Immortality Stolen (The Mortal One Series Book 2)

by Shannon Bell

  Just as I was climbing into the taxi, I saw two men walking by. They didn’t say anything. They had a blank stare and their clothes looked a little torn up. I must have stared at them too long because my thought was broken by the taxi driver telling me to get in or out. I nodded and climbed in all the way, telling him the hotel to take me to.

  Zombies. I couldn’t know for sure, but I think that’s what they were. Olivier would be able to tell me for sure. It would be hard for anyone to tell, especially in all the hustle and bustle that Paris is, but they weren’t speaking to each other. They didn’t seem to be aware of their surroundings, they were just moving about as if they were sleep walking. It was a little creepy and I kept rubbing my hands up and down my arms in the back of the taxi to get the goose bumps to go away.

  I paid the taxi driver and got out. As I crossed the lobby, Leuc gave me a nod.

  “That’s one of my favorite restaurants,” he commented, pointing at the bag.

  I looked down to see the name of the café printed on the side of the bag. “It was good.”

  He smiled but didn’t say anything else, to my relief.

  I got in the elevator and patiently waited for it to bring me to my floor. After practically running down the hall, I kicked the door to my hotel room for Antonio to open it.

  He opened it within seconds.

  “You don’t check to see who it is before you open it?” I said, smiling.

  He grabbed the bag out of my hand. “No one else would kick the door like that except for you.”

  “Ahh, you know me so well,” I said. “Éclairs are mine, by the way.”

  He ate, showered, and then we shared the éclairs.

  “Now what?” He asked.

  I looked at the clock. It was only five. “Now we wait.”

  Chapter 7

  “I GOT IT,” Antonio said, practically leaping for the door when there was a knock.

  Olivier stood there in a tight-fitting button down shirt with designer jeans. I looked down and saw a pair of stylish black boots. I had to give the guy props. He knew how to dress. Even Antonio looked impressed.

  “Where’s my manners?” I stood up and made the introductions. Antonio and Olivier did a brief handshake.

  “So you are with Costin?” Olivier asked.

  Antonio nodded.

  “And where is Costin?”

  Antonio’s eyes went wide and he left the hotel room before either of us had a chance to stop him.

  Olivier raised his eyebrows and looked at me, but didn’t say anything. I was doing my best not to bust out laughing. Dumbass. He forgot to check on Costin to see if he was up yet.

  Antonio returned to the hotel room a few minutes later and Costin was right behind him. Antonio looked at me and mouthed, “Fuck!”

  I smiled and gave myself a mental pat on the back for not laughing outright.

  Olivier and Costin had previously met each other, but unofficially, so I made a few more introductions.

  “Okay, everyone knows everyone. What’s next?” I asked.

  “Must you be so blunt all the time?” Costin asked.

  I smiled at him. “I thought that’s what you found the most charming about me.”

  He shook his head and turned his attention on Olivier. “Have you informed everyone of the blood oath?”

  Olivier nodded. “I have. We will meet at the Square de l’ Abbe Migne at half past eight. That will ensure that everyone has risen.”

  “Near the catacombs, then?” Costin asked.

  “You know the city?” His shock couldn’t be hidden fast enough. “Yes, that’s right. Many of our…,” he drifted off, no doubt to keep some information personal.

  Costin nodded. “I understand. You will be doing the blood oath as well, yes?”

  “Of course. I do not want this position and you have offered your assistance. I do request a favor from you, however.”

  I looked from Olivier to Costin to see how this would be received. Antonio stood next to me and kept poking me in the back every time he heard something that he found interesting. I was pretty sure that I would have a bruise at the small of my back by the end of the evening. He needed some wine to lighten up and I didn’t have any in my hotel room. Shame on me.

  “What favor?”

  “I want to keep Dylan here for two more days. I have information that I want to share with her that would help her to understand more about being a truth seeker. Since the blood oath is taking place tonight, I lose out on an evening with her.”

  This time I was anticipating the poke and dodged out of the way. I didn’t say anything. Costin thought about it for less than ten seconds before responding.

  “That is acceptable,” Costin said.

  Olivier smiled and nodded.

  Nico would be pissed. I was a little pissed that they were talking about keeping me here without even asking what I wanted. I did want the information that Olivier had, but really wanted to be back with Nico. My body craved his touch. He was still taking it easy on me when it came to sex because he didn’t want to hurt me, but we still found plenty of ways to please each other. And that’s what I really wanted right now.

  The only thing that kept me from yelling at the men in the room for deciding my fate for me was the fact that I would be getting more information about what Olivier knew. He had hinted about five lines and how he became a vampire and these were things that I really did want to know about.

  “Is there a parking lot in the near vicinity of the park?” Costin asked. “We will take my SUV and I have the swords in the back.”

  “The closest underground lot is more than five blocks away. Street parking is the best option in that area. At that time of night, it shouldn’t be an issue because tourists stay away from the catacombs at that time.” He paused for a moment. “Are we taking the blood oath and then going right into the slaughter of the zombies?”

  Costin nodded. “Is that a problem?”

