by C. L. Quinn
Placing Cairine back on the floor, Xavier surged forward in his typical fashion like a bulldozer.
Margot touched Cairine’s hand briefly and kissed her on the cheek. “Hi, little one. This looks like quite the party.”
“Everyone is happy to be together again. Thanks for coming Aunt Margot.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for anything. Just getting out of Paris for a while is awesome. You know I always love to come and see you guys. It makes my mate have to behave and I get a kick out of watching him struggle to do it! I understand we’re going to have some entertainment tonight.”
“We’ve all been working on some music, with a few extras. Just to entertain you guys and maybe show off some. I think you’ll love it.”
“I know we will.”
“Music? Not that new rap stuff, eh?” Xavier scooped a donut off Mac’s plate. “I never got that.”
Margot twisted up her nose. “New?”
“No. It’s old, old classic stuff. From like fifty years ago,” Mac answered, his eyes on the donut. “That was the last icing-filled one, Uncle X.”
“Sorry, lad. Scoot over.”
Margot hugged Cairine. “I guess we’re sitting here, sweetheart. Scooch, sweetie.”
Dinner wound down after an hour and Tamesine moved to the front of the dining room. “Everyone, we’re meeting in the circle on the beach. I’m looking forward to the entertainment. About an hour, kids?”
Several heads bobbed in acknowledgment. Tamesine nodded back. “Good. We can’t wait.”
The hour passed quickly, and afterward, satiated members of the household slowly made their way to the beautifully lit beach where a large circle of curved benches with thick cushions waited to easily hold everyone. In the center where they would usually have a fire, someone had covered the fire-pit with a raised stage that now held two benches similar to those around the fire-pit, and a variety of musical instruments lying on the deck or perched against a railing along the back. Strings of candlelit lanterns circled the entire area, the glow soft and welcoming.
Once the cushions were filled with comfortably lounging people, trays of snacks and drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, set nearby, Cairine led the other nine performers onto the small stage.
“We have all been practicing for the past six months to bring you a combination of music and lights. We want to show our appreciation for all that you have done for us and all that we know you’ll do in the future. First up, a special number for Eillia and Daniel by Mac and Caed.”
Caedmon moved forward on the stage while the others stepped off, and Mac carried a guitar and wood recorder to the bench. Carefully lowering himself, Caedmon reached for the guitar as Mac sat beside him.
Caedmon addressed the audience. “This is a request by my mother for my father. The song touched her heart over 25 years ago. I remember her often humming it after she put me in bed. It was sung then by an awesome singer called Josh Groban, but I think I do okay.”
He began to strum the guitar, and several long seconds later, Mac lifted the recorder to his lips and started the melody. After humming along, Caedmon’s deep voice synced beautifully with the music.
“When I am down, and, oh, my soul, so weary. When trouble comes, and my heart burdened be. Then, I am still and wait in the silence. Until you come and sit a while with me…”
Her hands in Daniel’s lap, tears slid down Eillia’s candlelit cheeks. “His voice is so beautiful,” she said, her lips to his ear.
“He gets it from you,” Daniel commented, and pulled her closer. There had been a lot of pain over the years, their son’s unexplainable illness enough to make even a thousand year old vampire worry about the possibility of his death. Luckily, his symptoms had advanced so slowly, there was reason to believe that he would make it to maturity and that his vampire DNA would fix this. No one knew anything with any certainty, but lately, they had reason to hope.
A soft crackling overhead brought everyone’s eyes up as the air around the stage began to sparkle. The audience’s eyes went immediately to the collected group of emerging talents standing around the stage, their own eyes cast up into the dark.
When the sparks began to twist and create complicated shapes above the two performer’s heads, the sophistication of the talent became immediately apparent. This was a much more elaborate, controlled display than the ones the children had performed in the past. It showed how far their skills had progressed, and that they were all talented artists. Changing images and moving scenes marched across the perfect canvas of the nighttime sky. At one point, water drawn from the sea moved fluidly through the patterns to create an even more miraculous cascade of shapes, all moving to the gentle cadence of the song.
“Wow.” The word scattered through the group of onlookers as the patterns widened to encase most of the visible dome over their heads. Seamlessly, other performers joined the two young men, the songs changed, the instruments on stage grew from two to six, voices added to the performance, until all ten were actively performing music and aerial magic.
A crescendo of fireworks blew upward as high as they could see as the performance climaxed, all ten now standing, their hands clasped as they stood in a curved arc, and finished with a flourish of glittering explosions that moved through the sky lightning fast, the remaining sparks in the sky stopping to flicker like a million candlelights to slowly fade away.
No one spoke or moved for several long seconds. A single handclap began a wave and soon, united once more, the performers on stage bowed, hands clasped again, their smiles bright as they watched the people they loved celebrate their talent.
“Bravo, bravo,” Xavier yelled, his deep voice over-loud, but no one minded.
This was indeed a perfect night.
