Immortals of Indriell- The Collection

by Melissa A. Craven

  ~~~

  “Ready to get started?” Naeemah asked as she swept into her office.

  Aidan barely managed a grunt from where he lay sprawled on her sofa. Blood trickled from his left nostril. A sign he’d pushed himself to the edge.

  Mom won’t like that. He wiped his nose, but it was too late, she’d already seen it.

  “I will be having a few choice words with your father tonight! What’s he done to you? Or was it Jin this time?”

  “Both. They’re just trying to help me figure this thing out so I don’t hurt anyone else. What if it happens again? With someone who won’t recover? You know I can’t take that risk.”

  “I told him not to push you so hard! One day’s respite after what you’ve been through will not delay your progress!”

  “It’s okay, Mom. I’ll rest up and I’ll be fine in a few days. I’ve got better control of it now. I just wish I understood this thing. “

  “It takes time to know and understand your gifts. You’d think that overbearing old Scot would know that by now. Come on, let’s get you out of here.” She pulled him to his feet.

  “I love you too, Mom.” She struggled with his power in a way that his father didn’t, but no one could ever say Naeemah didn’t love her son. He could feel the strength of it everyday, and he didn’t need his gift to tell him that.

  “Where’re we going?” He winced as they headed to the underground garage.

  “I’m taking you to my yoga studio downtown.” She helped him into the front seat of her black SUV.

  Naeemah drove through the tunnels to the concealed security gate at the back of their property and headed for the ferry dock.

  “Are we working out?”

  “Absolutely not. I’m taking you to McDonald’s, and then you’re going to spend some quality time at the spa. Whirlpool, sauna, massage and then bed.”

  “If you take me to McDonalds and make me order a salad, we are no longer friends.”

  “You need calories right now. Order whatever you want.”

  “Awesome. Can I have extra french fries?” He rested his head against the soft leather headrest.

  “I suppose, just this once.”

  ~~~

  CHAPTER

  FIFTEEN

  Allie:

  “Ferryboats?” Allie peered through the window as Carson drove onto the docks at Edgewater Park. She eyed the underwhelming skyline of Cleveland, Ohio. “It’s so small.”

  “Cleveland has world class culture.” Lily was practically glowing with happiness now that they were finally “home.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that,” Allie muttered.

  “The Cleveland Orchestra is one of the finest in the world,” Carson said.

  “So score one for Cleveland. But what was wrong with London or New York? Or someplace exciting?”

  “We’ve spent our lives in the hustle and bustle of the world,” Lily said. “We wanted to come home. To show you what you’ve missed all these years we’ve dragged you along behind us.”

  “Don’t feel bad, Ma. I happen to like our nomadic lifestyle. It’s never been boring. The school changing sucks, but the sightseeing has always been stellar.”

  “We’ll still travel,” Carson said. “But now we have a home to come back to.”

  “Until someone offers one of you the job of a lifetime.”

  “We’re officially retired, honey. This is our home now. I’ve been offered tenure and Dean of Anthropology at Case Western Reserve University, and your mother will be curator of Egyptian artifacts at the Cleveland Museum of Art.”

  “So this has been in the works for a while. Why did you let me get so close with Gavin if we were just coming here?” There was so much about this move that didn’t make sense.

  “This all happened very quickly, Allie-girl.” Lily gave a deep sigh of regret. “I would never have let you get so attached to Gavin if I’d known this was going to happen. These opportunities are unprecedented and we just couldn’t turn them down.”

  “I don’t buy it. It’ll never last.” Allie sat back with a huff and gazed across the murky waters of Lake Erie.

  “I know we haven’t given you much cause to trust us when it comes to moving around,” Carson said, “but I promise this is it. I hope you can be happy here, Allie.”

  “So what’s this Kelleys Island place like?”

  “Look for yourself.” Carson pointed in the distance.

