Immortal Essence Box Set: Aligned, Exiled, Beguiled (51 page)

A furious heat raged against my skin. I opened my eyes, and immediately knew where I was.
On the bridge from my dream.
Its reflective surface mirrored the fiery lava boiling below. My hands gripped the railing. If it’d been glass, it would’ve shattered.

A nauseating sweet smell filled the air, and I knew Ramien was close. He appeared to my left.

“Round two was most interesting, don’t you think?” he asked simply, as though we discussed the weather.

“If that’s what you want to call it,” I gritted out through clenched teeth.

“Letting the
dorvey
eat you. Exquisite entertainment.” He patted one of my hands and I flinched.

“Glad you enjoyed it, Ramien.” I wasn’t going to tell him I didn’t let her eat me. She sprang so swiftly I had no time to react.

“I did. I did.”

“What happened to Dervinias, Chev, and her baby?” I mostly worried about Chev and the baby? Had they survived?

A shadow crossed over his face. “A strange turn of events.” He shook his head.

“Are they alive?” I persisted.

“Oh, no. Dervinias and Cheverly are dead. The
dorvey
made quick meals of them.

“The baby?”

“So, so strange,” he answered.

“Is. The. Baby. Dead?”

“A very curious turn of events.”

“Tell me.”

He shook his head. His confidence faltered. “I’m not quite sure. No matter,” he said, dismissively. Angling his back to me, he raised his arms out to his sides. The palms of his hands faced upward. “This last round will be the most difficult of all, I think.”

I snorted. Deep down I hoped he was wrong. Though my body didn’t tire easily, emotionally, I was exhausted.

Just as in my dream a movement in the lava caught my attention. I peered closer, and as before, she burst from the water.

The girl with the ruby lashes.

The girl who reminded me of my sister.

Amberlee.

As I thought her name, she opened her eyes. I sucked in a breath, afraid of what Ramien had planned. Wondering why she was a ferrikat.

“On one side we have your sister, Amberlee. Isn’t she beautiful? Only a ferrikat can navigate lava without much pain. She has been doing my bidding. And she’s been most helpful.”

I leaned over the railing. “Let her go,” I shouted.

He snorted, as though my words were nothing more than a minor irritation. “On the other side, we have Michael. The boy the gods believe is your soul mate.
The boy who is more similar to you than you know.
The boy who loves you harder, stronger, and with more commitment than I’ve ever witnessed.
Which will you save? Which do you love more?”

At Ramien’s words I peered at Michael. He lay on his back, the medallion at his throat shimmering in the light. His eyes were closed, his face peaceful, as though he slept. Or he was dead.

My stomach turned.

“What do you mean, which will I save? Michael may say he loves me, but he already belongs to you. He’s your son. Why do you think I’d choose him over my sister?” I bit the words out, hoping my traitorous heart wouldn’t give me away. The truth was, even though my heart longed to save Michael, I would pick Amberlee. She was family. 

A cruel smile warped his face. “I see. So you choose Amberlee? You don’t care that she’s backstabbed, connived, and conspired to have you killed? If you’d like I can show you all she’s done.”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Really?” Ramien looked unconvinced. “Oh well. Before you make your final choice, let’s talk about Michael.”

I guessed Ramien was trying to manipulate me. I knew he wanted me to ask him what he meant, and how he knew those things about Amberlee. I knew, he knew, I wanted to know.

“You say Michael already belongs to me.” He laughed, and I noticed some of his arrogance slipped. “He is my son, but that doesn’t mean he agrees with my goals, my plans.” He rubbed his hands through his hair, slicking it out of his face. “He is ferether, like me, as you know. He is also kelvieri. His mother, Catherine.” He spoke her name with a hint of kindness, and I was surprised. “She was still kelarian when she became pregnant. On her sixteenth birthday I encouraged her to go to the gods, to receive her right of immortality. I gave her a special drug that made her forget her pregnancy, our relationship, and the plans we had together.” He paused and sighed. “Getting her pregnant was all that I needed, all that I wanted.”

