Solace: Book Three (Strange in Skin Trilogy)

by Sara V. Zook

  Tears welled up in my eyes.

  “You’re so strong, Anna,” he continued. “Stronger than you’ll ever know you are, and I love that you don’t know how wonderful you are so I can be the one to tell you, to convince you. You’re my everything, and you’ve never turned your back on me, even when so many times you should have. Anna …” He put his head to my forehead. “Thank you for holding on all this time. I just wanted to come back to where it all started, to where we started, even if it is a prison, it’s symbolic of both of us freeing ourselves to each other.”

  I had overcome so much inside those walls following an obsession that had led to love, to discovering that love was of a man who wasn’t even from this world but belonged to another, to rule over Evadere.

  “I want to do things right,” Emry said. “I know I asked you to be my queen …”

  A lump had made its way into my throat. I tried to swallow it down.

  Emry got on one knee, the rain water slopping around him as he took my hand and peered up. “But will you be my wife?”

  Tears streamed down my face mixing with the rain. My ears tingled as if I hadn’t heard him right.

  “Please keep fighting for me, for us. Never leave my side.” He dug inside his pocket and pulled out a huge diamond ring cut into the shape of a heart. “Do you like it?” he asked. “I had the fashion contributors make it especially for you.”

  I took the ring from him and slipped it on my finger. It felt heavy and perfect. I pulled Emry to his feet, my tongue fumbling around in my mouth as if I had forgotten how to talk. “Yes, I love it, and yes, I’ll marry you. I love you.”

  Emry grinned and hugged me, twirling me around in a circle. “I’m so, so happy. I love you, Anna James. I was so afraid you’d say no.”

  I was now drenched from the rain, my fingers engrossed with the foreign feeling of the ring that sent tingles up my spine.

  “I could never say no to you, Emry Logan.”

  The light in his eyes was unmistakable. Staring at this beautiful creature before me, the prison in the background, Emry Logan was truly free.

  “Now close your eyes again,” he whispered.

  FOUR

  I opened my eyes. We were back in the castle in Evadere, the rain from Earth still dripping from our bodies.

  I held up my finger to make sure it was still there. It was. The symbol of Emry’s love for me sparkled, and my heart felt like it could leap right out of my chest.

  “You’re doing that thing you do,” Emry said walking over to me with a towel.

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  He put the towel to my head and began wiping off the water. “You’re glowing.”

  I tried to quit smiling, but what was the use, it wasn’t going away anytime soon.

  “I love seeing you so happy. I love that I’m the one making you so happy.”

  He pulled me down onto the bed with him. My hair toppled in front of my face. He slicked it back with his fingers. We just stared at each other, both dizzy and caught up in this wonderful moment.

  “Run away with me, Anna,” Emry whispered.

  I put my hand to his cheek. “It looks as if I already have.”

  My pulse sped up. The way Emry was looking at me now, had he ever looked at me like this before? His gaze sucked me in. There was a powerful force pulling me toward him. Was he using his powers on me? I laughed aloud.

  “Care to share what’s so funny?” he asked.

  I covered my mouth.

  “Anna,” he warned, wrapping his arms around me and flipping me over on the bed.

  I sighed. “Oh, nothing, really. I was just wondering if you were using your powers on me.”

  Emry grinned. “I haven’t had to … yet.”

  “Yet?”

  “Who knows. I may have to someday if you disobey me or something,” he teased.

  “Disobey? Never.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, right, never. You always listen to what you’re told.”

  “I used to,” I said, batting my eyes innocently.

  “That’s hard to believe.”

  I put my finger to my chin as if in deep thought. “That was before I met you, so it’s all your fault.”

  “What’s my fault?” he asked.

  “Everything. Everything’s your fault.”

  Emry pressed his lips to mine filling my stomach with a million butterflies. “Well then, I’m glad this is my fault.”

