Famished

by Jacquelyn Frank

  “Some humans can survive the process of becoming an e-vamp,” he pointed out.

  “And we’ve always wondered if that wasn't because there have been aliens who have come before us who left streaks of themselves in human genetics. The human genome is a complicated thing.”

  “As is our own.”

  “As is our own,” she agreed. “No one knows why some things are the way they are…or why we’re even capable of having children with humans at all. You would think we aren’t compatible…but we are. In the end it’s all for the best. We blend in quite well here.”

  “Although…” He grimaced. “This brings us back to the question of purity, and you already know my feelings on that.”

  “I wish I had the luxury of being as hard-nosed conservative as you are, but as queen I must keep an open mind. I do tend to come across as conservative on occasion, but I am equally fair when the occasion calls for it. I keep an open mind. As should you as you serve on the committee.”

  “I am who I am. You knew this when you took me on,” he said with a slight frown.

  “I know. I am simply asking you to open your mind to all possibilities.”

  He was silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her request. He would govern as his conscience dictated. He had been open about who he was. He would not change in basic principles just because she asked him to. But neither would he shut his mind to all other opinions. That would be ignorant, and he would never wish to be accused of ignorance…not by others and not by himself.

  “I had best get on,” he said, rising from the stool and taking one more sip of the barely touched coffee. He thought about kissing her farewell with a great deal of zeal and passion, but he wasn't quite ready for such a public display, even if it was just Darcy there. He suspected she might not be as easy as she claimed to be about it. He would have to see, test the waters carefully and slowly. Still, it took effort to leave her without touching her. It surprised him how much he craved to do so, even in spite of having had her so thoroughly the night before.

  She caught his hand however as he tried to move away. She came up off of her bar stool as well and stepped in to his body. She erased any doubts about her self-consciousness as she came up flush to him and stroked her hands over his pectoral muscles. She wrapped a hand around his neck, her fingers driving into his hair in that hungry way she had. She pulled him down to her mouth, her lips barely grazing his as she nuzzled against him.

  He gave in rather quickly, surging forward and catching her elusive mouth. He kissed her deeply and he kissed her well. Their tongues clashed as passion rode him hard. If not for Darcy he would have taken her once again before leaving. The knowledge rode him hard and he had to force himself to part from her. They disengaged, their hands the last thing to cling to one another as they parted. He marveled at his appetite for her. He couldn’t remember ever wanting a woman more.

  He took his leave of her and headed down to his flat.

  His morning was filled with her. With meetings where he could not touch her and dared not look at her too long lest others see the hunger in his eyes he felt for her. He was frustrated by his lack of concentration and decided to throw himself hard into his work. He would be meeting with the committee for the first time that day. He intended to make a strong impression. He first met with his top network of authoritarians, those who organized the assignments handed down to the others. He was not privy to every instance of law breaking…not until it came time for that lawbreaker to face justice in front of the committee. These men were his enforcers. They also kept him apprised of all things sycophant.

  His reports of the morning were not good. While they had little in the way of direct resources or spies in Draz’s camp—it being nearly impossible to get someone that close to him—they were still able to glean some of the more important information. And that information was noisy, full of rumblings of an impending action against the vampire governing body. A threat to the queen.

  He took this very seriously. He immediately intensified her guard. Instead of two men looking out for her there would be three others besides himself. The extra guard would be insuring without being too intrusive. His meetings with Danton gave him insight into how she would react to such close scrutiny and smothering watchfulness in her life.

  “She barely tolerates the guards she does have,” Danton told him. “Be careful or she will dismiss them all in a fit of pique.”

  “That wouldn’t be rational, and she doesn’t strike me as an irrational woman,” he said with a frown.

  “But she is still a woman,” Danton pointed out. “She is prone to her emotions just as any woman might be. She can perhaps be even more sensitive,” he said, “when the mood strikes her.”

  “That sort of creature is not the woman I am coming to know,” he argued with him.

  Danton tilted his head to one side. “You have only known her a day with any intimacy.”

  Marcus’s attention sharpened at the choice of words. He narrowed his eyes on Danton, wondering if gossip had already reached his predecessor’s ears. It probably had…otherwise he wouldn’t have been very good at his job. It was the head authoritarian’s job to know everything there was to know about the queen, including and probably most importantly her private life. Anyone who had close contact with the queen needed to be examined and watched closely. Then again, it wasn't Danton’s job any longer. He may have already let go of his responsibilities to her. Indeed, he was due to fly out the morning after next. ”I am a quick judge of character. You learn much about a person when you watch them hunt.”

  “I had heard you had hunted with her last night. How did you find the experience?”

  “Enlightening,” Marcus said shortly. He got the feeling Danton was toying with him. The other man clearly knew all about the night before. Why was he dancing with Marcus in this fashion?

  “I should think so. It is clear you might come to know the queen even better than I have,” Danton said, his tone just shy of smugness.

