The New Vampire

by V. R. Cumming

  “I never would’ve guessed,” I murmured.

  Jason rolled his eyes. “Smart ass.”

  I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him, but just barely. “I like watching.” And I didn’t know how to explain beyond that. “And I also like participating. Can we get this show back on the road before my arms freeze in place over my head?”

  Jason wheezed out a laugh and smacked a kiss to my mouth. “God, I love you.”

  “If you love me…”

  That was all I got out. His mouth came down on mine in a serious I’m gonna make you come hard way that only Jason could pull off, and my mind emptied so quickly of everything but him and Eric, it left me breathless. Eric’s mouth found my neck in a hot, open-mouthed kiss and slid from there down my chest, capturing my nipple, and I was a goner. They knew exactly what to do to me, exactly where to touch. Eric drifted down, positioning his mouth between my legs, his tongue playing over my pussy in short, quick strokes. Jason broke the kiss, shifting over me, offering his throat, and I took it gladly, eagerly drawing his blood into me.

  I moaned and writhed as the heat raged and seared, and when the shadows inevitably closed in around me, I grabbed onto the two lifelines of Jason and Eric, buried so deep within me, I would never lose them again. With their light guiding me, I could do anything. With their love, I would never again have to face the darkness alone.

  Chapter Five

  We ended up not re-forging one after all. I tried, really I did, but every time I came close to the remains of one in my mind, the shadows enveloped me and I lost sight of it amid the slithering, inky void.

  I still wasn’t strong enough, still wasn’t whole enough, and it ate at me.

  The next day, I woke early, just before noon, and stumbled out of the bedroom looking for Willow and Jason, whose turn it was to stay with us. Eric had had an early class, bless him. Being a grad student and a vampire wasn’t easy, though he managed it well. How he avoided burning in the early morning sunlight escaped me, but Eric always figured out a way to do what he needed to.

  I found Jason in the breakfast nook, feeding Willow creamed corn and chunks of sweet potatoes. He’d pulled on jeans and a gray t-shirt with the Georgia Tech logo stamped onto the area over his left pectoral. She wore a miniature version of his outfit and had a pink plastic barrette holding her bangs off her forehead.

  As soon as I shambled into the room, Willow squealed and slapped her hands on the plastic tray of her high chair. “Dada,” she said emphatically.

  Jason shot me a sympathetic look. “D’you think she’ll ever learn another word?”

  “Be careful what you wish for,” I said around a bone-popping stretch. “Remember what her second word was?”

  “Right.” He spooned corn into her mouth, chasing the dribbles in quick, efficient swipes. “You’re up early.”

  “Missed you.”

  He wiped drool off Willow’s chin, his gaze focused casually on her. “Miss Eric, too?”

  “I miss all of you,” I said easily. “Don’t be jealous.”

  “I’m not,” he said, and for the first time since the night of my birthday, I believed him. He seemed relaxed, shoulders down, a half-smile tilting the corners of his mouth, a far cry from the man who’d nearly broken his bond with his lover over the woman they both loved. “He’s taking you home tonight.”

  I opened my mouth, reconsidered asking why. “I wish you both could.”

  “I wish we didn’t have to take you back at all.” He stood slowly, rising to his full height, and scrubbed a hand over his belly under the t-shirt. “Mmm. Ready for food?”

  “No, but you are. Let me get a shower and I’ll fix you something.”

  “I’ll do it. It’ll keep my mind off of you naked in the shower.”

  I slid a glance at Willow, who was poking at the remaining sweet potato chunks on her plate. The downside of having a child? Sex wasn’t nearly as spontaneous as it had been before. It seemed like a fair trade, except when Jason was looking at me with a hot glow in his blue eyes and an erection growing behind the zipper of his jeans.

  He didn’t have class today, though, and nap time was just a few short hours away.

  I dropped a kiss on top of Willow’s head and smoothed her hair down. “Soon as Mama’s out of the shower, we’ll work on that first step, ok sweetie?”

