"So we are psychic now."
"Yes. The bond worked quickly for us. It would get stronger if we continued...” another flash, them tangled in the sheets, her legs up high.
"Oh. Then we could read each other's minds?"
"In a way. It is nonverbal. Some couples make up their own nonverbal language. They can't actually talk. Images and feelings come through, but not actual words."
The way he said the last words, in a deep husky voice, sent a thrill down her spine. Moisture rushed between her legs and she squirmed on the seat.
Vare snapped his head toward her, nostrils flaring.
"Go,” he ordered. “Go now or I will take you here, in full view. And think about accepting the bites."
Darlene fled to the house shocked by his solution.
Vare sagged against the cushioned seat, forcing his body to go limp, though every instinct screamed to run after her, throw her over his shoulder and keep her in his room all night.
He hadn't been such a fool since his human youth, giving into temptation last night, over and over. He shuddered with desire just thinking about it. That's what I get for living like a monk to keep life uncomplicated. I get thrown together with one sexy woman, and I act like a sex crazed boy. Over and over
He had to give her a chance to stay in her own world...another few days of his unbridled desires and the bond would be too hard to break. Already the bond was pulling at him to go comfort her, slide his arms around her softness. Sink into her.
Vare slipped quietly into his office to work on the Clan finances. Numbers were good. Maybe working with them would help him calm down.
Darlene slipped into Brian's room. She would spend the evening with her son, and try to forget about Vare. He didn't want anything to do with her, really.
I don't blame him for wanting to break this weird connection. I'm not his type. I'm...matronly! She shook her head in despair. Could anything be worse than matronly?
A thought flared briefly, of buying a sexy wardrobe and high heels, but it quickly flickered out. High heels made her feet scream in agony. And did they even make sexy clothes in her size? She wouldn't even know where to start looking. J.C. Penney's wouldn't carry anything sexy.
Laura had left a stack of magazines on the bed table, so Darlene flipped through them until she felt drowsy. She leaned her head back against the chair and slept.
Laura woke her up. “Oh, sorry. I didn't realize you were napping. The gang is going to the late movie. You're invited but we figured you would want to stay here with your son.” The words sounded innocent, but the wink she gave Darlene was not. “You are good for Vare. He's been alone too long."
Darlene shrugged and tried to smile. “It is so complicated."
"I know. But there is your son. You and Vare will be in each other's lives for a long time to come,” Laura said, with a bright smile at Darlene's confused expression.
Darlene closed her eyes and drifted into a light sleep when a groan jarred her completely awake.
Brian's body stretched stiffly, his face frozen in a grimace of pain. Then his arms and legs twitched involuntarily. The movements got bigger, wilder, and she realized he was having some type of seizure. His body rolled toward the edge of the bed and she held him, not wanting him to fall.
"Vare,” she cried out. She wasn't even sure Vare was in the house. “Oh my God, someone help!"
Vare burst into the room, eyes wide, and she felt such relief her knees went weak. He jumped on the bed, straddling Brian, and tried to restrain his arms. He pulled out a cell and yelled into it. “Jamal, get here now! The boy's rejecting."
Cold horror filled Darlene. She didn't know for sure what that meant, but she could tell it was serious. She tried to grab Brian's free arm but one wild jab hit her and she crashed into the wall.
Brian continued to thrash. Vare held Brian's arms, restraining his movements. “You all right?"
"I'm okay. Just shaken up.” Her jaw ached and her vision took a moment to clear up. “I now know what it feels like to get clocked."
"We'll get you fixed up. You sit."
"No, I'm okay. I can help."
Vare nodded. “There's rope in the utility room off the kitchen. Get that and we'll truss him up. Jamal should be here soon."
She ran and found the rope. Vare quickly tied Brian's hands together and then bound his feet to the bedposts.
"Is it always like this? So violent?"
"This isn't the transformation. This is something rare that sometimes happens."
Darlene sobbed, not a ladylike stream of tears, but ugly choking gasps. Her Brian tied up, perhaps in pain. It wasn't fair.
"I think we can pull him through.” Vare reached out and stroked her jaw where the skin still burned. “He's young. The younger a human is, the less likely they can be changed. That's why there are no vampire infants. The growth process isn't done within your son, even though he is tall. The transformation process is at war with his growth process."
"What can we d-do?"
Vare's fangs descended. “I will feed him.” He sliced his wrist and held it to Brian's mouth, holding Brian's jaw to keep him still. “He'll need a lot of blood."
Darlene helped restrain Brian's head and eventually he began to swallow the blood filling his mouth.
"Good, good. That he is swallowing is a good sign."
"What if he couldn't swallow?"
"I could not save him."
Brian's movements calmed though he still gave involuntary shivers and twitches.
"Jamal was out of town, but he will be here soon. He transported the girl wristling to a clan in Chicago, one with many resources but few members.” Vare slumped down on the bed, and Darlene's eyes widened at how waxen his skin looked. She could feel heavy tiredness, slowness...
"I need to feed."
"Oh. Right” Darlene rushed to his side and held her wrist up.
