Forbidden Days (The Firsts)

by C. L. Quinn

  They both watched her go, and Park murmured something Zach didn’t understand.

  “I guess I don’t have my full vampire hearing yet. What did you say?”

  “Nothing. Just…she’s so closed up…can’t take a compliment. She really was awesome with you. She really cared. It tore her up when she thought we were going to lose you. Don’t tell her I told you.”

  That surprised Zach…and thrilled him. So the Amazon wasn’t as cold as she wanted him to believe. Tonight was going to go much differently than he expected. Because Bas was wrong. He wasn’t looking to connect romantically with Park. It was Dez he wanted…and desperately enough to risk rejection. He figured he could take it on his wide vampire shoulders if that happened. He figured he wouldn’t have to.

  But he was happy to see Park. She motioned for him to sit back down.

  “Don’t let me interrupt breakfast. It’s epic when it comes to vampires.”

  “Park, I want to apologize for not making sure you made it home safely.”

  “This wasn’t your fault, Zach. There was nothing you could have done to change this. Bas chose me randomly. Well, except for my car…he likes luxury. But even if you had been with me, he would have compelled you to go home, and he would have taken me anyway. So,no guilt. I just feel awful that you nearly died trying to find me.”

  “That wasn’t your fault either. I’m just so grateful not to have turned up your dead body.”

  “No, I’m afraid that would have been you except for a few wild circumstances that came together in your favor. I’m sorry for the loss of your family, your life back in L.A. There’s nothing I can do about that. But you look incredible. How do you feel?”

  “I feel incredible. Park, look at me. I’m a freaking giant. Dez tells me I really will stay young, and that I’m practically immortal. I know that would freak some people out, but I think I’m going to love it. Family? I only have a grandfather, who I loathe…that’s okay, he loathes me right back. And a sister I’m not close to, although it makes me a little sad that we never will be now. She has an infant daughter I’d like to have played uncle to when she was older, but I don’t think they’ll really miss me out of their lives. My sister won’t mind inheriting the entire estate. But…I’m okay. Just have to get used to all the changes.”

  “I have to, as well. I found out…well, I guess I’m not who I thought I was.”

  “Bas mentioned that. What’s the story?”

  “I don’t know all the details, but it’s a long story. I’ll tell you when we have more time. Bas is waiting for me. I just wanted to be sure you were okay. On that point, uh, can I get some blood and DNA samples later on? I still want to monitor your change.”

  He remembered her coming down to the cell several times for that. “Sure.”

  “I’m glad you survived. I hope you like your new life here. I hope I get to stay. I should go. Bas is waiting and he’s…”

  “Yeah, I know. He’s jealous. He’s lucky, is what he really is. Be careful, Park. He’s too big, too powerful. I don’t trust that.”

  “I would agree. But I do trust him.”

  Bas stood in his room, wearing jeans and nothing else, waiting for his woman to finish with her old boyfriend. It still bothered the shit out of him. But he trusted her. His cell just connected his call and a voice answered.

  “Hamid. Did you get my text?”

  Shanks finished his blood meal, dropping the young woman on the floor of the basement. She wasn’t dead, but he’d been too rough on her. Pretty, blonde, large tits. He liked that. He’d ride her before she died. He turned her face up to look at it more closely. Maybe he should make her his vampire girlfriend. She really was quite beautiful. But he was just so damned tired of feeding humans right now. Well, maybe the next one. She moaned. Better take that ride before it was too late. He was buried deep inside her when he heard Alvin calling him. Damn’t! Couldn’t even get a good fuck in these days. He pulled out and shoved himself down into his jeans, binding it all the way. Fuck!

  “What?!” he called out as he was climbing the stairs. Alvin’s pointed head poked around the edge of the doorway.

  “I’ve just finished with the two humans you brought me. I think I can handle one more. Pick one out for me, a bigger one if you can, and get him here quickly. And I will need three more humans for blood. I’ll be in the dining room.”

