A twig snapping in the distance brought Ally back into the present. Her eyes scanned the darkness beyond the well-lit porch she was sitting on, but she saw nothing. Maybe he was out there watching her? No…she had a sense that she’d know if it was him. This was something or someone else. Her senses were on high alert and her stomach tightened in anticipation.
“Hello?” She called out cautiously.
Another twig snapped.
She stood up, ready to flee back inside if she had to, before she called out again. “I know you’re there. So come on out.”
A trilling laugh bounced of the trees and the walls all around her. She couldn’t distinguish where the sound was coming from. The sound set her teeth on edge. She almost wished that Vincent was here right now, despite her misgivings about him, she knew he’d be able to protect her.
She tried one last time to coax whoever it was out of the trees. “You’ve thirty seconds then I’m going inside. So if you want to say something to me then get it over with.”
“I knew you wouldn’t be any fun,” a sickly sweet voice responded. “Alright, I’m coming out.”
Ally stood immobile. She hadn’t actually thought of what to do if the person actually came out. But at least it was another woman not a man, she reasoned with herself. Eyes constantly scanning back and forth until her eyes landed on white blonde hair, huge blue eyes and a leather clad to die for figure. Her mouth hung open as she watched the woman approach.
“Not what you were expecting huh?” Natalia laughed coldly.
“Uh, not exactly,” She replied honestly and closed her mouth. “Who are you?”
“Natalia,” she replied. The wicked glee shone in her eyes. “You really don’t remember a thing do you?”
Ally groaned internally. This woman was already grating on her nerves. “No I don’t, but why do I get the feeling that actually makes you happy?”
Natalia gasped and put her hand to her chest. “Why Ally, how could you think that? Of course, I’m not happy. I’m absolutely devastated.” She finished the sentence with a small laugh and a smirk.
“We’re not friends, are we?” Ally guessed.
“No, we were enemies and now it seems we’re rivals,” she spat. “You won’t get him. He’s mine.”
Ally furrowed her brow. “Vincent?”
“Of course. Who else would I be talking about?”
“Dunno. I lost my memory remember,” Ally returned sarcastically.
Natalia let out a low growl of displeasure.
“Did you actually growl at me?” She exclaimed.
“He’s changing!” Natalia spat. “Stay away from him. He is mine!”
“And if he doesn’t want you?”
“What would you even know about him or the love that we share.” She took a step toward Ally, who matched her movement.
“I may not know ‘about the love you share’ but I know that if he really was yours then you wouldn’t feel the need to stand here threatening me away from the man that supposedly loves you.”
Natalia’s furious screech filled the air. “He does love me. You’re just a toy. He’ll come back to me. He always does!”
“Oh no Natalia, I think the truth is that you were always just the toy that he played with when nothing else was around to catch his interest,” she paused to let the insult slide in and was rewarded with a glare that medusa herself would have been proud of. “This has happened before hasn’t it?”
“Stop changing him. I’m warning you little girl. Very bad things are going to happen to you and to him if you change his nature.”
“I can’t change something that doesn’t want to be changed,” Ally quipped back.
“Screw it,” Natalia screamed. “He’ll thank me one day for killing you.”
The next second Ally saw something that she was sure would haunt her for the rest of her days. Natalia the beauty melted away and in her place was a red eyed beast filled with rage and blood lust. Ally screamed and took a step back from her. Natalia crouched ready to pounce. Ally didn’t know exactly what she was looking at, but she knew that whatever Natalia actually was, she could and would kill her in the next ten seconds. There was nothing she could do.
“Any last words?” Natalia said with a smirk.
She forced the tremble from her voice. “Good luck when the next woman comes along.”
Her red eyes burned brighter then she pounced.
Ally closed her eyes waiting for the impact and praying that it would be quick. All too soon, she felt the impact. A wall of solid stone slammed into her and knocked her to the ground. The breath left her lungs in a whoosh and her head slammed into the floor. Her vision swam. Two people fought in front of her. Red frantic eyes darted in and out of her vision before their owner turned and ran into the black night.
The other person turned and dove to her side. “Alessandra,” the fear was evident in his voice. She looked up into his eyes and saw the same emotion there. “Alessandra. Please say something. Did she hurt you?”
Ally tried to shake her head but it hurt too much to move. “No,” she mumbled. “I think you did.”
Vincent let out a breathy laugh. “I’m sorry. I heard Natalia and my heart stopped. I knew exactly who she was talking to and I...I... feared that I would be too late to stop her from hurting you.” He brushed her hair behind her ear. “I very nearly was.”
She tried to sit up, but her stomach churned and her head was still spinning. It wasn’t worth the effort. “You saved my life, Vincent. Thank you.”
She felt him stiffen beside her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said shrugging it off. “I think it’s time we got you back inside and in bed.”
“You could at least buy me dinner first,” she quipped with a smirk.
