Forever Love (Circle of Ghadan Book 1)

by Kimberly Cummons

  She dropped her fist from her cheek and he reached out to take her hand where it rested on the bar, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. “You’ll do what you’ve always done, a mhuirnín, you’ll go on one day at a time.”

  She blinked. “You’re right, I should just accept it, but I don’t know how, not really. I’ve never thought I’d live forever.”

  Beethoven’s 5th started playing. “Ah, Derian wanting my attention again. I swear, the man knows when I’m touchin’ you.” He smiled as Cassie rolled her eyes. Reluctantly he stood and pulled the phone from his back pocket. “Yeah Gaderian, what do you need?”

  “Just what the hell happened to you?”

  “Apparently you’ve spoken with Nilos.”

  “Damn right, now tell me about your near immolation.”

  ***

  They didn’t have a lot of time to get to the airport. After Keegan finished listening to Derian go off on him about almost becoming a crispy critter, Derian’s term not his, they’d both agreed now was the time to head for Cassie’s home and check it out. Once he hung up with the Greek, he called his pilot and told him to get the plane fueled for a trip to South Bend, Indiana. They’d be staying there and then taking off the next morning for Maine and Dr. Bell. The pilot would book a suite if he could find one, or three rooms if not.

  Flight and accommodation requirements taken care of, Keegan checked the security panel before he made for the stairs. Cassie had cleaned up the kitchen while he was on the phone and she was now packing for them both. She’d given him a token protest before she took off for the bedroom, saying she had no idea what he wanted to take but decided even she could find him a couple of sweaters and jeans.

  Looking around, everything appeared to be in order, the alarm was set. All was good for now, but he knew it could change at any moment. Most Aeterni knew who he was, even if where he lived wasn’t common knowledge. Unfortunately, his being at the old cabin earlier had most likely taken away any doubt Keegan was involved. It didn’t prove Cassie was alive, but it did make it clear he had some reason to suspect the cabin was involved in something.

  He could hope the man thought Keegan was there for other reasons, but that wasn’t very likely. The man clearly wanted Cassie for himself, and that made him doubly dangerous. Keegan had no doubt he’d go to great lengths to verify her death.

  That he thought Cassie was engaged indicated to Keegan he hadn’t been stalking her, at least not for long before he took her. Where had he first seen her? In her store, a restaurant? What had attracted her to him, and how did he know she was a Daughter when none of the rest of them had known about her? Had he known her father? Her mother? Both? These were questions that needed answers and he wasn’t going to get them, at least not yet. Cassie knew nothing about her parents, therefore, she’d know nothing about their acquaintances.

  For the first time in weeks, Keegan entered his office and headed for his computer. His cabin was large, he’d built it with the idea there could be three bedrooms upstairs along with the laundry, but only the laundry existed. The other three rooms consisted of a workout room, a media/entertainment room that had a sitting area with a seventy-five inch TV, surround sound, Blu-ray player and the latest game consoles. The last room was dedicated for his office and security center.

  When he’d returned to the mountain in the 1920’s, he’d sold his old cabin to Jeb who’d been looking for an escape from the world after World War I. He’d then bought the three hundred acres he now lived on, spending decades slowly building the house until he decided to return to civilization again.

  In the late 50’s, he’d left the mountain to attend college to get his medical degree. During the 60’s while he was doing his residency, he met his wife Susan. They’d married within a year and had Angelina. He’d never married before, nor had he ever had a desire to have children, not knowing what type of child he’d produce. He’d been alone a long time, and he’d thought perhaps just once he’d take a chance. So he’d settled down in Chicago with his wife and newborn daughter and took a job at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in the ER.

  Susan had been the perfect doctor’s wife, never upset when he had to spend hours at the hospital. He’d loved her, and he knew she’d loved him, but he also knew he never loved her the way she deserved to be loved. They’d been married nineteen years when she and Angelina died. Never in those nineteen years had he ever given her all his love, and she’d known it. That hurt worse than the pain of her death.