  “Yes, you fucking will,” he said between his teeth. “Sure. Alvin,” he said out loud and went back down the stairs. “I’m gonna kill that motherfucker long before Bas does.” But he made a call to one of his own vamps and had him arrange another big-ass human and the three meals to go. Then he finished his orgasm just as the young girl died. What a day!

  144

  Chapter Eighteen

  Eillia pushed Hamid off her. She was too distracted to enjoy his attentions tonight. One of the firsts was coming to attack a vampire compound. Bas had been a good friend through a lot of years and she needed to protect him. She wasn’t sure that was possible.

  No one knew how powerful he was…except her. It could be a total bloodbath, vampire and human, because he did not distinguish. Everyone he met was either vampire from the first blood somewhere down the line, or potential vampire. She’d always thought that this idea should make him respect the humans since, in essence, they were all the same. It didn’t seem to work that way. Eillia sighed and pulled her satin wrap around her. Hamid left, sulking. He always hated when she wasn’t in the mood. But mostly, he hated anything to do with the firsts.

  Tonight, they would journey to Canada on the North American continent, and see the first’s child. This was incredible. Children of a first were extremely rare. Children of a first that lived to adulthood, even more unique. And a lost one…holy hell! She’d move heaven and hell to find her lost child. So, Eillia understood. The rage. Not the blind murderous part. She loved her vampires, and would also go to the ends of the earth to protect them. So, she dressed quickly all in battle gear and called out for Hamid. With an enormous frown, he poked his head into her chamber.

  “We need to go,” she told him. “Is the plane ready?”

  “Absolutely. Fueled, luggage loaded, Philippe at the controls. I told him we’d be a little while, but…I guess we won’t.”

  She walked up on top of him and grabbed his groin. “It’s a long flight, Hamid. What do you think we’ll be doing?”

  His smile returned and he escorted her out, opening the door to the Bentley as he always did now that cars were their major conveyance. He liked them, but he thought they lacked the elegance of a horse drawn carriage. The jet…well, it scared the shit out of him, even after all these years. But it seemed he’d be properly distracted this time.

  It was close to dawn. After she’d left her new vampire with his “girlfriend”, Dez went to prepare weapons lessons, but he hadn’t shown up. It pissed her off, so she went down to the situation room to hang with the guys for a while. They were finishing up a long strategy session. She could tell Bas was really worried, so this was as serious as she’d ever seen anything. Vampires were like elephants in that they didn’t have too many natural enemies. Very little worried them. This…did. At the moment, they were all going through their history… who might be deranged enough, have reason enough, to try this.

  “I’m targeted, so I should be able to come up with someone who would be pissed enough at me to do this. But I can’t.”

  Dez stuck her two cents in. “It may not be you, Bas. You just might be first on his list because…I don’t know, maybe you’re geographically convenient. I’m not saying there isn’t a connection, I’m just saying there might not be. You need to look outside that parameter.”

  “Dez is right,” Jake said. “And honestly, I don’t think it matters. Whoever it is has done a lot of damage already. We just need to know a few things and be prepared for them. First, when he’s coming. Second, what kind of troops will he have…vampire, human, other? We can expect him to come hard and hit hard, so we win
this by being quicker, meaner, and ready. I expect him to pull out everything he can. We have to, too.”

  An alarm sounded from Jake’s pants. Dez started to make a joke, but when she saw his face, she shut up.

  “Fuck! They’re here!” he yelled and every one was on their feet immediately. No one was ready. It was nearing dawn, and the worst time to defend themselves. It was also the worst time for the attacking vampires, too. Jake sent texts to all his men, letting them know to grab weapons and make sure all entry points were covered. Then he pointed to everyone in the room.

  “You’re all with me. The attack is coming through the front gate. We have to stop them before they breach the inside perimeter.”

