Immortal Prophecy

Over a scrumptious roast beef dinner that night, Ally got to know Sophie and Henry more. She learned they had two children, Logan and Mackenzie. She hadn’t met either one yet. Logan had gone out with James, and Mackenzie would be returning from a week in London tomorrow.

  Listening to Sophie and Henry speaking of their children she could tell they were devoted parents who loved their kids dearly. It made her heart cry out for her own beloved parents, but at least she had Adele. Ally honestly didn’t know what she would have done without her.

  After much conversation, good food and exquisite red wine, the dinner came to an end, and Ally found herself comfortably situated in a large cream armchair, reading a novel, in the lounge room, whilst a light rain pitter-pattered against the windows of the French doors that lead out into the terrace.

  A bright flash of lightning, followed quickly by a very loud crack of thunder caught her attention. Pulling her nose out of the book, she looked up at the clock and saw that it was almost midnight.

  Upon realizing how late it was, she decided it was time she went up to bed. Unaware of how tired she felt until after she got up, Ally stood at the bottom of the stairs wondering if she had the energy to climb the two levels to her room.

  With a sigh of resignation, she climbed the steps one by one until she found herself in the hallway leading to her room. Once inside she changed into her sleeping attire and crawled deep under the covers. Her last coherent thought before sleep claimed her was of James, and all she had learned about him since waking up on the plane this morning.

  The following morning Ally woke up in the big fluffy king size guest bed. She was hopelessly in love with this room. The bedroom itself was large and spacious, with an open fireplace in the wall and an elaborate gold mirror above it. She found the couch and matching ottoman were as deliciously comfortable as the bed. She got up and wrapped her cream satin gown around her, noticing the fireplace had already been lit, making the room toasty warm.

  Ally looked towards the balcony opposite the fireplace, as something caught her eye, she went over to investigate. Opening the white French doors leading onto her private balcony, she felt a chill run through her as she stepped outside. James hadn’t been joking when he had likened the climate to Antarctica, but it was astonishingly invigorating. Ally was surprised to find that the cold didn’t bother her that much.

  The scene before her was breathtaking; she drew in a breath and looked around at the magnificence before her. The pure white snow upon the mountains that lay before her eyes, appeared to be melting, making way for the spring. The sun was peeping its golden head from behind them, and throwing rays of sunshine across the land. The loch, she wasn’t sure how far away it was, was catching the golden rays giving the appearance of diamonds floating on the surface. Any tension that had remained in her body from the few days before seemed to flow straight out of her at the sight.

  Ally was busy surveying the scene and taking in the beauty of nature, when she heard a whinny. Her head turned, and she realized there was a stable on the grounds at Carlisle Manor. She thought that she might explode from excitement. Ally loved horses, and it had been a dream of hers to own a horse for as long as she could remember.

  She couldn’t see any, so she assumed that the noise had come from a horse within the stable.

  As she was about to turn around and go back inside, she heard it again. Only this time she heard the accompanying hoof beats.

  “That’s not the sound of a horse in a stable,” she murmured, whilst looking around. Within another moment, James came flying around the corner on a magnificent black Arabian.

  The coat of the beast shone and its tail was flying along behind it. The white stockings were a beautiful contrast to the black. She looked on in awe as rider and beast flew past her in perfect harmony.

  It was a beautiful sight to behold. James was heading straight for a fence that divided the property and the wild untamed nature that dazzled before her. She held her breath unconsciously as it appeared that he wouldn’t have time to stop before hitting the fence, in fact, they seemed to be going quicker and quicker. Ally was about to yell out and tell him to stop. She knew it would be in vain, but she couldn’t just stand by watching and say nothing. Before she could do anything the black beauty and James lifted off the ground and flew over the fence in a clear jump. Her breath flew out of her body in relief and amazement.

  James was obviously an accomplished rider. He appeared to be a natural horseman. The rider and his horse were getting further away from the property when suddenly they whipped back around and headed for the fence. This time, she relaxed and just watched leaning against the railing. She unconsciously felt the need to be as close as possible. She was in another world, the room behind her had melted away, all she was aware of was James and his horse. They rode faster and faster towards the fence and cleared it again, with seemingly little effort from either of them.

  As James got closer she could see the exhilaration written all over his face. The relaxed demeanor seemed to flow out of him, and his smile was wide and natural. James started to slow as they approached the house, he leaned down and patted his horse on the neck; it returned the gesture with a head toss and a whinny then began prancing around. The horse appeared to be one of perfect lineage, if its behavior, stance and beauty were anything to go by.

  Ally stood back admiring the man and horse, and when he looked up, he seemed surprised to see her. She waved shyly, and he waved back then started moving over towards her balcony.

  “How Romeo and Juliet,” she laughed to herself.

