Eternal Flame - Book 6 (The Ruby Ring Saga) Read online

  Suddenly, an immortal reached for my hand and jerked me away.

  I began to weep bitterly and loudly. My son was supposed to be held in warm, welcoming arms. He was so loved and cherished, and I did not want him to have such a violent start in life, both of his parents being brutally torn away from him on the day when he had taken his first breath. I did not want my son to feel abandoned or lonely, to never have the opportunity to know his wonderful father or to know just how much his mother loved him. Tears streamed down my face as I glanced at my dying Victor. “I love you so much.”

  For an answer, his blue eyes fluttered shut.

  “No!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. “This can’t be how it ends!” I had just started to believe in the fairytale, that we might have our happy ending after all, but fate seemed to have different plans.

  In that split second, my mind replayed how happy the two of us were earlier that day, holding our precious son for the first time. I pictured Victor’s gleaming white smile as he held our tiny baby in his strong arms. I’d never seen him so proud before, and that precious moment would be etched in my mind forever, even if my forever was quickly coming to an end.

  I crashed to the ground, almost lifeless myself. Watching my husband die and being forced to leave our baby was like being struck by lightning. I felt like I was in a fog, an endless, horrible nightmare.

  “Get up, or the baby gets it,” the immortal cruelly demanded.

  In a trance of dumbfounded, helpless disbelief and heartbreak, I stumbled to my feet.

  As a reward for my obedience, the man slapped my cheek and cursed the day I was born.

  My gaze shot to White Coyote, who now held my darling baby in his wrinkled, feeble arms. “Take care of him,” I pleaded. “Keep him safe...and tell him I loved him.”

  White Coyote sadly nodded but said nothing.

  I wondered if it would be the last time I would ever see my beautiful baby, and the thought tore at me something fierce. I knew he would be safe on the island, for White Coyote was a good, pure man who would teach my boy how to be a good man with a good heart. I truly believed that. I also knew he’d give Victor a proper burial. I vowed, though, that as long as there was life left in me, I would find a way to somehow come back and get my child.

  So many thoughts flooded through my head. I hadn’t thought I’d ever recover the first time I saw Victor die, and I couldn’t bear to grieve for him a second time. I didn’t think my heart could take it, because I knew he was really dead this time. It wasn’t an illusion like the one Ethano had put me through in the temple, when I thought Victor had been sacrificed.

  I walked along the beach with my captors as tears slid down my face in salty rivers. They couldn’t have cared less that they were tearing a new mother away from her child and that they’d murdered my one true love. I was numb, except to feel the shove against my back as they roughly pushed me and yelled at me to walk faster.

  As we walked, another thought plagued me. Maybe we shouldn’t have come to the island. Maybe I should’ve stuck with what fate dealt me. Yes, I would’ve died during childbirth, but Victor would’ve lived. He would have taken Alexander back to his home world, and his relatives would have raised him with love. My baby would be a prince, instead of an orphan living with some ancient man on an island. It would have been better for him to be raised in Tastia, rather than by an immortal stranger who knows nothing of our ways. We should’ve never have come.

  Ba-hooom!

  A loud horn sounded in the air, startling me. Squinting against the bright light, I glanced around.

  “Just keep going,” the immortal shouted at me.

  “Sarah!” a voice echoed from behind the crashing waves.

  I spun around and saw White Coyote again, but he was not alone this time. My heart leapt at the sight of his powerful warriors, and I felt like a fool for ever doubting him or his tribe. It was truly a beautiful sight, because they were there to fight for me, to reunite me with my baby.

  The immortals didn’t seem fazed though. The blond one said nonchalantly, “So they want a fight, huh? Well, we shall happily give them one!” He glanced at his cohorts. “Kill them all, and then let’s get off this godforsaken rock. Protect Sarah at all costs. We came all this way, and we must bring her back alive.”

  An immortal with choppy, black hair pulled me over to the side, behind a huge boulder.

