Chapter 1 Dawn of Understanding

I know what you're doing
I see it all too clear
I only taste the saline
When I kiss away your tears



Beth eyed the young man and spotted the veins on his neck and lifted her head to scent his blood. Fresh blood. She took a step towards him, knowing instinctively that this was her only chance.

For survival…



Josef watched as the young Asian man entered the loft, heartbeat steady and unafraid. He watched Beth carefully as she struggled for control, aided by the heavy allure that Heroku was throwing at her.

Mick stood at the ready to jump in and save her, from herself if necessary because he didn’t understand anything that was happening. He looked at Josef, his eyes dark and full of helplessness as he struggled to control himself.

Heroku had iron control and that was good because Josef didn’t have a clue how to help at this point; he never in his long life had been confronted with a situation quite like this. His heart was telling him to find Lani and he made the decision, heading for the door, trusting that Heroku had this under control. Mick never even looked away from his mate as Josef exited the loft, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

He was scared to death for Lani who couldn’t possibly be okay. She had come so far and now that could possibly be ripped away, the tattered remains of her trust and ease with vampires washed away by the events that had just taken place.

He had to find her because she needed him; he felt it in his heart.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



“Beth,” Heroku coached, “I need you to listen to what I am saying. Kenji will feed you but you must stay in control. Do you understand that? Control Beth; you may not hurt him. Can you do that?”

Her eyes, still the color of sparkling blue opals regarded Heroku for a moment and then flickered back to Kenji, who stood calmly behind Heroku. She could smell his blood and nothing had ever smelled sweeter, more enthralling than the warm blood that flowed easily through his veins. She wanted it, she needed it and she started to step towards him, focusing her own allure on him in an effort to draw him closer.

“NO Beth,” Heroku said, staying between Beth and Kenji, “You must sit down and take control of your needs.” He concentrated on her mightily; his will against hers and gradually she succumbed and sat on the couch.

She wanted to look away, to close her eyes so that Heroku’s control would flag but instead she listened to him and obeyed. The struggle within her was powerful but as she looked at Heroku gradually his control slipped over her and she relaxed a bit and sat back into the cushions of the couch.

Heroku sat down on the coffee table directly in front of her and stayed focused. He was aware that Mick was in the room but he couldn’t really worry about that right now as he concentrated on Beth. He could only hope that her mate would not get in the way.

“Beth, I’m going to bring Kenji over now and I want you stay still as he takes a seat. Focus on your control.”

Heroku motioned for Kenji to sit next to Beth and at Heroku’s almost imperceptible nod he held his arm out, waiting for Beth to take it. “Go ahead Beth, take his arm. Find the vein and bite gently, do not tear into his arm, no matter how hungry you are.”

He watched as she did as instructed and he admired how hard she was working to stay in control. Her body was shaking with the effort because she not only wanted that blood, but she needed it very badly. This was a harsh test for such a new vampire and he was proud of how well she was doing.

As soon as her fangs sank into his supple skin the blood started flowing and Beth felt a small growl emanate from her throat but she stayed in control, gently coaxing the blood and after a couple of swallows she felt much better.

Kenji remained still and tried to stay aloof of what was happening, but it proved difficult for the young man. Heroku had made him understand that her mate was there and that to react in a physical display could cause many problems. He took a look at her mate, who was watching what was happening carefully and swallowed hard. He tried to push back all feelings of sexual arousal and mostly succeeded. Still, when Heroku told her that she had enough a few minutes later he was thankful that he could escape quickly; the darkly scowling vampire scared him.

Beth licked the wounds closed and observed the skin with a critical eye; it was reddened but the puncture marks were small and neat – she hadn’t torn his skin and she was happy about that.

Kenji stood up and bowed first to Heroku, then Beth and finally to Mick. Mick’s eyes raked the young man from head to toe and was satisfied that it had gone well.

“The car is waiting downstairs Kenji, it will take you home. Thank you for your aid.”

Kenji bowed again and walked softly to the door and was soon gone from the presence of the vampires.

Mick all but vaulted over the table to get to Beth and took her in his arms and held her close, rocking her gently as she broke down in tears. She still had no understanding of what had happened. Finally, the tears started to ebb and they both looked at Heroku, waiting for answers.

Heroku moved to sit one of the chairs opposite from the couch and sat back, crossing his legs. He couldn’t reveal too much at this point because it was not allowed but both of these young ones needed an explanation. He considered his options and chose his words carefully.

“Beth, you are going to be fine, but if I am correct in what I believe you will have much to learn about your type of vampirism. I believe you are descended from very ancient vampires who are called Qamar al-atfal; Children of the Moon. You have many of those characteristics but only genetic tests will tell you for sure. When Josef mentioned some of your abilities I became concerned because you see, on the full moon, you must feed fresh.” He looked at them both and stated, to make sure that they understood: “It is not just a choice but a genetic imperative or you will not survive the night.”



