Authors: Joyee Flynn
I watched in awe as he pulled Imogen off my spent cock in a flash and had him on his back. Aaron spread his legs wide in the air and shoved the toy in our fairy’s ass.
“Can you bite me where it’s not a major artery?” Imogen asked as he panted, adjusting to the girth of the toy. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me, but vampires can go crazy from our blood. I’m willing to try somewhere not dangerous.”
“Thank you, baby,” Aaron whispered, tears coming to his eyes. Mine got a little misty, too. After everything he’d been through, he was strong enough to try to get over his past. Our mate was amazing. “I can bite your calf. It’s something that can be easily pulled away if I go over the edge.”
“Do it.” Aaron nodded as a single tear rolled down his cheek. He fucked Imogen’s tight hole with the toy and ran his tongue over our mate’s leg. Just as Imogen was getting close to his peak, Aaron bit into him.
“Fuck!” Imogen cried out and not in pain. His cock erupted and shot cum all over his stomach and chest. “Holy shit, Aaron.”
I watched them together, in their bliss and mutual pleasure. But I also watched for signs that Aaron was reacting like Conley and Marc had to the smell of Imogen. There were none.
Aaron pulled his fangs out of Imogen’s calf and licked the wound closed as our mate came down from his orgasm. His eyebrows were pulled together, his lips pursed in confusion.
“What is it?” I asked as I pushed myself to sit up against the pillows.
“I don’t get what everyone freaks out about,” he answered and shook his head. Then it snapped up, and he looked at Imogen with wide eyes. “I’m not saying you don’t taste good because you do. You taste great. But it’s not like some drug or something that I can’t control. Your blood is powerful and almost electric from your magic, and you’re sweeter than anyone I’ve ever tasted. I just never felt like I
couldn’t
stop or that I’d lost myself at any point and time.”
“Then you’re immune to it,” Imogen whispered as his eyes overflowed with tears. I quickly moved, ignoring my injuries and hugged our mate as Aaron did the same. “That’s how fate was able to mate us. Vampires who mate with fae are immune to the allure of our blood.”
“So you’ll trust me now?” Aaron asked softly as he ran his hands down Imogen’s legs.
“I’ve always trusted you, Aaron,” Imogen answered gently and hugged us back. “I swear I did. But I’ve seen what happens. Most vamps aren’t themselves like with a drug, and
that’s
what I didn’t trust. Plus, fear is not always rational. I watched my parents get ripped to shreds, and that’s not something I can ever get over or ignore the warning of.”
“Can I ask how you survived the attack?” I’d been wanting to know since we’d met, but how does one ask a person that?
“My father stuffed me into the cabinet in their room,” Imogen said quietly after a few moments. I felt his tears on my cheeks, and I hugged him tighter. “They might have smelled me in there when they first got there, but after they tasted my parents, it was like a frenzy, and they couldn’t think straight. I watched my parents get torn to shreds as the vampires bathed in their blood. I couldn’t move. Even after they left.
“I stayed in that cabinet for hours, staring at their mangled corpses until someone finally came. My mom’s cousin was supposed to go the market with my mom, but she didn’t show. I guess she waited for my mom but then got worried and came to make sure everything was okay. She’s the one who found me.”
“Sweet mother of mercy.” I could tell Aaron was torn as I was from his words. I couldn’t have stopped the waterworks then if I’d wanted to. How did I not feel enough to cry when someone I cared about, was falling in love with, and was part of my soul told us something like that? I don’t care if I was man, woman, animal, or alien, I’d have to be dead in my heart to not feel pain from that.
“I’m so sorry you went through that, and I know your parents would be proud of the man you became,” I whispered and kissed his temple. I’m sure there was more to say, and I would have, but there was a sad buzz followed by a ding.
“Was that our doorbell?” Aaron asked after it happened again. We all looked at each other a moment before bursting out laughing. “So we’ll add that to the list of things to fix.”
“Yeah, might be a good idea,” Imogen said as we got off the bed. They helped me, and Imogen did his thing, cleaning us both up. It really was a handy gift to have in his arsenal when we had surprises like now. “Let me go see who it is.”
“Allow me, my hot fairy,” Aaron replied gallantly, but I knew what he was really doing. I didn’t want Imogen opening the door when there was an evil out there after him. Okay, so the door wouldn’t have been much of an obstacle for them, and I doubt they would have rung the bell. But why risk it?
“Such a gentleman,” Imogen purred as Aaron went ahead of us. Our mate had already dressed us as well, so it was just a matter of him helping me walk toward the kitchen.
My burns had mostly healed, but Trey had been right with his prediction based on what we’d heard from our friend. The acid blood burned through my skin to my muscles, and those hurt regrowing. They were tense, then twitching, and gave me a strange, awful pain like I’d never known.
“I do know what he’s doing, but let him be chivalrous if it sets his mind at ease.” Imogen chuckled when Aaron was out of earshot. I couldn’t have agreed more. Life was not about getting upset over little things especially when someone had good intentions. Not the easiest thing to do always, but I was a firm believer that realizing something was half the battle.
“Sasha,” my mom, Ashley, gasped from the front door when we got into view.
“Hey, Ma,” I said with a smile. Sometimes simply seeing family, especially my parents, just made everything better and brighter in the world. Imogen let go of me, and I gingerly walked to her. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with my legs, but my back was tender and sore, so it was really all connected.
“Where can I touch you without hurting you?” she asked hesitantly with tears in her eyes.
