Read Cora's Kismet (The Twin Destinies Saga Book 1) Online
Authors: Cheryl Davis
“No one is forcing me to say anything. I found where I
belong, and the man I am meant to spend my life with. That man is not you and
never will be,” Cora said, brushing his hand from her face.
“Are you kidding me? You had me kidnapped to dump me?”
Charlie asked in total disbelief. “Nobody dumps me. Never happens. I know they
had to have done something to you for you to be saying these things to me.”
“Oh get real!” Viola exploded. “Nobody’s ever dumped you? I
doubt that. You are an egotistical jerk who’s only after Cora’s virginity, and
if you can ever manage to convince Cora that you love her enough for her to
give it to you, you’ll dump her quicker than you’d dump a baby’s poopy diaper
in the trash. Trust me, there is no one here who is fooled by your act anymore,
so save it for some blonde cheerleader who has no clue what you’re about.”
“Wow Sis. Got something to say?” Cora asked with a snicker.
“Not anymore, unless he keeps talking,” Viola said, grinning
with joy. It was obvious she’d been waiting a while to say those words to him
without upsetting Cora.
“I think we’re done here. We have somewhere to be, and then
I need to go give Liam a huge hug and kiss and see if the good doctor will let
me spend the night with my mate,” Cora said with a wink and started walking
toward the door, already forgetting Charlie was even there for the fourth time.
“What? You’re sleeping with some looser instead of with your
boyfriend? You slut,” Charlie snarled and came rushing at her.
“Guards,” Cora screeched out, when she glanced over her
shoulder and saw Charlie advancing. Before she knew what was happening, Charlie
was plastered against the far wall, and the two guards were standing between
her and him.
“Thanks guys. You can take out the trash now if you’d like,”
Viola said and grabbed Cora’s arm.
“Our pleasure,” both guards said in unison and smiled.
The girls left the room and went straight to their own, more
than ready to start down the road toward their destiny.
When they were satisfied with their hair, Cora applied a
minimal amount of make up to her face while Viola went for her usual flare. It
was one of the few ways anyone would be able to tell them apart.
As she looked at her image in the mirror, she wished again
that Liam could be there to support her, because no matter how hard she fought
it, she was scared. She almost didn’t recognize her own reflection looking back
at her.
The scooped neckline of the dress accented her long slender
neck and made her narrow, oval face stand out more than her normal clothing
choices did. The colors of pink and purple swirling through the silk gown
accented the light dusting of rose blush she’d used on her high cheekbones, and
the effect made her almond shaped, hazel eyes stand out from her face. Her lips
almost looked like they were pouting from the lip gloss she’d matched to her
blush and applied to her lips.
Her lips parted in awe when Viola stepped up next to her to
appraise her own image in the mirror. She knew there wasn’t anyone who would be
present that would be able to take their eyes off of them and that bothered
her, deep down inside, for reasons she couldn’t quite explain, even to herself.
Maybe it was just her nervousness, and fear that something bad would happen,
that was making her feel that way. It could also be the fact that she hated
being the center of attention in large crowds, whereas Viola was the opposite,
and blossomed when the attention was being lavished on her. Viola would even go
to extremes sometimes, just to get the attention she felt she should be
getting.
“I’d say we’re ready,” Viola said and threw her arm around
Cora’s shoulders, hugging her tight for a moment. “Let’s go get this party
started. Maybe if it’s finished early enough you can go show Liam how hot you
looked for the ceremony.”
Cora laughed at that because she wasn’t certain if she
wanted Liam to see her dressed up like this, or not. It just didn’t feel like
her, and she only wanted to be herself with him. With that thought, she put the
turmoil over Liam’s inability to be at the ceremony out of her mind and
concentrated on the ceremony itself and trying to find the core of her power
inside of her as practice.
She continued sensing for it as Viola linked her arm through
her own, and they left the room, heading through the house and straight out the
back door towards the amphitheater.
When they reached the amphitheater, Thomas and Angelica were
waiting for them, as anticipated, and had already changed into their ceremonial
clothing as well. Thomas looked smart in his crisp suit that fit him perfectly.
Cora suspected he had his own tailor custom create his clothing and had for a
while. Angelica was wearing a gown very similar to the ones the twins were
wearing, but hers was accented with glistening beads in just the right places,
making it even more beautiful. Cora felt more like they were going to an
outdoor ball than an unbinding ceremony, but kept her lips sealed.
