The Siren Series 3: Brandon (A Siren Novel)

by Eros, Marata

  I just don't want any of them fucking what’s mine.

  “It's been explained quite thoroughly, Brandon. If Kellan wasn’t an ongoing threat, you might have time to properly woo Nova. Not that you're proficient at that. As a point of fact—”

  “Quiet, Ren.” I don't want to hear his pearls of wisdom.

  Ren plants his feet wide, crossing his arms. “No. I think you need to hear it. You seemingly have a long list of things that make Nova instantly out of sorts. Think of it: you're decidedly the male Druid destined for her. You both shared dreams of each other before meeting, she's cycling, you're a breeding male Druid—etc. However, because of the way you've handled things from the onset, Nova's uncertain.”

  I hate his hard truths. “I know. I thought it'd be easier. I'd present myself, tell her the facts, she'd be stoked to be my mate, and off we'd sail into the sunset.”

  Ren's lips crack into a rueful smile. “Druid females are strong-willed. As are the males.”

  My grin flashes. “No shit.”

  “No shit,” he returns.

  I grunt, my smile fading. “Okay, what do you recommend?”

  “It's almost too late. What I'd have recommended yesterday is no longer valid. Kellan is stalking her for a warped magick sacrifice, as all Druid priests want when they get ahold of Druid witches.” He palms his chin. “If you can bear it, and we can convince her, I would say you breed her—then hand her off to two others to be a part of a ménage à trois.”

  A vein throbs in my forehead. “So I let my fellow warriors fuck my bride?”

  “You have the crudest way of putting it. It is not uncommon, Brandon. You must be aware of that. According to Zach, Cole, and some of the others, it is sometimes necessary to assure a breeding that throws true. Especially if the female's blood quantum is borderline.”

  My nostrils flare once more. I'm sure of Ren, having scented him when we first met. However, I kept the revelation to myself.

  “Does she know?”

  It's just us in the room. The ensuing silence holds us prisoner.

  His expression changes when he understands my inference. Ren's chin dips to his chest.

  “No.”

  “It must have been hell for you to be around a Druid female and not tell her the truth or take her for yourself.”

  Ren's gaze fastens on mine, his eyes like heated amber shot through with emerald. “It's not been easy. A part of her senses I'm Druid. Blood never lies.”

  “But not enough?” I confirm softly.

  He shakes his head. “No. Not enough to breed. Many Harborers possess a drop or two of Druid blood. It allows our magick to assist in the protection of the female, align with their own if they practice their craft. In this case, I would have been derelict in my duties if I had not protected her from this information. Until you came.” His eyes blaze, and I can't read the emotion in them.

  “And what do you think?” I ask.

  “Of you?”

  I nod.

  Seconds slip into a full minute under his contemplation. “You are young. But have great capacity to love.”

  I smirk, mirroring his stance. “That's not a rousing endorsement.”

  “It is all I can make, Druid.”

  An idea forms in my mind. It's horrible, yet it just might work. I hate it, but it beats the alternative.

  “You could...” I swipe my hand over my head. “You could be with Nova.”

  Ren says nothing at first. “I do not wish to be.”

  My surprise must show because Ren chuckles. “Not for what you think.”

  I peg my hands on my hips. “How do you know what I think?”

  “It's plain on your face.”

  Swell. “Oh.”

  Ren moves to the slider where I was just standing and leans against the glass with his forearm.

  “How would it be if someone allowed you a slice of heaven to revel in then snatched it away?” He grabs empty air and yanks that imaginary glimmer of perfection as though it was hidden inside his fist.

  Ren's head rolls on top of his forearm. He blinks slowly at me. “I know what it would be with Nova. She is the answering note to a melody seeking harmony. I would hear the perfect piece of music just once then be left with only the memory, while others hear the song forever.”

  “Y’know, you can be kinda poetic.”

  Ren straightens with a sad smile. “If you were three hundred years old, you would gain a little insight over the years.”

