Destiny Bites

Chapter 1

Author: Reshenna Andrews

After almost a year of nail biting tension, the Serenveigh heir let his body relax totally for the first time. Leaning his head against the small plane portal, Luc let a relieved smile cross his face. He was finally safe. His months of careful plotting had worked.

Breathing deeply, Luc gave a heartfelt sigh and let himself feel a bit of excitement. He was heading to a place where he was going to be able to live the way he wanted. By the time the money he painstakingly squirreled away ran out, he would be dead and his family could waste away the rest of his legacy without him being mentally pulled into different directions by their greed.

His smile slipped when he thought about Michael. He had truly thought the man had loved him. He had thanked his lucky stars he had never mentioned his plans to his lover. He had been so paranoid about his plans being accidently leaked, that he had kept all his plans in his head. Nothing had been written down anywhere and no one was privy to his thoughts.

Finding out that Michael had just been using him had been a blow. So much of one that Luc had been bedridden for two days after finding out. He had never let on what had caused his illness to flare up and had been proud of his ability to act like nothing was wrong. He had actually been grateful that he could use illness as an excuse to avoid intimacy. Although Michael had been surly, he had not pushed. It wouldn't be good for his money tree to sicken and die.

Shaking his head to dispel the sobering thoughts, Luc focused on the adventure he was now on. Even though he knew he only had a couple years to live, he was finally going to be able to live for himself. There was no one to dictate his every move anymore.

Athough that pleasant thought allowed him to sleep some on the plane, Luc was exhausted by the time he got to Sidney. Loathe to call attention to himself, but knowing he would not make it on his own steam, Luc had the crew call ahead for a wheel chair.

Giving the stewardess a smile of thanks, he let himself be taken care of. They would take care of him because it was their job and then forget about him once he was out of their sight. He hoped. That was a concept that was decidedly preferable to his falsely doting family playing their games. He would recuperate on his own time and at his own speed before venturing out into his new world.

Luc was so pleased with himself, that he unconsciously smiled in appreciation of a gorgeous stranger before letting himself be bundled into a taxi.

Unknown to him, that sweet smile started a chain of events that would turn his life completely around.

*****************

Jerrod stood looking out the hotel window with a scowl on his face. Marcus was right. It was time to leave Australia. He had visited every city in the country and still hadn't found anyone worthy enough for him.

Glancing back at the woman in the bed, Jerrod just shook his head. Humans were becoming boring. They were all greedy, self centered creatures. They weren't even much of a challenge anymore.

Sighing heavily, Jerrod turned back to the window and smirked at his faint reflection. He still got a kick out of all the different ways his race was described. Writers throughout the years had made it much simpler for his kind to live in peace. In fact, he got a real kick out of proving vampires truely existed in this day and age. It was just a shame that those that knew that to be true were no longer among the living.

Chuckling at his own wit, Jerrod headed for the door. It was time for him to leave the area. Maybe he would join Marcus in Japan. He hadn't been to that area in over 60 years. There was bound to be someone or something that would give his life a little more excitement.

On the elevator down, he pulled out his cell phone and gave his secretary instructions on where to send his clothes. Waving the doorman away, he opted to walk to one of his favorite hunting grounds. He had plenty of time to make his flight and he really needed to work off some frustration. Grinning in anticipation, Jerrod headed to a small park where he could usually find a thug or two just waiting for a victim.

Halfway through the park, Jerrod hit the jackpot. Two strong looking, shaved headed punks were approaching him with feral grins on their face. Coming to a standstill, as if he was just beginning to realize the dire situation he was in, Jerrod let the punks come to him.

"Well, well. Lookie what we get for dessert. I bet he's got a good hunk of change for us too."

Jerrod almost gagged as the tallest punk got right in his face. When he tried to move back from the smell, Jerrod realized that the other punk was now behind him as his arms were grabbed tightly from behind.

Turning his face away, Jerrod complained, "For hell's sake, quit breathing on me. You stink!"

Growling, the punk grabbed Jerrod's chin and forced his face back around. "What did you say?"

Suddenly loosing his appetite for a good fight, Jerrod moved. Pulling his face away, he turned and dropped the punk behind him first. Swinging back around to the smelly one, Jerrod grabbed his throat and held him up off the ground. "I said for you to quit breathing on me. You stink!"

Eyes wide in fear, the punk barely had time to register that he had made a horrendous mistake before he joined his partner on the ground.

Jerrod curled his upper lip in disgust and kicked the unconscious form and grumbled, "I should kill you for spoiling my fun. Now, thanks to your foul breath, I will have to wait and play at another time."

Kicking the punk once more just for the heck of it, Jerrod straightened out his shirt and headed out of the park. It was getting to the point that the bad guys weren't much fun anymore. He just hoped that Japan had a better breed of humans.

By the time he arrived at the airport, Jerrod was back in good humor. He had to admit he was looking forward to visiting Marcus again. He and that crazy werewolf could always make their own party. That was one of the things he really enjoyed about his friend. They both liked the same things and they never seemed to run out of ways to enjoy their time together.

Smiling slightly to himself, it took a moment for the almost blood red hair catch his attention. When it did, he stopped to watch it's progress towards him. At first he thought it was a child, but, as the crowds parted, Jerrod could see that it was someone being pushed in a wheel chair.

As more people moved out of his way, Jerrod's breath caught in his throat. It was a man. Although Jerrod could see that the redhead was ill, that did not diminish the fact that the man was beautiful.

Standing as if he was made of stone, Jerrod could not take his eyes off the human. There was something about him that made Jerrod feel as if he were being drawn by a magnet. This human was special. Why and how, Jerrod didn't know. But there was no denying that the redhead was special.

As if he could feel the weight of Jerrod's stare, the redhead lifted up his head and looked directly at him and smiled.

Jerrod felt as if he had been pole axed.

Swallowing hard, Jerrod watched the redhead get bundled into a taxi. Plans of traveling to Japan, flew right out of his head. There was a new game in town and he wouldn't miss it for the world.