When Olivia Martin woke up this morning, she thought she was walking into a situation that would take her choices away, take away her reason for living. She would be a blood slave, blood bag, however anyone would refer to her. It was a choice she did not want to make, or participate in. Ever. Two hours ago, she walked through the doors to the coven and faced her destiny. She did not expect to see her destiny, however, dressed in high-end suits as if they just left a runway, and for there to be five vampires.
How the hell did this happen? How would she cater to five different vampires in one house? Five men equaled five sets of personalities, six including hers.
Did they expect to feed from her at the same time?
One every hour on the hour?
One each day of the week?
Sex. Holy hell what about sex? Was she expected to have sex with all five of them?
The car ride from the pairing was quiet and awkward. Should she talk? Should they talk? Should she tell them her favorite color is blue? Or she loved the sunset when the sky was pink and orange? That she had never been to Disney?
The limo was dark inside, and she sat in silence with five of the most attractive men she had ever laid eyes on. The ice in her drink clinked and damn, she realized she would need a refill quickly. She was given a vodka and tonic upon her request and currently she sipped on melted ice.
Jared, the first one she'd met tonight, had dark hair and chocolate brown eyes. He had this sex appeal about him the screamed Bond, like a secret agent. He was calm, cool, and laid back. She imagined sitting in his lap while he sipped from her neck, a hand in her panties.
She licked her lips and when he met her gaze, she gasped and quickly adverted her gaze. Had he just read her thoughts? She pressed her lips together and dared another glance. She caught him chuckling and the smile reached his eyes.
She grinned and looked at the man next to him, who Jared introduced to her as his brother, Jake.
Where Jared was smooth and calm, Jake appeared to be more on the reckless side. Olivia imagined him riding on a Harley down the strip, grinning, while the wind blew through his long, russet hair. His eyes were the same brown as Jared’s, and Jake had a tattoo in Italian, ‘famiglia’, below it a cross and behind it, thorn vines. It was striking. She met his gaze and realized he had been watching her appraisal.
“You like what you see?” he asked her in a gruff, sexy voice.
She cleared her throat. “I like your tattoo.”
He glanced down to it and nodded. “Got it before I was turned.”
Jared cleared his throat and Jake looked at his brother.
She wasn’t sure what was passing between them but felt it best to let it go.
“Thank you for speaking up for me,” Olivia offered.
Jared leaned forward, grasped her chin, and tilted her head up. She met his gaze and once again, gasped. He leaned in so close, oh so close.
“You are welcome,” he whispered. “I liked you when I first saw you before the doors even opened. I could not let such a precious jewel be tainted by the hands of one who would not appreciate her value.”
Her insides melted at his words and she smiled. “Thank you.”
He let her go and leaned back in his seat. “You never have to thank me. It is us, who should thank you.”
“Thank me?” she asked. “Why would you ever need to thank me?”
“For offering your blood to us,” came the baritone voice of one named Landon. Oh, Landon, he was absolutely sex set aflame with confidence of a man who knew how to handle a woman. His hair, black as midnight, curled slightly in its natural state, and sat just brushing his shoulders. He had what sounded like an Italian accent.
“I do not mean offense to this,” she said in a soft voice. “But I do not really have a choice in the matter.”
Jared raised a brow. “You always have a choice, Olivia. We all do. No one in this car will take blood from you without your approval. No one will attempt sex with you without your approval. No one will make you feel inferior. No one will do anything to you that would impact your relationship with us. That, Olivia, is a promise.” Jared rested one arm over the seat of the car and motioned to the blond man in their group.
Ethan, as he called himself, offered a bottle to Jared. What was in the bottle? Booze? Blood? Do vampires bottle blood?
Olivia glanced over to the last one in the car, Aidan. His skin was like the finest of chocolates. His eyes were a light tan, almost golden color. He smirked at her, which she returned with a smile. He had this suaveness about him. She imagined him in a club, talking to three to four ladies at a time. End of the night, he would have them all go to his hotel room, together. But this was a first impression of him, not necessarily who he was.
But, then again, here they were, all six of them. One woman, five men.
A cool touch on her hand startled her, and it was Ethan. He smiled and handed her a glass, fresh with ice, vodka, and tonic. “You should not have to sip on the ice. Here you go.” He took the empty glass from her.
“Thank you,” she whispered, and drank almost the entire contents in one swallow. He was nice to think of her. She smiled and decided to sip on the rest.
The car turned a corner and pulled into a gated driveway. Her heart sped in rhythm and she wondered briefly if they could hear it beat. Did their hearts beat? Were they still alive? Did they have their own blood? Could they produce children?
