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

by C. J. Pinard

  They watched her walk away and Adam folded his hands on the table and looked at Tony. “So where you from, Anthony?”

  A smile lit up his chiseled features. “Please call me Tony, only my mother calls me Anthony.” Or she did, when she was alive, Tony thought to himself.

  Adam Swift smiled.

  “Well I’m from Seattle. My parents were Italian immigrants, though. Moved to America when I was two.”

  Adam nodded.

  Sandy came to the table with their coffees. “What can I get you boys to eat?” She was mostly looking at Tony, chomping on gum and grinning.

  “I’ll have the country fried steak and green beans,” Adam said.

  Tony smiled at the pretty blonde. “Just a burger, sweetheart.”

  She nodded and walked off.

  “So did you like Seattle? I’ve been thinking about moving to Portland. My son just moved his family up there to take a job with Portland P.D.”

  Tony smiled. “Well Portland and Seattle aren’t exactly the same, but if you like dreary weather, either will do. Although,” he paused, “I haven’t seen much sun here in the Sunshine State yet.”

  Adam waved him off. “That’s because we’re the Golden State, not the Sunshine State. That’s Florida.”

  Tony took a sip of his coffee and smiled around the rim of the cup. “I stand corrected.”

  “Besides, it’s winter. I’ll get better in the summer.”

  Tony stared at Adam, sizing him up. He could already tell Adam was a straight-laced kind of guy who was probably married to the Bureau and took his job seriously. He decided he could trust him and was happy he’d have him as a partner. “So, Agent Swift, what do we do about the body in the morgue, drained of blood? It’s not as if we can put out an APB for a vampire, can we?”

  Adam chuckled. “Call me Adam, please. And no, we won’t be doing that. That’s why the DOJ made this branch. We’ve already begun to establish contacts in the communities where these supernatural creatures dwell. For instance, we know a clan of vampires that hang out in the Mission District. We don’t have contact with them, but we do monitor them. We’re hoping to gain actual informants and confidants among these creatures. We are also setting up liaisons with the local PD. In fact, we have one we’re training right now.”

  Tony nodded. “I see. So what kind of creatures are we talking about?” He wanted to know exactly what the government knew. “Vampires and, what did you call them, shapeshifters?”

  Sandy returned with their food and set it down in front of them. “Let me know if you need anything else, boys.”

  Adam waited until she was a safe distance away. “Yes, mainly just vamps and shifters. We call them that because they seem to be able to morph their human bodies into different animals. At first we thought them to be werewolves, like the ones from folklore, but that’s not the case. While we’ve seen a few take a wolf form, we have also witnessed dogs and cats.”

  Tony looked amused. “Is that so? Why would anyone want to lower themselves down the food chain like that?”

  Adam swallowed a bite. “We can’t figure it out, but wonder if they only do it when it suits them, or maybe they’re just made differently and have to? We’re not sure. We’ve also noticed they are affected by the cycles of the moon.”

  “Just like in folklore. I suppose that’s where the stories came from,” Tony smiled.

  “We’re sure of it,” Adam confirmed.

  Tony decided the first thing he was going to do when they were done with their meal and he was back in his hotel room, was contact the head of the Immortal coven out of San Francisco. First, he’d have to find out who it was.

  ∞∞∞

  Three weeks after his arrival in San Francisco, Special Agent Anthony Bianchi stood on the sidewalk on Hyde Street dressed in a pristine gray suit. He placed his hand on top of his derby to keep it from falling off his head as he stared up at the seven-story building. He held a small manila folder in his hand and smiled.

  He slowly made his way through the front doors of the new building and walked up to the receptionist. She was a sassy blonde named Kathryn, and Tony had already set his sights on her. He could tell she was into him, too.

  She looked up from a book she had been reading and smiled at him, her red-painted lips twisting into a lippy smirk, her blue eyes dancing with flirtation. “Agent Bianchi, what can we do for you today?”

  “Now, doll, I’ve told you to call me Tony.”

  “Okay, Tony, you here to see Jonathan?”

