by Riley, Alexa
Bishop sighs and shakes his head. “No more fireworks, you two,” he says, looking between us. “I’m going back home. If you need me, just call, but stop annoying Delores. She gets so worked up and I can’t stand the sound of her voice.” He walks out of the room calling after Kane, but the big guy is probably halfway home by now.
“I didn’t realize it would be so easy to clear a room full of vampires,” Dove says, and Erik and I snap our eyes to her.
“You know what we are?” I ask, wondering how this is possible.
“There’s a lot I know,” she says and pauses as she looks down at her hands. “Some of which I wish I didn’t.”
“Let’s start small,” Erik says, moving to sit on the couch beside her while I kneel in front of her on the couch. “We know you’ve been following us, but we don’t know why.”
“I was curious about you two,” she admits, shrugging. “Actually, I was curious about your whole family after Juliet and Kane got together. Then I spotted you two and I guess I became fascinated.”
“So you know what we are, but how far does your knowledge of vampires reach?” I say as I feel her fingertip trace along the inside of my wrist. “Do you know that we have mates?”
“You do?” Her voice is sharp and she narrows her eyes, but her grip on us only tightens. “I thought Bishop said that woman was your housekeeper.” She looks around as if expecting someone to appear. “Is it Ravana? Do you both share her?”
Now the questions are being turned around on us, and suddenly I realize my anger and jealousy from earlier have started to wind down. I’m not looking at Erik as an enemy anymore but instead as an ally. Could this mean that the bond between us is loosening, or is it somehow morphing into something else?
“Ravana?” Erik asks, trying not to laugh. “She’s our sister, and she’s mated to Valen. I think he would rip our throats out for even mentioning being mated to her.
Dove physically relaxes and her smile brightens once again. I open my mouth to ask her another question when her stomach growls loudly.
Right at that moment Juliet comes up the stairs with Kane hot on her heels, and in her arms is a basket of food. Is she somehow clairvoyant?
“Dove!” she squeals as she comes over to where we are and tries to embrace her friend.
Erik and I have to move out of the way as the two of them embrace. I lock eyes with him and he nods, then all the animosity from earlier fades away. This is the possibility we’ve hoped for and I see it reflected in his eyes now. Could this be what we’ve been dreaming of?
It will be if I have anything to say about it.
Chapter 4
Dove
I hug Juliet back and it’s then I notice how much I’ve missed her. It could be because I’m on an emotional overload and she’s the one person I actually know, but she was always so nice to me. We were never super close, but to be honest she was the first real friend I’ve ever had. She didn’t go to my high school or know me as the creepy morgue girl. She treated me like I was normal and I was probably rude to her if I think back on it. I wasn’t used to being social and how to handle people my own age.
“Sorry I haven’t been around,” she says as she pulls back and gives me a warm smile.
She’s so happy she looks like she’s glowing. She was always nice and had an easy smile even with the hard life she lived. After she moved out of my dorm room she didn’t tell the school, so they didn’t fill her spot. She let me have a room all to myself, which was rare. I thought I’d like having the space, but I was wrong. Now I avoid the dorm room until I have to sleep. I’m mostly at the library or my grandpa’s house.
“I haven’t seen you around school,” I respond. “I kinda miss you.”
“I’ve been a jerk.”
“You are not,” Kane chimes in, but she ignores him.
“You were a good friend to me, Dove. You checked on me and everything and then I ghosted on you again. I really am sorry. Things have been a little busy.”
Her kind words make me feel better. I did help her when she asked and I broke a few rules to help her out. I looked for her when she disappeared on me, but I have to admit that half the reason I went to check on her was to get another look at Kane. I needed to see for myself if he was what I’d guessed. It’s also what led to my obsession with Erik and Ezra.
“No, it’s fine.” I shuffle on my feet, suddenly feeling out of place with everyone staring at me.
“Let’s eat.” She pulls me by the arm and I follow her down the hall into a kitchen. The guys follow behind us and Juliet waves her hand away at them. “Why don’t you all let us have some time alone.” They stand there, not moving, and she snaps her fingers. After a moment they get the hint and then finally walk out. “They tend to hover. You get used to it after a while, but you looked like you could use a breather.”
I nod in agreement as I sit down at the high bar stool at the counter. Being near them makes my head swim with questionable feelings I don’t understand. Juliet places the basket between us and sits down beside me.
“So you know,” she finally says, taking a bite of a muffin, and I reach for one.
“Yeah,” I admit sheepishly. “I might have seen Kane attack that guy who was all over you.”
“But you haven’t told anyone?” She tilts her head to the side a little, studying me.
I shake my head and wonder if it’s because people will think I’m crazy or because I think it’s a betrayal of a secret that I should protect. Though after meeting that man today I’m not sure how secret this really is or if I should tell everyone about him. For all I know he’s trying to protect me.
“Do Erik and Ezra have mates?” I blurt out. They mentioned it and it keeps rolling around in my head.
“That’s the one question you ask.” Juliet throws back her head and laughs. Maybe it should have been do they like killing tall, thin, red-haired women? but I couldn’t help myself. “No, neither of them do.”
