When Olivia considered becoming a pastry chef, she knew there would be occasions of making cupcakes, wild cakes, and oddly shaped wedding cakes. As she stood in her new gourmet style kitchen, she pulled the straps of an apron around her body and tied it. The white material had cotton type lace around the edge of it. It reminded her of something someone’s grandmother would wear. She found it cute.
She lost track of time and the world she was in when she baked. Today was no exception. She had spent time with everyone, except Jared, but he would definitely be soon. Considering him the leader of her stable, she found him fitting a red velvet cupcake. Atop it, cream cheese ice cream with a chocolate ganache colored blood red. She tilted her head as she inspected her dessert and grinned.
“Perfect,” Olivia whispered.
“Ooh, that looks so yummy!”
Turning toward the kitchen entrance, a woman stepped in she did not recognize. Tall and medium build, sandy blonde hair, and a smile that instantly drew one in as a friend.
“Hello,” Olivia said and moved toward her. “Who are you?”
“I’m Megan, concubine to the vampires Enzo and Malcom.” Megan held her hand out for Olivia.
Olivia wiped her hand on her apron then shook Megan’s hand. “It’s very nice to meet you. Are your friends here as well?”
Megan nodded. “Jared called Enzo and asked us to make a stop by. I think they wanted you and I to meet. You know, concubine to concubine.”
Olivia smirked. “Well, you’re just in time, then.” She motioned to a barstool for Megan to sit. “I don’t mind you watching, but baking, I prefer to work alone. I get in my zone, you know?”
“Totally,” Megan told her and took a seat. “So…five vampires?”
That didn’t take long.
“Yeah, I didn’t know coming into this.” She shifted her gaze up at Megan and smirked, then picked up a blond coconut cupcake. She piped caramel icing on it, then topped it with crunchy coconut. She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed the cupcake for a moment, then nodded.
“Are you making a cupcake for each guy?”
Olivia grinned and nodded. “It helps get me out of my head, if just for a while.”
“I read to do that. Then, when my guys need to feed, it generally takes them a few hours.”
Olivia raised her brows and mouth opened in surprise. “Hours? For two to feed on you?”
Megan grinned and raised a wicked brow. “Oh no, honey, the feeding is merely moments. It’s the sex that follows that is mind-blowing and takes hours.”
Olivia closed her mouth and swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.
Hours?
Five of them?
How can I do that?
Can my body sustain for five?
It would be like a damn marathon!
Megan giggled. “Honey, they wouldn’t push all five dongs in you at once.”
Olivia laughed out loud. “Did you seriously just say dong?”
Megan shrugged. “Yep. Sure did.” She winked at Olivia. “You know they would not expect you to take them on all at once.”
Olivia shook her head and picked up her next cupcake, a peach flavored one. She grabbed the piping bag with cinnamon icing and smeared it over the top. She sat it down and laid a few jellied peach candies she made prior to the baking marathon. She put one on top of the cupcake, handed one to Megan, then popped one in her mouth. She nodded at her work so far.
“So far, who do we have?” Megan asked.
Olivia pointed to the red velvet. “Jared. The coconut is Ethan. This peach one is Jake. I made a blood orange dreamsickle for Landon, and peanut butter cheesecake that I stuffed with brownie ice cream for Aidan.”
“Umm, where is the last one? I need this in my life.” Megan chuckled.
Olivia laughed with her and put the other two cupcakes on display, topped them, and pushed them in front of Megan.
“My men…in cake form.”
Megan ran her finger through the peanut butter cheesecake and licked it off. “It’s so good. You have a gift.”
“Thank you,” Olivia said. “Too bad the guys wouldn’t enjoy eating them.”
“You know, if you offered, they would eat them because you made them.”
Olivia smiled. “As sweet as the sentiment would be, they still would not enjoy it. I imagine it would be like eating dirt rather than having blood.”
Megan wrinkled her nose. “Nasty.”
Olivia took off her apron and walked around the counter and sat down next to Megan. “I do have some questions.”
Megan nodded and shifted on her seat to face her. “Fire away.”
“How long have you been their concubine?”
“Umm, going on five years,” she told her.
“Weren’t you scared going in?” Olivia asked.
She shook her head no. “Not at all. I was prepared for this after I became a teenager. My mom understood what my life was meant for. She was setup to enjoy her life once I was paired.”
“Whoa, they bought her silence?” Olivia asked.
Megan smirked and shook her head. “No, not quite. Each Incubus is registered with the coven. In order for the vampires to continue living, they require a blood demon.” She pointed between the two of them. “Case in point.”
Olivia nodded. “So, there’s a chance I could find out who impregnated my mother?”
Megan shrugged. “Possibly. Most pregnancies are documented when the Incubus reports who they slept with. But, I’ll be honest, the records are so convoluted it’s hard to know who fucked who and who parented who.”
Olivia sat back a little. Disgust overcame her and she sneered. “I don’t really want to think about who slept with my mom. I’d just like to know, maybe, who my father was.”
“Did they have the information at your pairing?”
