by Joyee Flynn
“Don’t worry, I like this realm better actually, and there are certain perks to living with you.” He chuckled and snuggled up against me. That worked for me! We stepped into the foyer of the house, and I smelled someone familiar. I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my lips if I’d wanted to.
“Sasha!” My brother, Kody, called out as he raced to me. I’d not seen him in a while, and I missed the days when we all lived right by each other. I dropped Imogen’s hand and opened my arms for my pint-size bro. I was the tallest of the litter at six three, so I had a good eight inches on Kody. He jumped into my arms, giving me a fierce hug.
One of the great things about being a shifter, and especially when part of a litter was there, was no man-code against hugging. We hugged all the time, none of that half-hug shit with the slap on the back. And shifters are very touchy-feely, and even more so for litter-mates. It was a comfort thing, nothing creepy.
“Come meet my mate,” I said excitedly as he kissed my cheek.
“You found him on the way here?” Kody gave me a glance, letting me know he’d be grilling me later.
“Yes,” I answered for now, the really, really short version as we turned to Imogen. Who wasn’t looking at us. “Baby? What’s wrong?”
“I thought Conley was a shifter like you,” he whispered as he started to shake. I followed his gaze and saw Conley, Marc, and a few other vampires I didn’t know staring at my mate as if he was dinner. Fuck!
“No, they’re vamps.” I snarled loudly at them. It didn’t seem to shake them out of whatever haze they were in. It looked like they were stoned almost, dilated pupils and everything.
“I take back what I said about you being smart since you literally just brought me into the lion’s den here, Sasha.” Imogen didn’t sound very happy with me, and I couldn’t say that I blamed him. His voice sounded stronger, but I could smell his fear and damn it was strong, almost overwhelming.
“You said they were a threat if they bit you though. These ones won’t bite you!” I felt as if I was missing something major here that would connect the dots in my brain and let me know what the fuck was going on.
“They goddamn better not bite him.” Kody growled at his mates and stared daggers at them. “Stop looking at my brother’s mate as if you want to eat him up! What the fuck is wrong with you guys?”
“They want to eat me all right. Literally.” Imogen groaned as the three of us started walking backward to the door. No turning our backs on the hungry vampires. “Sasha, my blood is addictive if they drink it. But, just like catnip, the smell is intoxicating as well.”
“Fuuuuck,” I drawled with lots of feeling. “That’s the part I was missing. I’m a moron. Your blood doesn’t smell any different to me than other supernaturals. You smell like magic, but I’ve smelled similar before. I missed the connection to what you were telling me.”
“He doesn’t smell enticing to you because you’re not a vampire,” Marc said with something between a moan and a growl of desire. “I’ve not smelled fairy in centuries.”
“I’ve only tasted one once even longer ago.” Conley looked giddy at the prospect.
“What is wrong with you guys?” a dark-haired, gorgeous man asked as he pushed past them and came to stand by us. “He smells good, yeah, but get a grip. You’re centuries-old vampires not kids who don’t know how to control their thirst!”
“Aaron,” I whispered, knowing that voice. And then two things hit me at once…he was my other mate, and this was so not how I ever wanted our first meeting to be.
“I prayed you were my mate,” he said as he glanced at me, his eyes tearing with emotion. “Let’s get the crazy vamps calm and have a proper greeting. Plus, I want to know how you found a fairy.”
“He’s our mate,” I replied and then heard Kody snarl.
“If you two don’t cut this shit out neither of you will get any sex for a month!”
“I apologize, our sexy tiger,” Conley said gently as he stepped closer to Imogen. “I don’t think this is something we can control.”
“Aww, fuck,” I groaned, glanced at Kody, and we shifted, tearing our clothes. Since I was bigger than Kody, my tiger was as well. Hell, since I was big for a cat shifter in general my tiger was much bigger than could be found in the wild. That is if saber-tooth tigers weren’t extinct. Okay, so it was all a bit confusing. The end result was Kody, about a four-hundred-fifty-pound tiger while I was closer to seven hundred.
