by Joyee Flynn
Next I went to the throne room where he received formal visitors. He wasn’t scheduled to have any but sometimes it was just fun to hang out in the coolest room and sit on the throne. I knew because we’d gotten drunk and done it after the new palace had been built. Not that I’d ever tell anyone Rylan and I could be silly like that.
He was there with Queen Magdalena, Elder Dawson, and Alpha Caven. Shit! I quickly blocked my mind as I’d been trained to do long ago so no one could read my thoughts. It was something margays were taught, along with the warriors, it seemed, if the traitor hadn’t been found.
“I know I said keep it casual around the palace but this might be a little much, Bev,” Rylan drawled as I slid to a stop after having darted into the room.
“I’ve been searching everywhere for you, your majesty,” I panted, gasping for air. “We must speak immediately. I beg you.” While I knew Queen Magdalena preferred everyone call her your highness, we were raised different and our King was addressed with the common title of a ruler. Honestly, Rylan could give a shit if we just called him Ry, but there were people present, and to gain other paranormals’ respect, he had to have it from his own people.
“What’s going on, Bev?” he asked in a concerned tone, walking closer to me as I approached him. I turned when I heard a crash in the hallway. Shit. Were we being attacked? Had someone found out I’d been listening and pursued me?
“I know who the traitor is,” I said in a volume way below normal hearing level. “I heard them on the phone calling Dubois.”
Of course, Elder Dawson and Alpha Caven heard me too because their heads snapped in my direction. I ignored them though, not sure what was in the hallway, possibly coming for me.
“He’s going to go for Damian Marius or Dr. Johnson to prove himself to the demons. They want a few fae to test how to drain magic so they can disable the Queen. They’re trying to get plans for the palace, Ry. They’re coming for us and soon. I know where Osvaldo Diaz is,” I rambled at the same level.
“Don’t say another word,” he said quickly. “This conversation needs to be more private.” He glanced at Caven who was shaking at the idea of demons going after two of his brothers-in-law.
“Shit,” I hissed. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know—” I started to say when there was another noise in the hallway. Rylan seemed oblivious to it and so did everyone else. Was I just freaking out?
“I’m calling a High Council meeting. You will tell us everything there.” I nodded, knowing it was an order and it wasn’t like I had a choice. Obviously Rylan didn’t think anyone would doubt me. Oh goodie. I hoped that to be true. He stepped over to his mates, who had been watching all of this curiously, as he pulled out his phone.
I heard the door open and before I could even turn around I was surrounded.
“Ya ran from us,” Rian snarled as he moved one arm around my waist.
“Ours,” Ronan hissed in my ear as his arm went around my chest. Then they sank their fangs into either side of my neck as their hands moved to my groin. I cried out in shock and pleasure as they drank deeply from me. Holy sweet mother of mercy! This was what it felt like to be bit and drank from?
Not that I actually wanted this now, naked, in the throne room in front of most of the leaders of the coven. But hot damn it was fun! My cock filled so fast it almost hurt and then got firmer than I could ever remember it being. Rian stroked it while Ronan squeezed my sac. I came harder than I thought possible. Ronan moved his hand to help Rian, so I didn’t just shoot all over the floor, instead over their hands and my stomach.
And still they drank, deep swallows of my blood. It felt like hours, but I knew all this probably happened in less than thirty seconds. They were just drinking so fast and my reaction to them was instant.
The whole time I was climaxing, stars flashed behind my eyes and I couldn’t focus on anything other than what I was feeling. Hell, I heard sounds in the distance but I couldn’t even make out what it was. But then when the pleasure ended my vision didn’t clear and I realized what was going on.
“Stop,” I breathed, comprehending I was dizzy and with two of them the blood loss was too much. “Please. Stop. Too much.”
I finally caught one clear voice as Rylan came into my blurred view as he hit Rian in the stomach so his fangs didn’t rip out of me. “Get off of him! You’re going to kill him!”
