An Immortal in London: Corruption (4 page)

I took his hand in mine and shook my head, “You can’t break Kate’s promise.”

“Why is that?”

“Because…”

“When you can think of a reason be sure to let me know. Oh I got another name, I’ll tell you in the car.”

He drove me back to where I had been staying, telling me the latest
prophecy
and walked me to the door, kissing my cheek when Gabriel opened it to us. I smiled as I released his hand and walked into the warmth of the grand house that Gabriel had kept as his home since it was built in the early seventeen hundreds.

I turned to him and soaked up his classical handsome profile. His strong olive jaw held a smile that at first glance seemed charming. His light grey eyes could see through anybody and their intrusion would often be welcomed by men and women alike. He kept his almost black, brown hair neat and just covering his ears. Seeing him
always brought back my very first memory of him, as it did every time I stepped foot in London.

I ran, in
1826
, from the church in which Oliver had married Cassandra. I ran into the forest but tripped on a broken branch and landed in the dirt. My pale pink dress was ruined and I let my anger out ruining it all the more, tearing at the lace netting and pulling off the pretty white buttons. I ripped my necklace off and the beads scattered around the ground.

A man walked out from the shadows and stood above me, looking down at my ruined sta
te. He held down his hand to me and for a second I hesitated. This man was a stranger and I had never accepted anything from a stranger especially not an attractive one. But then I thought about what had brought me there and I took his hand with all of my force.

As I stood I met his eyes and knew that whoever he was he would change my life
, call it a woman’s intuition. “Thank you,” I said, with my voice as clear as the blue sky.

“May I ask why you were attacking your beautiful dress so ferociously?”

I looked down at the pale pink rags and shook my head, “it is really not that nice. I don’t plan on wearing it for much longer anyhow.”

He laughed and tucked a stray piece of my hair behind my ear
. “I am Gabriel Andriacchi,” he said as he kissed my hand delicately.

My hand still in his, I smiled and said without any polite mannerisms, “Victoria
Roseanna Jewels.”

I had heard his name before. It was surreal to finally put a face to the name.

Before he let my hand drop he traced a thin line around my ring finger, “you were married?”

I took my left hand and hid the slight tan line that lay around where Sedric’s ring once was
, the ring that I had worn as an engagement ring, not a common practise at the time. I looked up into Gabriel’s eyes and I took a few steps towards him until my chest was touching his. Shaking my head lightly I whispered, “You are engaged,” and I brushed my hands through his hair.

As he shuddered his hot breath warmed my cold fingertips and his soft lips welcomed my touch. He smiled and lifted my chin. I leant up and kissed his cheek lightly. His laugh tortured me and I lead my kisses across his jaw until I reached his lips.

His eyes were locked onto mine and my hands had wormed their way around his neck and his around my waist. Perhaps I was mad, for I knew that I was no longer the girl who I had once been. Madness, something of constant question in my mind, surely truly mad people didn’t know that they were so, making any thought of being mad redundant, or perhaps that was the madness talking. Leaving Sedric, and then Oliver’s marriage to Cassandra, both had broken me. My mind wandered ceaselessly. Memories even then at such a tender mortal age plagued my mind and kept me from the real world, kept me from living a true life.

My ruined dress lay in the fresh summer grass. Gabriel’s trousers hung on a nearby tree and our shoes stood next to each other beneath the shade of a rose bush.

We lay half naked in the sun. It was beautiful. I had never felt so free. I rolled over onto my stomach, the cool grass soft against my skin, I pulled up a daisy and lay it on top of his belly button and laughed aloud for the first time in years. He propped himself up onto his elbows and looked down at the daisy before his eyes met mine for the hundredth time that afternoon.

             
“Such a peculiar gem,” he said quietly, as he plucked a daisy from the ground and tucked it behind my ear.

             
“Jewel,” I said softly, “I think you’ll find that I’m a Jewel.” We both laughed and I felt real happiness, the kind of happiness that I had only ever felt with Sedric when we were children running free through the endless fields.

             
“What would your father say if he could see us?” he asked.

             
I sighed and rolled onto my back, my arms were touching his and I could feel goose pimples rise onto his skin where I touched him. “He would surely kill you, over and over and over again, until you could stand the pain of me no longer.” I touched my lips to his shoulder and buried my head into his neck.

