by Ginna Moran
“As long as you don’t ask her to decide, I think we can agree with that,” Viorica says, keeping her eyes on Bronx.
“Seriously?” I can’t stop the comment from escaping my mouth. I mean, I know I didn’t want to make the decision, but it pisses me off that she thinks I don’t deserve to make it.
Viorica appears in front of me and looks down at me. “I’m very serious, Ms. Royale. There was once a time I’d have considered allowing such a thing, but there are far too many possible outcomes that can happen from your decision. The Royale Coven will not be torn apart because of a donor.”
“That wouldn’t happen,” I snap.
Viorica flashes her fangs at me. “Mr. Royale, get the donor under control.”
Jameson tightens his hand around mine and grabs my chin, getting me to look at him. “Never talk to Ms. Vaduva like that again.” While he doesn’t show it, I can tell having to speak to me this way kills him. He’s as angry as I am.
I swallow and nod. “My apologies. Retaking the test will be fine.”
Viorica doesn’t say anything as she returns to her seat. She laces her fingers together and rests her hands on the table. No one says anything for a minute, waiting for her to respond. Her drawn on silence digs into me worse than Corona’s constant gaze in my direction.
Viorica sighs. “I’ll oversee the process myself. Whoever is interested in inheriting the Blood Match contract of Ms. Royale, please remain seated. The rest of you may be excused.”
The three other board members disappear along with Brooklyn, leaving behind my guys, Corona, and the two other vampires who just joined our coven. Jameson releases a soft growl under his breath.
“No fucking way,” Jameson says. “They do not have the right to apply.”
Viorica holds her hand up to stop him—or anyone else for that matter—from arguing. “I can see why you feel that way, but because they are now formally your coven brothers, they have the same rights as you under the Donor Life Corp law.”
Bronx slams his hand on the table. “I’m taking Gwen’s contract. I’ve decided against allowing anyone else to have her. She is mine.”
“We agree,” Jameson, Everett, and Mikkalo all say in unison.
“Fine by me,” I say, drawing Viorica’s attention to me. Because there is no fucking way I’m going to risk having my contract to pass to one of those other fuckers.
Viorica shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Royale. You had the opportunity to claim her and you did not. My decision stands. Anyone in your coven is welcome to apply.”
Chapter 19
Blood Match
I PACE IN FRONT OF THE computer, ignoring the list of questions glowing on the screen. If I don’t take the damn questionnaire, I can’t Blood Match. It’s quite simple. I’d rather risk pissing off a board member than even risk the possibility of ending up with a former Anderson. Because fuck.
A knock on the door startles me. I swing my gaze to the small window, half expecting to see one of my guys, but a blond vampire with green eyes peeks in. She smiles without her fangs and waves at me like I can actually open the door. There isn’t even a handle, and my handprint turned the palm pad bright red with a buzzer that basically screamed a big nope, you’re not escaping so easily alarm.
The door swings open and the cute blonde drags a dark-skinned female human in behind her. The two of them smile at me as the vampire shuts the door. I take an automatic step toward the wall. I was uneasy enough that Viorica separated me from my guys, but now I’m flipping out because I don’t know what to do.
“You shouldn’t be in here,” I say, keeping my back straight. “I’m in the middle of an exam.”
The female human tugs away from the blonde and steps closer. “You don’t have to be afraid. My Sammy won’t hurt you.”
“Your Sammy?” I ask, my forehead lining with my confusion. This is the first time I’ve ever heard a human claim a vampire that wasn’t me.
The vampire giggles, the sweet sound really throwing me off. She sounds child-like, but she definitely doesn’t look it with her petite yet curvy body accentuated by the tight cut of her sequin dress.
“Evora’s my Blood Match,” Sammy says, smiling at the beautiful woman who might be my age. “Of course I’m hers.”
“All righty. That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Like I said, I’m in the middle of an exam.”
Evora twirls her finger at the computer screen. “You mean you’re at the beginning.” She glances at Sammy. “She hasn’t even started.”
