by ERIN BEDFORD
His eyes were locked on me, his lips parted as he breathed in my scent. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I shouldn't be turned on by this. I was getting spanked for god's sake. But the way Wynn was watching me only spurred on the sensations I was feeling. After the last smack on my ass, Antoine's fingers slid between my ass cheeks until they dipped into my wetness.
"Naughty girl," Antoine murmured. "You are not supposed to enjoy your punishment. Perhaps I'll have to find something else to get my point across, but first...Wynn." Antoine's voice called out across the room, and Wynn was immediately on his feet and standing before me. "Piper doesn't seem to be getting the point of this little exercise. Suppose you can help her?"
Wynn let out a shuddering breath before reaching for me. Antoine fixed my pants and handed me over to Wynn. Confused and still reeling from the shocking punishment I'd enjoyed far too much, I held on to Wynn by his shirt. I wasn't sure what Antoine wanted Wynn to do, but since his particular power had a happy ending, I wasn't too worried. In fact, I was excited for it.
"Don't look so eager, lovely." Wynn smirked at me, stroking my cheek with his hand. That one caress sent a hot burn through my body. My nipples tightened into hard points and my thighs pressed tightly against each other, trying to ease the pulsing need between them.
A small, gasping moan released from my mouth and I sank against Wynn. "Are you going to punish me, Wynn?"
Antoine watched beside us, not moving from where he sat on the bed. He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back on his elbow. I'd have found his ease concerning, but I was too focused on keeping my feet on the floor and not crumbling out from under me. Wynn barely touched me. Every caress and brush of his fingers above the neckline. Nevertheless, each innocent touch pushed me further and further toward the deep end, until I was just on the edge and was begging Wynn not to stop.
"Please," I gasped, my fingers tightening on his silk pajama shirt. I should have been embarrassed by how desperate I sounded, but I was too close to care. "Wynn. I'm almost there. I..."
"Stop." Antoine's voice called out, and I stared at Wynn as he slowly removed his hands from me and stepped back.
"No." My eyes widened and then jerked over to Antoine, before going back to Wynn. "No, no. You can't be serious. You can't just stop now."
Wynn didn't answer me, and I reached for him but he was too fast. He took another step back and then he was out the bedroom door, not bothering to close it behind him.
Rage and need pulsated through me as I spun on Antoine. "I can't believe you. You fucking asshole."
Antoine stared at me flatly before standing to his feet. He adjusted his pants, brushing off some invisible lint, before taking one step toward me. Brushing my hair over my shoulder, he touched the edge of the gauze, and I flinched. "Let this be a lesson to you."
I glared up at him and then in a moment of bravery, placed my hands on my hips and snapped, "I'll just get myself off when you leave then."
"No, you won't." Antoine command filled every inch of me. The resistance I thought I had to his abilities apparently wasn't working, because every cellular part of my being demanded I obeyed him.
"What are you doing to me?"
Antoine tipped my chin up, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger. "You are weak right now and have my blood coursing through you. It makes you more susceptible to my powers. Now, you will lay down and think about what you did. And while your nipples ache and your pussy begs to be stroked, you will resist. You will not cum until I say you can. Do you understand?"
I fought against the command in his voice. I fought until my jaw ached from clenching my teeth, but it was for nothing. My mouth opened on its own and a feeble, "Yes, sir," came pouring out.
"Good. Now go to bed. I will send Darren in to check on you later." He released my chin and walked toward the bedroom door, trusting me to do as he ordered.
Not like I had a choice.
The moment he released me, my feet moved on their own and I found myself climbing into bed. The covers brushed over my sensitive chest, making me shudder with want. I shifted my legs, trying and failing to quell the desire pounding to a beat that didn't seem to ebb, even after I laid there for thirty minutes.
It was torture. Pure torture. I'd have preferred a lashing to this, but I knew one thing for sure, I wouldn't forget myself again.
Chapter 13
Allister
Gathered in my twin's room, my blood brothers were quieter than usual. Each of us had something on our minds and I was willing to bet the majority of us were contemplating death. Valentine's death in particular.
