Tiana was a nice enough person most times, but when it came to the latest story, she had no social filters. It was frustrating, and occasionally humiliating. How many times had Tiana encouraged her to get closer to her targets to get the best scoop? No doubt she was going to press her for more details about her relationships with Dimitri and Sanjay. Audrey wouldn't be surprised if it ended up on the front page of the paper.
"Hey, Tiana. Bit early isn't it?" Audrey greeted, trying to keep her voice neutral.
"You're up, I'm up. What's the problem?"
"Did you get the stuff I sent you yesterday?"
"I did. But I'm more interested in this note that you put in here." Tiana's voice sounded thrilled. "You have a Liger shifter and the vampire king competing for you? This is terrific news! You have to write down everything, I'll give you space for a short series about your experiences with the vampires. I love the stuff you've been sending me, but what we need is something more personal, you know? The voice of a woman finding herself torn between the sophisticated vampire and the pure lust of a shifter."
"Shifters aren't like that. Sanjay is just as sophisticated as Dimitri, and Dimitri can be just as lustful as Sanjay."
"Really? Spill."
The reporter ground her teeth. "That's my personal business."
"Audrey, darling, the public loves a good, old-fashioned love triangle. Write up your first meeting with the two of them and send it by tomorrow night. Don't leave out any of the sordid details."
Why did I have to mention Dimitri and Sanjay to her in the first place? You'd think that she was running a tabloid.
Writing like this wasn't going to help Audrey's plans for the future. There were enough snobs in the world that thought women couldn't write professional news. She wasn't going to give into the pressure to sensationalize what happened during the festival. Or disclose the personal details of her life. Her writing served a purpose, which was to debunk misinformation and help people who weren't given a voice to share their stories.
"Tiana, I—"
The door opened and Dimitri and Sanjay both entered. Audrey cursed.
"Don't you use that language at me," Tiana said. "You don't like the idea? Fine, you can stick with your exposé. But you could have just said it."
Audrey hurried out of bed and turned her back on the vampire and shifter. "No, it's not—Well, no I don't want to write like a gossip magazine, but I wasn't swearing at you, Tiana. I'm sorry. It's just that… they came in."
"They did?" Tiana's voice was thrilled again. "Let me talk to one of them! Have you gotten that interview with the king yet? I'm still waiting for the interview with your shifter. Oh, and did you ask him if he was sterile? Because most hybrids in the while are sterile. Make sure you get why they chose you."
"I have to go, Tiana."
"I understand. Just make sure you use protection."
Tiana hung up while Audrey spluttered protests. She hung up her phone and hid her face in her hands. "You two can just leave now."
Two sets of chuckles answered her, and Sanjay's thick arms wrapped around her. He lifted her easily. She found herself wishing she had worn a silk nightie rather than her flannel PJs.
"When you're embarrassed you smell like honeysuckle," Sanjay told her.
"The human my female was talking to had a good question, though, Beast." Dimitri walked up to them and pressed a kiss to Audrey's neck. "You're a hybrid, are you sterile?"
Audrey looked between the two of them, horrified. "You could hear what Tiana was saying?"
"Our hearing is much more attuned than humans," Sanjay said. "And fear not, my delectable American honeysuckle, I am quite fertile. I will be able to give you as many healthy, robust children as you desire."
Dimitri pulled her out of Sanjay's arms and nestled her against his chest. Despite herself, Audrey wrapped her legs around his hips. Sanjay didn't move away from them, instead brushing up close behind her. She liked the sensations of them both close to her like this.
The idea of all three of them together was becoming more pervasive in her mind. Until now, she had never considered having a threesome. At least not one for her sake. She had a previous boyfriend that tried to convince her to let one of his ex-girlfriends join them in bed but had dumped her before she could make up her mind either way.
If she asked for the vampire and shifter to do the whole ménage a trois thing, would they agree? Or would it be the thing that would finally convince them that she wasn't the girl for either of them?
The thought of being without them left her breathless. That was the goal, why did it make her feel like her heart was being ripped from her chest?
"Strong, healthy babies?" Dimitri said. He glanced at Sanjay. "I'll give you that one. But any child that you put in Audrey would likely rip her in half as she gives birth."
Audrey smacked his arm lightly. "They would not.
Sanjay smirked.
"Besides which, both of you are bigger than the average human, if I was going to have trouble with one of you, I'd have trouble with both. But I can't think about children right now."
Both men looked crestfallen. Dimitri curled her hair around his fingers. "You don't want children?"
"That's not what I said. I want children eventually. But I want to make sure I'm in a solid relationship before I have them." She looked away, a lump rising in her throat. "I don't want them to ever think they weren't wanted."
"You wouldn't have to worry about me, or either of us, not wanting our children," Dimitri said. "Children are highly valued among vampires, and shifters are always protective and devoted to their offspring."
"Well… thank you. But I still can't mate either of you." Audrey didn't want to continue on this line of conversation. It was getting too intimate. She was left feeling to vulnerable. "Tiana did have a good point about that other thing, though."
"About the protection?" Dimitri asked, his eyes lighting up. "I made sure condoms are provided in every room."