  I turned to run and hit an invisible wall. It seemed as if we were enclosed in an invisible bubble.

  I blew a long breath. “You’re imprisoning me so I don’t run off.”

  “It’s not me,” he said. “It’s our leader.”

  I tried to appeal to the guy’s sense of self-preservation, though I wasn’t sure he had any sense at all, since he seemed to so mindlessly obey his blond boss. “If you let me go, I know White Coyote will spare your life. He’s all about honor and making moral decisions.”

  “Sarah, I’m on your side,” he whispered.

  My jaw dropped. “What? Who are you?”

  “I’m a spy, for the rebellion. I had to come when I was commanded so I didn’t blow my cover.”

  “How do I know you’re not feeding me some line, just spitting some bullshit to gain my trust so I’ll come with you?” I asked.

  “That’s a valid question, I suppose,” he said. “I was with Jackson the day we stopped your car that night with your sister. You were bringing back takeout for the family, and we warned you to leave town. Your sister was intoxicated and could barely stand.”

  “Huh? Wait. You couldn’t have known all that unless you were there,” I whispered.

  “Exactly. Look, I’m one of the good guys. I’ll look for a way to help you escape. You’ve just gotta trust me and give me some time.”

  “Why didn’t you help Victor?” I asked.

  “I wanted too. But it all happened so fast. I didn’t think he’d shoot your husband. I’m in just as much shock as you are.”

  I swallowed hard.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I truly am.”

  “What do they want?” I asked. “Do they want me for more experiments?”

  “There are rumors you’re helping the rebellion.”

  “We both know I am.”

  “And they suspect it,” he said.

  “Why don’t they leave me alone?”

  They want to keep you from opening an ancient box that they suspect the rebellion has, the one that will heal every immortal who is afflicted with a mysterious virus that is slowly killing them.”

  The box must be the artifact Jackson wanted so desperately. “That doesn’t make sense,” I said, doubt still lurking in my voice. “If it’s a cure for their disease, why would they want to stop it?” I asked.

  “Because it’ll also remove their powers forever.”

  I pondered. “So that’s why Jackson wants it.”

  “If we take away their powers, then we can defeat them.”

  “It would be the perfect revenge for Jackson’s murdered wife.”

  His gaze narrowed. “It’s more than that. It would level the playing field. We could make this world a better place if we could get these dangerous immortals out of power. Lots of us are for opening the box. But some of the selfish ones who aren’t afflicted don’t want that. They plan to deliver you to the doctor for more experiments. He claims you have the DNA he needs for a cure, one that won’t harm their powers in the process. When he gets what he needs from you, they will kill you to ensure that the box will never be opened.”

  I grimaced and, once again, hated the mark Ethano had stamped on me. The blue-ringed immortals just wanted to use me, then deliver me into the hands of death. It sickened me that they could be so cold.

  “The rebellion wants the box opened,” the man said. “Not only will it take away everyone’s powers, but it’ll heal immortals so they don’t need to feed on humans.”

  I was floored by what he told me. “Then I’m in. I want to see the immortals lose their powers and not have
to feed on humans. And I want to see the sick healed. Opening this box will do nothing but good.”

  “You could go back through the portal knowing your home world is safe.”

  “I’d feel better knowing that. But I don’t know if I can leave now without Victor.” I pondered everything, then looked up at him. “You’re very admirable for giving up your powers for the greater good.”

  “Who says the rebellion is giving up their powers?”

  I cocked my head. “You have a way around it.”

  We certainly do. It’s okay for the good guys to have their powers, right?”

  “Yeah, I guess somebody has to keep the other immortal idiots in line.”

  “We’ll kick the tyrants out of power and rule with compassion and good moral values.”

  “If what you’re saying is true, I think you and the rebellion are very admirable.”

  “Thank you.”