OOOOOOOOOOOOO





Lani drove along the PCH, top down and enjoyed the feel of the wind on her face. She had pulled her hair back with a pony tail tie and succumbed to the exhilarating feel of the breeze.

When she left Mick and Beth’s she left in a hurry; she considered going to her loft but she needed the peace the beach house provided. It soothed her in a way that no other place did. It had been built in the early 1950’s by her grandfather who was a screenwriter. He and her grandmother had raised two kids there; her mother and her uncle Bradley and when her grandparents died the house came to Lani because her cousins received settlements since they lived on the east coast and had no interest in the house.

It wasn’t huge, or fancy; only three bedrooms but they were all a nice size that was typical of that type of bungalow from that era. What was not typical was seeing a bungalow quite like it built on the beach but the house meant the world to her. Her grandparents also left her a 3 million dollar trust fund but for all that she loved the house more; it meant something that the money never would.

She pulled into the driveway and pushed the button that would open the attached garage that had been added in the sixties sometime she’d heard. She never remembered the house without it of course she thought as she pulled the Maserati in and pushed the button to shut the door before she turned the engine off and got out of the car.

Inside the house she looked around her; she had not been in the house since the day that Beth had been turned. Nothing looked different to her she realized as she walked through the rooms one by one, flipping on lights as she went. No blood anywhere, not even in the bathroom. As she stood in the doorway she shut her eyes for a moment, thinking about Beth; all she had lost and all she had gained that night.

Lani walked out to the beach, still thinking about her best friend. She had kicked off her shoes inside and felt the still warm sand squishing between her toes as she walked towards the water. About 10 feet from the tide line she sat down in the sand and leaned back, staring at the full moon that was now almost directly over head. She scooped up a handful of loose sand and watched as it trickled through her fingers back onto the beach. She absently rubbed Josef’s marks and thought of him, driving to her. She knew that he was on his way even though she didn’t know how she knew.

Beth wasn’t going to hurt her, she had also known that instinctively. She was upset by the marks on her arm but she wasn’t angry with Lani and she had no intention of drinking her blood. Lani wasn’t sure exactly how she knew that but she did. Still, it was frightening to see that change come over her friend, especially her eyes.

When the vampires attacked her in Tokyo their eyes had been silver; when Heroku defended her his eyes had been silver and Beth’s, well they definitely were not silver. They looked liked two of the most brilliant opals imaginable, deeply blue with flecks of other colors that seemed to swirl and twist in them, just like an opal did when you changed the angle as you looked at it. Maybe it was because Beth had blue eyes to begin with, Lani wasn’t sure but in other circumstances the vampire eyes would be astoundingly beautiful.

Beth was really angry with Josef; she thought that he had taken advantage of her which was about as far away from the truth as was possible. She needed to explain that to her and she would just as soon as she could. She looked down at the marks just barely visible in the moonlight and sighed; it had been nothing like what she would ever have imagined.

The breeze was freshening and the waves kicked up a notch; she could feel mist spraying over her and she licked her lips, the cool spray of the water tasting salty. She knew that there was a storm out to sea somewhere as the frothy white caps carried the turbulence to shore. Way off she could see small flares of lightening and she knew that they might get a good storm inland as well. The pounding of the waves became so much louder that she missed the sound of the Ferrari as it pulled into her drive way.



Josef had driven by Lani’s building but her car wasn’t there and for some reason he was sure she would be at the beach house so he headed the car north, driving quickly to get to her. He saw lights on in the house but she didn’t answer the door and suddenly he felt the pull of her and headed around to the back of the house where he saw her rising to her feet near the water.

Lani stood up and stretched and then dusted the sand off of her jeans. She caught the site of the marks again and lightly touched them, shivering slightly as an immediate sense of arousal filled her. Suddenly, she knew that he was there, behind her and she let out a long sigh, glad he was there.

He stood just behind her and she reached her arms up behind her and gently pulled his head down and kissed him, twisting in his arms as they went around her.

The kiss was soft and tender, full of longing and desire and they didn’t rush it; both of them relaxed into the embrace in no hurry to end it. Finally Lani pulled away, breathless.

“Hi.” She told him, smiling.

“Hi yourself. Are you alright?”

“Of course. I knew you’d come here.”

A slow smile spread across his face; in the moonlight he looked so young, boyish really. She brushed her fingers through his hair that was soft and silky feeling. She tweaked the hairs delicately at the base of his neck, playfully tugging.

