Destiny's Revenge (Destiny Series - Book 2) by Straight, Nancy (novels in english .TXT) 📗

than your own existence, worth enough to make a deal with the devil himself. The thought of Samael made my skin crawl, but I sought him out anyway.

Lauren meant more to me than my own life. I knew from the start when she told me we were destined for each other that she wasn’t just using artistic words or being overly dramatic. I have become so in tune with her that when she watches me through her special powers, I can actually feel her presence. After she had run away from Gramps, Benny, and me, I knew she was still looking in on me. I could feel Lauren watching me; every time she did, I could feel a wave of heat rush over me. Not heat like a fire, but the heat shining on you on a cool morning after the sun breaks through the clouds to give warmth to everything it touches.

After she took off from Gramps’ house, I must have left her forty voice messages asking her to come home. She never returned one. She never came back. I thought if I went back to my house she’d see me there, see our life that we had tried to build, and just walk through the door. I could feel her watching, but she never came back. After a week it felt like the walls were closing in on the house. I knew I couldn’t wait another day, not another hour. I needed to do something to bring her home - anything.

Samael had been by the house with some private investigator story. He left his business card. Rewsna had told me to watch out for him so I knew to play dumb at the time. The idea was that if he didn’t know I was onto him he might give up his hunt for Lauren. His card set on my kitchen counter for days. I ran through all the possible scenarios: killing him, framing him for a crime of some kind, I even considered trying to get help from Rewsna and the Council she had talked about. But in the end, I did nothing and just kept his card there on the counter, knowing that the Beast had only one mission in life - to find and to finish off the woman that I loved.

She wouldn’t come home to me, she wouldn’t call, and it seemed like she was checking in on me less and less. Finally I had an idea, hair-brained at best, but I owed Lauren and had to do this for her. I grabbed Samael’s card and called him. “It’s Max. I think I have some information that might help you find Lauren. Can I meet you somewhere?”

Samael offered to come to my house, but I declined and told him I’d meet him in his office building downtown. The entire drive to him I argued with myself about the insanity of my plan, but when I left my truck in the garage, I knew this was the right thing. I couldn’t do anything for Lauren while she was in hiding. Gramps’ funeral had been the day before. When she didn’t come, I knew she was too scared. I couldn’t do anything to stop Samael’s attack nearly three years ago, I didn’t do anything for her while she was in a coma, and I almost lost her when she was staying with me this time. My only option was to meet this guy head on, do whatever I could do to get him to leave her alone.

I stepped through the door. Samael’s charm had evaporated when his eyes met mine. He eyed me suspiciously. We stood sizing each other up, until he finally said, “Shall we go on with this charade that you want to help me find Lauren, or are you going to tell me why you are really here?”

I took a deep breath, straightened my back, and said in as manly a tone as I could muster, “I want you to leave her alone. I’ve come to offer myself to you. You can do anything you want to me, but I want this thing between you and her to end now.”

Samael cocked his head for a minute as if studying me, then chuckled at me, “What makes you think I want anything from you?”

“She’s a good person. She’s never done anything to hurt anyone. She can’t see her friends or her family, she can’t have a normal life because she’s sure you’re going to find her and hurt her again. I want it to stop. I’ll take anything you dish out, I just don’t want her involved anymore.”

“Interesting. You really came here without a weapon of any kind, didn’t you? You must think that we are somehow equals and you can reason with me?”

“No, Sir, I don’t, but I came here to make a deal with you. You do whatever you want to me, you leave her alone. You give me your word and I’ll give you mine. I would never give my word if I weren’t willing to back it up.”

“So in essence, if no harm comes to Lauren, you will submit to me? You will willingly give yourself to me?”

“I will.”

“Max, that is the most intriguing deal I have ever been offered.” His voice went from creepy to sinister and he continued, “I accept. You have my word that I will not hurt Lauren. In return, you will be indentured to me.” He paused, eyeing me cautiously. “You realize what this means, yes?”

“I know what it means. What do you want me to do?”

“Step this way.” Samael led me through a set of double doors into what looked like an old time vault. “You’ll have to forgive the accommodations, Max. I wasn’t expecting you to make this offer, or I would have had something a little more suitable.”

I stepped into the vault, praying that Lauren was watching right now. She could know for sure she was safe. I didn’t feel the warmth of