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

  “I think your neighbor has feelings for you, angel. He doesn’t like it that Lucan has come into your life.”

  “No, that can’t be. He has had years to ask me out. I’m sure he would have if he had wanted to,” she whispered.

  “Baby, you have a visitor, and he wishes to speak with you,” Lucan called through the bedroom door.

  “Be careful what you say to him, angel. He could be dangerous,” Trey whispered.

  “Are you sure we’re talking about the same man?” she asked.

  “Angelina, Mark would like to talk to you,” Lucan said again.

  Trey released her and gave her a gentle push toward Lucan. He took her hand and led her into the living room, where she could see Mark waiting just inside her apartment entrance. She and Lucan stopped a few yards away from Mark. She didn’t like the way he was glaring at her. When Lucan wrapped his arm around her shoulders, she leaned against him and felt so secure and comforted from his touch.

  “Hi, Mark, what can I do for you?” she asked.

  Mark swallowed nervously and cleared his throat before he could answer. His eyes kept shifting to Lucan, and she could tell he was intimidated by his presence.

  “Angelina, I’m worried about you. You’ve not been yourself lately,” Mark stated and shifted from foot to foot. She noticed he had one of his arms bent up behind his back and wondered if he was hiding something. Pushing that thought aside, she concentrated on what he’d just said.

  “I appreciate your concern, but I’m perfectly fine.”

  “No, I don’t think you are. You are supposed to be with me,” he stated through clenched teeth.

  “I beg your pardon?” Angelina asked incredulously.

  As if in slow motion, she watched his arm come out from behind his back. To her horror, he pointed a gun at her. Lucan stiffened by her side, but made no sudden moves.

  “Step away from him, Angelina,” Mark said with a high-pitched squeak in his voice.

  She moved away from Lucan slowly, hoping Mark would keep his attention on her.

  Just when she was about to speak, Lucan stepped in front of her and hid her from view. She tried to see around him, but he was so tall and muscular her effort was futile. She did hear what he said though.

  “You will leave Angelina alone and seek help for your mental problem. You will avoid her. If you do see her, you will run away from her, and will fear being near her. Leave now and forget you ever saw me,” Lucan commanded in a low, even voice.

  Angelina could feel the power behind Lucan’s voice. She shivered as his deep, masculine timbre caressed over her body. The door snapped closed, and he turned back to her.

  “What did you do?” Angelina asked in a whisper and stepped into his arms. She was shaking and couldn’t seem to stop. Lucan’s muscular arms around her gave her comfort and the shaking lessened.

  “I altered his memories and coerced him into leaving,” he replied.

  “Thank you. I have never been so scared in my life. I had no idea he had feelings for me.”

  “Honey, he is obsessed with you and he was suspicious of Lucan. He was a danger to us and to you,” Trey explained as he came up behind her.

  “You don’t know that,” Angelina stated.

  “Yes, actually, we do. His mind was all but yelling at us. He was so easy to read,” Lucan explained.

  “Oh. My. God,” Angelina whispered as she slid out from between them and backed away. “You can read minds. Have you been reading mine, too?”

  Chapter Eight

  “Yes,” Lucan replied. “We can read your mind.”

  “Shit,” Angelina squeaked and walked over to the sofa. She sank down into the seat because she had no idea how long her shaky legs would continue to hold her. She looked up at Trey and then Lucan, her mind working at a fast pace as she tried to remember everything that had happened since she had met Lucan.

  “You’ve been controlling my mind, too. You’ve been somehow mesmerizing me with your voice, haven’t you? Oh God. I gave you my body,” Angelina whispered with trepidation.

  “The only time I have taken control of your mind was when you accepted the first blood exchange,” Lucan said. “Don’t you remember? You asked me to. I have not done so at any other time. Please, believe me, angel. I would never do anything you haven’t consented to.”

  “How can I believe that? How do I know if I can trust you?”

  “You can trust us with your life, baby. We would do anything to keep you safe,” Lucan declared.

