by Jane Jamison
“Of course not. I don’t use my magic for trivial matters like that.”
“Like what? I didn’t tell you what the trouble was.” He snorted, wishing he could choke the truth out of the wizard. “Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve tried spelling a human to do what you wanted.”
Thornton blinked, a telltale sign he’d gotten caught in a mistake. His expression darkened. “Are you talking about the man who accused your mate of cheating him? Everyone’s heard about him.”
It was true enough. The locals and most of the tourists had heard more than they should have. “Have you run into him?”
“Me?” Thornton laughed and eased his way toward the street. “No. Besides, why would I bother Brooklyn? She’s a lovely woman. She deserves much better than the likes of you and your friends, especially Samuel.”
Hearing Samuel’s name triggered an idea. “Is that it? Are you trying to get back at Samuel through Brooklyn?”
“For what reason?”
“You still blame Samuel for the investment deal you lost.”
Thornton’s eyes grew harder. “Your friend cheated me.” He visibly shook his anger off, forcing a neutral look in place of the anger. “But that’s water long gone under the bridge.”
“Bullshit.” Damian blocked his way. “You’re up to something. I can sense it.”
The side of Thornton’s mouth crooked upward. “Vampires always think wizards are up to something underhanded. It’s not your senses you’re listening to. It’s your paranoia.”
Damian had hold of his throat again before the wizard had a chance to evade him. He could try compelling him to tell him the truth, but he doubted it would work. Thornton would darken his mind, putting up a wall no vampire could break.
“I’m warning you, wizard. Stay away from my mate.” He might not be able to break through the wizard’s mental defenses, but he could break his neck easily enough. A part of him, the side he had to fight to stay away from dark forces, urged him to kill Thornton. But he wouldn’t give in. Brooklyn deserved a mate who was strong enough to resist evil. Sneering, he shoved Thornton. “Heed my warning, wizard, or we will come after you.”
“We, huh? Which means you don’t believe you’re strong enough to come after me by yourself.” Thornton chuckled, the sound cracking with hate. “Tell me, vampire, are you planning on making her a bleeder?”
Damian didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Every ounce of his willpower was concentrated on keeping his anger in check.
Thornton recognized it, too. “I’ll bet she’s very tasty. All sweetness with a touch of her pussy cream.”
A growl, much like Morgan’s, escaped Damian’s lips. “You go too far, wizard.”
“Oh, that’s right. You’re one of those nice vampires. You don’t like drinking directly from a human. You’d rather feast on whatever you can get from a blood bank.”
His fangs nicked his lower lip, drawing his own blood. His vision grew narrower, concentrated on the vein in Thornton’s neck. “Don’t tempt me.” He let his fangs grow longer. “I don’t want to taste your blood. It’ll taste like shit and I’ll just spit it out.”
His expression lost its taunting look, becoming wary. “Stay away from me, vampire. Stay away, or you’ll learn the true extent of my strength.”
Damian stayed where he was, not because he feared the wizard but more that he feared losing control. How easy would it be to kill the wizard? He’d like to find out.
Thornton hurried out of the alley, pivoted to throw him a wicked smile, then slowed his pace as he walked into the sunlight.
Damian didn’t care that he’d already been out in the sun too long. His skin was itching, a sure sign that he was pushing his chances. He had to talk to Brooklyn, if only to ease his concern.
As soon as he stepped into the diner, he was calmed by two things. The sun no longer ate at his flesh and Brooklyn was laughing, her bright smile bestowed on the child of a family of tourists.
He wrapped his arm around her, uncaring that so many people were watching. The locals who knew him to be a vampire would be amazed at his public display of affection, but let them talk. Contrary to so many myths, vampires had hearts.
“Hey.” He put his nose to her hair and drank in her heavenly fragrance. “Can we talk for a minute?”
She didn’t try too hard to get him to release her. “I’m working.”
