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The flight from Melbourne to Scotland was long but James took comfort in the fact they had the use of a private jet. It’d been necessary to take her out of the country. No airline would let her on board when she was unconscious.
Seated in the beige leather seats next to Ally, he worried that he’d done the wrong thing stealing her away in the middle of the night. Should they have waited until morning? What was he supposed to do? Her life was in danger whether she wanted to admit it or not.
James continued to torment himself for the first few hours of the flight. Adele, seated opposite him, seemed lost in her own thoughts as well. Neither spoke, each preparing themselves in their own way for what was to come.
James dragged himself back to reality, he couldn’t take the torture any longer. “Adele, it’s time.”
She bit her lower lip and nodded her reluctant agreement.
James nodded and leaned in to whisper in Ally’s ear, “Forgive me.” He relinquished control of her mind and allowed her to wake. “Wake up, Alessandra.”
Her eyes fluttered open.
“Ally, sweetheart, wake up,” Adele coaxed.
Ally opened her eyes and took in the scene before her as she shook off the fogginess of sleep. “Gran?” She turned and looked to the side. “James?” She frowned. Was this some strange dream? She remembered collapsing into bed and falling asleep.
“Am I sleeping?” she asked them both.
James replied, “No, you’re awake.”
Ally looked from her Gran and then back to James again. Fear threatened to suffocate her. “I was in bed, and now I’m not.” She glanced around. “Why am I on a plane? And where are we going?”
James and Adele looked at her with concern.
“This was a bad idea,” James spoke telepathically to Adele.
She flicked her gaze to his then back to Ally. She was tempted to agree, but they’d had no other choice. Otherwise, she’d never have been a willing party to what they’d done last night.
Ally scowled at them. “I’m waiting for an explanation.”
James cleared his throat and braced himself for the onslaught. “We’re going to my home, Carlisle Manor, in Scotland.”
Ally forced her fists to unclench. “Why?” she gritted through her teeth.
“For you to understand, we need to tell you something,” James said then paused as a smile played across his lips. “But first you wanted something back.”
Ally studied him for a moment, then comprehension lit her face. She glared at him. “You had no right to take my memories. And yes, I want them back.”
She had a right to be upset, but it troubled him this was how they were to begin their lives together. “When you remember what happened, it’ll help you understand what we’ll tell you and why we did it.” James said.
Ally fumed in silence.
James flicked his eyes to Adele then returned Ally’s stare. He leaned closer, never breaking eye contact. Finally, he gave the soft whisper that floated over her skin. “Remember.”
Something tugged at the edge of her mind again. Is that what this is?
Before she’d taken another breath, the air was knocked out of her lungs as images flooded through her mind. She was back there again reliving the terror that was as real as it had been that night. She watched Vincent kill Sarah. Next, he came after her, intending to kill her and alluding to the fact he’d already killed her parents, and then she saw James.
Ally remembered James had come to her rescue. She was moments from certain death when he’d appeared. She heard his voice in her mind and experienced the same delicious chills running over her body and through her mind, but unlike the first time, she heard the terror in James’ voice.
The memories ended, and she struggled to breathe. How could any of this be real? Was she still asleep? No, she’d accepted that wasn’t the case, she just wished it was. But accepting that she was awake was one thing, accepting Gran and James were what? Something supernatural? Well that was a bit more for her to take in.
Ally heard James speaking, bringing her focus back to the present. “Ally, everything that happened last night was real. Vincent is trying to kill you because of the prophecy, and he was responsible for your parents’ deaths as he insinuated.”
Terrified and bewildered, she turned to her grandmother for confirmation.
“It’s true,” Adele confirmed.
“It can’t be. What I saw last night was impossible.” She was desperate for them to tell her this was all some cruel joke. That’d be easier than accepting it might’ve been real.
Mind control she could deal with, to a point. A supernatural monster that wanted her dead, who also murdered her parents, was a nightmare she could not deal with.
James spoke again interrupting her downward spiral of fear. “What you saw last night is impossible for a human, but Vincent isn’t human. You already know what he is, Ally. I took the memory from you. I saw what happened. I heard what he told you, and what you told him for that matter.” He lifted an eyebrow at her.
