Dark Roses: Eight Paranormal Romance Novels

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Dark Roses: Eight Paranormal Romance Novels Page 152

by P. T. Michelle


  “My eyes?”

  “He’s fascinated with them. Master Andre believes in you. He defied many of his family’s rules for you. After all, you are the girl who raised the red rose in their faces. You challenged them and came willingly. For thousands of years, I haven’t seen this before. Other Masters bid to have you.”

  “They bid for me?” Iris felt offended. She was practically a slave for the highest price. And to worsen it, she was bid on by aliens.

  “They never tell us how they bid, but Master Andre, a young respectable prince, won you,” she said.

  “Should I feel special?” Iris pursed her lips. If she didn’t like this place and its logic, then it was all her fault. She was the one that asked to be here. “Did you say prince?”

  “Yes, he is.”

  Iris decided she wasn’t going to comment on this part. A prince of Beasts was the last thing she needed in her life…or the few days left of it.

  “Tell me. Did you hear anything about a girl named Zoe?” Iris said.

  “Of course,” the girl nodded. “The last Bride taken before you.”

  “Can you tell me anything about her? Do you know where she is? Is she alive?”

  “I am afraid I’m not authorized to say,” the girl said. “And it’d be better if you don’t ask. It could get you in trouble, My Beauty. Now, I have to leave, and will be back when your mind clears.”

  “My mind is clear right now,” Iris challenged her. “Take me to this Andre, now.”

  “No, your mind isn’t clear yet, My Beauty,” the girl said. “The towel’s effect takes some time.”

  “This towel is supposed to clear my mind?”

  The girl nodded.

  “What do you mean by that? I’m telling you, my mind is alert and clear. How would you know me better than I know myself?”

  The girl paused. Iris sensed the girl wanted to tell her something, but couldn’t bring herself to it. “Have you seen the magnificent stars outside your window, My Beauty?” the girl said irrelevantly.

  Iris blinked at the absurd question. “Yes. I saw them when I was down on Earth too. What about them?”

  “What do they look like?”

  “What? They look like stars!” Iris snapped.

  “Just stars?”

  “Are you playing games with me?” Iris said. “Take me to your Master, now.”

  “I can’t,” the girl said. “Not unless you see the stars. A sign that your mind has cleared. Now, I’d like to excuse myself and come back in a while. I’m sure the towel’s effect should grow on you by then.”

  The girl walked out, still paying her respects by bowing her head. The door she left from turned into a wall right after her.

  42

  Things were getting weirder for Iris. Instead of expecting to deal with a monster Beast, she was treated like some kind of princess in a kingdom in space. To top it off, she was supposed to do things like “clear her mind,” whatever that meant.

  She should have tried to catch the door in the wall while it was still open, and escape the room.

  All Iris wanted was to look for Zoe and save her like heroes do in books. Then again, she knew it was impossible. Iris challenged the Beasts to know what was going on. It was unlikely they’d just let her save Zoe. She needed to act smoothly, and see what this place was exactly.

  The bed’s sheets felt fine as she sat on them again, staring at the window with the stars. What was she supposed to do now, stare at the stars and see?

  Crap.

  The Beasts still liked games. They loved mocking her, and messing with her mind. She was sure these were stars outside her window, the same beautiful stars she’d tried to catch when standing atop of the Sinai tower.

  She didn’t know why, but she gave it a try. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. The stars looked a little blurry, that’s all, until her eyes cleared again. Her mind didn’t “clear,” though. The girl was talking nonsense.

  Iris stepped down into the pool of faint green and sparkling blue and plodded forward. The water was warm, relaxing, as if to hypnotize her before reaching the window. She let the sparkling gold feathers gather on her dress and face. They felt like sunrise on her skin. The fish weren’t harmful, as they tickled her feet below. Things were too beautiful in this pool, it almost seemed unreal.

  What did you expect, Iris? The Beasts are the Gods of our world. They have everything; power and money, and they live in the clouds. They are magicians. They can create worlds, destroy worlds, and control humans. Things had to be this beautiful up here, because it all compensates for the one thing they lack: Beauty.

