The Dead Days Journal: Volume 1

by Sandra R. Campbell

  I rested my head against the wall but left my arms above my head, enjoying his seductive play to the fullest.

  When he reached my waist, he pushed his hands under my fleece and removed it over the top of my head in one frighteningly fast motion. Tossing my shirt aside, his hands returned to unfasten my jeans.

  The feel of his cool breath on my bared breasts had me dropping my unsteady arms to my sides.

  Hooking his thumbs into belt loops on either side of my hips, his cool fingers slid between my skin and the soft denim fabric, pulling my pants down inch by inch until he hit my boots.

  While Halloween bent over to fiddle with the shoelaces, I focused on slowing my breathing and tried not to think too much about what we were about to do, especially about how it might ruin our already delicate relationship. By the time he cupped my calf, urging me to step out of my boots, I was trembling. Using the wall for balance, I lifted my leg. He removed my boots and socks one at a time. When he was finished, I stood against the wall, shivering and completely naked.

  His cold hands kneaded the flesh above my knees. He’d started to spread my legs when a cooing-groan sent a reverberating shudder through my core. I looked down to find Halloween staring up at me, his chin resting against my bare stomach.

  “Having second thoughts?” The usual hard edge of his voice had vanished.

  Yes. But I’m not chickening out.

  I pushed off the wall. “No.”

  Halloween inched up slowly. I avoided his gaze by focusing on the stark contrasts between our mismatched skin. My fingers eagerly explored the hollow spot above his collarbone and then the expanse of his heavily sculpted chest and stomach. His midnight-shadowed skin was softer than the finest silk, the muscle underneath harder than the strongest iron. My pale fingers danced over his dark flesh like an artist’s paintbrush, each stroke turning a blank canvas into a rippling masterpiece. When I grazed the area around his ribs, he jerked. I smiled.

  I couldn’t find a single defect in his inhuman physique. That’s not to say Halloween had no flaws. I’d have to use both hands to count off all his character faults.

  My gaze dropped lower and I gasped. When had his pants come off?

  A brief flash of movement and Halloween had me off my feet. Instinctively I wrapped my legs around his waist, placing my breasts at eye-level and his erection shockingly close to my core. His tongue flicked out for a quick taste followed by a nip from his teeth.

  Halloween spun around, a twist that was a bit disorienting with his speed. It had me blinking up at an empty ceiling for a second, and then I realized he’d tossed me onto the pile of blankets that had served as our makeshift bed the day before. Halloween crouched by my feet. His eyes were vivid and glowing, his body tightly coiled and ready to pounce.

  I watched the rise and fall of his massive chest, his breaths coming in sharp, quick huffs as he crawled up the length of my body. His strong hands palmed my excited flesh the entire way. When he reached my chest, he paused, and then he lowered his head to my breast. He moaned softly. A moment later my hands found their way to him. Grabbing either side of his face, I pulled him up for another kiss. I had to have another taste.

  I was ready for more, to give him more. To give him everything.

  His hand moved between my thighs, teasing. I exhaled and closed my eyes, trying to block out the image of his black claws breaking free in a fit of passion.

  Suddenly his weight pressed me deeper into the soft blankets as he pushed himself inside me. I gasped, tensing under the initial shock of his entrance. But as he moved, the more I relaxed and the more pleasure I experienced.

  The more I let myself feel.

  Halloween held me close throughout the day, his cool chest snugly pressed to my warm back. We had sex once more before he passed out at daybreak, which is what I’d decided our union was, just sex, because any other description made my stomach turn. In slumber, we were united—a happy, fulfilled couple—but our waking hours were going to be a lot more complicated.

  As soon as our bodies were clothed, Halloween took on a very businesslike presence. He refused to touch me in any capacity, much less make eye contact. Bastard.

  “Despite what happened between us, as soon as we step out that door…”

  “I get it, Halloween.” Now shut up. I didn’t want him to take away the one good memory I had. Even the briefest thought of what we’d done gave me a tingle in the pit of my stomach and shivers walking over my skin.

