Her words make sense; no one comes from perfect breeding. We all have regrets, things we wish we could have changed in our past, he told himself, watching the full-figured beauty on her platform. She has found a form of escape; her music. What have I? I have a string of females both mortal and immortal in my wake, not one of them impervious to my charms and all meaningless to me when I have used them for their purpose.
Cozul watched Nira intently and she could not look away from him. Their eyes seemed locked in a dance of invisible energy but Nira finally broke the trance, closing her eyes and leaving Cozul feeling cold.
What has overcome you? He demanded of himself. That gin was much stronger than you expected. You have taken leave of your senses. She is a donor, nothing more.
Abruptly, he rose to his feet and headed to the bathroom. He needed to splash cold water on his face.
Now, as he stood staring at the outline of his handsome but hazy reflection, he shook his head, thinking more clearly.
She is the one. I will bring her back North as our donor.
From beyond the flimsy door, Cozul heard a round of enthusiastic applause. He inhaled deeply. It was time to claim what was his.
“Oh! You’re still here,” Nira exclaimed as Cozul appeared back at the bar. He smiled, his dazzling ivory teeth capturing her luminous eyes. He watched with pleasure as her eyes seemed to glow brighter with the gesture.
“May I buy you another drink?” he asked and she shook her head but he had already signalled the bartender who produced a glass of wine.
“I really shouldn’t. I’m driving,” she told him reluctantly but she was unable to resist his allure.
She is just like the others, Cozul thought smugly but a small voice in his head told him his assessment was not accurate and that he needed to tread more carefully with Nira than he had in the past. Immediately he silenced it and turned his full attention to the lovely mortal eyeing him.
She is attempting to figure me out. She thinks I am just like the other mortal men she has encountered in her life. How wrong she is, but she will discover that soon enough.
“Have your drink and I will walk you to your car,” he told her pleasantly. “If you are not feeling confident in your driving, I will find a cab for you.”
Nira’s eyes shifted toward the entrance and a fleeting darkness passed over them before she nodded quickly.
“That would be great,” she told him, quickly taking a sip of her wine. There was something evasive in her reaction but before Cozul could understand it, she was smiling. “Tell me about yourself, Cozul,” she said conversationally. “I don’t believe I have ever seen you here before.”
Cozul shrugged nonchalantly.
“I cannot say I have ever been here but I am sure that will change now.” He let his words hang in the air, watching as Nira’s face lit up, but she maintained a stoic smile on her lips.
“Oh? Have you had a good experience here tonight?” she asked innocently. Cozul nodded earnestly.
“The entertainment is top notch,” he told her. “And I do not believe I have seen more beautiful women anywhere.”
This time he watched as her peaches and cream complexion turned crimson and she lowered her long lashes. She was at a loss for words.
“Do you live in the city?” she asked, desperate to change the subject. He did not answer right away, enjoying the exciting discomfort she was experiencing in his presence. Finally, he shook his head.
“No,” he answered disarmingly, trying not to look at the throbbing in her neck. The desire to taste her was insurmountable and he hoped he would not succumb to his instincts too early.
You have a mission to do. If you do not provide them with a donor, you will not get your own house. You must exercise self-control. That is what your mortal blood afforded you. Self-discipline. Use it wisely.
The thoughts were empty, however, his desire almost suffocating. His natural instincts were not to bide his time. It contradicted everything in his genetic make-up. Their way was not to capitulate at whim and the battle between his inner workings and logic was nearing warlike proportions. Cozul was having a difficult time concentrating upon Nira’s generous mouth. He inhaled sharply.
“I am merely passing through,” he added.
You must keep speaking to her, he reminded himself. In a few moments, she will be under your power and you can do what you please, sinking your teeth into that creamy, inviting flesh.
Disappointment seemed to cloud her vision but before she could speak, her attention turned toward the entranceway again. Her face went waxen and she rose abruptly from her stool.
“I am ready to leave,” she told him suddenly. Cozul was surprised by her sudden change in demeanor, following her gaze toward the doorway. He saw nothing but the bouncer bringing in signage from outside as the smoky club began to wind down from the night, acknowledging several patrons as they left for the evening.
She is following someone, he decided with irritation. Possibly a former lover. Pity she will not be able to see where he goes.
He nodded amiably and extended his arm to her cordially.
“Shall I call for a taxi?” he offered but she shook her head.
“No, if you would just walk me to my car, I will be fine,” she replied, her voice slightly tense but Cozul wisely ignored it. As they walked from the bar, he realized she had not finished her wine. She was in a rush to pursue whomever had left apparently. Cozul could feel the stress in her curvaceous body, her fingers seeming to dig into his arm as they made their way into the parking lot. Nira dug through her purse for her keys, pressing on the fob as they neared a white Clover convertible. Nira turned to face her new companion, forcing a small smile onto her lips.
“Thank you for the drinks and for walking me to my car,” she told him. Her back was against the vehicle and she watched him speculatively for a moment.
She wants me to kiss her but she is guarded, Cozul thought, smiling to himself. It was always so easy with the mortal women. Yet as he leaned into her, her eyes darkened and she shook her head angrily.
