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

Page 56

by C. J. Pinard


  After driving back to her apartment, David walked her to the door.

  “Nightcap?” she asked with a giddy grin. Yeah, she’d had too much wine.

  With a lopsided smile, and flirtation dancing in his smoky brown eyes, he said, “I better not.”

  She unlocked the door with her key, turned around as if to kiss him, but instead yanked him by his tie, pulling him into the apartment.

  He gulped and said, “Well, okay, maybe just one.”

  “I knew you’d see it my way,” she laughed.

  She fixed them both drinks and brought them to the sofa where David was sitting, his hat in his lap, his hands resting on it.

  “Thank you.” He indicated the drink.

  “No, thank you for coming to my show, dinner, walking me home, everything.”

  He took a gulp of the scotch and looked around. “I can’t wait to move you the hell out of here. You deserve to live like a queen, not a peasant.”

  She threw her head back and laughed. “I don’t live like a peasant! I rather like my little place here. It’s the first time I’ve had a place to call my own.”

  He turned his head to the side as the drink paused at his lips. “Really? Who did you live with in Chicago?”

  She panicked a little bit at his question. She still hadn’t told him about her past life – and she never planned to. She figured what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, and there was just no reason for it. She was here to start a new life, not dig up past regrets. She plastered on a smile, and with a forced casual wave, she said, “Eh, just some other girls. We were all just trying to get by.”

  “Are you ever going to tell me why your dad killed your mom?” he asked abruptly.

  That caused an immediate frown. “I don’t like talking about that.”

  He set his glass down on the chipped wooden coffee table and took both her hands in his. “Please, Kat. I won’t judge, I promise. I just want to know. We all have secrets and I think we should be honest with each other.”

  He was wondering how in the world he was going to tell her his huge secret. He could tell she had been hiding something about her past from him, but he thought maybe if she opened up about it, that it would soften the blow of what he had to tell her. Despite what his jerkoff colleagues thought, he was going to tell her about his Immortal job, and if things went his way, she would become one, too.

  She swallowed hard against her dry mouth and looked down. Tracing her finger along the edge of the now-empty wineglass, she said, “It’s not a long story, really. My dad was an abusive jerk, and when my mom left him, he killed her.”

  David tried to rein in the shock from his face. “Go on.”

  She nodded. “Back then, the so-called ‘women’s shelters’ were a new concept, and my momma found one for us to live in. I was just five, so I had no idea what was going on. We were only there one night when my father tracked us down and dragged me away from the place in the middle of the night. I remember being so scared to begin with, but when I saw my dad gripping me by the arm and carrying me out of there, I was terrified. My mother was dead. I had nowhere else to go except back to him.”

  “How?” David asked softly.

  She laughed humorlessly. “According to the bastard, when I asked him later on in my early teens, he claims he didn’t mean to kill her. He was angry at her for leaving and punched her a few times. I didn’t know this back then, but she had some sort of medical condition that caused her blood to be thin and when he hit her, she bled too much, I guess. I don’t know; it’s the only story I have to go on, as my memories are not clear. The jerk died last year anyway. I hope he’s happy in Hell.”

  David hugged her. “I’m so sorry, Kat. How awful for you.”

  She nodded, trying to stay the tears that were threatening to fall. “It’s been such a long time. I try not to think about it. I didn’t even go to his funeral.”

  He pulled back, and with both hands on her shoulders, he said, “Who can blame you? I wouldn’t have gone, either.”

  David’s heart was aching. How could anyone do that to a little girl, take her mother like that? David wanted to kill him all over again. He vowed then and there he would spend the rest of his life protecting her.

  “Let’s get married next weekend,” he blurted out.

  She laughed. “That soon?”

  “We’ve been engaged six months and you haven’t chosen a date. I say we go to the beach, hire a minister, I’ll buy you a pretty dress and some flowers, and we just do it.”

