by B N Miles
Until there was a loud knock at his door.
Everyone froze. The door was across the room next to a large window. The knock came again, and Jared got to his feet, taking off the apron. He draped it over the back of his simple wooden chair and started toward the door.
“Wait,” Lumi said, getting up. She stepped next to him and Jared felt her tension.
“It’s fine,” he said, and headed to the door as the knock came again. He leaned against it and looked out the peephole.
Nikita stood on his stoop, wrapped in shadow. She wore a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants, her hair pulled up in a tight bun. Her face was tense and she glanced down the block like she was being watched.
He pulled open the door. Lumi stood off to the side, her hands balled into fists, but relaxed as she saw the Vampire.
Nikita turned to him, her face tense. “May I come in?” she asked.
Jared nodded. “Come on—”
She flowed into the room, a blur of motion. She slipped past Jared and felt like cool water flowing over his skin. She stopped in front of his coffee table, head tilted at their little celebratory dinner still on the table. Jared shut the door.
“I’m interrupting,” Nikita said.
“It’s okay,” Cassie spoke up. “How are you, Nikki?”
Nikita smiled at Cassie. “I’m doing fine,” she said. “You all look like you’re having fun.”
“Want a drink?” Cassie asked her.
She shook her head. “No, not right now. I need to speak with Jared. Do you all mind if I steal him away?”
“He’s all yours,” Cassie said, grinning.
Lumi gave Jared a look but he nodded at her. He could tell she didn’t want him to go anywhere alone with Nikita, but he trusted the Vampire Underlord, although he knew he shouldn’t.
“Back yard?” he asked her.
She nodded and followed him back through the kitchen. The dirty dishes were still piled in the sink, and the pasta pot was sitting on the back of the stove. His granite counter top shined in the moonlight as he opened the back door and stepped down the three concrete stairs. He had a short expanse of paved patio with a small, round metal table and three matching metal chairs, plus a little bit of grass and some wild bushes growing at the very end. They were penned in by a large wooden fence that was painted a chipped and fading red.
Nikita lingered next to the table before turning to Jared. She looked agitated, and it put him on edge. “What’s going on?” he asked her as he shut the door behind them, cutting off the murmured sound of the girls talking to each other.
“I came to warn you,” she said, stepping toward him. She bit her plump bottom lip and tilted her head. For a second, he almost forgot that she was hundreds, if not thousands of years old, and one of the most powerful people in the city. She just looked like a beautiful eighteen-year-old girl.
“Warn me about what?”
“The Medlar.”
Jared smiled. “I don’t need a warning about them.”
“But you do.” She hesitated then stepped toward him. “After I fed on you, I learned some things. I saw some things about what you’ve been up to, what you’ve been through. So I began to do a little digging on my own.”
That surprised him. “Digging into the Medlar?”
“Something like that.” She let out a breath. “Maybe feeding on you was a bad idea.” She turned away from him and leaned against the metal table, her palm flat against its surface.
“Nikki,” he said, his voice soft.
She turned back to him. “I haven’t been able to get you out of my head. To be honest, I’ve never fed on a Magi before. I thought it would be easy, but…” She trailed off.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t know what it’s like for a Vampire. When Magi sleep with each other, we get something like that connection, but it goes both ways. It lingers for a while, but it’ll fade.”
She nodded and smiled at him. She showed her fangs, but she wasn’t threatening him. “The problem is, I keep wanting more,” she said. “I keep needing more. You were delicious, Jared. Absolutely delicious. God, I haven’t drunk from a living human, direct from the skin, in a long time.”
“Nikki,” he warned.
“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t take anything without your permission.”
“What are you here to tell me?”
She moved closer to him again. His eyes moved down her body, to the swell of her breasts under her tight, dark hooded sweatshirt, down to her long, lean legs. She was relatively tall, but still a few inches shorter than Jared. She came up close to him, and Jared didn’t back down as she pressed herself against his chest.
“They’re gearing up,” she whispered. “I was hearing whispers of it from spies I have watching their compounds, but I’m sure of it now. They’re gearing up for… something. I don’t know what.”
