by Ginna Moran
I stick my tongue out at him. “I must add that my undergarments better include more than the sexy lingerie you want to fantasize me wearing all day. I have boobs. They need support that isn’t a band of lace.”
“I think that’s fair,” Torrance says.
“What about sleeping arrangements, love?” Hudson asks. He turns to his brothers. “She will fight you for the bed.”
I shrug. “Can you blame me? Look how big that thing is.” I point at Aspen’s giant bed, probably big enough for all of us. “I don’t think I can sleep on something else just knowing how amazing that thing looks.”
“You can’t expect me to take the twin,” Torrance says, raising his eyebrow at me. “I don’t even fit on it.”
I rest my elbows on my knees and think for a minute. How crazy would it be to suggest we co-sleep? Could I even sleep like that? Would I want to? Most definitely. “What if we share?”
“That’s a terrible idea,” Hudson says, grinning at me. “You’re a bed hog.”
I play-hit his knee. “Says the guy who can’t even relax in his sleep. You toss and turn like crazy.”
“That was only because I couldn’t actually sleep,” he says, rubbing his lips together.
I gawk at him. “So you let me pull you off the bed? You scared me.”
“What? No...” He chuckles. “Maybe. Consider it a lesson.”
“Mmmhmm.”
Berkeley, Aspen, and Torrance all listen to us tease each other. Hudson’s playfulness helps ease the tension that has been squeezing me since we left the headmistress’s office. I hated seeing him beat up and angry and am relieved he healed quickly. I’ve never wanted to retaliate in the name of a vampire before, usually only for humans. But the thought of the Knightly asshole hurting Hudson again makes me feel...wild. Vampiric.
“Okay, so we’ll try the bed sharing thing,” Aspen says.
“And we’ll attempt to give you space while you sleep,” Berkeley adds. “You don’t have to feel obligated to give us attention.”
I turn my gaze to him. “You guys don’t look that comfortable to cuddle anyways. I mean, all those hard-ass muscles.”
Aspen laughs. “Now I feel like I must prove you wrong.”
Damn it, if I want him to do the same. The elders would flip their shit if they knew I was cohabitating with a coven of vampires, let alone sharing a sleeping space and teasing about snuggling. No sane rebel would dare risk lying with a predator. Lucky for me, I’m one myself.
“I’ll consider it, but first you have to kick your brothers out. I don’t want to make them jealous.” And I mean it. I know by the way they reacted at knowing that Ivo even put his hand on me set them off. They undoubtedly also hate thinking about me and the blood sources from my past doing a blood exchange. I’d rather not push my luck and test their deep-seated nature, especially with each other.
“We’ll be fine if you allow us to join,” Hudson says, cocking his brow to see my reaction.
And boy do I give him one. I release a cross between an embarrassed laugh and a surprised gasp. He’s out of his mind to even make such a suggestion. That would be awkward and weird, nerve-wracking...right? How would I even divide my attention like that without leaving someone out?
Torrance shoves him. “You’re making her nervous.”
“I was just letting her know that we’re cool with whatever the hell she wants. I bet it’s been chiseled into her brain that vampires are possessive.” Hudson flicks his gaze to mine. “And we’re not exactly that...at least with each other,” he says to me. “I love my brothers, and I’d prefer to have a part of you rather than none of you.”
I scrub my cheeks with my hands. “Okay, but still. This is new, and like Torrance so graciously pointed out, I’m nervous. I’m not sexually experienced despite what Berkeley originally thought.” I stick my tongue out at him to show him I’m teasing. “And this—you all—” I can’t even say what’s on my mind. Or how nervous I am despite my vagina currently totally being on board to the idea of going to new levels. “I have another thing to talk about with you.”
Hudson’s smile fades. “Ah, hell. Here it goes.”
I turn my glare to him. “Damn right, here it goes.” Shifting, I meet Berkeley’s gaze first. “Hudson commented this morning that one of you shared details from one of our moments together.”
Berkeley shifts and motions to Aspen. “Don’t look at me.”
I groan. “Aspen.”