  He kissed me again, and I felt myself getting lost like only me and Emry could, getting caught up as if we were the only two in the entire world, whichever world that may be. His touch was so tender, so passionate. He had been genuinely nervous about proposing to me. He thought there was a chance I’d say no or not be sure.

  “Emry,” I said in my next breath. “Wherever you are, that’s home to me. That’s where I want to be.”

  He smiled his eyes half closed. “Anna James, you are so intoxicating. I am so in love with you. If you ever try to leave, I will use my powers on you.” He nudged me with his nose.

  We laid there, our bodies pressed together, our arms entangled. Emry pushed away and put his arm under his head as he propped himself up on his side and looked at me.

  I lowered my eyebrows. “Something wrong?”

  He smiled. “Nope.”

  “Okay …” I sat up and crossed my legs in front of me.

  He leaned over and pushed a stray piece of damp hair behind my ear. “This, you and me, is perfect, you know?”

  “Uh-huh,” I mumbled.

  “I want everything to stay that way.”

  I started playing with my fingernails.

  He grabbed my hands so I would look up at him.

  “Anna,” he said. “I’m serious. I want you to know I’m not going to mess this up again.”

  I pressed my lips together remembering how he had made plans for me to return to Earth without him only a short time ago. The more I stared at him, the more the thought got pushed away to the back of my brain until it disappeared altogether. I couldn’t help but smile as he just kept staring right back.

  “So,” he added. “When do you want to get married? Tomorrow good for you?”

  I laughed and plopped back down on the bed. Then I sat straight back up. “Oh, no.”

  “What?”

  “What about my mother? She has to know I’m engaged. She’ll freak out if I don’t tell her. What about the wedding? Should we bring her here? Should we tell her about Evadere? Should we tell her about your powers?” I asked, all in one breath.

  “Now calm down,” Emry said. “I’ve thought about that already.”

  “You have?”

  He nodded. “I think we should go pay Carlin a visit, tell her the news and maybe have two ceremonies, one on Earth, and one here. What do you think?”

  I paused for a moment, then clapped my hands together. “I love it.”

  “When do you want to go see her?” Emry asked.

  I sighed. “Now that I can do tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good to me.” He pulled me close to his side again. “Get some sleep.”

  I closed my eyes, but the excitement outweighed any tiredness that may have been in me. I was going to get married, and after that, I was going to be queen.

  ***

  “We’re getting married,” Emry repeated.

  Ben’s eyes shifted from Emry to me and then back to Emry.

  “You don’t look thrilled,” Emry said.

  “Congratulations,” Ben finally managed to say. “I am happy for the both of you, honestly I am.” He gave me an uneasy look. “But a wedding being planned now?”

  “Sure. Why not?” Emry asked him, his anger on the verge of making an appearance.

  “I thought we just talked about the whole king thing, you know, and that all the contributors would be coming to that ceremony and you want to add this also? Which is going to come first, king or wedding?” Ben asked, taking a sip of coffee from his mug.

  Emry glanced my
way. “Well, now that you brought it up like that,” he said, his eyes still glued to my face. “Why not a double ceremony, marriage and king and queen?”

  “Queen, too?” Ben asked, shocked.

  Well, now I knew why he was acting this way. Atavia had gotten into Ben’s head at some point. Had he really just been tolerating me this entire time? Did he think Emry and I would break up?

  “Sounds like a good plan to me,” Emry said smiling, oblivious.

  “Emry, Ben doesn’t want me to be queen.”

  Ben shot me a death glare.

  “That’s ridiculous.” Emry chuckled, then stopped once he saw Ben’s expression. “It is ridiculous, isn’t it, Ben? What’s going on with you lately?”

  A heavy sigh escaped from Ben’s lungs. He set down his mug on the table as if sifting through his thoughts, already knowing what he wanted to say but just being extra cautious about saying it in front of the explosive Emry Logan.

