Cora's Kismet (The Twin Destinies Saga Book 1) (6 page)

Liam reached over, grabbed the phone off of the receiver and
put it to his ear. “Hello.”

He listened intently for a minute, said a brief “Yes, sir,”
then hung up the phone.

He turned to Cora and told her, “We’ve got to get you out of
here. They’re running down a lead, but they think whoever came here to abduct
both of you might make another try for you, while security here is lower.”

He could see how she tensed up at his words and her eyes
looked around the room, almost frantic. He reached up and smoothed back her
hair, coaxing her to look back into his eyes, so he could calm her down.

“It will be alright. Let’s go. There’s a car arriving to
pick us up in two minutes, we need to be ready for it downstairs,” Liam told
her, trying to be as reassuring as he could.

Cora seemed to calm down enough to nod her head and take a
couple of deep breaths. He found he respected her for pulling it together,
again, after everything that had been thrown at her. She was tough. He was
proud to call her his mate, even if she didn’t realize it yet. Although he was
beginning to suspect she was starting to.

Liam gave her hand a reassuring squeeze without letting go,
and they walked out of the bedroom. As they exited the room, they were flanked
by guards in all directions. Her safety was their number one concern. Her eyes
got bigger, but she didn’t say a word, just continued walking.

Just as they made it to the bottom of the stairs, they saw
headlights flash through the beautiful stained glass window in the front door
to the house.

One of the guards turned to them, “Wait here, we need to
make sure they’re from our team before you get in that car.”

Cora nodded, staying silent and wondering what would happen
if it wasn’t one of theirs. She gripped Liam’s hand tighter in hers and he
turned his head to look at her. She kept her gaze straight-forward, knowing if
she looked in his eyes again, she’d be lost, and neither of them could afford
that right now. Surrounded by guards, she felt like she was some important
celebrity, or dignitary, or something. In reality, she was just a girl.

The guard opened the door and shut it behind him with a soft
click, exiting, while another guard stepped up to stand watch. They were all
tensed up and ready for something to happen.

In a sudden explosion, shots rang out from the direction of
the car and she saw the guard, who had been checking the occupants of the car,
fall to the ground. Liam clamped his hand down over her mouth to stifle her
scream, while pushing her down into a crouch, as the remaining guards
surrounded them.

The guards steered them towards the back of the house and
down a staircase that led into a well-stocked wine cellar. At the bottom of the
stairs, one of the guards broke away and opened a passageway that lead to a
tunnel. The guards had started moving Cora and Liam into the tunnel when she
heard the front door break open with a loud crash. Cora wasted no more time,
rushing into the tunnel, and was relieved when the guard closed the door behind
them.

A flashlight was flipped on and a guard instructed for them
to move forward as quickly as they could go. The small group wasted no time
getting through the long tunnel and out into, what looked like, the basement of
a neighboring house. The guards secured the area and then moved them up the
stairs and out through a back door, into a waiting SUV.

Cora’s breathing was rapid as she tried to settle in and
wondered where they were taking her. She opened her mouth to ask, when Liam
shook his head at her. She closed her mouth and cuddled a little closer to him.

They drove for quite a while and it seemed, to Cora, they
were going in circles, before they pulled down a long winding road and stopped
on the side of the road where another dark SUV was waiting for them. Cora
turned questioning eyes up toward Liam, but again, he shook his head for her
not to speak. She would give anything to know what was going on.

After one of the guards verified the occupants of the second
SUV without incident, they were escorted over and loaded inside, where they
were taken for another long ride of driving in circles. Just when she thought
she was going to be dizzy, or sick, they headed off in a different direction.
It wasn’t long before they were at an airport.

Her eyes widened when they drove right onto the tarmac
toward a sleek, black helicopter, bypassing any and all security measures.

