Enchanted Immortals Series Box Set: Books 1-4 plus Novella

by C. J. Pinard

  “I’m so glad our condition resists addictions,” Thomas said, eyeing Jonathan.

  “Yep, it’s awesome. Now fire up that laptop and let’s get Kathryn’s location. Now.”

  Seeing the way Pascal was able to be tracked by GPS on his phone a few weeks back, the Immortals decided they would put that feature on their phones, too. Today, it was going to come in handy.

  Thomas shook the mouse and the laptop’s screen blinked to life. He clicked the cell phone provider’s desktop icon and went into the program that allowed them to get the coordinates of her phone.

  After a couple of agonizing minutes, a colorful map popped up on the screen. A large red ball was blinking at the top corner of the screen, indicating a signal.

  “Where is that?” Jonathan asked, pointing at the flashing ball.

  Thomas pulled his face in closer to the screen, then clicked on the map to zoom it in. “It says Winchester Bay.”

  “Damn, that’s like 3 hours from here,” Jonathan said, raking his hand through his hair. “Guess we’re lucky you’re dating a sylph. Get her on the phone; we need to use the Fast Pass.”

  Thomas chuckled and pulled out his cell phone.

  ∞∞∞

  Kathryn awoke with her head pounding. She could feel the collar still around her neck and was immediately reminded of the last few hours. She had enough smarts not to touch the collar this time. She sat up and could see she was lying on a small bed inside what looked like some sort of travel trailer. There was a crude kitchen off to her right and there were shelves with blankets, sheets, and a propane tank directly in front of her. The whole place smelled stale and old. Rubbing her eyes, she stood up. Sheena was nowhere to be found so she went to the dirty little kitchen and, looking around for a glass, grabbed the nearest one, fetched herself a drink of water, and downed it.

  Setting the glass in the sink, she turned around and went to the small window. It was covered in a heavy, filthy screen, but through it, Kathryn could see that Sheena was standing outside, pacing, while smoking a cigarette. There was a camping chair next to her. Kathryn could see her cell phone and Taser sitting in the built-in cup holder on the little chair’s armrest. She could also see Winchester Bay out beyond the mobile home park, the setting sun an orange ball dipping into the water.

  “How long have I been out?” she murmured to herself.

  With Sheena temporarily occupied, she walked around the smelly trailer, looking for something with which to remove the shock collar. She knew Jonathan could probably rip it off (with pain) but she couldn’t. She started opening cabinets and drawers, looking for something short of a miracle. A pair of bolt cutters would be nice, but she wasn’t counting on it. When her search was almost complete, she figured she was out of luck and went to the last cabinet. Opening it up, she peered inside. Medicines and bottles of old whiskey were its only inhabitants. She went to close it quietly, but the hinges were spring-loaded, and it shut with a slam. Kathryn cringed.

  In an instant, Sheena was inside the trailer and had Kathryn by the hair again. She put her nose up against Kathryn’s, bore her eyes into hers, and simply said, “Sleep.”

  Kathryn was out once again, and Sheena laid her down on the trailer’s little bed.

  ∞∞∞

  Newcastle, England – 1809

  Jonathan kissed the sleeping Emma and once again grabbed his bow and quiver of arrows and headed out into the night. The bowl of vegetable soup and bread just wasn’t cutting it. He needed some meat.

  He made it over the hill and into the forest in record time. He was lost in his thoughts. He really couldn’t believe whatever it was the witch gave him would make him immortal. He shook his head and laughed as he entered the forest. He found a nearby tree and waited, standing stock-still.

  Then he heard a sound. He remained still and silent, only his eyes moving around the forest. Then he spotted it: A white-tailed doe. It had stopped to sniff at some grass around the roots of a tree. He very quietly grabbed an arrow from the quiver and loaded it. He took aim at the deer and let it go with a whoosh. The arrow hit her dead-on. She fell to the ground, dead instantly from a shot to the heart.

