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

  “Would you like tea or coffee, Lucan?”

  “No, thank you.” He was pleased she was willing to get to know him over a cup of coffee, but he would never touch the stuff. Human food and drink were poisonous to his kind, and he wasn’t about to make himself sick.

  “I have some soda or just plain old water if you would prefer,” she said.

  “Nothing, thanks, angel,” he replied and moved toward her. He made sure to make noise so she could hear him coming. She stood with her head cocked slightly and facing him. When he was a hair’s breadth away from her, he stood still and inhaled, once more taking her sweet scent into his nostrils. She didn’t move away from him. Though she held her ground, he could hear her rapid heartbeat and feel her breath as it passed her lips and caressed the skin at the base of his neck. The muscles in his body tautened as if her hot, moist breath was her hand on his skin. He moved his hands up, making sure the sleeves of his shirt rubbed against the side of his body, and he cupped her face in between his hands.

  “What are you doing, Lucan? I only asked you in for a drink, nothing else,” she said breathily.

  “I need to taste you, angel. I want to taste the sweetness of your lips. Tell me now if you don’t want my kiss,” Lucan said quietly.

  He held his breath for an interminable moment and let it out with a sigh of relief when she answered him.

  “I want that, too.” She whispered her reply.

  He lifted her face up for his kiss.

  Throughout the brief time he’d known her, the desire to take her lips had almost crippled him with its intensity. He was nearly afraid of what he would feel. He slowly lowered his head, letting her feel his breath brush over her lips, and then leaned down the last inch to connect their mouths.

  He held still. His heart was beating fast at the first sweet contact of her mouth on his. He had to move. He couldn’t stand not having all of her. He brushed his lips back and forth over hers, and his balls drew up tight as she softly moaned against his mouth. Hunger such as he’d never known before surged through his body and through his blood, heating his skin.

  Lucan groaned when her lips parted on another moan, and he swept his tongue into her moist cavern. Her sweet flavor exploded on his taste buds, making him crave more of her taste. He tangled her tongue with his and savored her honey flavor. He felt his gums begin to itch again, warning him the he was pushing his control.

  He slowed the kiss down until he was sipping at her moist, plump lips, then gently removed his mouth from hers, resting his forehead on top of her head, his hands still lightly holding her face, as he gained control once more.

  He felt her stiffen in his arms, and he caressed her face with his fingers, stood up straight, and released her. He stepped back, allowing her room to breathe and taking temptation from his own hands.

  “Have dinner with me tomorrow,” he stated and watched as she stood still. She reminded him of a fox frozen in the headlights of an oncoming car. He heard her breathy sigh and knew she was going to refuse him. He wanted, no, needed her in his house. He wanted her to meet his brother, Trey. He wanted to confirm his suspicion that Trey felt it, too, even though he was sure she was the one they had been waiting for.

  His heart sank, but he strengthened his resolve. If she didn’t accept his invitation, he would meet her every evening on her walk home from work. Even though he had the power to compel her to his will, didn’t think it fair to do so. Winning her heart, knowing that she truly wanted him was worth having to do it the hard way.

  Braced for disappointment as he was, she blew him away with her next words.

  “Yes. I’d like that, thank you.”

  It was just as well she couldn’t see him smiling, Lucan thought. He probably looked like an idiot.

  A new plan unfolded in his mind. They would talk over dinner, giving her a chance to get to know him. A slow, gentle approach was necessary with humans who had no knowledge of vampires. He and his brother had agreed on this long ago, should they ever find their mate. They wanted her to accept them for who they were and to agree to exchanging blood with them.

  Once the third exchange had taken place, she would transform and be as they were. Vampire. She would join them in immortality, surviving off blood as they did, and she would have abilities beyond her imagining.

  “I will be by to pick you up just after dusk, at 6:30 p.m. Is that enough time for you to get home from work?”

  “Yes. I’ll be ready.”

  “Until tomorrow. Sleep well, my angel,” Lucan said. He gave her one last lingering look and left.