  He bent over to pick a few blankets off the pile. “I wish things were different. One night, they will be.”

  “Whatever.” I had to stomp my foot to keep from kicking him in the ass.

  Halloween threw the blankets over his left shoulder and caught me with an unfeeling look. “You’ll have time to clean up, eat, and say your good-byes. Then we’re out.”

  I crossed my arms and took a step forward. He might break my heart, but he’d never crush me. Not now, not ever. “With my brother. We agreed. It’s the only way I’ll do this.”

  Halloween closed his eyes, rubbing his fingers deep into his forehead. “Yes, with Lincoln.”

  Thank you.

  I popped up on my toes in a daring attempt to plant a kiss on his cheek, but he turned his head unexpectedly and my lips landed on his partially opened mouth. We shared a brief kiss that left me hot and cold at the same time, and then exited the closet.

  My two most favorite vampires stood like sentinels at the end of the corridor. Lucky for me they were facing the opposite direction. I pulled my loose hair over my shoulders, hoping to hide some of my face. I wasn’t anywhere near ready to play the submissive role. A new plan meant new rules, and new rules were a lot harder to follow. Almost as if sensing my demeanor, Halloween stepped in front of me with an arm bent slightly behind him, signaling for me to fall in line.

  “Good evening, Orrin.” Anouk’s voice scratched every nerve in my body. I popped my jaw to keep from clenching my teeth.

  “Everyone ready to go.” Halloween wasn’t asking.

  “All set.” The low-rumbled response let me know it was Dagon who’d answered.

  Halloween moved forward, and I followed with my head down, hoping to avoid seeing any of the scrutiny I knew I was under. Anouk had called for my head and Halloween was delivering it to her on a silver platter.

  This would be so much easier if he’d just shoved an apple in my mouth.

  When we reached the end of the corridor, Anouk stepped aside. I avoided the amethyst eyes that scoured over me, but that didn’t stop me from feeling their burn. “She looks better than I expected.”

  “What did you expect me to do, dismember her? We don’t give in to our demons. Besides there’s something you should know…" Halloween paused.

  From our left we could hear the smack of bare footsteps drawing closer. I held my breath and kept my eyes to the floor.

  “Evening.” I noted the brands on the fourth set of feet that came into my line of sight. Kuro had joined the party.

  I felt Halloween stand taller next to me. “Leo’s mine. Anyone harms one honey-blonde hair on her head and I will rip them to shreds. Above all others, she is to be protected.”

  Someone made a disgruntled snort that Halloween immediately silenced with a steel fist. I looked up to see Dagon clutching his side. Doubled over at the waist, he drilled me with a hateful, blue stare.

  Halloween took a threatening step toward him. “You’ve wanted to know why this human is so important, why she’s the key to saving our race from obliteration.”

  Dagon nodded.

  “Leo’s pregnant.”

  “Yeah, I know that,” Kuro said with a nonchalant shrug.

  Kuro had been standing outside the closet when Halloween first announced my “condition.”

  He knows part of the story, but I doubt he’s prepared for the rest of the big reveal.

  A weight dropped over my shoulders as Halloween grabbed and tucked me against his side. I was furious and grateful for his
touch. “It’s mine. Leo is pregnant with my child.”

  There was a collective gasp, and then the corridor went dead silent. After the initial shock wore off, Anouk’s head shook like a bobble-head in an earthquake, blurring her delicate features. I huddled closer to Halloween.

  Anouk stopped vibrating long enough to point a scary clawed finger at me. “No! She said you never slept together. I don’t believe it.”

  “She must have lied. I assure you, I’ve had more than my fill of Leo.”

  Anouk’s slight fingers curled into a tiny fist. “She didn’t lie. My demon would have known.”

  “My demon has revealed my future, and it has revealed my son.” There was no mistaking Halloween’s smug, insinuating tone.

  Did he just use me again?

  When Halloween told me he was going to tell them about the pregnancy, I assumed he would tell the truth… Ben’s the father and his vampire-blood is only altering the fetus.