Vare looked at her a moment and then a smile curved his full lips. “Not from you, sweetheart. It is too soon since I last fed from you. And if I was going to feed from you, I would not be content with your wrist. We will wait for Jamal.” He pulled her down next to him.
Jamal arrived with two beefy young men. She wasn't sure if they were vampires or human, but they were all enormous.
"I called for reinforcements, they will be here in a few moments. Between my crew and yours, we can get him through tonight,” Jamal told Vare.
"Does that mean he will be all right?” Darlene asked.
Vare nodded. “Yes, soon he should transform normally.” He stroked Darlene's arm. “I will feed and then join you."
Darlene sat in the den and closed her eyes as the men offered Brian their wrists. Her son would never live the life she'd dreamed for him. What kind of future would he have? Tears slid down her cheeks.
"I hate that he can't have a normal life,” she sobbed.
Vare joined her and swept her up into his arms. He carried her to his bedroom and sat with her. “Shh, now. His life doesn't have to be a tragedy. Not like those vampires you met at the party. He can go to college, have friends...The clan is like a family. His future is not that dark."
While he spoke he gently threaded a hand through her hair. He rolled her over and rubbed her neck and shoulders with gentle firm strokes. As tired as she was, his touch warmed her and her pussy responded with tiny clenches.
"Mmm.” Vare climbed over her and his mouth moved to her neck where he licked his mark. She could feel his hard length pressing against her bottom.
"I thought we weren't going to do this again,” she said.
"Somehow I thought I could resist you...” Vare groaned into her neck. “Normally I have great self control. With you I have none."
"I want you,” she whispered, “but I'm too tired to move."
"I will take care of you. You just relax and let me."
She glanced back and found him grinning at her, and her mood changed in an instant. “Just lay here?” she asked, skeptical. “How fun will that
be?"
"Oh, we'll manage."
She got a visual flash of her bottom bared and draped over a mound of pillows. It was soon a reality. Vare stripped her, spending endless moments on her nipples. He arranged pillows in the middle of the bed and draped her so her bottom was up in the air.
Darlene was vulnerable, exposed, and she tried to protest. Her butt was not her best body part. Vare laughed and proceeded to kiss and nip her buttocks. One hand snaked under her and found her clit. He rubbed with a firm pressure, which made her whole body jump in shocked delight. She expected a softer touch.
"Vare,” she protested.
"Let me,” he said. “I know it doesn't hurt, I can feel you. You'll come hard."
It didn't hurt at all; his strong fingers sent waves of pleasure just a hair short of pain. Darlene went limp, liquid with pleasure as every smidge of tension fled, leaving only the pleasure of Vare's touch.
Vare pushed into her but didn't move, just pressed there, heavy, his weight and girth reaching pleasure points deep within. His hard caresses had her body twitching and jerking as she gasped for breath.
"Vare,” Darlene panted out as it became more intense. She realized how hard she was going to come. And then she exploded, crying harshly into the sheets. Vare thrust into her, moving her up toward the headboard. Only his braced arm kept her from banging her head. He pounded into her and she could feel his fierce ecstasy. She came again as he roared into her and fangs sank into her neck, not drinking from her but sharing his essence.
Chapter Five
Brian transformed the next night. Vare woke her in the middle of the night from a deep sleep. “He's transforming. I thought you'd like to watch."
Compared to the drama of the night before, the transformation was quite peaceful. Brian, who had returned to the unmoving deep sleep after feeding for a long time last night, suddenly rolled over and curled into a fetal position.
His movements dislodged the covers to reveal his long bony back, covered with the pale skin and golden freckles of a true red head.
"Why is his shirt off?” Darlene asked.
Vare shrugged. “Once in a while a rare type of winged vampire develops, so it is traditional to take off the shirt."
"Wings!” horror shot through her. “But you said he could go to college and lead a fairly normal life!"
"Now don't be upset. It is extremely rare, and I don't have winged ancestry. I doubt that girl who drained him did, either. Wings rarely survive outside a clan."
She nodded, rapidly blinking back tears. Winged vampires. How many more shocking things was she going to learn about her son's new life?
"If something like that had occurred, my clan would care for him."
Darlene was unable to speak through her tight throat.
Brian stretched out and moved his head.
"See? He wakens. All is well.” Vare casually slit his wrist with a fang and placed it over Brian's mouth. Darlene noticed that his wrist was not wounded or scarred from the night before. Brian drank the blood, eyes shut. When he was done, he opened his eyes and looked around.
"Hi, Mom. What's going on?"
It was a long night. Vare explained the situation to Brian. “You cannot be alone with any human, not even your mother. In fact, for the next couple of years, you won't be alone, period, except when you are sleeping. Even one incident, one attack on a human, and the clan will reject you. They will return you to earth. Do you understand?
"If I attack a human the clan will kill me?"
"Yes. You will get no second chance."
Brian nodded, looking big-eyed and solemn. “What will I do all day? I mean night. I can't go outside during the day, right? How will I finish college? I'll have to find a new job, too."
"Your freedom will be greatly curtailed for the next two years, but we will see that you have access to education. After that, you will have clan resources to choose a career or vocation. In the meantime, you will have clan studies that I will provide."
The conversation between them continued for some time.
