The Danger of Destiny Read Online Free PDF Page A

landed in Merenwyn just south of the freakin’ castle? We’ve been moving away from it all this time?”
    â€œTold you. It was necessary.” He frowned at his map, then scratched out his first castle effort and redrew the shape a little north of where he’d made it. “That’s better.”
    â€œThat’s so annoying,” I said. “If the water had run a little slower, we could have crossed the river and been there hours ago. How did the Gatekeeper ford it?”
    â€œThere’s a rope bridge to the east of where we landed.”
    â€œThere’s a rope bridge?” I repeated slowly.
    â€œBetter this way,” he grunted. “No one would expect us to come at the rock from this direction.”
    â€œYou’re expecting trouble,” I said quietly.
    He used the side of his hand to erase the map. “I always expect trouble. Right now, we have to focus on getting to Daniel’s Rock. There’s a lot of hoops to jump through before we start worrying about storming the castle.”
    Storming the castle? I was thinking we’d be “sneaking” into the castle.
    He stretched, working the kinks out of his neck. “Rule of the road,” he said. “Rest when you can; hydrate when you can. I say we rest for a bit. You’re exhausted, Tink.”
    â€œI’m not.” My empty stomach was keeping me awake.
    â€œWe’ll take a break. After the Fae shit moves off, I’ll find some more berries.”
    Oh, goodie.
    â€œThen we’ll put in a few more miles before the sun sets.” He moved back to his former position, spine braced on the back of an ancient tree, arms open, legs splayed wide for me. “Come here.”
    â€œI can’t nap during the day.” But I could cuddle. Yes, I could do that. I moved into the space he’d created for me. “Move, Ralph,” I told the amulet resting on my mate’s chest.
    Still miffed, Ralph didn’t. Trowbridge hooked his chain with his forefinger, then tossed Ralph over his shoulder. I leaned back, telling myself to relax. Merry settled into the space between my boobs.
    â€œShhh,” Trowbridge breathed in my ear. His fingers began working into the knot between my shoulders. His scent curled around me, another set of arms, and licked away my tension.
    It was comforting.
    I’ll still never sleep.
    It was my last conscious thought before I slipped into the land of Nod.
    *   *   *
    Beneath my ear, his abdomen muscles suddenly tensed. “Hedi.”
    Shhhh.
    My dreamworld had never been so sweet. I was sitting in my chair in the Trowbridge kitchen about to dig into the bowl brimming with Grade A maple syrup. The room smelled of Were and happiness, for it was jam-packed with my family, all of them clustered tightly around the round oak table. Everything was right; everything was as it should be. Trowbridge held my free hand. Merry supped from a spoon of honey while Cordelia ruled court from the kitchen sink. Harry leaned against the tall cabinet, still wise and alive. Biggs was there; my affection for him was unpolluted by the knowledge of what he’d done.
    My family was complete.
    Because Lexi sat opposite me, sandwiched between Anu and Biggs; his bowler hat hung from the back of his chair’s spindled top. How long had it been since I’d seen my twin grin so freely? Look at him; he’s the guy he would have grown up to be, if the Fae hadn’t—
    â€œHedi.” Trowbridge said more urgently.
    The dream shattered and with it the sense of rightness.
    I woke to the distinct flavor of danger.
    It was in my nose—Trowbridge’s scent was spiked with sour stress. And it was flaring at my breast—Merry was hotter than a potato taken straight out of the oven. I bolted upright, curling my body into a comma so she could swing free. Sweet heavens, she was so hot, I was surprised she didn’t leave a smoke trail. Not only