  He rubbed a hand over his face as he sat at his desk and picked up the framed photo he kept of Susan and Angelina taken the summer before they died. Susan was beautiful, but Angelina was an angel in every way. He’d never been able to do anything less than love her as best he could. Where he could keep his distance from Susan, knowing he’d have to suffer her eventual death, Angelina had found the way into his heart the night she was born.

  She was Keegan’s everything. He’d always known he’d have to give her up eventually. He knew he’d have to return to his mountain and live since everyone she would surround herself with would have to believe he’d grown old and eventually died. But Angelina would have known, and he’d have been able to have some limited contact with her from time to time. Eventually, she would’ve died, but he’d always hoped she’d have grandchildren he could follow even if it was only from a distance.

  Angelina hadn’t been a Daughter. She’d never manifested any paranormal abilities, which meant she would have lived a normal lifespan and aged in a normal way. He hadn’t cared; he would’ve been there for her from the day of her birth to the day of her death.

  And he had. But that death had been too soon. She and Susan had both been ripped from his side long before he’d been prepared. A car accident had killed his daughter outright and nothing in 1984 medical science could save his wife.

  Shaking his head, cursing himself for taking a trip into a past he fought hard to forget, Keegan set the picture on his desk and turned on his computer. His office was pretty much state of the art. Besides his duties as Drakōn for the Circle he was also in charge of recording any new Aeterni births and keeping track of known Aeterni. It wasn’t an easy task, because Aeterni didn’t have to report the birth of their sons, but generally their pride was too great not to.

  There was nothing that said they had to let the Circle of Ghadan know where they were living at any given time. However, the society was small despite the size of the world, and Keegan was generally aware, one way or the other, where the ten thousand plus known Aeterni were living. Of course the ones who chose to live their lives as far away from civilization as possible weren’t always easy to find. He wasn’t the only Aeterni who had more than they could take of the world from time to time.

  Not wanting to wait for Derian’s report, Keegan pulled up the encrypted site he and the Circle members had access to. First he needed to know if any Aeterni were living nearby and could have tracked Cassie. Of course, he only knew where Aeterni lived at any given time, not where they were minute by minute, so if Cassie’s attacker had only been visiting or hiding out in Indiana for a short period of time, Keegan would never know. Unfortunately he had no way to track Daughters. The Circle had no reason to know who they were or where they lived.

  His second task was to check and see if there was a missing person’s report on Cassie. He didn’t think there would be, considering what Nilos had learned, but there might have been someone the kidnapper hadn’t thought to contact.

  An hour later, he’d come up blank. There were no Aeterni living close to Elkhart and apparently Cassie’s kidnapper hadn’t left anyone wondering where she was.

  He turned off the computer and grabbed his cell from the charger. He and Cass had to be at the airport in two hours and he wanted to check in with Tomas before they left. He was due back before they would return from Maine and he wanted to fill him in on what was happening.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Keegan’s hand rested against the small of Cass’ back a
s he led her through the airport in South Bend where they’d landed just minutes before. The flight had been quick and comfortable.

  The private plane had been sensory overload and she hadn’t been able to take it all in before Keegan started asking questions about her life as soon as they’d belted in for takeoff. He’d asked a thousand questions, or at least it felt that way. Like how far her house was from her business, (a couple of miles) how long she’d lived there (all her life). When she told him it was her grandparents’ home, he’d asked her how long they’d lived there (since they were married). Did they have any enemies, was there ever anyone suspicious hanging around the house when she was a kid? To that question she’d answered in the negative.

  He’d talked to her about the world she’d entered and answered most of her questions, but not the ones that pertained to his past. It seemed unfair that he could grill her on her life, but she couldn’t ask him the simplest questions.

  “Are you hungry, Cassie?”

  Startled, she looked up at him. It was the first time since they’d left his cabin he’d asked something that wasn’t somehow related to their trip to her home.