  Kathryn had never wanted the big to-do ceremony with the white dress, church, cake and all that anyway. After all, who would walk her down the aisle?

  She smiled at the prospect, and knowing that life in Los Angeles is turning out to be everything she wanted, she smiled and said, “Absolutely. Let’s do it.”

  ∞∞∞

  Portland, Oregon – Present Day

  The drive to Gold Hill, Oregon at night was quiet and dark. Angel had Pascal’s Towncar and had picked up Darius from Shady Grove.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked, glancing at the grandfatherly Darius while trying to keep her eyes on the road.

  “Why not? I have nothing to lose,” he snorted.

  “Just your mortal life,” she muttered.

  He let out a huff. “You don’t seem to be comprehending how much I loathe this mortal life. I don’t care if I’m stuck looking like Morgan-freaking-Freeman for the rest of my life, I’m tired of feeling like shit and being surrounded by the one-foot-in-the-grave-club at ol’ Shady Grove. Seriously, Angel, I’m going crazy there.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, but be forewarned, I’ve never turned anyone before. Like, ever. Pascal always did that, and it always looked so… disgusting.”

  “Well lucky for you, I have, and I know exactly what to do.”

  “I watched Pascal plenty of times. I’m sure we can figure it out.”

  The rest of the three-hour car ride was spent with idle chit-chat and talks about current events.

  Darius had hope again for the first time in a year. He knew there was little chance he’d be able to turn back the clock physically, but to have his vampire strength back, along with the possibility of being able to still go into the sun, was exciting to him. He’d sunken into a deep depression after they dumped him off at the police station that night almost a year ago. Pretending not to know his own name, he’d sat in a jail cell for a few nights until social services arranged a bed for him at Shady Grove, where he’d been ever since. One day he claimed to have remembered his own name, and told them who he was. His records were easily verifiable, as he was still ‘young’ enough to have still been alive as a human, and he was now collecting Social Security. When asked where he’d been for the past fifty years, he just said he didn’t know and nobody seemed to care to pry any further. His life was a joke, and not the way he wanted it to end.

  “Looks like we’re here,” Angel said, breaking him out of his reverie.

  He glanced out the window and his old heart quickened a little. “Damn. I still have nightmares about this place.”

  He looked at the entrance to the Oregon Vortex and hesitated a little before getting out of the car.

  Thankfully the rain had stayed away today, but bloated clouds blocked the stars and threatened to relieve themselves on them at any time.

  Darius looked up at the sky and then back at Angel. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Her Nike sneakers sloshed over the foliage and pine needles as she walked to the front gate of the property. Being late fall, the tourist season was coming to an end but the place was still open during the day, so she felt bad about breaking the padlock off the front gate. But a vampire had to do what a vampire had to do.

  “Come on, gramps. Let’s go.”

  They walked for a few minutes until they reached the familiar clearing. Darius gasped again as he recognized the spot.

  “This is where Pascal turned those sun-proof vamps we hav
e squatting at the house now,” she said with a smile.

  Darius laughed and it relieved his tension. “Don’t worry, babe. Those little shits will be no match for me soon. If Mike’s okay with it, I’ll be taking it over.”

  She giggled. “I think Mike would like that. He’s sooo tired of babysitting!”

  “Okay let’s do this,” Darius said.

  With trepidation, Angel approached Darius and looked at his neck. Being that he was about six-foot-three and she barely cleared five-five, he smiled down at her through his glasses and pulled the sleeve of his sweatshirt up, offering her a wrist. “This will be easier.”

  She nodded and inhaled deeply. Letting her eyes turn coal black, she felt the familiar tingle of her gums as her fangs descended and she bit into his wrist.

  He let out a small yelp, but breathed in deeply and watched as her platinum blonde and black striped head hovered over his wrist.

  He felt himself getting weak and he gently pulled on her hair. “Enough.”

  She didn’t stop, so this time, he grabbed a fistful of it and yanked as hard as his seventy-five-year-old strength would allow. “I said, enough, Angel!”

