Forbidden Days (The Firsts) (33 page)

“See, that’s what I mean.  I won’t go.  That’s why I wanted to remain a secret.  Bas is my life, now.  I…I never had any choice in my life until I left my mother.  I won’t let anyone again tell me how I will live it.”

“You belong with the first bloods.  This vampire, you won’t miss him when you meet your own kind.”

“He
is
my kind.  Until a few weeks ago I didn’t know anything about this supernatural world.  He gave me confidence, love, a family…that I have never had.”

“Your mother will answer for that.  I will hang her from a hook until every drop of her blood drips onto the ground.  It will be very painful.”

“I don’t
want
that!  She had her life stolen, too!  I don’t have any use for her, but she’s out of my life.  I’m okay now, and I
do
want
you
in my life.  But you can’t take me away.”

“I’ve just found you after searching desperately and losing you.  My daughter, you will adjust.  You will be happy with me.  It isn’t up for discussion.  He may visit if you like.”

Eillia started to stand when she saw Park’s face.  Park stood first.  “I will not be controlled.  I choose my life.”

Koen stood and the three faced off.  The wind began to swirl around them and Koen started forward.  But he couldn’t move.  The shock on his face almost made Eillia laugh.

“You did
not
freeze me.”

“I learn fast.”

“But you should not have been able to freeze
me.
”

“You know, people keep telling me what I can
not
do.   I just have to keep proving you all wrong.  Now, do you want to get to know me?”

“More than anything.”

“Then you will be reasonable and you will not try to control me?  You won’t hurt anyone here?”

“I…”  He hesitated, his eyes rolling toward Eillia.  “She’s stubborn.”

“She’s your daughter.  She’s first blood.  Of course she is.”

He looked back at Park.  “I will not take you from here.  I will not hurt anyone in this household.  I promise.”

Since he was leaning forward when she put him on pause, Koen stumbled forward a little, but recovered and stood there smiling.

“You’re going to be ridiculously powerful when you learn to control your  talents.  And they will grow with time.  You are definitely
my
daughter.”

Park stepped toward him, took Koen’s hand and laid it against her belly.  “I have your grandchild growing inside me.  So you have found not only your daughter, but your granddaughter.  You see why I won’t leave.  It will not happen.”

Koen spread his hands over her belly, their largeness spanning around to her back.  He didn’t speak, his eyes closed. He knelt down and laid his cheek against her.

“A grandchild.”  He sighed deeply.  “What a difference a day makes.  Yesterday I was ready to…well, never mind.”  He stood up and took Parks hand, reached for Eillia.  “I never thought to feel this again.  I know I have been a bastard these past years.  Park, my life has not gone well since you were stolen for me.  I am whole again, and life has purpose again.  Even an old man can learn new tricks.  Okay, take me to meet your vampire.” 

Eillia released a slow, long held breath.  It happened.  Park’s father was here and they would all survive. 
Miracles do happen,
she thought.

Bas was in the situation room with Jake and Vaz, watching Koen and Park on one of Tim’s new high def surveillance cameras.  It seemed to be going well, at least they were quietly talking.  It was video only, so he had no idea what they were saying.  They were all standing now and he hoped they were coming back in.  It pissed him off to feel helpless.  He’d never actually felt powerless before, and he didn’t want it to happen again.  And Parks new skill…holy shit!  It was beginning to look like he really didn’t need to worry about her self-defense anymore.  Telekinesis, not a common vampire skill.  Not something he could defend against.  It was real.  He was in love with a super-vampire first blood who could kick his ass. And all because he stubbornly refused to go out and look for a different ride when he met a feisty redhead who he couldn’t compel.  Lesson learned.  He wouldn’t change a thing.

He glanced back at the screen and they were gone.  A moment of panic set in when Tim pointed to an interior camera down a corridor leading to the kitchen.  He felt Park’s mind touch his, pushing a thought through…
join us for lunch
.  He knew she’d been able to connect with Dez telepathically, but now she was linking to him across a distance of this great house.  Her powers were certainly growing.  He wondered briefly how far they would go.  Which made him hesitate at the request.  He loved her, and he hoped he would continue to be enough for her.

