“How?” Aidan asked. “Dad keeps running into dead ends and he refuses to tell me anything.”
“And Emma just keeps telling me how important it is to get back to my regular routine,” Allie added.
“I’m looking for the kind of leads the governor’s people would never be able to find,” Graham said. “With my tech gift, it’s really the only thing I can do.” He shrugged as he grabbed his schedule and headed off to the junior hall.
Allie watched him retreat with shoulders slumped and his head down. Graham had lost so much of himself. He was no longer the spirited, happy kid he’d always been.
“We can’t get sucked back into high school life and just forget about Quinn. I refuse to let that happen,” she said. If she could trade places with him, she’d do it in a second.
“Agreed, but we have medieval history first period. Let’s go get seats so we aren’t stuck in the front row all year.”
Allie followed Aidan and Sasha into the senior hall, feeling the culture shock more than she’d expected. Returning to their normal routine among so many mortals, and after such a long absence, made her feel like a fish out of water.
The auditorium classroom teemed with students. Aidan and Sasha were with her, but when Vince joined them, Allie felt a surge of guilt. His smile and eager greeting tore at her heart, but the feel of his hand encircling hers was so familiar and comforting. If she was going to end this, she needed to do it soon. The temptation to let everything go back to the way it was before was too much of a risk.
As Allie pulled her hand from his, she sensed a familiar presence—more than just one.
“Liam?” she cried. She hadn’t seen him in months. The sight of her newly bonded brother brought an instant smile to her face as she launched across the room.
“Little sis!” He beamed, catching her up in a bear hug. He whispered cautiously in her ear, “I’m Liam Carmichael, your older brother and your new teacher. Try to take the enthusiasm down a notch—but God, it is good to see you, little one.”
“You’re teaching? Why didn’t Dad tell me?” She grinned, going along with the cover story. He really was her brother now, but he was also a McBrien and Aidan’s uncle.
“I wanted to surprise you. But until school’s out, I’m your teacher, so take a seat, Red. And try to behave yourself.”
Allie turned to scan the crowded lecture hall for her friends when her eyes landed on Aidan’s older brother, Darius. Her heart leapt at the sight of him leaning against a desk, talking to Sasha and Aidan. Dressed in Cliffton attire, he seemed different, younger—much younger. She saw a flicker of how he must appear to the other students. He blended with the crowd. When his boyish smile turned on her, he winked.
“Darius!” She rushed up the steps to hug him tightly.
“Ahh, it’s good to see you, killer.”
“What’s your story?” she asked softly.
“I’m Sasha and Aidan’s ‘cousin’, a fellow senior, and your new bodyguard. I’m in all your classes, even the college courses you and Sash are starting next month.”
“So what’s this all about? Why all the babysitting?” Allie asked.
“Too much has happened. Gregg won’t rest easy anytime soon, so that means—”
“Round-the-clock babysitters,” Aidan interjected.
“Can’t be too cautious, little cos.” Darius slapped his back.
When the bell rang, Allie sat between Vince and Aidan with Darius and Sasha right behind them. She didn’t care if they were there just to babysit; seeing her favorite McBrien boys all together was a good surprise.
“Allie, I didn’t know you had a brother.” One of Aidan’s perpetual shadows leaned over her shoulder. The Cliffton girls were always trying to get closer to Aidan through her, but none of them ever lingered long. To them, he was an intimidating enigma.
“Sure, she talks about him all the time,” Vince said. “Your dad really didn’t tell you he was coming?”
“No, but they like their little secrets.” It was painful lying to Vince when clearly Daniel had been busy making him and everyone else think she had an older brother she never mentioned. It still seemed odd to her that she felt the strong pull to Liam, considering she didn’t really know him despite the family bond they now shared.
Plenty of time for that. Especially now that he’s babysitting.
It won’t be that bad, will it?
If I know Dad, Liam and Darius are just the tip of the iceberg.
