by Tanja Neise
“Anne, please don't close yourself completely to them. They’re completely different and much more than what we were taught at school.” Urgency resonated in every single word. She was blinded by the beauty and power of these creatures. I knew better. I knew that it was in their genetics to beguile us humans. And my twin sister had apparently fallen for one of them, head over heels.
“And you, don't open your mind too wide. Maybe you’ve been blinded,” I said.
Her voice trembled slightly as she said the next words. “I love Robert Tensington and our father is not entirely innocent of that.” She briefly looked at the two vampires, but it seemed as if they’d become engrossed in an animated conversation, which was more than fine with me. Then she told me what she suspected. The story seemed so outrageous to me, and yet it was exactly what I would’ve done if I had been in my father's place. I was poised between incomprehension and admiration. And it frightened me because my sister, whom I had just found again, was a part of what I profoundly hated.
Olivia Morgan / Margaret Rumsfield
I had actually said it out loud. Yes, I loved Robert, but I hadn’t yet brought myself to tell him personally. What was I afraid of? Afraid of the blonde who had been wantonly in his arms in that old photo? No, she was in his bad books. Jealousy was completely inappropriate. But I was afraid. Fear of admitting feelings and then being abandoned and disappointed. That was, as I now realised, due to my past history, which I had suppressed for so long. An adult who’d lost everything as a child, presumably, automatically possessed certain fears of loss – as I did.
And now my twin sister was sitting in front of me. To this day, she’d thought that I had died in the tragedy at the English estate. Life after the devastating fire had probably not been easy for her, either.
“You know, Maggie, they’re ice-cold murderers. They only pretend to be civilised. But they’re far from that. Every one of them thirsts for blood.” A hot fire blazed in her eyes, which had probably been nourished all the more in the years of loneliness after the supposed loss of her family. She hadn’t had loving foster parents like me. She’d been alone from the beginning, even while our father was still alive. I could still remember the dark-haired girl from that time. She’d never laughed much, had always been very serious, and had scampered into my bed at night. We’d clung together and hoped that no one would tear us apart that time, but it had happened every time – every time we were left alone.
“I think you're wrong about that. And if you condemn them, you’re condemning me, too, because the genes of the bloodsuckers have also been my genes for years. I’m a freak, but Robert takes me as I am. He loves me and we belong to each other. Even if I don't like the idea that Father was behind it. Not at all.” I put as much urgency as I could into my words and hoped that they would find at least the tiniest bit of fertile ground.
Anne was fumbling around with her cargo trousers, which caught Dark’s attention. Without me having seen him coming, he suddenly knelt down next to my sister and took her fingers in his big hand. Frightened, she lifted her face.
“Are you looking for something?” Astonished, I registered the warm undertone in his voice. Could it be possible that Dark, of all people, was interested in Anne? Talk about betting on the wrong horse. But instead of savagely beating him and putting him in his place, she just limply shook her head. I didn't know what shook me more: the fact that Dark gently lifted Anne into his arms and carried her to the couch, or the reaction of my sister, who looked at him honestly, and then closed her eyelids and placed her head against his chest for a split second.
Perhaps we could all still have hope after all. Hope for a future without hatred and war between these two species.
“Your sister is exhausted.” Robert put his arm around my waist and led me into his bedroom. Without resistance, I let myself be led to his bed and sat on the edge. Next to me the mattress sank down when Robert sat on my right. “You, too?”
I nodded. He slid to the head end of the bed and patted his hand on the space beside him. Without hesitation, I lay down with him. His arms closed around me and I sighed softly. Somehow, I hoped for a better, happier life. A life together with Robert. And with Anne. His heart was beating strongly but calmly in my ear. There was so much life in him, so much warmth, and obviously so much love for me, that I almost automatically opened up my soul a little and tried to hear his thoughts.
Hello, Liv. He had noticed. For a moment, I tensed up a little, as I had the feeling that I’d done something forbidden. But he pulled me even closer, giving me the security and encouragement to try again. Someday you’ll grant me admission, as well, won’t you? “Yes!” I said, with conviction, because I wanted that. I wanted to be a part of him and believe in what he so willingly wanted to give me – through a bond between us. Slowly, my eyes closed as I relaxed more and more. And with a smile on my lips I finally fell asleep.
Anne Rumsfield
When had I ever thrown myself at a man like that? When had I felt so comfortable in a man's arms? I deliberately ignored the fact that he was a vampire. He smelled so good and his chest invited me to do more than just lay my head on it. His warmth enveloped me, gave me a sense of security and I let out a soft sigh.
