Opulent (The Opalescent Collection Book 1) (23 page)

I
ran for hours, only to stop when the moon was high like a big white marble in the sky. That night I stayed awake, unable to sleep, only to stare at my Eternal Mate. His breathing was slow and I knew he might never wake. Now and again, I shook him, but each time there was the same dead response.

              The sun was beginning to rise and I closed my eyes, tired from the sleepless night. There was a sound beside me, the slightest noise. I was surprised I had heard it at all.

“Pete?”

              There was no response and I turned, shaking my head. The noise came again and I turned to face him. I pressed my ear to his chest, heard nothing but the sound of his breathing. I whispered his name again and waited until I felt the slightest tremor of vibration coming from his throat. I sat up and shook his shoulders knowing he could hear me.

“Pete, wake up! Wake up!”

              His eyes refused to open.

“Pete
please
,” I begged.

“Chenille? Oh...what happened?” He asked in a low, drunken voice.

“You hit your head and we went to the hospital. I swear Lucian was there.”

“Is that so?” He opened his eyes and slowly sat up against the trunk of the tree behind him.

“And then my father came and he took us to his home and my family got out of hand!”

“What happened?”

“He killed my mother Pete! He killed her!” Tears began to form in my eyes, my throat closing.

“Who? Who killed her?”

“My
father
.”

“Oh, I wish I was awake. I wish I could’ve helped you.”

“There was nothing either of us could have done.”

              He let out a sigh and touched his head where the white bandage was and began to unwrap it.

“They want us to get off of Earth. They threatened to go to war and to join the mortals against us.”

              He threw the white bandage to the ground and held my face.

“If we must go to war, we will.”

“But why? Is that the only way we can get our captives back?”

“I am afraid so. It’s the only way we can get Tetchra.”

“And Fitzray.”

“Actually, I didn’t see Fitzray in the house. I heard he is missing.”

“Missing? How can that be? He could be anywhere with anyone!”

              He shushed me, drawing me close. “We will find him and we will free the captives. We will go back to Catastrophe and build our army, finish our bridge and wait. When they attack, we will be ready.”

“What about the locks? How will we free the captives?”

“I don’t know yet, but there has to be a way.”

“What do we do now?”

“We rest for now. Later we will go home and prepare for war.”

              Pete woke me hours later from my nap beneath a shady tree. A cool breeze coursed through my body.

“The wolves are coming. We have to leave.”

“How are we going to get across?”

“Trust me, we’ll get across.”

              At the edge of the bridge the orange stone was so far away, it seemed. I looked down, regretting doing so. There was an edge of white; only a couple of stones remained from the Bridge of Secrecy.  I placed my foot on one of the stones and looked over as far as I could manage. The stars hung in their place like tiny diamonds that made the new bridge glow. There were shapes in the distance flying to the other edge of the bridge where we needed to go. They were dragons, I could tell, carrying aboard figures.

“If only we could get across like them.” I looked over at Pete who was concentrating. He rubbed the back of his neck, irritated. He was whispering to himself, being so secretive, I could barely read his lips. He looked up from his concentration to me and smiled slyly.

“We will get across.” He put out his arm and waited for something. He looked straight ahead and let out a whistle as though he could see something I could not. Then, I did see something. A small dot of white became larger as it neared. It was his snowy owl Meleve and Mullein following close behind.

“
That’s
how we will get across.”

“Do you want me to get Minx?”

“No need to.”

              The snowy owl landed on his outstretched arm, turned her head around to face me and blinked her amber eyes. Mullein landed behind Pete and stood at command for him. He climbed up onto the dragon, held onto his wing to pull himself up and put out a hand for me. I looked at the dragon that towered over me, and took a step back.

“You aren’t
scared
are you?”

“Of course not.” I took his hand and pulled myself onto the heavy built muscle.

              The dragon ran forward and flapped his wings, glided over the gap effortlessly and landed harshly on the bridge.

“We’ll walk from here.”

“But why can’t we fly?”

“We can’t be spotted. It would be too risky.”

              I could not believe all of the commotion that took place in the palace that night. Pete had left me at once so I could see Versailles while he tended to the demands placed over him. I could tell they were planning for war. Everyone was waiting for it to happen. I only saw Versailles for a moment to see how she was. It was too late to bother her with stories.

