Timeless (Immortal Love Series)

by Amy Richie

“No, that would put Nadia with Dominick,” Claudia objected.

  “I have a better idea,” Dominick put his hands around my waist, “you can share a room with me.” He just wanted to hear my heart stutter.

  “Who’s Nadia?” I asked quickly. “Did you tell us who she was?” I didn’t take my eyes from Claudia.

  Claudia smiled kindly. “She’s a close friend. I think you’ll get along fine. Marcus has already told her you were coming.”

  Dominick’s fingers brushed lightly along the skin on my stomach. “Sounds great.” I took a step forward but Dominick’s hands hesitated to let me go.

  “Come on Dominick, she’ll be fine.” With a low growl, he pushed me forward a few steps.

  “I’ll see you in the morning David,” I called without turning around.

  ***

  When I opened my eyes again the first thing I saw was a young girl with light brown hair and baby blue eyes. She sat cross legged on the bed, waiting for me to wake up.

  “You’re Eva, right?” She smiled to reveal slightly crooked teeth, adding to her youthfulness.

  “Nadia?” I smiled back.

  “I tried to wait up for you, but Elizabeth told me that you would be late and I could just see you in the morning.”

  I sat up and brushed the hair off of my forehead. “She was right.”

  “Here.” She handed me two large strawberries.

  “Thanks.” My eyes were huge with delight. I shoved most of one juicy fruit into my mouth. “Mmm”

  The door burst open. “I thought you’d never wake up,” Elizabeth hummed with the thick accent. “Dominick is chomping at the bit but he won’t enter because Nadia is still in here.”

  I smiled gratefully at the girl called Nadia. “Oh, I can leave so he can…”

  “No,” I clutched her hand.

  Claudia came in next, clutching a bundle of clothes. “I’m sure you’ll want to shower and these will help you fit in.” She held the clothes out. I finished my strawberries before I went to shower.

  The tee shirt and jeans were a perfect fit. I had never worn jeans but I had heard about them before. “Do I fit in now?” I asked nervously.

  “I prefer your other look,” came a deep voice from the doorway.

  “No one asked you.”

  “You going somewhere?”

  “No.”

  “Good girl.”

  I clenched my mouth shut tight. “Don’t you have someone to kill?”

  “Not at the moment.” He didn’t smile. “When you’re ready, I’ll be waiting in the living room.”

  “Don’t hold your breath, or better yet — do hold your breath.”

  “Either way,” he shrugged, “I’ll still be waiting.” He winked and ducked out of the doorway.

  “He is so…so…gah,” I flung my hands up, beyond aggravated. It irritated me even more to see Claudia and Elizabeth smiling.

  “He is handsome, isn’t he?”

  “No, Nadia, he’s…ugh!”

  “Let’s get your hair brushed,” Claudia pulled me down.

  Dominick was sitting alone on the couch when the four of us joined the men. David and Marcus were deep in conversation standing by a window and Achilles was looming next to the front door. The huge bald man looked like he was ready to bolt. I stopped in my tracks when he approached.

  “Elizabeth,” the same thick accent, “I have to get out of here. This tiny box is driving me crazy.”

  “Just relax Achilles.”

  “No one can leave alone. You haven’t forgotten already, have you?” Claudia didn’t even flinch when the giant turned to glare at her.

  “I think I can handle myself.” Undoubtedly.

  “Just go sit down,” Elizabeth swatted him away like he was a pesky fly. “You’re scaring Eva.”

  “Are you scared child?” His glare turned to me. I silently shook my head no. I heard someone laugh but I couldn’t tell who.

  I hardened my eyes, ready to retort, but an order was barked from the couch. “Eva, come here.”

  “I don’t have to listen to you.”

  “Will you please join me in the living room my dearest heart,” Dominick made his voice thick with false sweetness.

  Like a small child, I stomped into the living room. I stood with my feet slightly apart, hands on my hips. “What do you want?”

  “Does he need to say it out loud?” Elizabeth slurred.

