Solace: Book Three (Strange in Skin Trilogy)

by Sara V. Zook

  She nodded. “A drug used by contributors to get high. I heard it causes hallucinations.”

  “Everything is a blur from when I was on it. Emry found me, fortunately, but again, we still don’t know who did it.”

  “Very strange. It’s like they’re attacking you to get to him. Maybe they’re not concerned with you after all. Maybe Mr. Logan is the problem.”

  “Not both of us as a whole?”

  “I can’t be sure, of course, but it sounds like they’re pushing him to see his limits.”

  “There was another instance. It was back when the woman who had raised Emry on Earth had died. We were at her funeral, and this group of men dressed very nicely surrounded us. They came after us. Emry transported us back to Evadere, and we got away from them. We were thinking those were a group of men from Earth under Mrs. Anderson’s leadership still pursuing him. The more I think about it now, how they were dressed and acted, I am betting they weren’t humans.”

  “I don’t know, Anna, but from what you’re saying, you’re in grave danger.”

  “When you put it like that …”

  “Someone has to. It’s in your head, so you’ve thought it yourself. You don’t even know who it is to stay away from or to make them suffer for what they’ve done. You’re just running away, but it could be that you’re running leads you straight into a trap.”

  “Oh, Cassie, this is so scary.” I buried my hands in my face.

  She hurried over to the couch and put her hand on my back. “Do you want me to go get Mr. Logan for you?”

  I shook my head. “No. All he does is worry about me. I know these things are running through his head, too. It’s not like I can’t talk to Emry, but it’s not the same because it just makes him more paranoid than he already is. I just needed to talk to someone else with a different perspective. Thank you for talking with me.”

  “Of course.” She reached over and handed me the pie. “Eat. It’ll make you feel better. You’re looking much thinner than I remember you to be.”

  I held the plate in front of me. “It’s from the minx. I almost died.”

  “Anna,” Cassie whispered, her eyes moving to the front door. “I don’t want to say this to you.”

  “Just say it anyway.”

  She pressed her lips together. “Well, have you considered just … not marrying Mr. Logan, staying here on Earth and meeting someone new?”

  I felt the tears sting my eyes. I stabbed the fork into the pie and shoved it in my mouth. “The only place I truly feel safe is with him by my side.”

  Cassie smiled. “Anna, you’re stronger than even you know. I think you’ll make a great queen, one that will start a revolution on Evadere.”

  “Even Emry’s own cousin has been fighting with him,” I mumbled.

  “Treyu?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  She chuckled. “He was never up to any good. If he’s not causing trouble, he’s bored.” She patted my hand. “Listen, I don’t think I’ve told you much of anything that you don’t already know or at least can assume. I’ve merely affirmed it for you. If you need to hear it, I’ll be the one to tell you. No matter the external conflict going on around you, it seems you don’t have any internal conflict.”

  I lowered my eyebrows. “What?”

  “You already know what, or who makes you strong. It’s Mr. Logan. If nothing else, you can trust in that and let everything else fall in place. I’m not saying more bad things aren’t going to happen. I’m just saying you’ve already gotten through many bad things together. Love, that’s your power.”

  I grinned. “Oh, Cassie, thank you. You’ve helped me more than you know.” I felt refreshed inside. Despite this horrible conversation about nothing but doom and gloom, she was right. Emry and me, our love for one another, our determination and understanding of each other’s existence, that kind of power was indestructible.

  I finished my piece of pie and took my plate to the sink, admiring more of the upgrades that Cassie had made to the house.

  I opened the front door. Emry peeked his head inside. He held his own empty pie plate up. Cassie took it and smiled.

  “I wish the both of you the best of luck in whatever you do,” she told us.

  “Thanks,” Emry said. “And thanks again for the pie.”

  “I hope you find peace and happiness here in the house you grew up in,” I told her.

  “You’ll come and visit me again?” she asked.

