Enchanted Immortals Series Box Set: Books 1-4 plus Novella

by C. J. Pinard

  Tyler followed their line of sight to a tough-looking guy with a bald head and a goatee working over a punching bag like his life depended on it. He wore only a pair of shiny blue athletic shorts and had a very toned, but pale chest and very large arms and shoulders. He had a tattoo of something on his shoulder, but Tyler couldn’t quite make it out. He looked at him and thought something looked odd about the guy, but couldn’t put his finger on it. “Who is that?”

  “I think his name is Mike, he was one of Pascal’s minions,” Thomas replied.

  “Vampire,” Tyler said. “That’s what looks strange about him, he’s not sweating or even breathing heavy, but he’s giving that punching bag a run for its money.”

  “Should we approach him?” Jonathan began, but then Mike stopped pummeling the bag and looked straight at them. He stared for a long, uncomfortable minute, then grabbed the bag to steady it from swinging. He removed his gloves and made his way over to the Immortals.

  Guess that answers that, Jonathan thought.

  Mike approached slowly, trying to show he was not being threatening in any way. As he got close, he said, “Hello. Is there someplace we can talk?”

  Chapter 3

  ∞∞∞

  Los Angeles, California – 1918

  The cab stopped in front of the Alexandria Hotel. Kathryn looked up at the massive, gleaming hotel and sucked in a breath. It was the most beautiful building she had ever seen and she couldn’t believe she was going to even step foot in there, let alone stay there. The square building was brown with a lot of windows, which most likely boasted breathtaking views.

  The driver got out and hoisted Kathryn’s suitcase to the curb. He seemed to struggle quite a bit with it. She again fished through her coin purse, but was too late, as David paid the fare but asked the driver to wait.

  “It’s your dime, buddy,” the cabbie said around the cigar while getting back in the driver’s seat.

  David smiled at the driver then back at Kathryn. He again picked up the suitcase as if it weighed nothing, and offered her his other arm. She took it as he walked her into the lobby. Kathryn marveled at the shiny marble floors and the sparkling chandeliers that hung from the ornate tiled ceiling.

  The man working behind the massive marbled reception desk smiled as they walked in, but then looked at David and his smile faded. An unreadable expression passed across his features, and Kathryn couldn’t quite discern what it was. Fear, maybe? She thought it odd but said nothing as they approached the desk.

  “Gregory, this is Kathryn…” David started. He looked at her. “I don’t think I got your last name?”

  “It’s Berlinski,” she grinned.

  “Well that’s quite the mouthful. Anyway, Gregory, this is Kathryn Berlinski, and she will need a room for…” He looked at her again. “What, a week, two?”

  “Something like that.”

  Gregory smiled nervously and began flipping through a large leather-bound ledger. “Ah yes, of course. We have room 352 available.” He turned around and plucked a key out of a box from the wall. He lifted the wooden divider that kept him behind the counter and stepped through it, lowering the divider behind him as he headed towards a narrow hallway. “Right this way. Do you need help with your suitcase, ma’am?”

  David answered, “No, I’ve got it.”

  Kathryn thought she heard Gregory say, “Of course you do” under his breath but she couldn’t be sure. These two definitely had history and she was going to find out what it was. She was genuinely interested in David but he seemed a little too good to be true, and there was something off about him.

  She turned to look at him as they walked down the hallway. “What’s your last name, anyway, David?”

  “Jones.”

  She let out of a laugh. “Of course.”

  Gregory pushed the call button for the elevator, and as it arrived, he pulled the caging aside and indicated for them to enter with a wide sweep of his hand. As Kathryn and David got in, Gregory pushed a large black button with the number three on it.

  He handed her the key. “We provide a hot breakfast between six and nine a.m., the dining room is located right next to the lobby where you came in. Enjoy your stay.” He tipped his hat at her with a forced smile, then shot another nervous glance at David as he closed the elevator cage and headed back to his post in the lobby.

