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

by C. J. Pinard

  “And a drink.”

  Chapter 12

  ∞∞∞

  Los Angeles – 1924

  David and Kathryn enjoyed four years in Los Angeles, as Kathryn learned the job of the Immortals and began to go out at night with David, Will, and the others, trailing vampires and shapeshifters. She even staked her first vampire about a year after her initiation. She continued with her dancing job, but was also fighting Fae when she was needed.

  Kathryn’s face was resting on the side of the cool porcelain toilet. A cold sweat broke out all over body, causing her to strip down to her underwear and bra. She was panting and could barely get to a standing position to drag herself to the bedroom.

  David was sitting up in bed, reading a book. He looked up at her. “Again?”

  She nodded. “Morning sickness, my foot.”

  He chuckled a little. “My momma told me hers hit at all times of the day, too. Come here.”

  She slid in next to him and let him hold her. “I can’t believe I let you knock me up. What will the sylphs say?”

  He kissed the top of her head. “We’ll tell them eventually. I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. We can continue to do this. We will figure it all out, I promise.”

  “But the next seven months are going to fly by. I’ve already given my notice to Stu that I won’t be dancing any longer.”

  He pulled back from her. “You did? How did he take it?”

  She shook her head and attempted a smile. “Not well. Not that I was expecting he would.”

  “Did he ask why?”

  “Of course he did. I told him the truth, that I was pregnant. He wasn’t happy but I think he knew deep down it would happen eventually. Besides, it’s only a matter of time before that creepy Gregory said something to get me fired anyway.”

  David’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I dare him to try. I’ll kill him.” He paused and looked into her blue eyes. “You feeling better?”

  She nodded. “Yes. Thankfully once the nausea hits and I get sick, I feel better after. It probably won’t last, but I’m not nauseated now. Just hungry.”

  “I’ll get you something to eat. I could use a snack, too.”

  “Thanks, babe. But you better be careful or you might just gain weight right along with me.”

  He shook his head and laughed as he walked out of the bedroom.

  ∞∞∞

  The next night, Kathryn and David were exiting a downtown Los Angeles movie theatre. The large marquis on the outside read “The Thief of Baghdad, Starring Douglas Fairbanks” as being the only movie showing. Throngs of people were also leaving the theatre, and the staff inside were anxiously awaiting the crowd to disperse so they could clean it for the next wave of moviegoers.

  The night air was calm, and a warm, mild breeze blew as they started down the sidewalk. The majority of the crowd had headed the opposite way into the night, back to their cars or on foot to wind down for the night. The sky was clear and a three-quarter moon lit up the street.

  They had walked only a block when David froze. Kathryn looked at him, confused, then followed his gaze to the person standing right in front of them. Out of the darkness, her enhanced eyesight could easily make out Gregory’s shape standing there with his hands in his pockets. He had the wild look of someone who was sick mentally, and he was smiling, but didn’t look happy.

  “You want to show your girl here a shifter in action? Well, your wish is my command.” With that he let out a frightening giggle and fell to his knees as his clothes started to slowly rip as Kathryn watched on in horror. David grabbed her arm as they began walking backward, but Kathryn couldn’t take her eyes off the shapeshifter as David dragged her back. Gregory’s clothes exploded from his body, and there standing in front of them was a giant orange and black tiger. It roared ferociously then reared up on its hind legs, its front paws extended. Kathryn screamed as the tiger lunged at David. They turned and ran, and Kathryn’s ears exploded with the sound of four loud pops.

  She turned to see the tiger lying motionless on the sidewalk. She watched in terror as the tiger slowly morphed back into a very human and very naked Gregory. He was bleeding out of what was left of the back of his head. Seemingly in slow motion, she whipped her blonde head around and screamed when she saw her David also lying motionless, a gunshot wound to the chest. She fell to her knees screaming. She picked up David’s body and cradled it. “Help me!” she screamed. “Somebody please help me!”