  “I don’t know what to think anymore,” she whispered.

  “Angel, I can show you what I say is true,” Lucan said.

  “How?”

  “If you let me near you, you can read my mind,” he explained.

  Angelina nibbled on her bottom lip. She wanted to believe that he was telling the truth, but after seeing what he did to Mark, she was going to need to know that he hadn’t controlled her before.

  “How do I know what you let me see would be real?” she asked.

  “Vampires’ memories can’t be changed, honey. If Lucan lets you into his head, then what you will see will only be truth,” Trey stated.

  “How do we do this?” she asked.

  “We will need to sit close. I will need to get into your mind so you may delve into my memories,” Lucan explained.

  “How do I know I can trust you?”

  “Angel, you are just going to have to have a little faith. I promise I won’t go searching through your mind and I would never do anything to hurt you,” he said.

  Angelina could see the sincerity in his eyes. She gave him a small nod and waited.

  “Honey, you need to try and stay relaxed. Will you let me hold you and help you through this?” Trey asked.

  “Yes,” she answered immediately. She knew then that even if she was questioning her response to these two men, some part of her did trust them implicitly. She had never let anyone as close to her as she had Lucan and Trey. Her body trusted them on a subconscious level. Otherwise she would never have let them make love with her.

  She wanted to trust them, more than anything. They had crawled their way into her heart and she was running scared. She’d never felt this way before and was petrified it wouldn’t last.

  Trey sat on the sofa beside her and then pulled her onto his lap. She loved the way they held her, kept her safe, and comforted her. She hadn’t even finished the blood exchange with them yet, but didn’t like being away from them. She was terrified of becoming dependent on them for her happiness. Having been independent for so long, only relying on herself, it was a startling thought. She just didn’t know if she could be like they were, doing what they had to do to survive.

  “Lean back and relax, honey,” Trey said and pulled her more firmly against him. She was leaning on his arm and resting her head on his shoulder. “Good girl. Now don’t try and block Lucan. You may feel his presence in your mind, but just remember why we’re doing this.”

  Angelina closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She exhaled and loosened her muscles as much as possible. She concentrated on keeping her mind open and her body relaxed. She was aware of a slight brush against the corner of her mind, and even though her first reaction was to tense up and push him out, she didn’t.

  Lucan pulled her into him. That was the only way she could describe it. She felt like he was drawing her spirit from her own body into his.

  She watched his memories of her from the first time he had seen her walking by on the street. It was like watching a home movie as the images flashed by, but she also felt his emotions. She felt the deep-seated need to claim her as his. It was unlike any yearning she had ever felt before. That he had controlled himself and astounded her. He had wanted to exchange blood so she could not leave him, but he had mastered his urges. He wanted her to come to him and Trey of her own free will. He had told her the truth. Once he had shown her what she wanted to see, he pulled her in deeper.

  She felt the loneliness he and his brother ha
d endured. They had lived for over a century and knew they had one true mate, but might never get the chance to meet. She experienced his elation when he had first seen her.

  He began to recede, gently pushing her back from his mind to her own. He brushed against her once more, and then he left her. She wanted to cry out as emptiness threatened to consume her, but she bit down on her lip instead. She opened her eyes and found Lucan staring at her, nostalgia in his eyes as he looked at her with longing. She took a deep breath and reached out to him. He took her hand in his, brought it to his lips, and kissed her skin.

  “I’m sorry,” Angelina stated.

  “You have nothing to be sorry for, baby. It’s our fault for not telling you so much about our kind.”

  “And yet I do. I have always trusted my instincts, and I did when I let you make love to me. I–It’s just when I saw what you could do to Mark, I began to doubt myself.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up, honey. Your reaction was natural,” Trey said.

  Angelina shivered when his warm, moist breath caressed her ear.

  “Angel, you aren’t safe here. We’ve updated all our protective spells, and right now I think our home is the safest place for you. Besides…” Lucan paused, sighing as he held her. “We missed you.”

