“Did you take pictures?”
She pinched him.
“Shit! I was kidding. Christ! You pregnant women are testy.”
Jacques was thrilled at the news, but needed to know, “Are they…?” he began before staring up at his mate.
“What?” Flynn looked around confused.
Jolie figured it was about time. “Jacques is wondering if they’ll be full vampyre or more human.”
He was caught off guard. “Was that even an option? You can have children who aren’t blood thirsty neck suckers?”
Jacques opened his mouth, and then realized Flynn was trying to keep the mood light for Jolie’s sake. He could feel the tension in the man, but wasn’t sure why.
Did he want a human-like child?
“Yes, if you head to our nursery, half the babies there are more human than vampyre. They’re immortal, but they don’t feed on blood. Ever.”
“And we’re having?” Flynn asked, holding his breath.
“Vampyres. We’re having full blown vampyres. You’re more like us than we ever believed.”
He grinned, his fangs showing. “Woooo hoooo!” With that, he picked her up and swung her around.
“You wanted this?” Jacques said, still a little confused. Every day that passed, he was more and more surprised by the man they called mate.
“Absolutely,” he replied. “I want my little baby to be strong, tough, and perfect. That means your gifts. I don’t want anyone to ever be able to hurt them.”
Jolie touched his cheek. His words made her fall in love all over again. “Your child will also have your traits, and they’re good ones. You’re sweet, loving, and a decent human being, Flynn.”
He didn't care about any of that. He wanted to be more like them, so he would do anything to assure his one shot at a child also had that advantage.
This was Darwinism. Flynn knew they were stronger than humans, so they would survive.
“I’m so happy,” he offered, smiling.
“Me too,” Jacques said.
Jolie wanted to show them how happy she was, but before she could offer some alone time in bed, her phone rang. Hitting the button, she knew that both men were listening. They’d placed their bodies extremely close to hers.
“Thank you,” she stated.
There was another pause.
“We’ll be there,” Jolie replied, before hanging up the phone.
“We’re taking a little trip, aren’t we?” Flynn asked.
“We’ll be meeting with Lucricia this evening at Genevieve’s old home. She’s agreed to meet with me to discuss a few things.”
Flynn wanted to make a comment, and from the look on Jolie’s face, he knew she was waiting for it.
He bit his tongue.
“Thank you for that, Flynn. Can you go get Mathew, Jacques?”
Again, both men tensed.
“Why?” Flynn asked.
“Because you’re training him as my guardian,” she replied. Jolie made sure all the memories she’d found in Mathew’s mind were firmly tucked away.
The men shared a look.
“Please?” she asked.
“Yes, my love,” Jacques said, grabbing his shirt before heading out. He wasn’t pleased, but they’d promised to trust her.
Yeah, this sucked.
“Well?” she asked Flynn.
“Want to help me get a shower and dressed?” he asked, holding out his hand. “Maybe you can feed me too.”
Jolie was touched that he trusted her judgment. “See? You’re a good man, Flynn. I’m glad I’m having your child.”
He took that moment to hold her tightly against his body as if he could keep her safe by this touch alone. As Flynn’s mouth plumbed the depths of hers, taking in the mingling taste of Jacques’s blood, Flynn couldn’t help but relax.
“I love you.”
When she was swept up into his arms, Jolie giggled. “I can walk, Flynn.”
He didn't care. This was about what he needed. They were taking Mathew, ignoring how dangerous the meeting could be, and letting Jolie do what she thought was best. The least he could do was take that moment to hold her.
“Yeah, you probably could.”
“Where are your handcuffs?” she asked out of the blue.
He nearly dropped her. “What?”
“If you put me down, I’ll let you arrest me, and then read me my rights in the shower. I hope I don’t fall and impale myself on anything.”
His heart kicked.
“Are you serious? Please tell me this isn’t a joke and that you have every intention of playing out one of my fantasies.”
His wicked grin made Jolie want to climb all over him. “You may have to arrest me, Detective. My intention is to break quite a few laws. Chances are that you’ll have to get rough.”
Flynn liked this game. “You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to put your mouth all over me…”
Jolie grinned wickedly as he grabbed his handcuffs from the dresser. “Mmmmm, Flynn,” she purred in his ear.
“I am so damn glad you’re pregnant.”
“Are you?” she asked.
Flynn didn’t reply. He simply laughed.
Then he let his mate have her wicked way with his body.
Repeatedly.
∞ Chapter Eleven ∞
Thursday Evening
In her closet, freshly rejuvenated from her shower, Jolie finished getting dressed for the evening.
As she slipped into her leather, she could hear him coming. “Hello, my love,” Jolie stated, lacing up her pants.
“I see Flynn is practically passed out on the bed. You worked him over, huh?”
She laughed. “He wanted me in handcuffs. I made him work for it.” And work…he did. She’d laughed so hard at his determination, and in the end, she screamed his name.
“Well, he looks smug and exhausted.”
“I was merely proving a very important point. I might be carrying children, but I’m still the same old me.”
