Suspending Reality (52 page)

Jules snorted. “Vic? You called him that, yet you’re still breathing? You must have a brilliant guardian angel.”

Sarah smirked. “More likely it’s because my boobs were half falling out of that wedding gown. What’s with those corsets anyway?”

Jules’s cheeks flushed, and he cleared his throat, signaling that a change in subject was imminent. “You could use your, um, queenly influence to strike a deal to see Frank sent safely back home—to his own world.”

“No deals. Frank and I can get home on our own.”

“You think the Immortals from the council will give up so easily? You think they won’t follow you back through the portal and hunt you down?” asked Jules. “You’ve no idea how vicious and ruthless they can be, and they do not take deceit and betrayal lightly…that or theft of their magic artifacts.”

Frank’s eyebrows rose into arches of disbelief. “Sure. Maybe if they had some kind of tracking device, but I’m pretty sure that cheap trinket isn’t equipped with GPS.”

Sarah noticed the serious look on Jules’s face and the intensity of his words. “You don’t know that, Frank. Maybe I’ve been tagged, like a wild animal,” Sarah said.

“Doesn’t matter,” Frank said. “I have all kinds of tricks up my sleeve to outrun them.”

“Without their blessing, you’ll never be safe again.” Jules stood and adjusted his cloak, pulling up his hood as if he was getting ready to leave. “You can’t do this by yourselves any longer.”

“Yes we can,” Frank said. “You’ve grown up being taught to fear them, but we haven’t. We’ll fight to the very end.”

“With that kind of thinking, you’re going to get yourselves killed. Sarah doesn’t even know how to use her powers. She’s like a newborn fighting against experienced Immortals, hundreds of years old. How long do you think you two can last out there stumbling around in the dark with no knowledge whatsoever of the landscape or what you’re up against?”

Sarah’s stomach fluttered. She knew absolutely nothing, but she was sure she and Frank could figure it out on their own. They were both investigators after all, though she never would have liked to compare herself to him before they’d arrived here. “I know we’re in over our heads here, but I think we can manage.”

Jules’s gaze narrowed. “You’re drowning, milady. You need help from another Immortal, someone who can guide you through the process. Go back to your husband and fall into his arms. Throw yourself at his mercy and beg for forgiveness. He’s the only one who can help you now.”

“She’s not going back to King Victor, Jules, and I’ll hear no more of it!” Frank yelled.

“If I go back to him, all of this we’ve suffered in an effort to escape will have been for nothing,” Sarah reasoned.

“So what?” Jules asked. “At least you’ll continue to breathe. Did you ever think he might annul the marriage and let you go once he finds out he married the wrong person?”

She knew Victor would never let go of her so easily. “That won’t happen. He feels connected to me because—”

Frank met her gaze straight on. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Did you bed down with him?” Jules asked, wide-eyed. “I mean no disrespect, miss, but if you did, you completed the bonding process, and it is unbreakable.”

“Sleep with him?” Her cheeks suddenly burned. She’d definitely thought about it. “No! Of course not! Who do you take me for?”

Frank grabbed Jules’s arm. “Sarah’s not like that. She only kissed him on the lips during the ceremony, and that was only to play the part of a happy wife.”

“She’s seeing visions, and he is behind the sending of them,” Jules said. “That would never happen unless a bond was formed, and that would likely require more than a tiny kiss on the lips.” He glanced over at Sarah. “Did you give yourself to your husband before you ran?”

“No, I most certainly did not…and quit referring to Victor as my husband!” Sarah retorted.

Frank shoved Jules against the wall, his eyes throwing daggers as he hissed, “Listen, buddy, I’m really beginning to dislike you. What kind of girl do you take Sarah for anyway? She’d never touch him like that. Do you understand?”

“Perhaps not by her own will, but she could’ve been forced,” Jules whispered, pushing him back. “Victor is a very powerful, persuasive man, and we should have never left her in that dungeon to face him. It was a fool’s plan!”

Sarah nodded eagerly. “Frank is right, Jules. Nothing like that happened! I swear. We just said the vows, I kissed him, and I escaped the first chance I had. The entire thing was a farce.” She didn’t think it was a good time to elaborate on just how much, how deeply she’d kissed him or how much she’d enjoyed it.

“I will be back soon,” Jules said, heading toward the exit.

“Just admit it, Jules,” Frank said, following after him. “You don’t approve of what we did—or should I say—what
I
did. This entire thing was my idea, and you’re just angry that the fool, as you called me, dragged Sarah and Mia into this wedding gig.”

Jules glared at him. “You are correct, sir. As I said, it was a fool’s plan, and it put my Mia and your Sarah in more danger than was necessary.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “This whole thing could have been avoided! My friends and I risked our lives when we took you to the dungeon to rescue Sarah, but did you come back with her?” He pushed Frank away and pointed at Sarah. “No! You left her to her fate. Unbelievable.”

