“Maybe we should do this the old fashion way,” Nicole suggested. “We’ll ask around and see if anyone knows anything?”
“Right! We are going to ask if anyone knows how to get to another dimension?” Ethan laughed. “They will send the police after us thinking we are a bunch of nuts.”
“Do you have a better idea?” Nicole asked.
Suddenly Ethan perked up. “You know … I did bring along my infrared camera. It might pick up any electromagnetic fields in the area.”
“Let’s try it,” Dash told him.
A moment later Ethan had the camera on and was scanning the horizon. As he slowly moved the camera to the east, white filled the digital screen. “I think we have our coordinates,” he told them. “There is some major electromagnetic energy coming from that direction.” Ethan pointed toward the northeast.
“We’re wasting time. Let’s get going,” Alec told them.
“Wait!” Sarah spoke up. “Before we start moving again I need to use the restroom.”
Sarah left the others and started walking toward the restrooms. Thankfully the building had some lighting, but it wasn’t very bright. As she got closer, she saw that the side closest to the parking lot housed the men’s room. The women’s restroom was on the other side of the building - out of sight of the parking lot and her friends.
She hesitated. It was dark, and though there was some light, it wasn’t much. Every nerve in her body began to tingle. Something wasn’t right. There just seemed to be something out of place or different from a few moments before. That little voice in her head urged her to run back to the van.
But she really needed to use the restroom!
Taking a deep breath, Sarah walked around the building to the women’s restrooms and quickly went inside. The bathroom was brightly lit, and the light eased her discomfort some.
Sarah quickly finished and was at the sink washing her hands when she heard a noise by the restroom’s entrance. She quietly made her way to the door, and opened it just a crack to see if anyone was out there. There was nothing but buzzing insects near the outside light.
She opened the door wider and stepped out. A quick sprint to the van and it would be all over. She could breathe easy again. Sarah took one step and then froze. Someone was watching her, hidden by the darkness that was just beyond the reach of the light.
There was something very familiar about him. Sarah took a step toward the figure, but was stopped by his words.
“Don’t come closer.”
The voice was raspy and hollow, but still familiar.
“Darrien,” Sarah whispered his name.
“Go away,” he barked.
Again Sarah took a step toward him, but the figure turned away from her and fled into the darkness.
“Darrien!” she called after him.
Nicole and the others came around the building. “What’s wrong?” her sister asked.
“It was Darrien. He was right here.”
“Sarah that’s impossible. You know that’s impossible.” Nicole’s voice was sympathetic but firm.
“Well she does see ghosts,” Dash offered an explanation. “Do vampires turn into ghosts do you think? I mean when the end finally comes?”
“Dash!” Nicole gave him a look of disapproval.
“Sorry,” he said, putting his arm around Sarah. “Maybe it was that burrito you ate?”
Sarah scowled. “It was Darrien. I swear it was. And I don’t think he was a ghost. He didn’t act like a ghost.”
“Ghost or not … whoever it was is gone now,” Alec told her patiently.
Ethan slapped his hands together. “We’re wasting time, let’s go.”
Sarah followed the others to the van. Again Dash put his arm around her. “You know Sarah … I’m a vampire too. If it wasn’t for the fact that I’m getting ready to go away …”
Nicole swung around to glare at him. “Dash!”
“Sorry,” he grinned.
“You’re terrible,” Nicole scolded.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Back on the highway, Ethan rode in the passenger side seat with his camera pointed out the window. They drove for about two miles before spotting a dirt road that led off in the direction that the camera was picking up the electromagnetic energy.
“Turn off here,” Ethan told Nicole.
Nicole hit the breaks, slowing down so that she could make the turn, without rolling the van. “It would have been nice to have a little more warning,” she grumbled.
For the next twenty minutes Nicole followed the dirt road, turning off in a different direction whenever Ethan directed her to. The road was getting rocky and difficult to drive on.
“I don’t know how much further we can go without damaging the van,” she told Ethan.
“It’s okay. You can pull off now. We are close.”
As soon as the van came to a stop, Ethan jumped out and started walking. “Hey! Wait for us!” Nicole yelled.
Soon they were all following Ethan. Sarah held the flashlight, pointing the beam of light in front of them. They walked only a short distance before coming to the mouth of a large cave.
“The energy is coming from in there,” Ethan told them.
Everyone’s eyes rested on Dash.
“Are you ready for this?” Ethan asked him.
Dash took the medallion from his pocket and hung the chain around his neck. “As ready as I’ll ever be I guess.”
“How do we even know that this is what we are looking for?” Nicole asked. “The energy could be coming from something else.”
“There’s only one way to find out,” Ethan told her.
“Maybe we should go in with him,” Sarah offered. “So we can at least see what happens, and that he is okay.”
“I agree,” Nicole frowned.
Dash shook his head. “This is something I need to do on my own. Imagine if I’m right … imagine the possibilities.”
“Yeah, imagine if you’re wrong … about any of it,” Nicole came back, her voice angry and shaking.
