Days of Innocence (The Firsts Book 13)

by C. L. Quinn

  “Cairine will be overjoyed to have a sister.”

  “Mac will roll his eyes.”

  “I know. He wanted a baby brother when he was six. I wonder if he still does.”

  Bas kissed Park’s belly. “We’ll work on that next.”

  Rodney made sure his firearms were ready, Koen watched his daughter, who seemed too calm in light of the fact that Cairine was in danger, and Tamesine sat with her head laid back against her seat, her eyes closed. Xavier had a full tray of nachos in front of him, even though his plane was landing.

  It had been a strange month. He’d been warned that changes were coming again, and soon. Koen still maintained that changes scared the shit out of him. For the past twenty years, his family and friends had enjoyed calm, perfect lives, conflict-free nights, peaceful, loving days. The children had bloomed, and their relationships had grown stronger and deeper.

  Then this. An event that reminded him of the awful years with the SRS and its factions. He knew that the future held unprecedented danger and challenges, so each of these days were precious. And it seemed that those wonderful, easy-going days were over.

  “Adapt or die,” he whispered to himself. He dropped his head back just as Tamesine had. Just keep Cairine safe, my universal friends.

  The intercom squawked. “We’re on the ground, sir,” the pilot advised.

  “All right.” His seat belt already off, Xavier stood and stretched. “Who’s in for a good fight and a lusty drink afterward?”

  “Lusty?” Tamesine asked, her usual amusement with Xavier apparent. Since their adventure in New York years ago, Tamesine and Xavier had developed a close friendship. It still made Koen shake his head at the unlikely bond.

  “Aye, lass, I’ve a serious lust for the stuff, but ya already know that. Me mate makes me lay off it most nights. She’s not wrong, but every once in a while, a man’s gotta be a man.”

  “Well, I’m in. Let’s go get our girl.”

  Tamesine watched as Bas let Park out of her seat. Her eyes moved over Park before she walked up to her and touched her arm. “How are you feeling?”

  “Fine. I’m worried about Cari, but I know she’s resourceful and I probably shouldn’t.”

  “I don’t mean your daughter. That one anyway.”

  Park pulled back, surprised. “You know?”

  “I do. No one else does. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. Um. And I feel okay. Tired, as you know.”

  “Cairine will be thrilled. Let’s go tell her.”

  Tamesine took Park’s arm and the women walked off the plane together.

  Rodney looked at Koen. “How are we going to contain this one?”

  They both looked at Shani, who’d risen from her seat.

  “Are you kidding? She comes. I’ve given up on trying to restrain the unrestrainable. As I said earlier, the earth has opened up her doors for our children, and we must smile and step back as they walk through. Shani, just, do me a favor and stay safe. I don’t feature trying to explain to Ahmose how you got kidnapped or hurt by this nutcase.”

  “Have faith, Koen. All I want is to make sure Cairine comes home safely. And Su’ad, of course.”

  “Take off then.”

  Shani headed down the aisle, as Koen grabbed Rodney’s arm. “Keep an eye on her.”

  “I promise I will, sir.”

  INSIDE ISIAH’S ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOME

  Isiah had been gone for two hours. Asleep, Cairine imagined, hoped. Smiling, she focused on her task. Sparks crackled and moved from fingertip to fingertip, heating the duct tape he’d used to secure her hands, weakening them enough that, within half an hour, she freed her fingers.

  That was all she needed. The sparks swirled, loose, spinning, her magic ramped up. Within minutes, the handcuffs that held her to the rails on the bed dropped to the floor with soft satisfying chinks.

  Moving quickly from the room, she entered a long hallway that presented three closed doors. This would have been a nice time to have had some telepathic ability, but it had never developed. With great care, she opened the first door, hoping it was where he held Su’ad, but it was empty.

  The second door opened to a room with a chair in the center, cameras and computers surrounding it. He would have moved her there next had he felt he could control her. It was obvious he knew that he couldn’t yet.

  Wise, she thought. He would never have been able to control her without the threat to the Totem child. And that threat would end as soon as she found Su’ad.

