Impervious

By Zoe Allison

She excels as an assassin. Will she fail at love?

Vampires are real, existing alongside regular humans as a secret subspecies. The malevolent of their kind exploit their powers and immortality at the expense of their human counterparts. The Organization, a league of benevolent vampires headed up by the anonymous Mr. X, works covertly to keep this threat in check. Amber Ridley is the company's top agent, unique to the team as the only human working alongside her vampire allies. She is an Impervious', a rare human with powers that can be used against the malevolent.

When Amber's latest mission takes her back to the UK to work with her close companion Valentino, she meets his old colleague Hayden Knight. Hayden is infamous to Amber as the man who betrayed their organization and abandoned her friend Valentino in the past. She dislikes Hayden instantly, and his arrogant, cold demeanor does nothing to aid this.

Amber and Hayden are forced to work together on The Organization's most important mission to date, and they must put aside their differences to take down the menace that threatens the very existence of their group. Amber must put her trust in Hayden, but is she impervious to love?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
• Release date: Apr 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781839433795

Book preview

Author

IMPERVIOUS

ZOE ALLISON

Impervious

ISBN # 978-1-83943-379-5

©Copyright Zoe Allison 2020

Cover Art by Erin Dameron-Hill ©Copyright April 2020

Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

Totally Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

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The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2020 by Totally Bound Publishing, United Kingdom.

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She excels as an assassin. Will she fail at love?

Vampires are real, existing alongside regular humans as a secret subspecies. The malevolent of their kind exploit their powers and immortality at the expense of their human counterparts. The Organization, a league of benevolent vampires headed up by the anonymous Mr. X, works covertly to keep this threat in check. Amber Ridley is the company’s top agent, unique to the team as the only human working alongside her vampire allies. She is an ‘Impervious’, a rare human with powers that can be used against the malevolent.

When Amber’s latest mission takes her back to the UK to work with her close companion Valentino, she meets his old colleague Hayden Knight. Hayden is infamous to Amber as the man who betrayed their organization and abandoned her friend Valentino in the past. She dislikes Hayden instantly, and his arrogant, cold demeanor does nothing to aid this.

Amber and Hayden are forced to work together on The Organization’s most important mission to date, and they must put aside their differences to take down the menace that threatens the very existence of their group. Amber must put her trust in Hayden, but is she impervious to love?

Dedication

For Mark, without whose support my writing would never have been possible. And for Natalie, the first to read this story and whose enthusiasm inspired me.

Trademark Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

London Heathrow Airport: Heathrow Airport Limited

Lycra: Invista North America S.A.R.L. Corporation

The Chronicles of Narnia: C.S. Lewis

Chapter One

A loud crack pierced the moonlit darkness of the trees. Amber peered out from the large fir she was crouching behind. She couldn’t see Victoria through the cover of darkness, but she could sense exactly where she was. Amber lifted her hand and gestured toward the noise, indicating for Victoria to proceed with the plan.

Amber closed her eyes. She felt Victoria’s presence move away, closer to the target. Louder and louder noises emanated through the wilderness from that same direction. The target was clearly distracted by his human prey and unaware that they were closing in on him. Amber took the opportunity to stealthily rise and creep closer herself. She could sense that he would soon be in her line of vision.

Then there he was, in a small clearing among the firs. He crouched over the limp form of his victim, snarling as he took his fill of blood. Amber darted her gaze over the clearing to where Victoria was hiding in the darkness. Their eyes met, and Amber nodded almost imperceptibly.

Victoria leaped toward the man. As she flew through the air she snarled, revealing her extended razor-sharp canine teeth. He snapped up his head from his distraction, blood smearing his face and dripping from his own pointed eyeteeth. However, his reaction had come too late. Victoria slammed into him, knocking him off the body and rolling him farther into the clearing. She pinned him to the ground and slammed her fist so hard into his face that the impact drove his head into the earth below. He was strong from his feed, however, and his sharp reflexes kicked in. He flung the bottom half of his body upward in a forceful jab, sending Victoria over the top of his head, where she tumbled over the forest floor and landed lightly on her feet. She circled him as he rose to standing and the two of them faced off a few yards apart.

Victoria smiled, tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder. She lifted her hand, turned her palm upward and brought her fingers toward herself in an invitation to the fight. Her insolent gesture had the desired effect. He growled, and in a blind rage ran in her direction. She had already pulled back her arm and, as he reached her, she smashed her fist into his face, sending him hurtling away toward the tree line, where he crashed into a thick trunk, cracking it in the process. Within a split second Victoria was upon him, pinning him in place. She glanced over at Amber, who was still hidden a few feet away, and nodded.

