The Immortal Scrolls (2 page)

“You were gone a long time,” said Marco, waiting for an explanation.

“I’m so sorry. When I came back to get my bag, I found this,” she said, gesturing to the compartment. Marco’s eyes grew wide in fascination. “So I went to get Dr. Costa right away.” Dr. Costa was now taking pictures of the wall and the compartment with the scrolls.

“I guess this means you can’t go, right?” he said, smiling because he wouldn’t be going anywhere either.

“No. I am going to take these to the lab in Naples and start analysis,” she said excitedly. She noticed his disappointment. “Some other time, though, OK?” Skye didn’t want him to feel bad.

“That’s OK. You can make it up to me later,” he teased flirtatiously. Skye blushed. She saw Dr. Costa smile and roll his eyes as he was making a label. “Dr. Costa, would you like me to stay around and help with anything?”

“Yeah, I suppose we could use an extra pair of hands,” said Dr. Costa.

Marco smiled and winked at Skye as he bent over to have a closer look at the scrolls. Then he picked up the camera and pointed it at Skye as she handled the secret compartment. “Smile!” he said.

She laughed, and he snapped a shot. They were interrupted by one of the guards, who came to inform them of the arrival of a reporter who wanted to discuss the earthquake and its impact on the excavation.

Andy walked into his apartment and flipped on the switch. His phone started to ring, so he walked over to pick up the receiver.

“Turn on the television,” said an ominous female voice.

“Amara. How did you get this number?” the man asked angrily. His fangs protruded, and his body tensed defensively. He had been avoiding her for centuries.

“You don’t think I always know where my progeny are?” she hissed menacingly. He growled at her in irritation. She chuckled and said, “Watch the news.”

Andy held the receiver with his shoulder and reached for the remote control. He turned on his large flat screen television and entered the channel for the news. He turned up the volume to hear the female reporter speak. She was outside in the daytime, so he realized this news story was being repeated.

“Earlier this morning, a 4.2 magnitude earthquake hit the small town Ercolano, better known as Herculaneum in the archaeological world.” said the reporter.

Herculaneum
, Andy thought as the receiver slipped out of his hand and fell to the floor. There was a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“I am standing here with Dr. Costa, director of the excavation site of the newly discovered ludus, also known as a gladiator school where they trained to fight here in Ercolano. While the quake was strong enough to halt work for the afternoon, it was actually a blessing in disguise. Dr. Costa, why don’t you tell us what you uncovered?” the reporter said.

“Today after the quake, a hidden compartment in one of the cell walls was discovered by Dr. Skye Morgan,” said Dr. Costa. “Inside were a number of scrolls. We have not opened them yet. This is a delicate procedure and will take some time. Dr. Morgan has transported them back to our laboratory in Naples to begin analysis on the scrolls. This is a monumental and most unexpected discovery.” Dr. Costa continued to talk, but Andy wasn’t listening to the TV anymore.

So they found the scrolls
, he thought. He was stupid to have written them in the first place and even more stupid for leaving them were they could be found. He had written them to defy her. He thought they would be lost forever after the eruption.

“Are you there, Androcles?” He could hear her voice through the telephone with his super sensitive hearing. He bent down and picked it up.

“Yes,” he replied coldly.

“This has nothing to do with you, does it? You know what would happen if our secret was revealed. I warned you,” she said menacingly.

“I’ll take care of it,” he said. He didn’t want to think about the mess Amara would make if she went to Naples.

“I miss you,” she said softly.

“And I hate you,” he replied. He heard her laugh evilly, and then he hung up the phone.

Andy dreaded returning to the place of his most painful memories, but he had to leave New York in the morning. He growled and threw the phone across the living room. He walked to his bedroom and turned on the light. He went to his closet to get his clothes. Then he caught sight of himself in the mirror. His white shirt had been splattered with blood when his prey had tried to struggle with him. New York was a largely populated city and full of all sorts of bad people he didn’t feel guilty about feeding on. He didn’t have to kill them. He had learned to feed without killing his prey. He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it in the trash.

His heart was heavy with sadness. It had been centuries, and he could still see her face in his mind as if it had been yesterday. “Araceli,” he said mournfully. He thought about the horrible way she had died every day of his existence and always regretted not turning her when he had the chance.

Andy walked back into his large closet and opened the false wall, revealing a safe. He spun the numbers and then pulled on the handle. The door made a clicking noise and then swung open. He reached in and opened another smaller compartment. Inside was a woman’s bracelet and a small picture frame with an ancient hand-painted portrait of a beautiful young woman. He picked up the portrait and held it gently as he stared at Araceli’s lovely face. Andy had never loved another in all his years. Sure, he had been with many women, but he had used them for brief moments of pleasure.

He put Araceli’s portrait back into the safety of her container next to the bracelet. Then he removed the container and took it to his suitcase. It seemed fitting to take her with him back to Herculaneum. He rearranged some clothes to make room for the container and then zipped his suitcase shut.

Andy walked over to his laptop and turned it on. He searched for a Dr. Costa in Naples. With a little memory manipulation, Dr. Costa would soon be seeing his “old friend” Andy de Luca, and Andy would have his cover in order to retrieve his scrolls. He was almost certain this could be resolved without any unnecessary bloodshed.

.

Chapter Two

N
APLES, 2011

S
ome other time had come. Marco had surprised Skye at the lab the night before with takeout. Skye was working in the lab now, waiting for Dr. Costa. One of his former colleagues was going to help her translate the scrolls. But Skye was distracted as she remembered the hot and heavy make-out session she and Marco had had right here in the lab. It was very uncharacteristic of her, but they had incredible chemistry. She’d had to stop herself from going any further. She couldn’t bring herself to have sex with someone on the first date, no matter how badly she wanted to.

