by Tina Folsom
Portia dropped her bag at the bottom of the stairs and walked into the living room.
“Fine.” She hesitated, not knowing how to start this difficult conversation. Shifting from one foot to the other, she avoided looking at him and instead stared at the wall behind him.
“Something wrong? You seem quiet.”
“Uh ... well, there is something I wanted to talk to you about.” She adjusted her gaze to look at him.
Her father sat up, his torso suddenly rigid. “Is somebody giving you trouble?”
She quickly shook her head. “No, it’s not that. Everything’s fine. It’s just ... I found out something today that you’re not aware of and ...” Portia broke off again, searching for the right words. This was harder than she’d thought.
“What is it? You know you can tell me anything.”
Of course she knew that, but this was kind of awkward. In this moment, she wished her mother were still alive, and rather than broach this delicate subject with her father, she could confide her concerns in her mother.
“It’s just that I found out today that once my body sets into its final form, I’ll still ... I’ll still have my hymen if I don’t lose my virginity before that.”
She swallowed. Now it was out and she and her father could discuss this matter like two adults.
“Who told you?” her father’s voice thundered as he rose in the same instant. “Lauren!”
Taken aback by his harsh and seemingly angry reply, Portia nodded quickly. “You mean she wasn’t telling me the truth?”
“It’s none of her business to tell you anything. You know only what I tell you, and that’s it. I’m the one raising you!”
Raising her? She was grown up! “Father, I’m not a child anymore. I have a right to know.”
“Silence! Lauren has no right to fill your mind with these things. Don’t concern yourself with them!”
Confused, Portia opened her mouth again. “But was she right? Is that what’s going to happen to me?”
Her father stared at her, his eyes glaring red in anger. “You are my daughter. And I say who you’ll lose your virginity to and when.”
In that instant, she saw the truth in his face. He understood the implications. He’d always known, but he’d chosen to keep her in the dark.
“Why? How can you do this to me?” How could he betray her like this? Didn’t he love her? Tears welled up in her eyes.
“You’ll understand eventually, and—” The beeping of his cell phone interrupted him. He glanced at it, then back at her.
“I have a meeting. Go to your room and study. I’ll be back soon.”
Then he turned and simply walked out like a man used to his orders being followed.
Portia just stood here. She had never felt so alone in her life.
Her father believed that it was his right to keep her ignorant, and what was even worse, he thought he could choose a man for her and decide when she would lose her virginity—whether that was within the next six weeks or not.
Tears streaked down her cheeks before she could stop them. Disappointment clamped around her heart like a tight fist, squeezing it until the pain was unbearable. Her father didn’t love her, because if he did, he would never impose this fate on her. She’d looked up to him all her life. No longer.
She would be his obedient daughter no more.
This was her life, and she would decide how to live it.
***
The party was at a fraternity house not far from campus. The music was blaring from several speakers, the light dim at best, the place reeking of alcohol and smoke. Portia wrinkled her nose—it was not the legal kind of smoke.
It took her a good ten minutes to locate Lauren. Her friend looked fantastic in her low rider jeans and tight top that could have doubled as a wide belt.
“I thought you weren’t coming.” Lauren gave her a surprised stare.
“I wasn’t, but I needed to talk to you and you didn’t answer your cell.”
Lauren motioned toward the crowd. “Too loud in here; couldn’t hear it ring. What’s up?”
“You were right.” The admission cost her.
Instantly, Lauren grabbed her arm and pulled her from the room and down a corridor. A moment later, the two of them were locked in one of the bathrooms.
“What happened?” Lauren asked.
Portia sniffed. “I asked him. And he knew what he was doing to me. He knew I would remain a ...” Her voice broke.
Lauren drew her into her arms and stroked over Portia’s hair. “I’m so sorry, honey.”
Portia pushed back the threatening tears. She would not cry. She had to stay strong. Slowly, she stepped back, pulling from Lauren’s embrace.