              I returned to the palace that was surprisingly quiet as I entered. There were low voices coming from the dining hall, echoing down the dim-lit corridors. I followed the sound to the door, took a breath and opened it. The muttering stopped and everyone looked in my direction and stood up in respect.

“Come here Chenille. We were just going to start our feast,” Pete said.

              I took a seat, disturbed by the uncomfortable silence. Everyone stopped talking of the plans for war and simply ate quietly as though nothing was going on. I looked up from my plate after several moments, losing my appetite suddenly. I could not bear the silence, the secret plans they were keeping from me, though I had every right to know.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, just not feeling so well,” I said and took a sip of water.

“Maybe it’d be best if you went up to bed,” another vampire recommended.

              I rose from my seat delicately, curved my fingers over the back of it and calmly pushed it forward.

“Yes, get some rest. I will see you as soon as this important business is taken care of.”

              I turned away, said nothing like Pete would have done to me and walked away. I ran to the bedroom angrily, hoping they had all heard my loud pounding on my way up the stairs. I slammed the door shut, pressed my back against it and sighed heavily. Just as I was walking to the closet there was a knock and the door opened when I said nothing.

“What’s with all the noise?”

              I ignored him, simply walked to the bed and threw my jacket onto a nearby chair.

“If you think we are keeping the plans from you, you’re wrong.” I shook my head, disregarding his pointless words. “Let me make it up to you,” he whispered. He exhaled deeply, the smell of meats and spices wafting around him.

“I don’t want your poison,” I hissed.

“No?”

              I shook my head again.

“Why not?”

“I feel too weak.”

“You will always be weak. Every time you perform a Ceremony, you become weak and it takes time to get strong. You have performed it two
times. Each time it made you weaker than the last.”

“I don’t want to be weak.”

“You will have to stay on bed rest then.”

              I moved away and pulled back the heavy quilt on the bed.

“This could be the last time you taste my poison in a long time,” he insisted.

“Why do you say that?”

“You can be reincarnated. I won’t since I am too strong for that. I was born a full-blood vampire.”

“Then why would
this
be the
last time
?”

“In the morning the gap on the bridge will be filled with the remaining pieces. We are going to war tomorrow and if you are killed-,”

              There was a knock on the door, interrupting him. “King Pete, you must tell us the remaining plans. There is little time for us to prepare.”

“There is always a knock at the door,” I mumbled.

              He got up slowly. “I will be back, hopefully before you are asleep.”

“Of course,” I grumbled, “you go make the war plans
Your Majesty
.”

* * * * *

M
ore than three servants helped me put on all of the armor I had to wear. There was layer after layer of clothing. My hair had to be up and out of the way while I fought and a heavy metal choker was mandatorily around every vampire’s neck. A vampire came up to me, handed me a sword and a knife.

“When you see a lock around a captive’s neck, you take the knife and place it behind the chain and pull it towards you. The chain will break. You will take the remaining lock and throw it over the bridge, understood?”

“Yes, understood.”

              He took my sword and put it in its place, at my hip.

“The gap of the bridge is closed and mortals are already beginning to cross. You will go outside where the others are waiting. It may seem empty of vampires out there but I assure you, there are reinforcements being sent.”

              I followed his orders and went to join the others. I could not see Pete, since he was probably in the front. More and more vampires began to crowd around me noisily and waited for the coming of the mortals.

“Here they come! Send the dragons!”

              Ten dragons flew overhead to find their place on the low bridge walls. They stood in position and breathed fire, covering the bridge in thick smoke.

“Send out the snake!”

              Taj’ came slithering to where we waited. Diamond armor covered his body, protecting his tough skin.

“Are you ready Taj’?”

“Yes I am.”

“Where is Pearl?”

“She is at home, my friend. She is with the children to keep them safe in case of invasion.”

“Good luck Taj’.”

“Good luck to you as well. We have all waited long enough for this.”

“Even you?”

“Yes, they took my green-eyed friend.”

              He looked ahead boldly and blinked his copper eyes. Versailles charged ahead, flying past me in a blur with her head down, her horn exposed. She ran to the bridge and everyone followed.

“Charge!”

              That was the command everyone obeyed. I tried to stay near Taj’ once we were on the bridge in the midst of the smoke, but found it impossible. I did not see one mortal, not even one, until the smoke cleared to a thin fog, revealing the hundreds that were crossing. I wanted to look back to see how many vampires were on the bridge but I knew I could not look behind me now that everything was happening ahead of me.