  She couldn’t pull her eyes from him. This was another side of James that she definitely found very appealing. Hopefully, she’d find more today that she found equally enticing. He reached her quickly, and appeared to be excited to see her.

  He pulled up his horse and looked up at her. “Good morning, Alessandra.”

  She smiled at the formality. “Good morning, James.”

  “I didn’t expect you up for a while yet.”

  “I could say the same for you,” she said with a wicked gleam in her eye. “I remember you telling me that you don’t like getting up early.”

  “You were listening.” He couldn’t help smile at the beautiful woman before him.

  “Do you do this every morning? I had no idea what a good rider you were.”

  He practically beamed, simply because she had complimented him. “I admit to having a love affair with horses. I hope that doesn’t turn you further against me?” he said half joking, half serious.

  She chuckled. “No, if anything it makes you more appealing.”

  He smiled back at her wickedly. “I shall use that to my full advantage then.”

  “I would expect nothing less,” she said dryly. His eyes sparkled from the ride, and secretly she hoped from seeing her.

  “Did you miss me last night?”

  Ally smiled and debated whether to tell him the truth. “I admit to missing you a bit.”

  James lit up all over. It was obvious that he was happy she missed him. “I missed you too, little one. Now have some breakfast and then come find me in the stables, and we will get started on our ride.” He said as he started towards the back of the house.

  She watched him leaving and was about to turn and go back inside when she heard him call out her name.

  She turned back towards him. “Yes?”

  “I have that present for you.”

  She was excited, what girl doesn’t like presents, she couldn’t help herself. “Will you tell me what it is now?”

  “It’s a surprise.” He winked at her then took off around the corner.

  “I wonder what it is?” she thought aloud.

  No man has a right to look that good, but my oh my did he look amazing on that horse…I’m doomed. As she thought this, a broad smile crept across her face. Ally couldn’t help herself. She was beginning to think she might love being doomed just as long as it was with this man.

  She turned and walked back ins
ide, then stood in front of the fire to collect her thoughts and warm up. There was a knock on the door.

  “Come in,” she called out.

  A young blonde girl with big blue eyes, who Ally guessed to be about eighteen, opened the door and walked in with a tray of breakfast and coffee. “Good morning, Miss. I have your breakfast tray,” she said with a smile.

  Ally was delighted. She could get used to this.

  “Please call me Ally,” she said with a grin.

  “Thank you. Is there anything else I can get you?” the young girl asked as she placed the tray on the ottoman in front of the fire.

  “No, thank you. What’s your name?”

  “Mackenzie.”

  “Oh! You must be Sophie’s daughter then? I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  Mackenzie blushed. “Yes, that would be me.” She was shy in front of most people and Ally made her particularly nervous. There had been much talk of this girl in the house lately. She was pleased to find that Ally seemed very nice, but Mackenzie was still nervous.

  “I assume your brother is back as well?”

  “Aye, he is,” Mackenzie answered.

  “What does he do here?”

  “Logan is the stable hand.”

  Ally could see that Mackenzie was a shy girl and didn’t want to press her too much further, but she had one last question. “It’s lovely that you all work together. Are there more people that work here or just your family?”

  “No, it’s just our family.” She hesitated, “With James being different he prefers to keep a low staff.”

  Ally chucked. “I think he is a wise man.”

  Mackenzie smiled and turned to leave.

  “It was nice to meet you Mackenzie,” Ally called after her.

  “You too, Ally.” With that she slipped out of the room and closed the door.

  Ally sat down to have her breakfast, which to her surprised delight consisted of Eggs Benedict and a strong coffee. Ally almost squealed with excitement. One of her favorite dishes was Eggs Benedict and to have it delivered to her room with a coffee was a wonderful novelty. She eagerly ate her breakfast and murmured a few mmm’s.

  Someone has done their homework; I wonder if that was my present, she thought. If it was, then James was fast becoming the perfect man.

  After finishing her breakfast and coffee, Ally wandered over to the closet.

  “What am I going to wear?” she pondered aloud.

  She grabbed her dark-blue denim jeans, black long sleeve top, her super warm knee length black fitted trench and kid boots. Ally decided that she would be warm whilst riding and to wear too much would be to her detriment in the end.

  After her shower, she got dressed, brushed her hair and put on her make up. Ally decided to go with a look that was fresh and natural. She wanted to look her best, as any girl does when seeing a man, especially one she was beginning to have very strong feelings for.

  Happy with the finished look Ally headed out the door to find the stables and James.

  Realizing she had no idea which way to go, Ally cursed herself for not thinking to ask Mackenzie for directions. Deciding to walk towards the kitchen, which led out the back, Ally hoped she would run into someone along the way and ask for directions.

  Ally was also hoping that she would see Sophie so she could thank her for the scrumptious breakfast.