  All heads nodded affirmative and Jake led them to the armory, where machine guns and hand weapons were chosen according to each vampire’s tastes. Bas texted Eugene to make sure he took Park, Cherise, Bernie, and Zach into the secure rooms below ground level. They weren’t impenetrable, but nearly so. He responded that he would, and Bas knew it would be done. He couldn’t worry about her, and focus on protecting the stronghold at the same time.

  Heavily armed, the six big vampires made their way carefully to the gate through underground access tunnels that only opened one way. No enemy was ever sneaking into his home. Bas led the crew, aware that was the only honorable battle he could fight, out front, risking as much as anyone else. That lasted two seconds, as Dez drew up to him carefully and overtook him, her M-4 rattling away as the gate gave way to the explosive force of at least forty men. They surged in, gunfire from both sides, muzzle flashes and percussive sounds accompanied the chaos.

  It didn’t take long to cut them down. There’d been no choice, they were gunning for the vampire’s heads. And even though most vampires didn’t die from gunshot wounds, many suffered serious, long term damage that would make an immortal life a lot harder.

  Jake went toward the dead and dying attackers, a frown on his face. They all looked confused or shocked.

  “Bas, this isn’t what it seems. They’re all compelled. I doubt there’s even a blood-bond here…there’s definitely no vampire. Look at their faces.” He bent down and looked closely at one of the men who was still alive, but too badly injured to survive. He put his hand on him and willed him to sleep. At least he didn’t have to suffer anymore. As he drew his hand away, something small and shiny caught his eye. He plucked it free of the dying human’s shirt, then stood up quickly and brought it to Bas. “It’s a camera.”

  Bas looked them over and swore. He went to another man, then another. They all wore little cameras.

  “Motherfuck! He’s testing us, seeing how we respond, what we got!” He threw the little camera against the pavement and it shattered into tiny splinters. “Guys, get those cameras off…now!”

  The others started covering the area, pulling the tiny surveillance cameras loose and crushing them beneath heavy heels or with powerful fingers. Bas walked away from the activity, his cell phone in his hand. He was contacting the other crew members for reports. It was the same.

  “Son of a motherfucking bitch! I want a report from every front.” He was yelling now, he realized that, but he couldn’t stop. “Marcus!” he yelled into the phone. “Check your dead. Check for small surveillance cameras on them. They do? Destroy them and make sure everyone else does the same. Do not miss one!” He turned to his crew. “They got us. They caught us with our asses hanging out.”

  “Bas, we beat that insulting little force with no casualties. I doubt anyone even got a scratch.” Jake was trying to look at it positively. Bas didn’t.

  “They tested us, they got their footage. They wanted to know how we’d respond and now they do. It’s not good! It puts him a step ahead. What pisses me off most is I know he’s laughing his fucking ass off that I was forced to kill innocents. He knows that I don’t do that. The real attack, when it comes, won’t be compelled humans, it’ll be vampires and blood-bonds. I want more. I want to be sure there’s no chance he’ll survive. Jake, call everybody. Let them know what we’re facing, even the potential battle with the first. But don’t tell them anything about Park. That stays with those of us who are here right now.” He paused. “I trust you all, you’re my family. I think Park would be in danger if others knew what her blood can do.”

  They all nodded, and came forward with handshakes and one armed hugs, rifles still dangling from their other hands.

  Although the small battle wasn’t really very threatening after all, the situation knocked it out of them… and with sunrise seconds away, they were exhausted. Jake took the time to reinforce the perimeter, arranging for blood-bonded humans to take care of everything else while they slept, and then he, too, headed to his chambers. Bas went below ground to collect their humans, and then sent them to sleep too.

  He put his arm around Park and nuzzled into her shoulder. “I need you. Right now.” Everyone else had left, so she pulled him back into the shelter, pushed him back, locked the door and turned to him in the dim flickering fluorescent light.

