A Darker Trinity

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Lyrical Press, Incorporated

A Darker Trinity Copyright © 2008 Candice Gilmer Edited by Emma Wayne Porter Book design by Emma Wayne Porter and Renee Rocco Cover Art by Renee Rocco Lyrical Press, Incorporated 17 Ludlow Street Staten Island, New York 10312 http://www.lyricalpress.com eBooks are not transferable. All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content. Published in the United States of America by Lyrical Press, Incorporated First Lyrical Press, Inc. electronic publication: October, 2008

A DARKER TRINITY by Candice Gilmer MOONLIGHT AND SHADOWS SERIES: BOOK TWO

DEDICATION A Darker Trinity took me to a shadowy place that I would never have been able to traverse without the help of Ann… I thank you from the bottom of my vanilla sex heart.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I must recognize Emma and her love of these characters that helped me push forward when life didn’t work out as I figured it would. This is my “Empire,” babe… Thanks for loving it. Second, I must thank Renée for being just as patient with me as Emma, and understanding that poopy diapers can take longer to deal with than ever expected. And third, if I didn’t have Bob, I wouldn’t be able to do this at all, so I thank you for all your love and support.

Prologue Sir Liam ran a hand over his head, smoothing the close-cropped hair. His partner Adrian stood just to his right, iPod blaring, head bobbing to music Liam could hear without the earplugs. Two more men, Tomas and Ewan, fell into line with them. They all awaited the arrival of their leader. Sir William, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, entered the prayer room. In any other house, the room might have been a living area or a salon. This room was as Spartan as the rest of the place, chosen not for esthetics, but for the massive concrete fence that blocked out any prying eyes. The house had three floors: a basement, a main floor, and an upstairs where the Knights shared sleeping quarters. They still lived by the ancient codes of poverty—two men to a room. They had, however, relaxed their poverty beliefs enough that everyone got their own bed. Sir William was very ingrained in the old ways. After silencing all his Knights, he lowered his head in prayer. Adrian pulled the ear buds out, tapped his iPod, and bowed his head as well. William began with the ancient Christian tradition from long before the Balance Mandate, prayers that each Knight knew without thinking, for they’d spoken them every single day since becoming Knights over seven hundred years ago. When the prayers had been spoken, and the echoes of ‘amen’ filled the room, William kept his head down, as did the rest of the six Knights. “And may the ancient gods of myth and lore watch over our missions, guide our

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swords and the laws of the Balance Mandate.” All the Knights repeated his words. Liam brought his head up, and they took their seats in silence, prepared to begin the meeting. Sir William’s gaze bore into each and every Knight in turn. “It has come to my attention that the source of the unregistered mythical population has not been found.” “Every lead has been blocked, sir,” Ewan stated. William pulled out a file folder, flipped it open, and scanned down the piece of paper before speaking. “It seems the amount of vampires to petition for siring has soared in the last year.” Liam nodded his head, though William didn’t bother looking at him. By law, any vampire or wolf who wanted to turn a human had to petition the Templars for permission. If any mythical was caught not petitioning, they, along with all they’d sired, were killed. Only pure blood vampires and first-generation-sired vampires could turn a human, which shortened the suspect list a bit. The Knights had been focusing their search on all full-blood vampires, trying to locate those who had both the blood strong enough, and the ability to turn all the unregistered vampires. Unfortunately, they had no idea how many had actually been turned. In the last six months, at least fifteen unregistered vampires had been killed. Whoever had turned them was turning a lot of them. William ran a finger down his list, pausing at a name and tapping the paper. “What about a Trinity?” “A Trinity?” Tomas asked. “Surely there are no more Trinities…” “There is one,” Liam said. “Though incomplete.” “It may be looking for balance,” William replied. Liam nodded.

Chapter 1 Nicole Bernard shuffled into Starbucks, desperate for coffee. It was 10:30 pm, and she wouldn’t be here if she hadn’t already packed her own coffee pot. There were still a bazillion boxes to pack. Her blond hair, normally shiny and pretty golden, was probably an off-color gray from the mess she’d made while packing. Not that she was out to impress—this was just Starbucks on a Monday night. She couldn’t help pausing, though, as she came in, surprised by the clientele. Evidently, this Starbucks was the college-kid hangout during the week. Most of the tables were filled with students, some college and some high school by the looks of it, all with perfect hair and makeup, yet trying to appear as if they didn’t care how they looked, either. Starbucks: the dating scene. Who knew? She slid into line, staring at the menu. Normally she bought a tall cappuccino or something like that, but tonight she needed a little more kick. She was bound and determined to get the majority of the packing done tonight, since she’d slacked off over the weekend, only getting about half of what she wanted done. She wasn’t about to be one of those people who did all their packing at the last minute. When it was her turn to order, she asked for a double espresso, and slipped out of the way to let the next person order, keeping her head down, studying the displays of different coffees, teas and other paraphernalia littered all over the counter. Near the pick-up area, she noticed a large clear bucket filled with business cards. A sign announced they gave away a sampler pack of different Starbucks coffees to a lucky

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winner every week. Nicole shrugged her shoulders. She never won anything, and though she was moving away in a week, if she did win, the office would appreciate the prize. Pulling one of her business cards out, she tossed it in the bucket. “Double espresso cappuccino?” the clerk behind the counter called out. She grabbed the cup, partially irritated that the clerk who’d waited on her a few moments before didn’t even remember her now. Was she that forgettable? Considering her lack of a dating record, maybe she really was. “Night owl, too?” came a warm, sultry male voice. She almost tossed the cup at him when she spun around. He was very close to her; a huge, massive guy. Dressed in a navy crew-necked sweater—a touch stuffy for the warm spring night—and a polite smile, he gestured to her drink. She couldn’t see his eyes. They were encased in a pair of wrap-around sunglasses. “No,” she replied. “Why?” “Double espresso at this time of night?” he said, one dark eyebrow rising up over the shades. “Oh. I just… I have a lot of work tonight.” She fixed her eyes on the cup to avoid his stare, practically tactile through the glasses. And that was just through the glasses—what if she met his actual eyes? Gah! He smirked, turning his head to see if they’d finished his order yet, but brought his gaze back to her. “Pulling an all-nighter, then?” His voice was sinfully sexy, and Nicole felt her insides starting to melt a bit. His complexion was fair, though his hair was dark, pulled back into a ponytail. He had a little square of hair under his lip; a soul patch, she thought it was called. She wasn’t into the trendy names, but she swore she’d heard her assistant describe one. He looked her up and down, and her whole body started to quiver. God, how long had it been? At least a couple of years since a guy had even looked at her twice, much less carried on a conversation that didn’t involve numbers, spreadsheets, or programs. “I hope not,” she replied, realizing he’d been waiting for her to answer. She took a

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sip of her coffee. The extra shot of espresso slapped her taste buds, and part of her was disappointed. It would’ve been nice if they’d gotten her order wrong so she could have spent a few more minutes talking to the guy. “Well, good luck,” he said, that strange quirk of a smile on his face. “Thanks. You, too,” she muttered, though she wasn’t quite sure why. As she stepped past him, her arm brushed his, and they both inhaled sharply at the shock of contact. “Sorry,” he said, stepping out of her way. The clerk called out his order, and Nicole saw he was picking up two cups of coffee. Darn. She’d hoped he was single. *

James watched the woman head outside, the smell of her still burning in his lungs. He hadn’t smelled anything so heady in years. Decades, really. There was power there—an untapped sense of self. She’d been shy, unsure of herself; that much had been obvious by her hunched shoulders and lack of eye contact. Yet she intrigued him. There was certainly something about her that made him want to know more. Was she really as reserved and shy as she acted? In the back of his mind, he heard a nagging reminder that he’d been in this position before. He’d meet a woman and get a strong indication she might be worth exploring, but she’d wind up being everything he’d been trying to avoid. Joseph would tell him he was being romantic again. Of course, Joseph wasn’t here, either. If he saw her, he might have a different opinion. If the scent she’d given off was any indication, he was certain there was more to her than just a gal about to pull an all-nighter. He glanced at the jar where she’d stuffed her business card. Pulling his own out of his wallet, he dropped his in, palming hers as he did. He held it in his fingers, a touch of her scent wafting off the card. He inhaled the aroma, once again blinded by her heady scent.

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“Nicole Bernard,” he said. He looked back out into the night. “Who exactly are you?” *

He was there, tall and dark, like he’d been at the coffee shop, though this time, his sunglasses were gone, revealing his eyes. His scent, male and sexy, completed the sensation, and he stared at her as if she were a four-course meal. The ponytail was gone, and his brown locks hung down around his face, his eyes peeking through the erratic strands. And he had his hands on her. All over her. He caressed her breasts, her legs, her arms, her shoulders… Every part of her, he touched. She moaned, crying out as he caressed her. Squeezing a nipple, he smiled at her. She just sighed, arching into his touch. From the shadows, another man appeared, this one as tall, but blond, his hair short and cropped. He watched at first, if only for a few seconds, a feral look on his face as he took in the sight of her and the other man together. She took in a breath—she’d never been watched before; a wild sensation ran through her, unlike anything she’d ever felt. She tipped her head back, a moan escaping her as the dark haired man slipped his hand between her legs. The blond came up behind her, his hands sliding around her waist, just caressing the skin under her breasts. She’d never felt anything so erotic in all her life. “You like this,” the dark haired man whispered in her ear as he teased her clit. She moaned. “You do,” the blond said in her other ear, his voice just as seductive as the dark haired man’s. Together they caressed, teased, and tormented her until she screamed and cried for release. She lost track of whose hands belonged where—all that skin moving against hers, numbing her brain beyond anything but the feel of the contact. Then the dark haired one shoved his hard cock inside her, pumping against her as

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the blond held her up for him. The blond shoved his dick against her butt, pulsing and sliding against her. Screams of release came out of both her and the brunet.

Nicole awoke, bolting upright in her bed, her body drenched in sweat. Oh, my God! What a dream. She hadn’t had a dream like that in… Hell, she couldn’t remember ever having a dream like that. Her nightgown bunched around her waist, and one of her pillows was between her legs. “No more espresso for me.” She got up and headed for the bathroom. Peeling off her panties, she realized she’d have to get a new pair out. “What am I? A twelve year old boy?” she muttered as she finished up and rinsed her face. Glancing at the watch she never removed, she realized she had about an hour before she needed to get up. Curling back up into bed, she shook her head, wondering why she’d had such a strong, erotic dream. It just wasn’t like her at all.

Chapter 2 “Oh, come on,” Kayleigh Lewis said to Nicole. “The party is for you! You’re the one transferring to Bahston.” Nicole stifled a yawn. “I know, and I am going to miss everybody, but we’ve still got the rest of the week. Wouldn’t it be more prudent to have the party on Saturday, what with Friday being my last day?” After all, it was only Tuesday. Having a going away party tonight seemed fruitless, since they all had to be back at work in the morning. “This was the only night that worked. Everyone else is booked solid all week.” “Yet another reason why this party is unnecessary,” Nicole said. She knew that she was appreciated by her co-workers, but really, a party on Tuesday? It seemed like overkill. There’d been food yesterday and today in the break room, cakes brought in from almost every department, and she doubted the food would ebb any time soon. The joy of a large company—these women loved making food for any occasion. It was like a competition to see who could make the best dessert/side dish/veggie tray. “Get over it, Miss Conservative. You need to get out, have some fun. There’s more to life than just work, ya know?” She laid Nicole’s mail on her desk. Nicole let out a sigh, watching her assistant, who meant well, leave the office. She wasn’t a party girl, she never had been. She didn’t see the point, getting just a few hours sleep at night and coming to work unable to do the job. And it didn’t matter what the gals said, they really couldn’t do their job properly after spending all night shagging, or whatever they wanted to call it this week. She flipped through her mail. Four new going-away cards, all inter-departmental

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stuff, wishing her well. She’d been with The Linden Company for ten years. It was time for a change, and the transfer to Boston seemed a step in the right direction. Maybe in Boston she’d find what she was looking for. Because it wasn’t here. Sure, she’d tried dating, but nothing ever seemed to take. Not many men seemed to interest her. Everyone seemed boring. Not that she was the most exciting person in the world, really. One look at the colorcoded labeling system on the boxes she’d packed last night would show just how unexciting she was. “Oh, yeah,” Kayleigh said, sticking her nose back in the door. “I forgot. This is from me.” Nicole raised an eyebrow at the pretty pink gift bag. “Shouldn’t we wait for the party?” “Well, this is more personal.” Nicole pulled out the tissue paper and found a small plaque at the bottom. Trimmed in roses and greenery, it wasn’t much bigger than her wallet. The words, though, caught Nicole off guard.

The true definition of the world Is what is there, not what we see. Remaining open to the possibilities Unlocks the mind. The only limits we place are on ourselves.

Nicole stared at it for a moment, her fingers running over the engraved letters. “It’s beautiful.” “I wanted you to remember that it’s important to try new things, to do different stuff, and you never know, you might like them.” Nicole blinked. Kayleigh had never been one for sentiment before. “What brought this on? It’s not like I’m gonna die or anything.”

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Kayleigh shook her head. “It was strange. I had this dream about you the other night. You were being challenged. It wasn’t bad or anything. It was something you’d never considered, but it wound up being for you. In the dream, you walked away from it and wouldn’t try. The next day, when I was shopping, I ran across the plaque. The coincidence seemed too eerie to ignore.” Nicole tipped her head to the side. Kayleigh wasn’t usually this sentimental. Usually her conversations were very superficial, never with any real depth. The fact that Kayleigh had a thought bigger than which pair of shoes to buy was frightening in itself. “A challenge, huh?” “It seemed that way. I figure if you do get some kind of challenge in your new job, it might make you step out of the box and go for it. And if not, then you’ll have a pretty knick-knack to hang in your new office.” “Well, thank you, Kayleigh.” “You’re welcome.” She grinned, her sentimental expression gone. “Now, you have to come to the party—all the fun gifts will be there.” Nicole rolled her eyes. “I can’t wait.” Kayleigh bounced out of the office. Nicole shook her head. Life was simple. You get up, you go to work, you die. End of file. Anything else was bullshit.

Chapter 3 James Henrick and Joseph Oliver stood at the bar of Challenges, the new techno club that had opened down on Broons Street. Lights pulsed all around them, and Joseph scanned the crowd. Bodies filled the dance floor, and the tables around the perimeter were packed. The music pulsed and bodies gyrated to the beat of Crystal Method. Yet nothing looked interesting. “I think this is a bust,” Joseph said to James. Their information must have been wrong. James nodded in agreement, sipping on his beer, the bitter taste making bile rise in his throat. To blend in, they both held bottles of Heineken in their hands, sipping on the nasty fluid. James wanted to find the woman from Starbucks, Nicole. Something in his gut screamed that she was important, and his gut was rarely wrong. Inaccurate at times, but never wrong. He’d told Joseph about her, and Joseph had seemed intrigued, but wasn’t as interested. He would be, once he’d seen Nicole. James forced himself to scan the crowd one more time, looking for her. He wasn’t ready to give up hope just yet. He’d called her office today and managed to get a friendly little secretary to confirm Nicole worked there and would be having a party tonight at this bar. So far, she hadn’t showed. Someone else had, however. James spotted two familiar men working their way

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through the crowd. “Shit,” he muttered, and tapped Joseph on the shoulder. Joseph glanced over. “What are they doing here?” “Your guess is as good as mine.” The men were almost to them, their head-to-toe black blending into the crowd. Even the red crosses on each of their shoulders didn’t make them stand out. But the way they moved had caught his eye: hunters zeroing in on their prey. Women followed them with their gazes, some even so bold as to approach them. They were quickly sent on their way, mostly with just a look. Perfect, James thought. Just what we need. Templars. “James, Joseph,” the blond said as he squeezed his large form up to the bar. His partner ambled up behind him, arms crossed over his chest. “Sir Adrian, Sir Liam,” Joseph said, smiling a winning grin at the two Templar Knights. Not that either of them smiled back. Rumor had it Liam had smiled once, but that had been a few hundred years ago, before the invention of the camera. “What brings you out tonight?” Adrian asked. Liam’s mere presence seemed to push back the bystanders, leaving them in a somewhat private circle. “A drink,” James said, holding up his beer. Adrian’s brow quirked up. “Uh huh.” “We are no one special,” Joseph said. “We are just ordinary men, out for the night.” James heard Liam snort over the noise in the bar, though it wasn’t easy tuning out the heavy dance music pulsating around him. “What can we do for you?” James asked. Adrian shook his head slowly from side to side. “Just here to remind you of the rules.” “There’s no reason to remind us,” Joseph said. “We are well behaved.” Liam leaned forward a bit, glaring at Joseph. “Do I need to mention what happened before?” “We were young. Everyone makes mistakes.”

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“You know what is at stake.” Joseph rolled his eyes at the threat. How could they forget? “Really, don’t you have more dangerous mythicals to chase? Surely there’s a rampant…” James nudged his arm. Part of the rules, never admit in public what they were. “Rampant…something you could be chasing instead of us?” “Slow night,” Liam said, speaking for the first time. “My gut told me you needed a little reminder.” James inched a bit closer. “We know the rules, and we know the consequences of our actions. Trust me, meeting the end of your blade is not on my agenda.” “And keep it that way.” Adrian turned, glancing at Liam. Liam nodded his head, and they started to make their way out of the bar as quickly as they’d appeared. James shook his head when Joseph took a long swig of his beer and choked. James hit him on the shoulders. Really, drinking beer wasn’t the best thing for them. Hell, drinking anything but blood wasn’t a good idea. “That was odd,” Joseph said, fiddling with his beer bottle label. He glanced at James. “Liam’s not precognitive,” James muttered. At least he hoped he wasn’t. It had been rumored Liam was psychic, but none of the rumors ever provided honest proof. Still, Liam had a very bad habit of showing up when some mythical was about to enter into some kind of mischief. Was that what James was up to? Was he about to turn down a road he needed to avoid? He knew the rules, so why would Templars show up to remind him? It wasn’t like he didn’t know what would happen if they screwed up again. They were still paying for previous mistakes. Yet James also believed in fate. Or, more specifically, the Fates. Possibly not the kind of fate that humans believed in, but he did feel there was no such thing as a coincidence. There was a reason he’d been in that Starbucks. A reason he’d felt so compelled to take Nicole’s business card, had needed to dream about her in that special way he was blessed with. Even now, the dream came back to him, a strong rush of emotion. His whole body tensed with sexual energy just thinking about it. “It can’t be pointless.” Joseph’s head snapped around, his eyes burning into his friend. “You don’t think…” His words trailed off, the fire in his eyes saying a mountain of things that he couldn’t

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articulate in their current surroundings. “I don’t know,” James replied, sipping on his own beer. Joseph’s eyes flicked over the crowd. “Maybe we do need to leave.” His posture was much more rigid than it had been just a moment before. James grumbled under his breath. He wasn’t ready to give up on Nicole yet, even though by law, they could have been killed for what had happened last time. Adrian had spared them both—one of the few who would have. But James knew, as did Joseph, one misstep on their parts, and it wouldn’t be Adrian they needed to worry about. It would be Liam and his blade, and Liam wouldn’t even allow them a chance to defend themselves. James sighed, his vision wandering over the crowd again, trying not to think about what might have been. Or worse, what could be. Maybe Joseph was right. Maybe they should just get out of here. His gaze wandered aimlessly around the bar one last time, stopping when he saw a table with a couple of balloon bouquets and gift bags on it. Several women, all fairly young, had gathered around, and at the far end was a woman with long, golden blond hair. James blinked. Could it be? Sure enough, it was Nicole. Looking bored, even though she’d been surrounded by gift bags. She picked up a drink and took a sip. “What?” Joseph asked, sensing James’s piqued interest. “There,” he said, gesturing to the table. “On the end.” Joseph found her instantly. “She’s beautiful.” James nodded. “Far more beautiful than you described,” Joseph muttered, staring at her with the same hunger in his eyes that James felt. She shifted on her chair, twisting to the side a bit, and started scanning the crowd. When her gaze turned in their direction, it felt as if James’s breath had been ripped out of him. Her green eyes met his, and fire burned through his body. The yearning he’d felt before was back, stronger than ever. Her lips parted as they gazed at each other, and James’s cock hardened. Her tongue

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slipped out, wetting the center, and slid back inside, and it took all of James’s strength not to start shoving people aside until he was next to her. James broke eye contact. “I think we’re in the right place.” “I think you might be right.” The woman looked them both over, a smile tipping up the corner of her mouth, making James’s chest feel like it would burst. *

Nicole watched the two men standing at the edge of the dance floor. Lord, what fine specimens they were. And they were staring at her. She bowed her head in embarrassment as a few strands of hair fell over her face. Not the most effective veil against the duo’s hard appraisal, but better than nothing. Through the corner of her eye, she could tell they were both incredibly sexy— powerful, dominating presences. They could have walked right out of the paranormal romance novels she liked to read. She glanced back in their direction. Yep, there they were. Damn. A drink landed with a thunk in front of her as Kayleigh plopped down in the empty chair next to her. “Who are you staring at?” she asked, looking out at the crowd. Then she saw the two men. “The blond and brunet? My God, you do know how to pick them.” “I think they picked me,” Nicole said. Both men were huge, like professional wrestlers, and Nicole estimated their height at six-three, maybe six-four. The blond’s hair was short and cropped tight to his head, a mustache and goatee framing a mouth that seemed made for sin. The brunet’s hair was longer, pulled back away from his face in a ponytail. His soul patch of black hair rested against his chin that she longed to stroke. She blinked, tipping her head to the side a bit. Then recognition hit her. The dark-headed one was the man from Starbucks. Her heart started to slam in her

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chest, and her knees started to quake. And this time, he wasn’t alone; his friend was as sexy as he was, and both of them looked like they were trying to do more than just undress her. Their intent stares made her wish she’d brought a fresh pair of panties. Suddenly her dream came back to her in full force. If she didn’t know better, they were the men in her dream. She shook her head. This was way too weird. Kayleigh let out a drunken laugh, and she started waving at the guys, motioning them up to the table. “Kayleigh,” Nicole said, grabbing her arm. “Stop it, please, I beg you.” She didn’t want them coming toward her. They were hot, they were sexy, they were everything that usually looked past her. So why were they staring? Nicole glanced at Kayleigh. Maybe they were looking at her; with her dark brown hair that was always cut in the latest fashion, Kayleigh was always turning heads. The men glanced at each other, then they broke apart, both disappearing into the crowd, lost in the bodies. Nicole let out a breath. Just as well. Men didn’t usually pay her much attention when Kayleigh was around, and once they got closer, her assistant would charm them away. Many people mistook Kayleigh for the boss. She just radiated that kind of energy. Which was why the transfer to Boston would be a good thing. Nicole would be able to finally break out, to be stronger. To waken her inner self. At least, she’d do that if she knew what the heck her inner self felt like. Kayleigh let out a sigh. “Live a little.” She got up from the chair and headed down to join the other office gals. “I want to.” She glanced where everyone had gathered at the far end, now that the gift giving festivities were over. Nicole had already opened her presents, and was trying to determine how soon she could casually leave without being too rude. The presents here had been funny, lewd, and generally not appropriate in public; all gag gifts, many purchased at the local sex shop to “keep her from getting too cranky at her new job.” One item had even been a pocket

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vibrator, the shape of a lipstick tube. All of the items would go in a box she could donate to a woman’s shelter or something. Surely those places could give that stuff to the women, right? Or some other charity function. Or maybe she should hang onto them. Who knew what kind of people she’d meet in Boston—maybe she could recycle all of them as gag gifts for bachelorette parties and such. She fiddled with her gifts, transferring them all to one bag. Yet she couldn’t seem to stop herself from scanning the crowd for the two men she’d been ogling before. When she didn’t spot them, Nicole picked up her wine glass and forced herself to down the entire glass in one gulp, blinking at the strength of it. Sure, she had wine on a regular basis, but she never just downed the stuff. Even setting her glass down made her head swim a bit. Yep, it was time to get out of here. She didn’t need gorgeous men staring at her and making her think about anything that could never be more than just a night of pleasure. So why did her heart ache at the thought of not getting to get to know those two beautiful men? Grabbing the bag, she stretched as she stood, letting the wave of disorientation pass through her as she got her bearings. Some of the others at the table saw her get up, and she started waving and saying goodbye. “Leaving so soon?” came a rich voice behind her. Nicole spun around to find the brunet staring at her. And if he was only six-three, she’d eat her balloons. Immediately, her insides started to throb even more than before. From a distance, he’d been gorgeous, but up close and personal? Immaculate. Especially without sunglasses blocking his eyes. Were they gray? Or blue? She couldn’t tell in the dark light of the bar—just that they were stunning. It was easy to see why he’d worn sunglasses in Starbucks at night. Every person in there would have commented on those eyes. If she’d seen them, she probably would have melted into a puddle. “Uh, I was thinking about it,” she said, meeting his eyes. Regardless of the color, they reached into her soul, a sensation giving her more of a head rush than the shots she’d drank.

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“And deny me a dance?” Kayleigh appeared from somewhere behind her. “No, she wouldn’t.” She shoved Nicole toward the man. The man smirked as he caught Nicole, holding her flush up against his body. Every inch of her electrified as his body dwarfed hers. She tipped her head back to see his face, mumbling an apology for Kayleigh’s actions. “Would you like to dance?” Mesmerized by his eyes, she was unable to speak, and only nodded her head. Taking her hand in his gigantic one, he led her out to the dance floor. The song was a little fast, but he found a spot near the center, the eyes of the office gals burning up her back as she stepped out on the dance floor. Snap out of it, she chided herself. This wasn’t anyone special, he was just a guy. Granted, it had been so long since Nicole had even touched a guy, she was surprised she didn’t combust. “I didn’t catch your name,” Nicole said as they found a space, trying to keep things casual. What should she do? Grab onto him? Just do that whole side step thing like Hitch does in that movie? It had been so long since she’d been asked to dance, she felt clueless. “James.” “Nicole.” “Relax, Nicole.” The song started to crescendo, and he took her hand and pulled her up against him. Her rigid body met his, and it took a few gentle strokes of his hands on her back to relax her into the movement. The music filled her as they rocked back and forth to the beat, her hands on his shoulders as his hips guided hers. It only took a few seconds for her to find her groove and get into his moves. His thumbs caressed the hem of her blouse in time with the music, a metronome of sensation that made her wish she’d worn the shorter shirt she’d picked out before settling for the more conservative one she wore now. Nicole let herself relax in his arms, and what big arms they were. He surrounded her, enveloping her like a cocoon, and all others faded from existence on the dance floor. She spun herself around, pressing her bottom against his hips. He wrapped an arm around her

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and laid his forearm between her breasts, holding her against him. With her eyes closed, she fell into the rhythm, leaning her head back on his shoulder as he rocked her from side to side, never easing his brace across her chest. His fingers spread out, caressing her breast, and she let out a soft moan. He widened the spread of his hand. Arching her back, she pushed her chest out more, her body afire at the sensation of his fingers spreading across her breast. Some part of her, deep down, screamed that she was on a dance floor in the middle of a club, and that letting this guy run his fingers over her chest wasn’t exactly proper behavior. And my God, the gals from the office were here. Lord knew what they’d tell everyone at work. Yet the sensations from his touch overwhelmed her brain, almost a physical pushing of her worrisome thoughts out of her mind. Loving the way he felt up against her, she flicked her eyes open, seeing the party group at the tables waving and enjoying the show. At the edge of the dance floor stood his friend, the blond that had been talking to him. He leaned on the railing around the dance floor. A beer dangled from his fingers, his eyes dark and feral. Staring. At her. His look of absolute lust sent a wave through her, and alarm bells rang in her mind. How could she be so turned on by someone who wasn’t even touching her? Either James didn’t notice, or didn’t care, and he leaned down, nibbling on her throat. Her eyes closed as he nipped at the sensitive flesh just under her ear. As his lips traveled down, her eyes slid open just enough to look. Was the blond still watching? Yes, he was. Thoughts ran through her mind—what would it be like, this incredible man screwing her, while that one watched, like in her dream? As they danced, she knew this whole performance was being staged for the other man’s benefit. James’s fingers ran over Nicole’s nipple, and she licked her lips.

