“I can’t remember if the cargo hold near the post office is the refrigerated one or not…,”
“Wait,” she stopped, gesturing to a carpet bag at the knee of a crewman. He spoke to a fellow crew member, resting the bag on the floor at his feet. “Read the tag. Wanted In Cabin. That’s a piece of luggage,” she whispered. “We’re going the right way.”
“If we’re stopped, just follow my lead,” he murmured, linking his arm through hers. The sword pressed against his arm through her coat.
No one stopped them as they moved quickly to the cargo area. “Slow down. He’ll be hiding,” he said quietly, drawing his gun.
The massive cargo hold loomed before them, and he tugged her to crouch behind a grand piano. “I’ll be ready,” she mouthed.
Before he could respond, she stood and drew the sword, moving around the front of the piano. “Troy! Come out, you coward!”
“Roam!”
“Well,” Troy’s voice sounded from deep in the darkness of the hold, and West stood, aiming the pistol in the direction of his voice. “Another fucking surprise.”
West fired into the darkness, and a box containing what appeared to be toothpaste exploded and tumbled into an oozing heap.
“That was the last time you will ever kill me,” she roared, her voice breathless with anger. “The last time you will ever touch me!”
“Back to your old self again,” he grinned, stepping out from the shadow with his pistol raised in West’s direction. “I have missed your tongue.”
Aimed at each other, the pistols were both cocked and ready to fire. West kept his focus, stepping closer to Roam. “Put the gun down. This is over.”
“I’ve done two against one before. And I’ve come out ahead.” He held his aim at West’s head. He’s calculating.
“Did you really think you’d win? This all began with your hatred… with vengeance.” She held the sword out before her, lifting a dark eyebrow. “Your desire has destroyed you.”
“Maybe,” he countered, the light from a single, hanging bulb reminiscent of the ceiling in West’s basement. “The kingdom, the people that I protect from burning to death, would disagree.”
“Will deserves the throne. He’ll rule, and he’ll save the land without hurting Eva.”
“There is one other way, my brilliant son has discovered… before I locked him in prison,” he agreed, licking his lips. “As long as she remains in Icepond, the sun stops burning.” He inhaled slowly, sickeningly. “If I can’t have you every night, then I’ll have your daughter.”
Roam cried out and raised her sword, but West kept his pistol pointed at Troy’s head. “Roam, don’t. He won’t get to Eva.”
“I won’t?” Troy taunted, his malevolent eyes fixed on Roam’s face.
“No, you won’t. Because we’re going to protect her…,” he stiffened his trigger finger, ready to fire. “When we get off in Ireland.”
Biting back the force of the numbers, West held the pistol steady while Troy flinched, growling as the coordinates on his arm began to change and etch into his skin.
The split second of painful distraction was all that he needed to fire at Troy’s head.
Before he hit the ground, Roam sliced through his arm, separating his right hand from his forearm. The pistol clattered to the ground.
We have to hurry- someone had to have heard the shot. He began opening trunks, removing the contents as Roam attacked.
The sounds in the hollow cargo hold were disturbing to even the most hardened warrior. He watched as Troy’s blood drenched her beautiful face, skin and hair flying with every slice of the sword. Survival. He gathered Troy, piece by piece, and began stuffing his severed body parts into the trunks of the Titanic.
“Roam,” he said softly, waiting for her to register his voice. “You’re not strong enough for the rest. Let me,” he said, carefully reaching for the sword.
She nodded, tears streaking with blood on her face. He took the sword into his hands, adrenaline coursing through his body as he raised the weapon. She backed away and lowered to the floor, curling into a protective ball and burying her face into her knees. Her shoulders shook with sobs, her force of her tears straining her back.
He dropped the sword and began dragging Troy’s body parts to various trunks, careful to leave the latches open. “When the ship floods, he’ll be part of the sea.” Blood and body matter trailed across the floor.
“Can he come back?” She whispered, lifting her eyes to his.
“Not like this,” he shook his head. “Not in any kind of human form, not once he’s consumed by sea life.”
