Reality crashed over Trisha like a tidal wave and she took a step backward as her hands went to her lips. "Oh my God," she gasped. "I mean, I-" she shook her head. "I didn't mean that I don't know why I said that."
Ryan held a hand up. "You don't have to explain." His eyes were studying her as the heat flooded through her system.
What was wrong with her? Why would she ever admit that!? It made no sense.
"It was just a dream," his voice was like steel as if that was the end of it. "You don't need to get worked up over a dream."
Ryan smiled at her, but there was a strain to it and his hand that rested on the chair was white with tension.
"I must be more tired than I thought," Trisha sighed. "Maybe I should just go to bed and give this up. I'm logging in so late anyway. They might have taken off without me." She reached out to turn off her monitor.
Ryan's hand covered hers. "No," he rebuked. "This is only once a year, isn't it? Play, I wa
Trisha's every move was automatic as Ryan's words echoed through her head. He wanted to do that again? Her lips still burned from the brief contact that they'd had with us. When had this started? Ryan hadn't shown much interest in her until now.Though he had tried to cook for her once. True, it ended in failure. But it was an attempt none the less. And he'd tried to make up for his nasty relatives by doing anything she wanted, despite him being not okay with the choice of events."Congratulations."Ryan's smooth voice was in her ear and she swallowed. "For what?" her words were a weak whisper."You beat it."The haze surrounding her dissipated and she stared at her screen and the victory screen. The items that magically appeared in her inventory. "We really did it?"Funny, she couldn't remember even fighting it. Ryan had been on her mind the entire time. Why was such a handsome actor doing this to her? Was she about to end
Kanda was on the bed, strapped down with leather restraints. His blonde bangs hung in front of his eyes as he smiled at her. "Hey," he greeted. "I thought you'd be later. This is early for you."Trisha swallowed hard. He was talking so easily despite being completely naked. She couldn't take her eyes off his bobbing dick. "I got tired early."He smirked. "Or did you just want to see me early? Were you having a bad day?"Trisha shook her head. "No, not really. Just a weird one. But we don't have to talk about that."She licked her lips. "You were serious before? About me being in control this time?" She bit her lip as she stared at him. She knew exactly what she wanted and there would be no hesitation in it.If anything Kanda's grin grew. "Have I lied to you yet?""No," Trisha whispered. "I'm always worried every time that I close my eyes. What am I going to do if I sleep and you're not there?"She was an addict, she knew that. B
Trisha closed her eyes but try as she might she could not get back to sleep and to Kanda's side again."You look like you're having trouble getting back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you."Trisha's eyes popped open and Ryan's dark eyes were practically in front of her."What are you doing?" Trisha demanded. I thought you were going back to bed."Ryan looked away from her. "I wanted to watch over you and make sure you got some rest yourself." His nostrils flared again. "Are you okay?" He repeated.Trisha sat up with a deep sigh. The urge to assault him had faded with the message from Logan. The message she still hadn't replied to."No, I just can't sleep now. You should go to bed though."He continued to stare at her, his eye focused on her lips. "I won't lie, I still want to kiss you."The arousal that had clouded her mind was gone now. "I'm sorry, but I can't.""Because you don't know me well enough?" he
"Let me make sure I understand you. You want me to cut your hair?" Trisha demanded as she stared at their clasped hands."That's right," Logan repeated. He glanced behind her at the door. "Was I interrupting something?""No," Trisha was quick to reply. "You weren't interrupting anything. But I don't understand. Logan, isn't your hair one of your trademarks? What makes you such a distinctive model?""You mean besides my abs?" He teased. His smile turned somber. "I've given i a lot of thought. We've been on two different dates now that this monstrosity has stopped us from being together. I've told you, I really like you. I'm not lying. You're not like any of the other women I've ever dated. You're real.""As opposed to being a toy?" Trisha teased."I'm being serious here. I want to spend more time with you, and if cutting my hair allows me to do that then that's what I'll do.""But why me?" Trisha shook her head at him. "I don't kn
"I'm hanging out with Ryan and Kanda both. We're playing Clevania tomorrow. Ryan said he was going to give it a try since Kanda is getting addicted." Trisha replied. She didn't see any reason to keep it from him.Logan sighed. "Ryan again, huh? Trisha, you sure know how to make me jealous." The smile he gave her didn't quite meet his eyes, his face was in the shadows."Why would you be jealous?" Trisha shook her head again. "I really don't get you guys. Why are you settling on someone so ordinary? You guys could have your pick of women. You could have models, singers, actresses, the sky is the limit for you.""Our pick of money-grubbing, selfish people that only want our fame or access to our bank accounts." Logan shook his head. "I've had other girlfriends. I've tried to go on normal dates with them." He sighed. "Not a single one understood me. I had given up and thought I'd just have shallow relationships for the rest of my life, just boring shallow ordi
