Destined for Time

by Stacie Simpson

  “What is that?” Angela asked indicating the shimmering rainbow of colors that formed a translucent barrier just to the right of the stage in Lilith’s.

  “You can see that?” As a human it should have been impossible for her to see the portal.

  “Yes, but this is the first time. Has it always been there?”

  I nodded. “It’s a portal that leads to our club in New Orleans.”

  “You’re serious?” Angela asked, her eyebrows raised and eyes wide.

  I chuckled. “Yes, I’m serious. Would you like to go see for yourself?”

  “Um, sure, but why can I see it now when I never have before?”

  As we moved towards the portal I shrugged. “I’m not really sure but if I had to guess, I’d say it’s because of the power from the River that constantly trickles through you whenever I’m around. The magic of the portal keeps it hidden from humans, but with all that supernatural power flowing through you, maybe the magic doesn’t recognize you as human anymore.”

  We found Dragon and Serafina on the dance floor in Lilith’s and they followed us through the portal.

  Once we were on the other side I watched Angela for her reaction. She stood in one place for several minutes while she looked around at all the scenes of debauchery on display. On the video screens spread around the club vampires were engaged in sexual activities while feeding from their partners. Then there were live entertainers simulating sexual situations both in full view and behind screens so that all we could see were shadows of ecstasy playing out. It was all borderline pornographic and as Angela took in the sights her heart rate quickened and the scent of her arousal filled the air.

  Wrapping my arms around her from behind, I whispered in her ear, “Welcome to Forbidden Fantasies.”

  She shivered and the movement made her ass rub against my rapidly growing erection. “Wow... Just wow. I know laws vary from state to state, but I can’t believe all of this is legal in any state.”

  Laughing, I said, “Vampire mind control does come in handy sometimes.”

  “Why does it feel a little like Mystique in here?” Angela asked as she turned in my arms and wrapped her arms around my waist.

  “Because there are sex demons working here too, just not as many as there are in Mystique.” I bent my head down to kiss her. I’d meant for the kiss to be brief but when our lips met I couldn’t help but linger. How many times had I stopped myself from doing this very thing? It was such a relief to have her welcome my touch and my kisses. As my tongue twined with hers she molded her body to mine and I smoothed my hands down her back then lower until I gripped the firm cheeks of her backside.

  She pulled away from me laughing. “I don’t mind putting on private shows for you, but I don’t think I want to be part of the entertainment here.”

  “We could always check out one of the private party rooms down the back hallway.”

  Her eyes flashed with interest but then she said, “Maybe later.”

  Just then Serafina bounced up beside us and said, “It’s crazy isn’t it? One minute you’re in Mississippi and the next you’re in downtown New Orleans.”

  Angela grabbed my hand and started heading towards the front door. “Come on, I want to see it for myself.”

  I went with her and when we stepped outside she looked around again. “My God. We really are in New Orleans.”

  The street was crowded with tourists but the two vampires heading our way from across the street were definitely local.

  “Yes we are, and we no longer have a truce with the vampires that run this city, so we should get back inside now.”

  Angela looked confused for a moment then she noticed we had company and allowed me to usher her quickly back inside the bar.

  “Damn, they don’t usually move in that fast.”

  “Maybe we should go back through the portal,” Angela suggested with a worried glance at the door we’d just rushed through.

  “We’re safe in here,” I assured her. “The wards around this club won’t let anyone in if they mean us harm.”

  Dragon came up beside me and peeked out the door. “Friends of yours?”

  I grinned at him. “Just some salespeople, I told them we weren’t interested.”

  Angela rolled her eyes and strolled over to a table near the dance floor. I asked everyone what they wanted to drink then went to the bar to get a round of beer and sodas for Angela and Serafina. When I sat down next to Angela Dragon was munching on a bowl of popcorn and Serafina was on the dance floor with Doyle who was a regular at Forbidden Fantasies, not because he liked the atmosphere in the club, but because he liked to start fights with the vampires outside the club. No wonder they were just hanging around waiting out there.