The notion of a nursing vampire baby piercing her nipple made her cringe.
No, thank you.
Ouch.
The gate opened slowly and the car pulled through. They rode down the long drive, which felt like the Green Mile, again. As the limo pulled into the garage, Olivia’s breath hitched in her chest. They were here.
Holy hell, they were here.
The car turned off and the dome light came on.
Florescent lights were never forgiving, no matter how hot someone appeared to be. You could be going to the club or coming from the club. Florescent lights ruined any kind of sex appeal.
Except for vampires.
Even under the harsh lights, the men in front of her were still stunning. She met their gazes, all eyes focused on her. She was a lamb in front of lions for the slaughter. Olivia fisted her hands by her sides and lowered her gaze. Her throat began to close on her and she coughed.
“Olivia,” came a demanding voice that belonged to a man who had power. His power could dominate a room with a single command. It was Jared. “Breathe,” he told her.
A hand smoothed down her back and she inhaled a sharp breath.
“You’re safe. Please, trust us. No one will hurt you here.”
She regarded the voice next to her. It was not the demanding one. This one was softer, elegant. It was Aidan. She stared into his golden eyes. He smiled at her, cupped her chin and tilted it up slightly.
“There you go. Just breathe. You’ll be just fine. Keep breathing.”
She nodded a slow nod and felt herself calming. She'd dated one man at a time in her past, but her present now had five vampires who would require her blood as sustenance to survive. How could she breathe and pretend all of this was okay?
She lowered her gaze to her lap and opened her palms. She'd dug her nails into her hands hard enough to draw blood. Fear sent a chill snaking down her spine.
Fuck me.
Blood and I’m in a car full of vampires!
Shit!
She lifted her gaze up fast and met Jared’s gaze.
He frowned and tilted his head. “What’s wrong?” he asked her.
“Did you forget something at your home?” Jake asked. “We can have it fetched.”
“I think we need to give her a minute,” Aidan answered them and sat back. “She has a bit of a wound on her hands that needs treating.”
“What the hell?” Jared growled and reached for her arm.
She expected him to grab and manhandle her. Instead, he gently took her arm and turned her palm over in his hand. He shook his head, then looked into her eyes.
“We have a first aid kit in the house. Come on,” he said as the door to the limo opened.
What the hell took so long?
A hand reached in and she paused.
“Miss Martin?” came the voice of the driver.
She slipped her hand into his grasp and he helped her step out. She blinked at him. “Ted?”
He grinned. “Nice to see you again, Olivia.”
“I didn’t know you drove for them.”
“When you were picked as their concubine, I was part of the package.”
“As was I,” came another familiar voice.
She turned around and found Jesse. It was like having two friends join her in her new life. Well, something like friends. Jesse might be good to have around. Maybe. Maybe not. Time would tell.
She thought of her friend, Tawne. If Jesse were single, she would have to hook them up. Tawne was a friend she'd known since Kindergarten. Tawne was not aware of Olivia’s future as a blood demon, or what her future entailed. When her pairing came of age, Olivia was instructed to severe ties with her family and friends. The excuse had been studying college abroad. Permanently.
Ted and Jesse moved to the trunk of the car and began to pull out Olivia’s suitcases. She turned back to the car and Jared stood before her, at his full height, towering above her.
“Jesus you’re tall,” she whispered.
He chuckled.
“Oh shit, I said that?” she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Real nice.
He smirked and nodded. “It’s okay.” He stared at her body, focusing on her breasts for a moment, then her waist, her thighs, calves, then moved back up to her eyes. In some instances, someone undressing her with their eyes creeped her out. This was not one of those times. She became wet with need and bit her lip.
Jake stood from the car, followed by Ethan. Both men were as tall as Jared. Jake stood to the left of Jared, Ethan to his right. They were like a trifecta of sex. Jared held his hands in front of him, Ethan had his hands on his hips, and Jake pushed his into his pockets.
Add in two more sex pistols named Landon and Aidan.
Olivia felt faint and took a step back. She felt the blood rush from her head and began to see spots.
“She’s about to go down,” came the concerned voice of one of the men.
Her knees gave out and just before she hit the ground, a set of thick, muscular arms grabbed her body and blackness took her sight.
“She’s coming to.”
“Bring the water over. She’ll need to drink something.”
“Maybe some crackers?”
“She didn’t donate blood.”
“Not yet,” someone chuckled, followed by, “Ow! Was it necessary to slap my head?”
“Fuck yes, you moron. She fainted being in our presence. Teasing about taking her blood is not helping matters.”
Olivia opened her eyes, batting her lashes a few times to clear the fog from her vision. She found Jared staring down Jake.
