Eternal Flame - Book 6

by Chrissy Peebles

  “She was brutally tortured. She would’ve said anything on that mountain to get them to stop.”

  “Someone is helping you, and I want to know who it is,” she demanded. “You may not tell me now, but you will eventually tell all.”

  Liz glared at her, her eyes oozing with hate. “After a little torture and interrogation, huh?”

  “We both know I can hurt you badly,” she said. “This game has gone on long enough. Your powers are paralyzed.”

  “You didn’t see that police car flip?” Liz asked. “I made that happen. Back off, or I’ll have you tumbling around like a drunken clown.”

  “Sure you did,” she said sarcastically. “That vehicle just spun out of control. Now, we’d like this to end on a peaceful note. Please step out of the car.”

  I rolled up the window.

  “What do we do?” Liz desperately asked.

  “We have to run, or everyone we love will end up dead. It will unleash a chain of events into play somehow, and that will be the outcome.” I blinked when a thought came to me. “Remember when we escaped from Ethano? We concentrated together and defeated him.”

  “And now we’ve got even more heavy-duty powers.”

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to take them on,” I said. “I refuse to run like a coward anymore.”

  “Then let’s do this thing. I’ve been dying to see what our powers can do.”

  I rolled down the window. “Fine. We’ll give ourselves up.”

  She made some hand signals to the others, then motioned me to come forward.

  I slowly opened the door and made my way out of the car. I held my hands up in mock surrender as what seemed like hundreds of guns were pointed in my direction.

  Liz walked next to me and held her hands up, following my lead. When she grabbed my hand, I felt her energy surging through me, and our powers temporarily joined forces.

  Chapter 14

  Rushing winds charged with electricity swirled all around us. High in the air, the helicopter was thrown around like a child’s toy. A clap of thunder and a flash of lightning burst through the air. The wind changed direction rapidly, heading straight for the immortals who were cowering in their police cars.

  One immortal bravely faced us and closed his eyes, as if trying to defuse us. Liz laughed, realizing how futile his efforts would be. The cars shook as the wind roared, but still more of them got out and faced us head on. They covered their faces as tiny balls of ice, like golf ball-sized hail, poured from the sky. I closed my eyes and focused on my escape. The hail quickly grew, to the size of baseballs, falling dangerously close to us. The immortals ran for cover as the hard balls of ice pelted the ground.

  A few braved the storm and came at us. I simply threw streams of blue electricity at them. The energy sent them flying backward hundreds of feet. More came from the left. I sent the rest of the attackers flying, crashing into their very own police cars.

  The power I contained was unbelievable. I wasn’t that powerless girl I once was when my energies were unbalanced and all messed up. If I had these powers before, those blue ring immortals would’ve never had the chance to kidnap me.

  “This is our big break!” I said. “Let’s go!”

  I jumped into the driver’s seat.

  Liz grabbed my arm. “Drive! Drive!”

  I floored it and drove like a bat out of Hell.

  “Did you see that? We demolished them!” Liz asked. “Man, that was something!”

  I gripped the steering wheel hard. “We can beat them at their own game now.”

  Liz shot me an excited glance. “Our powers are stronger than theirs. They could do nothing against us.”

  “Yeah, maybe they’ll think twice before messing with us again.”

  She shook her head. “So in this vision of yours, everyone died?”

  “Yeah. It was horrible. I hate glimpses into a not-so-great future. I still can’t forget that image of rocking my dead baby on that mountain.”

  “They’re only potential futures, sis. Ultimately, they are just warnings, so you can do something different to improve the outcome.”

  “I know. I just wish my visions would show me happier things. I mean, sometimes they do, but it’s more bad than good.”

  “And Jackson has these visions too?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Lucky him.” I shot Liz a side glance. “We gotta ditch the car. There’s no way we can take this back to the safe house.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure they’ll put an APB out on it.”

  I pulled in behind a building and parked. After glancing around, I slowly got out of the car. “I don’t see or feel anyone,” I whispered.

