He needed to hear that in the worst way.
“You’re the love of my life,” he said, all the while teasing her nipple between his lips. When Jolie arched against him, giving him more access to his delicious mate, he was in heaven. At that moment, he was struggling not to claw right through her. His want was overwhelming him.
“Please make love to me, Jacques,” she begged breathlessly.
“Jolie, I wanted to be gentle and sooth you, but I don’t think I can--especially after not touching you for so long. You undo me,” he whispered hoarsely against her breast as he continued to tease it with the tip of his tongue.
“I just need you, Jacques. I don’t care how rough or gentle you are. Just touch and heal me. Please,” she begged again.
Jolie buried her fingers in his hair as she moaned in pleasure at his touch.
She just wanted more.
She wanted all of him.
If his mate needed his touch, so be it. With eager hands, he began exploring her pale body. Fingers stroked, lips tasted, and he was hungry for more.
“Please,” she whispered. “Make me feel.”
Pulling her to his body, they tumbled onto the couch. Jolie was above him, pinning his throbbing erection between their bodies.
This just might kill him.
He moved his mouth from nipple to nipple, pulling and sucking until she was crying out for him to finish it.
Jacques worked his way to her throat, licking across her collarbone, as he enjoyed her response to his teasing. When her hand glided down and began stroking him, he nearly lost his mind. The woman he loved was battling back.
She was fighting for that little piece of normalcy, so he did what he could--he let her have control.
“Mistress,” he moaned, enjoying the way her hand undid him. At the use of her title, it allowed her to forget her past, and focus on the here and now.
Jolie needed her mate. She lapped across his throat, licking the spot below his ear that drove him wild. When he was lost in the pleasure, she struck. The bite was hard, and hot blood flooded into her mouth.
It was heaven.
She didn't realize how hungry she was.
Jacques’s body shook.
“You’re killing me,” he hissed between clenched teeth, as heat flushed through him.
Jolie finished with his throat and headed to his mouth to let him taste his blood on her tongue. She kissed him like there was no tomorrow because without her mates, there wasn’t.
He couldn’t help himself. Tasting her became his priority. His fangs burst into his mouth, sinking into her lips.
The mingling of blood drove him to the edge.
She wasn’t done.
Jacques moaned as her claws ran down the length of his body, scoring his flesh. There was that brief moment, where he felt himself slide from control as the predator came awake in his body.
He wanted his mate.
Needed her.
Had to have Jolie.
Lifting her, he couldn’t wait. There was nothing more magical than watching her above him. With a thrust up, Jacques impaled her body with his erection.
They both moaned.
“Oh, my love,” she whispered, dropping her head back. This was just what she needed.
HIM.
Fangs peeked from behind his lips as lust and his mate rode him. Jacques didn’t know how long he’d be able to hold out, so he allowed himself to enjoy the experience of her setting the pace.
She moved slowly at first, steadily building speed.
Jolie was already feeling better. The man beneath her filled a hole in her life.
He healed her.
His hands went to her hips, pulling her down harder and harder. When a scream broke from her lips, he forced Jolie’s mouth to his.
Together, they swallowed her shout of pleasure.
As the orgasm rolled through her, Jolie was far from done. “More, Jacques. I need more.”
He pushed her back, remaining buried in her body. Now, he would take what he needed from the love of his life.
As his erection pounded into her, Jacques couldn’t help but be fixated by the pale column of her throat.
“Feed,” she offered, wanting his mouth on her body.
He wouldn’t say no.
Yanking her hair to the side, baring even more of her neck, Jacques simultaneously slammed into her with his fangs and engorged erection.
Blood gushed.
Jolie came.
They tumbled together.
It was hard to stay upright as he drank from her body. Instead, he wanted to drift into the amazing sensation.
Her hands stroked his back, reminding him that she was there. Slowly, he pulled his fangs from her throat before lapping away the stray crimson bead.
Jolie sighed. “Well, that took my mind off everything,” she whispered into his ear.
He laughed. “I do try,” he admitted, as he left little kisses across her flesh. “I suppose that I’ll be carrying you to our bed too.”
“You better believe it,” she said, releasing him so he could stand.
“You better put your robe on, or Margharite will disapprove,” he said grinning.
“She’ll know the truth. You’re an animal.”
He snorted. “Well then, come here,” he said, pulling her toward him to toss Jolie over his shoulder. “Shall we go?”
“Jacques,” she hissed. “Put me down!”
He wasn’t having it. This was Jolie’s punishment, of sorts, for not coming to them when she was upset. Maybe it was silly, but it made him feel better.
Outside the family room, Margharite stood there shaking her head. “Shameful,” she muttered.
Jacques merely laughed.
“Great,” muttered Jolie, as she watched the woman until they disappeared around the corner. Here, she was over eight hundred years old and inherited a human mother who liked to hand out disapproving looks.
Inside their quarters, they found Flynn asleep. His soft, even breathing was cathartic, but the look of stress was etched into his face.
