Immortal Craving: Immortal Heart

by Magen McMinimy

  Kat and Kale left Uriah with Bain and Izzy, who were taking him back home to see Jelena—a feeding would help him to fully heal. Sliding onto the soft leather of one of Desert Brew’s town cars, Kat and Kale headed for Evan’s estate.

  Kat’s eyes widened as they drove down the long, paved driveway once they’d been granted access to the compound… There really was no other way to describe what she was seeing. The security around the grounds was obvious. Best part of all, in Kat’s opinion, was the fact that the Vamps, who were known for their strength, had to rely on humans for security during the sunlight hours.

  The thing about this place was it looked like a luxury resort. The driveway was lined with palm trees and golf-course-worthy green grass stretched out past them. The front even boasted a water feature with a clear, hopefully very sturdy, Plexiglas bridge, which you had to walk over to get to the front of the estate. The estate was huge, with a sweeping staircase that lead to a second-story balcony. The place was breathtaking.

  “The Vampires live a good life,” Kat noted, taking in every detail she could.

  “Yes, they do,” Kale agreed as they approached the nine-foot, double-solid wood doors.

  Kale was lifting his hand to knock as the door swung open.

  “Katarina and Kale, I presume?” a brisk English accent greeted them. The woman wore what Kat assumed was a standard uniform for the human staff in Evan’s home: black slacks, a black button-up blouse, and, in this woman’s case, a pair of stunning black heels. She looked sleek and professional.

  Kale nodded at her and Kat smiled.

  “Good, I’m Vanessa, Master Evan’s personal assistant. He and your brother, Lothar, are waiting for you. Please follow me.”

  They followed Vanessa at a brisk pace to keep up with her in the marble halls. If they lost her, it would take them days to find her again in this massive house.

  “Ah good.” Evan lifted his head as Kat and Kale followed Vanessa into his office. “Let’s get down to business.”

  Kale shot Lothar a curious look but he gave Kale the one-shoulder-don’t-ask-me shrug.

  “Take a seat.” Evan gestured to two chairs next to Lothar.

  Kat noticed that Evan’s office looked out on a very impressive maze of short bushes, stone paths, fountains, and a garden. The windows were also deeply tinted like the ones at Desert Brew—blocking the sun’s rays so Evan could enjoy the beauty of his grounds.

  “I asked you all to meet here because I have some news about your Succubus… she’s gone.”

  Lothar narrowed his eyes. “How do you know that?”

  “Ben, come in here please.” Evan barely spoke over a whisper, but a young Vampire stepped into the office, his hands clasped behind his back.

  “Yes, master?” Ben greeted Evan.

  “I need you tell these folks what you told me this morning.”

  Ben’s eyes flicked between the brothers and Kat, then back to Evan, who dipped his chin.

  “Josh called me to him last night; he had a female in his car just outside the gates. He told me he and the female were leaving and that I was to wait until this morning to tell Master Evan.”

  “The female was Brie?” Kat asked Evan.

  “Yes,” Evan looked to Ben. “Tell then the rest.”

  “Josh said that he found his true mate. I didn’t know Vampires had true mates—”

  “You don’t,” Kat said, “but Succubi do.”

  “Right,” Ben continued. “Anyway, he said he had to keep her safe and that the Warriors would punish her for the mistakes she made when she killed those men. That was all he said.”

  Kale narrowed his eyes on the Vampire. “Why did you wait to tell Evan? You were aware we were looking for her, were you not?”

  Ben nodded. “Of course, but he told me I had to wait to tell Master Evan.”

  “I don’t really give a shit what he told you—you should have told us immediately,” Kale said with a frustrated tone.

  Ben’s eyes flicked from Kale to Evan, his nerves clearly getting the better of him.

  “He couldn’t, Kale,” Kat said, giving Ben a reassuring smile. “Josh is your sire?” she asked.

  Ben nodded. “Yes.”

