The door opened, revealing Cara and the girl from the evening before. The change in Abby was amazing. She'd cleaned up and was outfitted in an attractive dress. After a good night's sleep and some food, she looked a tad bit older than she had the night before, but not by much.
“Hello,” Keely greeted them both, pasting a warm smile on her face. To her relief, Abby smiled back. It was a good sign.
After they were all seated, Keely cleared her throat. “We didn't get the chance to properly meet last night, but my name is Keely. Not unlike you, I once lived on Earth, but I live here permanently now. Legionnaire really is a wonderful place to live, once you get past it being dark all the time. Are you settling in well?”
Abby nodded her head shyly before asking, “Are you a vampire, too?”
Keely and Cara exchanged amused looks. “Yes, I am now,” she replied cautiously, not wanting to frighten the girl. “But I wasn't always. When I came here, I was just as human as you are.”
Abby appeared to ponder her words for a moment. She was a pretty child, with delicate features and kind eyes. One day, she'd be a great beauty. “Will I have to become a vampire to stay here?” the girl asked her, her lips turned down. It was a prospect she clearly didn't anticipate.
Keely reached over to pat her hand. “Of course not,” she reassured her, her mind racing as she tried to find the right words to ease her distress. “I know that when I lived on Earth, it wasn't a very pleasant place to be. In fact, it was downright horrible at times, and in a way, I just grew to accept that. And when I was brought here, I was terrified. After all, the majority of people here are vampires, and we all know what kind of reputation they have.”
“But it's nothing like I imagined, and it's a fact that I realized pretty quickly. Here on Legionnaire, you'll be treated much better than you ever would be on Earth, I'm sorry to say. There is plenty of food and clothing and anything else that you could wish for. All you have to do is ask.”
Abby sighed, a wistful expression on her face. She surprised Keely when she said, “I know. I already like it here, but I miss my mom and dad. Returning back home won't bring them back, though. I know they would have never left me, not if they would have had the choice. But they got sick. So did the rest of my family.” Tears slid down her pale face, as she broke off to look down at her clasped hands.
For such a young age, Abby was quite wise. In a way, the girl reminded her of herself, although she'd been older when she lost her own parents. It was something that no child should ever have to go through. And after speaking with her, Keely actually felt relieved that Abby was there. Between her and Kosmas, they could give her the chance for a wonderful life. Her mate had made the right decision, it had just taken a while for her to figure it all out.
“My mate, Kosmas, and I are going to sponsor you,” Keely told her firmly, hating to see the child so grieved. “We live in the same wing as you, in fact our rooms are not too far from yours. We can't take the place of your parents, nor would we want to, but I hope one day you will accept us as an extension of your family. I already view you as part of mine.”
Abby nodded, but she didn't look up. Keely decided it was time for a change of subject. “Did you know that it's Christmas Eve? Something tells me that Santa Clause is going to be making the rounds, even on Legionnaire.”
She looked up at her, her eyes filled with interest. “So Santa isn't afraid of vampires?” she asked, touching Keely's heart with her sincerity. “He really comes here?”
“Sure!” Keely exclaimed, not about to destroy her hopes by telling her it was actually the first Christmas the vampires were celebrating. Even Cara nodded in encouragement. Abby would have her Christmas, she'd make sure of that. “There are lots of kids here in Golden Harbor that I'm positive will be watching and waiting for him to sneak down their chimneys. And he'll be searching for you, too,” she added, with a wink. “Thank goodness the palace has lots of fireplaces.”
To her surprise, Abby jumped to her feet and ran to hug her. Keely held her close, tears stinging her eyes. She'd found a kindred spirit in Abby, a child that reminded her much of herself. Having the girl in her life was like being handed a little piece of her own history. She couldn't save Earth, but she could provide the little mortal with a better life, a happier life. And on Legionnaire, Abby would be loved.
After a moment, Abby returned to her seat, but the change in her was incredible. She was smiling from ear to ear, her face relaxed as if she were at peace with her new circumstances. Good, Keely thought to herself. It would make her transition so much easier.
