One Heart's Journey

I want to thank my editor Aviant for the fantasic job she has done and her helpful advice.

My heartfelt thanks also goes out to Lostchicken for helping me when I was in need.

One Heart's Journey

Nikita Fraser sat staring at a drab grey wall, but she didn't see it. She sat in a cold uncomfortable chair, but didn't notice. The pain of her loss was so overwhelming that she just felt numb. Nothing going on around her registered. There were people chattering in the background. She couldn't tell if they were talking to her or not. Her world had been shattered and she couldn't think or feel anything.

She was alone in her own personal hell.

A warm hand on her arm had her turn her head, and stare into the warm brown eyes of a woman with her own blank, ice blue eyes ones.

"Hello Nikita. My name is Mary Brown, and this is Ely, my husband. We are going to take you home with us sweetheart. You are going to live with us while we look for any relative you might have."

That was what the woman said, but Nikita heard what the woman was thinking. 'Poor child, losing both parents in that blaze. I wonder if she has any other family. She is so beautiful, I hope we can keep her.' She heard the thought as clearly as if the woman had spoken them. Nikita had a lot of hidden abilities she had to keep to herself. Now that she was all alone, it was even more important to keep the family secrets.

I want to go home. We should never have left the family to come and live here,Niki thought. I'm scared. I need to go home, but I don't know where that is. It had just been home no one had ever mentioned the location. Even the phone number was never written down. Mom and Dad just knew it. How am I going to go home? I can't tell anyone about the family.

All these thoughts ran around in her grief laced mind as she was led to a pale blue sedan. She had not uttered a word since being told of her parent's death just a few hours earlier. At just ten years old she found herself lost in a world of strangers.

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

The years passed slowly, and every night she had the same dream. She would be walking through the gardens of the mansion she and her parents had lived in so happily for ten years. She was talking to her mom just days before they moved. Telling her that she knew that Joshua was her mate. That Joshua would wait for her to come to him when she grew up. Then she'd hear his deep, velvet- smooth voice. "Come to me, my angel, I am waiting for you." It was usually at this point she woke up.

She would lay there thinking of the last time she saw him. At that time she didn't notice his looks much. Now with her new adult eyes, it did tend to make her appreciate his assets more than when she was little. He had long, jet- black hair he tied back with a black leather band. He has black eyes that shine like black diamonds. Broad shoulders that taper down to a trim waist. Muscular thighs and firm butt. Tall and drop dead gorgeous. His looks reminded her lot of Hugh Jackman in Wolverine. She also remembered a sizable bulge. He had been wearing tight leather pants with a black silk shirt at the time.

She shook her head and went to shower and dress. She was meeting her friends at their favourite coffee shop. She arrived early and sat at their usual table. She was glancing out the window at a couple sitting on a bench in the park opposite the coffee shop. Her thoughts were drifting back to Joshua when her best friend Leslie came in.

"Niki, hi! Looking forward to the two week trip?" Leslie was stunning with her short, chestnut hair and sparkling, hazel eyes.

"Yeah, can't wait to get there. You must be looking forward to spending the two weeks with your other half," Niki replied with a smirk and a wink.

"Oh most definitely, Justin is really keen!" She chuckled "Although, I think it is mostly that we will share a bed that has him so excited. No looking over his shoulder in case the parents come home early. Never mind that we're 24 years old," she said, rolling her eyes. "Of course, I feel the same way."

"Ah-Huh, the fact that he is gorgeous of course that has nothing to do with it. The short- cropped, chocolate brown hair or those brown doe shaped eyes, you keep staring into."

"It's possible that has something to do with it," Lesley agreed, blushing.

"Here comes the dynamic duo! They look pretty keen to go as well." Niki watched her other two friends approach through the window.

It always bought a smile to her face when she looked at Candice and Grady. They were just so opposite in appearance. Candice, with her sky blue eyes and honey blonde Farrah Fawcett hair, while Grady had deep ocean blue eyes and jet black spiky hair.

"Hi Can! You two ready for our trip?" Niki asked when they joined them.