“I’ve thought about how to do it.” She’d come up with the perfect idea of how to take care of her predicament, and now she needed Lauren’s help.
“Good, Eric is here already. He was disappointed when I told him you weren’t coming. I’ll let him know—”
“No! That’s not why I’m here. I need you to go with me to buy a dildo.” She shuddered at the thought of walking into a sex toy shop on her own.
Lauren’s eyes widened. “A dildo? What are you ... oh no, you don’t mean to pierce your hymen with a dildo?”
“Yes, that’s the easiest solution. I really don’t want to have to sleep with anybody just to—”
“Not gonna work, Portia.”
Stunned, she stared at her friend. “Why not? It’s as big as a ... you know. I think it’s a brilliant idea.”
“Sure, if it worked, but it won’t. It’ll push through your hymen, but tomorrow it will have grown back. A man’s semen is what will make it disappear for good.”
Portia suppressed her urge to gag. “But then ... then ...” Her mind’s wheels churned. “Then, why don’t I get donated sperm. You have to help me.” She took Lauren by her shoulders, almost shaking her. “Can’t you get one of your ‘friends’ to donate some? I’m sure you can come up with some excuse for why.”
Lauren tilted her head and gave a sad smile. “You know, your idea would really be great, but unfortunately, it won’t work either. The sperm has to be ultra-fresh, and it has to be delivered with a flesh and blood dick. So whatever turkey baster method you’re thinking of, it’s off the table.”
This revelation hit her just as hard as the disappointment earlier in the evening. She dropped her head. “Why? Why?”
“I wish I could tell you something different, but that’s how it is.”
Portia lifted her head. “What now?”
“I think we should look for Eric.”
Portia felt her palms dampen at the thought. “Now? Why don’t we wait a little while and see if we can figure out another solution. There must be something else.”
Lauren shook her head. “There’s no other solutions. Trust me, you’re not the first hybrid. You’ll survive. I hear Eric is good between the sheets.”
Portia groaned.
***
A half hour later, Portia found out first hand that Eric was a passable kisser. Only, no matter the contortions he put his tongue through, she wasn’t getting turned on. She remained strangely detached from the entire situation. In fact, none of the guys she’d kissed before had really made her feel like she wanted more. Sure, it had always been pleasant, just like sitting in the sun and eating ice cream was pleasant.
Was she frigid? Was that the reason why she hadn’t pursued sex and why it hadn’t bothered her that her father didn’t want her to date yet?
This wasn’t going to work, not with Eric. He was a nice guy and all, but for her first time she wanted to be wowed and not feel like it was a chore. She wanted to feel weak in her knees with her heart fluttering; she wanted a man who robbed her of her breath when he kissed her and whose touch made her skin sizzle. And Eric wasn’t that kind of man.
She was about to extricate herself from his embrace when a sudden tingling on her skin arrested her heart. Another vampire had entered the bed
room she and Eric had found to have some privacy. Portia knew the signature of the vampire’s aura only too well.
A split-second later, Eric was yanked from her and slammed against the wall. Her father’s eyes glared at her when he pointed his finger in her face. “You, young lady, home. Now.” His voice was a low growl, one she knew well enough.
He was angry. But so was she.
Portia lifted her chest and raised her head, adding another two inches to reach her full height of five nine. With her two inch heels she was almost eye level with him. “You can’t tell me what to do!”
“I’m your father, and you’ll listen to me!” His hand clamped around her wrist like a vice, and despite her own vampire strength, she was no match for her father. He was older and stronger than she.
“No! You have no right to order me around anymore!” He’d lost that right when he’d betrayed her.
“You’re not of age!”
Portia froze. In vampire society, parents remained the legal guardians of their children until the child’s body had reached its final form, which occurred on its twenty-first birthday. Only then was a hybrid considered mature. How could she have forgotten that her father had been the one who’d told her about this rule many years ago when she was a child? He had every right to issue orders. But she was done following them.
“I won’t remain a virgin!”
