False Blood

by Tamara White

  Talon gives me a moment before explaining the other two’s special talents, “Devin’s unnaturally fast. He was the one who got us to you so quickly.

  “Nikoli is very unique. He has the ability to make himself practically invisible and no, not in the way you think. He seems to blend into his surroundings, much like a chameleon does. We can share our powers with each other because we’re blood bound, which is how we got to you. Nik used his ability to camouflage us, while Dev ran us here, all the while I kept our scent blocked so they wouldn’t scent us coming,” he explains with a shrug. “What about you? Anything we should know?”

  “Nope. Just an average girl,” I lie.

  He scrutinises me before letting it go. “Do you mind me asking what your name is? It would be nice not to refer to you as ‘you’ all the time,” he says dryly.

  “Oh, shit, sorry, where are my manners? I’m Emerald, but most people call me ‘Em.’ Just please don’t call me ‘Emmy’. That was what my father called me,” I tell them, choking up a little. I miss him so much.

  There’s a moment of awkward silence before Dev breaks it. “Well, what about hot stuff? Is that a suitable nickname?”

  I laugh at his attempt to lighten the mood and focus back on the road.

  “Turn here,” Nik instructs me. I turn right onto a down ramp to an underground garage that has barricades running across it. I hesitate a little, but just as I go to stop, the barricades shimmer and I realise it is a magical illusion.

  “Just park anywhere down here. We have to walk the rest of the way. Bring your bags, you can stay in our room for the night. That will give us time to talk to the queen and schedule you in for a meeting. She won’t just allow you to waltz in and meet her,” Nik explains, as I park my baby.

  “What about my car? Will she be ok down here? I don’t want her to be vandalized during the night,” I admit softly, not moving from my seat. I can’t leave her until I know she’ll be safe. She’s the last real connection to Dad.

  Nik looks me in the eyes, his eyes showing sympathy. “I promise that no one will touch your car as long as it’s down here. This is our coven’s private garage, so if anything happens, we have security everywhere that will stop anyone that isn’t meant to be here,” he says reassuringly.

  Letting out a relieved sigh, I offer him a smile, “Thank you.” It may seem pathetic but my car means a lot more to me than it would to others.

  “Come on, let’s get going. Heather’s probably going out of her mind with jealousy since Tal left,” Devin says, hitting the back of my seat, making me climb out.

  I pull the lever on my seat so he can climb out after me, and I get irritated when he nudges me with his shoulder hard enough to hurt. “Dude, watch yourself!” I exclaim, rubbing at my shoulder. What is he made of? Rocks?!

  “Shit, sorry. Are you alright?” he asks, trying to pull my singlet to the side.

  “I’m fine. Just be careful next time,” I tell him, shaking out of his grasp. It’s weird to have him mothering me like a child. I throw my duffel bag over my shoulder and reach for my backpack, Talon beating me to it.

  “Stay close to us. Don’t let anyone grab you or taste you. If they do, you’ll belong to them,” Talon warns me. His warning though, has my mind going back to my rescue. Does that mean I own them?

  We walk quickly through the church, multiple eyes spotting me between the guys, but they circle closer, avoiding any unwarranted touching.

  Making it to a hall filled with doors, I take the time to study my surroundings. We took a set of stairs up from the main level, a left turn, two right turns and another left before getting to this hall, so at least I know the way out if it comes to escaping.

  “We’re right up here. You’ll have to stay in our room until you’ve met the Queen and been assigned quarters. You’re our responsibility until she determines what to do with you. Dev and Nik will bring you some dinner, while I go consult with the king and queen,” Talon says, stopping as we reach the last door on the right. There was quite a significant amount of space between this door and the last one, making me wonder just how big their room is.

  All the boys enter, and I stumble in after them. My jaw drops at the sheer size and the lavish setup. It’s a lounge/living area with a huge home theatre system set up. The boys walk straight in and head to the door on the other side of the room. Dev glances back, gesturing for me to follow him. I make my way across not sure what to expect.