"Can't wait to get him alone in the middle of nowhere. No nosy parents wanting to know when we will set the date."

Justin was the last to arrive. "Hi everyone, sorry I'm late," he said as he planted a kiss on Lesley's brow.

"Well, just one more day and we are out of here. How about we meet at my place. Dad is letting me borrow the van. You can all leave your cars there and we'll leave around six am," Niki said.

It was to be their last trip together before she left the small town she had lived in for fourteen years. She was taking a position in a large firm in another state. That night, she sat at her computer and keyed in Black Narcissus, Inc. It was the name of the firm she would be working for as an IT tech .

What came up shocked her to the core. There, listed as owner, was the name Joshua Braddock, along with a picture of him. It was her Joshua, she couldn't believe it. The blurb said he was an eligible bachelor who always had a beautiful woman on his arm. She swallowed through the lump in her throat. The pain at seeing those words had a tear sliding down her cheek.

Did he think she was dead too? Had he decided she wasn't worth waiting for? Didn't he feel the pull of the bond as she did? She needed and longed for him. After taking note of the phone number, she closed down the comp and went to bed, dejected. As she lay between the sheets, she tried to think rationally. It had been 14 years since she disappeared. She decided that she needed to be proactive instead of falling into self-pity.

The next morning, she rang the number and tried to get hold of him. The secretary would only let her leave her name and number, telling her she would give him the message when he had finished his meeting. She gave her real name of Nikita Fraser, not Brown, and her cell phone number. She paced her room, packed her things for the trip, and paced once more. When her cell did ring it made her jump.

"Hello, Nikita speaking." The deep velvet tones she was so familiar with said. "Niki? Is that really you? It's Joshua."

"Hello Joshua, I hope my call didn't disturb you," she said in what she hoped was a detached sounding voice.

A deep sigh came through the line. "God, Niki, I can't believe it's really you. I've looked for you for so long. How are you? Are you okay?" Niki felt her heart contract at his soft, sincere tone and wished she could see his face. "I'm okay, Josh. From your bio, it looks like you have no shortage of women after you," she said in what she hoped was a teasing tone, while she was clutching the phone receiver so tightly she felt it might crack in her hand.

"Don't believe what you read about me, angel. I want to see you. No, need to see you."

He always used to call her angel. "Actually, I am going to start work for Black Narcissus as the new IT tech in just over two weeks."

"Of course, Nikita Brown, I didn't make the connection. No wonder I couldn't find you. Can't you come here now instead of waiting so long?"

"No, I am going to spend the next two weeks with my friends. We are staying at a cabin in the mountains. I will be leaving town after that. This is my way of saying goodbye to them."

"Niki, do you know about the bond we share?"

She smiled, "Yes! You are my mate. I've always known that you and I were meant to be together. When I read the blurb about you, I thought you might think me dead and moved on."

"No, I think I would have felt it if you had died. I was afraid that you had moved on without realizing who I was. I can't wait to see your beautiful face as an adult."

"I actually look like a mirror image of my mom now except for my eyes they are all dad."

"I can't tell you how shattered I was when the news came through of the blaze. I loved them both so much. I can only imagine how stunning you must look now."

"I can remember how you look with perfect clarity," she said softly.

She heard his breath catch. "Be careful, angel or this will end up being one of those calls if you know what I mean," he said huskily.

She giggled through tears, "I have missed you all so much. I have wanted to come home for fourteen years. I only found your number last night. I long to be there with my family, and not have to hide what I am. It's lonely not having anyone around you that shares your secret."

"It's going to be alright angel. I am sending Zania with a helicopter to you in two weeks. I love you Niki."

She could hear the emotion in his voice and she was sure he was also shedding a tear.

"I don't want to hang up, but I have to go. I am leaving first thing in the morning for the cabin. I love you to Joshua, I dream of you every single night. I can't wait til I get there."

"Ok, my heart. I will let you go for now, but once you are here I will never let you out of my sight again."

