by Ginna Moran
Slapping my hand over Ashton’s mouth, I stop him from saying anything more. “Stop, Ash. Our family was already ruined before the Royales caught us. They have been nothing but amazing to me since I entered their household. I will not allow you to talk badly about them. I love them.”
Ashton doesn’t respond how I expect. Instead of glowering in disgust, he slumps his shoulders. Tears fill his eyes, but he’s quick to swipe them away before they fall. I can’t stop from gawking. I’ve never seen him cry ever.
“God, Gwen. Please tell me they feel the same. Tell me you’re happy. That you get what you need without anything in return,” he whispers, throwing his arms around me. “I’ve been so worried about you.”
Confusion lines my forehead. “Um, what?”
He releases a soft laugh. “I sound crazy, don’t I?”
“Just a bit. You screamed that the Royales ruined our family but then asked if they loved me...why?” I grasp Ashton’s chin so that he looks at me.
He tightens his jaw. “I didn’t say the Royales. I said vampires. I’m talking about another coven, Gwen. One far worse than we could have ever imagined.”
My heart sinks into my stomach. “You know the Barons.”
His eyes widen. “Fuck, you do too.”
I swallow, trying to stop my voice from breaking. “They tried to claim me.”
“Shit,” he whispers. “You don’t belong to them. You have to know that. The contract was never signed. Dad wouldn’t do it.”
“I know,” I say. Swiveling, I meet my guys’ gazes. Bronx appears in the hallway, striding toward us. I can tell he’s heard everything Ashton’s said so far, and he wants to know more. “Plus, I have a contract already. I belong to the Royale Coven.”
“What?” he asks.
I smile, showing Ashton it’s a good thing. “They also belong to me.”
Chapter 17
Family Reunion
BRONX MANAGED TO GET US into the board member-only floor of Midnight Valley’s Blood Match Center. According to my guys, it’s as new as the one in Crimson Vista. I try not to think about the fact that some humans are currently taking the dumbest test in existence to see if they Blood Match with a vampire.
The lobby was pretty empty, so I imagine it’s not much different. People—like the crazed guy at Corona’s—only enter the program out of desperation. The fact that there were only two humans in sight kind of makes me feel better about this region. It shows that the general population is doing well enough.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything to eat? Jameson is an excellent cook. He learned just for me,” I say, stabbing at one of the small breakfast sausages on my plate.
The second we were settled, Jameson called the human staff to bring food that he could prepare himself. I couldn’t stop laughing at how surprised the man was that it was Jameson cooking. I guess they don’t see much of that.
“I’d learn anything for you.” Jameson kisses the top of my head, hovering behind me like he’ll swoop in to steal my fork at any second just to feed me himself.
Ashton tries to remain expressionless. “I’m fine. I had an early dinner.”
I nearly forgot that he’d be on a human schedule. “Maybe dessert?”
“Like I said, I’m good.”
“Suit yourself,” Jameson says. “This will be the only time a vampire will ever cook for you.”
I laugh and roll my eyes. “Not if we take him home.”
Silence fills the room. My smile fades with the realization that my guys might not want to—or they can’t—take Ashton from Midnight Valley. He is a registered donor here after all.
Ashton reaches across the small table and rests his hand on top of mine. “Gweny, I’m not leaving. I like it here.”
My guys audibly release their breaths. I flick my attention to Bronx, his obvious relief over my brother’s words annoying me. I know we haven’t had the best luck with my other brothers, but they can all obviously see that Ashton is different. Joining the gen. pop. of a city proves it. No Blood Rebel would ever do such a thing. They’d rather die trying to escape wearing one of the shiny silver bracelets like the one adorning Ashton’s wrist.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Ashton continues. “I love you, little sis. I want nothing more than for us to have a normal life together, but it’s not possible. We both know that.”
He doesn’t have to say I’m a dhampir for me to know that’s what he’s referring to. I haven’t told him yet that my guys know. He’s about to find out, though.
