Darkened Days

by C. L. Quinn

  “Henri, I know what I want to do. I never have before. All my life I’ve tried to figure out what I wanted to do and where I belonged. I want to record this. I want to be a historian. Record people’s stories. Oh, Henri. I’ve found out who I am.”

  Henri hugged her. “Chérie, I am so pleased for you. We should celebrate. Under the stars by the largest pyramid. We will drink to your new life.”

  “Let’s promise, here and now, that we will meet here again, at the largest pyramid, no matter where we are on this earth, in one hundred years exactly to this day. I feel a little euphoric right now. I love the idea that I will be here in Egypt in the next century with my best friend.”

  Henri dropped down on the sandy ground, looking up at the sky.

  “It’s spinning, mon amie. This world, it’s spinning away,” he said.

  “Oui. As it always has. We’re connected to it.”

  She crawled down and stretched out beside him.

  “So. Will you be here? In 2113? No matter what?”

  He turned his head to look into her eyes.

  “Je t’aime, Star girl. Nothing would stop me. Ah. Blood bond.”

  He tore open his palm with a fang.

  Starla grinned and did the same.

  They dropped back on the sand, hands entwined, while the blood dried.

  The whispers of yesterday curled around the girl from a frozen town who thought she had no future at all. Now, she realized the gift she’d received in a dirty basement on a dark night two months ago.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Koen hesitated, eyeing the first blood vampire every bit as big as he was. The other did the same until they came together slowly with a tentative hug and then stepped away quickly.

  Xavier was a large intimidating vampire, used to controlling everything and everyone around him. But he knew with Koen they were on equal ground. Koen was as close to a brother as a first blood could have. They’d been raised together in Scotland, but had a serious disagreement over a lass about eight hundred years ago, and didn’t speak for the next four hundred. Since, they had slowly repaired the relationship, and although they rarely saw each other, they both still called the other one brother.

  “Eillia, my pretty doll. I’m so glad you came back from the dead. And what is this? Pregnant?”

  His eyes shot to Koen. Eillia rolled hers. She didn’t really like Xavier. If there was ever a perfect model for a chauvinist pig, he was it. He liked women. Loved them, in fact. But seemed to have less respect for them as intellectual individuals. And that was her opinion, yes, but she rather thought it highly accurate. His seeking an explanation about her pregnancy from Koen, not her, was a clue.

  “What the hell? How did you pull that off again? How hasn’t it ever happened before?”

  “Not mine, Xavier. Eillia and I haven’t been together. No, the child is his.” He pointed to Daniel, who stepped up protectively beside his wife.

  Xavier scoffed.

  “What! That puny new vampire? Made a baby with a first blood?”

  Everyone took offense at that, not just Daniel. Koen pushed Daniel back when he started forward.

  “Not wise, vampire.”

  Daniel complied. Something in Koen’s tone told him to listen.

  Xavier looked smug and Daniel really wanted to beat the shit out of him. Twice.

  Koen walked coolly up to Xavier. “Daniel is a member of my family. He isn’t first blood, but he is made from first blood. You remember what that was like? Before you became an arrogant motherfucker?”

  Eillia finally understood the conflict between the two first bloods raised as brothers. Radically opposing philosophies on life and specifically, vampires.

  Koen was only inches from Xavier’s face now.

  “How many born vampires have you sired, Xavier?”

  Xavier stood still as a corpse, expressionless.

  Daniel and Eillia stood ready to defend their group.

  Xavier leaned forward, whispered something into his brother’s ear. Koen shoved him back, hard enough that Xavier hit a huge marble statue and nearly dislodged it. They were both laughing hard.

  Eillia relaxed her grip on a powerful taser she kept for such moments.

  Xavier grabbed Daniel suddenly and held his neck in a loose chokehold.

  “My brother calls me a motherfucker. How does he know?” He laughed again and pushed Daniel back into Koen. He came forward suddenly to kneel at Eillia’s belly. Even on his knees he was nearly as tall as she was.