“To be honest, in the short time I’ve known them it would be weird to see them mated. They’re both so close I can’t imagine them being apart.”
I want to ask more, but I don’t know where Juliet’s loyalties are at this point. She could tell them everything I say. For all I know they could be listening in on us talking right now. I decide to go with what I do know from the few moments that I’ve known them.
“They seem sweet.”
They were so worried about me and it reminded me a lot of how Kane acted with Juliet. It was something I envied and as I sit here now I can still feel Ezra lips on my knuckles. Not only that but they didn’t want me to leave their side.
They’ve been nothing but sweet and charming, but didn’t they say the same about Ted Bundy? They could have Juliet and Kane fooled about the things they do when no one else is around. I really should’ve read more of that book before I ventured out into the lion's den. I know more than anyone that knowledge is power.
Do they want me to stay because I know what they are and they want to protect their secret? Maybe I’m a threat they need time to figure out what to do with. They can’t just make me disappear like those other girls. Can they? I find comfort in the fact that Juliet is here and she knows about them. I have a feeling she wouldn’t let anything like that happen to me.
“They are. And I agree that you should stay for the night. You should get some sleep. You have to be tired and it’s almost morning.”
I bite my lip, but maybe it’s not the worst idea. My heart thinks it’s the best idea ever, as does the rest of my body. My brain’s the only thing holding me back. You spend too much time in that head of yours, Dove. My grandpa’s words echo through my mind.
“I’ll stay for the night.” If anything, maybe I can snoop around a little. I’ve already crossed some creepy stalking boundaries, what’s a few more at this point?
“Good,” Ezra says, walking back into the room with Erik.
Kane comes in and goes straight to Juliet. The twins stare at me like I’
m the sparkly object you see in the store that your mom tells you not to touch.
“The sun,” Kane tells Juliet before giving her a kiss and placing his hand over her stomach in a possessive touch.
He helps her down from the chair. “I’ll stop by later to see you. Let things settle in your mind, Dove, not everything has to be learned all at once.”
With that, she and Kane leave me standing in the kitchen with Erik and Ezra. I already know Erik is the voice of reason while Ezra seems to be the one who acts before he thinks.
Neither one of them look as lighthearted as they normally do, and I can’t place the feeling that settles over the room. I lick my suddenly dry lips and try to think of what to say since no one is talking.
“Are you sure I should stay?” I ask.
“Yes!” they both half-yell in unison.
“I can take the sofa,” I suggest, pointing to where I was lying before.
“No, we have just the room for you,” Ezra says, holding out his hand for me to take. Erik’s eyes flash to his brother and some kind of understanding passes between them.
There’s a weird feeling of being left out as I watch them communicate, but I shake it off and take Ezra’s hand. It wraps around mine tightly but not painfully. He pulls me towards him and I have to lean back in order to look up at him. I hadn’t noticed our height difference when I was on the sofa, but now I can see how big he really is. I barely come up to the middle of his chest.
When I feel Erik’s body heat come up beside me, I glance his way, meeting his eyes. Between them I feel tiny. Sure, I’ve always been short, but tiny isn’t a word I’d use for my body. Awareness hums through me as heat and tingling build within me.
Erik’s hand comes to my hip and his fingers dig into me.
“Are you okay?” he asks against my ear. His breath against my sensitive skin isn’t helping the feeling running through me.
“I’m lightheaded,” I admit, but before I can finish the words Erik has me in his arms and he’s carrying me through the house and up the stairs.
“I can walk,” I tell him as I wrap my arms around his neck to make sure I don’t fall. Also because I don’t really want him to put me down. “Don’t hurt yourself.”
“God, does she always smell like that?” I hear Ezra say. I peek over Erik’s shoulder to see him right behind us. “It makes me want—”
“Candy,” Erik says, finishing his brother’s sentence.
“It’s a little bit of an addiction,” I admit, assuming that’s what they’re smelling.
“We’ll have to remember that.” Ezra gives me a wink and my stomach tightens.
A few moments later we enter a room and Erik sits me down onto a giant bed. It’s bigger than giant, because I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s made for more than two people, that’s for sure.
“Whose room is this?” I ask.
I notice there isn't much in it, only the bed and two nightstands. It’s clean but bare. It’s unlike the rest of the house, which feels lived-in. Even the walls are stark white in here. This room looks like it’s waiting for someone to bring it to life.
“No one’s ever stayed in here before, so I guess you’d call it the guest room,” Ezra answers.
“It’s the master suite of the home,” Erik corrects him.
“Yeah, I guess it is,” Ezra agrees after a beat. His eyes roam over me as I sit on the edge of the bed with my feet dangling.
“The bathroom is over there.” Erik points to a door. “I’ll grab you something to change into.”
“This is fine.” I stop him. I’m in yoga pants and a hoodie. “I’d wear something like this to bed anyway.” Minus the bra, but I’ll take that off when they leave.
“Are you sure?”
I nod again and wonder what they might sleep in. A flood of images goes through my mind as I imagine their naked chests. I’m jerked back to reality when Ezra makes a low growling noise and Erik smacks his arm.
“He does that a lot. Does it mean I’ve done something to make him mad?” I ask as I look between them.
