All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical

embracing destiny

Origins – Episode 8

J.D. Selmser

Ottawa, Ontario

Copyright © 2015 by J.D. Selmser.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

Find out more about the author and upcoming releases online at www.jdsemser.com.

Contact me at [e-mail]

Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

Book Layout ©2013 BookDesignTemplates.com

Cover design @2015 Cora Graphics

Editing by S. Fournier & A. Fedotova

Smashwords Edition

Embracing Destiny Episode 8 - Origins / J.D. Selmser. -- 1st ed.

ISBN 978-0-9948147-7-7

Contents

Note To The Reader

Episode 8 - Damien

Cover preview Episode 9

About The Author

Note to the reader:

This is the first episode in my Origins series. This series is the softer romantic back stories to the characters that you find in my books. This is the first of a ten part serial that features my characters Damien and Destiny from my Immortal Obsession series and how their romance started. If you wanted to see how love grows strong enough to die for then this is where it all begins

episode eight

Damien

I opened the door not knowing what to expect. A ray of sunshine or a blast of frost, but the minute she smiled, my world became a little brighter. “Good morning, my darling,” she whispered before bobbing up and kissing me.

I was so relieved to hear those words that I could only return the greeting. She entered the room with cat-like precision, each step measured and specifically placed. My God, even her walk was sexy and the scent of her perfume that lingered in the air long after she'd passed was just magical.

“Darling, have you eaten yet?” She dropped onto the bed.

I was still too lost in her eyes to say much, but was able to blurt out, “Yes.” It was a white lie. I have eaten many meals in my life, and I only had a short time with her and didn't want to waste any of it. To me, she was a dream come true. But the problem with dreams is that they disappear long before you are ready to let go of them. The fantasy moves on, but your heart cannot let go. My cousin John had the same addiction. One kiss changed his life. Craving that one kiss made him a household name and millionaire, but it ruined his life forever.

As we strolled through the lobby of the hotel, I was amazed by how modern it looked with a shiny tiled floor that was so clean it almost glowed. Next to the elevator, tucked away in the corner, was the private bar meant for guests only. I hadn't noticed last night that it was designed to look like an Irish pub with wood walls and images of animals surrounded by green. Everything about this part of the world was nothing like I expected.

The cold Russian winter wind attacked us as we stepped through the doors onto the streets. Destiny huddled in a little closer. "My home is that way." She pointed off into the distance. "It’s a twenty-minute walk. Are you sure it’s not too cold?"

I smiled. "I am Canadian, after all, so I am sure that I can handle the cold here." I held her hand, already feeling the coming frostbite. The black leather glove on her other hand told me that she was probably freezing her fingers out of some kind of loyalty.

"You are wearing a thin jacket and must find it cold. I do not want you returning to Canada ill because of our harsh climate."

I slipped her glove out of her pocket and handed it to her. "Wait until you see my Canadian winter. Then tell me how harsh yours is here." She stared at the garment, looking lost. "Put it on,” I told her. “Your hand is freezing.”

Slowly, she slid her hand into the glove. “I want to feel your touch. Aren't your hands cold?”

I let out a laugh. “No, I have no real feeling in this hand and the other is tucked away in my pocket.” This was true. I had some nerve damage in my hand that made it tingle all the time, but killed most of the feeling. “And you will feel my touch for the next forty or fifty years if you want it.”

Destiny ran her gloved finger across my palm. “That fine scar caused this. You have strong soft hands. Quite rare for a man, I think.” She pulled it to her lips and kissed it. “I will always kiss it better, or at least try.” She looked up into my eyes. “And just how many Canadian winters am I going to experience?” The big grin on her face said, ‘I know your secrets’.

That was a slip of the tongue. Not that I didn't mean it, I just didn't want to show the lovesick puppy side of me to her. Everybody talks about love at first sight like it’s a common emotion. It’s more often than not lust at first sight that people mistake for love, then infatuation grows from there like a wild weed. I loved her, but it, for me, was caused by the sharing of emotions on paper and an email filled with pictures that said, "My smile is only for you." I gently touched her cheek. "All of them." She didn't voice anything, but the content look in her eyes told me that it was the answer that she wanted to hear.

We finally made our way through the snow-filled sidewalks and vast lineups of rushing traffic to four square, plain stone buildings. Little paths just big enough for cars to drive through were paved along the middle area with giant snow banks that were almost as tall as I was. “We only live in a little apartment. It’s not a big place like the fancy houses I have seen in pictures of your country, but it is very warm and comfortable. It’s my family’s home.” The front door was made of steel. When Destiny pressed the intercom, a loud harsh voice barked out something that I couldn’t understand, but when she responded, the door opened. As she stepped into the building, I pondered how high the crime rate must have been for the outside door to be made of steel like it was a fortress. I kept these thoughts to myself and just let them swirl around as we waited for the elevator doors to open. Once inside, I could hear the loud grinding of the motor going, listening to it struggle and jerk as it pulled us upward. The whole building was plain, but functional was all I could think as I looked around the corridor. My hotel room was rather lavish compared to Destiny’s house. Hell, back home, my house was considered to be a bachelor pad, which meant a dump to most people. But compared to the stiff functional hallways with paintless cement walls and a slightly rusted metal staircase, it was a mansion.