“You amaze me Alessandra,” he returned with a look of wonder in his eyes. “You were nearly killed by a truly psychotic, shall we say... ex-girlfriend and you’re making jokes.”
“Well if you don’t laugh, you cry.”
Vincent shook his head as he scooped her up and cradled her in his arms against his chest. “I’ve never met anyone like you and I doubt I ever will again.”
“Probably not,” she agreed and snuggled into the crook in his neck. She was too tired and too sore to fight the feeling. She’d almost died and he’d saved her life. “So Natalia is a vampire also?”
“Yes.”
“And she is…”
“She was a mistake,” he said firmly. “One that I have been paying for, for years.”
“Ouch,” she said.
“It’s the truth. But the complete truth is that she isn’t entirely to blame…”
Ally held her breath for fear that he wouldn’t continue. He was actually going to tell her the truth about something. She almost wished she had more near death experiences if it got this kind of reaction from him.
“I made her into what she is,” he continued on. “She wasn’t always like that or at least I wasn’t aware that it was there in her, and well our combined natures brought out the worst in her.”
“She seemed to think that you were still in love with her.”
“I was never in love with her. It was an obsession, not love. And if she is ever honest with herself she’d realise that what she felt was obsession too. It was mutually beneficial for us for a while and…well I’m really making myself sound like an amazing guy here aren’t I?”
“Vincent, I would rather you be honest with me, it doesn’t matter if it makes you sound bad or not. I don’t want lies. I want the truth. So continue on.”
Vincent opened the door to her bedroom and carried her to the bed. He laid her down gently, pulled the blankets over her and sat beside her. “Well I didn’t completely discourage her when it suited me, but she knew that we weren’t in a relationship as such.”
“You should do that more often.”
“Treat women badly?” He said with a frown.
“No, telling the absolute truth. That’s
the first thing you’ve said since I woke up that I’ve believed without question.”
His eyebrows drew together. “I’m not entirely sure how to take that.”
Ally laughed softly and winced from the pain. “It was meant as a compliment.”
Vincent took hold of her hand. “I think I should get Reid back to take a look at your head.”
“No, don’t drag him out of bed at this time of night. I’ll be okay.”
“Alessandra,” he voice low and deadly. “If you think that I saved your life only to have you taken from me by a concussion or worse then you are sadly mistaken. I don’t care if he’s tucked up in bed. He’s coming to see you.”
“There’s the ruthless Vincent I know,” Ally said lightly as she watched him walk towards the door. “Where are you going?”
“To call Reid and if you want to stop me, then get out of bed.”
Ally grimaced. “Fine. You win this one.”
Vincent gave a satisfied nod and stalked out of the room.
Ally rolled her eyes and winced again. “Dammit.”
What am I going to do with that man? On top of everything else I’m already feeling, I now have to add hero to the list…well sort of hero.
She chuckled to herself and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Isabella touched the anchor necklace that James had bought for Ally the night of the Glencoe fair. She sighed wistfully. If only they’d been able to outsmart that creature Vincent…but she knew that no matter what they did, they would have failed.
She picked up and cradled it in her hands. This was how she’d gotten a reading on Ally the first time they’d met all those years at the fair. The reading she’d given that day had scared her. She’d felt powerless to help the girl. The sorrow that had stayed with her for weeks after that had made her decide it was time she put her gifts to good use. She’d practised and her gifts had grown stronger over the years. She no longer needed to hold an object to do a reading for someone, laying eyes on them was all it took now. When she’d seen Ally’s future, she’d also seen her own and she knew that she was one of the chosen few who would join the elder council. It had shocked her. Everyone knew of the prophecy and the girl, but never once had she thought that she’d be the seer. But when she’d learned this, she did what had to be done and that included keeping an eye on Ally from a distance whenever she could. The girl was stubborn and had gone into a deep denial. Unfortunately for her, the very next day part of Isabella’s prediction had come to pass and Ally couldn’t deny the truth of what she had been told…but over the years she’d brushed it off as just coincidental. The death of her parents had changed her. It had ripped a hole in her heart that James had only just begun to fill. She thanked every god and goddess she knew of that he was her soulmate. No-one else would have been able to handle Ally the way James could. And through Ally, she’d found her lost half-brother. For that fact alone she would always be grateful.
Due to the spell that had bound Ally’s mind, she hoped that by holding something personal of hers that meant a great deal she would be able to manufacture a connection strong enough. She sat on the floor crossed her legs and closed her eyes. Blocking out everything around her and breathing deeply, she held the necklace between both her hands and threw everything she had into seeing her future once more.
Nothing.
She tried again. Fog. Tendrils of grey fog everywhere she looked. Then the coils began to clear. A picture slowly came into focus and she was pulled in and lost to the visions in her mind.
