“At least you’ll have people to talk to,” she said, shaking her head. “All I get is an endless parade of one crying face after the next. Do you have any idea how sick I am of consoling people? All I do is listen to their problems, hear about why they don’t want to die, how they don’t deserve it.”
“Is that so hard to believe?” I asked. As I went to take a step to approach her, I realized my feet were stuck. I wasn’t able to move back from the edge.
“It happens quickly for them,” she said, not looking at me. “If it took longer—if they stayed here as long as I have—they would welcome death.”
Her voice cracked at the end, and I found myself feeling bad for this woman who I had hated so much for reasons that seemed so silly now.
“I saw your husband again today,” I said.
“Ramsey?” Her eyes cut over to me. “Isn’t he a dish? How is he?”
“Sad,” I said. “He wants you back.”
“He never knew what was good for him.” She grinned. “I’m going to tell you something I never would have if I thought either of us was going to survive this, Charisse. I’m not a good person.”
“I know,” I said, smiling.
She chuckled. “No, not like that. What happened between me and you was business. You were good at what you did. So was I. Just friendly competition.”
“Didn’t seem so friendly to me,” I said. “You slept with my boyfriend.”
“Charlie Prince.” She smiled, looking up and to the side as if having a fond memory of her time with him. Another day, I would have liked to smack her for that—but this was not another day. “Can you blame me? He had an ass that didn’t quit. Besides,” she said, her voice getting darker, “I seem to have a bad habit of doing that.”
My mind flashed back to what I had seen in Ameena’s mind, to the Conduit seducing Briar and leading her down this horrible path.
Of course, she felt guilty. She felt responsible.
“Have you ever been in love, Charisse? Because I’m not sure I have.”
“Yeah,” I said, thinking of Abram.
“Ramsey loves me. God knows he does. But I never—” She stared down at the mountain of death. “He deserves better. I hope he gets better once he has the good sense to move on.”
“It’s not too late,” I said, though honestly, I had no idea what I meant by that.
The crash of the waves below seemed to get louder, the wind picking up sharper and whipping my hair in my face so that it tangled between my lips. It was as though nature was trying to rebuke my statement.
“I’ve seen too much for that,” she said, her whole essence eerily still in what felt like a storm brewing around us. But her voice was louder, as though she needed to shout over the waves. “But at least I can make this much right.” She turned to me. “I’m sorry about Charlie Prince, and I’m sorry about spreading that rumor about you sleeping with Andy Dick.”
“You did what?” I asked.
“Look, I don’t particularly like you, but you deserve better than what you’re about to get. And you damn sure deserve to go into it with your eyes open.” She took my hand. “The next time you see me, you won’t be dreaming. It’ll look like you are. It’ll feel like you are. But you’ll be moving. And when you jump off this cliff, make no mistake, it will be the last thing you ever do.”
I looked back at her, but this time there was a huge darkened castle behind her. I shuddered, but she tightened her hold on my hand.
“Tell Ramsey I’m sorry, will you? Tell him I’m setting him free. That I want him to be happy.” Tears rolled down Briar’s cheeks. “And tell your guy that you love him, while you still can.”
And like that, she was gone. The dream was gone, hurtling me back to reality and shooting me awake in a cold sweat. I turned to Abram’s side of the bed, looking for a bit of comfort.
But he wasn’t there.
Chapter 27
The bed was empty. Where Abram once lay—where he always lied—now was only a naked space. I glanced around the room, and when I didn’t see him, I ran to our bathroom and threw open the door and flipped on the light.
Empty. Empty for all but my reflection in the mirror staring back at me. The words “She sleeps” carved crudely into my forehead. My legs buckled beneath me, and I stumbled over to the vanity to hold myself up while I puked into the bathroom sink.
No. Tears burned hot down my cheeks, and my head spun, my vision blurred. There was no denying it. There was not even so much as a thread of hope. My dreams had been real. And if Abram had seen this, there was no doubt he now knew the truth with no uncertainty.
After some not-so-steadying breaths, I splashed my face with cool water and tried to keep it together while I used my own blood to tend my wounds. The magic seemed to stitch my skin back together and mend the scars, but there was nothing my Conduit abilities could to do heal my heart.
Even with the words gone, I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror another second. I spun around, my back to the vanity, looking out the bathroom door and back into the bed chambers.
Abram, where are you?
On shaky legs, I made my way back to the bed, trying to make sense of it. He wouldn’t have left me, not with everything I just told him. He would want to be here with me, to soak up every minute we had left in each other’s arms, or try to brainstorm with me some way to stop this. So why would he bolt away and waste what little time we had left?
What if it was too much for him? What if knowing the truth sent him running for the hills? He had, back in the day, been something of a Lothario. And he told me himself he wasn’t good at goodbyes. What if this—leaving me here in the dead of night like some walking, talking memory—was his way of avoiding a goodbye?
I shook my head hard. That wasn’t him. Not anymore. My imagination was getting the better of me. He was probably just around the castle somewhere, getting me breakfast in bed or some equally chivalrous thing that guys of my generation wouldn’t even think to do.
