The Drierge Brothers [Blood Exchange 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Blood Exchange 1

  The Drierge Brothers

  Angelina Canley has been blind from a very young age. She is saved from mortal injury when Lucan Drierge removes her from the path of danger.

  Lucan Drierge is a vampire and knows Angelina is mate to him and his brother, Trey. He invites her back to his home for dinner, and they begin to court their woman.

  They have to convince Angelina they love her and would give their lives to keep her safe. Their mate tries to run from them but can't take the last step to leave. Just when their relationship begins to settle and their mate is more accepting, evil stalks their woman.

  Will they be able to protect the love of their lives, or will they be too late to save her?

  Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among siblings.

  Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves

  Length: 37,999 words

  THE DRIERGE BROTHERS

  Blood Exchange 1

  Becca Van

  MENAGE EVERLASTING

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

  THE DRIERGE BROTHERS

  Copyright © 2012 by Becca Van

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-61926-675-9

  First E-book Publication: June 2012

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of The Drierge Brothers by Becca Van from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Becca Van’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Van’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  I would like to dedicate this book to Diana, Lena, Kathryn, and all the people working at Siren-BookStrand, for their continued understanding and support. Thank you so very, very much.

  THE DRIERGE BROTHERS

  Blood Exchange 1

  BECCA VAN

  Copyright © 2012

  Chapter One

  Lucan Drierge felt like he’d been struck by lightning. The woman walking down the sidewalk toward him was like poetry in motion. He watched the graceful way she moved, flowing and elegant even though she was impaired. Her cane swished back and forth in front of her. Her eyes were covered with dark glasses, and not being able to see them frustrated him. He wanted to know what color they were. Since her hair was blonde, he imagined her eyes were blue, but he wanted to see them for himself to be sure.

  He shook himself from his trance when another pedestrian bumped into him, and he moved out of the way. With a thought, he hid himself from view, keeping his gaze fixed on the blind woman. He wanted nothing else to distract him from her. Who was she, and why did the sight of her move him so deeply? Lucan had come out onto the nocturnal Portland streets to feed, but now nothing mattered except the woman before him.

  His heartbeat accelerated as she approached. Like him, she didn’t need the brightness glowing from the streetlights. Unlike him, she looked completely calm and composed. If he tried to talk to her, he was going to make a fool of himself. But I must know her name.

  Using his preternatural senses, he brushed against her mind, and her name drifted into his mind. Angelina Canley, such an apt name for her. She looked so angelic, he was afraid to approach her. If he dared to speak to her, would she even give him the time of day?

  Lucan wasn’t used to feeling unconfident. Not being mortal, he had powers beyond the imagination of a human. He could move so quickly he couldn’t be seen by the naked eye. He could float amongst the clouds, could dissolve into tiny particles and reemerge in the blink of an eye, and he had the strength of more than ten men. He could read minds and heal another by exchanging blood. Forming fireballs and electrical sparks was a breeze to him, and he could use his mind to compel others to do his bidding.

  Yet none of those powers could help him now. What good was being a vampire when all he wanted was to talk to the woman of his dreams?

  When she walked past him as he hid amongst the shadows, she turned her head toward him, as if she knew he was there watching her. The scent of her blood pumping from her heart and through her veins called to him. He could just imagine the sweet, pure taste of her life-giving fluid as it flowed over his tongue and filled his organs.

  Cloaking himself so none of the humans would be aware of his presence, he moved away from the brick wall he was leaning against. Her scent called to him, and he had to follow her. He knew she was on her way home from work after a long day and even though she was tired, she found the walk invigorating. He knew where she lived and intended to follow her, to make sure she arrived home safely.

  He inhaled deeply and pulled her scent into his nostrils and lungs. He knew without a doubt in his mind that she was his and his brother’s mate.

  Lucan had never reacted to another human being the way he was reacting to her. The scent of her blood running beneath her skin was so sweet, he was having trouble containing his inner beast from rushing over to her, taking her into his arms, sinking his fangs into a vein, and tasting her sweet essence. His muscles had grown taut at the first sight of her, and he was shaking with the need to be close to her. He had never felt such excited desire before. Adrenaline ran through hi
s body, making him feel so strong and masculine, but at the same time, weak with desire.

