Burning Days (The Firsts Book 17)

by C. L. Quinn

  Collapsed on top of him, his arms around her, Ife felt light-headed. He’d come to her, any worry about whether he was ready to become vampire gone.

  Dropping off him, Ife rolled to lie beside him.

  “That was…” What was the word?

  “Electric. Unacceptably overdue?”

  “Magic. Gods, I missed you.”

  “I thought about you every night as I woke and every morning before I slept. Before and after I became vampire.”

  “I was finishing up this project we’re nearly lying on, then I was going to fly to Oregon.”

  Sitting up, she fed her fingers between his. Her eyes searched his and saw exactly what she needed. He was in love with her.

  “You are my mate, Jack Remington, if you want to be.”

  “I want to be. I am.”

  “It’s a long time, Jack, as vampire.”

  “Good. Let’s go to your rooms, clean up, and get dirty all over again. I’ve got mud in places I didn’t even know I had cavities.”

  So here, in the rainforest she was rebuilding, against the warm earth that meant so much to her, covered with the earth’s skin, Ife pledged herself to the man who would travel this path with her through life, good or bad, great or small, heaven or hell, whatever may come. They were one.

  Laughing, she pulled him up, used air displacement to race up the slope and led him to her chambers, to her massive shower that pummeled them with warm clean water, to aggressive playful towel-drying, glasses of MoonShine, and yes, they got very dirty again.

  Passing Ife’s chambers on their way outside, Scottie and Crezia giggled, thrilled that finally the woman they loved like a sister had discovered that she had room in her life for more than one love.

  At Hunter HQ in Oregon

  Xavier had returned to Oregon and called Saul to a meeting. When he arrived, Xavier leaned against the counter where the hunters made their food. Cairine stood nearby, grazing on a bag of crisps.

  Surprised to see both first bloods back, Saul lowered his head in acknowledgment. “I’m glad to see you two. Hello, Cari.”

  Cairine smiled. “Hi, Saul.”

  Snagging the bag of crisps from Cairine, Xavier munched down a handful.

  “Aye, glad to be back. I’ve a fondness for the Americas. So, things are goin’ okay, I hear.”

  Not sure what this questioning was leading to, and concerned, Saul nodded. “Quite. We’ve all bonded into a cohesive team, and we work well together.”

  “Good. Great to hear. Now, we need to address the elephant in the room.”

  Saul didn’t understand. Elephant?

  “I’m confused. What elephant is that?”

  “Essentially, young vampire, it is you. It’s very rare for a made vampire to have light hair and light eyes.”

  Saul shrugged. “Obviously it happens, since I do. Why? Is that a problem for you?”

  “Kind of. Ya see, we’ve had some experience with this. Lad, there’s a very good chance that ye’re first blood.”

  “What? Like you? Born a vampire? I don’t think so.”

  “We do. But ya see, the only way to know for certain is to find yer bloodline. I don’t suppose ya know who yer father was?”

  “My mother died alone in childbirth. I was raised by a couple of farmers outside London. They didn’t really want me, I was an orphan baby thrust upon them so I left when I was fifteen. I’ve been in North America for almost 200 years.”

  “Lad, if ya want to understand yer heritage, who ya really are, ya need to come with me to France. Me daughter and a dear friend named Tamesine can find out who yer father is, and if we can find yer father, we can introduce ya to yer first blood nature.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “As ever I was. Now that the world’s so small, we’ve discovered first bloods who have been raised by their human parents, unaware of their legacy. Son, we want to bring ya home.”

  He might be first blood? Born of this ancient race of powerful vampires? Unlikely.

  Although…the thought trickled through his body. He’d always wanted to find family. The thought touched something deep inside him, something buried that lay dormant like a box unopened. Was it possible?

  Cairine moved closer, her fingers sliding against his chest. “Saul, Ife told me that she sensed in you talents, undiscovered skills not possible without first blood. You owe it to yourself to go with Xavier and find out who you are. Although, it’s entirely up to you.”

  Saul looked at Xavier. The man was ancient, magical, something like a god, and he believed that Saul was of his kind.

  He lifted his eyes to search Xavier’s. If it was true…

  “Yes, I’ll come with you.”

