IMMORTAL VISIONS

by M. K. ROZE

  She gasped and covered her face, crying hysterically.

  “Constin, please help me! They’re going to take me away.”

  Detective Maverick walked up to Constin.

  A woman with her head down came out of nowhere. “Ms. Vandell, you’re in perfect care,” she said and looked up at me, smiling.

  I gasped and started to kick and scream. It was Savina dressed as an EMT worker.

  “Mihnea, help me!” I called out.

  “Viata, who are you talking to?” Mom asked.

  I screamed again, still trying to free myself.

  The male EMT tightened my straps and looked at Mom. “Ma’am, maybe it would be better if you go in your own car.”

  I shook my head. “It’s her, it’s her from my dream,” I shouted.

  “Viata, she’s here to help you. Now calm down,” Mom said as she rubbed my arm.

  Savina looked at Constin, and in a blink of an eye, she disappeared from my sight.

  Constin was breathing heavily. He pushed Detective Maverick out of his way and kept walking toward me.

  I didn’t know what to think, but I did know for a fact that Constin wasn’t acting normal.

  The EMT worker shouted for a colleague, but no one came, so he jumped down from the ambulance.

  “What’s going on out there?” Mom shouted.

  Dad pulled up behind the ambulance and jumped out of his truck. “Viata, who is that?”

  “He’s my boyfriend,” I replied, acting cocky.

  “He just tossed a damn cop into the yard.”

  When Dad moved out of the way, cops surrounded Constin. “Get on the ground, now!” I male cop shouted.

  Constin chuckled and continued toward me.

  The officer’s tackled him.

  Constin threw each one onto the grass like they were weightless.

  Dad jumped up and sat next to Mom. “What is he on?”

  I ignored him, trying to hold my head up and watch Constin as he came closer.

  “Stop, or I’ll have no choice but to tase you,” a police officer shouted.

  Constin ignored the cop and kept his eyes on mine as he walked.

  “Taser, taser, taser,” a cop shouted.

  Constin didn’t listen and kept on walking.

  The cops tasered Constin.

  Constin stopped and turned to the officers. “Is that all you got?” he said in a Romanian accent, as he ripped the prongs out one by one.

  “What the hell are you on?” the cop shouted.

  “Stop, or I will shoot. I mean it, man. Stop!” another cop yelled in a shaky tone.

  “Mihnea?” I said confused. I didn’t understand why Constin was now speaking with Mihnea’s voice.

  “Don’t worry, love,” Constin said, looking at me like nothing was going on.

  Six officers charged Constin and tried to restrain him, but he threw some of them on the grass and one onto the hood of a police car.

  The officers got up and scattered all around him.

  Constin ripped the door off a police car, and all the cops took out their guns, pointing them at him.

  I told myself that I would wake up any minute. There was no way that Mihnea was in my reality.

  “What the hell is this guy on?” a cop shouted and took cover.

  “Put it down now, or we will shoot,” another cop ordered.

  “Go ahead,” Constin said and threw the door at the cops, hitting one.

  Seconds later, gunshots continued.

  “No!” I pulled on the restraints, trying to free myself.

  Mom hid behind Dad screaming.

  Dad looked shocked.

  “This guy isn’t human,” a cop shouted to his partner.

  A loud growl that sounded like a leopard shattered the glass door of the ambulance.

  Mom jumped up, shaking the glass off, and fell backward, grabbing Dad. “What is he?” she wailed.

  I raised my head enough to watch Constin lift his shirt and pull the bullets one by one out of his chest.

  “This can’t be real,” I said and looked at Dad. “Undo my straps, please, please undo them now.”

  Dad shook his head. “This is insane,” he said, as he unstrapped my left hand, keeping his eyes on Constin.

  “Bret shut the door!” Mom screamed out.

  Dad ignored her.

  I took the other strap off then jumped down out of the ambulance. “Constin, are you okay?”

  “Come back here, Viata,” Mom cried out.

