Immortal Prophecy (The Immortal Prophecy Saga)

by Adams, Samantha; Fry, Kay

  When she got there she stopped short. Ally’s grandmother, Adele, was standing in the kitchen with a man she had never seen before. She was struck by his eyes. They were an exquisite green, like the sea surrounding a Mediterranean island kissing the white sand. He was tanned and had a muscular physique. The smouldering stranger’s hair was so dark that it appeared to be raven at first but upon closer inspection his hair was actually a dark bitter sweet chocolate that was slightly spiked. He was strangely familiar to her but Ally was sure she had never seen him. A sixteen year old girl would remember a guy like that.

  The stranger, who didn’t appear to be a day over twenty two, looked at her and she became paralysed. In his gaze she saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes but as quickly as it came it was gone again. She was overcome with a desire to know who this exotic looking male was.

  Gran interrupted her thoughts and broke the spell between them with one life altering sentence. “I’m so sorry Ally. Your parents…” Her grandmother didn’t have to finish the sentence. Ally already knew what was coming as soon as she saw her face and the first words “I’m so sorry” were uttered.

  “No” she cried in disbelief, closing her eyes and collapsing down onto the floor.

  She felt like her whole world was spinning out of control and the world started to get blacker and blacker but she welcomed the darkness, anything to block out the pain, the shock and the truth of what had happened. Madame Isabella’s prediction had come to pass…

  Ally eyes began to flutter open. Her vision was filled with the stranger’s piercing emerald eyes staring intently at her. Ally knew he was concerned, it was reflected back at her in his eyes and in the energy that seemed to flow out of him and fill the room. There was a connection with this man that she felt to the very fibre of her being. It didn’t make sense but she couldn’t deal with that now. The worry lines around his eyes relaxed once she had opened her eyes and tried to sit up.

  Her grandmother was fluttering about asking if she was ok and telling her that she should go lay down since just moments ago, she fainted dead away from the shock of learning her parents had passed on.

  “What happened?”

  Adele’s face paled and she seemed to be lost in her thoughts for a moment before replying. “It looked like an animal attack.”

  Ally’s mind was racing, trying to process the information. She was trying to form a coherent sentence but all that escaped her mouth was a series of sputters followed by, “No, n-n-no, you can’t be serious, what?”

  Adele looked to the stranger and they seemed to be carrying on a conversation between them without words.

  “Who are you?” Ally asked suddenly annoyed with them both. She had the feeling that she was intentionally being kept in the dark and she didn’t like it one bit.

  “I’m sorry darling,” Adele looked warily at him. “This is James Carlisle, a family friend. He was invited for breakfast by your parents this morning. There was something they wanted to discuss with you, but the police called and…”

  “Oh god…” Ally whispered. James Carlisle, her guardian and soulmate was standing right in front of her. She was staring at him openly in shock and disbelief at the same time feeling there was something between them and by the look in his eyes he did too.

  James spoke with genuine concern. “Alessandra, I’m so sorry for your loss. Your parents were wonderful people. It is a true tragedy.” He looked at her grandmother and said, “Adele, I must go but I will return.” Turning his full attention back to Alessandra, James stared intently at her with his sultry eyes for a moment longer than necessary before saying, “It was a pleasure to have met you Alessandra. I am just sorry it was under such circumstances”

  In a truly exotic display he took her hand, looked into her eyes and kissed it gently then turned around and walked out of her life.

  Ally watched him leave and sank into a chair at the kitchen table.

  “It has begun…” She whispered to herself.

  Adele dropped the coffee cup she had been holding on the floor with a loud crash. Her eyes widened with shock as she asked, “What has begun?”

  “I don’t know exactly, Gran. All I know is that it won’t be good.” Ally replied.

  Feeling defeated she began to sob hysterically for the beloved parents who had been taken from her.

  Chapter One

  IT WAS A BALMY SUMMER NIGHT with the pale full moon hanging low against the charcoal night. The blinking stars were shining bright. The chirping of the cicadas from the scorching day had been replaced by an orchestra of crickets that welcomed the evening. Ally loved the night, everything was so peaceful but tonight everything had a haunting feel to it. It was unnerving to say the least.

  Sitting in her black Mazda she became lost in her thoughts of the mystery that continued to haunt her. Many things were still unknown about her parents’ deaths. The police had come to the conclusion that it had been a random animal attack and ruled the case closed.

  If the evidence had been open and shut, perhaps she might have believed them and moved on with her life. There had been one question that had always cast doubt in Ally’s mind. What kind of animal drained its victims of blood without slashing it to pieces? Not any that she could name.

  Ally had spent the last five years trying to solve the unanswered question surrounding their cause of death, without success. Her grandmother had told her to let it go and move on. That it was time for her to heal. But as much as she might like the idea it wasn’t possible. Until she had the facts about exactly what had happened to her parents that night she wasn’t going to move anywhere.