“Now,” she told her, relaxing into her own seat. “Why don't you show me some of your new dresses? If I know Cara, your closet is full of the best ones to be found on Legionnaire. After we're done, we'll pick out something for the celebration tomorrow night. It's going to be a lot of fun, and we want to make sure you've got the perfect dress.”
*
“You need to apologize, too,” Kosmas sneered in a low voice, as he hammered at a piece of wood that acted as a roof for Santa's workshop. The hammer missed the nail, hitting his thumb instead. With a curse he dropped it, before surveying the damage to his nail. “Dammit,” he swore, gripping the sore appendage tightly. It hurt like hell.
“Troubles in paradise?” Zander asked in a superior tone, looking between Kosmas and the wood with a raised eyebrow. “Or has insanity finally set in?”
Kosmas glared at him. “Don't you have anything better to do than sneak around and spy on those of us that are actually working?” He picked up the hammer and held it out to Zander before adding, “Go ahead, if you think you can do better.”
Zander took it as he shrugged. Walking around Kosmas, he studied the nail before bringing it down. It was a direct hit. In just a second, he had the nail fully embedded in the wood. The bastard.
“Thanks to you, my job is tomorrow,” Zander grumbled. “Look around. There are a ton of guards that you could have picked to wear that ridiculous costume, yet you picked me. I thought this was supposed to be a celebration, not punishment.”
Kosmas had to grin at the look of distaste on Zander's face. “When I saw that costume, I just knew it had to be you,” he told him wryly, enjoying the other man's discomfort. At least it was a reaction. “I mean, who else could fill it out like you will? It's as if it were made for you. Just don't forget a pillow.”
“A pillow?” Zander stopped hammering to shoot him a puzzled look. “What the hell would I need a pillow for?”
“For the stomach,” Kosmas retorted, swallowing hard to hold back his chortle. Seeing Zander's befuddlement almost made his sore thumb worth it. Almost. “Surely, you've seen the pictures? Santa Clause is a portly guy. Probably from all the milk and cookies.”
The puzzled expression disappeared, replaced with an expression that promised retribution. Zander's jaw tightened as he resumed his task. It was too much. Kosmas laughed out loud, his problems with Keely temporarily forgotten. The other guards stopped to stare, curious as to what amused him so much. It only added to the ridiculousness of the moment.
Finally, he stopped laughing. “Look, despite how silly it might seem to you, think of the good you're doing. The humans here will appreciate it, and I'm sure all the children will, too. It has given our people a holiday to celebrate, and it's for a good cause. Even I am anticipating it. Maybe Keely is right. There really is something magical about Christmas.”
And it wasn't the only thing his mate had been right about. As much as it stung his pride, he knew he owed her an apology. He'd known it all along, but conceit had kept him from obliging her with one. Secretly, Kosmas had hoped that seducing her would right his wrongs, but it hadn't. There was only one way for them to move past their disagreement. Like it or not, he was long overdue for a talk with his mate.
If he hadn't waited too long. He should have done it the evening before. Instead of fixing it, though, he'd spent the night tossing and turning, when he was sure she was asleep. Neither one of them had
really rested, which was especially bad for Keely. She needed all the sleep she could get.
He couldn't let it go on another night. There was too much at stake, and the longer he allowed it to continue would only make it that much harder to right. He wouldn't allow his pride to ruin their Christmas.
“It didn't sound like you thought she was right when I arrived,” Zander observed, casting a quick glance in his direction. “In fact, you sounded downright miserable.”
“Do you know what you need?” Kosmas growled, picking up a paint brush and a can of paint. Time was running out. They had to have their preparations done that evening, which was why he was knee deep in it all. There wouldn't be time the following day.
“I can't imagine,” Zander shot back, lifting a square piece of wood for the next design that was on the plans. Kosmas had put a lot of details into the preparations, leaving nothing to chance. They were currently working on a recreation of Santa's village. “Knowing you, I'm afraid to ask.”
