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

  “What do you mean, I am your mate?”

  Angelina flinched when Lucan took her hand in his and Trey moved closer. He knelt down in front of her, and she couldn’t help but stare. Trey was the complete opposite of his brother in coloring. His eyes were a sky blue and his hair, brows, and lashes were blond. Even though he was muscular, his body was leaner than Lucan’s.

  “We would give our lives to keep you safe,” Trey stated quietly. “Angel, Lucan and I are vampires. I know Lucan told you this last night and even though you accepted his declaration at the time, you didn’t really believe him, did you? We have lived on this earth for over a century. You are out mate, which means you are our wife.”

  “What? Are you for real? No way. You can’t be. Vampires aren’t real, and there’s no way I’m your mate or wife, whatever you want to call it,” Angelina stated adamantly and withdrew her hands from theirs. She blinked as tears pricked the back of her eyes. She was confused about what she felt for them. On one level she wanted to run and hide in her apartment, on another level she wanted to stay by their sides and never leave.

  She swung her legs to the floor, careful not to touch Trey, and stood. Whenever either of them touched her or she them, her body went up in flames and she could think of nothing but making love with them.

  Her sight was getting better and wasn’t so hazy, and she didn’t feel nauseous anymore. She moved away from the sofa and the Drierge brothers, picked up her purse, and headed out of the room without looking back.

  She placed her hand on the doorknob and tried to make herself open the door. Once again, she couldn’t do it. What the hell? It was easy to open a door and step out, but she couldn’t make herself go through with it.

  Angelina gave a moan of despondency and anxiety, then turned her back to the door and slid down the timber until she was sitting on the cold tile floor. She brought her legs up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her knees, and rested her head on them. Tears seeped from her eyes, and she didn’t even know why.

  She felt them nearby, but didn’t look up. She didn’t want them touching her, but she felt as if her heart would break if she left them.

  Muscular arms slid around and beneath her, lifting her from the floor and startling her. She snuggled into the masculine chest and inhaled. The warm scent told her that Trey’s arms enfolded her. She clutched her purse tightly, the one thing that was real in an unfamiliar world. Trey sat down and cradled her on his lap, but she kept her head and eyes lowered.

  “Are you compelling me into not being able to leave?” she asked and waited with trepidation for the answer.

  “No, Angelina. We would never do that to you. If you want to go home we will take you. I don’t understand why you feel you can’t leave,” he answered.

  She didn’t want to answer. She knew there was nothing keeping her here except her own conflicted desires, but to admit that aloud seemed like a confession of weakness.

  “I think I know what’s going on,” Lucan stated from across the way. “Last night Trey and I put up a protection spell around the property.”

  Beside her, Trey said, “Oh.” Angelina looked between them in confusion.

  “Protection spell?” she repeated.

  “It’s among our powers,” Lucan said.

  Angelina narrowed her eyes. “So you didn’t control my mind, but you put a spell on me?”

  “Not on you,” Lucan reassured her hastily. “It’s there to protect you—”

  “What my brother is trying to say,” Trey interrupted, “is that we might have cast the protection spell kind of strong.” The little smile he offered her went some way toward dispersing her fear and irritation. “We wanted to make sure you’re safe.”

  “Let me remove the spell,” Lucan said. “I’m not saying it’ll fix things, but it might make you feel better.”

  She watched as Lucan chanted under his breath and waved his hand in the air. Nothing visible happened, but immediately she felt the grip of despondency leave her, and she sighed with relief.

  “I feel almost normal again,” she said.

  Lucan was wearing a guilty expression. “I’m sorry, angel. We didn’t mean for it to make you feel so sad.”

  “It’s okay, Lucan. You didn’t do it intentionally.”

  “I don’t like that the protection spell is disarmed, though,” Lucan said. “We’ll have to recast it so that it doesn’t affect you.”

  “If she stays.”

  At Trey’s words, Angelina felt her body go tight. She dropped her gaze to the floor.

  “Look at me, honey,” Trey requested of her gently.

  Angelina looked up into his eyes and was lost, drowning in the depths of his soul. She loved his eyes, they were the window to a person’s psyche as far as she was concerned and even though he tried to hide his emotions, she could see that he was worried or concerned.

  “If you want to go, you may,” Trey said. “We’ll never keep you here against your will.”

  She watched Trey open his mouth and saw that his eyeteeth were sharpened and elongated. His eyes were nearly totally black. She knew he and Lucan had made themselves vulnerable to her by telling her what they were. She was honored that they trusted her with their secret after knowing her for such a short time and vowed she wouldn’t betray that trust.

  Funny. As soon as I’m able to leave, I want to stay…

  “I’ve decided to stay another night if that’s all right with you both. I would like more time to get to know you,” she stated.

  “Of course you can stay, honey. You don’t ever need to ask us, but you should know that we sleep during daylight hours and are awake all night,” Trey explained.

  “But don’t worry, baby,” Lucan added. “When the spell is up again, you will be protected even when we are at our most vulnerable.”

  She wanted to ask him how he could weave spells, but decided to wait and deal with the issues one at a time. “All right. Thank you for thinking of my safety, but do you think it’s really necessary? Who would want to hurt me?”

