Dark Melody: A Vampire Romance (Immortal Legacy Book 1) Read online

  For those few minutes that I’d been in his arms, I would have given up my soul to be with him. In fact, I’d freely offered to do just that, but he’d still refused me.

  How stupid I must have sounded.

  I should be thanking him for saving me the anguish of his existence, instead of feeling like I’d just lost my last friend. Really, I couldn’t understand what I liked about him. He was arrogant and not particularly nice to others, but I was still drawn to him. Even when I wasn’t with Alec, he was all I could think about.

  Focusing on anything else was impossible, but I tried. Blocking out his kisses was like trying to walk on water. It just wasn’t going to happen.

  Since he was nowhere around, maybe it wasn’t just the vampire’s spell that was making me feel this way. Maybe it was real.

  The morning sun was just peeking through my bedroom window when I finally gave up trying to sleep.

  It wasn’t as if I didn’t have anything to do. There were dishes to wash and a floor to vacuum. Although these chores were tedious and mundane, they would help keep my mind off Ethan and Alec.

  After a couple hours of furious housecleaning, I managed to fall asleep on the couch, but my sleep was restless. As soon as I drifted off, my dreams were filled with strange, ghastly images of tattoos and Alec’s seductive vampire eyes.

  When I finally opened my eyes, I was nearly as tired as I was before falling asleep. What I needed was some food and a few cups of straight caffeine. Since I didn’t happen to have any straight caffeine, coffee would have to work.

  After a meal that included a ham and cheese sandwich, as well as a cup of strong coffee, I sat at my living room window, staring out at the world. People milled back and forth in front of my apartment, but I didn’t really see them.

  My world had changed and it would never be the same.

  Alec was right. I longed to know what was beyond the veil of death. If I could just see my little brother once more, and know that he was okay.

  Did Jay cease to exist once he took his final breath, or had he gone to a better existence?

  If I could only know!

  No one blamed me for Jay’s death. Well, no one except me. It was my fault. He’d been my responsibility that day and I’d failed him. If only I hadn’t taken that phone call, maybe he’d still be alive.

  Finally, something outside my own dark little hell caught my attention.

  There was a little boy on the patch of grass in front of my apartment building. He was pushing his toy trucks over mounds of earth. Although the boy was covered in dirt, he was so adorable.

  The tears came again and I let them. I didn’t have the will or the strength to brush them away. I’d do nearly anything to hold Jay in my arms again, and to wash the dirt from his face.

  Ethan’s voice crept into my thoughts.

  Communication with your brother is possible.

  Ethan believed in these other dimensions and that it was possible that the dead existed in one of them. He thought that if it were possible to cross one dimension, at the very least, communication with those in the afterlife should be possible.

  Now I wished I’d taken Ethan a little more seriously and questioned him on what he knew about after death communication. There were always psychics, but it was hard to tell who was real and who wasn’t. I couldn’t stand to get my hopes high and have them dashed by some fake.

  But if I believed Ethan, there was a sliver of hope. Maybe it really was possible to talk with Jay without having to join him in death.

  It wasn’t that the thought of dying bothered me. Death hadn’t bothered me in the least since that day God took my little brother. In fact, for a long time, I’d wanted to die. I believed that I should be the one lying in my grave and not Jay.

  Alec had started to change that. Within the darkness that is the vampire, I’d found a ray of light. He was a source of strength for my soul.

  Blinking rapidly, I suddenly felt as if I were coming out of some kind of daze. I’d been so lost in my dark world of self-pity that I hadn’t noticed the passage of time.

  Sighing, I got up from the window seat. It was time to get ready for the night, and whatever it brought with it.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Alec

  I stood in the shadows, just out of reach of the sun. Although the sun was setting, it wasn’t completely down. I’d come out too early, and I was now feeling the effects. There was that familiar nausea and the burning sensation on my skin.

  Myth would have the world believe that the sun would turn me to dust, but that wasn’t how it worked. It was true that the sun could make a vampire deathly ill, and if exposed to it long enough, it could cause what is known among vampires as true death.

  Many of the vampire myths were inaccurate. The nonsense about vampires turning into bats was nothing but a mere fairytale. Some of us could fly through levitation, and although we moved fast enough that it seemed as if we could disappear into thin air, we couldn’t. We were physical beings made of flesh and blood, just like humans.

  From the dark alley, I watched Nicole at her window. I saw the grief twist at her face and the tears roll down her cheeks.

  Nicole was a woman with secrets, but so far I hadn’t been too successful at pulling those secrets from her mind. I could pick up on her emotions, and there had been a couple times that I’d heard her thoughts, but for the most part, she blocked me out. This was something most humans couldn’t do.

  There were many things different about Nicole. She embraced the darkness far too easily. The torment of her soul was transparent, even if her thoughts were not. It was as if she were the very essence of darkness, but yet I could feel a light burning inside her.

  She’d been so tempting last night. As she lay in the grass, offering up all that she had to offer, I could so easily have taken from her what she so badly wanted to give. My hunger for her had nearly possessed me to the point that I’d wanted nothing more than to become one with her. The monster that lived inside of me wanted to drink of the life essence that she’d offered. I’d come so close, but I couldn’t bring myself to take her into the shadows completely.

