Fulfilling their Destiny: Destiny Trilogy, #3

By Miranda Lynn

One crazy King. 
Two magical sisters. 
Three angry Fates.
Jami thought it was safe to leave Faery and the 17th century. She planned on traveling to the future to get Blair settled, spend some time with her best friend Todd, and then travel back to her love and her new home. The devastation they arrived to was unexpected and plans changed quickly.
Facing the former Faery king again hundreds of years in the future hadn't even crossed their minds.
Jami and Blair must depend on a small group of friends and family, the tenuous help of three angry Fates, and the instability of untrained powers to trap Carrick and hand him over to the Fates.
They must bring him to justice before his greed destroys the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Miranda Lynn
• Release date: Mar 12, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386595687

Book preview

Fulfilling their Destiny

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Miranda Lynn

Copyright © Miranda Lynn

This book is copyright under the Berne Convention

No reproduction without permission

All Rights Reserved.

The Destiny Series

Book Three

The right of Miranda Lynn to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead or events is entirely coincidental.

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Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

About the Author

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Acknowledgements

For those fans that have stuck with me from the beginning of this Trilogy.

Thank you!

Prologue 

Whirlwind. That about summed it up.

My life had been a whirlwind over the past few weeks. It hadn’t been enough I was living happily in my little corner of the world, upholding my title of most disappointing child, working a job I loved, hanging with a best friend who kept me sane, and consuming copious amounts of my favorite beverage: coffee. My life before my twenty-fifth birthday seemed so far away now. But when the bell tolled that day, my comfortable life had been thrown into a whirlwind of revelations. First I was transported back in time, to like the seventeenth century to a field of heather outside a stone keep. Thanks to a wandering gypsy who had befriended me and taken me under her wing, I was welcomed, housed, and fed. Oh, and did I mention the arrow? I was shot by a fucking arrow. That shit hurt. Through the gypsy and a few mementos left by my real family, I discovered my true heritage. A revelation I had not been ready for. I was Fae—or part Fae; the family tree is a little fuzzy. Because of this, I can control the elements and use magic. Exciting, right? Wrong. This shit was scary and weird. I wasn’t sure if I believed it, but thanks to a twin sister who was raised on the darker side of magic, I didn’t have a lot of time to process any of it. So I dove in with both feet if only to save the man who had stolen my heart the moment I saw him and his clan. Devlin and I celebrated our victory between the sheets.

With the fight over, things like life brewing in my belly, a sister locked in a cell, and a few dream-walking trips fulfilled my next few days. Then we got the note. Devlin’s sister, Iona, had been kidnapped. He took off with his men, headstrong into the unknown, leaving me and a few others behind. I had a plan too, but it was one Devlin wouldn’t approve of. There was only one person I knew who might help me. This was the moment I was ready to take a chance on my only sister. There had to be some good in her, right? No one had believed but me, and I was thankful I’d trusted my gut. We pulled together and, with the blessing of the great Oracle, defeated the Fae king who’d kept Blair imprisoned most of her life and molded her to be the weapon she was.

Things seemed to be calm afterward, and I decided to take my dear sister back to my time—for two reasons really. I wanted to show her where I grew up, but also, it seemed the safest place for her to hole up and learn all the powers the Oracle had gifted her. This trip also meant I had a chance to come back as well, to see Todd and share all my adventures with him. Or so I’d thought. Instead what we found was devastation and a world nothing like I’d left it—thanks to the Fae king.

Yeah, the one I thought we had defeated with the help of Jack, my beloved Devlin, and the great and powerful Oracle. We had seen his essence disappear in a bubble, thanks to her. I guessed he still had a few tricks up his sleeve because now he was in my world, my time, and my city.

I only hoped Blair and I could figure out how to defeat him once and for all and restore things to the way they were. Oh, and do it without hurting the babes. Yeah, on top of all this, I had two buns in the oven.