  Allie leaned over the front seat and saw trees looming on the horizon. Gulls swarmed overhead and the sun glinted on the tranquil waters.

  “It’s pretty.” Translation—boring.

  “We grew up here. You’re going to love it!” Lily clasped her hands anxiously as they drew closer to her childhood home.

  Allie stared out the window as they left the docks behind and drove through the quaint town square.

  “Wait! Where’s the rest of it?”

  “You can get just about anything you need here on the island.”

  “So that was it? I’m gonna die here,” Allie groaned.

  “You can go into the city whenever you feel like you’re about to die,” Carson said cheerfully. “I’m sure you’ll make a full recovery.”

  “Har har. Hey, what’s with the church?” They’d turned down a tree lined drive leading to a rambling stone church with an actual bell tower.

  “We’re home!” Lily nearly bounced in her seat. “We bought this place a few years ago and had it converted into a residential space. The bell tower is your bedroom. I hope you’ll like it.”

  “The Quasimodo suite? Nice!” Allie got out of the car and stared up at the old building. “It’s totally nuts! I love it!”

  “Aw, we figured you’d hate it.” Carson ruffled her hair playfully.

  “Well, you wouldn’t be you if you did normal, so I guess if you’re gonna be weird, you oughta go big or go home.” Allie followed her parents through the arched red doors into their new home. She gasped in surprise when she took her first look at the huge living room with the grand circular staircase. The interior no longer resembled a church, even though most of the existing architectural elements were still intact. An entire wall had been removed and replaced with glass, offering a view of the gardens.

  “This is awesome! I don’t know what I was expecting, but luxury was definitely not on the list of possibilities!” Allie turned around the spacious foyer in awe.

  “The main part of the house has been renovated, but the building across the gardens will be a guesthouse eventually,” Lily explained. The entire first floor was one open space with an enormous living room and a kitchen at the rear of the house, complete with glass doors opening onto a small herb garden. The dining room was just off the kitchen in a sunken-grotto-style room, and Carson’s study was opposite the living room. A second arched red door led to Allie’s quarters.

  “This will be your space.” Lily opened the door. “Go explore, make yourself at home. We’ll be in the kitchen.”

  Allie took a moment to admire her little living room, minimally furnished with a small sectional sofa, a wall mounted television and another glass wall overlooking the gardens. A covered path ran between her tower and the guesthouse that she didn’t think they would ever need since they didn’t know anyone.

  Maybe Navid will come for a visit?

  She darted up the narrow stairs to the bedroom landing where she was greeted with three doors. The door directly in front of her led to the second floor of the main house, the door to her right opened to her tower bedroom, with a terrace balcony, high ceilings and fantastic views through tall windows.

  The door to her left concealed her very own master bathroom, with a giant jetted tub and a walk-in closet, already filled with gray and blue school uniforms.

  “Surround sound!” Allie did a little dance at the sight of the speakers recessed in the walls.

  From her bedroom another set of steep stairs, like a ship’s ladder, rose up to an art studio at the top of the tower. It was comple
tely stocked with everything she could possibly need and she was itching to get started on a mural.

  If this really is “home” then maybe I’ll paint my studio with images from all the places we’ve lived! She could see it vividly—the beaches of the Philippines, the tree house in Brazil, the sweet little cottage in Eastbourne and the Sydney Opera House.

  Her mind whirled with the possibilities, but she couldn’t resist the lure of the last set of stairs leading up to the roof.

  “This is so my spot!” She walked onto the rooftop garden. It was sparse, with two Adirondack chairs on a raised deck overlooking the city in the distance. Around the deck, wildflowers and tall grasses grew from the surrounding beds. Lily knew better than to give her any kind of gardening responsibilities. The plants would have been dead within days, but this, the rain could manage.

  Allie stepped up to the parapet along the deck and looked down. Her head swirled with vertigo as she peered over the edge.

  Whoa, that’s high!

