Eternal Bloom - Book 5 (The Ruby Ring Saga) Read online

  The priest smiled at me. “Do you take King Victor Fesque to be your wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health, till death do you part, if the Holy Church doth ordain it?”

  Just as I was about to say, “I do,” to the priest and the beaming Victor, already knowing how wonderful my life would be with him, a burst of light suddenly blinded me. When I opened my eyes, Victor was frozen like a statue. I looked at the priest, my lips trembling. “What’s going on? What’s happening?”

  “I need to talk to you for a moment,” said the priest, cocking his head as if to study my reaction.

  “Unfreeze him,” I begged. “Please.”

  “I will, but you must hear me out first.” Without waiting for my answer, he continued, “Think long and hard before you accept this marriage.”

  I cocked a brow, stumped.

  “If you marry this man, your life will be forever changed, fair maiden.”

  “I know that, but I-I love him,” I said, more determined than ever.

  “You love him? Victor is pushing you into a cold, meaningless, rushed wedding, nothing at all like the glorious ceremony you’ve dreamt of since you were a little girl.”

  “How do you know about that?”

  His gaze narrowed. “I know everything about you.” He motioned to the knights. “You are not surrounded by your loved ones, your friends and family. These witnesses don’t even really know you. Your parents are not here, and won’t they be heartbroken to discover that you wed without their knowledge?”

  “Sure, Reverend, Victor and I started out on the wrong foot, but things are different now, and—”

  The priest stared at Victor and cut me off. “I can see he’s very smitten with you, but we both know he doesn’t really love you.”

  “He doesn’t love me yet, but that’s because he’s only known me for a day. Victor is my soulmate, though, and over time, we’ll fall madly in love with each other.”

  “If you accept his ring, his hand in marriage, you will be become an Immortal being. You will be chased by Victor’s enemies, who will want nothing more to kill you.” His voice grew more intense. “You will lose your friends, your family, and everyone and everything you have ever known and loved. You will outlive them all and will watch them die around you like flies as the years wane away. The world you now know will crash down around you. You will never permanently live in your home again, and your life will be here in Tastia for the rest of eternity.”

  “I don’t care!” I shouted.

  “But you hate this world,” he said.

  “I don’t hate it. It’s just not...mine.”

  “I know the entire picture. You’ve already told Victor you won’t stay in Tastia. You’ve made that clear numerous times and have warned him that you will leave with your friends, that you’ll go back through the portal. You even told your sister that, but you changed your mind at the last possible moment.”

  I blinked. “How do you know all of this?”

  “I know your entire story. So what made you change your mind at the portal? Beth and Frank were waiting for you on the other side.”

  “I realized I couldn’t live without Victor.”

  “And now you regret that split-second decision!”

  A flash of anger cut through me. “No!”

  “If you are being honest with yourself, Sarah, you know you regret it.”

  I was furious at his blunt insistence that I regretted marrying my husband. I had never regretted marrying Victor, not for one single second. “I love Victor! I’d never regret being with him!”

  “Victor detests your world,” he spat. “Is your love strong enough to endure that?”

  “Yes,” I said as emotion flooded through me, and I meant it with all my heart. Victor was my life, my everything, and as I thought of him, I felt a love so overwhelming that tears slipped down my face.

  A frown crept across the priest’s face. “Sarah, there is no hope for you. You will die because of the unstable energy battling for control of your body.”

  “There’s always hope,” I said, with more determination than ever.

  He fixed his gaze on me, and he laughed. “Hope is a beautiful notion, but that is all. What if I told you I could give it all back?”

  I cocked a brow. “What do you mean? Give what back?”

  He looked at me for a moment, then said, “If you refuse to wed Victor, I could take you back home to California this very second and you could live your life as a normal human. You can have your old life back. Deep down, I know that is your heart’s desire, my child.”

  I stared harshly into his eyes, trying to determine why he was hassling me.

  The priest didn’t flinch. “You made a mistake by putting on the ring of Immortality, but I can erase that mistake forever. I can take away your Immortality and make you human once again, as if it never happened. Just say the word.”

  I pondered his offer for a moment. What if I could return to my world without the painful memories? What if I could go back? I could be human. I could live out my life like I was supposed to, sharing it with all my loved ones. Becoming Immortal was an accident, and I slipped into a life I’d never envisioned for myself. Being hunted down and chased by Victor’s enemies and the Immortal Court would fade from my memories. When I decided to stay behind while the others traveled through the portal, I’d had no idea what I was in for, but at that time, I didn’t care. Still, going back would mean losing the beautiful, loving man who was standing before me, along with the precious son we’d created in perfect love. I’d also lose my precious sister, Liz. No matter what I chose, I had plenty to lose, but in the end, I had to choose the loves of my life. A surge of panic rose inside of me. “If I go back, I’ll lose Victor, Liz, and my baby.”

  “Your sister loves it here. We both know you interrupted her perfect life.”

  I let out a trembling breath. “I know, but Victor and I are going to have a baby together, and—”

  He shook his head. “You will be unaware of what you’re giving up. Life will resume as it was before you left your world. You’ll have human children with a human husband,” he said softly, “as you were meant to do in the first place.”

