Immortal Fate Read online

  “No,” he said, shaking his head. “That would never work for the plan I have in mind, my dear girl. She needs to believe that we are her friends, not her enemy.”

  “Can’t we just kill her and be done with it?” She said frustrated.

  “Not yet,” he soothed. “She will die, but not until I’m finished with her. Now go and make sure you’re ready to leave this place. I want us all gone within the hour.”

  Natalia pouted but nodded her support. She didn’t know why she bothered trying to keep his attention some days. But she loved him, so she’d keep trying to win his black heart forever or till the day one of them turned to ash. She groaned inwardly and walked out the door to organise her things and left Vincent alone with his scheming.

  Chapter Ten

  James opened his eyes as the sun began to rise over his beloved Carlisle Manor and shone through thick glass windows in his room. He rolled over to face Ally, but she was gone.

  He frowned and checked the clock next to his bed. “Five in the morning,” he said aloud with a strange curiosity. “What’s she doing up at this time? She hates early mornings.”

  He reached out with his mind to find her, but he hit a wall. His frowned deepened and his heart did a quick flip. He tried again, the silver line went outwards searching, and connecting then slammed into the wall again.

  Is she blocking me?

  He quickly got up, threw on some jeans and a blue shirt before he dashed out into the dimly lit house. Everyone slept peacefully; he heard the snores and soft breathing as he passed bedrooms and walked down the stairs to the lounge. He looked for an empty coffee mug, a book or even a newspaper left lying around, but there was nothing to indicate she’d been here. Next, he tried the kitchen, but once again there was no trace of anyone being there this morning. Sophie hadn’t even risen yet.

  James walked over to the double doors and looked outside but she wasn’t on the balcony. The cold sweat started to creep its way all over his body and his stomach began to churn with nerves.

  Where are you, Ally?

  The sound of a horse whinny caught his attention.

  Riding! Maybe she went out for a ride on Destiny?

  With a desperate hope he sprinted down to the stables and almost knocked Logan off his feet.

  “James?” Logan questioned after he regained his footing. “What’s the matter? You don’t look right.”

  “It’s nothing I hope,” he replied as he ran his hands through his hair. “It’s Ally. I can’t find her. Have you seen her this morning? Has Destiny been ridden?”

  Logan shook his head. “Not this morning.”

  “Dammit,” James cursed. His heart leapt into his throat and his stomach dropped. The cold sweat had turned into a real bone deep fear.

  “Oh God,” Logan turned pale as the truth of what was going on hit him. “It’s happened hasn’t it? Whatever that gypsy woman was saying?”

  James gave a sharp nod. “I think so, but I don’t know for sure. I wish…oh God I hope she’s just wandered off somewhere on the property. But I think it’s more than that. I can’t connect with her.”

  “You mean the…” Logan pointed to his head. “The mind thing.”

  Despite the situation, James could have almost laughed at Logan. That sounded just like something Ally had said to him at one point. “Yes, the mind thing.”

  Logan frowned in thought for a moment. “Have you searched the grounds yet?”

  “No, that’s the only place left for me to look.”

  “Right,” Logan said. “You search the grounds and I’ll go wake up the others.”

  James nodded distractedly.

  Logan put a hand on his friend and employers shoulder. “We’ll find her James.”

  James gave a small nod. “I’ll go and check the waterfall as well.”

  He sped off in a blur and looked in every direction trying to catch her scent or a sign that she had been in the area, but there was nothing. At times he could’ve sworn he’d picked up on something, it just disappeared into thin air. Something was completely wrong. If she had been taken from the grounds, she should have left a trail of some sort for him to follow. Her scent or even his gut instinct should lead him to her, but no. Deciding he would find nothing on the grounds, he ran to the waterfall.

  The crashing water filled his ears as he ran down the green slope towards the rock she liked to sit on near the edge of the running stream. He almost closed his eyes not wanting to know if she was there or not. This was his last hope. If she wasn’t here, then she was gone. His stomach clenched in protest and his heart skipped a beat.

  A deep breath filled his lungs in anticipation as he got closer.

  Would his love be there waiting for him with a smile on her beautiful mouth and a twinkle in her eyes or would there be nothing but emptiness awaiting him.

  Please be there Ally.

  He ran faster and faster until a woman started to come into view…but it wasn’t his beloved Ally that awaited him at the waterfall.

  Chapter Eleven

  Who is she? And what is she doing here?

  As he got closer, he could see pale blue eyes that drove into his and he knew who he was looking at. He stopped in front of her and intended to demand answers, but before he could speak, she held up a hand to silence him. He stopped more out of surprise than anything else.

  “She’s gone,” the old gypsy woman stated, her eerie eyes following his every movement.

  “Where is she?” James demanded as his voice shook with barely controlled rage. ”What do you know?”

  The gypsy woman shook her head sadly. “She is gone and you are the only one that can release her from her imprisonment.”

  “Imprisonment?” he cried and threw his hands into the air. “What damn imprisonment?”

  “Her mind is under lock and key.”

