Page 23 of Bound By Destiny

“Rule number one,” I warn as I tingle at the contact, from the tips of my toes to the roots of my hair.

“See how tense you are?” He drones on as if we never made a pact last week. “You were nothing like that when we made love. Nothing. It’s because you spend so much energy holding everything in!”

A tremor courses through me. Dane has hit the nail right on the head, like no-one ever has before. Not even Caleb, who probably believed I was born half-neurotic.

“Maybe there’s a reason why I have to hold it all in,” I rasp. “Maybe it’s better that way.”

Pity shines in those crystal clear irises. “Honey, it can’t possibly be good for you,” he murmurs in a voice noticeably more soft. “You’re brainier than most, but even so, nobody is wired to rule every little thing with rational analysis. It would be like keeping a wild animal in a cage, and we’re more animal than regular people.” He pauses a moment, and some sort of realization seems to dawn upon him. “I can only guess, but maybe that’s why you took so long to reveal yourself as a phoenix in the first place.”

“Wow,” I breathe shakily. “That’s a lot of words.”

His hand slips down and encaptures mine. “You need to learn how to trust what feels right inside, rather than listen to all the reasons things can go wrong.”

I bite my lip as tears threaten to flow. Dane has found the knot that has been twisting my conscience for years. Only instead of recoiling as he puts his finger exactly where it hurts, a sense of liberation courses through me. Ineedthis catharsis, Ineedto pour out the fear and doubts I’ve kept inside for years. And for some reason, this man who was a stranger a fortnight ago, and who most likely will become a stranger again in a few days, is exactly the person I need to tell.

“You know,” I start quietly, “there’s a reason why I chose the most windless place in America.”

Dane

There’s a hollow ring to Destiny’s words. I take her hand and gently guide her to a nearby stone where we can sit, ignoring all the rules of caution we set together because I know she needs this. And whether I’m just an exceptionally invested professor or our fated bond is to blame, somehow, I need it too.

“So you're not from here,” I press after a few minutes of silence.

I hate the anxiety dancing in her eyes. All I want is to free those doubts before I go home – but will a mere few days be enough? And why should I care, if I plan never to see her again for the rest of my immortal life?

I shake my head. I guess the call of matehood is too strong to keep up with what I’ve already decided in my mind.

“No,” Destiny finally answers in a voice far from the warm, husky timbre I’ve come to like so much. “I grew up in Colorado. A small town in the mountains where my family tree goes far back.”

I nod, adding this tidbit of information to the mental portrait I’ve painted of her.

“The mountains over there are much higher than the ones over here, aren’t they?”

A wistful smile spreads across her beautiful face. “Yeah. Everyone who travels to Colorado always raves about Mount Elbert, but our Elkhead Mountains are beautiful too.” Her grin suddenly turns a tad impish, and I feel the corners of my lips tugging upwards as well. “My favorite was Nipple Peak. I only crossed paths with another person once, and… Well, the name used to make me giggle.”

I eye her mischievous air bemusedly, wondering how she can cause this bubbling sensation in my chest when even Warwick only manages to make me laugh once in a blue moon. And Warwick is pretty funny.

“Looks like it still does,” I point out.

She buries her head in her knees until her mirth dies down. I suspect her laughter is part nerves, too. “I have a ten year old’s sense of humor, I guess.”

It’s sweet, I’m about to say, but I catch myself just in time.

“So you liked to climb mountains? That sounds pretty brave for a little girl.”

“Let me finish that thought for you,” she says wryly. “Especially for a woman who freaks out on top of a twenty foot hill, right?” Before I can protest, she goes on: “Yes, I did like to hike. I liked anything that let me see beyond our tiny neck of the woods. I even liked school.”

The image of a springy haired girl going on all kinds of adventures, both outdoors and in her mind, makes me go fuzzy inside.

“And you went out in the mountains by yourself?”

“I have three brothers and one sister, so sometimes they came along. But most of the time, it was just me. It drove my poor parents nuts.”

“They must’ve been afraid you might get hurt.”

“That’s part of the reason, yes.” She squares her shoulders and searches for my gaze. “Though I was pretty crafty at the time, you know.”

The hint of pride in her tone makes me smile despite myself.Destiny scores yet again.She breaks past my defenses every time.

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