Page 9 of Blood Claims (Garnet Dagger Mafia #2)

“That may be so, but I wasn’t the only one who crossed a line, Vanessa, remember that” he said after dipping his head closer, his eyes quickly glowing silver as they caught sight of me swallowing hard and licking my dry lips.

Lips he very much looked like he wanted to wet for himself.

Which was why the second he started to lower further, I placed my palms to his chest and told him quickly,

“I think I need some of that space back again.”

He paused in his actions, right as an array of emotions washed over his face. Emotions that ranged from surprise, disappoint, guilt, before finally settling on acceptance. At least that’s what I thought I saw as he placed his forehead to mine and whispered my name.

“Vanessa.”

I closed my eyes tightly, tears threatening to rise as he tugged at my heart. One that I had already given, and now felt like was being held prisoner in their dangerous hands. Which was why a desperate plea left me.

“Please, Victor.”

Hearing this, he released a lasting sigh before nodding the once. Then he took a step back and held out his arm, as if making a show of letting me leave the cage of his embrace. Something I did, making him follow as I hurried back into the living room, his long legs eating up the space with ease.

As for Talon, I unfortunately found his brother standing next to my bookshelf. Oh, and with one of my books open in his hand that he was currently smirking down at.

“Hey, give that back!” I argued, trying to reach for it, but damn him, he was way quicker. Of course, my shame doubled when he said,

“Oh, I don’t think so… no, not when it just got to the good part… now where was I? Oh, that’s right, he’s just about to thrust his throbbing manhood into her tight virginal sheath…”

I burned crimson as I tried to jump up and grab it, making him chuckle as he held it out of reach, twisting his body side-on so he could continue to read.

“And just as she threw her head back to scream in blissful awakening, his fangs pierced her creamy flesh… wait a second, is this what I think it is…” he said, pausing to look at the front cover again.

One that showed a half-naked muscular man with his arms held around a beautiful woman.

Oh, and his mouth being at her neck with two ribbons of blood dripping down the column of her throat was a big enough clue.

“It’s Vampire porn,” he teased, making my mouth drop before narrowing my eyes at him, now able to snatch the book out of his hand as he let his arm drop. I then turned back to the bookshelf to put the dog-eared well-read book back in its place, my cheeks burning.

“It is not porn,” I seethed as I straightened my books, gasping when I felt him crowd in behind me just like his brother had done in Stacey’s room.

My body was caught between the furniture and the growling Vampire at my back.

His hands dipping under my T-shirt before running up my sides, this time making his brother the subtle one because Tal just went straight for skin.

“Vampire fantasies are nothing to be ashamed of, Little Peach… not when we can happily help you in re-enacting them… hell, but I have quite a few myself, and I know just what part of that book you can play,” he rumbled as his hands finally reached high enough to graze the lace of my bra at the sides.

“The cop who tries to stake you in your sleep… sure, let’s go with that,” I bit back, making him chuckle.

“Well, we both know how good you look in shackles… even better now you won’t be able to escape them,” he countered, making me shiver.

Then I slipped from his hands, knowing this was something he allowed me to do because he was more than capable of keeping me where he wanted me.

Especially when he playfully snapped his fangs at me, as if he would bite.

Which is precisely how I found myself standing with distance between them, or at least the most I could in our small apartment.

“Right, well, you have what you came for,” I said, stepping back so I could face them both before I nodded to the door.

Admittedly, doing so with absolutely no foolish expectations that they would actually leave.

But I still wanted them to know how I felt, so I said it all the same.

Tal looked to his brother and the dagger he held in his hand before smirking back at me.

“That we do. Now go get your bag,” Victor ordered, as if right on cue, making me sigh before trying another tactic.

“Look, you can’t just expect me to pack a bag and stay with you guys, not after everything that just happened,” I argued.

“You mean after waking up to find ourselves chained up…” Tal said, making me snap,

“Yeah, well call it karma for how many times I had to.”

“And finding ourselves victims of theft?” Victor added after placing the dagger down on the kitchen counter, making me laugh.

“Victims, yeah right.”

He raised a brow, and it was a stern enough look to get me to stop my ironic chuckling.

“Not to mention the fucking worry we had to endure at not knowing if you were in danger or not,” Tal said, making me wince when he continued. “Something you were, I might add.”

