“Like going with you is an option?” Erick challenged, inching closer towards me and pulling me behind him.
“All he is going to do is hand you over to the Queen! His wife was taken captive and now serves as one of the queen’s servants-”
The shattering of glass from the window stops Cecilia mid-sentence as two large entities—the same kind that attacked me at my home—breaks through. Cecilia pulls Summer to her while simultaneously drawing her dagger. Erick shoves me out of the way and strikes the WarMan with dark energy. The creature stumbles back but he refuses to be deterred. He lunges forward, returning an energy charge of his own, knocking Erick on his back. The entity’s eyes are focused on me; however, Cecilia sends bullet after bullet into the creature’s chest.
“He is down,” Cecilia says urgently. “Let’s get out of here!”
“Wait. What about Erick?”
“What about him?” Cecilia snaps. “Leave him. He is vested only in his own interests, which happens to be his mate.”
“But—” I rush over to him to check his pulse. Thankfully, that ticker of his is still beating. He is just knocked out cold. Cecilia comes behind me and gently tugs at my shoulder.
“We have to go,” she urges. “Please.”
“I’m not leaving him,” I say. “I think you should leave.”
“No.”
Gun shots rang out in the background. More Mercurians. Where the fuck are they coming from?
“You are not in a position to demand anything,” I tell her as I struggle to prop a semi-conscious Erick up against the wall.
“And you are not in a position to argue,” Cecilia spat. “You are in danger.”
A dark-haired man bursts into the room, carrying a weapon the size of a baby elephant like it’s a small child. Narrow whiskey brown eyes glare back at me. My palms crackle, the magic thickening in my blood.
“Retrieve the heir and let’s go! Demetrius, Thaddeus and Agatha are holding the WarMen off.”
“She is refusing,” Cecilia tells him.
Damn right I’m refusing. I grab Erick by his shoulders and give him a hard shake. “Come on Erick. Wake up!”
He groans and slowly opens his eyes before struggling to get to his feet. The dark-haired man’s gaze darkens as he aims the shoulder cannon in Erick’s direction.
“I will end you now, Cursed!” He seethes as the weapon powers up with a loud shrill.
“No you will not!” I shout, but I’m a split second too late. Everything seems to happen in slow motion. Cecilia makes a grab for Summer and the two of them leap out of the way towards the door. A translucent shield emerges from my hand, blocking the red-hot blast from reaching its target.
The WarMan is back on his feet and from the corner of my eye I see him fling a small metal dagger in the direction of the dark-haired man, striking him in the center of his chest. The man falls to his knees. Summer uses the distraction to yank herself free from Cecilia’s grip and she barrels straight into my arms. Erick staggers to his feet, and I manage to reach for our things as we rush out the door.
Cecilia however will not be deterred. She’s as quick as lightning and as much as it pains me to do this, I turn around with palms open and hit her in the chest with my magic. She fell backward landing flat on her back.
“There are more outside!” I tell Erick as we bypass the elevators and take the stairs.
“As are humans,” he huffs.
I hear the sirens outside closing in. I hope that will interrupt whatever fight is taking place outside to give us enough time to hop into the car and be on out merry way. Things are getting more complicated by the second. We take the emergency exit so that we don’t have to trample through the lobby. Summer is holding my hand and I feel her energy take a dive. I know my baby is tired. Tired of running. Tired of hiding. Tired of living with the uncertainty of when all of this will come to an end. The thrill and excitement were long gone, and she just wanted to go home and be at peace. I can’t blame her. I wish I could go back to my redundantly uninteresting life.
But we can’t.
Erick reaches the car first. I toss him the keys. We have no choice but to try to make it to the airport because, well if we try to travel the way we’ve been traveling, we will never make it. Summer slides in, and I help her quickly fasten her seatbelt before getting in. I’m still unsure of how much more trust I can invest into Erick. He has yet to provide me any more answers to my questions. As we pull out of the parking lot just as an army of police cars surround the building, I promise myself one thing: Erick has some serious explaining to do and if he cannot or will not answer my questions, as soon as the plane touches down, Summer and I are on our own.