“He already knew something happened between us, and technically, Hudson did most of the prying in his attempt to live vicariously through me,” Aspen says.
Hudson releases a small growl. “Thanks, brother.”
“Maybe next time learn to keep your comments to yourself or wait to find out exactly what it’s like to spend time with Fiona instead of basing your expectations on my experiences with her.” Aspen shoots his gaze to me. “And Fiona, I’m sorry. I should’ve just said that instead of blaming Hudson. It didn’t dawn on me that sharing those kinds of details would bother you. You have nothing to hide or be embarrassed about.”
“Thanks?” My voice hitches up in pitch. “So you know, I’m not exactly embarrassed, but yes to the part about you guys basing expectations on each other’s experiences. That makes me feel...” I don’t know how to put my feelings into words.
“Like you have to do the same things with all of us?” Torrance asks, filling in my silence.
“Yeah, sort of.”
They all look at me with various expressions. Hudson’s eyebrows shoot up on his forehead while Aspen puffs out his bottom lip slightly. Torrance scrunches his nose and looks at Berkeley like he wants him to be the one to speak for them.
Berkeley motions for me to come to him, and I sit right on his lap to face him. “I feel like we need to clear a few things up. We already told you our expectations—a little bit of your blood and time to share. That’s it. What you build with each of us is up to you, okay? We don’t have to rush into anything. You’re our girl, and we would be furious with each other if you ever felt like you were in a position with us you don’t want to be in.”
“And as much as it makes me nervous to say, if you decide you don’t want anything with me, I’ll accept that.” Hudson leans in and hugs me.
“The same goes for me,” Torrance says, taking my hand.
“Us too,” Aspen says for Berkeley. “I know this must be a lot to take in, and you hate the idea of being claimed, but we can learn to live otherwise.”
I bob my head, the thought of not being with one of them strange to even think about. I’ve mostly enjoyed the time I’ve shared with each of them. “Thanks for saying that. I do feel a bit better,” I say. “Especially about the sex stuff. I don’t even know what I want. It’s something I wanted to avoid before.”
Hudson chuckles. “And what about now?”
I giggle, my cheeks burning at his question. “I’m not sure. I think you all are delicious. Hot.”
“What about my charming personality? I’m more than a ruggedly handsome, self-proclaimed sex god who will treat you with respect and fulfill your every desire at the whisper of the word.” Hudson licks his lips. “And if you allow me such an experience, I’ll be gentle.”
Ohmyfuck. I’m pretty sure my body will never recover from his words.
“I’m nearly certain you just cemented the fact that you won’t be the one collecting her V-card,” Torrance says, surprising the hell out of me.
Now, I’m really never going to recover.
Aspen covers his mouth, hiding his wide-ass grin at my reaction. Berkeley tightens his hands around me.
“This is why I don’t want you sharing details,” I tell Berkeley.
He bows his head toward me. “You’re the one who declared yourself a virgin. I never told them. They probably had the same thought as me—that due to your upbringing and what we know of Blood Rebels that you wouldn’t be.”
I narrow my eyes. “So if that’s the case, is it safe for me to
assume you are all virgins? I mean, I’ve seen like three females total around here. I would totally understand and get it.”
The looks they give me? Priceless.
Hudson nudges me. “I’ll pretend to be if that gives me a better chance with you.”
I tip my head back and laugh. “Okay, okay. That’s enough. We’re not going to talk anymore about this. All of you, except for Aspen, out. I need to get some sleep.”
“And I need to take a cold shower before climbing into bed with you,” Aspen says, making me laugh.
“No point. I’ll just warm you up the second you’re out. My curiosity about whether your muscles are as hard as they look won’t let me actually sleep until I find out.” I reach over and squeeze his bicep. “If they are, I’ll be building a pillow wall between us.”
Torrance gets to his feet and stretches his arms over his head, showing me a sliver of his abs in the process. “Good luck, brother.”
“You’re welcome for putting her in a better mood,” Hudson says, whacking Aspen on the back before getting up.
Berkeley hugs me close as he stands. Setting me on my feet, he squeezes my hands between his. “Sleep well, Fi. We’ll see you in the evening. Thank you for giving us this chance.”
