Forever Is A Long Time

Chapter 1

    It was cool outside, for an evening in July. The light breeze blowing my bangs slightly to the right as I stepped off the plane at LAX. My carry-on effortlessly, gliding next to me as I reach up to adjust my sunglasses, which I never took off the whole flight. Why did I keep them on? I’m not sure. Probably to avoid making any sort of eye contact with anyone. The more I kept to myself, the better. 

    Occasionally, yes I have to be social, to get my way, especially with men. But overall, I just want to live the rest of forever, alone. You might be wondering why I say, forever. Let’s just say I am over a thousand years old yet I look not one year over twenty-five. How is that possible? Simple. I’m what you call the first of my kind. A hybrid. 

    To some I’m an abomination and to some just extraordinary. Vampire, werewolf and witch. In the supernatural world many have known of my existence but to the human world I’m just another twenty-five year old getting off a plane. 

    The supernatural world thinks of me as royalty yet over time I have become more of a myth as I have made my presence less and less known. There are numerous things about immortality that really change your perspective on life over time. Loss, heartbreak, those are just two of the many downfalls of living forever. With time it becomes second nature, yet I avoid it.

    Through the decades and millennia, the world has changed and evolved yet I feel the same at times. On the outside, I’m a warrior who doesn’t take no for an answer. Who without any hesitation can kill her enemies with a single flick of the wrist. Yet the same scared girl that got turned at twenty-five is still somewhere inside. With dreams and aspirations. Like hoping to live happily with the man she once thought would never hurt her. All those years ago, the pain and suffering led me to the door of a witch who not only revealed that I was of her leaniage, but also managed to turn me into this creature. Never again would I be vulnerable before a man, or so I thought. 

    After what seemed like an eternity, I was able to get my Uber driver to pick me up at the correct designated area. I had to discourage him from speaking to me for the next two hours by glaring at him through the rear view mirror as I finally took off my sunglasses. As the driver took off, I checked my phone for any messages. I opened the one new notification I had. It was from the one person I had agreed to help, after not hearing from him in 30 years. 

Athena, the guards will be expecting you at the gate.

Thank you again for doing this. I owe you.

    I read it over a few more times before turning off my phone screen. Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes. The image of a young woman with red hair and dark brown eyes, laughing alongside a young, dark haired, green eyed man fills my mind. He moves a strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear before leaning in for a kiss. I snap to the present immediately. As I look out the window, I realize that I must have dozed off because we were pulling up to an iron gate I never imagined I would see again. A tall, young, muscular man, dressed in a black security uniform approaches my driver's window. Before my driver can say anything, I swing my door open, and step out of the car. 

“You’re expecting me. Let me just get my bag.” The guard looks at me and immediately nods, his stare slightly dropping to the ground, as to not look me in the eye. I retrieve my bag from the trunk and shut it close as the gate starts to open. Walking towards the gate, I hear the Uber drive away behind me. Stopping, I stare at what looks like a mansion in the distance.

“The Alpha is expecting you...your highness,” I hear the guard say, as I start to make my way towards the house.

“What's your name?” I ask, still not looking at him.

“Dustin, your highness.”

“Dustin, do me a favor. Don’t call me that.”

    With every step I take towards the house, an image flashes through my mind. His lips. His eyes. His laugh. The guard clears his throat, suddenly taking me out of my trance. He holds the door open for me to step into what is clearly the most extravagant living room. The floor, an off white marble that shows your reflection as you walk by. The ceilings, hand crafted and painted; covered in 22-karat gold leaf. Crystal chandeliers hanging simultaneously throughout. And on the far left side of the room, the biggest fireplace you can imagine, with a wooden gold finish trim. And standing next to it, was the one person I thought I would never see again. After all these years, his scent was still the same. His hair was now peppered and his posture not as firm as it once was. He turned to face me, as I had stopped moving the second he came into view. His green eyes then met mine, with a hint of surprise in them.

“It’s been a long time, Nathan,” I said with a slight smirk on my lips. I could tell he was trying to compose himself.

“Athena...yes it has. Sorry, I just...you look exactly the same as you did 30 years ago.”

I could hear his heart slightly racing. “Of course, obviously times have changed and your attire is not the same,” he said, letting out a nervous chuckle, as he ran a hand through his hair. 

“Nathan, what exactly do you need from me?” I asked, with a light hint of annoyance. “You asked for my help, so here I am. I know if it wasn’t important, you wouldn’t have used one of my spell cards. So out with it.”

He could tell I was not that happy to see him as he was seeing me. 

“Dad, you called for me?” a male voice suddenly said. Immediately my head turned in its direction. The splitting image of a once younger Nathan, walked towards us and as he got closer, the most delicious scent filled the room. It was a mixture of vanilla and fresh cut wood. His green eyes then met mine. 

“Mate."