Gemini escorts Johnny back in the direction of the arena.

And when I say “escort” I mean he lifts him by the arm and drags his floundering feet across the ground.

“If you try to run, or use your magic against us, I’ll kill you,” my beloved tells him, flatly.

Johnny rights himself, more or less stumbling forward. He laughs, kind of hysterically, bordering on psychopathic. “You’re a werewolf, aren’t you?”

His question is odd, as if he’s not completely sure. He should be sure, being what he is.

Gemini picks up on as much. “That’s right,” he replies.

We wait for more of an explanation, not that it comes. You don’t have to be a genius to figure out Johnny is terrified of Gemini.

“You’ve never seen a werewolf?” I ask, careful to keep my tone light.

His attention trails to me. “Sure. Plenty of times. They just don’t see me. Right, big guy?”

Gemini’s deep growl has Johnny shrinking inwardly. Again Johnny looks my way, this time for help.

“Don’t taunt the big bad wolf,” I warn. “Unless you want to be eaten.”

I don’t realize how far we ran until I see the bright arena lights in the distance, barely visible in the ink black night. I stumble over a rock, swearing when it hits the open toe of my tall shoes.

“Are you all right?” Gemini asks, beating back what very much resembles a smile.

He watched me pack and questioned why platforms are my go-to for guard duty.

“Sneakers are more practical,” he said. “In case you have to run.”

“Sneakers don’t go with my cute clothes, and they can’t stake a vampire.”

He crossed his arms. “When was the last time you staked a vampire with a shoe?” He thought about it. “When was the last time you staked a vampire ever?”

I didn’t have a good comeback then, and I don’t have one now. Right or not, I’ll never admit my choice in footwear was damn stupid, especially with that smirk he’s currently wearing.

“I asked you if you’re okay?” he reminds me.

“Fine, baby,” I tell him. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because you wore those ridiculous shoes instead of practical sneakers,” he mutters.

“I’ll remember that next time.”

“Next time your life is in jeopardy?” he asks, growing annoyed.

There’s no point in arguing that my life wasn’t in grave peril, seeing how it damn well was. Instead, I shift the conversation back to Johnny where it belongs. “What did you mean by wolves can’t see you?” I ask Johnny.

Gemini answers when Johnny clams up. “It means if we passed him on the street, we’d mistake him for a warlock since he only smells of witch magic.”

“So what’s the big deal if he is a Fate?” I ask. “It’s all shits and giggles having Destiny.”

Based on the bitterness claiming Johnny’s boyish features, and the way he averts his gaze, I asked the million-dollar question.

Gemini’s rigid stance alerts me that it’s not good news. “Destinies are rare,” he says.

“Right, a gifted female born of two witches, once every century,” I say, articulating what every supernatural knows as I wonder where he’s headed.

“Fates are even rarer,” he replies. “There’s only been five documented in history.”

“Now you have lucky number six,” Johnny says, his voice absent of humor.

Gemini tightens his posture, pretty much the same way he does right before he takes a swing. “What’s the problem with having Fate and Destiny?” I ask, seeing there obviously is. “Aren’t they the same thing?”

“They are, and they’re not,” Gemini replies, his expression darkening further. “They’re not supposed to coexist. They can’t actually, not in the same lifetime.”

“Because they’re anomalies?” I ask. That’s my guess. But there’s more, obviously.

“In part,” he answers. “But it’s what happens when they’re together that’s the real issue.” He releases a harsh breath. “According to mystical beliefs, their powers brutally clash, interfering with the natural balance of the earth and triggering the start of unspoken evils.

I stumble to a halt. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

Gemini and Johnny stop in place, frowning. “I’m sorry,” I say, holding out a hand. “But I’m sick to death of all this mystical shit. It’s always something with you people.”

“You people?” Gemini asks, cocking a brow.

I point. “That’s right, you people. It’s always doom, gloom, and destruction, always. Whether it’s some prophecy saying we’ll sprout six tails if we wear green on Wednesday during a full moon while watching Seinfeld or finding some messed up artifact that opens a portal to hell—and don’t get me started on that damn singing knife you shouldn’t insult or risk having it stab you in the ass while you sleep.”

Gemini tries to shush me, I’m guessing about the knife. I don’t, enough is enough. “And now you’re telling me the lead singer of some boy band with freak of nature skin is bringing on the apocalypse?”

“I never said anything about the apocalypse,” Gemini says. He thinks about it, maintaining that same stoic tone. “At least not at the moment.”

