My Link in Time (The Immortal Ones--Book Two)

by S. L. Baum

  “I guess that does make things easier. Thank you for thinking of everything!” I exclaimed as I hugged her tightly.

  After we’d all piled into the back of the limousine and started our drive down Las Vegas Boulevard, better known as The Strip, I reveled in the buzz of activity. Car horns blared, people shrieked in delight out their vehicle windows, and they yelled out from the streets, where a multitude of tourists walked The Strip. The masses traveled on the sidewalks in both directions, drinks in hand, howling, dancing, stumbling, and cheering. Hundreds of vehicles cruised up and down Las Vegas Boulevard. Taxicabs and advertisement vehicles were out in great numbers. The sheer amount of people, concentrated in one area, was almost overwhelming.

  A small group of heavily tattooed bikers zoomed by on their motorcycles, revving their engines as they passed the limo. The ear splitting volume that came from their exhaust pipes was amazing.

  I looked out the window, to drink in the sights and sounds. Treasure Island had just started their outdoor pirate show. Cannons blasted and water splashed. There were cheers, oohs, and aahs emitted from the crowd. I noticed a group of girls pealing in laughter as they shook droplets of water off of themselves, the splash had soaked several of them. There was a bride in the center of the group – with a clearly labeled, white, BRIDE tee shirt. Her pink clad BRIDESMAIDs surrounded her. I wondered if she would be getting married in Las Vegas, like me, or if this was just her bachelorette trip away. We were both surrounded by friends and that was all that mattered. My face lit up in a huge smile.

  “Congratulations,” I screamed out the window at them.

  The limo slowed and then traffic came to a stop just as a blaze of fire burst from the side of one of the prop pirate ships. Marcus looked out the moon roof and stood up, with his upper body outside of the limousine. He immediately let loose with his own fireball. Marcus threw his hands forward, and his flames met the special effects flames with a crackle and a flash. A wave of heat radiated through the crowd and near the street.

  “Marcus, get back in here,” Eve swatted his backside to get his attention.

  I heard a man question the safety of the fire effects, as the limo started to move forward again.

  As we passed Caesar’s Palace, I marveled at the huge white columns and statues. A crowd of rowdy young men romped down The Strip in front of the casino. They were screaming out “twenty-one... twenty-one...” at the top of their lungs. Two of them stopped to guzzle down the beer they were carrying in tall stretched out glasses.

  The water show in front of the Bellagio was in its full glory as we approached. The colorful lights, dancing streams of water, and enchanting music filled my senses. I noticed several families, among the crowd of people that had paused along the walkways to watch the show. Dads were holding their young ones high on their shoulders, so they could absorb the water and light spectacle. A man sporting a tall Mohawk haircut leaned over to point something out to a grandmotherly woman at his right. She smiled and nodded her head in appreciation.

  I loved it. We would be lost in the crowd. There was no need to blend in here, because in Vegas there was no norm.

  After checking into our hotel/casino, getting our room keys, and leaving our bags with valet, we walked the brightly carpeted floor in search of the elevator that would lead us to the upper level suites. Once we’d taken just a few steps on the casino floor, I saw her.

  Elizabeth approached our little group with a confidence that is rarely seen in any mortal being. She moved with an air that was equal parts grace, beauty, and cocky assurance. Her smile was as I remembered. There was a surprising amount of warmth that radiated from her, with a hint of cruelty behind the glint in her eyes. I imagined that she had seen much cruelty during her lifetime.

  She dressed in all black. That was new, well new-er. It had been quite awhile since I had last seen her. Her tailored black suit was cut to hug her body and proudly display her every curve. It plunged low in the front – lower than anything I would be comfortable wearing, but this was Las Vegas and it didn’t look out of place. On her feet were shiny black pumps that had a sky high silver spike of a heel and a thick platform at the front of the shoe which brought her petite frame eye level with Marcus.

  He had quickly moved in for a hug.

