by C. L. Quinn
“Oh, Ahmose, please don’t give that to me then. Save it for…”
He leaned in to kiss her brow.
“It has always been for you.”
He rendered Starla speechless. What was happening to her? She felt euphoric and wondered if somehow these people had not bewitched her. Ahmose was powerful, sexy, respectful…a beautiful man. This was the man she should fall in love with.
She moved forward to run her fingers through his hair because she really wanted to touch him. Ahmose closed his eyes and she felt him touch her mind. Oh, god…
This man had powers she couldn’t even begin to imagine. She could feel them when he touched her life force with his own. He was overwhelming. She couldn’t do this. He was legend and she was just a waitress from Alaska.
Ahmose felt her confidence crash.
He lifted her off her feet to carry her over to a gazebo wrapped in garlands of huge white flowers.
“Breathe. Do not think you are not worthy. You are my destiny as I am yours. I need you, my star in heaven. These people have already taken you into their hearts. You are already family. It is up to me now to win you over as my mate.
“Is it?”
He raised his eyebrows with a wicked smile. “It is. I already have plans. Would you like a preview?”
She smiled. Yes, she would. He saw her answer on her face and leaned forward. She thought he was coming in for a kiss, but he veered off and his lips landed on her neck.
His tongue moved lingeringly down her throat, his fangs scraping with a promise of much more. It felt too good and just as she thought about asking him to continue somewhere more private, she closed her eyes and saw his face. Not Ahmose. Jacob’s face. She almost cried out at the intrusion. All she wanted at this moment was to feel good and move on with her life. She could do that here. She might be able to love this stunning man that ruled these people. But she knew the truth. Her heart demanded attention. She was trapped in limbo by unresolved and unexplored feelings for Jacob.
Pulling back, Starla smiled slowly at Ahmose. She reached out, a soft touch on his cheek.
“I want to. But I have to do something first. No one comes without baggage. So, if you still want me in, say, a month’s time, I will come back and we will see where this can go. Can you agree to that? It’s all I have to offer.”
He stared at the small woman across from him. She was everything he hoped his Shoazan would be. He already knew he could love her. Just now, when they touched spirits, he’d felt her heart. It was strong and deep and true.
He was the king of the most powerful race of people on the planet. She was a new young vampire with little to offer but a body to make children. He could make her stay. Make her be his queen, and she would be a magnificent one.
But he wanted all of her. If she stayed, he wanted her heart and love and respect. He wanted to become everything to her. He wanted to merge with her… to become one life. So he would let her go and pray she would come back to him.
“I will agree. But don’t forget what waits for you here. This is paradise on mother earth and these people need you.”
He leaned over to place a warm hand on her chest near her heart.
“I need you. Fix the baggage and come home.”
Tears welled and Starla leaned toward him to do the same. Her hand caressed his huge chest and lingered.
“God, I’m tempted. You make it almost impossible for a girl to say no.”
“Don’t. It isn’t a no anyway. It’s just a ‘not today.’ We will meet here again soon, my Star, and I will fill you like you have never been filled. For now, may I dance with you?”
Have him hold her in his arms?
“Yes, please.”
He led her back to the area where several couples were already dancing slowly to a haunting melody, wrapped closely.
As he pulled her into position to dance, she noticed a beautiful woman standing near the wine table. The look of animosity was obvious. And Starla realized suddenly she’d seen her before. In Alaska? Yes, at the Blue Star. Brilliant blonde hair, perfect figure, dressed in a skin tight diaphanous gown.
“I know her,” she said suddenly.
Looking at the woman, Ahmose shook his head.
“I doubt it. Windari never leaves the community.”
“But…”
“We have other things to attend to,” he whispered and slipped his arms around her to pull her near. His little Shoazan looked up and smiled as his hands curved around her waist, her breasts pressed against him. There was nothing he could do about the tenting in the loose pants.
“Just think of me,” he said.
Starla felt his cock press against her and almost changed her mind about waiting. Instead, she pulled him closer and enjoyed the sensation of his sex rubbing against her as they moved to the music.
Ahmose growled into her ear and she could feel his fangs graze her cheek as they danced.
They had been searching the area for a good hour before Koen stopped and downed a beer he’d carried in a pack along with six others.
“This local stuff is excellent. Need to take some home with us. Jacob, have you any sense of her at all now? I feel like we’ve gone as far as we can without more direction.”
“It’s here. In this area. I feel it.”
“Well, I don’t sense any vampires near at all,” Koen said between chugs.
“What the fuck are we going to do?” Henri was hitting panic level.
“Calm down, pup. We still have…”
Koen stopped mid-sentence, the bottle abandoned in his hand as he lifted his head.
“Wait…what the…something’s here…magics. First blood magics.”
He walked around, his head up as if he were tasting the air, began to move quickly up a slight incline, then down another. Jacob slapped Henri on the shoulder.
“Keep up.”
Koen crossed a stream, soaking his boots. Jacob and Henri waded in without hesitation because Koen was picking up speed. Suddenly, he stopped in front of dense trees.
He turned to Jacob.