  Jonathan quickly ran to the doe, picked it up, removed his arrow, and carried it on his shoulders. He was quite pleased with himself. He couldn’t believe how easy that had been. He had only been in the forest five minutes before scoring his prize. The last time he caught a deer was over a year ago, and it had taken him two hours of stalking it to be lucky enough to hit it in the leg, then run over and break its neck before it could try to run off. He was thinking there was something to this potion the sylph had given him after all.

  Once he arrived home, he plunked the deer on the stoop to his humble home. He went inside to put his bow and arrows away and grab his tool bag to begin the arduous task of skinning the animal.

  When he was almost done, he heard the front door open. Emma stood there, moonlight illuminating her pale face. She was smiling.

  “Wow, what did you find, my love?” she asked, pointing at the carcass.

  He grinned. “Scored myself a white-tailed doe. It was incredibly easy, too. One shot through the heart from eight meters away and she was mine!”

  “I think it’s time we went back to the island to report your newfound skills, my sweet.” She smirked at him.

  He could see she was in his favorite nightgown, and had nothing under it. He looked her up and down. “Agreed. But first, let me wash my hands.”

  He walked to the pump and cleaned off his hands and his tools. He went into the house, picked up Emma with ease, and carried her back to the bedroom, where he had his way with her for the rest of the night.

  She certainly didn’t protest.

  ∞∞∞

  The next day, while the children were at school, he agreed to skip work and go to the island to report how he was feeling to the Zie Council.

  After stepping through Emma’s magical doorway, they arrived on the beach of the island. Jonathan removed his shoes, letting the soft, sugar-white sand float over his toes. He had never seen sand such as this. The warm, moist air was a welcome break from the biting cold of England.

  They walked hand-in-hand to the hut, which was the meeting area where ten colorful sylphs were waiting for them.

  “Please, have a seat,” said Grace, clad in a flowing green dress, indicating two chairs in the middle of the room. “Can I get you anything to eat or drink? We have tea and sandwiches.”

  “No, thank you,” Jonathan said, removing his hat and placing it on his legs.

  Emma took the seat next to his and crossed her legs, folding her hands in her lap.

  “Very well. So, tell us, Mr. Murphy, how have you been feeling?”

  He looked around the room. “Honestly, I feel marvelous. I am rarely tired and my senses are so keen.”

  Elizabeth was making notes on a notepad. “Go on, sir.”

  “Well, for example, last night I was able to kill a deer while hunting with very little effort. Before, it would take me hours of hunting to find such a prize,” he said.

  “Go on, my husband,” Emma said, placing a hand on his arm.

  “Okay. Well it seems I am very, very strong. I have broken several chairs and dishes….much to my wife’s dismay,” he said, sliding a sideways glance at Emma.

  She let out a laugh.

  Elizabeth walked over to him, interested. “Is there a way to give us an illustration of your strength?”

  “Yes.” Jonathan got up and walked over to the door of the hut. “Follow me,” he said.

  The sylphs all gathered outside. They watched as he easily climbed a tree and pulled off a large branch. Reaching the ground, he pulled two coconuts from the branch and split them with his bare hands. Coconut milk exploded all over the sand below.

  The sylphs gasped.

  He took the thick tree branch and broke it over his knee as if it were a twig.

  More gasping.

  Grace turned to Elizabeth and grinned. “Lo
oks like we found a new gift.”

  Elizabeth had recruited fifteen other humans to turn immortal from all over the world. They had all reported back to her with the help of a sylph – it seems all these Immortals were either friends or lovers of a certain sylph somewhere on the planet – and each meeting had been just as incredible.

  One man from Spain could move incredibly fast – so fast he was almost invisible to both sylph and human eyes.

  Another man in Ireland could seem to read minds.

  Yet another one from Russia could predict the future. That one took a while to verify, understandably.

  Still, another one in China could manipulate the elements – fire, snow, and everything in between.

  There were a myriad of talents by each Immortal, but they had yet to see extreme strength at the level which Jonathan displayed.

  Elizabeth was utterly thrilled. She clapped her hands excitedly.

  “You are correct, Grace, my dear. I believe this could be one of our best talents yet!”

  Jonathan and Emma went back inside the hut and took their seats.

