“Where are we going?” Spencer asked the group.
None of the vampires answered. All were tense, silent, and scanning their surroundings.
Spencer glanced at Cal, who shrugged and replied, “I dunno. Looking for friends?”
“Shut up,” Tracey clipped out. “Both of you.”
They kept moving into the forest. There were vampires hidden within the forest. Gavin, Tracey, and Gregory could feel them, but they couldn’t identify if they were friend or foe. As they kept moving forward, each was waiting for an enemy to attack, but none happened until they were deep into the forest. The battle sounds lessened behind them, and each vampire started to loosen their hold on their weapons, just a bit.
Suddenly, all three whipped around until they were facing east.
Cal and Spencer were shoved behind them.
Gavin lowered his head, focusing every sense he had on who was coming. “A vampire.”
Tracey and Gregory didn’t reply. They both knew. All three were trying to identify who it was, but they were coming fast and they weren’t being cautious. Whoever it was wasn’t trying to hide their approach. Sounds of them whipping past trees, leaves, grass, leaping over logs, they all heard those tiny sounds. It was deafening to a vampire and then the assailant crashed through the last foliage.
They leapt over the entire group and kept going. They never stopped.
“Who—” Gavin’s head snapped, watching the vampire. He had two seconds to decide and he did. He yelled over his shoulder, “I’m going after him.” He sheathed his sword across his back and before anyone could argue, he was gone. The same sounds came in his wake as he sped after the vampire.
Gregory growled, “He shouldn’t have done that.”
Tracey threw him a dark look. “What do you expect? We have to find our allies. We need to find Roane.”
There was another crashing sound from the forest. It was coming from where the battle was, and both vampires turned once again. It was the same as before. A vampire was coming at them. They knew it. They couldn’t hide. They had humans with them. It would’ve been useless. Any vampire could smell a human. There was no point in hiding.
“We’re like sitting ducks.”
Tracey gave Gregory another annoyed look, but pressed her lips together. She couldn’t argue with him. All she could do was get ready and she was.
Twenty yards.
Eighteen.
Twelve.
Eight.
The vampire was moving faster than the other one.
Five.
One—she leapt as the new vampire soared through the air. The first knew they were there and jumped over them already, but this one landed before them. The new vampire was going to stop, land where they stood, and push off against the ground for more speed. As he came through the last of the trees and brush, his eyes went wide at seeing them, but Tracey was attacking before he saw her, too.
She thrust out her arm, hit him across the chest with it, and rotated swiftly so her other arm was wrapped around the vampire’s head. She snapped the neck before she stopped to see who it was, and when the body fell to the ground, her knee was going to his chest. Then, she saw his face.
Horror filled her and she leapt backwards. “Oh no.”
Gregory looked and grunted. “Good one, Tracey.”
It was Bastion.
DAVY
Davy knew there was something wrong with her.
The Immortal was still silent. Davy had shut her off with an extra boost of power. She was surprised for how long the mute spell was working, but she wasn’t complaining. It was nice to be walking with only herself. No vampires among her. No judgments. No disapproval. No quiet condescension. And no voice in her head. When The Immortal was awake, Davy felt her persuasion. She knew she was being pulled in one way, but she wasn’t sure the direction now. All she knew, as she paused with only one more hill to go before she would arrive at the Mori community, was that she wasn’t the old Davy anymore.
She tried to remember who that girl had been. There’d been a reason why she was taken captive. She only remembered the torture. The witches had pulled the thread so it was separated from her. And Lucan—it was Lucan who had taken her. He wanted the thread, but there was more . . .
She frowned, dipping her head down. She couldn’t remember the other reason anymore. A faint stirring began in her. She didn’t like this feeling, of being turned off to the real soul inside of her. A solid plastic wall had been erected in her and she was shut off from everything that made her her.
Davy. She didn’t know who that person was anymore.
She closed her eyes and commanded, “Remind me.”
A memory stirred. “He’ll come after you, you know.”
Lucan shot to his feet, but he didn’t go anywhere. He didn’t leave. He didn’t threaten. He just stood there and waited . . .
She remembered that conversation—there’d been a guy . . . No, he was more than just a guy.
“He loves me. Do you think he won’t come for me now?” I saw how he stood there. “Do you think he won’t go against you for me?”
Lucas Roane.
She remembered him now. He was Lucan’s twin brother. Lucas turned on his brother to save her. He protected her, and then Lucan came into his brother’s house and took her. He took her and all of her friends too . . . but no. Davy needed to remember. She had a purpose before. It hadn’t been about power. It was about . . . friendship, love, trust, making her loved ones safe.
