Beguiled (Book 2 Immortal Essence series) (5 page)

Would
the serpent
come after us next?

Michael couldn’t get us out of this water fast enough. As I searched our surroundings, watching the underwater scenery change, I realized something. We weren’t moving upward. It actually seemed like we were going deeper.

Once more,
I thought about
Michael’s origins. A human would not have been able to hold his breath so long. Nor would he have been able to swim so deeply. Though his body appeared human, he certainly wasn’t.

My insides twirled up with worry. I couldn’t escape him. He was stronger than I (which
frustrated me
)
. But I had to do something. Try to protect myself.
I pounded on
Michael’s
forearm with my fist.
His grip on me tightened.

“What’s going on?” I tried to ask
, hating that I was at Michael’s mercy
. Of course
, when I spoke,
water filled my mouth, and
I sounded like a ga
rgling fish. Frustrating. He smiled, and held up a finger, telling me to wait a minute. I’d wait
all right
, but only because I didn’t have a choice.

We
neared
a huge rock, more like a
n underwater
mountain. A reddish orange substance oozed from
its crevices and blackened.
I realized
the mountain was an active volcano.

Mosses in tangerin
e, lemon and lime
grew in clump
s
along the surface. Anemones, sea flowers in fuchsia, and
starfish clung on and swirled in the deep current.
Fish of various sizes and colors darted in and out of the
lavish
growth, reminding me of a highly populated city. In the center, near the bottom, loomed a gloomy cave entrance
, which appeared to be
where we
were heading.

A
pprehension intensified in my stomach.

I searched Michael’s face for any sign of malice. All I read
in the lines and furrows
was concentration.

Once
we entered the cave, Michael swam upward
quickly
. The
seawater
went
f
rom black to navy to turquoise
, t
hen
emerald to
lilac
,
and finally powder blue.

Within seconds we broke the surface
. I took an unnecessary breath,
coughing and sputtering out all t
he water I’d swallowed. After Michael
lifted me onto a black lava rock
,
he
splashed
out.
I hate to admit I
really
noticed the way his white shirt clung to every muscle on his torso and arms.

Sulfur mingled with seawater, filling the room with the stench of rotten eggs.

My stomach turned and I
puked
.

A strong hand rubbed my back.

“Where are we?” I asked,
wiping my mouth with my hand.
The cave emitted an eerie green light, allowing me to see all the way to the top, some fifty feet in the air. All around us were magma rocks in various stages of hardening. High above were horizontal salt lines, giving me an idea how far the water could rise. A constant drip dripping came from my right, and on the left a small stream followed
a path to a dribbling waterfall
.

Michael
bent down so
his face hovered next to mine. “This is the way to Helker.
I told you your parents are
here. Don’t you want them freed?
”

I searched his beautiful face,
afraid to believe, afraid he spoke the truth
.
And if it was the truth, what did it mean? Kelarians in Helker were only brought here while they awaited trial, or
after they were
tried and convicted. Helker was a punishment. No one went into Helker of
his
own free will. And no one left until the appointed time of release, which usually meant never.

“
Of course I do
,” I said
.
“
But what crimes did they commit? Why are they here?
”

Michael shook his head. “
I don’t know. They were here
before I . . .
” He paused, wiped his eyes, and shook out his hair.

I waited for him to continue.

“They’ve been here a while,” he finished
, his voice flat
.

“How are we going to get them out?”

He looked away, his lid
s covering his expressive eyes.
“There’s only one way,” he finally said.

“And?” I asked, try
ing to keep hold of my patience
.
What was his problem? Why did he feel the need to be so evasive? “Look, whatever it takes, I’ll do it. I just wish Zaren—”

His
features
hardened
.
Standing, he pulled me up with him.

“Let’s go.”
He
grabbed
my
elbow.

I ripped it from his grasp
and stomped on his booted foot with my heel
.

“Knock it off, Michael. I’m not your prisoner.”

His eyebrows rose in question, though he didn’t say anything.

“Yeah, I’m not a weakling on another planet
anymore
.
Kelari
is
my
home. I am a kelvieri and the Pr
incess of Alayeah.
Tell
me what’s going on right this second,
or
I’ll kick your
ass
back to Earth
.”

Michael’s lips quivered, the right side rose, as though he were trying not to laugh, but
found
it difficult to succeed.
“Admit it’s a great looking ass though. Right?”

“Michael!
”

“Not even a ‘thank you’ for saving your life from that gigantic—what was it? It reminded me of a great white shark, only much bigger.” He muttered as he spoke, rubbing his fingers through his wet hair, sending
wet
droplets raining onto my face.

