Immortal Destiny (The Immortal Prophecy Saga) Page 4

  She looked at James in his crisp white shirt with rolled up sleeves and his dark blue denim jeans and felt the butterflies in her stomach kick up a storm. There was amusement in his eyes as he watched her, and she knew that he had felt her reaction to him.

  “Ready to go?” he asked and picked up his black travel bag.

  Ally nodded.

  “Right. Damian and Adele are waiting by the car to say goodbye.”

  He took her hand and led her outside to the gravel driveway where Adele and Damian were standing beside the black Mercedes.

  Adele went to Ally and gave her a big hug. “I’m going to miss you!”

  “I’ll miss you too, Gran.” Ally said softly into her shoulder. It was the first time either of them had been apart since they had lost her parents.

  “I’ll take care of her, Adele.” James promised from behind them.

  “I know,” Adele said ending the embrace. Her eyes were wet with unshed tears but both women were determined to hold it together.

  Damian came up next and gave his newly-found granddaughter a hug goodbye. “Don’t let him push you around.”

  A laugh escaped Ally. “I won’t.”

  He pulled away and opened the car door for her. “Time to go, you two.”

  James gave them both a quick hug goodbye, jumped in the car and closed the door. He looked over at Ally and took her hand. She squeezed it back and said, “Let’s go.”

  James put his foot on the accelerator and the Mercedes took off at full speed. She watched the trees that lined the driveway disappear one by one and found herself gazing out to the landscape but not really seeing anything. She was caught up in a web of nervous anticipation and melancholy.

  Chapter Six

  From a secluded hiding spot amongst the trees, a vampire watched James and Ally board the private jet bound for Italy. He listened intently to the conversation between James and the captain. “Where are we taking you, James?”

  “Naples,” he answered.

  “Yes, sir.”

  The vampire’s eyes lit up with wicked glee. “Off to Naples we go.”

  He backed away slowly. Alerting James to his presence was not something he wanted to do. As he was leaving, he saw Ally’s head turn towards his location. He could see her eyes squinting, trying to discover what was there. “It’s not possible,” he muttered aloud. “How can she sense me, but James can’t?” He stood perfectly still, watching and waiting for her to do something.

  James touched her arm, breaking the trance. The vampire listened again.

  “Are you alright?” James asked.

  “I thought I felt something…” Ally shook her head slightly and a confused expression settled on her face. “I think everything is just taking its toll and I’m imagining things.”

  He pulled her into his embrace and gave her a small kiss on her forehead. “It’s alright, little one. If there was any danger, I would sense it.”

  “Of course you would.”

  “Come on,” he said taking her hand and leading her onto the plane.

  The vampire watched them take off, then started running. He had a plane of his own to catch.

  *******

  “What’s this island called?” Ally asked as they stepped of the plane in Naples.

  James gave her a wry look. “Fate’s End.”

  “That’s appropriate then,” she replied with a small groan.

  He smiled at her and she felt a heady rush throughout her body.

  “There’s a story behind the name I think you’ll love,” James confessed as he led her towards the exit. “I’ll tell you while we’re there.”

  Ally nodded and they walked out of the airport to the car that was waiting to whisk them away to the sanctuary of the island.

  Half an hour later they arrived at a boat mooring in the Amalfi Coast, south of Italy, and the sight of it took her breath away. “It’s beautiful,” she murmured, captivated by the expanse of blue-green sea and the many boats of shapes and sizes in front of her. She’d never so many in one place before. Slowly, she turned around and gaped in awe and wonder at the hundreds of beautiful stone houses jutting out from the cliff side.

  James came up behind her and put his arm around her waist, causing her to jump. “Pretty incredible isn’t it,” he whispered.

  “Ah, yeah,” she said. “I think incredible pretty much sums it up.”

  “The boat is waiting for us.”

  Ally let him lead her away from the captivating view of the houses, onto the pier and into the speed boat that was waiting with their luggage. She settled down into the passenger seat beside James, and they set off on the final leg of their journey.

  She leaned back and she closed her eyes, soaking up the heat of the sun beating down. The ocean breeze tickled her face and blew her hair out behind her. “Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all,” she said to James.

  He took his eyes off the ocean ahead of them and replied jokingly, “Well perhaps, you should listen to me more often.”

  Ally snorted. “I don’t know about that.”

  Despite all the pleasant emotions running through her at this moment, there was still a quiet, but persistent voice that trouble was following them. She tried hard to ignore it but couldn’t seem to shake it no matter what she did. James interrupted her thoughts. “Almost there. You can see it now,” he said and pointed straight ahead of them.

  The lusciously green island rose up in front of them, getting closer by the moment. It reminded Ally of a jungle with a large house in the middle of it and a beach surrounding it. “Wow,” was all she could manage to say.

  Ten minutes later they reached the shore and James helped her out of the boat. “Welcome to our temporary home,” he said with a dramatic sweep of his arm and a warm glow in his eyes.

