Forever - 02

by Lauren Burd

  He must have read my discomfort. “Don’t worry, I won’t harm you. I just want to let you know to be careful who you allow to know your story.”

  “Thank you for letting me know, but I doubt that’s why you asked me on this tour.”

  He chuckled. “You’re right. I wanted to know if what Thanos said was true.”

  “What did he tell you?”

  A smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. “He informed me that you carry the cure to our little disease.”

  “To be honest, we really don’t know. I haven’t exactly tested it.”

  “So, he tells me.” He paused and leaned over to smell a rose that was beginning to open. “Are you interested in testing Dr. Williams’s findings?”

  I swallowed. “Are you sure you want to do something like that? There’s no going back if it works, and no guarantee it will work.”

  “I’ve had four thousand years to be sure.”

  I stared at him in disbelief.

  “I suppose you want to know my story?” he asked.

  “Only if you want to tell me.”

  We walked over to a small table in an alcove. He pulled out a chair for me before taking the seat on the other side.

  “I’m not really sure how to begin. I haven’t told anyone my story in over a hundred years.”

  “The beginning is usually a good place,” I suggested.

  He smiled. “I’ve had about four thousand years of beginnings, but you’re right. Let me see… I don’t know how I was originally infected. I do know it was about four thousand years ago in Central America. I went on a hunt with several of the men from my tribe. Soon after returning, we all fell ill. It felt like I was going to die, and at times I prayed to the gods that I would, but they didn’t listen.

  “When I awoke, I discovered that none of the other men who had gone with me into the jungle had survived. I also knew that I was different from before, but it wasn’t until my next hunt that I discovered how different.

  “I was injured after being cornered by an injured boar. One of the tusks gouged my leg, and I was bleeding rather badly, but within a minute, the wound healed. The men with me thought it was magic, and I was taken before our leader. He denounced me as the incarnation of a demon, and I was forced to leave everything and everyone I knew behind.

  “I don’t know how long I wandered through the jungle, but I used the time to discover what had happened to me. I learned about my healing abilities and how long I could travel before becoming exhausted. I realized my sense of smell was more acute, and that the weather changes had little effect on me.

  “While wandering through the forest one day, I came across a group of hunters. I’d taken special care to avoid other people since my exile. I was worried that everyone would react as my own village had. Then, I noticed a jaguar stalking the group and decided to intervene. The large cat came at them from the side, and I tackled it to the ground and stabbed it through the heart. The men were so grateful, they invited me back to their village.

  “It was there I met Sacnite. She was the daughter of one of the leaders in the village. She smelled like a cleansing rain after a bloody battle. For the first time, I had the urge to bite someone, and it wasn’t long before I could no longer resist the impulse. I waited until she was leaving the village and attacked her. Her blood tasted sweeter than honey, and it was more fulfilling than any meat I’d ever eaten, but I stopped myself from draining her dry.

  “Did she survive the infection?”

  Raul nodded. “She was my first companion, but it didn’t last. We were the first of our kind, and we knew nothing about what we were. We watched as everyone around us aged, but we remained the same. The other women bore many children, yet Sacnite remained barren. The scents of our fellow villagers were also hard to stomach, especially for Sacnite. So one night, we left.

  “For years, we avoided people and villages as we learned about our abilities. Sacnite discovered that her sense of smell far surpassed mine, but she was incapable of healing. I found out that we could only infect other humans. I also learned that only certain humans could survive our bite and that they had a different scent. We used our discoveries to create and find others like us. I don’t know how long it took, but we created a home. We used our abilities to keep us safe and hidden from the humans.

  “Rumors of our village spread despite our efforts to keep it secret. A race of gods or demons is living in the jungle, they would say. We killed so many to keep us safe, but it was a lost cause.

  “Some of the Immortals began to believe the lies that they were gods or demons. They enjoyed the awe and fear the humans lavished on us. Mostly, they enjoyed the power. Some left of their own free will. Others were taken by force, so that our secrets could be stolen. Finally, Sacnite and I were captured while sleeping one night.

  “A leader from a tribe wanted our gift. I tried to tell him it was impossible. He smelled like fetid meat left to decay in the sun. He wouldn’t believe me, so he had us tortured. I learned very quickly exactly how depraved and sadistic humans could be.

  “When they laid Sacnite’s body at my feet, I decided to give him what he wanted. I also quietly offered it to every member of the village. Within a month, everyone was dead or insane from the infection.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. Raul had punished an entire village for the mistake of one person. What would he do to us if the experiment didn’t work? “What did you do after that?”

  “I did everything you can imagine, and some things you can’t. I was a god and demon on equal measure. I would rule cities, then become a vagabond. I indulged in every vice man had to offer. I sought the peace that death promised around every corner, but it forever eluded me. Three thousand years flew past in a blur, and the Spanish came to the new world.” He laughed. “The world didn’t seem very new to me by that point. I craved a new adventure and the promise of a new existence so I traveled to Spain.

  “I found others like me, even in that far-off country. I learned that the Europeans had created a council to control and track Immortals. They asked that I join them as an Archon from the Americas.”