  William, David’s other Immortal friend, ran up to them out of breath, a smoking .57 revolver in his hand. He dropped to his knees and looked Kathryn in her tear-stained face and put a hand to his mouth, tears welling in his own eyes. “Oh, dear God in heaven, what have I done?”

  ∞∞∞

  Portland, Oregon – Present Day

  The Party Cruiser was bobbing merrily, tethered to the dock of the Tomahawk Marina. Glints of sunlight sparkled on the bay waters as Bryan, Brandon, Eric, and Vania got out of the van and made their way to ol’ Jake.

  “Hi, Jake. Here’s the paperwork and five hundred cash. I don’t use checks, I’m sorry. I hope cash is okay.”

  Jake took the wad and pocketed it. “Cash works for me. You have the other two hundred?”

  Brandon nodded and pulled it out of his pocket. “There you go. She ready to go?” He looked at the boat.

  “Yes, we’ll get going in a few minutes. Is anyone else joining us?”

  Brandon nodded. “Yes we have another four coming, they should be here any minute.” He paused and leaned in closer. “But, Jake, we won’t be needing your services. Eric here has a boating license. He can drive for us,” Brandon said sternly.

  “Eh, I don’t normally let people drive, I charter the boat. I promise I won’t be watchin’ ya or judgin’ anything you do. I know how you kids like to party. It’s my ass if someone gets hurt or killed. You know what I’m sayin’, kid?”

  Brandon shook his head again. “No, Jake. We go alone.” Brandon’s eyes bored into Jake’s, and Jake’s eyes sort of glazed over and he got a faraway look.

  “Okay, I suppose that’s all right.”

  Just then, they heard a car door shut. Twins Tanya and Amy were getting out of a small red convertible, and had two other girls with them, both blondes. All were wearing not much more than bikinis, and were holding towels, sunscreen, and the blondes each gripped the handles of a large ice chest.

  “Party time, baby! Woo hoo!” Tanya said as she walked up to Bryan and hugged him.

  The other twin hugged Brandon and he let his hand wander down to her butt and he squeezed. Amy let out a squeak and she slapped him on the chest. “Bad boy!”

  He smirked. “Oh yes I am. Shall we?” He showed them to the boat and helped the ladies onboard.

  Tanya said, “These are our friends Asha and Kylie.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you,” Bryan said, helping Kylie up onto the deck of the boat.

  She smiled at him, her long, curly blonde hair pulled into a ponytail at the back of her head.

  Once they were all aboard, Eric went to the front and started up the boat. He checked all the controls and put the boat in gear, after Jake untied the rope anchoring them to the dock.

  Brandon walked up to Eric. “You can really drive this thing?”

  He nodded, keeping his eyes forward. “Yep. Dad’s a fisherman, I’ve mostly driven smaller fishing vessels, but they all work the same.”

  “That’s awesome, man. Thanks for doing this. Let me know if you want me to take over when you get hungry.”

  Eric laughed. “Yeah, I definitely will. Hey, did you know that once we get a few miles out, we don’t have to follow laws anymore? Free water means no rules.”

  Brandon looked curiously at Eric, then out on the water. “Is that so… hmm. I have an idea. Keep driving, my friend.”

  Someone set an old boom-box type stereo on the deck of the ship and slipped in a CD of Nikki Minaj and blasted the volume.

  Vania lau
ghed and asked Kylie, “Where did you get that old thing?”

  “My older brother left it when he went off to college a few years ago. I knew it would come in handy one of these days.”

  Vania laughed. “That’s awesome!”

  Brandon went out and grabbed Amy from behind and started dancing with her. She was holding a wine cooler and took a swig from it. “You want some? There are plenty in the cooler. We brought snacks, too.”

  He snatched the drink from her hand and took a small swig. “Mmm, good. I bet you taste better though.”

  She snatched her wine cooler back and smacked him again. “Bad. Boy!”

  “I’ll show you bad,” Brandon said, leaning down and trailing kisses down her neck as they danced.

  Bryan and Tanya were already dancing similarly and Kylie, Asha, and Vania were standing around talking.

