Forged by Fate (23 page)

But also worried. He’d had Justin check into what Aggie might have meant about her “other half,” but he hadn’t come up with anything. Old records showed “unknown” for parents. He’d found Sadie’s birth certificate, and it, too, reflected that.

Her parents were truly anonymous. Almost as if she’d been dropped off on a doorstep with no witnesses as to who—or what—had left her there.

“Have you always been strong? Did I hear you tell that to Dasha once?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’m tiny—er—was tiny. Barely five feet, yet I could lift heavy things forever. The group home kids didn’t mess with me, let’s put it that way.”

He smiled, picturing her, his little Mate, defending herself from the rotten kids picking on her. “And you were never placed in a home?”

“A few times. Not for very long, though. No one ever wanted me.” She pointed ahead. “So. How do you know where to land?”

“Instinct. The Great One guides me.” He started walking. “What do you mean no one ever wanted you?” That sounded harsh, but the way she slipped it in right before asking him another question led him to believe she was still hurt by it.

“Pretty much what I said. If the people I’d stayed with wanted me, they would have adopted me.” She looked straight ahead. “How do you get back, then?”

“Same splice. It stays open for me to return home.”

“So that’s how you can cover a whole country.” She pointed up ahead. “What’s that?”

“Damn it. Splice is already opened.” He drew out his Mavet and held it up. “You have yours?”

She nodded and pulled it from her ankle holster.

He grabbed her hand. “Remember the plan if things go bad.”

“Run. Call Justin. He’ll get me help.”

Theo dipped his head and drew in a deep breath. Head tilted back, he pulled in another one. Sulfur. Nearby. West. “Come on.”

He took off in a sprint, and Sadie followed close behind. She sure did get speed, didn’t she?

A thick wall of sulfur rammed into him. His stomach clenched, and he slowed to a stop. Sadie mimed his motions, dagger up, knees bent.

Movement along the edge of his vision caught his attention. “Get down.”

She squatted and turned toward the movement. He tossed his dagger and said the vanquish. Another demon burst through the vapor of his comrade and tackled Sadie. Fangs out, he chomped at her neck. She deflected with her forearm, and the sharp teeth sank in. She yelped, then kicked, the momentum pitching him over her, and she rolled into a back handspring and hopped to her feet.

Theo scanned the area and found no traces of other demons. He stepped toward the one wrestling with his Mate and watched, ready to intervene, though Sadie didn’t appear to need much help at the moment.

Two daggers clashed, sending a spark into the air. He sensed poison emanating from the weapon, though, and Sadie had been infected with that more than he cared to remember.

He stepped forward to help, but she buried the blade into the demon’s neck and recited the vanquish. She stumbled forward when the demon disappeared, but she stayed upright.

“Oh my gosh, what a rush!”

He let out a laugh. “A rush, huh?”

She wiped away the sweat clinging to her forehead and nodded. “Do they always smell that bad?”

“Unfortunately.” He slid his weapon into his holster and leaned against the tree trunk of an ancient cottonwood looming over them.

“How do we seal up the splice?”

“Come on, I’ll show you.” He pushed off the tree. “Ready for another jog?”

She grinned and took off running. Such spunk. He bolted after her, then patted her butt when he caught up.

“Wait,” she yelled as she skidded to a stop. “Look.”

He followed her line of sight.

“See that?”

A small body of water was surrounded by sprawling oak trees and bright green grass. “Beautiful. It’s not like the desert out here in the Midwest is it?” he said.

“No. The two people in white robes. Standing right there.” She stepped forward. “They’re beautiful.”

He squinted but saw nothing. From the conviction etching Sadie’s forehead, he had no doubt she truly saw something. “Tell me, what do they look like?”

“Long blond hair. Tall, thin. White robes. And dang, they’re almost glowing.”

“Robes? Cinched around the waist?”

She nodded and stepped forward. “No. Don’t go. Please.”

Theo strained to look, but couldn’t see anything. No people. No angels. But what she’d described was an angel. Two of them. Together. Watching her.

That couldn’t be good.

Angels rarely came to earth, and even more rarely did they hide themselves from his sight, because they were usually there to guide him or give him instructions of some sort.

But they’d revealed themselves to Sadie instead of him.

