Her whole life had changed in the blink of an eye that day in Gregg’s office when he told her she was the natural daughter of the two most important Immortals in their world, and a fulfillment of an ancient prophecy.
Allie threw up her strongest mental walls against Aidan, visualizing everything she didn’t want him to know, sealed up in a big box with chains around it and a sign that said, “don’t open till Christmas––especially if your name is Aidan.”
“I hate that damned box, Allie. It’s like I’m haunted by some perversion of my very own Pandora’s box. It’s always there, but we never talk about it.”
“Do us both a favor and ignore it, Aidan.” She would tell him when she was ready, but for now, she couldn’t face it. Not until she got some answers. But Aidan’s father had disappeared months ago, right after his startling revelations about her biological parents. When she saw him next … Greggory McBrien had never seen anger in all of his two-thousand-plus years, but he was about to. He had to come home eventually.
“Lex, you’re so angry. All the time. You try to stuff it all in that box, but you can’t hide it from me. Not for long anyway. That box is going to explode and when it does, it’s going to be messy. But I’m here whenever you’re ready to crack that baby open.”
“Aidan, please. Change the subject.” She was dangerously close to losing her temper and that made it even more difficult to control her power.
“Come find me in the underground when Vince leaves. We both need a good sleep tonight.”
Allie nodded as she leaned back against the bench. The cool lake breeze smelled like home. She absently smoothed her hair over her right shoulder to hide the scar that ran along her jawline to her throat and down her shoulder. The scar was a side effect from the magnetic bullet that Aidan’s sister, Imogen had removed from her shoulder the night she escaped her captors. Immortals didn’t react well to magnetic poisoning, but the scar was a massive improvement from just a few months ago. It faded as her wounds slowly healed, but the thin rope of tissue still throbbed and ached. It was just one more thing she’d struggled with over the last months.
“Don't let it define you, Lex," Aidan said softly. "It's just a scar.”
"I know."
"Mortals can't see it," he reminded her.
She'd spent the summer learning to influence the way the mortal world saw her. An ability most Immortals her age couldn’t manage. It was important that she blend in, only allowing them to see what she wanted them to see. But it didn’t matter who could see it and who couldn’t. She knew it was there.
~~~
Allie stretched out on her favorite Adirondack chair, enjoying the solitude of her rooftop deck after the rain. Aidan was right, she’d spent most of the summer dodging everyone only to find she didn’t really want to be alone with her thoughts. But then when she was with her friends, she was desperate for an escape.
The Prophecy’s about you, Red. Gregg’s earth shattering declaration echoed in her mind again and again. She couldn’t escape it. Vince provided the distraction she needed to get away from her thoughts, but for the last month, she’d been without him.
The afternoon was growing late when Allie couldn’t take it anymore. She leaped from her seat and crossed the deck to the parapet overlooking the lake, but she didn’t see the last rays of the beautiful sunset. Her thoughts were in a turmoil, crashing from one thing to another. Drifting toward Navid—Ashar—her father, and all her unanswered questions about her biological parents one moment and the stupid prophecy the next. She’d always known Ashar as Navid. He’d been part of her life since before she could remember, but only as a family friend. He was a telepath, like her, but she couldn’t seem to reach him. The last she’d heard from Navid was a warning to keep his existence a secret since their world believed her parents to be dead.
“What am I supposed to do with that?” She shouted into the wind, her voice dying on the breeze. How was she supposed to deal with such a revelation? Gregg and Navid had completely abandoned her after that horrible night and no one else knew about it. She had no one to talk to. No one to confide in. She knew she could trust Aidan with the knowledge, but she was afraid he would look at her differently when he knew who she really was. That was the thing she feared the most. How would he react when he knew she was technically … royalty?
“Ugh!” Allie turned and fled down the steps to the beach just below her tower. This was the point when she usually threw herself into some sort of distraction to avoid that ridiculous word. It didn’t mean anything anymore. Maybe ten thousand years ago when her ancestors ruled Indriell, she would have been seen as royal, but not now. Surely people wouldn’t think of her as First Princess of Indriell thousands of years after the kingdom collapsed?
She waded into the shallow waters of Lake Erie and let the waves lap at her knees. The water was always cool, even in summer, and the air still smelled odd to her, but it was home now and she loved it.
“Allie?” she heard Vince’s footsteps behind her and her heart leapt at the chance to put an end to her constant churning thoughts.
“Vince!” The smile that came to her face was the first genuine one she’d had since he’d left the Azores. “I missed you!” She flew into his arms.
“Hey, you.” Vince held her close, his familiar scent and kiss chased all thoughts of the prophecy far from her mind. She felt his slight resistance to her touch—more than she had in a long time. The distance over the last month had sent them back to square one. He was aware of the strength of her power, but he didn’t realize what it meant.