Replaying the conversation with Vincent in her mind, she came to the part where she had claimed she was James’ girlfriend. Her face flushed, and she turned her gaze from his. “I was trying to save my life,” she muttered.
He grinned unrepentantly. “I liked the idea.”
“Oh,” her eyes flew to his, and in them she saw his desire. Another hot flush ran through her body, but this time for an altogether different reason.
Closing her eyes, she took deep calming breaths, and tried hard to be reasonable and rational about everything she was being told. “He told me he was a vampire, but I thought he was a nutcase at first.” She put her head in her hands. “I still haven’t been told why we’re on a plane bound for Scotland.”
“We’re taking you into hiding until you have everything at your disposal to defeat him,” James answered.
“Seriously? You kidnapped me just to hide me away in Scotland?”
James stared at her before replying. “Ally, it was for your own good. We only want to protect you. Surely, you can understand that after your encounter with Vincent.”
Ally shuddered again. “I understand you both want to protect me. What I don’t understand is why I wasn’t given any choice in the matter. Why didn’t you just tell me what was going on, or even ask me what I thought about going to Scotland?” She glared at them both, whilst crossing her arms. “And what are you both? Humans can’t communicate via telepathy, which I’m guessing is how I heard both of your voices that night. And let’s not forget stealing people’s memories at random.”
“Immortals,” Adele and James said in unison.
“Immortals?” she repeated. “What is that? If you tell me you’re anything like Vincent, I’m jumping off this plane immediately.”
Adele answered. “We’re not vampires like Vincent. He’s an evil monster. Immortals are the guardians of humanity. We stand between them and the vampires. That is the purpose of our species; to hold the darkness at bay, so the light can flourish.” Adele took her hand and gave it a light squeeze. “Your mother was an immortal too. That’s why Vincent killed her. And your father died trying to save her.”
“Of course, he did.” Ally wiped a tear from her eye. “I miss them so much, but I’m glad they were together at the end.”
James saw Ally tremble. He pulled her into his arms. She went willingly into his embrace. He offered her his comfort, courage, and strength. All of which she needed right now.
Adele watched Ally crumbling under the weight they had put upon her shoulders and wished there’d been another way to do this. But there never would’ve been a painless way to tell her. “It was a trap to lure you out so he could finish you off before you killed him,” Adele informed her as carefully as possible. The last thing she wanted was Ally to feel responsible for their deaths. She wasn’t responsible for the choices that Vincent, her mother, or her father had made that night.
“They would have died no matter what. It was their fate.” Ally’s shoulder slumped, and she buried further into James’ embrace as tears ran down her face.
James and Adele stared at each other, then back at Ally. “What do you mean, sweetheart?” Adele asked. “How was it their fate?”
“Madame Isabella predicted it and said it was all meant to be. That it’d mark the beginning of the prophecy.”
“What?” James and Adele exclaimed in unison.
She turned her face from James chest. “Don’t you guys know all about this? I thought I was the one in the dark.”
James rubbed her back and spoke to her. “I think it’s time you tell us exactly what that fortune teller told you.”
Ally took a deep breath and relayed word-for-word, what had been said all those years ago. It was burned into her memory. She hadn’t forgotten a single syllable.
When she’d finished, James and Adele sat speechless for a moment, neither one able to understand she’d known all this for five years. They both also realised it’d been a pointless effort hiding the truth from her.
“All this time you’ve known. Why didn’t you say something?” Adele asked.
“It’s not an easy conversation to start, Gran.” She grimaced at the image of starting such a ridiculous conversation. “And how was I to know you were involved in all this? I knew James was but when he didn’t come back, well I figured it was just some freaky coincidence.”
“How did she know all of that?” James asked.
“She’s psychic I guess. But she didn’t explain what the prophecy was. All I got told is killing Vincent because of a prophecy.”
With a quick glance at James then at her granddaughter, Adele answered her question. “To understand the significance of the prophecy and your part in it, you need to know about the immortals as well. There’s a lot of information, too much to tell you at once. But the prophecy is about a half immortal girl, you my darling, brought into the world under the cover of a lunar eclipse to hide her presence from the dark ones that would seek her destruction. Your birth was predicted five hundred years ago by our most gifted immortal seer, Gabriel. There are various kinds of talents or special powers if you like among us, seers being one of them, but that’s something you can learn about later.”