  “Aye, lad, ya didn’t really have a choice. Yer blood is callin’ ya. We’ll leave after sunset.”

  Two weeks later at Hunter HQ

  The place was dismal. Stark. Devoid of any charm.

  “Not even curtains,” Dani commented aloud as she wandered through what must be the main office.

  Which was unfair; there were no windows since vampires worked here with the human hunters. Still, an uninspiring place. She wrinkled her nose. And there was an odd smell. Six months, she hoped, and then she would be back with her friends in their nice clean offices in Denver.

  She was here to help, and help she would. They needed a supernatural with her skills, a human who could detect a vampire presence, so yes was the only answer when asked if she would do it. Plus, she’d never say no to Cari.

  A screech like she’d heard when she entered let her know the door behind her was opening again, and along with a crisp breeze, two women entered, their conversation as brisk as the breeze. When their eyes moved into the room and saw the unfamiliar woman standing in the center, they stopped in place.

  Dani’s eyes moved over them, assessing the hunters she’d come to aid. A darker-skinned woman, caramel, with smooth black hair bound by bright braids, Dani read her instantly; a warrior, passionate, and with magical skills of her own that she only barely acknowledged.

  Beside her, a woman as pale as the other was dark, yin to her yang. Intelligent, a woman of science, methodical, stoic, easily excited.

  A fascinating pair, Dani admitted. They would be challenging to work with, difficult, argumentative, exacting.

  Good.

  “Who are you?” the darker woman barked, her hand near her side.

  Warrior. Dani held both her hands out to show she held no weapon, an ancient method of friendship.

  “Your relief. Cari sent me.”

  Her hand relaxed, the woman moved slightly closer.

  “Oh. Our borrowed supernatural. She said Danny, we expected a man.”

  “Dani with an I. And yes, female. Disappointed?”

  A bright smile surprised Dani. “Hardly. Women have a special knack for knowing what fits. What suits. You’re trained in combat?”

  “I fought a volcano to save the world.”

  The pale woman with long blonde braids stepped toward Dani with a smile. “Sounds like a great résumé to me. I’m Evaleigh. Eva to those who know me, so you might as well start with that. We get to know each other pretty quick with what we do.”

  Dani looked at her warrior, whose right hand dropped from her weapon.

  “Sanquinetta. San.”

  “Looks like we’re going to have some interesting adventures ahead.”

  “Three hot women, knives, and guns. The ultimate male fantasy.”

  “It gets us in the door.”

  “Ooh. I like you, Dani. Shall we toast our new union with a nice wine?”

  “I’m in.”

  An hour later Dani stepped outside her new workplace to clear her mind. The crisp breeze had stiffened into a punishing wind, but felt good on her warm skin.

  She was certain that she and the women she just met would work well together, but there was something. Something…not right.

  Foreboding crawled up her arms and into her belly. Something unnaturally bad
permeated the air, a presence of malice that nearly overcame her increasingly sensitive empathic talent.

  Dangerous days were coming.

  The Four Horsemen stood watching Hunter HQ from safe ground. They had a good handle on the team that would face them when the time came.

  The lovely Nubian, Sanquinetta, a soldier, warrior born, with magic in her she didn’t fully understand.

  Evaleigh, who could see far too much of the world through the third eye of her lens, and had yet to discover the true fighter within her.

  A displaced vampire, an odd fit, lone through his entire three hundred year history, now lock-stepping with those who were, at one time, dedicated to end his race. Saul, by name.

  Now this one, another night-skinned woman, beautiful, who carried within her earth magic that didn’t belong to humans, and yet there it was, powerful, and perhaps the greatest threat to him and his. He looked forward to sparring with her.

  Jack, the human hunter now vampire, would be there too, as well as the first blood who had not stayed. Quattro had no doubt…they would be a part of the war when the time came.

  “On with the show,” he whispered.

  Dangerous days lay ahead for our team of hunters, since life, like the universe, tends toward chaos. Join Dani in the next adventure as the vampire hunters continue the fight to keep both humans and vampires safe.

  If you enjoyed this story, please show your love by leaving a brief review on Amazon so that I can continue to weave the tales of the First Blood world to my wonderful and brilliant readers. It means so much.

  Once more, thank you for joining me on this fantastic journey.

  Charlie Quinn