She watched as his eyes widened into saucers. The surprise on his face was confusing her, until she caught sight of a flicker and looked down at her hand. To her great surprise and astonishment there was a fireball floating above her hand. She stared blankly for a moment then realized her hand could be on fire. She threw it, without thinking about which direction it would go. It went straight for James. He jumped out of the way so fast she barely saw him move. Her hands flew up to her mouth and then she stared wide-eyed at the open window where the fireball had exited the room.
She looked back to James with horror in her eyes, “I’m so sorry.”
He looked at her, then the window in his bedroom, and laughter started to bubble out of his throat and spilled into the room.
“I could have killed you and you are laughing,” she said horrified.
“I’m sorry Ally but the look on your face was too much.” He collected himself and continued, “How did you do that?”
“I don’t know, I was really angry, and then I looked down and there it was.” She inspected her hand for any potential damage. “I didn’t mean to throw it at you, I just thought my hand was on fire and flicked it,” she said sheepishly.
He laughed again. “I know you didn’t mean too Ally, but you’re lucky I can move quickly.”
“Maybe we should take a break from testing my abilities,” she said. “Who knows what other damage I might do?”
He looked at her with a smirk, “If that is what you want, but we are making progress.”
“Throwing random fireballs is progress?” she said as she sat down on the couch.
He walked over and sat down next to her. “No, discovering that you have the ability to throw fireballs is the progress.”
He got up and poured another whiskey for himself and gestured towards Ally for a refill. She nodded gratefully. She could use another drink after that.
I cannot believe I am capable of that, what else can I do that I don’t know about yet? she wondered with a mixture of excitement and concern.
James came back to the couch with two whiskeys and handed one to Ally. She took it and he lifted his glass in a toast, “To my little spitfire, who can throw fireballs,” he smirked, and they tapped glasses lightly.
Ally smirked back at him.
“We will need to practice that again, so you know how to do it on cue,” he said.
“I hope I can do it again,” she said thoughtfully. “I still want to try and deflect a fireball.”
He looked at her over his glass. “I don’t think so.”
“Don’t make me angry again or I will intentionally aim for you this time,” she joked.
“We will discuss it, is that a fair compromise?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes, “That’s what my parents said when they were going to say no but wanted me to lay off for a while.”
James laughed at her and she laughed with him.
Despite the situation, she enjoyed his company and he appeared to enjoy hers. Ally wished they could spend more time together like this instead of running off to find vampires. She knew that she had to deal with them eventually, but she would have liked some more time like this before the battle began. But as she had said to James earlier, life changes, plans change and we need to adapt. She could take a leaf out of her own book.
She looked at James and though she loved being here with him and didn’t want to leave, she was aware that they had to be up at dawn and needed some sleep. She was about to say just that when she noticed three doors against the wall. How odd, she thought, what could be behind the doors?
“What has caught your attention?” James asked breaking into her thoughts.
She looked like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar. “I was just wondering why you would need three doors against the wall like that?”
“Dressing rooms,” he said, as if it was nothing.
“You need three dressing rooms?” she asked curiously.
He laughed. “No but the women before me obviously did.”
She laughed at the joke. She looked around again, “Is that the bathroom?”
He loved her curiosity. “Why don’t you go find out?”
She couldn’t resist and jumped out to go have a look. She descended the steps and found herself staring around in awe again. The bathroom was the same neutral theme as the bedroom with a stunning claw foot bath off to the side. There was a TV over the vanity that ran in an L shape around the room and what appeared to be a three-person shower with the most incredible shower head she had seen in her life. It seemed to be a silver plate in the ceiling of the shower. She imagined it would feel like showering in the rain, and being someone that loved the rain, it looked amazing. She definitely wanted this room and if she was honest, she wanted the man that owned it too. He came up behind her and gave her a fright.
She turned around, “Remember what I said about a cat bell?”
James burst into laughter again, “What do you think about the bathroom?”
“I’m in love with the shower and all of it really. We should definitely swap rooms,” she said with a smirk.
“I already told you how you could have this room,” he said, as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
He looked at her and twisted her around and whispered into her ear, “Come with me.”
He took her by the hand and led her back into the bedroom to the large space in the middle of the room.
“Wait here,” he said.
She stood still watching him cross the room to the IPod dock as he pressed play. There was a five second delay, then a soft slow song she had never heard before, began playing throughout the room. He walked back to where she stood, holding eye contact the whole time. When reached her, he took her hand pulling her into his arms and began slowly turning her about the room.
She had remarked on his dancing before and knew that she had enjoyed it. She deserved romance and he was going to give it to her. Neither spoke as they stared deep into each other’s eyes, lost, while the world melted away. Ally knew she would remember this moment forever.
