My Immortal Read online

  Kohl laughed. “Archaeology is not voodoo. We don’t look for spells or witches, just facts about history.”

  “Well, some of those facts might not want to be found,” Alaric teased with a light laugh, but his voice carried a hint of apprehension.

  “Relax. I’m not going to invoke a spell or summon a demon.” He grinned, then began typing in keywords that might guide his search.

  After looking through pages of results with nothing that looked like the amulet he’d found, Kohl was about to give it a rest for the night when an image under the page link titled Shasta Realm caught his eye. He clicked the link, then enlarged the image.

  “That’s it,” he muttered. “That’s the amulet I found.”

  Alaric nodded in agreement. “Sure does look like it.” He pointed at the screen. “And look, the eagle fossil is pictured in this photo.”

  Kohl leaned in for a closer look and read the short paragraph.

  First discovered in 1912 before disappearing, the Shasta Eagle was at that time appraised with a value of 1.5 million dollars and labeled one of a kind. On the day of the amulet’s debut viewing at an archaeological convention, the building was destroyed by fire and the amulet was never recovered. Historians, archaeologists and mythologists have been searching for the rare artifact ever since. Superstitions surrounding the pendant have speculated that the piece carries mystical powers.

  Kohl’s mouth dropped open and his eyes were wide with shock. “One point five million? Holy shit! If the piece I have is authentic, I’m a very wealthy man.” He glanced at Alaric with a teasing wink. “Wanna get married?”

  “That’s not fair,” Alaric snorted. “You know I’d marry you in a heartbeat if only you were gay.”

  “Ah, I’m sorry, man, I didn’t mean it badly. You’re like a big brother to me.”

  “Yeah, I suppose it would feel like incest.” Alaric laughed. “You are a brother to me. I’ve been watching your back since your parents died. One of these days, I’ll meet the right man.” He gave him a nudge. “And maybe you will, too.”

  “Yeah…” Kohl thought back to his vivid dream. “Anyway…if this thing is the real deal, we’re both rich, because if not for you sneaking me in, I’d not have found it.”

  Alaric gave him a friendly slap on the back. “Hey, you didn’t disagree. Are you converting?”

  “Huh?” Kohl furrowed his brows, then smiled. “Oh…I wasn’t planning on it…but the dream…” He stared at his friend. “It was about a man…a really good-looking man.”

  “You had a wet dream about a man?”

  Kohl felt somewhat embarrassed that Alaric obviously had noticed his wet crotch. “Yeah, does that mean I might be gay?”

  “Nah, takes more than a dream. But you’d get no complaint from me if you were.”

  Kohl flopped back on the couch, throwing an arm over his face. “Ah, you’re relentless.” He laughed and peeked out from under his arm. “Do you want to see the amulet?”

  “No way!” Alaric threw his hands up, palms facing out in a gesture of defense. “You keep that mythical thing away from me.”

  They shared a laugh over his superstitious nature. For a big, brawny man who ran drilling rigs and supervised roughnecks, Alaric’s quirky side was an endearing quality very few people saw. On the job, the man was tougher than dirt. Nobody messed with him. Yet in private, Alaric was warm, caring, and generous. At times, Kohl wished he were gay, because he hadn’t had any luck with women. Never even got close to marriage, as the women he’d known had been nothing more than an endless parade of narcissistic, insanely jealous, or insecure females who were exceedingly needy or controlling. He wondered if there was such a thing as a soul mate.

  Hooking up with Alaric could never feel right. They were practically brothers. Alaric had taken him under his wing after Kohl’s parents died in a flood. The man had barely aged over the years, if at all. He’d looked up to Alaric as a role model for so long, he could never picture them in a relationship.

  “All right, all right, I’ll leave the amulet in the lab where it can’t hurt you,” Kohl teased. “I’m beat. Do you want the spare room, or are you just going to take the couch? You know I won’t let you drive after drinking.”

  Alaric nodded his consent, looking up with a grateful smile and warm brown eyes. “I haven’t had the luxury of watching TV in ages. Do you mind if I hang out down here and catch up on some movies?”

