Immortals of Indriell- The Collection

by Melissa A. Craven

  This will never be anything deep, but maybe something easy and not too serious is exactly what we both need.

  “I always thought kissing you would be like kissing a brother.” She relaxed in his arms, letting her gentle teasing banter alleviate some of the tension between them.

  “Oh? So you’ve thought about kissing me, huh?” He smiled, his lips grazing her cheek.

  “Well, you are kind of pretty to look at.”

  “And?”

  “Not like a brother.”

  “But not like douche-boy either?”

  “No, not quite, but you’ll do in a pinch.”

  “Back atcha, sweetheart.”

  “Hey look, your problem is hanging out by the bar with Jason.”

  “Well played, Pierce,” he said dryly.

  “Anytime, McBrien. Gotta run, I’ve got curfew soon. Thanks for the dance and all the kissing!” She waved as she walked away, completely comfortable with herself and absolutely confident in who she was and what she wanted, despite the rough year she’d had. That was the difference between girls like Kayla and girls like Mallory; you couldn’t fake that kind of confidence. Yes, his nearness unsettled her, but she still managed to be herself with him and that wasn’t something most mortals could do.

  Hell, that’s not something many Immortals can do. Maybe it could work, Aidan headed back to the bar for another drink.

  ~~~

  His good mood left with Kayla and after several beers, Aidan realized he might actually be a little drunk.

  Maybe the night’s not a total waste. Too bad it’ll wear off faster than I can blink. Getting drunk-drunk was not an easy thing for Aidan to accomplish—but not for lack of trying.

  “McBrien!” Vince called loudly across the dwindling crowd. “We’re leaving! You coming?”

  “Nah, I gotta catch a ride with Sasha soon.”

  “Dude, you’re coming.” Jason pulled him up from the deck lounge. “You have the best fake ID and we need more beer. I’ll take you home later. We’ll ‘borrow’ my dad’s boat. This party’s moving to the beach!”

  “The beaches are closed this late.”

  “Yeah, I wonder how we’ll ever figure out how to crawl over that complicated gate thing.” He rolled his eyes.

  “So we’re trespassing? Alright, count me in, but I’m driving, give me your keys.” He didn’t want Jason behind the wheel. His friend was way too drunk. But no matter how much Aidan consumed, he would always drive better than most mortals could sober. Grabbing the rest of a six-pack, he headed out with Jason and Vince.

  “Hope you don’t mind, but I’m pretty sure I’m hooking up with Mallory tonight,” Jason said.

  “Have at it, man. She’s not my type.”

  “While you’re at it, you’re welcome to take Brianna off my hands,” Vince added. “She totally ruined what I had going with Ella.”

  “That Ella chick is seriously scary, dude.”

  “I know, but she’s crazy hot. Our families go way back, but she’s into some weird shit, so that whole thing was on its way out anyway. Dad would flip if I got sucked back into all that.”

  Aidan ignored their mindless chatter as he thumbed through his playlists.

  “No violin crap in my car,” Jason said.

  “Driver picks.” Aidan landed on a rather intense version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

  “I suppose I can live with that. It almost sounds like it’s from this century.”

  Aidan cracked open another bottle as he drove carefully over the bridge into Ohio City to the small liquor store that never asked too many questions. Granted, Darius made excellent fake ID’s that were pretty much the real thing.

  “I’ll go in, you guys just stay here.” Aidan slammed the car door as he ran into the store where he felt the unmistakable presence of a familiar Immortal.

  Shit! I am so dead!

  “Just me, kid,” Greyson said softly. He stood at the register paying for three chilled bottles of Sauvignon Blanc. His tuxedo was rumpled, his white shirt open at the neck and his long dirty blond hair hung loosely down his back—a relic of the ancient past. Greyson Hauser was an Art History professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art and he was normally a really cool guy. But he also worked closely with Aidan’s father who was curator of Medieval Weaponry at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which meant Aidan was in it deep. He and his friends were allowed to come and go like any normal kids their age, but they weren’t supposed to be wandering around the seedier parts of the city alone. He was supposed to be with Graham and Quinn tonight.

