No Escape from Destiny

Destinies No Escape from Destiny Adrian has been in love with Nikkos for many years but hides his feelings because he ...

Author: Dean Kasey

16 downloads 668 Views 812KB Size Report

This content was uploaded by our users and we assume good faith they have the permission to share this book. If you own the copyright to this book and it is wrongfully on our website, we offer a simple DMCA procedure to remove your content from our site. Start by pressing the button below!
Report copyright / DMCA form

DOWNLOAD PDF

Destinies

No Escape from Destiny Adrian has been in love with Nikkos for many years but hides his feelings because he doesn't want to push his best friend away and lose him. Nikkos is confused by his feelings for Adrian and has tried for years to hide how he really feels by chasing any female in sight. Anstice is a human who knows great loss. She trusts no one, has few friends, and none that know the real reason she moved to a small Massachusetts town. When Anstice saves Adrian's life, she has no idea the world she has been dragged into. Both vampires believe the female to be their mate, but will she be able to trust them enough to let them into her heart? Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves Length: 74,289 words

NO ESCAPE FROM DESTINY Destinies

Kasey Dean

MENAGE AND MORE

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer. WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]

A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Ménage and More

NO ESCAPE FROM DESTINY Copyright © 2012 by Kasey Dean E-book ISBN: 1-61926-419-6 First E-book Publication: March 2012 Cover design by Jinger Heaston All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers Dear Readers, If you have purchased this copy of No Escape from Destiny by Kasey Dean from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book. The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment. This is Kasey Dean’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Dean’s right to earn a living from her work. Amanda Hilton, Publisher www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com

DEDICATION To my Mom who supported me even when you thought I was going crazy with all the characters in my head. Yes, they really do talk to me. To “The one I share a brain with.” Thank you for all your support and for listening to all my crazy ideas. Hey, at least you can’t hear the characters, too. And to MJ (or RM whom you will be soon) for providing me with my first paranormal romance book. Without that I never would have imagined writing a book.

NO ESCAPE FROM DESTINY Destinies KASEY DEAN Copyright © 2012

Chapter One It was dark, too dark. There was supposed to be a full moon that night, but there were so many clouds that one couldn’t even see the moon, which may have been a good thing. Rumor had it there was a gang of kids pretending to be vampires whenever the moon was full. Hopefully, if the moon stayed hidden in its blanket of clouds, the pretend vampires would stay at home and off the streets. Anstice hated working the night shift during the full moon, as did every other paramedic in the department, which is why she was there. She had no life, so when the regular crew member called in sick, she was the supervisor’s first call, and of course she had no excuse for not coming in. So there she was, sitting in the back of the rig waiting for the first crazy call of the night to come across the radio. While waiting, she was stretched out on the patient cot reading her favorite paranormal romance book, just waiting for her vampire in shining armor to come to life off the pages and rescue her from her boring life. At least she was the paramedic on duty tonight and got the comfy position. The poor driver, Paul, was trying to relax in the front seat. Every once in a while the whole rig would shake when he was trying to find a comfortable position. That was the problem with covering

No Escape from Destiny

9

such a big district. Some of the crews had to stage near their coverage area instead of being at the station in a nice comfortable bed. She only got to page five before the dispatcher’s voice came across the radio. “Assault in progress, 5001 Highmore Ave, stage two blocks away until law enforcement secures scene!” Stage two blocks from scene, yeah right, we’re only four blocks away as it is. The dispatcher sounded excited. Anstice thought, great, this should be a whole lot of fun. Assault in progress, hopefully law enforcement would be quicker, which was highly unlikely as close as they were. Last time the perpetrator found the ambulance crew before the cops found the perpetrator. Thank god for locks and Anstice’s training in karate. After she was done with him, they’d had two patients instead of just the victim. Anstice took her time putting her book away and climbing into the front of the rig. No need to hurry, she didn’t want to be the first on the scene again. Paul, who had probably just gotten comfortable and fallen asleep, had the red lights and siren on and the ambulance in drive by the time she got her seatbelt on. “Okay, let’s go, and turn the lights off, we don’t want the bad guys to know we’re coming,” she said with enough enthusiasm she wouldn’t have been surprised if Paul thought she was still asleep. Paul rolled his eyes at her. She knew he lived on a constant adrenaline rush and loved speeding to the scene, but he reluctantly listened and turned the lights and siren off. Two blocks down the street they came to a stop to await the cops. They aren’t here yet, surprise, surprise. Well, they weren’t going to get any closer until they got there. They could hear what sounded like several people fighting not too far away. Anstice looked around to see if she could locate the source of the sounds. A few blocks away she found what she was looking for. By the looks of it, there wouldn’t be much for her to do if the police didn’t get there soon. There were five men standing around one on the ground, beating him with what looked like iron bars and kicking him. If they kept this up, the only thing she would have to do was wait for

10

Kasey Dean

the coroner to come. Just then the dispatcher’s voice came across the radio. “Law enforcement has been delayed, officer down at another location, expect extended ETA.” Great, this guy would die for sure now, unless Anstice and Paul did something about it. They had to make a decision and do something against protocol that could put them both at risk, or let the poor guy die. Anstice looked over at Paul, whose knuckles were white from how tight he was gripping the steering wheel. She knew he was thinking that they should be doing something but didn’t want to say anything to her, as she was in charge of making the decisions. They couldn’t wait much longer. She reached over and flipped on the red lights and siren and hoped that that would be enough to get them to clear out. By god, at least it got their attention. All of the bad guys looked up at the same time. The sight they made had Anstice’s blood draining from her face. All of them were white as ice with hair as black as a raven, all their clothes were just as black, and even from two blocks away, their eyes looked like they were glowing red, which must have been a reflection from the ambulance lights. At least that’s what she hoped. Anstice held her breath while the men stared her way, clearly trying to decide whether to run or take on the ambulance crew. They apparently decided that the man had had enough and the ambulance crew wasn’t a threat to them. They walked away like they were taking a nightly stroll down the street, not like they had just been caught beating a man probably to death. Anstice looked at Paul, who had been holding his breath, too. “Let’s get him in the rig and get out of here before they decide to come back,” she said. Paul replied, “You think he’s alive?” She shrugged her shoulders and told him to drive up to the scene. When they got to the man lying lifeless on the ground, it didn’t look good for him. She jumped out of the ambulance, looking around, and


11

tried to avoid stepping in all the blood that was on the ground around him. While Paul got the stretcher out, she checked the guy’s vitals. What do you know? He was still alive, barely. His pulse was very slow and weak, and if they didn’t get him to the hospital ASAP, there wasn’t much even the best doctors were going to do for him. They had just loaded him into the back of the ambulance, and Paul was climbing in behind the wheel. Once she had the man settled, she turned to lock the doors of the ambulance. Just as she was reaching for the lock, one of the men in black opened the back doors, demanding Anstice turn the beaten man over to him. “Give him to us, and we will let you live. Try to get away with him, and we won’t just kill you, we will torture you first. We thought he would die before you could get him to the hospital, but we just can’t risk him living.” Anstice had always had a smart mouth with no filter between it and her brain. She always said the first thing that came to her mind, even if it wasn’t the appropriate time. “Yeah, buddy, like making me look at that ugly mug of yours for hours on end?” Who could blame her? The guy was so ugly he could scare the dark out of a closet. She didn’t think he had ever been outside in the sun. His hair looked greasy, like it hadn’t been washed in months. And to top it off he had a horrible scar from the corner of one eye down to his chin. The scar drew his mouth down into a sneer that would have made him look evil even if he hadn’t had a gun pointed at her. He was holding a scary-looking gun that Anstice had never seen before. The pasty guy looked at her in shock for a minute. It was as if no one had ever spoken back to him. When he was able to regain his composure, he said, “Have it your way, bitch.” With that, he pointed the gun at her head. The man on the stretcher opened his eyes and grabbed her hand. “Just let them have me, and they won’t hurt you,” he said, so weak she could barely make out the words. “We will all be fine,” she assured him, although she really didn’t

12

Kasey Dean

believe herself at this moment. They would be lucky if any of them lived through this night. She weighed her options. Turn the poor guy over to the “pasties,” as she had decided to name them, and maybe they wouldn’t kill her, too, but he would definitely die. Or she could try to make a run for it and maybe at least Paul, being in the front seat, would live to see morning. She looked through the window to the front seat. Paul knew what was she was thinking and nodded. Anstice grabbed the handle on the stretcher as tight as she could just in time. Paul had the ambulance in drive and was taking off as fast as the rig could go. Her hand that was coated in the patient’s blood slipped off the handle, and she found herself falling toward the open door. She closed her eyes and prepared to meet pavement, hard. Next thing she knew, the guy on the stretcher had her arm wrapped in his hand, tugging her back onto the stretcher with him. How he had enough energy left in him to pull her back and hold on to her she couldn’t figure out. She found herself lying flat against his huge rock of a chest while his arms wound around her and held her tight as steel bands. She couldn’t help but notice that he smelled of dark spice and musk. Even in this situation she found herself aroused as his scent filled her nose. She couldn’t explain the feeling. The scent was pulling her in, and reality was lost. She’d sworn off men three years ago, but man oh man was she willing to put an end to her self-induced celibacy for the hot man lying under her. Even with all her training she couldn’t find a reason to care that he was hurt. As hot and strong and delicious-smelling as he was, she couldn’t wait until he was healed for some wild times. He looked like the kind of man that would be into some hot, rough, kinky sex. It was obvious she needed to get laid if she was thinking all this in the few seconds she lay across his chest inhaling his intoxicating scent. But, God, did he smell good. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to rub herself all over him to be covered in his scent or lick him from head to toe.


13

He was definitely someone one could describe as edible. Just lying partially on top of him she could feel all the hard lines of his body, and if she wasn’t mistaken, he was hard and quite wellendowed. How could he possibly be aroused as injured as he was? She didn’t care. She rubbed her pussy against his length, pushing at the fly of his leather pants. He let out a low moan. “You’re playing with fire, little one.” That was enough to rip her from her daydream and back into real life. Anstice shook her head to clear the image of lying over him like this for a whole different reason. She tried to push herself up and away from him so she could get rid of the desire to rip his clothes off for reasons other than treating his injuries. Just then she felt something hit her hard in the back. The force of it knocked her back down to the man’s chest, where she saw shock in his deep-brown eyes so dark they might even have been black. She tried to push up again but couldn’t seem to move very well. He wrapped one arm around her back and pushed her hair that had fallen out of her ponytail back off her forehead. “Just hold still, little one. I’ll get us help. Please just hold on. You’ll be okay.” She looked at him, confused for a split second before the burning in her back and lungs started. It felt like someone had stabbed a hot poker into her back and left it there. It wasn’t in just one place, though. Her whole back felt as if it were on fire. She tried to take a breath to say something to him but was having a hard time inhaling. When she opened her mouth, no sounds came out, only blood. She knew then what had happened. She had been shot in the back and had some sort of internal injuries. She was going to die tonight. As if he could hear her thoughts, he pressed a small kiss to her forehead, looked her in the eyes, and said, “I will save you. One way or another, I promise. You will not give your life to save mine this night.” Then, as if she was falling into the dark pools of his eyes, the world went black.

14

Kasey Dean

Chapter Two She had been shot, that’s all that Adrian could think of, she had been shot for him. His beautiful savior had been shot trying to protect him. She didn’t know who or what he was, or she wouldn’t have risked her life for him. He looked down at the beautiful woman passed out cold on his chest. When he’d first opened his eyes and saw her standing over him, all he’d thought of was having her for his own and protecting her for all time. He’d done a shitty job of protecting her so far, and if he didn’t get her some help soon then he would never have her. He knew the second that she flinched and her body fell hard against his that she had been shot. He knew the injuries had to be life threatening, with as fast as she passed out and the blood pouring out of her mouth when she tried to talk. She must be losing blood fast. She seemed to know what was going on, too, just before she blacked out. He saw the fear in her eyes and swore he could hear her thoughts. She knew she was shot and bleeding internally and was probably going to die. No! She would not die, he would save her. He promised he would save her, and he would. Oh, how he wished his partner, Nikkos, would get here soon. He set off his emergency locator as soon as he saw the kynigos following him. If Nikkos would just get here, he could take care of the ones following them on the crotch rockets trying to get the ambulance driver to stop so they could finish the job they had started. How did he keep getting himself into these positions? He had told Osias that he was tight and could handle going out on patrol by


15

himself after last week’s brush with death. Guess he was wrong. He hadn’t been paying attention when he was jumped and let the bastards get the upper hand. That was why this wonderful-smelling human was at risk of dying in his arms if someone didn’t come to help soon. If Nikkos would just get here soon, they could get her back to the mansion and the in-house doc could use her years of training and save her life. Of course, they would have to find a way to get her away from the ambulance driver, considering he didn’t get himself killed trying to get away. Adrian had to admit, for a human he was doing a great job of dodging the sons of bitches on the bikes shooting at them. Too bad he hadn’t been just a little quicker on the takeoff, and the little human in his arms wouldn’t have been shot and bleeding out on his chest. Yeah right, place his blame on someone else. He could feel her blood soaking through his shirt, or was that his? Probably both, but he knew she was losing a lot of blood and fast. He could smell the delicious scent of her, and it made his fangs ache. He had to get her to help soon. He fished around in his pocket to find his cell phone to call Nikkos. Damn them assholes. They had smashed his phone while they were beating him. He thought maybe she had a phone. Very carefully, he started searching her pockets, trying not to move her too much. Jackpot! He found one in her pants pocket. Thank you, Hades. He quickly dialed Nikkos. “Who the fuck is this, and how did you get this number?” was Nikkos’s growled response when he answered. “It’s me, I need you.” “What else is new? You always need me.” Adrian thought to himself, you have no idea. He was in love with Nikkos, and they both knew it, but that was not the point tonight. Putting all that aside, he said, “I was attacked. I’m in the back of an ambulance, and I have no idea where.” Before he could continue, Nikkos told him he knew where he was, and that he was right behind him thanks to the emergency locator that Adrian had activated. “Just let me take care of

16

Kasey Dean

these bastards and I’ll be right with you.” “Please hurry, the human was shot. We need to get her to doc ASAP.” “Fuck” was all he heard as the line went dead. **** Nikkos took care of all five of the kynigos in a matter of minutes. Now he just needed to get the ambulance driver to stop so he could get Adrian out of there, and he could have the driver take the injured woman to the hospital. Screw what Adrian though. They were not taking her back to the mansion, over his dead body. If she died, she died. He wasn’t putting his whole race at risk for one little human. Damn, if that driver didn’t stop soon they were going to be back in the middle of the city, and there would be no way of covering any of this up. He called the number back that Adrian had used to call him. “Hey, tell the driver I’m a good guy and to stop the fucking ambulance.” He heard him talking to the driver, and the driver’s response sounded pretty much like “fuck you” to him. Great, now what was he going to do? He didn’t have to worry about that long. The radiator finally was going to give up after all the bullets fired into it before he got there, not to mention the three flat tires. The ambulance rolled to a sputtering stop just before they reached the city limits. He pulled the Hummer up to the open back doors and jumped out. He wasn’t sure who was in worse shape and wondered whose blood was covering the floor, Adrian’s or the little human he was holding onto so tight it was a wonder she could breathe at all. He tried to pry Adrian’s arms away from her, but the stubborn fucker would have none of that and actually growled at him. ****


17

Adrian knew by the look in Nikkos’s eyes that he planned on taking him to safety and leaving his human there to die. My human? Did he really just think that? He had never thought of a human as his, much less a female human. He liked his own race and only the males. No female had ever made him feel the need to keep her with him like this. He knew he was in love with Nikkos and would give anything in the world to have the feeling returned, but looking at him over the dying human’s head, he just couldn’t let go of her. He wasn’t sure if it was her intoxicating smell or the fact that she’d just saved his life that made him want to take her with them more. He just knew he was not going home without her. “I don’t care what you think. I’m not leaving without her!” “We are not going to risk ourselves for a human. Besides, have you noticed she’s female? You don’t do females, remember?” This had always been a sore subject between them. Nikkos knew how Adrian felt, and he had been trying to push him at females for a while now. Adrian just couldn’t see what his friend found attractive about them. All the females of his race were either needy or bitches, and humans were way too weak for him. He wanted a male of his own race to love, and not just any male. Only the dark-haired male with those gorgeous turquoise eyes in front of him would do. Well, until now. Now he found himself having to adjust the female to the side a little to relieve the pressure that was growing rapidly between his legs. Moving her didn’t help much. When he shifted her weight, she moaned low in her throat, and that turned him on even more. What was wrong with him? She was dying in his arms, and all he could think about was getting inside her. The way the Nikkos was looking at him like he really, truly did care about him, and not just as a friend and partner didn’t help his arousal any. He was giving him that look like he wanted him as bad as Adrian had wanted him for so long. He couldn’t believe after all these

18

Kasey Dean

years loving Nikkos, he was now having such strong feelings for someone else. A female someone else. He didn’t know and didn’t have time to analyze it. The female was going to die if they didn’t do something now. **** Nikkos knew that Adrian was not going to budge on this. He had never seen his friend look at a female like this, and this weak little human at that. What happened to his never-ending love he had for Nikkos? He knew that Adrian had a thing for him and wanted to be with him, but Nikkos had pushed him away for so long. Maybe Adrian had given up. Nikkos wasn’t sure why that saddened him so much. I don’t love Adrian like that, do I? He had thought about it a few times but just couldn’t see himself with a male. Shaking off the urge to take Adrian into his arms, he decided they needed to get out of there soon. “Okay, we’ll take her with us, but let me carry her. You can barely carry yourself right now.” “Be careful, she’s really hurt.” “I see that. We’ll be lucky if she doesn’t die in the Hummer on the way to the mansion.” “Don’t say that,” Adrian said through clenched teeth. Adrian carefully shifted her weight over to Nikkos, but when he got up from the stretcher they both saw the driver at the back doors on the phone, probably with the police, requesting assistance and reporting his partner being shot and now kidnapped. “We’re taking her to the hospital. We’ll meet you there,” Nikkos told him with a look that no one ever argued with. Although, to give the driver credit, he looked like he wanted to tell them hell no. He must have seen the female was hurt bad and needed to get help now, and the ambulance surely wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Nikkos carried the fragile little human to the Hummer he had


19

driven to save Adrian’s hide. As he was putting her in the backseat on Adrian’s lap, he looked down at her face, and all he could think about was having her for his own and protecting her for all time. What the fuck? Why was he having this reaction to a human that Adrian was intent on saving? And why was Adrian so insistent on saving her? He laid her in Adrian’s arms but couldn’t find it in him to let her go. He wanted to tell Adrian to drive, and he would take care of her, but didn’t think that was going to happen, the way the other male was looking at his female. Mine? Yes, she was Nikkos’s female. He would have to thank Adrian later for finding her. Nikkos reluctantly let go of her and slid into the driver’s seat to get them home. **** Adrian was a little relieved to have his female in his arms and headed to safety, but he would not breathe freely until after the doc had worked her medical magic and fixed his precious savior. Her breathing was more shallow with every passing second. He could see the pulse in her neck weakening. He held her tight and prayed to any gods in the heavens and even hell that might be listening that their doctor would be able to save her. What didn’t make matters any better was that he was injured, too, and desperately in need of blood. Her blood had called to him before she was even injured. When she’d first bent over him in the street, he could smell her and had to fight back the urge to drag her soft, delicate neck down to his mouth. Now, with her blood covering both of them and her still bleeding, his fangs were aching to be inside her vein. Her blood smelled so sweet he needed to have one little taste. He dipped his head down and softly licked the corner of her mouth. He wouldn’t dare bite her and take more blood. He just couldn’t resist the temptation. Ambrosia! That was the only word for the taste on his tongue. The taste of her told him all he needed to know. She was his mate,

20

Kasey Dean

and if he couldn’t save her, even though he didn’t know her, he would not be able to live without her. He couldn’t imagine the idea of losing her after just finding her. He also did not like the way Nikkos had looked at her when he’d carried her to the Hummer. He had looked at her like she was his, and Adrian had to pry his hands off her to get him to let go. It was the first time since they were born, five days apart, that he seriously wanted to hurt the other male and wasn’t sure if he could resist, if he ever laid hands on her again. It was his race’s way that when they found their one true mate they had a hard time trusting any other male around her. “Hard time” being defined as wanting to rip the other male limb from limb just for looking at his female.


21

Chapter Three Nikkos had called ahead to warn everyone in the house that he was bringing Adrian and a human in and they were both injured. No one was very pleased with this news, especially the part about the human. No humans had ever been brought to the home they all shared. But when he pulled the Hummer up to the front of the house, they were ready for him. Marcus and Lucian came down off the steps to help bring the two injured ones inside, where Marcus’s wife, Mikhaila, the in-house doctor, was waiting in the medical room. They had to have their own medical facilities, because when one of them was injured they could not just go to a human hospital. Nikkos jumped out of the driver’s seat so he could get his female out and carry her inside. He didn’t want anyone else touching her. He’d had a hard enough time driving while he knew that she was being held by Adrian, and he was his best friend, who he trusted with his life. The whole drive home he could smell the blood covering his hands from carrying her to the vehicle. He knew it was wrong, but he had to taste her. He had a small taste of her blood from one of his fingers and knew in that instant she was his mate. When he opened the back door, Adrian had the female in his arms, ready to get out and carry her into the mansion himself, even though he was extremely injured. Their kind did heal quickly, so he was already in better shape than when Nikkos found him, but was still in no condition to carry the female by himself. Nikkos tried to take the female, which earned him a low growl from deep in Adrian. In all the fights and disagreements that the two had been in, Nikkos had never heard that menacing sound come from

22

Kasey Dean

his friend, well, not directed toward him anyway. Now he had heard it twice in one night, what the hell? Adrian was acting as if the female belonged to him and not to Nikkos. That couldn’t be. Adrian was in love with Nikkos, not some tiny human female. Besides, he had tasted her blood and knew she was his mate. Then it hit him. Maybe Adrian could tell that the female was Nikkos’s true mate, and he was jealous because he wanted Nikkos to himself and thought if he kept the female from him that he would still have a chance. Marcus stepped up just in time to stop the two best friends from ripping each other apart over a human. “What the fuck is wrong with the two of you? Give her to me and get your asses inside now!” Nikkos was having none of that. He was taking his female to the doc and no one was going to stop him. Unfortunately, it looked as if Adrian thought that same way. The two of them faced off while Adrian kept his grip on the female. “I’ll take her, back off,” spat Adrian at the same time Nikkos reached to take the female again. “You’re hurt and can barely stand yourself. Give her to me, she’s mine,” Nikkos replied. “Yours? Over my dead body!” “So be it.” Nikkos raised his fist to strike his best friend in anger for the first time in their long friendship. Marcus stepped between them just before it came to blows. “Stop!” Marcus grabbed them both by the necks until they were turning blue, and Adrian almost dropped the female. Lucian came forward and took the female out of Adrian’s limp arms and headed up the steps into the mansion. Marcus literally knocked the two friends heads together and told them that when they got their shit together, they should come inside. With that he turned around, shaking his head and mumbling something about “insane children,” to follow Lucian and the unconscious female into the mansion and the medical room. The two boys stood studying each other for several seconds before


23

either could talk again, partly because Marcus had injured both their throats with his death grip and partly because neither knew what to say. They’d had their differences before and some pretty good fights between the two of them, but never to the point where they were ready to kill one another. Nikkos spoke first. “I know how you feel about me, but keeping my female from me will not happen.” “Your female? No, my friend, she is my female.” “You don’t even like females. You wouldn’t even know what to do with one.” “Oh, trust me, I’ve seen you with enough of them that I’m sure it won’t take much to figure it out.” The venom in his voice made Nikkos flinch. So Nikkos was right, he could hear the jealousy in Adrian’s voice. He knew that it bothered Adrian when he was with the many women he liked to keep company with. He saw it in his face every time Adrian discovered that Nikkos had had yet another female, the look of longing over something he just couldn’t have. Nikkos didn’t know what to do. He wanted to strangle his friend for not seeing reason, but he could barely fight the urge to take him into his arms and taste his lush lips. What the fuck was wrong with him, he’d had thoughts about being with Adrian before but not strong enough to actually have to clench his hands into fists to stop from reaching for the big strong male in front of him. Visions of the two of them together, naked, sweaty, and straining for breath in his huge bed, kept running though his mind. Oh sweet lord, what would it be like to give in to his urges and just take this gorgeous male upstairs to his room and do all the things he had been trying not to imagine? He knew that Adrian would let him do whatever he wanted to, but he also knew things would change between them and they could never be as they were now. Best friends. Although if they both believed that this female, who was hopefully getting help from doc, was theirs, then their friendship would never survive anyway.

24

Kasey Dean

**** Nikkos was usually so easy to read, but Adrian could not figure out what he was thinking. One minute he looked like he was going to kill him, and the next he was seeing what looked like lust in his eyes. It couldn’t be. Nikkos didn’t want him that way, never had and never would. He was just seeing what he had hoped to for so long, or Nikkos was trying to make him think that so that he would leave the female alone to be claimed by him. Unfortunately, Adrian knew him too well. He knew what the other male wanted with the female. Some hot, wet, kinky sex, and then he would dump her. That was the only thing Nikkos ever wanted with women, especially human women, to show them a good time, make them want more, and never see them again. Unless of course she was really good, and then he might call her up for a few booty calls once in a while. Gods, at one time he would have loved to have been Nikkos’s booty call. Hell, who was he kidding, he would follow the sexy male in front of him upstairs right now if he asked him to. Maybe. He wasn’t sure right now. All he could think about was the injured female inside the mansion, but at the same time he couldn’t help but smell the scent of arousal permeating from Nikkos. He knew it couldn’t be for him, though. He must have been thinking of the female. Gods, what was her name anyway, he had no idea, but he needed to get inside and check on her now. Nikkos shook his head “We need to get in there and check on the female.” Finally they agreed on something. They headed up the stairs, side by side, into the mansion and up to the medical room. When they walked in and saw the helpless female still unconscious on the table with doc and Lucian standing over her, both of their hands covered in her precious blood, all their differences were forgotten. She lay there,


25

pale. Her breathing was so shallow if their sight and hearing weren’t so sensitive, they would have thought she was dead. “She needs blood,” Mikhaila said, looking at the boys. “So give her some,” they replied in unison. “Yeah, like we have human blood just laying around.” Lucian had a smart-ass mouth no matter how grave the situation was. “Give her mine,” both boys said as they offered up their wrists. “You both know we can’t do that. It’s against our rules. We cannot give our blood to humans.” “I don’t care what the rules are, you will give her my blood,” Nikkos said through clenched teeth. Mikhaila shook her head, but he knew she was going to do whatever Nikkos told her to do. “Not Adrian, only Nikkos,” the doc replied. “No way! Why not mine?” Adrian pleaded. “You have lost too much blood, and you are in need of some yourself. You give her yours and you may not survive to see whether she lives or not.” Even though she was clearly right, he argued with the great doctor. “I don’t care. She needs it, so give it to her.” Apparently his body did not agree with his heart. Just as he said that, he swayed to the side and looked like he was ready to pass out. Nikkos had to put his arm around his waist and his other hand on his chest to steady him. “Oh gods! Adrian, sit down. We gotta get you some help now!” Adrian looked down at the hand on his chest that was quickly being saturated in blood. He had been losing blood at a steady rate, and they all had been so distracted over the female that they hadn’t even noticed. As Adrian watched the blood spread across Nikkos’s hand, his knees gave out. Nikkos gripped him tighter to stop him from collapsing onto the floor. Marcus brought over a chair and helped lower him into it just before the huge male lost consciousness. “See, she told you you were too injured and needed blood,” Lucian said again with a smart mouth, but it was too late. Adrian was

26

Kasey Dean

out cold. “Give them mine,” Nikkos replied almost automatically. There was no thinking about this. His female needed blood and so did his best friend. Maybe more than friend. He didn’t know. He was so confused. All he knew was that he needed both of them, and he knew somewhere deep down that he would not survive if either one of them died on him. Mikhaila and Lucian worked for what seemed like hours. Nikkos had given so much blood to the two injured that he could barely keep his head up. At some point he must have given in to his exhaustion because the next thing he knew, Mikhaila was standing over him, waking him. “They are both going to be fine. They just need rest. I hear you think she is your female?” “I don’t know. I’m so confused. Adrian thinks she is his. I know she is mine. I have no clue what the hell is going on anymore. I almost attacked my best friend from birth over a human female, and he was willing to give his life for her.” He was rambling and knew it but couldn’t stop. He didn’t dare tell them that he had tasted her blood and knew she was his mate. “Well, I think if he feels she is his, that they should not be separated. He will heal faster if they are placed together somewhere.” She raised her hand as he began to protest. “Also, I think if she is yours that you do not want her anywhere near another male. So, as you are the only one conscious at this time, where do you want us to put her to heal? Remember, I think it will be good for your best friend if he is near her.” “Put them both in my room in my bed. I will watch over them until they are awake, and we will figure this out then.” “Are you sure you want them both in your bed? I know how territorial you males can be.” She glanced over at her possessive husband as he scoffed at the remark. “Yes, they belong with me, and I want them both there.” Mikhaila looked a little confused by his statement but didn’t


27

protest. He knew she had seen the looks that the boys had given each other in the past and had probably wondered if there wasn’t something more going on with the two of them than just being best friends. This probably just made her even more confused. He thought maybe Marcus had told her that they were outside fighting over the female. But now Nikkos was asking that both the female he thought was his and his best friend, who may be more than a friend, be placed in his bed. Nikkos couldn’t figure that one out yet, so he probably shouldn’t expect Mikhaila to. She shook her head but went to do as Nikkos had asked her to. Lucian and Marcus helped her take the two of them to Nikkos’s room, and placed them both in his bed, side by side. Nikkos watched the whole time and flinched any time either of the two unconscious patients moaned. “Are they in pain?” he asked, anxious. “They shouldn’t be, but I can give them some more painkillers in about an hour if they are still stable.” “Okay I’ll see you in an hour. I’ll take care of them until then. By the way, did you find any ID on her? I don’t even know her name.” “Yeah, she had ID in her pocket. It’s in the med room somewhere.” Mikhaila explained that she had found the ID while she was cutting the paramedic’s uniform off her. Since Nikkos wasn’t going to budge to go get the ID, Mikhaila sent Marcus after it. He came back a few minutes later with everything that was in the female’s pockets, which wasn’t much, an ID, a necklace, and a debit card. They had found what they assumed was her cell phone in Adrian’s pocket. Of course, his was gone, and it was clear Marcus was really pleased with that. He had just given the boy a new one tonight because he broke the last one in a fight the week before. “If you need anything, just call me and I’ll be right here,” Mikhaila told him as she left the room. Marcus and Lucian looked like they wanted to stay and find out what went on tonight, but they would be getting no answers out of Adrian for a few hours at least and even longer before the female came around, so she dragged them out

28

Kasey Dean

of the room. **** “Maybe one of us should stay close by in case he decides to kill him for being so close to his female.” Marcus couldn’t help but think this way. He was so protective of his mate that if a male looked at her in any way, he was in danger of losing his eyes. The only male he tolerated alone near her was his twin, Lucian, and that was pushing it sometimes, depending on the mood he was in. “They will be fine. Let’s go clean up so we can have some dinner before dawn, shall we?” She gave Marcus a look that she wanted more than dinner before dawn. Lucian must have taken this as his cue to leave the two of them alone because he was gone in an instant.


29

Chapter Four Nikkos stood next to his California king-sized bed. It had black silk sheets and a thick, deep-red-and-black comforter. He had to have that size because he was six foot eight. Any other size bed and his feet would hang off the end. Adrian, who was all of six feet six inches and weighed two seventy-five, looked twice the size of the little human lying next to him. He raked his fingers through his hair, pulled a chair up to the foot of the bed, and collapsed into it. He looked down at the female’s belongings in his hands. The first was a charm necklace with a cross, a bullet, a dragonfly, and a locket with a very worn picture of a baby. Did she have a baby? He called Lucian and had him find her address and sent him over to check it out. The only other things on her were her paramedic ID and a debit card with the name Anstice Karra. Greek? Anstice, one who will rise again. Let’s hope so. She may still need a miracle to get through this. No one knew the effect their blood would have on a human, and that was why it was against the rules, but it was the only option at the time, and he had to do something. He just hoped his desperation did not hurt her more than she already was. Karra, dark. He hoped her future was bright and not dark, thanks to his blood that now ran through her veins. He studied her for a while. Her hair was a dark auburn with blood-red highlights. He couldn’t see them, but knew her eyes were the palest gray he had ever seen. They were almost silver. They had placed her on her side so her back could heal, and she had immediately wrapped her arm around Adrian’s waist and snuggled into his side. It was almost as if she were the moon and Adrian the earth. She was pulled in by his gravity.

30

Kasey Dean

It was quite warm in the room, so they were both covered in only a sheet. He knew Adrian had boxers on, and the female was completely naked. They’d had to strip her to treat her injuries and since she was only about five feet tall, they had no clothes to fit her. He should have felt jealousy over another male being so close to her, but he didn’t. Honestly, they looked like they belonged lying in bed together, and he was more jealous that she was so close to Adrian. He knew it would be hours before either of them woke up, so he leaned his head back against the chair and closed his eyes. All he needed was a quick nap, and he would be good to go by the time Adrian woke up. **** Adrian woke up and realized two things right away. One, he was not in his own bed, and two, he was not alone. There was someone lying almost on top of him with their arm draped over his stomach. All he could smell was Nikkos’s musk and woodsy scent filling the room. He looked around a little and recognized the room. He had been here many times since he had moved into the mansion years ago. He was definitely in Nikkos’s room, but why was he in his bed. Who was lying on top of him, and why did he have such a pounding headache? All his memories came back in a rush as he felt the person next to him run their hand up to his chest and cuddle up closer with a soft moan. The scent hit him like a ton of bricks on his chest. She smelled of white jasmine and cherry blossoms. He turned his head, careful not to disturb the little female next to him, buried his face in her hair, and inhaled the unique scent of his female into his lungs. He found the combination of her and Nikkos’s scents combined to be too much. He hardened immediately, almost to the point of pain. “Is that for me or her?” The voice was so quiet, if he didn’t have his excellent hearing he never would have heard the jealousy in his


31

friend’s voice. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied, even though he was sure Nikkos was talking about his ever-growing erection beneath the thin sheet covering him. Nikkos sighed, and Adrian thought he heard him say “Hopefully me,” but he wasn’t sure. **** Nikkos got to his feet slowly. He was stiff from waiting for his…whatever Adrian and Anstice were to him, to wake up. It had been hours, and Adrian should have woken first, but it looked like the female would be awake soon. She was already moving and had been talking in her sleep for about an hour now. Who is Paul? She had said his name several times in her restless sleep, and Nikkos saw red every time the other male’s name came from those kissable lips. He knew he didn’t have time and needed to tell Adrian everything that happened while he was unconscious before she woke up. “We need to talk. Get up and let’s go outside,” he said, looking down at those black eyes someone could get lost in. Man, why hadn’t he noticed that earlier. Now he was probably too late. Adrian was more likely than not lost to him forever. “I’m not leaving her. You wanna talk, spit it out and get it over with.” Adrian looked away from him when he answered and buried his face back in the female’s hair, inhaling her scent. Nikkos couldn’t really blame him. She was the best-smelling female he ever smelled in his life, cherry blossoms and white jasmine, delicious. Yeah, he was sure now that he had lost Adrian forever. He could never compete with that. “I just wanted to tell you what went down after you passed out.” Adrian moved his head then to glare at his friend. “You gave her your blood didn’t you?” Nikkos watched as Adrian turned his face back into his female’s hair and inhale. He was sure Adrian would be able to smell Nikkos not only on her hair but coming from her hair

32

Kasey Dean

and body also. She had Nikkos’ blood in her now and would always have a connection to him that Adrian would not have with her. “Yeah,” Nikkos said. It was all he could say. He didn’t want to say something to set the other male off and have him hurt himself trying to attack him. He watched the male lying there looking content to have his female with him, but he was sure there was a little bit of jealousy in his expression. He was trying to decide if he should let him in on the fact that he had donated some to him also. He decided to let that go for now. Nikkos watched Adrian struggle with the fact that he was unable to help his female, and she had had to depend on Nikkos to save her life. “Is she going to be okay?” “Doc says she’ll be fine.” “Thank you.” “I didn’t do it for you.” A low growl started somewhere deep in Adrian’s chest, loud enough the female wiggled a little more and started mumbling something that neither one of the males could understand. “What I meant is I didn’t do it just for you. I did it for both of us. I knew what would happen to you if she didn’t make it, and even though I know it’s too late, I don’t want to lose you. I know I’ve pushed you away for so long that your feelings for me have probably changed. I couldn’t imagine you ever leaving me, and I’ve had hours sitting here watching you, and now I think I know what is going on between the three of us.” “How long was I out?” By the tone in Adrian’s voice, Nikkos could tell Adrian didn’t want to hear his theories. But he was going to try and explain his reasons to Adrian so the man would understand and hopefully agree. “About six hours after you were moved into here.” “Yeah, about that, why are we here instead of my room?” “I needed you to be close to me so I could watch over you.” Adrian looked a little surprised, a little excited, and a lot confused at


33

the answer. “I really need you to listen to what I have to say.” Nikkos raised his hand to stop his friend’s protest. Adrian stopped talking and settled deeper into the bed next to his female. Gods it looked as if she felt perfect lying with Adrian. Nikkos wondered if she would look the same way wrapped around him. Adrian looked as if he was in heaven. “Just listen, and please don’t say anything until I’m done. I love you.” There was a slight pause while Nikkos waited for Adrian to digest the announcement a little. “I love you, and I have for a long time, I just didn’t see it until now. I know I’m not good enough for you and figured that if I kept you at a distance, you would find someone else and be happy. You could never be happy with me. You have seen me. You know I have never thought of settling down with one person, and after what happened with my parents I didn’t think I would ever change my mind. But now I’m not sure. I think I would like to give it a try.” Adrian interrupted. “Is that the truth, or is it really what people would think of you if they found out? You and I both know that two men being together is thought of as wrong for our kind. I know you worry about the way people think of you and wouldn’t want me in the way of your ladies’ man reputation. I may have been stupid enough to believe that someday you would come around and want me, but I’m not stupid enough to believe you’re not worried about the way people see you.” “That has nothing to do with it. You deserve to be with someone that will be with just you and treat you the way you should be treated.” “Yeah right.” Nikkos moved so fast that one second he was a few feet from the bed and the next he was leaning over Adrian with only inches between their faces. “I. Love. You,” he said through clenched teeth. Before Adrian had a chance to argue, Nikkos’s lips were crushed to his so hard he knew

34

Kasey Dean

it took Adrian’s breath away because it had his, too. Oh gods, how could Nikkos ever think he could go on without being with this male? The taste of his lips alone was almost enough to make Nikkos come in his pants. His cock swelled so hard and fast he had to shift his position to make room in his pants. He wanted more. He slipped his tongue out and gently swiped it across the seam of Adrian’s lips, urging him to open. When he did, Nikkos wasted no time procrastinating. He plunged his tongue inside his mouth, rough and hard. Heaven, this had to be what heaven felt like. He had never liked kissing. Guess he had been kissing the wrong people. Oh the taste, the waiting had been so worth the first taste. Adrian tasted of spices, deep and rich with a hint of, believe it or not, coffee. Not just coffee, but dark roast, rich-flavored coffee, Nikkos’s favorite. This was so beyond everything he had ever dreamed of. Someone could get lost in those lips, that mouth, and that taste. A low moan sounded around the room, but he wasn’t sure which one of them it came from. Soon they were both so breathless he almost forgot about the female that was just waking up.


