No Peace In Death

By JD Penley

Privilege. Death. Immortality.

It can be both a blessing and a curse.

Lucas was born into a life most could only dream of only to have everything ripped away. Broken and in despair, unable to cope with spending eternity alone, he does the unthinkable—he takes his life. Only instead of the death he craves, he is transformed into a creature of myth and legend.

In his new reality, Lucas begins to travel the world in search of peace only to find none awaits him. Until another kindred soul crosses his path—a child alone in the world just like him.

Confronted with the impossibility before him, Lucas ponders the journey he chose and sets out into the unknown, hoping to quiet the whispers in his mind and give the child the one thing he has been denied for centuries: love.

But Lucas soon finds himself confronting a past he thought was lost, and quickly learns that not all secrets stay buried. Now, he must face demons that could destroy him and the child he wants so desperately to protect.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JD Penley
• Release date: Sep 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005332938

JD Penley

Born in Bristol Tennessee, but he calls North Carolina home. He's an author, publisher, a father and all around jack of all trades. He likes to tinker with technology and cars, and loves to read and write. He lives with his wife and their children. He has a passion for fantasy and fiction, and loves writing to create his own worlds that he hopes to share with the world.

Book preview

JD Penley

No Peace In Death

Book of The Immortals: Volume I

First published by Handwritten Hearts Publishing 2020

Copyright © 2020 by JD Penley

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

JD Penley asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Second edition

Cover art by Bridgette O'Hare of Dark Unicorn Designs

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

Find out more at reedsy.com

In loving memory of my grandmother:

Barbara Grace Penley

August 6th 1937 - November 16th 2018

Although you are no longer with us, I will always cherish the way you told us your stories. Your love for storytelling is what inspired me to tell stories of my own. There will always be a place for you in the worlds I create, that way you’ll always be with me and you’ll always be a part of the story. I will never forget you Granny, you will be missed. We love you and miss you.

The vampire is an outsider. He’s the perfect metaphor for those things. He’s someone who looks human and sounds human, but is not human, so he’s always on the margins.

-Anne Rice

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgement

1. Memories of The Past

2. The Awakening

3. Back From The Dead

4. The Beginning of The End

5. Back to the Present

6. Return of the Flame

7. Trouble in Paradise

8. Sweet Sixteen and Beyond

9. A Daughter's Love

10. Interview with the Immortal

11. The Reunion

12. A Broken Heart Mended

13. The Unexpected Guest

14. The Mysterious Author

15. Family Reunion

16. An Unexpected Chain of Events

17. Wedding of The Immortals

18. Paradise and Beyond

19. Back to Work

20. Into The Future

21. Full Speed Ahead

22. A New Day

23. Date Night

24. Echoes of The Past

About the Author

Also by JD Penley

Preface

I started my journey writing about vampires after reading and watching every form of media I could find pertaining to vampires. I found them all to contain a pretty common, and usually boring theme. The vampires were always monsters, or whining about being monsters, or wasting away their immortality while wallowing in self pity and loneliness. Although I enjoyed a great many of these works from authors such as Anne Rice and Charlaine Harris, I got bogged down by seeing the characters always getting the same treatment. I watched as characters I liked gave into their urges and embraced the monster so to speak and yet none seemed to want to hang onto their humanity. With so many stories having the characters turn feral, or switching off their humanity, I decided it was time for a new vampire to emerge. I wanted one that could feel like me, hurt like I had in the past, contemplate the things that humans deal with every day, and I wanted that character to embrace his humanity, even fight to cling to that humanity no matter how small of a shred was left of it.

So I created Lucas, a vampire that shares some of my own life experiences with love and loss, and struggles with finding the will to move on with his life. He is in part a reflection of the man I would hope to become if I were ever in his shoes, a man that clings to his humanity and regardless of his feelings towards humanity still strives to be the best man he can be in every aspect of his life. I built his world and his challenges different influences, both personal and fictional, and I tried to make his world as challenging for an immortal as it would be for a human. Whether he finds love or faces loss, he has to face those events as a human would, because he refuses to shut himself off from the feelings that made him human, no matter how much pain he must endure. I wanted him to find solace in finding himself alone, and wanted him to find triumph in finding love, success, and moving through the centuries both with a companion and alone. His character wouldn’t be defined by the stereotypical tropes that seem to saturate all vampire lore, but rather his humanity.

This version of the book serves to better the story that I created in the first edition, to expand the story, and to add more depth and character to everything about Lucas and his journey. In this edition, I’ve made countless edits, re-edits, and ultimately decided that the story was big enough to be two novels so that the story can flow better and give more room for growth both now and in the future novels of the series. I hope you enjoy Lucas and his story.

Acknowledgement

To my daughter Chloe: You are one of the reasons I work so hard, and you’re my inspiration for Alice. I’m proud of the girl you have become despite the setbacks you were dealt. Thank you for inspiring me to keep going even when I wanted to give up, and for not giving up yourself.