Kanda didn't miss a beat. "Talking to her, but what are you doing here? Isn't that dangerous to Ryan if you're here taking a shower in her room? It's a bit much."Trisha resisted the urge to slap a hand over her face. How could things get this messed up? She had to admit though, she was still able to appreciate the view of Logan's physique. "I was cutting Logan's hair, he was taking a shower to get rid of the scratchy bits."Kanda snorted. "As if a model would cut his hair. That's all they care about are their looks. Even now he's posing for you like that."Logan removed the towel from his neck and shook his head, scattering water droplets across the room. "I think she did a great job," he mused as he rolled a strand of it between his thumb and forefinger. "Are you trying to make my girlfriend cheat?" Logan demanded."Logan, it's not like that," Trisha once more tried to defuse the situation between the two males. "Ryan knows about our relationship
As Trisha roamed the halls she expected Kanda to grab her from behind at any moment. She ended up pressing her body against the hallways trying to rush as much as she could without being seen."Nakuni?" she hissed. Didn't he say that he'd come when she called him? "Nakuni?" she whispered again.The mansion was quiet. A stifling quiet that reminded her of the calm before a forest animal was killed in the forest. Was Kanda hunting her right now?Was she about to be attacked by him or even Ryan? A vampire. She'd been so close to a true monster for this long. How had she managed to stay alive?Would a true monster be afraid of killer plants though?Trisha paused in her scurry and frowned. Ryan didn't have any reason to pretend that he was afraid of something so strange.Was any of the time she spent with these guys true? Her brain ached. She wanted to believe that some of those moments were genuine, but how could she?Kanda had lied
Nakuni's apartment was nothing like Trisha expected. As soon as she entered the door the aroma of oranges and cinnamon spice tickled her nose. "Wow," she whispered as she sniffed.He chuckled at her as he hung his car keys up and locked the door behind them. "It's just some various scents to keep the place smelling nice." He glanced around. "I do not normally have company. So please, make yourself at home."Trisha grinned at him and found a seat. She sunk into the padded softness and sighed in pleasure. "You've got great taste," she congratulated. " She sat forward. "Hey, why do you have a place of your own anyway? Aren't most servants supposed to stay with their masters?""That would be true if the Master was less of a person. As it is, he doesn't need me to defend him."Trisha resisted the urge to snort. Yeah, if she was a vampire she doubted she'd need others defending her as well. "He won't be mad that you're taking the day off?""No, you do no
Trisha's fingers flew over the keyboard as she nibbled on her lip. She paused to take a sip of her water before getting back to work. A step behind her made her freeze and glance over her shoulder. Ryan smiled down at her. "What's up?" she asked."You've been working hard here. We haven't seen you in a while."Trisha chuckled. "You know how Rachel is. I need to finish this coding for her before I can come downstairs. It's the least I can do for everything she's done for us."Ryan wriggled the fingers on his robotic arm in perfect mimicry as if he'd never had his arm ripped off, to begin with. "True, but you still deserve a break."Trisha rolled her neck from side to side. "I think you're right. Is Nakuni finished with lunch?"Ryan nodded. "Part of the reason I came to get you. I wanted to escort you down." He smiled. "Any chance to get to spend some time with you."Trisha's smile widened. "Which is why I'm working so hard. We almost have it
Trisha was stripped bare to Nakuni's ravenous gaze. There was no turning back now, and even if Vanku, or hell, if any of the others walked in, Trisha wouldn't stop. Not until she fucked him.The shifter stripped himself faster than he'd even done to her. Trisha's eyes were glued to his massive dick that bobbed as if acknowledging her gaze and she licked her lips."You're not getting a taste of that, not yet," Nakuni whispered. "I'm too far gone for foreplay, all I want to do is bury myself inside you. I want to feel your walls flutter against and clench me," he growled.Trisha nodded. She wanted that too. "Wait," she whispered as she frowned."What?" he questioned a bit his edge fading away by concern. "Are you too tired?" he bit his lip hard. "It'll be hard but I can stop if I have to."Hard, ha. "No," she answered with a shake of her head. "But, protection?"Nakuni tilted his head to the side with a grunt. "No cubs yet?" he que
A thousand years. Trisha tried to wrap her mind around the words but no matter how she fit them together, they didn't make sense. "Why would you do that?""I repay my debts. I admit I was not aware of the Council's other doings. And why they were stupid enough to bring them here, I am not sure. My guess is it was those children of Westworth's. Those twins never did have brains. You eliminated a threat to the Assembly."The vials. Trisha sat up and her body didn't scream at her for doing so. Vanku moved back as she did so. Vanku's eyes focused on hers, a challenge in their depths.And the pieces fell into place."It wasn't them being stupid," Trisha whispered. "They were going to attack you guys, that's why they brought it here."Vanku smiled, this time her teeth were kept hidden. "Yes, good job, Trisha. I admit I didn't think your kind were capable of critical thought. It's likely they were taking advantage of the situation.""I'm not going