  As Elizabeth wrapped her arms around him, I took notice of the black satin gloves that adorned her hands and tucked up into the arms of her suit. It seemed a bit overdone, even for Vegas, but Elizabeth always did have a flair for the dramatic. Her hair was very Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, all swooped up with glamour. Her appearance had aged a bit since our first introduction, but she’d easily pass for a well maintained thirty-five year old. She was a remarkable looking woman.

  “Marcus, you handsome devil, you’ve finally come to visit me,” Elizabeth squealed as she pulled back from the embrace. “Oh, and you brought Eve darling with you, as always.”

  Her voice still rang with sophistication. Her accent was ever present. After roughly two centuries on this earth, it had evolved over time. But she had never wanted to lose it, so it had remained.

  “Yes, Elizabeth, Eve darling will always be by Marcus’s side,” Eve smiled, and lightly shook the hand that Elizabeth had offered.

  “Where is that brother of yours?” she asked, turning her attention back to Marcus.

  “He should be arriving quite soon, and bringing his new companion with him,” I answered, before Marcus could open his mouth.

  “Aah, Charity, how nice to see you again,” Elizabeth smirked. The disdain in her voice came through loud and clear.

  “You really know how to hold a grudge, don’t you,” I smiled back.

  “We were on a helluva winning streak, until you broke Eve’s concentration, started staring at us, and brought unneeded attention our way. I take money very seriously, child,” Elizabeth shrugged.

  “Wow, you do one thing wrong, over half a century ago...” I shook my head.

  “I may get over it someday,” Elizabeth laughed.

  “One can only hope,” I muttered.

  “Hope is a cure for nothing. Action brings swifter results,” she remarked. I frowned in confusion, and she turned toward James and Catherine. “It is lovely to see you, darling,” she smiled at Catherine, whom she considered a kindred spirit. Hailing from the same neck of the woods carried a great deal of clout with Elizabeth.

  Catherine seemed to be the only female that Elizabeth had ever truly taken interest in. She could be somewhat pleasant to Eve, me, and a few other non-mortals. But no one could force her to rise above being barely civil to any other female on the planet.

  “It is good to see you too,” Catherine smiled and embraced her friend.

  They had managed to keep in semi-constant contact since their reunion, many decades ago, here in Las Vegas. Messages were sent through Eve, and then later through Marcus and Cozmo as well. Letters were exchanged, and eventually phone calls were made every few years. “The Old Country” would often be reminisced.

  “And James, it is a pleasure as always,” Elizabeth added.

  “Likewise,” James smiled.

  Elizabeth cocked her head, slightly to the left, and inhaled deeply. “What have you brought for me?” she asked with a crooked grin as she gave Link an evaluating stare.

  “This is my fiancé, Lincoln,” I answered.

  “Oh yes, the mutt. I’ve always found mutts to be so cute and charming. Purebreds can be such a bore, don’t you agree?” Elizabeth gave a laugh. “Hmmm, and you look like you’d be anything but boring.”

  “I promise to try to live up to your evaluation,” Link said, not sure how to respond to her.

  She nodded her head and gave a thoughtful pause, then turned back to Catherine. “My friend, if you plan to paint the town red, party it up, and do Vegas proud tonight you’ll need to do something about this hair.”

  Catherine gave a slight frown. “Blunt as always. And what, may I ask, is wrong with my hair?”

  “Th
ere is nothing wrong with it. Your beautiful tresses have always made me quite envious. I just think curly and wild would suit you better tonight. Don’t do you think that would be fabulous?” Elizabeth asked and then touched the ends of Catherine’s long, silky, auburn hair.

  The strands, just around Elizabeth’s gloved fingers started to spiral. The spirals continued moving upward until they reached the root. Then the section just behind her fingers followed suit and quickly spiraled, all the way to Catherine’s scalp. Each section of hair mimicked the last until Catherine’s whole head of hair was a mass of thick, gorgeous, spiral curls.

  Catherine glanced over at the mirrored wall to our right and gasped. Her hands were immediately in her hair, feeling the bounce of the curls. “Now that is a good trick!” she exclaimed with delight. “But you are going to draw attention,” she worried. “That’s unlike you.”