“Until we saved your life, so yes, Nessa, grabbing the bag we know you already packed in hopes of running from us, and instead coming with us, is precisely what we expect you to do,” Victor stated firmly, making me suck back a quick breath.

“Look, I have a life here, I can’t just up and leave it all behind.”

“And we are not letting you go, so what else do you propose?” Tal asked, folding his arms across his chest, making the leather from his jacket groan around his biceps. As for me, I started to wrack my brain for an answer when it suddenly came to me.

“What if I were to date you both?”

Tal scoffed a laugh while his brother outright scowled.

“Come again?”

“We could… erm… date, like normal couples do,” I said, my voice sounding unsure after their reactions.

“Vampires, sweetheart, I think all hopes of normal flew the fuck out the window when you witnessed me kill a guy,” Tal pointed out, making me shudder at the memory.

“Okay, so yes, I grant you, what we have isn’t normal, but you were willing to date me before I found out who you were,” I said, aiming this at Victor who, like his brother, had folded his arms.

“Yes, and that was done in hopes of easing you into this world of ours,” he pointed out, making me roll my eyes and snap,

“Yeah yeah, I get it, to lure me into a false sense of security.”

“If you wish to label it as such, then go right ahead,” he replied, making me grit my teeth.

“So let me get this straight, you were willing to go slow so as to ease me into this, but now you want to what exactly? Catapult me headfirst into this relationship by having me move in with you both?” The unapologetic looks I received matched their combined shrug of shoulders.

“If the shoes fits, Cinderella,” Tal replied with a bad boy cocky ass wink.

“And what about my job, what you going to do, come sit and drink coffee all day and watch me?” I bit out, making Tal laugh while Victor shook his head slowly.

“Oh, Nessa, you’re a sweet, beautiful fool if you think we will let you keep that job.”

My eyes bulged near out of my head.

“No… no, no way, you can’t take this job from me!” I argued, making Victor sigh, his arms relaxing back to his sides in a clear show of exasperation before informing me,

“Oh, but we can, Nessa, for when will you understand that you have no say in this?”

“But that’s not fair! Look, you don’t understand, my ex… that asshole, the guy you… well, he left me in a shit load of debt, okay…? Debt I am still paying off and this job is…”

“Is a sure way to get you kidnapped or worse,” Tal said, quick to interrupt me with this knowledge, making me gasp. I couldn’t help my erratic little head shakes when Victor took over.

“The fact is that the moment we found our fated, is the moment a big target hit your back… and one that got there a lot sooner than we thought, thanks to the bitch who dared to hurt you. Now we can keep you protected, but in order to do that, you have to accept certain new factors about your life.”

My eyes widened as I took another step back, as if this would protect me from them, not their enemies.

“New… new factors?” I stammered out.

“This bullshit about debt for one,” Tal added, making me frown in question.

“What do you mean?” I was almost afraid to ask, but it was Victor that was only too happy to spell it out for me.

“It’s simple… as soon as we discovered your debt, we had it paid off in full, along with tracking down the asshole who got you in that mess to begin with. But well, you know how that went and before you ask, yes, the walking waste of air still lives as per your request.”

“Yeah, he might be breathing through a fucking tube for a while, but the fucker still lives… if you can class having his balls ripped off still living,” Tal added with dark tone, cracking his knuckles and giving me cause to expel a horrified gasp as Victor shot his brother a disapproving scowl.

“Not helping, brother,” he gritted out, making Tal shrug his shoulders like he didn’t give a flying fuck. Something he proved by saying with an evil grin,

“So, I shouldn’t tell her that he might be missing his dick too then?

” He finished this with a wink like some crazy, happy killer.

I didn’t know whether to be turned on that they fought in my honor or so horrified that I ran away screaming for my life, begging God to save my soul. Thankfully, I did neither.

“Talon!” Victor warned, making him finally raise his hands and say,

“Kidding.” Then he winked again, this time at his brother, leaving me to question what was the truth exactly?

Until I realized that blissful ignorance was named such for a reason.

After which, I was free to process the fact that, for the first time in a long time, I could actually breathe financially. Despite knowing how wrong it was that they were the cause.

Because I had just gone from owing non-threatening bank managers to now owing billionaire devils. And they wanted only one thing in return…

To own my heart, body, and soul.