Forever Love (Circle of Ghadan Book 1)

by Kimberly Cummons

  Taking his hand and stepping out, she had to wait as Keegan pulled her to his side. Althea stepped in front of them and Nilos behind. Really, wasn’t this all just a bit too cloak and dagger? “You’re shielding me?”

  “The Circle’s goin’ to know about you very soon, luv. They don’t need to know you’re here with us. We’d prefer for them to think we’ve left you behind.”

  Althea looked over her shoulder. “He’s right, if they knew you were here, they’d insist on having you attend the meeting and then they’d treat you like an experiment. Believe me when I say, you’d be subjected to the same treatment by immortals as the Aeterni would be treated by mortals. Only perhaps the Circle wouldn’t be as nice.”

  “Mais non, the Circle are a bunch of old stuffy Aeterni. They’d slice and dice you without thought, chère. They’re too used to getting their way and damn the consequences.”

  Cass looked wide-eyed over her shoulder at Nilos. She did not need to hear that. She was already scared to death because they were taking such precautions. She didn’t need to worry how a bunch of ancient men were going to accept that she was alive.

  Keegan pulled her back in step with him and said so only they could hear, “Watch it, Cajun, not all of us hang on to the old ways. Most of the Circle keeps up with the times.”

  They reached the door and it opened so whatever Nilos would have said in response was lost.

  Stepping out onto the porch was Derian and without any doubt in Cass’ mind another Aeterni. He was tall, not as tall Keegan, but close enough to not make much difference. He had relatively short dark brown hair cut just above his collar and between the darkening sky and her sunglasses, she could still see his eyes were ice blue. And, surprise, surprise, he was, well, gorgeous.

  “Bonsoir, mes amis, Welcome to my home. I have had Hannah make up bedrooms for you all. We believe it will be quite late by the time the Circle arrives and completes the meeting. It would be best for you to stay here until you wish to return to your home, Keegan.”

  Keegan and Nilos shook hands with the man as Keegan said, “Thank you, Bastien, we’d appreciate that. It’s been a long day and I don’t relish the thought of returning home tonight.

  Bastien turned to her and smiled wide as he took her hand and bowed over it to kiss her gently on the back of it. “Bienvenu, Cassandra. Welcome to Michigan and my home. If you would like to follow me inside, I believe you should become scarce before the Circle arrives. I will have Hannah bring you something to eat in a bit.”

  A fifty-something woman of medium height and blond hair pulled back in a high ponytail approached her. Keegan stepped back saying, “Keep the hat and glasses on until you get to the room, darlin’. I’ll be up to see you before the meeting gets started.”

  There was only one other man in the room. Over six feet, no doubt another Aeterni. He had dark red hair, freckles and the greenest eyes Cass had ever seen. He approached with a warm open smile and said, “Cassandra, welcome to our race. I’m Caiden Drake, Bastien’s bodyguard. I’m sure you’re as surprised to learn about us as we are about you. I would no’ have thought it possible to make a Daughter immortal.” His Scottish burr flowed over her like honey. He and Bastien were beginning to give her a different impression of immortals. Keegan was closed and dangerous. Derian, Nilos and Althea all made her feel like the beggar child huddled on a street corner in the dirty part of town. Not intentionally, of course, but they were so much more sophisticated than she was.

  Hannah was just like the other two, dressed in jeans and a sweater, she put Cass at ease immediately. Although Bastien’s jeans and shirt probably cost more than her entire wardrobe, he still managed to look casual and unpretentious. Caiden on the other hand was wearing old, faded jeans, a Michigan State sweatshirt and worn black and white sneakers.

  Hannah looped her arm through Cass’. “Come, Cassandra, I’ll get you settled and then bring you something to eat. What would you like? The kitchen’s pretty well stocked with food at the moment in preparation for the night to come.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Keegan watched Cassie accompany Hannah up the large sweeping staircase to the second floor where Bastien had an abundance of guest rooms. She was a beautiful and brave woman. Had it really only been two days since she’d run out in front of him? He’d known his life was going to change irrevocably when she came back to life. He just hadn’t realized in how many ways.

