Immortals of Indriell- The Collection

by Melissa A. Craven

“She can tell what I can do? Everything?”

  “Yes. You’ll not be able to hide anything from her.”

  “I’m so screwed.” Quinn followed Santi into the white room on shaky limbs. He stumbled, reaching for the doorway for support. He’d been here before—or at least a place just like it. He’d spent a year here. Tormented by the endless brilliance of white, never-ending daylight and the constant white noise that drowned out his screams. The monotony almost drove him into submission.

  “It’s not real. Whatever you’re remembering, it’s not real.” Santi brushed her hand across his face.

  Quinn nodded, taking comfort from her gentle touch. “It never happened?”

  “Only in your mind,” she said softly.

  He closed his eyes, relishing her kind touch. He just needed a moment.

  Finally, Quinn crossed the room to sit at the white table. He would wait for Livia’s arrival and he would face whatever she had in store for him.

  “She’ll be here soon,” Santi said. “She’s going to push you hard today, but it’s only to take advantage of your current state of mind. You can’t let her win. You’ve lasted this long. If you can get through this, you’ll stay here in the penthouse. With me. The painful part is behind you—physical pain, anyway. You’ve proven you can’t be broken with a beating so she won’t waste her efforts on that … well, just that. This part is harder. She’s going to screw with your head and your emotions. But you just have to get through it.”

  “And after this?” Quinn gestured at the white room. “After tonight?”

  “A reprieve.” She smiled. “You’ll enjoy it while you can, but it won’t last. She’ll try to win you over with a complete one-eighty, but it’s false. Don’t fall for it. Get through this and I’ll patch you up. She should leave us alone tonight.”

  “You went through this? All of this?” Quinn took a moment to really look at the lovely Latina woman in front of him. Her chestnut brown hair fell in limp waves down her back. She was too thin but her petite frame still held a hint of the strength she’d once had.

  “I’ve spent more than enough time with Michael,” she said. “And Livia continues to find new ways to torture me. I can only take it one hour at a time. I can’t ever think beyond that.” She jerked her head toward the door. “She’s coming.”

  Quinn heard Livia’s unmistakable approach. She had a firm footfall. A no-nonsense, “don’t waste my time or you’ll wish you hadn’t” attitude.

  “I have to go.” With that, Santi left him alone in the white room.

