Victor was right there next to her and handing her a blade as they prepared to fight. She wasn’t sure if her guys would join in or if that would be a major political faux pas. If she’d learned anything in her life with her family, it was that mage business was best handled by mages.
With Victor’s blade, she sliced open the palm of her hand and called to her blood, willing her power to come forth. Like a tsunami hitting the shore, at first there was less than nothing, but then it all came roaring back. She felt like it was exploding out of her like a jet breaking the sound barrier. As she spoke a quiet incantation, a large barrier went up around them, enclosing Lord Mara and his cohorts within. For a moment, it shimmered around them like a bubble before it started to harden into an almost diamond-like structure.
Her once-fiancé thrust his sword through the barrier before it could harden completely around them, and made a hole big enough for some of the smaller members of his group to slip through. Unfortunately, unless he stripped off his impressive armor, he would be stuck, and since he hadn’t yet recalled the magic that created his armor, she was willing to bet that taking it off would be a last resort.
Around her, the vampire princes surged forward, tackling the few members of Lord Mara’s group who were able to make it through the hole. The attack was brutal between the two forces, and she did her best to help, freezing other mages here, making them see things there. She hoped that they were able to get it under control before any of the necromancers were able to raise any dead. Undead warriors were almost impossible to stop, and most magic didn’t work on them since they were technically, well, dead.
Fist fights were breaking out between them, which, somewhere in the back of her mind, Charlotte found amusing. After all, these were mages and vampires. She turned to go to Victor and help him, when Silas dove in front of her as something white exploded in front of her eyes.
The vampire prince was on the ground and not even twitching. Her heart turned to stone in her chest. She couldn’t lose one of them when they had only just started, when she’d only just told them who she was. Everything in her felt like it lit on fire as she stared down at Silas’s still form.
Charlotte screamed and felt her magic come to her aid in her distress. It roared out of her like a lion establishing dominance. Every mage in the room except Victor was frozen as she stalked over to the dome of diamond.
“You were never going to have me. I’m already mated to the princes, so you couldn’t have taken me even if you would have tried. If you’d just left, then none of this would have happened, but you were a greedy asshole, no better than a human. Your pathetic lust for power has been your downfall. You’ve lost everything. May the Maker damn your soul to an eternity of torment,” she shouted at him over the rushing sound in her head.
Her hands came up of their own accord, and her palms faced the opening in the dome. Fire spewed forth from her, but it wasn’t just any fire. It was hellfire, as some mages liked to call it. She preferred to call it Mage Fire, as only mages could produce it, and even then, the skill was rare. She hadn’t known what was going to come forth when her hands rose, but as the red-and-purple flames licked their way over the ground to Lord Mara and his companions, she felt no remorse at what she had done.
Their shrill screams broke through the room like an eagle hunting, but she didn’t stop, wouldn’t stop, not until the sounds died out. Nothing mattered after this point except that the men who hurt Silas, not killed, because she couldn’t think like that, but the men who hurt Silas paid for it, not only that but paid for trying to take her from them as well.
When even the slight grunting sounds had stopped, Charlotte waited a moment before ceasing the flames. As soon as she did, the rest of the world drifted in. She knew her mage marks were visible, and that Victor would be upset, but she didn’t care. All she wanted to focus on now was Silas.
She crashed to her knees next to Silas and began running her hands all over his body, looking for the injury. Blood was pooling, albeit slowly, on the floor around him, but she couldn’t see where it was coming from. They needed to find the source so they could stem the tide.
“Help me roll him onto his side!” Charlotte cried out to anyone listening.
Owen and Julian appeared beside her, looking grim and a little worse for wear themselves, but they lifted him as she examined his back. The blast had a tiny pinprick of an entry point on his front but had left a gaping hole not only in his suit but his skin too. Her magic surged to the surface, and she trusted herself enough to know that it wanted to help.
Before her eyes, the power twisted through Owen, Julian, and herself, pulling some of their own life energy from them and directing it down into Silas’s body. It looked almost like fiery blood was being called forth and channeled into the wound. Charlotte honestly had no idea what she was doing, but with everything that had happened there that night, she knew she’d need to sleep for a week to recover, especially after not using magic for so long.
Charlotte watched as his wound began to knit together under her ministrations. In that moment, she knew that he would make a full recovery. It was a certainty, like her magic was reporting back to her on how he was healing and how much further it needed to go. She pulled a little more life force from the two brothers and herself before channeling it back into Silas.
Once it had all been absorbed, she turned to the two remaining brothers and said, “You should go put him to bed. He needs rest.”
“So do you, from the looks of things,” Julian said as he came over to help steady her on her feet. “Owen, could you and Victor take him upstairs?”
