Immortal Mine (41 page)

I become aware of another hand grabbing
mine. I open my eyes and see Stacy there, tears streaming down her
face.

“Stacy,” I breathe, and Sam releases me so
that Stacy can take his place. Behind her back I grasp his hand,
refusing to let him move further away. I don’t know where I am, or
why, but I remember what he can do with my hand, and I don’t
care.

“Niahm, I thought you were dead. But you’re
not. You’re here, you’re really alive,” Stacy gushes as she holds
me. “I didn’t believe them when they told me what they were, what
you
were, but it’s true.”

Her words penetrate my cloud of happiness
and I push back from her, but still not relinquishing my hold on
Sam.

“What? What did you say?” I ask her. Her
face changes and she glances uncertainly at Sam. Sam gently takes
her arm and urges her out of the way so that he can sit next to me
once again.

“Niahm, what do you remember of the past few
days?” he asks me.

“I...” I trail off, trying to remember. I
remember my trip with Jean, Stacy tagging along for her college
interviews. I remember our day shopping, our visit to the spa. I
remember the Chinese restaurant—

“The Sentinels!” I exclaim. “Jean, where is
she?”

“I don’t know,” Sam says. Do you remember
being chased through the warehouse?”

I didn’t until he said it, then it all comes
flooding back.

“Oh no,” I breathe on a sob. “They took
Jean?”

“I don’t know,” Sam says again. “Can I show
you something?”

“Okay,” I acquiesce reluctantly, and
immediately the warmth begins to flow between our hands. Only this
time he’s showing me the messages Jean had sent him as she stood in
the warehouse, hugging me. “She left for me?” I ask. Sam nods.
“They might have her?”

“I don’t believe they do,” Shane says. My
eyes go to him for the first time, and I can see how tired he is.
Suddenly, I realize how tired all of them are. “I don’t think they
would have kept pursuing us if they had her.”

“You think she managed to get away?” I ask
doubtfully.

“They came back after the two of you. That’s
how you were shot. They wouldn’t have done that if they’d had who
they were after to begin with,” Shane says.

I look at Sam, who’s watching me with
sympathy. “She said she’d meet us,” he says. “All we can do is
wait, be there when she says she will.” I reach up and sooth a
thumb beneath his eye.

“You look exhausted,” I say. “I didn’t think
you could get tired.”

“I can get tired,” he says. “It just doesn’t
come from lack of sleep.”

“What, then?” I ask.

“Worry,” he says, which bring my thoughts
immediately back to the details I’ve been trying to ignore.

“I was shot?” I say.

“Yes,” Sam answers.

“Where?” I ask.

Sam reaches behind me and places his finger
on a spot on the soft area of my back, where my kidneys reside.
“Here,” he says, moving his finger to the outside edge of my
abdomen. “It exited here.”

I lift my shirt, and see a small bruised
circle on my abdomen. How long has it been? Long enough for the
wound to heal, and... suddenly, I look around, aware of just where
I am. Not in a hospital, not home in bed. In the motel, alone with
Sam, Shane, and Stacy. No medical equipment surrounds me.

“I...” I swallow over the lump that’s formed
in my throat. I take a breath, not wanting to ask but
needing
to know. “I’m... like you?”

“Yes,” Sam says, watching me cautiously.

I shake my head, denying it, tears
starting.

“I’m so sorry, Niahm,” Sam begins, but Shane
moves to sit on my other side.

“I tried to save you, Niahm,” he says,
sorrow and candor in his words. “We all did. We couldn’t take you
to a hospital, not with the Sentinel’s.... Even then, they couldn’t
have saved you, Niahm. There was too much blood loss.”

“Show me,” I say through my tears, pushing
my hand into Sam’s, closing my eyes. He does, beginning with our
running to the van. I’m horrified at what he observes, at his
feelings of utter despair and guilt at the whole incident. He shows
me everything, all the way to the moment my eyes opened. I open
them once again, letting my vision fill with the pure vision of
Sam.

