by C. L. Quinn
When she visited the motorcycle, she felt closer to the man she’d loved, and to the child they’d made.
“Less than four months, Biker, and your son will be here.” Olivia whispered to Will’s memory, and hoped that maybe somewhere in the cosmos, he might hear her. Her belly wiggled, excited. Her son had.
Late that following night
Gio wandered through the club, watching the partiers, some extreme, as they ate, drank, danced, and nearly fucked in the main entertainment room. He’d been working security for Persistence, the new club, since Corri assigned it to him, grateful for the opportunity to feel like a functioning member of the world again. She’d set him up with a nice vampire-protected apartment three stories below her own, right next to Rochelle, and given him a community of friends again.
Smiling, he watched an underdressed young woman trying out one of the erotic moves on the visitor’s pole as she laughed hysterically when she slid right back down to crash into the platform. He liked the harmless play here in what he had nicknamed, “Sexworld,” because it gave people a clean, safe place to live out sexual fantasies. The club strived to make sure that no one felt judged or shamed for their appearance or needs, and as long as no one got hurt or abused, physically or mentally, it would be business as usual.
While most of the clients were human, a small clientele of vampires visited late at night for consensual paid sex or blood meals.
Olivia had filled a need and the people had embraced the club. Gio was proud to be in charge of protecting what she had built. He’d known from the first moment he met Corri that somehow, she would change his life. Those awful psychotic days with Rocky were long over, and even if he thought of those times now, it was easy to make the memories fade away and remember where he was now.
Near the back of the club, a gorgeous human woman had been ordering drinks and a few appetizer trays all evening, but she’d yet to interact with any of the entertainment or other guests. Once in a while, he saw her lift her eyes and search the room.
As he moved through his rounds, he noticed her watching him, but when their eyes met the first time, she looked away. After that, she kept her gaze locked on his.
Beautiful woman, intriguing, but he used the services of the paid professionals here. It wasn’t wise to get involved with the patrons and at this point in his new life, he wasn’t looking for a relationship.
He gave her a friendly professional smile and went on with his job.
“Gio.”
He turned to Rochelle, who managed the Pleasure Center.
“Yes, Roach?”
“Pig.”
They still played with some of the ridiculous nicknames from their time with Rocky’s cadre. The insults had become endearments.
“Gio, there’s a guy in 8 that has me concerned. I don’t usually like to access the feeds, but in his case, I think we need to. I think he’s abusive, but Marli won’t admit it.”
“You think she’s scared of him?”
“I do.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Each service room, elegantly decorated for a pleasant experience, also had security feeds; never used unless there was a safety issue. Gio trusted Rochelle’s instincts without question.
Signing in with his biocode, he watched for only a few moments when he saw the man place his thumbs on Marli’s throat and press down using all his weight. Marli couldn’t even release a sound of distress, but the panic in her body and eyes was clear. The man was choking her to death.
Inside the room before the client could blink, Gio had him pinned to the wall. The punishment for this type of behavior was banishment and instant behavioral modification. The man stared defiantly at him, struggling against vampire strength he wouldn’t break.
“Stop. You will never come here to this building again. Before you leave, you will give this woman a thousand dollar tip, and from now forward, sex will be of no interest to you at all. You will never harm another living thing. The thought of it will make you violently ill. Now get out of here.”
Gio turned to Marli, naked on the bed, terrified. “No, Gio. He told me last time he was here that if I let you know how he hurt me, he’d kill me and my daughter. Gio…”
“Look at me, Marli. You are fine, you feel great, that man never hurt you and he’ll never be back. You do not fear him. Go get dressed and report to Rochelle.”
Marli’s tears stopped at once, she reached for a satin robe, smiled to Gio, and rose. “Gio, what are you doing in here? Did you want serviced? I am always happy to take care of you.”
“Not right now, Marli. Go talk to Rochelle.”
“Okay, but, just remember me when you’re ready. You are my favorite client.”
Gone soon after, Gio left the room, walked into the entertainment lounge, saw the woman who’d caught his eye all night, and went out the front doors for some fresh night air. Leaning against the alley, his eyes closed to the traffic and people, he let his mind clear. These brief moments of meditation always helped him to relax.
“Hi.”
A throaty, sexy voice interrupted and his eyes popped open to the face of the woman he’d walked away from in the lounge.
“Hi. Uh, weren’t you enjoying the lounge?”
“I was. You might have noticed I’m alone at my table, but I like to take it easy and watch everyone else have a good time. I’m, um, kind of shy that way.”
“I wouldn’t have taken you for shy.”
“You caught my eye. I must say, I couldn’t stop watching you. Is there any chance I could buy you a drink? Somewhere else, sometime else, of course.”
“That’s a nice invitation, but we don’t date our guests.”
“Oh, good. I wasn’t planning to come back. That solves the conflict. Are you involved with someone, or don’t I appeal to you?”