  I nodded and then said goodbye.

  Emry and I walked down the sidewalk hand in hand.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’m great.”

  He squeezed my hand. “My ears were burning. Guess that means you were talking about me.

  I laughed. “Maybe just a little.”

  “I hope you found what you were looking for here.”

  I stopped and turned to him. “I sure did.” I got up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his.

  SIXTEEN

  My palms were sweating profusely. I looked at myself in the mirror. Anna James, this is the day you’ve always dreamt of all your life. Then I began laughing. Even my dreams could not have prepared me for marrying a man with supernatural powers on a different planet.

  I pinched my cheek. Yes, this was real. I was just making sure.

  I examined my face and took a deep breath in. Could anything have prepped me for an event such as this? There had been no rehearsal, no direction from anyone. This is your wedding day. Everything will go smoothly because Emry will be there. It didn’t really matter if I made a fool of myself or anything embarrassing happened. The contributors would probably be expecting it to happen anyway.

  If only I had a father to walk me down the aisle or if Carlin could be here. I tried to shake the ill thoughts from my head. There would be no sadness today.

  Emry and I had agreed not to see each other today, not until the ceremony. Trishelle would be here any moment to fuss over me. I splashed cold water onto my face and reached for a towel. Anna Logan. I smiled.

  I should probably eat something. I rushed out the door and into the hallway almost running right into Ben.

  “Sorry,” I said.

  “I’m glad I’m seeing you this morning,” he told me. “Emry wants me to ask you something.”

  “Okay.”

  Ben hesitated.

  “Ben? What is it?”

  “It’s about Atavia.”

  I gritted my teeth together. “What about her?”

  “She’s been throwing a fit over being there today.”

  “What?” I hissed. No way. Do not ask me what I think you’re about to.

  Ben could read my face. “I know it’s disturbing, but she is his birth mother and all …”

  “Does he want her there?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

  “He wanted me to ask you what you thought.”

  I paused to think this through for a moment. What other alternative motive could she possibly have for asking to be there other than to witness her only child’s marriage? I didn’t like it, but I didn’t want to be the one to say no either.

  “Will she be guarded?”

  “Of course,” Ben replied. “Actually chained and everything. I assure you Atavia will not ruin this day for you. She has been told that if she goes, if she speaks even one word, she will be taken back down to the dungeon.”

  “Okay,” I whispered.

  He raised his eyebrows. “Yeah?”

  “Yes,” I said, pretending to be irritated, but deep down, if she was chained and couldn’t talk, she’d be watching me, the human, walking down the aisle in the most fabulous dress that Evadere has ever seen toward her son. It was mean of me to think of how jealous she would be, but I figured that was okay since she was so malicious herself.

  I watched Ben walk off, then I headed to the kitchen for a piece of fruit. I searched for Jo and ran over to her.

  “What are you doing working today?” I asked.

  She gave me a confus
ed look.

  “You’re not allowed to work today. We have to get you ready, too. Trishelle will be here with our dresses soon.” I grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the kitchen.

  “Tell me what I have to do,” Jo said as I released her arm and she began following me back to my room.

  “Just stand by me the whole time,” I replied.

  “That’s it?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  “Hey, look.” Jo pointed to a side door where a carriage had just pulled up. Trishelle hopped out along with a group of other fashion contributors. She stood there for a moment giving them instructions before reaching into the vehicle and retrieving a large bag.

  That’s my dress. My heart started to thump in my chest. This is really going to be happening very soon, me, Emry, Evadere.

  Trishelle turned and saw me. She frantically began waving. I wasn’t sure if Trishelle really liked me or not. Today, she seemed happy, so I’d go along with it. She motioned for some other contributors to follow her and in they came.

  “Good morning to the lovely bride and her maid of honor,” Trishelle said. She was wearing a lavish purple gown dangling with gold chains.

  “Good morning, Trishelle.”

