Wanderlove

by Malory, Belle

  “I refuse to go,” I declared. “I’m an abandoner now. It’s not as if they can banish me or something.”

  Cam raised a brow and stared at me with a ‘you really buy that crap?’ look, which clearly indicated that he wasn’t taking me seriously. We both knew a gypsy never refused a summoning from a Royal. It just wasn’t done. Royals were law. And if the law wasn’t obeyed, there were always consequences. And the Royals had ways to track someone down, no matter how hard they tried to run or hide.

  “Get showered and dressed,” Cam told me. “He’s sort of impatient-- so hurry.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course,” I said to Cam. “God forbid I cross a prince, especially a Gabor.”

  Cam didn’t seem amused by my mockery of the Royal. But that was because the Prince probably had his mind readers close by and fixated on me, listening to every word that escaped my mouth, every thought that passed through my head. But I didn’t care if they heard what I was saying or thinking. I very well knew the reason the Royal was in this house. Undoubtedly, he was after the same thing Natasha had been after- the primus thingy she’d been talking about. And I still had yet to remember anything about their primus oracle, or whatever it was called. So as far as I was concerned, the Royal had all the time in the world to wait. It didn’t really matter to me if he was an impatient man or not.

  You wasted your time in coming here, Prince, I said with my mind, wondering if anyone was listening in. I don’t have the memories you want and even if I did, I’d die before I’d reveal them to you!

  I was assuming on the last part, of course. But I figured if I killed myself trying to protect my memories in a past life, then I would most likely do it again in this one.

  But something unexpected happened. An arbitrary thought ran through my mind, a thought that hadn’t come from me and I nearly had a heart attack as I heard the unfamiliar voice in my head.

  We’ll save the conversation for when we are face to face, Lola Moori.

  ~ ~

  I was so completely freaked out by the obtrusive thought that had entered my head without my permission, I ended up rushing after all. I had never witnessed such an ability before. Then again, the Royals were known to be more powerful than the rest of us commoners. And for some inexplicable reason, most of the gypsies within the Royal families had repeatedly been born again within the realms of Royalty for centuries on end. No one had ever been able to explain why, though the Royals themselves believed they’d been given the right to hold power and it was theirs to keep forever. I thought it was an arrogant belief, yet no one had ever proved them wrong.

  Gabe’s family was the only exception. The Constantins’ were the only family to lose power. Also, they were the first and last Royal abandoners in existence. I knew Gabe had explained the history of his family to me before, sometime in a past life, but I’d forgotten the details.

  After showering, I quickly changed into a pair of dark jeans and a brown sweater I found in the bag Miriam had packed for me. Then I headed towards the only mirror in the room and combed my hair out. I tried applying concealer, desperately hoping to cover my bruises. But the makeup hardly helped, which sort of depressed me. I was able to hide most of the darker spots, but there was simply no hiding the swollen balloon my right cheek had formed into. For a brief second, I even considered putting a bag over my head.

  Giving up, I headed out of Gabe’s bedroom and descended the stairs. I heard voices resonating from the dining room, so I ventured in that direction.

  Gabe was waiting for me in the kitchen before I even reached the dining room. He must have used his mind sight to know when I was coming.

  My heart skipped a beat as soon as I saw him. He looked so much better today than he had yesterday. He was freshly showered, wearing a crisp, white cotton t-shirt and a pair of khaki trousers.

  As soon as he saw me, he reached for me, cupping my face in his hands and looking over my bruises. “I hate that he was able to do this to you. I wish I could kill that bastard again.” His passion was intense, causing me to pull away from him. I still didn’t want to think about anyone killing anyone.

  “How do you feel today?” he asked.

  “I’m fine,” I assured him. “It’s only my vanity that’s hurting.”

  “Why? You’re still beautiful, Lola.”

  I smiled uncomfortably. “Thank you,” I said. “But I’m sure you’re the only one who thinks so. Cam acted like I was a monster when he saw me this morning.”

