Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
ISLA
S leep eludes me like sand sifting through grasping fingers. The ceiling—a blank, cream expanse—mocks me with its stillness, offering no solace to the storm within. Hours have passed since I stood on the balcony of my room and I’ve spent every minute after trying to convince myself that the giant wolf racing toward the forest wasn’t real. That he didn’t stop abruptly, turning around to look right into my soul.
Nor can I admit to myself his glowing, sapphire eyes looked eerily like those of King Asher.
The thought sends a shiver cascading down my spine and my stomach churns as I grab a pillow, smothering my face to drown out the screams of my frustrations, and not for the first time since being left in this room.
How can any of this be real? How did I end up here and how the hell do I get back to the home I know?
In restless defeat, I turn, and my eyes betray me, locking on to the photo by my bedside. A token to a life I’ve never lived, a happiness I’ve never known. The family within the frame feels both alien and achingly familiar, and with every accidental glance, I’m further filled with a sense of love and belonging. Two things I’ve only ever associated with Elodee and the one good foster home we lived in. Though the latter feels like another lifetime ago.
I reach for the picture and sit up in the bed, resting my back against the white, carved headboard. My thumb glides over the cool surface of the glass and I brace myself against the swell of questions I’ve battled with all night.
If these are truly my parents, how did I grow up as a child back in Portland, especially when Cain mentioned something about this being from five hundred years ago? The past and present clash within me, a torrent of memories as I try to make sense of everything that can’t truly be possible no matter which way I look at things.
I remember very vividly being four or five and every year after. I went to school, I had a life—albeit, not the greatest, but still, I lived.
The woman in this photo is identical to me now, at twenty-five years old. If I was once her, then how am I me ?
I don’t know, but I’d very much like to find out. Pretending this isn’t real has only gotten me put in this room and freaked out by a wild animal. It’s time for me to be proactive, not only for myself, but for Elodee. She’s going to be losing her mind soon when she can’t reach me. I thought I’d gotten lucky when I found an old, corded house phone still plugged in on the desk in the room, but either I don’t know how it works, or it won’t call back to…Earth, or it’s just broken because nothing happened when I dialed her number.
With a frustrated sigh, I throw the blankets off me, then set the photo back where it belongs and get out of bed. The ground is farther away than I expected, and I land on the hardwood floor with a heavy thump , but I at least don’t fall.
Still dressed in the silk gown I somehow arrived in, I tiptoe toward the door, intent on sneaking out. Only the moment I touch the door handle, it starts to turn on its own within my palm.
Swiftly, I take several steps back and in walks Cain, holding a silver tray. His head bows as he says, “Your Highness.”
Instinctively, I nod in return, but he smiles and corrects my action. “You should never bow to anyone other than King Asher or one of the other kings and queens within Lunara, Your Highness.”
I swallow thickly. “Right. You mentioned there were other islands before.”
Cain steps farther into the room and sets the tray on the table, just past the bed. “Yes, Your Highness. There are the four kingdoms of Lunara, created by the divide during the Great War.”
Hmm, that sounds like an interesting story, but that’s not my biggest concern right now. I want to talk to the people in that photo and get some answers. They seem like a better bet than the king or someone who works for him.
Glancing back at the bedside table, my throat tightens as I prepare to say words I never thought I would. “How do I find the people in that picture with me… My, um, parents?”
I was told as a child I’d been orphaned thanks to a car accident, so I’d never had any reason to wonder before—something Elodee and I had bonded over.
Cain tenses, his mouth turning into a hard line as he stands awkwardly next to the table, looking everywhere but at me. “I brought you some breakfast to start your day, Your Highness.”
I stalk toward him, grab his arm, and force him to face me as I look up at his emotionless face. “Cain, where are they?”
I don’t even know these people and I’m not certain I believe they’re truly my birth family because this nonsense about five hundred years ago isn’t possible, but if the invisible chokehold around my neck is any indication, my emotions don’t give a damn about what is or isn’t true right now.
“Your Highness…”
My eyes narrow and I practically growl at him. “Tell me, Cain.”
“Your mother died some years ago and chose not to return to this life and your father hasn’t been seen since your mother departed.”
His words are spoken so rapidly, it takes my mind a few extra beats to understand what he’s said, but the moment I do, an ache grows within, spreading until every inch of my body hurts.
My knees shake. I release Cain and lean against the bed, helping to keep myself upright. I wasn’t sure that life could be any more cruel after having been left without a family growing up, but finding out I might have had one, yet I’ve missed my chance to know them? Even if this grief doesn’t quite feel like my own, the ache is still as real as ever .
My fingertips rub over my chest, trying to ease the throbbing. This is more than cruel, it’s villainous.
“I want to go back to Portland, Cain,” I tell him sternly after I find a way to compose myself. My hardened gaze focuses only on him. “I’m your princess and you will do as I demand, or I’ll find someone who will. Do I make myself clear?”
His throat bobs as he stares at the floor. “Yes, Your Highness. I will make the necessary preparations for your departure.”
