Eternity Factor

by B. J. McCall

  Azza wished he wouldn’t put that image into her head. Rogue vampires tearing through human chests and sucking them dry had started the urban wars. Then the economy had collapsed and the country went crazy. The humans blamed the vampires and when the war was over the vampires were shackled with restrictive laws and forced to live in specified zones. Even tiny sips were forbidden, depriving the human and the vampire of the ultimate climax, the blood passion.

  But taking blood carried a death sentence, decapitation the preferred method. Azza shook off her grisly thoughts and placed her hand over Jak’s heart. “You’re young, strong and healthy. You can handle it.”

  “You forgot handsome with a big cock.”

  “That, too.”

  Jak chuckled. “How about a beer? I’ve got a couple of cold ones in the fridge?”

  “Sure.” Azza eased off his lap. She’d have to give Jak a rest period before jumping his bones again. Humans were so damned fragile, but their hot blood made up for it.

  Jak turned on a lamp and walked over to the efficiency kitchen. Azza liked that he was comfortable naked. The man had nothing to be ashamed about. His shoulders were wide, his hips narrow and his legs strong. His butt was taut and pale. His tan ended at his waist and mid-thigh.

  His apartment wasn’t as attractive. The studio had minimal furniture, but the walls were freshly painted a gray-blue and the wood plank floor was scarred, but clean. Jak wasn’t a slob. She assumed the door near the efficiency kitchen led to the bathroom. Jak didn’t have any mirrors in the living room and the bathroom door was closed, eliminating a potential problem. The lack of reflection thing was a definite tipoff. Once humans were spooked, who knew what might happen.

  Jak returned with two bottles of beer and settled on the sofa next to her. He leaned back, put his feet on the coffee table and drew her close. He kissed her temple. “Can you stay the night?”

  “I can’t. I’ve got to get back to the rave. I came with a friend and she’ll be looking for me.”

  Jak ran his fingers through Azza’s hair, then he kissed her bare shoulder. “Stay for a while. When you’re ready to go, I’ll walk you back to the warehouse.”

  “That’s not necessary. I can take care of myself.”

  He looked her in the eyes. “I want more than a one-night stand.”

  His declaration surprised her. The last two guys she’d picked up at raves were more than willing to fuck and kiss farewell within an hour. She liked Jak, but wise vampires didn’t have relationships with humans.

  “You’re different. There’s something about you.” He put aside his beer and cupped her face. “I want to see you again. Let’s get together this weekend. We can order pizza, watch movies and spend the whole weekend in bed.”

  She’d love to spend hours with Jak, but a weekend date was impossible. Best to string him along and never see him again. “I can’t promise anything.”

  “I know we just met, but I’m so damn tired of being alone.”

  “A good looking man like you is bound to have girlfriends.”

  “I haven’t been in the city long. I’ve had a few dates, but nothing has clicked for me. Not until tonight.”

  “You like fucking me?”

  “I love fucking you.” He drew her into his arms and stroked her back. “You feel so damned good.”

  He didn’t comment on her cooler than usual flesh. Best to keep him occupied so he wouldn’t focus on that detail.

  Azza palmed his cock and tugged. He was instantly hard. She’d indulge her needs one more time, but soon she’d have to go.

  He buried his face in the crook of her neck.

  Every breath she took was scented with his blood. She pressed her lips against his pulsing vein. The temptation to taste him rose sharp and fast. Her fangs extended.

  Hell and damnation, she wanted to bite him.

  She opened her mouth.

  “Azza? Are those fangs?”

  His whisper brought her out of her trance. She closed her mouth and pulled out of his arms. If she wasn’t careful, he’d realize he had the real thing, not just a female dressed in vamp getup.

  “Yeah, cost me a fortune, like my costume. I’m thinking of adding a ruby on one of them. What do you think?”

  “You’re really into this vampire thing?”

  “It’s fun. Don’t you like to dress up?”

  “Halloween is for kids and I’m not into capes. Those costumes at the rave are elaborate.”

