Family Matters: Harborview Immortals, #1

Family Matters

Harborview Immortals #1

By

C.L. Ingro

Copyright 2015 by C.L. Ingro

Cover art by SelfPubBookCovers.com/ RLSather

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This story and all of the additional bonus stories remain the copyrighted property of the author and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends, family, random strangers, and anyone else you can think of to download their own free copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you very much for your support!

This story is a work of fiction. References to real people, places, or historical events are used fictitiously. All other characters, names, events, places, and so on are strictly products of the author’s crazed imagination. Any resemblance to actual places, events, or persons—living, dead, or zombie—is completely coincidental.

Contains disturbing themes and some explicit content.

Author’s Note

This story may look familiar to some of you, as it was previously released under my pen name, Emma Peterson. I decided that a re-release was in order, without the pen name, but with some of the additional content that was previously only available on Emma’s site. More of that content will be published with the re-release of The Rising Son, and maybe even a little more with Two Princes and the final story of the series that has yet to be named. (I wrote a lot of stuff.) If you have decided to check out this story again, thank you so much. And if this is your first time meeting this merry little group of gay and bisexual vampires—and the one human who ties them all together—it’s very nice to meet you, and I hope you enjoy your stay.

C.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

BONUS CHAPTER 2.5

BONUS CHAPTER 4.5

BONUS CHAPTER 7.5

BONUS CHAPTER 15.5

TUCK AND CHUCK (flash fiction)

TO PROTECT AND SERVE (flash fiction)

LAST LOOK (flash fiction)

AN UNEXPECTED ADDITION (Harborview Immortals extra)

SCARS FROM THE PAST (Harborview Immortals extra)

SMALL PACKAGES (Harborview Immortals extra)

FAMILY MATTERS: A HALLOWEEN INTERLUDE (Harborview Immortals #1.5)

CHAPTER 1

2014

Jacob felt like a stalker. He glanced at the dashboard clock as his fingers tapped against the steering wheel to the tune of Freddie Mercury’s powerful voice. It was just past two in the morning and although it felt like longer, he had only been sitting there, two houses down from Xan’s new place, for about ten minutes. Surely it would take another twenty or more to achieve official stalker status.

It was time to get on with what he had arrived unannounced to do before the good citizens of that quaint Harborview, Pennsylvania neighborhood—the ones who were still awake at that hour—questioned why some random man was sitting in some random car in the middle of the night. That the car was a sleek black Audi instead of some souped-up monstrosity was likely the only reason he had not yet been accosted by nosy folks and cops alike.

Jacob removed the key from the ignition and flipped down the sun visor, examining his reflection in the lighted mirror. He smiled as he thought about one of the many myths that pertained to those like him. Outrageous theories derived from fiction, as Dominic often said. The face that stared back at him wasn’t half bad for someone with over two centuries under his belt. He still looked every bit the twenty-five-year-old man he was back in 1804.

He ran his fingers through the chocolate brown locks that ended at his shoulders and were always on the verge of haphazardness, not quite wild but far from tame. Unlike his hair, his eyes and skin were lighter shades of brown. Being biracial wasn’t as big a deal in 2014 as it was during his early years, back when there was a fine line between master and slave, and crossing that line brought about serious consequences. His father had crossed that line. For that, he died before Jacob was born, though his body was never found. Not all of it.

Confirming that everything was in order—or as much as could be in the case of his hair—Jacob got out of the vehicle and pocketed his key, then retrieved something else for later. He looked up at a full moon suspended in a starless sky and lamented the absence of the specks of dancing, twinkling light he had relished since he was a child. When he got home, he would curl up on one of the rear deck chairs and spend the rest of the night gazing at all the vast blackness. He hadn’t done that in a while, but tonight it seemed like a marvelous idea.

First, he had to see Xan. He needed to see Xan. Four days without seeing the young man’s face was three days more than he could stand, and he refused to wait any longer.

There were no signs of movement in the first house he passed, a white two-story with a matching mailbox. But Jacob’s hearing was sharp, and while he didn’t care to know that the inhabitants of that abode were going at it like dogs in heat, it was hard for him not to hear the ruckus. The second house was more obvious about its inner activities. Even if not for the five cars crammed into the driveway, the low thump of bass, sounding more like the erratic heartbeat of a giant than anything remotely pertaining to music, was enough to indicate to anyone within earshot that a good time was being had by all.

