Blessed by Sapphires (A Dance with Destiny Book 2) (7 page)

Chapter 11

Jenevier

(ZHEN-ah-veer)

I numbly entered the open door, barely managing to hold myself together long enough to hear the click of the closing latch. Then I stopped trying.

Wretched, debilitating grief racked my whole body. I fell to my knees.

I’d only just accepted my new life—my new destiny upon layer eight—simply to be winged away to another realm. I would never get to hug Sarah again. I would never get to stand up and cheer at her graduation. Never be able to tell her how beautiful she looked on her wedding day, or how proud I was of her when she became a warrior for the FBI. I wanted to hold her babies and grandbabies and great-grandbabies. As it was, I didn’t even get to say goodbye.

Now, my new home… well, it was like a giant slap in the face. Deserved? Probably. Expected? Definitely not. How am I going to be able to walk these streets, commune with these people, live amongst them daily, when every single thing about this place reminds me of home? My home, the home I was banned from. The only place I ever wanted to see again, the only city where my heart and soul truly lived. It was too awful.

I felt like someone had run up to me, smiling brightly, and announced…
You have just won your very own paradise! You will find it is fully stocked with all your favorite foods, there are numerous homes for all your favorite people, and everyone you love is but a breath away. You’ve suffered long enough. Congratulations! Enjoy your just reward!
Then, they handed me a mere picture of said reward and politely walked away. Hopes and dreams lifted to the highest heavens—rug jerked from under my feet. Gut-wrenching and spirit-shattering. Alas, that would have been so much easier to accept than what was actually happening. This ethereal city was nothing more than a vicious copy, a miserable teasing replica of all my fondest dreams.

Why does this place and why do these people have to be so much like my lost life? Did someone look into my mind and build this world? Has the last four years been only a waiting game? Waiting until this wretched place was ready, waiting until the cruelest joke imaginable was put together. Did I simply roam about the eighth layer, invisible, wishing for my true end… until my own personal hell was ready to swing wide its doors, allowing entrance only to the pathetically shattered, horribly fallen, Death Angel of God
.

I felt bile rising up in the back of my throat.

The man who had graciously welcomed me into his home was a perfectly blended facsimile of my absent love. Everything about him was a wickedly brewed concoction of Varick and Alzeen. His lovely hair was as Varick’s but highlighted with my favorite color, purple. His enchanting eyes were dual colored, as was Alzeen’s, and were as magical as were Varick’s. His comfortable stature and knee-weakening physique caused the same reaction within me as Alzeen’s
always
would. His tender response to my pain and emphatic need for my joy and comfort, everything was there. Some twisted puppet master snuck into my sleeping mind and fiendishly created a physical being to embody everything I held dear about my lost love, my lost husband. Some devil had taken everything I found desirous, everything I treasured the most, and covered him in
my
preferred wrapping. He was the most gloriously evil gift imaginable, deliciously torturous. I would definitely have to steer clear of this man, always.

So consuming were my sobs, if anyone were listening, they would’ve been hard-pressed to make out a single word. “Varick, my love, I want to return home. I only ever wanted to be your Anicee. I am so sorry. I am so dreadfully sorry. Forgive me for loving Vareilious too much, forgive me for the secret confession you never even heard. I was too scared to give my mundane heart to one as glorious as you. Why did you love me so much? Why would you trust your forever to one such as me? I know I don’t deserve you, yet… I want nothing else in this universe. Only you, Varick… only my Alzeen.”

I curled up there on the floor of my borrowed room and cried. I don’t know how long I lay there. I believe I slept. I didn’t hear the door open, nor did I feel his gentle hands try to rouse me. Yet I briefly pulled my mind together when I heard that tender, comforting voice in my ear.

“Jenevier… Jenevier, can you hear me? Please wake and take some food. You must keep up your strength. Let me help you. Please.”

I heard his voice, yes, but it seemed so far away. Someone carried me to the giant bed. Two whole days passed before I heard his voice once more.

“What ails you, lovely lady? Did you finally give up? Has your sanity escaped to some dark place I cannot follow?” he whispered. “Have those worthless Guardians of yours finally broken you completely? Are you beyond repair, little sister?” I felt strong arms wrap about me, pulling me back against his warm chest. His lips were in my hair, the heat from his breath tickling my scalp. “If you will only let me, I can heal you. I will never let harm come to you, tiny Angel. I will keep you forever at my side, forever in my arms. Can you hear me? Can you feel my heart pounding against your fragile back? I wish you knew me, wish you realized in whose arms you now lay. If you only knew the truth of it, little one, you would see. You would know then; you would realize there is not a creature in existence who could remove you from my embrace. Let me be your constant, Angel. Let me gift you with a glorious forever. Open your eyes, Jenevier, accept your fate. Wake now and realize your
true
destiny.”

“Vybius?” A woman’s voice invaded my lovely dream, calling out a name I had never heard before.

“Yes, Vydia, what is it?”

“Will you not come now and eat? You’ve been sitting there talking to her for days. You must eat something before the council meeting.”

“I will be fine, Vydia.”

I heard the exasperated sigh that followed his words.

“At least, take some tea. I will run your bath and get your council robes ready. Please, leave this room. She is no longer here. It’s time to let her go.”

“I will not leave her, not as long as she still draws breath. Guardians did this to her, Vydia. The Vanir are responsible for this child’s fragile mind. Humans are not Vanir. Human girls are not celestial warriors. It should be counted as sin to treat them thusly.”

“But, Vybius, the sin was
hers
. No Guardian forced her hand in that murder. She alone tore out the heart of—”

“Vydia, leave me.” He thankfully cut off her painful words. “I do not wish to quarrel with you and I don’t have the patience right now to show you how badly you err.”

