Eternal Faith - Book 4 (The Ruby Ring Saga) (4 page)

“Great.
Liz and Charles should be back soon. They went with your dad to the store.”

I
slipped into my long black coat and threw a pair of gloves on, then I headed
into the back yard and through the woods. As I suspected I would, I found
Victor there, pacing in a field with a light dusting of snow. I stared at his
towering frame. He wore a thick, black coat and leather gloves.

He
met my gaze, grinned, and pushed locks of hair out of his face. “Sarah!” he
said, wearing an intoxicating smile.

I
loved how he said my name; it absolutely took my breath away. I needed his to
feel his fiery touch on my skin and his luscious mouth on my lips. I had been
aching to hold him, to melt into his warm embrace. His gaze lingered on my
mouth, and then he kissed me slowly and deeply, with all the intensity his eyes
carried in their powerful stare. Practically devouring him, I kissed him back, pouring
into him every single emotion that was surging through me. I loved that man
more than anything, and, no matter what, I was going to stay at his side, where
I felt destined to be. I smiled, trying to calm my suddenly racing heart. “You
have no idea how much I needed that.”

“Me
too, My Queen.”

When
he gazed into my eyes, I could tell something was troubling him. “What’s wrong,
Victor? You didn’t come back to bed.”

He
embraced me in a gentle hug. “I’m fine. How are
you
feeling?”

“Better
now, after that mind-blowing kiss.”

He
cupped my face with both of his hands, then softly placed another kiss on my
lips.

I
touched the hands resting on my face. “What happened to you?”

He
plowed his fingers through his gorgeous head of hair. “Nothing. I just came out
here to think.”

I
shot him a questioning look. “And you’ve been out here thinking all this time?”

Our
eyes connected, and we held one another’s eyes captive for a long moment before
he pulled me into a tight embrace, as if he never wanted to let me go.

“Baby,
please just tell me what’s going on,” I begged. “I need to know.”

His
lips pressed into grim lines. “I went back to the hospital and talked to Dr.
Meyers.”

“What!?
Are you crazy, Victor?” I placed my hands on my hips and let out a long breath.
“I can’t believe you did that behind my back.”

“You
were sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake you up to ask you about it.”

I
peered at him intently.
“You shouldn’t have gone without me.”

He
stepped forward, and a frown perched between his brows. “I could not
possibly come back to bed and sleep when...with you...when I know you’re fading
away!” His voice was strained as if he could barely say the awful words.
“You’re dying, Sarah. Dying!”

Dying
. The word cut
deeply, and I averted his gaze, trying to hide the tears that were welling up
in my eyes. The sad look on his face spoke volumes, and seeing him in pain
broke my heart.

His jaw set into a stern grimace. “We should never
have come here, Sarah. I fear we’ve made a horrible mistake.”

I
sucked in a deep gulp of air. “We had to, Victor. You would have been killed,
and I’d be on my way to giving birth to a fatherless son.”

“This
isn’t my world,” he retorted.

“It
could be, if you’d only give it a chance.” I tried to blink back the salty
tears that threatened to run rivers down my heated cheeks. I loved California,
my home, and I was insulted and torn because my husband, my soulmate, so
desperately wanted to be somewhere else—because he wanted to go back to Tastia.

His
mouth twitched as if he was going to say something, but he remained silent.

“Just
spit it out,” I said.

“I
don’t
want
to give this strange world a chance. I am out of place here,
and I feel as if a piece of me has been ripped away.”

“And
you don’t think I feel the same way?”

He
looked away.

I
glanced down, sadness filling my heart. “I’ve dreamt of a big wedding since I
was a little girl, and I never got the ceremony I’d planned,” I whispered. “I
wasn’t married in a quaint little church, but in a huge castle, in a room
adorned with fancy swords and shields. My wedding guests weren’t loved ones and
friends, only your warrior guards. It was a rushed ceremony, and my father
wasn’t even there to give me away.”

“I’m
sorry it wasn’t the wedding of your dreams.” Sadness darkened his intense eyes
as he cupped my face. His thumb wiped the tear that was slipping down my cheek.
“I know you grieve for your losses, but I grieve for mine as well.”