  She was so small compared to him, but to the normal mortal she was a good height, standing around five foot nine. She wasn’t petite, but she wasn’t hefty. She had an hourglass figure with abundant breasts and nicely rounded hips. Her legs were long and, from what he could see beneath her denim blue jeans, muscular. He wondered if that muscle tone came from working out or walking everywhere.

  She hesitated at the corner of the street and cocked her head, appearing to listen. When the pedestrian sign turned green, the signal sounded that it was safe for her to walk. She placed a foot forward, about to step off the curb.

  His preternatural senses kicked in, and he leaped forward. He clasped her arm and pulled her to a halt, just as an out-of-control cab careened through the red light. The noise of the vehicle colliding with another was so very loud to his sensitive ears. He cringed as metal connected with metal and glass exploded into the air and onto the ground. Then the sounds surrounding him diminished as blood roared in his ears.

  She smelled of honeysuckle and vanilla, and the top her head only came up to his chin. He could hear her rapid heartbeat, and the scent of her blood running beneath the surface of her skin called to him. He felt his gums beginning to itch and knew he was in danger of losing control. But he wouldn’t allow that to happen. He didn’t want to scare her away. Not when he’d only just found her.

  The breath froze in his lungs and his heart stuttered as she spoke for the first time.

  “Oh, my gosh. Thank you so much. I didn’t even hear that car until it was almost too late.”

  Her voice was light and feminine. He shivered as it washed over him.

  “You’re welcome,” he replied as he stood staring down into her upturned face.

  He wanted her, and he wanted her now, but he knew he would have to take care with her. She would be very cautious of a strange man she couldn’t see coming on to her, flirting with her. He had approached another blind woman once before in his long life, and she had been very nervous around him almost to the point of being afraid. He wondered if this woman would react the same, or if that nervousness was a personality trait.

  “Let me escort you. I wouldn’t be able to rest well if I didn’t know you were safe.”

  “Thank you, but I’m fine,” she answered him. He heard her heart rate pick up even more, and he held his breath, hoping she wasn’t afraid of him. Maybe it was just a reaction to her near miss.

  He touched her shoulder and slid his palm down her arm and took her hand in his. “My name is Lucan Drierge. I only want to see you home safe and sound. I couldn’t live with myself if you didn’t make it home safely when I am here with you now.”

  “Okay. Thank you, Mr. Drierge,” she said, capitulating.

  “Please, call me Lucan. And you are?” Lucan asked as he tucked her arm around his and pulled her in close to his side. Even though he already knew her name, he went through the motions of courtesy. He couldn’t very well call her by name if he hadn’t asked her what it was. He didn’t want to scare her off, since they had only just met.

  “Angelina Canley,” she replied.

  “Angelina. It’s such a pretty name. You are, you know,” Lucan said as he waited for a police car and paramedics to come to a halt before sweeping her safely across the road.

  “I am what?” she asked.

  “An angel. You look like you should have wings.”

  His beautiful angel threw her head back and laughed. Not a titter or a giggle, but a full-bodied sound that came from deep inside her.

  “Yeah right, an angel who keeps tripping over her halo,” she replied dryly.

  He smiled down at her even though she couldn’t see him. He was looking forward to getting to know his sweet angel. She obviously had a sense of humor. He wondered what pushed her buttons and made her angry. He wanted to see her with all her emotions laid bare, to know every little detail about her, and he couldn’t wait for the layers of her personality to be revealed to him.

  His cock twitched with excited interest. Engorged, it pressed against his metal fly as the sound of her voice wrapped around him. His breath caught in his throat when she turned her head toward him and he saw small dimples indenting her white, creamy skin.

  He wanted to claim her for all time and know she would never want or be able to leave his or his brother’s side.

  She was a teacher to blind students. Helping them learn to read braille and how to deal with living without sight. She was so caring and patient, and he felt so unworthy of her.

