Cora's Kismet (The Twin Destinies Saga Book 1) Read online

  “I guess. It kinda seemed like the two of you were into each other. It seemed like Cora thought the same thing,” Liam said with a shrug. He was trying, with a mounting desperation, not to feel like his brother was after his mate, but was failing.

  “Nah, it’s not like that. We tease and joke around, and that’s about it. Like I said, she’s like a little sister to me,” Sage said, looking at Liam. “It’s the same as being around Sassy.”

  “So get out there and date more. You’re not gonna find your mate sitting around here with all of us,” Liam said with a teasing sarcasm. “Unless you think one of us is your mate? Oh Sage, you are so perfect and wonderful, and I want to spend the rest of my life as your mate,” He said in a high-pitched voice, trying to sound like a girl to get under his brother’s skin.

  “You, my dear brother, are still an idiot,” Sage said with a small chuckle. “You are also so not my type.”

  “Are you kidding? I thought I’d be perfect for you,” Liam continued teasing. “My feelings are hurt more than you’ll ever know.”

  “Yeah, I’m so sure. I do need to get Cora over to the house now, or it’s going to be my butt on the line,” Sage said with a weary sigh. The last thing he wanted to do was wake Cora up when she was sleeping, and she looked so peaceful, but he knew it couldn’t be avoided any longer.

  “Hey, after you take her over to the house, do you think you could come back and help me get there? I wanna be there for her through this, and I think if you take me, the doctor might agree,” Liam asked before they woke Cora up.

  “I will ask the doctor on the way out,” Sage answered him.

  “No, I don’t want Cora to know. I want it to be a surprise,” Liam said and winked at his brother.

  Sage sighed a heavy breath and stood. “I’ll go find him now and ask before we wake Cora up. If he says no…”

  “Then I will sneak out and be there a little later than I’d like to be, but I will still be there for her. I’ve messed up enough, I won’t let her down this time,” Liam stated, interrupting anything his brother had been about to say.

  “You are not sneaking out of here and risking hurting yourself further,” Sage said with extra emphasis on the word ‘not’.

  “Either help me or watch me, but I am not staying in this bed during the unbinding ceremony,” Liam insisted, being stubborn.

  “Get over it Liam,” Sage stood his ground.

  “Just go ask. We may be arguing over this for no good reason. He may just let me go with a ton of conditions I have to follow,” Liam sighed out in frustration. If they kept arguing they would wake Cora up and the surprise would be blown.

  Sage stood and gave Liam a withering look before turning toward the door and exiting the room in search of the doctor.

  Liam sighed and leaned back into the pillows, trying to get comfortable and enjoy the last few minutes he had Cora in his arms before she had to leave him for the ceremony. He tightened his arm around her, and she shifted position a little in his arms, burrowing deeper into his side with a small smile on her kissable lips. He reached over with his other hand and traced his finger over her cheekbones, across her forehead, down her nose and around her lips. He couldn’t get the thought of kissing her out of his mind and decided that was how he’d like to wake her up when the time came.

  Soon, Sage reappeared in the doorway with the doctor in tow behind him. The doctor’s eyebrows rose in displeasure at the sight of Cora on the bed, half lying across his patient, sleeping.

  “So can I go for the ceremony Doc?” Liam asked, disregarding the look the doctor gave him.

  “I need to examine you before I can give you my answer,” the doctor said, avoiding saying anything about Cora. He raised his eyebrows as he waited for Liam to wake her up and get her to move.

  Liam turned his head to her and kissed her lips. She moaned and started to return his kiss as she began to wake up. By the time she was awake, Liam was grinning from ear to ear and broke off the kiss. She looked around and gasped when she found they weren’t alone anymore. She jumped off of the bed embarrassed, before Liam could tighten his hold on her to keep her there.

  “Uh, hey Sage. Doctor.” She nodded at both and could feel her cheeks turning red. She was so flustered to have been caught sleeping on Liam, and then kissing him with so much passion, when she hadn’t realized they’d had an audience.

