by Ari Thatcher
She was melting in his arms, her body relaxing, accepting. The only thing that kept him from pushing her onto her couch and ripping both their clothes off was the niggling voice reminding him his brothers and a couple of pizzas were waiting on them.
Resting his chin on the top of her head, he took a cleansing breath and willed his cock to retreat. “We’d better go.”
Chapter Six
Sin woke to find her room in twilight. Tigger, the tabby cat, sat on her chest, watching her eyelashes when she blinked. The cat yawned and stretched. Sin twisted to one side to urge the cat to move. Tigger was the slowest of the cats to adjust to her presence, taking most of the past month to accept her.
“Did I sleep through dinnertime?” she asked, petting the striped fur. Working out the kinks in her joints as she rose, she decided she was warm enough without her robe, and slipped her feet into slippers before following the cat downstairs.
As she reached the foot of the staircase, she noticed a man sitting in her living room. She faltered, almost missing the last step. Then she recognized Enos. “You guys don’t have to keep watch over me,” she chided, walking toward the antique settee.
He looked up from his book and lowered his feet from the coffee table. “Yes, we do.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not helpless.”
“No, you’re not. But until we’re certain we’ve exorcised all the entities from this house, we’re not letting you stay here alone.”
That irritating whisper twittered in the corner vent. Sin folded her arms across her chest and glared at Enos. “Then why don’t you start with those voices?”
“I can’t.”
Her brows drew together. “You can take down a demon who’s sucking your cock, but you’re afraid of voices?” From the wave of angry energy that washed outward from him, she knew she’d said the wrong thing.
“No one can get rid of the voices.”
She waited, shrugging melodramatically.
“This place is called Whispering Valley for a reason. The fact that you hear the whispers proves you belong here. You’re one of us.”
“But who are they? Ghosts? Those fairies you guys mentioned?”
Enos walked toward the window where the drapes were pulled back. The setting sun painted the sky crimson. The wooded mountainside stood out in black relief against the sky. He stood and stared for a long moment, then turned back to Sin. “It’s the valley.”
“What is?”
“The whispers. I don’t know how to explain it.” He paced in front of the glass. “You know about psychic energy, right?”
“Like being able to feel people’s moods?”
“Sort of. More like how people can move objects. Or make things appear and disappear. Communicate with animals. Everything has energy.”
“Okay. I follow so far.”
Enos came to stand in front of her. “I don’t know if it’s the thinner air at this altitude, or if someone put a spell on the place. Maybe it’s the combined psychic forces of the people living here. I can’t explain how it happens. In Whispering Valley, we hear the energy of everything around us.”
“This must be one of those things I’ll come to understand with time.” She looked into the corner of the room where the ornate black heating vent sat. “Am I just hearing the air moving through the ducts?”
He shook his head. “It’s more like the house’s thoughts.”
She frowned. Warning bells clattered through her head. The house’s thoughts. He was crazy. The whole freakin’ town was crazy. Every time she thought she was settling in to her new life, something like this came along.
“Your life will be easier when you open up to what’s different here. Yes, it’s all crazy. But it’s real.”
What was real anymore? Any minute now, the cats would start talking. Or reading her mind like Enos just had. Or had he just read her facial expressions?
She needed to walk away before she did something foolish, but the hunger inside continued to grow. She craved something, and had an idea how to cure it. It was past time to quit fighting. Her lips parted. Leaning to close the space between them, she gave in to what her body asked. “Kiss me, Enos.”
He did. Without hesitation. His mouth plundered hers as if he shared her desperate need. The deep thrusts of his tongue in her mouth sent shivers down her spine. Her core warmed, her clit throbbed. She whimpered and brought his hand around to her breast.
Her flesh swelled in his hand, her nipple hardening painfully as his thumb brushed over it. “Oh, yes,” she whispered.
He pinched the nub through the thin cotton gown. “I need to see you.” He lifted the hem and pulled it over her head.
Strangely, she wasn’t embarrassed to be standing naked before him. She arched her back slightly, lifting her full breasts to him. Understanding her need, he licked and sucked at one while cupping the other in his hand.
Enos worked her flesh slowly, kneading, tasting, running his tongue over the skin between the mounds as he moved to suckle the other breast. Sin’s heart sped erratically, as if it couldn’t keep up with the blood coursing through her veins.
When he pulled back and met her gaze, her breath caught. What she’d read in his eyes as possession had softened into something needy yet giving. Like his greatest pleasure would be to see her satisfied.
She cupped her hand around his neck and pulled his mouth to hers. At the same time, he lifted her legs to wrap around his waist. He slid a finger between her labia. “You’re wet.”
“I’m waiting for you to fill me.”
“Not yet.” His middle finger spread her juices around as he stroked back and forth, avoiding her clit. She rocked toward his hand. With a chuckle, he dipped his finger deep inside her.
Sin whimpered. The explosions of passion spreading upward were more a response to his touch, his smell and taste, than her sexual dry spell. Resting her head on his shoulder, she nibbled at the cord of his neck. Her tongue laved over his pulse there and her hips began to thrust to the rhythm of his heartbeat. As she sucked, her teeth lengthened, but she fought the urge to bite.
