Immortal's Eden

by Lori Perry

  When she was confident she had memorized the important facts of the case, she busied herself getting ready for the game. Danielle held up her cuffs and chuckled, imagining the giant from the file confined by the little strips of metal. She hid her handcuffs in her bag, and then strapped mace to her thigh, and for a moment the vampire hunter in her dream flashed in her mind; the dagger glinting in the candle light as she twirled it expertly in her palm. Lifting her skirt, she pictured the masterful weapon strapped there instead of mace. How hard would it be to learn that skill? When immersed in a fight, she could quickly get caught up in the chaos and decided a sharp blade wouldn’t be the best choice.

  Peering at herself in the mirror, she pinched her cheeks and bit her lips to add some color. Though she wouldn’t admit this to anyone, she hoped to spot her moonlight stranger; just in case she bumped into him, she wanted to look her best then instantly felt foolish for the secret hope.

  Michael slammed his body to the ground, scrambling on his stomach to a nearby wagon that had been over-turned. He watched as a band of highwaymen rampaged through the blackness of his village. Their strength was unimaginable as they tore apart carts and yanked doors from their dwellings, destroying the life he knew. How they were able to shred wood with their bare hands he did not know, and they terrified him. His parents had died a score of years back leaving Michael alone to take care of their town; until this night, he had exceeded his father’s expectations. But now these monsters lay waste to everything he’d worked for.

  Michael rolled through the dirt toward the woods behind him, planning his escape. There would be no hope of defending himself alone. Most of the villagers had been away at the fair, selling their crafts and vegetables which eased Michael a bit. The others that had stayed behind had been attacked; dragged into the woods easily, as if they weighed nothing.

  The boot that crushed down on his wrist was bloodied and heavy, grinding earth into his skin.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” A well-dressed man towered over him.

  “Why do you do this?” Michael craned his neck to stare up at what he assumed was their leader. Stunned at the chaos that surrounded him, time seemed to freeze as Michael took in the nobleman’s visage. He could see beneath the blood and grit, his boots were buckled with silver showing the wealth he must possess. The rest of his clothes were finery only gentry could afford.

  “It pleases me.” The smile was casual with a sly glint to his eyes; Michael could see the enjoyment there. Courage was not something he had needed, living in this secluded area of woods; life was easy and comfortable, the way he worked for it to be. The bones in his wrist began to crunch under the weight of his attacker, and he bellowed as the boot twisted.

  “Please.” He grabbed the man’s leg with his free hand, quickly twisting his body, knocking the monster off balance. Michael’s wrist dislocated and his vision blurred from the pain.

  “You’re quite strong.” His attacker said, righting himself. Michael clutched his wrist as the shards of pain splintered up his arm. “I think I shall use you.” He crouched next to Michael. “It seems luck has found you this night, boy. You may call me Deacon, take my hand and all will be well.” Deacon extended his hand and waited.

  Michael had heard rumors there were beings not of this world; beings with unnatural strength who fed on the flesh and blood of others, but truly he didn’t believe. Others in the group noticed Deacon reaching for Michael and came to investigate, forcing a snarl from Deacon’s throat. They were circling, growing ever closer. Their lips were curled back showing dripping yellowed fangs; Michael scrambled back, shoving his body against the wagon, shaking with fear.

  What choice did he truly have? Be torn apart by these rabid looking humans, or take the hand of their leader?

  “I’ll do as you wish.” He whispered; eyes darting between each member of the group then back to Deacon. Reaching out with his good hand, Michael locked his grip with Deacon then closed his eyes, waiting for the end.

  Deacon barked an order to the rest in a language foreign to Michael, and they reluctantly scattered into the woods.

  Without word, Deacon lifted Michael’s wrist to his lips and sunk sharp fangs deep into his flesh; his skin burned as his blood drained from his body.

  Michael blinked, picturing the scene from another angle. He lay crumpled at the feet of a man who drank his blood. As his body grew cold, he looked into the eyes of the monster and felt a calmness wash through him; letting his eyes slide shut, he believed it to be the last moment of his life.

  “Open your mouth.” The warm, thick fluid dripped over his lips and chin, then the tang of blood hit his tongue making him sputter. “Shhh. Drink.” Deacon whispered near his ear, blowing warm breath across his temple.

  Michael was forced to swallow; his stomach turned as he pictured the blood draining down his throat.

  “You are reborn.”

  Michael lay restless in his darkened room; his wrist throbbed with the remembered pain from the savage break it had endured the night of his turning. Though his wound healed almost instantly, the memory was fresh. He had lost contact with his sire over a century ago, learning Deacon was exiled after purposely turning children, breaking a law their kind upheld to the death. He was using them to trap humans, raising the numbers in his army. There had been a time Michael wished he had chosen a different path; to be executed that night, but then he would never have found Ana.

  She was out there somewhere and he was trapped by the sun on this little island. Michael sat at the table beneath his window, contemplating the soft glow through the curtains. He stood, moving to brush them aside while carefully avoiding the sunlight. There was too much to be done; with powers unmatched by man, he was frustrated that something like sunlight could imprison him. He stretched his arms above his head, if he were human he’d drop to the floor for a round of push-ups; he no longer had the need for physical activity to maintain his strength though. Since the moment of his rebirth into the world, it never faded; in fact he only grew stronger.