Sarah realized in that moment that Jules had, in fact, been the lookout, the one who had done the whistling. “Guys, stop it!” She turned to look intensely at Jules. “It’s not his fault,” Sarah said. “Frank gave me an out, and I didn’t take it.”

“That is only because of him!” Jules pointed an accusatory finger at Frank and shot him a most distasteful glare. “He filled your head with talk about the ring, the key to your home world. Had you left with us at that very moment, you’d be free from all of these problems already, and my Mia would be by my side instead of suffering or in danger!”

“And I’d be stuck in this world forever!” she retorted.

“We don’t need you anymore, Jules,” Frank said.

“I hope you know your so-called ‘brilliant plan’ has ruined Sarah’s life,” Jules said. “I think you’re the one who needs some sense.”

Frank took a menacing step forward, his cheeks ablaze with anger. “Get out! We don’t need you.”

Sarah grabbed his arm. “Everyone calm down. Let’s take a breather.”

“I’m going to look for my friend,” Jules said, opening the door.

Wait…is he crazy? But the knights saw his face in the pub. They know he’s in on it with us.
Sarah grabbed his arm, his gaze imploring. “It’s not safe out there.”

“It’s not safe in here either.” Jules shot Frank a glare over his shoulder before he walked out, slamming the door behind him. Ironically, as loud and ominous as the slam sounded, the ornate door was carved with a bevy of angelic symbols and cherubs.

“You idiot! How could you chase away the only friend we have in this dreadful place?” She turned to face Frank, challenging him to a fight that was long overdue. She wasn’t keen on his Victor-marrying plan in the first place, and he had talked her into it, just like Jules said.

He hugged her tight, pressing her against his broad chest. “I’m sorry, Sarah,” Frank whispered into her ear, “but the thought of sending you back to that whack-job infuriates me. We’ll find another way. I promise.”

She snuggled into him, inhaling the manly scent of his skin, comfort washing over her, if only for a second. She let out a sigh, eager to forget her own incredulity and just trust him for a change. “I know, babe. Just try and keep your cool. Your outbursts aren’t helping my nerves.”

“So what exactly did you do to strengthen this so-called bond with your so-called husband?” Frank asked. “I’m sorry, but I gotta know.”

She looked up at Frank, ready to confess it all. “I kissed him.”

His gaze narrowed. “Yeah. You mentioned that.”

“No, I mean…I-I
really
kissed him…like, uh…a lot.” She felt the telltale heat rising in her cheeks. Her breath caught in her throat, but not from shame. Somehow, Victor’s kiss lingered in her mind, all too vivid, and it wasn’t an unpleasant memory.

Frank narrowed his gaze. “What happened to the alleged smooch?”

Is he jealous?
She regarded him intently, taking in the frown perched above his brows and the tight lines around his mouth. “It was more than that—more like some serious making out, but it didn’t go very far. I swear! Besides, it was only because he seduced me with those bright blue eyes of his, and I think—”

He pushed her away. “I just wanted the truth. You think I want to hear the details? How could you let him lock lips with you anyway?” He shuddered for dramatic effect.

She shrugged, anger rising up inside her.
How dare he corner me like that and try to make me feel guilty?
“It just happened, Frank. It’s not like the priest announced us man and wife and I jumped him. It was more like the other way around. I guess when I didn’t resist, when I kissed him back, I somehow triggered the darn ring. It was really just some kind of accident.”

“So he just attacked you?”

“He just seized the moment.”

“And you obliged him because you liked it?” He groaned. “I don’t believe this. I know we’re not dating, but still. You’re attracted to him big time, aren’t you?”

“What woman wouldn’t be?”

“Right, with ‘those blue eyes of his’,” he mocked. “Gosh, Sarah, I can’t believe you’d kiss that jerk. Do you want to be with him, to be his queen or something?”

“Frank, he’s not my type. You know as well as I do that the last guy I’d want to be with would be a guy who wants to control me.” She gripped Frank’s hands. “Besides, I’m here with you, aren’t I?”

“Right,” Frank said, not sounding too sure.

Chapter 11

Jules returned but refused to talk to anyone, and Sarah thought it best to give him some time to cool down.

When footsteps echoed outside the door, she held her breath and motioned Frank to keep silent. Jules’s hand moved to the dagger tied around his waist. She had no idea what he’d do with it against an entire army, but it was the thought that counted. At least it indicated that he wasn’t going to jump at the first opportunity and turn his back on them, leaving them to their fate.

The thuds stopped in front of the door, and an eerie silence ensued. Sarah barely dared to peel her gaze off the entrance to shoot Frank a questioning gaze. His brows were drawn together, his tense shoulders, and the muscles peering from under his short sleeves told her he was ready to battle for his life—and for hers. So was she. She decided that groveling was fair play; if need be, she’d punch and scream her way out, tugging at hair and kicking them where it’d hurt the most, hoping their armor didn’t protect them everywhere.