  “What’s that guy’s deal?” Kathryn asked

  David waved his hand. “Pay him no mind, I think he’s an ex-con or something, he’s pretty nervous all the time.”

  Kathryn wanted to ask how he knew Gregory but didn’t want to seem presumptuous so soon after just meeting him.

  She nodded as the elevator chimed its arrival on the third floor. David pulled the cage aside and grabbed her suitcase as they exited.

  They eventually found room 352 and Kathryn took the key and put it in the lock and the knob easily turned. As the door swung open, she looked around the room. There was a large bed in the center with a small bathroom set in the corner and two chairs in the other corners. A small closet boasted a pole and hangers for her clothes. The carpeting was light brown and the bedspread was blue with yellow flowers. Yellow lace curtains adorned the window, and she walked over to it and looked out. She had a good view of the street.

  She turned around to thank David, but he was standing right behind her. She jumped a little and put her hand over her chest. “You scared me!”

  He put his hands up in mock surrender and took a step back. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to see what kind of view you had.” He paused for a minute. “Plus you smell really good.”

  She laughed nervously and grabbed her jacket, taking it to the small closet to hang it up. “Well, thank you for all this. I don’t know what I did to deserve your kindness, but it won’t be forgotten.”

  He headed for the door. “You’re very welcome. If I may be so bold to ask – may I take you to dinner later? This hotel has a fabulous ballroom.”

  She smiled. “I’m actually very tired from my trip. But I will take a rain check, okay?”

  That pleased him. “I will hold you to that, Miss Berlinski. Now, I bid you farewell.” He bowed slightly with his hat to his chest and left the room, closing the door behind him, keeping eye contact the entire time.

  She grinned and shook her head. “Joker.”

  Walking back to the window, she looked out to see a perfect view of the street and the city. People were bustling by below as they went to their cars, taxis, and buses. There were couples strolling hand-in-hand and others walking quickly, seeming to be late for some appointment. She pulled with all her might to get the window up and took a deep breath of the west coast air as it wafted in. It wasn’t hot and it wasn’t cold, it was just perfect.

  She looked down just in time to see David get into the same taxi they had arrived in as it sped off.

  Turning back around, she surveyed the room once more, the smile never leaving her face. Her fresh start was proving to be even more than she had dreamed of. She did regret not asking how much per night the hotel was going to cost, though. She knew she wouldn’t be able to afford more than three or four nights in a place like this, so she set off down the hallway towards the elevators to speak to Gregory.

  He jumped a little as she rounded the corner. “Oh, hello, Miss Berlinski. Is there something wrong with your room?”

  She smiled. “No, Gregory, it’s perfect. I just forgot to ask the cost. I am not quite sure I can stay here that long, if you catch my drift.”

  “Oh, well Mr. Jones paid in full for a week’s stay before he left.” A slight look of disgust passed over his face as he mentioned David Jones. “After that it will set you back about eight dollars a night, ma’am.”

  She frowned but quickly recovered with a fake smile. “Thank you, Gregory.”

  Riding the elevator back up to her room, she knew she only wanted one thing right now.

  Sleep.

  The next day, no one’s surprise, David showed up at the hotel aro
und noon. Gregory rang room 352 to announce his arrival.

  “I’ll be right down,” Kathryn replied.

  She wondered what today had in store for her. Had she not met David, she’d be out pounding the pavement in search of a job. But today, she was going to enjoy herself and get to know the sexy and sweet Mr. Jones.

  She exited the elevator in a sleek, black dress and chunky black heels. Her coat was slung over her arm, a large hat tipped sideways on her head. Her lips were painted very deep red, striking against her milky skin.

  David beamed when he saw her. He immediately went to her, closing the elevator gate and relieving her of her jacket.

  “I can tell you are from the Midwest,” he said.

  She immediately became self-conscious and frowned, looking down at her clothing, then absently adjusting her hat. “Why’s that?”

  He held the coat up. “Because you’re carrying around a heavy coat in April. No need for that here.”