  “Stay back,” a cop warned, but I ignored him and kept walking toward Constin.

  “Move back, ma’am, please stay back.” an officer shouted.

  I stopped and looked at Constin, in a daze. My mind couldn’t register what I just witnessed. Our eyes met, and he smiled and held out his hand.

  I ran toward him, but something grabbed me by the back of my neck, lifting me in the air.

  Constin looked up into the black sky and roared like a leopard ready to kill.

  “Let me go!” I shouted, kicking Latore. My neck felt like it was going to rip off from my body’s weight.

  “Let our daughter go!” Mom and Dad took turns shouting.

  I looked at them. “Now do you believe me?”

  They said nothing and stood there in disbelief.

  Constin’s breathing turned rapid. His eyes turned black, and he started to walk toward us cautiously. “Set her down unless you want to die today,” he commanded in Mihnea’s voice.

  “Do you honestly think that you can subdue me?” Latore said. He lowered me and spit in my face.

  The officers circled us, and more showed up to join them.

  “Let me go!”

  Liam came out with his mother hiding behind him. “Put her down.”

  Latore squeezed my neck even tighter. “Tell your admirer to leave before I tear out his throat and feed it to his mother.”

  “Listen to him, Liam, please.”

  Liam took cover behind a police car.

  Latore squeezed my neck, cutting off my circulation. Everything turned blurry for a second then went back to normal. All I could hear was the sound of the guns being cocked, loud breathing, and the chatter of police radios.

  Savina walked out from behind a car and stood at Latore’s side. “She doesn’t belong here,” she announced to one and all.

  Constin’s face turned ashen, and his eyes glowed red. He looked up into the sky. “Malign,” he bellowed.

  “Oh, please, he won’t help you,” Latore said.

  Who is Malign? I thought.

  Constin stepped closer, and his face started to morph into Mihnea.

  I blinked in disbelief and looked again. I saw it was still Mihnea, then Constin’s face, and back to Mihnea.

  An officer stared in horror as he pointed his gun at Mihnea. “Put your hands up where I can see them,” he shouted.

  “What the hell are you?” another officer said and took cover behind a patrol car.

  Mihnea stepped out of Constin’s body like an apparition.

  Constin dropped to the ground and looked around. “Where am I?” he said. Constin tried to get back up, but he was too weak.

  The other officers pointed their guns at Mihnea.

  I gasped. “Mihnea,” I mumbled, confused. My eyes narrowed on Constin lying there.

  Latore chuckled. “Viata, it’s been Mihnea the entire time, possessing Constin’s body.” He let me down and shoved me toward Savina.

  I stared at Mihnea, unable to speak.

  “Please let our daughter go and take me,” Mom pleaded.

  “She was never your daughter,” Savina shouted. “Now, shut your mouth before I tear your vocal cords out.”

  Dad charged toward Savina. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to? And let go of my daughter right now.”

  Savina let go of me, grabbed my dad and tossed him over Mom’s head into the ambulance, knocking him out cold.

  “Dad!” I ran toward him.

  Savina grabbed me.
“You’re not going anywhere.”

  I spit in her face. “Why are you doing this to me?”

  Her eyes turned red, and she pulled me close to her face. “Because you’re a threat to our kind.”

  I turned away and gagged.

  The cops circled us with their guns drawn.

  “Let the girl go now,” Detective Maverick ordered.

  Latore cackled.

  “This is your last chance,” Mihnea said, ten feet away from Latore.

  “Are you certain you want to do this right here, right now in front of all these sweet and tasty people?” Latore said.

  Mihnea stepped forward. “I will do whatever it takes to protect Viata.”

  Latore looked at Savina. “Kill her.”

  Savina grabbed my face. “With pleasure,” she said and blew the black dust in my face again. Her wings expanded, and she flew me up above the houses.

  “Watch this,” she said and hissed.

  I grabbed her arms and screamed as I tried to pull myself up to ease the agony on my scalp.

  “Look, Viata, your lover is about to die.”