  She walked down the three flights stairs and entered the kitchen, as luck would have it, Sophie was sitting down at the table, having her own breakfast of what looked like orange juice and toast.

  Hearing a noise, Sophie looked up and saw that Ally had entered the room. “Good morning Ally,” she said brightly.

  “Good morning Sophie”

  “How was your breakfast, Lass?”

  “Fabulous, I wanted to thank you actually. It’s my favourite."

  Sophie smiled knowingly. “I may have cooked it, but someone else requested it for you.”

  Ally hoped it was James. “Who?”

  “James. He said it was your favourite so he asked to me cook it for you this morning when he got back last night.”

  Ally blushed slightly. “That was very sweet of him.”

  Sophie looked at her for a minute, appraising the girl before her. “He is very sweet. From what I hear you have seen the worst of our James but give him a chance, and you will see why we all love him.”

  Ally sat down at the table for a moment. “I’m beginning to see another side to him since arriving in Scotland. I won’t lie and say it’s not attractive, because it is.”

  Sophie patted her hand. “Trust your instincts Ally. He’s a good man, but you need to come to that conclusion on your own.”

  Ally looked thoughtful for a moment then asked, “Where are the stables? I’m meeting him this morning for a ride.”

  Sophie jumped up from the table and went over to the bench to grab a picnic basket. “That reminds me,” she said as she picked it up. “This is for you. It’s the packed lunch he asked for.”

  “Thanks.” This day just keeps getting better and better, she thought.

  “Now to get to the stables, you head out that door onto the terrace, turn left and follow the gravel path. You will see them once you turn the corner a few meters down the path.”

  Ally memorized the instructions, said her thanks, and headed towards the terrace doors.

  “Enjoy yourself, Ally. I believe he has a present for you,” she said giving the impression she knew what it was.

  Ally stopped and turned around. “Do you know what it is?”

  “I do, but go find out for yourself,” she laughed. “I have a feeling you will be very happy with it.”

  Ally smiled with excitement as she turned and continued towards her destination. She wandered out the door to the terrace and down the steps finding the path at the end of it. As she followed and turned the corner, the stables came into view. She stopped short. Behind the stables lay a view of the mountains that left her breathless. Ally could not get over the beauty of this place.

  “Is there anywhere around here you don’t have a breathtaking view?” she wondered aloud.

  Movement near the stable caught her eye. James stood talking with another young man, who was holding the most beautiful horse she had ever seen. She was torn between watching the horse and James. The horse seemed to sense her presence and looked up. Ally was convinced that it was looking right at her. It threw its head back and whinnied in greeting. She was pulled forward in a trance towards this horse.

  James noticed the horse whinny and followed its line of sight to see Ally walking towards them. She was staring at the horse. James watched her walking over. He longed for the day she looked at him that way.

  He turned to Logan, the stable hand who was holding the horse. “I’ll take it from here Logan.”

  Logan looked towards Ally then back at James and smirked. “Aye, James.”

  “Saddle up Cooper, would you?” He instructed without looking at Logan.

  Logan laughed with amusement and went off to saddle the horse.

  Ally felt James watching her. She looked across to where he was standing. The other man, presumably Logan had disappeared. Ally looked back towards the horse for a moment then her gaze was drawn back to James without her even being aware of it.

  As she drew closer, he stepped forward to meet her. “How was your breakfast?”

  Her eyes lit up as she answered, “It was delicious and very sweet of you to organize it for me, thank you.”

  “I did hear a rumour somewhere that it was high on your list of favorite foods.”

  He was trying so hard, she could see it, and she felt her heart warm a little more to him.

  “The rumour is true. I wonder where you heard it?” she joked.

  “I’m afraid I cannot reveal my sources,” James said with a smirk.

  They looked at each other for a moment, then he said with a smile that told her he was rather proud of himself, he asked, “Are you ready for your present?”


  Her face was awash with excitement. “Definitely.”

  He turned to the beautiful white horse beside him. “May I present your gift?”

  She looked confused for a moment then it dawned on her; the horse was her present! She found herself speechless for a moment. “The horse?” she asked breathlessly.

  He nodded with delight. “I hope you like her. I chose her especially for you.”

  Ally put her hands to her face and smiled so wide her face hurt. “You got me a horse?”

  He laughed at her excitement. “Yes, I did. I know you are fond of them.” He patted the horse. “This is the reason I went out last night.”

  She stared at him for a moment then threw her arms around him with pure delight. “Thank you, James! She is beautiful.”

  He put his arms around her and enjoyed holding her for a moment.

  She slowly pulled herself away and smiled up at him. Her eyes and face were lit up with the excitement. She turned to meet her horse.

  “Does she have a name?” Ally asked as she stroked her horse’s muzzle. “I can’t believe you bought her for me.”