Enos matched the rhythm with his hand, thrusting deep and withdrawing, as she moved faster. Then his hand disappeared and she heard his belt unbuckling. She lifted herself to give him room.
He lowered them to sit on the couch, adjusting her knees on either side of him. She sat back on the bunched fabric of his jeans and shorts and reached for his erection. Wrapping her fingers around the base, she felt a wave of feminine power wash over her at his gasp.
She made him hard. Her body. Her touch. The silver glimmer in his eyes told her he had no one but her on his mind. The heady rush made her pussy pulse harder still.
Unable to wait any longer, she rose above his cock, stroked her slit with it and pushed it inside. She gasped at the fullness, her pussy stretching to allow him deeper.
“Damn, you’re so hot inside. I don’t know how long I will last.”
“Don’t wait too long,” she warned, rolling her hips into position to ride him hard. Her inner thighs stretched taut, spreading to take his full length. Her breasts bounced. She reached up and pinched her nipples, then pulled.
At the same moment, Enos slipped his thumb between them and pressed against her clit. Pleasure pulsed throughout her body and with each thrust, small cries escaped her parted lips. She’d never liked to make noise during sex in the past, but the sounds built between her panting breaths.
Sin dropped hard on his cock, pressing her clit into his hand as ecstasy rocketed through her. She cried out, first a high squeal, then dropping to a guttural moan.
She became aware of his thrusts and grunts and felt the warmth of his orgasm fill her. His hands clasped her butt cheeks and held her still as shudders passed through him.
His hands relaxed. His head dropped back against the couch. Letting her forehead rest on his pale, muscular shoulder, she tried to catch her breath and swallow down the whispers of guilt that disapproved of what she’d jus
t done. Why couldn’t she just enjoy the moment without Gower and Baen entering her head?
How did she tell Enos that she was also attracted to his brothers? Especially when his dick, soft as it now was, was still inside her? She might not be the most experienced chick in the hen house, but even she knew one didn’t talk about other men while in bed, or on the couch, with a lover.
Enos ran his fingers up her spine, sending shivers spreading in their wake. Sin sighed. She could get used to this, having a man who enjoyed the cuddling after. Hell, with the way he made her come, she’d be willing to skip the cuddling if he preferred. She nipped at his collarbone, then licked any pain away.
“You’re still feeling frisky, I take it?” he asked, lifting his head to look at her.
She sat back on his firm thighs. And realized they weren’t alone. “What—?” How long had Gower and Baen been watching?
Fuck. Reaching for her nightgown, she tried to gain back the slightest bit of modesty.
Enos glanced over his shoulder and shook his head. “Nice, guys. Thanks for knocking.”
Baen stepped closer. “We did knock. And cleared our throats. And I’m pretty sure at least one of us grunted once or twice.”
“But you didn’t think about coming back later?”
“I can’t say I thought about much more than joining in,” Gower admitted.
“Oh, fuck,” Sin muttered, forcing an arm through a tangled sleeve. “I don’t do this sort of thing. Really. I’m not—”
Enos grabbed her hand and pulled her back down on his lap, now covered by his jeans. His arms encircled her, holding firmly but gently. “We know you’re not.”
“I’m sorry, Enos. I shouldn’t have had sex with you. I barely even know you.”
“Shhh,” he whispered, stroking her hair and pushing her head against his chest. “It’s my fault. I should have talked to you about it first. But I couldn’t stop myself. Once I started kissing you I was lost.”
Gower had come to sit on the back of the settee. “There’s a lot of talking we need to do. We’ve been waiting until you felt stronger.”
“More comfortable with all the changes you’ve been through,” Baen added, sitting beside Enos and pulling her legs across his lap. He wrapped his hand around her ankle and draped his other arm over her bare shin, the wool from his sleeve rough against her skin. “I think whether you’re strong enough or not, it’s time.”
“Time?” With all the craziness that had happened in the past month, she wondered what else they could spring on her. “Why do I have the feeling I’m going to regret coming to Whispering Valley?”
“If you don’t already, that’s a good sign,” Enos said in her ear.
“We hope not,” Baen added. “I was hoping to make you glad you came. And maybe a bit less embarrassed that we watched you two make love.”
Heat rose to her cheeks. It would take a long time before that embarrassment left.
Baen cleared his throat. “I guess I need to go way back to explain this correctly. You’ve probably noticed we’re triplets.”
“Yes, Gower told me, and told me you stopped aging when you were turned into vampires.” With a wry laugh, she added, “Like I told him, why couldn’t I meet you guys years ago when I was skinny and wrinkle-free?”
All three men made noises of disagreement. Enos brushed her hair back from her face and kissed the corner of her eye. “We prefer you just the way you are.”
Baen continued. “Our grandmother once told us we were one soul split into three, and that really described how we’ve lived. We have the same tastes in books, wine…”
“Women,” Gower added.
With a dirty look at his brother, Baen said, ”I was getting to that. We’ve had two wives over the years.”
“Two of you are married?” she asked.
“No. The three of us were married twice. To the same women.”