  “What’s up Cora? Did you enjoy your nap?” Sage teased with a wicked glint in his eyes.

  “Uh, yeah, I sure did,” she said and looked back at Liam for help, but realized she wouldn’t get any from him, because he was still busy grinning from ear to ear.

  “So Doc, about that examination?” Sage asked becoming impatient. “We’ve got to get back up to the house for the ceremony, and Thomas would like an update on Liam’s condition.”

  Liam nodded his head in a silent thank you to his brother for not blowing the surprise in front of Cora.

  “I need you both out of the room for a few minutes, and I will let you know,” the doctor said in an abrupt tone.

  Cora nodded and leaned down to place a soft kiss on Liam’s cheek and gasped when he turned his head at the last second so her kiss landed on his lips. She pulled back before he could deepen the kiss and stepped further away from the bed, putting much needed distance between them.

  “I’ll be right outside if you need anything. I’m not leaving until I get that update myself,” she said and smiled at him, then turned and headed out the door with a smirking Sage following close behind. Too close behind for Liam’s comfort, but he didn’t say anything.

  The doctor pulled out his stethoscope and began his examination, while Liam’s thoughts were out in the hall with Cora, and not at all inside his hospital room.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  The doctor finished his examination pretty quickly and then sat down in the chair next to the bed to talk with Liam.

  “Your brother told me of your request to go to the unbinding ceremony this evening. I’m more inclined to tell you no, but somehow I think you will disregard my orders, based on the position I found you and your young lady in when I came into the room. Am I correct?” he asked Liam, direct and to the point.

  “Yes sir. She is my mate and this is a big night for her. I will be with her for it whether I have your approval or not,” Liam responded with open honesty.

  “And what makes you think I can’t stop you?” the doctor asked, a dangerous note in his voice. “Your welfare is more my concern than that of your mate. She will be fine at the unbinding ceremony.”

  “Not to be disrespectful sir, but my mate is my primary concern,” Liam responded, moving to sit further up in the bed.

  “You need to take it easy. You do realize you had internal bleeding correct? That is never something to be underestimated. I know you are still in pain,” the doctor responded in a gruff voice.

  “I do understand that. I asked for your consent to attend the ceremony, not to be released from care. I expect a long list of restrictions, as well as being required to remain in a wheelchair the entire time. I am fine with all of that, but I am not fine with missing something so important to her,” Liam told him, not covering the passion with which he spoke.

  “So if I consent and do what you want by giving you restrictions and an order to stay in the wheelchair, no matter what, you will abide by everything?” the doctor asked with a raised brow.

  “On my word of honor,” Liam said, hope flaring to life inside his chest. “If you want to make sure I do, just inform my brother of all restrictions and such. He’s such a hard ass he’ll make me follow them if I forget even one.”

  The doctor looked at him thoughtfully and stood, straightening his white coat, before nodding and heading towards the door. The doctor opened it and asked Sage only to enter the room. Liam frowned when he asked Cora to wait in the hall for just a few more minutes.

  “If I allow this request, may I count on you to see that my patient follows all of my instructions to t
he letter?” the doctor asked Sage, being very stern.

  “Yes sir,” Sage responded, nodding.

  “Good, then he may go, but he must stay in a wheelchair the entire time. I don’t care what happens, if he leaves the chair, I will speak with Thomas and have you reprimanded, is that understood?” The doctor stood face to face with Sage, staring daggers into his eyes.

  “Understood sir.” Sage spoke as if he was answering to a commanding officer, and for all Liam knew, he might be.

  “I will send a nurse back here with a wheelchair and a detailed list of restrictions that are to be followed to the letter,” the doctor said with a curt nod and walked out of the room, leaving the door open for Cora to come rushing back in.

  “Is there something wrong?” she asked, almost panicked.

  “No, not at all. The doctor just wanted to go over some things that are confidential with the two of us for a minute,” Sage told her.

  “Are you sure?” she asked, looking over Liam to make sure there wasn’t something wrong that she was missing.