  Nicole was becoming an obsession that I couldn’t risk, for her sake as well as my own. It was getting to the point that I wanted to take her to my bed even more than I wanted to feed.

  If only her love could sate my hunger for blood and my instinct to kill.

  From the moment I saw her in Dark Wind, watching me, I’d been drawn to her.

  My desire for her was overwhelming. It was time to focus on something else or someone else. At the moment, that someone else happened to be Ethan.

  I was Ethan’s maker, and like all vampires with their progeny, I had that parental instinct to preserve my creation.

  Taking on Omar would not be easy. Although I wasn’t exactly a young vampire, Omar was ancient and extremely powerful. Most believed he was one of the original vampires.

  What a disaster this was turning into.

  All this trouble because Ethan couldn’t stay away from those crazy Light Seekers, and now they also wanted Nicole.

  After leaving Nicole last night, he’d found Victor waiting for him with a message. Omar was prepared to offer a deal. He would take the girl for Ethan.

  In the beginning, I’d been confused as to why they were even bringing it up to me. It wasn’t like Omar to negotiate at all. That’s when it dawned on me that Omar believed Nicole to be under my protection. That was probably the only reason they hadn’t already killed her.

  At least that was my suspicion, although my theory didn’t make a lot of sense. Like any man, vampire or mortal, I did have an ego, but I was also smart enough to know that I wasn’t a match for Omar.

  Omar didn’t have to make deals with me, so why was he offering to do so?

  This was troubling. I had to be missing something.

  Although I wanted to protect Nicole and keep her from harm, she technically wasn’t under my protection. My desire to protect her and my in
stinct to protect my progeny were at war with each other. The battle raged within me as I tried to come to a decision.

  How could I keep Nicole safe and still save Ethan?

  Omar claimed he wanted Nicole because she knew too much. Ethan had broken the code of silence. This was an unspoken rule that all vampires lived by. No human should know of our existence unless they were feeders that would eventually die. Until that death, they would be under the vampire’s control.

  I’d never paid a lot of attention to this code of silence, but I also wasn’t in the habit of flaunting what I was either. Anyone that I’d confided in did eventually become a feeder. As a feeder, the person would sooner or later succumb to that sure death that ultimately claims them all.

  But there were many vampires who ignored the rule and Omar wasn’t going after them. This was an excuse to get the girl. What did Omar really want with Nicole?

  If only I’d died on that battlefield, none of this would matter.

  Closing my eyes, I tried to recall my life before, but it was no use. Whenever the memories came, they were always memories of how my life ended.

  It was a foggy night. The world was so much different than today. England was at war. In the midst of battle, I felt an explosion of pain rip through my back.

  I spun around and saw the enemy with his sword drawn. He was ready to strike. Something else caught my attention and I turned away. This gave my enemy the opportunity to strike again.

  I fell and was left there to die, but that didn’t bother me as much as one might expect. At least I would die with honor.

  And I would have died then, but a woman found me as I was bleeding to death. At least that’s what I thought at the time, but she wasn’t a woman. She was a vampire.

  She’d been scavenging the battlefield, looking for the wounded so that she could feed on the blood that still remained in their bodies. Julia would have fed on me as well, but for some reason changed her mind.

  Instead, she fed on me until I was near death and then she fed me her own blood. It had been Julia who brought me into darkness. Much like what I’d done with Ethan. But Julia was different. She was the kind of vampire that horror movies were based on. Julia was the walking, talking embodiment of evil.

  It hadn’t taken long to see what she really was. Although leaving a sire without being released was forbidden, that was exactly what I’d done. In the process, I’d turned her into my enemy.

  It didn’t matter. Nothing could have compelled me to stay after I saw her strip an entire family of their lives. She’d killed them not because she needed to feed, but for sport.

  Julia still followed me, no matter how many times I tried to give her the slip. Even now, she was in New Orleans. According to Victor, my sire was fraternizing with Omar. I could only hope that would keep her busy enough that she would leave me be, but it was doubtful.

  I stepped out of the shadows as the last rays of sun faded from the western sky. It was time to make a decision. Would it be Nicole or Ethan?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Nicole

  Waiting until dark was agony. That was one limitation of the immortal that I wanted nothing to do with. To live only at night had to be a real pain in the ass.

  Only God knew what was happening to Ethan, and all I could do was wait for instructions from Alec. If I’d been more familiar with the vampire culture, I could have taken care of the situation on my own, but I didn’t have a clue where to start.

  The minutes ticked by and all I could do was pace the floor. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to do something.

  There was always the option of going to the police and reporting him missing. But what would I tell them?

  I could just see them pulling out the straight jacket when I told them my boss had been kidnapped by an ancient vampire. Getting myself hospitalized probably wouldn’t do a lot to help Ethan, so I quickly dismissed the idea.

  What I could do was talk to Dash again. I was convinced the vampire would at least have some kind of idea where they were holding Ethan.

