Envisioned (Immortal Chronicles Book 3)

by Samantha Britt

  “Nope,” she answered truthfully. She hadn’t had any sort of vision since the day she woke up from her healing sleep.

  “Hmm.” Alex tapped a finger against his leg. “Interesting.”

  “So interesting,” Darcie said sarcastically. She flopped back onto the mattress, tired of sitting up and being under the vampire’s stare.

  No one said anything. She didn’t know if the vampires were waiting to see if she would eventually say something, or if they were simply caught up in their own heads. Regardless, Darcie preoccupied herself with thoughts about the run-in with her mother.

  Maybe Jennifer didn’t deserve her daughter’s cold shoulder, but she wasn’t exactly trying to foster a nurturing relationship either. It was a mark in the woman’s favor that she was prevented from being her daughter’s trainer. Darcie had believed the witch simply did not want to take the task on.

  But even so, it did not explain why Jennifer did not try to talk with her daughter more. It had been more than a decade since they had seen each other. Why wouldn’t she reach out?

  Stop moping.

  Darcie exhaled and pushed herself back up. Alex and Gregory hadn’t moved an inch. She looked at the vampire by the door. “Is there a reason you came in here?”

  “Yes, actually.” Alex didn’t elaborate.

  She rolled her eyes. “Are you planning on telling me?”

  “That depends. Are you finished being a petulant teenager?”

  “That depends,” she mimicked. “Are you finished being a bossy know-it-all?”

  Alex laughed, and the sound pulled a genuine smile from her lips. To her left, she heard Gregory’s soft chuckle as well.

  “We are relocating this evening,” the vampire revealed. “I figured you might want to escape from the condo for some time this afternoon.”

  “We’re leaving. Already?” She knew the group planned on changing search areas after a max of three days, but she expected to stay in the same safe-house. When she thought about it, though, she wasn’t sure why she made that assumption. It made more sense to travel as they searched.

  He nodded. “We have searched the surrounding area thoroughly and have found no signs of Adir or rebel activity. We will be moving north to a new headquarters to continue searching there.”

  “Well, that was fast,” she murmured, looking around at her well-stocked bedroom. There was no way the next house would have the comforting items there.

  Gregory seemed to read her mind. “All of your personal belongings will be moved to the new location before you arrive. There is no need to pack.”

  She turned to him, disbelief covering her expression. “How?”

  The corner of his mouth lifted. “Witches.”

  “Ah.” She understood. “Right.” No doubt, witches who had their full powers could just transport objects to different places. After all, Darcie saw her mother create a portal to transport people in vehicles. Some clothes and a bed would be nothing compared to that.

  “While we take care of relocating,” Alex said, pulling her attention back. “I thought you might want to explore the city outside of the condo. Perhaps Paige would want to join you.”

  She almost said no, but the more Darcie thought about it, the more she realized she could probably use some time away from the beachfront property. Especially if her mother would be walking around to facilitate the move to a new location.

  “Sure,” she answered. “I’ll go ask Paige right now.”

  She stood from the bed and turned to Gregory. “I assume you are joining us?”

  The vampire smiled. “I assume so.” He moved his eyes to his boss. Darcie followed his gaze.

  Alexander remained where he stood, but his expression had changed from amused to serious. He observed Gregory carefully. The intensity of his gaze made Darcie do a double take.

  Without blinking, he said, “Yes, you will accompany Darcie and Paige.”

  She was about to step forward to leave and find Paige, when his next words stopped her.

  “But take care,” Alexander said. The chilling words cooled the room. “Be sure to never forget your place.”

  Darcie’s head whipped back to Gregory. His smile had fallen. In its place was a grim line. He bent his neck forward and said, “Understood.”

  She didn’t know what to say or where to look.

  Alexander straightened. “Very good. Darcie, you should go find Paige and ask her if she would like to join you.”