“Hm, must be losing my touch.” He took her face in his hands and bent down to kiss her again and thrilled when he heard a small moan escape.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and surrendered to him, letting him pull her tightly against his body, his arousal pressing against her belly. Josef ran his hands down her back and cupped the gentle curves of her bottom and lifted her slightly.

Lani wrapped her legs around his hips, settling against him as if it was the only place she belonged. He turned and walked to the house, up the steps and inside where he took one hand away to close and lock the door behind them. His lips stayed melded with hers the whole way and only broke apart when she whispered, “Down the hall, the door on the left.”

Inside the bedroom he toed the door closed and felt her slide down his body, the sensual movement nearly making him lose his mind. She stepped back and pulled her tee shirt off and reached for the buttons on his shirt and he grabbed her hands and said, “Lani, we need to talk first.”

She sighed and took his hand and led him to a small loveseat across the room and pulled him down next to her. It was all he could do not to pull her back to him; she was made for his arms but Josef didn’t want to blow this. Lani was special, she was more than special to him and if he moved too fast he could scare her. She’d already had a rough evening and they needed to talk about that…and other things, vampire and human relations being what they were.

“Lani, about earlier, Beth I mean. She was mad at me, not you.”

A slight smile turned the corners of her mouth upward and she said, “I know that Josef. She wasn’t going after me; she wasn’t going to drink my blood, no matter how badly she needed blood. Not mine Josef.”

“How…how do you know that Lani?” His sherry brown eyes raked hers in the dim light provided by the moon.

“I don’t know Josef, I just do.” She shrugged and said, “I didn’t run because I was afraid of her. The situation was a bit scary though, so out of control.”

“Then why did you run?”

“I don’t know. Heroku I guess? He told me to leave and I did. I didn’t think he or Mick would let her attack you, so I left. I needed some time to think, so I came here.”

“I see. Would you like me to leave?”

“No. No I don’t want you to leave Josef. You are exactly where I hoped you’d be.” She leaned forward and kissed him again and thrilled as she felt him respond, kissing her back with passion and desire.

He pulled back and struggled for control for a moment before speaking. “Lani, sex with vampires, well, it’s different.”

“Josef, I know that you will bite me, I understand that I’m not afraid any longer. If that is what you are concerned about, that is.”

Beth had undoubtedly told her about it but he had to speak up about it as well. “Lani, yes, I have to bite, but I don’t have to bite you, if you prefer. There are other options.”

She looked at him and even in the dark he could see how her eyes glistened for a moment. “So, I’m not…you don’t want to bite me?”

“No, that’s not it at all. I just don’t want to hurt you, scare you Lani. And when a vampire bites a woman that he…cares…about it has a different meaning.”

“And that is?”

“It’s a sign of possession; I guess that is the best way to say it. Other vampires will know that you belong to me.”

“I see,” she told him, as if she didn’t already know this from Beth. “So how do they know that you belong to me?” She watched his eyes widen in surprise and he looked away for a moment.

He was surprised and he wondered if she was asking what he thought she was. Could she possibly be ready for that? “You would drink a bit of my blood Lani. It’s, it’s a big step.”

“Josef, all of this is a big step for god’s sake.” She stood up and reached for the button on her jeans and said, “Are you going to make love with me Josef?”

He watched her fingers on the button of her and leaned his head back against the loveseat, eyes silvered as he regarded her through lowered lids. He let out a deep breath as she popped the button open and then the zipper. Lani slid the jeans down over her hips and they fell to the floor and she kicked them aside as she saw the glint of silver and held her hand out to him. He came to his feet in a swift and agile movement, like a jungle cat moves she thought. He pulled her into his arms and slid cool fingers down her back, tracing along her spine until she was quivering with desire.

Her hands slipped between them and began to unbuckle his belt and then when that was accomplished she slid the zipper of his jeans down and pushed them over his hips. He stepped out of them and continued to stare into her eyes that looked almost as luminous as the very moon itself; they were almost incandescent and pulled him into them. He was lost in the moonlight, lost in her gaze. The room felt as if it was pulsing around them, as if they were caught in a swirling miasma of need and desire and they both surrendered to its pull.

She licked her lips and he could smell her arousal, the scent fresh and all Lani, a heady mixture of excitement and yearning that drove him crazy. He reached behind her and unfastened the hook so that he could slide her bra off, gliding it over her arms until it fell to the floor in a hushed whisper of fabric. He knelt before her and gently hooked his thumbs into the lace of her bikinis and unhurriedly moved them down, his mouth kissing and licking along the path his fingers traveled ever so slowly. She stepped out of the fragile lace and stood before him, a virtual goddess of beauty and desire and he felt his mouth go dry and his fangs lengthen as he stared at her.

