by Becca Van
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, and then he mentally cursed when he remembered he needed to visit Zoe. He wished he could put it off until he and Dex had exchanged blood with her three times and brought her into their world but he couldn’t. Callie’s safety was more important than his need to make love with her.
“I need to head out.” Vlad loosened his hold on her and kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry, baby, I don’t want to leave you but I need to go and see Zoe, the white witch.”
“You do?” Callie frowned. “There are witches as well as wizards?”
“Yes,” Vlad answered. “If there is someone watching us, and we can find a way to reveal them to our sight, we can deal with them. I’ll try not to be too long, but Dex will keep you company. He can show you around the house, or you could watch a movie. Whatever you want, baby.”
“Okay.”
Vlad lifted her from his lap and passed her over to Dex. She reached out, and when he took her hand in his, she squeezed it.
“Stay safe.”
Vlad’s heart filled with love for her. She was already concerned for his safety, and they hadn’t even made love to her or had a first blood exchange. He couldn’t wait to strengthen the connection between them, physically as well as mentally, but that would have to wait. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips before straightening up again, and with just a thought, he apparated.
Vlad materialized outside of Zoe’s cabin, which was near Mt. Hood in a secluded area away from civilization. He lifted his hand to knock on the door, but it opened before his knuckles connected with the wood.
“I’ve been expecting you,” Zoe said as she opened the door wider and bid him to enter. “You’re here to get a counter spell.”
Vlad inclined his head and smiled at her as he entered her small, cozy home. How she always knew things before they happened amazed him even though she’d been doing it for years.
Zoe was a beautiful woman. She was tall but slim, and her hair was so white it looked almost silver. He had no idea how old she was but she never seemed to age. Her skin was a creamy white and her eyes were the most astounding violet color. She ushered him into the kitchen and waved him toward the small wooden table. He took one seat and she took the other and then she stared deeply into his eyes.
“You’ve found your mate. That’s good after being alone for so long. You and Dex will need to claim her as soon as possible. She needs to learn as many skills as she can. It’s the only way to keep her alive.”
“Can you tell me more?”
Zoe sighed. “You know it doesn’t work that way, Vladimir. I can only tell you what comes to mind. You know I don’t see what will be. My ancestors only tell me what’s necessary. There is no way to change the paths of our fate even if I could see into the future.”
“I had to ask. I have to do everything I can to protect my mate.”
“Yes.” Zoe reached out, clasped his hand in hers, and turned it over palm up and studied the lines in his hand.
“You will have an eternal life with your blood brother and your mate, but it won’t be without trial or danger. At least not in the beginning. The peril to the vampire mates won’t end for a couple of years. The Prime brothers are the key to the destruction of the alliance the evil ones have with the dark wizard.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t really know, Vlad. You will know what to do, if anything, when the time is right.”
Vlad wished she could tell him more, but he resigned himself to accept the little knowledge she had imparted. He didn’t like the thought of Callie being hurt or in danger, but if changing her and helping her learn to control her powers aided her in staying alive then he and Dex would make damn sure to teach her everything they could.
“We think Pike has conjured a spell to keep humans hidden from us. He’s somehow made them invisible or concealed them in shadow.”
Zoe nodded and released his hand. “You need a revealing spell. Give me a few minutes to give you what you need.”
She sat staring off into space for a few minutes and then conjured parchment, an inkwell, and quill from nowhere and began to write. Her script was beautifully formed like the bards of old, and nothing like the writing of humans in this era.
Vlad read every word she wrote and embedded it into his mind. Zoe glanced up at him, and when he nodded to let her know he had the spell down pat, the parchment erupted into flames, knowing she wasn’t willing for any spell she created to be stolen and used for evil.
Vlad rose to his feet, and after giving her a courtly bow he headed toward the door.
“Thank you, Zoe.”
“You’re welcome.”
Vlad waited until she closed the door behind him after he stepped over the threshold and brought the image of Callie and his home into his mind. As he apparated the words to Zoe’s spell flowed through his thoughts.
Light the hidden evil and let thee see. Conceal from shadow and obscurity. So mote it be!
He materialized in the living room and was pleased to see Dex and Callie cuddling on the sofa while watching a movie. When he looked more closely at Callie he saw that her eyes were closed and her chest rose and fell in a deep even rhythm. She was fast asleep and snuggled up with his blood brother. Dex met his gaze and the smile that crossed his face was one he’d never seen on his face before.
“Did you get what we need?” Dex asked as he looked down at Callie and stroked his fingers through her hair.
“Yes.” Vlad sat down on the sofa at Callie’s feet, gently lifted her legs, and shifted until her hips were resting across his thighs. He smiled when she sighed in her sleep and snuggled her head against Dex’s stomach.
“You know he’s going to try and come after her don’t you?” Dex asked, and when he met Vlad’s eyes, Vlad saw his own feelings mirrored back at him.
Anger, no anger was too weak a word. More like fury, but there was also fear. Fear that someone would get to their mate before they could stop them. Fear that she would be hurt and terror that she would be killed before they had a chance to build a life with her. If he had his way she wouldn’t leave their house until she was no longer in danger, but he didn’t think she would obey him or Dexter if they put their foot down and told her not to leave.
