by M. K. Dawn
The Immortal Affliction
Book 3 in the Immortal Wars Trilogy
M.K. Dawn
Copyright © 2019 M.K. Dawn
All rights reserved.
CHAPTER ONE
Concealed deep in the country, Tito’s pack used the rundown old cabin for wolves in transition. The dense trees were good for muffling screams. Ethan curled up on the squeaky cot, his body drenched in sweat. The pain had subsided for now, but it would be back. It always came back—had for hours. After surviving the first couple of rounds, the wolves who had taken turns keeping watch were hopeful. Ethan wasn't as optimistic. The agony had grown so much Ethan thought every bone in his body had shattered then pieced themselves back together with the help of a fire iron.
“That is my son in there!” a woman's voice filtered through the old timber walls.
“It’s not safe, ma'am,” a burly voice replied. “When he turns—”
“Do not speak as if I don't understand the transition.” It was odd, the voice sounded like his mother's before she lost her grip on reality. Firm but direct, and not in the least bit intimidated.
“I think,” Ethan croaked, his throat hoarse, “the hallucinations are back.” He hadn't had them since the beginning and had hoped he was through with them.
Arric emerged from the kitchen and handed him a glass of water. “Those should be over.”
“Well, unless my mother is outside and coherent…” Ethan drank a small sip, wincing at the burn the tepid liquid caused as it slid down.
The door swung open, and the cup fell from Ethan's hand.
“Son of a bitch.” Arric snatched a grimy towel from the ground. “I’m not the fucking maid.”
Ethan rubbed his eyes, ignoring the grumbling man. “I don't understand.”
“Hello, Ethan.” The hallucination resembling his mother stepped closer, her black hair heavy with gray highlights and pulled into a bun.
“This isn't real.” He’d seen everyone from his dead father to Santa Claus; it was only right his mother would show next.
Arric peered up at where Ethan was staring. “This your mother?”
“You see her too?”
“Yeah.” He tossed the wet towel into the corner of the room. “This crazy lady has been trying to see you since you arrived.”
“I have seen two sons through the transition—sat by their sides the entire time—and not once injured.” She brushed a strand of silver hair from her face. “Now if you would be so kind, take a walk so I can have a few moments alone with my son.”
Arric hesitated for a brief second. “Lady, if you get hurt during my watch, it'll be my ass.”
“I assure you,” she kept her eyes on Ethan, “I’ll be fine. And if he hurts me, you will not be at fault. I’ve cleared my visit with Tito. Call if you must—I’m sure he expects as much.”
Arric pulled a walkie-talkie from his back pocket and stepped out the door. “I’ll be right outside just in case.”
The door closed and Ethan's mother dragged a worn chair over to the cot.
Ethan tried to sit up, but the ache in his joints prevented any sort of big movement. “How is this… how is this possible?”
“You mean my break from reality?” A small laugh escaped her lips. “Yes well, it seems the demise of the Immortal Council lifted the curse.”
A wave a searing pain washed over his body and Ethan bit his lip to keep from crying out. As tired as he was, he didn't think his voice could take any more screaming.
“It won’t be long now, and the hurt will subside.” She fetched a washrag from the pail next to the bed and brushed cool water across his forehead.
“And if I don't survive?” Ethan rasped.
“There is nothing more to fear. The worst has passed.”
Ethan closed his eyes and reopened them, sure when he did this would all be a dream. “You’re still here.”
“I take it the hallucinations were bad.” She continued to cool his head with the washcloth.
“I saw Dad and my brothers.”
His mother grasped his limp hand. “That’s fantastic. Did they speak to you?”
His eyes fluttered, the pain increasing to just shy of unbearable. “Yes, as did Santa and the Easter Bunny and a man with piercing blue eyes. Why do you ask?”
“There is a difference between hallucinations and visions. If our ancestors spoke with you, it would be wise to listen.”
Ethan moaned not sure what she meant. “Visions? Ancestors? I don't understand.”
“Shh,” she squeezed his fingers. “There is no need to worry about any of this now. The visions will reappear if the ancestors deem them important. Right now, you need to focus on the task at hand.”
The transition was the last thing he wanted to think about. “Distract me, please. It helps with the discomfort. Tell me about my father and the boys. They were…”
“Wolves?” She chuckled. “Werewolves is the technical term, I guess.”
“So vampires and werewolves are real.” If Ethan hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it.
“It’s weird at first, but in time it will be as normal as breathing.”
Ethan didn't know what that meant but there were more pressing questions weighing on his mind. “Did you always know?”
“Know what, dear?”
“What Dad was. What the boys were—would become.”
She leaned back in her chair. “Yes. I come from a long line of wolves.”
“But you aren't one?”
“No, the gene doesn’t run as strong in females as it does in males.”
Ethan sucked in a breath as fire burned through his veins.
“But your father,” she scooted closer and grasped his hand again, “his lineage is pure. It is why he was such a powerful pack leader.”
He pulled his knees into his chest, trying to fight against the agony tearing apart his insides.