  Olivier shook his head.

  “I want you to do the blood oath now, though. Before we get in front of everyone else. This will show that you are with me and there will be less resistance.”

  Olivier swallowed and we all heard it. “Sure.”

  Costin lifted up the leg of his pants to reveal a small dagger with a pewter handle strapped to his calf. In one fast action, he grabbed it, slit his forearm, and held it out to Olivier.

  Olivier grabbed his arm and held it up to his mouth waiting.

  “Do you accept me as your sovereign?”

  “I do.”

  “Drink now as an affirmation of your vow to me so that I am your only sovereign. Should you drink the blood of another sovereign, you de-pledge yourself from me.”

  Olivier brought Costin’s bloody arm to his mouth. He sucked and it was louder than I thought it was going to be. Costin closed his eyes and looked as though he was enjoying every moment. I felt like I should leave the room or something. This was personal and slightly erotic. There was something hot about watching one man suck another man, even if it was just an arm. Olivier let out a soft moan and then released Costin’s arm.

  There was that poke in my back again, which I chose to ignore. I couldn’t look at Antonio right now. I was too enthralled with what was happening right in front of me.

  “Let’s go,” Costin announced, just like that.

  No one said anything. We simply filed out the door. I grabbed the room key off the night stand, closed the door, and followed everyone down the hall.

  ***

  When we arrived at the Square de l’ Abbe Migne, there were already several people standing around. According to Olivier, there were some forty vampires in the city. It seemed like a lot, but when Florence had over a dozen, it seemed to make sense. I vaguely remember Nico telling me about a limit of half a percent of the population, so Henri must have been strict about vampires making other vampires.

  Costin quickly pulled Antonio and I aside to tell us to stay out of the way and to not ask questions. This w
as part of our grooming process and was why we were able to come and watch, but basically, we had to be on our best behavior.

  It was insulting, really. I wasn’t a child. I knew that vampires could be dangerous – especially these vampires that we didn’t know anything about. Antonio and I made a face at each other and followed Costin and Olivier to the front of the crowd. Costin pointed to a spot off to his left. I assumed that’s where we were supposed to stand.

  Costin unloaded a duffel bag that had a really fancy goblet. From what I was able to make from the conversation that took place in the SUV on the way over here, the goblet would be used to hold Costin’s blood and then it would be passed around to all of the vampires as they each came forward and made their oath to Costin. He would not be extending his arm to everyone like he did with Olivier for purposes of time as well as because he did not know how much the vampires would take. With forty vampires around, he wouldn’t take the chance of being drained.

  Olivier took the place up front and waited for all of the vampires to mill around him. He asked if everyone was here and that caused everyone to start talking and looking around. A short man with balding brown hair came to the front and told Olivier of a few that were out of town. Other than that, all were in attendance. Those that were not would be forced to take the trip to the Toscana Region of Italy when they returned to take their blood oath.

  “Henri died and we have no sovereign,” Olivier announced. “Because he died as a result of actions that I took, the sovereignty is mine to take.”

  A few of the vampires started to talk and one complained outright.

  He continued. “I’m not taking the sovereignty. I’m passing it to Costin here, who is already the sovereign of Toscana, Italy.”

  Costin stepped forward and held out his hands to quiet the crowd. He made a brief introduction of himself and let everyone know that he was named a sovereign of Toscana by the Imperial Five themselves. That seemed to be enough to keep everyone’s mouth shut and limit the number of questions coming from the crowd.

  “Is anyone from Henri’s bloodline here that would be interested in being the sovereign?” Costin asked.

  A few people looked around but no one spoke up. Costin went on to explain that they would have the right to claim sovereignty of Paris since they were inside the same bloodline. Otherwise, it was up to Costin to name someone. There was no battle required to claim the sovereignty.

  “Since there is no one here from Henri’s bloodline, let me ask…is anyone interested in becoming the sovereign of Paris and the surrounding towns?”

  Some people shook their heads outright and there were two men that came forward as being interested. One appeared to be in his late teens with blonde hair and a goatee. The other was in his early 30s if I had to guess and was bald, tall, and slender.

  “How long have each of you been a vampire?” Costin asked.

  “Three months,” answered the one with the goatee.

  “Two years,” answered the tall and slender one.

  Costin nodded and appeared to be thinking about how to speak to the two men. It was obvious that he wasn’t impressed with either answer. “The Imperial Five typically appoints someone as a sovereign once they have been around for at least a century. I did not become one until I had been around for 180 years.”

  Both men nodded and took a step back into the crowd. Before the tall and slender one let the idea go, he asked who would become the sovereign.

  “Since there are no older vampires here that are interested in the position, I will speak to a few of the sovereigns throughout Europe and find out who they have that is looking to relocate and take on more responsibility. Until then, you will all take a blood oath to me. Once a new one is appointed, then you will take a blood oath to him or her. Is everyone clear?”

  There was a general nod across the crowd.

  Costin took the blade from his calf and slit his arm – the opposite of the one that was given to Olivier earlier. He let the blood drop into the goblet and then asked each vampire to come up, take a sip, and repeat a few words.