“Oh, no,” Sammy says, materializing next to me. She bends down and looks at my screen. “You should’ve been finished already. You’ve already had twenty minutes longer than the last time you took the questionnaire.”
“So,” I say. “Maybe I don’t want to re-take it.”
“My mother will not be pleased.” Turning to Evora, Sammy says, “Come on. We have to tell her and the Royales that Gwen has decided against complying.”
Evora stops the pretty vampire from pulling her away. “Wait. Just give her a minute. You know what Viorica will do.”
I swallow, my nerves getting the best of me. From the sound of it, the vampire belongs to the Vaduva Coven. “And what’s that?”
“Mind manipulation.” Sammy pouts her bottom lip like the thought pains her. She actually kind of annoys me. She can’t possibly understand what it’s like to experience something so invasive.
I glower. “My guys would never allow it.”
I regret my words immediately at the expression Sammy gives me. She raises her eyebrows and steps closer to me to gaze deeper into my eyes.
“That’s why Mother’s so adamant,” Sammy says, whispering the words more to herself. “You like them all.”
“The Royale brothers are pretty cute,” Evora says.
I shrug. “So. What does that have to do with anything? They’ve all been kind to me. Except the Asshole Andersons. Those fuckers manipulated the Royales.”
Sammy brings her hand up to my mouth. “Shhh! You can’t throw around those types of accusations, especially with a newly expanded coven.”
I clench my fingers into fists. “It’s not an accusation. It’s the truth. Corona killed my brother. He separated my whole family. He’s only doing this to test Bronx’s power.”
Sammy sucks in her bottom lip into her mouth in thought. “If you dislike Corona so much, there is no way you’ll match with him. You have to trust that you’ll end up with the person you belong with. Evora is proof that the program works.”
“I don’t trust anything Donor Life Corp does,” I mutter.
“Then trust yourself and the one you want to match with.”
I close my eyes, her words doing nothing to stop the rolling in my stomach. “What if I want to match with all four of them?”
Sammy and Evora glance at each other in silent conversation. “That’s a strange thing to desire,” Sammy finally says.
“Why?” I rest my hand on the table, my knees suddenly wobbling.
Sammy closes the space to me and wraps her arms around me without answering my question. The edges of my vision darken. My mind whirls, making my stomach feel worse. I heave, my insides threatening to come out.
“Gwen? You don’t look so good,” Sammy says.
I slump into the chair. “Get Everett.”
The word barely escapes my lips before the door swings open. I dart my gaze from Sammy in search of Everett, but a man in a white coat rushes into the room. He strides across the room to my side.
He shines a light in my eyes. “Ms. Royale? Your misters expressed some concerns about your health and asked me to take a look at you. Is that okay?”
I groan and cover my face with my hands. “I want Everett.”
“Everett can’t come,” Sammy says. “He’ll be disqualified for interference.”
The world goes dark for a few seconds. Voices trickle to me, prodding at my consciousness. Someone jostles me ar
ound as they lift me into their unfamiliar arms. Whoever carries me is much warmer than I’m used to. Softer too.
“Put her down there,” another voice, a female, says. “Please assure the Royales that we have everything under control. I don’t trust them not to intervene. I’d hate for them to be disqualified.” It’s Viorica. Why she would care? I can’t help but wonder.
“Ms. Royale.” Cool fingers touch my cheek. “Can you open your eyes?”
I flutter my eyes open to stare at Viorica. The same human in the white coat tucks a blanket around me and quickly hooks me up to a couple of machines to check my vitals. The stark white room smells sterile, almost chemically, and it makes my stomach churn.
I lean over and gag. Luckily, I don’t throw up. Not like there is much inside me. I couldn’t bring myself to eat much before the meeting.
“When was the last time you ate, Ms. Royale?” the man asks.
I stare at the light on the ceiling.
“Gwen, please answer Dr. Ruiz,” Viorica says.
Swallowing, I hesitate to assure my stomach isn’t going to protest. “When we got here.”