Chapter Nineteen
Erick
I drive like a bat out of hell through the heavy traffic to put enough space between us, those Loyalists and the Queen’s guards. Destiny is quiet again, lost in her thoughts. I can sense her distrust. Her power grows stronger by the second and soon, she will literally be able to have the world at her feet. She could build a kingdom all her own if she wanted to. We speed past a group of tourists lining up outside of a large amphitheater, with the full-bodied image of a dark-haired Goth who calls himself Criss Angel. Humans are always obsessing over things that are not meant for them to understand. The Necroes of Mercuria would have a man like him twisting and drooling in a madhouse, his mind unable to comprehend the hard truth that life is death, and death is just another doorway to life.
“We are almost to the airport,” I announce, hoping for more of a response from Destiny other than the shrugs and one worded answers.
I glance over at her, the sun’s light is making the early announcement that daylight has indeed arrived, and I love how the light dances off of her aura. I never noticed it before. But her magic surrounds her in a soft embrace that makes me regret certain decisions.
She sighs. “I need for you to tell me something.”
“What?”
“The truth.”
The hard stare that she gives me, brings with it her unease. I shift in my seat as we wait at the light. She wants the truth. I could kill that stupid little Loyalist for revealing my pain.
“What is it exactly that you want to know?” I already know what she wants to know. It is just better if she tells me.
“Tell me about your wife.”
“Destiny—”
“Please Erick.” She looks at me, her dark brown eyes carrying a soft plea. “Tell me about your wife.”
This time it was my turn to sigh. The image of Kara appears in my mind’s eye, an almost tangible vision, that if I could just reach out my hand, I could touch her face.
“She is a prisoner of The Queen,” I gritted through my teeth. “And she has been for the last twenty years.”
Destiny’s silence slices through me, and for some reason, I wish I was someone else.
“The Queen…Karrine was in love with me before she came into power. She pursued my affections with the determination of a hyena after a gazelle. And at first, I entertained it. Karrine is incredibly beautiful. Shrewd. Ferocious both in and out of the bed—”
“I really didn’t need to know that last part,” Destiny grumbled.
“Sorry. But you wanted the truth right? Well, she was exceptional. But in my heart, I belonged to Kara.”
“Tell me about her…”
“I met Kara when we were young. Her parents were part of the aristocracy. She was not like me, a Cursed. She was something different. She’s a Healer. She can reverse the effects of disease with her words and touch. Her family was considered of value to Mercuria. I didn’t think I would be good enough for her. Her family would never accept me. But…Kara did. She would sneak off to see me in the marketplace where we’d first met. I had tried to swipe a few gold pieces from her father’s pocket. Karrine was the distraction. But instead of stealing gold, it was Kara who stole my heart.”
“Sounds like the perfect romance story…”
I shake my head. “It was. But
Karrine’s jealousy grew as her power increased, and because I had rejected her, as my punishment, she initially ordered the execution of Kara. Right in the middle of the square, not even days after she had succeeded in a coup against Mercury.”
“Wait,” Destiny said with a frown. “So you grew up with both of these women. Sounds like you burned the candle at both ends knowing that you were in love with Kara and not Karrine.”
“No. Yes I had slept with Karrine, but it was long before Kara admitted her love for me—”
“And therefore, incurring the wrath of the Queen,” Destiny sourly added. “Great. So what happened after the execution?”
“There was no execution. I begged Karrine to take my life instead of Kara’s. But in typical Karrine fashion, she decided it would also be fun to strip me of my powers and watch me roam the streets of Mercuria like a neutered pup. She decided it would be best for me to watch Kara suffer out in the fields where Karrine held the worst of the prisoners. Until, maybe several months after eradicating the aristocracy and scattering the Royal families, Karrine figured out that Mercuria could not survive without Mercury. And somehow, someway Karrine also found out that Mercury had an heir…”
Destiny inhaled sharply, looking away. “Me.”