His eyes moving over her, from the smooth dark skin to huge expressive eyes, a mouth made for kisses, to a heavenly feminine body wrapped in a tight dress pushing against a firm curvy shape topped with full, and what appeared to be natural, breasts, down to long legs that ended in sexy feet seated in high-heeled slides. Never mind that her smile had grabbed his attention from the first moment.
“You appeal,” he said, self-conscious, and aware he’d given her an opening.
“Good. My name is Thalasia. Meet me here, Friday night, at midnight. Please. I’ll wait for you for twenty minutes, but not a minute more.”
A white card with the name of a streetside café, Tosh, slipped into his hand and she was gone.
Shit. Was he going to do it?
Yeah, he was.
Around the corner of Serenity Tower, Thalasia leaned against a wall just as she’d found Gio doing moments earlier. He was so sweet, so handsome, so perfect…how could she betray him like Villioth wanted her to? The answer was clear. She couldn’t. How to deal with it was up to her.
In the Himalayan Mountains
“I miss you, Sarah. Soon, though, I think I’ll be able to come home to you. Sleep well. Kisses and hugs from the other side of the world.”
Mies rung off his call and glanced at his companion of two months. Will had filled out and strengthened. Mies, as the oldest living vampire, his body huge, magnificent, felt like he was looking into a mirror. Yes, he and Will had grown close over the months together, but it was more than that. The shared history, the support of being chosen by the universe for a special mission, and given a second chance after the finality of death. Mies had been convinced that no one else in existence had experienced what he had, and while Will’s story differed quite a lot, the similarities remained that created a brotherhood between them.
“Your mate doing okay?”
“She’s fine. We miss each other, but I think you can relate. We’re nearly finished here. Look at you, you’re as big as me. And the shit you can do, I can’t even touch your magics.”
“It’s daunting. I know I’m not what I was, but I don’t have any idea what I am. I’m not vampire, I don’t rea
d as supernatural, do I?”
Mies shook his head. “No, you don’t.”
Will shook his head. “And yet I’m not fully human.”
“You’ll understand why this has happened, I guarantee it. The universe reveals its secrets slowly, but eventually, it does reveal them. My journey was difficult, Will, but worth every second of pain and heartache. For Sarah, for Crezia, I crossed time, came back to life to fall in love and then die again to lose it all. Yet here I humbly stand and thank the powers that rule the universe for giving me the chance to love and find a home. Everything worthwhile has a price, Will.”
Will’s arms folded now over muscles he was finally getting used to. “But I don’t think Olivia is in this deal. I haven’t been able to touch her.”
“You’re shielded, I think. Wait until you’re free and see where the next part of your journey sends you.”
“I can’t go back to them, can I? The people I loved have buried me, have grieved for me, and moved on. How can I put Olivia through this again if I’m not meant to stay? I truly have no idea why I’ve been brought back and transformed into this strange hybrid supernatural thing.”
Placing a heavy hand on Will’s shoulder, Mies moved close. “Trust, my friend, the universe has a plan. It’s protecting life, and in this case, this world. You are here for a reason, and when you know what it is, you’ll be grateful that you are. Don’t count out life with the woman you love. I did, thinking that I’d done the noble thing and sacrificed, yet here I am, a century of love with the one woman I know was meant to be with me. Now, let’s finish off that honeyed bacon that the Sherpas brought to us.”
“I’ll start the fire.”
“You bet you will.”
Grinning, because he always started the fire now, Will turned to the firewood neatly stacked in their makeshift fire-ring, and lifted a hand to draw the fire from the air. Swirls of yellow, then orange, twisted above the firewood and dropped lower to ignite the wood.
“Done,” Will announced.
“You are a handy man to have around.” Mies brought a pack of meat forward and placed a few dozen pieces on a rack. It took a lot to feed them, Mies as first blood vampire, and recently, with his size and metabolic changes, Will ate just as much.
Seated in front of the fire, Mies kept his eyes on Will.
“You know we are nearly done.”
“The magics are complete, and I’m changed. You’ve guided me on the history of magics from those days so long ago. Yes, I think we’ll be going back down the mountain tomorrow.”
“Whoa, that soon? You already have a timeframe?”
“Not mine. The magics have made it clear. What the fuck I will be doing, I still don’t know.”
“Will, would you like to come back to Boston with me? Sarah would be thrilled to meet you.”
“I really don’t have a direction yet. Maybe. Thank you for the invitation. I would love to meet her someday.”
Later, ready to rest on his cot, Will admitted...he did have a direction, and it was back to Vegas. He was certain Mies knew it too.
Serenity Tower
“Brigitte, you brought too much!”
Olivia looked over the huge selection of baby gifts Brigitte had brought with her from Zambia.
“Not possible. Listen, this boy is going to be a big strong macho man like his father someday, so I brought him everything he needs to achieve that. Like, in this box, I have spirit masks. African totems, symbols of masculinity. This one is the king of beasts. Lions are said to be able to call down thunder and lightning with a roar.”
She held up the mentioned items with a grin. “Then there’s the freaking cute baby clothes and toys. Who knew there were so many adorable things for babies?”