“Everyone take a seat.” Liam called the class to attention. “I'm Mr. Carmichael and this is Advanced Medieval History. This year, we'll be learning all about life in the Dark Ages.” He paced around the room, passing out enormous textbooks. “One of the most fascinating aspects of medieval history is the art and architecture of the period. For that reason, I've asked my assistant to spend a portion of our time devoted to Romanesque and Gothic art history. She'll be along shortly.”
“Oh, crap.” Aidan fidgeted in his seat beside her.
“What's wrong with you?” Allie asked.
“Someone's in trouble,” Darius said in a singsong voice only they could hear.
“You’re not helping.” Aidan glared over his shoulder at his brother.
“Ah, here she is,” Liam said. “Please welcome Ms. Naomi Hauser, everyone.”
“What the—?” Allie choked, shooting a hateful glare at Aidan.
“Don’t look at me like that, Lex, I didn't know she was coming.”
“Ms. Carmichael? Is there a problem?” Naomi handed her another large textbook, her perfectly shaped brow arched in mock surprise.
“Er … no, ma’am,” Allie muttered, grateful Aidan was distracting Vince with football talk. “Just surprised to see you … teaching,” she added in a tone the mortals around her would never be able to hear.
“Well, we thought about having me come back as a student but Liam and I decided I would be more believable as a teacher.” Her low whisper and the fleeting sneer she gave Allie escaped everyone’s notice. It had Allie clenching her fists, nails digging into her tender palms.
“Well, you always do like to play the adult, don’t you?” Allie shot back. Naomi was twenty-seven going on three thousand. She refused to admit that she was just another one of the Unproven kids.
“Be nice, Naomi,” Darius said. “You too, killer.”
“Aidan, it's good to see you again,” Naomi said in a whisper. “I’ve missed you since I left the Azores last month. We'll have to … reconnect while I'm in town keeping watch over your little friend.”
“This is not happening.” Aidan shrank back in his seat but he couldn't seem to keep the grin off his face.
“What are you grinning about?” Allie huffed as Naomi drifted away, passing out her art history books to the other students.
“You're not just jealous, your head is about to explode.” Aidan laughed. “You have nothing to worry about, babe. I was with you last night when I could have been with her.” But she was the last thing on my mind, he added silently. He gave Allie his most arrogant wink, thoroughly enjoying her reaction.
“Dude, worst thing you could possibly say.” Darius smacked him on the back of the head. “Don’t anger the redhead.”
“That's not it at all,” Allie insisted. “She has no business teaching. She should be a student like Darius.”
“Think about that, Lex. Would you rather have her as a teacher in one class or as a student in every class? You know Mom was the one who decided this, no matter what Naomi says. Maybe Mom just didn’t want you two to kill each other?”
“Or Mom didn’t want Naomi anywhere near baby McBrien,” Darius added.
“Shut up, Dare.”
“Hi.” Liam crouched down in the aisle beside them. “Is my lecture bothering you guys?”
“Sorry, Liam. Er … Mr. Carmichael.” Allie flushed.
“Let’s all just remember that I can hear everything you say, even if your classmates can’t. That’s my baby sister you’re talking t
o, Aidan. If I hear anything more about you ‘being with her,’ you’ll be taking your next few meals through a straw. Keep it in your pants if you want to keep it.”
“Liam!” Allie shrank back in her seat, mortified. In some ways, it was nice having a scary two-thousand-year-old Immortal Viking for an overprotective big brother. In other ways, not so much.
~~~
Aidan was right: Liam, Darius, and Naomi were just the tip of the iceberg. Allie was happy to see the familiar faces—most of them. But she wondered how tedious it would be under this constant supervision. It seemed Naeemah was serious about security. She wasn’t taking any chances that the Coalition wouldn’t come back for them all.