Everett bites his arm and partially fills a glass. He hands it to his brothers who take their turns to add their blood until the glass is filled to the top. Ashton watches Everett hand it to me, and I smile and kiss Everett.
I slowly sip the blood despite wanting to gulp it. “Mmm,” I say, smiling at my guys. It’s a habit of mine to make sure to tell them how good their blood is. “Just what I needed.”
It weirds Ashton out. I can tell by his grimace. “Gwen, can I be honest?”
“As long as you don’t say something stupid that could hurt my guys’ feelings,” I say, drinking more blood.
He clears his throat. “How are you able to do...this?”
Shit. I thought he was going to ask if they knew I was a dhampir. “What do you mean?”
“You’re with all four of them.” Ashton glances to each of them before turning his attention to me. “Like a relationship. I don’t get it. It’s—”
“Not weird. It’s the best thing to have happened to me. And so you know, I told them I was a dhampir. They love that about me.” Might as well get it all out there.
“But, the four of them?” he asks again. “Are you...having sex? I mean, with all of them?” He grimaces and scrubs his face. “Fuck, I’m sorry. This is weird. I don’t really want to know, but I have to know.”
“Why do you have to know? My sex life is none of your business.” Awkward tension builds through the room.
“I know. I know,” Ashton says.
“Then why the hell ask?” Jameson says, speaking up. “You’re making our girl uncomfortable. We don’t discuss this kind of thing between us. It’s one of our rules. Only Gwen can bring it up, and she obviously doesn’t want to.”
“I don’t mean to, I swear. It’s just—you’re vampires. You’re not known for sharing, especially if intimacy is involved. Gwen’s last blood source even had a contract that stated she couldn’t have sex with anyone.” Ashton thunks his head on the table without looking at me.
My muscles tense at his admission. “You knew about the contract?”
“We all did, Gweny.” Ashton doesn’t look at me as he admits the truth. “And so you know, I didn’t agree with it. Both Declan and I fought with Grayson about what it meant for you.”
Tears blur my eyes. “You did?”
“Of course I did. I hated everything about the situation. It wasn’t fair not to include you in things involving your life.” He gets up from his seat and comes around the table to envelop me in his arms. “And so you know. I don’t agree with what Grayson is doing now. When he told me—I lost it. It’s why I’m here. I would rather spend the rest of my life as part of the general population than do anything that would mess up your future.”
“What do you mean?” Bronx says, pulling up a chair. Jameson, Everett, and Mikkalo all do the same, joining us around the table.
“You said you met the Barons and they tried to claim Gwen,” Ashton says. “Do you know why?”
“They want her caged for her regenerative blood,” Mikkalo says. “They know she’s a dhampir.”
Ashton releases a strangled laugh. “I wish. That’s only partially true. It’s worse.”
I frown. “What could be worse than that?”
“They think you will bear power for them, Gwen.” Pulling back, he meets my gaze. “As in, spawn more dhampirs. More dhampirs mean more blood.”
“And more blood means more power,” Mikkalo says with a groan. “Not to mention dhampirs
feed on vampires.”
“The likeliness of Gwen having a symptomatic carrier is pretty slim,” Everett says, speaking up.
“Not if she has eternity to do so,” Jameson says.
Dread trickles down my back as a dozen thoughts swirl in my head. This was one of the reasons Laredo made sure I stayed out of rebel hands. He thought the same thing. It’s why my parents turned their backs on the elders. Now, I realize it’s also why Laredo kept me from his coven too. At least, I think. Unless he wanted me and the power I can supposedly bear all to himself.
“So fucked up,” I whisper under my breath. “Why would Grayson agree to this? He was supposed to protect me.”
Ashton shrugs. “I don’t know. He wouldn’t give me a reason other than he was doing this for our futures. I said I didn’t want any part of it, and the next day I woke up here.”
Bronx scoots his chair closer and pulls me onto his lap. I hug him, burying my face into the crook of his neck. “We’re never going to let that happen, Gwen.”
“Yeah, Gigi. We already have plans, remember?” Jameson hugs his arms around the both of us.
