by ERIN BEDFORD
Offering her a small smile, I kept my distance though every part of me screamed to take her. “It’s frowned upon.” Her pouty lips turned down in a frown and I was quick to add, “Don’t worry about it. If anyone gets in trouble, it will be me.”
She seemed to think about it for a moment but then gave a curt nod. “Alright. Well, I should probably get going before someone sees me in here.”
“Why?” The word escaped my mouth before my brain even processed it. Piper stopped in the doorway and turned back to me an adorable confusion on her face. “I mean, why would anyone care you are in here? You’re the maid after all. Maybe you needed to clean up a spill. I can be awfully clumsy.”
She smiled, and if my heart still beat, it would have skipped one.
“I don’t see any mess.”
I grabbed the cup off my sink, filled it with water, and then promptly dumped it on the ground. “There. Now you have an excuse.”
Piper giggled. The sound of it was like peals of angels coming from Aphrodite’s lips. I wanted her to do it again.
“Why did you become a maid?” I asked, leaning back against the sink. “You are far too pretty to be cleaning toilets.”
Piper’s laughter cut off. Her eyes dimmed and her mouth pressed into a thin line. Instead of answering me, she moved further into my bathroom which made the large room feel small with her presence. Piper’s scent filled my senses the closer she came, and I almost reached out despite myself, but she completely bypassed me. She grabbed a towel from the cabinet and knelt on the floor, wiping up the water.
“Piper?” I didn’t like the silence that had come from my question. “I apologize if I have offended you, I didn’t mean—”
“You didn’t.” She shook her head, standing with the towel. “Offend me that is. I just don’t want you to think badly of me.”
“You don’t?” I arched a brow at her, making her flush. Happy that she was no longer frowning, I stepped into her space ignoring the warning in me telling me to keep my distance. “I don’t think I could think badly of you, no matter what you have done in the past.”
She let out a little nervous laugh, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I wouldn’t bet on it.”
I smiled down at her. “You punched a vampire and lived. You didn’t go screaming into the night when you found out what we were. Believe me, there isn’t much that surprises me, but you have, Piper Billings.”
That beautiful shade of red on her cheeks spread to her neck and chest. I wanted to see how far down it went but curled my fingers into fists to keep myself from finding out.
“More from my own stupidity than bravery,” she belittled herself, shifting in place, her eyes not meeting mine. Piper was quiet for a moment before holding up the towel. “I better put this in the laundry.”
She scurried out of the bathroom, not answering my question. I followed after her, watching her every movement as she practically ran for the door. Before she darted out of it, she did stop and turn back to me.
“Thank you, Master Durand.” She held her hand up with a small polite smile. “For healing me.”
She ducked out of the room before I could correct her.
“... Call me Wynn...”
Chapter 21
Piper
I had to admit I expected more to happen after I drank the vial of Wynn's blood, but there I was, putting away books in the library later that evening, hand healed and nothing else.
Turning my hand this way and that, I muttered to myself, “You'd think I'd at least get super strength or heightened senses from drinking vampire blood.”
With my arms full of books, I made my way over to the shelves. Someone had been binge reading and leaving them out for me to put up, out of character for the usually neat and tidy vampires I'd come to know.
Bet it was Rayne. He was no doubt planning my demise or, in the very least, a way to make my life there a living nightmare.
I snickered, remembering how Wynn had tossed him across the room so easily, then frowned at my hand. Damn. I wish I could do that. Maybe I could find me a pair of brass knuckles or maybe a boxing glove. There was little doubt in my mind that there wouldn't be a next time. Rayne was young and arrogant even if he was several decades older than me.
Sitting my pile of books on the nearby end table, I went through the stack. Greek mythology. My eyes scanned the shelves looking for the label for the myths.
There it was.
Shoving a few books onto the shelf, I moved to grab some more when my eyes caught the word vampire on the spine of one of the books. Reaching up onto my tiptoes to grab the book, I strained to get a hold of it. After a moment, I sighed and gave up, sinking back to my heels and turned to look for a stool.
