by Raven Steele
“The only thing ridiculous is you, Dark Prince.”
Aiden punched his face, hard. Lucien rocked back, but the invisible force brought him back upright. His gaze met Sable’s. She was staring at him intently as if focusing on the magic that contained him. Maybe he could distract her long enough to release the grip she had on him.
“How could you harm your own daughter?” he asked her.
Sable's eyes flickered to Eve and then returned to Lucien. “What's happening to Eve is a means to an end. She must accept her destiny at Boaz's side."
"She would never choose Boaz," Lucien said.
“You’d be surprised what Eve would do. There is a bond between them, a thick cord that can’t be broken.”
Lucien glanced at Eve. She was staring at the ground, emotionless. Just then her head snapped up and turned to the left. Panic etched her expression, and her whole body seemed to recoil. He followed the direction of her gaze.
Just over the ridge, a head appeared. A tall, dark-haired man walked toward them. Lucien looked back at Eve and just as quickly as the fear had come, she was back to looking empty, completely emotionless. She kept her eyes fixed on the approaching figure that could only be Boaz.
Boaz strolled toward them with regal confidence. Lucien felt Boaz’s power, which seemed to strangely grow as he drew near them. Boaz’s hands opened and closed in tight fists as if he, too, could feel his power strengthen. His black hair was short, falling just to his ears. He wore a long black, buttoned up jacket, and in his hand he carried a silver case. Boaz kept his eyes on Eve, as though unaware of the others around her. He walked straight to her.
“Eve, my love. You look more amazing than ever,” he purred. He lifted his hand holding the case in Aiden’s direction. Aiden took it obediently. Boaz stared at Eve thoughtfully and then frowned. “What did you do to her, Aiden?”
Aiden paused, and Lucien sensed Aiden’s fear of Boaz. “Only what you asked me to do. She is incapable of using magic, for the time being.”
“That’s good,” Boaz said, but then his hand shot up and punched Aiden squarely in the jaw.
Aiden’s eyes burst open. “What was that for?”
Boaz pulled him close. “So you’ll remember that if you ever touch her again, I’ll kill you.”
Aiden lowered his gaze. Boaz released him, and Aiden stumbled back.
Boaz returned to Eve. “I apologize for what you must have endured under his,” he motioned to Aiden with his head, “psychotic hands, but it was necessary, you see. I had to make sure you couldn’t use magic against me. I’ve heard you’ve become quite the little witch.”
She remained expressionless.
Boaz reached out and took her hand.
“Don’t touch her!” Lucien yelled, unable to control himself.
Boaz whirled around.
“Lucien. Must I deal with you so soon?” He closed the distance between them. “So it is you that has captured Eve’s heart. What is it about you that Eve finds so attractive? You are a vampire like me, after all.” His hand shot forward and Lucien stifled a cry as Boaz’s nails dug into his shoulder. “You feel the same inside as I do.”
“Boaz, please,” Eve begged from behind.
Boaz closed his eyes tight, and his jaw muscles bulged. He snapped them back open and stared at Lucien. “Do you hear how she begs for your life? This will only make it that much sweeter.”
“What are you going to do?” Lucien asked.
“You will die, of course, but it will be by Eve’s hand, or I should say, Alarica’s.”
Boaz held out his palm. “Aiden, the necklace.”
Lucien’s eyes flashed to Eve. The terror was back in her eyes, and she shook her head slowly.
“It’s okay, Eve,” Lucien said gently.
Boaz turned around to face Eve. “Don’t worry, love. The necklace won’t cause you pain like last time. We’ve made some special modifications.”
Boaz approached the necklace, turning his back to Eve.
Everything happened all at once.
Eve looked at Lucien, her eyes boring into his. “Lucien.”
He heard the word in his mind.
Boaz was still talking. “Last time we attempted this, we didn’t have time to properly understand the powers of the necklace, but I couldn’t waste any more time playing Mr. Wonderful. It was excruciating to pretend.”
