by April Kelley
"That's true. And it's why I'm here. To get to know you better."
"Well, you insulting me right after you get here isn't the best way to do that. You know what, leave me alone. I don’t want this…this…thing you did to me.”
The television went off right before Ladon and Penny left the room.
"You don't know me," Jules spit out again.
Thomas was getting a little pissed. "I know. I agreed with you. You don't know me either. Or Hacen."
Jules stood up and folded his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowing as he looked down at Thomas. "And whose fault is that."
Thomas stood as well. He didn't like the height advantage Jules had. It made him look like he was lording over Thomas and he had a point to make. "Hacen's. And Mine. I'm not denying that. And I didn't come here to fight with you. I'm trying to make things better, not worse."
"You think I'm weak." Jules' hands fisted at his sides.
"I don't think you're weak. I promise you that." At least, not anymore. His Jules had a temper. To say he was surprised by that was an understatement.
Jules’ shoulders came up to his ears.
Well, since they were being honest, Thomas might as well give him all the options. They were a democracy after all. “I can take the mating pull away. I think, anyway. Is that something you’d want?”
“Yes.” Shit, don’t sugarcoat it.
“You don’t want us?”
Jules’ plump lips thinned out right before he averted his gaze.
Thomas waited for Jules to answer but he never did. He just stood there with his arms folded around his waist and his shoulders up to his ears.
Thomas cupped his cheek. “You gonna answer my question.”
“I said, yes. I want the mating pull taken away.”
“The second question.”
“I’m not answering that one.” Jules looked so conflicted, Thomas didn’t have the heart to push him into a more in-depth conversation. "Would you show me what Fane is teaching you?"
Jules moved into him, hugging around his middle. He snuggled in like a little burrowing hamster. So Jules was the one who loved to cuddle. Good to know. And it didn’t seem to matter that he had just basically told Thomas no on the relationship front.
Chapter Five
The hair on the back of Jules’ neck stood up when he saw something move in the forest just beyond the yard. He shivered but not from the cold. Puffs of air floated from his mouth, growing like thin clouds as they melted into the freezing air. He wouldn’t stop the routine Fane had taught him, though. Instead, he cut through the air as he punched, planting his booted feet in the snow with a conviction he didn’t feel, even if his body knew better.
He yelled out as he swung his arm around, stopping inches from Tommy’s neck. Jules sucked in a breath when he saw Tommy’s wide-eyed stare. He dropped his arm and straightened but had a hard time meeting Tommy’s gaze. “Sorry. Hacen’s lurking in the woods watching us. The stalking makes me nervous.”
“The mating pull is getting strong. It’s hard to stay away from you.”
Jules nodded. He understood that the longing pulled at them all, not just him.
“I’m going to put my arms around you.” Tommy waited for Jules to give the go-ahead before pulling him into a hug.
“I was followed for at least a week before Nicolono had his goons take me. I think it was because they grabbed me from behind, so I couldn't see them. At one point, someone hit me on the head, and I woke up in a cage. Literally, a cage. It was in the basement where the blood whores stayed. In the middle of the room. I didn't have any clothes on, and people were everywhere."
Tommy cursed under his breath.
Hacen came out of the darkness looking all pissed off. The scar above his eyebrow pulled tight as he scowled. Despite the displeasure on his face, he still walked across the yard to them. "I'm not stalking you. I'm trying to keep you safe. There's a big difference."
Jules pulled away from Tommy so that he could wind up for the fight with Hacen. He felt like a boxer, hopping around his corner of the rink, smacking his gloved hands together all while watching Hacen do the same.
Jules form of taking the first punch was to narrow his eyes and say, "I don't need you."
"You need me more than anyone I've ever met." Oh, sweet right hook, Mr. Sexy Vampire.
"Shit." Tommy held up his hands like a referee. "That's the perfectly wrong thing to say. Believe me."
Hacen gave him an incredulous look. "Why is showing my concern the wrong thing to say?" He looked at Jules almost pleading. "I don't trust these people. If you'd just let me take you away from here, things would be good between us."