  “Oh my god,” James sputtered in frustration. “She’s right about you people, you know. Bloody riddles and no straight answers.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “We are a directory service. All we see are sign posts and vague visions.”

  “Well that’s incredibly helpful then,” James scoffed. “So tell me what you do know? And how the hell you knew about this place?”

  The woman glared at him for another moment, then answered his questions. “I know that someone powerful has cast a spell over her mind. Think of it as magical amnesia if that helps.”

  “Magical amnesia…Right, okay. What else do you know?”

  “The person who did this to her isn’t the orchestrator. They are a puppet and someone behind them is pulling the strings.”

  “Vincent,” he spat through gritted teeth.

  “I don’t know,” she answered. “But you have to find her...and soon.”

  “I intend to. How did you know about the waterfall?”

  “I saw an image of the two of you in my mind here and I was worried that what I saw wouldn’t be able to be stopped, so I came and waited to see if you arrived. I knew as soon as I saw you that she had been taken.”

  James sighed. “My half-sister is a seer too. Why didn’t she see any of this but you did?”

  “Perhaps someone has bound her visions as they bound Ally’s memory.”

  A low growl slipped from James’ lips.

  “Go and get as much help as you can to find her, but only you can break the spell cast by this tyrant,” she warned.

  James nodded and turned to leave. “Thank you,” he called over his shoulder.

  The gypsy woman nodded in return and called out once more. “You are the key.”

  He ran all the way back to the house, forming a plan in his mind and trying to absorb the enormity of what had just happened.

  Ally was alone somewhere, possibly with Vincent, and no memory of who or what she was.

  “Could things possibly get any worse?”

  Chapter Twelve

  James ran through the door into his cherished home to find everyone gathered in the lounge room. Sullen face
s etched with worry and sadness met him everywhere he turned.

  “She’s gone,” he announced.

  “We know that, but where?” Chase asked. “Do we have any clues or any idea where to start looking?”

  James shook his head. “I searched everywhere but there no was no trace of her. The only clue we have is what I got from the gypsy woman down at the waterfall.”

  “You saw her?” Isabella asked incredulously.

  He nodded. “She was waiting for me.”

  “What?” Adele cried. “What did she say?”

  He relayed the conversation to the group. Heavy silence filled the air as they all took in what he had explained.

  “So someone blocked my visions?” Isabella gasped. “I didn’t even know such a thing was possible.”

  “Neither did I,” James ran his hands through his hair. “I think it has to be Vincent behind this. I mean who else wants her bad enough to plot something on this kind of scale.”

  “But who has the power to do something like this?” Mackenzie wondered aloud. “Not him, surely?”

  “No,” Damian said. “But the gypsy said someone had cast a spell on behalf of someone else.”

  “Witches are real too then?” Mackenzie exclaimed with wide eyed wonder.

  “Not witches exactly. They are enchantresses, but it couldn’t have been any old enchantress. To perform a spell of this magnitude, it would be someone with incredible power. A grand enchantress. But they would never do it.”

  “Why not?” Logan asked.

  Damian turned towards him. “They are white witches. All of their power and everything they believe in centres around the White Goddess. Something like this would repulse them to their core and they would refuse to do it.”

  “Unless Vincent found a way to force their hand,” James murmured thoughtfully.

  The worried faces stared back at him, each contemplating the weight of his words. What or who could Vincent have used against someone. It was a frightening possibility that none of them wanted to consider.

  The doorbell rang breaking the moment. “I’ll get the door,” Henry said solemnly and left the room.

  “A grand enchantress could kill a vampire without much thought, so whatever Vincent had on her, it had to be huge,” Damian murmured aloud. “That is of course assuming he had anything at all... We can only guess at this point.”

  Clicking heels sounded on the marbled floors, gaining everyone’s attention.

  “Unless Henry’s taken to wearing heels, I think we can assume we have a female guest,” Chase said with an unrepentant grin. Mackenzie playfully slapped his arm while Isabella sent him a well-deserved glare and scolded him. “Thanks for that Captain Obvious.”

  “Just trying to lighten the mood.” He shrugged.

  Isabella rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive hand.

  “You two,” Adele scolded lightly.

  At that moment, the owner of the clicking heels strode into the room. Everyone fell silent and stared in fascination at the new arrival.

  “Can we help you?” James finally asked.

  “I hope so,” she replied curtly. “But I believe that I can also help you.”

  “How so?”

  “I know what happened to Alessandra. I’m a grand enchantress and you’re right,” she said with a glance in Damian’s direction. “It was something huge. That black hearted devil has my daughter.”

  The group let out a collective gasp and all began speaking at once.

  “You’re the grand enchantress?” James growled. “Damian was right? You did this to Ally?”

  Arabella pulled herself straighter. The indignation was obvious. “I’m not here to be stoned for my actions or to beg forgiveness from you. That’s not my style. Alessandra’s forgiveness is another matter entirely. What I am here to do is to explain what happened and to help you find a way to get my daughter and your Alessandra back in one piece, preferably I’d also like Vincent’s head on a stake if we could manage that too.”

