Beguiled (Book 2 Immortal Essence series) (19 page)

“Hush. Quiet. It’s okay. Everything will be okay.”

“You’re dead,” I uttered. “Everything will not be okay.”

He pushed me away from him and dabbed my cheeks with the sleeve of his jacket. Worry creased his brow. “Go on,” he said.

I nodded.

Zaren
moved off the walkway, his hands clasped together in front of his body. A beautiful woman, with thick, cherry-red hair, slid
next to him, tucking
her
hand under his arm
. He leaned into her. I knew it was Palamina. “Have faith.” Zaren winked.

I tried to smile my thanks, but it wouldn’t come.
The man I loved was in the arms of another. Everyone I cared for was dead, and I was about to ra
nsom my life to save my parents . . .
Ugh, could
things
get any worse?

Next to Zaren and Palamina were Palmo, Dervinias, and Chev.

I grasped Chev’s hand, and asked, “W
here’s your baby?”

She shook her head, and
turned away
.

I kept walking
.

Music started playing, and a large creature
with the head of a rhinoceros came to stand in the center of the stage.
He wore the sacred robes of our kelarian shaman.
They were
stark white. Silver trim—the color of sacrifice—lined the robes
.

Ramien waited on the right of him.

“All rise,” the shaman said.
The guests rose and lined the walkway.

20.
Love
And Affection

The closer I got to the stage, the more I realized I couldn’t go through with it. I couldn’t marry Ramien.
All my life I
was
taught marriage
meant
a continued promise of peace between two
countries. It was never about love and I was okay with that.
But this?
Marrying . . .
or sacrificing myself
, as Tortevia said, so
Ramien could steal my soul. “No! I won’t.”

“You
too late, Venus. You already agreed,”
Ramien said, his words dripping with
greedy
venom. “Don’t you want your parents freed?”

They abruptly appeared
. My parents
.
T
he king and queen of Alayeah
.
Mom, beautiful as ever.
Her milk chocolate hair
curled around
her heart s
haped face. Azure eyes sparkled
with a mixture of joy and sadness.
And, Dad
.
Still serene and regal.
His deep burgundy eyes full of compassion. I rushed into their arms.

“
Venus,
my dear,
” dad said.
I wondered if these people knew I wasn’t theirs. But I already knew the answer. Of course they had to know. My true heritage kept a secret for sixteen years.
From everyone in our country, in all of Kelari, including me.

“It’s
alright, sweetheart
.
” Mom pulled me close.

At such a
moment, I should’ve been happy. My wish came true.
My parents
, these people I believed were my parents anyway,
were
in my arms
.
But their bodies were false, and stank of Ramien.

“I’ve got to go,” I whispered, pushing them.

“What?”

“Why?” M
other clung to me, but I sensed her understanding. She knew.
The music stopped. The guests spoke quietly amongst themselves, their eyes slashing into me. Yes, leaving would sentence those still in Helker to an eternity of torture, but if I allowed Ramien to win, his loathsome plans would go further, reaching beyond Kelari. They had to see the truth.

“I-
I’m
sorry.” Pulling my fingers from her
s
, I ran, using Britorent toward the doors.
I dr
agged them open and stepped out.
Ramien took over my body.
Cret
!

My body turned. One leg stepped in front of the other. I couldn’t even scream.

“
You already agreed to my terms. There are no take-backs or exchanges.
You will be my bride
.
Your soul
is
mine.”

I reac
hed the stage much too quickly
.
My moved so I faced Ramien.

T
he rhinoceros
shaman
came forward. “Guests. Friends. Loved ones. We are gathered here today to witness the union of Venus, child of the gods and Ramien, ruler of the gods.”

I wanted to snort in disgust.
Ruler of the gods.
Ramien was so full of himself.

The
shaman,
continued, “In joining these two together, we will witness the dawn of a new age.” He turned to me. “Venus, do you take Ramien to be yours, body and soul?”

My mind screamed, “No! No! No! No! No!” But my mouth said, “Yes.” Fear knotted in my stomach.

“Ramien, do you take Venus to be yours, body and soul?”

A cruel smile curled his li
ps. “I—” Ramien began, but stopped.

The skin on his
body faded in and out
, rippled. For a split second I saw the
thing
beneath his façade
. Gruesome s
ores covered a carcass
oozing
green puss
.
A
being without a face.
As quick
ly
as it appeared, it was gone. I shivered
inside
.

Ramien grimaced, and
said,
“
Remarkable
.” He still held my body captive
.
Slowly, he turned, and shifted. As he did
, I saw . . . something
—someone
. A ghost.
But, how?
His body
had been
burned in lava. 

