by Ginna Moran
Laredo runs his tongue over his bottom lip before sinking his fangs into it. Blood dribbles onto his chin, and I inhale a small breath, unable to draw my eyes away. Before I can think about what’s happening, I crash my mouth to his, gliding my tongue over his lip. I suck it into my mouth, making him moan, the noise vibrating through me.
His hands travel under my ass, and he lifts me up with him, carrying me across the room and to the couch. He trails his fingers over my legs, drawing them toward my thighs, still exposed under my long T-shirt. Snatching his hands, I lock my fingers through his and draw them up to restrain him.
“You smell so good,” he whispers, trying to close the space to me to kiss me for real.
I don’t let him. I know better than to give him what he wants. If I give him even an ounce of control, he’ll take advantage of it and try for a cup of it next.
“And you taste good,” I murmur, trailing my mouth over his throat. I nip his skin between my teeth just hard enough so that he shifts under me to show me what my words to do to him.
“Perhaps you’ll let me experience how incredible you truly are.” He draws his fangs over the sleeve of my shirt, tearing it to expose more of my shoulder. Gently grazing his lips against my skin, he tests me for a reaction.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I sink heavier onto him, grinding against his erection through his pants. He knows I’m not wearing underwear, and I bet he’s trying so hard to seduce me. There is something I enjoy about the games we play.
“More than anything.”
I hum. “I’ll think about it. It would be so easy.”
He breaks my hold on him and hooks his fingers to my waist, rocking me harder, making my body buzz. “Maybe after you get another taste of me...”
“Should we find out?” I tease, licking up his throat.
He moans again and bends his neck to make it easier.
I bite him hard, sinking my teeth into his skin until he bleeds for me. We both moan at the same time, and I don’t resist as he trails his hands lower to squeeze my ass, drawing his fingers incredibly close to my vagina. Warmth floods my mouth and sends tingles to my stomach with every swallow.
A door slams. “Hey, Nathaniel. Have you seen Gwen?”
Porter’s familiar voice cuts through the small house, and I throw myself off Laredo and pull a pillow from the couch to cover my face. I heave a few breaths, my wild emotions getting the best of me. And oh shit. What the fuck? I was close to giving into Laredo’s desire to be with me.
“Nathaniel?” Porter calls again.
I pull myself together and get to my feet. Laredo staunches the bleeding on his neck, pressing Nathaniel’s discarded shirt to it. He twists his lips to the side, giving me a look like I better deal with this.
Striding across the room, I stand in the doorway and block the way. “Porter, I’m here. But something happened.”
Porter appears from the hallway, coming in from the back door. His eyes widen as they lock on me. “Fuck, Gweny. Is that blood?”
I touch my fingers to my mouth, feeling the stickiness of Laredo’s blood on my chin. “I—I’m so sorry, Porter.”
His eyebrows furrow. “What happened?”
A strong hand touches my shoulder as Laredo stands behind me. “It seems I couldn’t tell the difference between your sister’s yells for pleasure from the ones of her in pain.”
Swinging my elbow back, I hit Laredo in the stomach, making him gasp. He releases a small growl but stops at the silver stake Porter snatches from the front pocket of his jacket. I take an automatic step back into Laredo’s arms. Porter scowls, his face distorting in anger I’ve never seen directed at me before.
“How stupid are you, Gwen?” Porter asks, tightening his lips so they hide under his unkempt beard.
“Me?” It takes everything in me to suppress my anger.
“Yeah, you. Fucking my best friend—an elder’s son—knowing about the delicate relationship you’ve formed with your blood source.” He bares his teeth at me. “This is your fault. You ruin everything.”
“Are you kidding me? My fault? Relationship? I’m not in a relationship with Laredo. He feeds me. Nothing more.” I clench my jaw as my own fury gets the best of me. “And so you know, who I choose to be with is none of your damn business. You sleep with whoever the hell you want. I’m an adult. You are not my keeper.”
“You are a dumbass. Dad was too overprotective of you. Laredo feeds you, yeah, but you have to fulfill your end of the agreement as his companion and protector at some point. Grayson used your virginity as part of the deal. You’re not supposed to go around fucking people.”
