Forbidden Days (The Firsts)

by C. L. Quinn

  I have an alert system on every perimeter. If something’s coming, we’ll have a good ten minutes warning. I’ve doubled the sentries, thanks to Eillia. Most of them are vampires. Not babies. He doesn’t have a chance of winning now. Doesn’t mean he can’t do any damage. These are the orders of the head of this household.” Everyone glanced at Bas.

  “If an alarm sounds, all humans and vamps less than a year old go to the underground shelter, like you did before. No questions, no exceptions. We can’t protect the stronghold if we’re protecting you. Eillia, Bas would like you to join them, not because he thinks you can’t defend yourself, of course, but because this asshole is an unknown and he doesn’t want to take any risks with you. It’s your decision, he knows that. Any questions?”

  “What happens if they get to us?” Burne inquired.

  “It’s our job to see that they don’t. If they do, they should not be able to penetrate the shelter. It’s built to withstand a bomb. But if the improbable were to occur, Eugene knows the drill. You’ll be safe. Anyone else?” He waited, then smiled slowly. “We’re done, then. Breakfast!”

  After the buffet, the next two hours involved defense training, mostly Burne, Zach, and Tim. Park was working out with them, doing simple defense moves, but the pregnancy had changed the agenda when it came to her.

  Burne wrapped her arms around Park. “I can’t wait until we get a chance to go shopping for baby clothes for you, and hot new vampire duds for me. Burne requires different clothes than Bernie did.”

  “It won’t be long. The baby will be here in a little over five months. Can you believe it?”

  “Yes. We’ve all had our lives changed dramatically since this began. Park, I’m not complaining. I really do love being vampire. So does Zach. So, in the end, we’re happy, all of us, and that’s what matters most. Life may be a journey, not a destination, but if the journey leads you to a destination that is right and wonderful for you, then the journey, whatever it included, is worth it. So don’t you dare feel guilty.”

  Parks eyes softened. It was true. Bernie, uh, Burne, was really happy. She and Vaz were amazing together, in the way Park and Bas were. She was right. The destination was worth whatever it took to get there.

  144

  Chapter twenty-one

  He woke suddenly, in sweats, and that never happened. In all the centuries of his life, even the last decade, which had gone horribly, he had never awakened drenched and anxious, his heart pounding, his breath ragged, his muscles tight. The headache had increased, forcing him to crush the sides of his temple with powerful hands to try to compress the pain. It hadn’t worked before, and it didn’t work now. There was something pushing at his mind, something there, and yet he couldn’t see what, but… He had to find out…he had to have Eillia read him. God, he hated the idea of someone invading his mind, but he couldn’t go on like this. She was out of town, but either she needed to come back, or he would have to go to her. It didn’t matter what time it was wherever she was, he grabbed his cell and punched it. A few moments later a sleepy Hamid answered with a grunt.

  “I need to speak with her,” Koen said, and realized he was still breathless as if he’d run six marathons in vampire speed.

  There were a few clicks, a murmured expletive and her soft voice came on the line.

  “Koen. Isn’t it still day there?”

  “It is. I’m sorry. What we spoke of the other day. The headaches. The premonition that is trying to come through. I need you . When do you return?”

  Silence. Then, “It may be weeks…”

  He cut her off. “That’s okay. I’ll come to you. Where are you?”

  Silence again. Nothing more. He felt as well as heard it. Something was wrong.

  “Eillia, are you okay?”

  “No. Yes. I’m just…I’m tired. Um, you can’t come here right now. We’re beginning to battle a particularly nasty vampire. We’re locked down.”

  “Perfect. Good. I can help. Could use a good battle. Where are you?”

  Silence again, whispering. His oldest friend and ally, a member of his family for all purposes, was being evasive. Something was definitely wrong.

  “Eillia, I’m coming to you. I’ll find you.”

