Love, Immortal (Alchemy Book 2)

by Eden Ashley

  “Hogan, language.”

  “You say a lot worse, Davey.”

  “I do, but I’m also a grown-up with a PhD, and I pay the mortgage.” She tossed a throw pillow at his head. “And I’m sorry you had to lie for me, but thank you.”

  “It was for a good cause. I think.”

  “Hold that thought.” Considering the best way to answer Hogan’s question, Davey leaned forward and clasped her hands. “There’s more. A lot more. Everything that’s happened in the past twenty-four hours somehow involves you, and Ethan is going to help us understand it.”

  Hogan shifted his attention to Ethan expectantly. Nodding, Ethan dove right into an explanation. “Mason Drekker, the man who assaulted the students at your school, is an agent for the military sector of Global Cures, but he recently went rogue. The violent acts he’s committing now are due to a mission of his own creation. I believe Drekker is seeking to acquire you, Hogan, because he needs your help. I was tasked to intercept him—to stop Mason Drekker at all costs—and to bring you back to Global Cures.”

  “Wait. Help him? How? I don’t know anything about any of this.”

  “Hogan…you may know more than you realize. Those aren’t nightmares that plague you. Last night when you were screaming, I was able to map your brain and subsequently registered an abnormal amount of activity. The readings were impossible for someone even in REM sleep. Every glial cell within your cortex lit up like individual lightning storms, generating astronomical sums of energy.” Ethan paused, casting an uncertain glance in Davey’s direction. Then he carefully continued. “Hogan, I believe that last night you traveled to another realm, one that is not meant for the living. And when you touched me, I took this journey with you. I saw the one whom you called ‘the bad man.’ That man is Mason Drekker, the same agent who’s hunting you.”

  “But how?” Hogan asked in a voice about five octaves too high. He was clearly having a hard time wrapping his head around everything. Davey couldn’t blame him. It was a lot to take in. She’d needed months to come to grips with Ethan’s true origins, and these new revelations were equally mind-blowing. “You killed the bad guy,” her brother continued. “He died at the school.”

  “I can only stop his physical body. Drekker was supposed to be like me, but the transmutation process was corrupted, leaving him with no permanent form. He inhabits living humans, supplanting their consciousness with his own. When a human host dies, Drekker briefly goes back to the other realm before returning to life. I think he has somehow figured out a way to manipulate the process at will.”

  “Holy shit.” Hogan shook his head. “This is insane. Even if everything you said is true—that instead of dreaming, I’m taking some sort of acid trip to neverland—it still doesn’t explain why your guy, Drekker, thinks I can do anything for him. I don’t know anything about alchemy, transmutations, or mystical realms.”

  “Well…that’s the thing,” Ethan began but fell silent.

  “Ethan?” Davey prodded when he didn’t continue.

  He sighed. “If Hogan is having a hard time with this, the next part will be extremely difficult to accept.”

  “Just spit it out, Ethan.”

  “I’ve already told you how the scientists at Global Cures are seeking to recreate the process that can successfully transmute a human soul into a complex machine. Well, I think Hogan can do it naturally. I believe he is a true alchemist. Not only can Hogan travel to this other realm at will, but I believe he could bring someone—a soul or souls—back with him.”

  Hogan abruptly stood up from the couch. “You’re right,” he almost shouted. “I don’t believe any of this. And it’s seriously fucked up that Drekker killed Mrs. Prince because I sure as shit can’t help him.”

  Shocked by Hogan’s outburst, Davey took a moment to regroup. Her brother had always been the sweet and even-tempered one. Fits of rage were more Davey’s area of expertise.

  Luckily, Ethan wasn’t as affected. “I was there with you, Hogan,” he gently insisted. “I saw firsthand what you can do.”

  “Or maybe that was just your artificial, cyber-hybrid neurons going haywire. When was your last software update?” he rambled. “You shouldn’t skip those. They’re very important.”

  “Hogan,” Davey said in a warning tone. “Don’t be rude.”

  Ethan held up one hand. “It’s okay, Davey. He’ll eventually come to terms with it. He has to.”

