Immortalis - Book 1 (The Keeper's Immortals) (7 page)

He wondered what Nora was doing at that moment, if she was safe. He wasn’t quite sure what his brothers and sister would do to her. If they wanted something bad enough then they would do anything and all they wanted him was back within their circle. It wasn’t that he didn’t love them but he just couldn’t take being with them at all hours of his life; he mainly wanted space. After thinking about it for a while he could have just asked to go on a holiday rather than packing his things, leaving in the middle of the night and angering them all. He always hated to admit that any of them were right, especially Blake and in this case he was starting to think that he was. Reid could see where he was said to be selfish, leaving his family without even saying good bye.

‘Thank you for choosing Air United, the best way to fly U.K. and back.’

The sound of the engine starting and the blades spinning caused Reid to drift off for a moment. He thought about an event years ago back when he and Blake were inseparable; it was the first time that Reid had questioned Blake’s attitude towards mortals since he had been forced to have the self control. At first he was spiteful that he was forced to have it yet Blake wasn’t but then it started working on him. His feelings and mood shifted, he wasn’t as fun as he normally was. He remembered the first time he had really stopped being the Reid that he knew.

It was the year seventeen ninety two; New Orleans. Blake and Reid were there on holiday having left the others at home. They were young, immortal and could do as they pleased. They had been at the bar for hours, drinking until they couldn’t any longer. They left the building with a girl on each arm and headed back to their hotel where they spent the night in a series of debauchery events. In the early morning hours while Reid was standing on the balcony of the hotel talking to the two girls that he had brought back while Blake was with one of his girls on the bed, in the beginning stages on a wild night while the forth girl was already asleep on the chair in the corner.

Reid wasn’t in the mood for sex nor was he in the mood to drink anymore. His thoughts were weighting him down more than normal. While the blond haired woman wondered into the room to find a bottle of wine so that she could down it; leaving the red headed woman alone with Reid. She tried to advance him but he wasn’t biting so she stood there, looking out over the city. They seemed to be the only ones awake. “You’re not as fun as you were earlier?” the woman stated. Reid looked over at her with a cold stare. She moved towards him again, running her fingers up his arm then down his chest as she licked her lips. He grabbed her by her wrist, stopping her from touching him.

“I’m not in the mood.” He said with a stern tone as he released her, throwing her backwards.

“What don’t you like girls? What man would turn this down?” the red headed asked as she popped her hand on her hips. Reid only smiled.

“No, I don’t like girls. I like women and you my dear are not a woman. You’re whore and I don’t feel like giving my attention to a whore any longer.” Reid said as he walked inside the room.

“You son of a bitch!” the red head yelled as she stormed in after him only to stop when he turned to face her again, this time furious looking. He took that term to heart because he had lost their mother forever; giving up her life for all of them. Blake stopped what he was doing and pulled the woman off of him, tossing her to the floor. Reid had the redhead by the shoulders, gripping her tightly. She began to panic, thinking that her choice to yell at him was a bad idea. Blake watched as his brother’s temper grew and grew from her words.

“Well are you going to do something about it Reid or just stand there and shake her?” He asked finally as he grew bored with the lack of entertainment. Reid looked at his younger brother then released the young girl, acting as if he was in some sort of shock.

“Oh bloody hell.” Blake said as he hurried the young girl, wrapped his hands around her head, twisting it with enough for to snap her neck. He dropped her lifeless body to the ground and walked to his brother, placing his hand on Reid’s own shoulders then easing his forehead onto his brother’s.

“I didn’t want to. Not because of what she said but because she’s mortal…their lives are so precious; far more than ours.” Reid explained. Blake started to laugh as he looked up, he knew that these feelings were inside his brother aching to get out; having actual feelings for mortals. Blake hadn’t understood that, he honestly never understood having feelings for anyone that you didn’t care for. This was the same frame of mind he had when he was mortal as well. He never wanted to help his fellow man though he did for his father’s sake.

“You and this caring for mortals is making me sick brother, I mean really can’t you just…have fun with it?” Blake asked.

“I don’t find fun in harming them, holding their lives in our hands.”

“Well I do and you used to and since we’ve killed this one well have to do with away with the other as well. Don’t want any witnesses now do we?” Blake said as he pulled the naked young girl from the floor, snapping her neck just as he had done with the first girl; with such ease. Killing was very easy to Blake, it always had been.

“I’m not doin’ it Blake.”

“Fine, I’ll finish it and then I will have saved your arse yet again.” Blake said as he took the last girls life. Both men stood in the now quiet room looking around at the corpses’ that had infested their dwellings. Blake pulled out a cigarette from the pocket of his slacks, lighting it before he pulled his pants on over his underwear. He then sat down on the chair as he relaxed his head on the wing. Licking his lips he looked at his brother and waited for something, anything to justify his actions.

“Don’t you dare look at me with those judgmental eyes. I am your old brother and you will respect me.”

Blake smirked. “Respect? You think that you deserve respect? I’m looking at a man who can’t think for himself because you’re all of a sudden worried about what others will think. Others being mortals…they are below us Reid.” He barked

“We used to be them, we were mortal at one time.” Reid barked back.

“That is the key phrase right there; used to be. We aren’t any longer. I will not live in fear because of what they will think.”

“You can’t just take someone’s life without being held accountable for it Blake!” Reid brought up. Blake only laughed.

“Silly Reid, I can see them comin’ from a life time away. They’ll never catch me…or you as long as you stay with me that is.’ He tuned to look at the bodies then looked back at this older brother. ‘And as for these girls…no will miss them. By the time they smell the snitch of their bodies we’ll be long gone and besides, I never use our real names so they can’t track us brother.”