  He walked to the bathroom and leaned his hands on either side of the sink, staring at his image in the mirror. Where was she? Without her he felt restless, incomplete. Orlando claimed to know where she was, yet disappeared near the full moon. Michael didn’t think there was a connection to the group that had forced Ana’s death in each incarnation, but he couldn’t rule it out. They seemed to stop at nothing to get to him, and all immortals knew, nothing would get in between his kind and their true mate.

  Returning to the bed, he unfolded the note again and ran his fingers over the ink scratched across the paper and closed his eyes. Images flashed before him; images of a petite blonde packing frantically in a small bedroom, a desk cluttered with college mathematics textbooks, folders, and other school memorabilia. He tried to home in on their conversation but the skill of seeing where any object had been didn’t include sound; that was something he had just recently started to learn. Their voices warbled as he strained to hear but nothing made sense.

  Crumpling the paper in his fist, Michael lurched from the bed and threw the missive against the wall, growling in frustration. He needed Ana; needed to find her before one of them did, and turn her before she could die again. Losing her was too hard, watching her die killed him a little each time. She hated immortals, hunted and killed them; so making her understand that they belonged together; that they were made for each other overwhelmed his soul, but it was his only purpose.

  If Orlando truly knew where she was, he needed to find him, now. Michael hated waiting for anything he wanted; dusk was hours away, leaving him with nothing more to do than pace circles in his room. He needed the woman on the beach to work with him; having someone able to move around during the day would be an advantage. He pictured her face as it was before she fled him, she had been struck with fear; her heart’s fast cadence thrummed through his head. He would have to gain her trust and make her believe he was there to help, thus gaining access to those files and s
omeone with a common goal during daylight. That might be harder than anticipated if what she feared was him.

  As she turned the doorknob, the phone in her little bungalow rang making her jump in the shattered silence. No one knew she was here which made her a little curious. She walked to the phone and hesitated.

  “Hello?” she breathed into the receiver, half hoping it was him.

  “Hello.” A cheerful deep voice chimed on the other end. “This is Michael; we met on the beach last night. I hope you don’t mind, I called the agency and had them transfer me to your room.”

  Danielle felt her knees turn to mush as she listened to his voice. It was as seductive as she remembered, and flashes of their dream embrace played in front of her eyes.

  “Michael?” She asked with a shaky voice, and then slid to the floor, clutching the phone with both hands. The same name he had in her dream. Was this some kind of joke? Could she have seen him and heard his name at the airport, but have no recollection of the encounter?

  “Yes, that’s me. Am I disturbing you?” The room spun. The next call she’d be making was to the looney bin. “I never caught your name last night. I feel terribly rude for not introducing myself.”

  Clearing her throat she searched for words to respond but found none. How could this be happening? How could her dream be walking and talking on the line?

  “Are you all right?” Michael sounded concerned at her pregnant pause.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Your name is really Michael?” Finally finding her voice, she replied. Pinching her eyes shut, she listened to him breathe.

  “Since birth.” He chuckled “What should I call you?”

  “Danielle.” Still reeling from this development she tried to stay calm. “Have we met before last night? Were you in the Sydney airport by chance?” She needed to find some explanation for the hysterical episode she was having.

  “I don’t believe we’ve met, and I didn’t fly in from Sydney. Why do you ask?”

  “Oh, no reason.” She lied, trying to shake off her shock. “I really need to get to work Michael. I’m sorry.” She needed to get him off the phone. Work must be getting to me.

  “Well that’s why I called actually. I was wondering if you needed any assistance in your search. I’m usually an excellent sleuth.” She could hear the smile in his voice which calmed her to a degree. There was something in the smoothness of his voice that caressed her inside, soothed her nerves. But still, she needed to keep him at a distance.

  “I work alone, but thank you for the offer.” No way was she going to share this case with him. Especially since she was picturing him with fangs and a large package pressed to her rear!

  “You’re quite sure? Remember, I find people as well. And if you have a little help, then we can find the man you’re looking for sooner.”

  “I can’t pay you.” Where did that come from? Could she really be considering this? Spending a little extra time with the stranger was sounding better and better.

  “Dinner with you would be payment enough. Of course, we should have a pre-search dinner as well, just to plan our attack.” He chuckled, sending goose bumps up her spine and she found a smile inching across her face. She searched her intuition for a good reason to skip the date, but there was nothing; no warning bells were going off.

  “All right,” she breathed out a heavy sigh, “how about lunch?”

  “I would love nothing more, but unfortunately I have a few things I must attend to before I’m free.”

  Disappointment flittered through her. After all his persuasion, he was going to make her wait? She supposed it was part of his game; a handsome P.I. vacationing on an island, picking up women.

  “We can meet at dusk, you pick the restaurant.”