  “You know, Eva, I just can’t understand why you are so angry. I mean I get the whole “mission” thing but I told you I was going to come back and claim what was mine.” He spread his arms out invitingly.

  “Why did you lie to me?” I accused angrily.

  “I didn’t lie.” He sat comfortably on the couch, not even bothering to look guilty.

  “You did. You said your name was Nickolas de Gant.”

  “I went by that name often, and I was going by it when I met you.”

  “But even after you knew everything, you still didn’t tell me the truth.”

  “You were there to kill me and I loved you, so of course I lied.” He shrugged, unaffected by our audience. “I needed to figure out what to do.”

  I couldn’t deny the thrill that went through me but I did deny reacting to it. No smiling. I snorted slightly. “Or were you just a coward? Afraid to face me?”

  He laughed loudly, startling me where I stood. Six pairs of eyes almost popped out of their sockets and silence erupted in the room. He was up and in my face before I could blink. “Oh Eva, I am so glad I waited for you.” He pressed his cold lips against my too warm cheek and then he was gone, leaving me tight lipped and trying to glare.

  “And where does he think he’s going?” Nadia tried to take the unwanted attention from me, “I thought we weren’t supposed to leave.”

  Claudia wrapped her arm around Nadia’s thin shoulders. “He’s just going to get some air, he’ll be back.”

  “He certainly won’t go far with Eva still here.”

  I rolled my eyes and slumped over to where David stood. “Morning.” He half hugged me, still not completely comfortable showing affection. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Yep. You?”

  “Decent.”

  Nadia skipped up to us. “Eva, Claudia says it’s ok for us to go to Cookie’s and get an ice cream. You in?” Her eyes lit up.

  “I…”

  “We can wait for him to get back if you need to make sure it’s ok.”

  “What?” I was outraged. “I don’t have to…yeah, ice cream sounds…great.” I breathed evenly, although I was fuming on the inside. “I just…don’t know what ice cream is.”

  “You don’t know what ice cream is?” Her wide blue eyes filled with tears. “You poor dear.” She looked genuinely distressed.

  “You must be Nadia?” David offered his hand.

  “I am.” She beamed, her sadness instantly forgotten. I couldn’t help but smile, Nadia was so likeable. David smiled back.

  “I’m David.”

  “David, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “How do you know Marcus and Claudia.”

  “They rescued me.”

  “Nadia was a part of the trio that escaped the Geneva Project.”

  “You were part of the Geneva Project?”

  “Yes. Me and my two sisters.”

  “You seem so young.”

  “Claudia thinks I quit aging at about seventeen.”

  The Geneva Project. So Nadia was an original SH. The first of her kind — our kind. Nadia and I were two of the same; possibly the only two. No wonder Claudia said we would get along.

  “Do you want to come with us, David?”

  “Sure, I’ll come along.”

  “Only to Cookie’s, then back here,” Claudia wagged her finger at us.

  “I hope Dominick doesn’t get mad about you leaving.”

  “David, you worry too much, who cares what Dominick thinks?”

  He swallowed visibly but still followed us out to get this thing tha
t Nadia called ice cream.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “Eva you take the blue ones,” Claudia shoved a huge pile of puzzle pieces in front of me. “I’ll take the barn and Elizabeth; you can work on the fields.”

  Like Nadia before them, Elizabeth and Claudia loved to introduce me to things I had never heard of before. That morning Claudia had dug out an old jig saw puzzle and insisted we spend the morning fitting the jagged pieces together to form a picture. So far, the ice cream was better. I just couldn’t understand why we needed to spend so much time putting together broken pieces when the same picture was on the box if they wanted to see it.

  David and Nadia were on the couch doing what they had been doing for the last two days — staring at each other.

  “Why do they stare at each other like that?” I asked to no one in particular. “They’re not even saying anything.”

  “Maybe there is love in the air,” Claudia wiggled her eyebrows dramatically.