“Just for a minute.” He propped his chin on her shoulder and gave the family a big smile. “You don’t mind if I steal her away, do you? I’ll give her right back.”
The mother obviously loved seeing how in love they were. “Of course not. We’ve probably taken up too much of her time anyway.”
“Thanks.” Taking Brooklyn’s hand, he tugged her along toward the back of the diner.
“What’s going on?”
“This first.” He took her face and pulled her lips to his. The kiss was exactly what he needed to restore the strength the sun had taken. He’d walk a thousand miles under a hundred suns for one of her kisses.
By the time he turned her free, she was smiling yet giving him a searching look. “What’s going on? You don’t even like holding hands in public.”
Should he tell her straight out? Or ease into it? “I love you. You know that, right?”
“And I love you, too. And Samuel and Morgan.”
She tilted her head, reminding him of Morgan. Would she ask to become a werewolf? Not that it mattered to him. She could be anything she wanted, and he’d love her more every day.
“What’s going on? You look upset.”
“I’m fine. I wanted to see you is all.”
She brightened. “That’s so sweet. I’m happy to see you, too.” Her attention shifted to the dining area. “But I really need to get back to work.”
“Is everything all right? I saw you talking to Thornton.”
At once, her light mood faded. “It’s strange, but he’s stopped me on the street before.”
“What’d he say?”
“Nothing much.” She looked down, obviously confused. “Just talked like most people do.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. This last time was stranger. Almost as though he was testing me. Trying to see if I had information.”
“Testing you?” The hair on the back of his neck stood up. “About what?”
“I don’t know.” Suddenly, she let out a moan.
“What’s wrong? Are you ill?”
“No. At least I don’t think so. My stomach’s been hurting off and on a little.” She dragged in a breath. “I’m fine now. No need to worry.”
“Are you sure? Maybe you should take the day off and head home. You know you don’t have to work. You can lie around, eat bonbons, and watched television all day, if you want.”
She laughed, the sound of it easing his anxiety. “Oh, great. I’ll get fatter and fatter until, at last, you three won’t want me.”
“We don’t care what you look like. We’ll always want you. You can count on it as surely as you can count on the sun rising in the east.”
She leaned away and studied him. “What’s gotten into you? You’ve suddenly turned into Mr. Romantic.”
“I guess you bring it out in me.”
“Good. I like it. Now let me get back to work.”
“Fine, but remember about our date tonight.” He and his friends wanted to “christen” the big bedroom with the biggest bed in the house.
“Oh, no. I was going to call you.”
“Tell me what?”
“Miranda asked me to close tonight. She’s booked a private party so I’ll get home really late.”
“What about afterward?” He couldn’t stand the thought of not holding her in his arms later. He didn’t want to tell her. Moving her into the biggest room was supposed to be a surprise. One they hoped she’d like.
“We’ll go to bed, of course. But, please, don’t take this the wrong way. I really need a break.” She put her palm to h
is chest and gave him a coy smile. “You three are a lot to handle, you know? A girl’s got to get rest sometime.”
He did his best to hide his disappointment. They hadn’t been able to keep their hands off her. They needed to remember that she was human and not used to their sexual stamina. “I understand. You promise to stay safe on your way home, all right? Or how about I pick you up?”
“I drove here.” She gave him a searching look. “Don’t worry. I’ll be safe.”
He kissed her again, this time gentler. If she hadn’t pushed him away, he would’ve kissed her until nightfall.
“Go on, Damian.” She patted the corners of her mouth. “I’ll see you later.” Gracefully, she spun around and headed for the dining area.
“Take care, sweetness.” Yet even as he smiled, he couldn’t shake the uneasiness still lingering.
* * * *
Samuel paced back and forth, getting closer to the cliff’s edge. The sun cast a purple hue to the ocean’s horizon, and the waves lapped at the rocky beach below. “Damn it, Damian. Why’d you let Thornton go?”
