I took my evening supplies and meandered into my bedroom. Placing my goods on my nightstand, I grabbed my cellphone to check for any missed calls or texts. The contraption had been unnaturally quiet these last few hours and I wondered if I had turned the ringer off because it was so unlike my phone to not be alerting me constantly. Not saying I was popular, I just seemed to receive a lot of incomings…texts, emails and phone calls. It probably had something to do with my chosen profession.
I pushed the power button, it was dead. I sighed, I hated being without my cell. It made me feel so disconnected. And considering I had given up my land line because I never used it, it made a dead cell phone even more devastating.
Leaving my wine and book poised next to my bed, ready and waiting, I ran around my condo looking for my charger. I could have sworn the last place I saw it was in the kitchen. Or was it my purse. I checked both. From the depths of my way-too-big Louis Vuitton bag, I fished out the certified Apple product iPhone cord. Problem was; I couldn’t locate the stinking wall piece anywhere. It wasn’t in any of the usual wall plugs. I felt like screaming; I really didn’t want to have to sit in my car and wait for my phone to charge but that seemed like the only choice I had.
With my phone and cord in hand, I took one last sweep around my condo before heading to the garage where I’d be camping out until my phone is reincarnated. One would think that vampires wouldn’t need their phones, right? We should be able to use some sort of telepathy or something for communication. Well, not so much. I’m sure there are some really old vamps that were practiced in long distance mind calls. But, being the young’un that I was, I didn’t have that skill yet.
In human years, I was 34. In vampire years, 34 too. Remember, I was a birthed vampire like my father, not a ‘made’ one like my mother. Physically I stopped aging at twenty-one which was completely fine by me. Some stopped aging younger, they’d forever look like a teenager which is way to young looking to live for eternity. Looking in my twenties, however, I’ll always be old enough for everything I needed to be old enough for.
When there was enough battery life to appease me, I ran back into the house just as all sorts of message alerts began vibrating the phone in my hand. Texts from Lucy and Morgan as well as an unknown number. And apparently my mother had been trying to reach me; there were about 10 missed messages from her.
Deciding to ignore the machine I worked so hard to bring back to life, I curled up in my bed; book in one hand, wine in the other and read until I fell asleep.
A recurring nightmare woke me, one that began close to a year ago. It was still dark out as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. I was shaking, this particular nightmare had been occurring more frequently and it always had the same effect on me. The scene was always vividly the same, nothing ever changed. It was a horrific scene, one that took on a way too realistic quality.
In my dream, we were all huddled together, naked and hungry, trapped within the confines of a guarded wooden cabin. Skin and bone to skin and bone.
During the day, we busied ourselves by finding shadows to hide in to avoid the direct sunlight as it streamed in through the filthy windows. The dirt did nothing to dull the effect that the bright rays of light had on our withering bodies. Sun was sun and we burned from it. In my dream, evolution had somehow been reversed; we now lived in fear of the sun instead of embracing it. I was left with no idea of how or why this had happened, much like the rest of these nighttime hauntings.
With evening came some relief. Another day of deadly sunlight gone and the sweet familiar sanctuary of night embraced and comforted us as best it could. We were, once again, children of the moon.
It was usually dusk when the guards threw bags of putrid blood, tainted by sickness and suffering, into our cabin. We were so hungry that none of us cared that our rations were cold and diseased; we drank ravenously anyways, making sure there was enough for everyone.
The few drops we each received barely took the edge off our hunger but it was enough to strengthen our resolve and determination to stay alive.
There were some nights we would feel strong enough and we'd feast on each other, mixing our blood, becoming one. It was on those nights we'd talk, laugh and dance. Some would even find the strength to make love, even in the despicable conditions we were in, vampiric nature would take over. If driving us apart was something ‘they’ were trying to do, they were failing. My kind was becoming closer than ever.
I didn’t know how long we'd been trapped there; in what was once a summer camp, now repurposed as a kind of Vampire concentration camp. I do know that many of my kind were destroyed there. I was sure there were other camps, all over the world, serving the same purpose. Vampire annihilation. I felt it, a nightmare within that nightmare. I could hear far off screams of pain and torture.
I wasn’t sure who started this crusade, exterminating us, or why it was happening. I knew that it had something to do with humans and another species. I just couldn’t sense exactly which species it was.
In my dream, it was January 1st. I don’t know how I knew that but I did. The camps were beginning to be completely filled. Any non-human that was found was shipped to the closest holding center and then deported to a camp where they would rot and eventually die. I didn’t know how they were killing my kind; it wasn’t in any of the traditional ways. There were many of us that weren't caught; we went underground or under cover. There was a whole network of sewer systems and forgotten subway tunnels across the globe that had become our home, our training grounds. Vampire, Werewolf and Faerie, we became one with one common goal, survival. Over the centuries, we had all bonded, living together within our communities. This war would never separate us, we had come to far.
Armies were formed. Numbers as large as any human army. But we were harder to kill once we were armed and ready.
I was caught, my pride too big to allow me to go into hiding. I was put into a special camp. A camp that became home to the most powerful vampires, werewolves and faeries caught. How I was considered powerful, I was unsure. Another mystery that surrounded this horrific dream.
