by Anya Bast
“And you made it through the succubare?” asked Jia Ying. “That’s amazing.”
“You are brave, lady,” Rodrigo put in. “You must really love him to take that chance.”
Alejandro laid his half-stuffed teddy bear down and crushed Daria to him, tipping her back and kissing her hard. His tongue snaked into her mouth, rubbing up against hers with long, erotic strokes that made her tingle all over and made her think of lots of things that had nothing to do with teddy bears. Emmet and Rodrigo hooted.
He set her back on her feet and grinned. “She’s head over heels for me. Aren’t you, baby?”
Feeling disorientated, she forced herself to focus. “Head over heels,” she echoed blankly, blinking.
Everyone laughed.
Flushing, Daria picked up a teddy bear and concentrated on packing stuffing in correctly. “I just knew that if we wanted to stay together, I’d have to be Chosen. Otherwise, he would’ve had to watch me grow old and die while he stayed young and good-looking.”
“Not just good-looking—smokin’ sweetheart,” said Rodrigo with a leer in Alejandro’s direction, which made everyone laugh again.
“Even if I’d ended up succubare, at least we could have stayed together,” Daria finished.
Jia Ying nodded. “I know what it is to watch those you love pass into old age and die. I have done it often.”
“How old are you, Jia Ying?” Alejandro asked.
“I’m nearly two hundred and ninety five.” She didn’t look a day over twenty. “I was the only one in my family to inherit the genes. Apparently they were a leftover surprise gift from somewhere far down my bloodline.”
Daria dropped a finished teddy bear to the belt. “So you had to watch your whole family grow old and die. I’m so sorry.”
“The worst was watching my daughter go. However, it’s a part of being Chosen.” Jia Ying smiled. “And, to look on the bright side, I got to watch her live a long, happy life and die a very old woman.”
Daria returned her smile. She had a feeling Jia Ying could find the bright side of most things. Maybe Daria could learn something from her.
By the end of her shift, Daria hadn’t forgotten she was there undercover, but she could have. She found she genuinely liked Jia Ying, Rodrigo, and Emmet. They were companionable and friendly. Daria couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so much in one day. For the most part, she had the impression that none of them knew anything about illegal goings-on at the Shining Way. They just seemed glad to be able to call the place home.
Throughout the day, she heard each of their stories. Emmet had come to the Shining Way to escape his life on Galileo, where there weren’t many Chosen. The climate was hostile toward the few that did live there. He was a young vampire, but had been Chosen late in life.
Jia Ying had been a successful attorney on Earth, specializing in representing the Chosen. It had been the latest in a string of careers she’d pursued. As she’d grown older, she’d realized she’d wanted to “retire” from working life.
Since she had enough money saved to do anything she wanted, she decided to seek out new experiences. Soon after the Shining Way had been created, she’d bought her way in. It was home to her now and she didn’t want to live anywhere else.
Jia Ying was one of the original dome residents. Daria made a point of filing this bit of information away. If anyone should know what was going on here, it would be a longtimer.
Finally, Rodrigo had followed love to the Shining Way. He and his longtime partner had come to the dome to drop out of society and live a calm life. Happily ever after was not to be, however. When the relationship ended, Rodrigo stayed while his lover moved on. Here Rodrigo had many people from which to satisfy his needs as a succubare. Daria hadn’t inquired further.
Even though the day had been enjoyable, Daria left the factory at closing time with disappointment weighing bitterly on her heart.
She stopped outside on the walkway, watching the fake Earth sky darken into fake twilight. The days and nights seemed to have odd lengths under the dome, but she supposed that Sante could make them whatever duration he liked best. Sante would enjoy playing god that way. As a result, it was impossible to know what time of day it was beyond the dome’s walls, furthering the fantasyland feel of the Shining Way.
Daria could see the allure of this place, especially to the disenfranchised.
Jia Ying, Emmet, and Rodrigo all adored their current way of life and, as far as Daria could tell, had not one negative word to speak against Christopher Sante.
It left a bad taste in her mouth. How could someone as evil as Christopher Sante inspire such loyalty? How had he perpetuated such an illusion about himself as to make these people, who by all appearances seemed intelligent and rational, adore him and think he could do no wrong?
An image of Julia’s broken body flashed into her mind and tears pricked her eyes.
Alejandro stopped beside her, slipped a hand into a pocket, and looked up at the same sky. “So, want to take a walk before we head back?”
“Sure.” The thought of being crammed in that room with Alejandro didn’t make her want to rush back. He was too much of a temptation and she was far too weak.
They strolled down the path toward the east, in perfect accord. They had every right to explore their surroundings, after all. They were new around here. Even if they should find themselves close to the famed house of Christopher Sante, their generous benefactor, no one would find it suspicious.
Their minds and intentions one, they headed in that direction.
By the time they reached the easternmost side of the compound, it was completely dark. The dome was a lot larger than she’d ever imagined and Daria was sorry they hadn’t grabbed their dune bikes for the trek. Sante’s mansion rose from a lush green lawn, dotted with towering trees and flowering bushes. A tall wrought iron fence rose around it all, to keep out his admirers and the curious. A guardhouse stood at the entranceway, complete with two muscular and armed Chosen.