  “You didn’t have a council here in America?”

  He shook his head. “There were different tribes, and all of us were self sufficient, or if a tribe could not make something themselves, they would conquer another village that could do it. You have to understand. America didn’t have the land issues that Europe did, so the centralized leadership so necessary there never took hold here.”

  “How did you deal with the Cast Outs or Immortals who exposed you?”

  “We didn’t have the Christian god until the Spaniards came, so exposure in that sense was not as worrisome. As for the Cast Outs, we dealt with them when they became a problem.”

  “I’m a little confused, or curious might be a better word. It sounds like you’ve had a full life. Why would you want to end it?”

  “Do you know how many Archons are left?”

  I shook my head.

  “Two.”

  I stared at him dumbfounded. “I thought there was a council.”

  “There was, but that was a long time ago.”

  “What happened to them?”

  “Some chose to end their own lives. Some were killed in disputes between other Immortals, or even by humans.”

  “So, why do you want to end it?”

  “I’m tired. I’ve experienced so much in my time on this planet, and I just want it to be over.”

  I gave him a skeptical look. It felt as though he was hiding something. I waited silently for him to continue.

  He stared at the flower he had smelled earlier. “Carmen loved white roses,” he mumbled. “I met her in the late eighteen-hundreds. She was like a shooting star in the middle of a pitch-black sky. For the first time in thousands of years, I fell in love. There was just one problem. She was human, and there wasn’t even a possibility of her becoming an Immortal. I tried to stay away from her so she could have a normal life,
but it was impossible. After seeing her, I was blind to everything else. So, I decided to live one lifetime with her, and after she was gone, I would end it all. I didn’t realize how short one human life could be. Ten years was all I got. She was attacked while returning home from a friend’s house.

  “I rushed to her side at the hospital, but as soon as I walked into her room, I knew what had happened. There was no chance of her surviving her injuries, even though they were quite minor. I could smell the infection in her like a cancer eating her from the inside.”

  “Someone infected her?” I asked, confused.

  He nodded.

  “Do you know who it was?”

  “Some Cast Out piece of trash. I asked him who had infected him, but his brain was gone.”

  I was thankful for the layers of clothing as I shivered. The menace in his words and posture was frightening. I didn’t need to ask what he had done to the Cast Out.

  A truly frightening thought occurred to me at that moment, though, which made my blood run cold. They’re the only reasons we’re here, Lucina had said. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was suddenly dry.

  “Now, you know my story and my reasons for wanting this. So, will you help me?”

  First Bite

  I sat in silence as I fought with myself. Was I really considering doing it?

  “Give me your hand,” I whispered.

  “Why?” Paranoia colored Raul’s words.

  “I have to bite you.” I kept my voice as even and unthreatening as possible.

  He let a derisive laugh escape. “You and Thanos think that infecting me with another form of the virus will somehow cure me?”

  “I don’t have the virus, or at least that’s what Dr. Williams’s test show.”

  “You expect me to think you have the cure in your saliva?”

  I shook my head. “No. Thanos told you this is an experiment. It will work, or it won’t. If it doesn’t work, you’ll be in the same place you are now, and if it does, you’ll have your way out. Either way, what have you lost?”

  “Hope.” He sounded despondent.

  “You’ve already lost that.”

  “I thought so, too. But you’ll see what losing hope really looks like if this fails.”

  The half-crazed gleam in his eyes frightened me. I hugged one arm closer around me as the cold set in. “I’m willing to try this if you are.”

  He hesitated, then placed his hand in mine. I unbuttoned the cuff at his wrist and pushed the sleeve up his arm. The smell coming from his skin was intoxicating. I stared at the creamy brown color, and my mouth watered. Every muscle in my body screamed for release as I thought about sinking my teeth into his flesh, but I hesitated.

  In eighteen years, I’d never bitten another person. Yet everything inside of me craved it. Samuel’s story about us meeting on the plane and struggling to maintain control suddenly made sense. The desire was overwhelming.

  I leaned my face closer to his mocha skin and closed my eyes. Inhaling deeply, I let my senses take over. I parted my lips and sank my teeth deep into the flesh of his wrist. Blood flooded into my mouth. The taste was surprisingly sweet, like hot syrup over pancakes instead of the metallic, salty taste I had expected. The reason for the vampire myths became all too real as I forced myself away from the warm fount of sweet liquid.

  “It’s funny,” Raul commented. “I’ve bitten countless people in four thousand years, but this is the first time I’ve let someone do it to me.” He pulled his sleeve back in place and refastened the cuff.

  “Glad I could help.” I shook as I tried to control the urge to latch back onto his wrist. Even though his wound was healed, I could still smell and taste the blood. “Can I get something to drink?”

  “Certainly,” Raul said in a chipper voice. “Everyone should be in the billiard room by now, and there are drinks there. Why don’t we join them?”

  I nodded but wasn’t sure if I was ready to be around everyone just then. It didn’t matter how I felt, though, because Samuel and Duncan were worried, and it was only a matter of time before they began searching for me. Raul escorted me through the winding corridors to the billiard room. I heard and smelled everyone before I saw them.

