Eternal Fire (24 page)

“
Yeah, I remember the name. Papers said the boyfriend, Frank something-or-other, killed her in some jealous rage and buried her body somewhere in these woods.”

I swallowed hard, amazed that I’d become an urban legend. “Well, I assure you I’m still alive and kicking—and that Frank was not my boyfriend for very long.”

“
So you’re some kind of ghost, huh?” he retorted.

“
Okay, my turn now,” Liz said. “I’m an Immortal princess who just stepped through an ancient portal from my world to yours. If you don’t give me a ride, I’ll just be forced to take your truck.”

“
You? Please! Maybe them.” He jokingly pointed to the guys.

“
King Victor and Prince Charles?” Liz said.

“
Boy, you guys really do get into character.”

Liz shifted her stance. “You should be far more worried about me than them.”

“
How come, lady?”

“
Because I have superpowers that’d totally blow your mind. I could easily compel you to forget everything and walk home.”

He laughed. “You’re so messing with me.”

The driver slugged him. “Of course she is, you idiot. Portal? Superpowers? Please!”

“
I might have an open mind, but I’m not that gullible,” the guy in the passenger seat said.

“
Would you like a demonstration?” Liz asked.

I nudged her. “Liz, behave.”

“
She’s funny,” the driver said, shooting his buddy a look. “That’s the type of girl you should be dating.”

Liz laughed. “I have been known for my wicked sense of humor.” She smiled and leaned in. “All kidding aside, our ride left us. Think you guys can give us a lift into town?”

He nodded. “Sure. Hop in back.”

“
You always travel with Greek gods?” the brunette asked, admiring Victor and Charles.

“
Yup. The blond’s my husband,” Liz said, defending her territory.

“
How about the dark-haired one?” the girl asked.

I grinned, proud to show him off. “He’s taken too. This is my husband, Victor.”

She smiled. “Lucky you. How did you meet?”

“
Well, he kidnapped me and threw me in a dungeon,” I said.

She cocked a brow.

“
Only until you decided to marry me,” Victor said.

“
I was forced to say yes,” I said.

“
I bet it didn’t take a lot of forcing,” she kidded. “Did you guys have a nice wedding?”

Victor leaned in. “It was wonderful, until she faked her own death and left me during the reception.”

“
I did not fake my own death!” I retorted. “I was supposed to be hurt, not dead.”

“
Mia was covered in blood, and she was supposed to be you.”

“
Did you really expect me to stay with a tyrant?” I asked.

The girl was practically drooling over Victor already, and a bad-boy persona only made her want him more. “He’s a…tyrant?”

“
Don’t worry, we’re past all that now. I started to see things differently when he kidnapped me a second time, when I was running for my life.”

“
You surrendered yourself to me and my army,” Victor said.

“
Only because we had Immortals on our butts.”

“
If you would’ve stayed with me in the castle in the first place, you would’ve been safe.”

I looked at the girl and shrugged nonchalantly. “Everyone wanted me dead. They were all trying to kill Victor.”

“
Yeah,” Liz said. “He only has, like, a million enemies.”

“
That’s true, and the best way to get to him was to kill me because we were connected with one beating heart,” I said. “I had no idea when I ventured off from the castle how much danger I was in. I had a big X on my back.”

The girl laughed, nudging her friend. “They’re acting out their play. Let’s buy tickets online. We gotta go see it!”

“
Hey,” I said, “can I use your cell? I need to call my father so he can pick me up in town.”

The driver reached in his pocket. “Here you go.”

I smiled. “Thanks.” I made a quick call, and my dad was elated and promised to meet us.

Victor stared at the truck and ran his hand across the hood. “This is how you transport yourself from place to place?” he asked the driver.

I reached for Victor’s hand. “It’s just like riding a horse, only way, way faster—and gas is more expensive than hay.”

“
Dude, you act like you’ve never seen a truck,” the driver said.

“
He’s getting back into character,” the girl said, laughing and staring at Victor’s blue eyes.

The guy chuckled. “You actors… You guys are definitely Hollywood material.” He hopped out and lowered the gate so we could all climb in the bed of his truck. “I bet you guys are hungry after practicing your lines all morning.”

“
Please tell me you’ve got some modern-day junk food!” Liz said, her eyes lighting up.

He threw Liz a bag of potato chips, and she yelped in joy. “Mmm! I haven’t these in over ten years.”

“
Seriously? Ten years?” the driver said. “Where in the hell have you been, lady? I thought they had Ruffles everywhere.”

“
Did you hear a word I said?” Liz asked. “I was trapped in another dimension, another world.”

Charles nudged her, but it didn’t deter her.

The driver looked at me and shrugged. “Is she still acting?”

“
She’s on a diet,” I whispered. “Hasn’t seen potato chips in forever.”

Manners went out the door, and Liz ripped the bag open and stuffed a whole handful of chips in her mouth. “Gosh, I missed these! All that salty greasiness…”

“
Wow, that must’ve been some diet,” the guy said. “It’s not good to deprive yourself, or you’ll just… Whoa, look at you!” he said with a chuckle.

