by Lynn Hagen
* * * *
“Did they really convert him?” Rio looked toward the closed door. There was uncertainty in his eyes, as though he wasn’t sure what to think. That seemed to be the general consensus. The entire pack seemed baffled, and a few men looked downright pissed. But if the triplets hadn’t converted Colton, he would be dead right now, and they would be mourning his loss.
That was something Matt didn’t even want to think about. The brother had been through too much, but he was strong and would, hopefully, adjust to his new way of life the way Stephen had.
“Shit’s about to hit the fan,” Tap said. “I kind of feel sorry for those vampires. Colton’s gonna unleash his dark side on them.”
Matt couldn’t have stopped the conversion if he’d wanted to. They were Colton’s mates, and they had rights over him. Still, he didn’t want to be around when Colton woke up. It wasn’t going to be pretty.
“Go find those bastards who did this to him,” Matt snarled at them, feeling partly responsible because he’d given Colton the okay to work for him again. “I don’t give a fuck about any warrants. I want them dead for what they did to him.”
Rio’s eyes widened slightly before the men filtered out of the clinic. Matt gave the closed door one last look before he walked out. No one was gonna sleep until the men who’d done this were caught. He would make sure of that.
Chapter Ten
Colton cracked his eyes open to the worst hunger possible. His throat was tight, and his stomach felt as though it hadn’t been full in forever. He had to squint against the bright light in the room and wasn’t even sure where he was, but he detected others there with him.
Memories of his attack flooded back, and Colton leapt from the table and landed in a crouch as he snarled. Nothing seemed to be in focus, and all he saw were blurs.
Hungry.
He was so damn hungry.
He’d been in the alley, and now he wasn’t. Colton hadn’t the first clue where he was, but if the shadows attacked, he would rip them to pieces.
But something was…off. He felt power flowing through him, power he’d never felt before. His muscles bunched, and his heart raced as he backed up, trying to make sense of everything.
Someone spoke, but Colton couldn’t make out what the person was saying. The voice was garbled, as though he or she were underwater. He shook his head, growling at the threat.
Then he smelled it. Colton wasn’t sure what that succulent odor was, but he wanted it. He needed it. His throat grew even tighter, drier, and pain shot through his stomach as he scented the air.
Why can’t I see anything or think right now? The only thing he could focus on was that delightful smell. It consumed him. He moved a bit closer, licking his lips as he sniffed his surroundings.
His ears began to buzz as he became lightheaded. The hunger grew, forcing him even closer. The shadows were stationary and hadn’t moved since Colton had leapt from the table. They seemed familiar, but…damn it, he couldn’t think when the pangs twisted his gut and strangled his throat.
He shook his head and pressed the heels of his hands against his temples.
“Feed.”
That single word filtered past the fog. Something warm and wet touched his lips, and Colton latched on, drawing in the sweet ambrosia, whimpering as it slid down his throat. He couldn’t seem to get enough.
Another sensation slammed into him. Colton’s body filled with a desperate need. His cock throbbed as he slowly rose to his feet. The blur of the room was no longer so intense, but he still couldn’t make anything out.
He jerked when wet lips engulfed his cock. Colton spread his legs when a tongue lapped at his hole. His body ignited into one raw nerve as he drank.
“Enough.”
Colton snarled when his nose was pinched, cutting off his air. He had no choice but to release his food, but he fought to keep a tight hold on it.
Then it returned, but the flavor was different from the first one. Colton didn’t care. He was still so hungry.
From behind, someone moved him forward, and then his chest was pressed against something hard and flat. He hadn’t let go of the lifeline at his mouth, but a hard, thick cock thrust deep inside him.
The longer Colton drank, the more he saw. His senses were coming back to him. Standing in front of him was Corbin, on the other side of the steel table Colton was bent over.
“Is your thirst dwindling?” Corbin brushed his knuckles over Colton’s jaw as the cock in his ass thrust harder and deeper. A heavenly set of lips still sucked his cock.
The fog lifted from his brain, and Colton realized he was feeding from Corbin’s wrist. He wanted to be repulsed, wanted to shove Corbin away, but…the hunger still wasn’t satisfied.
“Drink as much as you need,” Lucian whispered into his ear, and Colton now knew who was fucking him, which meant Antonio was the one giving him head.