  “Will you come and stay?” asked Trey. “We know you still have a lot to think about, but stay with us. That’s all we ask for now.”.

  The idea of staying with them just made her feel safer, especially if she was being targeted by an evil vampire and a warlock. Shuddering, she remembered what it had felt like in their presence. She hoped to never feel so scared and cold again. If she stayed with Trey and Lucan, maybe she never would. The idea of being with them warmed her all by itself.

  “Okay, let me go and pack a bag,” she replied and hurried to her bedroom.

  Lucan’s and Trey’s voices rumbled in her living room as they talked quietly to each other. She felt in her heart that she was doing the right thing.

  Hoping she had everything she needed for an extended stay, she closed the lid on her small suitcase. She was going to have to contact the school and resign from her teaching position. The last thing she wanted was to put innocent children in jeopardy by staying.

  “Are you ready, baby?” Lucan asked from the doorway.

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Angel, we didn’t travel here by car, and we can’t walk the distance. It’s too far, and I don’t want to be out on the streets where anyone can get to you. Are you willing to trust us to get you to our home safely?” he asked.

  “Um, are we going by cab?”

  “No, angel. We will be traveling in the way of our kind. Come here, baby,” Lucan said and held his hand out toward her.

  She walked over to Lucan with her case in hand, and he took it from her and led her from her room. He passed her bag over to Trey and pulled her in close to his big body.

  “I want you to close your eyes and relax, angel. Just remember I won’t let you get hurt,” he reiterated.

  She closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around his waist, and leaned her weight against him, relaxing into his muscular frame. She felt the brush of his mind against hers and didn’t dare open her eyes for fear of what she would see, but she felt light as a feather and if she were floating. Her brain felt disconnected from her body for a moment and then a breeze blew against her face. The temptation to see was too much. She opened her eyes and squeaked when she realized they were somehow flying. Far below, the lights of Portland were spread out, and cars the size of toys moved along the streets. Wispy clouds passed her to one side, yet she didn’t feel the wind as they travelled.

  She pulled her jean-clad legs up and wrapped them around his hips. Then she very carefully moved first one arm and then the other until she was clinging to his neck.

  “Shh, angel, you’re safe,” Lucan said against her ear.

  “How is this possible?” she asked breathlessly.

  “We have many powers, baby. We can dissolve into tiny particles that float through the air. We can control humans with our voices and wipe memories if necessary, and we can move our bodies through the air without any effort. We are much stronger than any mortal, and we live for eternity. Does that scare you, angel, to know we live forever?” he asked.

  “No, but surely you can die somehow,” she queried. As she spoke, she made the mistake of looking down. She felt vertigo surround her and had to close her eyes for a moment, tightening her arms around his neck.

  “Easy, angel. Take a deep breath. I’ve got you,” Lucan said soothingly. “Yes, we can die. If we bleed out, we can’t sustain life, just like a human. If we are decapitated or our heart is pierced, we die, but we have rapid healing abilities and blood helps speed up the healing process so we can survive other grievous wounds. Close your eyes again, angel. We’re home, and I don’t want you to become afraid.”

  “Why? What are we going to do?” she asked nervously.

  “Just trust me, baby, and I’ll have you inside in a moment.”

  Angelina closed her eyes and gripped her arms around Lucan’s neck a little tighter. He gave her a squeeze with the arm he had wrapped around her waist, and then she felt him more firmly entrenched in her mind. She felt that floating, disconnected sensation again, but kept her eyes closed. She wasn’t quite ready to find out what Lucan had done to her, because she had a pretty good idea that her body wasn’t whole.

  Finally her feet touched the ground, and she opened her eyes to find she was now safely ensconced in their kitchen.

  She released her tight hold on Lucan and was about to step back, but he kept her in close to his body. He reached down and tilted her face up to his by cupping her cheek, and then he leaned down slowly toward her. He took her mouth beneath his, slanting it this way and that in a rapacious hunger. She moaned as his tongue tangled with hers, and she felt so hungry for his touch. Every time he and Trey were near her, the passion inside her built to an almost painful level. She didn’t know if she could keep them at arm’s length much longer, but mostly she didn’t think she wanted to.

