by C. L. Quinn
“What happened, lass?”
“Oh, keep that grin to yourself, vampire. I dumped every freaking thing in my bag. Including the new lingerie I just bought. Don’t look! I don’t want you to see it before I wear it!”
Shaking his head, Bryn closed his eyes. “Now how am I goin’ ta help ya pick yer stuff up?”
“Just…” Lauren huffed. “Baby, just go inside, I’ll be right there.”
Shaking his head with a chuckle, Bryn, toting his own bag, followed David into the enormous villa where he could see that the house was decorated floor to ceiling for the holiday in silvers and golds. Glancing back, he decided to wait for Lauren before he went into the dining area that he could see to his left. Voices were raised as the new arrivals greeted those who were already in the room.
Aye, it was a great time of year. Even though vampires rarely bothered with holiday celebrations, he’d always had a fondness in his heart for this time of earthly good will to men, endless parties, and generosity that seemed forgotten the rest of the year.
“Och, it’s the big Scotsman!”
Bryn turned to the loud, gregarious voice and saw Xavier barreling towards him. One of the massive first bloods that helped them last year in South America, the man had a tendency to be overwhelming. The bone-crushing hug was exactly what Bryn remembered.
Xavier pulled back, his eyes moving around the festive room. “Where’s your lovely woman, Scotsman?”
“She’s comin.’ Hello, Xavier. Merry Christmas.”
“Aye, a happy holiday to you, too, lad. I’m glad you came through all right. All of that was nasty business last year with Lamont.”
“It was. Lauren escaped only by converting.”
“I heard that.”
A loud bang behind them announced that Lauren had arrived, as she threw her bag into the corner of the room and knocked over a chair. Bryn watched her roll her eyes and shrug.
Xavier’s eyes on her, he slapped Bryn on the back. “It looks like the conversion was very kind to her.”
Nodding, Bryn’s eyes locked on his mate again. That woman was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. The vampire genome had done its job and ramped her up beyond her lovely human self. He crawled inside of her as often as he could because he just needed her so much. Before Lauren, he was certain he’d never love like this.
Lauren looked at him then, and he smiled softly. He’d been wrong. He was so in love with this amazing, crazy woman that he couldn’t imagine his life without her for even one day in the many centuries he had yet to live. Their lovemaking had deepened to the point that they almost completely merged when they were buried within each other. He was a very happy vampire.
“Well, that was a clusterfuck.” Lauren said before she snatched a cupcake off the table. As she brought it to her mouth, a big glob of the pink icing fell onto her shirt. Lauren winked at Bryn. “Hi, baby. Care to dine with the sloppiest woman in the room?”
Bryn winked back. “Aye. Ya remember Xavier?”
Nodding, Lauren crammed the cupcake into her mouth and licked her fingers. “Um, hum,” she said, and gave Xavier a smile with pink frosted lips.
Xavier laughed and reached for one of the frosted cupcakes. “It’s gonna be interesting these next few days.”
Cherise made the rounds quickly, moving past everyone with a close hug or a warm touch, palm to palm, to connect with the people she’d fallen in love with since becoming a member of David’s vampire world. As the only known vampire empath, she held a special place in the community for her unique gift of prognostication and empathic bond. The new crop of vampire children had been prophesied by the universe, the word sent to them through this petite woman. She was very deeply bonded with the mothers of those children.
David stayed near his mate, aware that she could be overwhelmed, a self-appointed sentry for the woman that brought him back to his life after years of torture ripped him in pieces. He would always be there for her. Now, on this first holiday they’d celebrated in centuries, he thought that she glowed. Cherise loved Christmas, and it meant the world to him to give her this lovely family-filled celebration.
“Bon soir, everyone, my home is yours.” Koen held his hands out in a gesture of welcome. “We will end up this night down at the beach, a bright fire and brighter stars, to catch up with each other and enjoy this first night with so many of us finally here together. Please, though, join me in the dining room for an amazing feast. Xavier has brought much of his top shelf Scotch.”
