Endless Days (The Firsts) (25 page)

She’d never tried to send her presence, her life force, over distances, but if there was ever anyone who might be able
to receive it, it would be David.  So she sat back on the loveseat, relaxed her mind and reached for him.  She wasn’t too worried about him…he would not be coming alone. 

As the sun dropped, so did Koen’s jet from his home in southern France.   It took little time for him to arrive at David’s home.  Everyone was taking breakfast in the diner when Gunnar led the huge vampire into the room.  The space immediately felt smaller.  Katerine ran to him and gave him a big hug, watching Gunnar and giving him a touch to let him know this was no threat to what they shared.

“Prettiest vampire in the world, next to my daughter.
  Who is…”

He cut off as a stunning redhead came through the door he had left open.

“Ah, and here she is.  Katerine, may I present my daughter Park.   I brought her since she is easily the most powerful first blood I have ever known.”

The redhead glared at him. 
“Hardly.  But I’m learning quickly from you, father.”  She turned toward Katerine, and the others, including everyone with her brilliant smile and gentle hello. 

Lauren sat amazed at her table that she was here at all.  These were, without doubt, the most powerful first bloods on Didier’s list.   She knew Koen was one of the oldest and largest in the known community, and that Park was one of the rarest things on earth, a child
, by birth of a first blood vampire.  It was said that she grew up as a normal human child, unaware of the supernatural world, and had only known her birthright for about a year.   Well, it seemed she was adapting well.   All Lauren could think of suddenly, while looking at her father, was that she’d give just about anything to ride him, an uncharacteristic response for her.  Being around all these sexual charged supernaturals… seemed like she was adapting, too.

They came forward to join the buffet as David entered the room from the kitchen.

“Koen,” he called out, and came forward to hug the huge man.   When Park was introduced, he hugged her, too.

“Cherise has been taken,” was the first thing he said to her.  “Leo told me you two are close.   I have her brother in the basement in interrogation, and although he’s been resistant, I’m heading back down to push him or kill him.
  I can’t compel anything out of him.  I think his mind is under Tamesine’s control.  There’s no other way he could defy my compel.”

“David, let me.  My skills are exactly what you need.  I can get inside his mind and tear out the information.  What are you looking for?”

“The rogue first blood, Tamesine, has an apartment somewhere.  I’m praying that’s where she took Cherise and if we can find out where, we can get there immediately and rescue her.”

Park turned to her father.  “I’ll be right back.”  And she followed David out of the room.

Ten minutes later Park and David came back up to the dining room.  David was grinning.

“Koen, your daughter is incredible.  Devereaux had no defense against her.  She entered his mind and found the address.  We need to go now.”

“It’s going to take all of us combined to deal with her,” Koen said.  “I’m one of the most powerful first bloods you’ve ever met.  Park is even a little stronger.  Tamesine…she might even be more powerful than Park.  She was always extremely talented.  And totally psychotic.  We were dealing with her for centuries, trying to help her.  She was insanely powerful, and powerfully insane.  One day she just disappeared.  None of us could sense her.    That was, in fact, over a thousand years ago.  I haven’t thought of her almost since then, but I think most of us assumed she was long dead.  So, I honestly have no idea what to expect when we get there.  Except that we’d better be prepared to take on a really powerful vampire.  David, Katerine and I will go in first, Park and you as second wave.  Don’t question me about this.  I want to feel her out before she sees you.  You have been her captive for decades and we already know she wants to kill you.  Our combined skills should be enough to defeat her, but I can’t guarantee it.  Katerine tells me you are not quite up to full strength yet.  So, for those two reasons, you will let us field this.  You agree the real goal is to get Cherise back safely.”

David was boiling. 
The idea of not blasting into that building and rescuing his woman himself seemed impossible.  But he had to agree with Koen.  They had to lead with their strongest chance of success.  And Koen’s history with her might make all the difference in her reaction to them.  All he wanted was to get Cherise home safely and in his arms.  And then kill the monster if he had the chance.

He nodded his acceptance of the plan.  “Just…we need to go now.”

Koen bowed his head.  “Ready.  You better make sure your home is protected.  You know how devious these humans can be.  They’re probably waiting for us to go to attack.”

David looked at Gunnar, and he nodded.  “It’s done.  Let’s move.”

Cherise tried some of her telekinetic skills on the door.  But when she tried to access the lock, a wave of magic pushed back.  Tamesine had spelled it.  Not only could she not unlock it, she was afraid others might never find the opening.  She remembered Eillia had been able to do that. So even if David and the others could figure out where she was, they still might not be able to find her behind a door magically blocked from anyone else.

She dropped back down on the loveseat again, then poured herself another glass of wine.  If this was how she was going to live, sex slave to a female first blood who was off the rails, she wanted to be well and truly drunk.  Glancing at the door, she knew they would not find her through that protected opening.  Unless Tamesine wanted them to.  Looked like this party was going to be just her and Tamesine.  Draining the lovely crystal glass, she refilled it to the brim.  Suddenly, she heard the door click open, and glanced at it through the pink tint of the glass.  Well.  It appeared she was mistaken.  A party of three, now.  Armel Joubert stood there staring at her with a smile very like the one she remembered from years ago…wide and dirty.  Oh, fuck!  Cherise upended the full glass and drank every drop at once.

