NightFall: Book One: Bloodlust Is the Cure for the Immortal Soul (18 page)

Paris has a large military parade during Bastille Day. When night fell, people enjoyed fireworks and dancing in the streets until dawn.
A far cry from begging in the streets centuries ago.

It was quite a sight to see. Beautiful multi-colored fireworks
were
crackling and illuminating the night sky. People
were
laughing jovially, their faces becoming animated with each ‘boom’ of a brightly colored rocket. Couples and singles twirling around in the streets to the festive music. Drinking and eating and delighting in each other’s company until the sun started to peek on the horizon.

“Would you care to accompany me to Bastille Day?” Van questioned as they stopped in front of a five foot tall painting.

Simone put her hand to her chest, her eyes sparkling in excitement. “Oh, I would love to go. It sounds sensational. Have you ever been to the festivities?”

“I can’t say that I have. I travel frequently. I have o
nly been in Paris for about three years now. I have been so busy what with getting ‘Club Paradox’ off the ground with the help of my good friend and business associate, Sald
ivar. I haven’t had the time,”
Van finished.

“I’m sorry. Maybe now y
ou’ll be able to go this time,”
Simone stated gladly.

“It would be nic
e to go–—”
Van lowered his voice and stepped closer to Simone,
“
–with you.”

Simone licked her suddenly dry lips and her eyes darted to Van’s full mouth. Her lips tingled with anticipation.

Simone,
she chastised herself silently.
You’ve only met him twice and you’re already having wanton thoughts.

Van’s nostrils flared when he saw Simone’s pink tongue glide across her lips causing them to glisten. He tried to swallow. His mouth was too dry. His pants suddenly became uncomfo
rtable tight. How
bad he wanted to crush his mouth to hers.
To taste her fire.
Her passion.
Given her thoughts, he didn’t think she would object to a little kiss.

Little?
He could kiss her and caress her for days. He wanted to touch her and tease her until she begged for release. That is how badly he wanted to claim her.

He told—no, begged—his body to calm down. It would do him no good to loose control now. He
had
to keep tight reins of his lusty fantasies of her. He would soon forget restraint if he constantly had his mind on her soft looking lips. On how her naked, svelte figure would feel pressed up against his. How her soft flesh would glide over his bare chest causing such a lascivious spark, they would surely burst into flames, leaving nothing more than a pile of ashes in its wake.

No!
he
reproved himself.
Stop thinking about making love to her.

He had an ample amount of time for that later. He had more crucial matter to ponder and how he was going to discuss them with Simone.

A male voice sounded over the intercom, informing visitors that the museum would be closing in five minutes.

Van was grateful for the distraction. “There is a small cafe a few minutes walk from here. Would you like a
cafe au lait
and perhaps a pastry or two?” Van recommended as they made their way to the exit, his hand splayed at the small of her back.

Van’s touch made her tingle. “That sounds good. I could go for something sweet.” But she was thinking that the sweet she could really go for would be his lips. She saw how he looked at her earlier. He wondered about how it would be to kiss her. She also knew he had held back. She wondered why he did. Maybe it was best to take it slowly. After all, she didn’t know him very well, yet.

Van flexed his jaw. She wanted him to kiss her. Being a lady, she wouldn’t just ask out right. It wasn’t her style to blurt that out. But she still wasn’t making it any easier. She didn’t know why he didn’t just give in and kiss her. As far as she was concerned, he was an ordinary human being.

He didn’t want to make a mistake with her. What if they got caught up in the heat of the moment? What then? What if they get so enthralled, he forgot to protect her?
Not that he didn’t want to feel her fully.
But he could accidently impregnate her. Simone might be overjoyed or worried or both. But she would be worried about the
normal things new mothers tended to get anxious over. Would the baby be born with all ten fingers and ten toes? Would it have the normal amount of chromosomes? Would it be just a regular, strong, healthy and beautiful baby? What would happen if she found she
could be carrying a mutation? A half breed vampire with problems unknown to doctors and most scientists, save for the ones Saldivar had mentioned earlier today? Simone was still human. The only way to have a healthy child with him-if that’s what the future held-she would have to believe she was the Eternal Entity. The only possible way to conceive with him would be if she were transformed. Saldivar only spoke of one mutation out there and that Zane was the father. Saldivar himself didn’t know if the mutation had lived beyond fifty. What would it look like if it did survive?

*

Raven kept a safe distance from Simone and the vampire Zane called Van. He didn’t say that he was quite a handsome guy. She tapped into Van’s mind just a bit.

She didn’t need him knowing she was probing. She was still a neophyte, as far as age was concerned, and Van was three hundred and thirty-one years old. She knew he would be a worthy opponent. But, then again, she was fathered by a two thousand year old rogue vampire, which gave her an advantage. She was stronger than other neophytes her age and, also, vampires at least a century old. Saldivar, on the other hand, would be even harder or impossible to defeat. At eight hundred
and eleven
, he could quite possibly pommel her to dust. The question was, however, would he do it once he found out that they were half siblings?
A blood relation in a distorted kind of way?

