by Lauren Dane
“I’m too heavy,” she mumbled, eyes downcast, face on fire with her blush.
Both men made sounds of utter annoyance. “Don’t be silly. Sit down and move your shirt collar back,” Rhett said silkily and she responded, hesitantly sitting on his lap. He pulled her closer with one arm and Nate pulled the coil of her hair aside and they both inhaled sharply at the sight of the pulse beat against the flesh of her neck.
Nate moved and knelt in front of her. Running a fingertip down her cheek to draw her attention, he looked deep into her eyes and mesmerized her a bit. “It’s okay, sweetness. It won’t hurt. In fact, it’ll feel really good.”
He took her hands and she gasped softly in surprise when Rhett dragged his incisors across her skin, opening the vein.
Nate watched as her head fell back and her nipples pressed against the front of her shirt. He could smell her blood and her body’s response to Rhett’s bite. He barely held back a moan when her nails dug into the flesh of his hands.
“Ohmigod,” she murmured in amazement just before her back bowed and orgasm washed through her.
Nate wanted to put her on that table and fuck her. Wanted to yank down her pants and bury his face between her thighs, pulling more pleasure from her. But he knew this whole thing was moving too fast for her as it was. In fact, he was keeping a close eye out for any more signs of shock.
And when he took her the first time, he wanted her to come to him and ask for it. So for that moment he contented himself with watching her give herself to Rhett.
Rhett’s entire body tightened when he breathed in her scent at her neck. When her blood rushed over the surface of his tongue the first threads of a bond formed. She was thick and spicy with just an edge of sweetness. The deep richness of her life’s essence flowed into him and the power of her magic pushed the negative magic of the blade right out of his system. He felt the wound on his side healing. She was incredibly powerful and clearly had no idea. They’d have to talk about her potential later on but she had more magic than he’d ever felt. It was almost dangerous, all of that power and no real knowledge how to use it.
Pulling away from her neck, he met Nate’s hungry eyes down the line of her body. Her head was still back, muscles still twitching from the orgasm that had come from his taking her blood. Her lips were slightly parted and wet from her tongue. There on his lap she was living, breathing sex.
Rhett gently cradled her as she came back to herself. Her eyes fluttered open and she gave a long, contented sigh. He felt the bond then, like a living thing tying them together, felt her sadness, the void inside of her that he now filled, saw that it wasn’t all the way filled and knew for certain that Nate was meant to do that. That the three of them were meant to be together. Regret laced through his heart. He didn’t want the complication of having to share his woman with anyone. But at the same time, it wasn’t something he could change either. They’d have to work around it. She was there, in his arms, and she was his.
* * * * *
The moment that Rhett’s teeth had opened her skin, white heat had arced from his lips at her neck straight to her molten pussy. When he milked the blood from her with long erotic pulls of his tongue it felt like that tongue was stroking through the folds of her cunt. She’d never come so hard in her life and he hadn’t even touched an erogenous zone.
As she came back to herself from the near catatonic state the orgasm had produced, she realized that she felt him as if he was perched inside of her. She heard the slow, steady beat of his heart. Felt his hesitance and his yearning to pull her close. Felt the way that he took away some of her emptiness.
She saw herself through his eyes. A glimpse. Gone was the pudgy, shy girl with the red hair and the glasses. In her place was a woman of flesh and curves, sensual and beautiful.
Her eyes fluttered open and she sighed, utterly content. When she locked her gaze with Rhett and blushed furiously, he laughed and kissed the cleft in her chin. “I just made you come, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
She gave a startled laugh and tried to sit up but a wave of dizziness hit her. Gently, Nate took her from Rhett’s lap and sat, cradling her against his chest. “Shh, be still, sweetness. You just gave a lot of blood.” He looked at Rhett, who had color in his cheeks again. “Look and see if she has some juice or a cookie or something.”