  It’s a bedroom. An enormous bedroom. There are three massive king size beds each placed evenly around the circular room.

  This lacks a whole lot of privacy. How can they stand to share a room together like this? Isn’t it weird when they have girlfriends over? Or maybe they’re into the whole group sharing thing like some of the pack used to talk about.

  Talon throws my bag on one of the beds before facing me and pointing over my left shoulder, “There’s a bathroom through there if you want to take a shower. You’re still covered in blood so we need to get you out of that before meeting the Queen. Do you have spare clothes in your stuff or is it all shoes and shit?” Talon asks haughtily, looking at the bag that I’m holding.

  “Of course I’ve got my own clothes. I don’t just walk around fucking naked!” I respond indignantly. What does he think I am? Some prissy princess who has a hundred pairs of shoes?!

  He turns his back on me, leaving the room in a huff. I guess he doesn’t like it when a woman talks back. I smirk pleased that I was able to irritate him further.

  He stops as he reaches the bedroom door to give one last parting comment. “Oh, just so you’re aware, you’ll be sleeping in my bed tonight. Either that or you’re on the couch,” he says smugly, leaving me in shock. Does he mean he will be sleeping in the bed with me if I don’t sleep on the couch? That is so not fair! I can’t share a bed with someone as hot as him! That’s just unnecessary torture.

  Nikoli clears his throat, “Ok, wolf, we’ll give you thirty minutes of privacy. Have a shower, get dressed, and when you’re finished, we’ll be out here with food.” Nikoli says, sauntering from the bedroom, Dev on his heels.

  I grab my clothes to sleep in, glad I have proper pyjamas with me. Usually it would be just a long t-shirt and panties, but with sharing a room with three men, three extremely yummy men, I opt for my full-length flannel pyjamas.

  When I close the bathroom door, I go to lock it, but notice that there isn’t one. What should I do? If I leave it, they may walk in, and after what happened earlier, my hormones couldn’t handle it.

  I decide to go out, lock the bedroom door then close the bathroom door and just hope they don’t pick the lock.

  Showering quickly, I rush to get changed then realize I forgot my panties. I debate on going commando but know I shouldn’t. Opening the bathroom door, I peek out to check they haven’t managed to break in. Seeing the coast is clear, I make a mad dash for my bag, clutching my pajama pants. I dig through my bag and locate a clean pair of panties quickly pulling them on, when the bedroom door opens. In my hurry, I topple over with my panties halfway on. Dev and Nik stare at me from the door, jaws open in shock. Rushing to pull my panties on, I yell at them to get out.

  Instead of leaving, they just stand there staring at my chest while I struggle to put my pants on. What kind of pervs stand there and watch while a girl is getting dressed?

  Sure, I stripped off my shirt earlier, but that was different. I was wearing a bra then, so they couldn’t see anything if they wanted to. Plus, that was one hundred percent consensual, this is straight up voyeurism.

  Sighing I stand, pulling my panties up over my ass, wondering if things could possibly get any worse. Of course, as I have that thought, Talon barges in, watching me yank on my panties.

  “What the fuck? Were you stripping for them? And are those what I think they are?!” he booms a mix of anger and confusion. His face is turning red as he waits for someone to explain what he just walked in on.

  “No, I wasn’t fucking stripping! Your pe
rv friends here burst in while I was in the middle of getting changed! I thought the door was locked!” I shout back, pulling a sweater out of my bag and throwing it on, hoping to offer me some protection from their inquisitive eyes.

  “What about the marks on your neck? You can’t say they aren’t there or you didn’t see them after your shower,” Talon says, derision thick in his voice.

  I tilt my head in confusion. What marks? I have no idea what on earth he’s talking about.

  “Ah, fuck, she has no idea what you’re talking about,” Nik curses, before punching the wall, startling me.

  Surprisingly, Dev is the one to walk closer, offering peace as he approaches me. It’s as if he thinks I’m a wild beast about to attack. “Sorry, Emerald, we’re just a little shocked, we won’t hurt you. If you give me a moment, I will show you what the marks are. You should go look in the mirror though. Don’t overreact, just come back out here and we’ll explain.” He coaxes me back to the bathroom to look in the mirror.

