by Alice Brown
Jordan and her team were paid very well to clean up after the occasional accident, but gathering fifty bodies’ worth of bones and decapitated heads was a little much for her small team of three. With both teams working hard, the site was cleaned up and back to normal by four in the morning.
When Kevin and Marshall arrived back home, they headed straight for Charles’s house. Rosetta was at the door waiting for them, and she immediately hauled both Marshall and her son into her embrace before they had completely entered the door. She then stated hoarsely, “I hope we do not face the possibility of another war any time soon, because I don’t think my heart can take another night like last night!” Kevin knew if she had been able to, she would have been crying at this point. Both men wrapped their arms around her and hugged her fiercely.
After Rosetta was calmer, they headed downstairs to Charles’s office. As soon as Kevin walked in the door, Erica flung herself at him. She clung to him as if coated in superglue. Marshall went to Stephanie, who was sleeping on the small toddler bed kept in the office so her parents and Marshall could work with Charles and Mr. Atkins while she was sleeping nearby. He gently picked the sleeping toddler up and sat down in a rocking chair next to the bed.
Erica rained little kisses all over Kevin’s face, interspersing them with not-so-small nips. It was as if she couldn’t decide if she were happy to see him unhurt and returned, or pissed at him for allowing Stephanie to stay in the middle of the battle.
She took his hand and walked out the door, not saying a word. Erica led Kevin to their own home, directly to the master bathroom, then dropped his hand and immediately began to unbutton his shirt. When the shirt was removed, she dropped to her knees, removing his boots, unbuckling his belt, unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans, and then helped him step out of everything. When he stood in front of her gloriously naked, and she still hadn’t said a word to him, he began to worry. She stood gracefully, and turned the shower on, then slipped her own clothes off, and grasped his hand once again and led him into the hot shower.
He watched her silently, unwilling to break the silence Erica had created. Was she so mad at him she refused to speak to him? He was afraid to explode the tranquil peace of the moment with conversation she might not welcome. He watched as she grabbed his soap, poured a generous amount in her hand, and began washing him from his neck down, thoroughly and carefully. She motioned for him to back into the water to rinse, still without speaking. He turned to face her once he was rinsed, and gasped as she immediately bit into his left pectoral muscle...hard. Her fangs stayed imbedded in his flesh as she began to drink like a woman dying of thirst.
Kevin couldn’t take the silence any longer. Cupping the back of her head as she continued drinking from him, he whispered, “Ah, baby, that feels so good. And I know you must hate me for what our daughter was exposed to out there. I can’t exactly say I don’t hate myself, but I promise you, we will sit down and discuss things together, as a family. But, baby, I need your love right now.”
He picked her up, and she opened her legs to straddle his waist. His dick was already hard, and he hoped to hell she was ready for him because he couldn’t wait another second. He lowered her onto him, impaling her with his throbbing cock in one swift surge. She continued drinking from him, a loud moan escaping her as he breached her pussy.
She released her fangs and licked his wound closed, then tilted her head up and found his lips. All of her emotions poured through her kiss: gratitude, passion, irritation, anger, annoyance, relief...it was all there in one kiss. It didn’t escape his notice that her teeth seemed to keep getting in the way. He almost smiled at the thought. He played a major role in eliminating fifty rogue vampires without a single battle wound, but it looked like his wife was going to see to it he had a few before she was finished with him.
When he felt a particularly sharp fang slice his lip, he tried to pull back, but to no avail. A deep-throated growl bubbled up within his wife’s throat. I guess I have this coming. If I can face fifty rogue vampires, surely I can handle one half-annoyed, half-loving wife. I really don’t need my lips for talking right now anyway.
Finally, Erica slowly released the death lock she had on her husband’s lips. Kevin glanced down to her face; her eyes seemed to burn a hole right through him. She started grinding her hips down on his erection, moving them side to side, using tiny movements to slide up and down just a bit. Kevin pinned her up against the back of the shower wall and separated their bodies just enough to give himself a bit of room to work. Pulling almost all the way out, he slammed back into her hard, making her cry out his name as she bit into his shoulder and hung on for dear life.
From there, the lovemaking just became more intense. She swung her long hair out of the way, and he spotted the perfect spot on her lovely neck, and bit down. Now both locked onto each other with their mouths, their bodies moved at speeds unknown to regular humans. Even through his haze, he retained enough sense to make sure she came first. As soon as her inner walls pulsed to life and began milking his cock, he followed her over into bliss.
The shower water was cold by the time they finished and washed the remaining traces of blood off each other. They fell into bed exhausted, happy, and content to be back in each other’s arms.
Chapter Four
Two years later…
Stephanie was sitting in her grandfather’s office, supposedly to learn Latin, which was not her favorite lesson. She glanced over at the clock to see it was only eleven thirty. It felt like she had been sitting there for hours studying the same pages in her book. At least lunch break will be soon.
