by Aya DeAniege
Gerrid stiffened and looked up. He moved around me, placing himself between me and the door as there was another little sound, like a hissing.
The door pulled open slowly and Blane stepped in. He looked around the room and then stopped, slipping his hands into his pockets.
His shirt was covered in blood. Soaked right through. His pants must have been soaked as well, but they were black, and it was more difficult to distinguish a change. Blane’s feet were still bare, and the blood had begun to dry there.
“Estate is clear,” Blane purred out. “My Doms need to be culled, it seems. Gerrid?”
“Which one was stupid enough to let it happen?” Gerrid asked.
“I will do the culling. I was calling your name.”
“Hesitate longer, next time,” Gerrid said. “What do you need of me?”
“The walls are coated, it’s your job to get the women back to their rooms. Take Rachel and Rebecca and go. Now.”
“Rachel,” Gerrid called with a motion.
He poked me toward the door and I looked at him as he shifted behind me and poked me again. I moved to the door and glanced Blane over as the Master turned toward me and raised an eyebrow.
His brown eyes flowed down me in what I could best describe as a hungry look.
Blane had sated his bloodlust, but in doing so, had worked up a different kind of hunger. Whatever relationship I had been building with him would be shattered if I remained in the safe room. It was possible that it would happen if I asked too many questions, or challenged his authority in front of other people.
I looked away and moved up the steps. If I had stayed a second longer, I may have been invited to a special party of some sort.
At the top of the steps, I looked out of the closet and made a little squeaking sound. I stiffened and turned as Rachel emerged from the safe room behind me. She repeated the motion, and made a sound that was very similar to the one I had made. She turned as Gerrid slipped up behind us.
“Welcome to an Alpha fight,” Gerrid said.
There was blood on the walls and floor. From in front of the door, there was a path, like someone had been killed, then dragged through the blood. Around the corner, I could hear the scrubbing of brushes hard at work, and women talking quietly as they cleaned up another mess.
“The bodies will have been moved,” Gerrid said. “The servants know what they’re in for. This isn’t the first time they’ve cleaned blood off Blane’s walls, but they have never signed anything to clean up bodies. That’s on the Alphas and special crews. We may come across those crews, please try not to make sounds.”
“Clean up crews?” Rachel asked.
“Every Master has a clean up crew that works for him. Abraham has his own special group, led by Peter, the son of Paul.”
“Paul was Ezra’s lover and…” Rachel started.
I wanted to smack her for not putting in more effort at learning these things. It wasn’t like Paul was a minor player in Alpha politics. He let loose the Alphas to start a civil war, helped run the resistance for years while Blane and others like Blane weakened the old government from the inside.
“The old Abraham,” I said. “Peter and Blane were lovers too. Why isn’t he here with Blane now?”
“How did you know that?” Gerrid asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Sometime during breakfast it had occurred to me. Partnered Alphas tended to have careers that complimented one another. Ezra had gotten into politics to run the nation while Paul, his lover, had run the Alpha day-to-day duties. Blane was into science and healing. He had worked very well with Alex playing the part of hound.
Because Alex was stepping in for Peter while Peter worked for Abraham.
Alphas didn’t partner up in modern times, but before that, they had. That partnering had been the foundation of more than one city. Alphas as lovers was something that the history books couldn’t teach in school. It had baffled my teachers, and most of the students, as to why an Alpha would divide his attention even more with another Alpha.
Finally, I had someone I could ask. If I could get Blane to admit that connection in the first place.
“No, it’s not. Peter worked for Abraham because, I mean. His father was still alive until recently. Peter working with Abraham meant that he could stay near to his father. Peter is also a bloodrage and has been compared to Blane in temperament and personality… oh.”
“Oh, what?” Rachel asked.
“Oh, the only other two I’ve heard compared like that were Paul and Ezra.”