  He rung off. Eillia panicked, a little. “Oh, shit! He’s coming here. You know he can find me if he wants to and he’s heading here. I’ll try to block him, but I think it’s too late. Hamid, what should I tell him?”

  “First, be calm. He’ll sense it. Next, you better think about telling him about his daughter. It’s going to happen anyway and he’s going to be so pissed if he has to figure it out on his own.”

  “I can’t. I promised Bas and Park. And I’m not sure we can keep him from taking her. He’s a little beyond reason, with the horror of the past years for him. If he does, I will have to go against him. Right now, I owe my allegiance to Park and the child. You know a battle with him…someone is getting hurt.”

  Hamid agreed with a nod of his head. “I…don’t see a way out. He’s coming.”

  Eillia sighed. “I know. I’m exhausted, Hamid, but…please get inside me now.”

  In six centuries, she’d never had to ask twice.

  His jet was fueled and ready. He just had to wait until dark. Something was happening…he knew it. What…he couldn’t tell, but it was pivotal…important. And it involved him. Koen waited in his favorite car, a jag, sporty, sexy, fitted with darkened, one hundred percent ultraviolet filtered windows. He could watch the sun drop in safety, and he did often. There was something so satisfying about that simple moment of seeing the day end and the night begin. For the past ten years, like never before in all his centuries, he was considering endings…finishing things… He wondered if it might be time for him to finish.

  He twisted open a pack of cookies…American ones he’d grown to love. A thick white icing in the center of two chocolate wafer cookies…Oreos. That was one major benefit of modern day…endless food items easily obtained. He had a large shipment of these and several other American cake and cookie items delivered every month. But these were favorites. A fitting final meal…if it came to that. He tongued the slick sweet icing after tearing off one of the chocolate wafers. Perhaps that was where he went wrong…the things he loved…he loved too much. Better to not care so deeply. He’d hurt less in the end. Like he hadn’t learned that again and again through all his lives. That damn cookie couldn’t fix things, but it helped him remember that there were things of joy in the world. He thought of Eillia. Gorgeous Eillia, who had been like a sister to him. She’d miss him, he knew that, but she had many people who loved her in her life. She had Hamid, who had loved her nearly as long as they’d been here. He was happy for her. Eillia would grieve, but she’d be fine.

  Zach had forgotten. He was in the lounge with Tim, playing a hijacked version of a popular game that wasn’t out on the market yet. Park, Burne, and Dez were trying to watch television, a movie that had been popular this past summer. When Eugene came in and bent over to whisper to him, Zach stood up. Ah. The cheerleader “type” Dez had ordered for him.

  “Eugene, would you be a sport, and bring her in here?”

  “It’s not protocol, monsoir.”

  “Yeah, I know, but…just this once, come on man, do me a solid.”

  Eugene looked like he had no idea what “doing a solid” was, but he nodded.

  Zach continued with the game until Eugene showed up about ten minutes later with a gorgeous blonde woman, dressed for effect, in a tight fitting bandeau shirt, jeans, and spike heeled boots. She looked a little dazed and Zach knew she’d already been compelled to get her here.

  He couldn’t help himself, he made a big show of it.

  “Eugene, my man, you really came through.” He turned to the girl, caught her attention, and released her from some of the controlling elements of the compulsion. “Aren’t you a hot one? What’s your name, sweetheart?”

  She looked confused, but with all the people around her, she must have though
t she was at a party. And when she saw Zach, her pupils dilated a little more, then she smiled.

  “Ummm, thank you right back,” she said.

  Zach let his eyes wander toward the couch, where Dez was staring so hard at the tv screen he thought it might explode. Yeah, it was getting to her. Point only starting to be made, though.

  “Hey, sweetie, let’s go up to my chambers where we can get to know each other better.”

  The girl nodded and slipped an arm around him. “You lead, and I’ll follow.”

  He walked her to the door, glancing back. “Sorry, Tim. Different games for tonight, eh?” He shot his eyes at Dez, and caught her staring at him, but she looked away as soon as she locked her eyes with his.