“I can’t believe this is happening. I’m dreaming, right? If this is a dream I should take advantage before I wake up. Why do you have clothes on? You’re really the most beautifully delicious man I’ve ever seen,” she said sleepily, looking up at Nate.
He chuckled. “Why thank you, sweetness. I’d be quite happy to not have clothes on so that I could make love to you until dawn breaks but you’re drunk with giving blood and it wouldn’t be sporting of me. I want you to be paying attention—begging for it—when you and I are together the first time.”
“Mmmm. You do say the loveliest things.” She giggled.
Rhett grinned as he handed her a glass of orange juice and a scone. “Here, honey. Take these, it’ll help.”
“But I like feeling this way. So dreamy and silly. I rarely get to be silly you know.”
Rhett’s heart ached for a moment and he leaned in and kissed her forehead. “We’re here now, you can be as silly as you want to be. Why don’t I pack you a bag?”
She drank the juice down and sat up a bit more, narrowing her one good eye at him. “Why?”
“Holly, whoever wants you dead is serious. They’ll be back and I don’t want you here just waiting for them. We can keep you safe with us. Please. We can look into who these Charvezes are. I know some people who are up on this sort of thing. Let us protect you.”
“Why? Who are you and why do you care?”
“Oh that’s a long story. One best told in Nate’s big, king-sized bed, you naked in between us,” Rhett said.
“This can’t be happening. Are you teasing me?” The utter unreality of the night returned to her with force.
Nate turned her face so that she was looking into those pale green eyes. “We aren’t teasing you. I promise. You can feel a connection between you and Rhett now that he’s taken your blood, can’t you? You can see what he sees? Feel how he feels?”
“Oh please!” She slowly sat up and moved out of Nate’s arms, it was distracting. “You two, looking like fucking Greek gods! You want me? Why?”
“I promise to explain it in detail, but please, let’s get out of here. I don’t want to risk you being here if anyone else comes for you.”
She closed her eye and tried to think around the panic and the fear. Her options were limited. “Okay. I’ll come, for now. I’m not promising anything and I want that explanation and soon.” Truth be told, she was scared that someone would come back too. The terror she’d felt when she walked into her apartment and realized she wasn’t alone, and then the men had started to beat her up—it still lurked in her gut. And she had no one else and no money to go to a hotel anyway. She decided to trust her feelings about the two men for the time being.
She turned and tried to pull a gym bag from her closet but the adrenaline drained her system and she began to feel her injuries.
Nate made a sharp sound, grabbing the bag for her. “Stop that. Let me do it. Tell me what you want me to pack.”
“And sit down while you do it for goodness’ sake!” Rhett added, helping her into a chair. He wanted to get her back home so they could get some of their blood into her. Either that or they needed a doctor.
She instructed Nate and he filled a few bags and they both carried them while Rhett carried her—much to her distress.
“Ready?”
Rhett nodded.
“All right. Stay behind me. It feels safe but let’s not get stupid.” Nate had been in the FBI for twelve years, and although he’d taken leave just a year before, his training was always there and he wore it easily.
Alert and with adrenaline surging through his body, Nate went into the hallway ahead of them to be
sure it was safe. Near the stairs, he turned and made a small movement with his head. Rhett set Holly down gently and put her behind him and she followed, her hand tucked in his.
Quick and quiet, they loaded her into the car, a sleek black Jaguar, and Rhett drove. Dazed, she sat cradled against Nate’s side in his seat, his arm around her, fingers brushing against the back of her neck.
She honestly didn’t know what the heck to think. It was like she’d just turned off her normal decision-making judgment. Who was this woman who’d taken over her body anyway? She sat there, nestled into the side of man she hardly knew. No, not a man, a vampire! She should have called the cops and gone to Roy’s. He’d offer her a place to stay, take care of her. But she’d bring danger down on his head and even though a stranger had taken over her body, she knew that these two men were far more capable of dealing with whatever the heck had happened back at her apartment.