“Enough.” Corbin pinched his nose, and Colton started to argue that Lucian said he could have as much as he needed, but Antonio moved away from his cock and took Corbin’s place, biting into his wrist before pressing it against Colton’s mouth.
And Corbin took Antonio’s place, sucking Colton’s cock down his throat. Colton latched onto Antonio’s wrist, and the buildup swept through him, making him growl into the man’s skin as his orgasm shook him to his core.
Lucian’s hands were on Colton’s shoulders, and Lucian bucked as he came. But Colton didn’t stay empty long. When Lucian moved aside, Corbin took his place, fucking Colton to within an inch of a coma.
Finally, Colton was able to release Antonio’s wrist. He cried out as Corbin pounded into him. He slammed his fist into the table and snarled as Corbin took him to the brink of ecstasy. His buildup was slow this time, burning him from the inside out.
“I love how you feel wrapped around my cock,” Corbin whispered into his ear.
To Colton’s surprise, he wasn’t embarrassed to be with them all at once. It was a turn-on he hadn’t anticipated but loved—especially since Lucian was on his knees, working Colton’s dick like a dream.
Antonio moved onto the table and pulled his cock free, feeding it to Colton as Corbin punched his hips forward. Colton ate Antonio’s cock like a greedy bastard, until a sharp pain pierced his shaft. Colton gasped as another, even stronger orgasm rocked him while Lucian drank from the long vein that ran the length of Colton’s dick.
He collapsed against the table, whining so loudly he sounded pathetic but uncaring what they thought of him. He’d never had an orgasm that hard in his life.
“Open wide.” Antonio tapped the head of his cock against Colton’s lips, and Colton did as his mate asked.
He wasn’t sure how, but his sexual appetite seemed to have doubled. Colton couldn’t get enough of Antonio as Corbin pistoned into him and Lucian kept lapping at his cock.
When Antonio came, so did Corbin, and like a domino effect, Colton joined them.
When he collapsed on the table this time, Colton sucked in ragged breaths as he tried to get his heart to slow. He’d never been so thoroughly used in his life.
It wasn’t until he’d gotten his breathing under control that he noticed how quiet the room had become. Colton pushed himself to a standing position and saw how still the triplets were, like they’d been in his mother’s kitchen—unmoving, unblinking statues.
They had also readjusted their clothes. They simply stood there watching him, and damn if that wasn’t an eerie look. Colton studied them, wondering why they’d gone so still, and then his brain kicked back into gear.
“You converted me.” Colton dropped into the chair situated close to the table. Now more than ever he wished he had clothes. He felt exposed and unsure how to handle this situation. They’d turned him into a goddamn half-breed. Feeling numb, he looked at Lucian. “Why?”
The vampire finally moved, if turning his head was considered moving. “You were dying from the silver poisoning, and there wasn’t anything the vet could do.”
&n
bsp; Anger rolled through Colton like a tsunami, but it was undercut by sorrow and guilt. Erik—the vampire who had killed Colton’s brother—had torn his family apart, had made his mother commit suicide, and had left Colton alone in this world.
But he wasn’t alone. He was just starting out with his mates, but every time he was with them, he felt a calm come over him, as if he was where he belonged.
Colton rested his elbows on his knees and pressed his face into his hands. Shocked was an understatement, but he still felt the same. He still felt his wolf inside him, but it was as though the beast was stronger now, and so was Colton.
He now had the vampires’ strength to complement his shifter abilities. But he was torn, as well. Never would Colton have agreed to be converted if the choice hadn’t been life or death.
Colton lifted his head when someone knocked on the door. Lucian opened it to find a backpack sitting on the floor. The vampire grabbed it, closed the door, and then unzipped it. He looked at Colton and moved very slowly toward him, as if Colton would go feral at any second.
“Clothes.”
Colton took the backpack, pulled his stuff out, and then dressed, feeling much better now that his bits and pieces were covered.
“How upset are you?” Corbin asked. “I expected you to tear this room apart, but you’re a little too calm. That worries me.”
“I honestly don’t know what to think right now.” Colton held the empty backpack in his hand, playing with the strap as he tried to work through his emotions.
Getting pissed would only send him spiraling back into his dark mood, and he’d enjoyed being free of it after mating the triplets. He had almost felt like his old self again for a short moment in time.
But he was now part vampire, which meant he would have to feed. He’d become one of the enemy.
