by Riley, Alexa
While I might have been a strange kid growing up in a mortuary with my grandpa, I was cared for and loved. It’s sad for me to think about how I longed for parents I never had and they wished they’d never met theirs. Maybe sometimes it really is best to get to pick your own family. Without my grandpa, I wouldn’t have had one until now.
We stop when we get to the bottom of the stairs where boxes litter the entryway. I was just about to point out that I needed clothes until they both start opening them and handing me clothes. I shake my head as I drop my robe and put on a pair of yoga pants followed by a loose sweater that falls off one shoulder. Both watch me dress the whole time. When you’re mated and both men let their minds openly drift, there is no room to be shy. Not with all the dirty sweet things they’re thinking about when they stare at my naked body. All my insecurities leave my mind and I feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
“I noticed there aren't panties.” I raise an eyebrow as I slip on some shoes. They both give me identical smirks before leading me through the house and down more stairs.
“I knew it!” I shout when I see the underground tunnel. “You were going from house to house without ever stepping outside. I knew you lived next to each other, but you all have huge properties.” I can’t stop smiling because I’m so pleased with myself that I’d guessed right. I hadn’t thought it would be this nice, but still I was right.
“Cool, isn't it?” Erik says as he opens the car door for me.
“It really is.” I glance around the underground tunnel. I’m going to have to get a tour of this place soon.
Ezra sits down in the passenger seat, pulling me into his lap while Erik goes to the driver's side.
“I’m not sure this is safe,” I tease.
“There won’t be any traffic,” he jokes as he nips at my neck.
“Are you hungry?” I ask, tilting my head to the side for him.
“If I took a bite of you we'd never make it to Bishop’s. Then he’d come looking for us.”
“It would be a shame to kill our maker for seeing our mate bent over and getting fucked,” Erik chimes in with a glint in his eyes. I can’t tell if he’s joking or not and I don’t ask.
I watch the best I can, trying to see everything as he drives. Ezra makes it difficult with all the attention he’s giving my neck.
“So I can go into the sun?” I ask, and tension rises in the car.
“Everything for you is the same, Dove. Some senses will be heighted as you’ve already guessed. But as long as you drink from us occasionally—”
“Daily,” Ezra breathes against my neck.
“You won’t age.” Erik’s words are tight with strain.
“I was only wondering because we haven't covered a lot. I promise I won’t go anywhere without you unless you know.” I speak the words I know they need to hear.
The second I asked the question I could hear the things roaming around inside their heads. They didn't want me far from them ever again or somewhere they couldn't get to me. If staying out of the sun was the price to pay to keep them at ease, it was worth it.
“I know there’s more you want to know because we’re in that mind of yours.” Erik glances over at me, smiling.
“It’s lovely, isn't it?” The word lovely doesn't sound right coming from Ezra, but the way he says it makes it feel like it belongs. “I like just listening to it.”
“You enjoy my busy mind?” I laugh. “At least someone does.”
“I do, but it also makes me want to find the answers you’re seeking.” I stare at Erik, knowing he would find the answer to any question I asked him.
“And take her all the places she’s read about and dreamed of seeing,” Ezra adds. “We’ll have to build a few to reenact some of the other things you’ve dreamed about doing with us.”
My mouth falls opens and my mind flashes through all the dirty dreams and thoughts I’ve had of them. There are far too many for the short time I’ve known them. Though before I’d met them, when I read romance, it was always the menages I leaned towards. I guess deep inside my body knew what I craved. The men were always faceless, but it was what I desired.
A rush of jealousy fills me and it takes me a moment to realize it’s not my own but coming from the twins.
“I don’t care if they had faces or not,” Ezra grunts, and I turn to look at him. “You’re ours.” He squeezes my ass and I think about bending over and asking him to spank me.
“Make it stop.” Erik's hand goes to the front of his jeans and I watch as he pushes his palm down on his very evident hard-on.
“Try having her in your lap while she’s doing it.” Ezra lets out a small moan.
“I’m sorry,” I say, but am I really? I’m just as turned on as they are. “It’s hard to stop thinking about something when someone tells you not to.”
“Oh, it’s hard alright,” Erik mutters as he opens his car door and I realize that we’re here. My door opens and he helps me out as Ezra comes right up behind me. They both give me barely any space to move and I love it.
“Nothing can happen, right? He can’t take me from you, can he?” The words pour from me in a sudden panic now that we’re here. The thought of not being with them is soul crushing. It takes my breath away for a moment. The lust that was thick around us fades and the anger from before comes back. Feeling their emotions as my own is going to take some getting used to.