  “And what if I don’t?” Hogan shot back.

  “Then Drekker will continue to torment you until he gets what he wants. He will come after your sister and anyone else you care about. Hogan, I will do everything in my power to stop him, but I’m afraid it won’t be enough. I am a soldier, but I was designed to counter physical threats, not something like this.”

  Deflating as if all the air left him at once, Hogan collapsed onto the couch in a dejected heap of spent adrenaline. “People shouldn’t be getting hurt because of me. It’s not fair.”

  “No, it’s not. That’s why we have to stop Drekker.”

  “But how?”

  “The next time you to travel, I will come with you.”

  Hogan’s eyes widened in panic. “I’ve already told you that I don’t how to do that.”

  “Yes, you can, Hogan, and I will prove it to you,” Ethan said and surprised Davey by moving to kneel in front of her brother, facing away from them. When Ethan stripped off his shirt, she caught her breath, mentally chiding herself that now was not the time to get distracted by hard abs, rippling biceps, or an obscenely well-defined back.

  Ethan pointed to his left shoulder. “This tattoo is an ancient symbol for human transmutation. It is what anchors my soul to this body. Hogan, I want you to touch the circle.”

  “What’s going to happen?” he asked.

  Great question, Davey thought. A knot formed in her stomach as she recalled when Hogan had somehow launched Ethan across the room, ruining a perfectly good section of drywall and rendering Ethan unconscious for several terrifying seconds. Davey wasn’t ready to repeat round two of a similar scenario.

  “Ethan, maybe he shouldn’t.”

  “Trust me, Davey,” he said and looked over his shoulder at Hogan. “Touch the symbol,” he ordered.

  With trembling fingers, Hogan obeyed, and the effect was instantaneous. Hogan’s sharp intake of air was audible just before his eyes closed and began moving rapidly behind his eyelids. Then Ethan’s tattoo began to glow as if backlit by a bright blue light. Lines of the same blue formed all across the surface of Ethan’s skin, following along the path of synthetic veins which were rapidly swelling to unnatural proportions. Ethan’s left hand balled into a fist and his jaw rippled over clenched teeth, but otherwise he didn’t move. Davey sat as still as possible, afraid to make a sound or do anything that might disrupt Hogan’s concentration. She didn’t know what was happening between the two of them, but Ethan had asked her to trust him. And so, she resolved to not interfere.

  After what seemed like hours but was actually only a few minutes, Hogan’s hand dropped from Ethan’s shoulder and the rest of Hogan’s body slumped forward. But just as Davey tensed with worry, he recovered. His face was fully transformed by wonder.

  Dragging in a deep breath, Ethan slowly climbed to his feet. “What did you see?” he asked as he pulled his shirt back on.

  “Everything. It was like I was inside of you. Your entire life—moving backwards and sideways through time…but then it suddenly stopped.” Hogan’s voice fell to a trembling whisper. “It’s all true, isn’t it? They really brought you back from the dead.”

  “They did.”

  “What’s it like?”

  “I don’t feel whole. I can’t remember most of my life before I became this.” Ethan gestured at his body. “It’s like they left a huge piece of me behind.”

  “But the rest of it has to feel pretty cool right? You really are a freaking terminator.”

  “I’m afraid I do not know what that is.”

 
; Hogan blinked at him. “Are you kidding? Everyone knows who the Terminator is.”

  Ethan smiled kindly. “Maybe at some point I knew, but all of my memories did not survive the transmutation process, leaving my mind fractured. That is why my human consciousness operates in unison with the artificial intelligence incorporated into this body.”

  Finally getting it, Hogan snapped his fingers. “So, basically, your human self is constantly at war with a machine brain, and that’s why you sound like a robot sometimes.” He hunched his shoulders. “Sorry for teasing you earlier.”

  Ethan shrugged. “No worries.”

  “So, what do we do now? I mean, I’m not tired and I never travel—or whatever you call it—until I sleep.”

  “Let’s give your sister time to make her phone calls.” Ethan grinned. “Then I suggest we watch The Terminator.”

