“Don’t do it, Flynn,” she begged, trying to break free.
He ignored her, ripping away more of her bustier like it was nothing more than wrapping paper on a Christmas present.
Jacques’s eyes bled black as he got lost in the act of pillaging their mate. There was need and lust racing through his body as his hand found the tiny scrap of lace she was calling panties.
With one tug, he tore them free.
Flynn nipped her on the shoulder as he continued to tickle her.
Jolie screamed.
The men didn't care.
They were on the prowl, and she was going to be their morning snack.
Jacques heard it first, and he paused in mid-grope.
Before he could say anything, it happened.
All three jerked as their bedroom door flew open, hitting the wall. There stood Mathew, his fangs bared as he hissed at them.
Apparently, he thought she needed to be saved.
Jacques was up and out of the bed, moving toward the younger vampyre. He, too, had his fangs out, and so were his claws.
He’d had just about enough of this nonsense.
Jolie knew it was going to be bad. She tried to get up, but Flynn held her in his arms, hissing a warning in her ear. “Don’t. He needs to learn. It’s time to school the man-child.”
She was forced to watch it unfold.
Mathew backed up, realizing that they weren’t hurting her. Instead, Jolie was merely having fun in bed with her mates. Unfortunately, this appeared to be a costly error.
Now he was screwed.
Jacques pounced, slamming into Mathew as he took him to the ground. Luckily for him, Mathew didn’t fight. It would have only intensified the situation.
“You do not enter our quarters without permission,” he hissed, baring his fangs.
Mathew froze, praying Jolie’s mate didn't kill him.
“She’s ours. When she’s with us, you’re not needed to play guardian, am I clear?” He watched the pulse in Mathew’s neck jump, and it was tempting. The predator in him wanted to hurt the younger vampyre for encroaching in their territory.
He nodded.
“Now get up, and get out!”
Mathew scampered away, trying to get to the door. He wouldn’t look away from Jacques in fear for his life. When he was safely outside, the door slammed behind him.
He turned, waiting for Jolie to say something.
Instead, he found her in Flynn’s arms, looking relatively calm, but he could feel her displeasure.
“Don’t,” he warned, forcing his fangs back into his mouth. It took all he had, but he was able to get back in control.
Jolie stared at him. “You scared the shit out of him.”
He was well aware.
Sometimes, you had to do what was necessary.
“He needs to learn his role in this family. I get that he’s trying to protect you, but he should have scanned the room before entering. He would have felt us, not strangers.”
Jolie stared at him.
“If that was any other vampyre, I would have torn him to pieces. You’re ours. Mathew may be attached, but he’s only your guardian. Mates come first, and that’s a lesson I will beat into him until he gets it.”
Flynn knew this wasn’t going to be pretty. Two angry vampyres spelled disaster.
“I can’t believe this,” she stated.
Well, Flynn was about to make it worse.
“He’s coming with us to Delina’s,” he stated, figuring he might as well get it over with. There was no way she was going to be happy, but it didn't matter.
They were taking a stand, and apparently, there was no going back.
Jolie pulled from their arms. “I see you decided this without me.”
Jacques stood his ground. “That’s exactly why we did it. You’d baby him and let it slide. Well, we won’t. No one let my incompetence go when I was training. If they did, I wouldn’t be the guardian I was for all those tough centuries. You have to let us be hard on him when he screws up.”
“He’s right,” Flynn stated, even though he suspected it would turn into a fight.
Jolie slid off the bed and headed toward the closet. She couldn’t look at them. While she understood why they did what they did, she wasn’t happy.
Again, they were negating her ability to lead. She’d already decided to be tough on Mathew, only they didn't think she could do it.
Their lack of faith in her leadership skills was irritating.
Once she grabbed her things, Jolie headed toward the bathroom. She knew the men were watching her, but she didn't care.
At the door, she stared over her shoulder at them, right before she slammed the door.
“That went well,” stated Flynn.
Jacques sat on the bed beside his mate. “Yeah, about as well as expected.”
“She’ll get over it, right?”
He didn't know. This could go either way.
She stood in the shower trying to calm down. Jolie didn't want to fight with them.
They were her mates, and she loved them.
Jolie would die for her men, and little skirmishes like this build a wall that held them apart.
She hated it.
As she washed her hair, she tried to think about it from their point of view. If she was making love to her mates, and a woman tried to stop them, she’d be pissed too.
Jolie just wished they wouldn’t boss her around.
It made her feel like a child.
Then again, she’d just slammed her door and acted like one, so that was on her.
Turning off the water, Jolie knew what she needed to do. She’d behaved badly, and she was going to apologize. Drying off, she hastily pulled on all her leather gear.
They’d have to leave for Delina’s soon, and she wanted to be ready.
When she was done, she found them waiting for her. Flynn was cleaning his guns, and Jacques was leaning against the wall.
Both men looked up.
“Jolie,” Flynn stated, acknowledging her presence.
Jacques said nothing. He was pretty sure she was going to be angry--more so with him. After all, he’d attacked the younger vampyre in anger.