  She mewled in the back of her throat when Trey came up behind her, pressing his body along the length of her back. She sobbed with relief as he began to kiss the side of her neck and his hands reached around to cup her breasts through her sweater. He kneaded the mounds of flesh, shaping and weighing her with his palms, and then he took their hardening peaks between his index fingers and thumbs and squeezed.

  Lucan lifted his head, and she opened her eyes to look at him. She could see the fire and need he had for her glittering in the depths of his dark irises and knew she probably looked just as ravenous as he did.

  “We want to make love with you, angel. Will you let us?” Lucan asked in a deep, rumbling voice.

  Chapter Nine

  Lucan waited with bated breath for his angel’s answer. He craved to have her skin beneath his hands and mouth. He ached acutely to have his cock buried in her depths and the taste of her sweet blood on his lips. He didn’t know how much longer he would be able to hold back from her. Never had he felt such intense starvation for anybody in his entire life.

  “Yes,” she answered on a breathy sigh.

  “Angel, you need to know that I don’t know if I can contain my need to taste your blood. It seems to go hand in hand when we make love to you. This craving for your blood during sex has never happened before,” Lucan rasped. “Do you still want us to make love with you? Do you want us to bite you?”

  “Yes.” She groaned her reply.

  “Then let’s go and fly to the stars, angel,” Lucan said and lifted her into his arms.

  In the blink of a human eye he carried her to her bedroom and lowered her feet to the floor once more. He held her eyes with his as he and Trey removed her clothes. Once she stood before him naked, he looked his fill. She was gorgeous and so damn sexy. His heart clenched when he saw the trust in her eyes, and he removed his clothes with the sweep of a hand. She blinked and looked at him with w
onder. He could see the question in her face, but the need to feel her silky, soft, warm body against his took precedence over talk.

  He pulled her into his arms and ravished her mouth. She clung to his shoulders as if he were the only anchor in a wild storm. He moved them to the bed with a thought, teleporting them and covered her body with his. He lifted his mouth from hers and began to nibble and lick his way down over her soft, feminine body. He loved the differences between them and traced his hands over her curves, dips, and valleys. Her skin was so soft beneath his hands and mouth, and he had never felt anything so exquisite. The bed dipped, and Trey moved in close to Angelina’s side.

  Licking his way down over her taut, satiny belly, Lucan inhaled her sweet, musky arousal. His gums itched and his fangs exploded from them as he got closer to her mound. He desired the taste of her essence nearly as much as he needed blood to survive. He flicked his tongue into her drenched folds and grazed her clit with the tip. She cried out, and he looked up the length of her body to watch her as he caressed the sensitive bundle of nerves again.

  Her head moved restlessly on the pillow, and Trey suckled at her breast while pinching the other nipple between thumb and finger. Lucan moved his arms around her thighs and spread her legs wider. Using his thumbs to gently open her labia, he lowered his head to her pussy. She was so responsive to his touch that he had to take hold of her hips to keep her anchored to the bed. He slid his tongue from the top of her cunt down to her dripping-wet hole. He thrust his muscle into her depths and groaned as more of her cream coated his taste buds. She was so damn delicious, and he was so fucking hungry. He massaged her inner walls and growled when she released more of her juices.

  Lucan licked and slurped on her pussy until she was writhing beneath him. He released one of her thighs and rimmed her cunt with a digit. He pushed the tip just inside her entrance, and his hard cock jerked with anticipation when she grabbed hold of his finger. Once her body released him, he began to gently push farther into her cunt. She was so damn tight, and he felt as if the top of his head were about to blow off when her internal muscles rippled along his finger. He began a slow pace of advance and retreat while caressing her clitoris with the tip of his tongue. He found her hot spot inside her pussy and massaged the pad of his finger over it again and again.