  “Cam is overly dramatic. And besides, your swelling will go down and the bruising will fade. Have you been keeping ice on it?”

  I shook my head. “Not since the hospital.”

  Gabe moved towards a nearby drawer and pulled out a zip-lock bag. He reached for the icemaker in the refrigerator door, allowing the crushed ice to vend into the bag.

  “So is he in there?” I asked, eyeing the entryway to the dining room.

  Gabe handed me the bag of ice. “Yeah. The pompous peacock is enjoying his breakfast-- as if he were here visiting for a bloody tea party.”

  “Careful,” I warned. “He was listening into my thoughts earlier. He’ll hear you.”

  Gabe raised a brow. “How do you know he heard your thoughts?”

  “Because I heard him speak to me through my mind.”

  Surprised, Gabe asked, “What did he say?”

  “Nothing, really. I actually spoke to him first. I hadn’t been sure if he could hear me or not. Anyway, I was shouting at him in my mind and he told me to save the conversation for later.”

  “You were shouting at him?”

  Embarrassed now, I nodded. “I told him he shouldn’t have wasted his time coming here.”

  I watched as the corners of Gabe’s mouth curved, almost into a grin.

  “I didn’t really think he could hear me,” I pointed out. “And I certainly didn’t think he would answer back.”

  “I bet that scared the hell out of you.”

  “It did,” I admitted. “I nearly fell over. I caught myself on your dresser.”

  He started laughing about that and then I joined in, noticing the humor in it. We both quietly laughed for a few moments, trying to keep our voices down. But the laughter soon faded and I stared ahead dismally, not really seeing anything, lost in apprehension.

  “Gabe?”

  “What is it, my love?”

  “I don’t want to go with him.”

  Gabe tensed. A hardened look of determination settled over his features. “I won’t let it happen. I swear it to you.”

  I could see it in his eyes; he meant every word. I nodded, trusting him completely.

  “Come on,” Gabe said softly. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Though I wished I could stay in the kitchen forever, I followed Gabe as he led me to the dining room. The first thing I noticed was the huge array of breakfast food spread across the table. My mouth watered at the sight.

  The second thing I noticed was the group of unfamiliar faces sitting around the table. A sudden hush spread across the room. Nearly everyone stopped eating and stood up as we entered.

  Neither Baro nor Rex had seen me since I’d been abducted. Rex stiffened at the sight of my face and bandaged hands. Baro’s expression nearly crumbled. He approached me and patted my head with his enormous hand. “I’m so sorry about everything you went through,” he told me. His voice was raw with poignant emotion. “And I’m so thankful to see you alive.”

  I smiled. For as large and muscular as Baro was, he fit the identity of a giant teddy bear. I realized I had already thought of him in this way before, in another life.

  Gently, Baro took me by my arm and lead me to the far end of the table. He brought me before a tall, handsome man with dark green eyes and golden hair.

  “Prince Tiberius, may I introduce Lola Moori, daughter to Christo Moori?” Baro turned to me next. “Lola, may I introduce Prince Tiberius Renalo of the Gabor family?”

  I thought it was silly to curtsy in jeans, b
ut I also knew some sign of respect was customary. I decided to give a small bow. As I rose, the prince took my hand in his and kissed it. “I was amazed to hear the story of your bravery. I, too, am very sorry to hear of the ill-fated plight you’ve recently endured.”

  “I appreciate your concern,” I told the prince. Randomly, I thought about his speech, thinking it was much too fancy for my taste. His clothes were also very flamboyant. I could see from where Gabe had drawn his peacock likeness.

  The prince nodded to the empty chair next to him. “Sit and enjoy some food with us, Lola Moori. As I’m sure you’re aware, there are issues needing to be discussed.”

  I happily obliged him. I grabbed a plate and filled it with waffles covered in strawberries and powdered sugar. I realized Baro must have prepared all of this food. I was nearly as amazed as I was on Thanksgiving.