Aidan’s older sister, Imogen, was the new head of security, and his cousin Erin was her assistant. Allie saw them patrolling the grounds during her morning break. Aidan’s older brother Seamas was the new assistant art teacher and she was eager to learn from the man who had learned from the Impressionists themselves. His Complement, George, was the new assistant coach of the girls’ basketball team as well as the varsity football team. And Aidan’s other older brother Scott was teaching a special American literature class. Aidan’s uncle Aide was teaching Allie’s social sciences class and his Complement, Hélène, was teaching Allie’s trig class. The extra funding for all the new teachers and new subjects had been donated by a “private organization.” Allie felt sufficiently guarded and wondered if the others realized she was under more scrutiny than anyone else.
Really? You think I didn’t notice that? Why the hell is Mom so freaked about your safety? What happened in that room, Allie?
She knew it was driving Aidan nuts, but she just wasn’t ready to deal with it yet.
I’m trying really hard not to push, but I’m worried. Why do you need to be guarded so closely? What don't I know?
I promise, you’ll be the one I confide in when I’m ready. “I don't understand why Naeemah would have us all guarded so closely at school, but not at home or anywhere else we go?”
“You've only noticed the guards you know,” Aidan said. “I saw several familiar faces on the ferry this morning. But I don't know them all. Mom has her minions everywhere and they're good at what they do. We'll never even notice them.”
~~~
CHAPTER
FIVE
“Crap! They’re home already,” Allie muttered, pulling into the driveway. She rushed in through the back door, eager to see her parents just returning from their side trip to Bali.
“Hi honey!” Lily called from the kitchen.
The scent of pot roast hit her the second she walked in the door, making her mouth water. She was starving and it would be hours before that delicious roast was ready.
“Sorry about the mess, Ma. I wasn’t expecting you till later.” Allie dumped her books on the kitchen counter and grabbed a towel to dry the dishes her mother insisted on washing by hand because she was a total weirdo and enjoyed it.
“We caught an earlier flight. And I wouldn’t have expected a clean kitchen anyway. You’re just like your dad. Carson used to throw the dirty dishes away when I was gone for more than a day or two. I’d always come home to a new set of dishes.”
“You should have introduced him to paper plates.”
“Nah, it was more fun that way.”
“Missed you, Ma.” Allie gave her adoptive mother a hug. The more she grew to understand her own Immortality, the more significant her parents’ mortality became to her. She had such precious few years left with them. She’d understood that before. Her parents were in their fifties, although they didn’t look a day over forty. Before her Awakening, Allie accepted death as a part of life. It was natural for a child to outlive her parents. But the thousands of years stretched out before her, without her family—that scared Allie more than anything. It was better now that she had Liam as a brother. The fear wasn’t as palpable anymore. She intended to absorb as much time with her parents as she possibly could while she had the opportunity, but there was so much about her life she couldn’t share with them.
“How was your first day back?” Lily asked, placing the last dish in the cabinet.
“Good.” Allie heaved a sigh, searching for something she could tell her mother. She wanted so badly to tell her everything, ask her advice, and have a good cry on her shoulder, but that couldn’t happen.
“We have a bunch of new teachers,” she finally offered so they might have something to talk about.
“I know, I’m on the parent board this year. We’ve been so busy this summer I haven’t had the chance to tell you we have a couple of … guests for the school year.” Lily was struggling to remain nonchalant—struggling and failing. “Oh, screw subtlety.” She turned to face her daughter. “It’s Liam and his daughter. He’ll be renting the guesthouse. You have … a special bond with him, don’t you?”
Lily dropped all pretenses so quickly Allie wasn’t sure how to react. She simply nodded.
“I’m happy you’ll have family. You always wanted a big brother,” she whispered. “When he approached us about needing a place to stay, we offered him the guesthouse. We thought it would be a good chance for you two to get to know each other. And we like the idea of having someone close—someone to keep you safe. He and the baby will join us for dinner tonight. I’ll get started on the salad while you eat a sandwich, and then you can help me set the table before you go over to Aidan’s for homework.”
