Born to Darkness Book 1 in the Immortal Destiny Series: Vampire Romance Paranormal (12 page)

Alec pulled her into his arms. He was kissing her face and her neck. “I have to leave you Nicole,” he said softly.

Nicole backed away. “No … you can’t leave!” She shook her head. “There’s no reason for you to leave.”

“Sweet … it is what is best. We both know that.”

“No! This is my father’s doing, isn’t it?”

“It is his wish … yes, but I would have left anyway, because I love you. It is the one thing I can do for you to express my love.”

She felt as if her entire world were falling apart. He was her heart - her reason for breathing, and he was leaving. “No what is best for me … is to be with you. I love you Alec,” she cried.

He brushed her tears away. “I am the last thing you need in your life … I am darkness.”

“But I was born to darkness, so none of that matters.”

“Yes … but you will only blossom in the light. You will have children and grandchildren, and you will know through all of it, that I will love you for eternity.”

He kissed her lips tenderly. This time, there was not the familiar - uncontrollable hunger, but need and regret. When the kiss ended, he hugged her tightly. Letting go, he backed away and turned to leave.

“No don’t do it Alec. Please!” she cried.

“Bye sweet,” he whispered, giving her one last kiss on the cheek.

Nicole closed her eyes so that she would not have to see him walk away, but she heard the door click shut behind him.

When she opened her eyes, she was alone. Not since the day of Jay’s funeral, had she felt this alone - this empty.

Instead of going after him like her heart was screaming at her to do, Nicole turned away from the door. 

The seasons passed, but Nicole didn’t see the beauty of the fall, or the wonders of rebirth in spring. She walked around in a daze - going through the motions of life - without actually living it. All around her, the world kept turning, people went on with everyday life, but she was lost in her misery - longing for someone she would never see again.

She’d gone to the club a couple of times, hoping she would find him there. The others in his group were still there, but not him. She’d asked around, but no one seemed to know where he’d gone.

It had taken a little while for her to be able to be around Ethan, without feeling skittish, but he was back to being the same person he’d always been. It was only when she thought about that night, that she even remembered what he was. Though she still enjoyed working for Ethan, she didn’t find her job as exciting as she once did.

Dash would drop by once in a while - literally. She would hear a knock at her window, and find him sitting on the ledge outside. Nicole couldn’t get him to understand that he could still use the door - even if he was a vampire.

He would ask about their trip to Wyoming. She’d promise it would be soon, but didn’t know when. Nicole tried to locate her sisters, but she just didn’t have the heart for it.

Her father had returned, as he’d promised. Donavan was always close at hand now - watching over her. This should have made her feel safe and cared for, but it only reminded her of the person she really wanted to feel safe with.

There were nights when her emptiness was so profound, she considered seeking out a vampire to end her anguish. If she turned - she could find Alec, and there would be no reason for them to be apart.

She would stare out her window at night, hoping beyond reason he would come back. Each time she looked out her window, she’d hope that maybe she would catch a glimpse of him watching her from the street, but she never did.

When she slept, she would dream of him, of his kisses and the way it felt when he touched her - loving her so completely. Sometimes the dreams were so real, she was surprised to wakeup and find she was still alone.

Had he found a way to get into her head and make love to her with his mind?

Nicole stared at the computer screen - lost in thought, as she often was these days.

“Nicole … are you still here?”

Ethan’s voice intruded on her thoughts.

Nicole looked up. “Sorry, I wasn’t ignoring you … just lost for a minute there.”

“You’ve been staring at the same page for the last hour. Is something wrong?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No … I’m just a little tired I guess.”

“Why don’t you go home and get some rest. You don’t have to stay here all night. You’re already here most of the day.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said, turning her attention back to the computer. “I just have to finish running this background check you asked for.”

Ethan cleared his throat. “I wasn’t going to bring this up yet … until I asked your father about it, but maybe you’ll feel better if I do.”

Nicole looked over at him - her curiosity peaked.

“I’ve gotten some information that one of your sisters may be on the west coast somewhere. I mean the girl is a fit.”

“Really … I guess I better check it out,” Nicole told him, but without a lot of enthusiasm.

Ethan shook his head, confused by her lack of excitement. “You’re a Light Seeker now … like the rest of us. This is fantastic news. Not only will it bring us closer to the Place of Light, but this may be your sister.”

Nicole forced a smile. “I know … I’m sorry. Of course I’m excited. This is great news.”

It was great news. Though her heart ached for Alec, finding one of her sisters would take her one step closer to fulfilling her destiny.

Ethan walked over to Nicole and gave her a slap on the back, as if she were one of his buddies. “You didn’t listen to me, did you Nicole? Didn’t I tell you not to look into his eyes?”

Nicole tried to reply, but found she couldn’t talk without choking on her words. Instead, she covered her face with her hands and wept.

“It will be okay,” he told her softly.

“I love him,” she spoke through her tears.

“He only did what he thought was best for you.”

Nicole shook her head. “It wasn’t though.”

Ethan was silent for a long time, but then he put an arm around her. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I’ve heard rumors that Necro will be doing an outdoor concert in Texas … this weekend.”

