Sydney caught Marit’s keen gaze as the group came together.
Marit nodded. “Now!” she said.
Sydney closed her eyes and jumped, not letting go of Taylor. She could feel the others come along with her. She was bringing them home and part of her was fiercely jubilant.
* * * * *
Sydney could feel herself falling down onto the tiles, but her hand was still gripping Taylor, and Taylor was dropping with her.
Sydney blinked and struggled to sit up, as she realized they had made it. The big library was around them once more. “Veris!” she called desperately, as Taylor sagged against her. Taylor was choking, gasping in a bubbly way that Sydney didn’t stop to analyze. “Veris, get over here!”
Mia stepped over and around them, moving in. “Oh God, oh God, Jesus Maria,” she breathed.
Brody almost threw Mia aside. “Taylor! Taylor!”
He tried to yank Sydney’s hand out of the way, but Sydney held on grimly. “No, Brody. If I let go, she’ll bleed out.”
Taylor was shifting on the tiles, trying to speak. Her eyes were on Brody.
Veris dropped to his knees beside her. “Ah…gods!” He touched her, little helpless touches. He, like Alex, would know absolutely what the outcome was to be.
Brody made a choking sound and bent his head until he rested against Taylor’s shoulder. His shoulders were shaking.
Sydney’s vision blurred as the tears welled.
Rafe dropped down beside Veris. “Make her,” he said urgently. “Turn her.”
Veris’ throat worked. “She can’t swallow. We can’t get the blood to her heart.” His voice was a raw whisper.
Alex heaved himself to his feet and ran out of the room. Sydney had never seen anyone move so fast.
Veris’ face worked and he closed his eyes for a moment. Then he reached out for Sydney’s wrist and lifted her hand away.
Sydney could feel the blood running as she released the pressure and she held back a sob. Rafe’s arms came around her and she shuddered against him, wracked by tears, but she couldn’t look away as Veris leaned down and kissed his wife on the forehead, then the lips, and murmured something in a language she didn’t know.
Brody kissed her, too, and brushed her hair away from her face. His hand was shaking.
Then they both bent over her once more, and were still.
Sydney hid her face then. It was too painful to watch. Even Rafe was trembling.
“Here. Brody, give me your arm. Hurry up!” It was Alex, speaking in sharp commanding tone, one that would tolerate no argument.
Sydney looked up. So did Brody. “She’s dead, Alex,” he said brokenly.
“Yes, yes, just give me your stupid arm,” Alex said, and grabbed his wrist. He was holding a syringe…an incredibly long syringe. “There’s still time,” he said. “If we inject straight into her heart and massage it….”
Veris straightened up. There was hope in his eyes.
Alex pushed the syringe into Brody’s vein and began to slowly extract the sluggish, thick blood.
“Like in Constantinople, Veris,” Rafe said quietly.
Veris rolled up his sleeve with his bloody hand. “Both of us,” he said. “Half Brody, half mine.”
Alex hesitated. “Will that even work?” he asked.
“Do it,” Brody said shortly. He yanked at Alex’s hand, so the syringe withdrew.
Veris held out his arm and Alex slid the needle under his flesh and extracted the more blood, filling the syringe. He pulled the needle out, and Veris held out his hand. “I’ll do it.”
Alex smiled at him. “I understand you want to, but your hand is shaking. It has to be me.”
Veris shuffled aside on his knees, making room for Alex. Alex turned and tore Taylor’s shirt open. The shirt was sodden with blood and her chest was covered in it.
Alex used his fingers to measure from her clavicle and up from the bottom of her breastbone, and rested over a point just above the cup of her bra. Then, with no hesitation, he pushed the syringe into her chest, vertically, until it could go no further. Then slowly, with heavy pressure on the plunger, he injected all the blood in the syringe. He tossed the syringe aside and leaned down to listen, his ear not quite touching her chest.
“Massage,” Veris said quietly.
Alex nodded and got up onto his knees. He pressed the heels of both hands, stacking one on the other, against her breast bone. He pushed down with a hard, fast pressure and her breastbone creaked.