“No, he doesn't growl like that when he’s mad.”
“So he has different growls?” I tease with a small laugh.
“Something like that,” Ezra answers for himself begrudgingly.
“Well, I guess I should get some sleep,” I sigh.
I’m not sleepy and I should be. My brain doesn't want to shut off, and more than that I don’t want them to leave me alone in here because it doesn't feel right.
I think back on what Juliet said and maybe I should let my mind settle down. I just can’t stop from wondering what tomorrow will bring. Things will have to be addressed and the big one is about the missing women.
“Okay, if you need anything just call out and we’ll come right in,” Erik says.
He grabs a hold of his brother’s shoulder to pull him from the room.
“Wait!” I jump down from the bed. “I do have one question.”
“You can ask us anything,” Ezra says.
I decide to ask the question that’s been eating away at me. “Do you think I’m your mate?” I heard some of the things Bishop and Kane said before they thought I was awake.
“Yes,” they both confirm at the same time. It makes me want to smile, but I can’t because I know even if what I read about them isn’t true, they will never be mine.
I thought hearing them say no would hurt more, or maybe only one of them confirming my suspicions would be the worst part. But I can’t be the thing that tears these brothers apart. I can’t choose and I would never ask them to.
Which means only one thing: I’ll have to leave.
Chapter 5
Erik
“Are we just going to stand out here all night?” Ezra asks as he paces.
“What choice do we have? She didn’t exactly invite us into her bed.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and try to stem the urges I’m feeling.
Ezra stops and faces me, and I look up to see my own anxious pain reflected in his eyes. “She’s our mate, yours and mine. I don’t know how this is going to work, but I do know that even this amount of separation is making me uneasy. Can’t you hear that?”
“Of course I can,” I say, taking a step towards him.
The sound of her soft breathing, her warm heartbeat, and the hum inside her that calls to me. It might as well be as loud as a stadium crowd because I’m so attuned to it.
“Then you’ll know that I’m being called to her and I can’t hold back much longer.”
“You need some sleep,” I say, holding my hand out as he walks towards the door. “We both do.”
“How am I supposed to sleep with this?” He gestures down to his cock and I roll my eyes.
My own cock is hard for the first time in a hundred years, but back then all we could do was jerk off. Right now we’re having the thoughts of sinking into warm, wet pussy for the first time in our lives, but we have to remain in control. I can feel all his desires as if they were my own, but now that our mate is here, it’s compounded. Not only does her body call to us but so does her blood. It smells like a candy factory and I can only imagine how sweet she’s going to taste.
“Maybe we should call Bishop,” I suggest, and Ezra looks angry.
“Maybe we should go in there and claim what belongs to us.”
“You’d do that?” I challenge. “You’d kick down that door and take her like an animal? Maybe you’re not good enough to be her mate.”
“Watch your mouth,” he says, getting close to me. “I’d never hurt her, you know that. I’m just saying this is the way it’s going to be, so why are we fighting it? She’s mine just as she is yours, and our entwined paths are destined.”
“So says you,” I say, but even I know that’s not true.
“Liar.” He takes a step closer to me and closer to the door. “You feel this, brother. You want her just as badly as I do.” His voice is low as he whispers to me. “She’s calling for us.”
&nbs
p; My hand reaches back behind me for the door handle. I mean to hold on to it so that I can keep him out, but slowly I turn it until I hear it open. Our eyes stay locked as I let the door fall silently open behind me.
“What’s happening?” I whisper, almost to myself because all of my actions are beyond my control. I don’t want to go in there and take her, but my body isn’t giving me a choice.
“You’re finally letting the vampire in you lead the way,” Ezra says as his eyes darken.
He walks past me, but instead of pushing me out of the way, he takes my wrist and brings me into the room with him and closes the door behind us. We walk silently over to where Dove is lying and her scent surrounds us. I was wrong to deny either of us the pleasure of being so close, and seeing her like this makes my mouth water.
Ezra looks at me and our silent connection has never been so sharp. Before I could understand what he wanted me to do, but right now I feel like I’m reading his mind. He wants me to get on the bed with her while he lies on the other side. Somewhere in the back of my head I wonder if this is okay, but it’s so small and insignificant I decide to ignore it.
Dove is on her back in the middle of the bed, so it’s easy and natural for us to each take a side. When I lie down beside her, I pause when her hand reaches for me.
“Erik,” she whispers, but I see that her eyes are still closed. “Ezra.”
I look at Ezra, and she’s reaching for him now, too. She’s dreaming of us and calling our names.
“Sweet and sugary,” Ezra says, and to my surprise Dove moves against him.
My hand trails down her hip and to her thigh, and at my touch she opens them. Her leggings are tight against her, but her hips rise in desperate need.
“Sleep, sweets. We’ll find you in your dreams.”
I watch as his hand slips under the sweatshirt and the bare skin of her stomach is revealed. I’m desperate to touch her there as well, but right then my fingers tingle as if Ezra’s hand is my own. I look up in time to see his eyes lock with mine. My hand slips along her hip and it’s as if we are one. Is this the twin bond connecting us in this way? Is this why we were destined to share a mate?
