by C. L. Quinn
Sighing, Olivia threw her head back. “Zip, you’re very good with your tongue. Tell me, Zip isn’t your real name, right?”
“It’s Michael,” he finally said, pulling away to nip at her thighs. “Michael Miller.”
“Ummm. I think I’ll call you Michael, then, but only when we make love, all right? It’ll be my pet name for you.”
“You can call me anything as long as I can do this.”
“Oh, sweetie, you can do this. Luckily, this is a long trip.”
Hours later, after gorging and napping in the restaurant car, Zach headed back to join his new traveling crew. He’d had a blast with Zip for months. Even though the man was only human, Zach had bonded with him almost on a brotherly level within minutes of meeting him in a bar in Dubai. And although he’d only known Olivia for two days, he believed that they stood a good chance to remain close friends for centuries.
It was a new skill, the ability to connect with people on a deep level quickly. He’d found that when he met someone he liked, really liked, the feeling was instantaneous and trustworthy. When someone came into his life that didn’t fit with him, he also knew that right away. It saved time.
After a brisk rap on the door, he peeked in.
“Everyone decent?”
Olivia and Zip lay on the bench, now pulled out into a bed, a thick blanket covering them.
“Hey, buddy. Yeah, we’re good.”
“Looks like you are, Zip. I’m bedding down a few bunks away. See you when we arrive.”
Zach closed the door again, chose a coach, stretched out, and tried not to remember how good it felt to have the woman he loved lying in his arms.
“Wow, Olivia. God, I’m glad we didn’t miss this.”
The small boat dropped them off on a poorly lit dock but vampire vision had no trouble with the low light.
Olivia led Zip from the boat and placed him safely on solid ground.
“Zach, you have our luggage?”
“Got it. Where’s your friend?”
“Late. I guess the weather around here makes it hard to keep a schedule. But look at that view across the lake.”
Snow clouds filled the sky above the glistening lake, their reflections on the mirror-shiny surface expanding the brightness to illuminate the landscape bathed in night.
“You’re right, it’s worth it. But we need to get cover and find warmer gear before we spend too much time out here. You and I would be all right in the long run, but it’s too cold for Zip.”
“I’ll warm him up. He certainly kept me warm last night.”
“No details, please, I feel queasy.”
“You had your turn and you refused, so Zip gets the prize.”
“Olivia, I have no doubt that what you say is completely true. If you didn’t remind me so much of my lady, I would bend you over right now.”
“Ooh, talk dirty to me. I understand. Once, I was in love. No, twice. Or was it three times? Well, anyway, I know about love and loss.” Olivia went silent. When she spoke again, it was softer. “And missing someone.”
Zach turned to her and took her cold face in his even colder hands. “I recognize the tone. The regret. A wish that something could have been different. I think this journey together is good for both of us. I think it might be quite healing.”
“Someone told me yesterday that certain things are fated…are meant to be. Perhaps we were always meant to meet.”
“I’ve been introduced to the idea of destiny. I would never dispute its hand in the order of events.”
“Come, my new friend, let’s get our human out of the Siberian winter, find a stash of booze, a table filled with local favorites, and begin our little Russian adventure. I’m sure that Nikolai will find us in town. I know of two bed and breakfasts we can stay in that have safe rooms.”
“Freezing my ass off over here, guys. Just in case you might be interested!”
Zach and Olivia looked behind them to see Zip jumping up and down, his arms folded tight to his body, his head bouncing.
“Okay,” Zach said, prepared to use air displacement to quickly get him and Zip to Olivia’s B and B. Just as he reached Zip, headlamps cut through the darkness, and an incredibly dinged-up car of indeterminate color came to a stop just ten feet from them. The man who unfolded his tall frame from the vehicle wore a shiny parka with a fur-rimmed hood, his face buried beneath. His deep voice echoed slightly in the calmness. While it was frigid, at the moment, the wind had died. “Livie?”
“Nik!” she answered, and raced to the enveloped figure to hug him, her arms lost in the puffy coat, her feet in the air as the man crushed her in a tight grip, lifting her from the ground.
Zach joined Zip, threw an arm around his shoulders, and leaned towards him. “Looks like we’re both batching it again.”
“Damn. She didn’t tell me that he was her boyfriend.”
“I doubt he is. I guess we’ll find out. But he does seem to be special to her. I just want food, booze, and heat, and not necessarily in that order.”
Olivia wriggled down and pulled the newcomer over to her traveling companions.
“Nik, these are Zach and Zip. Zach is the vampire. Zip is my favorite new chew toy.”
Zip stared at her, shocked. If he’d ever thought that women were impossible for men to understand, this was the moment he believed it most. He felt a strong connection to the lady, almost from that first moment. She was beautiful, yes, but it was much more than that. More, too, than the fact that, sexually, she was incredibly skilled.
He’d sensed something in her, something primal, something intangible, like she lived her life no holds barred, and that was exactly how he felt about this journey through his own lifetime. He lived every moment as if it might be the last, and after spending the night with Olivia on the train traveling through Siberia in winter, after making love like he’d never done before, he’d thought that perhaps they might travel this journey together.
