Immortal Envy

by Justice, A. D.

  “Yes.” I dropped my head in shame.

  “You’ve resisted me for a long time, Ramses. If you’ll open your mind to me, I can help repair some of the damage caused to your psyche over the years. Let me give you the peace you deserve.”

  “What I deserve,” I repeated solemnly. “I don’t deserve anything good after what I’ve done to you. To Slade. To Alea. I deserve wrath and vengeance.”

  “You’re my son. Accept this gift from me. The rest will have to be worked out with Slade and Alea.”

  I nodded in agreement, accepting his offer and a little reprieve from the mental anguish and guilt I’d carried for far too long. Like a soothing balm covering raw hide, his healing touch removed the years of built-up scars and calluses in my mind. When he finished, I actually felt genuine feelings once again.

  The time had come for me to return home and face my own shortcomings without blaming everyone else in my life for my own actions. My arrival back home was punctuated by a presence I longed for daily. She was nearby—Alea was here. But why? She would never willingly leave Slade, that much I already knew. There could only be one reason why she’d be in this area, and the ramifications of that reason would be insurmountable. My clan partner must be more insane than I’d realized if he’d kidnapped Alea and held her prisoner here.

  Slade would be unstoppable in his quest to retrieve her. The war he’d bring to our doorsteps would be a one-sided massacre. With his power, he could obliterate his enemies and they’d never even know he’d been there. Rolland had no idea what chain of events he’d just set into motion with his latest move.

  I, for one, would not be a party to his madness.

  While Rolland engaged his clan, Patrick used his power to hide my telepathic message and I issued a silent command to mine to leave as quickly as possible and not return until they heard from me again. If nothing else, I’d protect my people from the lunatic who’d taken over—and for once, that lunatic wasn’t me. I stole into the basement of Rolland’s house while he was busy strategically placing his men in different locations in the forest. He’d been busy while Patrick and I were in Italy.

  A brand new cell had been constructed, complete with silver bars, just for Alea. She paced back and forth inside, turning on her heel just before she touched the bars and clutching her journal tightly in her hand. She knew I was there, but she refused to look at me.

  “Alea.” Remorse filled my tone—from helping to put her in this position to begin with to being unable to free her from the silver prison.

  “My husband will be here soon. If you want to live past the next few minutes, I suggest you do the same as you commanded your clan to do. Get away from me.” Her eyes flashed red, resembling an uncontrollable fire burning rampant deep inside. The longer she stared at me, the hotter it burned, and the more I felt the flames leap out and strike me.

  “I’ll go,” I agreed. “I’m sorry, Alea. For all of this.”

  Chapter 20

  Ramses Barnett, 1792

  I watched from the sidewalk when Slade returned home to his empty house. His expression confirmed he knew she wasn’t there before he stepped foot inside. But he held on to a sliver of hope that he was wrong. He wasn’t. When he fully realized it, a side of my brother emerged that I never knew existed in him. He was a crazed man, his need for her driving him to madness. His obsession with her feeding his panic. He must have torn every room apart looking for her. Screaming her name.

  But he knew. He knew he’d been played for a complete fool.

  I knew I should’ve left before he came back out of his house. I should’ve flown back to the rendezvous point and waited for my clan. But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t miss the most pivotal moment in the entire game. The moment when my perfect brother completely lost his mind and joined the ranks of the insane.

  When he burst through the second-floor window, I felt his power shooting out of every pore in his body. His eyes were red, of course, but that wasn’t the only thing. All of him appeared to glow red—from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. Through his clothes and his shoes, like a large ball of fire streaking through the sky.

  He was terrifying. And he was going straight for Rolland, just as Rolland had intended. To his deathtrap.

  “Slade! Wait!” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

  He turned his fiery gaze on me, murder raging in his eyes. In an instant, he’d grabbed me and lifted me with one arm. “What have you done?”

  “Slade, listen to me. I’m trying to help. But I need your help first.”

  “Talk. If I don’t like what I hear, I’ll rip your head off with my bare hands.”

  “Rolland came to me and wanted to join clans for our mutual benefit and protection. I agreed, but then later I changed my mind.

  “When I tried to break the agreement, he threatened to kill you and Alea. So I’ve stayed put and bit my tongue for as long as I can take it. I wasn’t at the house while he had you distracted and he was abducting Alea. I've only just returned from a trip to Castel’s and learned Rolland had gone through with his plan.

  “He took her back there and put her in a silver cell. You won’t be able to get close to it without losing your powers and risking your life.”

  “Are you trying to tell me not to go get my wife?” he growled, his voice rumbling through the street and the buildings like an earthquake.

  “No. I know better than that. I’m saying if you rush in there headfirst, it’ll be a dead end for both of you.”

  “Why are you trying to help me now?”

  “I need you to get me out of this pact with Rolland. He’s taking over my clan. He’s changing my vampires to shapeshifter hybrids. I believe he’ll kill me after he’s killed you and Alea.”

  “Looking out for yourself again, I see.”