We roared with everything we had, loud enough to shatter the glass in the front windows of the foyer. That finally seemed to snap the two vamps I knew under the spell and the four that I didn’t.
“Shit,” Marc gasped as he shook his head. “Okay, I’m okay now. Wow, so wasn’t ready for the smell of fairy and what it does to us.”
Kody and I didn’t shift back. He stood out in front with Aaron as I paced behind them, guarding Imogen. My brother moved up to Marc, opening his mouth wide to show off his deadly teeth and moved them right over his groin.
“I get it, no sex for a while,” he said, swallowing nervously. “I was a very bad mate. I’m sorry, baby, please don’t bite off my balls. I didn’t want to fuck him, I swear.”
“It wasn’t sexual, Kody.” Conley had guts as he approached my pissed-off brother and moved his hand in front of Marc’s groin. “The blood of the fae is like waving cocaine in front of an addict. We can brace ourselves and deal with it if we know a fairy is coming. It took us by surprise, and for that we apologize. Can you forgive us, our sexy tiger?”
If it had been any other circumstances, I would have laughed at Kody’s reaction. Except this was serious and my mate in danger. But I did still smile in tiger form as my brother huffed out a frustrated breath and sat down, shaking his head at his mates.
“Would you shift back, please?” Marc asked gently as he knelt down before Kody and started scratching him behind the ears. My brother glanced at me as if asking what to do. How the fuck should I know? “We’ll let you handcuff us both to the bed and spank us for being so naughty and disloyal.”
My traitor brother purred and rolled to his back, exposing his stomach. As soon as both mates were rubbing him, he shifted so their hands were all over his naked body.
“You better think I’m cuter than he is,” Kody said with a pout. “He’s pretty damn adorable, and it didn’t seem like you were looking at him with the same hunger I do for breakfast.”
“Your analogy is correct, Kody, if your pancakes gave you power and a high that no human substance could grant your mates.” My mate seemed to have regained some of his composure and bravado now that he wasn’t in shock from walking into a vampire compound. Yeah, I’d be doing a lot of groveling of my own for this one. “I understand they are your mates, and you are the brother to mine, but make no mistake, if they approach me like that again, I will turn them to dust.”
“Can’t you start with incapacitating them?” Kody asked his eyes wide with fear. “I don’t want them drinking from you either, but I don’t think taking a bite is worthy of death.”
“I’m no one’s food,” Imogen sneered loudly. “And this is how they are reacting to smelling my blood under my skin. If someone takes a bite of me, it will be like blood in the water for sharks. I’d be dead before I could incapacitate them.”
“Oh, well shit. We’ve got a problem,” Kody groaned. It was then I noticed Aaron was moving closer to me and that had Imogen moving away from him. It was like a dance that I then followed with Imogen. “Do werewolves have a problem with fairies?”
“No, none in the slightest. We smell sweet to them, like you, but nothing spectacular.” Imogen tilted his neck to the side, as if studying Kody while waiting to understand where my brother was going with his question.
“Okay then you guys take your stuff out of the truck and go stay with Trey or Avery. They’ve got human and wolf mates and the pack there is enough protection and no vamps.”
“I’ll go pack,” Aaron said as I shifted back. Everyone was
calm now, and it seemed silly when I could change again in a flash if I needed to.
“I beg your pardon?” Imogen said, his eyes flaring violet with anger. “You’re not invited, vampire.”
“You’re my mate and so is Sasha,” Aaron whispered, looking devastated.
“I will not have a vampire keeper!” Imogen shouted.
“Who said anything about being your keeper? You’re not a pet!” Aaron looked equal parts horrified and shocked at what Imogen had said, not understanding the meaning any more than I had.
The whole room erupted in shouting and yelling as everyone weighed in or was trying to calm each other down. Well fuck. So far this was going well. Insert sarcasm here because, at any second, I was going to pull out my hair one strand at a time.
“Enough!” I roared and was pretty sure any glass we hadn’t broken earlier was done for now. Everyone went quiet and turned to me. “Keeper is a fairy’s term for a mate.” Then I turned on Imogen. “Aaron is my other mate. I will die if I don’t claim him in the next two days so he comes with but in a separate car so there are no issues. Agreed?”
