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

  I gripped my mom’s hands. “I-I don’t want a funeral. I’d rather the service be—”

  More tears erupted from my mom’s eyes, and she held her hands over her ears like a stubborn little kid. “No, Sarah! Let’s talk about hope, not the end.”

  “I want you to celebrate my life,” I said, wiping a tear from my eye. “I’ve had a wonderful life, with the best parents, the most wonderful sister, and an adoring husband. I know my baby will be the most beautiful son anyone could ever wish for. Celebrate my life, Mom.”

  She reached for another tissue from the dresser and wiped her eyes.

  “I don’t want my funeral to be like the first one you had for me.”

  My mom squeezed her eyes shut and let out a small sob. “I remember every grim detail.”

  “I’m so, so sorry you had to go through that, but that’s exactly why I don’t want you to have to deal with a sad, traditional funeral like that again. Let’s have a celebration of life.”

  “What?”

  “Funerals are the new weddings,” I said, trying to inject a little humor into a situation that wasn’t funny at all. “Friends and family come from everywhere. It’s like a big party, and I get to pick the music and select the menu. It’ll be the last chance I have to express myself, and if I have to go, I’m gonna say goodbye on my own terms. I’ll plan one heck of a party, with a slideshow and all my favorite foods, including your chicken pizza! I want people to come in fancy dresses and black ties. I’ll even make a video to play throughout the event so it’ll be like I’m right there with you. What a fantastic send-off, eh? You can all tell wonderful stories about the amazing life I led. I mean, I know it hasn’t been all that spectacular, but I did get the chance to be a lead researcher—”

  My mom didn’t seem too happy with my current funeral plan and quickly cut me off. “You got the chance to be lead researcher because you were looking for Liz. That’s something you would have never pursued on your own.”

  “Well...I found her, didn’t I?”

  She smiled. “Yes, and I’ll never be able to thank you for that. You stood for what you believed in and dived straight into the unknown. That’s how you’ve always been, Sarah.”

  I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Mom, I need to ask you something.”

  She gazed over at me. “What?”

  “Why didn’t you and Dad believe me? I told you I saw a creature inside the cave, but everyone thought I was lying—even the police, the park rangers, and the reporters. Nobody believed me, but I expected you and Dad to.”

  “I’m sorry, Sarah. Creatures that go bump in the night and things like Bigfoot are so...well, they seem like the stuff of children’s fairytales, things people make up just to get attention. In your case, I was sure you were just traumatized from the experience of losing Liz, that your mind had made up some kind of explanation for it.”

  “That was exactly why I became a Bigfoot researcher. I wanted to prove to the world that I wasn’t crazy. I knew what I’d seen, but nobody believed me.”

  “I believe you now, Sarah. I should’ve never taken you on that trip. We should have never gone camping all those years ago. You and Liz would’ve never ventured off, and you would’ve never found the portal at Sabrino Cave.” Her voice trembled. “We would’ve never lost Liz for all those years, and neither of my little girls would be Immortal, which is turning out to be more of a curse than a blessing. You...Sarah, you wouldn’t be dying, and everything would be perfect. If only we hadn’t dragged you out there. I blame myself every day for that.”

  I shook my head. “Mom, if you hadn’t taken us out there, I never would have met Victor. I’d never be bringing Alexander into the world. My husband and son are my life, Mom. Don’t you understand? They make my world perfect. I love Victor with a love I can’t even begin to describe to you in words.”

  “I know. I’m being selfish. I know you found your soulmate, but that world has brought nothing but trouble in so many ways. It has destroyed our family. Look at what we’ve been through. I curse that portal. I curse it, Sarah!”

  “What’s done is done, Mom. We can’t change the past.”

  “I can’t lose you again,” my mother said. “I won’t! Not because of some twisted fairytale.”

  “Dr. Meyers is an Immortal doctor. She’s doing everything in her power to help.”

  “What? How did you find an Immortal doctor?”

  “I met her in the emergency room when I passed out.”