  He continued to talk but my mind drifted off to Victor. I just wanted to run to his side. Maybe his body was fighting the poison. Maybe I could say a few more words to him and tell him how much I loved him. I needed to see him one more time. I pounded on the invisible bubble but it was useless.

  I peered around the boulder as both sides continued to yell at each other.

  “It is time to show you my power!” White Coyote roared.

  “And I will be happy to show you mine, old man!” the immortal said, puffing his chest.

  Chapter 4

  The immortals charged, and gunfire rang out, but it was as if an invisible bubble encased White Coyote’s warriors; not one bullet so much as grazed any of them. White Coyote held his arms out, and a surge of purple, glittering magic spewed toward the enemies. A flash of purple light exploded all around them, and the immortals crumbled into ash. I stared down at the piles in utter amazement. White Coyote had completely annulated them in seconds.

  Why couldn’t he have used that power before Victor was killed? I wondered. All we had really done by going to the island was switch fate around, flip-flopped in our parenthood. Initially, Victor was destined to raise our baby, but now I was going to be a single mother. It was a lose-lose situation for us and poor little Alexander; no matter what we did, one parent was destined to die. That grim reality tore at me, ripping my heart in two.

  The invisible wall holding me back suddenly dropped in a burst of light. White Coyote walked over and I feared for the immortal’s life. I stood in front of the man behind me and pleaded, “Don’t hurt this one!”

  White Coyote looked him up and down, as if scrutinizing something deep inside him. “This one has a true heart,” he observed. “I will not destroy him.”

  “That’s all fine and good, ol’ buddy, but what happened to the no-violence policy on this island?” the immortal asked, looking around at the piles of ash.

  I looked at him in disbelief, wondering why he couldn’t keep his mouth shut when White Coyote had just so generously spared him the same fate.

  “I do not condone violence, but sometimes, it is a last resort,” the chief said. “Evil threatened to see Sarah, a new mother, killed. I saw her murder in my mind’s eye, what would have been the things to come, and it horrified me. Not one of those men deserved salvation, for their hearts were far blacker than the ashes they have now become.”

  “Where’s my baby?” I desperately asked.

  White Coyote touched my shoulder. “Alexander is safe. He is back at the camp.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “You did not deserve the fate that was about to be handed to you,” he said.

  “Well, I’ve knocked at death’s door more times than I’d like to count,” I said, my voice wavering. “Thank you, Chief, but if you don’t mind, I must go see Victor now.”

  He nodded.

  I stumbled down the sandy beach to my lover’s body. I was in a daze, a trance as I walked, but as I neared his fallen form, I burst out in tears. I’d been through it once before, and grieving his loss had about killed me. Why is fate so cruel? What did I do to deserve this? I held my loving husband in my arms, hugging his cold body close. “Nobody will ever replace you,” I said, crying bitterly.

  There came no answer, of course, other than the cruel, mocking silence and a deep, sinking feeling of disbelief, a futile hope that it was all just a nightmare I’d eventually wake up from. We had traveled to that island to save my life, only to lose Victor’s. I would be haunted for the rest of my life. I didn’t know how I could ever raise my baby alone, and I wasn’t sure I even wanted to go on.

  White Coyote touched my back. “All will be well in time, my dear,” he said, his voice calm and soothing as ever.

  “It’s not,” I argued, weeping heavily. “My life is over.”

  “But you still have your son to live for.”

  “Yes, and I will be the best mother I can be, but I will never love another man again. When those bastards killed Victor, they killed my heart. I will never forget him. If I must live without him, without his sweet kisses, his hugs, without being held in his strong arms... I will never be whole again. A piece of me will always be missing. I wish they would’ve just taken me. Even if we were apart, at least I could live knowing he was breathing.”

  “You would suffer great pain, torment, and death in exchange for your lover’s life?”

  “Yes! A thousand times yes! I know they would have put me through cruel physical experiments, all that pain and torment, and I would have eventually died, but it would have been worth it to know Victor would live on. It should be me awaiting a casket, not him,” I said, sniffling.

