Blue Passion: Hex in the Gardens, #3

By D.N. Leo

This is Book 3 in Hex in the Gardens series. The journey continues into the unknowns ...

 

Hex in the Gardens series offers paranormal mystery, fantasy, and romance. If you're a fan of the Multiverse Collection, this is another must-read addition.

The series includes

1. The Last Sunflower
2. Bird of Paradise
3. Blue Passion
4. Lily of the Valley
5. Lotus Heart

• Language: English
• Publisher: Narrative Land Publishing
• Release date: Jun 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201386498

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

The exquisite scent of vanilla hovered in the air. The off-white ceiling was high enough and the walls far enough away from Emma for her to feel how spacious the room was, but still close enough that she could see the delicate decoration of the walls and ceiling skirting boards. The embroidery on the fabric around the top of the four-poster bed she was lying on was detailed and elegant.

She had seen this type of decor before in a museum. Humans in ancient times referred to places like this as castles. But having been pulled from 2999 to 2022, and traveling with her friends to the 1300s, she was now reluctant to call anything ancient.

She did a quick mental check. It seemed all her body parts were intact and in the places they were supposed to be.

She recalled the incident.

It had happened so fast.

They were waiting in Jasmine’s vineyard in 2022 for people from 2999 to pick her up and transport her back to the time period where she belonged. Then a trio of mercenaries exited a portal, poisoned Bertram, and captured her.

She vividly remembered the helplessness she felt as she dangled over the shoulder of the mercenary as he entered the portal, into a space her human body wasn’t supposed to travel through without proper protection.

She felt the impact on her body as the man penetrated the portal.

It was like being hit by lightning.

And then she couldn’t remember anything else.

She wiggled her toes. It felt so real that she didn’t need to pinch herself to make sure she was alive.

This isn’t a dream!

No, it isn’t.

Emma didn’t realize she had spoken aloud. And she was startled by the sound of the gentle and delightful female voice at her side. She wanted to turn her head but couldn’t.

She felt the weight of someone taking a seat on the side of her bed, and then the face of a kind older woman appeared in her vision.

Take it easy. You were barely alive when Master brought you home. You’re almost healed now, but I’d advise you not to jump up and down right away.

How long have I been in bed?

A couple of days, I assume.

Only a couple of days, and I've gone from near death to being almost healed? Where is this place? What’s your Master?

Oh, Master wouldn’t be pleased hearing you call him a what!

I’m sorry—that didn’t come out right. I mean, I don't know whether he’s supernatural and might have used magic to heal me.

The woman smiled.

Understood. I know you’re human, so I estimate two days before you get your bearings. We are not human. And this place is in between worlds.

I've heard about the crossworld.

Well, we’re not quite there. As for exactly where we are, it’s not my place to explain it to you. We don’t have day and night. We have only darkness here. And we don’t have any perspective of time and space. I guess that’s a good thing, because if we can’t measure time, we can’t get older.

I’m Emma.

You can call me Margaret. I’m the housekeeper in this palace.

Palace?

Yes, dear.

So your Master is a prince?

Margaret chuckled. Must you give a name to everything, dear?

As you said, I need to get my bearings. Labeling people and things helps a lot with gaining a perspective on time and space.

A kind smile crossed Margaret’s face. I would love to see Master become a prince.

A warm male voice came from the far end of the room. I guess our visitor is up?

Emma tried to sit up.

Be very careful. Margaret helped her.

As Emma propped herself up against the headboard, the person Margaret referred to as Master came into view.

He approached the bed.

Emma had never seen anyone like him. She didn’t even have the words to describe him. He was beautiful. Tall. Lean. Magnificent dark skin. And a face so compelling that she couldn’t help but stare. His appearance and the aura around him made her heart skip several beats.

Emma O’Neill. Her name came spontaneously out of her mouth as she couldn’t think of anything else to say to make it a full sentence.

And she’s got a name… His voice was low. He was gauging her. Observing.

She didn’t like that look in the slightest.

And you don’t? Or do you prefer that people call you Master?

He arched an eyebrow and looked at Margaret.