Liz and I burst out in laughter.

“
Feel free to wrap up in the blankets back there,” the driver said.

“
Thanks!” Liz said, opening a soft brown blanket for she and Charles to cuddle under.

I smiled as Victor wrapped us in a blue one; it felt so warm snuggling next to him. Liz was chowing down on chips when I grabbed the bag from her, laughing. “Hey, I’m the one with all the cravings, remember?”

“
True, but I haven’t had a chip in a decade! Those guys aren’t getting anything back but an empty bag,” Liz said. “Whoa!”

“
What?” I asked.

“
Says here these things were almost four bucks! What’s with the inflation?”

“
You’ve been gone a long time, Liz—a real long time.”

“
Well, anyway, I hope they know I’m eating all of these. Giving Ruffles to potato chip-depraved women. Seriously, what were they thinking?”

“
I know, right?”

Tires squealed as the truck sped off.

“
Do you remember how much fun we used to have with those—”

“
Those potato chip fights!” Liz threw a handful at me.

“
Yeah, we’d stay up all night, raid the fridge, and watch all those old movies.” I grabbed a few chips and popped them in my mouth, savoring their flavor. “Mmm…” I pulled out another and handed it to Victor. “Try it.”

He bit into it, then swallowed. “Crunchy…salty. It’s quite different.”

“
The crunchier and the saltier, the better! Wait till you try pizza!” Liz stood and held the bag up in the air, letting the wind rush through her hair. “Yeah, baby! Hey, California, it’s great to be back!” she roared. “Woooo-hooooo! I’m home! I’m really home.”

I smiled.

“
Guess what I’m gonna do first!” Liz shouted through the roar of the wind.

“
What, besides eating the junk food of strangers?”

“
I’m gonna take a hot shower and put on a pair of blue jeans and tennis shoes, then order a pizza with extra cheese and pepperoni, then down the entire thing, followed by a two liter of Pepsi. And ice cream! I want to eat an entire gallon for dessert. Then I want to watch a movie and read a book!” She glanced down at me. “You got any good books?”

“
I have hundreds of them on my Kindle.”

“
Kindle? What’s that?”

I squeezed Victor’s hand and laughed. “She is almost as behind on the times as you, my love.”

“
Seriously, what is it?” Liz asked.

“
An e-book reader.”

“
E-book, huh? You mentioned that before. What is it?”

“
Nobody buys books anymore. They just download them. When we get to Mom’s house, I’ll show you hers.”

With my Immortal hearing, I could hear “Sweet Alabama” playing in the background. I nodded to the opening notes in the song.

Liz glanced down as her garments flew freely in the wind. “It’s such a great song, isn’t it? Even if we aren’t from Alabama.”

“
The words ring so true,” I said. I was back home, in the world I knew and loved. I’d never thought I’d see California again, but there I was, and nothing could have been sweeter.

Liz tapped on the back window as we sped down the road. “Hey, boys, turn that song up!” She reached for my hand, and I stood. She held my arm up in the air as the wind gushed over us.

I loosened my bun and let my hair fly back and whip around in the wind.

“
The Larker sisters have returned!” Liz yelled.

“
Wooo-hooooo!” I screamed. Over the last year, I’d worked hard to fit in with the Royal Court. I’d dressed and acted the part, had gone to all the fancy dinners, and behaved. But now I was just letting it all go, and it felt wonderful. I intended to live life to the fullest. I knew every day was a gift, and I vowed to enjoy every single minute, hour, and every precious second I had with Victor. I felt like I had been given a second chance at happiness with him, and I wasn’t going to blow it. I’d love and cherish Victor forever, with twice the intensity of a thousand suns. I would never take him or life for granted again. When I met Victor’s gaze, he smiled, and that beautiful smile was all I’d ever need.

I could hear the guys talking in the cab of the truck, and one muttered something about how we were going to fly off if they hit one wrong bump. The other argued that they should just let us have our fun. We began singing the lyrics and dancing, and Victor smiled at us. He knew he could never hold down my carefree spirit, and that was one thing he loved about me.

Back in the other world, Liz had claimed she was fine with never coming back to California, but seeing her there like that, I could tell how excited and happy she was to be home. I had to admit that I felt the same way, and I was thrilled that I’d be able to show Victor my world. I hoped he’d love it just as much as I did.

Chapter 14

My father picked us up in town and had the biggest shock of his life when he learned Victor wasn’t dead. He drove us back home, which took hours, in complete shock and utter happiness. We warned my mother so she wouldn’t faint, thinking she was seeing a ghost.

Finally, I climbed out of her car and laid my eyes on the familiar brown, two-story house with the shutters on its windows, 2168 Halstead. I even admired the polished brass numbers that made up our address. I’d grown up there, and I could still picture Liz and myself as little girls, running across the giant yard, playing tag and hide-and-seek. I realized that before long, I might be able to watch my own children playing in that very yard; the thought brought tears to my eyes. My crazed hormones were making my emotions fly all over the place, and I was completely overwhelmed when I caught sight of the big oak tree in the front yard and the wooden swing on the porch.