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I opened the door to Mortimer’s bail bonds and dropped in the seat in front of Bea. She looked under her lashes to see who had just shown up, and when she saw me, she stopped typing and lifted her glasses up the bridge of her nose with her index finger. “Already done?” I gave Bea a small stack of bail bond paperwork, and she flipped through them, punching on her keys to enter everything in the computer system. When she flipped the last case, she stopped and gave me a stern look. “Four? Did you catch four skips in one week? Honey, you need to take a break!” I waved my hand at her. “It’s nothing. I’m trying to keep myself busy, and this is an excellent distraction.” Bea’s eyes softened but still held some worry. She and Moe always knew I liked to keep myself occupied, but I may have gone a little overboard with the number of people I had furiously chased and handcuffed before bringing them to the police station to collect my bounty. “Besides, they were easy targets,” I added to bru
Jace POV The night was starting very well, and I was happy with the number of customers who came to the opening. This would be an official vampire nightclub, where vampires would go with their pets and have fun or do business in an environment different from the office. Most of the vamps in this city worked for my father, and this club would also serve as a dispenser for the synthetic blood the Harrington and Leigh Corporation were creating—V Blood. Tonight would be the launch of the new product, and the Harrington and Leigh Corporation hoped that by doing this, vampires would stop robbing hospitals or killing humans in attempts to find blood. We needed this to work to keep our anonymity in this city and live peacefully with the humans. “Jace!” I turned at the sound of my name and waved when I saw a few of my father’s right-hand men hailing me from the seats near the dance floor. I made my way to them, hoping they would find satisfactory the hard work I had put into designing this
My head was pounding when I woke. I half-opened one eye and spotted a glass of water beside two pills and a note. I groaned and turned away from the light, hiding my face with a pillow. A flood of memories from the night before washed over me. I remembered seeing Lukas, then me chugging a bunch of whisky glasses to drown the hurtful feeling that still slumbered within me since the last time I had seen him. I had wanted to make him jealous if ever he was watching. I thought I remembered kissing Jace, asking him for more, and then… nothing. I must have passed out. Served me right for acting like a spoiled brat having a tantrum. When I worked up enough courage, I threw my pillow away, and my fingers fumbled on the pills. I downed them with the water, then looked at the note. I hoped I hadn’t embarrassed myself too much. Max, I brought you home when you fell asleep. Don’t worry. Nothing terrible happened, and you certainly did not disappoint me. I had a great time wi
Lukas POV After the incident between Max and me in the country cabin, I followed her from afar and kept a close watch. I hated myself for letting things escalate too quickly between us. I was a fool for thinking she’d understand and accept who I was. When things got so heated between us, and I felt on the verge of showing my true self, I backed away. If I had listened to myself, I would have marked Max, and she would have become mine forever, but Max deserved the choice, and I had no plans to force that on her without her consent. She was as drawn to me as I was to her, so that had to mean something, but ultimately, the choice would be hers. I’d need to tell her soon before Jace got the upper hand—if he didn’t already. Jace had issues with not getting what he wanted. I didn’t trust him alone with her, which is why I barged in when he brought her inside that meeting room—alone and away from prying eyes. When I saw Max unmoving on the table and the smell of blood, I became half afr
As the word slipped from my mouth, I slapped my hand over my lips and backed away from Lukas. Why the fuck had I said Jace’s name? Why was I even thinking about him? I pulled the covers over me and thanked God I hadn’t opened the lights. At least in darkness, I couldn’t see the complete destruction I had just done to Lukas’s ego. Shit. Fuck. Fuck. “I….” I didn’t know what to say, and it mortified me. I had deep feelings for Lukas, and I hated myself for possibly obliterating what we had built together. There was no way to salvage this. Lukas repositioned himself on the side of the bed. I heard him exhale and pass a hand over his face. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. You must have a lot on your mind right now.” I couldn’t understand how calm he was about the whole thing. For reasons beyond my comprehension, I had just said another man's name while having foreplay with someone else. What the hell was wrong with him? He should be mad at me! “If you leave, I’ll completely unde
There were apartments above the Chinese restaurant, which I thought were probably similar to my bachelor pad—one room and a bathroom. They couldn’t be much bigger since the building was small. I stopped before a door with 5B on it and knocked. Someone from within yelled to come in, so I opened the door. The entire room was dark except for what was illuminated by at least five monitors. The equipment Vic had seemed expensive, as did her setup. This looked like a hacker’s lair. The windows were painted black to prevent the sun from streaming inside. Vic had also soundproofed the walls with black panels. I thought it was more for her than the other building occupants because the person who greeted us was a tiny woman wearing a chunky and elaborate headset. “Ravenwood?” Vic looked over my shoulder and pointed her chin at Lukas. “Who’s the guy? I was told you’d come alone.” I squirmed a bit in place, and my back eventually sagged. I didn’t know why I had let Lukas tag along. Moral su
