by S. J. West
I open the ring box. The sentinel ring is gold with flames etched on either side of the large yellow-orange sunstone gem in the center. I take the ring out of the box and place it on Nadia’s finger. Everyone in the crowd cheers and claps their hearty approval. They all seem to agree that I’ve made a wise decision in making Nadia my royal protector.
I watch as Nadia gazes at the ring with a sad smile. She’s waited for this moment all of her life, ever since she was chosen as a young child to go to Valengard Academy. Now, she is the sentinel to the future queen of the alfar and all of her hard work and sacrifices are finally paying off. As I watch her grab the ring with the fingers of her left hand and slowly slip it off her finger, I almost wish I could stop her. But she’s made her decision to help place me that much closer to my goal.
“As your sentinel,” Nadia says as she completely slides the ring off her finger, “my first and last act in your service is to choose someone who, I believe, can protect you better than I can.”
Several gasps can be heard from the crowd, and I even hear a few people whisper to each other, “What is she doing?”
“Since I am not bound by your constraint of only choosing a Valengard to be your sentinel,” Nadia says, turning to Julian, “I am selecting someone to replace me who has shown his courage and willingness to place his own welfare at risk in order to shield you from injury. Julian Movila, will you consider becoming Princess Sarah Marcel-Moonshade’s sentinel in order to keep her safe and protected from those who would mean her harm?”
“I would consider it an honor,” Julian says reverently, understanding as well as I do what Nadia is giving up for us, “but I will only do so on the grounds that you stay on her protective detail as senior officer.”
“I will continue to serve the princess in any capacity that she sees fit for me,” Nadia replies before turning around to hand the ring back to me. She then steps aside so I can walk up to Julian.
“Julian Movila,” I say, unable to suppress a smile, “do you accept the position of being my sentinel?”
“I do,” he replies with a small smile of his own.
As I slip the ring on his finger, I hear Shael say in the background, “As you all know, the ring of a sentinel is worn on the center finger of the right hand to symbolize balance. Not only must a sentinel be ready to do everything in his or her power to protect the royal they are assigned to, but they must also lend them their wisdom when tough decisions have to be made. In the years to come, before and during her reign, I hope you will all encourage Princess Sarah to follow her heart in matters of state and to also lend her your encouragement in whatever decisions she will have to make. A leader is only effective when they have the support of their people behind them.”
By making Julian my sentinel, Nadia has given him the status required to one day become my husband. As she mentioned to me a while back, Alden and Shael could marry one another if they wished, since he is her sentinel. It is a post which grants the bearer royal status among the alfar. Considering how much time a sentinel spends with the noble they protect, it’s no wonder so many of my ancestors chose to marry their guardians. With one near impossible obstacle out of our way, there is only one more that needs to be conquered: making Julian human.
When I turn to look back out at the crowd of alfar present, they all politely clap their acceptance of Julian’s new role within House Moonshade, but none of them look overly enthusiastic about the prospect of placing a vampire in such a powerful position. Considering how much influence Alden has with Shael, I can’t say that I blame them. I’m sure once they get to know Julian, they’ll see how much he has to offer. He has lived four hundred years, after all. I doubt anyone in the room has that much life experience.
“Thank you all for coming this evening,” I say. “I’m sure none of you expected there to be so much excitement (me included), but I want you to know that I take my new position in Alfheim very seriously. I will do everything within my power to make sure you all have a voice and that your concerns are heard. I wish everyone a good night and officially bring an end to tonight’s festivities.”
Slowly, people begin to disperse and make their way out of the room.
I turn to Nadia. “Thank you for this. It means the world to me.”
“It was the only way I could think of to solve at least one problem for you,” she says. “Now, the rest is up to the two of you.”
“Your sacrifice won’t be for nothing,” Julian promises.
“It better not be, or I’ll have to kick your ass, vampire.”
Julian chuckles. “I’m always up for a sparring match.”
“Not tonight,” Nadia says with a small shake of her head. “I think I just want to get some rest.”
“I second that,” I say. “Should we stay here this evening or go back to Earth?”
“Why don’t we stay here?” Julian suggests. “And tomorrow we can hopefully find a way to solve the rest of our problems back home.”
“That sounds like a plan,” I say, stifling a yawn. “Goodness, I must be more exhausted than I realized.”
“Then let’s get you to bed,” he states, holding out a crooked arm for me to take. “I want you fully rested before we meet with the warlock tomorrow. I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but I do know I don’t want you tired when we face it.”
“I already asked the kitchen staff to take some food up to the room for you,” Nadia tells me as she leans down to pick Viktor up so she can carry him to my suite.
“I could kiss you for that,” I tell her as we make our way out of the room. “Food and sleep is exactly what I need.”
By the time we reach my suite, I’m ravenous and make quick work of the food the servants brought up for me to eat. Julian then takes me to my bedroom, but only to help me take my dress off and to put on some silky soft pajamas. When we crawl into bed together, I snuggle up with my new sentinel and promptly close my eyes, allowing my mind to drift off and finally find sleep.