  My mom’s jaw dropped. “What?”

  “Beth called 911, and—”

  “Beth? And nobody thought to call me, your mother?”

  “We didn’t want to worry you.”

  “I have every right to know what’s going on with my girls.”

  “I know, Mom, and I’m sorry. Anyway, I met Dr. Meyers there, and she’s been helping me. Without her, I’d already be dead. As I explained, the prescription she gave me has been reducing the energy my body is fighting off. Or at least they were working until—”

  “We’ll make it work, but your father needs to be told every single thing. We’re a family, Sarah, and families have to pull together at difficult times. That’s what the Larkers do. It’s who we are.”

  “Mom, I need you to do something for me.”

  “Anything.”

  “Before you say that, know that what I’m about to ask might be devastating, the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do.”

  “What is it, dear?”

  “I want you to...well, I wrote Alexander a letter, and I want you to read it to him when you think he’s old enough. It’s very emotional and heartfelt, but he needs to know how much he meant to me, that he was my entire world, and that I loved him more than anything.”

  “It won’t come to that,” my mom said, “but if it does, I will do it. You know I’ll make sure he gets the letter.”

  “Also, no matter what, you mustn’t let him go back to Tastia. Never tell Alexander where the portal is. Promise me you’ll never tell him.”

  “I promise.”

  Suddenly, a burst of light flooded my mind as a vision hit me. It was raining, which only added to the miserable tragedy of it all. A small crowd of mourners held umbrellas as they surrounded a solid bronze coffin. A preacher held a big Bible in one hand and a black umbrella in the other. Bouquets of flowers and single roses were placed on top of the casket. Victor was holding Alexander, and a tear rolled down his face; I’d never seen him so distraught. Liz, white-knuckle clutching a locket I’d given her, let out a guttural wail, while Charles tried to comfort her. My dad was unable to comfort my mother as she broke into gut-wrenching sobs.

  Snapping back into reality, I gasped. The impact of my death sentence had finally sunk in, and I knew I didn’t have much time left. My hand shot to my mouth in surprise as more tears rolled down my face.

  “Baby, you look like you just saw a ghost,” my mom said. “What’s wrong?”

  I opened my mouth to let the awful words out. “I-I just had a vision of the future.”

  “And what did you see?” my mom asked.

  “My funeral,” I whispered, “and it didn’t feel like a celebration at all.”

  My mother held me close and whispered soothing words of encouragement and love.

  Everything was a blur. I now knew my fate, and if we didn’t do something to change it, I was going to die. I stared blankly at the wall as the words cut like a knife into my soul.

  “Sarah!” Victor called from downstairs.

  “Victor’s home,” my mom said.

  The door opened, and he peeked in. “What’s wrong?”

  “Sarah told me everything,” my mom said.

  “There is no need to cry. We will fix this,” Victor said in a confident tone.

  I stood, and he embraced me. “I had a vision.”

  “You did?”

  I nodded solemnly. “I got to see something no one ever gets to see, my own funeral.” I looked at my mom. “And it was
nothing like what I have in mind.”

  My mom placed her hands on her hips. “She wants a party. We’ll all be heartbroken, and she expects us to wear party hats and walk around with noise-blowers in our mouths.”

  “I’m not five, Mother. I just want my memorial service to be a celebration of my life, not a somber reminder of my death.”

  “If it comes down to such a cruel fate, my Sarah will have just what she wants, the biggest and most grand party ever.”

  I smiled at him. “See? Somebody gets me.”

  My mom touched my back. “You’re not going to die, Sarah, but I know this means a lot to you. You want us to heal and bond, not mourn and be sad. I get it, baby girl.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  Realizing Victor and I needed some time alone, Mom excused herself. I was sure she hadn’t come to terms with my impending death. She had counseled me when I thought Victor was dead, and that had been hard on her, but facing her own daughter’s death was something worse. She was a bundle of emotions, and I didn’t know how to help her. It’s probably why I held off so long on telling her.

