The Tiny Vampire From Outer Space That’s Bitey XX: Pitstop at Chivitas (Shadow Conn Tiny Vampire Book 20)

Marcus, Shadow, Oliver, Alera and Lucia are on their way to Chivitas then Umbra after a stop at the Deep Space Space Station. Unfortunately, hostile code has been detected in the computer systems. Can Marcus and his family stop the code and delete it before they get to Umbra, or will they be forced to build another spaceship in an attempt to get back to their children on Earth?

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Chapter 1 – Enroute to Chivitas

The trip from Earth to Chivitas was two and a half months. They were making good time, and Victor was making progress on his experiment. It was a sunblock for vampires. The UV tests were progressing well. Marcus thought it would be good in an emergency, like if a vampire were caught out during the day close to their front door. Marcus supposed he’d trust it for shielding his face and hands. Victor had higher hopes for it. He wanted to go to the beach during the day. Marcus couldn’t see himself standing out in the sun in a pair of short shorts for any length of time. Though, he thought Shadow might appreciate the view.

“We’re approaching Chivitas,” the helmsman said.

“Slow down,” Marcus said. “We want to see what’s going on here.”

“Disengaging hyperdrive,” the helmsman said. “Engaging impulse engines.”

“Put us in orbit. High orbit,” Marcus said.

Two minutes until high orbit,” the helmsman said.

“As soon as we’re stable, scan the surface. You’re looking for signs of weapons. Fires. Anything that says they may still be in a civil war.”

“High orbit achieved. Scanners activated,” the helmsman said. “We have cameras.”

“Turn on the cameras. Let’s take a look,” Marcus said. He watched as the view changed from space to the surface of Chivitas.

“This is both exciting and disappointing,” Oliver said as he looked at the large screen at the front of the bridge. The buildings were absolutely decimated. Many were burned out, and the ones that weren’t completely toasted had large chunks missing from them.

“I don’t think there’s much left,” Mark said.

“This does not look good,” Marcus said as he viewed the demolished buildings. “Where is this?”

“Wait a minute,” Oliver said as he saw a large sign he recognized. “This is the capital city. We didn’t live anywhere near this.”

“We need to look at some of the smaller towns,” Marcus said. “I don’t think we expected the capital city to be intact.”

“We’ll be in range of the next one in a few minutes,” the helmsman said. “What happened to the capital city?”

“Marcus,” Oliver said.

“Marcus?” the helmsman asked.

“I burned it to the ground,” Marcus said. “Or started the process. I can’t take all the credit. The citizens were already irritated.”

“Marcus got a little angry,” Shadow said.

“That’s a little angry?” the helmsman asked. “What was the other night?”

“Slightly miffed,” Marcus said.

“Good to know,” the helmsman said. “Here’s the next city. It’s a suburb.”

“That’s not us, and wow, is that burned,” Oliver said.

“I wonder which of the elders lived there,” Marcus said.

“I have no idea,” Oliver said. “But I would venture to guess, they got him.”

“They blew up a bridge,” Marcus said.

“That’s over the Chivitas River,” Oliver said. “It’s not the only way to get into the capital city area, but it’s one of the few.”

“What’s that big thing?” Shadow asked.

Alera gasped. “That’s one of the big schools.”

“I hope the childer weren’t in it,” Marcus said.

“I hope not either,” Alera said.

“That’s us.” Shadow pointed.

“There’s our house,” Marcus said. “It’s still standing. I’m impressed.”

“So’s ours,” Oliver said.

“This is about a hundred miles from the capital city. This area looks less damaged,” the helmsman said. “In fact…” He zoomed around to view the nearest major road. “It really looks like they took that road and bypassed your town completely.”

Marcus looked then laughed. “It sure does.”

“It’s not a well-known town to spite having a space agency location there,” Oliver said. “And compared to the other cities and towns, there’s nothing to do.”

“It was perfect for me and Shadow,” Marcus said. “We weren’t looking for excitement.”

“Is it daylight down there?” Shadow asked.

“It is,” Marcus said. “That’s why we’re not seeing anyone.”

“Do a thermal sweep,” Oliver said.

“Thermal sweep activated,” the helmsman said.

“It’s not hot,” Shadow said.

“There’s no fires,” Marcus said.

“Three in that building,” Oliver said.

“I’ve counted about ten,” Alera said.

“In how many blocks?” Marcus asked.

“Four,” Oliver said. “That’s nowhere near what it was. That neighborhood had a few hundred families. Your house and mine were one of the few without childer in it.”

“That wasn’t for a lack of effort,” Marcus said. “Or obliviousness on my part.”

Shadow grinned.

“Did you end up with some surprises, Marcus?” Mark asked.

“I did,” Marcus said. “I wasn’t thinking about that at all. It wasn’t mutto season on Umbra.”

“It was on Chivitas,” Shadow said.

“What happened to that one?” Mark asked.

“Badly formed,” Marcus said. “Which isn’t uncommon with first sacs.”

“Do you want to stop on Chivitas now or after we go to Umbra?” Alera asked.

“Let’s stop and go down,” Marcus said. “There’s no reason to make everyone from Chivitas wait until after we get to Umbra.”

“The sun sets in three hours,” the helmsman said.

“Tell those who want to go down to Chivitas to get ready,” Marcus said. “They can stay down for no longer than three hours, since there was a war on this planet, and we don’t know for sure if it’s entirely over.”

