by Ginna Moran
He shrugs. “You don’t want to go to The Orchards. Trust me. The Blood Rebels will use you. You were not far off on your assessment of how they’d treat you. You might feel like a queen among them, but they will take everything from you. Your father and mother left The Orchards to keep you from them. They’d have taken you away and raised you as a weapon and not the beautiful, exquisite woman you are. One I hope to win over soon enough.”
His words send goosebumps over my skin. “Laredo, please. We’ve been over this. My brothers—it would never work. We are not compatible.”
“We’re more compatible than you think.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He flashes his fangs and bites his arm, distracting me. I automatically take his offering and mold my lips over his arm and begin to suck.
Capturing me with his gaze, he says, “You will forget everything I’ve said. You will believe The Orchards are now for vampires.”
I blink a few times, a strange feeling washing over me.
“I will die before the Blood Rebels get you.”
Chapter 11
Stress Relief
SOFT LIPS BRUSH MY SHOULDER, drawing me from sleep. Bronx rests his raging morning wood between my legs, testing the boundary of my underwear. I squeeze my thighs together and trap him in place.
Opening my eyes, I stare at Mikkalo’s sleeping face. His fingers curl through mine as we face each other. I can’t see Jameson or Everett, but I can hear their soft breathing. I doubt it’s been more than a few hours. A small line of sunshine peeks into the room from the tinted glass window, letting me know it’s still day time.
Bronx slides his fingers over my hip and to the waist of my panties. I suck in a tiny breath as he tests to see if I’ll let him continue exploring my body. I do. Easing my leg up a bit, I give him better access to my body. He rubs between my legs, arousing me.
“You’re so tense,” he whispers, keeping his voice so soft that only I can hear him.
I bite my lip to keep from moaning.
“Can I help you relax?”
“Your brothers are sleeping right next to us,” I whisper.
“Exactly. Sleeping.”
I wiggle my ass, pressing it into his hips. “Okay, but bite your arm for me.”
Easing my head up, I let Bronx slide his arm under my neck. I glide my tongue over his blood, just tasting his sweetness.
He wastes no time and tugs my panties down. I latch onto his arm as he enters me, muffling any noise I make. A dozen sensations explode through me, Bronx’s blood setting off my lust like crazy. His breath tickles my neck, and he kisses me a dozen times as he slowly rocks into me, savoring the feeling of my body.
Locking his hand to my hip, Bronx holds me in place, assuring I don’t bump into Mikkalo. I gasp as the pressure builds. He grazes his teeth to my shoulder, his hunger mirroring his desire. I release his arm and kiss his sweet skin. My breathing quickens with his short thrusts, my mouth wanting nothing more than to scream out my enjoyment. I close my eyes, tightening my fingers around the sheets.
Cool lips brush against mine, and I release what sounds like a quiet whimper. I suck in Mikkalo’s bottom lip into my mouth, kissing him more fervently. His lips break from mine, and he kisses my jaw, shifting lower to kiss my cleavage. He eases my bodice down and flicks his tongue over my nipples, and I cling to his head.
“Let me feed you,” I whisper. “Both of you.”
The subtle click of Bronx’s fangs extending sounds in my ear. I twine one of my hands through his, squeezing his fingers as he bites me. Mikkalo silences my moan with another kiss. He trails his hand lower, running his fingers down my stomach to rub my clit.
I release another breathless moan, Bronx’s thrusts and Mikkalo’s stimulation bringing me to the brink of release. Mikkalo waits for my muscles to tense before he bites the top of my breast, letting my blood drip just enough to lick it off my nipple.
I moan so damn loud that both Jameson and Everett startle awake. Jameson sits up, meeting my gaze with a cocked eyebrow. He doesn’t say anything, watching my face as his brothers pleasure me.
“Damn,” Everett whispers, shifting toward the end of the bed.
“Right?” Jameson risks leaning over Mikkalo to kiss me. “Talk about a wakeup call.”
I giggle against his lips. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you guys.”
Mikkalo eases his lips from my breast. “I’m glad you did.”