“Compounds?” He frowned. “I thought the Medlar were based in Boston.”
“They are. But they have outposts all over the country. All of the nine do, and some of the lesser families, too. Your family is a little provincial, actually.” She smiled and tilted her head. “But Jared, your name was whispered.”
“My name?” His eyes narrowed.
Nikita pressed herself against him. He felt a thrill run through his body as she stared up into his eyes. She was warm and soft, and his cock stirred against his will. He couldn’t have this kind of lust for the Vampire Underlord, he couldn’t want her like this. Not without talking to his girls first.
“Just your family name,” she said. “But the Medlar have no reason to go after anyone else in your family. They want you, Jared. You have something of theirs, and they’re coming to get it back.”
He went still, like his legs were suddenly frozen. Iced flowed through his veins.
“Cassie,” he whispered.
Nikita frowned and leaned closer. “Really?”
“They want her. I don’t know why. They…” He trailed off. “I shouldn’t tell you this.”
“I can help,” she said. “I want to help. I’ve never liked the Medlar, and the idea of them bringing down serious firepower on an Independent like you pisses me off. And you’re in my city, after all.”
Jared shook his head. “You can’t. You’ll spark something bigger than just this.”
She snorted. “We’ve been warring with the Magi for centuries, ever since the Accords. Oh, we don’t turn to all-out war, and we don’t break the Accords, but we’ve been killing each other in secret for a long, long time.”
Jared stared at her, not sure what to make of that. He’d heard of Vampires fighting back against Magi control, but she was suggesting something much bigger than that. She was suggesting there’d been a secret war going on for thousands of years.
“I still can’t ask you to do that,” he said.
“I want to.” Her voice was soft and her head tilted to the side as her chin lifted toward him. “Please, Jared. Let me help.”
He stared down at her and felt that desire tear through him again. His cock was half-hard as she pressed herself tighter against him. She stood higher, coming closer, and pressed her lips against his.
She tasted like blood and honey. The kiss lasted for a brief moment before he pulled away. It took all his willpower to stop it as he turned and took a few steps toward the other side of the small yard. He took deep breaths to calm himself. Nikita didn’t move to join him, just stayed a few feet away until he turned.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I want that, I just—”
“You have to talk to them first.” She smiled. “I get it.”
“Listen. I might need your help with the Medlar. But I can’t ask that of you.”
“Then don’t ask.” She tilted her head, a smile on her lips. “Most men would throw themselves at my feet. You know that, don’t you?”
Jared shrugged and smiled back. “I suppose I’d rather see you throw yourself at mine.”
That seemed to delight her. She laughed and shook
her head. “I’ve killed men for less.”
“I’m lucky you like me.”
“Yes, you are.” She lingered for a moment then sighed. “Talk to the girls. Tell them what I just told you. The Medlar are coming, Jared. They want something. Maybe it’s Cassie, maybe it’s something else.”
“Thank you,” he said. “I’ll warn them.”
“Sorry to ruin your celebration.” Her smile slowly faded. She looked at the door like she longed to go inside and join them, but instead she turned and blurred toward the back fence. Her figure slid up the back of it and disappeared into the night.
He stood there for a long moment, taking the conversation in. Her taste still lingered on his lips, blood and honey, delicious and horrible. He shook his head and let out a breath before walking up the back steps and into the house. He locked the back door before joining the girls.
They were quiet when he got in there. He could feel the mood had shifted. Lumi stood up and walked to him, putting a hand on his chest. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“I’m okay.” He smiled at her and took her hand. “But it’s time we all talked about what you told me the other night.”
Her face tensed, but she nodded.
“About what?” Cassie asked.
Jared looked at her and remained standing. Lumi moved over and sat down, pulling her chair closer.
“Cass, when you were being sent to Meta Max, it wasn’t to be deported. You were being sent there alongside Ferric because the Medlar wanted you both.”
Cassie frowned. “The Medlar wanted me?” she asked. “I mean, I get Ferric, he stole from them. But why me? And don’t say because I’m beautiful and an absolute wonder, both of which are givens.”