“We can transport up any stuff they want,” Mark said.

“Good,” Marcus said. “And make sure we have a shuttle ready.”

“Will do,” Mark said.

Marcus turned to Shadow. “Did you put shoes on?”

“Shoes and pants,” Shadow said.

Marcus looked her over. She did put on stretchy pants under her dress, and she was wearing her boots.

“I double-checked those knots,” Alera said.

“Am I going to have to cut those off later?” Marcus asked.

“I can get them off,” Alera said.

“Does she not dress herself?” Mark asked.

“You know all those things that made it so that all you had to do was get out of bed?” Marcus asked.

“Yeah,” Mark said. “But I didn’t have any of that.”

“I didn’t either, but she had all of it,” Marcus said.

“I heard you don’t even have to dress yourself or do laundry if you have some sort of automatic closet.”

“She had it,” Marcus said.

“I still have it. It’s just on Umbra,” Shadow said. “And that’s true. It’ll wash your clothes and put them on you.”

“That’s one of the things I want to look at when we get to Umbra,” Marcus said.

“What should we take down?” Oliver asked.

“Whatever you’ll need for a few hours,” Marcus said. “I’d take down some food just in case.”

“Do you think there’s snacks down there?” Shadow asked.

“I don’t know,” Marcus said. “I think I have some Chivitas money.”

“I know I do,” Oliver said. “I found my wallet.”

“Authentic food,” Mark said. “That sounds good.”

“If we find some, we’ll buy a lot of it,” Marcus said. “If I can find a bank open, I know I have money.”

“Are you rich everywhere?” Shadow asked.

Marcus laughed. “Not on Chivitas. We weren’t there long enough, but assuming there are still banks, I do have enough money for some food, assuming all goes well.”

“I need a blood pie with extra cream,” Shadow said.

Alera grinned. “We’re going to be rolling her back onto the ship.”

“Before we all decide we need a second breakfast, is there anything else everyone should be aware of?” Mark asked.

“We want to try and blend in,” Marcus said. “Which reminds me. If anyone recognizes us and asks us where we’ve been, we’ve been in Torpor for the last several years.”

“Is that the excuse for everyone?” Mark asked.

“It is,” Marcus said.

“I’ll let everyone know who’s going down,” Mark said.

“Great. Let’s go make sure we have everything we need,” Marcus said. He picked Shadow up and walked toward the elevator.

“Should we check the other side of the planet?” Mark asked.

“I suppose we should,” Marcus said.

“I’ll let you know when that’s done and what we found,” Mark said.

“Thank you,” Marcus said.

Alera and Oliver followed Marcus into the elevator.

“Do you think this will go smoothly?” Alera asked.

“I have no idea,” Marcus said. “You know what, if we want this to go smoothly, I should probably stay up here. I recall someone saying that my name was famous here.”

“It may be, but how many of them have actually seen you?” Oliver asked. “I think it’s fine for you to go down.”

Marcus told the computer to take them to their suites. “That’s a good point. I really didn’t interact with many of the inhabitants.”

“Not to mention, I doubt there’s an Elder Guard down there to harass you,” Oliver said. “You finaled most of them personally, and if anyone did realize it was you, they’d probably throw you a parade.”

“I doubt they’d throw me a parade,” Marcus said.

“I bet they would,” Oliver said.

Marcus chuckled.

Once they got to their suite, Marcus packed a large satchel that he could put over his shoulder. He made sure they each had an extra set of clothes. Then, he packed his equipment and enough bloodbottles to last the rest of the night. He knew Shadow wanted snacks, but Chivitas was low on food when it entered the civil war. He didn't expect the food supply to be any better. In fact, he expected it to be worse.

“Do you have what you want?” Marcus asked.

“Yes.” Shadow held up her bag.

“Is that a bag with a blanket in it?” Marcus asked.

“And a pillow,” Shadow said.

“How did you survive on your own?” Marcus asked as they walked out of the suite.

Shadow hopped into the hall behind Marcus. “I was well rested.”

“I can’t disagree with that,” Marcus said.

“We’re ready,” Oliver said as he walked into the hall with Alera.

“I’m here,” Lucia said.

“Did you find your coins?” Marcus asked.

“I did,” Oliver said. “Could you not find yours?”

“I have Umbra money. It doesn’t look like I brought any Chivitas coins,” Marcus said.

“I bet they’re still in your house,” Alera said.

“They might be,” Marcus said. “If it wasn’t ransacked.”

They walked into the elevator. Marcus told it to go to the shuttle level.

“When does the sun set?” Shadow asked.

“By the time we have the shuttle ready, it’ll be set,” Marcus said as the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

“What about the other side of the planet?” Oliver asked.

“I bet they’re nearly done scanning it,” Marcus said. He set Shadow on her feet and walked over to a comm panel. “How’s the scan of the other side of the planet?”

“No weapons. Lots of warm bodies, but they seem to be in the middle of that continent,” Mark said.

Marcus looked at Oliver. “Was your planet divided?”

“Not exactly.” Oliver walked over. “What did you find?”

“Lots of living creatures in the middle of the continent on the other side,” Mark said.

“Oh, that’s normal,” Oliver said.

“In that case, it doesn't look like there’s any active war,” Mark said. “We did find an active volcano, but it’s nowhere near where you’re going.”

“What about the ash cloud?” Marcus asked.

“Being blown in the other direction,” Mark said.

