Unbound Destinies Read online

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locals or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Published by Felicia Tatum Books

  PO Box 663

  Monterey, TN 38574

  www.feliciatatum.com

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any for whatsoever.

  First Edition Copyright © 2014 Felicia Tatum

  Second Edition Copyright © 2015

  All rights reserved.

  Cover by Whit and Ware

  Editing by Rare Bird Editing

  More books from Felicia Tatum:

  The White Aura Series

  Scarred Hearts Series

  Intoxicating Passion Series

  Dark Sorceress Trilogy

  Sign up for my newsletter for a free download of Entangled Souls!

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to my Nana. Thank you for reading my books and telling everyone you know about them! You are awesome and I love you.

  A note from the author…

  As The White Aura series came to a close, I found myself having a few very bittersweet moments. The White Aura was my first published book, my first brain baby, and ending the series was so very difficult for me. I hope you all enjoy the way everything falls together, and continue reading after The End for a special announcement about Sadie!

  I want to thank every single one of you that has been a fan of the series, of the characters. It’s so wonderful to have such loving support and it truly makes my heart happy!

  Dedication 5

  A note from the author… 6

  OLIVIA 11

  SCOTT 13

  OLIVIA 16

  SADIE 18

  SCOTT 21

  KYLE 24

  OLIVIA 26

  SCOTT 28

  SADIE 30

  KYLE 32

  OLIVIA 34

  SCOTT 36

  KYLE 39

  SADIE 41

  SCOTT 43

  SADIE 47

  OLIVIA 49

  KYLE 53

  SADIE 55

  SCOTT 58

  OLIVIA 60

  KYLE 63

  SCOTT 65

  OLIVIA 68

  SADIE 71

  KYLE 74

  SADIE 77

  SCOTT 79

  OLIVIA 82

  KYLE 85

  SADIE 87

  MARK 90

  OLIVIA 91

  SCOTT 93

  AIDEN 96

  OLIVIA 100

  SADIE 102

  SCOTT 105

  KYLE 108

  OLIVIA 110

  SCOTT 113

  SADIE 116

  OLIVIA 119

  SADIE 122

  AIDEN 125

  SCOTT 128

  OLIVIA 130

  KYLE 132

  SCOTT 135

  KYLE 137

  SADIE 139

  SCOTT 142

  OLIVIA 144

  EPILOGUE 145

  Olivia 145

  About the Author 148

  OLIVIA

  The cold, wet grass tickled my bare feet, and the dew settled on my skin. The fresh air filled my lungs as I inhaled deeply; serenity quickly followed. The weather was unusually warm for the end of December, the air cool but without the biting chill that usually accompanied this time of year. Watching the sunrise was my new method of relaxing and connecting to the earth. Something about seeing the sun reveal itself each day was refreshing, as if seeing it wiped everything from the day before away, leaving a beautiful new canvas awaiting the paintbrush of life.

  Things were hectic, and soon we would be leaving to fight Devlin. The thought was terrifying to say the least, but saving my family, Aiden, and myself overrode any fears trickling through my brain. I worried about Aiden every day, wondering if he was all right, if he knew what happened. When we first spoke, he had completely lost two years of his life, but since Aiden knew about the Crimson Calamitous now, would he do something else? Would he torture him?

  Would he let him survive?

  Then there was my mother. She was still being held by the council, but I desperately needed her. Kyle’s unbinding was unexpected. No one knew how to control him, how to help him. He gained the vampire half, while I got the sorcerer half, but it was odd I couldn’t see auras, yet he could. And I developed some of his super strength.

  The unbinding process was complex, and it was uncharted territory for us all. Why didn’t it work on me? And why did my unbinding trigger my brother’s? The possibilities gave me a headache.

  Try as I may to resist it, the negativity was often washed away by my love, my heart mate, my other half. I twisted the promise ring I’d received from Scott on Christmas day, allowing hopes for the future and the happiness of the day to wash over me. We’d finally made love, an amazing and pure experience I held dearly to my heart. Our bond was solidified that night, each day new developments arising from it.

  We were in tune like never before, our minds and bodies working as one. I knew the instant he walked in or out of the room, the building. The electricity between us was more intense than ever. One look and I could tell you what he thought on a subject. My body physically felt his needs and wants.

  I found out Scott was hungry all the time.

  His ravenous appetite drove me mad. My mind couldn’t wrap around why he ate so much, where he stored it, how he didn’t gain weight. He craved a meal more than I did. Of all the developments, this one drove me the craziest.

  Anna worked endlessly trying to help us all at once, often extending herself too far and growing tired. She fed Kyle the blood mix four or five times a day. No one knew if it was normal, if she needed a stronger concoction, or if it simply didn’t work.

  I desperately needed to speak with my mother.

  My concern ran deepest for Sadie. She’d become a recluse since Aiden was taken from us. Scott and I often found her sitting in a room, eyes void as she stared ahead. It was puzzling, since everyone swears they weren’t heart mates, yet she felt the effects of losing one. I said it was because she’d simply fallen in love, but the explanation was quickly laughed away.

