Immortal Destiny (The Immortal Prophecy Saga) (13 page)

“Thank you, little one.”

“I love you, James.”

“I love you too, Ally,” he said in return and kissed her passionately beside the waterfall.

He pulled back. “I think I’m ready to go home now.”

“Okay,” she said and stood up. “Home, James.”

“Quoting movies now?” he said with a laugh.

“I’ve been waiting years to use that one.” Her voice was carefree and relaxed. James loved seeing her like this.

If he’d known it wasn’t going to last much longer, he would’ve taken more time to enjoy it…

Chapter Sixteen

Two days later, everyone gathered on the grass out the back of the manor for a training session with Damian.

“I love watching this,” Mackenzie said excitedly to her mother, sitting beside her. “They really are amazing.”

“When you can see them,” Sophie joked.

Henry joined in the conversation. “How about we just tell them to slow down then so we can watch the show?”

Damian chuckled from the front of the group. “Your wish is my command, Henry.”

Henry tipped his hat. “See, women. That’s how it’s done.”

Sophie and Mackenzie rolled their eyes and watched the immortals intently.

“Now we need to assess everyone’s skill level,” Damian said addressing the group assembled before him. “Caleb, would you mind going first?”

“Not at all,” Caleb said stepping forward.

“James,” Damian called. “See if you can take him out.”

James moved to the front of the group and took his place in front of Caleb.

Caleb winked at James. “I’ll try not to hurt you.”

James smirked back. “I wouldn’t worry about that.”

“Move back from each other,” Damian instructed. When both immortals were ready, he yelled out, “Go!”

The immortals ran at each other. Ally tried to watch but they were more a blur of tumbling colour than anything else. James ducked as Caleb tried to grab him, and twisted to kick his legs out from under him. Caleb went down, and James went for the kill.

At the last second, Caleb rolled leaving James to grab thin air. He’d gotten behind James and held his head in a death grip with his arms. James struggled and kicked but couldn’t get free no matter what he did!

“Bravo!” Damian cried.

Caleb let James go and shook his hand. “Better luck next time,” he said with a grin.

James laughed. “I almost pity the vampire that fights you.”

Caleb chuckled and walked back to his place in the group. Ally reached out to James when he came to stand by her side. “Ego feeling bruised?”

“Only slightly.”

She shook her head and looked forward to Damian. “Next up, Adele and Isabella.”

The girls stood in the same place as Caleb and James. Damian again called, “Go!”

Ally focused on Adele and bit her lip as they began. “She won’t hurt herself, will she?”

“I wish she’d heard that,” James replied. “No, she won’t hurt herself. Adele is younger than me, remember?”

“Oh, right. I forgot.”

Isabella grabbed Adele and flipped her over, but Ally looked away and clutched her stomach. It rolled in protest, and she was certain that any minute she was going to be sick.

No, no, no! I hate throwing up and with an audience. Yuk!

Her face turned a shade of white and a clammy sweat gathered on her face.

To make matters worse, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She knew what that meant… She looked around everywhere trying to figure out if something was there.

She studied the trees, the bushes, even the roof of the manor but nothing was there…that she could see anyway. She bit her lip again and took deep breaths to calm the storm of nausea that had taken up residence in her body. She stepped away from James cautiously, not wanting to raise the alarm if it was just coincidence that she felt this way.

Since whe
n do you believe in coincidence? And why am I the only one feeling this way? Maybe my mind has snapped and I’m hallucinating….

Adele talking broke into her thoughts and brought her back to reality. “Better luck next time Isabella,” she called.

“Well, I think I have a good idea of everyone’s skill level now,” Damian said. “So we’ll take a break and come back in an hour, when I’ve come up with a way to integrate everything into a workable training program.”

The group broke up and went their separate ways.

The nausea had calmed down but Ally continued looking around to find the source of her unease. She felt certain that someone had been watching them or her. Unsure of herself, she brushed aside her unfounded fears and decided to ignore it. Surely if someone had been around, one of the immortals with her would have felt the disturbance.

James came up beside her. “What’s caught your attention?”

Ally started at his whispered words then shook her head. “Nothing,” she replied casually.

Looking at her with a question in his eyes, James wasn’t certain that she wasn’t telling the truth, but decided not to push it hoping that she would come to fully trust him soon enough.

Tristan watched them training, hidden amongst the dense trees and fauna that surrounded the house. He couldn’t believe that not one of the immortals had picked up his scent, yet the prophecy girl, Alessandra had managed to feel his presence. “Amazing…” he whispered to himself.

Maybe the Carlisles aren’t the almighty force everyone makes them
out to be…Wouldn’t Vincent find that interesting. Not that I will be giving that piece of information away though, it might come in handy.

With his predatory gaze fixed on Ally, he watched her walk away with James. Deciding that he’d gathered enough information for the day, he sank back into the trees and slunk away. He wanted to see Kathryn. As Tristan began his journey back to the mines, his thoughts were not on the flame haired beauty that had captured his attentions, but on the prophecy girl. Her ability to sense his presence every time he was near had impressed him. With a quiet chuckle to himself, he thought perhaps this time Vincent had bitten off more than he could chew. This young girl had the power to end him, but only if she stayed strong and true. Feeling excitement sliding throughout his body at the thought of the battle to come, Tristan almost felt hope that he hadn’t felt in a long time…perhaps he would get all he had sought after all.

Chapter Seventeen

Ally watched Isabella walk back to the house. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she said to James and followed her inside to her bedroom.