  “Not at all. You know where everything is. If you need a blanket or pillow or anything, make yourself at home.”

  “Night, mate.” Alaric settled down into the plush cushions with a relaxed sigh. “Stay off the roof.”

  “Ha ha.” Kohl whipped a throw pillow at him before heading upstairs. He paused at the top landing, staring down at his overnight guest. It felt good to have Alaric around again, to have another person in the house. A mop of brown curls clung to the arm of the couch and a pair of bare feet were propped over the other arm. Soft light flickered from the television, casting a cozy feel over the room. His house didn’t feel so lonely tonight.

  Chapter Two

  Kohl wandered around inside a huge castle, searching for something but not knowing what. The interior was cold, dark, and uninviting. He ran one hand along a stone gargoyle-type statue mounted to the floor at the top of a long staircase. His bare feet touched each hard step going down, sending chills up his spine with each step he took. As he neared the bottom of the winding stairs, intense sorrow gripped his soul. He moved in painstakingly slow motion, each step taking him closer to whatever had summoned him to this dreary place.

  Fleeting thoughts whipped through his hazy mind. A tragic occurrence had taken place within these walls. The stench of rotting flesh stung his nose. He crossed one arm over his face to block out the disgusting odor of death. Glancing down, he saw a feather on the stone floor. Compelled, he reached down and picked it up. Immediately, an icy breeze swept through the room. Kohl shivered.

  “You are Kohl,” a man’s voice murmured. The way he spoke his name released tingles of pleasure all over his body.

  He looked around and saw Talon, the perfectly sculpted man from his previous dream, still naked to the waist. “Yes, I am Kohl. Have we met before? Why do I keep dreaming about you?”

  Talon approached without a sound, movements flowing with impressive grace. The man was hands down the most beautiful creature Kohl had ever laid eyes on. Prettier than most women and built better than most men, the man possessed strikingly captivating features that gave Kohl an instant hard-on.

  “No, we have not met in the mortal realm.” Talon stared into him with those killer black eyes heavily fringed by long lashes. “You dropped the veil between worlds when you unearthed the amulet. I was in holding, trapped in the void between life and death, but now I am almost free.”

  “Wh—what are you?”

  “I was an eagle shifter from the Shasta Realm, where chosen souls are given the gift to shift into their ordained animal. I wandered into forbidden territory though, and the rulers of my realm imprisoned my spirit inside the Bloodstone. I am stained by the blood of darkness until I overcome the evil that rages in my soul.”

  “What happened to you?”

  “A vampire attacked me. My shifter form died, but I was not permitted to enter peace because of my lust for blood. I am half vampire now. If I can resist the clawing hunger long enough, I will be restored.”

  “Restored to what?” Fear threatened to overtake Kohl. Yet he couldn’t seem to move let alone run.

  “Back into my original form, able to shift from human to eagle at will and continue on in the light of justice.” Talon reached out and took the feather, his fingers brushing Kohl’s as he did so. “Follow me.” He walked in fluid motion toward an arched doorway.

  Kohl followed as if drawn by an unseen force. They entered what appeared to be a very old kitchen. He couldn’t help but admire the man’s ass and long taut legs poured into skintight trousers. The sudden urge to drive his throbbing c
ock into that tight ass consumed him. Inwardly, he groaned.

  Talon looked back with a flirtatious smile. “Come see what I have prepared for you.” He made a sweeping motion with one arm over a long, old wood table.

  Kohl inched toward the point of Talon’s attention and looked down. On the table lay a mirror. Though Kohl felt the man pressed behind him, only one reflection looked back from the mirror, and it wasn’t Talon’s pretty face. This puzzled Kohl, as he had never believed in vampires or the myths around them.

  “See…vampire,” Talon’s voice fell sadly.

  Kohl made a feeble effort to lift the man’s spirits. “But a very gorgeous one.”

  “You are a ruggedly handsome man,” Talon whispered at his ear. “And very well endowed.” His fingers curled around Kohl’s erection, making him suddenly aware of his nakedness.

