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

  He wasn’t the same one who had invaded her room previously, but he was just as evil. She could feel his malicious intent toward her rolling off him in waves. She opened her mouth to scream, but the sound was arrested before it could form. She could feel his hand squeezing her throat, even though he wasn’t close enough to reach her. How is this possible?

  She clawed at her neck with her nails, trying to release the constriction around her throat, but she only ended up scratching her own skin.

  The pressure eased slightly. She gulped in a much-needed breath of air, filling her lungs with life-giving oxygen, but then the band tightened around her throat again. He didn’t say anything to her, just smiled maliciously and gripped her neck even tighter even as his hands remained at his sides. She didn’t know how such a thing was possible. Black spots formed before her eyes. She could see the certainty of her own death in his black, soulless eyes.

  Her head rolled to the side, and she stared out the kitchen window as the last of the sun’s rays diminished with a burst of red, pink, and yellow. That was her last sight as she slowly sank into unconsciousness.

  * * * *

  With Lucan’s first waking breath, he sought out his angel with his mind. He brushed the edges of her consciousness with his. When he felt her fading from him rapidly, he cursed and sprang up from the bed, moving with preternatural speed.

  He followed the faint trail of his mate, finding her in the kitchen with a man who was dressed in designer tuxedo. A gray stripe of silver ran down the middle of his head. Though the evil warlock stood motionless, he had Lucan’s mate dangling by the hold around her throat.

  Before Lucan could react, Angelina flew through the air, flung by the warlock through the kitchen door. Lucan was just in time to catch her. By the time he tore his gaze from her face, the warlock was dissolving into smoke. Seething, Lucan called for Trey in his mind, though even as he felt his brother wake, the warlock was slipping out the kitchen window.

  He carefully placed Angelina onto the sofa in the living room. He took hold of her mind with his and made her take a deep breath.

  Trey knelt at his side, but Lucan paid him no mind, instead keeping a hold on his mate’s mind until she was breathing on her own. The blue tint around her mouth and on her lips finally faded, and her eyelids fluttered open.

  “Are you all right, angel?” asked Lucan.

  “Yes,” she replied.

  Lucan mentally cursed when he heard her husky voice rasp even more than normal and she winced with pain.

  “Don’t try and talk, Angelina. I don’t want to cause you any more pain,” Lucan stated.

  She licked her dry lips but ignored his suggestion. “Who?”

  “I don’t know who it was, baby, but I do know what. That man was a warlock practiced in the art of black magic.”

  “Why was he here?”

  “We don’t know, honey. We are going to have to try and find out what is going on,” Trey replied, taking her hand in his. He kissed the back of her hand. Lucan stood back, preoccupied by the danger he had found her in. Cursing silently but eloquently, he remembered the fear and rage he’d felt at finding his woman near death. Even now she still felt weak from her horrifying experience.

  “We are going to have to talk her into completing the mating bond with us,” Trey stated firmly through his mental link to Lucan. “I don’t want to lose our angel just when we’ve found her.”

  “I don’t know if she’s ready to accept everything that goes with the bonding, Trey. I don’t want her to fear what she would become.”

  “We can’t allow her to be in danger, Lucan. The only way to keep her safe is to complete the blood exchange and make her immortal,” Trey explained.

  “You think I don’t know that! God, if I thought she would accept everything that goes with the mating bond I would have suggested it already.”

  “Why are you frowning? What’s going on?” Angelina asked in a raspy voice.

  Lucan sighed. It seemed they had no choice, though he still wished there was more time for them to explain everything to her. “Angel, you are in danger. It seems our enemies are targeting you. The only way we can keep you safe is if we complete the blood exchange.” Lucan watched her intently. When she didn’t speak or grimace he continued. “We would need to exchange blood with you twice more for the exchange to be finished, but we won’t do that without your permission. Please, baby? We just want to know you’re safe.”

  “What happens when the exchange is complete? Will I be like you are?” Angelina asked.

  “Yes, honey, you will,” Trey answered. “You’ll live as we do, sleeping during the day and living off the blood of humans.”

  “Oh God,” Angelina groaned.

  Lucan sighed with frustration when she pushed away from them and sat up. She rose on unsteady feet, but when he tried to help she slapped his hand away.

  “I can’t. I don’t know anything about what you are, but I do know that I could never survive by living off other human beings.”

  “Angelina, your life is in danger. They will come after you again and again. You are mortal. They are not. We will do everything in our power to protect you, but you cannot fight them yourself, honey,” Trey explained.

  “Then that’s just a chance I will have to take. I’m sorry, but you can’t keep me here. I need to go home,” Angelina stated.

  “Will you come back?” Trey asked.

  “I don’t know. It depends. So much has changed, and I can’t make sense of anything when you are here.” She lifted her chin bravely. “You said I can go, so I’m going.”

  Lucan could hear the determination behind her statement and knew he couldn’t stop her from leaving. He could keep her safe during in the dark hours of night, but she would be vulnerable throughout the day.

  He only hoped that the first blood exchange had established enough of a connection that they would be able to track her. If she was in trouble, that connection would be the only way to sense it.