              I saw a captive at last and ran to her. She let out a hiss as I grabbed her necklace and sliced my knife through it. She fell onto the bridge and looked up at me with a new glint in her eyes. She was free. At once, she rose to her feet and asked for my sword. Hesitantly, I gave it to her and she rushed forward, showing me she was fighting
for
us. She too began to free other vampires who, in turn, freed others. The confusion was just beginning to start.

              The sides continued to clash and more mortals came onto the bridge with their vampires. Dragons swooped down, spitting out fire and gathering captive vampires in their arms for the locks around their necks to be broken. I moved up further on the orange bridge, waiting for another captive to pass me. I looked around and spotted Pete, sword to sword with another vampire, trying to break the lock around his neck. Fire exploded nearby and smoke filled the air around me. Nothing was visible again. I could only see the faint shimmer of a horn. Versailles was close. She reared and came down on a werewolf. She looked around and spotted me through the smoke.

“Come on!”

              I held onto her mane and pulled myself up onto her back. She raced across the bridge until she saw a captive and got close enough to slice the chain from her neck with her horn. She picked up the lock in her mouth and turned her neck to me so I could throw it over the bridge. She ran again and reared at the sight of a vampire with a sword. Helplessly, I fell and a blast of fire ascended in front of me like a wall. A dragon flew above, high over the bridge and went into a spiraling drop down toward me.

“Chenille!”

              There came a yell, a desperate warning for me to get out of the way, but I did not hear. I stood, frozen with fear as the fast dragon came bounding toward me. It swooped down, let out a roar and wrapped its talons around my body. I yelled to anyone that could hear, which was no one really, and tried to pry myself loose as it flew higher and higher. It lifted me up to its scorching chest and a rough hand grabbed me from the dragon’s claws and yanked me up onto its back. I tried to get a good look at the rider but he pressed me against the dragon’s neck. The dragon’s spikes dug into my armor. A small bottle filled with black liquid hovered above my face.

“Lucian, what…what are you doing?”

“I am obeying my master’s command.”

“Will you listen to yourself? You sound like a dragon.”

              He laughed. “This time I will not fail. I will get you this time.”

“It was you in the hospital, wasn’t it?”

“Yes it was. Now stop distracting me.”

              He held the bottle above me, pulled off its top. I looked at him knowing I needed to free him now. I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissed him, tried to find the small clasp on the chain that bound him to Tetchra. He held the bottle higher, trying to resist me. I held onto the chain, held it tight so I could choke him if I had to. I tried to find the clasp, fingered for it blindly. He let out a growl and bit my arm in his attempt to make me let go. Still I hung on and fingered the clasp, working with it until there were two pieces of chain in my hands instead of one. The lock fell.     

“You freed me Chenille.” He mumbled, the trance leaving his face.

              The bottle dropped from his hands and fell. It did not break, but simply spilled. It spilled all over the white dragon’s wing. The acidic-like poison burned the very flesh of the dragon’s thin, leathery wing and he breathed fire on it to burn it off, but simply crashed in doing so. I was able to break my fall, but watched helplessly as Lucian fell onto hard paving stones. His own dragon trampled him, fleeing away in panic.

              I sat up from my recovered fall and looked around me for Lucian. He was a long walk from where I had fallen, on his side, barely breathing at all. Deep gashes were on his body from where his dragon’s claws had struck him. 

“Lucian?”

              I rolled him over onto his back to find he was not breathing anymore. His mouth and eyes stayed closed. A stream of blood ran from his neck - it was broken, I was almost sure. I said his name again repeatedly, knowing the chances of him responding were slim to none. I shook him even though his body had lost all its warmth and there was stillness to him that was not believable. I held onto his hand even though I knew I would never feel the security of his fingers gripping my own. Still, Jasper did not return.

              Freed captives walked by me, barely noticing me in the middle of the road or the terrible scene upon it. A loud, familiar voice came to me and I looked up to see the licorice black snake staring down at me with great disparity.

“Come,” he said quietly, “let us leave this place. This is a place of great sorrow where many have come to their last breath. Come with me Chenille, I will take you back home away from this place.” Taj’ said, nudging his great head against my body so I looked away from the terrible sight set out before me.

              He picked me up with his tail and set me against his armored back only to slither onward to the palace. I watched as healers came up to the cold body and picked it up, lifeless I knew, and placed it in the talons of a dragon that carried it off to the palace where they would examine it.

