Immortal Beauty (47 page)

Marcel stood on the terrace holding the invitation. He was suddenly glad that Claire was gone. He knew who this Sandrine was. It could be no one else. He should have known that it would take more than a sword through the heart to kill Celine. He knew that she would want the house and the waters below. His heart was too weary from the recent battle and he decided then to deliver an olive branch. He knew that if he couldn’t defeat this devil then he would make a deal with her. He went to his library to begin thinking of how he was going to propose a truce to such an ancient evil. It would not be easy. He realized that his sadness had left him. There was too much to do and too much to prepare for. He was swept away by all the details of this new turn of events. He had to find a way to appease Celine so that they could live somehow in peace. The idea of tricking her was quickly dismissed. She was too skilled in the art of deception and would recognize one right away. What she was not used to was the simple truth. He would be honest with her and make arrangements to send her the water, much the same way he would with Claire. This would at least buy him some time but he knew that someday she would come for the very house itself and the treasure beneath. In her mind the waters under the hill belonged to her alone. This invitation was just another reminder from Celine that she would never be satisfied until the waters were hers again. In an odd way he was glad that she was not dead. He had loved her for so long it was hard to forget they were happy at one time, but he must never forget how dangerous she would always be. She would kill him in an instant if it would secure her the house. He truly had a formidable enemy to deal with now and the very last thing she would expect would be a truce. He began to write his reply to the invitation carefully choosing red ink to remind Celine of all the blood she had shed in the name of ambition. He had failed his new friends and the results had been tragic beyond belief. Somehow he must find a way to protect them from the rage that consumed Celine.

GOODBYE

Sasha glanced around at the lovely room for one last time. She couldn’t believe that it was so difficult to turn her back on all of this. There was something intrinsically romantic about this house and the endless wealth. She was determined though and no amount of luxury or the unexpected sadness she felt at leaving her new friends could change her mind. She looked again at the marvelous bed and the ornate furnishings. She stood by the windows and surveyed the unbelievable gardens. All this beauty was so deceptive for it carried within it the very seeds of disaster. She couldn’t bear to go through the pain and the loss again. She couldn’t risk loving and then losing Taylor. It was better to leave now before she had invested too much emotion and before she had become accustomed to all of this beauty. Taylor was waiting for her in the hall and when she finally emerged form the room he looked at her lovingly and that same glance broke Sasha’s heart. She quietly took his hand as they walked up the staircase, leaving the fairy tale behind.

“Would you please tell the others I said goodbye?” She squeezed his hand tightly. “I just can’t do it.”

“Of course, whatever you want.” Taylor was strangely subdued. They had never even talked about him coming with her. They both knew the choices they had made and that he had embraced his new destiny. Even Sasha knew that love was not stronger than fate. He walked with her to the taxi stand and pushed the button for her. For a while they didn’t speak. They were content just to be together for a little while longer.

“Can I come see you before you leave?” Taylor asked while scanning the chaos that was Paris.

“Yes. I’d like that very much. I just can’t come back to the house. I have the feeling if I returned I might not have the strength to leave again. There’s something seductive about all that old world beauty.” A tear fell from her eye.

“Not nearly as seductive as you baby.” He smiled, trying to make light of the situation. They both saw the taxi pulling around the corner coming for it’s fare.

“I don’t know when I’m leaving, but it will be soon. There’s nothing here for me now.” She couldn’t look at him.

“Nothing?” Taylor was hurt.

“You know what I mean. I just cant risk losing you again. I don’t think I would survive. I didn’t before and I don’t know if I can do it again.” She removed her hand from his and started to open the car door.

“But you’re losing me now Sasha. I don’t see the difference.”

“The difference is that you are alive and well. That’s how I want to remember you. Please be careful Taylor.” She grabbed his handsome chin in her hand and forced him to listen closely. “If it were me, I would kill Celine before she had a chance to retaliate. But that’s just me. Apparently I am not only beautiful, but a trained killer.” Her laugh was a bitter one and she quickly got into the taxi. Taylor leaned his head in and kissed her fiercely. He didn’t want her to see his own tears. Finally he broke away and turned his back on her.

“Trust me I have thought about it.” Taylor leaned his head into the taxi and kissed her again and again. He didn’t want her to see his tears. Finally he broke away and turned his back on her. “I’ll come and see you tomorrow. I’ll call first.” He could say nothing more and she was obviously crying into her hands. Sasha looked up to see his tall figure turn and walk down Rue Raynouard, back to the enchanted chateau that they could have shared together forever.

Once she got back to her apartment she was filled with a new resolve and a new energy born of anger. She opened the curtains and the windows letting the cool air fill her small apartment. Her dream was dead now. It had lived for such a short time and she couldn’t believe it was ending with such bitterness. She missed her apartment and saw sadly that her plants had missed her too>She began to water them when she was suddenly hit with a wave of nausea. She swat down and put her head between her legs. She felt as if she were going to be sick. Maybe it was anxiety or the release of all the tension from the past week. After a few minutes it passed and she got herself a glass of water. Water. She broke out into a sweat remembering that she had grabbed a glass of water from the opulent table that morning.

“Oh God!” She moaned to her empty home. How could she be so stupid? Maybe that’s why she felt sick. She calmed herself and reminded herself that it was only one glass. What harm could there be in that? She regained her composure and yanked her suitcases out of her closet. She knew there were flights back to the States everyday from Paris and at this point she didn’t even care where she landed. She had no interest in going home and had always wanted to explore the west coast. She would look into flights to L.A. or San Francisco after she packed. She ripped her clothes from their hangers and began to throw everything on the bed. She couldn’t pack fast enough. She was through with all this weirdness that had claimed her whole being. She tried not to think of Taylor and reminded herself that she would be with him in the morning. Suddenly her stomach convulsed and she fell to the floor gripping her abdomen in pain. Something was seriously wrong and she lay there crying out as the convulsions racked her body.

