veil, it becomes easier the next time. So much
so, that your spirit begins to drift between the two planes when you are
sleeping. When you next come to Loíza I'll have the local bruja make an amulet
for you.” Isabelle told her.

Dalia eyed the necklace. “The oracle gave me one already,
mama. It has a tornado on it.”

Her mother sighed in relief. "Good, it’s a
cyclone,
Oya is goddess of the winds. That means the amulet
was blessed by the goddess herself, it'll be better protection than anything
our bruja could make.”

“This scares me mama.”

“I'm scared for you, Dalia, but without the
basíkùlú
there would be much evil in this world.” She consoled. “You would be serving a
great purpose. I know you long for that.”

“Why does every one assume I need a purpose,” Dalia
grumbled. Bron's earlier words flitted across her mind.

“Because your spirit is seeking
vindication for the crime done to you, Dalia.
Your aura fairly reeks
with it, so one can only assume you're looking for a purpose, or an outlet for
all that pent up vengeance. If not it would eat you alive, daughter.”

"Does that make me a bad person?”

“No mi’ja.” Isabelle chuckled. "If there were no
vindictiveness in you, then I would wonder if you were switched at birth. The
women in our family have a long history of vengeful acts. There aren't many who
would cross us.”

Dalia laughed, feeling better. “Yeah, those stories I paid
attention to. Abuela made quite a name for herself in Loíza.”

“I should tell you that revenge would only sustain you for
so long, Dalia. You'll need something more in your life.”

“I can’t think about the future, mama” Even as she said that
she thought of Bron.

“Hija, the situation you find yourself in should tell you
that futures and pasts have a strange way of affecting the now.” Her mother
told her.

Dalia sighed. “You're right about that.”

“Now repeat the rules to me so that I know you have them,”
her mother instructed.

“Don't look away from the light, hold on to your anchor and
guard your body,” Dalia recited dutifully.

“Good, please be careful, Dalia.”

“I love you mama.”

“I love you too, Dalia. Call me if you need anything.”

Dalia was glad that she'd called her mother. She mulled over
the oracle’s words and put them together with the information she got from her
mother. She still wondered why she was chosen.

“DALIA HAS SEEN THE ORACLE,” Lev announced at the door of
Nala’s ‘playroom’. He looked around the room in disinterest. Nala used the room
to convert new vampires, and retrain the old. Manacles, whips and various
torture devices lined the walls contrasting with the beautiful marble that
covered the floors. The room itself was built with a natural slope, all feeding
into drains Nala had put in the middle of the room under the table that took up
the middle of the room. The temperature was purposely high in this room; the
heat added another level of pain. She looked up from a newly turned vampire
shackled to the table she used for conversions. The vampire on the table
writhed in pain, his teeth bared, blood dripping from his fangs. Lev barely
stopped himself from taking a step back at the malice he saw in Nala’s eyes.

“When?” she hissed.

“Today, they met at Haven.” He told her. “The Ajo there
called me and I sent back-up.” Lev flinched at the sinister smile that lit her
face. He was unable to look away as she sauntered to him, her hips swaying
erotically. Her nails cut into his face as she grabbed his chin. Madness
gleamed in her eyes.

“If you knew where the oracle was, then why do I not have
possession of the amulet she wears?” she asked him sweetly.

“She escaped. The Amanda..."

Her nails dug into his face cutting off his words. “What
were my instructions, Lev?”

“To take the oracle and their leader, if the oracle could
not be taken, kill her and take the amulet.”

“So, again I ask you, why am I not in possession of the
amulet?” She used her other hand to dig into his shoulder.

Blood trailed his back. "We could not get past the
Amanda.”

“That is unacceptable, Lev,” she purred.

Lev watched the way her eyes lit and knew that he would soon
occupy the far wall of this room. He could not stop the surge of excitement at
the thought of her punishment.

