The Immortal Beside Me Part I

By R.M. Lee

Book I is about a reluctant werewolf, Nikolas Tackett. He married a human, she became pregnant, and she died during childbirth. His son, whom he named Keagan, he notices a small mark on the boy's hand that has always meant a live birth is actually a werewolf in the making. His meddling sister in-law, Sophia Apton, arrives to help Nikolas. Although he does not need her, she remains. They clash and Nikolas turns her into a werewolf. Mayhem ensues, as Sophia kills for sport. Her prey items: human. Nikolas does not feed on humans and must fight to end her life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 2, 2015
• ISBN: 9781329731592

R.M. Lee

R M Lee lives in Georgia.

Book preview

The Immortal Beside Me Part I

THE IMMORTAL BESIDE ME

THE LIFE AND TIME OF NIKOLAS TACKETT, A RELUCTANT WEREWOLF

BOOK I

© 2009 by Rose M. South

CHAPTER 1

Why must it be raining, Nikolas Tackett asked himself as he slowly made his way toward the house.  What made the rain worse was the fact that his coat was completely soaked.  Not to mention that his specially made leather boots had cracks in them, and his feet were wet.  Despite all these problems, he was a happy man.  He had just received word that his beloved wife, Constance, was bringing their child into the world this evening.  He assumed that by the time he entered the house, her labor would have progressed somewhat well.

There were other thoughts, other haunts, which prickled at him.  Although he would have easily given his life for Constance, there was one thing she had never known about him.  Nikolas Tackett was a lycanthrope.  It was entirely possible that his child would be as well.  He wasn’t a man schooled in genetics or other matters that didn’t quite exist in his world.  However, he knew there was a half chance that his child would inherit the curse of immortality.  He wanted to believe that his baby would take on most of his mother’s genes.  In other words, it would be human.  He had to think of it that way.  If he didn’t, he might lose his mind.

Outside the house, it was mostly dark.  The only light he could see was from the lamps in his and Constance’s bedroom.  It was in this room where she would bring their child into the world, where all the questions he had been asking since she said she was with child might very well be answered.  Whatever the case, he dashed through the rain, went through the front door, and was immediately confronted with somber faces.  He could hear Constance’s shrill voice, could almost feel her excruciating pain.  He didn’t need the household staff telling him something wasn’t quite right with her labor.  Something was definitely going wrong.

Nikolas started to dash toward the bedroom, but he was halted by Constance’s sister, Victoria.  You shouldn’t go inside, Nikolas.  Our mother is with her now.  She is going to be all right, she said with a smile that was a lie; a horrid, stinking lie.

He knew Constance was not faring well.  "I must see my wife," he insisted stubbornly.

Nikolas, Victoria stated firmly.  "You cannot."

He didn’t listen to his sister in-law.  Instead, he burst his way through to the bedroom.  He was just in time to see his mother in-law, Bridget, wrapping a tiny, bloody infant in a clean linen sheet.  He looked to his wife and would never forget what he saw.  Their marriage bed was soaked in blood.  Although Bridget had covered Constance from the waist down, her life blood was still evident.  In the corner of their room, Nikolas saw the doctor standing back, wiping his spectacles with the bottom of his shirt.

"What is this, Nikolas roared. Why aren’t you doing something for her?"

The doctor replaced his spectacles and slowly approached Nikolas.  The man was about to lose his wife, become a new widower.  He stood wound up tight, ready for a death battle.  Mr. Tackett, there is nothing more I can do for your wife.  The birth was quite difficult.

Ignoring the squirming, bloody infant in Bridget’s arms, Nikolas went to his wife’s side.  Her eyes were half lidded; her breathing shallow.  She was dying.  Part of him wanted to murder the doctor and throw his mother in-law out of the room.  One bite from him and Constance would heal instantly.  He thought better of it.  Was it fair to allow his love to lead such a cursed life?  When he took her weak hand in his, he was more tempted than ever to turn her, to allow her to live with him forever.  It would have been more than worth the risk of showing his true self to the others in the room, as well as his ailing wife.

Tears streaking down his face, he whispered, Constance?  Can you hear me?  If you can, my love, tell me what to do.

She never fully opened her eyes or looked his way.  She smiled as much as her weakened body would allow.  I’m going away, Nikolas.  I’m going to another place where I can finally see my family.

My love, he barked harshly, You have a family here.  We have a child.  He glanced at the bloody bundle in his mother in-law’s arms, not quite sure if the baby would survive the birth, either.  He knew he already loved the child, but at the moment, he could only think of his dying wife. You cannot leave us alone.

