Holidays Bite: A Limited Edition Collection of Holiday Vampire Tales

by Laura Greenwood

  The guys started to moan as they tasted her, almost like she was a perfectly cooked version of their favorite meal. Part of her wanted to be offended, but she loved the reaction too much to worry about it. Her body began to slump as pleasure overrode her, and Owen caught her by the other leg, while Julian wrapped an arm around her waist, each of them supporting her so they could bring her, and themselves, more pleasure.

  A moment later, Julian’s wrist was in front of her face with a cut that was starting to bleed. Without hesitation, she locked her mouth around it and sucked. Blood began to pour forth into her mouth, the sweet and salty taste of it making her groan. She felt a chuckle more than heard it, as her senses were too invested in the smell and taste of his blood.

  Charlotte gulped down every last drop he wanted to give her, and when he gently pulled his wrist away, she ached for it to return, but Owen’s wrist was in front of her before she could worry too much. She latched onto it with a fervor she hadn’t experienced since she’d first come into her powers. His blood was so different from the salty-sweet of Julian’s, it made her want to laugh, except that would mean taking her mouth away from the thing she most wanted. Owen’s blood tasted rich and bold, like a glass of red wine. The irony of that was not lost on her.

  Owen’s wrist left her all too quickly, and she immediately looked for Silas’s. When she found it, she latched on and was almost overpowered by the difference between them again. The youngest brother’s blood was the lightest, spicy with a smoky undertone, like she had just had the best barbeque of her life. When he finally pulled away, she had to stop herself from lunging after him. She wanted more, so much more, but that wasn’t what they had to worry about in that moment.

  She almost felt drunk, and not the subtle drunk, either, oh no. Charlotte felt like if she took a single step, the world would spin away from her and she’d somehow end up tangled in the shower, having pulled down the shower curtain and the curtain rod with her. With her luck, she’d probably sprain an ankle or something as well. It wasn’t that she couldn’t heal from it, but she would have to sober up first.

  Looking at each of the guys, she could see the same kind of tipsy reflected back at her, but at a lesser degree. Their hands still roamed her skin, and it was all she could do not to wrestle off her bra and panties and try to persuade them to have some sloppy tipsy sex. By the Maker, she’d missed out on so much these last few years, but if it was all to lead her here, to these three amazing men, then it was worth it.

  As soon as she had a few moments to process what was going on, Charlotte felt the weight of reality smack back into her again. They had the ball tonight where she was going to meet their parents formally, not to mention dealing with her family. Before they moved away, she took a deep breath, pulling their distinct scents into her, hoping that she could memorize not only the way they smelled but the way they felt, too.

  The three of them pulled away but didn’t seal up the puncture wounds from their bites, which was something that she thought vampires had the ability to do. “I’m still bleeding,” Charlotte said quietly.

  “Part of the bonding means we can’t use any supernatural methods of healing you. It’s something to do with the body’s own immune responses kicking in. There are some vamps who have spent their considerable lives studying the bonding. There’s a lot that we don’t know or understand, and probably never will,” Julian said as he pulled out three rings and a pendant.

  They each held their hands out, and Silas said, “Would you mind doing the honors with that handy ring of yours?”

  “Happy to oblige. Does blood make you drunk?” she asked, her words slurring in what she hoped was a slight manner.

  “It can the first few times.” Julian grinned.

  “Are you drunk on love, sweetheart?” Silas asked.

  “Yep,” she said, popping the p. “Drunk on you three and your . . . everything!”

  “Just take a few deep breaths. It will pass momentarily,” Julian said as he rubbed her back.

  After a moment, the foggy sensation seemed to clear, and she was able to breathe deeply without hiccupping. She still felt buzzed, but only just. Charlotte moved the ring around until she was able to slide it off her finger to make drawing blood on someone other than herself a little easier. She pricked all of their fingers with the small spike. Each of them took the large jewel that made up the necklace and placed a few drops of blood inside. Finally, they handed it to her. She pricked her own finger and added her blood, unsure if that was the appropriate thing to do or not, but it was what she felt was right. When they were all done, Silas took it from her and added a cap. They repeated this process with the rings that each of them would be wearing.

  Part of Charlotte wanted to end the evening at this, take the three of them to bed, and lock out the world, but the coming confrontation could only be avoided for so long, and now it was coming to a head. She would face it one way or another, but this time, she would have her vampire mates and her fearless brother by her side.

  Chapter 12

  Charlotte had spent a couple hours getting ready and had promised to meet the guys in the ballroom. What she hadn’t said was she was waiting for the signal from her brother so she could have a private reunion with him. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the guys or not want them to meet in person; it was just that she was worried about how emotional she was probably going to get and wasn’t willing to do that in front of a ballroom full of people she didn’t know.

  She slipped the gold gown on, the material sparkling even in the dim light of the room. If a human saw her, they would assume that the gown was covered in sequins and crystals, when in fact, it was spelled to sparkle. Of course, there were some sequins on the dress to amplify the effect, but the whole thing had been designed to take advantage of her mage abilities. The light seemed to glisten off the material, more intensely at the neckline and fading out as the dress became an almost champagne organza color at the bottom, with flecks of gold dotted here and there.