Dr. Ruiz pulls a com device from his jacket and taps the screen a few times. “I’ll have the kitchen prepare you something. If it’s okay, I’d like to draw your blood and run some tests to make sure there aren’t any underlying issues. Your vitals look good.”
All I can do is nod. It’s not like I can deny him.
“I’d also like to use your original Blood Match results due to the time constraints,” Viorica says, speaking up. “I doubt much has changed since you’ve last taken it.”
“But—”
“You’ve had plenty of time.” She meets me with a glare, daring me to argue. “If you were serious about the process, you would’ve already completed the questionnaire. I’ll inform the Royales of the situation and your current status. Once the doctor assures you’re fine, we will meet in the lobby for your Blood Match results.”
Viorica disappears without giving me a chance to beg her to please let me do it. Because in this moment, I realize that Viorica is wrong. I have changed. I’m a completely different person than the Blood Rebel they brought in kicking and screaming. I’m not bitter and angry. I have more life experience, forged with my guys, and it surely would show in how I match with them.
“Ms. Royale, I need you to lie back. I don’t want to risk you toppling over on me again.” Dr. Ruiz draws my attention to him. On a metal rolling tray, he fiddles with blood draw equipment.
“Do you have to? I’m feeling much better already.” I swing my legs off the bed.
“Gwen, please do as he asks,” Everett whispers from the other side of the closed door. “I’m right here in case. We just want to get you home.”
I nod even though he can’t see me. The doctor takes my gesture as me changing my mind about arguing and rolls over a stool to my side. I flop back and close my eyes, doing my best to ignore him.
“Ouch, fuck,” I say, trying to jerk my arm away.
Everett’s growl reverberates through the quiet room.
Dr. Ruiz stiffens. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Royale. Your vein is hard to find. May I please try again?”
Jameson groans. “Are you kidding me? What kind of doctor is this?”
“Calm down, brother,” Mikkalo says.
I bite my lip to try my best not to react as Dr. Ruiz attempts to draw my blood again. He wiggles the damn needle under my skin, and I cringe, unable to stop my mouth from whimpering. Everett’s the only one who has ever drawn my blood, and I wish it were him.
Something crashes in the hallway, startling Dr. Ruiz. I tense. The door flies open and Bronx stomps into the room with his fangs flashing. Everett beats him to me, causing the doctor to jump away. Dr. Ruiz spins and covers himself protectively.
“Bronx, please,” I say, my voice cracking. “I’m fine.”
Everett carefully extracts my blood and kisses the spot on my arm like always. Bronx relaxes and sets the doctor on his feet when he realizes I’m okay. I try my best to keep my shit together. Everyone’s on edge enough, and they don’t need me adding to it.
“You guys have to go,” I whisper. “You can’t be here.”
“The hell we can’t. You’re our girl,” Jameson says, pulling me into his arms for a hug. “I don’t care what anyone says or what the dumb results of a test might indicate. You. Are. Ours.”
His certainty helps ease the nerves still bunching my stomach.
“Plus, everything is already submitted, so it’s safe,” Mikkalo says.
“We wouldn’t have risked getting disqualified.” Bronx wraps his arms around both me and Jameson. “There is no fucking way your contract will pass on to Corona or any of those other assholes.”
My lip quivers. “But what if—”
He brings his mouth to my ear. “I will slaughter them. They think they can play games, but your life and our love aren’t to be messed with.”
Mikkalo squeezes in. “Not to mention that you will punch out their hearts.”
“So try not to worry.” Everett stretches over Jameson and meets my lips. “We’re going to take care of the paperwork, get Corona in order, and still have time to celebrate privately.”
“Privately?” I tease, reaching my hand out to pat his cheek. “I’m nearly certain I need attention from the lot of you.”
Mikkalo chuckles. “Hell yeah.”
Dr. Ruiz clears his throat, drawing my guys’ attention to him. He cowers under the weight of their glare, and I feel a little bit bad for him. He was doing his job, after all. “Please excuse me, Misters Royale, but I need to get Ms. Royale’s blood to the lab.”