  “Which one of the bears mated the new bartender?” I asked Dragon.

  Angela looked confused so I nodded towards the man behind the bar with shoulder length brown hair and said, “Do you see the mating marks spiraling down his arms? They look like pencil sketches because they’re new. When the mating bond is complete the marks will be colored in like Serafina’s and Dragon’s. But in his case, they have bear fur under the claw marks rather than dragon scales.”

  “So everyone mated to a shapeshifter or a nightshifter would have similar markings,” she asked and I nodded.

  “Do you remember how Scarlett was spending a lot of time in New Orleans right before the bombing?” Dragon asked me.

  “You’ve got to be kidding?” I asked incredulously.

  He shook his head with a grimace. “His name is Noah. She was with him when I marked Serafina and all the other nightshifters thought their beasts rolled over in their sleep. She told me she felt something when that happened but she didn’t know what it meant. She only knew that she needed to keep him close to her. Once the spell was broken the mating frenzy started immediately but he doesn’t want to accept it. He used to work in that pub on St. Phillips, you know the one with the really great ghost tours, but she finally talked him into working here and staying in one of the apartments upstairs for safety reasons.”

  “Why doesn’t he want to accept the mating bond?” I asked.

  “He was engaged to another woman before he met Scarlett.” Dragon revealed.

  “Damn, Scarlett just can’t catch a break can she?”

  “What am I missing here?” Angela asked.

  “When shapeshifters or nightshifters meet their mates they are both consumed with lust for each other until the mating bond is complete. We call that the mating frenzy. Noah was tied to another woman so he’s fighting the bond, but since Scarlett has marked him, and that only happens after mates have been intimate, it’s obvious he hasn’t been completely successful.” I shook my head. “It’s only a matter of time before he realizes Scarlett is his perfect match, but until that happens, Scarlett will be living through hell.”

  “And she’ll be hell to live with,” Dragon added. “Shifters are both protective and possessive of their mates, especially during the mating frenzy. The longer he denies their bond, the more those instincts will interfere with her ability to think rationally where he is concerned. I’ve already warned him that his fiancée would be in danger if Scarlett were to see them together or catch her scent on him.”

  Angela leaned forward with her arms on the table. “What if he doesn’t want to be with Scarlett? Doesn’t he have a choice?”

  I sipped my beer then shrugged. “Sure he has a choice, but they never choose to walk away.”

  Angela started to say something else but Dragon interrupted her. “Angela, a shapeshifter mating bond is indescribable to anyone who has never experienced it. It’s not just a joining of souls; it’s a completion of souls. It’s burning desire and passionate love with a deep seated friendship. There’s no fear or doubt because we share our emotions openly, freely without any barriers, it just flows through the bond.

  It can be a little overwhelming in the beginning especially for someone like Noah who doesn’t understand what’s happenin
g to him. But I believe that’s why mates experience the mating frenzy. It keeps them together until they both realize what a gift they’ve been given. Fate brings them together, and with the help of the mating frenzy, it makes sure they stay together.”

  Angela was quiet for a moment then she asked, “Will he become a shapeshifter or nightshifter like her now?”

  Dragon answered, “When we mated humans before the curse they remained human but stopped aging as long as their mates were alive. For example, Solomon’s mother was a fox shifter and his father was a human sorcerer. His father did not age for hundreds of years until Solomon’s mother was killed during The Great War. After her death he aged at a normal human rate until he died of old age.

  Now that we have the ability to change humans into nightshifters our mates will have the choice to remain human or become nightshifters. If I hadn’t been forced to change Serafina I never would have done it because I saw my vampire side as a curse. Now that it’s done though, I am grateful that my mate can share every aspect of my life with me. We can fly together and feed together, although it’s difficult to choose donors since we can’t simply drink from each other.”

  Angela glanced at me with a raised eyebrow.