“Yup. You. Rumor had spread throughout the city that Mercuria would have a savior, and all would not be lost. And once again, Karrine exacted her cold hand of cruelty. Your mother was of Royal blood and was beheaded at the gates of the palace.”
“Nooooo…”
“Yes. All because she refused to tell Karrine where you were,” I say sadly.
“She knew?”
I shrugged. “It can only be assumed that she did. Why would she not?”
“How did you fit into all of this?”
I take a minute to collect my thoughts. Karrine offered a bounty for the collection of Mercury’s heir. She approached me with her armed guard one eve as I staggered the streets drunk with wine and my sorrows and made me an offer I could not refuse.
“Before all of this, I worked as a mercenary for a local gang of bandits that terrorized our section of the kingdom. I could find anyone, anywhere, using my magic as the locator. At one time during our romantic interludes, I did work for Karrine. So she knew who could get the job done…”
“And in exchange for finding me and delivering me back to Karrine, you get to set Kara free and live happily ever after,” Destiny says flatly. “Great.”
“Destiny—”
“Just drive Erick. How could I have been so dumb?” Tears formed in her eyes, but she refused to allow them to fall. She stared at me, unblinking, a million more questions raking her mind. “I could kill you with one hit from my palm. You know that?”
I don’t say anything. I just keep my eyes focused on the road.
“I really could. I know that what I have is unlimited. Infinite. And it grows. All this time that is what you had planned? Did you ever think of my child? My child? I trusted—”
“It is because of your child that I will not turn you over to Karrine!” I snapped. “I will not do that. Karrine’s cruelty knows no bounds, but, if you are as powerful as you say you are, then you can take the throne of Mercuria and save not only your daughter, but also your people.”
I watch as she deflates like a balloon as if all the air leaves her body, stripping away the last few days’ worth of her frustrations. Her eyes leave mine and she looks out the window, and secretly, I wish that they would never look away.
“How are we going to get your wife back?” She asks me finally.
“Once we get to Mercuria, Karrine will know,” I tell her.
“So you don’t have a plan,” Destiny says flatly.
My original plan was so simple: take Destiny to Karrine, and Kara would be set free. Magic would return to all of us, and then Kara and I could live out our immortal lives in peace among the humans, undisturbed by Mercurian affairs. Now, even as a Cursed, my reputation insisting that I lack a conscience, a soul even, I drive to the airport calculating a plan to not only save Kara’s life, but the lives of Destiny and Summer, too.
Perhaps there is indeed hope for me.
Chapter Twenty
Demetrius
“They are headed to the airport,” Cecilia confirmed. “They may be there now.”
“Where could they possibly be headed?” Agatha asked, yanking her silvery strands back in a messy bun. “Mercuria is not a flight away.”
Thaddeus and Agatha shared a glance but neither said anything. Thaddeus continued to wipe his long blade with a cloth he kept tucked in his pocket.
“The blood of WarMen is always difficult to remove. I wonder why that is?”
Demetrius scowled as he watched the thick, gelatinous goo that made up the blood of the Queen’s guard drip to the ground.
“Between these troublesome humans, Karrine’s wretched guards, and the fact that Erick keeps getting in the way, I am beginning to wonder if any of this is worth it,” Demetrius grumbled.
Cecilia leaned against the hood of the car and watched as a group of humans dressed in their Hawaiian shirts and khaki ensembles, chatted as they strolled by.
“We need to head to the airport, if that is where they are going. We don’t have much time.”
“We were so close,” Agatha murmured as she rounded the car.
“Like I said,” Cecilia began. “We still have time.”
“We tried things your way,” Demetrius added, taking the back seat. “And still we failed.”
“Perhaps she has fallen for that treacherous Cursed,” Agatha spat.
“That may be a possibility, considering that even after I shared my revelations about Erick and his wife, she still defended him.”
