Rule (Roam Series, Book Five) (7 page)

She’ll hate me.
I hadn’t even crossed the land to the other world, and I was already making enemies.

His eyes shifted downward, his hand smoothing over my forehead. “Better?”

Warm palm on my skin, above my eyebrows, stirred waves of unfamiliar need.
His touch… something about his warm hands…

I sat up
too quickly, creating space between us. “Sorry. I always fall asleep in the car.”

“I really don’t know how she managed to stay awake long enough to get her driver’s license,” my mom added, and I grinned, yawning.

“Funny.”

“You’re sure we’re safe to cross?” My dad asked, pulling into the parking space near the Johnstown Inclined Plane. I lifted my eyes to the track running up and down the mountainside.

“Yes. My army is waiting to escort us to the castle.”

Will carried my suitcase, and I watched my father gather my wooden, hinged box of art supplies into his arms. “I’ve been here before,” I realized, staring at the inclined plane.

“You have,” my mother nodded as we prepared to board the train car.

I froze.

What if there was a rebellion in his absence?

“How long have you been gone?” I turned back to Will suddenly.

“There- only a short time.”

My parents could be killed;
Christopher could be left unguarded.
The car was ready to move, and I turned to my father.

“Stay here,” I threw my arms around him in a fierce hug. “Mom,
stay here.
I’ll be okay. I don’t want you crossing right now. I’ll come back soon to let you know I’m okay.”

“Eva-…,”

“Mom,
let me go,
” I turned to her, pointing to the concrete walkway. “Let go of my hand,” I whispered, kissing her cheek. “
I love you both.
”

“
I love you, babe,
” my dad responded, his voice breaking. My mom began to cry, and I watched my father take her into his arms, climbing off the boxcar.

“
I love you,
” she sobbed, turning into my father’s chest.

“Protect Christopher,” I managed, swaying as a strange sensation swept over my body.

As the car approached the middle of the mountain track, I became weightless. Before I fell, Will lifted me into his arms.

The night sky glimmered with stars over the moonlit castle, and I clung to Will’s neck, staring in awe. “The castle.”

“Night… thank God,” he dropped his coat, and only then did I realize he was prepared to shield us from the sun.

“Your majesty.” Ten armed guards stepped forward, one moving to the front and bowing low before us. A small, stone building housed several soldiers on the mountainside. “You are well?”

“Yes, Eric,” he shifted me in his arms, nodding at my suitcase.
Dad still has my art supplies.
“Please take her belongings to the castle.”

“You can put me down,” I turned to him, and his gaze lowered to mine.

I slid down against his body, gripping his shirt. Trying to find solace in his blue eyes, I took deep, even breaths. “You are well?” He asked.

“I’m okay,” I nodded, reassured by his hands as they flattened over my shoulder blades.

“You were wary of an ambush.”

“There was no need for my parents to come here.”

“I agree. You are practical… and quick,” he kept his eyes locked in mine. “And you trusted me.”

“
I have to trust you
,” I turned in his arms, rolling my shoulders back. “Let’s do this.”

The ocean below crashed the mountainside in the dark, and I could feel the heat radiating from the enormous body of water. Gathering my hair in my hands, I fanned my neck as I followed the guards.

“We’ll be inside the castle soon enough… we condition the air to a more moderate temperature.”

“That must cost a fortune,” I murmured, shaking my head at the colossal fortress.

“We generate the electricity to run the air using solar energy. Your mother’s idea,” he added, gesturing to the giant, flat panels near the edge of the castle.

“It’s… stone,” I breathed, stopping and staring ahead in awe.

I don’t know why I expected a mansion; trying to fathom the massive castle set upon a high mountainside anywhere other than my dreams was beyond my realm of imagination. Now, as the medieval fortress emerged before me through the rising drawbridge, I shivered, moving closer to Will.

Turrets burst upward toward the sky past battlements. Balconies adorned with stone gargoyles and cherubs underlined brilliantly lit, stained-glass windows.  The moon was nearly as bright as the sun, illuminating the land.

“It is imposing, at first glance. Once you’re acquainted with the kingdom, Icepond will feel like home.”

“Icepond?” He pronounced
Isa-pond
in an affectionate way. I gestured to the castle. “Is that the name of the castle?”

“That is the name of your kingdom, Eva.”

The long, winding road that led to the castle seemed endless in the heat. “It’s got to be over a hundred degrees right now.”

“One hundred and twelve,” he agreed, signaling a guard. In minutes, the soldier who had bowed and spoke earlier arrived on a horse, and he led another horse behind him. “Thank you, Eric.”

I turned and watched as Will stuck one foot in the saddle, moving fluidly through the air to position himself on top of the brown stallion. “Will you permit Eric to lift you to me?”

Turning to the guard, I flushed at his huge arms and Nordic jaw.
Are all of his soldiers required to be hot?
I shrugged, nodding. “Okay…,”

He gripped me by the waist as if I were no heavier than a bale of hay. Instantly faint, I reached for something to hold on to. In seconds, I was positioned in front of Will, gripping his shirt. Balancing ungainly in a side-saddle fashion, I struggled with a glance at the ground.
Goddamn heights.

I started to shift my leg over the wide back of the stallion, but Will tugged me close to his chest, shaking his head.

“You cannot sit astride in this skirt. Modesty, Eva.”

“Is Eric the supervisor or something? Upper management?”

He said nothing. I turned to him and watched a smirk curl on his beautifully shaped lips. “He is the captain of my guard, and my friend.”