Seconds later Rian and Ronan were gone, injuring my neck slightly when they were pulled off of me. I started to fall but Rylan caught me before I hit the marble flooring. He sat on the floor with me and with the way I was lying I saw Rian and Ronan kneeling in front of us being restrained by a few guards.
“Jon,” I whispered.
“What? Don’t talk, Bev,” Rylan cried as he held his hands to my neck. “Where the fuck is Riley?”
“Jon,” I said again. I saw Rian and Ronan had heard me and they snarled. I’m not sure why they had that reaction or what they thought was going on but the whole thing was bizarre. Then suddenly Caven was in front of me.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” he asked, his look meaningful.
“Jon is—” I started to say, trying to clarify, but I couldn’t get it all out before the darkness took me under. I was going to die by my mates’ bloodlust and I never even got to tell them fully what I’d learned. And all I had wanted to do was take a break from work and enjoy the day.
Chapter 2
Rian
I watched in shock as our mate raced away. “The little shite just ran from us.”
“The fuck he is,” Ronan snarled as he took off. I jumped to me feet and was right behind him.
Nothing like a good chase after the mate to get the blood pumping. Riiiight. We vamoosed like a flash, incredibly fast for vampires. Honestly we weren’t warriors… But we could have been. We were as tall as some warriors, six three apiece, but we weren’t as broad in the shoulders and didn’t bulk up like them.
But we were the speediest fuckers around. We’d raced Rory before and only been seconds behind him. That was crazy fast for vampires.
There was something more going on than just our mate running away though. Why say he’d come back if he just wanted to ditch us? I couldn’t help but try and figure it out as we pursued. Maybe someone was chasing him in the bad kind of way? Like they wanted to hurt him. I felt me hands shift into claws at the idea. We would fucking end anyone who would try for our mate.
God, there was so much adrenaline coursing through us. We were confused, giving in to the most basic need for our mate, chasing him, which as predators appealed to us, and once we got him we’d be victorious. Hell, I was hard already.
“Freeze them!” Ronan called out as we got close to the palace. I knew what he meant. We both had that same gift, a form of telekinesis. We could move objects, keep people in place, or make them do the jig if we wanted. I focused as we kept moving while Ronan threw open the doors so we didn’t have to stop and open them ourselves.
“What the fuck?” one guard exclaimed as we darted past them. I took lead, having a better sense of smell than Ronan. Our mate’s scent traveled a few different paths as if he’d been looking for someone. I picked up the strongest route, turning left suddenly when Ronan was going straight and we crashed together and he knocked over a suit of armor.
“Well at least that can’t break,” he grumbled. I helped him back up and we were on our way… Except we did it again and this time I ended up hitting a sculpture that did shatter into pieces and looked very expensive.
“Shite. There goes our savings.” I shook me head. We could sort that all out later. When we got to the room our mate was in, I realized it was like a throne room where the King’s court was held or something. And there standing in the middle of it was our mate… Fucking naked.
Oh hell no! He ran from us to stand naked in front of all of these people? I was claiming what was mine! And I felt Ronan’s need and determination to do the same. But since we felt each other’s emotions, anytime we fel
t the same thing it was like our own sense was twice as strong. I was out of control with the drive and I knew it.
That didn’t mean I could have stopped meself if I wanted to. We were on him in a flash.
“Ya ran from us,” I snarled as I moved me arm around his waist. No way I was giving him the chance to sneak off again.
“Ours,” Ronan hissed as his arm went around our mate’s chest. We bit him together, each taking a side of his neck. I moved to cover his groin and brushed me brother’s hand. Great minds think alike. This was ours and no one else got to see it. Then I realized we’d do one better. He was ours to please and they could all find that out right fucking now.
Our mate cried out as I drank down his blood. I felt a rush of—I don’t even know what to call it. Power? Life? Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, this was the greatest blood on the face of the earth. I never wanted to stop drinking. I kept stroking the cock in me hand, not really paying any attention to that anymore.