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The friend stood up, setting his beer down on the railing. He parted his lips, his tongue slipping out and touching his bottom lip as his eyes narrowed on her and James. “Does he like to watch?” she managed to whisper to James. “Joseph?” James’s head came up as though he hadn’t realized his friend was watching. “Sometimes he does.” Nicole spun around. “So let’s show him something.” She wrapped her arms around James’s neck and straddled his thigh. He shifted his weight back and forth, just enough to rock her in all the right places between her legs, eliciting a moan from Nicole. James reached down, grabbing her ass and pulling her hard against him. Nicole felt a hand touch her shoulder, and she turned her head, almost jumping when she saw his friend Joseph behind her. “Hello, love.” He smiled, a grin more feral than friendly. His hips met her backside, and he matched the rhythm James had set. Nicole shuddered as he pulled her hair out of the way and leaned down, nibbling on her neck. Every nerve ending felt lit with fire as James leaned in close to her ear. “You don’t mind being in the middle,” he whispered, just before tasting the shell of her ear. All intelligent thought left Nicole’s mind. She managed to shake her head and felt one of them smirk against her ear, though she had no idea which one it was. One hand roamed over her ribs, then around to caress the side of her breast, and Nicole grabbed a hold of James’s ponytail, holding on for dear life. The hand slipped over her breast, squeezing the flesh, and Joseph whispered in her ear. “You like this.” He pinched her nipple between his fingers. Nicole merely nodded her head, unable to speak as each man caressed her. She couldn’t help noticing the perfect rhythm with which they worked; one hand would slide over a spot, and then move, allowing another hand to take its place. One hand slid down between her legs, petting her through her pants, making her groan. Parts pressed against each other, and she could feel every inch of both of them. Against the front and back of her, hard cocks stood at attention. She let one hand roam down over James’s side, curving around and feeling his ass, while her other hand slid

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between her and Joseph’s bodies, and her fingers flicked over his cock. A curse slipped out of Joseph’s mouth as he rocked his hips harder into her. She asked, “God, who are you two?” “James,” James whispered in her ear. “Joseph,” the other man said as he tasted her lobe. His hand slid across her stomach, petting her between the legs again. “Boys of the Gospel,” Nicole muttered. “Not exactly,” James said. How long they danced, Nicole wasn’t sure, but one second they both had their hands on her, and the next second the last-call lights were starting to come up, and they winced at the change in ambiance. Joseph kept his hand on her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Exhilarating.” His grin made Nicole’s knees go weak. She was so close to coming she wondered if she’d be able to make it home. Maybe her gag gifts hadn’t been such a bad idea after all. “Erotic,” James said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. Nicole stared at them. “I just bumped pelvises with you two for most of the night, and all I get is a kiss on the cheek and my hand?” James grinned. “And what would you like?” “At least one of you had better kiss me, and you both had better hug me,” she said, shocked at her own brazen comments, but she couldn’t help it—this deserved more than a gentlemanly bow and off into the shadows with them. The wine must have gone to her head… James and Joseph glanced at each other. “We shall escort you to your vehicle,” Joseph said. Nicole took each of their hands, and they wove through the throngs, stopping long enough for her to grab her things before heading for the door. The men even offered to carry her bag from the party, but she wasn’t about to make one of them carry the bag with the half-naked guy on it. Most of her friends had already left, all except Kayleigh, who was making out with some guy in the corner and didn’t even notice their departure.

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Outside, the spring air had cooled down to almost chilly, yet the chill did little to calm her raging hormones. When they reached her old Toyota, she opened the door, tossed her stuff inside, and turned to face them both. “I… I can’t even begin to think what I should say now.” Her eyes wandered from one beautiful man to the other. The coolness of the night seemed to sober her up, and suddenly, this wasn’t just a fun dance with strangers—they were all real people with real lives, real worlds to go back to. Granted, she lusted after both of them. There was no denying that. Yet suddenly everything seemed too real, too existing. Consequences of her lust started running through her brain. You can’t sleep with two men. You can’t sleep with one and then the other. You can’t pick from either of them… How she knew that, she couldn’t be sure, but trying to pick one over the other seemed wrong. The two of them went together, they matched each other in some strange way. And choosing between them would be like choosing between the left side of her body or her right. “Good night?” Joseph offered. “I suppose that would work,” Nicole replied. She reached out, putting her arms around James, and hugged him. “Good night.” When she pulled back a bit, James held her close, and she put her arms around his neck. “May I kiss you now?” James asked. The tiny bit of worry in her was distilled by James’s gentle question. She wanted to kiss him. Hell, she wanted to kiss both of them. Maybe they’d allow it—a kiss from both, and she’d be set for life, fantasies of being with both of them. It would never happen, but the thoughts might keep her satisfied on those lonely nights in Boston. She nodded. James smiled. He leaned forward, the kiss soft at first, tasting her lips with a gentle caress, then his pressure increased, and his mouth opened. Her lips parted, and their tongues danced with each other. His hands roamed down her back, resting on her hips. With a soft nudge, he pushed her hips against his. Her hands roamed down his back to

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stroke his ass. “I’m feeling rather lonely over here,” Joseph’s voice interrupted them. Nicole released James, both of them laughing. Joseph didn’t give his friend much time to untangle himself from Nicole, shoving him away. He wrapped his arms around her hips, his lips hovering within centimeters of hers. Nicole returned his embrace, her hands exploring the top of his ass. “Still feeling lonely?” “Just so horny I can’t stand it.” He pushed her backward against the side of her car. His hips rocked into hers as he slammed her with a kiss so intense she lost her breath. In her mind, she knew this was wrong; that she shouldn’t be kissing one and the other like this—so brazen, so blunt for both of them, yet her body had other ideas. She couldn’t stop herself from the onslaught. Both of them were incredible, and desire burned inside her for each one. Joseph’s lips parted, his tongue dipping in, a warrior on a mission. He dominated her, enveloping her with his kiss, making her knees go weak, and had she not been pressed against the car, she knew she would have fallen. “All right, don’t eat her,” James said, his hand on Joseph’s shoulder, pulling the two of them apart. “I was just getting to the good part,” Joseph said. And stole one last quick kiss. “We should let you go home, get some sleep.” Nicole nodded, her whole body on fire. “Yes, and get out my vibrator. Or did you two want to come and help me with that problem?” Joseph opened his mouth to speak, but James put a hand on his shoulder. “Good things come to those who wait,” James said. Laughing, she got in her car, though in that second she was a little disappointed. “See you around.” They waved as she started the car, and remained in the parking lot until she was out of sight. Yes, tonight would be a night for the handy-dandy battery operated device.

Chapter 4 “Bernard,” yelled Nicole’s boss, his hands on his hips, glaring at her. “You’re late.” Nicole let out a sigh; the first time she’d been late in five years, and she was only late by about twenty minutes. Did it matter that her boss was usually at least thirty minutes late for work? Of course not. But then, it was what she deserved for such a wicked night last night. Even though she’d gone home alone, she did have to test out her new toys—her body had hummed over those two men, and she spent the night dreaming about being stuck between them, both their bodies… “Bernard!” her boss snapped again. “Sorry,” she said, slumping down a bit more, her hair falling back in her face. Kayleigh came around the corner, a latte in her hand, and pressed it into Nicole’s. “My God, what did those two do to you last night?” Nicole smirked. Kayleigh glanced at their boss, Mr. Mason. “Give her a break, Mason. We took her out last night.” “What for?” “Because she’s leaving,” Kayleigh said, sashaying up to Mason. “So give her a break. She met some really great men last night.” “Well,” Mason said, raising his brow like he didn’t believe that she could possibly meet anyone. “Don’t let it happen again.”

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Nicole dashed into her office, sucking down the latte, hoping the caffeine would infuse her brain. And maybe she’d be able to focus on something other than James and Joseph. In every one of the dreams last night, she’d been stuck between the two. But those were only dreams—a product of her overactive, severely deprived sex life. Nothing like that would ever happen. Oh, but at least she had the dreams. So vivid, like the one she’d had after being at Starbucks. Men’s hands all over her body… Cocks rubbing all the right places… Nicole flushed at the heated memories, thankful she had met them. They’d keep those quiet nights after the move full of erotic mental bliss. Kayleigh appeared a few minutes later, dropping down in the chair across from her. “Now you have to spill it.” “What?” Nicole asked, her cheeks flaming red. “Which one did you take home?” “Neither.” “They were both all over you, and you didn’t take either of them home? I just can’t believe that.” “Well, believe it. They walked me to my car, kissed me goodbye, and I went home.” Nicole started going through the paperwork on her desk. “Oh, remind me to put batteries on my shopping list.” Kayleigh burst out laughing, and Nicole joined her. “Too bad. Either one of them would have been nice.” “Or both,” Nicole said, her cheeks blushing at the words as soon as they left her mouth. Kayleigh fanned herself. “Both would be amazing.” “Come on, now, I have stuff to do. Go, spread gossip, but be sure to add that with my good night kisses I got to play tonsil hockey with both of them.” “Did you really?” “Maybe.”

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“I sure hope you gave at least one of them your number.” Nicole’s face collapsed at the words. That was the one thing she hadn’t done. She hadn’t given them any way to contact her. “You didn’t? Oh, Nicole, what am I going to do with you?” *

Nicole’s conversation with Kayleigh had put her in a grumpy mood for the rest of the day. What a dolt she was. She hadn’t given the two hottest guys she’d ever met any way to contact her. What had she been thinking? But maybe she was better off. After all, her last day of work was Friday, and she was moving next week to Boston. At least she’d always have the fantasies. It was nearly four in the afternoon when Nicole stood up to stretch. The last minute paperwork she was trying to finish was giving her fits. She stretched her arms over her shoulders, popping them, and ran her fingers through her hair. With a quick twist, she clipped all her hair up, trying to catch the stray hairs that kept falling in her face. The look was never attractive, but it got the locks out of the way. “Nicole, you need to come out here,” came Kayleigh’s voice on the intercom. Nicole let out a sigh. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. “What’s…” Nicole stopped dead in her tracks. On Kayleigh’s desk was a glass bowl, filled halfway with water. Floating in the center were three lotus flowers. A messenger stood alongside Kayleigh’s desk. “Nicole Bernard?” At her nod, he handed her his electronic pad. “Sign here.” Nicole signed it with shaky hands, accepted the parcel he handed her, then opened it. “What in the world?” she muttered, finding a cellphone inside. Just as she pulled it out, it started to ring. She glanced at Kayleigh, who was watching with rapt attention. “Go on, answer it!” “Hello?” She watched the messenger disappear as she waited for a voice to respond. “Forgive my intrusion on your work day,” came the sexy voice.

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Nicole’s toes started to curl. “It’s okay, James,” she said, amazed that she could recognize his voice. “I’m glad you remember me. Do you like the flowers?” “They’re beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like them.” “Meet me for dinner.” “Just you?” “Yes, just me.” He started rattling off a location, and Nicole grabbed a piece of paper off of Kayleigh’s desk, writing it down. “Meet me there at ten.” “Ten? Isn’t that a little late?” “I want you to take a nap when you get home. You’re going to need your rest.” Nicole bit her lip. “Okay.” “See you tonight.” “James, what about the phone?” “Keep it. You might need it.” Nicole hung up. “Oh, my God! That is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!” Kayleigh said. A couple of women came by, noticing the flowers, and Kayleigh began to relay the whole story to them. Nicole tapped the address book button on the phone. Two numbers were listed. James and Joseph. Nicole’s heart rammed in her chest.

Chapter 5 Joseph crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the old man. At a passing glance, Dom Romano looked no older than Joseph, but the old ass had been around for a couple centuries. He was the leader of the Romanian vampire clan, and not one to be trifled with. Joseph knew he wasn’t in the best of situations with Dom Romano glaring at him, even if it was only through a web camera. Odds were, Romano already had a few of his contract wolves on their way to kill him at this very moment. Ready to come in and clean house. A small irony written into the Balance Mandate—the governing laws all mythicals lived by—no mythical could kill one of their own species. As a result, even century-old disputes, like those between certain wolf packs and vamp clans, were put aside to do “housekeeping” for each other. Besides, who wouldn’t want a chance to legally kill off a member or two of the opposite warring faction? After he’d first been turned, Joseph had done occasional “housekeeping” duty for a couple of the wolf clans. James had, too. Paid well, that job did. But being on the receiving end of housekeeping wasn’t something Joseph relished. Romano continued to glare, leaning closer to the camera. “You’re not up to your old tricks, are you?” “We made a vow,” Joseph replied, as calm as he could be. “How important are vows when one is halfway across the planet in neutral territory?” North America had been determined neutral territory for all mythicals, since the only mythical creatures indigenous were the Yeti, and they were more than happy to

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share their lands. Many mythicals, vampires and wolves included, lived in North America without the influence of anal clans and outdated rules. But that was North America. South America was a little different. James and Joseph had never been there, and probably never would—they didn’t have death wishes. “We are not responsible,” Joseph said. Regardless of what the Templars think, he wanted to add, but stopped himself. “It looks bad for all of us right now, these renegades.” Romano spit on the ground. “If you know anything, you will report it immediately.” “Of course.” The web cam disconnected, and Joseph ran his hands through his short hair. Maybe this pursuit of the female wasn’t a good idea right now. They would have to be extremely careful. Not only because of the Templar threat, but the renegade situation had evidently escalated to a point where the clan leaders were getting involved. And if they were involved enough to be calling out two second generation vampires like he and James, then things were not looking good. It seemed to Joseph that there were other, much more dangerous, pure-blood vampires out there who the clans should be looking into before coming down the line to the two of them. Like Dom Romano’s son. That sick fuck needed to be staked. Too bad no one could find him. He’d been in hiding for the last forty years or so, but Joseph knew him. And the vampire would be back, just as soon as he was ready. The population of unregistered mythicals was growing, and since it was growing, then someone had to be siring them. Yet there were very few pure blood or second generation vamps who would consider siring illegally. Unfortunately, James and Joseph were on that short list. But they hadn’t turned anyone for a century, an ordeal that had ended very badly. The last thing Joseph was going to do was be responsible for another renegade vampire running around.

Chapter 6 Nicole arrived at the location specified by James. She’d had to look it up online to figure out how to dress, and wound up settling on a black dress, one that criss-crossed her chest, making her cleavage look much fuller than it really was. Her hands shook as she got out of the car. She’d done little since getting off the phone with James except come up with a thousand different reasons why this was a bad idea, but in the end, curiosity and unsatisfied desires had won out. On her way toward the building, she had to whistle. The hotel looked like an old French chateau, somewhat out of place on the outskirts of town. She walked up the stairs, greeted by a doorman. She mumbled a thank you and headed inside. The grand lobby was beautiful, done in golds and richly textured fabrics. Happy couples weaved in and out of the smallish lobby, some even clinging to each other as they headed for stairs that looked like something from the Titanic. The huge staircase headed up, planed out, then angled up to a second level. Nicole had seen commercials for this place on television—it was supposed to be the new big thing, but she’d never considered actually coming here. She wouldn’t dare wager a guess at what the rooms must cost. Glancing around, Nicole didn’t see James anywhere, nor did she see any restaurant entrance. Shifting from one foot to the other, she debated whether she should go to the desk and inquire, or just wait around. A bellman walked by, smiling at her, and she saw a few chairs near the door, a safe place to wait. Close enough to the door if she decided to bolt, but inside enough that

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she’d look as if she belonged. As she headed toward the chairs, her pulse quickened, and the strange sensation of being watched crept over her. She ventured a glance over her shoulder, and her breath caught in her throat. James stood in the doorway, his eyes locking with hers. Immediately, her insides began to burn again. How did he do that? Just looking at him now, she hardly recognized the man from last night. Dressed now in a black suit and black shirt with a dark gray tie, he was the epitome of pure sex. His long hair was loose tonight, falling over his face in a wave that begged to be caressed. A smile curved one corner of his mouth as he started toward her, a grace to his size that made even watching him walk an exercise in hormonal control. Other women in the lobby watched him, but he paid them no mind. One who looked like a supermodel had the audacity to adjust her path as though to intercept him, but James turned his head toward her, and she froze in her tracks, then pivoted off and fled in the opposite direction. Nicole couldn’t help smirking as James reached her side. “You seem to have a way with people.” “People should mind their own business.” He took her hand, leaning down and kissing it. “Besides, you are far lovelier than she was.” “She looked like a model,” Nicole said, then berated herself for not simply accepting the compliment. “Thank you, though.” “You are most welcome.” He tucked her hand in the bend of his arm. “Beauty is more than just the outside—it is what fills the soul that matters.” “And you could see her soul?” “It is a gift I have learned to trust over the years.” They walked to the front desk, and he was given a card key to a room. The lady at the desk made a comment about everything being ready. He need only call down to have it brought up. He led her not to the elevator, but up the Titanic-wide flight of stairs, and down the hall to a corner room.

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“Wow, pay extra for the corner, eh?” “Some things deserve a bit of extravagance.” As the door swung open, Nicole’s breath stalled again. The suite, done in a Tuscany style, was gold with a statue near the door. A small table for two sat in a corner. Soft music played as they came in, and a fountain babbled water near a flight of stairs. She walked through the entryway, and realized the wall hid an open Jacuzzi bathtub and towels folded like origami. A bucket with champagne chilled on the edge of the tub, and over at the small sitting area, a bouquet of lotus flowers filled a bowl, similar to the arrangement he’d sent her earlier. “Good Lord, this is amazing,” she said, peering up the stairs. “What’s up there?” “The bed.” “Oh.” Her cheeks heated with blush. James arched his brow at her. “You’re blushing.” “I am, I know. I figured we’d be eating in a restaurant.” “Does this not appeal?” “Oh, it’s beautiful. Except I get the feeling we’re not just here for food.” “Is that a problem?” Nicole rubbed her arms. “No, I guess not.” He took her hands. “Nothing will happen that you are not comfortable with, Nicole.” She smiled, squeezing his hands back. “I appreciate that.” “Are you hungry?” “I am, actually.” He stepped to a phone tucked into a nook and called down for the food to be brought up. Nicole took this time to explore, admiring the golden columns around a wide tub. “You could fit two people in there, easy.” “We can try that later,” James said, coming up behind her. “I’ve never tried that.” She didn’t know what was more embarrassing: the admission, or the fact it was true. “You have never been bathed, stroked and caressed in the tub?” His breath burned at

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her skin, and she repressed a shudder. “No.” When he touched her shoulder, Nicole couldn’t help leaning into it, and his fingers twitched, caressing her cheek. “Your hands are cold.” His fingers paused for a second, then slid down her throat. “Poor circulation.” “Sorry,” she said, though she wasn’t sure why she was apologizing. She stepped back into his arms, and he wrapped them around her, stroking her hair out of his way to nuzzle her neck. Nicole purred as he enveloped her, her body overheating at his touch. She ran her hands over his fingers, feeling the strength there. The calluses on his palms were deep; he worked hard at whatever it was he did. And it dawned on her that she didn’t even know what he did, splashing cold water on the romantic scenario. “Is something wrong?” She pulled away, spinning around to face him. “I don’t even know your last name.” James smiled. “Henrick. Anything else?” She shook her head. “I just realized I was willing to go to bed with a man I hardly know, and that’s not like me.” “Well, then, I’ve gotten more adept than I realized. I didn’t think I was ready to take you to bed just yet.” “Why not?” “I like to take my time.” A knock broke them apart, and James turned to answer it. Inside came a maid with a tray of food. James directed her to the tiny table in the corner, and she filled it not with dinner, but desserts—chocolate covered strawberries, wine, cheese and crackers, and a serving of a decadent looking cake. When the maid left, James escorted Nicole to the table, holding out the chair for her, and after a couple of attempts, Nicole got the hang of letting him slide the chair in for her. “You know, women just don’t get trained in having men scoot their chairs in.” “A practice that has been lost.”

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She helped herself to a few crackers and cheese, and James poured the wine. “So what do you want to know?” “What do you do, James Henrick?” She took a bite of a cracker. “Real estate. Joseph and I own property all over the country. We both started out as carpenters, but now we buy property, fix it up and sell it.” “Do you keep anything you buy?” “We have a few places.” “So you two live together, then.” “Is that a problem?” “Why should it be?” And really, it wasn’t. After all, she was here with James, not Joseph. Had Joseph pulled the flowers and phone stunt, she would have been here with him instead. It wasn’t like she was going to have them both. Which, in the weirdest way, disappointed the hell out of her. She took a sip of wine, marveling at the flavor of the wine and the cheeses, how they complimented each other. No wonder everyone ate wine and cheese together. As she glanced at James, she wondered what else she’d been missing out on. “Some people think it strange. Many think we are gay.” “Are you?” “No. Not in the way you would classify homosexual.” “Care to explain that one?” “We do not have sex with each other. But we do love each other. He has been my partner for longer than I care to remember. We do almost everything together.” “Almost?” “He is not here now, is he?” “No, he isn’t.” They eased into simple conversation, talking about Nicole’s work and her transfer to Boston. “Have you found a place in Boston yet?” “Yes, uh, on the east side, I think. The Theatre District? Does that sound familiar?”

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James nodded his head, and for a second she swore his eyes went dark. “That is not the best area of Boston for a single female.” “They didn’t tell me that. They called it an eclectic neighborhood. I figured it was filled with artists and theatre types.” “The architecture is eclectic, or it would be if the area was cleaner and there were fewer drug houses.” Great, she was moving to a slum in a city she didn’t know anything about. Suddenly this move to Boston wasn’t feeling that awesome anymore. “I have property there. And I am certain at least one of the row houses are available. I can make a call tomorrow and—” Nicole cut him off. “I can’t afford a row house. I looked at a couple online, and they were far too expensive.” “I’m sure we could work out something…” A strange sensation rolled through Nicole’s stomach, what kind of deal would James want from her, so willing to discount the rent on a place? Surely he didn’t do this for everyone. “I couldn’t do that. It’s not fair, when someone else could pay you what the property is worth.” “The place has not had a renter in a couple of years.” “What’s wrong with it?” Too expensive? Decrepit? She could hardly imagine that from such a put-together man. Still, what was wrong with the property? “We have not had it on the market for a while, because we use the property when we’re in Boston.” It was his home? “Well, then, I certainly can’t displace you.” “Actually, it would be a favor. We travel so much, it would be nice to have a caretaker at the property.” “How much do you travel?” “We make visits to check on different places, make new purchases and the like. We’re rarely in the same place for too long.” If Nicole was right, James almost sounded depressed about the fact. She tried to wrap her mind around moving constantly, and it seemed like too much to comprehend.

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How could anyone live such a nomadic existence? “Must be hard on relationships.” James took a small sip of wine. “It has been a while since either of us had a substantial relationship.” “I understand that.” It had been quite a while since she’d had any relationship of significance, either. Hell, the last one, she’d been in college and it had been a disaster. “Well, if you want to stay at the row house, I would be happy to turn the place over to you. I would be able to visit you when we were in Boston. And I would know you were in a safe area.” Nicole shrugged. Really, how could she turn down such an offer? On the flipside, it seemed like too much to expect. “I’ll tell you what. If I get to Boston and the place I’ve rented is as bad as you say, I’ll contact you, and we can discuss the row house.” There, she’d turned him down, but not really. Odds were, she’d stay at the place she’d found, but knowing she had other options did ease her mind about the transfer. Among other things. Though she doubted she would ever see him after this weekend, his admission that he could come see her took the guilt away. Amazing how such a little thing could make something like this—a one night, or even a one weekend stand—feel so much better. They talked more about his business, how he and Joseph had grown up together, neighbors as kids, then went into business together as adults. He truly was a nice person, though it felt like he held something back about his life, a part he didn’t want to share. Which Nicole understood. Who was she, after all? A date. A short entry on what she assumed must be a long list of bedmates. She had no doubt his history would be incredibly entertaining, but he had no reason to tell her everything about himself. “What do you think about this?” he asked her. “What?” “Are you attracted to me?” “Very much.” He stared at her, his light blue eyes, almost a liquid silver, digging deep into her soul, like he’d found a way to see every part of her being. He squeezed her hand. “I can’t stop thinking about you. It has taken all my restraint

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not to carry you up those stairs and make love to you until you scream.” Her body erupted, and suddenly the room was too hot; everything was spinning, zeroing in on the vortex that was James. He didn’t move, he didn’t breathe, he just sat there, caressing her fingers across the tiny table, gazing at her. Everything was too tight, too much, and nothing mattered more than getting some air on her skin. She pulled at her dress’s neckline, trying to cool off while his eyes flickered down to her throat. “Warm?” She nodded her head, her cheeks blushing. “I could turn down the temperature.” His tone was gentle, conversational, yet his eyes had darkened with need, the way they had last night on the dance floor. “It’s not that kind of heat.” James raised his brow at Nicole. His groin tightened in his pants, and his mind started playing images in his mind—images of the many things she could do with that mouth. He felt her heart rate pick up, the blood rushing beneath his thumb as he caressed her wrist. His bloodlust started to throb in time, but he quickly put a damper on it. He had plans for this evening. Taking Nicole on the table, no matter how appealing, was not part of his design. “How did you find me? The flowers at work, and the phone—I’ve got it with me, by the way,” she said, pulling her hand away and starting to get up. “Keep the phone. It’s yours.” “I don’t even know what the number is.” “But I do.” Her eyes widened, and her mouth rounded into a silent “oh.” She twisted on the chair again and started fiddling with the crackers. “Try a strawberry.” He held up the plate of the chocolate covered treats. “Thank you.” She put one in her mouth. The soft moan that came out as she bit into it made his groin pulse with need. He watched her savor the fruit, and again his mind wandered to naughtier thoughts. Her eyelids had started to droop slightly—perhaps she’d had enough wine.

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She asked, “Do you and Joseph always share the same dance partner?” “We do on occasion. Though we are very selective of whom we choose to dance with.” “And for some reason, I made the cut?” James nodded. She had made the cut for more reasons than he was willing to explain at the time. “You are unique.” “Everyone is unique,” she countered, finishing her strawberry. “You are very unique.” “I doubt that.” James reached under the tiny table and set his hand on her knee. “I do not.” She shuddered as he touched her, and he slid his hand a little farther up her leg. “How do you do that?” “Do what?” She looked down at the table as she let out a sigh. “Make me want you so much with just a touch?” He smiled. “Do you want to go upstairs?” “Yes.” James stood and came around the table, scooted her chair out and helped her stand. She wobbled a bit, and he touched her hip, steadying her. As soon as she brought her eyes up to his, he was lost. Whatever element of control he’d been using melted at her eyes. This was the one. She had to be. He leaned down, sliding his lips across hers, and she met him with fiery passion, pressing herself against him. Her hips mimicked the grinding of last night as he wrapped his arms around her. He let his lips run down her throat, taking care not to nick her, though he could smell her sweet, sweet blood underneath the skin. It wasn’t time yet, he couldn’t do that to her. Frightening her would not suit his plans. And, oh, how he had plans for this beautiful blonde. He tasted the warm flesh on her

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neck and collarbone. Nicole moaned as he nipped at her shoulder, sliding the dress straps away to give him more access. His lips wandered down into the deep V neckline between her breasts. He slid his hands up her sides, feeling her nipples pebble as he grazed them with his fingertips. She quivered, shoving her chest against his fingers as little pants came out of her mouth. Bringing his kisses back up, he nipped at her earlobe as he slipped a hand on the small of her back. “Come, then.” He guided her up the stairs. “Isn’t it a little early for me to come?” “Not at all. I plan on making you come again and again.” “Is that a promise?” “A guarantee.” When they reached the top of the curved stairs, Nicole glanced around at the room, her breath shuddering as she glanced over the edge, then stepped back away. “Do you not like heights?” “Not when I stand at the edge.” She sat on the bed. “Now that you have me up here, James Hendrick, what are you going to do with me?” He crossed his arms over his chest, stroking his chin. “I plan on removing your dress, slowly kissing my way up your thighs and stomach. When I reveal your breasts, I will taste each nipple through your bra, then inch it down so I can lick and taste the flesh itself. Then I shall remove the wisp of naughty underwear you have on and suck your pussy until you cry for release.” Nicole’s eyes widened at his description, her face staining pink. “You didn’t say anything about my shoes.” He knelt down on his knee, hooking his finger under the heel and raising her leg. “This shoe?” “Yes.” “I plan to leave it on while I fuck you.” She let out a shuddering breath and clenched the bedspread. “You have thought a lot about this.” “I have.” Which was very true—the thoughts had been plaguing him since the coffee

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shop. He slid his hands under the hem of her dress. “And I plan on acting on every one of those fantasies.” “God,” she said. He shook his head. “Not God. This is something else entirely.”