35

Chapter Five Anstice awoke slowly and in a lot of pain. She was lying cuddled up to someone huge, male, and delicious smelling. The dark spiceand-musk smell was different but somehow familiar to her. She tried to move to roll over and look around, but she was in so much pain, even thinking of moving hurt. She could hear two men talking lowly in the room, so she opened her eyes just enough to see the most beautiful man lying almost under her. She knew she must be dreaming. She had no idea who he was or where she was. Last she knew she had been at work and had gone to a call. Oh god, the male in front of her, he was the one that has been beaten in the street. No, he couldn’t be—this man wasn’t injured, and the one in the street had been so battered his eyes were just about swollen shut. Where they twin brothers? Could there really be two men this beautiful? He wasn’t looking at her. He was staring at another huge male with short, cropped dark hair, a chiseled jaw, and eyes the color of the sea. God, what did they put in the water around here to make these men look so damn edible? Neither of them was paying any attention to her. They seemed to be in the middle of something serious. From what she could see of the one in bed with her, he had blond hair with streaks of gold and honey in it. He finally noticed she was awake and turned his head to look at her. He had eyes that were so dark they looked like pools of oil against his golden-brown skin. Dark eyes, oh god she remembered looking into those eyes and falling, that was right after she’d been shot. She finally remembered it all. She had been shot in the back trying

36

Kasey Dean

to get away from the “pasties.” She gasped and tried again to move and get as far away from him as she could. “Shhhh, little one, don’t move. You need to be still while you heal. You are safe here.” **** Adrian wondered how long she had been awake and how much she had heard or seen, and if that was why she was trying to get away from him. Hopefully she had missed the “I love you” conversation and the kiss and was just petrified because she was in a bed with a strange male. If she only knew how strange a male, she would be doing more than trying to get away, she would be screaming for help. Not that it would do her any good. Even if someone did hear her and come to help, everyone in the house was strange, well, some more than others. “Where am I, and where is Paul? Is he all right?” “Paul.” Adrian saw red at the sound of another man’s name on his human’s lips. “Yeah, Paul, my partner” “Partner? As in intimate partner?” Adrian asked, trying not to sound like he was going to rip someone’s head off. “No, my partner in the ambulance. Is he okay? Where is he?” she asked with enough venom in her voice to bring Adrian back from his fit of jealousy. “He’s fine. He wasn’t hurt at all.” That calmed her a little. “Where am I?” she asked. “Our house, well kinda, it’s Nikkos’s house, but we all live here now.” **** Okay, that was kind of vague, she thought as she tried to look


37

around the room, which, from what she could tell, was as big as her entire apartment. The bed alone was probably the size of her bedroom and the softest thing she had ever laid on. And the male next to her had to be the largest male she had ever met. Besides of course, the one leaning over the bed so close she wondered if he planned on kissing the one next to her, or had been. They both looked like they were guilty of doing something they shouldn’t have been and had been caught by her. “Who’s Nikkos, and who is ‘we all?’” she asked. The one leaning over the bed spoke up. “I’m Nikkos, and ‘we all’ is our family.” Okay, so maybe they were brothers, and that was why they were so close to each other. It would also explain how they were both so gorgeous and huge. “So you’re brothers?” “Not exactly, but close,” he said. If she wanted details she would have to ask more questions, but she didn’t feel up to it right now. She looked back and forth between them. Why were they staring? Did she look as bad as she felt? She felt like she had been run over by a truck, and just to make sure the job was finished, it had backed up and done it again. She mentally checked her body, trying to figure out how hurt she was and if she could get up. What the hell? She was naked and lying next to this man. Why? Oh god, what were they going to do to her or had they done to her? “I need to get out of here. Let me up.” She tried to move, and both of the men reached to hold her down. Oh no, oh no. She started to panic. They were going to keep her here and do god only knows what to her, and no one would ever find her. “Baby, hold still. You’re really hurt and need to heal before you can go anywhere.” “Like hell I do. Let me go!” “Sorry, we can’t do that,” the one with the turquoise eyes said while trying to hold her hips and legs down.

38

Kasey Dean

“What are you going to do to me?” “Just take care of you, little one, that’s all. Don’t be afraid, you are safe here,” the one in the bed replied as he wrapped his arms around her tightly enough she knew she had no hope of moving until he let her. “Please,” she pleaded, “just let me go. I need to leave, and I need to…I need…” **** Adrian looked into the female’s eyes. She was petrified of them, and who could blame her. She was in a strange bed with two huge males holding her down. But he knew they couldn’t let her go. If she moved around too much, she would undo all the good that Mikhaila had done. If they could just get her to calm down a little, she would be healed soon. After all, she had Nikkos’ blood in her, and it should really speed up her healing. “Please…please…please…please…” That was all she kept saying. It brought tears to Adrian’s eyes to hear her pleading with them, but he couldn’t let go. He wasn’t sure if it was more to keep her safe or to keep her next to him. “Little one, just calm down and I’ll let go, but you must remain calm and still so you do not hurt yourself more.” Anstice stilled. “Are you going to rape me?” The two men stopped breathing and Adrian could feel the color drain from his face. Nikkos looked as pale as he felt. All he could do was look at her. There was a long moment of silence. No one moved, and no one breathed. The temperature in the room seemed to drop significantly, and she shivered. She moved her gaze between the two of them as if trying to read them, but Adrian knew she could read nothing on their faces. He felt like he had turned to stone. A tear slipped from the corner of Adrian’s eye while he stared at her. He was heartbroken at the thought that she would believe he


39

would harm her. He was in shock. “Never, cardia mou, never.” His voice was so hoarse. “We would never do anything to cause you harm.” “Then why am I naked?” She looked into his eyes, pleading. He hadn’t even thought of that. Was he, too? Nope, he had his boxers on, thank the gods. Nikkos responded with his own question. “How much do you remember from last night?” There was a hesitation before she answered. “Some.” “A little more specific, please.” Anstice looked at Adrian. “I remember you getting assaulted, picking you up, and then someone was chasing us on a motorcycle with a gun.” “What else?” “I’m pretty sure I was shot in the back. I remember being knocked down onto you. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t talk. When I opened my mouth, blood came out. I knew I was going to die. But it must have all been a dream, because I should be dead from the injuries I had or at least in the hospital. I don’t know. Most of the night after picking you up is a blur. Was I shot?” He looked in her eyes and felt like he was about to break into a million pieces. “Yes,” he said so softly, and looked away with shame. “I’m sorry. I should have protected you better.” “You were in no shape to protect anyone, if I remember correctly.” “It doesn’t matter how injured I was, you should never have been injured, and I should have protected you with my life. You will never be hurt again, this I promise you.” Nikkos spoke up. “You were shot. We brought you back here to our doctor. She had to do surgery to remove the bullets.” Adrian whipped his head toward Nikkos so quick his whole body moved, causing the little female to flinch and moan in pain. He tightened his grip and tried not to move her. “Bullets? There was more than one?” Nikkos just nodded.

40

Kasey Dean

“How many?” If Adrian clenched his teeth together any tighter he wouldn’t be surprised if they broke off. Nikkos look hesitant but finally answered. “Four.” Adrian scrubbed his hand down his face and back up to his hair, pulling it so hard he thought he would tear it from his head. Nikkos reached up and took Adrian’s hand into his. “This is not your fault, and there wasn’t anything you could have done.” Now Nikkos sounded guilty. “I shouldn’t have let you go out by yourself. I should have been quicker getting to you. This is all my fault. Neither one of you would have been hurt if I had been where I was supposed to be. I know where that is now, by your side. I’m just sorry it took me so long to realize it.” **** Watching the two males look at each other and hearing the confession, she thought maybe she was safe from being raped after all. There was definitely something going on between the two of them. Maybe they were lovers and had had a fight and that was why the one was out by himself and got assaulted like he did. The one that had been holding her lower body down had let go to hold the other one’s hand. She slowly tried to slip out of the other one’s grip while they were concentrating on each other. It didn’t work. She was still in the arms of the one in the bed, and he tightened his grip on her. Both of their heads snapped back to her. They did not release each other’s hands, but both growled at her. Growled? What the hell? They sounded like animals. If possible, the eyes of the one in the bed had gotten darker. And the turquoise ones were…glowing? “Wait a minute, four times? I was shot four times?” She knew one was in her back. It had to be, as bad as it hurt, but she couldn’t tell where else. Nowhere else seemed to hurt. “Where?” The dark haired one turned his gaze down. “In your back.” “And where else?”


41

“Nowhere else, just your back. One in your left shoulder. One near your left kidney. One hit your right lung, which was why you were having a hard time breathing. And one just barely missed your spinal cord right in the middle of you back.” “Yeah right,” she replied. **** He understood why she didn’t believe him. She should have been dead after the shots that she took, and if it hadn’t been for the good doctor and his blood, she would be. Technically she had died, twice. The second time they had lost her on the table, he made the doc give her more of his blood, and he had done CPR on her until his arms felt like they were falling off. Then some more until his blood started healing her from the inside and they had gotten her heart beating on its own. Mikhaila and Lucian had told him several times to stop, that she was gone, but he could not let her go. Somewhere deep down he knew he had to save her to save himself and to save Adrian. He knew Adrian would follow her to the next life if she passed on, and he would follow Adrian. She cut into his thoughts. “If I was shot four times in the back, I would be dead.” He knew he had to tell them both the whole story sooner or later but hoped it could wait until later. He looked at Adrian. The male was about to break into pieces, and he wasn’t sure how he would take the news. He also wasn’t sure how the female would take not only the news of what they were, but also that she now had his blood running through her veins and would forever be linked to him. He knew Adrian didn’t take the news too well, and he knew the benefits of their blood. He tried to delay the talk a little while. “You both need to rest. Why don’t you go back to sleep, and we’ll talk about this later.” To her he said, “If you’re in pain, I can have doc come in and give you

42

Kasey Dean

something that will probably help you sleep, too.” “I don’t want to sleep. I want to know what really happened. I want to go home.” The last came out a whisper, almost a prayer. Nikkos could tell by the sound of her voice she thought they were going to keep her here forever. Actually, if they had any say in it, they would. They needed her. She just didn’t know it yet. She would learn soon enough there would be no keeping the three of them apart. He wasn’t sure how he knew this, he just did. Nikkos sighed. What he was about to tell her pained him. “Are you sure you wanna hear everything?” Adrian started to protest. “No, not yet, let her rest first. She needs to heal before she hears everything we have to tell her.” “I don’t want to rest. I want to know what you are trying to hide from me.” “Little one, please wait a little while to ask your questions. I don’t think you are strong enough to hear everything right now.” By the look on Adrian’s face, Nikkos could tell he wasn’t sure he wanted to know everything right now, or ever for that matter. Something really bad had happened in the med room. “I don’t really care what you think.” Anstice looked into his eyes. “Tell me now!” Nikkos looked into the fierce little one’s eyes. Maybe she would take the news better than he thought. After all, she was the strongest human he knew. Besides, she was their mate. He would do anything she told him to. He looked to Adrian and apologized. “I’m sorry, my man, but she is going to have to know the truth sooner or later.” “I know, but I don’t know if I want to know it.” “You don’t. But you need to.” Adrian closed his eyes. “Go ahead then, get it over with.”


43

Chapter Six The dark one took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. “Please listen to everything before you decide whether to believe me or not, and do not interrupt, okay?” She wanted to argue, but she was finally getting her way and hearing the truth, or at least what she hoped was the truth. “Okay.” “You were shot four times in the back. You lost a lot of blood before we could get you back here. You desperately needed blood. We don’t keep your kind’s blood on hand.” Her kind? What was that supposed to mean, she wanted to know, but didn’t interrupt. “Adrian wanted to give you his, but he had lost too much already.” Adrian, that was his name. She looked at his face and he looked as if he were in a great deal of pain again. The dark one seemed to see it, too. “Don’t get me wrong, he fought like hell to be the one to provide for you, but it just wasn’t happening. If he hadn’t passed out, he would have made sure one way or the other it would be his blood running through your veins, even if it had meant his life.” She watched as the look of adoration on the dark one’s face made Adrian turn his gaze away. “Like I said, you needed blood, so I offered to provide. I knew it was your only chance.” “Why didn’t you just take me to the hospital?” “We knew they couldn’t have saved you.” “And what made you think you could?” “I’m getting to that, just…let me…gods, how do I say this? We’re

44

Kasey Dean

different from your kind.” “You keep saying ‘your kind.’ What exactly is my kind?” “Humans.” “Okay, so if my kind is human, what is your kind?” Sarcasm, yeah this was going well. She wasn’t going to believe anything he was about to tell her. She’s was starting to think they were crazy. “We are…not human.” “What are you, then?” She decided not to pull away and try to escape Adrian’s hold again…yet. “Vampires.” She thought about it for a few seconds. “Well, that explains everything.” She started laughing, really laughing. Okay, maybe they weren’t the only ones who were insane, maybe she had gone insane, too. Both males looked at her as if wondering what they had missed and what she could possibly be thinking. Adrian spoke up first. “Cardia mou, are you okay?” “Oh yes, I’m great. Now that I know what is really going on I’m perfect.” Adrian looked up to the dark one as if looking for some direction. The standing one just shrugged as he clearly wasn’t sure what to make of her response. “Wanna let us in on the joke? You believe me?” “Of course I believe you. Now that I know I’m dreaming, might as well play along with it.” “Why would you think you are dreaming?” “Because vampires don’t exist. I must have been reading my book about sexy vampires when I fell asleep. My imagination has never been this vivid, but damn, my fantasies are getting better and better by the minute.” The dark one hung his head and shook it back and forth. “You are not asleep. This is not a dream. It is very real, and we are vampires.” “Yeah, okay, so what now? You want to bite me to prove it?”


45

“If I have to, I will.” She raised her eyebrows at him and teased, “Will I like it?” She was challenging him, and he looked tempted to take her blood right then and there to prove his point. “Are you in pain?” “Yeah, why?” “Would you be in pain if you were dreaming?” “Only my back hurts. I’m sleeping on a stretcher in the back of the ambulance, and that’s probably why it hurts. Trust me, I know what being shot in the back feels like, and it’s a lot worse than this.” “You’ve been shot before?” She hesitated. “Yes, a long time ago.” “While you were working in the ambulance?” “That’s my business. You don’t need to know about it.” **** Adrian lay there listening to the two of them argue over whether she was dreaming or not. Nikkos was getting nowhere with her. Every argument he had, she reasoned away. Adrian did the only thing he could think of to show her she wasn’t dreaming. He put his hand under her chin, gently tilted it up, and placed his lips on hers. She immediately stilled and stopped whatever argument she was giving Nikkos at the time. He tasted amazing, like spices and coffee. She normally hated coffee, but tasting it on his tongue, this, a girl could get used to. She figured if this was a dream, she might as well enjoy it so she kissed him back, exploring deep into his mouth. She so did not want to wake up. The kiss felt so real she began to wonder if she really was dreaming. How could a man in her dreams taste this good? How could a dream get her this hot? Her imagination was not this vivid. She tried to break away from his mouth but he had his hand on the nape of her neck, holding her to him. She tasted like spun sugar and vanilla, and she was kissing him

46

Kasey Dean

back. Adrian didn’t know if he would ever be able to get enough of her. He wondered what other flavors he might discover, given the chance to taste her elsewhere. She started to pull away, but he couldn’t have that. He needed to taste more and more of her until he was completely sated. His hunger would have to wait, though. She suddenly stopped kissing him, and her entire body went rigid. Adrian could smell the fear coming from her. It smelled like the forest after a thunderstorm. He knew she was finally starting to realize she was awake. He released her neck slowly. He didn’t want her to be afraid of them. He just wanted her to know the truth. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “I’m not dreaming, am I?” she whispered. “No, you’re not,” the two males said in unison. Her whole body started to shake, and her eyes glistened with tears that neither Adrian nor Nikkos could stand to see her shed. They both reached for her cheek at the same time to stop the flow of tears that was sure to come any second. She flinched away from both of them and tried to move away, but Adrian still had his arm tight around her waist. When she moved her head away from them, their hands met, and they both grasped the other and tried to pull strength from each other. Adrian whispered, “Shhhh, cardia mou, please stay still. You are going to hurt yourself if you move too much.” She stilled but did not relax. She looked through her lashes at him, tears streaming down her face. Then she asked the strangest question. “Why do you keep calling me cardia mou?” “It means ‘my heart.’” “I know what it means, but why do you keep calling me it?” He looked at her, baffled. “You know Greek?” “Some, my pappou taught me some when I was younger. I don’t remember a lot, but I remember him calling my yiayia cardia mou all the time.”


47

Adrian looked up at Nikkos. “Did you know she was Greek?” “I knew she had a Greek name from her ID, but I didn’t know she would speak it.” “I don’t speak it well, I told you, just some words from when I was younger.” Adrian looked back at her. “What is your name, little one?” She looked like she didn’t want to tell him, but since Nikkos had her ID already she had no real reason to try and keep it from him. “Anstice Karra” Adrian just stared at her. He couldn’t believe it. “Do you know what your name means?” “Yes, my pappou told me when I was younger.” He still continued to stare. “Why are you staring at me?” she asked. Adrian turned to look at Nikkos. He suddenly understood that what Nikkos didn’t really want him to know was that the female had actually died and been brought back. His friend nodded his head and confirmed his fears. Tears welled up in Adrian’s eyes. His female had died and come back from the other side. He looked back at her. She looked confused. “Have you ever died before?” She looked even more confused at his question. “Of course not. If I had died, I wouldn’t be here. What are you talking about?” Adrian tightened his arms again before speaking. “It is true, all true, one who will rise again, you died of your injuries and were brought back.” “Yeah, okay. I died last night, was brought back, and am now awake and able to move and talk, yeah right. Let me guess, your blood is magic and will save me?” She held up her hand to stop Nikkos from talking. “Let me guess, I’m gonna turn into a vampire now, right?” Nikkos lowered his head as if in shame. Oh gods, this was not going so well. If he told her the truth, she would probably panic or think she was dreaming again, but she

48

Kasey Dean

deserved the truth. Adrian didn’t know everything, but he told her what he did know. “We don’t know what our blood will do to a human, but you will not turn into one of us.” At least he hoped she wouldn’t, but he wasn’t really sure. No human he knew of was ever given their blood. It was against their laws. The only reason Mikhaila had done it was because no one argued with Nikkos. “If anything, you may have heightened senses and some adverse reaction to the sun. As you can tell, you are healing quite rapidly. We’re not sure if the effects will continue after you are healed, but your body’s chemistry is probably changed forever. The one who gave you blood will probably be connected to you and be able to find you, no matter where you are, from now until the day one of you dies.” The last was said with a great sadness. Anstice looked worried. He continued, “I know you don’t believe any of this and probably think you are dreaming again, but I assure you, you are wide awake, and this is all very much the truth. We are not much different than you. Actually, I have been studying both our races, and we are very similar. That is why Nikkos was able to give you his blood. Our body chemistry is very close, only off by a few DNA. We will have to do some blood tests when you feel up to it to see what, if anything, has changed with you. And you may have to be careful going outside in the sun for a while, but as long as you stay with us you won’t have to worry about that anyway.” “Why not? Are you going to keep me locked up?” “Not exactly. Most of us cannot go out in the sun without being severely burned, so there is no access to the outside from this house during the day except in emergencies.” “Well, consider this an emergency. I need to go home. Let me out and I’ll just go, and you won’t have to worry about me anymore.” Nikkos stood up and glared down at her. “You’re not going anywhere. Accept it!” he said with a growl. With that, he stalked out


49

of the room, saying over his shoulder, “I’m going to get Mikhaila.” Oddly enough, she seemed to be more afraid of Nikkos than Adrian, who she was lying next to naked. She seemed to relax and might have actually been comfortable lying there with him. She closed her eyes and looked like she was trying to relax her body. The little female seemed to be accepting things better than he thought. At least she was relaxing a little and letting him hold her. He didn’t really want to disturb her, but his arms were in pain from holding her so tight to keep her still. He slowly loosened his arms, ready to tighten them again if she tried to get away. When his arm was just loose around her shoulders, she did move, but it wasn’t to get away. It seemed to be to get closer to him as she snuggled up to him, buried her face into his chest, and let out a soft sigh. Everything was right in the world. He had his female in his arms, and she was accepting him. Now what to do about his friend? He had never been more confused in his life. Up until last night, he had known exactly what he wanted, the male that had just left. He was in love with him and wanted to spend his life with him. Now all he wanted was this little human next to him, and he had no idea what he wanted from Nikkos anymore. Friendship? They had been best friends for so long, but now Nikkos wanted more. Well too bad, he was too late. He’d had his chance, and now it was gone. Adrian was where he was meant to be, and this was where he was staying, no matter what his friend wanted.

50

Kasey Dean

Chapter Seven Nikkos wanted to cry when he left the room. All the female could think about was getting away from them, and all they could think about was protecting her. Maybe if Mikhaila could give her something to help her sleep a little, she would come around to the fact that she was going nowhere. He couldn’t believe that he had snapped at her. He turned around and wanted to go back and apologize. He waited at the door for a few minutes, trying to collect himself and clear his vision. Marcus called him back to report his findings at her small apartment. No signs of anyone else living there, adult or child, only a very large boxer that didn’t seem to like him very much. He still made sure he fed him before he came home, though. Nikkos told Marcus to have some servant go out and get some of her clothes, personal items, and the dog and bring them back to the mansion. As he hung up, he stared at the door. Time to go back in and deal with his female. When he opened the door he saw the most amazing sight, the two of them nice and cozy with one another as if they had slept together like that for centuries instead of mere hours. He silently shut the door behind him and crossed the room toward the bed. They had both fallen sound asleep in the few minutes he had been out in the hall. Maybe Adrian was right, maybe she was his female after all and Nikkos was just jealous. They looked so right together that he had to wonder if what he thought before was true or not. He had spent so many hours watching them sleep that he thought he had come up with a reason for both of their behaviors. He and Adrian both seemed to think she was their true mate, which could be


51

very dangerous for both of them. Males of their race were very territorial and did not share their female with anyone. But maybe, just maybe, the real reason they both thought of her as theirs was because they were all true mates. The three of them. They all belonged together, and it took this little female lying there so content to bring the three of them together. That was his theory, anyway. Gods he hoped he was right, because if not, he was going to lose Adrian forever. And after tasting Anstice’s blood, he couldn’t let her go. He stood for a long moment looking down at the two. He carefully reached out and swept a stray lock of hair out of Adrian’s face. His lashes fluttered a little before he opened his eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, go back to sleep.” “Have you slept at all?” “Yeah, a little, in the chair after you two were where you belonged and comfortable.” “You need to sleep, too. I‘ll take her to my room so you can have your bed back.” No way was Nikkos allowing him to leave his bed. It took him too long to realize that was where he belonged, and he wasn’t losing him now. “I’m fine. I’ll sleep when you are up and around. Until then I’m not leaving your side.” “I can take care of myself. You need to sleep, and by the looks of it, feed, too.” Nikkos couldn’t argue that part. Since giving blood to both of them, he knew he couldn’t wait much longer before he became dangerous to someone. At the thought of feeding, his fangs lengthened and throbbed. He couldn’t help but stare at his friend’s pulse beating so strong in his neck. He could smell his blood and the little human’s also. They both smelled so delicious. “How much blood did you give her, anyway?” “Enough, hopefully,” Nikkos replied. “And how much did you give me?” Nikkos just stared. He didn’t tell him that he had donated to him

52

Kasey Dean

too, but somehow he knew. “How did you know?” “I could taste you on my tongue as soon as I woke up. Why didn’t you tell me?” “I didn’t think you would take that news too well.” “Why? We have taken from each other when we were injured before.” “That was a long time ago, before…” His words trailed off, and so did his eyes. Nikkos hadn’t felt comfortable feeding from Adrian after he realized Adrian was in love with him. “Yeah, well things are different now, so it doesn’t matter. You are welcome to take from me anytime you need.” He reached his free arm out and offered his wrist to Nikkos. “I promise it won’t be weird anymore. I have found where I belong and know now that we are and always will be only best friends.” Nikkos couldn’t breathe. “Please don’t say that. You know you don’t mean that.” Adrian looked him straight in the eyes. “Yes, I do. I never imagined myself with anyone but you. Now I know that was all just a silly little crush, and I’ve found my one true mate.” Nikkos started to tremble. “Silly little crush? Silly little crush?” His voice got so loud the little human started to wake, but Adrian comforted her and whispered that everything was fine, and she settled immediately. He glared at his friend. “Keep it down, you are scaring her, and yes, silly little crush! That was what you told me long ago, and I finally have smartened up and realized you were right all along.” The ground tilted beneath Nikkos’s feet, and his knees decided to take a vacation. He dropped to his knees next to the bed and stared at the ceiling like the world had ended. Who cared if it had. If he lost Adrian he no longer wanted to be in this world anyway. He tried to reach for the bed to steady himself, but the room was spinning too quickly. The last thing he saw before the world went black was


53

Adrian reaching for him. **** Adrian watched as his friend fell to the ground and crashed headfirst into the solid nightstand. He tried to catch him but wasn’t fast enough getting out from under the sleeping female. His head hit the nightstand with a large thump, and Adrian could immediately smell the fresh blood. He lifted Nikkos’s face from the carpet, turned him over, and cradled his upper body in his arms. How many times had he wished to be in this position? Too many. The cut on his forehead was not that bad, but he was already short on blood and needed desperately to feed. Adrian did not waste a second thinking about what he was about to do. He shook Nikkos gently until the male opened his beautiful eyes. Adrian held his wrist to his friend’s mouth and was surprised when he reached up and pushed it away. He looked into his friend’s eyes and pleaded with him to feed. “Please, you need this.” Before the words were out of his mouth, his friend struck hard and fast, but it wasn’t his wrist he sank his fangs into. It was his jugular, and it was the most erotic feeling Adrian had ever experienced. Adrian never understood the intimate feeling people had explained when talking of feeding another until his friend was taking long, slow pulls from his neck. He let his lashes float down onto his cheeks. Oh gods. He couldn’t imagine anything in the world feeling better. Nikkos had just begun to feed, but Adrian was already feeling lightheaded. It couldn’t be from blood loss. It was from the sheer feeling of joy of having the one he loved wrapped tightly in his arms with the male’s fangs buried deep into his neck. The one he loved? He could fight it all he wanted, but he knew deep down that he still loved the male. ****

54

Kasey Dean

Nikkos had fed from his friend before when he was injured, but he had never really tasted him before. He couldn’t believe he had never taken the time to enjoy this. He had heard people talk about the ecstasy they had felt from feeding before, but he had never felt it. Feeding had always been about necessity, not enjoyment. Now he wasn’t sure how he had ever gone without this feeling and if he would ever be able to feed from someone other than Adrian again. Now that he knew what he would be missing by feeding from someone else, he didn’t want to give it up. Didn’t want to give up not only the taste but the strength he was getting from the powerful male’s blood. It was like swallowing a bolt of lightning. It was so hot going down his throat into his stomach, and his cells were starving and started soaking up the power immediately. He felt a hundred times stronger at once. And he was right. The blood he was swallowing told him that Adrian was his mate. How had he ever missed that before in all the times that they had fed one another when they were injured? Maybe it took this little female to show them what they really were to each other. Or maybe Adrian had taken her blood the night before when he was injured, and he was actually tasting their link though Adrian’s blood, not a link with Adrian himself.


55

Chapter Eight Adrian was holding Nikkos tight in his arms, rocking him gently. Nikkos was enjoying the moment when he heard movement from above and a sharp gasp. The female had woken up and leaned over the side of the tall bed to look down at them. “Please tell me that you two are gay and that he is just giving you a hickey,” she said quietly. Well, at least she wasn’t screaming and running for the door. Nikkos’s body froze at her words. He stopped drinking immediately, licked the twin wounds to seal them closed, and slowly swallowed the last mouthful of heaven. He licked his lips and turned to look at the female. “Not exactly. We live on the blood of others of our race. I was a little weak, and the blood will help me heal.” He put his hand up to his forehead, wiping away the blood from the wound that was already healing thanks to his friend’s blood. “Oh god, your head.” She tried to get up to help him, but she didn’t make it far before both males were on their knees, urging her to stay in the bed. “I’m fine, it will heal in no time. Don’t worry about me.” “Well I’m getting stiff lying here for so long, so I need to get up and move around anyway.” Stiff? She thought she was getting stiff? What she felt was nowhere near how stiff the two males now were. Besides the aftereffects of holding one another and feeding, the sheet that had been covering her had slipped down when she tried to get up, giving them a peak at her pert breasts. Oh, those rose-pink nipples were too much to resist. Not only were the nipples perfect, but they were

56

Kasey Dean

pierced through with black titanium barbells with white stones on each end. When Nikkos had helped the doc strip her, he had noticed them and thought again how perfect she was for him. He loved piercings and had several himself. She also had several tattoos. There was a beautiful dragonfly tattooed between her breasts and a Greek tattoo around her wrist, “to pepromenon phugein adunaton,” which meant, “It’s impossible to escape what is destined.” Isn’t that so true. She also had a phoenix tattoo that covered her right shoulder and bicep, obviously trying to cover up a large scar that ran up the back of her arm from her elbow to her shoulder, and the severe burn that covered most of the shoulder. He knew the phoenix tattoo represented rebirth. She also had angel wings covering her whole back. They were done so well they almost looked like real wings. When Nikkos saw those tattoos he was positive she was perfect for him. Half of his back was covered by a dragon and phoenix tattoo. The dragon and phoenix represented the unity between man and woman. Maybe after they claimed her, she would get a dragon or two to match her phoenix, and he would add another dragon to his. When he had it done, deep down he must have known he would need to add to it. Instead of one on each side, he had the phoenix placed in the middle facing out, wings spread wide, and the dragon on the left, shoulder-blade wings wrapped around the phoenix. Now if both Anstice and Adrian accepted him, he would add another dragon mirroring the first on the other side. Nikkos was thinking about how good those nipples would taste between his lips. Nikkos licked his lips, still tasting the remnants of Adrian’s blood, and stared at the breasts of his female. Anstice caught his tongue hanging out of his mouth and the direction of his stare and looked down to see what he was staring at. ****


57

For some reason, it didn’t bother her that he was staring at her. Actually, it kind of turned her on. She didn’t bother covering up. She was sure Nikkos had helped save her life, and more likely than not, had not only seen her naked body but had touched it. And she had woken up naked next to Adrian, who didn’t have much more on than her. Besides, they were gay. She was safe. She continued sitting up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, letting the sheet slip further down. Even though she was not modest by any means, she did wrap the sheet around her waist before she stood. She couldn’t begin to explain what had come over her. She had never been afraid to show off her body, but not usually to this extent to strangers. However, there was something about these men that made it feel like they weren’t strangers to her. She wanted them to see her body. She wanted to test them and see what they would do. The looks they were giving her were enough to heat her up and turn her on. She could smell the dark, spicy scent again and couldn’t resist its pull. Both males sat on the floor, mouths wide open, staring at her as if they couldn’t believe she wasn’t covering herself. Her mind was so clouded with the scents in the room, she wasn’t sure if she was getting comfortable with them or wanted to see if she could shock them. By the looks on their faces, she surely succeeded in shocking them. They looked dumbstruck. All they did was stare. She stood and stretched a little, letting the sheet slip further down her waist. She knew what they saw. Her belly button was also pierced. The black barbell had a dark-pink stone at the top with a multicolored dragonfly dangling from the bottom. She had several piercings in her ears and her nose, snake bites, and an eyebrow ring, all black titanium. They both looked at her, and then at each other, probably wondering if there were any other piercings they couldn’t see. Keep guessing boys. ****

58

Kasey Dean

As she reached her arms up above her head, Nikkos again saw a large scar under her arm that ran from her elbow up to the back of her shoulder. Also, he had noticed when they had to intubate her in the med room that her tongue was pierced. She lowered her arms and placed her hands on her waist. “Get a good enough look, or should I lose the sheet and stretch again?” He knew she was teasing. Bad thing was, she didn’t know the effect she had on him and what trouble her teasing may get her into. Nikkos looked up at her. “Yes, please.” Hey, two could play the teasing game. It wasn’t like she was actually going to do it. Holy shit, she did it. She dropped the sheet all the way to the floor. Her legs were spread shoulder width apart, and she stretched her arms to the ceiling. She had a scar on her lower abdomen from hip bone to hip bone. Kind of looked like a C-section scar, but there had been no sign of a child at her apartment. “Be careful what you ask for. You may just get it,” she said as she let her head fall back and laughed wickedly. **** She didn’t have time to lift her head back up to look at them. In an instant, Adrian had her around the waist and down on the bed. He was a little too rough with her, considering her injuries, but he couldn’t seem to control himself. She continued to laugh. She apparently didn’t know how much her teasing affected them and what she was now in for. “Hey, get off, you’re crushing me,” she whispered with what little air was left in her lungs. He replied, “Get off is exactly what I plan to do.” “Good, get off then.” She couldn’t see Nikkos until he moved to the side and sat on the bed next to them. Leaning close to her face, he said, “Baby, you have no idea what you just told him he could do. You are in more trouble


59

than you ever have been in, in your life.” “Yeah right, in trouble of being raped by a gay guy…okaaaaaay.” Adrian stared at her face until she looked into his eyes, and then he ground his throbbing cock, which was hard as granite, into her hip. “What on earth gave you the idea I was gay?” “Well let me see,” she said while laughing again, “maybe the way you two look at each other, and the fact I just saw you”—she glanced over at Nikkos—“sucking on his”—she looked at Adrian—“neck a few minutes ago. So don’t tell me that little hard-on you have is for me. I saw it popping up long before I stood up in front of you.” She truly believed they were gay, which made this even worse. When she found out they weren’t, she would be terrified and try to run away again. Maybe they should continue to let her think that for a while until they could gain her trust. The only problem with that was that Adrian could think of nothing at the moment save being inside her. Well, that and maybe Nikkos joining them. He’d always thought that he was gay, so maybe she was right, maybe he was really just turned on by Nikkos and was using her to make it okay. He looked at Nikkos and then back at Anstice. Nope, not gay, not straight, guess you call that bi? Or just fucking confused? The only thing he knew was that if they both didn’t get out of that room, all three of them were going to end up naked and sweaty for hours. As much as he wanted that, and thought maybe Nikkos was thinking the same thing, the way he was looking at them, he knew he would scare the female away for good, and that he couldn’t handle. Hell, they had fucked women together before, and it was fine. But Adrian had only done it so that he could be closer to Nikkos. This woman was different. As much as he wanted to be with her right now, he knew he had to wait. He needed to get off of her, but he couldn’t make his body move. She had teased them both, and he had to teach her a lesson. He straightened his arms and took some of his weight off of her. He

60

Kasey Dean

wedged his knee between her thighs and urged her legs apart. She was still laughing. He pushed his knee up farther until his thigh was against her pussy. It looked like she was turned on by gay guys, because she was soaked. Not only could he feel her slickness, but Adrian could now smell her feminine scent. The smell of white jasmine was so strong he thought maybe everyone in the house would be able to smell her. Which would be a bad thing. There were several unmated warriors in the house today. Bending his arms a little, he bent his head and took that rosy, pierced nipple between his lips. She stopped breathing. He could smell her arousal but could find no hint of fear. Sucking the nipple deeper into his mouth, he latched onto it with his teeth. One of his fangs was around each end of the barbell. He gave a little tug, and she came right there under him. His leg was soaked, and it was all he could do to stop himself from losing his boxers and driving into her. Now that he had her full attention, he looked into her eyes. “I’m. Not. Gay!” With that, he pushed off the bed, reached his hand down between her legs, and wiped the evidence of her orgasm from her pussy, which caused her to moan for more. Adrian closed his eyes and slowly licked her sweet nectar from his fingers, making sure to get every last drop. “Heaven,” he said. It was the only word he could think of to describe it. “Maybe he wanted a taste,” she said, pointing toward Nikkos, still a little out of breath. “I’d give him one, but I licked them clean already. Maybe you should spread your legs farther and let him have his own taste.” “Or maybe you could be a good friend and share.” “Really, how would you like me to do that?” he asked with a laugh. She looked him in the eye as if to make sure he understood exactly what she was about to say. “Kiss him.”


61

Both men’s jaws dropped in awe. Nikkos sputtered, “You…you want him to kiss me?” “Yeah, it would be the polite thing for him to do if I taste as good as he says.” Adrian wasn’t sure if this was a test or what game the little female was playing, so he looked to Nikkos for some direction. Nikkos looked down at her and asked, “You really think you wanna see two males kiss?” “Yeah, I think I can handle it. Unless of course, you aren’t up for it.” She glanced down at the two hard cocks the males were both sporting. Adrian knew what she saw, and they were up for something, all right, but should they actually kiss each other? She had thought they were gay, but she seemed to having second thoughts. Adrian had hoped there was more to his and Nikkos’ friendship, but he wasn’t sure how far to take it in front of her. **** They looked at each other for a long time, trying to decide what to do. They had kissed before, but this was different. This was in front of a female they both thought belonged to them. If they did this, she would surely never believe she was theirs and would never be with them. Although if Nikkos was right, they all belonged together. It was inevitable. Maybe this kiss would be what brought them all together. Nikkos looked at Adrian’s full lips and licked his own. He was really going to kiss his friend in front of someone else. That made him think Adrian was right after all. Nikkos did worry what other people thought about him, and that was why he never told his friend he loved him before. Well, he was done being scared about what others thought. Besides, he actually wanted the female to know how he felt for Adrian, because no matter what anyone thought, the three of them were going to be together. He stepped in close to Adrian’s chest, lifted his arm, and placed

62

Kasey Dean

his palm on the male’s cheek. Slowly, he tilted his head to the side and placed his lips on the soft fullness of Adrian’s. The world moved. It actually moved. He had to wrap his free arm around Adrian’s waist to steady himself. This kiss was even better than the one earlier, maybe because with the female here, watching them and wanting them to be together, they were now complete. Slowly, they pulled apart and looked down at her. She lay there watching, and Nikkos could smell her arousal flaring once again. This was good, so good. She watched them kiss each other and was turned on by it. At last they were together where they belonged, and she had brought them there. There was a knock at the door. Nikkos stayed where he was, arm wrapped around Adrian’s waist, which he was sure surprised Adrian because Nikkos always kept his distance when there were others around. Thanatos, Nikkos’ cousin and trainee, spoke from the other side of the door. “Nikkos, are you coming, and have you seen Adrian? You’re both late for the meeting.” “He’s here with me. Go down to the training center, we’ll be there in a few minutes.” “Think you could make it quick? We don’t have all night.” Adrian actually growled toward the door. “You might want to remember who you’re talking to, boy.” He always put others in their place for speaking to Nikkos with disrespect, even if Nikkos didn’t want him to. Nikkos knew he couldn’t help it. It was bred into him at a young age. With a shaky voice, the male on the other side of the door replied, “Yes, Adrian. My apologies, Nikkos, my Prigkipas.” Nikkos looked at Anstice to see if she knew what the other male had just called him. He didn’t think she understood. Thank the gods. He didn’t want her to know he was the prince just yet. He looked at Adrian and said, “I hate when he calls me that. Next time break his jaw so he can’t talk for a few days.”


