Page 74 of I Will Always Find You
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” he said under his breath, a smile beginning to form.
Sitting on the left side of the theatre, about halfway down, was the immortal Gian.
Cassian’s heart thudded erratically with excitement at the sight of his old friend. This was a reunion he had longed for since their last chance at an encounter, more than two centuries ago, was stolen by the sudden appearance and interference of a monster.
Instead of announcing himself with a telepathic greeting, Cassian thought he would surprise his old friend in person. He would figure out what to say about Aric on the fly. Unsurprisingly, Aric bore a strong resemblance to Rufus, which Cassian was sure would shock the immortal.
He set his refreshments down on a chair, but just as the Romani witch stepped forward to cross the aisle, Gian bent down to retrieve something, revealing in that moment that he was not attending the movie alone. A smaller male figure, until now completely obscured by Gian’s imposing frame, sat silently beside him.
Cassian’s blood ran cold as he watched Gian sit back up, turn and kiss the figure on the mouth, full and deep.
No, this isn’t happening—it isn’t possible! Am I going mad?
The man Cassian saw Gian sharing an intimate moment with was none other than the blood-drinking monster of his nightmares. It was the very creature he had vanquished in Madrid, but which had escaped entropic destruction through divine intervention.
And for the first time in centuries, as blinding rage surged through him and the sting of betrayal pierced deeper than any blade, Cassian felt the forbidden pull of darkest magic stir within him.
Suddenly and violently, the theatre lights began to burst in a fierce cascade of sparks, with glass shards raining down like shrapnel. The cool air twisted into a howling vortex, causing the heavy movie curtains to thrash about like laundry in a windstorm, snapping against the walls and straining against their metal rods.
Cassian, the ancient Romani witch, was unravelling emotionally. And the storm inside him had begun to break loose.
Gian and the other blood-drinking immortal, both able to see clearly in the dark, scanned the now dimly lit room, confusion etched across their faces.
“Cass, what the hell are you doing?!” Aric shouted, grabbing his husband’s arm and tugging him back toward him. “Get a hold of yourself!”
“It’s him,” Cassian seethed.
As people screamed and ran past them to escape the bedlam that had taken over the screening room, Aric tried valiantly to shake his husband back to his senses.
“Please, Cass, stop! I don’t understand what’s happening. Please, talk to me!”
Gian turned abruptly in their direction, his gaze fixing on the Romani witch; he was so focused he completely overlooked the man’s husband clasping his arm.
“Cassian? How is this possible?”
As his ancient name echoed in his mind psychically, Cassian instantly recognized the voice—it was the same one that had once invaded his thoughts uninvited, long ago in a Britannian tavern. But this time, there was no British accent. Now, it sounded unmistakably Italian.
The Romani witch chose to act first and ask questions never. Betrayal deserved nothing less. “Dolor!” [“Pain!”]
Gian roared as he grabbed his head in agony; his strong fingers ran through his blue-black hair as he tried to futilely press out the stabbing, torturous pain.
Cassian’s gaze seethed with bitterness as he looked upon the writhing immortal, the one who had betrayed him.His hair! That colour, so much like the demon’s now! They were working together all this time!
In the blink of an eye, the smaller immortal appeared at Cassian’s side, his speed so unnatural it seemed like teleportation. In one fluid, brutal motion, he seized the Romani witch by the neck and squeezed.
“Let him go, witch, or I’ll rip your fucking head off!”
Aric, completely ignored by the ancient immortal, reached out and grasped the god’s arm. Channelling every ounce of his will into a spell, he shouted, “Laisse aller, démon!” [“Let go, demon!’]
The immortal’s hand recoiled from Cassian’s neck, not by choice but by force. Still holding on, Aric pressed the advantage, his voice ringing with command. “Retire-toi, démon!” [“Get back, demon!”]
The immortal shot across the room like a thunderbolt, but just inches from impact with the movie screen, he froze, suspended in midair. Power rippled around him as he righted himself, levitating with effortless grace, untouched, unbroken, and burning with fury. The darkness in the room thickened and shifted, flowing like water, as liquid shadows coiled and writhed around the god like serpents.
“Not bad, witch, but you’ll have to do much better than that to best the Lord of Shadows and Darkness! I have your measure now. Neither of you is a match for me, mortal children of Hecate.” The god laughed mockingly as he showed his fangs.
Then, with a sharp flick of his right hand, the immortal sent Aric flying out of the screening room into the lobby. He slammed hard against the wall beside the window, where theInterview With the Vampireposter was taped up. The impact knocked the wind clear out of him as he crumpled to the floor.
The lobby was empty; everyone had fled outside, standing in stunned silence as they watched the impossible chaos unfold through the glass.
