Deceptive Changes: Kat LaMond Book 1

by R A Baker

  Todd squeezed my hand and I looked at him. He grinned at me. I couldn’t help smiling back. “So, Haven,” I started as I swung my eyes to him. His eyes were back to ice blue. I sucked in a breath as I looked at him. “Uh…” My mind had gone blank.

  “Yes, Katja?” Haven tilted his head to the side and flashed a little bit of one fang. I swallowed loudly. Why was I so transfixed by his fangs? Was it his doing? Was he using some power on me?

  I shook my head and dropped my eyes. “So, do you think you can stay here? With us?”

  “I can.” He hadn’t even stopped to think about it. I looked into his eyes and this time they were silver. They held nothing for me except the color was fascinating, as fascinating as Thorn’s eyes when they turned gold.

  “Why am I drawn to your eyes when they’re human and not your vampire eyes?” I was pretty sure he had the answer but he shrugged in response and took a sip of wine. He looked at me with his ice blue eyes over the rim of the glass. My hand tightened in Todd’s hand. Shit.

  Haven’s lips spread into a slow smile. He was seducing me. “You’re seducing me,” I stated quietly.

  He nodded. “I’m powerful enough to make most humans fall under my power.” I frowned. I knew I wasn’t special but damn that didn’t even seem like a compliment. “Don’t fret, Katja. I have to seriously concentrate on you in order to seduce you.” He flashed fangs. I didn’t feel the overwhelming desire that I had. His ice blue eyes were just eyes to me.

  “Did you stop?” He nodded and smiled without flashing fangs. “Can you do the same to Todd?” I looked at Todd as I asked.

  “I can but he takes as much concentration as I have to use on you. I’ll need to feed before I can attempt to seduce you both.”

  “You won’t have to,” Todd said quietly.

  I swung my eyes to Haven. His beautiful eyes were wide. I chuckled softly and turned my eyes to Trace. He was watching Sven and Thorn. I looked over and found them kissing softly, lovingly. It made my heart happy to see them happy, together.

  “I won’t have to seduce you?” Haven’s voice was soft.

  I kept the smile in place as I said, “We’re already there, Haven.”

  “I didn’t try seducing you until after we kissed at the ceremony.” His pink tongue slid between his teeth and stopped before reaching his lips.

  “The kiss told me everything I needed to know.” Todd nodded in agreement.

  Haven looked from me to Todd and said, “I’m sure I’ve missed something vital. Could you explain?”

  “Todd and I seem to have this, ability, to…uh…” I looked at Todd for help.

  “We can tell when we’re in love. It’s this tingling sensation. Anyway, we knew the instant you kissed us that you were ours. Kat thought about fighting but we’ve learned from experience that we can’t fight it without serious consequences.”

  “You felt a tingling?” Haven lifted an eyebrow.

  “Yes. Didn’t you?” Haven nodded slowly. “We’ve all felt the tingle and we’re all together, happily. That is if Kat keeps her doubts inside her head,” he said and winked at me.

  “I’ve gotten over my doubts, Todd. I now know that we’re meant to be together. I shouldn’t have doubts again.” I gave him a kiss and went back to sipping my wine.

  “I’ve never been around people with that power. I’ve heard of it.”

  Todd nodded and said, “Only the true king and queen have the power. Sometimes a vampire that isn’t the true king can mimic the power but it’s always about lust and not love.”

  I interrupted with, “I’m going to bed. I think the alcohol is affecting me.” I stood up and tripped sideways into Todd. He caught me around the waist and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around Todd’s neck and moaned into his mouth. He tightened his hold on me as we kissed.

  We separated and breathed deeply. “I should go to bed,” I whispered. Todd nodded but didn’t let me up. He bent down and kissed me softly. He pulled back, after another long kiss, and helped me stand. I ran my hands along his chest as I walked away.

  I went into the bedroom and grabbed pj’s. I looked at the bed and didn’t know how we were going to fit all seven of us on the standard king sized bed. I sighed and went into the bathroom.

  I turned the shower on and undressed. I didn’t look different. I didn’t feel different either. I figured for a queen I should feel different but I felt like myself. I shrugged and stepped under the hot flow of water. I washed and shaved and then stepped out.

  I toweled off and put my pj’s on. I looked at myself in the mirror once more and couldn’t see a difference. I smirked at my reflection and stepped out of the bathroom.