Finally, she turned her head and focused her foggy eyes on his face.  I think I always knew, she told him.  And I am not angry.  I’m at peace, Nikolas.  Promise you will take care of our baby.  He is the one thing that matters most.

Before Nikolas could react, Constance took one last hitching breath, and that was it.  She was gone.  Fully realizing this, Nikolas dropped his head onto her limp hand and cried like a baby.  For a moment, he had all but forgotten his child, who was now fully blatting for his first taste of mother’s milk, something of which he would never have in his young life.

*  *  *

Nikolas sat outside on the front veranda as Constance’s mother and sister cleaned up the bedroom.  They had sent for the rest of the family to assist in preparing her body for burial.  He had listened to them making plans with little to no interest.  He was in shock and numb.  He had also refused to take one single look at his new baby.  The only sure thing he knew was that the baby was a boy.  Both he and Constance wanted a boy so badly.  They planned to name him Keagan Conner Tackett.  Nikolas was so entrenched in grief that he hadn’t glanced at his boy once.  He could hear the faint strains of the baby’s cries somewhere in the house.  The doctor had helped his in-laws concoct a formula that would satisfy the baby since he had no mother to provide sustenance for him.  Right now, Nikolas Tackett didn’t give a damn.

It was a remedy his family had chosen throughout history to cure whatever ailed them, so it was no surprise that Nikolas was tempted to find whiskey.  It was only a temporary fix.  Sooner or later, he would have to accept the fact that Constance was dead.  What did he know of taking care of babies?  The first thing Victoria had suggested for him to do was find a new wife.  The woman was utterly insane.  His wife had just died, why would he even consider bringing in a stranger simply to care for his own son?  When he decided his first course of action was to drink himself into a stupor, he suddenly changed his mind.  He wanted to see his son, to find out if the baby had taken after Constance or was cursed like he was.

Pushing his self-pity aside, Nikolas crossed the porch and reentered the home.  The living room was lit by dull oil lamps.  His mother in-law sat primly on the sofa with her face in her hands.  He was touched by her grief, since she was not so happy with his marriage to Constance.  He moved past her and down the hallway, where the cries of the infant grew harsher.  The bedroom door was blessedly closed.  For now, it held the body of his wife, iced down, as they awaited the relatives for her burial.  He slid past it, down two rooms, where they had set up a nursery for their son.  When he opened the door, he saw that Victoria held the infant in her arms, trying her best to feed him milk that certainly had not come from his mother.  It was obvious he didn’t want it.  Why in the world wasn’t Victoria wise of this?

Nikolas approached his wife’s younger sister, standing directly in front of her.  He noticed she was holding Keagan protectively, as if she didn’t want anyone else to touch him.  She was plainer than her sister, her hair an off putting shade of red.  May I hold my son?  He asked, as if he were the stranger and she the mother.

She nodded primly.  Of course.  The baby was fussing wildly, refusing the fake mother’s milk, fighting against it.  He apparently didn’t care much for his Aunt Victoria.  As you can see, he’s quite unhappy.

I can certainly understand, he answered dully, forgetting that she was telling him something he already knew. 

Awkwardly, the baby was transferred into his arms.  This was the first time in his eternity that he had ever held an infant.  It hit him instantaneously.  This child was his.  This child was his son.  Tears slipped easily down his face.  Keagan was a beautiful little extension of him and Constance.  Vaguely, he wondered if his wife had seen him before she died. 

Constance didn’t see him, Nikolas, she said, as if reading his mind.  I would like to believe she can see him with our Lord right at this moment.  She waited for him to say something, but he didn’t.  He stared down at his son, acting like they were the only two people in the room.  That was completely fine with her.  Our sister and brother will be here by nightfall tomorrow.  Father is coming in a few hours after he finishes the coffin.  Will you bury her here?

Victoria’s question brought his full attention back to reality.  He had yet to meet either of Constance’s remaining siblings.  Gordon and Sophia were a complete mystery to him.  Both lived several miles east of here.  They would arrive by train, he assumed, and would be forced to make the journey to his home via carriage.  It would certainly be a long, harrowing trip for them.  Constance’s parents lived only a few miles away.  Oddly, Wyatt Apton’s specialty was the construction of coffins.  Nickolas never thought he would need one so soon.  How was he going to live without Constance?  How was he going to take care of Keagan without her?  It was almost too overwhelming to comprehend an ounce of new information.

Yes, he said; his eyes still on his infant son.  She wanted that.  She loved our home.  As an afterthought, Nikolas wasn’t certain if he could ever tell Keagan where his mother was buried.

