Endless Days (The Firsts)

by C. L. Quinn

  There was only one. Cherise frowned. “But it is empty. Chelsea was just telling me a few weeks ago that the kids from school liked to go out there to make out and party.”

  “It isn’t empty. They th…th…think they’re doing that, but they aren’t.”

  Cherise felt a tight clinch in her gut. No. No, no, no… That could only mean…

  She closed her eyes and pressed her hands against her belly and tried to breathe.

  Loudly, Leo cleared his throat. “Yes,” was all he said, confirming her worst fear.

  Chapter Two

  She dropped back into an ornate wicker chair, a mirror of the one she had on her patio. It wrapped around her and kept her steady as she opened her eyes to stare at the bringer of bad news.

  His little elf eyes were smaller than most humans, but humans never really noticed it. They just saw the dwarf he appeared to be. His left eye always seemed to be in a wince, but now, this moment, she knew he was wincing. He didn’t want to tell her this either.

  The sigh she released was unavoidable…it came from deep within her soul.

  “Tell me.”

  “He hasn’t been here long…a few months. I didn’t say anything to you…it didn’t seem necessary.”

  “And what has changed?” It came out on another sigh.

  “He is sick. In the mind…in the h…heart…in the body.”

  That she did not expect. That was unusual. Vampires did not get sick. It piqued her interest.

  “In what way?” She was staring at him now. He limped over and hopped up on her vacated stool.

  “I don’t know what happened to him. But he was de…de…de…”

  Cherise placed her hand on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Her touch allowed him to speak unencumbered by his affliction.

  “Deeply troubled. He isn’t able to manage normal things. Um…I found him wandering out in that big grass field near the vacant house one night just after sunset. He was disoriented. When he saw me, he called me over and asked me what the hell I was. I told him and he kept staring at me. Then he asked me very politely if I would mind if he had some of my blood. I told him vampires usually don’t like elf blood and how come he didn’t know that. He looked even more confused and then just said he thought he was very hungry but that he’d found he couldn’t keep down human blood. Isn’t that odd?”

  Cherise nodded. Yes, that was really odd. Unheard of, actually.

  “So I said sure, if he wanted to try it. Seriously, you should have seen him, he was pitiful for a vampire. Skinny, almost. Anyway, we tried it and he latched on pretty good, really took it in. I was scared for a while that he’d drain me, but he pulled off on his own and thanked me very nicely and asked if I could come to him every two or three days for him to feed. I knew I couldn’t keep it up, but I’ve tried. I can’t do it anymore, Cherise. I’m exhausted all the time. I can barely do my job at the warehouse. It’s been a little more than two months and I need help. He can’t drink humans, I tried. I brought him one of my work buddies and his blood came right back up. He’s gonna die if we don’t help him. I just don’t have enough volume for a huge vampire to live on. I have my family to take care of so I can’t do it anymore. Is there anything you can do for him?”

  Damn’t, damn’t, damn’t! She’d scoped this entire area thoroughly before she decided on this small village. Vampires rarely chose little, nothing-special villages like this. So, when she made sure there were none living here, she knew it was unlikely one would come then, she settled in and chose this for her home. And now…

  “Okay. But you said he was sick in the mind and the heart. How is this?”

  “He stays confused. He does not know his name, or where he came from, or how long he has lived. I call him Kavin, because he reminds me of my wife’s dog. Big, but broken. She got her dog from the animal shelter near Denver. The poor animal had been abused and he was never right. We could never get very close to him. He died after a few years and I always thought it was from a broken heart. It’s hateful how humans throw animals away. Sometimes all I want is to go home. But my life is here now, it’s been too long.” He hesitated, realized he’d swerved from his mission. “So. Will you come with me? Cherise, please. I have no other option. He has no other option.

  Damn’t, damn’t, damn’t! Why could it not stay simple? She’d left the world of the supernatural for very good reasons. This was so unwelcome. She couldn’t, couldn’t do it again.