While Boaz spoke, as if he were with an old friend, Eve said in Lucien’s mind: I’m proud of who you’ve become, Lucien. Your past means nothing to me.
Lucien shook his head; a growing feeling of apprehension tugging at him.
Eve stepped backwards toward the cliff.
Don’t let the past define you, her voice breathed inside his head. She smiled warmly and took another precarious step.
Lucien panicked.
“The history of the necklace is really quite interesting.” Boaz pulled the silver chain from its case and admired its beauty. “Lucien and Aiden would appreciate it the most.”
Aiden’s head turned in Boaz’s direction, but Lucien kept his eyes focused on Eve.
“Why should I care?” Aiden asked.
“Because it was your great grandfather who made it,” Boaz said.
Eve slid back another step; this time she caught the attention of Sable.
“Boaz!” Sable cried.
Boaz whirled around. Eve was only a couple of steps from the cliff’s edge. “What are you doing? Get back here!”
To Lucien, Eve said silently, I’m sorry, but I can’t become Alarica again.
“There’s another way!” Lucien said aloud.
Boaz looked from Eve to Lucien, and, after realizing they were communicating silently, exploded, screaming at Eve, “Get back here!”
Aiden watched eagerly. “Do it. Jump!” he muttered under his breath.
Eve turned her head to Boaz. “You will never touch me again.”
Her foot slid backwards, inches from death.
Eve’s eyes met Lucien’s once more. Sorrow in the form of tears spilled from her eyes.
I am so sorry, her silent voice said again.
Lucien’s body tightened and jerked upright as a tugging sensation pulled at his insides. It felt like someone was sucky energy he didn’t know he had away from him. It wasn’t painful, but it caused his body to spasm. His head jerked back, and his eyes rolled into his head.
“What’s wrong with him?” Sable asked to whoever was listening.
Boaz stretched out his hand to stop Eve with magic, but Eve pushed back by using her own. Boaz’s eyes widened.
“A little help here, Sable,” he said, struggling against Eve’s force.
“If I help you, then I’ll have to let go of Lucien,” Sable hesitated.
“Do it!” Boaz commanded.
The invisible band around Lucien dissipated. Lucien, weakened by whatever had been removed from him earlier, bolted for Eve, but Eve raised her other arm and stopped him, too.
Her face looked peaceful as she stared Lucien in the eyes. “I love you, Lucien. Now, run.”
Lucien stepped forward. “Please, Eve, don’t do this. I’ll—”
Eve stepped off the cliff.
Aiden stood by the edge, giggling quietly as he peered over, watching Eve fall.
The second Eve’s barrier dropped, Lucien rushed after her, but Boaz grabbed him, stopping him inches from the cliff's edge.
“She is mine! Do you understand?” he screamed in Lucien’s face.
A short distance away, Eve’s bones crunched when her body bounced off rocks on her way down.
“That had to kill her!” Aiden cried, his voice louder than he probably intended.
Lucien shoved Boaz away and dove from the cliff. At the same time, he retracted a wooden dagger from his sleeve, and while falling through the air, he rolled onto his back and glared at Aiden who grinned ear to ear. Aiden’s expression turned from excitement to terror when he saw the dagger fly from Lucien’s hand directly toward his heart.
Lucien twisted back over, diving headfirst. He passed by the area Eve’s body must have hit. Vast amounts of her blood had splattered on rocks that jutted out several feet. He barely missed them himself.
Lucien hit the frigid water hard, rendering him temporarily unconscious. He woke seconds later as a wave tossed his body against the rocks. After the painful impact, he quickly dove under the water, frantically searching for Eve.
In and out, he dived, fighting against strong currents. They tugged and pulled at his body, trying to expel him from a world that was not his, until finally, a strong undercurrent, the master of all currents, took hold of him. It dragged him far beneath the angry surface to a darker place, one he might’ve liked once.
