“I’m sorry, love,” I told her quietly once we were alone. She turned in my arms and stared up at me with sad eyes.
“I’m used to it,” she muttered with a delicate shrug.
“Well, now you have plenty of nosy family who will inevitably drive you crazy.”
She wound her arms around my neck and went up on her tiptoes to brush a sweet kiss across my lips. “Sounds perfect.”
I finally had my consort all to myself again, and I swept her up into my arms and took her straight back to our bed. After wearing her out with the orgasms she’d earned as a reward, we both fell asleep.
We woke just as the sun was sinking below the horizon, and I rolled on top of my mate, hungry for a “morning” snack.
“Selene!”
The sudden and unexpected voice startled us, and I scrambled out of bed to face the intruder.
Thana was walking toward us from another part of the room, obviously having teleported to our home. “Kieran is going to be so mad at me for slipping out on him since he wanted me to wait until he’d talked with Athan, but I just had to see that you were okay.” She stopped and gasped when she realized I was standing naked by the bed and clapped her hands over her eyes. “Oh, crap! I’m sorry. I thought—”
Kieran popped into the room as the last words fell from her mouth and scowled at his woman. “Baby, you are hell-bent on a spanking today, aren’t you?”
I turned to toss a quilt over Selene even though the sheet fully covered her. If she hadn’t been, I would have blinded Kieran already. And I wasn’t thrilled with the thought of anyone, not even a woman, seeing what was for my eyes only.
Then I glared at him before turning my irritated eyes to Thana. “Leave,” I demanded through a clenched jaw.
“Watch your tone with my wife, brother,” Kieran snarled from beside me.
Knowing I would have the same reaction if he spoke to Selene in such a manner, I couldn’t fault him for his warning. “Sorry,” I mumbled. I sighed and softened my voice before making a request. “Would you two please wait downstairs while we get some clothes on?”
“Sure thing!” Thana squeaked, still covering her eyes. She turned and walked straight into the nearest wall, making Selene giggle, and Kieran rolled his eyes affectionately. He stalked over to her and pulled her into his arms before they disappeared from the room.
Shortly after that, we met them in the library, and Selene and Thana ran to hug each other. I couldn’t help smiling at the joy it brought to my consort’s face.
After a few minutes of chattering, they began to whisper.
Kieran and I stood a few feet away from them, and I filled him in on what had happened with Selene’s parents.
“Athan.” Selene’s sweet voice drew my attention, and I gazed down at her lovingly.
“Yes, my love?”
“I want to talk to Thana.”
I smiled and nodded, then started to turn back to my brother until she cleared her throat and pinched my forearm. “Alone,” she insisted. She clearly saw my intent to argue because she added, “About girl stuff and um...the…um, claiming.”
A light bulb went on then. Of course, Selene would want to talk to another woman who’d been through the ceremony. “Stay close, love,” I requested before kissing her temple.
She smiled and gestured to the door to the kitchen. “We’re just going to go wander in the gardens.” The kitchen had an exit that led to the back of our property where I’d built a botanical paradise years ago.
With one more chaste kiss on her lips, I let her walk past me, but not without a firm pat on her sweet ass. She threw me an admonishing look, and I just smiled wickedly, a wealth of promise in my expression.
Once the girls were gone, I led Kieran into the kitchen and poured us each a glass of blood. While our consort’s blood would always be the most delicious to us, we’d still need bagged blood so we didn’t drain each other. Not that it would kill either of us, but it would make us weak and vulnerable.
“Have you talked to Stephan lately?” Kieran asked.
I swallowed the liquid in my mouth before answering. “Not really, he’s been working a lot. He was at the party last night, but I took off with Selene.”
Kieran glared at me. “Yes, something that greatly distressed my wife, who’d missed her friend for a very long time. If I didn’t know what you were experiencing, you’d be groveling to her right now.”
