Obey Fate: Fated Duet: Book Two Read online

  Obey Fate

  Fated Duet: Book Two

  Copyright © 2019 Abigail Davies.

  All rights reserved.

  Published: Abigail Davies 2019

  www.abigaildaviesauthor.com

  No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form without written consent from the author. Except in the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a piece of fiction. Any names, characters, businesses, places or events are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, events or locations is purely coincidental.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you are reading this book and have not purchased it for your use only, then you should return it to your favorite book retailer and purchase your own copy.

  Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Editing: Jennifer Roberts-Hall

  Proofreading: Judy’s Proofreading

  Photo Credit: © Regina Wamba

  Cover Design: Pink Elephant Designs

  Formatting: Pink Elephant Designs

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Abigail Davies

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  ARIA

  It started with the tingling in my fingers. I stared down at my hands as it traveled up my arms, and then it dispersed throughout the rest of my body. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I was…feeling. I could physically feel the strength flowing through my body and making me stronger and stronger by the minute.

  A gasp left my lips at the sensation, and I glanced up at Cade. It was because of him. I’d been searching in all the wrong places to feel normal again. Nothing else had worked but the caress of his lips against mine and his whispered promises. I just hoped it didn’t dissipate this time.

  “Cade,” I murmured, but he wasn’t looking at me, his attention was focused on the door, his face draining of any color. I frowned at him and glanced over at the door.

  I wished I hadn’t.

  I wished I’d stayed in my own little bubble where everything was starting to feel okay.

  My eyes widened when I saw Miss Simmons standing in the doorway. Her gaze met mine, and I blinked. Had she seen what we did? Had she witnessed what we’d kept secret for so long? Her heels tapped on the floor as she stepped inside fully, and my breath caught as she closed the door behind her, the click of it ringing out in the otherwise silent room.

  “What are you doing?” Willow asked, her voice deceptively soft, but I could see the anger swirling in her eyes and the way she held her shoulders back. She wasn’t happy with what she’d seen, but the question was whether it was because me and Cade kissing was wrong or because she wished it was her.

  My fingers drifted to my lips as I remembered the way Cade’s lips had softly touched mine. My waist still burned from the feel of his hands on it even though he was several feet away from me now. I was caught up in my own head, not really understanding what had happened. Not until I shuffled on my seat and winced from the sharpness of the wound on my thigh.

  I’d cut again, but this time I’d done it in school. I never thought I’d go that far, but what made it even worse was Cade had noticed. I was losing myself, more than I ever had before, yet he was there, offering me his hand to bring me out of the darkness and back into the light. And now…now Willow was blocking the light.

  “Willow,” Cade started. He held his hands up in front of him like he was surrendering to her. “It’s not what it looks like.”

  She raised her brow, her blue eyes narrowing on me and then Cade. “It looked like you were kissing.” She paused, waiting for either one of us to say something, but when we were both silent, she continued, “But that can’t be right. You wouldn’t be having sexual relations with a student, would you, Cade?”

  “I—”

  “That would be absurd.” Willow laughed, but I could tell she was trying to convince herself she hadn’t seen what she had.

  “She…I…she…” Cade trailed off, and I felt his eyes burning a path over my skin. I flicked my gaze to his, my stomach dropping at seeing his dark-blue eyes focused entirely on me. It always felt like too much for me to handle when he stared at me like that. His eyes swirled, a muscle in his jaw ticked, and my heart beat faster. He’d made up his mind, and as soon as he took a step toward me, I knew what he was going to do.

  He’d made me a promise, and this time, he was intent on keeping it.

  But I couldn’t let him destroy everything he’d built just for me. His determination was as clear as day, but I refused to let him do it. I couldn’t let him take the fall. This was my fault. If I hadn’t cut at school, he never would have touched me, he never would have kissed me.

  Ford’s words echoed in my mind, the warning he’d given me when we were in the hospital. It wasn’t only about Cade losing his job. He would lose so much more than that, which meant I had to save him. I had to do to him what he’d done to me, even if it meant I’d lose him all over again.

  “It was me,” I croaked out. My hands flattened on my desk and the coolness of the wood seeping into my palms as I looked over at Willow. Slowly, I stood, bringing my bag with me. I was doing this. I was protecting the person I cared about most in this world, and I didn’t think twice about it. “I came on to him.”

  Willow blinked as if she hadn’t heard me, but I felt Cade move a step closer. “Aria,” he warned, his voice low, but it was too late. He may have broken my heart, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t the one who had made it whole in the first place.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Easton,” I murmured and stared up at him. I tried my hardest to convey to him what I was doing—that I had his back—but the swirl of his dark-blue eyes warned me against it. I knew the line I was drawing—but it was all for him, everything would always be for him. “I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you.”

