Eternal Destiny (16 page)

A pale woman with long brown hair lay in the grass: Della. “Victor, how could you hurt me like that?”

He drew his sword, his tone menacing. “You are not her!”

“But, love, it’s me…the one who has your heart, the love of your life.” She held out her hand, begging and pleading. “We can take Sarah back to the Royal Court, and then I’ll leave William for you, lover. We can be together forever, like it was supposed to be.”

“Show us your human form!” demanded Victor.

Della stood, and more brilliant light filled the air as the woman morphed into an image Sarah immediately recognized, the bronzed woman from the forest who wore the black feathered outfit—Lana.

Sarah stared into her deep, black eyes. “Why?”

“I couldn’t fool the two of you, but I easily tricked your silly companions and William’s wife, Della. The Immortals have them. They required a fast tracker. Not only did I find you in an instant, but I was also able to capture your friends and drop them off to the Immortals before you even knew what happened.”

Sarah’s eyes widened as her heart pounded as realization set in. “Victor, that means they have my sister!”

“We’ll get her back,” Victor said. “I promise you that.”

“The prediction’s coming true,” she whispered. “Now all they need is us.”

“The Shadow People have always been loyal to me,” Victor said, clenching his sword. “Why the sudden betrayal?”

“Do not place blame on the Shadow People, or you will start a war you cannot possibly win, Victor,” the woman said. “This falls to me and me alone.”

Sarah gazed at the woman. “You told me back in the forest that you fear King Victor.”

“I fear Ethano even more. It’s rumored he’s going to be the next king of the Immortals, that he will take King Taggert’s place once he dies.”

“No! That title belongs to me,” retorted Victor.

“Not anymore. According to your ancient laws, you lost the title the moment Sarah became Immortal. The council has already gathered, voted, and decided on your fate. They want both of you to face trial, and that trial will have only one outcome. You are dead people walking! You will both be executed. King Taggert tried to stop it, but he was outvoted. There’s nothing he or anyone else can do to save you, and Ethano holds all the power. He has taken my husband prisoner and threatened to kill him if I do not cooperate.”

In that moment, Sarah felt sorry for her. She wasn’t evil—just desperate to get her husband back. She thought her best move might be to appeal to the shape-shifter’s soft side. “If you take us back there, you will be sending ten people to their deaths.”

“The guilt of this will forever cause me great pain, but it is my only choice if I am to save my husband.”

“What if there were another way?” Sarah pleaded. “What if there was a better way to save your husband, while preserving those ten innocent lives? We’re looking for the Gold Minerals of Life. If we can find them, we can heal King Taggert and then trade them for our loved ones.”

Another burst of light came, and the shape-shifter morphed into a bird. She flew through the trees and into the night sky without another word.

“Wait!” yelled Sarah. “Come back! Going back without us as your prisoners is surely a death sentence for your husband!”

“Don’t call that wretched woman back,” admonished Victor.

Sarah placed a hand on his shoulder. “She could be an asset to us.”

His gaze narrowed. “How can she be trusted? She took your sister!”

“Right now, I have to see past that. What’s done is done. Having her on our side may mean the difference in getting Liz back and saving my friends.” Sarah spun in a slow circle. “Listen, shape-shifter! We can work together. Sometimes people do crazy things when their loved ones are taken, but I can feel that your heart is pure. You allowed me to live back in the forest when you could’ve easily killed me and my friends, when we were marked for death.”

The leaves rustled, and a glorious tiger approached.

Victor went to reach for his sword, but Sarah grabbed his arm. “No.” She turned to the large beast and asked, “Do we have a deal?”

“I’ll add to this deal to assure your cooperation,” Victor said. “If you help us obtain the minerals, you shall be given Logwood Forest.”

Sarah glanced over. “What’s that?”

“It is a piece of land, property the Shadow People have been begging me for, desiring it for over 500 years. Do you agree to these terms, shape-shifter? If you do, and we succeed, you will be considered a hero among your people for obtaining such a treasured piece of land.”