  He wanted her more than any woman he’d ever met and he couldn’t have her. What did a man who was literally raised in a barn have to offer a woman like her? He was brisk, abrasive, and rude. He’d rather take someone’s head off than talk it off. Hell, he hated talking. How Cassie turned him into a veritable babbling brook was one of the great mysteries of the universe. Talking to her notwithstanding, he just plain and simply preferred to live alone. Unlike other Aeterni’s bodyguards, Tomas didn’t live with Keegan. He lived in his own house on the property. Out of sight of Keegan’s home.

  The one time he’d tried to be normal, he’d been an abysmal husband. He’d never shared either his career or his secrets with Susan. Just like his own father who’d never told his wife he was Aeterni, Keegan had done the same thing. Oh, he’d planned to let Susan know eventually that she would grow old and die and he wouldn’t, but he’d spent too many years keeping secrets to be that open. While he’d protected his very existence, he’d also done one bloody fine job of protecting his heart.

  Now one slip of a woman who barely came to his chest was tearing down all the barriers he’d put in place and he had no idea how he was going to handle it. She made him feel for the first time since he was a boy, made him aspire to be the best man he could be. He wanted to be there for her, to protect her. To give her what she wanted most. He pushed his hands through his hair, holding them there for a moment before dropping them to his side. What she wanted most he didn’t. He didn’t want her to get her mortality back; he wanted Doc Bell to be right. He didn’t want her to die of old age or anything else for that matter.

  He didn’t want to love her either, but for once in his life, he may not have any other choice.

  A hand waved in front of his face, blocking the closed door Hannah and Cassie had gone through. The hand was followed by the smiling face of Bastien’s bodyguard.

  “You’ve a powerful hankering for our newest member, do you no’, Celt?” Years living in the states hadn’t been enough to get the Scot to drop his accent.

  Keegan often thought Caiden worked at keeping the heavy burr. Most Aeterni naturally lost their heavier accents over the years as they learned new languages and moved around the world, living somewhere new every few decades. Like him, they’d keep traces of their roots by retaining some of their accent. It’d become a way to hold on to who they were, but it was impossible to not lose more than they kept. In more recent years, however, a lot of them had found ways to hide, and didn’t move nearly as much as they used to, making it easier to keep their roots intact.

  As the world grew smaller, people tended to go about their own business and paid less and less attention to the happenings of their strange neighbors. Aeterni had once speculated that as the world population grew and technology changed, they’d be forced to move much more often, staying in one place less time than they previously had been able to. Instead, they were finding the opposite to be true. Bastien had been living in these woods nearly fifty years and no one had ever questioned his presence.

  “Mais, yeah, he’s been this way ever since I happened in on them yesterday. I think I may have interrupted something.”

  “Watch it, Cajun, I still have my long, sharp sword.” Keegan wasn’t surprised in the least to find the room filled with male laughter.

  “Enough, mes amis, we have only a short time before the rest of the Circle arrives and I understand from Derian you have questions for me. I have set up the dining room for our meeting this evening, since there will be a buffet available. I am hoping the act of eating will deflect some of the more viole
nt reactions from the Circle.”

  “You’re expectin’ them to react violently, then? I don’t think they’re going to be happy, but this wasn’t Cassie’s choice, she was kidnapped.”

  The doorbell rang and Caiden went to answer it. “Tomas, welcome, lad.”

  “Am I late? I got here as soon as Derian called me and told me to change directions.”

  Tomas, a Spaniard with hazel eyes and dark brown hair reached out and took Keegan’s hand. “Boss, how’s it going? I understand from Derian you’ve had a bit of excitement since I’ve been gone. Dios, why is it the only time I’ve left that mountain in ten years without you, you go and find a way to set the entire Aeterni race on its ear?”

  Keegan shook his head. Tomas had been born during the sixteenth century, but he refused to remain what he called stodgy. Despite the fact he always insisted he didn’t include Keegan in that description, Keegan knew he, like the rest of the Circle, were who Tomas was referring to. Like the others, he still retained his Spanish accent.

