Destiny

By Nived

What once was a reoccurring nightmare carried the truth of a past reality saturated in love, hate, passion, and jealously. So much has changed in such a short period of time, but the genuine bond between Amirah and Devin, which was built on love, had a way of drawing them back into each other’s lives. They have overcome the challenges that have come so far, but they have no idea what truly lies ahead of them.

Now that things have started to fall into place, the truth is slowly revealed, adding to the endless hurdles they have to face. Their journey to the Triangle isn’t just a physical journey but is also spiritual and emotional and will test every boundary they have to prepare them for the darkness that has the potential to consume them and destroy everything they stand for.

In order to fight the darkness, you have to explore it and embrace it for what it is. Can Devin and Amirah maneuver through regular relationship problems and learn about themselves all over again? This is new territory, but will the love they have be enough for them to get through this together?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662450921

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Destiny

Nived

Copyright © 2022 Nived

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2022

ISBN 978-1-6624-5091-4 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-5092-1 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

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

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 1

Faith is the strongest emotion set behind manifesting. Faith, when grasped and held tightly, will guide you to all that you desire. I give thanks for those dreams, desires, and manifestations that are coming to fruition, and no matter what setbacks come, no matter how many doors close, I will always hold tight to everything that has happened in life that made me who I am today. I will continue to write with love and experience and keep sharing thanks to those who continuously support me. Giving up is not an option. It never has been and never will be. I am always living in the moment.

Chapter 1

Amirah

We’ve been stuck on this boat for a couple of days, and I could see the wheels turning in Devin’s mind, but I had to figure out what to do to distract her before she drove herself crazy. I kept waiting for the right moment to tell her about Diamond because Sapphire wasn’t the only one that kept me company anymore. Worrying her was the last thing I wanted to do right now with everything going on, but I had another beast that I wasn’t able to access, and that worried me. Would she become restless trapped inside, or was there a way to free her?

Watching her sit at end of the boat alone with her thoughts lost, looking over the ocean, I knew exactly what to do. Then I heard the thunder in the distance. We dropped anchor and brought down the sails before making sure anything that could be lost with the wind was put away. Once everything was ready for the storm, we had a brief meeting of the minds.

Efee was in charge, so she spoke first. We are less than a day out. I know you guys are getting restless, but we are close, and this storm proves it. If any of you go in the water, please be aware of your surroundings. Anybody have anything they want to bring to the table?

Yeah, Sonny said, this heat is making me want to cut off my locs.

We all laughed. Then Efee said, Anybody else have anything important to add?

Once everyone shook their heads no, we all dispersed and went our separate ways. I watched the only woman I had ever loved go back to the front of the boat and watch the storm as it headed our way. I admired her from where I was standing, taking the time to appreciate every inch of her as if it was the first time I laid eyes on her. She had her hair in twists, thanks to my magical hands, and I loved the way they curled at the end. Although she was only five feet, five inches and a hundred and twenty-five pounds at most, her energy and her personality made her seem so much larger. Devin was a masterpiece of glowing skin and untainted personality, and I loved that no matter what she went through, it never changed who she was.

To know her was to truly love her and the huge heart she tried to keep hidden away. Of course, if one was simply looking at her, one could easily underestimate her, but the power that rolled off her couldn’t be missed even when she hid it. I loved that she embraced her power and lived in her truth authentically as nothing but herself. It was the combination of mind, heart, and soul that continuously left me in awe of her daily.

I needed her out of her head and here in the moment with me. That thought alone left me realizing how much I craved the feel of her lips against mine, and I was ready to make my move. Sneaking up on her was impossible for me, so I ran up to her and jumped on top of her, which got the response I needed, and a smile spread across her face.

So are you going to tell me what’s wrong, or do I have to wrestle it out of you?

Her face told me she was thinking, as if choosing her words wisely, not wanting to worry me, but I was already there since the fight between her and Todd.

I haven’t been sleeping well, and it’s not nightmares. I sleep with my tiger’s eye and amethyst cluster. It’s more like intuition, and it’s bad. I don’t know what it is that’s going to come, and something deep within me is telling me that that something is truly off.