Chapter 7 Everyone, every man and every woman, has that one night, that moment, of pure perfect sex. This was Nicole’s night for perfect sex. And James was giving it to her. He kissed and tasted every inch of skin as he pulled off her dress, taking her nipples into his mouth and making her scream as he sucked and nibbled on the flesh. Lost between ecstasy and reality, Nicole found her only grounding in James’s touch, yet it wasn’t enough—she needed more, though for the life of her, she couldn’t think what that might be. She slid her hands in his hair, pulling at the dark brown locks as he tortured and pleasured her everywhere his lips could roam above the waist. Because of his height, he could kneel between her legs and still reach up to kiss her, which he did often, capturing her lips in a battle of power. She could feel his restraint. He was holding something back, some part of him, but so much of her was lost in ecstasy, she couldn’t figure out what it was. And she wanted it, whatever it was he held back. She needed it—it was the very thing she craved most, though she didn’t know what it was called. As he let his lips travel down her body, she lay back on the bed, letting him slide her panties off as he pressed wet kisses all around her thighs. She spread her legs for him, and he kissed her back up each leg, slow and torturous until he was mere inches from her center. She rocked her hips this way and that, begging him to touch her there, to relieve the

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building orgasm that threatened to explode. Yet he didn’t. He took his time, savoring every other part of her but the center. Nothing but his breath touched her pulsing clit, only making her more and more desperate. Nicole reached up and grabbed his head, trying to pull him toward her, but he just laughed at her. “All good things come to those who wait.” “You’re evil.” “You’re meeting my dark side.” “Bastard.” He smirked. Then he let the flat of his tongue slide over her. Nicole arched off the bed, and when his tongue started swirling around, she was certain the room spun along with it. Everything around her zeroed to the pinprick of his every move, every swipe of his tongue. When he added a finger, pumping inside her as he tasted her clit, Nicole came up off the bed, crying out. The friction of his finger met with his tongue’s powerful swirls and sent her spiraling off the edge of oblivion; lost in the throes of an orgasm so strong, she bucked off the bed, screaming. He continued to pump in and out of her, his lips moving all over her, not just her center. Then, a sharp pain shot through her right thigh as he bit her. The force of her orgasm doubled, no tripled, no… to the power of ten, his bite intensifying the pleasure so much more. She was lost, slammed in a moment of pain, bliss and ecstasy, and James her only connection to life. After everything came back into focus, he slowly slid his fingers out, peppering her thigh with kisses and long licks. As he stood up, his eyes burned brighter, as if they were lit by a light of their own, making the room seem even dimmer than before. His lips were red—blood red, full and powerful, and all she wanted in the world was to kiss him again. He leaned down, capturing her lips in a fierce kiss. Groaning at the flavors of her on his lips, she clung to him, her body still weak from orgasm. When he stood back up, she managed to find some strength, and watched as he began a slow striptease. In the low light, his skin looked almost white, defined muscles framing his broad

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shoulders and narrow waist. Very little hair covered his chest, a pleasant surprise for her. He started removing his pants, and Nicole licked her lips, tasting the remainder of their last kiss while she watched the way he strained against his boxer-briefs. She climbed up onto her knees, impressed that she could hold herself up after that orgasm, and put her hands on his waist. James went still as she explored him, letting her fingers roam over the lines of his chest, and when her hands sought his erection, he let out a sigh through gritted teeth. Slipping her fingertips under his waistband, she slid around the back, then to the front once more, just grazing his tip. His stomach muscles contracted at the touch, and she slipped her hand further down, grasping him. His eyes closed, and his head fell back as his whispered moans drifted toward the ceiling. Her confidence soaring, Nicole stroked him a bit, feeling every inch of the velvet skin. James reached down and pushed the boxer-briefs off his hips, and Nicole got her first full-on look at his cock. “Impressive.” Leaning forward, she ran her lips over the tip. James’s hands fisted at his sides as she let her tongue get to know every inch of him. He moaned aloud when she took him into her mouth, guiding him as deeply as she could. When she began to move up and down the length of him, his fingers tangled in her hair, not pressing her, just holding on. She sped up a little with every thrust, but once her tempo had reached a frenzied pace, he pulled out of her mouth. “That is not where I want to come.” Nicole pouted at him. She didn’t normally let men come in her mouth, but with James, she wanted to. She wanted to taste him rolling down her throat, to know him that intimately. “What if I want you to?” “Maybe later. But for now, I want to be inside you.” Nicole nodded as he reached down and grabbed his pants, pulling out a sleeve of condoms. “That’s a lot of condoms.”

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“I have a lot of plans.” He laid down next to her on the bed, pulling her to him in a long, slow kiss. Nicole threw a leg over his hip and rocked herself up on top of him, pressing her breasts against his chest. Their legs laced together and she straddled him, savoring the coolness of his flesh. “You’re cold blooded, aren’t you?” For a brief second, James tensed. “What do you mean?” “Your skin is cool,” she said as she kissed the skin around his throat. “You’re not one of those men who are so hot, they feel like an oven.” She pressed a couple of kisses against his chest. A very appealing thing—her boyfriend in college had been so hot blooded she’d barely been able to stand lying in bed with him. “That’s a very good thing.” “Good.” He rocked his hips up into her. “Now there are places that I want to be buried in.” “Such as?” “Here.” He moved between her thighs, his shaft sliding on the wetness there. Nicole moaned, every part of her screaming for him to be inside her. She squirmed, positioning him until his cock brushed her threshold. James stroked her face, his eyes meeting hers. Nicole nodded, and with a shift, she started taking him inside bit by bit, his cock spreading her out. Savoring his slow pressure, she grabbed his hands, holding on tight until she’d fully taken him in. He filled her to the limit, and now that he was fully inside, everything in the room telescoped until there was nothing left—only their connection, the perfect connection they had between them. He was utterly unlike any man she’d ever been with. She felt a stronger bond to James than she ever thought possible. Their souls were tied together, suddenly connected spirit to spirit. When he began to move, every part of her body screamed at his thrusts, and every part of him strained for more. He matched her rhythm, pushing up as she came down, driving him deeper. The tempo was slow, agonizingly slow at first, and Nicole increased it, little by little, until she could merely hang on while he shoved into her. Then with a motion she hadn’t expected, he rolled her onto her back, pushing her

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legs wide. Nicole cried out, moaning his name as he claimed her, staking his power over her, body and soul. Her orgasm spiraled out of control, and she screamed as she fell over the edge, and James’s thrusts never wavered. He followed a few seconds after her, bucking wildly against her hips before crying out himself and collapsing on top of her. Nicole ran her hands up and down his back, caressing the curves of his shoulders as he kissed her on the cheek. “You are amazing.” He brought his head up to look in her eyes. He caressed her face, his eyes dark and hooded. “You’re not too bad yourself.” James smiled at her. “Well, that may need to be remedied. I need to know I’m better than ‘not too bad.’” Nicole laughed at him.

Chapter 8 Lunch at work was always a boring affair; take out leftovers, fast food, or a sandwich from home. Nicole had managed this morning to swing into the local convenience store to pick up some food before barely making it to work on time. Still, she’d beat Kayleigh by about ten minutes. James had left just before dawn, saying he had an early meeting, but not before he had made her some coffee and apologized profusely for not being able to stay longer. Part of Nicole wondered if she should have been mad. But that part was squashed by the truly sedated sexual part of herself that reminded the doubting brain she hadn’t just been fucked last night, but thoroughly and completely satisfied. It didn’t matter that she’d only gotten about an hour’s sleep. And considering the fact her sandwich was looking more and more like a pillow every second she spent in the cafeteria, she could have used a few more. Thwack! Nicole jerked upright to see Kayleigh drop her bag on the table. “So?” she asked, her eyes almost bugging out of her head. It didn’t help that they’d been super busy all day and hadn’t had any time to do any chatting at work as usual. “I didn’t sleep much.” Kayleigh squealed. “Oh man, so how was it? I mean, you didn’t get much sleep, so it must have been pretty good, but was it mind blowing? I know that guy had to be at least mind blowing.” Nicole blinked at Kayleigh’s fast words, slamming into her like a train. “Mind

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blowing doesn’t begin to cover it.” Her hand slipped down to between her legs, at the apex of her thigh, where James had bitten her. He’d done it more than once, or she thought he had, but when she’d inspected the area after her morning shower, she saw little more than a slight bruise. Yet it had been so intense—she couldn’t help wondering what secret nerve cluster he’d discovered that elicited such a reaction. “Oh, wow. I wonder if his friend is free. Surely the friend would be as incredible.” Her eyes darkened in lusty waves. Nicole made a face, her hackles rising at Kayleigh’s comment. After all, she’d been the one dancing with James and Joseph. Kissing them both in the parking lot. Not Kayleigh. She wasn’t sharing them. Wait a second, Nicole thought as she forced herself to calm down. They’re not mine. Both of them aren’t mine. And who was she to say that Kayleigh couldn’t see Joseph? She’d been with James last night. Why should she feel any possessiveness over Joseph? After all, Joseph was a free agent. Kayleigh glanced at her. “What should you care? I mean, you’ve got the dark haired one. I’m sure the blond will be getting lonely.” She grinned, a predatory smile on her face. “Yeah,” Nicole said, and felt her purse begin to vibrate. She pulled out her cellphone, but it wasn’t ringing. The vibrating didn’t stop. She dug deeper into her bag and found the phone she’d gotten from James. “Speak of the devil,” she muttered as she glanced at the screen. “Hello?” “Nicole, love,” came Joseph’s voice, a purring in her ear that reeked of sexual prowess. Nicole shivered at his tone. It amazed her how different they both sounded on the phone. “Hello, Joseph.” Kayleigh’s eyes lit up. “Give him my number.” Nicole put her finger up at Kayleigh and directed her attention to the phone. “How are you?” “Tired,” Nicole replied, her honesty lingering in the words.

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“I shall chastise James for keeping you up so late.” “Don’t chastise him too much,” Nicole replied with a smile. “But I should. Because now you’ll be too tired for my company tonight.” Nicole’s face flushed. She glanced at Kayleigh who was holding her hand at her ear, thumb and pinky splayed out in the universal gesture for telephone, mouthing for Joseph to call her. “I don’t know about that.” “Good, because I haven’t been able to sleep for the raging hard-on I’ve had since the dance floor.” Nicole bit her lip, repressing a grin. “Well, you should do something about that.” “Oh, believe me, I will. But I think I need a female’s touch to ease this ache.” Nicole glanced at Kayleigh, who was starting to look annoyed. “My girlfriend Kayleigh would probably be able to help out with that.” Kayleigh grinned. “Spare me. There’s only one person who could ease this ache.” “And who would that be?” “You.” Nicole’s face flamed red, and she bit her lip. What could she say to that? “Uh, I don’t know how that’s possible.” Kayleigh made a motion to her watch and got up from the table. Nicole nodded to her and kept focused on Joseph. “Why not? Meet me for drinks tonight.” “I really can’t. I have to get some sleep.” “Meet me at ten. Go home, take a nap, rest that lovely little head, and meet me at Clawson’s.” Last night with James had been amazing—and she wasn’t sure how she felt about his best friend calling her the next day. What kind of a friend was that? “Don’t you think you should be asking James about this?” “I’ll take care of James.” “I don’t think it’s a good idea. I’d hate to cause dissention between you two.” “You won’t, love.”

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*

Three explosive sneezes erupted out of Nicole, and she scrambled to get a tissue before climbing into her bath. “At least I wasn’t in the bath,” she muttered; tissues and bath time didn’t quite mix. She’d come home a bit early from work to continue packing. Her boss had surprised her when he’d said she could go ahead and leave. He’d been almost nice to her and everything. Nicole had planned on working most of the day Friday, since it wouldn’t take her long to pack up her office stuff. After she’d gotten home, she’d packed for a couple more hours, then decided she’d take a bath before meeting Joseph. The idea of meeting him still nagged at her. Nice girls didn’t just go out with a guy one night, then his buddy the next. Wasn’t she supposed to wait a full menstrual cycle before doing a new guy? After seeing too many talk shows that spent entire episodes trying to figure out who the daddy was, Nicole considered waiting incredibly good advice. The water sloshed around in the tub as she climbed in, the warm oatmeal and honey bath beads soothing the muscles in her shoulders, even before she got fully submerged. She rocked her shoulders back and forth, loving how the water curled around her neck while the dirt and grime from packing finally washed away. Nicole had no idea packing would reveal this many dust bunnies. She’s always prided herself on being someone who didn’t make a lot of messes, didn’t have a lot of crap around, and was rather clean. Evidently, the dust bunny monster was even more clever than her vacuum. Lying on the cabinet, albeit too far away to reach if it actually rang, was the cellphone from James and Joseph. “I shouldn’t be doing this.” What had Joseph said? That he’d take care of James? How? By lying? By telling him that he wasn’t going out with her? Especially after what James had told her, how the two of them were best friends and had been for years, she couldn’t imagine coming in between that kind of friendship. Friends like that were practically impossible to find.

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She should know. She didn’t really have any. Nicole nodded her head. “I’ll just tell Joseph I can’t do this.” She slid a little deeper in the tub. “I won’t come between two friends like that. It’s wrong. I’ll buy a drink, tell him how I feel, and then I’ll leave. Simple, easy.” The knots in her shoulders started to dissipate even more, and Nicole finally relaxed in the bath, her head against the washrag she had laid out as a quasi-pillow.

This time it was Joseph; Joseph in a dressy suit, not like today’s fashion, but older, like Regency England or Civil War era. He was dressed as a gentleman, but one look in his eyes, and she knew he wasn’t one. A rake might even be too kind a word for the predatory way he stared at her. Even rakes must have had some level of subtlety about them. Not Joseph. His dark blue and white ensemble looked almost sloppy, like he hadn’t a care about his appearance. Nonetheless, he looked amazing. Amazing and on a mission: her. Nicole inhaled a breath as Joseph came closer. She scanned around for an escape, realizing not only had he trapped her, but he’d trapped her in a bedroom right out of a historical novel. The bed was mammoth and ready to use. As she backed up, she stumbled over a bench at the foot of the bed. Her pulse quickened, and panic started to curl up in her gut. Facing Joseph, she shook her head. Yet Joseph continued to advance. She ruffled and swished, realizing she was also dressed to period; a fancy ball gown, looking very much like what Scarlet O’Hara had worn at the barbecue, though as the petticoats swished, she realized she wasn’t wearing the huge metal hoop skirt. Thank God for small mercies. “Joseph,” Nicole whispered. “What? Where?” “Turbulent times.” He was within a breath of her. Her breasts pushed hard against her corset, and she was getting dizzy; there wasn’t enough air, not nearly enough in his presence for her to breathe properly.

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“I’m scared,” Nicole said. “Of me?” “Maybe.” His hand snaked out, caressing the neckline of her dress, sliding just underneath the fabric. Her breath caught in her throat. His thumb slid down lower, deeper into the dress, feeling her nipple. Every part of him was a man on a mission, a powerful one, and she was captured in his rapture. The panic that had been swelling in her stomach still rolled around inside her, yet it was now coupled with a tangy desire that pumped through her veins. So overwhelmed by both conflicting feelings, she closed her eyes, forcing herself to only rely on the physical contact. The visual contact was too much for her. Nimble fingers cupped her breast, and with a stroke had it out of the corset, lying atop the low neckline, his thumb running lazy circles around her nipple. Nicole let out a sigh. Her body burned in desires she’d never felt before. When her eyes flickered open, she saw Joseph, dark, sensual, devouring her merely with his eyes. His lips parted, like a starving man staring at a great banquet. Joseph’s hands attacked her dress, expertly peeling away the layers, until she stood before him left only in her undergarments. He licked and nibbled at her skin as he worked on her corset, running his tongue over her exposed nipple, sucking and nibbling. She caved to him, arching into his body as he removed the last barrier of her clothing. His own clothing had seemed to disappear as well, removed by a phantom. Standing gloriously naked before her, he guided her to the bed, their skin grazing, sending ripples through her body, each touch a charge making her tremble. Intensity and desperation dominated his lead to the bed. He was restraining himself; she could feel the energy behind his movements, barely veiled by his actions. Then his assault moved to the physical, guiding her down on the bed, his hands moving all over her. Every touch, from her neck to her breast to her stomach, scorched with electric shock. His mouth followed suit, tongue lapping at her throat, her chest, her breasts—not bothering with niceties of gentle touches like James. Joseph was desperate, animalistic and predatory. Nicole had never felt anything quite like this.

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As he moved over her, she marveled at the size and pure chiseled effect of him. Her fingers glided over his back as he worked his way down her body, and she felt every single curve, every muscle line. She didn’t need her eyes open to savor him, she kept her eyes closed tight, going purely on touch and feel, letting every sensation he gave her surge through. Then his lips met her hips, and he licked around her body, diving for her center, making her scream. Yet her scream was captured, swallowed. Jerking, she opened her eyes, and met James’s eyes. It took a moment for it to register, but she realized that as Joseph was surging her toward another climax between her legs, James was kissing her mouth, her neck, chest. Oh, my God! Another sensational orgasm took her away.

Water sloshed out of the bathtub as the aftershock jolted her awake. Good God, did I just have another wet dream? She stood on shaky legs, trying to decide if she dared get out of the tub. Her body had other ideas; her legs shook and her head floated on the aftereffects of orgasm. She dropped back down in the tub, splashing more water on the floor. Maybe she could call Joseph and have him come over here so she wouldn’t have to move. Of course, if that dream was anything to go by, he’d probably want to join her in the tub… What was it with these wild dreams she’d been having? One about James, one about Joseph, but in both, they were there together. Nicole shook her head. She needed to get these strange thoughts out—she wasn’t going to get both those men; why would she think she would? James had said they were best friends, and while they did occasionally share dance partners, that didn’t mean they shared bed partners. She patted her face with her washrag, trying to blot the flushed feelings away. “I seriously need to get over these fantasies.” With one glance at the clock on the sink, she jumped up, climbing out of the tub—if

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she didn’t get a move on, she’d be late to meet Joseph. As she dried herself off, she glanced at her reflection. “And you’re hurrying and flustered just to reject him?” She shook her head at herself. She wanted to be with Joseph as badly as she had wanted to be with James. Still, it wasn’t something that nice girls did. Her mother would roll over in her grave if she knew what Nicole was considering. Yet wouldn’t it be a wild ride for the rest of the weekend, before she headed out on Monday morning to Boston… And to have a different man every night before she left. Talk about a wet dream… Right out of one of her romance novels. Wrapping her hair up in the towel, she squared her shoulders. “I’m leaving on Monday. If they don’t mind trading off night shifts with me, then neither do I.” She walked out of the bathroom and started picking out her clothes for drinks.

Chapter 9 Dusk cast its shadows over the ground, and Joseph walked with a purpose. It took very little effort to find what he needed. Available food was everywhere. Merely sniff the air and blood abounded. The life of a vampire… Seeing a few women of the night working on a corner, he ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it up a bit, and let his sense of smell go. For the most part, the lore of movies had vampire life pretty much on the nose—strong sense of smell, need for blood, not able to eat food. However, the garlic thing and the cross thing were all Hollywood. There were a few other particular markers, though, that signaled a vampire apart from a human. Light eyes was one—almost silver in tone around the center, while the irises had a distinct color line around them. Oh, and there was that ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Though frowned upon by both the vampire clans and the Templars, vampires could fly. To a certain degree. They weren’t really Superman, they couldn’t stop the world from turning or anything so dramatic, but a well fed, strong, older vampire could fly through the air, hover, and fight like Neo in The Matrix. Still, Joseph didn’t want to add more reason for the Knights or the vampire clans to notice him and James more than necessary, so no flying. He refocused on the women on the street. They waved at any passing car, trying to signal for some kind of attention—a paying customer. They weren’t clean, at least not as

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clean as they could be. But prostitutes rarely were. Joseph gritted his teeth and glanced at his watch. He didn’t have a lot of time before meeting up with Nicole. He’d have to make due. Weeknights were not the best nights to get food. Tainted blood was more prevalent. The working girls who had a habit to feed tended to be out more. Weekends, it was a bit easier, if he felt like going to the right places. And even though he didn’t age, he’d become rather bored of going to bars and clubs every night for a meal—he was over a hundred years old. He was waiting for the shift again. Soon enough, a new trend would tap the world, and clubs would be a thing of the past. The only good thing about the wilder nightlife was the ease of finding someone— when he’d first turned, humans just weren’t out after dark like they are now. Too many times, he’d had to silently enter a home, or stalk outside a barn, waiting for someone to venture into the night during a party. Now, women just stood on corners. Waiting. Approaching the three from behind, he smiled at the women, but not too boldly. His hunger already pushed his canines out a bit. Too wide, and he’d look vicious. The women appraised him, though he wondered if he should even consider them women—they barely looked old enough to buy alcohol. They’d all three be beauties if they had a chance and laid off the drugs. The darkest complexion of the three smelled the cleanest—she hadn’t gotten her hit of whatever the others ingested. And she had all her teeth. Something he couldn’t understand, how humans could have such incredible dental care now, and many still had no teeth, or badly damaged teeth, anyway. She smiled, her teeth fairly white in the night as Joseph nodded to her. He didn’t bother with pleasantries, he just asked her to accompany him into the alleyway. She followed without question, her dark hair sticking up in a full afro, and Joseph stroked the soft hair as he pulled her up against him, her back against his chest. “Ohh,” she moaned, rocking her hips into his. Joseph glanced at his watch—time was of the essence. He tipped her head to the

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side, nipping at the flesh of her throat, just before he plunged his fangs into her artery. She cried out, and he stilled her against him as she struggled. It didn’t take him long to get his fill. No vampire needed more than a few ounces at a time to survive, and that was usually enough for a day or two. Nearly all registered vampires took enough from a human to leave them dizzy and confused. Any more, and the Templars would be on the case. That was their job; to keep the vampires, werewolves, and other mythicals in line. They’d been around for seven hundred years—making sure the mythicals didn’t get out of control; they were the mythical police. And some vampires, like Joseph and James, were on the top of their “watched” list. For more than one reason. Joseph envied many of the registered vampires—the ones who had never had an accident. The ones who lived out their immortal lives according to the Balance Mandate, went to work, paid their taxes, and never turned any humans without proper authorization. As he tasted the warmth of the prostitute’s blood, he felt his senses come alive. He turned the woman around, looking into her amber eyes. “Go home, get some sleep, and get a legal job,” he whispered. “You’re better than this. You don’t need drugs and prostitution.” He took a couple of hundred dollar bills and stuck them in her fingers, and set her down on the ground. The puncture wounds on her throat were already closing up. He wiped the blood off his mouth with his handkerchief and tucked it in his pocket as he headed out of the alley. Her friends stood on the corner, and when they saw him come out alone, they took off down the alley after their friend, shrieking. Not that they’d find anything unusual. Joseph inhaled a breath, his senses higher and more attuned, and he hopped back in his black Porsche, letting the engine idle a bit before heading out. One of the women came out of the alley, scanning for him. Joseph hit the gas, taking off before she could identify his car, not that it would do her any good. His plates were Templar registered, coming up void in any human police database. He was ready for his meeting with Nicole.

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James had said she was magnificent. He couldn’t wait to touch her. The quick kiss in the parking lot had left him longing for the last two days. However, since James had discovered her first, he knew the rules. He had to wait. But tonight was his night. If this worked out, Nicole would make them three again, bring the two of them the balance they’d been lacking for the last few decades. Instantly, his body was hard and ready for her. It required a very special woman to be a part of their family. On the dance floor, she’d been incredible; her body fit perfectly between them, matching every move they both made, lost in the pleasure of it. She didn’t seem to care that they were in full view of the public, either. Nicole was the first woman they’d met in the last hundred years that felt… Well, right. But they’d been wrong before—could they be wrong again? Joseph found the bar and parked his car near the entry. Entering the heavy wooden doors he winced; a karaoke singer stood nearby, screeching out the lyrics to some rock song he didn’t recognize. He could be wrong. From the way people reacted to the music, maybe the singer was nailing the song. Impossible to tell anymore. Scanning around, he quickly saw her, and his breath hitched in his throat. Nicole sat at the bar, her hair pulled up in a clip, and she had her back to him. The curve of her shoulder was an elegant arch that called to his primal side. She’d dressed delicately, a fluttery white linen blouse with a soft print on it, and a matching skirt. With her hair pinned up, the curve of her neck was revealed, and he had to force himself not to charge her soft, white throat. He slipped up behind her and put a hand on either side of her, trapping her on the barstool. “Hello, love.” His breath grazed her throat. He felt her pulse jump a moment before her body did, almost spilling her beer on her thin shirt. Joseph’s hand shot out, to him it was almost slow motion as he grabbed the glass and set it, not a drop gone, back on the bar.

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“You scared me,” she said, her cheeks staining a rosy color. “Sorry.” He turned her around to face him. “Miss me?” He leaned in close, inhaling the soft fragrant scent of her. Not perfume, but lotion, something floral and delicate, though he couldn’t place the aroma. Regardless, the mingling flavors, added with her natural scent, made his libido charge full ahead, and it took a desperate restraint to keep from jumping on her. Nicole’s smile looked forced, perplexity visible in her eyes. Never a good sign. Joseph let go of the bar and sat down on the stool next to her. The others at the bar slid away, creating a wide berth between the two of them and any other patrons. “Sure, I guess. Considering I just met you…” “I’m charming and sexy—” Nicole cut him off. “And conceited.” “If you say so.” He rested an arm on the bar. He told the bartender to bring him a beer, though he’d probably not drink much of it. “And how are you tonight?” “Still tired.” “Didn’t you take a nap?” He drank a bit of beer, trying not to let the bitter taste make him gag. Her cheeks flushed. “Evidently not enough. I’m not used to these late hours.” She tried to cover her embarrassment with a blasé attitude. “Dreams keep you awake?” Nicole almost choked on her beer. “Excuse me?” “I haven’t slept well. Dreams have kept me awake.” “Dreams?” “Erotic dreams. With you.” Nicole’s hand started to shake. “Joseph, I… I can’t do this.” She started to stand. “I thought I could, I’d convinced myself that I could, but I can’t do it. I can’t be passed between you two. It’s not right.” She threw money down on the bar to cover her drink and started to head for the door. Joseph stopped her, his hand on her shoulder, keeping her at the bar. “Would you rather be between us?” Her face tinted in that lovely, rosy blush again as she tried to side step him. “That’s

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not what I meant.” “Because it could be arranged.” Her mouth opened in shock, her pulse hammering in her chest. “Very easily.” She stared, her eyes wide, her mouth hanging open, and Joseph forced himself not to move, to give her a few moments. Every part of him screamed to lean over and stick his tongue in her open mouth, to taste her sweetness again, but he kept himself deathly still. It took more restraint than he knew he had. Finally, she closed her mouth, picking up her beer and taking a long tug off it, and he licked his lips as he watched the way her throat moved, seeing the faint movement of her pulse under her skin. He was glad he’d taken the time to get some food before he came. “Look, I’m not sure that I know how to deal with the two of you. You’re enigmas, and I’m leaving on Monday to go to Boston anyway.” “All the more reason to have some fun before you leave.”