“Shit!” I cried out, my hand going to my chest. A large figure stood inches from my shoulder. Once I got my heart to calm down, I glared at the large man with his intense gaze and buzzed haircut. Marcus. “Jeez, wear a bell or something. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
Marcus stared at me with increasing interest, his large muscular arms crossed over his chest pulling his dark green t-shirt tight over his pecs.
I waited for him to say something, tapping my foot impatiently, but when he obviously showed no intention of speaking, I threw my hands up and huffed, “Well? Did you need something?”
He stepped forward, and I froze, suddenly terrified I had offended him in some way. My feet backed up until my back hit the bookshelf behind me, making it slightly wobble. Breaths coming in and out like a frightened mouse, I squeezed my eyes shut and prepared myself for the worst.
A dark shadow fell over me, and for a moment, my senses were filled with lilacs and rain before it was gone. A few more moments passed, and I was still not dead or at least vampire chow, so I dared to open my eyes.
The first thing I noticed was the book, the exact one I had been reaching for, held out in front of me. The second thing was the amused hint of a smile on the edges of Marcus's mouth as his surveyed me.
Glancing between the book and then him again, my lips pursed tight. I hesitated before taking the book from him, clutching it to my chest. Bopping my head, I breathed in astonishment, “Thank you.”
I thought he would leave after that, but he stood there for a moment before, in a low, gravelly voice, he asked, “You're staying?”
I arched a brow at him. “Uh, yes?” I didn't know why I made it a question. Like his opinion on it would change anything. My staying was between Antoine and myself. Okay and maybe Wynn, but he didn't need to know that.
Marcus nodded, a small jerky movement. “Good.”
He didn't say anything else. Marcus turned on the heel of his combat boots and walked away. I couldn't help but let my eyes drift down to his backside where his jeans hugged his ass. I had to give it up for these vamps, they all have fabulous gluts.
Shaking my head, I laughed at my own lack of self-control. I glanced down at the book in my hands and moved over to the nearby couch. Checking to be sure no one else was going to sneak up on me, I cracked the book open. Of course, it was in Latin. A language I only recognized because of all the -uses.
I clapped the book shut and leaned back on the couch with a sigh. Just when I thought I might get some answer, I find the one vampire book that's in a dead language. Well, not like I had a lot of experience with vampire books. Not unless they involved shirtless alphas and whimpering damsels.
Wait a moment.
I was in a freaking paranormal romance.
Six sexy vampires with way more testosterone than any master vampire, and I'd already had more than one breathtaking encounter with them. All I needed was a display of jealousy that ended with us naked and sweaty.
Pfft. I should be so lucky.
Pushing off the couch, I went back to the shelf. Not bothering to try and reach that high up onto the bookshelf, I sat the book down and grabbed the nearby step stool. Of course, the one shelf that had something I wanted to read on it wasn't connected to the rolling ladder.
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Sighing, I climbed onto the stool and put the book back where Marcus had gotten.
“You know I could read it to you if you only asked,” Drake announced, startling me. My foot missed the step on the stool, and my arms went out to my sides trying to grab onto something. Large arms wrapped around my waist and I found myself staring up at Allister. I only knew it was him because Drake stood behind him with a shit-eating grin on his face, his dimples flashing at me.
“Careful,” Allister rumbled against me, the vibrations of it going straight through me. My nipples hardened, and I was in dire need of a new pair of panties. Jeez, it was ridiculous what these vamps could do with a few words and a bit of supernatural charm. Or maybe that was just their natural charm, and I was a simpering fool in desperate need of a good lay.
“Thanks,” I murmured and withdrew myself from his arms and penetrating gaze, a bit reluctantly, I might add. Smoothing my hands down my shirt and pants, mostly to wipe my sweaty hands off, I peered between the two of them.