  Of course I am naked, Kohl mused. I always sleep naked. In the depths of his soul, he realized that this was another erotic dream, yet it felt uncannily real. Talon unzipped his fly and began rubbing against him from behind, sliding his cock between Kohl’s thighs, teasing him. The man was not only gorgeous, but well hung, too. His long thick cock brushed Kohl’s scrotum, sending shockwaves of pleasure through him.

  “Look at yourself,” Talon murmured. “Watch intense heat fill your striking blue eyes as I stroke you. I’ve never seen such beautiful eyes. They are like rain. Let me run my fingers through your thick dark hair. Lose yourself in the feel of my dick touching yours.”

  Kohl gazed into the mirror, mesmerized by the flood of arousal on his own face as the man touched him all over, rubbing that hard body against his. He panted for breath, heat climbing inside, swelling his cock.

  “Would you like me to suck your huge dick?” Talon squeezed between him and the table. “I owe you my gratitude for giving me a second chance.”

  “You don’t have to,” Kohl replied in a strangled voice, barely able to speak.

  “I would like to. You freed me. I belong to you now, to please you forever. Will you allow it?”

  Kohl gave a quick nod. “You’re the prettiest man alive. I can’t explain my attraction to you.”

  “Don’t analyze it.” Talon slid to his knees. “Just go with it.”

  A wild groan erupted from Kohl’s chest when the man’s hot mouth closed over his aching cock. He sucked it fervently, going down on him over and over, taking his entire length into that warm moist sexy mouth. He gripped the table edge, sucking in a sharp breath, then tangled his fingers in the black satiny strands of hair falling over Talon’s face. Talon groaned his approval when Kohl began thrusting against his face. The man was undeniably skilled and took Kohl’s engorged cock with ease.

  He took a tight hold of Talon’s silky hair and pumped into his luscious mouth, softly grunting with each drive, urgently seeking release. Talon gently rolled Kohl’s balls in one hand while keeping his other hand at the base of his cock. Not once did the man ease up from the delectable sucking. Sweat trickled down Kohl’s back. He thrust harder, faster, holding the man’s sweet face against his groin.

  “Ah fuck,” Kohl groaned. His body lurched forward with a forceful jerk of his cock. Heat washed over him in blissful waves of euphoria. He glanced down at the beautiful man on his knees, his mouth stretched over Kohl’s distended cock, drinking him in with obvious zeal.

  Gradually, Talon pulled back, licking the slickened head until every drop of semen had been released. “Did I please you?”

  Kohl let out a growl of laughter. “Hell yeah, best head I’ve ever had.”

  Talon slithered up his body, his erection brushing Kohl’s shaft as they stood chest to chest. Hairs on the back of his neck prickled as the man’s teeth grazed his skin, nipping and biting.

  “I’m so hungry,” Talon groaned. “Just one taste…just one…” He bit down a little harder. “No, I can’t, not with you. I want you too much.”

  And without warning, the sweet beautiful man disappeared.

  Kohl’s eyes shot open when cold rain began pelting his skin. Only inches away lurked the edge of the cliff overlooking a deep river ravine bordered by jagged rock. He glanced around frantically, grasping for clarity on how he’d managed to end up at the drill site in his sleep. Lightning veined as fingers of light across a black sky. Thunder rumbled around him. One wrong step would’ve taken him over the edge and sent him plummeting to his death.

  Naked and now wet, he inched away from the ledge to gain his bearings. A dull ache at his groin drew his gaze downward. His cock hung freely, still oozing from the dream. He wrapped one hand around the length, sticky with saliva. This dream felt very real. His heart pounded in his ears while walking down the rocky dirt road. It was a long walk home. He felt drained. Regardless, he had to make it back before daybreak to avoid being spotted in this disheveled state.

  His feet were raw by the time he crept into his two-story home, doing his best not to wake Alaric. I could never explain this. He’ll think I’ve gone mad, or worse, blame this on that amulet. Kohl slunk quietly up the steps and straight to the shower. The amulet, Talon said something about the relic. Kohl struggled to pull the details of his dream into view, to recall what the man had told him. The answers teetered on the edge of his mind but refused to come forth.

