“Looks like this is going to be an interesting visit after all,” Jonah said to himself as he started his blood red Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1340R, the fastest crotch rocket known to man, going in excess of two hundred miles per hour with a stage one turbo kit and titanium Yoshi exhaust.
He loved his bike like he loved his women, fast, wild and controllable. It had been too long since he rode his baby. He kept her in garage number three, under the palace. He could tell that she needed a tune up. It had been a good six months since Abe had his temper tantrum and told Jonah to leave Eternal Island and not return. Jonah thought that was long enough to let him cool off. All in all, his intuition didn’t seem that far off the mark. At least Abe was offering him a deal.
Jonah needed some time to think about all of this and he knew exactly how to do that thinking. An eighty-five mile long highway went straight through the middle of the island, no bends, just some secondary roads leading off here and there; perfect for high-speed meditation.
“Time to open you up, baby. Come on, let’s do it.” Jonah twisted the throttle and did a wheelie for a quarter mile before he let the front wheel drop to the pavement and gave her all she had.
He’d really missed this place, but he couldn’t really sight-see, even with his heightened vampire senses. Going two hundred and forty-eight miles per hour made it hard to concentrate on the road ahead, much less what was in the distance, off the road. He might be immortal but going this speed and hitting that pavement would sure hurt like hell.
Fifteen minutes into his ride he realized his trip was almost over. Not near long enough, but he had no intentions on leaving the island anytime soon, so this could become a regular event. He did, however, plan on staying on Abe’s good side, and that right there made up his mind.
Julia had to go, but what to do with her? He wasn’t a murderer. He was a party animal. Of course, he had other vampire buddies that would do the job for him. There were a few that still owed him big and he intended on collecting what was due. Abe would never allow that type of vamp on his island, though. Jonah could turn on his charm and lure Julia off the island, and the witches could make her not remember where she was or, for that matter, not remember anything about her life at all. But that bitch could read minds and she was a psychic, too, so she would see it coming. How the hell did you get rid of a psychic, mind-reading vampire?
Jonah came to an intersection on the east side of the island, only ten miles from the palace. He slowed enough to watch three witches as they practiced their magic in the park, different color lights flying out of their hands. Witchcraft always amazed him and he envied the witches who chose to be turned into vampires. They had all the talents of a witch and the strength, speed and virtual immortality of a vampire.
Jonah did have something going for him that most vampires didn’t, something almost as cool as the witches’ magic: he could sense where people were in the world. And as far as he could tell, there wasn’t a range to it, either. He had tracked people as far as Europe before, from a bar in California. All he had to do was sit and think about that person for a minute, and he could pinpoint within two blocks where they were. He’d had this gift ever since he could remember. It had only enhanced when he woke up with fangs. When he was twelve, Jonah and his brother got lost in the woods while hunting. Jonah sat on a rock, closed his eyes and thought about his dad. All of a sudden, he could see him. When he opened his eyes there was a string, bright as the sun, floating in the air that lead him and his brother back to their dad. Talk about a good GPS.
He turned his bike left and headed toward the palace. He really was tired after all the travelling and thinking he’d had to do all in one day. He just wanted to go for a swim in the palace’s indoor pool before getting a little shut eye.
The palace was a typical vampire mansion – no windows. Security cameras monitored the entire island twenty-four seven and the palace was full of them, too. There were elevators that took you up to the various floors straight from each garage. The only other exit was the outside gate; you had to go through two doors to get to that one. Absolutely no chance for a vampire to accidentally walk out into the sun to get the morning paper.
Jonah parked in his normal spot in garage three and rode the elevator to the second floor, where his old room used to be. He pulled a bunch of keys out of his pocket and picked the key to his old room.
“Some things never change,” Jonah said to himself as he put the key in the lock, turned it and opened the door to the sound of Seether blaring out of a radio.
A pretty girl with short platinum hair was sitting on his bed, writing something in a journal; she hadn’t heard him come in over the loud music. Just then his world turned upside down as the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on walked out of his old bathroom with nothing on but a towel wrapped around her body and one twisted around her hair. The half naked girl took one look at Jonah and let out a scream that could have shattered toughened glass. Jonah couldn’t do anything but stare at her as she picked up a shoe and hurled it through the air, hitting him right on the nose.