  “Looks safe,” Liz said.

  “C’mon,” I said, then ran up the alley, with my sister in tow.

  We made it back to the safe house and told Victor and Charles all about our misadventure, and they both immediately insisted that we move to a new location. I held Alexander close, and we called Jackson, who rushed right over.

  “It is too dangerous to stay here,” Victor said. “They know we’re in this town. It’s time to go.”

  “I’m working on it as we speak,” Jackson said.

  I glanced at him. “Our powers are massive now.”

  He winked. “I told you. How did it feel to take them down?”

  “Pretty damn good.”

  “Good.”

  “Even though we are more powerful, there are far more of them,” Charles said. “Staying here is too risky.”

  “I agree,” Jackson said.

  “Have you had any luck locating the box?” I asked. “We need to find it and open it so we can annihilate their power once and for all.”

  “We’re working on it,” he said. “Please just be patient a little while longer.”

  “Patience is not easy to come by when we are so eager to return to our world,” Charles said. “We are only staying here because Victor and Sarah have a debt to pay. We’re honorable people and will fulfill our end of the bargain, but we must also prepare for an impending battle on our own home front. We plan to take back our kingdoms and restore peace to our world, just as you want to restore peace to yours.”

  “My visions haven’t changed. If you go back, you will die,” Jackson said, in no uncertain terms.

  “Geesh, not that again,” Liz breathed out. “I just want to go home. This isn’t my world anymore, even if they do have chocolate and Wi-Fi. I don’t fit in here anymore because I’m different. I’ll never be accepted here. I want to live in a world where I can be who I am.”

  “I understand that,” Jackson said, “but is fitting in worth dying for?”

  “We will not die,” Victor said. “We have unspeakable power.”

  “Four of you do, but that little quartet is not nearly enough to even make a dent against a huge army numbering thousands.”

  “We can’t just stay here and let Ethano win,” I said.

  Victor gripped my hand tightly. “Don’t worry, my love. We will go as soon as our debt is paid in full. I have a throne to reclaim.”

  ***

  Jackson uprooted us again and escorted us to a sleepy town forty five minutes away. It was a little further, but Beth and her son came to visit every chance they got. I loved catching up with her and playing with Christopher.

  A few days passed, and once we were all settled in, Victor and I took Alexander for a stroll down a woodland trail.

  “I feel safer here, my dear. Do you?” Victor said.

  “Yes. It feels so good.” I looked down at my sleeping baby; our leisurely walk had lulled him to sleep.

  We stopped and sat on a bench with the stroller next to us.

  Victor reached for my hand. “We seem to have a knack for overcoming adversity, to turn our lives in a new direction, no matter the odds,” Victor said.

  “Yes, we’re becoming very skilled at that. We have to make the most of this second chance we’ve been given.”

  “I will do whatever it takes
to keep our family together,” he said.

  “I know you will, and that means the world to me.”

  “I wonder sometimes, though, if we will ever find peace. We seem to always be running from someone or something.”

  “I just know I want our world back.”

  The sun felt good on my face and the birds chirped loudly.

  Victor gripped my hand. “Perhaps Jackson has a point. Is Tastia worth dying for?”

  “Do you really believe him now? Are you going to let Jackson’s visions get to you, Victor? You’ve been so dead set on arguing with him.”

  “I am no longer sure what to believe.”

  “You know we have to go back. This isn’t your world and you’ll never be truly happy here.”

  “I will also not be happy if we are killed and our son is left to be raised by Ethano. For our child, that may prove to be a fate worse than death. I can’t make a decision on what I want. It has to be about what’s best for our son. I’m putting someone else’s life above my own.”

  “That’s true love,” I said. “I know you’d go after Ethano in a heartbeat if we didn’t have a child he might steal.”

  “Indeed I would. But Alexander must be our first priority.”