Olivia shook her head no. “Unfortunately not. Everything was so rushed, I didn’t get a chance to even ask. I kind of felt like a fish looking out from the bowl. So many wanted to buy me and take me home, but only one lucky person could win the goldfish.”
“Weird analogy, but I get it. I still remember my pairing. Enzo was there and offered me his hand. I took it and the next day, I found out about Malcolm. At least you knew going in.”
Olivia snorted. “No, I actually didn’t. Jared offered his hand and the other four surrounded us. I had no idea until it was already done.”
Megan shook her head with a sly smile. “Damn, girl, to be in the middle of all that hotness!”
Olivia felt herself blush and she folded her hands on the countertop. “I’ve only spent one on one time with them. Well, not yet with Jared, but he’s next.” She glanced at Megan, then leaned in. In a whisper, she asked, “Does it hurt?”
“Does what hurt? The bite or the sex?”
Olivia shrugged. “Both, I suppose. I mean, I’ve had sex, but not with a vampire. They tell me it won’t hurt when they bite, but I’m scared of needles. I look at them and see ten needles waiting to penetrate my skin. My heart beats all wild and I feel anxiety shoot through my veins.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what to do to get out of my own head.”
Megan reached for Olivia’s hand, giving it a small squeeze. “Honey, it doesn’t hurt. Before they bite, they will lick your skin. Something in their saliva will numb your skin. So, when they bite? No pain. Actually, it’s quite erotic, if I may say so myself.”
Olivia raised her brows. “Really?”
Megan nodded. “You know how it feels when they kiss your neck, lick your nipple? Suck on your earlobe? It’s hot, right?” Olivia nodded and bit her lip. “Well? It’s like that, but a hundred times more! The sensations are out of this world incredible! They will give you the most extreme orgasm you have ever experienced, and that’s before sex!”
Olivia thought back to the pool with Aidan.
Is Megan right?
Am I holding out because I’m scared?
“There is another option, though you may not like it.”
“What’s that?” Olivia asked.
“They can bring in a volunteer. When a concubine loses her vampire, they are basically like a heroin addict. Once they’ve tasted their vampire’s blood, it is hard to be released back into general public. It’s cruel. So, they are brought to the coven to live out their lives as volunteers. When vampires need a fix before they’re paired, these volunteers are offered up. However, now that they have you, they have no need for a volunteer, but if they don’t feed soon, they won’t have much of a choice.”
Considering this, Olivia placed her hands in her lap. She had options outside of giving her blood to her stable. She could bite the bullet, so to speak, and allow them to feed on her, or have them bring in a volunteer and she watch what occurs.
“I may want to watch the first time, so I know what I’m in for,” Olivia said.
Megan raised her brows. “Are you positive?”
Olivia nodded. “Yeah, why?”
“Well,” Megan started and her voice pitched a little higher on the end of her word. “You may be shocked at how you react once you see them feed on another blood demon.”
“What, like jealousy?”
“Something like that. Maybe more like territorial.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I mean, we’ve not shared anything yet.” She felt like everything she had learned so far was thrown away. She sighed and tried again. “Let me clarify. We have shared stories, a few stolen kisses, some pool time,” she blushed.
Megan giggled. “It doesn’t take much of their touch to bring you to orgasm.”
She grinned and waved off the statement. “We’ll see. I’d like to have a volunteer come in first so I can see what happens.”
“Well, I’ll make sure Jared is ready to catch you when you fall.”
Olivia frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Megan grinned. “You’ll see.”
The doorbell rang and Olivia took a seat in a chair Jared had brought out for her. She was setup in the fountain room and she crossed her legs. Landon walked into the room with a woman who had the appearance of a Cosmo magazine model. Her hair was blonde, pulled into a messy bun. Her makeup was applied lightly and she sported sunglasses on her face. She was tall and slender. She wore a black cocktail dress fitted to her body.
Olivia felt a little taken aback. When she heard these volunteers were addicted to blood, she assumed someone who looked like they were pulled off the street dirty would enter their home. Instead, in came Audrey Hepburn, incarnate.
The woman pulled off her glasses and whispered something to Landon, and he smiled at her. She took a seat a few feet from Olivia. The woman nodded at her and held out her hand.
“Hi, my name is Candace. Nice to meet you.”
Olivia looked at her hand, expecting to see marks from fangs up and down her bare arm, but only saw smooth skin. She shook the woman’s hand. “Olivia. Nice to meet you.”
“So, you’re new to all this?”
Olivia nodded then crossed her arms over her chest. She began to grow uncomfortable with this situation. Was Megan right, or did she place false thoughts in her head?
Landon stood to the side of Candace. He winked at Olivia and she winked back at him. A moment later, Jared, Jake, Ethan, and Aidan walked into the open area. The room was silent except for the sound of the water in the fountain, and Olivia’s heartbeat. It thumped in her head and sped up the moment the rest of her men joined the room.
Her men.
Her stable.
Mine.