I point toward the door and without another word, Cain exits my bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him.
Only then do I drop to the floor, bring my knees to my chest, and let myself break. A lifetime of heartache allowed me those few moments of resolve and resilience, but being alone, I can’t find the strength to pretend everything is okay.
For a brief few seconds, hope trickled through. A part of me wanted to be their lost princess, wanted the family in that photo. Even if I don’t understand anything that’s happened since I began crossing that bridge, I know grief.
It doesn’t matter that I’m in a world that shouldn’t be real yet feels familiar, that the people here seem confident they know me. I can’t recall any of them, and I’ve been teased with the idea of parents, only to be told they’re unavailable to me. All that and I’ve been here for maybe four hours.
Until I can figure out how to get back home, the power of who these people think I am feels like my only lifeline. If I have to be Princess Isobella to get the hell out of here, then that’s what I’ll do because there’s nothing more that I want than to go back to my apartment in Portland, pack up my shit, move to Seattle, and never speak of this craziness again. Not even to Elodee.
Too many hours later, I’m still no closer to getting out of here than I was this morning. Yet because I don’t understand how this place works, I feel as if I have no choice other than to do just as I have. Though my patience will only last through the daylight hours.
Once the bright, orange sun that I’ve been watching has finally disappeared and the double moons return, I’ll move on to Plan B.
Several times, I’ve been tempted to walk out of this bedroom and go back to the cave to figure things out for myself, but the more thought I put into this, the less ideal that seems.
While I’ve only seen four people, each of them has known exactly who I am—or who I once was or whatever—and something tells me that “sneaking” anywhere around this place will be next to impossible during the day.
Cain at least continues to bring me food, most recently dinner, when he comes with his non-update updates about the portal needing the right energy to open on Earth again. I’m not sure I believe him, but at least the food is delicious.
I pick at the toasted bread covered in what I assume is cheese and which came with a pasta creation I don’t have a name for, but I don’t eat much. Half because I’m still full thanks to the previous two meals and half because every other minute, my gaze shifts toward the door, hoping that the next time it opens will be when I’m able to leave.
My restlessness only intensifies, especially when I can’t seem to forget that Asher said he’d speak with me in the morning, yet he never showed. Why I even care, I’m not sure, but it bothers me that I seem to have been forgotten.
I stand from the table, unsure what to do. I search the bedroom and as much as the main door calls to me, I decide to step out onto the balcony again. I haven’t been out there since I saw the wild wolf running rampant across the back yard last night, but maybe with the sky not quite dark yet, the view will be less intimidating.
Just as my bare foot touches the concrete landing, the bedroom door behind me opens. Wind whips past me, seeming to swirl through the room before blowing right back toward my still form. My hair tangles in front of my face and I hold on to the chair in front of me.
A warmth builds deep within me, and I close my eyes, taking a deep inhale. An earthy, cedar scent envelops my entire being, assaulting every sense. My vision flickers, my heart thundering loudly in my ears as my stomach swirls with foreign emotions.
“Isobella.” The name is spoken with a deep grumble and filled with an authority that can only belong to one person: Asher.
It takes me more time than I like to get my head right. I don’t know why my body would betray me like this, but the two of us are going to have a long talk once we get the hell out of here.
As soon as I’m turned around, I nearly lose my shit all over again .
This entire world is out to get me. I’m convinced of that.
Asher stands inside my bedroom, his eyes pinned on me. He’s put together and in control—everything I don’t feel—dressed in a white, collared shirt. His sleeves are rolled up his thick forearms and the top few buttons are undone, exposing just enough of his chest to distract me.
Oh, hell. Am I really that woman? Apparently so because against everything I want to feel, I can’t deny that this man is sexy. He is the embodiment of control and composure, yet there’s an untamed edge to him that sets my heart racing just by his mere presence. Nobody has said as much, but these feelings make me wonder… Who was he to me before? Why does he seem so furious with me?
He rubs the back of his neck with one hand and shoves the other in his pocket, standing there almost as if he has nothing and everything to say all at once.
And because I can’t seem to control myself around him, I speak first, barely containing my frustrations. “Are you here to take me to the portal?”
I swear his face pales for the briefest of seconds, but then his eyes pierce right through me as they narrow in my direction. “You truly want to leave after only having just returned?”
“Of course I do,” I say with a bravado I don’t truly feel. “Why should I stay?”
“For…” He pauses, seeming to choose his words wisely. “For your people.”
I glance behind me, out the balcony, and toward the forest before addressing him. “This isn’t my home.”
“Bullshit!” His outburst has me spinning back around, but by the time my eyes are on him again, he’s returned to being the epitome of calm, both hands now in his pockets. “Just give us a chance.” He pauses once more. “Please.”
The way he says “us” makes my chest tighten with a tension that I don’t understand and don’t want to dig further into as I say, “I have a home and family to get back to.”
His eyes widen ever so slightly and his jaw tightens. “A family?”
“A sister,” I clarify. “She needs me, and I need her.”