I jerk my head toward Laredo. “What?” This is the first time I’m hearing of this. The contract I’m aware of only assures that my brothers feed Laredo while Laredo feeds me.
Laredo shrugs. “It was for everyone’s safety. I...I get jealous. You know how enthralled I am with you.”
I scowl. What the hell? “No one told me this bullshit. Had I known—”
“Because we thought you were better than this, Gwen,” Porter snaps. “We only thought that we had to worry about Laredo, and only because of his possessiveness. Now, my best friend is dead. His life is on you. You’re lucky if I don’t report you as a traitor.”
Rage cascades over me, darkening my vision. “Shut up. I’m not.”
He jabs me in the chest. “You are. You’re a monster. I don’t even know why Grayson bothers. We should just let the elders take you before you’re responsible for more deaths.”
“Porter!”
Before I can react, Porter slaps me across the face. Laredo roars and hooks his fingers to my waist, ripping me away from him as I attempt to retaliate. Everything happens so fast that I don’t have a chance to react. Laredo shoves Porter into the wall, lifting him off his feet. He snarls in his face. Porter tries to stake him, but Laredo’s quick to unarm him. He stabs the stake into the wall next to Porter’s ear.
Leaning in, he captures Porter in a gaze. “You will not speak of this again, nor will you ever touch Gwen. The elders are never to be brought up. She does not belong to your family or them. All of this was an accident. You will not so much as look at me or Gwen in the wrong way again. Do you understand?”
Porter bares his teeth. “I understand.”
“You will also take care of Nathaniel’s body. Tell the elders he succumbed to his destiny. Tell Grayson we have an assignment. He can see me about it.” Laredo drops Porter to the ground and looks at me. “Now, come along, Gwen. Let’s get you cleaned up before your other brothers realize how much you enjoy devouring me. It is in our best interest to keep such things a secret.”
I take a step back. “I—no. I need to get out of here. I need space.”
Laredo blocks my way and takes me into his arms. I can’t fight against his strength or do anything to get him to let me go. “You can have your space in a few hours.”
“Please, don’t do this.”
“I’m sorry, Gwen. For my sake, it must be done.”
“No!” The sound of my voice screeching through the air startles me awake.
I flail my arms, looking for something to grab onto but only touch empty air. The world drops out from under me until big hands catch me by my waist. I thrash for a second, forcing my eyes to get with the program to open up. Gasping, I gulp in air, my mind whirling as I try to figure out what the hell is going on.
“Hey, I got you, Gwen. It’s okay. You had a nightmare,” Bronx says, shimmying further onto the bed until I’m on the mattress and between his legs.
I cover my face with my hands, trying to orient myself. The vivid nightmare felt utterly real, even though I know it wasn’t. Laredo is dead. Porter is...I don’t even know. “Shit.”
Bronx scoots closer and pulls me into his arms to stroke his hand up and down the length of my back. His familiar scent loosens my muscles. He hugs me tighter, his own soft breathing tickling my neck. “Take it easy. Just breathe. In and out.”
Glancing down, I take in my satin and lace shorts and tank top. I don’t know why I look at my PJs. I know Everett wouldn’t have brought me here butt-ass naked. It’s not like Bronx hasn’t seen me either. It’s just disorienting.
And then I remember Everett’s mind manipulation. The pain of how intense it felt. But I also remember how intimate the moment was, especially after our passionate lovemaking. I wasn’t scared at all. I just...
“I’m sure you’re a bit confused.” Bronx must notice my reaction. “I hope it’s okay that Everett brought you here. He...needed to clear his head.”
“Is he all right?” I ask, frowning. The last thing I expected was to wake up next to Bronx, but it’s not bad. I just didn’t expect it.
He hugs me closer, brushing his lips to my temple. “Yeah, don’t worry about him. He’ll stop by for breakfast. Promise.”