“And I’m not in a boy band,” Johnny adds, getting pissy.

I ram my hands on my hips. “Oh, now you have something to say?”

He scowls at me, but then something he sees in me softens his brow.

“What are you?” he asks again. “You’re not a witch or a beast.” He huffs. “And I don’t think you sprout fangs either.”

“No.” I smile. “But I have been known to bite.”

Gemini works his jaw, trying not to grin. I’ve taken my fair nibbles of him. And with his primal side on edge, he remembers when and where.

I keep my voice easy, although by now all I want to do is go home and fall asleep in my lover’s arms, comforted by his presence and knowing that I survived yet another hellish night.

What sucks is, that’s not an option, and crawling into bed is a goal too far away to see.

We reach the small section of woods, the mounting darkness stimulating my arm to flick on like a night light and set the skin aglow.

Johnny’s gaze takes it in, appearing as fascinated as a Star Wars nerd with a new light saber. “Cool,” he says.

Damn. If I dropped him in the middle of any college campus, he’d fit right in. This is a kid who should be headed for class somewhere, or talking to his buddies about the next big keg party. This isn’t someone who should hold the grand title of Fate. It’s too much of a burden and more than someone this young should bear.

I look at Johnny, and the way my arm casts light against his youthful features. “What’s going to happen to him?” I ask Gemini.

“That’s up to the witches,” he replies, his voice low.

Johnny bows his head, that same sense of defeatism claiming him as heavily as before.

I stiffen. “Wait . . . you’re not going to kill him, are you?” Gemini doesn’t answer me. “Are you?” I press, barely believing it.

“Whether he lives or dies is not my call. Nor is it the decision of the Pack,” he replies. He continues forward, leading Johnny down the dark path and toward his impending doom. He stops when he realizes I’m not following. “Taran, we have to get him to the Elders so they may summon the witches.”

“So they can kill him?” Un-freaking believable. “What do you think they’ll do, babe? Burn him at the stake? Drown him? Nothing like a good public stoning, is there?”

He rubs his goatee, muttering a curse. “Ines who leads the French Coven, and Genevieve will decide what’s best.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because he’s one of them, and as head witches to the most powerful clans, they rule on behalf of their kind.”

He takes me in the longer I stand there. “As part of the Alliance, the weres will be allowed a say,” he adds, his way of attempting to placate me when I don’t move.

When he says weres, he means the North American Were Council, in addition to Gemini’s pack since he was the one who seized him.

“And how will you decide?” I ask.

My chest tightens as his features steel. “I will decide as I always do, in favor of our world, and for the greater good.”

The traffic along the highway finally lifts, allowing the caravan of cars to speed up. Their engines roar, the drivers anxious to put space between them and the arena.

I remain still, refusing to move. “He’s just a kid,” I say to Gemini. “Not a shapeshifter, and not one of their twisted followers.” I motion to Johnny. “Look at him, he’s barely a man.”

Gemini is the logical one, the one who’s able to stay reasonable even when I’m losing my mind. For the most part, I welcome his sensibility, it keeps me sane after all. I don’t welcome it now.

“He’s not just a kid, Taran. He’s a young being of power who will keep getting stronger in ways that could potentially destroy us.”

“You’re acting like he’s a villain bent on taking over the world.”

The look Gemini hits me with lodges the breath in my throat. “Is that what you think, that he’s the new threat the Alliance has been worried about?”

“I don’t know,” he states, his intensity building with each word. “What I do know is what history has shown us, that when Fates and Destinies appear within the same lifetime, darkness rises and evil is reborn.”

“This has to be the most blatant display of over-exaggeration I have ever heard,” I insist, turning in Johnny’s direction. “I mean, if we’re all still alive, their presence can’t be that bad, can it?”

“Actually, it can,” he replies. “The most devastating earthquakes, cyclones, and tsunamis have been linked to the coexistence of Destinies and Fates. They’ve also been tied to the appearance of dark ones so savage and murderous, the world has come close to obliteration.”

I stop moving. “So you’re saying the natural disasters that have occurred over these last two decades, and all the unexplained evil nasties we’ve encountered are the result of Destiny and Johnny being born during the same century?”

“No.”

I sigh. “Oh, good.”

“I’m saying they’re just the start.” He lifts Johnny’s arm, his effort minimal but enough to pull Johnny to the tips of his toes. “I can’t be sure if he is the new evil we’ve been anticipating. But the power he possesses could be what feeds the evil and ultimately gives our enemies the upper hand.”