             
I looked up into his eyes and asked with a whisper, “Gabriel?”

             
“Yes Victoria?”

             
“Do you suppose we’ll see each other again when I leave?”

             
He turned to face me, grass hiding half of his eyes, “you don’t have to leave. We could…”

             
“Stay together forever? There is only one person who I wanted to spend forever with and he’s in London doing what the lord only knows. He’ll be getting married soon no doubt and here I am. What am I now Gabriel?” I sighed, exasperated and was thrown back into reality. I stood and scooped my dress up. “I shouldn’t have done this, what will I say to Francis?” I uttered as I tried to force my arm into my dress.

Gabriel took my arm and turned me to face h
im, “Mortal hearts can love more than once Victoria.”

“Mine doesn’t want to.”

He pulled me closer to him, “You can’t close yourself from love it will destroy you, especially now you have what Bernadette stole from me.” Anger rose in his chest and I suddenly realised how horrible a mistake I had made ever taking a second look at the small vial of immortal blood.

“You know?”

“How could I not, we are bonded by blood,
my
blood. Bernadette took from me and I will take from her. Blood for blood Victoria,” the words slipped from his porcelain lips and shattered the small happiness that had begun to warm my heart.

“
Blood for blood
,” I whispered, my lips trembled as I spoke. Forever he would have me whether I liked it or not and forever was a very long time.

I opened my eyes in the present day of
2012
and smiled vacantly to Gabriel. He watched as I paced around the room and took my hand stopping me in my tracks, “I’ll pour us both a glass of whiskey.”

             
“How have you been?” I asked, sitting on the deep brown leather sofa, watching the flames lick the air.             

“Good
.”

             
“You don’t sound convinced.”

             
“You know how it is.”

             
“Gabriel, talk to me.”

             
He sighed from where he sat next to me and wound my hair around through his fingers, “It feels like I’ve lost you to him.”

             
My lips parted, when playing with fire it was inevitable that you would burn your fingers. I turned where I was sat and put my hands onto his cheeks, cradling his face. “I’m here, aren’t I? Gabriel, I am right here. Blood for blood, remember?”

             
“Blood for blood,” he replied in a whisper.

Gabriel retired to his bedroom, and I stayed up until sleep stole me away in front of the fire. My dreams took me to
1827
. My eyes flickered open painfully. I lifted my left hand to my face and cried aloud as I saw the gaping cuts upon cuts that ran from my little finger to the top of my neck. When I had the will to sit up I found that I was sat on a hillside overlooking the mass of fire and smoke that had erupted from my family home. With no thought I stood and tried to convince my legs to run, but instead they collapsed beneath me and all I could do was watch as the only life I had ever known was destroyed.

A warm arm wrapped around my shoulder and I looked up to see Gabriel.
“Everyone?” I whispered, daring not to say it.

             
“Yes,” he said, his hot breath stabbing through my neck and deep into my heart.

             
I wiped my eyes expecting tears but none had fallen. “Francis?”

             
Gabriel pointed across from me and there she was, staring in disbelief at a tree in the distance. I followed her glance and could not believe what I was seeing.

              I managed to stand and my legs obediently took me to him. I ran my hands over the chains and when I touched his cheek his eyes shot open. A hiss slithered from his throat and I felt something within me desperate to kill him. As I stood with my hand in the air prepared to attack, his eyes flashed with recognition. Behind the hissing I heard him whisper my name and I stood back.

             
“What have you done to him?” I cried out, banging my fists against Gabriel’s chest.

             
He pulled me into him and my tears came, “you are to take Francis to a carriage I have waiting beyond the hillside and wait for me. Do you hear me?”

             
“Yes,” I uttered, as I ran to Francis and pulled her to her feet. Once we started to run she managed to tear her eyes from Oliver and began to cry.

             
Her legs gave way half way down the other side of the hill, the carriage was within sight but I couldn’t find the energy to move either of us.

             
“Francis we must go,” I said in a breath.

             
She shook her head, “I can’t.”