  After a couple of hours, the boat engine turned off and Eric left the driver’s area and let the boat float on the bouncing water.

  “So, what are you party animals doing out here?” he asked, popping open the lid to the cooler and grabbing a beer.

  Kylie called out, “Hey there’s a bottle opener…” but stopped when he pulled it off with his bare hands and tossed it overboard. “Or not…”

  The other girls giggled.

  The music was still blaring and lots of drinking and dancing was going on. After a couple of hours, most everyone was quite sauced at this point and the sun was beginning to go down.

  Brandon had Amy up against the railing of the boat and was kissing her. She was very drunk and was laughing, barely kissing him back. He pinned her hard and began to once again kiss her neck, but this time, as his fangs descended, he bit down and she let out a small yelp, but was quickly subdued by vampire pheromone and lay slack in his arms.

  Brandon was very hungry; he hadn’t eaten in a couple of days and was quickly starting to lose control. Bryan, who was doing the same to Tanya, looked over and could see Amy’s limp body in Brandon’s arms. He let Tanya go and she fell to the deck of the ship with a thud. He pulled Brandon off Amy’s neck.

  “Snap out of it, man!” Bryan yelled.

  Brandon shook his head and looked at him, his eyes still black. “What?”

  “You’re gonna kill her, man!” Bryan snapped, pointing at the twin.

  Brandon shook his head and looked at the limp girl in his arms. “Oh, shit.”

  “Hey, man, get us back to shore, now,” Bryan said, yelling at Eric, who was still talking to Kylie. He had his hand in her hair and was flirting. He snapped his head up. “You sure?”

  “Oh, my God, what’s wrong with her?” Asha asked when she saw Amy lying motionless on the deck of the ship.

  “I think she got heat stroke or something,” Brandon said nervously, scrubbing his hand over his face.

  She looked at him, annoyed. “It’s not even hot out here.” She began slapping Amy’s face. “Amy, honey, wake up.”

  “What’s going on?” her twin, Tanya, asked. She was a bit groggy herself. “What happened?”

  “We’re heading back to shore, I don’t think your sister is feeling well,” Brandon said nervously.

  Vania was leaned back against the railing on the other side of the boat watching this all transpire. She shook her head a little, but a small smile found her black-painted lips as she put the wine cooler bottle to them.

  ∞∞∞

  Darius was sitting at the dining room table, a bag of blood in his hand. He was staring off into the backyard. The transition had taken but he had yet to go out into the sun.

  The transformation had renewed him to full strength, but he kept the old man look. He did, however, look younger than 75, as he was now standing up straight, his eyes were a clear hazel, and his skin seemed to be less wrinkly somehow. His hair was still marbled with gray, but seemed to be growing fast now. He was wearing his grandpa jeans and a T-shirt.

  “How are you feeling?” Angel asked, taking a seat next to him at the table. She was in a black sports bra and her yoga pants.

  He chuckled a little. “Weird. Good. Great. Hungry.”

  She laughed. “Okay…”

  He looked at her. “I keep meaning to tell you, I like what you’ve done with the hair.”

  “Thanks. What are you going to do with yours?” she asked with a laugh.

  “I don’t know. I don’t think I can rock the high-top fade any longer.” He patted both sides. “I do need to go shopping though,” he said as he looked down at his clothes and shook his head. “Hideous. Just hideous.”

  She smiled at him. It was about five-thirty p.m. and the sun hadn’t gone down all the way, so she pointed outside. “Are you ready to go try out your new talent?”

  He shook his head and looked at her. “Bock bock.”

  She threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, come on, chicken.”

  “Let’s wait ‘til the brats get back so they can snatch me up in case I start sizzling. Maybe tomorrow, actually. I need to address the house and I can’t do it in these Levi’s. We’ll wait another half hour or so and head out. I’ve got to get some new threads, girl.”

  She punched him in the arm lightly. “You got it. Then we’ll head to Night Crawlers. Mike’s been trying to hold down the fort while I babysit but it’s not going well. Mike means well, but he gets flustered easy and doesn’t really have a head for business. I know you can do it.”