“All right. We’re going down.” Marcus ended the communication.

“Do we have that stuff that Victor made?” Shadow asked.

“I have a bottle,” Marcus said. “But it doesn’t quite work as well as we’d like.”

“How does it not work?” Alera asked.

“You get about five minutes from the time the sun hits it,” Marcus said. “That’s about enough time to find a building and break into it, if you weren’t next to your front door.”

“Why does it only last five minutes?” Shadow asked.

“It breaks down,” Marcus said. “And as it heats up, it melts. He needs to refine it.”

“But we’re cold,” Shadow said.

“The sun’s light is fairly warm,” Marcus said.

“Wouldn’t it be more advantageous to figure out why we can’t be out in the sun?” Shadow asked.

“We know why,” Marcus said. “Our skin breaks down rapidly when exposed to certain types of UV light. It’s so rapid, it often results in combustion.”

“Why don’t we fix that?” Shadow asked.

“That would take a longer explanation than we have time for,” Marcus said. “Ask me when we get back from Chivitas. I should have it explained by the time we get to Umbra.” He turned to Oliver. “Let’s load this shuttle.”

Shadow huffed. “Is there a short explanation?”

“There isn’t,” Marcus said. “Oversimplifying it leads to disastrous results.”

Oliver and Marcus loaded the cargo area of the shuttle with their items.

“Good evening,” a male crewman said as he walked into the room.

“Good evening,” Marcus said. “Are you the pilot?”

“I am,” he said. “It shouldn’t take me long to do the preflight if you want to make yourselves comfortable inside.”

Shadow hopped inside the shuttle behind Alera.

“Do you want a window seat?” Alera asked.

“Do I have to have my own seat?” Shadow asked.

“You have to sit in your own seat,” the pilot said. “You can’t stand or sit on the floor.”

“Or on Marcus,” Alera said.

Shadow sighed. She sat in a seat near the window.

“How long is the flight down?” Alera asked.

“Fifteen minutes. If that,” the pilot said as he continued his preflight.

“You’ll survive fifteen minutes in your own seat,” Alera said to Shadow.

Marcus and Oliver stepped onto the shuttle.

“That’s everything.” Marcus sat down next to Shadow.

The pilot stood and closed and sealed the door. “We’ll be ready to leave in three minutes.”

Marcus fastened his and Shadow seatbelts. Then, he took a hold of her hand.

Shadow grinned.

“We’re taking off now,” the pilot said. “Should be a quick flight down.”

The shuttle shook slightly as they flew out of the hangar.

“Is this the good shuttle?” Shadow asked.

“This is the one with the shutters,” Marcus said.

“It’s also stocked with food. For you and me,” the pilot said.

“Are you human?” Marcus asked.

“I am.”

“Do not leave this shuttle, and once we leave, close the doors,” Marcus said.

“Is it dangerous?” the pilot asked as he guided them through the upper atmosphere of Chivitas.

“You’re a living creature here,” Marcus said. “And the info we have for this planet says they’re running out of food. If they can’t get food, they will hunt for food.”

“Oh, great. And I guess I’m a food,” the pilot said.

“You are,” Marcus said. “I mean, you’re not. Humans taste terrible, but they don’t know that, and you’ll get seriously injured before they figure it out.”

“Oh, I see,” he said. “Do they eat the whole living creature, like we eat cows?”

“That’s gross,” Shadow said.

“No,” Marcus said. “They eat a liquid diet.”

“I think I have to agree with your little redhead,” the pilot said.

Shadow laughed.

“Do you want to land near the town? The smaller one?” the pilot asked as he steered the shuttle.

“We do,” Oliver said. “There’s a forest that’s relatively close.”

“I see it, and a clearing. I’m guessing someone else has landed here,” the pilot said.

“It’s possible,” Oliver said. “We’ve had a few spacecraft land over the years.”

“Make sure your seatbelts are tightened,” the pilot said. “We’ll be landing in thirty seconds.”

Marcus checked Shadow’s seatbelt. Then, he tightened his. “We’re ready.”

“Our seatbelts are tight,” Oliver said.

The shuttle touched down in the forest outside of the town where Oliver, Alera, Marcus and Shadow used to live.

The pilot shut down the engines and opened the exterior door.

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The Tiny Vampire From Outer Space That’s Bitey XIX: Hyperspeed Vampires (Shadow Conn Tiny Vampire Book 19)

Shadow and Marcus are well on their way to taking over Earth. The humans are mostly oblivious. However, Marcus believes they need to start preparing to go back to Umbra in order to grab the technology on their old planet. In order to do that, they need to secure Earth. This means opening a vampire school and formally announcing the new vampire council.

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Chapter 1 – Lunch with the Childer

Marcus slid out of the bed then helped Shadow out of it. He washed them both in the shower without using the automatic setting. Then, they steamed for the better part of a half hour.

By the time they walked into the bedroom, Mia was knocking on the door.

“Come in,” Marcus said.

“I brought your breakfast,” Mia said as she opened the door and rolled a cart inside.

“Thank you,” Marcus said. “We were having a long evening.”

“I thought you might be. It’s almost eleven,” Mia said.

“We’re running late. We need to dress, eat, and then eat with the childer,” Marcus said.

“I’ll help Shadow dress,” Mia said.

“I can’t find my green dress,” Shadow said from inside her closet.

“It’s still in the wash,” Mia said as she walked into the closet. “How about this nice red one?” She pulled a red dress off the bar. “It matches your hair.”

