The Vampires' Blood Mate: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance

by Lili Zander

  He watches me, a glimmer of laughter in his eyes. He can feel my frustration, and it’s amusing him.

  “Meh.” I force myself to sound bored. “You think all you need to do is whip out your cock?”

  “So you’re not turned on?” The laughter in his voice deepens. “Come here.”

  I straighten and walk to him on shaky legs. He holds my gaze in his and swipes a finger between my legs. “Soaked,” he growls. “Bad girl. Do you know what happens to bad girls, Raven?”

  Oh wow. This is straight out of my dirtiest fantasies. I know exactly where this is going, and I am so ready for it. Need claws my insides like a wild animal. “They get punished,” I whisper.

  “That’s right.” He pats his thighs, and I drape myself across his lap. He pulls my hands behind my back. “Do you want to be punished, Raven?”

  “I really do.” My voice is fervent, needy. Desperate.

  He chuckles. “If it’s too much, tell me to stop.”

  Zeke’s a vampire. If he hits me with his full strength, I won’t be sitting down for weeks. Somehow, this doesn’t frighten me in the slightest. I know Zeke. I trust Zeke. He’s not going to hurt me.

  I turn my head to the mirror. His hand strokes the curve of my ass, his dark hand a vivid contrast to my paler hue. “Keep your hands out of the way, or I’ll tie them up,” he warns me.

  I nod wordlessly. He’s touching me so intimately. Pushing my cheeks together and spreading them apart, teasing my tight hole with a fingertip before drawing it away… Sensations batter me, each one more pleasurable than the next.

  The first sharp blow falls on my ass, and I hiss in surprise and arch off his lap. “Too much?” he asks, gently rubbing his palm over my bare skin.

  The stinging radiates through me like the warmth from a cozy fire. “No. Don’t stop.”

  Smack. Another blow, this time on the other cheek. His fingers swipe through my slit and come away wet. “Tell me, Raven. Are you turned on?”

  I’m not ready for him to stop spanking me. “Maybe just a little,” I say, my voice muffled against the couch cushions. “I’m not sure.”

  “You aren’t?” His voice is dangerously silky. “Open your mouth.”

  His fingers, glistening with my juices, nudge my lips. I suck them into my mouth, and he pushes them deeper than I expect. A fresh gush of heat trickles through me.

  “Tell me, Raven. Would you like to revise your answer?”

  A hard smack takes my breath away, and I involuntarily reach for the spot to rub the sting away. Zeke stops me, holding my wrists with one hand. “Yes,” I cry out.

  He strokes the sore spot gently, and the stinging fades into pleasure. I sigh in utter bliss. “I’m turned on,” I admit.

  “Yes, you are.” His fingers part my folds, and his thumb presses my clitoris. I watch in the mirror as his fingers disappear in the cleft between my legs, and a full body shudder runs through me.

  Zeke’s eyes are glazed with lust. His hand strokes my ass, and his fingers slide in and out of me with excruciating slowness. Pressure builds inside me, but I need more. “Zeke,” I whine. “Harder.”

  He lifts an eyebrow. “Good girls get rewards,” he says. “Bad girls, on the other hand…”

  “I’ll be good,” I whimper. “I promise.”

  He kisses the back of my neck. His fingers keep moving in and out, never wavering from their slow, deliberate pace. His thumb brushes my clitoris, and my breath catches. My arousal builds higher. My muscles clench as I race to my orgasm, but when I’m almost there, he stops what he’s doing.

  I groan out loud.

  “How long can we do this, do you think?”

  I twist my head around and stare at him. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  A smile ghosts over his face. “You sound so sure.” He sucks my juices from his fingers, his expression filled with pleasure. “If I were you, I’d be less certain.”

  A retort is at the tip of my tongue, but I bite it back. This is a side of Zeke I’ve never seen before. There’s a part of me that wants to see how far he’ll push me.

  Pretty far. Three more times, he brings me to the edge. Each time, he denies me my orgasm. I grit my teeth and sink into the sea of sensation. When he finally makes me come, the release is going to be glorious.

  “Get up.”

  Relief crashes through me. Zeke steadies me as I get to my feet. He positions me in front of him, and his gaze drinks me in. “You are so beautiful.”

