“We can’t mate you properly right now,” Spike said. “We’re a trio, so Wraith and I would want to take you at the same time, and we’d rather be somewhere more comfortable so we can take care of you right.”

  “It’s not playing either,” Wraith said. “We won’t bite you to bind us together, but we can make love. If you want to.”

  “What do you guys want?”

  “You,” they both said at the same time.

  She couldn’t help but smile. “So not as serious as full-blown mating, but not casual either. I’m game. And I’m yours too. But I want you to ask me properly. No caveman bullshit claiming stuff either. A real ask, with flowers and dinner and sparkly jewelry. I guess what I’m really saying is please come in. And shut the door.”

  They moved into the room, the door shutting softly behind them. Prowling to her, Spike was the first on the bed, rising in front of her and cupping her face.

  “We will ask you properly to be ours and we’ll mate you according to the traditions of our people—and yours. But for now, sweet kaia, will you be mine?”

  “Yes.”

  He leaned in and kissed her. It was a light brush of his lips against hers, and she was surprised it was over so fast. But then Wraith was on the bed and holding her close, asking her to be his mate and promising to do things right once they were someplace more comfortable. Her little house on the water would be perfect. They’d just need a lot more horseshoes.

  Spike moved to her back, caging her between him and Wraith. He stroked his fingers down her back and around her stomach, slowly pushing upward until he cupped her breasts.

  Wraith grabbed the back of his shirt and jerked it over his head, tossing it to the side. She hadn’t seen him without a shirt on.

  He was even more muscular than she’d imagined, muscles on top of muscles, and silky skin over hardened steel. He cupped her face, his thumb tracing a line along her bottom lip, and then they were kissing.

  His lips on hers, their tongues sliding and dancing together, their moans mingling. Spike pressed closer, playing with her breasts until she was a writhing, panting ball of need in their hold. Spike kissed her neck, his fangs grazing her skin and making shivers race down her spine. He moved away for a moment, and she felt the loss of his heat. Wraith cupped her butt and pulled her legs from under her. She was on her back a moment later, her panties went airborne, and his fingers splayed over her abdomen.

  She pulled from Wraith’s enticing lips as the bed dipped and Spike climbed back on, fully naked, his thick cock jutting from his hips.

  Wraith kissed across her cheek to her ear, then down her neck, kissing a path down the center of her body. Spike loomed over her, planting his fists on either side of her, as Wraith settled between her thighs and parted her with his thumbs.

  “You are stunning,” Spike said. He lowered his head and kissed her, his tongue darting into her mouth as she gasped when Wraith licked a slow line up her pussy and circled her clit.

  She reached for Wraith, cupping his head and flexing her hips. She slid her free hand into Spike’s hair, the soft strands tickling her palm. And then she moved south, her fingers tracing a quick line toward his cock as their kiss deepened and heat flared inside her. Wraith pressed a finger into her, and she moaned, her body aching with the slow way he played with her.

  Before she could reach Spike’s cock, he grabbed her hand and pressed it to the mattress. He nipped her bottom lip and said, “I’m wound so tight if you touch me, I’m not going to last. We want you to feel good.”

  “I already do,” she said, closing her eyes as Wraith added a second finger, slipping them in and out of her heat as he flicked his tongue lazily over her clit.

  “You first, always,” Spike said with a low growl.

  “Okay, I fell in love with you a little bit right now,” she said, grinning up at him.

  Wraith lifted from her pussy and let out a soft growl. She lifted her head to look at him and smiled. “You too.”

  “Good,” he said, lowering his head. She dropped her head back to the pillow with a groan and rubbed her foot along Wraith’s back. He was driving her crazy with need, but he wasn’t doing anything that was going to send her over the edge anytime soon.

  “I think she wants to come, brother,” Spike said. He leaned in and brushed his lips over hers. “Don’t you, kaia?”

  “You did just promise I could come first,” she said, her voice slipping into a deep moan as Wraith twisted his hand, his fingers rubbing along her walls as he sucked and licked her clit.