  He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She pointed toward the elevator. “You know the way. Sixth floor, honey.”

  He tipped his hat at her and walked off toward the elevator.

  As he got in and closed the grate, he gave the beautiful Kathryn one more of his charming smiles, his deep, chocolate brown eyes twinkling back at her in his flirtatious way.

  He knew he had to ask her out. He also knew she was another Immortal out of the San Francisco coven, and was glad he had located the coven so quickly upon arriving in the famous city.

  He exited the elevator once it reached floor number six and padded down the hallway, then lightly rapped on the door marked Murphy Architecture.

  Jonathan Murphy, longtime friend and owner of the very building in which they now stood, opened the door, a cigar clamped between his teeth.

  “Tony, this is a nice surprise,” he said, removing the cigar and patting Tony on the back.

  Jonathan towered over Anthony Bianchi. At six-foot-four, Jonathan’s wavy dark blonde hair and steely gray eyes were a stark contrast to Tony’s jet-black hair and warm brown eyes.

  “Cigar?” Jonathan asked, taking a seat behind his desk.

  Tony shook his head as he moved two cardboard tubes out of the way and sat on one of the couches in Jonathan’s office. “No thanks, man. Just came here for the weekly report.” He handed Jonathan the manila envelope.

  Jonathan set the smoldering stogie on a green glass ashtray that sat on the edge of his desk and opened the envelope.

  After he’d silently studied its contents, he closed it slowly and looked at Tony. “What is the Justice Department doing about this?”

  Tony smiled. “All we can do, man. What are the Immortals doing about it?”

  Jonathan picked up the cigar and took a drag, measuring Tony with an intense stare. After blowing out a thick stream of blue smoke, he said, “What we always do, keep the bloodsuckers in line. If we catch them doing shit like this,” he pointed at the envelope, “we take care of business.”

  Tony nodded. “Well then it appears we’re going to need some of your help, as we can’t seem to locate the vampire or vampires who are doing this. This is the fourth. There were already two unsolved cases when I moved here, bodies exsanguinated as I told you last week, and now there are two more. Between you and us, we have to do something, or else the fine citizens of San Francisco are going to have a full-scale panic on their hands. I’m surprised the Chronicle hasn’t already made up some ridiculous name for this killer yet.”

  “I’ll get with the head of the vampire clan.”

  Tony perched a dark eyebrow at him. “What? You just going to invite him out for cocktails or what?”

  Jonathan tapped an ash into the tray and leaned back as far as his squeaky leather chair allowed. “I don’t know how the coven in Seattle did business, but down here, we don’t screw around. Will is the head vamp around here. Although,” he said, looking out the window, “I haven’t seen him since Thomas’s little… mishap.”

  “Thomas, your newest recruit? You gotta get that kid outta here, man. My partner, Agent Swift, is hot on your trail. He wants to solve that missing person’s case in the biggest, baddest way. And he’s got a nose like a bloodhound. He’s going to figure it out.”

  Jonathan’s eyes flashed in anger and he pounded his large fist on his desk. “No, he’s not. I’ve got it under control. You remember, Bianchi, you are an Immortal first, a Justice Department employee second.�
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  Tony stood up and calmly grabbed the folder from Jonathan’s desk. “You don’t need to remind me of my place, Jonathan. I’ve been doing this a long time.”

  Jonathan stood, setting the cigar down again. He walked around the desk and put his hand on Tony’s shoulder. “Look, I’m sorry. I just get a bit defensive when it comes to Thomas. The Queens promised me a partner a long time ago, and when they didn’t deliver, I had to get one for myself.”

  Tony looked at Jonathan’s hand on his shoulder and back up into his face. “I know. I get it. It’s cool, man. I’ll keep you updated.” He held up the folder. “Talk to you later.”

  As Tony opened the door and walked through it, Jonathan called out, “And stay away from my receptionist!”

  Tony gave a devilish smirk and closed the door behind him.