Chapter 10 The way Joseph’s eyes raked over Nicole, she swore she’d melt into the barstool. How could she explain this? At the core of it, she wanted to touch Joseph again, to feel him against her the way he’d been at the club. She couldn’t deny that. But after being with his best friend last night, how could that be right? It couldn’t. No matter what she thought, no matter what she felt, even though she felt the strongest surge of desire for Joseph—as strong as the one she felt for James—she couldn’t allow it to happen. She set her beer down and grabbed her purse. “This was a bad idea.” She jerked away from Joseph. The door was only a few feet away—thirty at the most. She could do it. She could get out of here. Walk away before these insane emotions overran her. Joseph snagged her hand, his fingers running over the top, skimming the surface as she met his gaze. “It is not a bad idea. If you’re worried about James, don’t be. We have an understanding.” Nicole pulled her hand away as the karaoke singer hit a bad note. “This doesn’t feel proper.” She shouldered her purse again, fidgeting, wanting to get out of the bar. She took a few steps away, and Joseph put his hands on her shoulder, pulling her in between his legs. “Since when is ‘proper’ right?” His hands grazed her hips, barely holding on, but she knew she couldn’t run. She

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was pulled against him as if hypnotized. And it wasn’t her mind he’d hypnotized—it was her libido. That part of her was holding back, burning for what she’d dreamed—wanting to see if he could fulfill the fantasies. “You spend all your days doing what you’re supposed to do, love. You get up, you go to work, you do your job. And now you’re leaving town, heading off to places unknown, because you’re supposed to do it. You don’t check your personal email at work, because it’s not right. You file all your paperwork with their proper coding and little sticky notes to keep everything straight and color coordinated. Right now, I’ll bet you have all your belongings packed, neatly wrapped and perfectly labeled for every room of your new house.” Joseph turned her around to face him, his eyes digging into her. “Yet not one bit of it allows you to be you. Nothing allows you to relax, to let yourself go, to do something fun, something different. Something that is right in the moment. So lost in what you should be doing, that you forget about what you want to do.” His breath grazed her ear, one lip barely touching her. Nicole’s lip quivered. How right he was about everything he’d just said. One look at her living room would confirm his words. Everything was packed, organized, labeled and neat. And she felt guilty about it. “Let me show you a world that isn’t proper.” He sucked her earlobe. “Something that isn’t on your schedule.” His lips ran down the column of her throat. “A taste richer than you could have ever imagined.” He licked the other side, his teeth nipping at her skin. Nicole whimpered, feeling all her resolve crumbling. A smile slid across his face as he put his lips on hers. She wanted to resist. She should have shoved him away, pushed him off her and went running out into the night. But ‘should have’ had left the building. She was too busy feeling him—her chest pressed against his, the feel of his hands as they caressed her back, his hips rubbing into hers. Every part of her felt alive under his touch, brimming over, erotic onslaught threatening to erupt. “Let me have you. Let me taste you.” “I…” She started to move toward the door, not realizing that Joseph was escorting her out of the bar.

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“Trust me, Nicole,” he whispered as they reached the door. She blinked as the door opened, and he ushered her out into the night. The night air normally would have sobered her up, but with Joseph’s arms around her, she felt nothing but his presence, his touch, as they moved toward a black sports car parked near the door. He kept his hand on her leg as he maneuvered into traffic, but Nicole didn’t see where they were going. She could barely see the streets, her eyes focused not outside, but into her heart, her soul. Inside, where she’d played it safe all her life, had done what everyone expected her to do, had been the responsible one, the one who handled things. The Go-To girl. That was Nicole. She didn’t bend the rules, she didn’t feast in excess, she merely was. And why? Why didn’t she live? What would be wrong with living a little? Being the one who went out all night on a work night? Having some fun? Doing all those things that she should have done five years ago, when it was practically expected of her. Well, maybe she was a late bloomer. A stolen glance at Joseph’s profile showed his strong jaw, the shadows playing havoc over his pale skin. The goatee and mustache were short, almost non-existent, and she wondered if it would tickle when he kissed her. She wanted to feel the goatee, to see if it was rough or soft. She clenched her hands around her purse, feeling something hard inside. Glancing down, she saw the edge of the plaque Kayleigh had given her just two days ago. Some of the words blared up at her. The only limits we place are on ourselves. She inhaled a breath and peered at Joseph out of the corner of her eye. “I am leaving in a few days.” “Yes.” “I can’t offer you anything beyond a couple of days.” She tucked a loose hair out of her face. “You need to understand that. You both do.” Joseph tipped his head to the side, meeting her gaze. “If that is what you wish.” “It is.” “Then I understand.” Joseph whipped the car into a side street, parking behind a row of houses, and into a

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nice three-car garage. Two other cars, as expensive and black as the one they sat in, filled out the garage, though Nicole had no idea what kind of cars they were. Cars like those belonged to men with money. The tiny, paycheck-to-paycheck part of her wanted to kick itself for not moving heaven and earth to be with these guys. Of course, that part warred feverishly with the moral part; the one that thought she was insane for even considering being passed back and forth between two guys. He smiled at her again and got out, coming around to let her out of the car. His arm slipped around her waist, holding her close to him, and a surge of adrenalin ran through her body. The feel of him against her sent her hormones into overdrive. No, she couldn’t think about this in a rational way. This wasn’t about logic. She rolled her hips into Joseph, and he let out a sigh. This was about feeling. Joseph’s lips met her throat, a lavish kiss that sent every nerve ending up in flames. He ran his hands down the front of her body, pressing his hard erection into her ass as he ran his lips up and down her throat, pushing her head from one side to the other. Nicole let out a moan as he nibbled on her skin, and she felt the warmth of the car hood under her fingers as she reached out to brace herself. His hands came up, palming each of her breasts as he rocked his hips into her. The grinding of the garage door coming down jarred them both, Nicole jerking at the sound. Joseph only paused long enough to glance up at the door sealing them in the garage, the light from the garage door opener barely enough to illuminate the room. His hand slid down between her legs, rubbing at her through her skirt, while his other hand continued mauling her breast. Nicole cried out, her hips rocking back and forth between his hand and his cock. He continued to grind into her while attacking her neck and shoulders with his mouth. Everything inside Nicole screamed at him as he continued. Either her beer had been spiked when she wasn’t looking, or Joseph had found a secret combination to releasing her inner wanton, because she reached down with one hand, pulling her skirt up, desperate to feel him on her flesh.

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He followed her hint, and she shivered as his fingers slid under her pale pink panties, an orgasm building at a fevered pace. “Oh stars, blessed be…” His voice was hoarse against her throat as his other hand joined the first, inching her panties down. “I have to have you.” His finger slipped between her folds. So turned on, Nicole couldn’t answer audibly, merely nodding her head, her fingers gripping the contours of the car as he coaxed her open for him. The orgasm hit her fast, making her buck against him. “That’s it, love.” He used his fingers to drive the orgasm completely out of her. She thrust against his hips, pushing against his hardness, needing the feel of him filling her more than anything she’d ever needed in her life. He released her as she shook from the aftershocks. The metal rasp of a zipper coming down and the rattle of foil clicked in her mind, but before she could say anything, hesitate or encourage, his hard cock was poised at her entrance, the head pressing hard against her, ready. “Love, I need you.” Again, she merely nodded her head. And he was in, filling her completely with a hard thrust. Nicole fell forward across the car’s hood, caught by his hands before she was completely against the hood. He didn’t hesitate with his thrusts, each one pounding into her in rapid succession. Another orgasm started to rip from her every pore as he panted and moaned, muttering words she didn’t recognize, his hand slipping off her body down to her hips. The angle, with her almost flat on the car and his hands on her hips, made his thrusts even deeper, drawing more groans from him and cries of ecstasy from her. Her orgasm shot out of her, making her scream echo off the walls of the garage. As her body shuddered, her insides squeezing him, he let out a guttural cry as he exploded as well. Joseph fell down on top of her, kissing her neck again, and she could feel him pulsing inside her. They both panted for breath, the world frozen in time around them. “Love,” he panted after a few minutes as he pulled himself out. “As brilliant as that was, I’d not intended to take you like this.” She heard the sound of his zipper, sealing himself up.

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Nicole reached down, grabbing the edges of her panties to guide them back up as she stood. “I’m not complaining.” And at the moment, she wasn’t. Maybe in a few days, she’d be embarrassed about being royally fucked on a car, but not right now. Right now, she was merely basking in how incredible she felt.

Chapter 11 The house was immaculate—sparse and masculine, with nothing that showed any kind of personal touch. Red and blue accents set off the monochrome room, splashes of color that gleamed in the living area. “Fancy place.” Joseph shrugged. “We hardly spend any time up here. We spend our time in the basement.” Nicole nodded—the main floor didn’t look as if it belonged to either of them. She wasn’t exactly sure what either of their styles would be, but this passionless area wasn’t what she envisioned. She’d now had each one of them. She saw James as more traditional and Joseph as a bit more wild. Neither of them matched the starkness of this place. This place represented cold show, something for example only, not for life. He led her to a narrow stairwell in the corner of the room, and as she headed down, the monochromatic room faded into a warm television room, fitted with a huge plasma screen. Unlike the upstairs, this room looked lived in; the carpet was worn, the walls had art on them, and two recliners looked old and well-loved. The television dominated one corner, and opposite that sat computer desks, both desks having a coffee cup on the left side. Nicole couldn’t help being amused at the main room. The sterile environment upstairs didn’t bleed into the basement. “I can see this is where you live.” “It works for us.” “So why the display upstairs?”

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“For professional reasons.” He pulled her up against him, his lips hovering mere millimeters from hers. Leaning in, his lips grazed her ear. “I want you.” The words sent a fire through her body. She blinked at him, her whole body on fire again, even though he’d just taken her in the garage. Her heart hammered against her chest, and she knew that one time was not going to be enough for her. Not with him. Not with either of them. This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? Something wild before she left to restart her life? One time to say “Look, I did something!” even though she couldn’t bring the words to the surface. Joseph seemed to detect her hesitation, and he slid a hand across her shoulders. “Do you want me, Nicole?” He nipped at the skin just below her ear, his teeth grazing the flesh. She let out a shuddered breath, finally finding her voice. “I want you,” she managed to whisper, her words hot and husky. He rocked his hips into her. “I feel like I’m going to explode.” His hands roamed down her back, stroking the curve of her ass as he pressed on her, pulling her hips into his. The burn between his legs felt searing—like he could burn her with just his body’s heat. Already? How could he be so ready for her? Didn’t it usually take at least an hour or two for a man to recover? She wasn’t a fool, she knew men could come more than once a night, but most of the men she’d been with claimed that fast recovery time was a total myth, and it usually took quite a while for a man to get worked up again. And in her experience, it was usually the next morning, after they woke up. Heady thought to know that both Joseph and James could recover so quickly from sex… “Can I explode, Nicole? Will you let me?” His eyes met hers, the silver in them radiating, almost mesmerizing her. Had she ever encountered silver eyes like his before? The only person she could recall was James. Could they be brothers? She forced the thought down as Joseph’s hands roamed over her body, teasing her nipples through the thin fabric of her blouse.

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Nicole managed a weak nod of her head. Joseph led her to a short hallway with three doors, one on the left, one at the end, and another on the right. The center door was open, a bathroom, the other two doors were closed. They walked into the door on the left. Joseph didn’t bother with the lights, just guided her into the room. In the minimal light from the hall, the room looked clean enough, the bed made, if rather half-assed. Covers were pulled somewhat smooth over the sheets and pillows, like he’d thrown it up over the sheets just to look nicer before running out the door. However, Joseph didn’t allow her much time to assess the room. His hands were on her, pulling her shirt up over her head and working on the clasp of her skirt before she could register anything else. His mouth was everywhere—licking, tasting, kissing, and Nicole could barely keep up with him. She pulled at his shirt, trying to jerk it over his head as he licked up and down from her throat to her nipples and back again. She kept fighting his shirt, and he got the message, pausing just long enough to rip his shirt off, then dive back down between her breasts as he guided her to the bed. Nicole almost stumbled in her skirt and panties—when had he pulled those off?—as he coaxed her down to a sitting position on the bed. His skin was cool, just like James’s. Smooth, and with the green light of the alarm clock in the far corner, he looked alabaster, like he wasn’t human. If he’d had fangs, she would have been sure he was a vampire. Not one of those vampires like in Dracula or other places where they were depicted as monsters, but like in romance novels—where they were elegant, sophisticated and oh so sensual. She smirked at her random thought. Joseph paused, raising his head up off her chest. “What could possibly be making you laugh?” he asked as his deft tongue circled her nipple. “A silly female fantasy.” A sigh escaped as he took her nipple in his mouth. He slipped back up her body. “Female fantasies are my specialty.” He ran his tongue up her throat. She shook her head. “No, I don’t…”

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“Come on, love, how will they come true if you don’t share?” “They can’t come true, so what’s the point?” “You’d be surprised, love, what could come true.” “Not this.” Joseph shook his head, as if he’d given up, and slid back down her body. He nipped and bit at her nipples, his teeth grazing her just enough to make her cry out as his sharp teeth scraped her skin while he knelt between her legs. Her fantasies were still burning strong behind her eyes—the idea of a vampire, of someone sexual and sensual and wild—roared. Not the actual fantasies, but the emotions painted a red haze over every sensation, sending her higher and higher into oblivion. Nicole opened her legs to accommodate him as he continued to run his lips up and down her stomach, and when he licked the inside of her hip, she fell backward to her elbows and started rocking up toward his mouth. He groaned as she laced a foot across his hip, letting her toes graze his cock. The velvety smooth skin slid against her toes, and she slid her foot lower, caressing his sac. “Naughty,” he whispered, just before he flicked her clit with his tongue. Nicole’s eyes rolled back in her head as he started working her over. Her toe action was forgotten as his tongue found ways to send shivers through her body unlike she’d ever felt before. Her fantasies had nothing on this. Even with her best do-it-yourself machine, she couldn’t begin to duplicate this kind of intensity. She wondered if Joseph and James exchanged tips on how to properly eat a woman out. Both of them were beyond incredible. She arched and wiggled and cried out as Joseph worked orgasm number three out of her, his fingers pumping hard against her while he sucked on her clit. The orgasm erupted, and he continued to work her with his fingers. Nicole quaked and shook against his ministrations, moaning. He whispered sexy, heady words, pulling the most out of her orgasm, her body shaking as she cried in release. As she finally returned to earth, she smiled at Joseph. No one had ever spent such time bringing her to climax. She’d probably had more orgasms in the last few days than she’d had in her entire romantic life. Of course, her pragmatic side pointed out the

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thought didn’t say much about her previous lovers, did it? Trying to jar the thoughts from her mind, she let her gaze wander around the room. The light filtered in from the hallway, soft and warm, a haze over Joseph’s room. Simply furnished, the room remained functional, but not terribly stylish. The only interesting piece in it was an old dresser, an antique highboy—is that what those tall dressers were called?—stood near the door. At the edge of the highboy was a shadow. She blinked again, trying to focus on it, but jerked when the shadow moved. It wasn’t just a shadow, but a profile that moved to the doorway. Then she blinked, and the shadow was gone. Must have been my imagination. “Problem, love?” Joseph grabbed her ankle, running his hand up and down her leg. She checked out the door again—there was nothing there. “No, no problem.” Joseph smiled, turned his head to the door, then back at her. “If you’re sure, love.” “I am.” He stood up, shucking his pants as he did. Nicole had to reach for her mouth, for fear she was drooling over him. In size, he was as large as James, but not, somehow. Where James had been thick and massive, Joseph was more sinewy—cut like a martial artist instead of James’s football player build. And right in the middle of all that lean, taut body was an erection standing proud and tall, the tip dark and ready in the light. His whole body tensed as she looked him over, and she wondered if she’d displeased him somehow. “Is something wrong?” *

Joseph’s patience was about at an end. Nicole’s passionate responses, both in the garage and just now had his body rumbling in more desire than he’d felt in years. Now, as she appraised him, her eyes wide and her chest panting, his need was about to snap. He shuddered, his hands flexing into hard fists and relaxing, his eyes closed, as he fought for resolve. “Nothing is wrong.” Go slow, he chanted to himself. Go slow. He had to keep it firm

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in his mind—he needed to take his time with this beauty, he needed to not frighten her with the power that surged through him in the way only a mythical could experience. Very few humans could truly handle the power of a fully developed, well-fed vampire. Like the stories said, their senses were higher, more intense, than a human’s. He felt things much deeper, and as such, his erotic passion bordered more on attack than seduction. He had to take this slow with her—especially after the garage. Leaning toward her, he caressed her cheek. “Are you ready for me?” He spoke softly, not wanting to let his full passion come through his voice. James would not be happy if he scared her off at this early stage. She didn’t reply verbally, just a brief nod. Joseph joined her on the bed, lying on his side. She trembled as he joined her, biting her lip as he ran a finger up her arm—how did James do this slow seduction? This was almost as painful as stray sunbeams. “Joseph.” Her hands shook as she stared into his eyes. “Yes, love?” “Take me.” He jerked forward, partially from the force of her small words, partially from the need within him, and captured her mouth, devouring her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he assaulted her mouth, climbing on top of her. He sighed in pleasure as she dragged her nails across his shoulders, and he attacked her throat. The pulse under her skin screamed at him, begging for his teeth to just graze her, just enough to seep out a tiny taste of her blood. No! Couldn’t do it, not yet… He forced himself away from such a prime location, instead focusing on her lush breasts, nibbling and sucking on them as she cried out. Her hands plunged into his hair, her hips rocking into him as he mauled her with his tongue. His resolve was crumbling. Much longer, and he might not even be able to make it inside her. “God, Joseph, you have to take me!” Relieved that she felt the same level of need, Joseph sat up and grabbed Nicole’s

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legs. He rested them on his shoulders and pressed the tip of him into her. Both of them moaned as he entered her, her head thrashing from side to side. Joseph guided himself in—slow at first, though he knew he wanted to bury himself in her with all his strength. Stars, she was tight! Her body clenched around him, holding him so firmly, she felt even tighter than she had upstairs. He realized she wasn’t just frozen but tense. At first, he’d thought maybe she’d paused to allow herself time to stretch for him. Her eyes were wide, and not looking at him, but at the doorway. Then he smelled it. James stood watching. Aroused and ready to join them. As much as he wanted his friend to join them, he wasn’t sure if Nicole was truly ready to be a part of the special type of relationship he and James reveled in. Reaching down, Joseph caressed her cheek, bringing her eyes up to his. “Is James there?” She nodded her head. “Are you afraid?” He glided into her, as deep as he could bury himself. Moaning, she shook her head, yet she still felt tense. She couldn’t take her eyes off James, standing in the doorway. Her innocence exuded from her pores, fear coupled with nerves, and he knew she wasn’t ready for this. Maybe James had been wrong, maybe she wasn’t able to be a part of their special relationship. Dropping her legs off his shoulders, Joseph lay down on top of her and placed his hands on her cheeks, stroking her face. If she was able to handle this, he would have to ease her into the idea. “Do you want him to come closer?” Nibbling on her lip, she shook her head, then nodded it, a couple of tears building up on her lashes. Joseph kissed her again, this time more gentle, stroking her cheeks to soothe her. “Love, he will leave if you want him to.” Her body remained tense underneath him, and Joseph glanced at James, ready to send him away. James remained in the doorway, lifting a foot as though he was about to walk away. Joseph hid his disappointment. They’d both been so enthralled with the possibility of Nicole, that she might very well be the one they’d been hunting for.

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Nicole’s voice broke through to them. “I…” Her eyes flickered over to James’s again, then back up at him. “He will also stay, if you want.” She wasn’t ready for this yet—her whole body trembled underneath him, and he could see the war behind her eyes. She battled between what was proper and what she desired. After seeing her dreams, he knew she might consider the sensual experience, but only in the back of her mind. A blessing of vampirism. They’d both tapped into her subconscious, and in the dreams, she’d been receptive, interested even, in a less traditional mating. Yet facing it right now, she trembled like she couldn’t comprehend the idea. “Stay,” she finally whispered. “Are you sure?” James said, taking a step into the room. Nicole turned to look at him, the tears still hanging on her lashes, refusing to fall. “I just don’t want to hurt you, like this,” she made a motion with her hand, sliding down toward Joseph’s hip. James came a step closer, a tiny bit of a smile on his face. “Not only does it not bother me, I find it incredibly erotic.” A smile spilled over her taunt features, and with the smile, her body relaxed, every part of her seeming more involved. Her hands started grazing Joseph’s sides and hips, and she tipped her head back, exposing her neck. A smile turned up the corner of Joseph’s mouth as he started sucking on her throat, running kisses all up and down her warm flesh. He kept his lips moving to hold back from biting the flesh, though he desperately wanted to. He’d seen the remains of James’s bite on her thigh, and he craved marking her himself. To savor her as James had, to feel her blood flowing into his mouth… His cock throbbed at the thought. He’d had his fill tonight, anything he took from her now wouldn’t be for nourishment, it would be something else. And she would have to be theirs. He met James’s eyes, and his partner looked ready to explode, the desire tactile against his skin. He clawed at his shirt, jerking it off, trying to relieve the burning in his body. Nicole saw James pull the shirt off, and she shuddered as she stared at him.

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“Joseph.” She clawed into him as she pressed her hips into him. “I need you now.” She rocked her hips into his, stroking his back. Soft moans came out as he continued to lick and taste her throat. His arousal burned, intensified by James watching them. Do not bite. Do not bite. Do not bite! He pulled himself off her throat before he could give in to the urge to taste her flesh, and met her beautiful eyes. She stroked his face. “Fuck me. Fuck me now.” “As you command.” She rocked her hips up into his again, her body alive with a passionate fire that practically radiated from her pores. Joseph met her movement, slower than he’d like to go at first, stoking her fire. He needn’t have bothered. She was already burning for him, her hands all over, her fingers digging into his hips as he arched over her. The heat of her body was so incredible. It had been so long since he’d truly savored the heat of human flesh, and like a moth to a flame, he couldn’t get enough. As he slammed into her, her warmth cradled him, holding him, and it made him want to stay locked inside her for all eternity. She cried out as he plunged into her, holding his pacing back to go deep. “Harder,” she panted. “Like before.” Joseph felt James’s eyes on him. Before? James’s thoughts came into his mind. Joseph smiled at him. He slammed into her, returning to the pace of upstairs, that passionate crazy pounding of body against body. Nicole cried and groaned, meeting his pace with her own need, a sheen of sweat breaking out on her brow. He panted as his body built even closer to orgasm because James stood watching him. She turned her head toward the other man, crooking her finger, motioning him closer. The room was not terribly large, and in a couple of steps, James was standing at the side of the bed. James knelt down, stroking her cheek and her face while Joseph pushed himself up, spreading her wider as he slammed into her. She was close, he could feel it—she was so close and ready to come. He pressed harder into her, desperate to feel her explode again. Her orgasm built within her at a frenzied pace, and the beginnings of it quivered around him. James reached down, stroking her golden locks as she started to thrash

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about. “Come for him.” James stroked her flushed cheeks. “Come for Joseph.” He fought to hold back his orgasm, at least for a few more moments, as Nicole shuddered underneath him. Watching James coax her eruption out sent powerful desires through him, shaking his control. “Oh, Nicole,” Joseph moaned. “He’s so close, beautiful. Give him what he wants, what he needs.” James’s hand slid down her body, palming her breast, letting her pebbled nipple slide between his fingers. “Oh, God.” Nicole thrashed around on the bed. James leaned over, sucking the nipple into his mouth. Nicole’s whole body exploded in orgasm, and even faster than Joseph’s vampire senses could register, he erupted inside her, coming harder than he’d done in decades. Every part of him shook, slamming into her with a force he couldn’t control. A howl of mythical proportions forced itself out of him. Her legs fell limp, and as he regained control, for a second, time stopped. Had he hurt her? Nicole’s eyes fluttered and she let out a sigh. Relief rushed him and he collapsed on her side, away from James. James rested his head on her chest, and Nicole put one arm on James’s shoulder, the other on Joseph’s arm. “Do you two do this often?” “It has been a great while since we have,” James replied. “Do you two always share your women?” “No,” Joseph replied, barely able to say more than a syllable. She let out a kind of sigh, almost of relief. “If Kayleigh knew about this, she would have never let me dance with the two of you the other night.” “Kayleigh would not have gotten this.” “I don’t know, she’s much younger than me, more of a party girl. I’m sure she would have loved this.” “That doesn’t mean she would have gotten it,” James replied. He brought his head up

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off her chest and glanced at Joseph, a look he knew all too well. “You’re killing me, James,” Joseph replied, and rolled away from Nicole, the movement requiring a great deal of effort on his part, considering how exhausted he was. And he didn’t like the loss of Nicole’s body. Her heat had pushed back the chill in his soul. In a second she’d scooted back over, spooned against him, her breasts warm on his back, and he forgave his friend for wanting him to move. The bed groaned, James’s weight sagging the mattress. He rolled on his side, and put his arm on Nicole’s hip. Joseph reached over Nicole, and grabbed his best friend’s hand for a moment, squeezing it. James returned the gesture, and they let go. In a few moments, Joseph was whisked away to the wonderland of sleep.

Chapter 12 While Joseph slept the sedated sleep of post-orgasmic bliss on one side of Nicole, James lay awake on the other side. His breathing was regular and quiet, but he wasn’t asleep. The metronome of his chest rising up and down almost coaxed her into sleep. Almost. His hand was not super hot, like other men she’d known. Usually in bed, especially after sex, she wanted to jump in a cold shower, get the heat off her skin. Especially when a man would throw a leg or arm over her, the heat would smother her, make her want to run from the room. And at first, she’d have expected the same kind of reaction—after all, she was not only with one, but in between two, one naked, one partially naked. She should have been going crazy by now. James and Joseph were like sleeping in her favorite sheets—not too cold, not too hot. She could stay snuggled in between them forever. Not that it was an option, but still, what a way to go… She smiled at the back of Joseph’s head. Could they be any more perfect? “What amuses you?” James asked. She rolled from her side to her back, James shifting to allow her plenty of room, and met his eyes. “I was just musing about how wonderful it is in between you two.” “And you have not truly experienced the meaning of being in between us.” A blush crept up in Nicole’s face. “And are you planning on showing me?”

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“I would like to.” James glanced over Nicole to Joseph. “But I do not think he’s ready for it.” Nicole smiled. “No, I don’t think he is, either.” She reached over, raising his arm and then dropping it, and Joseph didn’t move. Tipping her head back toward James, she decided to ask something. “So tell me more about your relationship with him.” “We grew up together.” “And why this? Why sharing? Wouldn’t you both be happier with your own women?” “We were corrupted at a young age in a more, uh, alternative lifestyle.” James’s eyes shifted as he spoke, not able to meet her gaze, and his hand fidgeted with the edges of the bedding. “Is this making you uncomfortable?” “No.” “So what aren’t you telling me?” He let out a sigh. “There is more, but I do not think you are ready to hear it.” “Please don’t tell me it’s some weird sexual story about molestation or some such.” “No, nothing like that. To sum it up, when one is introduced at an impressionable age to different kinds of stimulus, for the rest of their lives, they tend to crave that original stimulus, the power of that initial exposure.” “So I’m merely a means to an end?” “More a goal of a connection.” An interesting answer. From the soft tone of his voice, she knew whoever this woman was, she’d meant a lot to them both. “So you both loved her, the one who introduced you to this kind of coupling?” “In a way, yes. Though when one is young, you tend to confuse love with lust and desire.” “And what do you seek now?” “All of the above.” His hand, warm only from contact with her skin, ran down her bare shoulder, lingering at her elbow, in a slow, exaggerated caress, then down her arm to her hand, lacing tight in her fingers.