63

“Yes, my Kyrios,” Adrian said with a smirk and a slight bow of his head. Adrian was the only one that could tease him about his family tree and get away with it. “Shut up, smart-ass, and let’s get to the meeting.” Nikkos turned to the bed and pointed toward the bathroom. “The shower’s in there if you feel up to taking one. We have a meeting, but we’ll be in the house if you need us. Just pick up the phone and dial pound-nine for me and pound-eight for Adrian. We sent someone out for clothes for you. As soon as they get back, one of us will bring them up to you. Unless you would like to stay naked. Do not leave this room, and do not open the door for anyone.” With that, they both turned and left the room. Nikkos turned the key in the lock and removed it. He didn’t want to keep her prisoner, but at the same time didn’t want anyone else getting into the bedroom.

64

Kasey Dean

Chapter Nine Anstice had always thought of herself as an open-minded person, and the fact that she just came by someone that she thought was gay proved it. Not to mention that he hadn’t even penetrated her. He made her come by biting her nipple with his fangs. Yup, fangs. She was a freak after all. People had always said that to her, but she never really believed it. Now she had proof. She was in a house with people who thought they were vampires, and she wasn’t sure if they wanted her or each other more. She couldn’t believe she had told them to kiss and they had actually done it. She really couldn’t believe that it had turned her on as much as it had. God, she was losing her mind, she had to get out of this house before she went any more insane than she already was. The thing was, did she really want to leave so soon, and what exactly did she have to get right back to? Not much of anything. She worked and went out with some friends on the weekends if she didn’t have to work, which wasn’t very often. She had only a few not-soclose friends. She could call them and let them know she was okay, and she would take some time off from work. She had a lot of vacation time she never used. She knew deep down that she should leave and get as far away from these men as possible. Just being around them had clouded her judgment. She didn’t want anything to do with any man. Especially one that had so much control over her body and mind. There was something that drew her toward both of them. She couldn’t explain it. She had never felt this way for any man before. She could tell they were dangerous, yet she was so attracted to them she wanted to stay and see what they could offer. She knew they


65

would take care of all her needs if she just gave in and let them. Maybe she should stick around for a while. She was trying to decide what to do when she realized she still hadn’t moved since they had left. She lay there sprawled out on the bed, legs spread where Adrian had left them. She decided she should get up. The only problem was she didn’t want to. She wanted to stay right there and wait for one or both of them to come back and see what would happen. As tempted as she was, she really did need a shower. Anstice walked into the bathroom and froze. She knew the bedroom was huge and Nikkos must have a lot of money, but she had no idea how much until she walked into his bathroom. It was all black marble veined with red. There were not just two but three sinks up against the wall that was lined with mirrors and enough lights to light up Broadway. In the corner, there was a shower big enough for about six people. She opened the door and counted the showerheads twice. Ten, there were ten showerheads at all different heights. Who needed that many? Next to the shower there was a huge sunken tub with about twenty jets and room for as many people. She wondered how many times they’d had parties in this room and how many times the two had been together in here. Why was the thought of other people being in the tub making her jealous? Maybe they liked it in the shower, water hitting them from every direction, one holding the other against the wall. God, she had to stop thinking this way if she was ever going to take a shower. The ten showerheads were amazing. She was right, they probably did like the shower. The water hitting her from every direction had her skin tingling more than it did before. She couldn’t help herself. She was so turned-on still that she reached her hand down between her legs and started rubbing her sensitive nub. She was right on the edge. “You really shouldn’t be doing that.” She heard the deep voice

66

Kasey Dean

come from outside the shower door. She’d had enough of these men pushing her around. She opened the door and informed him, “If you don’t like it, don’t watch,” and then slammed the door shut again. Of course he wasn’t going to let that go. He wrenched the door open so hard, she was surprised it didn’t come off the hinges. “I didn’t say I didn’t like it. Don’t you remember what Adrian said about being connected to me?” “Yeah, I remember his saying something like that, what does that have to do with anything?” “I could feel your need to be sated from the other side of the mansion. Do you have any idea what it feels like to have someone needing to be fucked as bad as you do and to try to be a decent male and let her come to you when she is ready?” “What do you mean you could feel my need? Does that mean anytime I’m turned on you will know and feel the need to come and sate me?” “Since my blood is now in your veins, I can now feel all your emotions and be able to find you whenever I want. I could feel how aroused you were and your need for release. And yes, anytime you need me, I will need to be there.” “How close do you have to be to feel me?” “There is no distance your need cannot cross to find me.” “What if it isn’t you I need?” Even with the water hot enough to cause the mirrors to steam up, the temperature dropped and goose bumps popped up all over her body. He stalked into the shower, clothes and all. She could see her breath. He wrapped one hand around the nape of her neck and the other around her throat. He wasn’t hurting her, but there was no hope of her moving without him letting her. “Get this right, right now, female. You. Will. Want. No. One. But me. Ever again. Any other male that comes near you or you feel that you need will not see his next breath. You will only be with me from now on. You were made for me and no one else.”


67

“So can you feel all girls’ needs like that or am I just special?” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. She didn’t even flinch. He looked very serious when he had grabbed her by the throat, and he was probably trying to make sure she knew that she would put any other male in danger just by being near him. She wasn’t intimidated. She just looked up at him like they were having this conversation over tea instead of her naked in the shower with his hands wrapped around her neck. He tightened his grip and lifted her off the shower floor by her neck. He held her there, not tight enough to cut off her airway, just tight enough to let her know how serious he was. “Did you hear what I said? Any male that comes near you will die by my hands.” “Yeah, I heard you. So what about your friend, Adrian?” “I will kill anyone that comes near him, too.” “That’s what I thought. So why didn’t you kill us both in the bedroom just now? He was definitely touching me, and since you can sense my needs, you could probably tell I was needy and more than willing to take whatever he wanted to offer in there. Is that why he stopped, or did he just not want an audience?” “Trust me, neither of us is shy or has inhibitions with having an audience. The reason I did not hurt either of you and let what went on happen is because there is something about you that we both seem to need. It’s hard to explain, and I still haven’t figured it out, but I’m working on it.” “How long is it gonna take for you to figure it out, and how long are you going to keep me here?” “I don’t know yet, and as long as you’ll stay.” “So does that mean I’m free to go if I want to?” “If that is your wish. But know this—you will not be leaving without both of us with you. I’m not sure how or why, but the three of us belong together, and we will be.” She put her hands on his wrists. “I don’t wanna go anywhere. I was just asking.” She licked her lips and stared at his lips. “Now that

68

Kasey Dean

we have that established, either let go of my neck or kiss me.” She wasn’t afraid of him. If anything she was more turned on now than before he had found her in the shower touching herself. **** He couldn’t believe she was real and that he had finally found her. He knew somehow she was made for him and Adrian, but would kissing her without Adrian there be all right with the other male? Guess he didn’t have to worry about that. From behind him he heard, “Kiss her already, before I do.” He wanted to be gentle with her. He wasn’t sure why. She looked like she liked it rough, and she surely wasn’t afraid of him. Slowly, he lowered his lips to hers, still keeping both hands firmly around her neck. The kiss might have been gentle, but the feel of her slender neck under his huge palms was too much to give up. His lips landed on hers, and a jolt of lightening hit him, knocking his breath out of his body. He couldn’t do gentle anymore. He tightened his grip on her throat and pushed her up higher on the wall of the shower. She was right against one of the lower showerheads, and he knew it was digging into her back. He didn’t care. She had pushed him, and now he was going to take it to the end just as hard as her fragile human body could take it. He had seen her back through the shower door before he said anything, and miraculously it was completely healed. He knew she was fine. Not only could he feel her need and arousal from anywhere in the world, but if she were in pain, he would be able to feel that, too, and need to help her. He could shield himself from her to make it easier. If he couldn’t feel all her emotions, he wouldn’t be so distracted by her. But he wanted to feel her and know where she was, what she was doing, and with whom. His kind was also able to shield themselves from those they had fed from, but he wasn’t sure if he could teach the human to do that or if he even


69

wanted to. The only thing they couldn’t shield was their location, which came in handy sometimes when one of his brothers that had fed from him was injured and needed help. The only reason they all carried locators on them was so they could be triggered if they were in trouble. They could be located quicker. She hadn’t technically fed from him. They had given her his blood by transfusion, but apparently the effects were the same. If she was a vampire, too, and he took her blood, she would be able to feel his emotions, too, but since she was human he didn’t think it would work that way. He was ready to find out, though. He had smelled her blood when she was hurt, and his fangs ached to taste her. He knew he had to wait then, but now that she was healed he needed to taste her. Soon. Adrian watched him as Nikkos held the little human up by her neck against the wall. Her feet weren’t even touching the ground. He could feel Adrian’s worry but Nikkos would not hurt her any more than he would physically hurt Adrian. Nikkos lifted his head and looked down at her. He could tell his eyes were glowing again. “Do your eyes always do that?” He didn’t answer her, just said, “You wanna do this here or in the bedroom?” “Define ‘this.’” “You asked for a kiss. Sorry, but I can’t stop at just a kiss. I’m gonna be inside you as soon as I can get these clothes off, so decide now, here or in the bed?” “Well you better keep your clothes on a little longer, cuz I’m gonna enjoy this gorgeous shower a little before you get what you want.” Like that was going to happen. His hands tightened even more around her neck. “I know you did not just tell me no.” He could tell she had to fight for air a little. “No, I didn’t say no. I just said you would have to wait awhile. I have an idea, why don’t you two go in the bedroom and start without me, and I’ll join you when I’m done in here.”

70

Kasey Dean

Adrian stepped up beside Nikkos. “Sorry, not gonna happen, you’re going with us right now, or we’re taking you right here in the shower.” She just looked at him from under her lashes, grinning like she was sweet and innocent. He looked at Nikkos. “Let’s go. Bring her now.”


71

Chapter Ten Nikkos released her throat, kept one hand tight against her nape, and reached the other hand down around her tight ass to lift her up. She didn’t seem like she was going to fight them. When he reached her ass, it only took a slight nudge for her to lift both legs up to wrap them around his waist. Adrian led the way into the bedroom, losing the jeans he had put on before they left the bathroom. Nikkos carried her into the bedroom with his tongue exploring the inside of her mouth. Adrian stopped in front of the bed and waited for the other two to reach him. He and Nikkos had been with women at the same time before, but somehow they both knew this time was going to be different. Nikkos passed the little female over to Adrian’s arms so he could remove his clothes. She wasted no time wrapping her arms and legs around the other male and opening her mouth for his tongue. Oh yeah, this was going to be amazing. Females had always been into being with the two warriors, sometimes at the same time. He knew Adrian was never really into it, but went along anyway. But they had never found one that could truly handle both of them, not even females of their own race. This little one being held by Adrian was different. She was going to be able to handle anything the two males could give to her, and she was going to give back what they needed. Not only that, but she seemed to want to see them together. He wasn’t sure how far she would want them to take it, but they were soon going to find out. Adrian laid her down on the bed and lay on top of her, and Nikkos hoped the little moan she gave meant Adrian’s weight on top of her

72

Kasey Dean

was just right. Adrian was trailing kisses down her neck while Nikkos stood by the bed, watching. The difference between the two males was like night and day. Adrian was gentle, where Nikkos had been rough and demanding. She caught Nikkos’s eye and motioned for him to lie down next to them. Nikkos took the hint and sprawled out on the bed next to them, watching and wanting. She reached out, pulled him close, and pulled his mouth to hers. While Adrian was kissing and licking her neck, she explored the inside of Nikkos’s mouth. Nikkos could taste Adrian on her tongue. It was amazing how good he tasted, like dark spices and coffee. He could tell she was so turned on. She pulled away from Nikkos and lifted Adrian’s chin until they both looked at her. Nikkos thought she was trying to stop them, but when he looked into her eyes moving between the two of them, he had an idea of what she really wanted. They looked at each other and back at her. She nibbled on one of the black rings in her bottom lip and nodded her head. Nikkos knew for sure what she wanted them to do. They looked into each other’s eyes, and she gently pushed their heads together. As they got closer, her breathing sped up and became shallow. He could tell she was really, truly turned on by the thought of them kissing. Their lips met, and the scent of her arousal overpowered the entire room. It was even stronger than the spice, musk, and woods scent of both of the males combined. **** Adrian kept his lips locked onto Nikkos’s while he ground his cock into Anstice’s hip. He wanted to be inside her more than he wanted to take his next breath. Or did he want to be inside Nikkos? He was so confused, and he had no idea what he was doing. He wanted them both, but he was afraid. That was why he never told Nikkos how he really felt. He knew it would drive the male away. If he let out his true feelings and did what he thought was about to


73

happen, would it change things between them? Adrian froze and pulled away a little. Somehow the little female could read him and knew what he was thinking. “We’ll take it slow for now. We won’t do anything that everyone isn’t comfortable with. I’m not sure how far you two wanna take this, but let’s just go with it and see where it goes. If you wanna just kiss each other, that’s fine with me. If you decide you want more, that is definitely okay with me, too, but I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do.” They both stared down at her. Nikkos was the one that spoke up. “You really think you can make us do things?” With a look of pure sex and sin, she said, “I somehow have the feeling you may just do anything I ask you to.” Damn it! She was probably right. She was their mate, and they would both have a hard time not doing everything she wanted them to. But she didn’t need to know that right now. She would find out soon enough, and then they would both be in trouble from her needs and desires. “I think it’s more along the lines of we can make you do whatever we want you to,” Adrian said while taking her nipple into his mouth. The tough little female was back again. “I think I can handle anything you two can dish out. So what exactly do you wanna do?” she asked as she spread her legs wider and his huge body sank deeper between them. The head of his throbbing cock touched her pussy, and they both shivered from the contact. He looked into her steel-gray eyes. “I want to be inside you now!” With that, he surged forward and buried himself to the hilt into her tight, wet heat. The feeling was so intense, he knew he would not last long, especially when her slick walls started contracting around him. One thrust and she was coming with such force, Nikkos covered her mouth with his and swallowed her moan. Adrian watched as Anstice bit her bottom lip. It was obvious she

74

Kasey Dean

wanted them all to participate, but he wasn’t sure if he and Nikkos were willing to go further than kissing and maybe touching each other. She looked at him and said, “I wanna taste you.” “Of course.” He leaned into her, but she stopped him and looked down his body. “Not your mouth,” she replied, breathless. Nikkos hesitated as if he was thinking about what she meant. Once Adrian saw him understand, it didn’t take him that long to move his body up the bed so his cock was level with her head. Adrian was above her, thrusting slowly into her. He watched as her lips parted and she took Nikkos into her mouth, stretching her mouth wide with the size of him. Nikkos groaned from what he assumed was pleasure. He could see the rings in her bottom lip and couldn’t help but wonder how they would feel sliding across his cock. Adrian wished it was his mouth but knew that this was for the best for now, knew they had to take it slow if this was going to work. She was stroking his cock with her tongue and her hand. Adrian could only imagine. Nikkos whimpered when she removed her mouth from him, but she continued to stroke him with her hand. Pulling Adrian down close, she shared the taste of Nikkos’s pre-cum with him. Tasting Nikkos on her tongue was too much. With a hard thrust, he came deep inside the tight pussy of his mate. **** Nikkos watched as Adrian’s back arched, and he thrust deeper into Anstice, leaving his seed deep inside her. He wanted to be inside her, too, having his seed mix with Adrian’s. When he was sure the other male was spent, he gently laid a hand on his shoulder. Black eyes looked up at him. “Perfect.” He whispered. It seemed to be the only word he could utter. Adrian didn’t look like he wanted to leave the haven of his


75

female, but he must have known Nikkos needed her as much as he did. Adrian slowly pulled out and lay next to her, gently kneading her breast. Nikkos watched as she shivered under his palms. Nikkos wanted to be gentle with the female but somehow knew it wasn’t going to happen. Adrian was the gentle lover, not him. He roughly flipped her over and pulled her ass to him so she was on all fours, leaning over Adrian’s head. Her entire back was covered in a tattoo of angel wings. Even through the tattoo of the phoenix on her shoulder they could see the burn scar and what looked like a bullet wound. It was the same side as the scar up the back of her arm, and he wondered if they were done at the same time. He didn’t want to think of the pain from the injuries she must have endured to cause that much scarring. At least thanks to his blood, the wounds from the four bullets they had taken out of her were healed and didn’t scar. The weirdest thing was that all of the bullets had missed her wings, It was if they were truly angel wings and were protected. Shaking the thought from his head, he looked down at her sweet pussy. He knew the glistening wetness was a combination of her sweet nectar and Adrian’s, and he knew he had to be in it. He took her hard and fast, driving into her. He gathered her hair up and wrapped it around his fist, pulling her head back, exposing her neck to Adrian. Nikkos watched Adrian lick his lips while watching her throbbing pulse. He saw Adrian’s fangs lengthen as he lifted his head and sunk his fangs into her neck. He watched Adrian carefully swallow her blood. Her walls tightened around him, and he could tell the orgasm that shot through her was strong. She screamed so loud that he froze. Panting, she said, “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.” Her pussy tightened around Nikkos, so tight he could barely move, and he could smell her blood. He wanted a taste, too. While still pounding into her, he leaned over and sunk his fangs into the other side of her neck. Both males fed from their female while Nikkos

76

Kasey Dean

came and mixed his seed with Adrian’s deep inside her where they would both always be a part of her. When both of their hungers were sated, they licked her neck to stop the bleeding and heal her wounds, leaving small telltale marks that she belonged to them. To anyone of their race, it was clear she was marked by them and not just by the marks on her neck. The mating scent they had both been emitting while having sex with her would be obvious to all males of their race, and if they were smart they would keep their distance. When Nikkos left her body and released her hair, she just about collapsed onto Adrian. If it hadn’t been for Nikkos’s arm around her waist, she would have. He turned her over and gently laid her on the bed. Her eyes fluttered a little, and they both stopped breathing. Oh gods, they had both fed from her at the same time. They had taken too much. Adrian rolled onto his side and put his palm on the side of her face. “Cardia mou, open your eyes for me.” She just smiled a little, brought her index finger to her lips, and said, “Shhhh, go to sleep.” “No, little one, please look at me, are you okay?” “Okay? I’m better than okay. I’ve never felt this good in my life. Just don’t let it go to your heads. Remember, it took both of you to make me feel this good,” she said with a sly grin on her face. Yeah, she was fine, she was teasing them again. “Now just lie with me and go to sleep. You’re gonna need your energy later.” Nikkos chuckled. “Oh yeah, why is that?” “Trust me, I’m far from done with the two of you.”


77

Chapter Eleven Osias, leader of the warriors, had explained to Thanatos that he was worried about Nikkos and Adrian. They had both shown up for the meeting and evaluation of the new recruits but had only stayed minutes. Thanatos didn’t see what the big deal was. He knew the female that had saved Adrian was still in the house and believed it had something to do with her. Nonetheless, Osias had said he needed to find out what was going on. He could not leave the class the first day of their weapons training, so he sent Thanatos into the house to look for them and report back. Thanatos did not really want to go and find the prince and his friend. He had already pissed off Adrian earlier when he went to Nikkos’s room looking for the two males so they could start the meeting. However, Osias had told him to do something. No matter how much he didn’t want to, he knew he had to go, no questions asked. He was the leader of the warriors for a reason. He was the oldest known vampire alive and definitely the strongest. Some said he would be the salvation of their race and would bring peace to their world. Thanatos stood outside Nikkos’s room and knew by the scents coming from the room what was keeping Nikkos from returning to the training. The strong scent of mating permeated the room even through the three-inch-thick, solid-wood door. Not just sex, but the smell a male emits when he wants to mark his mate as being taken. He was going to turn around and go back to Osias to report his findings when he smelled something that he shouldn’t wafting under the door. Two males? He could smell the distinct scent of two

78

Kasey Dean

different males coming from the room. Did they both mate with the female? If so, were they both still alive? Two males did not mate with the same female ever. They may have a little fun with a female together but never when it came to a mate. Mates were never shared. He had to check on the prince. He didn’t think his best friend would ever harm him, but when it came to a female anything was possibly with their race. He knocked lightly on the door. No response. He knocked a little harder and still got nothing from the other side. It was his duty as a warrior trainee to see to the safety of the prince, and if he was in danger he had to do something. Yeah right. That’s what he told himself anyway. He opened the door slowly, and the scents from the room overwhelmed him. There were definitely two males mating in here, but he could also smell the female. There was only a single candle lit by the bed, but he could tell there was someone in the bed. He approached slowly to see who it was and if they were injured. As he got closer, he saw the dragon and phoenix tattoo covering the back facing him. He knew the tattoo well. It was Nikkos, and he could see the slight movement of his body as he breathed slow and even. It looked like his body was wrapped around someone else’s. Nikkos was alive, but what about the other male? And where was the female? Thanatos took a few more steps closer so he could see over the huge male to who he was lying with. The sight he saw froze him to the floor. On the other side of Nikkos, lying on his back, was Adrian, and both males were naked. Nikkos’s head was on Adrian’s arm and his arm was draped over Adrian’s stomach. They looked so comfortable, like they had done this forever. Maybe they had. Thanatos always thought that those two were too close to each other, and come to think of it, he had seen them leaving each other’s rooms late at night or early in the morning. Holy shit, they were gay, and they were lovers. The prince of their race, the one who was supposed to be king, was gay. How the hell was he supposed to report this to Osias? He would never believe him.


79

Then he got thinking, maybe this was his chance. He was Nikkos’s cousin and would replace him as prince and eventually king. If Nikkos did something to disgrace the crown, he would be the new prince of the race, and he wouldn’t be waiting around for Nikkos’s brother to return from the dead to ascend to the throne as king. They all knew Nikkos’s brother was dead, but since no body had ever been recovered, Nikkos still seemed to be holding out for him to return. Nikkos was the oldest, but anyone in the immediate royal family could take over the crown. There hadn’t been a king since Nikkos’s mother and stepfather had died. Thanatos thought it was time for that to change, and if Nikkos didn’t want to be king he would gladly take the position. Yes, this was a good day indeed. He would be king, and all he had to do was show Osias what he saw. With his plan still forming, he headed back the training center. He had to get Osias up to the bedroom before the two males woke and covered up what they had done. **** “Osias, I need you to come with me right now,” Thanatos said quietly so the other trainees did not hear him. “I’m busy. It will have to wait. Did you find Nikkos and Adrian? Are they coming back to the training?” “Yes, I found them, and they are not coming back down. That is why you need to come with me.” “Are they okay? Is the female okay? Is she still here? What is the problem?” “They are fine. I don’t know about the female or where she is, though. I did not see her.” Osias was getting irritated by the kiss-ass in front of him. He was always doing something to make himself look good and other people look bad. “Just tell me what is going on,” he spat. “Daskalos, this you have to see with your own eyes. Please just

80

Kasey Dean

trust me. You need to come upstairs right now.” Osias did not like the sound of this. Something was going on and he was not going to like it. He motioned for Marcus to take over the target-shooting class he was currently teaching and followed Than up the stairs toward Nikkos’s room. When they got outside the room, Thanatos told him to be quiet and started opening the door. Osias stopped him. “You don’t just walk into the prince’s room without his permission.” “I knocked earlier and did not get a response. I thought it my duty to see that the prince was safe, so I went in, and you would not believe what I found. This you must see. Please be quiet. We wouldn’t want to wake him.” With that, he pushed the door open just far enough for the two to enter. As they got closer to the bed, Osias could tell that Nikkos was not alone, and he could also tell the person he was wrapped around was way too big to be the female they had brought home. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach that it was Adrian, and as he approached the side of the bed, his fears were realized. He put his hand to his face and shook his head just as Thanatos whispered, “You must do something, daskalos. You know this to be wrong whether he is the prince or not.” So that was what Thanatos was up to. He knew he was next in line for the throne, but he never thought he would stoop this low. Osias had known for a long time that there was more between Nikkos and Adrian than friendship, but he didn’t think that they would ever take it this far. By the smell of both male’s mating scent in the room, they had taken their relationship as far as it could go. But wait. There was another scent here that wasn’t quite right. He got closer to the bed, where he could smell the white jasmine and cherry blossoms stronger. Osias was relieved. The little female was tucked in between the two males. Her head on Adrian’s shoulder, her hand under Nikkos’s where it lay across Adrian stomach. She was so well covered by the two males one had to get almost on top of the bed


81

to see her. Adrian spoke without opening his eyes. “If you are done intruding on the Prigkipas private quarters and through with your attempt at tarnishing his name, you can now leave this house, and do not return until invited to.” He moved the arm that was under Nikkos’s head just a little and Thanatos saw the black blade in his hand. “If I have to ask a second time, you will need to be carried from the place.” Osias grabbed a handful of Thanatos’s hair and started dragging him from the room. “We are sorry for interrupting your slumber, Adrian.” Osias may have been the leader of the warriors and the oldest of their race, but no one was above being punished by Adrian when it came to Nikkos’s safety. Nikkos and Adrian had been best friends from birth. Osias knew Adrian was five days older than Nikkos, and he always reminded him of it. He had also explained to him once that since Nikkos was the prince of their entire race, it made Adrian believe he had to always protect Nikkos. It didn’t matter who you were, you didn’t mess with Nikkos without feeling Adrian’s wrath. It had gotten worse when both Nikkos’s and Adrian’s parents were killed eleven years ago. Adrian had moved into the mansion, and the two were literally inseparable. Adrian would give his life for Nikkos, and everyone knew it. “Osias, you are always welcome, but please make sure I do not see the piece of shit next to you for a long time,” Adrian replied without even looking at them. Osias shut the door as he yanked Thanatos face to face with him. “Leave this house and do not return. You have disgraced not only yourself, but me also with your stupidity.” Thanatos studied his feet and looked like wanted to argue but must have thought better of it “Yes, daskalos.” Osias replied, “And stop calling me your teacher. You are nothing to me until Nikkos and Adrian forgive you for what you have done.”

82

Kasey Dean

**** After Nikkos heard the door shut, he opened his eyes and looked at Adrian’s beautiful face in the candlelight. The male looked so calm, most would think he was sleeping, but Nikkos knew from the first time he heard the door open that Adrian was well aware of everything that was going on. Adrian had always protected him, and he knew he always would. Nikkos had been tempted to move from the bed the first time he’d heard Thanatos knocking, but he knew that he was done hiding his feelings for Adrian from everyone, consequences be damned. He knew that it was going to be a long road ahead of them, with many people saying and doing things to separate them, but he also knew that they would make it work somehow. He just stared at him until Adrian turned his head toward him and opened his dark eyes. There were no words that needed to be said— Adrian said it all with one look. He loved Nikkos, and no one would ever come between them again. Well, except the female that was right now sleeping soundly between the two males. Right where she belonged. Adrian angled his head and kissed Nikkos on the forehead. “Sleep,” he said and closed his eyes. They were all finally right where they belonged. Nikkos couldn’t help but think of all the problems that they were going to have to face to stay together. Thanatos was not the only member of their race that thought men should not be together. There were quite a few that would react the same way and try to tear them apart.


83

Chapter Twelve Thanatos was headed downtown, where he was sure to find a least one kynigos. He knew that by doing what he was about to do it would be a death sentence if anyone were to find out. That was why he had waited a week before going out on his search. He knew if he had acted the night he was kicked out of the mansion, Osias would have suspected him immediately. No one needed a male like Nikkos as the king of their race. How could he rule his people during the night and sleep with another male during the day? They all knew that it was wrong for two males to be together, and they still were sinning behind closed doors, thinking they were going to get away with it. Well, he had news for both of them. They would not get away with it for long. If it meant both of their deaths, so be it. He could justify his actions, and they were a disgrace to the entire race. To take his place as the king, he only had to get rid of Nikkos but knew that Adrian would fight to the death for his friend, so he would kill two birds with one stone. When he got to downtown, he went straight to The DarkRoom. A heavy-metal night club where someone could find anything from alcohol to sex and enough drugs to make one forget their own name. He could care less about all of that tonight. What he was looking for he would find lurking outside the club, waiting for one of his kind to make a mistake. Now the trick was to convince them that the information he had for them would be worth sparing his life. He knew if he could stall them long enough to give them the location of the prince, he would be free of his reign forever.

84

Kasey Dean

He walked past the front door, where many young males of his race were standing in line waiting to get inside. When he got to the alleyway, he didn’t need to look any further. Standing in the shadows, he saw three pale faces and the slight red glow of their eyes. Taking a deep breath, he approached them slowly, hands raised, showing them he had no weapons in his hands. They were not stupid, and neither was he. They all knew he was armed, but by showing his hands he hoped they would understand he didn’t want to fight. “I have important information for you about how to locate our prince.” The three of them looked at each other as if trying to decide if this was a trap. The one that seemed to be the leader spoke up. “Why would you give us information on your prince?” “Because he has disgraced our people for the last time, and something needs to be done about him.” “You look like a warrior. Why don’t you do something about him?” “Unfortunately I cannot get access to him at this time, and he needs to be taken out soon.” “How do we know this is not a trap?” “You don’t, but I have no other way of getting rid of him except to tell you where he will be tomorrow night and hope that you are man enough to take care of him.” “Okay, so where will he be tomorrow night?” Thanatos pointed to the club. “Here, he is always at this club on Saturday nights. You should be warned that he will have a bodyguard with him that will have to be taken care of at the same time, or you will fail and you will all be killed. The bodyguard is the strongest male of our race and will be very difficult to kill, but it is possible. They will probably have a little human female with them, and she is the key to killing both of them. They believe her to be their mate and will die for her as sure as they would die for each other. If you can hurt or kill the female, they will be so distressed that they will be


85

easily defeated.” With everything said, he turned his back on the kynigos and walked out of the alley. **** Damian was standing in line at The DarkRoom with others from his class, waiting for his chance to get in and finally see the inside of the club. This was their first night out since they started their training, and he knew there was going to be trouble when he saw Thanatos. He hadn’t liked the other male from the first time he’d met him in training. Thanatos was a second-year trainee but seemed to spend most of his time trying to cause trouble for others. Damian was right. Thanatos walked past the line directly into the alley and up to a trio of kynigos. Damian had seen them when they entered the alleyway and had sent a text message to Osias so that he could send a warrior or two out. Damian knew it was against the rules to approach them while in training, and they were only allowed to fight in self-defense and as a last resort. If they could get away from the fight, they were to get out and call for a warrior to come in and take down the kynigos. After Damian had sent the text to Osias, he had hidden around the corner of the building to watch the kynigos. He didn’t want to be seen by them, so he made sure to stay in the shadows. He knew he was well hidden when Thanatos didn’t even see him. When he saw Thanatos approaching them with his hands raised in the air, he thought he was baiting them, until he heard words that made his blood run cold. “I have important information for you about how to locate our prince.” He had heard rumors that Thanatos was the prince’s cousin, and he would do anything to overthrow him and take the crown, but he never in a million years could guess he would stoop this low. He sent another text telling Osias to hurry, hoping that someone else besides him and the other new recruits would hear the traitor.

86

Kasey Dean

He immediately got a text back that all the other warriors were busy and that Nikkos himself was on his way. Adrian was coming, too, but Nikkos would be there quicker. Well shit, now what was he going to do? If Nikkos came, he would be in danger, as he was sure that Thanatos would not lift a hand to help him. He may even fight against him. He hit Osias back with another text. Tell Nikkos not to come. He will be in danger. Thanatos plotting against him with kynigos. It seemed like time stood still while Damian waited for a reply from Osias that he had gotten the message and stopped Nikkos. When the text came back, he couldn’t believe it. Can’t reach Nikkos, should be there ASAP, who is with you and are you armed? Damian sent back the names of the four other trainees with him and that they all had their daggers issued to them for protection at the beginning of training. And then he waited again. The text that came back shocked him even more. Protect the prince at all costs! Damian showed the texts to his friends, and they immediately palmed their daggers. They knew their role in protecting the prince and all civilians of their race. This was what they were training for. The kynigos were hunting their kind to extinction, and they needed to protect every life, no matter what. The kynigos had always been enemies to the vampire race. They had started out as humans that had been recruited by the goddess Nyx to punish Zeus for killing her son. Zeus’s wife Hera had created the vampires and Nyx wanted revenge for her son’s death. She gifted the kynigos with extra sense and strength needed to fight the vampires. The vampires were still stronger, but the kynigos were greater in number, making them a threat to the entire vampire race. While the vampires tried to keep their race hidden from the humans, the kynigos had no problems making the presence known. This put the vampires at a disadvantage when it came to fighting in the human world. They were ready to


87

protect the prince, should he need it, but where was he? There was no sign of Nikkos when Thanatos turned his back on the kynigos and walked out of the alley. He walked right past Damian and his friends without even glancing at them. As soon as he was out of sight, Nikkos came around the opposite corner and walked toward the alley. Damian knew he needed to tell Nikkos what he had overheard, but he also knew that the kynigos needed to be taken care of before they could report their information back to the rest of them. He approached Nikkos before he got to the alley and caught his attention. “There are three of them in the alley, and Thanatos just left,” he told the prince. “What was Thanatos doing here?” “He was giving information about you, Adrian, and a female to the kynigos.” The burst of cold that came from Nikkos was enough to chill Damian to the bone. “Get inside and stay out of this. I can handle it, and Adrian will be here in a few minutes,” Nikkos told him as he turned toward the alley. “Apologies, Prigkipas, but Osias told us to protect you at all costs.” “I’m sure I will be fine. I don’t need protection. Go inside where it is safe.” “Beg your pardon, Prigkipas, but we took an oath to protect our kind and assist you in any way we can.” “You can assist me by going inside so I do not have to worry about you getting killed,” Nikkos said, growling at the trainees. Adrian stepped up behind the trainees and agreed with Nikkos. “We’ll be fine, go inside.” As much as they wanted to follow Osias’s orders, no one argued with Adrian. The meaning of Adrian’s name in Greek was “the dark one.” As the best friend and personal protector to the prince, everyone knew “the dark one” was not to be disobeyed. Not if you wanted to

88

Kasey Dean

walk again in the near future. The five of them sheathed their daggers, turned, and walked back toward the line that didn‘t seem to be moving. Nikkos called out, “Damian, report to the mansion when you are finished for the night. I want your report on what you witnessed, and I want it tonight.” “I can meet you there as soon as you are finished with the kynigos.” “No, you go and have fun tonight. I will be there when you are finished. Be safe and report any more problems to me directly. I will have Osias send you my cell number. Contact me anytime, day or night.” Damian could do nothing but nod his head. The prince wanted a report from him and wanted him to contact him with further problems. Adrian then spoke up. “He will send you mine, also. If you cannot reach Nikkos, call me and I will handle whatever is needed. Also, don’t worry about Thanatos. He will be taken care of. Now get inside where it is safe and have some fun.” Adrian got the attention of the bouncer at the door that immediately motioned for the group to come to the front and escorted them right into the club. Damian knew what “taken care of” meant. One did not do anything to endanger the prince without feeling the wrath of Adrian. The male would be imprisoned, or more likely than not, dead by morning. **** Nikkos and Adrian stalked into the alley toward the kynigos, palming their daggers. The three of them were talking and not paying any attention to their surroundings. When the warriors were a few feet from them, Adrian cleared his throat. “Heard you were looking for us. Here we are. What can we do for you?”


89

If the bastards could pale any more, they did when they caught sight of the two huge males in front of them. They were definitely not new recruits into this war, and Adrian would enjoy putting them down. The one in the middle made the first move by raising a gun toward Nikkos. He didn’t have the chance to pull the trigger. Adrian was quicker with his throwing stars, and they sunk into the kynigos’s neck. The fight was over before the males could break a sweat. Unfortunately, while they were finishing off the enemy, their backup arrived. One of them must have called their friends to pass along the information before Adrian and Nikkos had arrived. Before Adrian could respond, Nikkos was struck with a bullet to the thigh, and he dropped to the ground. Adrian launched himself at the male with the gun and made quick work of him. When he returned to the already-unconscious Nikkos’s side, he could smell the male’s blood and knew he had to get him home now. Problem was, they were both out on patrol and didn’t have vehicle. He knew the closest other warriors were several miles away, and it would take time Nikkos didn’t have for them to get there and get his male back to the mansion. He flipped open his cell phone and called Osias. “Call Damian, tell him to get his ass out here and bring car keys.” With that, he hung up and held his male in his arms. Before he knew it, Damian and the other four trainees were standing over him. He looked up. His heart was in his throat. He asked, “Does one of you have a car?” One of the others spoke up. “I do, it’s around the corner.” “Go get it now, and hurry!” The male took off like his shoes were on fire, disappearing out of the alley. The wait for him seemed like hours, but it was really only minutes before the SUV pulled in. Damian bent down to help Adrian lift Nikkos, but the male hissed at him. No one was touching Nikkos but him. He gently placed his male into the back of the SUV and

90

Kasey Dean

ordered the rest of the males in, telling the driver to get to the mansion ASAP. When they were on the road, Adrian called Marcus and told him they were coming in and to get Mikhaila and Lucian ready. Nikkos was shot and losing blood fast.