Bronx moans, breaking away from my shoulder as he cums. He eases out of me and cuddles me close while he catches his breath. No one comments or anything, thankfully. I’m sure they’re all thinking that they’d have done the same.
Everett massages his fingers into my calf. I wiggle my fingers at him, getting him to come closer. Mikkalo shifts a bit to let him pile in with us. Everett doesn’t stay on top of me long, hooking his arm under me to flip positions. I laugh and land on top of him. He tugs me forward by my ass and kisses my thigh.
“If you can wait a few minutes, I can get in the shower and feed you and Jameson next,” I tease, squeezing his head between my knees.
“I’m on it,” Jameson says, disappearing into the bathroom. “And Bronxy, you’re in charge of Gwen’s human breakfast. Something hot like her. Savory, not sweet. Cheesy. No bananas.”
Bronx reaches out and strokes his fingers along my cheek. “I’ll see what I can do.” He shifts up and kisses me before whispering, “I love you, dandelion. You’re my favorite kind of stress relief.”
I shake my head with another laugh. “You better hurry. I’m starving.”
“Mikkalo, go with him and help,” Jameson calls, standing in the doorway, steam from the hot shower wafting in the room. “I don’t trust the staff, especially after dinner last night.”
Everett sits up with me, carrying me to the shower. I had nearly forgotten about the fiasco of dinner and the hair Jameson found in my pasta, thankfully before it touched my mouth. My guys found three more Blood Rebels who were excellent at pretending to be mind manipulated. And now, we’re supposedly going to find out the traitor vampire who has been giving them blood today.
Everett sets me on my feet in the small glass shower where Jameson waits, covered in soap. I laugh as Jameson hugs me, sliding his chest against mine. Everett slips in behind me and grabs the shower sprayer to soak my hair. I laugh again as he sprays the rest of me, enjoying my reaction at the sudden change of the water stream that he sneaks between my legs.
“Your reaction to that is enough that I’m going to get a couple of fun things for us to play with during my time,” Everett whispers.
I shiver, goosebumps prickling across my skin.
“You cold, Gwen?” Jameson asks, not hearing Everett. “I can’t go much hotter before I burn our cocks off.”
I snort and shake my head. “I’m fine.”
He bites his arm. “Maybe a little blood will warm you up.”
Both Everett and Jameson behave while feeding me and taking pleasure in washing every inch of me. I love how normal it feels just to be together like this. I think everything we’ve been through brought us closer than I thought possible. It was one thing for me to think about splitting my time between four vampires—I never really imagined how I would feel to share the time either.
“Before you feed us, I want to know how you’re feeling,” Everett says, combing my hair to push it onto my shoulder to cover both Bronx and Mikkalo’s bites.
“I think I’m okay,” I say. “Everything is pretty much healed.”
He rests his head on my shoulder. “What about your stomach? You didn’t eat much at dinner.”
“Can you blame her?” Jameson asks.
“He’s right. The whole thing grossed me out. Not to mention, I’m a bit nervous that someone will try to poison me.” I didn’t want to admit it, but if the Blood Rebels were determined enough, they could totally try.
Everett groans. “Luckily, your immunity is similar to a vampire’s.”
> “Except I have been getting sick.”
“Most likely unrelated to your health,” Everett responds.
I nod. “You’re probably right. Everything about everything freaks and stresses me out.”
Jameson links his fingers through mine. “We’ll be home soon enough.”
“I can’t wait.” I kiss him sweetly. “Now, you two let me feed you. It makes me feel even better.”
Jameson hums. “Sure, that’s it. I’m nearly certain you heard Bronx and Mikkalo return.”
I smile against his mouth. “Don’t be jealous. I react the same way when you bring me food too.”
Everett presses his naked body to my back. “She’s right. You know how much our girl loves to eat.”
Jameson’s fangs extend. “And so do I.”
I hum and tip my head a bit to show him I’m ready whenever. Jameson sandwiches me to Everett to kiss me deeper. I can’t stop thinking about both their erections touching me and what our naked bodies feel like together like this.
