Zola Flash (The Zola Flash Series Book 1) (17 page)

Renz frowns at the priest and tightens his hold on my hand. “Shut up and continue as you’ve been instructed,” he whispers.

“I will not continue unless you say the vow,” the priest says stubbornly.

“As you wish, my high priest.” Renz turns towards me. “Zola, I know you think this is a ploy to fulfill some destiny, but it’s not. Ever since I first laid eyes on you as a boy, I knew you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. You might have been promised to my brother, but you have always been mine. I’ve never wanted anything, or anyone, as much as I want you. Not even power. Now that I have you, I will spend the rest of my life happily pleasing you.”

I stare at him, holding in my laughter. I hope he doesn’t expect me to say something back. The priest grabs my hand and slices it using a decorative ceremonial knife. He turns my hand over so that the blood drips into the cup; the cut starts to heal instantly. He repeats the same process with Renz’s hand. His hand doesn’t heal.

“With this binding of blood, do you, King Renz of Payohlini, take Princess Zola of Victian to be your eternal mate?”

“Yes,” Renz says.

“Then, you may drink from the cup.”

Renz takes the cup that contains our blood and sips from it. He hands the cup back to the priest, and the priest turns to me.

“With this binding, do you, Princess Zola of Victian, take King Renz of Payohlini to be your eternal mate?”

I glance around the room at all the guest nodding their heads, then at my friends in the corner. Pin isn’t here. He didn’t make it in time. And saying yes is the only way to save my friends. I turn back to Renz and the priest. Renz squeezes my hand and narrows his eyes at me.

“I . . . I …”

“She doesn’t!” yells a voice from the rear of the room.

I spin around, to see a hooded figure moving through the crowd.
Please let it be him
.

“She doesn’t want to mate him.” The figure removes his hood, and I smile.

“Oh, thank the gods, you’re back,” I say.

RENZ TURNS FROM THE altar and faces Pin. “Dear brother! Risen from the dead, so it seems.”

“Yes, apparently, I have.”

He’s here. He’s actually here. Alive. I push past Renz to get to Pin, but Renz snatches me into his arms, stalling my approach to Pin.

Pushing him away, I cry out, “Let me go!”

“Let her go!” Pin yells.

“No, brother dearest. She’s my mate! I will never let her go!”

Renz pulls out a gun and aims it at Jacob and the girls. The gun goes off, the crowd ducks. Carmen screams as Jacob goes tumbling down.

“Somebody do something!” I shout, but the crowd just stands there and stares as if no one has spoken a word. “Pin, help Jacob.”

“That’s right, Pin, save Jacob, while I take my new mate to our mating chamber.”

Pin hesitates, but when he glances at me, I know the decision he’s made.

He charges at Renz. He would let everyone in this room die before he’d let his brother have me.

I push away from Renz, and Pin catches me in his arms and pulls me down the aisle towards the ballroom exit. I halt when I hear the crowd come to life and turn to see what has caused the sudden eruption of voices.

Renz has a male child in his grasp. He presses the gun to the child’s head, a malevolent grin upon his face. “Zola, come to me, and this child shall live to see another day.”

“He’s your subject. You wouldn’t harm him!”

“Are you sure about that?”

How I loathe these Payohlini. They have done nothing but cause me heartache, but the child is innocent. He doesn’t deserve Renz’s wrath.

Tears stream down the young boy’s face. Near him, an elderly female is restrained by people in the surrounding crowd. Her eyes are like the boys, filled with tears and fear. I can’t let them die because of me. I couldn’t save my sister, but I won’t let this boy meet the same fate.

I pull away from Pin, as Renz points to the exit of the ballroom.

Pin grabs my hand. “You don’t have to do this. We can find another way to save the kid,” he whispers.

“When the child is safe from harm, come for me.”

He frowns, but nods.

Renz leaves the altar with the boy in his hands. I follow him out of the ballroom and down the hall. I stop at the big doors to Renz’s chamber. Renz lets the boy go, and I watch as the child runs to get away from Renz. At least he’s out of harm.

Renz opens the door to his chamber and pulls me inside. He wraps his arms around my waist, holding me closer to his body while his other hand moves to unzip my dress.

I pull away. “I can’t do this, Renz.”

“Yes, you can. Just imagine I’m Pin.”

“No, I am still a child myself. Too young to have a child.”

“You look mature enough to me.”

“You are not female and don’t understand.”

“Enlighten me, then, Zola.”

“Please, I’m begging you. Don’t make me do this.”

“This is the last part of the mating ceremony. Please behave and come to me.”

Renz takes hold of my hand and leads me to the bed. This would be the best time for Pin to burst into the room.

I look at the door. No Pin.

Renz leans down and kisses my neck. I bite my lip to keep from fighting him.

“Kiss me,” he commands.

“Renz, I don’t—”

“You will do as I say. I still have your precious—”

“She will not!” Pin yells from the entrance of the room.

Renz glares at Pin and swings back to me. He grabs me and yanks me off the bed, dragging me across the room. “This is why you betray me. Your own brother. You would chose a woman over family?”

“You speak of betrayal as if you’re innocent. I love her, and I will kill you before I let you hurt her.”

Renz shoves me to the floor, between him and his brother.

I crawl to Pin, and he pulls me up against his side and wraps his arms around me.

Renz studies us for a minute, then laughs. He throws his hands up as if surrendering. “You know what, little brother? You can have her. But I cannot give you my guarantee that you will keep her.”

“What are you talking about?” Pin ask.

“If I were you, I’d spend more time running than asking questions.”

Quickly realizing Renz’s meaning, Pin pulls me towards the door.

