Immortal Destiny (The Immortal Prophecy Saga) (19 page)

Chase grimaced. “I haven’t been able to get her alone. All the fuss is nice, don’t get me wrong, but the only thing I want to do is talk to Mackenzie.”

Ally paused a moment. “Leave it to me. I’ll get her alone, you follow, and no one will be any wiser.”

“Aw, thanks Ally. And I hear congratulations are in order.”

“Yes, they are,” she said with a wide smile. “Oh, and I slipped up with James, so the story is we met last night as you were coming in the door and I was in the kitchen getting a glass of water.”

“Right. So you haven’t changed your mind about this crazy plan, have you?” His voice sounded hopeful. Ally could understand why, she didn’t really want to go through with it either, but Kat needed her and she needed the information Tristan had.

“I have no choice. You know that.”

“I know, I know.”

“I’ll take Mackenzie onto the upstairs terrace and you follow discreetly in a minute.”

Chase beamed at her and nodded.

“Mackenzie,” Ally called out and waved her over to them.

Mackenzie passed Chase as he was leaving Ally’s side. The look he gave her was unmistakeable and the heat behind it nearly melted Mackenzie on the spot. Ally noticed and winked at her when she reached her side.

“Come up to the terrace with me for a minute.”

Mackenzie looked at her strangely.

“There’s someone who wants to speak with you,” Ally said with a cheeky smile, and led her out the door.

Mackenzie went along willingly, but her face showed her confusion. “Who? And why couldn’t they speak to me inside?”

Ally stopped on the terrace and was about to answer when she noticed Chase standing behind Mackenzie.

“Ally?”

A voice rang out from behind Mackenzie. “I do,” Chase said.

She jumped and turned around. Her cheeks turned a shade of pink, and she couldn’t make her mouth move.

Ally made a discreet exit, but Mackenzie was too captivated to notice.

Chase walked over to where she stood, not taking his eyes off her once. He grabbed her hand, and gently led her towards the seat.

Mackenzie could hardly believe what was happening.

They sat down, and Mackenzie stared at the ground. Her body started to tremble being so close to him. A hand touched her chin, and lifted her head up slowly, forcing her to look into his brown eyes.

“Mackenzie,” he breathed.

Her breath hitched in her throat and a shiver ran through her body at his touch. She was captivated.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmured as he brushed her cheek.

Mackenzie looked away. “No, I’m not.”

He pulled her face back towards his, and shook his head slowly. “You are.”

She stared as he moved his lips closer to hers and sucked in a deep breath. He was going to kiss her. The butterflies spun out of control and her body tightened in anticipation.

His soft lips brushed against hers tentatively, gauging her response. She kissed him back eagerly and he deepened the kiss. Her breathing grew short and Chase growled with desire.

She put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. Chase leaned further into her, pushing her down. Her body was being lowered backwards onto the sofa, but she didn’t care at all.

Chase broke the kiss with a growl and sat back up, pulling her with him. “What am I doing?” He muttered aloud.

Mackenzie stared at him with wide eyes and stood up to leave, the tears welling in her eyes.

He saw what she was doing and grabbed her hand to stop her. “Mackenzie, you misunderstand me. I meant that I was taking things too far.”

She still looked hurt, but sat back down to hear him out. “What do you mean?”

Chase stood up and began to pace in front of the sofa. “I meant I wanted to kiss you and talk to you. I didn’t come out here with the intention of bedding you.”

Her mouthed formed an ‘O’ and her cheeks turned pink again.

“There are some things I need to say to you. Things I should have said a long time ago, but I was too self-centred and stupid to realise it!”

“Chase, you’re not making any sense.”

“I know,” he said and sat back down. “That night before we went to rescue Kat, I was acting differently towards you, as I’m sure you noticed.”

She looked at him with a coy smile. “I did notice.”