  Quinn figured he had about thirty seconds to get his head on straight. He squared his stiff shoulders and shoved the whirlwind of conflicting memories out of his mind. He needed to focus if he was going to get through this. Just one more day.

  ~~~

  CHAPTER

  THREE

  Sasha: Summer

  Agra, India

  “Sasha, are you coming to Quinn’s vigil tonight?” Allie asked.

  Sasha glanced over her shoulder to see Allie lurking in her doorway, sweaty and disheveled from her afternoon of training down in the courtyard with Aidan and Liam.

  “No.” Sasha’s tone was unintentionally harsh. “You all might be ready to mourn Quinn’s life, but I’m just not there yet.”

  All the blood rushed from Allie’s face and Sasha winced at the hurt look in her eyes as she turned back to the corkboard wall. Sasha knew it wasn’t fair to take her frustrations out on her best friend.

  “I’m sorry, Allie.” She sighed. “I didn’t mean that. I’m just not ready to give up hope yet. This vigil … it’s too soon.” She worked a piece of red yarn around a thumbtack in the wall and guided the thread to another thumbtack to link the two elements she was certain were connected, although she couldn’t prove it. Yet.

  “I don’t think it’s supposed to be about giving up.” Allie flopped down on the corner of Sasha’s bed, clearing a pile of her carefully documented notes. “It’s not about that for me, anyway. I think this vigil-celebration thing is supposed to be about renewing our hope for whatever is ahead for him. It’s not about moving on without him.”

  “You’re right.” Sasha nodded. In her heart, she knew Quinn’s family wasn’t giving up on him and never would. But they were keeping her in the dark and it seemed like they were no closer to liberating him now than they were when he was taken more than two months ago.

  “What’s all this?” Allie swept her hand across the bed, taking in the chaos that was Sasha’s room. “It looks like you’ve been binge-watching old episodes of Prison Break on Netflix. If you’ve got plans to tattoo all this crap on yourself, please don’t.”

  “You’re not funny, mortal girl.” Allie and her pop culture references usually went right over Sasha’s head. “This is all my personal research on Quinn’s situation. I can’t sit back and let the adults do all the work. I need to do something, and I’m good at researching.”

  “Let me help,” Allie said eagerly.

  “You have to keep all of this stuff to yourself and not share with your little brain twin.” Sasha gestured to Allie’s forehead where her brother Aidan had taken up residence in Allie’s telepathic mind.

  “Let’s just say I suddenly have the proper motivation to keep some of my thoughts to myself,” Allie muttered.

  Sasha’s eyes widened in surprise. The last she’d heard, the two couldn’t control the link they shared and were in each other’s thoughts constantly. “I bet that’s making him crazy.”

  “Well, it doesn’t take much to send Aidan into a tizzy. Now tell me what you’re planning. I have a feeling it has a kamikaze theme.”

  “I’m not planning anything.” Sasha shot her a withering look. “Just researching.” Unfortunately, Allie was right. Sasha did have a plan and it was incredibly risky—but she wasn’t going to be telling her friend anything about it. Sasha just needed to do something. The way she’d left things with Quinn haunted her. What did that kiss mean? They were headed for something just moments before he was ripped away from her. And it was her fault. She brought the Coalition’s attention on them that night.

  “Don’t look at me like that, Sash. I know you. I know what Quinn means to you and I know sitting around waiting for something to happen is killing you. To be honest, it’s killing me. So tell me what you know.”

  “What do you know about where he is?” Sasha asked.

  “I know he’s in Atlanta, and it doesn’t seem like he’s with the Coalition like we originally thought. At least not the normal Coalition. Livia’s connected with them, but she was the one in charge the night we were taken, so I’m thinking he’s still with her.”

  “He is. At least for the moment.” Sasha passed her a stack of photos she’d managed to wrangle from Graham. Quinn’s brother was busy with his own investigation and she’d been spending a lot of time chatting with him online while he was in the Azores with his family. They were helping each other fill in the gaps of missing information the adults didn’t think they could handle.

  Allie flipped through the photos, trembling at the sight of Livia, the woman who’d held her captive just a few weeks ago. Sasha felt bad. Allie didn’t need another reminder of that awful night. She had been lucky to escape and Sasha knew Allie blamed herself because she was home now and Quinn wasn’t.

  “Do you know anything about her?” Allie asked. “They won’t tell me anything.”

  “From what little I could find online, she runs a non-profit that caters to Immortals, called ‘The Fold.’ Their headquarters are based in Sterling Tower in Atlanta.” Sasha turned her computer toward Allie. “That’s the same building where Quinn is being held. That much I know from Mom.”

  “So if we know exactly where he is, why can’t we just go in and get him?” Allie asked. “You can’t tell me your family doesn’t have the resources to make that happen.”

  Sasha shook her head. “The security in this place is like the Pentagon. You can’t get in unless you have an appointment or you wor
k there. Not unless you’re a kid like Graham with more technologically advanced gifts. They run a program for kids who need the kind of training their parents can’t give them. It’s kind of like a boarding school for really talented kids.”

  “So why don’t we dangle a carrot?” Allie leaned over Sasha’s desk, scrolling through the website for the Fold. “Get one of us in there and we can figure out how to reach him.”

  “Dad refuses to even consider it. He’s probably right. I'm getting a sinister vibe about this place, like it’s a front for something else. Livia’s affiliation with the Coalition doesn’t give me the warm-fuzzies. Why would a woman advocating for young Immortals and their families secretly have one foot in the Coalition and make it a point of pride that they don’t have a single tie to the Senate?”

  “What does your dad say?” Allie asked.

  “I haven’t talked to him much since he left for Cleveland, but Dad won’t tell me anything. I think he’s worried I’ll do something stupid.” The family had spent weeks trying to find a way to get close enough to Quinn to act, but they refused to see the obvious. The best way into Sterling Tower was through the front door. If you were a young and gifted Immortal they would welcome you with open arms.

  “And what exactly are you thinking? You wouldn’t be Sasha if you didn’t have a carefully articulated plan in place. With, like, pie charts and shit.” Allie gestured at the wall to make her point.

  “Nothing concrete at the moment.” Sasha turned away, wincing at the lie. “I’m still researching, trying to find alternative ways into the building. And I’m convinced the Fold is connected with some rather … corrupt organizations.” She took a step back from her wall. “I’m missing something and I feel like it’s staring me in the face.” She glanced at Allie, hoping she wouldn’t stop her from walking right through the front door of Sterling Tower, asking for help with her training. And once she was in, she could find Quinn and they could escape together.

  “You’re such a bad liar,” Allie said. “I can literally see you plotting as we speak. So where is Quinn in this place? Probably not in a student dormitory?”

  “No. He’d never cooperate, so he wouldn’t be with the other kids who volunteer. He’d have to be in some kind of prison somewhere in the building.”

  “Sasha Louise El Sadawii McBrien. Don’t you dare do what I know you’re going to do,” Allie said.

  Sometimes it really sucks having a clairvoyant for a bestie.

  “Don’t you four-name me, Alexis Ann Mareé Carmichael. I’m not doing anything. I swear.” Yet, Sasha added, silently begging Allie to look the other way.

  “Please don’t make us have to worry about two of you in there,” Allie pleaded. “I don’t think any of us could take it.”

  “I know.” She did. She knew it would hurt the family if she acted rashly, but they didn’t understand the pull she felt toward Quinn. It was like a fire, constantly burning in her veins. It was worse since his capture. Like he was calling her for help. She couldn’t ignore that. She wouldn’t.

  “Hey, you two,” Aidan said as he barged into the room without knocking, like the obnoxious little brother he was.

  “Coming to the vigil?” he asked. “It’s time.”

  “You guys go ahead without me. I’ll be there in a little while.” Sasha hated lying to them, but she couldn’t face this vigil for Quinn. Not when she knew she could do something to help. Tonight would be the perfect night to slip away without anyone noticing. They wouldn’t force her to join in the festivities, celebrating Quinn’s life. They would all assume she wasn’t ready and no one would bother her. By morning, when anyone thought to look for her, she’d be in Atlanta and well out of their reach.

