Authors: Joyee Flynn
“I’ll never let you drink from me, Aaron, even if I can get past the rest of this. I’m sorry. I just won’t let that happen. I’m not food. My blood is addictive and can send vampires into a crazed state. If you want me to leave, I will, so maybe being around me won’t make it so bad.”
I went to say something, but Imogen shook his head and walked away again. As much as it killed me, I could give him some time to collect his thoughts if that’s what he wanted.
“It’s not about being food,” Aaron whispered in defeat as we headed over toward bathroom fixtures and tubs. “I mean, yes, I need blood to survive, but you don’t have a problem with me drinking from you. I’m old enough that I don’t need that much blood. It just brings us closer.”
“And it’s fucking hot,” I moaned and slid my hand over his ass. I got the desired effect when I saw him smile. “Could you bite and not drink to claim him?”
“No, the drinking his blood is the important part,” he answered with a sigh as he scrubbed his hands over his face in frustration. “It’s the literal taking his life essence into mine and his giving himself to me completely that ties us together when having sex. That’s what binds us.”
“We’ll figure something out,” I said gently and then changed the topic to redoing our bathroom. But for the first time since we’d all met…I wasn’t so sure. Everyone has lines in their lives that they won’t cross or allow others to cross. This was Imogen’s, and who were we to say that was wrong?
Chapter 6
We ended up spending way too much money and getting more than we could possibly get done even with weeks of constant work on the house. But then again, it was good that we were all so excited.
Imogen ended up finding us again after he calmed down and helped pick out the tile for the master bath. We had our purchases loaded up in the truck, including one garden tub with jets, a shower stall, a vanity, and on and on. Then we went and bought about half the garden section for Imogen. Okay, so maybe not that much, but close enough.
“I’ll start on the water heater,” Aaron said after we got back home and started unloading.
“Then you’re going to come help us, right?” Imogen asked hesitantly. I didn’t blame him, the drive home had been full of brutal, silent tension. I wanted to pull my hair out, and I just felt like I was the idiot in the middle of all of this. The whole situation sucked.
“I can do that,” he answered as he picked up the huge box for our extra-large water heater. He was strong enough to lift it easily, but it looked funny since the box was an awkward shape.
He didn’t sound as excited as he had been before, but I couldn’t say I blamed him. While he did that, we marked off a huge area that Imogen wanted for the garden. Then we got to tearing out the grass, which was mostly weeds, before putting in the small fencing.
“We’ll have as much hot water as we want for our showers when we’re all done today,” Aaron said about two hours later when he came back out to join us.
“Guys!” Jasper called out as he came racing from the barn. “Something’s wrong. I smell vampires, lots of them, and none I recognize. I called Trey and Addison through our mental link. They’re on their way. Trey called Avery. Cord and Ty are hiding in the basement with the girls.”
I sniffed the air and smelled something familiar. My eyes went wide when I realized where I’d smelled it before. “Imogen, baby, you need to get in the house and lock yourself in the attic we found, okay?”
“Why? What’s wrong?” His eyes darted around the yard as if he was missing the danger.
“I’ve smelled the vamps that captured you coming toward us fast. You had traces of their scent when I found you.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as his eyes filled up with tears. “I’ll go with them. I won’t let them hurt you.”
“No,” Aaron snarled and went over to Imogen. He’d already shifted so his hands were claws, his body larger, eyes solid black, with some scary ass teeth going on. “They will not touch our mate. Please, Imogen. I know you don’t trust me but you do Sasha. Trust him now and do what he says.”
“Don’t get hurt either, okay?” He pulled Aaron down and kissed his cheek before doing the same to me. Then, in a flash, he was in the house. I saw Avery in the distance coming from the south and then turned to see about thirty vamps coming from the west. The difference was they were taking their sweet ass time as if reveling in the fact that they knew we’d be worried.
But we had more help. Trey and Addison were racing toward us, already in their animal forms. Jasper quickly undressed and shifted just as all four hundred and fifty pounds of tiger Avery reached us. I shifted into half-and-half so I’d still be able to talk, not caring about my clothes. I was surprised when Addison quickly shifted back.
“Frank and the other police are on their way. They’re all part of the pack, and I called Alpha Daniels and he’s sending help. I’m just not sure they’ll get here in time so try to stall them as best you can.”
“Thank you,” I said quietly. He gave me a nod and changed back into a massive wolf. Thirty vamps against three tigers, two wolves, and one vamp weren’t odds I liked. However, two of us were Imogen’s mates, and I knew that would go a long way in how ruthlessly we would fight. Then again… We were all family here. Yeah, we could do this if we got help soon.
“Give us the fairy and no one will die,” the vampire at the front of the group said when they were about thirty yards away. “He is all we seek.”
“Why? Why do you want my mate so badly? I mean I know he’s gorgeous, but why do you have such a hard-on for him?” I did my best to keep my tone curious as if I’d really consider giving up Imogen. Yeah, when piggies started to fly.
“Your mate? Well no matter what I say you won’t give him up,” the guy groaned and rolled his eyes. Awww, now the poor baby might have to actually fight. My heart was bleeding for him. Not!
