by C. L. Quinn
Jake didn’t have any. Bas knew he could be depended on for anything…it would be done immediately and it would be done right. Like the McCairn brothers, Bas considered Jake family.
The hour long wait to get information pushed Bas to his breaking point. He paced for the last fifteen minutes of that and then went through the double doors. No one stopped him since anyone who approached became immediately compliant. He reached a room marked post-op just as the Asian doctor he’d already compelled was leaving. He looked up, startled to see Bas there, and then smiled as he realized his orders.
“Oh, sir. Things went well. The bullet was deep but we got it out and she’s stable.” He frowned. “Actually, she’s better than stable. As soon as I brought her out, I checked the surgical site. It’s closing up already. I can’t explain it, but I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. I need to report it.”
“But you won’t.”
“But I won’t,” the doctor repeated.
“Anything else different about the surgery?”
“No. Yes. We couldn’t type her blood. Luckily, there was very little bleeding. The entry wound was small and we had very little blood loss even during surgery.” He looked confused again. “She should have needed blood, but she didn’t.”
“Please bring me all records, the blood test sample, the lab sample, the lab records and her medical chart. Please have the lab tech who read the blood test come back with you.”
“Okay,” he said and left. Bas went into post-op. Fortunately, only Park and a nurse were there.
He came toward the nurse who looked up in surprise.
“Sir…”
That was all she got out before her face went blank.
“Is she doing well? Can I take her home?”
“She’s doing remarkably. I checked her wound a few moments ago, and look,” The nurse pulled back the surgical bandage and pointed. “Look. No scar. No sign there was ever a bullet wound or surgery. I need to tell Dr. Cho when he gets back. This is impossible.”
Bas looked at Park’s back. It was flawless. Even a vampire took longer to heal imperceptibly. He’d already said it. She had some super blood in there. If the enemy found out, nothing on this planet would stop him from trying to acquire her.
“Is she still under anesthesia? Get her awake. Dress her. Prepare her to be transported. Now.”
“Right away, sir.”
He turned away as the nurse started pulling IV’s. He let his driver know they would be out shortly, so the car would be waiting just outside the door. Bas was breathing again because Park would be okay. The little catch in his breath was that he had to find out what she was. And he knew she had no idea. So he would start with Eillia, the oldest known vampire. And he would have to track down that bitch who called herself Park’s mother. There was a lot to do, and quickly.
Zach was exhausted. With no sleep in jail, and then traveling straight to San Francisco, and the weirdness of this case, he figured he needed a good two days of solid nonstop shut eye to catch up. That wasn’t in the plan, though. A strong cup of coffee and some more detective work was. The next exit showed a sign for a twenty four hour diner, so he eased his little Porsche over and parked directly in front so he could keep an eye on his car. He could feel himself physically telling his legs to move. It might even be wise to get a room for the night. Man, did that not appeal after the night in jail. These cheap roadside motels probably weren’t much better. Still….Well, the coffee would help.
He took a seat along the window where his car was parked on the other side. Good. When the waitress came over, he noticed she looked about as tired as he felt. She would understand his request.
“Hi, hey, could you bring me your strongest coffee? Like if you have some that you could use for jet fuel, that’s what I need.”
“It’s our specialty. We get a lot of over-the-roaders. Just black?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Be right back.”
Zach pulled out the photo of Park and stared at it. He tried to imagine what she might be going through right now. If she was still alive. In the photo, she was smiling deeply, her arm around her friend and co-worker, Bennie. She looked happy, and so lovely. His breath caught in his throat. He had to save her if it wasn’t too late. He’d decided to head back home and hire a private detective to help him. As an attorney, he was proficient in research and detective work, but he practiced primarily corporate law, so he thought a professional was the best chance he had of making sense of what he had so far. He would pay him well, so the details would remain private.
Carefully balancing a tray with three hot coffees, his waitress lowered the tray down, moved a cup in front of him with a little tray of creamer.
“I know you said black, but this stuff is harsh. You might need to tone it down. Anyway, I brought you some creamer just in case.” Her eyes slid across the photo on the table. “Oh, hey, I know her. Can’t forget someone who looks like that. And that man with her. Wow.
Zach sat upright, his heart racing. “You’ve seen her? When?”
“A few nights ago.”
Zach stared at her name tag. “Bea…this woman has been missing since that night. Please. You said there was a man with her. Do you remember anything about him?”
“I remember everything about him. He touched me,” she pointed to her wrist, “and made me feel incredible. I guess it’s because he’s so gorgeous. You never see people like that. Especially on this shift. He was literally the best looking man I have ever seen in my life.”
“So you can describe him.”
“Down to his shoes. Why? You think he was gonna hurt her?”
“All we know is that she is missing.”
Bea snorted on a laugh. “She probably ran away with him. I would have if he’d asked.”
This wasn’t getting him anywhere. The abductor had obviously charmed her.
“Bea, we found blood on her clothes, and no one has heard from her. She’d not the type of woman to just disappear with no word.”