  Not knowing what else to do, Darcie nodded and moved to follow the instructions. It wasn’t until she was out of the room that she realized how tense the atmosphere had become. She breathed in fresh air as she walked to find Paige, wondering what that could have possibly been about.

  22

  “How about there?” Darcie asked, pointing at the all-American café on the corner. She, Paige, and Gregory sat in the blue Jeep, idling at a red light. They had spent the past fifteen minutes driving around the small city, but had yet to agree on where they should stop and eat.

  “I don’t know,” Paige said from the backseat, leaning forward to look at the building through the front windshield. “It looks kind of sketchy.”

  “What does that even mean?” Gregory asked, not attempting to hide his frustration.

  “It means,” Paige snapped back. “That it looks unsafe. And gross. I bet you they don’t pass health codes often.” After spending the day shopping at the outlet mall together, it seemed Paige’s original aversion to the vampire had ceased. Whereas she once acted timid and cautious around Gregory, now the teenager had no qualms about asserting herself with him.

  Gregory rolled his eyes. “This community is full of million-dollar homes. There is no way any restaurant would still be standing if it wasn’t up to par.”

  “Whatever. I’m not eating there.”

  The light turned green, and Darcie pressed the gas and passed the café. “Can we decide on something soon, please? I’m starving.” It had been the tenth restaurant turned down.

  “Alright, alright,” Paige peered forward, squinting her eyes. “How about there?” She pointed to the right, placing her extended arm right by Gregory’s face. Darcie swore she saw him bare his teeth, and she had to bite her cheek to not laugh.

  “Fine,” he bit out.

  “Sure,” Darcie confirmed, hitting her right blinker to switch lanes before one of them changed their mind. The Jeep rolled into the parking lot and stopped beside a tall palm tree. The trio exited the car and walked towards the popular, chain restaurant.

  “Of all the amazing food in Florida,” Gregory shook his head. “I can’t believe you picked a generic chain.”

  “Whatever. It’s not like you’re going to eat anyway,” Paige flipped her hair over her shoulder. “The menu doesn’t have anything for your diet.”

  This time, Darcie could not contain her amusement. The laugh burst past her lips before she could try and stop it.

  Gregory’s gaze swung to her in mock-outrage. “Control your friend,” he commanded.

  Darcie held up her hands. “Hey. I don’t control anyone here. You two will need to settle this amongst yourselves.”

  He muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Even though she couldn’t hear what he said, she still chuckled. Darcie was glad Paige had agreed to join her on the trip away from the condo. She was making the outing interesting, for sure.

  After spending more time with her, Darcie realized Paige was just like any other teenager. She enjoyed shopping, and had a passion for clothes. She spent the majority of the shopping trip forcing Darcie to try on various outfits, and she even managed to get Gregory to abandon his post as bodyguard once in order to try on a smart, button-down shirt he had been admiring.

  The girl’s pushy but friendly personality reminded her so much of Marie, that Darcie couldn’t help but to pause for a second and mourn the loss of her best friend. Though she held out hope the friendship could be remedied with time, she had no idea when such an opportunity would
present itself. After all, she had no idea how long it would take to stop Adir and his dangerous rebellion.

  Shaking the thought away, she pressed the lock button on the car just before she entered the restaurant. Paige walked up to the hostess while Gregory stayed back.

  “Remind me to stay behind the next time you want to spend time with the wolf,” he told her. “She’s too pushy for my liking.”

  The hostess walked away to prepare their table just as Paige turned and said with a glare, “I can hear you, genius. You aren’t the only one with good hearing.”

  Gregory did not reply. He simply stared at Paige, looking bored.

  Darcie’s cheeks hurt she was smiling so much. She was happy that Paige and Gregory adopted a love-hate relationship. Their bickering was amusing, and it effectively distracted Darcie from her plaguing worries and fears. Spending time with them would definitely make her time with the task force more enjoyable.

  The hostess returned and gestured for them to follow her to their table. They walked towards the second room of the restaurant. Most of the space was taken up by the large u-shaped bar against the back wall, but there was enough room for seven tall tables to fill the rest of the area.

