Destiny's Revenge (Destiny Series - Book 2) Straight, Nancy (book club reads .TXT) 📖

three of us made our way into an immense marble trimmed lobby. Rewsna spoke, “He should be just through those double doors.”

I stepped to the doors finding them unsecured. Behind them stood an enormous steel door - the vault. I stole a quick glance at both Rewsna and Mike and was surprised to see no apprehension whatsoever. I stepped to the handle and pressed hard; the bolts on either side gave way freely. The door opened and light spilled through the cavernous room.

I stepped in to find Max standing in a corner, with his hands over his eyes. The light must have temporarily blinded him, and he actually winced in pain. I ran to him, throwing my arms around him, overjoyed that it was really him this time.

Max took his hands from his eyes and buried his face in my shoulder, “Lauren, we’ve got to get you out of here. He’ll be back, and I don’t want him to find you here.”

Strength poured through me when I responded, “I’m not scared of him anymore. I know how to destroy him, and it is he that should be afraid of me.” Three sets of eyes stared at me. The old Lauren might have been lacking self-confidence, but in this minute I knew the truth. The Beast was not more intelligent, he had no magical powers, no hold over my loved ones. He was pure evil, and by trying to take Max from me and tricking me into caring for him, he had crossed me for the last time.

Rewsna was the first to recover from the shock of my words. “Lauren, I think it wise that we regroup with the Council and work out a course of action that is less risky to all involved.”

The strength I had felt in my resolve to end this did not subside. I felt the power coursing through my veins, pumping ever stronger with each heartbeat. It wasn’t adrenaline or fear. It was raw, unfettered dominance, an energy radiating from the inside out. I shook my head, “Rewsna, the Beast screwed up again. I’m not sure how, but somehow I’ve taken more strength from him.” I stepped away from Max and back through the vault’s door. The three followed me.

I reached for the door handle on the double door we had walked through and cautiously opened it, making a concerted effort to turn the knob gently. When the door swung silently open, I made sure Mike, Rewsna and Max were watching, and I gave the open door a sharp tug. I felt the hinges bow under the pressure. I turned to Max and said, “That is unreal.”

Silence filled the room. I rested the door against the wall. This much power and brute strength was such a foreign feeling. I’ve seen body builders interviewed on television. I was never in awe of them or what they could do, until now. These were people who worked years to sculpt their body, concentrating all their energy on a single task. I was not one of these people. The strength I felt in my body resonated from within and required almost no concentration to unleash.

Rewsna gasped as she read my thoughts and inserted her own, “Lauren, do you understand what this means? The Council predicted your rise. We knew you would have unreal powers. I never guessed they would be telepathic and physical. If you have taken his strength from him and his power of sight, there cannot be much left.”

I nodded, but was unable to put my thoughts into words. The fear I had felt for the Beast seemed to have evaporated. My arms found their way around Max. I took his hand and led him out of the building. I could hear Rewsna and Mike speaking quickly to each other but did not care in the least what they were saying.

We all drove back to Rewsna’s house. I knew she could read my thoughts, if I allowed it, so I purposely blocked her. She glanced at me frequently but said nothing. When I pulled to the curb in front of her house, I put the van in park but did not turn off the ignition. Rewsna must have realized that I didn’t intend to stay, when she said, “Lauren, we must brief the Council and formulate a plan to do away with the Beast.”

I looked at Max’s haggard eyes and knew my priorities had little to do with the Beast. At this point Samael was no more relevant to me than a spider in a corner. I shook my head and answered, “You can do whatever you want. Max and I have some catching up to do. I’ll be at his house if you need me, but Samael has gone into hiding. We won’t find him unless we go looking, and I can assure you I have better things to do with my time for the foreseeable future.”

Mike and Rewsna exited the van without argument. I’m sure Rewsna knew any opposition would be fruitless, so she didn’t even try.

Max said nothing the entire drive back to his house. Peanut bounded happily in the back seat from one side of the van to the other, whining at cars and excited about the traffic. When we pulled up the long drive to Max’s house, I realized that the silence was awkward.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Max interrupted, “I’m going to take a shower. Make sure you call your parents and let them know you’re okay.” He stepped out of the van without another word.

Chapter 29

So what makes a good relationship anyway? Common interests, common goals, desire that sets your pants on fire? I’m no expert by any stretch of the imagination, but something had come between Max and me. After we returned to his house, we didn’t talk much at all. Max told me he was exhausted, and I don’t think he was exaggerating because he slept from mid-afternoon