Bloodlust: An Alien Vampire Romance (The Dark World Series Book 3)

by T. J. Quinn

  He answered firmly. “I know for a fact that we have never met. You are very beautiful and like I said before I would remember meeting someone like you.”

  Jon who had learned to go with her instincts asked quickly. “Do you think you have seen him in a mug shot? We can begin checking aliases. We can’t afford to make our benchmark case one involving a felon.”

  Suddenly she realized what it was about him. Jumping to her feet, she walked around the table, leaned close to him, and inhaled deeply. She leaned closer and ran her face up and down his neck.

  Jon looked shocked, but Andrew appeared more than a little amused. Smothering a smile, he quietly pointed out the obvious. “You should not smell other people without asking. That is an issue normally only Kalian have.”

  “I need to talk to you privately.”

  He replied slyly. “I’ll bet you do.”

  “Seriously, I do. Jon, can I get you step out for a moment?”

  The thoroughly embarrassed man responded curtly. “Only if we can pretend this never happened when I return.”

  Once the door closed behind him, Danielle smelled him again. “I think you do have family and I think I know them. My father had a best friend the entire time I was growing up. I loved him and his bond mate like they were a second set of parents and even lived in their home for months when my mother was ill. They were both Kalian. I was best friends with their children my entire childhood. I was certain I would end up with one of their gorgeous sons, as was my father. I kissed every single one of them and realized they were like brothers to me. They all have the same scent you do.”

  Andrew held up one hand. “You are human. Your sense of smell is not that highly evolved. Probably being raised around Kalian gave you a false sense your own…”

  She waved her hand to interrupt him. “Look, I don’t have to be Kalian to know how people smell. I have a freaking nose, and I know how to use it.” She slid her arms around his neck and gave him a long sensual kiss. It was electrifying for both of them.

  He walked her back against the wall and gently lifted her into his arms. Drawing her to him, he kissed her over. Losing all sense of space and time, she reveled in the pleasure of finally finding her one.

  She realized at some point that he was handling her like he would a Kalian female. His arms were wrapped around her, and he was caressing her lower back. Being touched by him immediately flipped all the right switches for her. Before she could even stop herself her fingers were inside the back of his clothing caressing the pad on his lower back. His scent was incredible, and she felt like her entire body was absolutely on fire for his touch. Daniella had to literally force herself back to the reality of their situation.

  She put one hand on his chest and pushed out the only words that mattered at the moment. “You are the son of Naren and Argn. When I kiss your lips, you don’t feel like a brother.”

  He gently dropped her from his arms, turned his back and said, “I don’t want anything bad to happen to my unborn child, but I also don’t my parents’ first impression of me to be this. It would shame me deeply for them to see me in a place like this and don’t want to drag them into my problems. Help me, Danielle and I will be forever in your debt.”

  “Tell me what you need, and I will do my best to help you. I can’t take care of your family and be your attorney. You will have to choose one or the other. My firm can take your case if you truly are not getting appropriate counsel from your own legal team. However, if I take care of your girls then I will have to be hands off on your case.”

  He thought over her words and said, “My greatest need right now is for someone I can trust to take care of my small girls and manage my nest. Will you do that for me?”

  Nodding, she swallowed thickly. “Of course, I will do whatever you need. Trust me when I say I will not let you down. Do you want to stay with your firm or do you want Jon to pick your case up?”

  He sighed and said, “I really don’t think my current team knows what they are doing here. I would prefer Jon and I understand I will not be seeing you again.”

  “You will actually be seeing me every single day when I bring your girls for visitation.”

  Turing so fast, she had to back up to keep from getting bumped, his expression was nothing short of appalled. “Please do not bring my girls ever to a place like this. I would not like this to be one of their memories of me.”

  Danielle reached out and touched him gently on the arms. “Don’t worry, the area for family visitation is designed to look like a park, and you wear your regular clothing. There are no cuffs or anything that would embarrass you in front of your family.”

  Andrew wrapped his arms around her. “I do not know how you have found me in my time of need but thank you for helping me. You must be close to my family to be so accommodating.”

  She teased him gently. “I am, but I must admit it doesn’t hurt that you are smoking hot and kiss like the devil himself. I might have decided to help you even I didn’t know your family.”

  Summoning Jon back, Danielle quickly explained. “Sorry about this Jon but Andrew and I did figure out how we know each other. I can’t be on his case. He does want you if you can manage it. I am going to take his children and manage the nest until he’s released. I will need assistance with the nest. I know nothing about the mechanics of nesting and wouldn’t know what to do if there was a problem. Perhaps you or Jem can assist me.”

  Andrew immediately stepped closer. “Absolutely not, I refuse to allow other males to be near my unborn child.” The man was seriously angry. His nostrils were flaring, and his hands were balled into tight fists at his side.

  Danielle was totally at a loss to explain his reaction.

  Jon quickly clarified., “No male can see the nest belonging to another male. This is our culture’s strictest taboo.”

