by Helen Bright
“Wouldn’t it be just as easy for born immortals to travel by planes like a regular passenger?”
“Yes you are right in theory. We can walk in daylight, although it still makes us slightly weaker than doing the same at night. But we have to have valid passports and other travel documents. While this was easily forged a few years ago, with the onset of all the terrorist activities in recent years, obtaining a passport and remaining under the radar while you get through customs is becoming nearly impossible. This age of technology that we all now live in makes is easy for someone to trace your background with a few taps of a keyboard.
Joshua is a real technology genius but he has found it very hard to hack into our passport agency this year, and every year onwards will be the same.”
“In view of this Gregor and I decided to purchase three planes. We got them from some people who Gregor errrm........had dealings with. We have people who work in Doncaster airport and Leeds Bradford airport so we are able to get a landing slot, and get the plane in storage as it were, until we use it again.”
“Gregor has secured us three airports in Russia, two of which are in Moscow and the other in Kursk. We have the use of two airports in Germany giving us access to both the east and west and we are currently working on airports in Sweden, Norway, France and Spain, but from what I’m told it will be a matter of weeks before we are granted permits use these airports.”
“We are already able to use every Ferry port in the UK and Ireland due to our legitimate transport business. Remember they are used to us moving produce and other goods between the UK and most other European countries. So it hasn’t really been an issue before, but with the planes this will become much quicker.”
“Wow,” she exclaimed, shocked and a little impressed I hoped with this rapidly expanding side to our company.
“Will I be dealing with any of this Alex?”
“To be honest Julia I hope you will, but our foreign partners are not happy to use humans in this part of the business. Although they seem to accept that Maggie can handle it. All of our Russian partners are fond of Maggie.”
“She was younger than you are now on her first journey with Nik and I to Moscow. Sergei got her drunk as hell on the first night and it took two days for her to come round, even with my blood.”
“Gregor has a lot of respect for her. He bought her a car for her sixtieth birthday, which had her husband wondering what was going on I’m sure,” I laughed.
“He sounds very generous.”
“You don’t know the half of it Julia. He has a…well I’m not really sure what it is he has for my sister. He treats her like a princess and brings her diamonds and other expensive jewels every time he comes over. And he always visits her first before us.”
“Do you think he’s in love with her?”
“Yes, but maybe not as one would be in love with a mate. You will know what I mean when you see him with her. We are having a meeting later to discuss the vampire presence and also some new business.”
“Will he mind me being there? If he doesn’t like other humans other than Maggie knowing his business then he won’t want me to be around.”
“You are going to be my bonded mate Julia. He will know this so won’t object to you being there.”
She was quiet for a moment and I could tell she was carefully planning what to say next.
“Alex, do you really want to commit to a lifetime with me. I’m nothing special and I can’t understand the feelings you have for me.”
I put my arms around her and spoke to her softly. “I think you do understand Julia. I think you recognise that I am your mate and that scares you, because it’s new and unfamiliar to you as a human.
But if you trust me, and trust the feelings you are starting to have for me, everything we could be to each other will start to make sense.”
“Every time I’m with you, and especially when we make love, I feel even more connected to you than before. It’s like falling in love, but it’s more intense and that’s what scares me. I feel it wash over me and for a moment I can’t breathe, but then I start to fight it because it shouldn’t be this quick that I feel this deeply. It should be something that develops steadily over time, not within weeks.”
“So you are falling in love with me,” I smiled. This was good, more than good. I needed to act on this before she started to protest again.
“Falling in love with you was easy Julia. It was letting you go that was hard.
I won’t let that happen again so the sooner you accept that we will bond, you can stop your worries about it being wrong.”
“I need to speak to my parents first. I assume you will want me to live with you here when you bond with me?”
“When we first bond, we will find it hard to be apart from one another for very long. The need for sex will be constant and so will be the need to share blood. It will calm down eventually but as the bond takes we will be able to sense each other, our feelings, thoughts and needs. It’s something that I look forward more than anything.”
“Next weekend then, I want to be able to get my first week at Night Movers out of the way before I have a sex marathon with my boss.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She was going to bond with me next weekend. This was what I had wanted to hear for years but for some reason I could not speak. I could not move either I just stared at her, grinning like a loon, which set Julia off giggling.
A few minutes later I found my voice again.
“Marathon sex you said. I will hold you to that Julia so be prepared.”
Just then I got a text through telling me that Freya and Gregor had arrived.
“Come on then my lovely. It’s time to meet your new family,” I said. Then I kissed her on the tip of her nose and led her over to our offices.
Chapter 23
Julia
I had just agreed to bond with Alex. I seemed to have a voice telling me I was doing the right thing by bonding with a wonderful, kind, good looking and very sexy guy.
Then another voice was telling me that I had lost my mind by committing myself to someone who was over nine hundred and fifty years old and would be drinking my blood on a regular basis. Although when that happens during sex....... well, let’s just say it’s not a hardship.
We made our way over to the offices hand in hand, with Alex humming a T Rex song that had been playing on the radio before we left the cottage.