But then another thought hit me that sent my heart hurtling into my gut. He wasn’t the old Abram. He was my Abram. And what would my Abram do? He would fight tooth and nail for me, and he would relish every second of it. He told me as much, and he had done just that in the past.
What if that was where he was now? Thundering toward the Conduit’s lair to face her alone. As strong as he was, he couldn’t take her on alone. I had to find him.
I scrambled to get ready, trying my best not to think about the fact that today was very likely my last day on this planet. What time was it, anyway? The sun hung sort of low in the sky, so we couldn’t have been far into morning.
This was very likely my last spin around the globe, and instead of savoring every second, every sensation, I would be chasing down my boyfriend to make sure he didn’t get killed, too.
With any luck, maybe I could save my own life in the process. Unfortunately, I didn’t exactly have much luck to speak of.
After throwing on my favorite red dress and matching flats—the ones I’d been saving for a special occasion—I scrambled out the door and into the hall.
Was this how my mother felt as the cancer marched her toward her own unavoidable cliff?
“I wish you would have told me,” I muttered, closing my eyes. “I wish you would have said it felt like this.”
God, I was terrified. It would have been better to die a sudden and unexpected death. But to see it coming…to know death would soon wrap you in its long talons and steal away everything that was beautiful…it was too much. I couldn’t let myself think about it, and yet, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about it.
Abram said this wasn’t the end for me, and maybe he was right. But if it was—if I was going to meet my Maker and stand judgment for all I had done or didn’t do—then at least I could stand tall.
I paused at a mirror, forcing myself to look at myself once more. Not as the woman who was dying, but as the woman who was going to fight. The women who would, at the very
least, save the love of her life before she did.
Confidence bubbled up inside of me, and I continued in a rush down the hall. I turned a corner and right into King Archibald’s path. His presence caused me to shudder. He wore a suit with medals I was sure he hadn't earned studding his right breast and striped across his left shoulder. The minute his eyes met mine, I knew he wasn’t going to let me pass by him easily.
“Dressed up for me today, I see,” he said as an oil slick smile disfigured his face.
“Not for you,” I said, feeling oddly free of the constraints that had stopped me from putting this pig of a man in his place before today. “You know, I doubt anyone has ever dressed up for you.”
“I love it when you play hard to get, you little spitfire,” he said. And then he took his disgusting hand and slapped me on the ass.
Nope. That was just about enough, thank you very much.
Not one more minute of my day, not one more minute of my life, would I deal with that man and his nonsense.
Rearing back, I slapped him hard across the face. His eyes went wide and his mouth dropped.
“You know something?” I said, relishing the shock that seemed to freeze him in place. “You’ve got a lot of nerve. But what you don’t have is a lot of brains. Because, if you did, you’d be able to see the obvious. We’re here to help you. You’ve got an island full of murder victims, a Conduit who’s kept you impotent and trapped in this castle like some fish in a tank for hundreds of years, and a plan so ridiculous that Vegas wouldn’t book your chances of surviving this, let alone winning it.”
“You—How did you—”
“Shut up. It’s my turn to talk now,” I said, pointing a silencing finger at him. “So, if I were you—and really, thank God I’m not—but if I was, I’d shut the hell up, tell your stud muffin hitman with the enchanted ax to stand down, and take the help that fate and fortune has dictated is in my best interest to give you.”
As I walked off, over my shoulder I added, “And tell Huntsman that if he really wants a chance at getting his brother back, he needs to strongly reconsider whose side he’s on.”
* * *
Moving through the castle, I found Abram was nowhere in sight. I strode faster and faster as room after room turned out to be empty of the one person I was looking for, further confirming the suspicion I so desperately wanted to believe was wrong.
Something was off, though. He wouldn’t have run off without at least leaving me a note.
I burst through the double doors of the castle and found Satina standing on the grounds like some sort of grim confirmation of all the fears that were swirling within me. She wore a huge purple sun hat and matching bathing suit, but her face was free of its usual careless tint.
“Abram…” I murmured, terror plain in my voice.
“He’s been kidnapped.” She moved toward me faster than I had ever seen her go.
“What?” I asked, feeling as though the entire world had been ripped out from underfoot. “That’s not possible. How can you be sure?”
“He’s my creation, Charisse. I’m connected to him. I can feel him.” She looked up at the castle. She grabbed my arm and started leading me away, down the castle path. “Of course, this magical cock block of a building muddied the sensation. But the instant he was pulled out of it, I could feel him. He wasn’t afraid, at least not for himself, but he was fighting.”
I thought about Abram, about him being taken away in the dead of night, ripped away from me while I slept beside him like some useless, snoring moron.
“I would have felt it. I would have heard it. God knows I would have. I was sleeping right next to him,” I stammered, trying to punch holes into Satina’s theory.
“Unless whoever did this—and I think we both know who it was—cloaked the room with magic.”
“What magic?” I asked. “This place is supposed to be a stronghold.”
“A stronghold that Ameena made,” Satina reminded me.
“But that bitch hasn’t killed a Supplicant in days.” Three days, to be exact. “How did she get the magic to spell the room?”
