by C. L. Quinn
It wasn’t as if they were useful anyway. She was bound by so much more than mere metal. Whatever happened to her, she couldn’t let them hurt or kill Frank. As long as she complied, they wouldn’t, because they knew that if they did, nothing would stop her from destroying everyone in this complex.
Claude knew this. As he’d led her into the cage earlier tonight, watching while white-coated lab assistants wrapped the thick bands around her wrists, Tamesine had looked into his eyes as she reminded him of that.
“You know that if I find out Frank has been tortured or killed, nothing on earth will stop me from finding you, and then, I promise you, you’ll wish you had never met me. You understand? You’d better make sure he’s well cared for. Because eventually I will get free and I will come for you.”
“I would expect nothing less. This is a war, vampire, I’ve known that from my first job with this society. It’s strategy and games. Right now, I just have the better hand, but I know that can change in the blink of an eye. You are a worthy opponent.”
“What arrogance that you think lives are just games. I expect that we will meet on your battlefield someday, won’t we?”
Claude walked to the door of the containment lab and paused. Without turning around, he bowed his head, a smile she could not see on his lips. “It is inevitable.”
Lamont wore his finest suit. White, like most of them, crisp, clean. His full white hair combed almost to a polish, he took a last look in the mirror of his office and approved. He looked his best, and that was considerably nice indeed.
He needed to, when he met Tamesine, his perfect vampire, captured now, and on his terms. She would change his life. No. She would give him life! Immortality. The endless life a man of his brilliance should have. This extraordinarily powerful vampire would change him with blood meant for gods and kings. He would not become first blood, he knew that was by birth only, but he would be nearly as strong and magnificent, more so than those born to the lesser races.
He had kept many of his stolen vampire-like abilities from his blood-gorge in Brazil, but he wasn’t certain how long they would remain without blood transfusions. Even if he kept his powers, he was not immortal. Her presence here, in Switzerland, was the final step.
So it was critical that he make a fine impression as they met for the first time. He did not count those brief moments when they’d met on top of the lab in Brazil. Tonight, he would sit face-to-face with his destiny.
He was so excited his dick jumped. Ah, the usual sexual response of a vampire. She was the ultimate female, his body was ready and wanted her. This was where his restraint would aid him. His intention was not to frighten her, but to welcome her and make her feel safe.
Lamont pulled his jacket into place as he walked to the elevator and rode the two levels below to the underground containment area where he’d installed state-of-the-art security and holding cells. Stopping just before he entered the large room that held the cages, he released a long breath. He wasn’t nervous, but he was anxious to impress this woman who would be his sire, his maker, the path to providence. Finally ready, he opened the door and entered, head up, and approached her cage with a long confident stride.
Pacing, the beautiful vampire looked up as Lamont crossed the room. He noticed her eyes did not stray from his countenance, her assessing glance ended in a coarse word.
“Fuck. You must be the ringleader of this circus of fools.”
Her anger took him by surprise. Lamont had hoped to impress her with his larger-than-life presence, and to begin a calm discourse that would lead to him revealing that he wanted her to convert him.
“You dismay me, my fine lady. I am not here to anger you, and yet you are obviously furious. Yes, I realize I’ve brought you here without your permission, but it is for a noble deed. I request your blood to make me vampire. You have been chosen to convert me to your race. It is an honor.”
Standing in the cage, too powerful by far to tolerate this imbecile, Tamesine pushed the locked door open and stepped out.
Sheer instinct for survival drove Lamont to step backwards away from her, even though he was no less than eight inches taller than her and outweighed her by fifty or more pounds. He knew she could destroy him with little more than a thought.
“You understand what I’m saying?” he asked, as he gave her one of his most charming smiles.
Tamesine shook her head while she smiled, her eyes shining. “I don’t know why I’m amazed, but I am. Vampires choose who they convert. That you think it would be an honor to convert someone of your despicable character, well, that’s the height of stupidity and arrogance. I won’t do it.”
Lamont’s courage surged in the face of her disdain and outright refusal to grant his request. “You won’t do it. And you think that’s the last word? I brought you here, I get what I want. That is how this goes!”
The last thing Tamesine saw before she felt punctures in multiple places along her back and legs, and one sharp one at the base of her neck, was Lamont lift his eyes to look behind her and nod his head. She hadn’t known he had marksmen behind her. Tamesine dropped onto the shiny tile floor like a stone.
Scowling, Lamont motioned to his men to pick her up.
“Throw her back into her cell. The bitch. I tried to play nice, to let her know I would appreciate her blood. Now, she’s just a vessel, a tool for my ascendance. She spurned me! And she no better than a dog!”
Coming forward quickly, he kicked Tamesine in the side as hard as he could. If she were not unconscious, the kick would have hurt a great deal. Luckily for him, she was completely out, and although the injury would smart when she woke, it would already be healing. It had been a knee-jerk response because she had offended Lamont’s overblown, yet fragile, ego.
“Chain her, and make them tight, very tight. Double up. No, triple the restraints.”