“It doesn’t matter if you break bones,” Brody said. “Faster.”
Alex pressed faster, making the vampire blood in the heart circulate through her system.
Sydney found she was holding her breath. “Will she wake?” she asked Rafe.
He was watching with a peculiar intensity, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
“You smile?” she asked.
“Old memories,” he told her. “From when I was human.” He kissed her temple. “As soon as her heart begins to beat, the magic will take over.”
“Magic?”
“There is no other name for what happens now,” he said gravely. “Watch.”
“But he used two different kinds of blood,” Sydney pointed out. “What if it doesn’t work?”
Alex paused, his hands hovering over Taylor, and leaned down to listen again. Then he straightened up, and smiled at Brody and Veris. “Listen.”
Brody rested his ear against Taylor’s chest. Then he closed his eyes and squeezed them tightly shut, and took in a deep, shuddering breath, sat up, and hugged Veris.
Alex lifted Taylor up into his arms and got to his feet. He made it look like he was carrying nothing. “Mia, what bed can I put her on? She will need to be washed and cleaned, and someone will have to watch her until she wakes.”
Mia nodded. “This way,” she said, heading toward the foyer.
Rafe lifted Sydney’s chin, making her look at him. “Were you serious when you said you would feed Alex, earlier?”
She nodded. “I don’t know what’s involved, but yes.”
“Then, if you’re still willing, Taylor will need to feed from someone when she wakes, and you’re the only human left in the house, besides Mia and the children.”
Sydney bit her lip. “Does it hurt?”
“Not after the first moment,” Rafe assured her. “And Taylor will be gentler with you than Brody was with me.”
Brody sniffed and looked over his shoulder at Rafe. “Like I had a clue who you were. You were food on the hoof. Be thankful I didn’t drain you.”
Veris sighed and stood up. He looked over at the farthest chair, which sat outside the large pool of blood on the floor that they were all sitting and standing in.
Marit was on the chair, her legs kicking.
“Marit, did you see all of that?” Veris asked, and there was dismay in his voice.
“Yes,” she said, sounding neither upset, nor happy. Then she lifted one leg over the other, crossing her knees. Her hand came to rest on the arm of the chair. It was an adult posture. Her focus shifted. “I let her see it,” she said. “It was important that she understand.”
“Marit,” Brody said, wiping his bloody hands on his jeans. “The older Marit,” he added.
“The one who had the honor of fighting next to you this day,” Marit said. They were adult words, but spoken through a young girl’s mouth. “Mother will be stronger now. The queen will never be able to reach her again.”
“You knew this would happen,” Veris said.
“You forget. What you are experiencing today is my personal history.”
Brody gripped Veris’ wrist and squeezed. “Thank you for your help today,” he said gravely.
Marit smiled. “I thought you would remember that we must borrow the bodies of ourselves. I thought you would be ready, but you were so very surprised. I’m glad to know I can surprise you both, even after all this time.”
Veris’ eyes narrowed. “Then where we went today, wh
ere the queen came from…”
“It is your future,” Marit said. “And I will see you there.” Then she looked down at her crossed knees and frowned, then looked up at them once more. “Did I do something wrong, Far?” she asked, hopping off the chair with a little skip. “You look all growly.”
“You did nothing wrong,” Veris assured her. “Not one tiny thing.”
* * * * *
Rafe carefully lifted Sydney’s wet hair out of the way and peered at her neck. “Is it at all sore?” he asked.
“No, not anymore. Not since you licked me.” Sydney rolled her eyes at him.
Alex put a mug of tea in front of her and she breathed in the scent and sighed. “He just wanted to taste your blood,” he said. “Taylor saved him ripping your artery open himself.”
Sydney stared at him, her eyes wide.
“He’s joking of course. Although you do taste divine. Very spicy.”
“There’s an enzyme in our saliva,” Alex added, settling on another of the stools at the counter. “It heals wounds after we feed. Otherwise we’d leave a litter of humans with carved-up pulmonary arteries in our wake.”