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“What do you seek, Nicole?” His lips were mere millimeters from her ear. “Life,” she said. “To live life.” “And you think you can live by being here with us?” Nicole ran her hand down his chest, feeling the smooth skin, the defined muscles, and flicked her finger over his nipple. “I feel more alive than I ever have.” And a part of her knew the words to be true— truer than anything she’d ever known. She felt more alive, more in tune to the strum of life than she’d ever felt. And it was thanks to these two men. Even in this short time, she felt more alive and awake than she had in years. James smirked in reply, pressing kisses on her throat. “How much more alive do you want to feel?” “How much can I feel?” “There is so much to show you.” He nibbled on her shoulder, his teeth grazing the skin, and she couldn’t help shuddering under the touch. She ran her hands down his chest, sliding over the lines there, flicking at his nipples, and making James purr against her throat. “Joseph asked you before about your fantasies.” She scooted deeper into the bed, getting more eye-level with his broad expanse of chest, and started peppering it with kisses. “Yes.” She pushed James flat on his back. “Why wouldn’t you talk about them?” She straddled him, her hips grinding against his still-very-hard cock and leaned down, pressing kisses along his throat and upper body. “They’re not important.” And they weren’t. They weren’t real—this was real. This was a living fantasy, and she was savoring every moment of it. “Every woman’s fantasies are important. And usually able to come true.” “And you think this isn’t a fantasy?” She continued to slide down his chest, kissing the lines of his stomach, tasting that soft, sweet skin. God, she loved the flavor of him— male and sexy, and he made her insides burn, even with just a simple caress. James moaned as she swirled her tongue around his belly button. Joseph rolled over, his arm stretching out over James’s chest. For a moment, she just

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watched, wondering if he thought he was holding her, or did he know he had his arm on James? He didn’t jerk out of the hold, like he’d realized he held the wrong person. Interesting, Nicole thought. And surprisingly enticing to see, especially when James started stroking a casual caress up and down his forearm. The sight was so foreign to her, yet her insides responded with more heat. Whether this was sex or something more, she didn’t know, but her body responded on an incredibly primitive level to all of it. Awakening in a way she’d never imagined. She continued kissing James’s stomach, reaching the line of the pants he had on, and realized they were just drawstring. Oh, how fun… Pulling the ties loose, she stuck her hand inside, feeling his thick cock. Even after a couple of days, he was still just as impressive as he’d been before, and every part of her heated up as she appreciated the phallic beauty. There was no more powerful feeling for her than to touch a man like James, who was large and dominating, and make him writhe and moan like she was. James shuddered as she ran a finger over his thick head, following the lines and curves of the top. She grazed the seam and swirled around the fluid that had slipped out. Her confidence soared as James arched his hips up, his free hand pushing down the side of the pants. Nicole wasted no time pulling the cotton trousers off him and flinging them on the floor. The movement must have alerted Joseph, because he twisted himself more toward James, his head mere millimeters from his shoulder, and one of his legs pressed against James’s. She ran her hand down Joseph’s leg, while letting her tongue explore James’s cock, just as her fingers had. He moaned as she tasted every inch of his cock, letting her tongue swirl around the top, down to the base, even over the sac. Running her hand up Joseph’s leg, to his hip, she found him already hard again, ready for action. Now she had two to play with, what a lucky girl she was. Whether Joseph was asleep or awake, she couldn’t tell, but that didn’t stop her from taking him in her hand and stroking him in the same slow fashion as her exploration of James. “Nicole.” James tangled one hand in her hair.

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Joseph rocked his hips to the side, enough to allow her more room to stroke him, and he sighed, pulling his arm back and finally opening his eyes. She met both their gazes, first Joseph’s, then James’s, and both pairs of light eyes burned with a fevered intensity, making her shudder. James shifted his outside leg, moving it between hers, and brought his knee up, just enough that he pressed against her core, shifting the leg with an almost nominal amount of friction. Yet it was enough to have her dripping wet. She took James as deep down her throat as she could, the bigger man shuddering under her, while Joseph groaned, watching her. “She’s going to kill me,” James muttered. “I wouldn’t mind dying that way,” Joseph replied. James watched his best friend’s hips surging up and down with her hand strokes. He smiled at the private humor—if a vampire could be killed by such delicious pleasure, then he’d surely die in this moment. Nicole released the suction on his cock and smiled at him, then at Joseph. He exhaled a breath at the way her golden blond hair hung down the sides of her face, framing her lips, full and red and lush, and he wanted to bury his cock deep in there again, letting her suck him to completion. Of course, he also wanted to bury his cock deep in her folds, feel her insides shudder in orgasm as he pounded into her. It had taken a lot of restraint before to keep from pushing Joseph off her and entering her while she still shuddered, bringing her to another orgasm. Just because he had the same primal side Joseph carried, didn’t mean he would actually use it. He hadn’t tapped into it for a hundred years, and he wasn’t going to start now. Nicole released both of them and sat up, making both men groan. Joseph met James’s gaze. “A wicked one, she is,” Joseph said. James pressed her hips down against his hard cock. “We shall have to teach her some manners.” She grinned. “And how do you think you’re going to do that?” Joseph leapt up, grabbing her arms from behind, holding her up a few inches in the

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air, her face turning white, a gasp escaping from her red lips. “Like this,” James said, moving his cock so that the tip grazed her folds. With a glance at Joseph, he pressed his hips up as Joseph lowered her down. “Oh, my God,” Nicole moaned. James rocked his hips up into her, and she met his pace. She held onto Joseph as James slammed their bodies together. Ecstasy rose in him as he thrust into her, Joseph caressing her nipples, pinching and pulling at them. She rocked her head back against Joseph’s shoulder, baring her throat. Bite it, take it. Take her offering… Joseph’s fangs emerged, long and shining in the muted light, his body riding with her. She cried out as he pierced her skin, her body tensing for a brief second as a droplet of blood slipped down from his mouth. Her orgasm built fast, as did James’s—he didn’t stop shoving himself into her as her orgasm crested, and she started screaming. Joseph let out a growl as he sucked on her throat. She wavered in his arms, her body going limp as the orgasm ebbed. Joseph released his bite, his lips red with her blood, and James shuddered, his own orgasm ebbing as well. Sedated from her orgasm, Nicole fell forward, landing on his chest. “You two may very well kill me,” she said, a mumble against his chest. James smiled at her, then met Joseph’s gaze. His best friend licked his lips, his eyes glowing in power from feeding. Their gazes locked, and Joseph lay down next to him, his face a few inches from James. Without thinking, James leaned forward, kissing him in a savage kiss, his own fangs starting to extend at the taste of her blood. Their tongues swirled and fought each other, his fang grazing Joseph’s tongue. The flavor of both Nicole’s blood and Joseph’s swirled around his mouth and he moaned. Slowly, they finally released their lip lock, and felt a graze of breath on their faces. Nicole stared at them both, her eyes wide, her mouth open, and she licked her lips. “That was the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen,” she said. “Love, it was pretty erotic for us as well.” Nicole reached up, grabbing Joseph’s face and pulling him down to her, kissing him

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with the same reckless abandon James had just used with him. James watched the two of them, his own body ready to burn again.

A Darker Trinity

Chapter 13 Nicole awoke with her arm tossed over Joseph. The bed felt too light, and she realized that one of her bedmates was gone. A shower ran, and she assumed that was where James had gone. Her stomach growled and visions of a very rare steak flooded her senses. She raised her arm to see her watch, trying to figure out what time it was, but it was gone. Then she remembered that it was back in her apartment, tucked safely away in one of the boxes labeled “bedroom.” Nothing in this room was like her neatly organized bedroom. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the dark, she could see in great detail the haphazard way the clothing had been thrown about, more than just her clothes from the night before. One of the drawers on the simple dresser had a bit of white sticking out of the top, the drawer partially open. A closet in the corner had the sliding door open, revealing the unorganized mess of clothes—colors and patterns mixed together, pants shoved wherever there was room. The urge to jump up and reorganize was hard to resist, but she managed to force the need down as Joseph twisted, rolling flat on his back. Even with the light from the hall, she could see every detail on his chest, every line and curve of the muscles underneath. She held out her hand, just an inch over his skin, and ran it up and down, following the lines without touching him and disturbing his sleep. However, if his hard cock was used as evidence, he was ready again for some action. She let out a sigh—not that she hadn’t enjoyed every single moment she’d had so far, but the thought of being able to stand and actually walk to the bathroom worried her.

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Her legs were sore in ways she’d never imagined. She slid across the bed a bit, to test the theory, when she realized she wasn’t on silk sheets, but something equally as soft and smooth, making her wonder where he’d gotten them. Though as she glanced at a pillow, she mused that they’d look even better if hit with an iron. Not that Joseph would do that… A smile crept across her face as she glanced at her bedmate. So he wasn’t a neat freak. He had his own special freakiness, and she couldn’t help but think that was just friggin’ awesome. This was so far away from her structured, organized life. As soon as the smile came, though, it disappeared. Knowing that she was moving away, just to start her same, straight-laced boring life all over again made her sick to her stomach. Though how she would find someone in her new home that would bring the level of pleasure she’d experienced at the hands of these two men, she didn’t know. Ahh, but she had the memories. Of course, as she listened to the sounds of the shower, she figured the memories didn’t have to end just yet. Rolling off the edge of the bed, her stomach growled, and she desperately wanted that steak. “God, what time is it?” She glanced at the clock in the corner, but it just blinked 12:00 over and over. “Too early,” Joseph replied, throwing his arm over his head. She glanced around, and realized a strange thing about Joseph’s room. There were no windows, yet this was a standard brick house—there should have been windows in the basement. Damn near every house had at least a small window in every room. Every room except Joseph’s. “Is this a tornado shelter?” she asked, more to herself than Joseph. She walked to the wall and realized, though it’d been painted, it was, in fact, concrete. And from the looks of it, the concrete was thick, like what would be used for a safe room or something. How odd. Still, she could see extremely well, and she’d never had terrific night vision. The light in the hall must be stronger than she thought. Her stomach growled again, and a cramp surged through her insides. She would have

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assumed it was a hunger pang, but much more intense. Staggering under the intensity, she grabbed onto the doorframe to balance herself. “Whoa,” she whispered as the pain started to recede. This wasn’t exactly normal. She started racking her brain, trying to remember the last time she’d eaten. Lunch maybe? Had she eaten anything before meeting up with Joseph? No, she’d been too concerned about hurting James’s feelings. Now, a mere few hours later, that thought seemed like an incredible amount of wasted energy, all things considered. Grabbing the nearest shirt—she wasn’t sure if it was James’s or Joseph’s, she meandered through the basement, looking for something to eat. God, she could practically smell steak. As she emerged from the bedroom, her nose leading the way, she realized there was a room beyond the small living area, and the smell of food was stronger there, though it was dark. And the smell of steak intensified as she headed into the new room. Meat. Her stomach growled again, this time even more powerful than before, and she almost doubled over. Had they taken that much energy out of her? She’d always been one to crave heavy iron-based foods like steak when her period was on its way, but this craving was more intense than those menstrual ones. Going to have a helluva period this month, she thought to herself as she flipped on a light in the room. The switch activated a small iron chandelier that illuminated an intimate kitchen. Paying no attention to the warm wood cabinets or the tiled countertops, she headed straight for the fridge. Jerking it open with so much force, the jars in the door rattled, she grinned as she found the source of the heavenly scent. One half of a rib-eye steak, seared and still a bit bloody, sat on a plate in the middle of the sparse fridge. Without hesitating, she pulled the plate out, ripped off the cellophane and took a huge bite out of it. Even cold from the refrigerator, it was still divine. She moaned as she savored the flavors—well seasoned, but it wasn’t the seasonings that made her moan. It was the meat itself.

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Oh, it was exquisite! Never had a steak tasted so wonderful. “My compliments to the chef,” Nicole muttered, licking the seasonings off her fingers. “Thank you,” James said. She simultaneously jumped and let out a squeal, knocking into the fridge and making the open door rattle again. “Careful.” James grabbed her arm to steady her. “Maybe we should close this.” She watched him close the door, and her brain caught up with her. “Oops. Guess I was overcome.” “Overcome by a steak?” She nodded. “Yeah, I needed it.” And it wasn’t until she really said the words out loud that she realized how true the words were. She did need the steak. “I have no idea why I needed it. But I woke up craving a rare steak.” “Steak?” “Yeah. A rare, bloody steak just sounded incredible.” James pursed his lips together. “How do you feel?” She took another bite, chewing the delicate meat before responding. “Better now,” she said, licking her fingers again. “What about everything? About last night?” Her body started to hum at the thought of the exploits they’d shared through the night. Suddenly, even her deep craving for the steak was lost as she let her gaze roam over James’s broad chest. “I’m okay with it,” she said, setting the plate down on the counter and taking a few steps closer to James. She reached her finger out and ran it down his bare chest. He snagged her arm, pulling her up against him and pinning her arm behind her back. Her eyes narrowed on his throat, his pulse moving under the skin, and her body started to burn. “We may share everything, but we tend to be greedy as well,” he said, leaning down and nuzzling her neck. She sighed and tipped her neck to the side, allowing him as much room as possible to taste her skin. “They say that’s a deadly sin.”

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“Maybe it is. But is it a deadly sin you can live with?” She reached up, running her fingers through his hair, the almost black tresses still a little damp and slick in her fingers. “So far I have no complaints.” She ran her finger down the side of his face, feeling his skin, the lines of his cheek, and down to the patch of hair under his lip. James’s eyes darkened, and a primitive grin spread across his face. With her tight against him, he headed straight for the nearest hard surface, in this case, the fridge. She slammed against it, and he pulled her hands up over her head, pressing his full body against her. Their eyes met, and in his cool depths she saw so much more than she’d ever seen in anyone before. Emotion, raw and powerful, hid just under the surface, burning in his veins. The emotions were more than just lust and sex, though. They were deeper. More. In his eyes, she saw the three of them together, holding onto each other, bound together in a spiritual partnership, a connection beyond that of just a sexy weekender for her. She reached up, stroking his cheek. Her thoughts traveled in a million different directions, her emotions overcome by everything, and she knew one thing in particular. She didn’t want it to end when she moved. “James.” He remained frozen, holding her and meeting her gaze, the connection growing stronger by the second. She couldn’t dare let this go. She wouldn’t. This was too special. “Is the house in Boston still available?” A smile spread across his face. “I think it might be. For a price.” “And that would be?” “You. Your unequivocal surrender.” She inhaled a breath, the desire pooling inside her. “Unequivocal?”

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He leaned in, nipping at her throat as he spoke. “Completely surrender yourself to us, Nicole.” He rocked his hips into her, sending shivers of delight through her. “And what will this surrender cost me?” James said nothing, grinding his hips harder into her, his lips attacking her neck with a frenzied passion. She cried out, tipping her head to the side, allowing him to work his magic along her neck and across to the other side. Every part of her trembled, her insides burning with desire as he nibbled and tasted her throat. Moaning, she met his hips, pulling her shirt up. His hands found her breasts, mauling them as he shoved her shirt out of the way. Their skin met and slid, his still a tiny bit damp and warm from the shower. “Oh, God,” she moaned as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He slid one hand down between her legs, parting her folds with his fingers, he pumped inside her, one, two, three, and her juices flowed with urgency. She moaned as she held on. “James.” He pulled his hand out from between her legs and unzipped his pants, pulling out his rock hard cock. It pressed against her hip, and she shifted to the side, bringing it in line with her folds. James brought his head up, meeting her eyes. She nodded her head, ready for him, desperate to feel him inside her. She needed this now… the craving was incredible. Digging her nails into his shoulders, she cried out when he penetrated her with a full thrust. James groaned, his whole body throbbing as he started to pump against her. Nicole just held on as he pummeled her, both of them panting. And she did feel desperate—desperately attached, desperately connected, and desperately needing every part of this. She needed him. She needed both of them. Orgasm overtook her, and she cried out, her insides squeezing him tight as she was overcome. James cried out his own release, pounding furiously into her in three quick bursts as his own orgasm shattered him. He slumped against her, pressing kisses on her neck as he panted.

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“Holy cow,” she muttered. “I am sorry,” James said. She turned her head to try and see his face, but he kept his head down, buried in her shoulder. “What on earth for?” “I do not lose control like that.” “Do you see me complaining?” He pulled back, sliding one finger down between her legs. “No.” Nicole’s eyes rolled back as he stroked her. “Seriously, you’re going to kill me.” “No, I will not kill you,” he said. “Merely wake you to something completely new.” *

Adrian walked out onto the Templar compound’s back deck. The deck, one of the few extravagances in the home, was only there because it had been there before the Templars had purchased it. Out of the corner of his eye, two shadows stood in the distance—Nara and whatever ghostly friend she’d found this year. Rupert, he called himself. Adrian had been blessed, or cursed, if one wanted to really consider it, with the ability to see the dead that walked the earth. See them, hear them, and be terribly annoyed by them. The best part of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries for him had been the invention of earphones. Rarely did he venture anywhere without them. His iPod blared Green Day’s “Dookie” album, blocking out the world, or the invisible world, around him. He could see Nara, her whispery gray frame in the same long dress she always wore, visiting with Rupert, her head tossed back in laughter at something he’d done. Nara had become a quasi-indentured companion to him a dozen lifetimes ago, so long he could barely remember a life without her ghostly figure hanging around. Besides the fact that she remained a pair of eyes when he couldn’t see something, she’d become a kind of emissary to the Knights, bringing them news from Hades and the other gods and goddesses. She approached him, her ethereal lines coming almost into his direct line of sight.

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Her companion disappeared, blinking out almost like someone had pulled his plug. She waved a hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention. “I see you.” Adrian pulled out one of his iPod ear buds. “You seem troubled, Sir Adrian.” Even though her words came out as full sentences to him, he knew no one else could hear her. Which occasionally made him look like a lunatic if he was in public. “I am content.” Truth be told, he was exhausted. They were still unable to track down the source of the unregistereds, and on top of that, he had more news to deliver. News that wouldn’t make Sir Liam happy. Granted, he was probably expecting it. Liam was always expecting it. But he wasn’t going to be happy. Liam stood in the center of the yard behind the compound, sword at the ready, practicing his moves. Though Adrian could move just as well as Liam or any other Knight, when Liam did it, there was a raw power to it that not many other Knights possessed. Nara seemed to wink out for a second, then she was back, her willowy white lines brighter than usual. “You are worried about the Trinity.” “I hate it when he is right.” Adrian gestured to Liam, who still hadn’t noticed him entering the yard. “You must hate him quite often.” “Watch it, woman. I will throw your talisman in the lake again.” Nara was connected to a small rock talisman that Adrian wore around his neck. The talisman held her to him, keeping her presence near at all times. Once, he’d pulled the necklace off and thrown it in a lake because his mind had been ready to explode at the thought of hearing her voice again. Yet she’d found a way to bring it back to him. “If it were that easy, Sir Adrian, you would have ridded yourself of me several hundred years ago.” “That is no joke. Did you have information for me?” Anything she could pass on from the gods, though vague and cryptic as always, might be of assistance as they searched for the source of their problems. Nara smiled.

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Four flashes showed up in his mind—images of men being stalked; active, athletic men being attacked. Two men were being fed on, and a flush of power surged through him, a vicarious infusion of emotion and physical excitement. Adrian gritted his teeth, forcing the concentration needed to keep his own body from responding to the heady sensation. The men were held captive in chains, strung up in a basement somewhere, fed from the obligatory three times, each time a bit more violently, taking more of the men’s blood. Then the final image, the same men feeding from a vampire. The vampire’s arm was covered by a long sleeved shirt, rolled at the cuffs, blood dripping down the sides and up into the sleeve. The attacker stood, his arms wide, one man on each forearm, milking the blood out of him. Unfortunately, all the perspectives were from the eyes of the attacker. Nothing that would help them figure out who was doing it. Adrian exhaled a controlled breath as his mind tried to sort out the images. “And they couldn’t have just given us a name?” Nara smiled, that chilly frozen grin of hers. “What would be the fun in that?” He shook his head. He hated being a mental conduit. “Liam,” Adrian called out. Nara winked out of sight next to him. Though she was always around, Adrian thought she had some kind of crush on a couple of the Knights that were stationed elsewhere in the world. Liam’s arm was out, practicing a tricky, single-handed swing with the broadsword and he curved it down to the ground, then back at his side. “About time.” Adrian approached him as he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed the sweat off his brow. “I come when the information comes in,” Adrian replied to his partner. Liam ran a hand down his head, smoothing out the short-cropped hair. “Verbal or mental?” “Both.” Liam tipped his head to the side, pulling out of his cargo pants a pack of slim cigars. “Interesting.”

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“First off, a cab picked up a human female from James and Joseph’s place today.” Liam lit the cigar, sucking in just enough to get the stick lit, and exhaling it, looking like a bull. “So?” “She had a bruise on her throat.” “Find her.” Liam took another drag on the cigar, the smell wafting over to Adrian, and he held his breath until the smell disappeared. “Already done. She’s got an apartment over on Seventh, but she’s in the process of moving to Boston. And she contacted the movers today to change the destination of her things to a different address there.” “Do we know the address?” “Yes, we do.” Liam’s hand rested on the hilt of his broadsword. “Should we kill them both now, or see if they have an explanation?” “They’re not the ones turning the unregistereds.” “And you have this epiphany because?” “Nara.” He didn’t say anything, but it was obvious he wasn’t impressed. Liam, of course, never seemed that impressed with Nara and her epiphanies. Liam didn’t say anything, took one more puff off his cigar, then met Adrian’s eyes. “Let’s do this.” Adrian nodded. Liam put his hand on Adrian’s shoulder. And instantly, the same images he’d seen before passed again through his mind, though this time he could feel Liam tugging them out, pulling them into his own mind and letting them roam around in his. When he pulled his hand away, Liam kept his own eyes closed for a few seconds, dissecting the images. Adrian sagged a bit, glad to be done with his part of the process. They’d been doing this for literally centuries, but it was still unsettling. Liam’s eyes flashed open, and he dropped his cigar on the ground, stubbing it out with his toe. “He’s got two more, and they’re going to be huge vampires.” “I couldn’t get much, except that they were ravenous. He must be keeping them for days before feeding them.”

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“There was more, though.” Liam pulled a little notebook out of his pocket, along with a pencil, his hand immediately going to the paper, sketching something. “I think he was tattooed.”

Chapter 14 Dusk settled across the sky, bathing Nicole in a red and orange fire as she awoke from her nap. She’d managed to get back to her apartment for a bit of rest away from James and Joseph, though she hadn’t wanted to leave. In fact, her head had ached so badly, she’d considered telling the cab driver to take her back to their house—she could sleep there. Who knew how much sleep she’d actually get between the two of them. But the idea would be there. Not that she was complaining. She hadn’t had this much incredible sex in such a short span of time in… well, in ever. There was something about the two of them that amazed and awed her. The auras of them both filled her with a lust she could barely contain. Most of the women she knew who were insatiable sex fiends were usually that way because they weren’t finding the satisfying sex they craved. At least that’s what she’d always assumed. Yet now, she could barely contain the sexual desire she’d felt while she was with James and Joseph. She wanted them both all the time. Once she’d felt a taste of their divine treatment, she was desperate for more. She wanted one of them kissing her mouth while the other kissed the other lips. She wanted them inside her simultaneously. The stringent moral standards she’d been raised with balked at her wanton behavior, and even a week ago, if someone would have told her she would be stuck in between two incredible men who could be her own personal vampires, she would have cringed at the idea.

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Now though, she loved the thought of her two men and wondered if she’d ever be able to go back to vanilla sex again. She ran her hands through her hair and held onto her neck. Her shoulder and neck were sore from all the biting they did, and as she ran her hand over the healing spots, she felt the twin scabs. “Vampire bites.” Even without knowing her fantasies, they’d both fulfilled them, including some she didn’t know she had. Of course, now her fantasies were taking on a whole other dimension. Now, when she imagined a pair of hands, she imagined two pairs, touching, teasing and tormenting her in ways that seemed illegal they were so sensual. Bites, licks, nips, and tears, all so sexy and powerful in their own right; just thinking about them made her heart dance in her chest and blood rush to her nether regions. Her hand slid down her body, caressing her hip, and slid in between her legs. Sure enough, she was ready again for them both. Just imagining new scenarios was enough. What would she be like in their presence? She ran her hand down her upper thigh, feeling the twin spots there, where James had bitten her the other day. Though no longer tender, she’d seen it in the shower, and it still had some slight bruising. Or maybe that was from their actions tonight? She didn’t know, nor did she care. Her nail clipped one of the twin scabs. Just like the one on her shoulder. Which was odd. Wasn’t it? It wasn’t like they really were vampires, and they drank her blood or anything… They just happened to scratch her. In the same way, on different parts of her body. With their teeth. Before she could take that train of thought any further, a horrific pain hit her in the gut. Like the hunger pain from before, but to the power of twenty. She stared at the window, shying away from the sunshine. A migraine exploded in her head; she lay back down, pulling the covers up to block the last remnants of light.