“Alphas have a companion and breeder, but many have been found to pair up in the past,” I said. “They would work in tandem with one another. One as leader, one as warrior, or one as leader of the Alphas, the other as a politician. No one could understand why they were together, though. It’s a benefit, yes, but why shack up instead of just forming an alliance?”
“Robin said they were asexual,” Rachel said. “Paul and Ezra never had sex for sex. They’d fight a few times and that ended in sex, but otherwise they weren’t like that.”
“That’s not proven, just theorized,” Gerrid said. “And don’t believe everything Robin tells you. He’s not an expert on Alphas. An Alpha not having sex? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Why do we care if Peter and Blane might be buddies?” Rachel asked.
“Non-sexual, you said?” I countered.
“Those two have slept together, but not together, together,” Gerrid said. “I’ve been the unfortunate third wheel of those things. When they were younger, yes, but once both had companions, that stopped. They may be imitating the relationship Ezra had with Jamie.
“We’ve all been obsessed with Jamie, a companion of Ezra’s who he never had sex with. We all want that. The paired Alpha explanation could be one. But I know for a fact that they had sex together. Paul and Ezra. Which is how I know that Robin is wrong.”
“Another unfortunate third wheel incident?” I asked.
“No, I visited, and they didn’t lock the door to the guest bathroom I was told I could use.”
“Strangest conversation I’ve ever had in a blood-soaked hallway,” Rachel said. “Then again, it’s the only conversation I’ve had in a blood-soaked hallway. Why does that matter?”
“Gerrid and Morgan could end up becoming a pair bond,” I said.
“No, they can’t,” Rachel said. “There’s no, that doesn’t. No, you’re not having Morgan.”
“I don’t want to be part of a pair bond,” Gerrid protested. “I don’t need to worry about this happening to me. I don’t have an estate and am almost never in the same area for very long. This won’t happen, I’m not concerned about it.”
“You don’t even want to ask Peter some questions just in case?” I asked.
“He doesn’t live with Blane.”
“Maybe he should,” I said. “It would certainly counter that whole, needing a companion thing.”
“Peter works for Abraham,” Gerrid said, motioning down the hallway.
I grumbled and rolled my eyes as I walked off. Gerrid made a disgruntled sound and followed after me. We walked through the estate. I kept my eyes focused on nothing in particular. Here and there we stumbled upon Alphas in black uniforms, cleaning things up.
They paused in their work and watched us go by, but said nothing. None of the Alphas attempted to approach us. They even seemed a little ashamed at being caught, shifting themselves to keep us from being in direct sight of the bodies.
Just outside the door of my room, Abraham and Matt stood.
“Oh, thank goodness,” Rachel said.
Abraham motioned to Matt, then put distance between him and the companion.
“Peter found him in the safe room in Blane’s rooms. I was not aware there was one.”
“Is he all right? Matt, are you all right?” Rachel asked.
“Matt doesn’t handle blood well, kind of shuts right on down,” Abraham said. “Where is Blane, right now? He’s quite neces
sary.”
“He’s with Penelope,” Gerrid said. “Tradition is a little conflicted on this event. I was getting out of there before he demanded I stay and attend.”
“How about we continue this conversation in the room instead of in the hallway?” I asked.
“Yes, Peter’s already asked about the women of the house,” Abraham said.
The Alphas turned to me. I watched them in response, not knowing what they wanted. Rachel peered around me, at them, then at the door.
“Oh, it’s yours. They can’t just walk in,” Rachel said.
“Gerrid just walked in just the other night,” I said.
“I did, but that was not when there was a trouble in the estate,” Gerrid said. “Until everything settles, everyone is to stick to their territories and follow all the rules.”
“It’s very important that we all follow the rules,” Abraham said. “I’m a great deal calmer, but Peter and Blane are a different sort. Stick to the rules, to the letter, until someone sorts it out. They’ll figure it out between the two of them.”
“Until then, we, what? Walk on eggshells?” Rachel demanded.