Oh, that was a punch to the gut if ever there was one.
Jules could do nothing but block the punches. "Do you even feel anything at all? Like are you capable."
Hacen's mouth fell open, and he looked at Jules as if he spoke in a language neither of them understood. "Well, right now I'm feeling shocked and slightly annoyed."
Jules smirked. He could throw his own right hook. "Considering these people are the only ones who truly care about me, I'm not going anywhere."
"I care about you, honey." Hacen did that hug thing all boxers did with each other when they were too tired to take another punch.
The only thing, Jules wasn’t tired yet. "If you did then you'd try to understand. Instead, you put me in a box labeled fragile.” Jules poked Hacen in the chest. “I'm going to tell you one more time, Hacen, and this time you better understand. I don’t need you."
Hacen stiffened as he looked over Jules' head, completely ignoring everything he had just said. Jules was getting ready to yell at him for it when he pushed them behind his back.
He was so close he smelled the leather of Hacen's coat and felt the hard muscles underneath. Tommy’s body covered Jules from behind. Jules welcomed the warmth.
He lay his head against Hacen's shoulder and closed his eyes, letting himself forget about their fight for a moment. He wanted nothing more than to have both of his mates close. He longed to curl up and cuddle until he had the urge out of his system. He had a constant ache in his gut for both of them. Sometimes it was so bad he had difficulty eating because his stomach fluttered and turned.
He was brought back to reality when Hacen turned, lifting him as he ran to the house. That was what had Jules finally wondering why Hacen behaved so oddly.
He didn’t have to wonder for long.
Two vampires stood on the road. He had seen one of them in the blood whore room of Mr. Evil's mansion. He remembered the vampire because he'd go from one blood whore to another as if he couldn't get enough. The vampire met his gaze, smiling wickedly, before kissing the air.
Jules wasn’t sure if his courage came from his changed circumstance the past year or the fact that Hacen carried him in his arm. Either way, Jules felt no fear when he held up his middle finger.
The vampire growled and stepped toward the yard but the spell Mama put up to protect them worked. The vampire flew back about five feet, landing on his ass on the gravel road.
Jules smirked. "Asshole."
Hacen looked at him in confusion and Jules pointed to the vampire still sitting on the ground.
"Let me go, Hacen." Tommy tried to pull away, but Hacen seemed to have a tight hold on him as well because Tommy barely budged from Hacen's side. "I need to get everyone here before Nicolono sends more than just scouts."
Jules sucked in a breath as Tommy's words washed over him. He realized all at once the battle everyone feared so much had just knocked on their door.
Shit.
Jules had to think of what to do. "Tommy?"
"Yes, baby."
"You said you could get the clan here?"
"Yes. There's a spell I can do that will make them come all on their own. Once they're here, the spell lifts but by then someone can tell them what's happening."
Jules wiggled around, trying to get loose. "I need you to let me go, too. I gotta tell
Garridan.” He wasn’t sure if Ramsey was home or not, so Garridan was the next in command.
"We probably won't win anyway. Just get inside and stay there, Jules."
Jules rolled his eyes but didn't argue back. Garridan was inside the house, so Hacen was taking him in the right direction. Staying inside was different. Jules would help his clan whether Hacen liked it or not. The only reason Jules didn't say that was because he had to put his energy into helping the clan.
The second they were through the sliding glass door, Hacen put Jules on his feet. Jules ran for the garage immediately, yelling Garridan's name. Garridan came out, with Sage right behind him. He stopped him with hands-on Jules' shoulders.
It took Jules a second to get his breath back enough to speak. "Nicolono sent Vampire scouts."
Garridan's face hardened, and he let Jules go. He turned and took Sage into his arms. "Find Lucas. Make sure he's safe."
Sage nodded, kissed Garridan, and took off for the living room. Since it was a weekend, Bennett didn't have to work so most likely Lucas would be with him upstairs, and the staircase was off the living room.
"Jules, get the rest of the family together and tell them what's going on. We need to get the clan here."
"Tommy’s got the clan covered."