  The third room was empty too. Standing silently in the center, she made the decision to continue. Now, free, if she caught him without a weapon, she would force him to reveal her whereabouts, secure him, and have Rodney come to wipe him. In spite of her threat to kill him, she didn’t want to if there was any other way. But if she couldn’t ensure that he was no danger to anyone else again, then she could do what she must do. Letting him live to threaten her people again was not an option. History had proven what a mistake that was.

  As she moved from the hallway into a large living area, she noticed a second hallway coming off the other side of the house. Another set of rooms, she thought.

  It was a big house, with floor-to-ceiling windows along the front. Wandering up to the windows, she looked out over mountaintops and a deep valley. The night sky filled with reflecting white clouds illuminated by a nearly full moon created a magical landscape.

  Oh, she loved that view. Perhaps she would consider returning here to the Rocky Mountains someday.

  Her eyes moved through the moonlit interior. Okay, the second set of rooms. She approached the first door in the second hallway and heard loud snoring. Stepping away, she continued to the next, and when she opened the door, she sighed in relief. A small bundle lay balled up in the bed, the covers off on the floor, wild dark hair spread across the pillow.

  Su’ad’s eyes opened as soon as Cairine reached the bed. “Hey, sweetie. Want to get out of here?”

  “Yes, please,” Su’ad whispered back. Tears slipped from her eyes as Cairine waved her hands over the silver cuffs and caught them before they rattled.

  “He’s just next door,” she whispered.

  Nodding, the girl followed Cairine from the room. Once back in the living area, Cairine led her outside. The night air was cool, but not cold. She turned to Su’ad.

  “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  “No. I was terrified though, for you. He came in twice and said that you were the real deal, and that he would make you reveal yourself no matter what. He is a bad man.”

  “I agree. I’m going to go back in and secure him, but I need to make certain that you remain safe. Su’ad, I want you to change into your animal form. You’re a cat, aren’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  Cairine noticed the feline purr in her voice, the drawn out “s” like Kalia used. “Good. Hide, but stay near and wait for me. Once he’s contained, I’ll come for you.”

  “Be careful with him, he’s sneaky.”

  “I will be.”

  Re-entering the house, Cairine looked around. There was no evidence of anyone else in the residence, so this should be simple.

  Moments later, standing over his bed, Cairine bent over and whispered in his ear. “Time for the Ghost of Christmas Past.”

  When Isiah woke, she had moved to the foot of his bed, arms folded, and leaned in. “Boo.”

  Isiah shot upright, his intention to reach for the drawer of his nightstand, but his hands were cuffed to the posts of his bed.

  “Looking for this?”

  The drawer was empty and he turned to her. His beautiful captive held his gun in her hand, waving it back and forth. He was dead, he knew it.

  His voice wavered. “Make it quick.”

  “Ha! If I were to punish you, I wouldn’t make it quick. You’ve a lot to atone for, not that you ever would. Even now, I know you feel no remorse at what you’ve done. Who you’ve hurt. But unlike you, I don’t have a greedy, vengeful nature.
Don’t mistake that, though, for weakness. I still intend that you pay for your actions.”

  “I have no response to that.”

  “God, you’re empty! Where’s a phone?”

  “Search for it.”

  “Well, now that you’ve done all that you can do, you’re out.” Cairine walked back to kneel beside the bed after she held up a syringe. “This will look familiar, but you won’t exactly know how it feels. Let me apprise you. It feels like a theft of self. An ultimate loss of ability to protect yourself. In your case, it’s karma.”

  The sedative administered, Cairine left the room, the door closed firmly, and sighed. This was nearly over.

  Stepping out the front door, she scanned the area but didn’t see the girl. Good, she’d told her to hide. “Su’ad?”

  Long seconds ticked by before she heard rustling in the brush that surrounded the house. A small sleek black panther walked up to Cairine, stopped, its tail twitching, its eyes almost hypnotic. She recognized them.

  “Come back in, he’s neutralized.”

