Release, book 3 of The Angler series (18 page)

I looked to Tane
, who shrugged. “We’re really not sure of the exact mechanics.”

Rurik leveled a glare in my direction. “The last thing I remember was you leaving wit
h a stake in your hand.” His icy glare traveled to Tane. “But you’re not dust.”

“I killed Catarina.
” There. Like a Band-Aid, I ripped out the truth.

His eyebrows shot up. “And that ma
de me human? How did you make that leap of logic?” He sounded a little upset at waking up human.

I crossed my arms. “She’s your maker and told me she was still connected to you while you were dying. If killing Tane a
t this point of transformation could save you, I didn’t see why killing Catarina wouldn’t do the same.”

“Her
original plan was to kill me.” Tane rested his arm over my shoulders.

I rolled my eyes to the ceiling.
And let the payback begin. I could use less of this kind of support. “Do I look like a girl with a plan? You were transforming. Catarina said it was a fragile state where you could revert to your original form. When I realized I couldn’t kill Tane, my mind finally made the connection. I didn’t know what would happen.” I took Tane and Rurik’s hands in mine. “We’re all alive and together.”

“At a great cost.” Rurik sat up again with more care. “Venice won’t take it lightly that she’s been killed.”

Tane heaved a great sigh. “I know. I’ve been mulling over the problem.”

I looked from one male then the other. “Thanks
, Connie, for saving my rotting corpse and not using Tane to do it.” I rose and headed for the exit. They could plot Venice vampire shit without me. I needed sleep.

“She so easy to rile,” Tane whispered loud enough for me to hear.

“But she does have a point. How should we repay her?” Their tone told me I’d been played. Again. Rurik was now human, but he still had the conniving soul of a vampire.

I twisted to face them. “To start, I’d like us to v
acate this place for somewhere with running hot water and electricity.”

“Kam?” Tane shouted.

The shifter poked his head in the open doorway above mine. “Yes, Master?”

“Call my plane. Have them meet us at the Marco Polo airport.”

I grinned. “Are they still in Monte Carlo?”

He nodded. That meant luxury in a few hours. The plane
’s interior boasted a fully functioning bathroom and a queen-sized bed. A king-sized would have been too extravagant.

Tane’s smile faded. “Shit.
” He rose to his feet with an inward gaze. “I knew things were going too well. Damius is close. I can sense him.”

My gaze lurched to Rurik. “Will he still wan
t Rurik dead?” There was no second-guessing Tane’s clan.

Rurik got to his feet. His skin held a healthy glow and he seemed so alive.

I pinched him.

“Ouch, what was that for?” He rubbed his arm.

“To make sure I wasn’t dreaming.”

“You’re supposed to pinch yourself.”

“I already have enough bruises.”

Tane watched us, his expression growing more serious. “I don’t want Damius to know about Rurik’s change. Can you imagine the mayhem this will cause?” He turned his attention on me. “There are always vampires who regret
surrendering their humanity. How many would torture either of you to learn the process?”

“Torture
isn’t necessary. I’d tell them. Not like the solution is easy.”

“Don’t
ever
tell.” Rurik gave me a stern grimace. “Some will uselessly turn on their masters for this chance. There was a time I might have done it if I’d known.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t thought out the consequences
. Civil war with human collateral damage wasn’t what I wanted. “What do we do then?”

Kam returned in his human form, dressed and ready to leave.
“The plane will depart as soon as they get clearance.”

“Damius is in the city and drawing nearer to the house.” Tane pointed upstairs. “Retrieve Catarina’s ashes. I’ll greet him at the front door. Rurik, hid
e somewhere in this room so your scent stays close. Connie.” He shot me a hard glare. “You need to act like you were before staking Catarina.”

“Crazy?”  I asked Tane’s back as he left the room. I twisted to face Rurik, a tight grin on my face. “Shit.”

He met me with one of his own. “You can act. You’ve done it as bait.”