My body signalled once again what I wanted from him. A tingling between my legs and my nipples becoming erect were just the most obvious signs. Dark was still standing in front of the sofa, with his legs apart, holding me in his arms as if I didn't weigh anything at all. He held his nose in the air and a wicked smile spread across his full lips. What would it be like to kiss him? Would I feel his vampire teeth? Just the thought of it made me even hotter.
Carefully, he put me on my feet, but he left his hands at my waist, pulled me a little closer to him, and what I felt as our lower bodies touched proved to me that the attraction between us was mutual. He wanted me as much as I wanted him.
Without thinking about who was in this loft, I put my hands under his shirt, let my fingernails slide over his back and pressed myself a little harder against him.
“Oh baby, you're blowing my mind,” his deep voice roared against my skin. Even that excited me. Just moments ago, I’d been telling my sister stories of beasts, and now I was about to join in and mess around with one of them. I’d always been fun-loving in this respect. Sex was a part of my life. However, it was more of an arrangement, where I occasionally met with one of the soldiers in my unit. It was based on agreement and feelings were taboo, except the physical ones of course. I got my money's worth and so did the man, then we went our separate ways again. Sometimes we repeated it, but never talked about it.
“Hmm, you’re still holding back quite a bit,” I challenged him.
Dark didn't let it happen in the way I’d hoped. He reached for me, threw me over his shoulder and carried me to a small guest room, where the light was lit as we activated the motion detector upon our presence. He immediately dimmed the lights and threw me onto the bed.
“I won't hold back – just like you wanted.” His voice was more of a growl than anything else and that turned me on enormously. I willingly spread my legs and looked at him provocatively. He dropped to his knees in front of the bed, his fingers found their way to the buttons of my cargo pants, opened them and then pulled the fabric from my legs in a quick movement. The next moment I noticed that my underpants had also disappeared. With a grin, he pushed his head to the hottest part of my body and let his tongue play a skilful game. Moaning, I dug my nails into the blanket, the coolness of which I could feel beneath me. When he added his skilful hand, I wrapped my thighs around his shoulders. I didn’t want him getting any ideas of stopping before I had climaxed.
“You taste like white chocolate, baby. Pure sin.” And then he continued, while I was no longer able to speak. My mouth had dried out and my breath was uneven when the first orgasm came. I clawed at his hair, tore at it and pulled him up closer to me. My lips found his, and when I kissed him I could taste my own desire on them.
Fin
ally, I wanted to know what was hiding under his black pants and began to undress him. When I pushed his boxer shorts down over his hips, I was not disappointed. Again, the trembling in my abdomen flared up and challenged me to go on and let him do what I’d been thinking about for the last few hours. I had to admit, his physical appearance had been exciting me ever since I’d been overpowered by him. It had turned me on to such an extent that my brain had been on the back burner ever since.
I pushed him back until he was lying under me and was about to put the best part of him in my mouth, when he suddenly straightened up, pulled up his trousers and threw my clothes at me. At first I was completely staggered, but then my survival instinct set in.
“Get dressed, babe. We have visitors,” he said very quietly and seriously.
I didn't ask how he knew, after all, I knew what powers a vampire had. I knew how well his hearing worked. I’d studied my father's records long enough and had acquired an enormous amount of knowledge about vampires. Instead, I was working as if we’d been a well-rehearsed team for years. When I was dressed, he handed me a gun.
“You know how to use it?”
“Yes. Sugar Pie 55. One of my favourite guns.” He looked me in the eyes, in recognition.
“Good, then move into the room Tensington and your sister disappeared into, right now.” Then he explained the next steps and I quietly admired his cool and efficient side. Within seconds I knew what had to be done
Olivia Morgan / Margaret Rumsfield
I didn't know how long I’d been sleeping, but when I woke up Robert was holding my mouth shut and whispering something in my ear that didn't make sense at first. But then, the information exploded in my skull. It mingled with the alarm in my head, which probably would’ve ripped me out of sleep on any other day. Involuntarily, I held my breath and nodded. The hand on my face disappeared and the warmth with it, now making room for my fear. My eyes flitted around in the room, hectically, and I listened in the silence. Nothing, I heard nothing. It was also pitch dark in the room. My heart beat violently and even Robert's gentle kiss on my temple couldn’t curb my fear of what was lying in wait for us behind the door. Who had gained access to the apartment? I could hear a soft beep, probably the alarm. I wasn't sure if it was even perceptible to normal – human – ears. Where was Sally? And what about the boys? Anne and Dark had last been in the living room. I fervently hoped nothing would happen to any of them.