“Do you want a cock in your mouth?” Abraham asked. “As a woman, you have some leeway, but the moment you bite them for sticking it in there, is the moment your head is taken from your shoulders. We are predators. Play by our rules or get out.”
“I’d like a cock in my mouth,” I said.
A red came over Abraham’s face.
It started in his cheeks, then crept down his jaw and soon even his neck was red. He still had the stern look that he had had as he spoke to Rachel. As I watched, the expression crumbled ever so slowly. It went from annoyed and firm to a little confused, then fearful even as he pulled further away from us, putting that distance between him and I.
“Why don’t you let us in the room?” Gerrid asked gently.
I turned to Gerrid and pointed to my mouth. The Alpha chuckled. He set his hands on my shoulders as he steered me toward my door. I jabbed my finger and he chuckled lightly again.
“Open the door and invite us in, like we were vampires.”
“Seriously?” I asked.
“It’s the technical rule. When a door is closed, a proper invitation is supposed to be given. Try not to be sarcastic about it.”
“Rebecca, not Rachel.”
“I know that, but you’re still obviously crabby,” Gerrid said.
I tried not to grumble as I opened the door. I walked to the other side and looked Gerrid over. Then I hesitated, struggling to figure it out.
“Uh, Gerrid, won’t you please come in?”
He smiled at me. “That’s the way to do it. Yes, I would quite enjoy coming inside.”
“Coming inside?” I murmured as he walked around me.
Gerrid leaned down and seemed to sniff the air by my head, taking in my scent.
“I’m not allowed to say ‘of you’ when accepting an invite,” he purred out.
He moved deeper into my room as I flushed. I invited each of the others in, inviting Abraham and Matt as one because Matt wasn’t really all there.
Once everyone was in the room, I moved to close the door, glancing up as something caught my eye. An Alpha was leaning around the corner, watching me as I stood with my hand on the door. I pulled back and closed the door, then turned to Gerrid.
“Peter,” Gerrid said.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“He follows me around,” Abraham said. “For the moment, anyhow. The way to find him, is to find me. He’s not to do anything else for the moment, just stick close to me, it’s a ritual of ours.”
“You get attacked often?” Rachel asked.
“We set up the ritual during the civil war,” Abraham said. “We haven’t needed it in some time, but the reason it is a ritual is because it is so engrained in both of us. That is what is keeping him stable right now. But mentioning the ritual is not going to help anyone.”
“Fair enough, is he going to want to come in as well?” I asked.
“No, Peter will stay out there.”
“What if someone is in here?”
Abraham looked ruffled. He looked over me, to Gerrid, and immediately set off. As I turned to look at Gerrid, he was walking in the other direction. The Alphas went through every cupboard and closet and wardrobe. They searched everything, then came back and relaxed a little, but only a little.
“No one is here,” Abraham said. “We are very safe. Now. Rachel, my dear, you look like you haven’t slept at all. Why don’t you take Matt to the bed and lay down? He hasn’t slept either but can’t sleep without another person there with him.”
Rachel yawned. “Not tired.”
“Sleep, Rachel.”
Abraham saying that, like that, in that tone of voice, made me want to yawn. I stretched a little, gritting my teeth and resisting the urge to stretch more as Rachel grumbled and groaned. She complained all the way to Matt, then all the way to the bed, pulling Matt with her.
They climbed under the blankets and Matt curled toward Rachel, but didn’t touch her.
I turned to Abraham to ask him what was going on, but he raised a hand to silence me as he watched the bed. For several minutes, he stood there, just watching the bed. Then he made a motion to Gerrid and I, and headed for the bathroom.
Gerrid moved forward, his hand settling on my lower back as he propelled me forward. We walked into the bathroom and Gerrid closed the door behind us, then locked the door behind us.
“You’re still on an edge,” Gerrid said.
“I am,” Abraham said.
He was pacing the bathroom. There was an anxious trembling to his hands as he paced, back and forth and then around again.
“Can’t believe I sent them home,” Abraham said.
