“Oh god,” Ally whispered as her heart jumped into her mouth. “What has she done to her?”
“I don’t know.” He looked at Ally with sadness. “I tried to stop them but I’m so weak.”
“Come on we have to get him out of here.” As James uttered the words, they heard a screech of hatred come from inside the house. All three turned towards the sound and stared.
“Chase has obviously got their attention,” Ally said as they began moving back to the escape as quickly as they could. James could be out in a second but not with Ally or Damian holding him back.
He urged Ally back up through the hole. Once she was back up on top she helped James pull Damian through the hole to freedom.
Damian collapsed from sheer exhaustion once he had made it to the grass. The vampires had kept his blood so low that he was just alive. But that was about as far as it went. They never let him reach close to full strength for they knew he would kill them.
James came up through the hole and helped Damian to his feet and Ally went around to his other side and together they supported Damian and began to run for the cover of the forest.
Ally turned to James. “I’m not leaving without Chase or Kathryn.”
James growled a sound of displeasure. “He knows what he is doing Ally and we don’t even know where she is. We have to get Damian and you back home.”
“I’m not leaving my friend,” she said firmly.
They made it back to the forest and took cover. “Call Henry and tell him to bring the car. We can’t take Damian all the way home on horseback.”
“I can do it,” Damian said weakly.
“Another argumentative one in the family I see,” Ally said as she rolled her eyes.
James laughed softly. “If you think I’m argumentative you’re in for a treat. Damian is legendary.”
The man beside smiled weakly, then looked between James and Ally as he said, “Thank you for saving me.”
“I’m only sorry I didn’t know that you were alive earlier,” James said, bitter with guilt.
“How did you know?” Damian uttered.
He looked to Ally proudly. “Your granddaughter had a dream that you were alive and that dream led us here.”
Damian’s eye fluttered in surprise. “My granddaughter!”
James smiled down at his older brother. “Ally is your granddaughter but we can discuss all of this later.”
Damian turned to Ally and she smiled down at him warmly, they shared a moment and Damian felt a tear roll down his cheek. His mind was racing. He had a granddaughter and a son or daughter somewhere out there. He felt warmth steal through him at the thought.
A male scream of anger ripped through the forest and broke the moment.
“Chase,” Ally uttered with fear in her voice.
She was about to run, out of instinct, towards him, she wasn’t going to let anyone die today. Ally knew that she had so much to live for but she would fulfil the prophecy, no matter what. If she died because of it then so be it, but she was not dying today if she could help it.
A high pitched voice filtered through the trees. “Ally come out, come out wherever you are.”
It taunted her but she didn’t know who it was, she had never heard that voice. Ally made an educated guess that it was Natalia and she looked to James for confirmation.
The fear in his eyes confirmed that it was. She looked through the trees trying to see where the voice had come from, but she couldn’t see anyone.
Ally looked back to James to ask him what they should do when a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.
A beautiful blonde, tall as the sky and entrancing as a full moon, walked from behind the house with someone in her grasp. She squinted trying to see who it was that she held.
The closer they came to the forest the more she could focus on the person in her grip. It was Chase as she had expected. She had him in what appeared to be a death grip. She was poised and ready to kill him in a second without the slightest hint of remorse if her current position was anything to go by.
“Come out of your hiding place Ally or Chase dies,” she called shrilly.
Ally didn’t know what to do, but her mind was made up a second later when another vampire came around the corner to reveal another prisoner. She appeared unconscious, and the sunlight was bouncing off her red hair. She would know her best friend anywhere. Kathryn was in the arms of that vile creature and Chase couldn’t save her. He couldn’t save himself in the predicament he was in.
Ally made a split second decision and turned to James with a look of sorrow. “I’m sorry,” she said and ran before James could register what was happening.
She heard him breathlessly behind her, “Ally, no!”
Ally knew it was a trap but they had Kathryn. James could protect Damian and she hoped that eventually Chase would save himself but she didn’t know if it would be in time to save his soulmate.
Alessandra knew that she would have to show no fear and let her instincts guide her if she wanted a chance at surviving this.
“Natalia,” Ally said as she sauntered closer towards the vampire goddess.
“The little prophecy girl, we finally meet.” Natalia’s lip curled in what appeared to be an attempted smile.
“Psychopath that took my best friend, we finally meet,” Ally returned with a smile that was anything but friendly.
Natalia dropped the pretence of being nice at that comment and warned, “You won’t defeat Vincent, Ally. I will kill you myself before you get a chance at fulfilling that god damn prophecy.”
She attempted to push inside Natalia’s mind, to see what she was planning and trying to stay focused on the goings on around her at the same time.
“A bit over confident don’t you think, Natalia?” Ally said, trying to shake her confidence.
“I am a vampire you are just a pitiful human. How could you possibly defeat me?” she said arrogantly.
“You forget I’m not just any pitiful human, you said yourself, that I am the prophecy girl.” She paused and flicked her gaze to Chase who winked at her, “Surely that gives me some kind of edge.”