She looked back and forth between the helicopter and Liam,
wondering if they were going to be flying, or if this was a diversion of some
sort. She got her answer soon enough when she was ushered out of the SUV and
into the helicopter, and was buckled into the passenger seat before she could
blink. Liam took the pilot’s seat and placed the headset on. A guard placed a
headset on her as well, and she marveled at how cool it was to be able to have
this experience, especially with him.

The guards pulled back as Liam fired up the chopper and
lifted off from the ground. As they glided through the air, Cora’s eyes
remained wide open, taking in everything from the city lights to the stretching
fields and even a lake that glistened with the lights from nearby houses
shining down onto the water. Before today, she’d never even been in an airplane,
let alone experienced anything like this.

Liam glanced over at Cora several times and smiled to
himself. He was glad she was enjoying the flight, given everything that was
going on in her life. He wanted to show her the beauty in the world. Show her
life could be wonderful, gentle, kind and full of love. He wanted her to know
that no matter what happened, he would always protect her.

He refocused on the controls and landed in a remote clearing
near a cabin his family owned. Shutting it down, he removed his headset and
turned to remove hers as well. He then released his safety harness, jumped down
out of the bird and ran around to help her to do the same. Once she was
unbuckled, he helped her down and they took off across the small clearing, just
as the sun was starting to peak above the horizon.

As they approached the cabin, he placed a finger over his
lips and then pointed toward her and the ground, indicating she should stay
where she was until he’d cleared the cabin. She nodded not saying a word. He
pulled his gun from an ankle holster, checked it for ammo and took off up the
stairs. He paused at the door to unlock it, then pushed it open wide. When
nothing shot at him, or jumped out at him, he entered aiming his weapon in
every direction, before moving to another part of the cabin. Once he’d cleared
every room, he came back out and gripped her hand tight in his.

“Come on inside, I’d like to show you my family’s cabin,” he
said, with a small grin, as he tugged her hand, pulling her toward the door.

When they entered the cabin, Cora was charmed by its
coziness in an instant. This felt more like a home than the spacious mansion
where she and Viola fell asleep last night. The thought of Viola brought tears
to her eyes.

Liam noticed and pulled her into his arms and held her there
for a few minutes, as tears streamed down her face and sobs rocked her body
with the misery that came with the loss of her twin. When he was sure she was
steady enough, he pulled away from her and led her into a moderate-sized
kitchen that boasted modern appliances. He seated her on a stool at the island,
pulled out coffee grounds and began to brew a pot. The strong aroma filled her
nostrils and made her sigh in a deep breath. He could see the exhaustion all
over her face and the way she sagged against the counter.

“Come on, let’s get you into bed, you need some more sleep,
before you drop,” he said, helping her up with a gentle hand. It was a true
testament of how tired she was when she didn’t protest at all.

He guided her to the guest room at the back of the cabin and
got her settled in. She was asleep before he pulled the blanket up and tucked
it in around her. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. The tension that had been
clouding her face since he’d met her yesterday eased and made her look how he’d
always pictured an angel would look. Her dark eyelashes fanned out across her
high cheekbones and her chocolate colored hair fell down on the pillow, around
her head like a dark halo.

He couldn’t bring himself to leave the room just yet, so he
sank down in the chair next to the bed and watched her sleep. Before he knew
it, he’d dozed off himself.

Liam awoke to the clattering of pots, pans and dishes in the
kitchen. Jerking himself up to a full sitting position in the chair, he saw
that Cora was no longer in bed. With terror clutching his heart, he raced from
the room to find her in the kitchen moving around as if she was right at home.
That was when the smells caught up to him. She was frying bacon and sausage.
She had eggs sizzling in another pan and pancakes going in another one. Amazed,
all he could do was stand in the doorway and watch her cook.

It was a few minutes before she turned around and noticed
him standing there watching her. She dipped her head in embarrassment and said
a soft, “Good morning.”

“Good morning to you too,” he said, stepping into the
kitchen area with a wide smile. He hated seeing the embarrassment written all
over her face, she was trying to hide, so much he veered around the island and
stopped in front of her. With a gentle nudge, he lifted her chin up until his
eyes met hers.

