Page 56

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

FRANKIE

Go home to me.

Goddess, I’m trying.

Me and this damn tunnel were officially enemies. I’d never failed at something this impressively. My whole family, and the fate of the world, were relying on me to do one thing and I couldn’t even get to the right place. I started pacing the tunnel and wringing my hands together. If only Tegan were here. She probably would have some brilliant scheme— wait. Tegan. I wonder what she put in my notebook. Maybe there’s something in there I can use to help me. Tegan is sneaky like that, so is Bentley.

Earlier when I’d gone flipping through this notebook, I had been looking for certain keywords, but I didn’t know exactly what to look for now, so I just opened the front cover expecting to waste precious time on a wild goose chase. Except as I flipped onto the first page, I found a note to me, written by Tegan. Butterflies filled my stomach. It had not been there the other times I’d opened it.

‘Franks, you won’t be able to see this until you’ve uncovered the truth behind the lines in your prophecy that state ‘Seek the one who paid the price, Change the name, she won’t play nice.’ If you’re reading this note from me now, then you’ve learned the truth about who you are—-or were. I’m sorry I could not tell you, or even warn you, but even as I write this note I am not one-hundred-percent sure I am right. The small, tiny chance that I am not means I do not dare tell you what’s in my mind. That would be cruel to say without proof. If I’m right, it’ll be the first thing you learn. But you’re reading this which means I am free to say . . . this is not your first life. You lived in the war with the vampires. I’ve read of your name in the Book of Shadows. That is why the angelic rune stones were waiting for you. Because you are the one who gave them to Esther’s ancestor. I say this because that might be an important fact to remember before you make it home to us. Trust your stones. But just in case your heart is heavy and you cannot find your way to Avolire, here’s a spell to help relieve some of the pressure on your soul. Take a deep breath. Recite it out loud. And do not fight the magic. Your pain and your anger over what was stolen from you will be here waiting for you. Accept this helping hand and get your ass home. P.S. When in doubt, ask yourself . . . what would I do? Tegan.’

I laughed. Despite everything, I fucking laughed. That girl. How the hell she figured out the truth about my past life before I did was beyond me. She was terrifying. I wasn’t even mad she’d withheld the information since she was right in saying it would be cruel without proof. I wouldn’t have believed it without proof. Change the name, she won’t play nice. You’ve got that right. Rage rushed through my veins. I wanted to walk into Avolire and set the whole place on fire.

Instead, I read the spell Tegan had included for me. I’d decided a while back to trust her without question or hesitation so if she thought this spell would help me then I was going to go for it.

I took a deep breath then recited the words, “ Eye of the moon, phase of the crescent, Hold for me my pain incessant. Beat of the heart, tremble in soul, clear my mind ‘til I reach my goal.”

A wave of cold air slammed into my feet then slid up my body. It swirled around me, glittering a pale blueish glow. The knots in my stomach vanished. My pulse steadied. My breaths came easier and stronger. The tension in my muscles relaxed. My hands stopped trembling. The heaviness deep in my bones lightened until it was the faintest ache, where I almost didn’t feel it at all. That ringing in my ears stopped. I hadn’t even realized how many thoughts were running through my mind at once until they were gone, it was like turning off the radio. I took a deep breath and shook the stress off.

Tegan. That girl. I owed her one. Probably a few at this point and I suspected a few more before I got home.

A familiar electricity pulsed in the air behind me, tingling down my spine.

Everest.

I spun on my toes and the sight of him brought a rush of emotion that had me diving for him in the blink of an eye. “ Everest. ”

He caught me instantly, wrapping his arms around me as he whispered, “ It’s okay. ”

“I’m trying, I’m trying, but I just keep coming back to you and the oasis.” I ran my hands up his chest and felt the softness of his shirt beneath my fingers, his cinnamon scent mixed with fresh rain. I gasped and pulled back. He wore a black V-neck T-shirt. Tenn’s shirt. Fresh tears pooled in my eyes despite Tegan’s calming spell. “Everest.”

He nodded.

“ My Everest?”

He cupped my face in his hands. I didn’t know if he pulled me to him or If I dragged him down to me, all I knew was his lips on mine. This kiss wasn’t passion, it was desperation. It was suffocation. It was like being under water swimming for the surface in a panic before you drowned. The world spun and my body grew weaker, yet I held him tighter.

