President's Daughter's Bodyguard-Chapter 92: Dessert Of the Dead

Chapter 92: Desert of the Dead

It should have been warm and even safe, yet the villa felt like a cage pretending to be paradise.

"What a disaster of a holiday..."

Danielle hugged herself as she stared at Theo. "Human sacrifices don’t exist anymore," she muttered and a small laugh left her mouth.

Theo looked like he wished that were true. "People will do anything when they believe their violence is holy. Especially cults that think God speaks only to them."

Danielle lowered her head. "They think I am their queen." Her voice cracked on the last word.

Theo stepped closer and placed his hands around her shoulders. "You are not anyone’s queen. You are Danielle Geiger. You are the woman I would cross this entire world for." He lifted her chin up. "You live because you fought to live. Not because anyone chose you."

She swallowed hard as some tears threatened to rise. "What if they find us again?"

"They will not," he whispered. "Not while I breathe."

Rana slept in the far corner of their room wrapped in blankets, still trembling even in dreams. Every now and then she mumbled her sister’s name. Theo glanced at her often, calculating every possibility.

Danielle followed his eyes. "You still think she is lying."

Theo didn’t deny it. "She came straight to us...way too easily and perfectly. And she spoke like she had memorised her lines."

Danielle shivered. "Do you think she is one of them?"

Theo paused, thinking deeply before answering. "I think she is scared. But I do not think her fear is for her sister."

A knock sounded on the door and both of them jumped.

Theo grabbed Danielle’s hand immediately.

Frank’s voice came through the wood. "It is me. Open up!"

Theo’s breath finally released and he unlocked the door. Frank walked in fast. He shut the door behind him and faced them.

"I tried contacting you for hours...Are you both alright?"

"You came here so fast," Danielle raised her eyebrow, clearly surprised to see how fast Frank operated.

"We are fine," Theo answered. "But someone followed us here. A girl named Rana..how could anyone know you sent us here, Frank?"

Frank’s eyes narrowed as he looked toward the sleeping stranger. "Explain."

Danielle stepped closer to Frank. "She said her sister was kidnapped by a cult. She said that the cult wants me because they believe I am their queen."

Frank ran a hand down his face. "I knew this place was cursed. I told you Asteria has trouble hidden underneath its beauty." He turned to Theo. "We need to leave as soon as possible. The airport is not safe tonight, so a private rescue team is coming by land. They will reach us by sunrise."

Danielle felt an immediate wave of relief reach her toes...

But Theo didn’t relax. "We can’t wait here without being ready."

Frank nodded. "I agree."

He walked around the room checking windows and corners like a man preparing for war. Then he faced Danielle.

"Did she say anything else?"

Danielle hesitated before nodding. "They believe the queen must be reborn or whatever. They believe the man who loves her must die."

Frank’s jaw tightened. He looked at Theo as if to warn him silently.

Danielle noticed the look and lifted her chin. "They will not take him! If anything, I’ll kill him on my own will..."

"That’s lovely, Bunny!" Theo smiled and moved his head to the side. "You don’t need to protect me...just kill me, yes."

Danielle’s heart thudded at that gentle name. She wished she could believe it was that simple to kill Theo.

Frank sighed for way longer than he was supposed to. "We wait until morning...But no one sleeps!"

Theo nodded. "I will keep watch."

Danielle reached for his sleeve. "We can take turns."

Theo softened his eyes, knowing that if he wouldn’t let her-she would get stubborn anyway. "Together then."

Rana stirred suddenly. She jolted awake with a small scream and stared around wildly. Theo stepped between her and Danielle.

"It is still night," Theo was talking calmly. "You are safe for now."

Rana crawled back against the wall. "We need to leave. They will come for me. They always come when the moon is high."

Frank watched her with suspicious eyes. "Who exactly are they?"

Rana shook her head fiercely. "Priests who worship death. Men who think blood brings balance to the world."

Danielle hugged her own body tighter. "Why would they believe that?"

"Because they think life is a debt," Rana whispered to them. "A debt only death can repay. They look for people who survived what should have killed them. They believe survival is unnatural. They believe it must be corrected."

Danielle felt her knees go weak. Theo caught her arm and steadied her.

Rana continued her story. "They said the queen has conquered death once already. They want to take her heart so she never conquers it again."

Theo stepped even closer to Danielle.

Frank crouched in front of Rana. "How much of this is true and how much did someone tell you to say?"

Rana trembled so violently that her teeth clacked. "You think I want this? You think I want to be near them?They killed half of the girls from my town. They called them sinners. Monsters."

Danielle’s tears finally slipped down her face. "Why are humans so cruel...?"

Theo brushed his thumb across her cheek, wiping the tears slowly. "You are safe. I promise...and this story is weird."

But as he said it, a sound outside interrupted them.

"Horses?" Theo glanced through the window and was right.

Frank tensed and slowly moved to the window. He peeked through the curtain only enough to see shadows moving in the moonlight like they were riders...

"Many of them...."

He turned with a hard stare. "They found us."

Rana whimpered and hid her face.

Theo pulled Danielle behind him. "Frank. What is the plan."

Frank checked the locked door again and secured it with a chair. "We hold this ground until sunrise. Reinforcements are coming. We fight if we must."

"Look at me," Theo whispered to Danielle..

She looked. His eyes were full of fire. "I will not let them take you."

A loud drum sounded outside. A deep sound that seemed to call the desert to wake.

Rana sobbed quietly. "It is the signal. They are calling the queen."

Danielle stepped closer to Theo until there was no space between them. Fear tried to break her, but she held on to the only truth she had left.

She wasn’t alone...

"We can’t even relax, can we?"