Day Into Night

by C. L. Quinn

  After almost a vampire sized breakfast, and two hours of conversation, Will led Dani out the main entrance toward his motorcycle that had been parked too long. “How do you feel about wind in your hair and the sun at your back?”

  “God, yes, that sounds like heaven.”

  “Get on behind me and hold tight.”

  Winding through inadequate roads, breathtaking landscapes made them stop frequently to view the sights, to enjoy these moments free of complications. No expectations, no decisions waiting to be made, nothing to do except breathe deep, laugh with each other, and climb on the bike to ease on down the road.

  Finally, nearing dark, they headed back the way they came, revisiting the same vistas with different late-day light. They stopped just before sunset on a jutting rock ledge overlooking a river below to drink sparkling wine and eat sweetbreads they’d packed this morning.

  When Dani, sighing in pleasure, looked over at Will, who did the same, she giggled. “Thank you for this day. I haven’t felt this calm in a…since…well, maybe since they found me and my brother that day in New Orleans last year.” Her eyes moved back to the view, releasing a long breath again. “I needed this.”

  “I did too, so thank you for taking this ride with me. I think we can face the night now.”

  “Amen to that. I guess we’d better head back.”

  “I guess.”

  The return trip was just as refreshing. Once the two humans entered the vampire household, Dani hugged Will and tugged on his ponytail. “Let’s do that again sometime, right?”

  “I’m so in. Rest well, little warrior.”

  “You too, my friend.”

  Sliding the door to his room open, Will entered quietly, but saw that his bed was empty. Running water from the shower told him that Brigitte was up and getting ready for her night.

  Tired after the day of adventure with Dani, he dropped onto the bed and closed his eyes. Minutes after the water shut off, he felt a hand slide along his denim-covered thigh.

  “Hey, wanderer. Where have you been?”

  Will opened heavy eyelids to stare into Brigitte’s smiling face. She really was a feast for the eyes.

  She brushed his hair back. “You look sleepy. I woke and missed you.”

  “I couldn’t rest. I had to get out of here and clear my head, so I walked through the trees right after sunrise, and then spent the day letting Dani entertain me.”

  “That is one amusing human, I’ll give you that. Do you feel better?”

  “Much. I’m ready to sleep now, though. Sorry, but I’m not going to be any company for you tonight.”

  “That’s no problem. As long as you’re all right, that’s all that matters to me. Veg out and I’ll come for you in time for second meal, then you can join me. Okay?”

  “Yeah, that sounds good.”

  He was already fading. The last of Brigitte’s words didn’t register and although he had some awareness that she had placed her fingers on his head, he lost consciousness right after.

  Brigitte watched the man she was in love with crashed on top of his bed, still dressed, dirt-covered, starting to snore, but sleeping well. Good, she thought, he needed to rest and heal. Even with her limited empathic read, she could tell that something incredible had happened in that new hole. His body had filled back out, even bigger than before, and his fading health was reversed.

  And he’d been with Olivia.

  It wasn’t only that Brigitte could smell Olivia’s scent on him, but his reaction to her had changed. It was understandable, he had some kind of history with the Vegas vampire. What it was Brigitte did not know, but there was something.

  Fascination, she hoped. Fascination alone was no threat to the real relationship he and she had been building the past month. Besides, Olivia had already announced that she was going home, so that should end the conflict and Will’s confusion. At the end of it all, Brigitte hoped to take Will home to spend time with her family.

  When Will woke, she would tell him what he meant to her and make it clear that their life together would be spectacular. He would become vampire and join the children of the moon in centuries of joy that celebrated every moment of life and their connection to this world. It would be the perfect place for a man who carried the earth magics that Will did.

  First, though, she needed food and a conversation with Ife, who would understand exactly how she felt. Family meant everything to Brigitte. Brushing his hair from his damp forehead, she bent down to kiss him there. “I hope to make you family soon, my love.”

