Days of Innocence

by C. L. Quinn

  He was more than their boss. They always performed exactly as he requested and expected, their dedication and loyalty to him unwavering, and each man knew that Rodney held the same deep attachment and devotion to them. For this reason, he knew that his kids were safe, as long as they could get to them in time.

  Didn’t stop him from staring out the big window at passing clouds and worrying. Didn’t stop him from seeing big brown eyes burned into his mind. But something needed to.

  He’d known her since she was a little girl, and even now, all these years later, she was too young for him. Not to mention that she was in his protection, and the child of a particularly serious, extremely large and somewhat volatile first blood vampire. Ahmose would not look kindly on his feelings for his eldest daughter. Rodney wasn’t proud of himself either. Whatever he did, he needed to kill these unwelcome urges to touch her lips, to just watch her walk on the sand, to hear her voice.

  Slamming his eyes shut, he tried to purge her image. Moments later, on a sigh, he admitted to failure.

  A low squelch announced the intercom as the pilot’s voice reverberated through the cabin of Xavier’s private plane. “Sir, we’ll be landing in just a few moments.”

  Thank God. Being so far from his charges had been impossibly difficult. In minutes, he would be able to lay line of sight on them, assure himself that they were all okay, and be there to protect them if they weren’t.

  TWELVE MILES NORTHEAST

  “I hate the landings! That’s when you’re most likely to die in a plane crash.”

  “Jessie, private planes don’t crash. They wouldn’t dare. At least my uncle’s plane wouldn’t.”

  “I love your arrogance in the face of my terror. Strangely, Jax, I feel better.”

  “The plane from the U.S. didn’t crash, and this one won’t either. We’ll be on the ground in twenty. Be prepared for a touch of a hike. Now, let me get you up to speed. My uncle has been down here for the past ten months. He’s been searching for local folklore as well, but mostly the history of the people. We’re looking for evidence that a particular piece of their folklore is true.”

  “With nothing concrete to go on,” Sally supplied.

  “Yeah, true, but compelling reasons to believe in them. Anyway, my uncle has a team of historians with him and they’ve sort of commandeered an empty warehouse right in the middle of the rain forest. It’s isolated, but not far from where we want to be. So we’ll have decent accommodations and a good supply of resources, something that is quite rare in the middle of a rain forest.”

  “But beer, right?” Taylor sat upright, waiting for the answer.

  “Beer, yeah. Lots of beer.” Jackson caught the other’s attention when Taylor sat back again, his eyes closed. He shook his head with a smile and mouthed “no beer.”

  Sally sighed and did exactly as Taylor had. Her head against the headrest of her seat, she wondered why she’d suddenly decided to join this ill-prepared caper. Jackson was brilliant, no doubt, but he was also a fantasist. Missing the final weeks of this quarter was a mistake, and even if she was Dr. Meijer’s favorite, he still held everyone to his strict directives. Releasing a loud puff of air, she opened her eyes to see Jackson standing inches above her.

  “You ready to find something unknown and miraculous?”

  Pushing herself up in her seat, she nodded. “Sure. I just need to put my boots back on. So, a hike. How long?”

  “To get to the warehouse, about half an hour. To find what we’ve come for, perhaps days.”

  “Ugh! Insects, mud, sweat, rain, wild animals, snakes. Need I go on?”

  “No, Jessie, you needn’t. In fact, I wish you wouldn’t. We all signed on.” Jackson took his seat and buckled his seatbelt. “Let’s just do what we came here to do. Let’s find something new to the world. Let’s prove that there really are more things in heaven and earth than we can dream of.”

  Sally laughed and finished zipping a boot. Leaning back, she buckled her seatbelt too. “All right, Horatio. I apologize for my snippy mood. Let’s go find some shape-shifters!”

  Five miles from the landing spot where Isiah Hollinger’s private plane would arrive shortly, sat the abandoned warehouse he’d turned into a temporary headquarters. Three men kept vigil at each of two entrances, armed to the teeth. Isiah didn’t like that, he actually hated firearms and violence, but he knew that there were times when they were necessary. Now, in this wild circumstance where his life’s work might have come to fruition, he couldn’t allow anything to interfere or stop him.

  His men had been attacked a few nights ago, had to defend themselves, but he agreed that there were times when deadly force had to be used. So guarding his work, protecting his captives, he accepted the reality. Right after he brought in the subjects, he’d sent home his associates and hired a mercenary group of soldiers. He was truly ready to face whatever came.

  But now, he had another problem. Shit, he’d just forgotten about it. He called to the man who kept order amongst chaos in this fuckup, the man he considered to be his right hand man.

  “Paul, we have a situation. I forgot that last week my nephew called and asked if he could bring some friends down to explore and hike the forest. My pilot just contacted me. They’re here.”

  “Shit, Hollinger, that’s real bad. You need to tell him to take them back to El Calafate and send them home.”

  “It’s too late. They’re probably already on the ground.”

  “You can’t have them here when you’re keeping children caged like this. Everything we’re doing is immoral and illegal.”

