The Seventh Immortal (Hearts of Amaranth #1) (5 page)

Now she knew the full extent of her
immortality. Mere minutes after being shot, her body could repair
itself as if the injury had never even happened.

Unfortunately, her clothes were not so
indestructible. Her blouse was soaked in blood and torn to shreds
beneath her left breast. Even if she could get far away from the
church, she would stand out amidst any crowd. It would only be a
matter of time before the police picked her up again.

This was all a disaster. She never wanted to
hurt anyone, and now two people were dead. She'd lost the one
person she could trust, and now she was back where she started.
Except now, the entire city was looking for her.

As Kait got further and further from the
church, she saw the police presence in a new light. It seemed like
cop cars were on every corner. They were everywhere. Undoubtedly,
word of the mayor's murder had reached the police. They were
looking for her, and they weren't going to stop until they found
her.

Kait didn't know where to go, and she ended
up walking back towards St. Louis University Hospital. It was one
of the few landmarks she knew it the city, and she hoped that with
her bloody shirt she would blend in better among the patients.

A soft drizzle began to fall as she
approached the hospital. It soaked her clothes through, and
suddenly she became very self conscious about the fact she wasn't
wearing a bra. She crossed her arms over her chest, hiding both the
curves of her body and the largest of the blood stains.

Once she was in front of the building, Kait
thought about how to handle this. Maybe she could sit in the
emergency room waiting room for a while, until she had a chance to
steal a new shirt or a jacket. By then, maybe the police search
would have died down enough for her to walk back to her hotel room.
She still had a whole bunch of cash in the briefcase she gave
Spencer. Once the sun rose in the morning, she could buy all new
clothes and start planning a move to another city.

All of Kait's plans were derailed when
someone spotted her. “Kait! You... You came back?”

Kait looked up, towards the entrance of the
hospital. Paul Gordon, the resident who helped her escape, was
standing near the sliding glass doors.

A deep warmth spread through Kait's face as
she realized how awful she looked. She pressed her arms even closer
together over her chest. She could feel her hard nipples poking
through the wet material of her shirt and she didn't want him to
see her so exposed.

“
Yeah, some bad things happened,” Kait said as Paul
approached her. She didn't know a better way to describe her
situation.

Paul looked her over. He noticed the blood
before he noticed anything else. “What happened to you?” he asked.
“Are you okay?”

“
I can survive a lot, it turns out,” Kait replied. “But
there are people after me. Cops.”

“
Well, I was just going home.”

“
Go,” Kait insisted. The last person who tried to help her
ended up dead. She didn't want the same thing to happen to Paul. “I
can handle myself.”

“
Not until I know everything is okay,” Paul said. “C'mon, I
know a place. Somewhere the cops don't like to go. I don't really
understand why, but I never see 'em there. It's really close, but
we're going to have to walk in the rain.”

Kait smiled. “That's not a problem. I'm
already wet.” She immediately regretted her choice of words as
Paul's eyes went wide. “I mean, I've been out here for a while
already.”

“
Let's go.”

Paul motioned for her to follow him. He
stepped out under the awning of the emergency room entrance and
felt the rain drizzling onto his head. A wince passed across his
face, but he shrugged it off. He headed down the street—Grand
Avenue—a few blocks. She followed close behind, eying every corner.
The police were looking for her, after all.

They reached their destination, a small
Korean restaurant called The Seoul Bowl, without incident. Stepping
inside, they dried their feet on the mat and found a table near the
back of the building.

A pretty young Korean woman with straight,
jet-black hair approached to take their drink order. She didn't
look to be much older than 18, but she was the only other person in
the entire restaurant. Apparently it had an early crowd.

Paul asked for a Coke. The young woman
smiled, then gave Kait a knowing wink. Kait looked down at her
blouse and realized that it was clinging tightly to her chest.
Everything that she'd wanted to hide before was now on full display
under the wet cloth.

Her face went red. The waitress just giggled
at her and took her order. Once she was gone, Kait crossed her arms
over her body once again. To his credit, Paul never seemed to be
staring.