  Chapter Two

  Angelina heard the door to her apartment close. She slumped against the counter and wondered what the hell she was doing. She had never let a stranger into her home before. She had been about to go inside to the sanctity and security of her apartment and leave him on the sidewalk, but instead, she had found herself asking him in for coffee.

  What the hell? From the moment she’d heard his voice, she was lost. Just thinking about that deep voice made goose bumps erupt all over her body again. She squeezed her legs together, trying to relieve the ache in her pussy. It didn’t help at all. In fact, the action only seemed to make matters worse.

  When he’d kissed her, her blood had heated to a raging inferno, burning out of control. His cool hands on her hot face had felt heavenly.

  Angelina flinched at the loud knock on her door. She hadn’t moved since Lucan had left, and anyone could walk right on in through her unlocked door if they so desired. She had never been so careless before. She hurried to the door and stood listening, her hands on the handle and lock.

  “Who is it?”

  “It’s me, Angelina, open up.”

  “Mark,” she greeted when she opened the door. “I missed you this evening. Were you out?”

  “No. I saw you had company and didn’t want to interrupt,” Mark replied. He stayed in the corridor. Angelina, without realizing she was doing it, was blocking him from coming into the apartment. “Who was the man, Angelina? You shouldn’t associate with the likes of him. He looks dangerous.”

  “He’s a friend, Mark,” she found herself explaining. She frowned. What is wrong with me? I don’t even know the man.

  “I’ve never seen him before. You’ve never brought anyone home before. Who was he?”

  Angelina felt herself frowning again, though this time for a different reason. Mark’s peevish tone of voice and prying questions were unlike him. She made herself answer patiently.

  “His name is Lucan Drierge and he saved my life. He stopped me from getting slammed by a car. The least I could do was to offer the man a cup of coffee after he saw me safely home.”

  “Have dinner with me, Angelina,” Mark said suddenly.

  Angelina was surprised by her neighbor’s offer. He had never asked her out before. Sure, he looked out each night to make sure she’d made it home safely and they sometimes chatted when he did, but that was as far as things had gone. He was nice enough, but she didn’t think of him in that way. He had only ever treated her like a friend.

  “Thank you for the offer, but not tonight. I am so tired I just want to fall into bed.”

  Mark dropped the disagreeable tone, sounding like his usual self. “Did you have a rough day, honey?”

  “Um, no, not really. It was just a very long day.” Did he miss the part about her almost getting flattened while crossing the street? Angelina realized that Mark hadn’t even reacted to her description of her near-death experience.

  “What about tomorrow night?” Mark asked.

  “I’m sorry, but I already have plans.”

  “With him?” And just like that, his voice turned aggravated again. “Damn it, Angelina. You could be putting yourself up for a world of trouble and hurt. I don’t like the look of him. He reminds me of a lion after his prey.”

  “Don’t be ludicrous. How can you tell that? You didn’t even meet the man,” Angelina replied coolly.

  “I’m not trying to up
set you, Angelina. I’m just looking out for you,” Mark pleaded.

  “Look, I appreciate it, Mark, but I’m a big girl. I’ve been looking after myself for a long time.”

  “I’m here if you need me, Angelina. Just give a holler,” Mark said.

  “Thanks, Mark. You’re a good friend.”

  “Well, I’d better be going. Good night.”

  “Good night, Mark,” Angelina replied. His footsteps receded, and she locked the door. She sighed with both frustration and relief. Mark had never asked her out before, and she wasn’t sure she was comfortable with it, but he was her neighbor, so it wasn’t as if she could avoid him. Maybe he’d give up when he realized she wasn’t interested. Lucan was the one who interested her.

  Smiling to herself, she wondered what had made her so popular tonight. I should almost get hit by cars more often.