“What a surreal conversation to be having in such a wonderful and ordinary kitchen,” Sydney said, looking around. This was Rafe’s house and it was the first time she had seen it.
Coming here was a purely pragmatic decision. “My place is closest by miles,” Rafe had said. “We’re all covered in blood, and you’re probably starving, Sydney, and I can offer simultaneous showers. I don’t think either of you have more than one bathroom apiece.”
That had been after Taylor had woken and fed, in the early hours of the morning. Veris and Brody had taken Sydney into the bedroom. “She’s not going to know who you are,” Brody had warned her. “All she wants to do is feed. We’ll control her and make sure she doesn’t overwhelm you. But keep eye contact with her, if you can. She knows you and she might recognize you once the first of the blood fever has worn off.”
Sydney still walked into the room with her knees shaking. She was glad Veris and Brody were with her, for Taylor leapt upon her as soon as the door closed, cutting off the light in the passage outside. She made a terrible, inhuman sound, but Veris and Brody grabbed her and held her back, straining to control her between them.
“Come closer,” Veris, said.
Sydney stepped up in front of Taylor, looking her in the eye as Brody had said. Then she deliberately swept the hair off her neck, exposing it. Taylor growled and for the first time, Sydney saw vampire fangs. They were not as long as in the movies, but they were very sharply pointed. Taylor had her mouth open, ready to batten on to her.
“Easy, now,” Brody breathed. The two of them eased Taylor closer, until her mouth fastened onto Sydney’s neck.
There was a sharp pain, like a sting, then it was gone. Instead, a rush of scalding need poured through her. Sydney moaned, as her clit throbbed and her nipples sharpened. The need to be fucked, hard and long, was like a neon sign in her mind. She could think of nothing else, not even the odd sucking sensation at her neck. She closed her eyes and gave into the erotic storm, letting her thoughts drift….
And that was when she found Brody lifting her back onto her feet. She looked around, then cried out as her neck twinged. Brody touched it. “Rafe or Alex will be able to fix that for you. It’s just temporary.
“Sydney.” It was Taylor’s voice.
Sydney looked over at her. Veris had hold of her arm, but Taylor was looking at her with a puzzled expression. “You’re Sydney.”
“Yes,” Sydney confirmed.
“The one in love with both of them.”
Sydney jumped.
“And that’s about enough for now, I think,” Brody said, escorting her from the room. Alex was waiting outside and Rafe was at the bottom of the stairs, blankets over his arms for them to sit on while they drove to his place for showers and food. They had taken Alex’s car and on the way, Rafe had eased her shirt away from her neck and licked her flesh, where it was bruised and aching. Her skin had tingled and grown hot, but then both the tingling and the ache had disappeared.
It was very late and quite dark when they had arrived at the house, and Sydney had been unable to see much of the outside of it, except to know that it was big. Most of the lights were off, inside, but she caught glimpses of mahogany paneling, and felt soft wool pile under her feet. Rafe led them both upstairs, to a bedroom each with an en suite, before heading to his own.
The shower had been wonderful. Long, hot and relaxing. It was so very good to be clean once more and when she stepped out of the shower, she found a guest robe folded up on the counter.
When she stepped outside the bedroom, she could smell coffee, and almost ran downstairs to find the kitchen. Alex and Rafe were already there, both dressed in robes as well.
That was when Rafe inspected her neck for damage and it reminded Sydney all over again of the rush of overwhelming arousal she had felt when Taylor had fed upon her. “Tell me,” she said, sipping her tea. “Is it normal to feel so…um…” She cleared her throat and started again. “When Taylor was feeding, I felt….” She trailed off again. She knew she was blushing. She could feel the heat.
Alex was suddenly busy tracing out the pattern of the marble.
Rafe grinned. “You know, I went around for days thinking that I was some weird, malformed bugger who got off on being fed from. Veris had to set me straight.”
“Then that was, well, normal?” she asked.
“There’s an aphrodisiac in our bite,” Alex said quietly. “It masks any pain you might feel from the tearing and the feeding.”
Sydney drew in a deep breath. “It was overwhelming,” she said frankly.