Daria assessed the property as they stood looking on, just another couple of Shining Way members getting a glimpse of the famous Christopher Sante’s abode. She knew Alejandro was doing the same beside her.
Was Ari Templeton somewhere behind those walls? Was Sante hurting her now? Did she even still live?
Because if Ari Templeton was anywhere in the compound, every instinct Daria had screamed the abducted woman would be here.
They’d stayed there for as long as they could, talking together and pointing like tourists, until the guards approached and asked them to move away. By then Daria had already devised several ways to get into the house.
On the way back to their room, Alejandro opened up a mental pathway and shared that he also had been figuring out various ways to break in. Together they settled on one.
Tonight? finished Alejandro.
Daria thought of Ari. Yes. We can’t get careless, but I don’t think we have a moment to lose.
13
DARIA dropped down onto the grass hard enough to make her teeth clack. She rolled to the side, and lay still for a moment, heart thumping in her chest. God, she hoped there were no dogs. She could handle almost any kind of alarm, but dogs were tricky. This had to be the fiftieth time she’d done B&E in the line of duty, and every time it gave her a case of nerves.
Alejandro had boosted her up over the fence, at the same time as Brandon had disabled—just for about ten seconds—the trip alarm that ran around the interior perimeter of the fence. It had given her enough time to use her shiny new vampiric strength and agility to get over the fence and roll to the side, away from the laser beam that, if tripped, would reveal her location.
Inhaling the scent of freshly cut grass, she waited for several moments. No barking met her ears. Oh, that was so good.
She pushed to her feet and made her way into the trees, knowing that Brandon and Alejandro, unable to hoist themselves easily over the fence because of their size, had melted into the shadows.
The place was guarded, but not overly so. As far as she could tell he had a standard security setup. It wasn’t anything that, with her specialized training, she couldn’t easily circumvent on her own.
Sante probably didn’t feel he needed anything more than mild deterrents, just enough to protect himself from admirers. After all, the compound itself was a fortress. They handpicked and investigated every person before they allowed them through the front gate.
Lucky for her, since she wasn’t equipped to break into an expertly guarded house right now. But she could do a run-of-the-mill alarm on her own with the tools they’d smuggled in sewed into the lining of their duffle bags.
Using the shadows, trees, and bushes, she made her way very slowly to the house. She was taking a huge risk because she didn’t have any inside knowledge of the house or blueprints. It was a necessary risk, however. If Ari Templeton still lived, she may not have a lot of time.
Her eyes open and her senses completely alert, she approached the house and began looking for both a way inside and for any other security devices. Only one window on the second floor showed light or activity.
It was late, and she’d hoped Sante and anyone else in the house would be asleep. Once the Chosen adjusted to life under the dome, they started to sleep when it was dark and be awake when it was light. But apparently someone was still up.
She found an entrance point and wistfully touched the tools in her vest pocket that she wouldn’t need. There appeared to be no other electronic security system in place for the residence. Sante apparently thought the gate, guard, and perimeter alert were enough.
This would be no challenge, but at least she’d be able to get in and out without raising any suspicion or leaving any trace of her presence. That was the best-case scenario, to be a ghost. In, check for Ari, and out.
Slipping a basic lock-picking tool from her pocket, she quickly used it on the lock at the back of the house. Slowly, she eased the door open and entered the kitchen on feet as silent as a cat’s. Before she’d left the apartment, she’d washed her body thoroughly with a product designed to cleanse away all the scent. Daria hoped it had done the job. Otherwise Sante might be able to detect her in his home with his clever, ancient Chosen nose.
A dim light over the oven illuminated the large room. It was, of course, state-of-the-art. Nothing less would do for Christopher Sante.
A wine rack covered one entire wall, stacked high with bottles. Above the large cooking island in the center of the room hung fine crystal glasses and assorted cooking implements. Yes, Daria remembered well that Sante enjoyed his wine. They’d spent many cool evenings on the patio sipping glasses of fine red while watching the sun dip lower in the sky.
Bastard.
Shaking off the memory, she eased along the wall toward a door that was either a broom closet, bathroom, or entryway to the basement. Bingo, it was the basement.
She disappeared through it and made her way down into the dank-smelling lower level of the house. Every step she took into the darkness, she thanked her spanking-new preternatural vision.
One by one, slowly, silently, she explored every room. Having found only spiders and more dusty wine racks, she returned to the first floor and repeated her search. She found nothing that wasn’t completely domestic. Nothing of an illegal nature. No drugs, no sense chips, nothing having to do with the illegal trafficking of blood slaves, and certainly no Ari Templeton.
Having satisfied herself that she’d thoroughly investigated all she could, Daria made her way up the stairs to the second floor, keeping well to the wall to avoid any creaks or squeaks.
She tried to suppress her bitter disappointment. Her desire to nail Sante to the wall was strong . . . and very personal, but she needed to stay neutral and objective. If there wasn’t anything to implicate him in the house, there simply wasn’t.
