5
DARIA stepped out of her very short shower. The
stupid thing had given her just a trickle of cold water. She
stumbled on the canvas floor and caught herself on the edge of the
sink. Gripping the rim of the cool porcelain, she closed her eyes
for a moment. Her body felt weak, like she’d just recovered from a
bad illness.
When she stepped away from the sink, she avoided
catching her reflection in the mirror. Right now, she had to keep
her mind on the job. The ABI had sent her to bring Ari Templeton
home. That’s what she had to concentrate on. When this was over,
she could visit a psychiatrist for the rest.
Grumbling, she pulled a large white towel from the
bar and dried herself. Voices from the room beyond the bathroom
door made her fumble when she tucked in the flap of the towel over
her left breast.
She padded to the door and pitched her new hearing
outward past it. Alejandro’s laughter boomed, and the sound of
another other male laugh joined it.
Did they have neighbors way out here? She doubted
it. She pushed the door open and stepped outside, really wishing
she’d had the forethought to bring fresh clothing into the bathroom
with her. Thinking straight hadn’t been on her agenda after she’d
taken Alejandro’s blood. It probably hadn’t been on her agenda for
a while.
When she emerged from the bathroom, a man she
didn’t know stood from where he reclined in the jumble of oversized
pillows on the floor. The man had shoulder length, wheat-colored
hair and green eyes. He was as solidly built across the shoulders
and chest as Alejandro, not someone she’d want to take on in a
fight.
He was vampire. She could feel it with her shiny
new vampire senses. Not only that, he felt old and strong.
Apparently, this ability of sensing someone from afar had come with
her new set of fangs.
She glanced at Alejandro. He still reclined on the
bed, looking all shirtless and luscious. It was an eye-candy
festival in here. Experimentally, she pitched her awareness toward
him. He felt as strong as the other man to her, but not as
old.
She wondered how she felt to them. Weak as a
mewling kitten, maybe? Scowling at the thought, she narrowed her
eyes at Alejandro.
Alejandro sat up when he saw her approach. An
apprehensive look crossed his face.
Uh oh. She didn’t like surprises, and it
looked like she was about be socked in the gut with one that had
light hair.
“Daria, this is Brandon Nichols.” Alejandro
motioned to the green-eyed man, who nodded slightly.
“Hey, Brandon.” She cocked her head to the side and
tried to look commanding, but that was hard to do when you were
barefoot and wearing a towel. “What are you doing way out here?”
She suspected strongly that she knew the answer to that.
Alejandro rolled off the side of the mattress and
to his feet in a gesture that reminded her of a large cat. “I
didn’t tell you this last night because I didn’t want to add to
your stress, but the GBC has required he accompany us on this
mission. He has a connection to Sante, so it wasn’t that hard to
work out. The GBC thought we could use some extra muscle and the
knowledge of an older vampire. Brandon is over one hundred and
fifty years old.”
“Uh-huh.” She tipped her chin at the two men. “So,
what’s your connection to Sante, Brandon?”
“We share the same blood mother, Maria Gillante.”
He had a charming English accent.
Daria raised an eyebrow. “That’s a pretty damn good
connection, Brandon, but I’ll be honest with you. The fact that you
share the same blood mother as Sante, the same woman who was the
reason my best friend was killed, doesn’t make me feel very warm
and fuzzy. ” The words sounded hostile, but she didn’t know any
other way to sound at this point.
She glared at Alejandro. “It would have nice to
have been told about this beforehand.”
Alejandro sighed. “Look, Daria, this is a
joint operation between the ABI and the GBC. The ABI didn’t
get to set all the rules. At the GBC’s insistence, they agreed to
Brandon being included. He brings skills we don’t have to the
table. You do want to get Sante, don’t you?”
She gave him a withering look. “No, I wanted to
grow a nice pearly white set of fangs for the hell of it.”
Brandon glanced at Alejandro. “Uh, I’m just going
to use the bathroom. Give you two a little time to talk.” He pushed
past her and headed toward the back.