  “There’s a room prepared for you to get ready in. We have a lot of work to get done. Let’s head on over there now,” she suggested, starting down the hallway.

  I linked my arm into Jo’s.

  “I’m so excited,” Jo whispered in my ear. “Nervous but excited.”

  The room we went to looked like a spa. There was everything from warm bath pools with jets to a massage table and an area where hair was done. There were green plants everywhere. I just stood there and gawked for a moment.

  “Please tell me you’ve taken advantage of this room before,” Trishelle said after seeing the expression on my face.

  “No,” I replied, still amazed.

  Trishelle wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “You’d better get used to it. This castle has the works. Maybe you should just take a day and go room by room, see what you’ve been missing,” she suggested.

  “Yeah, I really should.”

  “Let’s get started. We only have a few hours before the ceremony begins.”

  Trishelle took my arm and led me to a chair. A contributor put Jo in the chair beside me. They began working on her hair.

  “Did you shower this morning?” Trishelle questioned me.

  “Um, last night,” I answered.

  Rolling her eyes, Trishelle yanked me out of the chair and told me to get into one of the bathing pools. “I’ll go get the perfume.”

  It was a full morning of primping. I was cleaned, waxed, had lotion poured all over me, squirted with perfume multiple times. My hair was braided and piled on top of my head. They wouldn’t let me see the finished hair though. No mirrors allowed until I was in my dress Trishelle had said. Jo sat on her chair, her hair and makeup done, just enjoying doing nothing at all but watching them make me look like a bride queen.

  “Bring over that tray of fruit, will you?” Trishelle said to one of the contributors. “Our bride needs to eat some more. We can’t have her passing out on us.”

  I waved for Jo to come over and join me.

  “You look like a whole new person,” Jo said, reaching for something to eat.

  “I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”

  Jo giggled.

  “I never thought I’d see you with makeup on,” I commented.

  She twisted up her face. “Ew, I know. They even put stuff on my lips and said it wouldn’t come off even when eating.”

  I laughed.

  It was my turn for makeup next and then finally, the dress came out of the bag. I walked over to it and touched it.

  “Wow!” Jo exclaimed. “It’s incredible.”

  Trishelle beamed at her remark. She knew everyone else would be talking about her masterpiece today as well. “Let’s get our bride in her dress.”

  Once in the dress, I stood there for a minute to compose myself. Everything was done. The morning had flown by. My engagement ring had fallen to the side of my finger. I moved it up back into place and pushed my shoulders back.

  “Are you ready for a mirror now?” Trishelle asked.

  I exhaled slowly. “Yes.”

  A mirror so large it took six contributors to hold was brought in front of me. I gasped at the woman staring back. My lips were a deep red color along with my cheeks. My eyes had only a hint of brown color on the lids, but my lashes were long and curled. My hair was a mess of braids connected in the back with curls. All of that with the dress … it was amazing. Jo was right. I did look like someone else, someone who looked like a bride, someone ready to present themselves to Evadere.

  “One final touch,” Trishelle said coming up behind me. She placed a shiny gold crown accented with white crystals on top of my head. It was heavy. Trishelle positioned it and then secured it with pins.

  “A crown already?” I asked.

  “Today you become queen,” she reminded me. “Emry will have his own, too.”

  A young woman rushed into the room. “It’s almost time!” she announced. “The final guests are being seated.”

  My stomach tightened into a ball again. I had said I’d go through with this. There was no turning back now. Cassie had been right. Emry and I had gone through so much in a short amount of time, but we always managed to come through it together. This day was ours.

  “I’m ready,” I said confidently to Trishelle.

  She leaned over to my ear. “For a minute, I thought you were going to bail.”

  I laughed. “I’d never bail on Emry.”

  I was walked up to the entrance before the garden. I could hear instruments playing.