“Wait until you try a very old vampire’s essence, then,” Rafe said. He seemed to be the only one that could look at her. “It will take the top of your head off.”
Alex cleared his throat. “I’ll make some eggs for Sydney to eat.”
“You can’t cook toast,” Rafe complained. “Sit down. I’ll make them.” He got to his feet.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about you, when she was feeding,” Sydney said, pushing it out in a rush.
Both of them grew very still. Alex lifted his head to look at her.
“Both of you,” Sydney added. “Together.”
Rafe let out his breath. “Finally,” he murmured. He looked at Alex.
Alex frowned. “You can’t take advantage of what she fantasizes about under the influence of a vampire bite! It’s hypocritical!”
“Very well,” Rafe said. “What if I take advantage of what you want, instead?”
“Me?”
Sydney’s heart leapt. She watched Alex, barely daring to hope. Rafe was easing around the counter. Slowly, step by step. Stalking him.
Alex pushed back on the stool, giving himself room. He was a predator. He knew when he was being hunted, instead of being the hunter.
Sydney let out a breath as it all came together in her mind, in one sweeping gestalt. The answer to the dilemma, the thing she really wanted. She slipped off her stool and slowly stepped closer to Alex. Rafe had farther to travel around the back of the counter, but Alex was watching him closely. She could sneak right up on him.
She was standing at Alex’s shoulder by the time Rafe stepped around the corner and moved the last stool out of the way. He rested his back against the counter and crossed his arms. The robe fell open, showing most of his leg and thigh. “I couldn’t figure out why you kissed Sydney, the kiss that sent you both back to the desert. You’d already walked away from her—”
“It wasn’t my choice,” Alex said, and his voice was rough.
Rafe nodded. “And I was the one who walked on you, too. But you have all that pride and tradition going on. I assumed that once I walked, you’d never look back. Same with Sydney…but you kissed her anyway.”
Alex stared down at the counter. He was breathing hard. “I don’t know why,” he said heavily.
&nb
sp; “Yes, you do,” Rafe told him. “You love her.”
Alex closed his eyes and didn’t answer.
Rafe put his hands around his face and lifted it. “Look at me,” he demanded.
Alex opened his eyes.
“You love me, too,” Rafe said evenly, letting him go. “No one lets go of their own happiness as easily as you did, unless you want the other two in the triangle to be happy. Both of them.”
Alex swallowed. “It was the reasonable thing—”
“No.” Sydney shook her head. “Rafe is right. You love him. And me.” And warmth flooded through her at the thought. “Why are you fighting this?”
Alex shuddered and looked down at his knees again. “How do I know I’m not…that I don’t just want you because it will give me exactly what I want?”
Sydney blinked and looked at Rafe. Rafe was studying Alex’s head. “You’re talking about Brody and Veris, aren’t you?” he asked softly. “You want what they have. All of it. The three of them, the kids…”
Sydney gasped and stepped backward, and Rafe shot out his hand and caught her wrist in a vise-like grip. “No, no, no, you don’t get to run away again,” he said softly. “That’s why you ran the first time, isn’t it? Alex told you how badly he wanted a family. Children.”
Alex lifted his head and was finally looking at her. “The hysterectomy,” he said slowly. “You can’t have children.”
Tears sprang in her eyes, hot and hard as bullets. “This is all there is of me,” she said, “and all there ever will be.”
She didn’t see him move, but Alex was suddenly kissing her. It was heavenly, and stole her breath and she had to force herself to remember not to lean into a jump, but to stay with his kiss. To immerse herself in it.
“Any time you’re ready,” Rafe said. He didn’t sound pissed.
Sydney was gasping by the time Alex let her go. Alex looked into her eyes. “You yourself is more than enough,” he said softly. Then he let her go and got to his feet. His head was a few inches higher than Rafe’s, so he bent and kissed him.
Sydney became breathless all over again. The sight of them kissing was powerfully moving and when Rafe groaned, she thought she might pass out. It was better than she had dreamed up in the throes of vampire ecstasy. It was arousing as hell.
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