“I love you, Ma.” Allie hugged her mother again. Her parents knew more than they let on, but Lily knew enough to keep her mouth shut and pick her moments. Maybe one day they could talk more openly, but until then, Allie needed to choose her words carefully. “I know you aren’t my birth mother, but I don’t think she could have handpicked a better mom for me.”
“Oh, Allie-girl.” Her eyes were bright with tears. She leaned in closely to whisper, “Your mother was an incredible woman.”
“She did handpick you,” Allie whispered.
“You know—what she was?” Lily asked. “What she was capable of?”
“Yes.” Allie exhaled softly. Kassandre was the most powerful clairvoyant who ever lived.
“Then I’m sure you can imagine how hard she worked to make sure you were well taken care of.”
Of course Kassandre would have seen things about her daughter’s future and made preparations for her safety. She would have searched the world to find parents capable of caring for her Immortal daughter. But what Allie didn’t understand was why Kassandre and Navid had given her up and placed her among mortals. And she couldn’t reach Navid to ask. Her birth father was alive. Allie knew him well, and if he was alive, then her mother had to be too. Immortal couples could only be killed together in a violent ritual. So where was she? Was she a captive somewhere?
“Mom?” Allie frowned, picking at a bag of potato chips. “I, I really miss Navid. I could sure use a good talk with him.” Her voice came out in a strangled whisper—not the casual tone she intended. “D-do you have his number?”
“I’m so sorry, honey.” She stepped closer, keeping her voice low. “It’s not safe for him. He … um … he always seemed to think you’d have your own way of reaching out to him when you really needed him.”
“I do. But let’s just say he isn’t answering.”
“Be patient with him. He has certain limitations. Just remember, you are always his top priority.”
Allie nodded, feeling somewhat better after her talk with her mother.
“Hey, little one!” Liam called when he came whistling through the garden doors with baby Kahlynn on his hip.
“Shall I take the baby for a bit?” Lily offered. “I’m happy to babysit while you two catch up.”
“Thanks, Lily.” Liam smiled, passing Kahlynn off for a short while.
Allie wrapped her arms around Liam’s waist, burying her face in his shirt. She’d missed him so much.
“I missed you too, sister.” He held her for a while, silently stroking her hair.
&nb
sp; “You know they have phones now, right?” She finally frowned up at him. “Tiny ones that fit in your pocket.”
“Where I’ve been, making a phone call hasn’t really been an option. But I’ll do better next time.”
“There better not be a ‘next time’ for a while. I’d like the chance to get to know my brother.”
“That’s exactly why I’m here now. You should know, you are the only one who could ever get me to teach high school. It’s been one day and I’ve been tempted to make a few of my students disappear already.”
“You know you can get fired for that, right?”
“Eh, some of the parents might thank me. So how’s my class?” Liam took a seat beside her, reaching for a chip. Her automatic reaction was to smack his hand away.
“Well, it was kinda boring, to be honest.”
“Boring?”
“Liam, you witnessed a good bit of that history. You think maybe you could sound like you haven’t swallowed the textbook? Spice it up, make it interesting.”
“The textbooks are mostly fiction. I had to memorize the damn thing so I could teach it right.”
“I’m really glad to see you.” She reached to squeeze his hand.
“I’m sorry about the Vince situation. You doing okay, sweetheart?”
“Ugh! Does everyone know?” Allie clapped her hands over her face.
“I of all people should have warned you that could happen during sex,” Liam said.
“There was no ‘during.’ No sex was had.”
“I do not want to know the details, little one.”
“I have to break up with him. I just don’t know how to do it.”
“You don’t have to break up with him if you don’t want to. I understand why you feel like you should, but I’m going to work with you on your control.”
“Let’s make that a top priority. I can’t lose it like that again.”
“Stay out of your boyfriends’ beds for a good long while and you’ll be fine,” he said dryly.
“I do not have multiple boyfriends.”
“That’s not what I saw in Agra.” Liam scowled down at her.
Immortals of Indriell- The Collection Page 58