“What are you doing?” she demanded. “I don’t know you! What is wrong with you men? You can’t just take what you want when you want it!”
Taken aback, Cozul froze. He had never been told no by a full-blooded human in his life. He stared at her, temporarily unsure of how to act as anger shot through him.
Do not show ire, he warned himself but the urge to seize her was overwhelming. He tried to smile but she seemed to recognize his choler and backed further against the car. Cozul immediately stepped back from her, realizing the danger he would face if she began to scream.
“I apologize,” he told her, giving her space to open her car door. “I did not mean to appear presumptuous. I just had an overwhelming desire to kiss you.”
She regarded him skeptically as she yanked open the metal door. He threw up his hands as if to display submission, willing himself to remain calm.
“I assure you, I meant no harm,” he told her again and slowly he watched as the fire died from her blazing eyes. She sighed heavily and shook her head, turning to put one leg into the car. Cozul’s icy irises took in the flesh of her full thigh through the slit of her dress, his tongue darting out inadvertently.
“No, I’m sorry,” she replied, sighing. “I overreacted. I have just been…on edge lately. Thank you for walking me to my car. I hope to see you again soon, Cozul.”
He forced his gaze back to her enticing face.
“I am certain you will,” he assured her, watching as she turned to lower her body into the car. Furtively glancing about to ensure he was alone he pounced, slipping the syringe from his coat sleeve and plunging into the fair skin of her neck.
“Wha-?” she whirled to face him, her expression a familiar scene of confusion and betrayal. It sent delicious shivers through Cozul as the serum took affect and she sunk against the sleek leather of the car’s interior. He waited a moment, watching as her jade eyes closed before scooping her e
ffortlessly into his arms and depositing her into the small backseat of the compact car. Closing the door, he again looked about, adjusting his black gloves before slipping into the driver’s seat.
As he put the standard car in reverse, he found himself glancing at the immobile body of the luscious female behind him and a foreign emotion jolted through him, filling him with a sickening sensation. He blinked, trying to clear his head by the onset of confusion he was experiencing.
Go, he whispered to himself. Go before you are caught.
He wrenched his eyes from Nira’s unconscious face and focussed on driving. As he passed the front of High Stakes, his view rested on the bouncer who was locking the door. Their eyes met in the night, a clash of puzzlement and concern as Cozul sped off in Nira’s convertible.
We will be gone before he can report her missing. For all he knows, I am merely driving her vehicle. They will not know anything is amiss until tomorrow evening when she does not materialize for work, Cozul tried to reassure himself but he could not escape the rising panic in his gut. He always worried that there was a husband or boyfriend waiting at home but he had not noticed a wedding ring on her finger.
Careening down Second Street, he tried to regain his normally torpid heartrate but he found it difficult to breathe.
The GPS on his phone directed him toward where the jet had landed, hidden covertly in an unattended field fifty miles from the city. His own car was left at the club, a burner car, one that would be picked up by an ally of the clan upon his departure and brought to one of their safehouses in the South.
You cannot be traced, they cannot find you once you have boarded that jet. You must ensure you drive meticulously as to not arouse the suspicion of the Southwestern Police.
He released his foot from the gas, dropping the car back into fourth gear and glanced in the rear-view mirror.
You are not being followed, he told himself for the second time but he could not shake the onset of apprehension following him from the club.
This is turning out to be a night of firsts. This is the first time I have ever been told no by a mortal and the first time I have ever been observed during a capture.
It was also the first time he had ever experienced guilt.
Chapter Four
She was cold and flushed simultaneously, a strange, sweet smell filling her nostrils. Nira’s lids began to lift but she found herself struggling, as if they were weighed with sand.
What happened? Where am I? she wondered, blinking to clear the fuzziness from her eyes. She slowly became aware of her surroundings. A grey, sterile room, a single table and four steel chairs. She was sprawled on the floor, staring up at the sparsely decorated area and immediately she tried to sit up.
“I would not move too quickly,” someone said to her. “You will only succeed in falling down again.”
She whipped her head up to address the speaker, something oddly familiar about his voice. The motion caused a wave of dizziness to overcome her as her bloodshot irises rested on her captor. Cozul lounged against the wall, behind the only door she could see.
“You!” she breathed, regaining her balance. She leapt from the ground and found herself off tilter, her head swimming. There were two Cozuls in her vision and she willed herself to focus on the real one.
Is any of this real? Am I dreaming?
“Where have you taken me?” she demanded, trying to keep the fear from her voice. He smiled lazily and crossed the room toward her. Suddenly she did not find him as attractive as she had at the club. He offered her a hand and she snatched her arm away, scurrying from his reach. His eyes flashed slightly at the slight and he shrugged his shoulders.
“Suit yourself,” he told her. “If you fall, do not expect me to pick you up.”
Nira watched as Cozul nonchalantly padded across the matte floor. For the first time, she realized that he seemed to glide off the floor.
Are his feet touching the tile at all? She wondered, gasping in panic.