  Elizabeth cocked an imperious eyebrow at Jonathan and said, “It seems you possess an incredible talent. That being said, we are ready to give you your first assignment.”

  CHAPTER 9

  ∞∞∞

  Portland, Oregon – Present Day

  Arriving back at the Towncar, Mike dumped Bryan into the backseat. Smith was just starting to rouse.

  “Boss! Smith has been moaning and crying in his sleep. Is that normal?” Joshua asked.

  Pascal laughed. “Yes, it is. But beware; he will awaken very, very hungry. So we should get going.”

  Joshua exited the backseat and slid into the driver’s seat. He started the car and began driving.

  Smith sat up, rubbing his neck. He pulled his hand away, expecting to see blood. He saw nothing.

  “You did it, didn’t you? I’m a vampire now?” he asked weary, but excited.

  Angel laughed. “Yeah, kid, you are.”

  “Wicked!” he replied.

  Mike, Angel, and Pascal were all sitting very still, staring at him, but said nothing.

  He did not like the heavy silence that hung in the air, so he said sheepishly, “I’m hungry.”

  “Would you like a cheeseburger?” Mike chortled.

  Pascal and Angel laughed.

  “Uh, I don’t think so. Unless it’s rare. And by rare I mean, not cooked at all,” Smith replied. Then he looked over and saw Bryan passed out. “I assume he’ll wake up just as famished?”

  “Yes,” Mike replied.

  “Can I use the cheeseburger line on him when he wakes up?” Smith asked.

  Mike shook his bald head. “No, man, that one’s mine.”

  ∞∞∞

  Sheena looked around the small trailer, twirling her long, black hair around her finger, trying to figure out what to do next. It didn’t seem that Jonathan and Thomas were going to show up with her shifter brothers. She thought for sure they would be eager to make the trade.

  As if on cue, she heard voices at the office of the campsite. Peering out the window, she saw Jonathan and Thomas exiting the office on their way to her trailer.

  “Yes!” she said.

  She glanced once at the sleeping Kathryn before exiting the trailer and walking down the rickety metal steps. She stood in front, hands on her hips, clad in black jeans and a sheer black chiffon shirt, with a black bra visible underneath. Black stiletto boots adorned her feet. She fit right in at the trailer park.

  “Where are Seth and Malachi?” she demanded.

  Jonathan and Thomas had their guns drawn. They had flashed fake badges to the park manager and told her they were cops, making a meth bust, instructing everyone to stay in the office.

  “Get your hands up, Sheena,” Jonathan said, aiming his gun at her head.

  Shifting into a panther with a cracking noise, her clothes exploding into bits as she did, she lunged at Jonathan.

  His history with Sheena had caused him to hesitate last time in the warehouse in Portland. Not this time. He fired two shots into her midsection, crashing to the ground with a yelp.

  Thomas flashed inside the trailer to find Kathryn, and found her slowly waking up.

  He holstered his weapon and sat next to her, gently shaking her. “Kathryn, are you okay?”

  She blinked a few times and said, “Tom?”

  “Yes, it’s me. Jonathan’s outside with the panther,” he smiled. “Let’s get this collar off you.”

  “NO! Don’t touch it!” she screamed.

  It was too late, Thomas received the promised zap and cursed, jumping up and shaking his hand to alleviate the pain.

  “Sorry,” she said, biting her lip. “I tried to warn you. I can’t find anything to get it off.”

  “That’s okay, we’ll figure it out. Let’s go outside and help Jonathan,” he said.

  Walking outside, they observed Jonathan standing by the black panther, his arms folded. She was slowly morphing back into her human form. It seemed to be taking a long time, the grotesque transformation happening in slow motion. When she was finally human again, two bloody holes leaked from her stomach.

  “Johnny, how could you do this to me?” she managed to croak out.

  He looked down at her, his expression impassive. “You’ve crossed a line that you cannot uncross, Sheena. You’ve been warned countless times not to screw with the Zie, yet, you seem to think you’re a law unto yourself.”