  I feel myself blush at the compliment. “So are you.” His muscles flex as he sheds his trousers, and I ogle him shamelessly. His cock juts toward me, hard and firm, and another pulse-wave of desire swamps me.

  He notices me looking, and his lips curve into a smug smile. He pats his lap again. “Turn around and lower yourself on me.”

  It’s an order I’m happy to obey. I sink onto his cock, inch by inch, shivering around his girth, my nerve endings screaming with pleasure. My eyes close, and Zeke’s grip tightens around my waist. “I want you to watch yourself.”

  I look in the mirror as I bounce on him. I watch his cock disappear into my pussy. I watch one of his large hands cup my breast and squeeze my aching flesh. His other hand makes its unerring way to my clit.

  The girl in the mirror throws her head back. Her face—my face—contorts with a need that refuses to be held back any longer. I shudder and writhe on his hard cock as I erupt.

  “Keep moving,” he orders. He holds my gaze captive. His fingers dig into my flesh, urging me on. His fingers tease me to another searing orgasm, and this time, when I come apart, he comes apart with me.

  I slump on the couch, drained and sated. Zeke takes my hand in his. “Too much?”

  “Are you kidding?” I snuggle into his warm body, and he wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me close. “That was great. You can do that to me anytime.”

  19

  Raven

  We jump into training the next day. “It’ll take Tomas a couple of days to get to Merin,” Saber says cheerfully as he wakes me up. “Might as well use that time to teach you to defend yourself. Come on, Raven. Get out of bed.”

  I was in the middle of a dream where I was flying. I had giant translucent wings, and I glided through the air, perfectly at peace. Four dragons, the mythical beasts that so captured the imagination of Old Earth humans, flanked me, and though they looked nothing like my vampires, I knew that they were Saber, Nero, Zeke, and Ragnar. We flew through the clouds, laughing, tumbling, diving, just playing with each other, without a care in the world.

  I want to hold onto that feeling of well-being. I don’t want to wake up. If I don’t open my eyes, maybe I’ll be able to fall back into that dream. “Go away.”

  He laughs and turns on the overhead light. There’s a ruthless streak in Saber. I make a protesting noise and bury my head under the pillow. “I have coffee,” he says persuasively.

  I sit up, dragons forgotten. “You do?” There had been no coffee on the Valiant. I could have probably bought some in the night market on Antaras Seven, but I’d been too distracted by the abundance on display in the street stalls.

  “Nero went out to the local market.”

  No doubt Nero also checked the overall security of our hutong at the same time. I stand up, and Saber’s eyes run over me appreciatively. “I love that you sleep naked.”

  “I’m not used to the warmth.” Merin is, like Antaras Seven, a much hotter world than Boarus 4.

  His teeth flash in a grin. “I’m not saying that factored into our calculations on where to take shelter, but…”

  “As if,” I scoff. “The three of you are too paranoid about security. Besides, you can have me naked anytime you want. All you have to do is ask.”

  His eyes go dark. “It goes both ways, love. Any time you want me. Any time you want anything of me. All you have to do is ask.”

  Love. My heartbeat speeds up. “If you don’t stop looking at me like that, we won’t leave this room,” I warn him.


  He shakes his head. “As tempting as that sounds, it’s time to hone your fighting skills. Get dressed and join me outside.”

  Hone my fighting skills? I don’t have any. I’m in for a long session of getting my ass handed to me.

  After four bone-bruising hours of sparring with my stick, Saber decrees that I’m ready to learn how to fence. “You have got to be kidding me,” I say to him, puffing with exertion, my eyes nearly popping out of my head. “A sword’s far too risky. What happens if I cut you and somehow get my blood on you?”

  “You’ll be holding a sword for the first time in your life,” he replies, as infuriatingly calm as ever. “You’re not going to land a stroke on me.”

  Argh. “Arrogant much? I’m really going to enjoy proving you wrong one of these days.”

  He grins lazily and picks up a pair of swords lying on the ground. Nero’s come out to watch us, and when he sees the blades Saber’s holding, his eyes go wide. “Are those…?” he asks, his voice strangled.