She turned, running to an open, emptied trunk and vomiting. He moved to her, waiting, comforting her with small words as she wretched.
Finally, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “We need to clean this, before the crew finds the mess,” she rose to her feet, searching the hold. “There are blankets over there… we’ll use them and stuff them somewhere.”
“And clothing… We’ll clean up the best we can down here, change, and get back to the room. Roam…,”
She lifted her palm, staring at her bloodied fingers. “West… is it over?”
“It’s over, baby,” he folded her into his arms, nodding against her hair. “It’s over.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
I stared at my reflection in my old bedroom, turning before the mirror.
The bridesmaid’s dresses were strapless and knee-length, champagne with a white belt. My legs appeared longer than they were in reality, only further lengthened by the high, matching open-toed pumps. Eva had talked me into leaving my long hair down and straight, and adorned with tiny, jeweled pins that she insisted on putting in herself. Morgan had requested that all bridesmaid’s hair be done up professionally, but when it came to Eva, she couldn’t refuse.
Pressing my palm over my stomach, I closed my eyes, a furtive smile touching my lips. Maybe this is the son you’ve been waiting for, West, I thought, sighing deeply.
“You’re not supposed to be prettier than the bride. We’re going to have to ugly you up a little.”
I opened my eyes, laughing at Logan’s teasing words. “Hey, this area is off limits for guys. And if Morgan heard that, you’d be in big trouble.”
He grinned, glancing around the room. “I’m glad you’re up here. Apparently Vi left her clutch up here somewhere. Now, I’ve looked all over for something that looks like a gear shift, but maybe I’m looking for some kind of hair pin?”
Giggling, I pointed to the small purse on my bed. “That’s hers.”
“Oh- I get it. Clutch, ‘cause she clutches it. Clever.”
I sighed, holding my smile. “I’m going to miss you,” I turned to face him, admiring how handsome he looked in the tuxedo. “I wish we could trade lives... so I’d know you’re safe.”
He knew that I was talking about my immortality. Eva ran into the bedroom, breaking through our arms with a giggle. “London bridge!”
“Hi, sweetheart.” I held Logan’s hands, raising them in the air for her to prance beneath in her flower girl dress.
“Roam, immortality is yours. Use it,” he ordered softly.
“Im-mor-tal-it-ty,” Eva chanted, reaching for both Logan’s and my left arms. “Is magic...,”
“What?” I looked down at her, narrowing my eyes. “Eva, what are you talking about?”
“Grandfather Asher,” she whispered, her small fingers encircling each of our arms. “He teaches me magic in my dreams.”
“She dreams of him?” Logan asked, his mouth falling open.
“Do you want this Mommy?” Eva asked.
Eying her warily, I held my breath. “Eva, are you talking about my immortality?”
“Yes or no, Mommy?”
“Yes, I want Logan to be safe, and live forever with Violet,” I agreed, meeting Logan’s eyes. His dark brown gaze twinkled back at me, obviously as taken aback by her words as I was.
“It is done,” she chanted, b
efore releasing our arms. My mouth fell open as I watched her beautiful green eyes light to bright amber before quickly recovering their jade color.
The moment she let go, I knew.
“I’m going downstairs with Vi!” She called, her red spirals dancing over her shoulders as she ran for the stairs.
“She has magic,” Logan lifted his arm, staring in disbelief. “She did it, didn’t she?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered, reaching for his lapel. The boutonniere, a white rose, fixed to his jacket with a pearl-studded straight pin. Removing the flower, I held the pin firmly, lifting my index finger. Pressing the tip of the needle into the pad of my finger, I winced, waiting.
The droplet of blood rose rapidly, the dark red blot promptly running down my finger as another drop raced to take its place.
After long minutes, I reached for a tissue to stop the bleeding. “You try.”
He stuck his finger deeply, and I recoiled. “You didn’t have to do that so hard!”
“Look,” he breathed.
