Taken: The Vampire's Concubine: Part One

by Desiree Broussard

  Taken: The Vampire's Concubine

  Part One

  By: Desiree Broussard

  Copyright Notice:

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events listed in this book are products of the author's imagination, or used fictitiously.

  The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks, and/or word marks (if any) mentioned in this book.

  Taken: The Vampire's Concubine Part One

  All Rights Reserved

  © 2014 Desiree Broussard

  No parts of this book may be used, scanned, duplicated, copied, or reproduced without written permission from the author, with the exception of small quotations used in reviews or articles.

  This e-book has been provided for your personal enjoyment only. Sharing or posting publicly is strictly prohibited.

  Prologue

  In the year 2050, life as the world knew it was over. It had been a long time coming. Now under a one-world government, society had been plagued by a series of famines, diseases, ever-rising prices, and poor choices made by those that were entrusted to protect the citizens. People could no longer sustain and eventually their lives were destroyed. In the end there were two classes. Rich or poor.

  Although the poor far outnumbered the rich, they were too broken down from hunger, disease, and worry to fight. So the rich took control, making rules and breaking them as they saw fit. No longer did the poor have a say. They were forced to comply... Or die.

  Over the years, the population had greatly diminished. So much so, that humanity was no longer a threat to those that had remained hidden for so long. They decided to make their presence known and strike a deal.

  Late one night, they quietly arrived. A meeting was quickly arranged, and the terms were set forth. If the mortals agreed, they would live. Otherwise, a war would be waged, and there was little doubt as to who would be victorious.

  Earth's leaders quickly agreed. After all, they couldn't have cared less for the poor. Their own lives would continue as always, full of the joys that only wealth, proper healthcare, and security could provide. Immediately, their scientists were secretly ordered to electronically search through thousands of medical records. It started that very night. A database was formed, although the list was small. It was enough, though.

  The vampires left satisfied, but every month they would return. It was the deal they'd struck. Humanity would survive, but only so long as they provided the women they needed. Should they renege, Earth would be destroyed.

  For you see, the vampires were experiencing their own problems. Over the centuries, their females had grown all but infertile. They needed human women, and they needed them badly, but it had to be one certain type. Their blood had to contain the vamp factor.

  And so it began.

  Chapter 1

  Somewhere above Earth

  2051

  “I'm so scared.”

  Her confession was little more than a whisper in the silence of the space plane, but Keely had no problems hearing it. The other woman's voice was filled with fear, the same fear that would consume her, if she wasn't careful. Pushing it back down to some hidden recess deep within, Keely struggled to find the right words to comfort her. There were none. Really, what could she say? None of them knew why they'd been taken. So in the end, she remained quiet. The woman next to her didn't say anything more.

  Keely's teeth ground together. No matter what, she wouldn't go down without a fight.

  She'd spent the last few years of her life living in less than stellar conditions anyhow. Humanity had once been a civilized race, if her memories were correct, but they weren't anymore. Life was now a day-to-day struggle, with most of the people hungry and fighting to survive. Even walking the streets of the small-town she lived in was enough to get her killed. She'd been in more than her own fair share of scraps, and she wasn't afraid to fight. Their captors were in for a rude awakening, at least when it came to her.

  She'd been in the space plane for hours. Although the temperature was comfortable, and so was the bench with its padded cushioning, her body ached from sitting in one position for so long. She didn't have a choice, though. Her captors had strapped her in after bringing her on board. In space, she had to remained strapped in, or else she would have floated around the entire cabin. It wouldn't have been pleasant, not that she had any experience with it. This was her first trip.

  In a weak moment, tears stung her eyes underneath the blindfold, but Keely blinked them back. She had to remain strong. Crying would only release the floodgates to fear and hopelessness. If she wanted to survive, she had to focus.

  So instead of crying, Keely replayed the events of the last several hours. She'd been asleep in her small house when she was taken, without warning. She had to give her abductors credit, they were professionals when it came to catching a person off-guard. Blindfolded and restrained, they'd carried her to their car. There had been two of them, with a car waiting nearby. She hadn't stood a chance.

  Her captors hadn't talked much, but when they did, their voices were heavily accented. They had to be from another country, although English was now the language of the world. Her brow wrinkled. If that were the case, though, what did they want with her?

  Keely wasn't anyone important. She was part of the poor class, which was the majority of society. Everyone was broke, hungry, and hurting, and with the lingering affects of the different plagues, many were still sick. Or at least those that had survived.

  The plagues had started ten years before. Similar to the flu, it was even deadlier, and the poor and broken remains of society were no match for it. There were vaccines, but only the rich could afford them. She'd been lucky. For whatever reason she was naturally resistant to it, but her parents hadn't been. They'd died five years before, simply because they couldn't afford the medicine to treat it.