  Azza wondered if his disinterest was more because of the cost than the dressing up part. His apartment was sparse and when he’d asked her to spend the weekend with him, he hadn’t mentioned dinner or movies, which were outrageously expensive. He didn’t have a TV or a computer. A small electronic device with ear buds was lying on the end table and a bunch of worn paperbacks were stacked on the floor.

  Jak might be like so many humans, just getting by. Books and music were his entertainment.

  The vampire community was much better off, but the leaders of the Cemetery had had centuries to accumulate wealth. In vampire terms, Azza wasn’t all that old. She’d been bitten on her twenty-fourth birthday just over thirty years ago, drawn into the darkness by a handsome vampire willing to buy her blood.

  Her family needed money and as much as Azza hated to admit it, letting a vampire suck your blood was an amazing high. She’d been warned of the dangers, but the money was good and the vampire was thirsty.

  Azza had been forced to leave the human world and now time stood still. She was only an observer, not a participator in the living world.

  Jak leaned down and brushed his lips to hers. She stroked his cock, the heat of him searing her hand. He was so deliciously human. “Make love to me, Jak.”

  Taking her cue, Jak took her hand and stood. Azza rose and he led her to his narrow bed, tucked in an alcove that served as a bedroom. The sheets were smooth against her skin and fresh, free of female human scent.

  He lay beside her, caressing her hip and running his palm along her thigh.

  Azza loved the feel of his warm hand on her skin, relished the erotic wake following his fingers as he stroked her belly. He kissed her shoulder and nuzzled her breast. Azza cupped his head, running her fingers through the short, silky strands of his hair.

  He lifted his head and kissed her, slipping his tongue between her lips. She latched onto his blood rich tongue and suckled. He climbed between her legs, his heat covering her like a sensual shroud. Her senses sizzled, her muscles trembled and her fangs tingled as he entered her.

  Instead of the wild pounding of bodies, Jak moved with slow penetrating strokes, taking his time. His heat surrounded her, seeping into her and pushing out the cold.

  Azza sensed the jump in his heart rate, felt the trembling of his straining muscles. She grabbed his ass and surged up to meet his next stroke, squeezing down on him and finding her pleasure.

  He groaned and his control shattered. He thrust hard, once, twice, then threw back his head and stilled. His cock jerked and his arms shook.

  “I couldn’t hold on. Not when you grabbed me like that.”

  Azza placed her palm on his chest. His heart thundered and he still trembled.

  He kissed her shoulder and lay sprawled over her. “You make me feel so good.”

  Loving his weight and heat, she wrapped her arms around his back and held him. How long had it been since Azza had felt such tenderness and affection? Jak touched the human buried inside her. Maybe in another century that kernel of the human girl she’d once been would be lost forever. But tonight, Jak had brought forth so many feelings and memories of that girl.

  She couldn’t go back and Jak belonged to the human world.

  “I’ve got to go. I’m late already.”

  Jak kissed her on the forehead. “Okay, I’ll walk you back.”

  Within a few minutes they were dressed and on their way back to the warehouse. Jak put his arm around her shoulder. “I had a good time, Azza. I’d like to see you again.”

>   “I’m rarely in the city.” Azza lived less than two miles away, but the Cemetery might as well be on the moon.

  Jak stopped beneath the weak glow of one of the few operating streetlights. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

  “Not in a long time. I enjoyed being with you.”

  “I’m not just after sex if that’s what you’re thinking. I like you, Azza. I’d like to get to know you better.”

  Azza wanted to see him again, but she’d have to sneak out of the Cemetery. She’d restricted her forays into the human zone. The more you broke the rules, the higher the odds you’d slip up. If they were caught together, Jak would be heavily fined. He was a nice guy. He didn’t need a vampire complicating his life.

  “Give me your number. If I come back to town, I’ll call you.”

  He patted his pockets. “I don’t have a pen.”

  “I have an excellent memory. Tell me. I won’t forget.”

  He gave her the number and they continued down the sidewalk. Three distinctive red and white DSA vehicles raced past them heading for the warehouse.