Everett holds me in place by the hips, and I hug Jameson, digging my fingers into his back. The two of them bite me—Jameson on the top of my breast and Everett on my shoulder, mirroring their brothers’ marks on me. I moan, shifting on my feet, enjoying their lips and hands on my wet skin. This is the best start of my day that I’ve had. I mean, I love waking up to each of my guys and their affection, but there’s just something about our slumber parties that makes me all sorts of happy and excited.
“You love this, don’t you?” Jameson murmurs, bringing his lips back to mine when he’s through drinking.
“How could I not?” I say, smiling through another of his kisses.
Everett pulls away from my skin, and I twirl to meet his lips next. He hugs me close, and I’m nearly certain he’s going to suggest we take things further, but a tap sounds on the door. I sigh and ease away so that I can face the both of them. I hook my arm around each of their shoulders and rest my chin on the crook they make with their shoulders pressed together.
“Come in,” Jameson calls out.
Mikkalo cracks the door open and smiles at me as I stare at him from over Everett and Jameson’s bodies. I wiggle my fingers in a wave and watch him grab a towel off the hook to bring to me.
“If you’re not ready to get out, I’ll gladly join you,” he says, grinning.
Jameson turns off the water. “You can take my place. I hear our girl’s stomach and it sounds beastly. You know she always goes after me first, and I’ll never make it out of here in time to meet the guests if she does.”
I giggle and reach down to lace my fingers around his cock. “Maybe that’s what I want.”
Everett squeezes my ass. “Don’t worry, Gwen. I got you. I’m not needed for that bullshit.”
Reaching down, I stroke his boner too. “You guys are bad.”
Mikkalo opens the shower door and holds a towel out for me. “You love it.”
I smile. “I do as much as I love all of you.”
Scooping me up, Mikkalo carries me to the bedroom, leaving Everett and Jameson to dry off. My breakfast sits on a bed tray on the nightstand. The delicious scent of bacon, eggs, and spiced potatoes wafts through the air. My stomach burns with ferocity, and I clutch my belly and jerk in Mikkalo’s arms, nearly making me drop him.
“That smells so good,” I say as Mikkalo sets me on the bed. I wrap my towel tighter around me. “I can’t believe you made this.”
Mikkalo twists his lips to the side and leans in to whisper, “I hope it’s okay that I supervised the chef from start to finish. I might even have had a few different taste testers.”
I raise my eyebrows. “That’s thorough.”
“Not risking Jameson trying to murder me.”
Stabbing my fork into a piece of cut up potato, I bring it to my nose to sniff it. Not like I would be able to tell if something were wrong with it. All I can smell are the potent spices that make my stomach rumble like crazy. Mikkalo encourages me to take the bite, and I savor the explosion of flavor on my tongue.
“This is incredible,” I murmur, covering my mouth while I chew.
“Good. Now eat quickly. Bronx is waiting for us.” Mikkalo disappears and heads to the wardrobe. He pulls out a white dress and meets my grimace with a frown. “He also asked that you wear this.”
Fucking hell. Not another damn bridal gown. “Ugh, why?”
“You’re still Zaire’s Blood Match and must be dressed like one even in his absence.” Mikkalo drapes the dress in front of him, swaying the fabric. “And just think...I can rip it off later.”
“Or I can.” Everett winks at me, strolling from the bathroom with a towel slung low on his hips. He glides his tongue over his top lip, looking sexy as hell with his wet hair and sparkling blue eyes drinking me in. “Might I remind you that you’d be wearing a dress anyway, or did you forget our bet?”
I fake-glare at him.
“What kind of bet was this?” Jameson drops his towel just for me and turns around to grab a pair of boxers from a chest of drawers. Looks like Mikkalo also brought them suits to wear. The last thing I want to experience is a formal occasion with vampires outside of my guys, but I highly doubt they’ll leave me alone to hang out in the room.
“Nothing,” Everett and I say in unison and smile at each other.
“Gigi, you are lucky I have to greet the city leaders,” he mutters, quickly getting dressed. And damn it does he look hot. I don’t want him to go. He turns to his brothers. “I trust you to remember to make her lunch if I can’t break away. Remember, no one but you handles the food. Got it?”