Audrey stared at him, her jaw hung loose.
Sanjay nuzzled the back of her neck, sending tingles down her spine. "Mmmmm. Honeysuckle."
"No!" She squirmed, trying to free herself, but they clasped her tighter. "I meant why the two of you chose me. There were hundreds of women there, and hundreds more women that would kill to have the chance with either of you. Why are you both so determined to have me?"
"I told you it was your scent that first drew me to you," Sanjay said. "But now that I've gotten to know you better, I admire your tenacity and determination."
She couldn’t deny that it made her insides vibrate with happiness to hear him say that. She turned to Dimitri. "And you?"
He didn't respond. But before Audrey could demand an answer, a scream echoed down the hallway. Both Sanjay and Dimitri's heads whipped around. The vampire king set Audrey down and headed for the door. "Stay here with her."
"I am not one of your subjects," Sanjay growled, going after him.
Audrey followed them both out, jogging to keep up with their long strides. A crowd was gathering at the window at the end of the hallway. Several more screams and the shifters and vampires there gathered their women into their arms and turned away from the window. Everybody melted aside to let Dimitri and Sanjay pass.
Both men stopped suddenly. Sanjay whirled, pulling Audrey into his arms and shielding her eyes. But not before she saw what the commotion was about. Just outside the window was a bronze statue of Dimitri.
A woman was impaled on the spikes of his crown.
Chapter Five
Audrey stood outside of Dimitri's study, her hands on her hips, eyes flashing. Before her stood one of the larger vampires she had seen, blocking her way. She knew that Dimitri was in his study. She also knew that he could hear her, and wasn't about to budge until she got what she came for.
"I told you," she said to the vampire blocking her way, "I am the king's chosen mate, and I demand to see him this instant. Do you want me to start causing a scene? And do you,
Dimitri?" She rose her voice, glaring at the door. "Because I will. I will start kicking and screaming if you don't let me in and tell me exactly what is going on around here."
"Miss, the king was very clear that he cannot be disturbed at the moment, even by you. He is in a very important meeting with human investigation representatives and doesn't have the time to spare—"
"I'm a reporter in the building. I already have a series of short articles appearing about what life in like for the women here, and why they decided to apply to be part of the festival. I can tell the story about what's happening with this murder in an open and balanced way."
"Miss—"
"The newspapers out there will just be saying that a woman was killed, but I can write about how the king is cooperating with humans to find out what happened. How did she die? Who killed her?"
"The king cannot see you right now."
"Come on, you know you need me in there. Not as your chosen, but as a reporter!" she shouted.
The vampire looked distressed. "Miss, please, I don't want to have to remove you."
"I told you before that I'm not your subject." Sanjay's rich, sexy voice came down the hallway. "Yes, I'll look after her, but only because she's my mate. Stop ordering me around."
The shifter stalked into view, a phone pressed to his ear and an annoyed expression on his face.
Audrey rushed him. "Were you talking to Dimitri?"
Sanjay grunted as he shoved the phone into his pocket. He swung her over his shoulder and began walking away. Audrey thumped her fist against his back, struggling against his grip.
"Why do you always do this?" she hissed.
Sanjay ignored her. The reporter thumped him again, but she might as well have been hitting a stone wall. He made no indication that he had even felt her. Even still, she didn't like the sensation of hitting him, despite the fact that he had just picked her up and carted her off like a sack of potatoes.
He carried her outside, where the air was clean and fresh with a slight taste of sea salt. There he set her down but kept his hand in hers as he walked towards the extensive gardens.
"So Dimitri didn't want me involved in the investigation and he called you to distract me," Audrey said bitterly. "I'm a reporter, I could help."
"Not right now." Sanjay stopped beside a trellis that huge purple clematis crawled all over. "He will have one of his men give you a full debriefing, but he has to treat you like any reporter right now. The investigation has barely started. If this was a crime that had been committed on human turf, would you be permitted to sit in on the investigation at this point?"
Audrey scowled, but she had to admit the Liger had a point. With a huff, she sat on a nearby stone bench. "No. But I would be just as upset about that as I am about this. Can you at least tell me what you know? Has Dimitri told you anything?"
Sanjay sat beside her and curled his fingers around her wrist. "Why would he tell me anything? We're rivals, remember."
"I don't know. From what I've seen of your interactions you seem to get along most of the time, except when you're squabbling about me. Which I don't like, by the way, because I'm still not choosing."
"Stubborn little human."
"I just thought that maybe you knew something. Who she was. How she got there. Something."
The shifter brought her wrist to his mouth and kissed it gently. "The woman was an attendee of the festival last year. She had stayed in contact with a vampire, and they had agreed to mate since neither of them had found anybody else. Have you heard of the group the Fist of Humanity?"
Her stomach churned and Audrey choked back bile. The Fist of Humanity was an extreme group that vocally advocated for the extermination of all non-Humans. They had attempted more than once to disrupt the Harvest Moon festival. There had been a few bombings in a few towns that they had taken credit for, although thankfully nobody had died. To upgrade to torture and murder was a terrifying idea.