“I see I'll have to handle this myself. Be a good boy and
get into position,” she told him.   Lev walked to the wall and stood with
his back against it. He closed his eyes as the manacles snapped to his wrist;
he felt his feet leave the ground and his shoulders pulled tight as the chains
lifted him. His eyes opened a few moments later when he could detect no
movement from Nala, by now she would have lashed him at least twice. He
shuffled in alarm, when he saw her staring at him from the door. The silence
stretched between them and Lev felt his first real twinge of worry.

“Did you know that burns are nearly impossible for us to
heal.
” She leaned her shoulder against the doorjamb, her
casual tone making him squirm. “I will let you think about that while I go and
do the job you were supposed to do.”

Worry turned to full blown fear when the door shut and the
lights were doused. Lev could hear the vampire on the table struggling against
his bonds; his inhuman snarls sending chills through Lev. The only light came
from a far corner and the source turned his stomach, three rods sat on a hot
plate, their tips red from being heated for who knew how long. Too late, Lev realized
he had pushed Nala too far.

Chapter 17

BRON COLLAPSED AT THE edge of the woods, his body too tired
to go another step, yet the anger still rode him. He kept his eyes opened,
refusing to
so
much as blink. Every time his eyes
closed he saw another image of Dalia’s torture. He changed forms tiredly,
wishing he'd remembered to bring clothes with him. He thought briefly of the
concentration it would take to produce clothes and dismissed the idea. He
couldn’t work up the energy.

“Looks like you could use these.” Fynn threw a pair of jeans
to him.

 Grateful, Bron rolled over and slid them up his legs.

“Must have been some argument.”
He
plopped next to Bron on the grass.

“She was tortured, Fynn,” Bron whispered. “My mate was
tortured for two years.” He rubbed the heel of his hands into his eyes, hoping
to dislodge the images.

“She told you?”

Bron shook his head. “I had to push into her mind to find
out.”

“And now you can’t get rid of the images,” Fynn finished for
him. “I’m sorry, Bron. I can't imagine how hard that was for both of you.”

“Not for me, I didn't have to live it.” He didn't know how
she survived it.

“She's stronger for it, Bron,” Fynn said quietly. “It's made
her into the kind of mate you and your beast needs.”

“Meaning?”

“You won't have to worry about her being hurt when you're
not around. Your mate is able to care for herself.” 

Bron nodded shortly as Fynn’s point hit home. “How do you
handle the anger, Fynn?” He stared straight ahead. “The guilt, I can deal with
the guilt, but the anger…”

“At the risk of sounding hypocritical, you have to let it
go,
baba
. It won't do you any good and she'll need you to help her. You
can’t do that if you're caught up in the images.” Fynn flinched when Bron threw
his head back and
roared,
the sound tortured and
mournful.

He grabbed Bron, touching their foreheads together. The
contact calmed them both and helped dissipate Bron’s anger. They both tensed as
something moved through the brush. Bakari and Saleem walked over to them.

"I need to speak with you, Bron." Bakari looked at
Fynn, waiting on him to leave.

"Fynn can hear whatever you have to say to me,
Ijoye," He was too tired for this.

“What happened tonight was unacceptable, Bron, we can't risk
the oracle again.” Bakari’s eyes narrowed. “You have to take the Ajo’s power so
she can be brought back here to the safe house.”

“Her name is Dalia.” Bron clenched his teeth to hold back
what he really wanted to say. "And I can't make her give up her
powers."

“Then take them. If you can't, then I'll send someone else
to do it,” Bakari warned.

Bron growled at the threat behind the Ijoye’s words. "I
will not allow another to touch her."

"Then do what you are supposed to do!" Bakari
shouted. "I won't allow an Ajo into our house. If you can't do your
duty—"

“Don't lecture me on duty,” Bron growled.  “I've done
my duty to this tribe, even when others were too busy to do theirs."

Bakari flinched, his eyes changing to signal his anger. “I
won't tell you again, Bron.”

“She's hiding something, surely you can see that. Would you
rather us find out after the oracle is hurt?” Saleem tried to reason. “You know
I'm right.”

