“You also weren’t supposed to be able to come back from the change. I wasn’t supposed to choose four princes.”
Absolute love radiates through me. He’s desperate to be the one to give me everything I want and need, but what he doesn’t understand is that just by returning, he’s achieved his goal. I kiss him then, hard and deep, pouring everything I have into making him understand that I don’t need him to give me a child. I just need him.
My hands slide down his throat and over the firm ridges of his pecs and abs until I find the waist of his pants. I pop the button, unzip his fly, and shove the fabric down his hips until I free his length. The heavy thickness of him presses against my belly as his tongue delves into my mouth and the fingers of one hand tangle in my hair.
I can’t wait. His thoughts are a plea, making my pussy clench. All I do is nod, but he understands, sliding my panties aside to make room for his cock. He sinks inside me in one long thrust and I can’t help it; I turn my head, breaking our kiss, and cry out his name.
His movements are slow and deep, but I need more. Wrapping my legs around his hips, I dig my nails into his back and beg him to fuck me using only my mind. Muscles tense under my hands, as though he’s warring for control, but he begins pounding into me. His pace is harder and faster than I expected, but so fucking right.
I come around his cock, my walls milking him, and I swear I can feel what he’s feeling. It’s like my pleasure is magnified and every lightning bolt of sensation that rushes over his dick and into his balls hits me a second later—an echo of his experience.
I need to feed, princess. His pace doesn’t falter, but his thoughts have a pained ache to them.
Turning my head to the side, I bare my throat and welcome the burn of his fangs as they sink into my vein. It sends another shock wave of desire and orgasmic bliss though me and I moan as he feeds. He’s close to orgasm, his cock is pulsing with mounting pleasure and I almost want to break our mental connection because it’s too much. Too much sensation, want, blood lust, and animalistic need to claim. But then he goes over the edge and my vision blurs as stars explode in my mind.
He groans and his hips buck while he fills me with every drop of his climax, and I come right after, my walls gripping his dick as though not ever wanting him to leave.
Breathing heavily, he removes his grip on my neck and presses a tender kiss to the place he’d bitten. I’m still boneless from the intensity of my orgasm.
“You taste different,” he says.
Frowning, I work to regain my composure. “Different how?”
Running his fingers through my hair, he smiles. “Not bad. Richer.”
Taking a deep breath, I think about everything that’s happened, all the changes. “Maybe it’s because we’re not cloaked by the protection spell. Or, it could be that we’re really living, everything is richer now that we have so much to lose.”
He rests his forehead against mine and places a soft kiss on the tip of my nose. “So much. But having you is worth everything we’ve endured. If we never go back to the Night Court, I don’t care. I want you whatever your title, princess, queen, woman.”
My heart flips. “Wife?”
“As far as I’m concerned, we were married on the island when we made love for the first time.”
I pull him to me for a kiss, finally allowing myself to think farther ahead than right now. A future. A life together. The five of us.
Chapter 6
Sebastian
Thomas stalks across the room like a fucking predator and it makes me nervous. I know I healed the savage beast inside him, but he’s still a vampire who could kill us with one twist of our necks.
We’ve been here over a week, settling in and developing a routine. She feeds from us, then Thomas takes from her. But their connection seems to be growing with every passing day. I don’t like it. There’s an unbalanced level of power between us. I know I should be glad he’s with us, that Felicity is whole again, but he has the upper hand now. He’s like her. He’ll have her for eternity because it’s possible for him to live that long. I can’t. She’s going to watch me age and die while she remains strong and beautiful.
I watch as Felicity nods her head and giggles in Thomas’ direction, but I don’t understand why. They haven’t said a single word to each other. Her cheeks burn a bright red and she looks away from him. As far as I can see, he’s doing nothing other than pouring himself a glass of wine. He’s not even looking at her. Thomas takes his glass and walks out of the room without even glancing back.
“Stop it,” she says to no one. Then she lets out a little teasing sigh and says, “Thomas.”
When my gaze locks with hers, shock rolls over her. Damn it. They were having some kind of silent conversation. It’s clear from the look on her face. She hadn’t realized she’d spoken aloud.
“Thomas left.” My words are colder than I mean them to be, but I can’t handle them having some kind of telepathic connection in addition to his new vampiric abilities.
“Sebastian, I’m sorry. We just—“ she begins, but I hold up a hand and stop her.
“Don’t. You two are the same. I get it. I fucking hate it. But I get it. I just don’t like being in the dark about a conversation happening in front of my face.” Standing, I leave the room and head outside in search of some sense of clarity. The fresh night air will provide that. It always has.
Chapter 7
Sebastian has every right to be angry with me. Thomas and I have been testing the limits of our link, but lately, our conversations have turned from mundane moments of checking in from a new location, to teasing dirty talk and secret plans to rile each other up before his next feeding. It’s pulling me away from the rest of them. I know it, and obviously, Sebastian has realized what’s happening.
What’s wrong? Thomas’ voice sounds in my head, making me smile despite the worry I have for my other men.
I’m fine, I answer.
You’re lying. I can feel your emotions, remember? You’re tense.
