“She’s old, and I’m not strong enough to trap her in the house for long. That snapped around her neck”—she indicated the jewelry in his hand—“will keep her bound to you, Maximus, until you’re ready to release her.” Kat tossed Gabriel a woeful expression. “The cat in him won’t allow him to enslave her.” Maximus noticed the muscles tensing in Gabriel’s shoulders. The tiger would enjoy dominating her in the bedroom and chasing her, but his feline’s sense of fair play wouldn’t allow him to take the choice away from her. “Your vampyr, however, will love lording over her.” Just the idea made his cock thicken in his leather pants.
Gabriel scowled. “You’ve done all we asked, and we’re thankful. But we don’t need further complications. Take your necklace and get the fuck out, Kat.”
A slim grin tweaked the corners of her lips. She ignored Gabriel. “The magic activates when you snap the gemstones around her neck. Since Gabriel’s too big a pussy—all puns intended of course—you have the honors, Maximus.”
A displeased grumble rolled from Gabriel as Maximus flipped the necklace over in his palm. There weren’t any discernable clasps.
She must have sensed his confusion, because she said, “Magic holds it together. Place the two ends together, and it’ll lock tight. Only you will be able to remove it, Maximus.”
He should refuse to enslave her. But when Sameya woke, she’d run first chance she received. He couldn’t take the risk of losing her. Not until they had an opportunity to convince her to remain.
“You’re not seriously considering this, are you, Maximus?” Gabriel gaped at the sparkling collar. He spoke funny thanks to his tiger being half out. White striped fur mixed with flesh along his arms and his canines were elongated.
He shouldn’t be, but….“She’ll reject us outright. This will give her time to get to know us.” Maximus held no hope she wouldn’t wake enraged and ready to bolt. And he wouldn’t blame her. Anyone took him down the way he had her he’d want blood, also. The collar would keep her with them.
Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest. “You know this is wrong.”
“I’ll release her in a month.”
“Maximus—”
Maximus bent over Sameya and hooked the necklace on her before Gabriel could talk him out of binding her to him. “I won’t lose her without a fight.” As the words departed his lips, the jewelry adjusted and tightened about Sameya’s throat, turning into a choker. It looked damn good on her. Went a long way in marking her as his property.
“Smart decision, Maximus.”
“Fucking leave, Kat.” Gabriel pointed at the door, but glared at Maximus. “You’ve done enough damage.”
Maximus wasn’t sure to whom the last comment was intended.
“You’ll thank me later, pussy cat.” She blew Gabriel a kiss and twirled a dark brown lock of hair around a finger.
“Give us some time alone, Kat.” No point in taunting the tiger beneath the surface. While the witch was a long-time friend, she pushed his mate’s buttons often.
“Nah…I think I’ll hang around.” Gabriel snarled and their unflustered gal-pal went on. “You might need me, so I’ll be in the game room playing X-box.” She trounced out of the room in her black four-inch, calf-high boots and skinny jeans.
***
“You disrespect our mate, Maximus.” Gabriel fought against the tiger going after Kat. There was no debating with his inner beast. The witch had wronged their woman, and the animal instinct was to make her suffer. In the end, she’d kick his ass with her witchery shit. Clawing her a little would go a long way in taming his cat’s fury, though. Ultimately, this was Maximus’s fuck up. He’d practically roofied her with his venome. Instead of seeing to her welfare, he’d kidnapped her and now enslaved her with the witch’s help.
Son-of-a-fucking-bitch! Nothing good could come of this. To bind Sameya to their will was as good as caging a wild animal. His cat would enjoy chasing her and taming her, but confinement would never be an option.
“My actions are justified.” The blaze of green eyes testified to the vampyr’s broodiness.
“Bullshit.” His canines drew blood as he attempted to speak around them. “I thought you capable of many things, but never this.”
“She gave me no other choice.”
What a cop out! Alternatives were always available. “How would you feel if your freedom was taken from you, the way you’ve done to her?” Maximus paled and ran his hand down his face. Gabriel refused to soften his words. “I’m disappointed in you, Maximus.”