That didn’t make sense. Well, unless
his
time was over as a Gatekeeper. That didn’t make sense, either. He would have to perish before being replaced, and he couldn’t die until after he was mated. Then again, everything with Sadie has been different.

Touching the Mavet, acquiring abilities only a Mated Shomrei should, and now seeing Heavenly Hosts when he couldn’t.

And Halena, she was leaving her post to come here, which was something Gatekeepers rarely did. But maybe she’d been prompted by The Great One in preparation for something.

Yes. Something was up in the Shomrei world and all of this was related. Had to be. Maybe these Heavenly Hosts were part of that. Were bringing a message to Sadie.

He stepped up to his Mate and rested his arm around her shoulder. “Do you still see them?”

“No,” she whispered. “What just happened there?”

“I think you saw two Heavenly Hosts.”

She glanced up at him. “Those are the good guys, right?”

He smiled. “Think of them as…assistants to our boss, The Great One.”

“Like angels.”

He gave a nod.

“You couldn’t see them?”

“Seems they were meant for your eyes alone. But how you described them tells me they’re Heavenly Hosts.”

“They faded almost right away when I noticed them.”

“Hmmm.”

“I’m not liking that you don’t know what’s going on.” She faced him, hands on hips. “You always know what’s going on. I mean, you should, since you’re the millennium-old Gatekeeper. You’re the oldest, right?”

He dipped his head, sensing a meltdown coming. Fear, doubt, all of it tumbled through her facial features and clouded her normally bright eyes.

“So, how come only I could see them? And then they—why didn’t they say or do something? Doesn’t make sense.”

“It doesn’t.”

“Why couldn’t you see them, Theo?” She placed her hand against the tree as if to help her stand straight.

“Are you okay?”

“Um. No. I’m seeing things now. Not to mention running faster than a Corvette drives at top speed. I’ve gotten engaged to someone I’ve known less than five days, and, I’m sorry to go all girl on you here, but I’m really starting to freak out.”

He’d wondered when this would happen. She’d been taking things way too eagerly and positively. “Sadie. It’s okay.”

“I’m thinking not, Theo.” She looked in the direction where the angels had been and squinted. “I feel like my head is spinning out of control. Tell me something. Talk to me. Give me some information, that’ll help.”

“Want to see my fangs again?” he joked.

She froze, eyes wide, then doubled over laughing. “I didn’t expect that one.”

“I’m full of surprises like that.” He brushed his hand along her spine and rested it at the nape of her neck. “Heavenly Hosts, or angels as the world knows them best, are here, observing, helping, learning.”

“Learning?”

“Ways to help the humans, to guide them away from the path of destruction since it’s pretty much ingrained in humans. You can thank Adam and Eve for that. But Heaven is not without its influences.” He guided her to a standing position. “The Great One creates beings like us to help monitor evil’s pull on the world. We present choices to the humans they don’t know exist. Evil betrays, deceives, and it’s our duty to shed light. Maintain some semblance of balance. Protect those who can make a difference in this world.”

She stepped beside him and started walking. He wasn’t sure toward what, but he let her lead.

“Go on. Tell me more about how you were created.”

They hadn’t gotten that far the other night. Though he wasn’t complaining because it had led to much touching and bonding. “The Great One creates Gatekeepers with his breath. I look now as I did then.”

“So you were never a baby.”

“Right. Fully grown. Supplied with much knowledge, though it took some time to master it all.” He smiled. “We’re created for one purpose—to serve.”

“The Great One?”

“And humans. You’ve seen the evil that leaks out from Hades. Without the Gatekeepers, things would be chaotic. Even more than they are now.” He grabbed her hand. “Where are you leading us?”

“Not sure. Just walking. Enjoying the green trees. Keep going. Tell me more about this mother-type you had.”

“Sabrina. She was with Justin and me for a few years to help us adjust and learn.” He smiled. “And she told me of my Mate.”

“Me?”

“Of course, we didn’t know your name or anything about you. But she shared her knowledge with me.”

“So that’s why you’re so sweet.” She smiled. “Where’s Sabrina now?”

“She moves on to Gatekeepers as she’s needed, but in between she resides with our Great One in the heavens.”