  Victor knew how accurate my visions were. He held me close, and I snuggled into his chest and felt the worries start to melt away a bit. His comforting arms felt so reassuring. “We can change the future,” he said, stroking my cheek. “We’ll battle this together.”

  “Exactly! We’ll find a way to beat this. We can beat the odds...can’t we?”

  “We’ll never give up.”

  “There is always hope,” he said, cupping my face. “We will find a way. I swear this to you.”

  He hugged me tightly and kissed my head. I knew he was scared, but I was proud of him for acting brave. “So many people love you, Sarah. We’re all going to fight for you.”

  “Being surrounded by my friends and family will help so much.”

  “We need to tell them, Sarah. If they are going to help, they all must know.”

  “I know. Just let me have a little more time.”

  Victor carried me to our bed and kissed me sweetly on the lips. I closed my eyes and fell asleep, snug as a bug in his warm arms.

  Chapter 6

  When I awoke, I noticed that Victor was gone again. A second later, the front door creaked open, and Liz, Victor, and Charles walked in, looking as if they’d been dragged through hell by their ears.

  “What’s going on?”

  Victor gripped my hand. “We had to make the blue-ringed Immortals pay for what they did to you and Della.”

  I shook my head. “What!? Victor, what did you do?” I said, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it.

  “We blew up their building on top of the mountain,” Charles said proudly.

  I gasped. “You what?”

  “We blew that baby to smithereens!” Liz chimed in. “Nothin’ left now but some blazing bricks and ashes.”

  Gazing into Victor’s eyes, I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “What about the humans? Did they die in the explosion?”

  “Of course not! We freed them first. They don’t remember anything, so I don’t think they pose any sort of threat.”

  My shoulders shrugged in relief. “I’m so glad they’re free, but now we’re gonna be on those blue-ringed Immortals’ hit list for sure.”

  “We did not work alone,” Charles said.

  “The rebellion?” I guessed.

  “Yes. They were rather angry about the Immortals killing their friends in the gorge, so it did not take much convincing to garner their help.”

  “How did you find the rebellion?” I asked in disbelief.

  “You know your husband,” Liz said. “Don’t you know by now that the man stops at nothing?”

  “They may still build another fortress or capture new victims,” Charles said.

  “That’s true,” I said, “but at least you helped the ones you could.”

  “It’s gonna be all over the news,” Liz said.

  Charles nodded. “Yes, but the ones we rescued don’t remember anything after being sedated. The Immortals were very careful to make sure they were kept...unaware.” He then grabbed Liz’s hand. “We must be going now.”

  “I had to make those jerks pay,” Liz said. “Nobody messes with my sister.”

  “And we had to destroy them before they destroyed us,” Charles echoed. “We can’t be afraid to sleep at night. I just want to feel safe in my home.”

  I embraced her, then Charles. “Thanks, you guys,” I said.

  As they left, Victor held me tight. “Your sister is right,” he said. “Anyone who harms you or my child will pay dearly.”

  Emotion overwhelmed me again. It was a foolish risk to take, but I was just glad he’d come back alive. I didn’t even want to think about what would have happened if they’d have been captured.

  * * *

  Days passed, and I finally calmed down about Victor’s little revenge scheme. Taking off in the middle of the night without telling me made me angry. I was even more upset that he’d taken Liz and Charles and not invited me to their little revenge party. So what if I’m pregnant and wobble a little? Biting my lip, I pondered. I guess it was best that I stay behind. Alexander’s life was, after all, of utmost importance.

  I kissed Victor goodbye and headed out to run a few errands. I pulled into Babies “R” US and parked the car. I looked up and down the aisles at everything from bibs to strollers to high chairs.

  “May I help you?” a blonde woman in her early fifties asked.

  “I’m looking for picture frames.” I spent every moment I could with Victor and took plenty of photos so we could build memories of our time together. I had the perfect picture in mind, one of Victor smiling and touching my stomach, me smiling from ear to ear. I wanted to put it in Alexander’s room. I wanted him to remember his parents and how much they truly loved each other. I also wanted to get a special frame for our sonogram.