I just wanted more of the blood. Ronan wanted more. I could feel it and he could feel me need. It was like the more we drank the stronger I could feel his emotions because he became more powerful… As I’m sure mine did to him. But it was like a snowball effect. It just got bigger and bigger. What the fuck was going on? I couldn’t stop!
I ceased moving me hand, realizing our mate had come. Our mate. That meant something distantly in me brain. What I was doing was wrong to me mate. But what did that mean? Our mate was whispering something. I guess he liked the orgasm and us together on him. He’d better get used to it because we’d never let him go now.
I just couldn’t think past the blood. I heard shouting. I felt someone tugging at me. Fuck them. This was our mate, and his blood was ours!
Someone hit me in the stomach and I finally focused. I saw a man taller than me mate but with similar features in front of us. “Get off of him! You’re going to kill him!”
Immediately I felt panic as Ronan did and we stopped. Just as I was pulling me fangs out, strong hands ripped me away from me mate and then tackled me to the ground. I fought for a second until I realized they were just trying to keep us from killing our mate and then I submitted. They were helping, not the enemy.
“What the fuck was that?” I whispered to Ronan as we were forced to kneel, our hands held behind our backs.
“I don’t know,” he whimpered. I looked to where he was and saw our mate in the other man’s lap, bleeding, pale, and looking like death. Oh god. What had we done?
He whispered something I couldn’t make out. No, please, he can’t die!
“What? Don’t talk, Bev,” the man cried as he held his hands to our mate’s neck. “Where the fuck is Riley?”
“Jon,” our mate said quietly. I was right back to rage. Ronan and I snarled, another man’s name on our mate’s mouth when he was in trouble. No, things couldn’t end like this. Fate wasn’t that cruel.
But if they did, there was no one to blame but ourselves.
Suddenly the little Alpha was there by our mate as well. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” he asked, his look meaningful. What were they talking about?
“Jon is—” our mate started to say, but his eyes rolled up into his head and he went slack.
“No!” I screamed, fighting the guards holding me to get to him. “Help him! Let me give him blood!”
“Or at least lick the bites closed,” Ronan added, struggling as well. There was a flash of light off to the side of the room but I didn’t really pay attention. The world could be burning around us right then and I’d still only be focused on our mate.
The guy blinked at us in shock before leaning over and licking them himself. I bit back a growl. No other man should be licking our mate’s neck, but to save his life, it was well worth it. Then he bit his wrist and held it to our mate’s mouth. “Come on, Bev, drink, buddy.”
“Work his throat,” Doc Riley said as he practically dove next to them. “Just give him enough of yours to help. You’re his King and your blood will be strongest. Then we’ll get him to the clinic and resupply him.”
“They killed him,” the King cried as he did what Riley said with no response from Bev. I guess Bev was his name. “Lock them up before I execute them!”
“No, please, he’s our mate,” I begged, fighting the guards when they pulled us onto our feet. “Let us help. We claimed him. Our blood should help, right? Doc, please.”
“Take it all if it helps him,” Ronan whimpered. “Save our mate. We didn’t mean to!”
“Your call,” the King whispered as Riley got Bev to swallow some of his blood. His wrist had healed so he bit into it and gave him more.
“Shackle them up and get them through the portal to the clinic. Their blood should help. It does with mated vampires. I can’t see it hurting at this point,” Riley ordered. I instantly stopped struggling. They could drag us to the clinic behind a car if they wanted. I just couldn’t leave our mate.
The next several minutes were like a blur or me worst nightmare. And when we went through the portal, stepping into the clinic, I couldn’t help me reaction. Big, fat tears silently rolled down me cheeks. Ronan and I had agreed to move to Greece to help Liam, Lorcan, and Caleb partially so we’d never have to see the place again.
We’d stepped through a portal once before into this clinic… The day ma almost died and Fergus lost his arm. He got it back thanks to the fae Queen, but that didn’t mean the memories and horrors of that day weren’t still heavy on us. Especially considering it was only six months or so ago.