“You two look stunning,” Angelica exclaimed with pride to
her daughters. The love she felt for them radiated from her and created a
calming effect for both of them.
“Yes, you are both beautiful young ladies. It is almost
sunset, so we need to proceed. There are those who you must meet before the
ceremony begins because they are the ones who are the strongest and most able
to help you should you need it,” Thomas said, giving each of them a light kiss
on the cheek, shocking them both speechless.
After a minute, Viola found her voice, “Why do we have to
meet them?”
“Because you need at least a small connection with them,
even if it’s just a handshake, for them to be able to help direct your power,”
Thomas explained. Cora nodded her head because in some strange way, it made
sense to her, even if she didn’t know why. Maybe it was her bloodlines that
were coming to life inside of her, because she could feel her blood thrumming
through her in eager anticipation. She wondered for a moment if Viola felt the
same way, but didn’t get a chance to ask her as they were led into the
amphitheater.
Faces began to blur after about the third person she’d been
introduced to and had shaken hands with. Her mind went into overload and
stopped processing each new name and face, so she just went through the motions
shaking hands, murmuring pleasantries and moving on, more like a robot than a
living person. The power pulsing in her veins was also becoming harder and
harder to ignore, to the point that it was becoming uncomfortable to be in her
own skin.
Minutes began to feel like hours until she started to feel a
pull that wasn’t related to the one in her veins. This pull originated from her
heart, and she knew it could only mean one very special person to her was
nearby. After shaking the hand of yet another person she would never remember
the face or name of, she began to search the crowd. He was there somewhere, she
just knew he was. That’s when she noticed they’d almost reached the center of
the huge open-ceilinged arena.
She felt a small tug on her elbow as she stared in awe at
the beauty of the ceremonial ground in the center. The entire building was circular
in shape, but not quite as enormous as the Coliseum in Rome. It was just big
enough to seat about two hundred people, at most. She wondered for a moment how
they kept this place hidden, but dismissed the thought as the beauty of the
scene pulled at every one of her senses.
The center of the amphitheater was done in exquisite tiling.
The outer circle of tiles were the color of the sky, half beautiful light with
puffy white clouds, the Solarian side, which faded into the night sky with
stars. Dead center of the circle, the tiling was laid to reveal a flaring sun
and a glowing full moon overlapping each other on their respective sides of
light and dark. Viewing this, Cora understood how Solarians and Lunarians were
one race meant to stay joined together and not pulled apart forever to become
extinct.
The sound of Thomas clearing his throat broke her of her
internal reverie and back to the matter at hand, meeting dignitaries, for what
she didn’t know. She still felt the tugging on her heart and wished she could
be done shaking hands, so she could find him and look into his clear, sky blue
eyes as she ran her fingers through his amazing blond hair. Pulling herself
back into the moment once again, she forced herself to concentrate so she could
make her way over to him.
Shaking hand after hand, they made it to the bottom level
where there were no more hands to shake. Sighing in relief, she looked around
eager to find him when she spotted Sage, who stood and waved to her with a
grin.
Cora looked to Thomas and he nodded his grudging approval,
but she knew she didn’t have very long. She took off and wasn’t much surprised
when Viola came with her. She wondered if there was something between her and
Sage, but the thought escaped her when Liam came into view wearing a polo shirt
that matched his eyes and a pair of faded jeans. He was relaxing in a
wheelchair that Sage seemed to be standing guard over with his life.
When she reached him, she leaned over and gave him a huge
hug, feeling better about what was about to happen. All of her doubts, fears
and insecurities flew away on the wind just because he was there for her. She
pulled back a bit and gave him a very chaste kiss on the lips before standing
straight again. She knew this wasn’t the time or place for extensive public
displays of affection and that if she’d have allowed herself to do so, it would
be frowned upon.
Keeping her composure, she sat down on the bench next to him
instead of on his lap, where she would have preferred to sit.
“How are you here? I thought the doctor said you had to stay
in the hospital the entire week,” Cora asked, breathless and amazed.
“I wanted to surprise you, and Sage helped me to pull this
off. I have a very long list of restrictions I have to follow to the letter,
but it’s all worth it to see you looking as breathtaking and beautiful as you
do in this very moment. There is nothing in this world that would have kept me
from being here for you tonight,” Liam said, his love shining bright in his
eyes and causing Cora’s insides to melt.