Hidden in the shadows Ally watched the hundred vampires gather before the enemy. She waited for her moment to come. The moment for revenge against the Carlisles. The ones that had stolen her from the place that she was supposed to be…By Vincent’s side for all of eternity as his Queen.
She listened to the words he was speaking.
“My dear, dear Carlisles,” he said menacingly. “This ends tonight.”
“Where is she?” A voice she recognized from her dreams called back from the opposite side. A tremor of fear and doubt snaked up her spine, but she held it in check. Her moment was coming. He was about to speak the words.
“Alessandra?”
“Who else?” The voice spat full of disgust.
“Alessandra, my love. Come out here darling.” He said as he turned to look at her hiding place in the shadows. Their eyes locked. He nodded encouragingly. She straightened to her full height and ran her hands nervously down her black leather skirt. Never taking her eyes off Vincent, she walked down to stand by his side and into his embrace.
She ignored the shocked gasps that she heard coming from behind her. She wouldn’t look at them yet. Couldn’t.
Vincent kissed the top of her head. She smiled into his shoulder.
“Ally,” a voice full of pain called out. “What have you done to her?”
Her heart was breaking but she didn’t know why…Part of her didn’t want to know why. But that voice. It called to her. She wanted to answer.
Vincent ignored the question and slipped the poison tipped dagger into her hand. “My love,” he lifted her chin up and kissed her sweetly. “You know what I want you to do?”
“Yes,” she replied. “Kill James Carlisle.”
Again, the gasps tried to pull her attention. But she had to focus. She wasn’t a killer but she needed to do this.
“He’s the one in front,” Vincent whispered into her ear.
She gave a short nod and turned out of his embrace to face the crowd…and stopped dead.
Those eyes…
Her breath left her in a rush as the memories of her life and the truth came rushing to the surface. An eternity seemed to pass, but it was only a mere few seconds.
She knew the truth of who she was and what she was…
A voice screamed in her mind, making it past the chaos. “Ally!”
Her eyes blurry with unshed tears looked back into his again. “Oh god. What have I done?”
“It’s alright Ally. Please little one, come to me.”
A tear rolled down her cheek at the endearment she’d come to love so much.
“Alessandra?” Vincent spoke from behind her breaking the moment. “Are you alright?”
She squeezed her eyes together. Blocked out the heart wrenching pain that she felt and turned to the man she thought she loved. He looked at her with such concern and devotion. She knew that in his way, the emotions were true and heartfelt, but it wasn’t true love. She knew the difference now…as had Vincent once.
She steeled herself once and sent a final thought to James. “I’m sorry, James. Please don’t watch this.”
“What?”
Ally closed the connection and felt the bottom of her world fall out. “Of course I am.” She said with a wicked grin.
His eyes heated and he growled in satisfaction. She blanked her mind and pulled his lips to hers to give him the last passionate kiss she ever would. Her body heated with unfulfilled desire and her heart broke all over again. It broke for the love that was never real and it broke for the torture she knew she was inflicting on James right now as she heard his broken yelling in the background.
Ally savoured the last moment and then broke the kiss. She knew what she had to do…
She winked at Vincent and turned back to face the immortals. Their faces showed the pain, disgust and shock that she was feeling.
James stepped forward and moved to grab her, but her eyes held him in check. He didn’t know what she was doing and she couldn’t tell him just yet. Vincent would see every emotion running across his face and the game would be up.
She halted right in front of him, but she still didn’t speak. Her eyes overflowing with tears once more, she spoke to him in his mind.
“I’m so sorry James…I didn’t know you were real. I thought you were a dream.”
“It doesn’t matter. All I want is to have you back.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”
She lifted the dagger. James stared at the weapon and sighed in defeat. His heart and soul had been destroyed. “Do what you must…”
“I don’t deserve you, James.”
“Vincent,” she called over her shoulder.
“Yes Alessandra?”
“I’m sorry,” she said as she grabbed the dagger tighter.
“For what?”
“This,” she whispered, then pivoted on her heel and threw the dagger directly into his heart.
“NO!” he screamed in agony.
Ally watched him go down and began to sob uncontrollably as James grabbed her and pulled her into his embrace. “I love you James,” she said quietly as she gently moved out of his arms and ran to Vincent’s side.
She kneeled beside him and held his hand tightly. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered as she stroked his face.
“Why, Alessandra?” he croaked out. “I loved you! You were going to be my queen.”
She nodded as the tears fell. “I loved you too. But we both know that it wasn’t real love, Vincent. What you had with Olivia was real love. True love. Not this. And now we’ve both lost our soulmates.”
Vincent had turned deathly white as the poison ran though his blood. Nothing was going to stop his death. The poison they’d made was lethal to any immortal or vampire.
“There’s something you need to know. James’ is Olivia’s son…your son.”
His eyes widened in shock. “I never knew…”
She leaned down and kissed him one last time. “Find peace in death and with Olivia.”
Immortal Fate Page 9
