Eternal Fire (5 page)

“
My dad once told me that when he flew over the rainforest, he could see flashes of blue when the metallic butterflies flew above the forest canopy. Before, I could only imagine how beautiful that must have been, but now…” I leaned back into Victor and looked up. “When Liz and I were young, we used to chase butterflies. It made us laugh and giggle so much.”

“
When I was young, my mother and father took me to a festival where we played a game there. The one who caught the most butterflies was the winner.”

I smiled, truly intrigued, since Victor rarely opened up to me about his childhood. “And were you the victor, Victor? Did you win in the end?”

He laughed. “I caught more than fifty of the beautiful creatures, but when I heard they were going to feed them to the birds, I couldn’t bear to allow it. I let every single one go when nobody was looking.”

I grinned. “So you saved the butterflies?”

“
Not only the butterflies, but the birds as well.”

“
The birds? It sounds to me like you singlehandedly starved them.”

He laughed and shook his head. “No, Sarah. Monarch butterflies feast on the poisonous sap of the milkweed plant. If the birds digest the butterflies, they get sick. I did it for the benefit of both.”

“
Hmm. I had no idea. So you were a hero to all of them, huh?”

“
I suppose I was, though I was only a boy at the time.”

I smiled, then nudged him. “You big softie! You have a good heart hidden under all those muscles and that commanding voice of yours. That’s why I love you so much.” I was excited that Victor had shared one of his precious memories with me. Thanks to his perfectionist, tyrant, unforgiving father, who’d always ruled the land with an iron fist, he’d learned to keep his mouth shut about sentimental things. I wanted to know more, but I didn’t want to pry. I knew in time, the man who had married me would let me know more about him, and there were so many things I longed to know.

“
I love you too,” he said, pulling my hand as we walked back toward the castle.

Chapter 3

Wanting to keep an eye on me this time, Victor drew a bath for me himself instead of asking Mia to do it.

I relaxed and let the hot water and bubbles glide over my body. Nothing had felt better in quite a while, other than making love to him in the rain.

He handed me a brown mug filled with wine. “Here, darling. This will help you relax a bit.”

It tasted divine, and as soon as I took the first sip, my nerves were instantly soothed. “You know me so well, Victor,” I said, smiling at him over the brim of the mug. “You know just what I need all the time.”

Smiling and not saying a word, Victor came from behind and massaged my naked shoulders.

“
Mmm…that feels wonderful. Boy, you really get me,” I said.

“
I do know you, my love, and I knew you would not wish to eat in the grand ballroom. I’ve asked Mia to prepare a banquet and serve it in our room. I also canceled lunch with your parents. Your mom said your dad didn’t get much sleep last night and was taking a long nap anyway.”

“
That’s fine. Is it lunchtime already? No wonder my stomach is grumbling.” I gazed into his serious face and noticed something brewing there—something uneasy. “What’s wrong, Victor?”

His lips pressed into grim lines. “I feel like a fool. I failed to keep you safe. I am so, so sorry, my darling.”

“
Victor,” I said, reaching for his hand, “you didn’t fail me. It wasn’t your fault. Ethano is the only one to blame.”

“
I’ve asked extra troops to stand guard all around the castle, in case the fiend tries to return like the fool he is.”

I let out a long sigh. “How did he ever escape? I thought sure the Immortals would make sure their prison was secure.”

“
I am not sure, but I will find out.” He kissed the top of my head. “I’m going to take a trip to King’s Taggert’s court. There is no excuse for this, and I intend to let them know.”

“
Wait, Victor. You’re going now?” I didn’t want to be the clingy wife, but I didn’t feel like being alone either.

“
I’m afraid I must, Sarah. We need to alert everyone to Ethano’s escape. He’s very dangerous, and I have no idea what he’s planning.” Victor was clearly upset, and his broody expression said it all.

I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I just wanted to forget, if only for a minute. “Join me.” I stood, then pulled him toward the wooden bathtub, batting my eyelashes at him.

He wrapped his arms around my wet, naked body. Gazing deeply into my eyes, he cupped my face, then kissed me.

I pulled off his shirt and caressed his hard, tense shoulders, slick chest, and tight abs. “Come on in. The water’s perfect, and there’s just enough room for two.”

Unable to resist me, he stripped down, revealing that hot, toned body of his, then slowly climbed in. He pulled me against him as his mouth claimed mine. I kissed him back harder, my hands roaming every inch of his warm chest. I couldn’t get enough of him.

Then, suddenly, he pulled away from me, confusion washing over his face.

“
What’s wrong?” I asked, trailing my finger through the bath water.

“
I noticed something odd earlier, but I didn’t want to worry you, especially after everything you’ve been through with Ethano.”

I cocked a brow. “What is it, Victor? Tell me.”

“
Something is just…wrong. Do you not feel it?” His voice was troubled, and further confusion flooded his features.

“
Victor, all I feel right now is this warm water and a very intense need to rub my hands all over you.” I looked deep into his eyes and could tell he was far too angry, frightened, and sad for my flirtations to have any effect. “What’s wrong? What is it?”

The lines in his forehead creased. “It isn’t so much what I feel as what I do not feel.”

“
What? I’m not sure I understand.”