I casually walked over to Bea’s desk and sat down, waiting for her to return from the back office. Lukas was looking at the portraits in the waiting area and grumbled when I tried to shoo him outside. “Are you shy about being seen with me?” “No… well, yes. But no. It’s just… they’re like family. They’ll start asking questions about you. Please leave.” I asked as I got up and tried to push him out. Lukas chuckled, making his chest rumble, and he quickly sidestepped, engulfing me in his massive arms. “If that’s the case, they’ll love me. I mean… look at me,” Lukas said as he flashed me a perfect smile, then kissed my head. “What’s not to love?” I groaned but did nothing to stop him. I felt helpless in his strong arms, which, incidentally, I didn’t want to leave. After we attempted to get information from the bar, Lukas slept in his JEEP to watch if someone from the bar came looking for us. He hadn’t wanted to sleep in my apartment, and I felt it was because of what had happened th
Lukas stood his ground and made a low growl deep within his chest. It sounded animalistic. I didn’t think any human could do that. I placed a worried hand on his back, and it was as though I was touching a brick wall. His muscles were stiff and taut, twitching under my fingertips. When the men stepped forward, Lukas bent his knees like he was about to pounce on prey. “What business do you have with her?” He called out to the group blocking our exit. “It’s no concern of yours, dog.” One man spat. They looked angry or perhaps irritated. They certainly did not look friendly. “Actually, her business is mine as well.” This was ridiculous. We didn’t even know why they were there. The men could have information about the Umbridge case. I tried to push Lukas out of the way to face them, but Lukas didn’t give me that opportunity. He just shoved me back and growled some more. Why was he acting like a fucking caveman? “Why, exactly, do I need to go with you?” I shouted from behind Lukas.
I was high from meeting the director at the children’s home. My discussion with the director yielded interesting facts about the home and its desperate need for funds. The government provided what it could, but the man running the establishment informed me it wasn’t enough. It didn't surprise me. More and more children came into their custody, and they had difficulty finding foster homes. I elatedly accepted the director's promise to inform the board members and send me the paperwork in the coming weeks after discussing my plans to donate money and what I would like to help them with. My interest in funding couldn’t have come at a better time. I barely saw the car ride pass; I was already pulling up the small dirt road leading to Lukas’s cabin in the woods. Lexie stayed there for the moment while Lukas crashed either at his house or at my place. We had taken the habit of coming over there for dinner every two or three days to keep Lex company and to unwind. I was the first to arri
Two months laterMy finger pressed the intercom button of the police precinct.“Yes?” The robotic-sounding voice asked.“It’s Max. I have a Talulah Townsend for processing.”“Someone will be down shortly.”Talulah had broken parole and hadn’t attended her mandatory drug test. She had been my easiest catch of the week. I only had to drive down the drug strip to find her with a needle stabbed in her arm, half passed out from the shot. She was younger than me, and it broke my heart to see her like this. Oh, the joys of getting back into the trenches, I thought. I was doing my best to return to my everyday life.The back door of the station opened, and Officer Dan and a colleague walked out to take the skip. When the woman was in custody, Dan removed her cuffs to return them to me.“I heard you were back on the job. Christ, Max. You really scared the shit out of me when you stopped showing up here! They told me you probably took a vacation, but I know you. Your job’s your life.” Dan said
The wait was killing me. My leg impatiently shook when I sat on the waiting chair. The lobby under the justice court building was brightly lit and warm. I had never been in that section before. If I didn’t have Moe guiding me through the separate hallway that brought us here, in the basement, I would have never suspected there was a place specifically designed for vampire laws. The fact that I was meeting the congregation was the least of my problems. My mind was on Lukas, whom I had not seen since the fight with Ventura. Jace didn’t want me to see him and had given me very few updates on his health, but the one news that kept bothering me was that the broken ribs were more important than we initially thought. Some had pierced his lungs and had caused damages that Jace feared Lukas would have issues healing correctly. I felt terrible because it was my fault Lukas got hurt. If I hadn’t jumped in the fight, maybe things would have ended differently for all of us, and maybe Lukas woul