  “Positive Sweetheart. Come here,” Liam said and reached his hand out to her. She walked over and took it in hers as she sat on the edge of the bed. She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss as Sage’s cell phone went off.

  “Oh damn. That’s Thomas, we’ve gotta go now,” Sage said, looking urgent.

  “Okay. I’ll come back down to see you after the ceremony is over, if I can. I love you,” Cora said, giving him a more lingering kiss as she stood up and headed toward the door.

  “Hey, is it alright if Sage meets you there? I need to ask him something,” Liam asked her.

  “Yeah, sure. I have no problem finding my way to Thomas’ study. See you in a few, Sage,” she said and breezed out of the room with a bounce in her step that had not been there when she’d arrived earlier in the day.

  “Well, that was easy,” Sage remarked with a grin.

  “Yeah. I could tell she wanted me to be there but refused to say anything because of the doctor’s orders to remain here for the entire week. I also heard it in thoughts she didn’t realize she was projecting,” Liam told Sage with a smile. “I’m going to love seeing her face when she sees me there.”

  “Well, if we don’t get moving, then you won’t make it there before her to surprise her. Where’s that nurse at anyway?” Sage asked, peeking out of the doorway. “Ah, here she comes with the wheelchair now.”

  Sage moved out of the way and a minute later the nurse entered just as Sage had predicted. She handed a stack of papers to Sage letting him know those were Liam’s restrictions and moved over to the bed to start unhooking his IV.

  “Uh, do you think that I can wear some regular clothes?” Liam asked the nurse while looking down at his bare, bruised legs.

  “That would probably be more appropriate,” she said with a nod and headed out to let him change.

  Liam swung his legs over the bed and looked up at Sage. “Uh, you don’t happen to have a spare set of clothes handy do you?”

  “Not at the moment, and I don’t recommend you using the ones you came in wearing, they’ve been incinerated already. Last time I checked, ashes aren’t in current fashion. Hold on a sec,” Sage said and walked toward the small closet in the room and opened it. “Bingo, I remembered grabbing a duffle bag that looked like yours as we were leaving Anna’s House of Horrors.” Sage held up the duffle containing Liam’s clothes.

  “Did I mention that you rock man?” Liam asked with a huge grin.

  “No, I don’t think you have. You may proceed to tell me though, if you feel you must,” he replied, dropping the duffle on the bed next to Liam and went back to reading the restrictions issued by the drill sergeant of a doctor.

  “Are you sure you want to go to this thing?” Sage asked, his voice becoming weary the more he read.

  “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Liam said, jerking his head up to eye his brother.

  “Well, it almost feels as if the doctor is setting us up to fail, because short of just sitting in that chair, immobile like a drugged zombie, you’re guaranteed to break one of these restrictions, and I’m gonna be reprimanded,” Sage said, looking up at his brother.

  “So why don’t we take the list to Thomas and show it to him so he knows the doctor is setting us up to fail?” Liam suggested, being his usual devious-minded self. “We’ll just nip that in the bud.”

  Sage shrugged and kept reading as Liam pulled clothes out of his bag. When Liam went to stand up to change, Sage moved over to stop him. “Wanna fail before we even leave this room?”

  Liam looked up at him surprised for a moment and then understood what Sage was talking about and stayed on the bed. Sage took the pair of jeans from Liam and slipped the legs over his feet and upwards, then left Liam to zip and button them. Liam took off the standard hospital gown and shrugged into a loose polo shirt that didn’t rub against his injuries too much, wincing as the movement caused more soreness in his injuries. Sage grabbed socks and shoes and placed them on Liam’s feet and double knotted the laces to make sure they didn’t come loose, because Sage could swear an untied lace was somewhere on that unreasonable list.

  Once Liam was dressed, Sage lifted Liam up as if he was a baby and placed him into the wheelchair. “Dude, I feel like I’m caring for a gigantic infant with all of these rules!” he swore.

  “Imagine how I feel,” Liam grumbled, but made himself as comfortable as possible in the chair.