Nicole held her breath. Ethan wouldn’t be telling her this, if it didn’t have something to do with Alec.

“And?” she urged him to continue.

“Well they say Alec is going to be with them. But like I said, it’s just rumors,” he cautioned.

Nicole stood up from her chair so fast, she knocked it over. “Sorry,” she said, reaching behind her to pick it up.

“Can I take a few days off?” she asked.

Ethan smiled. “Sure … but be careful Nicole. Let’s not forget what these people really are? If Alec isn’t there, don’t hang around.”

“I won’t,” she smiled. It was her first genuine smile in months.

“There’s something else I should tell you.” His words stopped her just as she got to the door. “This sister … they say there’s trouble brewing around her. It would be a good idea to check this out as soon as possible.”

“Yes I will, as soon as I get back from Texas,” she told him. “Can you see what else you can find out about her?”

Ethan nodded, but the worry lines on his face deepened.

* * *

There were people everywhere.

The event was some annual rock festival that was being held in a large field outside of Dallas. Several bands would play throughout the day and night.

Obviously, Alec’s band would not come on until sometime after dark. Nicole anxiously watched as the sun sank lower and lower in the horizon.

There were so many people, Nicole had to practically shove her way through them. It took her a long time to get up close to the stage. Once she was there, people kept trying to push her out of the way. She held her ground. There was no way she was moving until the band she was waiting for came on.

As the last rays of sun faded, the stage exploded in a spray of fire. The guitars came alive - sending out waves of haunting chords to the thousands of people crowding around them.

When the smoke cleared, she saw him - the wind blowing through his hair and his eyes alive with hunger. Alec’s voice rang out above the roar of the crowd.

His words of love and desire pierced right through to her soul. Suddenly his eyes were on her, and she felt herself falling under their spell once again. This time, she didn’t fight it - but welcomed it. She saw no one else. Not the rest of the band - not the people around her, only him and his exotic - hypnotic eyes. His vampire eyes!

To be so close to him after all of this time, and then be unable to feel his arms around her, was a torture beyond anything that she could imagine. Throughout the show, his eyes rarely left her.

Her heart called out to him to end her suffering.

Too soon the music faded away and Alec disappeared, taking her heart with him.

At first she was too devastated to move. All she could do was stare at the empty stage where her lover had been just moments before.

The lump in her throat had grown so big - it was literally cutting off her breath.

To be so close to him, and then have him disappear without a word, was like having a knife shoved into her heart. He had acknowledged her with his eyes, but no more than that.

Turning away from the stage, Nicole pushed her way through the crowd. She seemed to be moving in slow motion - the world was moving in slow motion. All she wanted was to get away from all the people and find solitude so that she could grieve in peace.

Finally she was out of the crowd and walking through a sea of parked cars. She wandered around for a long time - trying to remember where she’d parked. They all looked the same in the dark.

Spotting her car, she started to run toward it.

She had to get away.

Maybe if she ran fast enough, she could outrun the pain.

She could barely see through her tears to put the key in the door’s lock. A hand reached out to cover hers - taking the keys from her grasp. She spun around and saw Alec standing behind her.

Without thinking, she threw her arms around him, and welcomed the feeling of his arms encircling her waist.

He kissed away the tears on her cheeks. “Don’t cry anymore, sweet. There have been too many tears in your life.”

“You went away,” she accused.

“Only because I love you,” he whispered. Alec’s mouth came down on hers and he kissed her with all the passion and yearning she could ever hope for.

Nicole clung to him - afraid that if she let go, he would disappear.

When the kiss ended, he gazed at her with such adoration - she could feel her heart bursting with love for this man - this vampire.

“I will never leave you again,” he promised.

“What about Donavan?” she asked, still breathless from his kiss.

Alec held her closer and spoke in her ear. “He will have to kill me to keep me away from you. I was going to sleep through your lifetime so that I would not be tempted to return, but I couldn’t do it.”

The thought of never seeing him again was more terrifying than anything she’d faced so far.

“My sisters … the Place of Light?” She remembered her destiny.

“We will search together,” he told her, leaning down to kiss her again.

Lifting her in his arms - they ascended into the dark sky.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Somewhere where I can do what I have been dreaming of doing every night since the last time I saw you,” he told her.

His words sent a wave of heat through her body. This time she wouldn’t be dreaming.

* * *

Lex watched them from a distance.

He’d followed the girl from New Orleans - just to be sure she was safe.

For months now, he’d watched. Nothing could happen to her. She was too important to the future of the wolves and the vampires. Only through her, could they hope to ever reach the light.

While he watched over the girl, he was protecting his own granddaughter at the same time - and possibly redeeming himself too. There was a storm coming to
Outerlands
, and to the world of vampires and humans. Even now, Omar was gathering strength and building his army.

The sisters had to prevail. They would bridge the gap and be a powerful weapon against the darkness.

Lex turned away. For now her vampire lover could protect Nicole, but who was protecting the others?

# # #

Copyright 2011,2014 Lorraine Kennedy

This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.