"He needs to die," Drake growled, pounding his fist against his thigh where he sat at my desk.
"Now, let's not be so hasty." Antoine held a hand up. Our leader had cooled down quite a lot since our last meeting. Still, it was surprising to hear him not agreeing with Valentine's demise.
"You just want him to get away with it?" Drake gaped, his hands waving around in agitation. "That fucker is just gonna come after her again. He won't stop. Not until she's dead."
"Drake's got a point," I interjected with a nod, shifting on my bed. "Valentine is a singular creature. Once he has a taste for someone, he won't quit."
Rayne snorted next to Wynn on the couch. "Well, he's tasted her now. If you could call what he did to her tasting. More like brutalized her."
Wynn shook his head and sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "You guys didn't see her afterward. Piper was really shook up."
"Of course she would be." Rayne turned his head toward Wynn with a frown. "What human wouldn't be? That wasn't a feeding. He was trying to kill her." He ground his teeth, his hands tightening on his thighs. "And he'll try it again. I know it. I could hear his thoughts. It was..." He shook his head, his eyes filled with despair. "It was horrible. We can't let him touch her again." Rayne’s shaggy red head lifted, his gaze locking with Antoine's. "I vote he dies."
"Here, here!" Drake pumped his fist in the air.
I sighed and lifted my hand as well. "I do too. Piper deserves justice."
"And she'll get it," Antoine countered with a stern frown. "But not by putting us in danger. If we kill Valentine, what do you think our master will do?"
Drake barked out a laugh. "Then we kill that fucker too."
A few of us chuckled nervously, but then we paused. Turning my head to Antoine, I cocked it to the side in thought. "Can we? It would solve a lot of our problems."
Antoine didn't answer right away, but then jerked his head in an upward motion. "But this is not the place to be discussing such things. There are too many ears." He swirled his finger in the air, gesturing to the walls. He was right. Who knew who could be listening, even now. There were no secrets in this house, and us planning the assassination of our master and creator was not best idea in his house.
"We need to make a plan." Drake leaned forward in the desk chair, his elbows on his knees as he laced his fingers beneath his chin. "We can't do that here."
"We can't leave though," Wynn pointed out. "Not without leaving Piper vulnerable. She'd have to come with us."
"Where though?" Rayne shifted to address the group. "Where could we take her to discuss this?"
Antoine stepped into the center of the room. "Our master will no doubt want to throw some elaborate party before we leave. I'm sure we could use the excuse of buying her and ourselves something suitable to wear as a way to get out of the house. But we need to discuss the schedule of who will guard her throughout the day. Darren, while a formidable foe, is hardly a match for a vampire. Even a weak one. Marcus is guarding Piper now, and we can each easily take turns at night to watch over her, but the daytime will have to be done in shifts."
"I'll take first shift," Rayne volunteered, holding up his hand with a smirk. "She'll probably be in my bed anyway."
"Fucking braggart," Drake muttered under his breath, and Rayne flipped him off with no less of a shit-eating grin. Then Drake turned to Antoine. "I'll go next. I usuall
y have to get up to piss anyway."
Rayne snickered, earning him another glower from Drake, but he ignored him.
Antoine nodded. "Who's next? I'll take last shift, since technically she should be in my room anyway." This was said to Rayne who stopped laughing to have a stare down with Antoine. Our little brother, who usually backed down from Antoine on all matters, actually held his gaze. Guess he finally found someone worth fighting for.
"I'll go next." Wynn held his hand up lazily, breaking through their stare down. "I do so enjoy watching her eat her meals." Wynn wagged his brows in exaggeration. "Besides, you owe me." He flipped his gaze to Antoine.
Something passed between the two of them, but neither elaborated. "Fine," Antoine clipped, and then turned to me. "Do you wish to go next or closer to evening?"
I lifted a shoulder. "I'm an early riser, so I'm going before you. That still leaves quite a lot of time between lunch and my time though...and what if she wants to go outside?"