“How was the rest of your trip?” He took a small step back. She would have to give him time to adjust to her again.
“It was nice, I just wish you could have stayed the whole time.”
“I had to get back to work, but God, I missed you, Allie.” He pulled her close again, shrugging off the last of his hesitation in the way that made her fall for him nearly a year ago.
“Let’s go swimming like we did in Ponta Delgada!” Allie tugged him toward the water’s edge.
He shrugged as he lifted his shirt over his head. Their clothes littered the beach and he grabbed her hand as they ran into the chilly water together. They swam into the deeper waters, until the shore began to slope down into a rocky ledge and Allie could feel the tug of the strong current just beyond them.
“That’s far enough.” Vince pulled her back against his bare chest. “Don’t want you to get swept away.”
“I missed you.” She turned in his arms.
“Back atcha.” His smile and the ease of their relationship lifted her spirits. Until her eyes drifted to the scar on his chest.
“How’re you doing lately?” She frowned as she remembered how close she came to losing him the night of the ball. It was her fault and he didn't even know it. Having Allie for a girlfriend came with a price and if he really understood what that price was, she didn't think he would be willing to pay it.
“Almost back to normal. I’ve hit physical therapy pretty hard since I got home and I should be cleared for football by the time the season starts. You need to stop worrying, Allie. I’m fine.” He leaned in for a kiss, his lips warm against hers, chasing the chill from her body. She responded to his, slow, confident kiss, pressing her body against his as his hands wandered over her curves in a familiar way.
“If feels like years since we’ve alone like this,” he murmured, trailing kisses of fire down the column of her throat.
“It’s been too long.” She let her hands wander, tracing the lines of his shoulders with her fingertips. She made the decision in an instant. It was the perfect time and she knew she was ready.
“Allie?” Vince eyed her as her hands slid lower. “Not here.” His voice came out in a rasp.
“Then let’s go to my room.”
He hesitated, taking a deep breath. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” She pulled him close, escalating their kiss. He was always so careful not to let it go too far,
but she was ready and confident in her decision. He was the right guy. They loved each other and they’d waited nearly a year.
He held her as they drifted with the gentle current back toward the shore. She was nervous, but excited … everything she should feel, and Vince was definitely the right guy.
I won the boyfriend lottery. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest and she felt her power stirring hot within her core.
“I love you, Allie,” he whispered against her ear as he trailed hot kisses down to her shoulder.
“I love you, too, Vince.” She gasped as he draped her legs around his hips, heading closer to shore. His lips covered hers and she trembled at the feel of his body nestled between her thighs, his hands sliding down her back.
She felt the warmth rising in her chest, unable to resist the urge to let her power flood her body. Her fingertips danced across the scar on his chest. A vivid reminder of how close she came to losing him.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered. “You sure about this, Allie? We might be reaching the point of no return here.”
“I’m ready.”
“No you aren’t. Not here anyway.” He kissed down to her collarbone, his breath hot against her chilled skin. “Let’s get out of this water.”
“Vin.” She gasped at the foreign sensation as his kisses trailed lower. Her hands slid through his damp hair. She arched into him, heat radiating from her core, her power surging in response to her desire. She’d never felt so out of control before.
She moaned breathlessly, her power slipping just out of her control. She barely had enough sense to rein it back in. The sandy lake bottom brushed against her back as they washed up on the beach.
Vince pulled away and she ran her hands up his chest, eager to continue exploring such new territory with him, but she was trembling, fighting against the power that wanted to flame hot within her.
With a soft moan, Vince slumped over, clutching his chest.
“Vin?” She gasped but he wasn’t breathing. “No! Vince please! NO!” she pushed him onto his back and pulled him out of the water to the dry grass near the beach.
AIDAN! She screamed through their mental link.
Allie what the hell? What’s wrong?
She flooded him with the details in an instant, begging him to come help.
She stared down at Vince, unsure what to do. She managed to pull her shirt back on just before Aidan came charging up the beach from the grotto.
“Help him, please!” she sobbed. “He’s not breathing!”
“What happened?”
“I think it’s his heart. One minute he was fine. We were swimming. And then he just slumped over.”
Aidan placed his hands over Vince’s chest, his jaw clenched in frustration, his eyes bright with hurt. She knew seeing them half-dressed like this was killing him.
“What did you do, Allie?” His voice was low and filled with pain.
“N-nothing.”
“Did you lose control?”
“Maybe for a second. Please. Just help him,” she whispered, hanging her head in shame. Not for what passed between her and her boyfriend, but for the pain she caused Aidan. She knew what it felt like when the situation was reversed.
“He’ll be fine. He’s breathing now. I just had to get his heart rhythm back to normal.”
“I wasn’t thinking. I-I didn’t know. I-I wasn’t prepared...”