They both look down at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “That is the second time in an hour you’ve questioned the bond of mating. I know this is new to you, sweets, but a mate would burn down the world in a rage to get their mate back. I promise you there will never be anyone taking you away from us,” Erik vows.
“I’m sorry,” I say as I look up at him. The apology is for Ezra, too, but he’s behind me stroking my back and soothing me. I do the same as I did for Ezra and reach out, placing my hands on Erik’s chest. “You’re right, it’s new, but it’s more than anything I could have imagined love could be. The thought of losing this…” I shake my head. “It’s part of the reason why I left that morning to go to the car. I was going to get the book Gordon gave me. I wanted to know more about your kind and I thought you could wipe my memory or something.” He doesn’t tell me that isn't something he can do, and I don’t push. There’s time later for all those questions. “I didn't want to ever forget that night with you two. I couldn’t stand the thought of never having you again after those twenty-four hours, and it would have been the end of me,” I admit. Maybe it makes me pathetic, but I don’t think I could go on without them.
“We can’t forget a mate, bonded yet or not. We couldn’t take it from your mind once you found us. We couldn’t take it from our minds as vampires or even yours as a human,” he responds, brushing his hand against my cheek and I lean into him.
“We would have never done that and we never had plans to let you go,” Ezra adds before they both guide me inside.
Eleven
Dove
We walk into the house that looks dark and imposing from the outside, but inside it’s light and beautiful. I don’t know why I always expect everything about vampires to be black and filled with cobwebs, but I guess old books and movies have given me these ideas.
Ezra takes my hand as we go into a living room with big cozy couches facing a fireplace that’s already going. It’s so cozy and relaxed that I forget for a moment that we’re here to talk to Bishop. He’s someone I’m not sure I trust, but I do trust the twins, and they tell me that everything is going to be okay.
We sit down on the couch facing the fire and a second later Bishop walks in. He’s wearing a full suit like every other time I’ve seen him, and I guess he just likes to look nice. The three of us are casual, and I like that the twins are relaxed.
“Thank you for coming over,” he says before he pins his eyes on me. “I know that you’re apprehensive about me and maybe my intentions, but I want to talk to you tonight about something you were given.”
It’s then I notice he brought something with him as he lays the book down on the coffee table in front of me. The twins tense on either side of me as I reach down to pick it up, but Ezra stops me.
“Don’t look at it, Dove. There’s nothing in there you need to see,” he says.
“How did you get this? I thought Gordon still had it?” I say, feeling suspicious.
“Valen went back and got it. We agreed that one of us should return there to make sure he wasn’t coming after you again. Valen volunteered to go and then decided to break into the house and found this on his desk.”
“We should have known he was going to do that,” Erik says, rolling his eyes. “The hunter in him loves to track shit down.”
“He wanted to help protect us and keep Dove safe,” Bishop says as he leans back in his chair. “Just like I do.” I don’t say anything, but he must be able to sense my hesitation. “From what I can tell they haven’t told you anything about how they were created, did they?”
“No, um, we didn’t do a lot of talking,” I admit, feeling my face flame with embarrassment.
“You’re becoming mated, there’s no shame in that. I wish I had something so precious.” A sad look passes over his face, but he shakes it off and moves on. “I’m not the enemy here, Dove. The only thing I’ve ever wanted in two hundred years is to protect my family, and now that includes you.”
When I see the way he looks at the twins I know without a doubt that he cares for them and what he’s saying is the truth. I can feel the love radiate off Ezra and Erik, and I know it isn’t just for me.
“He saved us, sweets,” Erik says, squeezing my hand. “I don’t want to go into too much detail because you don’t need to know how dark our lives were before you, but we were raised by a monster.”
Bishop nods and leans forward again. “The man you met yesterday has been around as long as I have. But he thinks he’s here to conquer the world and make humans bend to his will. He has no remorse for those he has to kill along the way, and you’re incredibly lucky to have gotten away from him.” The hold around me tightens and I can sense the stress in the twins rising. “I’m still trying to piece together everything that happened, but from what we know, their father was working with Gordon to cover up murders. We don’t know if he participated, but we know that he hid several bodies on his land at the request of Gordon and then was ordered to kill his sons.”
I place my hand over my mouth as Bishop continues. I don’t want to hear the rest, but I know I have to.
“Kane was the one who heard about what was happening and told me where to go. By the time I got to the house it was already on fire with their father inside. I looked for the twins, but it didn’t take long for me to smell their blood in the river nearby. The father had taken them there, and let’s just say he left them for dead.” He swallows and the dark shadow passes over him once again. “I was able to get to them in time and I changed them right then.”