  Iris reached the window and stuck her nose to it. What she was looking at were still stars.

  She pressed her hands against the glass, remembering Colton all of a sudden. Maybe it was the sense that Colton was down there somewhere on Earth, just beyond the stars. Did she sacrifice his love for her best friend? Since no Bride ever returned, it seemed unlikely that she’d see him again. She hadn’t even consulted him or her father about it. But they’d have stopped her. It was an impulsive move in many ways, but she had acted out of anger and passion for her friend. Hell, she was afraid she’d be taken sooner or later. She had to do something about it and the price was breaking Colton’s heart, which was in many ways, hers too.

  Iris turned away from the window, wondering if being here had been her fate from the beginning, like the girl in white said. From the first day she wished Eva would be taken by the Beasts, then Eva asking her to avenge her, and then the Beasts taking Zoe. Ending up here felt like the natural process of events. If there was a wisdom behind this fate, she couldn’t tell what it was.

  The door opened behind her again.

  “I see you enjoyed your bath, My Beauty,” the girl said, offering her a robe as Iris stepped out of the water. “Did your mind clear?”

  Iris let the girl cover her with the robe. “I don’t think so,” she pursed her lips. “I still see stars outside my window.”

  “Don’t worry,” the girl said. “It happens. Sooner or later, your mind will clear. Master Andre decided to see you, even if your mind hasn’t cleared yet. He is eager to meet you,” she snickered again.

  “So, shall we?” Iris said, all wet and clumsy.

  “Right after I wash you, and dress you properly for your Master, My Beauty,” the girl said.

  43

  The hallway behind the door was all white with faint lights. The floor beneath her feet was made of glass, overlooking the stars. She let out a shattered sigh for a moment. Part of it was fearing she’d fall into the oblivion of space underneath; she was practically staring at the universe from above. Another part was that she was enchanted by the beauty of what she saw.

  The ugly Beasts were enjoying this magnificent view of the world from above every day. Far away, beyond the stars beneath her feet, Iris could see the Earth. Although she couldn’t make out the details, it was a fabulous scene. Where she came from was the most beautiful and enchanting painting she had ever seen. It was just like she’d always imagined it would be. Almost the same way she pictured it in school, and how everyone thought the Earth looked from above.

  The ghost girl stopped Iris before a white wall. Iris watched her hum indecipherable words from underneath the veil, until the wall turned into another door. The girl bowed, showing her the way into another large chamber.

  It was as beautiful as her room. The same vaulted ceiling, a pool, and windows to the stars. But it was a bit more majestic, like a prince’s suite. Iris felt bewilderment, smelling the red rose’s scent filling the room. The very same forbidden flower. How could it be?

  “Please sit, My Beauty,” the girl ushered her to the long dining table with one chair at each end. Her chair looked like a throne. She noticed another semi-transparent veil draped down onto the middle of the table, separating her from whomever was going to sit on the other side. Master Andre, she supposed.

  Iris cupped the sides of her dress and enjoyed pretending to be
in fairy tale, expect this one would be a fairy tale of lies.

  Sitting on the throne filled her with that unexplainable feeling of power. It was as if she was slowly sympathizing with those who held great power in their hands. It felt so good, and giving it up was impossible. How would you give up being a God?

  The girl excused herself and left the room. Iris sat silently, looking at the thin veil, separating her from whomever was going to share this endless amount of food and wine on the table with her.

  The Beasts must be so ugly, her Master couldn’t bring himself to expose his looks to her.

  The waiting was uncomfortable for her, but she registered that life in this place was slow by default. No one seemed rushed. They took their time. And why not? They were the rulers of the world. There was no parent rushing them to wake up and go to school, no job they’d be fired from upon a late arrival, and most importantly, there was no one they feared or sought to please. It occurred to Iris that fear actually moved the world on Earth.