They’re not the enemy. They’re your coven. Erik and Magnus were the enemy, not Lucian, Corbin, Antonio, or even Victor. Colton actually smiled when he thought of the little mouse. He even liked the bartender…what was his name? Reggie?
Colton wasn’t sure, but he’d liked the guy.
And Stephen had adjusted to the vampire life, although he’d been attacked and converted against his will. He seemed happy and upbeat whenever Colton was in the office.
“Colton?” Lucian said with worry in his voice.
Colton held up a hand. “Just…give me a minute.”
The three were statues again. He couldn’t even see their chests moving. “I’m gonna kick your asses if you guys don’t stop acting like”—he waved a hand at them—“like…that.”
A smile blossomed on Antonio’s face. Lucian looked uncertain, and Corbin relaxed his pose.
“Are we forgiven?” Corbin asked.
“I’m still straddling the fence,” Colton said. “And I’m also ready to get out of here. The room is drenched in the smell of sex and blood. I need fresh air.”
And time to absorb what had happened to him and how his life had irrevocably changed.
Again.
Lucian, who stood closest to the door, opened it and stepped aside. Colton got up and walked out, leaving the backpack behind as he headed for the exit. Dr. Whitfield was seated behind his desk, looking some files over. When Colton passed him, the doctor looked up.
“Glad to see you’re feeling better.”
Colton gave a short nod, still feeling out of it. “Thanks for all your help.”
The doctor shook his head. “Don’t thank me. I couldn’t save you. If it wasn’t for your mates…” He stood and approached Colton. “There is no question in my mind that they saved your life.”
And although Colton wasn’t sure how to feel about becoming a vampire, he was thankful to be alive. That was what he needed to remember. He wasn’t ready to become worm food. He still had a long life to live, people to execute warrants against, and mates to contend with.
And as much as he’d fought against it, Colton even had a coven he needed to get to know better. He also had pack bonds he needed to strengthen. He’d pushed his brethren away for far too long.
He was definitely returning to his old self, the man who laughed a lot, who forgave quicker, and who cared deeply about those he considered friends.
Colton turned to his mates and looked the handsome devils over. How could he not be thankful for many more eons with them? They’d stood by his side, even when Colton hadn’t wanted anything to do with them, and had been there for him when he needed them the most.
A smile curved Antonio’s mouth. “Let’s go for a run.”
After shaking the doctor’s hand, Colton took off, racing out the door and through the woods that surrounded Mercury, his mates’ right next to him as the wind whipped past him. A freedom Colton hadn’t felt in a very long time made him smile, and then he threw his head back and laughed as he used his inhuman speed to beat all three of them back to the club.
* * * *
“Where do you want this box?” Antonio asked as he came into the living room of Colton’s mother’s house.
It had taken Colton over a month to step foot back in this place and another few weeks before he could stand there without crying.
Now he was packing her belongings and seemed okay, but Antonio still kept an eye on his mate, making sure Colton didn’t fall apart again.
Antonio and his brothers had been converted so long ago he couldn’t even recall what his mother had looked like. He wasn’t sure if he would prefer feeling nothing at all when he thought about her or the raw pain Colton felt whenever he came across a picture of his mother.
“She was very beautiful,” Antonio said as he took seat next to his mate. “Do you feel like telling me about her?”
Colton looked surprised at the question and then spent the next few hours telling Antonio about their lives before they’d lost their father and the years afterward. There was a certain shine in Colton’s eyes as he spoke, and Antonio could tell his mate had loved his family very much.
While Colton talked, Lucian and Corbin came by and joined in, and the four of them enjoyed the rest of their evening as everyone helped Colton pack the place up. Most boxes were marked for Goodwill, but there was a box or two that Colton wanted to keep, photo albums and memorabilia that he couldn’t part with.
They still hadn’t found the men who had attacked Colton, but everyone was looking for them—their coven and Colton’s pack. Sooner or later they would surface, and when they did, Antonio and his brothers would be there to end their miserable lives.
But in the meanwhile, the Veneto brothers had officially become Masters of the coven, and Colton continued to do what he loved, only with more power behind him since he’d been converted. Antonio had no doubt Colton could hold his own, but with three very powerful vampires backing him up and loving him deeply, he was the safest wolf on the planet.
THE END
WWW.LYNNHAGEN.COM
[email protected]

Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com