The blood began to rise from the wound on his finger, and then quickly backtracked. I grabbed his palm, brushing my thumb over his smooth, unscarred finger twice before realizing. “Oh my God… Eva possesses magic…,”
“Do you regret this?” Logan hurried, sliding his fingers over my shoulders. “Roam, you’ll age, you-…,”
“No, I don’t regret this, Logan,” I lifted my watery eyes to his. “Be with Violet. Love each other forever. I want to grow old with West.”
He hugged me, nodding against my hair. “We have to protect her. If anyone knows what she can do, her life may be in danger.”
By anyone I knew he meant Will. “Troy is gone. Will won’t hurt her. He’ll come for her eventually… and she will… decide for herself.”
Troy’s last words on the Titanic proved to be true. Will had traveled to find us only days after we returned from the fountain. West had reacted as expected at first, ready to fight, but Will quickly made it known that he only wanted peace.
“I need to confirm that my father is dead. The people have set me free and I have ruled in his absence. They fear his return.”
“He’s dead,” I moved forward, Eva safely behind me. “And he told me that there is another way to stop the sun.”
Will lowered his blue eyes, glancing quickly at Eva as she peeked from behind West and I. “It is true. I won’t try to take her from you. When she is old enough… and understands… I ask that you give her a choice. Or allow me to ask her, on behalf of my people, to live in Icepond with us.”
I turned to West, and he sighed deeply, looking back to Will. “For protecting Roam, we will do as you ask. We’ll give her the choice, when she’s older.”
“In two years our world will burn. Eighteen years from now, here.”
“When she’s twenty-two, then,” West acknowledged. “It will be her decision alone. You must swear to let her decide, free of consequence.”
“I swear it.” He nodded, reaching for West’s hand. They shook, and I gripped Eva tightly to me. “We will spend these years developing alternatives to the prophecy with Asher.”
“Thank you,” I said, wrapping my arms around him. “Thank you for helping me. I will never forget it.”
“You deserve happiness,” he looked down at Eva, smiling gently. “I can tell that she will bring you a great deal of happiness.” He gestured to the four-year-old. “I cannot return home without the child’s escort. I must ask that you see me through this once.”
That evening, West and I took Eva with us and returned to the Johnstown Inclined Plane. We came out on the same platform on the mountainside as before, but this time the sun warmed the land and we were welcomed by the people.
Will spoke to them, and they knelt before Eva, pledging their fealty and asking her to return to them.
Asher hobbled slowly ahead, and West stepped forward. The old man lifted his arms, reaching for his son. “You have her, she is safe,” his shaking voice confirmed. I watched my husband nod, the emotional struggle on his face evident in his watery blue eyes.
“Thank you,” he hugged his father, and Asher nodded, looking down at his granddaughter.
“Ah, we meet again, lass. You’ll be good for your parents?”
“Yes grandfather.”
West and I looked to each other in surprise. When had they met?
“Of course you will,” he gave the child a conspiratorial wink, nodding. “All of my love to you, my son, my daughter.”
From the crowd, an elderly, white haired woman approached us, and I raised my hand to my mouth, holding my breath.
“Helena?”
“You have won, your majesty,” she said reverently as I allowed her to embrace me. “Your strength and perseverance are an inspiration to your people.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, tightening my hold on her frail shoulders once more before releasing her.
“Farewell, Roam and West. Eva,” Will knelt before her, offering his hands. She tentatively placed her small fingers in his. “I hope that you will come to visit me again.”
“Okay,” she nodded eagerly, lifting her nervous eyes to mine. “Can I be a princess here?”
He smiled, nodding. “I am quite sure that you are a princess in every land, little one.”
As I remembered Will’s words, Logan pulled away. “Come on. I’ll talk to West. Morgan needs her maid of honor.”
I twisted the diamond ring on my finger, nodding. “I’m going to tell her that I married West right before the ceremony. So I don’t have to listen to her yell at me.”
He laughed, lifting my hand to his mouth and kissing away the sting of the pin prick. “I’ll bet you five bucks she yells anyway.”