  I knew she loved Aiden, even if she wouldn’t, or couldn’t, admit it to anyone. I saw it in her sad eyes, the way she wiped tears away when leaving her room. I heard her cries in the night. Her actions mirrored what I imagine would happen if I lost Scott.

  Finding Aiden was the only solution. Of Scott’s family, I was closest to Sadie, and I refused to stand by and allow her to wither away from her heartache. After everything he’d been through, I owed it to Aiden to not only find him, but to get him back to his family and his girl.

  I sank to the ground and felt the dew soak through my pants, but I didn’t care. I lay back, my hair flowing around me, and dug my fingers into the ground at my sides. The sun’s brightness assaulted my eyes at first, but soon they adjusted and the level of relaxation increased. Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, my chest puffing with air. Continuing the deep breathing, I washed all thoughts and worries from my mind, feeling an eerie calmness settle over my body.

  Until Scott jarred me from my moment, that was.

  “Livvie,” he called from the door, his voice harsh and laced with concern.

  Lifting an arm, I waved it around, “I’m fine. I’m here.”

  “Livvie!” he exclaimed, again, his voice demanding my attention.

  I sat up, the knot in my stomach growing by the second. “What’s wrong?”

  “We have a really big problem, Livvie. You gotta come in here, now.”

>   He reached me, offering his hand, and pulled me up. He held me close, his strong hand rubbing my arm as we dashed inside.

  SCOTT

  “Everyone has come unbound,” I told her as soon as we got back inside. The kitchen was full of my family, including Juniper and Mark. Everyone spent time at Grandma’s house now; the fear of being separated ran deep.

  “Who is everyone?” Livvie questioned, her green eyes large and wide.

  “Everyone,” Grandma replied. She stood, circling around the table and joined me where I stood. “Every single baby that was bound before their first year of life is unbound.”

  The room was quiet as her words settled. The revelation was terrifying, confusing, yet exhilarating. The council couldn’t rid a third of the supernatural world of its population. Livvie and Kyle had a pinch of hope.

  “What do we do? How do you know?” Sadie asked, voice dull. She no longer held the excitement for life she once did.

  Grandma looked to me and I to her. This was the part we were afraid to reveal, because doing so would change things for everyone. Nothing could go back to being the same ever again. She questioned me with her eyes. I glanced around the room, seeing our loved ones, and knew we must do this. We already had a full plate, but what was another helping? I nodded when my gaze reached Grandma again.

  “Someone has contacted me,” she started. “She didn’t tell me her name, only that her daughter Elsie has come unbound, and is in the same state as Kyle right now. The woman is a vampire, so she can help him. I told her to come here immediately, because even if we can’t help, we can get help for Kyle. I know you hate seeing him locked up, Olivia, and it pains my heart as well.” She reached her hand out, giving Livvie’s a gentle squeeze as she said the last sentence.

  Livvie had tears in her eyes as she nodded. They quickly turned to confusion as the thoughts flowed through her mind. “How can we,” she said as she moved her hand in a circle around the room, “help them?”

  “Well, for one, we can show them that becoming unbound is not a tragedy. You’ve survived, thrived even since becoming unbound. Kyle is struggling, but I know once he controls his blood thirst, he’ll be fine. Once the Council discovers what’s happening, things could get bad,” Grandma said. She looked around, her eyes settling over each of us, the intensity growing with each glance. “There could be a war.”

  My mother gasped and my father placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. Livvie didn’t react; she stared straight ahead, her eyes unmoving as her chest rose and fell with each breath. Sadie was much the same, the vacant daze once again clouding her dark eyes. I stepped forward, crouching in front of my love, and staring at her until I gained her attention.

  “Livvie?” I said her name softly, gently. Whatever was going through her mind wasn’t good. I felt the despair flow through me like liquid. The agonizing panic that took over my emotions was coming from her. I didn’t know why, but it didn’t matter. I had to calm her down.

  She peered through her thick, wet lashes. Her eyes were filled with tears, a few slipping down her cheek. “Scott, what happens if there’s a war? We’re down to three months. We have to find Devlin and defeat him or I’m dead. We can’t do this,” she sniffled. Her small body shook as she silently sobbed.

  Sadie stood, coming over to us. She gave me a classic Sadie get-away-look and pushed my shoulder.

  “Liv, look at me,” she demanded. She sounded more like herself in those four words than she had in months.

  Livvie gazed up, and I felt warmth rush over me. Sadie was calming her.

  “We will find Devlin. You aren’t going to die. I need you to snap out of this and help us. We have to save you and Aiden. Olivia, we can’t do this alone—we need you.”

  My love slowly nodded, finally gaining her composure. I no longer felt the intense swirl of emotions flowing through my body, so I knew whatever Sadie did, worked. She may not have used her power, but the power of her friendship and love instead.