“Who are you? Where am I?” she choked but she was beginning to see more clearly. The fog was lifting from her eyes and she could feel a dull throbbing in her muscles as if every vein in her body was full of blood. Her body ached in every conceivable muscle as if she had been in an accident.
“Sit down,” Cozul ordered but Nira did not oblige, folding her arms against the swell of her full breasts. Her heart was exploding in fear but she refused to show him her weakness, determined to gain the upper hand.
“Not until you tell me what I want to know,” she retorted. To her horror, her voice cracked. Cozul studied her for a long moment, his face bemused and to her relief, he sat back against the hard back of the metal chair.
“We are at customs.”
Nira blinked uncomprehendingly.
“Customs? In which country? Where have you taken me?” Any small respite she had experienced vanished with his words. Cozul chuckled, examining his perfectly manicured nails.
“We are at the Great Divider.”
Nira continued to stare at him, his words sounding foreign and unintelligible.
The Great Divider? Why would we be at The Great Divider? He seemed to read her questions but stared at her pensively.
“We can’t enter the North,” Nira finally said in disbelief. “The Half-Truce does not allow for us to enter the North.”
Cozul guffawed and rose to his feet, carefully circling around Nira. Horripilation enshrouded her skin and despite her resolve to remain calm, she could not bring herself to look into Cozul’s translucent blue eyes.
“The Half-Truce does not allow for you to enter the North,” he purred in agreement, strolling around her like a cat on the prowl. “It also is supposed to prevent me from entering the South.”
Swallowing sharply, Nira looked at him again, her mouth parting in shock as his words took hold.
“You are immortal?” she croaked, her face matching the white of Cozul’s glaring teeth as he broke into an appreciative smile.
“Guilty!” he told her. “And you, my dear, are in the North now.”
“How can that be?” she cried. “There are guards at the Divider! You cannot simply come and go as you please!”
Cozul shrugged indifferently, pausing to brush back a stray strand of hair from Nira’s shoulder. She cringed at the touch.
This can’t be happening. This does not happen. The vampires do not come to the South, not any more. That is an old wives tale our parents tell us to keep up from venturing too far to the North and away from our packs. The Half-Truce ensures our safety. And vampires do not look like this man. No, he is not a vampire. He is a normal, run of the mill psychopath.
Yet even as she thought it, she could not stop herself from watching as he just barely seemed to hover above the floor on which they were standing.
“Rules are meant to be broken,” he told her, peering into her frightened eyes. She thought she saw something soften as their gazes held and Nira felt a smidgen of comfort.
He is not going to harm you, she rationalized. If he wanted to kill you, he did not need to bring you over the Great Divider to do so. He is just looking for some cheap thrills. This is some immortal initiation or something.
Her hand flew to her neck to check for punctures and she exhaled when she found only her erratic pulse under her fingertips.
The door opened abruptly and an immortal customs official wandered in, a file in his wan, thin fingers. Nira recoiled, recognizing him for what he was and tears of terror filled her eyes as she took in his. He looked precisely as the vampires she had learned of in school; pale and emaciated with pointed ears and opaque eyes.
“Your documentation is sound, Comrade Cozul,” the guard told him, relinquishing a set of papers to the handsome vampire. “You and your mortal are free to go.”
Cozul accepted the documents and the officer stood, waiting for the two to exit.
“Give us a moment,” Cozul told the guard. He seemed reluctant to leave until Cozul hissed at him.
&nbs
p; “Do it!” he growled. The original vampire begrudgingly left the two in the room.
“Why have you brought me here?” Nira whispered. “Please just let me go. I won’t tell anyone what I have seen.”
Cozul laughed, but there was little mirth in the noise.
“Who you tell is the least of my concern,” he chuckled. “And I cannot allow for you to go. I must return to my clan with a donor and we have already been processed as being back in the North.”
Nira watched his dark red lips move but again, she felt as if he was not speaking words in a language she understood.
Return with a donor? Processed? What does all this mean?
Her mind flew back to the horrific stories she had learned as a child, rumors of what the vampires did to mortals. There had been many documented accounts from the survivors of the war but it had all seemed surreal, fictional.
Surely, they were fabricated, Nira tried to reason but the look in Cozul’s eyes told her that she had much to fear. She recalled hearing of cocoons where humans were kept alive only to be drained for their last drop of blood to feed entire colonies. Some of these nests contained dozens of half-dead mortals being used exclusively as live food for the blood-thirsty clans who would eventually kill their hosts when the supply came too little, their bodies too weak to reproduce at a normal rate.
Is he telling me I am to be used as one of these…things? Bile began to bubble in Nira’s stomach and she began to look around the confines of the room, her face resembling that of a terrified bird.
I have to get out of here! There must be a way out of here!
“Please,” she pleaded again, “Let me go. I will do anything you want. Don’t bring me back to your clan. There must be something I can trade you, something you want from me!”
She could not think of a more terrible way to die but as her alarmed orbs darted frantically about, she could sense a will of steel in her captor. He would not let her go; she could read it in his frigid expression.
A Secret Baby for the Vampire Page 3