“What was I supposed to do? Beat him to a pulp for talking to our mate? She said he didn’t say anything wrong.” He stared out over the ocean. “Will you let it go? That was yesterday. After our plans fell through last night, I don’t have much patience left for your bellyaching.”
Damian leaned against a tree, its branches spreading out over the edge, leaves swaying with the breeze. The vampire seemed like his usual calm self except for the irritation in his tone. But he hadn’t been so calm when he’d arrived home earlier yesterday. Instead, he’d been anxious, saying they should make Brooklyn come home from work so they could watch over her. Still, when they’d texted her, she’d said she was at the diner with an entire town of their friends nearby and not to worry. Because of a problem with a predator attacking the herd last night, they hadn’t seen her come home. Thankfully, Reagan had texted them, telling them that Brooklyn had made it home safely, and had gone straight to her room. The only thing they could do was to peek into her bedroom and make sure she was there.
“Samuel’s right, man.” Morgan crouched near the cliff’s edge as he tossed pebbles over the side. “You should’ve knocked him out cold. Anything to keep him away from her.”
“It was all I could do to not kill him. And for what? Talking to her? I don’t think that’s enough of a reason to take a man out of this world, even a scumbag like him. Even if I would’ve liked nothing better.”
“Where is she? Her shift ended an hour ago.” Samuel really didn’t blame Damian for not hurting Thornton. Still, if anyone deserved fangs in his neck, it was that sorry excuse for a wizard.
“She’ll be here any second now.”
Proving Morgan right, they heard the sound of hooves headed toward them. Together, three men in love, they turned to see her riding over the swell of the hill. The tension in Samuel’s chest loosened at the sight of her.
Damn but she’s beautiful.
Her hair bounced around her shoulders. Her sweet face held a joy he shared. Her breasts jiggled with the horse’s movements. He’d always thought her beautiful, but in the years she’d been away, she’d changed into a stunning woman, a strong woman, a woman perfect for the three of them.
His smile faded as she slipped off her horse and walked toward them. Dark smudges stained her shirt and jeans. “Are you all right?”
She blinked at him, her eyes not quiet focused. “I’m fine.” Then as though she had only just noticed, she glanced down at her clothes. “It’s the strangest thing. I got up this morning to head to work and put on the same clothes I had on last night. I wore dirty clothes.” She shook her head as thought trying to clear it. “Thank goodness Miranda had an apron that covered most of it.”
“Did you spill something on them?” asked Samuel. He never would’ve thought she’d go to work in stained clothes.
“Beats me. I can’t remember.” She slid her hand over one of the larger stains. “Weird. I’ve kind of been spacing out lately.” She shrugged her worry off. “Guess I’m more tired than I realized.”
“Do you want to go back to the house and rest?”
Samuel’s suggestion earned him a hard look from Damian and a snarl from Morgan. “Her health is more important than getting you two hound dogs satisfied.”
“Yeah. It is.” Morgan bent over and pulled her shirt to his nose. “That’s dried blood.”
“It is?” She frowned, obviously confused. “One more strange thing to add to my list. I don’t remember helping to prepare the meat. It’s not part of my job. Not that I wouldn’t help out if Miranda asked me to, but you’d think I’d remember.”
The anxious feeling he’d had most of the day came back. “Baby, are you sure you’re okay? You’re starting to worry me.”
“No, don’t worry. I’m fine.” She drew her body up straight. “Can we forget about my clothes? Or, better yet, get rid of them?”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” Morgan took hold of her shirt, intent on ripping it away as he’d done many times before.
“Hold up.”
Morgan glared at Samuel. “What the hell for?”
“Samuel, what’s the problem?” asked a cautious Damian. “I’m in no mood for another delay.”
He wanted her home, in their bed, safe and sound. Although the cliff was part of their land and he could cast a dome spell, he couldn’t help but shake the feeling that home was the best place for her. “Let’s take you back home.” He ignored her surprise and his friends’ impatience. “We want to christen the big bed.”