  “We have enemies, angel. There are those of our kind who have no compunction about harming humans. I don’t think you will come to any harm, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

  Angelina nodded. “Is it okay for me to be alone for a little while? I need to think.”

  “Of course, angel. Call us if you need anything.”

  Angelina went back upstairs and flopped onto the bed. She’d woken up only hours ago, but she felt exhausted again.

  At first she could think only of the difficulties she might encounter with Trey and Lucan, and how shocked she still felt at regaining her sight. Slowly, however, her anxiety faded.

  She wanted to learn everything there was to know about them. What innermost dreams and desires they had. What scared them and what their abilities were. Excitement permeated her body at the thought of being with these two men for eternity. She would never suffer with loneliness again and she knew eventually she could learn to love them.

  But would they learn to love her, or were all their feelings because of their claim to be her mates?

  Chapter Six

  She listened intently, her heartbeat racing, gasping in breaths as she tried to calm her emotions. Something had woken her from a deep sleep. She didn’t open her eyes, but was certain someone was in the room. Her senses were still better attuned without the use of her newly healed eyes. She knew it wasn’t quite dawn but also knew it wouldn’t be long before the first rays of the sun would chase away the last of the night.

  Her heartbeat sounding overly loud to her, she listened for a presence in her room and wanted to see, but she didn’t trust her newly reborn eyesight to interpret the images that would play upon her retinas. Keeping her breathing even and deep and her muscles relaxed, she lay still in hopes of deceiving whoever was in her room.

  An evil malevolence floated around her, chilling the air. It couldn’t be Lucan or Trey. They had never made Angelina feel so cold, so afraid, so helple
ss. She wanted to leap from her bed, but the cold froze her in place. The air was cold, so cold, like she had never felt before. Her bones ached, her body shivered, and her teeth chattered even behind her pursed lips. Icy. Everything was icy.

  A frozen finger brushed against her cheek, and she couldn’t stop the shudder racing through her body. An evil laugh assailed her ears, nearly deafening her until it finally faded away and she felt the presence leave. She wanted to leave, to escape the room, but she was still too cold. Her limbs were stiff and cramped, and a cold sweat covered her skin. She didn’t think she would ever feel warm again.

  She screamed when the door to her bedroom crashed open, banging against the wall. She opened her eyes, but all she saw were two blurs. Her brain finally cooperated with her frozen body, and she scrambled up the bed, shivering and shaking uncontrollably. Then she was in their arms. They wrapped her in their warmth, and she buried her head against Lucan’s chest, inhaling his familiar scent. Her sobbing breath was loud even to her own ears, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

  Her tears slowed, and she opened her eyes, finding herself on Lucan’s lap with Trey wrapping her in his embrace from behind.

  “Are you all right, angel? Did he hurt you?” Trey whispered against her ear.

  “No. I’m okay. Who—what was that?”

  “He is like us but evil. He might have found you here when I lowered the protection spell yesterday evening.”

  “I’m sorry you were frightened. What did he do to you?” Trey asked.

  “Nothing. That’s what I don’t understand. He just stood in this room and watched me. I could feel the evil rolling off him in waves, and the cold. God, I have never felt so cold in my life. I tried to pretend I was still asleep, but I don’t think he bought that. He touched my cheek. His finger was so icy. What the hell is going on? Who was he?”

  “He is one of our enemies, baby,” Lucan answered. “He is in league with the humans who hunt us, but also out to destroy everyone else. He and his kind take great delight in harming the innocent and also turning other unsuspecting humans into vampires. I don’t know how he was able to penetrate our defenses. We will have to look into that. We have so many protection spells around the house and the perimeter of the property, he should not have been able to get in.”

  Angelina sat up on Lucan’s lap and looked up into his eyes. “How is any of this possible? Why would that man be after me?”

  “Shh, it’s okay, honey. We won’t let anything happen to you.” Lucan explained, “We studied with the white witches many years ago. We learned a great deal from them, and they learned from us in return. The vampire who got in, Paulo Harold, turned evil when he began to study with dark magic, and he kills when he feeds. At first he wanted us to join his league, but when we refused he became an adversary. We will have to be more alert from now on.” Lucan glanced at his brother.

  “I think we should arrange more protection for you, Angelina. We cannot be with you during the day. We sleep the deep sleep of our kind when the sun is out, and we don’t won’t you alone and vulnerable. Please, stay in the house for safety’s sake today, and when we rise at dusk, we will call in a few favors and have you guarded during the day,” Trey stated.

  “Where do you sleep?” Angelina asked tremulously.

  “We sleep in our bedrooms just along the hall, baby. We have roll-down shutters on the windows to keep any light out as well as heavy drapes covering the inside.”

  “Well, that’s a relief. I had images of you both sleeping in sarcophagi,” Angelina replied with a smile.

  “That doesn’t sound very comfortable,” Trey teased.

  “We must leave you now and rest. Make yourself at home, baby. There is plenty of food in the refrigerator and pantry. When I knew you were coming I wanted to make sure you had nourishment. There are movies in the cabinet in the living room to while away some time. Come, and I will show you how to use the entertainment center,” Lucan said and held a hand out to her.