Pippa, the wolf. Brown, the witch. Kates, the best friend. There were others, but those three were her human friends.
Gavin, Gregory, Wren, and Tracey—they were Roane’s vampires. They followed him.
She remembered their first kiss.
As if I had no control over my actions, I watched my own hands grasp the front of his shirt roughly. Roane didn’t have time to react before I pushed against him and slammed my lips over his. After that I felt like something unlocked inside of me. My eyes snapped shut, and I pressed harder against Roane. As kisses went, it was forced and impersonal.
And another time, when they were together. Then I felt Roane’s hand slide around to the back of my neck, and he took a breath before he took over the kiss.
He moved his hand from my leg and slowly reached to untangle my hands from my hair. I gasped as the last finger was detangled, and then my fingers desperately sought his shoulders. He slid in, and I surged forward to wrap my arms tighter around him.
“You have to bear something that you didn’t choose. I understand, Davy. I understand it more than you think.” Roane tucked his head against mine. His lips brushed the tip of my ear. “I know what it’s like to have your life suddenly change, and it’s not what you decided. I do understand that.”
I frowned.
His hand curved around my neck, and I felt the cool touch of his lips when he pressed a kiss to my ear. “You can do this, Davy. We’ll figure everything else out.” She remembered the last time she saw him.
Roane pulled me into his chest for a hug. After we kissed again, he thought, “I will be back soon or I’ll call for you. Stay with Gavin or Wren. They are to protect you from now on.”
“Be safe.”
He nodded and kissed me a last time. His lips lingered over mine as I clung to him. Every instinct in my body told me not to let him go. Something bad was going to happen. I knew it. I felt it, but so did Roane.
He was the reason she was fighting. He preceded the need for power, before The Immortal became her own entity.
Davy faltered, stopping on the very top ridge of the hill. The Mori were spread before her. There were five hidden in trees a few yards away. They would see her, but she wasn’t ready. She didn’t want to go in there being detached from herself so she cloaked herself. She needed more time, just a bit more, and she needed to remember this vampire that the human inside of her loved so much.
She ordered in her head, “Take me to him.”
The air popped, a
nd she was there.
He was standing in front of her, peering out over a cliff as a war waged on beneath his feet. She didn’t care about who was fighting. There was blood, sweat, and death all over. Many already died and many more would succumb to the afterlife. She wasn’t there for any of them. She moved forward, still cloaked, as she stood beside him.
This man, this vampire, was the reason the girl inside of her lived. She felt her yelling, trying to break free. Even the sight of him, so close and within reach, had her humanity fighting like she had never fought before.
She wanted him.
The rage was whipping through her. It wasn’t rage at him or where they were. It was rage at herself. The human was raging to take control once again, but no, that didn’t make sense. She wasn’t The Immortal. She wasn’t the human. She was the in between. Davy cocked her head to the side and lifted a hand. The in-between was curious about this vampire. She wanted to touch him, and as she lifted a hand and extended it to him, the human grew silent. This was what the real Davy yearned for, to be complete with him once again.
Her fingers touched his cheekbone and held there.
He was beautiful.
His eyes were fierce. He had high cheekbones, a strong jaw, lips that Davy wanted to touch, and a warrior’s body. Broad shoulders. A trim waist. Fresh blood was all over him, coating of dried blood underneath, but as she looked over him, she saw it wasn’t his blood. She found herself wanting to make sure. She wanted to clean him, double-checking that none seeped from a wound on his perfect body.
As she had that thought, she realized that she thirsted for his body. She wanted to touch him, press against him, feel his arms wrap around her. Those lips—her gaze went back to them. She couldn’t look away, and she stepped toward him. Her heart began beating, faster and faster. Her mouth was suddenly parched.
She wanted to touch her lips to his . . .
As if she had cast a spell onto herself, the battle melted away. It was only this vampire and herself . . . She drew closer.
Her hand slid down to the side of his mouth, and she was directly in front of him. She stood on tiptoes—her breath held—she needed to feel this man again. Then, with her heart pounding to be freed from her chest, she touched her lips to his. It was soft. This was foreign to her, but the human inside wanted more. She demanded a harder touch, and Davy found herself answering. She pressed closer to him, and as she did, he felt her.
Her eyes widened, as she knew the instant he grew aware of her.
His hands grasped her arms. He stiffened in shock, and just as she feared he would pull away, he took control of the kiss. He caught the sides of her face and moved for a better angle to meet her. He breathed against her mouth, “Davina.”