  She lifted her head, blood dribbling down both sides her mouth, her eyes still black. She looked up at Darius and her eyes returned to blue. She wiped the drips off of her mouth with the back of her hand.

  “Sorry,” she muttered with a chagrin.

  “Your turn,” he said, grabbing her arm. “Bite,” he ordered, pointing at it.

  Eyes turning black once again, she bit down into her own wrist with a gasp and lifted it to his mouth.

  “When you start to feel weak, pull it away,” he ordered. He did not hesitate after that, latching on like a starving infant and suckling like his life depended on it.

  And yeah, it kinda did.

  She gasped again. “That freaking hurts!”

  He ignored her and kept sucking.

  She did indeed start to feel weak and said, “Stop.”

  He didn’t.

  “I said, stop, Darius!” she shouted.

  He still didn’t.

  She didn’t want to hurt the old man but he was going to kill her – drain her – if he didn’t stop. She grabbed the back of his head and pulled with all her vampire strength. He unlatched, falling to the ground below, his eyeglasses tumbling off his face. He was out cold.

  She knelt down, crushing his glasses under her knee, and put her ear to his chest. What was she expecting to hear – or not to hear? She didn’t know. Realizing she was being silly, and still spooked by the place, she picked up Darius with ease and carried him out of the godforsaken Vortex and laid him in the backseat of the Towncar. With one last glance back, she sped off towards Portland, hoping this wasn’t her last trip the place, as much as she disliked it.

  Yes, she had plans of her own. While Darius wanted his vampirism back, she wanted nothing more than to be rid of it.

  Chapter 8

  ∞∞∞

  Los Angeles – 1919

  A salty breeze lifted the hem of her cream-colored dress, a la Marilyn Monroe, although the pinup vixen had yet to burst on the scene in 1919. It was late October in Los Angeles, and the weather was perfect for a beach wedding.

  Standing in a black pinstriped suit, flanked by Andrew, David beamed as he watched Kathryn and her now best friend, Jane, walk along the beach barefoot, their dresses blowing in the breeze.

  Kathryn’s beautiful cream dress was fitted at the bodice, with a loose, flowing bottom, ending right below the knee. On her head, she wore baby’s breath pinned inside her French twist. Jane wore a simple pink taffeta dress and was holding a small bouquet of wildflowers.

  Nobody else was in attendance, save for Andrew and Jane. The small, private ceremony they wanted had definitely been small and private.

  Kathryn stood next to David, grabbing his hand and squeezing it with a smile.

  The minister was a simple young man wearing a standard priest’s cassock, black pants and shirt, and a white collar. He was holding a Bible with a small sheet of paper on it. Smiling, he asked, “Are we ready?”

  At their nod, he continued. “As we discussed, we will keep this short and to the point. David Jones, do you take Kathryn Berlinksi to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, ‘til death do you part?”

  David looked intensely into Kathryn’s eyes as he answered, “Yes.”

  “And Kathryn Berlinski, do you take David Jones, to have and to hold, from this day forward, ‘til death do you part?”

  “Yes,” she breathed, fighting back tears.

  Jane was dabbing at her heavily-lined eyes with a tissue, trying desperately to keep the mascara off her cheeks. Andrew was smiling ruefully at the couple.

  “Do you have the rings?” the young minister asked.

  David nodded and pulled a plain gold band out of his breast pocket. He placed it on Kathryn’s finger.

  Kathryn also had a plain gold band around her thumb, and pulling it off slowly, she placed it on the ring finger of David’s left hand. He looked at it lovingly, then back up at her.

  The minister smiled. “By the power vested in me, by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” He paused, probably a well-practiced dramatic pause, and continued. “David, you may now kiss your lovely bride.”

  David closed the small gap between them, and taking her face into his hands, he leaned down, tilted his head to the right, and brushed his lips against hers. He deepened the kiss, careful not to use any tongue with the minister (and his boss) present, then broke it with a gasp.

