Immortal Prophecy (The Immortal Prophecy Saga) (9 page)

“And what is your chosen profession?”

Nothing about it is chosen,
he thought wryly.

“I’m in the security business,” he answered.

“Security business? That is very broad. You could be a bodyguard, a seedy underworld character or even a security guard at the shopping centre.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. She was such a treasure that he intended to guard with his life
.
Yes Ally, he thought, I am a bodyguard…yours.

“Well I’m definitely not a seedy underworld character and I don’t work at the local shopping plaza or bank.”

She smiled “So that leaves bodyguard then.”

“Maybe I am, then again maybe I’m not,” he replied mysteriously.

She laughed at his manner. He was being intentionally mysterious, baiting her in a search to uncover to the truth. It was a gesture that showed he was listening to every word she said. It touched her.

“That’s a rather non-committal answer.” She said intrigued. “That leads me to assume you are a bodyguard, either with highly important clients that require secrecy or perhaps you aren’t a bodyguard at all…”

He leaned towards her. “You love to uncover the truth so I’m handing you a puzzle to solve…” leaning even further in while whispering against her ear he asked, “What am I, Alessandra?”

At his whispered words she felt the world tilt on it axis. A feeling of dread and wonder ran through her body, then like lightning it was gone. She was left shocked and silent.

Instinct told her there was nothing simple about the question or the answer. Ally was sure about one thing, he knew something about her secret and she intended to find out what it was. She slowly turned her head to look at him, searching his eyes, trying to discover if there was an answer within their emerald depths, then she was lost and drowning in them.

Alessandra was unable to speak, the very air around them buzzed with something she couldn’t have described if her very life depended on it. Lost in his eyes and the moment, she surrendered to her senses and submerged herself with him.

James could feel the pull between them. It was much stronger tonight than it had been that fateful morning five years ago. He thought he was prepared for it this time but he expected what seemed like a punch to the stomach, knocking the air from his lungs. This time it had hit him like a truck. He felt his senses spiraling. Sight, sound and feeling, he felt nothing but this girl. He was completely taken aback.

James had set an almost impossible puzzle for her to solve. He wanted to keep her interested and give her small clues. If she worked things out herself she would believe and accept it easier.

However, James had the feeling that he was getting himself and her into trouble by doing this. Ally’s grandmother had likened her to a terrier when it came to solving a mystery. That persistence and thirst for the truth was what had made her a much sought after private investigator. James decided he needed to give her a clue to start her off on the right track.

Alessandra was lost in his eyes; he could feel the exact moment she surrendered to his will. She was his to command.

James slowly brought his hand up to her cheek and traced the line of her jaw moving his finger slowly over her neck and down over her décolletage.

With expert precision he lowered his mouth above hers and brushed her lips with his. James felt Ally shiver with anticipation. Desire spread through his body like wildfire at the shiver he felt run through Ally, she wanted him and that made him want her all the more.

Ally felt like she was on fire and it was all because of this man. This incredible, intelligent and mysterious man. The desire and need that he had sparked in her went all the way to her soul. She felt that her life from this moment on was going to be inexplicably and irrevocably changed, again. She hoped with all her soul that it would be changed for the better this time. Her life had already been turned upside down once before and she didn’t know if she could go through that again.

In that moment the world could have ended and neither would have known.

Ally suddenly became aware of something tugging at the edge of her consciousness again. Without warning her mind felt like it was exploding. Images were flashing across her mind’s eye so fast she could barely register them. It appeared she was seeing memories of James’ life and the most beautiful country she had ever seen. The land was calling to her but she had never been there and yet she had a vague impression that it was somewhere in Scotland.

In the images James was different somehow, more natural and less composed. The mask he wore had slipped and she was seeing him as he truly was for the first time.

Most of the images seemed perfectly normal except two. He was dressed in nobleman’s attire from the regency period in England in one memory and the other one pictured him with a man that looked a lot like Michelangelo during the renaissance period in Italy.

Her brain went into overdrive trying to put the pieces together. Were they memories from a fancy dress party? Ally wondered. Something about it seemed too authentic to be a fancy dress party. Could it be real? Her mind was racing with possibilities.

She leaned back from James unconsciously when the first image exploded in her mind.

James was watching with a clear fascination.

His words came back to haunt her. “What am I, Ally?” She remembered the feeling that accompanied that question. Ally was right, there was more to this man, than whether he was a bodyguard or not…a lot more if her instincts were correct.

He was still watching her, assessing her reaction when he spoke. “Are you alright, Alessandra?”

She didn’t know exactly what to reveal just yet and she was still feeling very unnerved and completely thrown.

“Yeah, I…” she trailed off without realizing.

Just how old are you if what I saw was real? Ally wondered trying not to react in case she was crazy. She had been experiencing some very unusual events in the last twenty four hours, so she decided not to dismiss anything out of hand, just in case it was a clue to the mystery that had been haunting her for so long.

“Ally,” he said as he touched her arm. James looked coy for a moment and then said, “I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds by almost kissing you then.”

She smiled at his sudden coyness. How was it that a man, no a god like him, could possibly be coy? “Do you want to know how I felt about it?” she asked with a sudden confidence that she didn’t know she possessed.

His nerves were clearly showing now. “Yes I do…I think.”

She leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I have never felt anything like this before…” she leaned back and locked eyes with him, “I have been dreaming about you kissing me ever since I met you all those years ago.”

His smile could have lit up the blackest night. James was relieved to find that she felt that way about him. He was unsure if she pulled back because of the memories or because she didn’t feel anything for him.

Ally pressed her body closer to his and her mouth hovered over his lips for a few seconds. They were both lost in the moment, about to seal their attraction with a kiss, when a familiar voice interrupted them both.

“James? Ally?” Adele called out. She hated to interrupt them but this was literally a matter of life and death.

James and Ally shared a look of mutual irritation and mortification at being disturbed at such an intimate moment.

Shrugging Ally called out to her grandmother, “Over here Gran!”

Following the voice, Adele turned into their hidden alcove and was upon them in a moment. Seeing how close they were and realising that things had been going well she felt another wave of guilt wash over for interrupting but she was also overjoyed that the couple had been connecting.

“There you are.” Adele smiled.

Ally smirked despite being interrupted. She knew that something important must have come up for Adele to interrupt them.

“Is everything alright?” Ally asked.

Adele shifted uncomfortably trying to decide the best way of extracting James from the situation without raising any alarm bells with Ally. Her granddaughter was extremely clued in to everything that went on around her. There wasn’t much that escaped her. Adele loved that about her granddaughter, but at this very moment it was proving to be a disadvantage. Adele put on her best disarming smile. “Everything is fine but there is something that I think James will want to deal with.”

James had been watching Ally and not taking much notice of Adele’s interruption but once she mentioned it was something to do with him he started to pay attention. He looked to Adele for the first time and noticed her body was rigid with tension and her eyes held a fear that made him suddenly very nervous.

“What’s going on?” he asked intently.

Still attempting to appear relaxed, “It’s about that guy you met last night… ” Adele didn’t want to say his name because Ally had uttered it this morning. Being the natural detective that she was, Adele knew that she would start putting the pieces together.

Ally felt every muscle in James’ body go rigid with tension at the mention of this guy from last night. Without looking away or breaking eye contact he asked, “What has happened?”

Making a valiant attempt to stay calm so Ally wouldn’t catch on, Adele casually replied, “Nothing yet, but he has been hovering around.”

“Where?”

“In the ranges on Mount Dandenong.”

He said clearly puzzled, “I don’t understand?” He looked at Ally for a moment, “After last night he should still be in recovery not scampering about the ranges.”

Adele looked at her granddaughter with sadness in her eyes. “Recovery or not he won’t let this business rest until it is completed.”

James’ gaze settled on Alessandra. She felt that sense of dread slither through her again. Ally shuddered involuntarily. What the hell is going on? She wondered.

Before she knew what had happened she felt her mind thrust her back to the night of Madame Isabella’s reading. The words came back to haunt her,
the unknown man is looking for you,
could that unknown man be Vincent? Whoever Vincent was and could he be the man they are speaking of?

Coming back to reality Ally was uncomfortably aware that they were both looking at her. “Why do you both keep looking at me?” Ally asked them both, feeling more than a little self-conscious that they were both staring at her.

She also had the feeling that something was being kept from her. Instinct told her that her grandmother knew more than she was letting on.

James and Adele shared a look that was so quick she wasn’t even sure if it had happened.

James took her hand catching her full attention. “I’m looking at you because this business is going to drag me away from your intoxicating company and I would much prefer to stay here with you.” He said with an obvious sadness in his eyes.

Ally felt a pang in her heart at the thought of him leaving. “Do you have to go?” She asked him.

James brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. “I’m sorry but I do have to go Alessandra. Only something this important would drag me away.”

“Ally.” She smiled. “Call me Ally.”

He breathed the word, “Ally…”

James looked to Adele and she nodded. “I will take care of her, James.”

“I can take care of myself,” Ally said indignantly.

“Of course you can sweetheart,” Adele said smirking at her.

James got to his feet in one fluid motion. He turned back to Ally and held his hand out to help her up. She took it, amazed that a man with chivalry still existed in this day and age. That, in itself, was enough to make a girl swoon. Chivalry combined with everything else he was, could become lethal to a girl’s heart.

“Leave it with me Adele. It will be taken care of by night’s end.”

She nodded in acknowledgment and turned to leave the two alone to say farewell.

James and Ally turned to face each other. He drew her in again, she felt her knees start to buckle. “I’m so sorry Ally. I really wish I could stay and spend the rest of the night getting to know you better.”

She sighed. “I wish you could too.”

“I will make it up to you.” He said, as he tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “I promise.”

She beamed at him. “You want to see me again?” Ally asked shyly.

He couldn’t help but laugh at her surprise that he wanted to see her again. They had almost shared a kiss, she set his body on fire and they confessed their mutual attraction but then he remembered these times were different to his. It meant nothing to some people but as she was about to discover, he was nothing like most people.

“Yes Piccolo, I want to see you again.” He smiled outwardly but he was seething with rage at Vincent inside. Slowly he looked into her eyes one last time. It was literally painful to drag himself away from her.

“Until we meet again,” he said and turned to leave.

“James,” She called out.

He stopped and turned around.

“What does Piccolo mean?” she asked.

His face softened and his eyes lit up. “It means little one in Italian.”