“
Our bond, Sarah. I just don’t…I don’t feel it.”

He slid his fingers through mine, and I knew he was right; I didn’t feel the familiar electricity that usually occurred between us. Of course I still loved him with all my heart, but I couldn’t feel what he was feeling or sensing. It was as if the paranormal link we shared had been disconnected. I was mortified.
That’s why Victor didn’t feel the pain I was suffering when Ethano cut and burned me. What’s going on?

“
Victor,” I said, “I didn’t get a chance to tell you all of the details in all the commotion, but maybe if I explain what Ethano did, it will make sense to you.”

“
Go on,” he said.

“
Well, he cut some kind of symbol into my chest and burned me with a gold medallion, and it hurt like hell.” I sucked in a deep breath, the pain still fresh in my mind.

“
You healed very quickly.”

“
I know. Somehow, it all disappeared. He cut me right here,” I said, gently touching myself where he’d sliced into my flesh.

Victor’s eyes widened as he ran his fingers over the skin on my chest. He then ran a hand through my hair and gazed deeply into my eyes. “I am so very sorry, my Queen. I should have been here to protect you instead of tending to my horses.”

I cupped his cheek. “You couldn’t have known.”

He looked away, as if pondering his thoughts, then finally spoke. “What did he say?”

I bit my lip. “Not much. Just that he has plans for me.”

“
I hope his plans were foiled when I rushed up here.”

“
I’m not sure. When he seared me with the pendant, it must have disconnected us somehow,” I said. “Maybe he intends to kidnap me…or worse.”

“
I fear that you are right. If I cannot feel you, sense you, it will be easier for him to harm you or take you away. My guess is he wants to use you against me. In his grand scheme, he needs you. He had to damage our bond, or I’d have been able to find you anywhere.”

“
But without the bond, he could easily hide me somewhere, and you’ll never find me,” I said, cringing at the horrible thought.

“
Ethano seeks revenge, and he knows nothing would hurt me more than losing you.”

“
I’m surprised he just didn’t kill me then. It would have meant death for both of us. Wouldn’t that have been the ultimate revenge?”

“
Ethano is pure evil. His heart is as dark as night, if he even has a heart at all. Killing you would have been too easy. I fear he is more intent on making us suffer the way he’s suffered. He is dangerous and does not think with a stable mind. We must be on constant guard.”

“
I’m sure he’ll come after me soon and often, since the bond has been broken.”

“
Let him try. I will still guard you with my life, to my last breath. Also, I will teach you as much as I can so that you can defend yourself even better.”

I laid my head on his warm chest and snuggled into him, and we spent the next few minutes just holding one another. He was angry and wounded, but he was still my brooding hero. I wondered if he’d ever open up to me about the emotional scars he wore, left over from an ancient past I knew little about. Whatever had happened, the pain ran deep and still tormented him. I wanted to assure him that I was there for him, that I’d wipe every tear away and would hold him until the end of time, but he was a prideful man, and I knew I’d have to let him do things in his own way and his own time. Victor was secretive and puzzling, and I wanted to know what dark secrets he was harboring. I wished he’d let me in, but I knew I’d have to give him his time and space until he was ready. My heart told me he was the one, so I was more than willing to wait.

I finally broke the silence, my voice quivering. “Victor, do you think our bond is lost forever?”

The sadness was visible in the lines across his face. He looked away, serious and upset, pondering. “I don’t know. I do not even understand how he was able to accomplish it. It has never been done before.”

I recalled that Ethano had mentioned something about me being his bride, and I wondered what he had meant by that, if anything beyond an idle threat to scare me and turn my stomach.
Maybe he’d planned to take me away. Without our bond, Victor wouldn’t have been able to follow us.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to find out, because my Victor came in the nick of time to save me from a fate worse than death. The thought of Ethano touching me made me nauseous. Imagining his hands on my body made me shudder.
I’ll kill him before he ever comes near me again.
I frowned and looked at Victor. “The bond we’ve shared over the last year was amazing. I’ve never felt so close to anybody before, and I don’t want to lose it.”

“
Yes, I know, and he will pay for what he’s done. I will ask the others if there is any way to reconnect. Even if we cannot, your life will be safe, my love. There are many enemies who would love to see me dead. If we are not connected, they will not be able to harm you through me. That is at least of some relief.”

Tears welled up in my eyes at the thought of anyone harming so much as a hair on his head. “No, Victor!” I said. “If anything happened to you, I’d be devastated, whether we were connected or not. I can’t lose you. I don’t want to be without you.”

He kissed my lips. “You’re my world, Sarah. I love you so much.”

“
I love you too.”

He pushed a strand of stray hair from my eyes and gazed at me intensely. “You brought meaning to my life when everything was a black blur. You brought color into the dreary halls of my aching heart and mind. For that, I will always love you and owe you my protection.”

I gripped his hands. “My love for you hasn’t changed, Victor. We don’t need some ring to tell us how much we love each other,” I said. “Lovers do not all have ruby rings with paranormal powers to bond them.” I took a deep breath and let it out. “My parents have been happily married for fifty years, and I don’t think either one of them has ever owned a ruby. Our love runs so deep and true that nobody can ever take it away from us—not even Ethano.”