Romance with a Bite

by Tamsin Baker

  “Mom!” Heat infused my cheeks.

  “Oh, hush. I’m not a silly young thing. I know how it feels to find the man, well, men, you love. I know what the bond is, too, so you can stop being embarrassed and just enjoy it,” Mom said.

  She’d accepted all three of them into her house and treated them all like the sons she never had. Which was strange considering they were twenty times her age. But, as she’d said, they were her sons-in-law and she was going to be the best mother-in-law around town. She’d lived up her word.

  A truck pulled into the drive. The door opened and a mature man stepped out. He waved at us, a smile on his face, his gaze focussed on Mom. It was Hal, the owner of the largest farm outside of town. Quite the silver fox, I’d always thought.

  This time I saw a blush steal over Mom’s face but I resisted the urge to tease her about it. “Don’t wait up for me,” she said as she trotted down the steps.

  “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” I chuckled as Mom’s face brightened. Hal opened the door for her and gave us a wave before returning to the driver’s side. The truck reversed and disappeared down the road with a happy toot and roar of an engine.

  “Something tells me she won’t be back tonight,” Davon said.

  I groaned into my hand. “I don’t like to think of Mom like – that.”

  “Your Mom is a lovely, mature woman who has opened her heart and house to us. She deserves every good thing that comes her way,” Cassius said.

  I beamed up at him, knowing he meant every word. Despite everything that had happened to them, they weren’t bitter or twisted or filled with hate. Some days I wondered how they managed. If it were me, I’d be a raging ball of spit and anger, I was sure of it.

  Xander appeared around the corner of the house wearing a pair of well-worn jeans and a tight, black t-shirt that stretched around thick biceps and a flat stomach, despite the definite chill in the air. I didn’t mind that at all. His jeans scrunched in all the right places, accentuating his lean legs, powerful thighs and packed manhood. My blood simmered with arousal that never was too far from the surface.

  And Mom was out for the night. We were alone.

  “How were the animals?’ I asked.

  Xander had taken great pride in taking particular care of the herd. I had to admire how healthy they currently were. Better than when I’d been in charge of them. In fact, the rest of the farm was so picture-perfect now, the guys having rolled up their sleeves and done all of the odd jobs that I’d never had time to do. The barn had been tidied, repaired and painted as had the house. Everything was ready for the brunt of winter.

  “I’ve brought them into the lower paddock to feed there for the week. Close by, in case a coyote happens to wander near,” Xander said.

  “We haven’t had one around for a while,” I said.

  “No. They don’t like Vampires. I’d be surprised if one came this close to the house,” Cassius said.

  “Then why did you bring them down?” I asked.

  “Just to take care of them.” He flashed a smile, white on tan skin, his canines flashing. I shivered. It turned out I had a thing for teeth. Long, sharp, pointy teeth.

  “I think it’s a bit too cold for our Ella to be outside. There’s a definite chill in the air. I felt her shiver,” Cassius said. He brushed my hair from my neck and nuzzled me there.

  “Yes, I think she needs to be warmed up. Luckily I have a roaring fire going inside the house. All nice and warm and toasty,” Davon said.

  “It seems we need to care for our Tu Ena. We need to take care of our most precious possession.” Xander stalked up the steps towards us. Cassius’ arm muscles tightened, caging me.

  Davon traced a knuckle down my cheek. “The best part of my day.” It had fast become the best part of mine, too.

  I tilted my head up, in anticipation of a kiss when a familiar truck with a scratched and dented body pulled into the driveway. The engine cut and I saw white knuckles tighten on the steering wheel. A long moment passed, then the door slowly opened and Gary stepped out.

  He clutched a wad of papers to his chest like it offered him protection. As one, my men turned. Xander took one step back down the porch steps. Gary stopped in his tracks. A quick glance told me he considered jumping back into his truck and hightailing it away.

  Xander growled, my big, tense ball of protection. “Let him leave.”

  I sighed. “Then he’s only going to have to come back. Besides, it looks like he has something and I want to see what it is.”