  Why lead them to believe it was conceived in the “natural” way? Maybe he doesn’t want them to try to procreate for themselves. Or maybe he wants them to believe he has even more power over them? Is this the reason he wanted sex, to prove to them, to their demons, that the thing growing inside me is his?

  Kuro sauntered over, gave Halloween a congratulatory slap on the back, and then turned to wink at me. “You fulfilled the old priest’s prophecy. Too bad I’m fresh out of cigars.”

  Oh, this just keeps getting better.

  Halloween returned Kuro’s sentiment with a rare smile. Slipping the blankets from his shoulder, he placed them in my arms. “Bring the boy.”

  “What boy?” Anouk sneered. She’d made it perfectly clear that she despised the idea of Halloween and me together, which raised yet another set of questions I couldn’t ask. Why does she care? Perhaps they were—or are—lovers? I dug at my arm where a sudden itch grew insistent.

  “Leo’s brother, Lincoln.”

  Anouk made an aggressive lunge. “Why?”

  Is she really stupid enough to challenge him?

  Halloween disappeared from my side, and an instant later he held Anouk off her feet by her streaked hair. Fangs bared, he growled, “Because he’s coming with us.”

  Dagon joined in the fun. Coming up directly behind Anouk, he glared at Halloween around her slim, twirling body. “Is that so?”

  “You dare to doubt me? I hold the demons at bay, but if you question me again, I will release their wrath upon you.” The pumpkin glow in Halloween’s eyes caught fire. He was one pissed off vampire. And for once that anger wasn’t directed at me.

  “Not that I need to explain, but following orders isn’t exactly in Leo’s nature. If she falls out of line, her brother will be the one to pay the price.”

  Halloween released Anouk, who dropped the short distance to her feet and smirked. “Excellent idea.”

  Of course it is… I’m the one who thought of it.

  Dead Day # 1,458

  I listened to the voices and followed their instructions to the letter. Slowing my heart rate, I did not move while Dagon and Kuro dug my grave and then dropped me in face-down. Once the dirt rained over me, I twisted ever so slowly for better access to the first visitor at my grave. Initially I feared the voices, feared my mind was gone, but then Robert spoke, reminding me of the plan. His plan… God’s plan. Defeat the enemy by becoming one of them. He’d made certain that I’d have the strength and skills to survive and take revenge on my enemies—Leo and Orrin.

  Dark.

  Cold.

  I could feel the worms and beetles as they converged, moving into the open crevices of my body. Their slime and prickly legs irritated the insides of my ears and nose. It was difficult to move. I stretched my hands upward—following the orders the voices had given—reaching for the surface. But I wanted to move my arms down. The voices in my head told me to be still, but my patience was wearing thin. I wanted out of the grave. The voices, however, convinced me to stay.

  I heard her sobs first, and then I caught her scent. And before I knew it, I was rising out of the dirt, drawn to her delicious flavor by an unknown force. My hands pushed and pulled against the loose soil, clearing a path for my head, shoulders and then my chest…

  Hannah was wearing her favorite floral sundress as she kneeled beside a tree with her head buried in her hands. Her slender shoulders shook with the intensity of her mourning. My mouth watered for a taste, but not in the way I’d once craved her young flesh. My desire was to consume her, all of her.

  Hannah was too stunned to fight. I don’t think she believed what she was seeing until it was too late. The second I gripped her thin arm, I fed, but my teeth aren’t sharp enough yet and I made quite a mess of it. Nevertheless, the reward was overwhelming, her blood the sweetest-spiciest nectar I’d ever tasted. There was no controlling myself after that. I ripped the clothes from her body, took her the way I’d done before. While draining her life, I filled her with my seed.

  I am reborn.

  I am vampire.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Kuro escorted me to my alcove to gather whatever belongings I could cram into my old army pack. Halloween followed Anouk and Dagon to collect my baby brother from the panic room. Ultimately, Lincoln would be the one to choose his own fate. Unlike me.