“I doubt it, but tell me why you want him, and maybe we can figure something else out.” Stalling was the name of the game right then, plus I really just wanted to know. “So he’s a fairy. There’s got to be more to this than what he is for you to risk coming into a large wolf pack’s territory to get him.”
“There’s a pack here?” He snarled at the guy on his right. The guy cringed and looked as if he wanted the ground to swallow him up before recovering. “You idiot!”
“How was I supposed to know?” the guy shot back. “It’s not like we’re in with the Council or have shifter contacts.”
“Why do you want our mate?” Aaron asked with a growl. I was antsy to know the answer as well but, personally, I would have let them fight for a while and give us more time for help to get here. I think he realized it when he glanced at the rest of us and shrugged.
“He’s fae royalty,” a third guy answered as he rubbed his hands together in glee. Oh, this guy was way too excited about that. Yeah, he’d die first. “And he’s really old. Do you know how strong their blood can make us if we drink from them? But, then again, you must know that since he’s your mate.” The main guy snarled at him as if the excitement had given away too much information.
I saw Aaron wince before hiding it. Yeah, he had no clue, of course. Then I smelled something that made me want to vomit. And now I was fucking scared. We were so screwed and I bemoaned never getting to tell Imogen or Aaron how I felt. I really looked forward to spending the rest of our lives together and was distraught that it would end.
Then I just about smacked myself in the head. I was
not
giving up because I was scared! We
would
see many, many years together, and these fuckers would all die.
“You’re not all vampires. You brought Followers.” I let my anger show in my words at the threat against my mates. I couldn’t deny my fear, but it wasn’t the only thing I was feeling right then and I could use that.
“It is our master that is the one making them,” the asshole leader replied with a smirk. “I see you’ve met them before.”
“Not personally, but I have a friend that killed a few.”
“And he lives to tell the tale? Impressive,” he said with a nod as if considering how it had happened. “I don’t see a flamethrower among your pathetic army here.” That was a helpful tidbit the idiot just gave away. “You will all die painfully, and we will take the fairy anyway. Just hand him over and you may live. Be smart and answer correctly.”
“Fuck. You. How’s that for your answer?” Aaron snarled along with flipping them off on both hands. “We’re not giving you our mate.”
“Then you will die,” the asshole growled. The bad vamps all started shifting, and I did my best to hide my fear. We were so fucked, but I knew we wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“You first,” Imogen shouted. We all glanced up to see him flying above the house as flames burst from his hands. Holy shit! While everyone was distracted, I shifted to full tiger form and went after the leader.
“Are you insane?”
Trey screamed in our shared mental link.
“Everyone else runs from fire and you go toward it.”
“If we take out the main guy while Imogen gets the Followers, then they’ll have no leader to order them what to do. The rest don’t seem to be the sharpest knives in the drawer.”
“Sounds good to me,”
Avery said as he pulled ahead of us. The little shit was always the fastest, and normally I would have been pissed that he was racing into danger before we’d be there to help him, but, right then, we needed the advantage.
And it worked. He launched himself on the guy and tore out most of his throat before we even got there. Just to be sure he was dead, I tore out the rest until his head snapped off. Then the other vamps were on us. It was easy to see who were Followers and who were straight vamps since the zombie guys didn’t think on their own.
I couldn’t get over the way they stood there and let Imogen light them up like firecrackers without so much as trying to dodge his flames. I wanted to stare in amazement at the beauty of my mate. He was like an avenging angel in all his glory. But another vamp jumped on my back and sank his teeth into me. I knocked the guy loose and tore at his neck with my paw.
Ten of the thirty were real vamps while the rest were Followers. And we could take ten vamps, but I seriously hoped they gave up when they realized they were in too deep. That would have been the best-case scenario right then considering we were already in a fight. But we weren’t doing bad on our own with Imogen’s living flamethrower ability. I bet my little mate had heard that part.
“Wolves are here,”
Trey shouted with relief after we heard several close howls in a battle cry. They rushed right into the mix.
Strong arms wrapped around my neck when I went after one that was on Avery. And not only could I not shake off the guy, but my fur and flesh were burning.
“Get it off, Sasha, or I’ll end up burning them both!” Imogen screamed from behind us. Oh shit. I had a Follower on me, and I didn’t want anyone else to get burnt by their acid blood. I bucked and spun before flipping over so my whole body smashed him into the ground. It dislodged him, but I got burnt all down my back. That motherfucker had to have been bleeding badly.
As quickly as I could while the adrenaline was pumping, I scurried away from the zombie. When I knew I was in the clear, I fell to my side and shifted back with a scream.
“Hose him off!” someone shouted, as I heard people race toward me.
“No! Water on acid will make it worse,” Aaron yelled and dove to his knees in front of me. “Conley said antacid. Fuck! We need like Mylanta or some shit.”
“Move,” Imogen said from behind some wolves. Suddenly he was there in front of me smiling, trying to comfort me as tears ran down his cheeks. “They’re all dead, my feisty kitten. Don’t you dare join them.”
“Okay,” I groaned in pain. He raised his hands over me and closed his eyes. As quickly as the burning started, it was gone. Don’t get me wrong, it still hurt, but my flesh wasn’t sizzling off my body. “Thank you. I’m still going to tan your hide for not staying in the attic like we told you to.”