Amber was by Victoria’s side quickly, even though, unlike her partner, she wasn’t capable of vampire speed. The man’s black, dead-looking eyes met hers, and registered her human form. A sneer appeared on his face as he started to thrash in an attempt to escape Victoria’s grip and get at Amber. Before he could gain any purchase, Amber closed in, grabbing hold of the man’s head. He screamed in agony, and Victoria stepped away while Amber did her work.

A few seconds later, silence fell. Moonlight shone on the fir-lined clearing, devoid of any presence except a mound of ash sitting beside a cracked tree trunk.

* * * *

Amber leaned against the doorframe of Victoria’s bedroom, watching her partner pack her suitcase.

Victoria gestured toward her. Pass me that wash bag, will you?

Amber tossed it over, and Victoria caught it deftly in one hand before depositing it on top of the clothes in the suitcase.

Amber lifted her hands and started scraping her jet-black hair into a ponytail. Got everything?

Victoria stood back, surveying the room with her hands on her hips. Yeah, I reckon so. She glanced toward Amber. Going on your run?

Amber nodded before grabbing the doorframe with one hand to steady herself while she lifted her leg in a quads stretch. I’m going to try to beat my personal best for twenty-six miles.

Victoria zipped her bag. Aiming for two hours then?

Amber lifted her other leg. Yep.

Victoria smiled. A snail’s pace.

Amber laughed. Yeah… Well, it’s fast for a human.

Victoria went to the bedroom window and took in the view over the parks and the river from their elevated vantage point at the edge of downtown. See ya, Calgary. It’s been a blast.

She turned back toward Amber. So, I’ll be gone when you get back.

Amber nodded. Where to now? Back to Australia?

Nope. Victoria shook her head. South America. What about you? Heard anything yet?

No, Amber said. I think they’ll call later today after I’ve finished my training. I’m going to the gym this afternoon then I’ve got a combat class, so I guess it’ll be evening before I hear.

Cool, Victoria said. Hope it’s somewhere awesome.

Amber smiled at her. Okay. Well… Have a safe trip. She came toward Victoria and held out her hand.

Victoria took her hand in a shake. Great working with you. Hopefully we’ll be paired again sometime.

Amber let go of Victoria and turned to go. Yeah, maybe. We’ll see what the boss says. She gave a little wave as she left the room, heading for the front door where she would ride the elevator down to the apartment-block exit.

The cold air bit into her skin as she left the building, but she barely registered it. A brisk walk took her to the beginning of the periphery of green around downtown, and there she broke out into her run.

She moved her limbs effortlessly throughout her journey. The air temperature started to rise as the sun shone brightly in the sky. Beams of sunlight glinted off the surface of the river and reflected from the high rises, warming her skin.

Amber completed her two-hour run then dropped her pace slightly to jog back home for a shower. She barely registered the lack of Victoria’s presence in the apartment. Their bond had been professional and efficient. Each would have given their life for the other, but yet there wasn’t any real emotional attachment between them. They had been trained to not get involved in that way or else a mission could be compromised. In any case, personal ties didn’t suit Amber.

After the run, her schedule consisted of a meditation period and an organic lunch. She then went to a martial arts session in the afternoon. She had a training room rented at the local gym, where she practiced set moves for two hours, covering a mixture of karate katas, kickboxing, tai chi and also some gymnastics for good measure. Then she attended a combat class so that she could keep on top of her sparring. She pretty much had to hold back the whole time, so as not to draw attention to herself or land anyone in the hospital. Currently she was on downtime, so she didn’t need anything more challenging than that. The schedule’s purpose was purely to keep her active until she got the next call.

Once back at the apartment, just as Amber was finishing her evening yoga routine, her phone rang. She knew it would be her new partner, because everyone would know not to call until her training schedule was finished for the day.

She picked up the phone, feeling some anticipation at who it might be. Hello?

A familiar male voice answered, one she had not heard in a long time—and the only voice which could elicit an emotional response of any kind in Amber.

Good evening, Amber Ridley. His voice was flawlessly neutral, giving little clue as to his origins. You are speaking with your new partner.

Amber registered the unfamiliar sensation of her heart warming. Normally she maintained a very neutral and cool interior, as well as exterior. It wasn’t a romantic sort of warming, however, but the sort that came when speaking to a sibling after a long time apart, because Valentino was like a brother to her.

It’s good to hear your voice, she said. How are you?

Oh, you know me, sorella. I am always good.

Amber smiled at the sound of his pet name for her. It meant ‘sister’ in Italian and he had called her that for as long as she could remember. So, where am I coming to meet you? she asked.