One of his soldiers looked up as he wrapped the metal bands around Tamesine’s small wrists.
“You know it won’t matter, sir. She can get free of any of this stuff. The serum isn’t working on her, not for more than half an hour.”
“Then shoot her as soon as she rouses. Repeatedly. Leave several men on duty around the clock, and dose her any time she moves her fucking head. I’ll send for her when I’m ready!”
Lamont strode out of the lab with purpose, intent on showing who ruled this place. Not that vampire, that was for fucking certain! He was so pissed!
As he passed one of his servants near the elevator, he yelled at her.
“You! Send two bottles of wine to my room, and three women. You know the kind I like! And you know they’d better be there within ten minutes!”
The small, slender woman winced and nodded her head. The master never spoke to her and he terrified her. Fury blew from him like smoke from an oil fire, and she ran the opposite direction.
Lamont smiled as the elevator doors closed. He was still God here!
ELEVEN
Oh, God, she was dreaming. She’d tried so hard not to do so. The last thing she wanted was to meet Marc in this dreamscape, but it was apparently beyond her control.
She spun around as she scanned the vibrant landscape. Sighing in relief, she saw that she was alone. That meant that either she had been able to block him from getting to her dreams, which she doubted, or he was awake. Either way, she was grateful since enough worry rambled through Tamesine’s mind as it was. Marc was safe now, and to remain so, he needed to stay out of her life and her dreams.
Even from this dream world, she was aware that she could not wake up in true life. Her dream-self knew that the serum Lamont’s scientists had developed barely worked on her, but for some reason, she was having difficulty overcoming it now. There was much to do to make this right, beginning with separating Lamont’s head from his shoulders, and ending with rescuing a healthy Frank. Her own problems, her reasons for disappearing to California, were irrelevant now.
How wonderful it would be to contact her family and have them help her to
get home. But Claude had been right. She wouldn’t risk Frank, even for her own life or self-respect. So she would stay and play the good little vampire for this psychotic little asshole until she was able to save Frank.
With little else to do, she lay down on the soft, over-bright, verdant grass, and stretched out. In here, she was unrestricted, naked as usual, and it felt good to move her body so freely. Suddenly she felt fingers move from behind her, warm hands traveled with the lightest touch from just below her tummy, up her side, across her breasts and to her throat. There they lingered, as lips followed the same trail.
Tamesine moaned as she dropped her left hand into Marc’s soft hair.
“I hoped you wouldn’t come,” she finally said, as his lips reached her throat, and she felt him nip.
“I tried before. You weren’t there.”
“This isn’t a good place for you. It isn’t safe.”
“I can’t be in danger, I’m not actually here, right?”
Tamesine rolled over and looked at Marc, who was naked, too, and arousal fired instantly.
“Actually, you are. You’re present in my mind, and if something were to happen to me, to damage my mind, you could be trapped.” She paused as her eyes roamed over his body, which she’d already missed.
“You need to go.”
“No. You’re in trouble, and I am here to rescue you.”
“Marc, you have no idea who has me and how serious this is.”
“You’d be surprised. Eillia filled me in on some of it.”
Eillia? Holy hell!
“How do you know about Eillia?”
“I called her. I found your phone and I called, she came, along with another gorgeous female vampire and two huge males. We’re trying to rescue you.”
Nothing could have shocked Tamesine more.
“So you believe me?”
“Hardly had a choice. The presence of four more vampires in your apartment sort of tipped the scales.”
The dream body of Marc pulled her upright and into his arms. “I won’t run out on you. So we’re coming for you. Eillia said that if we reconnected here that I should see if you know where you are.”
“You’re not coming for me. None of you. And even if I knew where I was, which I don’t, I wouldn’t tell you. Seriously, Marc, go home. If I ever do get free, I’ll come for you. But for now, slide out.”
“Uh, uh,” he whispered, and rolled over on top of Tamesine, his body so welcome in her trapped state.
“You really don’t know where you are?” he asked, as he slid down, lower and lower, his hands traveling the same path his body just left.
She couldn’t think. All she wanted was to feel, to immerse herself in the feel of this man who felt so good at a time when nothing else was. Lifting up on her elbows, her eyes searched for his. He was busy with his attentions, but he finally looked up and their eyes met.
“You need to go now,” Tamesine repeated.
“Not yet.”
Even though they were dream-walking through each other’s minds, every sensation was electric and real. His hot tongue seared her skin, cooled by the air, burned by his touch, and she dropped back down. What could a few more minutes matter? Her jailers thought she was unconscious, Marc would be safe while they believed she was no threat. At least she needed to believe that because she needed this, at this moment when things had fallen to shit. When she wasn’t one hundred percent certain it would all turn out okay in the end. When she was terrified that they would kill Frank, behead her, and go after her friends and family afterwards. The SRS was getting too good at capturing vampires.
But now, Marc arrived between her legs, and lifted them up onto his shoulder.
No more thoughts or concerns. Just feel him, accept him. She closed her eyes and lifted her body up to meet Marc’s mouth as he began a sensuous discovery with the tongue that had just made its way up one side of her body and down the other to land exactly where she wanted it. Sweet heaven, the man was talented!