  As soon as I sat down and began eating, the prince spoke again. “I would like to be frank and get straight to my reason for being here, if that’s all right with you, Lola.”

  Before stuffing my mouth with a heaping bite of waffles, I said, “I’d prefer you were.”

  Dimly, I noticed Gabe had taken a seat across from me. He watched the prince untrustingly.

  “I realize you must already know you’re being summoned. I’ve been asked personally to come and collect you and take you back to Redwood Forest.”

  I finished chewing and swallowed my bite before asking, “And what makes you think I’ll agree to that?”

  The prince sat back in his chair a little straighter. Rigidly, he forced a smile. “I know you’ve been through a trying time recently, Lola. And for that reason alone, I will forgive your lack of respect. I’d also like to remind you that there is no agreeing or disagreeing to a summoning. If you’re called upon, you must do so without question.”

  “Thanks for enlightening me,” I said to him and then took another bite of my waffles.

  “Yes, well, let there be no doubt in your mind that should I have needed to, I would have very easily coerced you into coming with me, whether you liked it or not.”

  I eyed Gabe now, noticing that both of his hands, which lied across the table, were balled into tight fists. He was holding back from this conversation, though it was clearly taking a lot of effort for him to stay out of it.

  The prince continued speaking monotonously. “And anyway, I’m much more pleased to tell you that I’ve not come here to coerce you into doing anything you don’t want to do, especially considering your recent tribulations. However, I believe once you hear my proposal, you’ll come very willingly.”

  I nearly coughed in my orange juice after he’d said the last part. “I highly doubt that, your highness, but please go ahead and humor me with this proposal.”

  “It’s simple, really. You come with us and in return. . .we’ll extricate your father from his incarceration.”

  I almost stopped breathing. “He’s still in prison?” I asked, shocked.

  “Yes, and that’s where he’ll remain for ten more years. Grand theft auto is no petty crime, you know. But if you agree to my proposal, I’m positive we can work something out.”

  I didn’t understand. Zetta told me my father’s lackeys would break him out of jail. Why hadn’t they done so by now? She said he wouldn’t be in there for very long!

  The guilt that had been eating me away for months rapidly came to a forefront. Distraught, I tried to remember exactly what Zetta had said to me that night by the shower. I remember she told me my father would find a way out of jail. . .but she never specifically said how or by whom.

  “My God,” I breathed. “It was me this whole time.”

  “Pardon?” the prince asked.

  I couldn’t believe it! All this time, I was the one who would help my father escape prison. It hadn’t been because Luca or his other lackeys would come to his rescue- it would be my doing.

  And I would agree to it.

  The thought bewildered me. I would agree in order to put an end to the guilt that had been gnawing at me.

  “How long would I be away for?” I asked.

  Prince Tiberius smiled, knowing he had won.

  Gabe slammed his fist down on the table, causing all the dishes to rattle. He stood up from his seat. “This is ridiculous, Lo! You can’t possibly be serious right now.”

  “Please stay out of this, Gabe,” I pleaded. “It’s my father.”

  “I know very well who your father is, Lo. If you ask me, he deserves five lifetimes in prison for all the hell he’s put you through!”

  I stood so I could become eye level with Gabe. I was suddenly very aware of what I needed to do.

  Steadily, I said, “Thank you for coming to my rescue last night, Gabe. I will be forever grateful to you. However, it changes nothing. I still want you to marry Annika and I still want to keep my memories intact. There’s no way for me to do that in a life where you and I are together.”

  Gabe shook his head. The fury was sparkling like diamonds in his gray eyes. “There is a way. But you’re too much of a coward to try it.”

  He stormed out of the room in a fit of rage. We all heard a growl resonate from the corridor and the sound of Gabe’s fist slamming against the wall. I flinched as the booming sound echoed throughout the house.

  Afterwards, Prince Tiberius was the first to speak. “Well, now that that’s settled, I think we should be on our way.” He smiled happily, like a kid with a candy bar.

  I felt the urge to slap him. I wanted to take out all my frustrations in one strong hit. Thankfully, I managed to contain myself.