  Everyone was in the room. They had changed into pj’s. Someone had found some for Haven. He was as tall as Todd so not a big deal. I stopped just outside the bathroom door and looked at them. They were delicious to look at.

  Thorn and Sven were wearing similar pj bottoms with black t-shirts that made their pale skin glow. Trace and Erick were in black pj bottoms without shirts. Todd was wearing grey pj bottoms with a grey t-shirt that molded to his body and Haven had on black pj bottoms and no shirt. I surreptitiously checked for drool as my eyes roamed over them.

  “Holy crap,” I whispered. I couldn’t keep my astonishment quiet. “You guys look hot.” As soon as the words were out I wanted them back. Desire filled each of their eyes. I stepped back and hit the bathroom door with my hand. The loud bang in the silent room caused me to jump.

  I looked up and found Haven in front of me. I gasped and said, “Don’t scare me like that. I’ve already told Sven and Thorn not to sneak up on me like that. I might hurt you if you continue to scare me.” He laughed softly. “You don’t understand. I generally carry around guns with exploding rounds. I could accidently shoot you.” He didn’t laugh but the smile didn’t fade either.

  He leaned into me, his body so close to mine. He ran his fingers through my wet hair and kissed me. I ran my hands along his smooth back. He twirled me around as we kissed. We fell on the bed with me on top. His body was cool against my hot flesh. I pulled back. “You’re going to need to feed.” He nodded. I pushed against his arms and he let me go. I stood beside him and surveyed the room. Sven and Thorn probably needed to feed as well. Good thing we have so many humans, I thought acerbically.

  “Who feeds who?” I looked at my human guys.

  Todd smiled and said, “I’ll feed whoever you’re feeding, Kat.” Well that helped me decide. I didn’t know protocol on feeding vampires. Todd and I were the leaders of the vampires so I guess it would be right to feed the leader or ‘master.’

  I heard gasps and turned. Sven and Thorn had pulled Trace and Erick into their arms and were kissing. My mouth fell open. Sven pulled Trace tighter into his embrace and dipped him back so we could see the whole deal. Sven pulled them up and flicked his eyes to me. A small smile spread along Sven’s lips. I smiled back.

  Thorn had Erick against the wall and was feeding from him. Erick’s green eyes were sparkling and his hands were wound in Thorn’s multi-colored hair. Erick shut his eyes and let little sounds of pleasure escape his lips.

  I squeaked in surprise when someone touched my hand. I looked over and found Todd standing beside me. He held my hand and pulled me closer. I hugged him and curled around him as we watched. His arm wound around my back and I placed my hand on his chest. I could feel his heartbeat, strong and sure.

  Erick bucked against Thorn’s body and cried out in pleasure. Thorn didn’t stop there. He continued to bring Erick, over and over. Thorn pulled back long enough to kiss Erick on the lips and bite his wrist. He held his wrist to Erick’s mouth. At first Erick fought it but Thorn whispered something in Erick’s ear. Erick nodded and then suckled on Thorn’s wrist. I knew what was going to happen. I looked at Todd. He had a confused expression on his face.

  I pulled Todd’s head down and whispered, “Thorn’s going to continue bringing Erick,” into his ear. When Todd looked down at me, I sighed and explained.
“Thorn can bring a person, vampire or human, multiple times and without the power boost Erick could be harmed.” Todd’s face colored as I explained. “If you don’t want to watch, we can go elsewhere.”

  He seemed to think about it. “No. I’ll watch.” I was actually surprised that Todd was willing to watch.

  Haven came up to us and wrapped his pale arms around me. I could feel just how cold he was. I shivered. He pulled back and murmured an apology.

  I grabbed his arm as he was starting away and shook my head. I tugged him over and wrapped my arm around his bare waist. I tried not to shiver but his skin was so cold against my body. “Feed from me,” I said softly. Haven’s eyes widened. Todd tightened his arm around my waist. I looked up. Todd’s eyes had darkened.

  Before Haven could lean into me, Erick drew our attention as he screamed in pleasure and thrashed against Thorn. Sven and Trace were sitting on the bed watching. Sven was playing his fingers along Trace’s neck, causing Trace to shiver and lean against him. Erick was still bucking and crying out as Thorn continued.