  I shut my eyes. “I’m not watching.”

  Savina pried them open and held my face still, leaving me no choice but to watch.

  Cops were running and hiding, and the others were shooting at Mihnea and Latore.

  Mom jumped into the ambulance, screaming.

  Mihnea and Latore were fighting in the middle of the street, tossing each other in midair. Mihnea’s wings protruded from his back, and he flung himself at Latore, smashing him on the ground.

  Latore got up, his eyes glowing red. “I’m the one who created you. Don’t be stupid, Mihnea. You know I will win.”

  Mihnea chuckled. “And now your creation is going to kill you,” he bellowed and leaped at Latore again.

  Latore held Mihnea back and looked up at us. “Savina, kill her now,” he snarled. “I will retrieve the sword.” He slammed Mihnea into the ground, cracking the pavement.

  Savina lifted me to her face and hissed, showing her long white fangs.

  I gasped and turned away. “You’re a damn vampire?”

  Thousands of thoughts raced through my mind in reverse. I was in shock and unable to accept the fact that they were all vampires.

  “You didn’t know?” she said with a confused look.

  I pushed her face away, but she was too strong.

  Another roar rattled the sky. It was much louder than Mihnea’s. Something flew past us, but I couldn’t see what it was.

  Savina hissed and flew higher.

  A loud bang shook the ground beneath us, making the cars shake.

  I looked down and could hardly believe my eyes when I saw Dragos and Mihnea fighting Latore.

  Savina licked my neck. “What a waste.”

  Something with large black wings grabbed her.

  Savina yelled and kicked me so hard that I went flying backward, and then straight down.

  “Son!” Sorin’s voice shook the sky.

  As I fell to my death, I saw Sorin fighting Savina.

  Mihnea caught me before I hit the ground. “You’re safe now,” he said as he flew me away.

  I tried to speak, but my head became limp, and everything turned black.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  THE TRUTH

  Unable to breathe I struggled back to consciousness. I opened my eyes, and Mihnea had his mouth on mine, sucking the air out of my lungs. I jerked my head away from him and gasped for air. After a few breaths, I looked around in a daze at Dragos and Sorin standing over Mihnea, watching me.

  Mihnea got up, staggered over toward the window and coughed it up, just as he’d done before.

  I threw myself off the bed, onto the floor and crawled to the corner of the room. “What are you doing to me?” I looked at Dragos and Sorin standing next to Mihnea.

  “Viata, we’re not going to hurt you. I was only taking the poison out of your lungs.”

  “What is that stuff? And why does Savina keep blowing it in my face before she’s ready to kill me?”

  “It’s called Mânca, meaning eat. When you ingest it and die, your soul will stay stationary until they come back and retrieve it. If you don’t perish, the dust will slowly eat away your insides, starting with your brain.”

  “That stuff made me angry and strong for some reason. I felt like I could lift a house.”

  “I’ve never seen that happen before,” he said.

  “You haven’t?”

  “No, this is the reason I must take it out of your lungs.”

  Dragos touched Sorin’s shoulder. “Let them be,” he said in a thick Romanian accent. They walked out of the room, looking back with a frown.

  “Why do they have an accent now?”

  Mihnea kneeled in front of me. “We have many powers.”

  “I can see that. What happened to me?”

  Mihnea grabbed my leg, then suddenly memories came flooding back. I shook my head in disbelief as I saw Savina’s fangs in sharp focus.

  “What are you? A vampire like that wicked bitch Savina?”

  Mihnea let go of my leg. “Yes, we are. But you have nothing to fear. We won’t hurt you.”

  “We? Who’s we exactly?”

  “My father and grandfather are. And many others you’re not aware of.”

  “This is stupid. Vampires don’t exist.”

  “Is that so?” His fangs tore through his gums, and he hissed.

  I scooted back into the corner, with my knees up to my chest. “How is this possible? Am I dreaming? Please, please, please tell me I’m dreaming.”