  Ally almost squealed with delight and hurried up the wooden steps that led from the beach to the grass front lawn. She started walking towards the door when a breeze blew around her a split second before she was lifted into the air. “James!” she cried out with an excited squeal. “What are you doing?”

  “Carrying you to the door.”

  She gave a carefree laugh and kissed him.

  “I should carry you more often,” he remarked.

  Ally looked at the stunning house before them from the comfort of James strong arms. The double story house reminded her of a Plantation house from the American South. They passed through the tall white marble columns, marking the entrance of the property and she sighed with delight. James opened the grand white wooden door and they went inside.

  “Oh my god,” she muttered. “This place is incredible.”

  He put her down and she walked through the house, gazing around every which way.

  “I’ll go get the luggage,” James said.

  Ally just nodded, too entranced to say anything. She wandered into the lounge room and ran her hand across the white mantle over the fireplace. She noticed the large oak bookcase in the gilded mirror’s reflection and walked over to investigate it. She smiled to herself and fingered the titles. She hadn’t noticed the treasure of books when she had first walked in, as it was camouflaged as the back wall.

  “What other treasures is this place hiding?” Ally asked herself and left the lounge room. She continued to wander around aimlessly until she found herself in the master bedroom. She sat on the king sized, four-poster bed. The fireplace in the corner was already stacked with firewood, and cream walls flowed seamlessly with the rest of the décor. Spying a door next to the fireplace, she jumped up to see what was behind it. She wandered in and discovered that the ensuite was equally impressive. Every product known to man was stacked on the shelves and fresh fluffy towels were stacked perfectly on the shelves. “James really knows how to choose houses,” she said to herself.

  She left the ensuite and walked out the double glass doors onto a small wooden deck which led straight onto the beach. She stood there staring at all the beauty of nature surrounding her and exhaled a
breathless sigh of contentment.

  James came out on the deck and wrapped his arms around her interrupting her peaceful solitude. He nuzzled into her neck and she leaned back into him. “What do you think?” he asked her.

  “It’s perfect!” she said on a whimsical sigh. “I can’t think of anywhere better to hide from danger.”

  “That makes me happy, little one.” He leaned down and kissed her slowly and gently. He hadn’t intended for it to be any more than that, but neither could control the passion and desire that flared to life between them. He deepened the kiss and she responded eagerly. James pulled her in closer and held on tight. A whimper escaped her lips and he answered her with a growl deep in his throat. He began to pull her back inside, kicking the door shut and moving towards the bed.

  Ally could feel herself getting closer to the bed, and despite her earlier misgivings, she couldn’t find the will to stop him.

  The scorching heat of passion blazed a trail through her body and began to pool deep in her belly. Her breathing was short and ragged. We are still clothed and I can barely breathe. He might just kill me…but I could think of worse ways to go!

  James chuckled softly and she knew he had heard her, but she was too consumed with desire to care. She felt his arousal protruding against her. The sensation served only to drive her higher. She reached for the buttons on his white shirt and began to undo them one at a time, while he pulled the bottom of his shirt out from his jeans.

  Her hands moved across his smooth, hard chest and slowly pushed the shirt over his shoulders to remove it. James pulled his arms out and threw it across the room where it landed in a crumpled heap on the floor.

  He pulled her back into his embrace and kissed her hard as he manoeuvred her underneath him. Slowly he pulled back and looked at her. His irises were almost black with desire and she could see the passion for her reflecting back at him.

  Why did I put this off?

  “I’ve been asking myself that same question,” he replied to her thought with a husky voice.

  Ally groaned and pulled his lips down to hers.

  “God damn it,” James growled as he broke the kiss and looked towards the bedroom door. “There’s someone here.”

  Ally’s voice rose a notch. “Who?”

  “No one trying to hurt you,” James said as his face softened. “Just one of the staff members to see if everything is to our liking, and we have all we need until tomorrow.”

  The tension slowly left Ally’s body. “Oh.”

  “Talk about a bucket of ice water.” James disentangled himself from the bed and looked at Ally lying there. “I’m sorry, Ally.”

  “It’s not your fault,” she replied feeling bereft and very, very frustrated.

  James opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again as he put on his shirt and went to answer the door.

  Ally rolled over and groaned into the soft pillow. “Seriously…why did they have to come now?” As her body sank further into the bed, a feeling of comfort flowed through her weary limbs and her body began screaming out another need…sleep!

  She could hear James in the other room, speaking to another man in fluent Italian and felt herself smiling at the thought of him. Her eyes closed of their own accord and she drifted off into unconsciousness.

  Chapter Seven

  The last rays of sun for the day shone onto her face causing her to stir. Gradually her eyes opened, and she looked around the room. Twilight was threatening and the moon was beginning its slow but inevitable ascent into the dusky sky. Something about that resonated within her and she let out an ‘ahh’ sound.

  A delicious scent began to tickle and tease at her nose, causing her stomach to growl. She climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom. The reflection staring back at her was less than stunning after her nap. Her hair resembled a small bird’s nest and her mascara had smudged all over her eyes. She grabbed her makeup pack, pulled out a brush and began to get her hair back in control. After that was fixed and left hanging loose, she got her makeup wipes and began to remove the mascara smudges and did a quick touch up.