“Yes, you are always right, aren’t you, Saleem.” Bron felt
cornered, and the need to lash out uppermost in his mind. Despite his
weariness, strength from his beast flooded his body. The images of Dalia's
torture fed his anger, they had no idea the sacrifices she'd already made, no
idea what they were asking him to do. “Your arrogance won't allow you to be
wrong. It cost you your mate, I won't let it cost me mine. Those powers have
kept her alive. I won't willingly weaken her.”

“You would choose the Ajo over the oracle’s safety?” Saleem
asked incredulously.

“I shouldn't have to choose. The goddess has already chosen
Dalia. I won't make the mistake of doubting her judgment again.”

“You're blinded by your mate and obviously too weak to do
what needs to be done.” Bakari spat.

“I can't do this, Ijoye.” He wouldn't do it.

“Is your loyalty with this tribe or not?” Bakari's eyes were
hard, unyielding.

“I've been proving my loyalty to this tribe for over five
hundred years. Why must I continue to be tested? I was at the temple, taking
care of your responsibility, Ijoye. When you were too weak with grief, I named
your son. I helped Aissa care for him. When the village tried to kill him I was
there to help him. I taught him to be the warrior he is. It's to me he turns
when he needs help, so don't lecture me on loyalty.” Bron snarled. “I know
Dalia, she wouldn't harm Zahra.”

“And you are such an excellent judge of character,” Saleem
sneered, stepping closer to Bron. “You weren't at the temple because of your
sense of duty, Bron. You were there because you were punished. You defended the
villagers even after they'd cost us the first oracle. Those same villagers
turned around and killed my mate, so you'll excuse me if we don't rely on your
judge of character.”

“Aissa died because you wouldn't allow me to keep her safe.
It could've been avoided, Saleem. You and the Ijoye stand there in judgment of
me because of one perceived mistake. I didn't choose to leave them vulnerable.
I'm not the hero who left his mate alone with minimal defense.”

“No, Bron,” Fynn grabbed Bron’s shoulders trying to pull him
back from the confrontation.

Bakari’s eyes were tortured as he stared at the warrior.

“There is too much anger, don’t say something you'll
regret.” Fynn pleaded.

“I'm sorry Fynn, but I can't let it go any longer. This has
been between us for too long. I won't let it taint what I have with Dalia.”
Bron shook his head fighting the flood of memories from that night. “Layla was
in pain, Bakari. You weren't there, you didn't hear the screams. Aissa couldn't
handle
it,
she wanted the midwife there to help. She
and the oracle argued, Layla said there was no time to wait.” he stopped,
swallowing past the lump in his throat. “Nuru and I fought over who should stay
but in the end he was elder to me, so I was sent to the village. For the rest
of my days, I suffer the guilt for not getting back in time.”

“
Baba
, we don’t have to go through this, we can-”
Fynn tried to interject.

"You still call him father?" Bakari's question
whipped through the early morning air. Everything in the forest stilled,
sensing the predator so close.

Fynn lifted his chin. "He raised me, Ijoye. I have
called him father my whole life."

Bakari roared, the sound shaking the trees and scattering
birds for miles. His hands clenched and snarls rumbled his chest. "Have
you not taken enough from me?"

Bron held the Ijoye's gaze, "I didn't set out to take
your place, Ijoye. I did what I thought was
right."     

"You don't have to explain yourself, Bron." Fynn
stepped between the two men.

“No
Fynn,
let us hear his
excuses." Saleem's voice was low, the timbre indicating how close his
beast was.

They were in a dangerous situation. Heightened tempers drove
the lions closer to breaking to free. One false move by either of them and it
would be a fight for dominancy.

“I could've kept your mate safe, Saleem. You could've let
her stay in the temple with me, but your pride wouldn't let another take care
of what was yours.” Bron refused to allow Saleem to lay Aissa's death at his
feet. “You arrogantly thought you would be there when she needed you. Fynn and
I had to watch her die because you weren't as good as you thought you were.”