I could see the disconnect in her eyes, and it bothered me that I couldn’t take this feeling away from her. It was making her distance herself. Since we headed back home from the Amazon, it was like she wasn’t truly herself, and all she would do was draw or write or get caught up on sleep. I had to break her out of this funk. All I could do in this moment was put my arms around her and hold her closely because I felt like she needed me as a distraction.

My legs wrapped around her waist while we sat facing each other, and my hands slid under her shirt, reaching around her, rubbing the tense muscles on her back. Then I gave in and took her shirt off. She didn’t stop me or protest to what I was doing, but she gave me the deepest eye contact as if searching for an answer to an unasked question. Her gaze distracted me from massaging into her tense back muscles as I stopped to hold her face in my hands, but before I could do it, she kissed me first and deeply. For each stroke of our tongues, she undid a button until my shirt fell to the floor, but I cut our kiss short.

Completely out of breath, because all her kisses had a tendency do this to me, I put my face into the side of her neck and kissed her gently. It was her more sensitive spot, and I knew exactly what it did to her as I felt her slightly shudder while my hands roamed back down to the small of her back.

Devin, I feel like you’re hiding something from me. I want to help you through it, but I can’t if you don’t talk to me.

She looked at me a moment before she found the words she was searching for. I sit back and reflect on everything regularly. How hard was it for you knowing who I was when we met and knowing our past together and not being able to talk to me about it? I feel like you’ve had to carry so much for so long on your shoulders, and I hate that you had to do it all on your own, especially not being able to talk to him about it and being isolated from Jean. I run through these thoughts regularly, wondering how I can be here for you after everything you’ve been through.

Slowly I moved back from her as her fingertips slid slowly down my arm and our fingers brushed past each other’s. My plan was still to distract her, and since I was sitting in front of her in an emerald-colored lace bra, I slid off my shorts and stood up on the edge of the boat. Her eyes were watching me, and so many emotions were crossing her face.

Amirah, the storm is closer. Come off the edge. We don’t even know what’s down there with us being so close to the Triangle, she said all this with worry in her eyes and a sexual smirk on her lips.

With everything she said, my only response to her was Well, I guess you’ll have to come save me.

The face she made said a lot, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was before I jumped backward and broke the surface of the water.

Not knowing if she would come or not, I just swam down underneath the boat, where I could see through the ports and see everyone settling in. Then I felt her like I had never felt her before as she hit the water. She sensed me and swam to me in her jean shorts and lime-green sports bra. I watched her, mesmerized by how easily she moved in the water, each muscle flexing with her movements. She knew I was turned on, and then her lips locked with mine, giving me air so that I could stay under without having to go to the surface a little longer.

She had a way of making even the smallest gestures passionate and sensual, and the connection we had between us…well, she could turn me on without having to touch me. There was this look she would give me that was borderline predator to its prey, with so much focus and compassion, like the only thing that mattered in the world was our moments and that I was the only woman that existed. I had forgotten how intense her love was, but I wrapped myself in every moment of it as she warmed the numbness that had once consumed my heart.

Her voice came through so clearly in my mind, touching places only she could seem to reach. I love you, always… I want you right now. You have no idea what you do to me. I promise you I will tell you everything, but you have to promise me you won’t overthink it. Not here, though. There’s someone who has been waiting to swim freely and meet you face-to-face. Just stay back some. I’ve never been able to completely turn with her, but apparently, something is different about the link I have with Hazel, the water nymphs, and the Triangle. I’ll have to ask after we get there and get settled in.

The ending came through with such uncertainty, but I saw nothing but determination in her eyes.

She gave me more air before swimming away from me and closing her eyes to gather herself mentally, but I started to question how she managed to keep giving me air without going up for some herself. I knew first-time transformations took focus, but she always picked things up so easily, and I loved watching her grow and figure things out. The energy hummed off her in slow pulses that grew stronger as the water around her began to gently spiral, wrapping itself around her. The bubbles formed spaced out, acting as an underwater cocoon as the water spun faster. Then her eyes shot open, but those weren’t her eyes that were looking back at me.

