by T. J. Quinn
He thought that even having her for a month would be nice. He believed that losing her after a year would do his head in and losing her after five years would about be more grief that he could stand. He was lost in his musings and didn’t realize she was looking at him.
She said dreamily, “What are you thinking about that is making you so unhappy? Are you unhappy that you are here with me?”
He sat up onto one elbow with a start and said, “By the gods no, I love being with you. I was just worrying about how long I will be able to enjoy your company before you realize I am nothing special and leave me. It will be very hard for me to lose you, Miss. Lona. It is something I am not looking forward to.”
She giggled and said, “I’m not letting you off the hook quite that easy. You are going to be stuck with me until I am old, ugly and have grey hair.”
He pulled her into his arms and said, “Neither grey hair nor age could make you ugly, my love.”
He picked up the locket from the necklace around her neck and explained, “If we were on my home world you would never age away from me. See this key on the back of the locket? It fits into my family’s regeneration chamber. Our females may regenerate as often as they like and many choose to stay at our side for the full 500 years using the device. Each great house has one, and this is the key to mine. I am sorry Miss. Lona that when my world fell, I was taken from my family and cannot offer you that luxury.”
She asked, “What is a great house?”
He sighed and responded, “I come from that house of Gordon…my name is Garan Gordon, son of Taron Gordon. My father was killed when I was a child, and my mother and I were taken aboard an enemy vessel. The locket is the only item she refused to part with during our time on the vessel. She wanted me to have a piece of our Vampire history to offer my love mate even if it no longer unlocked the precious gift of eternal life.”
Lona wrapped her arms around him and asked, “Will you tell me about your mother?”
He immediately looked up at her and replied, “No one has ever asked that of me…not Dakota…not my son…no one.”
She kissed the side of his face and murmured, “Only if you would like to share that with me. I will not coerce you to relive painful memories.”
He propped himself up onto one elbow and explained, “My mother was a brilliant, beautiful and resourceful individual. She was ancient by the time she gave birth to me. Not many know that Vampires came here in ancient times and off and on for generations afterwards to find human mates. My mother was found in her old age in wandering in the wilderness. When my ancient forefathers approached her, she was curious, and when she realized they were thirsty, she offered to feed them. No woman they had encountered had ever volunteered themselves that way. It distinguished her. They immediately regenerated her and took her to our world. She sired children literally for hundreds of generations on my world. When she gave birth to me, she was already well over a thousand years old. My family’s regeneration chamber had kept her young and fertile. Honestly, she was the most well-known and best loved of her kind on our world.”
“When the aliens came to our world my family fought down to the last warrior. When my father fell I remember my mother ran into the fray and desperately tried to keep him alive by fresh feeding him. One of the aliens pointed a blaster at her, and I was barely able to pull her away before he pulled the trigger. I think I was nine seasons old at that time. Needless to say, we were enslaved along with other women and boys my age. My men are my peers from my home world. They follow me because of my bloodline and our bond will never be broken.”
He looked into her deep green eyes and continued. “My mother was tough. She lasted for almost twenty earth years aboard the ships. She ended up dying in an accident during a mining mission. Those types of missions were always dangerous. I remember the day like it was yesterday. She left the ship to mine with a dozen other people, and almost half did not return. We were not considered important enough to bother with recovering bodies, so they left her where she lay. It still haunts me to think of her lying exposed on that barren alien world.”
Lona immediately asked, “How do you know she just didn’t escape.”
He said quietly, “I know that because no one ever got away until we landed on this world and humans joined our cause.”
She traced two fingers down the side of his face and reminded him, “You said your mother was human, tough, smart and resourceful. I think there is at least a small chance she is not laying on that barren alien world. Can’t you accept that as a small possibility?”
He looked down and finally responded, “I am sorry, but it is not remotely possible. If my mother survived then no matter the cost, she would have come for me. My men and I represent the last seeds of our great houses. There was nothing more important to my mother than protecting our bloodline. If she were alive, she would have found a way to come for us.”
Lona sat up in bed and said sternly, “If your mother can’t come to protect the bloodlines of the great houses then we will just have to do that for her. You and your men have played enough Garan. It is time for you to encourage them to find good mates that are worthy of them. How many of the great houses do you have with you?”
He immediately sat up smiled at her and teased, “You are beginning to sound like my mother. I have the sons of all twelve of the great houses although I have a total of fourteen men. Two sons have survived for a couple of the great houses.”
She looked at him and said quite sincerely, “You tell them your bond mate has determined that it is time for them to sire heirs.”
He tilted his head slightly and said, “You know that your words will carry weight with them. In the Vampire world, the mate of a pure blood is responsible for facilitating marriages and ensuring marriage contracts are in place. If you marry me much will be expected of you.”
Lona looked at him, held up the promise necklace and replied, “As far as I am concerned I am already your mate. Marriage is an ancient formality.”
He took her hands in his and said, “I will need to make a marriage contract with your father.”
She responded, “All in good time my sweet.”