“From your blood, genius,” Satina spat. “If I’m not mistaken, the Conduit was pulled out of that cave with a fistful of your blood for her troubles.”
My stomach tightened. This was my fault.
“And let me tell you something,” Satina continued. “This Ameena chick is potent. No sooner had I zeroed in on Abram’s plight than she blocked me again, knocked me right on my ass.”
“So you don’t know where she took him?” I said, the both of us walking too briskly down the hillside to seem at all normal.
“Not precisely, no. But it doesn’t matter. This Conduit has world-shaking powers. Going up against her would be a death wish.”
I raised by eyebrows. “Your point?”
Satina spun toward me, and I had to stop short myself to keep from crashing into her.
She glared at me. “You’d have to be insane to even consider it.” Her eyes narrowed. “This is a trap, Charisse. She’s using Abram to draw you out.”
“That doesn’t make sense. She already has me. I already saw Briar. I’m a sitting duck. All she’d have to do is wait. Why would she throw kidnapping into the mix?”
“She’s tasted your blood.” Satina traced her tongue along her teeth. “She must think you have the power to undo what she’s done, to save yourself and everyone else. That’s the only explanation.”
“Then I hope she’s right,” I said, and I started walking toward the gates that led out to the island’s main grounds.
“And where in ten hells do you think you’re going?” Satina asked from behind me.
“Abram wouldn’t hesitate if it was me, and I’m not going to, either. If Ameena wants a fight, it’ll be a fight to the death.”
Chapter 28
I fervently marched along the beach with Satina shuffling close behind.
“I don’t know what you’re expecting to accomplish,” she yelled. Then, stubbing her toe on an errant seashell, she cursed me for my “unimaginably hard head.”
“I’m doing what I have to,” I answered without breaking stride. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”
“I’m going to ignore that, as it had the tone and inclination of an insult. But I am going to reiterate how mind-bogglingly bad this idea is.” She moved in front of me and stopped short, staring at me through a dead girl’s eyes and shaking her head disapprovingly. “You’re going to get yourself killed. You have no idea what you’re doing out there. Magic is complicated. It’s difficult.”
“I’ve been practicing,” I answered, sidestepping her and continuing on my way.
“With your mage?” She scoffed.
How much of what we do can Satina see?
“If you think an afternoon lesson is all you need to go up against a Conduit as powerful as the one we face now, you’re delusional. Charisse, that woman is even more powerful than me.”
“And she’s afraid of me. That ought to tell you something,” I spit out, undeterred.
Satina sighed. “Yes, it tells me that you’re even more foolish than I thought.”
Off in the distance, I could see a spot of a man. I wanted it to be Abram. Maybe he had gotten out somehow and was walking toward me the same way I was walking to him. We would meet in the middle, and it would be very Pride and Prejudice and whatnot.
But that didn’t make sense. If Abram got out, then Satina would have felt him. She would’ve pulled me to a stop, and I would’ve been happy to oblige.
As I neared in on the figure, it became more and more obvious this wasn’t Abram. He lacked Abram’s muscle, his dark good looks. But he was still familiar.
“What the hell is going on?” the man asked as I came upon him. Ramsey Duldrige stood on the sand, arms folded and eyes narrowed.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, and then I kept going right on past him before he could answer.
“I-I got a message,” he said, keepin
g pace with Satina and me. “On the mirror in my bathroom. The steam wrote out that if I didn’t come to this place at this time, the entire world would end.” He looked over to Satina. “Who is she?”
“I imagine she’s the source of your messaging mirror,” I said, rolling my eyes. She’d probably invited him to get in my way, but I wasn’t about to let anything slow me down. “Ramsey, New Age mage, meet Satina, decidedly not New Age Conduit.”
Satina gave him a pert nod.
“Another goddamn Conduit?” Ramsey sighed. “How many of them are on this troublesome island anyway?”
“One too many,” Satina answered. “Though I’m doing my best to remedy that.” She gave me a pointed look.
“So am I,” I said, balling my fists. “Why did you bring Ramsey here?”
Ramsey cut his gaze to Satina. “I was about to ask the same question.”
“I figured I’d have trouble talking sense into you,” Satina said from my side. “Backup is never a bad thing.”
“Uh,” Ramsey said, a clear hesitation in his voice. “What sort of sense?”
“Ameena kidnapped Abram.” I picked up my pace. “She’s trying to cut me off at the knees, stop me from ruining that death spell she put on me.”
“You saw Briar?” Ramsey seemed more stunned than I figured. “Was she—was she okay?”
My mind flashed back to the way she pleaded with me to tell Ramsey to move on. I was supposed to give him the strength he needed to live a happy life, to let Briar go. But that was before all of this. That was before Ameena took the one thing in the world I cared about.
For that, I was changing everything. I had been ready to accept death. I had made my peace with my imminent end. But no more. That bitch went too far. I wasn’t dying today, not for her and not for anybody. And neither was Briar.
“She was fine,” I lied. “She said you better find a way to get her out of there. She’s pissed it’s taking you so long, and said she’s missed one too many of her favorite annual sales.”
Sleeping with the Beast: an Adult Paranormal Shifter Romance (The Conduit Series Book 2) Page 19