  “May I? I have never before even seen a first blood baby.”

  Eillia nodded and stepped forward to bring his hands to her. To her child. The baby wiggled as Xavier’s hands contacted Eillia and touched his life force. Xavier looked stunned and collapsed forward to put his arms all the way around Eillia. He laid his head against her belly.

  As Daniel and Koen surged forward she put out her hands to stop them. Shaking her head, she told them not to interfere. All was okay.

  Xavier finally stood up. His eyes glistened.

  “He’s the most beautiful thing in creation. And I have seen about everything. But…a first blood child.” He took a deep breath. “You two are incredibly fortunate.”

  Daniel pushed forward to place himself between Xavier and his wife. What was it with these oversized men thinking it was okay to fondle his wife’s body? But he kept the peace.

  “We know, thank you,” Daniel responded.

  Koen slapped Xavier on the back.

  “We are searching for two missing vampires. One of them was made recently against her will by a group of young vampires we understand are living here in Paris.”

  Xavier nodded as he filled enormous wine glasses with a pale rosé.

  “Yes, I have already dealt with them. Twelve, I believe. All young and arrogant. Easy for a first blood, of course. I arrested the lot, put the fear of me in them. They got it.”

  “We need to see if our young woman is with them. Did you take names?”

  “No point. Most of them gave us their “cool” vampire names. Or they would have lied. But I’ll check with my first lieutenant and see if she knows if your girl was with them. They’re gone now though. Crystal released them weeks ago to follow suggestions that were anything but. They were a danger to our community, running wild, partying, blood-letting, gathering attention. Someone was bound to put it together, or get away without compulsion with evidence of vampire activity. Cell phones. Cameras everywhere all the time. Fucking annoying.”

  “Do you know where we can find them?”

  “Not anymore. They were warned to break into no more than three per group and to disappear. No more conversions. Serious repercussions if I hear anything from the street about their activity. Since then, I haven’t heard or seen anything. Nice to see they took me seriously. Good thing. I meant the threat.”

  “Okay, well, is your lieutenant available?”

  “She should be.” He called his housekeeper, who contacted someone named Crystal. The housekeeper let him know she would be there momentarily.

  “Have a seat. This wine is from my newest line and it’s excellent. Join me, please.”

  Koen dropped into an oversized plush chair obviously custom built for a man Xavier’s size. He liked the fit. Would have to order a few for his villa. Eillia and Daniel chose to sit close together on a love seat, also oversized, that matched the chair Koen took.

  Xavier handed each of them the stemmed glass with his special vintage and leaned back to see their reaction.

  Eillia handed hers to Daniel. She really didn’t think the wine was a problem for a pregnant vampire, it just felt right to decline.

  Ten minutes later a woman rushed in, breathless.

  “Sorry, Xavier. I was finishing some work downtown. What did you need?”

  “These are old friends. They’re looking for some missing vampires. A newly turned young woman. An older male. Starla and Jacob, is that right?”

  Eilla nodded and stood up.

 
; “Hi, Crystal. Lovely to meet you. I’m Eillia. Xavier tells us you took care of the vampire cadre brought in recently. I’m looking for a girl named Starla, very pretty, probably gorgeous now. I know she was changed a few months ago. Dark hair, dark eyes, about five seven. I suspect she might have had quite an attitude from what I’ve been told. Also, the man I sent to look for her. Jacob Ward. Two hundred years old. Part of my new family. He texted me he’d found her, that she’d been changed, and that she was pissed. This was weeks ago and he’s been missing since then, too. Did you happen to pick up an older vamp with the cadre?”

  Crystal hesitated, then looked at Xavier. She knew she had to fess up. Xavier had seen Jacob the night the arrests occurred.

  “Uh, yeah…yeah. But he told me about his mission and I let him go. The next day. Don’t know where he went. But I did have the girl. You’re right. She’s gorgeous as vampire. A truly natural beauty. But she left with the others when I released them. I’m sorry, Eillia. I don’t know where she is.” She hesitated. So, he’d been telling the truth. Well, then…

  “Or him. This Jacob. Either of them. I have no idea where they are.”