"What if I don't want to do this? What if I leave, make my own way?"
"Then you will become one of the monsters who deceive humans into giving up their lives, in which case, the hunters will look for you. And if the hunters don't get you, you will eventually land in a protected clan territory, and then clan members like me will return you to earth. Rogue vampires endanger us all."
Brian's eyes flashed with that odd vampire light she'd seen in Vare's eyes, and Darlene caught a glimpse of fang. It was an odd juxtaposition, the features of a vampire melded with the mutinous expression she remembered from Brian's toddler years.
Vare did not react with anger, though. Instead, he smiled with amusement. “Think about this. My clan, Clan O'Kiernan, is extremely wealthy. You will live in luxury all your days, which will be many years longer than any human lives. If you choose to be a fugitive vampire you will be poor and more vulnerable than you can imagine, needing a safe haven during each day. Plus, the times work against drifters now. There are national and even international databases, and vampire hunters know how to use those to target possible vampires. The world is not a safe place for the clanless."
Later that evening, Jamal replaced Vare and Brian went back to sleep. Darlene walked with Vare to his bedroom.
"I'm glad I took a few extra days off work. Staying up and sleeping days...I'm not used to it."
Vare nodded. “I want to talk to you about that. Or are you too tired?"
"No. I'm all right."
"I would like to move Brian to a clan house. It would be much safer for him and for everyone involved."
"What is a clan house?"
"My clan owns a very large house in an isolated area of the northwest. It is far from the city and very private."
"Move him? To a new city? Away from me?” Panic rose in her. I am losing my son any way.
"You can come, too."
"Moving, that's a huge change. I have our home, my job..."
"Everything has changed, Darlene."
She stared at him, eyes wide. “I know everything's changed.” So many changes in such a short time.
For so long it had just been her and Brian. She'd barely ever dated because adding a new man to her life always seemed so complicated. Now she had a vampire son, a vampire lover, a new vampire world. A master vampire in charge.
It was overwhelming.
"I need to go to my house for a while. To think."
"Of course.” Vare spoke slowly, his face serious. “I'll have Ron get your car."
The drive home calmed her down but once home she felt restless. Everything was so ordinary, her brown velveteen couch, the tan recliner that had been her husband's favorite place. There were still a few dishes in her sink, all very ordinary. But life was so far from ordinary now.
Contradictory feelings ran through her, horror for Brian, relief for Brian. Longing for Vare; anger toward Vare. It was exhausting. She could feel Vare in the background, trying to soothe her, which both comforted and made her furious.
The phone rang, and she knew it was Vare.
"Go to sleep. You are too exhausted to think clearly. Go to sleep or I will join you and put you to sleep."
Irritation made her tongue sharp. “Don't you think you can order me around!"
There was dead silence on the other end of the phone. I just snapped at a two hundred year old vampire.
Vare gave an exasperated sigh and she knew she was in love. “Everything will look better after you've rested."
"What are you going to do?"
"Arrange our travel plans. Look over the accounts. Contact clan members around the country. Get personnel to hire more blood crew..."
"Vampires have personnel?"
"We are quite modern."
She giggled. “Human resources. Hey, that's my job department."
Suddenly everything seemed all right—vampires, Brian, Vare. “I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed and sleep ten hours."
>
Vare chuckled as she said good night, and she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
Urgency, anger, frustration flashes roiled through her waking her from a sound sleep. Vare. Something's wrong.
The phone rang and she jumped. She snatched up the receiver.
"Darlene, get out of the house right now. Just throw on some clothes and drive away."
"Brian?"
"It is important that you do just what I say. Brian has escaped, he will probably return home."
"Brian escaped? How did that happen?"
"No time now to find out. You cannot be alone with him. He is too young and impulsive."
"Brian wouldn't hurt me. I'm his mother."
"He wouldn't mean to hurt you. Now get in the car and drive back here."
"But what about Brian?"
"Darlene, we've talked about this. He has gone through an enormous transformation. Leave the house."
She felt his resolve. “Oh, no. You are going to kill him. No!"
"Not unless he has attacked someone. If we can find him..."
"I can help you find him. I know where he goes, who his friends are.” Darlene pulled on a pair of sweats and stepped into flip-flops. “His best friend works at the movie theater on Wallace. He might go there to meet Chad."
Darlene rushed to her car half expecting to see her son, but it was a typical quiet night in her neighborhood. She sped to the movie theater and parked illegally near the entrance. Chad was serving popcorn in the lobby. “Chad, have you heard from Brian tonight?"
"No, Mrs. Maxwell. I haven't seen him since Friday. What, did you ground him?'
"Something like that.” She scribbled her cell phone number on a napkin. “Call me the minute you see him, if he shows up. This is an emergency."
Back in the car she saw Vare pull up in a sporty two door. A van followed him.
Think! Brian wasn't a bad kid, not really. He cared deeply for his friends. Maybe he thought he had to do something important.
"Does he have a girlfriend? Most of the time they try to find their girlfriends,” Vare said.
"Not really.” Then it hit her. “Oh my God. I know where he's going. Follow me."
Single Mom, Vampire Lover Page 4