“Neither were vampires,” Enos explained. “Otherwise we’d still be married. ‘Til death do us part’ takes on a different meaning when you’re undead.”
“Okay.” She drew out the word, wondering what they were getting at. She’d been talking about having sex with them and he was talking marriage. Speaking of rushing things!
As if hearing her thoughts, Baen said, “When we saw you, we recognized you as our mate.”
“If life had happened a little differently, we might have been able to court you properly.” Gower lifted her hand to his lips. “Suthu kind of destroyed any hope of normalcy between the four of us.”
“That’s putting it lightly,” she agreed. One thing still confused her. They spoke of wives and mates. Did that put her in a different role than wife? Was she just to be their sex toy or brood mare? “What do you mean by mate?”
Enos jumped in. “Poets call it a soul mate, but there again, the undead thing changes the game.”
“Your being a vampire makes it different that if you were a mortal,” Baen said. He ran a hand up her smooth leg and her crazy thoughts landed on the fact that being undead meant she had quit shaving. “We’re talking a long commitment if you agree to this.”
“Agree to what?”
All three men spoke. “Becoming our wife.”
Those were the words she expected, but still hit her like a Peterbilt truck. The last guy she’d been involved with couldn’t commit to a wedding date and these three wanted a lifetime and beyond.
It was too much, too quickly. Libido aside, she didn’t know enough about them. They didn’t know her. She snored, or so she’d been told. And she didn’t like to cook—well, that probably wouldn’t be a problem, between Enos and the blood bank. But she had nothing to bring to a relationship except a house filled with voices, a demon and three very rich cats.
“You don’t have to decide this moment.” Enos’ arms squeezed tightly around her then relaxed.
The weight of the sudden changes in her life pressed in on her from all sides, making it difficult to breathe. She needed to be alone. Breaking free of Enos’ hold, she stood on shaky legs, sweeping her hair back in an effort to control something. “I need a shower. Some downtime. Do you guys mind?”
A chorus of negative utterances answered. Baen said, “Why don’t you soak in the bathtub with some oils or salts?”
Gower asked, “Would you like a glass of wine to sip?” He rose from the back of the couch.
“No, guys, really. I don’t need anything from you. From anyone. Right now I’d love to be on a deserted island. No offense, but I haven’t been alone since I arrived in Whispering Valley.”
“We can’t leave you completely alone, hon. Not until the last of your aunt’s possessions have been checked for demons.” Gower looked at his brothers as if for support.
Baen agreed. “We can stay out of your way, though. You go pamper yourself and we’ll see if we can get the last of the crates out of the attic.”
“Fine.” At least they wouldn’t be hovering.
As she walked slowly up the steps, with twinges of pain coming from her hips and inner thighs from being spread on Enos’ lap, she realized how ridiculous it was that she was complaining about the men hovering over her. Tim had never been nurturing in all their six years together. He was whiny, demanding. A spiritual and emotional vampire, now that she thought about it.
And downstairs she had three, count ‘em, three, real vampires waiting to see to her every need. She hadn’t planned to enter the romance lottery ever again, but the letter from her aunt’s lawyer had apparently been the winning ticket.
Maybe someday she’d feel like a winner. At that moment she felt only drained.
Baen and his brothers surveyed the stacks of crates and junk in the attic. He pointed at the ones stacked in one corner. “These boxes we’ve gone through can go to Marrett. And let’s take anything that looks like books to our place. Sin started reading from one a few weeks back. I don’t know what language it was, but I was sure a demon would appear at any moment.”
“Her curiosity is dang
erous. Her parents must not have told her anything about what her great-grandfather did.” Gower lifted a pile of quilts and moved them to a corner where a mahogany highboy dresser stood. “I think we should take it all to Marrett’s to sort through. It’s too risky to leave it where she can get at it.”
Enos folded in the top flaps on a box of books and lifted. “He isn’t going to be happy to see all of this shit dumped at his place.”
“So we’ll take it to our basement and he can look through it there. I just want it as far from Sin as we can get it. She’s not strong enough to survive another possession.” Baen frowned as he thought about the potential risks the attic held. He moved to the nearest stack of boxes and picked up the top two, then followed his brothers down the staircase.
He barely noticed the whispers filling the corners he passed. He’d lived in the valley for so long, their presence was like a constant breeze, or the stench from the horses down the road from their house. It came with the territory. He wondered how much of their lives went unnoticed, yet would be new to Sin. Life in the valley, life as a vampire, required adjustments.
They needed to be aware of that and act accordingly. Like not watching each other make love to Sin. Not yet, anyway. She didn’t seem the type to have experimented with multiple partners, serially or at one time. They would have to ease her into it.
Memories of the expression on her face when she had peaked with Enos set his cock twitching. Her face could have been painted by the Masters—so much passion, so much womanly mystique poured from her features.
Baen considered how he felt about her after such a short time. He wouldn’t call it love, yet. Love took time to build and deepen. There was something about finding your mate, though, that changed the rules.
Was it possessiveness? A sense of completion and rightness, or inevitability? He could honestly tell Sin he and his brothers would devote themselves to her forever, because they had been waiting so long to be able to do so. Love would come, blossoming out of whatever emotion they felt for her now.