  She rolled her head back and looked up at me, grinning her cherubic grin, her hazel eyes blinking up at me. Overnight, they’d gone from Jason’s cornflower blue to Eric’s brown-green-gold.

  “Pick a color,” I told her.

  “Da da da,” she said.

  I shook my head and made my way out of the kitchen past Jason washing dishes at the sink. I took a minute to admire the stretch of his t-shirt across his broad shoulders, the fit of his low-slung jeans over his firm, muscled rear. I swear, Jason couldn’t have an extra ounce of fat on him. If he did, I hadn’t found it yet, not for lack of trying.

  Trying could be a lot of fun, so I did it. A lot.

  The day was blissfully normal. After my shower and a quick bite with Jason while Willow crawled around the kitchen exploring her domain, I chased her around the house, playing with her, coaxing her into a stand. Jason retreated to his desk, working on a paper for one of his classes. Later, I read a story to her from one of the many children’s books Eric and Jason had bought, and she settled into her crib and fell asleep, a small cloth basketball clutched in one tiny hand.

  Jason pulled me into the bedroom and we made love, our bond growing with each gentle touch and quiet laugh. Eric slipped in just before Willow woke and joined us, and our family was complete.

  Dark fell all too soon. On the trip out, Jason and I had been able to leave Elizabet’s before sunset only because the drive was made almost totally with the sun behind us, its deadly rays more than adequately softened by the rear and side windows’ special tinting. During the trip back, we’d be driving into the setting sun, a serious no-no for fully turned vampires. Pets, sure, they could do it, with the right precautions, but vampires rarely risked it without a pressing reason.

  Of course, the ones that had pressing reasons usually also had the means to hire or keep a limo and a driver, but we could hardly afford to do that.

  So we waited until full dark to leave. I wasn’t in a hurry to return to Elizabet’s mansion. I wouldn’t go back at all if Nathaniel and I didn’t have an appointment the next evening. But, I needed the blood and our family needed the alliance, and I’d promised Nathaniel. In spite of the room Eric and Jason had prepared in the basement, Eric didn’t want the other vampire here until we were certain we could trust him.

  I didn’t, not quite. Nathaniel seemed like a good man, but that didn’t necessarily mean he was trustworthy, and every once in a while, a gentle uneasiness pinged inside of me. It wasn’t enough to affect our budding friendship, not by any means, but it was enough to suggest a cautious approach, at least where Willow was concerned.

  I left two changes of clothes in the space in the closet my husbands had set aside for me, packing the remaining items and toiletries in the overnight bag Alice had lent me. I made my way to the living room and dropped the bag on the floor in the doorway leading into the kitchen. Jason held Willow in his lap, her head lolling against his firm abdomen, her eyes slit open in a determined resistance of sleep’s call. Eric sat beside them, his hand resting casually on top of Jason’s, his rings glinting slightly in the flickering light cast from the TV.

  I sat down on Jason’s other side and covered his hand where it rested on Willow’s stomach, rubbing my fingers over his rings. Dreams of our wedding night still haunted me, though I’d nearly recovered the entire memory of that beautiful time. One image always stood out, of our left hands splayed out on a white tablecloth, wearing the rings symbolizing our eternal love and devotion to one another.

  Eternity could be a long time for a vampire. With these two around, Eric, my beloved husband with his keen mind and patient demeanor, and Jason, my seco
nd only because he hadn’t found the courage to pursue me first, eternity would never be the lonely existence other vampires faced, not once I made peace with my past and found my control.

  It wouldn’t be long now. I refused to let it be.

  Eric shifted on the sofa. “Share a little blood with Willow before we go.”

  I leaned across Jason and met Eric’s steady gaze. “She’ll cry.”

  “It shouldn’t be too bad. She’s getting used to us pricking her thumb every few days.”

  I glanced between him and Jason and Willow. She was almost asleep, bless her. We’d had a long day and she was worn out. Still, it would be better to begin the blood bond now while she was young and her mind was flexible.

  I pierced the pad of my thumb with a sharp canine, ignoring the slight pinch, and massaged it. A single drop of blood welled up. I placed my thumb under Willow’s nose.

