Forsaken (book 3) (The Charmer series) (11 page)

"You mean couch, I have the bed remember." I joke.

"I'm easy."

"Yeah I can see that. Look, I may have dulled any reminder of past loves, but that doesn't mean I have forgotten what and who you are. I can think of Ruk and feel a dull ache, but that's because inside my heart, I love him, but you, I have never loved you Richard, nor could I."

"I'm not looking for love," he laughs.

"That's what I'm afraid of," I roll my eyes making a joke of it. However, I am afraid that I will lose myself in his beauty, knowing that if I did go with Richard, he would not want to love or be loved return.

"Smile on
, he is here," he whispers.

Following orders, I smile and wait anxiously.

"Richard child, how have you been keeping? Wow, who is this fine woman?" A man very regal in stature asks, while approaching us. He appears to be in his late 40s, a little shorter than Richard but you can see the family resemblance, he is extremely handsome.

"Grandfather," Richard nods to him then looks to me with a smirk, "this is Zara, my soon to be queen."

"I thought Charles was joking! Tell me Zara, what do you see in this man?" He laughs with a bitter undertone.

Instantly I see Richards eyes fall to the ground, and for the first time since knowing him, I see the insecurity in him.

Lacing my arm around his waist and holding his hand with my free one, I smile sweetly at him before answering the man.

"That has nothing to do with you, all you need to know is that we are
together," I smile smugly.

"Don't think being his queen will protect you," he spits his venom.

"Do not waste your threats on me. You neither scare nor bother me with your threats," I bite back in an irate tone.

"Now you can see why
we get on so well," Richard speaks cheerfully.

"You should keep a leash on her, Charmer or not, I will
behead the bitch!"

Before my anger can touch the surface, Richard has thrown his grandfather against the wall with an ear piercing thud.

"She is under your skin, could you be weakening already son?" He laughs as he gets up from the floor and dusts of his jacket.

"Not weakening, getting stronger every day," Richard taunts.

"Ladies and gentlemen, could I please have a moment of your time," a woman's voice rings through the speakers.

As we wait for everything to quiet down, I notice Richard’s grandfather slip out of the large room.

"I know it is hard for you to all be in the same room, but as royalty we expect you to act accordingly. The next man or woman to raise a finger against another will be out. On a better note, we have all heard the rumours of the Charmer, some even that she is here tonight. I would like to ask Prince Richard and his to be Queen to announce themselves."

And with that, the people who surround us take a few steps back, and watch us carefully.

"Thank you Penelope, but it was not necessary," he tells the woman who just put the spot light on us, "you hear right, I have found my mate in Zara, the Charmer, and you should all treat her with respect. For those who do not quite understand," he finishes by nodding his head to the stage, followed by the woman’s head flying across the floor and stopping only metres away from us.

Desperately trying to remain still, my stoma
ch lurches but I’m able to control it. Why did he do that? God the man is sick; a warning would have sufficed.

Hearing the gasp from the audience, my eyes fly to Richard.

He smiles at them, then kisses my lips gently before taking my hand and walking over to one of the empty tables. I would have pulled away if I wasn’t in a state of shock.

"What the fuck?" I hiss at him quietly as I step in front of him, and my back facing the onlookers.

"This is no game Zara; I have to get their attention and respect. I gave them all a warning by decapitating that vulgar woman’s head and they will now think twice on any ideas they have conjured up of coming after you. A simply thank you will be sufficient."

"Jesus Richard," I screech again with my eyes showing the shock.

"You need to grow harder to this Zara, as a Charmer you will have to live this life, alone like the rest of us."

"I'm not alone, I have a family, friends."

"At your side, they will not live long. You come in to this life alone and leave alone" he explains harshly.

Deep down, I know he is right, I have thought this myself many of times.

"Right I need to see this Patrick," I tell him, needing to change the subject.

"Follow me then," he tells me before pulling me though the people who part way for us.

Walking towards a group of finely dressed men, we stop before them.

Richards’s presence has them soon turning to face us.

"Patrick," he nods.

Patrick is a good looking man, as are the men he stands with, their eyes eat me up.

"What is it?" He says with attitude.

"Why so sad cousin," Richard taunts.

"You knew that was my girlfriend," he barks back.

"Yes I did didn't I, but then you did after all send Torka after Zara, did you not?" he says with a raised brow.

"You did that?" I ask outraged.

"So it was revenge?" His cousin asks with anger in his eyes.

"No, not revenge, that will follow," Richard sneers.

"I am not scared by you Richard, you can do nothing to me whilst grandfather lives," he replies, but sounding scared, which he was trying to hide but his voice gave him away.

"I have time cousin. Anyway, this was lovely, excuse me," Richard say’s and turns his back on his cousin to walk away.

But unluckily it was a wrong move, as before he can cast a spell to hurt Richard, I push my hands out against the air and manipulate it to lift and throw him across the room, and in doing so crashing into a large glass table.

"Well executed," Richard praises as we walk away coolly from the scene.

"Why didn't you tell me that the man pretending to be Julian, to get close to try and kill
me was sent by your cousin?"

"Because."

"Because what?" I ask agitated.

"Stop worrying about has happened and look forward from this night, what is done is done. Become the person you want from life, not the person to please others, to ask the right questions, take it how it comes and live everyday selfishly."