He smiled that she was not put off by him rushing the bond with her and said, “I worried about telling you all that because I thought you would be overwhelmed and not want anything to do with me. It is a lot to take in, and I’m not sure how much of all that matters on this pretty blue world of yours.”
She ran her hand up his chest and tilted his face to hers, looked him in the eyes and told him, “Don’t worry about such things. I plan to keep you forever in my heart, in my house, and in my bed. Trust me, no matter where you go in this world, it is important to protect your heritage. Whether or not it matters to you, it mattered to your ancestors, your parents and may matter very much to your future line. Jared needs to understand his heritage. He is drifting with nothing but some vague idea of a hunter to hang onto. He needs to know the stories of his people.”
Garan for the first time saw how such things could give meaning to a person’s life. He also began for the first time to have a small doubt that his mother was dead. He had to at least accept the possibility that she might have escaped. His mind began to wonder what she might think of the life he had made for himself on earth. He knew with the exception of his son and his new bond mate she would approve of little. He decided to rectify that immediately.
Lona interrupted his musings by saying, “I don’t know quite what you are plotting but wherever you go and whatever you do I want you to be very careful with yourself because someone is waiting here desperate for your safe return. My future happiness rests upon you being here with me so promise me you won’t ever take unnecessary chances with yourself.”
He began to get emotional because no one had ever taken the time to understand his heritage or cared what happened to him before. He thought he would just have to get used to the luxury of having a beautiful love mate who said loving things to him and worri
ed for his safety when he was on the road. He kissed her and whispered, “The humans have a saying about a ‘bad penny.’ I will be the bad penny that always turns up for you.”
She noticed that he had an impressive erection and asked, “Do you always wake up with this?”
He looked embarrassed and replied, “Not usually, just when I sleep with a sexy naked woman. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t expect…” He didn’t get to finish the sentence because she moved on top of him and loved it completely away before collapsing on top of him exhausted and satisfied. He had never in his long life been with a woman who noticed or cared about his sexual needs. The lovely red head was perceptive, kind and loving towards him and it really astonished him.
He was beginning to understand how much preferable it was to have a female all to yourself, especially one who loved you as they seemed more inclined to care about your feelings and needs. He determined that he was no longer satisfied to trade providing for sex and feeding from a bunch of women who did not really care for him.
Now that he had a taste for it he decided that he strongly preferred having love. He thought about his far away world, and if the aliens had not decimated it, he would be there right now moving about his family estate. He could easily see Miss. Lona in his life there. She was beautiful, strong and when she talked even important people listened.
Chapter 13
Celebrating V-Day
V-Day seemed to be everyone’s favorite celebration. Not surprising. The alien wars had been brutal and lengthy, but the humans along the with the support of an assortment of aliens who had been held as slaves on those attack vessels had turned the tide against the alien overlords and V-Day marked that final victory. It was like a worldwide independence day celebration.
Dakota and Alek were busy planning the celebration to end all celebrations. Everyone was very excited. Garan was having breakfast with Jared, Selene and a few of his men when Lona mentioned that she always spent V-Day with her father tracking and horseback riding on the mountain range where they lived.
She invited Garan, and he asked, “Am I permitted to speak with your father about the contract?”
Lona’s hand flew to the locked hanging around her neck, she looked up at him and whispered, “I would not presume to give you direction in such things.”
He rolled his eyes, and she smiled broadly and corrected herself, “I think that would be a wonderful idea.”
Jared asked, “What are we contracting with Lona’s father for?”
Garan replied, “His daughter.”
Jared looked confused, and Garan explained, “I am the last of my bloodline…a pureblood. Because I am a pureblood, I must have a marriage contract in advance of taking a bond mate. Because you are my son, you’re a pureblood as well, and you must have a marriage contract in place before you make the great bond with Miss. Selene. It is the way of our people.”
Jared responded, “I am not a pureblood. I am mixed heritage. Those rules don’t apply to me.”
Dakota and Alex sat with their plates catching the tail end of the conversation. Alex spoke, “There is a difference between being a pureblood and a full blood. If Garan is the heir to a great house, then all his sons regardless of their heritage are purebloods. Full blood is the term used to indicate a person of pure Vampire heritage. There are so few of us in the universe it really doesn’t matter anymore.” Jared looked from Alek to Garan and asked, “Did you know each other from being on your home world?”
Alex said, “I never had a home world. I was born and lived on the slave ships…third generation. I am only a full blood because they bred Vampires like cattle for our unique skill sets. Garan is apparently of noble birth from one of the great houses. Although his vampire traits are strong, I can barely tell he is not a full blood. Although you will be marrying beneath yourself with little Selene, I will attempt to create a fair and just marriage contract for you.”
Jared continued looking from one to the other of them and murmured, “You are joking aren’t you.”
Dakota put her hand on his arm and explained, “I’m sorry I was not brought up knowing these things Jared. My mother mated with a Vampire which resulted in me, and when he was killed in the war, she took a human mate. My step-father hated that she had been mated to a Vampire before him. He barely tolerated me because my Vampire traits were almost non-existent. They never allowed me to know anything about Vampires. If not for Durk I would not even know how to speak our language.”