Now Bea looked at the photo again, more seriously. She took a deep breath. “He was tall, over six feet, well built but not bulky. Maybe mid thirties. His hair was coal black, and so were his eyes. His skin was dark, like maybe he was from a Latin background. Everything about him seemed perfect, his voice, his manners, his teeth. He was wearing expensive clothes, but casual ones. Dark jeans, a tight fitting dark blue tee shirt. His shoes were leather, black, like the kind you see on men with nice business suits. He was super confident. But mister, she seemed to like him.”
“So you think she knew him?”
“You know, I don’t think she did. I heard her ask him what his name was. But then he gave her the hottest kiss I’ve ever seen right here a little while later.”
Okay, that was confusing. She wasn’t up for her date with him, a well known attorney who, he admitted himself, was pretty good looking, but she took off a few hours later with a stranger and was making out with him? Nothing made sense. The mysteries were piling up so fast he didn’t think even a highly skilled private investigator could unravel them. But he’d caught an amazing break with this eyewitness account. He could place her here at around four am three days ago. And the description of her abductor was as detailed as a sketch. He wished he could take this to the police. Maybe…
“Bea, I want to thank you. You might have just saved this woman’s life.”
She shook her head. “I just can’t imagine that man hurting anyone.”
“Sometimes the charming ones are the ones you have to look out for most.”
She grimaced and nodded her head. “Yeah, you got that right. Well, good luck. I need to get these to those two guys.”
She started to move way, stopped, and turned back.
“I just remembered. I heard him say something about going to Vancouver.”
Zach downed the coffee in a few gulps, threw a twenty on the table and got back in his car. He was heading to Vancouver.
The nurse had
Park ready to go. Dr. Cho came back, gave Bas all the records, watched as Bas compelled the lab tech and sent her away. Bas tucked the records in a satchel he’d taken from another table. With the doctor and nurse in front of him, he instructed them to forget about Park, about him, about the surgery. “You took care of a young man with a butter knife stab tonight and released him. That’s it.”
He compelled the rest of the staff, too, and carried Park into the car carefully. They were going home.
As they passed through the gates, Bas notice the additional security forces were already in place. Excellent. He pulled Park out of the car quickly and carried her up to her room, then laid her gently on the bed. The movement seemed to rouse her, she groaned, but she remained unawake. As she dropped her on the bed, she rolled into him and snuggled against his side, so he stayed there and held her until it was apparent she was out again.
Dez leaned against the door of the room.
“She alright?”
“I think so. It was close. We have to get this motherfucker, and soon. We are all in danger.”
“True that.” Dez agreed. She just stood there for a few moments before she spoke. “I tasted her, Bas. What is she?”
He stood, his head jerked toward her. “What?”
“I tasted her. The blood on the table. She isn’t human. Of course, I already knew. You know I can telepathically link with some people. Mostly vampire. Some humans briefly to compel them, not many. I can read their minds. They can’t read mine. But she can. And she could send too. I think you already know she’s different. You’ve tasted her.”
He hesitated. Dez was one of his oldest friends, too, but she was a little bit of a wild card. He trusted her…to a point. He thought she would always do what was best for herself. And that made complete trust in her…risky. But she already knew, so…
“I know. I know she’s different. I can’t compel her. Even the blood bond doesn’t control her.”
Dez whistled. “Wow.”
“But I don’t know what she is. That is something I have to do. Immediately. Will you help?”
She walked forward, her eyes on the sleeping woman swaddled in lavender. “Yeah. I know I’m a bitch. But I love you, you know that. I would have you happy. So, yeah, I’ll help find out. I’m too curious,anyway. I’ve never see anything like her.”
“Not in my three hundred years either. I think I need to contact Eillea.”
“Yeah, I think you do.”
“I also need to find the woman who bore her. She was horrible to her, and I’m beginning to suspect she knew Park wasn’t human. She knew something, anyway, and I want to find out what. We need to find out who her father was. When she’s awake, we’ll have a discussion.”
”Good luck. For a…whatever she is…she’s a real pain in the ass.”
“Well, just remember she’s my pain in the ass.”
“So, what’s the blood like? I felt a rush when I tasted it. That was just a lick. What’s it like to drink?”
“Dez, let’s leave that conversation for another day. Right now, just…thanks.”
“Yeah, yeah, call if you need me for anything.”
Timothy arrived in a large delivery truck brimming with equipment Bas didn’t recognize…and didn’t want to. He just wanted Timothy to get it set up and begin his search. He acknowledged the quick work of the team Jake put on the detail and joined the other vampires in the large study near the staircase. They all looked whipped. It was close to day and time to sleep. He went to each and touched them briefly, smiled and took a lounger, then sprawled his long frame on it.
“This is a verra bad vampire,” Mick said. Bas nodded.
“He’s made it clear. We’re his next targets and he doesn’t plan to leave anyone alive.”