  She was made for them. She was so passionate beneath that cool, controlled façade. She’d had to be so independent when she couldn’t see. That independence was showing now, but he was afraid that she wasn’t prepared for life as a sighted person. He wanted to be there for her when she needed help.

  Lucan opened his mouth to try once more to persuade her. But Angelina turned away. His angel grabbed her purse from the side table near the door and left without a backward glance.

  Chapter Seven

  Angelina had just unlocked her door and was about to enter her apartment when Mark’s whiny voice halted her in her tracks.

  “Angelina, where the hell have you been?”

  She turned toward him, eyeing him through her dark glasses. She’d put the glasses on again when she was outside the building, partly in anticipation of seeing Mark. She wasn’t sure how she was going to explain her sight to her friends and coworkers, but until she figured that out, she didn’t mind pretending.

  She got her first look at her neighbor. He wasn’t handsome, but he wasn’t ugly. If she had to describe him she would have called him nondescript. He wasn’t tall for a man, only an inch or so taller than her, and his face wasn’t anything to rave about, but he was a nice-looking man. He had brown hair and brown eyes, and he wasn’t muscular. He looked soft somehow. Not feminine, but definitely not in the league of Lucan and Trey.

  “I’ve been visiting friends, Mark,” she answered coolly.

  “You could have let me know you weren’t going to come home. I’ve been worried about you.”

  “As you can see, there was no need, but I do appreciate your concern. Now if you don’t mind, I’m tired and would like to get settled,” she stated and stepped into her apartment.

  “You were with him, weren’t you?” Mark whined. “I told you he was dangerous. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, Angelina.”

  “Look, Mark, as I said before, I appreciate your concern. However I am an adult and have been looking after myse
lf for years. I don’t need you to look out for me.”

  “Oh my God.” He stood on his toes, peering at her face over the tops of her glasses. Angelina met his gaze automatically, realizing as she did so that she’d been caught. Oh crap. “You can see me, can’t you, Angelina? What the hell is going on?” Mark bit out and grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving his side.

  “Let me go. Mark, please, you’re hurting me,” Angelina cried out as his fingers dug viciously into her forearm.

  He looked down as if he hadn’t realized he was holding on to her and causing her pain. Then he smiled at her maliciously and gripped her arm harder before he removed his hand. “I’m sorry, Angelina. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he stated and stepped back. But she could tell by the malevolent look in his eyes that he was lying.

  He looked up and down the dimly lit hallway and then looked at her nervously. “I’ll talk to you later, Angelina. I have something I have to do.”

  Mark scurried to his door, glanced at her over his shoulder, and then he was gone. She had a bad feeling about her neighbor, but then shrugged off her paranoia and stepped inside. She made herself a cup of tea and sat staring into space. Her heart felt as if it had been ripped out of her chest, and she knew it was because she had left Lucan and Trey behind.

  She thought back to how Trey had asked her if she would return. The sad expression on his face still bothered her. Will I go back? She wasn’t cut out for the kind of excitement that seemed to surround the Drierge brothers.

  On the other hand, how the hell was she going to survive when she felt so damn lonely and despondent? Her whole body ached with the need to have them close. To feel the touch of their hands and mouths on her body. The first tear trickled down her cheek, followed by another and another, until she was crying incessantly. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop. She felt as if she were grieving for a spouse she’d never had. She was so torn up inside she couldn’t think straight. She finished her tea and climbed into bed. She cried herself to sleep.

  Even in her sleep their separation tormented her. She dreamed of them, craving their presence, and it felt as if she would die if they didn’t come to her. She called their names over and over in her mind. She was running through their house searching for them, but she couldn’t find them. No matter how hard she tried or where she looked, they were nowhere to be found.

  She stood at the top of the stairs to the dark basement and took the first step. Once she started, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t prevent herself from continuing on. She didn’t want to see what was in that damp, dark room, but she felt compelled to search anyway.

  As she stepped onto the bluestone floor, old-world flame torches sprang to life, lighting the room. She saw the two open coffins resting side by side in the middle of the room. They were resting on stone pedestal altars, and even though she didn’t want to see what was inside, she couldn’t stop from walking toward them.

  Angelina screamed with horror as the mummified bodies of two male corpses burnt themselves on her retinas. She screamed until she was hoarse and gasped with terror as the two cadavers lifted papery-thin arms and reached for her.

  She sat up in bed gasping for breath, covered in sweat, and crying. She had never been so scared in her life. She scrambled from her bed and flicked the light switch. The room illuminated, and her eyes rapidly scanned the interior. She slumped against the wall when she realized her bedroom was empty and slid down the wall to the floor.

  God, she was going out of her mind. What the hell am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to deal with this stuff?

  She couldn’t cope with the depth of her desire or handle the emotion coursing through her. She had never been so deeply enmeshed in another person, let alone two. She had been a virgin, for God’s sake, and she had given her body over without a qualm. That was so unlike her. She was always so independent and analytical. She had never been so emotional in her life.