  Saber glances at him. Nero shuts up. I look at the two of them curiously. “What?”

  “It’s not important. I’ll tell you later.” Saber tosses one of those swords to Nero. “Come on, Nero. A rematch?”

  Nero catches the sword out of mid-air. “I rushed Saber with a sword when I tried to kill him,” he says to me. “Saber was an officer in the Imperial Army. I knew he was a crack shot, but I didn’t think he’d know how to handle one of these.” He makes a couple of swishing strokes in the air, warming up his wrist and testing the balance of his blade.

  “He did?”

  “How was I supposed to know that every member of Family Hafsson is an elite-level swordsman?” Nero sounds aggrieved.

  Saber smirks. “What have I told you, Nero? You have to look before you leap. My family’s obsession with swords is hardly a secret.” He eyes the man in front of him. “That was seven years ago. You’re better now. Are you good enough to beat me?”

  It’s banter, and neither of them intends to hurt the other, but they also wouldn’t be the vampires they are if they didn’t enjoy a little friendly competition. This reminds me of Boarus 4. In the backyard of their Sector 1 guest house, heaters burning all around us, they’d taught me how to fight with a stick. Nero and Saber had sparred then as well, as had Zeke and Nero.

  I had thought they were fast then. They’re even faster now. They collide in a blur of blades. Nero charges. Saber dodges and thrusts his own weapon, but Nero’s already dancing away, a grin on his face. “Got to try harder than that, Saber.”

  They slash and pivot, thrust and retreat. They glide over the ground, their movement so fluid it resembles flight. The dragons from my dream come to life. Their blades glimmer under the floating lanterns, and when their weapons clash, it sounds like a violent, primal symphony.

  They’re mine. My vampires. Somebody pinch me, because I must be dreaming.

  A sword flies through the sky. Before it can crash to the ground, Saber moves with vampire quickness and plucks it out of the air. “Nicely done.” There’s not a drop of resentment in his voice. No, all I can hear is admiration. And pride.

  Nero’s eyes glisten with triumph. He’s breathing hard, his chest rising and falling with exertion. “You taught me well.” He pivots to me and hands me the sword, hilt first. “Now, teach her.”

  Break time is over. I get to my feet, ignoring my screaming muscles. Ragnar’s voice sounds in my ear. Learn to fight and defend yourself. Absorb every lesson Saber, Zeke, and Nero teach you. Spend hours on the InfoNet, because the moment your relationship with Saber becomes public knowledge, the assassination attempts will start.

  “Tell me something,” I ask Saber, swishing the blade the way Nero had done. “Why not teach me to shoot instead? A gun will beat a sword every single time, won’t it?”

  “It will,” he agrees. “And you will learn to shoot. But there are several planets that prohibit guns. Antaras Seven was one of them. Merin’s another. When we were part of the Imperial Army, those prohibitions didn’t apply to us. Now, since we’re traveling under false identities, they do.” He grins. “Blades are always easy to find on the black market. It’s a good idea to know how to use one.”

  He walks me through a basic position. “Bend your knees,” he instructs. “Move your right leg forward. Good.”

  I crouch as he indicates, feeling foolish. Zeke must be taking a break from trying to hack into Levitan’s secure network, because he’s come out to watch too. No pressure at all. “Ignore them,” Saber advises. “Your focus should be on your feet and on your footwork. Don’t dwell on the sword. It’s just an extension of your arm. Okay? Now move forward. Lead with your dominant leg.”

  To my surprise, Saber’s a really good teacher. He’s patient, and he doesn’t throw too much at me. By the time we’re done for the day, the sword doesn’t feel foreign in my hand. But I’m painfully aware of how raw I am, and how much further I have to go to. “All I’m sure of right now is that I won’t accidentally stab myself,” I say ruefully to Zeke as we make our way inside. “I guess that’s a victory of sorts.”

  He chuckles. “You’re a lot better than I was on my first day,” he says.

  “I am?”

  “Oh, absolutely. I was hopelessly uncoordinated as a child. I was good at hacking and not much else. I got picked on a lot.” His gaze is distant, and I feel another surge of anger at the thought of Zeke’s family.

  “You’re a crack shot now.”