“Shit! Whoa, wait a minute,” Jonah said as the girl picked up the sister of the one that would have broken his nose, had he been human. The girl on the bed reached behind the bathroom door and grabbed a baseball bat. Like that was going to hurt him. Jonah rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to hurt you! This used to be my room. Look, I’ve got a key,” he held up the brass as evidence. “I didn’t know Lidia reallocated the room in my absence, I thought it was still vacant, still mine. I’m sorry.” Jonah put both hands up in the air, both palms open in surrender.
Ariana stormed back to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.
Becky, still holding the bat as if she was about to hit a home run, asked him, mistrust and determination clear in her eyes. “Who are you?”
Jonah dropped his backpack to the floor and put his hand right back where it was, in front of him, palm facing out. “Jonah. I’m a vampire. I used to live here. If I wanted to hurt you, I could, but I’m not that kind of guy, so please put that bat down before you hurt yourself.”
His words had no effect on Becky, who was still ready to swing with all she had. “You do whatever you want, hellhound. I ain’t putting this bat down. What are you doing in my room?”
Jonah slowly dropped his hands to his sides. “I used to live here, like I said. My cousin, Abe, can vouch for me. I’ve been away for about six months, and I figured my old room would still be mine. I didn’t think they would move someone – or two someones – in here so quickly. Who are you, and who was that?” he swung his thumb and nodded towards the closed bathroom door.
Becky, quickly realizing she could get into major trouble for whooping the shit out of the High Vampire’s cousin with a bat, dropped it to the floor. “I moved in here about four months ago. Becky Smith, I’m a witch.” Becky stuck out her hand to shake his. He might have broken into her room, but he was the hottest looking vampire she had seen in a while. She felt she could find it in her heart to forgive him all his faults.
Jonah smiled as he brought her hand to his lips and gave it a tender kiss. “Nice to meet you, Becky. And your friend?” Jonah was more than willing to share his old room with these two beautiful women. He just had to figure out what it would take for them to let him stay.
Becky was near hyperventilating when she finally got her hand back. “That’s Ariana. She’s new to the island, just got here today. She’s just discovered she’s a powerful witch, so you might want to give her some space. She can’t get her mind to turn off, either, so I hope for your sake your thoughts about her were respectful. A mind-reader with a headache can be cranky enough, even without provocation.”
Jonah muttered a silent curse. “Just that I wished that towel had slipped off when she was throwing pumps at me. Look, I’m really sorry about all of this. It’s clearly a misunderstanding. I’ll call Lidia and get another room. I hope you’ll let me take you and Ariana out tomorrow night, to make it up to y
ou. What about dinner and Code Red, my treat?” And maybe if he got them drunk enough, all three of them could have a little fun when they got back to the palace; then he could see just what Ariana was hiding under that towel.
“Get out of here, right now!” Ariana screamed as she came bolting out of the bathroom with a can of hairspray in one hand and a lighter in the other. “You are one sick individual. I’ve always wanted to read other people’s minds, but after hearing your thoughts I don’t think I want to anymore.” Ariana raised the hairspray can and flicked the lighter. “Go!”
She pushed the button on the hairspray can and stuck it to the flame. A torch of fire eighteen inches long blazed towards Jonah. His reaction was immediate. Eyes big as silver dollars, he grabbed his backpack and streaked out the door.
“Damn, girl, you’ve got some mad skills. You don’t take no shit, do you?” Becky giggled as she took the extinguished hairspray can out of Ariana’s hand and set it on an end table beside her bed. “He was harmless.”
“Believe me, you don’t want to know what he was thinking. Or maybe I’m wrong. I heard you melting in your thoughts when he took your hand.”
Becky’s face turned red. “He was hot, Ariana. Did you even look at him? Damn! I wouldn’t mind tongue wrestling with him a few hours.”