  I’m freaking out the whole way to the bathroom because I have no idea what’s going on or why they’re so upset. What marks? I didn’t see any when I was in the bathroom. Not that I was looking too hard when I got out of the shower. I was so focused on the fact I forgot my panties.

  Stepping in front of the mirror above the bathroom sink, I go to lift my sweater to see whatever it was that they did, when I see something on my neck.

  I rip off my sweater, shocked at what I’m seeing. This isn’t possible! No, fucking, way! I’ll kill those bastards!

  Around my neck is Talon’s name scrawled in gray cursive. On the left underside of my collarbone, Devin’s name and on the right underside of my collarbone is Nikoli’s. How on earth is this possible? It looks like a tattoo but slightly different. Each name is written in a different style, as if they are unique to each name.

  I stand there gawking at myself for what feels like an eternity, when the voices from the other room start to filter in through my panic.

  “How can she be a wolf? No wolf I know has bound their soul to one of our kind before, not even the King. His is an actual tattoo. No way could she have gotten that done in the time we left her.”

  “What do you think she is then? Some kind of witch, playing a joke on us?” Nikoli asks, anger in his voice.

  Dev butts in, “Then why would she pretend not to have noticed the marks?” he asks, clearly confused.

  Talon groans and I can just imagine him rubbing his temples in frustration. “Whoever, whatever, she is, we have to find out. You know Heather and Felicia aren’t going to be happy about this right?” Talon points out as Nikoli curses.

  Who are Felicia and Heather? I’ve heard them mention Heather already but never who she is.

  “Fuck as it is, Heather is going to be pissed I’m sharing a bed with her. You know how fucking jealous she gets!” Talon grumbles as Nik and Dev murmur in agreement.

  Gaining my courage, I pull my sweater back on and walk back out to face them head on. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on or why your names have appeared tattooed around my neck, but I’m not fucking deaf! Now, I’m tired and need to deal with all of this. I will tell you that I am a wolf, but anything else will wait until After I meet with your King and Queen and then my parents. Do you understand?” I ask them, using my ‘mess with me and I’ll kick your ass’ tone.

  Talon watches me, debating his answer. “Fair enough. The Queen has agreed to meet you first thing, so we will wake you an hour before the meeting. Then you will tell us everything. If you don’t, we will find other ways to get the information from you.” With that he stomps off into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

  I turn my back on the others, climbing into Talon’s bed. He can sleep on the floor for all I care. There’s no way he’s climbing into bed with me if he has a girlfriend. Well, that’s what I tell myself. In reality if he climbed into the bed with me, I definitely wouldn’t turn him away.

  Why am I so warm? And why on earth is the bed shaking? “Wake up,” a voice whispers in my ear sending shivers down my spine.

  “Dude, go away,” I murmur, rolling over and bumping into a hard chest. That’s not right, I went to bed alone. Cracking one eye open, I’m faced with a hard, tanned chest and abs so drool worthy that I have to remind myself I have no idea who it is.

  Slowly, I drag my eyes up his chest, stopping when I notice my name scrawled just over his heart in the same kind of elegant script as the tattoo around my neck of Talon’s name. What the actual fuck?!

  Meeting Talon’s green eyes, I see a world of pain and confusion. He’s hidden it so far in his soul, only another lost soul, could recognize it. He looks down at me, a devilish grin on his face as if he knows exactly what was going through my mind as I ran my eyes over his toned body.

  I open my mouth to ask what he’s looking at, only to blurt out, “Why is my name on your chest?” His eyes harden at my question and he rolls out of the bed without a second glance. “Get dressed and meet us in the lounge,” he demands, walking into the closet and pulling a shirt on. “We need to talk.” He walks out of the room, not bothering to look back at me or elaborate what he meant. He didn’t even answer my question!