“I need to say something.”
They waited.
“I’m sorry.”
Okay, they both lifted an eyebrow.
“You were absolutely right. I baby him. I feel bad that he’s been abused for all those years, and I don’t want him to suffer. I know going to Delina’s will hurt him, but he has to face it.”
This was surprising.
“Flynn faced yesterday down, and I did too. You’re absolutely right, Jacques. I need him to man up, since it’s more than my life on the line. I’m carrying two innocent little lives who deserve every chance in this world.”
Who was this calm and rational woman?
“I only want you and our children safe,” he admitted.
She understood. “If we let him barge in here, thinking he’s alpha, he’s going to get cocky. You shouldn’t have to swallow your pride for him or me. I can’t ask you to do that.”
They approached her.
“Baby, we’d swallow it for you,” Flynn vowed. “Mathew is a child yet, and he needs to be led into manhood. If he’s rushing headlong into the unknown in here, what’s going to happen in a dangerous situation?”
She knew he was right.
“The next time he kicks in our door, trying to save you from us, I’m going to inflict pain,” Jacques warned. “It’s our right.”
Jolie agreed. In their threesome, Jacques was the alpha male. He was the stronger of the two men and had been with her longer.
“It’ll teach him character to have his ass handed to him. Humility is a big learning tool,” Flynn added. “We’ve all been there. I’ve screwed up on the job and been torn a new one. He won’t die from it.”
Jolie sighed. “I feel like his mother. It’s not easy.”
They got that, but the truth rema
ined.
“You’re not,” Jacques added. “He’s part of the family, but one day, he may leave. When he takes a mate, he could venture off. I get why you dote on him, but sometimes, my love, you set yourself up for pain.”
She hugged him. “I know.”
Flynn cocooned her against Jacques. “We’ll teach him, Jolie, but you have to trust us.”
That was easy.
There were no men she trusted more.
∞ Chapter Thirty-Five ∞
They flipped a very old antique looking coin, and Flynn lost. It was his job to get Mathew ready for the night’s duties.
He knew it was going to be hard, but when he found the young vampyre in the library, it was so much worse. Mathew looked like someone kicked the shit out of his heart.
“She hates me,” he said softly, “and so does Jacques.”
Flynn patted him on the shoulder when Mathew would finally let him near him. “That’s not true, but you need to learn your role here, Mathew. You saved me once by barging into our room, but that’s the exception to the rule. When we’re about to have sex with Jolie, it’s awkward.”
He tipped his head, pondering what was being said.
“Come on! Do you really need the sex talk? You’re almost four times my age.”
“I get it. I don’t need a talk, Master.”
Flynn grinned, trying to get the young vampyre to relax. “We care about you, so we’re going to train you the right way. Understand?”
He nodded.
“Speaking of which, we have training planned for tonight.”
Flynn hoped this worked.
“What kind?” Mathew asked, sitting down beside him.
Well, that was progress. They were back to normal, at least for the next few seconds.
“Tonight’s exercise will be entering a building, finding your prey, and executing it,” he stated.
“Oh, are we going after Zola?”
“Yep.”
Mathew was good with that. “Where’s she at?”
Now for the tricky part.
“We found out that she’s holed up at an old abandoned house,” he began, working up to it. “She’s squatting someplace, and now it’s time to move on her.”
He glanced up at his master. “What aren’t you telling me? I can feel your hesitation.”
“She’s at one of Delina’s old properties.”
It was like a switch was flipped. Mathew tried to scurry away. Unfortunately for him, Flynn was pretty damn fast. He blocked his escape, placing his body between Mathew and the door.
The vampyre looked around, almost as if he’d charge through a wall to get away.
Flynn had enough of the bullshit.
“Listen, your ass is on the chopping block right now. We’re not happy with you, and if you want to stay Jolie’s guardian, you’re going to have to man up.”
He looked scared, but this time for different reasons.
“I don’t want to terrorize you, or be mean, but here are the facts--our mate is carrying our children. She needs someone who will die for her, protect her, and won’t think twice about going into a bad situation. Yes, Delina’s name terrifies you. I get that.”
“You don’t.”
“Yes, I do. I’ve been there.”
Mathew doubted that.
“I have nightmares about Genevieve almost every night. She peeled chunks of meat off my body and laughed while doing it. I get fear. You have to swallow the terror and stand up to it.”
He thought about it. “What if I can’t do it?”
Flynn shook his head. “That’s the problem, Mathew. You’ve already set yourself up to fail. You can do it. You will do it. That’s the point. Make yourself believe it.”
Mathew took a deep breath. As he was about to say more, Jolie and Jacques entered the room.
“Is everything alright?” she asked.
“I’m trying to give Mathew a pep talk. He’s going to Delina’s property with us, aren’t you, son?”
“Yes, I’m going.”
Jacques lifted a brow. Apparently, his mate was a miracle worker. Mathew looked scared, but he was doing what they asked. They couldn’t hope for more than that.