  Spike nuzzled her neck. “Come for us.”

  Her body heated and her stomach flipped as Spike bent to take one of her nipples into his mouth, rubbing his thumb along the other. She fisted both of their hair, lifting her hips, and tilting slightly until Wraith was hitting exactly where she needed to fly over the edge. She let out a moan, stars flashing in her vision as pleasure hit her.

  She cried out, shuddering through a powerful climax. And then Wraith was over her and in her, his thick cock sliding home inside her. Spike eased away, keeping one hand playing with her breasts as his brother fucked her.

  Wraith snarled, his eyes going pale blue and fangs elongating in his mouth. Suddenly she wished they were anywhere but in an abandoned house and hiding from a crazy fairy and equally crazy vampire.

  “I wish I could be yours,” she said, curling her legs over Wraith’s hips and meeting his thrusts.

  “You. Are,” he snarled.

  “I mean in truth, marked,” she said, her breath getting pounded out of her by his thrusts.

  Spike tweaked her nipple and she looked at him. “We will as soon as it’s safe. We fucking want you to be ours in truth too.”

  Wraith leaned down and kissed her, drawing her attention back to him. He curled over her, his thrusts driving her up the bed, until they both had to brace a hand to keep her head from hitting the headboard. He lifted from her lips and let out a roar as he came, his cock thickening inside her. He thrust a few more times before burying himself deeply in her and dropping his head to her neck.

  The headboard cracked as he gripped it tighter. “Mine.” He kissed her neck and she hugged him close.

  “You’re mine too.”

  Wraith slipped from the cradle of her hips and moved to the side, and a heartbeat later, she and Spike were making love. Their bodies joined tightly together while Wraith kissed and touched her. It was the sexiest thing she’d ever done in her life, and she was glad she’d never had a three-way with anyone else but her mates. When she came a second time and Spike followed her into bliss, she marveled at the strange twist of fate that had brought them together.

  The sun was rising when they were snuggled under the blanket, her wedged between them, the early morning light streaming through the window. The front door opened and closed.

  “That’s Thorn coming in from his patrol. Blade will go out now, then I’ll take a turn,” Wraith said.

  Eynd yawned. “Okay. I guess the horseshoes worked.”

  Spike kissed her shoulder. “It seems so. But don’t worry, our brothers are watching out for us while we rest.”

  She brought his hand up to her lips for a kiss and looked at the magical tattoo that signified his oath to Dargan. She yawned a second time, kissed the mark, and closed her eyes. Unlike earlier, she had no trouble falling asleep with her sexy mates and was soon drifting off to a dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Spike stepped out of the house when he heard the van return. Blade and Chasm had gone for food. They hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Aubriella. Either the horseshoes worked or she was still injured from when Blade had hit her with the van. Either way, he was glad for the reprieve. He heard Eynd’s soft voice from inside the house, and his bear longed to be with her. Even this distance rankled his beast. They weren’t fully mated yet, and he wanted that to happen as soon as possible.

  He opened the door and let Chasm in first. He was carrying large paper sacks. Blade leaped up onto the porch. “No sign of her while we were out. Any trouble here?”

  “No,” Spike said. “The sooner we can get to the club, the better, and get this over with. Then we can fortify Eynd’s house and settle in.”

  She’d told them about her house on the water and he was intrigued by it. They hadn’t had a real home in a hundred years. More than that actually. He hadn’t felt at home—or at peace—since their parents died and he and his brothers set off on their own. He hadn’t anticipated a life of crime and becoming hired hitmen for vampires, but they’d been desperate to take any job for any amount of money. Before long, they’d earned their reputation as coven killers and oathed themselves to their first vampire master.

  He rubbed the tattoo on the top of his hand.

  “We don’t have the knife,” Blade said, glancing at his hand.

  “Yeah, that crossed my mind. We’ll find one on the dark web or hit up the underground bazaar in Toledo.”