  A few more orgasms from Erick and Thorn pulled back. Erick shivered and slumped against Thorn’s body. Thorn carried Erick’s limp body to the bed nearest us and flashed a smile as he crawled on the bed and curled around Erick’s trembling body.

  Sven pressed his body against Trace’s and tilted his head. Trace let out a small gasp as Sven fed from him. Trace cried out a few minutes later and arched back. After Sven fed a minute more, he helped Trace lay back and curled against his body.

  Haven pulled me closer and slid his fangs into my skin. I tightened my death grip on Todd’s waist and pulled him closer. Pleasure was rolling through me before Haven had more than a sip of my blood. Todd cried out softly and pressed closer to me.

  Haven pressed his body against me. I could feel him respond as Todd and I made little pleasure noises. The orgasm caught me off guard. I hadn’t even felt it coming. Todd and I screamed in pleasure as Haven continued to feed on me. We cried out often and in frequency as one orgasm after another ripped through us.

  Haven pulled back and smiled. His ice blue eyes were happy as Todd and I trembled as another orgasm hit us. “Enough,” Todd whispered breathlessly. Haven kissed my neck and helped Todd and me to the bed.

  Todd and I lay on the bed, curled around each other, with Haven at my back. Haven ran a lazy hand along the side of my stomach. When I could speak I asked, “How did you do that?”

  Haven’s breath whispered across my neck. “Like Thorn, I can bring humans or vampires multiple times. As my power increased so did my bite.”

  After a little while of lying on the bed and calming down, the need to shower overwhelmed me. “I need to clean up,” I whispered. A series of ‘uh huh’s’ from the room and the bed shifted. I lifted my head from Todd’s chest and saw that Sven and Thorn were helping Erick and Trace.

  I smiled and tried to move. I was effectively trapped between Todd and Haven. Even though I knew I wasn’t in danger I started to struggle. My breath came in shallow gasps and my body started to fight. “Move, please,” I said between gasps. Haven rolled away from me and I slid off the bed and to the floor. I hung my head and breathed deeply.

  “Kat?” Todd. I looked up and grimaced. “Are you okay?” I nodded. “The guys are in the bathroom. Do you need help?” He held out his hand and I took it. He pulled me up and against his body. We kissed slowly and deeply.

  We parted and went into the bathroom. I sucked in a sharp breath as I saw all of them naked and bumped into Todd as I backed up.

  Todd wrapped his arms around my waist and laid his chin on my shoulder. He kissed my neck. I shook my head. I didn’t think I could do this. “It’ll be okay, Kat,” Todd whispered against my neck. “They aren’t going to hurt you, babe.” His reassurances weren’t helping. I kept my eyes from Haven’s nude form and caught Erick’s green eyes.

  He walked over to us and held Todd and me in his embrace. He whispered, “Don’t be afraid, Katja. We plan on showering then ravishing you.” I bit through my lip and hissed in pain. He kissed me and smeared my blood on his lips.

  I gasped as the blood sparkled and caused his already bright green eyes to look like liquid emerald. Sven and Thorn appeared right behind Erick. He smiled but didn’t lick the blood from his lips. He turned his head and gave Sven a kiss. Sven ate at his mouth and licked the blood from Erick’s lips. I wiped at the blood that was making its way down my chin.

  Thorn grabbed my hand and licked the blood in a long slow line up my palm. His brown eyes had bled to gold. He leaned into me after cleaning my hand and flicked his tongue across my bleeding lip. I sighed as he stuck his tongue past my lips and into my mouth. We kissed gently, my fingers playing in his hair.

  I was less uncomfortable now with my men surrounding me. I tasted blood that wasn’t mine. I opened my eyes and looked into Thorn’s brown eyes. He had cut the tip of his tongue with his fang. He pulled back and the lip wound was healed. He gave me another quick kiss and laid his head on Todd’s shoulder.

  I found that Trace had walked up behind Thorn. I leaned toward him. He pressed against Erick and Thorn and kissed me. His hands wrapped around my face. I moaned softly as I tasted him. I forgot how good he tasted. I had gotten sidetracked with the others.

  He pulled back and grinned as I leaned further toward him. “Kiss me,” I whispered. He obliged. I pulled my hands free of Thorn and Erick and wrapped them around his neck. Todd’s arms tightened on my stomach as I pulled away and into Trace. We parted. I licked my lips.