  “It’s one of my favorites,” Elizabeth smiled. “And don’t worry. No one saw a thing... trust me. Promise we’ll get together later. I simply must be on my way. I’m running late already. I’ll find you. You know I have my ways,” she said with a wink and a laugh and then turned to leave, disappearing before we could take another breath.

  “What was that?” Link asked.

  “A very self-important Witch,” I answered.

  “What kind of powers is she in command of?” he asked.

  “She’s been around a long time. There is no telling what that woman is capable of by now.” I shook my head.

  “She looks like a handful,” Link responded.

  “That, she is. She’s a great big handful of trouble,” Eve chimed in.

  “Oh, stop,” Catherine defended.

  “She’s just a whirlwind,” Marcus laughed. “It’s fun to watch a whirlwind.”

  “But you don’t want to be caught in one when it becomes a tornado,” I concluded. “Come on, let’s find our rooms.”

  We found the elevators, loaded in, and took the short ride up to our floor. Our suites were all located near each other’s. Link would be sharing with Catherine and James for tonight and then tomorrow, after the ceremony, we would be together.

  We changed into our Vegas best and about an hour later, met up at the elevators. I had put on sparkly pocketed, denim, skinny jeans and a black, silky top that swooped down quite low in the back. On my feet were silver, high heeled, strappy sandals. They were my absolute favorite pair of shoes. My handsome man looked amazing in a pair of dark wash denim, a white button down shirt with black stitching at the collar and cuffs, and black boots to complete his look.

  I was ready to let loose.

  As Marcus pressed the button to summon the elevator, I heard Oz calling out from down the hall, “Sweet Charity!”

  “You made it!” I yelled back at him.

  “Brother! It’s good to see you again,” Marcus exclaimed as Oz neared, and then the twins embraced.

  Lizabelle, our Shifter friend, stood next to Oz. She looked more confident and stronger than the last time we’d seen her. And she looked sexy as can be... wearing a gold, sequined, mini dress that demanded attention.

  “Did you find any answers?” I asked her as we entered the elevator.

  During that terrifying night on Christmas Eve, Lizabelle’s brothers, Elliott and Rowan, had shifted into bears and charged at the Lord brothers. They were all too close to the edge of the iced over Bridal Veil Falls, and all four beings fell to their supposed death. But the police had found two men and one bear, with one set of bear tracks leading away from the scene. So Lizabelle had left Telluride in search of her surviving brother. Cozmo went with her, because they’d had an instant and powerful connection to each other.

  “It was Elliott. He survived. We tracked him down in Texas. He needs some time to process what it is he got himself into. I told him how disappointed I was in him. He apologized profusely to Cozmo and he doesn’t really know how to face me right now. But, I have hope,” Lizabelle explained.

  James took a step forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. “He made some terrible choices, but I think we should all be willing to give him a second chance.”

  “He wouldn’t be able to be anything but truthful with you guys anyway. Would he?” Link added.

  “This is true,” Eve said. “When next our paths cross, his true nature will be known.”

  “I hope we get that chance someday,” Marcus added.

  “He’s my brother. I want to believe that when his true nature emerges, his foolish choices will be no more, and he will redeem himself. But that’s enough about him. I’ll give him some time to sort himself out. I don’t want this to put a damper on our evening,” Lizabelle smiled.

  “It won’t, Lizzy dear,” Oz placed a kiss in her hair. “It’s Vegas, Baby!”

  When the elevator doors opened, and we stepped out onto the casino floor, my head started to spin. The modern world around me began to fade away, and my mind went back. It went back to the first time I had come to Las Vegas, Nevada... and back to the first time I had become aware of beings with powers quite different from my own. I let my mind flow backward in time, to the very first night I’d visited this glittering oasis in the desert.