  Azza stopped in her tracks and watched as her worst fear unfolded. The vehicles screeched to a stop in front of the warehouse and Dead Souls cops armed with UV wands and guns spilled out. The wands were enhanced with optical filtering, making the ultraviolet light visible to humans. Although safe for humans, the UV severely burned vampire flesh. Instead of bullets, the guns shot thin, debilitating silver needles.

  A crowd of costumed figures ran out of the warehouse. The street lit up as the cops blasted the crowd with purplish-blue light commonly called black lights. “Reeni’s in trouble.”

  “The lights only hurt vampires.”

  Azza turned to face him. She’d be a fool to trust Jak, but what choice did she have? If she tried to approach the warehouse she’d be burned.

  “That’s why Reeni’s in trouble.”

  Jak didn’t recoil in horror. “Reeni’s a vampire?”

  “Yeah. So am I.”

  He stared at her for a long moment. “Your fangs. They’re real?”

  A horrible scream filled the night, a vamp getting burned by the UV wand. Azza hoped it wasn’t Reeni getting fried. “They’re real. Now tell me it’s more than sex.”

  “What does Reeni look like?”

  “Can you afford the fine?”

  “You saw my place. But it’s far worse if you get caught. Tell me what she looks like.”

  Azza gave him a description of Reeni’s outfit. “She’s got big boobs. She’s hard to miss.”

  Jak dug into his pants pocket and pulled out a ring with two keys. “Go back to my apartment and stay inside. If I’m not back in an hour, take my car. It’s in the underground garage, the four-door rusted green sedan. It’s old and ugly, but it runs.”

  She took the keys. “I can’t believe you’d do this for me.”

  Jak cupped her face and kissed her full on the mouth. “I really like you, Azza, and not every human is an asshole. Go.”

  Chapter Four

  The scene at the warehouse was chaotic. The cops had corralled the partygoers on the sidewalk. After being subjected to a UV blast the costumed humans were being released in small groups. A DSA cop ordered the next group to step up. Two couples stepped forward and were bathed in black light.

  “Move on.” The cop pointed to another group. “Next.”

  Jak spotted a female with light brown hair, hanging back. Her skin was pale and her full breasts were spilling out of a black lace-up vest. He stepped forward and saw she was wearing black boots. The woman fit Azza’s description of Reeni.

  A UV wand tapped him in the chest. “Party’s over.”

  Jak looked the grim-faced cop in the eye. “I’m looking for my girlfriend. Someone told me the bitch was stepping out on me with some guy wearing a fucking cape. I’d dump her, but she’s got nice big tits. Can I go inside?”

  “The building’s off limits until the sweep is completed.” The cop pointed the wand at Jak, hitting him with the bluish flash of ultraviolet light. “You’ll have to wait across the street.”

  “Catch any vampires?”

  “Only one. His flesh is still smoking.”

  A guy dressed in a cape pushed through the crowd and started running. The cop took off after the caped figure. Jak saw his chance. He plunged into the crowd and headed for the buxom female.

  “Are you Reeni?”

  The woman stepped back.

  “I’m a friend of Azza’s. My name is Jak.”

  “Where is she?”

  “Safe at my apartment. I live on Fourth Street. Azza sent me to help you.”

  “How? The cops have UV wands.”

  “I’ll create a diversion.” Jak gave her the street and apartment number. “How fast can you run?”

  “Not as fast as the speed of light.”

  “You got a better idea?”

  “What’s the plan?”

  “I’m going to find a way to knock the cop down. If I can block the light and keep him occupied are you willing to make a run for it?”

  “Sure.”

  Reeni stepped behind Jak. “Let’s hope this works.”

  Jak pushed through the crowd and stepped behind the next group waiting for a UV scan. Jumping a cop and knocking him down was a damned good way to end up behind bars. How would he make bail? If he missed the placement appointment on Monday morning he wouldn’t have a chance of getting hired.

  What would happen to Azza? He needed a job, but she’d be put behind bars without bail. The courts weren’t kind to vampires.