Antoine inclined his head. "Marcus has the most stamina of us all and has agreed to bear the brunt of the load."
Drake snorted.
"What?" Antoine snapped, his pale eyes locking on my brother with annoyance. "If you have something to say, say it."
Drake shifted his body weight, and crossed his arms over his chest before leaning back in the seat. "I'm just saying, do we really want Marcus watching over her? He's not exactly a fan."
Antoine's eyes narrowed. "Marcus will do his duty. As all of us will. He has never failed me. Not like some of us." The reminder of my brother's past failure made Drake shrink in his chair before turning his head to the side with a reluctant nod. "Now," Antoine continued with flare, "if there are no other objections, Darren will watch over her during the times she wishes to leave the safety of the house. Unless Valentine or our master has suddenly gained the ability to walk in the sun unhindered, then I believe he will be adequate protection."
We adjourned our meeting. My brother rushed out of the room still in a tizzy about Antoine calling him out. I didn't follow after him. I'd been witness to many of my other half’s tantrums, so I didn't need to see this one.
Antoine took his cell phone out and began to dial into it before leaving my room. No doubt he had some business he needed to conduct. It was a good thing overseas hours were so in line with ours, or we wouldn't get any business done at night. Not that Antoine wouldn't have found some other way to fund our lives. He had a knack for those sorts of things.
Rayne and Wynn were all that were left, and they didn't seem in any hurry to leave. Rayne's brows were furrowed and then suddenly he turned to Wynn with wide eyes. "You did what?"
Wynn gave a secretive smile but didn't answer, leaning back against the couch and closing his eyes.
"Don't do that," Rayne growled, shoving at the lounging vampire. "You can't just give me a peek in your head and then shut down like that. Not when it's about her."
Now I was intrigued. Arching a brow, I moved over to the couch near Wynn. "What's he talking about?"
Rayne turned his glare from Wynn to me. "This asshole and Antoine punished Piper for going off alone. She's already been through enough."
I had to agree. The poor woman might have gotten more than what she had bargained for by being part of our household. In some ways, it might have been better if she had left when she had wanted to before.
"What did you do?"
Wynn cracked one eyes open to give me a lazy smile. "Why don't you ask our fearless leader. It was on his orders."
I huffed. The likelihood that Antoine would give away anything he hadn't already offered freely was slim to none. Thankfully, Rayne gave us a bit of an edge or we'd all be in the dark about a lot of things.
"What'd you see?" I turned to Rayne.
The expression on his face was less appalled and more jealous. It made me all the more curious. "Don't worry about it. She wasn't traumatized or anything."
"Oh, come on," I scoffed impatiently. "You can't just keep that kind of stuff to yourself. This selfish bastard wouldn't talk if the sun itself was asking."
Wynn's lips ticked at my words.
Rayne turned his head away, hiding his eyes, but I could see the redness creeping up his neck and ears. "It wasn't the kind of punishment you need to worry about."
This time I glared accusatorially at Wynn, kicking his shin with my foot. "What'd you do, you pervert?"
A slow grin curled up Wynn's face and he finally opened both eyes to meet my gaze. "I didn't hurt her, if that's what you're thinking. Antoine's the one who turned that gorgeous ass of hers red."
"He spanked her?" I gaped, my eyes widening and my groin tightening at the thought. "She's not a child."
Wynn let out a low chuckle. "No, she is not, based on how turned on she was by it."
"Really?" I mused, shoving my hands into my pockets as I turned this information over in my head. Who would of thought little Piper Billings liked a bit of pain? Good to know.
Still curious to what Wynn had done, I bumped him on the leg again. "Then what'd you do?"
"What I do best." Wynn closed his eyes once more and laced his fingers behind his head.
I glanced over at Rayne and then back to Wynn. "You fucked her? How is that a punishment?"
Rayne chuckled darkly. "No, he didn't even touch her below the neck."
Now I was really confused. What did he do if he didn't screw her brains out? Then it dawned on me. He used his powers on her. But that still didn't sound like a punishment to me. Believe me, if I could make someone come just by touching her skin, I'd be rolling in the ladies. Not that I didn't already get my share with my silver tongue, but still... "I don't get it."
