by B. J. McCall
Thankfully, Azza spoke up and saved Jak from having to answer. “No threesome.”
Reeni grinned. “If we attacked you, you’d be helpless.”
“Stop it, Reeni.” Azza took Jak’s hand. “I’m sorry, Jak. A relationship with a vampire isn’t a smart choice.”
“How do you get blood?”
“The government provides animal blood,” Azza said. “I work in the nourishment bank. I’m a quality control tech. Sometimes the blood is infected.”
“It’s not like the good old days when vampires were free to hunt humans and suck them dry,” Reeni said, showing her fangs. “Animal blood isn’t as tasty as human blood.”
A shiver of fear slid down Jak’s spine. Did Reeni mean him harm?
Reeni grinned. “Don’t worry, Jak, we ate before we left the Cemetery.”
Azza squeezed his hand, reassuring him.
“How long have you been a vampire, Reeni?” Jak asked.
“About five years, and not by choice.”
“What happened?”
“I met a man at a party, a handsome devil with a velvet tongue and a big cock. He fucked me, bit me, drained me and I awoke in the Cemetery. Now I can’t leave.”
Jak heard the bitterness in Reeni’s voice. “I’m sorry.” He turned to Azza. “How did you become a vampire?”
“It happened during the collapse.”
Before Jak was born the world economies had tanked. Linked together, they’d fallen like dominos. Then wars broke out. There were riots and food shortages. Chaos reigned and nearly brought down the government.
“My family was hungry and I started selling my blood to vampires,” Azza said.
The humans blamed the vampires who had taken advantage of the situation. They paid humans for blood. Hungry young people willingly sold themselves and the number of vampires increased.
“One night a vampire took all of it,” Azza said. “I was turned.”
“What happened to your family?”
“They survived, but they wanted nothing to do with me. The humans feel threatened by us, but most of us wish for our old life. We don’t want to live forever.”
Fear had brought the humans together. The government regained control, the vampires were restricted and the riots ceased. Things had gotten a little better, but the economy still struggled. Jobs were scarce and food was expensive.
“What is it like in the Cemetery?”
“Boring,” Reeni said. “The government gives us blood, but we can’t leave without permission. We can’t have sex with humans. If we take human blood, they decapitate us.”
“But surely you understand why the law was passed? Both of you were victims, turned against your will by vampires. Would either of you do that to another human?”
“Never,” Azza said. “We don’t need to add to our numbers. The Cemetery is cramped for space.”
“Good thing we don’t have babies,” Reeni said.
“But you get to live forever,” Jak said.
“We don’t age,” Reeni said. “We don’t change. We can’t lie in the sun or go shopping. We get to pick from the clothes the government ships to us. You can’t get in a car and drive to the shore or get high on booze or drugs. You have to party with the same damn people forever. Suck your food through a fucking straw. I miss pizza and cold beer. I miss chocolate. The eternity factor sucks.”
“I didn’t realize vampires were so unhappy. I thought we humans were the unlucky ones.”
“Not all vampires are unhappy,” Azza said. “Many are in loving relationships.”
“I’m not spending forever with the same guy,” Reeni said.
“Are the streets clear?” Azza asked. “We should be getting back.”
Reeni peeked out the window. “I don’t see any cops.”
Jak stood. “I’ll go outside and walk around. If no one’s around, I’ll get my car out of the garage and pull up in front of the building.”
Azza walked him to the door. “Thanks for taking care of us.”
He gave her a quick peck on the lips. “My pleasure.”
Jak’s gaze was drawn to her lace-up top and exposed pale cleavage. Their milky-white skin would attract attention. “In the bedroom I have long-sleeve shirts. Cover up and be ready to go.”
After walking the block twice, Jak entered the garage beneath the building and climbed into his battered four-door sedan. He pulled up in front and waited.
Wearing dark long-sleeved shirts, the two vampires hustled out of the building and climbed into his car. Azza laid the cop’s UV wand between the front seats.