Her pack leaned against the commview. She grabbed
it and rifled through it for some clean clothes. “Why didn’t you
tell me about this last night?”
“Because I knew you’d react like this and you
needed to be as relaxed as possible for the Choosing.”
She turned and stared at him. “You don’t know me
that well. It’s been seven years since we had anything to do with
each other. I’m a completely different person now. There’s no way
you knew how I’d react.”
“Yeah, okay, so I guessed.” He grinned, and it
infuriated her. “I guessed right, though, didn’t I?”
Daria swore under her breath and turned back around
to keep searching through her bag for her clothing. She didn’t want
anyone else horning in on their operation. It would only complicate
things.
ALEJANDRO’S mouth went dry as he watched Daria turn her back to him and drop the towel to her waist in order to pull on a bra and T-shirt.
His gaze followed the slender line of her nape down
the sweet taper of her back to her narrow waist. Dios, he
could see the curve of her breasts when she moved just right. The
nipple he’d just been treated to a peek of was a pretty, suckable
pink.
Dulce. Sweet. Just like he remembered
it.
He wanted to walk over and cup her breasts in his
hands, roll her nipples between his fingers. Wanted to do what
she’d done to herself underneath her shirt the night before, while
she’d been driving him insane as he tried not to fuck her right
there on the floor. Last night she would’ve let him touch her, but
if he tried now, he’d draw his hands back missing a couple digits.
Although it might be worth the loss.
Even seven years later, he remembered her skin had
been so silky and smooth under his hands and lips. He shuddered.
Last night she’d been so fucking hot and tight when he’d teased her
perfect little cunt with his fingers and tongue. The sexy moans and
cries she’d made still echoed in his ears. Alejandro made fists as
he remembered just how good she’d tasted, all spicy sweet. Her clit
so responsive against his tongue . . . His fingers literally itched
to touch her right now.
He looked away and rubbed a hand over his face,
feeling stubble. He needed a shower and shave. “Daria, I had no say
in the GBC’s decision to include Brandon, but he’ll bring benefits
to the mission. He won’t be a detriment.”
“He’ll have to convince me of that.”
Keeping the towel around her waist, she slipped on
a pair of white cotton panties, then dropped the towel and slid on
a pair of blue jeans. There was heaven in the curve of that ass. He
felt his cock stiffen.
She seemed completely unconscious of her sexual
allure. It didn’t even register that she was changing in front of a
man who wanted nothing more than to pull her over to the bed so he
could cover her body with his and kiss every inch of her,
concentrating on that sweet, rounded ass and the smooth skin at the
small of her back.
He’d lay her facedown, nudge her thighs apart, and
press his cock against her, but not enter her. Not right away. He’d
tease her nipples, lick and bite her throat until she pushed up and
back. Only then would he grab her hips and cram his cock inside her
tight cunt, take up a fast and hard rhythm to drive them both to
bliss. Fuck.
Didn’t she know she was driving him crazy?
“Don’t like complications.” Daria turned.
“Alejandro?”
“Yes?”
“Did you just hear anything I said?”
“Uh.”
She waved a hand dismissively at him and pulled on
a pair of white socks and some heavy, black dune-biker boots.
“Whatever. We’re stuck with him, so that’s that.”
“There’s that positive attitude I love about you,”
Alejandro shot back.
The woman could drive him insane in more ways than
one.
The bathroom door opened and Brandon walked out.
“What Alejandro didn’t tell you was that I turned against Maria
long ago. I left her right about the time she started keeping blood
slaves in her territory because I was against the practice. It
caused a rift between us. Sante stayed loyal to her, but I went
back home to England and eventually started working for the Body.
Sante has no idea I started working for the GBC. That makes me an
excellent participant in this operation.”
“How’s that? It sounds like Sante wouldn’t want you
anywhere near him, let alone give you entrance into the exclusive
community of the Shining Way,” Daria reasoned. “I mean, he’s still
loyal to Gillante, seems like he’d be a little pissed at
you.”
“You’re right that he’s angry.” Brandon smiled.