  * * * *

  Lucan arrived home moments after leaving his angel’s apartment. Blood was still coursing through his veins, and his cock was so hard he was going to have to take matters into his own hand, so to speak. He looked at his older brother sitting on the living room sofa watching the football game. Trey looked up at him and stilled. He sniffed the air and, in the blink of an eye, joined him across the room. He leaned closer to him, inhaled again, and looked him in the eye.

  “What is that?”

  “That wonderful scent would be our mate.” Lucan watched, satisfied, as Trey’s eyes widened. His brother leaned back on his heels as though about to fall over. Lucan would have liked to milk Trey’s reaction a little longer, but he couldn’t hold back his excitement. “God, Trey, she is so gorgeous. I had to fight my inner beast from stripping her naked, plunging my cock into her wet pussy, and biting her.”

  “Are you sure, though?” Trey asked, still recovering from his shock. “She’s our mate?”

  “Ninety-nine percent sure. I want your confirmation, though. She could be the one we’ve been waiting for. No, she is definitely the one we’ve been waiting for,” Lucan stated on a wistful sigh.

  “What does she look like? What’s her name? Where does she live?”

  Lucan laughed and took a seat on the sofa. “She is so beautiful. She has long blonde hair, and she’s tall for a woman, Trey. She has curves and the longest, sweetest legs I’ve ever seen on anyone. She has a woman’s body, not that of a waif or a child. She has hourglass curves, and she’s so soft.”

  “What color are her eyes?”

  “I don’t know. She’s blind, Trey. She wears these big dark glasses to hide her eyes. She has scars around her eyes and doesn’t like people to see them. She was injured as a teenager and hasn’t been able to see since. She’s so sweet, though, and her mouth…Fuck. I could nibble on her mouth for hours.”

  “How did you meet her?”

  “She walked past me on her way home from work. I stopped her from getting hurt from a runaway cab, and the rest, as they say, is history. She’s coming here for dinner tomorrow night.”

  “That was fast. Good work, Luc.”

  “Even though she was hesitant at first, she finally let go and asked me in for coffee. She kissed me back of her own free will. I can’t wait to have her here, in our home. Tomorrow night isn’t going to come around fast enough.” Lucan sighed.

  “You say she was injured? God, I can’t stand the thought of her being hurt. We could heal her so easily. You still haven’t told me her name,” Trey stated.

  “Angelina Canley, our very own angel, Trey.”

  Through their mental link, Trey said, “Let me see her.”

  Lucan felt the brush of his brother in his mind. He pictured Angelina in his mind, and Trey inhaled sharply. His brother growled in arousal and approval as her saw their angel for the first time, and Lucan‘s dick and balls ached even more as he, too, admired her perfect body. Lucan was filled with a hunger so fierce he knew he was going to have to feed well this night.

  It seemed Trey was in the same predicament. No sooner did he feel his brother withdraw from his mind, than he dematerialized with a thought. Lucan followed suit.

  Lucan’s body, now a mass of floating particles, flew through the night sky in search of prey to satiate his raging hunger. His mind vibrated with the awareness that his brother was doing the exact same thing, his desire to feed also sparked by the sight of his perfect angel. Lucan had heard it said that feeding from one’s mate was like no other experience. It was not just a base satisfaction of hunger, but a melding of souls. Someday he knew he would share that with Angelina.

  When he lowered over Forest Park in his hometown of Portland, the particles joined together and reformed into solid flesh. He cleared his mind, allowing him to infiltrate the minds of the three men walking and chatting through the park and call them to him.

  He compelled them to stand before him, and he grasped the first young male by the arms, pulling him close. In a daze and under the control of Lucan’s mind, the man obediently offered his neck to him by tilting his head back.

  Lucan wasted no time and sank his fangs into the rich, life-giving vein and drank, reveling in the sensation of the blood nourishing him. He would have to be careful as he fed. His hunger was more than he’d ever experienced before, and he didn’t want to hurt the young men by taking too much.

  He withdrew his fangs and swept his tongue over the wound. His saliva seeped into the gash, closing it and leaving no evidence of his existence behind. He reached for the next young man and then the next. Still his hunger wasn’t appeased. Usually he was sated after feeding from one human, but he knew he would hunger until he had his angel in his arms and her blood running through his veins.