  He knelt down next to Victor and touched his arm. “You have a good wife here, and you’re a good man who truly loves his family. Now wake up and go take care of them, for they need you.”

  Victor’s blue eyes suddenly opened, staring at me like the ocean at dawn.

  I gasped in stunned disbelief. I blinked, wondering if I really was dreaming. Speechless, I froze as my loving husband looked into my eyes.

  “Sarah?” he said.

  I wrapped my arms around him as tears ran down my face. When I could bear to pull my face away from our embrace, I looked up at White Coyote. “It was just another trick? Were the immortals even real?” Glancing around, I met the gaze of the last immortal standing. “Is he even real?” I asked.

  “They were very real,” White Coyote answered. “None of this nonsense was an illusion.”

  “Then why didn’t you stop it sooner?” I asked between sobs. “Why did you put Victor and me through this worry, let him suffer this pain? You let him die!”

  “I knew I would have to destroy the immortals to end it, and I hoped it would not come to that. Violence is a last resort, my dear.”

  “But you brought him back anyway, so...”

  “So, in order to ease my conscience, I had to make sure you are as pure as I assumed, that you are completely selfless. I also needed to test Victor, to see if he would adhere to my rules of nonviolence, even when he was torn from his family. When you entrusted your son to me and willingly went with the immortals, you exhibited supreme love. You sacrificed much for the life of your son, and that touched my heart. At that point, I knew I had to go straight to work to save your life...and your husband’s as well. Honorable, pure lives are so rare, and we must preserve them when we can.”

  “You have unspeakable powers,” Victor said, slowly standing.

  He smiled. “Yes, I do.”

  I bit my lip as I pondered. “You said you could send me back in time, to California, before I ever walked through the portal, before I met Victor. I refused your offer, but I knew then that you are a man of great power. You also promised to protect us, and you even told the immortals we were your protected guests. I should’ve trusted and believed in you, but it all just looked so...hopeless.”

  “The love you and Victor share is like none other, my girl,” White Coyote said. “There was no way I would have allowed Victor to be taken away from you forever, not as long as
it was within my power to prevent it. I only had to test your love, and you both mightily passed that test.”

  “Thank you,” I said, humbled. I suddenly felt strong, strengthened by the love we shared, much stronger of a woman than I ever felt possible.

  “I feel the thanks must be given to Victor. Your husband took a bullet that was meant for me. That shows heroism I can’t even begin to repay.”

  “I was hoping it was all some kind of hallucination or something,” I said. “I wanted to open my eyes and see Victor, to hear you tell me he hadn’t really died at all, but it all felt too real.”

  White Coyote looked at Victor. “You saved my life, and I have no gold or money to offer you in return.”

  “Chief,” Victor said, “you have reunited me with my wife, and I will see my child again. No amount of gold in a thousand coffers is as valuable as that.”

  “Give me your hand,” the chief said, then turned to face me. “And I need your hand as well, Sarah.”

  I held out my hand.

  He put it over top of Victor’s, then closed his eyes. A wave of electricity flowed through, and a strange shower of silver glitter engulfed us. I breathed in the glitter as the light grew around us. In a burst of silver light, he let go of our hands.

  I opened my eyes. “What was that?”

  Victor smiled at me, his face beaming.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “Look down,” he said excitedly.

  My gaze shot down to my ruby ring. The stone glowed like crimson fire, and in that instant, I felt the connection Victor and I had once shared through the ring. White Coyote had somehow activated our rings; the connection Ethano had disabled had somehow been restored by an island magic man.

  I didn’t understand it all, but the bond and connection was so overpowering that the sensation hit me like a ton of bricks. I was drawn to Victor like a magnet in that overwhelming, magical moment. I felt as if we were born to love each other, that destiny had brought us together on much a deeper level.