  She was frustrated with herself for giving in, yet too curious to say no; Danielle needed to figure out why she was dreaming of this man and where he came from quick, before she committed herself. There was a Vanuatu travel guide on the telephone table and she flipped through it.

  “How about Trader Vic’s?” It was the first place that popped into her line of vision once she could concentrate on actually looking for a place to eat.

  “Sounds perfect, Danielle. I look forward to seeing you tonight.”

  After saying good-bye and plopping the receiver back into place, she scrubbed her hands across her cheeks and eyes trying to wake up from this creepy situation. Concentrating seemed to be a monumental feat but she forced the thought of him to the back of her mind; business was her priority. There would be plenty of time during dinner to dwell on the craziness.

  With shaky hands, she shook out a lemon drop and tossed into her mouth. She felt like a junkie with these stupid lemon sugar candies, but the calming effect, the comfort they gave was worth it.

  Chapter Four

  The day proved unproductive as Danielle wandered through the streets of the happiest country on Earth looking for a rat in a haystack, and finding nothing. Orlando was tucked away somewhere on this island, and soon he would make a mistake; they always did, and Danielle hoped she wasn’t distracted when that happened. Dinner was fast approaching and she found the butterflies in her stomach going nuts as the thought of sitting across from her dream man festered in her mind. Trying to ignore the great mystery wasn’t happening. In less than an hour she hoped to figure out the what’s and whys of this whole situation.

  Giving up on her search for the day, Danielle headed back to her cottage to throw together an appropriate outfit to see him. A flash of the huntress from her dream popped into her head; dressing like her would be fun. But would he sit across from her and think she was just a wacko, waiting to flag the waitress for the check?

  As she stood in front of her mirror adjusting the sundress she finally decided on, she strained her mind trying to think of any clue as to why she knew him. Perhaps they’d met during another hunt? Yes, they had obviously met before, that was the most reasonable explanation for why she had known his face and name prior to their encounter on the beach. But apparently, she had found their meeting more significant than he did.

  Why was he a vampire in her dreams that she wanted to loathe, but failed miserably? He was a beautiful, mysterious man on a tropical island, and happened to be giving her attention she was usually closed to, that’s why. Frustrated she grabbed her forehead with both hands and squeezed just wanting it to all go away. This dinner was pointless; he was a wildly attractive man probably just looking for a little action, and her dreams were just manifestations of a hot guy she glimpsed somewhere, nothing more.

  Walking to the phone, she set her mind to cancel the dinner when a light tapping made her trip. Shit, he’s here.

  “One minute.” There was no turning back now. Danielle took one last look in the mirror, grabbed her bag then opened the door. What she saw took her breath away. Michael towered on her porch wearing a long-sleeved white shirt unbuttoned and revealing an ample amount of his perfectly sculpted chest. It was loose over dark blue-jeans that seemed to be made for his long, lean body and flip flops adorned his feet.

  Her heart raced and she swallowed hard, secretly asking for the strength his Ana possessed in her dreams. He wanted her, was drawn to her it seemed. What am I thinking?

  “Hello.” He said with a cheerful grin. “You look beautiful.” His eyes swept up and down her body and she felt the heat of his gaze over every inch of her skin. Move over Ana, Danielle just got the once-over.

  “Hi, thank you.” Her dress suddenly felt too small. “You look good too.” The awkwardness she knew would be there was much worse than she had expected. Please let this be over with fast. She tugged at the hem of her dress and looked past him at some kids playing Frisbee.

  “Well thank you.” With his arms open wide, he glanced down his own body with a half bow. “Are you bringing the files?” he said after a long pause.

  “Oh, of course.” A perfect distraction, though she hated giving up any information, it would hold off the inevitable conversation of her dre
ams and their prior meeting she knew she would get into. Spinning on her heel she rushed back toward the bed and grabbed the folder. The night might just go by fast with his mind occupied on learning the facts of her case.

  Once they arrived at Trader Vic’s, Danielle’s nerves smoothed a bit. She desperately wanted to let go of her training, forget about her commitment to work and relax. Nothing but her own dedication to the game kept her from enjoying herself. When they left the taxi, she noticed the way he walked, smooth and fluid, exactly the way he did in her dream. Before she was locked away on shutter island, she needed to let it go; at least for now. She glanced at Michael as he breezed in and requested a table for two, and then guided her to follow the waiter. Confidence glowed around him, and as heads turned following his sexy stride, she felt a pang of pride that he was there with her, no matter the reason.

  Michael pulled the chair away from the table and waited for Danielle to slide in then took the seat next to her. The table was nestled in the corner, away from most of the crowd and the glow of one candle illuminated them. Once Danielle felt settled, she pushed the file across the shiny wood table to Michael, and watched as he flipped through it.

  “A kidnapping, huh?” The way he sat leisurely scanning the file, captivated her. She tried to keep her thoughts straight, but the way his hair scattered across his brow and how he bit his lower lip when concentrating, made heat flow through her limbs and she almost forgot the purpose of their date.

  “Outwardly, yeah. But I think there’s more to it than that.” The waiter brought ice water and took their drink and appetizer order, forcing her to pause in her explanation.