“It has nothing to do with vampires. It’s about the energy. Good versus the bad. Once the show opens, the euphoria of the crowd will be back. And the hope. But I have to keep hope alive, too.” She pulled into the packed parking lot and clutched the steering wheel, like at any moment she could throw the car in reverse and drive away. “I tried to run once. But I’m not alive without you.”
“Let’s go.” My voice was raspy. Nobody would realize we were gone until Rainey missed her next work shift. “As far away as we can. Let the city fall to ruin. We can go someplace that thrives on sunshine, not the night.”
She got out of the car without answering and came around to my side, like she knew I’d have to be dragged out of the car.
“It doesn’t matter where we go, you’ll be miserable without your fire,” she said. “We’ve come this far. Let’s get it back.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
IT WAS RIDICULOUS FOR Rainey to drag me into Embrace and convince Blade to have a threesome. If my trip to the future could be used as a forecast, we’d get our way. For that reason, a tiny part of me hoped he said hell no.
But the rest of me was all in. It would be so hot, pun intended. If I didn’t laugh, I’d scream. Before the first kiss or caress, we had to talk about our expectations. There was no guarantee this arrangement would work, on so many levels. None of us liked to share—we had that in common. It didn’t matter that Rainey loathed Blade, we could turn the hate into a sexual inferno. We were starving for positive energy. My pussy throbbed at the possibilities. It would take much more than that. All of us had to be lucid the next time the fire came. No more spells.
There was no line waiting to get into the club. “So far, this isn’t the same as what I saw in the vision.”
“My visions are exaggerations. There’s always a message it’s trying to get across to me. It was probably the same thing for you.” Rainey turned on the charm, waving at the doorman as we passed. That wasn’t like her. She was totally stepping outside her comfort zone. “Problem is, we don’t know if you had a vision or if you traveled, and there’s no one we could ask.”
“Would Gabriel know?” I spoke loudly to be heard over the music. It was dangerous, because we didn’t know who was within earshot. Vampires heard everything. They were a pain in the ass that way.
Her grip on my hand tensed. “It’s not a good idea to ask him.”
Angels were supposed to offer comfort and hope, but all Gabriel did was take those things away. Gloom and doom were his favorite mediums. No wonder he hung out at Embrace.
Blade sat at the end of the stage, at the same table we sat to watched the show with him. I was relieved to see him alone. I had no right to be possessive, especially after what I put him through. I wanted him to find happiness. Bonus points if he didn’t rip someone else’s life apart to do it. Tonight, I was happy he didn’t have a bloody victim dying in his lap.
But all was not calm in the club. The floor was sticky with old blood, and a near-lifeless body jerked on a table as vampires feasted on every major vein. The scene repeated throughout the room, and the music was punctuated by the moans and cries of the humans who gave all they had to be there.
We took seats on either side of him without waiting for an invite. Blade was dressed up for someone tonight, and I wondered if it was for me. I loved when he wore a suit jacket. He’d look young forever, but he was all man. He winked at me as he took a sip of his drink.
“Hi. So remember my proposition? Rainey’s in.” No reason to beat around the bush.
Blade spit out his drink. “What did you say?”
“We’re inviting you to come to bed with us.” I swung my legs toward him, crossing them as I settled. Rainey wouldn’t be able to see me run my finger along my thigh, but Blade couldn’t see anything else. “One night only. No holds barred.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Rainy said before I went totally over the top.
“Come to the office.” Blade downed the rest of his drink before leaving the table. I shrugged at Rainey as I rose to follow him, but I could hardly contain my grin. Rainey rolled her eyes, like she did every time I roped her into something she considered ridiculous, but she slipped her fingers in between mine anyway.
Flashes from my trip to the future pulsed before me. Screams echoed in my ears. That was nothing new. Residue from my powers lasted much longer than the actual event. I clung to Rainey, resisting the urge to scream.