“Not even Gwen?” Mikkalo teases. He snatches my fork away from me and offers me another bite, noticing that I’m not shoveling food like I usually do. “Perfect. I love taking care of our girl.”
I snap my teeth down on the fork and yank it away with my mouth. I set it back on the plate. “You’ve done enough. I think I can handle it from here.”
Mikkalo kisses me. “You have until I get out of the shower.”
I flop back on the bed and stare at the ceiling. Everett sits next to me in the towel, linking his fingers through mine. He gazes down at me with a worried expression, but he doesn’t speak his mind. He doesn’t have to ask to know that I’ll take my sweet time so that I don’t have to leave the room.
“Gwen, I know this fucking sucks—”
“Go ahead and get ready, brother. I’ll make sure she finishes,” Everett says to Jameson.
Jameson closes the space to me and squeezes my knee. “Behave. Call me if you need me.”
The three of us watch him go. I take a few more bites of my breakfast and set it aside. Nerves tighten my stomach. Everett notices how little I’ve eaten and offers me another bite. I force myself to eat a bit more but shake my head when he offers me a piece of the bacon.
“Is it not how you like it cooked?” Everett asks. “I know how much you like bacon.”
I scrunch my nose. “I’m just—it doesn’t sound good. I might have drunk too much blood. If I eat anything else, I won’t be leaving this bed due to a food coma.”
Sliding off the bed, I drop my towel to the floor to purposely distract him from going in full-on health keeper mode. He hums under his breath and stands behind me, hooking his fingers to my hips. He kisses his bite mark, anything he was thinking now pushed to the back of his mind.
“Do you know how much I want to bend you over?” he asks, moving his hand to my stomach and pushing me a bit forward.
“How much?” I stand on my tiptoes to let him slide between my legs.
“All right, Gwen. No seducing Everett. We only have a couple of minutes, and I can already tell he’ll want to ravish you all night.” Mikkalo stands in the bathroom door, stretching his arms up to show off his muscular body. I love how brazen my guys are. I’m starting to think I only get a bit wild because of them.
“That sounds like a far better plan than getting into that dress,” I say, smiling at Mikkalo.
&nbs
p; He groans. “All right, Ev. I’m pulling the it’s-my-time card.”
Everett chuckles and nudges me toward where the white gown hangs on a hook. Mikkalo dresses as Everett helps me into the flouncy, floor-length dress. I laugh when he expertly adjusts my boobs to show off my cleavage.
“I know you hate the gowns, but you look stunning,” Everett says.
“I wish you could wear your hair up.” Mikkalo plays with my blond tresses, lifting them from my chest to run his finger over his mark on me. “I want the whole region to know you’re our girl.”
I trace my finger over his freshly shaved jaw. “I want that so much too.”
Mikkalo’s com device beeps, and he grumbles under his breath. I’m not the only one avoiding life outside this room. Everett snatches it from his hand and glances at the screen. He frowns as well. I try to attempt to grab it to see what’s up, but Everett holds the com device over his head to give to Mikkalo out of my reach.
“If I give you an hour of my time, will you cover for me?” Mikkalo asks Everett.
“Whatever keeps our girl away,” Everett says.
I narrow my eyes. “This better not be about the rebels.”
Mikkalo remains expressionless. “It is.”
“Then I don’t think so. Bronx said—”
“Bronx felt bad for your fight. He’ll tell you yes to anything for at least another week,” Mikkalo says, flicking his gaze to Everett. “Me, on the other hand—”
“Will say yes for the rest of eternity.” I grin and pat his cheek. “So let’s go.”
I don’t get a chance to brace myself as Mikkalo scoops me into his arms. He hikes up my dress so that I can wrap my legs around his waist. I snuggle my face into the crook of his neck, teasing him by nibbling on his skin. The world comes to a halt, leaving my head spinning. I close my eyes as my mind catches up to my body.
“Mikkalo, shit. Get her out of here,” Bronx says. “Didn’t you read the fucking message?”
Mikkalo locks his fingers to the back of my head, preventing me from seeing anything. “I thought Jameson was just trying to protect Gwen by asking for Everett.”