Jared stated, “If this is what must be for me then that is fine. Just know that regardless of her bloodline, being with Selene is not negotiable. We have the knowing, and that makes her mine.”
Garan immediately said, “No one would ever suggest you not being with your love mate. She is your one. We understand that Jared. To ask you to forgo your one is not our way. Why would you worry about such things?”
Jared looked uncomfortable and stated, “Maybe if I knew more of my heritage then I would not be so anxious.”
Garan asked, “What would you like to know?”
Jared asked, “What is a great house?” Garan explained, “Vampires have spread across the universe and inhabit many worlds. We have a very developed culture and are successful at finding partners to breed with. We have very structured religious beliefs, and our political structure is replicated exactly on each and every world we settle. In early civilization, our forefathers traveled the stars looking for habitable planets because our original home world was bursting at the seams with people much like the earth is today. It was a time when great men made themselves through their whit, determination, and ability to lead. Our ancestor was a vampire prime by the name of Galron Gordon. His story was told to every child on our planet…” Their conversation was attracting the attention of more of his men.
Kalen sat with a thud and interrupted, “I remember the first time I was told the story. I must have been about six seasons old. We were standing in front of the house of Gordon, and it was the most magnificent structure I had ever seen. It was the day I met Garan. We were led into a great hall with a huge tapestry of Gordon the Great. He was tall, pale, fierce warrior and I could tell that just from looking at the tapestry. My mother told me that he fought his way up through the ranks on a Vampire vessel and challenged the captain when it was discovered that he had been cutting on women from the haram for the pleasure of hearing them scream. Such is not the way of our kind. The fight was brutal and lasted for hours, but Gordon was victorious and won not only the right to captain the ship and the respect of his men but also the right to found the next Vampire home world. It was told to me that he was handsome, and all the women of the harem wanted to be his bond mate, but he disciplined himself to wait for his one.”
Jared looked to Garan, and he nodded indicating that his vampire brother had spoken true.
Jared said, “I would give anything to see a picture of his face.”
Garan replied, “Perhaps my Lona will give you the opportunity.” Garan motioned to Lona for the promise necklace, and she reluctantly handed it to him. He opened the necklace, and Jared smiled at the picture of his father with messy hair. It looked just like him. He watched as Garan twirled a tiny bolt around on the top of the locket and he saw at least a dozen tiny pictures flip past.
Garan said softly, “You may look on the face of each of your ancestors. This is the last remaining heirloom of my house and encased inside you will see the image of every Lord of the House of Gordon beginning with Gordon the Great.”
By that time most of Garan’s men had seated themselves and each held up their promise necklaces for Jared to see. He blinked and asked, “Are you all Lords?”
Kalen nodded and replied, “We are what is left of all the noble houses. We are sworn to the service of your father for all times as our sons will be to you as his first born.” Garan’s voice was warm and empathetic, “I know this is a lot to take in all at one time, but please understand the men around this table represent all that is left of a great Vamp
ire world. I intend to protect them and their line until it is possible to return to our world. At such time we will return to what is left of our world and rebuild. With the life span of a Vampire that will happen in your lifetime, my son. Please know that much will be expected of you. The protection of our line is our most important consideration. I am sorry, but that is the way it must be.”
He thought that Jared would be angry and pull away, but a soft smile slid onto his face as he looked at the faces of his ancestors. Garan named each person as he looked at their face then suggested, “Perhaps you could hold onto the locket for a few weeks and familiarize yourself with your line. My promise necklace belongs to my love mate and will eventually be handed down to Miss Selene as your mate. The eldest son inherits it, but his mate is the guardian of the locket. That is our way.” Jared glanced at Lona, and she smiled and nodded her approval that he should keep the locket for a while.
He ran his fingers over the last heirloom of his line and asked, “Why does it have a strange bolt on the back? It must make it awkward to wear.”
Lona spoke, “It is actually a key. On your father’s home world each great house has something called a regeneration chamber. The locket is the key that makes it work. The regeneration chamber keeps the female breeding partners young for hundreds of years so they can stay with their mates. Garan’s mother lived two lifetimes with 2 different mates and was over a thousand years old when she gave birth to your father.” Even Jared and Dakota looked shocked by that information.
Kalen spoke again, “Age is a small thing to a vampire. My mother told me that when Garan’s ancestors first met his mother, she was well into her 80’s and had long silver hair, but he fell in love with her anyway. Vampires have the rather unique ability to see the beauty locked inside a woman’s soul, and that is what we respond to. Once he put her in a regeneration chamber, she grew young again, and they kept her young for the full 500 years he was alive. She went for a couple of hundred years without a mate then married Garan’s father. I remember her as being not only beautiful but also she had the most commanding presence. I used to dream that I would grow up and marry a woman just like her. I think sometimes I am single today because no other woman compares to the one I fell in love with when I was six seasons old.”