  He had lived for over a hundred years and had waited for this moment for so long, he wanted to pull her into his arms and claim her immediately. His desire only increased when he realized that Angelina, too, would benefit from claiming. If he took her life’s blood into his body, exchanging some of his own with her, he could repair the damage to her eyes. It had been done before. Other vampires had exchanged blood with mortals over the years and the knowledge of the incidents had been passed from one of his kind to another.

  She had been blind since she was a teenager. An accident had rendered her unable to see. She had scarring around her eyes, and that’s why she hid behind her dark glasses. She had no need for them other than to hide.

  Lucan intended to woo her gently. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with her but knew that just wasn’t possible. Her waking hours were when he slept. Frustration curled through him, and he damned his genes for the first time in his life. He wanted to spend every minute of every day and night with her.

  “I think you have been watching too much television, Lucan. I look nothing like an angel.”

  “Oh yes, you do. You are so beautiful. So sweet and innocent,” Lucan replied adamantly.

  “How would you know? You don’t even know me,” Angelina replied with a smile.

  Lucan could hear her counting in her mind and knew she was aware of their closeness to her apartment.

  “We are here,” she stated.

  He stopped when she did just outside her apartment building and then cursed as the smile disappeared from her face. She turned to him and frowned. Brushing her mind with his, he smiled when he heard the inner conversation she was having with herself. She wanted to ask him in for coffee but was debating how that would look given their short acquaintance.

  She was attracted to him. His heart lifted as he recognized that her attraction was rolling off of her in waves. While he could see the effects of that attraction, he also knew the decision to get to know him must be hers. If this woman was his mate, he would force nothing upon her.

  He waited patiently for her to decide what she was going to do. When she had resolved her inner dilemma, he exhaled quietly as the tension eased from his body.

  “Would you like to come in for coffee? It’s the least I can do after you kept me safe,” Angelina asked.

  “Thank you. I believe I will,” Lucan replied and let her lead him up the entrance steps. He took note of the lack of security in the building and mentally cursed a blue streak when he saw the dark hallway. Angelina was no more bothered by darkness than he was, but he disliked the idea that anyone could hide in the shadows and hurt an unsuspecting female.

  Inside the elevator he stood back from her, seeing everything, hearing everything. The elevator stopped on the fourth floor, and he followed her out. This corridor was as dark as the entry.

  Lucan heard a tiny sound and looked down the hall to see a man stick his head out his apartment door. He nearly growled out loud when the male watched Angelina until she was standing at her front door with her keys in her hand. He stepped around her and blocked the stranger’s view of her and glared hard.

  The man disappeared, slamming his door in his haste. Angelina had unlocked her door and opened it, but she stopped and turned toward the other apartment.

  “Mark? Are you there? Well, that’s strange. Mark always greets me when I get home. I wonder what happened,” she said quietly. />
  He felt a bit guilty about chasing her protector away. Angelina had gone inside, leaving him in the hall. A vampire was unable to enter another’s home without an invitation. Lucan wondered if she had forgotten he was with her, but then she turned to him.

  “Please, come in.”

  And just like that, he was free to enter her home whenever he desired. He could have used his voice to compel her to invite him in, but he didn’t want to force his mate in any way. He stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him.

  He looked around at her sparse but comfortable furniture. There were no knickknacks or photos around, and he wondered about her family. He didn’t want to delve deeper into her mind unless absolutely necessary. He’d gleaned enough from her memories already.

  Even though he could ascertain everything he needed and wanted to know by pushing farther into her subconscious, he didn’t want her to feel betrayed or violated once he told her that he’d been in her thoughts. Humans could take that kind of thing personally.

  Not that he did it on purpose. Since she was his mate, her thoughts came at him fast and hard. He’d never experienced anything like it before. Usually he had to push further into a human’s mind to read their thoughts. She was just so open, and her thoughts had just floated to him when he had brushed his mind against hers.

  He pulled his mind from hers and followed her into her small kitchen. Watching her move around as if she could see was hard for him to fathom, since he had never lost his sight. She would have had to map out where everything was in her mind. It must have taken her a lot of time and frustration to become as independent as she was. The sweet sound of her voice pulled him from his thoughts.