  “Much better,” she smiled at her reflection when she had finished.

  After all, she was on an Island in Italy with the man she loved, and she wanted to look the best she could. Her grandmother had been right, it turns out there was something romantic about running away from danger after all. She left the bathroom, and went out in search of James.

  James looked up from his cooking as she walked into the kitchen. “Good sleep?”

  “Yeah, it was actually.” She walked over to the stove top to see what he was cooking. He playfully nudged her back towards the counter and planted a kiss on her forehead.

  “No peeking,” he said playfully. “Now take a seat there and have some wine.”

  She took a seat at the bench as instructed.

  Gorgeous, and he can cook…

  “You haven’t tasted it yet,” he joked as he handed her a glass of red wine.

  She rolled her eyes at him and took the offered glass. “You’re never going to stop poking around in my head, are you?”

  “I’m sorry, little one,” he said apologetically. “The problem is reading a mind is like breathing to me. I just do it without realising.”

  Ally shook her head at him and took a sip of the wine. It was a full bodied vintage, with hints of blackcurrant and something spicy.

  “Do you like the wine?”

  “Can’t you just read my mind and find out?” she replied sarcastically.

  “Ha ha.” He began to put the food onto some white plates. “Now go and sit. Our dinner is ready.”

  Ally sat at the table as he put the plate in front of her. “Wow.” Was all she could say.

  “Impressed?”

  Her eyebrows went up. “Very!”

  He raised his glass and she did the same. He lightly clinked his against hers. “To us.” He toasted with a cheeky grin that she couldn’t help returning.

  “To us,” she repeated.

  The both took a sip and began to eat. The risotto tasted as amazing as it looked.

  “So the story of Fate’s End…”

  Ally looked up excitedly. “I’m dying to hear it!”

  James looked at her knowingly. His little private eye did love a good mystery. “Fate’s End earned its name from a story that’s become something of a legend around this part of Italy. About a hundred years ago a beautiful young woman, Eva, fell in love with a handsome young man, Raphael. But Raphael was no angel, as his name might insinuate…he was a monster. At least that’s what the villagers thought, anyway.

  “Eva and Raphael had made plans to run away together and get married if her parents wouldn’t give their consent. You see, Eva had been promised to another man, a man she didn’t love or even like, but he was a wealthy man in the area so it was considered to be a good match. He needed a wife and her family wanted the prestige it would bring.

  “Eva was on her way home to tell her parents that she would not marry the other man, Marcus and that she was in love with Raphael. But she never made it home…

  The villagers, stirred on by the manipulating Marcus, believed that Raphael had murdered her and hidden the body. He was different to the rest of them, and people had claimed they’d seen him moving with the speed of light and creating fire from his hands.”

  Ally gasped! “Raphael was an immortal?”

  “He was,” James answered. “They cast him out of the village and warned him never to return. He left the village and began the search for his love, Eva. He believed that she was still alive and that Marcus was responsible for her disappearance. He knew Marcus was an evil man, and would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

  “Late that night, he crept into Marcus’ house. He had no fear of getting caught for he could be out of the house before someone even realised he was there. He searched the top two floors and found nothing, not even a hint that she was being held there, so he went to the basement and found t
he jacket she had been wearing that day in a bloodied crumpled mess on the floor.

  “Heartbroken and despairing, he flew upstairs to Marcus’ bedroom. He ripped him from the bed and threatened to kill him where he stood if he didn’t tell him what had happened to Eva. Marcus knew he was in trouble but tried to proclaim himself innocent until a fireball appeared in Raphael’s hand. Marcus knew then there was no way out, and that he had to tell the truth or he would surely die.

  “Marcus told him that Eva was being held on the island. Raphael threw the fireball at the curtain. The blaze quickly grew and soon burnt the house down.

  “Marcus was never seen again after that night. Some claim he burned to death in his bed and others claim they saw him running off into the night like the hounds of hell were after him, but no one knows for certain what became of him.

  “Raphael raced to the island and followed her scent to the cave she was being held hostage in. He fought the thugs that were guarding her and then set her free. The two of them ran off into the night and were never heard of again…

  “To this day though, there are sightings of the beautiful Eva and the handsome Raphael walking around this island, hand in hand, laughing with each other like they haven’t a care in the world. And so once the tale got around about what people had seen or heard happen that night, the name Fate’s End was given to this place.

  “The place where the fate of Eva and Raphael came to an end.”

  Ally sat caught up in the magic of the story. “What an awful man Marcus was.”

  “Yes, but I think he got his justice in the end.”

  Ally nodded. “So what happened to Raphael and Eva? Did he make her an immortal?”

  “I would have…” he said with a meaningful look towards Ally. “But who knows?”

  “I’d like to think he think did and they lived happily ever after.”

  “Well, that’s the dream isn’t it…Happy ever after?” James said.