Dash stepped closer to her and grabbed her hand. “You know you’re my best friend don’t you?”
Nicole nodded, tears flowing down her cheeks. “And you’re my best friend, which is why I don’t want you to do this.”
“Don’t be a silly girl. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Nicole didn’t respond.
“I left you the recipe. It’s in your desk at Ethan’s office.”
“Thanks,” Nicole tried to smile.
“Just in case,” he added.
Dash gave her a quick peck on the cheek before turning away. “Hey … if I’m wrong I’ll be back in a minute. If I’m right … well who knows?”
They stood there watching as Dash disappeared into the cave. The minutes passed as they waited for him to return, but he didn’t.
“Let’s go in and see what happened,” Nicole suggested.
“I don’t know.” Ethan was doubtful.
“If it is a portal, it won’t matter because we don’t have one of those medallions. But if something’s happened to him in there, we need to find out,” Nicole reasoned.
“She’s right,” Alec told them. “I’ll go in and check it out. The rest of you wait out here.”
Alec returned a few minutes later with a puzzled expression on his face. “It only goes back about four feet, and then it’s just a rock wall.”
“It must have worked.” Ethan’s face lit up.
“Yeah, but what do you think is going to be waiting for him on the other side?” Nicole’s anger had returned.
“We’ll wait around for a while to see if he returns,” Alec suggested. “Even if he doesn’t, I’m sure he’ll find his way back sooner or later. There has to be a way back.” Alec tried to comfort Nicole.
* * * *
Sarah stared up at the night sky. The way the stars twinkled against an abyss of darkness was magical. It was easy to imagine that as long as there was starlight, that radiance w
ould keep evil from overcoming the world.
If only that were true - if only those heavenly lights could keep away the darkness that was winding it’s way through her heart.
At first she’d been so sure it was Darrien that she’d seen at the rest stop, but after running the scene through her head over and over again, she was no longer certain. Maybe it had been a ghost, or just someone that resembled him. It was easy to make a mistake when it was so dark.
It could have been just some drifter using the restrooms as a place to sleep. She was still grieving. Maybe she just wanted it to be him so bad that her brain had made her believe that the person that she encountered was Darrien.
Sarah burrowed deeper into her sleeping bag in an effort to stay warm. Nicole slept only a few feet away. The guys didn’t have a choice but to stay in the van. They couldn’t be outside when the sun came up.
Closing her eyes, Sarah tried to fall asleep. Just as she was ready to doze off, a rustling in the underbrush brought her full awake. Sitting up, she stared in the direction she’d heard the noise. The moon was bright, but not really bright enough to make out much of anything.
Then she saw him, a dark silhouette against the moonlit sky. Sarah scrambled from her sleeping bag and started toward him. There was a chance that she was wrong, and the person was just some stranger getting his thrills by watching them sleep, but she didn’t think so.
She could feel him - feel his presence. She could feel the essence of his being in a way that was only possible with someone that you loved so intimately, and so deeply.
As soon as she started moving toward him, he sprinted. Sarah started to run in the direction he’d gone.
“Darrien,” she called after him. “Don’t run away from me … please.”
She followed him through the trees and out into an open - grassy meadow. He stopped, but he was still far ahead of her.
“Don’t run from me,” she yelled. “I will follow you to hell and back, if I have to.”
“Why are you here Sarah? Who brought you?”
“We came here looking for the Place of Light … Outerlands,” she told him. “I didn’t know you would be here.”
“You are fools! There is no such place. It is hell that you seek,” he told her bitterly.
Sarah shook her head. “No Darrien.”
She took a few steps toward him, but with every step she took, he would move further away.
“Stop,” she shouted. “I think you owe me an explanation.”
“I’m a monster Sarah … a real monster. The boogeyman that comes out of your closet at night,” he laughed harshly.
“No, I don’t believe you,” Sarah told him, moving cautiously in his direction. She didn’t want to risk him running again. There was simply no way she could keep up with him if he did.
“Don’t come any closer!”
“Or what Darrien? Are you going to attack me?” she asked. “If you are the monster that you claim to be, isn’t that what you would do?”
“Just go away Sarah.”
The defeat and sadness in his voice were like shards of pain going straight into her heart.
“Why can’t you believe in me Darrien? Why can’t you believe that we can get through this, no matter what it is?” Sarah’s voice splintered, her heartbreak coming through with every word. If she lost him again, she knew she would simply wither and die.
“Not this we can’t.”
Sarah took two more steps toward him, but again he started to turn away.
“Don’t Darrien! Please don’t turn away from me,” she begged.
Another step and then she could see why he was running from her. She could see the hideousness of his deformity. Sarah willed herself not to so much as flinch or avert her eyes. She took another step toward him.
“Now are you satisfied that you can see me as the monster that I truly am?” Darrien turned away from her.
“You are an immortal Darrien. You will heal.”