  “Oh.” She immediately relaxed into a smile. “I can go put it back upstairs if I’m not going to need it.”

  David shook his head. “Nope. The night may get a little cool, if we’re out that long. I’m happy to hold it for you.”

  He offered her an arm and away they went, out to the bustling street. Kathryn could feel Gregory’s gaze on her the whole way out but she dared not turn around and sneak a glance.

  Arm in arm, they strolled down the sidewalk. The sun was bright but not harsh, and there was a mild breeze. People were friendly as they smiled and dipped their heads at them, saying “hello” as they passed. Kathryn was already in love with the city as David chatted on excitedly about it, showing her new and old buildings alike, explaining their histories. He seemed to like to talk, so she just let him. When they came upon a small café, he asked if she was hungry.

  “Yes, I am. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit I missed breakfast. Guess I was plum tuckered out from my trip. I had to have slept twelve hours!”

  He laughed at her. “Oh then you must be starved.”

  He opened the door to the café and indicated for her to enter. A young man immediately asked, “Would you like to sit inside or outside?”

  Kathryn could not mask her surprise. “Outside?”

  David looked at her and grinned, then looked back to the host. “Definitely outside.”

  He led them through the small restaurant to a door set against the front wall that led to a small covered patio area. There was a short iron gate set up around the area, which boasted a few tables covered in umbrellas. As they sat in the wicker chairs, Kathryn removed her hat and set it on the chair next to them. She looked around and could see the entire street. The host broke her out of her gawking.

  “Menus. Someone will be right with you.” And he was off.

  David set her jacket on the same chair that hosted her hat. “So I take it this is your first time in an outdoor café?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I have heard of these, seen pictures of them in places like Paris. I had a… friend in Chicago who used to travel to Europe. He brought back photographs from France,” she said, thinking of the doctor client of hers who used to get his money’s worth out of her by taking up his entire paid two hours by spending fifteen minutes of it having sex and the other hour and forty-five talking. God, he was so annoying, but she had to admit, she loved looking at his pictures from his travels abroad.

  David raised an eyebrow. “He?”

  She waved a hand. “Oh yes, just my… uh, neighbor. He used to love showing me photos of his travels. He was a doctor. Lots of money and all of that.”

  David grabbed her hand and stroked his thumb along the outside. “I’d love to take you there one day.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

  “Of course.”

  The waiter, dressed all in white, complete with white apron, approached the table. “May I get you anything to drink?”

  “I’ll take a bourbon on the rocks. You want anything, Kathryn?”

  She did not feel like a drink this early in the day, so she shook her head. “Just tea, please, unsweetened.”

  “Right away,” the waiter replied with a dip of his head.

  They looked at each other again. David had such kind, warm brown eyes, she found herself getting lost in them. In the sun, she could see they were brown with an amber ring along the outside pupil. She loved his strong jaw and straight nose. His light brown hair was slicked neatly back, and she studied it quite a while, seeing it for the first time without the hat on. His suit was perfectly pressed, his tie straight as an arrow. She glanced at his shoes. Shining, of course. Not a scuff in sight.

  The waiter returned with their drinks. He placed them both on top of small white napkins before leaving.

  “Like what you see?” David asked with a smirk, his hand still on hers.

  She smiled back. “So tell me, Mr. Jones, what do you do for a living?”

  He took a sip of his bourbon, all very proper. “I’m a stockbroker.”

  “Really? Tell me, what exactly does a stockbroker do?”

  He laughed. “I follow the stock market and invest money for myself and my clients based on the rise and fall of the market.”

  “Oh. And that man, Andrew, he’s your boss at the stock market?”

  He chuckled again. “I don’t work at ‘the stock market’, I actually work at the Los Angeles Stock Exchange and crunch numbers on a calculator.”

  “Sounds, um, interesting.”

  The waiter returned and took their orders then swiftly departed.

  “So, tell me, Miss Berlinski, how have you supported yourself with no husband? You have really wealthy parents who suddenly died and left you everything?” David asked with a twinkle in his flirtatious eyes.