“That’s exactly why he was more than happy to grant me entry. Even
though Sante has left Maria’s territory, he’s still close to her
and he’s miffed at me for turning against her. He’s just itching to
tell me off. We used to be close, he and I, before I left for
England.”
“Ah, England.” Daria draped the towel over the
commview and turned. “How are the merry ol’ Brits these
days?”
“Bloody overcrowded like everywhere on Earth,”
Brandon answered with a grin. “We still make excellent tea,
however.”
Daria smiled and extended her hand. “Welcome
aboard, I guess.”
Brandon shook her hand. “I’ve heard nothing but the
highest praise of you from the GBC and from Alejandro. You’re
supposed to be a hell of an agent.”
“Thanks, but at the moment, I only feel hellish.
The Choosing walloped the piss out of me.”
“You’ll feel that way for a couple days.”
“So they say,” Daria muttered as she ran a hand
through her damp hair. “I wish Alejandro and I could have had our
party a little sooner than last night. I could’ve used some time to
adjust before we headed to the Shining Way, but the schedule is
tight. Everything’s been happening really fast since Ari was taken.
No time to lose.”
Brandon turned to Alejandro. “We need to coordinate
our arrivals. When are you two leaving here?”
“Later, tio. Daria needs to rest a little.
The deadline is five a.m. Anyone on the list to be admitted who
shows up after that time doesn’t get in.” The Shining Way grouped
all the new members to arrive on the same day. Alejandro imagined
there were likely more than just the three of them.
“Okay. I’ll go in before the two of you.”
Alejandro nodded. “Sounds good.”
“The GBC told me no firepower. Is that true?” asked
Brandon, looking from Alejandro to Daria.
Daria shrugged. “It’s not like we can waltz in with
a lot of weapons. That would look pretty suspicious. Hell, we can’t
even take in PComps.”
“We can try to take our pulsers,” said Alejandro.
Everyone carried pulsers these days. “But my money is on the guards
confiscating them.”
“We’re going to have to be our own weapons,”
answered Daria.
“This isn’t going to be easy,” said Brandon, “but
I’m glad the GBC convinced the ABI that blasting their way in
wasn’t a good idea.”
Daria walked to the edge of the bed and sat down.
Alejandro watched her rub her palms on her jeans. She looked like
she needed a few more hours of sleep, but he couldn’t give it to
her.
“That was just misguided,” she said on a tired
sigh. “The ABI would’ve had to use an incredible amount of
firepower to simply break past the barriers of the Shining Way. It
would’ve been like laying siege to a castle. Sante would’ve
probably just found a way to smuggle Ari out in the melee,
anyway.”
“If she’s still alive,” said Brandon.
“If she’s even there,” Alejandro answered. “We
don’t know if she’s being kept there yet. No one is even sure
Richard Templeton’s suspicions are true.”
“Yeah,” replied Brandon. “Imagine the scandal if
the ABI sent forces blasting into someone’s private property on a
suspicion that turned out to be false. Sante would have a bloody
sweet lawsuit.”
“And the Organization for the Fair Treatment of
Chosen would have a field day. They’re always looking for a reason
to accuse the ABI and human law of bigotry.”
Daria nodded. “The bottom line is that the ABI
knows now this isn’t a job for an elephant. It’s a job for three
little mice.”
“Hey, are you calling me a mouse?” joked
Brandon.
“I can’t believe she just called herself a mouse,”
muttered Alejandro.
“Yep, we’re three lethal little mice,” Daria
answered as she rubbed her temples as though she had a headache.
“Sante won’t know what hit him.”
The objective was to capture Sante alive if
possible, take him dead if not. Alejandro suspected Daria might be
looking less for a way to take Sante alive than dead. Considering
all she’d sacrificed so far to get close to him, Alejandro wondered
how she’d act when they finally had him in their control.
“Yeah, well, we don’t kill Sante unless we have
to,” said Alejandro. “Remember, Daria, that’s the deal.”
She paused in the massage of her temples and looked
up at him. Her eyes glittered. “I know what we’re supposed to do,
Alejandro.”