“You’re assuming he’ll go all dark side or allow himself to be used,” I point out. “That’s not fair, the same could have been said about me and my sisters.”

“You’re different, and so are your sisters,” Gemini snarls, giving Johnny a shake. “Don’t allow your sympathy for him to blind you to what I’m saying. There’s a reason the witches pass the Law of Death to Second Fates and Destines born.”

“Come again?” I ask. “What the hell is the Law of Death to Second Fates or whatever?”

“I can tell you,” Johnny says. He huffs, rolling his shoulder and rubbing it when Gemini sets him down. “You don’t mind, do you, wolf? This is technically about me.”

Gemini doesn’t respond, especially when angry tears form across Johnny’s eyes. “As per Witch Law, the Destiny or Fate who is born first is revered and takes her or his place among the supernatural royalty,” he replies bitterly. “The one born after must be destroyed within the first year of life. Nice, huh?”

So his only mistake was being born. Damn.

“My parents were powerful witches. Did you know that?” he asks. “The way I hear it, among the most badass witches who ever were. They knew what I was when I was born. And because they knew, they ran.” He paces in place. “I was raised in Canada, among humans.”

“In hiding,” I assume.

“No, out in the open,” he replies, frowning. “They didn’t know what I was, and they didn’t care either.”

“What happened to your parents?” Gemini asks, his tone even. He isn’t as sympathetic to Johnny’s situation, but he’s always had a pack that’s welcomed him.

Johnny rights himself, anger marching like an army of resentful soldiers across his features. “They left me to help fight your supernatural war,” he says. “In case you’re wondering, they didn’t make it back.”

Gemini inhales deep, taking a breath. Johnny is telling the truth, if he wasn’t Gemini would call him out.

“How old were you?” I ask. “When you lost them?”

“Sixteen,” he says.

I almost tell him I was half his age when I lost mine. But I don’t know Johnny, and whether or not I can sympathize with him, my guard remains up.

“Sorry to hear that,” Gemini tells him. “This way.”

He secures Johnny’s arm again, this time, using more care. I didn’t have to mention my past, he knows it well, just as he knows that’s where my thoughts are now. “Taran, we need to return,” he says. “The others are waiting and the covens need to be informed of the Fate’s presence.”

His pace quickens when he senses me follow. I walk behind him with my arms crossed, lost in my memories and how close they mimic Johnny’s past.

Johnny glances behind me. “I take it you two are a thing?”

Gemini scowls at him, his grip tightening. “I’m just asking, man,” Johnny tells him. “I don’t mean nothing by it.”

“He’s my mate,” I say. I hurry to clasp Gemini’s hand, affirming our relationship and slightly soothing my wolf’s temper.

“But you’re not human?” Johnny asks, his voice lowering at the sight of Gemini’s nasty glare.

“Not exactly,” I reply. “I’m different. Like you.” I think about all the tats he brought to life. “Okay, maybe not like you.”

The corner of his mouth lifts into a smile. That smile quickly fades away when Gemini snarls. “He’s not doing anything,” I say to Gemini.

“No, but he’s thinking it,” he replies. “I can scent his attraction to you.”

I edge around him to speak to Johnny. “You never want to give a were the impression you’re challenging him or threatening his relationship.”

This time, Johnny makes quite the effort to keep his eyes off me. “Good to know,” he mumbles. “Anything else I might need to know about them?”

“You really don’t know anything?” I question.

“I know they don’t like my music,” he says, his grin returning.

“Which is how you’ve kept us from finding you,” Gemini reasons. “Hire bands that make more noise than music so those like us with sensitive hearing move away from you rather than closer.”

He adjusts his hold on my hand, steadying me as I ease through a stretch of harsh terrain. “Makes sense,” I concur. “The opening bands were too much for me.” I think about it. “Wait, I get how all that loud metal music would keep weres and anything with preternatural hearing away, but loud sounds don’t affect witches the same way. If anything, they should have been attracted to and sensed your magic. Why not?”

Gemini grinds to a halt and whips Johnny in front of him when he tightens up. “My mate just asked you a question,” he says. “I expect you to answer.”

I don’t like how aggressive Gemini is being with Johnny, and almost intervene. Except I don’t want to challenge his beast’s authority with prey in his hands, which is how my wolf sees Johnny. I also want to know what we’re up against, and as much as I pity him, I can’t be certain Johnny is on our side.

Not after the affect he had on Destiny.

“My crowd doesn’t do organic,” Johnny explains quickly when Gemini gives him a shake. “They’re not into nature and they’re not what you call granola.”