  Vampires were a fiercely loyal kind… to the one who sired them. Kat thought it might have had something to do with their compulsion. Even though Ben had known how important it was that they find Brie, his bond to his sire would actually keep him from telling anyone what Josh had done. Once Josh gave the order for Ben to wait, he had no choice in the matter.

  “What time did all of this happen?” Lothar asked.

  “Around four this morning,” Ben answered.

  “They could not have gotten far. That only gave them two hours or so to find somewhere to sit out the sun.”

  “Afraid not,” Evan said. “My Benz is gone. One of only three light-tight vehicles I own with tinting dark enough any vampire can go out in the daylight with it. Also Ben can no longer sense Josh, which means his sire is at least a good two hundred miles from him.”

  “Shit,” Lothar muttered. “I need to call Rowan and see what she wants us to do.”

  “Please let her know that should you choose to attempt to track Bonnie and Clyde down, I will offer Ben to your efforts.”

  Lothar nodded and excused himself.

  “What do you think Rowan will do?” Kat whispered to Kale.

  Kale shook his head. “I’m not sure,” he admitted.

  Lothar returned. “Thank you, Evan. We’ll be in touch.” Lothar shook the Master Vampires hand and then turned to Kat and Kale. “Head back to Desert Brew and get your stuff. Rowan wants you two and Jake at Hawk’s Eye this evening to meet with her.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Kale pulled into Hawk’s Eyes’ parking lot. Night had fallen over the city and everything felt surprisingly quiet.

  Jake and Kat followed him into the building. Cree stood at the front desk waiting for them.

  “How was the flight?” he asked.

  “Not my preferred way of navigating the skies, but no real complaints. Can you tell me what’s going on?”

  Cree nodded. “Yep, you and I need to have a talk while Rowan meets with Kat and Jake.”

  Kale arched a brow. This was the second time Rowan was meeting with Kat and again it was made perfectly clear he was not going to be a part of the meeting. But Kale nodded, smiled at Kat, and followed his leader into Cree’s office.

  “What’s going on?” Kale asked.

  “Rowan and I talked and she’s decided to halt the search for Brie at this time. The Drifters and the amount of undocumented Fae in that club last night has her on high alert. We need to focus on finding those portals.”

  Kale nodded. “And I’m not in that room to hear her tell this to Kat—why exactly?”

  Cree frowned. “Because Rowan made a deal with Kat, and now Kat has to make her decision.”

  “What do you mean?” Panic spiked deep inside of Kale. “What’s happening in that other room, Cree?”

  Cree sighed. “Kat and Jake are filling out the paperwork that will allow them to stay in the Human World. She’s giving them their freedom.”

  Ok, well, that didn’t sound so bad.

  “There was one other part of their deal… should Kat chose it, Rowan has promised to not reveal where Kat ends up or under what name she will take after tonight.”

  “Why would Rowan do that?” Kale asked.

  “You need to understand this was not something Rowan agreed to easily—this was Katarina’s demand. Now, I can tell things have changed a bit for the two of you and that is why Rowan wanted to speak with her alone. You and Kat can figure out what you two want to do when she’s finished with Rowan.”

  Cree could bet his life that Kale and Kat would be having a long discussion. He didn’t want to let her go. He never wanted to lose her again.

  Cree watched Kale intently. It still drove him crazy that he had no vision of how this would play out for his youngest warrio
r.

  “You still love her. You never really stopped.”

  Kale shook his head. “No, I never did.”

  Cree nodded. “You know I want all of my brothers to be happy and I think you deserve to be with the woman you love, but what of her true mate?”

  Kale held his breath, not sure he wanted anyone to know that he was her true mate—especially if she was going to walk away. While he held hope that this wasn’t the last he’d see Kat, because he would fight for her, but she was stubborn and he would respect what she wanted. Because he loved her that much, he was selfish that much he knew, but if this was the one selfless act he could give to her… he would.

  He fought over how to answer Cree’s question, but the fact was he could never lie to Cree—not to his face like he would have to in order to hide the truth.