Marcus dressed in a pair of slacks and a button shirt while he listened to the conversation in the closet. He was impressed with Mia’s cleverness. Shadow loved her green dress. She’d worn it two nights in a row, maybe three, and Marcus was certain she intended to wear it tonight. Yet, Mia was able to convince her to wear her red dress.

He was putting on his socks and shoes when Mia and Shadow emerged from the closet. “Beautiful.”

“Does she need any undergarments?” Mia asked.

Marcus stood and looked at Shadow’s dress. It went down to her knees. He didn’t think she’d accidentally show off anything. “I think it’s okay.”

Mia strapped a pair of matching sandals to Shadow’s feet.

Marcus handed Shadow a blood before draining his.

Shadow drained the bottle.

Marcus ate a few bloodchocolates. He started to hand Shadow a bloodcake and paused. “What are these?”

“Bloodcake bites,” Mia said.

Marcus ate one. “That’s pretty good.”

Shadow walked over to the cart. She picked up a tiny bloodcake and ate it. “That’s okay.” She ate a few more.

“Just okay?” Mia asked.

“She’s still eating them,” Marcus said. “I think she likes them.”

“Oh, good,” Mia said.

“I like them. I just had to eat like twelve,” Shadow said.

“Six of them make a bloodcake,” Mia said.

“Are those acceptable?” Marcus asked.

“They’re fine,” Shadow said. “But I like the bigger ones better.”

“I know, but those don’t make a mess, and…” Marcus checked his wrist device. “We need to go. We’ll arrive just in time for lunch.”

“Second breakfast,” Shadow said.

Marcus laughed. He picked her up and carried her out of the bedroom.

“When do you want dinner?” Mia asked as she followed them out of the bedroom.

“Three or four, and let’s have it in the treehouse,” Marcus said as he walked down the stairs.

“Movies and drinks in the treehouse?” Shadow asked.

Marcus leaned into her ear. “And a side of mutto.”

Shadow giggled.

Marcus carried her out to the RV and set her inside after opening the door with a tendril.

Shadow sat down in the passenger’s seat.

Marcus closed her door and walked around to the driver’s side. He stepped inside and started the engine.

The drive to the school took just over half an hour. They arrived just before midnight.

Shadow hopped inside with Marcus.

“You made it,” Alera said as she walked toward them.

“We did. How are the childer?” Marcus asked.

“They’re doing okay,” Alera said.

“Are they adjusting?” Marcus asked.

“Most of them are fine, but we had a couple that were pretty upset when they woke up,” Alera said. “They didn’t recognize the room. I’m glad we remembered to bring a couple jungle food. They were great helps tonight.”

“What’d they do?” Marcus asked.

“They ran down to the rooms and let them have a bite. They explained where they were,” Alera said. “Some of the older childer helped too.”

Marcus turned his gaze toward the sound of running feet. “There’s my little Sabina.” He picked her up and hugged her. “How are you?”

“I’m okay,” Sabina said. “Are you here for lunch?”

“We are,” Marcus said.

“I can show you! We have a table!”

Marcus set Sabina down. He chuckled when she grabbed his hand to lead him to the cafeteria.

“It’s this way,” Alera said.

Shadow followed Alera, Marcus and Sabina. “Did any of the other sires come?”

“A few came for breakfast,” Alera said. “There are some here for lunch, and a few more said they’d come for dinner and to tuck their childer in.”

“That’s good,” Shadow said.

“A surprising lot of these little guys have never been away from home,” Alera said.

“Ours have only been to Lucia’s,” Shadow said.

“That counts,” Alera said as they walked into the cafeteria. “So does having anyone else watch the childer other than the sires.

“That’s a lot of little biteys,” Shadow said.

“This is everyone who’s enrolled. There’s only about a hundred and fifty that live here,” Alera said. “But there’s three hundred total.”

“That’s more than I thought there would be in Beach City,” Marcus said as they walked up to the childer’s tables.

“Some of these are from Ocean City. Their sires drive them in. They miss first class, but I said that’s fine as long as they do the work during studyhall or at home to turn in the next night,” Alera said.

“Why don’t they just live here?” Marcus asked.

“The ones that are driven from Ocean City are between three weeks and two months old,” Alera said.

“Oh, they need to sleep at home in familiar surroundings for at least a few more months,” Marcus said.

“That’s what I told them,” Alera said. “We could handle them, but that’s really too young to be sent away from home for an extended amount of time.”

“I agree.” Marcus sat down at the table.

Shadow sat in the chair next to Marcus. “How is everyone?”

“Good. We had athletes today,” Marius said.

Alera laughed. “Athletics. Exercise. They got to play outside before lunch.”

“What did you play?” Marcus asked.

“Bad mitten!” Marius said.

“No feet and balls?” Shadow asked.

“Some of them played feet and balls, but they didn’t like the new ball,” Alera said.

“It’s padded,” Sabina said. “It’s not the same.”

“Did you play feet and balls?” Marcus asked Sabina.

“I did. I had to show Jill how to play,” Sabina said.

“That’s one of our really young ones, but she lives here. She does all right,” Alera said as she turned her head toward the kitchen. “I’ll be back in a few. I need to help pass out the food.”

Marcus turned his head when he heard a little bitey crying. It wasn’t one of his, but he looked for it anyway and started to stand.