Jacob headed up the walkway that led to Xan’s front door. His house was one of the few single-story homes on Norman Street, beige in color and modest in style. Given the needs of the previous owner, an older Irish gentleman with a severe aversion to sunlight, simplicity was essential. It would not do for an outsider to discover what was in the basement and, more importantly, why it was there. That Xan had wanted the house specifically to have such a thing readily available when he entertained guests with the same aversion was not something Jacob cared to contemplate.

He could hear him griping about what should go where and punctuating his statements with creative profanity. Jacob rang the bell and soon sensed Xan staring at him through the peephole. He waved at the tiny lens, feeling stupid and elated, and seconds later, the door opened to reveal the one human being whom Jacob loved more than any other.

Hello there, stranger, he said.

A flash of guilt passed over Xan’s face but was instantly replaced by the smile that Jacob knew well. It was the same one Xan used when he needed to crank up the charm and talk his way out of a sticky situation. Or into someone’s pants. Jacob chose not to think about that, either.

Xan smoothed a hand over his spiked golden blond hair in an effort to subdue it. It didn’t work. He was wearing a plain white T-shirt that showed off the intricate network of tribal tattoos that covered both of his arms. Jacob didn’t like them or all the piercings at first, but over time they grew on him.

Hey. What are you doing here? Xan took a step back, granting him entrance. Not that I’m not happy to see you.

Jacob teasingly ruffled Xan’s hair as he stepped past him. I thought I would stop by and say hi, make sure you weren’t dead, that kind of thing.

You haven’t been to the club this week, Xan responded, closing the door.

Neither have you, from what I hear.

I was there Monday. And part of Tuesday.

And what about Wednesday and Thursday?

Another do-no-wrong smile. Xan was laying it on thick tonight. I needed a couple of nights off.

Funny how that happens every week. Lucky for you the owners like you.

I don’t think they have much of a choice.

Jacob smirked as he surveyed the living room. It was as unremarkable as the house’s exterior with its off-white walls and tan carpet. Numerous boxes were strewn about, each of them labeled with black marker in Xan’s jittery handwriting. Many of them were filled with books, both regular and comic. One of the boxes marked as manga was currently being used as a makeshift desk and temporary home to a laptop. There were also video game consoles with their respective games, tons of Blu-rays, and other forms of recreation treasured by most men in their early twenties. The high definition television with a screen large enough to rival some movie theaters was overkill, but it was necessary for optimal gaming. Or so Xan claimed.

I’m going to do some remodeling later, Xan said, noticing Jacob’s silent appraisal. I want to put in a new carpet and slap some color on the walls. I guess interior decorating wasn’t the Old Man’s thing.

Jacob cleared his throat.

Mr. O’Malley, Xan amended.

That’s better.

Dominic gets to call him Old Man. Even though he’s like, what? Two hundred years older?

Closer to three. Two… eighty… something. It’s all a blur after a while. Jacob took a step closer to Xan. I’ve missed you, he said, cupping his left cheek.

Xan turned away, but not before Jacob spotted another flash of a shame-filled countenance. It’s only been a few days.

"Four days. That’s a long time when I’m used to seeing you almost every single day. Jacob’s fingers danced over the platinum hoops and cuffs that lined Xan’s ear. Feigning astonishment, he pulled his hand back and presented a shiny quarter lodged between his thumb and forefinger, the same quarter he snagged from his pocket when he put away his key. Well, well, well. Look what I found. What else are you hiding in there?"

With a groan and an eye roll, Xan dutifully offered his upturned hand and accepted the coin that Jacob dropped onto his palm. His expression softened, and he stared thoughtfully at the vampire. I’m not a kid anymore, Dad. If you’re going to keep pulling this old trick, start using paper money.

Twenty-five cents was a king’s ransom when you were little.

Yeah, well, inflation’s a bitch. Xan shoved the quarter into his pocket. Sit down and stay awhile.

Don’t mind if I do. Jacob pushed a big brown box labeled PORN out of the way—the boy had no shame—and sat down on a plush hunter green sofa. Four days, he reiterated while looking fixedly at his son. Care to explain?