91

Chapter Thirteen It had been a week since Anstice first met Adrian and Nikkos and had been brought to the mansion. The boys, as she had come to call them, had brought her everything she needed from her apartment, including her four-year-old boxer, Ajax. When they sent the servants to retrieve her belongings, Ajax had not liked them, so the boys had had to go get him. He had always been protective of her, but once he smelled her on them he was more than willing to return to the mansion with them. They had put him in his own room, but he was not happy there, so he now lived in Nikkos’s room with her. Adrian stayed there every night, too, but left his belongings in his old room still. They explained to her how their race thought homosexuality was a sin, and that was why that idiot had brought Osias to their room last week. She didn’t understand how a race as civilized as theirs could be so closed-minded, although she knew there were plenty of humans that were homophobic. In the human race, there were many people who accepted people no matter what their sexual orientation, but in the vampire world no one accepted them. She wished she could change the way people thought, but she had learned from experience that people don’t change just because someone else wills them to. They had also explained to her that their race had come from ancient Greece, which was where Nikkos’s mother had lived until she met an American and moved to the States. Nikkos and Adrian had visited Greece at least once a year since they were born and spoke fluent Greek. They had promised, if she stayed with them, to teach her

92

Kasey Dean

Greek and take her there to show her their race’s origins. They were also going to check her family tree and see if they could find some living relatives for her to meet while they were there. She didn’t think they were going to find anyone, but she was hopeful. Even if they couldn’t find family for her, she couldn’t wait to go and see where her family had come from and learn more about the vampire race. She couldn’t believe they were all Greek. Maybe her pappou had been right. He always used to tell her, “To pepromenon phugein adunaton.” It’s impossible to escape from what is destined. These men were her destiny. She had been given a tour of the mansion, and they told her she could go anywhere she wished inside and out as long as she didn’t leave the grounds. It should have bothered her that they told her she couldn’t leave, but they had explained that it was for her own protection right now. The kynigos, as they had called them, had been seen at her apartment building, so they must have somehow found out where she lived. According to the boys, they were good with computers and probably hacked her work records, which was what Marcus had done to find her address. The boys had explained to her that the vampire race was created by the goddess Hera, who was the wife of Zeus. Hera was the goddess of, among other things, childbirth and kings and empires. Hera had wanted her own race to worship her, so she created them and insisted on Zeus giving them the special power that they all had. The vampires were made in the gods’ likeness, which included the need for blood. Many people did not know this about the gods, but they lived off the blood of one another. The kynigos were created by the goddess of night, Nyx. She did this in retaliation to Zeus. Zeus had come after her son Hypnos, whom she protected and saved from Zeus’s wrath many times. She knew hurting Zeus’s beloved wife’s children she would hurt Zeus. In exchange for their loyalty, the kynigos received the enhanced senses and strength needed to fight the vampires. Most of them were


93

pale as snow with dark, black hair, and their eyes shined red when fighting. Some of the newer members were just regular people that the original kynigos had recruited to do their dirty work. They all had a moon either tattooed or branded somewhere on their body to pay respect to the goddess. The boys had gone out on patrol tonight, and Anstice went exploring. She found the biggest home gym she had ever seen with a gorgeous sauna. Across the hall from it was a movie theater with seating for about twenty people. There was an Olympic-sized, heated swimming pool and a hot tub big enough for ten enclosed completely in glass. The roof retracted in the summer for fresh air. She ran a few miles on the treadmill in the gym, hoping to burn off some energy, but she was still restless. Now she was in the game room trying to decide what to do next. Something was wrong tonight, but she just couldn’t put her finger on the cause. She was used to being alone, but for some reason she wanted company tonight. Maybe it was because she hadn’t been alone for more than five minutes since she got here, or maybe it was because she had already seen firsthand what the boy’s enemies were capable of, and they were out hunting them. She didn’t want to think that was the cause of her restlessness, because that would mean she was indeed getting attached to them. She didn’t need to get too close to them. That would make it harder for her to leave when the time came. And the time would be coming soon. Even though they gave her freedom to roam the grounds, she still had not been able to use the phone. They had contacted her boss and told him that she wouldn’t be in for a while, and he had given her as much time off as she needed. The only place she really wanted to go that she couldn’t was to her daughter’s grave to visit with her little angel. She was sure the boys would take her there if she asked, but was afraid to tell them about her little girl. Plus, they had said they couldn’t go out in the daytime, and cemeteries were just creepy at night.

94

Kasey Dean

She hadn’t told anyone she met since the fire about her little girl. As far as anyone she met in the last three years knew, she was single and without children. She hated telling people the story. It brought back too many old, horrible memories. Thinking of her daughter, she placed her hand over her chest and held onto the locket with the little girl’s picture in it. It was the only picture she had left of the baby who would now be five years old if Anstice had been stronger and able to save her. She was still thinking of her beautiful little angel when she heard a commotion in the hallway. She stuck her head out through the doorway and saw Lucian, Marcus, and Mikhaila headed toward the front door with a stretcher. Her heart stopped. She knew it was one of the boys that was hurt. Marcus flung the door open, and Anstice was right behind them, heading out to meet the SUV that was just pulling up. When the rear door opened, her fears were confirmed. Nikkos lay unconscious across Adrian’s lap. Adrian was topless, his shirt wrapped around Nikkos’ thigh, soaked through with blood, and his black leather jacket covering him to keep him warm. She met Adrian’s eyes and knew instantly that it was bad. Not to mention, she had been a paramedic for about seven years now, so she could judge by the amount of blood loss that he was in danger. Adrian carefully placed Nikkos on the stretcher, told the five trainees to come in and wait in the game room, and helped push his friend into the house and down to the med room. When they got inside the med room, Mikhaila and Lucian went right to work. Anstice stayed close to Adrian, looking at him with tears in her eyes. The male appeared devastated. “Are you injured?” she whispered. It was the only thing she could get to come out of her mouth. He had so much blood on him, she thought for sure some of it had to be his. “No, I’m fine.” “You’re covered in blood. Why don’t you sit down and let me


95

check you out just to make sure.” “I’m fine. It’s all his.” He looked down at her like his whole world had just been torn apart. She knew the feeling. She had felt it several times and couldn’t believe she was headed down that road again. How did she get this close to them this fast? Maybe Nikkos was right when he’d said the three of them were mates. Maybe they did all need each other. What was she going to do if they lost Nikkos? She couldn’t think like that. Mikhaila and Lucian had saved her life, and she was just a weak little human. Nikkos was a huge, strong vampire. He couldn’t die. She took Adrian by the arm. “Please, just let me look and make sure.” He let her lead him to a chair in the corner, where he fell more than sat down. Trying to stay out of the doctor’s way, she went through the supply cabinets until she found a metal bowl and some clean towels. She filled a bowl up with warm, soapy water and placed it on the counter next to Adrian’s chair. She didn’t have to worry about taking his shirt off, as it was already gone, used to try and stop Nikkos’s bleeding on the way home. She started washing his chest, making sure to stay to the side of him so he could keep his eyes on what the doctors were doing. She had his chest clean and went to wash his side. When she touched him with the cloth, he flinched and let out a loud hiss. That was when she saw that he was indeed injured. There was a puncture wound between his ribs that was oozing blood. She carefully washed around it, but as soon as she did, more blood bubbled from the wound. By the looks of it, whatever had cut him had also punctured his lung. She saw an extra stethoscope hanging on the wall and quickly put it to use. She listened to his lungs, and sure enough, there were no breath sounds on the right side where he had been stabbed. ****

96

Kasey Dean

Adrian had known that he was hurt, but all he had cared about was getting Nikkos back to the house for help. His head hanging low, he looked at Anstice from under his long lashes. “How bad?” “Your lung is punctured and probably collapsed. How bad does it hurt to breathe?” “Doesn’t hurt at all. I told you, I’m fine,” he lied. “Liar, I have been doing this a long time, and I know you have to be in pain. If I can find what I need around here, I can bandage you up and help you breathe a little better, but you’re probably going to need Mikhaila to fix your lung.” “No, Nikkos needs her help. Don’t worry about me.” “You’re both going to be fine. I’m just gonna help you breathe a little better until she is done and can fix you, too. Of course, as fast as you two heal, maybe she won’t need to do anything. You may heal quick enough, but I’m still gonna see if I can find the right bandages now.” “Your bag from the ambulance is over there, if that will help,” he said, pointing to the far wall. She brought the bag over and placed it at Adrian’s feet. Five minutes later, he was bandaged up and breathing a lot easier. When she was finished, Adrian spread his knees apart, pulled her into him, and let his head drop down onto her chest. Anstice wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him. They both needed the comfort right now. She wasn’t sure how long she had stood there before she heard Mikhaila call her name. She turned just her head toward her. “Yes?” “I have done all I can do, but he needs to feed if he is going to live.” Adrian lifted his head and started to get up. Anstice could see his determination to take care of Nikkos. Anstice held him in place and told Mikhaila she would be right there. Looking down at Adrian, she said, “You have lost a lot of blood yourself and are still not healed.


97

Please let me do this for him.” “No, your blood isn’t strong enough. He will need too much, and you are human. He could kill you.” “He would never do anything to hurt me and you know it.” Mikhaila agreed with Anstice. “Adrian, you have lost a lot of blood tonight, and you need to feed also. Anstice has Nikkos’s blood in her now. Hers will be strong enough.” Anstice could see in Adrian’s eyes that he wasn’t sure if he should believe Mikhaila or not. She knew how strong Adrian’s feelings were for Nikkos. She also thought she knew him enough to know he would make the right decision and let her do this for them. She knew he came to that conclusion when he took her face in his hands and kissed her, one short, sweet little kiss, and let her walk away.

98

Kasey Dean

Chapter Fourteen Anstice was a little afraid as she walked across the room. Both of the males had fed from her already, but that was different. That was for pleasure. They had explained the need to feed to her. Apparently when they hit their puberty, which was around the age of fifteen, they began needing not only real food but blood. While they could drink from anyone, it was usually a family member or close friend that provided the blood until one found their mate. After that, they only fed from their mate or mates. A regular healthy vampire would only have to feed about once or twice a month. They would need to feed more often if they were injured. When the men had taken blood from her while they were having sex, they explained to her that it was an unexplainable need one felt while being with their mate. They couldn’t seem to stop themselves from biting her and each other. They said it made their bond stronger and also helped to mark her as theirs, should anyone else think to touch her. They always bit in the same place. One on each side of her neck, and she now had twin scars there. They told her that they would never heal. Something about the reaction of a mate’s saliva causing a permanent scar. She wasn’t sure. She still didn’t understand it all yet. Every other time, they had taken blood from her didn’t seem important. This was to help save Nikkos’s life. What if Mikhaila was wrong, and what if her blood was not strong enough for him? What if he really did need blood from someone of his own kind? She wasn’t afraid that he would hurt her. She was just afraid that she wasn’t good enough for him.


99

She approached the table he was laid out on. “He’s not awake. How can I feed him?” Lucian spoke up. “Don’t worry, as soon as he tastes your blood on his tongue, instinct will take over, and he will feed.” She studied him, wondering what he meant. The boys had told her that Lucian had never fed anyone, but he’d obviously fed from someone or he wouldn’t still be alive. She’d have to remember to ask them later when Nikkos’s life didn’t depend on her. “Okay, but how is he gonna taste my blood if he can’t bite?” Lucian pulled a black blade out of the holster at his back. Anstice just about fainted. She had never had a problem with pain. Sometimes it was a stress reliever for her, hence all her piercings and tattoos. But the sight of this huge, very scary-looking male holding the blade looking at her was frightening as hell. She put all her fears away and held out her wrist. Lucian took her hand into his and placed the blade at her wrist. Just before he put enough pressure on it to break the skin, Adrian grabbed the other male’s wrist and pulled the blade away from her wrist. She turned to him. “You know it needs to be done. I’ll be fine, just let him do it.” Looking into her eyes, he took her hand into his and brought her wrist to his mouth and kissed it. “It doesn’t have to be that way.” Before she could argue, he sunk his fangs deep into her wrist and took one long pull. Swallowing what he had called her sweet blood, he placed her dripping wrist over Nikkos’s mouth, and she prayed to god that Nikkos would feed. Anstice watched as her blood dripped into Nikkos’s mouth, but he wasn’t swallowing anything. She looked up to Adrian for direction. Adrian bent down low and whispered into Nikkos’s ear, “Come on, baby, please drink. We need you.” It wasn’t working. Anstice had an idea. She remembered a few nights ago when she was curious about their fangs. Adrian had let her

100

Kasey Dean

inspect his. When she had reached up and stroked one of them, they had shot right out of his mouth, and it had clearly been all he could do not to feed from her right then. She took her free hand and slowly stroked Nikkos’s fang closest to her. The whole time, Adrian was talking to him, begging him to stay with them. Nikkos would probably kill Adrian later if he found out what was said to him with all these witnesses, but he didn’t seem care. She knew they could deal with the male’s anger together later as long as he was still with them. Anstice was about to give up when she felt a slight movement in Nikkos’s mouth. She lifted his lip a little, and sure enough, his fangs were lengthening. Looking at Adrian, she whispered, “It’s working. Keep talking to him.” While she stood by Nikkos’s side with her blood dripping into this mouth, hoping and praying that he would drink, she thought of the last week. Nikkos and Adrian had treated her like a queen, but she couldn’t figure out how they had fallen in love with her so quickly. It had only been a week, and they had already told her that they loved her and wanted to spend the rest of their lives with her. Being honest with herself, she could tell she was falling for them, too, but she had made the mistake of falling in love at first sight before. She had sworn she would never again fall for a man. She looked down at Nikkos’s lifeless body and at Adrian begging him to drink. She knew then that everything she had believed in a week ago was gone. She did believe in love at first sight and happily ever after because she could try as hard as she wanted to deny it, but she had fallen for both of them as soon as she woke up in Nikkos’s bed wrapped around Adrian. And she knew that if they would have her, she would stay with them and love them for the rest of her life. It seemed like hours that she let her blood drip into his mouth. She was starting to worry that he would choke on all the blood in the back of his throat, but she knew she had to get him to feed somehow. She was about to move away from him when his fangs lengthened longer than she had ever seen them. In a flash, they sunk deep into her wrist


101

and he was taking long, hard pulls from her vein. **** “That’s it, baby, feed,” Adrian said as he stroked the male’s throat, helping him to swallow the life-saving blood. He kissed him on the temple. Adrian looked up at Anstice and was about to tell her that their mate was going to be okay, but she was so pale. Her eyelids were already drooping. He came around the table and caught her around the waist just as her knees gave out and her head fell back. Nikkos was taking too much, but he was too out of it to realize. “Nikkos, you have to stop, you’re draining her.” The other male was so consumed by bloodlust that he couldn’t hear Adrian. “Nikkos, please, baby, listen to me. You need to stop now. You’re going to kill her!” he yelled at the male, trying to get the female to wake up. That must have gotten through to him, because he suddenly released her wrist. She was still bleeding, so Adrian licked the blood to stop the blood flow so she wouldn’t bleed out. He lifted her up and cradled her in his arms. “Please, cardia mou, please wake up. You’re okay, please be okay.” **** Nikkos woke slowly and could hear someone whispering in the background. Everything came back to him in a rush. They had gone out hunting and he was shot. He tried to tell Adrian that he was fine, but he couldn’t make his throat work. He opened his eyes and turned his head in the direction of the voice. What he saw froze the blood in his veins. Their little female was in Adrian’s lap. He was whispering to her, pleading with her. Oh gods, he could taste her blood on his tongue. He had fed from her, and

102

Kasey Dean

now he could smell Adrian’s fear. They were losing her. He took too much. He tried to get up, but Lucian held him down. “Stay where you are. You were really hurt and need to heal.” Nikkos looked over the Mikhaila. “Please help her.” Mikhaila told him that she needed blood and rest. The problem was, they still had no human blood in the house. “So find some and give it to her.” “There is no one in the house that can give her blood. I can’t because of the baby.” Nikkos looked to Lucian, but he knew the answer there would be no. Lucian had serious issues with feeding anyone. As far as they all knew, he had never fed anyone in his life. Adrian spoke up, “I’ll give her blood.” Mikhaila shot him down. “You know you can’t. You lost too much. If you do, you will be in the same shape she is now.” “I don’t care. I’ll gladly give my life for her.” Nikkos spoke up, “No, there has to be another way. I was the one who took too much, so I’ll give.” They were all arguing about what to do when there was a knock on the med room door. Mikhaila opened the door to Damian. “I’m sorry to bother you, but it’s almost dawn, and we really need to get home before the others’ parents kill them.” All eyes turned to him, and he started backing away. He looked like suddenly afraid of why everyone was studying him. Adrian was the one that spoke up. “Go tell the others they can go home, and you come back in here, we will call your parents and tell them that you will be staying here for the day. Hurry, we don’t have a lot of time.” “I don’t have parents,” he replied, but no one heard him. Damian looked confused, but when Adrian said to do something, no questions were asked. Damian left the room to go do as Adrian had ordered. Mikhaila spoke softly, “Adrian, Nikkos, you really need to think


103

about this for a minute. We can’t just take his blood like we did Nikkos’s. She will have to drink it.” Nikkos’s head snapped over to her. “Why?” “Because your blood is already in her veins, and I’m afraid if we tried to put it in her by IV, her body would reject it. That is what happens with our kind, and I’m not sure if she will have the same reaction. I did some blood work on her earlier, and her body chemistry is changing. It will be safer for her to drink.” When Damian came back in, he looked around and Nikkos could tell when he saw what the problem was. “Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked, obviously hoping there was something he would be able to do. Adrian and Nikkos stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment. Nikkos knew what they had to do, but seeing their female feed from another male was going to kill him and probably Adrian too. Adrian nodded his head, and Nikkos looked to Damian. “Could you please feed our female and save her life?” Damian stopped breathing, and his jaw dropped open. He looked like he wasn’t sure what to say. Not many vampires would ever think to deny the prince anything, but this was asking a lot of the young male. “I thought she was human?” Mikhaila spoke up and filled him in on everything that had happened while he was in the game room. Damian walked across the room, stopping at Nikkos first. “Are you sure, my prince?” Nikkos replied, “Yes, anything to save her life.” Adrian repeated the same thing. Damian continued across the room and dropped to his knees in front of Adrian. Holding out his wrist, he said, “I offer my blood so that she may live.” **** Adrian took out his fighting blade and sliced the male’s wrist,

104

Kasey Dean

which he quickly put to Anstice’s mouth. They were surprised, but as soon as the blood hit her tongue, she latched onto his wrist and began to drink. Maybe they were wrong. Maybe their blood could turn a human. She has tasted Nikkos’s and Adrian’s blood while they fed from each other and had seemed to crave the taste, and now she was drinking like she was one of their kind. It was only a few minutes, but she began to come around already. Mikhaila came over to them. “Okay, she’s coming around. That should be enough.” Damian tried to take his wrist away, but she reached up, grabbed his wrist, and held him to her mouth. Adrian pushed her hair away from her face and said softly, “Let go, cardia mou, that’s enough.” She loosed her grip and licked the wound on his wrist, and then licked her lips. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up at the male kneeling in front of her. She flinched and moved closer to Adrian. He held her close. “Shhhh, cardia mou, it is okay. He won’t hurt you.” She looked up from under her lashes at him. “I know he won’t hurt me, but he tastes like Nikkos. Why?” “What do you mean he tastes like Nikkos?” Adrian asked her. She reached up and tried to bring his mouth down to her. He resisted. “Trust me, you need to taste this.” Adrian was reluctant to taste another male’s blood. He fed from Nikkos, but this was different. Still, he let her pull him down to her lips. When their lips met, he could taste what she was talking about. Damian’s blood tasted so close to Nikkos’s that if he didn’t know better, he would think they were twins. Adrian looked Damian in the eyes. “Who are you?” Damian didn’t seem to know what to say. He tilted his head in what could only be described as confusion before answering. “No one, sir, just me. I don’t know what you are talking about.” “She was right, you taste just like Nikkos.”


105

Lucian spoke up. “We will figure this out, but I think they need to get some rest. Let’s get them to bed, and Mikhaila and I will do some blood tests on him and find out what’s doin’.” Adrian helped get Nikkos and Anstice into their bed and lay down next to them. He couldn’t stop wondering how that new trainee tasted like Nikkos.

106

Kasey Dean

Chapter Fifteen Nikkos woke up and opened his eyes to the most beautiful sight, the two people he loved the most in his life sound asleep next to him. The feeling was close to perfect, but there was something off. He could still smell the scent of the other male on both of them from when he had saved Anstice’s life after he had almost killed her. He began to think maybe they were bad for her. After all, they had known her a week, and she had almost died twice because of them. He couldn’t think about that right now. He needed to do something to get rid of the other male, and the best way to do that was by replacing him with his own scent and blood. **** Anstice was having an amazing dream, being held in Adrian’s arms while Nikkos slowly kissed down her neck to her chest and drew her nipple into his mouth and held it there with his fangs. It took her a little while to make her way up through the fog of sleep, but when she did, she realized her dream was real. She was lying on her back, partially on top of Adrian’s chest with his arms around her, and Nikkos was nibbling on her nipple with those sexy fangs of his. When she sucked in a breath, Adrian’s arms tightened around her, and he hissed. It only took a second for him to realize it was Nikkos waking them up. He reached up and wrapped his hand around the male’s neck, pulled him closer, and held him to her sweet breast. Nikkos looked at both of them from under his long lashes. “I’m sorry to wake you up, but I need to get the scent of that other


107

male off you both right now before I go insane.” Anstice didn’t really understand what Nikkos meant, but Adrian must have. She watched as Adrian cupped Nikkos’s cheek and rubbed his thumb across his lips. Adrian whispered, “Come feed us, baby.” Nikkos wasted no time. He swiftly crawled up so he was holding Anstice down firmly between them. He quickly kissed her then arched his neck, giving Adrian access to his jugular. Anstice lay crushed between them, watching Adrian feed from Nikkos, and for reasons she would never even try to explain, her mouth started watering. She wanted a taste. Apparently Nikkos could tell what she was thinking because he whispered, “You’re next, baby, just as soon as our male is fed.” She licked her lips and starting imagining the taste of him on her tongue. She knew that she should feel wrong, but she didn’t. Adrian let out a low moan, took one last mouthful, and sealed one of the wounds on Nikkos’s neck. He quickly kissed Nikkos and guided his neck to Anstice’s mouth, where she immediately starting swallowing the sweet blood. “That’s it, cardia mou, feed from our male,” he whispered into her ear while he nibbled on the sensitive flesh. The feel of Nikkos’s blood running down her throat and Adrian’s fangs nipping at her ear was almost too much for Anstice. She knew she needed them inside her in every way possible right now. When she was full, she released Nikkos’s vein, licked the wound, and closed her eyes. She could feel Adrian leaning in toward Nikkos’s neck again. When he stopped, Nikkos asked, “What?” Adrian didn’t speak. After a minute of their silence, Anstice opened her eyes to them staring at her. She tried to look all sweet and innocent, looking at them from under her lashes. “What?” Adrian was the first one to speak up. “His wound is healed.” “Yeah, isn’t it supposed to be?”

108

Kasey Dean

“Yes, it is, but you were the one that sealed it.” It took her a second to comprehend what they were telling her, and when it clicked into place, she wasn’t sure what to make of it. They had told her there was a healing quality in their saliva but there shouldn’t be in hers. Yes, she now had Nikkos’s blood and the blood of the other male she didn’t know, but they told her when she first woke up here a week ago that she couldn’t be turned into one of them. Were they wrong? Did they lie to her? Was she becoming one of them? If she did, what did that mean for her? “Maybe you healed it when you were finished?” she said, looking at Adrian with tears in her eyes. She was grasping at straws and knew it. “No, cardia mou, if I had healed him you wouldn’t have gotten any blood. Besides, we were all so caught up in the moment none of us realized you shouldn’t want to feed from him. You are human. You don’t live like that. The only reason we gave you blood before was to save your life. Or when we were having sex and one of us was feeding, and then kissed you with the other’s blood still on our tongues. The taste of blood should disgust you, but you looked as if you were craving it.” Any hope she had drained away. “I know. So what does this mean?” Nikkos kissed her gently. “I don’t know, baby, but we’ll find out.” **** He kissed her forehead and gently rolled off his two mates, taking Anstice with him and holding her close to his chest. Adrian rolled with them, covering her with his body and holding them tight. Nikkos wasn’t sure what was going on, but they needed to find out. They had never heard of a human being turned into a vampire, but now with the things going on with her, was it possible? Maybe that was why it was against the rules to give their blood to humans.


109

He could feel her whole body shake and knew she was trying hard not to let them know she was crying. It was no use. They could smell her tears. Tears always smelled fresh and clear, but everyone’s fear smelled different. Antice’s fear always smelled like a forest after a thunderstorm. He loved all of her scents, but this one, the one of fear, broke his heart. “Don’t worry, cardia mou, we will figure out what’s going on and everything will be okay. This I promise you.” “Did you lie to me about being able to turn a human?” she whispered. Nikkos placed his finger under her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. “We could never lie to you. We have never heard of a human being turned.” She blinked back the tears in her eyes. “Just because you never heard of it doesn’t make it impossible, does it?” She put her hands on Nikkos’s chest and tried to push herself up, but Adrian held her in place. There was venom in her voice when she said, “Let me up. I need to get out of here.” Adrian still held tight. “We told you it’s not safe for you to leave here right now.” “I’m not gonna try to leave the house. I just need to be alone right now.” Nikkos looked at Adrian over her shoulder. He wanted to keep her with them but knew she would begin to resent them if they didn’t let her have some space. Adrian kissed her shoulder and slowly pushed himself up off her. When his weight was off her, she wasted no time climbing over Nikkos and jumping out of the bed. She raced to the closet where her clothes were and reappeared moments later in workout clothes. She didn’t even look at them as she left the room and shut the door quickly behind her. She was hurting, and it was their fault. She had a point. Just because no one had heard of it didn’t make it false. Nikkos wrapped his hand around Adrian’s neck and pulled him down to him so

110

Kasey Dean

Adrian’s head was resting on his shoulder. Nikkos’s arms were around Adrian’s shoulders and Adrian’s arms were around Nikkos’s waist. They lay entangled with each other for what seemed like forever. While it was wonderful, and they were comfortable with each other, it still hurt to know Anstice was somewhere in pain. They both decided at the same time that they needed to go find her. They got out of bed, dressed in jeans, and went to comfort their female. “She’s in the gym,” Nikkos said. They went down the stairs and headed there. As they approached the closed door to the gym, he could smell a mixture of her fear and anger. She had the right to be angry at them. They had completely changed her life the very first time they met her. He knew they should let her go home to her old life, but he just couldn’t. Not only did he need her, but she needed them. The kynigos had been watching her apartment for her to come home. If they got their hands on her, they not only would kill her, they would probably torture her for information on them first. Nikkos pushed the door open slowly to see her running on the treadmill, listening to her iPod. Her sweatshirt was hanging over the front of it, soaked with her sweat. She was running in her workout pants and a tight-fitting tank top. His cock immediately decided it wanted to be inside the female, and he knew they weren’t leaving this room until they were all sated. Ajax, her boxer, was lying next to the treadmill, watching her like he was trying to figure out what was wrong with her. Adrian whistled to get the dog’s attention, took him out in the hall, and shut the door, leaving him outside. He was protective of her and, given the anger flowing off her in waves, this was going to be rough, and they didn’t need the dog making things more dangerous. The boys approached her slowly. As fast as she was running, they didn’t want to startle her and make her fall. They moved in front of her, but she didn’t seem to notice them. She was either ignoring them


111

or didn’t hear them over her music. Adrian spoke up, “We need to talk.” She didn’t reply. He repeated, “We need to talk, please.” “Unless you have an answer for what is going on with me and what is going to happen, I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.” She was afraid and taking it out on them. That was fine with him. He blamed them for everything anyway, but they couldn’t go on with her ignoring them. He needed her as much as he needed Adrian. If he let this go on, they would lose her forever, and that was not an option.

112

Kasey Dean

Chapter Sixteen Nikkos had had enough. He grabbed her around the waist and yanked her off the treadmill. She started kicking and screaming to be let go, but it just wasn’t going to happen. Keeping one arm around her waist, he reached up with the other hand and wrapped it around her throat. She wanted to fight, fine, so be it, but he wasn’t going to hold back. He tightened his grip around her slender throat until she lost the strength to fight him. He knew when to let go as her body went limp and she was close to passing out on him. He knew it wasn’t fair to use his superior strength against her, but he needed her to wake up and deal with what was going on. **** Adrian wanted to interfere. He was afraid that between the anger the other two felt right now that someone was going to get hurt. He knew deep down that Nikkos would never intentionally hurt Anstice, but he had his huge hand around her fragile little neck, and he was cutting off her air supply. He watched as Anstice’s eyes slipped shut, and her whole body went slack. He couldn’t watch anymore. He stepped up in front of her just as Nikkos released her neck and placed both arms back around her waist. She coughed a few times and opened her eyes. He has expected to see fear, but instead there was anger, and to his disbelief, desire. His body immediately reacted to the fire in her eyes, his cock swelling and throbbing with the need to be inside her.


113

He placed his hand on her neck where the marks from Nikkos’s hands were already appearing. She was going to be bruised from this, and hopefully they would be, too. Rough sex had never really turned him on before. But with the mood they all seemed to be in, rough was going to be an understatement for what was about to happen. There were no words to be said. He crushed her lips with his as he tightened his grip around her throat, too. He was usually the gentle one, but no one wanted gentle right now, and rough was exactly what was going to get them through this. **** Anstice was so angry. She had always been in control of everything in her life. There was only one time she wasn’t, and that cost the life of her daughter. She needed someone to take her anger out on, and the two strong vampires surrounding her were the best outlet. She reached one hand behind Adrian’s head, grabbed a handful of hair, and pulled him away as hard as she could. He flinched from her mouth for a second then decided the pain was worth it and fought against her hold to kiss her again. She reached her other arm up and around the back of Nikkos’s head and seized a handful of Nikkos’s hair, too, guiding his mouth to the back of her neck, where he immediately sunk his teeth into her. She knew Nikkos’s bite had nothing to do with feeding. It had to do with pain and Anstice’s need for it right now. Nikkos had told her he could feel her emotions and her needs. He must have been feeling them now and knew she needed the pain to distract her. She had admitted to him that the pain from her tattoos and piercings was a release for her. Adrian had explained that Nikkos was always the one in charge when it came to sex, and up until he met her, he was always the aggressive one. He had never been gentle with anyone. According to

114

Kasey Dean

Nikkos, they could either handle it or they couldn’t. It didn’t matter to him. Apparently, with Anstice and Adrian he had held back, afraid to hurt her, but not this time. She was going to get everything he had been keeping bottled up, and she was to give back exactly the same thing she was getting. None of them were leaving this room without being bruised and probably bloody. There was already blood running down her back and chest from where he bit her. She knew from experience feeding him during sex already that he could have healed it when he released her, but that wouldn’t have done her any good. She needed to feel the physical pain to get over the mental pain. **** Adrian released her mouth long enough to lick the stream of blood off her chest and savor it for a second. He needed to taste her everywhere. As soon as he released her neck and sunk to his knees, Nikkos replaced his hand and held her still. This was all about control. They were taking it away from her, but somehow that was what she needed. They were going to do exactly what they wanted to her, and she wasn’t going to be able to fight them. Instead, she seemed to crave the pain they were about to inflict on her. Nikkos took the hand that had been holding her waist, reached down, and ripped her workout pants from her body. There was a lot of resistance as the material was torn, and he knew it. He felt her pain. Before the pants could even hit the floor, he dug his fingers into her thigh and forced her leg up so Adrian could have access to her sweet pussy. He knew when his nails broke her skin because he could feel her intoxicating blood starting to drip down his fingers, and she tightened her hold on his hair. If she kept this up, he wouldn’t need a haircut for a long time, because she was about to rip his hair from his scalp. Before Adrian could taste her succulent pussy, he needed to taste


115

her blood again. He struck hard and fast into the artery on the inside of her thigh. He wanted to feed for hours from her vein but knew he shouldn’t take too much. She was going to need her strength. He sealed the punctures and dragged his tongue up the inside of her thigh where her sweet nectar was running down. When he got to her pussy, he plunged his tongue in so deep she instantly came on his tongue. He sucked the juices from her, and they mixed with the taste of her blood. The combination of it running down his throat caused his cock to strain against his pants. He had to get them off. Now! Keeping his mouth in one of his favorite places, he made quick work of his zipper and released himself. With his cock released from the confines of his pants, he breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Nikkos must be feeling the same way, and he wanted to help relieve him a little, too. This was a big step for him. They had all been together several times over the last week, but the only thing the two males had done with each other was to kiss and hold each other. They had yet to broach the subject of how far they were going to take things between them. Adrian knew what he wanted from Nikkos, and he always had, but he wasn’t sure if Nikkos was ready for what Adrian had in mind. Willing to take the risk, he reached around Anstice’s waist and slowly unzipped Nikkos’s pants. The other male froze for a second, and Adrian thought maybe he had gone too far until he looked up and saw Nikkos’s face over Anstice’s shoulder. “Finish. Take them off me now!” Apparently they were thinking the same thing, and Nikkos may have been ready for this after all. When the zipper was all the way down, Nikkos released Anstice’s neck long enough to capture Adrian’s hand and urged him to wrap his fingers around his stonehard cock. Nikkos held his hand in place and slowly thrust in and out of Adrian’s palm. They had to be naked, and they had to be right now. Adrian placed his hands on Nikkos’s hips and slid the pants down his legs. Anstice clearly knew what was going on and pulled up on

116

Kasey Dean

Adrian’s hair until he was standing in front of her. She started to reach out to take Adrian’s pants down, but Nikkos beat her to it. With a quick tug, the pants were on the floor. Both males stepped free of their pants and flung them across the room. Now it was her turn. Nikkos had already ripped her pants to shreds, and now Adrian decided her shirt needed to meet the same fate. He took hold of the front of the tank top she was wearing. It took only a second for his powerful hands to tear it into strips of fabric. While Adrian discarded the shirt, Nikkos used his fangs to cut through the straps and back of the bra she was wearing. They were going to have to buy her new clothes after this, but they didn’t care. It would all be worth it. **** With them all naked, Nikkos decided it was time to take charge and put his female and male through their paces. Wrapping her long hair around his fist, he bent her over and didn’t waste any time driving his cock home where it belonged. Holding her in place with his hand around her petite waist, he yanked her hair and made her arch her back. That put her just the right angle to take Adrian deep into her throat. It was clear when she was coming. Her tight walls locked down on Nikkos, and she tried to scream, but it was impossible with Adrian so far down her throat. With Nikkos pounding into her from behind and Adrian thrusting into her mouth, the two males locked gazes. She was so small compared to them that Adrian was able to lean over her and grasp a handful of Nikkos’s hair to pull him to his mouth. That was all it took. As soon as their lips met, they both came in a rush, Nikkos in that tight, wet pussy and Adrian into her mouth. She didn’t complain like some women would. She took every last drop of his seed deep down into her belly. When they were spent, Nikkos couldn’t resist finding out what


117

Adrian tasted like. He stood Anstice up, turned her around, and explored every inch of her mouth. He wanted to taste every inch of Adrian. He wanted to be the one to suck Adrian, make him come, and swallow his seed. He knew he wanted to, but he didn’t know how to. He had been with men before, but it was always in a threesome with a female, and Nikkos had never touched the other male. He only did what he did for his own pleasure. Anything went when it came to sex. Anything except pleasuring another man with his mouth. He had never wanted that before, even when he’d had threesomes with Adrian and a female. That was until they met Anstice. Now he wanted to do anything and everything in his sexual power to pleasure Adrian. **** Adrian apparently felt the need to kiss as Nikkos had. He pulled her away from Nikkos and plunged his tongue deep into her mouth. With her back to Nikkos and her eyes closed, enjoying Adrian’s mouth, she heard Nikkos say, “I wish I could taste him coming for myself.” She pulled her mouth from Adrian’s, looked into his eyes, and asked, “I would love to see that. How do you fell about it?” Adrian asked, “What do you want to see?” “Nikkos suck that glorious cock of yours until you come.” Adrian looked confused. “Where did that idea come from, little one?” “He just said, ‘I wish I could taste him coming for myself.’” Adrian shook his head and looked into her eyes. “He didn’t say anything.” Nikkos’s entire body froze, his arms tightening around her so tight she could barely breathe. He whispered into her ear, “Baby, I didn’t say that, I was just thinking it.” Still looking at Adrian, she whispered, “Didn’t you hear him?” Adrian shook his head and looked over her head at Nikkos. She

118

Kasey Dean

turned to look at Nikkos, who had the biggest smile on his face she had seen from the male. Now it was her turn to be confused. “What’s going on now?” she asked. He picked her up around the waist and starting spinning her around in circles while kissing every inch of her face and neck. She squealed with delight at the feeling and the fact that this hard-as-nails male could actually laugh and be happy about something. But she still had no idea what was going on. She stilled his face between her hands and asked, “I repeat, what is going on?” “Don’t you see? You are my mate,” he said, ecstatic. She rolled her eyes before saying, “What are you talking about? You have been saying that for a week.” “I know, I know, but now, this is proof.” **** Adrian watched the smile fall from Nikkos’s face from halfway across the room. He had been backing slowly away from them as soon as he realized what was going on. Nikkos was right. They had proof, and she was his and not Adrian’s. He knew he should leave and turned to do just that until he heard Nikkos say his name. He stopped but couldn’t turn around to look at them. He knew the week of love that they had shared was over, and there was no place in their lives for him anymore. Adrian just looked down at his feet and shook his head. “Don’t say anything. It’s okay, I’ll get my stuff out of your room and you two can be together.”


119

Chapter Seventeen Anstice was thoroughly confused now. “No one’s going anywhere until someone tells me what is going on.” She actually stomped her foot like a five-year-old throwing a temper tantrum. That made Adrian turn around and face them. “Nikkos will explain everything to you. I have to go.” He turned to walk away from them again. “Oh no you don’t. You stop right there, and don’t you dare walk out on us.” Anstice was pissed off again. It seemed like every time something was going good, fate would throw another obstacle at them. Nikkos carried Anstice over to stand in front of Adrian before he carefully placed her on her feet. He placed one hand on both sides of Adrian’s jaw and forced him to look at him. “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation. We’ll figure it out, I promise. She belongs to both of us.” He sealed his promise with a scorching kiss that went on until Anstice cleared her throat to get their attention. Looking back and forth between the two of them, she pleaded, “Will someone please tell me what is going on?” They both took one of her hands, which scared the hell out of her. She was just getting over the fact that something was going on inside her, and now there was something else she was going to have to deal with. Adrian was the one that spoke up. “Mates can hear each other’s thoughts and communicate without speaking out loud. Since you could hear what Nikkos was thinking, we now know that you are truly his mate and not mine.”