Ally nodded encouraging Adele to continue. “Once the immortals were a powerful race, but long ago the vampires, led by their ruler, waged war on our kind. It was a well organised ambush, played out simultaneously across the globe that decimated at least half the immortals. The remaining half were so terrified of the new one, Vincent, and the other vampires, they went into hiding and refused to live as immortals, instead blending into life with humans. A few remained in Scotland but not enough.” Adele took a breath. “So, the immortals are no longer the proud, strong people they were. According to Gabriel, the prophecy girl would change all this. She would reunite the people and destroy Vincent. You are the only thing that stands between us and extinction.”
Ally stared at her grandmother in disbelief, her eyes wide. “There’s been a mistake. I can’t be that girl.” She pulled out of James arms. “I’m not special. What am I supposed to do against a vampire? I didn’t stand a chance the other night. How would the next time be any different?”
Please, oh, please tell me this is a mistake.
Hot tears fell from her eyes and dripped down her cheeks. “I don’t want this, it’s too much. My life has already been turned inside out once. And now it’s happening again.”
Adele grabbed her arms and looked into her bright glistening green eyes. “You aren’t just a human. You’re a half immortal. And sadly, it’s not about what any of us want, my girl. Do you think this is what I want for you? What James wants for you? No. If there was any other way, James and I would have found it.” Ally’s tears stung Adele’s heart. She meant what she’d said, if there was any way to keep her from this, they would do it. James or Adele would’ve taken her place in a heartbeat. They loved her too much to risk her life on a whim, but they’d both spent years researching and looking for another way, however, the result was always the same, it had to be Ally. There was no one else.
James tilted Ally’s face toward him. The gravity of the situation reflected in his gaze. “You’re not alone in this, Ally. Your grandmother and I will stay by your side every step of the way. No matter what. You won’t be left defenceless and alone. That’s why we’re going to Scotland. We can protect you there and teach all you need to know.”
Ally kept her gaze on James long after he’d finished speaking. She couldn’t find the will to tear her eyes from his. Amidst all the turmoil, James made her feel safer. Stronger.
James watched the emotions playing on Ally’s face, and he prayed she’d find the courage to stay and fight, for the sakes of the immortals and for him.
The fear slithered back and took control of her. “No. There must be another way. I’ll go somewhere he can’t find me and then this’ll all be over. I’m sorry, but the immortals can’t expect me to die because of some bloody seer from five hundred years ago.”
Those words sent James over the edge. “For God’s sake, Ally, you’re not leaving,” he snapped. “Didn’t you hear a word we said? Your destiny is here in this country, with your people. No matter what you think, you can’t run from this. Vincent will find you wherever you go, and he will kill you. Make no mistake, Ally, the only reason you’re alive now is because I found you in time. You can kick and scream all you want, but you will do what you are destined to do, whether any of us like it or not.” With that, he got up and stalked toward the cockpit. He needed a breather. The tension between them was driving him insane. All he wanted to do was help and protect her, but instead he was yelling at her. She was scared, and he understood that, but he was scared too. The fear he might lose her was suffocating him and causing him to react badly.
Ally was stunned into silence at James’ outburst. Yes, she was being temperamental about the whole matter, but her entire life had been changed. Again.
A murderous rage came over her as the shock of his words wore off. How dare he! I have every damn reason to be acting like this. James has no idea what this is like. He’s known who and what he was since the day he was born.
Adele reached out to her and Ally came back to reality. “Don’t worry about James, sweetie. He’s just terrified that Vincent will find you.”
“I understand that, but this news is a huge amount for me to absorb, and I need more time,” Ally paused. “I believe what you’ve told me, but...”
“I know, sweetie. We should’ve told you a long time ago,” Adele sighed.
“Why didn’t Mum and Dad tell me?”
“They were going to on the morning you found James in the kitchen. He was—” she stopped short realising she was about to say too much.
“Gran?” Ally stared at her.
“He was there to claim you as his soulmate.” The words hung in the air.