“I’m not going to have you throw yourself at some dirty lowlife who doesn’t deserve you! You’ll only mate with someone your equal! Someone I’ll choose for you.”
She shook her head in quiet disbelief. No! She wouldn’t bend to his will anymore. She was ready to rebel. Better late than never.
Her father yanked her toward the door. Portia glanced at Eric who still lay on the floor. He stirred, groans of pain coming from him. She extended her mind to him, directing her powers to erase his memories of the last half hour. She needed no witness to her humiliation.
Chapter Five
Samson motioned his friends Gabriel and Amaury to take a seat in his study as he continued pacing.
“He needs to be punished,” Gabriel started.
Amaury shook his dark mane. “I disagree. Punish him and he’ll derail completely.”
“A crime like this can’t be left unpunished.” Gabriel shot a pleading look toward Samson, silently asking for support.
“I’m not saying that we won’t do anything about it, but if we punish Zane outright, he’ll go off the deep end. What he needs is rehabilitation,” Amaury insisted.
A short knock on the door interrupted.
“Come,” Samson answered, sensing who requested entry.
The door swung open and Thomas strolled in, his heavy biker boots scraping loudly against the wooden floor. He gave an apologetic smile as he pulled his second leather glove off and shoved both of them into his jacket pocket. Then he combed his fingers through his sandy blond hair, fluffing what his helmet had flattened. “Sorry I’m late; I had some problems with the bike.”
Samson motioned to the couch, and Thomas let his leather-clad frame fall onto it, making the furniture groan. His leather outfit easily added fifteen pounds to his weight.
“I thought your Ducati was in top shape,” Amaury wondered.
“I didn’t take the Ducati. I was taking the R6 for a spin.”
“That thing is a pile of junk,” Gabriel commented, shaking his head.
“It’s a World War Two antique,” Thomas corrected. “I’ve been fixing it up for the last two months.”
Samson smirked. Thomas’ passion for bikes was legendary, and he spent every free minute tinkering with one of his many acquisitions. “As much as I’d like to discuss your talents as a mechanic, we have more urgent things to talk about.”
Thomas nodded. “What are we gonna do about Zane?”
“Amaury was thinking rehabilitation rather than punishment.” Then Samson addressed Amaury, “What did you have in mind?”
Amaury moved to the edge of his chair. “We expose him to the softer things in life.”
“Excuse me?” Gabriel tossed his friend a confused look, the scar on his face, which reached from his ear to his chin, jumping at the same time.
Thomas scoffed. “Give him soft and he’ll smash it to pieces.”
“He’ll spit in your face,” Samson added.
Amaury’s blue eyes sparkled. “He didn’t spit in your daughter’s face.”
Samson didn’t bother suppressing his scowl. Delilah had told him the minute Zane had left the house that Isabelle had bitten him. The first bite of a hybrid baby was a significant event. It meant that his daughter had chosen her mentor, her godfather. Only, Samson had hoped that she would pick somebody like Gabriel or Amaury, or better, Thomas who was a great mentor to Eddie, the young vampire under his wings, but not Zane. However, there was no way around this. Isabelle had tasted Zane’s blood and would be instinctively drawn to him to seek his advice. While Samson and Delilah were Isabelle’s primary caregivers, Zane would play an important role in her life.
“Which makes it even more important to deal with him now before this gets out of hand. I can’t have a loose cannon around my daughter.”
“Nobody wants that.” Gabriel pulled the band around his ponytail tight and shifted in his seat.
“Suggestions then,” Samson said and gave Amaury an expectant nod.
“First of all, no more high-risk assignments. You were right to pull him off his current one. He doesn’t need to be in constant assault mode. We’ll have to condition him to use non-violent responses to aggression.”
“Interesting,” Gabriel snorted. “Good luck with that.”
Thomas shook his head. “Let’s face it: take violence out of Zane’s life and his shell will collapse. It’s the only things that keeps him alive.”
Samson raised his hand. “Maybe Amaury is onto something. What else have you got?”