  Point made.

  He took his “cheerleader” upstairs, listening to her running commentary on how great it was to meet such a handsome guy and how impressive his house was. Yeah, this was a mansion beyond mansions. She probably hoped she’d hit the jackpot. But he only wanted his blood meal from her. He was hard, and would probably remain so during the feeding, but he really wanted to bury himself in Dez. He hoped he might get to, but it was impossible to know if she’d give in.

  Twenty minutes later when his door flew open violently, Dez was standing there. Her eyes wild, they moved over the two figures on the bed…the blonde girl spread across his lap, his pants unzipped, her throat turned up to his mouth. He was licking his lips, his eyes glued to Dez’s.

  “Yes?” he said casually. “Did you need something?”

  “Bastard,” she said simply.

  He watched her eyes drop to his open jeans, no underwear, the skin exposed.

  “They were a little tight.”

  Dex snorted. “Yeah, I bet.”

  Zach closed up the wound on the blonde’s throat and laid her aside. He put his hand over her eyes gently, said “sleep,” and she did.

  He got off the bed and walked barefoot, his fly still open, the jeans riding low on his hips, over toward Dez, who was gloriously pissed and trying so hard not to be.

  “We actually haven’t gotten to the evening’s entertainment yet. You want to join us?”

  Dez let her eyes bounce to the bed. The girl had fallen against the charcoal gray comforter with her ample cleavage spilling out of the overstressed top, two rosy nipples popped free. Zach let his eyes follow Dez’s.

  “Looks delicious, doesn’t it? You want to share?”

  Sparks flew from her eyes, the blackness mirror shiny. She stood there motionless for several minutes, staring at him. Then turned and walked out, quietly closing the door behind her.

  Vermillion streaks announced the sun’s drop out of the skies over Vancouver, letting those who walk by night awaken and begin their “day.”

  Night broke hard for some, seemed too soon. Bas was already up and at it, but Park couldn’t seem to come completely awake. She struggled up from darkness that wouldn’t abate, like she was deep beneath the sea where there was no light and no way to swim up. The pressure in her mind surrounded her, kept the air stale and heavy. Something was happening. A sense of panic infused her, but she couldn’t wake. She could feel herself thrashing, feel the baby’s fear, but she couldn’t get to her. It was all going wrong and she would lose all that she’d gained.

  Bas finished his shower, walking naked, slightly dripping, back into the room, palming his cell and looking at overday texts from his security team. All had remained quiet. He glanced up and saw Park twisting against the sheets on their bed, threw the cell into a padded chair, and hurried over to take her in his arms. She resisted until he put his head to hers and thought to her, tried to reach her through their connection. He felt it the moment she did. Their minds merged and he was able to bring her out of the deep sleep and help her body awaken. She moaned and her eyes opened, looked up at his face just above hers.

  “Bas. Thank…thank you. I was in a dark place.”

  “I felt it. Know that I will always come for you. You and our daughter have nothing to fear. I won’t let him take you, I won’t let anyone ever hurt either of you.”

  The breakfast room was raucous with almost every household member grabbing from the four overladen tables. Eillia and Hamid had yet to arrive since she liked to take a leisurely swim before she ate. Eugene had Cherise helping with prep right after the household awakened because the number of residents had risen by half again hungry vampires to feed since this had all begun. Park offered to help, but he nicely declined due to her condition, which seemed to become more apparent every day. Bas had surprised her with a ridiculous shipment of maternity clothes, every style and color conceivable. Eugene watched her laughing from her seat next to Bas and Burne. It wouldn’t be long now before she was in those expanded clothes. He thought she looked so happy. It made his eyes tear and he had to brush them aside as he lifted a tray of cinnamon rolls up to carry them out to impatient appetites.

  Jake called out to Zach. “Buddy, here” and then threw something small across the room at him, which Zach caught easily.

