Page 14 of Blood Claims (Garnet Dagger Mafia #2)

“Call it what you want, Nessa, but our goal here is to make you feel as comfortable as possible, despite the nefarious reasons you believe our intensions to be,” Victor told me, making me frown, and this time for different reasons, as I actually defended their brutal natures.

“Nefarious is a little strong. Vampires or not, I don’t think I’m only here to be your dinner.”

Victor seemed surprised by this, no doubt expecting me to continue to paint them both as the villains. But as for his playful brother, he leaned closer and took the opportunity to tease.

“Mmm, not dinner… more like dessert,” Tal added this last part by licking his lips and making his brother groan.

“You know you don’t help matters with comments like that,” Victor argued, making Tal shrug his shoulders and say,

“No, but I am nothing if not an honest Vampire.”

I couldn’t help but giggle, making him add,

“Plus, it makes her laugh, so bonus to me.”

Victor rolled his eyes.

“Besides, if the end game was to drain your dates dry, then you wouldn’t buy them all the girly shit that I found in your guest bedroom,” I said, blurting this out, unable to stop myself before my brain fully engaged.

“Excuse me?” Victor asked in a questioning tone.

I tried to dig myself out of it in awkward Nessa fashion. Doing so while Tal subtly moved to my back, so I was caught once more between them.

“I mean, they must love staying here, it’s like being in a hotel but with full sized products.”

Victor looked to his brother over my head before enquiring,

“Nessa, is there something you want to ask us?”

“Er, nope, I don’t think so,” I answered unconvincingly, trying to slip from between them… unsuccessfully I might add. Especially when Tal snagged my waist and slid me right back to where I was sandwiched in the middle, thwarting my attempt at escape.

“I believe what our little Peach here assumes, is that we are regular playboy billionaires that often brings our sexual conquests back here to share,” Tal said, being as blunt as ever.

Meanwhile, my cheeks must have turned fire truck red!

“Well, that’s not… er… any of my… erm… business,” I stammered, making Victor grin down at me.

“Oh, believe me, Little Peach, it really is,” Tal replied from behind, whereas Victor went down another route, a far more embarrassing one, and basically hit the nail in the coffin.

“You know, I think she saw the bathroom stocked with all that girly crap and got jealous, asking herself who else had been there before her,” Victor commented, making me grit my teeth because he had been right. Yet before I could snap something in return, he leaned closer and added,

“Yet if she had only gone and used one of them, then she would have seen that each was brand new, with seals in place because they have never been used before… nor has anyone ever slept in that room before her,” he added on a deliberate whisper.

And I had to admit, as foolish as I felt, I also felt relieved that I wasn’t just one in a long string of one night stands they had brought here.

It was a totally irrational fear, considering they had kidnapped me and all, but I couldn’t help it.

Not after I had fallen in love with my captors.

“Oh,” I replied softly, making Victor lean down so his lips were at my cheek before mimicking,

“Oh indeed.” Then he pulled back and because I needed to wipe that arrogant smirk off his face, I couldn’t help but argue.

“I wasn’t jealous,” I lied, making them both grin down at me and it was clear neither of them believed me. Hell, even I didn’t believe me, so why I thought they would, was beyond me.

“Sure thing, Firefly,” Victor muttered, tapping me under my chin in a patronizing gesture, making his brother chuckle.

“Our very own beautiful green-eyed monster,” Tal hummed, making me whip around to cast him an evil glare that did not a damn thing to wipe that smirk from his handsome face. I mean really, why did I even bother, it wasn’t like I had any hope of winning against these two.

“Alright, enough of teasing her, brother,” Victor said, before coming to stand in front of me so he could walk me closer to the couch.

His large body crowded me, making me go where he wanted me.

Doing so until I had no choice but to fall back when I felt the couch hit the backs of my legs.

To which they both followed until each were sitting either side of me.

“Okay, so what’s it to be?” Tal asked, going back to the TV and at the ready to search for a movie at my request.

“How about sleeping with the enemy?” I suggested ironically, making Victor place a hand behind my neck to bring me closer so he could growl playfully,

“Behave, little pet.” Which was when I decided to push it and do the opposite to this by asking,

“What about The Shawshank Redemption or Escape plan?” This time his growl came against my cheek, and he snapped his fangs at me, making me flinch back.

“What about The Cell or Captives?” Tal challenged from my other side, getting in on the game, making me turn to him and counter,

“Oh, I know, Van Helsing?”

Tal’s lips twitched like he was trying not to laugh.

“How about My Bloody Valentine?” he quipped in return, making me giggle.

“Okay, fine, we will watch your obvious favorite… so let me guess…” I turned first to Victor and said, “Interview with the Vampire and for you, I think, The Vampire Diaries.”

Tal’s face was a picture, and his mouth dropped before he narrowed his eyes at me, making his brother laugh. Then Victor pulled me close, his lips lowering to my ear from behind, before that hypnotic deep, husky voice of his caressed my mind.

“You can interview me any time, in fact, I have a lot to say on the matter of punishing unruly little thieves that keep escaping me.”

I couldn’t help but shudder. Yet despite this threat, I also couldn’t help but use humor as a way to deflect against it.

“Let me guess, dishwasher duty, or dusting… but just so you know, I am a mean duster.”

Tal chuckled and I turned to face Victor in time to see his lips twitch as he fought his own grin.

“Do you threaten the dust?” Victor teased, making me laugh.

“Hey, don’t underestimate me, you might be scary Vampire mafia Kingpins, but I am the one who rules over dust bunnies around these parts, and they usually run-in fear when they hear me and my vacuum coming.”

Both brothers burst out laughing and I had to say it was a sound I relished. But as for the handsome sight of them both, now that had me squirming in my seat for different reasons.

Of course, this only increased when Tal banded a heavy arm around my waist and pulled me closer so he could rumble in my ear,

“Our girl is funny.”

And whether it made me an idiot or not, I so badly wanted to be their funny girl.

But I also had to ask myself just how long I was prepared to keep up this pretense when I knew it was all a lie to them.

Whereas my own heart was sinking further into that same lie, hoping that one day it became powerful enough to turn it into a truth.

My presence so deeply rooted that they could never detangle themselves from the love that had grown over time.

Naturally, I didn’t say any of this. No, instead, Tal handed me the remote and so as to mask my greatest fears, and my turbulent mind, I looked at them both and said…

“Bram Stoker’s Dracula, too obvious?”