Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (19 page)

The
pocked steel of the bars chilled her already cold hands as she
wrapped her grimy fingers around the bars.
How did a Bigfoot expedition with thirty researchers turn
into a kidnapping? I’ve been thrown down here by some kind of King
Arthur wannabe! It’s not possible…is it?
She had no idea, but she was sure it all had something to do
with Sabrino Cave, the same place her older sister had disappeared
from ten years earlier while on a camping trip.

Sarah and her sister had decided to go
on a hike that morning. Liz had entered the cave first. Since she
was a whole year older, she thought she’d take responsibility if
things went wrong. As Sarah began to follow, a towering,
fur-covered figure jumped out and grabbed for her.

Sarah shook her head, sucking in a
deep breath as the scene played out, those yellow eyes seared
forever in her mind. She couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose at the
memory of the skunk-like stench emanating from its matted brown
fur. The thing chased her into the woods, but she somehow made it
back to her parents. Her sister was not so lucky and had not been
seen since. Nobody believed Sarah’s story, but since that fateful
day on, Sarah had made it her mission to find her sister and prove
to the world that what she saw that day was real.

She
rubbed her temples.
Is that cave some kind
of mysterious portal?
Her heart raced, and
she couldn’t stop the flood of hope that ran through her veins,
even though the whole thing sounded absurd. The thought that her
sister might still be alive spurred her on, and she wished she
could find a few sticks of dynamite to bust herself out of that
joint.

Suddenly, a door squeaked far off to
the left, followed by the sound of footsteps echoing through the
corridor.

Craning
her neck to catch a glimpse, she squinted through the shadows
flickering from the torches hanging on the wall. A figure
approached, its face obscured by the partial darkness.
A guard? No…something more sinister. My
captor.
King Victor’s blue eyes met hers,
and her breath caught in her throat. He wore the same Knights of
the Round Table garb as before, with two differences: a red velvet
cape trimmed with black and white fur hung close to the ground, and
he topped off the ensemble with a gold crown adorned with jewels.
The facets of the gems reflected the light of the torches.
Showing off, is he?
Sarah
could have sworn he’d been out costume shopping on
eBay.

“
Where the heck are we?”
she hissed, glaring at him.

He flashed her a charming smile.
“Still playing the fool, Highness? We’re in Tastia, as I am sure
you already know.”

“
Tastia? What map would I
find that on?” She snorted as she squeezed her fingers around the
rusted bars.

He picked at his perfectly manicured
nails. “Acting stupid is not becoming, milady.”

“
Stupid? I’m not the one
walking around in that ridiculous Halloween costume at this time of
the year,” she seethed. Finally, she managed a calming breath, “I’m
not in California anymore, am I?”

“
California? I know not of
such a place, and your stories will get you nowhere, Princess
Gloria. No one has ever heard of this place you speak
of.”

Sarah was
suddenly painfully aware of how real her situation was. There was
no way even dedicated actors would risk kidnapping charges to stay
in character. By the look on the king’s face earlier, he really
didn’t know what a radio or image thermal camera was. It was no
wonder he thought she was crazy when she’d mentioned a cell phone
and 911. Everything was adding up, and she didn’t like what it was
adding up to. She took a step back, clutching her chest as the
realization hit:
Yeah, we definitely had
to have entered through some portal, probably in that stupid cave!
The same one the Bigfoot creatures—the Guardians—use to come
through into our world, our time!
It was a
small wonder to her that no shred of evidence had ever been found.
As she realized what was happening, she thought she might barf on
the king’s fancy leather boots.

“
Why is your brother alive?
We thought he died years ago.” When Sarah didn’t answer, he let out
a long sigh. “I will keep your secret…for now.”

“
I have no clue what you’re
talking about.”

“
Your family staged his
death. I’m wondering why.”

“
I don’t know. This is
something you should ask the real princess.”

King Victor cocked his head. “Surely
you thought twice before crossing the Tastian border.”

She glared at him, saying
nothing.

He continued, “We’ve been at war for
ages, Highness. Why would you risk your life to come
here?”

“
I followed Bigfoot…er, one
of the Guardians into the cave. How could I’ve known it’d take me
here?” She jumped at the sound of squeaking as two humongous rats
fought over a crust of moldy bread.

King Victor shook his head as though
he didn’t have a clue what she meant. “Just admit the truth. You
came to warn your brother about the trap I set. Was it worth it?
Charles is back home in the comfort of his warm castle, and here
you are in a cold, musty dungeon facing a rather questionable
fate.” He stepped back and extended his hands in an
all-encompassing gesture. “I take it everything is up to your
standards.” He touched her hand that was wrapped around the bar in
a death-grip.

“
Oh yeah, sure. All the
comforts of a five-star hotel.” She pulled her hand back as she
fought against the instant attraction she felt. He might have been
the hottest thing she’d ever lain eyes on, but he was the enemy—and
he was a sarcastic jerk too. “You think it’s funny to kidnap me and
then throw me in a dungeon?”

He curled his lips into a smile. “Why,
milady, you should be thanking me. I could’ve put you in with the
general population, but I feared you may not fare so well among
those miscreants. The screams are just horrendous.”

“
Well, in that case, I
appreciate the VIP accommodations.” She rolled her eyes. “The rats
and cockroaches are a nice touch,” she seethed. Regardless of what
he thought, that stone coffin was not her idea of a comfy
stay.

“
I’ve received word from
your father.” King Victor locked his hands behind his back and
rocked back on his heels. He cocked a brow, waiting for her
reaction as though that news should mean something to
her.

“
Really? Well, how is dear
old Dad? I’m trying to picture his face in my head. Funny, I can’t.
Maybe that’s because I’ve never even met the dude!”