  Sighing, I roll back onto my back, hating that I miss his warmth. Each of the other beds are empty, so I grab my clothes and rush into the bathroom, changing quickly. I don’t need a repeat of last night. I stare at the tattoos still surprised that they’re there. If possible, they’ve grown darker, become more pronounced since last night.

  Once I’m in the living area, I smell the coffee but don’t know if it’s too impolite to request a cup, so I collapse in a chair that gives me full view of the coffee pot. Maybe if I stare at it long enough, they’ll offer some?

  Devin, Nikoli, and Talon are all sitting in the chairs opposite me, a dead-panned trio. They have no idea how to start this morning’s meeting.

  “Well, who’s going to start, me or you guys?” I blurt out, tired of waiting for one of them to speak.

  Nik grins at me, a note of teasing in his smile, “Maybe if you explain what you are, we would be able to explain our names on you a bit easier,” he says cheekily.

  What a killer smile. No! Don’t stare at the pretty vampire’s face, that’s how they lure you in.

  “Ha! Nice try! You start. All you need to know about me, is I’m not just wolf. I can’t tell you anymore until I talk to your King and Queen, and then my own parents. I don’t want to put you guys in jeopardy for knowing too much, so you will just have to wait until I have the all clear to say something,” I admit.

  Each of them share looks of disbelief, not quite expecting me to give them a run-around answer but I just can’t risk it. I leave them for a few minutes to go grab myself a coffee. I need it. If I have to wait for them to offer, I’ll never get one. I glance back to see them all still sitting in the same state they were in when I got up.

  I sit back in my chair opposite them, enjoying the sweet heaven from my mug. After my first sip of liquid gold, they seem to snap out of it.

  Dev sits up straighter, taking charge of the situation, “Ok, so we don’t really know how to deal with the fact you won’t tell us but if you honestly think you would put us at risk, then we understand. We’d also be able to feel if you were lying to us, which so far, we aren’t. So, whatever you are, it must be something dangerous. Now, you wanted to know why our names are on your neck and collarbone?” He pauses and waits for me to nod before continuing, “I fully intend to explain it as best I can but, it might be hard for you to accept so just bear with us,” Devin pleads softly.

  Nik and Talon exchange glances seeming to come to some unspoken agreement. I guess that’s why Nik picks up where Dev left off. He rubs the back of his neck, obviously flustered, “This is confusing. You grew up with wolves, right?” he asks, continuing when I nod and take a sip of my coffee. “Well, you know how a shifter has a mate? One wolf they mate with for the rest of their lives and all that jazz? Vampires don
’t have that. We have what we call a soul-tie.

  “There are two ways a soul tie can be formed, by two vampires falling in love or by destiny, two halves of the same soul coming together.

  “For a wolf, their mate is destined for them by some divine entity chosen for them and only them. They cannot choose who to be with.”

  He pauses, taking in a deep breath before ploughing on, “The only difference for us is that we can back out of a soul-tie. It takes a lot of energy for us to do it, but it can be done. For a vampire to back out of it though, it’s considered a great insult to the person who’s tied with them. If one appears chosen by fate, it’s said we will forever be tied to that person, even if we choose to back out.”

  He stops, watching me and waiting for a reaction but I give none. This is still confusing the hell out of me. What does this have to do with their names being branded on me?

  As if in answer to my unspoken thought, he continues, “The names on your collarbone and neck, are the start of our soul-ties with you. It should be impossible for more than one to form but yet here you are with all three, plain as day. I’m not exactly sure if that means we’re all tied to you or if your body is just suffering a chemical confusion being surrounded by vampires for the first time. We’ll have to ask the King and Queen what it means. Whether we have to be tied to you or if we should undo it, who knows? Our King knows more about wolves, so he may be able to offer some insight as to why it’s happened and what our next step should be.”

  Wow, this week just keeps getting better and better. From leaving my father to having soul-ties. Just what every woman wants, to be tied to hot guys she doesn’t know.

  “What about my name on you guys? Talon had my name on his chest this morning. What does that mean?” I ask, trying to hide my rising panic.

  Nik and Dev chuckle softly. “Your turn, man,” Dev says aiming a grin Talon’s way.