Margaret stepped back. I should get her some water. Do you want me to get another dose of remedies for her?

I think she’s fine for now, Margaret.

I shall go back to my quarter, then. Please call when you need me.

He nodded but kept his eyes locked on Emma. Yes, you’re on call tonight. Be on alert.

Margaret bowed and withdrew from the room.

Thank you, Margaret, Emma said with a slightly raised voice to make sure the old woman could hear her, as she had reached the door at the far end of the room and was exiting.

Margaret turned, gave her a small smile, nodded in acknowledgment of Emma’s gratitude, and closed the door behind her.

She shouldn’t have to stay up and wait for your command, should she?

He shrugged. It's her duty.

That’s absurd!

That’s how things work in this household.

There might be a pecking order in your world, but you didn’t have to be so rough.

He smiled. If I had left you to die in the field, then that would be rough on my part. But I saved you, and you haven’t yet thanked me for it. Instead, you're criticizing how I treat my servant. That’s what I call being rough.

I didn’t criticize you.

In this household, I’m the master. I make the rules. Everyone, including guests, must obey them to stay here. And yes, everyone calls me Master. That’s how I like it.

Emma hopped off the bed and put her shoes on. She ached everywhere. But as long as she could move, she was leaving this place. She had her world to return to. Her friends were looking for her and must be worried sick right now. But she didn’t think she could ask Master for the courtesy of a phone call.

I didn’t mean to upset you. Thank you for rescuing me from the mercenaries.

He chuckled. They were low-life thieves. Dirt. So filthy I wouldn’t even feed them to my horses.

She stared at him.

Horses need to be fed, or they’ll starve. Everything here is precious and comes at a cost.

Where is this place?

It’s the Nowhere Land. Some call it the Oblivion.

Thank you again for saving me. Judging by what you said, saving me and taking me into your home must have been a compassion that was costly to you. When I get back to my world, I’ll see about how I can repay you.

He nodded. Your rescue was definitely expensive. But you can’t repay me. You don’t have what I need. The ones who hired the crooks to capture you—they have what I want.

Are you holding me for ransom?

I am. I’m hoping for an exchange. But I’m not holding you captive.

I hope you stay true to your word that I'm not imprisoned here. My friends must be looking for me, and I have to get back to them. I’m not volunteering for any kind of exchange.

She strode out of the room.

The door opened to a large, long hallway flanked by stone walls and torches. The corridor was lit up nicely, but she didn’t like the flickering light from the torches and the way it made shadows dance across the walls. She thought they could use even more torches to warm the freezing and eerie air.

But it wasn’t her place to make suggestions. She didn’t plan to stay and had no intention of voicing her opinion.

She reached the end of the corridor and opened a door that led to a large courtyard with a heavy wooden gate at the far end.

She looked up at the sky.

In 2999, humans lived in domes. It was rare to see the sky and natural light, especially for those who had never traveled between domes, like herself. But she had heard about the darkness and harsh environments in the transitional areas outside the domes.

Looking up, she figured that the sky above her was similar to what was described in areas between the domes on Earth in 2999, but much worse. Something that looked like lightning flashed across the sky.

Great! she muttered under her breath and walked across the open courtyard to the door on the other side.

She heard footsteps behind her, turned, and saw Master approaching. No matter how enticing a warm and comfortable bed might be to her right now, if he asked her to stay, she would refuse.

Yes, Master?

You forgot your jacket. He handed it to her.

Thank you. As she put it on, he walked with her to the gate. Before she realized she'd passed through the opening, the heavy wooden door slammed shut behind her.

The black field in front of her reflected what Master had just called this place—the Nowhere Land.

There was no landscape she could use to get her bearings. The barren field was full of dead trees with bare branches shaped like the hands of monsters.

In front of her was darkness. Lightning sparked again in the sky. Thunder rumbled. If what was above her was indeed a black sky, then the water pouring down on her must be rain.

Creatures howled in the thick woods. There was no cover in front of this palace’s gate.

She was soaking wet. Her teeth chattered.

She looked again at the closed door. She was a knock away from comfort, which was irrelevant now as she would rather die from the cold than crawl back in there.