It had been overwhelming for Shani, so many people, so many emotions, and although they were beautiful, loving, happy feelings, they felt like an assault. After the music was finished and everyone gathered to mingle, she slipped away as she had done that morning. Tired, but pleasingly so, she wandered the same stretch of beach she had walked on, the path now familiar, the moon just rising at the edge of the sea. Balmy air blew her loose hair back and lifted her chiffon skirt tied around bikini bottoms. Its matching halter top lifted her breasts and slipped sensuously against her skin as she moved.
Her mind went back to the man she’d met on the beach earlier. Met. That wasn’t exactly the right word. As she’d napped on the sand this afternoon, fractured memories came, moments from many years ago, and in them, she saw the man.
He looked the same then, although it seemed his hair was longer, and he might be more hard-edged now. She remembered when he’d picked her up to bring her back to join the group of children playing in the great room upstairs. Even as a child, she’d been overwhelmed sometimes, and found that putting some distance between herself and her friends would help.
The big man had been gentle, held her like she was precious, and for some reason, in the dream, she’d remembered an overwhelming sense of warmth. And his eyes.
Now, all these years later, it was his eyes that haunted her as she woke from those dreams. Try as she would, she couldn’t seem to get him off her mind.
She’d asked Cairine about him this evening. “That man, Rodney, has he always been here with you?”
Busy dressing, Cairine had nodded. “Yes. Well, mostly. I remember when my grandfather brought him home. He’d told us that when they were all sleeping during the daylight, that this man was who we would seek if we needed anything. So, yes, Rodney has almost always been there. Fia, Bryson, and I used to call him Lancelot, because he often stood next to Koen on the balcony, sort of like we imagined Lancelot stood next to King Arthur. He would stand on that balcony and watch over us when we played on the beach. I don’t think he knew that we knew that he was always there. But he made us feel safe.”
The simple admission had made Rodney’s ghostly presence even more intriguing. After she’d awakened and decided to get her shower, she’d und
ressed and as she’d stepped under the pulsing waterfall, unbidden, she’d imagined him stepping in beside her, naked, wet, beautiful…
Shani shook her head and held her hair up on top of her head. “Stop it, girl. God, your father would kill you if he knew what you were thinking!”
Distracted, she turned toward the surf and slipped her sandals off to pitch them further up onto the sand.
“You need a good cool-off.”
The water curled around her ankles and tugged at the tail of her wrap. Pushing the water around with her toes, she waded deeper, her eyes on the white light spreading across rolling water as the moon continued its climb. Moonlight on the sea fascinated her. It occurred to her that she might like to relocate here sometime soon, maybe build a small house down the hill and stay close to her friends. In a few years, as she and her siblings hit the end of their human years, it would be time to consider what they wanted to do with their lives. Shani knew that none of them wanted to stay in the community in Zambia indefinitely. The combination of their destiny and the heavy expectation loomed, but not yet, and hopefully not soon. All had expressed the desire to live out in the world before they came together to meet their mission someday.
The water was still cool, the early spring just now warming the coast, so when her toes felt cold, Shani headed back out of the water. A sharp pain on the sole of her right foot struck suddenly.
“Ow!” Dropping down, Shani reached for the foot, barely illuminated by the rising moon, and plucked something sharp-edged from where it had buried itself just below her toes. “Ahhh…”
She glanced back toward the glowing lights some distance away and groaned.
“Shit!” she whispered. It was going to be a long trek on an injured foot. Attempting to stand, she had trouble balancing as she tried to keep her weight on her left foot.
Suddenly, that warmth she felt last night came to her and she looked up toward the cliffs behind her. Rodney was making his way down toward her, moving quickly.
“What happened? I heard you call out.”
“Um, yeah, I cut my foot.”
Taking over instantly, Rodney lifted her in his arms and moved her up the beach away from the reaching surf. Gently, he lowered her to the sand and moved around in front of her to search both her feet, keeping her right one in his hand. “That’s pretty deep.”
Pulling something from his pocket, he wrapped a dark-colored fabric around the foot and tied it on top. His eyes lifted to Shani’s.
Neither spoke. It shouldn’t have been awkward, but it was. Rodney glanced up the beach. “I’ll carry you home. Here, just put your arms around my neck.”
Her breath caught as he lifted her again and she pulled herself close to his chest. She could feel his heart beating fast and hard under his vest. Once again, he wore no shirt.
It was his scent that permeated her mind now. God, he smelled delicious! This close to him, in physical contact, she knew that he was having some difficulty being so close to her. This man was struggling with his own emotions. He was attracted to her as much as she was attracted to him.
Should she mention it? No, probably not. Right?
Without thinking about it, she curled her fingers around the back of his neck, sliding up into his hair. His breath came harder and he looked at her.
“You shouldn’t do that,” he said suddenly.
“Does it bother you?”
He didn’t answer, but his eyes moved away from her abruptly.
Feeling a sense of power, Shani moved one of her hands down to slide along the edge of his vest. “You don’t wear a shirt with this. Do you ever?”
“No. It’s warm here, I don’t need one.”
Shani slipped her fingers beneath the leather. “No, I agree, you shouldn’t wear one.”
“Shani, please don’t do that. I’m your protector, and that isn’t appropriate.”
Now, emboldened, she leaned in and nipped his cheek. “I can’t seem to stop myself.”