  A crushing sense of guilt made me panic even more. “But then Alexander won’t exist.” I sucked in a deep breath. The thought of destroying my son ripped my heart out. “No! I don’t want other children. I want my Alexander. I love my son more than anything.”

  The corner of his eyes crinkled. “But the burden of being Immortal will fade away. You’ve always said you weren’t given a choice, but that is what I am offering to you. You know what will happen when you become Immortal. You know the risks. You know that in the end, you will die.”

  “That is not guaranteed,” I said, hope seeping through my voice.

  “Sarah, you are very near the end of your life now, but that doesn’t have to happen. I can give you life. I can take you back through the portal. I can even take you back one year earlier so you won’t remember any of this. You can go on with your life as if none of this ever happened.”

  I shook my head vehemently. “I don’t want to forget!” I shouted. My throat felt constricted as more panic rose up inside me.

  “I can take away all the pain you suffered, grieving for him when you thought he died. I can make every single tiny bit of pain and worry and heartache disappear. All those dark memories will be erased, as long as you refuse to marry Victor. Do that, and you’ll wake up two years ago, in California.”

  I stared at the priest, dumbfounded. “And I’m supposed to just pretend none of it ever happened?”

  He nodded. “You will not have to pretend. If you do this, none of it will happen.”

  “I’ve been to hell and back with Victor. There’s no doubt about that. But I’d go through it all over again, even if this is all the time we’ll have together,” I said, pouring out my heart. “I’d do it all over again.”<
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  “Even though you’ll die?” he said sadly.

  I met his gaze sharply. “I love Victor, and I’d rather have a short life with him than to have never met him at all.”

  The priest just glared at me. Clearly, he didn’t expect such a standoff; he assumed I’d just take his wrinkled hand, close my eyes, and beg him to take me back to my old life, but that was not what I wanted.

  “Unfreeze my husband now, and let’s get on with the ceremony.”

  “But Victor is only marrying you because he thinks you’re Princess Gloria. Once you slip on the ring, you’ll become connected, with one beating heart. His enemy, William, will never try to kill him again, because if he does—”

  “I know. He’ll kill his beloved daughter. I know the whole story, how it all works, and am aware of what Victor’s intentions and motives are. I’ve already lived this little fairytale, remember?”

  “He’ll have quite the military advantage.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe...if he has the right girl.”

  “Do you enjoy tricking him, this man you claim to love? Do you take enjoyment in deceiving him?”

  I raised my head. “We tricked each other, and we both felt badly.”

  “He is only marrying you as part of a brilliant military strategy.”

  “None of that matters, and it’s all water under the bridge. There is nothing you can do to stop me from marrying Victor. I love this man!” I shouted. “And he loves me!”

  Suddenly, Victor unfroze, as if the conversation with the priest hadn’t even taken place. Victor shot me that gleaming smile, and my heart melted. He didn’t know it yet, but he was going to fall for me just as hard as I had fallen for him. The last time I’d stood there, reciting those vows to Victor, I’d been a nervous wreck, wondering why I’d marry such a tyrant for a simple ring. This time around though, I wasn’t scared, because I now knew Victor was my future. I stared into his eyes, wishing he knew what I knew. If this dream goes on, I won’t stop our make-out session after our vows, I decided. As a matter of fact, I might make love to him right there on the stone floor, like I shoulda done the first time around. And I sure as hell won’t be a runaway bride at the wedding reception. I knew exactly where Liz was this time, safe in Dornia, posing as Princess Gloria, and that made it even easier.

  The priest smiled at me. “Do you take King Victor Fesque to be your wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health, till death do you part, if the Holy Church doth ordain it?”

  With all my heart and my emotion, I looked deeply into Victor’s beautiful eyes and announced proudly, “I do.”

  Chapter 17

  “Sarah?”

  I heard a voice through the fog.

  “Sarah!”

  “Victor?” I opened my eyes.

  He cupped my face. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m...alive?” I asked, everything still hazy.

  “Yes,” he said calmly, “for I certainly don’t believe this place to be Heaven.”

  I twisted toward him. “How are you? Did they hurt you, Victor?”

  “I’m fine. I will not go down so easily.”

  “Right. You’re as strong as a fortress.” I chuckled inwardly. He had told me that once when I’d run from him and he’d tackled me to the ground as I tried to squirm away. As the fog from the drugs lifted, I noticed something odd. At first I thought we were snuggling together, lying in bed, but that obviously wasn’t the case. “Why are we smashed up together like this?”

  “We’ve been captured, and this is a makeshift prison of some sort.”

  I squinted, my grip tightening around what felt like rope. I felt all crunched up, my very pregnant body squished next to Victor’s, and that was when I realized I was in a tightly woven net that swayed and creaked when we moved; we were actually suspended off the ground, hoisted up about twenty-five feet in the air. Peering out through the holes of the net, I could see we were in a village of some sort. Tepees dotted the green field, each of them painted with geometric shapes around the tops and bottoms, decorated with big, bright, and bold designs, from celestial bodies and animal shapes to pendants and colored medallions. I still had my Immortal vision, and I couldn’t help but notice how intricate the beadwork was.