  8

  Tense didn’t even begin to describe what Davey was feeling. Hogan had drifted off to sleep an hour ago. Now she and Ethan were simply waiting. Whenever Hogan showed signs of distress—the best indication he had traveled to the other realm—Ethan would take Hogan’s hand and hope to trigger a journey to the other side. The plan was a long shot. In fact, it wasn’t much of a plan at all, but it was the only option they had since Hogan had no idea how to control his abilities. Either Ethan would join him in the other realm, or Hogan would throw him against the wall again.

  Or worse, Davey thought.

  She watched her brother sleep and wondered if he ever simply dreamed. Was it bad all the time?

  “What did it feel like?” she asked Ethan softly. “When Hogan touched you earlier, you seemed to be in pain.”

  From the look on Ethan’s face, it was clear that he really didn’t want to answer the question, but when he did, Davey understood why.

  “It felt like he was tearing me apart from the inside.”

  Ten additional knots formed in Davey’s stomach, conjoining with the ones already there. She knew it was useless to argue. Ethan’s sense of duty would force him to take action no matter the cost to himself. Davey had to try anyway. “I know you want to help, but maybe there’s something else we can try first. If Hogan is what you say he is, then couldn’t he hurt you? What if he accidentally undoes the anchor? Your soul could be separated from your body. I can’t lose you, Ethan. Not again.”

  “I know you’re afraid, Davey. I am too. But there’s no time. Mason Drekker won’t stop coming for Hogan, and now that I’m here, it’s doubtful Drekker will ever attempt another physical attack because he knows I can outmatch him in every way. Confronting him within the other realm is our best chance.”

  Davey took his hand and gave it an anxious squeeze. “But what will you do once you get there—if you get there?”

  “You have to trust me, Davey.”

  “I do trust you. But I need you to answer the question.”

  Ethan avoided eye contact, prompting Davey to press him further, but then Hogan whimpered softly. A thin sheen of sweat had broken across his forehead.

  “I have to go,” Ethan said softly.

  “I know.” Davey swallowed thickly. “What should I do if something goes wrong?”

  Ethan’s cool fingers traced her cheek. His gaze was determined. “This will work,” he promised.

  “Okay,” she whispered, finding faith in his assuredness. “Okay.”

  “You should stand back. Hogan’s probably not in control right now.”

  Fighting the twisted feeling burrowing into her gut, Davey moved away from the bed. Ethan waited until she was clear. Then, after a brief pause, he reached down and touched her brother. Closing his eyes as a soft blue light sparked between them, Ethan shuddered and was still. It took longer for the changes in Hogan to manifest, but he too was affected. His movements became less agitated. The sweat dried from his skin, and his whimpering stopped.

  Davey wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, to celebrate at least what seemed like a tiny victory, but knew it was too soon. So, she waited.

  And waited.

  Minutes passed.

  And then hours.

  In the beginning, Davey was vigilant—a sentinel, guarding her boys with tireless vigilance. All the while she hated herself for being so useless, especially when her body betrayed her. The stagnant position had turned her muscles to stone, and the ensuing numbness slowly morphed into a more sinister, burning pain, and forced her to her feet. Awkwardly limping across the room, she paced until normal blood flow and feeling returned to her extremities. Even then, she kept moving, needing to be doing something. Otherwise, her mind would go insane projecting and analyzing every worst-case scenario.

  As the first visages of dawn peeked through the curtains, casting grey streaks of light across the darkness, Davey worried for the millionth time that Hogan and Ethan might never return to her. Or what if Hogan awakened, but Ethan somehow remained behind—trapped in this other realm and unable to return to his physical body? Ugh. Davey yanked at her hair. She wanted to scream, but didn’t because she was also afraid that screaming might somehow harm a process she would spend a lifetime trying to understand.

  When her brother finally stirred, the band of angst constricting her chest loosened and breathing became easier. Hogan slowly opened his eyes and sat up groggily, appearing confused to see her in his room. Then he looked to his right where Ethan still lay unmoving. Realization settled onto his features, quickly dragged down by apprehension.