Jolie knew it was her fault.
When Jacques put her down, she crawled across the bed. “I hurt you, Flynn, and I’m so sorry.”
He muttered something in sleep.
“I wish I could make you smile again.”
“He will, mon amour,” Jacques promised as Jolie cuddled down into the bedding beside him.
Instinctively, Flynn moved, pulling her into his body.
Jolie sighed. This was more peace that she craved. She sniffed his cologne before giving him a kiss across the pulse in his throat.
“I love you,” she whispered. Then, she glanced back at Jacques. “I love you too. Thank you for being mine.”
He smiled. “It’s my pleasure.”
Jolie called to the darkness, letting it pull her under. She was grateful for the silence.
Climbing into bed beside them, Jacques listened to her breathe out her final breath. Only when he knew she was safe in death’s hands did he follow.
As he was slipping into the dark, he felt the touch of the detective’s hand. It offered him peace knowing their woman was nestled safely between them.
With that, he released life and died once more.
CHAPTER twenty-one
Saturday Mid-Morning
He could tell his shift was beginning. As sleep left him, Flynn allowed himself a few minutes to enjoy the feeling of being in bed with his family. Jolie was pressed to his chest, and it was probably a good thing she was dead because he doubted she could breathe in that position.
Jacques was nearby, his body spooning their woman in an effort to cocoon her between them.
It never ceased to amaze him that less than a year ago, he was waking in his own bed alone. After finding them, he’d never go back.
Being their mate was the best thing that ever happened to him. Moving Jolie off his body, he stared down at her. She looked to be at peace, and that offered him a little calm.
He hated seeing her upset.
She was his life, and to know her heart ached bothered him. Flynn would do anything to make her happy.
Love had shown him that the people who owned his heart would always come first.
“I love you, baby. I’m sorry about your brother. I wish I could protect you forever.”
Gently, he left kisses across her face. As he approached her throat, his fangs broke free. It took everything to not drive them into her body.
“I can’t feed now. I can’t feed now.” He kept repeating it over and over again.
It was so damn hard.
“I have to get out of bed,” he muttered, sliding away. Even as he crossed the room, the need was still there. “Damn it!”
Flynn prayed for control.
When he opened his eyes, the need was still there.
Well shit!
He was pretty sure he wasn’t going to make it. He desperately needed a distraction.
Anything…
When Chloe arrived to bring Flynn coffee and the paper, he was sitting in their breakfast nook reading a book. He glanced up as the door opened, and when he saw her, he tensed.
He hoped that she was going to behave. Jolie and Jacques were across the room and still with death. If Chloe went all Vanth on him, he was screwed. Deep down, he was still very wary of the demoness. If it were up to him, she’d be back in the states.
“Hello, Flynn,” she said putting down his coffee and croissants.
“Hey, Chloe,” he said easily, trying to sound like he wasn’t scared to death.
God!
He hoped he pulled it off.
Chloe could feel his fear and distrust. “Can we talk?” she asked, pulling the sterling dome off the fresh croissants and currant jam. The damage she’d done to their easy friendship upset her.
“Sure, what’s up?” he asked, watching her carefully as she handed him his coffee. The smell made his stomach roll, and not in a good way.
Chloe sat in the chair closest to him before folding her hands in her lap. “I know you’re trying to pretend we’re okay, but why are you still afraid of me?”
“Well nothing like cutting directly to the chase.”
“Pardon?”
How did you explain to an eleven thousand year old demon that she simply scared the shit out of you? “You feel like death, Chloe. It used to be only once in a while, but now it’s all the time. Frankly, it makes me nervous about what will happen if Vanth comes out, and Chloe leaves for good.”
“I see,” she said, picking up a croissant and buttering it nonchalantly.
Brogan flinched as her eyes began the telltale swirling like Vanth’s.
Shit!
He said her name. When would he learn?
“Will you turn her against me?” Vanth asked softly, taking a bite of the croissant.
“What?” He was genuinely confused.
“Jolie loves you, and she once loved me too. Now I know that she’ll toss me away for the family. She said it herself.”
Flynn braced as a darkness fill the room.
He could run or stand his ground.
The choice was made.
“You see? This is why Jolie was pissed. When you threaten the ones closest to her, she will turn against you. It feels like you want to intimidate me, and that is just going to piss me, and Jolie, off.”
“I’m not trying to intimidate you, Flynn. This is who I am. I don’t know how to be anything else but this.”
He sighed.
“Do you want to be free, or do you want to stay with us forever, Vanth?”
The demoness blinked, and the vortexes were gone.
He was relieved. It appeared that Chloe was back. “I want both, but I know I can’t have that, Flynn. At some point, it’s going to come down to my old mistress living or dying.”
He breathed out, taking her hand in his which was the ultimate act of trust. “We want you to be with us, Chloe, but what can we do? Tell me how to save you, and we’ll try. I’ll do anything to save you.”
“You mean it, don’t you?”