  “Agreed. I don’t know what to think either. For the time being, let’s just help Jackson get this box and open it, disable the blue-ringed immortals, then talk about our next step. Maybe Jackson will be more open to helping us and joining forces with us after this box business is settled.”

  “I agree,” he said.

  “We can’t push the issue, but if he gets his world back, maybe he will help us.”

  He nodded. “You are right.”

  “We can do this, Victor,” I said. “Things will get better, and we have each other, even in the face of adversity and difficulty. Sometimes circumstances fall into our lives, and marriage can be hard, but I will never stop fighting for us and our family either. I believe in us, no matter what.”

  He kissed my lips. “Me too.”

  “You have my unconditional love, support, acceptance, and encouragement. I’ll always love you, even in tough times.”

  “When we get back from our walk, my Queen, I believe you are entitled to a long back massage or a hot, soapy bath.”

  “That sounds heavenly.”

  “As it should be, for an angel.”

  “You’re the greatest king of all time, Victor. Do you know that, Highness?”

  Victor laughed, an adorable chuckle, surprisingly boyish for one of his prestige and stature, and then he kissed my hand daintily. “We’ll be leaving soon.”

  “No longer than a couple months from now, I suppose.”

  “I promised you a wedding, luv. We will not go until you have it.”

  My eyes widened. “What?”

  “I promised you the ceremony of your dreams, and I am a man of my word.”

  “We can just do that when all the dust settles.”

  “By then, we will no longer be here. We’ll be back in Tastia, but you deserve to be married in front of all your loved ones and friends. You deserve a memory that you will forever cherish. You deserve to be surrounded by love.”

  My eyes welled with tears. “I’ve always dreamt of a wedding here in my world,” I whispered.

  “Then you shall have one.”

  “We can’t, Victor. The second the blue-ringed immortals realize we will all be gathered in one place, they’ll sweep in.”

  “I have already spoken with Liz and Jackson about this. A security team is in place.”

  “What? He’s willing to do that?”

  “Yes. He wants you to be happy, and he wants to thank you for going through with the ceremony.”

  “So a wedding is the reward for taking a dagger to the heart, huh?”

  “He seems to feel awful about it and wants to regain your trust.”

  “Ah, a bribe, just so I’ll open that box of his. He wants me to be indebted to him so I won’t run away. I see it now. But I’ll take a wedding. Just...well, how are we gonna pull it off?”

  “Liz came up with a brilliant idea.”

  I laughed. “Of course. What is this grand plan of hers?”

  “She suggested that we use your cousin Sandra as a bit of a diversion. We can put everything in her name. She has already has been sworn to secrecy. From the outside, it will appear she is marrying a fictional groom, Barry Tyson.”

  “The ol’ bait-and-switch, huh?” I said. “I like it!”

  “When your friends and relatives attend what they think is Sandra’s wedding, they’ll find us.”

  “It just might work.”

  “Do you have any special requests?”

  “I want to take a wedding album with me to Tastia,” I said, “even if it’s only a small one. My parents aren’t immortal, and they will eventually pass away. I want to remember my beautiful day, to have pictures of them by my side.”

  Alexander started to cry, as if my mention of his grandparents dying had somehow upset him, even though he wasn’t possibly old enough to understand.

  I walked over to the stroller and picked him up. “You have the best daddy in the whole world, young man!” I said to the blue-eyed baby.

  Victor smiled. “And the most beautiful mother in at least two worlds.”

  Chapter 15

  When Victor and I made the big announcement, my mother couldn’t have been happier. She’d missed my first wedding, had been deprived of seeing her little girl walk down the aisle. My father wasn’t keen on it at first, only because he feared for my safety, but Jackson promised him that we could pull it off.

  “I don’t need anything fancy,” I said. “I just want to be surrounded by my family and friends. It will be a simple ceremony, in the little church by my house, followed by a small reception.”

  “Simple? Whatever. This wedding is a long time coming,” Liz said, clapping her hands in excitement.

