Callie's Blood Mates [Blood Exchange 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Becca Van

  Vlad watched, mesmerized, and her long brunette hair became longer as she unthreaded it. He could see the tremble in her fingers as she worked and knew she was using the action of something mundane to keep her emotions, her fear under control.

  “I work with some wonderful people,” Callie said softly. “One of the security guards, Greg, and his wife, Heather, are expecting their first child. What would Heather do if she lost her husband now? She would be alone with a new baby and no means to keep a roof over her head.”

  “Maybe you could call in sick?” Vlad suggested. “Or take some vacation time?”

  “Would that make him or the others at the museum safe?” Callie asked. “Or would this…person try and get to one of them and interrogate them, hurt them, and end up murdering them to get to me?”

  “I wish we could tell you that wasn’t a possibility, sweet one, but we can’t.” Dex scrubbed a hand over his face.

  “I’m sorry we’ve put you in such an untenable position, baby,” Vlad said. “But if I told you I would change anything if I could I would be lying, and that is something I, we, would never do.”

  “So what am I going to do now? I need to work to pay my mortgage and bills. If I don’t I will lose my house. I took out a loan with the bank nine months ago. I can’t default on the loan, and if I sell I would be lucky if I broke even and then where would I be? I’d need to find a place to rent and I really don’t want to do that. I saved for years, scrimping and scraping to put aside what little I could for a deposit on my own home.”

  “Honey—ˮ

  “I haven’t finished.” Callie frowned at Dex. “There is no way I could stand renting again. I hated not being able to hang a picture on the wall when I wanted to or to plant something in the garden because it wasn’t mine. I hated having my privacy invaded for rental inspections, having a stranger come into a home that wasn’t really mine to make sure I wasn’t wrecking it. I’ve had nine months of doing what I wanted because that property is mine. I can’t go back to renting and sharing.”

  Vlad felt like a real asshole for putting her through all of this. He could see tears in her eyes and could feel the knot of frustration and sadness in her chest, but he hadn’t lied when he said he wouldn’t change a thing. But he and Dexter could make her life much easier. They both had more than enough money accrued individually and collectively to last for a hell of a long time, and it would give him great pleasure to pay for Callie’s house and whatever else her heart desired. He was going to have to tread carefully here, though, because she was an independent woman and used to taking care of herself. He didn’t want her to think or feel he was treating her like a chattel. A woman who was only there for his pleasure. She was a beautiful, smart, and sexy woman and had a mind of her own, for which he was thankful. He needed her more than she would ever know.

  It would kill him and his blood brother if she turned around and walked away. The blood lust was riding him harder than ever before, and if Callie decided against being mated with them, he knew no human or vampire on earth would be safe. The hunger was nearly all consuming, but from what Lucan and Trey had told him after they had exchanged blood with Angelina, just a sip of her blood was more satisfying than nearly draining a human dry. Not that he’d ever taken that much when he was feeding, but it was getting harder and harder to limit himself to a cup or two. Even trying to satiate the relentless famishment with two or more humans at a time didn’t help, and he knew the only way to circumvent that emptiness was to claim his mate.

  But the question of this millennia and the one he wanted to so desperately ask was, was she going to choose them?

  Chapter Seven

  Callie’s mind was whirling with turmoil, and she had a knot of anxiety in her chest. Her throat was tight, and it was hard to swallow or even breathe, but she knew she had to make a decision tonight.

  What was she going to do if she couldn’t work? She would lose her house, and plus, she was still paying off her college debt. Admittedly, she had worked hard and had paid most of the education loan off, but she didn’t want to lose the house she’d scrimped and scraped to buy. And she still owed a shitload on it.

  She had only accrued one week of vacation time and had no idea how much sick leave she had if any, but if she did take that, she would need to go to a doctor for a medical certificate, and that would mean she had to lie.

  Callie had never told a lie in her life and she wouldn’t start now. But how could she continue to work and put Greg and Brent and everyone else in the museum in danger? She couldn’t bear the thought of either of them getting hurt or killed or take Heather’s husband from her and the father of the baby away from it before it had even been born.

  She was going to be in danger no matter what she did, but she could prevent others from being in jeopardy by staying away from them. And if she agreed to be mated to Vlad and Dexter, surely they would be able to protect her, keep her safe, and maybe get word out to the wizard guy and his cronies that she had resigned from the museum so that her work colleagues would be safe?

  There was nothing else she could do. She would have to send an email into the museum manager tomorrow morning resigning effectively immediately. Then she would have to find a realtor and try to sell her house. Maybe the property market had picked up a little and she would make enough money to break even, and if she were really lucky she may even have enough to pay off the last of her college loan.

  But what she would do after that she had no idea. Would she have any money left over to rent another place? She would need money for a bond as well as rent in advance, and she couldn’t see herself getting enough money from the sale of her home to cover everything. Maybe she could stay here for a while.

  She glanced at Vlad and Dexter to find them staring at each other, and then Dex nodded. What was that all about?