I stand on my tiptoes and brush my lips to his. “And thank you for listening to me. I wasn’t exactly happy about this whole situation, but you guys have made it better than I expected. I just wish you didn’t lose your region because of me. I’d be pissed off if I were you.”
Torrance takes me from Berkeley to engulf me in a hug next. “Oh, I am pissed. Just not at you. At Culver.”
“I think that maybe this was all for the best,” Hudson says, patting Torrance on the back until he moves away from me so that Hudson can kiss me. “I can’t imagine how he’d have led a region after seeing the way he acted with our girl.”
“You forgot how easily she killed him. I gave him far too much credit, thinking he was powerful.” Berkeley sighs. “But whatever. I fully intend to get us back in the running.”
“I’ll do anything I can to help,” I say. “You guys are way better than those Knightly assholes.”
The four of them nod but don’t say anything.
I slide into Aspen’s arms, and we watch his brothers leave, clicking the door closed behind them. A flurry of nerves swirls through my belly, and I shift on my feet. It was easy to tease Aspen, but now that we’re alone...
He squeezes my hand. “Why don’t you get comfortable while I take a shower? You can watch TV, listen to music, or anything you want. Treat this like it’s your room too.”
Instead of answering him, I tilt my chin up and meet him for a sweet kiss. I can’t help it. The King brothers treat me unlike anything I could’ve imagined. Tonight’s conversation cemented the fact that I do want to stay. I don’t need to risk my life out in the city, constantly worried about where my next blood source would come from or if I’d get caught. I no longer have this whole Blood Rebel fate set before me. And while I didn’t get the choice about enrolling into this academy or getting claimed, I do get a choice in how I handle it and what I want. It’s weird, but I feel freer than I ever have.
“I don’t need to take a shower right away,” Aspen murmurs, deepening our kiss. “I’d like to prove to you that no pillow wall is necessary.”
I laugh against his mouth, and the world suddenly blurs as he lifts me off my feet and carries me at a vampire’s speed to his bed. He doesn’t push me back on it or lie on top of me. He sets me on my feet and pulls down the neatly made covers.
“Tell me if it’s adequate,” he says, nudging me to sit on his bed by guiding me by the hips.
I bounce on the comfortable mattress. “It’s hard to tell without you.”
Silver flashes in his eyes, and this time he does push me back, positioning his body between my legs to kiss me with a fervent passion that steals my breath away. I draw my fingers along the curves of his muscular stomach and to the small of his back. He scoots me higher until we’re lying together, just tasting each other’s lips. Savoring and familiarizing ourselves with each other. I link my fingers to the hem of his shirt and pull it over his head. I had no idea how much I wanted to check him out until my fingers caressed his skin.
“Fiona,” he whispers, gliding his tongue against mine, exploring my mouth for a moment.
I ease away, sucking his bottom lip between my teeth to nip it just a bit. “Is this okay?”
“If it is to you.” He presses his weight harder into me, framing my head with his elbows. “You can tell me to stop whenever. I just—I haven’t been able to get you off my mind.”
I break from his kiss and work my lips over his jaw and down his throat. The scent of him sets off my blood hunger, and I test him by grazing my teeth over his shoulder.
“Do you want to bite me?” I ask, shifting my neck so that my hair splays across the pillow. “Let me bite you back.”
I regret the suggestion immediately, because Aspen pulls away from me to study my face. His fangs peek from under his lips, and I stretch up to him to pierce my tongue over his fang in hopes that he’ll agree.
He flares his nostrils at the small streak of blood I coat across his bottom lip. Instead of licking it away, he wipes his hand across his mouth and sits up. I freeze on his bed, my nerves and sudden annoyance quickening my breathing.
“Fiona, I can’t bite you,” he says, keeping his back to me.
“But Berkeley said that if it was during an act of intimacy...” Fuck, I sound whiny as hell. Desperate.