“My what now?”
“Your soulmate,” Adele repeated. “That’s another immortal thing. We all have a soulmate; our other half, the one that makes your blood sing and your heart soar. There’s no mistaking it once you’ve experienced it.”
Ally’s mouth hung open, and she sat in stupefied silence before she shook her head and replied. “Isn’t he supposed to be my guardian?”
“He’s that too. The fates chose him as your guardian because of that.” She gave Ally a wry smile. “Things could get a little awkward if there was another male guarding an immortal’s soulmate.”
“Why?”
Adele patted her knee. “Let’s just say immortal men can be a little irrational and domineering about other non-related males around their women.”
“That’s a bit archaic, isn’t it?”
“Strictly speaking my darling, immortals are archaic. Most of them were born in a different time to modern women, and their notions have yet to adjust to the modern world.”
Ally scoffed. “So, I’ve been matched with an archaic alpha male.”
“Not to worry, if anyone will sort him out and teach him the ways of modern women, it’s you. In fact, I’m looking forward to see it unfold.”
Ally laughed. “You’re bad, Gran.”
Adele winked. “I’ve got to find laughter wherever I can these days.”
“Yeah.” Ally stretched her aching limbs. “So, yet another thing I didn’t have a say in.”
“Oh, Ally, I’ve known James for a long time and he’s a wonderful man. You are a perfect pair. I’ll admit you are seeing the worst of him right now. His soulmate is in danger, he’s reacting out of fear, not rationality.”
“We’ll see.”
“Have I ever misled you darling?”
Ally just looked at her.
“I didn’t mislead you, Ally. I withheld information, so don’t give me that look.” Adele loved her granddaughter’s spirit, but she had to use a different strategy with her to see beyond James ‘the immortal’. “Before you found all of this out, what did you think of him?”
She shrugged and a smile she couldn’t fight crept across her mouth. “Sixteen years ago, I was in awe of him, and I never forgot him. And last night, I thought he was gorgeous, and I had fun with him.” Ally looked at Adele and arched an eyebrow. “I get what you’re trying to point out, Gran. There was something there last night, something strong between us but was it fate? Is he my ‘soulmate’? I don’t know.”
“You do. You’re just not ready to admit it yet.” Adele said.
Ally shrugged and looked out the window for the first time. The sun was rising in the sky above the plane and below was a vast deep blue ocean.
Looking back at her grandmother she added, “Why didn’t you wake me up once we got there? You know I hate flying.”
“Sorry, honey. Next time I promise not to wake you.”
Ally raised an eyebrow at her again. “Next time, if you don’t mind, also get my consent before taking me out of the country unconscious.” She looked around. “Where’s Coco?” She needed a cuddle from her dog right now.
“Don’t worry, we made sure she came with you. Actually, James did. She’s quite taken with him.”
As if on cue, James sauntered towards them having calmed down, with Coco walking beside him.
“Traitor,” Ally said to her dog.
As usual, Coco just cocked her head to the side and then flopped down beside her new best friend, James.
“She has good taste in people, don’t you think, Ally?” James teased scratching the dog behind her ears. Coco grinned up at him in her own doggy way and pawed at him for more when he stopped.
Ally watched the two of them and rolled her eyes at the scene before her. “Normally she does. She must be having an off day.”
He laughed and it vibrated throughout her whole being. It was smooth and deep just like his voice. And that smile, oh my God, what am I thinking?
“I’m going to take a stroll. My old legs are stiffening up.” Adele sent a pointed look towards James as she was leaving.
“Now is your chance to make things right.”
“Thank you, Adele.”
“You’re welcome, caveman.”
James frowned then turned back to Ally. He smiled at her with all the charm he could muster. “Ally, I’m so sorry I snapped at you, but you need to take this whole situation more seriously. Your life depends on it.”
“Whether I take this seriously or not is nothing to do with you. It’s my life,” she snapped.
“That’s not true. I heard what Adele told you, you know we’re soulmates. Anything that concerns you is my concern too.”
“You really are a caveman, aren’t you?” she said, her voice lowered from agitation.
“Ah, that explains that.”
“Explains what?”
“Just something Adele said.”