  She shook her head. “It’s true that my parents are dead, but no, they left me with not a penny. Everything I have, I have earned in my own right.” She sipped her tea.

  He frowned, once again grabbing her hand. “I’m sorry about your parents, how did they die?”

  “My mother died when I was five. My father raised me. He died earlier this year of a heart attack.”

  David dropped his voice. “Wow, so young to lose a mother.”

  She looked down at his gentle hand and back into his eyes. “Yes. My father murdered her.”

  ∞∞∞

  Portland, Oregon – Present Day

  Jonathan, Thomas, and Tyler followed Mike into the back sparring area where they had just been training.

  Zach saw them all enter and smiled. “Back for more?”

  Jonathan forced a smile. “Nope. Do you think we could hang out here for a bit? Just ran into… an old friend, need some privacy.”

  Zach grew serious. “Of course, take all the time you need. I’ll be in my office.” He pointed towards a door marked, of course, “OFFICE” and walked through it.

  As soon as Zach closed the door, Jonathan, arms folded, turned. “It’s Mike, correct?”

  He nodded his bald head. “Yes.”

  “What can we do for you?”

  Mike’s eyes grew cold. “You can start by explaining why you allowed Pascal to be killed.”

  Tyler looked at Mike in disbelief. “Are you serious? I was trying to save him until Vampire Barbie stabbed him with a butcher knife. Or did those newborns forget to relay that part of the story to you?”

  Jonathan added, “The real question is, why didn’t you save Pascal? Aren’t you meant to be his bodyguard?”

  “You’re forgetting about my little sun allergy.” He turned and looked at Tyler. “I was standing at the window, I saw everything, nobody had to relay anything to me.”

  Thomas had his hands in his pockets. “You have to know, Tyler here went above and beyond. Nothing in the Treaty says we have to interfere when Fae are fighting amongst themselves. Our job is to protect humans and sylphs, and of course, ourselves. Tyler was trying to save Pascal from death because he’s a doctor, that’s what he does.”

  Mike’s fe
atures softened. “I saw that. I couldn’t quite understand how you did that. I’ve never seen you before, I didn’t know you were one of them.” He nodded at Thomas and Jonathan.

  “Yes, well I’m kind of new around here. I’m Dr. Tyler James, by the way.” He put his hand out.

  Mike looked at it, then at Jonathan and Thomas, seeking permission.

  Jonathan nodded.

  Mike shook his hand and said, “Michael Sheffield. Call me Mike.”

  “And how long have you been a vampire, Mike?” Tyler asked.

  Jonathan and Thomas looked at each other, amused. Tyler was the most curious person they had ever met.

  “Since 1980. It’s really not a very interesting story. I was twenty-nine years old, working as a bouncer at a titty bar in Denver. High school dropout, no real education, no family, no real friends except at work. Pascal made me an offer I couldn’t refuse and I’d been with him ever since.”

  Jonathan looked at him curiously. “Did he ever treat you badly?”

  Mike shook his head and looked down. “Ya know, I never thought so, but Angel has opened my eyes a bit. I’ll admit he was quite a bastard to her sometimes. But it wasn’t my place to get between them.”

  “That piece of shit killed my wife,” Jonathan spat.

  All three looked at Jonathan in shock and were left speechless for a quite a few uncomfortable seconds.

  “I’m sorry, man, I didn’t know. When was this?” Mike asked.

  “In 1809.”

  “Damn, how old are you, dude?” Mike asked.

  Jonathan snorted. “You can do the math later. Is there anything else you wanted to talk to us about, because you can bet there’s quite a few questions we’d like answered.”

  “Yes, there’s a lot more, but I have to get showered and be at work at Night Crawlers. I can meet you tomorrow night somewhere, though,” Mike said.

  “Charlie’s Diner on 43rd around six p.m. work for you?” Thomas asked.

  Mike nodded. “I know the place. See you then.”

  They all watched Mike stalk off towards the doors back into the main gym and then looked at each other.