Her eyes were black, the only white being the specks that softly glowed, which I realized looked like stars, but there was so much going on at once. I couldn’t focus on them for too long. Her hair grew longer, reaching down to her butt, as her legs from the hip down started to merge together, joining her legs as one. This by far was one of my favorite transformations as it all happened a bit more slowly than others, so I could see every detail as it changed, and yet it all happened so quickly.

Her legs and feet fused together as one, and a fin grew from where her toes used to be. Then scales began to form. Once fully formed, they gained a spectrum of color before becoming a mixture of blues and purples. Both arms went up above her head as her cocoon still spun rapidly around her, but I could see the gills as they formed behind her ears and both sides of her ribs. That which once held the place of a full nose became less predominant, slightly flattening to her face, while fins gracefully grew out of each forearm with hues of blue and green. The final transformation was when her skin took on a slight shimmer, making it look as if her caramel skin was mixed with silver. Even her hair had an unusual shine to it.

She was amazing. The bubbles slowed before stopping completely and releasing her from its captivity, and then I felt the fire in my lungs. I was too far from the surface, but I was going to try because my mind at that point wasn’t to think to tell her. Faster than a blink of an eye, I was in her arms as she happily gave me more air.

This was different than before. Her lips locked onto mine, like waves gently lapping the shore, but I got so lost in the feeling that I didn’t realize we were moving. We broke the surface of the water with such force and speed that we went into an airborne arch before breaking the surface and flowing smoothly back in. Quickly we moved through the ocean, passing by everything in a blur as if we were one with the water. This was a new perspective to a world I had never truly appreciated until now. We were passing by different colored fish, octopus, and jelly fish.

Her voice touched my mind, sending chills down my spine, as we slowed to a more relaxed pace. I can feel the energy of the storm that’s approaching. It’s not a normal storm, but it won’t affect us. I think I’m ready to talk now, but I can feel your body temperature, and I know exactly where your mind is right now.

We had come back to the surface, and she slowly swam backward toward the boat, with me lying on top of her. The clouds turned the sky black and angry, but I noted the feel of her body against mine before I pressed my lips to hers. My kisses became more aggressive, craving the feel of her tongue against mine, but she stopped me before I could get what I wanted. If she knew where my mind was, then why would she turn me away? I was getting frustrated with no answer.

One hand caressed my cheek. Her fingers were webbed, and I was forced to truly look at her face, guided by her hand.

Frustrated, I said, What?

My attitude was clearly showing, and she smiled at me, showing me the points of her teeth, each razor sharp. She stuck her tongue out at me and called me spoiled. The length of her tongue had me feeling some type of way as she laughed at me. But then the wind started to blow hard, and I started to shiver. Her face went blank.

Amirah, do not freak out, but I think I’m the reason for this storm. Maybe it’s my anxiety or my restlessness. I’m going to put you on the boat so you can go and get out of these wet clothes and get warm. Tell Efee. Don’t freak her out either, but I think my way will get us there a whole lot faster. I feel like a part of me is a key, and the lock is coming to me.

I honestly don’t know how she did it, but she climbed up the side of the boat with no effort and placed me in the same spot we had originally jumped from. Our clothes were still lying there. Gently she kissed my lips before she pushed off the boat and landed in the water without so much as a splash. My limbs tried to keep up with me as I grabbed everything, threw on her shirt, and took off running down the steps and toward the captain’s quarters, a.k.a. Efee’s room.

After I banged on the door with urgency, it opened in no time, but Efee was calm like nothing could be that bad and I was just overreacting. Then I started rambling, and Sonny and Amethyst came up behind me.

Devin said she’s the key and the lock is coming to her. She said she will get us through now instead of the way you’re going.

Efee’s eyes looked like they were about to come out of her head by the time I finished as she found the only words she could.

That’s impossible!

With that being said, we all took off running down the hall to get back up the steps, but the way the boat lurched backward and forward caused us all to stumble, which let me know it was too late. I was able to get back on my feet, but the boat started spinning clockwise before abruptly changing to counterclockwise, pinning us up against the wall. Crawling toward the steps was not easy, but I made it and forced my muscles to push against the high winds as the water began to sting when it hit my skin. Panic hit me when I reached out to her, calling her name frantically, and got nothing, not even a feel of her energy nearby.