All before Devlin figured out how to follow me here and trying to take over. Brute highlander power could never defeat the power the former king wields.

Chapter 1

Jami

Huddled with Blair in the hollowed-out trunk of a tree, I tried to figure out what the hell had happened. The stench of rotting wood and evil magic permeated the air where we sat. This was not the world I’d left. I worried maybe we had gone too far into the future. It was possible. I wasn’t an expert at this time travel business. However, if that were so, the backpack wouldn’t have been there. Shit, something changed in the time I was gone, and we had to figure it out. I breathed shallow to avoid the stench that was making my stomach turn.

What do we do now? Blair asked. She was covering her nose and mouth as well.

For now, we hide. I have to figure out how to find Todd. This is not how the city looked when I left. I took the backpack off and searched through it again. The canvas was a bit damp thanks to the air laden with moisture. Todd had left us provisions, and I handed a bottle of water to Blair and opened one for myself. When I pulled out a packet of beef jerky, a note fluttered to the ground. The smell of the jerky actually enticed me, and my stomach rumbled. I unfolded the note as I bit off a piece. The note, scribbled in Todd’s handwriting, stared back at me.

Jami,

I hope you find this. All hell broke loose after your last visit. If you are reading this, you made it back safely, and I am sure you are wondering what has happened. It’s too much to write down, but to sum it up, some crazy guy is here, and the only way some of what is happening can be explained is magic. He and his people are destroying or twisting everything in their path. I have gone into hiding but have left clues for you to find me. I pray you find me. Please find me. You have to stay out of the city. This guy has an army of people on his side. They look like monsters and have big guns and something else. Monsters, hideous freaky monsters. Look for the green bows. I tried bread crumbs, but the damn animals ate them as quickly as I scattered them. Anyway, please find me and fix this. This boy can’t live in a damaged world with a crazy-as-hell weirdo who wields magic at his fingertips... No matter how sexy it sounds in a fairy tale, it’s scary as hell in real life.

Save me,

Todd

I shared the note with Blair and finished my jerky and water. My stomach finally settled down. I put our trash in the side pocket on the backpack and pulled my knees to my chest, then burrowed my nose hoping it would help avoid the smell. A dark fog swirled around our feet and along the ground like a snake in a hypnotic pattern, drawing me in.

So, what do we do now? she asked, handing the note back to me and startling me out of my slight trance.

We start looking for clues. Todd is resourceful and will have placed them carefully... I hope. I wiped my hands on my jeans and donned the backpack before crawling out of the tree trunk. The knees in my jeans were soaked by the time I stood. The breeze moved the branches above us, creating an eerie creek in their limbs. Strands of my hair flew about my face, and a bug starting buzzing around my ear. I tried to swat it away while Blair emerged from our hiding spot. The damned bug was determined, and the buzzing got louder as it circled my head. I raised my hand to swat again.

Stop, Blair whispered as she grabbed my wrist.

Why? I hate bugs. I whispered back.

It’s not a bug... look.

The bug hovered in front of my face, and once my eyes could focus on it, I realized it wasn’t a bug at all but a tiny being with wings. Its tiny clothes were the color of the woods. Its wings, though, were iridescent and reflected the small amount of light around us. I glanced at Blair.

A sprite, she whispered. It’s the Fae king’s magic. It draws all magical things to him. It always has. There is magic everywhere if you know how to find it. Was this forest here before you left?

There were some trees, but it wasn’t this big or dense. I glanced around and noticed not only were there more trees, but trees I wasn’t familiar with. I could identify a basic elm and oak, but these were larger, and the grain on their trunks was much different.

Exactly. He must be close. Magical creatures won’t stray far once they find him. This little guy may be able to help us.

We watched as the sprite flew away through branches and back again. Making a quick decision, I followed it. We trudged through the underbrush, our shoes squelching through the wet leaves and grass. If anyone was out here, our presence would be easily detected. A few trees away, we found the sprite had landed on a green ribbon tied to a small branch on a sapling. I smiled, thinking of Todd stopping to find the perfect spot to leave it. He had obviously been here.