My damn stomach. I don’t even clutch it for more than a second before Bronx offers me a thermos of blood. He doesn’t let me take it, just holds it to my mouth and watches me sip the warm liquid. The sweet flavor bursts over my tongue, and I release a soft moan.
“Is it good?” he asks, studying my expression. “Just mine and Everett’s this time.”
I can’t get myself to pull away to respond to him. The blood mixture tastes so amazing, fulfilling me with exactly what I need now that I realize how starving I am. I must’ve been out for a while. Everett did warn me that things could be a little intense.
Lacing my fingers around the thermos, I help Bronx tilt it more. I start to gulp, making Bronx’s eyes flash silver. His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat as he swallows, and I can’t stop myself from staring at his mouth and how his fangs peek out from under his lips. My desire for him rises inside me, but it’s not all-consuming like it was before when I drank only his blood. It’s just enough to make me feel a ton better.
When the thermos is empty, I rub my lips together. “Can I have more? I’m just—I don’t know. I feel out of control. My head. Fuck.” I throw myself back onto the mattress and gaze at the overhead lights. My nightmare comes crashing back to me all over again, except now that I’ve had a moment to process, I realize it wasn’t a dream at all. It was a memory. One that had been manipulated by Laredo.
Bronx doesn’t get a chance to answer me. An alarm blares through the air, piercing my ears. Scooping me up, Bronx presses my face to his chest, using his hand to help silence the noise of the shock alarms going off.
His bedroom door swings open, and Mikkalo flies in, clutching two scary-ass swords. His wild eyes blink silver as his gaze sweeps across the room until he stops to stare at me in Bronx’s arms. His mouth moves, but I can’t hear anything over the screeching alarms. Neither Mikkalo nor Bronx reacts to the noise, and I can’t help wondering if they even hear it.
And then the alarms shut off, leaving my ears ringing.
A familiar woman materializes in the hallway just outside the door, and Mikkalo swings his swords. He cuts through the flowy fabric of her long dress, and she snarls but only steps back. The world blurs, and my back hits the mattress. Bronx abandons me to step between the woman and Mikkalo.
“Brooklyn, what are you doing here?” Bronx asks.
I sit up and stare at the woman. I know her. She was the one who helped me escape from my room at Corona’s. She’s Bronx’s biological sister.
“She betrayed you,” Mikkalo says. “Corona’s here. He’s threatening to contact the board if we don’t let him sweep the premises.”
Bronx growls, flashing his fangs. “What?”
“Calm down,” Brooklyn says, holding her hands up. “He doesn’t know I’m here. I only came to warn you. Corona thinks he can test you. Without Gwen, he plans to use Zaire’s death to his advantage.”
“Why should we trust you?” Mikkalo says, aiming his sword at her.
“Because I’m risking treason to be here.” Brooklyn flashes her fangs. “I don’t know exactly what the hell is going on and why my brother wants to risk everything for—” She flicks her gaze to me. “Whatever she is. But if he thinks she’s worth it, then I think she’s worth it. Not to mention that Corona denied my request of a Blood Vow to Neihart.”
“You want me to push it through to Donor Life Corp?” Bronx asks.
She nods. “A favor for a favor. You want me to be happy, little brother. Don’t you?”
Bronx’s com device chimes from the nightstand, and he sighs as he looks at the screen. “If you take Gwen to our old hideout and protect her with your life, then I’ll see to it.”
“You can’t just let her take Gwen,” Mikkalo argues, looking fully prepared to battle him over the decision.
Bronx flashes his fangs at him. “What other choice do we have?”
Mikkalo raises his sword.
I scramble off the bed, drawing everyone’s attention to me. Rushing forward, I get between Mikkalo and Bronx, holding up my palms to each of them. My fear instincts go off like crazy, and it takes everything in me not to start gasping for air. They look ready to jump at me to steal me away from each other.
“I’ll go,” I say, darting my gaze to Brooklyn.
“Gwen.” Mikkalo growls at me this time.
I turn to Mikkalo, suppressing a shudder. “I’ll be fine, Mikkalo. Give Corona what he wants so that he’ll back off. Tell him you located a rebel hideout.”