An ear-splitting roar forced Trisha's eyes open. A jaguar bounded down the stairs and following him was a bear, a lamia, wolves, demons, and things that Trisha couldn't even comprehend.She was dropped to the ground like a sack of garbage as the vampires turned to confront the swarm.Jace writhed this way and that, easily looping around Raphael's leg and squeezing it until the vampire was forced to stay still. Jace smirked. "I'm not your death today.""I am," Kanda promised and the demon launched himself at the vampire as Jace let him go. The two tumbled into the dirt on the ground and Trisha could only watch.Liliana laughed as Ryan teetered toward her. "Did you really think there were just two of us here?" she demanded and she snapped her fingers. From all sides, the vampires flowed in as if just waiting for the signal.The fighters were swarmed in seconds. Kanda rolled by Trisha with Raphael on top and Trisha reached out for him, but her a
Trisha didn't speak to anyone else until she was alone with Ryan. The pack had given him his own house as he recovered. As she entered, his eyes were on her."It was about what we expected, wasn't it?" he asked. What was left of his arm was in a sling and the stench of burned flesh lingered in the air."They're making you leave with the others," Trisha answered. "All of the Council has to leave, so after all this, you're just back at square one again."Ryan shrugged. "But you're safe, and you'll be safe. That's all I care about. I know that asking you to help me in the first place was selfish, and I ask for your forgiveness."Trisha didn't answer. His words had a tone of finality to them. A sense that she couldn't push aside. "They're going to kill you, aren't they?" she whispered the words.Would Liliana allow that? The crazy vampire was obsessed with him, there was no way she'd let him die, was there?"We shouldn't talk about t
"We have to talk."Trisha never liked hearing those words. Considering they came from Vanku, she liked them even less. Especially considering they were directed to her. "Are you sure?" she asked.The dragon nodded her scales clinking as she did so. "You will come with me now. There has been a severe accusation." Her eyes flickered over the group. "I can not deny there has been an attack.""I told you," Sofia piped from the side. "You can smell it too.""Yes, vampires did attack this group. I will talk to the main human, alone. The rest of you may go.""I'm not leaving her alone," Logan growled out. "Not with you."Vanku snorted and a plume of smoke trickled from her nose. "I am the Assembly leader. Are you seriously insinuating that I can not be trusted?""Not with a human," Nakuni answered from his place on Mark's back. "Your hatred for them is known.""Why wouldn't I despise the race that has driven mine to the br
Logan moved like a bullet train. Trisha sensed the world flickering around her as he raced but she couldn't pull herself out of her spiral.Was she about to lose Ryan? Lose him before she could even truly get to know him?No.Logan slowed down and her head shot up. She prepared herself to yell at her husband, but the words died like ash on her tongue.Jace was in front of them. The lamia grunted and flicked a hand in greeting. Blood streaked all over his body and his tail was wrapped around Ryan's arm. A giant puddle of blood pooled under the two."Is he?" Trisha whispered not able to force the words.Jace rolled his eyes. "No, but you guys got here too late for the battle. The cowards ran off." He smirked. "Those that survived anyway."Sofia snarled. "What? They attacked you and then left? I hate vampires," she shook her head with a snort and a roll of her eyes."What are you doing here?" Kanda demanded. He h
The rest of the meeting was a blur for Trisha.Did Vanku talk more?She couldn't be sure.The only thing that Trisha did know was that she would not let Ryan be taken from her. She hadn't been able to spend as much time with him as some of the others, but that was something she planned to remedy and him being somewhere overseas wasn't part of those plans.She'd do whatever it took to save him."Very well, human, you've said your piece, and I have said mine. I am leaving now to talk to the wolf pack leader. I expect you to be gone by the time I return. I will not tolerate humans being around me longer than I have to endure."Vanku's eyes slid past her and the dragon clicked once more as she walked away from the group. The other Assembly members besides Sofia filed after her and ascended the creaky steps."I'll take you guys back to your house," Sofia offered, soft so Vanku didn't pick up the conversation. "Besides, I wanted to ta
"We find that the Council is not at fault for any of these transgressions. There is no proof besides what out demon swears they have found, but as we know they can't always be trusted. And so, I will rule in favor of the Council. You may leave, Madam Westworth, we will handle matters from here."What? How could any of this be possible? Trisha wanted to throw something at the smirking monarch of a woman. Why didn't they believe Sofia? And if she had more secret help, why hadn't they shown themselves? She knew better than to talk though."I believe I'll stay here and witness the punishment for these barbarians. It is my right." Westworth replied with a sly smile."No," Vanku responded with a click that confused Trisha. Had she made that sloshy snap sound with her mouth? How?"What?" Westworth demanded. "You're going against the rules. The Assembly does have to abide by them.""The rules only state that I would find if your words involving your organi