  Historians would say it was love that moved the world, but they were lying. Every move down there was out of fear. Fear of arriving late, fearing of not being able to perform a task, fear of being left behind, dying alone, not being loved. As a girl, the most imminent fear right now was being taken further into the unknown.

  A long breath filled her lungs with the rose-scented air. She needed it. She closed her eyes for a moment, she needed to keep pretending she was brave enough to face the Beast.

  Opening her eyes again, she caught a glimpse of the Beast’s shadow sitting on the other side of the table behind the curtain.

  44

  It was like a silhouette of a tall man. His figure was tight and athletic, but she couldn’t tell more. He definitely had long hair that fluttered down his shoulders. His presence, even behind the curtain, was unavoidable. It was as if the world disappeared around her when he half-showed up. He was one of the rulers of the world, Iris thought. She wouldn’t have expected a lesser impact from him.

  “Have you had a good sleep?” he inquired. His voice was young, raw, and low, as if it resonated straight from his chest. Authoritative. A voice that demanded answers without saying it.

  “I did.” Iris said. All of her inquiries escaped her momentarily. Was she supposed to say something like, “Yes, my prince?” His presence still baffled her. She wasn’t here to become an obeying Bride. She was here to see. Yes, see right through the Beasts’ Pentimento. Not see through the silly stars, like the girl asked of her. “Everyone seems overly concerned about me having slept well,” she mumbled, stabbing the meat in front of her with her fork. A fake smile colored her face afterwards.

  “Sleep is crucial to the mind.” He had heard her, which wasn’t a big deal. She wondered if Beasts possessed otherworldly powers. Could he read her mind? Why is everyone talking about seeing and the mind since she arrived to this ship of light? Was that how the Beasts ruled, reading humans like an open book? Or was it what they needed to study?

  “Is that what you’re after, the human mind?” Iris said, trying to sound more polite than she had ever been before.

  “The human mind is fascinating,” the Beast said. She wasn’t comfortable with thinking of him as Master Andre yet. “And yet a terrible thing,” he added.

  “That didn’t answer my question,” Iris said. “Are you after our minds?”

  “What difference does it make if we are?” the Beast said.

  “Because if so, you got it all wrong,” Iris said. “It’s here that makes us unique,” she pointed at her heart.

  The Beast stayed silent for a while. She wished she could see the expression on his face right now. But she was sure he didn’t eat or move his head for a while. He instead kept looking towards her, she supposed. Her words must have strummed a high note. “As I said, sleep is very crucial to the human mind.”

  “Sleep again, huh.” Iris felt stronger for a moment. He escaped the conversation. Pressed the rewind button in his alien mind and started all over again, like a clean slate. How typical of an alien. She wondered if he was programmed through a chip in his ugly brain. Was he capable of traveling through time?

  “How could you tell reality from dreams, if you don’t get a dose of healthy dreams while sleeping?” he began eating again, Iris saw from the movement of his silhouette behind the curtain or veil, or whatever that thin barrier was. He ate with bare hands and teeth, grabbing what looked like a turkey’s thigh in his grip and sinking his face into it. Iris shrugged. Hunger like that was the first sign of bestiality. She lowered her head to the meat in front of her and wondered if it was human. Bridal, maybe?

  “So what is actually real, and what is a dream?” She was making silly conversation to stop her heart from speeding up.

  Her Master stopped in the middle of a bite, and lowered his turkey to the plate. He pulled a napkin and wiped his mouth. He did it elegantly. He was a pool of contradicting behaviors.

  “That’s the first time I’ve been asked such questions by a Bride,” he laughed. A confident laugh; neither scary, nor safe.

  “I’d say you have to get used to it.” Iris shot back, trying not to sweat.

  “I wouldn’t expect lesser from a girl who came here willingly,” he tilted his head. Iris wondered if he actually saw her vividly from behind the curtain. Was it possible it was a two-way mystery? Maybe the Beasts didn’t know that much about humans. Maybe they saw them as ugly, like Cody had told Zoe. Like a painter giving way to the brushes in his hands to draw the most compelling portrait, then lying to his audience, saying he’d done every detail intentionally. “Let’s start with you. What do you think tells a dream from reality?” he asked.