Blake finished getting himself dressed as Reid packed up any of their belongings. Within an hour they were gone, without checking out. Gone into the night; Blake with a clear conscience and Reid with a heavy heart. Once back in Ireland nothing was said of their trip to America other than they had a good time.

“Here you are sir.” The young woman said as she handed the drink that he had requested earlier. He took it from her hands and smiled when he noticed the color of her hair; it was fiery red just like the woman in New Orleans.

“Thank you lass and you have a beautiful smile. It reminds me someone.” He explained. She smiled sweetly, thanked him and moved on about her duties as Reid settled into his chair and pulled out his cell again; dialing Blake’s number only to have it go to voicemail. He wanted to throw his phone but didn’t, calming himself by downing his scotch in one gulp. 

Six

I walked back into the house with Ashwin at my side, making small talk as we walked through the doors that I had come out of. Not wanting to get lost again I found my way back to my room with Ashwin’s help and finally started to look around the room that older looking that the rest of the house. It was as if this wing of the house was frozen in time. Every other room in the house seemed to have been updated with only a hint of classic décor but not here; not this room. It was dark with a warm feeling throughout. Even with the fire place cold from lack of flames the colors of the room were of reds and browns. I walked to the oversized window and pulled open the heavy drapes, exposing a view of the Atlantic Ocean. The view was breath taking since I hadn’t ever seen the ocean, I hadn’t seen a larger body of water other than a lake that we would go to ever summer.

“Would you like to see it closer?” Someone said from behind me. I turned around to see that Blake had snuck into the room. He was lent against the chair with a cocky smirk on his face. I turned to face him, telling myself to be strong.

“No I’m fine here, thanks though.” I said, watching him closely. He pushed himself off of the chair and started to walk towards me only to stop beside me, looking out over the blue ocean. The mass of water was smooth with only smile riffs being made as the wind blew. While his eyes were fixed on the water he suddenly didn’t look at scary as he did; looked more like a lost child but that thought left my head when he asked if I could swim.

“Yeah, I can, but I’m sure that the water isn’t the warmest. I would freeze before I lost my life by water filling my lungs.” I explained.

“You’re a fighter, I saw that yesterday when you feared for Reid’s life over your own…you just found out that he was immortal; he can’t die and yet you worried about him more than yourself? Why?” Blake asked as he turned to face me dead on, leaning against the window pane.

“I care about him…I would do that for anyone that I cared for. Whether friend, family or even foe. I never want to see anyone hurt Blake, not even you. Hate me all you want but I will never wish harm onto you.” I explained to him as I placed my hand on the clear glass, looking out over the water again.

“Good thing I don’t have to worry about that because I’m the one who will be doing the harming.” He smiled. Blake reminded me of Adam in a sense; had a killer smile that could get him away with murder. Even with such words coming out of his mouth I couldn’t help but to find him intriguing. I wanted to know more about him, probably because he was the one who had the highest wall built up around him. 

“Why don’t you like mortals…I mean why you think that you’re so much better than us?” I asked him.

“I’m better than you because I’ll out live you. What is the point on making friends, having relationships with mortals because you’re just going to die and I would be alone again?” He told me as he started walking towards the door.

“That’s it then? You’re just scared to be alone? I mean I know that you all want Reid back because you all promised to stay together but that’s why you don’t like befriending mortals?”

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about lass.”

“Rather than letting someone touch your life even for a temporary moment in time you rather shun them so you don’t get close and get hurt.” I told him, knowing that no matter what he told me I knew that I was right. He didn’t say anything, just stood in silence then smiled wickedly towards me with a chuckle.

“You really think ya get me eh?” he asked.

“Do I get you? No way in hell but do I feel sorry for you?’ I paused as he looked puzzled at me. ‘You bet your ass I do.”

“Well don’t, I do need sympathy from the likes of you.” He snapped.

“You mean mortal?”

“Exactly.” He said turning, continuing to walk out of the room.

“Maybe you should remember that you were mortal once to.” I stated before turning back to the window. Blake stopped and although he wanted to turn around he didn’t but he didn’t. He left the room, without a comeback or a return. He could see why Reid had thought Nora was special; even for a mortal.

He left the wing and wondered back to his own room and dropped in a CD, he needed to clear his head and music was the best way to do so. Lying on the bed, he closed his eyes only for them to pop open when he heard a light knock on his bedroom door. He rarely got a knock on his door; everyone knew better than to bother him when his music was one. He walked to the door and when he pulled it open he saw Nora standing almost bashfully on the other side. Rather than be kind to her like he wanted to be he acted like he normally did. “What do you want?” he asked me coldly.

“I wanted to apologize for being rude, if you thought I was and it’s obvious you thought that.” I said. Blake seemed taken back by the words, the apology. No one had even told him sorry for anything. He only nodded then moved back so that she could enter if she wanted to. After listening to the music for a moment I realized that I knew it. “Mozart right?” I asked as I pointed towards the stereo. I think that I shocked him by knowing something that he did but slowly shook his head that it was.

“I thought so, Requiem?”

“That’s right. I didn’t think a girl of your era would know it.” He said. I only smiled as walked through his room, tracing my finger around his plush sofa that sat in the middle of the large, a bit more modern bedroom. “I mean…not that you...”

“It’s alright, I know what you meant. My mother told me that she used to put headphones on her stomach when she was pregnant with me. I’ve always loved classical music but Mozart has always been my favorite although she never liked that this was my favorite song.”

“And why is that? It’s one of his best pieces of work.” Blake asked me. I smiled and explain that it was a death song but Blake didn’t know that fact about. “Really?”