  As they walked out into the chilly night, she admitted to herself it wasn’t his questions that were bothering her, it was the way he was acting, touching her. Or rather not touching her. Sure, she’d decided they couldn’t go on the way they had that morning. They had to stop any relationship before it could get started, but still it irritated her. Yeah that didn’t make sense. None. He was doing exactly what she wanted, handling the relationship, if there was one, the way she wanted to handle it. So, why was she irritated with the impersonal way he was touching her? Especially after she’d forgotten her resolve and let him touch her at lunch.

  “Cassie?”

  “Oh, sorry.” He’d asked about food. She shrugged. “A little, I guess. I’m afraid I still don’t seem to have a lot of appetite.”

  “Are you still feelin’ poorly, then?”

  “No, not really. Frankly, I think because I’ve lost so much weight, I’m just not as hungry.”

  Keegan nodded as he took the keys for the white Camry from the rental company employee who’d brought the car around. They didn’t have any luggage since his pilot was going to take care of checking them into the hotel he’d found. They’d be able to have a suite with two bedrooms with an adjoining door to the room where the pilot would stay.

  “All the more reason to get you something to eat, darlin’” He looked at his watch. “It’s just half past ten, we can find someplace to have dinner and head on over to your house after. The later we get there, the better off we’ll be. This is your part of the world, is there anywhere good to eat?”

  “Well, there’s a McDonald’s.”

  “No, somewhere we can go, sit down and be waited on. I’ve no desire to be listening to children who should be in bed runnin’ around a bunch of play equipment.”

  Cass smiled, she couldn’t help it. “Okay, then I know a place that’s not far from the road that’ll take us to Elkhart.”

  “Perfect, luv.”

  Also perfect was the fact the restaurant wasn’t too far from the airport. It didn’t take long for them to pull up in front of the building. “This is one of my favorite spots to stop and grab lunch, when I’m not grabbing a taco or a burger. They have some great soups and salads. Some really good hamburgers as well.”

  Cass reached for her door as soon as he parked. Keegan stopped her with a hand on her knee. “Wait until I come around for you. I don’t want you away from me at any time while we’re here. We’re too close to your home. It’s possible your captor is nearby.”

  Shuddering, she looked around. The familiar area looked far too dark, too filled with shadows where anyone could hide. More grateful than ever that she’d been found by Keegan when she’d escaped her living nightmare, she waited for him to come around, open her door and help her out. Putting his hand on the small of her back, he led her into the restaurant. The hostess met them at the door and took them to their seats where Keegan sat in the chair against the wall looking into the room.

  The waitress put menus on the table in front of them. Smiling down she asked if she could get them anything to drink.

  “Whatever beer you have on draft, please,” Keegan said.

  Cass smiled, reaching for her menu. “I’ll take a cola, thank you.”

  Not feeling like eating any more, Cass picked up her menu. Looking over at Keegan, she saw him glance around the room. She looked over her shoulder, but saw no one she recognized. Not even the staff since she ate here for lunch. Turning back to her menu, she decided on a salad since she knew Keegan wanted her to eat something.

  Putting down the menu, she pushed her bangs out of her eyes and looked around again, this time at the cozy, homey decor and not the other couples eating a late dinner. She wanted to talk about anything except her but wasn’t sure how to start the conversation since she already knew he wouldn’t talk about himself.

  The waitress appeared with their drinks and to take their orders. Keegan ordered a Reuben.

  When she ordered her salad, he said, “Oh, no you don’t, darlin’, you’re eating more than a puny salad.” He looked at the waitress and said, “She’ll be having a swiss and onion hamburger.”

  Outraged, Cass looked at the waitress. “No, I won’t. If you want me to have something more then I’ll add a cup of cheese soup, but that’s it. A green salad with ranch dressing and a cup...” She could see he was going to protest so she held up her hand to stop him and said with more force, “A cup of soup. That’s it. I couldn’t possibly eat one of your hamburgers.”