But then she’d jumped into this other man’s arms like she belonged there. Maybe she did, but now, he had no clue at all about this nascent relationship. Zach was right, he’d just have to wait to see how this played out.
Strangely, after detaching from the other man, Olivia was holding onto him like she was his. Zip just slid his arms around her and pretended like he had any clue at all what was going on.
“Welcome. I know that you are likely hungry and tired, and I’ve prepared for that. Come, the car is warm.”
Nikolai’s Russian accent was almost imperceptible.
No one needed another invitation, they piled in, Zach taking shotgun, Zip and Olivia curled together in the backseat.
“Thanks for the ride,” Zach said, grateful that they weren’t stranded near a frozen lake on such a cold night.
“Olivia and I have been friends for many years. She knows that all of her friends are welcome. I enjoy your company. I am a scientist, a biologist, and vampire biology fascinates me more than anything. I have tried to get her to let me take some blood and tissue samples, but she laughs at me.”
“I know someone you would love to meet. Her name is Park, she’s a genetic specialist, and she is vampire.”
“Sir, that is an introduction I pray you make someday. For now, though, I have spent the day preparing the perfect night. Olivia, I found something remarkable beneath that ice cave that I told you I found this summer.”
“Dinosaur bones?”
“A mineral-infused hot springs. I’ve finished with most of my research there, all samples taken and analyzed, so all that remains is to christen it properly.”
“You’re taking us to the ice cave.”
“I am. The only problem is the narrow road that leads to the cave. Hopefully, we can get through tonight.”
“If it becomes a problem, leave it to us. A bath in hot natural waters is exactly what I need tonight.”
“Oh, my God, Nik, this is heaven!” Olivia moaned, her naked body stretched across Zip, who wasn’t complaining at all. Zac
h and Nikolai had moved several yards away and sat with their backs to them.
“Do you get the feeling that we should leave them alone?” Nikolai asked his companion.
“Hell, no. You set up this godsend of local food and provided one of my favorite beverages. She’s right, these shiny caverns and steaming water are way too good to leave.” Zach leaned back and raised his volume. “If they want privacy, there’s a whole snow covered ledge out there.”
Some kind of bread-wrapped fish hors d’oeuvre hit Zach in the back of his head, followed by Olivia’s voice.
“If you think I won’t fuck Zip’s brains out right here in front of you, you’re mistaken.”
Zach groaned. “Could you please do me the favor of not? Just wait until we get to our rooms. Nikolai, we do have separate rooms, right?”
“Oh, yes, that is true. Livie said she would bring two companions and I have set up three rooms for you.”
“We’ll only need two of them.” Zip finally spoke, his fingers lingering beneath the water while Olivia laid her head back against the edge of the natural pool. Her eyes were closed, her lips closed, too, in a soft smile.
Zach leaned in. “Nikolai, I thank you for your excellent care of these weary travelers, but we’re an hour away from sunrise, so let’s get situated. And let these impatient lovebirds have the privacy they need.”
“Da. I have fluffy towels, it is best to dry off thoroughly.”
“Not a problem.” Zach slipped from the heated water, grabbed one of the towels, and moving faster than human, stood dried and dressed in moments.
Nikolai, only just wrapping the towel around his body, grinned. “You must teach that to this old boy, eh?”
“Sorry, it’s a vampire ability, not a learned skill.”
“It is magnificent. I could accomplish so much more with that ability.”
Zach watched the tall Russian carefully dry a body quite fit for an ordinary human, slip into his clothes, and begin to vigorously towel-dry his hair. Dark as cocoa, his hair was long, half the distance down his back, his eyes a solid pale blue. Nikolai was strikingly handsome, Zach could see how he’d caught Olivia’s attention when they met so long ago. She’d disclosed her nature to him and hadn’t wiped his memories, so they were obviously very close.
Zach knew that Nikolai really would love to meet Park, tour her excellent lab, and get a look at the results of her vampire genome project. It had been a long time since he himself had been there. Suddenly, memories made him homesick.
He wanted to see Park and Burne again. They had been close when the three had transitioned together at Bas’s home in Canada over five years ago. He realized now that if there was anything that would make him feel better other than being with Dez again, it would be reconnecting with his friends. After this journey, that was where he wanted to go next, back to France, and friends.
Forty minutes later, his head buried in his pillow to drown out the sounds he could hear too clearly as Olivia and Zip next door made love, Zach fell asleep with the thought of returning to France. It was past time for him to create a home for this new vampire who hadn’t had one since he’d left his human life behind.
IN SOUTHERN FRANCE
Night had dropped only a short time ago. As she finished dressing, Tamesine woke her twins and carried them through the double doors and outside her chambers to enjoy the fresh ocean air.
Marc’s voice reached her from the bedroom.
“Someone is here to see you, baby.”
When she turned to look into the room, she watched as Dez walked through the softly lit interior and out onto the balcony suspended above the crashing surf.
“Good evening, Dez,” Tamesine said, and tried to keep the shock from her voice. She really hadn’t expected to see Dez again until she returned from her journey to find Zach. Even then, she never expected Dez to come to her on her own. She couldn’t help herself, Tamesine smiled.