The vampyr’s shoulders squared and he notched his chin higher. “When she woke and busted through Kat’s spell, how disappointed would you be when she departed our life…forever?” He got in Gabriel’s face. “I would be devastated to lose her. I know you would be, as well. This way, I give us a slim chance of wooing her into staying.”
“It’s wrong.” It was mulish of Gabriel to continue to reiterate the wrongness of what Maximus had done. His focus would be better served on damage control when Sameya woke. The tiger’s sense of honor was irritated. They should be protecting her, not causing her harm.
“Please try to understand—”
Enough of this bullshit. Gabriel shifted. Arguing wouldn’t resolve their dispute.
“Goddamn it, Gabriel, your shifting solves nothing.” Maximus put his fingers through his unruly hair. Using his feline body, Gabriel nudged Maximus away from their woman. “Don’t be like this.”
Gabriel barred his teeth and growled. He leapt onto the bed and stretched out beside Sameya, chuffing his annoyance.
Chapter Seven
Sameya’s head throbbed. Disoriented, she rubbed her temples with her fingertips and moaned when the touch elicited more pain than comfort. Lowering her arms, her hand touched something furry.
That same hairy object made a chuffing sound. Her eyes flew open, and she winced at the sudden brightness of the room. The sun poured through the window to her right. Using slow movements, she turned her head to identify the warm entity. A white Bengal tiger.
His massive head rested on the pillow beside her. Huge. At least six hundred pounds of muscle and somewhere near twelve feet in length. What a beauty. Yellow eyes peered at her. She’d never seen a white Bengal with anything but blue eyes before. His tail flicked back in forth in short agitated movements.
“Welcome back, siren,” a darkly hypnotic voice said.
Sameya jerked into a seated position and regretted it when her head paid her back with a stab to the temples. The fucking vampyr from last night prowled nearer. Wincing at the continued throb, she watched him cautiously. He’d ditched the top hat, exposing wavy, chin length hair.
Beside her the feline made a weird sound, a cross between a growl and a snarl. The creature sat up with so much grace, she momentarily forgot about the vamp. His weight dented the bed, and she adjusted her position to keep from rolling into him.
Like an amnesiac her memories from last night slammed into her. The cat forgotten, she swiveled to face the vampyr. “You bastard. You bit me!”
“That’s not all I did.”
Narrowing her focus on him, she realized he was still attired in the same clothes from the previous evening. The only thing missing was his hat. The room held a distinct male feeling. Navy walls, dark wood floors, a leather chair and settee near the window, and the four-poster, cherry bed with royal-blue coverlet. Not a touch of femininity in the room.
She threw her legs over the side of the mattress. Thankfully the throbbing in her skull had abated a fraction. A scratch at her throat halted her rise. The vampyr watched her, his silver-blue eyes rapt as she lifted a hand to her neck. An inch thick choker, encrusted with jewels by the feel, snared her focus as the enchantment tingled on her fingertips.
Seeking her well of siren magic, she tapped into the mojo in the necklace. A powerful totem intended to restrain her. When she located the witch who’d trapped her, she’d kill the individual…or better yet, keep the brazen one as a pet.
<
br /> Sameya leapt off the bed. The Bengal followed as she stalked toward the vampyr. He held his ground as she approached. Reaching him, she placed her hand on his chest, directly over his heart and channeled power into him. Nothing happened.
The motherfucker!
Her magic wouldn’t work on the one who bound her. “You collared me, not the witch!”
“So it would seem.”
“I demand your name.”
“Why?”
“I want to know the name of the man I’ll kill when I’m free.”
He chuckled. “Good luck with that, pet.”
Cold rage slithered down her spine. She kept pets, but would never be anyone else’s. Taking a page out of the human handbook, she smacked him across the cheek. His head snapped to the side, and the throb in her hand was refreshing. As he turned his face toward her, he worked his jaw. A red handprint pinkened his skin.
Fury stole her logic. She wanted to unleash her siren on something, someone, or anything to prove she wasn’t suddenly as sterile as the humans.