Jacques knew she was right, but it was hard not to be concerned. “We must be crazy to doubt you,” he whispered softly into her ear. When his breath tickled her skin, he swore she shivered. “I’m jealous that I didn't get to help subdue you,” he admitted.
“Mmmmm. Well, I think that after our little interrogation, you can do just that.”
“I can’t wait.”
Jolie nuzzled his neck. The scent of his skin called to her, just like Flynn’s did.
“I saw what’s in your mind,” he stated. “You saw plenty when you were feeding Mathew before.”
Jolie stopped moving.
“I didn't mean to look, but I was in your head while you were in the shower. I just wanted to make sure you were safe.”
Jolie couldn’t be angry with him. “I see.”
“If Flynn finds out, you’re going to have a big fight on your hands,” he offered.
“And with you?”
He paused. “I’m not happy at what I saw, Jolie. Mathew is out for sex, and that’s not happening. I didn’t become your guardian to get laid. I did it because I wanted to keep you safe.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
Here was a slippery slope. Jacques was now stuck between a woman he loved, and had sworn allegiance to as a primus, and a man he called mate. This was dangerous.
“Well?” she asked.
“No.”
Jolie was surprised. The men generally had no problem ganging up on her to get their way. This wasn’t like him.
“Thank you.”
“But…”
She stared up into his eyes. “But?”
“I want a promise.”
Jolie nodded. “What?”
“If I ask you to send him away, you’ll do it. If I feel that Mathew has become a liability to our unit, you’ll send him to another family.”
She stared openmouthed. “Jacques.”
“Jolie, in six hundred years, how often have I asked for a
nything from you?”
She knew the answer--it was never.
“If I feel like he’s damaging our unit, I need you to send him away. If he becomes your guardian, only out of the act to get sex from you, I need you to not do it.”
“Jacques.”
“For me, Jolie, and for Flynn. I’m asking you to put your trust in me, like I’m doing for you.”
“He’s harmless.”
“No, he’s not. Mathew is dangerous to you, but you don’t see it. Flynn and I do.” He knew that the young vampyre had the potential to get her killed.
Jolie touched his cheek. “Okay. If you need this, then I’ll give you what you want.”
He was surprised. She’d actually gone for it. “Really?”
Going into his body, Jolie wrapped her arms around his waist. “For all those years, I trusted in your instincts. Many times, you saved us. If you think Mathew is dangerous, then I’ll believe you--as long as you’re not saying this out of jealousy.”
He thought about it. “It’s my gut.”
Jolie sealed her promise with a kiss. “Then deal. If you tell me he’s going to hurt me, then I’ll believe you. I do need a promise from you now too.”
He tensed. “Yes?”
“What you saw in my head--I don’t want Flynn stressing about it. I need you to promise on our children’s lives that you’ll keep it to yourself.”
The slope just got worse. This was betrayal. The one thing he hated in humans, and now he was going to do that to a man he genuinely loved.
“Deal.”
What choice did he have?
“Help me get dressed?” she asked, taking his hand in hers. While Jolie felt guilty for not telling Flynn, she suspected it was for the best. She didn't want to lose him, and this could blow up in their faces.
But it was a risk she’d take.
Sometimes being primus really sucked.
In their cozy kitchen, Jolie found her other mate, along with their young vampyre. Flynn was lounging at the table, his head resting back against the wall. Mathew was sketching something on a tablet as he studied the man before him.
Silently, Jolie headed toward her mate.
“Hey, baby,” he said, before she could reach his side.
She touched his mind. ‘Hello, my very naughty Detective. Did I wear you out?’
He snickered out loud, but continued the conversation in their minds, ‘Hell no. I’m just trying to stay calm. I feel edgy.’
Jolie placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to offer him peace. “Good evening, Mathew. How are you?”
“I’m good, Mistress. Thank you for letting me join you tonight.”
She smiled sweetly at him. “Well, you’re in training, so this will give you an idea of what the job will be like.”
“I can’t wait, Mistress,” he admitted.
“Mathew, will you head out to the vehicle and wait for us?” Flynn asked.
“Yes, Master,” he stated, dropping his sketch pad and pencil.
When he was gone, Flynn stared over at her. “I need you to do something.”
Both vampyres stopped moving.
“What?” Jolie asked.
“I need you to calm him down. Just sitting here, I could feel his pulse jumping. He’s going to give us away the second we walk into that other society’s house. If I can sense his trepidation, and I’m more or less human, they’re going to smell the fear a mile away.”
She listened to him.
“Vamps pick that stuff up, and he’s scared shitless. Can you give him some secret compulsion to get us through tonight?”
Jacques released the breath he was holding. “That’s a good idea.”
“I can,” Jolie stated. “You’re probably right, Flynn. This is Genevieve’s old family. Some of the vampyres won’t like that we’re there.”
He knew it.
“Thank you. I’d really like to get the hell out of there in one piece, and if he gets anyone hurt,” he began, referring to his mates, “I’m going to be cranky. No one will like cranky Flynn.”
“I love him,” she teased, trying to get him to laugh.
“You may be the only one on the planet.”
“I’ll handle it,” she stated.
That was good enough for him, and apparently Jacques too. Even he seemed less stressed.
