Dark Melody: A Vampire Romance (Immortal Legacy Book 1) (9 page)

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 throat, 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.

A few minutes later, Alec slowed the car and pulled onto a dirt road. In the beam of the headlights, I could just make out a small dock at the water’s edge.

“Should I be worried?” I asked.

Glancing in my direction, he grinned. “Maybe you should be.”

Killing the engine, Alec opened the door to get out of the car. “Sorry, but I don’t have a flashlight. We’ll have to make the trip in the dark.”

I followed him out of the car. “I guess it’s a good thing you can see in the dark better than I can.”

Beneath the light of the moon, I could make out the shape of an airboat bobbing on the surface of the black water. A large rope tethered it to the dock so that it wouldn’t drift away with the current.

“It’s time to change our mode of transportation,” he said point to the boat.

I’d figured as much.

Alec wrapped a hand around my arm to help steady me as I stepped into the boat. The boat rocked and I nearly lost my balance, which wouldn’t have been good. Falling into a gator-infested swamp could get ugly.

“Why didn’t you just fly us here?” I wanted to know.

He chuckled, obviously amused by my question. “We have traveled quite a ways. Not only would it be too much for you to handle, but it would drain my energy, which I will need when I confront Omar.”

Alec untied the rope and the engine came to life. Slowly, the boat drifted away from the dock.

When we were several yards from the shore, Alec accelerated, but only slightly. We were moving so slowly that we could as well have been drifting. At the rate we were going, it could take us half the night to reach our destination, wherever that was.

Of course, plowing through a dark swamp probably wouldn’t be a good idea either. It would be too easy to hit something then we’d be in the water with all the swamp critters. I didn’t relish the idea of that one bit. I would take facing a vampire any day over a gator or snake. Just the thought made my skin crawl.

Fortunately, it didn’t take as long as I’d imagined. We’d only been on the water about thirty minutes when Alec cut the engine. We drifted toward an old shack that was built on stilts above the water. The shack had a makeshift dock, as well as a little wooden walkway that led to the shore, but there was nothing but swamp in that direction.

The boat bumped up against the rickety old dock and Alec reached over and secured it with the rope.

Anxiety bubbled inside me, as I eyed the little shack. Even in the dark, I could see that the structure was in a severe state of decay.

“Let’s go,” Alec urged.

I didn’t move. Instead, I stood there eying the dock as I tried to decide if it was sturdy enough to hold my weight, as well as Alec’s.

The sounds of night creatures added to the eeriness of the moment. My imagination went wild to the point that I could almost see the predators beneath the water’s surface, just waiting for the dock to give way so they could eat us. There were probably gators, snakes, and who knew what else.

Holding my breath, I stepped onto the dock, fully expecting it to crash into the water below. The wood beneath my feet creaked, but it held.

Alec stepped up behind me. His weight rocked the dock, which caused me to lose my balance. He quickly wrapped an arm around my waist to keep me from falling.

The sudden jolt of fear sent my heart into overdrive. When I looked up at Alec, I saw hunger shining in his eyes. It was that look again, the one that said he wanted me in all ways. His hunger set my pulse racing even faster.

I should have been afraid, but I wasn’t.

# # #

Look for the next installment, Dark Seduction at,
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L9Z534W

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Lorraine Kennedy is the author of the Immortal Legacy and Realm of the Wolf Series, as well as several novellas and short stories. Ms. Kennedy was born and raised in Utah but has lived in several different states. She attended Weber State University, majoring in Criminal Justice and Anthropology.  Lorraine Kennedy and her family now make their home in Utah. You can get Lorraine Kennedy news by visiting her on the web at
www.lorrainekennedy.com