NEVER FALL FOR THE FORBIDDEN (NEVER FALL SERIES)

Never Fall F
or the Forbidden.

A novel.

By
Jennifer Shortridge

Triton stood at the window of his bedchamber staring coldly into the haunting night. He knew she was out there. Out in her mortal world, alone, afraid, without him. Living the sun-filled existence, one he would never be able to be apart of, one he could never lead again, one with light and her. The fragments of the humanness left in his heart ached just to be with her, he wanted to hold her, to posses her, to love her. Now he would have to hunt her.

She
. The one. The forbidden.

Chapter One

              Triton stood stoic before the centuries elder vampire. Face immobile, eyes fixed, statue still. He felt as if his organs would explode from the violent vibrations of nervous fear but held stationary. The time had come to face the consequences of his actions.

             
There was no denying Triton broke the rules. He longed for the time when he had no regard for the archaic conventions scripted a millennium ago, but now the rouge vampire had to face breaking the covenant.

             
Enforced to this modern day, the rules decreed that relations between humans and his kind could never be, their union strictly forbidden. Triton risked his immortal existence just to be with a human and now stood to face retribution for his actions.

             
The elder spoke in a low tone, glaring sternly at Triton, “What say you?”

             
“My lord, I have no explanation for what I have done, or why it happened. Emotions, human emotions took over…I tried to control them as we control our cravings, but I was weak. I have not your strength or resolve.” Triton gazed directed down to the floor with ashamed repentance.

             
The elder sat, leaned against the high back of his chair, and crossed his arms before he spoke, “I alone can not pass judgment, the echelon elders will council upon the new moon. Until then you are here by confided to your chambers until you are sent for, understood?”

             
Triton spoke softly and bowed reverently to the elder, “I accept your decision.”

             
With a stout wave of one hand, the elder dismissed Triton out of the chamber and out of his sight.

             
Triton held out his wrists. Two guardian vampires performed their duty of shackling on handcuffs. No struggle, no protest, nor argument came from their superior. He could have easily over powered the guards and escaped. The younger made, weaker soldiers feared he would, but Triton went along with the demonstration and let the guards complete their task without conflict.

             
Nine centuries into his immortal life, Triton had acquired unmatchable strength, perfected the ability to read minds, honed stealth speed in his movements, and allowed himself be to taught the way to change another to one like himself. The one thing he prided himself on was that he had not turned a single being into this secret society of night dwelling and blood thirst.
Thank god, that is not on my conscience
, he thought as lead the way back to his room.

             
A young guard nervously fumbled his keys as he un-cuffed Triton. Triton opened his door to his chamber, a glorified studio apartment on the second floor and waited for the symbolic yet unnecessary bolting of his door.

             
Blowing out a deep breathy sigh of a frustrated male, Triton sat wearily on the edge of the bed. Roughly running his hands down his face, he left his head in his hands and tried his damnest to clear her from his mind. Memories taunted him, emotions tortured him,
memories to madness
, he thought. As he sat alone, thoughts of her filtered slowly into his mind. The scent of her hair, the touch of her finger tips on his cheek, her soft voice speaking his name.

             
DAMN IT!
His head jerked up, startled as the automatic blinds lowered as the dawn approached. The distraction proved enough to shake loose the torturing thoughts. Triton stood stretching his six-three frame and caught his reflection staring back at him from the mirror. A well-built frame and looks that rivaled any Adonis stared back at him. Unimpressed, he averted his eyes and turned around to lean against the dresser. Slowly he peeled off the jacket and clothes, preparing for the nightly hibernation as he had done for centuries.

             
The sleep produced strange dreams but provided no real rest. Frantic nightmares of her calling to him taunted him. “Help me, Triton, please!”

             
Barely able to reach her, to save her, she slipped from his grasp into the dark abyss of the black shadows waiting to steal her soul and then come after his.

             
“Don’t let go, don’t let go!” Her voice rang out in his ears. Triton screamed out her name as her hands slid from his disappearing into a black hole of nothingness.

             
“Save me!” A voice called out.

Bolting
up right, Triton shot out his sleep. His panic heartbeat pounded against his chest, sweat soaking the sheets. His green eyes glowed in the dark. Another’s presence wafted across the air. Using his superior night vision to scan the room he searched for the source of the scent. The strong overpowering scent burned in his nostrils. Out of the shadows of the room his creator’s British accented voice spoke, “You dreamt?”

             
“Nightmares,” he replied.

             
From the other side of the room, Nala turned on the small lamp at the side of his bed, and spoke, “Fascinating. We are not supposed to be able to do that you know.” His creator sauntered up the bed.

             
She placed a tall glass of sustenance down.

             
“You have slumbered for days. You need to feed.”

             
“I’m fine,” He said, tossing back the covers from his body. Throwing his legs over the side of the mattress, Triton rested his fists at his side. Using them to push up to his feet, he stood wearily. Rising up, his perfect nakedness glowed as the soft light hit the milky whiteness of his flesh.

             
Centuries had passed since she had seen him like this. Nala, the oldest female vampire wanted to reach out to make sure her creation was not made of marble. He could have rivaled any of Michelangelo’s statues, his body muscular, his features classic. She chose him to turn into a vampire based on these attributes and nothing more.

             
He slicked his dark hair to the back to the nape of his neck, as he picked up his trousers from the floor and dressed. 

             
“The elders, they are to decide my fate at the new moon.”