  “Nutritionally speaking any blood would keep vampires alive including bagged blood, but to maintain their sanity and their humanity they need to absorb the life force from fresh blood drawn directly from a living being. The life force counteracts the virus that causes vampirism and keeps it from multiplying. Since vampire blood is tainted with the virus, drinking from another vampire wouldn’t help keep the virus at bay. If the virus isn’t kept in check it transforms the infected vampires into something similar to the mind demons from whom the virus originated. Their powers increase, but their bodies also transform, and they eventually become cruel, soulless blood addicts that enjoy torture and mayhem.”

  I paused then smirked at Dragon and added, “But I’m sure that doesn’t stop vampires or nightshifters from sharing a vein to enjoy those mind-blowing orgasms we discussed the other day at lunch.”

  Angela’s cheeks turned bright red and Dragon chuckled as he sat his beer back down on the table. “Yes, but now when I drink from Serafina I can’t really consider it feeding. And since sexual arousal is an unavoidable side effect of drinking blood it’s difficult to feed from anyone but Serafina, and it’s even more difficult to watch her feed from anyone but me.”

  “Difficult but necessary. Vampires who forgo fresh blood to gain psychic powers not only lose their humanity and healthy complexions, but also their ability to eat solid food and have bouncing baby boys and girls,” I reminded him.

  “I know, I know, and that’s why Serafina and I will continue to look for suitable donors that we can both be comfortable with,” Dragon said as Serafina slid onto his lap.

  “My ears wouldn’t quit burning so I thought I better come see what all of you were talking about,” Serafina said with a laugh.

  Dragon smiled at her and said, “What else would I talk about besides my beautiful mate.”

  She pulled his head down to hers and while they kissed Doyle joined us.

  “So Angela, would you care to take a spin on the dance floor?” Doyle asked as he flopped down into a chair beside Dragon. “Rook rarely steps out onto the floor but if you’re tired of sitting around I can always use another dance partner.”

  Angela grinned at him and replied, “Sorry Doyle, but I’m not much of a dancer either. I guess that’s just one more thing Rook and I have in common.”

  “Why don’t you go see if those humans in the corner want to dance Doyle,” I suggested. “They were eyeing you the whole time you were out there with Serafina.”

  Doyle glanced over his shoulder then rose from his chair and waggled his eyebrows. “Don’t wait up, Dad.”

  It wasn’t long before Doyle was sandwiched between the two women who were shedding what little clothing they started with as their bodies undulated against his.

  “You’re not actually his father are you?” Angela whispered the question to me but Dragon and Serafina heard anyway and laughed.

  I shook my head and moved my chair closer to hers so I could put my arm around her shoulders. “No, I am most definitely not Doyle’s father.”

  Before I could comment further Danarius walked through the front door. I wouldn’t say the club fell silent because the music continued to play, but every supernatural in the building went on high alert. Even the humans seemed to tense with his arrival. Dressed in his tailored business suit it was obvious he didn’t belong in this crowd of people wearing mostly denim, leather, and stretchy knit clothing. He paused just inside the door until he spotted us, then he sauntered over to our table and pulled up a chair.

  “Do you mind?” He addressed Dragon who inclined his head and the vampire sat down. “I was informed that Rook was in here tonight but I hadn’t expected to see you here Dragon, or your lovely mate.” The smile he sent Serafina’s way was full of charm.

  “What do you want Danarius?” Dragon got right to the point with a hard look letting Danarius know he was in no mood to play around. I knew that having his pregnant mate this close to an enemy vampire had to be making his dragon go crazy.

  “Obviously I mean you no harm,” he gestured towards the door, “or I wouldn’t have been able to enter this fine establishment.” He glanced around the room. “It is an interesting place, this Forbidden Fantasies. Perfect for anyone with voyeuristic tendencies. I will have to consider installing screens like these in some of our clubs. The shadows are much more erotic than seeing the full picture.”