Garridan nodded and headed through the house.
Jules followed behind him. "Hacen would know how Nicolono works. He might be able to help as well."
Garridan nodded. "Good thinking. And I'm proud of you for putting your differences aside long enough to think past them."
Jules blushed. He grabbed Garridan's shirt in an attempt to catch up with him. Garridan took the hint and wrapped an arm around Jules' shoulders, pulling him into a side hug. Garridan kissed the top of his head even as they made their way through the kitchen door.
Hacen growled when Jules and Garridan entered the room. His eyes turned red, and his teeth dropped down. Jules sucked in a breath when he realized Hacen directed his anger at Garridan.
Garridan let Jules go but didn't give Hacen even one single glance until he walked passed him. "Stay here and keep everyone safe."
Jules fully expected Hacen to make a smart-ass remark, but all he did was nod. He didn't take his eyes off Jules, and the red turned to blue. His teeth flashed in his mouth when he whispered, "You're mine. No one else touches you anymore.”
“Except for me. Sheesh.” Tommy rolled his eyes.
Chapter Six
Jules wrapped his arms around his stomach as he fought the urge to vomit. The frozen air leaked into his bloodstream as if it had a right to be there. Snow covered the ground in patches, exposing some of the grass beneath. Frost covered each blade as if mocking its growth. It worked up Jules’ legs until he was unable to move from his spot.
All he could do was watch Mr. Evil pace around the perimeter Mother Estelle had set up around the yard. Jules shivered and watched as he touched the invisible barrier every few feet. A spark flew each time, and his whole arm flew back with such force it turned his body about forty-five degrees. He shook his hand, rubbing his fingers together as if the pain meant little.
Jules' stomach dropped to his feet in one frosty plunge, landing with a plop on the blades of grass, when Mr. Evil met his gaze.
“Did you miss me, pet?” Fangs flashed, and he crudely rubbed his genitals through his black leather pants. “We have unfinished business, you and I. Perhaps we’ll be together again soon.”
Every cruel touch and all the humiliating treatment came rushing back, flooding his mind with water. Everything he carried lingered on his shoulders, too heavy for his legs to hold. He doubled over at the waist and would have fallen if not for strong arms holding him up.
Lavender and leather soothed his senses, warming his blood first and then his skin. “I’ve got you, honey.”
Jules nodded.
Hacen growled, and somehow Jules instinctively knew he wasn’t the target. “Never again.”
Mr. Evil’s laughter poured ice water down Jules’ veins.
“One wrong move. That’s all you have to make, and I’ve got you. I have the advantage this time, Nicolono.”
“Your affection for him is a weakness, just as it is with the little warlock. We both know how good I am at exploiting weaknesses.”
Hacen’s hold on him tightened to the point of almost painful. Jules whimpered because of it, but Hacen misunderstood. “Shh. I’ve got you. He’s nothing. His words mean nothing.”
Mr. Evil hissed and snarled as if he were a giant cat. “You’ll be nothing but a monster when I get done with you.”
Jules opened his eyes and tried to get a glimpse of Mr. Evil, wanting to see that cool veneer slip away. Hacen lifted him and headed toward the house before Jules could see anything.
Jules focused on the way Hacen’s red eyes glowed in the dusk and the way he kept his lips curled up as if showing his fangs gave him an advantage. The scar on his eyebrow gave him an edge of danger. He hissed at everyone he passed. The entire clan gave him a wide berth, moving away when he stormed up to the house.
Ramsey met them across the lawn.
Hacen hissed. “Get away from him.”
Ramsey raised his eyebrows and folded his arms over his chest. “I get that you’re in protection mode, so I’ll let that go. Be careful, though, or Nicolono will be the least of your worries.”
Despite Ramsey’s threat, Hacen still growled. “Don’t.”
When Jules met Ramsey’s gaze, he winked and gave Jules a little smile before turning to address Hacen again. “You’re no use to either of your mates unless you calm yourself.”
Hacen blew out through his nose as if he breathed fire. The next breath he took seemed to do the trick. He looked down at Jules. “Are you alright?”