  Exhausted, Kohl dropped into bed, but sleep denied him the rest he craved. Questions tumbled through his brain in waves of endless torment. Tossing the sheet aside, he pulled on a pair of jeans and padded downstairs and to his lab, hoping a connection between the pendant and his dreams would manifest.

  The eagle fossil was still gone from the stone. However, the vibrant fiery red color had not faded. In fact, the color had deepened to a passionate blood red shade. Blood, he thought. The man said something about blood. Dropping his head into his hands, Kohl racked his brain for a mere recollection, squeezing his eyes shut to focus.

  Bloodstone! He called it a Bloodstone!

  This time, in addition to going over the pendant again, Kohl examined each link of the chain and the clasp with a high power microscope. His eyes burned an hour later. He leaned back in his chair, lifted his arms overhead, and stretched his back.

  After a few more gulps of black coffee, he resumed his task, feeling somewhat deflated. Eerie cold filled the room. The lights flickered. He checked his phone for weather alerts but found none. Turning his attention back to the relic, he went over the chain again. A flash of light drew his focus back toward the metal eye that secured the pendant to the chain. He honed in and sure enough, etched in the tiniest script possible was the word Shasta.

  Another tidbit of information sprung to mind. Talon said he was from, what the hell was it? Shasta…Shasta something, damn it! He let out a growl and concentrated hard. A few moments later, it came to him. Shasta Realm!

  Surely, this is the genuine artifact! Renewed excitement spiked his adrenaline. Visions of money and fame raced through his mind. Feeling very confident that he’d stumbled upon a genuine treasure, Kohl delicately wrapped it in non-acidic tissue paper then in a nonabrasive jewelry cloth before placing the amulet into a new plastic baggie and locking it in the fire safe hidden behind some loose bricks in the wall. Carefully and quietly, he slid the bricks back into place, ran a bead of calk around the edges, and hung the picture back over the wall.

  With something of this nature and value, he felt it would be in Alaric’s best interest to not know anymore. Kohl decided to hold onto the item until further research was complete. He did not want this precious relic falling into the wrong hands or getting snatched from under him at the wrong price. Most significant though, was the uncanny connection Kohl felt to the amulet. Strangely enough, he didn’t want the erotic dreams with Talon to stop.

  “Kohl! Are you in there?” Alaric’s pounding on the lab door bolted him straight off the chair.

  “Yeah…I must’ve fallen asleep. I’ll be right out.” He did his best to shake off the grogginess before opening the door.

  “You look like hell, man. Did you get
any sleep at all?”

  “Some.”

  “C’mon.” Alaric nodded toward the kitchen. “I’ll cook breakfast. You’ve taken your obsession with that amulet to an unhealthy level, my friend.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Anymore dreams about the hot guy?” Alaric cast him a wink.

  “Yeah…but I’d rather not talk about it.”

  “That hot, huh?”

  Kohl nodded then smiled. “It’s embarrassing. I’m a straight guy having wild dreams about some paranormal creature.”

  “What makes you think he’s paranormal?”

  “I don’t know.” Kohl shrugged, wondering the same thing. “The word just came out.”

  Alaric set a plate of eggs and sausage in front of him. “I still think it has to do with that amulet. I tell ya, my grandmother told some scary stories.”

  “Was she raised in this area?”

  “Yeah, all my ancestors grew up in this area before moving farther north. We are one of the founding families.”

  Kohl arched a brow as his thoughts churned. “Any family journals?”

  “Probably. I have an old cedar chest in the attic passed down through the generations. I never opened it, didn’t any connection to whatever is inside.”

  “I know. You want the past to stay dead and buried.” Kohl grinned then looked at him with pleading eyes.

  “Oh no, don’t look at me with those sultry eyes of yours. You know I’m a sucker for those baby blues. I’m not opening that chest. There’s nothing of value inside.”

  “I came across a few clues as to the possible history of this piece. I’d rather not burden you, but I’d be truly grateful if you’d let me read the journals. You keep mentioning the tales your grandmother told.” Desperation for answers deluged him. “Since your family originated here, there may be crucial information in their stories that connects the dots for me…please?”

  Alaric rolled his eyes with a groan, then smiled. “I never could say no to you.”