Maybe we have a fair chance at escaping. With Pin leading the way, we run down the hall. Remembering that my friends are still tied up in the ballroom, I veer away from Pin and run in the direction of my friends. Pin catches up to me and pulls me aside, alerting me to five guards and Britney guarding the ballroom doorway. Renz’s pretty crafty. He knew I wouldn’t leave them. I should have known he wouldn’t let me go so easily.

“I have to get them, Pin,” I whisper. “Can we distract them, somehow?”

The guards eventually walk off, but Britney stays behind.

I approach the doors and smile at her. “May I enter? It’s my wedding, after all.”

“Sorry, Princess, but we’re still steps ahead of you.”

Just great!
“Then, I’ll have to move you myself.”

I push pass her, and she grabs my hair, hauling me away from the doors. I fall backwards to the concrete floor, landing on my back.

Britney draws her sword, but just as she’s about to skewer me, Pin swings his own sword and knocks her weapon to the floor. She attempts to kick Pin, but he dodges the blow. Britney sends a sloppy swing at his head, and he jumps back. She throws punch after punch, trying to better him. Pin avoids each hit.

Britney finally gets her hands on him, and he goes stumbling back. What is wrong with him? I know for a fact that he can fight better than this.

“Why aren’t you fighting back?” I ask.

“I can’t hit a girl.”

Seriously?

Grabbing his dropped sword, I race towards Britney, and she morphs into that disgusting lizard creature. I am never going to get use to that. I slow, and as I take a couple of steps, Pin mouths something unintelligent.

A clamor of feet announced the arrival of Renz and his two right-hand men. A hand pulls the sword from my hand, and as I twirl around, Pin cups my face in one hand. He lays a soft, cool kiss on my lips then leans down to my ear and whispers, “Run.”

“No!” I will not leave him. I know what it feels like to lose him. I will not feel that again. Either we both survive, or I die beside him, but I’m not leaving him.

“We’ll be together soon. But, right now, I need to protect what I love. So, run, now!”

He pushes me away, and as Britney charges at him, he starts fighting. Actually fighting, and not dodging.

I check the corridor for Renz, but he’s nowhere in sight.

Pin shouts for me to run, to get away from his brother. I turn to do exactly that, but realize I’m trapped. There are guards in every direction, and Renz isn’t far behind them.

I turn to Pin. “I’m sorry.”

“No!” he bellows. “We can get through this.”

“It’s useless, we’re blocked.”

Renz pushes through the guards and stops in front of me. He grins as if he has already won and yanks me to his side, hard.

I hear Pin growl from behind me. “You won’t get away with this, Renz. I promise you, before the night is over, I will have her back.”

Renz wraps his arms securely around my waist and presses his mouth to mine, but I yank myself away. “I don’t care, little brother. Because, before you can fight off all my guards, I will have used her for what I need.”

Renz hands me over to his guards. My eyes widen as I spot Britney hit Pin over the head. He tumbles to the floor.

Forcing myself around in guard’s arms, I head-butt him, and his grip loosens. “You said you would let them go!” I scream.

“Don’t tell me what I said!” Renz bellows.

He grabs my wrist and starts pulling me down the hall, but stops abruptly. He stares at me with wide eyes, unmoving.

I stare down at myself. I’ve morphed. Claws, tail, fur, and fury. Guess this stupid transforming only works when I desperately need it.

Renz grabs his gun and aims it at me. He’s afraid. He’s afraid of this me.

Snatching the gun from him, I take the bullets out and throw them down the hall. Renz backs up, as a small growl escapes me. I take him by the neck and throw him hard against the wall. He cringes, and I grab him again, as the guards stand by not knowing what to do.

Do it, Zola! Do it. You can do it. Just do it. Give him a little bit of the hurt he has given you.

Except, I can’t do it. I’m not like him—I’m not that ruthless. I release my hold on him, and Renz falls to the floor. Morphing back into myself, I run back to Pin. He’s still lying on the floor, and his moving chest tells me he’s not dead. Thank the gods.

I turn to Britney with a snarl on my face.

She drops her sword and raises her hands. “Do you think I wanted to hurt him, Zola? I was following orders.”

I grab the dropped sword and take a step toward her.

“What if I tell you there’s a way to heal him faster than his body naturally allows?”

“How?”

“Your blood. You’re the only half Victian, half Payohlini. Your blood would heal him, like it does you. It just needs to be in his system.”

Hoping she’s right, I take the sword and make a slice across my palm. A small bit of blood bubbles to the surface before the wound starts to heal, and I rub the blood over the open wound on Pin’s head. Nothing happens. I leave my hand on his head for a bit longer. The wound starts to close, gradually, then quickly.

I roll him over, and he opens his eyes. He sits up and rubs his hands over his face. As he climbs to his feet, he tugs me up with him and hugs me. He pulls my face up to his and places a small peck on my forehead. “Zola,” is the only thing he says, yet that one words means the world to me.

“Certainly. Are you strong enough to help me rescue my friends? They are still tied up. We need to get them before your brother does something to them.”

Pin nods, and we head inside the ballroom. We race over to where Carmen and Jacob sit. His wound has been mended, but both of my friends are covered in his blood. The rope that bound them are gone; someone must have help them.

Carmen stands. “Your Majesty.”

“Carmen, please. You don’t have to call me that.”

“Why not? You are Princess of Victian.”

“Not to you.” I glance at Jacob. “You fixed him.”

“My boyfriend. My job to protect him.”

“Where are the others? We need to get off this planet.”

“The guards took them to the dungeon.”

With that, Pin leads Carmen and Jacob to the dungeon in search of the others, while I head towards the entrance of the palace.

Renz’s ship is our only means of getting off this planet.

Feet from the entrance, I come to halt at the sight of Renz standing in my way. “Please give up, Renz. You can’t win this fight. Don’t make this worse for yourself. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if you give me no other option.”

“I would like to see you try, child.”