Armel was salivating.  Ah
, mon Dieu! 
Here she was, lying on a divan with a glass of wine wearing only a thin robe.  As if someone had prepared her for him.  He almost loved the crazy bitch vampire he had sold his soul to.  She had brought him the one thing that he truly wanted more than anything on this earth…Cherise Devereaux at his mercy.  Now, whatever he wanted from her, she would do it.  No one knew she was here, or ever would.  His pants tightened as he swelled. 
Bon.
  She would take care of him soon enough.

He walked over to her.

“That looks like good wine.  May I share?” he said in French.

She stared at him incredulously and said nothing.  That’s how it would be until she adjusted to her life with him.  He really cared about her, he wasn’t cruel.  But she
would
comply and she
would
welcome him.  She didn’t have any choice about that.  Still, he would play nice.  But she’d better, too.

“Answer me, Cherise,” he demanded in French.

She picked up the bottle of wine and put it to her lips and began to swallow.

Putain!  Garce!  Salope!

He ripped the bottle from her hands and threw it against the wall, the shattering glass thunderous in the quiet room.  So, she refused to speak to him?  He could play her game. 

He grabbed her hair and spat at her, in English, “You need to remember who owns you now.”

Their faces were close, eye to eye, and he smiled at her as he kept her hair trapped with one hand and slid the other up her side to cover a breast that was now exposed.

“
Magnifique,
” he whispered, just before he was torn bodily from her and thrown across the room airborne to crash against a far wall.

He opened his eyes as he heard Tamesine’s voice above him.

In a sharp staccato, she said, “What. Do. You. Think. You’re. Doing?”

His head was vibrating, both ears ringing.  It took a few moments for her question to sink in.  “I’m reacquainting myself with the woman you brought here for me.”

“
Did
I?  Did
I?
  Oh, didn’t I tell you?  I’m keeping her for myself.  She’s far too beautiful for the likes of you.  I see you near her again, I’m going to make you dinner.  Sorry, that’s inexact.  I’m going to make dinner
of
you. 
Comprendre
?”

Fucking malfaisant!  Trompeur!  Betrayer!
  He knew she couldn’t be trusted!  Even when he engaged her to betray David and Didier, he knew it would go badly.  But he had to take the risk.  There was no other way he would have been able to arrange Patric’s death and Cherise’s subservience.  Now he had to figure out how to get rid of the psychotic vampire without getting himself killed.

“Tamesine, we had a deal.  You would aid me in my mission, and I would help you find all your people and get back together with your family.  Do you no longer want my help?”

She stepped forward and lifted one stiletto-heeled shoe up and brought it down on his throat.  She pressed, deeply enough to cut into his skin.   As blood trickled onto the plush champagne carpet, she licked her lips.

“I don’t know.”  She glanced back at Cherise, who stood near the loveseat watching the scene.  “I think I may have found all I need in her.  She’s lovely and I can read into her soul.  She’s a very powerful empath.  You thought I wouldn’t know she isn’t entirely human?  You’re
such
an idiot.  What do you think little human?  Should I kill him?”

T
amesine looked back just as Cherise made it to the door that she had left wide open.  In a flash of movement no one could see, she was there and had Cherise back on the loveseat, thrown against the pillows.

“Ah, ah, ah.
  Sweetie, you are going nowhere.  My bad, leaving the threshold open…”

With another flash of light, before
Tamesine could reclose the opening, two vampires were standing there.  Cherise sighed in deep relief.  Koen and Katerine, not even winded from their supersonic move.

Tamesine turned, shocked.  She walked forward, forgetting everything, everyone, in the room.

“Koen?  Koen.  After these many years…my friend…my brother…  How are you here?  I haven’t unblocked my life force yet.  How can you have found me?”

“I wasn’t looking for you.  I was looking for her.”

They both looked at Cherise.  She didn’t know what else to do, so she just smiled slightly, aware that this rescue could go horribly wrong.  But so grateful they had found her.  She wondered where David was and if he was alright.

Koen nodded at her.  “He’s fine,” he said.  Cherise released her
stopped breath in relief.

Tamesine nodded, too. 
“So.  You want my playmate.  You can’t have her.  I’ve decided to keep her.  You have that one…she’s very pretty.  You don’t need two.”

She was petulant now, like a child.  A recurring theme, Cherise thought.  This vampire was truly broken.  Her empathic abilities started to kick in, and she wondered…could she help her?  Was she crazy to even think it at all?

“Oh, she’s first blood.  I’ve not met you.  What is your name?”

“I’m Katerine.  I was with David Patric when you captured and tortured him.”

Tamesine smiled .  “Lucky girl.  You can have him back now.  Why don’t you run along and play?  He’s going to be dying soon, so you better make the best of it and fuck like rabbits while you can.”  Now she was laughing out loud.

Another swirl of color and movement and David was standing next to Cherise.  Tamesine reached for him…and stopped.  She froze in the position of pursuit, only her mouth able to move.

“What the fuck?  Koen, you’ve never been able to contain me.  Have you grown that much more powerful?”

“I have.  But that isn’t me.”

A third rush of light brought Park to within inches of Tamesine.

Koen smiled.  “Meet my daughter.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

             
Tamesine was panicking.  Her eyes were wide and frantically searching back and forth.

             
“Please don’t do this.  I’m trapped…I can’t breathe!”

             
Park walked up to her and touched her cheek.  Tamesine calmed a little.  A vampire’s touch could completely calm a human, and while Park was exceptionally powerful, she could only slightly affect the ancient vampire.

             
“You can breathe.  Just relax.  It’s your own fault, anyway.  Everything that happens to you from here on out is of your own making.  You feel trapped?  How do you think your victims feel?  And for them it’s been much longer than a few minutes.  So forgive us all if we have no sympathy.”