             
“Yes you can, I’ll help you. The carriage is only down there…”

             
She held up her hands and screamed out over me, “I can’t go with him Victoria, look what I’ve done! Everyone is dead! Your family is dead and it’s all from my doing! How can you even bare to look at me?” She stood and walked a few steps away from me, “go, go with him and do what you must. I’m sorry.”

             
I watched her walk away into the valley, and waited only a second before I ran towards my escape from the steadily crumbling life that surrounded me.

“Victoria,” Gabriel’s voice was soft and warm. “Victoria,” as he spoke my name his voice wrapped me in a comforting blanket. “Victoria, wake up.” I opened my eyes to find myself safe in the present day
of 2012.  Gabriel handed me a tissue, and said quietly “I could hear you crying from upstairs.”

             
“I’m sorry,” I blew my nose and took another to wipe my eyes. “I’m fine, really.”

             
“Ok,” he said holding up his hands, “I’m leaving.”

             
As he stood I took his hand and shook my head, “stay.”

             
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked from where he rested his body against mine, our faces close to touching.

             
I shook my head and smiled lightly as I looked into his eyes. “I’ll be out of here soon, back on the road.”

             
He had often argued against my way of life over the past forty years. Everything had gotten worse since Francis left, Killin was no longer a place of sanctuary it was simply another reminder of everything that I had lost. I took no rest or pleasure.

The past
forty years had been made up of endless days of hunting and searching, followed by more hunting and more searching. Not only did I have to avenge Katelyn, I had to find Francis if I had any hope of going back to how things were, back to
life.

             
“Searching for Francis?”

             
“She is still out there Gabe, I know it. I can feel it. I have to find her.”

             
His brow furrowed as he saw the desperation in my eyes. He rested his forehead against mine and closed his eyes, smiling a little he said quietly, “I never knew how much she meant to you.”

             
I put my left hand onto his cheek and shifted my right beneath my body to hold his buried hand. “I will always love you just as much as the others Gabe.”

             
He sighed and kissed my nose, “I have always been selfish when it has come to you.” He seemed to think for a second before he stroked my hair down flat onto my head and said, “Do you remember the P.I that I hired a couple of years ago?”

             
“Clark? How could I forget?”

             
“Well he’s back in town doing some work for an anonymous big-wig. He’s grown up a lot since last time I met him and he still holds a light for you. Hell he’d probably hold the sun for you; anyway, he might be able to help with finding Francis.”

             
I smiled and kissed his lips lightly, “I might give him a call, two heads are better than one I suppose.”

The sun that shot through the blinds like laser beams shook me from my dreamless slumber in Gabriel’s arms. I woke with my head on Gabriel’s chest, his t-shirt was damp and my eyes hurt like Hell.

             
“Morning,” he mumbled, as I sat up.

             
“How long have you been awake?” I asked, stretching up.

             
“An hour or so,” he said, as he too stretched and caught my hand as I rested my arm back down.

             
I smiled across to him, “you could have moved me.” I yawned and said with a little laughter, “It’s been a long time since I shared a bed with you.”

             
“A sofa to be exact,” he said, laughing as he stood and pulled me with him.

             
“I forgot to say last night, but we’ve got another name,” I began to say, as there was a knock on the door and Gabriel excused himself.

             
I followed him out and stood behind him as he welcomed a fresh and well dressed Levi into his home.

             
“Late start?” he asked, taking note of our dress. Levi noticed the dark grey stain on Gabriel’s light grey t-shirt and then he turned to look down at me. He ran a finger around my reddened eyes and asked, “Memories?”

             
I nodded and painted on a smile, “I was tired, I’m fine now.”

             
“I can go out without you, save the hunt…”

             
Shaking my head I took his hand and excused us both as I took him upstairs and locked the door to my bedroom which hadn’t changed since the day  that my few belongings were moved in.

             
“I haven’t told him yet,” I whispered, referring to the new name of the corruption’s leader, knowing that Gabriel would be eager to listen.

             
Levi ran his hands through his hair and sighed, “Why do we have to tell him anything?”

             
“Surely he has a right to know?”

             
He shrugged and sat at the end of my bed, “I don’t think that you should come with me.”

             
I shook my head and walked to the window, “He should have been destroyed the second he awoke dead.”