“Go straight there. Stop for no one,” Bronx commands, opening the door for him.
Dr. Ruiz hurries out of the exam room, his clomping footsteps fading down the hall. Without his nagging presence, I sink into Jameson’s arms until he scoops me off my feet and nuzzles his mouth against the crook of my neck.
He kisses my throat. “It’s one thing having you spend time with my brothers, but I wanted to set this whole city ablaze knowing you were with a damn Vaduva and then an amateur health keeper.”
“Me too. The whole region,” I whisper. “Though Sammy wasn’t that bad. She was...sweet? I don’t know how to describe her. She didn’t scare me. She kind of actually tried to make me feel better about this shit show.”
“At least that’s something,” Bronx mutters under his breath.
All of their com devices chime at once, and they break away from me. I stay in Jameson’s arms, locking him in a death grip that makes him chuckle. He stretches his arms out and swings his hips back and forth, showing his brothers how I refuse to let go.
Mikkalo laughs. “I love when she’s clingy. Give her here.”
“You can try to take her,” Jameson says, stroking the length of my back.
Everett comes up behind me and sneaks his hand under my dress. I squeal and bounce against Jameson, loosening my hold on him. Everett hooks his arms around me and drapes me over his shoulder, giving his brothers a view of my ass as my dress hikes up.
Bronx kisses my ass cheek. “Works every time.”
I wiggle and laugh. “Careful, Bronx. Once you get me started...”
“We gotta get out of here,” Jameson says, play-smacking my ass.
Everett lowers me in his arms and cradles me against his chest. I rest my head on him, listening to the sound of his steady heartbeat. It keeps my wild emotions under control, and I savor the protective circle my guys create, taking me out of the room.
The world blurs with Everett’s speed, and he doesn’t slow until we reach the long, wide hallway that leads to a lobby. Dozens of voices sound through the air, sending a wave of ice over me to steal the warmth I just got back.
Everett sets me on my feet and motions for me to walk in front of him. I force my legs to move, but my feet drag the closer and closer I get to the noisy lobby. Bronx gently rests his hand on my back, putting enough pressu
re to keep me going. The four of them remain expressionless despite the sudden quiet falling through the room upon our arrival.
One of Corona’s children, or whatever the hell his twisted self referred to those beneath him in the Anderson Coven, pops up in front of me. My body automatically reacts, and I swing out and punch him in the throat before kicking him between the legs. He drops to the floor, his eyes bulging as he flashes his fangs at me.
“Oh, Mother. I really do like her.” Merrick’s voice draws my attention to the group of female vampires sitting in a circle with their chairs facing each other. “Not jumpy at all. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man drop to his knees for a woman so fast.”
Viorica doesn’t respond, but her lips pull up into a small smile.
Jameson leans into me. “Get that sexy ass of yours in control. The last thing we need is for a Widow to offer you a Blood Vow to join their coven. They enjoy ball kicking. Throat punching. Basically everything you do. So quit it.”
I grin at him. I can’t help it. “I highly doubt it but okay.”
Something grabs my leg, and I freeze as the dumb Anderson asshole tries to retaliate. His teeth get within an inch of my flesh before Jameson kicks him hard in the gut, sending him rolling. His power and strength obviously outmatches the guy, because the guy pushes to his feet and straightens his shirt, choosing to glower at me rather than to pick a fight he can’t win.
“I’m going to take pleasure in teaching you your place,” the asshole mutters under his breath.
He disappears across the room to settle against the wall. What a coward. He can’t even stand up to his own threat.
I narrow my eyes at him. “I look forward to it. That way I can assure someone worthy of me inherits it after I rip your heart out and eat it for dinner.”
He growls in response.
I flip him off, ready to drop a whole bunch of swears at him.
A cool hand grasps mine, the sickly familiar scent of Corona overwhelming my senses as he gets into my personal space. None of my guys react to his forward gesture, and I nearly lose my resolve at the sensation of his thin, dry lips caressing the top of my hand.