As they headed out to the vehicle, Jolie took their hands. “I love you both. Try not to get hurt if something does happen.”
Yeah, they wanted to tell her the same thing too.
Only, they knew odds weren’t in their favor.
In the Hummer, Flynn stared back at Jolie and Mathew. She was about to do her vamp-y mojo thing, and he was fascinated. When she stared into Mathew’s eyes, the energy inside the vehicle changed.
“Mathew, you’ll listen to me,” she whispered.
His eyes glassed over.
“Can he hear us?” Flynn asked.
“No,” stated Jacques, glancing back in the mirror before continuing, “He can only hear Jolie. Until she gives him the command, he’s fixated on what she has to say.”
“Tonight, Mathew, I want you to be brave. I need you to fear nothing and stand tall.”
“Yes, Mistress,” he stated.
“While inside, all your past fears will drift away, and you’ll be unafraid of what chases you.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
Flynn lifted an eyebrow. “I think she’s done this with me before. I swear she’s told me to have lots of sex.”
Jacques laughed when Jolie pointed silently at him.
“You’re free,” she said, before staring out the window so the young vampyre wouldn’t have a clue.
“Mathew, how do you feel?” Flynn asked.
“Great. I can’t wait to go in and protect the mistress.”
Well, that worked.
Flynn’s eyes met Jolie’s.
‘Can I do that?’ he asked.
‘I don’t know. Why don’t you try later? Maybe you can make me do really wicked things to that sexy body of yours.’
He swallowed.
‘I can hear you both,’ Jacques stated, laughing into their minds.
‘Maybe you can help him hold me down.’
Both men tensed.
Flynn figured they should change the subject. His blood pressure was up, and that meant a lack of control when it came to Jolie.
“What are you planning this evening, baby?”
“If you think I’m going there to kick someone’s ass, you’re wrong. I only want to speak to Lucricia. Someone might be helping Zola in her quest for retaliation. If they are, I’m hoping she’ll help me find the perpetrator.”
“Tommy doesn’t have much time.”
She was aware. The odds were, they wouldn’t be finding him alive, but Jolie didn't want to tell Flynn that.
Why hurt him?
“We’re almost there,” Jacques stated, pointing up ahead to the old house. It was familiar as it loomed in the distance.
It brought back many memories.
Most were not good.
“What do we know about the new mistress?” Flynn asked, pulling out his gun to check the magazine. It was loaded with silver. Anything less would be useless.
Jolie watched Mathew’s face. Normally, Flynn pulling a gun would have him flinching. It appeared her compulsion was working. Jolie wished she could keep him under for good, but that wasn’t possible. Eventually, he’d come out of it.
“Nothing,” answered Jacques. “I hate that we’re walking into this blind.”
That feeling was pretty much unanimous.
No one wanted a nasty surprise, but they’d at least be ready and have Death on their side.
“Maybe you should give me a gun,” Mathew said to Flynn.
He laughed. “Uh, no. That’s not going to happen until you’re fully trained.”
“I can handle it. You point and shoot. How hard can it be?” he asked.
“A little thing called aiming for your target
. I haven’t trained you yet, and if I’m going into a den of vamps, I’m carrying my guns. I trust me. I don’t trust you.”
There.
It was said.
“I see.”
Flynn stared back at him, his eyes bleeding to dark blue. “I don’t think you do, Mathew. If you did, you’d understand that my job is to keep her safe.”
Mathew said nothing.
‘I think I like him better when he’s afraid. He’s a little too dick-y for me,’ Flynn stated into his mates’ minds.
Jolie simply laughed.
“We’re here,” Jacques stated.
Jolie slid from the Hummer and waited for her mates to reach her side.
“Remember your roles,” she warned, pointing at Mathew. “You’re the guardian. Say nothing, do nothing, and try and intimidate with just a look.”
He nodded, going ramrod stiff.
Flynn thought it was comical. “Here, Mathew, try these. You’ll look like a badass,” he offered, tossing the young vampyre his sunglasses. That way, he could watch everyone without their knowing.
When in Vampville, play dirty.
Mathew was touched that the master would so easily share with him. He’d treasure the gift.
At the door, they knocked. When it was opened, there stood a very young vampyre.
“Hello. I’ll notify my mistress to inform her of your arrival, so she can invite you in,” she said, backing away.
“No need, I’ve been here many times before,” Jolie stated, crossing the threshold. If the new family head thought that they had time to play these games, they didn't.
This was an old technique to prove who was controlling the situation. Well, she had news for Lucricia. Jolie was in charge.
When the woman scurried away, obviously to warn her mistress, Jolie invited Mathew in.
“That was fun,” stated Flynn. “Already, they’re yanking our chains.”
She was aware.
“This way, Mistress. Lucricia is waiting for you in the grand room,” she answered, bowing.
Jolie could feel the fear rolling off the woman before them and called for her companions in their minds.
‘She’s distressed, and that worries me. Be alert.’
‘Very well,’ Jacques replied, as both mates moved closer to Jolie in a protective stance.
Dangerous Retaliation (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 4) Page 15