“You saved us,” Ezra says simply, and Erik nods.
“By the time Kane and I got them to safety, people were at their house and found the buried bodies. They assumed the twins were somehow involved, so we had to go into hiding. Gordon disappeared and didn’t resurface until recently.” He lets out a long sigh.
“Why has he decided to come back now?” I ask, feeling the weight of all this hit me.
“Because he’s trying to draw me out,” Bishop says. “I’ve talked a lot with Valen, and from what his contacts at the police department say the murders in town are all random and unrelated. Valen said that he’s sure it’s a vampire and I know it has to be Gordon. He knows this is our city and I run things here. He’s doing this to pull me into a fight so that he can have my territory. And maybe to finally end me once and for all. Although I don’t have much time left, so he’s going to get his wish either way.”
“Have you fought before?” With every answer Bishop gives me, I have more questions like I always do. I can never get enough information.
“The history between Gordon and me is for another time. I brought you here today to tell you about the twins and to warn you to stay away from Gordon if you see him again. He’s dangerous and there’s nothing he’s incapable of. You have your mates now and they’ll look out for you, but be smart.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I say, gripping their legs. I feel the bond between us grow even tighter and I know this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.
‘We’re happy to have you in our growing family,” Bishop says, and when he smiles I can see how much he cares for my mates…and now me.
My heart warms as we stand up and he gives me a hug that feels like I’ve just been welcomed into the fold.
“I think we need to get you back home so you can call your grandfather,” Erik says, and I nod in agreement.
I think of the long list of things I need to take care of as reality comes back to me. At least now I have the two of them to help me navigate which way to go.
“Can I use your bathroom before I go?” I say, and Bishop nods.
“There’s one in the hallway, but Ravana is having it redone. She thinks I need to redecorate,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Why don’t you use the one in my room? It’s just down the hall.” He points, and Ezra takes my hand.
“I’ll show her,” he says as he pulls me from the room.
Bishop says something over my shoulder I don’t catch, but Ezra laughs as he leads me to the back of the house.
There’s a dark door at the back of the house that Ezra pushes open casually. “It’s right through there.” He points and then slaps me on my ass.
I squeak but smile back at him as I walk to where he told me to go. I glance around the room and see an easel in the corner with tons of canvases and paper all around it.
“Bishop paints?” I ask, surprised. He doesn't seem like the type to want to get messy, but I guess everyone has a hobby.
“I don’t know,” Ezra says as he walks over with a curious look on his face. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do it.”
I follow him over there to look because all of the pictures are facing away from us. When I take a step around the easel and see what’s sitting there I’m confused.
“Who is that?” Ezra says, and I open my mouth to answer him.
“What’s wrong?” Erik asks from the door, with Bishop beside him. “I can feel something isn’t right.”
“Why do you have a painting of her?” I say, my eyebrows pulling together in concentration.
Bishop tucks his hands in his pockets and shrugs. “I don’t know.”
“I don’t understand,” Ezra says, looking between me and Bishop.
“I’ve painted her since I was created. I’ve never met her, but I think she might have been my mate. I never found her, but she’s the only thing I see when I dream.” He dips his head and for a moment I wonder why he looks shy. “I’m not very good, but I can’t get her out of my mind.”
“But that doesn’t make sense,” I say, and everyone looks at me. “Why would you keep painting pictures of Gordon’s daughter?”
“What?” Bishop says, and then it falls so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
“I recognize the birthmark on her shoulder,” I say, pointing to the painting. No matter what Bishop says, he’s talented because this looks exactly like her. “That’s Loren.”
Find out what happens next in… Bitten by the King
Coming October 26th!
Fairytale Shifter Book 1
Riding Red
Gray Ridge, Colorado is a quiet town, but this Halloween there's a mating moon, and the shifters' need to breed their fated mates runs strong.
Ruby is the proud owner of Red's Goodie Basket, and as the new girl in town, she's looking for business. But when the local sexy sheriff, Dominic Wolfe, keeps the customers away, she finds it's hard to stay mad when burning with desire.
Dominic is a shifter, and his wolf wants Ruby. Since the second he laid eyes on her, he's been fi
ghting the need to mark her as his. But when the mating moon is full, he won't be able to control his wolf any longer.
Tricks and treats are the last things on his mind when the mating heat takes over, and his obsession is put to the test.
Warning: This story is a sexy twist on a classic fairy tale, complete with a red cape, a basket of goodies, and a hungry wolf. It's written to make you smile, turn you on, and help you celebrate Halloween!
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