A war had been started by humans; we had finally been exposed and they were frightened. Instead of understanding my kind and trying to find a way to reconcile the fact we were not fiction, they decided to destroy us. Such a human thing to do-- rid the world of species they were intimidated by. It was a violent part of their history and it kept repeating itself. Funny, humans would consider Vampires and Werewolves to be blood thirsty yet, in hundreds of years; we never had wars that exterminated heartbreakingly large groups. We lived in peace.
I always seemed to wake up before I could learn more, before I could recognize faces of those with me in that cold prison. I didn’t understand this dream; it never seemed to make any sense. Yet, it was a constant. I never shared it with anyone either, I wouldn’t dare until I could make sense of it. But this morning, something within me was pushing me to go in front of the Elders. Tides were about to turn and with it, our lives.
My dream scared me. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was being given a vision by some greater being that decided I would know what to do with it.
“I’m just an erotica writer,” I cried into the darkness, “give me dreams about sex and I know what to do with them. This? This isn’t something I understand. I’m a nobody. I have no special gifts like the Elders. I’m just me. Adina.”
I didn’t expect anyone to respond but I put it out there, in case some sort of god was listening to me, “If I am going to be cursed with this nightmare, at least leave me with some sort of translation so I am able to translate it into a language I am familiar with!” I was growing angrier, more frustrated. The images of my nightmare were lingering far longer than they had ever done before. Usually, within moments of waking, I’d only remember feelings but tonight was somehow different, I could recall everything. Every touch, smell and sound; they all still haunted me.
“I’m not good with heavy. It’s not part of who I am. I a
m a simple vampire with simple wants and needs. So, they might be more expensive than average but they are still simple. And shallow. So please, I’m begging whoever is sending me this message, give it to someone who will know what to do with it. Because I don’t. I just. Don’t.”
Crying, I got up to splash water on my face. I watched as my blood tears tinted the water to pink and cycloned down the drain. It was 4 a.m and I was now wide awake. It was too early for coffee but I needed something to calm me. Type O was just the thing.
Grabbing the container from my fridge, I went onto my balcony and stared out over the quiet horizon. A few cars drove slowly by, early birds chirped as they searched for their worms and a couple of joggers shuffled past. I sat still; my only movement was lifting my arm to my mouth to drink deeply.
I thought about Michael. Had I seen him in my dream? Or Morgan? Or Lucy? Or any of my dear friends? Had I seen my mother? Had my real father been in that horrible cell with me? I squeezed my eyes shut tightly. I tried to conjure up the image of that prison; I wanted to scan the faces in there.
Most of the faces were blank canvases. Only one, besides mine, was recognizable, his features were clear and defined. It was a beautiful man. Probably the most incredible male specimen I had ever laid eyes on. He had a commanding build, a strong contrast to the skeletal figures huddled together. His hair was dark and long. His eyes were such an intense, stunning blue that you could swim in them. He radiated power, determination and leadership. The sexual side of me noticed how well-endowed he was. His thick, large cock displayed proudly. I could make out tattoos, tribal markings all over his arms and chest. He was looking at someone and holding out his hand. Commanding someone to grab onto him, a lifeline offered.
That someone, it seemed, was me.
Yet, as real as this man looked, I had never seen him before in my entire life. But somehow he knew me. Whoever this man was, we were somehow connected. For the life of me, I would never, in a million years, be capable of figuring this thing out by myself.
It was indubitably time to consult with those who were older and wiser than me. I needed to meet with the Elders. And I had a feeling that time was of the essence.
I waited until exactly 7 a.m to call my mother. I needed to find out the quickest way to contact the Elders and being the local know-it-all yenta; I figured she’d be my best resource. I’d just have to figure out how to avoid giving away why I needed to speak to them. I didn’t want to alarm her.
Barbara didn’t pick up on my first attempt so I called back. After the fourth consecutive try, my mom answered the phone, her voice still groggy from sleep, “What’s the matter? Is everything okay?”
“Hi Mom, sorry to wake you.” I felt badly for scaring her, “Listen, do you happen to know, offhand, how I can reach the Elders? I sort of need to discuss something with them.”
“The Elders? Why would you want to pay them a visit honey? What’s going on?” Concern coated her words.
“Everything is fine. I just need to ask them some questions. For, ah, some research I need to do on a character in my new book.” Quick thinking on my part but I doubted my mom would believe me.
“What kind of research, besides sex, does an author of erotica need to do?” I was right, she didn’t believe me. E for effort though.
“I don’t want to go into details right now, Ma. Can you just please get me their location so I can go there. The quicker the better.”
“Of course, darling. Give me a few minutes to wake up first. I’ll call you back.” She hung up sounding more than a little annoyed with me. My mom didn’t like secrets, it didn’t matter the size of them, she was a need-to-know-now type woman. I was very much the same way. Instant gratification. But, I wasn’t going to be able to appease her curiosity on this one. Not yet. Not until I had something more to go on besides a super realistic and terrifying dream. I just didn’t want to burden her with it, she had a tendency to read into things and obsess.