“I need to talk to you,” Ally told Isabella when they were alone in the room.

Isabella looked at her innocently. “What about?”

Ally held back a groan. “I don’t believe you were telling us everything the other day.”

“I told you everything I know,” Isabella replied.

“No, you didn’t. You were keeping something from James, and I think it has something to do with the diary.”

Isabella looked down and for a moment, Ally thought she saw defeat flash on her face. “Why do you think that?”

“I don’t know, but I’m usually right about these things.”

She looked around as if the walls had ears. “Alright, I did withhold something, but it was for James’ own good. I don’t have any hidden agenda other than keeping him from getting hurt.”

Ally frowned and a pit of dread formed in her stomach. “It’s something that can hurt James? What?

Isabella sighed. “I didn’t burn the diary, I still have it. And it contains the true identity of James’ father.”

Confusion flickered across Ally’s face. “You said he wasn’t the best person walking around, but doesn’t James have a right to know who he is?”

“I think you’ll agree with me when you discover who his father is,” she said with a sad tone as she stood up and walked over to the dresser near her bed. The drawer opened and she pulled out a brown leather notebook that was worn with age.

“Here,” she said handing Ally the book. “It’s my mother’s diary.”

Ally stared at the little book in her hand, but couldn’t form any words.

“You must promise me that you will never reveal the truth to him or anyone else. I’m only giving you this because I know you won’t leave it alone and the more you poke around the more likely James is to get suspicious as well.”

Ally thrust the book onto the bed next to her. “I could never make a promise like that.”

“It’s for his own good.”

“That’s not for you to decide!” Ally snapped.

“Just read it, Alessandra.”

“Call me Ally would you? No one calls me Alessandra.”

“As you wish,” Isabella said, and sat back down on the bed fingering the diary absently.

Ally turned to walk out the door, but she couldn’t make her feet move. The information the diary contained almost had her salivating at the mouth. She let out a deep breath and turned back around and gave Isabella a hard look. “I will not and cannot promise not to reveal the information in this book, but I will promise to read it completely and speak to you before I breathe a word to James. Will that do?”

Isabella nodded and handed the book over once more. Ally took it and left the room to find a hiding place for the diary until tonight, when she could sneak off and read it.

She put it in her suitcase at the bottom of the wardrobe in her room. James wasn’t likely to go in there anytime soon.

The rest of the day, she was fidgety and distracted. All she could think about was the diary and who James’ father might be. The night finally fell, and everyone went to bed.

She feigned a headache and waited for James to fall into a deep sleep before she crept out of bed, grabbed the diary and ran down to the stairs the lounge room.

She stoked up the fire then crawled into one of the chairs beside it with a blanket and opened the diary to the first page.

Chapter Eighteen

21
^st
May 1708

Dear Diary,

I have a secret that I can’t tell anyone…

I probably shouldn’t even be committing this to paper lest it be found, but I simply cannot help myself.

Tonight when I was out walking, I met a handsome stranger.

I dare not tell you his name though, for if my parents found out I would be in trouble. They say I have a soulmate according to one of the seers named Ashley, but the man I meet is not called that.

I know the seers are usually right, but if what I felt tonight is not a soulmate connection then I don’t know what is!

I saw him and the world stopped spinning.

My body burned with an all-consuming fire that I had never thought possible.

When he approached me, I couldn’t move a muscle. It felt as though my feet had grown roots and buried them deep into the earth.

And when our eyes locked…I melted.

He took me to the loch and we sat talking about everything and nothing at all. I didn’t even realise how long I’d been gone when the dawn began to break.

I jumped up and began to run home lest I be discovered by the maid that I was not in bed, but he stopped me. His powerful hand grabbed mine and he pulled me into his arms.

He kissed me and I’ve never felt more alive than I did in that moment.

He told me that he wanted to see me again and asked if I would meet him in the same spot in two days time.

I said I would and I’m simply bursting with excitement at seeing him again.

I know, my dearest confidant, that I shouldn’t have gone off with a man that I didn’t know, but something about him and the way I felt made it impossible to resist.

Oh, my heart is racing just remembering the feel of his arms around me.

I hear someone moving through the house. I simply must get into bed before I am discovered!

“Wow,” Ally said, eagerly turning the page.

23
^rd
May 1708

Dear Diary,

It has been two long days, but I saw him again tonight.

He was so sweet to me, and just as handsome as I remembered.

He told me a bit about his life, and I find myself intrigued with the idea of another race much like ours, but different in a very fundamental way, but I digress.

We kissed again, and my heart was almost beating out of my chest. I would have died from embarrassment if I hadn’t been so caught up in the moment. A man like that is bound to have kissed more than his fair share of women.

I didn’t stay out as late this time for fear of being caught, but it was almost painful to drag myself away.

I really do believe I am in love with him.

We are meeting again tomorrow night at our secret place.

24
^th
May 1708

Dear Diary,

You’ll never believe it, but he wants me to run away with him and be his bride! It has only been a few days since I met him, but I am very tempted to agree to it.

I told him that I need time to think about things.

He wasn’t pleased with my response, but he said that he understood and would give me all the time I needed to think about things.

What a considerate man he is!

I think I shall say yes, but what of my family? They will disown me!

But I am so deeply in love with this man, I feel I have no other choice but to do what my heart tells me to do. I wish I could talk to someone wise and sensible about this. All my sense seemed to run out the door when I met him.