Cruel Fortunes Omnibus: Volumes One to Four

by RAE STAPLETON

  “Let me go!” I began struggling, jerking my arms around in an attempt to free them, throwing my body weight against him. He pushed me away and bent down, pressing the knife against Cullen’s throat. He spoke in Cullen’s ear, a voice as soft as a whisper. “Now she’s mine,” he said. “Keep that in mind while ye die.”

  “Be sosa der hamin atashi taze,” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

  Liam stopped and looked at me as if I was crazy. “Did ye really think that would work?” He pressed the blade back against Cullen’s neck.

  I cried out again, “Wait, don’t. Please. What do you want?”

  He pulled himself up to his full height. “Now we’re talkin’—I need that book. Ye’re going to take me back with you.”

  “Fine. But you don’t need me. I’ll just tell you where the book is.”

  “No. We both know that book won’t help me without ye there. What ye’re going to do is use the book to open up the portal and then we’ll leg it back to the Lerins Islands together and this time I’ll join ye for that swim.”

  “But why? Sapphira and Nico are dead. We have no bodies to travel into.”

  “Ye really don’t know much, do ye? No need to worry, I know just the spell. I had plenty of time to study yer little book.”

  I gasped. “You couldn’t have read that much? I took it back at breakfast that morning.”

  “Do ye really think that’s the only time I had with it? Yer hidin’ spots are that clever, dear? Not like yer hidin’ spot for the jewels. That was ingenious; I searched that house of yers for hours and came up empty.”

  I glared back at him now, angered at the thought of the home invasion I’d experienced last year.

  “I don’t think you’ve thought of everything. The spell will open the portal but only one of us can hold the dagger as we pass through.”

  “Yes, and that’ll be me.”

  “Then I’ll die and why should I cooperate with you if I’m going to die?”

  “Well, for one thing there’s her,” he said, pointing to Leslie. “And for another ye have yer little engagement ring, don’t ye?”

  “Why do you want to go back there so badly?”

  “To kill the Prince, of course. Then we can rule together.”

  “And if I don’t help you?”

  “Then I’ll kill Cullen.”

  “You probably already have.” I spoke the words, but I refused to believe them.

  He nodded once again as if he was proud of himself. “He’ll survive. Besides, I’ll kill Leslie, I’ll kill that bitch Lucille. I’ll kill everyone. Do you want all of their deaths on yer head?”

  I said nothing and he marched toward them, picking up Leslie’s head by her hair. She moaned but her eyes were still closed.

  “I really liked ye, Leslie, more than yer chubby little friend there, but c’est la vie.”

  He brought the dagger to Leslie’s neck, pressing it into her skin until beads of red broke free. Her eyes shot open.

  “No, wait, fine. I’ll take you.”

  He forced me to rouse Leslie and I was only too happy to cooperate since it meant getting us all out of that dark scary basement alive. All except for Penelope. Her poor body was growing stiff. I bit down on my cheek to keep from becoming hysterical. I got Leslie to her feet and she swayed as we walked toward the stairs. I whispered to her to hang on and I headed for Cullen. He hadn’t moved in a while and I was worried about his blood loss.

  “Where are ye goin’?” Liam screamed.

  “To help your brother. What do you mean?”

  “No. He’s stayin’ here.”

  “But I said I would help you. I’ll take you to the book,” I reasoned.

  “I know ye will and that’s the only reason they’re still alive.”

  “So you’re just going to leave them down here to die? Cullen is bleeding to death. Leslie can take them to a hospital…or I won’t go.”

  His hand shot out, faster than I thought possible. He grabbed me by the neck. “Do not tell me what to do. Ye understand?”

  Icy fear impaled me like a spear and I nodded, panting to get my breath back as he let go.

  “Now move,” he yelled, shoving the tip of the dagger into my back.

  I jumped at the sting and Leslie took my hand, leading me up the stairs.

  FORTY-FIVE

  T he cut on my neck throbbed viciously and I was pretty sure I had somehow twisted my ankle, which was starting to puff up.