  She roused slightly, her eyes blinking sleepily, and said, “Dada?”

  I slid my thumb into her mouth. She grimaced and turned away, and Eric cupped her chin firmly, holding her head still. Jason’s hand tightened across her stomach. I eased her nearest hand up to my mouth and struck quickly, biting into her thumb as gently as I could and still draw blood. Her body stiffened and her eyes blinked open, but I’d already taken what I needed, two drops of her precious blood.

  I pressed my thumb over the slight wound I’d made and swallowed her essence, memorizing the taste and depth. Her blood was sweet, fresh. I tested her mind and sighed. We’d only exchanged enough for me to be able to read her a little better. She turned her hazel eyes on me and glared, and a clear thought formed in my mind. Bad Mama. It was followed immediately by a sense of hurt, something like wrong, pain, bad all wound together into one throbbing emotional wound, almost as if she were saying, How could you do that to me?

  I pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. “Mama’s sorry, baby doll. We won’t have to do that again for a while, ok?”

  She closed her eyes and snuggled into Jason, and an echo of something entirely different hit me. Contentment, peace, and the certain knowledge that she was loved. Jason and Eric had, indeed, done a good job with her, and one day, hopefully in the near future, I’d be around to help.

  Eric and I left soon after. I kissed Jason goodbye, reminded him softly that I’d see him again the following weekend when he and Eric came to Elizabet’s for yet another social gathering, this one in honor of Therese establishing her own household in Valdosta.

  The drive back went quickly. We turned on the radio, keeping the volume low so we could talk, and we did, about everything under the sun. Eric’s eight-year-old Beemer, purchased from another pet not long after Selena’s attack, purred smoothly over the highway. Eric, for all his reluctance to own a car before our marriage, handled it with the confidence he’d grown into in the past two years, so well it seemed as if he’d always been that way. The socially-awkward geek he’d been when I’d first met him had all but disappeared under the strength of the cold man and Eric’s determination to unite and protect our growing family.

  I kinda missed the geek.

  One corner of his mouth curled up. “I’m still the same man, Gigi. Just better at hiding the geek than I used to be.”

  “I loved that man.” I shifted on the seat and curled up facing him. “I love this man, too.”

  He threaded his fingers through mine, resting them on my thigh. “And I love this woman.”

  “Stay with me, please. Just for tonight.”

  His half-smile bloomed into a full-fledged grin. “Oh, I’d planned on it, sweetheart. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”

  I laughed and squeezed his hand and let the joy of his presence lift me high.

  Eric stayed with me that night, as he’d promised he would, and we snuggled together under the covers in my bed, content just to be there.

  He spent the next day with me, too, settling into the loveseat in my bedroom with a stack of papers to grade while I struggled through a barely legible handwritten treatise on a mid-nineteenth century Vampyr civil war, recorded at the same time.

  Elizabet had insisted I study it. How was it that even though I wasn’t in school, I still had a required reading list? Yes, I needed to learn about the culture and history of the world I was now a part of, but did I have to know everything about it?

  I shook my head and squinted at the scrawling lines of text. If I was reading it correctly, and I wasn’t entirely sure I was, the forerunners of the modern Greater Atlanta area werewolf pack had thrown their lot in with the mistress of Atlanta, defending it against the claim of a rival mistress. I flipped back, read that passage again. Atlanta’s mistress had died in the final sally. The werewolves, under the command of their alpha, had held the city until Elizabet’s arrival and helped her rebuild. In return, she’d offered them sanctuary on her extensive estate, allowing the mated pack members and the tame ones to run freely through her forests when nature called their beast to the forefront.

  I closed the book and rested a hand on the dusty leather cover. That’s why Darien was at so many of our social functions, had to be. Did Eric know about this? I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He’d propped his bare feet on the coffee table, crossing them at the ankles. One corner of his mouth turned down as he wrote comments in red ink on one of the papers he was grading.

  Somebody was not going to be happy when they received that one back.