  Even after all these years, Keely still felt a lot of anger about their deaths. She always did when it came to a needless loss of life. Humanity as a whole had been broken, though, except for the elect few that had continued to drive the prices up. People were dying by the millions, too broke to afford even the basic necessities like food and antibiotics.

  She'd grown used to it, but she hadn't liked it. Over the years, she'd learned how to chop her own wood to keep the fireplace going and grow her own vegetables to help with the never ending hunger. Even her garden had to be guarded, though. She was only one among millions that were starving.

  Her life was a constant battle for survival. Earth was a very dangerous place, indeed. Her spirits sank even lower. Even if she somehow did manage to make it back, her house would have been ransacked by then, including the small garden she'd so carefully nurtured. It made her despise her captors even more.

  The sound of the engines changed as they slowed down. The plane tilted, but the seat belt held her in place. Fully alert to every sound, her tension grew. They were landing.

  Over the years, she'd heard whispers of the rich traveling with space planes, but she hadn't realized they'd perfected it so well. It was as comfortable as traveling in your everyday plane, so long as you didn't need to go to the bathroom. This went beyond a trip to the moon, though. If her intuition was correct, they had just entered into a completely different world, and that was something she'd never heard of before. Her skin prickled with unease.

  The plane stopped. The cabin was completely quiet, except for the occasional whimper or sob from one of the other women. Out of the silence, a man spoke. Had he been there all along?

  “To your feet, Concubines,” he ordered them, in heavily accented English. “We've ar
rived.”

  With her lips compressed in anger, Keely struggled to undo the seat belt. It wasn't an easy task, especially with her wrists bound. She hoped they had a restroom. Her bladder was about to burst.

  Standing up on unsteady legs, she waited for his next instructions. To her surprise, someone immediately grabbed her and led her off the plane. “Where are we?” Keely demanded, stumbling along beside him. “What do you want with us?”

  His grip was firm on her arm, but it wasn't painful. Despite the horror of her captivity, they hadn't hurt any of them, at least yet. How long would that last, though? “Answer me, damn you,” she bit out in a sharp voice.

  “Quiet, Concubine,” he snapped back. His voice was deep and smooth, despite his short tone. There was an exotic lilt to his words that Keely hadn't heard before. Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure it out. After waiting to see if she'd comply, he added, “All of your questions will be answered soon.”

  Soon wasn't fast enough, not for her. “What's with the blindfolds? Don't tell me that you're scared of a cabin full of women?”

  He didn't respond, but if the quickening of his pace was any indication, he hadn't appreciated her question. After what seemed like forever, he finally stopped. Keely jerked when she felt his fingers on her head, but he only removed her blindfold.

  With wide eyes, Keely took in her surroundings. She was in a large room with floor to ceiling windows, although most of the windows were covered in gauzy red curtains. It was a bedroom, if the large canopied bed and dressers were any indication. For her? Shaking her head, she continued to scan the room. Outside the windows it was dark, except for the light of the three moons. She stared at them in horror. “Where. Are. We?”

  Turning, she finally faced her guard, but ended up gaping at him in astonishment. Holy shit, Keely thought to herself. Tall and well-built, with long, silky hair and a chiseled face, the man was sexy as hell. Without a doubt, he was the best looking man she'd ever seen. He stared back down at her, his nostrils slightly flaring as he hungrily watched her, taking in her reaction. Finally, he just shrugged and replied sardonically, “This is planet Legionnaire - your new home.”

  “Whoa,” Keely shot back, holding her bound hands up as she shook her head. “Number one, this is not my new home. I demand to be taken back, as soon as possible. Two, what the hell is planet Legionnaire? It was never in any science book that I ever read. And three, I've got to use a bathroom, pronto.”

  A ghost of a smile teased his lips, almost as if he found her words amusing. “Of course,” he replied, untying the ribbon binding her wrists together. Keely nearly rolled her eyes. If she'd only known that was all it was.

  He led her over to a doorway. “As to your questions, planet Legionnaire is exactly what it sounds like. It's our world. I think you'll find it to be quite comfortable. We want you to understand that you're not a prisoner here. You're a concubine, which makes you highly valued. With your beauty, you'll have no problems selecting a mate.”

  Keely choked before staring up at him in disbelief. “Mate? Concubine?”

  He nodded, but he didn't elaborate. Instead he gestured toward the door behind her. Keely spun around, too upset to appreciate the lavishness of the bathroom. With all of its gold accents, mirrors, and glass, it reminded her of a jewelry store.

  As much as she wanted to question him, the demands of her body were stronger. Slamming the door in his face, she locked it for good measure. He chuckled through the wood before saying softly, “Don't waste your time trying to escape. You're fully surrounded by our guards, but even if you managed to make it outside of Golden Harbor, you wouldn't survive it. Our forests, oceans, and deserts are full of deadly creatures... And all of them have a taste for fresh blood.”