“No more today.” She brushed back the damp hair clinging to his forehead. “There will be plenty of time after the transition to learn about your heritage.”
“Don't leave me.” The words came out more like a plea than the whisper he’d intended.
“It won’t be long now.” She opened the front door. “Arric, is it?” she called outside.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Inform the guards in the surrounding woods my son will soon be on the loose and if any of them have experience with newly turned wolves, they may want to shift. It helps to have others. I understand it can be confusing at first.”
She didn't wait for him to answer before closing the door in his face.
“You know a lot,” Ethan sputtered, “about this.”
“I do.” She returned to the chair beside him. “And let me assure you, there is nothing to fear. None—from my family or your father's—have ever succumbed to the bite. All have awakened.”
Ethan clutched his chest. The pressure was indescribable; it felt as if his heart was about to explode. “What is this?”
His mother seized his hand and squeezed. “The venom has reached your heart. This is good. It means it's almost over. It will be as if you’re falling asleep. There will be darkness and when you wake, you'll be in wolf form. Listen to the voices of the other wolves. They will guide you.”
The tightness in his chest increased to the point he could no longer catch a full breath. “I don't,” he gasped, “it’s not—”
As suddenly as the pain had struck, it subsided. Ethan’s breathing slowed, and the room blurred. His eyes dropped and his body fell limp.
The last thing he heard was his mother whispering, “It is done. Now awake, dear son, and fulfill your destiny.”
CHAPTER TWO
Samant
ha lay strapped to a metal table in what looked like a small den converted into a doctor's office. The throbbing in her head had subsided a while ago, leaving her feeling remarkably sane considering.
Her father's warning still rang in her ears. The bloodlust he had cautioned them about didn't seem to be an issue for her, but the fear lingered. This might just be the beginning and at any moment the monster inside her could show itself.
It was this fear that kept her from fighting against the flimsy restraints. Fear of what she might do when confronted by not only someone she loved, but innocent bystanders.
The door creaked and a petite woman with cocoa skin and stunning green eyes strolled into the room. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
Samantha sucked in a deep breath; the tantalizing smell of blood hung heavily in the air.
“I’m Tavia Agen. You must be hungry. You’ve been out for a while.” She unlocked and pulled a few things from a large cabinet against the back wall. “How are the urges? My understanding is you were born after the Great Reveal, so you would have never experienced drinking from the vein.”
Samantha shifted and cleared her dry, scratchy throat. “The urges don’t seem to be an issue, even though I’ve had blood from the vein before.”
The woman turned, her long black hair bouncing against her shoulders. “Have you? May I ask why?”
There was something about the woman that made Samantha feel as if she could speak the truth. Or maybe it was just that holding on to so many secrets for so long had taken a toll. “The first time was because I was not healing from a bullet wound. The other times I needed the blood of the baby’s father—human father—to survive.”
Her dark green eyes brightened. “Ah, yes. I’ve heard rumors, though vampires have always kept the way they conceive under wraps.”
Samantha dropped her eyes to the floor, not wanting to discuss the secrets kept from her kind for more than a century.
“Speaking of your pregnancy,” the woman stepped closer, a small ultrasound in hand, “do you mind if I check to see how things are going? If you could pull up your shirt…”
“Okay.” Even though Samantha knew what she would find.
With a splash of cold jelly, the doctor ran the ultrasound wand across Samantha’s belly. “I can’t find a heartbeat.”
“I lost her.” Samantha fought against the pain clawing at her chest. “During the attack, Ethan knocked me to the ground to save me from a wolf. I felt it then.”
Tavia wiped away the jelly and re-covered Samantha’s exposed skin. “I’m so sorry. Losing a child is never easy.”
Samantha pushed back the sob clogging her throat with a gasp. An earthy smell hit her nose and she grimaced. “You… that scent. You’re one of them?”
“A wolf?” Tavia glanced over her shoulder as she put away the portable ultrasound and other items she’d taken out. “Yes, and a member of Tito’s pack.”
“His pack? Does that mean there are other packs besides his?”
Tavia returned with a first-aid kit. “I need to check how the blisters are healing.”
“Blisters?” Samantha glanced down at the red bumps she hadn’t noticed until now. “How did this happen?”
“Exposure to the sun.” Tavia dampened a cotton ball with ointment and dabbed it on the more pronounced welts.
“I don’t understand why exposure to the sun would cause such wounds.” She had been sensitive to sun while pregnant, but with the help of Ethan’s blood there hadn’t been an issue. “Or why I haven’t healed.”
“There.” Tavia tossed the used medical supplies in the nearby trash. “That will help speed up the healing process.”
“Can you please tell me what’s going on?” Samantha hated being left in the dark.
“I’m sorry,” she returned the rest of the unused items to the cabinet, “it isn’t my place.”
“What does that even mean?” Samantha snapped. “You’re my doctor for all intents and purposes. Doesn’t that allow you the freedom to speak freely about my medical condition? Doctor-patient confidentiality or whatever?”