She had recently celebrated her third human birthday, which put her age between nine and ten years old. Half-vamp children tended to age three years to every one human year up until their seventh birthday, when their vampire blood would kick in and stop the growing and aging process. Her Grandpa and Pop Atkins had started teaching her at a very early age. She was less than six months old when her thirst for knowledge hit with a vengeance. It took both of her teachers to satisfy that hunger. To date, she had already conquered Spanish, some German, and was working on Latin. At the moment, however, she would have much preferred playing the piano or harp.
“Are you having difficulty concentrating, dear?” Grandpa Charles inquired.
Deciding she needed some fresh air, she told a small fib. “Yes, Grandpa. I know it’s not lunch time yet, but I find myself hungry already.” Anything to get out of the stupid Latin lesson!
“You know we are not on a set schedule. Run home and get some lunch, you can pick up where you left off when you return. Oh, wait a minute,” Charles said as he turned back to his desk to look at the calendar. “On second thought, take the Latin book home with you. I have a council meeting this afternoon. We will go over what you learned tomorrow morning.”
Stephanie couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. Chances were good that her mom would be tied up in her office for the afternoon, so she would have a little free time before having to stick her nose back into the boring Latin book. She closed her textbook and stood. As she was heading over to her grandfather to kiss his cheek, everything started to shake. It was as if the ground below her were vibrating. Suddenly frightened, not understanding what was going on, she lunged into her grandfather’s lap in one leap and wrapped both arms securely around his neck.
“What is going on?” she asked, horrified. Her mind ricocheted to the thought that it was a good thing her grandfather was a vampire with extremely fast reflexes. Otherwise, he would never have caught her when she jumped so fast.
He sighed deeply, frowning. “It is just a tremor, Stephanie.”
The earth had stopped shaking after a few seconds, and she released her grip from around his neck. She remained safely in his lap, though. “A tremor?” she questioned, confused. “What is a tremor?”
Charles stopped and studied his granddaughter for a moment. “You know, don’t worry about any more Latin for today. I am going to give
you a brief description of an earthquake, but I want you to do some research on it this afternoon, and let’s talk more about it tomorrow. I am interested in what you find out.”
“Okay,” Stephanie immediately answered him. Anything had to be better than Latin.
Charles sat back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head. “An earthquake is caused by shifting of fault lines or plate margins below the earth’s surface. The more severe the shift is, the stronger an earthquake is. Now, I want you to do some research this afternoon, and we will discuss what you find tomorrow morning. Run along home and get some lunch, I need to leave for my meeting shortly anyway.”
As she gathered her things to leave, he added, “It is important that you know about earthquakes, dear. Because believe me, one day we will experience a major earthquake in this area. It is not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when.” Stephanie glanced up just in time to see him shake his head and noticed his usual full of life eyes were now full of sadness. What was he so sad about? Was this earthquake thing really that big of a deal?
As in the past, any time Stephanie came across something new to learn, it intrigued her. Now, as she hurried home, she was no longer concerned about trying to dodge Latin. No, she found herself in a hurry to fire up her own computer and start the research. She always found new topics interesting, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to rest peacefully until she had fully researched it and understood it. The topic of earthquakes would be no exception.
She made herself a quick lunch and checked in with her mother. Then, in a hurry to start her research, she took her plate upstairs to her room where she would be spending the remainder of the afternoon studying this new topic of interest.
As she began searching for information regarding earthquakes, she realized her grandfather was correct. Their city, Fresno, CA, had already experienced numerous quakes before, thankfully none of them significant. The last thing her grandfather had said quickly came to mind. “It is not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when.” She also recalled the sad look in his eyes.
Once she had thoroughly researched the causes of earthquakes, she plunged deeper into her research. She came across a few sites from other countries that were trying innovative ways of constructing new buildings to withstand major earthquakes. Only time would tell if they had succeeded. She jotted down some notes from these sites also, finding all of the information highly interesting. Japan seemed to be leading the way in testing new theories, but New Zealand was close behind.
Going through their own cities’ website, she started searching how the majority of the older buildings had been built and with what type of materials. No wonder Grandpa had a sad look in his eyes this afternoon when he mentioned a major earthquake hitting this area; I daresay most of our older buildings would be destroyed if one ever hit.
Chapter Five
Current Day…
Dear Diary,
Well, it’s just you and me again. I am frustrated and need to vent. It seems nobody wants to acknowledge the fact I have grown up and indeed an adult. Okay, admittedly, I am still young, but come on I've already proven myself. It’s not like I haven’t been there for my dad’s vampire police team, the VCTF, on multiple occasions.
I asked him yet again last night if I could become a fulltime member.
His answer: not yet.
My response: why not?
“Stephanie,” he stated in a patronizing tone as he pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, “I just can’t put you out there in the thick of things on a fulltime basis. You are still very young and half-human. If you were ever to become injured, I would never forgive myself, and I know damn well your mother would kill me.”