I finally reached the top of the steps, leaving everyone else pinned to the wall as determination pushed me to her, but nothing was visible once I got up to the top. It seemed as if we were in the middle of a hurricane or a tropical storm as the motion of the boat continued to speed up and the rain started to feel like I was being pelted with rocks. I had it all under control until my foot slipped on the top step, and all I could do was grab the rail and cling to it in hopes of not flying off into what had now become a vortex. Everything around me became a blur, and I felt like I was expanding and stretching in ways my body shouldn’t. I think maybe at some point I blacked out.

How long my eyes were closed was something I honestly didn’t know, but I heard birds chirping, and I felt dry and smelled the scent of sweet flowers in the air. This wasn’t right. It wasn’t the ocean water I smelled before I blacked out, so I quickly jumped up. I still couldn’t feel her, and everything was off, including my balance. When I hit the edge of the boat, I noticed my surroundings. We were no longer in the middle of the ocean but by a dock of high-quality hand-carved wood and a large archway. The archway looked as if its carvings could come to life. It depicted the different nymphs and the gods and goddesses of nature and creation. I took everything in as quickly as possible to get my bearings before I noticed the crowd forming farther down the beach. Something wasn’t right. You had a strange boat here at your dock, but you were down there with the crowd getting bigger. And I still couldn’t feel her.

Efee, we gotta find Devin. I can’t feel her.

She yelled up the steps, We’re here! I can feel it, so she has to be here.

She lifted herself up off the floor. Before she could say anything else, I jumped down from the boat and onto the pier and took off running toward the archway leading to the beach.

I heard Efee’s voice in my mind: The energy here isn’t…

As I broke through the archway, my link to her was severed. My speed was slowed to a normal pace, but it didn’t stop me from running as fast as I could to get to the crowd on the beach. Closer to the crowd, I could make out the silhouette of a body lying motionless in the sand, so I pushed my body until my legs felt on fire. Once I closed the distance, I slowed to a fast walk. Then I was awed by the most beautiful women I had ever seen as they surrounded Devin, who was lying on her back on the beach in what she had on before she shifted. I had no time to be self-conscious about having on her T-shirt and panties.

Snapping out of it, I finally noticed Hazel on the ground beside her, one hand on Devin’s forehead and the other on her chest, but before I could go to her, a hand was placed on my shoulder. Turning to my right, I was face-to-face with a woman whose beauty made me lower my head in respect, knowing just from the feeling of her energy that this was the monarch and, from her facial features, clearly Hazel’s mother.

My child, the concern you have right now isn’t necessary.

At her words, immediately my body calmed, and my thoughts quieted.

She performed a ritual to open the gates that many here don’t have the key to and others still have yet to master. It was our realm’s test of will and strength to see if she was worthy of being a key. In a way, she overexerted herself, but Hazel, being our strongest healer, should have her on her feet soon. Come and take a walk with me while the others are being shown to their quarters from the dock.

When she said it, I turned to see Efee, Amethyst, and Sonny being guided off the boat, which was now properly docked with multiple people carrying all of our belongings. The monarch walked toward a wooded area, and when she drew close, a path opened up to her. All I could do was allow my curiosity to guide my steps as I fell into step beside her.

Amirah, I’ve heard so much about you, and it is an honor to finally be in your presence. But I must ask you why you haven’t been honest with Devin about what’s going on with you.

We walked into a garden with multiple species of brightly colored flowers all around, some I knew and others I had never seen before, not even in books. There were butterflies, bees, bugs, and all kinds of animals at peace, eating and playing together. There was a brook nearby, and she led me to a bench where we could finish our currently one-sided conversation.

What makes you think something is going on with me?

She smiled at me, her energy quite serene. Everything about her was perfect as I really took her six-foot-one frame in. It was as if she had been hand-sculpted from the earth for years before actually being given life. There was this glow about her, almost a shine to her dark chocolate skin, and she had the perfect almond eyes that had a shade of every color under the sun swirling throughout them. It took a moment to really truly appreciate her beauty as I noticed the way here hair flowed like the waves of the ocean down her back. She placed her hand on mine, which let me know just how focused I was on her beauty and also that I was staring.