The corner of Tavia’s mouth twitched.
“This isn’t funny!” A bout of anger swelled in her abdomen and she tugged on her restraints.
Tavia’s face softened. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. They will not break, even with your vampire strength. The magic that binds them doesn’t like to be tested.”
Samantha yanked a second time, unwilling to accept the woman’s words. A bolt of electricity shot up her arms and she yelped. “What was that?”
“Like I said…”
A small rap at the door drew Samantha’s attention away from the doctor she wanted to throttle.
“Come in.” Tavia greeted the short, thin man with a nod of her head. “Tito. Come to check on our patient?”
Tattoos covered his arms and peeked out the top of his shirt at the neck. There was a confidence about him that sent chills down her spine. “How is she, Tavia?”
Tavia dropped her shoulders as if upset over the situation. “I’m sorry to report she has lost the baby, as you feared.”
Tito’s eyes darted to Samantha. “I’m so sorry. Losing a child is the greatest loss of them all. One I would not wish on my worst enemy.”
“Even if that child is half… vampire?” The word still left a bitter taste in Samantha’s mouth. “Because I’ve seen the mercy you’ve shown to our kind.”
“Tavia, will you please excuse us?” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“Of course.” She addressed Samantha. “I will return tomorrow to ensure you’re healing properly from your miscarriage. A week and you should be back to normal.”
Normal. Samantha clenched her fist as the doctor exited in the room. She didn’t even know what normal was anymore.
Once alone, Tito took a seat in the rolling chair beside the table. “I want to first say it was not a member of my pack that attacked your group in the hall. Before the raid, I made it clear none of you were to be harmed. It’s why we allowed you to escape when we attacked the Council.”
“I’m supposed to believe you?” Samantha jiggled her wrists. “I’m tied to this table by some sort of voodoo magic.”
“Voodoo?” Tito laughed. “Interesting choice of words. I thought it best to restrain you until we could gauge your reaction to the dissolution of the spells that clouded your mind.”
Samantha narrowed her eyes at him. “And?”
He glared down on her, almost as if he were reaching into her thoughts. “You seem to be handling it quite well, considering. Though it helps there are no full humans around with blood to entice you.”
“You think I would hurt someone?” Even though she feared the same, she hated the judgment.
“Luther is your creator; your father. It would be stupid of me not to be concerned.”
“I am nothing like him.”
Tito sniffed the air. “Still, you mourn for his loss.”
Samantha lowered her head. As much as she despised the male for all the awful things he had done to not only her but those she loved, she still couldn’t help feel the sadness that came with the loss of someone who had been a big part of her life.
“Decisions, decisions.” Tito rolled his neck. “What to do now?”
“Are you going to kill me?” It was the one question that had been on her mind since she woke. That, along with, “What have you done with my friends?”
Tito cupped his elbow with one hand and tapped his lips. “You care for them—Evie and Ethan—even now.”
Samantha cocked her head. “What do you mean?”
“Darrien, I understand. He is one of you. But a human and a wolf? In my experience, vampires have little concern for either race.”
“Well, until yesterday I didn’t know I was a vampire.”
Tito smiled. “True. Still, we can’t be too careful.”
As much as the loss of her child left Samantha hollow, she knew deep down in her soul she wasn’
t ready to die. “What are you going to do with me, leave me tied to this table?”
“There is a mother-in-law suite behind this house. Close enough so we can keep an eye on your but far enough away to protect ourselves and the humans who come and go from time to time. I will have it stocked with blood and food.”
Samantha wasn’t sure what he was offering. “And what is keeping me from leaving?”
“A protection spell that will only allow its occupant to cross its border with a pack leader escort.”
“So I’m your prisoner then?”
“I prefer guest.” Tito headed for the door.
“Wait!” Samantha called out. “What are you doing? I thought you weren’t going to leave me tied up in here.”
He paused, hand hovering over the knob. “The sun is out. We must wait to move you until after it sets. Shouldn’t be more than a few hours.”
“Can’t you at least undo the straps? I won’t try to escape. Won’t hurt anyone. I swear to you, I’ll stay in this room and wait.”
Tito rotated, his face hard and unreadable. “As much as I want to believe you, I cannot put my people at risk by allowing a vampire to run loose. I’ll send someone for you shortly. In the meantime, try to get some rest.”
With the click of the lock, Samantha once again found herself alone. Exhausted, the weight of everything that had happened the past few days weighed on her. Still, she couldn’t sleep. Every time her eyes closed, Samantha pictured the beautiful baby girl they’d never know and her heart broke all over again.
CHAPTER THREE
The walls of the prison pulsated in time with the pounding of Darrien’s head. Hundreds of years of memories flooded his mind. None of them clear, shadowed by the fear, pain, and blood.
Darrien paced along the wall, careful to stay in shadow. He didn't know why—the lingering blisters that freckled his skin or some deep-rooted memory—but he knew better than to step out into the light.
It made no sense; even now he remembered venturing out during the day. Or maybe that was just when he was a child. Or after the Great Reveal.