  The dress itself was simple and gorgeous, but the true pageantry came from the second part—a pearl-and-diamond choker fixed around her neck with small chains coming off it that gathered around more pearls and diamonds that sat on her shoulders almost like cap sleeves. The same thin chains hung down from the shoulder piece, giving the illusion of sleeves. Each chain ended in a diamond or pearl, and they were all a variety of lengths leading to the centermost chain, which was the longest.

  Once the neckpiece was on, she fixed the jewel the brothers had given her to the front, and the sheer cape that was supposed to be part of the dress to the back. It hooked on to the collar as well as the shoulders, giving it an almost draped appearance. The sheer gold material was covered in star shaped jewels, with a triple moon emblem embroidered in the center in a blazing blood-red color, mostly made of glittering rubies, displaying her Bloodmoon clan upbringing. The finishing touch of the outfit was the triple moon hair clip that she used to pull some of her red waves back and out of the way, proudly displaying the tips of her ears.

  As she slipped on her shoes and ring, Charlotte felt a thrill go through her for the first time in a long time. She was going to be presented as a princess, as the mate of three amazing men, and the future bearer of peace between the Bloodmoon clan and the vampires; at least, that was what she hoped. It wasn’t even that they were aggressive with each other, but for two races who dealt so heavily in blood, they should be protecting and helping each other. Maybe, just maybe, this whole screwed-up situation could lead to something amazing, other than her falling head over heels for three vampires, that is.

  She slipped downstairs quietly, making sure no one heard her once she’d felt the familiar thrum of Victor’s magic coming from outside the house. By the time she made it to the base of the stairs, he was inside waiting for her. His silvery-white hair caught in the light, as did the silver in his eyes, while his blood-red lips split into a toothy grin.

  “Little Sister, you have no idea how good it is
to see you,” he said, crushing her to him in the most intense hug he had ever given her.

  “I missed you, Big Brother,” she said, trying to hold back the tears of relief that threatened to spill over. She couldn’t cry right now. There would be time enough for that later, but now was the time for preparing for battle. She ushered them around the corner into one of the alcoves that wasn’t occupied by a Christmas tree.

  “Tell me what you know,” he said, pulling back. His gaze traveled up and down her, taking in her attire and general personage. Just as she started to respond, he held up a hand, and she paused. “Wait. Before we get to that, you look stunning, Charlotte. These vampires haven’t pressured you into anything, have they?”

  She shook her head.

  “Good. I’d hate to have to kill them at their own birthday party.”

  A bark of laughter escaped her, and her heart clenched with how much she had missed him. “I’m going to be mated to them, Brother. We haven’t known each other long, but I’ve never felt like this before. There’s a pull, like we are magnets that are too strong to be kept apart for long.”

  “I understand, little one. You are theirs and they are yours. So long as they do a good job of taking care of you, I’ll support you in whatever brings you happiness.” Victor’s eyes were kind as he traced the curve of her face. He wanted her to be happy. He always had. It was what made him such an amazing brother.

  “Thank you, Victor. That means a lot, truly.”

  “Now, tell me what you know,” he replied, wanting to get down to business.

  “Not much, to be honest, Brother. I know there is a delegation of Bloodmoon clan members coming this evening with the intention of taking me home, but I don’t know who it will be. If it’s Mother and Father, I don’t know if we’ll be strong enough to stop them from taking me.”

  “My power has grown substantially over the last few years, and I’m sure yours has as well.”

  “I honestly don’t know. I haven’t used it—other than to recharge my glamor spell—for so long that it feels like a sore muscle.” It was almost like her heart ached when she thought of it. She’d locked it all away so tightly that she was more than a little scared to let it out now, but she might not have a choice if the feeling of foreboding she had was anything to go by. Other than wanting everything to go smoothly during the celebration, she couldn’t wait to try to actually use her magic again and feel that familiar fire crackling along her veins.

  He nodded. “Well, why don’t you take me to these mates of yours and we can see what kind of plan we can come up with.”

  Charlotte grinned over at the brother she had loved so dearly for so many years, happy to have that part of her heart returned to its former glory. “At some point, I want to hear about everything you’ve been up to,” she said as she linked her arm with his.

  When the doors to the ballroom opened she was awestruck by the sight. Sure, the palace had been decorated and was officially in full Yule mode, but the ballroom was something else entirely. Red and gold fabric hung from the ceiling down the walls while miniature Christmas trees topped each table and all different sizes of ornaments seemed to hang from the ceiling. It felt like walking into a Yule wonderland.

  The two of them descended the stairs into the ballroom, and a hush gathered over the crowd. Until a week ago, she would have hidden, uncomfortable with the scrutiny of so many eyes, but now she wanted them to look. What would they see that she had to be ashamed of? A strong woman? An even stronger mage? A woman with a loving brother and three vampire mates? Let them stare.

  As they made their way through the crowd, it parted before them like water, revealing the princes who were in a heated discussion with the king and queen. Once the hush in the crowd reached them, they looked up, and all three brothers smiled beatifically at her. The queen looked shocked more than anything, and the king looked like he didn’t give a damn about much anymore.