  “You shouldn’t have,” Miss Simmons cut in, her voice razor-sharp. I turned to face her again, steeling myself for what she would say to me. “It’s girls like you who cause people like us to lose our jobs and ruin our reputation.” She stepped toward me, her shoulders pushed back. “I knew you were trouble the first time Jasmine mentioned you.”

  My nostrils flared at the sound of her sister’s name. Jasmine was good at getting people to believe in her and follow what she said, and it looked like it wasn’t any different with her sister. Either that or Jasmine had learned it from her to begin with.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered, not meaning it in the slightest. I’d never be sorry when it came to Cade. Never. “I shouldn’t have done it.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have. And if I had my way, we’d be marching to the principal’s office right now.” I heaved in a breath and hoped to hell she wasn’t going to. I could handle it, but it would mean Cade would be investigated and then— “But seeing as Cade is a very close friend of mine, I’m going to let this slide.”

  I swallowed against the lump in my throat as I soaked in her words. Were they close? Had I missed something? I frowned as I thought about when I’d seen them earlier today in the hallway. Her hand had been on his che
st…

  And he hadn’t moved it.

  My body begged me to turn and face Cade to see if my thoughts were true, but I knew I couldn’t, not if I wanted Miss Simmons to believe what I was saying. “It won’t happen again, Miss Simmons.” I took a step toward her. I needed to get out of this room, I needed to get away from them before my act wasn’t good enough, and she saw right through it. The thought of them being close was making me feel sick, and if I weren’t careful, my mask would slip, and she’d see the truth.

  “I know it won’t,” Miss Simmons replied, her lips curving up into a smirk. She was so sure of herself, and part of me wanted to blurt out what we’d done to throw it in her face, but it wouldn’t help the situation, so I simply nodded and walked past her.

  My hand connected with the cool handle on the classroom door, and I pulled on it. The creak of the wood echoed around us, and just as I was about to step out, I turned back one final time. Miss Simmons was staring at Cade, her mouth moving, but I wasn’t sure what she was saying because she was talking so low.

  His stare connected with mine, but it was locked down, preventing me from being able to see what he was thinking. He’d tried to bring me back from the brink, and he’d succeeded, but in the process, we now had a target on our backs, and I knew one thing as I looked at him.

  I’d never tell the truth.

  I’d lie to save him—to save us—even if it meant I’d never feel his touch again or hear his voice whispering promises to me. He’d rescued me from myself in this classroom, now it was time I did the same for him.

  * * *

  CADE

  My body was frozen, my joints locked in place, my muscles motionless. I’d let her take the fall. I’d allowed her to lie for me, and the worst thing was, I’d done nothing to stop it. I should have interrupted her and told Willow the truth, even if it meant going to jail and losing everything I’d worked toward.

  Because Aria was worth it.

  She’d always be worth it.

  But as Aria stared at me from the classroom door, her eyes clearer than they had been when she’d first entered, sheer determination shining in them, I knew I couldn’t admit what had happened to Willow. I’d made a mistake. I’d allowed myself to forget who and where I was. I’d given in to the temptation again, but I didn’t feel an ounce of remorse for it. The only thing I regretted was not following Aria out of the room as she walked out.

  She closed the door behind her and walked past the classroom windows, and my heart raced in my chest. It felt like so much more than her walking away from the situation. She was walking away from me, and I couldn’t do a thing to stop her, not if I didn’t want everything to explode in my face. She disappeared from view, and a finality settled over me. That was it. We could never go back, not now.

  “So pick me up at eight?”

  I blinked several times, trying to clear the fog around me. Everything was happening too quickly, and my mind wasn’t able to catch up. Minutes ago, I’d had my lips pressed against Aria’s. Seconds ago, I was making silent promises to her. And now I was here, more alone than ever.

  “What?” I frowned down at Willow and backed up a step. She was too close for my liking, and she knew that. She’d been cornering me every day for the last few days, but now she had something on me, and I wasn’t sure I could deny her advances any longer.

  The way her blue eyes swirled, I could see she knew what had really happened in here, but she was pretending. The only difference was Aria had covered for me, but Willow was doing it so she would get what she wanted.

  “You and me, Saturday night, a date.” Willow placed her hands on her hips and pushed her chest out. “You can pick me up at eight.”

  “I…I can’t this Saturday,” I told her.

  She was silent for a beat, her brows rising high on her forehead as she stepped away from me. Her movements were slow and methodical. “I guess I could just go and see Mr. Smegly,” she commented, her voice sounding bored. “Tell him what I saw in here.” She looked at her nails as if she wasn’t concerned. “I’m sure he’d be very interested in what I had to say.”