She began to walk slowly towards Natalia again. Ally knew that if she could throw her off enough Chase would be able to deal with her and she could grab Kathryn from the vampire.
“So you think you can beat me little girl,” she said getting obviously agitated.
That’s it Natalia, Ally thought, lose control of your emotions.
“I know I can,” she returned the arrogance that Natalia had shown.
Natalia screeched in hate and anger.
James was watching from the sidelines, terrified to move in case he threw Ally off but he couldn’t stay and watch her die. “What the hell does she think she is doing?” he said angrily.
Damian smiled, “Living up to the Carlisle and McConnell reputation. Can you imagine Addie or myself standing back from danger when someone we love is in trouble.”
“No,” he was sounding defeated. “Why did I expect anything else?”
If he wasn’t so scared he would have been proud of her for showing no fear and risking everything to save those she loved.
“Go help her, I will stay here out of sight,” Damian said softly.
James nodded and went to help his love. He went the long way so they wouldn’t know where Damian was taking cover. The last thing he wanted to do was see the vampires take his brother again.
He looked to Ally and Chase to decipher what he could do to help them the most.
He decided to double back around the house. He could take the vampire holding Kathryn by surprise and throw Natalia off enough for Chase to free himself and do away with the creature that was once his sister.
Ally continued to bait Natalia, “So are you going to keep talking or are you going to come and get me.”
She looked down at her quarry and seemed to weigh up her options.
Ally saw James come up behind the vampire holding Kat
hryn and decided it was now or never. She flicked a glance to Chase who nodded so slightly she almost missed it.
Here it was, her chance to throw Natalia off. It seemed she might just die after all but she couldn’t think about this. Chase knew what she was doing and he would help her, she hoped.
Alessandra walked almost within reaching distance, taunting Natalia as much as possible. She leaned her head to one side revealing her neck to the evil creature before her. “Come and get me,” she said looking straight into her eyes.
Natalia snapped and threw Chase to the side and grabbed Ally in a death grip, her incisor’s lengthened and she stared into Ally’s eyes with victory.
“Not so confident now are you, you stupid girl,” she said viciously.
“I’m not the stupid one Natalia,” she said as Natalia’s eyes widened. “You underestimated your enemy.”
Natalia was losing her confidence.
“You see,” Ally continued, “You seemed to forget that I am not just a pitiful human. I am half immortal.”
With those final words Alessandra shoved at Natalia and she fell backwards from the pure shock of Ally catching her off guard. She hadn’t expected it. Natalia believed that Ally would roll over and die. That she would sacrifice her life for the ones she loved and up until five minutes ago she might have been right, but something had snapped in Ally and she refused to give in no matter what.
She saw James out of the corner of her eye. He jumped the vampire from behind and beheaded him without much effort. Kathryn dropped to the ground and still hadn’t moved. James looked to Ally and they held the eye contact for a moment. It was a mistake that Natalia saw and in a split second. Natalia had gotten to her feet and started to run for Ally. James saw this and yelled out “Ally!”
She turned back to see the psychotic vampire running towards her at full speed.
Ally heard James in her mind screaming, “Deflect!”
It took her a second to comprehend what he meant, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion and she realised he had thrown a fireball directly at her. She stepped back and held her hand up to deflect the fireball straight into Natalia’s heart. The look of shock on her face as she noticed what had just happened was something that Ally would never forget. The fireball slammed into her chest and she fell to the ground.
The fireball itself wouldn’t kill her but the bleeding wound it caused would, if she didn’t heal it, and soon.
Ally looked to Chase who was walking towards his half-sister with deadly intent. She decided that Natalia’s fate lay in the hands of Chase.
She ran to James who was crouching over Kathryn’s body. She felt the defeat flowing out of him. Ally looked up into his eyes and was slammed with the knowledge that lay within them.
She felt the wind knocked out of her lungs but she pushed herself further, to her friend’s side.
Ally dropped to her knees and laid a hand on her friend.
James looked over to her and said, “I’m so sorry Ally.”
Ally felt the tears running down her face. “There has to be something we can do.”
“I wish there was but she has been bitten and depending on what they did, she is either dead or will become a vampire,” he said solemnly.
“How do we know?” she asked her heart breaking.
“We don’t,” he said as he shrugged his shoulders. “Only time will tell and if she is a vampire we don’t want her anywhere near you. She won’t be Kat anymore, you have to recognise that”
Ally dropped her head. “I’m so sorry Kat,” she whispered to the girl who had been her best friend.
Chase was standing over Natalia ready to deal the final blow but he couldn’t do it, no matter what she had done. She was still his half-sister. “Get out of my sight you evil creature.”
Natalia hissed and ran into the forest as fast as she could. She knew that she had been defeated this time.
“I won’t lose next time brother,” Natalia screamed as she was running.
Chase looked to find Ally and James kneeling by Kathryn. “Oh no,” he whispered and was beside them in an instant. He fell to his knees beside Ally.
“I’m sorry Chase.”
James and Ally moved back to give him a moment. He put his arm around her and she leaned into him.