“Hungry, my love?” Cherise asked David, her French accent stronger now that she was back in France.
He knew what she wanted most right now, and it wasn’t food. “Quite. Let’s have a nice meal and then you can see the children. Okay?”
“Okay. If there is a lot of Scotch in there, we better make sure that Bryn doesn’t take more than his fair share.”
“He’s much better with Lauren. I can’t imagine Bryn ever giving up his Scotch, but he doesn’t need it anymore like he used to.”
“True. They are so beautiful together. Let us dine, my love.”
Before everyone joined them, Tamesine called Marc on her cell phone. “Baby, could you bring the children to me? I’m still on the beach.”
After ending the call, she sat next to Starla and leaned in, hesitated, then looked into her eyes. “I asked for Dez to come to the holiday celebration. Luka said that he would contact her and invite her. Do you know if she is going to come?”
Shaking her head, Starla held Shani closer and wrapped the blanket tighter to repel a strong breeze that rolled in off the sea. “No, she isn’t coming. Luka told me that she is traveling. I didn’t realize that you knew Dez that well.”
Starla kept a close eye on Tamesine as she stood again and walked over to stoke the fire. Her silence spoke louder than words. Starla knew pain when she saw it, especially a mother’s pain, and wondered about the connection between this gentle, powerful child of the moon, and the vivacious vampire from Brazil. She knew that if Tamesine wanted to tell her, she would do so. Starla would not push.
“Um, I have no good idea how to answer that. No, I don’t know Dez. Not really. But I discovered two months ago that she is the daughter that I gave away after Windari murdered me.”
Shani whined low and Starla held her to her breast. She glanced back at Tamesine. “Oh.” It was inadequate considering what Tamesine had revealed, but it was a huge admission. Once Shani fell back to sleep, Starla rocked her as she stood. “Does she know?” she asked.
With a drop of her head, Tamesine looked at a flaming stick that protruded from the base of the fire. “She does. And she wants nothing to do with me. She thinks that I abandoned her.”
“Wow. That’s…I’m sorry, Tam. You know that she’ll come around. You’ll work this out.”
“Hey, is this where the party is?”
The loud voice calling from the bottom of the stone steps that led from the villa to the beach interrupted the two women in quiet conversation.
Tamesine looked up and sighed. It was the large vampire from Paris, Koen’s brother Xavier. He was bigger than life and commanded attention wherever he went. She smiled as she remembered how little Eillia could stand his company. She was of the opinion that he was an unapologetic womanizer and a dedicated chauvinist. Tamesine didn’t know enough about him to form her own opinion, but since he was Koen’s family, and she lived here due to Koen’s generosity, she would welcome him like family as well.
“Xavier,” she said in greeting as he approached.
He laughed, his teeth almost electric in the bright light of the now-raging fire. “Lassie. Don’t I remember you from the trip to South America last year? Aye, I do, I never forget a face that lovely. Tamesine, I think.”
“You’re right. And that’s my mate you’re thinking about flirting with.”
Shifting her gaze behind Xavier, Tamesine smiled at Marc as he arrived with two big hand-held baskets balanced carefully in each hand.
Xavi
er turned to him. “And who might you be? Ye’re not first blood. But ye’re a big motherfucker!”
“No, I’m not first blood, but I could still beat your ass if I had to. Luckily, I won’t. I’m Marc, and that’s the mother of my children you’re trying to charm.”
Xavier noticed the baskets and moved closer to lift the light blankets covering them. He dropped down on his knees in the sand and set the nearly full bottle of whisky he carried in his right hand down and pushed it into the sand so that it wouldn’t tip over.
“Aye. First blood babies. Twins? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Tamesine smiled. She was one of a set of twins, but she didn’t feel like revealing that to Xavier. It meant something, though, that the loud, obnoxious vampire knelt silently and watched her beautiful children. He did value something more than drinking and women after all. Her heart unexpectedly softened towards Koen’s aggressive brother.
“May I hold one of the tiny ones?” Xavier asked Marc.