  “I don’t understand why we have to wait here,” Samuel argued.

  “Because this is not our home,” Thanos answered.

  “Just calm down,” Lucina said. “I’m sure she’ll be here soon.”

  I walked into the room, followed closely by Raul. Samuel rushed over and took me in his arms. He squeezed me to him, making it hard to breathe. Duncan stood on the other side of the table with a pool cue in hand. It looked as if the stick might break as he tried to control himself.

  “Did you enjoy the tour?” Thanos asked.

  I nodded. I was pretty sure he was asking about the experiment, but it wasn’t as though I could give him an answer right then. Hopefully, we would be able to talk later and discuss everything in detail.

  Raul walked over to the butler standing in the corner of room. He whispered something, and the butler left the room.

  “Did he do anything to you?” Samuel whispered into my ear.

  “No,” I whispered back. “We can talk later.”

  “Did you enjoy the tour of my home?” Raul asked, trying to start a conversation.

  “It reminds me a lot of your home in London,” Lucina commented.

  “I’m glad you noticed.”

  “You have some wonderful art work,” Duncan commented absently as he set up the balls for a game of pool.

  I dug the balls out of the pocket closest to me. “Do you want to play doubles?”

  “Do you know how to play?” Duncan asked derisively.

  “It can’t be that hard,” I commented. “Come on…” I pleaded with Samuel.

  “Why not,” he said, walking over to the wall to get a stick.

  “Lucina?” I asked.

  “Sure.”

  I clapped my hands. “Boys versus girls,” I announced. Duncan and Samuel shrugged but allowed me to set the teams.

  “Raul and I play the winners,” Thanos chimed in from his corner.

  Thomas returned with drinks and refreshments. I grabbed a glass with the yellow-tinted liquid and quickly finished it off. The lemonade was slightly bitter but effective at removing the taste of Raul’s blood from my mouth.

  “Do you want to break?” Duncan asked Samuel.

  “Whatever happened to ladies first?” I interrupted. I set down my glass and stepped up to the table.

  Duncan and Samuel smiled and moved, giving me free access to the table.

  “Did you want to start?” I asked Lucina, who stood off to the side, watching.

  “You go ahead. I’ll break next game.”

  “You have to keep the white ball behind the second diamond,” Duncan said patronizingly as he handed me the cue ball.

  I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. Placing the ball down on the soft velvet surface, I waited as Samuel made sure the rack was tight before removing the triangle.

  “What balls am I supposed to go for?”

  “We’ll go with whatever ball sinks first.”

  I gave him a questioning look.

  “If you get a striped ball in the pocket, then you’re stripes. If you sink a solid ball, then you’ll be solid.”

  “Do we have to call our shots?” Lucina asked.

  “I don’t think we’ll need to worry about that,” Samuel said, looking assured of his and Duncan’s victory.

  I lined up the cue ball, leaned over the table, which wasn’t easy in my corset, and prepared to break.

  “Let me know if you need help,” Samuel commented, distracting me for a moment.

  I narrowed my eyes, and with one fluid motion, sent the cue ball crashing into the one ball. The nine, twelve, and three balls shot into the pockets as if magnets had pulled them. The eight ball stood in the center of the table while the cue ball returned to the head of the table, setting up my next shot perf
ectly.

  “We’ll take stripes,” I announced.

  Samuel and Duncan stared in disbelief as I proceeded to clear the rest of the striped balls from the table.

  “Eight ball left side pocket.” With a gentle tap, I sent the cue ball to its target and watched as the black ball toppled over into its assigned home.

  “Close your mouths,” Lucina said to Samuel and Duncan as she walked over to celebrate with me.

  “I think we’ve been hustled,” Samuel said.

  Duncan nodded.

  Smoke

  “That’s C-sharp. It should be B-flat,” Lucina corrected as I played the wrong note yet again.

  I blushed at my mistake. It was a wonder Lucina had the patience to sit with me every day as I tried in vain to learn the notes printed on the page in front of me. We’d been at my lessons for nearly two weeks, and though I showed some signs of improvement, they were hard won.

  “Don’t worry. You’ll get it,” she encouraged.

  I sighed. “You keep saying that, but I’d like to know when exactly that will happen.”

  She smiled. “Why don’t we take a break?”

  “Okay.” I stretched my fingers, thankful for the reprieve.

  We walked over to the small loveseat in the corner. Mary had brought in refreshments not long ago for tea. The men were somewhere in the house, doing something they wouldn’t discuss with us. They were trying to find Michael and the two other guards who had come with us to the manor but had gone missing shortly after our arrival. Raul swore they went into the city with Thomas and decided not to return, but we had a hard time believing they would leave without saying anything. Lucina was especially concerned about Michael because she was sure he would never leave without her permission or a direct order.

  “How much longer do you think we’ll have to stay here?” I asked, feeling the corset digging into my ribs as I tried to take a deep breath.

  “Until Raul shows some sign of becoming human again.”