  Entering the dining room, she sought Ife’s gaze, and saw that Ife was already watching for her. Right now, she needed nothing more.

  As the night progressed, she and Ife had spent several hours alone wandering through the flower gardens, the discussion about mates a new one for both of them. Brigitte had never considered one before, and Ife admitted that none had ever appeared to her.

  “But one thing I know, my dear sister, is that when you find the right person, you have to do all you can to protect that love. How could anyone refuse you?”

  “Right? Thanks, Ife. I needed that.”

  The two vampires bonded over healthy blooms the rest of the night until it was time for second meal.

  When daylight loomed, Brigitte slipped back into Will’s darkened room and stretched out next to him. A hand to his chest assured her that he still breathed evenly, a tiny niggling sense that whatever had happened to him in that cave could still be dangerous. As she moved her fingers over him, down his side to his penis, now at rest between powerful thighs. Smiling, she began to caress him, then with more energy, she aroused her sleeping warrior, happy when he finally opened his eyes.

  “Hell of a way to wake a guy up from a sound sleep.”

  “Complaining?”

  “Hardly.” He rolled over to pin her against the mattress.

  “But I should clean up first.”

  “Hardly.” Brigitte forced him back over and, their clothes gone instantly, impaled herself on him and rode him hard until he grunted as he came, the orgasm quick and intense. After calling out when she came, Brigitte lifted off him and pulled him from the bed. “Now it’s time to shower, and not alone.”

  Under the generous spray in a shower built for two, she soaped Will’s new body.

  “This is magics, Will. You’ve been losing weight over the past few weeks. Now you look like you’ve been on extreme training for a year, but it was only yesterday that you actually looked a little emaciated.”

  “Dani said that I’d been transformed. Bridge, there was a pool in that cavern that I knew, instinctively, would heal me, physically, from all that I lost during the past month. The crystals took from me, but they remade me too. I don’t know why or how, but I do know that it’s the truth. I am part of the caves, their magic, and they are a part of me.”

  “Do you find that worrisome?”

  “No, it’s what I am. Dani thinks something is coming.”

  “Does she? Then we need to speak with Chione and Donovan.”

  Will nodded. “That’s exactly how she feels. I guess we need to go to Zambia soon.”

  Brigitte smiled. “I was thinking that same thing before we even began this discussion. Will, I would like my parents to get to know you.”

  Water pulsed against his back as Will managed his reaction to a discussion he wasn’t ready to have with Brigitte. He was crazy about her, but he was more certain than ever that Destiny might have led him here after all, and that he was meant to be with Olivia. The feelings he’d had when they met last year had only grown stronger. Love? Possibly. Lust, absolutely. He just had to find a kind way to tell Brigitte.

  Brigitte could see his mind working, almost as if she was empathic. He couldn’t see past his desire for Olivia, and oh, God, she got it, but he needed to hear her out first.

  “Will, let’s discuss this later. I just need to finish scrubbing you down. Now, let’s see, where did I leave off?”

  Her fingers clut
ched the scrubby, filled with soap, and lowered it to grab his penis.

  When she’d brought the subject up, she’d seen panic in his eyes, this was definitely not the time for discourse.

  After thoroughly pleasuring him, Brigitte had a meal brought to the room, last meal in bed, which she grinned at him and told him that she heartily approved.

  “Gods, it was good to see you emerge after you fell. If something had happened to you, Will…”

  “It didn’t.”

  “I am grateful to the universe that you are protected by magics.” Brigitte took a bite of sugared bacon. “And Olivia, of course. Vampires can still be injured, but we heal quite rapidly.” She looked up into Will’s eyes, carefully wording her next question. “So what did you do while you were down there?”

  Moments passed before Will looked up. “Talked. About the cave, which is even more remarkable than the first one. Olivia went into the healing pool since she’d torn her side open.”

  “You went in too.”

  “It called to me. It was there for me. That’s where my restoration, or transformation, whatever this was, began.”