“Dad,” I replied in an equally patronizing tone, “I am an adult, and I think I can take care of myself. Besides, most of the time the force is teamed up anyhow, so someone would always have my back.”
He sat back in his seat and glared at me for a moment, arms crossed in front of him. “I’ll think about it, but don’t push it.” Then, uncrossing his arms, he sat up in his seat and gently placed his hand on my arm. “I love you, baby. You are the one and only child your mother and I will ever have. I know you are an adult and can make your own decisions. I just can’t stand the thought of something happening to you.”
I softened up too, and quit arguing with him for the time being. Besides, he said he would think about it. Maybe I can get Marshall and Aunt Julietta to help me with this one.
I think the reality of the situation is this. Because I am only half-human, I have grown up rather quickly. My twenty-first birthday is a week away, which I have managed to achieve in seven years. Yeah, I know, it’s weird. Half-vamp children tend to age three years to one human year, so by the seventh year of a half-vamp’s life, they are a full grown adult. Generally speaking, we continue growing and aging for about another year, and then the adult vampire blood seems to kick into gear and slows everything down. The fact that my birthday is next week has rattled my parents.
Looking at this situation from my parents’ point of view, they have had to watch their only child grow up in just a few short years. Add to the fact that I have some unique and interesting abilities; they have had their hands full raising me. My abilities of telekinesis, telepathy, and astral projection were all discovered early on while I was still very young, and I certainly didn’t make it easy on them. They quickly brought in a close circle of family and trusted friends to help teach me how to control my unusual powers.
I owe my Grandfather Charles for my education. It didn’t take him very long to discover that I have the ability to hear or read something, and it sticks in my head like glue. He introduced me to music, the arts, science, history, mathematics, English, foreign languages, politics, and computer technology. With his office set up, computer technology was a blast. Grandpa always has the latest and greatest toys and gadgets before they even hit the market.
I owe my self-assurance and compassion to my mother. She has always been the quiet but steady one, always there to pick me up when I fall, always there with words and acts of kindness and love that gave me the strength to pick myself back up and try again. She has an office set up similar to Grandpa’s, though she isn’t as enthusiastic over new technology as he is.
I also owe my Aunt Julietta for my self-discipline, although if you were to ask her, she would tell you her work is far from finished. She is a vampire but is also a ninja warrior. Dad originally brought her on when the threat of war hung over our community’s head years ago when I was just a small child. The VCTF team needed more manpower, and it was my mother who gave them the idea of starting the CW—Community Watchmen. It is the equivalent to the human Army National Guard. By the time the war was over, Dad was so impressed with her, he decided she needed to be part of the team. It was about this time that she took me under her wing, teaching me how to control my powers, using them only for good. She teamed up with my Pop Atkins, who not only taught me enough world history I could write an encyclopedia—he is over eight hundred years old, after all—but also trained me for the VCTF team. While Aunt Julietta taught me ninja fighting techniques and skills, Pop Atkins taught me combat techniques.
Then we have Marshall. Marshall is indeed my very best friend and has been so ever since I can remember. When I think back to when I was a small child, it was he whom I remember sitting and rocking me to sleep. It is he whom I remember holding my hair out of the way when I got sick with the flu one year. And it is he whom I remember letting me soak his shirt with my tears because I thought my world was falling apart. We can sit and talk for hours, and never grow tired of one another.
So, imagine my surprise when I leaned in to give him a small peck on the cheek several months ago, and realized his scent had changed, or maybe just my reaction to it. His scent was suddenly making me want to take a nice bite out of his neck. That is when I realized that my best friend was also my mate.
Ever since that night, all I can do is dream about
what his lips would feel like pressed against mine. And that is where the problem is. Because I realized he was my mate, he should have realized the same thing. If he did, he has chosen to ignore it. And that hurts. We have always been the very best of friends, so why would he choose to ignore the mating call? Surely he feels the same things I do. My heart skips a beat every time he is near me, the wild erotic dreams, combined with a driving compulsion to be near one another. Surely fate would not be so cruel as to give the mating call to only one of us, would she?
I want so very badly to talk about this with someone. I have a variety of family members who I am very close with. My father has three sisters, and all three have been great role models as I have grown up.
My Aunt Jennifer is known as the shopping queen in the family. If ever I want to go to the mall, I know just whom to call. She is married to my Uncle Joshua. He also works with the VCTF. The family likes to tease him sometimes about having taken him so long to ask Jennifer out. Evidently, during a sting operation a rogue vampire got the best of him and pumped him full of drugs. Dr. Carlson ended up having to do a blood transfusion on him and pump his stomach out. Somewhere along the line, Jennifer ran into him before the team got him down to medical, and he said some pretty crude things to her. Even though she knew it was the drugs talking, he was so embarrassed by his behavior that it took him another year before he could get up his nerve to start talking to her again. Then, once they started dating, he waited another two years before asking her to marry him. Dad likes to tease Jennifer that it took Joshua that long because he had to save up enough money for her shopping sprees. Her response: “Damn straight!”