  Danielle had a deep crease in her brow as she thought about the situation “What we really need is a house arrest type situation so he can care for his own nest. Maybe we can get a special order for monitoring equipment to be installed in the meanwhile with a 3D imager linked to his cell. That way he can monitor what is going on with the nest and give me instructions. It would also be a way for him to monitor the care his other two children are getting.”

  Jon just looked totally bewildered from one to the other of them. “I am unsure if such things are even possible.”

  Danielle began to gather up her stuff to leave. Andrew reached out to her and pulled her close. “My little girls are very small and innocent. They have only known me. They are probably very frightened right now. Please go to them and just take care of them for a little while for me. Maybe you can teach them to get used to humans. I know you are a busy woman and I promise to try to work something else out as soon as possible. If you absolutely have to, send them to my parents but tell them nothing of me being imprisoned.”

  “I will honor that request, but it breaks my heart not to tell them about you. Know that my bond with your family is strong. I would walk through fire for any one of them or for you. Don’t worry; I will make this work for you.”

  She called Edward on her cell phone and asked him to begin working on a petition for the 3D imaging link and on the possibility of getting him released on house arrest. She left Jon with his new client and went in search of Andrew’s children.

  Chapter 6

  Doing Time

  ~ Andrew ~

  Music Mix

  As soon as she left Jon asked, “Want to tell me what that was all about?”

  Andrew responded, “Your lady friend recognized my scent because apparently, she knows my family. I have not seen them myself since I was six or seven seasons old.”

  Jon responded politely. “She is human. That is simply not possible.”

  Andrew shook his head. “She told me their names and the information she gave is correct. I believe her.”

  “Having a family would be a great advantage for you right now, but unfortunately a great disadvantage for
them. Your case will generate a lot of media coverage, and you know how rude some humans are about the size of Kalian families.”

  “If the human is to be believed, I apparently have many ‘gorgeous brothers,’ and she has ‘kissed them all.'

  “I have heard that story as well. Danielle is an extremely good person. If she says you have gorgeous brothers, then you probably do. As far as kissing them all…I have noticed she seems to prefer Kalian friends and love mates.”

  “She is very forward, but also accommodating. It is a strange combination.”

  “Look, if the request for monitoring equipment is approved simply monitor the situation and give her instructions relating to the care of your girls. I have no reason to believe she has experience caring for Kalian children, but she is a respectful person, and I do not believe she would do anything to intentionally mislead you, nor would she harm or neglect your children. She sheltered my family and me to get us out of the resettlement center, encouraged me to sit for the bar exam, and recommended me for promotion into a partner’s position. I trust her because she has been good to my family and me. She has always treated me with respect and as an equal. I believe her to be a decent person. If I know Danielle, your children will just be spoiled beyond all hope of recovery.”

  Andrew let out a relieved breath. “Can this situation really be resolved?”

  “Human laws are fluid and ever changing based on their continually evolving understanding of right and wrong. I think the laws regarding alien reproductive rights need to be adjusted. Our firm would like nothing better than to be the ones driving that kind of change. Danielle is right about them wanting to go down in human history. They want to make themselves immortal by coming down on the right side of his issue. School children will read about this case in their school text books when they learn about how human civilization adapted to include the rights of alien species. It really is remarkable how adaptive humans are.”

  “I have to admit that I am shocked that you managed to get a court order to keep others from my nest. I would not have thought that possible.”

  “Danielle assigned another Kalian attorney to research that. He is very dedicated to our cause.”

  “You can’t imagine how grateful I am for that.”

  “Interestingly enough he was recently in your situation.”

  Andrew finally understood that the laws they were challenging would mean freedom of choice for all Kalian across the board, not just himself. They continued to document all the aspects of the case thoroughly. He endeavored to be as cooperative as possible with the process and appreciated that Jon took the time to thoroughly understand his situation. His former attorney had met with him for thirty minutes, accepted a large retainer and had an assistant returning his calls. It had been dispiriting to feel so marginalized.

  When Jon left, one of the guards pushed him roughly along the hallway to his cell. Regardless of his nice human name, Andrew still had a strong element of Kalian aggression lurking just below the surface. It really took a large amount of self-control to keep from knocking the man on his ass. Andrew was fortunate that his intelligence and self-control was strong enough to keep his aggressive traits firmly under control. The last thing he needed was getting real charges piled on top the ones he considered illegitimate.

  Being pushed into his cell, he frowned. His cellie was still extremely anxious. “What did they say? Is the female going to take your case?”

  “Her partner accepted my case.”

  “What are they going to do about your children? I may be able to get my wife to care for your daughters, but you can’t leave your unborn child unattended.”

  “Thank you for trying to find a compassionate solution. The female attorney has agreed to care for my daughters and my unborn child.”

  “You would allow a human around your nest?”

  “I believe she likes me for a mate. If that is the case, I will not turn her away.”

  The man made a shocked sound of amazement. “How do you know?”

  “She made the human kiss with me.”

  “Did you make the mating call?”