  “Should you be here? Alone, no less?” Greyson asked.

  “No,” Aidan sighed.

  “I trust you’ll go home immediately and not ruin my date by making me take you there myself?”

  “Yeah,” Aidan gave another sigh.

  “I hate to be that guy, but I have to call your father. You of all people know better, Aidan.” Greyson stepped out into the night to slip into his expensive German car with darkly tinted windows.

  Aidan grabbed a case of Newcastle and quickly checked out. The cashier was oblivious of the quiet dressing down he’d just received and didn’t question his age.

  “Let’s go boys!” Aidan called cheerfully as he pulled out of the parking lot. He ignored the first two calls from Gregg and then turned the ringer off after the third.

  I’ll deal with you later, Da. He flipped through his playlists and settled on something loud with an electronic beat.

  Cracking open a fresh bottle, he headed for Edgewater Park.

  If you’re already in trouble, at least make it worthwhile. He stepped on the gas.

  “Aidan m’boy!” Jason urged him on. “It’s about time, dude. You’ve been in a funk all night!”

  “Hey, slow down.” Vince rested his hand on the dash.

  “Faster, McBrien, I’m anxious to get in the water with Mallory before she has to go. Sorry man, but you had your chance and you blew it hooking up with McKayla Pierce of all people!”

  “I happen to like Kayla,” Aidan said coldly.

  “Well, you can like her from a distance,” Vince said. “She deserves better than an asshat like you.”

  “I think you’re the one that’s been an ass where she’s concerned, but I’ll agree with you for once. I’m definitely not good enough for her.” Aidan screeched to a stop near the park gates.

  He really doesn’t have a clue about what she’s been through! He’s too caught up in his own shit to see how much she’s hurting.

  The others were already there, but no one was actually in the water yet. It was a dumb idea for a lot of reasons, but most of them were there just to drink and hang out on the beach.

  Aidan felt that overwhelming impulse to find a distraction. Something—anything to make him forget his crappy life for a while. That behavior always got him into trouble, but since he was already in trouble, he just didn’t care.

  I’m in dire need of a little fun.

  “Come on, guys!” He vaulted over the gate and shrugged out of his shirt and shorts. “It’ll be too cold to swim soon. Let’s go!” He scrambled along the rock jetty and dove into the cool, black waters of Lake Erie.

  Maybe I’ll just swim home. It wouldn’t be the first time and it wasn’t that far, but the mortals would freak out. He could hear them splashing and playing around in the shallows near the shore.

  He wanted to let loose with his full capability, but he held back. He rarely got the opportunity to push himself outside of his regular training. Sometimes he thought he could do so much more than his teachers would let him. He felt the urge to experiment tonight.

  With a deep breath, he plunged into the next wave and dove deep, down to the rocky bottom of the lake. He followed the slant of the shore until it broke off into a sharp drop. The current caught him there and it was wicked strong as it pulled him down further. It was ice cold and black as night, but he had nothing to worry about. He drifted along with the undercurrent until he was in desperate need of his n
ext breath. Kicking his feet and taking long, powerful strokes, he fought the iron grip of the rip tide and broke free to the surface. He took a deep shuddering breath, drawing cool, refreshing air into his lungs. He stretched out on his back and floated, a huge smile on his face. For the first time in ages, he felt good.

  And then he heard the screams.

  Shit! He turned back toward the shore, gliding through the water like a fish. Everyone was scared and in a total panic.

  I should have felt it!

  “Aidan!” Vince shouted. “Do you have him?” His face was ashen in the pale moonlight.

  “Who?” Aidan slowed his pace; grateful that Vince was so distraught he hadn’t noticed how fast he was moving.

  “Jason! He was following you and he went under. I can’t find him!”

  “Where did you see him last?”

  “Over there!” He pointed to where Aidan was when the current grabbed him.

  NO! Fear coiled deep in Aidan’s belly. Of course Jason had followed him.

  “Who knows where he is now! You should know better than to swim out this far! It’s dangerous!”