When he finally broke away, we were both gasping for air.

I fisted his shirt in my hands. “Did I cause you more pain by returning to our home all those times?”

“When you’re drowning every little breath of air keeps you alive.”

I groaned and buried my face in his chest. “I am stuck.”

“I know.” He ran his fingers through my hair. “This was, is, a lot to ask of your soul when it does not remember.”

“Tegan figured us out.” I pulled back and held up the notebook for him to see. “And she gave me a spell.”

His brow pinched in the middle as he took the notebook and read Tegan’s note. Then he smirked and shook his head. “She is terrifying. I’m quite obsessed with her.”

I snort-laughed. “Me too."

“Did you do the spell?” When I nodded, he brushed his fingers down the side of my face. “Did it help?”

“Yes. I think so. I feel . . . lighter. There’s less, like, pressure on me.” I patted my chest. “I just want to finish this quest and come home to you. I want to see Auryn, and Akecheta. And Rae ? —”

“Rae is alive and well, I promise.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I’m afraid he can’t be trusted to control himself around you until after this quest. He is a bit too . . . excited.”

I grinned. “I can’t wait to meet him for real.”

“Then step out of this tunnel?—”

“Have I messed up the future already? I accidentally said things?—”

“You mean telling Rae the war would last a hundred years? Luckily, I knew better than to ask and he managed to keep it to himself.”

“Do you know how this goes for me? My return to Avolire and the page?—”

“ Yes, I do , ” he whispered. “And you know I cannot tell you.”

“I know.” I shoved the notebook back into my bag. “But perhaps you can help me get to the right year in the past?”

He nodded and held his hand out.

When I took it, I spotted something I hadn’t seen before I left. My ring. Butterflies danced in my stomach. “My ring. You still have it.”

“It did not leave my finger until Halloween night, then I hid it for your safety.”

I pulled his hand to my mouth and kissed it. “I love you.”

“I love you.” He waved his hand, and the tunnel wall opened. “Now go get the page. I’ve done my waiting, I’m ready for you to come home.”

“What if I get stuck again?”

“Just get in the tunnel and I will find you.” He tucked my hair behind my ear. “I will always find you. Now go. ”

I pressed a kiss to his lips, then leapt out the tunnel opening before I had time to fight it. Every single part of me pleaded for me to just go home to him. It was killing me to know how much this had to be hurting him. Eight centuries of waiting.

As my feet crunched into icy snow, I knew I’d finally made it to the right place. I looked up, expecting to see the castle of Avolire yet found only a snow-covered forest. The trees towered high into the night sky, yet the moonlight managed to stream down in little pockets. There wasn’t much visibility because of the trees but there wasn’t much breeze either. So, I had to take the good with the bad. Everest must have known better than to drop me suddenly at Sweyn’s doorstep. This definitely wasn’t the Land of the Lore though, so I had no reason to panic. Yet. Everest just told me he knew what happened, which meant he knew exactly how I found my way there. I just needed to find my way to the castle?—

Sharp pain stung my arm. I looked down expecting to find a bug or a demon when I realized it was my left arm. Right beneath my Mark. Hope flared. I pushed my sleeve up and sighed with relief. Valathame had sent more guidance. I read the words on my arm slowly and carefully—-and silently.

In thy bag I placed a gift, drink it now for change is swift.

My eyes widened. It was a potion, that much was clear. But I wasn’t sure what change it was going to cause . . . but questioning Valathame was not an option. Ever. So, I let my sleeve drop back to cover her words then reached into my magic bag with this special potion in mind. I’d just wrapped my fingers around a cold glass vial when something grabbed my elbow from behind and yanked.

I gasped as my face slammed into a wall of fur. My other elbow was grabbed then my feet were lifted off the ground. I looked up and found a pair of brown eyes with a ring of shimmering red around the iris. A vampire. My pulse quickened. There were no fancy white cloaks here, just a cloak made of brown fur.

“What do we have here?” His upper lip snarled, and a long white fang slid down into his bottom lip. “A little feast just for me.”

