Tawne and Sasha made it back to the mansion just as the sky turned a dark wine color. The stars were bright, and the full moon glowed with a soft outline surrounding it. The night was chilly as winter had arrived. The breeze blew from the gulf carrying with it the smell of salt in the air, as well as the wildlife in the sea.
“Come on, we have maybe an hour before it’s too late,” Sasha announced as she parked in the driveway of her men's home.
They exited the car and Sasha pressed a few buttons on a keypad, and the door unlocked.
“You know the keypad code?”
“In case of emergencies, I have access to everyone’s information.”
“Ahh, well this is good to know. And also makes you a little dangerous.”
Sasha grinned and waved Tawne inside. “Let's move. Vamonos!”
Tawne glanced her way and furrowed her brows. “You know Spanish?”
“I know many languages. What does this have to do with getting you to the pairing?”
“Right,” Tawne whispered and looked down the corridor to the elevator. “Not today, Satan.” She made her way toward the stairs instead.
“Do I even want to know what that was about?” Sasha asked.
Tawne shook her head. “I’m positive you’ll hear about it later.”
The human and the vampire sped down the stairs to the basement floor and walked into Chayton’s lab. Tawne wondered for a moment if Sasha was taking her time to not bolt down the stairs with her vampire speed. She felt even more respect for the woman and knew, in time, she may grow to become a best friend. Not quite like a sister, like Olivia was, but someone very close she could consider a confident.
“Here we are,” Tawne announced and did her best to not sound winded. She wanted to kick her own ass for not getting on her treadmill more often, but who has time for that with four hot-as-hell vampires on your tail at all times?
Fuck exercise.
Tawne turned on the lights to the lab. “Do you know what the substance looks like?”
Sasha nodded. “Yes, and I know Chayton put the successful batch in the cooler.” She walked across the room to the stainless steel fridge.
Sasha opened the door and the light spilled out onto the floor casting a shadow around her body. “Here we go.”
She closed the door and turned around. In her hand, she held a slender tube. It reminded Tawne of the shots from the bars she went to in her early twenties.
Sasha handed the vial forward, then hesitated and pulled it back. “Are you ready for this?”
Tawne nodded. “Yes, yes, I am. I want this.”
“You want it or need it? There is a very defined difference.”
Tawne sighed and rested her hands on her hips. “Stop fucking with my head. I want the fucking serum, so I can be with my men. I… Hell, I love them, Sasha. I have no idea why I do, but I do. My life was not complete until they were in it. I had a void in my heart and I knew when I met them, they would fill the hole. And they did.”
“That’s what she said.” Sasha giggled.
“You’re incorrigible,” Tawne said with a shake of her head, then she smirked. “Okay, Sasha, give me the vial.”
The vampire handed over the slender tube.
It was cold between Tawne’s fingers. She pulled the cork lid off the top, then looked at Sasha. “So, I just drink?”
“Yes, bottoms up.”
Tawne turned the tube upside down and drained the contents into her mouth. It tasted like the fizzy stomach drink taken after a night out with Jim and Johnny Walker. She swallowed and swiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Do you feel anything?”
Tawne shook her head. “Other than the stuff being nasty as fuck?”
Sasha laughed. “You’ll be happy to know Chayton has been working on this for a long, long time.”
“How did he test it?”
Sasha lifted a brow. “How do you think?”
Tawne made an ‘O’ with her lips then set the tube on the table next to her. “Should I feel anything?”
With a shrug, Sasha stepped forward. “We need to get going if we’re going to do this.”
Tawne nodded. “Yes, I know. I just thought—”
She bent over and groaned. Her stomach erupted in a pain worse than a stomach virus.
“Tawne?” Alarmed, Sasha was by her side in a second. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know,” she managed to groan. “Fuck… I’m dying, holy shit make it stop!”
“No, you have to let it run its course. Your blood, your essence, everything about you is changing, Tawne. Everything. Give it a moment, it will soon pass.”
“How do you know? Holy mother of all things Hell!” She started to drop to her knees when Sasha caught her.
“It’s what happened on the other test subjects.”
“Outstanding,” she growled. “How many did he test on?”
“Does it matter?” Sasha answered.
“Yes. I want to know what happened to them after the transition.”
“They survived. Isn’t that all that matters?”
Tawne glared at the woman. “There’s a difference between surviving and living.”
Sasha smiled and straightened Tawne to a standing position. “Two minutes, max, and you’ll be just fine. As for surviving, yes. They did just fine. We had volunteers come in to test the serum. Once it took, vampires with no concubine tasted their blood until the serum was complete. Your blood will be synthetic. Like a meat eater choosing tofu for the rest of their life by choice.”
“Lovely. I’ve just been compared to steak!”
“You must be feeling better to crack a joke. Tell me, is it passing?”
Tawne nodded, then met Sasha’s gaze. She frowned. “Something’s different. You look…no, you smell different.”