  She pointed me in the right direction, and I easily found them. The first frame I spotted was one that perfectly matched the theme of the nursery. I searched row after row to find the second one, a wooden frame with star and heart accents. It read: “Love at First Sight”. I pulled my sonogram out of a small folder and held it up to the frame to see if it would fit.

  “May I?” The woman reached her hand out.

  I handed her the frame and my most precious picture.

  She opened up the back and inserted the sonogram.

  I gazed down, and my heart melted at the sight. “It’s beautiful,” I said. “I’ll definitely take it.”

  She smiled. “That’s fantastic. Is it a boy or a girl?”

  “A boy. We’re naming him Alexander.”

  “When are you due?”

  “In less than two weeks.”

  She grinned. “It’s going to be a fantastic celebration.”

  “Yeah, for about five minutes,” I whispered under my breath.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Um...I said it’s going to be a glorious moment.” All five minutes of it before I’m dragged away by the Grim Reaper.

  “Good luck, dear.” With that, she walked down the aisle.

  My fingers traced the glass on the sonogram. The thought of not being with my child was overwhelming. Living for a brighter future was what had kept me alive, what had helped me stay positive. But now, I had an expiration date, and I could feel the waves of doubt pouring over me.

  “Hello, Sarah.”

  I turned to face the familiar voice and saw Jackson, the man from the minimart. I gasped and didn’t know whether to run or face him. He was an Immortal and was in cahoots with those who had shot at us at the Christmas tree lighting, but he’d also saved my butt at the store and had warned us to leave the city. Dr. Meyers had said she’d heard that Jackson had killed all those Immortals, and that thought terrified me. I didn’t know what to believe, and my heart raced. Should I stay or run? I decided my best option was to get away from him as fast as I could, so I glanced around for my best exit and esc
ape. I was afraid he’d have all those Immortals waiting outside in the parking lot for me, and the thought of being thrown into a van again sickened me.

  “Wait, Sarah! Don’t run!” Jackson said. “I’m here by myself, and I will not hurt you. Please just hear me out!”

  Nodding, I let out a trembling breath.

  “Let’s start over again,” he said. “Hello, Sarah. Tell me you’re not going to play hero and tackle a gunman again, are you?”

  “You drained my powers back in that store,” I said. “I didn’t really have much choice if I wanted to save the cashier. If that happened again right now, I’d react the same way.”

  “Don’t blame me. I didn’t drain your strength. Your unstable energy did.”

  I glanced around. “It’s not safe to talk here.”

  “But I have you on my side if any gun-toting madmen come in to rob the place.” He smiled. “I am in good hands, right?”

  “Ha-ha. It’s nice to see you again, Jackson.”

  “Polite and cordial? I like that.” His gaze then shot down to the frame in my hands. “Nice picture,” he said.

  “Like it says, love at first sight.”

  “I can sense how much you love your son, even without reading your frame.”

  “Yes, I love him more than life itself. But let’s stop with the pleasantries and cut to the chase, shall we?” He pressed his lips into a grim line. “We both know you’re dying. I can feel the surge in your energy.” He then touched me without permission.

  I jumped back as a surge of blue flames sparked and pain shot up my fingers like a bad electric shock. “What was that for?” I asked.

  He sucked the tip of his finger. “To gauge how off kilter your energy is. Damn, that burned.”

  “I take it that’s bad?”

  He shook his head. “Really bad. Sarah, I’m not sure you’ll even make it to your due date.”

  His words jolted me; my future seemed to be growing dimmer every day. The only thing that gave me hope was Alexander. He would live no matter what, even if I had to have a C-section.

  “But I have a proposition for you,” he said.

  I met his gaze straight on. “You want something from me? Humph. You’re just like the others. They wanted to strap me on a metal table and...” I couldn’t even finish the thought.