I whimpered and thrashed in his arms, but his grip held me like a vice. I could’ve used my magic however I wasn’t sure I wanted to reveal I had any to him. Not until I knew who else was nearby. Sweyn knowing I was a witch would’ve been bad news for this quest. I had to play my cards smart.

The vampire tossed me over his shoulder. He patted my ass. “First I shall feast on your flesh until I’ve had my fill then I shall feast on your vein.”

My stomach rolled.

He chuckled. “Fear not, the pretty ones get to enjoy their death. You shall not feel an ounce of pain.”

Somehow, I actually believed that. Didn’t mean I wanted any part of any of it. I tried to bend to look around him except his body was massive. I only caught glimpses of snow and trees. Think, Frankie. Think. I had all kinds of martial arts training, especially after my lessons with Jackson and my sparring with Tenn but this was a vampire. The fight was different. My magic was my best bet . . . just not yet.

The vampire stopped and let out a vicious growl that vibrated my whole body. “This one is mine?—”

A low growl was the only response.

The vampire holding me growled back then snarled words in their vampire language I’d heard them all using before.

Pressure wrapped around my ankle then I was yanked backwards. I slid off the vampire’s shoulder and dropped to the snow flat on my back. I hissed as pain shot through my head.

A sharp gasp made me look up—right into Everest’s wide eyes. His whole body language softened, his shoulders dropping. “Finally.”

“My Lord?”

Without taking his eyes off me he flicked his wrist and shot black magic into the other vampire’s chest. He didn’t even get a chance to scream or growl, he just burst to ash and dust. I blinked and watched the breeze sweep away what was left of him. Then I turned my stare to Everest.

He watched me with those blue and white eyes that for the first time I’d ever seen . . . felt cold and distant. Had he not spoken the word finally I might have worried he didn’t recognize me. I looked down and saw my pink hair and my ring-clad hands, and the pink dress of mine I’d gotten from our home in the oasis. I looked like me. Yet he looked at me now like I was a stranger.

Slowly, I pushed to my feet, noticing the way his gaze tracked my movement. I licked my lips. “Everest?” When he didn’t react, I reached forward and gripped the lapels of his red brocade waistcoat.

He stared at me for a moment then closed his eyes and cringed.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was praying you would come much later,” he spoke softly then opened his eyes and scanned my face, the coldness already gone. He cupped my face in his hands, and I definitely did not miss the moonstone ring I gave him on his pinky. “For I know this shall be the last I see of you before you are reborn and we are reunited.”

My stomach tightened into knots. “What year is this?”

“1712.”

I placed my hands over his. “Only three centuries left. You’re getting so close.”

“I can already tell this visit will leave the deepest mark.” He groaned then leaned forward to rest his forehead on mine. I went to kiss him, but he pulled back with a shake of his head. He dropped his hands. “The drought is too severe. If I kiss you now, I may lose this carefully constructed numbness and thy quest be ruined.”

“I will kiss you before I leave here.” I reached into my magic bag for the potion vial again. “Prepare thyself.”

The smirk he gave me in response had my pulse fluttering.

Then I pulled the potion vial out and his smirk vanished. He scowled. “Whatever is that for?”

I pulled my sleeve up to show him Valathame’s words. “I may be new to this life, but I know in my heart I am not to question Her. ”

That smirk returned. He nodded. I uncapped the vial and chugged. The liquid tasted like a Shirley Temple drink. My Aunt Kimmy used to make me those as a kid all the time. Heat slid down my spine, sending little tingles across my entire body. I held my arms out and watched as the color of my skin changed to a deep olive tone. Long, wavy black hair fell over my shoulders, hanging all the way down to my hips. Light flashed in my eyes for a second before the worst case of brain freeze I’d ever experience hit me. I squeezed my eyes shut and held onto Everest for support until it faded. Right as that pain began to lighten my teeth throbbed.

A few seconds later, all of the pain vanished. I exhaled and shook my arms and legs out. When I looked up to Everest his face fell.

“I miss your face already?—”

“Everest—”

“I know, you cannot go in there with your face or our future is in peril.” He took a deep breath. “Luckily I am used to it with . . . the others.”

I nodded and gestured to myself. “?Qué te parece? ?Cómo estoy?”