“
I need a ride downtown,” Kait said. “I
have a
hotel room at the Renaissance. There, I've got money, a
credit card, a passport... Everything I need to leave town. Maybe
even leave the country.”

“
Leave the country?” Paul replied. “What happened between
when I last saw you and now?”

Kait glanced around the room. They were
alone. The waitress was the only other person in the restaurant and
she'd gone back to give the cook their orders. “I killed the
mayor,” Kait said.

“
You're kidding.”

“
No, I'm not.”

Paul stared at her. She half-expected him to
stand up and walk out. After all, she'd laid a whole lot of drama
at his feet for someone she knew for less than a day. Finally, he
spoke:

“
They're never going to let you get on a plane,” he said.
“Your picture will be everywhere by morning. The whole city is
going to be looking for you. I'd say that you were a dead woman
but...”

“
...but we both know I can't die.”

“
You really killed Mayor Levin?”

“
I shot him in the head.”

“
Fuck.”

Kait began to explain everything that had
happened since they parted ways at the hospital. She left out the
more lurid details, and used the mysterious message written in her
passport to explain her presence at the church. Paul was enraptured
by her story, barely touching his food even as it arrived. Kait, of
course, couldn't dig in because she was too busy talking. By the
time she got to the part where she actually shot Mayor Levin, the
sweet smell of her stir-fried pork was almost overwhelming.

“
So he killed this Spencer, and you killed him. Was it
revenge?”

“
Something like that,” Kait replied. She raised an eyebrow
at him. “You're taking this awfully well.”

Paul forced a smile. “I never liked the
mayor,” he said. “And it seemed like he was going to be elected
again and again until the end of time. You probably did us all a
favor.”

“
You're not freaked out at all?”

“
I'm totally freaked out,” Paul replied. “But I'm trying to
find the silver lining in what might be the weirdest day of my
life.”

Kait couldn't resist her food any more. She
picked up her fork to take a bite and she noticed that there was
something written on the underside of her napkin. Carefully
flipping it over, she read the secret message:

Come to the bathroom. I can help you
escape.

Before Paul could see the words, she spread
the napkin out on her lap. She turned her attention to her food,
trying to push the strange invitation out of her head. While she
was immortal, she sill felt hunger. She needed to eat, and the
stir-fried pork was delicious.

The secret message nagged at her as she ate.
Someone was trying to communicate with her. Did this person know
who or what she was? Could they explain even a little bit about
what had happened to her?

Once she approached the end of her meal,
Kait excused herself from the table. She peeked around the corner
near the restaurant's front counter and found the restrooms.
Stepping into the ladies' room, she tried to prepare herself for
anything.

“
Took you long enough,” a soft voice said. The restroom
stall furthest from the door swung open. Kait was surprised to see
the pretty young waitress standing there, hands clasped behind her
back. “I don't like it when people make me wait.”

The waitress stepped out of the stall, a
thin smile on her face. She walked to the sink and washed her
hands. At least she was clean.

“
Who are you?” Kait asked. “You wrote that message... What
do you want?”

“
I want to help you escape,” the girl said. “Isn't that
enough?”

“
Escape from here? I seem pretty safe at the moment. And I
don't want to leave Paul without saying anything.”

“
Yes you do,” the girl replied. “It's better for him. It's
safer for him if he never sees you again. But you already know
that, don't you?”

Kait thought back to Spencer. The only thing
he got for helping her was a bullet in the chest. “Who are you?”
Kait repeated.

“
Silvi Park,” the girl told her. “And I can help you. The
restaurant is safe for now, but do you really think you're getting
back downtown without anyone noticing?”

“
You were listening to my conversation?”

“
Of course I was,” Silvi replied.

“
That's comforting.”

Silvi motioned towards the door. The sound
of sirens howled in the distance. “Do you really want to get him
involved? I'll take you somewhere safe.”

“
Why do you want to help me?” Kait asked.