“We can back out.” Rainey let go of my hand and slipped her arm around my waist. Her breath was warm against my neck, and it pushed some of my memories away. “He doesn’t expect us to go through with it.”
I knocked on the door; if Blade didn’t answer and I had to kick it off the hinges and found him with the body of a drained donor cradled in his lap... I’d run. Visions and travels were similar in the fact that I could reach out and touch what happened in them.
Blade smirked when he answered. “Didn’t think you’d actually follow me.”
“I’m on a mission.” I pushed by him and led Rainey inside. This was the first time I’d been in the office, in theory, but it chilled me that it looked the same as it had in my vision.
“Have a seat.” Blade sat on his desk. Two worn chairs waited for us. Rainey wiped the vinyl with her hand, cringing as she made contact. I wore all black, and I’d burn these clothes after we got out of here. If they were covered in the same stuff as the bloodstained bed in the corner, we’d need a shot when the night was over.
He waited for us to settle. “Tell me more about what Rainey agreed to.” He was loving this, that I finally admitted what I denied for so long. I needed him.
“For you both to be with me. At the same time.” I crossed my legs again, and Blade’s gaze followed the movement, licking his lips. That was a good sign. He glanced at Rainey as if he was looking for some confirmation. Maybe he wanted her to blink first. Not such a good sign.
“I need my fire, now,” I added in case he was too distracted to catch the sense of urgency my request carried.
He laughed. “Why now? You can wait it out, and it will come back to you when you’re ready for it.”
Bastard. I was tempted to take my offer back and leave him in this filthy office with nothing but his aching balls and regret. “Things have changed in the last day. I need every weapon in my arsenal.”
Or I’ll lose Rainey, but I didn’t say that. That was exactly what he wanted, and it would give him no incentive to join in this madness.
He could put up all the fronts he wanted, but the way he looked at me stole my breath away. He was in.
“Was Tristan too fucked up to play? Get used to it. He’s an addict. You have no problem looking down your nose at what I’m doing, Holly. But he’s feeding from pain, too.”
“He’s not hurting anyone.” Except himself. If Tristan was the wildcard I couldn’t control, I wondered if I could meet with him alone. No entourage. Give him a chance to lay it bare without anyone censoring his soul. I had to stop thinking I could fix everyone’s problems and focus on my own. “And you have no right to call anyone an addict.”
Blade scoffed. His eyes were the most dazzling blue I’d ever seen. I swore he was doing it on purpose. Rainey must have noticed it too, because she put her hand on my knee.
His expression changed, like it had finally sunk in what we’d offered him. “What am I addicted to?”
“Dominance.” It was the best way to sum it up. Blade’s favorite toy was fate. He loved to hold it in his hands while he decided if someone should live or die. He chose death a high percentage of the time, but in a warped way, he protected his own. If someone was loyal to Blade, he had their back. The problem was, no one had been completely loyal to him, not even me.
He nodded, stroking his beard. We played a weird game, touching ourselves in the places we knew the other one longed to reach for. My mouth watered, craving the taste of him. “Yeah. I guess you could say that. Tell me, if I agree to this, what’s in it for me?”<
br />
An exasperated sigh escaped from Rainey’s lips. “Do you know how many men have begged us to do this?”
“I’m sure I’d have to take off my shoes and socks to count. But you chose me. So what do I get out of this arrangement? You have to be asking yourself the same question, Rainey.” His lips slid into a sickening smile. He wasn’t the fun-loving guy I wanted to rescue from the chaos. He was an addict, hell-bent on controlling the situation.
It wasn’t going to work. Especially if he tugged at Rainey’s insecurities. She glared at him, and the deal was on shaky ground. “I want what’s best for Holly.”
“Some of my powers have returned.” I had to lay it all on the line. Time to put the sexy games away until later. “The fire is coming in little sparks. A lot of smoke. It was never like this before. It came to me full throttle. And I traveled last night. Twice.”