Aspen notices the change in my voice as well, and he swivels to look at me. His eyes widen for a split second, and I don’t even have to know that my eyes flash silver at him. My stomach growls obnoxiously loud, his closeness and my blood hunger forcing me to lose control. It’s like the second I’m not surrounded by the King brothers, my dhampir half wants to test its power when I have a better chance of survival while I’m alone.
“Aspen,” I say, my voice cracking. “Please, don’t hurt me.”
He presses his lips together. “Why do you think I’ll hurt you?”
“Because you look like you’re scared. It’s my eyes, isn’t it?” I sit up on the bed and pull my knees to my chest. “I can see them reflecting in yours.”
My stomach growls again, and Aspen raises his eyebrows at me, darting his gaze to my middle like he can see a growing monster in my stomach ready to devour anything that gets close enough.
“So it’s been more than your super hearing that has lingered?” he asks, taking a deep breath. “This was something you should’ve told us. You sound hungry, making more noise than a usual donor makes. Are you in any pain?”
Like my body wants to prove him right, my stomach burns with ferocity, angry that Aspen didn’t give in to my suggestion about a blood exchange. Now, I’m feeling bitey. Out of control. Sick, even. The feelings come on so suddenly that they scare me.
“Stay here. I’m going to get Berkeley,” he says, getting up to stand.
Except I can’t stay in place.
The second Aspen turns his back, my body takes control of me. I launch off the bed and tackle Aspen from behind. He growls and flips me over his shoulder. Instead of dropping me onto my back, he dangles me in front of him.
“Uh, brothers. Can you come here for a sec?” Aspen says, his voice remaining even despite his features twisting into hard lines. “Someone might want to bring some donor blood.”
The door swings open and Hudson enters the room, gawking at me in Aspen’s arms. “What the hell?”
Hudson reaches out and pulls up my top lip to inspect my teeth. I snap at him, catching the tip of his finger in my mouth hard enough to make him growl. He yanks himself free and hides his arms behind his back.
“Not the fingers, love. I need those,” he says, lifting a brow.
“Whoa.” Torrance’s voice pulls my attention to him. “What did you do, Aspen?”
“I think she’s stuck in a transitional st
ate or something because of the venom.” Aspen searches my face. “She asked me to do a blood exchange, and when I told her no—”
“Wait, what? You denied her?” Hudson asks.
Aspen growls. “Shut the hell up.”
“I got the blo—” Berkeley stands in the doorway, a metal thermos in his hand. His wide, hazel eyes rove over me, taking me in inch-by-inch. He closes the space to me and shifts my hair off my shoulder, looking at the spot where Culver had bitten me. “Shit. This looks infected.”
“Not infected,” Hudson says, risking getting closer again. “That looks like the same reaction I get to venom bites.”
Torrance gazes at the bite mark on my neck. “Because you’re already a vampire. You can’t change.”
“But Fiona’s not. I don’t get it,” Berkeley says, dropping my hair to rub his beard.
“Check her teeth again to make sure.” Hudson twirls his finger at my mouth.
I snap my teeth at him in annoyance, making him jump. “I’m not a vampire,” I say. “I don’t drink human blood.”
“Why does she sound like there’s another type of blood she drinks?” Torrance asks his brothers like I’m not being dangled in front of them by Aspen.
Aspen releases the strangest noise from his throat, sending a chill down my back. “Oh, shit. That’s because she does.”
I thrash in his arms, my fear growing more intense as Aspen’s face morphs from concern to surprise to something I can’t decipher. I can see his thoughts spinning with realization. He knows what I am. There’s no doubt about it. This is it. He’s going to tell his brothers, and it’ll all be over. They’ll kill me or cage me. I’m far too dangerous to them otherwise.
“It’s how she managed to kill Culver,” he adds, his Adam’s apple popping as he swallows.
“What the hell are you talking about, brother?” Torrance asks.
“Fiona is a d—”
Hudson roars, surprising Aspen enough that he loosens his hold on me. I hit the ground, but no one attempts to grab me. All their attention shifts to Hudson, and I stare in shock and panic as blood drips from a wound above his heart.
“Hurry, Fiona!” Rylie screams from behind him. “I can’t get it out.”
