Heart of the Guardians: Adoring Destiny by Adrianna Adore (best books to read for self improvement txt) 📕

“I’m not sure if I believe in that stuff,” Dana said, but was intrigued to hear what the woman said.

“You don’t have to,” she said and stroked the girls palm with a long finger. “It believes in you.”

She went on to tell her she’d have a long, happy life as she pointed out the different lines and what they meant.

“Your mount of Venus is thick and has many lines.” She said. “You are a loving woman with a big heart but I sense that heart has been hurt many times.”

“That’s modern love.” Dana quipped, but was a little disturbed that the woman had exposed her hidden fears. Had seen right though the mask of indifference. She acted as if it didn’t bother her that she’d never had a long-term relationship. She hid the feeling from herself most of the time. She had lots of friends who were boys, probably too many that turned into lovers but she had no one she was really friends with who also shared her bed. It was one or the other, she’d yet to find a boy who could be both, friend and lover.

The woman nodded but her eyes saw the truth. When she took Claire’s hand in hers, she ran a finger across her palm and told her much of the same general fluff that any fortune teller at a fair would say. Long life and prosperity, a difficulty she would overcome and burdens that she would learn to bear.

“You have an inner strength that you don’t know you possess,” she told her as she finished. “You are a fierce friend and both of those men would be fools not to pursue you ladies. I believe I see a night of dancing and romance in your futures. If the spirits tell me true, it will be soon.”

She gave them both a wide smile as a car made its way up the long drive.

“Your ride back to the city has arrived,” she said. “You two go collect your things, I’ll clean up here.”

She shooed them away when they tried to help and weren’t surprised when the same driver was waiting for them when they came downstairs.

He gave them a slight bow, gathered their suitcases and loaded them in the trunk as they thanked the woman for her hospitality.

“Where are we going?” Dana asked the driver when they were settled into the plush leather seats.

“To the palace,” he answered. “Master Frank said I should bring you to Madame Tarleton, she is preparing rooms for you.”

“We’re staying in the palace?” Claire asked.

“Master Frank?” Dana asked with a mischievous smile. “I think I like the sound of that.”

“I don’t know how to act in a palace,” Claire said, starting to worry. “Do you curtsey and bow a lot? Do you address everyone as my Lord or my Lady?”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Dana said. “We’re guests of honor. I wonder if they have room service.”

James met Dimitri coming down the trail as he was going up. He’d changed to his bear form so he could run up the path, his human feet would have been shredded by the rocks and brambles. He shifted back to his human form and pulled the tunic over his head. It was soaking wet with bear slobber where he’d been carrying it in his mouth. The Russian was in his biker leathers and didn’t seem to have a care in the world.

“I left your clothes at the shack with the rest of the injured,” he said. “They said they were going to fly them out with helicopters, some of the guards were pretty bad off.”

“Okay. Thanks,” James said and pulled the sticky part of the tunic away from his chest. “Where are you going?”

“To find a bar,” Dimitri replied. “And wait for them to come back out of the portal. Wait for word of their success.”

James nodded and seemed to be at a loss for words. He had something to say but it was hard.

“Thanks for the help in the cave,” he finally managed. “That thing was strong, if you hadn’t ham stung it, I think it might have gotten the better of me.”

“It’s because you don’t know how to fight,” Dimitri said. “You charge in like a bear, you fight like a bear and you almost got beaten by acting like a bear.”

“I am a bear!” James shot back.

“No. You’re a shifter who doesn’t know how to use his gifts,” Dimitri said. “You rely on your strength and power but there are dark ones from the other side that are bigger and stronger. You have to fight smarter.”

“I’ll not take instructions from a dog,” James said dismissively and turned to leave.

Dimitri took half a step forward and before James could react, he extended a single, black razor-sharp claw and touched his throat with it.

“This dog could have killed you just now,” he said calmly. “Ripped out your trachea, severed your jugular then watched your life pour into the dirt.”

James swallowed, stood very still, then watched as Dimitri lifted his other hand and five more long, curved claws seemed to ooze out of his fingers, razor sharp and wickedly curved.

“You have no idea how to use your gifts,” he said. “Your society of guardians have become soft, weak and pathetic. It’s almost as if you’re ashamed of the power and want to keep it hidden deep inside. You think you are less than human, that you are the offspring of demons, that you are cursed or damned. We do not think like that. We are more than human. If we survive the first change, then we embrace our other selves. We have learned control.”

He changed his eyes and they became yellow with black irises; his canine teeth elongated and became fangs for a second before he pulled in all the claws at once then stepped back. He appeared completely human again. A lanky young man with dark features and dark hair curling around his shoulders.

James took a deep breath and controlled his anger,