The darkening of his eyes makes me think he wants to say something more, but he seems to stop himself, lowering his gaze and taking a deep breath.
“I’m not the princess you want me to be,” I add, not comfortable with the silence. “Even if there is some possible way that I once was, that woman isn’t me anymore. This place has apparently managed just fine without me for the last five hundred years. What does it matter if I go?”
He mutters something that I don’t catch before finally meeting my stare again. “What if you had a reason to stay?”
Again, my chest constricts, making my throat feel as if it were closing up. “I guess it would depend on the reason.”
What the hell is wrong with me? Why would I say that? Literally nothing could make me stay here and never see Elodee again.
“I found your father.” The moment those four words leave his mouth, it’s like a bolt of lightning strikes me, leaving me breathless and exposed.
My heart hammers once again as emotions that don’t feel like mine grow. The tendril of hope I felt before also returns and I do my best to ignore it. Though that doesn’t work for long.
Does this information change anything for me? The tightening of my chest says yes, but my head is still fighting against the possibility that this place is somewhere I should be.
Yet my father—a complete stranger and likely not really mine—he’s here. Knowing there’s a chance, even the smallest one, that he’s my blood family…
Damn it! I close my eyes, turning away from Asher. Why couldn’t Elodee be here with me? This would be so much easier with her support.
I have no clue if these people are lying to me or if any of this is possible, but I can’t deny that my reactions and emotions are very real.
A warm hand covers my shoulder. “What do you need, Isobella?”
“Quit calling me that. My name is Isla !” I snap and while I feel bad for my outburst, I know right now what I’m supposed to do. “And I want to go home.”
Even if this man Asher has found the father of the young woman in the photo next to the bed, I am not her. He’s not my father and I can’t replace the one I never knew with him.
Elodee, however, is my family and I need her now more than ever.
Turning back around, I look up at Asher. I expect to find compassion on his face that matches his previous words, but instead, he seems more furious than he was even last night .
“He’s your family. That used to mean something to you,” Asher says through tightly clenched teeth.
“It still does,” I murmur as tears drip slowly down my cheeks, “but he’s not my family. He doesn’t even know me.”
“You’ve left me no choice.” He stands and once again leaves me in the wake of his fury.
More confused than ever before, I decide it’s time for me to take back control of my life, even in a world I don’t understand and don’t really want to believe is real. I’m going to get out of here. No more waiting on Cain or anyone else. This has to end right now.
Except before I can decide on the best escape route, my door is reopening.
Asher enters first, practically dragging an older gentleman with him. Asher’s fingers grip the underside of the man’s frail arm and his hold appears to be the only reason the stranger still stands.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I demand, my eyes narrowing on the king.
Except it’s not Asher who replies.
“Isobella?” The man says with an air of shock. His light-blue eyes widen and his hand clutches at his chest, bunching up the fabric of his wrinkled, black cotton shirt that seems three sizes too big. “I can’t believe…” He looks up at Asher. “I’ll take your offer now.”
Asher’s voice comes out harsh. “That option is no longer available.” Then he narrows his gaze on me. “If you want to save this man, your father , then you’ll stay, honoring the contract you made before to be part of this kingdom. Otherwise, his death will be on you.”
His threat and malice wash over me, but they don’t weaken me. Instead, his words light a fire within my core unlike anything I’ve known before.
“Excuse me?” I snarl, quiet yet deadly. “From the sounds of it, you offered to save his life and now, because you’re not getting your way, you want to blame me for your choice? I don’t think so. I’m done?—”
Before I can continue with my tirade, I make the mistake of giving the unnamed man another glance. This time, our gazes lock and a burst of light explodes behind my eyes, much like the one I saw when I was brought here, only it’s not as blinding or long lasting.
I blink several times and lick my dry lips, trying to comprehend this sudden…connection. One that feels as if my soul knows the frail man before me even if I’ve never seen him before. “You’re…”
“Oh, my sweet girl.” He coughs and blood dribbles from the side of his mouth. “I’m so sorry.”
“You have no reason to apologize.” My stare moves to Asher. “But you do. Save him.”
“Swear that you’ll stay.” His retort is quick and vicious.
This evil bastard. So much for the kind king Cain described him as.
Still, I don’t know what to do. This connection to the older gentleman, a man my heart is telling me is somehow my father, makes me want to stay. Yet I can’t fathom the thought of never seeing Elodee again.
“Give me one moon cycle,” Asher adds, only slightly calmer than before. “When the second moon disappears in four weeks’ time, if you still don’t know why you should stay, then I’ll send you back to where you came from, and I’ll save your father if he still wishes.”
Four weeks to save a man’s life and possibly get answers to the questions that have been plaguing me since I stumbled into this world? That doesn’t sound like the worst choice I could make. And if this man really is my father, I can bring him back with me. I can’t do that if I leave now.
“Fine, I’ll stay for now,” I declare even as part of me screams in protest, “but if you don’t honor your word, I will find a way out of here myself.”
His responding grin feels like a mutual promise. “I’d expect nothing less.”