“I–I,” Imogen stuttered as his eyes went wide. He cleared his throat, trying again to speak, and nodded. “I apologize, my feisty kitten.” He moved closer to me and wrapped his arms around my naked waist. “I forgot momentarily about your constraints. Will you ever forgive my selfishness? I would never have been so vocal if I had remembered.”
“Can you forgive me for being a dumbass and bringing you into an estate filled with vampires?”
“You’re naked, Sasha.” He laughed and kissed my chest. I stared down at him with a raised eyebrow, and he winked at me. “I could forgive you anything when you’re naked and looking so delectable.”
“I like the way he talks. Why haven’t you guys ever called me delectable?” Kody chuckled and wiggled his ass at his mates.
“I call your hot body mouthwatering all time.” Marc groaned and swooped my brother up into his arms.
“That’s true,” Kody purred. He glanced at Imogen and Aaron. “I like both of you, but if you hurt my brother, I will eat your balls for an appetizer. We clear?”
“I see feisty runs in your family.” Imogen chuckled as he turned to my brother and bowed. “If I hurt my wonderful keeper, I will offer them freely to you.”
“Can I ask why you call a mate your keeper without starting another fight?”
“You may. Your brother will keep my heart once we’ve bonded along with my very soul. It makes him the keeper of all that I am.”
“Awww,” Kody cooed and gave a soft smile. “I like that.” Then he frowned and turned to me. “You might want to talk to him about what happened to Avery and why that term will be sensitive for him.”
I cringed and nodded. “Yeah, good point. You were always the smart one.”
“Naw, that’s Trey. I’m the easygoing one.” He looked sad as he glanced from me to my mates. “I do wish you were staying longer. It’s been forever since we’ve just hung out and caught up. You’ve not even gotten to see mom and our dads.”
“We’ll visit Avery and Trey next week once they’ve settled in, my sexy tiger,” Conley said gently. “They’ve built the helipad, and we’ll take a chopper over with your parents. I figure Marc and I will be fine now that we’re prepared for the smell of Imogen. I simply do not feel it’s safe for them here. Not all the vampires at the estate are as old as we are.”
“I agree and thank you for understanding,” Imogen said formally. It seemed very, very strange how politely they were all talking given they’d wanted to eat him earlier. What a strange fucking life I lived.
Chapter 3
Aaron packed. Conley, Marc, and I unloaded my truck, saying it was better to take it in case someone from the pack near Avery needed it. Then we loaded up the stuff I’d sent ahead and Aaron’s belongings. Imogen slept in the cab and away from the vampires. By the time we got back on the road, I was tired, cranky, disappointed, and so many other goddamn emotions that part of me just wanted to bawl.
And then I got pissed for being a baby and wanting to cry.
But logically I knew that I wasn’t being a child. I found my mate, beaten and bruised. Our first time was in an alley, and then we were on the run scrambling to get him to safety. Except I bring him into the most deadly situation possible although it didn’t have that outcome. Yeah, I was pretty down on myself for that as well.
Then Aaron was our other mate but a vampire, which could put Imogen in danger, and I can’t hang out with my brother or even see my parents and…and…and…and fuck! It just went on and on, and the last fucking thing I wanted to do was take another several-hour drive. On top of which, Aaron looked like someone beat up his puppy when he got in his own car, not riding with us, to be moved off somewhere else.
Hell, I didn’t even get a chance to talk to him, kiss him, or even say hi. All around I was depressed, and that was not what I thought I should be feeling when finding my mates.
“It will be okay, Sasha,” Imogen whispered. I was so lost in thought and didn’t know he woke up that I veered into the other lane. Luckily it was the middle of the night, and there was no traffic, so I recovered and set the truck right. Of course, then the phone rang, and I answered it.
“Are you okay? Did you fall asleep?” Aaron’s panicked voice asked on the other end.