  Mihnea’s fangs disappeared. “No, Viata, you’re very much awake.”

  “This is unbelievable. Is Vlad the Impaler real too?”

  “Yes. Would you like to meet him?”

  I shook my head and felt my neck. “Oh, my God. Did you bite me?”

  “No. The red powder I blew in your face is Malign’s blood. He created it so the others couldn’t feed on you. If they did, they would ignite.”

  “What about you? And who is Malign?”

  “The powder wasn’t meant for me, only for the others. Be glad I have will power. As for Malign, I’m not able to tell you who he is.”

  “Of course not. Then who is Divinity?”

  “Again, I’m not able to tell you who she was.”

  I hit the wall with my fist. “Why not? I have the right to know.”

  His eyes turned black.

  I turned away. “This is stupid. Where am I?”

  Mihnea slid closer to me. “You’re in my father’s cabin—in his room. You’ve been sleeping for the past five hours.”

  “What? Stay away from me.”

  Mihnea lowered his head. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I’m sorry.”

  I tried to grasp what was going on.

  “Where is Constin? Is he okay?”

  Mihnea exhaled sharply. “Viata, he’s fine. I was using his body to protect you from the others.”

  “Wha-what?”

  “When Savina and Latore found out you were alive, I had no choice but to possess Constin’s body. If I had come to you in person, they would’ve smelled my scent. This is the reason I used Constin as my vessel.”

  “Is that why Constin was so hot and sick looking all the time?”

  He nodded.

  “Why did you decide to show yourself when you did?”

  “I was much too weak to protect you in Constin’s body. I had no choice. I’m sorry you had to see that.”

  I shook my head. “You mean to tell me that every time I was with Constin, it was you the entire time?”

  “Yes.”

  At that moment, I wanted to believe what he was telling me, but I just couldn’t. I was going insane and couldn’t handle it.

  Mihnea frowned, got up, and walked over to the bed. “Come and sit with me so I can tell you.”

  “No, I’m fine here.”

  “Viata, please.”

  I sighed,
walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down.

  “That’s better, but I’d rather have you closer to me.”

  I folded my arms. “How can you take over someone’s body like that?”

  Mihnea grinned. “I have many powers—like you have many questions.”

  I scowled at him. “You’re damn right I have questions. Were you not there when that bitch yanked me up by my hair and tossed my dad around? Holy crap, is my dad okay?”

  “He’s fine.”

  “Do my parents know your vampires?”

  “No, Viata. My father took care of that.”

  “How? Did you have them killed?”

  He lightly touched my bottom lip. “Of course not. Father made them forget.”

  “Forget?” I repeated. “How did Sorin do that?”

  He sighed, sat back down on the edge of the bed, and gently took my hand.

  I yanked it back. “Answer me.”

  “They were all compelled to think that the man who killed your aunt was trying to kill you. When the cops got there, the killer was caught trying to break into your house. When he pulled out a gun, the police shot and killed him.”

  “Who killed my aunt? Can you tell me that now?”

  “I’m not going to tell you who killed her just yet, but I can assure you it wasn’t me.”

  I sighed. “Where do my parents think I am?”

  “They think you’re at your house with Liam.”

  “This is way too much for me to handle.”

  Mihnea took my hands away from my face. “If I could compel you to forget all of this, I would.”

  A lump formed in my throat and my gut felt like a roaring fire. I knew then that’s not what I wanted, and I was in love with him. I could see in his eyes that he didn’t want me to forget him. I sat next to him and placed my shaky hand on his.

  His frown turned into a smile.

  “Why can’t you compel me?”

  “Again, I’m forbidden to tell you.”

  I exhaled. “Mihnea, I don’t want to forget. I just need time to grasp all of this.”

  He grabbed me by the waist and slid me over until I was facing him. He ran his fingers across my brow. “Te iubesc,” he said in a whisper.

  I smiled. “What does that mean?”

  “I love you!” He lightly traced the shape of my lips. “May I kiss you?”

  I nodded.