  “Or maybe a lot.” I clap him on the back. “I'm only close with Tarrin and Cole. I can't stand anyone being with Nova, but they're mated. That leaves Elias, Josiah, Andrew... and those new dickheads, Mikhail and Damon.”

  Ren snorts at my apt identifiers for the newest Reapers. “I don't like Nova being with Reapers who have not proven themselves. They weren't even aware of the traitor in their midst.”

  “They don't have Druid magic,” I say.

  Ren taps his nose with a nod. “They should scent the difference.”

  “Maybe Kellan used a spell of camouflage?”

  Ren waves, apparently dismissing our speculations. “We digress.”

  “Yeah, and we're no closer to a resolution for Nova.”

  Our gazes lock. I don't back down, and neither does he.

  Finally he says what I hope to hear. “I will.”

  “You will breed her with me so we can protect her permanently?” I don't want a shit-ton of miscommunication.

  “Yes.” He holds up a finger. “A caveat.”

  “What?”

  “Do you trust me?”

  I snort. “Hell, no.”

  His solemn expression doesn't break.

  “More than most,” I concede.

  “Let me choose the male. Our third.”

  “What? Why?” My gaze narrows on him like a death beam.

  “Because I know Nova's temperament.”

  I don't miss a beat. “Only if I have veto power.”

  “Agreed,” Ren says, holding out his hand.

  I crush his grip in mine, but his strength is a match to my own.

  Maybe more Druid than he knows.

  Our hands drop.

  “One more thing,” I say.

  His eyebrows raise in question.

  “There's another Druid female.” My guilt over not saying something sooner is acute. Circumstances have been so suckified that I couldn't have anyway. “Her name's Alicia. She fed and fucked me when I was starving. She might be Druid enough to breed.”

  His face is neutral. “Did you plant your seed?”

  I lift my chin. “Of course.”

  “Then she is in danger, youngling.”

  I hate being condescended to. I can fight, fuck, and protect with the best of them. I shut off my purring growl of righteous anger though.

  Ren scowls at my apparent lack of restraint.

  Get used to it. “I'm aware her scent will be a problem.”

  Ren begins to walk away from me.

  “Where are you going?” I call.

  Ren half-pivots in my direction. “I think whatever Reapers are not chosen should get their collective asses to her dwelling and acquire her, right? We're too busy with Nova to consider anything or anyone else at present, but it doesn't mean she should stay unaddressed.”

  “So we pick a Reaper to group fuck Nova and a different batch to acquire Alicia?”

  His forehead wrinkles at my wording. “I think you understand the gist of it.”

  I hear the smallest noise, and my face jerks toward the doorway. “Oh shit!”

  “Nobody is going to be ‘group fuckingʼ me,” Nova says from the doorway. Her eyes are banked emerald fire.

  I think I'd be incinerated on the spot if that was part of her skill set.

  Goddess damned. It couldn't get worse if I tried.

  Then Mother appears beside her.

  Or maybe it can.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Nova

  I can't breathe I'm so pissed. And to
think I've been softening toward Brandon!

  Goddess.

  “Nova,” he says in his sex-on-a-stick voice, “it's not like it sounds.”

  “I heard ‘group fuck Nova.ʼ That sounded pretty definitive to me.”

  “Nova,” Ren begins and I give him a look that bleeds with my betrayal all over my face like an open wound. He manages to hold back the flinch but his eyes tighten at my expression. He's discussing me like a commodity.

  “Listen to me, I have only your welfare in mind. There are certain things in play none of us can help. You have talked with the other Druid—”

  “They don't even practice magic!” I say, incensed. “How do we have a meeting of the minds? Also—the queen? She is so—I can't even say—vacant!”

  Brandon's eyes narrow on me. “Queen Holly is young, but she's fair and just. She doesn't behave in a small way toward anyone, Nova.”

  “Oh!” I slap my thigh. “So somehow I'm the petty one.”

  Brandon folds his arms over his yummy chest. I catch myself getting distracted and jerk my face up.

  I hate this Druid heat thing.

  He rolls his shoulders into a shrug. “If the shoe fits....”