Stopping suddenly, Rodney’s eyes locked on hers, he shook his head. “Yes, you can. I know you’re an empath, and you can feel my reaction to you. You’re playing, I get that. But you’ll learn soon, it isn’t wise to play with a man’s emotions. I’m taking you to the villa, and then leaving you with someone to clean your wound and bind it. That’s all that’s going to happen.” He paused, then spoke again on a sigh. “I’ve known you since you were a little girl.”
She moved her hand back to his neck. He was right, she knew that. And all it did was make her want to stop him, pull him down on the sand, and take that vest off him.
Shani let her eyes move toward their destination. “You have noticed that I’m not a little girl anymore.”
Rodney did not respond.
Later, relaxed, retired to the dining room again for delectable desserts made just for this occasion, the praise continued. At one point, Koen stood on one of the tabletops, a brass cup in his hand, raised toward the high ceiling.
“This is one of my favorite days in my life. The newest generation of our race, talented, beautiful, destined for greatness, all gathered together to show us that the future of this world, in their capable hands, is safe. Thank you all for such a fine concert. We are humbled in your presence.”
Cairine stood. “We want everyone here to know that you are our world, and no matter how far this weird destiny we have takes us, we will always come home to France and Africa. We are family forever, all of us, children of the sun and children of the moon, for always.”
Several arms shot into the air in solidarity, and voices raised in hearty agreement.
The door to the dining room was always open when they were dining, in welcome to anyone who wandered in. Everyone looked up as Tamesine came through after she received a call on her phone earlier.
“Everybody, I’ve just talked with Luka. There’s a problem in Patagonia. Ten of the Totem children have disappeared. He wants to know if we can come and help the community in their search.”
“How long have they been missing?” Park asked.
“Four days. At first, they thought that they were just running. All of them have their full ability now to morph into their animal spirits, and they went out together into the rain forest. Luka says that they would have checked in by now, though, and they’ve searched everywhere. They can’t find them, and they’re worried that something might have happened to them. They’re afraid the kids are in danger.”
With a deep sigh, Koen shook his head. “Here we go again.”
“It isn’t the society, they’re long dead, right?” Xavier still grazed on his chocolate cake.
Tamesine continued into the room. “They are. Hence the twenty years of peace. But we always knew that as technology continues to make this world a smaller, less private place, we might be facing detection again. Patagonia is still quite remote, but it’s a hot bed for supernaturals. We can go when we rise tomorrow night.”
Eras pushed out of his seat. “We’d like to come and help.”
Koen shook his head. “Thank you, young man, but it might be dangerous. It’s best that all of you stay here.”
“We need to get out into the world someday, Grandfather.” Cairine stood just two places away from Eras, and as she finished, she noticed that the others in their group stood as well. “I think all of us would like to help. And we can search in daylight when you can’t. Please, take us with you. None of us have ever been out of France or Africa.”
“We’re ready, mom. We’ve been training, and with all ten of us together, we can really help.” Fia flexed her fingers, and glanced at her brother, who grinned.
“You’re more than ready, Fee,” Bryson laughed.
“Maybe. But we can be of great aid in finding these missing kids.”
Quiet for several moments, Tamesine kept her eyes on Marc, who had remained seated and out of the conversation. But she noticed a slight shake of his head as he bent to scoop up a cookie.
“No, kids, I’m sorry. We’ll take you al
l on a trip soon, show the world off to you now that you’re all old enough to appreciate its beauty and its hazards. But this is something for the vampires. Besides, you’ve only just started your visitation. Stay, enjoy each other.”
Glancing at Koen and Xavier, she nodded. “I’m going. Who wants to join me?”
Marc didn’t respond. He wasn’t first blood and Tamesine preferred he stay out of danger. He was okay with that, he’d had enough of psychotic humans who wanted to imprison or kill supernaturals.
Eillia would stay to protect Koen’s home, and Park, with her medical responsibilities, rarely left her villa, so they were also comfortable with staying behind. Even though they’d enjoyed twenty years of peace, the vampires never left less than one first blood in each villa for security.
Tamesine’s eyes moved to Koen and Xavier. She didn’t even need to ask, she knew they would be beside her. Daniel raised a hand. “I may not be the most powerful of the lot, but I’d like to go. I’ve spent time in Patagonia, and I may be helpful.”
A single nod let him know that he was welcome. Daniel glanced to his mate. Eillia’s raised eyebrows showed she was surprised.
Shrugging, Daniel leaned in to kiss her. “You know about those days.”
Nodding, her lips soft in understanding, Eillia touched his cheek. “I do. I’m fine with it. Your doxie is likely gone by now anyway.”
“Hardly. But she would be old enough to be my mother.”
“I’m good with that.”
Daniel laughed and picked up Eillia’s plate. “And on that note, I’ll get your dessert.”
Tamesine moved toward the table. “Okay. We’re too close to daylight to leave tonight. At rising?”
Koen nodded. “I’ll contact my pilot.”
As he slid his cell phone from his pocket, he turned toward the buffet table to refill his own plate. Koen, or none of the other vampires, noticed glances go around the room from one young person to the next.