You will leave first thing in the morning for the UK.

The UK? I haven’t been back there since—

Since I found you. I know, Vale replied. But it is not London. It is Scotland this time. I do not think you have been there before.

No, I haven’t, Amber said. Whereabouts?

The mission itself is in Edinburgh, but we shall reside out of the city, in a more uninhabited area. Mr. X wishes us to stay incognito when we are not directly engaged in tracking or combat.

Okay. I’ll meet you at the airport when I land.

It has been too long, sorella, I am looking forward to us being together again. I will give you more details once we are in Edinburgh.

After the call ended, Amber immediately packed her belongings, and it didn’t take long. When one led a frugal life with no intimate or emotional contacts, possessions didn’t really accumulate.

* * * *

The next morning, Amber picked up her small shoulder bag and dragged her compact wheeled suitcase out of the apartment and along to the main door of the building. She emerged onto the street where a black car with tinted windows silently pulled up, and she climbed inside. The anonymous driver completed her drop off at the airport without a word. The only contact between them was when the car stopped at the drop-off zone. The blacked-out glass partition separating the front seats from the rear moved down and her plane ticket was wordlessly handed over to her. As usual, the ticket was for First Class. Mr. X always insisted on that.

Amber’s flight was to London Heathrow, where she would catch her transfer to Edinburgh. The local time on arrival would be in the early hours of the morning, because Mr. X preferred nighttime arrivals, if possible, for travel under darkness to the ultimate destination. That wasn’t anything to do with the habits of vampires, though. It was a myth that they came out at night and hid in the day. It was merely to try to make the arrivals of The Organization’s agents less noticeable to civilians. Vampires were perfectly able to be out in daylight, just as humans were, and they were living creatures, not the undead, as myths would have it. They were a subspecies of human, secretly existing alongside regular human beings.

The flight to London passed easily for Amber, who was used to meditating to help the passage of time. She then quickly made her way through the transfer and security process and went to freshen up in the washroom prior to waiting at her gate for the Edinburgh flight.

The journey was very short, roughly one hour, and she had soon landed and picked up her bags. She moved through the arrivals area, searching for Vale, and she spotted him by the exit marked ‘pick-up point’. He did a good job of appearing inconspicuous, even though it was difficult, him being a tall and handsome man. He had sandy hair, light brown eyes and sported a muscular physique. He smiled when he saw her approach.

Valentino kissed her cheek and hugged her petite form. Then he took her bags and they walked together out to the pick-up area, where the familiar black car was waiting. Vale placed the baggage into the rear of the car and they climbed into the back.

Her ‘brother’ turned toward her, smiling. How was your journey?

It was fine, thanks. I still find travel quite relaxing. Amber sat back in her seat. How’ve you been? It must be at least a year since we last saw each other.

They had exchanged the odd message, but The Organization frowned upon too much contact outside of current partnerships.

Yes, it has been too long, Valentino said, resting his head back. I am good, thank you. I have had successful missions in New York, Amsterdam and Dubai.

Amber shifted in her seat and slid one leg underneath her. And who were your partners?

All new to me. He paused, glancing at her and away again. Except for my latest mission.

Amber sensed he was considering whether to say more. She waited for a few seconds, but he didn’t volunteer the information. She cocked her head slightly. Who was on your latest mission?

His expression was conflicted for a moment. He glanced away toward the car window. Hayden Knight.

Amber was surprised, to say the least. Hayden had left The Organization a number of years before. She had never met him but knew of him from Vale. The two young men had been very close, at least as close as Amber and Vale now were, having been recruited at a similar young age and practically brought up together. However, not long before Vale had found Amber ten years previously, Hayden had suddenly left The Organization and Vale had been distraught. He’d sought some comfort from finding Amber, whom he considered a younger sister, although she had now caught up to Vale, because he took enough blood to keep his age static—around twenty-six years old.

Amber studied Valentino’s profile. Hayden’s back? How do you feel about that?

He glanced across at her again. I was surprised to see him, but I have to admit also very pleased. The mission went well…although he is different from before. He cleared his throat and smiled. We can discuss it more later.

In the past, Vale hadn’t told Amber any details about the reason for Hayden’s departure. She had been able to tell he was trying to cover up his sadness over the situation, so she hadn’t pushed it. She had, however, always carried a deep resentment toward Hayden, despite never knowing him. It hurt her that he had caused such pain to her adopted brother. Amber sensed that Vale didn’t want to speak more about it just then, so she let it go, but with the intention of probing some more later to see if he would divulge further details.