The black gloomy underworld was periodically broken up by fragments of moonlight that had found its way through the murky water. The creatures of the sea paid no attention to Lucien who thrashed wildly past them. They moved in steady rhythms, separately from each other, yet part of a great machine, each dependent upon the other for survival. He was not a part of their machine.
Lucien’s superhuman strength proved useless against the power of the strong undercurrent. His lungs filled with water, further weakening him, but he didn’t stop to think a way out of his predicament. His only concern was for Eve who was somewhere, trapped like him, in this underwater prison.
The current swept him down, pulling him to the bottom of a deep cavern, hundreds of feet beneath the surface. The pressure of the water pressed down upon his chest, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of loss he felt for Eve.
Just then, the current tossed his body into a boulder; he ricocheted from it as if a bullet from a gun. The force was enough to expel him from the raging, underwater river to peaceful, calmer waters that gently rocked his body while he lay exhausted on the sandy bottom. Light would not reach him here.
He welcomed the darkness eagerly, which spread throughout his mind. He did not want to be conscious. He wanted to be anything but aware of what he once experienced with Eve. His wish was granted.
Chapter 45
Death is a horrible tragedy, especially for the loved ones left behind. They do not wish for death themselves, but they long for the pain to go away even if that means they sleep forever. Anything, as long as they do not have to endure living each day feeling as if their heart has been ripped from their chest. This is how Lucien found himself: asleep in a beautiful, magical world.
Lucien ignored the sun as it fell upon him, warming his skin. He ignored the warm breeze ruffling his hair. He ignored the crab scrambling over his leg as it headed toward the ocean. He ignored it all. His attention was fully on Eve who sat across from him on a pristine, crystal-like sandy beach. She wore a black one-piece swimsuit with a zipper in front. She laughed beautifully as she tried to explain to him how to pot a plant. The sunlight wrapped itself around her long, wind-swept hair, and he could not tell where the sun ended and Eve began. Her eyes twinkled with happiness, and when they looked into his, he felt whole.
Even though she was mid-sentence, Lucien leaned over and kissed her. The pot of dirt tipped over into the sand.
“Lucien!” she cried with a big smile. “Now we’ll have to start all over.”
She scooped up the dirt and put it back in the pot. Lucien helped. His hand brushed hers. She stopped to hold it.
“I love you,” she said with a fierceness that frightened him.
He looked down at his hands that felt suddenly empty. Eve’s hands were crumbing, leaving nothing behind but black dust.
“What’s wrong, Lucien?” she asked.
Lucien frantically looked up just in time to see her face also begin to disintegrate. Parts of her fell to the ground, while other parts collapsed inside the rest of her body. By the time he reached for her, all that was left was a puff of dust. He wanted to scream and throw up at the same time.
“Lucien?”
He turned around. Coming out from a small grass hut was Eve wearing a red bikini.
“Let’s go for a swim.” She giggled as she raced by him toward the ocean.
He quickly jumped up and followed after her, stepping over her ashen remains on the sand.
Lucien caught up to her just before she reached the waves and wrapped his arms around her. They tumbled to the ground together. He landed slightly on top of her.
“That’s not fair! You’re faster than me,” she complained, but she was smiling big.
He swept a sun-kissed strand of hair away from her face and leaned in to kiss her. She stopped him with her finger against his lips.
“Do you know how proud I am of you?” she asked.
He could only look at her, his heart full.
“Lucien?” a man’s voice interrupted.
Lucien looked up.
Eve reached her hand around his neck and pulled him to her. The kiss lasted only a second before something burst.
He leaned away. Eve’s nose was missing.
“Why did you stop kiss—” but Eve couldn’t finish her sentence. Her mouth had followed her nose, combusting into a cloud of dust. The rest of her body followed suit and before Lucien knew it, he was lying on the beach alone.
“Lucien!” the same male voice repeated with more force.
Lucien rolled over and looked up, squinting into the sun.
