Destiny (9 page)

I jabbed a finger in his direction. “Using your power on someone is
not
a seduction. And I’m not your princess. I’m not your anything.” Well, I could very well be his princess, if he were actually one of my father’s
cosca
, but I wasn’t in the mood to find out. Politesse and vampire court politics aside, the man was flirting, plain and simple.

Fin put a hand to his heart. “Oh, how you wound me.”

I almost smiled. With or without his extra mojo in action, pretty boy Fin was certainly charming, I’d give him that.

Lily flowed by, escorting some human patrons to the door. She shot Fin a look that screamed
get your ass out of here
.

Gen noticed. “You’ve had your fun, Fin. Time for you to make like a bat and fly.”

I laughed at her audacity. My girl Gen had some ovaries of steel to speak like that to a powerful, old vampire. Brave ovaries, or too much rice wine. Or both.

He cocked his head, his heated gaze fixed on me. “Does her royal highness,
mia principessa,
Carina Tranquilli
,
truly desire my departure?”

Bingo.
My
princess, he said again. With my full name and a tone of almost respect. One of my father’s flock. I crossed my arms. “You know who I am, and yet you tried to mess with me? Death wish much?”

He ignored my dig. “Does the princess truly wish my departure? You’re safe within Lily’s circle, and, of course, I mean you no harm.” On the contrary, his unabashed, heated gaze broadcast a different, sexual, intent.

Poor, pretty vampire. I’m not interested in playing.
I’d had enough games recently to last me more than one lifetime thanks to Dixon. Worry for my kidnapped friends rushed to the forefront, tensing every muscle in my body. Fin watched me closely, curious. Crap. If he managed to push through Lily’s magical barrier and read my mind—

I tamped down thoughts of Dixon and his cruel game and channeled my angst and anger into my next words. “Yes, you should leave.” I graced him with a humorless smile. “When you go, say hello to Stella out front. You know her, right? Cute, cranky, likes to play with swords.”
And hates men, especially men up to no good.

I gestured at the window. “She’s right there. In the BMW.”

Fin’s flirty smile melted away. “Leave us,” he commanded his two remaining humans. Chairs scraped across hardwood as they quickly complied.

I poured myself more sake. “You know, she doesn’t like it when vampires mess with me. Just ask Dixon’s minions.” I set down the bottle with an audible thump. “Oh wait, you can’t. Stella destroyed them all.” I gave a mock shudder. “Super messy. She’s quite adept at dismemberment and evisceration.”

Fin’s face paled to an even whiter shade of white, and he looked at me, really looked at me, as if noticing something he hadn’t seen before.

Then his thoughtful look disappeared, replaced by a charming smile. “I shall take my leave, Your Highness.” He rose with catlike grace and bowed. “I look forward to our next meeting. At Haven, perhaps?” His lips parted in a crooked smile, molasses eyes sparkling. “I’d be delighted to share my pets with you. And anything else you’d like to taste.”

Fin tossed some bills on his table and sauntered from the restaurant, casting me a saucy grin over his shoulder. Persistent flirt.

Claire snagged our sake bottle and poured us another round. “Well, that was interesting.” She raised her glass. “Cheers.”

We clinked our tiny glasses and knocked back our sake in perfect sync.

Gen waved her empty glass at me. “You should totally tap that, Rina. He’s a great kisser.”

My jaw dropped. “You did not just say that. Or do that?”

She refilled her sake. “You bet I did. In one of those crazy, euphoric dance floor moments. You know what I’m talking about. Claire was throwing down the hard core, sexy beats, so blame her.”

Claire raised her palms. “Oh no, don’t add me to your crazy mix, girl.”

I made slow circles on the tabletop with my cup. “Okay, you were caught up in dance floor energy, I get that. But still, he’s such a—he’s so—”

“Hot? Mysterious? Dangerous?” Claire offered as she polished off the last piece of our nigiri. She’d singlehandedly cleared most of our second sushi round while Fin distracted me.

I tried to shake and nod at the same time at her words, and the room jumped. Oops, starting to feel the sake. I turned my glass upside down to discourage my friends’ tendencies toward incessant refills. “Pretty. He’s such a pretty boy, and Gen, you don’t do pretty.” She preferred big, muscle-bound guys. Ones who actually stood a chance at beating her at arm wrestling.