“It’s just a spilled blood,” Gabrielle said as she grabbed a cloth. “She’s already got another one.”

“Some of them are really sensitive,” Sabina said. “One started crying cause she broke a pencil. I got up and sharpened it though.”

“That was nice of you,” Shadow said.

“They’re away from home for the first time,” Marcus said. “You guys stayed with your grandsire a lot when you were younger.”

Alera walked up with a cart. “Sorry for the delay.” She set everyone’s trays on the table. “It’s a blood, a bloodcake and a few bloodchocolates.”

“Is this less?” Shadow asked.

“A little bit. They got a snack before exercise, and they’ll get another snack in two hours,” Alera said. “We had to adjust the feeding for the ones that come in late and miss breakfast.”

“Oh yeah. We got a normal breakfast. Then, we got a snack before gym,” Sabina said before eating a bloodcake.

“We’re fed well,” Marius said.

Shadow ate her food and drank the blood. “That’s good.”

Marcus ate his food then watched as his childer devoured their plates.

Remis raised his hand.

A teacher walked over. “Did you need another blood or a bloodcake?”

“Another bloodcake,” Remis said.

The teacher set a bloodcake on his plate. “Do any of you need a little extra?” She looked at Marcus and Shadow. “If they want more, they can have it.”

“That’s exactly how it should be,” Marcus said.

The other childer shook their heads.

“You must be Marcus. I’m Sally.”

“Nice you meet you.” He chuckled when she put more bloodchocolates on his plate.

“We asked all the childer what their sire’s favorite food was during first class,” Sally said.

“They got mine right.” Marcus ate the bloodchocolates.

“Did you need a bloodcake?” she asked Shadow.

“We had a late breakfast. I don’t need any more. Thank you,” Shadow said.

Marcus ate his last bloodchocolate. “I approve of this food.”

“I thought it was good,” Shadow said.

“Little sire, do you want my half a bloodcake?” Remis asked.

Shadow looked at his plate. “I’ll eat that.” She took the half a bloodcake from Remis and ate it.

“Does anyone have any concerns or questions they’d like me to answer?” Marcus asked.

“Will Alera be here the whole time?” Remis asked.

“No,” Marcus said. “We’re looking for a permanent headmistress. She’ll be here this week and possibly next week.”

“Will we like the new one?” Sabina asked.

“I hope so,” Marcus said. “I’m sure I’ll meet her.”

“Childer, please finish your lunches,” Alera said. “Ten minutes until your next class.”

Marcus stood. “If you want a hug, now is the time to get it.”

Shadow stood.

They hugged all the childer, which took the remaining ten minutes of lunch.

Marcus turned to walk out of the cafeteria when he noticed a vampire walking toward him.

“Are you Marcus?” the male asked.

“I am,” Marcus said as he sized up the male. He didn’t look too terribly pleased. “What can I do for you?”

“I guess we should talk in the hall,” he said. “I’m Thaddeus, Jill’s male sire.”

“Of course. Let’s step outside. Alera.” Marcus motioned for Alera to follow then led the male vampire outside to the childer’s play area.

Alera stepped outside. “What’s the problem?”

“I was wondering if there was a private room for Jill,” Thaddeus said.

“She’s currently rooming with Mary,” Alera said. “Is that a problem?”

“Mary is a little more outgoing than Jill,” Thad said.

“Jill is a little shy,” Alera said. “But as I told you earlier, there really are no private rooms. We’re not a very big school, and Beach City is expanding rapidly with our kind.”

“Well, I heard your childer all have private rooms,” Thad said.

“That’s true, but there are forty of them,” Marcus said.

“Forty.”

“Forty,” Alera said. “So, moving her to their floor wouldn’t help much.”

“I see,” he said. “I didn’t realize you had so many.”

“Are there any empty rooms on the other floors?” Marcus asked.

“There are,” Alera said. “But I think we should talk to her. She hasn’t really complained about her room assignment, and moving her suddenly could confuse her.” She stepped inside. “Jill, could you come out here, please?”

Jill hopped up and ran outside. “Oh. No games?”

“Not yet. We’ll play games outside in a couple hours,” Alera said as she closed the door. “I have a question for you.”

“Oh, okay,” Jill said.

“Do you like rooming with Mary?” Alera asked.

“She’s a little loud,” Jill said. “Doesn’t go to bed on time.”

“So, you need more sleep than Mary,” Alera said.

Jill nodded.

“That could be a problem,” Marcus said.

“Well, I can put you in an empty room, but I can’t guarantee that it will stay empty,” Alera said.

“I don’t know,” Jill said.

“Is busing an option?” Marcus asked.

“We live in Ocean City. We’re waiting on housing here,” Thad said.

“That would be a ‘no’,” Marcus said.

“Those are the only two options,” Alera said. “Move Jill to what may only be a temporary private room or somehow have her bussed. Does she have any relatives in Beach City?”

“We all moved to Ocean City. The housing was bigger and cheaper there,” Thad said.

“That was a problem a couple years ago,” Marcus said.

“I would like the empty room,” Jill said. “Even if it’s not for the whole time I’m here.”

“Okay, I’ll move you a couple rooms down,” Alera said. “Let’s go change your room assignment.”

Marcus held the door open while everyone filed back inside. Then, he walked back into the cafeteria. Most of the childer were on their way to their next class.

Shadow hopped over to Marcus.

Marcus heard someone laugh. It was the teacher.