  “You may approach,” Xander called. He folded his arms over his chest, accentuating the size of his biceps. Davon stepped slightly in front of me, and Cassius tugged me tight to his chest.

  I didn’t know what they thought Gary might do, besides pee his pants, being the focus of attention of three majestic Vampires.

  “And a powerful witch,” Cassius whispered in my ear.

  And a witch. With the bond came a genetic memory, carried in the genes of my ancestors. The power to harness the underlying energy of all things and convert it into power. I wasn’t sure what to call it exactly, only that I could use it at will. I guess it would seem like magic to the everyday person, but to me it was just something else I could do, like lift my arm, or blink. It seemed so natural now, I could almost not believe that for most of my life, I’d been completely closed off from it.

  Gary shuffled forward, each tiny step bringing him closer to me. Along with the changes to the house and farm, my entire life and circumstances and Mom’s health and happiness, came the best change of all.

  The people of Conway had been released.

  The spell the Trinity had over everyone was broken. The bank had been taken over by someone who actually had a background in finance. The first thing he did was halve the overly inflated interested rates and returned the exorbitant fees Herman had charged.

  No one attended Jeremiah’s sermons. Well, he couldn’t speak, but no one wanted to hear his version of How Life Should Be anyway. They were sick of the hypocrisy and double standard. He’d never taught about real faith and only put himself there to fleece everyone in town. I heard a well-respected, kind minister was interested in relocating to Conway to take his place.

  Ellis Myer had been brought up on charges of perjury, obstruction of justice and assault by many members of the community and was removed from office. Conway planned an election for the first time in decades. As a result, Gary had received his comeuppance from the many women he’d abused with the power of his father and had been charged with assault and rape.

  “I could make his dick turn black and let it drop off,” I mused, a small penance for making my life and every other girl’s life miserable for years upon years.

  ‘You are too nice to do that sort of thing, Tu Ena. Instead I will rip it right off. That will be the most painful way,” Cassius said.

  I turned in his arms. “Bloodthirsty, aren’t you?”

  His blue eyes gleamed. “Always,” he growled.

  So hot. “As much as I’d like to see that, I don’t want a drop of his blood, let alone anything else of his on my property.” I sighed, forcing my attention to Gary when all I wanted to do was wrap my naked body around my Vampires. “What do you want, Gary?”

  He swallowed several times before he spoke. “I…have these for you.” His hands shook as he showed me the scrunched paper.

  “I can’t see it looking like that, Gary.”

  He licked his lips, his beady eyes bouncing from Vampire to Vampire to Vampire. He shuffled forward and held out the papers.

  Xander walked down the rest of the steps. “Give them to me.”

  Gary stood frozen to the spot as he hesitated. I couldn’t say I blamed him, but then again, he’d made many, many girls feel the same way. And worse.

  Xander thrust out his hand. “Now!”

  A wet patch appeared on the front of Gary’s jeans. He darted forward and as Xander reached for the wad of papers, he fell back on his ass and into a mud
puddle. I didn’t have it in me to feel sorry for him.

  “Lucky these didn’t get dirty as well,” Xander said, retracing the steps back to me.

  It took the papers, wondering what they were. As soon as they touched my fingers, I recognized the parchment. Familiar energy thrummed through my skin. I gasped as I flattened the pages. “Missing spells. From my Grimoire!”

  Chapter Forty Six

  Not just any spells, either. Specific spells for controlling and manipulation, and harnessing and diverting power from its natural source.

  Gary stumbled upright. “They’re the pages Dad used. Returned to you.” He tripped over his feet as he half-stumbled, half-lurched to his truck, watching us over his shoulder the whole way.

  “Stinking, lying, thieving…” The pages looked well worn. Used for centuries to harm and control and to make countless lives miserable. I ran out of words as my anger took over, stealing them away. I sent out a flash of energy and Gary tripped face-first into another puddle. Pity there were so many of them this time of year. He looked back over his shoulder at me, mud dripping from the end of his nose.

  “Is that all of them, Gary?”