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She’d told them she’d be back around ten, but with the way her head was throbbing, she didn’t know if it would be a good idea. Hell, sitting upright didn’t seem like a good idea at this point. Talk about a massive headache. She’d never been one to get migraines except once in a blue moon, but… You have a headache? Nicole jerked the covers off her head, wincing at the last of the day’s light coming in the window. For a second, she swore she heard Joseph’s voice. She was almost certain she heard him. No one was in the room, though. What was that? Must be dreaming, she figured as she lay back down. Your head does hurt… This time, it was James. She bolted up again, her hands on her hips. “This is not funny!” I am not losing my mind! They are pretty cocky to come sneak into my apartment! Yet no one was there. She climbed out of bed, her head throbbing as she walked through her apartment; kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room. All of it was empty. She forced herself to be logical, to try and make sense of the words in her head. Surely hearing things wasn’t a part of having a migraine. Sensitivity to sound, yes, but not actually hearing anything. Not any migraine she’d ever had, anyway. Which meant that they had to be around somewhere. Putting her hands on her hips, she surveyed the apartment. “Okay, this isn’t funny,” she said, as loudly as she could, without killing her own throbbing brain. She expected James or Joseph to come out of the closet or something. Not that they’d fit in the tiny slivers of space between wall studs her landlord called closets. Then someone banged on the front door. Nicole about jumped out of her skin, cursing as she spun around to answer the door. The one place she hadn’t checked—outside her door. She heard James’s voice. Are you all right? Throwing the locks open on the door, she ripped it open. “I’m just fine, your little

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joke…” She froze mid-rant. Standing outside was not James and Joseph. Nicole? Nicole? Both of their voices echoed in her head, making her head throb worse than ever. “Nicole Bernard?” the blond man outside asked. And oh God, what a man he was. Tall, at least as tall as James and Joseph, dressed in black from head to toe, his blond hair pulled back in a ponytail at the base of his neck. The only outstanding feature on him was the red T-like cross on his left shoulder. Oh, that and… my God, was that a sword on his hip? Like a broad sword? One of those things a Knight would carry? She blinked, staring where the sword was, and suddenly it disappeared. His gaze followed hers, down to his hip, but she didn’t see anything there. She must have been imagining it. Surely no one walked around nowadays with a sword, especially a big-assed one like that. Yet now it wasn’t there. God, her head was pounding. I have a strange man at my door with big swords that disappear… “Yes?” she said, unsure if she should move, or if she even could. A man coming to her door with a sword couldn’t be a good thing. “May I speak with you?” He stepped forward enough that she couldn’t have closed the door on him. Which wasn’t the most pleasant of observations. A buzz danced in her brain, like both James and Joseph were talking at once, and she couldn’t understand them. Which was impossible, since they were miles away at their home. The man waited for her to say something, staring at her as he leaned in a bit, one arm on the doorframe. She leaned back, trying to get out of his range. “What about?” “James and Joseph.” “Who?” Her mind ran in a million circles at once—if a guy like this was on her

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doorstep after she spent a night with them, who in the world were they? Some kind of mobsters? This guy could be FBI or something, here to convince her to bug their home or some such thing. He raised his eyebrow at her. “I am Sir Adrian of the Knights Templar, and I need to speak with you about your association with James Henrick and Joseph Oliver.” “Am I in trouble? Are they felons or something?” She wanted to smack herself upside the head—great, she’d just admitted she knew them. “They are not felons. I just need to speak to you.” “I don’t know anything about them. I just met them.” She stepped back from the door. He didn’t wait for further invitation, and came into her apartment. He took in the boxes and organized clutter around the room without a word and didn’t bother leaving the doorway. Nicole walked over to her recliner and sat down, though she desperately wanted to go back to bed. She rubbed her temples and leaned back against the soft fabric of the chair. “Make this quick.” Her voice was a quiet whisper as her head ached even more. “Do you have a headache?” She nodded. “A killer migraine.” He pursed his lips together, a scowl forming on his face. “Have you slept with both James and Joseph?” “That’s a bit personal.” Again, she swore she saw the sword on his hip, but it disappeared as he shifted from one foot to the other. Scanning his body, her stomach growled. She stared at his neck, and for a second she could see his pulse in his throat, and her mouth started to water. Every impulse in her body screamed for her to grab him, jerk his head down to her mouth, and bury her lips in his throat, biting the flesh… Good Lord, she thought. What is wrong with me? As her mind screamed for logic, her urges built in her, and she desperately wanted a taste of his flesh. Adrian crossed the room, bringing his hands down on the arms of the chair, his eyes

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becoming level with hers. “Nicole, I need to know, did you have sex with both of them, together?” She licked her lips, her eyes riveted to his throat. “Yeah, so what?” With speed she didn’t know she possessed, she reached up, grabbed the back of his head and pulled his neck toward her mouth. *

James floored his black ‘69 Camaro, the engine thundering through the city streets. The sun had just barely gone down, but they didn’t care about the risks of burning—they had to get to Nicole’s apartment. Joseph barked out the directions, even though James could see on his dashboard GPS where he needed to turn to get there. They were fucked. They were so fucked. The Balance Mandate had laws about turning a human against her will, and even as willing as Nicole had been in their bed, there was no guarantee she was ready to be fully invited into their lives. And if she was seeing a man at her door with a sword, then the Templars knew about her, and they were royally fucked. There was a long, drawn out process, created by the Templars, for turning a human, including interviews with the Templars themselves, making absolutely certain the human was prepared for what was presented to them. It kept the creation of serial killing mythicals down to a minimum. They both knew the results of turning someone who wasn’t prepared for the immortal lifestyle. It had been their mistake before, and frankly, they shouldn’t have been allowed to live—mythicals like he and James were usually killed on the spot when turning a human. The last time they’d found a woman to balance them, they’d been careful; no drinking from her, no revealing of their varied genetics, nothing, until they were certain she could handle it. And by all rights, Mary Louise should have been able to handle it. She’d been open and tantalized by what they were, receptive to the idea of immortality, and she had no

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family that would search for her. If the internet had been available a hundred years ago, they would have known she’d had deep rage issues stemming from abuse and rape. She’d hidden the rage deep inside her, even from their heightened perception. As soon as she was turned, she went on a mad killing spree through Georgia; seducing and draining any man she could get near. Even the Knights were shocked— they’d not seen the likes of such vicious rape-drain crimes in centuries. The Knights had taken her down, though rumor had it the fight was not pretty, and one of the immortal Knights had almost died when she’d tried to drain him. Somewhere in her rage before her death, she’d claimed that Joseph and James had forced the turning, that she’d never wanted this horror. When they were found, both Joseph and James thanked the higher powers that Adrian hadn’t believed her. Otherwise they’d be dead now. Only their penance saved them from death. Since then, Joseph and James were incredibly careful—at least they usually were. But now, they both could hear Nicole’s thoughts, and she could hear theirs. Something that shouldn’t be happening. Not with just one bite from each of them. She shouldn’t feel that much between them yet—a bit of raw meat craving, a slight sun sensitivity. That was about all a human would experience after two bites. It took three, including a sharing of blood from them both to her, to completely turn a human. Yet she was experiencing a fledgling turning. They were so screwed. “Why did you bite her twice?” James snapped between Joseph’s directions. “I didn’t! You must have.” “No, I did not. I have more control than you do.” “This is not my fault.” Joseph pointed out the window at Nicole’s building. “Well, she’s got Templars at her door, and she can hear our thoughts.” James slammed the Camaro into a parking stall and they both bolted out of the vehicle, racing up the flight of stairs to Nicole’s apartment. The door was open, and they could hear the voices inside.

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“…did you have sex with both of them together?” “Yeah, so what?” They crossed the threshold of the door in time to see Nicole grabbing Sir Adrian, her mouth open, ready to bite him on the throat. “Nicole, no!” Joseph cried out. Adrian moved with speed that would impress any mythical. He grabbed her arms, spun her around and pushed until her head was near the ground, arms up behind her back. Nicole flailed in his grip, trying to move but unable, a stream of cuss words flying from her mouth. Her eyes were already lighter than yesterday, and her canines were bared, longer than they’d been. They both ran forward, each grabbing one of Nicole’s arms, and Joseph pulled her tight against his chest. He stroked her hair, whispering sweet words to her, trying to calm her down. James could smell the lust on her—the bloodlust was fledgling and new, but it was there, and strong. She was desperate to feed. Stars, how had this happened? He glared at Adrian. “You have no right to be here.” “I am doing my job.” “What did you tell her? What does she know?” “Not enough, considering she tried to bite me.” Nicole remained curled up in Joseph’s chest. “My head hurts so bad.” “I know, love, I know,” Joseph said, stroking her. “We’re here now, it will be better.” She smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Adrian took a few steps closer to James, both of them watching her as she curled around Joseph. “How much have you taken?” Adrian asked James. “Once each.” Nicole looked at Adrian, her eyes sparkling in desire and cravings, and she shot forward, ready to grab him again. Joseph snagged her back against him, and she fought him hard, swinging her arms and kicking at him.

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James moved to her side, trying to help Joseph control her. He glared at Adrian. “You should leave.” “I am not going anywhere.” His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, ready to be pulled at any moment. “Nicole.” “I… I need…” “Love, you don’t, you can do this.” Joseph kissed her neck, swirling his tongue around her ear, and her fight against him wilted as desire ignited. She spun around, wrapping a leg around him as she licked and nipped at his throat while ripping at his shirt. Joseph moaned as she bit his chest, fighting against Nicole as she tried to go down on him. He whispered words to calm her down, tried to keep her from being overwhelmed with her desires. The sexual yearnings along with the bloodlust could send any human into madness if she wasn’t fully turned. A madness that brought quick death. And James did not want to see her die, or be killed by a Templar sword. Yet they both knew the burning need that shocked any newly turned vampire—it could take them months, even years, depending on the person, to completely repress the urges. “This shouldn’t be happening. Not with only one bite a piece.” Adrian looked away. “Sedate her, or I will.” “Touch her, and I will kill you,” James countered. “Better men then you have tried,” Adrian replied, pulling his sword out of its sheath, the slide echoing in the room. James stepped in front of Nicole and Joseph, shielding them as best he could. Adrian wasn’t one of the best Knights Templar with a sword, but he was no slouch, that was certain. He could easily dust the two of them and would probably kill Nicole. And since neither James nor Joseph had fed yet today, they weren’t full strength, giving Adrian another advantage. Nicole paused in her attack of Joseph and turned to look at Adrian. “And now he has a sword. One minute, he had one, the next, it was gone.” She rested her head against his

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chest. “Magic,” Joseph said, stroking her hair some more. “Well, that explains it.” She ran her finger up and down the line between his pecs. She didn’t go back to her attack. Instead her focus remained on Joseph’s chest. Good enough for the moment. “Will someone tell me what’s going on?” She glanced at Adrian and his sword, then at James. “You all aren’t mobsters, are you?” Joseph smirked. “They are vampires,” Adrian said. James tensed, waiting for Nicole to run screaming from the room. Joseph stopped stroking her hair. She met Joseph’s eyes, then faced James. And did the one thing they would have never expected. She burst out laughing. Joseph stroked her head. “Love, he is not kidding.” She shook out of his embrace, turning to look at Adrian. “Vampires, huh? And let me guess, you’re the local vampire hunter? Here to kill them both with your mighty sword?” “If necessary,” Adrian said. She started laughing again. “Really, this is too much,” she leaned toward Joseph, one hand on her stomach, shaking her head again. “Okay, I know I’ve been through a lot in the last few days—sex with the two of you will do that to a girl. You both deserve a pat on the back. But really, vampires?” “Love,” Joseph whispered, “we bit you, James on your thigh, and me on your throat. You are desperate for a taste of flesh, of meat and of blood, are you not?” With his words, her stomach started to growl, and her face went pale. “And what gave you the right to do this to me?” Nicole yelled at them both. “Even if I believe all this, what gives you the right to do this to me? Who are you to decide that I should be your own personal snack?” “It is not like that,” James said. “We do not consider you a snack,” Joseph added. “You shouldn’t be having this kind

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of a reaction to the bites.” “And what’s that supposed to mean? What kind of reaction am I supposed to have?” Adrian stepped forward, bringing himself next to James. “You should have a mild sun sensitivity, and a slightly elevated craving for iron, akin to the pre-period before a woman’s menstrual cycle. This type of intensity is more indicative of someone who’s been bitten three times but not fully fed.” “So what is happening?” Nicole asked. “The force of your cravings comes from the turning,” Adrian said. Another cramp of hunger pain hit her, and she doubled over, crying out at the intensity. James darted forward, both he and Joseph embracing her, holding her to them, trying to ease her pain, if their touch could do it alone. Though James knew it couldn’t. There was only one thing that could. Their blood. She needed an infusion of their blood, and she was going to need it soon. “They didn’t bite me three times,” she said when the wave seemed to subside. “And I didn’t bite them.” “But you tasted,” Joseph said, looking up at James. In blinding clarity, James remembered the moment, when he’d kissed Joseph, slicing his tongue with his fang, and Nicole kissing Joseph after that. “Zeus help us,” he whispered. Adrian looked at each of them, then back at Nicole. “She tasted your blood?” Joseph nodded. “That explains it.” Adrian put his sword away and pulled out his cellphone. Muttering letters and numbers into the phone, Adrian kept his eye on Nicole as he spoke. He had to be calling for backup, James assumed. His shoulders slumped. They were going to slay all three of them and quietly clean it up, like the Templars do. Nicole would wind up another missing person, a woman who’d been slated to start a new job and never showed up. The Templars would remove every trace of Nicole. And no one would know what became of her. James’s stomach rolled. This was so unfair! This wasn’t what he’d wanted. Not how he wanted to bring

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Nicole into his life. True, he’d felt the connection, and knew eventually, after he talked to her, explained things to her in a rational way, that she might consent to turning. Higher Above, he deserved to be slain. What had he been thinking, biting her? Tasting her so early? She didn’t deserve this kind of torture. One look at her face, and he could see the anguish, her body damp and clammy from the craving pains. His control, what he’d prided himself on for centuries, was vanquished when he was near her, and damn it he hated himself for doing it this way. Accident or no, she was about to be forced to become a mythical because of his foolish mistake. And she would be forever bonded to him and Joseph because of their Trinity. It wasn’t supposed to be like this! A tear welled up in his eye, and he fought to keep it from dropping. He wanted to impale himself on the Templar sword, if only to end his shame. Adrian shut the phone after a few seconds and glanced at the two vampires, but his eyes rested on Nicole. “When are you slated to move?” he asked her. “Monday, I have a flight to Boston.” “You won’t be reporting to your job.” “What? But I have to! It’s a new position, a huge deal.” Her voice was wracked with pain, and sweat was starting to build on her brow. “You can’t do this to her,” Joseph said. “It’s not fair. We screwed up, let us pay for this. She can be left. She’ll be okay. In time—” “In time, she’ll go into madness, delving into the dark, and she’ll die.” Adrian’s voice was cold, but his words pierced them both to the heart. He spoke the truth. Nicole was dying. She was going to die in a few days if something wasn’t done right now. “Ash us if you have to,” James said. “But we’ll fight to our death before we let you kill her. At least let her turn, let her have some kind of life.” At that, in the door came another Templar. Sir Liam, carrying a square black duffle bag. “God, do all of you people look like you could slaughter a small town?” Nicole

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muttered, staring at Liam. Liam glanced at the men, then at Adrian. “Let’s do this.” *

She blinked. That couldn’t be good. Her headache had finally receded enough that she could blink without pain searing her brain. She had followed what was being said enough to understand everything around her. Wave after wave of pain shot through her gut as the bloodlust—at least she assumed that’s what it was—cried out its desire and need, and she couldn’t help glancing at James and Joseph. Realizing they must deal with this kind of power and intensity every single day, she marveled at their inner strength. How could she handle it, day in and day out? Would death be a better answer? Would it be easier if she really were dead, letting nature take its course, and then James and Joseph could go on with their lives, without her. She’d be gone, a breath in the ether, and no one would ever be the wiser or realize that she’d quit because it was too intense. No romance novel she’d ever read even touched on this kind of pain. It was always glamorous and sexy to be turned by a vampire, everything painless and easy. What a crock of shit. Adrian approached Nicole, just out of her reach. “Do you understand what is going on?” What the hell was she supposed to say to that? The pain in her gut intensified, and once again, she felt the need to say she was done, to throw in the towel. “How long before I die?” Adrian shrugged. “A few days. More than likely, you’ll be dead by Monday.” And the pain would be over… James and Joseph both spun around and looked at her, their eyes wide. “No!” Joseph said, glaring at her. “You can’t give up, love. You are stronger than this—I know you are.” “So intense,” she whispered, dropping to the floor and pulling her legs up to her

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chest. “Nicole, it will be over soon,” James said, kneeling down next to her. “When it’s over, it’s not that bad. The cravings are strong, but you’ll learn to deal with it.” “I can’t…” Too strong. Too much. James grabbed her face, pulling her up to meet his eyes. “You can, I know you can.” He wiped a tear out of the corner of his eye. “We didn’t want to do this to you, not like this. And for our mistake, we will eternally devote ourselves to you. You deserve so much more than a forced turning out of our horrible neglect.” “Love, we never meant…” But this has happened, she thought to herself. The guilt in their voices was enough to make her chest ache with a new kind of pain. Would she have turned willingly? Who knows. Now, she had no choice. Correction: She did have a choice. She couldn’t bring these two to devote themselves to her out of guilt. That was not an option. “No. I won’t turn,” she said. “Nicole, no,” James said. “Your death will be the most horrific experience of your existence, and you’ll die screaming in pain, writhing around like an animal.” I won’t indenture you both to me! “Damnation,” Liam muttered, and stomped across the floor to Nicole, dropping on one knee in front of her. “You are going to turn. I vowed that no human shall suffer in my presence if I have the means to stop it. So you will turn.” “No! It’s my existence we’re talking about. Mine! I don’t want slaves for the rest of eternity. I refuse to bind them to me.” She tried to scoot herself away from the Templar, but she couldn’t get far, running into a stack of boxes. “But it would not be that way,” Joseph said. “We would do it gladly, Nicole,” James said. “That’s not the point.” Don’t you understand, I am not that important! I am just a nobody. I don’t deserve that kind of devotion, and you don’t deserve that kind of guilt. I was the one who wound up in your beds. I let my own lust for something wild and different cloud my common sense.

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And now it’s time to pay for my lusts. Both vampires stared at her and were about to argue the point when Liam reached out and grabbed Nicole’s wrist. In a split second, everything she’d done with James and Joseph flew before her eyes, blinding her in the intensity, every moment, every memory, burned in her eyes. She knew exactly what had transpired, and how she’d broken every moral code she knew. She didn’t deserve to live. Not after this. They didn’t deserve to be tied down to a woman with regret. When Liam pulled his hand away, she met his clear eyes, and knew within him was the solution. “You will turn,” Liam said. “And when the turning is complete, you will decide if you can live with it. If not, I will end your life. Painlessly. Quickly.” “Do you promise?” “I vow it, as a Templar Knight. I will kill you. If that is your wish.”

Chapter 15 They moved Nicole into the bedroom, and Liam pulled out four leather and chain restraints. He and Adrian placed them around each of her wrists and ankles, securing them to the bed’s headboard and footboard. She panted as Liam and Adrian positioned her on the bed, her eyes flashing from dark to light every few minutes as they worked. They angled her at about a forty-five degree angle, holding her in position to drink. In a gut reaction, she tried to fight as soon as they secured the cuffs, but to no avail. Nicole could barely move under the restraints. Her eyes flashed lighter than they’d been yet, and her fangs emerged a tiny bit. “Is this necessary?” “It will keep you from harming yourself during the transformation,” Adrian said. James and Joseph took their positions on each side of the bed. Joseph’s hands shook as he waited for the ceremony to begin. A legal, sanctioned turning could take months, sometimes even years to schedule, after the human was carefully checked out by the Templars to make certain the human could handle the change. But with the precision that Adrian and Liam moved, it was obvious the two of them had performed enough emergency turnings to know exactly what to do. Adrian retrieved a large chalice, simple and bronze, adorned with no special jewels or crests from the bag Liam had brought. The bronze was tarnished and dirty, at least on the outside. He then removed a dagger, also not terribly detailed or adorned, just a simple blade, enough to draw the blood.

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“Who is first?” Adrian asked. Joseph blinked. “First?” “Since this is a Trinity turning, she must have blood from both of you,” Adrian said. “I need both of your blood in this chalice.” Joseph nodded his head. “Of course.” He knew that—he did. Why it left his mind, he didn’t know. His concern was more focused on Nicole. She cried out in terror as he rolled up his sleeve. “Close your eyes, baby.” Some part of her heard him, and she complied. He held out his wrist, and Adrian sliced it open to let the blood drip out into the cup. Nicole jerked at the smell of the blood, her new canines extending even more, and she growled as he dripped his blood in the cup. When James did the same, she tracked the cup, her mouth open, lips wet, ready to take the liquid inside. Liam stood at the foot of the bed, reciting softly mumbled prayers, painting crosses in the air. A glimmer shined over the top of the bed, and Joseph realized that Liam wasn’t just painting crosses, but drawing wards of protection for Nicole. They glimmered, shining for a second as he sealed one, then disappeared. With each sealed ward, Nicole had less and less movement, until she was frozen almost solid. Her head was the only part that could move. “It is time,” Liam said. The vampires took their places to each side of the bed. “Nicole,” Liam called her name, a deep echo in the room. “Yes.” “Drink of the cup, Nicole,” he said. James held out the cup, tipping it up to let the red liquid pour into her mouth. She sucked it down, sighing in desperate need, her eyes rolling back in her head. She fell back against the pillow. Then let out a blood-curdling scream. “Here’s where the fun begins,” Liam said. *

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Three hours and five bags of blood later, Nicole had finally fallen asleep. Already, her body was changing. Her legs were stretched taunt, the bones extending, probably adding a few inches to her height. The marks on her wrists and legs from the restraining chains were starting to heal, though the marks looked far worse than they were. The knot from Nicole smacking Liam’s forehead was already healing up. Adrian had managed to suffer only a few scrapes and scratches while injecting the tracer chip into her thigh. Liam had been the one holding her down. Mostly. James and Joseph hadn’t been quite so lucky. Both had huge gashes in their arms and upper body from when Nicole had broken one of the restraints and begun to attack. She’d swung the broken chain around like a weapon, fighting with all that she possessed. It had taken all four of them to restrain her again. Yet she’d survived. A blessing in itself. Liam and Adrian packed up their items and were preparing to leave. “Sorry about the restraint,” James told Liam as he arranged his gear, carefully packing each item away. “I can reimburse you for that.” “We have more.” James nodded. “Thank you.” “Not my call.” Adrian stepped up next to James. “It was mine. And you owe me.” “I think we owe you Templars our lives. Again.” “No, you owe me,” Adrian said. “And you will fulfill your debt.” “As you require it, we shall comply,” James told him. Joseph nodded as well, a jerk of his head, the best he could do under the emotional torment that ran through him. The Templars left, the thud of the front door like a slap in the room for silence. Some had mild turnings, lashing out only briefly. Joseph had been told later that he’d been easily turned by his sire. Nicole seemed to be about typical—lashing about as expected. Her strength had surprised him, but considering the violence of a human turning, he shouldn’t have been so shocked. Mary Louise had been docile by comparison. Probably because she had been a sociopath. Every woman since then had some kind of flaw, some issue that would not suit. It had been over a hundred years since their last true Trinity mate, and she had been the one

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to sire them. But now, there was Nicole. Joseph had almost given up hope that someone would come along to complete their Trinity bond. And he hadn’t wanted to believe Nicole would be the one. He’d hoped. He’d dreamed and he’d desired, but he hadn’t believed. Yet now, whether she suited or not, she was completing the bond. James stood near the window, staring out at the city’s night lights. The lights in the apartment were off, and only his silhouette was visible. The brunet was haggard, his long hair a mess of waves and tangles from fighting with Nicole. His shoulders slumped. Joseph walked over to his best friend, the one constant in his life for the last hundred years. He slid his arms around his waist, embracing him from behind. “She’s going to make it.” Joseph rested his chin on James’s shoulder. James laced his fingers through Joseph’s. “I know.” He leaned his head back, their cheeks brushing. “Sorry I yelled at you in the car.” “Already forgotten.” Joseph took in a breath of James. “You haven’t fed.” It wasn’t a question. Over the years, their senses had become so attuned to one another they could even tell when one of them hadn’t fed recently. “Neither have you.” “I had more than you. I fed before I brought Nicole over.” James nodded. “Did they leave any more blood packs?” Even though blood packs from a blood bank were sufficient for emergency feedings, the amount required to sustain a vampire indefinitely made them a poor choice for vampires to live on. The mythical medical community had yet to specify exactly what it was in blood drawn directly from humans that made it so much more potent. Many believed the human life force made the blood so strong. It took a few sips from a living human to sustain a vampire for several days, while it took two to three blood packs to sustain a vampire for the same length of time. “There are five more in the fridge,” Joseph said, letting go of James. He left the room, grabbing a blood pack and bringing it to him. James pierced the bag, sucking down the contents in a few moments. His eyes glowed brighter for a few seconds, then the brightness faded. “Better,” he said.

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They sat vigil with Nicole, watching her sleep. At one point, Joseph lay down on the bed with her, and James stood watch. They switched when she started to stir, James bringing a blood pack out for her to feed on. So lost in the exhaustion of the turning, her only instinct was to feed. She sucked down the pack, then fell back into a restless sleep. James curled around her, trying to hold her tight, while Joseph kept an eye. They took turns in order for one to comfort, the other to watch for any more fight to explode from her. Dusk had fallen the following night when she finally stirred enough to speak. She woke to her immortal life like a cat waking from a long nap—her body curled and stretched, back arched, arms over her head, pawing at the headboard. She moaned as she pointed her toes and curled herself up a bit, rubbing her arms. Joseph lay with her as she woke, and he wrapped an arm around her waist. She curled into his form, burying her head in his chest. “You’re awake,” Joseph whispered to her. “Sore,” she muttered. Twisting her head around, she winced at the light coming in from the living room. “That happens,” Joseph said. “Do you remember where you are?” “In my apartment.” Her eyes opened, and her once humanly dark eyes had lightened, a diamond shine to the green color, faded, like all other vampires. “Where are the others?” “James is in the other room. Reading, I think. The others left. Their part of the turning is over.” She nodded. “Will he keep his promise?” “Sir Liam?” “Yes.” “He will. But I hope that you change your mind.” “I don’t want to. I don’t want to be a burden to you.” Tears pricked her eyes. “You never could be,” he said.

Chapter 16 Being a vampire certainly had its upside. Nicole had to give it that. She’d grown a full three inches in height, redistributing her weight into a longer, leaner shape. She loved her new legs—she stared at them often, in mirrors, in windows, wherever her reflection could catch. One of the myths about vampires—she could see her reflection just fine. She found there were other myths as well. Crosses weren’t necessarily a bad thing either, though certain words, when said in a certain inflection, could cause ear-splitting pain. Garlic only tended to give most vampires bad heartburn or gas problems, but it wasn’t enough to truly burn them. Holy water—truly blessed water by a completely devoted minister, could burn the skin. Darkness in the minister’s heart, though, tainted the water, and it remained harmless. Which made Nicole want to run around and test all the holy water at all the churches, just to see. Her eyesight, hearing and sense of smell were amazingly acute. She found it hilarious to play the “where is that smell” game with herself, trying to test the sense. She’d walk down a street, taking in all the smells, and see how far away they were, and how much she could pick up before she saw the source. By Monday morning, her turning had been complete, and James and Joseph moved her to their house. Her belongings were redirected there, and she faxed a resignation letter to her new job, preventing anyone from filing a missing person report. It amazed her all the stuff that needed to be done to disappear.

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Her days had been spent sleeping away the exhaustion of being a completely satisfied lover—James and Joseph could barely keep their hands off her at night. She threatened them numerous times that she would move out if they couldn’t control their hormones. Of course, they knew she was completely full of it—she needed them now, for at least a while. Every dusk, not long after the sun went down, James would take Nicole out and show her how to hunt. Which she found surprisingly easy—it wasn’t hard to lure a man into an alley or around a corner to take what she needed. “That one,” Nicole said, staring across the club at the dark headed man standing at the bar. She hadn’t fed yet tonight, and she was feeling the urge to eat soon. Though James and Joseph seemed able to go a few days between feedings, she needed to feed nightly—that was part of being newly turned, or so James kept telling her. There was still a very strong human part of herself that was not happy about feeding. She’d asked them about a sheep of some kind—in the vampire books she read, many of the vampires had women or men who they fed on regularly so they didn’t have to go out and constantly find a new person. But unfortunately that was one thing about being a vampire that was fiction. She couldn’t feed more than twice on the same person in a short span of time. Though she wasn’t strong enough to accidently turn someone if she bit them more than twice, she could drive them into madness, making them eventually kill either themselves or others around them. So she went to the clubs every night, the bars where people were dressed in barelythere clothes, and looking to get laid. She’d have to find someone in the bar, walk them around the corner, or to the bathroom or something, and take what she needed. She also didn’t have the strength or experience to wipe their memory clean like the guys did, so they had to accompany her and help with the process. “Does he smell good to you?” James eyed the man she’d been looking at, then back at her. “As good as any, I guess.” James took her hand. “I know this is still new to you, but it is just a part of the life.” She pulled her hand back. “I know.” She just waited for the day when Sir Liam

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would come back and fulfill his promise. This wasn’t the life for her. This wasn’t what she wanted for her future. Hell, this wasn’t what she wanted for any part of herself. They didn’t talk about this part of the life, of the constant need to drink the blood of unsuspecting humans, something she’d have to do for the rest of her existence. Which hopefully would not be much longer. She’d promised she’d give this a wholehearted try, see if she could bring herself to like the life. But so far, she missed the sunshine. As much as James and Joseph tried to make this easy for her, it really wasn’t. The sex was amazing, and her fondness for them grew daily, or rather, nightly. They were both incredibly compassionate and caring. She didn’t want for anything. If there was a new book she wanted, instead of having to save her extra cash to get it, she’d just go buy it. Or they’d buy it for her. They upgraded her Palm to the largest model available, and the thing had so many bells and whistles she hadn’t figured it all out. James and Joseph were extremely well off, some of their real estate deals delved into six and seven digit profits. Comforting for her to know that they’d probably always be able to take care of her. Still, it didn’t mean she liked what she’d become in order to get such attention. Nicole stood up. “I’m ready.” She didn’t bother to check if James was following her—he was, she could feel it. The crowd wasn’t horribly thick, but enough people stood around that she had to weave in and out of the bodies until she closed in on the man she’d spotted. The scents of humans were much more powerful than she’d ever imagined, the smell of sweat coupled with lust mingled to make some kind of strange locker room orgy odor. She could tell who’d showered recently, who’d tried to cover up that they hadn’t with cologne, and who’d recently gotten laid. As she weaved past a man, his odor was so strong she almost stopped the woman he was talking to. The desire to tell her he’d not taken a shower in days almost overwhelmed Nicole.