“They all hop,” Gabrielle said as she walked over.

“All the girls do. They get it from her.” Marcus motioned to Shadow.

“I see that. I’m starting to figure out which ones are yours,” Gabrielle said.

“All the girls with red hair that hop,” Marcus said as a bell rung.

“Well, I better get to class,” Gabrielle said.

Marcus led Shadow out of the school.

“She was trying to flirt,” Shadow said.

“I noticed,” Marcus said. “There are plenty of large male vampires in Beach City that aren’t me.” He picked Shadow up and carried her to the RV.

“What are we doing now?” Shadow asked.

“Relaxing,” Marcus said as he set her inside the RV. “How does movies and mutto in the treehouse sound?”

“That sounds…” Shadow laughed. “Movies and mutto.” She laughed harder. “I was expecting you to say wine.”

Marcus chuckled as he closed her door and walked around to the driver’s side. He stepped inside and closed his door. “We’ll have snacks too.” He started the engine and drove out of the parking lot.

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The Tiny Vampire From Outer Space That’s Bitey XI: The Mutto Train (Shadow Conn Tiny Vampire Book 11)

Marcus’ childer are maturing faster than he anticipated. He’d hoped he would have the majority of Earth culled by now, but he’s still fighting the Space Agency while he cements his financial control. Unfortunately, the government idiots seem hellbent on destroying every living thing on Earth with space dust. Can Marcus create a plan and stop the humans from killing themselves before they force Marcus to find a fourth planet for his growing family?

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1. Chapter 1 - Back Home

Oliver was woken by banging on the side door of the van. He jumped out of bed and opened it before it woke everyone. He knew Shadow slept late, and Alera was still tired. The excited vampire on the other side of the door had to be Shari. “Well, good evening.” He stepped outside and was immediately hugged by Shari`.

“Is Sire inside?” Shari asked.

“Both of them,” Oliver said as he hugged Shari. “Is Dr. Jones here?”

“He is,” Shari said.

“Did Lucia stay one night?”

“She did,” Shari said. “Then, she took us to work, and Dr. Jones brought us home.”

“Good,” Oliver said.

Oliver turned his head when he heard movement.

Marcus ushered the blooddolls off the van and stepped out. He’d rushed to put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt when he heard the banging. He was surprised Shadow only huffed at him once before curling up in all the blankets and pillows.

Marcus was not surprised that it was Shari who was banging on the door. “Evening, Shari.”

Shari ran over and hugged Marcus.

Marcus chuckled. He hugged her. “How’s my little vampire?”

“Good. What are those?” Shari asked.

“Food and servants,” Marcus said.

Dr. Jones stepped out of the cabin with Marc and walked over to Marcus, Shari and Oliver. “We were just finishing up the feedings.”

“How’s everyone?” Marcus asked.

“Good. Your next two oldest wake a little every night,” Dr. Jones said.

“They do that when they’re about ready,” Marcus said.

“I’d say they are very close,” Dr. Jones said. “Who are these four?”

“These are the food we found in the middle of the jungle,” Marcus said.

“It was a vampire habitat. The vampires were long gone, but we found the food,” Oliver said.

“I was hoping to integrate them into our supply,” Marcus said. “I need you to examine them and figure out their intricacies.”

“Are they different than what we’re doing?” Dr. Jones asked.

“Extremely. They are extra thick and have bite points that stop bleeding,” Marcus said.

“All right. I can take them with me and examine them,” Dr. Jones said. “I’ll bring them back when I bring the childer back.”

Marcus explained what was going on to the blooddolls in Latin.

“Okay,” the blooddoll said.

“You know what. I better go with them,” Oliver said.

“I’ll wake Shadow and Alera,” Marcus said.

“I think Alera just woke up,” Oliver said.

“I’m up,” Alera said from the doorway of the van. “Did you want me to get Shadow up?”

“I’ll get her up,” Marcus said.

“Did you want to come with me to town, Alera?” Oliver asked.

“Yeah,” Alera said. “I need to get some things.”

“I guess I’ll follow you,” Oliver said to Dr. Jones.

“All right. We need to get going,” Dr. Jones said.

“Tell Shadow we’ll play cards when we get back,” Alera said as she got into the car with Oliver.

“I will.” Marcus turned and stepped into the van.

He found Shadow buried under the blankets. Since Marcus hadn’t put his shoes on, he slid into the bed next to her and kissed the side of her face.

Shadow inhaled.

“How’s my sleepy Bonded?” Marcus asked.

Shadow rolled onto her back. “Did I sleep late?”

“You did,” Marcus said. “It’s after nine. Almost ten.”

“Crap. Are we home? Did the childer get to work?”

Marcus kissed her. “We are, and they did. Oliver and Alera went into town with the blooddolls. We need them examined in order to improve our own.”

“Oh.” Shadow stretched.

“How do you feel?” Marcus asked.

“Fine,” Shadow said. “Not bloated at all.”

Marcus drug his hand down her abdomen. “It’s in there, but it’s just one sac.”

“This won’t require as much attention, will it?” Shadow asked.

“No, it will not, but before you think I’m going to stick my mutto in you any less...” Marcus kissed her deeply.

“Is everyone gone for the night?” Shadow asked.

“They are,” Marcus said between kisses.

“Then, why are we still in the van?” Shadow asked.

“Because you looked comfortable, and I’m being lazy. Are you turning down van mutto?”

Shadow laughed. “I am.”