  “No, I will very soon. I believe you made a good choice in selecting this firm. They are much better than the firm I hired initially. I have confidence in their ability. The attorney who took my case is Kalian, and he was very thorough.”

  “My attorney was very thorough as well. I am just not used to being separated from my family. Being imprisoned is difficult. I never thought this would happen to me because I’m careful to follow the laws. This nesting law was so nonsensical; I just couldn’t force my wife to carry the child full term. It seems barbaric to expect a woman to do that to her body.”

  “Humans do not understand that we nest our children because it’s easier on our females physically and healthier for the child. They fear what they do not fully understand.”

  “I suppose you are right. This is just the worst thing that has ever happened to our family.”

  “Stay strong and don’t let the guards and other prisoners get to you.”

  Just then the chime sounded for dinner, and their door popped open. Sighing both men looked at the door for a long hard moment.

  “Do you think they would miss us if we elected not to go?”

  Jumping off the top bunk, Andrew answered. “Probably, let’s get it over with.”

  Andrew knew why the timid Jarak was reluctant to go to the dining hall. It was the one time they were mixed in with the regular prisoners. They were a rough and rowdy bunch.

  Pulling the metal door the rest of the way open, they headed down to the dining area. The horrible smell coming from the dining area prompted them to avoid getting in line. Instead, they headed for the large bank of vending machines.

  Trying to lift his friend’s spirits, he spoke up. “It’s my treat today, Jarak. What would you like?”

  Looking nervously around, he mumbled. “I’m too sick at my stomach to eat. Just get me something that makes it look like I’m eating, so the guards stay off my back.”

  “One bag of crackers and a protein pouch it is.”

  Approaching one of the machines, he saw a large vampire male trying to scan his finger on the plate. For some reason, it wouldn’t take his fingerprint. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he quickly pressed his finger to the plate and waited for the blood bag to dispense. The surprised man, Grabbed his back from the machine. “Thank you very much.”

  “You are welcome.”

  “My name is Dracon. If I can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to let me know.”

  “I will, Dracon. My name is Andrew. How long have you been here?”

  “Only a few days. I got into an altercation with another male, and we both are to serve ten days.”

  Andrew grinned. “Fighting over a female?”

  Rolling his eyes, the man pulled the plug from the end of his blood bag. “Do the Vampiere ever fight over anything else?”

  “At least you save your fighting for what matters.”

  Sipping his blood, he commented. “The Kalian can find humor in every situation. I envy you.”

  Sliding his fingers over several scanning plates, he made his selections. Grabbing his food, he jerked his chin towards their table. “Come sit with us.”

  Following him over, Dracon commented casually. “You two must be part of the group arrested for nesting. You don’t seem like you’ve seen the inside of a prison before.”

  “Indeed, we have not. We are both trying to get out before they add more time to our sentence for various misdemeanors.”

  “How strange. You talk like a human.”

  “My human step-mother pounded human ways into my brain, now I cannot get them back out again.”

  “It must make getting along in the human world much easier.”

  “I think of it as her gift that keeps on giving.”

  Chuffing a laugh, the vampire sucked down another drink from his blood bag before speaking. “I have heard t
hat expression before. Now, it makes sense to me.”

  “Humans seem to have interesting expression for every situation. I’m a linguist, so I’m fascinated by their strange turn of an expression.”

  They watched a younger female guard walk past. Dracon murmured. “It only thing about humans I find fascinating is their females.”

  Andrew glanced over to the object of his conversation. “She notices you. Humans are quite fascinated with your kind, Dracon. I would not let such an opportunity slip by me, if I were you.”

  Slapping him playfully on the shoulder, the large vampire responded. “Yes, but then again it the inability to pass up opportunities with females that got you into your current situation, is it not?”

  Grinning at the distracted vampire, he answered sincerely. “Perhaps you are correct. However, I cannot find it in my heart to regret engaging with a soft, pretty human female or nesting the young she gifted me with.”

  Dracon’s eyes followed the female as she walked under a security camera and sat on a desk in a tiny alcove that sheltered her from most everyone’s view. Slowly unbuttoning the buttons at the wrist of her blouse was enough to cause a heated expression to jump onto Dracon’s face.

  Andrew cautioned gently. “It might be a trap.”

  Swiveling his head to look at Andrew, he smiled. “Or it might be dinner with a pretty female.”

  “I can see you like living dangerously.”

  Rising, he slung his empty blood bag into a nearby trash can and slowly approached the guard. Reaching down, Draco brought her slip wrist to his mouth but instead of biting, he kissed her throbbing vein and flirted with her. Good thing he held back. Two male guards walked through, making their regular rounds and were incensed at what they saw. Thirty seconds later, the open unit was being locked down and there was a shuffle between the guards and detainees.

  Andrew and his cellie, got down on their knees and laid face first on the floor. Glancing across the room, he could see that Draco had done the same. The female guard was in a shouting match with the other guards and the big vampire had a huge smile on his face. For his part, Andrew didn’t find the situation particularly amusing. He just wanted his life back.