  Nodding, Angelina rolled out of bed and began to dress. She blushed the whole time as Trey and Lucan watched her, and then she took Lucan’s hand and let him lead her to the living room.

  * * * *

  Trey showed Angelina how to navigate their entertainment system, but his mouth was working independently of his brain. He tried to hide from her how stunned he felt by the attack against her. Not only had the protection spell failed to keep out one of the evil ones, but the vicious creature had gone straight for his mate.

  Trey knew other vampires lived in the city, for he had often sensed their presence in the streets as he searched for prey. But he and Lucan had avoided the rest of their kind. Now he cursed that they hadn’t made an effort to find out more about their own species.

  Lucan and Trey had withdrawn from vampire society ninety years ago when their parents had been killed by one of the evil ones. Trey and Lucan had just been on the edge of adolescence, and their parents’ violent murder had impacted them deeply. They had vowed to steer clear of any other vampires. He knew that not all vampires were evil or bad, but had instinctively mistrusted others of their kind.

  The exception to all of that was Vladimir. They had known their good friend since they were young, and Vladimir had been the one constant throughout their long lives. He was the one who had trained them and taught them to control their powers so they could help in the battle against evil, but when he had tried to advise them about the way of the vampire, Trey and Lucan had always interrupted and shunned him in their naiveté. In time, Trey and Lucan had become so sick and tired of the fighting that they withdrew from the battle of good versus evil.

  Now that Angelina had come into their lives, Trey felt a renewed interest in protecting the innocents of the world. He watched her face as she ran her fingers over the shiny covers of their DVD collection, her eyes alight at seeing the faces of the actors for the first time in years. Everything she did and said only deepened his resolve to protect her.

  He wished, too, that they had paid more attention to the times Vlad had begun to talk of mating, love, and women. Thinking they would never be so blessed to find their mate, they had closed themselves off to all discussion of the subject. He cursed his ambivalent ignorance now.

  He pushed his speculation aside and concentrated on Angelina once more. When he and Lucan were confident she could spend the day comfortably and safely in their home, they each kissed her on the temples and ascended the stairs to their bedrooms.

  * * * *

  The credits rolled over the screen, and she wiped the tears from her eyes. She had watched a romantic comedy which had made her laugh and cry, and she planned to watch all the movies she had found in their entertainment cabinet. She loved to read, but she’d been frustrated just trying to read the titles of the movies. She remembered how to read in her mind, but after reading only braille with the tips of her fingers for so long, knew it would take time, practice, and patience to get that skill back. In the mean time, now that she could watch stories come to life on a screen, she didn’t want to miss out anymore. It was so wonderful to watch people’s expressions and the colors on the TV, and to see emotions rather than imagine them was just too good an opportunity to pass up.

  Angelina turned off the entertainment system and meandered through the house. She walked through room after room and imagined what the old-style mansion must have looked like when it was filled with guests in their evening finery. She had read her first historical romance not long before she lost her sight and then had found some in braille at the library at the school. She had often tried to visualize what the characters had looked like back then. She imagined this house playing host to a ball, and to imagine the men and women living here under the strict rules of nineteenth-century society.

  After admiring the bluestone walls and marble floors, she decided to attempt to wander outside. This time, because she knew why she couldn’t leave the house, it was easy to push the feeling down deep and pull herself through the front doors. Her movem
ents were slow, as if the air around her were viscous, but once she made her way outside, she admired the vine-covered facade and the landscaped gardens. She walked out onto the gravel path to study the fountain statue of a beautiful woman, maybe what she imagined Aphrodite to look like, in the middle of a circle of hedges.

  She moved around the fountain and followed the path. She was getting used to feeling heavy and tired as she traversed the estate, but the farther she got from the house, the more the feeling of despondency left. The protection spells in the gardens mustn’t be as strong as the ones near and in the house.

  She didn’t turn to go back inside, though. She kept right on walking. There was a tall brick wall in the distance, and she assumed that it marked the edge of the grounds. She thought she caught movement in the shadows at a corner of the wall. Though she stared hard, she couldn’t see anything.

  A malevolent presence crept over her again, sending a shiver down her spine. She turned back and hurried toward the house. She ran through the front doors and slammed them behind her and slid the lock into place.

  She rubbed at the gooseflesh on her arms and headed for the kitchen. It was getting close to suppertime, and even though she wasn’t really hungry, she felt the need for the comfort of food in her belly.

  She made herself a small snack and had just begun to eat when she felt that evilness seeping in through the walls of the house. She looked around but couldn’t see anything. She knew it was there all the same. As it had the night before, the cold seeped into her body down to her bones. In her peripheral vision, she caught movement near the kitchen window and turned her head.

  A black shadow crept through a small crack in the windowsill, and she gasped with dread. She wanted to scream and run, but she was frozen with terror. The black came nearer and began to gather into a solid lump. She finally managed to push herself to her feet and slowly backed away. She bumped into the doorframe with her elbow but didn’t make a sound. When she was about to step out into the hall, the black fog finally coalesced into a man.