I snorted. We were matched pretty evenly in size and had yet to end a tussle in anything other than a draw. Stephan was more toned and had several inches on us, and his strength wasn’t to be underestimated either.
“Thana says he’s been working so much because he’s struggling with how long it took us to find our consorts. It’s a good thing I have a female who sees that kind of shit because I missed it completely.”
Nodding, I drained the rest of my glass and rinsed it in the sink. “I can understand that. He’s young. It’ll probably be even harder now that I’ve found Selene. I wish there were a way we could help him find her.”
Kieran brought his empty cup to the sink, and I washed it out as well before putting both glasses in the dishwasher. “I know. But it’ll happen when the time is right. I think maybe we should try to take his mind off it a little more.”
“Silas is having an anniversary party next month. There are bound to be numerous single women there.” I chuckled as I thought of my friend. “Any excuse to do some matchmaking. I swear he grew a pussy when he mated.”
Kieran laughed, then shrugged. “Maybe, but at least it ups the odds that some of us will find our fated mate.”
“True.” I cocked my head and smiled in the way only a brother can when he’s about to fuck with his sibling. “I’ll call Stephan in the morning before he goes to bed and tell him we’re taking him to the party.” We walked toward the door to the garden, and I added, “Hog-tied if we have to.”
7
Selene
Thana hushed me when I started to talk after we stepped outside. “If we’re going to girl talk, we need to be farther away. Kieran and Athan have great hearing.”
She practically dragged me across the patio and into the garden. I looked around in awe at the flowers surrounding us. “Wow, this is so beautiful.”
“Yeah, Kieran and Athan definitely inherited a green thumb along with their vampirism.” Thana huffed, which I found hilarious.
I bent over at my waist, slapping my thigh as I giggled. “Remember that time in science class when we had to measure plant growth, but you almost failed because you kept killing your sunflower? Even though Mrs. Walters said they almost grow themselves?”
“Don’t remind me.” She planted her hands on her hips and glared at me. “She was so awful about it, acting as though I’d killed the stupid plant on purpose or something.”
I straightened and grinned at my best friend. She looked so grumpy about the memory from almost a decade ago. Moving closer, I gave her a big hug. “At least she didn’t get the chance to fail you.”
“Only because you rescued me by planting three different kinds of plants and bringing me the one that sprouted the quickest.” She laughed and shook her head. “I ate the crap out of that darn radish once the assignment was over even though I don’t like them. I just did it to spite her.”
“Oh, my gosh.” I giggled so hard that tears streamed down my cheeks. “I totally forgot about that. You waited until Mrs. Walters had lunch duty and brought the radish into school even though you bought lunch, just so you could eat it in front of her. Man, she really hated you after that.”
“So much,” Thana groaned, dropping down onto a stone bench and tilting her head back to stare up at the night sky. “My mom gave me this huge lecture about not being petty with authority figures, but then she went into the school and raised hell with the principal about how Mrs. Walters better not take the whole thing out on me.”
Sitting down beside her, I gripped her hand in mine. “Your parents really were the best.”
“I miss them so much,” she whispered, resting her head against my shoulder.
I hugged her close. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you when they died. I hate that your aunt took you away and never brought you back.”
“I never blamed you,” she vowed, squeezing me back. “All’s well that ends well. Now that you and Athan are together, you’re going to be a part of my life forever. And after the crap my aunt pulled when Kieran and I met, we’ll probably never see her again.”
Shifting to face her, I asked, “What exactly happened with Aunt Judy? You were kind of vague about everything that went down with her last year, which I’m guessing had to do with the fact you were trying to avoid the whole vampire thing.”
“Girl, I’m so glad I can finally tell you the entire story.” She proceeded to blow my mind with a tale of her surprise arranged engagement that led to the death of a nightwalker and her being claimed by Kieran.
“Whoa, that’s wild.” My eyes were wide as I stared at her. “And here I thought the way I met Athan was unusual. My story pales in comparison to yours.”