  “Let’s rock and roll, we’re getting short on time,” Sage said, dropping the stack of papers down on Liam’s lap as he wheeled him out of the hospital toward the area where everything had been set up for the unbinding ceremony, which should be starting in about thirty-five minutes.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Cora entered Thomas’ study with a ball of nerves tightening her stomach. She had no idea how any of this worked and how she’d be able to handle her powers. She worried she would be a danger to those she loved, Liam being at the very top of that list, even though he had his own powers to protect himself with.

  Viola was already sitting there with Thomas and Angelica. Cora was amazed at how much Viola had calmed down in the last day or so, with the exception of her outburst at breakfast. Where she’d started out hostile and angry, she was now relaxed and easy-going. It warmed her heart to see Viola coming around.

  She walked over to the couch she’d sat on before, with Liam’s arms wrapped tightly around her, and felt so very alone. A pang of sadness stabbed her heart when she thought of him stuck in that hospital bed. She wanted him to be there for the ceremony so much, but didn’t dare say anything, because she knew it would only make him feel bad, so she’d kept her mouth shut.

  Saying hello to her parents and Viola, she locked her thoughts and emotions away, like she’d taught herself to do the many years she’d lived with Patrick and Anna and endured their constant abuse.

  “I’m sorry it took me so long, I’d fallen asleep and Sage let me sleep for a few extra minutes, then I waited while the doctor examined Liam to be sure he’s doing well before I came over here,” Cora said and got comfortable.

  “How is Liam doing?” Thomas asked, concerned. “And where is Sage?”

  “He is doing as good as can be expected. He’s still in a lot of pain, and rest is the best thing for him right now. Sage stayed behind because Liam needed to talk to him about something,” Cora said, even though she still blamed herself for his condition and his pain.

  Thomas nodded seeming satisfied, but Angelica noticed the look on Cora’s face and asked, “What’s wrong, Dear?”

  Cora shook her head, “Nothing, why?”

  “Stop blaming yourself Cora. You didn’t cause this to happen to him,” Viola said in a huff, recognizing Cora’s mood for what it was.

  “Shut up Viola,” Cora snapped and flopped back against the couch cushions.

  “Not until you get it through your thick skull that you are not responsible for this! Liam doesn’t blame yo
u, and neither do any of the rest of us. You are being stupid,” Viola fired back, irritated.

  “She’s right Cora. Nothing that happened was your fault, and you cannot go back and change a thing, so I suggest you put it out of your mind and concentrate on the here and now, because I can guarantee carrying that guilt around will make things much more difficult when you’re learning how to use the powers we are about to unlock. If you don’t have yourself in check, you will be putting us all in danger, Liam included. Is that something you can live with?” Thomas told her. She could see Thomas didn’t want to be hard on her, but was doing it because he was right and knew she needed to hear it. She nodded her head at him and worked on strengthening the internal walls she stuffed the excess baggage she carried behind.

  “No, I could never live with that,” Cora said. “I will pull it together, I promise.”

  “Good, now that we have that straightened out, we need to tell you what to expect during the ceremony, because going into this unprepared is dangerous, and we’ll need you to help by trying to control the power you are receiving. It won’t be easy because your bodies are not used to having the power flowing freely through them. Your training will begin tomorrow morning at dawn.” Thomas went into leader mode and began their meeting.

  Cora and Viola stayed quiet and nodded, somehow sensing they were not meant to talk at that time.

  “Now, when we are done here, you will go to your room and get dressed in the clothes that have been laid out for you, because this is an official ceremony. When you are done you will walk down to the council amphitheater. We will be waiting for you there. You will be introduced to many council members before being shown where you are to be positioned for your power to be unbound. Your mother and I will be down in the circle with you to perform the ceremony,” Thomas said, stopping to take a drink of sparkling water.

  “I know you both have to be nervous and that’s understandable, but you have nothing to worry about. There are more than enough powerful people who will be here to help, should anything get out of control. The two of you will be fine,” Angelica reassured them, but Cora heard the worry her mother tried to hide from her voice.