I laugh, remembering that I joked with him about only wanting kids if it was with him. “Damn straight.”
“Don’t instigate him, Gwen,” Everett says. “He asked me for information on all the options there are out there last week.”
Jameson whacks Everett. “He’s kidding. I only asked about the probability of the occurrence.”
I groan. “Okay, okay. Enough.”
“Please, yes. I can’t think of Gweny like that,” Ashton says.
Bronx shifts me on his lap. “You want to help assure it?”
Ashton tightens his jaw. “You want to open my mind.”
Nodding, Bronx says, “With your permission. Maybe they blocked something that we can use.”
“I’ll do anything for Gwen.”
***
Everett stands behind me, resting his hands on my hips. Softly, he brushes his lips to the skin peeking out from my dress. My choice of outfit doesn’t go unnoticed by him, and he sneaks his hand under the hem to squeeze my ass cheek.
“He’ll probably be out until after my brothers return. Maybe even past our meeting time.” His whisper tickles my skin as he uses his nose to move my hair out of the way.
I tilt my head, sliding my hands down my sides until I can reach behind me to graze my fingers along his zipper. “What are you suggesting?”
“That we don’t let that dress go to waste. It is our time for a bit.”
I spin in his arms and jump up. He chuckles as he catches me and kisses me deeper. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
He hums and lowers me just a bit so I can feel the hard length of his boner. “Yeah?”
“Unless you feel like doing something else.”
The face he gives me makes me laugh, his expression speaking volumes about how there is no way he even wants to consider doing something else. He carries me to the bathroom since it’s the only place with a door. Snatching a towel from the rack, he drapes it over the sink and plops me down to stand in front of me.
Lifting my hips, I let him tug down my panties enough to rip the sheer fabric. Everett drops to his knees and eases my legs open, pulling me a bit closer by my hips. He ducks under the skirt of my dress, and I moan so loud at the sensation of his tongue flicking over me.
“I missed you,” I whisper, hiking my dress up to run my fingers through his blond hair. “I can’t wait for all this bullshit to be over.” I gasp as he continues to explore me with his mouth. “I just want a night of nothing to do but you.”
He eases away and smiles at me. “That’s my plan. No way will we stay here all night. I’ve been looking forward to some alone time.”
I grab him by the shirt and pull him up. “You have some now.”
“A bit of my brother’s time isn’t enough,” he whispers, tugging down the strap of my dress to kiss the top of my boob.
I unfasten his pants and pull his erection out to rub my fingers over. “Especially because they’re going to catch on one of these days.”
He spreads my legs wider to fit his hips between them. “Maybe sooner than later. I heard the elevator.”
I guide him inside me, moaning and leaning forward to rest my forehead on his chest. “You better hurry.”
“Never.”
Everett rocks into me, starting slow, just enjoying how my body feels. I clutch onto his shoulders to hold myself in place, capturing his gaze. His blue eyes drink me in, his bottom lip puffing out with his quiet panting. I suppress my loud ass mouth as soft voices trickle through the door.
“Gwen, Everett, you in there?” Bronx taps the door without trying to open it.
“Mmmhmm,” I respond, the sound of my voice whispery, breathless.
“Do you need something?” Everett asks.
“The board changed the meeting time to eleven. I wanted to brief Gwen to make sure she’s ready to face them.”
Everett narrows his eyes at the door. “Damn it.”
Bronx taps the door again. “It’s important, Gwen.”
My groan turns into short bursts of moans as Everett picks up speed. I laugh, his sudden exuberance knocking my ass into the sink. I oomph at my head hitting the mirror, and it cracks with Everett’s thrust.
“Shit,” he murmurs, reaching around to protect my head.
My giggle turns into another moan. “The faucet. My back,” I manage to say.
“Fuck.” With his other hand, he lifts my legs to rest on his shoulders and turns me slightly so I lie diagonally across the round sink.
I laugh again.
