Page 51 of Of Flame and Fate

Johnny bows his head, that same sense of defeatism claiming him as heavily as before.

I stiffen. “Wait . . . you’re not going to kill him, are you?” Gemini doesn’t answer me. “Are you?” I press, barely believing it.

“Whether he lives or dies is not my call. Nor is it the decision of the Pack,” he replies. He continues forward, leading Johnny down the dark path and toward his impending doom. He stops when he realizes I’m not following. “Taran, we have to get him to the Elders so they may summon the witches.”

“Sotheycan kill him?” Un-freaking believable. “What do you think they’ll do, babe? Burn him at the stake? Drown him? Nothing like a good public stoning, is there?”

He rubs his goatee, muttering a curse. “Ines who leads the French Coven, and Genevieve will decide what’s best.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because he’s one of them, and as head witches to the most powerful clans, they rule on behalf of their kind.”

He takes me in the longer I stand there. “As part of the Alliance, thewereswill be allowed a say,” he adds, his way of attempting to placate me when I don’t move.

When he saysweres, he means the North American Were Council, in addition to Gemini’s pack since he was the one who seized him.

“And how will you decide?” I ask.

My chest tightens as his features steel. “I will decide as I always do, in favor of our world, and for the greater good.”

The traffic along the highway finally lifts, allowing the caravan of cars to speed up. Their engines roar, the drivers anxious to put space between them and the arena.

I remain still, refusing to move. “He’s just a kid,” I say to Gemini. “Not a shapeshifter, and not one of their twisted followers.” I motion to Johnny. “Look at him, he’s barely a man.”

Gemini is the logical one, the one who’s able to stay reasonable even when I’m losing my mind. For the most part, I welcome his sensibility, it keeps me sane after all. I don’t welcome it now.Sometimes, it’s not enough to use logic and reason. Sometimes, you need to follow your heart and allow it to guide you to do the right thing.

“He’s not just a kid, Taran. He’s a young being of power who will keep getting stronger in ways that could potentially destroy us.”

“You’re acting like he’s a villain bent on taking over the world.”

The look Gemini hits me with lodges the breath in my throat. “Is that what you think, that he’s the new threat the Alliance has been worried about?”

“I don’t know,” he states, his intensity building with each word. “What I do know is what history has shown us, that when Fates and Destinies appear within the same lifetime, darkness rises and evil is reborn.”

“This has to be the most blatant display of over-exaggeration I have ever heard,” I insist, turning in Johnny’s direction. “I mean, if we’re all still alive, their presence can’t be that bad, can it?”

“Actually, it can,” he replies. “The most devastating earthquakes, cyclones, and tsunamis have been linked to the coexistence of Destinies and Fates. They’ve also been tied to the appearance of dark ones so savage and murderous, the world has come close to obliteration.”

I stop moving. “So you’re saying the natural disasters that have occurred over these last two decades, and all the unexplained evil nasties we’ve encountered are the result of Destiny and Johnny being born during the same century?”

“No.”

I sigh. “Oh, good.”

“I’m saying they’re just the start.” He lifts Johnny’s arm, his effort minimal but enough to pull Johnny to the tips of his toes. “I can’t be sure if he is the new evil we’ve been anticipating. But the power he possesses could be what feeds the evil and ultimately gives our enemies the upper hand.”

“You’re assuming he’ll go all dark side or allow himself to be used,” I point out. “That’s not fair, the same could have been said about me and my sisters.”

“You’re different, and so are your sisters,” Gemini snarls, giving Johnny a shake. “Don’t allow your sympathy for him to blind you to what I’m saying. There’s a reason the witches pass the Law of Death to Second Fates and Destines born.”

“Come again?” I ask. “What the hell is the Law of Death to Second Fates or whatever?”

“I can tell you,” Johnny says. He huffs, rolling his shoulder and rubbing it when Gemini sets him down. “You don’t mind, do you, wolf? This is technically about me.”

Gemini doesn’t respond, especially when angry tears form across Johnny’s eyes. “As per Witch Law, the Destiny or Fate who is born first is revered and takes her or his place among the supernatural royalty,” he replies bitterly. “The one born after must be destroyed within the first year of life. Nice, huh?”

So his only mistake was being born. Damn.

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