“We can do this somewhere else.” Marcus slid off the bed. He picked Shadow up, blankets and all, and carried her out of the van. “Treehouse or recreation room? We have the whole property to ourselves.”

“How about food and then the treehouse,” Shadow said.

“Let’s see if the childer left us any live food,” Marcus said as he walked around to the food habitat. “Are you wearing a shirt?”

“I don’t know. Did you undress me?” Shadow asked.

“I don’t think so.” Marcus set her on her feet and took the blankets. “You’re wearing a shirt.”

“Have you eaten?”

“No, so I’m hoping there’s two in there,” Marcus said. He opened the door and allowed Shadow inside first.

Shadow looked around. “Might be slim pickings.”

Marcus walked down the hallways. He found one in the back. “How many workers are here?”

“Should be four of us,” he said.

“Where are the other three?” Marcus asked.

“I’m not sure,” he said.

Marcus opened the back door and looked. They were playing cards. “Can I get two of you to come with me?”

“Yeah. Sure,” a woman said. “I’m losing anyway.”

Marcus waited for a man to stand then said, “We’ll be doing some work around the treehouse.”

Marcus led them through the habitat. He sent Shadow’s blankets to the laundry room as they walked.

Shadow hopped along beside Marcus.

[Which one of these do you want?] Marcus asked.

[The female,] Shadow said to Marcus.

[Do you want me to hold it for you, or do you want to get it?] Marcus asked.

[I’ll get it,] Shadow said.

[You don’t have to prove anything,] Marcus said. [Let me hold it for you. The childer aren’t here.]

Shadow looked at Marcus. [Okay.] She knew he was concerned about the sac, and the food was a fairly large female, easily twice Shadow’s size.

Marcus grabbed the two humans with tendrils. “Go ahead.”

Shadow walked over to the female and grabbed her hand. She frowned when the woman tried to jerk it away.

Marcus wrapped another tendril around the woman’s arm.

Shadow sank her fangs into the woman’s wrist and drank deeply.

Marcus walked over and drained his food. Then, he sent both bodies into the Umbra.

“She was stronger than I thought,” Shadow said.

“Stronger than I thought,” Marcus said. “But that’s okay. Are you full?”

“I’m full.”

Marcus walked with her up into the treehouse. He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV before making them a bottle of bloodwine with the replicator.

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The Tiny Vampire From Outer Space That’s Bitey X: In the Jungle of the Vampire (Shadow Conn Tiny Vampire Book 10)

Feeling the crunch of not capturing Earth yet and overwhelmed wiht their more than 30 childer, Marcus, Shadow, Oliver and Alera decide to take a vacation to the Southern Jungles. Unbeknownst to Shadow, however, it's not a real vacation. Marcus and Oliver want to explore the potential vampire pyramids for clues on the previous vampire races and why they didn't conquer Earth. Where they failed, Marcus plans to succeed, with thier left-behind technology, of course.

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1. Chapter 1 - No Marcus

Shadow watched as the black car carrying Marcus drove down the street. She sighed and turned to walk into the apartment complex. Alera was in the office alone.

Alera looked up when she heard footsteps. It sounded like Shadow, and it was Shadow. “What are you doing here? I thought you had plans tonight.” She looked beyond her and didn’t see Marcus. “Where’s Marcus?”

“Space Agency,” Shadow said.

Alera cursed. “I knew putting those cabins in our name was a bad idea.”

“He didn’t have a choice. Eventually, someone was going to find us. And we’re still bigger than what we bought,” Shadow said.

“Why didn’t he take you with him?” Alera asked. She knew Marcus didn’t like letting Shadow out of his sight as much as Shadow didn’t like being left by herself, even if ‘left by herself’ meant her and Oliver were still nearby.

“He’s worried they’ll try and keep him this time,” Shadow said.

“Shadow. I can read minds,” Alera said as she straightened a stack of paperwork and looked around for her hole punch.

“He’ll kill them all if they don’t return him home tomorrow night,” Shadow said. “First thing. He’s really really angry.”

“I bet. He’s looking forward to tomorrow night,” Alera said as she continued looking for the hole punch.

“He keeps thinking about our anniversary too,” Shadow said.

“Your one year Bonded,” Alera said.

“I don’t think it’s been that long. Maybe a year since we met,” Shadow said.

Alera frowned and bit the stack twice then stuck the pages in a binder. She contemplated. “If it’s not this weekend, it’s getting close.”

“Close enough that he wants to do something for it,” Shadow said then paused. “Did you just bite that paper?”

“I can’t find my hole punch, and I needed to put that paperwork in a binder,” Alera said as she put the binder in a file drawer. “Well, Oliver’s really ready for this black moon. We’ve had sex every night this week.”

“Same,” Shadow said. “Multiple times, actually. He was ready for round three tonight when we got interrupted.”

“Three? I can’t imagine,” Alera said.

“Three of what?” Oliver asked as he walked into the office. “What’s Shadow doing here?”

“Marcus was taken to the Space Agency. He had her dropped off here,” Alera said.

“Well, shit,” Oliver said. “What’s the three?”

“He was ready to stick his mutto in Shadow. For the third time tonight,” Alera said.

“This black moon seems to be really powerful.”

“And it’s not even here yet,” Shadow said.

“He’s going to be about as agreeable as a needle hog,” Oliver said.

“What’s a needle hog?” Shadow asked.