I don’t know how to feel about this. I don’t
want to live forever, I don’t want to spend eternity looking over
my shoulder for Sentinels. I don’t want to leave my home. Then I
realize that even more than all of that, I don’t want to lose Sam.
I don’t ever want to be away from him again, even if it means
moving around the world more than my parents did. For the first
time I have some clarity as to why they did it.

My mom had searched for someone who meant so
much to her, and my dad had followed because he couldn’t imagine
living without her, even for a couple of weeks at a time. I
understand now why they did what they did, that it had nothing to
do with me, that they were driven by forces beyond their control. I
understand because I’m now willing to do the same for Sam.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers again.

“I’m not,” I say, meaning it. His beautiful
copper brows lift in surprise, but I give his hand a squeeze.
“Look,” I say.

He shakes his head. “No, Niahm, I told you I
wouldn’t do that again.” Then he laughs. “Of course, I did it the
entire time you were wounded and then...”

“Now, Sam,” I say. “I’m asking you to look
now.”

He does, and like the sun coming out after a
cloudy day, his face clears, his eyes regaining the sparkle and
humor I’ve never been able to see quite so clearly thorough his
contacts.

I love you
.

My answer is a kiss that confirms how very
much he loves me as well.

It’s complicated trying to leave my life in
Goshen. I’d always lived in a permanent way, so it isn’t easy
trying to extricate myself from my home. My heart breaks as I
realize I won’t even be able to graduate with my friends, the
people who have been an integrated part of my life from my first
memory. But we have to go now, before the Sentinel’s come. We can’t
risk them finding us here and possibly hurting any of my
townspeople.

I give Bessie to Stacy’s dad, and the
chickens to the Hill’s. Sam arranges to have the horses picked up
and moved to a stable until it’s safe to bring them to us once
again. I refuse to give up Bob. Sam doesn’t even try to argue the
logistics of moving a dog around with us. I think he’s as attached
to Bob as I am. No one knows I’m going so soon.

I know what kinds of stories will be
imagined to explain my sudden departure with Sam and Shane. At
first I’m upset about that, then decide it’s okay. It will give
everyone something to talk about for a while, anyway.

Sam and Shane put their ranch up for sale,
but I can’t bring myself to sell mine quite yet. I know I’ll have
to eventually, but there’s too much loss to deal with already.

“Stace, are you going to be okay?” I ask her
again.

“Yes, for the cajillionth time,” she says,
rolling her eyes. “I’m going to see you again,” she says firmly.
“Even if it’s when I’m old and gray, and you’re still young and
beautiful, and I’ll be insanely jealous.”

“I’m going to miss you more than anything,”
I say, hugging her.

“I know,” she says. “But you’ll never forget
me, no matter how much time passes.”

“I won’t,” I say, looking at her, smoothing
her hair back. “You’ve gone above and beyond as my friend... as my
sister, really. You’ve saved my life, more than once—in more ways
than one.”

“Yeah, well, you made life in dull Goshen
exciting,” she says. “Think of the great stories I’ll be able to
make up for my kids about my immortal friend.” Stacy is much more
comfortable referring to me as immortal than I am. “Go,” she says,
looking beyond me to where Sam waits in his truck. “You have your
own immortal waiting for you. How romantic is that? You guys
genuinely get the happy forever.”

I look back to where Sam waits, and can’t
refute her words. I clasp her tightly to me, no more words
necessary to covey my love and appreciation. Then I turn and run to
the truck. I climb in, sliding over to the middle, pushing Bob to
the passenger seat and we drive away. I watch Stacy until I can no
longer see her, then Bob and I both watch Goshen fade. Bob seems to
understand that we are leaving, never to return. He gives on high
pitched whine as it disappears.

Sam drives silently for a few more minutes,
then without a word pulls over to the side of the road, turning to
take me into his arms. He holds me while I cry, his hands moving up
and down my back in a soothing motion.