  Eillia watched Crystal’s eyes. She saw something, a flicker, brief. Worry? Fear?

  “You’re sure?” She gave her another chance.

  “Uh, yeah. They’re both out of here. He’s probably still out there looking for her.”

  “But why? If you took him along with the cadre, he would have known she was here. He would have waited for you to release her from custody.”

  Crystal looked nervous now.

  “He took off after I released him. I don’t know. I’m not his keeper. I have enough to do monitoring vampire activity in this busy city. On that point, Xavier, I need to get going.”

  He finished off his glass of wine.

  “Sure. Send me a nightly text to keep me updated.”

  Crystal nodded and left quickly.

  Eillia looked at Xavier.

  “She’s lying.”

  “She’s my first lieutenant. She knows better than to lie to me.”

  “Well, she is. I don’t know why but she is. Xavier, I think she still has Jacob. I need to see your cells.”

  This wouldn’t go well. It was an offense to his house to accuse his right hand of lying to a guest. But Eillia knew she was. And she wasn’t leaving without Jacob. If she was right, he was still being held in Xavier’s holding cells.

  Koen stood and sat his wine glass down sharply enough to get everyone’s attention.

  “Xavier, let’s settle this. Allow us access. If we’re wrong, we apologize. But Eillia is very rarely wrong. If your lieutenant is lying to you, you need to know.”

  Xavier was still. Quiet. He played with the cork from the bottle of rosé he’d served. When he looked up at Eillia moments later, he nodded.

  “All right. Let’s go. I want that apology brother.”

  Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! He hadn’t been lying. Eillia was alive. So his story was true that he had nothing to do with the young vampire’s forced conversions. Fuck!

  She had to get him out of here before Xavier came and found him. Surely, they believed her and she had enough time. Using her fastest speed, she crashed through the cell door, startling Jacob, who was awake and trying to cough down a bag of blood.

  Jacob looked up, Crystal inside his cell for the first time without freezing him. He surged forward to grab her, but she came around and froze him, his hands wrapped around her neck, tight, squeezing. He couldn’t move, but she was locked in his hands, unable to move and barely able to speak.

  “I know you’re telling the truth,” she squeaked out. “I’m sorry. If I let you go, will you promise to release me?”

  He was within inches of her face.

  “I promise. How do you know? Are they here? Eillia and Bas, are they here?”

  “Someone is. Eillia. Yeah. Her. I can’t release you if you won’t release me. I know you’re a good man now. So, promise.”

  He nodded. She waved a hand and he was able to move again. He kept pressure on her throat for a few seconds longer, then slowly backed away, his hands at his sides. Crystal moved just her right hand suddenly and he was locked in position again.

  “What the fuck, Crystal?”

  “I’m sorry, Jacob. You promised. I didn’t. Your friends are here, but they don’t know I have you. And I can’t let them know. My sire would kill me. He has a shit temper. He can’t know I lied to him. I’m sorry, but I have to move you.”

  All Jacob could think of at that moment was that when he got free he was going to fucking kill that bitch to death. Over and over until the ground glowed red with vampire blood. So close to freedom! His mind raced. There had to be some way to overcome this power she’d hijacked from her sire. She was not first blood. So she was not stronger than him.

  Compliance. That was it. What she wanted. For her, it was all about control. She wanted him to obey her every wish. Jacob could do that. He could do anything he had to do. Tricking this cunt into believing he was her toy didn’t even rate in the top ten of horrible things he’d had to do to survive.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Rolling his naked body into her arms, she carried him away through a tunnel that led deeper underground, through a second tunnel, up an incline, and through a massive set of doors out into the warm night. Trees, tall and rustling against the dark canopy. Jacob was happy to see the sky for the first time in weeks. He breathed deeply, grateful to fill his lungs with fresh air. His inert body landed in a heap on the ground some distance from what had obviously been underground holding cells outside the city. He couldn’t see the city skyline, so he knew they weren’t downtown Paris anymore. And even though he hadn’t been the one carrying a great weight some distance at an incredible speed, he was exhausted and had to calm his respiration. He lay just as she dropped him, awkwardly twisted on his side. She’d left him frozen.