“Here. This area is spelled. There’s something here that anyone else would never know. It’s spelled so no one would even attempt to enter. It’s first blood magic. Only, Jacob, there are no first bloods on this continent. There never have been.” He paused. “That we know of.”
“So, we go in. Can we go in?” Jacob asked.
“I don’t know why not. I’m curious as hell what we’ve found. Here, hold onto my arm, both of you, or you might not make it through.”
Taking Koen’s forearms, Jacob and Henri stepped forward into what seemed like an endless line of high dense trees. Just a few feet ahead, the façade all fell away and in the distance there was a village of houses that blended naturally with the landscape. Lush flowers were everywhere. Music playing and people’s voices carried on the warm breeze.
“Motherfuck,” Jacob said softly. “You guys are capable of this kind of magic?”
Koen shook his head. “No. Maybe. I don’t know. We’ve never done anything on this scale. But it is first blood magic. I say we follow the music and see if we’ve found our girl.”
Jacob led the way and they continued until they came around a large yurt into an elaborate garden lit with tiny lights and candles. Tables all around the perimeter held masses of foods, colorful fruits and wine bottles. People were dancing to a slow melody. Jacob’s eyes went to the center of a group of dancers.
A tall vampire with middle-eastern coloring held Starla in his arms, her body tight against his, his cock pressing obviously against her belly.
Jacob sped forward without any thought of his actions, shoved the huge man back and hit him so hard in the jaw, his hand splintered in pain. His eyes shot to Starla, standing there shocked. She moved forward to put a hand on his face.
“You are really here? Jacob,” she whispered. And then stepped back.
“What are you doing here?”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Sta
rla looked from Ahmose, who was holding his jaw, to Jacob, who cradled his damaged hand in his other one. She honestly didn’t know what to do. The natures of two male vampires in a situation like this were very volatile.
Two of the vampires who had greeted her when she first arrived here tonight came forward instantly and took Jacob’s arms in strong hands.
“How on mother earth did you get here?” Ahmose spit at Jacob as he advanced toward him. Then he turned his head abruptly to stare at Koen.
Koen stepped forward immediately. It was apparent he didn’t know what to say either, but he felt someone needed to defuse the situation and begin explanations.
“I’m sure I’m as much of a surprise to you as you are to me.”
“First blood. Not a child of the moon. You brought them through our magics. Why are you here?” Ahmose said, massaging his jaw.
“For her.” Koen tilted his head toward Starla. “You took her and she wasn’t yours to take.”
Ahmose walked up to Starla and took her face in his hands.
“You’re alright?” he asked.
“I’m not the one who got clocked in the jaw. Are you alright?”
He nodded and looked hard at Jacob, then back to Starla.
“The baggage?” he asked.
She nodded. “The baggage,” she confirmed.
“Good. Then maybe we can settle this much sooner.”
Ahmose turned to Koen, paused, then walked forward to offer his hand in greeting.
“Salaam.”
“Salaam,” Koen returned, and took Ahmose’s hand to accept the greeting.
“You are the first child of the sun I’ve seen on this continent.”
Koen shook his head. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
“Then you have a lesson coming. Not tonight.”
Looking around at the group of thirty or so people in the garden, Koen looked back at Ahmose.
“Most of these people are first blood, too. I’ve never seen so many in one place. We did not know you existed here.”
“No. We have lived here on the Dark Continent for thousands of years. We’ve journeyed away but we always return. It does not surprise us that the children of the sun do not know about the children of the moon. We are all sons and daughters of the earth.”
With a slight shake of his head, Koen spoke.
“No. We can read first blood life forces. We’ve never touched any of yours. How is it that there are so many of you and we have never sensed you at all?”
“Our life force sends signals as well. But only if we wish to do so. If we leave this sheltered area, we always mask ourselves from the outside world.”
“Well it’s pretty damn successful. Our clan has no idea you exist.”
“We know of you,” Ahmose informed him.
Koen was shocked.
Watching from a few feet away, worried how this would play out, Starla gave Henri a wave and smile to let him know she was okay and they hadn’t hurt her. He relaxed visibly. Then her eyes moved to Jacob whose own eyes were locked on her.
Her memory had let her down. The man was far more beautiful than she remembered. Releasing a long held breath, she walked over to him and touched the top of his hand.
“May I see?”
He still hadn’t taken his gaze from her face. Now his eyes were on her lips. He took her hand and led it to his lips, then kissed each finger.
Bad, Jacob, bad, she thought. Ahmose may be cool with our arrangement but he won’t accept you touching me.
But it felt so good. No, it felt right. That connection with him was as strong as it was in Paris when she first began to realize this vampire life could be wonderful with him.
Jacob was on the floor, bleeding from the lip and forehead.
Ahmose stood over him.
“I wouldn’t recommend you get up. And I would suggest if you want to live, don’t go near my woman again.”
His head felt like he’d been hit with a wrecking ball, his ears were ringing and his vision fuzzy. Still, Jacob got back up to face the obviously stronger force.
“What the fuck did you say?” he yelled at Ahmose.