“You need a mate,” Kosmas informed him dryly, making quick work of the painting. “Even I can see this. You're wound up so tight that one day you're going to explode. I didn't ask you to take over Diabolos just to see that happen,” he warned him, completely serious. “Even though you say you don't want one, tomorrow night would be a good time to select one. All of the new arrivals are beautiful, and I'm willing to bet they are fertile, too. You could start a whole new life this Christmas. All you have to do is agree to take one of them.”
“No,” Zander said vehemently, surprising Kosmas with his intensity. “Hell, no. Didn't you hear a word I said yesterday? Just because you're mated doesn't mean that everyone else should be. You're happy. I get it, but don't try to ram the concept down everyone else's throat. I'm happy as I am. I don't want or need a commitment.”
“I could order you to take a mate,” Kosmas replied grimly, seriously considering doing it. “In your position, you almost have to have one. Said position isn't guaranteed, though.” He shot Zander a admonishing look, showing him how determined he really was. “The first time you fuck up, you're out of there.”
“You've been leader of Golden Harbor for years, and you weren't mated,” Zander pointed out, in a low, angry voice. “So where the fuck do you get off demanding I take one?”
“You and I are as different as night and day,” Kosmas retorted, his words sparking his own ire. Zander was about to seriously piss him off. Santa's roof was one second away from getting a hole in it, the size of the other vampire's head. “Not only did I have better control over my emotions, but I also had a harem. What in the hell do you have, except for your hand? And it's doubtful you're even using that,” he added, in a disgusted voice. “I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, and at this point I don't care. Just fix it, before I fix it for you.”
“Fine,” Zander bit out, laying the hammer down on the table. “I'll make sure to fucking do that.”
“Good,” Kosmas replied, filled with satisfaction. “See that you do.”
He watched the other vampire stalk away. Harsh as his words might have been, in the end, he was doing Zander a favor. Hopefully, he would realize that and take his words seriously. Zander was running around like a loose cannon, and eventually the other man would explode. It was time he was settled, with a mate to ease him.
After he was no longer visible, Kosmas checked on the activity around them, surveying the work that had already been done. It was coming together even better than he had hoped. Slowly but surely, the entire amphitheater was being transformed. Kosmas hadn't been lying. He was anticipating the holidays just as much as his mate did. Christmas was a time for new beginnings, and he wanted a fresh one with his mate.
Suddenly, he grinned. Kosmas felt as if a huge weight had just been lifted off of his shoulders as he found the solution to his own problem. Calling a guard over, he quickly gave him some orders before heading off to the storeroom. He had some private planning of his own to do to celebrate the holidays, and he didn't plan on doing it in front of the entire town.
*
Zander stormed down the streets of Golden Harbor, furious with Kosmas' never ending obsession with his sex life. He refused to consider the possibility that he might be right. If he ever decided to mate, it would be because he wanted to. Not because Kosmas ordered it.
But still, he didn't want to lose his position as leader over Diabolos. Stepping into the role just felt right. It hadn't been without its difficulties, but Zander enjoyed the challenge. He was determined to make it work.
Without intending to, thoughts of the night before came to his mind. While talking with Kosmas, he'd watched the guards unloading the concubines, relieved that the task no longer fell on his shoulders. It was a sight he'd seen several times before. Although the faces changed, it was always the same... and it never got any easier.
He'd grown immune to their terror. He'd learned to block out their pleas and their tears because he'd known they wouldn't always feel that way. Not once they'd seen how their lives would be on Legionnaire. Not once they'd seen the men, and how desperately the men desired them. But still, he'd hated every moment of it.
In a stoic manner, he'd stood next to Kosmas silently, watching as each guard led a concubine off of the space plane. And he'd been secretly relieved that he'd remained unaffected by their beauty and their blood. The last thing he wanted to do was develop another interest in a mortal.