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

The next morning, she kissed her parents goodbye and hopped into the van with her friends. She let Justin do the driving. They had to leave the van at the ranger station and hike to three hours to the cabin. The three-bedroom cabin was spacious and very homey with a large bathroom and and a large main room with a fireplace. A sofa and comfy chairs sat invitingly near the fireplace. The kitchen was just off the dining area with a solid oak table and six matching chairs. The gleaming wooden floors were adorned with colorful rugs and .there was even a sat phone so they could keep in contact with Leslie's parents.

After settling in, they went for a walk down a long winding track to the beautiful lake nestled amongst the trees. There were a few large boulders on the far side close to the forest. They sat on them and enjoyed the view and the peace of the place.

"This place is spectacular. Your dad is a lucky man to own the cabin up here, Leslie," Grady said as he cuddled Candice close.

"Yeah, we used to love coming up here when we were kids." She smiled and snuggled into Justin's embrace.

"Niki? Do you have some place you remember fondly from when you were growing up?" Justin couldn't miss the sadness that crossed her face when he asked that.

Nikita sighed. "Yeah there was a place where my biological parents and I lived for ten years. It was magnificent and had the most amazing gardens. I loved living there and long to go back. They were the happiest years of my life. I was surrounded by family and felt loved and safe there."

Leslie stared at her wide eyed. "What do you mean your biological parents? We've all known each other since we were twelve years old. You mean the Browns aren't you real parents?"

"My real parents were killed. The house caught fire while I was at school; arson was suspected."

"Wow Niki, I am so sorry for your loss. How old were you when this happened?" Grady asked.

"I was ten. I remember everything as if it was yesterday. I actually look like my mom but have my dad's eyes." She felt the tears escape at the memory. She found herself immediately surrounded by a pair of warm arms. Leslie had her in a comforting hug. With her empathic abilities she could feel the love emanating from her friends.

Both the guys took in her silky, waist length, blue-black hair, her ice blue eyes and luscious, trim, athletic body. Trying to lighten the mood Grady said, "Your mom must have been drop dead gorgeous then." He received a painful elbow in the ribs from Candice for that comment. He quickly added, "Not as stunning as you, my love." He smiled at her lovingly.

Back at the cabin, they sat around the fireplace enjoying the company and atmosphere. They chatted for hours, keeping the topics light. They headed to bed well after midnight, all totally exhausted.

Nobody had noticed the black wolf watching them. Alpha Andrew Monroe kept to the shadows. He had been watching the humans and his niece since their arrival. The sharp intake of breath when he first caught sight of Nikita was an indication of how shocked he was at seeing her. She was the spitting image of his twin sister. Now that he was Alpha, he would not allow anyone to hurt her as his father had tried to do fourteen years ago. At the time he had been helpless to stop his father giving the order for his sister and her family's death. He had been overjoyed that his young niece had escaped the blaze that had taken her parents. He loved his sister dearly and was devastated at his father's decision. It was only after his father's death that he had been able to revoke the order. He watched them enjoying themselves for over a week before his chance finally came.

Nikita was taking a morning walk on her own. She sat on a boulder closing her eyes and enjoying the peace. She felt his presence and heard his thoughts. The first day she had been frightened until she heard his thoughts of the love he had for her mother. That it was actually her grandfather that had ordered her death and that he had since revoked the order. She sighed, remembering how beautiful her mom was as a wolf. She remembered complaining to her because she couldn't change to a wolf. Of course, now she knew she took after her dad. She was more vampire than wolf; something she didn't mind.

"Are you going to spend my whole time here hiding from me, Uncle Andy?"

He stepped out of the trees in his black wolf form in case someone came out of the cabin. He moved slowly not wanting to scare her.

"It's okay, I'm not scared. I can feel your emotions and read your thoughts. I have been reading your thoughts since we got here. If you prefer we can speak telepathically, that way no one will over hear us."

"You look so much like my precious Felicity, I am so sorry for what my father did to you."

"He did it to you too, Uncle, you loved my mom too. I would like to see you in human form before I leave . Being her twin, you must look so much like her. I miss her so much."

He walked over, licked her face then laid his head in her lap as she sat on the grass with her back against a boulder.