  They needed a bloodstone blade to sever the oath to Dargan, along with supplies to perform the spell to oath themselves to Eynd. Chasm would design the new tattoos for them—one for him and Wraith for Eynd, and one for Blade, Thorn, and Chasm for Mishka. Assuming the male wanted them to oath themselves to him and join the coven as protectors.

  If Mishka didn’t want them to be part of the coven, then they’d have to make some other choices.

  “Good. I’m fucking starving.” Blade clapped him on the shoulder and then headed into the house.

  Spike followed, closing and locking the door. He found Eynd sitting on the kitchen counter and talking quietly to Wraith while Chasm unpacked the food and set the Styrofoam containers on the table.

  “I got omelets, pancakes, and bacon for everyone, plus juice cartons,” Chasm said.

  “Looks delicious,” Eynd said, hopping from the counter. “Thanks for running out.”

  “My pleasure,” Chasm said as he set the bags on the floor for the trash. “Sunset’s in an hour, so we should get on the way as soon as we’re able.”

  “Agreed,” Spike said. They pulled chairs around the table and everyone tucked into their food. He was starving since they hadn’t eaten anything except the sandwiches. Being on the run sucked.

  “Tell us what to expect with Mishka,” Spike said. “We researched him before we came to Cleveland so that Dargan would know what he was up against. Mishka’s got a reputation for being a fair master, willing to kill to keep his people safe. He’s a hell of a lot more moral than Dargan, that’s for damn sure.”

  “He’s been in Cleveland for a few decades. I’ve been working for him for ten years,” she said, spearing a wedge of omelet and eating. “He’s going to be pissed on several fronts. First because I was kidnapped from the garage, when no one is supposed to be able to get into it. Second, because Jason is alive, and third, because Dargan is behind everything.”

  “Aubriella’s abilities negated everything your Wiccan did to keep the coven safe. The witch glass and other protections didn’t faze her at all,” Thorn said.

  “I didn’t even know there were dark fairies,” Eynd said. “I mean, I know there are assholes in every type of supernatural group, but dark fairy magic isn’t something I’m familiar with.”

  Spike cut up his pancakes and grabbed a second syrup cup. “We hadn’t either until we met her. Dargan saved her life. Some fairies killed her family to take over their territory and nearly killed her too. She opened a portal and ran into Dargan, and he killed the soldiers who’d come after her. She’s a wild card with a hair trigger. You never know what she might do in any given situation, which makes her particularly dangerous.”

  Eynd nodded. “The bringing Jason back from the dead thing is what gets me. Mishka and the coven have to be scrambling right now.”

  “I’m sure they are,” Thorn said. “It was probably a relief when he died.”

  “For sure,” she said with a sigh. “But why is he working with Dargan?”

  “When she met Jason, Aubriella portrayed herself as a Wiccan who hated vampires for killing her family. She used a similar story to his to gain his trust, and then she’d proven herself to be valuable to Jason. So when he was brought to Dargan, he went along with it,” Wraith said.

  Eynd gave them a curious look. “You don’t trust him though.”

  “Would you?” Blade asked with a snort.

  “Hell no, he’s nuts.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Spike sobered and said, “We told Dargan that Jason was too volatile to use as an ally. He’s the sort of male who wouldn’t think twice about killing someone who helped him. Dargan tends to feel invincible because of us and Aubriella, and although he hasn’t shared his entire end game with us, he does plan to use Jason to get to Mishka, to be the face of the person trying to drive him out of Cleveland.”

  “Well, he did before Eynd shot that all to hell,” Chasm said.

  “Ah, right,” she said with a chuckle. “Would Dargan cut his losses with Jason and kill him?”

  “Nah, even if Mishka now knows that Dargan was behind your abduction and that he and Jason are working together, he wouldn’t kill him so soon after having him brought back. Aubriella would be pissed,” Chasm said.

  “Good point,” Spike said. “So we have to watch out for both of them. We know that Jason wants Mishka out of Cleveland, but he also wants him to pay for his sister and brother dying and that tells us that his intention is to kill Mishka and probably Harmony since she killed Olive and Aeryn who killed Sean. Dargan just wants to take over the Cleveland coven.”