  THIRTY-FOUR

  We flew to Romania on the prince’s private jet. I wasn’t surprised by the calming effect the flight had on me. Everyone on the plane was quiet, serene and peaceful. The act of travel was almost like a sedative for our restless souls.

  I was going somewhere again. That feeling was amazing. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it over the last few months. And admittedly, I was a little excited to visit Romania. I hadn’t visited the country since I was a little girl. My father had never been one to pay tribute to our gathering grounds very often. Booking gigs was our first priority, whether they were the savory or unsavory sorts of gigs. We were always chasing money and it didn’t matter which currency it happened to be in.

  After a twelve hour flight, we landed on a runway in Bucharest. This was where the prince stored his jet. I had been informed by one of Tiberius’s assistants that we were not allowed to fly directly into Redwood Forest. Apparently, it was against the Rom laws. The forest must always be kept under wraps. In a way, the place was held sacred by all gypsies. It was rumored that the forest sat on one of the strongest magnetic lines in the world. Many gypsies believed those lines had brought about our very existence.

  As the wide, tree-lined boulevards and towering Belle Époque buildings came into view, a sort of nostalgia enveloped me. The city itself appeared much bleaker than it had in its hay day. The locals, also, were not exactly the warm and friendly type. Several images popped up in my mind of a vibrant, romantic version of the streets and buildings which surrounded me, proving to me that this place hadn’t always been as it was now. . .

  From the departure of the plane, we entered a black SUV. I sat in the back next to the window so I could watch the scenery pass by. I hadn’t spoken much to the prince or any of his crew since I’d stepped on his plane. Then again, I didn’t really like the prince, nor did I care to converse with him or the people associated with him.

  It took us another hour to drive from the city and through the countryside, to reach the outskirts of the forest. Once we were there, we followed a lone path hidden from off the side of the highway.

  Another half an hour went by before I heard someone announce, “We’re here.”

  I looked up, but I didn’t see anything but more forest ahead of us. We circled around a giant redwood tree. And then we circled around it again.

  “Do you people realize we’re traveling in circles?” I
asked aloud, but no one paid me any attention.

  We circled the tree once more before something amazing happened. The camp suddenly came into view. My jaw dropped in shock. “Hey that wasn’t there before--” I started to say, then realized there was still no one listening.

  My shock was shortly overcome, anyway, as my attention was caught by the beauty of the camp in Redwood Forest. It was even lovelier than I remembered, almost like a landscape out of a Thomas Kinkade portrait.

  A small river ran across the mountainous land, which dropped off by a miniature waterfall into a pond of water. Several people swam in the pond, which was curious activity considering it was nearing December. No snow covered the ground, but those people still had to be freezing. There was a chill in the air. And yet they seemed to be swimming leisurely. Curiously, I wondered if the water descended from a hot spring.

  Surrounding the river, hundreds of tents in all shapes, sizes and colors lined up against the bank. Alongside the endless array of tents, there were hundreds more parked RVs. Finally, a charming stone castle with wooden turrets sat in the background of the camp. I heard Prince Tiberius sigh with pleasure upon sight of it. “Castelul de Prieteni. She is beautiful, no?” His question was meant for me, but I didn’t bother to answer him.

  However, the castle was very beautiful. When any of the Royals were visiting Redwood Forest, they would reside there. It wasn’t huge; there were only two stories. Also, there was no moat, drawbridge or anything else castle-like. But the grandeur it was built in was simply wondrous; its beauty took my breath away.

  Intricate carvings inlay on the stone in the front walls. Over the years, gypsies had carved their artwork into that stone, detailing centuries of beautiful designs and stories. And in the middle of the castle, a huge window ran from the rooftop down to the bottom of the second story, which was entirely created with stained glass. A picture formed within the glass of a bright orange sun, surrounded by several little yellow stars. The detail was incredible. Seeing the intricacies and beauty of it overwhelmed me with pride for my people.