“Why did you bring the wand?”
“You’re dropping us off in a part of town where vampires lurk. You might need a weapon.”
Jak pulled away from the curb.
“Nice car,” Reeni said.
Azza glared at her friend, but Jak just grinned. “She’s not pretty, but she runs.”
“Thanks for the ride,” Azza said. “We both appreciate it.”
“At least you have a car,” Reeni said. “We’re not allowed to own vehicles.”
“We don’t need them,” Azza said. “We can move fast under our own power.”
The drive to the Cemetery was short. The vampire zone was surrounded by a thirty-foot high wall bathed in purplish-blue lights. Inside the wall stood windowless, concrete high rises constructed in a large rectangle. The place looked like what it was, a prison. “Was it a real cemetery?”
“Still is,” Azza said. “The authorities erected the wall, then constructed the buildings right onto top of the graveyard. The dead don’t bother us.”
Since moving to the city, Jak had been curious about the Cemetery. “What’s in the center?”
“A large courtyard with fountains covered by a huge glass roof that filters the UV rays, but allows a small amount of light through. It’s like being outside at the first crack of dawn.”
“It’s fucking gray and gloomy,” Reeni said.
“We have several swimming pools and a park with fake grass,” Azza said. “There are a few youngsters among us.”
“Children?”
“Not all vampires are nice,” Reeni said.
“There are more good than bad. The good ones take care of the young. Turn right here,” Azza said.
Jak turned onto a street of boarded up buildings and broken streetlights. No human wanted to live next to the Cemetery. Azza instructed him to pull over, but to keep the engine running.
Azza and Reeni stripped off his shirts.
“How do you get through the UV lights? Is it safe?”
“Don’t worry about us.”
Reeni climbed out of the car. Before Azza opened the door, Jak cupped her chin and kissed her. “I’ll be here tomorrow night at midnight. Spend the day with me. I’ll cover the windows and bring you back the following night. Please, Azza. Give me another night.”
“I’ll try. Getting in and out is always risky. This area is patrolled by DSA. They think we’re foolish enough to jump the wall.”
“How do you get in and out?”
“It’s best you don’t know.”
“I’ll be here. If it isn’t safe, don’t come.”
“If I’m not here at the stroke of midnight, go home. Like Reeni said, not all vampires are nice.”
“How can I reach you?”
“You can’t. Vampires don’t get mail or have Internet access. We communicate with the authorities via one dedicated phone connection. I don’t have access.”
Reeni tapped on the window.
Azza gave him a quick kiss on the lips and got out of the car. “Go, Jak. Don’t linger. Keep the UV wand handy. If anyone approaches you in this sector, they are looking for breakfast. Go fast.”
Jak pressed the accelerator and took off. He looked in his rearview mirror, but Azza and Reeni were already out of sight. He drove home wondering if Azza would show up the next night. If she didn’t, would he ever see her again?
Chapter Five
“The human’s cute, but he’s dangerous,” Reeni said. “Aren’t you the one always cautioning me about making dumbass choices?”
“I know. I know,” Azza said.
Reeni was right. A relationship with a human was doomed from the start and a good way to get one’s ass thrown in prison. Her attraction to Jak was a powerful temptation. All that male heat and rich blood.
Just thinking about him agitated her, made her think about things she shouldn’t. She dreamed about him, fucking him and tasting his blood. Which was weird because once she’d been turned, Azza had stopped dreaming.
Her human memories were fading. She had to concentrate to remember her old life. Her parents were in their seventies and her little brothers were sliding into middle age.
Reeni was right about something else. Living in the Cemetery was getting boring. In the beginning, the dependable pattern helped Azza cope. Her job gave her life meaning, but lacked excitement. Sneaking off to the raves and having sex with humans offered a much needed adventure.
“There’s a vampire rave next weekend.”
“I thought the raves were once a month?”
“One of the guys I met last night told me all about it. This one is going to be the biggest yet, major party.”