He shook his head. “We are flesh and blood. You know that. Your very existence is evidence of that.”
“But …”
Darrien cut her off. “Not the sun Sarah. The sun damages the cells that regenerate.”
“Do you really believe me to be so shallow that this would matter?” Sarah asked angrily.
“You are fooling yourself Sarah,” he told her in a low voice. “You would feel revulsion every time I touched you.”
Sarah reached out to place her hand on the scarred flesh of his arm. “I love you … what you look like doesn’t matter.”
Darrien shook his head. “Sarah, don’t make this any harder than it already is.”
“So now that you look different … does that mean that you don’t love me anymore?” Sarah asked him.
“No it doesn’t mean that. I do love you. I will always love you,” he whispered.
“Then prove it,” she told him. “Hold me in your arms Darrien. Kiss me. I’ve been too long without you.”
Slowly he turned to face her. Sarah slipped her arms around his neck and brushed her lips against his. Darrien pulled her close and kissed her. At first his kiss was tender and uncertain, but then his kiss turned to one of yearning.
When he pulled away, he placed his cheek against hers. She could feel the dampness of his tears … the tears of a vampire.
Sarah’s heart swelled with a love so complete - so pure that its light was far more brilliant than any light of heaven.
“Will you marry me?” Sarah asked him.
Darrien pulled back. “You’re joking?”
Sarah shook her head. “No. I want to marry you tomorrow … next week … next month. I don’t care when. I just want you to promise that you will be with me the rest of my life.”
“I promise,” he told her, his lips next to hers.
Sarah wanted no more words. She pulled him down with her into the grass of the meadow. Darrien was on her, kissing her hungrily as he tore away the barrier of her clothes.
“Are you sure,” he asked.
“Very,” she smiled.
As he caressed her body, Sarah felt herself drowning in her need for him - her love for him, and her desire to be possessed by the only man she would ever love. In that instant, she felt so much love and so much happiness, that she began to shake uncontrollably.
“Are you okay,” he asked.
Sarah smiled. “I’ll always be okay, as long as I’m with you.”
As they made love, Sarah’s heart was filled with everything that was good in the world. It was only in the arms of this immortal that she could feel such optimism. With their need sated for the moment, Sarah cuddled closer to him, her hand straying to the scars on his face.
Darrien stiffened.
“Don’t,” she told him. “I love you … all of you.”
Sarah put her arms around him and squeezed tightly. She made a vow to herself that she would eventually heal him. She would heal his body and his soul. What her love could not heal, magic would.
For the time being she was content. Tomorrow was another day, and there would be time enough to find out what happened to Dash, and to fight the evil that would descend on the world, but for now she was content to just be close to the one she loved.
The End
Excerpt From Immortal Destiny Book 3
Wolves and Black Roses
Immortal Destiny
Wolves and Black Roses
By
Lorraine Kennedy
Copyright 2011, Lorraine Kennedy
This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.
Chapter One
She was entombed in darkness - a darkness so complete that nothing existed beyond that black void but her own poisonous thoughts and fears. The rapid pounding of her heart was like a relentless hammer beating against her chest.
How long had she been here?
&n
bsp; Terror had been her constant companion - its grip so tight that she no longer knew what it felt like to not be afraid.
She could hear movement above the pounding of her heart. Something scurried across the floor and brushed up against her leg.
Summer put a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. She dare not make any noise for fear that she would wake them. For now they lay rotting in their coffins - unaware of her and her terror.
There was another sound - a creaking. It came from the direction of where the coffins were lined up against the cold - gray wall.
Something came out of the darkness to brush up against her hair. Her mind exploded with panic, and she scrambled up the steep stairs to the opening of the tomb.
Pounding and digging at the door, she could no longer contain her terror and she began to shriek.
The heavy door creaked and groaned as it was pulled open. For so long the darkness had stolen her sight, that now even the moonlight was blinding.
She could see only a looming shadow that grew as it moved toward her.
He stood there on the stone steps, a silhouette against the moonlight streaming in from the open door of the tomb. His dark eyes resonated an inner light - the light of the immortal.
Screaming, she backed away.
“Come my love,” he said, holding out his hand to her.
His eyes pulled at her - forcing her body to move against her will. She placed her hand in his and he led her out of the tomb.
The vision of the gravestones bathed in the light of the full moon was surreal - eerie, but she was aware of only one thing - her captor.
Drawing her down into the grass, he positioned himself above her. She felt the chill of his touch on her legs, and then he lifted her dress. She gasped when his hand roughly spread her thighs.
The scene faded.
She suddenly found herself somewhere else. She was no longer in the cemetery with the vampire. In this vision she was in the home of her ancestors.
Shades of crimson blazed across the desert sky as the sun made its descent into the west. Though the day waned, the heat of the desert was stifling. The only relief from the heat was a soft breeze coming from the north, though it was little help. The wind could not penetrate the thin material of her ribbon dress to cool her skin. It made no difference. Summer barely noticed the temperature.
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