“I wasn’t dating him, I was kissing him. Once. On your dance floor, so maybe I should blame you for my one indiscretion.” She smirked. “He could be your one indiscretion too. You saw the way he looked at you, as if he wanted to eat you.” She laughed. “No pun intended.”

My lips curled upward. Nice to have friends in the know, even when they made silly jokes. “You know I don’t do pretty boys, either. Besides, I’m with Alexander.” Uttering his name out loud killed my fleeting good mood.
I’ll text you
, he said. He had. Three cryptic words
, I’m yours. Remember
. Why did I need the reminder? What was wrong in Italy?

My worry for Faith and Kai collided with my suspicion over Alexander’s behavior, further darkening my mood. Claire reached over and squeezed my arm in sympathy.

Gen pounded the table with her fist. “That would teach your boy Alex a lesson. I mean, really, he’ll text you? He’s up to no good.”

I winced. Her words rang true. My sushi dinner swirled in my stomach as sadness speared me.

Gen grabbed my hand. “C’mon, Rina, forget about the men BS for a bit. Look, it’s karaoke time.”

I swiveled to check out the room. Our waiter caught my stare and tipped his chin in acknowledgement as he helped three other servers shift tables and set up the portable karaoke machine and stage in the far corner.

Sam emerged from behind the sushi bar, followed by his two sous chefs, each carrying supersized sake bottles. A man of few words, Sam nodded to me then sank into a chair directly in front of the stage. Lily turned over the front door’s welcome sign to “closed.” Before she could flip the lock, Stella breezed in followed by Ren. The latter stooped to kiss Lily’s cheek while Stella stalked over to us and slid into Fin’s abandoned seat, plopping her booted feet on another chair.

“Hey, ladies.” Ren dropped into the seat next to Sam.

Good boy. Respecting girls’ night out, even though it had morphed into karaoke time for everyone, regardless of gender.

Lily strolled over and handed Stella a petite, clear bottle of sake with cherry blossoms emblazoned on the outside. No cup.

I quirked a questioning brow. My lethal shadow took a long, slow drink then gave me one of her patented, blasé shrugs. “I am tired of waiting outside. You and your drunken girlfriends are far more entertaining than the policeman I have watching our car.”

I glanced out the window. Sure enough, she had glamoured a police officer, a bike cop. He perched on the hood of my BMW staring into the restaurant.

She took another drink.

I eyed the bottle. “You have to drive us, you know.”

“This beverage will not affect me. I simply enjoy the taste along with the memory of what it was like to be intoxicated.”

“Comin’ through.” Gen barreled between us, hightailing it to the stage.

Claire shot Stella a sympathetic stare. “Vampires can’t get drunk? Bummer.”

“We can. It simply takes large quantities. More than I care to drink. And the effect ends all too quickly.”

Well, that was one aspect of vampire biology I didn’t possess. I was definitely a lightweight in the alcohol department. I pushed my overturned cup farther away. Stella tipped the bottle to her bow mouth and took another long drink, all the while watching me. My heart sped up. Could she tell I hid the mother of all secrets? I checked and double-checked my mental blockade just in case I’d let it falter. Still solid, despite alcohol and the run-in with Fin. Good. The last thing I needed was Stella discovering Dixon, her least favorite vampire on the planet, was blackmailing me.

Gen’s drunken, husky voice crooning the Patsy Cline classic,
Crazy
, interrupted my staring contest with Stella. A thousand sashimi knives plunged into my gut, the lyrics penetrating deep and derailing my dark, Dixon thoughts, plunging me into my turmoil over Alexander.

Just like Patsy, I felt lonely and blue and I had to wonder… Was I crazy to love Alexander? To believe my love would make him stay faithful? That woman interrupting our video date—what was she to him? His text said he’s mine. Could he be lying? Could he be
that
guy? Shit, was I as crazy as Patsy and loving the wrong guy?

A ball of despair lodged itself in my throat. I was alone, just like Patsy Cline. My legs trembled with the need to storm over to the stage so I could unplug the karaoke machine. Or bash it into useless bits with the microphone stand, exorcise the pain and loneliness trying to drag me under and make me curl up in a ball and cry. My eyes burned, and I blinked hard. No tears.

