Eternal Destiny (10 page)

“What strange and wonderful ideas you have, Sarah. Nobody has ever talked this way before. Surely your world must be a very different, very interesting place.”

“My friends were going to be burned at the stake in Dornia because they were accused of stealing some bread. The people in that village are starving, and my heart ached for them. A lady screamed that her child hadn’t eaten in two days. Those babies need milk, so I’m glad you acted fast. Thank you, because the suffering of children should not be tolerated by any society. In my heart, I was crying with the mothers and their children. One of your first priorities should be to see to it that the people in that village—and others—are fed.”

“That’s in Dornia, which means it’s William’s problem.”

“No, it’s
everyone’s
problem.” She drew in a long breath. “All
of us must do what we can to help. You pride yourself on power and wealth, yet there are people who go hungry every day. It’s your responsibility as a leader to get involved and care. You hold the power to change the world and make it a better place. There’s more to being a king than just being powerful, rich, and ruling a kingdom. Why haven’t you used your power and authority to the people’s advantage, instead of for gain, revenge, and power?”

Victor gazed into her eyes, a soft smile playing on his lips.

“What?” She pulled back a little because his intense stare made her self-conscious. No man had ever made her feel like that before.

“Sarah, you are like no other woman I’ve ever met,” Victor said. “Instead of worrying about how many gowns, jewels, and furs you’ll possess, you care deeply about the welfare of my people—
our
people—and even William’s people. Those people turned on you, chasing you off a cliff, yet you still fought for them. Your compassion melts this cold heart of mine.”

“If I knew the people in your kingdom were starving, I’d refuse to wear fashionable gowns, designer shoes, and fancy gemstones. I’d sell them to feed the people.”

“You truly amaze me.”

“You amaze me too. Deciding to do something different to change your life for the better is very admirable. My mom always tells me that everyone deserves a second chance—sometimes even a third one.”

“Your mother must be a lovely woman.” He cocked an eyebrow. “You know what my world is like, but I know nothing of yours…well, other than what you mean by cold feet!”

Sarah smiled. “I don’t even know where to begin. You’re far behind us in technology. I mean, we don’t use candles for lighting. We have something called electricity.”

“A kind of magic?”

“Well, more science than voodoo. We turn on a switch on the wall, and light floods the room from light bulbs.” She smiled even bigger. “Also, we rarely use horses.”

“Oh? How tired your legs must get going from place to face on foot!”

“No, we drive around in something called a car or an automobile. It is something like a cart that moves on wheels and goes far faster than any animal.”

His brows furrowed. “What you speak of, it’s hard to understand.”

“You’ve never wanted to go through the portal and check it out for yourself?”

“Immortal law states it’s forbidden for all, even royals. Plus, the Guardians of the forest can kill us with one bite. That is why Charles and your sister, whom I thought was Gloria, headed into the forest to escape me. They didn’t think I would follow.”

“But you did. When I first met you back in the forest, you said, ‘You know how territorial the Guardians are. They have the power to destroy our kind’. I had no idea what you meant by that, but now I know you were talking about being Immortal.”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“So if I had made it back through the portal, you couldn’t have followed me?”

“Immortals would’ve gotten special permission from the Kardashian Court to come in and get you. You see, they have ways to repel the creatures.

“I told Frank that Immortals would probably follow me to my doorstep.”

“It would’ve happened, and—”

“I know, I know…and it wouldn’t have been pretty,” Sarah finished, her lips pressed together.

He nodded before he looked into the brush and pointed. “Do you see that?”

Chapter 7

Twigs crunched as something moved. Sarah’s gaze drifted past the waterfall and into the vegetation. The leaves, larger than any she had ever seen, were dark green. The dense bushes obstructed her view to what lay hidden behind, but something caught her attention. She turned her head sharply to the white blur in the distance. “I do see something.”

“It’s a unicorn.”

She peered at him from the corner of her eye, regarding him intently to read his expression. “You aren’t serious, are you?”

A frown crossed his brow, as if he was insulted that she’d doubted him.

She turned her attention to the white blur which suddenly revealed itself as a horse, sleek and white as snow, with a flowing mane and tail and one beautiful horn jutting from its head. It was the most beautiful, most majestic creature she’d ever seen. “Surely you’re not going to try and catch it.”

“Wait right here,” he commanded.

“Why—”

Her words remained trapped in her throat as he pressed a finger against her mouth to silence her, then turned his back on her and disappeared into the vegetation. Victor’s horse neighed somewhere nearby.

The thought that she could take off as fast as the wind would carry her crossed her mind. “Hey, how do you know I’m not going to leave?” she whispered, sure he would be too far away to hear.

Victor’s head appeared through the bushes. The smile on his lips was as cocky as ever. “If you were planning to leave, you wouldn’t have warned me beforehand.” With a wink, he turned and raced toward the majestic animal, chasing it into the woods. He knew he had all the control. Without him, her friends would never get back home. Plus, he had her sister and her sister’s stepfather back at the camp, and she had no doubt he was keenly aware of how much she enjoyed being there with him that very moment. “Come here!” he called, his strong voice rising over the sound of the cascading waterfall.

She hesitated, but curiosity overwhelmed her. She walked into the towering ferns and stood by Victor’s side. The air smelled cleaner here, filled with the moisture from the water. Mist rained down on her hair, lingering on her skin as she peered into the sparkling water at her own reflection and immediately regretted it. Her hair was in disarray; her clothes looked disheveled. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve sworn she hadn’t taken a shower in ages.