Dez rolled over onto her stomach, also stretched out on a lounger. “They’re killing off our pets just to piss us off.”
All four male vampires looked at her. She rolled her eyes at them. “Whatever. You know what I mean. They want to hurt us before they kill us.”
Iain was nodding. “Aye. Cat and mouse. I see ya got a lot of stuff brought in. You’re goin’ modern, finally.”
“We need everything we can to beat this guy. He’s been planning this a long time. So, yeah, we’re going modern. I plan to use satellites, everything.”
“No turning back, then.”
“It’s not an option. This is kill or be killed.”
Mick sat up and slammed his fist on a wood tabletop. Good thing it was a heavy solid one. “I like it! Finally a good battle!” His brother groaned.
About twenty minutes later, they all dispersed and tiredly went to their rooms. Bas peeled off his clothes and just dropped into his bed. His suite was the master suite, but was also known as the Black suite, because he liked the dark color on the bed and even the walls. It was broken up by an elaborate white vine painted on every wall weaving throughout the large space. This room had no window, and metal reinforced exterior walls. A true vampire’s lair. It felt like home to him, and as tired as he was, he went into a deep sleep almost as soon as his head hit his oversized pillow. He didn’t even notice when, about an hour later, a soft body curled up against him, wrapping her arms around him, and fell back to sleep. Park had awakened and wandered into his room, seeking him. She was completely healed and only remembered moments of the attack. All she knew was that she needed him, and he was there. And in that moment she knew she would never be this happy again. Sometime later in the darkness, he rolled over and pulled her closer, dreaming that she was there without knowing she really was.
Dawn came quickly. Bas usually came awake instantly and this morning was no different. He went on alert immediately as he realized something warm was touching him. Jerking his head back he saw her. Park, her body pressed against him. She smelled like the hospital, but she felt wonderful. He told himself again that it was outrageous how she’d interrupted his life, gotten under his skin, became important. It didn’t matter. He needed her. He wanted her. If his enemies through the years could see him lying here fawning over a weak little human they would have run him through on principle. Only that wasn’t right, was it? She was not human. His task for the day, to answer that question.
He didn’t wake her as he got up and moved across the room, looking for his mobile phone, and remembered that it had been in his pants pocket the night before. He was bending over, reaching for the discarded jeans when he heard a long “ummmm” from the bed. He turned to find Park sitting up watching him.
“My god, you’re perfect,” she said, “Are all vampires built like you?”
He walked toward her, comfortable with his nakedness.
“Not Dez.”
“Ew, no. But you are spectacular.” As he approached the bed, she got up on her knees and turned him around. She’d noticed something on his back, on his shoulder. A tattoo. A large bird, wings outstretched. She couldn’t stop herself, traced it with her index finger.
“It’s lovely. A Phoenix?”
“That’s what it’s like, becoming vampire. Being reborn. How are you feeling?”
“Bas, I’m fine. I…don’t exactly remember what happened…was I…was I…shot?”
He reached to her and lifted her off the bed and stood her gently on the floor.
“You were. We got you to surgery, the bullet is out. You healed faster than I would. We need to talk about that.”
She wasn’t paying much attention to what he was saying. Her hands were exploring his body, slipping over the tight cut muscles of his arms and chest.
“You are so beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more beautiful than you.”
“I have. Let me get a mirror.”
“Oh, we sound ridiculous. Besides, I’m right. Bas, I really think no man was ever made more perfectly.”
He picked her up in his arms and laid her on the bed, came onto the bed too and touched her face, brushed her hair back, looking over her face with a smile.
“Hmm. Talk
about perfection.
The first touch of his lips was gentle, a cautious kiss, but she grabbed him and it deepened. She could feel his body respond and her own tightened, ready for him after a lifetime of saying no to intimacy. That he lay there, every inch of his magnificent muscled body uncovered, was more than she could take. She rolled over and got on top of him, fitting his erection between her legs. She touched him and ran her fingertips around the slick smoothness.
“Now, Bass.”
He closed his eyes and sucked in the air. She was recovering from a gunshot wound. He couldn’t. He might hurt her. With every cell in his body, he wanted to grab her, roll her over, and enter her as deep as possible. It wasn’t the right time. He sat up and lifted her aside, got up, leaving her straddled on the bed.
“You were nearly fatally shot last night. You need to heal. Do not mistake me. I want you.” He let his hand glide downward to stroke his erection. “Obviously. But this is not the time. Vampire sex is more aggressive than human. I won’t risk it. You understand?”
She did. Her body didn’t. She nodded though.
“I need to take a shower. I smell like alcohol and anesthesia,” she told him and went to the door. But she turned back.
“It’s okay, Bas. I know you want me. And when we can be together, you won’t get out of it.”
He started to say something but she was gone.
She understood. She could wait. But back in her suite, in her shower a few minutes later, she pulled the pulsating showerhead down and let her body have what it needed. He didn’t hear her moan and cry out as the magic fingers of warm water swept her over the edge.