“I was dead inside when I worked for Colby
, so pretending was easy. I’ve just been through a marathon of emotions in the last few days. I’m a jumbled mess. I couldn’t fake a laugh, let alone try to—to be like I was.” Rurik didn’t know how far off the deep end I’d gone. I couldn’t revisit that.

Kam returned
, carrying a large bucket filled with ash. “Stop bickering. He’s at the door and will hear you.” He poured Catarina’s remains on Rurik’s bed.

Rurik cupped my face between his hands and stared with intensity into my eyes. “You can cry.”

I blinked. “Dumbass, you’re human. You can’t mesmerize me.” If we weren’t so under pressure, I would have kissed the stunned expression on his face. Instead, I shoved him toward the door. “Hide in the garden. Damius shouldn’t wonder if a human is spotted up there.”

He snorted as he hurried out
.

Facing Kam, I took a bracing deep breath. “Hit me.”

Without hesitation, he slapped the stupid out of me and exited the room.

Stars flashed
, and I blinked until tears laced my eyelashes. I clung to the edge of the bed as the room spun. Kam had used shifter force behind that slap. I’d think twice before asking him to do that again.

Male voices grew louder until Tane and Damius entered the room.

Dazed, I just stared at them.

Daimus assessed me from head to foot. “Your human is distressed.”

“She’s very young.” Tane gathered me in his arms and pressed my face to his chest. “Rurik was the one who found her for me.”

Something gentle
and alien brushed over my mental shield. I stiffened and gasped at the intrusion. Suddenly Tane’s presence wrapped me in a bubble.

“I’m sorry, brother, I only wished to co
nsole her.”

Tane didn’t move physically
, but mentally he had placed a wall between myself and his clan brother. “I’ll take care of my own.”

Damius touched the ashes on Rurik’s bed. “I hope you both know that this was not a personal attack. Such
disturbances need to be dealt with swiftly. Rurik’s absence in the nation will leave an echo.” He wiped the residue off his fingers. “Catarina harbored you when I was here, yet I didn’t sense your presence.”

“Of course you didn’t. I am a shadow of the
night.” Tane’s voice came out flat and cold; his acting skills outdid mine. “It’s best our clan remember that before threatening me with ultimatums again.”

Damius bowed. “Yes, your majesty. I’ll be sure to relay the message.” Was he sincere? I couldn’t tell. “Do you know of Catarina’s whereabouts?
I would have thought she’d want to be present.”

“She a
nd her nest took leave once they heard you were returning. She didn’t know how you’d react after her deception. You know we strike fear in their hearts. Two of us have proven too much for this city.”

“Very well
, I will report Rurik’s death to our clan and leave you to grieve in peace.” Damius bowed once more.

“Kam will see you out.” Tane gripped me against him until I
heard Damius’s footsteps fade to silence.

“Wait…” Tane whispered. The front door boomed closed and I sensed Tane’s
mental presence expand. “It’s safe to return, Rurik.” He spoke out loud but I knew he mentally sent that message.

Rurik returned from the gardens
and gave us a weary smile. “Thank you.”

Tane released his ho
ld on me. “You did well. Not many can move one of my brothers to pity.”

“You can g
ive Kam the credit.” I rubbed my head. “I may have a concussion.” Bending to sit on the bed, my tush never made contact since Tane scooted me toward the door.

“We aren’t staying a moment longer.
Best to leave the city before this nest returns to find their Mistress gone. The plane will have landed by the time we arrive to the airport. Let us be away from this dead place.” Tane picked up an ancient oil lamp and lifted it over his head.

I blocked his toss. “What are you doing? You’ll set the
house on fire.”

“That’s the point.” He
tucked me under Rurik’s arm. “This place is a tomb.”

“But the fire might spread to the other homes.” Human homes, families, children. “Don’t. Isn’t it enough that I took away their Lady
? Appoint someone to rule here who will help these vampires change.”

“She has a point.” Rurik removed the lamp from Tane’s hands. “This isn’t a time for carnage.”

