After coming out of the shower, I looked at my ass in the mirror and almost choked on air. My butt cheeks were bright red, and I could still see Jace’s handprints. How hard did he slap me? The hurt was good, but I probably should have used the safe word. I flushed crimson, thinking about all the things we had done together. I felt embarrassed but also quite satisfied. This was a new sensation for me, and it would take me some time before getting used to it. I rubbed my tired eyes and pulled my tongue out when the dark circles stayed where they were. I had hoped it was just my smudged makeup. I barely got any sleep the night before, not for good reasons. As soon as my eyes closed, I kept having vivid nightmares. After tossing and turning, I left a sleeping Jace in his bed and tiptoed to my unofficial room, where I sat by the window and waited for the sun the rise on the horizon. I hadn’t cared that I was naked and walked about the room and sat where people could see me from the st
Jace POV As soon as my blood touched Max’s tongue, her pupils dilated and constricted as she shifted in and out of focus, and her usual clear and rich green eyes became ringed with red. She looked like a newborn vampire, discovering the joys and powers of immortality. However, she wasn’t one entirely, which showed in her irises' new colouration. “You truly are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen,” I whispered to Max. Her nostrils flared, and her ears perked up at the slightest sounds, but I was about to enjoy her sensitivity the most. Whenever I trailed my fingers on her bare skin, I noticed goosebumps forming and moving everywhere. My smile widened at her body’s response. I held her tightly in my arms as I continued to slip in and out of her. Max even rocked her hips each time I rose to meet her. Her internal walls pressed my dick and sucked me in deliciously. My breath had become airy from pleasure, and with this newfound craving of hers, I didn’t think I’d last long.
Mrs. Dunkan seemed distressed about something, and I had no clue why that was. She made to push past Jace, but he clutched her wrist and hissed when he pulled her back to the kitchen entrance. “You don’t get to touch her.” The older woman flew her hands in the air and exhaled angrily. This situation made me uncomfortable, so I softly dropped from the barstool, thinking of running for the door and out of their argument. Jace caught my movement and pointed a finger at me. “Don’t even think of leaving!” He turned back to Mrs. Dunkan and crossed his arms. The tension in the room grew. “I don’t need to see her scar for confirmation with your reaction. Your blood stinks of her and will for the rest of your life! I don’t know how you pulled it off with this young woman, but do you not understand what your father will do to you once he finds out? You’re fraternizing with the enemy!” Mrs. Dunkan shrieked. What was she talking about? “I’m sorry. What?” I asked, puzzled. The old woman sco
Jace and I sat in silence in the living room. Mrs. Dunkan was in the kitchen, preparing something for me to eat. I lifted my head and studied Jace. He was sitting on the other end of the sofa with a distant gaze and ruffled hair. The muscles in his jaw twitched from the pressure of Mrs. Dunkan's earlier revelations. I was still mad at him for making a blood bond with me, but I felt a lot of pity for him. His father lied to everyone—even to his own son. As for me, I didn’t know what I felt. I had never known who my family was until now. I only knew they had died. I had no close family to take me in, so they gave me to the children’s home. End of the story. I would be lying if I said it didn’t bother me that a group of vampire hunters murdered my father under a powerful vampire’s orders. It bothered me more than I cared to admit. Still, after everything, I just sat there and looked at Jace’s broken trust. After the truth came out, I stayed calm while Jace raged. I immediately grabbe
Drip. Drip. Drip. That dripping echoed in the small room where I was held. It never stopped and made my head hurt. At least, it helped me focus on one thing. It was the same length as one Mississippi, two Mississippi… so I counted time until I forgot where I was and had to start all over again. I was bound to what looked like a dentist’s chair. The ones where they set you down for them to peek inside your mouth and fix things. It made me shiver. I hated going to the dentist or anywhere that smelled like a hospital. This room definitely smelled like one. I swished my head to the left and examined the IV they hooked me up to. The liquid inside the bag was clear, and I couldn’t read the sticker with its name. The lights in the room were dim, which didn’t allow me to see much except for the bare wall I faced. If I craned my neck enough, I could glimpse the side of a silver metal table and a sanitation station but nothing else. “I can’t catch a break!” I whined. Every five minutes or
The sun was bright outside, hitting my face at a perfect angle. I could feel it heating my cheeks and giving me a glowing feeling. I scrunched my toes in the grass under my feet and inhaled the scent of the sun drying wet sand and earth. That smell made me happy. I was back at the cabin Lukas had brought me to, the one he was remodelling with his construction company. I loved it so much that he bought it for us. Its placement in the woods was perfect and private, and a lake was not too far from the cabin. I could reach it in under a ten-minute walk. Its water was a clear green, and a wall of trees protected the lake. No other cottages or houses were nearby, making it a remote and quiet place to spend my days or work on tanning my pale white skin—which was no easy feat. A twig snapped behind me in the woods, so I hurriedly plunged back into the lake's calm waters. I kicked my legs and pushed my arms to swim faster to get to the center of the small pool. When I resurfaced, I swirled
I folded my arms over my chest and stared deeply into Ventura’s eyes. Had it been his plan to bring me here all this time? I looked over at Michel with resentment. “You keep saying you want to free yourself from the commands of a vampire, yet you’ve made a deal with another? I don’t see why you need me if you have him on your side.” “Ventura must keep up appearances with his vampire dealings. That’s where you come in. I will free us of Harrington's influence if we have a powerful weapon to remove him from his seat over the biggest company in this city.” My gaze moved to both men in fearsome concern. The vampire’s eyes bored into mine with heat and cunning. Those were schemer's eyes. Ventura held no allegiance to Noctua. Why would he? Ventura would be crazy to let go of this golden opportunity for the same reasons Jace’s father kept Noctua in his fold all those years. Once Harrington fell and Ventura took control of the company, I doubted he would release my grandfather’s men just l
Lukas POV When I returned to the city, I went straight to Jace’s house, but no one answered. Not even his housekeeper, Mrs. Dunkan. I could smell Max had been here, although the scent was fading and days old. Where the hell had she gone? I jumped back on my motorbike and drove to Salvatore’s boxing gym. Nothing showed she had come here in the last week, so I went to her apartment and found the same smell I had breathed at Jace’s house. Max had come here not too long ago. However, the scent appeared and disappeared on the street, which meant she or someone drove here and left the same way. Fuck! She could be anywhere by now! I angrily removed my leather jacket and slapped it on the back of my bike. My hands flew in my hair, and I tugged at the roots, muffling a yell that threatened to escape my mouth. I was not an angry person… usually. It was something I had prided myself on. Not a lot of werewolves could say the same. It was in our nature to be impulsive, manipulative and posse
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