  Jak had to figure out a way to take down the cop, but make it look like an accident. He didn’t have to ponder long. One second he was on his feet and the next someone grabbed his shoulder and thigh, lifted him off the ground and sent him flying. He slammed into the man and woman next in line, his momentum pushing the couple forward. They barreled into the cop and all three went down. Jak landed on the top of the heap. He rolled off and grabbed the UV wand out of the cop’s extended hand. Jak pulled the wand against his chest and hit the pavement.

  His elbow and knees smacked into the asphalt. Fuck!

  Screams and yells filled the air. Something hard and heavy crashed into him. A kick to the back followed. The whole crowd had panicked. People were running over him, stumbling over him. If he stayed on the pavement, he’d be trampled to death.

  He pushed himself up, lunged into the fleeing partygoers and started running. He tried to look for Reeni, but if he stopped he’d be knocked down again. Heart banging against his chest wall, he didn’t quit running until he reached his apartment. By the time he climbed the three flights of stairs to his apartment, Jak was sucking in deep gulps of air.

  He tapped on his apartment door. “It’s me, Jak.”

  Azza opened the door. She fisted his T-shirt, pulled him inside and kissed him. Then she pushed him away. “What the fuck?”

  Jak realized he’d hung onto the cop’s UV wand. “Sorry.” He dropped the wand by the door, leaned over and gripped his knees, still gasping for breath. His heart was hammering, his lungs burning and his muscles were shaking from exertion. Finally he recovered enough to look around the room. The shades were drawn and the lamp was turned off. “Did Reeni make it?”

  “She’s here,” Azza said. “Maybe you should sit down.” Azza took him by the arm and guided him to the sofa.

  Feeling nauseated, Jak put his head between his knees. Once his stomach settled down, he leaned back.

  “Are you okay?”

  He stretched out his legs and took another deep breath. He was coming down from a major adrenaline rush. “I’m good.”

  Azza kissed him on the cheek. Her lips were cool against his hot skin. “Thanks for saving Reeni.”

  Reeni stepped out of the shadows. “Thanks, Jak. Sorry about throwing you, but I didn’t see another way out. I figured if the crowd panicked I could make a run for it.”

  He reached over and turned on the lamp. He stood a good six inches t
aller and had to outweigh her by fifty pounds. “You picked me up and threw me?”

  “I, we, are exceptionally strong.” Reeni walked over to the window and peeked out. “You don’t know much about vampires, do you?”

  The Midwestern town he hailed from wasn’t popular with vampires. Most of what he knew had come from the news. “Not much. The two of you are nothing like the monsters the DSA is always warning us about.”

  Reeni jumped back from the window as an eerie purplish-blue light flashed at the edges of the shade. “The cops are scanning the streets.”

  “We’ll have to wait,” Jak said. “When the sweeps are over, I’ll drive you home.”

  “Why are you helping us?” Reeni asked. “It doesn’t look like you can afford a fine.”

  “Reeni.”

  Jak placed his hand on Azza’s knee. “It’s okay. Reeni’s right. I can’t afford the fine, but they won’t put me in jail.” He looked Reeni in the eye. “I like Azza and I want to see her again.”

  “You want to date a vampire,” Reeni said. “You’re joking, right?”

  Jak looked at Azza. “I’m very serious.”

  “Jak, it isn’t safe for either of us.”

  “We can stay inside. I’ll fix the windows to keep out the sunlight. We can make it work. Would you ladies like a beer?”

  Reeni grinned. “This is going to be a learning curve.”

  “We drink blood,” Azza said. “We order drinks to blend in, and we pretend to take small sips to appear human. We don’t eat. Blood is our source of nourishment.”

  “Okay. Sunlight burns your skin. Blood is your nourishment. You’re really strong. Anything else I need to know?”

  “Sex with humans is a real rush. Extended contact with humans is dangerous,” Azza said.

  “Sex with vampires is damned exciting. What’s the problem with extended contact?”

  “Sex is a rush because of the blood.” Azza touched her fingertips to his neck. “You can’t imagine what it’s like to feel your hot blood coursing right beneath the skin.”

  “It’s like we’re junkies and you are the drug of choice,” Reeni said, slowly licking her upper lip. “Ever considered a threesome?”