  “Are you going to help me or not, Slade?”

  “No. I’m going to help my wife. Stay here. If I see you anywhere near the houses, you’re a dead man. I’m going to bring my wife home now.”

  With that last threat, he disappeared—not even a red streak was left behind.

  The next time I return to my mountain home, the entire area will look vastly different after he finishes razing the houses. I waited in the city like I promised I would. Slade’s threat to kill me wasn’t just idle words. They were his oath and his honor—and he’d uphold them. So I roamed the streets I used to call home, reliving the sights and scents from a better time in my life. A time that held meaning and purpose. And fun.

  It’d been so long since I’d just had fun.

  But that had to wait until Slade returned and I was certain Rolland was out of my life.

  A few hours later, I felt his presence again. The anticipation of the whole situation was killing me. I’ve never been a patient man, but waiting to see which super-monster would win the battle was excruciating.

  Even with my impatience at an all-time high, I took my time walking back to Slade’s house. If anything went wrong, my brother would not be glad to see me, even more so than usual. When I arrived back at their house at last, I saw Slade and Alea embrace in the second-floor hole in the wall that was once a window.

  They felt my presence and joined me on the street. “I’m glad you’re both back safe and sound.”

  “Rolland is dead.” Slade’s voice held no brotherly love. No forgiveness. Nothing but contempt for me. “So are all of the hybrids.”

  “I’m actually very glad to hear that. Thank you for taking care of this problem.”

  “It wasn’t for you,” Slade replied.

  “How did you get her out of the cell?”

  “I made one of the hybrids do it.”

  “Your subtle nudges, huh?”

  He didn’t reply. He didn’t smile or acknowledge my friendly gesture in any way.

  “Ramses, we’re going to come to a truce right here, right now. It’ll be sworn in blood oaths and will hold for all time. If you don’t agree to the terms, our clan will des
troy you and yours.” Alea spoke with fierceness and directness.

  “What are your terms?”

  “They’re very simple, really.” She handed me a sheet of parchment from the journal she’d had with her in the cell. The rules were clearly outlined for me.

  Human prisoners are not allowed. Willing human feeders are allowed if they are properly cared for. No cages or cells.

  Do not do anything to call any unnecessary attention to vampires.

  Do not instigate or participate in any plans for coups.

  Any vampire can join either clan of his or her choice. Once a choice has been made, the clan will expect full loyalty.

  There is no mixing of species or forming alliances of any kind.

  “Do you agree to these terms?” Alea asked.

  “Yes. I agree.”

  She pulled a silver blade out and handed it to me. “Then seal it with your blood oath. If you break this oath, it will result in your death.”

  I took the blade and sliced my palm open. I squeezed the blood onto the parchment and swore my oath before them. Alea and Slade did the same, ending our clan war.

  “This truce will last as long as you allow it. But you won’t be allowed back into our lives for any reason. Take your clan. Live by the code. Keep the peace. But keep your distance.” Slade produced a map of the city. “We will both keep our clans within our boundaries.”

  “Fine.”

  Slade and Alea turned and walked away, but there was one more question I needed answered.

  “Slade.” He turned and looked at me. “Is it true I could’ve broken Castel’s control over me at any time?”

  “Yes. That is true. You’ve always had the power to take control. But you’ve always lacked the discipline to regulate yourself.”

  * * *

  Slade Barnett, 1792

  The recent events would be an extraordinary story, if anyone besides me had survived to tell the tale, that is. When I realized Rolland had Alea, nothing else in the world mattered. Not my business. Not my home. Not my life. My sole focus was my wife and her safety. She was fierce and strong herself, but I couldn’t take any chances. Castel had urged us to allow the monster within to live and breathe on its own, and that’s exactly what I intended to do.

  The rage within me built to unimaginable levels before I simply let go and allowed the red master and myself to merge into one person—for good. The feeling of ultimate power and complete control made my entire body tingle with excitement. By truly giving myself over to the darkness inside, I unlocked gifts I never knew were possible. Never even imagined a vampire possessing. Suggestive nudges had given way to total mind control. Flying had morphed into transporting to a location by simply thinking. I could disintegrate others with a flick of my hand or a focused glare.

  But the most incredible of the new gifts was being impervious to silver. For all I knew, I was the only vampire who couldn’t be killed. I’d truly become immortal thanks to the amazing, frightening new power.

  When I arrived at Rolland’s house, my enhanced senses told me where every member of the clan was hidden and where my wife was being kept. I walked through their encampment, blatantly in the open, daring anyone to challenge me. Not that I’d planned to allow any of them to get out alive, but giving them the illusion of hope only to dash it was more satisfying than killing them outright. Nevertheless, that’s exactly what happened. When I freed Alea from her cell, the silver broke as easily as dried clay under my touch.

  I purposely kept that part from Ramses when he asked how I’d released her from the silver bars. If he knew, his quest to possess the enhanced powers would never end. His obsession with it would only grow and destroy him—whether by my hand or someone else’s. He’d heard rumors about the maestro rosso protecting vampires from silver and only wanted to verify if they were true.