  Eynd hummed and finished the last bite of her omelet. “So when it comes to vampires and their traditions, what Dargan should’ve done is legally challenge Mishka to take over the coven. They’d battle and someone would be the winner. Probably Mishka because he’s hella dangerous, but Dargan’s clearly no slouch in the dangerous department. Why all this cloak and dagger bullshit?”

  They were all silent, mulling over her words. Wraith spoke first. “In the long run, Dargan’s power hungry and filled with vengeance. He nearly died when he tried to take over a coven not too long ago and that was with our help and Aubriella’s. Mishka is far more dangerous than that male was, and he’s also managed to surround himself with crazy-powerful people, like Brone and Cyrus and Kelly.”

  “Kelly’s not powerful,” Eynd said. “She’s an immortal human, but she’s young.”

  “She’s a descendant of the Aramnapor’s,” Chasm said. “That makes her powerful in her own right, vampire or not. Plus she’s related to the Pegasus shifter.”

  “Good point,” Eynd said. She wiped her hands on the napkin and balled it in her fists. “So we’ll meet with Mishka and tell him everything about Dargan and Jason, and then he’ll either tell us to take a hike or give us a medal for bringing him such valuable information.”

  “There’s no in between?” Wraith asked.

  “Not with him. I’m honestly not sure how he’ll react to you guys. We might be mates,” she said, gesturing between them, “but I’m not the mate to all five of you and he might see that as a liability. I don’t live at the club, but I have the highest security clearance. He may see you as a threat still, and I don’t know what that will mean for my employment.”

  “We were wondering that too,” Spike admitted.

  She gave him a sweet smile. “I don’t take our being mates lightly. If he doesn’t want me working in the daytime for him anymore because of you guys, if he doesn’t see you as valuable warriors for the coven because of your past, then we’ll find something else.”

  He appreciated how easily she included them in her life. He would do that for her in a heartbeat, but he didn’t really have anything. It had been just him and his brothers for so long, just blood and ash and death for decades upon decades. A future without death at their hands wasn’t something he’d thought he’d see for a long time.

  “We’re with you no matter what,” Wraith said.

  “Us too,” Thorn said, “but not in a romantic way of course. You’re our sister and part of our clan.”

  “Well, we need to do the ceremony first,” Spike said. “But technically, yes, you’re a clan member now. The Shadows don’t exist as they did before you came to us, and we can all forge a new path. Together.”

  “I’ll be glad to end our oath to Dargan,” Chasm said. He snapped the lid closed on his empty container and stood. “Aubriella is a pain in the ass.”

  Conversation slipped to stories of how nuts the female fae was. Spike looked across the table at Eynd and smiled. She returned it, her eyes dancing with happiness. She might be on the verge of losing her job with the coven, but she didn’t seem fazed by it.

  When the food was gone and the to-go containers tossed in the outside trash, they cleaned up and headed to downtown Cleveland to meet up with the coven master. Spike was not looking forward to meeting the male now that things had changed. Mishka was famously untrusting. He gave people one chance and then they were on his list. It’s one of the reasons he thought they might have to find other employment, for them and Eynd. He didn’t like the idea of her losing anything simply because she was mated to two-fifths of a dangerous shifter group.

  It was out of his control though. Whatever happened, happened. He wouldn’t be sorry for finding his mate.

  * * *

  They reached the club an hour after sunset. Spike drove the panel van and Eynd sat in the passenger seat. She was chewing her thumbnail and staring out the side window when they pulled into the employee parking lot. He drove to the entrance of the garage where a troll was standing guard in front of a gate arm with swipe-card access.

  Eynd put down her window. “Hi, Bheel! I don’t have my swipe card. Can you buzz us in? We’re supposed to meet with Mishka.”

  The big troll lumbered over and bent, staring in the van through her open window. He looked at all of them, his big brow furrowing. He shook his head.

 

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