  The minister, Jane, and Andrew all applauded.

  As they stalked off the beach and reached the paved parking lot, David handed the minister a ten dollar bill and said, “Thank you for making the trip out here. We really do think your church is lovely, but this is something we had to do on our own.”

  The minister nodded and said, “It’s been a pleasure. Have a wonderful life with your new bride. She’s beautiful.”

  David smiled with a nod as the minister got into his car and drove off.

  Kathryn hugged Jane. “Thank you for being here for us. You’ve been a great friend. I will see in you in a week when I get back from the honeymoon."

  Jane waggled her eyebrows and said, “I hope you are still limber enough to dance after you get back.”

  Kathryn slapped her on the arm. “Oh, stop. You are so nasty!”

  Jane hugged her again. “Have fun in Phoenix.”

  ∞∞∞

  The drive to Phoenix only took a few hours, and by nightfall, they had reached a very nice, posh downtown hotel.

  As they checked in, Kathryn wrung her hands nervously. While she quite obviously was not a virgin, she and David had not been together yet in that way. She doubted he was a virgin either – after all, he was twenty-six years old – but they had decided that taking things “all the way” was for marriage.

  “I have a reservation under Mr. and Mrs. David Jones,” he said to the desk clerk, snaking his arm around his new bride and looking at her with a grin.

  “Ah yes, Mr. Jones. It’s right here. Let me show you to your room.”

  A bellhop, dressed in red from head to toe, relieved David of the suitcases and showed them to the elevators, which they took up to the top floor of the ten-story hotel.

  The bellhop opened the door with a large brass key and ushered them inside with a flourish. He set the suitcases down and pressed the key into David’s palm.

  “If you’ll be needing anything, just pull the cord and the bell downstairs will chime, then myself or another member of the staff will be up to help you. Enjoy your stay, folks. My name is Joe if you need anything else.”

  David handed the man a one-dollar bill, to which Joe thanked him, and closed the door behind him.

  Kathryn had been too busy staring at the luxurious accommodations to pay attention to their conversation. A plush brown carpeting blanketed the floor and the biggest be
d she’d ever seen seemed to encompass the room. Its headboard was wood with four poster columns, and the bedspread was a shiny red satin material. In the corner of the room sat an equally blood-red velvet sitting chair. A red chaise lounge was set against the foot of the bed with a beautiful cream-colored velvet blanket draped over it.

  Kathryn walked to the window and looked at the bright city lights of Phoenix. They twinkled under the stars, and a vague mountain landscape was silhouetted against a departing sunset. The reds and pinks lined the sky above the ominous mountain range, with a smattering of stars above.

  She felt arms around her middle and gentle lips kiss on her neck. Closing her eyes, she let out a small moan.

  “I love you so much,” David whispered raggedly in her ear.

  She smiled. “I love you, too. Thank you for believing in me.”

  He gently turned her around and looked down into her blue eyes. He ran his thumb over her jawline and smiled a little. “What do you mean?”

  “You know what I mean,” she said, smiling. “You didn’t know me at all when I got to L.A. You never once questioned my past or my reasons for being away from Chicago. You just accepted me,” her voice hitched and she had to swallow back some tears.

  “I was too mesmerized by your beauty,” he chided.

  She shook her head. “No, David, it was more than that. I’ve never been loved like this. You are a dream come true.”

  He lowered his mouth and kissed her lips. He reached up and pulled the rhinestone clips out of her blonde hair, letting it fall past her shoulders. He ran his hands through its silky texture and then let his hand wander down to the zipper of her dress.

  She kissed him back with fervor and an excited chill ran up her spine as she felt him unzip her dress. She let it fall to the ground, as her hands were busy yanking at his tie. She broke the kiss briefly to slip it over his head. She tossed it onto her dress pooled at the floor, then went back to his greedy mouth with her own.

 

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