  Moving to the edge of the step, Cairine waited for the gorgeous cat to pass, then followed her, the door closed and locked.

  “You may change back if you’d like. Would you mind if I watched? If you’d rather I don’t, I can go into another room.”

  The cat lowered its head, but did not seem upset. Was that a yes? The next few seconds showed that it was.

  The cat’s body wavered, the fur moved along the center of the body, the tail flipped angrily. Slowly, the cat slid down onto the floor in a stretching pose, the front legs out, the back end up, and the body form began to morph. The change was easy, no bones cracking or breaking in the reformation from feline to human. The velvet black fur lightened in color, then seemed to recede back into smooth unmarred chocolate skin. As she raised her face, the last to change completely back to normal, her eyes glowed with amber fire. Finally, she pushed herself off the cool hardwood floor and stood, naked, her arms wrapped around her torso for warmth.

  Cairine laughed. “You still have whiskers!”

  “I’m still learning the fine points.”

  “You’re stunning. Thank you for letting me see you change. The process is pure magic.”

  “It is. My people tell me that we must remain hidden, though.”

  “I’m afraid they’re right. Vampires have the same need. It’s for privacy and protection, none of which you would ever have again if the human beings learned of it. You’re shivering.”

  “My dress is on the side of the house.”

  “I’ll get it.”

  Once Su’ad was wrapped in a blanket, curled up on one end of a large wraparound sofa, her damp dress by a dying fire to dry, Cairine looked around the living room, and finally found a cell phone in the kitchen. She carried it out, used magic to unlock it, and dialed a number.

  “Eras! Su’ad and I are okay. We’re in Colorado in the mountains. It’s fantastic here.”

  Cairine put the phone on speaker so that Su’ad could hear the collected voices of excitement as Eras did the same.

  “Hear that?” he asked. “Everyone is thrilled. Your parents are on the way to you right now. That man’s nephew thought that was where he’d take you. I guess he was right. They should arrive soon.”

  As if on cue, the front door swung open. Cairine and Su’ad waited breathlessly until Park and Bas came through the door along with Xavier. Koen stood sentry as soon as he saw Cairine free and well. He waited his turn as he sent a silent thank you to the powers-that-be for this blessing.

  Smiling, Cairine ran to her father. “The cavalry!”

  Pulled into a tight embrace, Bas picked her up and held her close, her feet dangling much as they had when she was a little girl with pigtails. “Thank God,” he whispered into her ear.

  “I’m okay. We’re both okay.” Her eyes went to Su’ad, who had the cell phone to her ear, eyes streaming. She was talking with her mother, joy and relief beaming from her after so much fear.

  Park tapped Bas and he lowered his daughter so she could go into her mother’s waiting arms.

  “You’re grounded until you’re three hundred and fifty years old,” Park told her.

  Koen encircled both his daughter and granddaughter in a massive bear hug, growling the entire time. “Neither of you are getting out of my sight for the next thousand, how about that!”

  Shani followed Rodney into the house as he surveyed the large room for any threat, her eyes moist. “Everyone’s okay.”

  “They are. It appears that lady fortune was with us this time.”

  “And no battle.”

  “Yes, no battle. But we still have a bad guy to deal with.” Always in protective mode, he assessed the scene, particularly Shani’s position, and slowly moved into the adjacent room. Satisfied it was secure, he moved back to the main room. “Cari, where is Hollinger?”

  “He’s handcuffed to his bed, down that hallway, first door on the left. He’s sedated.”

  “That’s me girl!” Xavier wandered over to the sofa, his eyes on his niece, his hand sliding across Su’ad’s hair as she laid the cell phone on the side table. “No rescue party needed here. Ya slayed the dragon, Cari, and saved the damsel.” He squatted and addressed Su’ad. “Ya okay, little one?”

  “Yes, sir, I am fine.”

  “Ya ready to go home?”

  Tears welled again as she nodded.

  “Then let’s wipe this motherfu… This bad man, and get in the sky. The sun will arrive soon, aye?”