“Lucien?” Eve asked.
He sat up. She was half way into the water wearing a green swimsuit with a low back.
“Aren’t you going to swim with me?” she asked.
He pushed himself to a standing position and made his way to the water. His legs seemed heavier than usual. His bare feet reached the cool water.
“Lucien, it’s time!” a male voice growled.
He looked behind him at nothing but a grass hut and a beautiful island that was no bigger than a football field.
Eve tugged at his arm.
“Come on! The dolphins are waiting,” she pleaded.
He turned his attention back to Eve and followed her into the water. He could not help but smile as she dived gracefully beneath the water.
He was about to follow when the male voice persisted, “Eve’s alive, do you hear me?”
He froze as a sudden pain exploded in his heart. Something cracked, and there was a loud gush as if water was being drained from the sea. Lucien glanced at Eve who had just surfaced and was beckoning him forward, but this time he didn't follow. He turned around and walked with heavy legs back up the beach and into the darkness of the hut.
Lucien didn’t open his eyes right away. He could feel something soft beneath him like a bed or a couch. Wherever he was, the air smelled like Clorox. The strong chemical smell tried to cover the musty odor that only an old building could produce.
He sensed someone near him, yet he could hear no one, not even a heartbeat.
“Eve’s alive,” the voice repeated.
Lucien opened his eyes. Other than a dim lamp in the corner, the room was dark. He was lying on what looked like a hospital bed with an IV taped to his left arm. A dark red liquid flowed steadily into his body. Henry stood over him.
“Eve’s alive?” Lucien croaked, surprised by the pain he felt.
Henry handed him a glass of water. “This will help your throat.”
Lucien pulled himself to a sitting position and eagerly swallowed the cool liquid.
“Is Eve alive?” he asked again.
“Maybe,” Henry said as he removed the IV from Lucien’s arm.
Lucien frowned. “Maybe?”
“She could be. No one saw her actually die.”
“You told me she was alive!”
“I may have stretched the truth, but I did what was necessary. You have been asleep too long.”
“So Eve is dead.” It wasn’t a question but a st
atement.
“I can’t say for sure, but after living as long as I have, you learn to trust your eyes. And if you didn’t see her die, then she may still be alive.”
Lucien moaned and shook his head. “She couldn’t have survived the fall. There was too much blood, and she was already considerably weak.”
“All I know is Eve’s a powerful witch. I wouldn’t count her out quite yet.”
“Why are you doing this?” Lucien asked.
“Doing what?”
“Giving me false hope!”
“We need you, Lucien.” Henry walked over to the window and opened the curtains to the night beyond.
Lucien swung his legs to the side of the bed. “How did you find me?”
Henry turned around. “It was Charlie. He saw Eve step off the cliff and you follow behind. After Boaz left, he searched the water for weeks but found only you.”
“How unfortunate.”
“That’s what he said,” Henry replied, smiling.
Lucien rubbed his head. “How long have I been out?”
“Almost five weeks.”
Lucien wished it had been longer.
“Where is Charlie?”
“He took some time off. This has been rough on him.”
Lucien understood. “What about Bodian Dynamics? Did the Deific destroy the virus?”
“Yes. They are no longer a threat,” Henry said, and then cleared his throat. “I apologize for saying Eve was alive, but I needed to do something drastic. Nothing else was working.”
Lucien stood and pulled on his jacket, which was lying on a nearby couch.
“The fight isn’t over, Lucien. Just because we stopped the virus from being released, doesn't mean Boaz is finished. He will find another way to come to power and take over the human race. That's what all of this has been about. And with Eve gone, he will need another plan, and something tells me it's going to be even more ruthless."
“I am the one who will be ruthless," Lucien growled.
“You can’t fight him like this.”
“Like what?”
“Not knowing who you are.”
“I know who I am,” Lucien answered as he walked to the window. A quick glance of the landscape told him he was back in Seattle.