120

Kasey Dean

Nikkos protested, “We don’t know that yet.” Adrian rolled his eyes. “Well, she can’t hear my thoughts, and she can yours, so that pretty much clears up any questions that we had.” Anstice spoke up. “You mean you weren’t sure I was your mate? Why have you been telling me for a week that we were? Have you been lying to me and just hoping or what?” She knew they could hear the hurt in her voice. “No, baby, we knew that you were our mate. We just thought that we couldn’t hear each other’s thoughts because you are human. It doesn’t matter anyway. Something else must be going on. You belong to both of us, not just me. Adrian, try to tell her something.” Adrian locked eyes with her, and she prayed to god that she would hear him. She could tell he was trying really hard to make her hear him. Nikkos broke their concentration. “Baby, did you hear him?” There were tears in her eyes when she shook her head. She heard Nikkos think, “Oh gods, what are we going to do. We can’t lose him, but he’ll leave if he thinks she’s only mine. Why is this happening now?” She knew the males would take this seriously if they couldn’t come up with a reason this was happening. “Okay, let’s take a step back and look at this from all angles.” When she had both of their attention, she continued. “Okay, tell me exactly how this works.” Nikkos told her, “True mates can communicate in their minds without speaking.” “I know, but you just thought, ‘Why is this happening now?’ When should it have happened?” “The first time we exchanged blood.” She thought about that for a minute. “Well, that explains it then. We didn’t technically exchange blood the first time, right? You gave me blood by IV, but you didn’t take any of mine. I didn’t technically drink your blood, more than a mouthful from Adrian after he was


121

feeding, before today.” Now it was Adrian’s turn to lift her off her feet and kiss her all over while saying, “Thank you, little one, thank you, thank you, thank you. Please, gods, let this be true.” Nikkos wrapped his arms around both of them and kissed Adrian’s neck, and she heard him whisper in his ear, “See, babe, I told you there was a reason. We all belong together, and there will be nothing that will separate us. Now why don’t we go back to our room and prove she’s yours, too.” Adrian looked scared again and must have known the answer but still asked. “How do you plan on doing that?” “Feed, of course.” “What if it doesn’t work?” “It will work, I know it. She belongs to both of us. So let’s go get you both fed, shall we?” The door to the gym opened, and Mikhaila stood in the doorway. “You may want to wait a while to do that.” Adrian and Nikkos both reached for a towel to cover their mates at the same time. Nikkos replied, “No offense, but we need to get this over with. So unless someone is dead or dying, it will have to wait.” Mikhaila blocked their way. “You really need to listen to me before you go through with what you’re planning. The blood tests came back on Damian, and Lucian has been doing some research on human mates of our kind.” The pensive look at Mikhaila’s face froze them all in place. Anstice swayed a little, but both of the males were there to steady her until she could stand on her own again. Nikkos, always having to be in charge, spoke first. “Let us get dressed and we’ll meet you in the den to talk about whatever you found.” “Okay, but do not make another blood exchange with her until you hear what Lucian found. Trust me, you need to hear it before you go any further with this.” “It doesn’t matter what he found. She is our mate and nothing

122

Kasey Dean

anyone can say will change that,” Nikkos spit out between clenched teeth. “I’m not saying that she isn’t your mate. I’m just saying please hear him out before you exchange blood with her again,” Mikhaila pleaded. Adrian spoke impatiently. “Just tell us what he found and get it over with.” “He has all the research. I don’t have it.” “I don’t care about all of it. You obviously know something. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here warning us not to exchange blood. So just spit it out,” Adrian replied through gritted teeth. Mikhaila shook her head and looked at her feet. Anstice didn’t think she was going to answer, but she whispered, “Humans can be turned.” The temperature dropped, and Anstice shivered. She knew the temperature change was Nikkos’s fury. Anstice had noticed that the waves of ice that came off him happened whenever something angered him. Adrian clearly felt it, too, and wrapped his arms around her tighter, warming her body. Nikkos’s jaw was clenched so tight they could hear his teeth grinding together. When he opened his mouth to speak, his fangs were sharp and as long as daggers. Anstice had never seen him this angry and stepped closer to Adrian. When Nikkos’s head snapped toward her, his fangs instantly retracted a little, and he placed one hand on her cheek. “Baby, please don’t ever be afraid of me. I will never hurt you. I just don’t know what to think of all this.” He looked to Mikhaila. “Why did we never know of this before?” “Lucian found the information in an extremely ancient text of our history. Like I said, I don’t know all of the specifics, but from what Lucian told me, there is a history of one of us mating with a human and turning them. Apparently, it takes three blood exchanges, and she has already had two.” She looked toward Adrian. “So if you do the exchange to prove she is your mate, that will make three, and she may


123

be turned.” Anstice finally spoke. “We’ve already discussed this. I’ve only had one exchange. The one tonight with Nikkos. The first night he gave blood by IV, and he didn’t feed from me first, so it wasn’t an exchange.” “That is partially right. But you also fed from Damian last night. “But he didn’t feed from me, so it wasn’t an exchange.” “Well, that is where Damian’s blood tests come in.” She looked Nikkos squarely in the eyes. “He is your brother. You share twentyfive percent DNA. So his blood may be close enough to yours that when you fed from her, and she fed from him, it probably counted as an exchange. Then from what I heard you saying about proving you’re mates, I’m assuming you gave her more blood not that long ago?” Nikkos nodded. “It hadn’t been that long since you fed from her, and you took a lot of blood, so her drinking both your blood and Damian’s may be enough to count as two exchanges. I’m not sure, as the research didn’t really say if the exchanges had to be within a certain amount of time or even the same person. All it said was three blood exchanges. Possibly not even exchanges. Maybe they only have to drink our blood three times. We just don’t know yet. So again, I beg you, do not exchange more blood with her until I can do some blood work and see if anything more has changed with her body.” The last was directed toward Adrian. Now it was Nikkos’s turn to sway on his feet. Anstice wrapped her arms around his waist, and Adrian quickly moved to his other side and held him up. “How can he be my brother?” “We’re not sure, but from the records we have of your family, you share a mother but not a father.” “Does he know yet? Have you told him?” “No, I wanted to tell you first. See what you wanted to do.

124

Kasey Dean

Besides, I thought he may take the news better from you than me.” Nikkos shook his head as if trying to clear the confusion. “Let us go shower. Find Damian, and meet us in the den in about half an hour.” Mikhaila nodded her head and started from the room. Nikkos stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, turning her back to face him. “Mikhaila, thank you, and I’m sorry I snapped at you. It was not appropriate to take my anger out on you. None of this is your fault, and you didn’t need me to treat you with disrespect.” He knelt in front of her and brought her knuckles to his mouth. With a brush of his lips he said, “Please forgive me.” Mikhaila looked like she was in shock. She grasped Nikkos’s arms and tried to get him to stand. “Please, Kyrios, get up. You should never kneel before me like this.” “Oh, but I should. I disrespected you, and this is the only place I should be for that.” Of course Marcus took this moment in time to come and look for his mate. “Kyrios, what is going on, and why are you kneeling in front of my mate?” He didn’t look angry like Anstice thought he would at another male with his mate like this. He looked dumbfounded. She didn’t want to interrupt, so she would wait until they were alone to ask Nikkos or Adrian for an explanation of Marcus’s behavior. Nikkos looked from Mikhaila to Marcus and back again. “I disrespected her, and I’m asking for an apology.” “What exactly did you do to disrespect her?” Now there was the anger she was expecting. Mikhaila spoke up. “Nothing, my love, it was just a misunderstanding.” Of course Nikkos wouldn’t let that go. “I yelled at her.” Adrian knelt next to him. “And so did I. Please, Mikhaila, forgive us. We meant no disrespect. We just wanted to know what was going


125

on.” Mikhaila looked down at the two males who were normally vicious warriors. She said, “There is really nothing to forgive, but if it will make you get off your knees I forgive you both.” “Thank you, adelfi,” they said in unison. That one Anstice understood, sister. But she had heard several people call Nikkos “Kyrios.” She didn’t have a clue what that word meant. She needed to start making a list of things to ask her mates when they had a chance to talk without being interrupted. Marcus took Mikhaila under his arm and led her from the room with his other hand on her ever-expanding belly.

126

Kasey Dean

Chapter Eighteen Anstice could tell that Nikkos was still in shock from the news Mikhaila had given him, so she helped Adrian lead them back to their room and into the bathroom. Anstice stood beside him with her arms wrapped around him while Adrian started the water so they could shower. They both led him into the shower. Anstice was worried for Nikkos. He just stared at the wall while they washed him. The only time he moved was to rinse the shampoo from his hair after Adrian had washed it for him. She knew the story of his family. His brother has been killed by the kynigos—or “pasties,” as she had named them the night she met them —and his parents had killed each other a week later. That was how she’d learned about the love and devotion of true mates. The boys had explained to her that his parents were not mates. His mother had had a true mate once. Arsen was Nikkos’s real father, and he had been killed while his mother was pregnant with Nikkos. She had met her husband while she was pregnant, and he’d sworn he loved her and that he would always care for her and her child. For the first five years he had, but when Nikkos’s brother Cosmas was born, the father started treating Nikkos bad and even beat him a few times, until Nikkos was old enough to fight back. After that he didn’t beat him again, he just ignored him. His mother wasn’t any better. She blamed Nikkos for the hell that her husband put her through. She insisted that if she hadn’t been pregnant, she would have followed Arsen to the grave, and the only reason that she didn’t was because Arsen made her promise to take


127

care of the baby if anything should happen to him. She loved him so much that she had to keep her promise. After he had fought his stepfather, his mother started ignoring him, too. That was when Nikkos basically moved in with Adrian. The first night he stayed at Adrian’s, his brother was killed and a week later so were his parents, by each other. Apparently they were arguing about the loss of their son and blaming each other. They got into a horrible fight and were found in their bedroom by the servants the next morning. The mansion belonged to Nikkos after that, being that there were no more known relatives, so he moved back in and set up the training facility for the warriors. According to them, Adrian had the perfect family. His parents were true mates and had loved each other and their only child more than life itself. Nikkos had spent all his free time at Adrian’s house with him and his parents. They’d treated him like one of their own children. But life was sometimes unfair. Within a month after Nikkos’s parents had died, the kynigos somehow had found Adrian’s home and attacked his family. Adrian had been in the warrior training then and had been injured in a fight the night before. His parents were able to lead the kynigos away from the house, saving Adrian. After they killed his parents, they returned and set the house on fire. Nikkos arrived just as the house started to burn and was able to rescue his friend from the fire. Adrian blamed himself for his parents being killed and thought he should have been able to save them. Since the fire, he had been living with Nikkos at the mansion. That had been eleven years ago. The boys hadn’t even been eighteen and had lost their entire families. At least they had each other. Now they had Anstice, too. She knew from the moment she woke up and looked at the two warriors she wasn’t going to be leaving them. It just took her a while to admit it. ****

128

Kasey Dean

After they were all clean, Adrian and Anstice dried off Nikkos and led him back to the bedroom. Adrian kissed him gently on the lips and said, “Maybe we should wait until tomorrow to do this. I’ll go let Mikhaila know we’re going to bed and that we’ll talk to Damian tomorrow.” Apparently that was what it took to snap Nikkos out of his own world. “No, I’m fine. Let’s get this over with. He needs to know what is going on. We need to figure out how he came to be separated from my family and why. Why don’t I remember him? Was he taken or given away? Why would my mother give away a child? Who is his father? How does he have a different father? Is he going to believe me? Will he want to come here and live?” Nikkos was talking to himself, trying to find answers to questions they may never know. He’d been racking his brain trying to remember the younger brother he never knew since Mikhaila had told him. Adrian stopped the rambling with a small kiss to Nikkos’s lips. “Stop worrying, babe, we’ll figure it out.” He stuttered, “I–I’m not worried. I’m fine.” Adrian kissed him again. “Yeah, okay. Because you always ramble when you’re not worried, right?” Nikkos scowled at him. “I don’t ramble.” The response he got was both of his mates trying to stifle their laughs. That made Nikkos feel a little better. His mates knew him well. Whenever he was worried or got on a roll about something, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Usually no one could get a word into the conversation when he really got going on something. Unfortunately, his semi-good mood didn’t last but a few seconds because then he got thinking again. He knew that everyone had expected him to ascend to the throne when his parents had died, but he had not been ready to be king. It was bad enough being the prince. Every time there was a problem


129

with the species, they came to Nikkos for guidance. What the hell did he know about leading his people? He was only twenty-eight years old. His kind lived to be hundreds of years old. Osias was the oldest known vampire at eight hundred forty-nine years old. His parents had been over five hundred years old when they had died. His mother had been from the royal family, and when she married his stepfather and ascended to the throne, they had become king and queen. She would have been queen when she had mated Arsen, but her parents were still alive. They lost their lives the same night Arsen had. Someone had snuck into the palace and murdered her whole family except for her. She had been pregnant with Nikkos and was having late-night cravings. Instead of waking up Arsen, she had gone to the kitchen to get herself a late-night snack. When she returned to her room she found Arsen beheaded. When she went to alert her parents, she had found them dead also. Up until now, he had been the only heir left to the throne, except his evil cousin. The king was responsible for make the laws that their race lived by and appointing vampire to enforce them. Since his mother and stepfather had died, no laws had been changed, and very few enforced, so he knew that he would have to become king. Someday soon, if the rest of the race had any say in it. He had been pushed toward it for a while now but kept resisting. Now there was another heir. What would that mean for them? Could he decide to give up the throne to Damian? Could Damian handle it? He was even younger than Nikkos. The kid had just turned eighteen a few weeks ago. He knew from their history that either heir could be the king, but did Nikkos want to lay all that on Damian’s shoulders? They would have to figure that out later. First he had to go tell Damian he was his brother. And a prince. Anstice reached up and smoothed the lines from his forehead and whispered, “Stop thinking so hard. Everything will be fine. We will be here for you no matter what.” Nikkos blinked, looked down at her, and kissed her on the neck.

130

Kasey Dean

He vaguely remembered Adrian and Anstice bringing him back to the room and showering him. He had to wake up and get his ass moving. He knew from the training that the kid’s parents and family had been killed a few months ago. Well, at least they had something in common besides DNA. Would he hate him as much as his other brother had? How was he going to take the news that he had a brother and the family he grew up with was not really his? He walked into the closet and threw on a pair of workout pants and a T-shirt. He came out, kissed them both, took both their hands in his, and asked, “Will you come with me? I don’t think I can do this by myself.” He knew it was a sign of weakness to admit it, but he couldn’t help himself. He needed his mates by his side. Anstice stepped into him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and looked him in the eyes. “I will be right beside you the whole time.” Adrian moved to stand behind him with his arms around his waist also. “And I will be behind you forever. We will never leave you.” He softly kissed the side of Nikkos’s neck. They started to leave the room, but Nikkos stopped Anstice. “I’m sorry, baby, I had no idea that humans could be turned, or I never would have exchanged blood with you.” She placed her palms on his chest and said, “It’s okay. Whatever happens, happens. I know where I belong, and if it means becoming one of you, I can handle that. All I need is to be with the two of you. I love you both and will do whatever I need to be with you.” She looked at Adrian. “And that includes exchanging blood with you and completing the bond with you.” The two rock-hard males both had tears in their eyes as they held her tight between them and kissed her on each side of her neck over her pulse. Both of them whispered, “I love you.” With that, the three of them walked out of the room hand in hand in hand, Nikkos in the middle. As they walked down the hall, Anstice broke the silence. “I do


131

have a few questions for you when we have time.” Nikkos squeezed her hand. “Of course, baby, what do you need?” She shook her head and said, “It can wait until we are finished talking to your brother.” He pulled her to a stop and turned her to face him. “You and Adrian come first over anyone. Even a brother. So what is it that you want to ask?” She looked at him through her lashes again. Nikkos wondered if she knew how beautiful she was when she did that. “What is a Kyrios?” He gave a little laugh before he replied, “Caught that, did ya? It’s kind of hard to explain. Let’s go to the study, and you’ll understand everything very soon, I promise.” She looked confused but didn’t argue. They continued to the study to meet with Damian.

132

Kasey Dean

Chapter Nineteen Damian had been shown to a guest room in the mansion after Mikhaila had taken enough blood to compare his to Nikkos’s. He was still confused about a lot of things. First, he didn’t think humans fed the way his kind did, but Mikhaila had been insistent that he give Nikkos and Adrian’s female his blood that way. Then, when Damian did give the female his vein, she craved it as if she suffered from bloodlust like their kind did when they were too hungry. When she was done drinking she had said he tasted like Nikkos. Why did she know what Nikkos’s blood tasted like? Was her sense of taste really that developed? He knew their kind could tell the blood of someone they had fed from before, but could humans tell that, too? And lastly, Adrian had agreed with her. Damian was sure that Adrian had fed from Nikkos before. The two warriors had fought and been wounded together too many times for one not to feed from the other. Besides, if all the rumors were true, Nikkos and Adrian had a little more than a friendship going on. It was just past dawn when Damian was given his room. He was exhausted but didn’t think he would be able to sleep. The little female had taken so much blood, and then Mikhaila took more. He should have been fast asleep by now. The only thing keeping him awake was thinking about why he would be so similar to Nikkos. He was of no relation to the prince as far as he knew. His family and Nikkos’s family surely did not share the same circle of friends. He had never met anyone from the royal family before the first day of training, when Nikkos had walked into the classroom and introduced himself. That first day, he had felt something familiar with the other


133

male, but had no idea what it was, a connection of some sort. He had thought it was just the fact that Nikkos was a warrior, and he was in the training program to hopefully become a warrior, too. He had always felt out of place in his family, but when he joined the warriors he felt at home, like he was made to be one of them. Now he wasn’t sure. The whole thing had him so confused he didn’t know what to make of it. Maybe the blood tests would show something. Damian had been adopted when he was younger and was told that his parents had died when he was only a few days old. Could he somehow be related to the prince’s family? Who knew though, stranger things had happened in his life. There had been several times in the recent years that people told him that he looked like the prince, but he just didn’t see it. Thinking of that, he stood in front of the mirror and pulled his long hair back away from his face. Studying himself closely, he thought maybe there might be a little resemblance. But close enough to be related? He didn’t think so. Their hair was the same color, except Damian wore his down to his shoulders and Nikkos’s was cut short. Nikkos’s eyes were turquoise in color, and Damian’s were amethyst. Maybe they were related, one never knew what life was going to throw at them next. Finding out he had family still living would be a dream come true. After all, his entire family had been killed by the kynigos about three years ago, when he was just fifteen, leaving him living in an orphanage. He hadn’t even been eighteen when he had left the orphanage and moved out on his own and joined the warriors three months ago. He needed some good news in his life for once. He missed his mother and father more as the days went on. He thought maybe that was why he felt a connection to the prince. Everyone knew Nikkos’s parents and brother were killed, leaving him the only member of his family, too. This was all too much to think about right now. He was tired, and he was hungry, and he had to talk to Adrian later today. He needed to get some sleep.

134

Kasey Dean

He stripped down naked and climbed between the silk sheets in the biggest bed he had even slept in, in his life. It felt strange, but he felt like he was home. Damian had been resting in his room when Lucian came looking for him and told him that the prince wanted to see him in the study immediately. Well, maybe “resting” wasn’t the correct word for it. He had been trying to relax, but he was restless. He wasn’t sure why, but it almost felt like someone else’s emotions were invading him, and he couldn’t control himself. When he first woke, he felt unparalleled arousal and had to fight the urge to stroke his already rock-hard cock. Mixed in was a great hunger that caused his fangs to elongate, his stomach to rumble, and his jaw to ache with the need to feed. He was confused when the hunger quickly subsided and the paralyzing fear set in. It was a fear he was familiar with, but it was still alien to him. It was a fear of the unknown, but there was also some hope mixed in. When his parents had died and he had been placed in the orphanage, he’d had that same fear. He hadn’t known where he was going but somehow knew there was a reason for where he ended up. He had held onto his hope to get through the years of loneliness in the orphanage. Yes, there were a lot of other kids there, but no one was like him, so he was still alone, even surrounded by dozens of other orphans. The strangest thing about the orphanage had been the fact that he’d lived there for just short of three years and had never made any friends his own age. The only friend he had made was a small little girl who had come in about six months after he moved in. His mind wandered back to the day she was brought in by the social worker. She was about two and a half at the time. She came in because, according to what he eavesdropped social services saying, her mother had died, and her father was just sent to jail for a year. Her name according to them was Alice, but when he had asked her that first day


135

what her name was, even though she was only two she told him her name was Kassie. The others at the orphanage called her Alice, but somehow Damian knew she was telling the truth, and she was Kassie. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt an immediate connection to the child, which at first the personnel at the orphanage frowned upon, as he was fifteen and she was only two, but soon he was the only one that could soothe her crying at night. There were some nights that the child was inconsolable and would cry for her mother. The first night this had happened, the employees tried everything they could think of to stop the crying but nothing worked. Finally, they had left her alone in her crib in a room all by herself to cry herself to sleep. Damian could hear her screaming from his room a floor above hers. He couldn’t stand to hear the child suffering, so he snuck down the stairs and into her room. Kassie was standing in her crib, tears streaming down her cherub cheeks, and eyelashes matted together, and it broke Damian’s heart. He rushed to her side and plucked her out of the crib and held her close. “Shhhh, little one, please don’t cry. I have you, and everything is fine now.” At the sound of his voice, she quieted, and her sobs soon became sniffles until she snuggled into his neck and fell fast asleep like the angel he knew she was. By the time the staff had come to check on her, Damian had sat down in the chair next to her crib and fallen asleep himself. At first they had tried to take the child from him, but she clung to him in her sleep and started to cry as soon as anyone else touched her. They let him stay with her and hold her while she slept, but watched him closely like he was going to hurt the child. They quickly learned that he would never hurt the child and that he loved her like he would his own sister. They even broke the rules and ended up putting them in the same room just so that she would sleep. They were inseparable. He cared for all of her needs, and the staff didn’t have to do anything for her. She had no other family and was to be kept there until her father

136

Kasey Dean

did his time and was released. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, depending on whose point of view one were looking from, that plan did not work out like it was supposed to. About eight months after she arrived, word came that her father pissed off the wrong person while in jail and had his throat slashed after he was tortured in the laundry room. Within two weeks, his little angel was gone, adopted into a new family. He begged the orphanage to not let her be taken until he was eighteen and could adopt her himself, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. He only had her love for eight months and four days, but she would be in his heart for the rest of his life. He knew where she went and had been watching her almost every day since she left him until her new family had moved out of state. It seemed, since there were no living relatives, that adoption records were sealed so the adoptive parents would never have to tell the child who her real father was. He had his ways of finding her and would keep an eye on her for the rest of her life. As long as she was happy and taken care of, he would keep his distance and watch over her, but if anything ever happened to her or the couple that adopted her hurt her in any way, she wouldn’t spend another minute with them. He didn’t care if it was kidnapping or not, he knew he could take her and disappear without a trace.


137

Chapter Twenty Bringing his thoughts back to the study and the present situation, he hoped everything with the prince’s female was okay and that the prince didn’t have second thoughts and wasn’t angry with him for feeding her. He wasn’t sure what effects his blood may have on her. He knew it was illegal to give blood to a human, but when the race’s prince had asked him to do it, he hadn’t thought twice about it. He did as he was asked and was happy that the prince chose him for the favor So Damian was now sitting uncomfortably in the study while Mikhaila and Marcus both paced and Lucian lounged in front of the fireplace like he didn’t have a care in the world. It made Damian even twitchier that Lucian was cool and calm while Mikhaila and Marcus were pacing. Every time he had met Marcus in the past, he was always collected, and this restlessness was unnerving. It wasn’t just Marcus’s uneasiness—more emotions were invading his mind. After the fear and hope, there was extreme lust that had him leaving his bed and finding his way into his shower to release a little tension. Then the fear had returned and stayed and seemed to be getting stronger. He knew they weren’t his emotions but didn’t know where they came from or how to stop them. Just when Damian thought he was going to lose his mind from the overload, the study door swung open. He jumped to his feet and saw Nikkos glance his way cautiously, and Damian knew there was something wrong. The female was holding Nikkos’s hand and looked like she was fine, but he could feel her unease. He suddenly realized the emotions he was feeling were coming from her. All the emotions flowing through her were enough to make him gasp as his legs

138

Kasey Dean

decided to stop working, and he slumped back into the chair he had just occupied. **** Nikkos saw the male collapse into the chair and knew he was feeling Anstice’s emotions. He could feel the turmoil running through her but had gotten used to it and was able to guard himself from her strongest emotion, fear. However Damian was still young and probably had never fed anyone before and didn’t know how to block her out, even though she was a tiny little human. This was going to get interesting. He was going to have to teach his baby brother—wow, never thought he’d be able think of anyone as his baby brother again—how to block her out soon or, their life would be quite an adventure the next time she, Adrian, and Nikkos were together intimately. Hopefully he hadn’t been feeling her earlier today when they were in the bed, and then later when they were in the gym. Nikkos knew Anstice’s mood was affecting Damian and knew he should ask her to leave and put some distance between them. The problem with that was that he was a selfish bastard and couldn’t be without the strength she provided him when he broke the news to Damian. Quietly, he asked Adrian to take Anstice and sit behind his desk away from Damian so he could go talk to the other male and maybe help him block the emotions a little so they could talk. Nikkos approached Damian and squatted in front of where he sat. He could see the fine sheen of sweat covering Damian’s forehead. He looked over to Adrian. “Calm her down if you can before she makes him pass out.” Adrian nodded his head and took Anstice tightly into his arms while she sat on his lap in the chair behind the desk. He rubbed his hands up and down her back and whispered soothing words into her ear.


139

His attention back on Damian, Nikkos said, “You feel her emotions because she fed from you. You can learn to block her out, but it will take time to block everything. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking of that when I asked you to help her.” Damian immediately responded, “Please don’t apologize, my Kyrios, I am no one for you to worry about. I will be fine. I’m just glad your female is okay.” Nikkos looked down at his hands where they were clasped in front of him. “Don’t call me that, please. We have a lot to talk about, and it will be easier if we can just talk male to male.” “Yes, Kyr…Sorry, habit. I have been taught my entire life to have respect for you and your family. By the way, I’m sorry for the loss of your family. I lost my family, too. Not that my family should mean anything to you, but, well…” He trailed off, and he bit his bottom lip. “Sorry, when I’m nervous I tend to ramble on and on. My mom always used to have to interrupt me when I went off on my tangents or no one else could get a word in edgewise.” He was interrupted by Adrian laughing hysterically. Nikkos looked at him as if he had lost his mind. “What’s so funny?” He wasn’t sure why he asked, because he already knew what his friend was going to say. Adrian had always had to cut him off when he got going on some off-the-wall subject and jumped from one topic to another. “Oh my gods, it has to be true. He sounds just like you. You never shut up either when you get going,” Adrian said while holding his stomach and trying not to keep laughing. Nikkos rolled his eyes at his best friend. “Thanks, I love you, too.” Adrian blew him a kiss and replied. “I know you do.” Nikkos looked back at Damian, who looked so confused. “What has to be true?” he asked. “Caught that, did ya?” Nikkos pulled a chair up in front of Damian’s and took a deep breath. He wasn’t really sure how to tell

140

Kasey Dean

Damian he was his brother and the family he knew his entire life was not really his. “Your blood tests came back, and they showed something quite interesting. They showed that your parents weren’t your biological parents.” Nikkos watched the younger male for signs of distress. “I know that I was adopted when I was a baby. My biological parents were killed, and my adopted ones couldn’t have children. That’s how I ended up in the orphanage after they were killed. I had no other family and nowhere to go.” Nikkos couldn’t help his heartache at not knowing he had a brother and not being able to take him in when he needed him, too. “You do have family now, and you will always have a place to live.” Damian looked around the room as if waiting for someone to fill him in on this mysterious family he supposedly had. Nikkos watched Damian’s pulse speed up. “I’m your brother.” He blinked then and couldn’t breathe. “Excuse me? What did you say? With all due respect, sir, please don’t play with my feelings. You of all people should know what it feels like to lose your family. But for you to give me hope that I have family out there, and then try to tell me it’s you… please, sir, don’t.” Nikkos was shocked. Damian looked so pitiful. He looked to Mikhaila for some assistance. She walked over with a folder and handed it to Damian. He opened the folder and looked at the pages within. Mikhaila said, “This is a copy of your DNA tests we did this morning. The first set is yours, the second is Nikkos’s, the third one is what we have on file for his mother, and the fourth is his father’s and the bottom is his stepfather’s. This shows that you both have the same mother. We know you don’t have the same father because Nikkos’s was killed before he was born, but his stepfather is not yours, either. So technically you are half brothers.” Nikkos cut in, “But blood is blood, and you and I are family. You don’t have to be alone anymore, and you will always have a place in


141

my home if you wish it. I don’t know what happened or why you have a different father than my stepfather, but we will try to find out if you want. Until then, you will stay here and join our family if you want.” Damian looked over the papers several times before he looked up with tears in his eyes. Nikkos couldn’t help himself if he tried. He had never been close to anyone except Adrian, but looking at the young vampire, he couldn’t resist pulling him into a fierce hug and holding him there. The other male couldn’t hold himself together any longer. He wrapped his arms around Nikkos and held tight while he sobbed on his shoulder. It took him a few minutes to compose himself. When he did, he pulled back from Nikkos and wiped his eyes. “Sorry, Kyrios, I’m not usually this emotional. I know you must think I’m weak, crying like a baby.” He stopped talking when he met Nikkos’s eyes and realized the older male was crying, too. “Oh gods, please, Kyrios, don’t. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” Nikkos wiped his eyes and looked at his brother. “You really need to stop calling me that. If you didn’t hear what was just said, you are my brother and that makes you Prigkipas also. Besides,” he said, looking over his shoulder at Anstice, who was also crying, “I think some of your emotions are coming from somewhere else, also. You can feel everything she is feeling right now.” Damian looked at him, confused again. “You fed her last night when I almost killed her, and now you will be linked to her forever.” Damian paled and his eyes went wide. “Don’t worry, I told you I will help you to control it, and you can learn to block her out. It will happen with anyone you feed, but it will get easier. It is all new to you, and her being in the same room will be hard for a while, but we’ll get through it together. I promise. It’s what brothers do, right?” Damian could only nod his head “Brothers. Right, I’ve never had

142

Kasey Dean

a brother before. I was an only child. My parents couldn’t have children. That’s why they adopted me.” He blushed. “I said that already, didn’t I? Sorry.” Nikkos placed his hand on Damian’s forearm and gave a small chuckle. His brother really was like him, couldn’t stop talking for anything. “Stop apologizing so much.” Nikkos cleared his throat. “Now, I’m sure you have a lot to think about and a lot of questions, but I want to get you moved in here right away, if that’s what you want.” Damian nodded his head again. “I have been staying at the warrior compound, but I would love to live here.” Nikkos looked to Marcus. “Can you get someone to go get his belongings and bring them here? Give him any room he wants.” Marcus nodded his head and left the room. Looking back at Damian, Nikkos said, “Okay now, let’s get working on blocking out Anstice’s emotions a little, and I think we will all feel a little better.” Damian nodded, but before Nikkos could start explaining how to go about doing just that Anstice spoke up. “Excuse me, I have a question.” All eyes turned to look at her. “What are a Kyrios and a Prigkipas?” Adrian bent down and whispered in her ear, “Let’s wait a little while and I’ll explain everything to you.” Nikkos cut him off. “No, she deserves to know. Kyrios roughly translated mean ‘lord.’ And Prigkipas means ‘prince.’” He waited for that to sink in. She still looked confused. He continued, “Our race has a royal family and…well, I’m it. Actually, we’re it,” he said, gesturing to Damian. “My mother was queen, and when she was killed, I should have ascended to the throne, but I didn’t. I don’t want to be king. I’m not king material. I’m a warrior, and that’s all I’ve ever known. So now that we know that Damian and I share the same mother, he is also a prince. And an heir to the throne.” Nikkos paused before he dropped more onto her. “And now that


143

you’re my mate,” he said, pausing, and saw the pieces click into place as she started shaking her head. She tried to take a step back, but Adrian was too close. “You are the princess, and if I ever decide to ascend, you will be queen.” She looked back up into Adrian’s dark eyes. “What does that make you?” He looked down at her with a sad look in his eyes. “I’m just me, little one. You and Nikkos are mates, so you will be the royal family. But don’t worry, I will always be here to protect you both.” Nikkos got up and stalked across the room toward them. Once again, Anstice flinched away, and he knew his eyes were probably glowing again. He stopped inches away from them and gently laid his palm on her cheek. “Baby, I will never hurt you. Please don’t be scared of me.” He looked up at Adrian as he wrapped the other hand around the nape of his neck. “And you,” he hissed through his teeth. “We have been over this. You are her mate, too. We all belong together, and as soon as we find out what else Mikhaila and Lucian have to say about this whole changing-a-human business, we will be proving it.” Adrian lowered his eyes, and Nikkos prayed to any gods that would listen that he was right. He wasn’t sure what he would do without the two of them in his life. He knew he would love them both until his dying day, but not being able to touch Adrian and be touched by him would slowly kill him. Adrian raised his dark eyes to meet Nikkos’s turquoise ones. “Okay,” he whispered. Nikkos leaned in and smothered him with a kiss until he heard someone whimper. When he realized it was him, he had to pull away. Nikkos turned his head just enough to see what the reaction of the others in the room would be. Damian looked shocked, to say the least. If he had opened his mouth any farther, his jaw may have fallen off. Mikhaila was looking at them with awe and tears in her eyes. And Lucian had that well it’s about time look. He looked back to Adrian as the other male said, “Well, I guess

144

Kasey Dean

the cat’s outta the bag now.” He motioned with his head toward the rest of the room. Nikkos replied, “I don’t care. It’s no one’s business who I’m with. If anyone has a problem with it they can deal with it, because I’m not giving up either one of you. It’s time things start to change around here. Our race is stuck too far in the dark ages. There is no reason that two men cannot be together. And if I have to ascend to the throne and make new laws, then I will.” Nikkos kept talking about new laws and loving who one wanted to love when he heard a small laugh behind him. He turned to see Damian sober with a quick look of fear crossing his face. “Something funny, brother?” Nikkos asked in his most menacing tone. “Sorry, Kyr…sorry, b–b–br–brother. I was just thinking that Adrian was right, you do talk as much as me when you get going on something,” Damian said as he looked down at his feet.


145

Chapter Twenty-One Nikkos turned to look at Lucian. “So, what information do you have for me about being able to change a human into a vampire?” Lucian stood and handed another folder to Nikkos then started to explain. “These are copies I made from some of the ancient texts about our race I found. I started looking into it after you gave Anstice blood the first time. A long time ago there was a vampire who fell in love with a human. The human was fatally injured, and the vampire fed her his blood in hopes of saving her life. It worked. However, she was injured again, and again he gave her his blood. After the second time, she stopped aging and started to grow stronger. After several years of being, together she got pregnant.” Nikkos gasped. “I thought vampires and humans couldn’t have children together.” Lucian held up his hand. “Let me continue, please. When the time came for the baby to be born, something went wrong, and the mother hemorrhaged, almost bleeding to death. The male gave her more of his blood, and she and the baby seemed to be fine. But then she had a very restless night and seemed to be in excruciating pain. The male wasn’t sure what to do, so he just held her and prayed that she would be okay. After hours of her screaming in pain, she finally settled into a deep sleep. So deep the male assumed she was going to die in his arms. “The next morning the female woke with a craving for her mate’s blood, and a brand-new set of fangs. From there, there isn’t much about this couple, but others that had human mates found out and began experimenting to see if they, too, could change their mates into

146

Kasey Dean

vampires. What came of it was that after three blood exchanges, the human was turned into a vampire. “Most couples lived happily with this and didn’t cause a problem, but as you know there are always a few that feel the need to abuse their power. There were some out there that thought to make their own armies with new vampires that they could control, so they started turning multiple humans. Their goal was to go after the royal family and take over. The royal guards found out and took care of the armies, but something had to be done to stop it from happening again. That is where the law came about that it was illegal and punishable by death to give our blood to humans.” Now Anstice looked shocked. “You mean that Nikkos and Damian could be put to death for giving me their blood?” she asked, covering her mouth. Adrian laughed behind her. She turned on him and glared. “What’s so funny?” He tried to wrap her in his arms, but she was clearly having none of that. “Little one, Nikkos will be the king of our people someday. Do you really think that anyone would even think about punishing him? Besides, even though it is illegal, it is perfectly acceptable to do anything in one’s power to save the life of their mate.” “But what about Damian. He’s not my mate?” Adrian placed his hand on her cheek. “Cardia Mou, he is a prince, too. No harm will come to him. I promise.” Getting back to the conversation, Nikkos asked, “Okay, so you said three blood exchanges? Does it have to be three with the same person? Three total, no matter how many people? How much blood does there have to be? Technically, Anstice and I have exchanged blood, but that was only once. So we should be able to do an exchange with Adrian without anything happening, right?” Lucian looked back at the copies he had in his hands. “I really don’t know. The only stories show one vampire exchanging blood with the human. As far as I can tell, there isn’t anything in writing


147

that’s shows more than that. But you also have to remember. You took a lot of blood from her last night. Damian fed her quite a bit, and then from what I understand you fed her more later? With Damian’s blood being as close to yours as it is, it may count as two. We also don’t know if there has to be two actual exchanges or if she just needs to drink our blood three times. There is no real way to find out. I supposed we could do some blood tests to find out if anything has changed with her, but we didn’t take a base sample when you brought her here, so there isn’t anything to compare it to. Also, from what I overheard she is showing some of our traits. Is that correct?” Nikkos nodded. “Yes, when I was feeding Adrian she seemed to crave my blood, too. Before we realized that she shouldn’t, it was too late. She had already drank my blood. ” Lucian added, “You also have to remember this story said the female was screaming in pain for hours. Now it may have been from just giving birth, or it may have been the changes that were being made inside her body. You have to be prepared for the fact that this may be very painful if you decide to turn her. I know how mated males can be when their females are in pain. You will have to be able to watch her suffer without being able to do anything about it.” Nikkos could feel the waves of fear coming from Anstice, and by looking at Damian, it was taking a toll on him, too. It was time to separate the two of them. Looking to Lucian, he asked, “Can you work with Damian for a little while on how to block others’ emotions? I think I need to go have a long talk with my mates.” Lucian nodded and went to sit in the chair across from Damian. While he was talking to him, Nikkos took Anstice’s and Adrian’s hands and led them from the study. He led them down the hall to their room. He wanted to lead them to the bed but thought better of it. There was a small sitting area in the corner of the room with a black leather sofa. They sat down with Anstice between them. She was completely silent, her eyes not really focusing on anything. She seemed to be lost inside her mind, trying to sort out

148

Kasey Dean

everything that she had just learned. She looked at Adrian then Nikkos then straight ahead again. “Will I be able to go outside during the day?” Nikkos was flabbergasted, of all the questions she could have asked and that was it. Adrian whispered to her, “Baby, don’t do this. We won’t do this to you.” She looked up at him with those steel-gray eyes. “If we don’t exchange blood, I can’t prove to you you’re my mate.” He took her into his arms and whispered, “Oh, little one, you don’t have to do that for me. I know I’m your mate. I was just being difficult earlier. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to risk you being changed just to prove we are mates.” She pulled back from his embrace and turned to look at Nikkos. “Will I be able to go outside during the day?” He answered without a hesitation. “I’m not sure. We told you before that some of our kind could be out in sunlight. Adrian and I both can handle the sunlight, so you may be able to, also.” He knew it made him a bastard for thinking it, but he also knew that they would lose Adrian if she didn’t bond with him. He couldn’t help but feel guilty that he wanted to let herself possibly be turned just so he could keep Adrian, too. He could see by the look in Anstice’s eyes that she knew they would lose him, and was determined to bond with him no matter if it changed her or not. She nodded her head and turned back to Adrian. “I have something I have to do today, and then tonight you will exchange blood with me and complete our bond.” Adrian looked her in the eyes. “I can’t ask you to do that for me.” “You’re not asking, I’m telling you that is what is gonna happen. Unless you don’t want to be mated to me?” The last was said in a whisper as she lowered her head to avoid his stare. He placed his finger under her chin and raised her to face him. “I want nothing more than to be mated and fully bonded to you.” He looked over her shoulder at Nikkos. “And to you.”


149

Nikkos sucked in a quick breath. To be fully bonded to a mate, they had to have sex and exchange blood. It usually has to be at the same time, but it would work at different times, too. Both just had to occur before the bond was complete. That meant Adrian planned on having sex with Nikkos. Nikkos knew that was where their relationship was headed and wanted it, too. He was just scared. Because of their race’s views on two men being together, no one had ever heard of two men bonding. How exactly was that going to work? Could two men bond with each other? Or would the bonds only be between the female and the two males? Too many questions needed to be answered, and if Nikkos thought about it anymore his head was going to explode. Looking back at Anstice, Adrian added, “But we don’t know what will happen if we exchange blood. You could turn into a vampire.” She looked at Adrian with tears in her eyes. “Would you not want me if I was a vampire?” Adrian enfolded her into his embrace. “Cardia mou, I will always want you. Vampire or human, it doesn’t matter to me. You just need to think of things that you would be giving up if you turned. Going outside during the day would only be part of it. You would have to give up your entire life and move here with us permanently. You would never have contact with any of your friends or family again. And if what Lucian said was true, it may be extremely painful for you to go through the change.” She just shrugged her shoulders like it was no big deal. “I have no family and very few friends, no one that I would miss. Besides, I have already decided that if you two will have me, I want to stay here with you. I don’t want to go anywhere else. I know where I belong, and it is with you and Nikkos. And if I’m in pain for a little while, it will be okay to finally belong to you both.” Adrian looked on the verge of weeping. “Little one, you have no idea how happy you have made me.” He kissed her gently on the forehead.