I need to talk to Sebastian. Privately. Thomas and I have toyed with managing our telepathic link. We’re able to turn it off, so to speak, if we really want. It’s a weird feeling, kind of like a numbness in the center of my forehead, but it works.
Whatever you need. I’ll be here when you come back.
My chest tightens. He will be here. Forever.
Walking out the door, I brace myself for the coming conversation. Sebastian, for all his willingness to heal Thomas, has always been the most competitive and determined to get his share of time with me. Catching his familiar and comforting scent on the breeze, I follow his trail until I find him standing in the moonlight near a brook. The water babbles over rocks and leaves rustle in the gentle wind. It’s beautiful here.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
He doesn’t turn. Instead choosing to stand there with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders tight.
“Sebastian,” I murmur, taking the remaining few steps toward him. “I’m sorry.”
“Turn me.”
I can’t have heard him right. My heartbeat picks up, a fast staccato rhythm on my ribcage. “What?”
He spins around so he’s facing me, his eyes blazing with determination in the soft blue light of the heavy moon. “You heard me. I said, turn me. Make me like you—like him. I can’t stand the thought of leaving you. Of you seeing me wither away and die while he’s by your side, young and handsome for eternity.”
All the fight leaves me at the pain in his voice. He’s right, but there’s nothing to be done about it. I can’t turn him. We both know it. “I…I can’t.”
“Bullshit. You won’t.”
That accusation brings the fire straight back to my belly and I stand taller, determined for him to understand. “You’re right. I won’t risk losing you because you’re jealous of Thomas.”
“Then you’ll lose me either way.”
Pain, bright and terrible, hits me in the center of my chest at the t
hought of him dying. “I’d rather have all your years than try to turn you and make you into a monster.”
“What’s sixty more years in the face of eternity? He’ll always have you. He knows it. You’re already more connected to him than any of the rest of us. You give him your blood every night and probably your body too. I’m not an idiot, Felicity. I know he takes every chance to get inside you as the sun sets. I have ears.”
Guilt hits me because he’s right. Thomas and I have made love each night this week as he feeds from me. Then I go to them, pretend I’m not worried they’ll notice, and I give in to my hunger.
“You don’t understand. If he doesn’t take from me, he’ll have to feed from one of you. Are you willing to let another man make you feel the way I do when I take your blood?”
His eyes widen. “You can’t be serious.”
“All vampire bites are the same. There are varying levels of pleasure involved, but it’s a shared intimacy. I let him feed from me so you don’t have to.”
He snorts. “Not to mention, he’d probably kill us. But it’s not just that. I hate knowing you have something so special with him that you’ll never have with me.”
Taking his hand, I thread our fingers together. When he doesn’t pull away, I smile softly. “But he won’t be able to give me all the things I get from you. Each of you has stitched yourself into my heart and you’ll never be removed or replaced. Don’t you understand? I may have a different type of connection with Thomas, but I have a different one with you, too.”
Those piercing eyes of his narrow. “So, you won’t turn me?”
I shake my head. “No.”
It’s almost as though he lowers a curtain between us. Everything seems farther away than it had. He’s making a choice to hide himself from me because I can’t risk ruining him. I can feel the warm metal of his ring on his finger, but he pulls his hand free of mine and with calm determination, removes the ring.
“I think you should keep this for now, princess. I need some time to think about where we go from here.”
My heart splinters when he turns my hand palm up and drops the heavy piece of jewelry in the center. Have I lost him already?
“What?” I hate how broken my voice sounds—how weak.
“This…thing the five of us have…it only works if we’re all on the same playing field. That’s not what’s happening now.”
“I love you, Sebastian. Can’t you see that?”
He shakes his head. “I thought I’d never doubt our future. But maybe I’m not cut out for this kind of arrangement. Maybe I’m not a man who can share the woman he loves. I don’t know.”
My eyes sting with tears and my throat is tight with overwhelming emotion. I can’t lose him. “Let me fix it. How can I make this better?”
“Turn me.”
I close my eyes and feel the first trail of moisture run down my cheek. “I won’t.”
Letting out a shuddering sigh, he steps away from me. “I’m not leaving. Not yet. We have too much to do for you and your people. But when this is over—after you ascend—if you won’t turn me, promise you’ll let me go.”
The thought of him walking out of my life sets a dull ache in my heart. It’s persistent and I fear it will only be a precursor to the rest of my life if he’s not with me. I stay silent, unable to give him what he wants. Without another word, he walks away, toward the house, and leaves me alone with my own thoughts.
Chapter 8
I don’t open the channel of communication with Thomas when I walk back into the house. I can’t. All I can think about is how much I’ve hurt Sebastian without even realizing it. Have I done the same to Garrett and Miller?
Everyone seems distant when I enter the living room. They’re all here, in the same room, but completely separate. No one is talking or playing cards. It’s as if they’re all strangers forced to be here against their will. But when they see me, their gazes find mine, and I feel a sense of completion at having them all together. I stand on a knife’s edge of control over my need to take their blood. All of their scents here in one room creates a war of need and hunger inside me.
“Princess,” Garrett says, standing and offering me a slight smile.