“It’s a critter that crawls on the ground. Its fur is needles, and it really loves to stab things with them,” Oliver said. “Hurts like a bitch too.”

“I don’t think we had any of those on Umbra. Just the stabbing beetle,” Shadow said.

“Well, what I’m saying is, if he was ready to blow a load, he’s going to be beyond disagreeable,” Oliver said.

Shadow laughed.

“Oliver! That is crude,” Alera said.

Oliver laughed.

“Accurate though,” Shadow said. “We had to wash the whole bed when we got up.”

“So did I,” Alera said. “Did you use extra soap when you put the bedding in the washer?”

“I have no idea,” Shadow said.

“I’ll have to check your blankets when we get to the house,” Alera said. “That stuff doesn’t like to come off cloth.”

“I wish Earth had more information on this black moon,” Oliver said.

“It just says what it is and how often it occurs,” Alera said. “They don’t have any of the myths or legends.”

“We don’t think of it as myths or legends,” Shadow said.

“It’s fact to us,” Alera said.

“They don’t live long enough to pass a lot of that down,” Oliver said. “And they dismiss it if it is written down.”

“I read something the other night that was interesting,” Alera said. “Some people believe Earth was visited by off-worlders several millennia ago.”

“I’ve seen a little bit of that. I haven’t dug into it,” Oliver said.

“The pyramids are supposed to be spaceships or energy conduits,” Alera said.

“Or homing beacons,” Oliver said. “It’s probably true. I mean all of it. Some could be spaceships. Some could be for the generation of power, and some could be communication devices.”

“If they’re energy and communication, they should be using them,” Shadow said.

“You’d think they would be,” Oliver said.

“It’s already built. Lasted thousands of years, so the maintenance is probably nothing,” Alera said.

“I want to take a closer look at that,” Oliver said.

“Marcus wanted to take a vacation,” Alera said.

“And we shot him down. Maybe, we shouldn’t have,” Oliver said. “We could visit one of those pyramids.”

Alera tapped a few keys on the keyboard. “I was looking the other night. I couldn’t sleep. There’s only a couple we could visit. They are on the southern continent in a jungle. The others appear to be in a desert.”

“We cannot go to the desert,” Shadow said.

“Too much sun,” Oliver said. “Although, you’d like the temperatures.”

“We could all go south on vacation,” Alera said.

“With a black moon looming, possible new sacs and thirty childer,” Shadow said.

Alera sighed. “The same reasons we gave Marcus last night.”

“I pay attention,” Shadow said.

“We could skip tomorrow night,” Oliver said. “But I can tell you right now that my willpower is not that high.”

“Neither is mine,” Alera said.

“The childer aren’t a problem though. Marc and Shari could look after them,” Oliver said. “I was less happy with that idea last night, but I think those two have great potential.”

“How are they doing?” Shadow asked.

“Excellent,” Alera said. “They’re cleaning the halls now, but they’re learning quickly. Eager to help. I think they’d jump at the chance to take care of their siblings for a few nights. Marc is especially eager to prove his worth.”

“Did we get anyone hired for the office for the day?” Shadow asked.

“Yes, and she starts tomorrow morning. I had to catch Sadie from the shelter before we got here,” Alera said. “She said she can be here at eight to do the new hire paperwork and show the new girl how to do the job.”

“Doesn't she have another job?” Shadow asked.

“She said she did, but she finds the work at the shelter more rewarding,” Alera said. “She said she put in her notice about a week ago.”

“Interesting,” Shadow said. “They have no regard for their own species.”

“They do,” Oliver said. “But it’s the lesser of two evils, as Dr. Jones said to me one night. We’re creating our own food supply and not hunting the general population. Plus, he said we keep our food more comfortable than they do their own.”

“I can’t believe that.” Alera looked up lamb farms. “The lamb farms look fine.” She looked up chicken and beef farms. “Oh, unholy hell.”

“What?” Shadow walked around to view the screen. “That’s disgusting.”

Oliver grimaced. “He wasn’t lying. That’s horrific. All those birds in those tiny cages.”

“And they’re bleeding,” Shadow said.

Alera closed the window. “That’s cruel. They leave their food to rot while it’s alive.”

“I see how we’re more considerate,” Shadow said. “You should see what Marcus built our food.”

“We have live food?” Alera asked.

“We do,” Shadow said. “Dr. Jones brought twelve. We already drained two, but Marcus built them a little house with bathrooms and food.” She paused. “Oh, and we finished the driveway.”

“That’ll be nice. The childer can try their first live food,” Alera said.

“What’s live food?” Shari asked.

“It’s still warm,” Alera said. “You drink it straight from the vein.”

Shari looked at Shadow. “Where’s sire? I mean, where’s the other sire? I thought they were spending time alone.”

“Marcus got called to work,” Alera said. “He dropped Shadow off here.”

“Oh,” Shari said. “Is that good?”

“Not really,” Oliver said. “But it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Everything’s done,” Marc said as he walked into the office. “All the trash is out of the halls. I took it to the dumpster, and all the floors are mopped.”

“Good,” Alera said. She stood from the desk. “We can go home, and we have a treat tonight.”

“What?” Marc asked.

“Live food,” Alera said. “You’ll see when we get home.”

“Sounds interesting,” Marc said.

“You’ll like it. It’s better than the Umbra One.” Shadow walked out of the office, ushering Marc and Shari out with her. She waited for Alera to lock the door.

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