“As soon as I tell you, please go to the end of the room immediately. In my wardrobe, there’s a door on the back wall that leads you directly into the Centrodynamics building. You know how to get out of here, and how to hide?” I nodded. “If necessary, hide somewhere. I’ll find you. Don't take any chances.” The kiss he gave me tasted bitterly of loss and farewell. I wanted to scream and cling to him, but apart from nodding again, I did nothing. Outside, I could hear a click that made my hair stand on end. Instinctively, I knew it I had to be someone loading a weapon.
“Now,” Robert hissed, assertively. I felt the mattress rise when he stood up, and I could see his outline by the bright door. Then, I turned off all my thoughts and dashed to the huge wardrobe at the other end of the room.
I quietly opened the door and squeezed myself inside. As I stood in the closet, I heard the room door open. Panic seized me. What if something should happen to Robert? I was already about to look outside when someone stepped into the wardrobe. My heart stopped. Who was that? Robert? I stood completely still, didn’t move a single inch, as the darkness devoured everything.
“Maggie?” someone breathed.
“Anne!” Relief washed over me.
“Have you found the mechanism that activates the emergency door yet?” She obviously knew.
“No.”
There was a quiet rustling sound, and then I heard a cockroach as the back wall pushed to the side. “Come on!” Anne grabbed me, and the very next moment she was pulling me with her. We were met with a damp darkness. “Wait, I'll close the door in case anyone who doesn't belong here comes after us.” I heard a cockroach again, then I soon felt Anne's relentless grip on my arm. She pulled me down step by step, level by level. I felt like I was stuck in a whirlpool, as it was a stone spiral staircase that was leading the way to our freedom here. The loft was at the top of the building and there were many floors that we now had to get down on foot. Finally, we reached the end of the stairs and our path only continued straight ahead. I trusted Anne, unconditionally. She knew what to do. As a trained elite soldier with a doctorate in medicine, she was the one I was following, without questioning anything, but my heart screamed, because, metre by metre, I felt myself moving away from Robert.
Once we’d already been on the move for a while, motion detectors suddenly came on in front of us. Soft light showed us the way, while we continued without a break, now a little faster, as we could see what was ahead of us. The company building had to be about three kilometres as the crow flies from the building where Robert's loft was located, but it seemed to me like ten times as many. The underground corridor seemed to be infinitely long, and with every metre, the feeling of being in absolute danger grew inside me. But finally, we were able to uncover a metal door at the end of the corridor. I searched hectically for a handle or an opening device, but there was nothing like that to be seen.
“Oh my God. We’re trapped. Anne!” My voice was quiet, but my sister could certainly hear the fear. Anne didn't react, but I could see how the little cogs in her head were turning at full speed. Fascinated, I watched her. If anyone apart from Dark or Robert could get us out of here, it was Anne. I had to believe in her. What else did I have left?
“I’ve got it.” Anne grinned confidently, and pressed a spot on the door that, at first glance, looked no different than the rest of the metal surface. But then I realised that a wafer-thin plate was shifting and a display appeared. My sister immediately started entering different codes. It seemed like an eternity to me, but thank God I finally heard the relieving hiss of the hydraulic door, which was now obediently opening before us. Anne smiled at me with relief, and reached out for my hand when I suddenly heard a deafening explosion behind us. My stomach contracted convulsively, and an indescribable nausea spread through me. Robert! My brain stopped, and the only thing I was capable of was retaining space in my mind for his name. Anne became hectic, moving me on. I staggered after her, mindlessly, but when we had crossed the threshold and walked around a few corners, she stopped so abruptly that I ran into the back of her.
“Shit,” exclaimed Anne, and in light of this crude expression, I sensed that something terrible had happened.
THE END
Part Two available from summer 2019
Thank You
As always, I’d like to thank my dear colleague and friend Karina Reiß, who is steadfastly by my side when I write. She may be hundreds of kilometres away, but she’s always there for me when I have a question and need mental encouragement, because I so often completely doubt myself.
Next, a thank you to my two sweethearts, Yvonne and Daniela, who fought their way through the raw manuscript and encouraged me with sweet words every day.
Michael, thank you for always supporting me, even when I am caught in a writing frenzy and only physically present. The same goes for my children. Thank you, my chaotic family, I love you!
Thanks to all my readers who have been supporting me since my first book, writing me emails or contacting me via Facebook. You give me encouragement and I love your messages. Please keep sending lots of them!!
And of course, thanks to every single reader, even if we haven’t communicated with each other. Perhaps we’ll make up for that sometime. I hope I’ve been able to inspire you with the beginning of Robert and Olivia's story.
Thank you!
Yours
Tanja Neise
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