“I’ve felt something between us, but you were so young and I didn’t understand what it was back then. I went away for a few years and when I came home, you’d grown up. You were breathtaking. I should’ve known the second I laid eyes on you and felt something, that things weren’t right between Kat and me, but I didn’t. It was only when I heard you in the kitchen, that the truth of it hit me…”

“What did I say?”

“You told your mother that you were in love with me.”

Mackenzie gasped. “You heard that?”

“I did. It was an accident, but I heard you. From that moment on I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. I was so confused about everything that night and the guilt was eating me alive. You don’t know how badly I felt,” he confessed, and stared into her blue eyes.

“I felt awful too. I knew that Kat was out there somewhere, but you lit a spark of hope that I couldn’t ignore.”

He held her hand in his. “I made such a mess of things by being reckless, and that’s why I’ve been in London. I didn’t want to ruin your life, like I ruined hers, by making another mistake. So I thought about things for a long time. I made sure I was certain this time.”

“And are you?” she asked hopefully.

“Very.” He smiled and his eyes filled with love. “You are my soulmate, Mackenzie. Always have been and always will be.”

She was so overwhelmed that she didn’t know what to say.

“That is if you can forgive me for being such an idiot.”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Of course I can. I love you, Chase.”

“I love you too, Mackenzie.”

Her heart beat wildly in her chest and threatened to explode with happiness. She smiled deliriously at her mate as he leaned down and kissed her again.

Chapter Twenty-eight

I still need to talk to Isabella and I could be walking into a trap tonight… Why do I always seem to find myself in impossible situations?

“Argh,” Ally cried and walked into something hard that began laughing at her. She took a step back and glowered at the immortal in front of her.

“Where were you?” Chase asked, letting out another chuckle. “You just walked straight into me.”

Ally rolled her eyes. “I was thinking about tonight, actually. Are you still willing to help me?”

“Well, I’m sure as hell not letting you go on your own!”

“I’ll feel a lot better with you there.”

“Makes two of us. But are you sure that we need to do this? There must be another way.”

“Chase, we’ve been over this. I have no choice. James refuses to believe that Kat is anything other than a killing machine. And from the reaction you had, I can guarantee he’d never work with Tristan, either.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“So tonight’s mission it is then.” Then she decided to change the subject. “So when are you telling everyone about you and Mackenzie?”

“In a few minutes,” he said wringing his hands. “And I’m terrified.”

“You’ll be fine,” she said reassuringly. “But I’ll stand up for you both if need be.”

“Thanks, Ally. That means a lot.”

They both walked into the lounge and Ally took her place beside James, who was sitting next to the fireplace. He put his arm around her and she snuggled into him.

Chase walked in gave Mackenzie a loving stare as he went to stand in front of the fireplace. He took a deep breath and a last look at his mate then spoke. “I have some news to share with you all…”

An expectant hush filled the room. Everyone was there including the newcomers, Isabella and Caleb.

“Well,” James prompted. “What is it?”

Ally looked at the immortal struggling to find the words he needed and her heart went out to him. She caught Mackenzie’s eye and cocked her head towards Chase.

Mackenzie furrowed her brow and then the message was received. She stood up and went to stand by him. All eyes followed the normally shy girl, and the suspicions began forming in their minds.

Chase smiled gratefully and took her hand. It was all the boost he’d needed to face the room. “I’ve been told by someone recently that the last time I was here I made some mistakes and that I needed to grow up.”

“That was me,” James put in with a smirk.

Chase smiled and shook his head. “Yes it was, and you were right. I made a big mistake by being rash and it nearly cost me everything. But I’ve been away thinking things through to make sure I didn’t make the same mistake again… And when I came back, I knew in my heart that I had made the right decision.”

Chase took a deep breath and continued. “I don’t need to explain myself or my relationship to anyone in this room, but I want too. I know how much you care about this amazing girl standing next to me, and I don’t want you to think that it is anything like my time with Kat.

“Mackenzie is my one and only soulmate…She always has been, I was just too stupid to see it.”

The room erupted with a happy energy. Sophie and Henry dashed up to the couple.

