Immortal Dreams (18 page)

"They're coming for you.  Call off your killers, and I swear you won't have any further problem from my people."

"I don't have killers.  The people up there are looking for my mom, not chasing you down."

"Not them," he murmurs.  "There's a group of twenty or more night stalkers who've been shredding us apart."

I gasp, suddenly realizing who he's talking about.

"Those are the same ones who attacked me," I almost whisper.

Again his head tilts, and then he kneels in front of me as the ground begins to sweep around us.  Suddenly, an image appears, as if he's opened up a mirror to another place, and I gasp in awe as I stare down at the power.

"Is this them?" he asks while moving back.

I kneel and stare at the imagery - the horror show playing.  Savage night stalkers rip apart dark users with effortless ease.  They're fast enough to keep up with the evaporating warlocks and witches.

"Yes.  That one is the one who wanted me to tell him where-"

"Alyssa!" Frankie screams from the distance.

The dark user glances that way, and then he turns back to me.

"It appears we have a common enemy then.  You'll hear from me soon."

He walks away, and before I know it, he's dust in the air.

"Down here," I call as I stare in the direction of my nighttime captor who is now gone.

I turn back to view the image again, but it's gone as well.  The vacant ground rests peacefully, showing no proof of the fight it once shed light on.

Suddenly Frankie is beside me, materializing as he throws his arms around me and jolts me forward.

"What the hell happened?"

I pull back, staring once more at the empty, silent woods ahead as I step out of Frankie's hold completely.

"A dark user robbed me from the room, showed me proof the same people are attacking them, and then he disappeared."

"A dark user?" Thad growls as he joins us, his shoulder already healing.

"I'm fine, Thad.  You should be resting," I murmur while walking over to him.

At least he's wearing something over his bare... um... manhood now.

"You're not
fine
if you were just taken by a dark user."

His hand snakes around my waist, and he starts leading me back toward the house, looking over his shoulder the whole time.  Right now, I don't know if I want to tell them about the black diamond of... whatever.

None of them will believe it until they see what I saw, and we don't have that kind of magic.  I'll just wait on him to show up... again.

The glare of the sun
promises to melt the snow, but the frigid, white blanket refuses to go without a fight.  I smirk as I see it sweating, the melting pieces trickling down, but there's so much of it.  There's not a chance it'll all melt.

"What are you doing?  Watching the snow?" Thad chuckles as he sits down beside me on the porch steps.

I sip my coffee and then nod.

"This is the longest we've stayed in one spot, and I've finally had time to get bored.  Where're the others?"

"Out, running down leads.  I'm yours for the day it seems.  Let's cure that boredom," he says menacingly.

"What's that?" I ask, motioning to the coin he wears on a chain and ignoring his scandalous comment.

He looks down, running his fingers over it before palming it.

"It's something I'm supposed to keep safe."

"For what exactly?"

He shrugs, dropping it back to his chest while leaning back.

"I don't know.  It was just given to me by someone special - someone powerful - and she told me to keep it safe until it found its way into the right hands."

That's vague.

"Whose hands are the right hands?"

"That... I don't know.  I assume the answer will reveal itself in time."

Riddles and mysteries.  I hate our world.

His shoulder draws my attention.  In just two days time, it's completely healed - no proof of his scrape with the night stalker.

"How are you not freezing with just a tank and shorts on?" I ask.

He shrugs, and then he leans farther back to prop up on his elbows.

"My metabolism burns quicker than yours.  I have to eat more frequently, drink more, and... well, have blood of course.  It's enough to warm me up in the coldest of places.  I admit, heated spots are a bitch."

I laugh a little, and then I touch his healed shoulder with the tip of my fingers.

"It's a good thing you don't scar after immortality.  That would have been a bitch," I murmur jokingly.

His eyes are suddenly burning into mine as his hand rises up to catch mine on his shoulder.  I'm worried about what's about to happen, but then Frankie materializes in front of us.

"Hey," I murmur in surprise, meeting his eyes which don't seeming very approving.