“Thank you so much Sage, this means so much to me. Liam,
this is the best surprise I’ve ever gotten. I feel so much better with you
here,” Cora said and Viola rolled her eyes and made a gagging sound causing
Sage to chuckle at her dramatic antics.
“You’re very welcome Little Sis. You’d better get back over
there, Thomas is looking rather impatient,” Sage said and nodded his head in
respect toward her father.
“See you after the ceremony?” Cora asked in a whisper, as
she leaned over to give him another chaste kiss, which only served to frustrate
them both.
“Of course, there’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather
be,” Liam said and let her go, reluctantly. Watching her walk away from him,
toward possible danger, was the hardest thing he’d had to do since he met her.
If they were mated, he’d be down there with her during the ceremony, but they
hadn’t had their mating ceremony performed just yet so he had to remain as a
spectator who could help if things got out of hand.
Reaching their parents, Cora looked up with twinkling eyes
at Thomas. “Thank you for letting me go and talk to him for just a minute,” she
said and stood on tiptoes to place a small kiss on his cheek. When she sank
back down on her feet, she saw the proud glint of a father who loved his
daughters with immense pride glittering in his eyes. She vowed from that point
on, she would no longer call either of her parents by their names. From now on,
she’d refer to them by their proper titles, Mom and Dad.
“Shall we?” Thomas questioned and gestured toward the exquisite
tiling Cora had admired earlier. With a nod of her head, she stepped out onto
it with her parents and her sister surrounding her, as the family she should
have spent her entire life with, but would spend as much time as she could
repairing that rift from now on.
Thomas and Angelica guided both her and Viola to the area
where the sun and the moon overlapped, turned them, so they were facing each
other and took their places, side by side, on the moon. They joined hands with
each other and then reached for their daughters’ hands, initiating a circle be
formed. Cora and Viola each took one of their parents’ hands and then held each
other’s hands, completing the circle their parents had started.
Thomas looked at each of them and then up into the stands at
the many people that were present. Cora waited for the feeling of nervousness
to start, as it did every time she was on display in front of a large crowd of
people, but it didn’t. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt like she was right
where she was always meant to be. A feeling of rightness enveloped her as their
parents began chanting words she couldn’t even begin to comprehend, in a low
voice. She closed her eyes and started looking for the core of her powers, so
she’d be ready when the time came.
She had turned her attention so far inside of herself, she
didn’t notice when everyone in the seating area, including Liam, had taken up
the chant making it louder and louder, until she could feel it vibrate in her
bones. The heat and ice feelings her mother had described started to burn and
freeze through every nerve ending in her body. It was painful in a way she’d
never experienced before, but she forced herself to endure it, without uttering
so much as a whimper.
Through their connection, Cora could sense that Viola was
experiencing the exact same things she was and by reaching out to her, Cora’s
experience became much more intense, so she pulled back into herself.
When it became almost impossible to exist in her own skin,
she could feel the powers building inside of her and trying to escape her body.
All of a sudden, she went back into herself and searched for her core. It was
so much easier to find, with the power streaming through her, than it had been
earlier when she tried to find it without that power there.
Her mother was right, there were no words to describe the
feeling of finding the source of her power. It was like everything pleasurable
in the world combined together. With her mind, she connected with it and began
her intense tug of war. The power seemed to want to escape her at the same time
as it wanted to obey her. She felt like it had a mind of its own.
Just as she’d gotten the upper hand and was pulling the
power into her core, she felt something pulling it away from her. She fought
with everything she had to pull it into her core and wracked her brain for
anything her parents might have said to prepare her for this unexpected
occurrence, but came up empty. She thought this was not meant to happen and
when she realized someone was trying to steal the powers that were hers, she
fought with every thread in the fabric of her being.
Cora opened her eyes to find the source of the voice, only
to meet the very cold, very dead eyes of an old, haggard woman whose mouth was
twisted into an awful sneer. She didn’t know who this woman was, but there was
no way she was surrendering her powers to her.
Maintaining eye contact, Cora sucked her powers back with a
natural ability that surprised even her. It was as if her powers quit resisting
her when the evil woman started trying to steal them.