The tiger morphed into her human form. “You set forth a most generous offer. Of course I accept the terms, and you have my complete trust. I’ll even allow you to put me in a compelled state so you will know I will not to hurt you or your wife. In my animal form, I can smell the Immortals. If you choose, I can become a bird and fly and see with eagle’s eyes. It’s best I stay in that form so I can use my senses for our journey.”

“Acceptable,” Victor said.

She bowed. “We have a deal, my King.”

Sarah shook her hand. “Yes, and we’ll work together as a team.”

The woman nodded. “I am Lana.”

“Nice to meet you again,” Sarah said.

Victor glanced in the direction of the city. “It would not be wise to go back. I’m sure Immortals are waiting for us in our room.”

A burst of light blinded Sarah as Lana morphed into a bird and flew into the towering trees.

“Where did she go?” Sarah asked through the sound of roaring water and chirping crickets.

Victor glanced around in the moonlight. “I do not know, Sarah, but I feel she cannot be trusted.”

“I can!” Lana said from behind him. “Immortals are closing in from all directions. I am afraid we are trapped.”

“Liar!” Victor said. “We will not fall for your tricks, shape-shifter.”

Branches snapped off in the distance, and Sarah jumped. “I don’t think she’s lying.”

Victor took a step toward the water. “We can swim under the waterfall through a maze of underwater tunnels. You’ll be able to hold your breath for much longer than a human.”

“There’s no way I’m doing that, mister,” Sarah said, shaking her head.

Victor raised his brow. “Why not?”

“Why?” She took a deep breath as her mind tried to come up with a good excuse. “Um…for starters, uh, it will be pitch black.”

“That’s your reason?” Victor asked, amused.

Lana put an arm on Sarah’s shoulder. “I will be with you all the way, Sarah. I will shift into an anglerfish.”

“The fish that attacked Marlin and Dory with the dangling light in
Finding Nemo
?” Sarah asked.

Lana and Victor exchanged a confused glance. “I am not sure who Nemo is,” Lana said, but we may have to find him later. We must stay focused on our original plan.”

Sarah put up her hand, exasperated. “Never mind.” Glancing up, she gasped. Immortals crept out of the shadows and through the towering trees with moonlight glistening off their swords. “Let’s get out of here,” she whispered. “Right now!”

Chapter 12

Victor reached for Sarah’s hand.

She lifted her eyes to meet his encouraging gaze, and with a long, deep breath, she dove into the water with him, confident that he knew what he was doing. Ignoring the unnatural sensation, she opened her eyes and strained to recognize shapes in the blackness surrounding them. The water around her began to shake, and a burst of light appeared, illuminating the way like the thick beam of a flashlight. Her gaze swept over the school of fish following the ragged side of a large rock that disappeared into what looked like a dark tunnel. She pulled Victor’s sleeve and pointed ahead, then shook her head.

He just smiled and shrugged, as though signaling her to suck it up and do the inevitable.

Her whole body shuddered at the idea of swimming through that tunnel, but she had no other choice. Following Lana, she swam through the tunnel. Up ahead, a swirling hole caught her eye. She sped and broke the surface.

A yellow ball of light hovered in the center of the room, obviously Victor’s doing because the moon couldn’t possibly penetrate that stony ceiling with its giant stalagmites. The soft rays of the light caught on the ragged peaks of pale stones.

She glanced at Victor, blinking the water out of her eyelashes. Her heart thumped. There was no way she could avoid drooling over those rippling muscles and glittering eyes. She was mesmerized as she stared at his dazzling, breathtaking male beauty—from his beautiful skin and full lips, to the sculptured lines and angles of his forehead, to his amazing cheekbones and chiseled jaw line, to the droplets of water that clung to his face.