When we entered the room that held Alex, Josh and Nik’s desk there was already Josh, Sergei and Alex’s sister Freya there, along with a very tall Russian man named Gregor.
He was over six feet tall, had short brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He had a very intimidating air to him and when he smiled I felt relieved for some reason.
Freya was stunning. She had beautiful long blond hair and pretty grey eyes, much lighter than Alex’s, but you could tell that she and Alex were siblings. Alex introduced us and she stood and hugged me before saying,
“I have been looking forward to meeting you Julia. Alex has told me so much about you.”
“I have news for you too Freya. Julia has agreed to bond with me,” said Alex proudly.
Cheers went up and Alex was pulled away from me, all the men in the room shaking his hand.
“Oh my god I’m going to have a sister,” said Freya hugging me again before whispering in my ear, “Thank you Julia. You will make my brother complete.”
Then Gregor embraced me too and said in a much less strong Russian accent than Sergei, “Julia, it is so good to meet you finally. I am happy for you and my friend, this is great news. First Nikolas and Gina and now Alex and Julia, there must be something in the water.”
“I will not drink this water then,” said Sergei as he winked at me and then leaned between Gregor and me to kiss me on top of the head.
When Gregor released me I was grabbed by Josh and swung around with ease, which made me feel as light as a feather.
“Welcome to the family Julia, I
finally have a sister that won’t torment me,” said Josh as he placed me on my feet in front of him.
“I don’t know what you mean Joshua bubbles,” said Freya laughing.
“You see what I mean Julia. My other sister keeps picking on me.”
“Why do you call him Joshua bubbles?” I asked, puzzled at the name.
Freya opened Josh’s desk drawer, revealing two bottles of children’s bubble makers. She took one out, opened it and blew through the bubble ring.
“Keeley’s daughter Daisy calls it him because he keeps these in his desk for her when she visits. It’s so cute the way she says it.” Freya was giggling but looking on at Joshua fondly.
“I think it’s sweet.” I said, tapping Josh on the hand.
“She’s such a lovely little girl,” said Josh sighing. “I can’t understand why her father wouldn’t want to see her.
“He is not real man. Real man treats their women and children with love and respect, not abandon woman to feed and clothe the child themselves. We should find him and kill him,” said Sergei in all seriousness.
“Sergei, it is not our way to kill a human who does not physically harm another,” Gregor shouted.
“Well I think he should be held accountable,” Freya replied.
Gregor stroked Freya’s hair while he spoke. “What would you like me to do to him my Freya?”
I could now see the relationship Alex spoke of. I know Sergei didn’t mean they should kill him, at least I hope he didn’t. But I thought that if Freya requested it Gregor would do anything she asked.
“Sergei, will you cut it out. Yes I agree, Keeley’s ex is a prick but it’s not up to us to handle it. Daisy is looked after and loved by her mum and the rest of her family. Her ex’s family love Daisy, even if he doesn’t. Freya, I know you like Keeley but you have to keep out of this.”
“Alex it’s hard to do though. I’ve know her since she was a little girl coming to visit her aunt Maggie. Then when her mum died and they came back to live around here I used to take her shopping and we would sit and chat for hours. She had so much potential and now she is working part time, cleaning and cooking here. She went to college and got her A level in business management, why can’t you employ her in the offices. She would be an asset to any business.”
“She was working part time at the job she does now whilst she was at college. We did offer her employment in the offices but she went to university and then got pregnant halfway through her studies. When she came back she asked for her old job back and hasn’t wanted anything different since.”
“Freya I will employ her in my home when it is finished. She can come and work for me. She can be my assistant in England. You will speak to her, yes?”
“Thanks Gregor, You are my hero,” said Freya sweetly as she hugged Gregor and kissed him on his cheek. He beamed and stroked her hair.
Just then Nik walked in and was immediately enveloped with hugs and handshakes, congratulating him on bonding with Gina.
“Where is my Gina,” said Sergei, “I miss her”.
“She’s in the cottage with her kids. They came over earlier and we both talked to them about us being together. I had to re assure her son that this was a new thing between us although I have loved her for a long time. They both said she should have left their father years ago because they knew she was unhappy. I reassured them that they would be welcome in our home anytime they want to come by and see their mum.”
He ran his hand through his dark wavy hair and sighed. For someone who had just got everything he wanted he seemed really stressed.
“What did her husband say when she told him?” asked Josh.
“Well she phoned him this morning to tell him she had left him for someone else, and do you know what he said? The miserable fucker said, ‘oh ok,’ then he asked her if she had ironed his work clothes. I wanted to go round to her house and rip him to pieces.”
Everybody was appalled, especially the two Russian men. I think Alex and Josh kind of expected it.
“Anyway her daughter brought a few things to the cottage for her and she seems happier with some of her own stuff around.”
“I will buy her anything she needs,” Shouted Sergei. “She does not need to go back to see man that make her unhappy. You tell her Sergei will not see her cry. Or we could kill him.”