Once her powers were locked inside of her own body, she
glanced away from the unknown woman to check to see if Viola was having any
troubles, prepared to back her sister up to the death. Cora was relieved to see
Viola had gained full control of her powers as well and was ready to do what
needed to be done.
When Cora went to take a step forward, Thomas pulled on her
arm, forcing her to stay in place and remain holding hands to maintain the
circle. Somehow she understood the power of the circle protected them.
“You have no place here, take your leave now!” Thomas
shouted, his voice shaking from his anger.
“You have no authority to order me around Thomas. I am far
superior to you, and you will answer to me,” she spat with venom lacing her
words.
“I will never answer to you,” Thomas growled low. Cora could
feel his tension through his fingers. She could feel how much he’d like to
break the circle and take this woman on in battle, but her gut instinct told
her he wouldn’t because, in doing so, he’d leave his twin daughters and
cherished mate vulnerable.
“It is only a matter of time before you all will answer to
me. Mark my words, the day is coming, and I suggest you accept it now, without
a fight, because there will be no mercy from me if you don’t. Now you two
little insolent children, give me what’s mine, and I will spare you,” she
spewed out, and Cora heard horrified gasps from the crowd around them.
“Never,” Viola spat back at her.
“Never,” Cora agreed without a second thought.
“Wrong choice children. Now you will die a very slow, very
painful death. I will make sure of that.” She lifted her hand as if to blast
them when all of a sudden she was hit with both fire and ice from somewhere
behind the circle. Cora turned her head to look out of the corner of her eye,
and her mouth fell open in horror.
Liam and Sage had teamed together to launch an attack on the
unknown woman, and it was only hurting Liam. He was too weak to be using his
powers.
Cora started trying to yank both of her hands free of the
circle to get to him, but both Thomas and Viola held tight to her.
“Liam will be fine if you stop showing how much he means to
you, Cora. He knows what he is doing and has trained for this his entire life,”
Thomas whispered to her, so low she almost didn’t catch his words. It took a
minute longer before they sank in, and she stopped resisting.
“Can I send him power and strength?” Cora asked, in a
similar low voice.
“No. That would be too noticeable, and she would intercept
it before it ever reached Liam, making her stronger. Just stand firm, they are
weakening her. She won’t stay for much longer and risk being defeated now,” Thomas
told her with assurance Cora did not feel.
“Why don’t the others help them?” she asked in return.
“Because they are officials and not trained in combat
situations like we are. If they try to assist, she will most likely steal their
powers and strengthen herself, which is what she’s looking to do here tonight,”
Thomas said, keeping an eye on the woman at all times. It seemed as if he saw
something she did not because, it didn’t look to her like the woman was
weakening, but it did look as if Liam was.
“Who is she?” Cora asked dying to know who the woman hurting
Liam was, so she could make sure the woman paid for her crimes when the time
was right.
“She is your grandmother. Her name is Camilla, like your
ancient ancestor, and she believes in your ancestor’s version of history. She
will kill you and drain your power from you in a heartbeat, if it helps her to
achieve their goals. Do not let your guard down, ever,” Thomas warned with a
strong and passionate, yet soft enough voice that only she heard. Cora was
floored by the revelation and angered by it as well, but the pain Liam was
experiencing pulled her focus away from her maternal grandmother to where it
needed to be.
Closing her eyes, she said a quick prayer for her mate to be
alright at the end of this mess because, she knew in her heart that if anything
happened to him, she would not survive it either.
“Stay strong Sweetheart. I will be fine. Trust me on this
and stay in the circle, connected, where you are safe,”
Liam whispered into
her mind with his fading strength. His words made her hold tighter to her
family than she had been before, but also filled her with worry.
“Please be safe my love.”
Was all she asked of him in
return, because she didn’t want to distract him from his attack and be the
cause of anymore injury to him.
It felt like forever before the woman backed off and spat at
them, “This is not over. I will be back and next time I will take what is mine.
You will not live to be able to tell anyone about it.” She then turned and
vanished from the amphitheater.
“Hurry, we must finish the ceremony to bind the powers to
the girls,” Thomas shouted at the audience and then began chanting again, in a
much more urgent tone than the previous chant had been in. The others joined in
without hesitation, and Cora felt a warmth inside of her that felt comfortable
and then a chill that felt like ice, cool her back down to normal temperature
and then faded into an easy presence inside of her core, melding itself to her.