“I don’t know,” Lumi spoke up. “But I do know that they were angrier about Jared taking you from them than they were about him stopping their land deal.”
Jared paced away, crossing in front of his bookshelves a few times, before stopping again. “Nikita just warned me that the Medlar are gearing up for some kind of war. And apparently my family’s name was whispered. She thinks they’re coming for us.” His eyes fell on Cassie and she stared back at him.
“Wait, what does that mean?” Jessalene asked. “And how would she know?”
“She said she has spies.” Jared shook his head. “I don’t know how much we can trust her. But… she kissed me. And fed from me the other day in exchange for information about the Medlar’s organization.”
Jessa and Cassie stared at him. “She fed on you?” Jessa asked.
“You kissed her?” Cassie asked.
Lumi remained motionless, her expression blank.
“She kissed me,” Jared said. “And yes, she fed on me. I felt as though I didn’t have a choice. We need more information if we’re going to defend ourselves from the Medlar.”
“Was it a good kiss?” Lumi asked suddenly.
Everyone looked at her. Jared was surprised, and he could tell Cassie and Jessalene felt the same.
Lumi shrugged a little. “What? She’s really pretty. And strong. I wouldn’t turn her down.”
Cassie laughed. She leaned back and laughed, and Jessa joined in. Jared grinned at them, shaking his head, and Lumi just smiled. The tension eased a little bit as Cassie slowly got a hold of herself. Jessalene was grinning and leaned up against Cassie, kissing her cheek. Jared let out a breath, like he’d be holding it for days.
“I’m not sure what we’re going to do,” he said once the laughter completely died down. “And I’m not sure what we want from Nikita.”
“If you want to kiss her some more, I’m not going to stop you,” Cassie said. “She’s really hot.”
Jared looked at Jessalene, who blushed. “I mean, yeah, she’s really attractive. Most Vampires are though, right?”
“Not necessarily,” Lumi said. “The change does make them prettier. But it depends on how you look to begin with. I suspect Nikita was always beautiful, and the change just amplified it.”
“Well, uh…” Jessalene shrugged a little, turning even redder. “I wouldn’t mind, you know. Getting to know her more.”
“Okay, then,” Jared said. “The issue of whether or not we’re going to fuck Nikita has been resolved, even though that’s the least of our worries.”
Cassie laughed again, but he could tell it was hollow. Lumi leaned toward her and put a hand on her knee. “I’m sorry,” Lumi said. “My family is…” She shook her head.
“Not your family anymore,” Cassie said, taking her hand. “We’re your family now. Right?”
“Right.” Lumi smiled and looked at Jared.
He nodded to her. “She’s right. And Cassie, we won’t let them touch you.”
“We won’t,” Lumi agreed.
Cassie just nodded and didn’t say a word. The laughter dissipated from her lips and she stared down at the plate in front of her. She reached out and took her glass of wine, swirled it, and took a long slip.
Jessalene got up, carried the bottle around, and refilled all their glasses. “Well, since the night’s ruined, we might as well finish this bottle then head upstairs.”
Jared grinned at her and caught her wrist. He pulled her over to him. She wasn’t quite as tall as Nikita, and her breasts were smaller, but her hips were wider, her ass tighter, and her body was trim and toned. He kissed her hard, tasting her lips, letting the grass and wildflower smell of her wash over him. “Head upstairs, huh?”
She smiled and put the empty bottle down on a side table. “What else are we going to do?” she asked. “Might as well.”
“I knew you couldn’t help yourself.”
He gestured at Lumi and she stood and joined them. He kissed her, tasting her lips, before Cassie joined the group. He kissed her as well, pulled her close, and hugged her tight. They all held her like that, the four of them, his girls in his house.
He didn’t know what the future would bring. But for now, they saved Jessalene’s land, they captured a dangerous assassin, and they had each other.
His new family. Cassie was right. His old family was dead and gone, at least in his mind.
This was his family now.
And he wouldn’t let anyone hurt them.
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- BN
About BN Miles
BN lives in a suburb of Philadelphia with his wife, two boys, and his black lab. He spends most of his time listening to his record collection, playing FPSs, and complaining about things on Reddit.
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