She began to tremble as the horror of the beating came back to her. One of her eyes was swollen shut and her body ached from the kicks and punches she’d endured. The residual adrenaline that had helped her survive the initial attack and aftermath ran out of her pores and she was losing her hold. She needed to be alone in a quiet room where she could cry.
Nate felt her trembling and held her tighter. He murmured comforting words into her hair and met Rhett’s eyes for a moment of shared concern.
“Just a moment, sweetness, we’re almost home,” he said softly. “Hold on, Holly. You’re okay now.”
Despite her approaching breakdown, her eyes widened in appreciation as they pulled into the driveway of a gorgeous house. It was a two-story with a big front porch that had climbing roses up the front. Stained-glass inserts decorated the large front doors. It was a buttery yellow and had pretty white shutters framing the big windows. It was the kind of house that should have a tire swing in the backyard.
“Wow, this place is something else. You live here? Just the two of you?”
“We like it.” Nate wanted to add that the three of them were going to live there but he didn’t want to spook her right before they had the ‘one true mate’ talk with her.
They escorted her into the big house and Rhett set the security system. Nate watched her wince as she moved but she’d insisted on walking in on her own power and wouldn’t let him carry her.
They guided her into a large living room with two comfortable-looking couches and two club chairs near the fireplace with a low table between them. There was a nice mixture of modern sleek lines and traditional darker colors and fabrics. A bay window overlooked a side garden that was in need of some work but even in its unkempt state was beautiful. The cutout panes on the sides and along the top of the window were done in gorgeous stained-glass designs. Holly wondered what it looked like with the sun streaming through.
Bookshelves laden with books framed the large river stone fireplace and she itched to go and peruse the titles but she hurt and was too tired to do anything more than just stand there and concentrate on standing upright.
“First things first,” Nate said as he gently moved her to sit on one of the overstuffed couches. “You fed Rhett, which saved his life. But you were already injured. I’ve fed fully tonight.” He knelt in front of her, his large hands on her knees. “Please, let me help you and give you some of my blood.”
Holly’s brow rose and she winced in pain. “Drink your blood?” she squealed. “Oh, I think I’m fine with a few bruises, thank you.”
“Come on, honey. Don’t you think we’re past all of this? At this point, do you really think we’d hurt you?” Rhett asked softly.
“Don’t you give me those puppy dog eyes, buddy! I’ve had a supremely bad day. Drinking blood would just be the crap icing on the crap cake.” Panic tinged her voice.
Nate laughed but Rhett was offended. “Are you comparing my blood to feces?”
“Oh my god! You’re offended because I won’t suck Mr. Gorgeous’ blood?”
Before Rhett could muck it up any further, Nate put up a hand to silence them both.
“Sweetness, I would never force you to do anything. What I’m offering, I’m offering in good faith. I’m not lying when I tell you that a small bit of my blood—just a swallow or two—would heal your bruises and make you feel better. If you felt better, Rhett and I would feel better.”
He gently touched the bruise on her cheek and softened his voice. “But if you don’t want to try tonight, then let me get you some ice for your ribs and something for that eye.”
She was stiffening already. She’d never be able to go into work the following day in that shape and she had to have the income. Still, drinking blood was so…eww.
“How about this? Let me have some ice, tell me the things you were going to tell me and then I’ll decide.”
Rhett was up and in the kitchen immediately and brought back ice packs. They moved the couch pillows around to support her better and keep the packs against her body where the injuries were the worst. He also put an ice-filled towel over her injured eye.
Just seeing the vivid bruises on her flesh made Nate grind his teeth with rage. He moved to the bookcases on the far wall, pulled out a large volume and sat on the coffee table across from Holly. Rhett was close to her, a fingertip moving over the very end of her braid.
“This is sort of like Vampire 101,” Nate said, opening the book and flipping through the pages until he found what he was looking for. “My Sire is something of a vampire historian.”