  “Love?” I crinkled my nose. David in love?

  “Do you not believe in love?” Elizabeth asked without looking up from the puzzle.

  “Neleh says that love is not real. It’s only made up in books so that lonely people have something to dream of.”

  “That is not true. Love is very real.”

  “How can you be so sure? Have you ever been in love?”

  “My dear, I am still in love.”

  My eyes moved to take in the three men standing nearby. “You mean with Achilles?”

  “Yes, of course.” Achilles grunted a little, making me wince. This amused Elizabeth. “Do you find it so hard to believe that someone as beautiful as I could love a man so large and scary looking?”

  “He is intimidating to look at,” Claudia tried to defend me.

  “I’m not intimidated.”

  It was as if I hadn’t spoken. “Ah, he is large but he is very gentle,” Elizabeth sighed. “He is like a kitty cat.”

  I couldn’t stop the laughter that burst forward. I couldn’t imagine Achilles Letrell being described as a kitty cat. A lion would be more accurate.

  “You may laugh, but it is true. I could defeat him in any battle.”

  “You could?”

  “I would think, Eva, given your past that you would be the first to agree that a woman can fight just as well as a man. I hear that you yourself are a little warrior.”

  “I’m not a warrior.”

  “But you defeated a warrior.”

  “You fought a warrior, and you were not killed?” The kitty cat was shocked. “Which warrior?”

  “Henri Fremont,” Marcus supplied the answer.

  “That is impressive.”

  “She sent his head rolling.”

  “They did not let you burn him?”

  “No.”

  “It is unfortunate,” Elizabeth brought my attention back to her, “he is such an evil creature.”

  “Dominick Letrell is a friend to no one. He is evil and despised among his kind. He is known only for violence.” My stomach tightened.

  “That brings me to my point though, a woman can fight. I could defeat Achilles.”

  “He would let you win,” Claudia barely looked up.

  “Does Achilles love you back?”

  She folded her hands on the table and regarded me with intense ice blue eyes. “You know, Eva, I have always resented being born a female. But Achilles makes me glad I was. He loves me so much more than I can ever love him. This is how it is to be loved by a Letrell warrior. Any woman who captures the heart of one of my brothers is indeed fortunate.”

  Her eyes captured mine and refused to let go. “He would do anything for you, sacrifice anything. He lives for you and would die for you. If you can try to understand the depth of his love, maybe you can understand the things he has done.”

  My breath caught in my throat. When did this become about me and Dominick? There was a time when I would have died for him. I shook my head to dispel the images of that day by the river. When Nickolas was taking me to meet Dominick.

  I stood abruptly, knocking my chair over in the process. “It’s hot in here.”

  Sweet Nadia came to my rescue. “There’s a balcony with a lovely view,” she exclaimed happily. “You want to come see?”

  “Yes.” I lunged for her outstretched hand like it was a lifeline.

  The view was lovely, but I could only appreciate it after I was done hyperventilating. The city stretched on for miles and unlike Lexon, I couldn’t hear any gunshots or screaming.

  Nadia didn’t comment on my breathing problems or my too clammy skin. She was soft spoken and sensitive to other’s needs. “Claudia says that the VC will be running a sweep tomorrow. So we’ll be stuck inside.” She pretended to pout.

  “What is a VC?”

  “They’re actually the VCCEA. Vampire Control and Containment Agency. The vampire police,” she chuckled lightly. “They don’t go after vamps though, only half-breeds.”

  “You mean the SH?”

  “Yeah. They are illegal here.” I settled down by her feet, allowing her soft spoken words to calm my heart. “Right after Jewell hit, the SH ; or half-breeds, were made. Do you know why?”

  “Yes, to save human kind, but it back fired.”

  “The vampire blood did what it was supposed to at first. The humans were healthy and strong. Some of them came to the states to escape the conditions over there. It was no big deal but then, about five years after they were given vamp blood, the half-breeds started to change.” I already knew these stories but it was fascinating to hear Nadia tell it.