  “You need to get LED down here,” she said, as she began to peel away her shirt. Her large breasts strained against delicate lace, and popped free while he watched her unsnap the little release in front. The globes were perfect, firm, the nipples peaking as she dropped the bra and let her fingernails trail slowly across them. She just stood there as he watched from the middle of the room, her tongue skirting around the edge of her lips. She glanced at him. Then turned her back, which he thought was magnificent, too, and slid the zipper down on the back of the skirt she was wearing. The split v of the zipper left the smooth skin exposed beneath. She wasn’t wearing any underwear. He drew in his breath, then started forward. She shook her head.

  “Not yet,” she said softly. So he just stood there growing harder as he watched.

  Park let the skirt fall, stepped out of it, but left her high heeled boots on. She walked over to the shelves that held supplies and picked up a silver butter knife with an elaborately carved textured handle.

  “This looks interesting,” she said and sat down on a bench near the front of the room. Bas could barely breathe now. She kept her knees together and drew the handle of the knife across her stomach, then dipped it between her legs, drawing it back and forth, back and forth, until she opened her legs, giving him the perfect view of its journey as she moved it, dipping into the folds as well, her breathing heavier and quicker now too.

  He couldn’t take it anymore. Bas shot across the room and pitched the knife so hard the head embedded into the wall. He pushed her back on the bench and mounted her, keeping his eyes on her wet lips. Had he ever been so turned on in three centuries?

  Carefully, he slowed himself down, aware of the child growing within, so he moved with controlled precision until they both suddenly crescendoed, his hands pushing against the wall beside the bench to support his weight as his body shuddered to an intense release. He heard Park call out beneath him, and then collapsed beside her. He wondered if they could make it to his quarters to do this again.

  144

  Chapter Nineteen

  Shanks was laughing his ass off. Bas would know he was. He’d pulled it off. Alvin had told him it was a ridiculous plan…it would gain them nothing. It gained them a lot. They had footage of Bas and his primary vampire forces, the weapons, where they emerged from to meet the fight, and Bas himself, glorious in his rage, realizing he’d killed innocents. Yeah, that footage was worth the faux attack. Once he looked through the footage, he thought it would give him a better landscape for the attacks as well. Shanks sucked down his fourth beer and wiped his face with the back of his hand, a habit he kept from his human days. Yeah, he was brilliant. That weasel was lucky to have him. And he was about sick of that ferret face giving him orders. This attack was going down Shanks’s way.

  “Here bitchie, bitchie, bitchie! Get me some freaking food! You get ten minutes to get me something ass kicking on this table, or I eat you!” He continued to call the old lady cook a bitch
because Alvin didn’t like it. Well, Shanks did.

  Park was enjoying the breakfast-at-night routine so much right now. Bas and his crew had finished and went down to continue setting plans for the imminent attacks. She was sliding down the fluffiest scrambled eggs she’d ever seen, seasoned perfectly with a Mexican spice and pepper jack cheese. Bernie and Zach were still with her and they were laughing about their last training session. Park looked at the faces around her table who had become unlikely friends. She was having a child with a supernatural being who had a brutal background and yet was the kindest, gentlest person she’d ever known. The two people on her sides scarfing down massive amounts of bacon, eggs, and biscuits, had been viciously attacked and ripped from their lives, because of her involvement in them, however brief. And yet she felt closer to these people than she ever thought would be possible, given her detachment from relationships. She was well and truly happy. Her hand fingered the medallion that hung between her breasts. It hummed at the contact, surging warmth and energy into her body and mind. This was life, the turns and twists, the good and the bad, the path you travel…you never know where it may lead. She shook her head, the smile on her lips deep and profound. This was her destiny, she knew it more than she’d ever known anything in her life.

  Bernie screeched because Zach lifted a stack of sausage from her plate.

  “Asshole! That’s the last of it!”

  He grinned and squeezed it between his teeth, his mouth open to punctuate the action. “Mine, all mine,” he said, barely understandable with such a mouthful.

  Bernie stole his entire plate and started shoveling the remaining gravy and biscuits into her own mouth while he tried to steal it back.

  Park sat back, laughing so hard she pressed a hand to her chest.