  James tried to hold his anger in check, but was failing miserably. “So you traded your daughter for Ally?”

  “Don’t stand there and tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing. If I hadn’t done it then he would have turned my daughter into one of them! What was I supposed to do? The choices I had were rather limited.”

  Adele interrupted the two before blood was shed. “You said you were here to tell us what happened, so tell us.”

  Arabella swept her gaze over the middle aged woman. “She resembles you. Are you her mother?”

  “Her grandmother,” Adele corrected.

  She nodded in reply and then told them all exactly what happened from the moment she’d realised her daughter had been kidnapped to turning up on their doorstep.

  “So he still has your daughter?” Damian clarified.

  “Yes, he still has her,” Arabella seethed.

  “Of course he does,” James scowled and threw his hands in the air. “So now he has your daughter, who is also an enchantress I presume, and Ally, the prophecy girl destined to kill him and a very powerful immortal in her own right.”

  “Yes.”

  “Brilliant,” James said sarcastically. “He’ll be in the mines.”

  “No, he’s not. When Madison wasn’t brought back within the hour as agreed, I went to get her myself. But she wasn’t there. Nobody was. They’ve moved camp.”

  James face turned to stone. “What’s your last name?”

  Arabella furrowed her brow. “What an odd question to ask at a time like this.”

  The room went deadly silent as it became apparent why James had asked the question.

  “I have a reason. What is your last name?” He repeated barely keeping his rage in check.

  “James.”

  “And Madison James is your daughter?”

  “Yes,” she sputtered. “For Goddess sakes why is this so damn important to you? And why are you all acting so strange all of a sudden.”

  “Because we have been looking for your daughter,” James said running his hands through his hair again. “Well this just gets better and better!”

  “What are you talking about?” Arabella all but screeched.

  “Your daughter is the last remaining elder council member that we needed to find,” James voice rose with every word uttered. “Without her, none of them stand a chance! And now you’ve just handed Vincent both of them on a platter!”

  Her eyes narrowed and blue sparks began shooting out of her hair. “I did no such thing! How dare you!”

  “Oh I dare.” James moved menacingly closer. “If you’d said no then we wouldn’t be in this mess and he wouldn’t have Ally!”

  Her hand flew up and a ball of blinding white light bounced in the air. “Do not come any closer. I’m warning you,” she hissed. “If I hadn’t done it then you would have failed regardless because apparently without everyone you will lose. Just what did you think he was going to do to her if I said no? He would’ve killed her or turned her and all would’ve been lost. At least we have a chance this way.”

  “I am holding you responsible and if this fails…I’m coming after you,” he threatened swatting her hand away.

  Arabella reacted instantly and called the lightening from the sky.

  “Stop this, both of you!” Damian bellowed. Everyone in the room including James and Arabella jumped.

  “What good is it to Ally and Madison if you two kill each other?” Damian moved between them and gently pushed them back from each other. He held his brother in place with a glare. “Think of Ally. Would she want this?”

  “In case you’ve forgotten she can a blood thirsty little creature at times, so yes she probably would.” James was itching to tear Arabella apart.

  Damian rolled his eyes. “Just back off for a minute.” He turned to Arabella. “Same goes for you.”

  She huffed indignantly. “I will if he does.”

  “I will take that as a truce,” He breathed a silent breath of relief.
Jumping the middle had been risky but someone had to do it before they killed each other. “Now back to the point at hand. Where are they?”

  Arabella shrugged her shoulders. “I thought you might have some idea.”

  James groaned internally. “You said the spell was unbreakable, but the gypsy woman told me I was the key to releasing her.”

  “You could be. I put a loop hole into the spell to break it, but I didn’t know anything about her, so I said whatever her anchor was would be the key to releasing her. It would be her one true love. It was the only way I could think to thwart Vincent without him knowing what I’d done.”

  “That’s me then,” he said. “I’ll call Tristan and find out what other hide outs Vincent has and maybe we can find them both that way.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  James flung the door open and he stalked outside. “Dammit,” he mumbled and pulled out his phone.

  “James,” Tristan said when he answered.

  “He’s got Ally.” James pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “We’ve got no idea where they are. And we’ve just found the last elder member.”

  “At least that’s some good news.”

  “Not really. He has her as well.”

  Tristan swore into the phone. “We’ll get her back, James. Kat and I will help you.” James could hear the tension in his voice as he spoke and felt the same emotion running throughout himself.

  He filled Tristan in on the rest of what had happened this morning with Arabella.

  “Kat and I will be there in half an hour and I’ll give you a list of all the places that I know he rotates.”

  James ended the call and stood silently staring out at the mountains before him. The anger and helplessness raged through him. He felt nauseated and a cold sweat broke out. His worst nightmare had come to fruition and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to get her back this instant. “If she doesn’t kill you for this, I will,” he quietly vowed.

  The door creaked behind him, but he didn’t bother to turn around.