* * *

Alexander Dawson, known to most as Xan (or Xanadu because his best friend loved to torment him), took a seat in the chair next to the sofa where his father sat. He was surprised that the vampire hadn’t contacted him sooner. This was doubtless his other father’s doing, as Dominic wasn’t quite as overprotective as Jacob.

He knew that he wasn’t in any real trouble, but Jacob sometimes had a knack for making him feel bad. Like right now. I lost track of time, he began, trying not to squirm. I’ve been really busy between working and trying to get everything unpacked.

And that was the truth… for the most part. But when Jacob saw the item that was tucked between the cushions beside him, Xan knew that his excuse wasn’t going to sound nearly as sincere.

Among other things, I see. Jacob blinked at Xan over the red boxer briefs that were pinched gingerly between his fingers. What is this? A housewarming gift?

Xan was tempted to tell him that the underwear was a leftover of the real housewarming gift, and what a gift it had been. The owner of the briefs—Danny or Denny or Donnie or some other D name—had a mouth so talented that it should have been against the law. The experience was one of Xan’s more memorable hook-ups as of late. If only every trip to the grocery store ended with orgasms.

He snatched the briefs from Jacob and tossed them into a nearby open box of comics. Sorry about that, he said, biting his lip and trying not to laugh.

Jacob didn’t fare so well. I don’t know which I find more disturbing, he said, unable to stop himself from grinning. The fact that I’m sitting on a sofa where you exchanged bodily fluids with someone else, or that you sent some poor bastard home without any drawers.

Well, he was in a hurry so… Xan shrugged off the rest of the sentence, to which Jacob could only shake his head in response. He wasn’t a vampire, if that’s any consolation.

It is.

Jacob loathed the idea of Xan being intimate with vampires. Living in a world where one was viewed chiefly as a food source was not without risks, and Xan knew how much his parents had worried about him over the years because of it. But he was twenty-two now. His own man. One who enjoyed sex very much, even if it happened to be with someone who wanted his blood as much as his body. Fortunately, Jacob respected Xan enough to keep his opinions to himself. Usually.

Do you want a drink? Xan asked. Or some blood?

No, thank you. Please tell me you don’t keep that stuff in plain view for your human guests to find.

There’s an old blood bank fridge down in the basement, Xan explained. Old Man—I mean Mr. O’Malley had it installed for me before he moved out.

"A refrigerator and a coffin? You’re all set for your vampire booty calls."

Dad…

I’m kidding. Jacob rose to his feet. Let’s have the grand tour.

It won’t be all that grand since there are boxes all over the damn place, Xan warned. I never realized how much crap I owned.

Dominic did spoil you rotten.

Xan quirked a brow at the statement. Really?

I didn’t say that I didn’t contribute. Now hush and show me around.

Xan smiled warmly at his father, who was a good three inches shorter. The young man wasn’t as tall as Dominic, who was an imposing six feet four inches, but he was close. Sometimes he couldn’t believe that the day had ever come when he was no longer craning his neck to look at both of them. Jacob and Dominic had once been as big as the world to the boy they had taken in to raise as their own. While they were still formidable in many ways, stature was no longer primary among them in Xan’s adult eyes.

They started in the kitchen. Xan could tell that Jacob was struggling to hold his tongue when he spotted the stockpile of ramen noodles in a cupboard next to the fridge, eager to reprimand him for not eating properly. It was a good thing that he had taken out the garbage bag stuffed with pizza boxes and other carryout containers earlier that evening. Just past the kitchen door was the garage that also doubled as a laundry room where Xan’s grey ’77 BMW, a hand-me-down from Dominic, was parked next to his crotch rocket, another on the list of Jacob’s not-so-favorite things when it came to Xan’s safety.

After that, they moved down the hallway, past the guest bathroom and into a spare bedroom where most of Xan’s video game consoles would go, along with all of his books and figures once the shelving was in place. From there they went into the master bedroom. Matching black dressers lined one of the walls and another flat screen television sat on a black stand in the corner. Xan had only used his new king-size bed for sleeping so far, and he was anxious to test it out in other ways. In his mad rush to get down Danny-Denny-Donnie’s pants, they never made it past the living room.

Very nice, Jacob said.

Thanks.