  “You disapprove,” he said directly, dropping all pretenses.

  “I find you to be…moving too fast into position. I had thought you to be a consummate professional.”

  “I am,” Marcus said bitingly. “It is not for you to judge me.”

  “Far be it from me,” Danton said with a little bow. Then his eyes seemed to narrow on Marcus. “But don’t let me hear that you are not doing the job you are set out to do and doing it well. You will answer to me if you don’t.”

  Marcus could respect Danton’s concern, so he eased back on his defensiveness. After all, the other man did not know him at all.

  “Don’t be afraid that I won’t take care of her,” he said softly to the other man. “On the contrary, I will stay as close as possible and protect her from all manner of hurt.”

  “How can you do that if you become a source of hurt yourself?” Danton asked directly.

  “I am quite certain I won’t harm her. She and I are both mature adults and quite capable of managing an adult relationship exclusive of our positions in the world.”

  “That, my friend, is nearly impossible.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “She is a queen. Royalty such as she is will always be under a great deal of scrutiny and all things that touch her life become a part of her position in the world. There is nothing exclusive about it.”

  Marcus frowned, seeing Danton's point. It was impossible to separate the woman from the queen. He should have realized that. However, Simone had made it seem so easy to separate the two. She had held her desires above and apart from her political role. She had treated herself as a woman last night, and not a queen.

  It had been an illusion, he realized. Her attempt to separate herself from the importance of her role in the world was impossible to achieve. He should have realized that.

  “You’re right,” he said with a brief nod. “Of course you’re right. But I still maintain that we can manage a relationship and work together.”


  “And when you tire of one another…as we vampires so often do? We are so old that all things lose their newness for us very quickly. We enjoy them while they are fresh, but the quickly lose their luster.”

  “Only those of us who are jaded feel that way. I see you are one of them.”

  “Perhaps. Perhaps I have had to defend myself too often to allow myself to indulge in the pleasures we are talking about very often.”

  Marcus could see how that would be. As a black man it was immediately apparent to any vampire that he was a crossbreed. There were probably only two or three such colored people in the vampire world, if indeed there were any others at all. Marcus had never seen or heard about a black vampire other than Danton. He had never met an Asian vampire or an Indian one, although he knew of one of each. The odds of him crossing paths with them would have been slim to none…if he had not gotten a position where he would be meeting all manner of vampires…including half-breeds like Danton.

  Danton had risen up far in the ranks of politics for being a half-breed. Usually half-breeds lived under a sort of stigma or bias in the vampire world and it curtailed their ability to progress professionally. Marcus was not proud of the prejudice of his people…was not proud of it within himself. But it was something he would work on personally. He had to, given his new place in life. He couldn’t afford to be a snob any longer.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Marcus said to him with genuine compassion. “I know it must be difficult.”

  Danton shrugged the matter away. “No more or less than any other trial in this world,” he said dismissively. “There are other things that took up my time and effort.”

  Like the protection of the queen. Those was the unspoken words between them. Marcus released a wry little laugh. “You are afraid I will not be there for her,” he noted bluntly.

  “You are more than a protector to her. More than a lover. You must be her friend. Her confidante. A place where she can go to unburden herself of all her responsibilities, if only for a few moments…even if it is only an illusion. I’m not sure you can achieve that and achieve a physical relationship at the same time.”

  “I’ll tell you what…if I feel I am not doing this job to complete satisfaction, I will withdraw from it. I will step aside and allow for another to take my place.”

  “Will you be able to admit that kind of failure to yourself?” Danton asked skeptically. “You don’t strike me as the type to concede defeat.”

  “Perhaps not in most things, but this is too important to let my ego stand in the way. You have my promise that I will remain objective about my performance as the queen’s confidante and protector.”

  “Good. Because your failure could end up being a matter of life and death to the queen,” he said seriously.

  “I understand,” Marcus said, matching his tone.

  “Good. Now. Let’s continue to go over the details of the queen’s schedule.”

  Marcus only listened to Danton with half an ear for the next few moments. He was wrapped up in his own thoughts. He tried to measure himself, tried to understand if he was up to the task Danton had set before him. He thought he was, but perhaps there was a possibility he was already too close to judge himself clearly. It wasn't as though he had a sounding board there in the United States. All of his companions had been left behind in Britain…and discussing vampire matters over any electronic medium was strictly forbidden. Not that he couldn’t couch the conversation enough to avoid referring to themselves as being vampires, but he didn’t want to discuss the queen with laymen and on an open channel. He needed to respect her privacy…even when she wasn’t concerned about it.

  He would gain new companions over time he was certain. He had always been able to make friends wherever he went. His ability to be trusted and his loyalty were something others coveted. These were the same qualities that had appealed to the queen already.

  He thought that maybe they could become great friends. It was clear she had enjoyed a special closeness with Danton. Then again, there was a question of how close it had gotten. Did the queen make a habit of making lovers of her protectors? Was there more to Danton’s love than mere loyalty and friendship?