Ventura’s fingers tightened around my neck, and I struggled to breathe. “There goes that defiant hiss again. You’re becoming quite the little vampire. You sound just like one,” he said with a growing hatred. “Do you know how much trouble you’ve been giving me? You killed my small human army of hunters who would do my future bidding. I had a chance at a surprise attack on the Harringtons, but you blew it! You were unsuccessful at making more of yourself and serving me. Why shouldn’t I just snap your pretty neck and be done with it? All my troubles would die along with you.” My hands instinctively circled around his forearm to remove some of the pressure. When I saw black spots everywhere, my grip on him lessened. I couldn’t break free, and I thought this was the end. Surprisingly, Ventura let go and grabbed the front of my vest, dragging me on my back to where Lukas and Jace were. “Pathetic girl,” Ventura spat as he dropped me beside my mates. “It doesn’t matter. Everything I need to
I stopped my VW Beetle in front of an old abandoned warehouse on 9th Street. Many were in the sector, but just as the letter said, I knew exactly which one it was. The run-down name of the company was barely visible, but the logo of an owl still showed, reminding me of the Noctua sigil. I could be wrong, but this building seemed the right one.I opened the car door and walked to the warehouse, looking for an entrance. They barricaded all the entries with pieces of wood and chains. I groaned and trudged along the exterior to find another way to gain access. When I was about to retrace my steps and search for another building, I spotted a broken window on the second floor.“Great,” I mumbled exasperatingly. “As if I do parkour in my spare time.”There was a ledge on the lower window, and I noticed a gutter installed on the wall close to it. I pulled up my sleeves and lightly ran for a jump to get a high start. I climbed the downspout until I was at level with the ledge, and I swung my bo
I strolled down the street, taking in the nightly smells of the city. After some time, I stopped and took a deep breath. The neighbourhood was silent, and only the distant sound of car horns honking reminded me that life went on while I was away. The last time I stood in front of my apartment complex, I was drugged in a cab and kidnapped. I hurried along the entrance and pushed the glass doors open. The trek up the stairs was quick, and I walked to my door to unlock it. In the two weeks I was gone, nothing had changed. My apartment had been left untouched, and the little possessions I had left were still in their place. I was surprised. I thought the vampires would have ransacked my home to find any information on me. I opened my mini-fridge and pulled out the last remaining beer bottle. I reflected on Jace, Lukas, Moe and Bea's plan as I sat. They wanted to draw out Ventura from where ever he was hiding, and the only thing they thought would succeed was to resume my life. Ventura
Jace POVI watched Max from afar. She was a small thing compared to the tall vampire she called Moe. She had been with those two since their return to the cabin, and it slightly irritated me to have to share Max with two other vampires—one werewolf was enough.“You’re doing that thing again. Stop it.” Lukas called from behind.I turned around and smugly slouched. “What exactly am I doing?”“I’ve known you for years, Jace. I know all your telltale signs. You know something that you haven’t told anyone. Spill.”My friend’s amber eyes darkened menacingly. He knew whatever I was holding back was about Max. I sighed and pressed a hand over my face. Lukas was an annoying dog but had good intentions. He wanted to protect Max as much as I did.“I knew the congregation had released Ventura before coming here.”Lukas watched me from a distance. His face was becoming red, but I ignored it. Why was Lukas getting angry with me?“When were you planning on telling us?”“This morning, but I didn’t thi
Lukas and Jace’s kisses lingered on my skin before I stepped under the water. It washed away their scent on my body, and I sighed. My fingers trailed the length of my neck and hovered over my swollen lips. They still tingled from Lukas and Jace’s bites.I remembered when Jace told me to go on top of Lukas. I had never had sex with two men at the same time, and when Lukas filled my dripping wet pussy, and Jace stretched my ass with his dick, I almost forgot how to breathe. The feeling I had in the pit of my stomach was dreadful, yet exciting.The sensation had been odd and pleasing. My skin shivered with need and all the dirty things I wanted the three of us to do. I had the loves of my life in me, and each thrust and withdrawal had me wanting, almost begging for more. I couldn’t seem to get enough of them. Their cocks filled each cavity perfectly, and their rhythms were in delightful unison. It was even more thrilling when Lukas and Jace gave me the reins, and I could choose the beat.
Lukas POV The smell of Max’s arousal woke me. I had been lightly asleep but was now fully awake, and my dick painfully swelled inside my boxers. I didn’t want to act on her scent because I didn’t know if she was excited for me or for Jace, who was inconveniently sleeping on Max’s other side. I needed to change my mind. Anything was better than thinking of everything I wanted to do to Max. I thought back to what had happened before I went to sleep. After furiously running in wolf form, I returned to the cabin and found Jace waiting beside Max’s sleeping form on the bed. He had gotten here much faster than I wanted, and I despised every second of him brushing his light fingers against the pale white skin of her bare legs. No amount of yelling and violent disagreements could remove Jace’s bond with Max. She was as much his as she was mine. Jace and I both made our claims, and the rest was history. We would be there for our mate, but Jace and I would need to have a more profound discu