Jules nodded.
“What the hell did you think you were doing standing there like that?” Steel couldn’t penetrate Hacen’s tone.
He wanted to tell Hacen the truth and say he was trying not to vomit or turn into a scared, whimpering idiot. Instead, he whispered, "Just trying to be brave."
"You don't have to. Just go in the house."
“I can fight. I’m not a coward.” Except he was. All it would take was Mr. Evil getting within three feet of him, and he’d curl up into a whimpering ball. He’d become that naked, bruised prisoner all over again.
"It's not cowardly to go inside. It's doing what your mate tells you."
Jules struggled in Hacen’s hold until he had no choice but to set him on his feet. He fisted his hands at his sides and took a step away from Hacen. "You're not my mate."
"I'd like to be. If you'd let me."
"It's not that easy."
"It could be if you'd just give in."
"Oh, so it's not about you being a prejudiced ass or about how you left me.” Jules didn’t realize he raised his voice until Mr. Evil’s sinister laughter wrapped itself around him, clutching at his bravery until it lay shattered into a million pieces on the frozen ground.
“Woah.” Hacen caught him even before he realized his legs gave out again.
Jules pressed his cheek against Hacen’s chest and closed his eyes. "I'm done talking to you, Hacen. I mean it." And him cuddling close contrasted with every word he said.
“Good. Me too. Go in the house before you fall.” Hacen ran his hand down Jules’ hair.
“No. I mean I’m tired of arguing. I don’t want to anymore.”
“Just go in the house. Now.”
Jules pulled away. He held his head high, trying to fake some bravado. “You have no right to make demands on me.”
Hacen’s jaw muscles jumped. "I have every right. And will you give it a rest? Now is not the time for this.”
Jules took a couple of steps back and then turned to the house. "Fine. I'm gonna ask Tommy to take the mate pull away."
Hacen growled. His heavy footfalls followed behind Jules. "You're mine. My mate. I’ll bite you right now, Jules. I swear it. Just keep pushing me.”
T
he threat should have sent Jules into a panic. Some part of Jules had stopped being afraid of Hacen. He wasn’t sure when or why it happened, but it just wasn’t there.
Jules smirked and flipped Hacen off. “Stop following me.”
The footfalls grew heavier. Jules turned his head to see Hacen quicken his pace. At the rate he was going, he’d catch Jules.
He didn’t look back to see how close Hacen was and didn’t need to because the air displaced behind Jules and Hacen’s hand brushed across Jules’ coat. Jules gave a little squeal and headed to where Ladon and Bennett stood. They were his closest protection.
He looked back once to see Hacen’s eyes glowing blue and a sexy smile on his face. “Just wait until I catch you.”
Jules chuckled and ducked behind his brothers, catching his breath. He gripped the back of Bennett’s coat and peeked around him. Poor Bennett probably felt all shook up, but he was still a good sport about it all, letting Jules use him as a shield.
Hacen wasn’t even three feet away which made Jules squeal again. He jerked on Bennett’s coat and jumped to the other side when Hacen grabbed at him but missed.
Jules squealed with laughter when Hacen came around Bennett. An arm snaked around Jules’s waist, pulling him away but only by just a few feet. His back was to Hacen’s front.
Hacen pressed his lips to Jules' cheek. “Do you feel better?”
Oh. Sneaky vampire. Jules relaxed, resting the back of his head against Hacen’s chest. “Yes. Thank you.”
“Will you go inside?”
“No.”
Hacen sighed. “At least stay away from Nicolono. Please. I know he scares you. Hell, the bastard scares everyone who has even one fraction of sanity.”
“You’re scared?”
“Of course I am. It’s stupid not to be. That fear is what will keep you alert. It’ll make you ready when the fighting starts.”
Jules ran a knife through a vampire’s chest. The vampire crumbled to the ground as if he were a ragdoll. A stain spread across the dark shirt, sparkling when the moonlight hit it. Blood leaked onto the ground, spreading across the grass and dirt.