  Sven groaned. “My turn.”

  Trace smiled softly and moved to Thorn’s other side. Sven slid along Erick’s body and pulled me to him. I was still trapped between Todd’s arms and Thorn and Erick’s body but we managed. Sven slid his tongue into my mouth, making me sigh and press my lips hard against his. He pulled back slowly catching my bottom lip between his teeth. He let go and smiled.

  Todd pulled me against him and ran a hand between my breasts to cup my neck. His other hand travelled lower. I arched against him as he rubbed his hand over me. He bent his head and kissed me as he continued to rub me through my pants. I moaned softly into his mouth.

  He stopped playing with me abruptly and pulled back. I blinked. My eyes were blurry from pleasure. “Why’d you stop?” I whispered. Todd’s smile was tight. I looked behind him and found Haven leaning against Todd.

  “Um, maybe we should shower,” I suggested to ease the tension. They didn’t move. “Okay. If you guys don’t want to shower, I’m going to.” I pushed against Erick and Thorn. They moved but Todd wouldn’t let me go. “Todd.” He released me so quickly that I stumbled forward. I reached a hand out and Thorn took me into his arms. He kissed me, then let me go.

  I walked away from them and started to unbutton my top. I heard several sighs go through the room. I stopped and turned slowly. Their eyes were on me. I blushed and said, “Can you guys get out?”

  Thorn shook his head. He turned on the waterfalls and rain for the shower and stepped in. Sven followed Thorn in and shoved him against the wall. They kissed and held each other but didn’t do anything further. Trace and Erick stepped into the shower. Todd and Haven were still where they had been.

  Haven’s hair had fallen onto Todd’s shoulder as he leaned in and gave Todd a kiss on the neck. Todd’s hands relaxed as Haven wrapped him in his arms and slid his fangs in.

  Haven pulled back a few moments later, licked Todd’s neck, then stepped into the shower. I walked over to Todd and held out my hand. He took it and pulled me to him. I kissed the dippy part of his neck. He hugged me, then stepped out of the room. I looked at the guys. They were cleaning up and laughing. I walked out of the room and shut the door.

  “Are you okay, Todd?”

  He was sitting on the bed with his arms wrapped around his knees. “I’m okay, Kat.” I frowned. He didn’t seem okay.

  I held out my hand and said, “Come with me.” He slid off the bed and grabbed my hand.

  I
led him into the kitchen and made him sit. I grabbed a couple beers from the fridge and opened them. I handed him one and sat on his lap. I drank some of the beer and looked at him. “Did he make you uncomfortable?”

  “Not really.” He took a sip of beer and said, “He’s different. Much stronger than I had thought.”

  “And that’s not a good thing?” I was trying to understand his discomfort. His brown eyes were tired. “Maybe we should just get some sleep, Todd. Tomorrow, we can play around if you want or something.”

  “I need to shower.”

  I chuckled softly. “I know what you mean.” I gave him a light kiss on the cheek and finished my beer.

  Haven came into the kitchen as I was getting off Todd’s lap. I stopped moving and looked at him. His silver hair, still wet from the shower, was darker and his ice blue eyes stood out. He was dressed in black pj bottoms and a black t-shirt that formed to his chest and arms. A moan escaped my lips. He smiled a man-smile at me and walked further into the room.

  “I came to apologize.”

  Todd stood up and looked at Haven. A small sound between a moan and a groan slipped from Todd. Haven came over and started to kneel. Todd stopped him with a hand. “Don’t. You’re part of this, Haven. No need for formalities and you don’t need to apologize.”

  “I should. I took your blood without permission.”

  I chuckled softly. Haven turned confused eyes to me. “I should explain. Normally, I’m the one vampires take unpermitted blood from, not Todd.”

  Todd chuckled softly and pulled Haven to us. We wrapped our arms around him. I could feel his muscles against my chest and as I ran my arm around his back. He didn’t look all that muscular but he was. All lean muscles and hard flesh.

  A small whimper slipped from my lips as I ran my hand up his back and his hand slid along my ribs. I leaned closer to him and placed my lips on his arm. He was warm from the blood and smelled like my soap. He whispered, “I haven’t felt like this in a long time.”

  I pulled back from him and smiled. “Felt like what?”