  After forty-two vampires came up and drank from the goblet, the blood oath had been completed. They all agreed to serve Costin as their sovereign, at least in the interim.

  “Now that the basics are covered, we need to discuss another topic. Zombies.” Costin went on to talk about the fact that there were twelve zombies walking around and they had been up for considerably longer than they should have been allowed to go. He told everyone that they needed to be identified and beheaded.

  A few of the vampires began asking questions about how to lure the zombies to a private area and how to clean up the mess that they would inevitably leave behind.

  “It’s not going to be easy. They cannot be lured because they are not being controlled by a necromancer any longer. We must be discreet for obvious reasons and we can burn the bodies in a bonfire. They don’t have enough blood to create splatter and because they are corpses, there won’t be an odor when they are burned.”

  My stomach doubled over and I thought I was going to be sick. That was considerably more details than I wanted to hear. Antonio looked at me and made a face of disgust as well. Without speaking, we knew we had the same thoughts on the situation. As the two humans involved, it was something that we could take a backseat to because there wouldn’t be anything that we could help with.

  Costin asked for ten volunteers to help with the zombie hunting and got them immediately. It was eight men and two women. All looked muscular and capable of taking on the challenge. Swords were handed out to them and they slid them along their spine and beneath their clothing so as not to be seen by the officials.

  They listened to Costin give them some basics as to what to look for. Each of them remember seeing zombies throughout the city. Apparently, it’s one of those extra senses that vampires have. They know when something is dead without having to get too close.

  When Olivier came by after Costin and the vampires went out to the streets, I told him about the two people that I had seen earlier and described the blank stares and tattered clothes. He confirmed that I did in fact see zombies and I got the goose bumps all over again. We gave Costin the head’s up on the location so that he could start there to see if they were still wandering around that same area.

  I pulled out the phone from my back pocket and nodded to Antonio so he knew that I was taking a walk to make a phone call.

  “Mia mortale,” Nico answered. I could tell from the way he said my nickname that he was smiling. It made me yearn to be in his arms.

  “Hi, Nico,” I said. It was time to tell him what Costin had agreed to. I didn’t want him to hear it from his sovereign, so I figured it was a call that should be made sooner rather than later.

  “You don’t seem happy,” he said.

  “I’m not. I wanted to tell you what’s going on over here.”

  “Uh oh. This does not sound good.”

  “Costin agreed to some terms that Olivier had before he took the blood oath. As a result, I’m staying an extra two days in Paris.”

  “Shit.”

  I laughed. “That’s pretty much what I said.”

  “Phone sex is not my forte, Dylan,” Nico said. He sounded so serious that I couldn’t help but snort.

  “It’s okay, Nico. I’ll be home to Florence in a few days. Maybe then we can move me out of my apartment and into your place.”

  “That would be nice. You’re my wife, you should be sleeping with me.”

  I went quiet. Yes, we were married. It still seemed strange to hear it out loud. I also wasn’t sure if I could curl up next to him when he was sleeping during the day. Antonio had told me stories about how still and creepy it could be. I loved Nico, but that wasn’t something I was prepared to be introduced to just yet. To avoid an argument, I kept silent altogether.

  “What are you going to be doing with Olivier?” Nico asked. The jealousy was too thick to mask.

  I learned a long time ago not t
o joke with Nico about these things, so I kept my sarcastic remarks to myself. “He has some information to share with me about being a truth seeker. Apparently it is something that we have in common. He is also going to tell me about how he became a vampire.”

  “I see.”

  “So as soon as he shares this information with me and my two days are up, I’m back home and in your arms.”

  “I cannot wait.”

  “Costin is out hunting the zombies right now. He has established a team of 10 vampires from Paris to do the hunting with him,” I said, letting him know what was going on.

  “Good. This means that he will be back to Florence quickly. I do not anticipate him staying around to do the dirty work. He will organize, instruct, and then leave.”

  I didn’t question that. Nico and Costin had known each other for more than a hundred years. If Nico said that Costin would do that, then that was probably the plan. I didn’t expect Costin to tell me what was going on anyways.

  Olivier and Antonio came around the corner and signaled for me to join them. I pointed to the phone and held up two fingers.

  “I gotta go,” I said to Nico.

  “No problem, I do, too.” He didn’t say anything.

  “I love you,” I said.

  “I love you, too, mia mortale. More than you know.” He hung up with those words and it made me sad. Distance was not something we were used to. From the moment that we met, we were almost inseparable and we had grown used to depending on each other’s company.

  I stuffed the phone back into my pocket and walked over to the boys.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  Olivier spoke first. “Costin was able to behead one of the zombies in a parking garage a few blocks from here. He is going to show the group how to set up the bonfire and then he is returning to Florence with Antonio.

  I smiled. “Of course.”

  Antonio looked puzzled. “Why do you look as though you already knew that?”

  My smile grew. “No reason. So the two of you are headed back tonight?”

  Antonio nodded. He then closed the gap between us. “Will you be okay with him?”