Hopefully, now that they had told her she was in danger she would decide for herself to remain in their home where they could protect her better, and even though Vlad wanted to use his voice to compel her to adhere to their orders, he wasn’t going to do that. He wouldn’t take Callie’s free choices away from her. That’s not what being a mate was all about. It wasn’t about making demands and being dominant. Although he and Dexter could do and be both of those things, he wanted a full partnership with his woman. One where they discussed every issue and made decisions together, not one where he and Dex were running roughshod all over her.
“Yes.” Vlad finally remembered to answer his blood brother.
“We have only one choice if Callie is agreeable,” Dex said with a sigh as he continued running his fingers through her long brunette tresses.
“We don’t know how changing her so quickly will affect her body.” Vlad scrubbed a hand over his face and cursed under his breath as his cock twitched, throbbed, and filled with blood. Just the thought of tasting her life’s essence was enough to make him hard, let alone imagining what it would be like with his dick buried deep inside her body. He didn’t like feeling such lust when their woman was in danger, but he couldn’t seem to control his body when he was close to her. No, that wasn’t true either. Just thinking about her even when she wasn’t present was enough to give him a massive hard-on. He didn’t know how much longer he could go without tasting her blood or her body. His inner beast was pushing at him constantly, and the hunger burning inside him was so phenomenal it was almost consuming him. And he knew that feeding from anyone else other than his mate wouldn’t appease the famishment burning inside him.
“No.” Dex sighed as he leaned d
own and kissed Callie on the forehead. “But can we risk not changing her? The blood hunger is clawing at my insides, and I don’t know how much longer I can wait. However, we can’t just make one exchange with her because she’s going to be more vulnerable. She won’t have the ability to defend herself if he or one of his cronies come after her.”
“Yeah, I get that, but what is it going to do to her body if we each make three blood exchanges with her within a short period of time? God, for all I know her body could go into shock and we could kill her.”
Callie stirred and then her eyelids fluttered open. She pushed up to a sitting position and slid from his lap to sit on the cushion between him and Dex. “You have to do it.”
“Do what?” Dex asked as he glanced at Vlad over the top of her head, and even though they both knew exactly what she meant, Vlad needed to hear her say the words. He wasn’t about to touch her again without her full consent.
“You know damn well what I’m talking about.” Callie rose to her feet, took a couple of steps away from them, and turned to face them.
“Baby, we don’t know…” Vlad stopped mid-sentence when Callie held up her hand.
“You have to change me. Tonight.”
“How long have you been awake, sweet one?” Dex asked.
“I felt Vlad come back. It was like the air in the room shimmered and displaced for a moment or two. I wasn’t deliberately trying to listen in on your conversation, but I was sort of drifting. You know, that place between being awake and asleep, where you know what’s going on around you and can hear everything?”
Vlad nodded because he understood totally. Even though when their kind went to sleep and their heart and lungs shut down, he was totally aware of his surroundings at all times and even more so if someone disturbed the protection spells around the perimeter of the land and house. “Are you certain this is what you want, Callie? We don’t know what the repercussions would be to your mind or body.”
Callie inhaled deeply and then released the breath from her lungs slowly. She walked back over to the sofa and took hold of one each of their hands and squeezed as if she was trying to offer them comfort and reassurance. Vlad’s heart stuttered in his chest, and butterflies took flight in his stomach. She utterly mesmerized him with her compassion and emotion. He’d never reacted that way to anything or anyone in his life, and his heart filled with joy. Although he and Dex hadn’t had even one blood exchange with her as yet, he felt complete in a way he never thought he would. She filled an emptiness inside him he hadn’t even been aware was present. Love for her filled him up, and he was surprised to feel moisture pricking the back of his eyes. He was just over three hundred years old and he’d never felt so much in his life. It would destroy him if anything happened to her, and as he met Dex’s eyes he vowed to give up his own life before anyone could ever lay a finger on her. He wasn’t surprised to see the same emotion or resolve in his blood brother’s eyes and they both nodded their heads to each other in acknowledgment of protecting their mate with their very lives.
“Yes.” Sincerity and certainty rang in her voice, and Vlad felt so humbled in that moment. The fact that she was willing to give up everything for them was as astonishing as it was exalting. She hadn’t hesitated in the least, and as he brushed his mind to hers and felt implacable resolve to go ahead and join with them, the love flowing through his veins was almost overwhelming.
Vlad kissed the back of her hand and rose to his feet. Dex stood up, too, and they helped her up from the sofa. Her breath hitched in her throat and her hands trembled slightly. He could feel nervousness rolling off her in waves, but when he started guiding her toward the door she stopped.
“Can I have a little while to clean up?” she whispered her question and glanced at him from beneath her lowered lashes before looking back down at the floor.
Vlad lifted his free arm and nudged her chin up with the tip of his finger and waited to speak before her gaze met his. “You don’t have to do this if you’re having second thoughts, baby.”
“I’m not. I’m just a little nervous. I’ve never done this before.” He felt another tremor run through her body as he lifted her hand to his mouth and kiss the back of it.