“Yes, we’re fine,” I said with a sigh, glancing down at Imogen’s big blue eyes staring up at me. He was biting his lip and looked so fragile I smiled at him. “I was thinking about everything and how this was not my dream meeting with my mates. Imogen said something, and it startled me since I thought he was sleeping. We’re all good, I swear.”
“I just wanted to check,” Aaron replied softly. “This isn’t how I imagined meeting you or my mates either.”
“Aaron,” I whispered but he hung up. Yeah, I knew he was hurting after everything he’d been through, too. This was such a goddamn clusterfuck! It wasn’t like I expected finding my mates would be easy, the same as any relationship. But did every damn thing have to be so complicated or hard?
“I’m sorry.” Imogen sat up slowly with his face drawn in a frown that bordered on a pout. All three of us were tired and sensitive to what was going on. I couldn’t speak for them personally, but I just felt emotionally, physically, and mentally raw.
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” I said firmly but gently as I wrapped my arm around his slim shoulders and pulled him against me. “This is hard on all of us, but we’ll figure everything out.”
“You love the vampire don’t you?” He asked so quietly I barely heard him as he pulled away from me. “I–I’m scared of him. I don’t think I can get over what he is and live with him.”
“I don’t love Aaron, but I do like him. We’ve become good friends over the past week and a half. We have a lot in common, and I feel for what he’s been through. Tonight was the first time we met, and it didn’t go as I planned.”
“You didn’t know he was your mate?”
“No, we go off scent,” I answered with a shrug. Can’t smell someone over the phone!
“Then you should be with him,” Imogen whispered. I glanced over at him and saw tears trailing down his cheeks even in the dark. “I’ll go back to my realm.”
“What?” I gasped as I reached for him. “No! Why can’t I have both my mates?”
“He’ll kill me, Sasha!” I wanted to get pissed at the accusation, but the fear in his voice stopped me. He was petrified of Aaron, and I could understand that from his point of view.
“Aaron didn’t react to you like the other vampires, Imogen. He was defending you.”
“Yeah, until he tastes me then he’ll drain me,” he cried out.
“No! Aaron wouldn’t do that. I saw how different he was with you than Conley and his crew. I bet the fact that he’s your mate overrules what vampires normally feel toward fairies. Please give this a chance! Don’t make me choose between my mates, I can’t do that. We
’ll figure out a way to make sure you’re safe and he stays in control, okay?”
He nibbled on his plump bottom lip for a moment. “I concede that he didn’t act like the others, but you have to understand why I’m not trusting him yet. I’ll stay and try if you really want me to, but until I do trust him, I’m not being intimate or alone with him.”
“I think that’s fair.” He reached out for my hand then, and I brought his to my lips. “Thank you, baby.”
“You’re worth the risk, Sasha. I just pray it doesn’t get me killed.”
“Me, too.” Yeah, I couldn’t fathom why I wanted to curl in a ball and cry.
We were silent the rest of the drive, and I sighed in relief when we pulled into Avery’s driveway. I felt horrible when I’d called him for a place to stay, not wanting to impose. But what other choice did we have? Trey’s house with his mates wasn’t big enough to accommodate three adults for more than a night.
I shut off the truck and got out, hugging Imogen and kissing him quickly when I helped him out. Aaron joined us as well but kept his distance, still looking as sad as any person could. I didn’t blame him with the way everything was going down.
“Brother,” Avery said with a soft smile as we walked over to the front porch. I went to him, taking the comfort he offered. I instantly felt better when he hugged me. It was a same litter thing.
“Missed you, kiddo.” We all had our playful names for each other. Avery was the youngest of the litter, and the smallest, so it worked for him.
“Missed you too, big guy.” It always cracked us all up that we came from the same litter and were so different in some ways. Avery was almost as short as Imogen’s five-four and here I was six-three. And while Avery and I shared the same tigerlike orange hair and green eyes, but that was about all we shared when it came to looks.
“I talked to Kody, and he filled me in. How are you holding up?” He was also the most sensitive of all of us. It might have been from his years in captivity and everything he’d been through though I remembered him being kindhearted when we were kids, too.