And for the first time, I agree with him, not that I will tell him so.

Rolling my eyes playfully, I take my glass from the table, sip the wine and cross my legs in the chair, and look on at the people.

Hours pass slowly, and Richard and I sit in the same spot, watching and waiting for the right moment, which appears before us perfectly.

Richard’s grandfather step’s up to us with evil sneer on his face, whilst the cousins stand at his side fearlessly.

"We have been thinking about your role in the dark coven, we think you have out lived your
position. It is time for a new Prince, I'm sure you agree," he lifts an eyebrow.

Richard stands to his feet slowly, and offers his hand to me, which I take willingly and stand at his side.

"I do not agree," he shakes his head smiling, angering the men further.

"Then it shall be taken from you!" His grandfather roars, shaking the room.

"By who, you?" Richard laughs evilly.

Any moment now there will be magic thrown our way, even the entire hall of people could turn on us, so I stand with my head held high watching the cousins carefully for any movement, but keeping united with Richard.

"Don't laugh at me boy, I killed your father, your mother, your dear grandmother, you have not an ounce of their strength!"

Wow, this I did not know. I so badly want to look at Richard, even comfort him, which shocks me, however, I cannot show weakness.

"You are right, I am stronger than them all put together. If you wish to test me, go ahead old man," he taunts calmly.

"Have it your way. We will meet on the last day of the month at..."

"No! Now!" Richard yells, and this is when my stomach drops.

I knew there would be a battle, it's just standing here surrounded by these people, has made the whole ordeal come to life. I'm about to watch Richard kill his grandfather, while I murder his cousins, all because I want to finally see Mary dead! When did I become this person?

Thank god Richard’s cousin Thomas, who was the new leader of the Dark Coven in the other reality where Richards was dead, isn’t part of this rebellion because I couldn’t take the life of such a decent man.

Soon after the words leave Richards lips, we see and hear many of the guests scurrying away in fear for their life's, but around twenty or so stay to watch.

"Zara, stand over there," he tells me softly, and squeezes my hand before holding my face in his warm hands; he kisses me so gently that I barely feel it. Nevertheless, my lips are left tingling from the touch of his moist lips on mine.

Nodding my head to him in a confused state, I go to turn away from him, but change my mind and step closely to him, and in a whisper I say,

"Good luck," I tell him strongly before I turn away and walk to the wall, standing with my back against it.

Richards cousins walk to the wall furthest away, and talk quietly amongst themselves, while Richard and his grandfather step into the middle if the floor.

And as they stand there watching each other’s movements, suddenly a high ring of bright burning fire circles them.

Gasping at the sight of them surrounded by the flame, I hear the echo of laughter from his cousins that have joined the other spectators to see the battle commence.

Richard throws his hands out causing his grandfather to fall into the flame, but he soon jumps to his feet and magically chokes Richard. It then looks like Richard is being held by his arms and legs as he stands spread out a meter off the ground. Forcing the magic away, Richard falls to the floor bent down on one knee, he twist his hand, and I watch in awe as his grandfather rises as his body twist with speed, he then fly kicks his grandfather, once again I watch the man crash into the flame and scream from the burning.

This goes on for some time, and it looks to me that there strength is equally matched, until his grandfather falls to the floor in exhaustion, holding up one hand, asking Richard to give him time to get to his feet. However, Richard kicks his face, knocking him on his back.

As the scene unrolls, I quickly look to his cousins to see if they have yet to make a move. As soon as the thought enters my mind, I watch as the two cousin’s stand with their eyes closed and their hands
raised, chanting.

Fuck! Thinking on my feet, I concentrate on their stance. Just like that, the ground beneath them shakes and cracks, causing them to stop casting the spell.

Steadying themselves, they spy me across the room, followed by what looks like bolts of lightning thrown my way. Crouching on the floor with my hands covering my body, I wait for them to strike, but nothing. Jumping up on my feet, I take a frightened step back when I see the lightning has stopped only inches from my body and face like I had put up some sort of force shield.

Pulling my hands back, I throw my hands out to
them with all my might and watch them fly back across the room and hit the two men, who were not expecting it.

As they get to their feet I knock them back down with my mind alone and rush at them with speed and concentration as out of nowhere water pours from the ceiling, almost like a wickedly strong water fall. As the water beats down on them, holding them in their place, I quickly turn to look at Richard. He has his foot on his grandfather’s neck and his hands high, but when he feels my eyes on him, he winks before lifting his foot. Unable to watch, I turn back to the cousins, and with great concentration I manipulate the water to seep through their mouths and noses, filling them with the water, drowning them.

Watching the fall of water gradually stop pouring, the body of the two men lay dead. Closing my eyes to the image I turn my head slightly and let myself take a much needed breath, followed by a cry of shamefulness for how I murdered them in cold blood. Clenching my teeth as the tears fall down my cheeks, I feel sick, I feel as though I have become a monster, an evil vile monster.

"Zara?" Richard calls to me.

Clenching my eyes tightly to remove the image if the men, I spin to see Richard standing across the room, with a frown on his face.

"Come," he calls again.

Forcing my shaky legs to move, I run over to him and hold onto his hand which he holds out.

"We are going back to the Dark Coven," he warns me before transporting ourselves there.

"I'm using your shower," I tell him in a jagged breath before sprinting away from him and entering the bathroom.