  “Gah!” I yell. “You try being me for a minute, stud, and you'd see I’ve got a stupid bunch of choices. My position is this: I have a bunch of crap options and have to pick the best one out of the bad. ʼKay?”

  Brandon's arms drop to his sides. “I can't protect you when you're throwing yourself under the bus. There's not one thing you've tried to meet us halfway on.”

  My hands clench into fists. “I hate being choiceless.”

  He strides to me. His large hand covers my nape, squeezing it just shy of pain. “Is fucking me really that much of a hardship?”

  I swallow hard. With him this close, looming over me in his muscular, smoldering, chemical mix-up, I can't even think.

  “No. I just wanted to choose, you dumbshit. Why can't you see that?”

  His lips hover over mine. “I see a young woman who doesn't give herself a chance to feel. All you do is run. If you just give in to your needs now, what we both know you must have—you'd want this.” His hand presses between my breasts then moves to his own chest.

  Us.

  My lip trembles and I bite it to keep Brandon from noticing my indecision.

  He leans over me and takes my lips in a kiss so soft I open my eyes to make sure it happened.

  His eyes meet mine, feeding my barren soul. His pupils appear to be eaten by the Mer irises.

  I remember our siren's song and close my eyes against the cool waters in the windows of his eyes.

  Brandon presses his forehead against mine. His breath tickles my eyelashes. The scent is male, spice, and fresh all rolled up into a delicious candy I'll never get sick of.

  “Maybe if it was just you, I could—I could do it,” I say. “But you're throwing me to the wolves. I mean, vamps. I can't just have sex with everybody. It's not right. Sometimes sharing intimacy isn't about morals, it's about what edifies someone. Or tears them down.”

  He steps away, his hands sliding from my shoulders to my waist. Ren moves up behind him, and my gaze shifts to his. He and Brandon look so much alike. It's then I realize they've made some kind of alliance. A decision.

  Oh Goddess, I realize with a shock. It's me.

  “It would not be just anyone, Nova,” Ren says, solid as a rock.

  “You?” I breathe in surprise.

  Ren inclines his head. “Yes.”

  “How?”

  Brandon's finger runs down my face, and he grins. “Well, how it goes is, we all get naked—”

  “Quiet,” I say, my gaze locking on Ren's face.

  “I am Druid.”

  My body tenses. “How—why didn't you tell me?”

  “Because a Harborer who is not Druid enough to breed cannot have relations with a Druid female.”

  “That's why you wouldn't… you know,” I say accusingly and cross my arms.

  “He did right by you,” Brandon says.

  My eyes flare at Ren, but his are steady.

  “You know how I feel about you, Ren.”

  He shrugs dismissively. “A schoolgirl crush.”

  Brandon's eyebrow rises. “She's not a youngling anymore.”

  He nods. “I know. I'm having difficulty making the transition from protector to possible stud Druid. Forgive me, it's awkward.”

  My face scrunches up, but a smile chases my scowl. “This is all because of Kellan?”

  “Yes,” Brandon says.

  “I thought you were a one-mate kind of guy?” I ask.

  He shakes his head. “All Druid vampire, Reapers—even Faction and the rogue—need sustenance. It has to be in the form of a bleed and a fuck, though not always in that order. Some of us can go longer between those needs. But yes, I do want just you as my mate.”

  Gross. So a bunch of whore-vamps scuttle around finding chicks to hump and puncture? I roll my eyes. “So what makes me special? If you go around—doing that with whomever—what guarantee do I have you'll stick around when I'm all barefoot and pregnant?”

  Not that I want to be barefoot anything.

  Brandon's expression is comical. He says with some insult, “Once our true mate is found, she solely provides for our needs.”

  “Ah-huh,” I say, unconvinced. “Who provides for mine?”

  Brandon gives me a pained expression. “I will protect you, feed you, shelter you, and give you unlimited—access.”

  I laugh—I can't help it. I sweep a palm down the front of his body. “To your awesome wares?”