  Keely didn't bother responding. Instead, she stood there in a kind of quiet horror as she waited to see if he'd speak again. When he didn't, she relaxed enough to attend to her body. After washing her hands, she stared at herself in the mirror as she struggled to remain calm.

  The woman that stared back at her looked calm and collected, except for the eyes. In their hazel depths, she could see her fear. She didn't wear it well.

  Her face was blanched of all color, but otherwise, her complexion was pretty normal. Keely thought back to the man's words. He'd thought she was beautiful, but Keely didn't find it flattering. Beauty would get you hurt or killed, which was why she'd always done everything she could to disguise it.

  Back on earth, she'd learned to never leave the house without her breasts bound, her face dirtied, and a baseball cap over her hair. It would have been easier to cut it, but she'd never been able to convince herself to do it. Maybe it was vain, but she was proud of her long, auburn locks.

  Her lips tightened. Was that why they'd taken her? Somehow, had they managed to get a glimpse of her in her home, when her guard was down? And why did they keep calling them concubines? None of it made sense.

  Inhaling deeply, she forced herself to unlock the door. To her surprise, a woman waited on the other side. Keely stepped out hesitantly, looking around the bedroom for the man that had led her into it.

  “He's gone,” the woman said softy, staring at Keely's face as if she were gauging her every reaction. “Zander had to attend to his other duties so I was sent in his place.”

  Keely studied her, taking in her dress. It was long-sleeved and fitted around the bodice, but the bottom half was voluminous. It reminded her of the dresses in the historical British movies she enjoyed watching on television. Although gorgeous, it was definitely dated.

  “My name is Keely,” she informed her cautiously. “Can you explain to me why I'm here, and how I can get back?”

  “I'm Olivia,” the other woman said. She gestured toward the chairs. “How about we sit down? I'll ring for some refreshments, and I'll do my best to answer your questions.”

  The last thing Keely wanted to do was sit, but there was little choice. She had to have answers, so she had to play their games. To her surprise, Olivia picked up a bell and rang it. A moment later the bedroom door opened, revealing a nondescript female in a uniform. “You rang, ma'am?”

  “Yes, Charlotte,” Olivia replied warmly. “Could you bring our guest something to eat and drink? She looks famished.” The other woman nodded before closing the door silently.

  Keely cleared her throat as she crossed her arms in front of her. Olivia grinned. “I can see you're eager for answers, but most women are. Where do you want to start?”

  “Why am I here?” Keely asked, for what felt like the hundredth time.

  “I'm going to be frank with you.” The other woman leaned back in her chair casually, but Keely could sense the tension within her. She didn't expect for Keely to like what she was about to tell her, and she was uncomfortable with being in the position of having to tell it. “You were brought here to Legionnaire in an effort to help us to repopulate our world.”

  “What?” Keely hissed out, shaking her head vehemently. “No, thanks. I'm not interested.”

  “Unfortunately, you don't have a choice,” Olivia replied, a hard edge to her voice. “Once you're here, there's no going back. The women that are brought to Legionnaire are specially selected by their blood. If they meet the full criteria, we bring them.”

  Keely stared at her in disbelief. “Criteria?”

  “Yes, criteria. We don't bring women that are already married or women with children.”

  “What else?” Keely asked, her hands gripping the arms of the chair tightly.

  “That's all,” Olivia informed her, her manner so calm and assured that Keely hated her. “You'll love it here, once you are settled in, with a mate of your own.”

  Either they were delusional, or she was locked into a terrible nightmare that she couldn't wake up from. “Who do you think you are to decide my life for me? And why does my blood make a difference? It seems to me that one woman would be as good as the next. Why don't you go find one that wants to be here?”

  Olivia shook her
head, ignoring most of Keely's rant. “We can't just use any female,” her voice filled with a pleading note, as if trying to convince her. “Not for our race of people.” She stopped to clear her throat. “We're vampires, and believe me when I say the blood matters.”

  “This can't be real,” Keely muttered hoarsely, her eyes rolling about the room as she looked for a way to escape. “You're crazy.”

  “This is very real,” Olivia said, ignoring the last part. “And I can assure you that we are all fully in charge of our mental capabilities. I can see that you are determined to be unreasonable. So this morning you'll rest. After that you'll be escorted over for grooming, where our professionals will pamper and prepare you for our market tonight.”

  “Market?” Keely strangled out. “Morning?” It was pitch dark out, except for the moons. She wasn't making much sense, but Olivia seemed to understand her.

  “Here on Legionnaire, it's dark around the clock. And our market is a highly-anticipated, once a month gathering.” This time, Olivia blushed a bit. “You'll be displayed for our males. Afterward, you'll get a chance to mingle with them before selecting the male you'll take as mate.”