  I bit my lip, containing a smile, and made a mental note to ask him later, along with another one to discuss the whole matter with Elizabet. The decades long alliance she’d had with that pack would only be enhanced if I took Darien as a pet. I couldn’t see a flaw in the plan, but strategy wasn’t my strong suit and Elizabet would undoubtedly know additional details that might be relevant.

  I could do that later, though, when Eric was gone and I’d had time to ponder the ramifications of choosing an alpha werewolf as a pet, even temporarily. At that moment, all I wanted to do was make up for lost time with my husband. I scooted over to him on the loveseat and kissed his cheek, and that’s all the encouragement he needed. He set the papers aside and we spent the afternoon reveling in one another’s love.

  Chapter Six

  Nathaniel arrived an hour after our evening meal, sharply outfitted in a charcoal grey suit with a red silk tie and matching pocket square. I’d changed into a dress for the occasion, the same salmon colored one I’d worn for my birthday, and Eric into a gray-green suit that suited his build and coloring.

  Weren’t we a well-dressed bunch?

  The thought flickered irreverently through my mind as I pressed a chaste kiss to Nathaniel’s cheek. “Hey. How was the trip?”

  “As quick as it ever is, in spite of the sun.” He smiled, flashing a dimple. “Why vampires insist on living in the South is beyond me.”

  I laughed and threaded my hand through his elbow. “We need the heat to warm our blood.”

  “Speak for yourself, sweet.”

  Eric stepped forward and shook Nathaniel’s hand. “If you don’t mind, I thought I’d hang out tonight, maybe join you and Gigi.”

  He said it casually enough, without a hint of what was going through his mind.

  Nathaniel nodded solemnly and covered my hand where it rested on his arm. A glint of something flickered through his pale eyes, gone before I could identify it. “Of course. The more the merrier.”

  I honed in on his words, interest sharpening, and a memory rose from the night I’d left the cage, the first time I’d met Nathaniel. He’d gently mocked Raquel. What had he said? Something about her not even getting a taste of Eric and Jason, and she’d fired back with, As if they’d ever allow you into their bed.

  I played the memory out, stretching each moment, examining it closely. The careful posturing, Eric’s politely worded refusal, and the calculation flashing through his and Nathaniel’s expressions so swiftly I’d missed it the first time. My mind hadn’t. It had dutifully recorded the memory for me, storing it in
tact, there for me to find when I needed it.

  Eric had been planning this all along. I cut a side-eyed look at him. That devil. Always ten steps ahead of everybody. How could he possibly have known that I’d accept another man into my bed, especially another vampire?

  And he’d planned for it even before I’d left the cage.

  His eyes met mine briefly. I love you.

  I smiled and grasped his hand in my free one. Next time, give me a better warning.

  He grinned, flashing even, white teeth, the canines slightly longer than they should’ve been. What’s the fun in that?

  I exhaled sharply. Now you sound like Jason. To Nathaniel, I said, “Would you like something to eat? Matthias made smoked brisket. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind heating up a plate for you.”

  “I ate on the plane, though I might take you up on that later.” His thumb slid back and forth along my knuckles, raising sensuous heat with every stroke. “I should pay my respects to Elizabet and then I’m all yours.”

  Eric nodded. “I’ll join you, if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all.”

  Their words were so politely formed, I rolled my eyes. “I’m going on up. Y’all take your time. I’m in the mood to watch a little Colin Firth.” Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, and I added, “Mr. Darcy. Pride and Prejudice. Must see TV.”

  I left them to their civilized machinations, and peeked in on Alice on the way to my room. I’d hardly had time for her over the past few days and I missed her.

  I knocked on her door, waited for her soft, “Come in,” and poked my head inside. Alice was sitting on the bed wearing a baby pink negligee, her Kindle held loosely in her hands. Gregory stepped out of her bathroom. His muscled physique was nude except for a pair of form-hugging boxer briefs.

  Heat climbed into my cheeks. I raised my eyes to the ceiling, away from the perfectly formed limbs and the flat stomach and the erection clearly visible through the thin knit fabric covering it. “Hey, ah. Sorry. Just wanted to say, um, hi.”