Anyway, it was a big compound and they had yet to explore it all. Evidence—and Ari Templeton—could be anywhere. Maybe her instincts about Templeton being in the house were simply wrong.
She reached the top of the stairs and found herself in a long corridor. Soft light spilled from under a closed door and pooled on the hardwood floor.
The scent of Sante’s cologne lightly teased her nostrils, bringing a flood of memory to the fore that was so strong it bowed her knees for a moment. Images of the person she’d been before surged through her mind, from a time when she’d been younger and her heart lighter. She could still see Sante’s laughing face above her in their bed, his lips tenderly capturing hers. She could still hear sweet, soft words of endearment flowing from his mouth.
Steps sounded from within the lighted bedroom, approaching the closed door from the other side, and Daria practically dove into the darkened guest bathroom in front of her. Immediately her mind worked through places to hide in the large room, in case this was the walker’s destination. She opened a door, found a linen and toiletries closet and ducked within, leaving the door open just a crack so she could see out.
Sante walked down the corridor, past the bathroom, wearing only a pair of dark blue boxers. His body had changed little since she’d known him—he remained fit and well taken care of, a challenge to best in any hand-to-hand combat, with a strong chest and brawny arms. His hair was a bit longer these days, but other than that he appeared much the same.
Another whiff of his cologne sucker punched her in the stomach and made her remember how hard she’d fallen for him. Daria had really believed she’d loved Christopher Sante back then.
She’d believed he loved her back.
Sante disappeared down the stairs and returned a minute later with two wineglasses and an open bottle. When he reentered the bedroom, Daria heard the roll of soft, sultry feminine laughter. Her skin prickled with the feel of succubare. The woman very well could have been the one at the party the other day. Maybe she’d snagged Sante somehow as a snack.
Yuck.
She waited several moments, until things had quieted in the bedroom, before she exited the bathroom. Every nerve in her body demanded that she leave this place immediately and get as far from Sante as she could, but she knew it was just a personal reaction. Forcing it away, she finished her job and checked all the rooms on the second floor before giving in to her urge to flee.
Leaving the way she’d come in and relocking the door behind her, she snuck back through the yard, confident that she’d left no trace of her presence anywhere for Sante to find. She’d been successful.
Now, if only she’d found something.
Jumping up, she captured a tree branch and shimmied up the trunk to climb out on a limb high enough to avoid the perimeter laser detector and close enough for her to reach the top of the fence. Another few moments and she’d dropped onto the other side and melted into the shadows, bound for the room and her update, which was an annoying handful of nothing.
She stopped and turned in the darkness, staring at the house. Why, when she’d found no sign of any captive, did her gut still say Ari Templeton was there?
The entire week had been mostly just work and little progress on the investigation front. It was hard to get time away from the eyes of the other members of the Shining Way. The only way to explore was to do it after dark, and that was risky since it was hard to explain why they were walking around in the wee morning hours. No one seemed to be out then, though there was no curfew in place.
Daria had made it a personal goal to get into the packaging room at the teddy bear factory, but it was proving difficult. That raised red flags with all of them. What did they have to hide?
He felt Brandon come up to stand beside him. Together they watched Daria disappear into the apartment building.
“Qué tal estás, tio? How are you, my friend? How goes the honey making?” Alejandro asked him without turning his head, his thoughts still centered on his pretty partner.
Brandon slipped a hand into his pocket. “It’s a laugh a bloody minute, but at least there are a lot of honeys around to make it
worthwhile. No sense in letting all the pretty flowers go unattended. Why not have a little play on the side while you work?” He paused, then jerked his chin in the direction Daria had gone. “How goes your honey making?”
He growled his answer. “None of your fucking business, tio.”
Brandon snorted. “That well?”
“Yes. That well.”
“You know the women here look at you like you’re some kind of god, Alejandro. Pick some flowers with me. There are plenty of women to choose from if you’re in need.”
Maybe, but he only wanted one of them. Brandon wouldn’t understand that, so he simply didn’t answer.
“Come on, let’s go to the room,” said Brandon. “I have something to tell you.”
Once they got to the dorm, they found Daria just emerging from the bathroom in a puff of steam. Her long, lithe body was wrapped in a towel and her short blond hair stood up in damp tufts around her head. The scent of her freshly washed skin made his cock hard, but then a light breeze coupled with the thought of Daria made his cock hard these days.
She still fed from him every day, but she hadn’t allowed him to touch her the way he had before. That last night had changed something between them and Alejandro wanted desperately to know why.
Worse, since they needed to carry each other’s scent, she undressed to take blood from him. Every night they lay nearly naked together—skin touching, breath mingling. It was enough to keep suspicion from them; it was also just enough to drive him insane.
He masked his need for her, however. Daria didn’t have any idea just how badly she was teasing him. She’d made it clear from the beginning that she’d wanted to pursue this mission while not actually having sex, and he didn’t want to push her to do something she didn’t desire with her heart. That would cause a larger rift between them. That was not his goal.
He wanted more than just sex from Daria Moran. Much more.
Alejandro knew he had to be patient. Even though all he really wanted was to strip her naked and tease her mercilessly with his lips, tongue, and hands until she begged him to fuck her.