The door handle moved slowly, and the sound of old hinges cut through the silence of the chapel. Sarah clenched her hands and nodded at Frank as the door flew open. The second it did, she pounced like a cat, ready to claw her way out, stopping only inches away from the face of an old man with thinning white hair and a scraggly white beard.

“Hello, Father,” said Jules calmly.

The priest hugged Jules in a tight embrace. “It’s so good to see you, son. Thomas told me you are here and of the dire situation you are facing.”

“I would have come myself, but I got tied up here.” Jules smiled. “These are my friends, Frank and Sarah.”

“Greetings,” he said, smiling. “Welcome, my Queen. My name is Father Haster, and I am the priest of this sacred house.” He wore a hooded monk’s robe with a rope-like belt.

She peered behind the man to see whether it was a bluff, to see if anyone was hiding outside to ambush them. The cobblestone path seemed deserted, the woods to the left and right devoid of life.

“Did you expect someone else?” The priest looked away as he broke the silence, drawing her attention to him.

“It’s our pleasure to meet you, Father, and we’re actually glad to see you and not
someone else
,” Frank said, grabbing the old man’s hand in a tight grip until his knuckles turned white.

“You’re killing him,” Sarah whispered.

He threw her a questioning look, so she pointed at his hand. Frank let go, a smile playing on his lips. “It’s not my fault I’m built like an ox.”

She smirked. “You got the ox part right—in smell and brains at least,” she joked. “Father,” she said, bowing, “it’s an honor to meet you.”

The priest touched her forehead with a finger as dry as sandpaper and gestured her to straighten. “You can’t leave until tomorrow, child. There are orders about to execute you on sight. I’ve never seen King William react this way to anything or anyone. Sending his troops to kill a defenseless woman is uncalled for. Jules has filled me in on your problems, and I am more than happy to offer you sanctuary.”

Of course, he doesn’t know I made out with Victor,
she presumed. She smirked. “Jules is a very helpful soul…and so very understanding.”

Jules nodded, not getting the hint.

“Yes, he has always been known to help those in need,” the priest said, “and I’d like to think he gets that from his priest.”

Sarah eagerly shook his hand. “Well, truly, Father, it is a pleasure, and thank you for your kindness.” Then she said dryly, looking embarrassed, “I guess I shouldn’t have played the part of Princess Gloria. It might’ve earned me an Oscar in our time, but here, it seems my only reward would be a death sentence. Can I ask, Father, what would be the means of execution for someone of my crimes?”

The priest looked away as he whispered, “Beheading.”

I’ve been thinking I was losing my head all this time, but literally?
Sarah let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “I better calm down and keep my head on straight then.”

Frank wrapped an arm around her waist, forcing her to face him. “Your life isn’t a joking matter, Sarah.”

“Let me deal with it the way I want,” she hissed. “Remember what I said about controlling men, Frank.”

“As you wish.” He shrugged and let go of her as he turned to the priest, but she could see her reaction didn’t sit well with him.

That’s just too bad
, Sarah thought.
I’ve had enough of people telling me what to do and how to react.
It was time to be herself and play it all down because pretending no evil would ever befall her was a better coping strategy than expecting the worst and letting herself fall into an abyss of worry and depression.

“Even if Sarah’s refuses to acknowledge it,” Frank said, shooting her a sideways glance, “I say we need to protect ourselves. Do you have any weapons we can use? Wouldn’t have an Uzi lying around, would ya, Father?”

“I know not what an Uzi is,” Jules said, “but weapons in a church?” Jules snorted. “What do you expect? Crucifixes and holy water?”

“Well, given that we’re dealing with Immortals, maybe,” Frank said.

Sarah peered at him, not amused at his jokes after he’d just scolded her for making her own. “An Uzi, Frank? Really. Don’t be stupid. Try to think more along the lines of swords, Jules—or maybe even a dagger.”

“Did you see their armor? What do you plan to do with a dagger, sweetheart?” Frank asked. “Peel them an apple and poison them with it?” His arrogant, superior attitude was slowly beginning to irritate her.

“Do you have a better idea? And I swear, you better not start talking about some Rambo arsenal again, or I’m going to find the closest dragon and personally feed you to it.”

The priest held up his hands to stop their banter, which was becoming a bit more heated than friendly. “Enough! There’ll be no violence in this house of God.”

“Sounds good to me,” Sarah said. “But does the army outside agree too?”

Frank nodded, agreeing with her for a change. “Yeah. Why don’t you remind the leaders of Tastia and Dornia about peace and goodwill, because right now, we’re toast. If you don’t toss in a sword or two, we’ve no way to defend ourselves.”

The priest shook his head and turned on his heels, walking out of the room without another glance back.