  “Dreams are mostly lies,” Iris said off the top of her head. She never believed in the sleeping dreams. Daydreaming was called “hope” in her book. “Therefore reality is simply…”

  “Truth,” he considered, lacing his hands before what looked like his chin. He looked like a chess master, waiting for his opponent’s next move.

  Iris nodded, not fond of him interrupting her. Hell, she wasn’t sure why she was still talking to him. She could just jump over and pull the curtain. Curiosity was killing her.

  “Which will lead us to the ultimate debate,” he said. “What is really considered ‘truth?’”

  “Truth is as clear as the sun,” she almost sneered at him. “Once you pull the curtain before your eyes.” She heard him let out a low groan. He’d gotten the message and was mocking her attempt to provoke him.

  “‘Once you pull the curtain before your eyes,’” he whispered, quoting her. “Eyes,” he repeated. “Just like your name, Iris,” he leaned forward, just a little. And for the first time she could see something was glittering behind the curtain. It was probably his eyes. They were a golden shade of green, like nothing she’d ever seen before. Again, neither scary, nor safe. “Do you judge everything through your eyes, Iris?” He said it as if it were “eye-ris.” “Is seeing the only road to believing in your book?”

  “I wasn’t given a pair of pupils for nothing.” She didn’t like the way he began cornering her in the conversation. She wasn’t supposed to talk with Beasts. She was here to challenge them. “Unless you’re ugly.” She pressed her expensive shoes against the floor and gripped the dinner knife. “You’d prefer not to use your eyes in your judgment.” Suddenly, she wasn’t comfortable with his green eyes. She decided they leaned more toward being scary.

  45

  Master Andre didn’t look offended. At least, no part of his silhouette showed it. He didn’t say anything for a long time. The more his silence filled the room, the weaker Iris’s grip felt on the knife, and on her own life. She let go finally. The Beast’s calmness puzzled her and stripped her of all anger. To cover her weakness, she began eating again, not with her hands, but with a golden fork and spoon.

  “I hope you like our food,” he leaned back and began eating as well. “It’s fresh, healthy, and tastes…”

  “Unearthly?” sh
e couldn’t hold her tongue. It was a deserved pun. The food was devilishly delicious and she couldn’t help but gorge on it. She told herself that she needed strength so she didn’t feel guilty eating what she’d previously suspected to be human meat. Of course, it wasn’t. Humans wouldn’t taste so good.

  “An older Master once told me that dreams are whatever you can escape by waking up,” the Master said. “Truth, on the other hand, sticks to your soul. You can’t wake up from it. That’s why we need to dream actually, so we can balance our psyche.”

  You say we as if you are human,” Iris noted.

  “Maybe I was, once,” he said, and finally she thought this was some kind of a hint. “Maybe I will be again.” He destroyed all assumptions, and she couldn’t help but think he was playing her.

  Nothing was said for a while.

  The sound of their chewing was painful to Iris’s ears. She wasn’t here to dine, yet there was nothing else she could do—and this damn food was irresistible. Iris suddenly forced herself to stop eating. She remembered the rose’s scent. The food could be as devious. It might have an effect on her. “So is this what you do with all your Brides? Talk?” Iris slammed the knife back on the table. She was aware of her contradicting behavior, and it was alarming. Maybe she wasn’t up to coming here willingly. The Beasts’ presence was stronger than she’d imagined.

  “You don’t like talking?” Andre said.

  “Not with someone I can’t see.”

  “I’m not sure you’re ready to see me yet,” he explained, with no hint of embarrassment.

  Iris felt this strange sympathy toward him again, and it felt so wrong. But her Master’s acknowledgment of his ugliness was far from monstrous. She sensed his misery in a most unusual way. I am so not myself today. What is happening to me? Did the towel do something to me?

  “Are you very ugly?” she shrugged enough to feel a lump of air in her throat.

 

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