  “I’ll find him, just go back to shore and call for help!”

  “I’m not leaving till we find him!”

  “Suit yourself.” Aidan dove below the crest of waves.

  I have to find him! Jason was always trying to keep up with Aidan and the other guys on the team but he was usually the one that got hurt.

  Aidan paused, drifting along in the cool darkness, but there was no sign of him anywhere. He started to panic. Lake Erie was the shallowest of all the Great Lakes, but it was the most dangerous. People drowned in it every year. The currents ran strong, just below the surface and they would pull you under as quickly as any undertow in the ocean. He’d just been caught in one himself, but Jason wouldn’t have the strength to fight it.

  Where is he? Aidan needed another breath. He lunged for the surface once more to find Vince still on his tail.

  “GET OUT OF HERE!” Aidan roared with all the authority of his power in his voice.

  “He’s going to drown if we don’t find him!” Vince argued.

  “You look over there. I’ll look this way.” They bobbed in the waves until Vince finally agreed to split up. Aidan turned to swim further out. If Jason was caught in a rip tide, he could have been swept away from where Vince saw him last. Aidan headed in the direction of the current he could feel just beginning to tug at him again.

  “Focus, Aidan!” He reached out with his gift, searching for any emotion or pain Jason might be feeling.

  Nothing.

  Finally, he saw him; hanging limp and drifting along too quickly with the current. Aidan kicked after him, swimming as fast as he could. When he had his arms around him, he lifted Jason’s face above the water, but he wasn’t breathing. Aidan used his gift to expel the water from his lungs. With a cough and a sputter, Jason gasped for breath and then totally freaked out.

  “Don’t touch me!” His voice came out with a croak. “I saw you! Nobody moves like that!”

  “Easy, let’s get you back on dry land.”

  “Let go of me!” He could see it in his eyes. Jason didn’t understand what he saw as he followed Aidan into the depths of the lake. His mind couldn’t make sense of it.

  “Relax.” He reached for Jason with a practiced hand. Aidan let a surge of his healing power flood his body to calm him, and then knocked him out with a single blow. With a strangled protest, Jason slumped over and Aidan headed back toward the shore. Jason trembled and shivered as his body temperature fell dangerously low. Aidan concentrated on making his heart pump regularly, getting the blood flowing through his veins to warm him up. The deep waters were like ice even in summer and Jason’s body couldn’t take it. Aidan was tiring quickly with the use of his gift. He was just too young to be of much help.

  “Thank God!” Mallory rushed out to help them stumble to the shore. Jason had roused, but he was incoherent.

  “YOU JACKASS!” Vince’s fist slammed into Aidan’s jaw with a loud crunch. Aidan stumbled back into the water with a splash.

  “You never think! You know he always follows you and gets in over his head because he can’t keep up!”

  “I’m so sorry, Jason.” Aidan took a step toward his friend.

  “Get away from me!”

  “You almost got him killed!” Vince slumped to the ground. He was trembling and white as a sheet. “And me too. I didn’t think I was going to make it back.”

  “Why didn’t you go for help?” Aidan rested his hand on Vince’s shoulder to check his vitals. He was exhausted and cold, but he was okay.

  “I didn’t trust you to find him. You don’t care about anyone but yourself!”

  “WHAT?” Aidan lunged at him with clenched fists. I suffer in silence with them every single day, trying to do what little I can! Vince’s words cut him deeply. To say he was selfish was the lowest possible blow.

  This gift … it’s too much. I can’t bear it and this overwhelming solitude. How much can one person take before they explode?

  Aidan heard sirens wailing in the distance and knew they’d all be in trouble for trespassing.

  “Everyone get out of here! Now!” He would take the blame for this. He watched as the others bolted for their cars, leaving Aidan alone with Vince and Jason.

  Gregg’s going to go ballistic this time! He’d risked the lives of two of his mortal friends and that was something the Governor would not tolerate—either of them. Aidan scrambled for his clothes to find his phone and dialed quickly.

  “Darius? Dude, I’m in trouble.”