Has Devin told you of our history together or of her history with Hazel?

I nodded. She gave me an outline as we journeyed here, but she hasn’t really been herself since—well, since she sacrificed herself for us.

She almost lost you both and was left with giving herself completely to save you, so have you stopped to think that maybe she was displeased with her performance or the situation as a whole? That maybe she feels inadequate to protect those she cares about after almost losing you? It could be that she feels guilty because the history of everything you guys just dealt with all falls back on her and she’s still learning who she is. You have to put yourself in her place and know that in her mind, she’s thinking of all the ways she could’ve changed the outcome and all her mistakes.

At this point, we had full eye contact, and I watched how each color swirled and had a moment to shine brighter than the others. It was as if she was seeing through me, like she could read my emotions and see my aura and maybe even my future.

Yes, I see the color of your aura. I feel your emotions through touch and can pick up on some of your more concentrated thoughts. You can ask me anything you would like later, but I would like to get back to my original question. Why have you not told her of your changes? My daughter told me your aura was indigo, but after Devin sacrificed her life force, she noticed the color in your aura begin to change before she left to come home. I can feel the power coming from you, and I feel the presence that you work diligently to keep to yourself. Your aura now is intertwined with threads of silver, my child.

I was stuck. She read me like a book, and we never had a conversation. I blurted out the truth, I’m scared to tell her, knowing she’s stressed, and I want to make her feel better about all this. I don’t know how. How can I tell her about Diamond when I know she already has so much on her plate?

I felt the warmth of tears roll down my face because I knew this was something I had been holding onto by myself for a few of weeks now. This was a secret, and in the past, we never kept secrets from each other. But I didn’t know how this would affect her life when she sacrificed so much already.

My child, she spoke softly as she wiped my tears away, you are not alone in your feelings as my daughter has kept her secrets from you as well. You and Hazel should talk and come up with a solution for communicating your concerns with her and then learn to harness these changes as I feel they will be necessary in the future. She made me look up and into her eyes again. There may be some things she is trying to piece together as well. She has never been able to unlock my front door. After everyone is settled in and fed, I will arrange for a peaceful moment where everyone can relax and release. They’ve placed Devin in your quarters, which is actually her old bedroom, but I have summoned for Hazel to meet us here. For now, I will leave you to your thoughts, but please try to keep an open mind.

With that being said, she rose from her seat and walked toward the trees as they gently swayed and parted for her. The only thing that came to mind in that moment was how I was stuck in this garden with no way out. I didn’t want to entertain any other thoughts right now, but I craved to be near Devin, knowing I had lost the urge to cuss her out for what she did earlier.

Hey.

Not one to be startled, I turned around slowly, knowing the sound of Hazel’s voice before seeing her face. She sat down beside me without making eye contact, but she was taking me all in as if for the first time.

Your hair is longer, almost as long as your mom’s hair.

Devin had described her to me, but nothing prepared me for my first encounter with her. Her head was down at first, but when she looked at me, I took a deep breath, knowing we had a lot to discuss. Her eyes were no longer the lavender they used to be as I felt myself swimming in a color I could only describe as turquoise with specks and streaks of violet.

That’s not the only change I’ve experienced since that night. I can feel what she’s feeling, not her thoughts, but her stronger feelings to her weaker feelings even with her wall up. The biggest thing is, I can tap into her beasts, all of them, and talk to them, but I asked all of them to keep it a secret until I talked to her. There’s so much we need to figure out, but I understand why we both have hesitated. So show me your new friend.

Well, umm, I haven’t actually shifted with her, but she’s there, and she’s like the complete opposite of Sapphire’s temperament. Either way, I have no power here. I have no way to shift.

"The archway you came through removes everyone’s powers unless my mother deems them an ally and she gives them their powers back. Only nymphs are able to pass unaltered through the archway. When my mother touched you on the beach, she released the block and used the