To my son Johnathan: Our newest edition to our family. I cannot begin to tell you what you or your sister mean to me. You both light up my life and give me purpose, and a reason to always strive to do the best I can, so that I can provide you the best life possible. I hope you are always the sweet boy you are now and you grow up to be a man your mother and I will always be proud of.

To my parents Jerry and Tammy: Thank you for teaching me the value of hard work, for giving me an example of the man I wanted to become, and for teaching me to stand on my own.

To my grandparents Barbara and Jerry Sr: Thank you for always supporting me and for giving me an example of what real love really looks like. Thank you all for your love and support over the years.

And to the love of my life, my soulmate, and my Queen Erin: Thank you for always being there for me. Thank you for showing me that true love exists outside of storybooks, for being my best friend and my biggest supporter. I love you with all my heart. I can only hope that our life together is just as big of an adventure as writing this book has been. I’m yours Always and Forever.

One

Memories of The Past

Chapter Separator

It was the fall of 2018, and the sun had begun to set. A vampire clad in black paced back and forth across the floor of the high-rise penthouse, and his steps echoed as he walked through the foyer. He had only been home for a few hours before becoming restless, and he decided the silence was too much to bear. Night had fallen, and the sounds of the city below were the only song on this vampire’s playlist. Overhead a dark cloudy sky like any other night had fallen over the city blanketing it in darkness and silence, as heavy rain poured down on the city as it so often did in Washington. The lightning danced across the sky like the masterful stroke of an artist’s paintbrush, as if it were playing among the clouds. Lucas glanced at the clock on the wall before staring out the window to watch the lightning shoot across the sky as if it were moving in slow motion. The clock on the wall read 11:00 PM, and he decided it was time to go out for the evening. He quickly made his way up to the roof and began his nightly ritual as he had done every night since he moved into the city. He stood in the pouring rain, keeping to the shadows of the rooftops, as he began looking out into the endless void of the night sky. His long black trench coat blew with the wind and the raindrops rolled down his face. He loved to watch the people below as if he were watching a play performed just for him. Every night he watched and listened to the people on the city streets, as people watching was one of the more interesting hobbies he had. Not a single resident of the building knew he did this night after night, and not one even had a clue about his nocturnal activities. He was the one and the only occupant to ever own the penthouse in the building, and not a single tenant knew who or what he was. His penthouse came with perks, of course, one of which was sole access to the roof, and the other was the most magnificent view of the city. He kept to himself, only leaving to go to work and to feed. It was a lonely existence, but he preferred the solitude. He had become accustomed to it over the centuries he had walked the Earth. He had no friends, no enemies, and of course no one to walk the Earth by his side. He knew one painful truth all too well. Everyone around him was destined to die. He alone was cursed to walk the earth for eternity. He was and had been alone for as long as he could remember, and this night was no different than any other.

It was a typical October night, and only days away from his mortal birthday. He could remember a time when he would have dreaded that day because it meant growing another year older, another year closer to death, and another year without any great accomplishment. In his human life he had felt a sort of disappointment with himself, and being his own worst critic as we often are, he never felt like he accomplished anything of great importance. He had loved and lost love. He once had a family, and he was a businessman. All of these things meant nothing in the grand scheme of things to him because no one would remember him for them. He had always wanted to make a mark on the world, to be remembered for some great thing he did for mankind or for a life he saved, or for anything to make the world a better place. Life was always the same no matter how many years had passed for him or where he lived. It was peaceful and violent, good and evil, light and dark, love and hate. He had seen countless wars and seen more than his fair share of death. He had lived almost everywhere throughout the centuries, bouncing across the continents, and being an immortal had its perks. Over centuries he had been able to build and grow his wealth, and he owned homes in major cities across the world. He had villas in Paris and in Florence, a chateau in Aspen, condos at some of the most beautiful beaches on several continents, and apartments and penthouses in all his favorite cities in the world. It was this penthouse in Seattle that had recently become his personal place of solace for the last few decades.

He stared off into the distance admiring the view as the lights of the Space Needle captured his attention for a single moment, before becoming entranced by the lights of the city below as they lit up the night sky. The wind howled as it whipped between buildings and the trees swayed back and forth, surrendering to its power. The people below moved along the busy streets with purpose, as they were attempting to avoid staying out in the torrential downpour any longer than they had to. They move about so oblivious to the world around them, unaware of what lurks in the shadows he said quietly to himself. He knew they were unable to view the world in its entire splendor as he could, not knowing how fragile and short life really is for a human. Despite his centuries alone, he still managed to find beauty in the mundane, and he enjoyed the brilliance of things others viewed as simplistic and trivial. The humans moved in ignorance, never suspecting they were being watched. High above them, he moved with reckless abandon as he leaped from rooftop to rooftop with a speed that no human eye could capture. He stopped briefly to scan the crowd below, searching for anything remotely interesting, and listening out for his next meal. He enjoyed watching the humans, pretending to know their stories, and for a select few of them, he did. For others, he made up stories of his own to pass the time. This human was in love with that one, and those two are running off together to get married against their family’s wishes. This human is plotting to kill that human to avenge a loved one lost. It was like a game to him, one he had played for the last few centuries he spent alone. He watched them like someone watching a show at the theater or as one would watch the patrons of a bar, and he knew their stories from watching and listening to them. He had favorites among them as he had watched them over the years and watched their stories unfold. There was an elderly couple, that came to the cafe every night to have dinner together. Then there were the young newlyweds, still so in love, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other or stop staring into each other’s eyes. Then there was the sad elderly man, sitting alone on the park bench reading the book his wife had given him just before she died last spring. Finally, there was the little girl, who stared off into the distance from her window every night, crying because her mother had died only a few short weeks ago from cancer. He knew them all, but they didn’t know him or his story. He never got close enough to become attached to them, and why should he? They would all die eventually, and he would be left all alone again as he had been for centuries.