  Alec wanted me to wait at home until I heard from him, but that wasn’t going to happen. Waiting around made me feel too useless.

  Making up my mind, I grabbed my phone and keys. I would check the Dark Wind to see if Alec was there, and if I couldn’t find him, Dash would be next on my list.

  When I opened the door, Alec was standing there. It was so unexpected that I nearly jumped out of my skin.

  “Oh damn! You scared the hell out of me,” I cried, throwing my hand over my heart. “I was just on my way to Dark Wind to look for you.”

  “I will not be going back there for a few days,” he informed me. “We have to get Ethan back.”

  “Okay then. Is that where we’re going?” I asked as I followed him down the stairs.

  Alec stopped when we reached the sidewalk. “Yes, I’m going after him, but you and I have to talk first.”

  The grim look on Alec’s face wasn’t sitting well with me. Something was wrong.

  When I didn’t respond, he took my hand in his and led me to the little alley that was across from my apartment building.

  Again I felt that rush that came with being close to him. Just his nearness sent a surge of adrenaline through me. I wanted to ignore it, but it was difficult when my heart was pounding so painfully in my chest. Having him hold my hand, but not touch me in other places, was like being just beyond the reach of total bliss.

  It didn’t matter. My job at the moment was to focus on rescuing Ethan. Right now he needed me, and my insane attraction for Alec was too much of a distraction. I really had to start thinking about all the things I didn’t like about Alec Norwood.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “My car is parked back here,” he said, pointing to the alley.

  As we rounded the corner to the alley, I saw his car parked behind some large dumpsters. It seemed a little strange he would park back here, instead of in front of my apartment building.

  A rat scurried across the pavement, missing my feet by mere inches. Shuddering, I glanced around to make sure there weren’t any more of the nasty little rodents hanging around.

  “Why did you park back here?” I asked.

  “I didn’t want anyone to see my car.” His tone was matter of fact.

  Okay then. I suppose that made sense, though it still didn’t tell me why it was important that no one see his car.

  When we reached his Mustang, he opened the door for me. I still couldn’t get over how gentlemanly he could be at times. I wondered if it was left over from the days he’d been in the court of Edward III.

  It was odd to think he’d actually been around so long.

  Alec pulled out of the alley and onto Treme Street.

  “So, what’s the plan?” I asked again.

  “I’m going to the Cell. It’s one of Omar’s nests.”

  “Do you think he’s just going to hand him over? How are we going to convince him to do that?” I asked, not liking the way Alec was acting. His usual sarcastic sense of humor was missing and his mood was darker than usual.

  “We are not doing anything. You are going into hiding while I get Ethan out of there,” he stated flatly.

  Drawing my brows together, I asked, “What do you mean, I’m going into hiding?”

  “Omar wants to make a trade, you for Ethan.” Alec did not so much as glance in my direction as he spoke.

  My mouth dropped open. “Why does he want me? I am no one to him.”

  “He claims it is because you know too much, but I don’t believe it. He wants you for some other reason.”

  Suddenly, I felt as if I were on some kind of wicked roller coaster that was careening out of control.

  Did he want me as a feeder?

  The thought was terrifying. Sure, to think of Alec biting me was a little different. I found the idea a little tantalizing, but not another vampire – a vampire who would likely kill me in the process.

  Clearing my throa
t, I asked, “What could he want from me?”

  “I’m not sure, but I intend to find out,” he replied, giving me a sideward glance.

  “Who exactly is this Omar?” I kept hearing about this ancient vampire, but I still didn’t know who he was, not really.

  Alec didn’t even acknowledge my question. He seemed to be completely absorbed in the task of driving.

  Finally, he took his eyes off the road long enough to look at me. “Omar is as close to the devil as you will ever get.”

  “Hmm, well that’s nice to know.”

  When I looked over at Alec, I saw that his face was tight with strain. He was worried.

  “But it isn’t very informative,” I added when he didn’t go into any detail.

  Alec’s frown deepened. “Not only is Omar an old vampire, he is very secretive. To say exactly how old he is would be guesswork. There are legends that place him Sumer over six thousand years ago. They say he is a descendant of the heathen gods of the Sumerians. The very translation of the word Sumer means, land of the civilized lords, but these were dark lords. The ancient vampires ruled Sumer at one time. At least that is the story.”

  “How can he be descended from these dark lords, if vampires cannot reproduce?” I asked, completely enthralled, but chilled. I couldn’t even imagine a place where vampires ruled.

  “There is a lot you don’t know about vampires,” he said, a sardonic smile on his face. “But there is also a lot that is not known about the true immortals. We call them the Sires, but that is only because most vampires don’t like the idea that the ancients are the only true immortals.”

  Turning my attention to the window, I suddenly realized that we were on the bridge that would take us over the Mississippi River and out of the city.

  “It looks like you’re taking me into the swamp,” I commented.

  Alec nodded. “Are you worried?”

  His sinister laughter had returned, and although it was a little unnerving, it was also comforting. There was no way to explain it, but for some reason I trusted him. After all, I was completely aware of the fact that if he really wanted to kill me, I’d already be dead.