He must have meant his companions. Abraham was regretting sending his companions home, but Rachel had said that they were catty little things. They would have just caused more problems.
“I can offer myself up,” Gerrid said.
“Oh, like I’d give you a choice,” Abraham said, coming to a stand still.
He put his hands on his hips and scowled at me. Nose twitching about, this way and that, Abraham refocused his attention on Gerrid.
“While she was being serious about wanting a cock in her mouth, I don’t think she meant yours,” Gerrid said.
“I didn’t think she meant mine either,” Abraham said. “Though the image alone was startling.”
“You mean you want to have sex with me,” I said.
“Of course, I do,” Abraham said. “Do you know how many Alphas can say they fucked a faerie? One.”
Apparently, Abraham wasn’t counting himself in that number. No one would be told about how I had been pulled back to sanity, I was guessing. That was an interesting tidbit, and to know that Abraham wasn’t going to go bragging about being with me.
“Two,” Gerrid said.
“Really?” Abraham asked.
“Yes, really.”
“If you want me, maybe you should ask me about it and not him,” I snapped at Abraham.
“Women don’t enjoy that,” Abraham said. “Which is why I didn’t ask you. However, if you’d rather I did: Rebecca, can I come in your mouth?”
I looked between the two Alphas, then shrugged. “Why not? How often does a woman like me have two attractive men willing to do whatever she wants?”
Abraham made a little, confused sound. Gerrid, at my side, made another, which almost sounded like a kettle boiling over.
“Shall we discuss rules?” I asked.
“Rules?” Abraham countered.
“No anal,” Gerrid said.
“No pain,” I added. “I don’t enjoy it. All the attention is on me, not on either of you. I’m not playing blow-up doll to you while he gets you from behind or vice versa. I need to orgasm. Remember? Last night?”
“You became fragile again,” Gerrid said.
“Right? Best fix for that is orgasm. So,
I want at least one.”
“I think we should double down on that,” Abraham said. “If you cracked last night, it could have gone deeper in that time. Let’s discuss multiple orgasms.”
“Multiple orgasms?” I asked.
“Not one after another. Give her time in between or she just doesn’t register it,” Gerrid said.
“Fair enough,” Abraham said. “And, a safe word? In case she changes her mind.”
“Good idea,” Gerrid said. “Safe word should be parrot. Yes? Great.”
“That door is locked, right?” I asked. Gerrid nodded. “And how sound proof is it?”
“You don’t make a lot of sound,” Gerrid said. “But, yes, it is very sound proof.”
“Okay, I think we have ourselves a deal.”
Chapter Fifteen
I reached for my shirt, only to have Gerrid stop me. He made a motion to Abraham, then bent and nipped at my neck. I gasped and turned my head to the side as Abraham laid his hands on me.
Robin is going to be pissed.
But I didn’t care.
It wasn’t my fault that Abraham was chasing me like a hound dog. That was Robin’s problem. I was just going to enjoy the attention until Robin figured it out and broke Abraham’s legs.
Abraham’s hands roved downward, slipping into my pants and over my hips. His hands were hot against my flesh, almost burning. Gerrid’s hands were almost as warm, spread out across my belly. He pressed tight against my back, which caused Abraham to remove his hands. The older Alpha shifted closer, pressing me tight between them.
I was caught between Gerrid’s rock hard abs and Abraham’s… hard form.
It was easy to tell that the Alphas were aroused. Gerrid’s was obvious against my leg and hip. Abraham was wearing a set of pyjama bottoms, having changed before meeting up with us, I assumed. A glance down was all I needed.
I reached boldly and took Abraham in my hand. He sucked in a breath, hesitating as a shudder rolled through him. He stiffly bent and caught my lips with his own. Our tongues tangled as a liquid heat rolled through my stomach. When I moved, adjusting my hips to get a more comfortable position, they moved with me. Gerrid’s arms tightened, Abraham went straight for my chest.