  He studied the way she was with the horse and found himself feeling jealous. He groaned internally. What is this woman doing to me?

  “She doesn’t have a name, I thought you might like to name her yourself.”

  “I would…” She stopped and looked up at James. “This is an incredible gift, thank you.”

  “I would give you anything, Ally.”

  “I know.” She paused before continuing, “I missed you last night, but it gave me time to think about things, a lot of things. I’m still scared. I don’t want to be, but I am.”

  He stepped closer. “I realize you’re scared Ally, but I won’t hurt you…I couldn’t.”

  “I know that you wouldn’t hurt me intentionally, but we don’t know what’s going to happen. What if I lose you, or you lose me. It’s a real possibility James.”

  “You’re right. We don’t know what will happen, but I’m willing to take a risk. I would rather live and love to the fullest with you my love, than hide from it and be safe never experiencing what a life with you by my side has to offer.”

  “I’m just not there yet, James,” she said with a sad smile.

  “Ally look at me.”

  Ally glanced up, tears threatening to spill. “I know that, my darling,” James said tipping her chin up to look at him. “I will wait for as long as it takes. You have enough pressure on you already; I don’t want to add to that. I want to support you and help you in any way I can. I want to make you deliriously happy and make you feel special and loved.”

  What the hell am I waiting for? she wondered to herself. Here was this amazing man right in front of her asking for nothing and wanting to give her everything in return. It wouldn’t be fair on him though, he said he wanted her to feel what he did, love him like he loved her and go to him because she couldn’t bear to be away from him. He deserved that and much more; she had enough respect for him to offer nothing less.

  “When you say things like that you are very tempting.”

  “I shall have to say more of them then,” he joked.

  Ally smiled in spite of herself.

  “Come on let’s take that horse of yours out for a run,” he said with a sly grin.

  She nodded her head and smiled back. She couldn’t wait to take her out for a ride.

  “Logan, bring Cooper around,” he called out to the stable master.

  Ally handed James the picnic basket, and eagerly climbed up onto her beautiful horse.

  “She’s pure Arabian, a bit flighty and headstrong, but the most enchanting creature I have laid eyes on. And she seems to have a sweet temperament that she shows to a few select people.” He paused and patted her muzzle then looked up at Ally. “She reminds me of you, that’s why I picked her.”

  “You’re far too observant you know,” she said with a smile.

  He laughed. “I have been told that on many occasions.”

  “Ah here is my horse, Cooper and Logan.”

  “Here you are James, all saddled and ready to go,” Logan said as he handed the reigns over.

  “Thank you. Logan, this is Ally.”

  “Welcome to Scotland, Ally. It’s a pleasure to meet you after hearing so much about you,” he said with a nudge to James.

  Ally giggled as James squirmed. “It’s nice to meet you too, Logan. I met your sister, Mackenzie this morning.”

  “Seems you have met the entire clan then,” he said with a wink.

  James wanted to move. He didn’t like other men around Ally. It was crazy he knew that but immortals often felt stronger emotions about things than most humans. Logan sensed the vibe and went back to tending the horses in the stables.

  James turned to Ally. “Are you ready?”

  “I am,” she said as a slow smile broke over her face.

  “Have you thought of a name yet?” They started towards the gate that separated the grounds from the forest.

  She smiled at him, like she had a secret.

  “What are you smiling about?” he asked.

  “I thought of a name which I think is very appropriate.”

  “And that would be?”

  “Destiny.”

  “It’s definitely appropriate,” he agreed.

  “As I said earlier, while you were out last night, I had a chance to think about everything, not just us but the prophecy, Vincent and all that. I came to the conclusion that I can fight this destiny with everything I have, only to discover that I never really had a choice to begin with, and end up losing my life in the process.” She paused taking a breath, “Or I can go with it, learn everything I need and have the best possible chance at defeating Vincent when the time comes for me to take him out.”

  James looked at her with pride. “That’s a very good way to look at it.”

  It was nice to see that he was proud of her. It gave Ally a surge of confidence. With him by her side, she had a feeling that she could do anything.

  “I know it won’t be easy, in fact, I’m sure it will be bloody hard, but it’s bigger than me. I’ve been reacting out of fear and trying to wish it away, but something about this place has changed me and made me think about things. If I have something to do for the greater good, then I can’t run from it, no matter how much I may want to.”

  James felt in awe of this woman, and he was proud to be her soul mate. This was the girl he knew was hidden deep under her fear. She had accepted her destiny and was prepared to put her life on the line for the greater good. This was who she needed to be in order to have a chance at fulfilling the prophecy. However, the thought of his beloved Ally anywhere near Vincent again made his heart sink. All he could do was pray that she could defeat him. James knew that without Ally, he wouldn’t survive.

  Chapter Seventeen