“Tim, thanks.  I guess I’ll join them.  You’ve been a real asset.”

Tim smiled, appreciating the compliment.  He’d been such a valuable asset, Bas had brought him over to blood-bond.  He anticipated needing him for many years to come and it was the easiest way to protect him.

Bas walked slowly toward the kitchen.  He dreaded the face to face with Park’s father, a powerful vampire that, no matter what he’d agreed to with his daughter, likely wanted to kill Bas.  He wasn’t looking forward to this. 

Bas told himself the whole way there,
keep it calm, keep it calm, keep it
calm
…for Park’s sake.  The big vampire was, by far, the greatest physical threat Bas had ever known.  Yet the stakes had never been higher.  It shocked him to suddenly realize that, for the first time in his very long life, there was something he would die for.  Some
one
.  It still stunned him how his life had changed so completely so quickly.

He walked into the breakfast room with his head high and a look on his face that he hoped showed he was a man to be reckoned with.  When the huge vampire turned to look at him with a smile, he almost stumbled.  What?  Okay…

Park came up to him and threaded her arm through his.  “Bas, my father is anxious to get to know you.  Us, actually.  He’s willing to be reasonable.  Eillia says finding me has improved his attitude.”

Bas didn’t know what to say so he remained silent.

Park brought him up to Koen.  “This man brought me to my life…and ultimately to you.  You owe him a debt of gratitude, because, if not for Bas, I would never have known what I was.   And you would never have known I survived.”

Koen looked at Bas, who, if he admitted it, wasn’t really much smaller than he was.  He sized him up quickly, and approved.  This man would protect his daughter with his last breath.  It sucked that he couldn’t take her home with him, but he did understand why.  It wasn’t easy for him to accept her decline, but it was not a time to build walls.  He put out his hand in greeting.

Bas hesitated, then took Koen’s offering, returned a very firm grip with a very firm grip.  Bas refused to let him intimidate him.  Koen smiled.  He’d do.

“I do owe you, then, Sebastian, for bringing the moments together that brought my daughter to me.  In light of this, and the existence of my grandchild, you are welcomed into the family.  We will do your blood feast tomorrow night.”

Bas tilted his head and looked at Eillia.  “Blood feast?”

“It’s a great honor, Bas.  You are now a member of the family of a first blood.  It is typical to drink from the bloodline when that is so.”

Koen elaborated.  “You will ingest my blood so that you are bonded to me, too.  The infusion acts similar to a human getting vampire blood.  You will experience conversion as it rewrites you.  You won’t be first blood, but it will increase your vampire talents…and there are some who pick up new ones.  It is required.  You would ask if it were your daughter.”

He was right.  Bas nodded.  “Okay.  But if I’m going to be down for some time, I need to make sure my teams are in place in case we’re attacked.”

Koen laughed.  “This is not a problem, little vampire.  There are two full blooded first bloods here.  And Park is remarkably strong.  There is no chance a vampire and his babes will give us any trouble.  So.  Where’s this chef Eillia brags about?”

“I’ll get him.”  Bas stepped up to Koen, face to face, showing he was, at most, two inches shorter than the huge old vampire.  “The name is Bas, not little vampire, just a reminder.”  Everyone held their breath as Koen responded, slowly, then nodded silently.

Bas turned to Park and held her face between his hands. “It’s all okay?”

She smiled back, her hands on his arm.  “Oh, yes.  All okay.”

Bas went through the double doors, whistling lightly as he looked for Eugene.  He could breathe fully again now that things had finally gone right.  And he wasn’t going to die tonight.

Eugene laid out a complete buffet for the second time that night, all four tables filled with his finest creations.  Koen sat at the closest table with Bas, Park, Eillia, and Hamid.  At different times through the night, other vampires would wander in, have something, and meet Koen, and then head back out.  Park understood.  Koen was so intimidating, not only physically, but also the legend…what he was…a first blood.

Burne, however, was fascinated by him, and being a new vampire, had no fear of who he might be…so she scooted in beside then and engaged him animatedly in conversation.  Park watched , fascinated too.

“Koen, tell me, how long have you been alive?”