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Still, she pressed on, hunger starting to make her head swim. The smells forgotten, she marched on toward her mark. And when she’d seen him, she paused mid-stride. He was talking to another man, this one was dark and had a Mediterranean look to him. Greek maybe? The dark hair, olive skin, but she couldn’t see his eyes. The only distinct feature he had going for him was his wrists—as he moved his arms as he spoke, the cuffs of his sleeves moved up—revealing black tattooing in a tribal pattern at his wrists. She tipped her head to the side, trying to focus on his mouth as he spoke to the man she’d targeted. Her hearing would have been attuned enough to do it, if the music hadn’t been so loud. Instead, all she could make out were brief words in the decrescendo of the music as a song faded out. “Never experienced” “Amazing” “Fighter?” “Martial arts.” Not a bit of it made any sense to her, but she couldn’t push down the hairs on the back of her neck standing at attention. It wasn’t right, whatever it was. A body smashed into her, shooting her forward into another woman, and she managed to right herself before knocking her to the floor. Mumbling apologies, she spun around to yell when she realized it was James behind her. “You stopped,” he said. “That man there.” She pointed to the man with the tattoos on his arms. “He bothers me.” James followed her gaze, and as soon as he saw who she pointed to, he laced his fingers through hers, pulling her arm down to draw less attention. “Perhaps you should pick another target. He seems to already be claimed.” Is he a vampire? she thought, hoping she would be able to reconnect the mental bond between them. She wasn’t sure how it was done, but she had figured out that blocking it was harder than one would expect. Yes. In random succession, several horribly violent visions hit her mind and she stumbled backward into James. All the visions were sick and brutal, and all of them

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starred that particular man. One of them stuck out to her, though. It was an image of the same vampire, his head thrown back in laughter, and James stood next to him, smiling the same sick smile. Damn, she thought, and she started plowing through the crowd. “Nicole, wait!” But she didn’t stop.

Chapter 17 “Nicole?” Sir Adrian stood in the doorway, one earphone of an iPod sticking in one ear, the other dangling down his shirt, the white cord clashing against his black shirt. His sword once again hung at his hip, low enough that the tip almost hit the ground. “I need Liam.” Adrian stepped to the side, letting her into the Templar’s base. No pictures hung on the walls, the floors bare of any carpeting or runners. Walls were painted a stark white. In the rooms she could see, everything was used for function, not beauty. She smiled, pretending that she wasn’t terrified. This was practically like walking into the lion’s den. The Templars were more than police. And slaps on the wrist were not given. Their punishment was harsh and without question. Yet she didn’t know where else to go. Her head ached even more, a sharp pain shooting through her brain, and she rubbed her temples, as if that could repress the pain. “Where are James and Joseph?” “I need to see Liam.” “He is not here.” Adrian tipped his head to the side, like he was listening to someone whisper in his ear. “Have you fed yet tonight?” Nicole shook her head. “Come. I’ll warm you some blood and you can tell me what is the matter.” She stared at him. “You make it sound so… so…”

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“Normal?” Adrian shrugged, leading her down the hall toward a large kitchen. “It is normal. My version of normal.” The kitchen was not terribly fancy. The counters were all wood, like huge butcher blocks, and the cabinets, in their natural wood state, had no ornate detailing. “You keep blood stocked in the fridge?” Nicole asked as she sat down at the island in the center of the kitchen. He opened the bag and poured the contents into a large coffee mug and stuck the mug in the microwave, not responding to her. “How do you do this? Deal with everything? I mean, you could have lived a normal life before deciding to police vampires. How does one even make such a choice in life?” “Sometimes the choices are made for you.” He stuck a cinnamon stick in the blood and handed it to her. Nicole raised her brow at him, eyeballing the stick. “Cinnamon?” “I’ve been told it takes the edge off the bagged blood. Stir it with the stick, and then drink.” He fixed himself a cup of coffee as he spoke. The coffee pot was large and industrial looking, the only appliance on the counter. The cinnamon’s sweet scent complimented the smell of the blood. A combination she never would have put together, but it worked. “This is not bad.” “We are civilized, Nicole. Not all mythicals are monsters.” She sucked down a big gulp of blood. “And how did you know that I was here about monsters?” “I’ve been around for almost a thousand years. Your fears are not new.” She let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping. “I didn’t want this.” She stared at the thick liquid inside the cup, the cinnamon stick looking obscenely idiotic. “What is it that you didn’t want? The change? Or the ugliness that went along with it?” “None of it.” “I do not believe you.” She bowed her head, knowing that he was probably right. Not that she was entirely unhappy about the change. Sure it had some advantages, one glance at her legs was proof of that, but still.

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The whole headache thing certainly wasn’t an advantage. Footsteps echoed in the hall behind her, making her head throb even more, and she turned around to see who increased her brain ache. Sir Liam entered, his hand on the hilt of his sword. “What are you doing here?” “Looking for you.” “Why?” Nicole paused. “I want you to fulfill your promise. I can’t do this.” Liam glanced at Adrian, some kind of invisible signal between them, and Liam met her gaze again. “It is not time.” She shook her head. “You promised.” “I promised, when the time was right, I would come. It is not time yet.” “Well, when?” “Why are you in such a rush to die?” She let out a sigh. “It’s too much. There’s too much evil around. I can’t do this. I can’t hurt people intentionally. I can’t manipulate people like that. I can’t be like that guy…” her voice trailed off. “What guy?” Adrian said. “The man from the bar, the one with tattoos on his arms.” She shuddered at the images she’d seen, the thoughts James had given her. “What tattoos?” Liam asked. “I don’t know, they were black, around his wrists, kind of hidden by his shirt.” Liam took off out of the room, and she watched him go. “Is he always so abrupt?” “He’ll be back,” Adrian said. And within a moment, Liam came back, a sketchbook in his hand. He held it out to her, a sketch of a wrist with tattoos on it. “Shit, did you just draw that?” James had explained that Liam could read minds of mythicals. Had he gleaned that from her just in the couple of seconds they’d talked? It was an exact replica of the tattooed guy’s wrists. “Where did you see the man?” Liam asked. “Start from the beginning,” Adrian said, both of them staring at her intently.

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Quickly, she ran down the details of where she’d been and what she’d been doing when she saw him. “And why did you come here?” “The images—they were horrible, sick and terrifying.” She shivered as the images came back to her mind, keeping her vision locked on the wooden floor. “And James was in one, laughing with the guy.” She snapped her eyes up to meet Liam’s. “Kill me. I can’t be bonded to someone who took such pleasure at hurting others.” At the words, a searing pain shot through her head, reminding her of the bond between her and the two vampires. And how much she needed to die. She couldn’t do this, she just couldn’t do it. Liam and Adrian exchanged glances again, and Adrian walked out of the room. Footsteps made her look up, expecting to see Adrian walking back in, but it was an older man with shorter cropped gray hair and a regal demeanor about him. Unlike Liam and Adrian, he wore a white polo shirt and a pair of Dockers, the red iron cross on his left shoulder more predominant than the one on Liam’s t-shirt. He had a goatee that hung down to his sternum, long and square and evenly cut, his cheeks bare and showing off his chiseled jaw, not too dissimilar to Adrian’s face shape. He stared at her for a moment, inhaling a breath, then nodded his head. “Did she have a name?” he asked Liam. “No, sir. I was about to retrieve the images.” The man met her gaze. “May Sir Liam retrieve the images from your mind?” Nicole flicked her eyes over to Liam then back at the older man. “If he will fulfill his promise.” “I will,” Liam said. He stepped within arm’s length of her and held out his hand. Nicole darted to the side. “Wait, I want an exact date of when you’re going to do it.” “I cannot give you that.” “No date, no images,” Nicole said, holding her hands up to block him from getting any closer. Liam took a step closer, his size seeming to swell around her. “I can take them.” “But you won’t,” Nicole said. “You do not know what I am capable of.” Liam pushed himself into her personal space. The other two started to crowd around her as well, a man on all three sides,

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pressing her into the island. “No date…” She looked into Liam’s cold eyes. And they were cold—not like a vampire’s light eyes, but just black, just empty and void of life. Like he was just as dead inside as she was. Liam reached out, grabbing her arm, and she buckled under his grip. She could have fought him, she probably should have fought him, but as soon as his mind touched hers, she completely succumbed to him. The images flashed again, though this time it was as if she saw them through a filter or a piece of frosted glass. Like he protected her from the intensity of them. Then it was over. Liam let go. Nicole opened her eyes to look at him, and his eyes were shut, his head down. Then he snapped his head up, glancing at the bearded man. “Melios,” Liam said. “Go,” the man said. “And bring back her Trinity mates.”

Chapter 18 The Templar hospitality surprised her. They had several rooms both on the ground level as well as in the basement for vampires. Sir William, the older man from earlier, had taken her downstairs to a small room. Her head ached even worse after Liam had tapped her mind, so William wanted her to rest. And it didn’t take much to put her to sleep. She was out as soon as her head hit the white pillow and sheets. The knock on the door could have come mere minutes after she lay down, it seemed so instant. Yet the only decorative item in the room was a small wall clock that said four hours had passed. Nicole sat up as the door came open, and Sir Adrian was there. His blond hair, which had been so neat and smooth when she’d arrived at the house, was now disheveled with strands falling in front of his face, and his skin looked blotchy, like he’d been fighting. Then the smell of blood hit her. He was wounded. She could smell the blood, and her fangs started to grow. She had to force herself to swallow the saliva that pooled in her mouth at the scent. “Come,” he said, leading her out of the room and down the hall. She inhaled another breath of his blood, her whole body burning with the craving. Evidently the cinnamon blood wasn’t enough, because she wanted to find his wound and lick it clean. “What are you doing?” Adrian snapped at her. Nicole blinked. “Nothing.” She had her hands on his side, just under his left arm,

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feeling for the wound. She pulled her arms back, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment over what she’d almost done. He let out a sigh, grabbing her arms and pinning them behind her back as he put her in front of him. “You need more blood.” “What makes you say that?” she forced down the saliva in her mouth, as if he couldn’t figure out what she’d been doing. She’d been moving with pure instinct, hadn’t realized exactly what she was doing, but she doubted he’d buy that one. What could she say? She’d been a vampire for only a couple of weeks. “I will bring you a bag.” She stuck her tongue out. Bagged blood sounded horrible. She wanted his, damn it. Real blood… She needed it, her insides craved it with a raw power she’d not yet experienced as a vampire. I could take him. Lean back into him, slam my head into his… At the thought, she realized something. Her head wasn’t hurting. Which could only mean one thing. James and Joseph were here. She didn’t have to take more than a few steps when she could hear them. “Where is she?” James’s voice echoed, both in the basement and in her head. I’m here, James. I’m fine. Nicole? What did you tell them? Adrian brought her to a plain door, and as he opened it, she was overrun by her senses. Both James and Joseph were tied down to vertical racks, both bloody. James’s lip was swollen and fat, and Joseph’s eye was black. “Christ.” She shot across the room to the two of them. Panic struck her, total and complete. How had this happened? What had they done to them? She didn’t want them bloodied and beaten. She may not want to be bonded to them, but this she wouldn’t wish on anyone. Adrian couldn’t have held her back with the assistance of every Templar in the order. “What did you do to them?” She glared at Liam, who stood there, looking as disheveled as both of them, his own face swollen from a punch in the jaw.

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She reached out, caressing James’s arm, then touching Joseph’s chest. She couldn’t touch both of them at once, and she vaulted between the racks, running a gentle hand down Joseph’s face, a kiss on his cheek, then moved to James, squeezing his fingers and placing a kiss on his shoulder. As if her touch was enough to soothe their pain. My poor, poor babies… James twisted his head to see her, trying to smile at her. So worried about you… I am fine… Couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to you… “Get her out of here,” Liam said. Adrian crossed his arms over his chest, putting his iPod earphones in his ears. “You get her out of here.” Every fiber in Nicole’s body shook in anger, and she charged at Liam. “You bastard!” she screamed as she attacked. There was no reason or logic in her attack, she merely moved on pure instinct. Having never been trained in the arts of fighting, every one of her punches, swings and kicks were easily deflected by Liam. He grabbed her, yanking her against him, restraining her with his body. He pulled her back against his chest, his arms criss-crossed over her chest to restrain her arms, and he swung his leg around to hold her legs still. “Nicole, no,” James called out. Both of them fought against their restraints, the racks they were bound to groaned under the stress. Were the structures not secured to the wall and ceiling, they would have come across the room still strapped to them if they could have. Love, we’re fine. Stop this, Joseph’s voice filled her head, even though he yanked at his restraints. They hurt you! How could they do that? Tears poured out of her eyes. And it dawned on her just how important James and Joseph had become to her. Just looking at their beaten bodies, her anger rose again, and she was desperate to lash and beat every Templar in the world. And just a few hours ago, she’d been wanting to die, not wanting to be bonded to either of them.

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It didn’t make sense. Why was she feeling like this? She was just ready to leave them both, to end her life, and now she couldn’t stand the thought of them being hurt. Guilt flooded her. This is all my fault. The tears flowed in a powerful stream out of her, and she shook against Liam. Silent tears transformed to outright bawling in the giant brute’s arms. From somewhere behind her, she swore she heard Adrian laughing. “Damnation,” Liam muttered, releasing her. “Woman, control yourself.” “I should kill you.” Through her sniffles, her threat sounded more like a kid than a force to be reckoned with. He raised an eyebrow at her. “A few hours ago, you wanted me to kill you.” “Killing me does not mean killing them!” “Nicole? You wanted to die?” James asked, his voice cracking. “You don’t understand,” Nicole said, facing James and Joseph. Whatever fight that had been left in them was suddenly gone. Their large frames, which had housed so much power just a few moments before now sagged against the restraints. “Are we so horrible to consider spending eternity with that you would rather die?” Joseph asked. “No,” she said, a more gut reply than any thought. “I can’t… I…” she fell to the ground, on her knees. “How can I be with you, when I saw…” The man, him and James laughing together, how he’d tortured those humans like they were mere toys to play with. “They were people,” she whispered. “You tortured people.” Joseph’s head snapped to the side. “What did you show her?” “Melios was at the bar,” James whispered, tears in his eyes. “Nicole, love…” Joseph hung his head in shame. “Don’t.” Nicole would never be able to get those images out of her head. They would stain her mind, and she would always know that James didn’t consider humans to be more than a snack. That was not something she ever wanted to be. “I am not a pet, and I refuse to be connected to anything that considered itself over human beings. I would rather be dead.” She turned to leave the room, her heart breaking with every step. “Nicole, wait!” James called out. “You didn’t give me a chance to explain.”

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Her steps faltered, and without wanting to, she found herself turning around to face the two vampires. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. No words could be formed. Inside, she was being ripped apart, all parts of her were in conflict. Her brain screamed that she was insane to even pause, to even listen. Yet her heart and soul begged for something, anything to prove that it wasn’t what she thought it was. “I know how angry you are. When we were turned, we didn’t want to be vampires,” he began. “And we were turned by a woman who considered all humans bi-products of vampire life, a viral deviation that served only one purpose.” “And you agreed with her?” Before James could continue, Joseph spoke up. “We lived in squalor, in slums. We were scavenging for food, watching each other’s backs. We had nothing, our families killed during the Civil War. Then here was this woman, rich, powerful, who took a liking to us.” A tear ran down James’s cheek. “She promised such riches, such power. So desperate for anything that was ours again, we succumbed to her.” “So you were greedy,” Nicole said. “We were desperate, broken boys,” Joseph said. “And she made us men. Vampire men, with a hatred toward humans. Just like she hated humans.” Nicole’s heart ached, and in her mind, she could see them both, sulking around in alleys, dirty, dark, damp, desperate for anything to make them warm and clean again. Whether she saw images they gave her, or if they were her own imagination, she didn’t know, but the images played out in her mind. The woman, her flaxen hair hanging down her back, rich clothing, she seduced them both, turning them simultaneously. “We thought we were supposed to hate humans. And we did, for a while.” James let out a sigh. “Mora and her brother Melios expected certain behaviors from their sired children.” Nicole’s stomach rolled, and she crossed her arms over her tummy. “Oh, God,” she whispered. The images he’d shown her, they’d had to participate in those horrible… Bile rose in her throat. “We did what was expected of us,” Joseph said, his voice a whisper. “Not once did

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we question it. We never wondered if we were wrong. We were vampires—creatures of the night, monsters of the shadows. Vampires didn’t have a moral code. They didn’t have laws.” “But they did,” Liam said, breaking into the conversation. “Yes. Between discovering the Balance Mandate and a few of the more vulgar tasks we had to perform, we learned we didn’t have to exist that way.” “And they helped us,” Liam said. Nicole blinked. “What, you went State’s evidence or something?” “Mora was growing bored with us, and she had been considering getting rid of us anyway. She had found a couple of humans who she was preparing to turn.” “And you turned her into the Templars?” “We told them where to find her, yes.” “Of the two, Mora was far more vicious. While Melios would carry out certain acts, they were done at Mora’s bidding. She picked targets, she orchestrated the tortures, all because she desired it. The torture excited her—it was erotic to her. She would pick a female because of her hair color, or a man because he reminded her of someone who’d slighted her two centuries before.” “And Melios, he is who I saw in the bar?” “Yes.” She faced Liam. “And why isn’t he dead?” “Because we haven’t been able to find him. Nor do we have any proof that he was doing anything wrong. He’s been hiding underground for decades.” “And now he’s building up a personal army,” James said. “That’s what you wanted to know, right? That it was Melios she saw.” “Yes.” Nicole’s hands started to shake. “Will this Melios come after you?” “He hasn’t yet,” Joseph said. “But that does not mean he won’t.” “He can’t kill them,” Liam said. “No mythical can kill one of their own kind.” James jerked his head toward Liam. “It’s amazing what a person can live through.” Liam nodded his head. “Aye.”

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“So you leave, get out of town. Move to Maine. Portugal. Japan. Get as far away from here as you can,” Nicole said. “I wish I could go with you.” “We can’t.” “Why not?” “North America is neutral mythical territory. If they leave here, they have to go back to their sired bloodline, the Romanian Clan. Melios’s clan. And the clan will kill James and Joseph on sight,” Adrian said, surprising her, because she thought he wasn’t listening. “But he just said that vampires can’t kill other vampires.” “Contract killers—some mythicals contract out for housekeeping duties for other clans. In this case, wolves would probably kill them. But they can’t do it on this continent.” “And what’s stopping them?” Liam raised a brow. “Trust me, it doesn’t happen here.” “Just like all the unregistered turnings don’t happen?” James asked. Liam growled. Nicole rubbed her head. “And what will this Melios do when he finds out they know about him?” “It’s not that he doesn’t know, it is whether or not he thinks we will tell the Templars about him.” “And how long have you known that he was responsible?” Liam asked. “I haven’t seen anything. But if someone’s turning people for their own little army, I can see Melios doing it before anyone else. And he has a fetish for well endowed men and women.” Liam glanced at Adrian, and Adrian just shrugged a shoulder in response, a gesture that seemed to say a lot to Liam. Great, Nicole thought. “The fun is just beginning,” Liam muttered. *

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Nicole had a lot to think about while she drank more bagged blood. Though the cinnamon stick wasn’t helping take the edge off the flavor, the bagged stuff did seem to ebb some of the hard cravings. Adrian had told her he’d bring her more if she needed it. Too bad she couldn’t get totally wasted—a beer sounded divine at the moment. Hell, a bottle of tequila sounded divine. What kind of a world had she gotten herself mixed up in? She couldn’t remember what day it was anymore, since she didn’t have a job. It could have been a weekday or a weekend at this point. She knew only that the sun was starting to break through the horizon. The early morning chirping of birds signified that she needed to go inside soon, the sky’s black breaking into a gray, just before the sun came up and claimed the sky, signaling the end of her awake time. She couldn’t see the birdies, but she loved the sound of them. The soft cheeps soothed her, and she already missed listening to them every morning before work. She sipped her blood on the back patio behind the Templar house, the cup chilly in her hand, giving it an additionally bitter taste. The door behind her slid open and hard footsteps hit the concrete. She didn’t bother turning around to look, she could smell that it was James. He had his own cup of blood, his steaming with its warmth, and he sat down in the patio chair next to hers. “You’re going to have to come inside soon,” he said. “I know.” Silence stretched between them as they sat there, and Nicole couldn’t help noticing it was a companionable silence. The strong sexual desires that seemed to amplify when she was around James still lingered in her mind. Yet she didn’t have the urge to jump on him. Probably had something to do with the mess they all were in. “Would you have told the Templars you saw Melios?” When she got down to it, that was the biggest question. If he was honorable, he would have immediately contacted the Templars and told them. And that would have said a lot about him. Shielding Melios from the Templars would have said a lot more. He took a sip of his drink before speaking. Nicole gritted her teeth at his stalling tactic.

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“I don’t know.” She inhaled a breath of the early dawn air. “You’re still loyal to the family.” “Not anymore.” “Then why would you hesitate?” “I would have done something. I had not considered Melios a possibility with all the illegal mythicals being turned. I had not seen him in at least a decade. Why would I consider him a possible suspect?” “If he was capable, I would have said something.” “You do not understand the power of the clans.” He glanced at her, and she opened her mouth to speak. “Do not let the Templar propaganda sway you—a lot happens in North America that they don’t know about.” “And how would you know?” “Because one of the things Joseph and I did briefly after Mora cast us out was housekeeping for a couple of werewolf clans. People disappear all the time, Nicole. You of all people should know that.” And she did. In essence, she had disappeared from her own life. Lost in this maelstrom of mythicals verses humans. Tears filled her eyes. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to meet a guy, get married, pound out a couple of kids, have grandchildren, and die an old woman, possibly of cancer or some such. This isn’t what she envisioned for her life. Now she’d never grow old, she’d be bound to the two of them until she died or they died, or both. And who knew, she could lose both of them. Then she’d be alone. A shiver ran through her body. “How could you do this to me?” “I cannot say I’m sorry enough.” “Well, say it again anyway,” she muttered, getting up from the chair with a grind of the metal on the concrete. “It might mean something if you did.” “I’m sorry.” She hit her chest. “I can’t feel anything, James. By all accounts, I’m dead. My insides feel broken, and I can’t hear my heart beating. Yet all I can think about is dying. Ending this existence. Plus or minus, I want to be something. Alive or dead. I’m in the middle, a permanent purgatory that you forced me into.”

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James stood up, his large frame seemed rather well healed from his earlier state. At least he moved like he was okay. “It doesn’t have to be purgatory. I can’t promise you an easy eternity, but I can take care of you, make sure you never want for anything.” “And I want to die. Go figure.” He lowered his eyes, staring at the ground. “If that is your choice, I cannot stop you. But I don’t want you to go.” She glared at him. “Don’t do that. Don’t pull out the emotional card. You don’t care about me.” This time he did meet her glare with one of his own. “And how do you know what I feel? Did it ever dawn on you that maybe we do care about you? That we might even love you? Do you have any idea what it did to me when you ran out tonight? Every fiber of my body screamed, and I ran after you.” “Evidently you can’t run that fast.” “I would have flown if I’d thought I could have done it without attracting Melios’s attention.” “Sure, you would have.” Nicole turned and headed inside. A flutter of air hit her, and James was standing in front of her, his hand on her arm. “And maybe I should have flown. Then we wouldn’t be here, trapped at the Templar complex. We could have discussed this rationally, and you wouldn’t be thinking about dying.” “Trust me, if you would have caught me, we would not be having a rational conversation.” She jerked her arm out of his grip. “I am going inside. I need some sleep. Maybe at dusk, we’ll both be thinking rationally. And a few decisions can be made.” She didn’t look back to see if he followed her in, but without a doubt she knew he would, since the first slices of dawn’s orange was streaming across the horizon.

Chapter 19 Orgies were beautiful sights to behold. Vampire orgies were even more powerful to watch and mind blowing to experience. Melios sat in a wingback chair, his hips twisted so one bare leg lay over the arm of the chair, and he leaned down, resting his elbow on the other arm, watching. His pets were playing; female and male humans intertwined with two new male vampires. The new males were large, even for vampire stature. They’d been large in life, both professional military men… What did the humans call them? SEALs? No matter how many times he heard the term, he thought of the animals, their hands clapping together and moaning out weird little “arf” sounds. But the men, they were built for power. Now they were becoming the ultimate in bipedal existence. One of the SEALs yanked the female human off a body—had she been blowing a man or a woman?—and plunged his fangs into her throat, his cock into her crotch. Melios smiled. Simple, but if that made him happy for the moment… The other, though, showed more creativity, forcing a man down on him while he bit a woman next to her cunt, draining her. Even from the distance, Melios could tell she wouldn’t last much longer. Her skin had already gone ashen. As much as he usually enjoyed the sight of his new children playing with the pets of the day, his mind remained unable to focus on the beautiful sights before him. Not even his cock could stay completely hard at the eroticism of the display. He had seen James at the club tonight. Of that he’d been certain.

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Rumor had claimed that James and Joseph were in the area. They rarely stayed in any one part of North America for long. They had even retired from housekeeping duties, falling into their real estate ventures. Yet when he’d seen James, he could feel the bond with the woman. She was new; they had only recently turned her. He’d bet they were taking her out and teaching her how to feed. They were kind-hearted like that. Fools. He’d been waiting for years to repay them for what they’d done to his sister. He’d been a patient mythical. Watching and waiting for the right moment, the right way to wound them. Perhaps it was now time. James and Joseph now had something to lose. His cock hardened at the thought, and he stood, deciding it was time to join the orgy. As he approached, one of the human females lifted her head from the woman she’d been eating out and smiled at him. He grabbed the back of her head, pushing her onto his cock. Yes, James and Joseph would soon be feeling his presence. Through their pretty little woman. *

Sleep was a precious commodity for a Knight Templar. It always had been. Even with immortal strength and healing, sleep still proved the most precious thing a Templar could do for themselves. Liam hadn’t been getting much of it recently. On the bed across his room, Adrian snored, signifying that he’d finally collapsed into deep sleep. Liam didn’t bother with his earplugs. It was pointless today. He wouldn’t have slept anyway. He stood, climbing off the extra long twin sized bed, and headed over to the privacy screen in the back of the room. The only modesty he or any Knight had was that screen, allowing them to change their clothes in private. Since they were required to sleep in their

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clothes, he only bothered to undress when bathing. He’d even tried soaking in a bath, hoping the water would relax him enough to allow the blessing of sleep. Unfortunately, he’d felt like a huge wussy in the tub, which only made him more tense. Behind the privacy screen, he changed his clothes, putting on a fresh black t-shirt, this one without any markings of the Templars, and a pair of denim jeans. He shoved his boots back on and headed out. He might still have time. Driving one of the simple gray sedans used for discrete surveillance, he headed downtown. Traffic was a pain, but he managed to get to the parking garage in time. He took his ticket and drove inside, winding his way to the roof, four stories up from the ground. Parking the car, he climbed out and walked to the railing. He pulled out one of his cigars and lit it, the wind not even daring to keep him from his habit. His mind ran circles around everything going on, even as the morning sun warmed the dew off the grass. Right now, he wasn’t very happy with himself. The promise he’d made to Nicole bothered him. The idea of assisted mythical suicide had never set well with him, but she wasn’t the first one he’d agreed to kill. Still didn’t make it any better. He scanned the crowd of people below, but he didn’t spot the woman he’d come to see. Holding up the cigar, he smelled the smoke, taking just enough of a puff to keep it burning, blowing the smoke out immediately. Sir William would have a fit if he saw him with the damn thing. But William could jump off a bridge as far as he was concerned. He was seven hundred plus years old. If he wanted a frigging cigar, he was going to have one. It hadn’t yet affected his performance as a Templar. “Hey,” a voice called out to him. Liam jerked, snapping his head around. Approaching him was a tall, thin, blond woman, hair so light it floated around her face, the wind amplifying the affect, making her look surreal in the morning light. “You okay, fella?” she asked. She stopped a full car length away from him. In one

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hand were her own car keys, including a bottle of pepper spray, and the other, her cellphone. “Fine. Stalling.” Sounded good to him. Didn’t people stall when they went to work? She smiled, and his heart almost exploded in his chest, like she’d stabbed him with the sharpest knife in the world. “I hear ya. Wednesdays are never pleasant. Seems like the week drags on forever.” Liam forced a smile on his face. “Yeah,” he said. Though he was glad she didn’t seem to want more from him, because he couldn’t trust himself to speak. She took another step forward. “We should probably get down there. Walk with me?” He held up his cigar. “Go ahead. I want to finish this.” She shrugged. “Well, holler if you see any bad guys.” “You will be safe. I promise.” Blinking, she went very still. From the look on her face, either she was terrified or trusted him completely. More than likely the former. “I know.” Her words didn’t shake as she spoke, and for some reason, he knew she believed him. She knew he’d keep her safe, regardless of the cost. He had no doubt of this assumption—like knowing whether a mythical was lying to him or not, he knew he was right. Their eyes locked together. Something passed between them, something that he knew, if he touched her, he’d understand. But he didn’t have a clue what it was, not without the contact. And he wasn’t about to move. With a smile, she turned and walked away, heading for the elevator. This time when Liam took a drag off the cigar, he breathed the smoke in, swearing he could feel the little fibers in his lungs singe, then slowly exhaled the smoke through his nose. He was finally able to breathe. She, Felicia Zanna Hunter, had been doing that to him for the last twenty-four years. She’d left him breathless when she’d been merely a child, and as she’d gotten older, the sensation had yet to diminish.

