Destiny Gift (29 page)

Swallowing the enraged tears that were threatening to roll down my cheeks, I turned my back to him and walked away.

“Nadine,” he called me.

I ignore him and kept on walking to the cottage.

He caught up with me, grabbed my arm, and pulled me so I was facing him. His black eyes shone with something I couldn’t read.

“Please, heal me,” he said through gritted teeth. Without warning, he cupped my face with his hands and the cold jolt spread through my skin.

With his mouth open, he tilted his head back and took it from me. I could feel it—something powerful, something energetic—transferring into him, as if I had an unlimited supply of whatever it was especially made for him.

I didn’t think he noticed, but he pulled me closer to him and, when he leaned forward with his eyes still closed, I gasped—not because of the energy he drank, but because of his strong body brushing against mine, his sandalwood scent playing with my senses.

His forehead rested on mine and I held on to his elbows for support. A few seconds later, he let out a relieved sigh and opened his eyes. They didn’t have that strange shine anymore. Still, they were magnetic and I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t even move away. And Micah seemed relaxed where he was too.

His eyes still on mine, he slid his hands down my neck and my breath caught. A kiss on my forehead surprised me, but not more than when he let go of me and put several steps between us.

“Thank you,” he said.

It was my turn to cross my arms. “You’re not welcome.”

He nodded, looking at the ground.

Without any more words or a look back, he walked away, to the beach on the farthest corner of the tiny island.

And I couldn’t stop looking at him.

The Fates walked out of the cottage toward me. Two of them continued their path past me, toward the beach, but one of them halted by my side.

With her eyes on Micah, the Fate said, “Mitrus asked to leave for your own good.”

I stared at her. “I don’t understand.”

“He knows he isn’t a good man, a good god. He also knows your heart is a good one. Because of that, he wants to stay away from you.”

Oh. He wanted to stay away from me because I was good, because he only associated with the likes of Imha and Omi. No wonder he wanted to leave. He would probably go running to the goddess of chaos, even after she betrayed him.

My gaze found him again. He stood on the beach with the Fates, his back to me. I still couldn’t believe he was evil.

The Fate’s hand squeezed my shoulder. “Take care of yourself, child. We’ll be back soon.”

She strolled down the beach and halted beside her sisters. Then, the Fates joined hands, forming a circle with Micah in the middle. A second later, the four of them were gone.

And I was left alone
.

Acknowledgments:

The statement that it takes a village to write a book is truer than most believe.

First and foremost, I want to thank my husband—for believing in me, for supporting me, for putting up with me, for pushing me to be better, for allowing me to dream while awake ... and for loving me. I also thank our daughter, just because she’s ours, and she’s cute and smart and funny and a bunch of other adjectives a mother can think of.

I can’t thank my parents enough for also believing in me. Thank you. Thanks to my entire family: my brother, my sister-in-law, my niece, my mother-in-law, Chico, and the rest of the Grutzmacher “clan.”

I mentioned my former teacher, Mariza Perobelli, in the dedication. I’ve been writing since that project (I was 13 years old). The day I decided to give this writing thing a serious try, I promised myself I would dedicate my first novel to her. I don’t know if I would have come across writing if she hadn’t “introduced” me to it. I believe I would, but now I can count many more years of practice and experience. Thank you.

I want to thank my two “Megan”: Susana and Rafaela. Thank you for reading any stuff I write, for encouraging me, for asking for more (the best thing a writer can hear!).

Then there is Jani Grey, my non-Megan reader. Thank you, Jani. I’m very lucky to have found her, and, even though she lives far away from me, I know she’s a true friend.

A special thanks to my NA Sisters: L.G. Kelso, Carrie Butler, Summer Lane, Jaycee DeLorenzo, and Victoria Smith. And to Bailey Kelsey too, even though she isn’t a part of the NA Alley anymore.

To the crazy-chicks Magan Vernon, Chelsea Cameron, and Alyssa Rose Ivy. Thanks for answering thousands of questions about self-publishing and encouraging me to do this.

To the people who made this book better: Rochelle French, Aimee L. Salter, Kim Wollenburg. Thank you for your insight, for believing in this story, and for encouraging me to stick with it.

There’s also Danielle Crabtree. Thanks for doing such a great job with editing. And Sarah Hansen and her mad cover design skills. I love her covers, and this one is no different!

Last but not least, thank YOU, for reading my book. I hope you like it!

About the Author:

While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life as a wife, a mother, and an author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

Visit her at:
Website
|
Blog
|
Twitter
|
Facebook
|
Goodreads
|
NA Alley