“We
have each other, but maybe the culture clash is too much.” I pondered. “We
haven’t argued like this ever before, and it’s killing me, Victor.”

“I’m
just...empty,” he said. “I’ve lost my title, my kingdom, and my people.”

The
intense pain in his face was evident, but I still pled my case. “Isn’t your
child worth it? We will go back to Tastia in time, Victor. I know this is only
a temporary arrangement, to keep us all safe. I don’t wanna leave my home
again, but I will because I love you.”

“Thank
you, Sarah. You know I can’t stay here. My place is in Tastia. We both know
that.”

“What
do you hate it here so much?” I asked.

“Don’t
force me to say negative things about the world you so adore.”

“Humor
me, dear,” I said sarcastically.

He
tugged at his pants. “First of all, I dread these awful clothes.”

“Hmm.
Well, I wasn’t very fond of being suffocated by layers upon layers of
petticoats and frilly dresses and bustles and corsets, but I did it, and I’d do
it again for you. I gave up everything for you. I gave up my family, my modern
conveniences, my job, and my life to live in your simple medieval world.” I let
out a long breath. “I hated those clothes. It was like a never-ending Halloween
costume party I didn’t want to go to.”  

“Halloween?”

“Yes,
Halloween, where everyone dresses up in costumes. I felt silly walking around
in those awful gowns with those horrible eighties-prom-gone-bad up-dos. Regardless
of what you say, Victor, I refuse to feel guilty about coming back here. I love
my clothes, my shoes, electricity, and modern technology, and I won’t apologize
for that.”

Emotion
poured from his voice. “And now you have it all back.”

“Do
I? Do you really think I haven’t lost anything along the way? What about my
humanity, Victor? I’m a freak now, like one of those paranormal things I used
to chase around. I’m Immortal, for goodness sake, and I have to watch everything
I do just so no one suspects what I really am. To be with you, no matter where
we are, I have to pretend I’m something I’m not!”

“In
my world, you wouldn’t have to fear your abilities,” he argued.

“Maybe
not, but I’d have to walk around like Renaissance Barbie, with crazy,
power-hungry Immortals trying to kill me all the damn time!”

“There
are risks and sacrifices in both worlds. Do you have any idea how worried I was
when the hospital drew blood from you? Liz told me all about DNA. While the science
of your world astounds me, what would have happened if Liz had been unable to
retrieve it? What if they discover us? I feel I must look over my shoulder
every waking moment and—”

“Good!
Then now you know how I felt in your world. Even here, because of what we had
to go through back there, I jump at every sound, thinking Ethano is coming back
to kidnap me.”

“I
will not allow that, Sarah. I’m your husband, and it’s my job to protect you,
no matter what world we’re in.”

“Fine
job you did when Ethano tried to sacrifice me in that awful temple of his. If I
wasn’t pregnant, I’d be dead right now! I only survived because of the energy
of our baby! You didn’t save me. Our son did!” I knew it was a low blow, and I instantly
regretted it the second the words left my lips.

A
surge of guilt rolled over him. “I should have been there for you. I’ll never
forgive myself for what you went through.”

“Do
you regret us, Victor? Are you sorry you didn’t marry one of your own kind?” I
asked.

“Why
would you ask such a question? Sarah, surely you know how much I love you.”

“I’m
not from your time, and I cannot abide all your royal customs. I don’t even
talk properly, like a real queen. I stick out like a sore thumb. I heard the
people in your castle, talking about me like I was a disease, saying I didn’t
belong there. They were right. I don’t belong in Tastia, and I never will.
Maybe you’re right about us making a mistake, but I don’t think that was coming
to California. I think maybe it was us getting together in the first place.”

“Is
my way of life really that suffocating, that difficult?” He inclined his head,
as if waiting for an answer, and I couldn’t help but notice that his voice had
a sarcastic ring to it.