We stopped in front of an ugly brown steel door much like the first one. As the saying goes, you should never judge a book by its cover, and Destiny’s family’s home was a prime example. The door opened and I was pleased to see her mother’s smiling face welcoming us. “Come in. Come in,” she chirped as she seemed to bounce around the place. The walls were brightly colored and the inside was so clean and smelled fresh. A whole shelf filled with books went from end to end along the wall of the little hallway.

While I was busy being amazed by how comfortable their apartment was, Destiny had already taken her long jacket off and hung it on a hook on the wall. She turned to me and innocently stated, “Take your clothes off and hand them to me, please.” I was not sure how she could have missed the shock that must have filled my face. I had heard of close families, but this was something I never expected. Before I could say anything, she pointed to my jacket and asked for it again. I giggled on the inside as I thought about our continuous little communication problems, but this one would amuse me forever.

I followed Destiny through the house like a lost pet for the rest of the day. We talked and laughed so much that it felt like we had always known each other. I couldn't imagine my world without her in it. Just like heroin or any other drug, you get hooked and crave it, then it consumes you like cancer. With the exception of a few brief visits where her mother would say, "You love her," we were pretty much left alone. I was not sure if her mother was asking me if I loved her or telling me that I loved her, but either way, when I responded “Yes”, she took it as a promise to love her always.

After lunch, Destiny pulled out two tickets from her purse and held them up like they were precious gems. “You said you like the circus, and wanted to see a real Russian circus, so now we’ll go to see the circus. Ours is one of the oldest circuses in all of Russia.” She beamed with pride. I was amazed that she remembered I told her that I wanted to see her and a circus when I came. Destiny’s smile radiated. “I still think it’s childish for grownups to attend a circus, but your wish is my command.”

“And what if my wish is to kiss you every day?”

Immediately she responded, “Then you better buy a bigger suitcase to smuggle me back to Canada in.” She crept up and kissed me quickly as if she were afraid that her mother might find out. I grabbed her and pulled her close, kissing her forehead gently.

The circus was basically a rundown little building with a great domed roof. Not exactly what I expected, but nothing happened like I expected. As we entered and walked down a dim lit corridor, everywhere I looked, child after child ran all over carrying popcorn and balloons with various designs painted on their faces. I kept thinking that someday I would have to bring our little mini-me here and share it with him. I realized that my mind was planning a future that might never exist and pushed the thought from my mind.

With bright lights and a long drum roll, the entertainment started. First a woman rode a handsome white horse doing various tricks, followed by your standard trained dog act. Not amazing, but the company I shared it with was amazing. I was sure that other acts followed and that normally I would be thrilled to see them, but I was fixated on Destiny. Her smile, her eyes, everything about her was perfect to me.

Her eyes grew large and sparkled as the biggest smile that I had ever seen filled her face. It was like somehow, the happy schoolgirl that was hidden deep down inside burst out with excitement. That look made her even more attractive to me and as I looked around to see this source of excitement, I saw a giant white cockatoo driving a little motor bike. As she pointed, she squealed, “Oh my, how I love parrots! Look how adorable he is!” As she bounced around, adoring the parrot, I sat there adoring her. “Do you see how beautiful he is? Do you see?” If a parrot could make her smile this much, I would buy her a pair of the damn things. That's the problem with seeing one great smile like I had just seen. You see it once and then you find yourself trying to experience it over and over.

After the circus, I found myself alone at the hotel. It was only seven o'clock and I found myself thinking, ‘What kind of people go to sleep at seven o'clock? Well, maybe the Amish, but I’m pretty sure Destiny isn't one.’ I wandered the streets, admiring the peace monuments. There were lots of them, from a pigeon to an angel. I guess after losing so many men in the Second World War, the country needed monuments to honor the sacrifices of all the loved ones they lost.

A voice from behind me stated, “It’s called the Angel of Peace. It’s a very important monument here in our city. There are fifteen pieces in different cities throughout Russia but ours is the most important one." I turned to see the familiar smiling face of my baby-faced bartender. "I think, though, that you do not care much about our monuments.”

“Not really. I just cannot sleep and thinking that I flew all this way to drink in your bar is not a good thing, so I went sight-seeing.”

He shook his head. “Alone at night. Where is your lady friend? The one that I see coming to see you in the morning.”

“At home sleeping, I assume. Not here with me at least.”

“Were you expecting something different? Maybe her to spend every minute with you? I mean, at the hotel?”

“No, not really. I just expected more time- or maybe I expected her not to want to run away so quickly and easily.”

Coming next. Look for Episode 9

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

When J.D. Selmser is not too busy 'saving the world' or 'being awesome' he enjoys chasing sunsets and waterfalls. OK maybe he does not save the world, but he is always dreaming big and chasing those dreams wherever they might lead him. He is a hopeless romantic who traveled 1100 kilometer’s every weekend just to spend less than two days with the woman he is in love with until she was able to move to be with him.

Monday through Friday, he's an IT ninja, defending "the people and their computers" against nasty viruses and hackers. Wielding his mouse like a set of flaming nun chucks, causing most unwanted applications to shrivel back in shame. By night and weekends he is the king of scary monsters and romance sitting at his computer writing about endless love and those that grab hold of it and never let go, no matter.

Like most writers his goal is to put the pictures that are in his mind on paper and invite his readers on a heartfelt journey between heaven and earth and watch the war between Demons, Angels and a multitude of other creatures. As much as his readers tell him that his characters shock them so do his readers shock him too. The most evil characters are the ones he hears are the most interesting and some of the ones he thinks will be the most beloved characters are the most hated.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04