  A low-level growl slid over the ground, straight from Xander’s chest to Gary. Gary’s mouth worked and no words came out before his head jerked around in a way that I thought was a yes.

  “If you’re lying to me, we’ll have to come and make a visit. You’re not lying to me, are you, Gary?”

  “No. No, I’m not lying. Honestly, Ella. That’s all of them,” Gary said.

  My gut churned, thinking of all of the years that had passed and those spells used against countless people against them, fueled by hate and black magic.

  “Go and never return to our farm.” Cassius’ voice held a note of menace of which I wouldn’t want to be on the received end. My Vampires were complete badasses!

  Gary scrambled in his truck, mud, pee and all, and scooted out of the driveway and down the road in a squeal of tires.

  I sighed and looked at the well-worn papers in my hand. I couldn’t point all of the fault at the Trinity and their ancestors. It was mine who had harnessed the black magic in the first place, when Ginevra had cursed three innocent men. If it wasn’t for her, then nobody would have suffered.

  I waved my hand over the spells, sending them back into the Grimoire in their original, pristine condition. A sigh shimmered through the air around us, as though the Grimoire itself settled happy now it had its missing pages returned. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be hiding anything else ever again. Another wrong righted, I let my empty hands drop to my side.

  “But then we might not have met you, Ella,” Davon said.

  I looked up at him. “It’s amazing, you know. How you can still be so compassionate after everything you’ve been through? All of you.” I had to remember that they’d lost their father in all of this as well. I hated to think how I’d feel if I’d lost Mom.

  “We were determined never to let that happen,” Cassius said.

  “How else could we meet our Tu Ena if we were bitter and twisted old men?” Xander stepped up onto the porch and cupped my cheek. There was no bitterness there at all. Only strength and love and my future. Our future.

  “Did you really mean what you said? About this being our farm?”

  Xander frowned. “Of course. We take care if it as though it was ours.”

  “Don’t you want to get out of here? Travel and see the world?” They’d been locked up for so long, my mind spun whenever I tried to think about it. If it were me locked up, I’d be on the first plane I could get my butt onto.

  Xander smiled. I was momentarily stunned with its brilliance. His thumb trailed over my skin so lightly it was just a tickle, but a tickle that seared straight to my heart. “And a nice derriere it is too, but where you go, we will, also. When you’re ready to leave, we will explore with you. When you’re ready to come back, we’ll return with you. It doesn’t matter where we are in the world, as long as we are with you, we’ll always be home.”

  If my love for them could expand any more, it just did. It wasn’t just the words he spoke, I felt the truth behind them. The pure honesty and the weight of sincerity. Powered by endless love.

  I blinked back tears, humbled by the power of his emotions. Not just his. They hadn’t spoken, but Davon and Cassius felt exactly that same as Xander. A tear broke free and trickled down my cheek and I wiped it away, laughing. Everything they felt and thought, I sent back to them.

  I was lucky. So, so lucky. Joyful and light. Jubilant and…horny? I became conscious of a heated, prickling awareness and that turned into something just as vibrant, but more earthy. Need. Desire. A languorous roll of heat rolled through me. My blood heated and a yearning throb answered. Their need became mine. My pussy pulsed. My nipples beaded into tight little buds.

  “Your mother has left us alone.” Davon pressed his chest against my arm, his body heat and masculine scent saturating my senses. I leaned into him, taking pleasure in the hard planes of his body, accepting what he offered.

  “Intentionally.” Cassius’s hand snaked up my sides to cup my breasts. I gasped as sensation burned its wake through me. He rolled my nipples between his forefinger and thumbs, teasing me. I arched my back, pressing my breasts more fully into his hands. A deep, satisfied chuckle sounded in my ear, his chest vibrating against my back.

  “And we plan to make good use of the time.” Xander’s hand splayed over the back of my head before he captured my mouth with his. His tongue thrust into my mouth, taking what I freely offered. There was no playing around with his possession. This was a kiss of taking and accepting. Of dominance and submission, which I instantly gave.