Candace situated herself in her seat and appeared to be overcome with joy. Olivia stared at the woman before her and found her first flaw; her eyes were dark and sunken. Olivia raised her brows to this. Maybe she really was an addict. Candace then raised her arms in the air. Landon took one, Jake the other. Jared moved behind her and tilted her head to the side. Aidan kneeled in front of her and Ethan kneeled at her side.
Jared bent down and his lips parted barely a breaths distance from Candace. Then, his gaze made contact with Olivia.
A rumble vibrated in Olivia and she realized she was growling.
Aidan pushed Candace's legs apart and licked up the inside of her thigh.
Landon licked her inner arm. Jake the same on the other.
Olivia’s body shook. She fisted her hands and closed her eyes.
“No,” came a heavy, thick voice. “You will watch and not close your eyes.”
Olivia opened her eyes at Jared. He fisted the woman’s hair in his hands and she moaned in anticipation. Not one of the vampires had penetrated her skin.
Defiant, Olivia huffed and looked the other way.
Another growl filled the air and as if it were a threat, Olivia stood and growled back, but louder. She stalked across the floor toward her stable of men. She held Jared’s gaze and did not waver. As Landon lifted Candace’s arm to bite, Olivia slapped her hand over the woman’s arm.
“No.” She then shifted her stare to Landon. “Mine.” She did the same to Jake. Both men took a step back and they smirked.
Olivia grabbed Aidan by his shoulder and pushed him back, then moved herself in between him and Candace. Ethan had already backed away the moment she approached.
She then caught Candace’s manic gaze. It was filled with need. She also had tears in her eyes.
“Please,” the woman whispered.
The glamour, the makeup, all of it wore through and the real addict surfaced.
“Please!” Candace screamed. Her voice echoed through the home.
Olivia shifted her gaze up to Jared once more. “Release her,” she said in a low voice. “Now.”
Jared grinned and let go of Candace’s hair. He took a step back and the woman cried out. She took a swipe at Olivia, but she was too fast. Olivia caught her arm and shoved it away. She then grabbed Candace by her cheeks and came down to her, nose to nose.
“This is my house. This is my stable. These are my stallions. You will leave before I ruin you forever. Get out of my house. Now.”
Candace quickly got to her feet and sobbed. She wiped at her eyes and shook her head. “I lost my vampire. I have nothing!”
Olivia took a few steps toward her. A part of her felt sorry for the woman, but the rest of her wanted to hurt her. If an addict takes claim on something that is not theirs, you may never get it back. Olivia staking her claim on her men secured that for her. She reached for Candace and squeezed her arms, gently.
“You need to get help. I bet there are programs—”
“Programs for who? Blood demons who are now nothing but blood whores? Right.” She turned away and pushed Olivia’s hands away. “My ride is outside.” Candace looked over her shoulder and sneered. “Pray I never see you in public.”
Olivia growled and watched the woman disappear out the door. When it closed behind her, Olivia inhaled a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
Until she heard a chorus of growls behind her.
Turning around in a slow movement, all five men were lined up shoulder to shoulder. Jared in the middle, flanked by his four brothers.
Her stable.
Mine.
Olivia smirked and any fear she had prior faded away. She wanted her men. She needed to feel their hands on her body. A predatorial desire surged through her body to claim her men, and for them to claim her.
She took a few strides across the floor until she stood in front of Jared. She then looked at the men on his right, then his left. You could hear a pin hit the floor.
“I’m sorry I cost your dinner for you tonight,” she whispered.
“We need to feed,” Jared told her, his voice gravelly with desire. He reached for her and cupped the side of her head.
She leaned her face into his hand and closed her eyes. Her lips parted and she exhaled softly. “Then, let me feed you.”
“No.”
She opened her eyes. “What?”
“You’re not ready,” he told her. He let a finger glide over her cheek, down her neck, over the outline of her breast. She shivered at his touch. Jared leaned in and tilted her head up, then captured her in a kiss. He seduced her lips and with a swipe of his tongue, her mouth opened for him.
Then, he ended it. “I need you, we need you, but we need you willing and ready. Not a predator stalking her prey.”
“What?” she pulled away from him.
Jared gripped her by the back of the neck and pulled her back against him. “Don’t think we did not hear you growl, hear the dominance in your voice, hear you call us yours. We heard you, loud and clear.”
“Then, let me feed you, please.”
“Not. Yet.”
She could hear the struggle in his voice. She felt a sense of rejection overwhelm her and she sagged, then nodded.
“Meet me in my office. You and I will talk,” Jared told her. He released the hold on her neck and stepped past her. The other men stared at her for a moment, then all four went their own ways.
Olivia was left alone in the room with the fountain. She sobbed and fell to her knees.
What had just happened? She wanted them and they wanted her. Then, they walk away from her. She was ready for them.
Am I ready?
Yes, I know I’m ready.
I can do this. I need to do this.
She wiped her face and sniffed a few times, then got back to her feet. Her legs buckled but she caught herself. She knew where Jared’s office was. This would either end now and she would be released, or things would progress very quickly after their talk.
She held onto the hope for the latter.