Claire offered me a glass of sake and leveled a compassionate gaze on me. “She didn’t mean it, Rina. She’s just wasted.”

I accepted the glass but set it on the table untouched. “I know. I’m good,” I lied.

I agreed that Gen hadn’t intentionally chosen that song to hurt me—my disco diva pal was a total closet Patsy Cline fanatic—but still, the lyrics burrowed into my brain, making roots in my gray matter.
Crazy, I’m crazy
. Alexander has probably betrayed me. Shouldn’t have fallen for him.

A wave of gloom swallowed me, a hailstorm of worries mangling my mind. Dixon might kill Faith and Kai. I might die from drinking these vials before I can save them. If I survive, I may become Dixon’s eternal sex slave. My brother Tony may never recover from his rabid vampire state, and might hate me forever. My father doesn’t care enough to talk to me directly. Has Alexander truly left me for another woman?

“No!” I must have yelled just as Gen’s song ended because everyone stared. I stood by my chair—with no memory of having left my seat—chest heaving, head spinning, certain my face betrayed my angst. I’d never, in my life, possessed a poker face so I didn’t need a mirror to know my emotions played across my face like a movie. A disaster movie.

Stella flowed to her feet in a graceful glide, her sake bottle abandoned on the table. “What is it, child?”

Her calm tone told me she sensed no threat. Plus, the fact she dared call me child when she knew how much I hated that, indicated she thought me drunk.

I could work with that. “Sorry, everyone. Too much sake.” I managed a tremulous smile and waved my hand at the stage. “Carry on.”

Ren stalked over, eyes dark with concern. Of course, he didn’t buy my act for one second. Shit.

His big hand closed around my elbow, firm enough I couldn’t pull away. “Too much sake, my ass.” His midnight eyes scrutinized my face. “Spill it.”

My mouth opened of its own accord, but I snapped it shut. I couldn’t tell him anything, couldn’t risk Faith and Kai, and I sure as hell didn’t want to talk about Alexander. Voicing my concerns out loud would give them more weight than I wanted them to have. They already possessed too much.

Ren’s expression darkened at my silence. “I’m calling Mark.” He released my arm and produced his phone.

Aw, hell. If they both pushed, I might cave. The hairs on the back of my neck took that moment to stand. My attention whipped to the window. Ren abandoned his call and his gaze followed mine.

Fin stood outside, watching me.

“Hell,” Ren cursed. “What’s that powder puff still doing here?” He stalked toward the door but Stella waved him off.

“Hold, human.” Stella flicked her fingers at Fin, shooing him away.

He grinned, I blinked, and
poof
, he disappeared.

“You’re up, Rina,” Gen called from the stage.

Ren slipped his hand around mine and tugged me toward the stage. “C’mon, let’s do
Whip It
.” He waggled his brows. “A little BDSM will do us some good.”

I laughed, his silliness easing a smidgeon of the stress and sadness shattering my insides. One song. It was just one song. I hopped on stage with Ren and grabbed the mic, taking a deep, fortifying breath. I could do this. Fake the happy. Lives depended on it.

I sang the damn song.

A chill wind whipped into my open living room window, rattling the deep purple blinds scrunched up tight at the top of the sill. The sound jangled my nerves, and I tightened my fingers around the vial in my hand. I glanced at the time on my laptop screen. Three minutes until nine o’clock, until my wretched blooding hour, when I would down the fourth vial from Dixon’s twisted gift set.

I had consumed the second and third vials alone at home, hiding out from my family and friends while I tried to research some alternate way to defeat Dixon and save my friends. Some way not involving drinking the damn blood. The results of my stealthy efforts? Dead end after dead end, leaving me frustrated, afraid, and fresh out of ideas.

The wind howled again, the battered blind drumming the glass. I dashed to the window and slammed it shut, pressing my forehead to the cold glass.

Two minutes left.

Didn’t need to check the clock to know. Ever since I downed the first vial, my body told me when the time neared for its next fix, the internal alarm a sign of Dixon’s wretched blood magic at work. What other stealthier and horrible effects was the poison blood creating inside me? Foreboding slathered my skin in goose bumps, and I bumped my forehead on the window.