
Sealed by Fate
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Hayleigh White
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Chapter: 1: Sisters
PROLOGUE
ANNABETH
âSheâll be okay,â the young vampire reassures his sire, cradling the swaddled newborn girl his father hands him.
His gaze shifts to the mother, whoâs barely clinging to life. She weakly extends her hand.
âI need to see her,â she whispers.
The young vampire nods, moving to the motherâs side. He places the baby in her arms, watching as she kisses her newbornâs forehead.
âYou have a wonderful journey ahead of you.â She gazes at her daughter, tears streaming down her pale face.
âI love you, my sweet girl, but I canât be with you right now. When the time is right, weâll meet again. Until then, I want you to be happy and live your life to the fullest.â
She kisses her babyâs forehead one last time before handing her back to the young vampire. As he turns to leave, she calls out to him.
âYou need to understand something. Her life wonât be easy. Things will happen that we canât control. The most important thing is to protect her and keep her away from the Elders.
âDonât let them find out about her. Theyâll do everything to destroy her because of how special and rare she is.â
Her dark chocolate eyes are filled with trust but also grief as she watches him hold her baby girl.
A sense of peace washes over her, seeing her infant daughter nestled against his chest.
âIâll protect her with my life,â he promises, looking down at the beautiful baby and feeling something stir in his chest.
He canât identify the feelings but knows he wonât abandon this innocent girl in a world filled with so much evil, hate, and despair.
He wonât let such darkness touch her pure soul; heâll do everything in his power to keep her innocent and pure.
âSheâll never know fear with me,â he tells her parents, who look up with solemn faces, uncertain of their daughterâs fate.
But they know the promises made are true. Theyâve chosen wisely for their childâs guardian.
Heâll protect this little girl, his little girl, not only from the Elders but from all the worldâs evil. Heâll save her.
âYou canât stay with her. Being seen with you puts her in danger,â his sire says with a sigh. âItâs the only way to keep her safe.â
The young man knows better than to argue with his sire, so he bows his head in submission. He watches the final tears fall from the grieving motherâs eyes and feels her sorrow.
He remembers the time he watched his own mother cry at his funeral. He remembers the pain in her eyes. It was all too real.
âI know sheâs in good hands with you; itâs time to take her now.â His sire hands him a manila envelope with two names written on it, the names of her adoptive family.
âThese are all the documents the family will need for her. Theyâre also expecting you.â He nods and holds the baby girl closer to his chest. Heâll keep her safe if itâs the last thing he does.
***
âTessa, I donât want to go,â I groan. My best friend and younger sister, by a year, is doing her best to convince me to go to a party, but honestly, Iâm not sure Iâm ready.
âBut itâll be the perfect opportunity for you to get back out there,â she says, shimmying and winking. âYou know what they say about getting over someone, right?â
I know where sheâs going with this, but I decide to play along. âNo, but Iâm sure youâre about to enlighten me.â
Tessa shimmies her hips. âThey say the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.â She giggles.
âUm, thatâs not happening anytime soon,â I reply. My recent breakup with my boyfriend of six years, Rick, is still a bit raw, but it was necessary.
Our relationship turned toxic in our senior year of high school. He became controlling, disliking me wearing makeup or dressing in anything that showed any skin.
On top of being controlling, when I told him I wasnât ready for sex, he found it elsewhere, cheating on me. I donât know how many times. I was done. Iâd had enough.
Now that Iâm twenty and a junior in college, Iâve refocused. I know Rick will never change, and Iâve set my sights on someone new.
Rick and I were together so long that I never really experienced dating. Yes, Iâm still wary and not very trusting of men.
But for some reason, I feel like I can trust Kierran McAllister, the new guy at our school.
Heâs incredibly handsome, and his emerald eyes are so intense they draw me in.
I think back to a month ago when he walked into my English class. His eyes locked on me, and I canât forget how my body reacted to his gaze.
âAnna?â
Tessaâs voice pulls me from my thoughts.
âHmm?â
âWhat were you thinking about? Your face is all flushed.â
Sheâs right. Suddenly aware of the heat in my cheeks, I walk over to the mirror.
âOh, um⊠Itâs nothing,â I lie. âWhat are you wearing to the party?â
I should know better than to try to distract Tessa. Sheâs usually single-minded and has a knack for knowing when somethingâs bothering me.
âOh no, you donât, Annabeth!â she scolds. âYou were thinking about Rick again, werenât you? Sweetie, itâs been over two months! You need to get over him. You were the one who ended it, remember?â
I burst out laughing. I canât believe she thought my blush was caused by thoughts of Rick.
âAnna, are you okay?â
Seeing the concern in her eyes, I calm myself.
âTess, Iâm okay. I wasnât daydreaming about Rick, at least not in the way youâre thinking.â I roll my eyes. âActually, I was thinking about Kierran McAllister.â
At the sound of his name, Tessa starts dramatically fanning herself.
I walk over to my closet and say, âIf I decide to go out tonight, I need to wear something different from my usual.â
âReally?â She starts jumping up and down, clapping her hands. âFinally! My best friend has moved on, and with someone as ridiculously hot as Kierran.
âAnna, Iâm so happy for you. Heâs interested in you too, you know.â
I roll my eyes at her over-the-top reaction and scoff. âTessa, donât be silly. A guy like Kierran could have any girl he wants.
âLook at me. Iâm scarred. Iâm not the kind of girl someone like him would want, or anyone for that matter.â
I glance down, thinking about the scar on my right breast. Iâve accepted this ugly scar as part of me, a daily reminder that no guy would want a damaged girl like me.
The harsh reality is that I either go back to Rick or I end up alone, a spinster with a hundred cats for company.