“But she didn’t say any—” She made an exasperated sound. “I’m not sure of telepathy etiquette, but no more silent chats when I’m around.”
James nodded with a grin.
“I’d hoped you’d be happy to see me after all this time,” he said, capturing her full attention by laying his hand on hers. “You felt the connection that morning. I know you did.” He rubbed his thumb against her hand. “And last night, you can’t deny there was something strong between us, there still is.”
“I couldn’t deny it, even if I wanted too,” she admitted, a faint blush on her cheeks. “What I don’t understand is, if I was that important to you, why did you walk away from me?”
He leaned closer and grazed the side of her face with his hand. “I never once left you. I told you last night, remember? I was always there. You just never knew.”
Ally contemplated what he was saying. And yes, she had eventually realised last night that he had been guarding her, but that was as a guardian. This soulmate thing made her question everything he’d told her last night. And how he could have been there without her knowledge was something she couldn’t grasp. She would’ve seen or felt him, wouldn’t she?
“How could I have known that? And why didn’t I at least feel someone following me?” she asked, fighting the trembling sensation that wanted to take hold of her. “You say for five years you guarded me, but never once approached me? How is it even possible to keep your distance from something or someone so important?”
“It wasn’t the right time,” his voice filled with regret. “You have no idea how much I wanted to. How being so close to you, but never being able to reach out and touch you or talk to you tormented me. It was a living hell.”
Ally searched his eyes. Regret, sadness, and heartbreak stared back at her.
“I watched and guarded you for twenty-one years. The moment you were born, I knew you were my soulmate, but your parents wanted you to have a normal life for as long as possible, and when they died I continued protecting you and watching over you from the shadows. After what happened, Adele and I decided it wasn’t right to thrust the immortals, the prophecy, and even me onto you at that point. And then time kept ticking past, and it just never seemed right, then of course you met Vincent and that changed everything.”
She angled her body closer to his and reached out to touch his face. “Thank you for being honest with me, James, and for keeping me safe all these years.”
As he laid his hand over hers, the electrical charge ran through her again like last night. Her heart and body reached for him, but her mind was still uncertain. It was all happening so fast and she wanted to pull back, but his gaze held her immobile.
James leaned forward, hesitating, giving her time to move away from him, but she didn’t. He closed the small gap between them and kissed her. Ally’s heart stuttered and a breathy sound fell from her lips. The desire between them sprang to life, and if he didn’t stop now, the inferno would engulf them both. He savoured the sensations a moment longer before ending the kiss.
Ally’s eyes were dazed, and he held back a satisfied smirk. “We should land soon. Think about everything you’ve been told. If you listen to your heart, it will all make sense.”
Still in a daze, Ally said, “Like I could think about anything else.”
Despite getting a glimpse of the feelings he had for her, she wasn’t ready to leap into a relationship or the soulmate equivalent just yet. She needed time to process things and decide what she wanted and how she wanted to do this.
Destiny played a significant role in her life, that couldn’t be denied. However, there was still some control she could take back. Knowing it would be difficult to hold James back until she was ready, and the fact that she couldn’t seem to control herself when she was close to him, cemented her decision to put some distance between them. Considering she was staying at his house, it would be a challenging task.
Nevertheless, Ally was always one who knew what she needed. A few days of normality were at the top of her list, followed by getting to know James, slowly.
Despite everything he’d said, she was still a little hurt he hadn’t moved heaven and earth to be with her. According to him, it wasn’t possible, but she didn’t entirely believe that. Then again, was she was being too hard on him? Her emotions were in tatters and her state of mind wasn’t much better. Even more reason to get some distance. She knew he might get hurt, and that was the last thing she wanted to do, but in her heart, this was the best choice for her. If she was going to be with James, then it would be because she wanted to be, not because she was destined to be.
At that moment, Adele came wandering back to her seat. She sat down and looked from Ally to James and smiled at them with happiness.
“Give her time, James. It appears Ally is coming around.”
James looked over to Adele and sighed internally at the dilemma he could feel was coming. Ally needed time, but that was something they had in limited supply. “I can give her anything but that. We’ve already wasted too much as it is.”
Adele sighed with frustration and resignation. She knew his words were true, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.