The middle brother of the three hauled most of Silas up, and Victor grabbed his feet while they maneuvered through the thinning crowd. Apparently, now that the entertainment was over, people no longer wanted to stick around and gawk at what had occurred.
Julian stood side by side with Charlotte, supporting some of her weight as she turned to the king and queen. “Your Majesties, please forgive me for ruining your son’s birthday celebration. It was not my intention to fight with my clan here, or at all, really. That’s why I stayed hidden for so long. It was only after I met your sons that I felt like I had something worth living for instead of just existing.” She squeezed Julian’s arm as she spoke and could see him smile down at her from the corner of her eye.
“Did I hear correctly when you said the bond was already in place?” the king asked while the queen just stared daggers at the two of them.
“Yes, Father. We completed the bond earlier, just in case Charlotte’s family showed up. We didn’t want to be parted from one another,” Julian said with a bow of his head.
“Well, there’s not much to say, then, is there?” The king harrumphed a bit before continuing. “Congratulations on finding your mate, boy. We will have to start the arrangements for the power transfer. Who did Silas and Owen pick as their mates?”
“We all picked Charlotte.”
“One female mage to three vampire males? That hardly seems fair,” the queen muttered.
“It’s already done, my love. The boys have made their choice,” the king said quietly in her ear as he ran a lock of hair between his fingers.
“I don’t see any bite marks . . .” the queen replied.
Charlotte reached behind her and undid the choker necklace, revealing one bite mark on each side of her neck. “The third bite mark is not appropriate to display in present circumstances, Your Majesty.”
The queen peered at Charlotte’s neck while the king grinned at his son, clearly proud that there was an intimate bite mark.
“At least you picked a fighter,” the queen said after a moment’s pause. “I know she won’t let anything hurt you, and if the powers she displayed tonight were any indication of what she’s capable of, then she and her family will be powerful allies.”
Charlotte tried to curtsy to show the queen her gratitude, but her legs gave out under her halfway through. Julian caught her so she didn’t end up making
an idiot of herself in front of everyone, especially after she’d just been such a badass.
“I believe you best take your mate upstairs and allow her to get some rest. Seems like this was quite a drain on her energy reserves. It’s not every day a dome of diamond appears in one’s ballroom,” the queen said, waving her hand at them in dismissal.
Julian walked them out of the room, and as soon as they were away from prying eyes, he scooped her up and carried her the rest of the way. Charlotte was grateful for the assist. She’d forgotten how many stairs stood between the ballroom and the princes’ suite. Her mind couldn’t even fathom it in that moment, let alone her legs. It was only vaguely that she was noticing the blood that had splattered the front of her dress.
When they were back in the suite, they found Victor sitting on the sofa while a light snore could be heard coming from Silas’s bedroom.
“Thank you for coming to my aid, Brother,” Charlotte said as she stifled a yawn.
“It was much more fun than I had anticipated. And now that I know you are so close, you can expect regular calls from me.” He smiled and brushed some hair out of her face. “I’m proud of you, little acorn. What a great big oak you’ve grown up to be.”
“The great big oak would never have had a chance to grow if her brother hadn’t snuck her out of the palace. Thank you for everything you did for me,” Charlotte whispered, feeling her emotions swirling inside her.
“Just do me a favor and don’t run away again. I don’t think I could take it,” he said. His tone was joking, but there was a seriousness underlying those words that made her pause.
“No more running. I promise,” Charlotte said, making an X over her heart with her finger.
“Right, well, I’ll leave you to it, then.” He turned to Julian. “She needs to rest. Do you understand? Young love will have to wait until her magic reserves have replenished a little. What she did tonight to Lord Mara and for your brother was extraordinary. Don’t push her too hard or fast these next few days, or I’ll make what she did to Mara look like child’s play.”
Charlotte snorted while Julian promised to treat her like the princess she was. Without any warning, Victor opened up a portal and stepped through. Just as it was closing, she heard the trill of Shawshank welcoming his master back home.
“Bed. Now,” Julian said when she turned around with a smile on her face.
“Fine, but only if we all stay together. It’ll help the healing,” she said. A moment’s silence passed before she added, “I’m sorry for ruining your ball.”
“You didn’t ruin anything, I already chose my mate, I already got my Yule gift,” he said, nuzzling the top of my head.
As they walked through to Silas’s bedroom, Julian stripped until he was just in his boxers, and undid her dress so all she had to do was step out of it. By the time they were at the edge of the bed, all they had to do was climb in. Silas was on one side, and Charlotte slid in, curling up next to him with Julian at her back. Owen was snoring lightly in the chair next to the bed.
The last thought Charlotte had as she looked around at her men was that they’d need a bigger bed if this was how they were going to sleep every night, and she hoped with every fiber of her being it was.
