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

Chase had to laugh. The thought of Adele or James drugging her was preposterous.

Ally threw her hands up in disbelief. “Well I’m glad you find this so amusing,” she said dryly.

“Lass, I’m sorry. It’s not that. It’s the thought of the love-sick puppy James or Adele, drugging you. I can promise you that they didn’t drug you, they don’t need to.”

Ally studied him for a second. “What do you mean they don’t need too?” she asked very cautiously. She had a feeling that she wouldn’t like his answer much either.

“We can control people using their minds.”

She looked at him confused for a moment. “Mind control? How very sci-fi,” Ally said dryly.

Chase laughed at her dry sense of humour. Amidst the chaos and turmoil he found it amazing that she could make a joke. It was something that he found surprisingly endearing.

“Sci-Fi or not that’s what we can do,” Chase said, almost expecting her to explode on the spot, from confusion or pure shock.

“You do realise this sounds insane?”

He smiled and spoke softly, “To someone that wasn’t born with the ability it would sound insane but I assure you it’s the absolute truth.”

Ally studied him for a moment and discerned that he was indeed telling her the truth. Mind control was a foreign concept to most people, but somewhere, deep inside, it resonated with her. Ally couldn’t understand how or why it seemed to make some kind of sense, but it did.

“What else have they done that has tampered with my mind?” She wondered aloud.

Kathryn watched her friend with quiet concern and placed a hand on her shoulder with a soft smile to let her know that she was there for her. Ally smiled back and realised again how lucky she was to have a friend like Kathryn.

Ally turned back to Chase. “So they altered my mind to make me forget meeting Vincent and they are hiding all this from me because….” she trailed her voice off gently, trying to understand why they had hidden it from her. Pondering quietly she came to the startling realisation, “They hid it from me because it wasn’t supposed to happen that way. I had no idea what the secret was and that somehow Vincent is part of the secret. The events of last night needed to be wiped so they could reveal it to me themselves?”

Chase looked pleasantly surprised. She appeared to have a very quick analytical mind. It would serve her well in the coming times.

“That is exactly what happened lass.”

She understood the concept of mind control and why they fogged her memories well enough but her brain was still trying to take it in as a reality. Ally was also angry that Adele appeared to have so little faith in her. What part of the last five years had made them believe she was incapable of dealing with the truth?

“Was it Adele or James that did the mind thingy to me?” Ally asked, deciding she needed to give whoever it was, a damn good telling off.

“No idea. I wasn’t there, I only found out tonight what had happened.”

“What exactly did happen?” she asked.

“You met Vincent…”

She had to ask the obvious question. “So why am I still breathing then? He wanted me dead.”

Chase stood up and starting pacing around the room. He felt cramped and thought he may need to run like hell when Adele and James caught on to what was going on.

“James saved you.”

The flashback started again only this time she saw James at her bedside, whispering to her,
Forget my darling, you will remember tonight when you need to.

“I remember James,” she paused. “It was James! They had no right to do this.”

Ally just felt hurt and betrayed by their decision. “Why didn’t they just tell me?” she asked, not really expecting an answer.

“To keep you safe. They both love you dearly lass,” Chase said quietly.

Ally snorted. “They have got a funny way of showing it!”

Chase stopped pacing and sat down again next to Kathryn. She had been sitting quietly trying to absorb all the information and be there as moral support for her friend. Kat looked at Ally and then to Chase. She could hardly believe it, but it all made sense, and she felt relieved to know that Chase was a good man after all. He was trying to protect Ally, which made Kat like him all the more.

Ally seemed to be collecting her thoughts when she asked him the question she feared the most, “This prophecy, and all of the other stuff…I have no say in it?”

Chase locked eyes with her and she felt like he was staring into her soul. “It’s your destiny.”

Something in her rebelled at the thought. She stood abruptly and started for the verandah. She needed some fresh air. This room was beginning to suffocate her. She stopped and looking over her shoulder said, “That’s where you’re wrong, our destiny is what we make of it, nothing is predetermined.”

“Your destiny is set Ally, whether you like it or not. The only thing that isn’t set in stone is the outcome. Fight it all you want but you cannot run from your destiny.”

Without another word she stepped outside.

Chapter Ten

“
W
HERE IS SHE?
W
HAT HAS HAPPENED?”
James asked without any patience.

Adele pulled herself together. “She was in the garden where you left her for a while. I went to check on her and I smelt him. Not Vincent, but a minion.”

“Go on,” he said as his heart jumped into his throat.

“I could sense her fear and knew she was alive. So I ran straight to her. She was with Kathryn. They both seemed disturbed by something in the bushes, so I got them back inside as quickly as I could without raising too many suspicions.”

His body was as tightly strung as a violin. Fear was threatening to paralyse him. “Is she ok?”

“Yes, but if I hadn’t gotten there when I did…” Adele’s voice trailed off softly.

“Where is she?”

“She is with Kathryn and Chase in the sitting room.”

He sighed with pure relief, Ally was alright. James could take his anger out on the vampire that tried to hurt her. “Where is the vampire in question?”

“Sorry James.” She sighed, sounding disappointed. “I had to make a choice. I chased him as far as I could but I didn’t dare stray too far from Ally.”

“I’m glad you chose Ally.”

Adele wandered over to the counter and leaned against it, letting a sigh fill the room. “I don’t think the creature is hanging around out there but I don’t know for sure.”

“He will be long gone by now.” James replied absently

“I thought she was safe here, at the house at least,” Adele said quietly.