Olivia hadn’t, not before, and she was sure that the world of baby stuff was just as alien to Brigitte. “Thank you, but he’s first blood, so becoming a huge uber-macho male is a given.”
“Ah, true. I just kind of wanted to leave something of me with him. I included rattles carved from natural materials that our blood-bonds make for local children.”
When Olivia had first revealed that she was going to have Will’s child, a stab of pain had shot through Brigitte.
Will and Olivia had been together…and while she assumed that they had, the pregnancy seemed like a cruel reminder. It wasn’t long before she accepted that this boy was an extraordinary gift, part of Will they could keep in their lives.
Laying the rattle down, Olivia took Brigitte’s hands in hers. “Bridge, everything is fabulous, but you don’t have to bring gifts to be a part of him. You are a part of Jasper’s life.”
“Jasper? You chose his name.”
“Last night, after first meal, I just knew who he was. Will’s name was Willoughby Jasper, and it fit that his son should carry part of it into the future. When I decided on Jasper,” Olivia touched her belly, “He approved.”
“It’s perfect.” Brigitte dropped onto her knees and put her lips to the growing baby mound. “Hi, Jasper, it’s your aunt Brigitte.”
Suddenly silent, Brigitte closed her eyes and laid her head against Olivia. When she looked up several moments later, tears glistened in her dark eyes.
“I feel him. He let me know that he’s going to come soon and wants me to hold him. Olivia…”
“Fifth generation first blood, my dear. The boy already blows me away. Come, let’s share a ridiculous dessert, and then go through these gifts.”
Eleven
TWO NIGHTS LATER
At the bottom of Serenity Tower
As the sun climbed the morning sky, Will lurked across the street from Serenity Tower. High, so high he couldn’t feel her from down here, was the woman he wanted so badly, he almost said “Fuck it!” and went to her. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that it wasn’t fair to her.
He knew the pain of loss, and he wouldn’t put her through it a second time. If, someday, he had assurances that he could be here for her, he could share a life with her, nothing in the universe would stop him.
For now, it had to be enough to know that she was up there. She would be sleeping, hopefully peacefully, maybe dreaming of him? Or was it cruel to hope she was?
He glanced at the spectacular glass and fabform building that he knew she had designed, a ready smile. He was lucky to have had the chance to be inside her at least that one night before his life went to shit and he died.
Now, though, he had one mission; to find who killed him; they were a threat to the vampires and earth warriors. After that, he knew, instinctively, that he would be traveling to the bottom of the world. It would include two of the other earth warriors, so he had carefully chosen those best suited to help him. With one last glance upward, he moved down the street, still quiet in the golden light of the new sun.
At the top of Serenity Tower
She had been sleeping well…as well as possible with a wiggling child inside her. Jasper moved so much, he woke Olivia.
“Buddy, what is it?”
Smoothing her fingers over the stretched skin, she suddenly felt something odd. She sat up, her eyes moving through the darkened room.
A presence? Someone who couldn’t be there, someone gone, yet the feeling persisted and spawned an intense need, a longing to see him, to hold him.
“Will?” she questioned into the empty room.
It had to be the child’s connection to the spirit world, reaching for the father he would never know.
But the presence had felt so real!
“Oh, Jas, I would give anything to have your father back, even for one night, to tell him what he means to us, so he would know how much we need him and miss him. To thank him for the gift of you, my beautiful baby.”
Sorrow mixed with joy, even to imagine Will’s spirit there with them. Olivia lay back on the soft sheets, fingers spread over their son, Will’s face etched in her mind.
That night after the sun dropped
Will lifted his fone.
He rem
embered that the kidnappers were planning to take them to Vegas, so the person who sought Olivia or her race had to be here in this city. The leader of the group had been referred to as Locktite, a nickname, obviously, for his criminal career. None of the men he’d met had been vampire, so that helped. He was searching for an accomplished mercenary with the moniker of Locktite. That shouldn’t be hard to track down.
Since Will had been killed in the plane crash, and he was extremely durable, the others likely perished too. The reputation of a deceased bad guy should offer no resistance as he searched. It was the only lead he had.
Will dialed Mies.
“Hey, there, I need some help. Would you happen to know of an IT genius in the Vegas area?”
“Actually, I do. I’ll text the info to you. How are you faring, Will? Doing okay?”
“Making my way. There was a threat several months ago against Olivia and I think the same guys who abducted her friend to interrogate her, and tried to kill her, are the ones who abducted me and Dani. I’m on their trail now.”
“Need help?”
“Not yet, but can I keep that offer open?”
“Sure thing. Be careful, Will.”
“Yeah. I know I’m powerful, but I’m not bulletproof. I guess it’s too much to expect that if they kill me again, I’ll come back again.”
“What are you looking for?”
“The man who led the group that took us had a highly recognizable handle, so I just need to find a link from him to his last employer.”
“Damn. It’s a long shot.”
“Yep, but it’s all I got for now. I’m hoping the magics might help.”
“Good luck. Call me if you need me, I can be there in three hours, give or take.”