WHAT? I covered my mouth with my hands. I only spoke a little bit of Spanish and it had never just come out of my mouth on default. I shook my head. I asked him what he thought and how I looked—-in English.

“Lo siento, no sé qué ha pasado— ” I gasped. “ ?Por qué estoy hablando espanol ?”

Everest’s dark eyebrows rose. Then he narrowed his eyes and lifted my left arm. With careful, gentle fingers he lifted my sleeve. I groaned because there were two lines written on my arm, but they were not the same ones I’d just seen.

To guard the matters of thy heart, your words will come from across the chart.

“?Qué significa eso?”

He chuckled softly and tapped on the words. They vanished instantly. “I believe She has given you a little assistance . . . since things have a tendency to . . . slip out.” He winked.

I opened my mouth then shut it.

“Eso es justo,” he said with a laugh. “ ?No?”

“Si, eso es justo — ?Hablas espanol?”

“Yes, I speak Spanish.” He growled. “Mother believes I must speak every language in this realm.”

That made sense for the mother of evil. Couldn’t manipulate everyone if you didn’t speak their language. I pushed my sleeve up to check if the words were still gone and realized my Mark was, too. “ Hey, my Mark is gone.” I thought the words in English, but my mouth said them in Spanish.

“And you have fangs.” He ran his fingertip over one of my fangs and it sent a shiver down my spine that made him smirk. “You must play the part of a newly turned vampire, you may not like what I ask you to do?—”

“I only care that I get what we need so I can get home to you,” I said in Spanish. “ What is the plan? ”

“I am going to blend into shadow and lead you to the archway. You are going to walk through the front door. A sentinel will find you. Upon seeing your fangs, you will be escorted to Sweyn’s throne. That is where you will meet me. Understand?”

I nodded. “ ?Sweyn habla espanol?”

“No, Queen Sweyn does not speak Spanish. Undoubtedly why it was chosen.” He gave me a sideways grin. “Come with me, little tickling.”

“ That’s surprising for someone her age.” It was weird to hear my own words come out in Spanish. “ I would think she would know all of them. ”

“Why learn when she can make me do all the work?” He stepped to the side and turned to shadow between the trees. “I shall guide you from here.”

“ What am I going to say when I get there? ” I asked as I trudged through the crunchy snow with him moving silently a few feet away. “ Won’t she ask where I came from? ”

“You will have to trust me,” he whispered.

I suspected he didn’t want to be heard talking to me while in shadow-form, that would be crazy suspicious. And since I did, in fact, trust him I had no reason to push my questions. He’d gotten me this far. I would follow him anywhere. Funny thing was, I’d already given this man my trust entirely when I barely knew him. I’d chastised myself for how quickly I did so, too. But now that I knew he was my husband for three centuries before I died, all of that hesitation and doubt was just gone. Turned out Tegan wasn’t the only person I’d blindly listen to.

We marched for a few minutes in silence until we reached the edge of the forest. Through the trees I saw that damned archway— wait. I jumped behind a tree. I kept my eyes on the archway so if anyone was looking at me, they would think I was talking to myself. “ Magic does not work through that archway ? —”

“I hate that you know that,” he grumbled. “That potion came from Valathame, it temporarily turned you into a vampire. Her magic is not affected by that archway.”

“ Who put that archway there and why? Can I destroy it?”

He sighed. “None of those are questions for 1712. Reserve them for your Everest.”

I nodded. That was fair.

“You are incredible, remember that when you enter the doors.”

I smiled and drew a heart shape in the snow on the trunk of the tree next to me. With my head held high and my shoulders back, I marched forward. He trailed behind me as I walked, not that I saw him but I felt him. When I crossed beneath the arch I tried to imagine the shiver was from the breeze sweeping across the open field. You can do this, Frankie.

Don’t be suspicious.

Valathame has your back. Tegan has your back.

Everest would set this castle on fire before he let harm come to me.

Just breathe.

I made it halfway to the front door when it swung open. Four males in the same brown fur cloaks the other one had been wearing stepped out onto the snow. These had to be the sentinels of this era.

The one in the middle with red hair licked his lips slowly then wagged his eyebrows. “What do we have here?”

I am here to see Queen Sweyn , I said but it came out as “ Estoy aquí para ver a la reina Sweyn.”