Unlike the witches.

He shrugs free of Gem’s hold when he loosens it. “I also don’t release my music. It’s concerts only.”

“So you hide in the open, all the while preventing anything magical from knowing you’re there,” I reason.

He rubs his shoulder again. “Something like that,” he says. He addresses Gemini, careful not to make direct eye contact. “Look, my people aren’t going to just let me go. I’m under contract. They’ll want to know where I am and who I’m with.”

Gem steps forward, looming over him. “If there’s anyone left, they’ll be dealt with. I assure you, no one will stop us from taking you.”

Johnny’s face blanches. “Did you kill them?”

Gemini doesn’t answer.

“What the fuck?” Johnny says. “They were just people, roadies. They weren’t going to do anything to you, asshole.”

I force myself between them. From one blink to the next, I’m suddenly off to the side. I barely felt Gemini graze his fingers over my hips when he lifted me, and only mildly felt my feet press to the ground. But here I am, back where I started.

“Tomo,” I plead. “Don’t hurt him.”

Gemini shoves his face into Johnny’s, forcing him back. “No human was hurt. Our job as Guardians of the Earth is to protect, not harm. That doesn’t mean we’ll allow them to harm us, or interfere with our duties. Tonight, those duties involve taking you back to our Den.” His gaze turns to steel. “And if you ever insult me again, you’ll be eating from a tube in your stomach.”

Johnny rises to his full height, attempting to appear tough. But there’s no stopping the quiver in his voice or his blanching skin from paling further. “Did you eat anyone?”

“I don’t eat people,” Gemini snaps, his patience wearing thin.

“Dudes!” Shayna races toward us, skipping to a halt when she sees Johnny and the mere centimeters separating him and Gemini. She lowers the ax she’s carrying to the side. “Destiny isn’t doing well,” she says. “She stopped bleeding, but we need to get her back, like, now.”

Behind her, Gemini’s twin wolf pads forward. His hackles rise and his feral eyes latch onto Johnny. He growls low and deep, lowering his head as if ready to attack the moment he gets the word.

My knuckles skim down Gemini’s spine. “If you allow your twin back inside you, will you be more pissed or will he help you calm?” His narrowing eyes tell me enough. I sigh. “We’re not all going to fit.”

“Fine,” he says.

Like black paint streaming across water, Gemini’s twin dissolves into his skin, becoming one all mighty being.

Johnny has had his share of surprises. A wolf, the size of a full-grown tiger merging with a man, was yet another he wasn’t prepared for. He backs away, almost falling against the curb.  

“Let’s go,” Gemini says.

Shayna leads us to the closed off parking lot where a helicopter is waiting. The tour bus is gone, so are the other cars parked in front of it. Johnny may have “people” except it doesn’t appear they bothered to wait for him.

Bren and Emme stand a few feet from the copter doors, and even further away from each other. Even from here, I feel the invisible wall of emotion between them.

Destiny is sitting on the ground. The bun she fastened on the top of her head is unraveling and barely keeping her long hair away from her pale-as-death face. Her clothes are smeared with blood and she lost all the feathers she painstakingly threaded through her hair. It breaks my heart to find her like this, and while she’s no longer seizing or bleeding, she’s not in good shape.

“Did Emme manage to heal her?” I ask.

Shayna’s ponytail swings from side to side as she shakes her head. “No. Emme says she couldn’t. Whatever was happening just seemed to stop.” She blows out a breath, fluttering her bangs. “Tye’s hoping the witches can help her. He’s already alerted the Pack and requested they call for Genevieve’s return.”

“And how is Tye doing?” I ask.

“Not good, T,” she says, sounding sad. “Destiny is his best friend.”

Yeah. She is.

Tye is crouched beside her, speaking quietly, his chin length blond hair swaying around his chiseled features. Worry tightens his brow, but here he is, doing his best to keep her calm.

He grins and says something that lights up her eyes. A soft smile plays across her face.

Until she sees Johnny.

Lightning crashes, shaking the earth. Shayna whirls around, her jaw falling open. “Was that you?” she asks.

“No, I—”

Another bolt of lightning illuminates the dark night, landing mere yards from where Destiny waits and rattling the earth.

Destiny screams in torment. She grips Tye’s arm, her body convulsing in violent waves as dark fluid pours from her eyes.

“Oh, my God,” I gasp.

Emme and Bren scramble to her side. I turn around to look at Johnny just in time to watch his eyes roll into the back of his head and his body collide against the ground.