He smiled and pulled her away from the edge as he pointed across the bushes. “Call for the animal.”

Sarah let out a long whistle. The sound carried through the silence of the woods. Apart from a few birds taking off over their heads, nothing stirred.

Victor laughed and wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her close. “Good try, but you have to
sense
its presence. Call for him
in your mind
.”

“I can’t do it,” she said. “I’m not a unicorn whisperer.”

“You can, Sarah. I know you can. It’s really very simple.”

She closed her eyes and focused on the animal. It was difficult to concentrate with Victor’s hot breath hitting the skin on her neck, sending shivers down her spine, but she wanted to try again, this time tuning out the gorgeous hunk wrapped around her.

“Try again,” he whispered into her ear. His voice came so low for a moment she wasn’t sure he had even spoken.

“Okay.” A cloud of white fog enveloped her. Suddenly, a picture appeared in her head. She could see the animal sipping water from a clear puddle in the grass. She called to it, and the creature lifted its head. Buzzing swirled through her mind the more she tried to communicate with the horse. A burst of heat spread before her eyes. Droplets of sweat dripped down her face, her fever returning in full swing.

The unicorn squealed loudly and burst through the brush.

“You did it!” Victor lurched toward the animal, mounting it bareback in one single leap. He lifted her onto the stallion and swung up behind her. “Milady, let’s go for a ride, shall we?”

She twined the soft, flowing mane through her fingers. “I actually did it? What’s with the hot flashes?”

“Once you learn to handle your new powers, it’ll become like second nature, and the heat flashes will stop.”

She gripped the unicorn’s mane like a saddle horn and clung on tight as she bounced back and forth. Victor’s hard body pressed against hers, his hands wrapped around her waist. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. They weaved in and out of twisting trees as hooves pounded across a bubbling stream, water spraying up everywhere. The sweet scent of wildflowers grew stronger. Her body felt every bump and she started to slide to the side, fearing she might just fall off of the amazing animal. She readjusted herself, leaned forward, relaxed, and moved with the rhythm of the horse. “This is just…exhilarating!” Sarah yelled over the roar of the wind. Racing into an open meadow, she screamed with delight.

Victor spread out her arms and the wind whipped through her hair, making her smile. “You’re free, like an eagle,” he said.

“I can’t remember ever having this much fun,” she said.

He squeezed his arms around her. “This is only the beginning, my love. We’ll have centuries of smiles and laughter together, but even that might not be enough because I have so much to show you.”

The stallion burst through more vegetation and galloped across the sugar-white sand along lapping waves in the ocean. Seagulls circled overhead, and the smell of salt filled the air. Water splashed up high in the air, falling down like rain all around her. The animal whinnied and bucked like a bull. Sarah and Victor slipped off its back, landing in the water, flat on their backs.

She grinned as the stallion took off across the sand, back into the woods. “Guess we lost our ride,” she said.

Victor kissed her on the lips as the cold ocean waves splashed around them, sending electricity throughout her body.

She closed her eyes, let out a moan, and enjoyed the hot, hungry kiss.

He broke off the kiss, his blue eyes burning as he gazed into her very core, right into her soul. “Stay with me, Sarah—not because I’m forcing you, but because you want to.”

Why ruin a perfect moment by explaining to him again that I’m not meant to rule a kingdom? I can’t even balance my checkbook! And what about our parents?
She had no intention of staying.
In a world with no electricity? How will I ever blow-dry my frizzy hair? In a world with no phones or computers? Why, I won’t even be able to Google the best pub to eat at.
It would be worse than living in the little house on the prairie!
Nevertheless, she knew she would remember his kiss forever, no matter what world she lived in. She stared at his chiseled face, his perfect lips, and his wet hair. Oh, how she could easily lose herself with this warrior king! Her heart pounded in her throat. “Just shut up and kiss me.”

His lips lowered on hers, and she savored the moment, knowing it was probably the last kiss they’d ever share.
Whether he wanted it or not, soon she’d be returning home to the world she belonged in.

Chapter 8

Victor steered the reins into the camp and dismounted, helping Sarah down.

She gazed up at him, her eyes imploring. “Please let me see my friends.”

“Yes, my Queen.” He called a knight over and motioned for him to show the way.

Sarah hurried to keep up with the tall knight as he led her to a small tent.

“Your traveling companions are in there, Your Highness,” the knight said, motioning the four guards to step aside from their posts. He opened the flap and walked in with Sarah behind him.

Beth’s head lay in Frank’s lap, and he was stroking her hair. Adam and Steven sat on the ground nearby.

“Frank, Beth…uh, getting cozy, are we?” Sarah looked at the knight. “Leave us.”

He bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Whoa!” Steven said. “That’s some kind of power you’re throwing around. Pretty cool. That’s even better than being the boss lady of our research group.”

She smirked. “Yeah. Well, it seems even that can’t buy me loyalty.” She peered at Frank from the corner of her eye.

Running over, Beth hugged her tight. “I’m so glad to see you!”

Steven stood and smiled. His usually glossy blond locks stuck to the back of his head as though he had been lying in the same position for far too long. His usually crisp shirt was now crumpled, and several buttons were missing, revealing his smooth chest below. For such a tall, scrawny guy, Sarah was surprised to find he was quite muscular.

“Are they treating you well?” She smiled at him, and it was genuine. He was one of the few in the group that she felt she could trust at that point. Beth and Frank had been trustworthy at some point, but as much as she had claimed to be okay with them dating, she couldn’t quite shake off the feeling of betrayal that nagged at her, especially when she saw them so close together like that.