  “I am her true mate,” he said in a stronger voice then he thought himself capable in this situation.

  Cree’s brows rose. It was almost comical as they nearly reached his hairline.

  “Well, all-be-damned.” Cree smiled. “Then I say you fight for her.”

  Kale nodded. “I want to but she doesn’t know that I know.”

  “How can you be sure then?”

  Kale smirked. “I saw the mark on her and I saw it on myself this morning.”

  Cree nodded. “You need to tell her what you know. Honesty, Kale—that’s what the two of you need.”

  Rowan entered Cree’s office then, a smile tilting her lips.

  “I hear you took a whole building down last night. No one mentioned that fact to me when I came to check on Uriah,” she quipped as she moved to Cree’s side.

  Kale chuckled. “Yeah, it wasn’t my intentions, but that Jinn had it coming.”

  Rowan laughed. “That’s what I hear, but next time, try to at least leave the building standing—though after what he did to Uriah… Well, let’s just leave it at… good job. Now, Kat and Jake are waiting out in the lobby for you.”

  Kale nodded. “Alright, but first—did you see Uriah today?”

  “Yes, he was still with Jelena when I left to come here.” A knowing smile lifted her lips a little higher. “He seemed to be in very good spirits.”

  Yeah, Kale was sure he was… They all knew there was something between those two, though no one ever talked about it.

  ****

  Kat paced the serene lobby of Hawk’s Eye Security. The Nymph that managed the front office was obviously very in touch with her magic.

  Kat was trying to distract herself. Things had moved too fast. She was supposed to have more time—at least one night, one more night with Kale. That one more night would either strengthen her resolve or completely break her—either way, she wanted it.

  Kat smiled at Kale as he approached her, uncertainty slowing his pace.

  “Give us a second,” Kat told Jake.

  Jake nodded and headed for the exit as Lucas made his way in with a nervous Brownie in tow.

  “What’s Jerry doing back here?” Kale asked, eying the twitchy Brownie. “You didn’t already break our deal, did you?”

  “No,” Jerry assured Kale.

  “He’s here to see Katarina,” Lucas answered.

  Kat’s brows scrunched with confusion. “Why?”

  Lucas looked to Jerry. “Is that her?” he asked, gesturing to Kat.

  “Who?” Kat asked hotly.

  “Is she the Succubus who helped you get to the Human World?”

  “What are you talking about?” Kat asked and then looked to Kale.

  Kale shook his head. “What’s going on, Lucas?”

  “I was told to bring him here to see if he could I.D. Katarina as the Succubus who’s helping the Drifters.”

  Kale narrowed his eyes at the former Marine.

  “Don’t look at me like that. I’m just following orders,” Lucas said dryly.

  “Whose orders?” Kale ground out.

  “Rowans,” Lucas said flatly.

  Kat looked back to the Brownie. “I’ve never seen him before.”

  All eyes fell on Jerry. “It’s not her,” he confirmed.

  Kale nodded. “Good, now that that’s dealt with, give us a minute please,” Kale said, dismissing Lucas.

  Kat looked to Kale. “Do I want to know what that was about?”

  Kale shook his head. “No, we need to talk about that tattoo below your breast and the matching one that appeared on me this morning.”

  Kat let out a long, heavy breath. “So, it really is there?”

  “You knew? How long have you known?”

  “It started out as an outline that appeared after… the living room at the safe house. It was filled in this morning after we made love last night.”

  She sounded sad and it was breaking his heart. Because, soul deep, he knew she was walking away. And damn it, Kale had told himself he would respect what she wanted.

  “So, what are you going to do about it?”

  Kat sucked in a breath, steeling herself for what she had to say. “I can’t,” she whispered. “I am so sorry, but this won’t work. I’ve chosen to take Rowan up on her offer to disappear into the Human World. I know what that mark means, but it came fifteen years too late.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Kale felt the pain rising in him, trying to take hold as it had so many years ago… He would let Kat decide their future but not before taking Cree’s advice and laying the truth out for her—letting her know what he felt and what he wanted.