They were lost in a world of need, of promise and Lani kept her eyes focused on his as she returned the favor with his boxer briefs, placing a brief kiss on his manhood that was rising proudly before her eyes.

He picked her up again and carried her to the bed and laid her gently onto the silken coverlet, among the pillows. Her hair fanned out and the copper highlights caught the flicker of moonlight that shone through the blinds. His eyes raked her, desire raw and demanding satisfaction as he took in the site of her lush curves.

She was mystery, poetry, her body a luxuriant, verdant landscape waiting to be explored. His gaze cherished her, the soft swell of breasts, the creamy plains of her stomach and the gentle curves of her hips all entranced him, beckoned him to explore. His cool fingertips traced down her long, silken neck, feeling the taut skin beneath them. Her pulse sped up at his touch and he watched, mesmerized by the warm blood that beat under the almost translucent skin. She shivered in response and looked at him for a moment, her soulful eyes sweeping down his body and he felt himself immediately grow even harder in response, his manhood jerking with his desire.

He ached for her; he wanted to take her now, feel himself buried deep within the welcoming warmth of her body but she was too precious for him to hurry. He ran his fingers down her body, tracing a stiffened nipple and rosy areola as she sighed in pleasure, arching her back to increase the contact. Restless fingers traced farther down, to dip and circle her navel before finding the silky curls that hid the petals that were already damp with her need. His cool lips captured first one burgeoning nipple, swollen with anticipation and laved it lightly, swirling around the tender bud until she moaned under his ministrations.

His mouth slid up her neck, licking along the vein and over her jaw until it found hers, his tongue traced the outlines of her lips as he nibbled lightly upon them. She opened her mouth and he accepted the invitation, plunging into the honeyed depths to drink her in. Her tongue found his and stoked it, driving him crazy with a burning need to possess her. He groaned and slid his mouth down again, kissing the silken skin until he found the vein that pulsed with her sweet blood and for a moment he stared in rapt fascination at it, his mouth aching to make the bite that would bring him the sweet release from the torment that enthralled him. He licked it, feeling the blood surge beneath his tongue as her heartbeat pounded.

His fingers strayed again to her core, dipping into her and feeling the swollen flesh that was slick with her essence. He stroked her lovingly and slipped a finger into her, making sure that she was ready for him. Her body contracted around his fingers and her hips jerked in response, pushing against his hand.

“Please Josef, I need you now,” she said, her voice catching, husky with emotion.

He moved between her thighs, spreading her legs apart with a gentle nudge. He paused for a moment at the entrance to her womanhood, his head swirling with the scent of her passion. He swallowed hard and pushed forward, completely surrendering to the tight warmth of her body. As he sunk home he shuddered with pent up desire.

Lani arched her back and then wrapped her legs around him, feeling her body rhythmically squeezing him as slow contractions shook her to the core. She couldn’t believe that she was climaxing this quickly but she was, slowly falling apart in his arms.

Josef felt her body gripping his tightly and moved slowly, long and deep thrusts that made Lani almost sob with the intensity of the feelings. She arched her neck and he spread kisses of it and then trailed down to her collar bone, nipping lightly along the way. Cool fingers found the tight buds of her nipples and stroked them lightly before his mouth captured them too, licking and sucking until her body was throbbing with molten need.

She was close again; he felt her body again begin the contractions that would take her over the edge. A few more strokes and the floodgates opened and he looked into her eyes as if asking for her permission to bite.

“Bite your finger Josef,” she told him and watched as his did. A bright red drop of blood appeared and she pulled it to her mouth, sucking gently on it as he rocked into her. He found the spot he desired on her neck and bit tenderly, barely sinking his fangs into her neck and thrilled as the warm blood flowed into his mouth. She was still sucking on his finger, her mouth working in a slow cadence and matching his thrusts into her body.

When she felt his teeth sink into her neck she almost came off the bed as a blazing passion unlike anything she had ever felt took over her. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over her until her head was spinning. It surely couldn’t be possible to feel like this; she was a part of him and he was a part of her. Was it because she drank a bit of his blood too? She didn’t know but she felt a connection that was deeper than she could ever have imagined.

Josef pulled his fangs from her, licking the small wounds as they both tried to catch their breaths. Her arms wrapped around him just as her legs were around his waist. She was breathless and still trembling from this unbelievable experience. This wasn’t just making love – this was the connection of souls.

For the first time in a long time she wasn’t afraid. He was the one; the one she had never believed existed. He was her mate, her anchor – he was her life.

As Josef untangled himself he pulled her close to him and felt a strange sense of joy and contentment wash over him, a reflection of what she was feeling. He held her against him, listening to her steady heartbeat and knew that he had finally found his shelter, his home.



To be continued…