“I am beginning to think that nowhere is safe,” he replied with a heavy heart.

They both sat down at the table to form a plan for the oncoming night.

“We need to get her into a deep sleep in order to get her on the plane,” James said.

“I will take care of that, you just stay out of sight.” With that, Adele got up from the table and went in search of Ally.

He nodded his consent and went to make himself a coffee. It was going to be a long night.

Whilst searching for Ally, Adele met Kathryn and Chase who were leaving.

“Where is she?” Adele asked, as she looked frantically around the room.

Kathryn put her hand on Adele’s arm gently, “She is on the verandah.”

Chase and Kathryn shared a look.

“She needed some air.” Chase remarked, the guilt was showing all over his face.

Adele looked from one to the other and raised her hand to rest on her hip. “Why would she need some air?”

Chase knew he was about to be in a whole lot of trouble. He started to say something but Kathryn cut him off. “She knows part of it, Adele.”

Adele looked at her with sheer disbelief, which then quickly turned to anger. She turned to Chase, “And how would she know anything Chase?” She was annoyed and scared. They had a plan Ally was to be told by them, not Chase.

She could feel him squirming. “Well, I’m waiting!”

“She caught me off guard, Addie.” It was weak but it was the best he had and it was the truth. She had taken him by surprise.

Adele was not pleased. “Surprised or not, you shouldn’t have told her.”

“Adele, she needed to know one way or another,” Kathryn said gently. “Perhaps Chase just helped you get started.”

She looked at Kat and was about to snap at her but thought better of it. Her nerves were frayed and she was panicking. None of this was Kathryn’s fault and she was right, Ally needed to know one way or another and now things have been forced into the light.

“What does she know?” Adele asked trying to ascertain how much Chase had revealed.

“Not much and only really basic information. I didn’t go into great detail,” Chase replied. “But she knows about Vincent, removing memories and that there is a prophecy.”

Adele took a calming breath. “Right, so there is still a lot to tell.”

Chase hung his head, the guilt weighing heavily upon him but he still stood by his decision. If he were in that situation, he would have done the same thing as Ally. She was tough and he liked her.

“I need to take Kathryn home, Addie,” he looked at Kat and smiled warmly. “We have a lot to discuss.”

As Adele watched Kathryn and Chase staring dreamily into each other’s eyes, she felt a pang deep in her heart. She was happy for them, but it reminded her of a time long ago…

“Kat, Chase will tell you who we are and what we are doing,” she paused. “It will be very dangerous and I cannot guarantee your safety if you do come, but you are like another granddaughter to me and a sister to Ally, so you have as much right to be there as any of us but…” she trailed off, not knowing the right words to say.

Kat smiled warmly. “I don’t know half of what is going on but if Ally needs me then I will be by her side, come hell or high water. You can count on me Adele.” She embraced Adele saying, “And I love you too.”

Adele felt a tear well in her eye but held herself in check. “Thank you, my dear girl.”

“Let’s go,” Chase said with a final look to Adele.

“Remember what I said Chase, I shall hold you responsible.” Adele warned him with a sincerity that vibrated throughout the room.

“I know Adele.” He all but growled. Adele loved Kathryn, he knew that, but Kat was his to protect now and no one else’s. He would not tolerate interference from anyone.

“This is getting out of hand already,” she grumbled as she watched them leave. Adele turned to find Ally. It was time they told her everything.

“Ally,” Adele said as she walked out onto the verandah.

Ally was leaning against the railing staring out into space. She was visibly startled when she heard her name called. She turned her head around.

“Oh, hi Gran,” she said without any emotion. She appeared to still be absorbed in her own thoughts.

Adele could feel the hurt and confusion radiating out of her granddaughter.

“What’s wrong darling?” Adele asked as she sidled up next to Ally and looked out into the garden.

“Just looking at the stars…”

“They are beautiful,” she answered warily. This was going somewhere, Adele could feel it.

“Do you think our destinies are written in them?”

And here it is, Adele thought to herself. Fighting back a mental groan, she forced herself to answer. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. They had a plan and Chase had compromised it. Adele continued looking at the stars, “Sometimes, yes they are.”

Ally turned her head to study her grandmother for a moment then turned back to the stars. “You see, I always believed we made our own destinies, nothing was foretold or preordained…things just happened.”

“You can’t hide from destiny,” Adele said softly.

“No I suppose not.”

Adele pushed off the railing and looked at Ally. “We need to talk.”

Ally didn’t even flinch or turn around. She had wanted to know and now that she had been given a taste of the knowledge she craved, Ally wasn’t so sure that she wanted it now.

“Do we have to?” Ally said feeling so overwhelmed that she didn’t even feel angry or betrayed any more. All she felt was numb.

“There are things you need to know,” Adele said as she quietly pressed the issue.

She unwillingly turned to her grandmother, “I don’t think I want to know anymore.”

Adele was surprised. This wasn’t like her granddaughter at all. Ally had spirit and courage. She wasn’t a shell. The girl standing in front of her was a stranger.

“Ally come sit down.” She led Ally to a nearby rattan outdoor sofa and sat down on it. “What’s going on? This isn’t the girl we all know and love.”

“I don’t even know who I am.” Ally was clearly distressed about this evening’s revelations.

“You are Alessandra DeCosta! One of the strongest, most loyal and loving women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.” Adele spoke with passion and conviction for the second time tonight.

Ally looked at her grandmother dubiously. “Apparently I’m also some sort of prophecy girl.”