Breathe through it. I’m only defenseless against him and only as long as this magic is viable. When she broke the spell, she’d rip him apart and enthrall the witch as a pet for eons. Sweet revenge would be hers.
“When my Empress discovers what you’ve done—”
“Blah, blah, blah.” He mocked, rolling his eyes. “She must leave Atlantis first. I cannot imagine even you are that important to her.”
His conceit would be her victory. She swung her arm, but he caught her wrist and put her against the wall. The tiger snarled.
“Stay out of it, Gabriel.”
Gabriel? She glanced over the vampyr’s shoulder as the feline shifted into the man from the bar. Fuck her, he’d said he was a shifter, but she never would’ve guessed he was the biggest of the breeds.
The shifter’s eyes gleamed gold, rimmed in a wide black band. “Release her, Maximus.”
Startled, her gaze shot to the vampyr. “Maximus? As in…'MadMax?’”
“I see my reputation precedes me.”
“Impressive.” And it was. He’d single-handedly taken out almost the entire troll contingent.
“He’s not been MadMax for over a thousand years.” Gabriel’s voice licked over her like a lover’s tongue. She gritted her teeth and steeled herself against any physical response.
Didn’t matter when he’d held the title of MadMax. He had a name in Atlantis. “Uncollar me, and I’ll pretend this did not transpire.” She’d still go after the fucking witch.
“No.” Maximus’s hand slid from her shoulder to her throat. Her pulse leapt, and that odd feeling of heat snaked through her again. “You’re mine and Gabriel’s mate.”
She glanced at Gabriel who hovered behind Maximus’s right shoulder. She’d already told the hardheaded vampyr, sirens did not have plural mates. Although the idea of having two men such as these paired with her…she’d be lying if she pretended not to be intrigued by the idea. How many would envy her in Atlantis? Mostly she was feared, and that had served her well, but sometimes the fright grew wearisome. The only friend she could claim was the Empress, and theirs was a complicated relationship.
Sameya shook her head. She wouldn’t allow vanity to turn her rash.
Maximus’s thumb swished back and forth, drawing her attention to him. “We cannot lose you without trying to court you.”
“You think this is the best option?” She yanked on the choker. Had he collared any other siren, she’d probably think him not just ballsy, but exceedingly intriguing. Worthy of a roll in the sack to say she’d done him.
“I was against it.”
Maximus hissed at Gabriel’s comment. “You would’ve run, Sameya, and we’d have lost our chance to prove we’re right for you.”
She’d already advised him once that sirens didn’t mate with creatures beneath them. Maybe if she said it a second time but slower this go-around, he’d comprehend the words. “Sirens. Do. Not. Mate. With. Vampyrs. Or. Shifters.”
“Incorrect. You are mated to a vampyr and a shifter. Which means, sirens do have plural mates and do so with those outside their stratum.”
Empress, what an imbecile!
Gabriel moved to stand at their side, his golden eyes attentive. Sameya worried she could lose herself in those beautiful yellow orbs. “Don’t you want to know what an orgasm feels like?”
Hell, yes, but not with either of them. And no reminder of their lovemaking to one another would alter her mind. But…what would it feel like to have their hands on her the way they’d touched one another? Could they make her come? She highly doubted it. More superior men than them had tried. And failed.
Drawing herself straight, she glared at the shifter. “Can’t want what I’ve never had.”
“And yet you desire both of us.” Maximus’s snarky grin made her bristle.
Did he work at being irritating or was it a natural talent? “Arrogance isn’t attractive. I desire both of you as much as I enjoy being collared.” She glowered at Maximus.
From the corner of her eye, she caught Gabriel shake his head. “Foolish, hardheaded siren. You have no clue of what you speak.”
Sameya snorted. “I know there is more to life than fleeting moments of trivial hedonism.”
Gabriel snatched her out of Maximus’s grasp. His hand palmed her nape, his fingers massaging her flesh. She stiffened at the skin-to-skin contact. His touch did not elicit a response from her.