Eillia leaned in.  “Burne, that isn’t exactly polite.”

Burned frowned.  “I’m sorry.  You guys are sensitive about your age?  I mean, excuse me, but why?  If I were a thousand years old and looked like you, Eillia, I’d be singing it out.  Because, damn…   This vampire thing is spectacular.  Do you guys even realize after all these years how beautiful you are?”

Koen answered her.  “It means less…as the years go on.  Other things matter more.  Yes, though, beauty, especially that which does not decay, is always appreciated.”  He looked at Park.   “But other things do matter more.”

Burne thought how different this man was than they were expecting.  He compelled her attention .  She leaned in and asked him if she could steal a croissant off his plate, giving him a charming smile.

He smiled back and held it up.  “I’ll share.”

At that moment Vaz came through the opening where the door used to be and sized up the scene.  His woman with the impressive first blood, her mouth too close to him as she had been preparing to bite the pastry he held.  Vaz stopped as if he’d been frozen again.  His eyes bounced from Burne to Koen. It was obvious he was furious, but trying to contain it.  Koen stood up.

“If this is your woman, she’d delicious, vampire. You should take her away and properly feed her.”

Burne got up and went to Vaz.  “We were just talking.  You know…”

Vaz lifted her aggressively into his arms and stormed out.  Everyone was silent for a moment while Koen took his seat again.

“A reasonable response.  I wouldn’t want to see someone hand feeding my woman.  There would be much blood.”

Bas agreed.  Eillia and Park rolled their eyes.  The buffet was nearly finished and so was the night.  They parted shortly afterward, Koen giving Park a long hug and kiss on both cheeks.

“Til night falls again, dear daughter.”

“Til then, dear father.”  She hugged him one more time and then took Bas’s hand and led them to their room to sleep.

As it was nearly dawn, he fell off quickly.  She could not, though, so she got up and wandered out of the room, down the corridor, and out onto a balcony to watch the sun skirt the edge of the trees on its ascent up the sky.

At first, she noticed how bright it was, wishing she’d brought her sunglasses. Then, as the liquid white surface of the sun cleared the treetops and shined into the blueness overhead, Park noticed her cheeks flaming.  As if she’d gotten an instant sunburn.  At the same time the heat seemed to move into her scalp, she put her hands up to cover her forehead, and her hands began to burn.  What the hell…

Park backed away quickly and pulled the shutters tight.   What was happening?  She’d never…
never
been sensitive to sunlight.  As her eyes adjusted to the dimmer light inside, she looked at her hands.  They were bright red, with some blistering on the palms.  She just stared at them when she heard someone walk up behind her.

“Oh,
mademoiselle
Park.  Your first blood is kicking in.  You cannot go in the sunlight again.”  Cherise gently led her down the corridor to a small bathroom.

“The cool water will help it feel better.  You will heal quickly.”

“But I’ve never had a problem.  This can’t be right.”

“No one has told you.  As a first blood hybrid, you will go through normal aging through adulthood. At a certain point when your body reached…ah…um…maturity, the aging slows, then it stops.  When that happens, you become first blood…vampire.  Park, you are vampire now.  You will eat like the others, you will need blood for nourishment.  You cannot see the sunrise again.  I am sorry, but this is so.”

Park felt her blood run cold.  All the time she’d spent assuring Bernie and Zach that everything was going to be okay, she’d never expected to face the same issue.  Even though she’d been learning who she was, for some reason it hadn’t struck her that she was vampire, too.  That the life she’d lived was done.  She was okay with that, she loved the people in her life now…but there had to be some grieving over the loss of her human half.  No more early mornings.

Bas woke up suddenly as usual and rolled over to pull Park against him.  She wasn’t there.  Dressing quickly, he wandered into the corridor, lifting his head to capture her scent.  It was faint, like she’d passed through here, but not recently.  That confused him…Park hadn’t been in their room all night?  He almost vampire-moved through the corridors, but that would have compromised the small trail he had which was his best way of locating her.  At the end of the third corridor at the back of the house, he saw her sitting in a window seat that he knew was one hundred percent UV filtered, so he approached her.

“Park, are you okay?”