“We’ll rein it in, Lex. Your eyes are blazing like green fire. Get it under control before you give the poor sap a heart attack.”
“Aidan, how did this happen?”
“I don’t know. At worst, it should have just weakened him, but if you unleashed your full power on him … that could have unpredictable consequences. You need to be more careful.”
“I could have killed him.”
“I’m sorry, I should have realized this could happen, but it never occurred to me to warn you. I didn't actually think you'd have sex with him.”
“Aidan, we were just kissing.” It was a little more than that, but he didn’t need to know the details. “We should take him to the hospital, he's not waking up!"
“He's just resting. Let’s get him inside.”
Allie grabbed the rest of their clothes and helped Aidan move him up the lawn and into the house. She fussed with the pillows, making sure he was comfortable on the couch. Thank God her parents weren’t home yet.
“Allie?” Vince groaned, his eyelids fluttering.
“Vince!”
“What happened?” His eyes snapped open and he glared at Aidan. "Why's he here?"
“It’s okay, you just passed out for a minute.” Allie eased him back on the couch as the lie came to her far too easily. She was so sick of the lies.
Call Daniel, she whispered miserably.
Already texted him, Aidan responded irritably.
“I just keep hurting him!” She paced across the living room.
“I’m fine, Allie,” Vince said, but his color didn’t look good. “But why’s he here? What happened? We were swimming.”
“It’ll be alright. He’ll forget, jut let him ramble till Daniel gets here,” Aidan said.
“I can’t believe I let this happen.” Allie brushed her hand across Vince’s cheek. She felt his flinch and could see the accusation and fear in his eyes. He may not understand what happened, but he could sense it was her fault. She had to end this. She kept hurting him simply because she was what she was. She wasn’t mortal and it was time she stopped pretending with Vince. She loved him, but she was using him and it had to stop.
Time to grow up, Allie.
“What’s going on here?” Daniel called from the kitchen garden.
“In here!” Aidan said. “Allie lost control. Vince had a little episode with his heart and passed out, I revived him but he needs to not remember any of this happened. And if you could do the same for me, that’d be great.”
“His heart? That’s er … extreme.” Daniel avoided looking anywhere but at Allie in her half dressed state.
“Make him forget?” Allie begged. “Please Daniel, make him forget everything.”
“Of course, sweetheart. It’ll be okay. He won't remember any of this.”
“No,” she whispered calmly. “Make him forget me.”
~~~
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Immortal Lexicon
Ouroboros serpent - The immagery of a snake eating its own tail represents immortality and the natural cycle of destruction and rebirth all things experience. Even those who live forever cannot escape this law of nature.
Indriell - Ancient civilization of Immortals ruled by the Indriell Queens.
First Princess - The natural daughter and heir of the ruling Queen
The Enlightened - A group of lesser Immortals who discovered how to wield more power than they were born with.
The Great War - The war between the Immortals of great power and the Enlightened.
Complement - Each Immortal has a Complement. A soul mate––a person who exists only because they do.
International Senate - The governing body of the Immortal world.
Chief Justice - An elected office held by four Immortals (two bonded Complements).
Coalition - The opposing force that believes the Immortals should be controlled, used and eventually extinguished.
Margrave - The governing body of the Coalition, much like the Senate.
The Marches - (March - ess) Ruler of the Margrave, an inherited title.
The Afflicted - The first mortals born to the Immortal race after the destruction and chaos of The Great War. Their mortality spread like a disease among the children born after the war.
The Banished - Those afflicted mortals who were banished by Queen Alísun, the Last Indriell Queen. Immortal birthrates began to increase after the banishment and the race recovered from the brink of extinction.
Natural born Immortal - An Immortal born to their Immortal parents.
Bonded Immortal - An orph
aned Immortal who has formed a powerful bond with their adoptive parents. (The bond can be any sort of family bond and not just a parent/child bond.)
Awakening - The painful rite of passage a young Immortal experiences when their powers manifest.
Proving - (Proven) A second, painful rite of passage an adult Immortal will experience when they have reached their full potential and have learned to master their abilities.
Unproven - A young adult Immortal who has not attained their Proving yet.
Immortal death - Immortality lies within the Complement bond. A bonded pair can be killed if they are mortally wounded with the same weapon and their hearts are removed from their chests and burned to ash in a violent ritual.
Magnetic sickness - During The Great War, the power became corrupted from the use of unnatural weapons created with the power. The earth was forever altered from the earthquakes and famine that followed this destruction. As a result, the Immortal race developed a sickness when exposed to a natural magnetic field. The phenomenon severs access to their power and leaves them weak and useless.
The Pure power - The natural power Immortals wielded before The Great War.
Emerge: The Scholar: A Fully Illustrated Character Journal Page 10