During the journey, they discussed the current situation. Amber learned that they were headed north of the city, into an area of the countryside with few inhabitants. Their destination was an old stately mansion, which lay empty most of the time. It was one of many properties owned by their boss for use when needed by agents. The mission, as always, was to hunt down a single malevolent vampire. The bad ones always operated alone and the reasons for them being targeted by the agents varied, but inevitably it was because they were misusing their powers for evil purposes—and generally with a significant loss of human life.

An encounter with a malevolent vampire unfortunately had only one outcome for a human, and that was death. It was not possible for the human subspecies to morph into a vampire, as myth would have it. In Calgary, the vampire target had been attacking people and leaving them for dead, disguising the attacks as bear maulings. Amber and Victoria had tracked down and destroyed that person in the Ghost River Wilderness west of the City, before he could do any more harm.

The Organization’s agents were benevolent vampires, whose calling it was to keep these other miscreant vampires in check. The vampire numbers weren’t too large—a very small percentage of the overall population—so danger was not, in fact, lurking round every corner.

They pulled up to the mansion, which was down a lengthy driveway that was part of a large acreage. The windows were lit. The Organization’s team would have been in to prepare and stock the house for their arrival and now would be long gone. Vale fetched Amber’s bags, as his own had already been transported to the house. The silent driver disappeared with the car and they ascended the stone steps to the front door, going into their new home to get some sleep.

Chapter Two

Amber slept deeply. She dreamed about the place she had been stationed prior to Calgary, a small island in the Maldives. The mission had been relatively easy, due to the tiny population on the island. The target had been hiding out there after a killing spree in nearby Sri Lanka, which had been mistakenly put down by the local authorities to a human serial killer. The vampire had been quickly finished off by Amber and her partner. Amber’s counterpart had soon shipped out, with Amber staying on for a few more days alone.

She had appreciated the beauty of the place, albeit in a detached way. In particular, she had enjoyed watching the people and trying to imagine what it might be like to lead their lives. It had been difficult because most of them were couples, a lot of whom were honeymooners, and Amber had no idea what that was like, having never been part of a couple. She’d never been in a romantic relationship with anyone.

That was not to say that she’d never had sex, because she had. However, to her it was a basic straightforward human need, just like eating, drinking and sleeping. When she wanted sex, she had it then immediately forgot about her sexual partner. She had never felt the need to engage further or explore any emotions. Her training helped her stay detached and keep that area of her psyche reined in.

Amber dreamed about being back on the white sandy beach, watching the blue ocean. The water turned a deeper blue farther out from the shore as its depth increased. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her skin. There had been one particular couple, a beautiful green-eyed girl and a beautiful brown-eyed boy, who were obviously deeply in love and solely focused on each other. They hadn’t even noticed that Amber was there. She had wondered how it would feel, to be so wrapped up in another human being and have no idea that the world that The Organization faced even existed. It was intriguing to her. Amber’s intuition had told her that the girl was pregnant, but she was in the very early stages and didn’t know it yet.

The couple had held each other tenderly at the water’s edge. Amber realized that she thought of them as a girl and a boy, even though she could tell they were older than she was. She certainly felt older. She tried to picture herself in their position. However, when she did so, all she could imagine was being alone.

A noise in the house suddenly awoke Amber from the beach in her dreams. She lay quietly for a moment, allowing her intuition to assess the situation. No further noises came, but she was certain someone else besides herself and Vale was in the house.

Silently Amber climbed from her bed and drifted out of the room and onto the landing. Staying in the shadows and not making a sound, she closed her eyes and concentrated. The person was on the ground floor. Noiselessly she progressed down the stairs, letting her senses guide her. The living room. That was where they were.

But was it a human or a vampire? She approached and entered the large room, heading straight for the middle. In front of her was the log fire with its embers burning low, casting a dim light on her form. There was no need to hide in the shadows now that she was in the same room as the intruder. She needed to draw them out. Then, when they came for her, she would know which species of foe it was and the appropriate ability from her skillset would kick in. She stayed still, eyes shut, with her arms slightly out to the side and fingertips reaching into the darkness.

Silence.

He came out of the shadows at super speed toward her. A vampire. With her eyes still shut, she reached out in his direction, feeling his surprise that she wasn’t running. She made contact as he ran into her and she grasped his face. She opened her eyes. He screamed in pain as his flesh suddenly erupted in flames.

Just then Vale burst into the room, and Amber found herself thrown from the unknown vampire onto the ground. Their contact had barely lasted a second. She was unhurt but confused. She blinked a couple of times, then she whipped her head toward Vale. What the hell, Vale?

Vale took a deep breath. Forgive me, sorella. I should have told you.

Amber got up from the floor.