She didn’t reply. She closed her eyes and sighed inwardly as he grasped her in his arms. Lifting her, her legs wound around his waist, and he stepped away from the fight. “Davina,” he gasped again, but then he pressed her against a tree. “My God—I don’t care.” His mouth opened, demanding hers to do the same and his tongue slid inside. The brush of him against her was a caress and Davy wound her arms around his neck. She arched her back into the tree, pushing her breasts toward him. She hungered for more. She wanted his touch in the center of her. The human was clambering to get closer and Davy answered.
Her hands went to the side of his face and held him.
He kept kissing her. He was claiming her.
Me. He was claiming me . . .
“No!” The Immortal rose up. “You cannot have her!”
The Immortal slammed her backwards.
“Davy!” Roane roared, moving with her. He didn’t know how she came to him. He didn’t care to question it, but he had her. He wanted her back. He had to have her. Whatever was going on inside of her, he needed to grasp her. He had to be her anchor. He could tell that she was losing herself. He reached out for her and Davy tried to grasp his hand, but The Immortal growled, and broke through the barrier inside of Davy.
She gasped.
The power was immense. It spilled out inside of her, coating her insides with its power. It was a burst of cold air. It felt alien, but refreshing, and then it was over. As soon the floodgates opened, she was drowning. There was no chance of a fight inside of her. The power overwhelmed her, instantly suffocating her. Davy was gone. She had lost. The Immortal was free inside of her—her body bent in half. Her back arched upward, and as it did, her body flew in the air.
She flew.
Her entire body transformed. Her body was going up in the air, flying, and her hair billowed out, turning into a black color. A white dress covered her now, and her hands flung backwards. She pushed up into the sky, going higher and higher until she was above the entire foray below.
All of them stopped. The woman in white had taken over the battle, but as Roane watched, she stopped in mid-air and looked down.
A rumbling started in the distance.
Everyone stopped.
THE IMMORTAL
This was her world.
The Immortal relished this sudden experience. She was free. She was alive. She was in control and she gazed down upon the war beneath her. Simpletons. The lot of them. All of them were weak. She wrinkled her nose. Here she was in the air and looking down on them. She was above them.
She was a god to them.
She couldn’t believe this was the world Davy honored above everything else. She wanted to be one of those weaklings. No. It was worse. These creatures were more powerful than humans. Davy wanted to be the lowest of the beings.
Never.
Determination coursed through her and as she gazed beneath her, The Immortal’s hands formed into fists. She would never be replaced. The human in her would never become human again. Davy’s destiny was linked with hers. She would not allow it. She would never go back into the shell, contained as a thread, jumping from one less than worthy human to another. All of them. They were all stupid. Everything they believed was wrong.
“Davy?”
She looked over to the cliff. Lucas Roane, the vampire that Davy loved. He was the vampire Talia loved as well, but he had no idea where their love for him was created. He would need to understand. Even now, while she was still acclimating to her new freedom, her body felt a stirring in her core. Her body wanted this vampire, but that was no surprise to her.
Everyone had stopped to gaze upon her, like the goddess she was. They felt her power. There were pockets among them, places where one person had more power than the other, but none matched her. She could feel her superiority over them, so they were ignored. For now.
She lowered herself so she was a few feet from the vampire Davy loved, and she cocked her head to the side. A small grin formed. He didn’t move. He didn’t dare. She sensed the horror in him. It was recoiling inside, pulling him from her. It was the body’s instinct for survival.
She did not come in peace, and his body was trying to pull him as far from her as possible, but still, he didn’t go.
Her eyes narrowed. “I can feel what is going on inside of you.”
Roane remained frozen in place. This couldn’t be . . . No, no. This couldn’t—he choked out, “Davy?”
She shook her head, slowly, and almost gently. “You know I am no longer her.” She took a step toward him. Her feet were bare, but she felt no pain. The ground was covered in blood, dirt, rocks, and she felt none of it. She only felt her power. Her dress glided over her body as she walked another step forward.
He jerked backwards. His eyes were piercing. A nerve bulged out from his neck. “Stop right there.”
“Now, Lucas,” she chided, wagging a finger from side to side. “You know I am not a being you can command. If anyone should know how powerful I am, it must be you.” She sent him visions of their past. The first memory was when he realized the thread had jumped to Talia. The second when he watched her bring their dead mother back to life. The third, when Talia stood behind her sister. Her hand was up and she was going to attempt the same event
. Tracey was turned into a vampire and Talia wanted to make her human. Lucas