I took Tane’s hand and dragged him the door. “I promise. You can burn down something at home.”

Rurik followed behind him and winked at me. “Now you’ll have two humans to act as you
r conscience.”

“I am spoiled.” Tane’s word dripped with sarcasm.

Kam rented a
SUV after we boated off Venice, driving us to the airport where Customs and Immigration acted as if we didn’t exist when we arrived to board Tane’s private plane.

Tane didn’t usually mas
k all of our presences from the public like he did himself (someone had to appear to be traveling), but none of us had passports. I had wanted to race straight to the shower and soak until the tanks ran dry, but the pilots wouldn’t take off if I was unsecured in the bathroom.

Instead, I prepared a
couple of Dagwood sandwiches as they taxied to the runway. Tane settled in his reclining chair with a pitcher of martini mix, and Rurik watched me make the sandwiches with a similar hunger he’d worn a few nights ago when looking at
me
.

“Hungry?”
I put together a third sandwich since I’d been making the second for Kam, who had settled by the cockpit in his usual spot.

“I think I am.”
Rurik rubbed his stomach and gave a nervous laugh. “Do you think all my organs are working properly?” His gaze traveled to his new human body. “I keep waiting for my heart to stop and me to keel over.”

I stopped layer
ing the sandwich meat Tane’s staff kept stocked for me on the plane. Keeping up with these two could be hungry work. “Don’t say that.”

His stomach growled in response. “I want cheese on mine.” He grinned. “This will take some getting use to. I went from indestructible to fragile overnight.”

I rolled my eyes. “Welcome to my world.”

Tane remained silent while sipping his martini glass
; his stare never left Rurik. I’d give everything I owned to know what was going on inside his head. Did he want to be human again? This process wouldn’t work for already existing Nosferatu.

Rurik carried the
plates to our chairs across from Tane, and I handed Kam his meal. Lap tables pulled out from the sides of the chairs so we could eat while the pilots took us away from Italy. One day, I’d like to come back and see the sights, but not for a long time. Memories needed to fade before I could face what I had done in Venice. Every life I’d taken so far had been out of self-defense. Catarina’s murder was out of pure selfishness. She’d had something I needed and she paid the price. I had crossed a line I didn’t like and wasn’t sure what that meant for the future. Maybe I really was more like Tane than Rurik.

My Nosferatu master
raised his glass to me as if making a toast. I checked my mental shields quickly, but they were still intact. He shouldn’t have gleaned my thoughts but he didn’t always need to read my mind. How I felt was probably plastered on my face.

Rurik nibbled on
a piece of meat and closed his eyes. “Better than I remember.” Then he took a huge bite and chased it with a sip of beer I had provided.

I ate more slowly, fascinated by Rurik’s focus on his
food. I wish I could have prepared something more elaborate for his first meal, but he didn’t seem to mind. From the noises he was making, he seemed to worship my Dagwood.

Kam grinned from across the room and gave me a thumbs up. From the
dark circles under his eyes, it wouldn’t surprise me if he became comatose within minutes of eating. The shifter had barely rested these last few days, trying to protect the three of us. His loyalty wouldn’t be forgotten or go unrewarded. I just had to figure out what he wanted.

The pilots came on the intercom and announced we
had reached their goal altitude so we could move about the plane.

Rurik slumped in his chair, patting his stomach. “That was quite fulfilling.”

Tane set his glass aside and leaned forward. “How?”

“It’s more a physical satisfaction than feeding from blood. I don’t feel energized but happy and a little lethargic.” Rurik glanced at me as if for
reassurance. I didn’t have any experience as a vampire but I’d drank from Tane. His description sounded solid, so I nodded.

The shower
beckoned me. I set my empty plate away and left the boys to discuss the details of eating. The plane had a living area at the front but the back half was a private bedroom with a full bathroom. Tane hadn’t spared us anything. As king, he traveled all corners of the world and this plane was sometimes the only home we had.