  Taking Rolland’s head was especially gratifying. He didn’t get the courtesy of being destroyed quickly like the others. When I removed his head from his body, I did so with my own hands and nothing else. By the time I’d finished with the shapeshifting-hybrid clan, the area appeared to be truly hell on earth, with the epicenter of Lucifer’s arrival being where Rolland’s house once stood. Not one brick or scrap of wood remained.

  Alea and I left side by side, hand in hand, as it should be. As it will always be—at the head of the clan Thomas has been building for us. Under our guidance, the future of our species will be guaranteed and our reach will be far and wide. On our return trip home, a glimpse into the future alerted me of what’s to come—the ones who have been cowardly and false will reveal themselves again one day. When that day comes, we’ll be ready.

  And they’ll be sorry.

  Epilogue

  Ramses Barnett, Current Day

  That scent haunts me, like the ghosts of my past. Like the regrets I’ve lived with for centuries and still can’t shake to this very day. There are so many things I should want to change, if only I could somehow magically transport myself back in time while retaining my present knowledge.

  But if I did that, if I changed the regrets I know I should want to change, I wouldn’t be exactly where I am today. I couldn’t take that chance even if a magic genie emerged from a lamp and granted my three wishes. The one person I’ve searched over a lifetime for is here, in New York City, right now.

  Her scent disappeared at the street corner, and like an obsessive stalker, I’ve waited at that same spot for weeks, hoping she’ll return, banking on the chance she frequents that specific area. My rational side warns me not to get my hopes up. It reminds me how many tourists visit the city on any given day and how she could be one of them. Add to that fact there are five boroughs and millions of people packed into a relatively small area, and the odds of finding her greatly diminish.

  She literally could be anywhere, I realize that.

  But my instincts tell me otherwise. They demand that I search for her and make her mine.

  After all these years of being estranged from my brother, I can say I’ve learned one thing for certain. Family means everything. When I find her, I can’t use my powers to force her to want me in return. She has to choose me of her own free will. She has to want me with her own carnal desires. She has to willingly give herself to me before we can both be free.

  The only regret from my past I would change if I could is losing my brother. I can’t forgive myself for the despicable crimes I committed against him. Over my entire life—mortal and immortal combined—he always acted with my well-being in mind. Even the things he kept from me were to protect me from myself. It’s taken me far too long to realize and accept that plain and simple fact.

  Even after all the mistakes I’ve made and the impulsive actions that could’ve gotten us both killed, he still found ways to protect me. At every turn, I’ve repaid his loyalty with disloyalty. He showed kindness, and I responded with hatred. He always had my back, but I repeatedly stabbed his.

  He only wanted the best for me.

  I only wanted everything he had.

  Had there been any other way to accomplish my goal, I would’ve gladly taken that path. His absence in my life creates a black hole of despair to this day, despite the truce we brokered between our clans. A truce that has held for over two hundred years.

  That truce will break when I find her—my immortal love. The secrets I made in the dark will come to light. The clans of New York City will once again be at each other’s throats. I’ll have more regrets to add to my collection, but at least they’ll have a purpose behind them if I have her. I’ll have to answer for what I’ve done, for what I’ve hidden all these years, and for the enemy I’ve lied to protect all these years.

  I’ve spent enough time waiting and watching, hoping to have my soul restored and my mind eased. My next move will be to mobilize my troops to find her. There are so many more advantages to being an immortal in the twenty-first century. Cell phones, Internet access, fake identification, and clan members established in key positions create
the ultimate army with the most advanced methods to stay ahead of the rest. Every last resource at my disposal will be tasked with locating this one woman.

  The only woman who can unlock my inner power.

  The only one who is my immortal love.

  Immortal Love,

  book two in the Immortal Obsessions Series,

  is coming soon.

  Acknowledgments

  First and foremost, I want to thank my Lord and Savior for His continued forgiveness of a sinner.

  To my husband: I love you! Thank you for your unwavering support and love!

  To my betas: You are the best. Thank you for being my beta readers, my sounding boards, my biggest supporters, and the all-around best people in the world. Love all of you!

  To my readers: Thank you for taking a chance on an indie author and all your support. I love hearing from everyone, so stop by my page and say hello.

  To my assistant: Tabitha Charisse, thank you for all your help and support. I love you, girl! You help keep me sane and allow me to make you crazy with my ideas. By the way, you can never leave me. I know where you live.

  To special friends: AM Madden, thank you for reading, re-reading, and giving feedback every step of the way—and all the therapeutic chats about every funny and frustrating aspect! Michelle Dare, thank you for all the late night inappropriate meme wars, sharing my love of sarcastic humor, and keeping me in stitches. Love you both!

  To the bloggers: None of this would be possible without your help, support, and tireless pimping. I love everyone in this great group of people. I can’t name one without naming everyone because you’ve all been so helpful and wonderful friends.