They really were almost identical. They both had dark hair that curled along the edges of their ears and those eyes, a swirling combination of blue and green with just a hint of golden flecks. Any girl would get lost in them. I had gotten lost in them. Well, Drake's but that was more of getting lost in his naked body and vampire tricks than his eyes. Now, that he was clothed... okay, who was I kidding? I still wanted to lick every inch of them, not that I'd tell that asshole as much. Drake, I mean, not Allister. The latter twin had yet to do anything to earn my ire.
“So, you want to know more about us, huh?” Drake snatched the book off the shelf where I just put it back. He flipped through a few pages and then pointed at a page, turning it around to face me. “This is a list of things that can kill us.”
I squinted at the page, but it was all gibberish to me. Fat lot of good that list did when I couldn't read it. To the watching twins, I hummed. “Interesting.”
Allister's lips quirked up, but he didn't comment. Drake smirked and flipped a few more pages. “And this page tells you how to become one of us if you were so inclined.”
I cocked my head to the side and then up to his watchful eyes. “I'm not. However, I would like to know what I'm up against. Besides, your...” I waved my hand around in front of my face. “... you know, mind trick stuff, what else can you do? Are you really fast?” A memory came to my mind, and I held up my hand. “Wait, never mind. I know that one.”
The twins exchanged a look but didn't pry further.
“Are you sure you have a reflection?” I tapped my chin. “I don't think I've ever seen any of you look in the mirror.”
Allister sighed. “We're immortal, not invisible.”
“What he said.” Drake wrinkled his nose. “Some of the rumors really are a bit ridiculous, like the garlic bit. One person has an allergic reaction, and suddenly, it means all of us are.” He dragged a hand through his hair, tousling it a bit before giving me a boyish grin. “Not that I would ever eat garlic. It puts a damper on the mood.”
I didn't bother to ask what he meant by that, knowing I was just asking for trouble. Instead, I turned my next question to Allister. “So, you eat? Other things besides blood anyway.”
Lifting a shoulder, Allister rolled his head making his bones crack. “We can, if we want to.”
I remembered the cookie Rayne had eaten. “So, if you can eat regular food, why drink blood at all?”
“Because it tastes good,” Drake cooed, moving around his brother to lean against the bookshelf. He was much closer now, close enough I could smell the heady musk coming off him. It made my knees weak and brought flashbacks of the time I had almost let him take me in his room, right up against his bedroom door. His vortex of color eyes seemed to swirl on their own as they trailed up and down my body, making my skin hot and needy. “I bet you taste oh so good.”
Swallowing thickly, I jerked my eyes away from Drake to his twin, who watched with a curious frown. Did Allister not find me attractive? “What about you?”
Allister's eyes widened slightly as if not expecting me to pay any attention to him while his brother was making a move. “What about me?”
“Do you think I would taste good?” I cocked my head to the side, really wanting to know what he was thinking, especially since my question made Drake frown and back off a bit. “Or am I not your preferred flavor?”
Apparently, vampires could get embarrassed because Allister's face flushed a bright red, and his eyes ducked down to the hardwood floors. Scratching the back of his ear, he mumbled, “I'm not gay, if that's what you mean.”
Drake threw his head back and laughed at his brother's discomfort. “Fuck, Al. Look at you. All bent out of shape because of one little maid.” Drake's eyes darted over to me. “One really hot maid, but still, I haven't seen him this embarrassed since Ray asked if our dicks were identical too.” I opened my mouth to ask, but Drake beat me to it. “And no, they're not.”
I flushed and clipped my lips closed, lacing my fingers in front of me, my shoulders almost to my ears. “I had to ask.”
“They all do,” Drake drawled and then held the book out to me. “If you want to know anything, just ask. We'll be happy to help... for a price.” The way his eyes lingered on my breasts told me exactly how he expected to be paid.
Allister didn't encourage or dissuade him, so I wasn't quite sure what his opinion was on the whole trading sex for information bit. Not that I could really say I wasn't tempted. Each of them alone was every woman's wet dream, but at the same time? I didn't think I had enough batteries to take care of that fantasy.