  “The gene in the vampire blood began to take over. The people became stuck between changing to a vampire and staying human. They became zombie like. It was just like those old Hollywood movies — you know where the zombies eat people?” I shook my head.

  “They ate people?”

  “David thinks it’s probably the vampire part of them craving blood, but they are so far gone…you know.” She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

  “So why hasn’t that happened to us?”

  “I still get injections.”

  “You do?”

  “Every six months. And you…it hasn’t been five years since your last injection.”

  “Are you saying that in five years I’ll turn into a zombie?”

  “I’m saying that you’ll have to make a decision.”

  “Be a zombie or be a vampire?”

  “You were never going to be only human.” The silence crept in around us, settling comfortably.

  “Why do you think they picked you?” I was the first to break the silence.

  “The same reasons they picked you I suppose. We weren’t wanted by anyone else.”

  “Do you ever wonder what we would be like if they had left us human?”

  “I think we wouldn’t have lived very long.”

  “Maybe.” But maybe that would have been better.

  “Was Neleh cruel to you?” It was as if Nadia could tell exactly what I was thinking.

  “Yes.” I leaned my head against the railing. Thinking about Neleh made me sad. “She was cruel to me but she was only trying to help.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “Neleh said I had a natural tendency to depend on other people instead of myself. She was just trying to make me a stronger person. So I could stand on my own two feet.”

  “Relying on others isn’t always a bad thing.”

  “Not for you. You have Claudia and Marcus. I only have David, and sometimes I think he needs me more than I need him.” We both laughed. “Do you love him?”

  Nadia’s face turned bright red. “What? I…I don’t…” But then she sighed and dropped all her pretenses. “Yes. I do love him. I think I loved him even before I met him. I’ve heard so much about him.”

  “What have you heard? I mean how? I thought you’ve lived here since before Jewell.”

  “Oh, I’ve always lived in the states. But I’ve heard a lot from Marcus. David and
Marcus used to be really close you know.”

  “No, I didn’t know. What happened? Why did they part ways?”

  “David used to live at Blakesly House — with all the Letrell’s. There, he had a mate named Sylvia.”

  “Sylvia? I’ve never heard of Sylvia or of David having a mate.”

  “Yes. Sylvia was a third generation created especially for David.”

  “By who?”

  “By our little rule breaker — Damien.”

  “So we have David and Sylvia…”

  “At Blakesly House. David quarreled with Damien and left the house and the Letrell’s. Sylvia and David went to live in London and Kiera asked Marcus to go and look out for the two. For years, the trio kept close company. Then they met Claudia.

  Claudia soon became the next third generation to join Marcus. By this time Neleh was threatening Silango to force Marcus’s hand in destroying his own mate and their companions. His love for Claudia was strong enough to keep her alive but not Sylvia.”

  “Marcus killed Sylvia?”

  Nadia’s head bobbed. “David’s one true love. Marcus didn’t have much choice. The bond he shared with Silango made him into the monster that Neleh claimed him to be.”

  “So Claudia and David ran before they were next,” I guessed the rest of her story.

  “Marcus told them too, but Claudia came back and ended up killing Silango.”

  “A guard?”

  She nodded solemnly. “They searched for David but couldn’t find him. All these years they have waited for his return, and now he is back.” Her eyes held a faraway look.

  The balcony door came open then, startling us both. Dominick sauntered out to sit beside me. I tried to scoot away. “I heard your fairy tales Nadia.” She blushed.

  “You shouldn’t have been listening.” My voice didn’t sound so harsh with him sitting so near.

  I could tell that he was staring at me but I refused to look at him. “I’m going out for a few hours. Will you be alright alone?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Marcus, David, and Achilles are all joining me. So it will be just you ladies. Can you manage to stay out of trouble?”

  “You don’t need to worry about what we do.” I made the mistake of looking at him so he could see my glare. His eyes pulled me right in until I was practically drooling on myself. I couldn’t make myself look away.