  Ally had become a private investigator as a result of trying to solve the mystery of her parent’s death. She dealt more with cheating spouses than homicide cases, but it was something that she found fulfilling and satisfying in a way she could never have imagined. Being an inquisitive and quick minded person by nature, it suited her perfectly. She also enjoyed having the freedom to work alone since she was a loner by nature these days. Alessandra’s only friends in the world seemed to be her Gran and her dog Coco.

  After her parent’s death, she had shut down and withdrawn into her own little world. Her friends hadn’t understood and expected her to get on with her life. Her best friend, Kathryn was no longer a part of her world either, although that had been Ally’s doing not Kathryn’s. She had been there with her on the day of that awful prediction. Every time she looked at Kat it was a reminder that she neither wanted nor needed. Ally had never wanted to hurt her but she had to, for both their sakes. What was the point in having a ghost of a friend like her anyway? She had been irrevocably changed that morning and it haunted her to this day.

  In the most secret places of her soul, she feared that she would never recover from the tragedy. Walking through the world as a shell was not the life she had planned for herself five years ago but fate had stepped in. Ally knew that she could change the path she was on and come back to the land of the living but she wasn’t certain that she possessed the strength or courage that she would need.

  James had not returned since that fateful morning. Adele had given her a vague response whenever she had asked after him but that was a long time ago. She decided to put the errant thoughts of him back where they belonged…in the past.

  Stretching as much as one could in a car, Alessandra ran her hands through her chocolate brown waves, something she had done from the time she was a little girl. Whenever she was uneasy, it seemed to comfort her.

  “Not long now Coco,” Ally said, half expecting the dog to reply. The little Blenheim cavalier just lifted her head up and looked at her, then promptly went back to sleep as if to say, whatever. Ally let out a soft chuckle and gave her puppy a scratch behind the ears. “Can always count on you, to keep me entertained on assignments,” she said as she picked a bit of fluff off her favourite jade green knitted jumper.

  Ally reached behind the seat, looking for her coffee flask and a snack, which was essential on any stake out
. She found the flask and brought it out. Her hand touched something and she twisted it to see what it was. There was a pink post-it note attached to her flask.

  A laugh escaped her; this was obviously from her grandmother. Anytime there was something important to tell Ally, she would put it on a post-it and leave it somewhere that it would be seen. Most people would send a text message but not her grandmother. Adele had told Ally on many occasions that she was tech-challenged and this was easier. She grabbed the note and read it, “Don’t forget the Masquerade Ball tomorrow night, Ally. Love Gran xx”

  “How could I?” she muttered aloud. It was all Gran had spoken about for the last few weeks.

  Adele was quite the humanitarian, always looking for charities to support. Her grandfather had been a very wealthy man and Adele had inherited the money and his property upon his passing. Having seen both sides of life, she found that she had a drive to help the less fortunate. The Masquerade Ball had become an annual event to raise money for the charity that she had deemed most worthy.

  Kathryn had been invited to this year’s event and she had a feeling it was going to be awkward and uncomfortable. The top two things on Ally’s most hated list, apart from spiders of course but who likes them anyway, nasty little critters. She missed Kathryn but so much had happened. Ally was one to burn bridges not keep the passages open for backwards travel. It was a habit she had developed ever since her parents died. Assumedly they were related but she had never wanted to delve into how. Some things Ally just didn’t want to analyse.

  Pouring a hot cup of coffee, she thought think positive, maybe it will be as if time never passed between us. It was as she had this final thought she noticed that her mark had come home and it appeared that she was waiting for someone.

  “Really, is it so hard to be faithful to your husband, Sarah?” Ally’s voice was dripping with sarcasm as she placed the cup down, managing to spill a bit on her jeans. She groaned then looked up to the window again.

  Seeing her mark, Sarah made her check her own reflection in the mirror briefly. She wasn’t especially vain but she was a young woman after all. Every woman wants to feel beautiful when faced with the likes of her!

  Overall, she was happy with herself. Alessandra’s wavy hair fell half way down her back and vivid green eyes looked back at her. She was average height, slim and curvy.

  The beautiful woman in the crimson silk evening gown, Ally was watching in the window of the penthouse suite, was Sarah Carrington. Former highly paid escort to the rich and lonely men of Melbourne, now adulterous wife of Richard Carrington, heir to the Whitestone Publishing Empire. He had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but she had liked him well enough when they met to discuss her assignment. She also explained to him at the time, how she would need to wire up their bedroom with video cameras to record any incidences of infidelity. Mr Carrington understood and agreed to this being carried out.

  Richard was a tall man with sun kissed blonde hair, baby blue eyes and a body that most women would worship. All the enquiries she had made about him had the same result. People that knew him had described him as generous, hardworking, fun and a fiercely loyal man who adored his wife. He had taken Sarah from a somewhat seedy background and made her into the glamorous socialite she was today. Ally had gathered from their meeting that Richard was very much in love with this snake.

  Sarah was a rare beauty as much as she hated to admit it. She was blessed with a tall curvaceous but slim figure that men would drool over. With a pair of legs that seemed to reach the sky and her long blonde hair fell down her slender back, Ally could understand why a lot of men would try and coax her away from Richard, but if she truly loved him she wouldn’t stray. But herein lay the problem, Sarah Carrington only loved herself it seemed and didn’t appear to appreciate true love.