“Sergei will you give it a rest with this killing shit. Julia will think we are barbarians,” an annoyed Josh yelled from across the room.
“If Gina needs anything I will buy it for her. She is mine now and anything she wants she gets from me. By the way Alex, I am going to need to see Grayson as soon as possible so I can put Gina on everything I own, and to try and fast track her divorce.”
“He will be here Tuesday with the new contracts anyway, so put a call in to him tomorrow and let him know what you need. I also need to see him about my assets too.” He looked over at me and smiled.
Gina came in to the room looking radiant, if not a little sad. She went straight to Nik which seemed to calm him down and he held her head and kissed her softly, mouthing the words I love you. This was not the Nik that I was used to at all. This huge muscle-bound tough guy was so protective and loving of Gina. And their love was beautiful thing to see. As if in slow motion everyone in the room seemed to descend on Gina and offer hugs and congratulations.
Gregor kissed her cheek, congratulated her and then placed a box in her hand.
“For you Gina. A gift to celebrate your bond with Nikolas.”
The box had the name Holden & Sons, which is an exclusive Jeweller based in York. Gina opened the long oblong box and gasped, “Gregor this is beautiful, but it must have cost a fortune. You shouldn’t have spent all that on me.”
“Gina, it is beautiful jewellery for a beautiful woman. When a couple bond to each other forever, it is a wonderful thing and should be celebrated and honoured. Come; let us see how it looks on you.”
Gregor then clipped the prettiest gold and diamond tennis bracelet I had ever seen to Gina’s wrist. As she moved her wrist around, the diamonds caught the lights of the office and reflected coloured prisms of light around her arm and hand.
“Thank you Gregor, I will cherish this forever,” said Gina before she threw her arms around his neck and burst into tears.
Nik went towards them; thanked Gregor, then took Gina from his arms and sat her down on his lap.
“Sorry everyone, I seem to be over emotional today,” said Gina as Nik kissed her tears away.
“Alex and Julia have decided to bond next week,” gushed Freya. “It’s so great to have all this love around us.”
I smiled at her warmly. She seemed so happy and excited and Gregor, Josh and Alex all gazed at her with love and happiness in their eyes. It occurred to me that maybe Freya and true happiness may not always go hand in hand.
“We need to sort out business so we can go out, drink, and celebrate bonding,” boomed Sergei’s voice from behind us.
“We should have the approvals and planning permission for the supermarkets through tomorrow,” said Joshua as he was tapping something into his computer.
From the rest of the conversation I found out that Night Mover’s and its Russian counterparts had joined forces to open a new supermarket on the outskirts of Rothley. This would be good news for the people of Barrowfield as they would no longer need to travel the fifteen miles to the nearest Asda-Walmart.
It was great to get a gist of what my job would entail although this was quite an informal meeting.
Alex and Gregor seemed to be leading the meeting, with both Sergei and Josh throwing figures into the mix.
As intimidating as Gregor could appear I found that Alex could more than hold his own against him. I have to admit that it was a serious turn on to see the man I was going to commit to, in business mode, and I wondered how I would keep my hands off him during my working week.
Nik didn’t appear to have much input at all as he couldn’t take his eyes or his hands off Gina. It wa
sn’t long before he stood and made his apologies and carried Gina out of the room.
“It’s the bonding,” explained Alex, “The urge to be alone with each other, to make love and share blood is very powerful in the first few days. It helps the bond strengthen and grow.” Everyone on the room nodded and murmured their agreement.
Would this be what it would be like for us, for me and Alex when we bonded? I have to admit it was making me a little anxious, but Alex was smiling at me and what I saw there in his eyes made my fears melt away
.
I was falling for him in a big way and his feelings for me were clear and true. He loved me and as bizarre as it seems for someone to love me after such a short time, I was really happy knowing I meant that much to him.
Josh took a call from his mobile and jumped up from the desk straight away.
“It’s Phil Jones one of the night drivers. He stopped the lorry because there were sheep in the road and someone has set fire to the trailer.”
“Is he ok?” Asked Alex, “And where did it happen?”
“Yeah he’s fine,” said Josh grabbing his car keys. “He’s on the road between Barrowfield and Rothley. He’s already called the fire brigade and he thinks whoever did it used some sort of accelerant because it’s gone up pretty quick. He’s given up trying to get the sheep back through the gate and has gone into the field himself because he’s worried if the fire brigade don’t get here quick the fuel tank will blow.”
“Oh fuck. What did we have in the trailer?” Alex asked as he came to stand at next to Josh’s computer. After a few clicks he printed off two copies of the delivery invoice which showed the full contents of the trailer.
After looking through it quickly on his way out of the door Alex told Josh it was mainly canned foods although there were also cleaning products that could be flammable so they would need to give a copy to the fire brigade. The contents were supposed to be going to a supermarket in Staffordshire and the trailer had been full.
Everyone in the room followed Alex and Josh out of the door and he turned to me and Freya telling us to stay where we were. Gregor agreed.