Immortal Embrace (Vampire Magic Book 5) Read online

  IMMORTAL EMBRACE

  Vampire Magic – Book 5

  By

  Sela Croft

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 1

  Rosamon

  In my room at Logan’s penthouse, the soft bed cushioned me as though it was a fluffy cloud. Falling into reverie was like being in a dream, yet I had a sense of my surroundings. Images of my youth filtered through my mind.

  Relaxing into the experience, I offered no resistance. I wanted to see the memories, willing to know more of my past. The cool room enveloped me, calming my nerves and allowing my past to rise to my consciousness. A very early memory filled my mind.

  My sister Callie was close, so I looked over. A giggle escaped my lips. My sister was so young, with big eyes and long dark hair. She was dressed for preschool in clothes chosen by our mother. Her awkwardness was much like my own, as I was dressed in a similar outfit.

  Another scene was of early childhood and was filled with warm, cozy feelings of love and security. My mother and father were with me. Sadie and Bramwell—I knew their names but called them Mommy and Daddy.

  A soft voice intruded on my repose. “What is happening now?” I vaguely recognized the voice as Natasha’s, but the sound was distant, as if she was far away or speaking through a tunnel.

  While I watched what transpired, I whispered softly to narrate for Natasha. I was in a bedroom, a girls’ room with ruffled curtains and pink blankets. My sister and I held hands. Our mother was packing while talking to us. She was speaking fast and looked worried.

  Then our mother said something odd. It was about needing to escape. She’d discovered something horrible and we had to get out. I didn’t understand. Callie stood beside me and we looked on, as our mother rushed about.

  “What happened next?” Natasha said, but the question didn’t register at first.

  My mother’s nervous smile scared me. Something was seriously wrong, but I didn’t know what to do. Then the image shifted. We were in the car. Sadie and Bramwell were in the front seat with Callie and I in the back.

  Our parents were taking us on a trip; we drove down a forested road. It didn’t feel right though. I was confused, but then glanced out the backseat window. The leaf-dappled sunlight made me smile. I felt so amazingly good. Everything seemed so new and exciting.

  But then my parents were arguing. It was difficult of make out any of the words. My mother had an anxious look and my father was shouting. Callie and I looked at each other, unsure. Was it our fault? Were they fighting about us?

  I held my sister’s hand and watched our parents. I loved them and didn’t like to see them yelling. The words hurt my ears and tears filled my eyes. We were supposed to go to a fun place, as a family. We weren’t supposed to hate each other. It made me so sad.

  We were a family and we were together. It was what I wanted and Callie, too. A sense of foreboding wrapped around me, but I wasn’t sure why. Was something bad going to happen? Could we lose our parents, our security? It was only a fleeting thought, my youthful fear of loss of those I loved.

  The car sped down the road, then swerved. My father stopped shouting, but my mother shrieked. My father must have hit the brake; the car lurched. A squeal seared through my brain as the car veered into the trees. My heart pounded then a loud crash deafened me.

  My eyes flew open and my breathing was ragged. It took a moment for me to orient. Natasha stood by the bed, looking down at me. She didn’t disturb me. Instead, she waited patiently for me to speak. It took a few seconds to fully realize where I was.

  The room was safe. It was in Logan’s home and his sister was staying there with me. The terrifying images were of the past, from long ago when I was only a child. I breathed more evenly, looking into Natasha’s eyes. She appeared calm, which was reassuring.

  I’d been thrown out of the vision so suddenly, it had startled me. But I remembered that Natasha was nearby to help me. I was in the bedchamber with her, not in Oregon. That had been a long time ago, but now I was in Shadowland.

  “Natasha…,” I said. The familiar room came into focus and I found comfort in the knowledge that I was in a safe place.

  “I’m here Rosamon. You did well. Everything’s okay.” She sat on the edge of the bed and took my hand. “When you’re ready, you can tell me what you saw.”

  Natasha was trying to help me, and Callie was also. She’d suggested the reverie as a method to figure out things about our father and mother. And to discover more about our origins.

  Our life had been in such upheaval since I’d been pulled into Logan’s realm and Callie had followed. A sense of unreality clouded my consciousness. My sister was a vampire. She and Logan had drunk each other’s blood, changing her into an immortal.

  Yet there had been no choice, unless I’d exchanged blood with Noah, instead. It still haunted me that I’d let my sister undertake such a drastic action. It should have been me. After all, she’d followed me into this land, not the other way around.

  But it was too late for second thoughts. Callie was a vampire and it couldn’t be undone. I loved her just the same, although seeing her fangs took some getting used to. And her violet eyes glowed, making them even more striking.

  The good part was that my sister was very strong. She could do things that she hadn’t been able to before. And that was desirable. We were all in quite a fix. It had turned out that our father was really the evil sorcerer Seth, not Bramwell, as we’d always thought.