  Once they were close enough, Charlotte dropped into a curtsy, not too low, as she was a princess herself, but low enough to show respect to the reigning king and queen. Victor lowered himself into a bow that was deferential as well. When they righted themselves again, the brothers strode forward, their smiles getting even wider as they greeted Victor in person.

  “Mother, Father, this is Charlotte, our mate, and her brother, Victor,” Julian said.

  Charlotte could have sworn that their mother almost stumbled at the introduction. Whether she was only expecting Charlotte or neither of them, she wasn’t sure, but they were all there now.

  “It’s a pleasure, Your Majesty,” Victor said, while Charlotte joined in the sentiment with a smile.

  “You two have caused your parents a fair amount of worry. Are you aware of that?” the queen asked.

  “Yes, Your Majesty. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t see reason when it came to Charlotte, so we had to take drastic measures, but now that she’s to be mated to your sons, I think they will be much more reasonable.”

  “Yes, well. My sons apparently won’t see reason, either,” the queen huffed.

  Charlotte tried not to take offense at the queen’s attitude, but she was worried that with the coming confrontation, she would never fall into the queen’s good graces.

  “Mother, we’ve already told you that she is our mate. If you don’t like it, then you shouldn’t have forced us to choose.”

  “I thought you’d at least choose a vampire girl,” the queen hissed before getting herself under control. Charlotte’s heart hurt from the implied insult. She tried to brush it aside and prepare herself for whatever the queen said next. After all, while they were growing up one of the things that had been drilled into Victor, and by association her, was that she couldn’t make everyone happy. That was just impossible.

  Before anyone could respond, a gasp rose from the crowd, causing everyone in their small group to turn and look. A large group of Mortemdark mages were coming down the stairs, being led by the man she was supposed to marry. Everyone just stared in silence until they were standing directly before them. Victor had shielded Charlotte with his body, and she wasn’t even sure if he was aware of the action. They had fallen so easily into old habits.

  “Your Majesties, we come before you today to request that the members of the Bloodmoon clan known as Charlotte and Victor Bloodmoon be returned to their rightful stations.”

  “Unfortunately, my lord, it is not my place to fulfill such demands. As I understand it, they are both grown adults. If they wish to go with you, then they shall, and if they wish to remain, then that is their right as well.”

  Charlotte was taken aback by the queen coming to their aid, not overtly, of course, but she wasn’t going to bow down to the mages, either.

  “I was afraid that would be the case, but I really must insist that my future bride leave with me at once,” the leader of their little group said.

  Charlotte stepped forward, getting as close to the man as she dared. Necromancers had always given her the creeps ever since she was a child. He was one of the oldest known necromancers in existence at that point, and it showed.

  The whites of his eyes had turned yellow with age, while the pale skin of the mage was tight and wrinkled around his features. Not only that but it had changed tones as well. It looked gray instead of the cool bluish tones she was used to, and was as thin as tissue paper. His hair wasn’t exempt from the ravages of time, either, even though he kept it longer, as was the style for male blood mages. The silver had leeched to white, and the hair itself looked fragile and stringy. His robes hung from his shoulders in a way that telegraphed a thin, wiry body underneath. Everything about him revolted her.

  She couldn’t stand there and let the vampire queen defend her, though. She needed to stand up for herself. After hiding away for so long, she finally wanted to take her place. No one was going to change her mind about where that place was. It was with Julian, Owen, and Silas, and about as far away from Lord Mara as she could get.

  Charlotte was a Blo
odmoon princess, something she’d been trying to forget for the last few years, but she wasn’t running from it anymore, and she certainly wouldn’t be talked down to or forced into servitude, so she took a deep breath and said, “Lord Mara, I am a grown woman, an adult mage, and I will not be marrying you now or in the future, so please leave.”

  It might not have been the subtlest or as polite as her mother might have liked, but it certainly got the point across, and she couldn’t help but feel a rush of glee at the look of shock on his face.

  “Listen to me closely, little girl. You will be returning with me. You can come with me willingly, or I would be happy to knock you out and drag you out of here like a caveman. It would be a good way to teach you an early lesson of our relationship. I’m in charge here. Your parents signed you over to me before the marriage even took place, a bright little powerhouse of a mage who I could bend to my will until I decided if I wanted to keep her and use her up like the battery she was. They promised me a tribute, and I’ll get it one way or another.” His thin lips turned up in a sneer as spittle flew from his mouth.

  Chapter 13

  Charlotte made a show of wiping the spit from her face and straightened her spine. “You can try, but I wouldn’t recommend it,” she said quietly, but she might as well have thrown down a gauntlet.

  “Stupid girl,” Lord Mara said as he lifted his hand. A surprisingly muscular forearm showed as the sleeves of his robes fell to his elbows, while what looked like black ink appeared just in front of his fingertips. It swirled and moved like a cloud churning with the beginnings of a storm, looking more ominous with every second that passed. Most people who saw necromancers work their magic didn’t live to tell the tale, but that wasn’t going to be true this time.