The only place that would give her some shelter from the rain was the dark woods, where the howling echoed.

CHAPTER 2

F ive minutes? Jasmine was astonished.

Yes, that’s all you’ve got. I’ve triggered the challenge. Unless you want to accept defeat before you even start. Lorcan shook his head. I’m sorry. I know it’s difficult.

Difficult! Jasmine waved her hands in the air. One minute, he was my husband. The next, he asks me who I am. He might have brain damage from the toxin and the transformation. And now you've given me five minutes to convince him to enter a life and death challenge as if he was my life partner?

Jasmine pointed to the green meadow on her left, which was morphing into an orange shade as they spoke. Plus, we're fighting for the top-ranked positions in Eudaiz. And look at the challenge you just opened for us! A second ago, it looked as if there were fairies flying among the flowers. But now, I wouldn’t be surprised if a supernatural creep jumped out at us out of nowhere.

Orla smiled at Lorcan. She was cool as a cucumber. Jasmine still couldn’t peg this exotically beautiful sorceress as Lorcan’s wife. However, not only was she married to him, but she had also negotiated a position for herself on the Daimon Gate council, an authority in the multiverse known for its objection to dark magic.

Can you put the challenge on hold, Lorcan? asked Orla. I could conjure some magic to help.

No, Orla. No magic allowed. You know the rules.

The rules of the Daimon Gate challenges are based on the fact that participants have full knowledge of what’s ahead of them. They didn’t agree to this! She pointed at the field that had turned into a black forest.

Bertram cleared his throat behind them. If I was any part of the conversation you're having, I’d like to let you know I’m standing right here and can hear you.

Jasmine shoved her hands into her pants pockets. What do you remember, Bertram?

I know it sounds selfish, but I can only remember information about myself. I work for the Melbourne Central Police as a detective. I can’t even remember which case I was working on or how I met you… His voice trailed off when he caught her eyes.

Jasmine detected a pang of pain in his mind, but that was all. There was no emotional connection, no passion, and nothing in his mind about them as a couple. Based on what she had just said, he could deduce that they had a relationship. But he couldn’t feel it at all, let alone believe its existence.

Does he have any supernatural ability at all anymore?

Do you remember Grace? Jasmine swallowed a lump in her throat.

Bertram locked eyes with her as if he knew that, although the truth might hurt her, he shouldn’t lie. Yes, Grace Cunningham is my fiancé.

"Was your fiancé. Orla glared at him. You said yes to the vow with Jasmine just before you passed out. I witnessed it. I'm no god, but in the name of any deities I have ever summoned, if you die before you remember your promises to your life partner, I’ll cast a spell and send you to the Nowhere Land."

That’s not helpful, Orla, Lorcan said as he paced back and forth.

Bertram checked his side where he usually holstered his gun and found nothing. Can I at least have some background information about why we're here and what we’re trying to do?

Jasmine approached him. Here's the thirty-second version, Bertram. You and I are married. I used to work for the Supernatural Law Enforcement, the supernatural version of the FBI. You were a hybrid angel. We were trying to help Emma get back to 2999 from 2022. You were poisoned by a trio of mercenaries. To save your life, I accepted Eudaizian energy on your behalf. While the energy saved your life, it changed you into a Eudaizian. Eudaiz is a universe beyond this plane of consciousness. It’s not just another planet, and you are not just an alien. You’re one of the best hybrid angels in many worlds.

Assuming I believe you, Jasmine, why do we then have to enter a challenge in there? He pointed toward the forest that looked like a gate to hell. Not only do I feel as if I have no special power right now, but I also don’t even have my gun.

Jasmine looked at Lorcan, expecting him to chime in with an answer.

Lorcan nodded. The Eudaizian energy in your body that's keeping you alive right now is temporary. It will run out, and you will be beyond saving when that happens. When you accepted the energy into your body, it meant that you have to go to Eudaiz to be transformed properly.

Orla put her hands on her hips. It’s like you have a temporary visa right now, and you need to be converted into a proper citizen before your visa runs out.

"Understood. If everyone has to go through a citizenship challenge like this to become a