  It was all quite disconcerting. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, Seth had coerced us to erect a wall between the realms by casting a powerful spell. What a mess…

  “Is there anything you can share?” Natasha said, wrinkling her brow.

  I told her all that I could remember from the reverie. It was sketchy, and the visions were of events that had taken place when I’d been quite young. It was important that I reach deep into the recesses of my mind to learn all that I could.

  Natasha stood up but didn’t take her eyes off me. “That’s all we can do for now. Each bit that you remember is a piece of the puzzle.”

  When I sat up, a wave of dizziness hit me. But I wasn’t going to give in to any weakness. “We should go talk to Callie and let her know what we’ve learned. Maybe she will see how it’s useful.”

  I slid off the bed, prepared to tell my sister the details of the reverie. The thought
of her as a vampire disturbed me, but I brushed it aside. It was best to move past that. There were more important things to be concerned about.

  Chapter 2

  Callie

  The peaceful state of Shadowland had been shattered, and it had been my doing as much as anyone’s. I should have been more alert and paid attention to the signs. I’d watched Seth and had misgivings. Yet I hadn’t acted on them, hadn’t even acknowledged the doubt.

  At long last, I’d freed my sister from the Fae prison and our father too—or so I’d thought. It turned out that he wasn’t our father, after all. The shock of that news hadn’t worn off. Morrigan faced me now; she’d remained at Logan’s residence, after cluing us in.

  I paced the sitting room, unable to keep still. There had to be something we could do, and there wasn’t a lot of time to figure it out. While we were debating, Seth was doing his worst in Fae territory. It was only a matter of time until the evil spread.

  No one had come up with a solution yet. Logan, Morrigan, Raulia, and Amalia had discussed possible options—plus I’d offered my ideas. So far, every suggestion had been shot down. What seemed like a good tactic at first, looked impossible on closer examination.

  I wouldn’t have found out about Seth’s trick, unless Amalia had come to deliver the news. Over the years, she’d managed to capture a few of Morrigan’s ravens and had been able to escape. The magic birds had flown her to safety.

  But apparently, even that portal had been closed after her exit. “I must admit,” Morrigan said, “I’m unable to find any way back into the Fae territory.” She sighed. “It seems that Seth has locked all entries and exits to the realm.”

  I stared at Morrigan. It was the first time I could recall seeing the sorceress so helpless. She’d always been able to conjure up some magic and hadn’t been at a loss for solutions. That was not the case now.

  Amalia threw up her hands. “We have to do something.”

  It was difficult to look at her disfigured face. It broke my heart to think of what Seth had done to her, how evil he was. The Fae princess had been beautiful. She hadn’t been my friend or ally, most of the time. But with circumstances as they were, we had to work together.

  “Seth must have a vulnerability,” Logan said. His hands clenched into fists and I had no doubt that if Seth were near, he might not survive my vampire prince’s wrath.

  “I’m not so sure,” Amalia said. “I just came from there. I witnessed what he’s doing. The ruthlessness with which he deals with anyone in his way makes me shudder.”

  Morrigan was curious, so she pried more details from Amalia. The horror of his action made my stomach seize with nausea. I marveled that I’d considered the demon my father, that I hadn’t seen into his soul and known his nature, before he’d taken control.

  Amalia grimaced. “I fear for my people.”

  “I fear for all of us,” I said. “Power unleashed in the service of evil could end us all. Whatever we can do about it, we must proceed quickly.”

  “If only we knew what that was,” Logan said. “We need insight into Seth and how he operates, if we have any hope of taking him down.”

  It struck me how much I’d invested in saving my sister and supporting Logan to protect his realm. And I wasn’t the only one. Each of us had risked much and sacrificed. After all of that, a vengeful sorcerer couldn’t be allowed to destroy it all.

  I glanced at Amalia, without staring. I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. She had to be devastated about her appearance. Yet she’d been shy about telling what Seth had done to her. She hadn’t spoken about it. But I could see for myself how awful it must have been.

  Raulia stood in the corner, watching us. Right after Logan had learned about the havoc Seth had wrecked, he’d sent for the wolf shifter. She was the best tracker in the realm and could be called upon to follow the trail of the enemy.

  The problem was that she couldn’t find Seth, unless the wall could be breached.

  In our ongoing debate, Raulia had been the least sympathetic of us. I had trouble accepting that she was that hard hearted. But for the past few minutes, she’d been quiet.

  When she spoke up, her attitude hadn’t changed at all. “I don’t know why we care a snippet about the enemy realm.” She glared at Amalia. “As far as I’m concerned, the Fae are getting what they deserve.”

  Amalia rushed across the room at Raulia. She thrust her hands out, intent on casting a spell on the wolf shifter. But Logan put his body in front of Raulia’s then used his mental power to slide Amalia against the opposite wall. “That’s enough.”