  “Devlin is going to die,” Livvie finally said. Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits and she glanced at me, then around the room. “Are we going to help the unbound?”

  Her eyes found mine, the unspoken need to assist where we were needed evident. I barely nodded in her direction, letting her know I agreed. We may be to blame for the unbindings. Even if none were intentional, the council would put this all on Livvie’s shoulders. Even if we weren’t at fault, it wasn’t in our nature to ignore when someone needed help, but a whole community of people? There was no way we could allow them to fend for themselves. The council would destroy them all in a heartbeat.

  “Anna, when will the vampires be here? And what else is Elsie?”

  Grandma’s lips tightened as she shook her head. “I’m not sure. Her mother just said her vampire side was dominant. If we’re going to help the unbound…we’re going to come across many types of mixtures. I don’t know how we’ll keep track of them all.”

  Santos spoke from his spot in the back of the kitchen. My little brother was wearing down from Sebastian’s betrayal, his face permanently etched in a frown. “There’re plenty of us here. I’ll set up a system and we can keep records. We’ll need them for when,” he paused, gulping, “the council demands our reasoning.”

  Sadie jumped in, crossing to stand by Santos. “I’ll help you get the system in order, little bro. Let’s get going.”

  They left in a hurry, hunched over as they talked about what they could or couldn’t do. Grandma sprang to action, mixing Kyle’s blood concoction for Livvie to get to him. I hated her doing it, being near him when he was so unstable and blinded by his bloodthirst, but she insisted. I couldn’t do anything but stand by and watch his every move, ready to immobilize him if the need arose. He was coherent these days, but more than five minutes around one of us and his eyes turned completely red, his thirst taking hold as he would roar with hunger. We kept the door closed with a magical window in place for Livvie to speak to him, to see him.

  My love assisted Grandma in her mixing, learning as she did. Her father was evil and her mother a vampire, both gone when their children needed them the most. We knew we must rescue the latter, but until then, Grandma was the only guidance either would get in this new, magical world they were consumed with.

  I sat in the chair, thinking of all our problems while I watched two important women in my life bond.

  OLIVIA

  Balancing Kyle’s blood drink in one hand, I waved my palm over the door, the magic flowing through my body and transferring to the door. The spell was simple, and luckily Kyle didn’t possess any sorcery to attempt this on his own. It truly was strange how we were divided. So far, Kyle and I each possessed traits the other didn’t have. Would it always be this way? Had he gotten what abilities he did only because I didn’t? I was anxious to see how the other unbound offspring developed.

  The window slowly appeared, a misty glaze over the door allowing me to see in. Waving my hand again, I sent the drink to his hand, where he instantly attacked it with his mouth. He gulped it down in seconds, his eyes mad with his thirst. He continued to slurp, licking the edges of the cup when finished. I watched in horror, feeling Scott’s apprehension from where he stood behind the door down the hall. I knew he was there, he knew I knew he was there, yet he still gave me privacy to be with my brother.

  I truly loved him.

  Kyle’s head snapped up, his vampire side completely in control as his glowing blood eyes assessed me. “More,” he growled. His fangs grew the longer he stared at my neck, and I stepped back in fear. He cocked his head to the side, a smirk growing wide on his blood red lips. “What, are you scared of me, little sister? The big and powerful sorcerer is scared of me?”

  I shook my head, closing my eyes to block his face. He wasn’t himself. I must remember that. I lifted my hand, seconds away from closing our communication outlet. I peeked open my eyes one last time, seeing the red fading from him as he tried to shake off the monster i
n him.

  “Liv?”

  “Kyle? Is it you?” I cried, putting my shaking hand down. Relief flowed through me. The way he shifted from monster to man was terrifying.

  “Liv,” he said again, the red dimming and swirling with the green in his eyes, leaving them an odd mixture of colors. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to control this.”

  “I know. We have help coming, Kyle. There are others, and they’re on the way. We’re going to figure out how to get this under control,” I told him, sounding more sure than I was.

  “I need Mom. She knows what this is like,” he pleaded, his eyes searching mine intently. “I want to be around you all, to help you with this. I can’t last more than five minutes before your words are drowned out by the sound of your veins pumping. I have no idea how to stop this.”

  Tears welled up as I nodded. “I know. This woman called Anna this morning. Her daughter also came unbound. She’s on the way…she needs our help, but we’re going to ask her to help you, too. She’s a full vampire, Kyle, she knows about this.”

  He looked unconvinced as he gazed at me. “Are you ok?” he asked, and then the red began bubbling back to the surface.

  We didn’t have long. “Yeah, I’m ok, Kyle. Don’t worry about me. You need to only worry about you. Try to hold on as long as you can when you’re like this…please.”

  I saw his fangs descend into his bottom lip. “I’m trying, Olivia. I’m trying. I know I’ve been an awful brother to you. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s not your fault. Neither of us tried very hard. We will figure this out, and we will be closer.”