  It wouldn’t be tonight, he thought sadly. Tonight he and Trey would watch sports, restless for the night to pass. They would sleep the deep, healing sleep of their kind, and when the sun set he would go to her and bring her home for the first time.

  He erased the memory of his feeding as he once again dematerialized, releasing the men from the spell and leaving them to wonder where their time had gone. His disembodied spirit rose and raced through the air, heading for home with the thoughts of his angel in the forefront of his mind.

  Chapter Three

  Angelina had just slipped her feet into her comfortable flat shoes when a knock sounded at her door. She took a deep breath and wondered what had possessed her to accept an invitation to dinner from a stranger. There was something about Lucan Drierge that pulled her in. There was a dark, dangerous, menacing quality to the man, but she felt the need to be in his presence, to be close to him. She was excited yet nervous about the upcoming evening.

  She released her breath and walked toward the door. She hesitated with her hand on the doorknob, feeling as if she were standing on the edge of a pool, about to take a plunge into the unknown. She opened the door on an exhale, trying to calm her nervousness.

  “Hello, angel.” His deep voice wrapped around her, making her breasts swell, her nipples harden, and her pussy clench with need.

  “Hi, Lucan,” she replied breathlessly.

  “Are you ready to go, baby?”

  “Yes, just let me get my purse,” she replied, retrieving her purse and stepping out into the hall. She couldn’t prevent the shiver of desire that raced over her as he took her by the arm and led her to the elevator.

  “You shouldn’t open your door unless you know who it is first, angel,” Lucan reproved gently.

  “I knew it was you. I was expecting you. Besides, I never get visitors.”

  “Still, please promise me you will find out before you open your door,” Lucan stated.

  “Okay.” Part of her just agreed to change the subject, but she had to admit privately that his concern was touching. He barely knew her, but he seemed to care so much.

  “Good girl. Come, we are nearly at my car,” Lucan said. He helped her into his vehicle so she wouldn’t hit her head. He powered up the car, and judging by the sound of the engine, he drove a powerful sports car. Then he pulled out into the traffic.


  Angelina was too nervous to make conversation, though it did finally occur to her to ask where they were going for dinner. Lucan answered simply that he was going to cook for her. Somehow the idea of going to Lucan’s house heightened Angelina’s nervousness a little more, and the rest of the car ride passed quietly. Twenty minutes later he slowed the car and then stopped. He helped her out and led her inside. Although she couldn’t see, the house felt old to her. She could feel cool draughts and hear the creaks from settling timber. She sighed and wished she could see the place, then pushed that thought to the back of her mind.

  “Angel, I’d like you to meet my brother, Trey Drierge. Trey, this is Angelina Canley.”

  Brother? Angelina’s thoughts swirled with confusion. Why was Lucan’s brother hanging around? Maybe he’s just helping with the cooking and then he’ll leave.

  “Angelina, I am very pleased to make your acquaintance,” Trey said in a deep, raspy voice. He took her hand, and tingles of electricity shot up her arm, over her chest, and down to her pussy. What the hell, girl? You’re turning into a whore, lusting after two men, and brothers at that. “Welcome to our home.”

  She heard a gasp and wondered what was going on. Was it possible he had felt that electric spark, too? Or had she just zapped him with static electricity? Way to go.

  “Thank you. Nice to meet you,” she replied. Then Lucan began to lead her into the next room.

  “Dinner is ready. I’m sure you’re hungry after such a long day. Let us feed you and then we can listen to some music and talk.”

  Angelina noticed that he said “we.“ So Trey wasn’t going to just disappear once dinner was served. She couldn‘t figure out whether or not she was disappointed. On the one hand, Lucan had given her every sign that this was a date, not a chance for her to hang out with him and his brother. Then again, something about Trey’s presence was just as deliciously attractive as his brother’s.