Slowly,
the words came out. “Suffocating? That’s putting it lightly. When we lived
there, I had to wear and eat whatever was picked out for me. I couldn’t even do
my hair and makeup because of all those annoying ladies-in-waiting. I couldn’t even
lie around on a Sunday morning without a lecture from the elders. Everything I
did and said was controlled, robotic, and dull. I know California in the
twenty-first century might not be perfect, but at least here, I’m free.” I thought
about it for a second, then continued. “I can do whatever I want whenever I
want. I didn’t even realize how much I missed that until I got back here.”

“Regardless
of what you were before fate brought us together, Sarah, you’re Immortal now, and
it is your eternal destiny to live up the standards given to us. We are royalty
and must be an example to our people, our culture, and our way of life.”

“I’m
not royalty here, and that means I can play by my own rules.”

“You’re
Immortal wherever you are, and you should behave as such.”

I
crossed my arms over my chest, the way I always did when I was upset with him. “I’m
a freak, Victor!” I stared at him long and hard. “And the worst part is,
you
did this to me.”

His
stunned confusion made me roll my eyes. “You were dying to get your hands on
that ring,” he said.

“But
you knew what it would do, what power it held, and you didn’t tell me!” I
retorted.

He
stroked my hair from my face and gazed deeply into my eyes. “I was unaware that
you didn’t know. I assumed you were an Immortal princess, and all Immortals
know about the power of the ring.”

“And
now you want
your
life back? Well, guess what. I want
my
life
back, too, and you need to quit being a royal pain in the ass!”

The
sparkle had left his eyes. “You have your life back, Sarah. At least you’re
home.”

“Victor,
do you know what you are? Stubborn and selfish, that’s what.”

His
gaze narrowed. “I’m what?”

“You
heard me.”

“Sarah,
I know it’s an adjustment for you to be an Immortal, but at least you’re here,
near everything and everyone you love and enjoy. Have you forgotten that I’ve
given up everything for you? I only did that to make you happy, Sarah, because
I love you and our child more than anything, even more than life itself. Have
you ever heard of any king being willing to give up his life, his title, his
castle, and all his servants—everything he loved—for the love of a woman? Well,
I did that for you, Sarah, and now I’m here, in this strange land, living as a
commoner in a world I don’t even understand.”

“It
might be a simple life, Your Highness,” I snapped in a mocking tone, “but that
doesn’t mean it’s a bad life. Besides, it’s the safest place for us to hide
out.”

His
jaw set into a grimace. “I loathe it!” he roared.

“You
don’t have to tell me how much you hate it here. You’ve made it quite obvious.”

“I
will stay here eighteen years, for the sake of our son, but not a second longer,”
his voice thundered.

“That’s
all I’m asking. Then, I’ll leave the world I love and adore and go back to your
caveman world, with no electricity and cell phones.”

“I’m
so sorry my castle is not equipped for Internet.”

“Oh,
it’s fine. I can’t wait to go back to castle life, with all those jousts and
royal feasts and corsets so tight I can’t breathe!” I said sarcastically.

“You
told me you’re having trouble with your new Immortal status, Sarah, but I
thought you loved helping the people in my world.”

“I
do. I’m just having hard time adjusting to the Stone Ages.” I slowly shook my
head. “I don’t wanna fight like this. You know how much I love you, but we come
from two different worlds. We were idiots to think we could just live happily
ever after. No matter where we are, one of us will be away from the place we
love, and I hate it, Victor!”

We
both stared at each other, realizing the painful truth of my words.

My
lips pressed into thin lines. “You had no problem when I had to give up
everything for you.”

“That’s
not true. I felt horrible, but now I understand how hard it truly was on you.
Our cultures are so...different.”

“But
we love each other,” I said, my eyes pleading. “I love you so much.”

He
slowly kissed my lips; he was so gentle, so romantic, so amazing. “You know how
much I love you with all my heart. I wouldn’t still be here if I didn’t. I am
devoted to you, my love, but I am worried. We don’t have anyone to help us
here, nobody I can trust.”

“We
had nobody in your world who could fix me either. So what’s the difference?”

“I
can’t lose you,” he said, emotion edging his voice, “and it’s driving me crazy
that there’s nothing I can do to help you. I can’t just stand by and watch you
die right before my eyes. I won’t stand for that.”