“He needs to see Drake.”
“You want him to agree to see a shrink?” Gabriel shook his head. “That’ll go down well. Just make sure I’m not around when you tell him, ‘cause I'd kinda like to keep my head attached to my neck.”
“I didn’t say it was gonna be easy to get him to go.” Amaury shrugged. “We just have to make sure he knows what’s at stake if he doesn’t.”
Samson stopped pacing. “You’re right. The carrot and stick approach. Show him what he can have, then threaten to take it away. It could work.”
“And what are we gonna take away?” Gabriel asked.
“His job.”
“He won’t be hurting for money,” Gabriel countered.
His second-in-command was right of course. Any vampire who’d been around for a few decades had invariably accumulated wealth simply by investing money in low risk assets such as real estate and bonds. Knowing Zane, he’d probably taken a riskier approach and amassed an even greater fortune.
“Money isn’t the reason he works for us,” Samson explained. “We’re his family. He needs us.” Just like they needed him. Each and every member of Scanguards was essential, and the inner core, consisting of Amaury, Gabriel, Thomas, Zane, Yvette, Quinn, and himself was vital for the survival of the company. They were the driving force.
Slowly, Gabriel nodded. “True. Then I have a suggestion to make. Let’s fly Quinn out from New York. He’s the one closest to Zane. Quinn brought him in. If anybody can get to Zane, it’s Quinn. He knows what makes him tick.”
“Who will run New York headquarters in the meantime?” Samson asked.
“New York is such a well-oiled machine, it runs itself,” Gabriel claimed confidently.
Thomas grinned. “I suppose that means we can put a monkey at its helm and it’ll still run?”
“Almost.” Gabriel nodded. “Unfortunately, I’m fresh out of monkeys. We’ll have to use someone higher up the food chain.”
“Who did you have in mind?” Samson asked.
“Quinn mentioned a promising vampire the other day. His name is Jake and he’s be
en working with Quinn for six months now. He might be ready to take on more responsibility.”
“Quinn vouches for him?” Samson contemplated Gabriel’s words.
“He’s diligent and ambitious.”
“Fine, let’s do it,” Samson agreed. “Call Quinn and fill him in. Now, we need to keep Zane occupied. Do we have a desk job we can park him at?”
Gabriel shook his head. “Nothing open. I could shift people around though, unless—” He scratched his head before he continued, “We just got this babysitting job in.”
“Babysitting?” Amaury echoed.
“I’ve gotta hear that,” Thomas mumbled under his breath.
“Couple of vampires, moved here about six months ago. A father with his hybrid daughter. She’s friends with G’s daughter. Goes to USF. Her father is leaving for a business trip for two to three weeks and needs us to babysit her twenty-four-seven.”
“She goes to college and needs a babysitter? Where’s her mother?” Samson asked.
“Died in a car accident six months ago.”
“But the girl is what, eighteen, nineteen?” Amaury asked, confusion pasted on his handsome features as he swept his shoulder length black hair back.
“Twenty, almost twenty-one,” Gabriel reported. “But according to her father, she’s a wild one: parties, guys, alcohol, the works. She’s acting out since her mother’s death. He fears she’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He’s very concerned about her and worried about leaving her alone. She’s liable to hurt herself.”
“So what does he want us to do?” Samson asked.
“Watch her and keep her away from any bad influence. No parties, no boys, etc. Piece of cake. I’ve put Oliver on the dayshift. It’ll be an easy job for him to take on and get his feet wet.”
Samson nodded. “I suppose I can’t keep him as my personal assistant forever. He’s got lots of potential.” Oliver, a human, had worked as his daytime assistant for over three years, almost four.
“He’ll do well. His assignment starts at daybreak.”
“Aren’t you guys overlooking something important?” Amaury interrupted.
Samson gave him a questioning look. “Oliver is well-trained. You’ve seen him in action. He’s a great bodyguard. He’s protected Delilah many times, and you know I would never provide my wife with sub-standard safety.”