  “If I’d known you’d want to be there, I would’ve made a point of hitting the girl after you’d returned. It would’ve made things much easier for me. Or, perhaps I would’ve just waited until you did it.”

  “You know, boss, you’re all heart.” Tomas rolled his eyes.

  Bastien greeted the Aeterni and turned to Keegan, picking up their earlier conversation. “Oui, I very much expect the Circle to be angry. There are many who are very proud we are a race of men. Many of them believe we are a men’s only club, they will not be pleased with this new development.”

  Bastien led the way into the dining room as Derian said, “That’s why we’ve come to you before the rest, my friend. Because of Thales’ studies, and your own, you have more knowledge than anyone else on our race. Have you ever run across anything in your travels and studies that can shed some light on how it’s possible to change a Daughter into an Aeterni?”

  As they sat, Bastien shook his head, saying, “When I was fifty, my father, Thales for you who do not know of my father, insisted I travel. By the time I returned to Gaul, my mother had been dead a year and my father’s home burned to the ground. The villagers told me he perished in the fire. Since no one has heard from him or seen him since, we have all agreed that he did, indeed, die in the fire. I had only a handful of his writings with me when I left and everything he had collected was destroyed.”

  He shook his head and looked directly at Keegan. “I do not believe there is much I can tell you that will help you. I have already spoken with Dr. Bell, and I have never run across anything in all my years that would indicate how this could be done. I do not understand it, not even if we take all the modern day discoveries of DNA and medical science into account. I understand activating dormant genes, but our genes are not normal, we do not react to medicines like mortals do. Even Daughters’ bodies heal much faster, they live longer and although they may catch the usual mortal diseases, they do not last as long. The complexities involved in doing this are immense.”

  ***

  Cass looked up from her BLT at a knock on the door. She was sitting at a table by the fireplace trying to eat the meal Hannah had brought. She knew if Keegan found out she’d passed up more food, he’d have a hissy. “Come in,” she called, unsure if she should invite anybody in, but what did she know?

  The door opened and a woman several inches taller than her own five-one came through the door. “Hi, I’m Sidney Sheppard.”

  Sidney had chin length sunny blond hair that framed her heart-shaped face. She was dressed in vintage black slacks and a red blouse. She looked like she’d walked out of a 1940’s movie. Except for the backpack slung over her shoulder.

  Cass opened her mouth to speak, somehow she was sure this woman shouldn’t be here, but Sidney held up her hand. “You’re right, I probably don’t belong here, but I just couldn’t help overhearing the guys downstairs.” She frowned as she walked over to the bed and, pulling the backpack from her shoulder, she put it on the bed before sitting next to it. “No, that’s not right,” she mumbled more to herself than Cass. She turned and smiled. She wasn’t beautiful, but her golden brown eyes brought an exotic element to her otherwise cute features.

  “I’m sorry, I know you’re confused. I don’t blame you I was confused when I found out about Aeterni, too.”

  “Yeah, they confuse me, but I’m afraid at the moment you’re confusing me more.” Sidney had said things that answered questions Cass had, but didn’t voice.

  “That’s because I’m telepathic. Oh, you’re telekinetic, how cool. Don’t worry, it’ll come back, I’m sure. I don’t think we can lose our ability since we’re born with it.”

  Cass stared at her, her sandwich forgotten. “You’re very spooky. You do know that, right?”

  Sidney laughed as a beautiful, small black and white long-hair cat crawled from the pack and settled on her lap. “Yeah, I do. Fortunately, I usually close my mind and refuse to eavesdrop or I’d be insane. But my curiosity was just too much. I really wanted to know what this sudden surprise meeting was all about that was even forcing my father to attend. He never comes to these things unless he’s threatened with a beheading.”

  “So you came early and mentally listened in?” Cass asked. It didn’t take a great leap to figure that out because she hadn’t heard any noises from downstairs that sounded like men arriving. Besides, Derian said it’d be a couple of hours before the rest of the Circle arrived.