  “Yeah, I know how it looks. We both know it’s much more than that, though. Jackson and his friends are en route, so just arrange to keep them on the west side of the building until I can move them on. They’re not here to hang out with some old fuddy-duddys, so I’ll arrange for them to head to Codillera. Until then, Paul, just make sure someone keeps them ignorant.”

  Paul shrugged. “Hey, it’s your incarceration. Sure. When do I expect them?”

  “Within the hour.”’

  “Nice. Plenty of time to prepare.”

  “Just take care of it.”

  As he walked away, Paul threw a hand up. “You know I will.”

  Turning, Isiah grabbed a handful of nuts. Popping one at a time into his mouth, he walked to the security door he’d placed on a room that held two oversized cages. After removing the lock, he entered and moved to stand in front of them.

  Paul was right. Nothing about this was ethical or legal, but to find people…humans…children, who could do what they could do…he couldn’t just let them go. He’d witnessed it himself. He shifted his gaze to a pretty girl with wild kinky hair much like his own. Even her chocolate skin tone matched his. That child, that beautiful child, had morphed before his own eyes. He’d frightened her when she saw him, so she’d stopped, but by then, he’d seen it. Her face had become partially feline, her hands appeared to end in claws.

  This was too extraordinary. The world of academia, the world of science, hell, the world period, had to know of these remarkable people! And he would be the one to do it! The name of Isiah Hollinger would forever be paired with introducing the greatest new species ever found.

  Yes, he should take them back to that clearing where he’d found them. Yes, he should let them go back to their parents. Yes, it was the right thing to do. But he couldn’t. This was too important. This find would change the way humans saw themselves in the world.

  Maybe they weren’t the top of the food chain after all!

  The children were sleeping now. He’d been in here with them for days, playfully trying to coax them to show him what they could do. Were they all cats? Were they something else? He had to know. He would know! Within the next 72 hours, this building would be empty, the children extracted to a facility being prepared in Spokane. Then the real research would begin. Once he was ready, he would bring them to the world.

  But first he had to deal with his nephew, and that migh
t be a problem. Jackson was one of most brilliant, curious, and tenacious people he’d ever known. Isiah smiled. He takes after me, he thought.

  This discovery, the lightning fast installation of holding cages, the capture of the shape-shifting children, had all taken every moment of his attention. He’d simply forgotten about Jackson’s request.

  Sighing, Isiah, taking a last look at his discovery, quietly left, and closed the door without a sound. It would be fine, it always was. Paul had a history of fixing the unfixable, and Isiah rarely ever worried about anything. No one surpassed Paul for creativity and drive. The man was all about one thing: he accomplished his mission. Once he brought Jackson and the others into the opposite side of this warehouse, Isiah would join them, schmooze with them, and make sure that they were in a car and gone before anyone knew what he really was doing here. By the time they returned after an awesome adventure, Isiah and his crew would be on the now-warming coastline of Washington State.

  AT THE TOTEM COMMUNITY

  Watching their forward 180, Rodney and his second-in-command, Ben, advanced toward the only visible structure. Visible might not be the right word, more a raised swelling of earth with a door partially above ground, the rest in a dugout buried several feet below ground level.

  It had all the earmarks of a vampire shelter. Koen had told him that since Luka from Zambia moved to this Totem community, they’d made provision for his special needs.

  “This is the place,” he called to the others who watched their backs. “Stay close. These should be friendlys. Lower weapons, but stay aware.”

  Everything about this made him anxious. He’d be satisfied only when all the vampire children were home, safe, and he could drop into his own bed to let his mind and body rest.

  A tired deep-timbered voice that came out almost like a purr called through the door as several locks disengaged electronically. “Have patience.”

  Seconds later a small hiss announced that the door was unsealed, and it swung partially open. The woman who stood there, a hand as high on the door as she could reach, stared at Rodney with eyes like he’d never seen…the pupils were long narrow slits.

  “Koen sent you. I can tell by the scent of desperation and urgency.”

  “Let them in and don’t insult them,” a deeper masculine voice called out from within.

  Kalia suddenly smiled very charmingly, perfect white teeth showed unexpected fangs, and swept her hand in a wide arc. “Please, gentlemen, come into my lair.” This time her voice really was a purr.

  Rodney led his team into the darkened interior and followed Kalia as she walked through a wide hallway.

  “Last one in close the door. All the locks will engage automatically.”

  As they moved around a corner in the hallway, she led them past a large room with several big sofas around a central low table.

  “Not there.” Kalia looked back at the heavily armed men following her and wanted to tear her hair out. She knew that the weapons were to protect Koen’s kids and possibly her own, but she hated that they were here.

  “Our apartments are in the back,” she elaborated.

  Standing in the doorway, Luka pulled her through to kiss her on the cheeks. He looked up at Rodney and his men. “She’s prickly. You’d be surprised how nice that is at times.”

  Rodney had no answer to such an intimate comment. Even after all these years, he was still not comfortable with polite social discourse. “It’s fine, sir. May I ask, where are the first blood children?”

  “Gone. They left about an hour ago, and considering how ill-equipped they are for this terrain, I’d be shocked if your men have any trouble catching them. I can’t believe they left without you.”