I owed Logan ten dollars; Morgan exploded at my words, and then growled at me again as I handed her Jason’s wedding band later in the ceremony.
Photographs were taken in both the church and at my favorite Lake Erie park. West and I barely had time for a private conversation, moving quickly in and out of poses for Morgan’s photographer.
“OMG these poses are so cheesy,” Ally-May complained, shifting in the hot sun.
“They’re memories,” I defended, watching Jason sweep his bride into his arms for a dramatic kiss at the lake shore.
“Hey, baby…,” West met my lips in a kiss, smiling at Ally. “Hi, Ally.”
“Hi Mr. Perry. I mean, West.” She smirked, her eyebrows dancing up and down on her forehead. “So, you two are married… the secret is out. How’s your dad dealing, Ro?”
I turned toward the group of groomsmen, waving at my dad. He nodded, returning my wave before focusing back on the photographer. “He likes West… and loves Eva,” I added, remembering the conversation West and I had with my father after we returned from North Carolina for my gown fitting.
My father reacted better than I’d expected, and promised not to tell Morgan until I was ready. “I just wish I could have been there,” he’d added, looking at West pointedly.
“Roam will have her perfect wedding,” he assured my father.
“I already did,” I’d whispered, remembering our vows on the North Carolina beach.
“You’re so young to take on the responsibility of being a mother,” my dad argued, referring to Eva.
“I love Eva with all of my heart, Dad,” I replied, the depth of my adoration for my daughter clear in my voice.
“She’ll finish college,” West assured him, and that was all that my father needed to hear.
The reception was held in a hall near the lake in Madison, large enough to accommodate Morgan’s two-hundred person guest list. After the wedding party was introduced, I sat between Eva and Violet at dinner.
“Roam,” Violet leaned forward, lowering her voice. “I need to tell you something.”
“Is everything okay?”
Violet nodded, glancing across the U-shaped table erected for the bridal party and watching her father carefully. “Logan asked me to marry him.”
<
br /> My eyes moved immediately to Logan, seated next to West.
“He told me what happened… with Eva. Now he’s like me,” she reached for her bouquet of roses, pulling at a petal. “Thank you for doing this, Roam. For giving him to me… forever.”
“Violet,” I held my arms out for her, and she folded into them. “I love you both so very much. I know you’ll care for Eva… when I can’t,” I took a steadying breath. “She’ll need you when I’m gone.”
“Always.” She vowed, sniffling. She sat back, reaching for her glass. “You know, I don’t think we’ll get in trouble for a little champagne. Not tonight,” she gestured to my glass that remained untouched near my plate.
“I’ll pass,” I met her eyes, and she nodded, grinning.
“Yeah, I thought so.”
“Mommy, dance!” Eva cried as the dinner music continued, Frank Sinatra’s Summer Wind filling the hall.
“No one else is dancing yet, sweetheart.”
“Daddy will. He said this is your song.”
I looked at West, watching him gently lay his napkin on the table before sliding his chair back.
“It’s true. He used to play this song over and over after you lost your memory. Pathetic.” Violet tipped her head back, finishing the last of the champagne in her flute.
“A dance, Mrs. Perry?” West held his hand out for me, and I smiled, nodding.
“Every dance, Mr. Perry,” I replied, returning his endearing grin.
“And that is your last glass of champagne tonight, Vi,” he added to Violet. She scowled playfully.
“You can’t watch us all, Dad.”
West took the lead, pulling me close in his arms. The catering crew continued to move around us, but the DJ lowered the lights, just slightly, in our favor. “Well, these two can’t resist Ol’ Blue Eyes,” he spoke into the microphone smoothly, and I turned, finding Morgan’s gaze on us.
She sat back in her chair. “I love you, Socrates,” she mouthed, crossing both of her hands over her heart.
I nodded, smiling through the relentless tears that sprang to my eyes. “I love you, too,” I responded soundlessly, resting my head against West’s chest. He felt me stiffen, cupping my chin in his hand.
Rise (Roam Series, Book Three) Page 21