             
“Did you forget I am one of them? I do have a say and great influence. But I can not help you, if you do not confide in me,” She said turning his chin to meet her gaze.

             
“I have never once held back from you. I want you to judge me fairly. Not because I am your creation, but by my actions.”

             
“I consider you more than my prodigy; you are so much more to me. My success.”

             
“I have failed you.” Triton went on to tell her the entire story. Nala sat softly down on the bed. Shock registered painfully over her face; she turned to speak to him as his secret set in.

             
“Do you know what this means?” she shook her head in disbelief, “It can not be, there must be a mistake.”

             
“I know for sure,” He replied.

             
“You must be unique, a mutation.”             

             
He barely held back the urge to shout but spoke calmly, “I am of your creation. How can I be something different than what you gave to me?”

              Triton turned to stare out the window and into the night. He thought back hundreds of years ago to when Nala had created him.

             
Only four days passed from when Triton had to return his young bride back to the earth when Nala came upon him. She found him sprawled across the mound of the grave he had dug. The final resting place for a life took years before it should have been.

             
Nala knew in an instant that he was the one she wanted. White moonlight revealed a drunken mess of tears and dirt covering his young, strong featured face. Drunk with liquor and grief, Triton sobbed and cursed. He swigged from the jug of potent, intoxicating brew. Infuriated to find the bottle empty, Triton whipped the jug toward a pine tree, but missed. The bottle splashed into the river at the same spot where he had found his newly betroths body dead. The compliments of passing nomadic marauders he supposed.              

             
Triton staggered to his feet and shouted up to the sky in mix of angered grief and frustration.

             
The crack of a branch under foot, made him spin around to see who interrupted his angered grieving. He pulled his knife and held it tightly. Triton shook his head to clear his vision wondering if the drink was fooling him. A woman stood before him, beautifully adorned and dressed, her raven hair matched the color of her eyes. He dropped the weapon, stared upon her before he stammered, “What kind of devil are you?”

             
Nala grinned; he was perfect, just what her appetite and desire lusted for. “Not a devil, an angel, sent to bring you a gift,” her smooth voice as intoxicating as the wine he consumed.

             
Triton blinked slowly to clear his vision as Nala approached and stood a foot from him. She read his thoughts, knew exactly what his heart held and his mind wanted.

             
“What kind of gift?” he slurred.

She smiled
greedily, “A gift so powerful, you could bring about the most delicious revenge against any enemy you so desired. You could make them feel pain, inflect hurt on them. That is what you want? To make them suffer as you do now?”

             
Triton’s fists clenched, “I want to tear them limb from limb!”

             
Anger coursed through his body as the sweet drunk blood raced through his veins. The smell permeated the air. Her mouth watered to taste him, “Imagine having such strength to do so-on anyone you pleased, any and all of your desires fulfilled.”

             
She encircled him a snake on a tree branch. Her fingers lightly brushed across his broad shoulders and strong back. Hands slid around his well-built chest, Nala tiptoed up behind his back, slowly whispering her elixir into his ear, the sensual overtones exciting him, “I can give that to you. Do you want it?”

             
“Yes, I want it,” he panted on huffed breath.

             
Triton’s eyes popped open, Nala stood in front of him, peeled open her corset to reveal lush firm breasts.

             
Triton fumbled his hands over them, leaning down he clumsily placed his mouth over one breast. His wife had been his first and only lover before Nala. She could tell he was inexperienced but his youthful drunken desire proved plentiful. The temptress reached down squeezing his rising sex. Triton threw back his head and gasped loudly. He surprised her, Triton spun Nala around pressed her against the tree and raised her skirt.
He has good strength, for a human,
she thought and let him put his anger, frustration, and libido into it. From behind, Triton freed himself and pressed into her. He felt control, power, and pleasure. Triton thrust deep and hard. The rise of her immortal thirst made the transition happen in an instant. Triton stopped for a second as Nala turned to face him. He lifted her, propped her against the hard bark and began again, buried his face in her sweet jasmine smelling hair as she spoke, “Do you want to feel like this forever?”

             
“Yes.” He panted as he was nearly about to finish.

             
“Do you want revenge?” she purred.

             
“Yes!” He said as his rhythm sped up, her body pounding against the tree.
              “Do you want to live forever?” she asked.

             
Triton could no longer hold in and as he began his orgasm, he shouted, “Yes!”

             
Nala’s teeth sank fiercely into the salty, dirty skin of his neck ripping open the flesh. Blood spurted into her throat as she sucked the thick juice. The union of pleasures burst simultaneously as they both reached the peak. Triton screamed unbearably loud as Nala’s full strength, held him in place as she fed upon him. She sucked voraciously as he writhed in ecstasy and horrific pain; her clutch unbreakable. Draining him until he was nearly void of the life, Nala threw him to the damp ground as if he was a rag doll. She straddled his dying body, lowered her self to his chest and sat atop him.

             
She clutched the back of his neck, raised his face to hers, his open lips millimeters away from hers. Blood soaked breath poured with his wine stained lips.

             
“Say it.” she kindly demand peppered with a selfish tingle.

             
He choked out the words, the fear of dying in his last thought. “I-want to-live-forever.”

             
Nala nodded, lifting her free wrist to her own mouth biting in open with the razor sharp fangs. She held the leaking wrist to his lips directing his mouth like babe to a breast, guiding his lips to it. Instinctively he clenched on and sucked. He drank the immortality with hard insatiable swallows.