He lifted his head. “I’m inspired,” he said and returned to his work.
She forgotten, they were connected and words weren’t really necessary between them right now. Telepathic connections weren’t common, even amongst vampires, and that made this bond even more remarkable.
Keeping her eyes closed, she shook off the thoughts that were bouncing around her mind and just let herself become immersed in this experience. Dream sex was wonderful and a gift right now, and it may be the last time she could be with him. Still, she hoped that someday she might be with him in reality and then…oh hell, then, she was going to take him to the stars!
A combination of well-placed fingers and an aggressive tongue pushed her over the edge to a screaming orgasm. Marc came up beside of her and buried his teeth into her neck again.
“I kind of want to bite you now,” he said, a wide smile lighting up his face.
Tamesine placed a finger on his lips and scored his front teeth gently. “If you were vampire, I would demand it.”
“Hmmm. I’m intrigued.”
“Don’t be. You’re going to return to your life someday. The spirit guides have brought us together so that you can be well enough to do that.”
“I’m so far out of any concept of normal, I’m not even sure where I belong. But I’m sure that we’re good together.”
Moving closer, Tamesine kissed him, easily at first, almost chaste, then deeper, so deep, Marc’s cock insisted its existence against her belly. She pulled back. “We are.”
“We’re going to find you, lady.”
“Don’t…”
Just as the word slipped out, Marc’s image began to fade. He was waking, his dream-image disappearing like the phantom he was.
Sitting up inside her dream, Tamesine pushed her hair back. “Damn,” she said softly.
Eillia would never stop. And neither would Marc, apparently. This was going to get ugly.
With desperation, Tamesine tried to awaken her real self, the struggle becoming deeper and deeper until she felt herself overcome intense lethargy and mental fog, felt herself begin to waken.
Tamesine’s eyes fluttered, her lids heavy, but they opened. She lifted her right hand inches from the floor and drew a long, labored breath. Consciousness came, but slowly, until finally she was able to sit up amidst a rattle of chains.
Scanning her surroundings, she thought her body felt odd, and when she turned her head, she realized what it was. While she was out, they had added a thick metal collar too snug around her neck, with heavy chains attached to it, the other ends led to the side of the cage.
Fury rose. The audacity, the arrogance, the recklessness of this evil man, that he thought she would allow this…she would rip him apart!
As she started to stand, sudden loud reports from several rifles nearby insulted her ears and she fell. Her last thought was that when the chance presented itself, there wouldn’t be enough of Lamont left to spread on toast.
Marc exploded out of bed, disoriented, his vision fuzzy. He had no idea where he was, but sunshine blasted through a window to his left, where sheer curtains danced on a strong breeze. Shaking his head gently, focus finally came and he could see the room around him clearly.
The bed he’d just surged from was large, with expensive sheets and a plush comforter. His bare feet were buried in thick super-soft carpeting instead of the cold hardness of his apartment’s wood floor. But the thing that drew him, that let him know he was way beyond his normal, were the open French doors that led to a balcony, and sunshine glistening on a wide body of water. It was incredibly beautiful.
His memory returned. He was in France, arrived late last night in a private plane filled with vampires.
Oh, hell! Pressing his hands to his temples to try to stay a threatening headache, he walked through the doors for air and onto a good-sized stone balcony, to an ornate railing and looked out at the sea below. He had never been anywhere that was this close to heaven.
His eyes moved from right
to left, slowly scanning the glittering waters, white-sands beach, and gently curving shoreline.
This was her world. This was a perfect place that belonged to their unique community of vampires, and he could see that she belonged here. He did not. A thing of darkness should not be allowed to penetrate the light.
They had to find her and get her back here. He still wasn’t sure why her friends had brought him with them, but he was grateful that they had. On his own, out of his element in every way, he would have never been able to help her, and he would likely have never known what happened to her. Tamesine was the only good thing that had happened to him in a very long time, he would protect her, no matter the cost.
The one thing he knew he could provide in this search was his dream connection to her. If nothing else, he could speak with her, even while he did not know where she was physically. Leaning out over the railing, he let himself absorb the heat and light, the sound of water rushing against land and sighed.
That was why they brought him. The woman, Eillia, he could almost feel her touching his mind sometimes, a soft push that felt loving instead of invasive.
Vampires. What the hell? Blood drinking, immortal, sunlight-evading super-humans that could control humans like him with a thought. Even now, standing here solidly on this balcony, as he watched the ocean’s tidal motion and the sun climb in a glorious blue sky, it all still felt too surreal to a man who’d spent the past six years of his life trying to forget reality.
“Into the looking glass,” he said out loud to a few errant seagulls who sailed by.
Turning, he walked over to a thickly padded chair to retrieve his jeans and tee shirt, dressed quickly, and opened the door into a wide hallway.
After almost running down two flights of stairs, he hit an open room flooded with daylight from a glass wall that faced the sea. Whoever had built this house had an appreciation for the outdoors, and here on this cliffside near the sea, he understood.