They stood like that for a few minutes, locked in each
other’s gaze, until the smell of something burning broke them apart. The
current batch of eggs had to be disposed of, but he didn’t care. She started a
fresh batch, as he poured coffee for them both. He noticed it was not the same
pot of coffee he’d brewed before they’d fallen asleep. That pot had probably
turned to sludge and he was grateful she’d thought to brew a fresh pot for
them.

Once Cora was finished cooking breakfast, they sat down at
the island together and began eating. After tasting some of everything he
looked up and flashed a thousand watt smile at her.

“This is the most amazing breakfast I’ve had in a very long
time,” he said happiness in his voice. “Thank you.”

She dipped her head in embarrassment again. He lifted her
chin and forced her to make eye contact with him and repeated what he’d said
before, with even more passion in his voice. When she tried to look away again,
he held her chin in a firm grip. He wouldn’t let her look away from him again.
“Don’t do that Cora,” he demanded in a low voice.

“What?” she asked, her voice so quiet he almost didn’t hear
her.

“Don’t shy away from me. I meant what I said as a
compliment, not to embarrass you. I’m honored you decided to cook for me. I’m
proud of the fact that you felt comfortable enough in my family’s home to do
this. That’s how I want you to feel.” He put his fork down and turned to face
her while never letting go of her chin or losing eye contact with her. “I don’t
know if you feel it yet, but I feel this bond connecting us, as if you’re my
mate. Nothing has ever made me happier, Cora. I want you here. I want to be by
your side at all times. Can you feel that?”

Cora didn’t say anything at first as surprise clouded her
gaze. She stared at him, with wide eyes, as she processed everything he’d said
to her. She was quiet for so long he began to worry.

“Cora?” he questioned.

“Yes, I do feel it. I wasn’t sure at first, but the longer
I’m around you the stronger I feel it. No one has ever made me feel as safe as
you do. I’ve never been this weak girl you’ve seen. I think it’s because I met
you that I’ve been able to lose it and not hold everything back like I always
do. I’m scared though,” Cora finished on a whisper. He could see the true fear
deep in her eyes and his heart swelled at the thought she felt comfortable and
safe enough with him to let down her walls.

“It’s ok. I will always be here for you. You are mine and I
am yours, forever. If you’ll have me as your mate, I will move heaven and earth
to make sure nothing ever hurts you again. Your happiness will always be my
priority. Will you have me Cora? Will you be my mate?” Hope surged in his eyes
as they met hers.

“It’s all so fast. Isn’t there like a dating period, or
something, before you decide who you’re going to be mated to for the rest of
your life?” Cora asked with a slight tremor in her voice. He could feel her
fear and decided he needed to take it slower with her.

“We don’t work like that Cora. We’re different from humans.
I knew when I felt that electrical current between us we were intended to be
each other’s mate for life. I will understand if you need more time though,
this has all been a lot to take in,” Liam said, as he looked away. He didn’t
want her to be swayed into accepting him as her mate because she saw the hope,
and the possible hurt, in his eyes.

“Liam,” she said in a whisper. He kept his head turned away.
“Liam,” she said with her voice more firm, and reached out to turn his head
towards hers. When their eyes made contact she brushed a stray lock of hair
away from his forehead and then stroked her hand down the side of his face. She
leaned forward and when her mouth was just a breath away from his, she
whispered, “I don’t need more time. I know you are my mate for life. I feel it.
There has been no stronger pull for me toward anyone, than what I have toward
you.”

Before he could say anything, she kissed him. Not a quick
brush of the lips either. She melded her lips to his. When his lips parted,
hers did as well. Her tongue met every thrust of his, in a passionate dance
that rocked him to his core. Without breaking the kiss he pulled her to him. When
her chest was crushed against his, he reached up with one hand and twined it
through her hair, holding her head in place, as he deepened their kiss. Her
hands found their way up his chest and around his neck.