“
I would think you might be
curious to know what he said, as your fate relies on his
cooperation.”

“
Let me think about that.
Hmm. Not really.” A shiver slid down Sarah’s spine. She looked away
quickly lest he notice her sudden realization. Whoever this
Princess Gloria was, she hoped her father loved her deeply. Sarah’s
life depended on it.

He turned to the guard who had just
approached. “Guard, open this door!”

The guard snapped to attention. “Yes,
milord.”

“
That’s not necessary,
Vic,” Sarah said, taking a few steps back as the metallic clank of
the lock echoed. “I can hear through the bars just fine.” She
blinked, hoping the message had reached him loud and clear. The
truth was, he’d clamped his arm around her waist a little too close
for comfort on the ride to that horrible place, and he’d threatened
her life more than once.

The heavy door opened, and King Victor
reached her in two strides. His gaze connected with hers as his
blue eyes narrowed dangerously. “Your father refused to meet my
demands. I’m afraid there’s only one thing left to do to show him
how dire this situation truly is.”

Whatever
it was, it didn’t sound good. Sarah sucked in a quick breath, her
heart hammering.
Why didn’t I just stay
hidden in the trees?
She thought perhaps
she could do some fast-talking and flip the coin in her
favor.
They always say the truth will set
you free,
she reasoned. “Look, like I told
you, I’m not Gloria. My name’s Sarah.” She could tell by the look
in his eyes that he didn’t
believe a
single word passing from her lips.

He leaned in closer, his warm breath
caressing her cheek as he said, “Princess, I’m sorry, but I’m left
with no other choice.”

Her heart sank. It wasn’t rocket
science. He planned on killing her to get revenge on his rival.
He’d said so himself. She tried to control the quiver in her voice.
“Of course you have other choices. If you’re the king, you get to
make the rules—or aren’t you that powerful?”

“
Your father must pay for
his sins and transgressions, and he will one way or another—soon
and very soon.” He stroked a stray hair from her eyes, but she
averted her gaze. His hot breath hit her cheek as he continued, “I
think I’ll extend an invitation to him. There will be some tears
shed. That we can count on.”

“
You’re all crazy and in
dire need of meds.”

King Victor whispered in her ear.
“Don’t act so sad. You just might enjoy it.”

What kind of sick freak is
this guy? Enjoy having my head cut off by some guy with a giant
hatchet and a black hood? Some king this guy is. The only royal
thing about him is that he’s a royal pain in the—

“
I can’t wait to see your
father’s face.” He smirked.

She
pushed him back, her stomach fluttering from the thought of her own
execution.
Will it be quick or long and
painful?
“You’re nuts! How can you order
the execution of an innocent woman? No wonder this Gloria’s father
is after you.”

“
Execution? Princess, I’m
not going to kill you.”

“
Said the spider to the
fly.”

“
Spider? Fly? Pardon me,
but I do not understand what insects have to do with any of this.”
Victor shook his head. “I have much more…pleasurable things
planned.” He squeezed her tight against him.

Her
breath caught in her throat as she realized the meaning of his
words.
He couldn’t possibly want…
She pushed him hard. “Let me
go!”

“
Do you know what would
make your father’s blood boil even more than seeing your pretty
little head roll?”

She didn’t need to hear the words, as
the grin on his face said it all. She squirmed in his grip,
struggling to keep her wits and silence the screaming voice in her
head. “Haven’t the slightest clue.”

“
Me, his most hated enemy,
taking his only daughter as my mate.”

Sarah gasped, even though it was
exactly what she’d expected. “What?”

“
Marriage or execution.
Either one will break your father, and I’m leaning toward the
former.”

“
I think
you’ve fallen off your horse and hit your head one time too
many.
This has to be the worst proposal of
all time. But out of curiosity,
when’s the
big day? I need some time to gather up something borrowed and
something blue.”

“
When the sun
sets.”

“
Tonight?
What happened to courtship? Chivalry? I don’t even know your bad
habits, like if you leave the toilet seat
up or…” She scanned the room, at a loss for words. “What if
you snore like a chainsaw or have some psychological disorder that
prevents you from refilling the ice cube tray?”

His eyebrows raised. “Toilet seat?
Ice? Forgive me, but I believe you have fallen off your horse.
Maybe we should take you to the healer after all.”

Throwing
my own insults back at me. Wow. How creative
. She regarded him intently, but his expression remained
confused. “Maybe we should have you evaluated and put on some psych
meds.”

“
I was thinking of
discussing wine selections later today.” King Victor tucked a piece
of stray hair behind her ear again, and it felt just as ridiculous
as before. “Or maybe floral arrangements. What do you think, my
love?”

“
I’m thinking if I ever get
my hands on that Gloria chick, she’s dead meat.”

“
Meat? If that is your
desire, I shall send my cooks to the fowl cages. Yes! We shall
enjoy a feast of roasted quail, turtle dove, partridge, and braised
peacock. And, of course, the butcher can supply ample calves’ heads
and fish if you so wish.”

“
I’m going to throw up.”
She swallowed the bile in her throat. “I want no part of your
delusional world.”

“
Surely your knights taught
you how to maintain this unpalatable guise,” King Victor said. “I’m
impressed—I really am—but you’ll eventually break. For the time
being, enough of these games. Let us address the question that has
longed to escape my lips. Will you, Princess Gloria, be my
bride?”

She shoved him. “Ain’t happening. Back
off, man.”

He grinned, revealing two strings of
white teeth. “I can see you need some time to consider your
decision. Perhaps spending a little time down here will make you
see things in a different light.”