  He comes back from whatever dark place he was in. “Hours and hours of practice.” He smiles at me. “It’s instinctive now, but I had to work at it. You have an innate sense of balance. It’s what made you so good on your ice boat.”

  He’s such a nice person. A nice person who can spank me like a champion. My vampires have layers. “Thank you, Zeke.”

  A week passes in a blur of hard training, good food and drink, and amazing sex. Nero leaves the safe house every couple of days, but the rest of us stay indoors.

  Zeke’s busy trying to locate the missing boarium, but Harek Levitan’s security thwarts him at every turn. “You’ll get through,” I tell him during one of his moments of frustration. “What you’re trying to do isn’t easy. Levitan is committing treason. The evidence is going to be hard to find.”

  “You’re right.” His eyes are red-rimmed. Too many hours in front of a screen. “How’s the training coming? Sorry I haven’t been able to help much.”

  “It’s frustratingly slow,” I grimace. “Yesterday, I held onto my sword for three whole minutes before Nero disarmed me. It’s humbling.”

  He gives me a wicked grin. “What you’re trying to do isn’t easy,” he says, echoing my words. “You’ll get through.”

  Jerk.

  Eight days after we arrive on Merin, Tomas Cabal lands in the local spaceport with Ivar Karling. We’re all there to greet the two men. For security reasons, of course, but also because we’re going a little stir-crazy cooped up in the cramped quarters of the safe house.

  Marcus Riljor and Amara Zuboff come with us as well. Amara eyes the twin daggers strapped to my belt, and her lips curl into a sneer. “Are those decorative, or do you know how to use them?”

  Bitch. “Try me.” I’ll get the shit kicked out of me—even with Saber’s training, I have not become an expert in a week—but she doesn’t know that.

  Marcus puts his hand on hers. “Let’s focus, shall we?” he says evenly. “We are not here to start a pissing match. We’re here to provide security.”

  She snarls in my direction but backs down. We leave the hutong and load ourselves into two waiting skimmers. Wisely, I choose the skimmer that doesn’t have Amara in it. In less than an hour, we arrive, without incident, at the spaceport.

  Tomas raises an eyebrow when he descends the ramp of his spaceship and sees the six of us waiting for him. “Should I be flattered or nervous?” he asks, and then he grins. “Wait, it’s not me you’re interested in. It’s Dr. Karling.”

  Ivar Karling is
a tall, thin vampire with a shock of white hair around his face. “Good to meet you,” he says, smiling at all of us. “Especially Raven.” He shakes my head enthusiastically. “Your blood is fascinating.”

  “Have you been able to create a cure for the virus?” I ask hopefully.

  The smile is wiped off his face. “Not yet. We have a couple of hopeful results but nothing conclusive. The pressure is somewhat overwhelming.” He straightens his shoulders. “But we’ll get there. The prince has given us every resource we could possibly need. My colleagues are brilliant scientists, all of them. I have full confidence in them.”

  Guilt stabs me. “We’re pulling you away from your work.”

  Dr. Karling shakes his head. “No, no. It’s quite alright. I couldn’t pass up the chance to study the way the virus interacts with your blood. And a transfusion on this scale will provide us useful insight. Have you identified a hospital with the equipment I need?”

  The vampires don’t reply. I look up, just as Saber dives over my body. “Get down,” he shouts. “We’re under attack.”

  Then the bombs go off.

  20

  Saber

  The bombs aren’t explosives. They’re smoke grenades, designed to obscure the dozen armed combatants pouring into the spaceport. A thick, heavy cloud fills the air between us and the main exit.

  Damn it. The building has two side exits, but I have no doubt that they’re guarded. The instant we open them, we’ll be met with a hail of bullets or arrows or whatever they’re using to attack.

  We’ve got to fight our way out.

  I’m already on my feet, helping Raven up. Marcus Riljor appears next to me. “They’re jamming our comm signal,” he says crisply. “I’m going to fight my way out and get reinforcements.”

  The odds of him slipping past the cordon aren’t high. He’s signing his death warrant, and he knows it. But there’s no choice. The spaceport is open to the sky, but we can’t pile into the ship and take off; we don’t have enough time.