Well, yeah, they really could. They could ask for a guardian who wasn’t so damn skittish.
“We’ll meet you at the Hummer, Mathew,” Flynn stated, dismissing him. “Get into your leather attire. I’m sure Zola will go down hissing and biting. You know how female vampyres are.”
Jolie slapped him on the ass.
“See?”
They waited for him to leave.
“How’d you do it?” Jolie asked. “How did you talk him into it?”
Flynn shrugged. “I was honest.”
Jolie stared at him.
Flynn told her everything, and with each sentence, Jolie looked more and more horrified. “Oh. My. God.”
He laughed. “Come on. He’s going, and it was all the truth. I was ready to boot him after he interfered tonight. He ruined our fun. We were going to get hot vampyre sex. Instead, I got snacked on without the option of dining on you. That’s not fair.”
Jacques started laughing. He knew what his mate was doing, and it was working. Jolie was off guard and now not thinking about babying Mathew. She was too outraged.
“I don’t know what to say.”
He dropped his arm around her shoulders. “You could thank me,” he offered.
She sputtered.
Flynn reached into her mind. ‘Or you could call me master and tell me how lucky you are to have me.’
‘You’re in so much trouble.’
‘I won’t be the one being spanked. We both know you loved my hands on your red ass.’
“Flynn!” she blurted, as the flush crept up her flesh. He was absolutely right. Jolie loved every second of it.
He began whistling when Jacques stared at them curiously.
“Am I missing something?”
Flynn didn't reply.
What could he possibly say to that?
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
The entire drive there, Mathew said nothing.
He didn't need to. They could measure his mood by the tapping of his foot.
The man-child was freaked out.
While they knew what happened in Delina’s main house, this one was a mystery. They’d burned the other down, but never thought to destroy this one too. In fact, who knew how many hidey holes the bitch had hidden all over the place?
Just by Mathew’s demeanor, they could tell that something bad happened here.
“Spill it,” Flynn stated, from the passenger seat.
When he didn't answer him, Jacques growled. “Your master asked you a question.”
“This was the guardians’ playpen. If you were unbreakable, you were sent here. You either came back a shell of what you once were, or you never came back.”
“Were you sent there?” she asked, getting a look from Jacques in the mirror. He was warning her to stay strong.
“Yes, but only to deliver some things for the mistress. I only heard stories about what happened here. I was threatened with it a few times, but never sent here to be punished. When Delina’s guardians wanted time with me, they took it. This place was more for punishment and dismemberment.”
Jolie was horrified.
“Well, we’re all going in together,” stated Flynn, not giving him any room to back out. “Mathew, who’s inside?” he asked, trying to get the vampyre to focus on the issue at hand.
He scanned. “I don’t think there’s anyone here.”
All three of them knew the truth--they were going to have to go in and check it out. Someone could be hiding behind some voodoo spell.
“Well, let’s go find out,” Jacques stated.
Mathew hesitated.
Flynn wasn’t giving him a chance to back out. Instead, he grabbed him by the arm, practically pulling him from the vehicle.
Jacques rolled his eyes.
The things th
ey did for love. It would be so much easier to give up on Mathew, but Jolie would be hurt.
“Let’s do it,” she said.
The men got into position. They’d be going through the door first. Who knew what Zola would have waiting for them?
Jolie touched each of their arms. “Let Death go first,” she whispered, calling it from deep within her body.
It floated up, misting around her like a protective cocoon. The men gave her very little space. Once through that door, they were all in potential danger. The discomfort of Death kissing at their bodies would just have to be ignored.
Jolie had to come first.
The trek up the creepy walk was a silent one. Their footfalls didn't even register. At the door, Flynn touched the knob. It wasn’t locked.
Yeah, that worried him.
As a cop, this was every officers’ worst case scenario. An unlocked house generally meant something bad was waiting behind closed doors.
He pushed it open with the toe of his boot, simultaneously he pulled his gun. There was no way he was taking a chance.
From the corner of his eye, he could see Mathew, and he was trying to scan as best he could.
Jolie was holding his one hand tightly in hers, and there was no mistake--she wasn’t the scared one. “Invite us in, Mathew.”
He looked into the house and wanted to be sick. “Welcome to Delina’s home,” he whispered.
This was another reason they had to bring him. He was the only way in.
Inside the door, all four glided effortlessly across the wood floor. Even Flynn didn't cause any creaking as he walked. Apparently, this was one more gift he’d picked up.
That would come in handy in his line of work.
Jacques pointed at a staircase up ahead, and he didn't need to say a word. Flynn immediately headed toward it.
Jolie watched him walk away, her heart pounding in her chest. They waited for him to ascend and check out the upper floor. When he was done, he returned to Jolie’s side.
‘Well?’
‘All clear.’
Jacques pointed toward a door. It appeared to lead to a basement. This wouldn’t be the first time that they’d had to visit one of Delina’s basements of horrors. Her main house had one.
Dangerous Retaliation (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 4) Page 49