  As she lifted herself on the elevated chair, Paige took the seat beside her. Gregory sat across from Darcie, positioning himself in direct view of the entrance.

  “Can I get you anything to drink? Water? Tea? Something from the bar?” The hostess batted her lashes at Gregory as she asked the questions, blindly handing out the menus to the girls. Darcie wanted to scoff. The girl was probably sixteen at the oldest. Even if you did not consider Gregory’s advanced vampire years, it was obvious she was too young for him. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties at least.

  “Water will be fine,” he responded politely, taking the offered menu while his focus remained on scanning the surroundings. The girl pouted at his lack of attention.

  Paige lifted a hand, almost placing it in the younger girl’s face. “I’ll take a Coke.”

  The hostess snapped her eyes to Paige and nodded, having the decency to blush. “Of course.” She looked at Darcie. “And for you?”

  “Water, please. Thank you.”

  The girl bobbed her head and gave Gregory one last lingering look before turning away to fill their drink orders.

  Paige opened her menu and began browsing the food options. “I think I’m in the mood for something heavy. Chicken fried steak sounds good.”

  “Only if you want a heart attack,” Gregory tossed out, still examining the room for any threats.

  Darcie chuckled and opened her menu. Once she saw they had her staple choice of chicken fingers, she closed the plastic trifold and placed it on top of Gregory’s unopened one.

  Within minutes, the hostess returned with their drinks just as their waitress appeared. “Sorry about the wait,” the newcomer said with an apologetic smile. “My name is Hannah, and I will be serving you today. I see Cari has already gotten you started with some drinks. Do we need more time with the menu, or are we ready to order?” Immediately, she focused on Gregory. Her smile brightening.

  He, however, didn’t notice her attention.

  “Gregory,” Darcie said.

  “Yes?” He managed to actually look at her.

  She jerked her head to the waitress. “Are you going to order?”

  “Ah,” he reached for a menu and read off the first thing he saw. “A house salad. Italian dressing.”

  “You got it,” Hannah quickly scribbled his order. “Anything else? Would you like an appetizer to go with your salad?”

  Why does it sound like she’s offering herself up as the appetizer?

  “No, thank you.” His short attention ended, and he looked back around the room.

  Darcie wanted to laugh.

  “I’ll take the chicken fried steak,” Paige spoke up. “With mashed potatoes and gravy on the side.”

  “Alright. And you?”

  “Chicken fingers,” Darcie answered. “With honey mustard.”

  The waitress finished writing down the order before picking up the menus and walking away. Darcie watched as she strolled straight up to the hostess. The two girls bent their heads together, whispering excitedly. Periodically, one would lift their gaze back towards Gregory.

  “Good grief,” she muttered. Neither of her companions heard her. Paige was preoccupied with her cellphone, and Gregory continued his bodyguard status. It seemed like the brief respite in his intensity had ended.

  Absentmindedly, her eyes wandered around the restaurant. There were old-time movie posters hanging on the wall, as well as signed headshots of celebrities she did not know. As she continued observing her surroundings, her attention eventually landed on one of the bartenders. The tattooed man was well muscled, and he smiled as he spoke to one of the female customers in front of him. There was another man behind him, shaking a metal container to mix a customer’s drink. He was shorter and not as muscular, but his chiseled jaw made him the more handsome of the two.

  The second man said something to his coworker, which had both him and the female customer laughing. Just as Darcie was about to look away, she noticed the handsome bartender’s attention lock onto something to her left. His jaw practically unhinged, making him look completely taken aback.

  Curious, Darcie twisted back and looked to her left. There was nothing there… except for Paige. Turning towards the bartender again, she realized that Paige was exactly what caused the dumfounded expression on the man’s face.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” Darcie said with a disbelieving laugh. She knew Paige and Gregory were both attractive, but she couldn’t believe people were really so distracted by it. It was like they’d never seen a pretty face before.