Marc’s gaze went to Tamesine and she nodded. Now, after watching that big vampire gently pick up her daughter and hold her in his arms as if she were the most precious thing in his world, she knew that he was deeper than anyone had any idea. This man was a good man, but he hid it well behind the verbose man-child he seemed to embody. Her eyes misted when he brushed Fia’s hair from her face with a gentle fingertip.
“An angel from the heavens, for certain,” Xavier whispered.
Tamesine walked over to Marc. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Your wish is my command. It always has been, you know that.”
“Don’t be silly, Marc. I am your wife, not your boss.”
“You are everything,” he said and kissed her gently on the forehead. “The kids are fed and ready for the party. Did you see how I dressed them?”
“They’re still wrapped in their blankets. Let me look.”
As she peeled the pale blue blanket away from her son, she smiled. “Christmas outfits? Where did they come from?”
“Santa, of course. He was early, and I told him they needed holiday clothes, so he left clothes for all of the children. Lucky timing, wasn’t it?”
The twins were now 5 months old, and while first blood babies lived like human children until they reached adult maturity, they were still infants and behaved just the way any human 5 month old baby would. What made them special now was that they were precious, had access to some of their powers, and were destined for grand and important futures.
Tamesine and Marc…all of the parents…were just grateful that their children were happy and well, and safe. With all of the craziness of this past year, they hadn’t always been sure of that.
“Are Koen and Alisa coming down soon?” Tamesine suddenly asked Xavier as he stood, cradling her daughter in his arms.
“Aye. Everyone is finishing dinner. I think all of the guests have arrived, so yeah, I think they’ll be here quite soon.” He walked over to look at Fia’s brother. “Their names are great, but why did you choose Scottish names for the babes? I thought you were from Africa.”
“Originally, yes. But I spent a lot of time in the Scottish Isles when I was younger. There is so much power in that land, in the history, in the people. When it was time to name these special children, I barely had to choose. The names were just there, almost as if they were destined from the beginning.”
Tamesine paused and looked down at Bryson with such love, Marc felt his heart skip beats. God, he loved his little family beyond anything in his life.
“We’ve learned, of late, how important it is to pay attention to destiny.”
Laughter and voices drew everyone’s heads to the stone stairway. At least eight people were making their way down, moving at human speed to allow for the toddlers who were coming with them.
Starla looked up at Tamesine from where she sat quietly several chairs away from Xavier as he’d arrived. She couldn’t wait to see the rest of her family here on this gorgeous night just before Christmas. Shani wiggled in her arms, her strong little legs kicking against the blanket. It was because she knew that her little sister Brigitte was near and would be next to her again very soon. The two half-sisters were as close as any sisters could ever be. That was why Ahmose had nearly finished construction on a dwelling large enough for both families to live under the same roof. He’d maximized the design by putting the private chambers for her and Jacob on one side of a central rooming area for the children, and himself and Mal on the other side of that. Each couple would have complete privacy with their children sandwiched between them for safety and access. Main living spaces came off the front of the dwelling. It would be ready for the families to move into them before the New Year.
“What do you say we get this party going?”
Koen’s voice interrupted everything as he strode towards the now-roaring fire, his fingers wrapped around Alisa’s hand, a bottle of MoonShine in his other. He held up the bottle of wine and released another yell. “Whoop-whoop!”
Behind him, Starla was grateful to see her family, Jacob leading Ahmose and Mal, Chione and Donovan, and their children. Now, the Christmas celebration could begin.
Moments later, a smiling David led Cherise, Bryn, and Lauren to the circle of flames.
“Ahhh, nice,” Lauren said, and led Bryn to the other side of the fire to drop onto the sand. Moaning, she opened a little white bag she’d carried with her and pulled out a frosted snowflake shaped cookie. “I’ve missed sitting on warm sand.”
Bryn kissed her on the cheek. “I don’t keep ya warm enough, lass?”
Tilting her head, she took another bite of the white cookie. “Yes, you do. But this, ahhh, it’s just a special thing.” She slipped her shoes off and buried her toes in the sand, wiggling them. “Yep, nothing else like it.”