“I’m glad you came to see me. Would you like to meet your brother and sister?”
Dez stopped in her tracks. Brother and sister? The idea was an alien concept to a woman who had been alone all her life. She glanced at the two babies on Tamesine’s lap. Slowly, she moved towards them.
Family…
Watching the wriggling children, Dez shifted her gaze to their mother, who smiled softly at them, and then at Dez, too.
“Your children,” Dez said abruptly.
Nodding, Tamesine hugged the little girl closer. “Yes, all of you. All three of you are second generation first bloods.”
“Only I’m really not. First blood, I mean.”
“Dez, you really are. If you would allow me to introduce you to your spirit amulet, you will know. Park told me that you were there when she received hers. Do you remember what it did for her? How she changed?”
“Sure. But she was…I mean her father was…”
Dez trailed off. Wrapping her mind around this truth was almost impossible.
Tamesine touched Dez on the hand. “Precisely. So are you. So am I. My darling, you are a very powerful vampire.”
“Well, we’ll see, won’t we?” Dez wandered over to the railing and glanced down to the same ocean she’d been watching all night at Park’s home up the hill. Only it seemed darker and wilder.
Turning, she leaned against the railing, began to speak, stopped, then started again. “Um, I’d like to take the stupid amulet with me, if I could. I don’t know if I’d use it, but, I don’t know, I may be interested in checking out what it could do.”
Tamesine stood and walked back into her chambers.
“Marc, would you take the kids down for first meal? I’ll join you shortly.”
After handing off the twins to her mate, Tamesine walked back out to Dez, who hadn’t moved.
“Dez, this is not a piece of jewelry. Once the amulet goes around your neck, it will begin to bond with you. The first blood power in you will connect and merge with it, and that is somewhat like a vampire conversion when the first blood receives it as an adult. Park was down for nearly two days before she awoke from the merge. Dez, if you put the amulet on, you will not take it off again. Blood bonds to blood, and it will recognize you the instant it touches your heart. This amulet is made for only you. It cannot bond with anyone other than a blood relation to the blood that made it. So, just know that you will want to be sure, and that you will need a safe place once you decide to place the amulet around your neck. Ideally, you should be with me so that I can guide you.”
After a short hesitation, Dez shook her head, her arms now folded, her stature stiff and straight. “Not happening. So keep the thing.”
Her stiletto heels scraping the stone tiles on the balcony, Dez pushed away from the railing and hurried back through the room to the door. She had the door open when she heard Tamesine call to her.
“Here. Take it. Do what you will. Just know that you are part of power and legend as ancient as this land. Know that you are part of me.”
Dez didn’t return to the balcony. Her eyes moved over this small, beautiful woman that bore her, the mother she’d never had, never known, and didn’t know if she ever would. Tamesine held a heavy silver medallion captured on a delicate chain that looked too lightweight to support it. The image on the medallion gleamed in the soft wall-mounted lighting. She stared at the thing for long minutes before she snatched it from Tamesine.
“Thanks. I’ll let you know what I do with it.”
A sad smile crossed Tamesine’s lips. “Don’t worry, I’ll know if you bond. Please, come to me when you’re ready. And Dez, be ready soon. I want you in my life and I think that you will enjoy being part of our family.”
Dez paused, took a deep breath, and walked out the door.
As she raced down the stairway, the amulet clutched tight in her hand, she felt heat against her palm and when she opened her fingers to look at it as she walked back out into the night air, the thing glowed. The diffuse golden light and heat captured Dez’s attention and she stopped
to stare at the symbol in the center. She couldn’t make it out through the growing brightness of the light.
“Crazy stuff,” she whispered, and dropped the amulet into the large leather satchel that she held at her side.
Enough of this sidetrack. On to Siberia to see if Zach was still in love with her and if he would come home.
Four
AT LAKE BAIKAL
He hadn’t thought that it was possible for his balls to get much colder, but he was wrong.
Zach watched Nikolai climb down deeper into a hole made of solid ice. There was, of course, nothing but more ice down the hole, so he couldn’t help but imagine that it had to be even colder the deeper they went. But Nikolai was excited to show him something that was apparently buried in the bowels of the earth beneath this frozen lake.
So, to be neighborly and honor his desire for adventure, Zach cinched his state-of-the-art microfiber, ultrathin, super-insulated puffy coat as tight as he could. He hoped that tightening the cuffs would discourage the air that he’d determined was too cold to call frigid from slipping beneath and crawling up his arms.
Looking down into the abyss, he experienced the same sensation he’d felt when Zip first pushed him to the edge of the mountain that he’d jumped off. At least here, he would have a thin metal ladder beneath his feet and hands. And yet, somehow, it wasn’t comforting. Could a vampire have claustrophobia?
Shrugging, Zach admitted that he thought that he did, and climbed over the edge of the access hole to start the descent. Adventure, excitement, and thrilling danger…yeah, that was what he wanted. Right?
The deeper he went, the darker it became until even his vampire vision wasn’t enough to help.
A voice came out of the blackness. “Zach, turn on your headlamp.”