Being woken up by Julian kissing me is like being given the gift of blissful adoration. This is the first time he’s awoken me in such a fashion, and I sincerely hope it won’t be the last.
“It’s time to get up, Princess,” he murmurs against my lips. “Today is the start of a brand-new adventure and the hope of a life we can share together for many years to come.”
I open my eyes and smile at the look of positivity on Julian’s face. I don’t think he’s had much to be optimistic about in his life, and I pray that today meets all of our expectations.
“Promise me that whatever ends up happening today with the warlock that it won’t make you give up on regaining your humanity.”
Julian’s expression mirrors his confusion over my plea for caution and the first shadow of doubt.
“You don’t believe he’ll be able to help me?”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” I reply with a small shake of my head. “I just don’t want you to pin all of your hopes on this one person and then experience disappointment if he can’t do anything to help us. I’m not a fortune-teller. I don’t know what’s going to happen today, but I want you to be prepared for the worst, yet remain hopeful for the best outcome.”
Julian grins at me. “If there is one thing you should know about me, I always prepare for the worst. I’ve lived as a vampire for a very long time, Sarah, and I’ve searched for a cure just as long. Need I remind you that it was only last night that you were the one being optimistic about finding a way to make me human again?”
“And we will,” I say confidently, “but … I know you’ve heard the old saying that anything worth having doesn’t come easily. It just seems unlikely that he’ll be able to solve our problem in a single day.”
“I don’t think he’ll solve it,” Julian says. “I do hope that he’ll at least point us in the right direction. If we can talk to the spirit inside me and learn what will bring her peace, maybe that will be enough to satisfy her desire for revenge. That’s been our hope f
rom the start of all this.”
“How much time do we have before we need to meet this warlock?”
“A couple of hours. That’s why I woke you up. Petru said they would meet us at the man’s shop on Bourbon Street.”
“What kind of shop does a warlock own?”
Julian shrugs. “I’m not sure. I didn’t ask. Petru texted me the address and said he and Gage would be standing outside of it, waiting for us to arrive.”
“Let me take a shower and get ready then,” I say, hopping out of bed. “Would you ask the kitchen staff to bring me some food? Oh, and ask them if they have something chocolatey I can take home and share with Helen and Kaylee. Almost every woman I know loves chocolate, and the stuff they make here is like having a piece of heaven inside your mouth.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” he says with a wink before I disappear into the bathroom.
By the time my food arrives, I’m fully dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white short- sleeved sweater. It doesn’t take me long to eat. It rarely does nowadays. After I finish eating, I suddenly feel forlorn about leaving Alfheim to return to Earth.
When I mention this odd feeling to Julian, he says, “This is your home now too. It’s natural for you to want to stay here. We’ll be back soon. It’s not like we’re leaving this place forever. We can even return this evening if you really want to.”
“We have no idea what will happen today,” I remind him. “Plus, I should go home and check on Kaylee. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep lying to her about all of this. She’s going to demand an explanation soon. The ‘impromptu vacation’ excuse will only work for so long. In fact, the next time I see her, she may start trying to figure out what’s really going on.”
“Whatever you decide to tell her or not tell her, I will support you one hundred percent.”
“She’ll think I’ve lost my mind if I tell her you’re a vampire.”
“Would it help if I drank your blood in front of her?”
I’m shocked into silence by Julian’s suggestion, which makes him smile—a true indication of his twisted sense of humor.
“Ha ha …very not as funny as you think,” I say. “But to be honest, if I thought that would work, I might actually try it. Hopefully I can keep this charade going until she has her baby. After that, she’ll be so consumed by little Ms. Em that she won’t have time to think about me.”
“Just let me know what you want me to do, Sarah, and I’ll do it.”
“Kaylee and her parents are a problem for another day. Right now, let’s just concentrate on learning what we can from this warlock.”
I look around the sitting room but see no signs of Nadia’s presence.
“Where is Nadia?” I ask Julian.
“She said she would meet us by the breach. I think she had a couple of errands to run before she could leave. She also said she would pick up some boxes of chocolates for you to take back home.”
When Julian and I reach the breach in the cellar of the castle, Nadia is searching through a small black duffel bag on her shoulder.
“I hope that bag is full of chocolates,” I tease, even though I’m partially serious.
“Mostly,” she says with a grin before zipping the bag up. “And a few odds and ends I grabbed from my place.”
“I just realized that I never asked if you have a house here.”
“I have one,” she replies vaguely.
I don’t push the issue. It’s really none of my business, and Nadia’s given up enough for me. I don’t want to pressure her into divulging more about her private life, unless she wants to do it on her own.
After we walk through the breach, we’re met on the Earth side by a short-statured woman with shoulder length red hair cut into a tight bob. She’s wearing a blood red jacket, skirt, and heels ensemble and thick black-rimmed glasses.
“Princess Sarah,” she greets me, curtsying awkwardly before me, “I’m so happy to see that you’re feeling better.”
“Do I know you?” I ask. “Your voice sounds familiar to me for some reason.”