Oh his Sire was a vampire historian. All righty then! The unreality of the entire night was beating at her. Digging her nails into her palms to keep a grip, she focused on Nate. Let his voice, the way his lips moved as he spoke, the way his skin glowed in the warm light of the room, take her attention away from the rising tide of hysteria.
“We’re predators in many ways. But at the same time, the population of vampires who are born that way is very low. In order for the species to continue to exist, over time vampires evolved and became able to change humans and mate with them. However, it’s not without risks. A vampire can attempt to change any human but most of the time—something like eighty percent of the time—the transformation will fail and the human won’t survive.
“Because of that, we’re very picky about who we change. Also, because of that it came about that there were biologically and genetically compatible pairings. The science of it essentially means that the two or more people involved in the relationship are bound to each other at a cellular level through the exchange of blood.”
Holly struggled to follow where the heck he was going and he saw her confusion.
“Sweetness, to put it bluntly, you are my other half, my true mate. The woman I’m meant to be with.” He sighed tiredly. “But you’re also Rhett’s mate. Usually it’s just one to one, but sometimes, in rare circumstances, it can be that two vampires have one mate who is human. It’s complicated, but you asked why we wanted to protect you, wanted to be with you? It’s because we are meant to be.”
“What!” Holly winced as her side jarred. “So I’m not just your true whatchamacallit, but Rhett’s too? Isn’t that convenient?”
“No, as a matter of fact it isn’t. You think I want to share this with anyone else?” Rhett said, frustration edging his voice.
“And it’s just a coincidence that this super-unique-mate-dealie happened with two men and you’re both friends? I mean, the odds on that have to be pretty astronomical.”
“I’ve been thinking about that all night, actually. Since I walked into the bar and saw you and felt so drawn to you. I think that on some level, Rhett and I are meant to be together too.”
Rhett looked at Nate and raised his eyebrow.
Holly, despite her incredulity, had to pause for a moment as a particularly detailed image of the three of them burned through her brain. Okay, so it wasn’t really scary at that point. Probably because she hadn’t had sex in a year.
She was so tired. Tired of only having one choice, tired of scraping
by, tired of feeling alone. The idea of belonging to these two men in some kind of familial unit appealed to her at a really deep level. She was attracted to them both in a way she’d never found herself attracted to anyone before and damn it, she could have them both. It seemed too good to be true and her eyelids grew heavy. She’d had enough.
She heard Nate chuckle. “Sweetness, I’m going to carry you up to the guestroom. You can tell me if you want to take a bit of blood from me when we get up there.” She felt him lift her into his arms and she made a small sound of pain. “I’m sorry,” he murmured and carried her up the stairs and into a bedroom that was warm and cozy.
He laid her on the bed and Rhett pulled off her shoes and sat next to her. Nate looked into her eye but was careful not to use any of his powers. “What do you say?”
“Just a taste will make me better?”
“Mmm hmm.”
“And I won’t go all vampy?”
He chuckled and shook his head.
She took a deep breath. “All right.”
He held his wrist to his mouth, sliced across the vein-rich skin with his incisors and brought it to her lips. She closed her eyes and tentatively lapped at his wrist with her tongue instead of taking a swallow.
Nate and Rhett both groaned at the sight.
His blood was warm and tangy. Not icky at all. She took a small taste and then another and one more. She pulled back, amazed that already her body was less sore. Rhett took Nate’s wrist and ran his tongue over the wound and it closed up. Holly’s eye was clear enough to see that Rhett seemed quite pleased to be helping with that task.
It was only an hour until dawn and she was exhausted, having been up for long over twenty-four hours. “Thank you. I really do feel better. I’m bloody and my clothes are a mess. I’d like to take a shower and get changed for bed. I have to be back at work at four thirty.”
“You can’t go to work, it isn’t safe. We won’t be awake until after that.” Rhett shot up off the bed and began to pace.