Walking across the room, I wrap my arms around him and hug him to me. I want him to envelop me and remind me of everything we have. He gives a low chuckle and drops a kiss on the top of my head. “I’ve missed you,” I whisper.
“I’m here. I’ve been here.”
His words remind me that I haven’t been here for them. Sebastian’s ultimatum replays in my head, making my heart ache. Am I wrong to deny his request? I don’t think so. Looking at them all, I know that I couldn’t handle going through the uncertainty of the change, the worry they might not survive, and the fear of losing them to the monster inside all turned vampires.
“I know. But I don’t think we’ve been able to take a breath and enjoy being together since we left court.”
He strokes my hair and pulls us to sit on the deep leather couch. “You’re right. We’ve all been on edge. But, it’s been over a week and there’s been no sign of Diana’s guards. I think we can relax a little.”
“We can’t let our guard down. Not ever.” Sebastian’s voice is hard and cold. He’s right, of course.
“I agree,” I say. “If Diana wants to find us, she will.”
“And, we’re running out of food. I can’t go into town. If I’m seen, they’ll tell my family I’m here and our cover will be blown.” Miller’s tone holds frustration and I realize for the first time how hard this must be for him. He’s so close to his family, but he can’t tell them he’s okay. “Someone has to go get supplies.”
“With what money?” Sebastian asks. “I didn’t exactly pack my wallet when I was deemed one of Felicity’s chosen.”
Garrett shifts next to me and pulls his protective amulet from around his neck. “I’m sure we can sell these. The jewels alone are worth a fortune.”
My stomach curls with unease. “But you won’t have protection.” As soon as the words leave my mouth I realize how stupid they are since I’m now seen as a traitor. “I guess you don’t have it anyway. Those are useless now.”
“There has to be a jeweler who will pay for these, and we have four.” Garrett examines the crest of my family before glancing to each of the men.
“We have three,” Thomas says. “I left mine behind, remember?”
“Don’t you think there will be questions about why we have these? Won’t that blow our cover too?” Sebastian asks.
I shake my head. “No. The only people who know what this is are members of the Night Court. There’s no reason for them to be out here, and if you go during daylight hours, the risk of any of them being outside the safety of court is small.”
“I’ll go in the morning.” Garrett’s voice is strong and sure. “Hand me your amulets. I can sell them and bring us what we need by nightfall.”
Miller stands and passes his pendant to Garrett with worry clear on his face. “It’s a five mile walk. I can take you to the outskirts of town, but I won’t be able to enter.”
Garrett nods and takes Sebastian’s offered pendant. “Make a list of what we need and if you can get me a map of the village, I’ll be able to do this faster.”
The thought of Garrett out there, alone, makes me uncomfortable. “I don’t—“
He silences me with a kiss, then pulls away and smiles. “I’m not going out to fight a nest of vampires. We’re in my world, Miller’s village. These are humans with human abilities, nothing more.”
His words ease my tension, but only slightly. I won’t be able to go to him if something happens. Thomas and I will be trapped by the sun. “Sebastian should go with you.”
“And leave you here unprotected?” Sebastian cuts in.
“Thomas and I will be safe. The door is locked and even if someone managed to enter, they wouldn’t know he and I were in the basement.”
“No way,” he says. “That’s
asking for trouble. I’m not leaving you here defenseless. Garrett’s right, these are normal human people. They might give him a second glance because he’s new to town, but that’ll be all.”
Thomas is staring daggers at me from across the room as I sit next to Garrett. I know he’s trying to communicate with me, but I can’t open myself up to him right now. Not when Sebastian is here and Garrett is putting himself at risk. We can’t have secrets and anything Thomas and I say without them hearing is like a secret in my eyes.
“Fine. Do what you think is right, but promise me you’ll take something to defend yourself with.”
Garrett runs his fingers over my cheek and jaw. “I promise.”
“Good. I couldn’t bear anything happening to you.” I look pointedly at Sebastian. “Any of you.” Standing, I begin to make my way to the kitchen, but my head swims and I wobble on my feet before sitting again. Closing my eyes, I take a breath to steady myself, overwhelmed by the urge to feed.
“Felicity!” Garrett cries, wrapping me in his arms. “What’s wrong?”
My hunger is rising with every breath I take, the level of need inside me unusually strong. “I have to feed. I don’t know why it’s hitting me so hard, but I can’t hold the hunger off any longer.”
“Take from me,” he offers immediately.
I glance around the room and my desire for blood grows along with my arousal. I know deep in my bones that I’ll need them all before this is over. I need them to give me their blood and I will give them my body.
Chapter 9
“I need you all,” I say, my voice husky and laced with lust. “In every way.”
The flare of primal need that answers in Miller’s gaze sends a wave of pleasure through me. Garrett tugs his shirt over his head and bares his neck while Miller walks to me and takes my hands. He pulls me to my feet and slides his hands into my hair before kissing me, his tongue delving inside. The taste of his blood fills my mouth as he cuts himself on my fangs. I revel in the warm, richness of him. Garrett’s hands run up my waist and to my breasts, cupping their weight in his palms over the fabric of my dress.
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