  “Sir, they did not know we traveled behind them. Koen sent us as assurance that they travel home just as safely. The children would be unhappy to know we were dispatched by their parents. They will believe it is a trust issue.”

  “But it’s not?”

  “No, for truth it is not. The parents expect them to do well, but taking uncertain chances did not make them happy, so, as protector, I am here with a team of highly motivated soldiers. Just in case.”

  “Ah. Just in case. I’ve seen the interaction amongst them. I’ve felt the power. Just in case, okay. Well, do you need supplies or gear?”

  “We are prepared.”

  “Okay. Let me get a map and send you on your way.”

  Luka led Rodney across the room to a glass tabletop near the wall. His eyes moved over Rodney. “Kalia thinks you’re vampire. You’re not. And yet…what do I sense? Power buzzes around you.”

  “I am human, nothing more. I carry first blood, which tends to lend some talents.”

  “Awww…now I get it. You’re Koen’s watchdog.”

  Rodney bowed his head, unexpectedly pleased that he was as tall as this vampire sired by Ahmose, Shani’s father and king of the community of vampires in Africa. “For many years I have been honored to protect the future of the noble children of the earth. Yes, watchdog is essentially accurate.”

  “I am happy to see you here. I had planned to join them, but now, I can stay here to protect the community in case things go wrong. I don’t know what to expect here, but I’m glad you’ve arrived. Let me show you the path the kids are on right now.”

  AN HOUR NORTHEAST

  Light at the floor of the rain forest waned significantly when the canopy was heavy, and at that moment, it was heavy indeed. The Totems traveling with them had no trouble, but many of the future warriors were struggling.

  “These boots are too loose,” Brigitte complained as she stumbled over yet another root.

  “You should have been more careful with your choice,” Eras barked, and barely missed one himself.

  “How should I know? We’re barefoot ninety percent of the time back home. When’s the last time I wore boots?”

  She was right. Eras was leading the group, taking point in case anything dangerous happened so he could protect his family and friends. But even he found this trudge through uneven ground filled with insects, rotting vegetation, and slippery surfaces almost impossible. In spite of the fact that this mission was essential, that they had to rescue these innocent children, he’d already had several moments when he just wanted to pack it in and head back to the plane.

  “For heaven’s sake!” Cairine grabbed Fia’s hand and stopped Brigitte in her tracks. “Help me.”

  Combining their talents, the two women focused on Brigitte’s feet, and, using manipulation, they made a change to the structural components of the boots Brigitte had laced on as tightly as she could. Moments passed before Brigitte lifted her feet several times and moved her ankles back and forth. Cairine and Fia had tightened the material and the boots now fit.

  Her smile sly, Brigitte put both hands in the air with her thumbs extended. “Perfect. I didn’t even consider that. You’ve saved me many blisters, my sisters.”

  “We forget that we can do these things. Now that we’re involved in this rescue, we need to really focus on our skills. Most of all, we need to remember how powerful we are together.” Cairine looked around at the halted group, and when her eyes landed on Eras, she did a double-take. Was he staring at her? “We should get going. Talib, Ife, are we still on the right path?”

  “For a while, then we must veer left. I will let you know when that is required.” Talib caught Ife’s attention. “Speaking of focusing, we’ve been linked since we started.”

  Ife nodded. “It’s weird. I can feel his presence, which, surprisingly, isn’t at all invasive. When he sought my mind, my power reached for his. I cannot even imagine what we’re going to be like after our bodies convert.”

  Eras watched Cairine closely. He’d always felt a pull toward her, but now, away from their homes, beyond their usual roles, he noticed how she shined, how she saw the world different than he did. She looked for the good in everyone and everything, for ways to make life better, for hope.

  Lately, he’d been thinking a
lot about the days when, each in their own time over the next ten years, they would become vampire. The idea felt so alien to him. Their DNA would completely change. He had moments when he wanted to walk away from all of it; from becoming vampire, from taking on the collected damage of all humanity to fix this planet, from a destiny that no one really understood.

  Yet he knew that he would be there for this living planet, for these extraordinary people he was bonded with throughout eternity. Letting his eyes move back to the path, he closed them for a second. He still saw her. Cairine shined so bright, he thought he always would.

  “Cari is right, we’re burning daylight and we have children waiting for us. Let’s go.”

  A few grunts toward the back of the procession showed that the Totems were in complete agreement.

  “Come on.” Eras picked up his pack. His eyes went to Caedmon, just behind him. “Caed, how you doing, buddy?”

  “Outstanding. I’m sore, but my legs are holding up. I feel like I could do this for a week.”

  “God, let’s hope not,” Brigitte groaned.

  “We’ll find them by tomorrow,” Bryson commented. “We won’t accept any other outcome. Right, sis?”

  Fia lifted a hand. “With ya on that, brother.”

  As they slowly got back into their previous rhythm, Crezia watched Caedmon’s steady gait. He didn’t seem to be limping at all, but she wondered how long her little miracle might work.

  IN THE WAREHOUSE