  *****

  Las Vegas, Nevada, 1948

  I remembered walking down Freemont Street that night, absorbing the sights and sounds, observing the people, and enjoying my moment of being alone, among hundreds. The glorious Golden Nugget on my left and the Eldorado Club at my right. Freemont Street just oozed “Old West.” If the Old West had hundreds of bright little lights gleaming off of the buildings, that is. The Hotel Apache caught my eye, with its Indian head sporting a single feather, pointed toward the sky. I knew then that this concept, this place, all of this was going to explode. People would come from everywhere to sit it, because it was an entertaining escape from the ordinary.

  Catherine, James, and I had come to Las Vegas because we were transitioning again. Well, they were transitioning again. It was my first time, since joining their family almost seven years prior. We were here to have a moment of excitement before starting a new life, in a new town, with a new name, and new... well, new everything.

  We had left San Diego and were on our way to Texas. We weren’t yet sure what part of Texas we would settle in. James and Catherine had stayed in California longer than they had planned, because I had been reluctant to leave and give up my identity. They had pushed it as long as they could, but after being in the same area for almost thirteen years, the questions could no longer be easily explained away - or ignored. Why did they look so amazing for their age? Wasn’t I ever going to get over Roger and find a new beau? And why would I choose to live with these two people that I’d simply met at the college and had no relation to?

  It was time, and Las Vegas was the first stop in our journey.

  Catherine had spent the last few weeks constantly drumming into my head the need to mold myself into a new character, like an actress. Once we reached Texas our new identities would have to be adhered to. But I was going to hold on to Charity until the last possible moment. Rebecca would have to wait to emerge until we crossed over that state line. It was Rebecca wasn’t it? Or was it Ruth? I specifically remembered telling Catherine that I didn’t want to be a Ruth, so it must have been Rebecca. Oh, I was going to be no good at this assumed identity thing.

  But that could wait. I was here in Las Vegas to cast all my cares away, and I would adhere to that plan! We were all looking forward to this fun little diversion, before we were forced to settle into our new lives. I would be forced to go back to high school. Rebecca St. James – high school junior. I sighed in despair. If only my body had stopped aging just a few years later.

  My aunt and uncle (that had a weird feel – it would take some getting used to) had gone into the Golden Nugget to gamble. I smiled at the thought of them dumping coins into one of those slot machines. While they stayed indoors, I had wanted to walk outside at night with the glow of all those gleaming, twinkling lights around me. The nig
ht air comforted me.

  When I reentered the Nugget, in search of Catherine and James, I noticed that I was turning heads as I walked across the casino floor. I knew that my age seemed a mystery to most people, and I was a young unaccompanied woman. Was I meeting someone? Was I a showgirl? Was I a working girl? I could never know what someone was thinking, but I could guess. That night I guessed that I just looked good. A pretty girl could turn heads wherever she went, and I had dressed to the nines!

  I smoothed my hands down the sides of my dress and glanced across the casino floor. I scanned the card table area, and was about to bypass the tables for the slot machines, when I saw her. That was the exact second that I first laid eyes on Eve. Although at that moment, I had no idea who she was.

  She was standing behind a row of players at a blackjack table, one hand rested on each shoulder of a couple seated directly in front of her. I think I noticed her because of her resemblance to me. Her hair was a bit longer, but it was the same color. Her height and weight also matched my own, though she was a tad younger looking. I also took notice because the blackjack dealer seemed oblivious to her presence. It was almost as if he were looking right through her.

  The man and the woman seated at the table were gambling large sums of money, one hundred dollars per hand, and had a pile of chips in front of them. There had to be eight thousand dollars between the two of them. The girl who stood behind seemed to be in deep concentration. Her lips were barely moving, her lower lip merely twitched, and her eyes remained closed.

  I inched forward, angling myself, trying to get a better look at her face. She was something special, all three of them were. I could feel it. I didn’t think they were like me, but I was absolutely positive they were not mortal.

  The closer I inched, the slower her mouth moved, until I was standing about three feet from the blackjack table. Her eyes flew open. She drew her hands away from the shoulders of her companions and they flinched as a small spark of static electricity disconnected the three bodies.