Page 38 of Rise of the Gods: Vardor's Destiny
"In my mind?" She pulled her knees up to her chest.
How had the conversation turned to the worst part of our lives together? There were so many other things we could have talked about; instead, it was this.
"I was trying to keep you safe," I explained. "I had some guards take you aboard a ship to have you moved from Orasis in case your brother won the war."
"If I was a goddess, how could men take me aboard a ship?"
Damn her.
I hung my head, "I had a crate made that you couldn't escape."
"A crate?" she scoffed.
This man really did seem to have an explanation for everything. Every time I tried to trip him up, he found a way to explain himself. The worrisome part wasn't that he had another woman, Vaelora, put into a crate, which it should have been, but no. The worrisome part was that deep down, I was starting to believe him—to doubt myself, my reality. Some of the things he said resonated with me deep in my soul.
There were even moments when I looked at him that his features seemed—as insane as it sounded—familiar.
"So, somebody was attacking yourkingdom,and you were worried they would win, so you had me locked up to be taken away for my safety?" He nodded. "But you won, and instead of thanking you, I put you into a coffin."
A small smile played around the edges of his lips, making him very attractive. "You always were most vengeful."
"I would never do that," I stated. "Never." I was sure of it. I would have never locked a man into a sarcophagus.
"You weren't human then. You were a goddess. You experienced emotions differently from the way you are experiencing them now."
I couldn't help it, I scoffed. He stiffened, and I recoiled.Humor him, my mind screamed. But I couldn't. There was only so much terror a person could take before they decided enough was enough. If he wanted to kill me, then fine. But I wouldnot entertain his delusions. "You really have an explanation for everything, don't you?"
His light smile vanished, replaced by sadness that made me feel guilty. He rose from the bed. "You should really eat something. Tomorrow, we'll go buy you more clothes."
"For what?" I demanded. "Are you going to take me out into the city?"
"I'm going to take you back to Orasis. Maybe you'll remember then."
"Orasis?" I had never heard that name before. It sounded like Oasis. "Are you going to take me into the desert?"
He beamed, "You remember."
"I don't remember anything. This is stupid. You are crazy. Let me go," I raged.
"Orasis is in what I believe you now call Egypt. That's where we're going."
I froze. Egypt?
Could this really still be a coincidence?
Don't Roweena, remember he said he came out of a sarcophagus. Of course he would link things to Egypt. But I wasn't as sure as my rational mind any longer. Somehow, he had known I had taken the ring out of the sarcophagus, had known that the handkerchief was mine. For some reason, I had been obsessed with Egypt all my life. I nearly married a man who would have taken me there—before he locked me up. But he would have taken me toEgypt, I was sure of it. Somehow, all my paths pointed toward the land of Pharaohs and pyramids, the desert and the Nile. My heart had constricted with longing every time I had seen a drawing or painting of Egypt. All my life, I had been homesick for a place I had never stepped foot on.
He's using you and your deepest desires.
Maybe, I allowed. But he would take me to Egypt. And just maybe I could figure out what my long obsession with that place was all about.
You can't be serious?
Watch me.
Roweena, this man is dangerous, deranged, delusional, and certifiable crazy. You can't go with him to a strange country where you don't know anybody.
As much as my rational mind tried to convince me otherwise, I was convinced that going with him wasn't any less dangerous than marrying Thomas. A man who would have committed me to an insane asylum no matter my plans and dreams. Even if Abbie could have gotten me out of St. George's Fields, even if I had made it to America, Thomas would have found and brought me back. He wouldn't have allowed me to taint his name more than our marriage already had. All our planning had been nothing but a dream.
