Beguiled (Book 2 Immortal Essence series) (9 page)

“You are a god. At leas
t
you’re
half of one. And you’ll
do w
ell to control your anger
. It seems I need to
teach you a lesson.
One you won’t soon forget.
”
Ramien was unexpectedly next to me.
I should’ve known
by the sickly sweet smell
filling
the hall
.
His face was back to normal. Like Mi
chael never
shot him
.

I
hadn’t had a chance to asked Michael about his
‘out of thin air’ comment
with the gun, but I guessed it must’ve been part of his new ferether abilities
.
Michael
said ferether
s
could alter
time, reality. I figured that included objects as well. More significant right now was Ramien’s comment about Michael.
“What do you mean
Michael’s
hal
f
god? I thought you said
he was like you
.”

Ramien
’s
mouth twisted into a sinister smile. “Stiel is the planet of the gods.
They are called
Eternals.
It’s where
Ith and Aetha are from—more or
less.
Millennia ago,
my kind
were Eternals, until
we were banished. Exiled for crimes we
didn’t commit. I believe you might know a little something about
such atrocious errors
.”
Ramien
squeezed
my chin with a hand.

“Answer me.” He squeezed harder.

“Yes, I do
,” I said sharply
.

“
Such
fervor
in you. I like
it
. You’ll serve me well.”

“Let go
.” I tried to wrench from his grasp. As a kelvieri I was stronger than most creatures. But Ramien was stronger still. His face turned steely, and I felt an energy press into my mind, my limbs.

“You
opposed
me. I believe it’s time to have some fun.”
My body walked, without my permission, over to Michael.
“You’re going to make my boy writhe in pain.”

I
watched in horror as my hands ca
me up to Michael’s face. His eyes widened, but he didn’t move, and I wondered if he couldn’t. My thumbs moved toward Michael’s eyes and continued until I pushed them from their sockets. Michael screamed. With all the energy of my soul, I tried to stop, but my thumbs buried themselves. Liquid, and blood oozed from where his eyes used to be.

I heard Ramien clap gleefully.

Ramien
forced me away from Michael, and toward him. “Shall I take her while you lie there and
listen
, son?”
Ramien’s words permeated the thick air.

Michael
didn’t respond. I didn’t know if he even could. He
fell to the ground writhing like snakes
were
in his veins. But he didn’t make a sound. As though he
held in
his cries of agony for my benefit. He clutched his stomach
, pulled in his knees
.
He looked the way I felt.

As I walked, my bloody fingers untied my blouse, exposing the black unisa underneath.
Oh, no. Please no. I turned in on myself, my only thought getting away from Ramien. When I stood in front of him, he placed a hand on my breast.

“Ramien,” Michael rasped.

“What is it, boy?”
Ramien
fondled me
over my shirt.
I couldn’t move.

“Leave her alone, and I-I’ll
do
whatever
you ask.”

I wanted to help
Michael
. I really wanted to kill Ramien. My body wouldn’t let me do anything. Ramien was in complete control.

“Agreed,” Ramien said simply, and the power he had over my body slipped away.

I swung at Ramien, desperate to knock some of his smug pride off his face, but he caught my wrist.
“
Y
ou
need to understand I won’t tolerate
insolence.
If Michael
defies me
,
he
suffer
s. You defy me, you
suffer.”

“What more do you think you can do to me?
” I asked,
exhaling and inhaling my words between panted
breaths. “
My parents are already dead,” I said, glaring. But inside I
shook
with fear.
I knew
of
many, many terrors he could inflict upon me, or those I loved.
What if he knew where Amberlee was? What if he hurt Zaren?

“You’ll see.” He stepped so c
lose our chests touched. “Sleep, little Princess. When you wake, all will be revealed.

7
. Who Will Save Your Soul

When I was
ten
I
would
s
neak away
from the music teacher
and run
through the flower maze
s
in
our family’
s gardens.
Inevitably I’d get lost, but I never worried.
Because
,
I knew.
Knew
.
Zar
en would rescue
me
.

When I came to,
and as
the gloomy weightiness
of sleep fell
away
from my mind
like cobwebs
,
Zaren
was my first thought.

He
would find me.