“Michael,” Ramien whispered. Silence fell over the room. The
shaman and the guests were
abruptly motionless
.
Still as
statues
.
 

Confidence radiated from Michael, a glowing assurance. He smirked. “Hello father.”

“Come to claim your prize
, son
?” Ramien mocked, glancing at me.
His left eye twitch
ed
.
Michael had really surprised him. He’d believed Michael dead.

Michael shook his head. “I’ve come to end
your existence.” As he spoke, the
medallion heated against my
neck. Lavender light shot from it and landed on a metal dagger in Michael’s hands.
It radiated against the blade.

Ramien inhaled sharply.
The room
altered from its glorious luxury to an enormous
bug-infested hole
in the ground
. Creatures with thousands of legs and sleek maroon bodies scurried, while worm-like invertebrate pushed through the damp smelling dirt. Antennae turned to and fr
o, seemingly confused before
burrow
ing
into the ground. Spindly insects, reminiscent of spiders, shuffled about their business.

“You think you can end me? I am the beginning and the
end
.” With each word
Ramien
flicked his wrist and creature after creature fell over, as though it were dead. After several beats he flicked his wrist again, and the creatures got up, as though nothing happened, and continued
on
.

The room
changed
again. We were no longer in the dirt, but atop an icy mountain peak. The sky glistened with different shade
s of pinks
and blues. Three small moons lined the sky. Ramien snapped his fingers and it looked like the world was suddenly aflame with fire. All around us, the
fire rose, licked at my dress, at Michael’s back.
Heat pressed against me like a living thing. Acrid smells of brimstone, and something else. Death? Consumed the
air.

“I am the creator and the destroyer. You
’re nothing but a child. You can’t annih
ilate what you don’t understand,
”
Ramien sputtered viciously.

We were
back
in the dining hall. All the bodies remained motionless. “I am more powerful than you can even imagine.”
Ramien
gnashed his teeth, and I sensed fear.

The smirk on Michael’s face grew into a full-blown smile. “That
might
be. B
ut you use your power
to hurt and destroy.” His head tilted sideways, as though he were contemplating what Ramien really was. “Maybe
you can’t help it. You are a creature without a soul, after all
.” Michael winked at me.

He’s so
immature, I thought, though if I could have smiled I would have.
Michael’s
energy intoxicated me. Still, this was life and death. Most likely mine. Now wasn’t the time for lengthy speeches, or commentating. Ramien had me prisoner, and I wanted to be free.
Michael continued, “
I am a ferether
, so
I
posses all you do
.
And, I am
kelvieri,
thanks to my mother
.
”

“Being kelvieri isn’t power, but protection. It extends your
life, nothing more,” Ramien said
.

“Per
haps.”
A flash of pain crossed
Michael’s
face, and I guessed he tho
ught about her—his mother
. “
But being from her gave me something you’ll never have. A soul.”

Ramien’s features turned dark. I braced myself for a battle. It didn’t come.

Michael holds Ramien’s body captive the way Ramien holds yours,
Tortevia said softly.

Frightening.

Michael lifted the knife. It gleamed
against the light of
the
chandeliers.
Vapor, in
lavender and crimson, pulsed around
the dagger
, seeming to give it life.

“
A silly knife
isn’t enough to kill me,” Ramien said, but I saw
his
dread
grow
, his whole being tensed
.

“I think you know that’s a lie,” Michael said, looking directly at me. A chill blew through my veins and I realized fragments of Michael and I gave power to the blade.

The façade of
Ramien’s
body disappeared, leaving only his
real
form, which was truly dreadful. Michael winced at the sight of him. After a slight pause, he placed the
knife’s point
against the center of Ramien.

“I
also
have the strength
of a god
.”
While he spoke, Michael shoved the
blade into Ramien’s body.

I gasped internally, surprised. I experienced the blade go into the ferether as though I forced it into him myself.

A loud wheeze
escaped Ramien
. Michael let go of the knife, and
must’ve released the hold he had on
Ramien
because the ferether fell
backward
, sliding down the steps.

The r
oom came to life.
A
unified
sigh.
Ramien’s carcass drooped on
the steps. Except the top portion, which hit the floor with a thud.

The rhino shaman
glanced at Michael
expectantly
. He waited for
a response to the question he asked Ramien. Flustered, he repeated
in a deep, earthy voice
, “Do you take Venus to be yours, body and soul?”

Neither the
shaman
nor
the rest of
the room
realized what
happened. But they
had
to see Michael wasn’t
his father. 

Michael’s smile flashed brightly. “I do,” he said,
quickly glancing at the
shaman
before his eyes
found mine
.