  As she stood there, she felt like she really was on the edge of something big. So much about this move was different and she wanted to embrace it, but she was terrified of taking such a leap of faith. She didn’t want to love this place, only to be ripped away from another home.

  “Be cautious, Allie. But don’t go back to being that girl who was too scared to be herself.” Allie turned away from the spectacular view and felt strengthened by her little pep talk. Navid was right. It was time she stopped worrying about what other people thought of her. It was time to stop observing and start participating in life, and this was the perfect time and place to make that change.

  “That’s it then. I’m not going to be a weirdo here.” Well … maybe just a little bit, just to keep it interesting.

  Allie wandered back down through the maze of the second floor. She passed an upstairs den off the master suite and another home office for Lily right by the staircase, which looked more like a piece of sculpture.

  “So who died and left us a fortune?” She joined her parents at the bar in the kitchen. She eyed the polished concrete countertops. Of course granite was much too normal for Lily.

  “This is our retirement home. We’ve been saving for years,” Lily said.

  “You couldn’t tell me about it? I could have helped with the design choices.”

  “It was for the best,” Carson sighed. “Trust us that we’ve always had our reasons for doing things the way we have.”

  “Alright, then. What’s with the uniforms in my closet?”

  “You’ve been accepted to Cliffton Academy!” Lily was clearly thrilled by the prospect.

  “But American schools aren’t back from summer vacation yet!”

  “Cliffton follows a schedule similar to what you’re used to. They’ve been back in session since July, so you start Monday.”