Ariana laughed. “Eww, gross. Besides, lips-kissing didn’t even feature in his mind.”
Becky frowned as Ariana yawned and dropped on her bed. There was a brand new white and gold down comforter and sheets still in the bag at the foot of the bed. Becky picked it up and opened the package.
“Here, let’s get your bed made so you can get some rest. We’ve got another busy day ahead of us tomorrow. We’re going shopping, remember?”
CHAPTER 13
Jonah scrolled through the contact list on his cell and pressed the send button. A cheerful Lidia answered the phone.
“If it isn’t my favorite vampire. What brings you back to the island?” Granddaughter of the former High Vampire, Lidia had decided to stay a witch for the sake of having a baby. She could always be turned later, when her motherly instincts had been fulfilled.
Jonah chuckled. “I missed you too, Lidia, and I didn’t leave by choice in the first place, remember? I just figured Abe had plenty of time to calm down by now, so I took my chances and came back. Oh, and no one bothered to tell me my room was no longer mine. When I first saw the two beautiful girls, I thought they were welcome-home gifts for me, there to satisfy my every desire. Until one of them broke my nose with a high heeled shoe.”
“I doubt it’s broken, you big baby. Did you make your usual charming introduction or did you walk in like a caveman and grab them by their hair?” Lidia asked laughing.
“Uh, the caveman,” Jonah said, and snickered lightly. “I really need a room, though. Can you get me one? A good one, Lidia, please. I don’t want a servant’s quarters, I’m in this family, too, you know?” Jonah could hear Lidia typing on a computer.
“There are only two suites available. There’s one right beside Abe’s, with Julia’s on the other side, and the other one is… let me see… on the second floor, right beside your old quarters, actually. Take your pick.”
“Definitely the one beside my old room. Abe is getting used to the idea of me being back, but I really don’t think he wants me that close, and I certainly don’t want Julia for a neighbor.”
Lidia didn’t need to know that he couldn’t get that hot girl in the towel, Ariana, out of his head. Maybe being closer would give him a chance to show her what a nice guy he really is. All he had to do was learn to control his thoughts when he got near her. Damn, he couldn’t believe he messed up so badly, but it wasn’t everyday you run into a mind reader. Jonah could definitely see himself settling down with someone like her, for a few years, at least. Her first impression of him wasn’t the best, though, so he would have to figure out a way to make it up to her. Maybe their second encounter would be more successful.
“Point taken, just watch out for the flying shoes. I’ll bring you the key, if you tell me where you are. I can’t sleep and Max is in a mood. It would be nice to see an old friend for a while.”
“I’ll be in the pool. I’m gonna see if I can beat my own record, ten laps in one minute and thirty-two seconds. You wanna watch? I’ll let you time me.”
Lidia laughed. “You are so egotistical. You just can’t help it, can you?”
Jonah acted serious. “There is a difference. It’s not that I can’t help it, I don’t want to help it. I love me the way I am.”
Lidia laughed. “Yeah, I love you the way you are, too, Jonah. I’ll see you in a minute.”
Jonah walked into the men’s locker room beside the pool, opened his old locker – luckily still his – grabbed his swimming trunks and quickly changed. He shoved his clothes and his backpack in and headed for the pool.
Climbing the ladder of the thirty foot platform of the Olympic size pool was a breeze, and swimming was one of the things he missed most about the palace; it was hard to find a swimming pool with a platform this high in the States, and one that would allow him to swim at night was nearly impossible. A few tricks off the platform should clear his head a bit. He backed up to the edge on his toes and launched himself into a back flip and a series of twists and tucks before hitting the water in a perfect dive, enough to make any Olympic medallist cringe with envy.
When he surfaced he shook his wet blonde hair out of his face. His hair was too long for his taste, but he really hadn’t had time to get a trim. That was the first thing on his to-do list before going out tomorrow night; surfer locks were not his style. He climbed out of the pool intending to try another jump, but his eyes caught sight of Lidia sitting on one of the over-cushioned lawn chairs, clapping. His heart gave an extra-loud thud at the sight of her beautiful face. She was so pretty when she smiled. She was smiling now. He grinned in response. Hell, he’d never realized how much he’d missed her.