  She was threatening me, and there was nothing I could do about it. If I wanted to keep my job and not go to jail, I needed to go along with her. I had to follow the path she was creating, no matter how much I hated it. She had me backed into a corner, and it felt like there was no way out.

  “I meant…” I cleared my throat and shook all my thoughts from my head. Now wasn’t the time to get caught up in everything I was feeling. It was time for self-preservation. Time to slap a Band-Aid over the situation I’d found myself in. “I meant I have to look after my little brother and sister this Saturday. What about”—I stepped toward her and pulled my lips up into a grin, sure it would get her to melt—“next Saturday? I know a great Italian restaurant in town.”

  She smiled at me, her cheeks pinking as she replied, “That sounds perfect.”

  “Good.” I shifted past her and placed my hand on her arm as I did, hating the way her skin felt against my palm, but knowing that small touch would make her think there was more to it. She was playing a game, but she didn’t realize I was adept at playing them. “Are you leaving? I’ll walk you to your car.”

  I grabbed my laptop and pushed it into my bag then shouldered it. My nostrils flared as I pulled in a deep breath, preparing myself for the way I was going to have to act around her. I’d made my bed, and now I was going to have to lie in it, whether I liked it or not.

  “I’d like that,” Willow’s sickly sweet voice said, and when I turned, she was staring at me like I was her Prince Charming coming to save her. She was delusional, but so was I for doing this. Did I really think I could win at this? I wasn’t sure I would, but I’d try my damn hardest. If I had to pretend just so I could keep what Aria and I had secret, then that was what I’d do, whether I liked it or not.

  I waved my hand in front of us, signaling for her to exit first, and then I followed her to her classroom. She put an extra sway into her hips, and any other time, I’d have loved the way her skirt gripped her ass, but that was before…

  Before Aria…

  Before I’d fallen in love with her.

  Shit. Fuck.

  I couldn’t think about that, not now. Not while I was trying to push it all aside just to cover our tracks. I needed to hone in on my game face and not let a single crack appear.

  Willow collected her things, and together we walked down the hallway and out of the school. My gaze landed on the steps, the same steps Aria would sit on while she waited for her mom or Sal to come and pick her up after school, but she wasn’t there.

  My gut churned at remembering the last time she’d sat on the concrete steps. It was the first time I’d seen her scars—fuck, she’d cut today at school and I’d tried to fix her. I was trying to make her better when all she had needed was me to be there. I’d abandoned her after Ford’s warning, and I hadn’t stepped up when she needed me the most. I’d let her down, but more importantly, I was still letting her down. I was failing on all the promises I’d made—words I’d said and thought I’d meant, but I hadn’t followed through.

  I tried to steady my breathing as we halted next to Willow’s car and attempted to pull a smile on my face to mask the way I felt as I looked down at her, but I wasn’t sure how successful I was.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow?” I asked.

  She nodded and stepped closer, her hand landing on my chest as she lifted up onto her tiptoes and placed a kiss on my cheek. She hovered longer than necessary, and I closed my eyes. That was a mistake because the first thing I saw was Aria’s face. Her beautiful features with freckles dotted over her nose. I imagined her blush as I stared at her, and the way her eyes would spark when I touched her.

  But it wasn’t Aria’s lips pressing against the stubble on my jaw. It was Willow’s, a woman I would have wanted a year ago, but now held nothing to the woman I really wanted—needed.

  “Thank you, Cade,” Willow whispered
, and pulled away. I wasn’t sure what she was thanking me for. Maybe for saying I’d take her on a date, or maybe because I’d agreed to take part in her game—as if I had a choice in the matter.

  “You’re welcome,” I murmured and stepped back as she got into her car. I didn’t move from the spot I was standing in as she turned the engine on. I stayed glued to the ground as she reversed and exited the parking lot.

  Once I knew she was out of sight, I yanked my cell out of my pocket and clicked on my messages. I was typing one out and sending it before I even realized what I was doing.

  Cade: We need to talk.

  Aria: No, we don’t.

  I gritted my teeth at her reply and sauntered across the lot to my car. We couldn’t leave things the way they were. I needed her to know I meant each and every word I’d whispered to her. I needed to make sure she was okay. I just needed her.

  Cade: Yes, we do. I’m coming over to your place.

  Aria: I’m not there. Just let it be, Cade.

  Aria: Just let it go. She’ll never know what really happened. Not from me.

  I pulled my car door open and read her messages over and over again. I knew what she was saying, but I didn’t want to let go. I didn’t want to think about the possibility of her not being in my life. I didn’t want to imagine what my days would look like without her face in them. But I didn’t have a choice. I never had a choice, no matter how much I thought I did.

  Cade: Thank you.

  Cade: For covering for me.