  “Huh.” Another bite of bacon later, Brigitte looked at him again. “I assume you guys took your clothes off.”

  This time, Will just nodded as he sipped iced coffee.

  Casually, Brigitte laughed. “Well, of course you did. You would have needed warm dry clothes to put back on. I assume Olivia behaved herself. She’s got quite a reputation you know.”

  Will raised his head from his attention to his food.

  “What do you mean?”

  “She’s a wonderful woman. Zach told me that she’s had a powerful history with lovers. Just not the loyal type when it comes to men. She admits she’s all about wild sex and then moving on to the next guy. When I asked her once if she’d ever been in love, she laughed with a wink, and said ‘Of course! Often several times a night.’ I adore her. She’s much older than we are, so it makes sense that she’s had a lot of lovers.”

  Brigitte watched Will’s reaction to her comments and felt sick. Purposefully trying to discredit her competition didn’t feel honorable, but she didn’t recant. Sometimes, to make what you want happen, you have to get down in the dirt.

  And she did feel dirty.

  “Look, I’m sorry I said that. Olivia’s a doll, really. Everyone loves her. I’m, uh, going to get a quick shower and crawl into bed. It is okay if I stay?”

  He couldn’t help it. The sweet desperation in her voice tore his heart. One way or another, meant to be or not, he did love this girl.

  Will lifted her off the bed and swung her around, set her on a high chest, and moved in to kiss her. Tongues together, it ignited them, and within moments he found himself naked, in the bathroom, under the pulsating showerhead, soaking wet, with a naked vampire pressing him into the tile.

  “This, my fellow soldier, is what we have. I don’t want to lose you.” Whispering, she moved up as he lifted her and fit himself inside her. The ride was gentle, loving, and filled with promises. Will pumped into Brigitte and knew, without doubt, that she was not the one he should be with.

  He enjoyed Brigitte, but he needed Olivia.

  One way or the other, he was going to break her heart.

  After carefully drying Brigitte off, Will put her into his bed, clearing away what was left of their meal.

  “Sleep well, beautiful warrior.”

  She was already fading, a combination of the nearness of day and a nice orgasm.

  Will wondered if it would be their last time together.

  The vampires in the compound asleep, Will repeated his previous day, adopting the human habit of spending daylight hours awake. Right now, like Dani, he cherished the moments of normality. Needing distance from Brigitte while he worked out how to protect her feelings while trying to understand if he and Olivia had something destined, the morning sun seemed to provide clarity.

  Sitting once again under the trees, he thought about Brigitte’s comments on Olivia’s sexual history with men. He recognized it as her attempt to tell him that Olivia wasn’t the woman he needed, and while he realized the reason she’d said it, he still couldn’t get his mind off the subject. Was it possible that he was just the flavor of the month for Olivia? Did they have something real?

  He needed to speak to Olivia right now and decided to ride to Dez’s compound to find her. Would Torin still be with her?

  It didn’t fucking matter.

  Rising from the warming earth, desire pushed him through the orchard. Silently, he entered his room, snatched his keys, and slid onto his Harley, starting the engine before his leg cleared the seat. On a bike, the drive was about two hours, just enough time to clear his mind and try to work out a way to handle this mess.

  Will realized, the way he and Brigitte had been together, that while they had possibly been progressing toward a serious commitment, in the end, neither one of them would have been happy.

  Fresh rushing air had been exactly what he needed. His muscles un-clenched, his breathing normalized, and his chest felt calm. The mid-morning sun forced him to stop to don sunglasses, and he lingered to look over the view below. Most roads here winded around high ridges, the valleys beneath now lush again due to Ife and her team’s dedicated work. That several earth warriors he’d worked with last year preventing a devastating volcanic event now worked here to help repair two centuries of abuse was no surprise.

  No wonder this had felt like home, like family, as soon as he arrived. Would he be happy back in Vegas if he and Olivia worked out? Grinning, he knew there wasn’t any question; he’d be happy wherever he was if she were by his side. It didn’t mean he’d have to leave Brazil forever, it just meant that he’d have to share his time between two beloved places on this planet.