Can you lead us to Todd? I asked the sprite. It fluttered around my head in response, its wings buzzing happily in my ear. It zoomed off into the trees again. Blair, these weren’t here before but look like they have been growing for a few years. How?

It’s part of his magic. He can make anything grow from the land. We banished him from Faery, but we didn’t banish his magic completely it seems. How he traveled here I can’t explain, but it seems he has, and it’s not a good sign. She sighed. Will his wrath never end?

We followed the sprite as it zigzagged through the trees, showing us each bow Todd had left until we reached the mouth of a cave that hadn’t been here before. Gray stone, dark with moisture, loomed before us. The mouth of the cave was on a slight incline and was eerily dark. No sign of life shone from within, but Todd was never much of an outdoorsman and may not have wanted to bring attention to himself by starting a fire. The closer we got to the opening, the more I felt the magic around us increasing. My skin crawled with it when we reached the mouth of the cave. The sprite left us then, disappearing into the night. The last light from sunset had fallen behind the horizon, and we were surrounded in darkness. Our only option for shelter was the cave looming in front of us. The air around us stilled but was static with magic. A faint whiff of wood smoke hit my nostrils. I couldn’t tell if it was coming from inside the cave or somewhere farther in the woods.

Blair turned to look behind us. We should take shelter. It’s too dark to keep searching.

Do you smell that? I whispered.

She nodded. I think it’s coming from the cave.

Are you sure? I lifted my nose and turned in a circle. It was indeed stronger when I faced the cave. A small sliver of hope blossomed in my chest. Please let it be Todd and not someone or something else.

We had no weapons with us except for our magic. We hadn’t used it since arriving, and I didn’t know how it would react here, away from Faery. I opened myself up to it a smidge, gathering what I could. It tasted like metal, like the taste in your mouth after a severe nosebleed. It wasn’t a good sign, but we didn’t have any other choice. We approached the entrance together. I wrapped the magic I’d drawn around us into a crude protection spell. It wouldn’t hold for long, but there was enough time to get away if the something inside wasn’t Todd and took offense to us sharing their shelter. The smell got heavier when we entered, and near the back I saw a small fire was lit. Someone was curled in a fetal position next to it.

Todd! Blair, he’s back here. I recognized him before he even turned his head. I scurried toward him as fast as the cave ceiling would allow, dropping my spell as I went.

Jami! He leapt up, ducking to protect his head, and hugged me hard. Oh my God, are you really here? This isn’t a dream?

Nope, we are here. I waived at Blair.

Is that who I think it is? Todd whispered as he looked between us. She does look a lot like you.

I nodded my head. Todd, meet my sister Blair. Blair, this is Todd, my best friend, the one who got me through endless family nightmares. Todd and Blair nodded at each other.

Jami has told me a few things about you. I hope to get to know you a little better. I am sorry we had to meet under these circumstances. Blair smiled warmly. Her words reminded me why we were in the cave.

What the hell happened? I sat next to Todd and waited for him to tell us.

Have you seen the castle? Were you followed? How did you find me? How long have you been here?

Slow down, what castle? We only got here a few hours ago. What happened, Todd? Take a breath and start from the beginning.

He did just that, and after a couple of deep breaths, he began. After you visited last, I started getting ready like you asked. I put together the backpack and put it where you said. When I got back to your apartment, there were people there going through your stuff, searching for something. They didn’t see me at first, and then the big guy—he must be the one in charge—saw me, and I ran. He sent the guys who were going through your things after me, and I just ran. Jami, they looked mean and not likely to want to chat. He leaned closer. "I don’t think they are from around here because I got away when I reached the road. I ran back to the stream, hoping you were here, but you weren’t. Things started exploding then, and it’s like the apocalypse hit. Buildings were on fire, I heard cars wrecking, and the sky turned black.