The tiger’s other arm circled her waist and he pulled her flush against his chest. “You’ll learn something about me, Sameya. I have zero tolerance for bullshit.”
“I have zero tolerance for enslavement.”
Maximus chuckled. “She’ll be a joy to tame.”
“Fuck you, MadMax.” She wrenched Gabriel’s head down with her hands and kissed him, suffusing her siren song into him.
“Okay,” Maximus said from behind her, sounding a tad surprised by her aggression.
Gabriel jerked at the first thrust of her magic, stiffened, his hands clenching on her hips. He fought the spell, but he was no match. The image of him holding her down by her hips as he thrust his cock into her slashed through her mind…his thoughts migrating to her conscious. What a naughty boy he would be in the sack. Shoving the wicked fantasy aside, she concentrated on giving him a piece of herself and enthralling him to become hers. The moment her magic locked on, all tension left his body.
Sameya drew away from his lips, not lingering on how good they’d felt pressed to hers. She whispered against his ear. “Kill the vampyr the moment I shut the bedroom door behind me.”
The shifter nipped her earlobe. “As you wish, mistress.”
Smiling, she stepped out of his reach and strolled toward the door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” The haughty vampyr. Too bad she wouldn’t be present to witness his death at the hands of his lover, otherwise she’d gloat her ass off.
“To cool off with a drink. That is allowed, right, master?”
“You’re not allowed to leave the premises without my express consent.”
Sameya flicked him the finger as she shut the door behind her. A roar emerged the moment the lock engaged. She giggled as crashing glass and a curse from the vampyr sounded from the room.
“I win.” As always I win. She was a master at the games immortals played.
She reclined against the door to listen to the conflict within. The vampyr held no chance of escaping the shifter. Being lovers, Maximus would try to not harm Gabriel any more than necessary. Because of his inability to injure his mate, the vampyr would fail, and the shifter would win. That equated to victory for Sameya.
There for a brief moment, she’d contemplated going along with their game. What harm would it have caused? None really. She would’ve gotten laid, been disappointed when the sex sucked—as it always did…that wasn’t likely to change after over fifty thousand years—and then she would’ve been on her merry way after she gloated over not
being their mate. The ‘told you so’ would’ve been sweet. There was one problem with that…she ran her finger along the collar. No one subjugated her without repercussions.
With a tilt of her head and a grim smile, she tapped the jewels. In no time at all, this trinket would be useless. The witch’s magic infused into the choker gave Sameya a direct link to that particular creature. That one was near. Very close, indeed.
Keeping the shifter was tempting. He’d been receptive of her siren song. Easy pickings. They made the best pets.
But first things first…the witch responsible for this fuck-up. The streamers of magic painting the air would lead her straight to her quarry. Sameya stepped away from the door, her stride determined.
Chapter Eight
The home of her captors could be classified as a mansion it was so huge. Having no intention of staying beyond the next five minutes, she ignored the obviously male décor and made a beeline straight for the sorceress.
Sameya found the witch in a room full of entertainment…televisions, billiards, darts, eighties arcade-style games, along with a fully stocked bar by her guess. The enchantress felt young, not more than three or four centuries old. An adolescent in paranormal years, but the power coming off her—she’d be extremely powerful in another century, which would make her an invaluable pet when Sameya could wield the other woman’s magical clout for her own benefit.
Going invisible just as the witch turned in the other direction, allowed Sameya to go unnoticed. As she approached the enchantress undetected, she attempted to dig into her thoughts…but was blocked. Stronger than I realized. She drew abreast of the other woman and felt anxiety radiate from her tall, lithe figure.
“Who are you?” The witch’s gaze darted about the room.
Sameya smiled. Throwing her power about the room to confuse a fellow supernatural was one of many siren skills. They’d been useful creatures once, killing the human pestilence that existed among mankind, even killing their own when they’d gone insane or wanted too much control. They’d earned their reaper nickname. Feared by all of the loredom, their friends were few, but they kept the peace at all cost. Many of her kind currently neglected their talents and had grown indolent in life. Pampered in Atlantis they collected friends rather than the scum.
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