And then what,
I wondered.
I
agreed to Ramien’s terms. My
parents’ souls would be freed if
I married him. The thought terrified me. I’d been promised to Palmo for many years. Growing up I became more aware of what
the prospect
meant. While I
wasn’t
thrilled, I
didn’t mind
either. It was the way things were done
in our world
.
Our way of life.
The marriage
would
promote continued
allegiance
between the
country
of
Canaru
and Alayeah.
Of course, in light of recent revelations, all of them involving Palmo and his
supposed plan
to usurp Alayeah’s throne,
Palmo had been
placed him in the first degree of Helker
, while he awaited his trial.

Neither Zaren nor I
believed Palmo
acted alone. But, for some reason, the young prince felt obligated to protect the real
offender
. It was preposterous!
The boy was sniveling.
Barely past fourteen.
He didn’t have a sinister bone in his body, let alone the wherewithal to come up with and execute a plan to have
my
irrihunter killed,
me
exiled to Earth, and
my
parents and sister taken. But the King of
Canaru
, Palm
o
’s own father, testified against him, which made
me
highly suspicious.
I figured
Palmo was the scapegoat. Taking the fall for the real villain, but
I
couldn’t prove it. Not yet. If the King would sacrifice
his only son, allow him to die . . .
I
shuddered to think what might come next. Palmo wasn’t talking either
. He seemed satisfied to suffer
in his prison cell in Helker.

A scraping sound, like claws across concrete, brought
me out of my
reverie.
I took the opportunity to examine my sparse surroundings. It certainly wasn’t
luxurious
, like the dining hall, or the bedroom.
Peering through the darkness I
searched for the owner of the noise.
And let out a cry. “Sadraden.”

A small roar answered, followed by heavy breathing. Jumping up, I ran over. “Sadraden!”
My irrihunter. My b
est friend since I was little.
I hesitated to touch her. The
syrupy
smell
I was beginning to associate with Ramien emanated from her.
“Where are we?” I whispered. Then added with a desperate sob, “You’re dead, aren’t you?”

Hush, child. You know I am.
Her voice scraped through my mind the way her claws scratched along the solid floor.

I swallowed another sob. “I’m so sorry.” A tear trickled down my cheek. I brushed it
away;
astounded I
heard
her thoughts. “
Were you
always
able to
do this?”
I mumbled.

What? Speak into your mind
?
She gave a rattled roar, shaking her dull black
mane.
Of course.
But you
weren’t
able to hear me.
Her legs shook from the weight of her body. She fell forward, onto her knees
. With a sigh, she rested her head on her paws, licking them.

“Let me get you something to drink.” I scanned the room for some water. Our room was nothing more than an earthen container. A death box, I thought, momentarily terrified.

It’s no use.
Water will
do nothing to refresh me. My soul is impri
soned in this body just as we are
confined within
the dirt
. Ramien has a message he wants me to deliver.
She took a ragged breath.

“If this
body isn’t part of you, why are you in so much pain
?” I asked, rushing over to her,
leaning my h
ead against her jaw, the way I
used to. I stroked her behind the ears, noticing her once soft fur was
scruffy
, and felt wiry beneath my fingertips.

Ramien feeds off a soul
’
s agony.
Don’t
worry yourself
,
it’s temporary
.
Sadraden
closed her eyes.

S
he
said Ramien had a message. “What does Ramien want you to tell me?” I had a feeling it had to do with my comment about him not being able to hurt me.
Knowing my irrihunter
was in pain
twisted my gut
s
.
If I didn’t do what I
promised he
would also
make my parents souls’ suffer.

Sadraden let out a strangled growl.
Don’t give in to him
.
I sense he’s afraid of you, which is why he wants to control you.

Her body
came
apart in chunks. Head. Body. One of her wings fell off, striking me in the shoulder before it vanished.
As each piece
disappeared
, so did my sadness, my fear, and my guilt, as though Sadraden t
ook them with her. One emotion remained. Anger.

I needed a plan.

One where I kept those
I loved from any more agony.

I didn’t know what part Michael played in his father’s plan
. It still
baffled
me
he was
the same
as Ramien
. And what
was his
mother, Catherine? Was she human or something else? Ramien
was
right about one thing. I’d been naïve. I wouldn’t
be
again. And if Michael came against me, I wouldn’t hold back.
I was done being the victim. It was time I became
a destroyer
.
Annihilate those who
killed my parents and anyone who came against those I cared about.

A secret part of my mind lamented
all the crap happening in my life.
I
shoved those thoughts away,
knowing
it
was out of my
power. Accepted it, even. With
acceptance came a deeper resolve. I would control how I responded to the bad.
No longer
as
a cowering kitten. I’d be like the fearless irrihunter.