  Davey took him by the shoulders. “Are you okay?”

  He nodded but kept staring at Ethan. The worry didn’t leave his expression.

  Almost too afraid to ask, she did so anyway. “What’s wrong?”

  “Davey, I don’t know if it worked.”

  Not getting his meaning, she quickly shook her head. “I don’t know what’s going on. Ethan wouldn’t tell me. What happened, Hogan?”

  Eyes wide and fearful, he took a deep breath. “Ethan wanted me to bring him back.”

  “Who?” Davey demanded as her heart pounded a full chorus of drums within her ears.

  “He said his name was Seth.”

  Her mouth went dry. She licked her lips. Words became difficult to form. “S-Seth,” she stammered. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hogan, this is extremely important.” She felt dizzy. Her head was buzzing, but her body was numb. “What else do you remember?”

  “Almost all of it.” Tears welled in his eyes, and he started to shake. “The bad man was there, waiting for me. Seth told me to not be afraid and helped me hide. But the bad man found us. He was very angry. He was hurting Seth, hurting me.” Hogan hugged his knees to his chest. “Then Ethan came and they fought. He forced the bad man to leave us alone, but…”

  “But what?” Davey urged.

  “I’m not sure. I-It happened so fast.”

  “Try,” she insisted with desperation thick in her voice.

  “He made the bad man leave, but he promised something in return. Then Ethan told us to go. He said that Seth had to come back with us. Ethan swore he couldn’t leave without him if he was to fulfill his purpose. I told Ethan that I didn’t know if I could bring both of them back. I can’t control it like that, but he wouldn’t listen to me. He said we were out of time—I had to wake up and I had to take Seth with me.”

  “Okay,” Davey said as calmly as possible, though she was freaking out on the inside. Her brother was clearly upset, and she didn’t want to make things worse by imprinting her panic upon him. She glanced uneasily at Ethan. He still hadn’t moved. “Hogan, why isn’t Ethan waking up?”

  “I don’t know,” Hogan answered shrilly, curling his body tighter as he withdrew further into himself.

  “It’s okay. It’s okay,” she said quickly, attempting to soothe him. “Whatever happens is not your fault. I’m just trying to understand everything that’s happening.”

  Hogan stared at Ethan’s motionless form. He chewed his lip as silent tears streaked his cheeks. “I didn’t know
how to do what he wanted, Davey,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”

  The fear she felt was a sharp, stabbing pain, and it drove through her chest in a ruthless, repeating cycle. When she swallowed, spikes of dread pricked her throat raw. Ethan had to be okay. He just had to.

  “It’s okay,” she said and squeezed Hogan’s hand. “Everything is going to be fine.”

  ∞∞∞

  Just an hour after dawn, Ethan opened his eyes. But there was nothing human about them. Lightless voids pooled within both orbits, flooding darkness where life should have been. Instead of irises, there were colorless pits filled by a glowing green sequence of numbers. Repeating infinitely, the ones and zeros scrolled through the pitch of Ethan’s eyes at an ever-quickening pace, eventually becoming a jade-colored blur. Blue lines forged strange pathways across his face, tracing artificial blood vessels situated just beneath the surface of his skin. Not knowing what to think, Davey held her breath.

  Movement from Ethan’s hand drew her attention downward. His fingers had curled into the sheets, gathering the soft fibers into tiny mountains. Then his arm jerked upward, the wave of motion undulating through the rest of his body to send a trembling ripple into his torso. Ethan sat up slowly, blinking as if the faint lamplight was too bright. Though his steely eyes appeared black in the dimness, Davey could tell they were human once more. Ethan was back.

  At first, he considered her brother with steady contemplation. Then his scrutiny transferred to Davey with the slightest shift of movement. Looking down at his hands, Ethan wriggled all ten digits, made a fist and stretched his fingers out again. “Incredible,” he whispered.

  “Ethan?” she called in a wavering voice.

  “Yes,” he said. A sudden grin broke across his features. “It’s me.” Turning to Hogan with a start, Ethan’s expression faltered. “You okay, kid?”

  “Uh, yeah. I’m fine.”