  ~~~

  CHAPTER

  EIGHT

  Allie:

  Allie’s phone buzzed in her pocket as she grabbed her peppermint mocha from the barista.

  “Hang on!” She juggled her coffee and her phone as she headed for an empty table to wait for Gavin.

  “Hey, Ma. Sorry!” She managed to get the phone to her ear before it stopped buzzing. “I left early so I could meet Gavin before school.”

  “It’s alright, Allie-girl, but I have a surprise for you!” Lily sounded excited. “I’ll come meet you in a bit.”

  “Sure, I’m just at the coffee shop on the corner. Take your time.”

  “Work on that history assignment until I get there.”

  “Yeah, sure, I’m right on that,” Allie said. “What’s my surprise?”

  “You’ll see.”

  “You know I have no patience for such things.”

  “Learn some,” Lily said sweetly as she ended the call.

  Allie sat back in the booth and rifled through her bag for her sketchbook.

  The Pharaohs aren’t going anywhere. History can wait a little while.

  Allie slipped her earbuds in and flipped through her drawings of Gavin. After a lot of sketching, she’d landed on one she liked and was almost ready to let him see it.

  She was anxious about their date later that evening. They had plans to hang out with his friends after school. In the last month, things had gone really well between them—when they were alone. Not so much when his friends were around. He was very patient with her and didn’t seem to mind whenever she had an awkward moment, but she found his friends exhausting.

  “Your drawing skills have improved considerably. I am impressed.” The voice was familiar. One she hadn’t heard in years, but she knew who it was before she even looked up from her sketchbook.

  “Navid!” Allie shrieked when she turned to find him with Lily. “What are you doing here?” She scrambled to her feet and threw her arms around him. He hugged her tightly and swept her around in a circle. Navid never treated her like a pariah. She used to think her touch startled him. If it did, he hid it well, but he seemed like a man who held many secrets.

  “It is so good to see you,” he murmured as he set her back on her feet. “I’m afraid I am the reason your family is here in Sydney. I’m teaching a short series of lectures at the University and I�
��m also working on an important project that I desperately need your parents’ help with.”

  Navid was an old family friend and he’d been a constant in Allie’s life for as long as she could remember, but his work responsibilities had kept him absent in recent years.

  “I’m so happy you’re here! It’s been so long!”

  “I’m sorry to have taken you away from your school in Wellington. I know it’s difficult for you to start over.”

  “It’s alright, I’m used to it.”

  “I’m going to let you guys catch up.” Lily turned to go.

  “Thanks, Ma!”

  “You must be starving. Your mother said you left before breakfast.”

  “I’m always hungry these days.”

  “Not unusual at your age.” He winked. Navid was an attractive Middle Eastern man, but he spoke with a very proper British accent. His almond shaped eyes were an odd shade of green that stood out sharply against his beautiful olive complexion. His unruly, dark curly hair was threaded with silver, despite his age. He was several years younger than her parents, possibly late thirties or early forties, but he seemed much older somehow.

  Probably because he’s so smart. And she knew, the way Allie always knew these things, that he was experiencing a riot of emotions: anxious, a little sad, proud and deliriously happy all at the same time. She could see it all swirling behind his eyes. She couldn’t explain it. She just knew it was there.

  “Do my ears deceive me or are you listening to classical music at a deafening level?” His eyes twinkled with mischief.

  “Yes. Yo-Yo Ma plays Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. And I like it loud.” Allie reached for her headphones.

  “I’m partial to The Swan.”

  “I remember. You used to play it for me when I was little.”

  “Shall we go get some breakfast? There’s a great diner nearby.”

  “Oh, um. Do you mind if we wait a bit? My er—boyfriend-type-person is stopping by before school.”

  “Boyfriend-type-person?” He arched his brow playfully.

  “Sort of. I think. I’m not exactly sure yet.”