“I don’t know.” Thana tapped her finger against her chin. “Athan finding a ring that was meant for you a whole century ago is kind of shocking, too.”
“Yeah, it’s hard to wrap my head around all of this.” I stared down at the amethyst that had belonged to one of my ancestors and sighed, “But I can’t deny that some part deep inside me knew that Athan was mine right off the bat.”
Thana bumped her shoulder against mine. “I’m not even shocked by how easily you’re accepting all of this. You used to love that show with the girl in high school and the vampire brothers that came out a year or so before you were shipped off to boarding school.”
I giggled over her vague description of the show I made her watch when we were tweens. “I guess it isn’t a surprise that I ended up with a vampire since I’ve always been kind of obsessed with them. Before I discovered The Vampire Diaries, I was addicted to True Blood.”
“We were darn lucky your parents never caught us watching that one.” She fanned herself, most likely remembering one of the many sex scenes we’d been scandalized over back then. The show had been something we definitely shouldn’t have been watching at that age, but I’d been drawn to shows depicting the supernatural world after binge watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and there had only been so many to choose from.
“Yeah, but I’m not sure if they would’ve freaked out more because of the sex or the vampires.” I shook my head and heaved a deep sigh. “I can’t believe they’ve known about them all this time and never said a word.”
“I bet that’s a part of why they hated how much you were fascinated by vampires. What are the odds that your aunt was a potential consort who was killed by a nightwalker?”
I wiggled my fingers in the air, the moonlight bouncing off the amethyst. “Probably the same as Athan finding this a hundred years ago.”
“Good point,” she conceded with a smile.
“Soooo,” I drawled, wagging my brows. “I guess we should get to the reason I wanted to have this little chat.”
Thana bounced on the bench, rubbing her hands together. “You have questions about the claiming, right?”
“Yup.” I nodded, my cheeks heating as I thought about the few details Athan had already shared with me.
“Losing your virginity, no matter how good last night was, will pale in comparison to what happens when Athan claims you.” The pink in her cheeks matched mine, making me giggle. It came out sounding super nervous, probably because I couldn’t imagine a night more intense than the one I’d already spent with Athan. “The level of dominance during the claiming is through the roof.”
Considering how Athan had mastered my body last night, drawing reactions from me that I didn't think were possible, my jaw dropped. “How so?”
She traced her finger over the inside of her wrist and shivered, her lips curving up in a smile of pure feminine satisfaction. “If it’s anything like my claiming, there will be a little bondage, some biting, and lots of orgasms.”
“Well, then.” I cleared my throat and grinned. “I guess I have a lot to look forward to.”
“Without a doubt.” She took my hands in hers. “But the claiming is more than just mind-blowing sex. It’s so powerful when you share the claiming words with each other.”
She went on to explain what Athan would say and how I was supposed to respond. My ring warmed on my finger, almost as though it was anticipating the moment I would fulfill my destiny with Athan.
“And after you experience the most amazing night of your life, you’ll find the bond between you and Athan unlike anything you’ve ever felt before.” She let out a dreamy sigh and smiled with a faraway look in her eyes. “Inner walls you didn’t even know you had will come crashing down, and you’ll be totally open to him. But it won’t scare you because his will too, and you’ll have no doubts about exactly how much you mean to him. It’s so freeing to understand you’re right where you’re meant to be.”
I was so touched by the description of her connection with Kieran, tears filled my eyes. “I’m thrilled you found him. It’s really great to see you so happy. You’re practically glowing.”
“Oh!” Her lips formed a perfect O as she dropped her hand to cover her belly. “You raced out of the ballroom before I shared the news with Kieran, so you didn’t hear. That’s the pregnancy glow.”
“You’re going to have a baby?” I shrieked, clapping my hands together.
“Yup.” She beamed a smile at me. “I have a little daywalker on board.”
