Page 38 of Bound By Destiny

And that’s when I understand.

Destiny saved us.

All that talk of cold downdrafts and altering temperatures – how could I think Destiny was giving me an impromptu science class? I’m the foolish one. She figured out a way to weaken the tornado. All along she planned to use her fire, even if it meant breaking every bone in her body, to heat the base of the cyclone and sap most of its power.

The realization hurts like a knife slicing through my heart. My mate sacrificed herself for me, and I… What did ever I do for her? Leave her with a curt note and not even a goodbye? I ran away time and time again, even when she reached out for me.

Tears blur my vision when her lifeless form finally reemerges. I swoop down, catching Destiny before she crashes to the ground. Shaking, I trace the cuts and bruises that mar every inch of her beautiful self.

“It’s a miracle! The tornado died down just in time. It…” Luciana’s words trail off. “Oh my.”

Footsteps approach, yet I can’t look anywhere but the thousands of wounds peppered across Destiny's limp body.

“Dane,” my brother’s deeper tone calls to me nearby. “She’s going to be alright.”

Destiny

Darkness borders my vision. I wince. My entire body is stiff and achy, as if I’ve just woken from a year-long slumber. Everything is blurry, apart from a pair of stormy grey eyes, watching me with unblinking intensity. And then they’re gone.

I barely have time to wonder if I made the sight up when all of a sudden, I’m yanked against something warm and hard and swathed in a musky scent that’s wonderfully familiar. I smile, even if the muscles in my mouth are sore, because I know where I am – exactly where I want to be, in Dane’s arms.

“I’m sorry, Destiny…” His words are muffled as he speaks into the crook of my neck. “So, so sorry.”

I frown. Ever since Dane left – when was that? Last time I remember he’d been gone two weeks, but it feels like an eternity has elapsed – I dreamed about reuniting with him countless times. My versions didn’t include a Dane whose voice is broken and whose entire body is shaking, though. Roughness grazes my skin. Dane is usually clean-shaven, too.

Just as quickly as he pulled me to his chest, he pushes me away with a swiftness that leaves my head spinning. With a firm grasp on my shoulders, he pins me to the spot with a tempestuous glare.

“How could you do that to yourself?” He hisses. I’ve heard Dane lose his temper before, yet this quiet rage is somehow more intimidating. “Even if you decided to throw your sense of preservation out the window, how could you do that tome?”

Though I can’t wrap my head around the full meaning of his words, I can’t help but be slightly flustered.Since when does Dane talk as if we're together?

“Okay,” I start, surprised at how difficult it is to speak. In a flash, Dane is pressing a glass of water to my lips. Rasping my throat, I try again: “I think I’ve missed an episode here. What are you talking about? Where am I?”

That scowl I missed so much deepens. “You don’t recall jumping into the eye of a tornado, do you?”

I laugh at the outlandishness of what he just said, only to catch myself a second after. Black dust flying into my eyes. My arms, my legs, my wings, twisting every which way. The ear-piercing howling of the wind, and then, for an eternity – maybe about a minute – silence more pure than I’ve ever heard before.

“Oh my goodness.” Dane nods grimly. “I did do that, didn’t I?”

“I think you win the prize for thestupidest,” the harshness of his voice makes me flinch, “scariest, craziest,” I open my mouth to protest but he drones on, “bravestthing I’ve ever seen.”

Pleasure zips through me at the proud glint in his gaze. Even though I feel like I’ve been bludgeoned with a baseball bat, I sit a little straighter.

“You were holding these…”No. I must’ve made up the giant bird thing with antlers.“Strange animals when I found you. Are they alright?”

The shadows on Dane’s face dissipate, only to be replaced with a radiant beam. If I weren’t already in bed, I’d be knocked off my feet.

“Each one of our eighty-seven animals is safe, thanks to you.”

I still. “Eighty-seven?”

Dane cocks his head. “Yeah…” Realization makes his eyes widen, and his grin turns pensive. “Huh. I guess Fate gave you back what it took.”

Even if his words sound a little funny, my confusion is swept away with overwhelming relief. Tears fill my eyes, as for the first time in sixteen years, I feel free. Free from the burden I carried ever since the day I took away the lives of eighty-seven sheep, all because the wind was strong and it called to me.

The wind was strong the day of the tornado too, so strong it was pure agony. But this time, I managed to save all those animals, trapped by a ferocious storm. Right now, I feel taller than the mountains through my kitchen window back at home.

“But Destiny,” Dane pulls me from my thoughts, frowning again. “Don’t ever do something rash like that. I’ve been a phoenix for over four hundred years, and believe me, I’d think twice before flying into a cyclone like that.” Grief passes over his crystal gaze, fierce and harrowing. “Do you have any idea how long it took you to heal?” I shake my head. “You’ve been out for six days.” His voice is stretched so thin, it rasps. “And you’re still all bruised.”

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