“Did you make plans to meet him again?”
“Like I want to get stuck with one partner? You should forget Jak. You’ll find another guy. After all, they just need to be alive, be drunk enough to ignore our cold, pale skin, but not so drunk they can’t get it up.”
Azza didn’t want to go to another rave or fuck another human. She wanted Jak. “I like him, Reeni.”
“What’s so special about Jak?”
“He makes me warm.”
“Warm?”
Azza rubbed her arms. “When he touches me I feel warm.”
“That’s impossible. You’re imagining things.”
“Maybe, but I like the feeling. I’m going out tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow night at the stroke of midnight.”
“I knew there was a reason you were dressed like a ninja. Don’t do it. He’s a human. You can’t trust them.”
Azza had chosen a black knit turtle-necked top and black stretch pants. “I trust Jak and I want to see him. He saved our asses last night.”
“Fine.”
“Walk me down?”
“Okay, but I think you’re crazy.”
Reeni and Azza left their shared apartment and entered the stairwell at the end of the hallway. They walked down to the underground housing levels, preferred by the old vampires. At the far end of a narrow corridor was a steel door. Azza opened the door and stepped inside the tunnel beneath the Cemetery.
At the opposite end of the tunnel, Azza grasped the handle of the door and pulled. The steel door was heavy, requiring the strength of a vampire to move it. Azza stepped into an underground utility room beneath an abandoned apartment house. “I’ll be back in twenty-four hours.”
“Be careful. Don’t get your ass caught. I can’t handle forever alone.”
Azza hurried across the garage and entered a service elevator. The lift wasn’t operating, the car removed long ago, but the cables led to the roof. The street-level doors were boarded up and the vampires preferred to maintain the appearance of abandonment to protect the secret tunnel.
Azza grabbed onto a cable, climbed up the elevator shaft and out an emergency hatch onto the roof.
She walked to the edge of the six-story building that once had been government housing, then designated vampire housing. When the vampire population was forced into the Cemetery, the building had been abandoned. No human, not even the poor or the homeless, wanted to live near the Cemetery.
Azza spotted Jak’s car, parked in the same spot where he’d dropped her off. As promised, he was waiting for her.
She hadn’t been outside the Cemetery for more than a few hours at a time, but tonight she’d committed to twenty-four hours in human territory. If she were caught she’d be thrown in prison, forced into hard labor and given just enough blood to survive. Was Jak worth the risk?
Hell yes.
Moving silently, Azza climbed down the fire escape and jumped to the street. In a flash she was opening the passenger door.
“How long have you been waiting?”
“Just a few minutes.”
She noticed the UV wand was tucked between the seats, but Jak would be no match for a vampire. “That’s too long. Arrive at the appointed time. Not a minute before. Got it?”
“So this is more than a one-night stand?”
“Not if you end up being someone’s midnight snack.”
Smiling, Jak grabbed her and kissed her. The heated rush of having his blood rich tongue inside her mouth made the risk worthwhile. Desire surged. She wanted him inside her, making her feel alive again. She needed to feel the warmth of his skin and the musical thumping of his heart. She pushed him away before things got out of hand.
“Drive.”
Jak hit the accelerator and the vehicle’s wheels squealed. Once they’d driven out of the sector surrounding the Cemetery, Jak slowed down.
“I’m glad you came.” He reached out and took her hand. “The apartment is ready. I’ve covered the windows. You’ll be safe.”
A few minutes later they were inside his apartment, pulling off one another’s clothing. By the time Azza’s back hit the mattress, they were both naked and Jak was hard as stone.
She placed her hands on his heaving chest. Beneath her palms his skin was warm and his heart was pounding. “I love the feel of your skin. Your heat.”
His cock lay against her thigh, burning hot.
He slid his hand along her hip, then cupped her breast. His thumb raked across her nipple. “You’re so firm.”