  It was some relief that we were likely close to finding the chief. What I hadn’t planned for was being taken hostage and dangling in some kind of snare. Beads of sweat dripped down my face as I slipped my fingers through the holes in the net and pulled with every ounce of strength I had. I closed my eyes and exhaled when I realized there was no use trying to escape.

  “Relax,” Victor said softly. “If they wanted us dead, they would have already done away with us. I am sure they will let us down soon.”

  I let out a heavy sigh as I tried to stretch out my cramping legs. “Can you get us out of this contraption?”

  “I’m afraid not. I’ve already tried, but that dart somehow relieved me of my Immortal strength. Now I’m practically...human.”

  “No weapons, no powers, no visions, and no Immortal strength? Wow. We’re really at a disadvantage.” Rubbing my temples eased some of the pain from my throbbing headache. “What happened?” I asked, since everything still seemed fuzzy. “How did we get here?”

  “They shot darts at us, but the poison was weak—just enough to knock us out.”

  I shuddered. “Why must everyone pump my body full of things without my permission? The paramedics did it, the Immortals had done it, and now these islanders have done it. Surely they can see I’m pregnant. Don’t they care about the wellbeing of my child?”

  By the look on Victor’s face, I knew he was just as upset as I was. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t stop them,” he said. “It is my job to protect you, and I failed yet again.”

  “Victor, there was no way you could’ve taken down all those warriors,” I said.

  “I tried to fight,” he said. “At least a dozen of them fell.”

  I bit my lip hard. “I appreciate your valiant efforts, my shining night, but we must be on our best behavior and be nice to the locals if we are going to make a good impression on their chief.”

  “What was I to do? You were lying on the ground, and...” His voice drifted off.

  I squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry. I understand. You were simply trying to protect us. I was scared to death and thought I was dying. If we just tell them you were acting in self-defense, for the wellbeing of your family, I’m sure they’ll understand. Just...please tell me you didn’t kill any of them.”

  “Of course I didn’t.”

  “Good.” I peeked through the holes in the net and began yelling, demanding that someone cut us down, but no one paid any attention. “Hey!” I screamed at one old woman who was pouring water from a gourd, but she just smiled at me and went back to what she was doing.

  “It’s no use,” Victor said. “They are the stubborn sort, and their ears don’t seem to work all the time.”

  “Do you think they’ll hurt us, Victor?” I asked.

  “No. I believe they will hold us here until their chief returns.”

  I sighed deeply, then asked the dreaded question. “What if he’s angry that we’re on his island?”

  “We must be honest and explain our dire circumstances to him,” he said. “If he is truly a great leader, he will also be fair.”

  “Right,” I said. “It wasn’t like we could make a telephone call and ask for an invitation.”

  Victor’s strong arms and steady embrace made me feel like everything was going to be okay, even though we were swinging in a net.

  I cleared my dry throat. “When you called my name, I...well, I was hallucinating or dreaming or something.”

  “I was as well. ‘Twas likely something from whatever tipped their darts.”

  “What did you dream about?” I asked curiously.

  “Our wedding.”

  I gasped. “Me too.”

 
“We were back at the castle, and I was talking to the priest who married us. He offered me the chance to change my mind.”

  “What!? I dreamt the exact same thing. I wonder what was on those darts.”

  He stroked the top of my hand with his thumb. “I refused to change my mind, Sarah. I would marry you a thousand times, in spite of all we’ve gone through.”

  I pushed the black hair from his face, threading my fingers through it. “Aw. Me too.”

  His smile eased into a big grin, and he gently caressed my face and softly kissed me. “You were standing there in that fluffy, white wedding gown, so beautiful with your cascading curls and that glistening diamond tiara on your head. You were a radiant vision before my very eyes. And then...” His voice trailed off.

  “What?” I asked, looking into his troubled eyes.

  “It broke my heart to hear that you didn’t love me, that you were there only for the ruby ring so you could return to your home through the portal, that you’d leave me at the reception, when Mia helped you escape. I wanted to tell you not to leave, that I loved you more than anything, so I did. I told you that you would someday fall madly in love with me and that my castle would be your home, a place where we could make and share precious memories.”

  “And how did I react to that?”

  “You told me I was crazy.”

  “I’m so sorry. That’s probably what I would’ve said had you told me you loved me.” I cupped his face. “Remember, I had known you for less than twelve hours.”

  “I warned you not to put the ruby ring on,” he continued. “I told you I’d help you get home, but you slipped it on your finger anyway.”

  “It was just a dream,” I whispered. “We both dreamt the same things, that we knew things the other didn’t yet know. In my dream, it broke my heart to know that while I love you with every fiber of my being, you were marrying me for ulterior motives.”

  “It felt so real, watching you plot escape plans in your head. Knowing that you were going to desert me on our wedding night about killed me.”