Nikolas, have you noticed the odd mark on Keagan’s hand?  She asked.  It is, by far, the oddest birthmark I have ever seen.

As soon as she voiced her question, he immediately searched out his son’s hand, digging it out of its protective swaddling.  His heart sank as he identified the lycan mark.  His son had inherited the curse.  Suddenly, he felt sick.  He already loved his son more than anything, but also feared him at the same time.  Nikolas, a lycan himself, didn’t know how to raise one from birth.  It would become a most daunting task.  It didn’t matter if he was prepared for it.  The infant lay in his arms, his baby, and the one who would carry on the Tackett name.

Swallowing hard, he looked up at Victoria and smiled rather morosely.  Odd, but beautiful.  He truly reminds me of my Constance.  Don’t you think?

Victoria mistook his sadness for grief and only understood it to be related to Constance’s death, not the fact that he had passed on a curse.  Yes, Nikolas, I think so.  He is a beautiful son.  You should be proud.  Certain that Nikolas wasn’t ready to let go of the baby just yet, she said, After my sister is laid to rest, I will return to my husband and daughter.  Sophia will most likely wish to stay behind and help with the baby.

Sophia was the middle sister, unmarried, and the family was convinced that she would be a spinster her entire life.  She was only in her mid-twenties, but the family had already written off her chances of marriage.  I will need the help, Nikolas admitted.  However, I do not know how long.

The thought of an interloper in his home made him feel uneasy.  It was easier to explain to Constance why he needed to take sojourns more often than necessary.  What would her sister suspect or want to know where he was going?  Feeding for him was natural, something he was forced to do.  No one else could quite understand.  Nikolas, too, was born a lycanthrope.  His mother was one, like he, and his father was human.  He didn’t know what Keagan would face as he grew, but Nikolas remembered how it was for him, what he went through as an adolescent.  For now, Keagan would remain a sweet baby.  In a few years, they were all going to face challenges.  If one of Constance’s meddling sisters was around, he worried what would become of his son.  He wasn’t ready to face the burial of his wife, much less the arrival of her unmarried sister.  What did she know of infants?  What did she know of lycans?  Absolutely nothing.

Victoria left Nikolas with his son after a few minutes.  He sat in the old cane rocking chair parked closest to the window.  He kept the lamp light low, just in case it hurt Keagan’s eyes.  Looking down at this son, he realized that the baby had stopped fussing so much.  In his father’s arms, he actually took to the formula the doctor had concocted for him.  He was asked to find a wet nurse, which would be best, and that was his next plan of action.  For now, he was satisfied looking at the life he created with Constance.  It hadn’t hit him fully that he would never see her again.  It hadn’t hit him fully that when he opened the bedroom door, he wouldn’t find his gorgeous wife lying on their bed, her glossy dark brown hair fanned about the pillows in a shimmering cascade.  Their love was undeniable, their passion unquestionable.  When they discovered she was with child, Nikolas finally felt like a normal family man.  All loose ends had been tied.  He now realized that nothing was so simple.

As soon as Keagan’s hunger was sated, he opened his eyes and Nikolas swore he saw him, saw through him.  He didn’t know if this was possible of one so young, but that action alone made his heart soar higher and higher.  Keagan’s eyelids grew heavier as each moment passed.  The same could be said for Nikolas.  He was tired, grieving, and a hull of a man.  He had never felt so tired in his life.  Although his wife’s body lay in a room not four feet away, he was able to forget it as he slept with his son in his arms.  The challenges ahead were unimportant.  His wife’s words haunted him as he slept:  I think I always knew.  And I am not angry.

Nikolas, a sharp female voice barked.  You are about to drop my nephew, you buffoon.  

Nikolas jerked awake, his sleepy eyes focusing on the disrespectful female standing inches away.  How dare she enter his home and speak to him like this!  He tightened his hold on the baby and glared at her.  She was in an elaborate dress, full petticoats, tight bodice, and daring loose sleeves.  It was the color of sapphires, which matched the blueness of her eyes and the darkness of her hair.  It was a shade darker than Constance’s, and her mouth was full and wide, just like his wife.  She wore a fragile lace and silk cap atop her head.  This woman barking orders in his home was most likely Sophia Apton. 

At first, he believed he had slept here with Keagan for days.  How was it possible Sophia and Gordon were here?  Genteel lady, you are not, Nikolas grumbled.  What are you doing here so soon?  I thought you were with your brother.