"We should talk," he says very seriously, and I look at Thad who rolls his eyes while releasing my hand.

"You're going to have to trust me sometime, warlock," Thad mumbles as he stands to his feet.

"I just want to talk to Alyssa, alone.  Nothing pertaining to the case, of course."

"Sure," Thad grumbles.  "I need to go flex my muscles anyhow.  I have to make sure the perimeter is safe.  I'll see you in a bit, pretty girl."

He bends and takes my hand before pressing his lips to the back of it.  I blush, and then he turns into a hawk, dropping his clothes in a puddle at my feet before flying off into the trees.

Frankie rolls his eyes as he takes a seat beside me, and I listen as the hawk's screeches become too distant to hear any longer.

"You have to stop getting so close to him," Frankie murmurs in a near whisper.

"Frankie, he just saved my life the other night.  Not to mention the battle in the woods where he saved us both while you slept."

"Have you asked him about that?" he muses, his eyebrow arching.

"No, but just because it hasn't come up.  What's wrong?"

He sighs out loudly, and then he steeples his hands in front of his face while staring straight ahead into the woods.

"I don't know.  This just all... it's so odd.  They've already proven to be dangerous.  Rain could have killed you."

"But he didn't because Thad tore him to pieces."

He turns to me, his eyes a little worried, as he murmurs, "Exactly.  A changer took down a centuries old night stalker under the full moon.  Thad shouldn't be that strong, no matter how old he is.  The moon fuels a night stalker's strength.  The fuller the moon, the stronger the bloodsucker.  It scares me, Alyssa.  And the way you've been looking at him scares me even more."

"The way I've been looking at him?" I chuckle out, my cheeks blushing.

"Yeah.  You act like a schoolgirl with a crush every time he's close lately.  Ever think that's a little odd, considering you're head-over-heels for a human?"

Kane's face flashes through my mind, and seriousness takes the place of my humor.

"Kane's safer if he's not with me.  As for Thad, it's called hormones... normal hormones.  He's sexy, and he has that hero appeal.  Sex never fazed me before, but now that I've had it... well... it's like socks."

I blush deeper, staring away from the man I've always viewed as a father figure.  This is definitely not a conversation to be having with him.

"Socks?" he asks, seeming amused.  "How is sex like socks?"

I laugh a little, my crimson burn stinging my cheeks a little more.

"Well, if you lived your whole life without socks, your feet would be just fine.  You wouldn't know the difference.  But, once you've had socks and felt their comfort in hard shoes, warmth in cold weather, and softness against the harsh floor, then you become a little spoiled, and you notice when they're gone.  You want socks again...
a lot
."

He roars out his laughter, his seriousness broken, and then he shakes his head.

"Honestly, only you could forever ruin the idea of sex."

"This is gross," I murmur awkwardly.  "I can't talk about sex with you."

I stand up, and he laughs louder while following me into the house.

"I thought we were discussing
socks
."

"Ha," I mumble, not looking behind me to find his mocking face.  "I need a real drink and a change of subject."

"Fine, then let's discuss your aunt."

"Aunt Hilly?" I ask while whipping around.  "What about her?"

"She's coming to help us."

"I thought she was working undercover on some big immortal case."

"She was, but when she found out about your mother's disappearance, she dropped the ruse, and now she's on her way to join us.  She's not as strong as Calypso, but she'll be some serious help - trustworthy help."

"We can trust Thad, too," I murmur with a little agitation.

"Then why haven't you told him what the dark user said?" he asks, his eyes narrowing.

"Because Thad thinks I'm naïve.  He'd probably go after him just to prove he was trying to play me.  I want this guy to come back, tell me more.  I believed him, and none of you ever listen to me."

"I just think-"

"Exactly," I grumble.  "
You
think, but you never listen.  Just forget it.  I'm going to my room, reading, and shutting all of this out.  Let me know when there's something I can do to help get my mom back."

Storming by him, I huff as I head into my room, slamming the door behind me.  No one thinks I'm mature enough for all of this, and here I am throwing a tantrum.  I hate old magic.