“Taylor!” She cried out in pain. She lay on the floor and cried and heartache until the spasms subsided and the pain went away.

Taylor sat on his bed in the big house and tried to think things through. A part of him wanted to run away with Sasha and find this new life she was looking for, but he knew that running away never solved anything. He had run from his visions his whole life and now that he had found the true source he was filled with a sense of great relief. No longer did he have to wonder why he was so different from everyone else and finally there was a place where he belonged. A new world with no more secrets and no more lies, yet it was filled with dangers unimaginable. He would rather face the danger head on than try and build a false sense of security somewhere else. He was sad Sasha was leaving but he was also happy that she was getting out of harm’s way. It no longer what mattered to him, he knew who he was and knew that all that mattered now is that Sasha would be safe. He wondered again what was going to happen to Celine. They would have to decide quickly. Marcus asked that they all meet again on the terrace in about an hour and Taylor was looking forward to the meeting. He needed resolution. He needed to know what they were going to do to the woman who was trying to kill them.

Dr. Marchand looked down at his sleeping patient. What he would give to study her in more detail with more elaborate and sophisticated equipment. What would her DNA look like? What was going on in the cellular world of her body? What would the water do for a man like himself at the end of life? The beautiful creature stirred in her sleep. He ran to her side and checked her pulse. It was getting stronger! She had taken a huge dose of cyanide and survived without any intervention and now her body was beginning to heal at an incredible rate. She truly was no mere mortal. The sedative running in her veins was obviously enough to keep her quiet but the old doctor had a theory that her body was able to adapt quickly to any pathogen. Soon, these drugs would have no effect on her. He knew she would awaken eventually. He just had no idea when. He had to let Marcus know that it couldn’t possibly be very much longer. He would leave in another minute. He found that he could not stop staring at this sleeping beauty who was really a monster.

Celine listened carefully. There was a man in the room with her and she dared not open her eyes until she was alone. She was in the house! Everything had gone according to plan. She knew that the others would never let Taylor go. She knew they would come to his rescue and the minute she heard Osiris call out from the woods, she knew the time had come. Her plan had gone flawlessly and for just a little while longer she would have to pretend that she was still sleeping. The important thing was that she was home. She could barely contain herself but knew that it was crucial to appear helpless for a little while longer. She reached out with her mind and concentrated with all her willpower until she found what she was looking for. Her children. Her mind formed the words:

“Children. Come to Mother. The time is now.” She repeated the words over and over again silently, not stopping until she reached them.

“We’re coming mother. We miss you!” She could hear Isis, who was the stronger of the twins. She was much like Celine.

“I missed you too my darlings.” She allowed herself to fall into a light sleep. She would have to gather her strength for the moment she would need it most. All the while the doctor watched her, bewitched now by this creature who was twitching and moaning softly in her dreams of a perfect world.

That night once Sasha had finished packing she sat with a cup of chamomile tea and looked out of her living room window to the Eiffel Tower. She was feeling much better now, but the nausea continued to come and go. She wondered if the water affected the others this way but had no intentions of finding out. She would call the airlines in the morning and try to get the first flight out that she could. What she really wanted to do was walk around the streets of Paris on such a cool and calm evening but she was afraid. She was afraid Celine’s monsters were out there waiting for her and she was afraid of getting sick again in public. So instead, she contented herself with a view of the tower and a cup of vanilla tea. She sat in her favorite blue cotton pajamas with her feet up on a chair and pretended on last night that everything was normal. It was upsetting enough that she was leaving her life behind and it was made worse because of the way she felt. She sat there for along time in silence and decided it was time to try and get some rest. It was only nine thirty but she was tired. She left her cup on the table and crawled under the covers hoping that she wouldn’t be plagued by nightmares. Just in case, she left the light on.

She dreamed of ancient Rome. She was wealthy an happy and her lover was home from the campaigns. They were having a party. They lay around a table laden with all manners of fruits and vegetables and assorted meats. The air was heavy with incense. She was smiling at her love as he was telling a fantastic story about a witch and her mysterious temple in the hillside. They were all fascinated. He told of the sacred waters she was guarding and made them all laugh out loud at his impersonations of the witch chanting and raving and screaming at them to leave. They were spellbound. Every once in a while his best friend would chime in with a detail his friend had forgotten or murmur something like: “Yes, that’s what happened next.” They were all getting drunk now and at the end of the table her gorgeous warrior clapped his hands together and two nearly naked slaves came into the room carrying a large vessel that was obviously weighty. It was the water of the sacred temple. They had brought it home secretly not wanting to share it with anyone else. Together they made a pact of secrecy. Together they agreed to drink the waters to see if it brought health or wealth or eternal beauty. They raised their goblets, laughing and joking all the while. They drank and found the water so delicious they continued to drink it as if it were fine wine. At first it was just delicious then it happened. They all began to feel a little light headed and a surge of energy pulsed through the group. They agreed to another glass, then another and another. They no longer felt drunk. They felt fantastic. She felt as if she could run through the streets of Rome all night long and never tire. That night they made love many times and it was more incredible and more intense than they ever had before. It was in the morning that the illness came She was sick to her stomach and began to have convulsions. They all began to worry that the water was poisoned but everyone else was fine. They were better than fine and they all felt stronger and that their senses were sharper and that they could see more clearly. Only she was affected in an ill manner. By that night the true horror made itself obvious. She was pregnant, and from the looks of it, she was about three months pregnant and it had happened overnight! The water was doing something to her body and rushing the baby through. She didn’t know if she would survive the pain as she lay in bed crying and holding the hand of her frightened lover.