  ∞∞∞

  A week later, Jonathan, Tony, and Thomas O’Malley were all sitting in Jonathan Murphy’s large Chevy, watching a small house that sat scrunched amongst all the others at the top of Lombard Street. From the very top of the street, one could see the entire city of San Francisco with its twinkling lights and black water sloshing onto the sandy brown shore.

  Night had set hours ago. As they sat in the car, they began to get restless.

  “I say we just go knock on the door,” Tony said.

  Jonathan shook his head. “No. Wait for them to come out. These leeches are trapped indoors all day, trust me, they’ll come out eventually. A vampire’s gotta eat.”

  Thomas raked a hand through his wavy black hair and shuddered. “That’s so disturbing.”

  Tony laughed, taking the gum out of his mouth and wrapping it in a piece of paper. “Get used to it, kid. It’s your job.”

  Thomas O’Malley, just twenty years old and new to the Immortal coven of San Francisco, looked at Agent Bianchi. “Have you ever been bit by one?”

  Tony scoffed. “No way. I’d never let one get close enough.”

  “Well, I’ve seen one up close. It’s extremely frightening.” He shuddered at the memory.

  Jonathan looked into the backseat at his newest recruit. “Well, you got skills now, kid. You won’t ever find yourself in that situation again.”

  Tony knew about Thomas’s attack by a group of vampires a few months prior in the Mission District, and knew neither he nor Jonathan liked to talk about it.

  “So, when are you guys due for your next dose?” Tony asked, tapping his fingers against the car’s open window frame.

  A very elite group simply called “Immortals” made up the police of the supernatural world. This group was gifted an elixir made by the sylphs, who were comprised of ten Queens from around the world. The Queen of the Western United States, named Malina, was in charge of administering a dose of this elixir, aptly named “Enchantment” to the Immortals every five years, which kept them immortal. Along with their immortality, they each received one special gift. Jonathan possessed extreme strength, but Tony claimed to have never realized his gift. Jonathan thought it might be mind-reading, but he didn’t want to reveal it. Thomas had yet to discover his, as he had only become an Immortal a few months ago.

  “Oh, shit, check it out,” Tony said, pointing at the small blue house.

  The men turned their attention to three individuals leaving the house. They began walking down the narrow street, looking around. There were two males and one female. They were in black clothing and the woman was barely recognizable as female, but the Immortals all had good eyesight.

  “I guess we’re going on foot,” Jonathan said, motioning them to get out of the car.

  Thomas and Tony also exited the car and began following the vampires. A light mask of fog had settled in as the night drew on, and it blanketed the sidewalk, offering the Immortals extra protection.

  The vampires walked about six blocks when they came to a small pub and wandered inside. The Immortals followed.

  “This is the pub they found the dead body behind,” Tony said, looking around.

  McGuire’s Pub was dimly lit but was very crowded. Loose women and nondescript men groped each other in the dark recesses of the bar and the bartender stayed busy, pouring shots of amber liquid into small, heavy-looking glasses.

  “What can I get you boys?” the bartender asked. He was a short, chubby man who was clearly on the wrong side of fifty and didn’t look like he cared about anything.

  “Scotch, neat, three of them,” Jonathan answered, pulling a roll of bills from his pocket.

  “I really don’t –” Thomas began.

  Jonathan cut him off. “You’re drinking.”

  Thomas swallowed hard and simply nodded.

  The three Immortals pounded back their shots, keeping their eyes on the vampires.

  The female vampire had already sidled herself up to an unsuspecting human male, rubbing her red fingernails down his white dress shirt while pressing her lips to his ear, whispering God knows what. The other two vampires were talking to two other men, as the other women in the bar seemed to be preoccupied.

  Thomas nudged Jonathan. “Look.”

  Jonathan and Tony followed his line of sight to the female vampire leading the human man by his tie out the back door.

  Jonathan held up a hand. “I got this. You two stay here and keep an eye on the other two bloodsuckers.”

  Tony and Thomas nodded.