“My neck and shoulders are the worst, but I’ll take a hug if you don’t squeeze me too tightly.” The smile she gave me would be worth any pain. I was over a half of a foot taller than her, so I rarely got hugs with her arms around my neck anyway.
“Oh my sweet boy,” she whispered and sniffled against my shirt. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Better than okay,” I said with a wide smile. Both my dads returned the gesture and my dad, Beck, was wiping his eyes, pretending they weren’t tearing up.
“Now, introduce me to these handsome men of yours.” She cleared her throat and wiped her own eyes as she pulled away. “We got as far as Aaron’s name before you came out here.”
“This is Aaron Loman, he knows Conley and Marc,” I said and gestured to him first before my other mate. “And this is Imogen Milford, whose uncle said he knows dad.”
“Roland Milford?” Martin asked, with a raised brow as he shook my mate’s hand.
“Yes, sir. He spoke very highly of you, and was glad I mated into such a good family,” Imogen answered with an embarrassed smile.
“That would make you royalty,” my mom gasped. She glanced between me and my mate. “Shit. I was supposed to bow or something then, right? Oh wait, women curtsey.”
“You are just precious,” Imogen exclaimed and hugged her. “Never worry about such formalities with me, dear woman. We are family now, and you may call me anything you wish.”
“Oh, he’s a charmer.” Ashley giggled and hugged him back.
“Imogen,” my dad, Beck, said as if thinking and then snapped his fingers. “Yes, Roland mentioned you several times when we talked to him. You’re his nephew that lost—” My dad stopped talking and looked at Aaron. “Well, fate’s being feisty now isn’t she?”
“That’s one way to put it,” I replied with a groan. My family needed to look up the word “subtle” and start practicing it. Soon.
“It’s fine, my feisty kitten,” Imogen replied with a smirk. “It’s common knowledge I’ve never been a fan of vampires until recently after what happened to my parents. I think fate was feisty indeed by matching us up, but I would like to thank her one day.”
“Really?” Aaron asked, his eyes widening with surprise. “I would have thought you wanted to bitch slap fate.”
“Not anymore,” Imogen whispered, his cheeks heating up with embarrassment. “I admit I might not easily let you bite me, but since you’ve tried drinking from me and you were fine, I’d very much like you to claim me. I just wasn’t sure you’d want to when I couldn’t be comfortable with you drinking from me when you need it like Sasha is.”
“That’s like blaming a rape victim for not being able to have sex or in certain positions.” Aaron looked horrified at the thought. “I would never blame you or be upset with that. I just want you, Imogen. I understand you come with issues, we all do. But you’re not just giving up and saying ‘hell no.’ You’re compromising and working with what I am. I’d be honored to claim you.”
“Thank fuck.” I sighed and leaned against Beck. Everyone turned to me, and I blushed with embarrassment for having said it aloud. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin the moment. It’s just you guys have no idea what it’s been like for me.”
“Don’t be a brat and make it all about you,” my mom chastised and cuffed me upside the head.
“No, he’s quite right, Ashley,” Imogen said gently and blew me an air kiss. “We both kept saying we should leave so we didn’t ruin his mating with the other. I know I’ve been difficult whether I’ve had a valid reason or not, and the entire time Sasha has played peacekeeper and monkey in the middle. It’s not been easy on him, and we’ve both talked about it when he was hurt.”
“You did?” I asked, shocked that I’d missed it.
“Yes, our feisty kitten,” Aaron answered with a nod as he stared at his feet. “Imogen and I had issues when we met but neither of us did with you. We saw how it was hurting you to go from one of us to another, and I’m not just talking about sleeping arrangements. You’d hesitate before touching either of us half the time for worry that you’d hurt the other’s feelings if we were around. It wasn’t fair to you.”
“I just wanted us all to be happy. I wasn’t mad at anyone, and I understood what was going on. It wasn’t as if anyone was being a jerk or a child. Imogen had real reasons to be scared and upset.”
Everyone was quiet a few moments as if letting this whole revelation sink in. It was my mom who broke the silence first. “I take back my smack then. Being newly mated is hard enough, especially when there are three partners. But from what I’ve heard, you all had to work extra hard to make it work as far as you have.”
“It was worth it because we
will
make it,” I said firmly but with a smile.
“Now that we’ve got that settled allow us to be proper hosts.” Imogen gestured toward the kitchen, and my parents laughed at his antics. Nothing broke tension like a wisecrack here and there. My dad helped me into one of the chairs as everyone sat down except Aaron who was making coffee. We all agreed early on that he had the right touch and would be in charge of caffeinating us.
But the best surprise was my dad setting down a huge container of my mom’s famous blueberry scones. I practically drooled all over myself and snarfed the first few down.
“We know some about Imogen, but we know nothing about you besides you’re a vampire,” my mom said as she stared at Aaron once we were all settled. “And that you were dating one of the Cowell boy’s mates until they met. There has to be more to tell than that.”
“Not really.” Aaron chuckled. “I’m a few centuries old and was born of a poor family who wasn’t a part of any coven. I guess a long, long time ago one of my ancestors slept with the coven leader’s mate. She wasn’t really his mate but the woman was too scared to deny his claim. Vampires weren’t always this organized and involved in polite society. So we were banned and lived among humans.”
“I never knew that about vampires,” I said and grabbed another scone. “Actually we’ve not had much time to talk about anything other than the latest impending doom. Plus there was so much going on with the evacuation that, when we weren’t talking about that, we didn’t discuss anything serious or deep.”