I turned away from Ramien and stared at Michael. He’d been through so much. His mother never really loved him. His Earth father—Frank—belonged to ALT, the alien life tracker unit that specialized in hunting down and studying any alien they discovered. I wondered if Frank knew Michael wasn’t human. When Michael was a child, before Frank left, the man would cut Michael, torture him. He never loved his son. Now it made more sense. Frank wasn’t Michael’s father, real or otherwise. His real father was worse.

Ramien continued, “When Catherine arrived at Ith and Aetha’s, they searched her thoughts, like they do all kels, and finding her innocent, allowed her to become kelvieri. Problem was, when they bestowed the gift upon Catherine, it went into Michael instead of her.”

He chuckled and I felt sick. So Michael was like me—a kelvieri.

“When the gods realized what had happened, they sent Catherine to Earth, hoping to protect her, hoping to protect her child. It worked, of course, for a while.” He sought out my eyes, and held them. “I was beyond frustrated. But, in the end their simple strategies didn’t matter. I found something much better than half a ferether.” He stepped closer. “I discovered you, my pretty little goddess.”

I was still trying to wrap my thoughts around what he’d said about Michael’s mom. “But if Michael didn’t know. If he is half kelvieri, how did his father—Frank hurt him?”

“Excellent questions. I’m not sure, but I believe it has something to do with the ferether in him.” He sneered. “The sad thing is, you’re so arrogant and blissfully naive, you still aren’t asking the right questions.”

“What do you mean?” A strange worry began to work its way through my veins.

“Well, obviously you have no idea who you
really
are. Your parents, the real and pretend one’s, lied to your pretty little face all these years. And these are the people you trusted. So sad.” He shook his head in mock melancholy. “I’ll tell you on our wedding day. We’ll do a big reveal. It’ll be amazing. And aside from your pedigree, Michael believes you are his soul mate. He’s made it clear he’ll do everything in his power to stop me.” Ramien paused, and searched my face.

I winced. His words were hypnotic. Michael had agreed to do all Ramien commanded. I was there when Michael promised. “Does Michael even have a choice?”

“No. Michael will do as I say. The decision is no longer his, but his strongest desire is to save you.”

I huffed, frustrated. I didn’t want Michael killed, but I couldn’t allow him to kill my sister either. “It doesn’t matter, Ramien. No matter what you tell me, I’ll still choose my sister. She’s family.” The barrier holding back my tears rose. They pressed heavily against it. Just a splinter and I’d be a blubbering mess. Why did I even have to choose? Why were the gods allowing this?

“I sense you believe what you say, but I’ll give you some time. Allow those whose lives are on the line a chance to speak.” Amidst a twirl of mist, he evaporated.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn’t like it when Ramien was around.

“Amberlee,” I barked. It was strange seeing her altered into a ferrikat. The bottom half of her a fish while the top half remained
normal
. Questions about why she’d been changed filled my mind and weighed down my tongue with the need to ask. And I would, once this mess was over. 

She shivered at the sound of her name. “Venus,” she responded with a sneer.

I waited for her to say something. Like, I’m sorry for poisoning you. I’m sorry I had a part in your being exiled to Earth. I’m sorry for . . . “Did you kill my irrihunter, Sadraden?” I asked.

She sighed. “Are you sure you want me to answer?”

It was strange watching her lips move when the rest of her hung suspended and immobile, like a colorful painting of an angel with fins instead of wings. “Yes, I do.”

Amberlee sighed again. “Fine. Yes, my part in the plan was to poison you and kill your irrihunter.
Both of which I did.
Happy now?”

She was as much a brat as ever. “No, I’m not happy. Why kill her? What did they promise you in return for murdering an innocent creature?” The dam cracked behind my eyes, tears prickled, but I blinked them back.