“Did you just joke about me donating my blood to you?”
Jared turned to her and shook his head. “No, love. That was not me.” He took a seat next to her and took her hand. “Are you all right? Here, we have some water for you.”
Ethan handed her a glass of water. Jared helped her sit up. She brought the cold liquid to her lips and sipped it. The relief was instant and amazing. She needed more. As she sipped, she found five sets of eyes watching her.
She felt like a fish in a bowl. She swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Handing the glass back to Ethan, she whispered, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said and squatted down. “Do you need to eat? We have plenty of food stocked.”
“Maybe, but not yet. I just… I need to adjust. Please, all I ask is for your patience.”
Jared stood and took his brother by his arm and left the room. Olivia watched them until they disappeared. She looked back at Ethan, then Landon, and finally Aidan. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Landon asked and took a seat next to her. “You did nothing wrong.”
“I fainted. How embarrassing.”
“How about we show you to your room?” Aidan offered. He held his hand out to her.
She hesitated for a moment, then slipped her hand into his. He wore a gold ring on his index finger with a ruby in the center of it that caught her attention.
“That’s a stunning ring,” she offered.
Aidan turned their hands over and looked to it. “I received it when I was still human, from my father.”
“Oh,” she whispered. “Well, it’s beautiful.”
He looked at her and brushed the back of her hand with his lips. “You’re beautiful.”
She giggled to herself. Five men. One woman. How would she do this?
“Umm, Aidan?”
“Yes, darling?”
She grinned. “I need a few minutes to myself, if that’s okay?”
“Of course,” he told her. “When you’re ready to come out, we’ll be in the den, where we just left.”
She nodded. They ascended a flight of stairs. The stairs were hardwood, like the rest of the floors. The walls were white with art work from a few artists she recognized. Vases, art pieces, and a few statues. She never knew anyone who had a statue.
Once they reached the top, they took a right turn and three doors down, Aidan opened a door. “Here you go. The room has been made up for you. It’s yours now. Feel free to redecorate it as you wish, or leave it be. It’s completely up to you, and it’s yours.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered. The room was large, the size of the living room of her rental home. A king-sized, four poster bed with a sheer canopy sat in the center of the room. Each poster had a rod leading to the next. The canopy sheer twisted up each poster pole to the top, swiped once over each rod, then twisted down the next rod. It was stunning and silver. The bedcover matched the canopy sheer.
The room had a dresser, chest of drawers, a wardrobe, and a closet. Next to the dresser were her suitcases. She crossed the room and opened the closet door, then gasped. The closet was the size of a small bedroom. In the center sat a bench. Each side had shoes racks filled with shoes in her size. Heels to flats to runners; she had shoes of every style and color she could only imagine.
Dresses were on one side, tops another, pants another. It was all too much.
She turned to face a smiling Aidan, and found Jared and Jake had joined him.
“This is too much,” she argued.
“Nonsense,” Jared told her and stepped into the closet with her. “We wanted you comfortable and to want for nothing.”
“Well, I’m pretty sure that was achieved.”
He chuckled. “If there’s anything you need that’s not here—”
“My cat,” she interrupted. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but my cat, Sherlock.”
“Oh, sorry, we can’t do a cat,” Jake chided.
Jared lifted a brow and turned to face his brother. “What?”
“Remember? I’m allergic.” Jake told him.
“Seriously?” she asked. “Vampires have allergies?”
Jake grinned. “Nah, I’m kidding. Your cat is on his way.”
She shook her head.
So, Jake is a jokester.
Good to know.
Jared seems a bit hardened.
Polar opposites.
“Right,” she took a few steps toward the closet door. The men in there stood and did not move. She raised her brows and smiled.
“Oh,” Jared moved first and chuckled. “Sorry, we’ll, umm, get out of your hair. When you’re ready for breakfast, come on downstairs.”
“Breakfast?” she asked.
He glanced to his watch and nodded. “It’s going on three am.”
“Holy hell,” she whispered, then yawned. Exhaustion hit when she realized the time.
“See you in a while,” Jake offered.
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Aidan followed up and was the first to leave the room. Jake behind him.
Jared paused in the doorway with his back to her. He glanced at her over his shoulder, tossing her a deep, gruff sounding, “Welcome home.” Then he left and closed the door behind him.
She walked over to the bed and pulled the covers down. She had intended to head downstairs, but the lure of that big, comfy looking bed changed her mind. She did not bother with pajamas. She was too exhausted to change. Instead, she stripped from her clothes and climbed into the cool sheets. As soon as her head hit the pillow, sleep pulled her under.