  Brandon frowns, and Ren stifles a chuckle.

  “I don't mean it like that,” Brandon says. “We'll share each other, Nova. Mated. It's not a trivial thing.”

  I look at them both. Maybe they need the facts finally. “Listen, I don't know if you've received the memo, but I'm a virgin, guys.”

  Brandon's eyebrows leap on his forehead.

  He didn't know.

  Ren should have guessed. I'm just a little bit hesitant to jump in the sack with three guys, two of whom I don't know. And I don't like the idea of Ren doing me as a mercy fuck.

  I turn my anger on him.

  “I've been tossing myself at you on and off for years. Now because my life's in danger of being some creepy sacrifice to the fire dick, I'm suddenly on the menu?”

  Ren winces. “Nova, you know I care for you.”

  I cross my arms. “Helluva way to show it, Harborer.”

  He moves around Brandon and pulls me against his body. “This is my ultimate sacrifice, Nova.”

  How many times did I want him to hold me like this?

  I hear such pain in his voice that I pull back and search his eyes. “What do you mean?”

  “It means I love you, I always have, but I must be realistic. I will never have a chance with you because I am not Druid enough. Always wanting, never having—that is my role in this existence. Now I have an opportunity to be with you as a male. All the other women have been a distraction because like every man alive—I have needs. But none of them were you, Nova.”

  Ren cups my face and kisses me.

  It’s not the kiss I imagine. It’s reverent.

  Ren sips at my lips, and I fold my smaller body against his. His hands are hungry on my body, resting on my hips. He pulls me against him. His tongue finds entrance inside my mouth as I slide my hands around his neck.

  He groans, and my toes clear the floor as his arms cinch around me and lift me.

  “Nova,” he says in a throaty call that tugs at my heart.

  I feel Brandon behind me, his erection splitting my butt cheeks as Ren's divides my now-engorged pussy lips.

  “No.” They scare me and turn me on at the same time.

  “Say yes, Nova,” Ren pleads against my mouth as the men surge together, pinning me between their stiff shafts.

  The chemicals of what make us who we are also bind us, scrambling my intellect and making m
e submit to emotion’s rule.

  Like a rare moth on a board, I am pinned between them.

  My heart slams against my rib cage while their hands hold me. I should hate their dominant control—it won't lead anywhere I want—but a small insistent voice wants to follow the erotic path they're leading me down.

  “Who else?” I ask breathlessly.

  “One other,” Ren says.

  The third male is between us like a phantom, not seen but felt. I should say no, I don't even know who we'll choose to secure my protection against Kellan.

  “Okay,” I say instead.

  We break from our lust and each male takes my hand.

  To my future.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Brandon

  Hell, if I'd known Nova was a virgin, I may have handled things differently.

  To think, as an innocent, she'd been so close to getting nailed by Kellan was enough to make my balls shrivel.

  I think of the women I've been with. None were virgins. I’d had my pick on the scouting missions with the other Reapers of our coven. Those women were always willing. Being Druid gave us an almost pheromonal thrall over humans, and we were magnets to the few Druid females we'd stumbled over who weren't breeders but had enough delicious blood to be a Druid delicacy.

  Now I have Nova. Actually, I might not have her.

  She nervously looks around the room full of Reapers. All the males of our coven are gathered: Zach, Josiah, Elias, Andrew, Cole, and my father, Beau. Holly, Rachel, and Aubree stand next to their respective mates. Lucia and Tarrin stand quietly together on the side. I briefly wonder where Abrianna, my other twin sister, is. I don't see Gabriella, so they must be napping.

  The twins keep the night schedule the rest of us do.

  “Listen, I'm not some answer to everyone,” Nova says into the silence.

  I have a tight hold of her hand. It's icy.

  Zach, as king, speaks first. “Answer enough, Nova. We all understand what has happened with the vile dream-share, what Kellan is capable of.”

  Mikhail and Damon shift nervously. I know I'd be rocking my rage shit if I was in the middle of a kiss where a female had almost been violated by my traveling companion.