My Immortal (2 page)

“What is your name?” he finally asked the man.

“Talon. Come with me.”

Kohl took a step forward. Suddenly he was falling—falling—into nowhere. He gasped for breath, terrified. Strong hands reached out and caught him. Hot breath wisped his neck. Sharp teeth toyed at the skin below his jaw. Shivers of excitement raced through Kohl as Talon held him from behind, his erection pressed firmly against Kohl’s ass. He wanted this man and it terrified and thrilled him just the same. Without warning, Kohl ejaculated, spilling his emission. Semen slid down the length of his shaft, bathing it in warmth.

“Kohl!” a man’s voice shouted. “What the hell are you doing?”

A different pair of hands grabbed him, pulling him back. Instantly Talon disappeared. Heaviness clung to Kohl’s eyes as he struggled to open them. He looked down and saw that he was standing on the roof of his house.

“Are you trying to kill yourself, man?” Alaric shouted, dragging him through the bedroom window.

“Huh?” He looked around groggily. “What—what time is it?”

“Almost midnight. Damn, you scared the shit out of me.” Alaric shook his head. “I didn’t know you walked in your sleep?”

“Oh…uh…I came up to catch a little shuteye while waiting for you…I had the strangest dream…” He felt disoriented and repeated the man’s name. “
Talon
…his name was
Talon
.”

Alaric’s face paled with a somber expression but he quickly recovered. “You were about to step off the roof. Good thing I got here when I did. Are you okay, buddy?”

Kohl rubbed his head. “Yeah…just slept really hard.” His hand went to his crotch. “Uh, let me grab a shower and I’ll be right down.”

“Sure,” Alaric muttered with a quizzical look. “I’ll toss the steaks on the grill. Sorry I was late. I got called back to the site by the claims adjuster.”

“No problem. I was beat.”

Sounds of Alaric rustling about in the kitchen floated upstairs as Kohl undressed and prepared to shower. He’d had plenty of wet dreams in the past, but never about a man. He tried pulling Talon’s face into view but couldn’t.
Do I know a Talon? Have we met in passing? Who was that man in my dream and why did I go out on the roof?
Still too foggy to sort the peculiar dream, he mentally filed it away under too much excitement in one day and headed for the shower.

“I had a really weird dream,” Kohl said over drinks, as he and Alaric relaxed in the living room.

“Yeah, you muttered something about a dream. Probably from digging in the dirt all night, I can only imagine what thoughts run amok in an archaeologist’s mind while studying ancient ruins.”

“We do tend to let our imaginations run wild.” Kohl laughed. “We’re always hoping for that rarest find that will shock the world or explain an old myth.”

“You won’t catch me digging up graves or searching for dead bones, no thanks. That stuff gives me the spooks.”

“I had no idea you were superstitious.” Kohl knocked back a shot of whiskey, relishing the heat running down his throat.

“Eh.” Alaric shrugged. “Maybe a little. I’ve heard enough tales to make me leery of disturbing what’s been buried. I say let the past stay buried.”

“I’ve always been fascinated with history and culture. What I found today is the most intriguing artifact I’ve ever come across.” His thoughts went to the pendant and the vanishing eagle fossil. “Odd…after that tornado whipped through, the amulet changed.”

Alaric’s brows shot up. “Changed? How?”

“I took photos at each stage of the cleanup process.” Kohl walked to his lab and retrieved his laptop. “Check out these images. I took these before the storm.”

Alaric studied the photos closely. “Interesting. What’s that thing inside the stone?”

“My guess is some sort of fossil.”

“What about these pictures?” Alaric pointed to the images taken after the storm. “They look different…the fossil isn’t there.”

“You see it, too?” Kohl’s voice hitched a notch.

“Yeah, and the stone looks…brighter?”

“Exactly. I spent the whole day studying this thing. I can’t figure it out.”

“Have you done a search on it?”

Kohl shook his head. “Didn’t have time.”

They sat on the sofa, staring at the images.

“This relic might put you in the books,” Alaric stated. “Why don’t you type in a few keywords and see what comes up?”

“You won’t get spooked?” Kohl teased with a snicker, receiving a hard nudge in return.

“I’m not a pussy. I can handle some research as long as I don’t have to touch the thing. My grandmother was into all kind of voodoo, always gave me the creeps. She was a strange woman.”

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.

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 cock 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.