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She reminded him of why he did what he did. He protected her and all humans from the ugliness of the world. He kept the blinders up for all humans. A few minutes later, he saw her walk out of the parking garage and cross the street to the building where she worked. She paused at the door and turned to look up at the garage roof. She raised her arm in a wave and headed inside. Liam opened his hand, palm out, in reply, but didn’t move it. Even from the distance, he saw her smile, and his heart clenched again. He had to get out of here. This wasn’t healthy.

Chapter 20 Nicole appeared, her dress thin and gauzy, a modern interpretation of a sexy nineteenth century negligee. Her hair hung down her back, a thick river rippling in shades of blond and red. Her eyes, the bright light of them shining as only a vampire’s eyes could shine, were filled with emotion, powerful and strong. As she floated toward James and Joseph, the thin fabric fluttered in the air. Every curve of her body was outlined, both breasts round and perfect, her hip line that of wet dreams. Joseph put his hand on his heart, the ache inside him stronger than he’d ever felt. More powerful than any emotion he’d ever known. “I’m torn,” she said. “My insides are numb from so much swirling around, and I can’t think.” “Be with us,” he told her. “Let us love you for all time.” “You shouldn’t have to,” she said. “But what if we want to?” James added, stepping up to Joseph’s side. Both of them were dressed in slacks and white shirts, the pants cut tight, the same style as her dress. “I am afraid,” she whispered. “Don’t be afraid,” Joseph said, holding out his hand. She didn’t move. “I don’t want to be this,” she said, patting her chest. “I can’t be this kind of monster.” “You’re not a monster, Nicole,” James said. “But how do I know? How do I know that I won’t become…”

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“You know your heart,” Joseph said. “We know what is in your heart. You don’t have that element in you.” A tear streamed down her face. “How do you know?” James took a step forward. “Because you miss the birds.” She stared at him for a moment, then disappeared.

A knock on the door woke Joseph from a deep sleep. He sat up, but before he could get to the door, it opened, and outside stood Nicole. She wasn’t dressed in gauzy nightclothes, her hair wasn’t perfectly smooth and flawless. Yet she looked sexier than ever before. Her eyes were heavy, and she stared at the floor, hardly able to meet his gaze. “Nicole?” He took a step toward her. She didn’t speak for the longest time. It could have been mere seconds, or it could have been years, he didn’t know. His gut told him to wait, to not speak. She would in her own time. And what she could say would be important. “I was dreaming, but it wasn’t a dream, was it?” she whispered, her head still down. “No.” James had awoken as well, and he’d sat up in bed, but he didn’t speak. The air breathed around them, the tension palpable. He knew Nicole was on the borderline. She was right there on the edge, trying to decide what she wanted—an immortal life with her fears, or death with its serenity. “Will we always see each other’s dreams?” “If you want to.” She nodded her head, though it didn’t seem like the words he’d said had sunk in; her nod had been more of an absent-minded jerk, one done out of courtesy more than anything. She studied the floor, then her own shirt, picking at lint that wasn’t there. But she did bring her head up after a moment. And her eyes were clear, whatever muddy thoughts that had been floating around in them were gone—focus and intention filled her face.

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“I shouldn’t care about either of you. I don’t know you. Not like someone is supposed to when committing to a relationship.” Her gaze flickered from one to the other. “Yet I do. I don’t know if it’s love. Hell, I don’t know if it’s anything beyond lust. But it is a connection. None of us can deny that. Regardless of my fears, this is real, and I need to understand what it is before I make any decision.” “So you are not leaving us?” James asked. The words hung in the air, seeming to take forever to reach her, and Joseph’s heart seemed to stop, like even his own existence depended on her single syllable reply. “No.” Joseph let out a sigh of relief at the word. How a single word could relieve so much inside him, he had no idea. But she’d done it. She walked the few steps to the twin sized bed he’d been sleeping on and sat down, a slump in her shoulders. So much had happened, they all were lost in the middle of an ugly storm that wasn’t of their making. He ran his hands through his hair, fisting the short locks before setting down next to her. “I’m glad you’re not leaving, love,” he whispered. She brought her head up, meeting his eyes, a slight curve of a smile on her face. “I’m glad, too.” Nicole reached out and touched his arm. It wasn’t a sexual touch, and it wasn’t anything more than a companionable caress, but it was enough to set a fire through Joseph, and make his whole body come alive. The craving was strong. Mine… His whole body hummed as her hand slid down his shoulder, toward his forearm, her fingers drawing lazy circles on his skin. “This isn’t like the books,” Nicole said, looking over at James. James smiled at her. “Nothing ever is.” “I feel like I was shown the pretty, shiny side of being a vampire, and I expected everything to stay shiny. Now I see the dark alley, where the nastiness happens, and I’m scared,” she said as she leaned more into Joseph. He wrapped an arm around her, and she curled into him, her head pressing against

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his shoulder. The warm aroma of her made him smile, and he leaned down a bit, inhaling the scent of her hair. It had been a day, maybe thirty hours since he’d touched her, but it seemed like an eternity. “Love, don’t be frightened. Just because there is bad doesn’t mean it’s all bad.” “I know. Yet it seems like I should be scared out of my mind.” James stood up and came across the room, a mere stride for him. He sat behind her and started massaging her shoulders. “You should be. This is a new existence. But you’re not alone, and you shouldn’t be afraid of moving forward.” She sighed as James rubbed her shoulders, her head rocking back and forth. “I always have been.” “And you were getting ready to move away, move to Boston, all by yourself?” Joseph asked. She brought her head up and met his eyes. “My life at work had run its course. It was time to move on, and I knew it. I just didn’t know that I was ready.” “For someone who wasn’t ready, you surely were packed,” James said, placing a kiss on the back of her head. She exhaled a breath when he kissed her, the heat of it warming Joseph’s chest. He ran his finger down her cheek, marveling at the smooth texture. “I’m sorry they hurt you. I shouldn’t have run away.” “I thought something had happened to you…” James said. “I thought…” “What?” “I thought Melios had gotten to you.” The words may have come from James’s mouth, but they sent a shiver down Joseph’s back. He didn’t want to think about what that sick bastard could do to an innocent and newly turned vampire like Nicole. James leaned toward Nicole, slipping his arms around her waist, and Joseph put his arms around both of them, and the three of them sat like that, in a sandwiched hug for an indeterminable amount of time. They remained there, hearing each other’s hearts, feeling each other’s bodies, holding onto one another. Not even their thoughts stirred as they held onto one another, the bond between them tangible, tying their hearts and souls together.

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“It shouldn’t feel like this,” Nicole said. “What shouldn’t?” Joseph asked. “This connection. I shouldn’t want two men the way I want the two of you.” “Why not?” James asked. “Yes, why not? Certainly it’s every female’s fantasy to have two men, devoted to bringing you pleasure for the rest of eternity.” She brought her head up a bit. “That’s just it—it’s a fantasy. It isn’t supposed to be real.” “Neither are vampires,” James replied. “But we’re real enough. He nibbled on her shoulder. She reached up and caressed his cheek, and he turned his head, kissing her palm. “I love how this makes me feel,” she said. “How you two make me feel.” Joseph slid a hand down her side, his thumb stroking the side of her breast, and it took a great deal of control not to grab that breast and bury his fangs in it. He may not be able to survive on the sustenance that now coursed through her body, but he could taste it and revel in the sensual flavor that was her. James slipped a hand between their bodies up to the curve of her breast, his thumb just barely touching the edge of her nipple. She let out a soft gasp at his caress, and Joseph palmed the other breast, her taunt nipple hard against his palm. She arched into his hand, and Joseph leaned forward, letting his lips graze her throat. He slowly moved up to her mouth, desperate to taste her lips. Yet he didn’t want to push anything. Was he afraid? Very much. More afraid of losing her than anything he’d ever felt in his immortal existence. So when Nicole cupped his face, caressing his cheek, he reveled in the feel of it. When her fingers slid into his hair, he let out a sigh, savoring the contact. He didn’t want to lose this! He couldn’t lose this. “Nicole.” He closed his eyes, desperate to taste her lips, but hesitant of moving. He’d always been a fast-moving lover, always full of raw energy, begging for release. Now was no different, but his need was held in check by his fear of scaring her, of running her out of the room because he moved too fast.

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“Joseph.” Her lips met his in a soft, tentative kiss. The touch of her lips scalded him—he needed this, oh how he needed this. Their lips met in a soft caress, her mouth opening, setting the pace. Slow, long sensual strokes that made him even harder than he’d ever imagined. Is this what happened when you loved your partner? Truly loved them? Their tongues brushed, and she moaned. There was very little in Joseph left to hold back—fire consumed him, and he ravaged her mouth. Nicole answered back with her own desperation, wrapping her arms around him, her fingers digging into his flesh. James remained quiet. He merely caressed her back and shoulders, watching them. He put a hand in Nicole’s hair, another in Joseph’s short blond hair. Their tongues wrapped around each other’s, both of them moaning as they licked and sucked each other’s mouths. His cock already was desperate to be inside her somewhere. He wanted to bury himself in those lips, feel that tongue teasing his cock, sucking him inside, just to see her face as he came, how red her lips would be then, swollen full from tasting him. He wanted her sucking him off, as deep as her throat would allow, while he watched his friend fuck her. The thought of her body rocking to the rhythm set by Joseph, sucking and tasting him made him groan. The image burned in his mind, and his cock grew harder by the second. She moaned as their kiss broke apart, and she panted, turning to meet James’s eyes. “Sorry.” “Do not be sorry,” he replied. “You know how hot it is to watch you two kiss?” Her cheeks stained pink, and he leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss on them. They had almost lost her—this woman who brought out desires in him that he’d been able to keep totally under control for a century. Now he felt like a wild man, desperate to feel her mouth in all places. “You need to suck me,” he told her. Nicole blinked for a second. Joseph met his gaze, then returned his attention to her. “He wants you to suck him, love, so I can fuck you at the same time.”

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Her lips formed an “o” as she nodded her head. Every hair on Nicole’s arms raised at Joseph’s words. The idea, the image his words painted in her head were more erotic than anything she’d experienced in her fantasies, much less in her mind. She wanted them both, she wanted to feel them in ways that were darker, sensual, and powerful. She wanted this trinity of love they had. Love, such a strange word. She would have sworn just a day ago that she didn’t feel anything like that toward either of them. Yet seeing them hurt, seeing them in pain, she felt so much. Beyond the guilt, she knew that it was more than that. She’d experienced guilt about things before. This was something else. It had to be love. The strangest kind of love she’d ever felt, but yes, she did feel it. Sexy, hot, sensual… And universal. Total. Complete. She was in love with both of them, and there was nothing she could do to stop it, no way to protect herself from the feelings that were burning inside her for these two men. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, she knew these two men would die for her in an instant, fight to the death for her. Hell, they already had. And she had been willing to end her life—to run from what they’d given her, this connection, because it scared her. She was a fool. She turned into James’s arms, pushing him back on the bed so he was lying down, and knelt between his legs. He was still dressed, and he didn’t bother sliding down the blocking clothing—he merely unfastened his zipper, pulling his cock out through the slit. “Take it,” he commanded. And it was a command—a deliciously sexy one, but a command nonetheless. As she followed his order, she wondered if she should be upset or even offended at his ordering her around. But the taste of his flesh removed any doubt—even if she was offended at what he’d

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said, which she wasn’t—she didn’t want to lose this wonderful sensation. The velvet smooth skin tasted better than the best chocolate in the world as she sucked him deeper in her throat. James moaned, his hands tangling in her hair, and he pushed her down his shaft. Nicole forced herself to relax her throat as much as possible, to let him sink in, drawing more appreciative sounds from both men. Her head swam because even though James was commanding her, she was the one making them both moan. She slid up and down on James’s shaft, taking him as deep as she could. His hips started to rock up into her, small thrusts, just enough to help her take him deeper. Hands were on her hips, Joseph working her pants down. She wiggled around, not taking any contact off James. Meeting James’s eyes, a wash of desire pooled through her body, his desperation filling her with need. Joseph grabbed her hips, laying kisses on her back as he put himself in position behind her. Through his pants, she could feel his cock, hard and ready, and he pushed against her a couple of times. One of his hands slipped between her legs, stroking her pussy. She arched her back against his ministrations, moaning against the cock in her mouth. She heard a zipper, and felt Joseph’s flesh against her backside. Her whole body quivered as he slipped his cock between her folds, just barely inside her. But Joseph paused, waiting for something. Nicole glanced up at James, but he wasn’t looking at her. His eyes were on Joseph. “Go.” Joseph shoved his hard cock deep inside her, making her cry out, almost choking on James. He pushed against her, plunging his cock into her wet folds. It made her whole body surge forward. As he pulled back, she slid back as well, almost letting James slip from her mouth. Then Joseph slowly pushed back in, and she followed suit, taking James deep again. Joseph repeated the rhythm, increasing the tempo enough that she could mimic his pattern. James began rocking his hips up into her, moaning once more as he plunged in her mouth. Both of their tempos increased, and she couldn’t keep up with them. Instead of fighting their movements, she merely stayed still, letting them bury themselves in her.

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Each thrust filled her so completely, making her burn in ways she’d never known before. They moved with practiced ease, and though she, for a second, wondered how many times they’d done this, the thought flitted away, knowing that they were doing this now for her. All their practice had been for her. She was the one to stay between them. For all eternity. James was ready to explode, and never had she relished the thought of tasting someone as much as she wanted to taste him right now. His head filled, feeling harder than before, and started to swell in her mouth. Joseph was also getting closer, his thrusts firmer, his grip on her hips tightened, pinching her skin—the pain a delicious sensation. Her own body started to rock in anticipation of an orgasm, and as it hit, spiraling through every pore of her being, she bucked against them both; first James came, filling her mouth, then Joseph, filling her folds. “Stars,” Joseph whispered, collapsing over her. She opened her mouth to say something to him, but he captured her lips in a kiss, groaning at the mixed flavors in her mouth. James growled his agreement, and Nicole could do nothing but smile at them, her entire body feeling more sated than she ever thought possible. James pulled her up his body, pressing a kiss against her mouth. They all lay there, the three of them smashed together on the small bed. She had her head on James’s chest, looking at him, but he wasn’t looking at her. He was staring at Joseph’s mouth. Maybe she should have felt like she was intruding a bit, but watching the two of them slowly bring their lips together, a tentative touch at first, the opening to a deeper kiss, their tongues caressing each other, made her own body burn with desire. She moaned as she watched them, rubbing her folds against James’s cock. She brought her hand up, stroking each of their cheeks as they kissed. They broke their kiss, Joseph turning his head toward her hand and kissing her palm. “Do you like watching us?” James asked.

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“Yes.” Her hips rocked into him. The two raised their brows, glancing at each other. “Well, love, we cannot disappoint,” Joseph said, putting his hand in James’s dark hair. He pulled the man to his lips, a hot and sexy kiss, their tongues going mad between each other. It was going to be a long night. A long, delicious night.

Chapter 21 Nicole, fresh and clean from her shower—her second shower because James and Joseph had joined her first one—wandered upstairs just after dusk, and into the Templar kitchen. Sir Adrian stood in the center of the room, cellphone at his ear. She didn’t pay a lot of attention, hearing only something about a hospital, which made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she got a bag of blood out of the refrigerator. He closed the phone and let out a sigh. “Good evening,” he said to her as he picked up his cup of coffee. Nicole warmed her blood in the microwave and took in a deep smell of the coffee— oh, it smelled divine. Perhaps after she drank her blood she’d try some. Some liquids, as a vampire got older, could be stomached. If nothing else, she could at least smell the aroma of the beans. “Everything okay?” She pulled her blood out and stuck a cinnamon stick in it. “Fine,” Adrian replied as he sipped on his coffee, though he didn’t look at her, his attention was focused on the doorway she’d come through. James and Joseph appeared, coming up to her, each one kissing her on the cheek before getting themselves bags of blood. “I just got a call. The Hammerstein’s kid is in the hospital,” Adrian told them both. They froze, mid movement, James holding the empty cups, Joseph with his hand on the microwave door, two bags of blood lying inside, ready to be heated.

Candice Gilmer

A Darker Trinity

“Car wreck. He’s gonna need surgery,” Adrian told them, sipping on his coffee. James set the cups down and pulled out his cellphone to make a call, heading out of the room. “I think they’ll need a bit more help. Car, etc,” Adrian said to Joseph. “We will take care of it.” He pulled out his own cellphone and followed James’s exit. Nicole stared, shocked at how they’d reacted, and she could feel the tension radiating off them as they paced around in the living room just off the kitchen. “What was that?” she asked Adrian. Adrian shrugged. “They are doing their job.” She raised a brow at him. “And what’s that supposed to mean? Who is this kid? Another mythical or something?” “Human. Descendant of one of Mora’s victims.” She smiled. Warmth spread through her at the thought of them taking care of a victim, helping them out. “That’s nice of them. Child or something?” She pulled the bags of blood out of the microwave and poured them in the mugs. “Great grandchild, actually.” Her eyes widened. “Wow, that’s really nice of them.” “It is not,” Adrian said. “It is their penance.” She shook her head. She really didn’t get this. “I thought they went State’s evidence when it came to that Mora woman. Isn’t that their penance?” “No.” He motioned for her to come with him, and he took a seat at the picnic table just off the kitchen. Nicole joined him, finishing off the last of her blood. “So what exactly is the deal?” “Regardless that they turned in Mora for her crimes, by our laws, they should be dead. In fact, this is the third time I have had to decide whether they lived or died.” “The third?” “The second time, they turned a woman who was not mentally stable enough to be a vampire. She went on a mad killing spree, and when we caught her, she claimed they had forced her to turn.” “Why do you keep letting them live?”

Candice Gilmer

A Darker Trinity

“Because of their penance.” “Which is…?” He let out a sigh. “You’ve heard of the Jackstone Foundation?” She nodded her head. “Sure, does a lot of work with families who’ve lost loved ones? Kidnappings and such…” Her words trailed off as recognition came to her. “That’s their company? Geez, that place has to be worth millions.” “Billions.” “But the company helps people…” Why would James and Joseph help humans? To pay back humans for their earlier crimes? “It started simply,” Adrian began, shifting on the chair. “They just started helping out victims of Mora. But many of those families were human. They would have problems with their taxes, and a private benefactor would pay them off. Mostly, the victim’s families would come into amazing strokes of luck. And the foundation continues to help the descendants. Or anyone else who’s been somehow victimized because of mythical crimes.” “So their penance is to take care of the victims.” This new information shocked Nicole. Not once had either of them mentioned what they did. “And the real estate?” “Merely a means to make money. In case you have not noticed, James and Joseph do not live a simple life.” Nicole smirked. “No, they do not. Not like you.” She gestured around the house. “There is very little point to the eccentricities of materialism.” Adrian adjusted the strap to his iPod, sticking one of the buds in his ear. “You say that with an iPod clipped to your belt.” For a second, Adrian’s eyes darted to just over her shoulder, but then they came back and focused on her. “There is a reason for this.” He put the other bud in his ear. “And you’re going to tell me?” Adrian walked out of the room, the echo of the music following in his wake. She grumbled under her breath. Men, whether immortal or not, they all were asses.

Chapter 22 One of the really great things about being a part of James and Joseph’s Trinity bond was that Nicole could now shop whenever she wanted, wherever she wanted. The only bad thing about it? None of the stores were ever open after dark in the summer. With the sun setting after nine at night, all the stores in the mall were closed, and she couldn’t do any fun shopping, except online. Unless she wanted to shop at a discount store like Wal-Mart, which was open twenty-four hours. Not that she couldn’t find anything to buy at Wal-Mart late at night, she always could. And though their lingerie wasn’t Victoria’s Secret, it had its own sexy draw. Not that it mattered, usually whatever she bought got ripped to shreds as soon as she put it on. She was a lot less upset at Joseph ripping off a fifteen dollar negligee than a fifty dollar one. So she was out for her weekly Wal-Mart run. Besides picking up lingerie for fun, she was picking up little things for the house. Even though they didn’t eat food, they still kept a lot of things around the house for potential guests, and everything they had, had been very utilitarian. Or very male, in other words. She walked through the craft department, looking for a few flowers she could add to a wreath she was working on. Just because she was a vampire didn’t mean she couldn’t have pretty things around. The young man who’d been in the car wreck had made it through his surgery without any complications and now was enduring the wonders of pain and torture, aka physical therapy. He might not be able to run anymore, but he certainly would be able to walk and

Candice Gilmer

A Darker Trinity

move without crutches. His family had received a new car to replace the one that had been totaled, plus a bit extra for expenditures while he was off work. The Jackstone Foundation would cover all their expenses until he was able to go back to work. And Nicole arranged for the young man’s wife to have a day at the spa as well—the woman needed a bit of relaxation after everything. Nicole glanced at her watch. It was almost eleven, time to get out of Wal-Mart. She had a little over an hour to get back to the house and then over to the Jackstone Foundation. She worked the night shift there, doing bookkeeping and expenditures for the “special cases” at the Foundation. She was one of a fairly decent sized staff of vampires. She’d tried the leisurely life of no work, but after only a couple of weeks had figured out she was too restless for it. Pushing her cart out of the craft area, she paused. Turning her head to the left, she saw two men standing at the end of the automotive isle, just a few feet away from her. Large men. Very large men. Men that she doubted were human. Her heart started to hammer. She turned to her right and took off down the main isle, walking as fast as she could without appearing to run. In the surveillance televisions that hung from the ceiling, Nicole could see the men were right behind her, and she increased her pace. She had to get out of here. Damn, she wished she knew how to fly! Darting to her left, she slipped down one of the aisles, backtracking a bit and heading straight for the door. When she was near the registers, she let go of her cart, risking one glance over her shoulder, and saw that, no, they hadn’t been fooled by her turn. Shit. She bolted for the door, the cart left behind. Every step seemed to take an eternity, her longer legs carrying her faster and farther with every hit against the floor. She may not have been able to fly, but she could run.

Candice Gilmer

A Darker Trinity

It felt like maybe three steps from the doorway to car. Her hand shook as she climbed in, locking the doors and shoving the key in the ignition. She kept missing the key slot, her lips trembling as she fought to hold her hands steady enough to get the key into the ignition. Finally, she got it. Turning the car on, she slammed it into reverse, ready to bolt. Yet habit forced her to spin around in the seat and look to see if anyone was behind her. She screamed. The two men were behind the car. Nicole hit the gas. As soon as the car jumped from the spot, she heard a thump, and she shoved the break down. Turning her head to see if the men were lying on the ground, she screamed again. One was standing next to the car, a sick, sadistic smile on his face. She hit the gas. And screamed again when the other one looked down from the roof. She slammed on the brake once more and the guy slid off her hood, rolling and landing on his feet in front of her car. They’d boxed her in. Oh, shit! Her heart hammered in her chest, a pounding she hadn’t felt since she’d been turned. For a moment, her brain locked up, and she didn’t know what she should do. The lanes were fairly narrow, and she didn’t have a lot of room to drive around them… Wait a minute. I have a car… Nicole hit the gas. The car fishtailed, making her fly to the right and slam into a cart return frame. The metal frame crunched, grinding against her car, but she didn’t pause long enough to tell if she’d actually hit one of the men. She floored it out of the parking lot. In her rearview mirror, she saw them both standing together, one on his cellphone. This was not good.

Candice Gilmer

A Darker Trinity

*

Nicole made it back home in minutes, her cellphone ringing as soon as she got out of the parking lot, James calling and wanting to know what was going on. He’d felt her terror from across town. He and Joseph were on their way back to the house, and Nicole was rushing around, packing a bag. She wasn’t sure where they would go, but they had to get gone soon. He said something about contract wolves, and Nicole didn’t want to know the rest. All she knew was that they had to get out of there. She packed suitcases for each of them, and a fourth for toiletries. Definitely not a repeat of her usual meticulous packing—she’d thrown the clothes and shoes in the cases along with the stash of cash the guys kept at the house in the bags, unorganized and a rumpled mess. She was holding the iron to pack when the front bell rang. Brandishing the iron like a weapon, she cautiously approached the door. One look through the peephole, and she relaxed, unfastening the door locks and throwing it open. “Oh, Liam, am I glad to see you…” He raised an eyebrow at her, his gaze darting from the iron to her face. Nicole put the iron down. “I was followed in the store, chased by a couple of vampires—” “I am not here for that.” She shook her head. “Why are you here? I thought Joseph or James called you.” “No.” He pulled his broadsword out of its holder on his hip. Her eyes went wide. The promise! He’s come to fulfill the promise! Wait, maybe not… What if she were wrong, what if he had another reason for coming? Surely he wasn’t here to kill her. She hadn’t thought about the promise he’d made her, how many weeks ago?

Candice Gilmer

A Darker Trinity

James and Joseph called him. That’s what it had to be. He couldn’t now want to take away her trinity bond, not when she’d finally accepted it for what it was. She may have been frightened by the dark underbelly of being a vampire, but now that she’s gotten used to it, she had almost forgotten about the promise she begged out of the Knight. Especially since she didn’t want to die. Not now, not when she knew that she actually loved James and Joseph. She’d fought so hard against it, refused to believe such emotions were possible for two different men, she hadn’t wanted to accept it. She didn’t want to believe that she wasn’t meant for just one man, but for two. But there it was. She loved them. She really loved them. “No,” she said to him, shaking her head. “I am here to fulfill my promise.” Tears welled up in Nicole’s eyes. She didn’t want to break her darker trinity.

To be concluded…

ABOUT CANDICE GILMER Writing is a natural evolution for Candice Gilmer, since she's been telling stories since she was old enough to speak. What started out as merely reciting the words of Cinderella when she was three developed into a love for stories and story telling that to this day rules Candice's life. All her stories come from the heart, and she hopes you’ll love reading them as much as she loved writing them.

Candice’s homepage: http://members.cox.net/candicegilmer Candice’s blog: http://candicegilmer.blogspot.com Reader email: [email protected]

MOONLIGHT AND SHADOWS SERIES by Candice Gilmer http://lyricalpress.com/candice_gilmer.html

SERIES INFORMATION BOOK ONE: Unholy Night http://lyricalpress.com/unholy_night.html

BOOK TWO: A Darker Trinity

BOOK THREE: Broken Shine Coming Soon from Lyrical Press

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