“Anything we do, it’s going to have to be subtle,”
said Brandon. The GBC and the ABI both agree that this is an
operation that requires delicacy,” said Brandon. He smiled. “You
don’t seem very subtle, Daria. No offense.”
Daria dropped her hands to her lap and laughed.
“Brandon, we’ve only just met and you already know me well.”
DARIA staggered at the entrance of the tent and nearly fell. She went down on one knee and gritted her teeth. “I’m so weak,” she bit off. Strong hands helped her to her feet.
“It’s all part of being newly Chosen, Daria,” said
Alejandro. Both their packs were slung over his shoulder. “Consider
yourself mine now, under my protection. I’ll teach you what you
need to know.”
Was he deliberately trying to piss her off, or was
he being sincere? She fought the growl in her throat and blew out a
breath instead. If it was a goad, taking it was probably just what
he wanted. Shit, she hated this, having to rely on someone
else.
“I have a headache and the drug patch I put on
isn’t working.” She bit the inside of her lip until she nearly drew
blood at the whine in her voice.
“You’re not human anymore, Daria. Of course it’s
not working.” Alejandro’s voice was gentle.
Dread curled in the pit of her stomach with the
reminder. He was right; she wasn’t human anymore. She’d forfeited
her humanity. Forfeited it to get Sante. If she could attain that
goal, maybe it would be worth it.
She pushed past him and walked into the small tent
that housed their dune bikes. “Come on, let’s get going.”
Daria and Alejandro secured their packs, donned
their protective gear, and mounted their bikes. Brandon had left
not long after he’d arrived. He’d headed to the dome right after
midnight and was probably already in.
Alejandro and Daria revved the vehicles’ engines to
life and flew off in puffs of sand, leaving the tents behind.
The moon hung like a lavender ball in the beautiful
Darpongese sky. She’d never seen a more stunning night sky than
she’d seen out here in the desert reaches of the Logos Territory,
except maybe when she took the shuttle from Earth to the Angel
System and back.
She should get used to the night sky since she
wouldn’t be seeing blue sky, not the real blue sky, anyway,
ever again. Too bad, it had been too long since she’d seen the blue
skies of Earth.
If all went well with this mission, maybe she could
go back there on leave and visit her mother. She’d have to
introduce the topic of her Chosen-ness slowly. Her mother would
have a heart attack, thinking her daughter had joined one of those
strange vampire cults.
They were the fad now. Simple humans—fed on the
romanticism of the Chosen and hoping for immortality—joined them.
Most of the Chosen themselves scorned the cults. They would Choose
only those marked for it at birth, and in most cases no others.
There was too much risk that unmarked humans would not be strong
enough to breach the succubare stage. Now Daria could see why so
many did not.
Even though vampires fed from the succubare and
therefore needed them, the population was too large. Succubare sex
workers littered the galaxies, feeding off their clients’ lust and
orgasms to survive.
Daria shivered. She’d been lucky to avoid that
fate, though maybe what she’d done was even worse.
Alejandro angled his bike toward the east, and she
followed suit. They weren’t far from the protected space encircling
the compound of the Shining Way. It lay in an area monitored
heavily by armed guards and was sheltered under a dome that
deflected air missiles. Purportedly, within the dome was a
self-contained society of Chosen modeled to mimic Earth. It was
probably the closest the Chosen would ever get to their own
space.
Sante had amassed a fortune in the four hundred
years he’d been alive. Many of the older vampires, if they were
intelligent enough, had managed to make a lot of money through
various means over the centuries. From her research, Daria knew
that Sante dealt in antiquities on the side and had made quite a
few good investments over the years.
His blood mother had even more money stashed away
from her shady dealings. According to the information the ABI and
GBC had, she’d helped him finance the construction of the Shining
Way. The damn place was built from the blood of veil-addicted
humans. Daria’s glove-encased hands gripped the handle of her bike.
It was time Sante paid his dues.
Silver glinted in the distance and Daria watched no
less than five dune bikes approach them.
Halt. Stay where you are, commanded a voice
within Daria’s mind.