Xan took a seat on the edge of the bed as Jacob checked out the connecting bathroom.

I’ve always been amazed by the amount of product required to make it look like you crawled out of bed without any concern whatsoever for your hair.

Not all of us are blessed with naturally sexy bedhead. Xan tugged at a lock of hair. Some of us have to work for it.

I had no idea that unkempt hair was so desirable. Jacob stepped around a box of extra bedding and stood at the foot of the bed. Are you saying that I’m sexy? he asked cheekily.

Don’t be gross.

Why is it gross for me to be sexy?

"Because you’re my dad and… just… ew. Xan shuddered. Like most people’s children, he had zero desire to think of his father as a sexual being. And how do you even know what ‘booty call’ means? Update your files, by the way, because no one says that anymore."

Really? But I like saying it. Booty call.

Dad.

Booty call, booty call, booty call.

Oh, my God.

Okay, I’m done, Jacob said with a devilish grin. "Anyway, I may be old but I know things. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I know."

Let’s just leave it at that. Come on, before you scar me for life.

They returned to the living room. Xan guessed that Jacob wouldn’t care to see the basement given its purpose. When the vampire made no mention of it, he knew that he had presumed correctly.

So what do you think? he wanted to know.

It’s a good house, son, Jacob replied with an affirming nod.

Xan released the breath that he had been holding. Although he wasn’t the type to base any of his decisions on either parent’s approval, having it still made him feel better.

I’ll have a housewarming party once I get everything sorted. It’ll be small. Just you and Dominic, Becky, Luca, and Uncle Demetrio. He noticed the uncertainty on Jacob’s face after mentioning his uncle’s name. Do they still hate each other?

Who knows? One day they do, the next day they don’t. When it comes to your father and your uncle, I’ve learned to stay as far away from the blast radius as possible. Jacob fished his key out of his pocket. Okay, I’ll leave you to it. Are you coming over for dinner? You may not live with us anymore but it’s still tradition.

Like you’d ever let me hear the end of it if I didn’t.

You know me well.

The vampire patted Xan on the cheek and left. Xan locked the door and went to the jumble of boxes. He stared at the boxer briefs that had clung to their owner in all the right places. With an impish gleam in his baby blue eyes, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through the contact list until he found the name he was looking for. The initial, rather. He was still unsure of the name.

I’m pretty sure it was Danny, he thought as he pressed D? and called the number attached to it. Definitely maybe.

Hey, guess what I found… No, it’s not too late. Come on over.

Unpacking could wait.

It wasn’t until Xan was bent over the back of the sofa that he learned his guest’s name was David. Once again, they didn’t make it past the living room, but at least this time David remembered to take his underwear with him.

* * *

After Jacob arrived home, he went into the kitchen. On the black marble countertop sat an assortment of pots and pans and other items Dominic used to prepare a variety of Italian dishes. The Friday night dinners had started when Xan was a child because Jacob and Dominic both felt it was important to embrace the ritual of a family meal. Even though they were unable to eat the food themselves, they wanted Xan to have fond memories of their times together.

He set out all of the makings for coffee for Luca, the muscular mountain of a man who kept an eye on the house while Jacob and Dominic slept. He began working for them when they brought Xan home and realized soon after that babies did not strictly adhere to a vampire’s up all night/sleep all day schedule. Luca was now pushing forty, but he was the only human the couple would ever trust for daytime protection.

With the coffee ready to go, Jacob flipped off the lights and left the kitchen, then walked through the dining room and entered the living room, all of which were modernly decorated in black and white. The house, in all of its architectural glory, was a far cry from the dilapidated shack in which Jacob had spent the first fourteen years of his human life. If the decision had been solely up to him, he would have gone with something a little less… much. But Dominic loved the house and Jacob loved him, therefore it was home.

He moved past the staircase which ascended to an upper level that was no longer in use now that Xan was gone, through the exit that led to an expansive rear deck that overlooked Lake Erie. The moon hung over the water, breathtaking and picturesque, a lone sphere of brilliance amidst the nothing. Even without the stars, Jacob was transfixed. No matter how much the world changed, and it had changed plenty over the years, he would never tire of witnessing the beauty of nighttime.

There you are.