“I’m so happy for you both. Mackenzie, my darling, you deserve this,” Sophie said and gave both of them a hug.

Henry came up next and gave his daughter a hug too. “I think you are a fine young man, Chase. And we couldn’t be happier, but you hurt her and I will hurt you.”

Chase nodded. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Henry smiled at him and slapped him on the shoulder.

Ally and James sat back watching the commotion. “That went better than I’d expected,” James commented.

“Me too,” Ally agreed. She knew it was time to find Isabella and tell her that she had made a decision. She had promised to tell her what she was going to do before she told James.

She spied her leaving the lounge room. “I’ll be right back,” she said to James and followed Isabella.

“Isabella,” she called out. “Wait up.”

She stopped and turned around.

“I promised to talk to you first, and I am, but I’m telling James the truth. He deserves to know.”

Isabella’s face twisted in horror. “Ally, you can’t!”

“I have to,” she said. “I know we got off on the wrong foot, twice now, and you have no reason to trust me on this, but I’m asking you to on this. I know what that man is capable of, and I know that he’ll be better for it in the end.”

Isabella shook her head in sadness.

“I’m not saying it will be easy for him to hear or easy to work through, but he will. And I will do whatever it takes to help him.”

She nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”

“You told me the awful truth when no one else would, remember?”

“But your life depended on it. His doesn’t.”

“No it doesn’t. But he will never truly be at peace until he knows the truth about his parents. I’ve been in his mind. I know how it haunts him.”

“When will you tell him?”

“Tonight.”

Isabella turned around and continued walking towards the kitchen. Ally watched her leave feeling guilty, but she knew that she was right. She went back into the lounge room and found James amongst the crowd talking to Chase and Mackenzie.

She sidled up next to him and whispered into his ear, “Come with me.”

“Where are we going?” he asked with a sexy grin.

“Our room,” she said. “I need to tell you something.”

Chapter Twenty-nine

James sat down on the couch in their room, and Ally grabbed two whiskeys. She handed one to James and sat down next to him, cradling hers. James frowned and looked at her with concern. “That bad, is it?”

“In a way.” She took a deep breath and then a sip of her drink.

“Ally, you’re starting to really worry me. What’s going on?”

“I didn’t trust Isabella, which you knew, so I confronted her about it and got the truth out of her.”

“About what?”

“The diary,” Ally said then paused. “She didn’t burn it. She had it with her, but the information it contained was something that she didn’t want you to see, so she lied. I don’t want to make her out to be a villain because she isn’t. She was only doing what she thought was best for you and when I discovered what she was hiding, I agreed with her.

“But I began to question it. I remember how I felt when I found out that people I loved had been hiding things from me…I felt so betrayed and that was the last thing I wanted you to feel. And then you asked me to marry you and I questioned it even more. I didn’t want to start our lives as husband and wife keeping such a secret from you.”

“What secret? What on earth was she hiding?” James asked, the fear and worry showing plainly on his face.

She took a deep breath and dropped the bombshell. “The identity of your father.”

James drew in a breath and his eyes widened. He grabbed her shoulders. “You know who my father is?”

She nodded and could see his eyes already beginning to show traces of hurt and mistrust.

“Why would you even consider keeping that from me?”

“The same reason you and Gran kept your secrets from me. I didn’t want you to get hurt and I didn’t want to shatter everything you think you know.”

James stared at her with his mouth open.

God, I hope I was right telling him this
…

“You can read her diary. It will tell everything you need to know better than I ever could. She loved you so much James,” she said as her eyes filled with tears again. The diary entries had haunted her ever since she read them.

“Where is it?” he asked.

Ally got up and went to retrieve the diary. She came back and held it out to him as she sat down.

He stared at it and slowly reached out for it. She noticed his hand trembling and she prayed again that she’d made the right decision.

“Do you want me to go so you can read it in private?” Ally asked him.

James shook his head violently. “No, I need you with me.”

“Then I’ll stay with you.”

He opened the book to the first page and began to read…