I am sorry, good sir, she responded sarcastically, curtsying for good measure.  I was only a few hours away, she explained, answering his question grudgingly.  Father sent a message by courier and I just arrived.  I rode in with him.  He has finished Constance’s coffin.  Might it be possible for me to see her before…

Before they put her in the coffin, she wanted to say, but had enough sense about her to stop the words from flying out of her mouth. Good God, he thought he had dreamed it all.  Constance’s crass spinster sister brought reality into his home once more.  She is your sister, Sophia.  Do as you like.

Thank you, she said.  When I return, I would like to see my nephew.

Nikolas watched as Sophia left the room.  He stood carefully, taking great care in not waking his son, and he placed him into the crib he built.  When he was certain the movement wouldn’t rouse the baby, Nikolas left his sleeping son and slowly followed Sophia down to what had become Constance’s death chamber.  He didn’t know why he was so curious as to what Sophia would say or do with Constance, but he couldn’t stay away.

Sophia didn’t know she had an audience as she made her way inside Constance’s bedroom.  The message she received did not go into the horror of her condition before she arrived.  However, it didn’t take long for Victoria to fill her in.  She was glad to see that her sister’s body had been properly cleaned.  If it wasn’t for the ice packs surrounding her, Sophia would have thought Constance was simply asleep with the sheet pulled over her head.  Her family had accepted her marriage to Nikolas Tackett.  His family did not have a name like the Apton’s, but he had been able to care for Constance and give her the life she deserved.  When Sophia and Victoria learned Constance was giving Nikolas an heir, the whole family was excited.  This was even truer for their father.  He had a thriving business that would need a family touch down the line.  The Tacketts were hard workers who earned a wage from a mercantile business that afforded Nikolas a nice home for Constance.  It would be the very home where little Keagan would spend his formative years.

Everything seemed perfect.  Although Nikolas was away much of the time for business, Constance never complained.  If she grew lonely, she always came to Father and Mother.  She had found true love with Nikolas Tackett, all that was left was a family.  The two of them almost achieved it.  Almost.  Sophia hadn’t met Nikolas Tackett before, even at the wedding.  Sophia was ill at the time and couldn’t attend.  His appearance today was rustic, like a commoner.  He wore breeches, boots, and a loose white shirt.  His hair was long, tied back with a piece of black cloth.  He wasn’t proper or refined.  Sophia never complained about Constance’s married life before.  Perhaps she should have.  Father would have found more suitors for her who were proper, ones who weren’t Nikolas Tackett.  Maybe…just maybe Constance would still be alive.

Sophia approached the bed slowly.  She ignored the covers pulled all the way past her sister’s head.  She looked beyond the ice keeping her body preserved before the burial.  Holding her breath, she pulled away the sheet from her face.  She was not prepared for what she saw.  Her sister’s skin was a deep gray, her hair wet and loose.  Quickly, she covered her face before she lost the food in her stomach.  She turned to run from the room and slammed into the wall that was her brother in-law’s body.  She wanted to hit him, to hurt him.  It didn’t matter it was the complications of childbirth that ended Constance’s life.  What mattered was her husband, a man who ran away all the time, not bothering to take care of her, even after he knew she was carrying his child.  The words ‘it’s all your fault’ were just on the surface of her lips.  She bit it back.  It was wrong. Nikolas Tackett didn’t need her, but his son obviously would.

Sophia, are you okay?  He asked with concern.

What an absurd question, Nikolas, she hissed.  Where were you when she was dying? Sophia demanded.

I was away, he said simply.  I was away, dealing with a metamorphosis, trying to find prey that didn’t walk upright.  I wanted to be here, I did not know Constance would have the baby like this.  I would have been here if I could have.

I am right sure of this, sir, she quipped.  You were never here when she truly needed you.  I won’t allow you to neglect your son.

I need help with him, he admitted.  "I am quite inexperienced.  Yet, your tongue lashing was not called for.  I would never neglect my son.  I understand I failed my wife in some way.  The fact remains that Keagan is not your responsibility.  You cannot sacrifice your life to care for another."

She was my sister, you bastard, she replied, each word dripping crass venom.  "You cannot make time, but nothing says I can’t or won’t."

Nikolas once thought having a big family was a blessing.  He realized that in the few hours since Constance’s died, he was mistaken.  They were as much of a curse as his lycan blood.  If he could not force Sophia to leave, would he be forced to show her what he truly was?  Would he then also have to tell her what Keagan would face when he grew older?  What in the world had he been thinking when he married a human?  All were valid questions.  He should have thought them through before he fell in love with Constance Bridget Apton, a human, and he, a lycan.

It is the way of the world, he managed after a very long, tense silence.  "It