  ~~~

  “Hey kid,” Imogen called as she knocked on Sasha's bedroom door.

  “I’m not coming to the vigil, Gen.” She dropped her duffel bag onto the floor and kicked it under her bed. It seemed she was wrong about the family leaving her alone, but she wasn't in the mood for Gen's sistering.

  “I'm not here about the vigil. Mom and Gregg need to see you in their office. It’s important.”

  “Dad’s here? When did he arrive?”

  “A few hours ago.” Imogen looked worried.

  “What’s wrong? Is it Quinn?”

  “No, this isn’t about Quinn. It’s the Senate. They’re here and it’s not good, sweetie. Clean this up before Mom sees it.” She gestured at the photos and maps covering the surface of her bedroom wall. “Be quick about it. We don’t have much time.”

  “Now you’re scaring me.” Sasha pulled a drape over the wall to conceal her investigation.

  “They’re here for you, Sash.”

  “Here for me?” What could the Senate possibly want with me? But her father’s old worries suddenly seemed more than just his over protective parenting. Gregg had always suspected the Senate would use her for her gifts someday, but this was much too soon.

  “Let’s go.” Imogen grabbed her hand and led her down the stairs to the common room and across the courtyard. Naeemah’s office was on the opposite side of the huge villa they’d rented for the summer. Far enough away that any visiting Immortals would not be able to sense how many lived under Naeemah’s care.

  Sasha heard her father’s voice long before they arrived at the office.

  “We've been over this, Sloane. You’re not taking over my daughter's training and that is final,” Gregg said.