  Crystal sat near, gasping.

  “I think we’re far enough away. God, I hope he believed me. If he didn’t, I’m fucked.”

  You’re fucked anyway, Jacob thought. You won’t hold me forever. And when I get free, you are going to have a very fucking bad night.

  “This isn’t what I intended, Jacob. But I can’t let you go now. Thought you were an asshole and I was expecting to eliminate you on Xavier’s order. I thought you deserved the fate. And even though I know now you were honest with me, it’s too late. If I let Xavier know I kept Eillia’s friend prisoner against his will, I’ll lose my life. Or at the very least this job. Which is my life. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to fix this. Fuck!”

  “Roll me over, for fuck’s sake,” Jacob huffed in frustration. He might be frozen, but he could still feel the pain in his twisted arm.

  She got up and came slowly to him, sat him up gently, and rearranged his limbs.

  “I’m sorry. I have to think about what to do with you now.”

  “Just let me go. I’ll leave. I won’t tell anyone you’ve kept me. The secret will die and we’ll all just get back to our lives.

  She stared into his eyes for several minutes. Then sighed.

  “No. You would need to seek revenge. You’re not the type of man to let something like this go.” She paused. Then repeated, “No. I made this mess. I have to clean it up.”

  “Does that include letting me go at any point?”

  She grimaced. “I don’t know. We’ll see. Right now, I’m taking you to my cabin, we’ll be safe there.”

  And they were off again. Moments later, he was dumped again in a damp basement. She did take the time to position him.

  “How are you going to contain me? I don’t see any cells.”

  “This is just temporary. Again, I’m sorry.”

  Suddenly, gleaming in the low light, a needle appeared in her hand which she plunged quickly into his throat. Jacob saw the world tilt and blur. Unconsciousness hit him like a bolt of lightning.

  An empty cell. A blanket straddled acro
ss a concrete floor, an abandoned half torn bag of blood strewn and spilled across the same space. Someone had left in a hurry. Or been taken. Eillia caught Koen’s eye. They were in agreement. Jacob had been here. The crazy female who swore oath to Xavier had taken him to cover her ass.

  Daniel wandered around, looking at the other cells. He turned to Koen and Eillia.

  “Yeah, you’re right. The other cells are clean. Whoever was in them is long gone and the spaces completely sanitized. This is the only one in this condition.”

  Xavier had been silent. He wandered down the halls of his own security building and knew his guests were right. Crystal could not be trusted.

  “All right. She has your man. I’ll find her and bring him to you.”

  “May we help?” Koen asked, and knew the answer before he did.

  “No. This is my house. One of my own has betrayed me. You know I will deal with her. And your man will be back by tomorrow. If he is still alive. Where do you stay?”

  “In my loft. I’ll leave the address and cell numbers with your staff.”

  “Thank you. I’m sorry. This should never have happened.”

  Eillia smiled. “I bet Jacob is truly pissed. You better move her far from him. If you want anything left to discipline.”

  “Won’t be much when I’m through. Of everything in my life, betrayal is the one thing I most abhor. I do not forgive it. Ever. My trusted lieutenants must be one hundred percent trustworthy. Or it all falls to hell. You two know that.”

  He excluded Daniel. He was too new, but Xavier knew he would learn over time what trust truly meant to those who lived so long hidden in this world.

  Koen gave his hand to Xavier and covered their handshake with his other hand, locking them together.

  “It’s been too long, brother. I want you to come meet my daughter and granddaughter. First bloods, born of our race against the odds. It’s time to repair the family tree.”

  Xavier was quiet, but moments later he brought his other hand up to clasp Koen’s. He smiled, his eyes warm.

  “I’d say it is, brother. Yes, I will absolutely do so. Once we clear up this mess, we will talk.”