Jacob surged forward without warning, Starla
and Koen raced toward him, but Ahmose had already hit him again and he crashed on the hard ground, unmoving. A low groan was all that let them know he was still conscious.
“Last warning, vampire. I will have someone tend your wounds before you go.”
Ahmose turned to Starla as she leaned down to Jacob and grabbed her arm gently but forcefully to pull her away.
“This isn’t baggage, my Shoazan. He is unworthy of you. It’s finished. The joining will take place as soon as we rise tomorrow night.”
Starla stared at him open-mouthed. She couldn’t believe this gentle man who held her only moments ago issued an order that they would mate regardless of her feelings.
All Koen heard was the word Shoazan. He looked at the beautiful brunette enticingly displayed in a modified harem outfit. She was Shoazan. This changed everything.
He looked down at Jacob as Starla tried to reach him, but Ahmose held her too tightly.
“Ahmose, I will take care of my man. Is there a place I can take him?” Koen asked.
Ahmose nodded and waved Chione forward.
“Take him to the guest dwelling where Starla stayed last night. She won’t need it again since she’ll be in my bed.”
Jacob must have passed out because he didn’t respond to that statement. Koen knew if he’d heard it, the vampire would move hell and earth to get back up.
Henri followed Koen and the injured Jacob out of the garden.
Swinging her up in his arms, Ahmose carried a furious Starla away from the garden, around some flowering bushes and up into an enormous yurt about a hundred feet from the rest of the homes. He released her struggling body after he entered the main room. She turned on him right away.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Ahmose, you know that demanding I do something is the best way to make certain I do not do it. I’m not being contrary, I’m telling you that you are not my master, you’re not my father, and you’re not my mate.”
“I know you are upset, but there comes a time a man must make choices and this is such a time. That vampire…he is not for you.”
“That is not your decision. I’m leaving. Do not stop me!”
Starla watched his face as she walked slowly from the dwelling. He didn’t try to stop her and he didn’t say anything. He could have overpowered her or froze her in place, she knew that. But he didn’t and that told her a lot about him. He took her seriously and valued his relationship with her enough to accept her decision. But she knew it wasn’t over.
She had only one desire right now and it was burning like liquid fire. She needed to see Jacob. He was hurt, so she wanted to be sure he was okay. But mostly, she wanted to touch him.
When she got back to the garden, she saw Henri with the big vampire she recognized from that first night she’d gone to see Eillia. She remembered every detail of that visit. Jacob had answered the door, then went to get the big first blood who told her Eillia was out of town.
She nodded to herself as she walked over to them. So they were together. Eillia sent both men to bring her back. Something in her smiled. Eillia did care. And just as suddenly she couldn’t wait to see her again.
Henri smiled as she approached and moved to intercept her to throw his arms around her. Grateful to see him again, she responded by doing the same and they held each other for several moments.
Koen looked on, taking in all elements of Starla’s appearance. Jacob wasn’t wrong. That sweet pretty little girl jacked up into an incredible vampire. And now that he knew she was Shoazan, he saw her differently. As the rare creature she was. Jacob was going to come out of this heartbroken. Ahmose would never let her go. He knew that because, if it had been himself who’d found her, he wasn’t sure he would.
With her hand in Henri’s, she approached Koen.
“Hi,” she said simply, aware nothing else was necessary.
“Hi.”
“Where is he?”
“Your attendant took him away. I think mostly to keep him from bleeding on their grass.”
Starla bit her lower lip. He was probably in the same building they’d dropped her into last night.
“I’m going to him. Do you guys need anything?”
Henri said no, and she nodded.
“All right, then. Once I get Jacob on his feet, we’ll go. Why don’t you guys enjoy some of this food? It’s really good.”
Starla headed over the hill toward the yurt she’d left just an hour ago to dance at this broken celebration.
He looked awful. And he looked like heaven. Starla came toward him slowly, unsure how this would go. She was still upset with him, but he was here across this vast country. For her. And he’d fought for her. She didn’t know what to think.
Coming around the edge of the bed where he lay unmoving with a white rag over his forehead, she cleared her throat to let him know she was there.
He lifted up, the white cloth falling uncaught to the floor. When he saw it was her, he swung his legs round and tried to sit up. Dizziness assaulted him and he nearly had to drop back down. But then he felt her hands on his shoulders and heard her voice.
“I’ve got you.”
Jacob groaned and forced his eyes open. In spite of vampire healing, his face was still badly swollen.
“Wow. He really laid into you, didn’t he?”
“I’ll say. Only it hurts too much to do that. I think he loosened all my teeth and dislodged my jaw.”
“Oh, Jacob, I’m sorry. But you should never have come here and then hit him. And on that point. Why did you come here?”
It was a struggle, but he stood and took her face in his hands.
“Starla, did you think I left you? I didn’t. That bitch kept me trapped in my cell long after you were released.”
His swollen eyes were shiny. “I couldn’t get to you.”
Starla’s heart skipped beats. She didn’t know how, but this damned vampire she barely knew owned her heart. His hands on her face felt like they belonged there. Tears welled and she brushed them back with shaky hands, then curled her fingers around his forearms.