“That’s awesome.” Blade was so hungry he could taste the emotion rolling off me.
“Both times I went to the future. I never did that before. And it wasn’t good.” I wasn’t sure how much I should tell him. He wouldn’t use it against me, but he’d have another weapon in his arsenal. When I traveled to the past, I tiptoed though it. If I wasn’t careful, I could’ve changed everything that happened from that moment on. We couldn’t make our decisions based on what I saw. But that was exactly what I was doing. Next stop, panic mode. “We run out of energy.”
“Impossible.” Blade put up a brave front, but I rattled him. He blinked rapidly, and his lips moved, even when no words came. “Energy is a renewable resource. It’s the law of physics.”
He hadn’t talked to Rachel. She understood that supply couldn’t keep up with the current vampire demands. I had to come up with a simple explanation. “Science didn’t account for the vampires taking it. They get stronger and hungrier. But there’s nothing left for them to feed on.”
Blade had been a benefactor of the loophole, becoming more cunning and powerful. He didn’t have a worldwide legion of groupies like Tristan, but there were more than a few soldiers ready to fight Blade’s war inside Embrace.
His gaze flicked back to me, and it was like the first time I met him. That undeniable connection. We were two of a kind. “What if it’s a trap?”
“If you doubt Holly’s story, then you can walk away. See what happens.” The power had shifted to Rainey, who looked all too satisfied she found the escape hatch to this proposition. Blade had a weak spot, and she’d keep poking at it with a stick until he lashed out.
I didn’t want that. “When the three of us are together, it creates pure fire. I open the show with Tristan, and we bring the positive energy back to the city. Everything will swing back into balance. You can keep doing you for as long as you want. But no one has to suffer for it.”
“That’s no fun.” He laughed and ran his hand through his hair. “Now that we got that out of the way, what are the ground rules? I’m assuming neither of you have had a threesome before.”
Holy crap. We were doing this.
“We only touch Holly. Nothing between the two of us.” Rainey motioned between herself and Blade, wasting no time getting that out of the way.
I squirmed uncomfortably in my chair, seconds away from begging them to take me in that filthy office. This was my ultimate fantasy, to be the center of attention with the two people I loved the most in the world ravishing my body in a wordless battle to prove who could pull the most pleasure from me.
Blade nodded. “I’m fine with that. Holly, any limits you want to put into place? It’s a good idea if we put it all out in the open.”
He was thinking much more clearly than I was. “No,” I said softly. “Whatever it takes to make the fire come back.”
Rainey grasped my hand. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” I trusted neither of them would hurt me. Intentionally.
“We can talk about this all we want, but it’s different when we put it in motion. You might get freaked out.” Blade slid off the desk and kneeled between us so he was at eye level. On his knees, he looked like an offering. It was a place I was uncomfortable seeing him. “How about this? We pick a safe word, and if something is totally fucked up, say the word, and everything stops. No questions asked. I propose we use Callie, because the mention of that bitch will ruin the mood without a doubt.”
We needed that laugh. Rainey and I stood, and I tried to ignore the fact that my pants stuck to the seat. They were definitely getting burned. I held my hand out to Blade, and he kissed my cheek when he stood. “You have to promise me something,” he whispered.
“What?”
“One thing got me through all the shit that’s been slung at me. And that was the hope I could have you again.” He squeezed my hand. “Don’t shut me out.”
He didn’t have to tell me what would happen if I did. I was playing with something much more dangerous than fire. A vampire starving for a ray of fucking sunshine.
Chapter Thirty
“ARE WE DOING THIS IN the closet?” Blade grinned, running his hand over his beard.
“We could, if it would make you more comfortable.” I wished I could make myself more comfortable. I wandered around the living room aimlessly while Rainey cleaned things up, like Blade gave a rat’s ass about what the kitchen looked like when he was about to go to bed with two women.