  Clothing and shoes were the top items on my list. Food wasn’t much of a necessity anymore. But once I opened the metal footlocker, I realized there were more important items that should be packed. Taped to the inside lid were pictures of family, past friends, special places and events that didn’t matter anymore, though I must have thought they were significant enough to save at the time. I knelt, taking a minute to look over our younger, happier faces. My old friends were long gone, and our favorite haunts—restaurants, stadiums, parks, homes—all destroyed. My parents were dead, and Lincoln and I would never be the same. These were the memories of the life I once had—the life I wanted again but would never have.

  This is it. I’m really leaving here and never coming back.

  I snagged two family pictures off the inside lid. A picture of my entire family, all four of us, on the day Lincoln was born, and another of me and my brother taken at a summer party just a couple months before the power went out. Lincoln had become my whole life in a very short time. My parents were so busy trying to keep us alive that I took on the responsibility of caring for my brother. Anything he needed, I did my very best to provide. Maybe I’d have the same feelings when this child came into the world.

  Or maybe I won’t. Maybe it will kill me before I get a chance to decide.

  Moving a heavy sweater aside, I found a smashed bouquet of wildflowers tied together by a frayed red ribbon—a gift from Ben. From the looks of the wilting petals, the flowers had been in my footlocker for quite some time. I could almost feel Ben’s strong hands dig in and twist my heart, draining every ounce of blood and emotion in one giant squeeze. I put my hand to my chest to massage away the phantom pain. After tossing Ben’s present to the floor, I grabbed a few other mementos without looking and threw them onto the cot.

  The cold touch of a hand on my shoulder made me jump. Kuro had been so quiet I’d actually forgotten he was standing there. “Orrin will see to it that you have everything you need.”

  I shrugged his scarred hand off, picked out some extra clothing and a couple pairs of shoes, and then let the lid slam shut.

  “Leo!”

  Tears escaped my eyes at the sound of my baby brother’s voice, but I quickly wiped them away before turning around to face him.

  Halloween, absent his two evil sidekicks, toted Lincoln’s survival pack on one shoulder while Lincoln, with a cowboy hat hung backward around his neck, carried a few of his choice prized possessions: a Scooby Doo lunch box full of useless electronics, a bucket of Legos—with hidden blades, and his Parker Bushwhacker crossbow with scope.

  Halloween stepped out of the way as my brother dropped his load and ran. He crashed into me, his arms closing around my waist. “Y
ou’re really taking me with you?”

  “I promised you I would.” Pushing Lincoln back, I searched his wide, excited eyes in the hopes of finding some speck of doubt. I found none. “Are you sure you want to come? Dad’s gone. You and Zoe are safe. Think hard, Linc. I want you to be absolutely sure about this. Once you decide, you can’t change your mind.”

  I already had. I wasn’t sure bringing Lincoln along was a good idea anymore. What if I can’t protect him? What if something happens to me? Who will be there to take care of him?

  “I’m coming!” Lincoln shouted a little louder than necessary, probably to show me he knew what he wanted. He’s only eleven; there’s no possible way he knows what he wants. Despite making what could be the worst mistake of my life, I nodded. I wouldn’t break my promise.

  Lincoln lent his two small hands to helping me pack, and then we followed Kuro and Halloween down to the lower-level storage room.

  Halloween left me to my own devices for a few moments so I could clean up in a bath and change into fresh clothes. I made sure to use extra soap and scrub everything harder than usual. We had several days of travel ahead of us, and I had no idea when I’d again have the luxury of soap, razor, and toothpaste.

  Because Halloween said we’d be sailing to an island, I scrounged through the racks and shelves for clothes more appropriate for the long trip. I came across a box of my old workout gear. As an ex-track star, I had an abundance of workout outfits that could be used to my advantage. I might not be able to speak my mind or stand up for myself, but I sure as hell wasn’t about to let Halloween forget where I stood.

  He can’t miss me in this. I put on black spandex shorts, with nothing underneath, and a seamless black and pink sports bra, revealing more skin than I’d shown in years. The outfit would definitely make a statement. For good measure I threw on a grey form-fitting zip-up with a newly busted zipper. I added my old running shoes, and after pulling my hair back into below-the-shoulder pig-tails, I was ready to make Halloween pay.