The upside of being a vampire was her muscles were sleek and strong, her breasts were firmer than implants and her ass would never droop. The downside was her lack of warmth and softness.
Jak lowered his head and sucked her nipple into his mouth.
His mouth was hot and moist, each lick and suck making her tremble. He released her breast. “I love your nipples,” he whispered, then latched onto her other breast.
He suckled, his mouth hot, his lips and tongue pulling and tugging.
Azza cupped his head, letting her fingers drift down to his neck. She shivered at the feel of his pounding veins and rushing arteries.
He groaned and lifted his head. “I’ve been hard all day, just thinking about you.”
“Fuck me, Jak.”
Another upside of being a vampire was having an eternal sex drive. Azza liked fucking and she loved cock, big human blood-filled cock.
He pushed up on his arms and seated his thighs between hers. He nudged her pussy with the thick head of his cock and pumped his hips.
She gasped at the blood-rich male heat stretching her, filling her.
His cock was searing hot, hard and thick. She clamped down on him, holding him so tight he groaned.
“You’re so fucking tight,” he said, his voice strangled.
She grasped his shoulders. “Fuck me hard. Make me so hot, I come.”
Jak thrust his hips, driving his cock deep, pounding her pussy.
No male, human or vampire made her feel the way Jak did. She wanted his heat, needed to feel the pounding of his heart and flush of blood to his skin.
Heat poured off his chest, bathing her in his warmth.
He thrust, riding her with passion. Skin slapped skin. Sweat trickled down his temples and dewed at the small of his back.
Jak shuddered and Azza sensed the onset of his climax. She clamped her hands on his taut ass and squeezed down on his cock.
He came, spurting hot, human essence.
Her pussy quivering and her fangs tingling, Azza joined him.
Warmth spread over her, a blanket of sensual heat. Azza felt alive again, felt like a woman, not a creature of the night.
He collapsed on top of her, his skin slick with perspiration and his bod
y emitting waves of heat. Azza hugged him, loving his hot skin pressed to hers.
Nothing was better than fucking Jak.
Chapter Six
Jak lifted his head. “I’m not crushing you, am I?”
“I can handle your weight,” Azza said.
He loved being sprawled over Azza, feeling the lush curves of her amazing body. But after the flush of hot sex, his skin had cooled and Jak became aware of her lack of natural body warmth. The temperature had soared in the afternoon. With the windows closed, the apartment was as hot and airless as an oven. He stroked her arm. “Your skin is so cool.”
Azza pushed him off of her, handling him as if he weighed a few pounds. “I’m making you cold.” She rose from the bed, a pale ethereal shadow in the darkened room.
“I’m not cold.” Jak turned on the bedside lamp. A soft glow illuminated the room. “It’s hotter than hell in here. Your skin feels nice. I don’t know a lot about vampires, but you’re like ice cream on a summer afternoon.”
“I’ve been compared to a lot of things since I was turned, but never ice cream.”
Azza stood at the foot of his bed. Her muscles were sleek, her breasts high and round with lush, long nipples. Her belly was flat and her legs were long.
“You’re staring, Jak.”
His gaze slid to her face. She was smiling and the look in her eyes told him she didn’t mind being admired. And admire he did. Azza was so damn beautiful, so perfect, she stole his breath. “I like what I see.”
“I don’t disgust you?”
He rose from the bed and reached for her, drawing her close. “I like being with you. I like having sex with you. I like the coolness of your skin. I thought you liked my heat?”
“I do. You have no idea how good your cock feels inside me.”
He grinned. “Yeah, I do. Give me a few minutes to recover and I’ll show you.”
“What shall we do in the meantime?”
“I’d like a cold beer. Can I get you one?” Azza’s right eyebrow shot up and Jak realized what he’d said. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. You don’t treat me like a thing.”
He cupped her face and brushed his lips against hers. “You’re not a thing, you’re a beautiful woman. You’re so damn beautiful, what the fuck are you doing with the likes of me?”