  We reached the top of the stairs and were halfway across the chapel floor when Leslie dropped to her knees.

  “What are ye doin’ now?”

  She was balled up and holding her stomach. “I’m cramping.”

  “Nice try. Get up.”

  “No. I mean it,” she gasped. “I’m pregnant, you idiot.”

  I dropped to the floor beside her. “Oh my God.” I knew she was lying. Leslie hadn’t even been dating anyone, but I decided to play along. “How far along are you?”

  “Just over a month—I must be miscarrying.” She looked up at Liam defiantly. “An act of God, I’m sure.”

  “We’ll call an ambulance and leave her here. We don’t have to tell them what happened and by the time they get here we’ll be gone. It won’t affect your plans. Please?” I begged. I knew Leslie would run for Cullen’s cell phone downstairs and call for help as soon as we left.

  “No. She’s comin’ with us. I’ll carry her.”

  “But she’s bleeding,” I said, pretending I could see blood.

  “That’s just fine. Blood is needed to complete the spell.”

  A gasp escaped Leslie’s lips.

  “What spell?” I asked.

  “The one to kill the Prince.” He smiled. “I intended to use Penelope, but, well, she didn’t make it.”

  Leslie turned on him as if she were no longer afraid. “You bastard. How can you talk about her like that? She was pregnant with your child.”

  “How many people are pregnant around here?” I asked.

  Leslie looked at me with regret in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Sophia. I only just figured it out before he caught me and she woke up long enough to fill me in on some of the details. She was secretly dating him for the last year. I feel like such a fool. He fooled us all. I slept with him, too—after your bridal shower.”

  “So you really are pregnant?” I mumbled, now even more concerned.

  She nodded and turned her cold glare back on him. “God, how could I not see what a cold-hearted beast you are?”

  Liam began to pace the chapel slowly with his head in his hands, whispering words to himself. Unfortunately he was blocking the exit.

  He turned to Leslie as if something snapped inside.

  “No!” I ran at him before he could kick Leslie but he turned on me instead, pushing me so hard my head hit the floor as I fell. He followed me to the floor and I began fighting like a trapped animal, using every drop of strength. “Let me go!”

  He pinned me to the ground, dodging the blows of my fists, the sharp jabs of my knees as I tried to kick him in the groin. He straddled my body, locking my legs in place.

  My guts twisted. He wrapped his hands around my neck. Like a drowning person, I began struggling again, kicking and flinging my body as hard as I could.

  Blackness was rushing in at the edges of my vision. Leslie jumped on his back and he let go, trying to knock her off. My vision came back, but her screams paralyzed me like a fly in a spider’s web. I wanted to get up, to help, but the world was spinning around me like a carnival ride. A heavy weight was pressing on my eyelids, and the weariness was sinking in.

  The noise must have roused Cullen. He staggered up the stairs behind us and took a step forward. Then another. Every step looked like he was wading through cement. Leslie was now screaming curses at Liam, who was laughing as he pinned her body.

  One more step, I silently pleaded with Cullen. He was almost there. Liam had his back to Cullen; he was concentrating on Leslie. He probably thought Cullen
was already dead. Liam had his arm back, ready to plunge the dagger into Leslie’s belly; she lay on the floor, a crumpled heap, no longer screaming—no longer moving at all.

  “Ye stupid bitch,” Liam was saying. “I should have ripped out yer insides earlier when I caught ye snoopin’.”

  My eyes were silently pleading with Cullen to move faster. Liam must have noticed and turned to look just as Cullen got close enough to swing the heavy lit torch over his head. Liam moved—taking some of the force out of the blow—but the torch caught him on the left side of his face. He cried out, grabbing at his burnt flesh. So much for the art of surprise. He rolled off Leslie, dropping the dagger and, at the same time, Cullen lunged at him, throwing the torch aside as they began to exchange blows once again. The torch hit the Celtic design and it went up in flames—as if the grooves in the design held kerosene.