“Hell yes, I mean it! She loves you and losing you will damage Jolie exactly like it hurt to lose Louisa.”
Chloe closed her eyes. “I don’t know if I can be saved.”
“How did…?” He almost said Belladonna’s name before catching himself. “How did your old mistress get Death’s favor?”
“She sacrificed something she loved as an offering.”
Flynn knew he didn’t want to know the next answer, but he knew he had to ask. “What did she sacrifice?”
“She opted to sacrifice her own child.”
“Well, holy hell, that’s a really big testament of that vampyre’s morals.”
“Exactly. That should tell you what she would do to get me back. My old mistress will stop at nothing.”
If it came down to it, Flynn knew who Jolie would offer up to save someone she loved--herself.
“We need to figure this out, but you need to control…”
She interrupted him. “Don’t say her name, and she won’t surface. She can come out when she wants, but it takes a lot of her energy.”
“Okay. I want you to stay, Chloe, and I’ll try and figure out a way to make it happen.”
“I’m sorry she scares you, Flynn. I really am,” she said, standing as she prepared to leave. “Will you let me feed you Flynn?”
“No thank you.”
She stared at him. “I won’t hurt you.”
Flynn laughed. When he did, his fangs slid into his mouth. “It’s not you, Chloe. I just prefer blood in the morning.”
The woman laughed. “Oh, I see. Well, in that case, I’ll leave you alone.”
When she turned, Flynn finally relaxed. The tension eased even more when she was gone from the room. Staring down at his breakfast, he pushed the coffee away.
He couldn’t drink it.
It made him sick thinking about it.
“Jolie, I really need you to wake up,” he stated, as he began pacing. “I’m really hungry.”
He glanced at the clock and prayed he could make it.
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
Saturday Afternoon
Flynn sat at the table in their quarters, flipping through the files of the murdered victims. If he didn't find something to do, he was going to make himself insane. Each time he glanced over at Jolie, he was compelled to climb into bed and bury his fangs in her throat.
Apparently, he’d gone too long between feedings. While he knew he could find a donor, it didn't sit well with him.
He wanted Jolie’s blood.
Or Jacques’s.
He couldn’t stomach anyone else’s.
Focusing on the files, he kept scanning them. In the few hours that he’d been at it, one thing was clear--nothing added up.
There was no trace evidence or DNA at all. In fact, there was no information in the files that any was ever found at the scenes.
That was odd.
Sitting back, Flynn scratched his chin as he started turning the facts over in his head. It had to be an inside job.
There was no other way.
If a human perpetrated the crimes, there would be some evidence. A shoe print, a hair, or even a fiber, but nothing was there. Which led him to believe two things--it was either a vampyre killing the families, or the evidence was taken and never submitted to the lab after it was gathered at the scene.
Flynn could smell a dirty cop.
It was blatantly obvious that Detective Montclair was playing a dangerous game. If the police here were anything like the ones back in the states, he’d eventually get caught.
He sat there flipping through the files and realized something else that was also very important--he missed his job.
Flynn really missed using his mind as he tried to find killers. It was tough being a kept man and not a cop.
He was good at his job.
Damn it!
How was he going to
tell them this? They relied on him as part of their unit, but he didn’t think he could go on for centuries just traveling the world and spending money.
In his life, he needed a purpose, and being a cop was one of the few things that he was exceptional at doing. He had forever to be a man of leisure.
Right?
His heart ached.
Flynn hoped they wouldn’t be disappointed in him if he came clean. Then again, maybe he should keep his mouth shut.
Well shit!
His day was going downhill, and fast.
It looked like he was going to have to have an open and honest conversation with the people he loved.
And soon…
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
At Jolie’s first breath, she reached for her mates.
Something was wrong.
She could feel it. Flynn was worried.
Then again, why was she surprised? After all, Jolie had pushed him away last night, and that could be why her detective was hurting.
Sitting up, Jolie stared over at him. “Flynn?”
He didn't speak. He couldn’t.
Every time he saw her, his heart was ripped from his chest. She took his breath away, and he was lost to anyone but her.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I really need to feed. I feel a little off balance--that’s all.”
She patted the bed beside her. “Join me, my love,” she offered. It was time to make amends.
There was one thing that was a fact. He couldn’t resist her before, and now that they shared blood, it was worse.
Crossing to her, Jolie held out her hand. When his fingers touched hers, there was that little spark between them. It didn't surprise Jolie.
Here was her mate.
“I need to say that I’m sorry,” she offered, as he crawled back into their bed.
“For?” he asked.
“Last night. I know going to Mathew hurt you. I’m sorry. I also didn't mean to make you feel unwanted, Flynn. I was battling some demons of my own. I hope you understand.”
He did. “I love you, Jolie. I’d fight them by your side, if you’d let me.”
She kissed him. When their lips slid across each other, and tongues joined the battle, feeding was out of the question. They were moving beyond it and right to sex.
Dangerous Misery (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 3) Page 35