I heard the door softly close and I felt the cool towel placed gently on my head. I tried to remember where I was. The realization of that memory pulled fresh tears to the backs of my eyes.

“I didn’t know your name. It is quite lovely. Vybius… I like it.”

When I finally forced my lids open, those amethyst eyes were sparkling and a warming smile welcomed me.

“There you are, Milady. I have missed you, oh, how I’ve missed you. Where did you go?”

“Nowhere… I know not… it was just… darkness.”

“Then why did you come back?” He was brushing sweat-drenched curls from my forehead. “I feared you had entered the abyss and could not return. I feared you would lose your way.”

“Your voice… your words… they lulled my heart. Then… you were angry. I was worried about you.” I tried to focus on producing a coherent thought. “I’m not certain as to why, but I was. It truly isn’t fair you know, making me fret over you so soon after our first meeting.”

He laughed softly, and that alone made me feel better. It helped center me.

“Can you sit up?”

When I managed to get up on my elbows, I felt lightheaded. Vybius helped me the rest of the way and placed a fragrant cup of warm tea in my shaky hands. It was delicious. His gentle touch was so soothing—slowly rubbing tiny circles across my back, mindlessly comforting me. It was such a tender, caring thing to do. It only served to make me feel worse. I tried to force my mind to ignore my eyes, to look at this man without noticing his all-too-perfect wrapping. It was no use. This enchanting man’s ideal packaging also held an invaluable gem within. I was certain of it. At least, that’s what I convinced myself.

Ugh, I have to think on other things. I will never fall for this man. I swear it by all I know. He is NOT Alzeen. He is NOT Varick. If I must, I will be cruel to him for even being allowed to own their similarities.
I determined to constantly convince my addled mind of the truth.
He is my new brother… he is only a brother… a warrior brother, not my lost lover.

The backs of his fingers brushed gently against my cheek. “Forgive me for not giving you my name when first we met. I was so excited I must have forgotten.”

And then, he blushed. He was so cute when he blushed…
Dammit
.

“Gratitude for saying it’s beautiful,” he whispered.

My eyes narrowed. “Why were you excited?”

I took another long drink of the wonderful tea. I had waited
years
to taste tea such as this. I immediately wanted more.

“Excuse me?”

“You said you were so excited you forgot to mention your name. What were you so excited about?”

He seemed shocked by my question. Those magical eyes studied my expression intently. “Why, about meeting you, of course.” He said it just as plain and matter-of-fact as you could possibly imagine.

This is where I gracefully choked on my tea. No matter how long I lived around these incredible warriors, their raw honesty still stunned me.

“Are you well?”

“Yes. Apologies. You caught me a little off guard.” A couple more coughs and my lungs were again clear. “Tell me. How is it you knew of me? How did you even know I was coming? And why in the world would
I
be anything worth getting excited about?”

He chuckled and tried to gently untangle some of my curls. “You jest, no?”

“No. I don’t feel much like joking around anymore.” Vareilious’s smirking face popped into my mind. “The thrill of it has left me.”

“Truly?”

“Truly. When I lost my dear friend… I lost my taste for it.”

“I see.” His voice dropped to barely a whisper. “Apologies, Milady. I did not mean to cause you grief.”

“Please, Vybius, please stop apologizing to me. Just promise me you’ll never stop laughing and smiling.” I closed my eyes as I tilted my head from side to side, popping the bones in my weary neck. “Yours is the only warmth I have known for many years now.” I finished off the last of my delicious tea and slowly filled my lungs with the pristine air of Vandermil. “Ahh… May I have some more of your magical tea?”

He didn’t answer. I turned to hand him my empty cup. The silver in his eyes was flashing or glowing or pulsing or something. I had never seen anything like it before. Well, except, Vashti’s rubies could flash. But this was different. He didn’t seem to be looking
at
me, and he gave no indication he’d even heard me speak. I was terribly curious. It was truly an odd thing to behold.

“Are you a seer?” I turned full to face him. “Vareen would get that same far-off look in her eyes when she was witnessing a vision. I mean, her eyes didn’t flash or anything.”

He remained as he was, silent.

“Are you having a vision?”

Vybius still didn’t answer, but the silver pulsing began to slow. Eventually, he focused on my questioning face, seemingly alarmed to find me watching him so intently. He blushed, again.

Jeez. Why does he have to keep doing that? It’s like he’s trying to tempt me.

He nervously cleared his throat. “Apologies. Did you say something?”

“Are you well, Vybius? Your hands tremble. You seem as if you’re ready to jump out of your skin at the slightest bump.”

I reached for him, tenderly placing my hands over his. I was right. He jumped clean off the bed.

“Whoa, slow down there, Angel.” I couldn’t help the chuckle mixed in with my words. “I only wished to comfort you. Please do not interpret my actions as forward. I understand quite well. Some people don’t like to be touched. I get it. Apologies. I will not err so again,” I promised. “But you seem just about ready to burst.”

“No, no, please don’t take it that way. My mind was elsewhere. I was lost in my own head. I love to touch you, Jenevier.” A gentle smile turned up the corners of his mouth. “Your skin is so soft. You look so delicate, so fragile. It’s merely a guise though; the lean muscles of your arms and legs are deceptively hard.” His smile grew wider. “I have lain with you for two full days, Milady, doing nothing
but
touching you.”

“
Excuse
me?” I admit to letting the horror show plainly on my face.

He quickly held up his hands, waving them frantically. “No, no. It wasn’t like
that
.” He blushed again. “I only meant I had stayed by your side every moment since I walked in and found you curled-up on the floor. I laid you on the bed and tended to you.”

I arched one eyebrow, tilting my head to the side. I could only stare at this angelic creature—stumbling over his strangely apologetic words.