150

Kasey Dean

Nikkos interrupted. “You said you have something you need to do today while it is still light out. What do you need to do, baby?”


151

Chapter Twenty-Two She took a deep breath and said as fast as she could, “I have to go the cemetery and see my daughter’s grave in the daylight one more time in case I can’t later. She used to love the sunlight, and I want to visit her one more time while the sun is shining before I may not be able to again. Plus, cemeteries at night are just creepy.” Both males froze and were speechless. Nikkos recovered first. “Your daughter’s grave? Baby, why didn’t you tell us you had a daughter? What happened? How old was she?” He was starting to ramble again, and even with the situation Anstice smiled. He really is cute when he rambles. It took Anstice a minute to collect herself before she could start her story. “I met a man when I was twenty and immediately thought I was in love. He was so charming. He made me think that I was his world. We got married after a year of dating, and he immediately wanted children, so I got pregnant. We had a beautiful little girl. Kassandra Ariadne. She was my life. “Shortly after she was born, he started becoming possessive and wouldn’t let me leave the house unless he was with me or knew where I was. I even had to quit my job that I loved. Which I would have for Kassie, anyway. When Kassandra was about a year and a half old, I took her to the zoo, and we got home a little late. He was there waiting for me. That was the first night I realized how dangerous he was. He waited until after I had cooked dinner and put Kassandra to bed, and then he beat me so bad that he ended up having to take me to the emergency room. “I had several broken ribs, a fractured arm, and lots of bruises. He

152

Kasey Dean

told the ER doctors that I had tripped and fallen down the stairs. He told me that if I told them the truth, he would take Kassandra and I would never see her again. Of course I never told a soul the truth. I knew he would make good on his promise. So for six months I kept my mouth shut and did everything he said. The abuse went on, but I kept lying to everyone about the bruises. “I had contacted a safe house and was all set up to take Kassandra and disappear, but somehow he found out. The night we were going to leave, he came home early. Kassandra was taking a nap. He started screaming at me, and the next thing I knew, he had a gun in his hand. He told me that he knew what I was planning on doing and that I was going to die for disobeying him. I tried to run up the stairs to get to Kassandra, but he shot me in the back on my way to the bedroom. I lost consciousness with him standing over me, laughing. “I woke up sometime later with my dog, Ajax, standing over me, and the entire house was on fire. I tried to get to Kassandra’s bedroom, but it was full of flames. Ajax dragged me toward the window. It was screwed shut, and there was nothing near me to break it with. I had to use my body to break it. I barely made it out of the house when the fire department and ambulance arrived. I passed out on the front lawn. I woke up a few days later in the hospital. The doctors took the bullet out and saved it for evidence.” She pulled the bullet fragment that was on her necklace out and looked down at it. She was in another time and place. She didn’t even notice the sobs coming from the males sitting beside her. “The police came to see me to tell me that they had found the bodies of a man and a small child in the bedroom. Both had been shot before their bodies were burned beyond recognition. They identified my husband from old dental records, but since Kassandra was just two years old, she hadn’t had any X-rays done yet, so they had no way to prove it was her.” She started sobbing. “There was nothing left of my baby to bury, so I had her cremated. Most of her ashes were buried in the cemetery,


153

but I kept some with me. They are in the little wooden box you brought from my nightstand.” She looked between the two males with her. “The cemetery is a few towns away, but I would really like to go, if you don’t mind.” They both wrapped her in their arms and cried with her. Nikkos was able to speak first. “Of course, baby, we’ll go right now. Let’s just go see if we can get at least one other person to help protect you while we’re out.” Adrian added, “Damian may be able to go out in the sunlight, as he is your brother. You know Marcus and Lucian can’t, so it won’t do any good to ask them. I don’t know where else we can find someone to go on such short notice.” Anstice spoke up. “No, not Damian, I don’t want him to have to suffer my pain when I go there.” Nikkos rocked her gently back and forth. “Shhhh, baby, don’t worry about Damian. He is strong, and he can handle it. But we need to make sure you are protected at all times.” He lifted her chin so she was looking at him and gave her a grin. “After all, you will be the queen of our race someday.” She paled. “Please don’t say that. I don’t think I’m quite ready for that yet.” He chuckled. “Okay, baby, don’t worry. I’m not ready to be king yet, either.” He stood and took her by the hand. “Come on, let’s go find that brother of mine and go visit your daughter.” **** Damian was still with Lucian in the study and had gotten a good handle on blocking Anstice’s emotions. He barely noticed that she had entered the room until Nikkos approached him and said, “Can you go outside during the sunlight?” “Yes, I’ve always been able to. That was one of the things that drove my adopted parents crazy. They were nightwalkers and

154

Kasey Dean

couldn’t tolerate the sunlight. Why do you ask? Can you?” Damian asked. Nikkos answered, “Yes, Adrian and I both can, and I need to ask you a favor. You can say no if you don’t want to.” “Of course, anything for you.” Adrian patted him on the back and gave a small laugh. “Boy, you really need to stop agreeing to anything he asks without knowing what it is. You would be surprised at some of the off-the-wall, crazy shit your brother comes up with for plans.” He looked up at Adrian. “Yeah, sorry, obeying the prince in all things has been taught to me my whole life. It will probably take a while to break that habit. So, what do you need me to do?” he said, looking to Nikkos. “Anstice needs to go out, and we need you to go with us and help protect her.” “Of course, I would do anything to protect the princess.” Anstice held up her hand. “Please, stop calling me that. I’m no one’s princess.” Adrian dragged her into his arms. “You will always be treated like a princess by everyone in our world, whether you acknowledge the title or not. Especially by Nikkos and myself. We will do anything to spoil you and make you happy.” Damian could see how much Adrian’s words meant to her. She seemed to melt in his arms. Lucian wanted to know what was so important that it had to be done during the day and couldn’t wait until nightfall, when he and Marcus could help protect Anstice. While Anstice and Adrian explained to story to him and Mikhaila, Nikkos and Damian went to get ready to go out. Nikkos took Damian into the armory and helped him pick out all the weapons that he would need or want. “You are welcome to anything in here at any time. What is mine is yours now. If you need something that isn’t here, just tell Lucian or Marcus, and they will be sure to get it for you. I will be announcing you as my brother to everyone soon, and I will expect the same


155

respect shown to you as everyone shows to me from now on. If you have any problems, come see me and I will straighten anything and anyone out.” Nikkos paused to see Damian staring at him with adoration. “What?” Damian put his hand on Nikkos’s forearm and said, “Thank you. You don’t have to do any of this for me. You could go on with your life like I don’t exist, but you aren’t. You are taking me and treating me like I belong here.” Nikkos replied, “You do belong here. You are family, and family takes care of family. My only regret is that I didn’t find you sooner and that you had to spend time in an orphanage. If I had known, I would have come and brought you here sooner.” Damian had tears in his eyes again when he said, “Thank you again. Everything you are doing is like a dream come true to me.” Nikkos hugged him quickly, cleared his throat, and said, “Now let’s go protect our princess, shall we?” Damian quickly armed himself, and the two brothers walked side by side out of the armory and met Anstice and Adrian at the front door.

156

Kasey Dean

Chapter Twenty-Three Nikkos got into the driver’s seat while Adrian placed Anstice in the middle of the front seat of the Yukon. Damian climbed in the backseat. Anstice turned around and told that boys that they were being rude and that Damian shouldn’t have to sit all by himself in the backseat. When Adrian didn’t make any attempt to move to the backseat, she started to climb over into the back. She didn’t make it very far before four very large, powerful arms grabbed her and dragged her back into her seat. Accompanying the arms were two very loud growls. She heard Damian let out a small laugh from the backseat just before he said, “It’s okay, princess, I’m fine back here. I enjoy all the extra room. You stay there before your mates decide to hurt someone. I don’t think they like the idea of you being too close to another male.” Adrian and Nikkos both agreed to that at the same time. “We are taking the Yukon because it has room for all three of us in the front,” Adrian told her. She rolled her eyes at him. Nikkos added, “I know you’re my brother and wouldn’t do anything to her, but I don’t like her close to anyone except Adrian.” Damian nodded his head in acknowledgement. “When I find my mate, I’m sure I’ll be the same way with him.” Anstice was the first to catch on to what he said and let out a small giggle. Both of the boys looked at her like she had lost her mind before the information must have clicked into their brains. When it


157

did, they both turned around in their seats and studied Damian as if trying to decide if he was being serious. “I–I, um, I ummm…” he stuttered. “I thought you said it was okay for us to love who we want, no matter their sex.” His face reddened, and he held his breath waiting for the reply. Nikkos looked so proud when he answered. “Of course it is, brother, and I guess we have one more thing in common, huh? I wish I was as brave as you are to admit it at your age.” Damian blushed and nodded. Nikkos took Anstice’s hand and held it up. Brushing his lips across the inside of her wrist, he asked, “Are you ready, baby?” She tensed for a second, and then, giving him a small grin, she nodded. They rode in silence for the forty minutes it took them to get to the small cemetery. It was just after 5:00 p.m. when they got there. Damian looked around, confused. No one had filled him in on their mission for the day. Anstice directed Nikkos to a small plot way in the back under a beautiful cherry blossom tree. She had planted and taken care of the tree by herself since her daughter had died. They all got out of the car, and Anstice started to walk toward the tiny white stone with the angel sitting on it. The boys hung back and planned on giving her time, but she stopped and turned to them. “Please, come with me and meet her. I know she would have loved you all as much as I do.” Nikkos and Adrian joined her, but Damian didn’t budge. She pleaded with her eyes. “Please, Damian, you are family, too. Come with us?” Trying to swallow past the lump in his throat, Damian followed the threesome. He was searching the area around them, as he had been trained to make sure there was no danger. When Anstice knelt down in front of the stone and Damian looked over her shoulder, he couldn’t believe his eyes. His knees gave out on him, and he was sobbing by the time he was on the ground. Anstice gasped and said, “Oh god, please, Damian, I’m sorry.”

158

Kasey Dean

She looked up at Nikkos and told him, “I knew my emotions were going to be too much for him when we got here. I told you not to make him come.” She got up and walked quickly over to where Damian was kneeling on the ground, staring at the headstone. She put her hand on his shoulder and tried to soothe him. “Damian, I’m sorry my pain is too much. Let’s go home. I’ll come again a different day, and you won’t have to be here.” He caught his breath enough to look up at her. Tears stained his cheeks. “It’s not your pain. Who is Kassie to you?” Anstice stared down at him, bewildered. “Kassie? How do you know I called her Kassie? I was the only one that ever called her that. The stone says Kassandra.” He felt like a lost child, staring up at her. “She told me her name was Kassie at the orphanage. Her father called her Alice, and so did everyone else. She could barely talk, but when I asked her name she said Kassie, so that’s what I called her.” Now it was Anstice’s turn to be confused again. “What are you talking about? Kassie was never at an orphanage. She died a few days before her second birthday.” Damian looked past her to the picture of the beautiful baby on the headstone again. “The dates on the stone must be wrong. She was brought into the orphanage when she was two and a half and was adopted eight months later when her father was killed in prison. I begged them to keep her there until I was eighteen so I could adopt her, but they wouldn’t listen. They wouldn’t even tell me the names of the couple that adopted her. Said the records were sealed and no one would be able to find out the information on where she was going.” He pulled out his wallet and showed her the picture he was able to take the day she left him. “See, that is the same beautiful angel. Now, how do you know her?” Anstice carefully took to photo he handed her. She studied the


159

picture with tears running down her cheeks before she answered. “She’s my daughter.” Damian watched as her eyes closed and she passed out. Adrian caught her before she could hit the ground and snapped at Damian, “What the hell did you do to her?” Damian raised his hands in surrender. “Nothing, I just showed her this.” He held the photo up to Adrian. Adrian looked between the photo in the wallet and the one on the headstone. He knew anyone could tell it was definitely the same child. Adrian sat down in the grass with Anstice in his arms and Nikkos standing over them both while Damian went to the Yukon to get a bottle of water. He held her in his arms, talking in a whisper. “Please wake up, baby. We’ll figure this out, just come back to us.” It took a few minutes and some of the bottled water splashed on her face, but Anstice slowly woke up. She looked into Adrian’s eyes look like she was lost. She looked over to Damian and asked, “Can you please explain to me what’s going on?” He replied, “I’m not exactly sure, but I can tell you everything I know about Kassie, and I can help you find her.” He went on and told the story of the little angel that came into his life and stole his heart. When he was finished, Anstice asked, “If she was adopted with no living relatives, then how can you help me find her?” Damian’s heart started racing. He knew what he was about to tell her could get him in big trouble, but at the time he did it, he didn’t care. He lowered his gaze to the ground and in a barely audible voice said, “The night before she left, I knew that I needed to find her again. Just to make sure that she was safe and being taken care of. I knew that if that couple that adopted her didn’t take care of her or hurt her in any way that I would need to protect her.” Damian continued, “They let her stay with me like usual that last night. I held her in my arms all night and told her how much I would miss her and that we would see each other again someday. I knew it was wrong, but I needed to see she was safe. I had been told by my

160

Kasey Dean

parents that it links you together forever and you can always find them. So I took just a little of her blood and gave her a little of mine. Not a lot, not enough to hurt her, and I made sure there were no marks left. Please, Nikkos, please understand I only did it so I could protect her. I knew it was wrong, but I can’t protect her if I can’t find her. She was all alone and didn’t know the couple that was adopting her, and I just needed to make sure she was going to be safe. Please, brother, I knew it was illegal, but I had to do it. Please tell me you understand and…” Damian’s rambling was cut off by Anstice leaping from Adrian’s lap and throwing her arms around Damian’s neck. She kissed his entire face, saying a million thank-yous before she was forcefully taken away from him by both of her males. Damian flinched, and Anstice looked up at her mates sheepishly. “Sorry, I forgot, no touching anyone but you.” Then she batted her eyelashes at them and tapped Nikkos on the tip of his nose. Even though he was scared for his life, Damian couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his throat when they both melted at her antics. They both glared at him, cutting his laughter off. Nikkos held out his hand to him and pulled him into a tight bear hug. “Brother, you are as crazy as I am, and I love you for it. Without you doing what you did, we wouldn’t know where to find Kassie. Now let’s go get her and take her home where she belongs.” Damian hesitated. “That’s gonna be a little harder than you think. She lives in Nevada now. I haven’t been able to see her in about nine months since they moved. I couldn’t afford to fly out there and back. That’s why when I saw the picture I panicked. I thought I could still feel her even from this far away, but seeing that picture I was afraid something happened to her and I didn’t know it.” “Do you know where in Nevada she is? You’ll be able to find her once we get close, right? How strong is your bond with her?” Adrian asked. Damian answered, “They moved to the outskirts of Las Vegas. I


161

don’t know the exact address, but I made sure to renew our bond a few times before she left. I knew it was a bad idea, but I also knew if I didn’t that I wouldn’t be able to tell if she was okay from here. I can feel her a little from here, but I’m sure as soon as we get closer I will be able to find her.” Nikkos patted him on the back. “You did good, brother, very good. Let’s go.” Damian stopped dead in his tracks and started hyperventilating. The other three looked at him, concerned. “What wrong?” they all said at the same time. “Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods,” were the only words that came out of his mouth. Nikkos went over and put his arms around his brother’s shoulders “Brother, tell me what’s wrong. Is Kassie okay? Did something happen to her?” Damian started rambling again, “I didn’t know humans could be turned. If what Lucian found out is true they can be turned by three blood exchanges. What did I do? What did I do? I made more than three exchanges with her. They were small exchanges, but still there were more than three. I thought I had to, to make the bond strong enough to feel her this far away. What if I changed her? What if she’s a vampire now and can’t go outside? What if the people that adopted her find out and do something to her? What did I do to that poor baby? Oh gods! Oh gods!” Nikkos had to shake his brother to get him to stop talking. “Don’t worry about that right now. We will deal with it when we find out if it even happened. Besides, she’s only five years old right now anyway. If she has been turned, she won’t show any signs until she’s about twelve anyway and won’t need to feed until about fifteen, when she hits our maturity. She is fine. You would feel her if anything was wrong.” Damian wished he could believe that.

162

Kasey Dean

Chapter Twenty-Four They piled into the Yukon and headed home. On the way, Adrian called Marcus and had him make flight reservations for the four of them on the next flight to Nevada. He didn’t go into great detail, just enough to make sure Marcus knew how urgent their need to get to Vegas was. They got back to the mansion in record time thanks to Nikkos’s lack of patience. Adrian suggested that they pack to be gone for a few days. He wasn’t exactly sure how they were going to get the child and bring her back to Massachusetts, but he had Marcus and Lucian working on it. Lucian had come up empty-handed with an address for the name Damian had provided for the adoptive parents. It wasn’t really a surprise, since apparently the father was a cop that had just transferred to LVPD. They knew their best bet was to walk in and take the child, but they were trying to come up with another way that wouldn’t hurt the adoptive parents any more than they had to. They were going to try to go the legal route. Lucian was good with a computer, so he was able to get a copy of Kassie’s birth certificate showing Anstice as her mother. Anstice had changed her name back to her maiden name after she thought her husband and child were dead, but she had all the paperwork showing that she was indeed Anstice Jameson and the mother to Kassandra Ariadne Karra Jameson. Lucian also was able to get his hands on the adoption records. This was saying he was a genius, because they were sealed and buried so deep no one should have been able to find them. Unfortunately, the


163

adoption records had no mother’s name, and the child’s and father’s names had been changed, too. If the paperwork failed, Nikkos would insist on blood tests. However, he was afraid that with the possibility that Anstice’s and Kassandra’s DNA had been changed with the addition of their blood, the DNA test wouldn’t do any good. They would try it the legal way first, and if it didn’t work, they would disappear with the child where no one, not even the FBI’s finest, would be able to find her. They would probably have to change the child’s appearance a little until they could get her home, but it would be worth it to make Anstice happy. Lucian was also able to dig up the arrest reports for Anstice’s husband. Digging deeper, he even found the warden’s report from when he was killed in jail. He had also found a news report for around the same time of the fire of a two-year-old girl being kidnapped and never found. This was the only explanation that could be found of where the body in the fire had come from. He must have kidnapped and killed her and taken Kassie with him when he set the house on fire. He probably thought the fire would burn the body enough that it would be assumed it was Kassie. The dental record used to identify her husband could have been changed by anyone that was good with a computer. All one had to do was hack into the dentist files and change some names around. Her husband must have switched some dental records and killed another man to leave in the house to burn. They had a private plane on standby for when they found the child. And as soon as she was home, they would be changing her name to Kassandra Ariadne Karra, like her mother had first named her. Without the Jameson at the end. Unless of course she decided to take Nikkos’s name. But then what about Adrian? Maybe they would hyphenate their names and all have the same last name. Or maybe they could all take Adrian’s or Anstice’s name. Nikkos’s mind was wandering from the mission at hand and had to stop. They had to get the child back and home safe before he could worry about anyone

164

Kasey Dean

changing their names. Anstice was in the closest packing a bag when she collapsed and stared sobbing. Nikkos was by her side in a few seconds, lifting her off the floor. “Baby, what is wrong? Are you okay?” She buried her face in his neck and mumbled something he couldn’t understand. He pulled back from her and placed his hands on each side of her face. “Okay, now start over. What’s wrong, baby?” She sniffed back her tears and said, “What if she doesn’t know me?” His face lit up with a smile as he looked down on her. She glared at him. “What’s so funny? I’m serious, it’s been three years. What if she doesn’t know who I am? What if she doesn’t want to come with me?” “Baby, she is your daughter. I’m sure she has missed you all these years. She will know you, and she will love you. This I promise you,” Nikkos said as he held her tight and kissed the top of her head. She clung to the front of his shirt and sobbed. “I don’t know what her father told her about me. What if she doesn’t remember me? What if she hates me for leaving her?” She kept mumbling into his chest. Nikkos rocked her back and forth until she calmed down, and all that could be heard were soft sobs. He pulled back from her and lifted her chin to look at him. “Baby, everything will be fine. She is your daughter and loves you. Trust me, you will see.” Nikkos lifted her to her feet and helped her finish packing. When they were finished, he carried her bag back to the study, where Adrian and Damian were already packed and ready to leave. Their flight left in two hours, so they went out and loaded everything in the Yukon. Nikkos drove them to the airport in Boston just in time to board the plane. With the four-and-a-half-hour flight and the time change, they would arrive in Las Vegas just after midnight. Marcus had booked them a villa at one of the premier hotels in Las Vegas, so they would have all the privacy they would need and luxury they wanted to


165

give to Anstice. **** During the flight, Anstice sat comfortably between the boys in first class. She didn’t think she would be able to sleep, but the next thing she knew, they were waking her gently as the plane was starting to descend. Once on the ground, they met the limousine from the hotel and traveled there in silence. Anstice knew Nikkos could feel her worry but didn’t know how to calm her. Instead, he just held her tight to his side. When they arrived at the hotel, Anstice was shocked to see that they were taken through a private entrance to a villa in the corner of the property and not the main hotel. She couldn’t speak as they entered the front foyer. The floors were marble and there was a huge glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. She couldn’t help her curiosity at just what else the place would hold for her to find. There was a beautiful dining room with rich red and gold walls with room for eight at a fully set table in colors that accented the walls perfectly. The table was piled high with fresh fruits, flowers, and an assortment of nuts and chocolates. The living room was covered floor-to-ceiling on one side by windows and French doors leading to what she assumed was a private pool. Between the two doors, set in the glass wall, was a fireplace that has been started for them. There was also what looked to be a fully stocked bar in the living room. She took a quick peek outside and found the private pool, a spa, and even the fireplace from inside burned outside, too. Their entire courtyard was surrounded by lavish shrubbery and trees for privacy. Back inside she found a workout facility, a massage room, two saunas, a kitchen, and even a hair salon. She passed by two bedrooms and six bathrooms, wondering who could need that many bathrooms. The red and gold colors had carried

166

Kasey Dean

throughout the entire villa. She found herself in the master bedroom, not being able to breathe from the sight before her. There was a bed that seemed to be bigger than the one she shared with the boys at home that she couldn’t wait to try out. She did, however, want to take a shower after traveling all this way. She wandered into the bathroom with her mates behind following. Good thing they were so close and strong, because when she saw the bathroom, her knees went weak, and she could no longer stand on her own. The both wrapped an arm around her from each side. Nikkos looked down into her awe-filled expression. “Do you like it, baby?” She couldn’t speak, so she just nodded. He chuckled as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. “Good, we hoped you would enjoy it.” She looked up at from under her lashes. “You did this for me?” Adrian hugged her from behind and whispered in her ear, “Of course, little one. We told you, you would be treated like the princess you are.” She shook her head to clear it a little. “You didn’t have to do all this for me. I would be happy in some little hotel room as long as I have the two of you. You didn’t have to spend this much money on me. How much does this place cost anyway?” Nikkos placed a hand on each side of her face and made her look at him. “It doesn’t matter how much it costs, baby, it is all worth it to spoil you.” She started to protest again, but he stopped her with a searing kiss. When they parted, she cursed the need to breathe. She would kiss her mate like that forever if she didn’t need oxygen to survive. “Now, baby, before you argue anymore, we didn’t do this just for you. We did it so that we would have a place with multiple bedrooms under one roof. We have our room, Damian has a room, and if for some reason we have to stay here for a while after we get Kassie, she will have her own room, too. Besides, Adrian and I always get a villa here when we visit Vegas.


167

“Believe it or not, not just anyone can reserve these rooms. You have to be a very important guest and have been invited to stay here. There are a few higher-up staff members that are vampires and know who we are, so of course they spoil me when we’re here. I never really liked it before. I always wanted to just blend in, but now that I have my mates,” he said, wrapping his arm around both Anstice and Adrian, “I want them to be spoiled the way their status as prince and princess deserves. Also, I think it’s time Damian be spoiled a little, too, don’t you think? He has had a very rough life, and I want to make everything I can perfect for him.”

168

Kasey Dean

Chapter Twenty-Five As if Nikkos had called to him instead of just saying his name, Damian appeared in the doorway of the bathroom with a loud whistle. “Wow, I thought my bedroom and bathroom were big, but they are nothing compared to this. And, Nikkos, thank you for everything, I truly do feel blessed to be your brother. I’m not sure on the whole prince idea yet but it’s starting to grow on me.” Nikkos replied, “You’re welcome, brother.” He looked back to see Adrian’s mouth opening and closing but no sounds coming out. Nikkos’s body stiffened as he looked around the room. “What’s wrong, babe?” Anstice giggled between them and patted Adrian on the chest, and he looked down at her. Nikkos finally put two and two together and realized Adrian was still in shock over being called a prince. Nikkos placed a finger under his chin and raised it to look at him. “Of course you are now a prince, Adrian. You are my mate, too, so that makes you a prince.” Anstice giggled again as she knelt in front of Adrian and bowed. She looked up at him through her lashes. “My prince, how may I serve you?” Nikkos knew Adrian well enough to know what he was probably thinking. Two could play at this game. Adrian had been the one to call her “princess” the most in the last few days even when she asked not to be called that. Damian was a close second, but he thought she understood him. He was raised not knowing Nikkos personally, so it was natural for him. Nikkos and Damian both burst out laughing until Adrian pointed


169

at Damian and said, “Get out now!” **** Damian all but ran out of the room. Adrian unzipped his pants and dropped them down around his ankles. “Oh, you’ll serve me all right, princess,” he said as he guided his rock-hard cock to her lips. Looking him straight in the eyes, she replied, “Yes, my prince.” Then she giggled one more time before taking him deep into her throat. He looked back down at her with his cock stretching her lips wide. “Smart-ass!” he hissed. Those were the only two words that came out of his mouth before he was gasping for air. The feel of her lips around him was too much. His knees started to give out, but Nikkos was quick to wrap his arms around him from behind and hold him up while he rode out his pleasure. Anstice’s eyes never left him as she swallowed him down her tight throat. “That’s it, princess, swallow that cock all the way. Your lips feel so good around me.” She moaned around his cock, sending his head spinning from the sensation it caused. He tried to pull her away from him. “Little one, you have to stop. I’m going to come.” She did pull away a little bit, but she clearly wasn’t finished with him. “That’s the point, baby.” She looked to Nikkos and told him, “Hold his arms, will you?” Nikkos seemed more than happy to oblige her as he pulled Adrian’s arms behind his back. They all knew that Adrian could get free if he really wanted to, but he wouldn’t put up too much of a fight. Adrian couldn’t believe the ecstasy he was in. Nikkos was holding his arms behind his back and Anstice was sucking and stroking his cock and sac. The sensations were getting to be too much. He heard a clicking noise, but couldn’t imagine what it could be. Just when he thought he couldn’t take any more, he felt Anstice rubbing a circle around the tight opening to his ass. Her fingers were slick and smooth

170

Kasey Dean

against him. She watched him from under her lashes for a response. He knew she was asking permission to go further. Adrian had been with men and women before, but he had never been a bottom before. No one had ever played with his ass before, and they definitely had never penetrated him. Looking at the love shining in her eyes and feeling Nikkos’s hard cock rub against his ass cheeks, he nodded his head and closed his eyes to enjoy the feel of his mates loving him. When Anstice slowly slid one slick finger past the first ring of muscles, he groaned loudly and let his head fall back. Nikkos was close enough that it landed on his shoulder, and Nikkos was able to nibble on his ear and whisper, “That’s it, babe, just relax and let your mates take care of you.” After his muscles relaxed a little, she slowly pressed another finger up into him. Never having had anything in his ass before, Adrian tensed up with a hiss. There was such a burn, he wondered how he was ever going to be able to take Nikkos into him. That was until she crooked her finger and hit his sweet spot. Somewhere in his mind, he was wondering how a woman knew so much about preparing a man for sex, but that thought went out the window when she pressed a third finger deep inside him. He couldn’t hold on any longer. “I’m coming!” he roared just as he started shooting his hot seed into her mouth. She continued the assault on his ass as she swallowed every drop he had to offer her. He didn’t notice until he was done coming and starting to come down from his bliss that she now had four fingers inside his ass. And Nikkos had somehow managed to not only hold him up but strip his own clothes off. Nikkos carefully lowered Adrian to his knees while Anstice laid herself back flat on the tile floor and spread her legs around Adrian’s. Nikkos pushed him forward onto his hands so that he was hovering over her. Nikkos leaned over his back and whispered into his ear, “Are you ready for me, my mate?”


171

Adrian could only nod his head in response. **** Nikkos picked up the bottle of lube that, for some reason, Anstice had had in her pocket and had gotten their mate ready with. Nikkos had never been with a male before and hoped he was going to do everything right by his mate. He had talked to Anstice about it, and she wasn’t completely sure of how things should be done, either. However, apparently his little female mate loved to read gay erotic romance books. He couldn’t believe he was going to fuck his best friend, and the only guidance he had was from books. As he slicked up his cock, he raised his eyes to the ceiling and sent up a silent prayer to whatever gods were listening that he didn’t hurt Adrian and that he could make this good for him. He knew Adrian had been with other males, but as far as he knew no one had ever taken his ass before. Somewhere deep down, he hoped that was because he was waiting for Nikkos to claim him. Placing one hand on Adrian’s hip and using the other to press the head of his cock at his opening, he looked over Adrian’s shoulder at Anstice. Adrian was sucking on her nipples and had her writhing under him. She nodded at him just before she let out a moan as Adrian thrust his still-hard cock deep inside her. When Adrian was fully seated in their female, he held still, waiting for Nikkos to take him. Nikkos slowly pushed past the first ring of muscle, and Adrian’s whole body went rigid as his head lifted up and he let out a hiss. Nikkos froze. “Oh gods, baby, I’m sorry. I’ll stop. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Anstice placed a hand on each side of Adrian’s face. “Look at me,” she whispered. It took him a few seconds, but Nikkos could tell when Adrian was looking at her. She lifted her head and gave Adrian a small kiss. “Just relax and keep looking at me.”

172

Kasey Dean

He nodded and let out the breath he was holding. When he did, his body relaxed a little. Anstice looked up at Nikkos. “Okay, baby, nice and slow. Push in a little farther.” Nikkos shook his head. “No, I hurt him. I have to stop. I can’t hurt him anymore.” Adrian looked over his shoulder. “The first time always hurts. Besides, you’re huge. I’ll be okay. Just go slow and give me a little time to adjust.” Nikkos could tell he wasn’t lying to him by the look of love in his eyes, so he pushed a little farther in. Oh gods, he was so tight. Nikkos wasn’t sure how long he was going to last. He was afraid he would come before he could get all the way in and make this good for Adrian. Anstice breathed with Adrian, in and out, in and out. What seemed like hours later, Nikkos let out a sigh when he was fully seated in his mate’s ass. He had to close his eyes and concentrate on not coming. Adrian’s ass was so hot and tight, Nikkos was afraid if he moved it would be all over way too soon, and this was a moment he wanted to last. **** Adrian couldn’t take it anymore. He had never felt this full before. To top it off, he was buried balls deep in Anstice’s tight, hot heat. He had to move. Slowly, he pushed back against Nikkos, which changed the angle and caused Nikkos’ cock to brush against his sweet spot. He almost came right then. He bit his lip so hard his fangs punctured his bottom lip, causing a small drop of blood to appear. Anstice lifted her head and licked it off. That was all it took. He started pounding into her, and every time he pulled out he pushed against Nikkos’s cock, causing it to pound into him farther and farther. Reaching one hand behind him to dig his fingernails into Nikkos’s ass, he screamed, “Fuck me, my mate! Fuck me harder!”


173

Before he could finish his plea, Nikkos took over, grasping both his hips and pounding into his ass. Every time Nikkos thrust forward, he caused Adrian to thrust even harder into Anstice. Nikkos leaned over Adrian’s back and started licking his neck, which wasn’t an easy feat as Adrian was almost as tall as he was. He whispered in his ear, “I want to claim you my mate.” Adrian tilted his head back and to the side, giving him access to his throat the best he could. Just before he sunk his fangs in, he groaned, “Mine!” The sensations were all too much for Adrian, and as soon as Nikkos’s fangs broke the skin, he roared out as he released into Anstice. Nikkos released Adrian’s neck with a swipe of his tongue. Adrian’s could feel his ass contracting around Nikkos. Three hard thrusts later, he threw his head back and screamed out Adrian’s name as he came deep inside his ass. Adrian wanted Anstice to feel as good as he did. He sunk his fangs deep in her neck and started drinking her sweet blood down. She came instantly, screaming out their names. Adrian’s orgasm wouldn’t stop. He could feel Nikkos’s cock pulsing inside him and Anstice’s soaked pussy contracting around him. He was just barely able to pull his fangs free of her neck and lick the wound closed before his world went black. **** Nikkos felt Adrian’s body relax beneath him and caught him just before he completely crushed the little female below them. He carefully rolled them to the side of her onto the tile floor, making sure to keep his cock buried as deep as he could. He knew he would have to leave the tight heat of Adrian’s ass eventually, but he wanted to stay inside him as long as he could. Anstice rolled to her side and cuddled up to Adrian’s front, softly kissing his chest. Nikkos wrapped an arm around her, too, and held

174

Kasey Dean

her close to them. With Adrian’s head resting on Nikkos’s bicep, they lay there trying to catch their breath. Nikkos looked over Adrian’s shoulder at Anstice. “Did I hurt him? Is that why he passed out? Please tell me he will be okay?” She held her fingers to his lips. “Shhhh. You didn’t hurt him. I’m sure he loved every minute of it. And I’m pretty sure he passed out from the pleasure.” He nodded his head and whispered, “I love you.” Then he kissed the side of Adrian’s head and enjoyed the feeling of completeness he had never felt before. Way too soon, he felt his spent cock slip from Adrian and realized the floor was getting hard. He got to his knees at the same time Anstice stood. Nikkos had only two inches and fifteen pounds on Adrian’s six foot six, two seventy-five of solid muscle build, but he had no problems lifting him into his arms to carry him to the huge whirlpool tub. Anstice started running hot water into the tub while Nikkos settled himself down with Adrian between his legs. Anstice knelt down in front of them and started washing Adrian’s chiseled chest with the soft cloth and amazing-smelling bodywash the hotel had provided. When she moved to wash him lower, his cock twitched and his eyes fluttered. He opened them and looked at her kneeling in front of him. He reached one hand up and brushed her cheeks that were still rosy from the sex they’d just had. “You’re beautiful, princess. Are you okay? We weren’t too rough on you, were we?” She shook her head and leaned in to kiss him gently on the lips. “No, everything was perfect. How are you feeling?” “Amazing. I have never felt so good in my life.” With that, he pushed his ass back into Nikkos’s cock. He turned his head and leaned it back on Nikkos’s shoulder so he could kiss him on the side of the neck. “I love you.” Holding him close, Nikkos held Adrian’s face to his neck and whispered, “Next time, it’s your turn to claim me, my mate.”


175

Apparently Adrian’s cock was as interested in that idea as his heart and mind were. While Anstice slowly washed him down, his cock started stiffening in her hands. Adrian shifted in Nikkos’s arms so they were chest-to-chest and his legs were stretched out behind him. Good thing the whirlpool tub was big enough for about eight people. Adrian kissed Nikkos gently at first, but as soon as Nikkos opened to grant him entrance Adrian wasted no time plunging his tongue into him. Adrian put his hands on each side of Nikkos and pushed himself up enough so their cocks were rubbing together. Then he grasped both Nikkos’s thighs and pulled them up and around his hips. When Nikkos was firmly wrapped around him, Adrian pulled him to the other side of the tub and settled him down on his lap. “I want you to ride me, baby. Is that okay? Are you ready for this?” Nikkos dimly heard Anstice get out of the tub for a second and return. When she was back in the water, he felt her against his back before hearing the top to the bottle of lube open. Gods, she was amazing. **** Anstice was amazed at how right everything felt. She had read gay romance before and was turned on by it but was worried that when it came down to watching and participating with the two males, she wouldn’t be able to follow through. Instead, as soon as she’d had her lips around Adrian’s cock earlier, she knew she wanted to be the one to get him ready to be taken by Nikkos. She had never in a million years imagined that she would enjoy playing with a man’s ass, but she loved it. She loved it so much that she came at the same time Adrian came in her mouth, and no one had even touched her. Now it was Nikkos’s turn. She wanted to get him ready to ride Adrian. She poured some of the lube on her fingers and slowly reached down and circled his puckered hole while she kissed

176

Kasey Dean

his neck. Good thing she’d thought to get the waterproof lube, otherwise they would have had to move from the tub, and she wasn’t sure any of them were willing to wait very much longer. Nikkos froze at her touch for just a second but quickly relaxed when Adrian licked up the column of his neck. Anstice knew Adrian couldn’t wait to be inside Nikkos and truly claim him, so she stretched his tight ass as quick as she could while still being gentle. This was Nikkos’s first time, and she didn’t want him hurt. Once she had four fingers in his ass, and he was relaxed around her, she nodded around his body to Adrian. **** Adrian lifted Nikkos and positioned him over his cock that Anstice was stroking while she was slicking him up. Anstice held him upright while he lowered Nikkos down excruciatingly slowly. Inch by inch, he sunk his mate down on his throbbing cock. He knew this was going to be quick. When Nikkos had completely engulfed him, they were both panting. Adrian gave him a few seconds to get used to the feeling of him before he slowly lifted him up and back down onto him. Anstice was now standing behind Nikkos, bending over licking and nipping at his neck. Shit, he had never thought of how this was going to work when he’d asked Nikkos to ride him. How the hell were they going to include her if they were face-to-face? Nikkos solved that problem when he leaned back and reached around to bring her between them, facing Nikkos. She took the hint and straddled their laps. Before she could lower herself down between them, Adrian quickly grabbed her hips and licked a path up her ass then back down. When he got to her pink hole, he burrowed his tongue in the tight opening as far as he could. She let out a small whimper as she looked over her shoulder and down at him. He winked at her. “Next time I’m


177

gonna stretch this ass out like you did mine and fuck you while Nikkos fucks that tight pussy of yours.” She sank down between the two large males onto Nikkos’s hard cock. When they were all connected again, they took a collective deep breath and enjoyed the feeling for just a moment. Adrian felt like he was in heaven. Even though he was inside Nikkos, the way they were positioned he could feel not only Nikkos’s movement, but Anstice’s, too. It started slow at first. Adrian held onto Nikkos’s hips while Nikkos grasped Adrian’s biceps to keep himself from falling backward and to get leverage to move himself up and down on the other male’s cock. Anstice’s fingers were digging into Nikkos’s shoulders so hard she was starting to draw blood. Every time she lifted herself up and slammed back down, it not only drove her down onto Nikkos, it drove Nikkos down onto Adrian. Adrian drew his fangs across Anstice shoulder’s, hoping she would understand what he needed. Without breaking the pace they had going, she leaned to the side enough for Adrian to drag Nikkos’s neck to his mouth. “Mine!” he yelled and sank his fangs deep into Nikkos’s jugular. **** Nikkos didn’t think anything could feel better than his two mates on him and inside him, but he was wrong. Having Adrian’s fangs in his neck and the male taking strong pulls from his vein was better. As soon as the fangs broke the skin, he started to come and didn’t stop until long after Adrian had stopped feeding and closed the skin, leaving his mark on his mate’s neck for all to see. Adrian fell back against the side of the tub with Anstice on his chest, head lying back on his shoulder. Nikkos collapsed onto her chest and tried to catch his breath. He reached out and turned the jets to the whirlpool on. His muscles were already starting to get sore from the exertion, and he was sure his little female was probably very

178

Kasey Dean

sore. They had put her through a lot tonight, and she needed some relaxation. It wasn’t long before Anstice was softly snoring on Adrian’s chest. Nikkos lifted his head and kissed Adrian on the lips and Anstice on the forehead. He raised himself up out of the water and wrapped a towel around himself. Adrian pulled himself and Anstice up out of the water and stepped out of the tub. Nikkos was there waiting with two towels. He handed one to Adrian while he wrapped the other one around Anstice, taking her into his arms. Anstice didn’t rouse at all while the two males dried her off and placed her in the center of the king-sized bed. They then finished drying each other off and crawled into bed on each side of her. Adrian lifted Anstice’s head and placed his arm under it. She immediately turned onto her side and curled herself around him. Nikkos was soon to follow, wrapping himself around Anstice’s body from behind and laying his head on Adrian’s arm, too. With his arms around Anstice, he moved his hand up Adrian’s chest until he got to his mating mark on his neck. He slowly drew circles around the now-permanent mark. Adrian opened his eyes and looked down at him with a look Nikkos couldn’t read. It was look between sadness and anger. Nikkos swallowed the lump in his throat. “What’s wrong, Adrian? Are you mad because I marked you as mine?” A tear slipped from the corner of Adrian’s eye. Nikkos hesitated only a second before he reached up and wiped it away. He closed his eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry. I thought that you wanted me to. I know I wanted you to mark me. It’s all I have been thinking about for a while now. I know you’re my mate, and I want everyone to know. I’m sorry. I thought you felt the same way. I’m sor…” Adrian cut him off with his hand over his mouth. “Look at me.” Nikkos shook his head. “Look. At. Me.” Nikkos slowly opened his eyes but couldn’t look Adrian in the


179

eyes. He had screwed up again. He had marked Adrian, and he didn’t want to be marked by him. He didn’t understand. He knew they were mates and would be proud to let everyone see the mark Adrian left on him. Why didn’t Adrian want to be marked? Adrian removed his hand from Nikkos’s mouth and placed a finger under his chin to lift it toward him. Nikkos finally met his gaze. Adrian whispered into his head, “I’m not mad that you marked me. I am proud to wear your mark for everyone to see and know who I belong to.” “Then why do you look sad and angry?” Nikkos asked. Adrian closed his eyed for a brief second. When he opened them, he looked like he couldn’t say the words out loud, so instead he thought them to Nikkos. “I am sad because we should have claimed each other a long time ago. I have known for a long time that I’m in love with you. I knew that there would be no other for me. Somewhere deep down, even though we didn’t have the bond, I knew you were my mate. I’m sad because it took us so long to get to the point of claiming one another. And I’m angry because I should have fought harder for you when I realized it. I should have told you all my feelings a long time ago and made you admit that we belong together. We have wasted years that we could have been together on denying our feelings for each other.” Nikkos let out the breath he was holding while he thought his mate was mad at him. Then he carefully said, “I’m sorry, baby. You are right. I have denied my feelings for so long. We should have been together for years now instead of just the last few weeks. I was scared, and it was all my fault, not yours. But…” he hesitated, and then spoke into Adrian’s mind, “Please don’t take this the wrong way, and please know that I do truly love you and want to be with you no matter what.” Adrian finished his thought for him. “I know what you’re going to say, and I agree. If we had been together before now, we never would have found her, would we have?”