Hot water coursed over my skin
, feeling akin to sand blasting. I closed my eyes with my back turned to the jets and leaned my forehead against the cool white tile of the shower stall. How would we explain Rurik’s humanity when we arrived in Rio? Maybe we should call ahead and have the place cleared of Tane’s court for a few weeks until Rurik adjusted.

I gasped.
I’d have a daytime playmate. I’d have to teach him about sunscreen. We could go to the beach. Learn to surf or dive. Try some restaurants.

The door to the bathroom slid open and closed. “Rabbit?” Rurik’s silhouette filled the clouded glass of the shower stall. “Are you almost done?”

I shut off the water, my skin stinging from abuse. I pulled on a robe as I exited. “Do you need a tutorial on how to use the toilet?” I grinned at his scowl.

“I’m sure there will be a learning curve to being human once again
, but I’ll wing that one on my own when the time comes.”

“I have better uses for this.” I caressed the outside of his fly and found quite a hard package behind it.

With one arm, he pinned me to the wall and yanked my robe from my shoulders. “Why do think I’m here?” He gaze drank me in.

I shuddered at his forceful
act, still sensitive to his last attack. No fangs grew from his gums, though he remained stronger. He didn’t look at me with the hunger of a vampire but of a man deprived of his lover too long. I undid his zipper and released his hard cock.

He rested his forehead against mine, his breathing already heavy, and chuckled. “This might not take long.” Caressing my shoulders, he slowly slid his hands down my arms
, leaving a trail of goose bumps. He guided both my hands to his thick, hard cock, wrapping my fingers around his shaft.

I squeezed him tight like he enjoyed.

He hissed. “Not so rough.” Then he laughed. “Never thought I’d say that, did you?”

I eased my hold and stroked him very gently. This was a new Rurik I’d have to get to know. What would he like to eat? Would his skin burn easily after not seeing the sun in centuries?

“Everything feels new,” he whispered. “Like I’ve just been reborn but out of glass. How can you stand it, Connie?” His breathing grew more labored as I increased my stroking pace. He wrapped his hand around mine, pumping it faster and faster. “I’m so damn close.” He moved his hips in time. “After this, I’m going to fuck both of you.” With his body, he sandwiched me against the wall. “Hard.” He groaned and arched his back. Hot jets hit my stomach. He loomed over me panting.

I’d never seen him so short of breath or
so animated before. Not like this. Not like a man. His flushed face close to mine seemed more real than before.

He shuddered. “I’m a little dizzy.” He laughed. “Wow. Can you love me like this? Weak and slow and—”

“Human.” I inhaled and smelled the spiciness of him. “And so damn hot.” I ran my hands under his T-shirt. “I’ve never wanted you more than now.” I spun him around and pushed him toward the bedroom. He couldn’t be allowed to think of what he had lost. He needed to be shown what he’d gained.

We hurried toward the bed and skidded to a stop.

Tane lay on the bed, naked as the day he’d been born. “What took you so long?” He ran his hand over his bare abdomen, heading south. Not an ounce of fat impeded him. Everything about Tane screamed predator, from his sharp fangs to the hard cut of his muscles. “I heard whispered promises of being fucked.”

I crawled onto the bed on my hand
and knees, inching my way toward him.

His eyes riveted to my swaying breasts. Nothing made me feel sexier than when
my men couldn’t pull their gazes from my body.

Rurik stumbled against the bed in his haste to undress. “No fair. You both have a head start.”

Tane gave a deep-throated laugh. “From what’s on Connie’s stomach, I’d say you’re the one with the head start.” He stroked his hardening cock and dragged his gaze to Rurik. The hunger in his eyes didn’t fade. He lusted after both of us equally. “I also need to feed.”

I sat up on my knees and met Rurik’s surprised look. Tane owned two blood slaves now.
Spoiled boy. We’d all been through the wringer and our rock had been Tane.

Rurik
seemed to understand my thoughts. He joined us on the bed and cradled Tane in his arms. Their lips connected instinctively and tongues met.

