Dark Destiny Page 0,126

had first encountered Mary Ann, it had never occurred to her that she would one day be in her office, perched on her desk, teasing her. "Let me take a look at what you need. Fund-raising is my particular forte." She reached casually across the desk and snagged the offending book, quickly scanning the open pages before Mary Ann could snatch it away.

"No, you don't. You're impossible. Do you really like to go to movies?"

"It's my favorite thing," Destiny admitted. "I've gone to every vampire movie made. The old ones were very cool. I found them in a small theater that seems to be geared mainly for cult movies. It got to be an addiction. I'd go through every single newspaper looking for what was playing. Sometimes I'd sit through the movie twice."

"Is that where you got your fear of garlic and churches?" Mary Ann teased, pleased to turn the tables.

"Since we're talking about it, why did you accept my being different, a vampire... well, a Carpathian... so easily?" Destiny demanded. "It really bothers me that you have no sense of self-preservation, Mary Ann."

Mary Ann threw back her head and laughed. "Easily? You think I just accepted the existence of vampires so easily? You forget I couldn't leave the church. I sat there all night long. Praying. Screaming. Crying. Wanting to run for my life. In the end, I realized that you seemed different."

"I still don't understand why you accepted me, Mary Ann?" Destiny insisted. "You should have condemned me. You should have hidden yourself from me."

Mary Ann shrugged. "I already knew you. I'd looked into your eyes. If you were going to hurt me, you would have done it a long time ago. Your eyes were..." She broke off, searching for the right description. "Haunted. Your eyes were haunted, and I didn't want to turn my back on you no matter what you were."

"I'm glad you didn't. Thank you, Mary Ann." Destiny was humbled by the truth. She couldn't imagine Mary Ann turning her back on anyone.

Even as they were smiling at one another, the dark shadow of violence slipped into her mind. She sighed, slid off the desk, turned toward the door, all too aware of the man hurrying toward the office. "Stay behind me, Mary Ann." Her tone had changed completely, was authoritative and firm.

Before Mary Ann had a chance to respond, the door smashed open, bouncing against the wall, splintering the door frame. John Paul stood in the doorway, breathing hard, his breath coming in hard gasps, his eyes wild, his huge, hamlike fists clenching and unclenching at his sides.

"John Paul," Mary Ann said quietly, "what can I do for you this evening? It's after hours and I was just leaving with my friend."

John Paul didn't even glance at Destiny. His glassy stare was fixed on Mary Ann as he shuffled closer. "Where is Helena? I need her, Mary Ann. Give her back to me."

Destiny touched his mind. It was filled with his intense resolve to get to Helena. He had no real plan, no idea of what he would do when he found her, only a deep need to find her. She could sense the shadow of violence embedded deep in him, but there was no taint of the vampire. No surge of power, however slight, that might indicate he was a puppet of the undead.

"John Paul, you know Helena is somewhere safe. You wanted her to go, remember? You wanted her to be safe." Mary Ann was firm but still soothing.

John Paul shook his head adamantly. "Give her back to me." He shoved a large, deep-cushioned chair out of his way and stepped closer to Mary Ann. He didn't even glance at Destiny, didn't appear to notice that anyone else was in the room.

John Paul was so close to her, his jacket brushed Destiny's shoulder. She cleared her throat experimentally, to draw his attention, but it was wholly centered on Mary Ann.

"I didn't take Helena, John Paul. She neededsome time away from you while she thought things over. Do you remember coining into this office with her? Both of you cried. You begged me to take care of her, and I promised you I would."

Without warning, John Paul swept his heavy arm across the desk, sending papers and the lamp scattering in all directions. The lamp flew across the room, hit the wall and shattered. Tiny slivers of glass fell like rain to the carpet. John Paul's attention was immediately caught and held by