He continued turning her about the room, his hand was resting on the small of her back and she felt it slip lower and lower. She knew that she should stop him but god help her, she couldn’t find the will or the strength, it just felt too good. His eyes had clouded over with desire and were starting to resemble the black onyxes from this morning. She felt the heat and desire growing in her own body. The flames were growing by the minute and soon would refuse to be doused come hell or high water. James slid his hand back up to the small of her back and she almost whimpered. He twirled her around and slowly lowered her into a dip and brought her back up. Slowly she looked up into his eyes, feeling like she could drown in them.
The emotions swimming around between them were so intense, she felt them to her core. Ally raised her hand to gently stroke his jaw. He closed his eyes and she smiled slightly, it was so hard to fight these feelings and hold them at bay. For tonight, she decided that she didn’t want to fight them, who knew what may happen tomorrow.
He opened his eyes and she pushed herself up on her tiptoes and captured his mouth with hers. He let out a groan of pleasure and they gave themselves over to the moment. They were both tired of fighting it and holding back. James seemed to understand what Ally needed and she gave it right back.
He picked her up in his arms without breaking the kiss and moved over to the bed. He pulled back for a moment to look at her. He brushed her hair with his hands and stared at her. She felt the intensity and wanted to shy away from it but she couldn’t take her eyes off him, even for a second. He was perfection personified and what she felt for him was so strong and so intense it scared her to her very soul but tonight wasn’t about being scared, it was about giving in to temptation and seeing what it felt like to be with this man she had been haunted by for five long years.
How did I survive without him for this long? she thought to herself. What she felt for him all those years
ago was nothing compared to what she felt for him right now. Part of her knew that life would never ever be the same again. Now that he was with her again and she didn’t care. Life without him wouldn’t be a life at all, but she wasn’t ready to tell him all this yet.
James had been trying so hard to hold himself back and she saw the hurt that it caused him. But he would have her undying gratitude forever because he had respected and loved her enough to give her the time she needed to come to terms with things.
“Ally,” he whispered. “I want this to be something special that you remember forever.”
“It will be,” she answered breathlessly in between kisses.
“Correct if I’m wrong but you are…” he trailed off trying to find the right word.
She pulled back and looked at him. “Innocent?”
“Aye, I want you to be sure this is what you want. I can wait for as long as it takes.”
She studied him for a moment and she felt a healthy dose of reality hit her. He was right.
James sensed that his instincts were correct. She wasn’t ready. They had been swept away by the moment and lost sight of things.
He rolled her on her side and pulled her close to him. He planted a kiss on the back of her head to reassure her that he was ok with her decision. She sighed with contentment and closed her eyes.
James pulled back the sheets and snuggled under the covers with her.
He waited until she had fallen asleep before getting up and turning off the lights. Climbing back into bed, he snuggled into her again, before closing his eyes and drifting off.
Chapter Twenty-Two
ALLY HADN’T INTENDED FALLING ASLEEP IN bed with James, but she couldn’t keep her eyes open for another second. She hadn’t known how tired she had been and it hit her like a ton of bricks. As she was drifting off to sleep Ally heard a man’s voice calling her name. She didn’t recognize the voice but she it sounded vaguely familiar to her…
A terrified auburn haired girl was dumped into what appeared to something akin to a jail cell. Looking around her surroundings, the girl discovered that the floor was compacted dirt and a man, unknown to her, was lying on the makeshift bed in the corner. He looked worn and weak. She didn’t know for sure if he was a threat or not. He didn’t appear to be, but appearances could be deceptive as she had already discovered. Natalia had not been what she appeared to be in Melbourne.
The vampire that carried her in and dropped her unceremoniously on the ground, turned to leave. She watched him with horror and confusion as he walked away. The creature stopped and turned around to look at her. Kathryn gasped at the crimson red eyes glowing at her in the darkness. Seeing her horror, the creature smirked before speaking with a raspy voice filled with evil intent, “Natalia will come for you soon.”
The words weren’t exactly threatening; but the sentiment behind them however terrified her anew.
Cold, stark fear began scratching its way up her body. A single candle on the wall, cast a weak light and created numerous shadows around the room. Kathryn couldn’t see any windows or doors in the dingy dungeon, with the exception of the one that lead to the stairs. Realising her predicament, she knew that door was the only way out, but she shuddered to think of what horrors lay beyond that door at the top of the stairs. Kathryn had the feeling there was only one way she was leaving this place and she didn’t like the thought one little bit.
Tears began falling unbidden from her eyes as she began to think aloud, “Oh god, Chase. Where are you?”
Adele had warned her of danger at the masquerade ball but she hadn’t comprehended the full amount of danger that they might find themselves in. How could she know, this was something out of your worst nightmare and then some.
The man in the corner stirred, grabbing her attention. Kathryn instinctively flattened her body against the wall near where she had been dropped, trying to get as far away from him as possible.
“I won’t hurt you,” he said weakly. Then he was caught by a flurry of coughs.