              I entered the palace unsure if the war was even over. Vampires were crowded inside, many with wounds or broken armor that dug into their skin. It was not anything like the palace it used to be but instead served more as a hospital. Healers ran around checking for the most severe cases compared to minor scratches.

              One healer led me through the halls to a room where it was quiet and there was little commotion. Lucian’s body was in that room on a sofa. They covered his body up to his chin with a white sheet to shield my eyes from what they had already seen. I placed my hand over his body and took a shaky breath, no different from before. A healer came over to me.

“I am sorry for your loss Queen Chenille, but he will not be reincarnated.”

“But…but why? We performed a Ceremony.”

“He has never been reincarnated and never will be. He is and will always be part mortal, even with a Ceremony.”

“He is never coming back?” I whispered.

              The healer shook her head slowly. His body moved slightly beneath my touch like sand slipping away from the shore to the ocean. His body began to fade and blow away like smoke from a dying fire in the woods.

“You must leave,” the healer said calmly.

              I gazed over his body, cold and still for one last time before I turned away from it forever. I walked to the door, took a shaky breath and closed it behind me. Pete knew where I was. He was standing there, waiting for me.

“You are at his death bed and here I stand. I don’t see a hint of worry for me on your face. Look, I have come back for you in one piece.” He clenched his jaw angrily. “And yet you care more for a dead half-mortal.”

              Without thinking, I raised my hand, felt it smack hard against his face, and heard the harsh sound of the slap. There was a red imprint on his cheek. Slight astonishment and wild fury built up in his dark eyes. I held my wrist, damaged for what I had just done to it and he said nothing, nothing at all. I walked on to lock myself in the bedroom, to keep him away, but I knew he would not let me get away with that. Any moment, I knew, he would appear and pry open the locked door. I knew I could not let him get away with that. I wanted to escape him before he could get me, before he could make me regret what I just did.

              I ran for the bedroom, beat him there and hid myself beneath the bed trying to figure out what to do, what my next move would be. I heard the loud footsteps, the closet door open and slam shut. The steps came closer until I could see his shoes from under the bed skirt. I slid from underneath the bed as he lifted the bed skirt and I let out a sigh of relief. There was silence, not even a tap of his shoes and he was over me. He had leapt across the bed and landed right on me, preventing escape.

              I uttered a scream, wriggled in his grasp, unsure if anyone would hear me. I could not let him win.

“No stop!” I cried.

              He let out a harsh growl in frustration and sliced his fangs against my neck.  I shrieked, hoping for someone to hear, and held my hands against his neck. I could not start to beg or cry now. This was my punishment.

              He held my hands away from his neck. I balled my hand into a fist that pounded against him, forcing him to sit up. He touched the left side if his face, now bruised as I slipped from under his grip. I backed up, holding my neck, and crawled to the open door. He sat bent over, his hand still to his face and watched me, waiting to leap again. I had done it, made it to the door in one piece and stood up. Slowly, he rose to his feet and before he could jump, I did, and tumbled down the stairs. I lost control of my body and it took total impact from each roll from one stair to the next.

“The Queen,” a nearby servant yelled.

              A healer came, picked me up and was joined by several others who carried me into a room. They were talking, checking over my bruised body, sticking me with needles, wrapping bandages over wounds. They called for me to wake, and I felt almost numb when I did. The chandelier above me was bright and I looked over my arms. Most of the bruises and wounds that the healers tended to were covered. I looked to the healers to thank them, but they had left the room.

              Pete opened the door and stood at the side of the coffee table on which I remained. He was quiet, looked me up and down with a mumble to himself. He put a hand on the table beside my shoulder and leaned over me so his gaze rested over my face. His lips turned darker before me, covered in the thick black color of his poison. He neared closer, breathing the scent of the sweet smelling poison over me.

“I was a fool to have not given you my poison the other night. I didn’t know you would become so disobedient if I hadn’t.”

“I hardly consider that…an apology.”

“I’ll give you an apology.”

              He neared closer, the black poison beginning to drip. I grabbed for my Dragon’s Soul, clutched it in my hand and called desperately for Minx. On cue he came, crashing through a window and landing into the room.

              He ran over and breathed a jet of flame in Pete’s direction, but he moved out of the way and was gone before the fire trapped him. Minx picked me up gently and flew back through the broken window.

“Where do you want to go?”

“Take me to the bridge. I must see the damage done.”

“Yes, of course Mistress.”

* * * * *