  “Emry had this set up almost like a traditional wedding like the ones they have where you come from,” Trishelle explained. “Good luck, Anna. You look extraordinary.” She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to my seat. I can’t miss everyone’s faces when they see you in that dress.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to find that confidence again. I looked to Henry who was at my side. “Henry.” I reached for his arm.

  “Don’t worry, my queen, I’ll tell you when to go,” he assured me.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I heard the music change.

  “Now, my queen,” Henry said. “Walk straight down to your king.”

  I stepped out into the garden. It had been transformed to look even more magnificent. White silk streamers and pearls hung from the beautiful flowers. The sidewalk had a silky aisle runner on it with diamonds outlining it. Seated on both sides were contributors of all ages. They all had their heads turned, their eyes locked on me. I tried to push my shoulders back again and stand tall. I gripped onto the pink flower bouquet Trishelle had given me. My hands trembled.

  I began walking and stared straight ahead. There was Emry in a suit, his hair gelled back, his hands folded in front of him. A similar crown to mine was on his head. He was staring back at me, a huge smile on his face. I smiled back, trying to focus on just getting down there to him.

  The contributors looked mesmerized at the sight of me. Trishelle was probably beaming still. My cheeks flushed even redder than they were because of this attention.

  Do not trip. Do not trip. I focused on walking and breathing normally.

  A little girl called out beside me. “You look beautiful, Queen Anna!”

  I turned to look at her. I plucked a flower from my bouquet and handed it to her. She grinned.

  I kept on walking to the music. The musicians came into sight as they were off to the right hand side. I was almost there. Off to the left, I saw guards, and in between them, Atavia. She was dirty, disheveled and thin. She had chains on her wrists and ankles. She glared at me. My heart felt as if it had skipped a few beats. I looked away from her. There were guards up on pillars lining the garden so that they could see what was going on with the ceremon
y as well as what was happening outside to the castle grounds.

  I paused in front of Emry. He had tears in his eyes. He looked breathtaking as he held out his hand for me to take.

  “You look stunning, so very beautiful,” he whispered, kissing me on the cheek.

  I smiled and looked behind me to see Jo standing there. I handed her my bouquet and turned back to Emry.

  A man was standing in front of us also dressed in a suit. He nodded to us. “It’s my understanding that you two wish to be married before proceeding with becoming king and queen?”

  Emry looked at me and then back to the man. “Yes, that’s what we wish to do.”

  This day could not be any more perfect. The temperature, the sunshine, the illuminating garden. It felt surreal. How did this end up happening to me? I was so very blessed.

  “I want to say some words to express how I feel about Anna,” Emry said.

  “Of course,” the man in front of us said. “Go right ahead.”

  Emry took both of my hands in his. He stared at me with those piercing blue eyes. “Anna James sucked me in with her beauty and charm from the very first moment I saw her. She is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. She has saved me and helped me find myself …”

  A shrill scream came from someone behind us. I turned around to see Atavia shrieking as the guards pulled on her chains trying to get her to stop. She collapsed to her knees.

  Emry released my hands as he hollered out in pain. His hand moved to his arm where smoke lifted from his skin exposing the bullet hole wound through his suit jacket. It was as if someone were sticking a hot poker right into the gash, burning it.

  SEVENTEEN

  “Emry!” I shrieked as Atavia’s own screams drowned me out. The guards beside her looked confused as if she were in pain. They weren’t sure if they should take her away or even touch her.

  The pillars where the other guards had been posted were now empty. I looked back at Emry who was still struggling. He clenched his teeth together from the severe pain.

  “Someone’s using … their powers. We’re under … attack,” he managed to say.

  The nervousness was instantly replaced with fear. I didn’t know what to do. I needed to figure out who was using their powers on Emry. Turning around, I searched the seats of contributors. They all looked terrified themselves and began to stand and scatter around the garden. There was no way anyone could get out of here besides going back through the door to the castle. The rest of the garden was sealed off for safety reasons today. The idea was for protection, not entrapment.