  I skittered forward quickly, scrabbling for the dagger where Liam had dropped it next to Leslie, who was softly moaning and gripping her stomach. Cullen’s eyes caught mine for a second and I knew he was hurt badly. He wouldn’t last much longer. No sooner had I thought it then Liam landed a final blow, knocking Cullen over a pew.

  From outside the chapel, a vehicle sounded, tires crunching over gravel. A door slammed and muffled voices sounded, providing a moment’s distraction and allowing Liam to steal the dagger, grab me, and throw me over his shoulder.

  He headed for his office, throwing open a closet door with the hand that held the dagger. Behind it was a narrow staircase. He bent to get inside and roughly squeezed me through, pulling the door shut behind him before running with me up the stairs. My gaze moved to the long beam running above the chapel auditorium; we were in some sort of attic, but it wasn’t enclosed. The floor ended not far away and I could see down below. I thought I might be sick.

  He set me down at the top of the stairs and dragged me by the hand to the window. I cooperated, seeing all the police cars as they flew up the drive. Then he pulled me toward the center of the room. He was heaving now, out of breath, and I wondered if this was my chance.

  “What are you doing?”

  “We’re going to walk across this beam.”

  “No. Oh, God no!” I bolted away from him. My legs tangled in my robe and I fell face first on the wooden floor. “Dear God! I’m afraid of heights!” My fall had broken his grip and I scuttled like a crab toward the stairs.

  “Well, I’m sorry but there’s a door to a tunnel over there that lets out in the woods. Now I can carry ye and risk both of us fallin’ or ye can cooperate.”

  Liam was broad shouldered and I knew he was strong from watching him fight, but to carry me all the way across that beam without falling... My heart was racing. Faster and faster. Think, Sophia, think!

  He tucked the dagger into his belt, picked me up off the floor, and threw me back over his shoulder.

  “I’ll walk,” I yelled. The room was spinning. My vertigo had gotten worse when he lifted me again.

  “I don’t trust ye,” he said, grabbing some rope.

  “Join the club,” I muttered back as he bound us together at the waist.

  He pushed me in front of him and we began to walk across.

  The cops rushed in.

  “Up here!” I yelled two steps out.

  I attempted to stop but he grabbed me, pulling the dagger from his belt. The sharp edge of the blade pricked my throat and I instinctively struggled against him, knocking us both off balance. We fell on either side of the beam. The rope was the only thing preventing us from plummeting to our deaths. I was pretty sure the fall would kill me and, if it didn’t, that I wouldn’t want to survive anyway with all the damage it might do. I heard a clink and looked down. I could see both Cullen and Leslie lying still below. Just over from them, the dagger had landed blade up, caught in one of the very large grooves at the center of the design, almost as if it was made for it. He’d dropped the dagger and we were directly over top of the design. It looked as though a giant fiery snake was licking at the dagger. Panic seized me. I reached my arms up. I was closer to the beam than Liam was. If I could just pull myself up…

  The rope tied at my waist moved with me and Liam fell farther down. He began to flail.

  “Pull me up!” he shouted.

  The cops burst into the attic just as he began screaming. He swung his body, trying to reach my leg. All the motion was freaking me out and I felt the rope around my waist give a little.

  I looked down and realized the knot that held him to me was coming loose every time he tugged.

  “Stop moving!” I screamed in panic.

  If the rope let go, he would fall for sure and I would be held by my own strength. I’d never been very good at the monkey bars and this wooden beam was even harder to hang on to.

  Garda Lynch was now on his hands and knees, trying to get to me.

  I looked down past Liam noticing for the first time the unusual scriptive lettering that ran around the image. It niggled at the back of my mind. I hadn’t noticed it there last time because it was written in such a way that it could only be seen from high above, or maybe it was because of the fire, some sort of chemical reaction that made it darken.

  “Be sosa der hamin atashi taze,” I read out loud. It was the phrase that had been carved into the original gemstone. The one I’d tried earlier to use on him.

  Liam looked up at me and opened his mouth, as if he meant to say something, but the wail of sirens drowned him out. Then he swung his body hard as if trying to tug me down with him, but he loosed the knot just as Garda Lynch secured me with his own rope.

