Destiny Gift (The Everlast Trilogy) - By Juliana Haygert Page 0,91
streaming from the curtain-less window behind me, and I saw a bag beside the bed with what looked like some of my clothes inside. My shoulder was bandaged and most of my cuts were cleaned.
The memories of the previous day assaulted me, but I refused to be brought down by all that had happened. I just had to get through whatever test the Fates had prepared for me and then go back to my life. I would not think of Victor or Ceris. I would not.
I slid out of bed and peeked out the door. Across the corridor, the bed was made in the other bedroom, which meant Micah was up. I glanced down at me and my torn clothes. Better to take a quick shower and change before showing up like a beggar before a god.
Holy shit, I said it as if it were normal, but it wasn’t. My mind still couldn’t wrap around the fact that Micah was a god. The god of death, actually. Wasn’t he supposed to be evil? Didn’t he plot with Imha to destroy the world?
Okay, one step at a time. First, a shower.
As I thought, I felt much better in a clean pair of jeans and a long-sleeved gray tee and my black boots.
I walked into the living room, holding my breath, expecting to see Micah somewhere. I frowned at the empty area and entered the kitchen next. There, seated around a wooden kitchen table, were the Fates.
I froze at the door as one of them gazed at me and smiled.
“Hello, child,” she said. I swallowed, but couldn’t find my voice or anything appropriate to say. “You’re probably hungry.” She pointed to the counter behind her, covered with bread, fruits, cheese, juices, and several other goodies. “Help yourself.”
Slowly, I walked in, grabbed a plate, and picked some of the goodies. “Where’s Micah?” I asked as I leaned against the counter.
“Mitrus is walking outside,” the same one answered. The other two seemed to be meditating or simply not in this conversation. “He needs time alone to think.”
Didn’t we all need time alone to think?
I put my plate on the counter and took a deep breath, gathering courage. “What is going to happen next?”
The Fate smiled. “You’ll stay here and rest. Soon, you’ll go back to New York, to your classes, and to your new job.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know, but I can’t answer your question.” She lost the smile. “My sisters and I can’t share our knowledge. The only thing I can tell you is that Levi and Mitrus will go on quests to find their scepters so they can become full gods again, but that you already knew.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“You don’t need to worry,” she said, standing. She walked to the coffee machine on the other side of the kitchen and took a steaming mug from it. With a new smile, she handed it to me. “It’s not mochaccino, but it’s coffee nevertheless.”
Still a little wary, I took the mug from her. “What don’t I need to worry about?”
She looked into my eyes deeply, intensely. “About you. About us. We won’t harm you.”
“I wish it was easy to believe,” I whispered.
She patted my shoulder. “You will.” She turned and sat back between her sisters. “Now go. Mitrus is outside and he wants to talk to you.”
That startled me and I almost dropped the mug on the floor. I sipped from it, left it on the counter, and rushed out.
I opened the front door and the chilly wind whipped my hair around my face. I held on to it and looked around. It was easy to spot him. Standing tall on a rocky parcel about forty or fifty feet from the cottage, Micah kicked the rocks around with his hands tucked inside his dark jeans pockets and his shoulders stuffed under the black shirt.
I smiled, noticing he wasn’t wearing black pants for the first time since I met him. But as I took the first step toward him, I erased the smile from my face and frowned. I had to remember he was not who I thought he was. I had to remember he had done bad things and probably would do more.
He turned to me as I approached him, his rough face serious and totally handsome with his hair messy because of the wind.
“Hey,” I began, hoping my voice was steady, unlike what I felt. “Did you want to talk to me?”