  Truthfully, Ally didn’t even know if true love existed but she liked to think it did. Her parents had seemed to truly love each other but perhaps that was rare.

  She wasn’t sure when she had become so jaded and cynical about life, love and everything in between, but she thought it was like the forming of a cliff face. The sea hurled itself at the helpless rock over a long period of time and slowly but inevitably the salt that lay within the cold emotionless ocean steadily tore away at it, wearing it down and making it something new.

  She glanced back up at the window to see Sarah was no longer alone in the bedroom. Sarah’s guest had arrived. From Ally’s position in the car, she had a clear view straight into the bedroom. They seemed to be the kind who didn’t mind an audience. It was damned inconvenient when the mark hid behind curtains.

  Ally was happy that she had taken the time to install audio. Video and audio always convinced her client that their spouse was committing adultery. The audio provided the answers that a photograph couldn’t, giving her clients some form of closure.

  The man came into her focus now. He was sin itself in tight fitting dark denim jeans and a crisp black shirt that grabbed in all the right places. “Oh my,” Ally gasped.

  She understood what Sarah saw in him but as she looked closer through the lens, she seemed to be drawn into a trance as if hypnotized by his potency. He was tall with a taut body and raven tousled hair that sat just below his ears. She couldn’t see his eyes as they were focused on Sarah but she made a guess they would be a piercing blue. She noted his aura seemed to send out a sense of danger. Even though his pull was phenomenal and he was incredibly gorgeous, something deep inside her was repulsed at the same time.

  Ally felt as though she were two different people at that moment. One half drawn to this sinfully handsome dangerous man while the other half sensed evil and told her to run. The trance broke as he walked behind a curtain.

  Coco barked bringing her back to reality. “For god sakes Ally…Focus!” she told herself. Coco had seen something and was staring intently at the apartment above them. “So even dogs think he is gorgeous hey pup?” Then the bark changed to a deep low growl.

  Alessandra turned back to the window and saw Sarah in his embrace, her neck open and exposed as if in offering to this dark man. Her face looked strangely relaxed when she was supposed to be in the throes of this torrid affair. Not that Ally had much experience in illicit affairs but she had seen enough, given her occupation, to know the difference.

  “Something’s not right, it is girl?” Coco hadn’t moved she was still watching with deadly intent. It was very unlike her furry companion to react like this.

  She turned back and the handsome devil seemed to be feasting on her neck. It was animalistic, frantic but controlled at the same time. She couldn’t put her finger on her feeling until she saw the twin lines of crimson running down Sarah’s neck. “What the hell!” she cried out in horror and shock.

  Torn between calling the police and wanting to get the hell out of there before he came after her, she decided to wait just another minute to see if she was mistaken. This couldn’t be what she thought it was. Clearly she was either dreaming or delusional.

  Ally had heard of underground groups that worshipped and pretended to be vampires. Maybe Sarah was into that kind of thing and she had the whole scene wrong. But she doubted it.

  “Just another minute girl…” She whispered to the puppy still sitting beside her.

  And then everything froze.

  Sarah’s lifeless body, now white as snow, fell to the floor with an inelegant thud. The crazy vampire wannabe turned to the window and began looking outside. He almost appeared to be searching for something.

  Ally was well concealed and he shouldn’t be able to see her. At least that is what she thought. She held her breath as she watched his gaze drift to her location. He seemed to focus on her car and she felt the pull.

  “Oh god, oh god he can see me,” she panicked. Ally knew with every instinct in her body, and felt it in her bones that this man was going to kill her.

  Ally tried to drive away but the car wouldn’t start. “Oh seriously, this is too cliché!” she sa
id as she hit the steering wheel with both hands in frustration.

  Deciding to make a run for it with Coco, she saw him coming towards her. Throwing open the door and grabbing her baby girl, Ally started to run. That was the moment she heard him speak.

  The fiend had a voice that sounded like angels singing. “Where are you off to Alessandra?” He was only a few feet away now.

  She froze trying to understand how he could have gotten to her so fast and how he knew her name? “How d-do you know my name?” she sputtered.

  “I have been searching for you my dear girl for a long time.” He crooked his finger and curled it. He was trying to lure her towards him. Instinctively she knew she had to fight and turn around but Ally found that she had little will to fight him. She felt like a puppet and was watching herself unable to control anything and he was pulling her strings.

  What he had said triggered a feeling of fear but she was too terrified to remember what it meant.

  Ally heard her grandmother’s voice in her mind, “Resist him with everything you have.” She wondered why her grandmother had sounded so desperate and why she heard her voice in the first place. Ally decided the mind could do anything when the body was threatened. The survival instinct was as old as time.

  Ice-cold fear ran through her veins. All her basic motor skills had failed. She needed to think and think fast, if she wanted to survive this night. The only thing that stood out was he seemed to be the dramatic type. Maybe she could get him to talk, perhaps even boast a bit, and this might be her best shot out of this situation. Ally hoped she could revise the plan as needed.