  “What?” Gregory’s neck snapped towards her, misinterpreting the tone of her comment. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she shook her head, trying to alleviate his worries. “It’s just that most of this restaurant seems preoccupied with ogling the two of you. I’m starting to feel frumpy by comparison.”

  “Please,” Paige lifted her attention from the phone. “Some of those stares are for you, too, girl.” She shifted her gaze in demonstration.

  Following her movement, Darcie looked to her right and noticed a row of guys sitting at the bar. She hadn’t spotted them before. Seeing her attention, one of the men lifted a hand in greeting and gave her a wide smile. His friends noted his movement and looked her direction, nudging each other in the process. She offered a shy smile, not wanting to be rude, but she quickly returned her attention to her friends.

  Paige’s grin was triumphant. “See?” Her eyes glittered. “Not frumpy.”

  Gregory huffed, pulling out a cellphone from his pocket. “Of course, Darcie isn’t frumpy. What a ridiculous thing to say.” He looked down and unlocked the device with his thumbprint.

  “Whoa.” Paige held up innocent hands. “I didn’t say that. She did.”

  Gregory shrugged dismissively, too preoccupied with whatever was on his phone.

  Paige turned to Darcie and mouthed the word, whatever. Shaking her head, she took a sip of her soda. “So, we’re moving locations, huh? Any idea where we are going?”

  “Nope,” Darcie replied. Both girls looked at Gregory. “Do you know?”

  His finger swiped down his screen. “That’s confidential information.”

  “What’s the big deal? We’re going to find out tonight,” Paige pointed out.

  “Then you will know soon enough.”

  “Ugh!” Paige flung herself back into the chair. “How do you stand hanging out with this guy? Why did we invite him?”

  Darcie covered her mouth, trying to smother her laugh. “He’s my shadow. He’s invited everywhere.”

  “Man,” she released a heavy breath. “I feel sorry for you.”

  Both girls laughed, amused by themselves. Gregory didn’t make a sound, but his head jerked once, indicating he had at least heard the jab.

/>   The waitress returned with their food. She passed out the dishes, brushing her chest against Gregory’s arm in the process. Darcie and Paige shared a knowing look, both resisting the urge to bust out laughing. For his part, Gregory at least tried to lean back to avoid contact. Unfortunately for him, the young woman was not so easily deterred.

  “Is there anything else I can get for you,” the waitress asked, choosing to focus her gaze on Gregory.

  “I think we’re all set,” Darcie spoke up, coming to her friend’s rescue.

  “Great,” she said with a less than happy smile. Hannah gave the vampire a longing look before she finally retreated from the table.

  “Alright,” Gregory mumbled, stabbing a piece of lettuce with his fork. “I saw it that time.”

  The cellphone he’d placed on the table illuminated. He snatched it up and placed it against his ear. “Hello.”

  Darcie grabbed a French fry and popped it in her mouth as she watched him. His body language was tense as he listened to whomever was on the other end of the call. His face grew serious. “Yes. Alright. I will send you my location.” Not waiting for a response, he ended the call and placed the device back down.

  “Who was that?” she asked, swallowing her latest bite. The breading on the chicken fingers were dry. She grabbed her water and took a long sip.

  “An informant,” he answered, stabbing a round tomato with ease. Popping the fruit in his mouth, he added, “She will be meeting us here.”

  “Seriously?” Paige’s eyes bulged. “Here? Are we getting backup?” She sounded more serious than she had all day.

  “She’s an ally,” he stated. “King Alexander has been informed of the request and has approved of the meeting. Our source cannot risk venturing to the condo.”

  “Why?” Paige crossed her arms. “Is she a fugitive or something?”

  “She is undercover,” Gregory returned.

  Darcie had leaned back and watched their conversation. Her head swiveled back and forth with each new statement. “Is it safe?” she asked. If the informant needed to keep herself concealed, she didn’t see how meeting with Gregory in a public restaurant was a good idea.