  He took a deep breath and looked into her green eyes. “I find you guilty of kidnapping and breaking the Treaty of the Zie, to which you will be sentenced to death…”

  “No, Jonathan!” Kathryn screamed.

  Jonathan walked slowly toward Sheena. She backed up on the gravel of the trailer park and slid on her bare back, kicking out to avoid him, wincing in pain at the gunshot wound in her belly.

  He tossed his 9mm to Thomas, grabbed Sheena by her black hair, got inches from her face, and said, “I told you I’d rip your head off, bitch!”

  And with that, Sheena screamed one last time as he took her head between his large hands and twisted violently to the right, ripping her head from her body with a sucking-pop sound, and tossed it aside. A fountain of blood spurted from her neck, staining the tan colored rocks below. Her naked body twitched then went still.

  Thomas and Kathryn stood open-mouthed.

  Riveted, Jonathan stood panting, covered in her blood.

  Kathryn blinked several times, then shook head to clear it and said, “I have an idea.”

  She walked to Sheena’s corpse and fished through the torn clothing lying next to it. She located the lighter she knew would be there then dragged Sheena’s headless body into the trailer. Jonathan picked up the head by the hair and followed her, blood dripping in an even dotted line behind him.

  Once in the trailer, Kathryn found three small propane tanks in various cabinets and removed them. Placing them on the dining table, she turned each handle all the way on. The pungent stench of propane quickly polluted the air inside the trailer.

  The hair on the back of Thomas’s neck stood up once he smelled it wafting out of the trailer. He knew this couldn’t be good. He cursed under his breath and looked around, spying Kathryn’s van keys, cell phone, and Taser sitting on the camping chair, and snatched them up. He quickly spotted the white van parked near the trailer, and with incredible speed, flashed over to the chair, then the van, opened the back doors wide, and jumped into the driver’s seat and started it.

  Kathryn and Jonathan exited the trailer. Walking backwards, Kathryn flicked the lighter to life and threw it through the open door. She looked at Jonathan and screamed, “RUN!”

  Both Immortals ran toward the open back doors of the van and literally dove in as the trailer exploded into a ball of flames, a wall of fire bouncing off the back of the van as Thomas drove off like a bat out of hell.

  ∞∞∞

  Newcastle, England – 1809

&nbs
p; Jonathan and Emma stepped through the doorway, back to their humble home in the countryside.

  “Wow. I cannot believe this is really happening,” Jonathan said.

  “It seems you have a very special gift,” Emma said, smiling. “Explains all the broken dishes and the lifetime supply of firewood we have stacked in our backyard.” She jerked a thumb toward the back of the house.

  He grinned. “Yes, well I have so much pent-up energy, and chopping wood helps.”

  “So when are you going to get started on that assignment they gave you?” she asked, curious.

  The sylphs told Jonathan his first assignment was simple: He was to go into town at night and watch the behavior of the townsfolk, look for any strangers, and follow those he suspected of not being human.

  He shrugged, “Tonight, I suppose.”

  And with that, they continued with their daily routines until nightfall. Once the children were in bed, he grabbed his bow and quiver and took it on foot to town. Emma kissed him before he left.

  He decided the pub was the obvious choice, so he walked in and took a seat in the dark of the back corner. He set his weapon on the floor next to him.

  The barkeep walked to his table, his dusty brown shirt peeking out from under a stained white apron. Red cheeks protruded out as he smiled. “Well, fancy seeing you here, Jonathan! What can I get you?”

  “Hey, Nate, a beer would do me just fine this evening,” Jonathan replied.

  “Comin’ right up.” He walked back toward the bar.

  Jonathan took in the scene before him. The entire place was very dimly-lit, candlelight bouncing off the oak walls and beams that crisscrossed the ceiling. There seemed to be a layer of dust on the floor. A young couple was dancing to the music of a small band in the corner. Three men with strange-looking instruments were playing some sort of polka music.

  It seemed this was quite the popular place in the evenings. Jonathan never came in here, but he heard his coworkers talking about their plans to frequent the place after working in the sun or in the cold all day. Instead, he was happy to just go home to his little family when his workday was done.