  “We belong together. I never needed that mark to know the truth. It’s supposed to be me and you forever. Stay with me.”

  “I can’t,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry, Kale.”

  She wanted to stay. She wanted him. She wanted to kiss away every worry and bit of sadness that haunted him. But she wasn’t finished; there was still one last thing she had to do and if he knew he would either try—and most likely succeed in—stopping her or he would try and help. And if what the Immortal Three had told her was true, then this would be the cause that took not only Kale, but Rowan as well, into the domain of the Immortal Three.

  The only way to save her true mate and possibly the future of the Light was for her to do the rest on her own. He had already promised her and Jake their freedom once they found Brie.

  “Give it a chance, Kitten.”

  She felt hot tears and her resolve begin to fall.

  “I don’t know how,” she admitted, her beautiful emerald eyes imploring him to understand.

  “I love you, Katarina. I always have,” he said softly. “You kept up your end of the bargain, and I won’t keep you against your will.” Kale’s voice broke with the pain that came with the realization that he was going to lose her again.

  “I do love you, Kale, but I’m broken. You deserve better than what I am.”

  He deserved better than the scheming she was doing, but it was necessary. She wouldn’t let him die for a fight that was hers.

  “You’ll always be safely kept… right here,” he pounded his fist over his heart. “And even without you, you’ll always haunt my dreams and I will always be thinking about you.”

  Kat cupped his face, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I love you,” she told him in a pained whisper, before gently pressing her lips to his in a soft and chaste kiss that sealed her resolve to save him.

  Kat dropped her hands from his face, turned around, and hastily retreated to slip into the passenger seat of the car Rowan had provided for her and Jake. Jake wasted no time pulling away from the front of Hawk’s Eye, leaving Kale to watch them go.

  Kat’s sobs wracked her body.

  “Kitty,” Jake said her name with so much emotion. “Why are you doing this?”

  She had kept her promise to Acacia—she told no one about what she’d learned from the Immortal Sister. Kale would die if she brought him along with her. And Rowan would fail in her attempts to save him—leaving the Light without their beloved leader and the Immortal Warriors broken while they struggled to control
the pain that would ripple through their people. Not to mention what would eventually come of Cree.

  “You hate him. Why do you care?” It came out a little harsh, but it wasn’t meant that way. It was just hard to say anything through the pain she was feeling.

  “Yeah, I don’t like him, but I love you too much to see you so hurt. I can deal with him for you… Maybe he’ll even grow on me too.”

  Kat smiled as she looked to Jake briefly. He was still her best friend, the same strong, square-jawed protector he’d always tried to be for her. He was even willing to try and find something to like in Kale for her. She sucked in a few deep breaths.

  “We need to deal with Darion; it’s what’s important right now.”

  “You know I’ll follow your lead and there is little you could ask of me that I wouldn’t give into for you, and as much as I hate to say this, I think you’re making a mistake if you truly plan to walk away from Kale… your true mate.”

  Kat steeled herself and kept her gaze straight ahead, refusing to look behind them. She had a feeling she would catch Kale’s strong and usually stoic figure, broken now, standing on the side of the street.

  “Let’s focus in making it through the next forty-eight hours. Then I can figure out what to do with my broken heart.”

  “Fix it. Let go of whatever is holding you back and just fix it, Kitty.”

  She would try… if she survived what Trevan had planned, she would try.

  ****

  The portal rippled as Jake, Trevan, and Kat passed back into the Dark lands. Kat felt a wave of nausea sweep over her.

  She never wanted to set foot in this godforsaken place again, but this was important to her and it was damn well important to the Succubi who were behind those tall stone walls that made up Darion’s fortress. They crouched in the cover of a large oak outside the first curtain wall, which protected the courtyards around the castle. Dressed in all black, they blended into the shadows of a slivered moon night.

  “What now?” Jake asked.