  “Liam!” I screamed, watching him fall.

  He grinned and I was reminded of Nico as we’d fallen once before. I thought, with a distant horror, that maybe he would survive. Maybe this man was invincible. He crashed to the floor and blood flowed around him, seeping in and around the snake. His clothes caught fire and acrid smoke swirled up to burn my nostrils. I had to look away.

  His own obsession will be his undoing. Sever the tie that binds and whoever is bad should burn in this glowing fire. Sandra, the psychic had said these words to me. All this time I’d thought I had to say the words while he was holding the jewel. I imagined the magic from the sapphire sucking him up into a swirling vortex, but it was all a matter of interpretation. Psychics warned people of that all the time. Perhaps what she had envisioned was this moment. Either way, you sure burn now, I thought, and it was your own undoing. Wasn’t it?

  FORTY-SIX

  T he sun shone bright in the sky as I sat atop the steps, looking out over the grounds. The buildings looked peaceful in August’s afternoon light—if only I could forget I was outside a hospital awaiting news of Cullen.

  A few steps below, Da was pacing back and forth, his footsteps loud and thumping. “Please quit pacing,” I begged. “You’re making me nervous.”

  “Sorry, dear,” he said, quickly tucking his hands in his pockets. “I feel like we’ve been out here forever.”

  The doctors had asked us to remain in the waiting room while they operated, but that had been hours ago.

  “We should go back inside,” Da said. “Maybe he’s out now.”

  “Móraí said she’d come and get us.” I too wanted to rush back inside and demand to see Cullen. The tension of anticipating the outcome of his follow up surgery was almost more painful than my bumps and bruises.

  I closed my eyes and tilted my head back.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I’m just a little dizzy,” I said and peeked one eye open at a time. Better, if only a little blurry now. Da hovered over me.

  “Maybe I should call one of the nurses?”

  “No, I’m okay. The doctor said it might happen. I’m still recovering from the drugs,” I whispered, running my hands over the sore spot on my neck. “I miss Leslie. I wish she’d hurry up. You said she was just going back to the hotel to change, right?”

  I looked up when he didn’t answer. Deep shadows clung to his face.
<
br />   I realized my stupidity. He missed Lucille far more, I was sure, and she wasn’t returning.

  “Da, I’m sorry. That was insensitive.” I reached for my water bottle and drained it to ease my throat of the tears that burned there.

  He cleared his throat and resumed his pacing.

  “The lass said she might lay down for an hour. She sat by yer bed for two days. I’m sure she’s just fallen into a deep sleep.”

  “Da, maybe we should talk about what happened.”

  “It’s all my fault,” he uttered, choking as he said it. “Oh, Lucille.” He barely got her name out before breaking into sobs. My heart went out to him. They had always been so in love. I jumped to my feet and descended the stairs to where he stood, head in hands.

  Wrapping my arms around him, I did my best to comfort him. One of Lucille’s ribs had punctured her lung and the paramedics hadn’t gotten to her in time. She’d died almost instantly.

  He pulled away from me and sat on the bottom step. “I should have recognized how sick Liam was… Just like his bloody mother.”

  My memories were chaotic, filled with violence and fear. I recalled the way Liam had raged, distraught and bitter over his past.

  “What about Liam’s mother? How did he get that way?”

  We talked for an hour straight and he bared his soul. For Da, meeting Lucille was the end to a fifteen-year nightmare. Legally insane, Eleanor, Liam’s mother, had used every possible kind of emotional abuse tactic in the book to stay married to Da. He repeated over and over that he wasn’t the kind of man to give up but after all of the lies, blackmail, and suicide attempts, he’d been at the end of his rope. That was when he met and fell in love with Lucille. By that time Eleanor was living in a mental institution. Six months later, she took care of the problem and succeeded in one of her many suicide attempts, freeing Da to marry.

  “I just never realized how it affected Liam,” Da confessed, tears lining his eyes.