  Now, you know that’s not true, girl. You have been dreaming of your prince charming coming to your rescue and sweeping you from your feet for years.

  The truth of that thought clenched her heart, and two warring emotional factions began to argue within her.

  Shut up. Just shut the hell up. I don’t want to hear this.

  Well, that may be so, but you know it’s true. You’ve hidden from yourself out of necessity, having no one but yourself to rely on. You don’t have to anymore.

  But I like being independent!

  Those two men want you to be their mate. You know you’re in love with them, so why not admit it.

  I’m not in love with them. And as for admitting it, the idea terrified her. What if they didn’t care for her as she did for them?

  But you know they do.

  Angelina pushed her inner voice aside and rose to her feet. She drew her dressing gown on and headed to the kitchen. She was about to pour water into her cup when she felt them. If she concentrated, it was almost like they were there in the room with her. Their scents and the warmth of their bodies surrounded her. She placed her fingertips on her braille watch. It was only ten p.m. It felt so much later, but they would be awake now. Do I feel them because they’re thinking about me?

  They seemed so close. It was as if she could feel their arms around her, and the despondency she had been fighting left her in a rush of warmth. She placed the kettle back onto the counter and turned around.

  There they stood, their heated gazes pinning her. It wasn’t just her imagination. She covered her mouth to contain the sob of delight bubbling up in her chest and felt tears leak from the corner of her eyes.

  She didn’t ask them how they had gotten into her apartment. She took one step toward them, and then closed the distance. She sobbed with relief when their arms closed around her.

  “Shh, it’s okay, honey. We’re here now,” Trey stated, pulling her up against his chest from behind. Lucan’s front touched along the length of her back. She clung to Trey, her arms slipping around his waist, and she leaned into him.

  “I missed you so much. I don’t think I can survive without either of you at my side.”

  “Angel, take a deep breath. Everything is going to be all right,” Lucan whispered into her ear.

  She felt complete since the first time she had left their house hours earlier. They enveloped her in their warmth, and she sighed and never wanted to leave again.

  She wanted to go home with them. She was finally able to admit, if only to herself, that she was in love with them. There were still things she didn’t know if she could deal with. The thought of drinking blood, even to sustain her own life, still repelled her. But she knew she had to be with them.

  Trey eased her back from him so he could see her face. She looked up and drowned in the depths of his bottomless blue eyes. He stared at her with such heat that her body began to respond. She caught fire as she fell into his gaze. Her blood warmed, and cream began to leak from her pussy. Her eyelids fluttered closed as he leaned in toward her, and she sighed when his lips finally met hers.

  She groaned as he swept her away into heated passion. His lips brushed over hers, back and forth, and he licked along the seam of her mouth, seeking entrance. Angelina didn’t hesitate to open to him. She moaned as he thrust his tongue between her lips and teeth, craving his touch and taste as if she had been starving, just waiting for Trey and Lucan to satiate her hunger.

  She clutched at Trey’s shoulders as he devoured her mouth until she had to pull away in order to breathe. She gulped air into her oxygen-depleted lungs and opened her eyes to look at Trey. His eyes had turned a deep blue, shades darker than their normal sky blue. He cupped her face in his hands and placed a kiss against her lips, so gentle and poignant that it made her tear up. He stood up straight again and turned her by the hands he had on her waist.

  Angelina looked up into Lucan’s deep, dark eyes and reached for him just as he bent down to her. He lifted her into his arms effortlessly and slanted his mouth over hers. She wrapped
her arms around his neck and legs around his waist, clinging to him as if her life depended on the close contact. He pushed his tongue into her mouth and tasted every inch of her interior. She rubbed her tongue along his, and his dark, masculine flavor exploded onto her taste buds. She buried her fingers into his hair and held his mouth to hers as they ravaged each other with animalistic carnality.

  Trey moved in behind her and pushed her hair to the side of her neck. He kissed, licked, and nibbled his way up her neck to her ear. He sucked her earlobe into his mouth and nipped at her tender skin with his teeth, drawing a cry of arousal from her.

  She moved her hands from around Lucan’s neck and frantically began to tug at the buttons on his shirt. She only had the first two open, but that was just enough for her to slip her hands inside the parted material so she could touch his warm, hard flesh.

  She wanted more. So much more. She wanted them both naked so she could touch, explore, and arouse to her heart’s content, unimpeded by any barrier. She gripped the lapels of the shirt in her hands and was about to rip the material open when a knock at the door interrupted her intentions.

  Trey and Lucan tensed at the intrusion, and then she was in her bedroom. She blinked her eyes into focus, wondering how she had gotten to her room so quickly. She was about to ask Trey, but he placed a hand over her mouth to stop her. He pulled her back to his front and held her wrapped in his arms.

  “Shh, honey. I don’t want anyone to know I’m here. Your neighbor is at the door. I sense animosity toward you coming off him,” Trey whispered in her ear.

  Angelina turned in Trey’s arms and hugged his waist. He bent down so they could speak to each other without being heard.

  “Why would Mark resent me?” she asked quietly.