  “I—ˮ

  Vlad held up his hand so she closed her mouth and waited for him to speak. “Dex and I have been discussing a few things, and we would like to help you out since your meeting of us has put you in this situation.”

  Callie tilted her head when she couldn’t remember hearing either of them talking. “I didn’t hear anything.”

  “We can speak to each other in our minds, sweet one.” Dex ran his hand over the length of her unbraided hair, and although she found the gesture soothing it was also heating her blood. She loved the way they touched her and seemed to cherish her and wondered if she accepted being their mate if they would continue to treat her the same way.

  “We have exchanged blood so many times that we call ourselves blood brothers,” Vlad said. “Because we have done so we are able to communicate to each other telepathically on a private link. There is a common link if we wish to speak to others of our kind as well, in the same way.”

  “So you don’t need to even speak out loud?” Callie asked.

  “No.”

  “Wow! That must come in handy.”

  “You have no idea.” Dex smiled.

  “Callie, Dex and I would like to pay your house off for you as well as your college debts,” Vlad began. “If it wasn’t for us you wouldn’t be in this quandary, and as your mates it is our pleasure and need to make sure that you are happy.”

  “I appreciate that, but I don’t need anyone else to make me happy. I have been relying on myself for a long time.”

  Dex reached out and took one of her hands into his. “We know we need you more than you need us, honey, but please will you let us do this one small thing for you?”

  “It’s a huge thing. That sort of money doesn’t grow on trees you know.”

  “Baby, we have amassed a fortune over the years. It would take us many lifetimes to go through all the money we have accumulated and since we have invested our wealth wisely it is growing all the time.”

  “Maybe I could pay you back,” Callie muttered to herself more than spoke to them, but she should have known that they would hear her.

  “No, honey, this will be our gift to you, and i
t does not hinge on your decision on whether you will accept us as your mate. We will gladly make your burden lighter even if you decide to walk away.”

  Callie lowered her head and blinked rapidly when tears burned the back of her eyes. No one had ever been so generous to her in her life, and she could tell by the tone of Dex’s voice that he had been totally sincere.

  “Please, baby? Please let us do this one small thing for you?” Vlad asked.

  How could she refuse such generosity? They were offering this because they wanted to, not to have something to hold over her head or to sway her decision in any way. She had never heard such emotion from another human being before, and it was directed at her, but it had been there in both of their voices when they talked. It was like they already cared for her a great deal and maybe even loved her. She felt very humbled and her heart filled with joy, but she still was hesitant to tell them yes to everything they wanted.

  Maybe she had been imagining what she’d heard in their voices.

  They can’t love you. They’ve only known you for a couple of days.

  But even as she said those words to herself she knew in her heart she was right.

  How can they love me after such a short time? And why do I feel so deeply for them, too?

  Callie imagined going back home to her empty little house and leaving them behind. The wrenching pain in her heart was nearly more than she could bear. What is happening to me? Is it because I am their mate and they are mine? What is going to happen when and if I agree to be with them? What will happen if I don’t?

  Callie took each of their hands in hers, and in that moment she knew she couldn’t leave. She wanted to be with them with everything in her being. “Thank you both. I will accept your generous offer.”

  “Thank you, sweet one.” Dex leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. “You have made me so happy.”

  “And I,” Vlad whispered against her temple and then he pressed his lips to her head.

  Callie shivered at their proximity. She could feel the heat emanating from both of their bodies, and her desire for them began to simmer deep inside again. She took a deep breath and tried to gather the words roiling in her mind, and when she finally knew what she wanted to say she opened her mouth.

  “What’s it like having to drink blood from people?”

  “It is impersonal, Callie. We don’t have any emotions when we take what we need,” Dex said.

  “Aren’t they scared?”

  “No, baby.” Vlad released her hand and then he gripped her waist, lifted her, and brought her down onto his lap.

  Callie relaxed against Vlad. She loved being surrounded by their heat, by their hard, manly bodies and their musky male scents. “None of the humans we take from remember anything. We can control their minds, and they are in a daze as we feed and we wipe their memories. They do not remember even meeting us.”

  “And we make sure they don’t feel any pain,” Dex said. “We don’t like frightening anyone, honey. That’s what the dark vampires do. We are not like them in any way. They like it when they scare the humans they feed from, and more often than not they kill.”

  “That’s horrible.” Callie shivered and snuggled into Vlad. She sighed when his arms came around her and soaked up his heat and aroma. “Is it painful to convert a human?”

  “It would be if you were awake, but we can send you into a deep sleep where you won’t feel anything,” Vlad answered.

  “And would you both want to…” Callie couldn’t complete her question. Her face flamed with heat, and she turned her head and hid her face against Vlad’s chest.

  “Make love to you?” Dex asked.

  “Callie, please don’t hide from us.” Vlad tugged on her hair, and after taking a deep breath and hoping her face wasn’t as red as it felt, she lifted her head and met each of their eyes for a moment before looking into the fire across the room.

  “Yes.” She licked her lips nervously.

  Dex reached over and palmed her cheek so she was once more looking into his eyes. “Are you asking us if we would want to make love to you at the same time, honey?”