“Then we need to convince her that Erick is not worth saving,” Demetrius added. “Mercuria grows weaker by the minute and it will not be long before The Darkness settles. And then our people will be left vulnerable.”
“We are about thirty minutes away from the airport,” Cecilia announced. “We can make it.”
****
Destiny
It is no surprise to me that Erick is married. I should have figured that there was a motive behind the heroism. He sought me out, knowing what I was long before any of this made sense. I am not sure what to think of Erick, attraction notwithstanding. This changed. I have entities that are hunting me. My daughter will never know peace if something isn’t done. We have no choice but to head to Mercuria. I never had a fight in my life, but as I hold my daughter’s hand tightly in my grip, I am determined to fight for her. For us. If the Queen thinks that she is just going to take my power, she has another thing coming.
As for Erick, time will only tell. He could still turn us over into the hands of the Queen at the last minute. That means I have to come up with a backup plan of my own.
As I lead us through the United Airline’s terminal, stopping at the Kiosk to purchase our tickets. There is a flight from Las Vegas with a layover in Chicago leaving at 4:20 pm, which will give us over an hour to bypass TSA. Erick stands behind me as I pull out my credit card, cringing at the total that amounted to $894.58. While we wait for the tickets to print, from the corner of my eye several men dressed in black of equal height and stature appear out of the crowded terminal.
“Erick?” I whisper, not bothering to turn around.
“I already know,” He whispered back. “Just grab the tickets.”
I do as instructed, my heart racing as the machine took its sweet time printing out our boarding passes. Summer’s hand tightens around mine. I hear the footsteps marching closer to us, and while we wait for the last pass to print, the magic in my blood thickens.
“Excuse me miss?” says a voice from behind. “But we are going to have to ask you to step away from the kiosk. We need to speak with you.”
The last ticket prints out and I tear it from the machine. Erick is standing so close to me I can hear his heart racing. The magic in his blood thickens also, but the last thi
ng either of us needs is more public attention.
“Ma’am?” the man repeats from behind. “We just need to ask you a few questions.”
“Sir,” I say calmly, not bothering to turn around. “All I want to do is board my flight.”
“We are with the Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic and International Protection’s Agency,” the leader of the Men in Black says as he inches closer. “We just want to speak with you Destiny.”
I slowly turn to face the man who is insistent on speaking with me. “Why?”
“We know what you are Destiny,” he says. I can feel his gaze burning right through me despite the black shades he wears.
“Somehow, I feel that what you are trying to pull is unconstitutional,” I add.
“The US Constitution only applies to those who are human, therefore my dear, you are excluded from such guaranteed rights of protection. You are to come with us.”
Defiance claims me. I am so sick and tired of being chased and hunted, I don’t know what to do. Erick’s silence unnerves me. My daughter is silently panicking, and I know if I surrender myself to these men, I will never see my daughter again. I hand Erick the tickets and he looks at me, his eyes filled with questions, but I say nothing. I just keep my eyes focused right where they need to be. Mercury said my magic is limitless. I stopped time once and maybe I can do it again. Maybe I can stop time just long enough for us to disappear deeper into the airport, and then fast forward it to the time for our flight. It’s a long shot, but it will have to work.
My magic seems to work based on my will. If I will it, so be it. One way or another, we are boarding that plane.
Chapter Twenty-On e
Erick
Just when I think things could not get any worse, more humans have tracked us here to the airport. Black suits. Serious expressions. Grim demeanors. You would think this was another episode of 24 as we face off with another threat. It amazes me that I managed to stay off the grid for twenty years, even having acquired multiple positions of employment with humans. Yet, one little DNA test Destiny innocently takes ruins everything. Any Mercurian that has been living among the humans is now at risk of discovery. From the corner of my eye, I witness her clench her fist tightly. Summer is glued to her mother’s arm, eyes wide with worry.
The Lost Queen- Mercury's Heir Page 10