  “I’m thinking of the contributors here, Emry. I mean, come on, their queen is powerless, a prisoner in the dungeon. Now they have her son to trust as their new king who wasn’t even raised in Evadere, doesn’t know their ways, and on top of that you want to say here’s your new queen, a human.”

  “I’m getting really sick of the label human around here,” I blurted out. “As if I have some sort of disease.”

  The flames increased in Emry’s eyes. “I don’t really care what the contributors think, Ben.” He gritted his teeth together. “This is supposed to be a happy time, and you’re ruining it with your opinions.”

  “You asked,” Ben said, walking away.

  “Emry,” I whispered, watching him walk out of the room. “Maybe this isn’t the time,” I thought aloud. “We can always wait a few years …”

  “No,” he growled. “They either accept you or they don’t get me either.”

  I have to admit, this side of Emry was great, his sticking up for me.

  “Are you ready for this?” Emry asked.

  I frowned as I gazed upon the door of the apartment Carlin was now living in on the outskirts of Seneca. It had been a long time, or so it felt, since I’d contacted her let alone anyone else from Seneca. I had 12 messages on my phone waiting for me from her saying how worried she was about me, the last one asking if I was still alive.

  Sorry, mother, it’s not like I have the best cell phone service in another world.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “You said you couldn’t wait to tell her,” he reminded me.

  “I know.”

  He smiled. “Come on.”

  I followed him to the door. Maybe she wouldn’t be home. Emry knocked, his eyes watching me the entire time. Someone fumbled with the lock.

  “Oh my word!” Carlin wrapped her arms around me and dragged me into the apartment. “I’m so happy you’re okay!” she squealed.

  Emry stepped inside after me and shut the door.

  Carlin looked me up and down and then remembered she was angry. “Why haven’t you called? I mean, I understand you had just found out I was your mother and all, but seriously, I left you like 80 voicemails.”

  “Twelve,” I corrected her.

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “Whatever, you know what I mean, Annie.”

  There was the Carlin I always knew that drove me crazy. She was upset that I hadn’t been in contact with her, so she just had to try to make everyone else around her as miserable as she was.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t call,” I told her.

  Carlin stood there for a moment longer before motioning for us to sit down on a small rose-colored sofa.

  “Sit down, sit down,” she instructed us. “You been taking care of my girl, Emry?” She looked at him out of the corner of her eye as she made herself a drink.

  “Yeah,” he answered.

  She took a sip of whatever concoction she had made and then realized her impoliteness. “Oh my, sorry. Either one of you want a beverage?”

  I shook my head.

  “No, thanks,” Emry said smirking.

  She ran a hand through her hair as if frazzled. “So what have you two been up to? Where have you been? You been vacationing?”

  “Something like that,” Emry said, the smirk still pasted on his face.

  A door opened to our left, and a man at least 10 years younger than Carlin stepped out, a white towel wrapped around his tan body still dripping wet from a shower. His eyes grew large as he realized Carlin had guests. His hands moved to his towel to secure it in place.

  Carlin, on the other hand, grabbed him by the arm and paraded him in front of us.

  “Anna, Emry, I’d like you to meet Alessandro,” she said, beaming.

  My mouth about hit the floor. Carlin had met someone, and his name was Alessandro? She hadn’t mentioned him in those 12 messages either.

  Alessandro smiled and put up his hand to give a little wave. “Hi.”

  “Honey, this is my daughter, Anna. Isn’t she a beauty?”

  “Good to meet you, Anna,” he said, his English broken.

  “And this,” she said leaving his arm and stepping over to Emry to put her hand on his shoulder. “This is Anna’s boyfriend, Emry.”

  “Fiancé,” I corrected her.

  Carlin let go of her drink, the glass shattering on the hardwood floor.

  “Oh my goodness,” she said. “Sorry, I just …” She looked up at me with big eyes. It was the first time I had seen her at a loss for words. “Let me get something to clean this up with.”

  “I’m going to dress,” Alessandro added, darting out of the room.

