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Immortal Destiny

Wolves and Black Roses

By

Copyright 2011, Lorraine Kennedy

This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

She was entombed in darkness - a darkness so complete that nothing existed beyond that black void but her own poisonous thoughts and fears. The rapid pounding of her heart was like a relentless hammer beating against her chest.

How long had she been here?

Terror had been her constant companion - its grip so tight that she no longer knew what it felt like to
not
be afraid.

She could hear movement above the pounding of her heart. Something scurried across the floor and brushed up against her leg.

Summer put a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. She dare not make any noise for fear that she would wake them. For now they lay rotting in their coffins - unaware of her and her terror.

There was another sound - a creaking. It came from the direction of where the coffins were lined up against the cold - gray wall.

Something came out of the darkness to brush up against her hair. Her mind exploded with panic, and she scrambled up the steep stairs to the opening of the tomb.

Pounding and digging at the door, she could no longer contain her terror and she began to shriek.

The heavy door creaked and groaned as it was pulled open. For so long the darkness had stolen her sight, that now even the moonlight was blinding.

She could see only a looming shadow that grew as it moved toward her.

He stood there on the stone steps, a silhouette against the moonlight streaming in from the open door of the tomb. His dark eyes resonated an inner light - the light of the immortal.

The vision of the gravestones bathed in the light of the full moon was surreal - eerie, but she was aware of only one thing - her captor.

Drawing her down into the grass, he positioned himself above her. She felt the chill of his touch on her legs, and then he lifted her dress. She gasped when his hand roughly spread her thighs.

The scene faded.

She suddenly found herself somewhere else. She was no longer in the cemetery with the vampire. In this vision she was in the home of her ancestors.

Shades of crimson blazed across the desert sky as the sun made its descent into the west. Though the day waned, the heat of the desert was stifling. The only relief from the heat was a soft breeze coming from the north, though it was little help. The wind could not penetrate the thin material of her ribbon dress to cool her skin. It made no difference. Summer barely noticed the temperature.

She stood on a rock ledge overlooking the dance arena. The steady rhythm of the drums vibrated the earth, folding around her body until her heart felt as if it beat in time with them. From the ledge, she could view the dancers moving gracefully to the beat of the drums - their traditional Navajo regalia creating a spray of brilliant color that swept across the dance circle.

She could feel the shadows moving silently over the land. Not the shadows of night, but the darkness of spirit. A gust of wind played havoc with her long golden-brown tresses. A sudden gust of wind blew her hair into her face, blocking her vision for a fraction of a second. She brought a hand up to brush the hair away from her eyes, and was startled to see that the dancers were no longer there.

The drums had gone silent.

A lone figure in the center of the circle looked up at her. Though there was a strong breeze, it did not disturb the old man’s long - thinning gray hair. His intense stare never wavered from where she stood.

“It was always meant to be. Your life’s path will take you on a journey of shadows. You are in danger … you are all in danger!” Grandpa Busby’s scratchy voice faded away, as did the vision.

“Who are you talking to?”

Summer jumped at the sound of the deep - husky voice that came from behind her. She knew that voice. It had haunted her dreams and beckoned her heart on those lonely nights when the world seemed so empty of light and love.

Was this just another trick of the spirits?

She turned around slowly, afraid that she had imagined his voice. He stood only a few feet away. He was as large as life, and so overwhelming that to look at him, took her breath away.

He stood there against the backdrop of the darkening sky, his long blond hair dancing on the winds. Their gaze locked and Summer found it impossible to look away from those intense, smoky-gray eyes. Standing so close to him, she felt as if she were still a child. He was so tall that he towered over her.

* * *

Finally Summer opened her eyes. Her heart sank as soon as she realized that she’d been dreaming again. It had been so long since she’d seen Anton that she ached whenever she opened her eyes to find that he was not really there. Dreaming of Anton was not so unusual, but the rest of her dream had been truly bizarre.

Sitting up, Summer struggled to rid herself of the grogginess she was feeling. She wasn’t sure how long she’d slept, but it was getting dark outside. She had worked all night, trying to get into the head a killer, but had made no progress at all. The latest murder was as weird as the rest. Usually she didn’t have too much trouble coming up with some type of profile to give the police, but this one really had her stumped.

She had only intended to take a quick nap, but had been so exhausted that she’d fallen into a deep sleep. In her dream she’d been with a stranger - an immortal. That part really disturbed her. She’d been about to have sex with him in a cemetery. Summer couldn’t help but wonder where that had come from. Then her dream had changed suddenly and she’d been in New Mexico. Anton had been there. He’d come to take her home.

But then there was that ominous warning from Grandpa Busby. Busby was her mother’s grandfather. Though Grandpa Busby had passed away when Summer was young, she could still remember the sparring of words between him and her mother. Laura Gray Eagle had always tried to talk Busby into coming to live with them. Grandpa had been one of the few humans that knew of the existence of
Outerlands
. He always told them that he loved visiting, but he liked it just fine at home.

Summer could still hear his words.

“I am Busby, born to the Bitter River People for the Deer Clan. I am Dineh and will die in my own country.”

And he’d done just that. When the time came for Grandpa Busby to pass into the land of spirits, her mother had been devastated. It was then that Laura decided that she wanted her children to grow up in the Navajo tradition. She’d sent Summer and her brother J.J to live in New Mexico with a family friend. Though
Outerlands
was where she came from, she really looked at New Mexico as home.

Her native heritage ran deep and was a large part of who she was. That was why she believed that her dream had not been just a dream. It was a message from her grandfather. He was trying to reach out to her from the other side - he was warning her about something.

Summer had her mother’s gift. She could communicate with the dead, but for some reason Grandpa Busby had never come through. There were times that she really wished that her grandfather would make contact with her. She missed him terribly.

Summer groaned when Penny returned to the living room and gave her a look of disapproval. Her friend was already dressed and ready.

“Okay, I’ll get going,” Summer told her.

“You shouldn’t have stayed up all night,” Penny scolded.

Summer ignored her and headed for the bathroom. She now wished that she hadn’t promised to go out. Not only was she troubled by her dream, but she could not keep her mind off of the murders. Someone was killing people and it was her job to help the police figure out what the perpetrator could be thinking. What could drive someone to commit such horrendous acts against others?

* * *

Through the double glass doors, Summer could see the flashing lights of the slot and poker machines that filled the interior of the casino. Just as she reached for the elaborate brass handle on the door, her mobile phone rang. She knew she’d never be able to have a conversation once she was inside, so she backed away from the doors and pulled the phone from her handbag.

“I can’t explain a lot right now, but I will as soon as we see each other again. I have a problem that I thought you might be able to help me with?”

“What’s that?” Summer asked.

“A friend of mine managed to get through to
Outerlands
. Do you know if he will find his way out again?”

Summer inhaled sharply.
Outerlands
was not the place to be if you were not from there. Although it was her home, she’d really spent little time there throughout her life. Summer could only imagine what might happen to someone that was unfamiliar with that realm.

Great! Now she had a serial killer on the loose in her city, strange dreams warning her about something, and to top it off, now there was a vampire trespassing in
Outerlands
. How much worse could it get?

When Sarah was in Reno, the young witch had performed the most amazing spell to bring their true loves to them. So far it hadn’t worked for Summer, except for in her dreams. But then again, Anton was always in her dreams.