"Are you sure it's them?"
"They have taken credit for it in a message sent to Dimitri."
Audrey shifted closer to her Liger. "How did they get the woman into the palace?"
"There was a caterer allowed in that Dimitri hadn't ordered. Security is mostly focused on the borders, and since nothing has happened the past few years, they've been lax. Dimitri thinks that the caterers were actually the Fist of Humanity, and they must have put her there overnight."
"Why did he tell you and not me?"
Sanjay shrugged. "I'm a shifter. I might not be part of a pack, but shifters, in general, tend to be close-knit, and I suppose he thought I was the best one to inform the others about what was happening."
"How have they taken the news?"
"There are several shifters who have already mated who want to take their women into the woods after hearing about this."
Audrey moved a little closer again. "Will they?"
"Maybe. I know Dimitri would like me to stop them, but I understand their views. Stone walls don't agree with us. They think they can protect their mates better out in the forest."
If they mated, would he want her to go live in the sticks with him? She couldn't do that.
Not that it wouldn't be amazing to be able to get a true first-hand view of how shifters lived to write that article she had always dreamed of. She invested too much into her career; her whole life revolved around work. She didn't want it to be this way. She had always longed for a family, to be a wife and mother. Right now her identity was so consumed by being a reporter that she had nothing else.
But if she did mate him, then he could give her the life and family she always dreamed of. Would her career really be so important when she had an actual life to live?
Maybe. Maybe she shouldn’t reject taking a mate so blindly.
"Is there a threat to the women here?" she pressed. "What about women that had participated in previous years? What's being done to protect them?"
"I'm sure Dimitri has it taken care of. As for the women here, Dimitri has increased security, and us shifters are on alert, too. They won't be able to sneak in again. Our sense of smell is very fine-tuned. I already know the scent of every human in the palace, and any unfamiliar scent will be dealt with. You don't have to worry."
Audrey rubbed her arms. "How much of this am I allowed to publish?"
Sanjay shrugged. "Maybe the best idea is to just type it up and submit it to Dimitri's office for approval of the investigation."
"That's not how journalism works."
"I understand. But do you want to compromise the investigation?"
Audrey shook her head. This wasn't the kind of journalism that she had signed up to do. Criminal investigations were just so depressing. But since she was here, Tiana would want every detail. Well, when she had the time she would be able to speak with Dimitri about it. There was no harm in typing up the information she had already had, was there?
"I know this isn't what you would have liked," Sanjay said, brushing her hair away from her neck. "And I know that the timing is terrible for you. But life is continuing, and you only have three weeks left to choose between Dimitri and I. Don't you think it's time we see which of us pleases you better?"
It took her a moment for her to realize what Sanjay was saying. Audrey gaped at him. After everything he had just told her, he was still making a play for her? She didn't know what to say. Because yes, life did go on. But it felt disrespectful to the murdered woman to change the topic from her death back to the mating game.
"I would like to make dinner for you tonight."
"Really?"
Audrey blinked in surprise. She hadn't pegged Sanjay for the cooking type. His hand cupped the back of her neck, and despite everything, a shiver still moved down her spine at his touch. The events of the day quickly faded to the back of her mind, she was so focused on the smile on Sanjay's face.
"I will bring it to your room if that is what you want. So you can work on your reports with minimal interruption. I know how important it all i
s to you."
"You don't have to do that." She was touched by his concern and smiled. "I should take a break, anyway. Working all the time can be a real drag."
"Ah, in that case, I'm sure we'll be able to figure out something else to do."
Audrey's breath caught in her chest. She wanted to say yes so badly it hurt. "I can't."
His hand dropped.
"I like you. I can't deny that. You're hot and strong and you've got that bad-boy 'I do what I want' vibe, but I can't. But I'm not right for you or Dimitri. If this continues, I'm just going to end up hurting both of you."
"No. You are my perfect match, just as you are for Dimitri. I wish you could accept that. You're drawn to the two of us. You keep saying no, but your heart is saying yes, and sooner or later you are not going to be able to deny it any longer." He paused. "If you choose Dimitri, I will disappear from your life without complaint."
She winced. She didn't want him to just go away.
"If you can't choose between us, I will fight to the death for you."
Audrey stood and shook her head as she dug her hands into her reddish-black hair. "Is that supposed to be romantic? You think I like the idea of you two killing each other? Maybe in time I'd let you two date me, but a month is far too short a period to make that decision, especially when you keep saying things like that. And if you kill Dimitri or he kills you, then that's it. I would never speak to survivor again. Never."
Sanjay stared at her, surprise flitting across his face. It seemed like he finally had gotten it into his head that she was serious. A voice spoke from behind her.
"Then you had best choose one of us before it comes to that."
Chapter Six
Audrey turned on Dimitri, fists clenched. What was it with these people? Choosing wasn't an option. And neither was watching them kill each other.
She marched up to the vampire king and jabbed her finger into his chest.
"Listen here, buddy. I know that you have a million women drooling all over themselves the moment you walk into a room. But you're after forever, and I have never had a relationship last for more than a few months. I am not choosing because I am not right for you!"
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