“Now that’s a mom, all right.”

“Tell me, love. Do you know anything of your birth parents?”

“Not a lick.”

“Ever try to find out?”

“Yeah. I broke into my group home leader’s files. Ms. Sergeant Kick Ass is what we called her. Another kid who was a drop-off like me wanted to see if they knew more than they were telling us.”

“Drop-off?” He scanned the area, taking in the trees flanking them.

“No parents. You know, just dropped off at the doorstep.”

“I get it.” He squeezed her hand.

“Anyway, we were digging through files. Mine was pretty much empty. As in, only a sheet of paper that said confidential. Of course, that piqued my interest even more. I picked the lock of the safe, where I guessed confidential stuff was hidden.” She grinned and swung their clasped hands. “I was right.”

His heart soared with hope. Had she found something when he and Justin couldn’t?

“More dead ends. My file just had my birth certificate, which I’d already seen, that said unknown for parents.”

“What happened next?”

“I got
so
busted. I thought Sergeant Kick Ass was going to kill me. But I turned on the tears and asked her to help me find something. She didn’t know anything.”

“When was this?”

“Just before college. Um, so a couple years ago.” She kicked a rock in the grass. “But she did mention something about knowing some of the people on staff at the home I was dropped off at.”

“You’re kidding.” He stopped and turned to her. “What did they say?”

“Who?”

“The staff who were there the night you were brought in.”

“It was a woman. Her name was Nicole. I never talked to her.”

“Why?”

“She’s in Colorado; I was only sixteen, just getting ready to start college. No money, no way to get there.” She shifted her attention to the ground, then back to Theo. “I was actually going to see if you could help. Dasha found some more stuff online. She says Justin is pretty good with a computer?”

“Of course we’ll help.”

She stopped walking and looked into his eyes.

“Sadie, finding where we come from is important, on levels we don’t understand.” She held his gaze, a sense of sadness streaming out from her, yet she said nothing. But she didn’t need to, not with their deepening connection. He felt it stronger than ever. It was a sadness laced with fear that he, too, would leave her. Disappear.

“You never did tell me about our Marks. Why they changed color, and why they pulse.” She pressed her lips to his neck as if to feel his Mark. “The pulse is separate from our heartbeats.”

“You noticed that, did you?”

She stepped away, watching him.

“It’s our lifeline. Connection. Our Marks pulse their own matching beat. Once truly mated, they will morph into something bigger. A lifeline between us.”

Her mouth opened, yet she said nothing. Her gaze swept over the Mark on his neck, then fixed on his eyes.

A ripple in time ignited a distance away. He could sense another Gatekeeper approaching, having used his splice.

Halena would be to them soon, and Theo would rather have this discussion in private.

“Sadie, let’s go home. We can talk about this—”

“Why the neck for you? Shoulder for me, but why’s the Mark on your neck?”

Halena came into view over Sadie’s shoulder. “Because the only way to kill him is to sever his head. And
that
can only happen once he’s bedded his Mate.”

Chapter Thirty-six

“I can’t believe you never told me.” Fury roared through Sadie unlike anything she’d ever felt as she paced the foyer of the compound.

“There’s much to share; to tell you everything at once would be too overwhelming. But it’s not like it sounds.” Theo shoved his hands into his pockets. “Halena dropped the bombshell without telling the whole story.”

She had never wanted to pound someone so badly. The tall, thin, and utterly beautiful French Gatekeeper smiled coyly as she sat next to Justin and Dasha on the bench to the side of the front door. After Halena shared her beheading news, Sadie demanded Theo take them home. She needed time to cool down and think.

“Your Mark is on your kill spot. Pretty much announcing to everyone you’re vulnerable now.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Why would The Great One you always speak of so highly do that? He created you to guard the gates. Then gives you a Mate for whom you’ve waited over nine centuries. Only to then become weaker once you marry her?”

Halena snickered. “I’m
never
taking my Mate.”

“Gotcha there, my friend,” Justin said with a smile.

Theo grabbed Sadie by the shoulders and guided her into a sitting room, out of earshot, at least from Justin and Dasha. And if Halena knew what was best for her, she’d stay out of Theo’s mind right now. “It’s not like that, love. I’m not weaker because of you.”