Sasha smiled. “Then it’s definitely working. You’re not a blood demon, but your body believes it now is. You’ll be drawn even more to your vampires now, and them to you. They’ll be able to feed on you without help from a volunteer.” She leaned in. “Have Olivia tell you her story one day when she almost attacked a volunteer named Candace once.”
Tawne arched a brow. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She sucked in a long breath, then slowly exhaled. “Everything smells different. No, not different, just stronger.”
“That’s normal. You’ll probably see and hear better as well. Oh!” Sasha released the grip she had on Tawne and continued. “Just wait until you have sex and they bite you!”
She smiled, and her cheeks burned with embarrassment. “I can’t wait. Can we go now?”
Sasha nodded. “Yes! Let’s go. We have,” she checked her phone, “shit! We have minutes! Let’s go!”
Tawne buzzed with anticipation. She was a nervous ball of excitement and a part of her was also scared to death of rejection. What if she showed up and the men turned their backs on her? Or worse, the coven wouldn’t allow her entrance after she'd left?
She hadn't given any words, or reasons, for her departure, just bolted. Everyone in her life always left her; whether that was by death or on their own accord, no one ever stayed long enough to give a damn. Now, there were four men willing to lay down their lives for her, and to show her appreciation, she shit on them, then left.
There was no way she would be welcomed back. She bent over in her seat and held her face in her hands.
“What’s the matter?” Sasha asked and placed her hand on Tawne’s back.
“I’m kidding myself that the coven and my men will have anything to do with me. I left without a word. I got scared and fled.”
“Don’t you think they realized that?”
She shook her head and looked at the woman next to her. Beautiful and confident, Sasha was everything Tawne wasn’t. Tall, slender, blonde, and beautiful, where Tawne was short, with blonde hair and on the heavier side.
“Don’t do that,” Sasha scolded.
“What did I do?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know. The mood just did a serious shift from sadness to angst. Don’t compare yourself to me. You have no idea what I’ve been through to get to this point in my life.”
Tawne lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any offense.”
“None taken.” Sasha touched just under Tawne’s chin and lifted her face up. “Don’t you think your men love you for you?”
She shrugged. “Well, I hope it’s not because I’m a meal ticket.”
Sasha growled and the sound actually frightened Tawne. She scooted away from her in her seat. “Why don’t you try that again.”
“I’m sorry!” Tawne pleaded. “My self-defense has always been humor. I didn’t mean any offense, I promise.”
Sasha lifted her brow. “The men went through a lot to get to where they are. They opted to be the first to try a human female rather than a blood demon.”
“May I ask why?” She just realized she had not asked this before and wanted to kick herself for it.
Sasha nodded. “Our incubus are a dying breed. We still have about a thousand active, but it’s not enough. Not every one of them produce offspring. To tell you the truth, some of our vampires have been starving. Chayton creating this serum will save many lives and open the doors for many more to come. Not just humans.”
She lifted a brow. “Are you telling me there’s shifters and other demons in the world?”
Sasha smiled, then laughed. “You think vampires and blood demons are the only creatures in the world to walk alongside humans?”
“Well, with the question for my question, I’ll say no.”
“Good answer. And, we’re here.”
The car pulled to a stop in the familiar warehouse district. Opening the doors, Tawne exited and double checked herself.
Dress.
Shoes.
Hair.
Makeup.
Bra and panties.
She looked to Sasha. “Will you walk me in?”
The vampire nodded. “Of course, but the entrance must only be you, and you must be announced.”
Tawne felt her stomach drop. “Fuck me. I have no one to do this for me.”
She smiled. “Yes, you do.” She pulled her phone out and pressed a few buttons, then brought the phone to her ear. “Hey, yeah it’s me. Listen, I have a huge favor. Meet me out back. Yes, she’s here. She’s ready. Will you escort her inside? I owe you one. Bye.” She hung up with a smile.
“Well?”
“You have an escort. I wish you the best. I’ll walk you to him, but from that point he’ll be your guide.”
“Hi, ladies.”
Tawne turned to the familiar voice and found Jesse approaching. She smiled. “Hi. Thank you so much for doing this.”
“I’m glad to see you back. You ready?” He held his arm out for her.
She took it and nodded. “Yes, I am ready. I sure as hell hope they’re ready for me.”
He chuckled. “I’m sure they’ll be surprised, but in a good way.”
Sasha walked ahead of the two and paused in front of the double doors. “I’m going to open these, then there will be another set of doors. When you pass through them, you’ll recognize the room. Do not speak until you’re spoken to. Understand?”
Tawne nodded.
“Usually that’s my line,” Jesse told her.
She stuck her tongue out at him, then opened the doors.
Tawne sucked in a deep breath when they stepped inside, then exhaled when the doors closed behind them, plunging them into darkness. The second set of doors opened, and light cut into the shadows.
The chattering and drinking came to a dull buzz and most everyone in the room turned to see who the late newcomer was.
“May I present,” Sasha roared with her voice. “Miss Tawne O’Brien.”
“Tawne?”
She heard Olivia somewhere in the room, then the strike of heels as they ran across the floor. Through the crowd, Olivia pushed her way through and, eyes wide with surprise, smiled.