“I'll keep that in mind.” I ducked my head, clutching the book to my chest as if it would hide how aroused I was at the prospect. I should just give up already. They knew everything about how I was feeling and, from Rayne's own mouth, my pitiful lifestyle. If I were a bolder woman, I would just embrace it but punching a vampire was as brave as I got, and look where that landed me!
Chapter 22
Drake
“Did you smell what I smelled on her?” I asked my brother as the little maid ran away as fast as her little legs could carry her.
Allister shifted next to me, his nose sniffing the air. “There’s something different about her, yes.”
I scratched my chin. “She ran out of here pretty fast. Think we should be worried?”
My brother laughed. “You think too much.”
Shoving his shoulder, I picked up the book Piper had been looking at. “And you don’t worry enough.”
Though we joked, there was something different about her, something that wasn’t there before. I couldn’t think of what could have made her scent change. It was subtle, barely noticeable if you weren’t taking in lungfuls of her scent like I had been doing.
What could I say?
I was a creeper. I liked the taste of her on my lips and since I couldn’t actually kiss her, not without freaking her out again, I would take what I could get.
“So, do you think Wynn will actually get her first?” Allister asked, flipping through a cook book. We rarely ate since our diet didn’t require it, but for some reason, he was obsessed with food. If he had half a brain in his head, he’d use that to seduce the pretty maid.
Shrugging a shoulder, I shoved the book back on the shelf. “I don’t know. Probably. He obviously has an advantage.”
“I wonder if we should even be doing this.” Allister sighed, he tucked the book he had and a few more under his arm. “Antoine already warned us to leave her alone, and then you go and fuck up. Isn’t this pushing our luck?”
I snorted, heading for the library door. “When are we not pushing our luck?”
“Ha. Let’s see you say that when you’re begging to come home.” Allister walked beside me, our footsteps echoing loudly as we make our way down the stairs. “I haven’t heard him use that threat for a least a decade.”
I waved him off. “Antoine just wants to fuck her, or he wouldn’t be such a baby about us scaring her
away.”
“Oh, do I?”
Freezing in my steps, I winced. Me and my big mouth.
Slowly turning to the vampire in question, I offered a lazy grin. “Antoine, there you are. We were just talking about you.”
“I heard.” Antoine slid a hand through his long white hair, his pale eyes narrowing on me. I didn’t let him know how fucking scared I was to go to our sire’s. No one in their right mind would want to be with that lunatic. It was bad enough the first five years of my undead life. The further we got away from him, the better our lives had been.
“We were just discussing ways to make Miss Billings more comfortable here.” Allister, ever the kiss ass, showed Antoine his books. “I thought maybe we could make her something to eat? Humans like food almost as much as sex,” Allister ducked his eyes, and muttered, “or so I remember.”
I smacked him on the back and laughed. “Look at him, all flustered about a girl.”
“While I appreciate the sentiment,” Antoine pursed his lips, giving me a warning look, “I think more distance from Miss Billings might be a better solution. However, we have another matter to discuss.” He turned on his heel and walked into the dining room without waiting to see if we followed.
Arrogant bastard.
“What happened here?” I frowned at the mirror shattered on the ground.
Darren had a broom in his hand sweeping up the pieces. He glanced up from the ground to meet my gaze, a grim expression on his face. “Another gift from your favorite little maid. First the Qing, now the Lalique. I think she might be doing it on purpose now.”
“Why would she do that?” Allister asked, putting a bit of power into his voice, making Darren’s shoulders scrunch up like a turtle trying to pull his head back into his shell.
No one liked to fuck with Darren as much as Allister did. He was a nice guy for the most part, but besides Antoine, Darren treated the rest of us like naughty children who needed to listen to their parents. I didn’t know if he meant him or Antoine, but either way, it only put a target on his back for our mischief.