180

Kasey Dean

Nikkos nodded, and then shook his head. “That was exactly what I was thinking, but I didn’t want you to think the only reason that I’m with you is because she is here. It’s not. The pull I have had toward you keeps getting stronger and stronger, and I’m not sure I would have been able to deny myself loving you much longer. But yeah, I don’t think we would have found her if we were already together. I know that I am your mate and you are mine, but somehow I think something would have always been missing if we hadn’t found her. I know that we would have been happy together, but I don’t know if we would have been—” Adrian cut in. “Complete?” Nikkos smiled. “Yeah, complete. As corny as it sounds, she completes us.” Adrian pulled them both close and held them to his chest. “I love you both,” he whispered. **** Adrian held them for a long time, wondering what would be next for them. What would happen when they found Kassie? Would Kassie remember Anstice and want to be with them? He prayed that everything would work out with them, but there were just too many questions that needed to be answered.

Chapter Twenty-Six Anstice woke snuggled between her two males. She didn’t want to wake them, but she could smell fresh coffee somewhere and needed her caffeine fix for the day. Ever so gently, she wiggled out from


181

between them. She stood at the foot of the bed, watching as they nestled together in her absence. She had heard part of their conversation last night, and somewhere in the part of her brain that didn’t think she was good enough for them, she had thought they wouldn’t need her now that they realized they had each other. Her fears had been put to rest when she heard them agree that she completed them. Nikkos was right. It did sound corny, but it put her mind to ease that they still wanted her. She slipped into one of Adrian’s T-shirts and left the room, quietly shutting the door. She wanted to surprise them with breakfast, so she headed to the kitchen. Someone had apparently beat her to it. The dining room table held not only all the fruit and chocolates from last night, but now it was also full of covered dishes and any kind of pastry a person could want. In the kitchen she found the coffee she had been looking for and poured herself a cup. She took her caffeine back to the dining room and chose an apple Danish to go with it. Looking out the wall of windows, she noticed Damian sitting next to the pool, coffee and a scone in hand. Deciding her males needed some rest, she joined him. She chose a chair close enough they could talk but not so close her overprotective males would throw a temper tantrum. Anstice watched Damian stifle a laugh when he looked at how far away she sat from him. She knew he was going tease her. “I won’t bite, princess. I promise to be a perfect gentleman.” She gave him an evil look before giggling like a little girl. She hesitated for a minute before moving to the chair next to him. “Better?” Damian paled and looked toward the windows. “I was only joking. You know Nikkos and Adrian are probably going to attack me when they see you sitting next to me. We males can be very protective of our mates. We don’t always think before we react to someone so close.” She looked at him, and then toward the villa before speaking. “I

182

Kasey Dean

know they are protective, but you are Nikkos’s brother and are going to be living with us, so they are going to have to get used to you and me spending time together. Especially if you love my daughter as much as you seem to.” He sputtered quickly, “It’s not like that. Please believe me. I love her as a brother would love a sister. I would never think of doing anything wrong with your little girl.” She cut him off. “I know that, Damian. I didn’t mean to imply anything different. I know the only reason you exchanged blood with her is because you love her and needed to keep her safe. I cannot thank you enough for what you have done. I never would have known she was alive if it wasn’t for you. I will have my little girl back in my arms soon because you love her so much. What I meant was that I’m sure you will want to spend time with her and want to take care of her, too, just as much as I will. That means we will be spending time together.” She sat on the edge of her chair and leaned in to hug him. Tears filled her eyes, and she couldn’t stop the sob that came from her. Damian wrapped one arm around her shoulders and softly stroked her hair with the other. Closing his eyes, he whispered, “Shhhh. Please don’t cry. Everything will be fine. We will go get her, and you will have your daughter in your arms before nightfall.” **** She sobbed harder and said something, but her words were muffled in his chest. Damian could do nothing but hold her and let her get it out. He knew his brother and Adrian would probably kill him if he was caught holding their mate, but he couldn’t push her away. Not when she was in this much pain. Just as the thought crossed his mind that her mates would feel her pain and come to her rescue, she was ripped from his arms with a scream and someone very large had him pinned to the lounge chair he


183

was in. He could feel and smell the anger coming off the other male and knew it was Nikkos before he even opened his eyes. Nikkos had him pinned by his shoulder and throat, and when Damian dared to look, he saw his fangs fully extended. He could hear Anstice struggling with Adrian, and he was suddenly afraid for her. He knew no male would ever hurt his mate on purpose, but both of her mates were a lot bigger than her and furious. He tried to struggle, but it was a lost cause. Nikkos had him pinned, and he was going nowhere without being let go. All of the sudden he heard Anstice yell, “Stop!” and Adrian grunt. Instantly, she was standing next to them with her hand on Nikkos’s shoulder. He tried to shrug her away, but this little girl was strong and knew how to handle her mates. She soothed her hand down Nikkos’s arm and carefully peeled his fingers from around Damian’s throat, the whole time whispering in his ear. He gasped for air but didn’t dare move a muscle. **** Nikkos could feel Anstice’s anger. She was royally pissed off, and he had an idea he was going to hear about it. She softly whispered in his ear to calm him down as she pulled him away from Damian. “Nikkos, baby, please listen to me. It wasn’t what you think. I was upset, and I hugged him. He was comforting me. You know I would never touch another man besides you and Adrian. Damian is your brother, and he wouldn’t do anything to me. Please, let him go.” The only response he made was a grunting noise, but he pushed away from Damian and walked to the other side of the pool. When he saw Adrian sitting with one hand rubbing his right eye and the other holding his ribs, he rushed and knelt in front of him. He took Adrian’s hand away from his face to see a black eye starting. This infuriated him even more. He couldn’t figure out how Damian had hit him. He started to stand to go back and hit his brother when Adrian stopped

184

Kasey Dean

him. “It wasn’t Damian. It was Anstice. I wasn’t close enough to him for him to hit me, remember.” Nikkos’s jaw dropped open. “She hit you? Why the hell would she hit you? We were only trying to protect her.” Adrian grinned with what could only be described as pride. “Our little mate has quite a temper when we protect her when she doesn’t need it. I wouldn’t mess with her if I were you. Her elbows are pretty hard. I’m gonna have a black eye and sore ribs for a while.” Nikkos couldn’t believe she would hit Adrian. He turned around to look at her and saw red again. She was kneeling by Damian, holding his hands and whispering to him. He was ready to go attack the male again, but she glanced his way with a look so cold he was frozen to the ground. Nikkos kept watching, though, just in case she needed him. As he watched, he had to give Damian credit. He was trying to take his hands out of hers without being forceful enough to hurt her, and was telling her he was fine and she needed to go talk to her mates, not to him. **** “I don’t need to talk to them right now,” she replied. “I need to calm down before I do that. If I go over there right now, they are both apt to wind up with black eyes instead of just Adrian.” Damian looked up, and his pupils dilated when he saw that Adrian did indeed have a black eye. He looked back at Anstice and asked, “How did he get a black eye?” She didn’t sound contrite when she answered. “He wouldn’t let me go to come help you. I needed to stop Nikkos before he killed you. We all know that none of this is your fault, and you shouldn’t be paying for my stupidity.” Damian ripped his hands out of hers and jumped up and over to the other side of the chair so fast she lost her balance and almost fell


185

over. He started pacing back and forth, running his fingers thought his hair. He started rambling like he did when he got nervous. “Anstice, you can’t hit your mate.” She protested as she sat back up on the lounge chair. “He wouldn’t let me go. I didn’t mean to hit him. I just couldn’t get away. And you needed me to help.” He looked at her and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what happened. You cannot fight with you mates. Especially over another male. They were only trying to protect you. I know that’s what I would have done. Mates go a little crazy seeing their woman in another man’s arms, even if he is their brother. You can’t get mad at them for trying to protect you. It’s their job as your mate to do that.” Damian looked over to where Nikkos and Adrian were sitting quietly, and then back at Anstice. “You three work this out. I’m going inside to get ready. We have a lot to do today. I can’t wait much longer to see Kassie, and I’m sure you can’t, either.” She just nodded her head at him as he walked back into the villa. **** Anstice didn’t want to look at her mates and see the hurt she had caused them, but she knew Damian was right. They were only trying to protect her. She was sorry she had hit Adrian, but at the time all she could think about was stopping Nikkos from killing his brother. She slowly turned her head and looked at them sitting together on the other side of the pool. They both had tears in their eyes. She got up and walked over to kneel in front of the lounge chair they were sharing. Looking at them from under her lashes, feeling like a child who was about to be grounded, she said, “I’m sorry.” They both reached for her and took her into their arms, where they held her for a few moments as if making sure for themselves that she was safe. Nikkos spoke first. “No, baby, we’re sorry. We felt your emotions. They were a mix of pain and relief, and we were confused.

186

Kasey Dean

Then when we saw you in Damian’s arms with only Adrian’s T-shirt on, and we didn’t stop to think that he was comforting you. We weren’t sure what to think. All we saw was our mate in another male’s arms, half naked and panicked.” Adrian added, “We know Damian would never hurt you and would give his life to protect you, but at that moment it didn’t matter, and we just reacted.” Anstice laid her hand on his cheek where it was already bruised. She bit her bottom lip and said, “But I hit you, and I never should have done that. I don’t know what got into me. I would never do anything to hurt you. And I kinda forgot about not having a lot of clothes on.” Color rose to her cheeks when she looked down at what she was wearing. Adrian took her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist, whispering against the soft flesh there. “I know, baby. You did what you had to do to save Damian. I know you would never hurt anyone unless it was to protect someone else. You are a natural protector. That’s how we met, remember? You saved my life and protected me when I couldn’t protect myself.” She leaned in and kissed his bruised cheek. “But I’m still sorry I hit you. I’ll find a way to make it up to you.” With mischief in his eyes, he grinned and reached his hand under her shirt, lying flat against her mound. “Oh, I have the perfect way for you to make it up to me, but right now we need to go get ready to find your daughter.” He removed his hand even as she moaned her protest, and started helping her to her feet. Anstice started to rise but suddenly stopped and looked back and forth between the two of them. She had a question but she wasn’t sure how to ask. Nikkos stifled a laugh. “Go ahead, little one, just ask your question.” She hesitated a second, trying to arrange the words in her head. “You keep saying ‘your daughter.’ Does that mean that you aren’t going to consider her yours, too? I mean, I don’t want to push either


187

of you, but if we are all going to be together, then she will be a part of your lives, too. Are you going to want her to call you Nikkos and Adrian or Daddy?” Nikkos leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. “She will be ours, too, little one, don’t worry. We will love her as if she was our own, and it’s up to her. We would love for her to call us Daddy when she’s ready to. It may be a little confusing at first, but we’ll work it all out. Maybe one can be Daddy and the other Mpapas. Both mean Daddy. We can teach her to speak Greek at the same time we teach you, so you will both be able to speak it when we visit.” She nodded, and they all went to their room to get dressed for the day. **** By the time they were all showered and dressed, Damian was waiting for them in the living room. He didn’t raise his head to look at them. He was embarrassed and didn’t dare meet his brother’s eyes. He knew better than to have hugged Anstice but couldn’t bring himself to push her away when she’d needed comfort. He knew his brother was probably still mad at him for daring to touch his female even though it was completely innocent. He kept his eyes on the floor when he saw Nikkos’s feet enter his line of sight. He prepared himself to be hit by his brother. He flinched when he felt Nikkos’s hand on his shoulder and hesitated for a brief moment when he said, “Look at me.” Damian looked up to see tears in Nikkos’s eyes. Nikkos said, “I’m sorry, brother. I overreacted and didn’t mean to hurt you. Please forgive me.” Damian knew he looked like a fish out of water. His mouth was opening and closing. It took him a second before he could respond. “You don’t need to apologize to me. You were just protecting your mate.” Adrian stepped up next to Nikkos and said, “No, we weren’t

188

Kasey Dean

thinking straight, and because of that we could have hurt you both. We are sorry. We know you would never hurt her or do anything we wouldn’t approve of. We know you two will be spending time together, and we will try our hardest not to be too jealous and jump to conclusions without talking to both of you about it. Just please be a little patient with us, okay, brother?” Adrian calling Damian brother brought tears to his eyes, and without thinking, he reached in and hugged the male. Adrian hugged him back, and he could hear a small growl from Nikkos. Damian straightened and said, “I think we all have a lot to get used to, but we’ll be just fine. Thank you again for taking me in and making me part of your family. Now can we please go get Kassie so she can learn what a great set of dads she has?” With that, the three of them left the villa to go find Kassie.


189

Chapter Twenty-Seven Damian had been able to feel Kassie as soon as the plane had touched down the night before and was anxious to go get the little girl. They still weren’t sure exactly how they were going to go about it. The plan was they were going to find her, and then figure it out. Marcus was able to get copies of her birth certificate, and they knew a doctor that happened to be a vampire in Las Vegas that was all ready to do a DNA test to prove she belonged to Anstice. They were just trying to figure out how to approach the adoptive parents. Damian didn’t know much about them because he had tried to stay out of their sights when he went to visit Kassie. They were going to have to find the girl and do a little research before they could decide on how to introduce themselves and get the child back. Damian was able to lead them right to the house she lived in. Because it was Saturday, Kassie wasn’t in school. They only saw one car in the garage with another empty stall, so they figured only one parent was home with her. They sat and watched the house for about a half an hour before Damian couldn’t take the waiting anymore. He said, “Let me go knock on the door and see who is home. They’re just humans. What could happen?” Nikkos stopped him before he could get out of the SUV they had rented. “No, brother, we do this together.” They all got out and walked toward the house, Adrian in front and Nikkos and Damian in the back. They kept Anstice safely in between the three males. As Adrian knocked on the door, Nikkos moved up close enough to Anstice to lend her his support. Damian stepped off to

190

Kasey Dean

the side of the door not to be seen in case there was trouble. Damian could feel Anstice’s fear, and she had admitted to him earlier that she was scared the little girl wouldn’t know her or want to be with her. He knew better. She was her mother, and he knew Kassie would always recognize her and love her. They waited a moment before a woman opened the door. She looked a little shocked at first but asked politely, “Can I help you?” “Is this the Middleton residence?” Adrian asked. She hesitated again as she looked at the other large male standing behind him. She couldn’t see Anstice behind Adrian, so Damian was sure she was scared that some thugs had come for her husband. Adrian shifted just enough so that she could see the female behind him. That seemed to relax her a little, and she answered, “Yes it is. I am Shana. ” Anstice started to speak but froze. Damian inhaled and could tell Kassie was near the open door. He shifted just enough to see into the doorway while still keeping himself hidden. The little girl walked up behind the other woman and said, “Mommy?” It had been so long since he’d heard her voice that he had to fight to hold himself back from revealing himself and picking her up. The other woman turned around and said, “Just a minute, Emily. Mommy is talking to these people, and I’ll be with you in a minute. Go play with your toys.” The girl refused to move and didn’t seem like she had heard a word Shana said until she shook her head and pointed to Anstice. “No, that’s my mommy.” Shana spun around and shot a look of hate at Anstice and asked, “Who are you people and what do you want?” While she was waiting for an answer, Kassie was able to sneak past her into the doorway. She looked to her left and saw Damian. Before Shana could catch her, she screamed his name and launched herself at him. He had just enough time to squat down and catch her up into his arms before she plowed into him. He stood up with her in


191

his arms, holding her as tight as he dared and whispering to her how much he had missed his sweet baby girl while tears rolled down his cheeks. Shana tried to peel Kassie away from Damian, but the child was stubborn and wouldn’t let go. Shana was crying when she said, “Give me my daughter and leave. I don’t know who you are or what you want, but you need to leave. I’m going to call my husband. He’s a police officer. You need to leave now.” Adrian, always the calm one, replied, “We know your husband is a police officer, and I think you should call him and have him come home. How about we go inside so you can call him, and we can talk while we wait for him.” Shana shook her head. “Oh no, no, no you are not coming in my house. Give me my daughter back and get out of here.” She tried again to take Kassie out of Damian’s arms. “Emily, come to me, let’s go inside.” The little girl buried her face in Damian’s neck and said, “I told you, my name is Kassie, not Emily. I want to stay with Damian and my mommy.” Shana pleaded with her. “Your name is Emily, not Kassie, and I’m your mother, not her.” Adrian tried again to talk the woman into letting them in the house. Damian knew he didn’t want to draw attention to them standing on the front porch, arguing. “Ma’am, please, let’s just go inside and talk about this. We will explain everything to you and your husband, I promise.” She took another look at the child in Damian’s arms and said, “If I make you leave, you are going to take her away with you.” It wasn’t a question, but Damian didn’t lie. “Yes, Ma’am, if we leave she is going with us. This would be much easier on everyone if we could just sit down and talk in private.” Shana reluctantly agreed, probably thinking she could stall them long enough that her husband would come home and make them leave

192

Kasey Dean

without the child. Little did she know that they were not leaving this house without Kassie with them. Shana led them into the living room. Damian sat in an overstuffed armchair with Kassie in his lap talking a mile a minute. She was telling him how much she missed him and knew he would come for her. She wanted to take him outside to see her playhouse and to her bedroom to have a tea party with all her dolls. She asked if he had come to get her and take her home with him. Then, looking over at Anstice, she asked how he had found her mommy and thanked him for bringing her to get her. Nikkos and Adrian exchanged a knowing look. Damian could feel something off inside the house and knew they could probably feel it, too. He just couldn’t put their finger on the cause of his unease. He needed to get this over with quickly and get out of there with Kassie. Anstice had sat on the couch between Nikkos and Adrian and was weeping while they held her. She looked at Kassie and asked, “You remember me, baby?” The girl looked confused. “Of course, you’re my mommy. I missed you when Daddy took me away. Can I go home with you now?” Shana had apparently had enough of what was being said and announced she was calling her husband. She called him and told him they had company and he needed to get home right away. After she hung up, she informed them, “He will be home in less than ten minutes, but I want to know what’s going on right now.” Nikkos had copies of all the paperwork, including the only picture Anstice had left of Kassie and the picture Damian had of her. He handed her the envelope, and Damian watched as her hands shook while she tried to open it. She carefully took everything out and placed it on the coffee table. She took her time sorting through everything and reading everything thoroughly. By the time she finished with all the papers she was sobbing, and the males could hear a vehicle pulling into the driveway. Her husband


193

rushed in the door, still in his uniform, and froze, his hand immediately going to his gun in his holster. It was then that they realized what was off at the home. The husband was kynigos. Not an original but a recruit. He was not pale and had dark, chestnut-colored hair and green eyes. Even through all of that, the boys could tell. They could smell the evil coming off him in waves, and he had a tattoo of a moon on his right forearm that they could see. As they heard several more cars pulling up in front of the house, they all jumped to their feet and Adrian hissed, “Kynigos!” Nikkos shoved Anstice toward Damian, yelling for him to get both her and Kassie to safety. Still holding Kassie in his arms, Damian wrapped his other arm around Anstice’s waist and started dragging her toward the back door. Anstice complied immediately as if she wasn’t about to fight him. He knew she had seen what the kynigos could do, and would be all about getting her daughter far away from them. She told Damian that she could walk herself, and he let her down and grabbed her hand and ran. When they were almost to the back door, it burst open and four kynigos poured in. They skidded to a halt, and Damian pulled them all down behind the kitchen table, but not before one could get a shot off, hitting Anstice in the shoulder. She screamed in pain, and he could hear her males in the other room roar with rage. Thankfully, Damian was a crack shot and was able to take down all four with four shots from his gun he had palmed when he realized they were trapped in the house. He pushed Anstice and Kassie into the corner and tipped the table over in front of them. He stood watch in front of them to make sure no one else would get to them while he waited for Nikkos and Adrian to take care of how many others were in the other room or were sure to come for them. Damian was watching both the back door and the doorway between the kitchen and living room when Shana came running into the kitchen, screaming. She looked from Damian to the open door and decided on Damian to be her savior. She started to run

194

Kasey Dean

toward him, but he leveled his gun on her and told her not to move. She looked so confused at what was going on, and he wanted to believe that she didn’t know her husband was kynigos, but he couldn’t trust her near the princess and her little girl. She begged him to please protect her. He motioned her to sit in the chair next to him but made sure he was still between her and his charges. He told her, “I will protect you, but if you make any move to hurt them I will not hesitate to kill you, and I will not regret it for a minute.” She paled even more but sat in the chair and thanked him. He could hear the fighting in the other room and wanted to help but wouldn’t leave his girls. The fight seemed to go on forever, with no one else making it into the kitchen, but Damian knew it was only minutes before he heard Adrian call to him and tell him he was coming into the kitchen and to not shoot. **** Damian lowered his gun when Adrian stepped into the doorway. He shot Shana a look of pure hatred and told Damian to tie her up as he passed her to move the table away from where he had hidden Anstice and Kassie. He lifted Kassie first and handed her off to Damian, who had just finished tying Shana to the chair. As he knelt down next to Anstice, he could see the puddle of blood under her. She looked at him and asked, “Are they gone? Is everyone okay? Are we safe?” Adrian nodded and said, “Yes, for now, but we need to get out of here in case more come for us.” She gave him a smile and said okay before her eyes slipped shut. He lifted her easily and carried her into the living where Nikkos waited. They were both injured from the fight but would be fine in a few hours. He was more worried for Anstice. She was losing a lot of blood and needed medical attention quickly.


195

**** Nikkos looked up and saw how injured Anstice was then looked toward the kitchen where Damian was walking in from. “Where is Shana?” he asked. Damian nodded toward the kitchen. Nikkos ran into the kitchen and loomed over her. She was crying and looked frightened and confused, but he didn’t care. She was the reason they were all there, and she was going to pay for it. “How could you call them here? Don’t you care about Kassie? Or was she just bait to get us all here?” Shana looked up at him through tears, trembling, but didn’t answer. Instead, she asked, “Who were those people? Where is my husband? And I told you her name is Emily, not Kassie.” He had to hand it to her. She was scared, but not of him. The woman had spirit. He didn’t answer her questions. “Are there more coming?” he asked. She shook her head and said she didn’t know because she didn’t know who they were and asked if he thought there were more coming. “You can count on it. There will be a lot more coming when their friends don’t check in.” She started to shake harder. “Will they hurt me if they come?” “Most definitely!” he replied. If she shook any harder, he thought she might break into pieces. “Please, let me go. I don’t know who they are or what they want, but I didn’t do anything. I love my daughter and don’t want anything to happen to her. If you can protect her, please take her with you, but let me go so I can get out of here before they come for me.” He studied her for a minute and yelled for Damian. Damian came into the kitchen, still holding Kassie close. “What do you need, brother?” Nikkos wasn’t sure he wanted to make his brother do this, but he knew that if he did he would kill her. “I need to you take her blood so

196

Kasey Dean

we can tell if she is lying. If I do it, I’ll kill her.” Damian thought about it for a minute and replied, “I’m not sure I won’t. Look at how scared Kassie is and what she just had to go through.” Nikkos took the trembling child from his arms. She apparently wasn’t afraid of him, because she snuggled into his neck and told him he smelled like Damian. He gave a small chuckle at that. Oh yeah, the girl was definitely going to become a vampire when she hit maturity. Life was going to be interesting around the mansion in about seven years. Nikkos looked at Damian and whispered, “I have faith in you, brother. You will always do the right thing.” With that said, he turned so Kassie couldn’t see what was about to happen. Damian knelt in front of Shana and looked her in the eyes and whispered, “This won’t hurt, but if you scream and scare Kassie, I won’t regret it one bit if I have to kill you.” She looked confused but nodded her head as more tears slipped down her face. He lifted her hand and held her wrist to his mouth. She tried to pull away, but he froze her in place with his stare. The only sound she made when he punctured her skin was a swift intake, but she didn’t scream. He drank until Nikkos told him that he had taken enough. Nikkos watched Damian’s face and could tell by his expression when Shana’s feelings hit him. He studied her face for a few seconds before turning to Nikkos. “She’s scared, but not of us. She’s confused and has no idea what is going on. She doesn’t know what we are and what they were.” Nikkos just nodded his head and handed Kassie back to Damian before he started to untie Shana. She started to thank him until he grabbed her by the neck and simply stated, “You are going with us. If you fight or try to harm anyone, especially Anstice or Kassie, I will not hesitate to kill you.” She paled even more but nodded her understanding. As they


197

walking into the living room she made no move toward her dead husband, but did try to pick up her cell phone. Nikkos stopped her. “I have to be able to call my family and tell them I’m all right. When someone finds this they will worry,” she pleaded. He just shook his head. “No one will find anything, and you are officially presumed dead until further notice. Unless you want me to kill you right now, you will do as I say.” She started to protest but must have thought better of it. They all left the house, and just as they were pulling away, the explosion rocked the SUV. He knew she now understood what he meant by no one would find anything.

198

Kasey Dean

Chapter Twenty-Eight Nikkos drove with Adrian holding Anstice in the middle row of seats. Kassie’s car seat they had gotten for her was in the middle row, too. Damian sat in the third row of seats back to watch Shana and make sure she didn’t try anything. Adrian had called the doctor that Mikhaila had recommended while he was rigging the explosives and trying to stop Anstice’s bleeding. They didn’t really want to go to a human hospital, but if she needed surgery, it couldn’t be done at the villa. Dr. Bennett assured Adrian that seventy-five percent of the staff were vampires and everyone there could be trusted. Adrian had also called Mikhaila, and she reminded him that if she needed blood, that human blood may not be compatible with her anymore. **** They were at the hospital in record time. While Adrian and Nikkos took Anstice in the emergency room, Damian stayed behind to inform Shana of the rules she was going to follow if she wanted to stay alive. “You will stay right next to me. You will not speak to anyone. You will not scream for help.” She swallowed her fear and nodded. Kassie took that moment to wake up from her nap and turn her head enough to see them. “She’ll be a good girl, Damian, won’t you, Mommy? Damian and his friends are the good guys. We need to go with them and listen to them and do what they say like good girls. They won’t hurt us. Damian loves me, so he has to love you, too,


199

because I love you. I love my real mommy, but I love you, too. You took care of me while she was gone.” She looked at Damian. “I knew you would come back for me, you always do. Don’t worry, Mommy will be a good girl. Can we take her home with us and keep here there? I don’t like them bad guys and don’t want them to hurt her.” Damian chuckled. He forgot how much the little girl was like him. He could talk a mile a minute and no one, not even him, was going to get her to stop when she got going on something she was excited about. Damian reached out and ran a finger down her cheek. “Of course, my baby girl, we can take her with us.” He wasn’t sure why he pledged this to her. He somehow just knew that this woman had become part of their lives for good. He felt the other woman relax, but he almost jumped when she put her hand on his arm. “Thank you for saving Emily and me from those men. I really don’t know what my husband had gotten himself a part of, but…” she trailed off and had to wipe a tear from her eye. “Just, just…thank you.” Damian was having a hard time blocking all the emotions inside the close confines of the SUV, so he got out, took Kassie out of her car seat, and helped Shana from the vehicle. He stopped her and asked, “Remember the rules, right?” She looked him right in the eyes before nodding and saying, “Yes, I remember. Don’t worry about me, I’ll behave. I just want you to keep Emily safe.” He shook his head. “Her name is Kassie, and I know it will be hard, but you have to start calling her that.” She had a small, sad grin on her face when she replied, “She always wanted me to call her that and said it was her real name, but I never believed her. The funny thing is, sometimes she would play hide-and-seek without telling me, and when I would go try to find her I actually had to call ‘Kassie’ out to her before she would come out of

200

Kasey Dean

hiding. Guess next time I’ll listen when she tells me something. That is, if you let me see her again when this is all cleared up and you go wherever it is you live.” He answered, “I don’t have the final say in that, but if Anstice makes it out of here okay, I have a feeling that if Kassie wants to see you that you will be going with us and probably get to see her often. The little princess will always get what she wants.” That caught Kassie’s attention. “Can we play princess when we get home? I like to play princess. I will have a crown, and you can be my prince. You’re my prince because you rescued me from the bad guys.” Damian had to place his finger over the child’s lips to get her to stop talking. When she did, he looked her in the eyes and said, “You don’t have to play princess anymore, baby girl, because you are a real princess now. Nikkos is the prince and will someday be the king of our race, so that will make your mommy queen and you a princess.” Her eyes lit up, and she hugged him around the neck as tight as she could. Shana whispered, “Your race? What does that mean? What are you?” Damian took her by the hand and promised to explain everything later while he led her into the ER waiting room. Once inside, Damian asked the human receptionist where Anstice had been taken. The only response he got was a blank stare. She answered, “We don’t have anyone by that name here.” He told her he was looking for the woman that was shot that had just come in. She again said there wasn’t any woman there that had been shot. Damian was getting pissed now. “Tell me where the princess is, and tell me now!” The woman flinched from him but told him she didn’t know of any princesses that had been brought in. Just then, security walked in and asked if there was a problem. Damian looked them up and down and could tell they were vampires. “I’m looking for a woman that was


201

brought in a few minutes ago with a gunshot wound.” The bigger of the two apparently was the spokesperson. “And who are you?” Damian had had enough. He needed to find Nikkos and Adrian to see what was happening with Anstice. He could feel the pain she was in, but she was so weak that he couldn’t quite get a good location on her. “I’m her brother-in-law. I can feel her. She’s getting weaker by the moment, and I need to be there.” This confused the guards. “How can you feel her if she is your sister-in-law? Why would you be bound to her?” Damian understood the confusion. His brother should be the only one bound by blood to her as he was her mate. “I had to save her life once when her mates were not able to provide her with blood.” This confused the guards more. “But we thought she was human?” Ah, so they knew where she was. They just weren’t going to tell him. Damian really did not want to waste any more time explaining this, especially in front of Shana, but if it got the guards to take him to Anstice, he would. “She is, but she was injured and was given our blood to save her life, as she is one of my brother’s mates. Then she was injured and in need of blood again, but neither of her mates could provide for her, so I was asked to help. That was actually how we discovered I had a brother. Now please take me to them. She may need blood, and her mates were injured, too, and may not be able to provide for her.” When he was finished speaking, the guards’ mouths hung open. After a few seconds of hesitation, one of them asked, “You gave her your blood? Don’t you know that is against the rules? You could be put to death by admitting that. We are going to have to report this.” Damian gave a small chuckle before asking, “Who are you going to report it to?” The guards didn’t see the humor in the situation. “The city police chief is one of us. We will have to call him and see what he has to say. Until then, we are going to have to confine you.”

202

Kasey Dean

Damian didn’t like the sound of that. He needed to get to Anstice now, not sit around and wait for some police chief to come and arrest him. Time to play the royalty card. “Do you know who my brother is?” They both shook their heads. They must not have been present when Nikkos came in. Every vampire in the country and maybe even the world knew who Nikkos was. “Nikkos Argyros.” Now, if it had been widely known that Nikkos had a brother they may have believed him, but everyone knew that Nikkos’s only brother was killed a few years ago. “Yeah right, buddy, and I am the king of England. You need to come with us right now.” Leave it to Kassie to save the day. At the mention of a king, she popped her head up and said, “I’m a princess because my mommy is going to be the queen soon. I want to see my mommy. Can you take me to her because she was hurt by those bad men and I want to see her, please? You know, you really should let me see her because I’m a princess and princesses are supposed to be able to do whatever they want. And I should see my mommy because those two big guys are going to be my new daddies, and they will be mad if we don’t find them soon. Please take me to my mommy.” They couldn’t get her to stop talking any easier than Damian had been able to. They just looked at her in awe because every time they tried to interrupt her, she just kept talking. She stopped midsentence to look past them and point. “See, that’s my new daddy. Now can we go see my mommy, please?” The guards turned to see who she was pointing to and saw Adrian striding down the hallway. Of course the guards knew who he was. Everyone knew who the prince’s best friend and guard was. They immediately backed out of the way and let him pass to stand next to Damian. He asked, “What’s taking so long?” Kassie looked over at him and asked, “Daddy, is Mommy okay?


203

They wouldn’t let Damian see her and want to take him away.” Adrian held his arms out to her as tears rolled down his cheeks. “Little one, did you just call me Daddy?” She was hesitant at first but went to him and cuddled into his shoulder. “You are one of my new daddies, aren’t you?” she whispered. He held her tight and said, “Of course I am, sweetheart.” He looked over at the guards, who were dumbfounded. “This is Kassie, daughter of Nikkos’s mate. And this is Damian, brother to Nikkos,” he said as he nodded toward Damian. The guards looked between Adrian and Damian, their lips moving but no words coming out. When they finally found their voices, one asked, “I thought Nikkos’s brother had been killed?” Adrian nodded and said, “One brother was killed, but Damian was just found to be his brother. I expect you to remember that in the future should you ever have the privilege of meeting him again.” Damian blushed at the words. He never thought it would be anyone’s privilege to the meet him. The guards looked at him again and immediately dropped to their knees and bowed their heads. “Please forgive us, Kyrios, we did not know the Prigkipas had another brother.” He glared over at the receptionist. “And we didn’t know he was in the hospital, only that someone brought in a human that was shot and we needed to keep everyone away from the OR,” he continued. She was at least smart enough to be scared by them. “They came in, and the doctor met them at the door. Told me not to tell anyone where they were but didn’t tell me who they were. I have never met the prince before. I’m sorry.” Damian was in shock. These were the first two to bow before him and call him lord, but he didn’t have time to enjoy it. He needed to be with his brother and his mate. “Thank you. Now please stand. I need to go see Anstice and Nikkos.” They stood and said, “Follow us, we will take you to the OR.”

204

Kasey Dean

Adrian stopped them and said, “No, I’ll take them. I need you to alert all of the security that we are in the hospital. We are not expecting anyone else, and we were attacked by kynigos. I want a guard at every entrance, and when you are finished I want the two of you outside the OR. No one gets anywhere near the prince or princesses. Is that understood?” They nodded their acknowledgement but pointed to Shana. “Is she the Prigkipas’s other mate?” Adrian looked to where they were pointing and looked confused. “Of course not, what are you talking about?” They answered, “His brother said he had more than one mate. We assumed if one was a human that the other would be.” **** Adrian could see where that confusion would come from. No one outside of their family knew that Nikkos and he were together. Question was, would it cause problems? Did he care if it did? Nikkos had said that he wasn’t going to hide their mating, but he needed these men’s cooperation to help keep everyone safe. Still, he tipped his head to the side and proudly displayed his mating mark. “No, I am his other mate. She is a prisoner until further notice. If she somehow gets away from Damian, you are not to let her leave this hospital. Detain her anyway necessary.” The two guards exchanged a look, and Adrian thought for sure there were about to say something stupid about the prince. But then they both had tears in their eyes, and hopeful smiles crossed their faces. “Do you mean that? Are you really mated to the prince? Does that mean that men can mate together now?” Adrian was confused until he saw that they were now holding hands, eagerly waiting for his answer. He nodded and said, “Yes, the prince and I are mated. And it may take a while for others to accept it, but we are going to make sure everyone knows that it is okay to be


205

with the mate destiny chooses for us, no matter man or woman.” They rushed forward and embraced him until Kassie whined, “Hey you’re squishing me.” They backed up quickly and both apologized. Adrian said, “Congratulations, you two. I hope you are happy together.” He pointed at them and threatened, “But don’t ever hug me again.” With that, he led Damian and Shana to the OR while he carried Kassie.