As if reading her thoughts, he smiled, and she felt her cheeks burn. He raised a brow, making her wonder what was going through his mind. She would’ve loved to break into his thoughts but, as usual, they remained hidden to her. His cheeky look made her nervous, so she clung desperately to the first thing that crossed her mind. “Love the artificial sun. How do you do that?”

He shook his head, sprinkling her with droplets of water.

She laughed at Victor’s playful manner in such a stressful situation. “So…are you going to tell me?”

His dripping hair was now slicked back. “There’s so much to teach you.”

Victor swam to the ledge and held out his hand, helping her to her feet. Then, like a true gentlemen, he extended the offer to Lana, who was now back in her human form.

Sarah’s teeth started to chatter as a cool breeze blew over her.

“This is the perfect place to spend the night,” Lana said, wrapping her arms around her waist as though to keep from shivering.

Sarah snorted.
Perfect? Is she kidding? A bed in a nice hotel with some of those fancy chocolates wrapped in shimmery foil advertising the Swiss Alps would be my idea of perfect—not this.
“In an underwater cave?” She peered around her, already searching for something—anything—that might be used as a pillow, but all she could see were rocks and more rocks.

“They’ll never find us here,” Victor said. “They’ll search the entire area and be gone by daylight.”

She had feared that answer, and it did make sense, but it certainly didn’t make the whole situation any easier to bear. She rubbed her hands over the goose bumps rising up and down her arms. If she really had to stay the night, she might as well make good use of it. “I’m freezing. Can I borrow some body heat?”

Victor smiled, holding out his arms.

“Lucky you,” Lana said. “I guess I’ll have to come up with a plan of my own.” In a burst of light, Lana morphed into a golden beast with a mane of long fur covering half of her face.

Sarah took a step back. “Not sure I’ll ever get used to all of this paranormal freaky stuff.”

The lion lay down, and Victor put his hand on the creature’s head, then looked into its golden eyes. “You won’t hurt us—not now or ever.”

The lion walked to the corner of the room and closed its eyes, as if drifting off to sleep.

Sarah peered at him for a while, not for the first time wondering what was really going on in his mind. “You still don’t trust Lana?” she eventually said.

He shook his head. “Trusting the enemy can have deadly consequences.”

“So could sleeping in a cave at night,” Sarah muttered, thinking back to the day she’d followed the Bigfoot. She couldn’t believe how much something as insignificant as taking a wrong turn had changed her life. She still couldn’t wrap her head around that part. Pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind, she slumped into a corner, resting her back against the damp wall, and held out her hand to Victor. “Care to join me?” Her voice came low and hoarse.

He lay down next to her and pulled her to his chest. As she met his gaze, she noticed he had the faintest stubble shadowing his jaw line, making him look even sexier than before.

“Victor,” she said softly, reaching out to touch his skin. “Tell me about the history of the ring and the Immortals. I’ve been dying to ask you, but we’ve never had a chance before.”

“We haven’t had a minute to relax, have we?” He sighed.

She waited for him to continue. When he didn’t immediately, she didn’t press the issue; she could sense that the past was painful for him.

He spoke eventually, and when he did, a shadow clouded his features. “Thousands of years ago, my people were slaves, beaten and left to starve, for there was no food. To gather nourishment for his rebel troops, Taggert, one of the original Immortals, and his wife hiked deep into the mountains, where they fell into a deep hole and stumbled upon a cave. He figured it’d make a great place to sleep until morning, so he started a fire. That was when he saw something in the flames—diamonds and rubies embedded in the wall.”

“Wow,” Sarah said, leaning forward so she wouldn’t miss a single word of his tale. “That must’ve been an awesome sight.”

Victor nodded. “It was. In fact, it was so beautiful and amazing that Taggert and his wife pulled out two diamonds and two rubies to add to their wedding rings when they returned home. They decided they would return later to retrieve the rest of the treasure to sell for supplies, weapons, and food to feed their starving army. Each slept with the treasure in their hand, and when they woke up, they discovered they could hear each other’s thoughts.” He paused for effect.