She would never know. Zane
wanted Saldivar to himself. It was some kind of
unspoken ve
ndetta.
Zane still never explained why he hated Saldivar so much. What did he do to Zane that caused him to feel he needed to eradicate Saldivar’s very being? It seemed to
Raven
that Zane was more of a miscreant that Saldivar. But, Zane kept her out of laboratories. It wasn’t because he was doing it out of the bottom of his heart. They both knew that if he did have one, it would be dusty with disuse. But that was if he had a heart to begin with. Raven thought his chest had become hollow with time and some kind of silent torment he told no one about.

He used her for his own evil deeds. She wondered why he just didn’t do his own dirty work. He figured that since he kept her from experiments she had to be his eternal peon.
Eternal being the operative word.

One of these days………

She observed the couple sitting outside the cafe
on a white bistro set built for two. Quiet. Intimate.

She’d never had that before. Had a man or vampire look at her like she was the only one. Men only looked at her as a bed mate. She knew she was gorgeous. Men seemed to love her waist length black hair. They always wanted to run their fingers through it. She obliged them if she felt like it. She constantly got compliments on her dark eyes. Men were mesmerized by the fact that they didn’t know where the irises began and the pupils ended. And she preferred her clothes on the tight side. She loved garments that hugged her every curve. She tried to
flaunt her copious breasts by wearing petite sized T-shirts. Lavender was her best color. It helped show off her lithe shape.

She wished she could pursue a relationship but she never had the time. Zane kept her busy on some sort of bizarre mission or just something to get her out of his hair. He loved the control he held over her.

She didn’t see what women saw in the chauvinistic pig. Okay, as far as the superficial part was concerned, then she could see why women went gaga over Zane. His wavy chestnut hair nearly touched his shoulders. He had these amazing, piercing blue-gray eyes. Women seemed to melt at his smile, showing off his gorgeous, pearly whites. He was packed solid with muscle but not overly so. Most women, her included, didn’t like a man whose muscles were so enormous that he looked ready to explode. She didn’t like a man with a neck so big, he looked like he was smothering. She could barely breathe herself from looking at them.

Zane was transformed when he was about forty and his face had that rugged, experienced look. He used to be pale but he
had
wanted to blend in. To be less conspicuous, he used what most humans used nowadays to tan themselves.
Some kind of spray on tanner.
People were more afraid of skin cancer now more than ever. Besides, vampires plus the sun equals an explosive answer. They were not compatible. If they were, they could tan all they wanted without the risk of cancer. Or without looking like your skin could be used as a leather substitute.

Zane’s voice was deep and dark. When he spoke
,
it almost rumbled that you could feel it at your throat. His voice was perfect. As a matter of fact, Zane used to sing what people would call today, opera. He was admired
for his singing and was the best at it. But, like all vampires, he had to move on. Everyone aged. People would start to wonder why he looked so great, even if ten or more years had passed. Eventually, he moved on. And h
e stopped singing altogether,
m
uch to the dismay of all the female fans and singers.

At six feet tall and two hundred pounds, he was extremely powerful. Before he was transformed, his body reflected that of a hard worker. Sometimes his jobs were exceedingly dirty, but he did them anyway. It didn’t matter how much dirt and mud covered his body. He worked with vigor at anything he did.

Raven puzzled over when Zane’s heart became so bitter. She knew he wasn’t always like this. When did he lose his morality? There had to be some terrible event that took place for him to lose his faith in humanity.
For him to turn
into a vile, unfeeling…….person?

She shook her head. She couldn’t think about it any more. She would do what she was told to do and get out of this place.

*

Van and Simone were walking lazily down the quiet streets of Paris, relishing in the night air and the gleaming stars.

Van looked up. The stars mocked him no longer but smiled down upon him. Hope. He loved that feeling. He was glad of it. He––

Van turned his head surreptitiously so as Simone wouldn’t be alarmed. He had felt a rush of frigid air blow across his back. Simone wasn’t aware of it but he was. He scanned the area. All he saw was brick walls and signs and flowers. He thought
he caught a glimpse of something. He didn’t see a thing so he shook it off and concentrated on Simone.

“Saldivar and I,”
he started,
“were thinking about building another club including putting in a restaurant. What do you think of that idea?”

Simone smiled, pleases that he had asked her opinion on the subject. “Well. I just love ‘Club Pa
radox’. It’s so very unique. I loved t
he way you’ve created the place. The overall look is rather fantastic. I love the way you’ve mixed the music together.
Trance and New Age.
Very clever.”
She peered at him, sa
ying in a light accusing tone,
“How in the world did you know that ‘Enigma’ was my absolute favorite music? Were you reading my mind or something?” Her eyes danced with amusement.

Van was taken aback briefly until he realized she was just pulling his leg. How right she was.
Even if she didn’t know it.
Maybe unconsciously, she did. As with all Eternal Entities, they all had some hint of psychic powers, though very dim until transformation occurred.