In a way, it felt as if the power was pledging its allegiance to her, and her
alone, forever.
Within minutes, the chanting was done. Her parents broke
free of the circle and rushed over to Liam and Sage. Cora ran close behind them
and cried out in misery when she saw how both had collapsed next to each other.
It was obvious Liam had disregarded the doctor’s orders and rose out of the
chair to put more force behind his powers and anchor himself, which had
weakened him faster. She collapsed on the ground next to him looking for a
pulse or breathing and found nothing, making her tears roll down her cheeks
faster and faster.
“What do we do?” Cora screamed at anyone who could give her
answers. Everyone stood there hanging their heads, full of sorrow, as if they
already knew the answer she was unwilling to accept.
“We have to help him. There has to be something that we can
do. Anything!” she screamed, even more urgent than before. “Damn it, someone
help me save him!”
Viola slumped down to the ground next to her sister and
grabbed her hand firmly in her own.
“Cora…” Viola started with a sadness Cora did not want to
acknowledge.
“No. Don’t you dare say it. If you do, so help me, I will
never forgive you,” Cora warned in a low voice. She heard Sage moaning as he
began to wake up beside them.
“You must accept it my dear,” Angelica said with tears
streaming down her face to match Cora’s own heartbreaking tears.
“Never
!
”
she screamed and threw herself over Liam’s still body. She pushed power into
him without thinking about it. As if her power and her body knew what they were
doing without her own knowledge.
“I will not let you die on me like this Liam. Come back to
me. I love you. I need you. We are one,” She whispered in his ear and aided her
power in finding the core of his power and jolting it. She did it in a rhythm,
such as a doctor would do with a defibulator to jump start a person’s heart.
She poured her love into Liam with the power, gentle and sure, closing her eyes
and feeling the power and love beginning to do their jobs and start to heal
him.
Everyone stood still and silent except for Viola and Sage,
who was awake now and kneeling beside the couple, horrified by the sight before
him. They all watched to see what would happen, each sensing the transfer of
power and feeling his life begin to return to his body. It was as if nobody was
breathing, in anticipation.
Out of nowhere, Liam gulped in a deep breath, and his eyes
flew open, flying back and forth searching hers out, questioning what had just happened.
Cora beamed at him in ecstasy and kissed him with a passion that would never go
away. His hand reached up and cupped her head, holding it to his as his lips
seared hers.
When she pulled back, to give them both some much needed
air, he pulled her head down so he could whisper in her ear, “I am yours
forever with no end. You are mine forever with no end. I love you. I need you.
We are one.”
Cora’s face lit up like the sun as she pulled her head back
and looked him in the eyes as she repeated his words back to him, knowing what
they meant without any explanation. “I am yours forever with no end. You are
mine forever with no end. I love you. I need you. We are one.”
“And so let them be mated for all of time to one another. No
man or woman shall come between, and only death shall part them. It is done.”
Cora heard her father say, with a love so tender she looked up at him, and he
nodded at her.
As Liam sat up and wrapped his arms around Cora, Viola
looked around confused.
“What just happened?” she asked, to no one in particular.
“Well, I only caught part of it, but it seems as if Cora
saved my brother’s life, and then they performed a rather impromptu mating
ceremony. Anyone care to fill me in on any details I might have missed?” Sage
said, relieved his brother was alive, and in better condition than when he’d
been in when he was rolled to the ceremony in a wheelchair.
“We will discuss this later, right now we all need rest,”
Thomas said, fatigued. He had his arms wrapped tight around Angelica, who was
beaming with pride at her daughters.
“Yes, there will be time to sort all of this out tomorrow,”
she agreed. “For any of our guests who would like to stay, please let us know,
and we will be very happy to make the arrangements for you. If you would like
to leave, please stay safe and watch your backs because it is no longer safe
out there. You all know what you are facing, be prepared, but you will not
stand alone.”
Cora looked up at her mother with a whole new admiration.
Angelica had a way of empowering people with her words and her passion. She had
a way of pulling them together and rallying them. That was a trait she hoped
she possessed because, if the prophecy was correct, there was a lot of rallying
and unifying to be done. Until then, she would train, and she would love. She
would live every wonderful moment life had to offer her until there were none
left, because she had everything she needed in the world surrounding her at
that very moment, and nothing made her happier.