  He nodded. “Fo’ sho. Well, if we’re heading to the club, then I definitely need some new threads, some shoes, and definitely a haircut.”

  They heard the door open. The four young vampires came in looking like they’d been up to no good.

  “Where you kids been?” Angel asked over the rim of her coffee mug, which most definitely did not contain coffee.

  “First off, stop calling us kids. I think I’ve proved to you that I’m far from a kid,” Brandon said, narrowing his eyes at Angel.

  She gave him a tight grin. “Sorry.”

  “That’s better. We just went out on a boat for a little while. Some human chicks invited us so we partied for a while,” he lied.

  Darius raised an eyebrow. “Is everyone alive?”

  “Yes.” Brandon folded his arms in defiance.

  They had dropped the twins off at their home, both of them groggy, weak, and pale, but still alive. Their neck wounds had healed by the time they got home thanks to the vampire saliva Brandon and Bryan spread over them.

  They had been introduced to Darius after he had awakened two days earlier. They were trying to get used to his presence and weren’t sure how things were going to work in the house, but they had a good idea. Brandon clearly was not thrilled with losing his top spot in the house he thought he’d be running after Pascal… died.

  “We’re heading to the club later tonight. I want you all there,” Darius said.

  “I’ll definitely be there. Can’t wait,” Vania said, smiling. She was very hungry so nobody had to ask her twice.

  The rest of them nodded and went upstairs.

  Darius looked at Angel, then outside. “I think we can leave soon. I need one more bag,” he said, holding up the near-empty one in his hand, “then we can bounce.”

  She laughed. “I’ve missed you.” She leaned in and hugged him sideways.

  Chapter 13

  ∞∞∞

  Los Angeles – 1924

  There just weren’t any more tears Kathryn could cry. She was sitting next to David as he lay unconscious in a hospital bed. Will had shot him square in the heart, and while his Immortal body was fighting hard to heal itself, he just wasn’t waking up. It had only been a day since the shooting, but she was very worried. Will and Andrew were assuring her that he would heal himself, but she had a very bad feeling. She couldn’t hear David’s thoughts anymore. She had grown used to listening to them while he slept, and while they were mostly jumbled, probably from dreaming, she could usually hear them. Now, she heard absolutely nothing.

  Immediately following the shooting, Will h
ad picked up David and flashed the four blocks to the hospital, telling Kathryn to meet them there. He had rushed through the Emergency Room, screaming for help. David was attended to immediately, but then of course there was the police to deal with. Andrew showed up immediately and told Kathryn a story they were going to stick to: A very naked, crazy Gregory had attacked them as they left the theatre, but Will had shot him first to protect them. He had, however, shot David in the process. It wasn’t a complete lie, just an omission of a few supernatural details.

  “What were you doing there anyway?” Kathryn asked him.

  Will shrugged. “Simple, I was following Gregory Peterson. He’s a known shapshifter. I sometimes tail them at night to see where they go. It’s what we do.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I was shocked to see him. I hadn’t seen him in a few years since he got fired from the hotel. He said something about David getting him fired. He was so strange.”

  He looked at Kathryn and grabbed her hand. He looked down at David’s still form, then back into her shining eyes. “I’m so sorry, Kat. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you two.” He had to look away in guilt and sorrow.

  She shook her head. “I know you meant no harm, Will. You were protecting us. You’re a bad shot, though.” She tried to smile.

  “Square in the heart? Had I been aiming, I’d be an ace in the hole, doll.”

  She stood up suddenly. “Pardon me, nature calls.”

  He nodded and stood as she did, then sat back down and looked at David. “I’m so sorry, man. You told me to never trust a shifter. You were right. I had no idea he’d try to shift like that in public. I’m so, so sorry…”

  His whispering apology was cut short by a scream from the room’s small bathroom. He knew Kat was in there alone, but he flashed over to the door and knocked on it. “You okay in there?”

  He could hear her sobbing but she didn’t reply.

  “Kathryn, I’m going to break down this door if you don’t answer me.”