Watching the thorough kiss tightened my lower abdomen so hard, so fast
, I clutched the sheets and groaned. I really liked being in bed with two men. It wouldn’t be the same if they didn’t want to touch each other. A lot of men enjoyed watching two women together. Why should I be any different with my lovers?

Tane tangled his fingers in Rurik’s hair and yanked his head back. With exposed fangs, he bit into his neck with more aggressive force than if it were me.
The sheer violence took my breath away. Hard bodies pressed against each other, fingers digging into flesh, with the strain of muscles as they almost fought each other.

Their love play was usually more aggressive together, but Tane would have to
be more careful with Rurik. Tane blindly grasped Rurik’s hardening cock and milked him.

Breathing heavy, Rurik flung his head back
, giving Tane full control while I worked my way between Tane’s legs.

He was hard enough that the head
of his cock poked past his velvety foreskin. I ran my tongue over it until his hips rolled with urgency then I thrust him in my mouth as fast and hard as I could. It choked me, but it also tore him from Rurik’s throat and made him stare at me wild-eyed.

I swallowed him once more, going slower, lingering to sense the silk over iron against my tongue.

Rurik lay next to me. He ran his thumb over my bottom lip, touching both me and Tane as I slid his cock in and out. Rurik’s mouth parted, his tongue flicking out as if imagining the taste. He leaned closer until his lips brushed Tane’s shaft, moving lower toward his balls until he sucked those in his mouth.

Tane made a strangled noise. He leaned back, supporting his weight on his arms while kneeling. This position arched his body and gave us
better access. His thighs trembled under my hands as nonsense fell from his lips.

Rurik’s hands caressed my waist. He moved them over my skin
, setting me on fire. His fingers skimmed over my underbelly until they slipped inside my core.

Three was considered the luckiest
of numbers, and I understood why. When one fell, the other two were there to catch. How could anyone fail with that kind of support? Tane and I had proven this. Jealousy didn’t have a place to root in our triumvirate because we wouldn’t let it.

We three felt…right.

I knew they’d both sacrifice everything for my happiness and I would do the same for them.

Tane jerked away fro
m us. “Enough.” He lay on his side. “Too fast.”

Before I could respond, Rurik kne
eled in front of me. Licking his lips, he offered me his cock.

I grinned and took my time to crawl closer. “You want something?”

“Very desperately.’’ He curled his fingers in my hair, bumping his tip to my mouth. “Please, Rabbit.”

I’d been with Rurik long enough to comprehend his need for control, especially in bed.
I opened my lips and relaxed into his hold.

Gently he thrust inside, working deeper into my throat.

I had to time my breathing with his rhythm or suffocate. Fingers traced my ass and I glanced at Tane laying next us, a crooked little smile on his face. His mind caressed mine.

Salty air filled my lungs and slid over my heated skin. I jerked from Rurik’s hold. We weren’t in Kansa
s anymore. I gave Tane a long blink. We were still in bed but on his mental beach. Then I jerked, glancing at Rurik. “How?”

Rurik was short of breath but gazed at our surroundings in bewilderment. “Where are we?”

“Inside Tane’s head.”

“This is where you go when he slips into your dreams?” Wide
-eyed, Rurik stared at the ocean.

“One of the places,” Tane answered. “Now you can play with us.” Tane’s appearance changed to his human form. Long
, dark hair feathered over his broad shoulders. His sun-kissed skin felt warm where it brushed against mine. “I wondered how it would feel if we were all human.”

I curled into
his inviting arms and rolled onto my back. “We weren’t asleep when we came here.”

“Nor are you. You’re just seeing what I want you to.”

“Like the airport personnel?”

He nodded and rolled on top of me
. “Are you ready for me?” The tip of his cock nudged my entrance before pushing deeper inside. He propped on his arms so Rurik and I could watch him slide into me. His thrusts grew stronger until I cried out at the end of each one.