  “If we attack each other, we stand no chance of overcoming the opposition,” I said.

  Logan released Amalia then she faced off with Raulia, without any further attempt to wield her magic. “What’s being done to the Fae and the destruction in my kingdom, is just the start,” the princess said, slicing her hand through the air.

  As Amalia continued, all eyes were on her. “Let me remind you that once Seth is ready, after he’s regained all the power that was taken from him…he will come for you,” she said, stabbing a finger at Raulia.

  “And whatever you think of me, or any Fae with abilities like mine,” Amalia said with a glance around the room. “Don’t forget that your precious vampires owe their immortality and powers to a sorcerous spell.”

  Raulia didn’t look pleased but she didn’t argue.

  “But that was different, Amalia,” I said.

  Amalia shook her head. “No, it wasn’t. For some time, I’ve been aware that even my race owes much to ancient sorcerers like Seth. Our very existence is the result of spells, curses, and other enchantments. I’m certain that the distant past substantiates that.”

  “Clearly, Seth is bending sorcery power for his own perverted uses,” Morrigan said. “He has a god complex. And with an ego like his, he’s liable to do anything.”

  “We can’t let that happen,” Logan said. “It’s irrelevant what the source of the creation of vampires or the Fae was; that’s ancient history. It’s our immediate situation that matters.”

  “I agree with that,” Raulia said. “I may not go out of my way to save the Fae realm, but I refuse to let the scourge seep into ours.”

  “Or spread through the outside world, as well,” I said and cringed to think of that outcome. If we didn’t control Seth’s rampage, the consequences could be dire.

  “Which brings us back to where we started,” Logan said. “How can we cross the border and enter Fae territory?”

  “And what can we do to get rid of Seth, before he destroys us?” Morrigan said.

  Those were the questions we had no answers for. But we had to come up with a strategy fast. With every second that ticked by, the situation would only get worse. Then another thought stuck me, one that I couldn’t brush aside.

  Chapter 3

  Callie

  It seemed as if all eyes were on me, but it was probably just my self-consciousness. I shrunk back, leaning into Logan for support. No one had mentioned that I had sorceress blood. Whatever good or bad qualities I possessed, I wasn’t innocent.

  I was my father’s daughter, and his blood flowed in my veins. Whatever evil he harbored had to be inside me too. The implications made me reel. It altered my conception of myself.

  Since drinking Logan’s blood, I was also a vampire. That made me unique, as the combination of sorcerer and vampire was something new. Or maybe that made me a monster. It depended on how it was viewed.

  And how could I look at it, other than genetically I’d inherited…what?

  There was no way to know if the sorceress part of me was truly evil, or whether I could control it, if it was. I’d had nightmares about my new state. In addition to the sorceress part of me, I had to face that I was a vampire, with the destructive tendencies that went with it.

  I drank human blood to survive. Not only did I drink it, but I craved it. What did that say about my nature? It was all very confusing.

  After
the wall had gone up, I’d had a chance to adjust to my new state. Testing out my strength and abilities hadn’t been the hardest part, as it turned out. It was the moral dilemma that nagged at me.

  I hadn’t been accused of anything. Surrounded by my friends, I didn’t feel so very different. Each had magical ability, so I supposed that I fit in. Except for one major difference. I was the one who had descended from an evil sorcerer. Even my sister was better off. She had our father’s blood, but she didn’t have a vampire side.

  Fortunately, I was saved from having to bring that up to the others.

  Rosamon burst into the room with Natasha by her side. She was like a breath of fresh air. “Wait until I tell you. I have exciting news,” my sister said. “The time I’ve spent with Natasha has been worth it. I feel we have some clues.”

  Natasha smiled. “I know you’ve all been agonizing over what to do. But I sense that there is hope in dealing with the situation. Amalia needs our help to deal with Seth and take back Fae territory. With more details about the past, we stand a chance of doing so.”

  That idea got a mixed response. Amalia was curious about what Rosamon had learned so far and how quickly more could be gleaned.

  Raulia didn’t readily agree, but she didn’t voice any dissent either.

  Morrigan was outright negative, making it clear that it would take a lot more than recalling some childhood memories to unravel the mysteries of Seth.

  I jumped in and lobbied for a chance to consider the possibility that Natasha could guide the reveries in the right direction.

  “That could take a long time,” Raulia said. “I don’t see how it offers any immediate solution.”

  “You can’t tell about these things,” Natasha said. “It’s unpredictable. The fact that Rosamon can contact her past, so readily, is encouraging.”

  “I’ve remembered things that I wouldn’t have before,” Rosamon said. “The memories are important; I’m sure of it.”

  “We should let her try,” I said. “What other choice do we have? I haven’t heard anyone offer a better solution.”

  “I haven’t given up,” Morrigan said. “An answer will come to us. We can’t just quit.”