"You and your brother," Rayne sighed and stood, shaking his head while looking at me pitifully. "Bunch of blocks where your brains are, I swear. They wouldn't let her get off. That was her punishment." Rayne stalked out of the room while my face was still frozen in shock.
They wouldn't let her...come? What kind of punishment was that?
"Believe me," Wynn began without prompting, "it was more torture for me than for her. I had to stand there while she moaned and begged for me to get her off, and then just walk away. I had to hide in my room just so I could wank off."
"So, that's why Antoine owes you."
Wynn peeked an eye open. "Not as dumb as he looks."
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Don't you have your own room to clog up with your annoying presence?"
Lifting himself from the couch, Wynn trailed his hands down his chest as if he were a stripper on display, but that was just him. So dramatic. "I do, but I am waiting for...ah..." His eyes opened fully, and a devious grin covered his lips. "Sleeping beauty awakens." Then he was gone, leaving me to contemplate how in the world I ended up with such a group of deranged brothers.
Chapter 14
Piper
Opening my eyes, I groaned. My hand immediately went to my neck where the pain I'd felt before was now no longer existent. I rushed out of bed and toward the bathroom.
Flipping the light on, I peered into the mirror. I was a scary mess. My blonde hair was a rat's nest and I had bags under my eyes. My skin was so pale that I might as well have been one of the undead. However...I slowly peeled the medical tape away from my neck, revealing the clear skin beneath.
Frowning, I poked gently at the healed flesh. There was only the mark from Antoine's bite. All traces of Valentine had been erased. There was no evidence that he'd ever attacked me. Not any physical evidence, in any case. My skin still crawled as a cold fear rushed up my spine at the thought of seeing him again. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to handle it.
That thought made me hurry to the shower. I turned the water on as hot as it would go and stripped myself of Rayne's clothes. Climbing under the spray, I pushed back the pain of the scalding water as I scrubbed my skin everywhere Valentine had touched me. I scoured until I felt a semblance of clean again, and then wrapped a towel around myself and sank to the bathroom flo
or mat.
Staring down at the brown, shaggy mat, I thought over what had happened. I couldn't ignore it forever. It wasn't something you could easily push into a drawer and forget about. Valentine had tried to kill me. More than that, he had wanted me afraid.
Part of me blamed myself for antagonizing him. What did I expect a vampire to do? I was stupid to think that I could go against him alone. Still...he was a monster. I couldn't imagine one of my vampires doing the same thing he'd done to me. I shook my head to solidify it. No, they'd never do that to me. No matter how much I angered them.
Sniffling, I pushed myself up off the ground and finished drying. I could have a pity party for myself later. Right now, I had to face them again. I had to face Valentine. My steps wavered at the thought, but I fought through it. Forcing myself back into the bedroom, I dug through my clothing that Darren had graciously put away for me.
I found a pair of pale blue panties and a matching bra, and pulled them on. Grabbing a pair of jeans, I dragged them up my legs, but a knock sounded on the door before I could put my shirt on. Turning to the door, I held the shirt in one hand and prepared to tell them to hold on, but the door handle turned and then opened.
I held the shirt up to my chest as Wynn stepped into the room. "Oh, it's you." I flushed and turned my head to the side as I tucked a stray, wet hair behind my ear. Irritation filled my chest. I hadn't forgotten what he'd done and neither had my body, which still ached from the lack of completion. If I'd had half a mind, I'd have finished myself off in the shower, but my thoughts was elsewhere. "What do you want?"
"Oh, lovely, don't be angry at me." Wynn's provocative voice cooed at me, his footsteps lazy and quiet against the floor. "We all do things we don't want to from time to time."
I snorted and pulled my shirt over my head, not caring if he saw my bra. "Didn't seem like it at the time."
Wynn didn't even pretend not to be looking before his eyes drifted back up my face. "I would never have left you like that had it not been demanded of me. I'm about giving pleasure not pain."