  Cassius’ hands dove beneath my shirt, ripping the hem from the waist of my jeans. There was no hesitation as he pushed my bra up and covered both breasts completely. While he played with my sensitive flesh, I pushed my backside against his erection. He groaned as he nibbled my ear.

  Xander stopped kissing me. He turned my head towards Davon, who immediately bent to kiss me. His kiss was as dominant as Xander’s, but it was a little slower. More languid. More a slow burn than outright taking, and I loved it just as much as Xander’s.

  Xander’s hands found my waist as he pressed his erection against my abdomen. I was sandwiched between hot, hard walls of uncompromising masculinity, body mind and soul. Hands, mouths, cocks, all focused on me. Burning me. Taking me higher and higher. My knees sagged with the intensity.

  My feet gave out from beneath me and I was man-handled against Xander’s solid chest. Davon threw open the front door. Xander strode inside and went to the fireplace. The flames were high and toasty, pushing the cold edge out of the air.

  Which was just as well, because as soon as he placed my feet on the floor, he ripped my shirt apart and tore it off me. I gasped, somewhat shocked that I’d been stripped so fast. I had to remember his strength was not that of a mortal man.

  “No mortal man could worship your body like us,” Xander growled.

  “If she’s thinking of mortal men, then we’re not doing our job correctly, are we?” Cassius asked.

  “No we are not. And she is far too overdressed to do what we have in mind,” Davon said.

  “Exactly what I was thinking, brother,” Cassius said.

  Xander rid me of my bra as Cassius undid my jeans. He sank to his knees as he drew them down my thighs and off my legs. He was eye-level with my pussy. He leaned forward, breathing in deeply through his nose. His hands caressed the front of my thighs, his thumbs lazily circling so close to where I wanted his touch the most, but infuriatingly never getting there.

  I parted my thighs, panting and nearly out of my mind with anticipation, but he held them there and I couldn’t move a muscle. I whimpered as Davon teased my breasts with his long, talented fingers.

  “Tell us what you want, Ella,” Cassius said. His pupils had dilated so much, there was only the barest ring of color. His teeth peeked over his bottom lip. God, h
e looked so sexy on his knees in front of me. I was nearly out of my mind with arousal and all I could do was whimper my need.

  I just wanted him to touch me. His fingers, his mouth, tongue and teeth. It was all I could think of, my need intensifying with each passing minute.

  Xander leaned forward, his tongue darted out and he licked my slit from where he locked my legs together to my clit. His warm breath caressed my skin as the wet heat from his tongue boiled my blood. He held my legs closed, even though I wrestled in his grip.

  “Tell Cassius what you want, Ella. Otherwise he won’t know what to do,” Davon bent to take my breast in his mouth. His tongue flicked my nipple and then sucked the tissue into his mouth, where he suckled and teased.

  Xander’s hand closed over my other breast, kneading my flesh. “Do you want his tongue on your pussy, Ella? Do you want him to taste you? To eat you? Tell him, Ella. Tell us.” Xander licked the shell of my ear before his tongue swirled inside, imitating what I wanted their cocks to do.

  They didn’t do any more than play with me, their touches too light. Their focus too small. I wanted more. I wanted it hard and long and… and…I wanted them all. I exploded with tension and yearning and craving. “Yes! I want his tongue in my pussy. I want all of your tongues in my pussy. I want your hands on me. I want your cocks. All of them. Inside me. Now!”

  Those words, so dirty, so private, so intense, were all they needed to hear. Cassius spread my thighs. He lifted me and positioned my legs on his shoulders and he speared me with his tongue.

  Davon tugged my breast into his mouth, sucking more forcefully, dragging his teeth gently over my sensitive flesh. Xander lifted my backside. His hands cupped the globes of flesh, kneading and massaging. Slowly, slowly he parted my cheeks and slipped his finger over my rosette.

  I gasped and bucked as a darker sensation washed over me. Six hands held me still, powerless but to accept what they gave. Xander passed his finger over my button again, allowing me to be ready for his touch before returning to circle that part of me.