Dominic’s voice was quiet but crystal clear in the wind that emanated from the lake, as smooth and deep now as it was the night when their paths aligned, though bearing no trace of the thick Italian accent that had taken him decades to eliminate. He was sitting on a loveseat that was flanked by two chairs and staring out at the lake as if it held the answers to all of life’s secrets, his long black hair flowing over his shoulders save for the strands that had fallen victim to the breeze.

Jacob took a seat beside him. He didn’t bother asking how the vampire knew that this was what he had planned to do. They didn’t have the telepathic bond that some vampires shared, but after more than two centuries together, sometimes one just knew what the other needed without having to say anything.

With fingers intertwined, the lovers sat in silence and watched the moon’s reflection waver hypnotically on the surface of the water. Jacob followed the light to its source and beheld the moon in all its splendor, thinking back to the times when he would sneak out to a ramshackle porch to stare at a starry Georgia sky and try to forget that he was a slave child of taboo destined to live a life of servitude. At the time, he thought it was as close to freedom as he was ever going to get.

How is Alexander doing at his new house? Dominic asked after a while.

He’s got a lot of work ahead of him. Of course that hasn’t stopped him from ‘breaking in’ his new furniture.

That child…

"He’s your son."

Dominic turned his piercing green eyes on his partner. "Why is he my son when he does something that displeases you?"

Because I said so.

I can’t argue with that.

You could try but it won’t do you any good.

Dominic’s smile was a beautiful thing. Very few outside of his family ever had the privilege of seeing it.

I know he’s a grown man now, but I’m still worried, Jacob continued. How are we going to watch over him if he’s not living at home anymore?

We’ll do what we can. Dominic brought Jacob’s hand onto his lap and covered it with his own, his fingers absentmindedly toying with the ring he had given Jacob shortly after they met. "He’s made it this far without incident. Most vampires aren’t senseless enough to think of hurting him… and I’m not the reason for that."

I’m not that bad, Jacob insisted.

You’re even worse.

Jacob considered defending himself until he remembered the many instances that supported Dominic’s claim. I can’t help it. He’s our boy.

Dominic squeezed his hand. That he is.

Twenty-two years...

It seemed like just yesterday when they first heard the heartbreaking cry of an abandoned infant left to die. Had it been any other person under any other circumstance, they would have kept on moving, maintaining their distance from all things human. But forever was far too long for Jacob to live with the remorse of ignoring that desperate plea for help, especially since he knew all about maternal rejection himself. When he picked up that emaciated body for the first time, he knew in an instant that he never wanted to let him go.

Dominic’s arm moved around him, coaxing him closer. He has many years left, Jacob.

I know that. I’m still going to worry.

"And I know that."

Leaning into Dominic’s side, Jacob sighed contentedly. They had about an hour to go before the sun made its unwelcome appearance. Until then, he just wanted to sit there in the waning darkness and lose himself to the tranquil serenade of the wind and water, side by side with the one he loved.

* * *

At 5:30 a.m., the vampires went inside. After a daycap of warm brandy and blood, they retired to the lowest level of the house, a windowless basement-turned-bedroom designed specifically for the daylight-challenged. There was a four poster canopy bed against the wall farthest from the basement entrance, one that was far more comfortable than any coffin they had ever used. Jacob sat down on it and kicked off his shoes.

How did your meeting go last night?

Frustratingly unproductive, Dominic answered, sitting down beside him. Tomah and CCL have their hands out for even more blood than we’re currently providing them. I never thought I would say this but I miss the days of Prohibition. Alcohol was so much easier than this.

They’re just trying to save lives, Dominic.

So am I.

Jacob knew that Dominic was justified in his frustration. More vampires placated by a ready supply of blood meant fewer people being injured or killed for it. But unlike alcohol, which they had been able to obtain and move with ease during the 1920s, the trafficking of blood had special limitations—human limitations—that resulted in the demand being greater than the supply.

We’ll figure it out, Jacob reassured him. Or run it by Elliot and let him work his magic.

With an outstretched hand, he swept back Dominic’s hair and moved down along his cheek, gliding over alabaster skin. Dominic closed his eyes and angled his head, seeking more of his touch. Jacob kissed him tenderly, and that alone ignited a desire within him that hadn’t diminished in the slightest during their time together. He pushed through with his tongue, delving into the wetness