“Will he survive this?” Ally asked.
“Something wasn’t right between them Ally. I don’t know what but something wasn’t right.”
She looked up at him and remembered the look that Mackenzie and Chase had shared. “Mackenzie,” she whispered.
He nodded softly. “I think they might be soulmates.”
“But how can you get something like that wrong?” she asked, not understanding.
“I’m not sure, but I think there might be some things we don’t know about soulmates,” he replied.
She felt a shiver run through her. “We can’t just leave her here. We need to give her a burial or something.”
James looked down at his love and wanted to console her, take away her pain and make things right but he couldn’t. “The thing is we don’t know when she was bitten or potentially turned. It only takes a few hours before the victim becomes a vampire. Given the circumstances we can’t.”
Ally was destroyed. Not only had her best friend been killed, she couldn’t even give her a burial in case she rose from the dead whilst doing it.
“Ally,” James said taking her face in his hands gently. “We can have a memorial for Kat. You can mourn her passing in any way you choose. It is only her body that we can’t risk taking home.”
Despite the grief and outrage that Ally was feeling she understood. She turned back to where her friend’s body lay deathly still and pale. Chase was hunched over her, the grief pouring out of him.
Fresh tears rolled down her face again and she turned into James’ comforting embrace.
She stayed in his arms pouring out her grief until she felt able to deal with what needed to happen next.
Chapter Twenty-Five
AFTER A WHILE CHASE CAME OVER to them and said, “I will meet you back at the house. I need to go.”
Chase was obviously distraught and weighed down with the guilt of losing her. Ally and James both nodded. With a final glance toward Kathryn he took off in a blur to the forest.
“He will be ok Ally,” James said reassuringly, then turned her away from the body of her fallen friend towards the forest. “Let’s go get Damian.”
She nodded distractedly. “When will Henry be here?”
James looked up into the distance. “I think I hear the car now.”
A few moments later, a black Mercedes came speeding around the corner.
It pulled to a stop in front of them. Henry and Adele jumped out of the car. She ran to her granddaughter and threw her arms around her. “Ally you’re safe” she said, crying with joy.
Ally hugged her back tightly. “I am.”
James walked over to Henry and gripped his arm in a manly fashion.
“Where is Chase?” Henry asked.
“We lost Kathryn and he needed some time.”
Henry hung his head. “I’m sorry.”
James shared his sentiment and then said, “We found Damian.”
Henry snapped his head up, the shock registering on his face. “Have you told Adele?”
“Not yet. Come help me get him to the car.” James and Henry walked towards the forest to get Damian.
Adele and Ally were so deep in grief and consoling each other they didn’t notice that James and Henry had left them.
“I couldn’t save Kat,” she said with a heavy heart and tears rolling down her cheek.
Adele looked at her. She wanted to take away the guilt and heartbreak that her beloved granddaughter was feeling but she knew that only time would heal the pain. Adele was crushed that the evil creatures had taken Kat from them. Her mind was blank from hurting but she managed to find some wise words that she hoped would help Ally. “Sometimes we can’t save people no
matter what we do. It breaks my heart that she is gone but I know you would have done everything you could.”
Ally nodded sadly. “She was dead before we got here, but she has been bitten.”
“Oh no!” Adele gasped as Ally began sobbing again. Fresh tears began falling from Adele’s eyes as well. They knew that if Kathryn became one of the undead, she would need to be destroyed.
“We won’t know if she has been turned until she rises and tracks us down,” Ally said, distraught and unable to comprehend that her best friend might want her dead.
“It will be alright. Let’s just hope that Natalia didn’t turn her.” Adele knew Natalia well enough to make an educated guess that she had turned Kathryn but they wouldn’t know for a while. Either way, the Kathryn they knew and loved was dead.
“Is Chase alright?” Adele asked knowing first-hand what the loss of a soulmate could do to one’s heart and soul. She wouldn’t wish the soul destroying, heart shattering pain that she had felt for all these years on anyone.
“As alright as one can expect,” Ally paused. “There is something I need to tell you…”
“What?”
Ally turned her head to find James before answering. She spotted him and Henry coming out of the forest with Damian. They were both supporting him.
“Look over there Gran,” Ally said, with a mixture of joy at being able to reunite her grandmother with the soulmate she had thought dead all these years but the grief still had a strong hold on Ally. She knew it would for a long time to come, but it only strengthened her resolve to annihilate every last vampire that walked the earth.
Adele looked over and gasped with shock. “Damian,” she whispered then looked back to Ally.
“He has been held prisoner all this time and we never knew. I had a dream last night that led me to believe he was alive and with Kathryn but I didn’t want to say anything to you until I knew for sure.”
“Oh Ally!” she exclaimed as she hugged her and then ran to her long lost love.
Damian saw her and stood on his own. She threw her arms around him, tears began rolling down both their faces. “I thought you were dead, Damian! I can’t believe you’re alive, after all this time.”
Immortal Prophecy (The Immortal Prophecy Saga) Page 26