Rainey joined us, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. If we were to do this anywhere, it should have been the shower to wash the grime from Embrace away. No water was strong enough for our sins. And three people would never fit in our tub.
“We’ll be safe out here,” she said, motioning to the window. “I bought blackout curtains.”
My heart fluttered in my chest. She bought them for Blade. I kissed her, grabbing the towel and tossing it back to the kitchen.
“Relax,” I whispered.
“How?”
I didn’t have an answer for her.
“We should do this out here, not in the bedroom.” Blade had sat on the edge of the couch. “And maybe one at a time, to start. The other one can jump in when it feels right, or not at all.”
“That won’t work. I need you both to touch me.” Stopping short of begging for it, I led Rainey over to Blade and sat between them. Their thighs grazed mine. The little bit of contact sent a strong electric current through me. I turned to Rainey, very much aware that Blade’s hand was resting on my hip as I kissed her. I’d try to quiet her mind the only way I knew how.
She leaned against the cushion, giving herself completely to the kiss. Her heart thundered against my chest, and mine worked just as hard in response. I cradled her cheeks as I nipped at her lips, waiting for an invitation inside. I caught her by surprise, and this time I made sure I had her approval. She ran her hands up my back, and my shirt bunched under my arms. Blade helped me wriggle out of it, but it was Rainey who unhooked my bra and pushed the straps down my arms.
I climbed into her lap, grinding against the spot that had to be pulsing wildly. Her lips were already swollen, and her eyes were huge and unblinking. She was terrified. I realized that no matter how the night turned out with Blade, Gabriel would have a say. He’d take her from me. The most painful part was we had no idea how much time we had. In my vision, the vampires had stolen time, along with the sun and the stars. There was no way to tell if we could change our fate. No matter how much time we had, it was borrowed, and more precious than anything I’d ever held in my hands.
“Thank you for doing this,” I murmured against her skin before tugging her shirt up. She hesitated, but lifted her arms over her head.
“It’s for all of us,” she said, her gaze locking with mine. I forgot anyone else was in the room. The shirt hung off her hand, and she didn’t drop it right away. Time stopped while it fluttered to the floor. Rainey was in. We were doing this. After tonight, I’d have my fire back, or I’d have to admit I failed. Either way, our fate was sealed.
I ran my fingers along the edge of her bra strap, fascinated by the flush
that dappled her skin. A fire raged inside Rainey, too. Kissing her shoulder, I scooted off her lap to complete a line of kisses that led me to the lace of her bra. Rainey always wore the prettiest underwear, or maybe it looked pretty because she was in it.
Blade’s hands on my waist steadied me. I was pretty sure I pushed myself back to his lap but I was too busy sucking on Rainey’s breast to check. Her nipple strained, aching to meet my touch. She groaned; the lace kept us too far apart. I peeked up at her, mesmerized by the way her head had fallen back and her mouth opened in a little pink O. It was all I could see of her face, and it was as much as I needed.
I pushed the cups down, freeing her breasts from their restraints. I knew exactly what Rainey liked. It was supposed to be me and her forever, but with Blade rubbing my bare back, it seemed like he’d always been a part of our lives. He completed us. I hoped it made sense to both of them.
Rainey writhed underneath me. I ran my thumb over the spot where my mouth had just been and looked up at her again. It felt like the very first time I touched her. It could’ve been a century ago, it was hard to tell. Time passed for us much more slowly than it did for humans. We always shared a bed, raised together, but not as sisters. Just as two girls that didn’t belong anywhere else but with each other.
That night so many years ago, she grabbed my hand, holding it in place over her breast. I’d always been obsessed with her body, the soft and dangerous curves, its fullness, and the power it had over me. It took me a long time to work up the nerve to do anything. Words couldn’t express how I felt about her. Until then, we’d only kissed. At first they were shy pecks, but they grew in to more. I always knew she felt the same as I did, but making a move was risky. Good girls didn’t have secrets they kept in the dark.
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