  Emry was already bent down picking up shards of glass. I just stayed seated on the couch biting the insides of my cheeks. Whoops. Guess I let the cat out of the bag in the middle of an awkward moment.

  Carlin returned with a small broom and a plastic bag to gather the pieces into.

  “Thank you, Emry.” She stared at him for a moment before leaving the room again.

  Emry sat back down beside me and put his arm around me. He grinned. “What a way to make an announcement.”

  “Shut up,” I hissed, laughing quietly.

  “Okay,” Carlin said, fumbling for my left hand. “Let me see it.” She stared at the huge ring dangling from my finger. “Wow,” she gasped. “Emry, you did good. You did real good.”

  He began to laugh as Alessandro strolled back in wearing white pants hanging loosely from the waist and no shirt. That’s what he called getting dressed?

  “How did you and Alessandro meet?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow her way.

  “Oh, when I was down in the islands soaking up some sun,” Carlin mumbled as if it were no big deal. “Enough about us, give me all the details of his proposal.”

  Well, first Emry transported me from Evadere to Earth back to Seneca Prison …

  I smiled. “It was very sweet.”

  “Uh-huh,” Carlin said, her eyes focused on the ring still.

  “It happened in …” I glanced at Emry who shrugged giving me no help. Why hadn’t I thought of all of these details before? Of course Carlin would be asking me a million questions. “The place we were staying in at the … beach.”

  Out of the corner of my eye I could see Emry pressing his lips together, holding back a smile as I came up with this really bad proposal story and was already stuttering through it. Carlin didn’t seem to notice though, and Alessandro just stood in the background, his half-naked self leaning against the edge of a wall, posing pretty.

  “And he got down on one knee,” I went on. “Declared his undying love for me.”

  “Undying, huh?” She smiled, glancing at Emry.

  I nodded. “That’s … pretty much it.”

  “Engaged. It’s pretty soon, don’t you think?”

  “Carlin …” I felt my own temper rising within me.

  She smiled again, only this time the smile was to try to distract me from what she was getting at. It didn’t work.

  “So, when’s this weddi
ng going to happen?” she questioned us.

  Alessandro still hadn’t moved, his dark eyes watching the scene before him as if it were a movie.

  I looked at Emry who gave me a blank look.

  “We haven’t set a date yet,” I admitted.

  “Really?” Carlin seemed surprised. “No date yet?”

  “The sooner the better,” Emry added.

  Carlin walked back over to her mini bar area and made herself a new drink.

  “I just wanted you to be the first to know,” I told her, continuing to play with the beautiful, new accessory on my finger.

  “Am I the first to know?” Carlin lifted the glass to her lips.

  I narrowed my eyes. “Um, yeah.”

  The silence filling the room was uncomfortable as Alessandro was still posed as if making an attempt to be Fabio over there.

  Carlin sat down in an over-sized recliner. “Alessandro?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Why don’t you go lie down for a little while and rest?” she suggested.

  “Okay,” he said, turning to leave.

  Weird. He was like Carlin’s little puppet.

  She grinned as if reading my thoughts.

  “Have you gotten a hold of Helene?” she asked.

  I shook my head.

  “John?”

  “Nope.”

  “Anna James,” she huffed. “They did raise you. The least you could do is call people every once in awhile.”

  I wasn’t about to sit here and discuss my feelings about my so-called parents with her.

  “And what about poor Matthew?” she said, pushing the dagger in even farther. “He must miss you like crazy.”

  I looked down at my hands, my fingernails, anywhere but up into her eyes so she could see that she had struck a nerve with me. I did miss my brother, but I didn’t want to go back there in that house, not after all of their lies and my dad’s hatred toward Emry. No one could understand my relationship with Emry Logan, but Helene and John least of all.

  “Well, anyway,” she added. “I just think you should call them sometime.”

  “I’m sure you’re busy with your new boy toy.” I stood up.