“Sam,” I ask after a few minutes. “What am I
going to do if you ever leave me?”

He laughs. “Niahm, it doesn’t work that way.
I
love
you. I’ve felt what it is to lose you, I won’t put
myself through that again.”

“Yeah, but I can get pretty annoying,” I
say. “Sometimes I’m even sick of myself.”

He puts his hands on my cheeks, ducking to
look directly into my eyes. “Niahm, there isn’t
anything
that will take me from you. Or you from me.”

I smile at him, then narrow my eyes. “You
seem pretty sure of yourself. What if I find someone I like
better?”

“I always thought I was bound to you,” he
begins.

“You’re not?” I interrupt.

“Oh, I definitely am,” he says. “But I
believe it’s more. I didn’t really recognize what it was until I
saw it in you.”

“Saw what?” I ask.

“Remember when you first opened your eyes,
how overwhelming your feelings for me were? How you felt you
couldn’t exist without me?”

I nod, remembering those feelings clearly,
feelings that returned each time I looked at him.

“It’s the same for me,” he says. “It was
faster than the normal binding with someone, stronger. Neither
Shane nor I recognized it because we’ve never even
heard
of
anything like it before. It must be rare, but exists, and someone,
somewhere knows what it is, has a name for it. It doesn’t matter
what the name is, though, Niahm, I only know that I
can’t
exist without you. I won’t, as long as I have any say in it.”

“Do you think it only happens between
immortals?” I ask, curious now.

Sam shrugs. “Maybe. Seems like it would be
incredibly unfair for an immortal to feel this way about a mortal
who would not survive for many years with them.”

“Hmm,” I say, my curiosity about it
disappearing. “I don’t need a name for it either. I know
what
it is, and that’s good enough for me. It makes me your
immortal, and you mine.”

“Mm,” Sam answers, lowering his mouth to
mine, one arm behind pulling me close, the other resting alongside
my neck, holding me a willing captive. When he releases me, he
grins.

“I’m going to have to marry you soon,” he
says, slightly breathless.

“How soon?” I ask, completely
breathless.

“Tomorrow?” he says.

“How about today?” I tease.

“I’ll marry you whenever and wherever you
say, Niahm Parker.”

“Ditto, Sam... is that your real name?” I
ask, the thought suddenly occurring to me.

“It’s a close translation,” he answers. “My
birth name is Sorley Padraig Ó Clúmháin, Samuel Patrick Coleman. I
try to keep some part of my real name in all of my incarnations.
This is the closest name to my real name, which seemed appropriate
since my hair is its natural color for the first time in a long
time.”

I look up at his gorgeous hair, filled with
sadness that it will soon be covered by hair dye, as will mine.

“Okay, well Sorley Padraig O... ”

“Cloo-waun,” he pronounces slowly.

“Cloo-waun,” I repeat. “I will also marry
you anytime, anywhere... with our real names, though I may have to
practice that a little.”

“Deal,” he says, kissing me again. Bob
nuzzles between us, and Sam laughs. “Not to worry, Bob, you’ll be
best man... er, best dog.”

Bob barks once as if in agreement. We laugh,
and Sam puts the truck into gear as we pull back onto the road,
heading off into the unknown, but at least we’ll be facing the
unknown together. Forever.

########

About the Author

Cindy C Bennett is the bestselling young adult
author of
Geek Girl
and
Heart on a Chain.
She lives
in Salt Lake City, Utah with her high school sweetheart who also
happens to be her husband. She's the proud mom of two sons and two
daughters, as well as two daughter-in-laws. When she's not writing
(or any of the many activities that go hand-in-hand with that) you
might find her on her Harley Davidson, cruising the canyons near
her home. She happens to adore her readers, and is grateful to them
for reading her work and giving her the chance to do this thing
that she is so very passionate about. Yup, she's living the
dream!