  Before she even could make a choice, she was shaking her head. “No, no, I’m sorry, Leo. I cannot do it. I’m not the vampire whisperer. I cannot help him. You must find another option. He should go from here…find more of his kind. They will be able to help him. He shouldn’t be here in this small place. This is no place for the likes of him. You tell him. I am sure he will agree.”

  “Cherise…”

  “You must accept my decision. Leo, you are a good man, a good elf. You represent your species with honor. But this man, this vampire, he needs his kind.”

  “But I’ve suggested it. He does not want to go. He is afraid. I do not know why, but I cannot get him to even come into the village to see you.”

  “Then he is stubborn and if he dies, it is his own choice. I struggle to just take care of myself these days.”

  Leo stood there. He understood her choice, but he didn’t want to accept it. “It’s just…you should come with me. I like him. You would too. He needs you.”

  “He does not need me, he does not know me. I would help you, Leo, anything you need, cherie. But not this.”

  The little man went to the door, his hand on the knob, turned back to look at the lovely woman sitting in the full wicker chair, her head in her hands.

  “I think you would be good for him. I think he would be good for you, too.” And he was gone into the descending darkness.

  Cherise dropped back into the chair and sat still, her eyes closed, her head now throbbing. A vampire. In her perfect little village. As if her life had not already been shattered by their presence. As if she hadn’t run as far as she could from her home in the mountains on the other side of the world to this little one in a different set of mountains to get away from the life.

  Her gift would punish her tonight. And now she knew what all the dreams and unsettled feelings had been about the past few months. It was him, the mysterious vampire, who somehow had disturbed her peace. And she knew. Oh, god, she knew…. If she didn’t help him, if she didn’t fix this, there would be no more friction free days and serene nights. The dreams would not go away, because her gift was insisting she use it to help this displaced vampire. As if she ever had any choice at all. She got up slowly and went to the back door and whispered into the wind for Leo to come back. She knew her voice would be heard no matter how far he’d gone…and elves could move very, very fast.

  She’d no sooner turned from the door to gather her things to lock up than she heard him enter.

  “I sorrow to have to bring this to you. But you are the bridge, the only one I know of on this continent, and he really needs you.”

  She pursed her lips and looked at him. “Yes, Leo, I know. I just wanted to pretend, just for a few more moments, that I had any choices in my life. Okay, I will come with you. But not tonight. Tomorrow night. He will just have to be miserable one more night.” She hesitated. “So you don’t know anything about him? He has no memory at all of who he is?”

  “None. We’ve talked. He’s smart, really smart and he remembers everything since he came to this house. But nothing before. He says he just remembers waking in that field I found him in about three months ago, hungry, and trying to feed. He says he found the house and took shelter there and since it’s uninhabited, he just stayed. He compels anyone who comes there to go home.” He paused. “He was naked when he woke up there. I can’t even imagine how he came to be there, naked, no memory, and nothing at all from his life. He’s adrift, Cherise. He seriously needs your guidance.”

  She shook her head again. “But not t
onight. There’s a long bubble bath in my near future…and an early morning. Come to my cabin after dark tomorrow.”

  “I will. And thank you. Thank you so much.”

  She gave him a little “uh, hum” and walked the opposite direction toward home. Well, this wasn’t how she’d expected her night to go. But she still intended to try to relax and rest. Before the storm entered her life again.

  He was so hungry. The little elf hadn’t fed him for two weeks, claiming it weakened him too much. He understood. The elf’s blood wasn’t enough anymore, anyway. Leo had been a good friend and a lifesaver when he needed it. And he’d said he would bring someone who could help him. Only she hadn’t come. The hunger was so great, it drove him out of the house…he had to find her.