“That’s awesome.” I stood and pulled Thana to her feet, giving her a big hug before brushing my palm over her still-flat belly. “I’m so excited to be here for your pregnancy. I can’t wait to go shopping for adorable baby stuff with you. This is going to be awesome. Can we go tomorrow, or is it too soon?”
“That sounds perfect to me. I’ll have Kieran set everything up with the baby boutique in town so they stay open a little late for us,” she offered.
Living most of my life in the evening and night was going to take some getting used to, but spending it with Athan—and having Thana so close—was more than worth the minor inconvenience. “I’ll let—”
I broke off when I spotted a stranger striding through the garden toward us. The man was tall and pale, with blond hair and sunken eyes that glowed red. His lips spread in an evil grin, showing a set of fangs that were stained red. I gasped in fear, and Thana whirled around.
“Nightwalker,” she hissed, confirming my suspicion.
His gaze was locked on me, and he didn’t react to what Thana said. It was almost as though he couldn’t see anything beyond me until Thana stepped in front of me and blocked my body from his line of sight. “What are you doing?” I muttered, pulling on her arm so she’d get behind me. “I know you’re stronger than me because Kieran claimed you, but you have the baby to worry about now. You need to focus on protecting the life growing inside you, not me.”
Thana didn’t budge, no matter how hard I tugged. She kept her gaze on the nightwalker, not letting him out of her sight. “I won’t have to protect either one of us. Kieran and Athan will handle the nightwalker.”
The supernatural world was so new to me; it took a moment before I realized why she was so confident. Thana could telepathically call to Kieran, alerting him of the danger. Then it would only take a blink of an eye for them to arrive and save us. I was filled with a deep sense of relief...and a desire to be claimed by my sexy vampire as soon as all of this was over.
8
Athan
I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned my hip on the kitchen counter, my eyes glued to the door that led to the gardens. “How long do you think they’ll be?” I wondered.
Kieran’s whole body went rigid, and when he glanced at me, his eyes were a little wild. “Now. They need us now.” Then he disappeared. I popped into the gardens, only a few feet from Selene, t
hanks to the small connection we already had.
A nightwalker was barreling down the walkway, headed straight for my mate. He didn’t even seem to notice Kieran and me moving in to stand in front of our women until we were right in front of him. “Move,” he hissed.
If he hadn’t been threatening my mate, I might have laughed at his idiotic command. Not that I was altogether surprised. It was rare that a nightwalker had the balls to step foot on Bancroft land, which meant that this asshole was a moron with a death wish.
“Selene, let’s go,” Thana urged in a whisper when the nightwalker was only an arm’s reach away. It was perfect timing, which I assumed was planned by Kieran and Thana through their bond. I hated that I couldn’t comfort and reassure my woman through a telepathic and soul-deep connection. It also meant that Selene was vulnerable, and that was unacceptable. As soon as I dealt with this parasite, I was claiming my consort.
I heard the girls’ footsteps as they rushed away, and the intruder’s eyes flew over my shoulder. My hand darted out, and I grabbed his bicep in a punishing grip, keeping him from teleporting after our women since I refused to let him take me with. My power dwarfed his, and he could not force me to portal with him.
“They’re taken, so you should probably keep your eyes to yourself,” I drawled. The nightwalker sneered and took a swipe at me with his other hand.
I dodged his blow just as Kieran called, “Heads-up.” Without taking my eyes from the evil psycho glaring at me with red eyes and a bloodstained shirt, I reached out and caught the stake Kieran tossed to me.
“Going after a consort was a stupid idea,” I told him through clenched teeth. I would always protect Selene, but images of what could have happened to her were making me edgy. “But going after a Bancroft consort?” I tsked. “You obviously have a death wish. So I’m going to do you a favor and help you out.” He wrenched his arm and snarled at me before his eyes went wide, and he hissed as his face twisted with pain.
The Love Bitten Series: Volume 1 Page 11