  “Very good, yes, that’s exactly what I did. When Hannah let me in, I opened my mind as I came in and picked up all sorts of fascinating information, and then I just absolutely had to meet you. Especially since you’ve captured Keegan’s attention. I didn’t think anyone could melt that man’s steel encased emotions.”

  “I did?” Now why didn’t she believe that? She’d done nothing to melt anyone’s emotions, let alone Keegan’s.

  “Yes, you did. The guys are going to be up here any minute, and I promise I’m going to shut off my listening device now because I’m getting a headache. There are too many strong minded Aeterni here, and they’re so excited they’re practically shouting at me. So you’ll have to tell me everything. How in the world did you become immortal, I didn’t think that was physically possible?”

  “You didn’t ‘hear’ that when you were listening?”

  She smiled and shrugged as she scratched the cat behind the ears. “You caught me. I heard something about a drug.”

  Cass returned the smile. Sidney was too open and friendly for her to take offense. “Yeah, so everyone thinks. Anything more than that, I can’t tell you. I was kidnapped, and until Keegan hit me with his car and I woke up in his bed, I didn’t even know immortals were real. I didn’t have a clue what an Aeterni was, and I’d always thought I was a freak because I’m telekinetic. Or at least I was until I became immortal. Now that doesn’t even work.”

  “How do you know, have you tried?”

  “Not recently, no.”

  “Why not?”

  Why hadn’t she tried? Because she was afraid she’d fail again. Afraid everything she knew herself to be would be completely lost. Everything around her was so strange, so unfamiliar she didn’t want to think about losing anything that made her feel normal, even if it wasn’t normal for anyone but her.

  Sidney must have seen her hesitation. “Go ahead, try it. Can you move something as big as Zephyr’s bed?”

  “Who’s Zephyr?”

  Sidney held up her cat and kissed its head. “Him, he’s Zephyr and the backpack is his bed.”

  “I’ll try.” Cass knew it wasn’t going to work, but Sidney seemed so sure. She closed her eyes and concentrated on moving the backpack. Sidney’s laugh of delight caused Cass to open her eyes to see it moving toward her.

  “See, you’re still you, just enhanced a little.”

  Cass smiled, glad to have one part of normal back. She caught the pack when it reached her and stood to take it back to the bed. “I’m not sure I’d called
it enhanced.”

  “Oh, sure it is. Because if you don’t think of it that way, you’re just going to hate yourself over something you had no choice in and didn’t want.”

  “You’re right. Can I ask you a question?”

  Sidney chuckled. “Sure I’ve asked you enough.”

  Cass sat on the bed, holding Zephyr’s backpack in her lap. “Would you like to wake up one morning and find you’re immortal?”

  Sidney didn’t even think her answer over before saying, “Hell no.” She looked mortified. “I’m sorry, that’s not helping any is it? But no, I don’t want to live forever. I’ve spent my life not wanting to read minds either, it causes me no end of problems. Until three years ago, I had no idea why I could. When my father’s assistant went away to get married, he sought me out and demanded I take her place. Then he explained the Aeterni to me.”

  Sidney smiled and shrugged. “I thought living forever was for stories, who knew?”

  Cass didn’t really know what to ask next, she had so many questions. She looked down and saw Zephyr watching her. “Do you mind if I hold him? I’ve always loved cats, but Granddad was allergic to them and couldn’t be around them for any length of time. Then when my grandparents died, I just never seemed to think I had time to own one. Maybe now I do. Since I have all eternity, I have nothing but time.” She pushed the backpack off her lap.

  Sidney smiled and scooted Zephyr her way. “Be good, Zeph, it’s your job to make this lady want to run out and give a stray cat a good home.” Looking back at Cass as the cat settled in her lap, she continued, “I don’t go anywhere without him. Did you say you own a bookstore?”

  “No, not out loud I don’t think, but yeah, I inherited it from my grandparents.”

  Sidney smiled, and shrugged her shoulders. “Oops, must have picked that up without realizing it. Anyway, so there you go. You can just get a cat used to living out of a backpack and take him with you everywhere. I’ll help you find one at a local shelter and get him used to his new home once everything gets settled here.”