“Sharire,” I said matter-of-factly.

He gave me a curious look.

I sighed. “It’s called a
Shar
. Ear.” I pulled my braid around and twisted water from the ends. “And, thank you,” I added with a sneer.

“It was nothing,” he replied, lifting his shirt to adjust his pants, giving me a delicious vie
w of his tanned, too toned abs.

Catching me staring, he continued, “
No
need to be kicking my gorgeous ass. I’ll show you what’s going on. Come on.” He gave a flourishing bow. “Up those stairs.”

The “stairs”
appeared
out of nowhere and were nothing more than well-placed rocks. I hesitated, and then placed one foot in front
of the other.

We walked a few steps in silence.
I had too many questions for him to keep quiet for long.
Finally I said, “What did you do with Ith and Aetha?” I’d never heard of anyone spending long periods of time with the gods. Usually
, the only time kelarians saw them was when they made their journey to become a kelvieri. The gods changed them. They left.
Not even our shaman
spent time with them
. And he was supposed to have a direct li
nk
.

Michael
cleared his throat. “
First, they showed me Kelari. It was
awesome
to see
your
world.” His voice
turned
gruff
when he said, ‘your
,
’
and my stomach
tightened
. “The land, the mountains, seas, streams, the elements, and the animals, are all similar to Earth, but Kelari has so much more. Like the sharire, that thing was massive.”

I snorted. “Yeah.”

He lightly tou
ched my
hip
and I stopped
.
The stairs didn’t have a handrail so the rocks were
precarious. Adjusting my feet, I
glanced over the edge as I turned.
We’d climbed at least fifteen feet. The blue water below was still, glassy. I pressed my back against the rock wall, berating myself for stopping, but feeling the need
to see Michael’s face
.

“You
r city above the clouds. Nimbus, right?
”

I nodded.

He shook his head. “
Amazing
.” Awe swallowed his words, and
I hated to admit
my heart melted. It made me happy to know Michael liked my planet.

“Did you see any trycarciuss?”
While I’d been a captive in
his father
’s
, Frank’s, alien-testing facility, I
explained our cars to Michael. Told him they were way better than Earth’s.

“I did. And,
I can’t believe you think they’re cooler than
the one’s from Earth
.”

“
Hello, t
hey
fly
,” I said. That
feat alone
made them
cooler.
In my opinion, anyway.

“
True, but they aren’t meaty. They’ve got no muscle.”

I had to grudgingly agree.
His reasons were the same rea
sons I loved cars from Earth
.

“What else?
Taking a tour of Kelari
couldn’t have been the only reason you stayed with
Ith and Aetha
.” I started up
the stairs
.

He c
leared his throat. “They told me
why I’m on Kelari. What my purpose is. And why they need me.”

“They need you? For what?” A nervous pang dug at my heart. Did it have to do with me? I feared I already knew the answer. Michael didn’t
respond so I asked another question.
“
If they need you, or whatever, why didn’t they just swoop down to Earth and bring you back themselves?”

Michael
waited
until we reached the wooden door at the top of the stairs.
He said,
“
They would have, eventually. But they said
the turn of events. You being exiled to Earth, was better. You found me, and we connected
—
”
He gently poked a finger into my stomach. “They said it
was better for both of us this way.”

My heart r
aced at the memories his words produced
. The way I’d felt in
Michael’s
arms, kissing him.
I swallowed, mentally pushing them away. “It would have been a whole lot less painful for me if they’d just dragged your sorry butt to Kelari.” Sadness clutched my heart. “Maybe my parents wouldn’t be in Helker.”

He turned his gaze to the floor, away from my questioning eyes.

4.
Losing My Religion

Several moments later, Michael still hadn’t said anything. Talk about awkward.
Frustrated, I asked, “Should I knock?
”

My words seemed to snap him out of it.
He smirked
. T
hen
his face got serious. “I need to
explain some things to you
.”

“What? You’re a merman
in disguise
?”
I was dripping wet, and though I wasn’t cold, I was uncomfortable. I wanted to be dry, and
tucked safely in
my castle. Still, he
said my parents were here
,
so I was determined to see this
—whatever
this
was—through.

“So close.” He chuckled, but
I sensed no
pleasure
in
the effort
. “It’s about who
I am. And what needs to happen. I’m sorry—”

The door flew open, interrupting
. An incredibly
handsome man
stood in the doorway. “Michael
. I wasn’t expecting you to use this entrance. Cheeky.
Can’t wait to hear the story
.”