“My name is Agatha, Your Highness. I was here the night Alden first took you to Alfheim. I think you were blind at the time, so you wouldn’t have seen me.” She laughs nervously before clearing her throat, realizing her attempt at light humor failed miserably. “Anyway, we have a car waiting for you outside. I was told you would need one today. I believe this is yours,” Agatha says, handing Julian his cell phone back. I really need to see if I can do something about that. It must annoy him to have to surrender it every time he goes to Alfheim. Since he now has a position of respect among the alfar, surely that earns him some special privileges.
Julian takes his phone from Agatha and drops it in his right pants pocket.
“Please follow me, and I’ll take you to your car,” Agatha says, escorting us up to the front of the house.
I guess I could have told her we know the way from our previous excursion the night before, but I get the feeling this is part of her job, and I have no desire to lessen her importance within the household.
Once we reach the front of the house, Agatha turns to us and says, “Do you happen to know when you will be returning to Alfheim, Your Highness?”
“I’m not really sure yet,” I reply. “Are there any restrictions on when I can return here and go back?”
Agatha laughs nervously. “Oh no, Your Grace. I just like to keep a schedule of things, so that I’m always prepared. You are more than welcome to come and go as you please at any time, day or night. Please consider this house yours whenever you visit New Orleans.”
“Would you prefer that I call you first before coming here?” I ask.
“There’s no need for that, Princess. We are always prepared for your return. I’ve taken the liberty of adding my phone number into your sentinel’s contact list in case you ever need our assistance. I hope you don’t mind my forwardness.”
“Thank you for doing that, Agatha,” I say, even though I’m not sure how much Julian appreciates her invasion of his privacy.
“I hope you enjoy your time here in New Orleans, Princess Sarah. Please let us know if there is anything further we can assist you with.” Agatha curtsies to me again before returning to the interior of the house.
The drive to Bourbon Street doesn’t take very long. Nadia drops us off and takes the car to a public parking garage. Julian and I stroll down the sidewalk until we spot Petru and Gage standing outside what looks like a candy store.
Petru spies us first and waves at us with a happy smile on his face.
“It feels like forever since I saw the two of you last,” Petru says, leaning over and kissing me on the mouth chastely, as is his custom. Although I’ve noticed he only does it when he greets me for some reason.
“It’s good to see you again, Sarah,” Gage says, giving me an awkward hug around the shoulders.
“The warlock runs a candy shop?” I ask, finding it strange that someone who toils with the darker side of magic would sell sweet confections for a living. For some reason, I was expecting a shop filled with voodoo dolls or even S&M clothing and toys, not something as benign as candy.
“He’s attempting to reform himself,” Gage tells me. “He only agreed to dip back into dark magic to help Julian and Petru because he owes me a big favor. I feel as though I should warn you all that what he’ll be attempting to do today might not give you the results you’re looking for. When you use magic to deal with the dead, it doesn’t always work out like you hope it will, especially when you’re dealing with vengeful spirits.”
“Anything is helpful,” Julian tells Gage. “Thank you for arranging all of this for us.”
“I always help my friends. Some people view that as a fault in my character, but I’ve always considered it a strength.”
“It’s definitely a strength,” I assure Gage.
“Well, let’s go inside. We were just waiting for the two of you to arrive,” Petru tells us, opening the door to the sho
p and allowing us to step inside before him.
“You must give me the recipe you use to make these delectable truffles,” I hear Helen say to the older gentleman behind the counter. “Sarah will absolutely adore them!”
“A woman who knows exactly how to win my heart,” I say to her.
“Sarah!” Helen practically squeals as she becomes aware of our arrival and quickly walks toward us. As soon as she’s near enough, my friend pulls me into her arms for a breath-stealing hug. Helen might look old, but she’s quite strong for her age. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed you, my dear. The house just hasn’t felt like home since you left.”
“I missed you too,” I tell her.
When Helen pulls away, I see the man who was behind the counter walk around it to come stand with us. He’s short with skin the pallor of chalk. His hair is gray and thinning on top. His eyes dart between Julian and me as if he’s trying to size us up before we even speak to him.
“Sarah and Julian,” Gage says, “I would like to introduce you to Gerald Williamson. He will be performing the spell to see if we can contact the spirits inside both Julian and Petru today.”
“We should probably handle one spirit at a time,” Gerald quickly suggests, scratching the back of his head nervously with one hand. I sense he’s unsure whether or not he’s powerful enough to perform the spell he has in mind, but he’s also determined to do his best for us. “You know, it’s been a while since I practiced this type of magic, Gage. I would rather take it slow at first until I get my footing again.”
“Take all the time you need,” Julian tells him. “We’re not in any hurry today.”
When Gerald nods his head, he reminds me of a bobblehead doll. “Good, because it might take me longer than I think it will. I’m a little rusty.”
“We’re just thankful that you’re willing to try,” I tell him.
“I have a lot to make up for,” he replies. “I let dark magic ruin my life and those I cared about for a very long time. I try to make reparations whenever I get the opportunity.”