206

Kasey Dean

Chapter Twenty-Nine Nikkos was pacing in front of the OR doors when they arrived but stopped to draw Adrian and Kassie into his embrace. He held them tight until Kassie whispered, “Don’t worry, Daddy, Mommy will be okay. She just found me. She won’t leave us now.” Nikkos pulled back to look at the child. “How did you get so smart, little one?” She pointed to Shana. “My other mommy is a good teacher. She teached me lots of stuff. Is my mommy like you and this daddy?” She patted Adrian on the chest. “And like Damian, or is she like me? I want to be like you, can I be like you? Damian can do cool things, and I wanna do cool things like him. He said that I couldn’t be like him, but Mommy is kinda like you, right? So when I get bigger can I be like you?” Nikkos just shook his head and chuckled, and then looked to Damian. “She is just like you. How many times did you make an exchange with her?” Damian looked down at his shoes in shame and whispered, “Too many times, apparently.” Then a tear slipped down his cheek when he looked back up at Nikkos. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know what could happen, and I just needed to stay connected to her. I knew deep down I was meant to protect her and be able to find her. That’s the only reason I did it. Please believe me, Kyrios. I never meant to hurt her in any way.” Nikkos looked his brother in the eye and place a hand on each shoulder. “I thought we went over that whole Kyrios thing. You are my brother. None of us blame you for anything that happened. I told


207

you we are happy that you did what you did. We would have never found Kassie if it wasn’t for you. You did the right thing, and we don’t know for sure what will happen to her when she’s older. And if she does turn, we will handle it when the time comes. It won’t be bad, I promise. Anstice has already made up her mind that she wants to finish the bonding with Adrian, and if she turns, that is fine with her. She wants to be like us, and it will probably be even easier if Kassie is like us. We are all family and will be together no matter what.” He gave a mischievous grin before he added, “Just don’t forget that you have to help keep track of her when she is a teenager.” Damian laughed and looked over at the small child. He couldn’t imagine her being a teenaged female vampire but knew he would do anything to protect her and keep her out of trouble. “Can we lock her in her room when she turns twelve until she’s about thirty, please? I don’t want any males anywhere near her. Although with you and Adrian as her dads and me as her uncle, I’m pretty sure no one will be stupid enough to try anything with her.” Nikkos agreed as he embraced Damian. “That’s right, brother, and don’t forget how strong her mother is. I think all the boys will be too scared of her to worry about who her dads and uncle are, but we will all be there for her.” He let his brother go, took Kassie from Adrian, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and handed her to Damian. He needed his mate right now while the doctors were in the OR working on saving Anstice’s life again. He wrapped his arms around Adrian and brushed a kiss across his lips before finding his mating mark on the other man’s neck and softly kissing the sensitive area. Adrian groaned and nuzzled into the top of Nikkos’s head. Shana, who had been quietly waiting behind Damian, spoke up. “Okay, I know I’m just a prisoner to you, and you are probably going to kill me when you get a chance, but can someone please explain what is going on here. I think I have a right to know what this is all about. You are talking about the little girl I have raised for the last

208

Kasey Dean

two and a half years and love like she is my own. I know you are going to take her away from me, but please can someone just explain this all to me. And why are you two kissing? I thought you were with the woman in there, not each other.” Kassie looked over to her. “Don’t worry, Mommy, they won’t hurt you. I’ll explain everything to you when you’re older, I promise.” They all burst out laughing at her, and Damian arched an eyebrow at Shana. “Say that to her often, do you?” Shana blushed. “She always wanted to know where she came from and where her real mommy and daddy were. I always thought I had all the time in the world to explain it to her when she was older.” She looked down and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Guess I won’t be getting that chance now, huh?” Damian placed a finger under her chin and gently made her look at him. “No one is going to hurt you. I already told you no one will do anything to hurt Kassie, so if she wants you around, you will be with us and you will be safe.” Nikkos stepped up behind Damian and looked over his shoulder at him. “That’s right, as long as Kassie wants you to be around, you will be staying with us. But remember this. If you do anything to hurt her or her mother, no one will be able to save you from me.” Shana’s skin paled, but she nodded her understanding. Just then the doctor came out of the OR and cleared his throat. “She is going to be fine. We removed the bullet. She needs rest and probably blood, but she will be able to go home soon and will heal before too long.” Everyone gave a sigh of relief, and Nikkos asked, “Can we see her?” The doctor replied, “Yes, but only her mates for right now. I have some questions I have to ask you. First of all, how is she more vampire than human?” Shana heard this and gasped. “Did you just say vampire? What are you talking about? There’s no such thing as vampires. Is there?”


209

Nikkos didn’t have time to explain, so he looked to Damian. “I know I have asked a lot of you in the last few days, but could you please sit down and explain everything you can to her while we go see Anstice? I will get you and Kassie in to see her as soon as we answer the doctor’s questions.” “Of course, brother, I’ll explain what I can,” Damian replied. Nikkos and Adrian followed the doctor into the recovery room, where Anstice was just starting to come out of the anesthesia. The doctor started asking questions, but the boys didn’t hear anything. They needed to touch her to make sure that she was really okay. With one on each side of the bed, they each held one of her hands. She opened her eyes a little to look that them. “Hey,” she whispered. “Is everyone okay?” Nikkos chuckled. “You just came out of surgery and had to have a doctor save your life for the third time since you met us, and you wanna make sure everyone else is okay? You are an amazing female, you know that? We love you so much. I think we’re going to lock you in our room for the rest of your life so you stay safe.” Adrian spoke up. “Please don’t ever scare us like that again. We wouldn’t be able to go on if we lost you.” She shook her head as much as she could. “I’m not going anywhere. I love you both so much that I could never leave you.” They each bent and brushed their lips across hers. The doctor cleared his throat again. “Can you please answer some questions now? She really does need to rest.” Adrian replied, “Okay, but we’re not leaving her.” The doctor was fine with this. “I need to stay with her anyway to make sure there are no problems. First of all, how are both of you mated to her? Also, when I talked to your doctor at home, she said to make sure that if she needed blood, not to give her human blood. She told me that if she needed blood to tell one of you and you would take care of it. I thought she was human? But when we did the routine blood work, it showed some human properties but mostly vampire

210

Kasey Dean

DNA. How is that possible? Is there something I should know?” Nikkos answered, “The answer to your first question is easy. We are not just her mates, we are mated to each other. And before you go off and think that men should not mate and tell us we are going to hell and all that happy-happy-joy-joy shit, remember who you are talking to. I make the laws of our race, and I’m going to start by making it law that anyone can mate with who destiny chooses for us, not who the society thinks is the right person.” He paused long enough to let the doctor argue with him if he chose to be stupid. Apparently he was smart, because he just nodded his head. “To answer your second question. We’re not really sure what’s going on with her. This information will go no further than this room until more is known, is that understood?” The doctor nodded. Nikkos continued. “The night we met her, she was fatally injured, but we both knew she was our mate and could not let her die. So we took her home with us, and our Mikhaila saved her life with the help of my blood. Then a few days ago I was injured, and she gave me blood. I took too much, and she again had to be given more blood. This time, Mikhaila was afraid if we did a transfusion it would not work, with her already having my blood in her system, so my brother Damian gave her blood. “Later that day Adrian was feeding from me, and we got a little carried away, and she drank from me, too, before we realized that she shouldn’t want to. She was showing signs of becoming a vampire, so Lucian did some research and found ancient information about humans being turned. We’re not sure yet if that is true, but all the signs are pointing in that direction. When she is healed and we take her home, she will complete her bonding with Adrian and may turn. We don’t know.” The doctor stayed quiet through the entire explanation, and when Nikkos was finished he asked, “I would like to help in the research if


211

you would like. Being a doctor of both vampires and humans, I have always wondered why we could not give humans our blood to save their lives. It would be of great benefit to both our races, but I never tried because of the laws. Now I understand why it was made illegal. We would be turning the human population into vampires if we used our blood to save someone that was dying. I have some vacation time coming and was going to do some traveling. Maybe you could talk to your doctor, see if she would like some help with her research?” Nikkos nodded and said, “I will talk to her and her mate and see if they would like your help and be in touch. Now, is it possible to bring her daughter and my brother in to see her?” “Sure, I’ll leave you alone and tell them they can come in,” he replied and left the room. **** Damian was explaining what he could to Shana when the doctor came out and told him he could go in and see Anstice. The two guards he had met in the ER when he first got there were waiting outside the recovery room, and he asked them to keep an eye on her. They nodded, but the doctor spoke up and said he would sit with her and explain some more about the vampire race. He was going to argue, but it wouldn’t have mattered. The doctor seemed to have eyes only for Shana. Damian shook his head as the doctor gently took the woman’s hand and led her to a sofa. He looked to the guards and told them to watch them both and to come and get him if there was trouble. With that, he walked into the recovery room carrying Kassie. As soon as the door was shut and Kassie saw her mom, she slapped Damian on the shoulder and said, “See, I told you she would be fine.” He laughed and kissed the tip of her nose. “Yes you did, baby girl, and you were right. You’re so smart.”

212

Kasey Dean

Kassie’s smile lightened up her face so much Damian thought he was looking into the sun. Adrian moved to the same side of the bed as Nikkos and gave them room to stand on the other side. Damian looked to Nikkos and Adrian for permission before taking her hand in his. “How are you feeling?” She looked up at him and assured him she was fine and ready to get home, where they would be safe. Kassie spoke up as only a child would. “Mommy, did you know you’re a queen and I’m a princess? I said I like to play princess, and Damian said I really am one now and you are the queen, so now no more playing make-believe, I really, really am a princess. Did you know that? I’m happy, because I like being a princess. Princesses get everything they want and can do anything they want.” Anstice pretended to glare at Damian. “Did you have to tell her that? Now she thinks she can have anything she wants.” Damian just shrugged his shoulders. “She is, and I’ll make sure she has everything she wants. This little girl right here is going to be the most spoiled child on the face of the earth.” Anstice shook her head. “Okay, but when she doesn’t get her way and throws a temper tantrum, Uncle Damian is gonna hear about it and deal with it.” “I’m okay with that,” replied Damian. Anstice rolled her eyes. “We’ll see about that.” She then looked over to Nikkos and Adrian. “When can we go home? We need to get out of here and get Kassie home safe.” Damian said, “I’ll go find out.” He left Kassie with her parents and went to find the doctor to see if Anstice could leave yet. When he walked into the waiting room, he found the doctor and Shana hadn’t moved from the couch, except they weren’t really talking. They seemed to be just staring at each other in awe. Damian studied them for a minute and cleared his throat to get their attention. When the doctor looked over at him, he asked, “How long before she can be released? We really need to get home soon to


213

get the princesses to safety.” The doctor rose from the sofa and went to check on Anstice. Shana didn’t move from her spot but watched every move the doctor made until he shut the door. Damian studied her for a while and thought about the doctor’s reaction to her. Looks like someone has found their mate. He wondered how Shana was going to take the news that she was now the mate of a vampire and wondered how the doctor was going to take the news that his new mate was going back home with his family. Guess the good doctor better start looking for a new job on the East Coast. Hope he likes snow. Damian went to Anstice’s room door, opened it a little, and motioned for Adrian to join him. When he did, he told Adrian about his concern about Shana being the doctor’s mate and that there may be trouble when they tried to leave with her. Adrian told him not to worry and the doctor had already mentioned wanting to visit them and doing some research with Mikhaila and Lucian. Adrian told him, “Guess he’ll be taking his vacation a little sooner, and it will last a lot longer. Shana can’t stay here or return here. Once she leaves, we cannot allow her back where someone will recognize her. I’ll explain this to the good doctor as soon as he releases Anstice.” Damian nodded his understanding. Just then the door to the recovery room was opened. Nikkos was holding Anstice in his arms. “We’re ready, let’s go.” Adrian said, “Wait just a minute, I need to have a chat with the doctor,” and motioned for the doctor to return to the recovery room with him. Damian followed them to the other room just in case there was trouble. Once inside, Adrian informed the doctor that he was aware that Shana was his mate, but that she was going to be going with them. Before the doctor could argue, he explained all the reasons, including the fact that everyone now thought she was dead, and if any of the kynigos found out she was still alive, her life would

214

Kasey Dean

be in danger. That was all it took to get him to agree for her to leave without him. “My vacation starts in two days. Can you tell me where you live so I may join her and complete our mating?” No one knew where exactly the prince lived, so Adrian handed him a card with his number on it. “Fly to Boston International Airport. Call this number when you know when you will be there and someone will come and pick you up.” The doctor took the card and placed it in his pocket then they joined everyone in the waiting room. The doctor went over and carefully lifted Shana’s hand to his mouth. With a small kiss to the inside of her wrist, he promised to see her in two days. She looked confused but agreed. They all left the hospital and headed straight to the airport where the private jet was waiting.


215

Chapter Thirty Anstice, Kassie, and Shana slept the whole flight. When they arrived at Boston International Airport, Nikkos, Adrian, and Damian carried the girls to the waiting car. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the car stopped in front of the mansion without any other problems. By this time Anstice was awake, and even though she was in pain, she insisted on carrying, with the help of her mates, a still-sleeping Kassie inside and up to the room that the servants had been working hard to prepare for her. As she laid her on the bed, the little girl woke up and glanced around her room. “I really am a princess, ain’t I, Mommy?” she asked sleepily. Anstice looked around, seeing the pink walls, the canopy bed and pink carpet, the decals of princesses all over the walls, and the dresser, whose whole top was covered in tiaras. “Yes, sweetie, you really are a princess. This is all for you, my beautiful daughter. You are a princess and will be treated as one for the rest of your life by everyone here. I’m so happy to have you home at last.” She hugged her daughter tight and fought back the tears threatening to spill over and run down her cheeks. Kassie hugged her back and told her not to cry, and that everything was going to be okay. Then she asked, “Did we bring my other mommy home with us, too? I don’t want them bad men to hurt her. Is she here? Does she get to stay with us?” Anstice nodded her head. “Yes, sweetie, she is here and will be staying with us. Don’t worry, we’ll keep her safe. Are you still tired, sweetie. Do you want to sleep some more?”

216

Kasey Dean

Kassie shook her head and pointed to the dollhouse that was taller than her set up in the corner. “No, I’m not tired. Is that mine? Can I play with it? Are there dolls, too? Can I, please, please, please, can I?” Nikkos laughed at the child bouncing off the bed and went over to open the chest next to the dollhouse that was just about overflowing with dolls and the one next to it with doll clothes. “This is all yours, baby doll, and you can play with them any time you want. If you want more dolls or any other toys, just tell me, and I will make sure you get what you want.” Anstice gave him a look that said he was going to spoil the child if he kept it up. He added, “Well, anything your mommy says you can have, and you can play with them anytime unless your mommy says you have to do something else, like go to bed or do your homework or something like that. You can have anything you want, but you still have to be a good girl and listen to your mommy.” She nodded to him and said, “I will be a good girl, I promise, and I’ll make sure I listen to her and you and my other daddy, too.” With that, she flew off the bed and launched herself at his leg, hugging it tight. He lifted her up and gave her a hug and a kiss on her forehead before putting her back down to play with her new dolls. Nikkos joined his mates and wrapped them both in his arms. They watched Kassie play with her dolls for a while before Nikkos kissed his mates gently on their necks. “I need you both alone right now.” He growled. “Unless you want to stay with Kassie a little longer,” he added. Anstice shook her head as she turned and snuggled into his granite chest. “No, I need to feel my mates, too. Just let me tell her we’re going and we can leave.” She walked over to the little girl, who had all the dolls lined up and at this moment was in the process of naming each and every one of them. “Sweetie, are you okay here by yourself for a little while?


217

We won’t be far away and can come back if you need us.” Kassie nodded her head without looking up from the dolls. “Yup, I be fine. Gonna play.” Anstice was a little worried about leaving Kassie alone in the big house all by herself. Damian must have felt her apprehension, because he chose that moment to enter the room, followed by Ajax and Shana. Apparently Ajax remembered her, because the second he saw Kassie he ran as fast as he could toward her. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief when he stopped just short of plowing into the little girl. She turned around and squealed with delight before wrapping her arms around his neck while he licked her face, and she giggled. Damian laughed at the antics of the two. “I found a room for Shana just down the hall and told her where she could and could not go in the mansion.” He looked at his brother. “I hope that’s all right?” Nikkos nodded. “That’s fine, brother. This is your home, too, now, remember.” Damian looked like he had to take a minute to collect his thoughts. Anstice knew how he felt. She still wasn’t used to having family, either. “I also showed her how to use the phone to find me and to call the servants if she needs anything. Now, if you three don’t mind, I would like some time to play with Kassie.” With that, he ushered the three of them out of the room with a wink and a laugh. Anstice stopped him from shutting the door with a hand on his arm. She leaned in and hugged him before anyone could stop her. Damian froze at first, but a look at Nikkos and Adrian said it was fine to hug her back. He hugged her tight as she thanked him for helping her find her daughter and protecting her when they were being attacked. When she released him and stood on her tippy-toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, he leaned down and accepted it. Straightening, with his hand over his heart, he said, “I will always love and protect you both. Don’t worry about her. I’ll stay here with her until you come back. She won’t be left alone for a minute.” Anstice nodded and thanked him again then lead her men to their

218

Kasey Dean

room. When they got to their room, she paused slightly to lock the door before leading them both to the bed. She pushed them both down on the bed, where they lay side by side as she slowly undressed. The heat in their eyes as they watched her was enough to start a forest fire. When she was completely naked, she crawled onto the bed on top of Nikkos and kissed him. He brought his arms up around her and held her tight as he took her mouth deeply. She left him, breathless, and crawled over on top of Adrian. She didn’t kiss him right away. First she said, “I want to finish the bonding with you, if you still want me.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently. “Of course, I will always want you, but we don’t have to do this now. You have had a long day and are still healing. You just found your daughter and don’t know if she will turn vampire when she hits puberty or not. If you would rather wait until she is older, I’m okay with that. I know where I belong and that you are my mate. I’m not going anywhere. We don’t have to rush into this.” She kissed him back before replying, “I love you, and nothing that happens will make me change my mind. If she turns when she’s older, that will be great. If she doesn’t, she will always have that option to choose for herself later in life if she meets a vampire that is her mate. Or I’m sure Damian will help to turn her if she chooses to before she finds a mate. Either way, I know what I want, and that is you and Nikkos.” Adrian looked like he couldn’t have been happier if someone had handed him the moon. “Okay, little one, but what about the pain that you may have to go through? Lucian said that the woman in the story was in excruciating pain while she was turning.” She tried to calm his fears by saying, “It doesn’t matter how much pain I may be in, I know you will both be here the entire time and will take care of me. Now, how about you make love to me and complete our bonding. I can’t wait for you to hear all the naughty thoughts I


219

have in my head of the things I want to do to you.” Nikkos laughed at that. She knew it was because she was already projecting some pretty creative ways for the three of them to have sex into his mind. Adrian looked over to him and he laughed and winked and said, “Our little female is pretty kinky.” Adrian rolled them over so he was on top of her and took her face between his hands. “If you’re sure, little one, I would like nothing more than to be bonded and fully mated to you.” She just nodded her head and watched as he stood up to strip. Nikkos took the hint and shed his clothes in a matter of seconds. **** When all three of them were naked and back in the bed, Adrian wanted to take his time and love his mate properly. He also was afraid that after he exchanged blood with her, she would be in pain, and wanted to make sure Nikkos had his opportunity to love their mate, too. He lay on his side next to her, running his hands up and down her body. He took her nipple into his mouth and made her arch up off the bed. He pulled Nikkos on top of her, and he took the hint. Nikkos sunk into her sweet pussy and began to move slowly at first. He picked up his pace, and Adrian could see he was almost to the edge. He leaned in and sucked the other nipple between his fangs, biting, but not enough to break the skin. As soon as his fangs touched her, she yelled out her love for both of them as her orgasm struck her. Adrian knew what Nikkos was feeling because he had felt it every time he was inside her. He knew her clenching walls were pulling his orgasm from him as Nikkos roared out her name. Nikkos thrust into her gently a few more times. Nikkos laid small kisses all over her chest and neck and whispered words of love to her. When her body had calmed a little, he withdrew

220

Kasey Dean

and rolled to her side. Leaning up and over her, Nikkos kissed him, and he responded with all the passion he could fit into a kiss. Nikkos whispered, “Time to claim your other mate, my love.” Adrian pulled Anstice on top on him to straddle his waist. He looked into her eyes. “You ready, cardia mou?” She bit her lip and nodded her head. No matter what she told him, he knew she was nervous, but this was what she really wanted. He lifted her hips and settled her over his rock-hard length. He slowly lowered her down over him and knew he wouldn’t last long, especially once he took her vein and she took his. Holding her hips, he moved her up and down over him while she rode him. He knew she lost a lot of blood when she was shot that still hadn’t been replaced, so he wanted her to drink first. He looked over to Nikkos and tilted his head so the other male could puncture his neck for her to drink from him. Nikkos leaned in and licked the spot near his mating mark before striking with his fangs. He took one long swallow of blood from Adrian before leaning away and bringing Anstice’s mouth down. She licked her lips before latching onto his neck and started swallowing down his thick blood. She moved faster and faster as she drank until she suddenly sat up and screamed out her release. When she was too limp to move, Adrian rolled them both over and started pounding into her, his fangs piercing the soft skin on her neck. Between the feel of her walls clenching him and her blood flowing down his throat, he couldn’t hold out any longer. He sealed her wounds and growled out her name as he shot his seed deep inside her to mix with Nikkos’s. **** Anstice didn’t think she could move. Her whole body felt like it was numb with pleasure. She lay there as her two mates watched her like they were waiting for something. Nikkos spoke up first. “Do you


221

feel any different? Are you in pain? Can you hear Adrian’s thoughts?” She looked over to Adrian and sent him her thoughts. “I love you.” She immediately saw him smile and heard him respond, “I love you, too, cardia mou.” That was the last thing she saw before her whole body arched off the bed, and she screamed in pain. **** Nikkos and Adrian both grabbed for her, but Adrian didn’t know what to do. He knew that she may suffer if she were to turn but wasn’t expecting it to be this bad. He knew they could both feel how much pain she was in, and theirs wasn’t even close to how bad she must feel. Nikkos and Adrian took turns holding her and wetting cold cloths to put on her head. Her skin felt like it was on fire, and when she stopped screaming, all she could do was cry. They went on like this for what seemed like days but was really about twelve hours. Others had come to check on them and see if they needed anything, but Adrian had turned everyone away. This was his fault, and he would take care of her. After the twelve hours, she finally stopped crying and fell into a deep sleep. Her heart rate and breathing slowed so much they thought for sure they were going to lose her. They each lay beside her, holding her tight, as if that would keep her with them. Adrian wasn’t sure if it worked. He knew she had to be exhausted from the hours she’d just spent screaming and crying, but she hadn’t moved a muscle since she fell asleep. He wondered if she was going to wake up. And if she did, if she was going to blame him for her pain and not want him anymore.

222

Kasey Dean

Chapter Thirty-One Anstice woke up surrounded by her mates. She was tired and sore all over, which reminded her of the first time she woke in this very same bed. Even though she felt sore, she also felt stronger. She didn’t remember a lot of what happened after she bonded with Adrian, only that one minute she was talking to him in her head and the next, she was in more pain than she had ever felt in her life. It had felt like someone was tearing her apart piece by piece. She knew the males felt it, too, because every once in a while when the pain subsided enough for her to be coherent, they were both by her side, crying. Of course, they were her mates, so they would have felt her pain, too. She hoped it wasn’t too bad for them and they were able to block it, because she never wanted anyone to feel like she had. But knowing them, they felt the need to suffer with her and felt everything because they were mates. Yes, they were both her mates now, and she was a vampire. With that thought, she carefully lifted her hand to her mouth and felt the fangs she knew she now had. She remembered her mouth burning as they pushed her teeth out of the way as they grew in. She wanted to get up and go look in a mirror to see if anything else had changed with her, but her two mates were wrapped tightly around her, and she knew she wasn’t going to get out of the bed without waking them. She was embarrassed when she realized she was going to have to wake them up to go to the bathroom. Still, she knew they had gone through hell with her and needed to rest, so she tried to pry their arms from her body. It didn’t work. As soon as she moved, they were both awake, hovering over her, talking at the same time, asking her if she


223

was all right and if she hurt anywhere. She assured them that she was fine and just needed to go use the bathroom. They reluctantly let her up and watched as she disappeared into the bathroom. She was gone only a few minutes before she emerged, ran to the bed, and jumped on top of them both. “I feel amazing. Is this how you always feel? So strong, I can see better, hear better, even smell better. Which reminds me, you two smell amazing. I knew you smelled good before, but now my mouth is watering for a taste of you.” They both laughed as they reached for her. Adrian said, “That’s the change, baby. If you’re anything like us, you’re gonna want to feed and have sex constantly for a few weeks now. But don’t worry, we will be more than happy to accommodate all your needs.” She started growling and bared her newly grown fangs at them. They both held their hands up in surrender, and Nikkos asked, “Baby, what’s wrong. What did we do?” She blinked rapidly as she calmed and her fangs retreated a little. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me. I was just thinking of what you said and imagined who accommodated your needs when you went through this. I know it was long before you met me, and I have no reason to be jealous, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. I wanted to find the women and tear their throats out.” Both males started laughing. Her glare cut off their laughs, but they both reached for her again. She let them pull her down to lie between them as Adrian whispered, “It’s okay, baby, you’ll get used to your heightened emotions soon. Besides, I still feel the need to slaughter anyone that you or Nikkos have been with before me.” At his admission, she giggled and said, “I’m glad I’m not the only one that’s homicidal.” Her laughter suddenly changed into a moan as both men started caressing her body. She knew they wanted to make her feel good, and she wanted to forget the pain she had just gone through. Nikkos kissed her while Adrian trailed kissed down her stomach to her pussy

224

Kasey Dean

that was already wet and throbbing for them. They made sweet, slow love to her and all fed several times over the next few hours until all of them were too exhausted to move. After the males had fallen asleep, Anstice carefully untangled herself from them and took a quick shower. As she was coming out of the bathroom, Adrian opened his eyes and asked, “Where are you going, cardia mou? Come back to bed and get some rest.” She answered, “I want to go check on Kassie, and then I’ll be back.” He started to get up and told her he would go with her. She walked over to the bed, leaned down, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “No, I’m fine. You get some rest, and I’ll be back before you even miss me.” He growled. “I will always miss you when you’re not in my arms, doesn’t matter if it’s seconds or days. But if you want to go spend some alone time with you daughter, I understand. You haven’t seen her in a long time and didn’t get much time with her before we came in here and completed the bonding.” She leaned in and gave him another quick kiss before promising to be back soon. Anstice forgot to look and see what time it was and had no idea how long she had been in the bedroom, so she quietly opened Kassie’s door in case the little girl was sleeping. She found the room empty and started to panic until she remembered Damian’s promise to keep the girl safe. She left the room and went on a search for them. As she walked around the mansion, she heard voices coming from the pool. When she stepped in the room, her heart almost stopped. Kassie was standing on the diving board getting ready to jump in. Anstice called out to stop her until she realized Damian was only a few feet from where she would land in the water. She watched with pride as the girl jumped in, immediately resurfaced, and swam with grace toward Damian’s waiting arms. She let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding, which drew their attention.


225

“Look, Mommy, Damian taught me to swim. I’m a big girl now.” Anstice’s felt tears prick her eyes as she thought of all the things she had missed her child learning the last few years. “Yes, sweetie, you sure are. I’m so proud of you.” Damian shifted the child from his arms to his back and swam to the side of the pool, easily lifting them both out of the water. He walked over to her and apologized. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I should have waited and let you teach her. She was just so eager to go swimming and wanted to learn.” Anstice stopped his rant and said, “That’s okay, I have many more years to teach her things. I’m glad she has you to take care of her and teach her.” She took the soaking-wet child into her arms and hugged her tight, not caring that she was getting wet herself. “I’m sorry I left you for a little while, baby girl. How are you doing? Are you having fun with Damian?” Kassie nodded her head. “Yes, he is so much fun, and he even promised to buy me a pony when you were awake if you said it was okay. Is it okay? Can I have a pony? Please, please, please? I really want a pony.” Anstice looked over at Damian as he bit his lip. “I said she had to ask you, but I have no problem getting her one and helping her take care of it. I promise you won’t have to do anything for it. I’ll take care of everything, even teaching her how to ride.” Anstice shook her head and grinned. “You are going to spoil her rotten if you get her everything she asks for, but you can get her a pony if that is what you both really want. And thank you for waiting and asking me first. I appreciate it.” She looked back at Kassie. “Now how about you show me how you can swim some more.” Kassie nodded and went to jump back in the pool, Damian not far behind her. She knew he would never be farther than an arm’s length from the child if he could help it. Anstice sat on the side of the pool with her feet in the water and

226

Kasey Dean

watched Kassie and Damian swim and splash each other. She must have lost track of time, because before she knew it, Nikkos and Adrian had come to find her. They sat down on each side of her and wrapped their arms around her, gently kissing the side of her neck where their mating marks were. This sent a tingle down her spine and caused her fangs to lengthen again. “Will I ever not want to jump on both of you when you do that to me?” They spoke in unison, “Hope not,” and then laughed. She reached behind them both like she was going to hug them and pushed them into the water. “You two need to cool off,” she said as she tried to jump up and retreat from the water so they wouldn’t pull her in. She wasn’t quite fast enough, and they each grabbed an ankle and pulled her in with them. Kassie saw the three of them in the pool and gave them her best shot at a scowl. “You should have swimsuits on in the pool, not your clothes.” They all laughed as they splashed each other. Kassie showed Nikkos and Adrian how well she could swim as she swam into Anstice’s arms. Anstice smiled brightly, and that was when Kassie must noticed her fangs. “Mommy, you have fangs like Daddies and Damian. Can I have fangs, too? They are so pretty, I love them. I want some so I can be pretty, too.” Anstice kissed the girl on her forehead and said, “Baby girl, you are already beautiful, but someday you will have fangs, too.” Anstice knew deep down that she was telling the girl the truth. Even if she didn’t turn when she was a teenager, she would want to become like them. She would willingly go through the change. She didn’t want her to go through the pain she had and was told by her mates that if Kassie turned naturally at puberty it wouldn’t be so bad. She hoped and prayed that the exchanges she had already made with Damian would force the change when Kassie was a teenager. Maybe she would talk to Mikhaila and see if she thought it would help for her to make blood exchanges regularly until she was a teen. She thought Damian would be more than willing to keep


227

exchanging blood with her to make things easier on her, but if he wouldn’t, she would do it herself. She had time to think about that, though, and it would be about seven years before they would know for sure what would happen to her. Pushing all her thoughts to the side, she enjoyed the time she had with her new family. They all swam for a bit longer before getting out and getting ready for dinner. As they all sat at the kitchen table, Anstice looked around. Everyone had come for their first dinner together as a family. Even the Dr. Bennett that had saved her life in Las Vegas. He was sitting next to Shana and couldn’t keep his eyes and hands off her. Every time he complimented her and touched her, she would blush. Anstice made a mental note to ask Nikkos and Adrian what that was all about later when they were alone, but she could guess as to what was going on between the two. They looked at each other the same way she looked at her mates and they looked at her. After dinner, Damian announced that he had a surprise for Kassie and asked everyone to join them in the backyard. He carried Kassie while covering her eyes and telling her not to peek. He came to a stop and let her see the beautiful, chocolate-colored pony walking around the newly fenced-in yard. Anstice saw the pony and said, “I thought you were waiting for me to say yes?” He looked at her in confusion. “You said yes, didn’t you?” She smiled. “I did, but you must have already had it before or it wouldn’t be here already.” He blushed. “No, I hadn’t bought it yet. I just had it picked out and called to have it delivered during dinner. I bought a horse, too, so we could ride together, but it won’t be here until tomorrow.” Anstice laughed and hugged Damian. “Thank you for loving her as much as I do.” Kassie was pulling on Damian’s pant leg. “Can I go for a ride now? Please, please?” Damian picked the child up and kissed her on the nose. “Not yet,

228

Kasey Dean

sweetie, we have to train him first. Tomorrow we’ll work with him, and you’ll be riding in no time.” Kassie stuck her bottom lip out and started to pout. Damian grabbed her lip between two fingers and pulled on it. “What did I tell you about pouting, little one?” She tried to nip at his finger as he pulled it away quickly. “That my lip is gonna stick like that if I keep doing it.” He laughed at her. “That’s right, little one, and we don’t want that, so no pouting. Besides, I think it’s bedtime, but we’ll come out and start training him first thing tomorrow morning. I promise.” Damian carried her back into the house and up to her room. He gave her a hug and kisses and told her he loved her before leaving. Anstice tucked the child in and gave her a kiss. “I love you, baby, and I’ll see you in the morning.” “I love you, too, Mommy,” her baby girl whispered, already falling asleep. Nikkos and Adrian both kissed the child good night before returning to their room.


229

Epilogue It had been a month since Anstice had her daughter back in her life and had become a vampire. Everything was going great. She had a family she had never dreamed to have again. Everyone now lived in the mansion, including Shana and Dr. Elijah Bennett. They were bonded but hadn’t turned Shana into a vampire yet. Elijah didn’t want to make Shana suffer the pain that Anstice went through, so he was taking his time turning her. He was working closely with Lucian, studying the differences in vampires and humans and also the vampire history. Anstice had spoken to Mikhaila about exchanging blood with Kassie on a regular basis to hopefully make sure the child turned when she was a teenager. Mikhaila had thought it was a good idea and would also make Kassie stronger, just in case anything ever happened to her. Damian obviously offered to be the one to exchange blood with her, so they decided once a month was good for now and maybe would increase it when she got older. Kassie was as happy as any spoiled princess could be. She and Damian trained the pony and horse, and they went riding every day for hours. Mikhaila had given birth to a beautiful baby boy one week ago and had named him Kayson Aleksandr. Anstice’s life was perfect for the first time in her life, and she knew it would stay that way. With that thought in her mind, she went in search of her mates, because she had a surprise for them. She could tell they were in the study but had seemed to be keeping their distance from her today for some reason. When she found them, they were deep in conversation

230

Kasey Dean

and didn’t notice her enter the room. When she cleared her throat they both looked up, and Nikkos swiftly closed a folder and shoved it in a drawer. She got the feeling that they were trying to hide something from her and placed her hands on her hips. “What is wrong? What are you hiding from me?” she asked. At least they both had the decency to look guilty before Adrian looked at Nikkos and nodded. Nikkos withdrew the papers and handed them to Anstice. “We were going to surprise you later, but you caught us.” Anstice took the folder and opened it. Inside were plane tickets for the entire family to Greece. Tears filled her vision as she looked back at both of them. They were immediately out of the chairs and around the desk, surrounding her in their embrace. Adrian said, “Little one, don’t cry. If you don’t want to go we don’t have to. We just thought you would like to see where our race is from.” She shook her head as she looked into his dark eyes and leaned up to kiss him. “No, I want to go. I just can’t believe that you would surprise me with something so amazing.” Nikkos turned her to look at him. “Baby, we will always do anything that will make you happy.” Anstice started to fidget as she pulled away from them. They looked at her, puzzled. She knew they could feel her emotions and could tell she had something to tell them, too. They had stayed away from her most of the day, and she was happy for that because she wanted to keep her news a surprise. They each took one of her hands in theirs. Time to tell them and hope they don’t freak out. She took a deep breath and was about to speak when Marcus came into the room with a crying Kayson in his arms. Marcus looked frantic and rushed to Anstice. “He won’t stop crying. What do I do? Mikhaila is working in the lab, and I’m just not good with babies.” Anstice covered her laugh by clearing her throat and carefully lifting the child from Marcus’s hands. She cradled him while talking


231

softly and swaying back and forth. In a matter of a few seconds, the child stopped crying and calmed down. He snuggled into her arms and looked around at everyone with his bright blue eyes. Marcus stared at her in awe. “How did you do that? He’s been crying since his mother left.” She giggled and said, “It’s not that hard. Come here and I’ll show you how to hold him.” Marcus shook his head. “No, he doesn’t like me, and he always cries when I hold him.” Anstice said, “He’s your son, and he loves you. You just need more practice.” She looked to Adrian and Nikkos. Neither of them had held the child since he was born, so she walked over and offered him to Adrian. At first she thought he would back away, but he gently took the little boy, who immediately latched onto his pinky finger and held tight. Nikkos wrapped his arms around Adrian and the little bundle and whispered, “You look good with a baby, my mate. Maybe we should think about having one someday.” Anstice cleared her throat, looked at the males from under her lashes, and whispered, “Maybe we could have one sooner than someday?” It took both males just a split second to realize what she was telling them. When they did, Nikkos wrapped her in his arms while Adrian gave Kayson back to his father, and then he joined the embrace. They made her look them in the eyes and both asked, “Are you serious? You’re pregnant? We’re going to have a baby?” She grinned and held up two fingers, and she watched as Nikkos’s eyes rolled back in his head and closed. Adrian caught his mate before he hit the floor and carried him to the sofa. Within minutes he was coming to, with Anstice and Adrian looking down at him. Anstice bent down and kissed his forehead. “Nikkos, are you all right?” He frowned up at her. “I don’t know. I never thought about having children until I met you. I’m happy we are having a baby, but…” He

232

Kasey Dean

trailed off, looking up at Adrian that back to Anstice. “But whose are they? Mine or Adrian’s?” Anstice saw this coming as soon as she had realized she was pregnant and worried that one of the males would feel left out if the baby belonged to the other. That was why she was glad that Mikhaila suggested an ultrasound already, even though she wasn’t that far along. She shrugged her shoulders and said, “It doesn’t matter. They will be ours together. The three of us will raise them as a family. And besides, they are fraternal, so they may belong one to each of you. Either way, we will all love them and care for them, right? Does it matter to you who the biological father is?” Nikkos sat up and pulled both of his mates into his embrace. “No, baby, it doesn’t matter. I was just worried that any baby of mine would come with all my flaws, and Adrian’s child would be so beautiful that we would have to beat the suitors off with sticks when they came of age. Especially if they are girls.” Anstice let out a giggle. “Sweetie, first of all, you are both beautiful males. Second, boys or girls, they are all getting locked in their rooms until they are thirty. Remember, I have seen how much trouble the two of you get into.” Nikkos sat up with Anstice standing in front of him. He lifted the hem of her shirt and placed kisses across her belly while he whispered to the babies. Kassie came into the study, followed by Damian, and she asked, “Mommy, do you have a boo-boo?” Anstice shook her head. “Then why is Daddy kissing your tummy?” Anstice held her hand out and the little girl took it. “Because Mommy is gonna have babies, sweetie. You’re going to be a big sister. What do you think of that?” Kassie tilted her head and bit her tongue like she was thinking really hard, and then asked, “Can I name them?” Anstice chuckled and said, “You can help Mommy and Daddies pick out a name, but I get the final say, okay?”


233

Kassie nodded her head and went back to Damian’s side, where she was obviously excited. She was still talking a mile a minute when Mikhaila, Lucian, Elijah, and Shana came into the room. Kassie informed everyone in the room she was going to be a big sister, and everyone took turns congratulating the mom and two dads. Anstice looked around at her extended family that was about to get bigger and thought again, I really do have a perfect life.

THE END WWW.KASEYDEAN.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR I was born and raised in northern New York where I still live with my husband, two sons, one daughter, step-son, and several pets that some days I really want to get rid of. I work a full-time job twelve hours a day but enjoy reading books so much that I decided it was time the characters in my head needed to have their stories told. My favorite books involve lots of romance and a happily ever after. Don’t tell my characters that, though. Some of them are mad at me for not writing their stories yet. While I love romance between a man and a woman, there is just something to be drooled over about hot and sexy men loving on each other.

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

No Escape from Destiny

No Escape from Destiny

No Escape from Destiny