  My mom looked at me with a huge smile. “Remember when you used to pin towels in your hair to pretend you were a bride?”

  I laughed. “Mom! I was five!”

  “I know, but it was so cute!”

  “So where’s Barry?” Liz asked, wearing a big smirk.

  I laughed. “I love the Barry idea.”

  “Yeah, well, I occasionally experience rare moments of creativity.”

  “Barry...er, Victor is with Jackson. Guy talk about strategies and whatnot.”

  “Men.”

  I laughed. “At least they aren’t discussing the three B’s of boyhood—boobs, beer, and baseball.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Liz! The only boobs Victor better be thinking about are mine, and he better not be discussing them with Jackson.”

  Uneasy with the turn the conversation had taken, my father stood. “Honey, let’s go start dinner,” he said, pulling my mother into the kitchen.

  “Now, all you have to do is find the perfect one,” Liz said.

  “But I’ve already found him. That’s why I’m marrying him all over again.”

  “No, silly. I’m talking about the perfect wedding dress.” She handed me a stack of bridal magazines. “We have to start planning, and since Jackson is covering everything, spare no expense. It’s the least he can do after stabbing you in the heart. We’ll just tell Jackson what you want, and he’ll make sure it happens.”

  “Under Sandra’s name?”

  She smiled. “It’s that simple, sis. We have to find the perfect gown, one that will flatter your figure.” She pointed to a model in a big, poufy dress. “I love the princess wedding gown. It’s the most bridal of all of them.”

  “It’s beautiful, but no. I wore one like that at my first wedding. I want this one to be...different.”

  “Okay. So what’s your dream dress look like?”

  “Hmm. Well, I want to choose a silhouette that’ll highlight my best assets and kind of hide my, uh...less favorable traits.”

  “Let’s focus on your personal style and
what flatters you most.” Her face lit up. “Why wait? There’s a bridal shop not too far from here. I did a Google search last night.”

  “Whoa. Are you more excited about this than me? I’m the one walking down the aisle, right?”

  “Hey!” she squealed. “I’m your self-appointed maid of honor, and it’s my job to make sure you have the wedding of your dreams.”

  “You can’t be my maid of honor, Liz. That job goes to Beth,” I said.

  Liz stuck her bottom lip out and pouted. “But I thought—”

  “Matron. You’re my matron of honor, dummy.”

  She grinned. “That’ll work.”

  The next thing I knew, Liz was telling our ever-present security detail that we were leaving. They followed us, but I didn’t mind; they were only trying to keep us safe.

  “You need a timeless gown,” the bridal attendant said, “something that will never go out of style. It’s best to look for something with modern and traditional elements.”

  “That sounds lovely,” I said.

  She held out her hand. “I’m Violet.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I said, shaking her hand.

  I tried on three dresses, and they all looked horrible on me.

  “There’s no three-strikes-you’re-out rule for brides, sis. Just try on as many dresses as you want,” Liz said. “It took me as long to find a gown as it took me to find a husband.”

  I laughed. “Well, what do you think of this one?” I asked, blowing a stray strand of hair out of my eyes.

  “Wow,” she said. “You look beautiful, but can you sit down in it? Can you dance in it? I mean, it’s simply breathtaking, but if you can’t move...well, the mummy style is sorta not convenient.”

  It was beautiful but much too tight, so I took a deep, exasperated breath and stepped into the next one. I loved the sleeveless white gown with a sweet, embellished overlay and sheer paneling over the bust and neckline. It was so romantic and delicate. It had a mermaid silhouette that gave me that princess look Liz insisted I needed. My gut said yes to the dress, and when I walked out and twirled around with a huge smile on my face, tears formed in Liz’s eyes.

  “I love it!” she said. “It fits beautifully. I’ve never seen anything so wonderful. It’s just stunning, Sarah. It shows off your hourglass curves. It’s sexy, feminine, and sophisticated, and it’s so sparkly with all those dazzling jeweled accents. Yeah, this one definitely has the wow factor.”