He scowled. “What language was that?”

“ Espanol.”

“You’re a far way from Spain, little lady.” He stepped closer and bared his fangs. “Are you lost?”

I bared my fangs back. “ Dije que había venido a ver a la reina Sweyn .”

All four of them scowled.

“?Tu reina? Sweyn.” Reina was such a pretty word for queen.

The sentinel with long blond hair huffed and stepped aside. He gestured to the open front door. “Queen Sweyn is inside.”

I nodded and marched through the door with them hot on my heels. But as I walked some of my confidence faltered because this was not the Avolire I knew. The one in the future was made of glass and white marble where footsteps made that click-clack sound. This Avolire was made of stone, and the layout was already not identical. This front hallway was entirely enclosed in the future, yet this one had open windows without glass in them. What do they do during the day?

Luckily, once we got through the front hallway, I recognized the layout that led to Sweyn’s throne room. The four sentinels surrounded me, two on each side, as if I was a prisoner being escorted to my cell. They paused outside the double doors then slowly pushed them open. Inside, it was exactly as I recalled except made of stone. The sentinel behind me prodded my back to make me walk so I did, but not without glancing around at the courtiers perched on their couches and chairs. It was strange for them to not be dressed in all-white. Even stranger for them to be all wearing red. In the future only the human toys wore red. I had so many questions.

But those would have to wait.

Because straight ahead, poised on her throne made of quartz crystal that looked like glass, was Queen Sweyn. I had to admit, she looked rather regal in that dark red dress made of velvet with gold embroidery that sparkled beneath the moonlight streaming in. The square cut of her neckline with the corset had all her best assets shoved up to her chin. I didn’t recall seeing gowns with slits in history books, but Sweyn’s sure had one and that was a whole lot of bare leg I saw crossed over the other.

She pursed her red-painted lips. “My, my, my, what did you bring me?”

I bowed and it took everything in me not to vomit on her throne. “ Mi reina. ”

When I did not lift my head, she used her bare foot to push my chin up. She arched one pale eyebrow. “Is that Spanish you’re speaking?”

“ Espanol. Si.”

She tapped her fingers on the armrests of her throne. I had to resist the urge to look right at where I knew the compartment was that held the missing page. If I were Tegan, I would’ve just knocked everyone in the room out and stole the damned thing.

“ Lord Everest? ” Her voice was musical as she called my soulmate to her side.

He moved from within the crowd with ease and strolled to her throne. With a slight incline of his head he said, “My Queen?”

Sweyn pointed to me. “Lord Everest, tap into the tickling’s mind and see what you can find. I expect to hear the answers in English.”

I wondered which language she spoke originally. Or where she lived back then. Avolire had not existed. I had more questions about my enemy now than I realized. My mind was so preoccupied with my curiosities that I didn’t realize what was about to happen until it happened.

When Everest took me by the waist then sank his fangs into my throat. I gasped and my back arched.

“Do not react,” he spoke into my mind the way he always did. “ Close your eyes and follow my lead.”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

After a moment, he pulled back and licked over the wound he’d made on my skin. I shivered and it made Sweyn giggle. She looked to Everest with expectant eyes.

He licked his lips and stepped back to her side. “Her name is María. She is from Spain and does not remember who turned her. The Coven found her and have delivered her to you, with a spell placed upon her ear to allow her to understand English despite only speaking Spanish.”

Sweyn grinned. “So, The Coven found you and abandoned you on my doorstep, surprised they didn’t just kill you outright. Then again, that face is too pretty to destroy.”

I bowed again. “ Gracias, mi reina. ”

“Katelin.” Sweyn snapped her fingers. “Take the tickling to her new room. Give her something more . . . appropriate to wear. I do not care for whatever this style Spain is wearing, it looks old. Have her change then we shall show her how we live here.”

A young-looking woman stepped out in front of me and bowed to Sweyn. “Yes, my Queen.”

When she spun to face me, I had to bite my cheek to stop myself from gasping. It was Katelin, the vampire I’d met in Avolire with purple hair. She was blonde here, but I was certain it was the same person.

“Katelin, dress her for a ball.” Sweyn stood and addressed the court. “Tonight, we have cause to celebrate.”