"When you leave this place, Nikita, will you allow me to visit you sometime?"

"I haven't been back to my vampire family since my dad moved us to the small town that they died in. I will be going back for the first time when I leave here. I never knew how to contact them and couldn't tell anyone anything about me. So have kept all my abilities a secret. I will make sure they allow you to come and visit me. Mom used to talk to me about her twin brother and I have always wanted to meet you."

"Hold on a sec." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. "Ok what's your number? She smiled at him. "I'll have Joshua call you himself to give you permission." She rubbed the fur behind his ear.

They stayed that way for some time enjoying the closeness of family; reveling in it. "I'd better go, my sweet Nikita, before your friends come looking for you."

"Will you come back tomorrow? Please." She couldn't hide the pleading in her eyes. She needed the family connection. He licked her face and gave a nod before disappearing into the forest.

For the next few days, this became a daily ritual. The day before they were to leave, he came as a man dressed in a pair of faded jeans and t-shirt. It was like seeing a male version of her mother. It was too much; she leaped into his arms and sobbed. All the grief and pain she had stowed away came rushing to the surface and she fell apart in her uncle's arms. He understood her grief as he too felt it as he held her tight. Both grieving the loss of the one person they both looked like and loved. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours but was only about twenty minutes. Snuggling in each others arms, comforting each other, until the tears finally stopped.

She leaned back looked into his eyes and smiled. "Thank you. I needed that. It's the first time I have been able to express my grief." His replied in a husky voice "Me too." He hugged her and kissed her brow. "Make sure you ask Joshua about me visiting you." She nodded and watched him disappear into the forest as she went back to the cabin to pack for the return trip.

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

They pulled up in her parent's driveway. There standing in their way was a beautiful woman with short white hair and ice blue eyes . She jumped from the van the moment it stopped and ran into her aunt Zania's open arms. 'You smell like dog, are you alright sweetie?' She smiled and hugged her tightly. 'Yeah, I'll tell you about it later.'

"I explained to your foster parents how I have been looking for you for fourteen years. I told them I wanted you to come home to your family. They didn't argue with me. They know we love you and that you need to be with your family. So, sweetie, pack your clothes say your goodbyes and let's go. Joshua is waiting for us to come home."

Niki turned to her friends, hugging each one tightly. . "I'm sorry I can't stay and say a proper goodbye. You all mean so much to me. I don't know how I would have survived without you guys. I love you all so much I told you how much I missed my family, and now I have a chance to be with them again. I promise to call you every day."

"It's alright Niki, we understand and we'll keep in touch." She went inside to bid a tearful goodbye to her loving second parents and then packed a few personal effects. When she got back outside there was an SUV waiting. Standing next to it were two men. She squealed and ran, throwing her arms around each of them planting kisses on their cheeks. She turned to her friends who were looking on in astonishment. She smiled "These are my uncles, Derick and Daniel." She beamed.

Leslie looked at the men one had scruffy ginger hair and green eyes and the other was bald and steel grey eyes and warm smile. They both had well muscled bodies women drooled over. She had never seen Niki so happy. It filled her with joy knowing her best friend was finally going home to her family. Although she would miss her every day, she was happy for her. She went over and wrapped her arms around Justin for comfort as her friend left.

They drove to a private airfield and climbed aboard a Bell Long Ranger helicopter for the long flight home. She filled Zania in on what happened at the lake and meeting her uncle. That he was now the Alpha of the pack and how much he had loved his twin sister and her. She also said that she would seek permission from Joshua for him to visit her. They landed on the helipad near the front of the mansion. Joshua came out to greet them. He swept her into his arms holding her tight and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. "Hello my angel." He whispered in her ear. "I have been waiting for you my precious love."

They stare at each other in awe. Then she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him even closer. She swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled up at him. "I have been looking forward to see you again. Only this time as an adult. I have been dreaming of you for years."

"Really good dreams, I hope." He chuckled when he saw her blush. "Oh now I am really curious about those dreams." He was overjoyed to have his mate home.