“Let us show you to your room, sweet one. There is an adjoining bathroom you can use, and we had it stocked with everything you could need or want when we knew you were coming back home with us.” Dex lifted her hand to his mouth, too, but instead of kissing the back of it, he licked her skin. A shudder ripped through her body, and Vlad heard her heart rate accelerate, as did her breathing.
“We’ll be very gentle with you, Callie. You have nothing to fear from us, baby.”
“As I said, I’m not really afraid. Just nervous about the unknown.”
“Come on, honey.” Dex tugged on her hand and led her out into the large hallway and toward the stairs.
It was really hard to keep control of his hunger when he was so excited and needy, but Vlad made sure none of his inner lust showed. He didn’t want to frighten Callie with the intense emotions and desire running through his veins, but he felt like his control was tenuous at best. He’d never felt such a craving in all his three hundred years of existence. The yearning was so deep he just hoped he didn’t hurt her or cause her to be scared when push came to shove.
Dex paused at the door to the room they had had ready for their mate for eons and pushed it open. With a wave of his hand, Dex cleaned the room of every speck of dust, and fresh flowers appeared in vases on the dresser and bedside tables. With a thought, scented candles materialized from thin air and the lit flames flickered around the room. Vlad had been watching Callie as his blood brother opened the room that was already hers, prepared it for her with a flick of his wrist and a thought, and was pleased when her eyes lit up and a gasp escaped her mouth.
“Oh. My. God,” she whispered almost reverently. “This room is stunning.”
As he watched her he saw it through her eyes, and pride made him breathe in deeply. He and Dex hadn’t spent any time in here since it had been completed.
Vlad glanced at the monstrous four-poster canopied bed with the purple velvet fabric draping from it. That bed was large enough for at least four people, and since he and Dex were about to make love to their mate, he was glad they had found it years before and taken the time to strip it back to bare wood before re-staining it in a dark color. He had even ordered the purple velvet especially for the bed as well as the thousand thread Egyptian cotton sheets and quilt cover.
“I love purple.” Callie glanced at each of them before releasing their hands and walking further into the room. He and Dex watched her as she moved about, her hand caressing each piece of furniture with awe before moving onto the next one. She walked over to the bed, the tips of her fingers touching the purple velvet draping canopy before moving to the quilt.
“It reminds me of what would have graced castles back in eras long gone.” She smiled at them over her shoulder, and Vlad’s heart flipped again. She was so damn beautiful and sexy, but he knew she had no idea how she looked to others. There wasn’t a vain bone in her body.
Dex shoved off the wall and walked over to the other side of the room. He opened the door to the bathroom and stepped back when Callie wandered over. Once again she inhaled sharply as she looked into the room. Vlad walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. He glanced at the large claw-foot bathtub and then the pristine blue tiles around the wall. The tap fixtures were pure gold and gleamed in the overhead light.
“This room is big enough to hold a party in.”
“That’s the idea, honey.” Dex smiled and waggled his eyebrows at Callie.
She slapped him on the chest and giggled as she moved forward. The glass-enclosed shower was massive with multiple showerheads from above and at strategic places on the tile wall.
“You can have a bath or shower, whatever you want, baby. Everything you need is in the cupboards below the sinks, and the lavatory is behind that door.”
/> “Okay.” Callie nodded her head. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, baby. Take your time.” Vlad reached out and clasped her hand before tugging her into his body. He hugged her for a moment and kissed the top of her head before releasing her and walking out.
“We’ll be waiting, sweet one,” Dex said and gave her a smacking kiss that made Vlad smile before he, too, exited the bathroom, closing the door behind him. “She’s very trepidatious.”
Vlad nodded. “You would be, too, if you were in her shoes. We’ll just have to make damn sure she’s with us every step of the way.”
Dex nodded his agreement.
Chapter Nine
Callie had never seen such decadence in her life, and if she wasn’t so nervous about what was about to happen she would have lingered to appreciate it. Her insides felt like it had thousands of butterflies flitting around, and no matter how hard she tried to quell the trepidation, she couldn’t. Even trying to take measured, even breaths didn’t help. She hurried across to the door, and after she used the facilities, she removed her clothes and grabbed a big, luxurious towel from the cupboard as well as shampoo, bodywash, and a loofah before moving to the shower.
She hadn’t been kidding when she’d said the whole bathroom was big enough to have a party in. It was massive, and even though it was beautiful it wasn’t ostentatious or overdone. Everything in here had been thought out and the contrast of colors fit wonderfully. She turned on the water and, after checking the temperature, stepped in and closed the door behind her. It was an experience she’d never thought to have, with the large showerhead and the other outlets on the tile wall. Everywhere she turned she was being massaged by deliciously hot water.
Callie was glad she had taken the time to shave her legs that morning as she hadn’t seen a razor under the sink. She didn’t know if she would need it once she was converted. She had so many questions, but for some reason she felt as if time was ticking by way too quickly. She’d never been so edgy in her life, and it wasn’t because of what she was about to do. She felt like she had a target pinned to her forehead and if she didn’t go through with the change that she would end up dead. At least she would have a better chance of defending herself if she had the skills and power that Vlad and Dexter did.