Suddenly, a sound broke the deafening silence, and he was shaken from his thoughts. Lucas looked down and was greeted by the familiar feel of the vibration of his phone, and the slight glow from the pocket of his dark black jeans. As he removed it from his pocket, a calendar reminder appeared on the screen just as the clock struck midnight. Happy Death Day he whispered to himself, as he slid the phone back into his pocket. He laughed to himself as he realized it had been four hundred years to the day since he had become a vampire, an immortal cursed to walk the earth alone. No one could ever follow him on his journey, and who would ever want to? No one had ever chosen him in life and stayed around, so why would they choose him in death? He sighed to himself, and walked towards the edge of the rooftop, and looked down. His melancholic mood slowly melted away as a grin slowly crept across his face. He looked across the rooftops, making sure he was alone in the shadows. Satisfied that no one was around to watch him, he stepped to the ledge, and without a moment’s hesitation, he leaped from the rooftop. As he began free-falling towards the ground, his mind wandered back to the night he turned as if it had happened yesterday.

It was an eerily similar night back in 1618. The first colony had just been settled in Jamestown just over a decade prior. It was there that his life had begun as far as he could remember. His life up until that point had been a life that most people would have wish for. He held the affection of every girl in town, all vying for his attention, and every man in town his age tried to emulate him. His father and mother were well known in the town, and they were well-loved by everyone. He was one of the most popular men in town, and his family’s generosity had been one of the main reasons their small town was thriving. Everything seemed to be going perfectly up until six months before that night. Without warning, tragedy struck, and soon it seemed as if he had no luck unless it was bad luck. For months he had watched helplessly as his entire life seemed to fall apart before his very eyes. Nothing could have prepared him for what he endured in those last few months. After he had suffered so much tragedy, he had lost all hope and chosen to end his own life. In his eyes, his life was a complete and utter failure. He had no love left to call his own, no home left to rest his weary soul, and no family left alive to turn to for advice. He had lost the love of his life to a romantic rival, his best and closest childhood friend had died suddenly of a strange illness, and he had recently lost his family home due to a mysterious fire, where his parents died after being trapped inside. His life was in shambles and he had nothing left, and he felt he had no choice left but to end his own life.

He was still a young man barely into his twenties with so much life ahead of him, but he felt it was too much for him to bear, and he could not bear the shame of being alone any longer. For weeks he had agonized over it all, hoping to find a solution to his problems, wishing for a sign that his fortunes might change, or that his life might improve, but his wishes were not granted. With no reason left to keep going, he decided that tonight was the night he would end it. He began to walk slowly through the town when the rain began to fall and the thunder boomed across the sky. He hoped that the rain would mask his tears and in some small way it could wash away the pain, but nothing seemed to bring him comfort, and so he continued to walk through the downpour. He had wandered the streets of his small hometown searching for answers all through the night, hoping for a sign to dissuade him from ending it all, yet he could find none. The streets were silent and empty, and no one dared to walk the streets tonight. He walked for hours until he found himself on the outskirts of the town without realizing how long he had been walking. He shivered as he reached the cliffs that overlooked the next town when he decided he could walk no further. His clothes clung to his skin, drenched and sagging from the weight of the water they held. His fingers and toes and had begun to lose feeling, and he could feel the fatigue setting in. He stopped and peered over the edge of the cliff as he sighed deeply. This is where my journey shall end he said sadly to himself. This is where I will end my wretched and miserable life he whispered into the wind. He looked up into the night sky and watched as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky for a brief moment, and it was as if he could see the rain falling in slow motion. He reached down and took the blade from his belt and steadied himself with all the resolve and courage he could muster. He closed his eyes and whispered goodbye before cutting deep into his wrists, hoping and wishing the end would come quickly. Instead, the pain took him by surprise and he lost his balance as he stumbled backward and fell off the cliff towards the rocks below.

He plummeted towards the rocks below for what seemed like an eternity. He could feel the blood coursing through his veins quickened by the rush of his sudden and rapid descent, and he could also feel it as it escaped his body. His pulse was like that of a beating drum as he fell, and the adrenaline rush caused him to lose blood even more quickly. He could