  “And the Senate has been patient with you both, but Sasha is old enough now to handle the superior training we can offer kids like her.”

  “What?” Sasha came to a dead stop, looking at her sister for confirmation.

  Gen gave her arm a gentle squeeze as she led her into their mother's office.

  Sasha held her head high as she stepped into the room. She was the daughter of two influential Immortals and the granddaughter of an Egyptian pharaoh. She would not show weakness. She would not show fear. But Sasha’s heart felt like ice in her chest.

  Having the Senate take over her training had always been her greatest fear. Aidan was the rock star of the family—more powerful than just about anyone she'd ever met. Allie was right on his heels. But Sasha was a close third or fourth in that race. The Senate didn't know her brother or Allie existed—a fact neither of them even realized. Aidan came to the McBrien family as an infant. Gregg found him just after a storm when he was working in Ireland. Because their new son was so powerful, Gregg and Naeemah made the decision not to register him with the Senate—for this exact reason.

  But Sasha wasn't so lucky. She came to the McBrien family when she was nearly five years old. For the first few years of her life, she’d lived in a mortal orphanage in Haiti. Her adoption was a public record and on file with the Senate. There was no hiding her existence. As far as the Senate knew, Sasha was likely the most promising Immortal of her generation.

  “Mom, what is this all about?” Sasha’s voice came out calm and formal. Regal, like her mother.

  “Have a seat, Sasha. We will explain," Naeemah said.

  “I’m not sure we can stop this from happening, sweetheart,” Gregg said as he took her in his arms. She hadn’t seen him in weeks. He was supposed to be in Cleveland. “We will be with you the whole way. They’ve agreed to let Imogen come with you.” He gave her a level look but panic coiled in Sasha’s chest.

  “Go? Where am I going?” She sank into the seat her mother offered. All of her carefully laid plans started to crumble as she turned her attention to the two Senate representatives who had come to collect her. Sasha eyed the handsome young Indian soldier. He was about Imogen’s age, maybe younger. Tall like Sasha, with a slim build. He was attractive, but in an unexpected way. Except for the livid tattoo marring his left cheek.

  “Just give it to me straight.” She was all but certain they were after her target ability. Sasha never missed a shot. No matter what, if she aimed while using her gift, she hit the mark. The ultimate recipe for the perfect sniper, a role Gregg had al
ways prepared her for, but she never dreamed it would happen so soon.

  “Jayesh Basu is an old friend,” Naeemah said. “You can trust him. I’m trusting him with my young daughter’s safety and I know he will not disappoint me. Right, Jayesh?” Naeemah gave him her scariest look. Sasha had been on the receiving end of that look more than a few times and it never failed to scare her into total obedience.

  “Of course, Naeemah. Your daughter’s safety will be our number one priority.” His words were meant to be soothing, but his tone said he wasn’t thrilled to be here either.

  “Anyone care to tell me what this is all about, or should I take a guess? I’m sure I won’t need more than one.”

  “You’re right, dear,” the other Senate rep said in the most patronizing tone she could possibly muster. "It should come as no surprise to anyone here that the Senate has taken a special interest in your training."

  “Please don’t call me dear.” Sasha shook her head in disgust. These people were taking her away from her plans. I should have left for Atlanta yesterday.

  “I am Lieutenant Governor Sloane and I am here to tell you that your government has chosen you for a very special training program. Isn’t that an honor?” She beamed at Sasha like she was talking to an eight-year-old.

  “Not really,” Sasha muttered.

  “It is highly unusual for the Senate to take an interest in a child's training, but we believe you have such incredible potential, we'd like to offer you the full support of the Senate's resources. We have high hopes for your future, dear. We've hired a very special mentor to oversee your summer training. Think of it like an internship—a much-needed boost to your education."

  "And what will I be learning?" Sasha crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking.

  "Jayesh is head of a special forces team employed by the Senate. Occasionally, the Senate must step into mortal affairs, and teams like Jayesh’s typically handle those … unseemly details. He is the absolute best of the best at what he does. He will be supervising your training in the ancient arts of the Chola assassins.”