He frowns. “But—”
“I’ll explain later. Just get him out of here.” I can tell it takes everything in him not to lock his arms around me to steal me away. I don’t think we have time for me to tell him that whatever Everett did to me has weird thoughts—bits of knowledge long forgotten—seeping to the forefront of my mind, one of them being the community we stayed in where I was hooking up with Nathaniel. Fuck. Thinking his name sends my mind whirling.
Bronx nods to Brooklyn, pulling me from my thoughts. “Take her. Now.”
Brooklyn doesn’t even give me the chance to say goodbye. If only I could suppress the fear leaving me out of control. Or the desire to bite.
“We’ll be there soon,” Brooklyn whispers into my hair, holding me to her.
Sunlight engulfs us.
Chapter 5
Rebel Dhampir
I LAND ON MY ASS with a thud, my hands scraping along the rough ground of a cave. Brooklyn presses her body to the wall and out of the sunlight trickling in from the mouth. I don’t move and just blink under the warm glow of the afternoon. I had no idea it was already daytime, which means I must’ve been knocked out for hours.
“Uh, are you okay?” I ask, keeping my voice low. I consider moving deeper into the shadows, but the darkness behind me freaks me out just a bit. This is definitely the type of place shadow dwellers might use to take shelter.
Brooklyn releases a long breath. “I will be. It’s been a while since I’ve exposed myself to the sun. Hurts like a bitch.”
“Oh.” I push to my feet and dust the dirt from my bare legs. “What is this place?”
“Just a secret lair.” Brooklyn eases from the wall and struts a few feet deeper into the cave. Turning on her feet, she squints her eyes to look at me. “A place where Bronx and I could devour any donor we wanted in peace before The Divide.”
My mouth falls agape.
Tipping her head back, she laughs. “I’m just kidding. Mostly. You know Bronx was my brother before we transitioned. This is only a place we used to meet after we were separated.”
A dozen questions flit through my mind. Bronx never mentioned Brooklyn before I met her. Only Jameson has gotten into great detail about his life, and even then, it was only from his life as a Royale. Discovering this new information about Bronx ignites some crazy curiosity inside me. I’m desperate to know more.
“What do you mean by separated?” I try to keep my voice from rising. “Did the uprising force you apart or something?”
Brooklyn’s brown eyes flash silver. “No.”
“You ask too many questions. I do not want to face the wrath of the Royale Coven if I say something I shouldn’t. You’ll have to ask Bronx yourself.” Damn. Who knew I could be so disappointed by an answer? I’m curious now. I don’t want to wait to ask. I get easily sidetracked under Bronx’s attention—his brothers’ too.
“Not even a hint?”
I regret my words immediately. Brooklyn materializes in front of me, startling me from her quick movements. Narrowing her eyes, she captures me with the same intensity Bronx sometimes does. The more I look at her face, the more I can see the resemblance she carries to Bronx—from her deep tan skin and oval brown eyes to how expressive her brows are.
“I don’t know where your place lies with Bronx, and until he decides to share that information, which I doubt he ever will considering the fragility of our covens’ alliances, no. I will not give you even a little hint.”
I shift on my feet, the scrutiny of her stare setting off my fear instincts like crazy. Brooklyn straightens her shoulders, her fangs showing, and if I wasn’t certain that Mikkalo wouldn’t rip her apart, I’d think she’d risk locking her fingers to me to give me a good shake. She looks like she wants to.
“Now, if you can please just be quiet. I don’t want anyone to discover we’re here. I’ll lose my head if we’re caught,” Brooklyn says, gazing past me.
“Corona—”
“Not my coven leader. Mikkalo,” she says. “Because as much as it would pain me, I’m not risking my life for you.”
“You said—”
“That was for his brother’s benefit. I’m sure Bronx knows that if we’re caught, he will have to take full blame. I’d be the one who found out he was hiding you here.” She already has her story all figured out. Now I regret thinking that a former human bond actually meant something to her.
Ah hell.
Her sultry voice lowers into a whisper. “You don’t think Bronx was serious about me protecting you with my life, do you?”