I sat on the edge of my bed cupping my phone in both hands, staring at it impatiently. I was still startled when it signaled an incoming call with my mom’s picture plastered to the screen.
“Did you get it?” Did I ever mention that patience was not something I was blessed with?
“They are at some secret location at the moment. No one knows where. That isn’t good news, by the way. It means something is happening and they are holed up planning a course of action. I wonder what’s going on. I’ll have to make some calls.”
“Mom, I have information for them. I really, really, really, need to find them.” I cried in frustration, praying that the events in my dream had absolutely nothing to do with why The Elders were in a top-secret location in top-secret meetings.
“Darling, there is nothing I can do right now. If I find out anything more, then I promise I’ll let you know. In the meantime, did Xander Stark call you yet?” She really knew how to switch gears.
“Yeah, yeah. We are going out tomorrow night.” The only thing about the date I was looking forward to was wearing my newest Little Black Dress I had found at Neiman’s. Also, I loved Ronin’s; my favorite drink could only be found there. The Lotus was my happy drink, at par with, you guessed it, Type O. I had a bad habit of drinking way too many of those in one sitting. Even vampires can get drunk; it just takes us a little longer than our human friends.
“Did you have a nice phone conversation with him? His voice…I could have listened to him talk forever.” My mom sighed dreamily.
“We didn’t talk, we simply made a date. That’s it. Sure, he has a nice accent. Whatever, Mom.” I didn’t feel like discussing this upcoming blind date, I was positive I was going to feel about him the way I felt about every other blind date I had ever been on. Absolutely nothing.
“Adina, promise me you’ll go with a positive attitude and an open mind.”
“I’ll try but I’m not making any promises. I gotta run Mom; I have to get this book done and off to my editor because my publisher is getting pissed with me.” An incoming phone call from my publisher, Lois Gutenberg, was proof positive. I let it go to voice mail, no reason to get off the phone with my mother just to be yelled at by Lois. “Please…call me as soon as you find out how I can get in touch with the Elders. Please.” I whined.
“Yes dear, of course. Well, have a nice day darling. I’ll call you later. Love you.” She blew me a kiss and hung up.
Without waiting for me to say goodbye. Again.
Trying to push aside my dream, I headed over to my computer. Just maybe I could get some decent writing done today. Entwining my fingers together and stretching them out in front of me, I set to work. By the time I finally looked up from my screen, I had surpassed my expected word count by close to 20 thousand words. I patted myself on the back and then sent the document off to my editor and publisher. I’d probably get reprimanded for not returning their phone calls but they would probably let it slide, pleased that I was only a day late for my deadline as opposed to a week like my previous novel had been.
I was ravenous and, due to the explicit nature of my book, horny. I briefly wondered if, perhaps, I was always in the mood for sex because of the books I wrote or was it, maybe a vice versa thing. Shrugging my shoulders at a question that I didn’t care to know the answer to, I went into my bedroom to get dressed.
“Tonight, I’ll go dancing.” I announced to myself. I knew that most of my party-type friends went, every Thursday, to an underground nightclub. Only humans that enjoyed offering themselves to vamps were allowed in. Vamp Tramps. They served a purpose and I was going to use a couple of them tonight. I liked the idea of hanging out with some of my friends that I hadn’t seen in a while.
I picked up my phone and texted Giorgio, a very hot and very gay friend of mine, I let him know I wanted to go to The Blue Club. It was a very swanky place full of gorgeous faces, bodies and clothing.
Giorgio texted back quickly, the whole group would be meeting us so would pick me up at midnight. It didn’t start hopping unt
il one but he wanted to get a good table. He liked to see and be seen and only certain booths in the club would suit his desires.
I only had an hour to get ready. I was going to let loose tonight, it had been a few months since I had gone out with my Vamps. I wanted to look fabulous. Too bad I had to save my new dress for that blind date with Xander Stark; it would have been the perfect thing to wear.
Looking through my clothes, I found an ideal substitute. A black leather Roberto Cavalli mini-dress. It showed off my rather sexy figure and I loved the way it came to a low “V” in the back. Yes, this dress would do flawlessly.
I put my hair into a top knot, applied my make-up, concentrating on accentuating my green eyes and was ready to go with five minutes to spare. Giorgio was always on time and did not like to be kept waiting. He was such a Prima Donna but he was a dear friend and always fun to be with.
At exactly midnight, I heard a car honk and I received a text simultaneously. Both were from Giorgio letting me know he had arrived and to get my ass to the car. Pronto.
Nigel, Giorgio’s current lover, was sitting in the front seat frowning as he inspected himself in the mirror. Giorgio got out of the car and hugged me warmly, “Well look at you, Ms. Hottie. If I wasn’t gay…” He joked, swatting me on my leather encased tush.
“Good thing you are, babe.” I hugged him back harder. He was one of my favorite people on the planet and probably one of the smartest I had ever met. For a moment, I considered sharing my dream with him; maybe he would know what to make of it. Instead, I decided to put the whole thing aside for the evening, I wanted to enjoy myself and not bring everyone down with me.
Adina Falling (Threads of Fate) Page 6