Marco came into the lab and tried to sneak up behind her. It was no use, though. She could smell his cologne a mile away. He put his arms around her and licked her neck, stopping to nibble at her ear lobe. “Ciao,” he whispered.

Skye turned around to face him. “Hey, I didn’t know you were coming tonight,” she said, happily surprised.

“I didn’t think I was going to be able to, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” he said flirtatiously. Marco leaned in to kiss her. Skye parted her lips, and he eagerly thrust his tongue inside her mouth. He held her close with one arm while his other hand explored the curves of her body. Their relationship was progressing at an alarming rate.

Skye pulled away. “Marco, Dr. Costa will be arriving any minute now with the translator,” she said breathlessly.

“That’s too bad,” he said. Marco returned his lips to hers and slowly backed her toward the break room. She did not resist him. When he reached the door, his hand reached around her to turn the knob. “A minute will have to do then,” he said. Skye giggled as he struggled with the door. When he finally got it open he slapped her rear lightly and led her into the dark room. They collapsed on the black leather sofa where they had been the night before. Marco kissed her lustily as he pulled up her shirt. He cupped her breast with his hand and removed it from the cup of her bra. Then he bent his head down to suck on her taut nipple while his other hand undid the button and zipper on her pants. Skye could still not believe how she let herself lose control around Marco. In the past, it would take her several weeks before she would feel comfortable enough to be intimate with a man.

Marco ran his hand down her flat stomach and then beneath her underwear. Skye was happy she’d thought to wear a sexy thong today instead of regular briefs. He cupped her and then slid his fingers inside her. She moaned softly as he massaged her nub. Marco tugged at her pants with his free hand and pulled them down a ways. He leaned over and trailed kisses up her bare thigh. When he reached the top, he moved the small strip of her thong over and placed his mouth where his hand had been. Skye moaned louder. Her breathing turned into shallow gasps as her body jerked and trembled. Skye placed her hand in his hair. He stopped his tongue and brought his body between her legs. Marco kissed her mouth, and she could taste herself on his lips. Skye could feel his hardness pressed up against her as he kissed her frantically. She was hesitant to make love to him so soon. They barely knew each other, though their desire told a different story. Besides, she didn’t know if he had a condom with him or not.

Skye rolled him over instead to where he was beneath her. Then she proceeded to unzip his pants. She reached her hands under his shirt and ran her fingers over his hard abs.
Yummy
, she thought. Skye moved her hand inside his briefs and grasped his hardness. Her hands pumped up and down for a moment, and then she removed his shaft from the confines of his briefs. She placed her mouth on his bulging head and sucked gently as she continued to move her hands up and down. She circled her tongue around the tip. She heard him groan softly. Marco grabbed her hair and thrust his hips. Skye heard him cry out, and he quickly moved her mouth off of him as he burst. His milky seed spilled on to her hands and his stomach. She removed her hands from him and looked around for a tissue or paper towel. There was a box of Kleenex on a table next to the sofa. Marco reached over and grabbed a few to wipe himself off with. He handed one to Skye. After Marco had cleaned himself, he pulled Skye to him and began kissing her.

After a while there was a knock on the main door to the lab. Skye figured it was Dr. Costa and realized Marco must have locked the door behind him when he came in. She jumped off the couch.

“Tell Dr. Costa I am in the bathroom,” she said as she ran off to the bathroom.

Marco got up off the couch and pulled his pants up. He left his shirt untucked and walked out of the break room to the door. He unlocked the door and opened it to find Dr. Costa and another man much younger than the professor standing there.

“Marco, I didn’t realize you would be here,” said Dr. Costa. “Is Dr. Morgan around?”

“Yes, Dr. Costa,” said Marco as he stepped out of the way to let the two men inside.

“This is Andy de Luca, the expert translator of ancient languages. Andy, this is one of our interns, Marco Sabatini.”

Andy nodded his head at Marco. He caught a familiar scent in the air and realized that Marco and this Dr. Morgan had been doing something other than working. He tuned in on Marco’s feelings and could sense lust and irritation.
He was probably irritated that we came and interrupted,
Andy thought. He smirked at Marco. Marco gave Andy a puzzled look. “Nice to meet you,” said Andy.

“You too,” said Marco. He heard a door shut and turned to see Skye walking from the bathroom into the lab. Dr. Costa and Andy could not see her yet. Marco gave her a lusty look, and she blushed. He then looked back at the two men discussing the scrolls. They were speaking rapidly in Italian.

“Good evening, Dr. Costa,” said Skye as she walked into the room.

Andy stopped talking. His face paled, and he stared at her in shock. She had dark brown hair with a hint of red to it, fair skin, and clear light blue eyes. She looked exactly like Araceli.
How could this be?
he wondered.

Marco noticed how Andy was looking at Skye. Skye didn’t seem to notice. Marco thought Skye was exceptionally beautiful, but he still couldn’t understand the reaction Andy had when he saw her.

“Good evening, Dr. Morgan,” greeted Dr. Costa. “Andy de Luca, this is Dr. Skye Morgan, the woman who discovered the scrolls. Dr. Morgan, this is your translator. He is an expert in ancient and dead languages as well as several modern languages.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” she said.

He realized her accent was American. “Call me Andy,” he said as he reached out to shake her hand. He saw his hand was shaking and tried to calm down. Their resemblance was eerie.
But this is not Araceli,
he told himself.
She is dead
. He was still holding onto her hand, and she was starting to give him an odd look. “I’m sorry,” he said, releasing her hand. “But have we met before? You look very familiar to me.”

“No, I don’t think so,” said Skye. And she would have remembered. This guy was gorgeous. He was muscular and very rugged with green eyes, short black hair, and a tan she would die for. She felt guilty lusting after Andy since she was sort of involved with Marco.