  Jonathan followed the couple at a safe distance, and when she led the poor, unsuspecting man out the back alley, Jonathan went out after them, trying hard to be inconspicuous, but at six-four, it wasn’t that easy. He pushed his large body flat against the wall behind a dumpster and removed the derby from his head. He heard moans and groans as the couple began kissing, and as Jonathan peered around the dumpster, he watched for about a minute until when he saw the vampire’s eyes go black. She reared her head back and sank her fangs into the man’s neck with a moan.

  The man gasped, then began pounding his fists uselessly against her shoulders, but with her extreme strength, she him held firm. Jonathan raced over and grabbed her by her mop of curly brown hair, yanking her off the man.

  “What the…?” she began in protest.

  The human slumped unconscious against the wall as Jonathan picked up the vampire and threw her down the alley, where she went sliding on her back. Before she could get up, Jonathan was on her, pinning her down on the ground. A trail of blood was running down the side of her mouth, and as she was pinned down with Jonathan’s large body straddling her, she looked up at him and smiled.

  “You want some of this, big boy?” she asked.

  He punched her in the face and she howled in pain.

  Now, Jonathan Murphy was normally a gentleman, but he knew vampires weren’t really women and had no qualms about hitting this creature.

  “You dick!” she howled.

  He pulled a Colt .38 pistol from the waistband of his suit and aimed it at her heart.

  The vampire laughed at him as she wiped more blood from her mouth. “Gonna shoot me, are ya?”

  Jonathan thought he detected a slight accent and said, “What’s your name?” He cocked the pistol with his thumb.

  She spit in his face. “Piss off!”

  He punched her again.

  “Stop doing that!”

  “Listen, little vampire, I can hit much, much harder than that. I’ve been holding back. Tell me your name and how old you are and I may not break your nose and jaw next time. You may just do some jail time on the island. Otherwise, the council won’t need to know how you and your leech friends have been violating the Treaty.”

  “Piss. Off. Copper.”

  He sighed. “I, Jonathan Murphy, declare you guilty of the act of Treason against the Treaty of the Zie.”

  Her eyes got big as Jonathan pulled the trigger three times. The vampire screeched an unearthly howl that spilt open the silent night. Jonathan jumped up, smoking pistol in his hand and watched as her body turned brown, then gray, then dissolved into dust, leaving only clothing behind.
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  Just then, Tony and Thomas came running out, having heard the gunshots, and looked at Jonathan with wide eyes, smoking gun in his right hand, and a huge smile on his face.

  He looked up at his colleagues. “Remind me to bring stakes next time.”

  Chapter 4

  ∞∞∞

  Tony parked his Chevy into the parking lot behind the Hyde Street Bank Building and made his way up to the sixth floor, exiting the squeaky elevator and passed by the Justice Department’s newly leased offices, making his way down the hall to Murphy Architecture.

  The Justice Department had moved into the new building a couple weeks’ prior, and Anthony was more than happy to leave behind the small, squat brick building they had formerly called home.

  He knocked on the door.

  “Come in,” he heard a voice say.

  He turned the squealing brass doorknob and saw both Jonathan and Thomas sitting at desks with blueprints spread out before them.

  Thomas looked up and smiled. “Agent Bianchi, how are you?”

  “Fine, Tom. How about yourself?” he asked, removing his hat and smoothing down his thick, black hair.

  “What brings you here?” Jonathan asked, placing a pencil behind his ear and sipping a large mug of coffee.

  “I wanted to let you know that I’m pretty sure the two vampires we apprehended in the bar a few weeks ago were the ones responsible for the deaths in the city.”

  Jonathan cocked his head to the side. “Well, it was most likely the girl, but she won’t be a problem anymore.” He smiled.

  “Yes, but there have been no more suspicious deaths. Let’s hope some island therapy helps,” Tony finished.

  The sylphs, the Fae of the air, resided on the Island of Nymph in the Gulf of Mexico where they kept a cluster of jail cells for both detainment and punishment purposes. The sylphs used air portals to travel, and as Jonathan, Thomas, and Anthony had detained the two remaining vampires that night, they had summoned the Queen of their district to portal the prisoners back to the island.