  The flash of jealous heat that washed over him took him completely by surprise. He had to take a breath and release it slowly and carefully. He refused to narrow suspicious eyes on the other man, however much he desired to do so in that moment. Jealousy would get him nowhere and it could be dangerous besides. He held no special understanding with the queen. He had earned no exclusivity, nor had he been promised it. She might have as many or as few lovers as she chose. That was up to her.

  However the idea of watching over her as she took another to her bed ate at him ferociously. How could he manage it? Not now. Not when things were so fresh and hot between them. She didn’t strike him as being light or easily changeable in that way. She struck him as being more selective. Her selection of him as a lover was, he believed, a rare and special thing.

  This thought calmed him considerably. It was not his place to judge what had passed before with Danton or anyone else. She was his now…for the moment. What she did in the present was all that would matter. After all, it wasn't as though he had entered her bed a virgin, pure of any history of his own.

  He brought his attention back to Danton who was discussing the arrangements for a state event that was to take place the next evening. At these events the authoritarians acted like the secret service did for the American president. They swept the venue for bombing devices with dogs, prevented unauthorized persons from entering the vicinity and bodily protected the queen as she moved throughout the venue in the evening. It was a state dinner where she would be entertaining the princes of the African continent, including the prince of Egypt and the prince of South Africa. There weren’t many vampires living on the African continent…most tended to live in those northern and southern locations. But there was also a prince of Morocco and a prince of Libya…both of whom were going to be in attendance as well. This was going to be an evening of tender tensions as the Libyan and Egyptian vampires had, until the recent signing of the peace treaty, been at each other’s throats. For some reason, because of some unremembered slight, they had been enemies for as long as could be remembered. For as long as they had lived in those areas. The princes had perpetuated the annoying little war for years. Now, suddenly, they were forced to make friends of their former enemies. It promised to be a tense evening all around.

  “You cannot, of course, sit the Libyan and Egyptian princes next to one another,” Danton was saying. “Nor can you sit either closer to Simone than the other, else it will be perceived they are getting better treatment over the other.”

  “So childish,” Marcus said with a sigh.

  “Indeed. But they seem willing to work at it for the betterment of the vampire nation, which is more than we can say of their attitude in the past. Perhaps it is because both recently elected new princes. Sabaya and Trevon seem to be more peace loving than their predecessors. Still, precautions are necessary in order to avoid any perceived slights or preferential treatment.”

  “Understood. We can sit one to Simone’s right and the other to her left, placing their companions for the evening after that. This way Simone herself is the buffer between them and she can watch over them closely.”

  “Precisely. It makes for a lot of tension and effort on her part, but you will find the Simone thrives on these situations.” He paused thoughtfully. “I often wonder what she will do with herself once she retires from public life.”

  This took Marcus by surprise. “Surely she’d not thinking of abandoning her post,” he said. “And there are no term limits on being the ruler of the nation. When this term is up in five years she can simply run again. She has the talent and prestige for it. She would easily walk away with a another victory.”

  “No doubt she would win again. And then perhaps again. She is a very popular ruler and has achieved much in her career. But being queen takes a
toll, and it is a lonely business. There is no one above you to blame if you make a mistake, nowhere to turn. True friendship is hard to achieve, true loyalty another matter entirely. I have betrayed her by leaving her. She depends on me greatly. Far too much perhaps. She needs others in her life besides me. She needs to get close to others. You must help her select worthy people. You must protect her from those who are not.”

  “If you are so concerned for her, why are you leaving?” he asked Danton.

  “We have become a crutch to one another. We have not walked on our own for many of these fifteen years of her reign. It is high time we branch out…meet new people. Find new friends. That and my responsibilities weigh too heavily on me right now. True, I will still serve on the sub-committee in South Africa and true I will be caring for Marvion there as I care for Simone here, but…it will be different. There will not be so much at stake. It will be a bit more…relaxing.”

  “Caring for a prince is just as crucial elsewhere as it is here,” he pointed out.

  “Perhaps. I had wanted to go to a place like Egypt of Libya, where I would be in the thick of negotiating the pitfalls of a fresh peace, but neither wanted a new man in their political structure. So…I went to the next best thing. South Africa and Marvion. My sub-committee work will be almost nil as there is little crime, same goes for my work as the head authoritarian. It will be…like a sabbatical. I will perhaps grow bored and want to come back in due course, but I do not think it will happen too soon.”

  “I hope not. I am just getting settled here.”

  “Not to worry,” he reassured him. “I’m looking forward to a little peace and quiet.”

  “South Africa is hardly a place of peace and quiet,” Marcus said.

  “But neither is it teeming with sycophants and criminals. It will be just quiet enough to give me peace and interesting enough to prevent boredom. That is perhaps what Simone will do one day. Give up being queen in order to take on a smaller principality. She would have her pick. Anything she wanted.”