“Whatever you want, Princess,” Julian said in a sleepy voice as he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her hips back against his. She didn’t think she’d spoken aloud, but she was so tired that she wouldn’t put it past herself, either. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to the most peaceful sleep she’d had in years. Her dreams were filled with her mates and the promise of the joy to come in their lives.
* * *
The End
If you want more paranormal romance or reverse harem from Helen Scott, check out the Cerberus series, a complete trilogy that will take you on a magical ride filled with sexy hellhounds and trips to the Underworld.
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About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Helen Scott lives in the Chicago area with her wonderful husband and furry, four-legged kids. She spends way too much time with her nose in a book and isn’t sorry about it. When not reading or writing, Helen can be found absorbed in one video game or another or crafting her heart out.
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Read More of Helen’s Books
Immortal Hunters MC Series
Legends Unleashed Series
Twisted Fae Series
Prisoners of Nightstone Series
The Hollow Series
Salsang Chronicles Series
Wild Hunt Series
Cerberus Series
Wardens of Midnight Series
Siren Legacy Series
The Sex Tape
Buttercup (A Silver Springs Novel)
A Cursed All Hallows Eve (A Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, and Reverse Harem Halloween Themed Collection)
A Whisper from the Grave
Tricia Schneider
About A Whisper from the Grave
Josie Drummond breathes life onto canvas as she paints compelling portraits and scenes of people who lived and died long ago. The images are inspired by the brief flashes she witnesses during intensely painful migraine episodes. She thinks it’s just her creativity at work until the man in her paintings walks into her life one Christmas Eve. And if what she sees in her imagination is true then… Antonio is no ordinary man.
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He’s a vampire.
* * *
Antonio is shocked to discover his undead life portrayed on canvases hanging along Jackson Square. Even more mysterious is the woman who paints them. How can a woman from the 21st century know of his dark past in a life he lived hundreds of years ago?
Chapter 1
The pain sliced through Josie like an electric blade through her skull. She grabbed the back of the kitchen chair to keep from collapsing. She closed her eyes, fighting against the pressure in her brain, hoping this most recent episode would not last long.
Another image flashed as nausea bubbled within her. The same woman and man as the last dozen times. They were making love on a mattress with a hugely ornate bedframe and canopy. It was something she'd seen in a movie. Yes, that had to be it. A period piece. A historical movie set during medieval times with long dead kings and queens. This bedroom appeared like a room she might see in a castle. A royal bedchamber. Or, at the very least, someone of nobility.
The woman reared up, pushing the man back as she climbed atop him. With aggressive movements, she straddled him, taking him into her body. He gasped with pleasure.
Josie's body hummed with need for the man. She craved him like she craved a delicious treat that she had deprived herself of for too long. Josie whimpered as she felt the woman thrust her hips, moving her body in a seductive dance as she made love to the man. Her desire for him reflected in Josie.
Josie released the chair to sink onto the kitchen floor. She covered her eyes with the palms of her hands, riding out the spasming in her brain as the image continued to unfold.
The woman moved faster, gaining momentum as she reached her peak. The man, too, thrust his hips in response, matching the woman's movements as his hands caressed her body.
The sensations this woman experienced welled up within her. Josie could feel it as if it were her own body, her own emotions. This man had been forbidden to her, but she'd taken him anyway. The woman was ruthless, relentless, until she got what she desired. And the moment she first set eyes on this man in monk's robes, he had intrigued her, thrilled her, set her bl
ood to burning. He was handsome, with a strong jaw and sparkling eyes. She was intensely curious to see what he offered beneath those robes. She knew in that moment, she had to have him.
He'd resisted. Josie remembered the woman's thoughts from previous flashes of insight as these headaches intensified over the last few weeks. Being a man of the cloth, this man had resisted her attempts to seduce him. But the woman was not one to back down from a challenge. She'd intensified her pursuit of him. And this night, she had succeeded.
But something had happened that this relentless woman had not expected. During her pursuit of the man, her hunger for him had grown to greater proportions. She knew now that his body was not all she craved. She wanted his heart and soul as well.
As always, she'd get what she desired.
The woman's movements had grown frantic as she made love, seeking that peak of pleasure. And as she came to the decision of keeping the man forever, she trailed her fingertips along his chest, leaning over him so the tips of her breasts touched his chest. With hips continuing to thrust, she kissed his chin and cheek, reveling in his erotic grunts. Then she licked his ear, moving her lips along to his throat where the veins protruded pleasantly with his body straining against hers.
She smiled. As she felt the first stirrings of orgasm, her eyeteeth elongated, sliding out of her gums. With one quick bite, she pierced the flesh of his neck. Blood pooled into her mouth. She drank it greedily as waves and waves of pleasure shook through her body, clenching her inner walls around him.
Holidays Bite: A Limited Edition Collection of Winter Holiday Vampire Tales Page 54