  “Thought you might like this. Souvenir. We found it when we checked your hotel room after they dropped you here.”

  Zach looked at the item. Damn. His wallet. He tucked it into his pocket and gave Jake a two finger salute. He didn’t know what to think of that little piece of his old life.

  As Eugene passed by with the full tray, Jake grabbed two hot rolls, the warm icing covering his fingers. He licked them, moaning. These cinnamon rolls were a particular favorite of the vampires in the household. He moaned again, loudly, as his cell chimed since his hands were way too gooey to touch it. He looked up, the closest to him was Burne.

  “Hey, would you grab my cell out of my pocket? Front pants pocket.” He stood up, his right leg forward. Burne was reaching for it, her hand deep in his pocket, when Vaz entered the room, his eyes going immediately to Burne. It took seconds to register that her hand was in Jake’s pocket, close to his package, and he vampire-moved across the room.

  Burne pulled her hand out of Jake’s pocket with a coy look on her face, holding up the chiming phone. Vaz’s eyes bounced to Jake, who held up icing covered hands and shrugged.

  “Alright, no one dies,” Vaz said simply, kissed Burne on the cheek, and grabbed the rest of a huge cinnamon roll out of Jake’s hand.

  Burne touched a button on the phone to answer the call and held it up to Jake’s ear.

  “Yeah?” He listened intently. Then motioned for Burne to end the call. “Huh,” he said. “Uh, Bas, there’s a chopper coming in.”

  “Who’s on it?”

  “That I don’t know.”

  “I do.” Eillia and Hamid swept in. She looked upset. “Bas, I hate to tell you this, any of you. Park, darling, it’s your father. I’m afraid he’s found us. Well, he’s actually looking for me, but since he’s here, this close to you, you won’t be able to hide from him.”

  Park looked shocked.

  Eillia came over and knelt down near her. “Honey, I’m so sorry. He called me last night and said he needed to see me. I tried to discourage him, but he’s so hard headed.”

  Bas was furious. “So he can find you, even over such a long distance?”

  “Obviously. That’s how I knew it was him before I even heard about the helicopter. We can block our life force, given the chance, but he had me before I could try it. I hoped he wouldn’t come.”

  “Coulda used a heads-up.”

  “Wouldn’t have made any difference. Bas, if I had told you yesterday, you would have tried to set up some kind of defense. I don’t want you on defense with Koen. If you offend or upset him, I just don’t know what he’ll do. But I don’t want any of you hurt. So let me deal with him. This was unavoidable. You’re dealing with a first blood…you won’t win. Please, all of you, stay here. Hamid and I will meet him and try to persuade him to go. If we can’t, we’ll proceed from there. So.” She let her eyes scour the room. “At the risk of sounding like a pet owner…Stay. Hamid or I will come if it is necessary.”r />
  She looked at Park. “I’ll do my best.”

  Park smiled at her. “I know you will. If he’s unreasonable or dangerous, I’ll know.”

  Eillia knew what that meant. So did Bas. Park thought she would have to intercede if he was dangerous. He put his arm around Park and looked up at Eillia. She knew he would do what he could to keep her there. Eillia and Hamid left quickly.

  Everyone stared at each other. The aggressive natures of the vampire in the room were having a hard time with the idea of hiding out. Bas knew it and held his hand up.

  “Stand down, brothers. I trust Eillia and Hamid. Still, Jake, have a few of your soldiers bring some weapons, their hottest vampire stoppers.” He looked around the room at the buff and ready warriors. “Just in case.”

  Dez, ever the realist, hopped up. “Well, until that happens, I’m not letting this food go to waste.” She began to fill another plate, and the others eventually joined her.

  Bas asked Park if she wanted anything, but she shook her head and smiled. “No, I’m okay. Go ahead, get your calories.” He hesitated, then went on to the table. Park looked down to hide her face. She could feel him. Her father. The power, the confusion, pain, anger. Eillia was right. This had every chance of going wrong. But…