Order of the Omni: A Supernatural Romantic Suspense Novel (The Immortalies Book 1) Penny Knight (100 best novels of all time TXT) 📖

“We are being hunted by Immortalies. Living in a hotel because we can’t go home. We’ve nearly been killed, and we have to go back every night before sunset to a strange man’s place who is dangerous, untrustworthy and, well, just plain weird. And here you are. Still trying to set me up.” I can’t believe how his mind works.

“Firstly E, I am not trying to set you up. Just stating facts. Second, I would say Leo has been trustworthy so far. He keeps us safe, fed, and he helped you with that psycho killer last night.”

“Don’t be naïve. He may have done all those things, but we don’t know him to trust him. I doubt he is generally this do-gooder person who just wants to help. I can tell there’s more to the story than he’s letting on.”

“Of course, you think that. You don’t like people. You don’t trust anyone.”

“I trust you,” I say.

“Franziska?” he yells.

“Yeah, of course. I trust her, too,”

“No, E. I mean, Franziska. She called when you were all passed out. I forgot to tell you. Wasn’t she looking into it for you?”

“And you’re just telling me this now?” Quickly I grab my phone and see the voicemail icon. When I check, it’s her. I dial and listen.

Topher taps his foot, waiting for me to hang up. “Well?”

I turn to the computer screen and open Google maps. I enter Hopetoun, Victoria.

“Just over four hours away.” I press print on the screen. “It’s just past ten. If we leave now, we can make it back by sunset.”

“Where are we going?” he picks up the directions from the printer and reads. “Uhh, why?”

“Franziska thinks her sister stashed the book in the town bookstore. She said it could give us the answers.” I throw my phone in my bag and swing it over my shoulder as I get up and walk to the door.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Topher stands in front of me.

“What? We have a lead. Why would we wait?”

“This isn’t a good idea. It’s over four hours away. It will be cutting it close. You know what happened last night. Leo will be pissed if you’re late again.”

“We aren’t following some killer. Just going for a drive. It’s a bookstore. What bad things happen at a bookstore?”

“What bad things happen at a bookstore, she says.” Topher sits staring at the open road, trying to find a sign.

“We aren’t technically at the store yet,” I say.

“It’s been hours. We’re lost. Face it.” His stomach rumbles. Not a good sign. When Topher’s hungry, he gets cranky.

“We were lost.” I didn’t realise we would lose service, stupid phone. “I know where we are now.” I hoped anyway.

My phone rings from the back seat where I had thrown it in anger after it lost reception. “Can you get that? Maybe the GPS is back in service.”

He leans in the back and manages to pick it up, just before it stops ringing.

“Boss,” he answers. “How’s it going?” There’s a pause. “Yep, ok, I will put you on speaker now.”

He looks at me and shrugs, hitting the speaker button.

“Hello,” I say

“Elita, Topher, are you guys coming back to the office?” Tony asks.

“Do you need us to, boss?” Topher says.

“No, I don’t need you to. Do you not remember our staff meeting the other week?”

“Staff meeting?” I scrunch up my face. “We don’t have staff meetings.”

“We did. I walked into your office. Said ‘staff meeting’, followed by ‘Make sure your computers are off if you’re out for the day’ then I walked out.”

Topher bursts out laughing. “That was a staff meeting? Boss, you need to take some management classes.”

“That’s beside the point,” Tony bellows through the speakers. “I see you’re heading to Hopetoun, so I gathered you wouldn’t be back before close. Is that right? Are you staying there over the weekend?” he asks.

“No,” I say. “We are heading back tonight, but we won’t make it in the office. Sorry. Can you just shut down the computers for us?”

I hit Topher on the arm and point to the sign. ‘Welcome to Hopetoun’ and fist the air in celebration.

“Yes. Be safe,” Tony says and hangs up.

’Bout time.” Topher crosses his arms.

I follow the road to their main street in the small town. I remember this part when I searched the directions on the computer. We drive around the roundabout surrounding a water fountain in the centre of the road until we come to a stop in front of a colonial brick building framed with a tin veranda. A simple sign reads Book Store displayed on the front.

“This is it.” I turn off the ignition.

As we open the doors, the suffocating heat hits our face, no moisture is in the air. The air-conditioning in the car had not prepared us at all. We had driven for hours from Adelaide, across state lines to Victoria. We had taken the highway inland and for the last few hours the view was of red dirt and dead sparse shrubs. Summer in South Australia was dry and unforgiving, and the temperature in this town was definitely at least forty-five degrees.

“This is ridiculous,” Topher airs out his t-shirt trying to cool down.

“Let’s get inside.” I decide to take off my amulet, stuffing it in my pocket on the walk to the front door. Once I see who is inside, and if it’s manageable, I’ll slip it to Topher and use my new ability. Fingers crossed no one inside is a sicko serial killer.

Cool air washes over me as I open the wooden door. It takes a moment to adjust to the darkness, the windows covered by thick blinds. Only a few energy efficient lightbulbs lighting the bookstore.

I fight off a sneeze as I try to acclimatize to my surroundings, the smell of old books and dust tampering with my allergies.

“What now?” he asks.

“Let’s look around. Franziska said the mark is on the front page of the book. I’m not sure what it’s