Page 1 of Beyond Fate

Chapter One

Damon drifted in a hazy state between slumber and consciousness as voices murmured around him. The last thing he remembered was fighting against an ancient vampire with his family by his side. The creature had used its powers and blown all four of them off of it.

But then the vampire had locked eyes with Damon, malicious glee etched on its face, and whispered a single word: sleep.

Now, he was in a state of weightlessness, uncertain where he was or what was happening. His wolf within him howled for him to wake up, but he felt trapped in this dreamlike state.

“Did it work?” a voice asked.

“We must give it time,” another voice replied. “He’s just been infused with powerful blood. His body needs to circulate it and absorb it.”

“You’d think it would give him a surge of adrenaline,” a third voice chimed in. “He should’ve jumped to his feet, ready to take on anything.”

“But we don’t know how this will affect him,” the second voice admonished. “I gave a very small portion of my power to his twin, and even then, he needed assistance in defeating Vicino.”

The vampire may have been defeated, but what about Damon’s family? Had they survived? He desperately wanted to know. He strained to open his eyes, but they refused to cooperate.

Suddenly, he felt a pulsating energy coursing through his veins. It started off as a gentle thump, but it was growing stronger.

His wolf was no longer howling. It was now growling and snapping its jaws, twisting around as if possessed.

Then, an overwhelming thirst clawed at his throat. A burning rush that caused his stomach to seize up and spasm. Damon screamed in agony, yet no sound escaped his lips.

At the same time, a strange sensation began to tingle in his back, spreading until it felt like a million ants were crawling over it.

What was happening to him? Why couldn’t he wake up, and who were these people around him?

“Son, come back to us,” his dad’s gentle voice pleaded. “Wake up, Damon.”

I’m trying, Dad!

“Fight,” Jaytee urged with a fierce growl. “Claw your fucking way out of there.”

His twin had survived. But what about Jax? Damon’s heart ached at the thought of losing his older brother. They may not always have gotten along over the centuries, but Damon would lay down his life for him.

“Wake up so Elvine can give you hell,” Jax said with a smile in his voice, but it also sounded as if he was holding back tears. “She’s been all weepy since we found you unconscious. It’s kind of scary not seeing her all fired up and giving us hell.”

Damon laughed through his tears. Jax was alive. His entire family had made it through the battle alive. They hadn’t been slaughtered by the horde of undead vampires.

But how?

A sharp, electrifying pain ripped through Damon’s body, causing him to scream and arch his back in agony. But still, no sound came out.

“Holy shit!” shouted Jaytee in astonishment. “He has feathery wings!”

“You gave him your wings, Nazaryth,” the second voice stated.

“I just hope he doesn’t accidentally fall off a cliff trying to use them,” someone, presumably Nazaryth, replied. “Flying comes naturally to me, but it may not be as easy for him.”

“It’s second nature to me, as well,” Elvine stated.

Damon had found the dark fairy entertaining before, but now he found her annoying for some reason. He assumed she’d protected Jaytee’s mate, or his twin wouldn’t be at Damon’s side.

Jaytee would be consumed with despair over losing his mate.

Damon needed to get out of this limbo so he could be with his family and figure out what in the hell was wrong with him.

Power whipped through him, helping him to break through the invisible surface and finally open his eyes. Damon immediately flipped to all fours and crouched, baring fangs instead of canines. Wings he’d never had until now shot out behind him.

---