Koen led Alisa to the center of the ring of benches and beach chairs. “Everyone, I would like to welcome all of you to this celebration which is an epic universal event. Never before have the children of the sun and the children of the moon been together like this. With second and third generation first blood children, I cannot imagine anything more spectacular in our histories. I humbly invite you to consider this villa your home. Know that I consider all of you family. First, let us rejoice that we have finally defeated one of the greatest threats to the vampire community that we have ever faced. Second, we must thank the universe for the gifts these past few years have rained upon us, children of beauty and power that have transformed our lives and will transform the future of this living planet. And finally, a time of food, fun, and play to show destiny that we comply, but we still have lives to live.”
A collected affirmation filled the air, arms held up to show support. Bryn stood and held up a crystal whisky glass half-filled with the amber fluid. He wore a set of reindeer antlers on his head with little silver bells sewn around the band that held them to his head.
“Aye, my friends and family, it is time to show the universe that we are grateful for our gifts. Merry Christmas!”
Three
Merry came awake slowly, confused, before her memory returned and reminded her that she’d been kidnapped and drugged. She had a splitting headache, but, once she remembered what had happened, she knew that a headache was the least of her problems.
Sitting up, she looked around, but saw nothing at all. Wherever he’d dumped her, it was pitch black. Her boots were gone, but thankfully, she was no longer bound. Carefully, she moved her hands out and tried to feel around to get some idea of where she was. Her searching hands hit nothing but air until she finally reached a solid vertical surface. Sliding her hands back and forth, she realized that it was just a wall, so she pushed back to lean against it. What the fuck? Her mind raced over the events of the night as she tried to make some sense of it.
After forcing her from her shop, the abductor had thrown her into the trunk of a big luxury car, a Lexus, she knew, briefly spying the shiny insignia illuminated by the fuzzy glow of the streetlight in the i
ncreasing snowfall. By then, he’d bound her hands and feet, and stuck some kind of nasty tape over her mouth. Every moment she was still determined to break free and beat the living shit out of this asshole. Lying trapped in the moving car, her mind had bounced all over as she tried to figure out why he had taken her. Had she been right, did this have something to do with Lauren? And if so, why now? Lauren had disappeared two years ago!
Nothing made sense. There was no clue as to who this man was, why he wanted her, and what he was going to do with her. When the trunk lid opened again some time later, he’d jabbed a needle in her arm, and she’d lost consciousness until she woke here in the dark.
“I’m so fucked,” Merry whispered.
“Nice to have company.”
A deep male voice traveled through the darkness and shocked her into silence. She wasn’t in here alone.
Moments later, she spoke. “Um, have you been kidnapped too?”
A slow chuckle reverberated enough off the walls for her to determine that it wasn’t a really big room, and it was likely quite empty.
“Yeah, I guess I am. Merry fucking Christmas, right?”
The voice paused. “I’m Taggert. Well, the first name is actually Bo, but no one has called me that in two decades. May I ask who my charming companion is here tonight?”
Conversation. Normal conversation? Might as well.
“My name is Merry.”
“Hi, Mary. Pretty name. I had a teacher named Mary and she was the sweetest woman I’ve ever known. Plus, I’ve always had a thing for Mary Tyler Moore.”
Common mistake. She didn’t know why she bothered, but it didn’t seem as if they had anything else on their agenda for the night. “Merry. Like Merry Christmas. Like have yourself a merry little. Like, I am not feeling very freaking merry tonight.”
“Oh.”
Silence for several more minutes, some scuffling, and then the voice again, closer, but not too close. “Sorry. Look, we’re both here, we might as well compare details and see what we have to work with. I’ve been here for what I believe is 2 days, give or take. It’s surprising how little you can intuit with such sensory deprivation. Until you, I’ve sat here in total darkness with the absence of sound except for occasional distant bangs, like a door opening or closing, and a tray once a day slid through a slit under the door. I was asleep when they brought you in. Otherwise I might have been able to stop him. Or them.”