“You don’t understand anything. You were never meant to rule Alayeah. You aren’t even my sister. You are an imposter. A fraud. And once I learned the truth, I had no problem doing whatever it took to get you out of Alayeah. The fact that you ended up on Earth was a mistake.” Her eyes fluttered, like she fought tears. “Palmo doesn’t know how it happened. You weren’t supposed to become immortal. But we can still save Alayeah. Once I’m freed, and you’re married to Ramien, a true Carania, one who understands what The Order has planned, will rule. And in case you were wondering, the Carania I speak of would be me. Not you. There isn’t an ounce of Carania blood in your body.” She spit out the words like they were bad food. Fiery anger seared her eyes. She believed what she said to be true, but she was wrong.

I was a true Carania. My mother and father trained me to become the next leader from the first moment I could remember. The tutors, the Chans, they all treated me like I was their next ruler. Didn’t they? 

“Have you lost it? I
am
your sister, Amberlee.” My immortal heart began to beat rapidly.

“See. Amberlee isn’t even family,” Ramien’s voice echoed through the stifling, dark sky.

“Shut up!” I ran to the other side of the bridge. “Michael.”

His eyes opened. A smile curved his features. “Hi.”

My body relaxed. “Can you move?”

He suddenly appeared next to me on the bridge.

A scream caught in my throat. Maybe it really was a trap? “How did you get up here so quickly?”

“One of the new tricks I’ve learned.” He brushed some hair off my face. Then he leaned down as though to kiss my cheek, but whispered in my ear instead. “Ramien can’t keep me hostage. He can’t even really hurt me.” As he spoke he wrapped his hands around the medallion, and yanked it from his neck. “May I?” he asked, nodding toward my neck.

“You want me to wear it?” A strange rightness seeped into my heart.

“Yes, please.”

“Okay.” I turned. He tied it so the medallion settled between my collarbones. His fingers brushed against my back, causing shivers to radiate along my spine.

Again, he whispered, “Ramien can’t see it. Only you and I can. Don’t let him know you have it.”

I faced him. “I won’t, Michael.”

He pressed me to his chest, and I reveled in his warmth.

“I’m not sure what to do. What should I do?” I said.

“Choose Amberlee. Everything will work—” He didn’t finish, and the weight of his body fell into me.

“Michael,” I asked, holding him up. When he didn’t respond, I pushed away. A maroon substance made a circle on the front of his shirt, under his ribs. Tentative, I touched it. Sticky, and warm, I knew it was his blood. “Michael,” I shouted.

“You may be half a god, but you can still die, you foolish boy.” Ramien stood behind him, a sharp object in his hand.

“What have you done?” I held Michael in my arms. His eyes were closed and I felt the emptiness of his absence. Frantic, I shook Michael. “Wake up. Michael. Please. Wake up. Don’t go. Don’t leave me. Please. Michael.”

Ramien chuckled. “He’s only half ferether and not even the good half. Michael told you to choose your
pretend
sister. I went ahead and made it easy on you.”

I lay Michael down on the floor of the bridge, and dove at Ramien, clawing my nails into his face. “But I hadn’t really chosen yet. Those were the rules.” I had chosen. No matter what, I had to pick Amberlee, but that didn’t make seeing Michael lying in a pool of blood any easier.

Ramien pushed me away, and I fell, tripping over Michael’s unmoving legs.

“It’s my game. My rules. Besides, I’ve grown tired of the frivolity.” He picked up Michael’s body, and an emotion, one that reminded me of sorrow, crossed his face. Lifting Michael over his head, I realized too late what Ramien intended to do. Ramien threw Michael off the bridge. I ran to the edge, and watched as Michael’s body hit the lava with a thick splash.

“Michael. No.” The words barely escaped, like I’d been punched in the gut.

Michael’s body erupted in fire and was consumed.

“By the gods, I will destroy you. Somehow, I swear it,” I hollered, clutching my stomach. The barrier behind my eyes broke in a gush. With it came a mournful cry. Within a short space of time I lost Zaren, and now Michael. I had to save my parents.

An angry determination rode Ramien’s features. “No more games. Time to get dressed. You’ve a wedding to attend.”