             
My dream from that night came to my mind, Oliver’s wreck of a body chained to the tree as a way to protect us from him; Gabriel had set him free, given him a head start that he didn’t deserve. However strong my feelings had been to him when he was mortal I knew that what he was, it was evil. I had never taken it upon myself to hunt him, I had always hoped that he would come to a natural end, another hunter would claim his blood for themselves, but he had been careful, staying in the shadows as the dead often did. Since returning from Killin the prophet had refused to give Levi another name until we dealt with Oliver. The job would be done, and the name given to me would not alter my performance, even if it would break my creator’s immortal heart.

             
“So, where to first?” I asked, with as much resolve as I could muster. Tracking Oliver would take a lot out of me so there was little point wasting time in delaying the inevitable.

It was a sorry café. The tables were laden with sticky red and white checked table cloths that had seen far better days. The chairs were pitiable things, having taken the weight of many an oversized customer, they were, the most of them, on their last leg. I didn’t dare speculate about the cleanliness of the kitchen, I wanted to keep my breakfast down.

             
Levi walked to the counter and called over to the waiter, “Excuse me do you think that I could talk to the chef?”

             
The young boy shrugged and mopped his greasy hair from his eyes, “Greg, customer!” he shouted.

             
Greg wandered rather irritated out of the kitchen, “What have I…” a hiss escaped his lips and he met my grin. He pushed the boy out of the way and headed towards the back door.

             
“Thanks,” I said, as Levi and I followed Greg out of the café. He continued to walk until we reached the end of the alleyway that sat desolate behind the café.

“So it’s true,” he coughed, pulling off his apron and dropping it beside the dumpster.
“War?”

Levi nodded, and I stepped forward, “You’re not part of the corruption?”

“As much as I’d love to tear all of your filthy hearts out, I don’t want to wake up to Armageddon.”

“
Tell us where Oliver White is and you won’t have to.”

He laughed, coughing as he said, “Do I look like I know?”

“Unfortunealty
Greg,
we’re still going to kill you,” Levi barked, a sly smirk on his deadly lips.

At this Greg pounced onto the skip and off of the wall down onto me. I caught him as he fell and held him down by his wrists. He kicked and I was thrown off balance. I stumbled back but steadied myself against one of the damp walls. Levi stood in the mouth of the alley watching on disinterested, yet his eyes catching each movement that both I and Greg made, calculating the outcome.

“Your boyfriend not going to help?”

I pushed myself from the wall and glared at him, having no time or patience for his petty remarks to distract me. He laughed, before I jumped up and kicked him square in the back of his head. He fell but managed to pull himself up before I could reach out for his heart. He spat blood from his lips and wiped the blood from his nose onto his sleeve. With a hiss he ran with his arm out. I caught it. With a brutal crack it snapped. He kicked out and almost caught me. I kicked back and broke his lower leg.

He coughed blood and his eyes were locked onto mine, “If anyone can end this, you can. See you in the afterlife.” Kneeling on the floor opposite me he stopped dead. His eyes flickered up to the sky and faded from black to their original light green.

I closed his eyes delicately and stood turning away from his bloody body. I pushed past Levi and found the small staff toilet that sat outside of the café, the warm water washed away the blood, but nothing could wash away the look of humanity that I saw in Greg’s eyes as he uttered his last words. His blind faith in me, his goodness in those final seconds terrified me. Knowing that I would have to look into Oliver’s eyes as I took hold of his heart shook me, and rendered me speechless, when it came to it, would I be able to kill a man who I had once given my heart, would I be able to steal the life of a man who had given his mortal life for me?

As I emerged from the toilet Levi was stood outside, a look of emptiness in his eyes, before he looked down to me and emotion flooded his emerald eyes, I looked away and up into the blue frozen sky.

When I returned to Gabriel’s home, he was sat on his porch with his eyes closed.

I sat down beside him silently and closed my own eyes.

“Who’s next?” he asked quietly, as if not to disturb the realm of peace in which he had ensconced himself in.

“We’ll keep up the patrols until they leave.”

“Have you another name for the leader?”

I sighed and looked across to him, his eyes laden with worry and grief, “Oliver.”

Gabriel sat up and turned to face me completely, “He is a good man Victoria. He would never do such a thing! Whoever has given you his name is lying, was it Levi? Victoria, you mustn’t hunt him.”