  Will arrived at Dez’s compound in late afternoon, parked the bike, and started toward the back entrance he always used. One of Dez’s largest human sentries met him there.

  “Edward, hey buddy, I just need to speak with Olivia.”

  Edward, despite his intimidating size and appearance, was a soft-spoken man, patient, gentle, unless he needed to be something else.

  “She’s resting, mate, you know that.”

  “Yeah, but it’s important. Any chance you can let me in?”

  “Why don’t you wait until tonight? I can take you to the club to wait for…”

  “Ed, look, I know you don’t like to disturb your host or their guests, and I understand, but, please, can you let Olivia know I’m here? I promise, she’ll want to see me.”

  Will could see Edward assessing him. To his knowledge, to anyone’s knowledge, Olivia and Will were not close, so he knew Edward might refuse. Then again Edward knew Will enough to trust him. If the man didn’t let him in, he’d just have to wait until tonight.

  A gruff chuff later, Edward nodded. “All right. Wait here.”

  Using his coms, Edward stepped away from Will as he contacted Olivia’s chambers. Long moments passed where it was clear there was no answer. Edward headed back toward Will, his fone held up, shaking his head. “She’s not…”

  Edward broke off and spoke suddenly. “Miss Olivia, I am truly sorry to disturb you, but Will has come to the compound and insists he needs to see you.”

  Silence as Edward listened to the response, then lifted his eyes to Will. “Yes, I’ll send him down.”

  Signing off the coms, he nodded again. “You’re cleared to go to her. She’s on sub-level two, rooms near the back marked Liv.”

  “Thank you, buddy.”

  Following directions, Will thought he could be forgiven for his increased heartrate and the fullness in his jeans.

  Suddenly awake, Olivia pressed a hand between her legs, trying to still the intense pulsing. An ache moved up from there to the core of her sex.

  Will is coming.

  He shouldn’t, not now, and she had no idea why, but her body prepared her to see that face she could never get used to, that body made to be on top o
f her, or under her, and inside her.

  Will is coming.

  Never mind that the very thought that Will was coming increased her sexual need. Her imagination had always been excellent, so now, eyes closed, she felt him pump into her as he had in the cave, an orgasm beginning to build at the memory.

  The interrupting doorchime broke the spell. After a moment’s hesitation, she released the lock and the door slid open.

  He moved through it slowly, his eyes roving around the room, softly lit for daytime sleep, then came to her on the bed, on her knees, her eyes on him. A thin sheer nightdress covered her, or more accurately, didn’t, her exquisite body, every feature he loved barely hidden behind a haze of pale peach. Full breasts pushed the fabric out, held by two button nipples he felt sure would be in his mouth in moments. Will forced his eyes back up to her face to see a quizzical look and an amused smile.

  “Tough to keep your eyes where you should sometimes, yeah?” Olivia’s dropped to where his jeans showcased his expanded girth beneath the strained zipper.

  “Did you bring me a gift?”

  “Not at first. I mean, it wasn’t why I needed to see you right away, but…”

  Will was on the bed, his hands moving down Olivia’s sides to her waist while his mouth went exactly where it had to and latched onto her breasts, one hard nipple, then the other. He felt her fingers on him after his zipper was down, his cock freed from the snug denim. Instantly, they began to move in circles around his girth, and he hardened further.

  “Olivia…” Her name came out on a groan. No, he hadn’t intended to do this, only talk about their situation and just be with her.

  Olivia nipped at the sides and his cock jumped in her hand. She laughed. “I have never purged that scent or image from my mind, so now, a year later, it’s embedded in me, and all I want is to eat you up, but after yesterday, I’d better not.”

  Her eyes lingered on his exposed neck, the desire to bite strong, almost impossible to resist, but it wasn’t wise to feed from him. He wasn’t ready for that kind of eternal commitment with her, not yet, if ever.