We were forced to sit on one side of our mate’s gurney in the trauma room, the chains to our shackles around our hands and feet held tight by the warriors guarding us. Riley was barking out orders and I kind of just drifted. I hated this clinic. Yes, it was where they saved ma and Fergus… But—there were just no words for the scars that day left on us.
“Rian, Ronan, focus,” the doc bellowed at us. I snapped out of it and blinked at him. “There you are. Okay, I need your blood and fast. A normal drip won’t do and—”
“Stick it in me neck or whatever artery ya need, doc,” I said, tilting me head to give him better access. “I don’t care. Just help him.” He nodded and then I had to look away because it was a damn big needle he had in his hands. Normally they didn’t bother me, but that monster was a scary fucker and it was going in me neck.
Riley stuck me first, already having hooked Bev up so it went right into him. Then I saw him take bags of blood from Ronan, assuming he’d put them in our mate more slowly. Just as he was wrapping up there was a commotion at the door.
“Let us see our brothers, ya arse weed!” Banning shouted, the quicker to anger of his set of twins.
“Move, ya fucking numpty, before we make ya move,” Sean growled. Also the one with the temper. It would have been comical if the situation wasn’t so severe.
“He’s going to make it,” Riley announced.
“Thank god,” the King sighed in relief before turning his gaze on us. “I want these monsters locked up.”
“We’ll take them to the High Council—” the warrior started to say.
“No,” the King growled. “To the cells at the palace. These aren’t High Council prisoners. These are my prisoners for the attempted murder of my Chief Advisor, Lord Bevin Innocente. They will face margay laws, judgment, and punishment.”
“They need to replenish first,” Riley hedged, flinching when the pissed-off King turned his icy stare onto the doc.
“They can starve!”
“Fine, fine, just don’t yell at the doc,” I said quickly. “It not be his fault. He knows us. We’ll go quietly. He’s got to help our mate. Don’t blame him.”
The King took a deep breath and nodded to our guards. “Get them back through the portal and get them secured at the palace before everyone finds out about this. It’s going to be a nightmare and I want them secured before then.”
“Rylan, you’re going to start a lot of trouble—” his mate tried to
argue.
“They almost killed Bevin, Ferris. They would have killed him if we didn’t get them off him in time. They’re lucky I haven’t killed them already.”
I met Ronan’s gaze, feeling his grief swarm him as it did me. There weren’t even words for how badly we fucked up. We didn’t mean to only went so far.
And I didn’t blame anyone for what happened to us next. We deserved it and so much more. They dragged us off to jail and all I kept thinking was that Bev was never going to forgive us. We’d never get the chance to explain. If we were lucky, we’d get to at least say good-bye to our family before King Rylan had us executed.
If we were lucky.
* * * *
Rylan
“Don’t,” I said when Ferris went to speak after the monsters were well and gone. I focused on the friend I’d hurt first. I went over to Riley and hugged him. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve that and I should have said that right away but I couldn’t in front of them. But they were right. This is not your fault and you’re awesome and I shouldn’t have yelled and I lurves you and don’t hate me.”
“I don’t hate you, Ry,” he chuckled, hugging me back. “But you can’t execute them.”
“They almost killed Bevin,” I whispered as I pulled away and went to my friend’s bedside. I held his hand and glanced at the monitors as if watching the numbers that made no sense to me assured me he really would be okay. “I’ve lost so much and so many people. I can’t lose one more close to me, Riley. I just can’t. I’d crumble.”
“He’s going to be just fine. I swear it.”
I shot him a disbelieving look over my shoulder. “His mates almost just drained him dry after claiming him and practically molesting him in front of his King and several leaders of this coven. Yeah, I’m sure he’s going to be fine. Add to that he was already freaked out by what he heard or saw. I’m scared for him.” Actually, that reminded me of what Bevin had said before he passed out.