  Once Leo had told him what she was, he’d found himself salivating. She wasn’t fully human, but she was strong and special. He wanted, needed, to feed from her. And after Leo’s revelation, he knew now. She had been what he’d sensed, almost from that first day he’d awakened cold and shivering in the heavily dew covered grass. Certain parts of who, of what he was, still came naturally. And he could find her. He lifted his head and let his mind search. He could track her with no interference…he knew from Leo there were no others like him anywhere near. But the woman…he would find her. Tonight. Must find her tonight. It seemed survival was an imperative. She would submit, she must. Anyway, he could compel her, as he’d done the young humans who repeatedly showed up here at his stolen residence.

  There. In the doll-like cabin with the inviting yellow glow. Candlelight. Somewhere deep inside like a memory that may or may not be his, he thought he liked candlelight…was used to it. Funny, he knew these building all had electricity. And yet she chose an archaic form of light. It seemed odd, but he knew she was different. Leo had been sure she would willingly help him. But…no one had come.

  He eased closer and laid his ear against the door. She was home, judging by splashing water. He tried the knob on the door, expecting to disengage it, but it turned and the door pushed open. She must be powerful indeed to feel comfortable that she had no enemies to guard against. He hoped after tonight, she wouldn’t consider him one. He’d compel her out of it, if so.

  He needed to feed. But he also wanted to know if she knew him, anything about him, his past. He couldn’t go on in blind ignorance. And, in spite of lacking memory, he felt intensely that he was in danger, couldn’t shake the feeling, and although Leo assured him it was hard to kill a vampire, he didn’t say it couldn’t be done. So he needed to find out who he was and what had happened that he’d ended up here in this condition.

  The tiny living room was charming, feminine, smelled nice, like he thought she might. He wandered to the back of the house toward an open door and louder splashes. She was in the bathroom. He moved closer and lined himself up where he could see her image in a large mirror along the wall. She was immersed in a bathtub, the water up to her chin, her eyes closed and her hands gently moving scented water around in tiny circles. He could smell it, and her, from where he stood. He could smell her blood from there.

  She was stunning. He couldn’t remember any women that might have been in his past, but he knew, without doubt, they couldn’t have been more beautiful. Her curly, dark hair was piled high on top of her head, her perfect features petite. He found he had to know what color her eyes were…almost as badly as he wanted to taste her. Walking forward without thought, he slowly entered the bathroom that was as large as the small living room. He stood watching her for minutes…how many he did not know. The water danced, rose and fell, and his eyes moved to her breasts, hidden beneath the pale water’s surface. Except for brief moments when it would dip and rosy nipples would rise above it for tiny fractions of a second and then be covered again. He found his eyes were locked there. He moved slightly closer, and felt his fingers twitching to touch her there, and then more. But he couldn’t…wouldn’t frighten her. He was here to feed, and that was all. His eyes moved back to her face and he wondered how best to let her know he was here without frightening her.

  Her eyes opened, just a slit, then she spoke quietly with a voice that he imagined could command him to do anything…and he would do it. Soft, a light French accent, lovely.

  “You have your nerve. And Leo says you are afraid. I think he mistakes you. Or you overestimate your power. It is not wise you come to me unasked in my home…disturb my privacy.”

  He found he was shaking. He needed to compel her, and get through this before he lost his nerve. Leo had been right…he was a coward. He moved forward, vampire-fast and knelt before the claw foot tub. He caught her gaze and began the compel.

  “You are not afraid. I am only here to feed, and then I will be gone. You will get out of the tub and come to me.”

  She didn’t move.

  “Come to me,” he repeated.

  Still lying in the water, her eyes opened all the way and pinned him there. “I cannot be compelled. So I won’t be doing what you ask. Get out so I can dress. I will see you in the garden behind my home.”

  He didn’t move. She couldn’t be compelled. He hadn’t found anyone he couldn’t compel. What was she…what had Leo said? He knew she wasn’t entirely human. His eyes dropped to the water that was now still and he wanted to put his hand beneath it and touch her…make her ask him to touch her more. Her hand came up, dripping from the water, and slapped him on the cheek.

  “I said go. If you don’t, I’ll throw you out. And, don’t mistake me, I can do it!”

  He got off his knees and backed up. Leo said she was commanding.

  “I will go to this garden. But you will come too?”