“Good idea.” Damian gave him a look, obviously catching on that there was more to Samuel’s suggestion. “We’ve been saving our first time in that bed for after the union ceremony, but I don’t want to wait. Let’s get back to the house.”
Morgan snarled. “I don’t get you two. Why the hell did we come out here then?”
“I’m with Morgan. It would’ve been easier if we’d met at home.”
“Yeah, it would’ve.” Samuel pulled her to him. “Let’s just say that sometimes even a man has the prerogative to change his mind. Play along, baby.”
She moaned and leaned into him. “Okay.”
Could he wait long enough to get her home? Her touch, her scent was enough to make him lose his mind. “Race you home?”
“Race, huh? Then let’s go.” Grinning, she shoved him away, hurried to her horse, and swung into the saddle. Pulling on the reins, she had her horse into a gallop before the men had time to unwrap their horses’ reins from the nearby tree.
* * * *
Time flew as they raced after her. She beat them to the house, saw Reagan on her way out the door, and shouted for her help. Samuel was right behind her as she dashed into the house and ran for the big bedroom at the end of the hall. Morgan and Damian tossed their thanks to Reagan and followed after him.
“Oh, sure. No problem,” called a sarcastic Reagan. “I’ll take care of all your horses while you four have fun. It’ll be my pleasure.”
Brooklyn never made it to the bedroom. Instead, Morgan tackled her. Yelping, she fell forward, but he managed to catch her a second before she landed on the floor. He lowered her gently then flipped her onto her back.
Damn, but he was so big. With his hands on either side of her head, he stared at her, his dark eyes dotted with amber. “I’m going to have you, Brookie.”
“Promises, promises,” she quipped.
“That’s a promise we’re all going to keep.” Damian towered over her.
Her gaze slid from his strange silver eyes down to his shirt as he slowly undid the buttons. “All of you?” Not that she doubted it for one moment.
“All of us.” Samuel tugged his T-shirt over his head. “Unless you want one of us to just watch.”
“No. I don’t want that. Oh!”
Morgan tore her shirt away then ripped his and tossed it in the same direction. The muscle in his jaw clenched as he took hold of her jeans and panties
and pulled them down her legs. Her shoes came off along with them. “You guys talk too much.”
He flipped her again, putting her face to the carpet then pulling her backward onto her knees. His low growl rumbled over her. His fingers found her tight hole. He moved inside her, working his fingers to ease her muscles. “Damn, girl, but you’ve got a sweet ass.”
“Take it easy, animal.” Damian, his clothes removed, bent low and took her by the chin. “I can’t wait to have your sweet pussy.”
“Let’s take her into the bedroom. The big one.” Samuel’s tone was lust-filled as he toed off his boots then yanked his jeans down.
“No.” Morgan’s answer was guttural. “Here. Now.”
“I think he wants to save the big room for later,” offered Damian.
If she looked into his eyes much longer, she’d be lost. But oh, what a way to get lost!
Morgan’s fingers prepared her. Her asshole was ready for him, and her pussy was wet. “Please, Morgan.”
“Now,” he said, the word almost unrecognizable.
His thrust was hard enough to knock her forward. She cried out as pain hit her.
“Damn it, man, don’t hurt her,” warned Samuel.
Yet when Morgan started to pull out, she leaned back, pushing her ass against him. “No. Don’t stop.”
Another growl came, one filled with pleasure as he drove his cock inside her again. Resting on her forearms, she rocked back and forth with each slam against her. Her breath punctured the air, keeping time with each plunge.
The sheer pleasure he gave her and the rising steam of her impending climax was worth the pain, which lessened with each thrust. The pleasure outweighed the sting now.
Morgan’s fingers dug into her flesh, yet he didn’t have his claws extended. His powerful thighs slapped against the backs of her legs, but he kept her in place. Again and again, he slammed into her. Again and again, she let out a small cry as the friction he created swamped her. Her climax spun out of control, a raging fire.