I stare at the phone
in my hand, Kane's name slowly fading as the buzzing stops.  Taking a deep breath, I wave my hand over it to bring it to life.

"We'll find her.  Maybe if you-"

"Just stop.  Stop trying to comfort me, Deke.  I appreciate it, but it’s pointless.  She doesn't know how dangerous this world can be, and it's starting to scare the hell out of me.  I wish she'd just let me know she's okay."

I frown, realizing the depth of his concern for me, and suddenly I feel extremely guilty for all the scandalous thoughts I've had about Thad.  It's like I can't help myself though, and that scares me.  I know it's in part because of the change I'm not far from - my immortality.  I've been warned of the hormonal overload that comes with that.

"I could call that friend of mine.  He's never failed in finding someone for me before," Deke says, interrupting my own private thoughts.

"He's too dangerous.  He's a loose cannon, and he might hurt her.  I'll find her on my own.  Did you come up with anything on Callie Coldwell or is it just an alias?"

My stomach sinks.  I've always called myself Coldwell because, though Devall is my true surname, it had to die with the ten-year-old girl they knew as Drackus's daughter.  It's easier to conceal myself with my mother's first surname.

She's been married so much her name has changed too many times to count.  Coldwell, her maiden name, is barely recognized.

"Callie Coldwell exists, but not the one you want.  I'm coming up with the same dead ends the detective did.  If they're in witness protection, Alyssa might not even be her real name."

It isn't.

I feel like such a bitch for lying to him, but it's always been important to conceal my identity.  I haven't heard anyone call me Airis in so long that it's as if Alyssa really is my name.

"I don't care what her damn name is.  I just care about her."

With a sigh, I type in a text, and I stare at it, wondering if I should send it or not.

I'm okay.  I miss you, but I hope you're moving on.  I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you.

Pressing send, I hold my breath and listen in.

"It's her," he gasps.

He pauses briefly, and then Deke impatiently prompts him to share.

"What?  What is it?"

"She said she's okay.  See if you can ping where that just came from."

Shit.

I didn't think about him being able to trace me from a damn text.

Now I'll have to listen until I know if he can track me down.  He can't come to this place, not with so many of them now here...
helping. 
Not now that I know they can't all be trusted.

My encounter with Rain shook me up, and now more than ever, I realize how dangerous my life can be to someone as human as Kane.

"Frankie, I messed up," I mumble, and he materializes in the room, proving I was right to believe he was listening in on me.

"What?"

"I sent Kane a text to tell him I'm okay because he was worried about me.  Now he's trying to trace me from it."

He sighs, and then he takes my phone from my hand.

"I'll make him think you're at home," he says, waving his hand over the phone.  "Better yet, I'll send him back to his house."

I smile, though it's forced.  Part of me wants Kane here so badly it hurts, but the realistic side of me knows he'll be killed in my world.

I listen in, waiting for Deke's response.

"Got her.  She's in... what the hell?"

"What?" Kane prompts, and Frankie smiles before giving me a wink and vanishing from the room.

"She's at our place," Deke gushes in bemusement.

"Call Sierra.  Find her."

It doesn't take long for Deke to fill that request.

"Hey, it's Deke.  Alyssa's phone is saying she's at our house... I swear that's what it says.  Go check."

I wish I could hear her side of the damn conversation.  I'll have to wait on immortality for that luxury though.  I can only hear when they're closer, and for some reason, Kane and his friends keep their phones really low.

"This doesn't make any sense," Deke says, apparently still talking to the girl looking for me.

"Fuck.  I'll just go home and see if I can track her down.  If she's in the area, I'll find her," Kane huffs.  "Let's go."

The conversation cuts out when he dials someone else, and I drop my phone while sighing in relief.

At least he's still safe.

"Just to be clear, this
tastes like bark," Frankie grumbles, tossing his toast down to his plate.

I laugh lightly as Thad glares at him.

"It's wheat bread.  You're such a spoiled brat."

They've done nothing but bicker these past few days, and it's gone from annoying to humorous.