  “Monday? That was so not on my to do list for the week!” Allie sighed as she trudged back up to her bathroom to test drive the new tub. “I cannot believe I have to do this again.”

  ~~~

  CHAPTER

  SIXTEEN

  Aidan:

  “Jeez, they’ve really done a number on you this time.” Sasha rushed to help Aidan into the living room.

  “Yeah.” He winced as he settled into his favorite armchair. “But this doesn’t feel like overtraining. It feels like my Awakening in slow motion.”

  “I can’t believe they’ve got you training through that! That’s not cool.”

  “If I don’t get a grip on this fire thing now, it will only get harder to control.”

  “Come on, you need to eat,” Sasha insisted.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Liar. Don’t go getting all broody about this, little brother. It will pass.”

  “I know, but if the casualties start piling up, I’m moving to the underground.”

  “Mom healed.”

  “But it can’t happen again. Dad and I agreed that he’s not going to ease up until I have perfect control of this thing.”

  “You do know his concern is for you, and what it’s done to you to hurt Mom like that? He’s not mad at you and neither is she.”

  “You know me too well, Sash. Can’t I get a moment’s peace to wallow in a little self loathing?”

  “If I let you have a minute, you’ll take a month.”

  “Will not.”

  “Did you see we have new neighbors?” she changed the sensitive topic in a way only Sasha could manage.

  “Yeah, someone finally moved into that weird church-house. They’ve been renovating that place for years.”

  “They have a daughter our age. A cute redhead, from what I heard.”

  “The last thing we need is a nosey neighbor getting too close.”

  “Maybe you should give her a shot?”

  “What, like a date?” He frowned.

  “It might be good for you to date someone who doesn’t know any of the gossip about you.”

  “There’s gossip about me?”

  “Tons! You really don’t pay attention, do you?”

  “I just don’t absorb that stuff. There’s too much other crap going on with my gift to notice.”

  “I’m worried about you, Aidan. You need something real. Nothing too serious, you know?”

  “Well, why don’t I just run over and introduce myself to new neighbor girl? Maybe she’ll be one of those that goes mute when I’m near. Or, she might just hate me on sight. Or she could be one of the clingy ones that follows me around but can’t manage to last more than one date. Or—”

  “Fine! I get it. Dating’s hard for you. I just hate seeing you like this.”

  “I’ll be fine, Sash.” She was right. Wendy was right. He needed someone. Still, he was so hesitant to move things forward with Kayla. They’d spent more time together lately and she seemed interested, but it was a big move for him, and something was holding him back.

  He stood with a stretch of his sore muscles. His legs still burned and his shoulders ached.

  “You should sleep tonight.” Sasha shot him a worried look.

  “I’ll try.”

  “Don’t stay out all night, Aidan. Not again. At least not by yourself. Quinn and I are hanging out later. You should come.”

  “I might … unless I’d be crashing a date again.”

  “It’s not like that with us. Not anymore. We’re just friends.”

  “Keep telling yourself that and maybe one day you’ll believe it.” Aidan said as he made his way upstairs to his room.

  “Whatever!”

  The hot shower was refreshing and helped ease the lingering aches. Aidan’s stomach rumbled angrily, reminding him that his sister was right, as usual. He needed to eat, but the thought of more lean protein and no carbs made him want to put his fist through a wall. Naeemah still had him on an unyielding diet and he was about to lose his freakin’ mind.

  He dressed quickly and made his way down the winding steps to the grotto to sneak a snack. After rummaging through the fridge, the only thing he found that was remotely interesting was a tub of hummus, a veggie tray and Heineken. Aidan slammed the fridge in disgust and headed for the sofa.

  Screw it, I’m drinking my snack. He flipped the cap off a Heineken and took a long gulp. He scanned through his playlists and landed on Newman’s Any Other Name. The tranquil sound of the piano solo suited his current mood. After the exhausting day, he thought he wanted company, but as soon as his sister started chattering about hanging out with their friends, he felt the urge to be alone. If he was the kind of person who thrived on privacy and his own company, it wouldn’t be so bad, but Aidan craved people. He was an extrovert, but there were times, like tonight, when he didn’t really know how to be around people, but he didn’t really want to be alone either. The grotto should have helped. But the soothing oasis Naomi created for them wasn’t there anymore. The next time she was home, visiting her dad, she’d have to fix whatever he’d broken when his latest “gift” emerged.

  He stare
d up at the ceiling, chugging his second beer, fast on the heels of the first. The soot damage was still there. He had scrubbed and scrubbed at the rough stone, but the black marks would always be there; a reminder of the intensity of his power and how easily he could lose control.

  “Dude, we’re going to need some more cheerful music,” Quinn called from the darkness. He’d just come up from the tunnels below.

  “Want to share my snack?” Aidan offered him a beer.

  “Sure, but be prepared, Sasha has Graham and Chloe raiding the kitchen in the underground. They’ll be here soon with a feast. We’ve all decided we need to feed you real food.”

  “Thank God! I love you guys! Mom’s been hiding all the good stuff.”

  “That’s cruel and unusual punishment,” Quinn said.

  “You sure we’re not interrupting anything? Sasha said it was just you two hanging out tonight.”

  “Your sister and I aren’t together anymore,” Quinn said sadly.

  “But you should be.”

  “We suck at normal. You know that. We’re better at sparring than we are at the relationship thing.”

  “I’ve never seen anyone fight like you guys. You’re incredible together.”

  “You’d think we’d figure out how to make it work outside of training.” Quinn shook his head ruefully.

  “Food’s here!” Graham called as he burst into the kitchen from the door to the underground. “We got steaks, yeast rolls and cheesecake!”

  “My three favorite things!” Aidan and Quinn moved to sit at the bar. “Where’s the butter?”

  “I got you covered, man.” Graham set a plate of warm rolls and creamy butter on the counter and helped himself to one.

  “You better move fast. Graham hasn’t stopped stuffing his face since his birthday,” Quinn said.

  “Save some for us!” Sasha shuffled in with a tray of steaks and Chloe followed with an enormous cheesecake.

  “Let’s fire up the grill.” Aidan rubbed his hands together eagerly. He’d expected to spend another solitary, restless night alone, but his friends were not going to let that happen and he loved them for it. He’d be completely lost without them.