Kathryn was still wary, appearances had deceived her before and she was left overcautious. “Are you ill” she asked, still flattened against the wall.
“Not in the way you mean.”
Well what does that mean? she wondered, feeling puzzled by his words. Taking in her surroundings again, a fresh wave of fear ran through her. She knew that she was in trouble and that she might not survive this. Her only hope was that Chase had made it away safely to Ally and James.
“Ally,” she whispered, remembering that her friend didn’t know what was going on. She hoped that someone had told her by now.
Kat gathered her courage and spoke to the man in the corner. He might be able to help her and if nothing else, shed some light on the situation she was in. If he turned out to be a vampire or something else deadly, what did it matter at this point, she decided.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Damian Carlisle,” he said with a weak voice that held a sense of pride.
Kathryn had heard that name before.
“Oh god, do you know James Carlisle?” she said as it dawned on her.
Damian turned to face her, his eyes held suspension and doubt. “What’s it to you?”
“I know James and his soulmate Ally.”
The weak man looked at her with a sense of hope that she hadn’t seen till now. “He has a soulmate?”
“He does,” she paused and asked again. “Do you know him?”
He hung his head. “He is my younger brother and I have feared for his life.” Looking up at her, Damian smiled weakly though his eyes reflected emotion so intense she felt it to her core. “Thank you lassie, I have been here a long time not knowing what is going on in the outside world.”
She smiled despite being locked in a cell by vampires. Kat could see the joy her small bit of information had brought the man before her.
“Do you know of Adele?”
She saw true fear reflecting back at her in his eyes. “Adele Woodcomb?”
He sighed. “That might be her name now but it was once Adele McConnell.”
Kathryn nodded enthusiastically. “That is her, she is Ally’s grandmother.”
He nodded softly. “So she married.” He paused then looked up at Kat again, “Is she well?”
“Yes I believe so, she has been worried about Ally and the prophecy, but she is well. She should be in Scotland with James and Ally but I don’t know for certain.”
“With her husband I presume,” he stated more than asked a question.
“No he died a long time ago,” Kat said. “Were you and Adele close?”
The man looked at her with eyes that swam in grief and loss. “She was my soulmate.”
Kathryn gasped in shock. Her heart broke for him, she knew what it felt like to have a soulmate now and if Chase had remarried thinking she was dead, it would devastating.
“Was he a good man?” Damian asked.
“He was a very good man, treated her like she was a goddess.”
Damian smiled to himself. It was soul shattering to know that she had given up on him but what else could she do. He was happy that Adele’s husband had been a good man and treated her well.
Does she still think of me? he wondered. He looked at the lovely young lass sitting against the wall opposite him and decided he could trust her. She brought news that he had been waiting to hear for a very long time. “What’s your name, lass?”
“Kathryn Montgomery.”
“How long have you been in here?”
“Since 1961,” he said without emotion.
Kathryn started to tremble with fear, “You have been here for fifty years.”
He shrugged. “Sounds about right.”
“There is no way out?’ she asked, as fear started overwhelming her again.
“If there was, I never found it and they keep me too weak to do anything anyway.”
“What do you mean to weak?”
“They take my blood in order to become o
ur equals and keep me weak enough that I won’t be able to fight back. I thought all the immortals would have known that by now,” he said getting tired. His loved ones were safe. He knew that now he could leave this world in peace.
Lost in his thoughts, something that she had said slapped him the face. “What prophecy?”
“You don’t know?” she asked surprised. This must have only been a recent discovery for them.
He shook his head side to side, indicating that he didn’t know.
“There is a prophecy involving Ally. She is to kill Vincent and reunite the immortals, but he is trying to kill her before she gets to him.”
He again shook his head, processing what he had just been told. “I remember…So he found his prophecy girl.”
Damian felt a wide smile forming across his face. James had done the impossible and found his needle in a haystack. Hope surged through him. Maybe he would be able to get out of here after all. There was just one problem, everyone thought he was dead and no one knew where they were.
Alessandra woke with a start. Sitting up and clutching the sheet to her chest, she tried to breathe but the air around her was suffocating. Trembling in fear and feeling a cold sweat break out, she tried to fight the fogginess that had a firm grip on her from sleep. Ally knew that she had been dreaming and tried desperately to remember what it was. Something deep inside her knew that it was vital.
James stirred beside her and sat up putting his hand on her shoulder. She jumped at his touch. Immediately, Ally climbed out of bed and was hit by the chill in the room.
James got up and followed her. “What’s wrong Ally?”
She turned around to face him. “I can’t remember,” she mumbled more to herself than him.
He grabbed a blanket from the end of the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders. She smiled at him gratefully as he went to stoke the fire. It still had enough embers to start a fire quickly. The room was bitterly cold and dark, save the moonlight shining in through the windows. Ally was grateful that it provided enough light for her to see where she was going.
Immortal Prophecy (The Immortal Prophecy Saga) Page 23