But he hadn't counted on the last adult female to be brought off the plane.
Although she'd been blindfolded, gagged, and handcuffed, Zander's eyes had widened in shock when the guard led her out. Guards, he silently corrected. The woman fought like a banshee, and it required two vampires to keep her locked in between them. Her strength was rather surprising, considering the smallness of her stature. She couldn't have been over five feet tall, appearing tiny between the two bulky vampires.
And her feistiness didn't seem to be limited to physical acts. Zander couldn't help but grin as he remembered the things she'd said to the two men, despite the gag. With a voice as loud as hers, it had been easy to get the gist of it. Heaven help the man that called her mate. He'd be lucky to survive the first night without his cock and balls being sliced from his body.
To be so small, the curves of her body were anything but tiny. Her breasts had all but fallen out of the bra she'd worn, the fullness of her plump globes easy to see despite the tank top. And her hips? Zander's rod twitched from thinking about them. There was no doubt that the mortal would make an excellent breeder. Her body had been designed for it. There wasn't a red-blooded male in Golden Harbor that could resist curves like hers. At one look, all they'd be able to think about was fucking. For some reason, the thought made him jealous.
It was time to take a woman. Not a mate, but he needed to take the edge off. The only way to do that was through sex. Hell, he might even start his own harem, once he returned to Diabolos. Why not? With a wide variety of eager beauties willing and waiting to satisfy his every desire, maybe he could finally move past the deep-seated need within him to mate.
His upper lip curled up in a sneer as he stopped in front of the vampire bar, the music from within loud and overwhelming. The building shuddered with every thump from the bass. Zander rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe it had come to this. Knowing his luck, the roof would cave down on his head. A man shouldn't have to work so hard to get laid.
In another time and place, he might have considered mating, but his experience with Keely had burnt him badly. And it wasn't as if there were hordes of single and available women to choose from. The thought of selecting a mate from Diabolos turned his stomach. The whole lot of them were blood thirsty and unkempt, the women would sooner slit his throat than mate him. And finding a human mate was just as impossible, even if Kosmas ordered it. The competition was fierce amongst the single males. What if he got his hopes up, just to have them dashed again when the concubine selected another man?
The humiliating thought was enough t
o set his feet in motion. Zander stalked to the door and pulled it open, letting it bang with a thud behind him. As loud as the music was, nobody really noticed. Walking to the bar, he sat down and ordered a whiskey and blood. And then he casually waited while he perused the darkened interior.
It was packed full, but the men far outweighed the females. The bars on their planet were the easiest way to meet blood whores, though. There, blood and alcohol flowed freely, and so did loose inhibitions. Singles only visited them for one of two reasons... to drink or to be drunk.
A hand slid along his upper shoulder, as a woman moved to stand in front of him. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a bun, her attractive dark eyes simmering with arousal in the flashing lights. She was beautiful, and she was a vampire. And from the fresh bite marks on her neck, she was exactly what Zander was looking for.
“I haven't seen you around here before,” she murmured, in a sexy, throaty voice.
“That's because I haven't been here before,” he retorted, his muscles tensing as her hand followed a slow path from his shoulder to his abdomen. With her eyes locked to his, she dropped her hand down to the bulge of his crotch as she squeezed.
“Mmm, nice, “ she drawled out, caressing him boldly. She wiggled her way in between his legs to whisper in his ear, “I'm interested. Let's go in the back.”
The motions of her hand felt good against him, his cock as hard as a rock. Zander felt as if he could explode right then and there, which wasn't surprising considering how long he'd done without true release. His fangs dropped, the desire to drink from her overriding all else. How long had it been since he'd fed and fucked, all at the same time? Too long, he silently admitted. But no more.
Zander followed her to the back of the bar, immediately pressing her up against the building as he nuzzled her neck. His blood thirst raged within him, burning like a fiery inferno. He wasn't aware of anything but the need to drink, followed closely by his need to release. Her name didn't matter. After his needs were fulfilled, he'd never see her again.
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