“You haven’t changed a bit, Jonah. Well, except for that long hair. What’s up with that? Mid-life crisis?”
Jonah laughed. “Are you calling me old? I’ve been a little busy; I’m getting a hair cut as soon as the sun goes down. And I’m not likely to change my image. You’re stuck looking at this beautiful body for the rest of your short life.” Jonah sat down beside her and nudged her leg with his, getting her pant suit wet.
Lidia had a solemn look on her face all of a sudden. “There was a reason I came to talk to you, Jonah. I know you’re wild and conceited, but you’re a good listener and a great friend, and I feel… uh,” she said and gave a nervous smile. “What I’m trying to say is… I feel close to you and I trust you so… please don’t share this with anyone…”
Jonah was truly concerned. “What is it, Lidia? Is it bad?”
Lidia smiled. “No, no, nothing bad. I just really don’t know how to tell everyone… that I’m pregnant.” Her smile spread. “I haven’t told anyone else, not even Max. It has really been hard with no one to talk to. Me being only a witch will probably end soon. After I have my baby, I would like to be changed. That way I can look at that beautiful body of yours for eternity.” Lidia shoved against him playfully, then her smile froze on her lips. “My only fear is that my child may decide to not be changed, ever. I don’t think I would be able to bury my child, no matter what age they may die. I’d lose my mind, and… well… I’ll probably walk out in the sun. But it would be great to spend eternity with my child… and Max,” she said a little sadly, then forced a smile to replace the frown. “And, of course, you’ll be around to brighten my days.”
Jonah’s jaw had dropped open. “You… you’re pregnant? That’s great, Lidia. It’s what you’ve always wanted.” Why did he feel suddenly saddened, then? That’s stupid, Jonah chided himself and pushed the bitter thought to the back of his mind. “Why haven’t you told Max?”
Lidia frowned. “I’m not sure Max would share our enthusiasm. Every time I talk about children he tenses up and either doesn�
��t say anything or changes the subject. He has even walked out of the room before. I’m just not sure how he’ll take it.”
Jonah put his arm around Lidia and she laid her head on his shoulder. “Come here, you. Everything will work out. He will come around to it, eventually. If not, I’ll kick his ass for you. If he doesn’t want anything to do with you and the baby, you will still have plenty of help from the rest of us who love you, and I’ll kick his ass again.”
Lidia laughed out loud. “You are a crack-up, but I just might have to take you up on that offer.”
Jonah was holding Lidia and they were laughing and joking when a door slammed and a familiar voice said, “I heard you were back on the island. I didn’t figure it would take too long for you to get my wife back in your arms.”
CHAPTER 14
Ariana woke up in a bad mood. She stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around herself and wiped a spot off the steam covered mirror big enough for her to notice her bloodshot eyes. She had to find a way to shut her mind off. She’d hardly met anyone here but she felt like she knew everyone through their thoughts. She’d always wished she was able to read the minds of others, but the things some people were thinking were downright embarrassing.
She hadn’t had more than forty-five minutes sleep the whole night, or day; she couldn’t even work out what time it was or what hours were considered sleep-time here. Every time she drifted off, another wave of thoughts would slam into her head. It would have been so much easier if everyone slept the same hours, but that wasn’t likely to happen any time soon, because most witches were awake during the day and the vampires were awake at night.
Perhaps it wouldn’t matter anyway; she was certain she would just have everyone’s dreams racing through her head instead. Ariana actually thought she caught a few people’s dreams last night. Either that, or someone on the island was pregnant.
Ariana dressed quickly and then took extra care with her hair and make-up. Even though she felt tired, there was no reason to look it. She kept telling herself she wasn’t trying to look good for that Abe guy and that she just didn’t want to look like crap on her first real day here. After all, she was only going shopping… in the daylight…where there was no possible way for her to accidently on purpose run into the High Vampire, because he was a vampire. Rumor was they were quite allergic to the big ball of light. She sighed. It was going to be a horrible day.
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