Going back to that cheating, abusive jerk isnât an option.
Tessa fixes her dark-blue eyes on me. âAnnabeth, youâre beautiful. You deserve someone who treats you right.
âRick was a jerk, and he did terrible things to you, but you canât let him define you. Youâre Annabeth St. James, my sister, my best friend, and youâre amazing!
âKierran would be an idiot not to want you. Iâve seen the way he looks at you in class. Itâs the way he looks at you every day. Trust me, Anna, I notice these things.
âWhen youâre around, youâre the only thing he pays attention to. Heâs got it bad for you. But even if he doesnât, thatâs okay. You need to take some time for yourself.
âJumping into another relationship so soon after breaking up with Rick might not be the best idea.â
Tessa has a point. Itâs not like I want a relationship with Kierran, but maybe I could get him to notice me, the way a girl deserves to be noticed.
âYouâre right, Tessa. But I can promise you this. Nothing will happen between Kierran and me. Rick would make sure of that. Even if Kierran did like me.â
Tessaâs lips curl into a wicked grin, and I canât help but giggle.
âI have a feeling that Kierran wouldnât let âLimpy Dickyâ stop him from getting what he wants. And what he wants, my dear friend, is you.â
I burst out laughing. ââLimpy Dickyâ? Where did that come from?â
She grins again. âI hear things,â she says.
âAndrea told me she overheard Porsche telling the cheerleaders that the star quarterback couldnât get it up. She said it took her over two hours to get him off, and it wasnât great.â
âI should feel bad for Porsche, but she knew he was still with me.â I make a face.
âThatâs disturbing. Now Iâm going to have nightmares tonight, so thanks, Sis.â
âI also heardââ
I cut her off. âEnough, Tess. I donât need to hear any more about Rickâs sex life. Iâm disgusted enough as it is.â
âOkay, youâre right. I got sidetracked. I only brought it up to show you that youâre not missing out on anything. Now, Kierran, on the other hand, looks like he could be a sex god.â
âTessa! Werenât you just telling me to take things slow?â
She shakes her head, snapping out of her thoughts, and looks at me. âYes, I did say that, and I meant it. Move at your own pace, not his, and donât let him pressure you like Rick did.
âYou canât hide everything from me, Anna. The walls in this house arenât soundproof.â
Damn, she wasnât supposed to be home during those times.
I look at my best friend, waiting for her to say more about what she heard in my room, but all she says is, âI love you, Annabeth, and it broke my heart to hear what he would say to you.
âIt took everything I had not to come in here and beat the crap out of him and just comfort you.â Tessa is fighting back tears.
âI should have stepped in and taken you away from him. Remember how we used to comfort each other when we were younger?â
I nod. We used to build forts and hide. We would hold hands and tell stories about our future.
âI felt like I was losing my sister and best friend these past few years. You used to tell me everything, and then you just stopped talking and hanging out with me.
âI was about to stage an intervention with Mom, Dad, and some of the friends youâve shut out.â
She wipes away her tears, and Iâm shocked that she felt this way. I feel guilty for being so selfish. How could I do that to my sister, my best friend?
Tessa has always been the only one I could really talk to. No wonder I feel so stuck in my own world. Iâve shut everyone out without even realizing it.
âTess, Iâm so sorry. I didnât realize what I was doing. I promise, from now on, Iâll be there for you, okay? Tomorrow weâll have a girlsâ night, just like we used to.â
Her face lights up, and she smiles. âIâd love that. I get to pick the movie. The last one you picked kept me up for a few nights.â
I canât help but chuckle as I recall the film. âOh, please, Underworld wasnât that terrible! You were the one who wouldnât stop talking about having vampire babies with Theo James.â
Tessaâs eyes, as blue as the ocean, glaze over, and I can tell sheâs picturing those babies.
âWell, can you blame me? Theo is one gorgeous man. It would be insane not to want his babies.â
âTess, what am I going to do with you?â
She lets out a giggle, and my heart fills with joy for her. Itâs been ages since Iâve heard her laugh like that.
âTo start with, youâre going to accompany me to this party and have a blast. Itâs time to leave the past behind, Annabeth, and look ahead.â
âYouâve been cooped up in this room for the last two months, and itâs starting to smell.â She wrinkles her nose as if to emphasize her point.
âIt does not smell!â I protest. My room is the tidiest in the house because I canât stand clutter or anything out of order.
Sure, she teases me about it, but I donât mind. Itâs what works for me. âIf any room smells, itâs yours, missy.â I point an accusing finger at Tessa.
She grabs my finger and pulls me into her room. âFine, it doesnât, but I need you to come with me. I want to see you dress up and look sexy so you can feel good.
âItâs time to get rid of those awful clothes Rick made you wear. Letâs just say youâre shedding a layer of grime.â
âSexy? Iâm pretty sure thatâs not a word.â I giggle.
âI made it up.â She grins. âNow sit your butt down so I can do your hair and makeup.â
âYes, maâam!â I give a mock salute and sit on her vanity stool.
âAnna?â
âYeah?â
âBe careful with Kierran and, most importantly, your heart. I donât want to see you get hurt because Iâm not sure if you or your heart can take it again. Iâm not saying youâre weak.
âItâs just that Rick messed with your head so much.â
âI know he did, and I will be careful. I promise.â
âGood. Now on that note, youâre almost ready, and you look stunning. If Kierran doesnât notice you, then heâs blind and insane.â
âIn that case, I need the perfect outfit, one that screams here I am, so come and get me.â
Tessaâs face lights up; she grabs my hand and leads me to her closet. âI have the perfect one!â







