  Callie couldn’t find her voice to reply, so she nodded instead.

  “We would want to do that eventually, sweet one, if that is what you wanted. But…” Dex looked over at Vlad.

  “But we don’t think you’re ready for that for your first time,” Vlad continued. “When we make love to you it would be better to be one on one, initially. That doesn’t mean that whoever isn’t making love to you wouldn’t touch and kiss you, though.”

  “You also need to be aware that when our kind make love with their mate, taking your blood is a natural occurrence, too. Feeding and loving go hand in hand with vampires and mates, honey.” Dexter caressed her chin and then dropped his hand into his lap.

  Callie followed that movement, and when she saw his jeans bulging over his hard cock she drew in a ragged breath. And although she tried to drag her eyes away from his crotch, she couldn’t. He looked so big and more heat pooled low in her belly.

  “We wouldn’t do the blood exchange with you successively, baby.”

  She cleared her throat and managed to drag her eyes up to Vlad’s. “You wouldn’t?”

  “No, baby. You would feel a little weak and dizzy if we did that to you, and we don’t want you to feel that way.”

  “But after the last exchange you’d put me to sleep, right?”

  “Yes,” Dex replied.

  “So it wouldn’t really matter if I felt weak or dizzy because I wouldn’t really know anyway,” she said more to herself than them.

  “I’m going to resign from the museum tomorrow. Do you have a computer here?”

  “Callie, are you sure that’s what you want to do?”

  “Yes. If I go back to work I’ll be putting other people in danger.”

  “Then we insist you stay here with us,” Vlad said in a firm, implacable voice. “It’s the least we can do.”

  “Okay.” Callie nodded her head.

  “We have a computer in the office, sweet one,” Dex said. “You can use it any time you want. In fact, we want you to treat this house as your own.”

  Vlad caressed a hand down her back. “So are you going to stay with us permanently?”

  Callie hesitated in answering. She didn’t know why, but the thought of leaving them and not being with them caused her heart to stutter, and also caused tremendous pain in her chest. She couldn’t really understand why she felt so connected to them when she’d known them for so little time, but she wasn’t about to walk away. The link she had with them was already so strong, and she wanted to be with them in every way.

  “I’d need my things to be brought here if I move in.”

  Dex nodded. “We can arrange that. We could have whatever you want and need here before you wake up in the morning.”

  “How?” Callie asked.

  “We have recently learnt the skill of apparition,” Vlad said. “All we need to do is go to your house, touch or hold whatever you want here, and apparate. Whatever we are touching or holding will appear with us when we materialize again.”

  “By apparate you mean…?”

  “All we have to do is think of where we want to go in our minds and we are there,” Dex explained.

  “Um…wow!” Callie licked her lips. “So if I agree to be your mate, I would be able to do all this stuff?”

  She knew she had asked that question before, but she just couldn’t seem to help wanting reiteration. Everything seemed so surreal to her, and the thought of having the powers they did, blew her mind.

  “Yes, honey,” Dex answered. “Although it would take some time for you learn all the skills we have. Just remember we have been on this earth for three hundred years and we are still learning new abilities.”

  Callie wanted them with her whole being. Her heart and soul couldn’t stand the thought of being away from them, but she knew if she invested in being their mate she would have to be in this f
orever.

  “So you live forever?” Her voice came out a little squeaky with nerves and she took a moment to clear her throat. “You can’t be killed?”

  “We can but, it takes a lot to incapacitate us, baby. Decapitation can kill us, and so will a stake through the heart. But we wouldn’t die right away. We would become very weak and end up emaciated, too weak to feed, and we would die of starvation. It would take too long to heal if we are beheaded, and we would just fade away before turning to dust,” Vlad said in a calm, emotionless voice.

  How he could speak so calmly about something so horrific, she couldn’t fathom, but she supposed after living for such a long time one could end up a little blasé about such things.

  She didn’t even want to contemplate the agonizing pain of sustaining such wounds and then starving to death in agony. Everything seemed so implausible and she didn’t even want to think about the possibility of dying that way.

  And although it was all so mind-boggling, Callie couldn’t make herself get up off of Vlad and walk away from either of them.

  She was going to do this, and even though she was in danger from the dark wizard she couldn’t live her life without these two men in it. It didn’t matter that she hardly knew them or them her. It didn’t matter that she would no longer be able to work at the museum or live in her house.

  What mattered most were the two men who had already managed to engage her heart, body, and soul.

  So there was really only one way she could answer to staying in their house and being their mate.

  “Yes,” Callie said with emphatic sincerity.

  “Yes to all of it.”

  Chapter Eight

  Desire surged into Vlad’s veins, heating his body and hardening his muscles. All he wanted to do was scoop her up into his arms, race to the bedroom, strip her naked, and make love to her until they were both screaming, but he didn’t. Callie deserved so much more from him and Dexter. He’d waited three hundred years to meet his mate, and he wasn’t about to wreck the connection he had with her by letting his beast take over.