“I’m really not cold,” I protested as he tucked a long, white blanket over my legs.

“My kingdom is about to see their future queen for the first time. You cannot present yourself half-clothed.”

His hand ran down the length of my leg, tucking the blanket firmly under my thigh. The pressure of his fingertips quickened my breath. He jerked his hand, leaning away from me slightly.

“What is that sound?”

The chanting grew louder as we approached the castle; I jolted and backed against Will as fireworks exploded from the highest ramparts. “They cheer for the end of the prophecy.”

“They don’t know about the second sun?”

The horse stumbled for a moment, and he secured his arms around me, lowering his mouth closer to my ear to speak over the castle jubilee. “The second sun hides behind the first, and appears as a halo. They do not know. Do not ever speak of it again, unless we are safely in private.”

His mouth touched my earlobe, and I shivered at the thrilling currents of electricity that flooded down my neck.

“Sor-
ry,
” I retorted, irritated with my body’s feminine responses.
He’s keeping you from falling off the freaking horse, calm yourself.

“I am your lord and master,” he rushed, still gripping me to his chest. “No sarcasm; simply, ‘Yes, my lord.’”

“Will, you’re out of your
mind
if you think-…,”

“If you do not respect me, they will not respect you,” he cut me off with clear logic, and I pursed my lips in irritation.

“So, my lord, then? Your grace? Your highness?”

“No, those titles are for a duke… or a prince. I’ll go over titles with you,” he promised gently, tugging at an unruly curl. “Don’t worry about any of that now. Just ‘my lord.’”

His patience was calming, reassuring me that he was really very… kind.

Not like his creeper
father.
Nodding, I closed eyes as the giant gate opened before us. “I’m nervous.”

“Eva,” he took my hand in his, raising it to his lips. I looked back at him in surprise. “They
cannot help but love you.”

“And what if they ‘think very little of me,’” I mocked
.

His hot breath on my earlobe stole my voice.

“Well, then, you will surely change their minds…
as you have begun to change mine.
”

I had no time to respond. The gates extended fully, and the masses of people were held back by lines of soldiers. Breaking into a sweat, I flattened my back against Will’s chest, wondering how inappropriate it would be to crawl under the blanket and hide.

“
Smile
,” he hushed, waving imperially at the people in the kingdom. I forced a tight grin, focusing on the elegant gowns and medieval attire. Children held balloons shaped like stars and moons as they called for me.

“Hi,” I murmured, attempting a wave. A little girl rushed forward, carrying a crown of wild flowers to a soldier. He accepted it with a smile, turning to deliver the crown to me.

“Thank you,” I called to the girl, placing the fragrant flowers over my curls. Will grinned.

“You’re doing fine.”

“I don’t understand why they are so happy to see me. The sun is burning the world because of me, right?”

“They lived in a world of ice for centuries,” he responded, turning the horse into a gated atrium. “Any heat is better than no heat.”

“Oh my
God
it feels so much cooler in here,” I took a deep, refreshing breath, thankful to be out of the crowds. Will hoisted himself down from the stallion first, and then reached for me.

I slid into his arms, allowing him to lower me to the floor. “More comfortable?”

“William,” a woman’s voice startled me; I turned and backed away just in time. She thrust herself into his arms, her golden hair tumbling in waves over her shoulders. “I feared for your safe return.”

Her gold and red gown was silken, long and flowing with a scoop neck and drop waist. Her jewels, rubies and diamonds, dripped from her earlobes and fingers. I guessed she was in her early twenties, though her subtle make-up and soft eyes exclaimed innocence.

Great,
I thought wryly.

Cringing, I glanced down at my green-and-white plaid button-down shirt, denim skirt, and boots. Though I’d accomplished model-status for an
American Eagle
Outfitters
ad, I felt like a farmer next to this elegant woman.

“Gabrielle,” he returned her embrace before gently releasing her. “I must speak with you at once. Eric,” he turned to his personal guard. “Please see Eva to her room and her maid…,”

“No, I want
you
to,” I shook my head, narrowing my eyes. Overwhelmed by the vast number of strangers surrounding me, I inched closer to him. “You promised you wouldn’t leave me alone.
Please
. I’m…
afraid
.” My lie wavered in my throat, and I tried my best to sound like a helpless female while hoping Fair-Maiden Barbie couldn’t hear me.

I chose the right words to sway him.

“Gabrielle, please join me in my office in an hour.”

She looked at me, her light brown eyes reminding me of Aunt Morgan’s when she was annoyed. Her gaze ran over my bare legs with disdain. “Yes, my lord.”

Yes, my lord,
I mocked to myself, her sweet voice sending me into a diabetic coma.

“I’m sorry, I just don’t want to be alone yet-…,”

“No, I swore I would stay with you. Come, I will show you to your quarters.”

“She’s really pretty,” I sent a fleeting glance over my shoulder at Gabrielle, watching her walk away with Eric.

“She hails from another kingdom.”

“No one here good enough for you?” I teased, tracing my fingertips over a marble table in the grand atrium. Mirrors covered the walls and ceiling, making the entryway appear endless.

“The marriage is arranged; a unification of kingdoms.” He led me up a stone stairway, stopping to turn to me. “I am seventy years old, Eva. I’ve known the women here since their infancy. Hardly conducive of a proper romance.”

I almost lost myself in his entrancing gaze before suddenly realizing.
Stopping and gripping the railing, I gasped, staring at my fingers. “I’m mortal, aren’t I?”

“You are,” he agreed, taking my hand in his. “You must be cautious. Do not take risks; you are fallible now.”