His face lights with a smile. Neither of us is willing to stop despite the small space. I hadn’t realized how much I needed Everett’s closeness until now. It makes everything going on with Donor Life Corp and the board seem not so important. Nothing is important in the universe apart from the feelings we share, the passion, the love.
I give up on trying to be quiet, Everett’s deep thrusts dragging out all sorts of noise from me. His position hits me just right that I reach the point of release, and I arch my back with my orgasm. Everett nearly loses his hold on me, and I screech and laugh, my back hitting the door as he props me up, continuing until he finishes.
He hugs me close, kissing my gasping mouth, stealing my breath. “That was hot.”
“So good,” I say, smiling as I draw his lip between my teeth. “I can’t wait for more time with you.”
“What if we test Bronx’s patience?” he teases, raising his voice loud enough for his brothers to hear.
“All right. If that’s going to be the case, make room. We’re all joining.” It’s Jameson who pushes against the door.
I moan at the pressure of Everett still between my legs. “Jamie, don’t stop.”
He groans. “Damn it.”
I tip my head back and thunk it on the door with a laugh. “As much as the idea excites me, it’s probably better if we wait until we’re safely in Crimson Vista to explore such an adventure.”
“It kills me to say this, but I agree with Gwen,” Mikkalo says.
Everett shifts me away from the door and gently sets me on my feet. We quickly clean up in the tiny shower, and I stroll from the bathroom in only my towel to retrieve another pair of underwear before slipping back into my dress.
It should be awkward that the three of them just listened to Everett and me getting it on in the bathroom, but no one says anything. Jameson does fist bump Everett. I give the both of them a whack on the back.
“You don’t need to congratulate him, Jamie. We do it all the time.” The words kind of just fall out of my mouth. Embarrassment burns through my cheeks as Bronx, Mikkalo, and Jameson look at me and Everett.
“You sneaky bastard,” Mikkalo says, shaking his head.
Everett only smiles.
I raise my hands. “Okay, that’s enough.” Turning to Bronx, I shuffle forward and get him to open his arms so I can slide into them. �
��What did you want to prepare me for? Are you sure I have to meet the board?”
His eyes dart to his brothers. “That’s not all. They want us to be prepared to announce who gets your Blood Match contract. We’re all going to have to choose.”
Chapter 18
Donor Life Corp
MY GUYS ENGULF ME IN a hug, just squishing me between their bodies like I’ll fall apart otherwise. I think they need the love more than I do, so I continue taking turns kissing them. While I’m annoyed and pissed off at the board for throwing the whole you-better-decide-who-gets-the-girl at us sooner than we wanted, I’m not as nervous as I thought I’d be. The Blood Match contract is just that—a dumb contract. A piece of paper won’t do anything, and it’s not like I follow the laws anyway. I love each of my guys in my own way, and I know that whoever gets it won’t cause problems.
“Are you sure you don’t want the final say in who gets your contract?” Bronx asks me for the third time. “We won’t get upset.”
I rest my head on his shoulder. “Nope. I’m not having that decision hanging out there. You need to work it out. It’s better this way.”
“Gwen is right.” Mikkalo rests his chin on my shoulder. “I don’t like admitting this, and I’m sure I’d get over it, but I’d be disappointed knowing that she won’t pick me.”
I purse my lips. “Who says I wouldn’t? You can’t assume. Plus, I have picked you.” I wiggle between all of them. “And you, and you, and you.”
Everett squeezes my hand. “I think Gwen’s contract might be best with me. I am her health keeper.”
Oh, boy. That’s a lot of suddenly tense muscle bunching around me.
“I’d be okay with that,” Jameson says, “but I think I might be best considering I can not only take care of her dhampir needs but also her human ones. Gwen enjoys me cooking for her.”
I’ll give my guys credit. They manage to keep their voices even, treating this like an open and fair discussion.
“I’m getting pretty good at that too. If I get her contract, I can assure you she’d be safe. I’ll rework all our defenses to guarantee no threat gets even within a foot of our girl.” Mikkalo smiles at me with the idea. His eyes light up at just the thought of planning our future around him possessing my contract.