  The tension at the table increased and Serafina moved to the chair beside Dragon at the same time that I pulled my arm from behind Angela. Doyle was circling around to get behind Danarius.

  Danarius appeared unconcerned as he kept tabs on all of our movements. After a few moments Danarius met Dragon’s eyes and told him, “I have always thought Travali was a greedy fool. Just look at how he botched everything with you. If not for his greed, he could have been done with you and all of your kind centuries ago. Instead, he gave you the power to defeat him and now that his spell is broken more and more supernatural groups are joining your United Clans.”

  “Then why do you follow him?” Dragon asked. “Surely you have the power to break his leash.”

  Danarius shook his head. “I am the puppet he wished you to become.” When Dragon only stared at him in disbelief he added, “My sire has been forgoing fresh blood for too long. Only if I did the same would I be able to break his hold over me, and that is a choice I will not make.”

  The fact that Danarius was powerful enough to be second in command without forgoing fresh blood spoke volumes. It also indicated that he must have had some psychic abilities before he was changed into a vampire. Most vampires had to forgo fresh blood on a regular basis to gain the psychic powers necessary to move up in their ranks.

  Dragon leaned back and tilted his head to the side studying the vampire in front of him. “Say I believe you. Why are you here?”

  “Travali has finally gone too far and he must be stopped. He has forbidden me to speak of his location or his plans but I believe I have found a way to lead you to him.”

  “How do we know we can trust you?” I asked him.

  Danarius turned to me and his eyes flashed black before returning to brown. “You don’t, and you can’t. The kitten will still suffer and I have already contacted some of your brethren regarding the discovery of a conduit.” Angela tensed beside me and his eyes flicked to hers then back to mine.

  After a strained moment when I wanted to slaughter him and every vampire under his command, he refocused on Dragon and said, “We are not friends and I am not naive enough to think we could even be allies. For now though, we must work together to put an end to Travali’s madness. Perhaps once he is out of the picture we can behave like businessmen and another truce might be possible. I’m sure you’d like to see an end to the bodies being dumped behind your
resort.”

  “There will be no truce until Travali is dead by my hand and Ivanna has been made to suffer for her part in my mate’s abduction,” Dragon told Danarius, then added, “You should also know that I consider Angela and Rachel to be part of my family as my Guardian’s mate and her child.”

  “I will see what I can do to help with Travali and Ivanna but your Guardian challenged me in a very public setting. We both know I cannot let that slide.” With that Danarius rose from his chair and straightened his suit jacket. “When the time comes you will understand my concerns about Travali and where my hands are tied, yours will not be. Be prepared to act, for all our futures will depend on your ability to triumph.”

  Danarius left after that cryptic warning and everyone seemed to take a deep breath.

  “I should have just killed him when I had the chance at Kaleb’s. It would have been so easy while he was frozen in place.”

  “You wouldn’t have been able to live with yourself if you had murdered him in cold blood,” Dragon tried to sooth my anger. “Not to mention, your Elders would frown upon using your powers to end a life for any reason other than self-defense.”

  “I know all that, but if I had taken care of him then, Angela and Rachel wouldn’t be in danger now.”

  Sometimes I wished I could be as ruthless as our enemies would be in my place.

  “Hey,” Angela said quietly as she reached out and touched my arm. “I trust you to keep me and Rachel safe, and if you were able to murder a defenseless man while you held him frozen in time, then you wouldn’t be the kind of man I want to be with.”

  I looked into her eyes, so beautiful, like ice blue diamonds, and knew she was right. But knowing that did nothing to ease the ache I felt in my chest. I pulled her onto my lap and held her close to my heart while I smoothed my hand over her hair. What would I do if I lost her now?

  “I’m not going anywhere Rook,” she murmured.

  I just held on tighter. She didn’t understand the danger she was in. Most time demons fell on the side of good, but many of them were truly evil at heart. Only the Elders kept them in line. If they thought Angela could help them defeat the Elders then they would stop at nothing to have her.