  “Have I a choice? I don’t think so. I never do. Get out.”

  He backed and turned, found the rear door easily and went out into the crisp night. She must be laughing at what a fool he was. Well, no matter what, he would feed from her tonight. She’d asked if she had a choice… he was going to tell her no.

  She kept him waiting. Minutes passed. He tried not to be impatient, but he was getting upset and nearly stormed back into the house when the door squeaked open and she came out. The air was nippy but she was barefoot. She wore only a lightweight robe which hinted at the shapely body beneath. He almost powered her down on the grass beneath those feet and took her right there. Not only was he ravenous, but he was hard and straining against the pants he’d compelled from some young man a couple of months ago. He needed her blood and sex and now he wasn’t sure it was in that order. He moved toward her, came to within four feet and stopped when she held up both hands, palms out.

  “Your eyes are glowing. You need food and somewhere to bury…” her eyes dropped to his crotch, “…that. I will feed you, but that…you take care of yourself. Later. I’m not a vampire’s whore.”

  “I know what you are. Leo explained. And I know I’ve been feeling you for some time now. I just didn’t know what it was. Why did you not come tonight when you knew I needed you?”

  “Let’s get this straight this very second, vampire. I will aid you because I must. You have had some hard breaks. I’m sorry, but I am no longer functioning as a seer or bridge. So, you be grateful that I do anything for you. And I am not a plaything. You shouldn’t have any trouble getting someone for that.”

  Because he was gorgeous. Of all the attractive vampires she’d seen in her life, of which nearly all of them were, this man eclipsed them. He was rough looking, long soft brown hair, pale amber eyes…very rugged, slimmer than some, but built like a god. She was curious what had brought him here and why he was so messed up. But… She couldn’t get that involved. It would lead her back…and she couldn’t go there again. Even for him.

  He did look desperate. She took a deep sighing breath.

  “Okay. Come on. We will do this now.”

  Cherise laid down on a double lounger and pulled the neck of her robe down. It was a satin material and fell open to reveal more than she intended. A full breast completely exposed in the moonlight.
He couldn’t look away. She pulled the fabric back over it.

  “Sorry. Well, come here. I have to work in the morning, vampire, and I would like to go to bed.”

  He came to her and leaned down on the lounge beside her, then hesitated before he began. “Leo calls me Kav. You may do so instead of the way you spit vampire at me.”

  She got back up on her elbows and stared at him. “Alright. Sorry. Kav, then. Please, let’s just get this finished.”

  He struck quickly, the two fangs puncturing with barely any pain and then none. She could feel his body shaking, and then he gathered her closer and pulled her body tight against him. Cherise tried to remain distant, but the feel of him, the sensual touch of his face against her skin, his fingers that were creeping under the robe, that she did not want to stop, the twitching between her legs that told her she might want him inside her as much as he wanted to be. Oh, this was not what she’d expected to do. She could not want him. She could not want a vampire.

  But that wasn’t true. She knew he felt it and he took it from there. He fed, but he also kept pulling back to run his tongue along her skin. Ah, god, was she already wet, wanting to take him, to squeeze him dry? That was not like her. She did not consider herself a sexual animal. It was when she felt him pressing against her, nudging her legs apart, that she moaned and tried to pull away. He pulled her closer to him and succeeded getting her legs apart. It took everything in her power to make herself make him stop. She pushed with her arms and with her mind, and he fell back onto the ground, panting, his pants unzipped and riding low. She too, was breathing hard and pushed herself off the lounge onto the other side. Neither of them could speak for a while…they just sat there stealing glances at each other when they thought the other one wasn’t looking. Their eyes collided and froze on each other at one point and he spoke.

  “That was…well…not the same as feeding from Leo. I’m sorry if I hurt you, or…”

  “I understand. We’re through. You got what you came for. Please let yourself out.” Cherise pulled the robe tight and walked to the end of her garden, her back to him, hoping he would graciously do as she asked. He didn’t. Vampires.