Page 27

Ryker’s laugh was soft, but his smile? That smile could have launched a thousand supernatural ships. My heart did something completely unauthorized—a complicated gymnastics routine involving backflips and possibly a triple axel. I hadn’t even known vampire hearts could dance like that.

“I like this version of you,” he said softly. “More alive. More present. We were worried before, you know. When you’d hide away for weeks.”

My gaze drifted from his gentle eyes to his perfect lips, then inevitably to his throat where that tempting pulse played its siren song. I swallowed hard, my fangs aching with need.

Ryker tilted his head slightly, deliberately exposing more of his neck. “You can take a bite if you need to,” he murmured. “Wolf healing is remarkably efficient. Your tiny fangs wouldn’t hurt at all.”

“I amnotgoing to bite my brother,” I protested, even as my lips drifted closer to his throat. My body was definitely not taking directions from my brain anymore.

“Supernatural desires can be hard to control when you’re young,” his voice was honey-smooth, encouraging. “There’s no sin in giving in to what you need…”

My lips brushed his skin, fangs grazing ever so slightly?—

“Ryker.”

Zane’s voice cut through the kitchen like arctic wind, precise and deadly calm. His scent filled the space with alpha authority, making my head spin with competing desires.

“Step away from Luca.”

Each word was measured, controlled, but held enough power to make the air crackle with tension. This wasn’t just big brother Zane—this was Alpha Whitlock, and he wasnotpleased.

I jerked back from Ryker’s throat, but my treacherous body refused to unwrap itself from around him. If anything, my legs tightened their hold.

Oh no. Oh no, no, no.

This was not how I’d planned to start my morning.

“I would step away,” Ryker said mildly, “but our little brother seems to be experiencing some… gravitational issues.”

“I’m working on it,” I mumbled into his shoulder. “Any second now. Just as soon as my limbs remember they belong to me and not some touch-starved octopus.”

Zane moved closer, his presence making every vampire sense I possessed light up like Times Square at Christmas. “Luca.” His voice softened just slightly. “Are you alright?”

“Oh, perfectly fine!” My voice hit a pitch previously unknown to vampires. “Just practicing my… koala impression? Very important vampire prince skill. Vital for diplomatic relations. With trees.”

A sound suspiciously like a suppressed laugh came from Ryker. Zane’s eyes narrowed.

“He floated into me,” Ryker explained, his hands still respectfully steady at my waist. “Then gravity decided to make things interesting.”

“I see.” Zane was suddenly right beside us, his scent mixing with Ryker’s in a way that made my fangs ache. “And the near-biting?”

“That was… also gravity’s fault?” I offered weakly. “Very pushy, gravity. No respect for personal space. Unlike me, who is currently winning gold in the Olympic sport of inappropriate brother-clinging.”

“He’s hungry,” Ryker said simply.

“I am not—” My stomach growled traitorously. “Okay, maybe a little hungry. But I was going to get a nice, safe blood bag. With one of those cute straws. Instead, my body staged a coup and decided Ryker was a tree.”

“A tree,” Zane repeated, and was that amusement in his voice?

“A very nice tree,” I assured them both. “Premium quality. Excellent branch structure. Five stars on Vampire Yelp.”

Zane moved closer still, and suddenly his hand was on my back, warm and steady. “Luca, little bat, look at me.”

I turned my head, which was a mistake because now I was caught between two devastating scents and two sets of impossibly attractive features andthis was not fair.

“Focus on my voice,” Zane continued softly. “You’re not actually stuck. Your body is responding to hunger and new instincts. Just breathe.”

“Breathing seems overrated when you both smell likethat,” I muttered, then immediately wished I could recall the words. “I mean—not that I’m smelling either of you! That would be weird. And inappropriate. And I’m going to stop talking now.”