“
My boss wants to talk to you,” she answered. “That's it.
Just talk. Nothing scary. Nothing bad.”

“
Who is your boss?”

Silvi rolled her eyes, like she didn't feel
like explaining herself. Nevertheless, she tried. “Her name is
Christa Xander. She's the CEO of Fractal Capital Management.”

“
That doesn't mean anything to me.”

“
You're new in town?”

“
I'm new in life.”

Silvi grinned mischievously. “That sounds
fun.”

The sirens were getting louder. Kait heard
the screeching of tires outside of the Seoul Bowl. The police had
found her, or at least they were closing it.

“
What happens to Paul?” Kait asked.

“
He's safe as long as he's not connected to you,” Silvi
replied.

That was enough to convince Kait. She let
Silvi lead her out of the bathroom, back behind the counter of the
restaurant, and into the kitchen. A single chef stood near the
range, and nodded at Silvi as they past. Despite her young age,
Silvi seemed to be in charge of the restaurant.

Silvi grabbed Kait's hand as they approached
the back of the building. She guided her through the rear exit and
through a dark alley. There was a sleek, hot pink motorcycle parked
next to the dumpster outside the restaurant. Silvi pulled it away
from the wall, unlocked it, and mounted the bike.

“
C'mon,” she said, motioning to Kait. “Hop on.”

Wary, Kait approached the motorcycle. It
didn't seem safe, though she was hardly worried about herself. She
could survive anything. But what about Silvi?

“
Shouldn't you be wearing a helmet?” Kait asked.

Silvi laughed. “You're funny.”

Kait cautiously lifted her leg and straddled
the back of the bike. The seat was small and she had to press
herself against Silvi's back to fit comfortably.

“
You can get closer,” Silvi said. “I won't bite, unless you
ask for it.”

Wrapping her arms around Silvi's abdomen,
she pulled herself even tighter against the young woman. As if on
cue, Silvi started the motorcycle. It shook as it revved up. The
seat vibrated, sending a twinge of pleasure between Kait's
legs.

Kait felt her knees buckle and she tried to
pull away from Silvi. The girl grabbed her hands, keeping them
firmly on her stomach.

“
Feels good, doesn't it?” Silvi asked.

“
I... I don't know,” Kait lied. She could feel herself
getting wet. Unconsciously, she pressed her hips down into the
motorcycle seat.

Silvi felt the motion and giggled. “Yes you
do.”

Kait leaned in against Silvi's body. She
pressed her nose against the girl's hair. She couldn't stop
herself. Her experience with Spencer earlier that evening had left
her unsatisfied. As soon as she thought of him, she tried to pull
away.

“
I'm sorry,” Kait said.

“
No you're not,” Silvi replied. She took Kait's hand and
guided it further up her chest. “All of your senses are so strong,
aren't they? Everything you feel wants to overwhelm you. Don't be
afraid of it. Give into it.”

Kait wanted to. She nuzzled her mouth
against Silvi's neck, kissing the skin between her jaw and her
collar bone. Silvi arched back, gasping slightly at the
sensation.

“
Don't stop,” Silvi said. She began to press Kait's hand
against her chest, rubbing her right breast through her shirt. Kait
rocked her hips on the thrumming motorcycle, letting the vibrations
echo through her body.

Silvi shifted her body, turning just enough that her lips
could meet Kait's. Kait kissed her
hard
, lapping at her lips with her tongue. She tasted
like nothing Kait had ever experienced before. There was something
unnatural about her—something Kait couldn't place, especially in
her delirious condition.

Revving the motorcycle, Silvi slipped her
tongue into Kait's mouth. Kait gasped, inhaling the intoxicating
taste of the young woman. She couldn't help but imagine Silvi
kissing her somewhere else. She wanted her skillful mouth between
her legs, exploring the dripping wetness that threatened to
overwhelm her. The vibration of the motorcycle wasn't enough. No
matter how much she grinded into it, it wouldn't take her where she
needed to go. She needed Silvi's tongue, though she didn't want to
let it slip from between her lips.