  Koen bent and kissed Cairine on the forehead before he pulled her forehead forward until it touched his. They stayed that way for several moments, then he stood upright. “This is my duty. I’ll be right back.”

  As Koen disappeared into the hallway, Xavier on his heels, Rodney followed them.

  “What’s he going to do with him?” Su’ad asked.

  Park moved to her and knelt. “That man is my father, and he understands justice. The man who took you did a horrible thing by taking you from your family, and my father is going to make sure he never does that again to anyone.”

  “Good.”

  Twenty minutes later, Koen and Xavier came back into the room. “Done. The man is no threat to anyone. Rodney’s checked the remainder of the house and it’s secure.”

  “Did you…I mean…”

  “No, there’s no need for that, Cairine. We use our talents to purge minds and redesign reality for certain people who need it.” Koen smiled. “That man who prided himself on his power, on his intelligence, and wealth, will now know only hard work and humility. He’s going to spend the rest of his life in Haiti building houses for the homeless. He no longer has any obsessions at all. Not food, not sex, not material things. It will be good for his rotten soul.”

  “Thank you, Grandfather. We couldn’t let him go with the smattering of knowledge he had. He would pursue it and cause more trouble.”

  “He has none now. His memory of what we are and who he was is gone. His nephew just inherited a fortune.”

  “Hmmm.” Cairine looked around the vaulted ceiling, the view, the modern furniture in this mountain retreat.

  “Lucky boy.” She would love to live here.

  Bas slipped his hands over his mate’s shoulders, grateful that this was over. “Shall we go home?”

  “Oh, yeah, Father. Yeah,” Cairine agreed.

  Moving to the entrance, Rodney once again chose to remain in his position as guard dog. Shani smiled to herself, her eyes lowered. He was a noble man. Too noble, since he refused to consider her advances. He’d find, soon, that he, too, had no choice. This journey had proven to her that he was what she wanted.

  She followed him toward the door when her head spun, a sense arriving, emotions, adrenaline, fear, aggression. A group of men, nearby…with weapons!

  It happened in slow motion for Shani as she realized that Rodney, his hand on the doorknob, would be walking into a barrage of gunfire. Instantly, she called out to him, raced forward,
and shoved him out of the way as the door suddenly crashed open.

  All she felt was relief that he had lost his balance when she pushed him, was clear of the immediate danger, then only explosive pain as she lost consciousness. She knew, though, before she hit the ground, that she had taken the hits directly. Her empathic sense on overload, her connection to the universe…she could feel it…she was dying.

  Rodney had crashed into the wall just as percussive explosions rocked the air. He knew immediately what it was; automatic rifles fired at close range. His first thought was that he had to get his gun up and get between Shani, Cairine, and the girl. The vampires would survive bullets, the young women would not.

  It couldn’t have taken more than a split-second to recover his balance, but it was enough time that, when he started forward to shield Shani, he saw her small body jerk over and over as it took the hits.

  “No!” He raced in front of her to protect her from any additional strikes, but by then, it was over. The vampires had stopped the team of six shooters prepared to burst into the room and kill everyone in their sights. They lay unconscious on the ground and just inside the doorway.

  The silence destroyed him because he hadn’t made it in front of her in time. Rodney dropped onto his knees to look at Shani’s damage. It was too late to take the bullets for her. He could see at least four wounds, all bleeding heavily, any one of them potentially fatal.

  Park was already beside Shani, her wrist ripped and held to Shani’s mouth.

  “We need to get her to a hospital,” Park yelled.

  Bas already had the keys to the SUV they’d commandeered at the airport in his hand as Koen moved in to pick up Shani. “Rodney, watch Cairine and the child.”

  “I have to go with her.” Tears coursed down Rodney’s cheeks as his voice broke. Park could feel the intensity of his pain. Rodney and Shani? She didn’t know, but she could see the love and fear in his eyes.

  Park looked up. “Xavier, stay with the girls.” She took Rodney’s hand and led him out of the house into the dark.

  Waiting in the car, Koen gently held Shani, her body resting on his lap. Rodney got in the other side of the car and slipped beneath her to hold her head.