  Glaring daggers at Keegan she could see the waitress out of the corner of her eye and saw her smile before she took the menus and walked away.

  “Don’t look at me like that, pet. I just want to get you back up to weight. The bastard who took you might be willing to starve you, but I’m not.”

  “Understood, but I don’t want anything more. Besides, I love their cheese soup and their house ranch dressing is really the best.”

  “Fine.” He pushed his hair away from his face and the ruby in his earring caught the light and flashed.

  Ah, the opening she was looking for, certainly he wouldn’t be sensitive about something that was out in the open. “What’s the significance of your earrings? They remind me of the tattoo I saw on your shoulder this morning.”

  “What makes you think there’s any significance to them?” His dimples appeared and she knew he was teasing her, pushing her.

  “Well, a sword stabbing an ouroboros seems odd. I get the significance of the triple swirl, that I don’t question.”

  “Ah well, then, all Aeterni are tattooed with the ouroboros at birth. I don’t know why the snake eating its tail was chosen rather than the standard looped infinity symbol, but perhaps it’s the more accurate representation of the Aeterni.”

  “Really, all of them, even today? Wow, doesn’t the mother get upset with having her baby tattooed?”

  “No, and even if they do, it doesn’t matter. Once a baby, usually just a few days after birth, is determined to be Aeterni, the father calls the Circle and the official Circle artist is sent to the home with special inks, and the baby’s tattooed. This is a case where the mother has no say, even if she isn’t aware her husband is Aeterni. This is more than just tradition. It’s the way of our life. No Aeterni has ever been left unmarked. Even Derian has a tattoo.”

  “Wow and the sword?”

  “As you know, I’m Drakōn, that’s what the sword symbolizes. It was added to my tattoo in the 13th Century when I was given the duty. At the time of the initial tattooin’ there’s a family symbol incorporated in each tattoo. It’s a record of the Aeterni’s ancestry. Mine’s the triskele, or as you called it, the triple swirl. To the Irish it’s the symbol of life, death, rebirth. An Aeterni who knew my father said he used it to symbolize our rebirth when we stop aging at thirty.”

  “I thought the first us
e of it was sometime in the 1800’s.”

  Keegan’s lips slanted into a crooked smile. “There are many things older than mortals know.”

  Before she could comment, the waitress brought the food. Keegan looked at the size of the Reuben and his eyes widened. “I believe I won’t be hungry for a bit.”

  Cass couldn’t help but laugh. “No. You’ll notice my salad isn’t that small. I’ll be plenty full when I eat this.”

  She watched as he took a bite of his sandwich before she said, “So, do I get one of these tattoos? That is, if I stay an Aeterni.”

  Keegan swallowed and took a drink of his beer. “I’ll talk to Derian about it. It would help if we could find your father, that way you’d get the ancestral symbol as well.”

  Cass had never thought much about her father, figuring he was nothing but a sperm donor. Did she want to know him? Did she want to be added to his ancestral line?

  ***

  Cass reached for the switch for the foyer light while Keegan locked the old wood door. The house was stale and empty and the welcome she’d felt her entire life was missing. She suppressed the shudder caused by knowing someone had invaded her home. Not Nilos, she didn’t feel violated by him, but now that she was here, she knew without a doubt the man who’d held her had been in her home. How she knew, she had no idea, she just did, and she didn’t question it. She snorted, after everything she’d seen in over a week she no longer questioned much.

  “Where do you want to start, luv?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. The living room is just to our right, the study to the left and the kitchen and dining room at the end of the hall. There’re two bedrooms and a bath upstairs.”

  “Okay, then we’ll start with the livin’ room and work our way through the rest.”

  It didn’t take long to search the house and it took even less time for Cass to determine Nilos had been right. Her high school graduation picture had been removed from the piano in the living room, same with a doll she’d had since childhood that sat on her bed and a music box her grandparents had given her for her tenth birthday. The doll was one a friend of the family had given her for her birthday. A picture of her mother had also been taken from her grandparents’ bedroom.