Page 145 of Claim Me

They make me forget everything and everyone. Which is how I don’t realize we have company until someone clears his throat.

I look over to find Kaspian and Nolan watching us with hungry gazes.

The former I expect—Kaspian is always hungry.

But the latter surprises me. He’s spent the last few days being uncharacteristically polite. Nurturing, too. It’s been a bit strange to see that caring side of him. Nolan is usually all hard lines and serious looks.

“When I told you two to help prepare Fallon, I meant to brief her on the ceremony, not seduce her for the after-party,” Kaspian drawls.

“Ceremony?” I repeat while Nox smirks at Kaspian.

“Yes.” The Gold and Garnet King steps forward, his attire as formal as always—a three-piece suit. All black. His shoulders are straight back as well, his hands elegantly hidden behind his back.

Meanwhile, Nolan is in jeans and a leather jacket, his blond hair windswept and tousled. He has the whole badass rebel vibe going on, which is a sensual contrast to Kaspian’s elegant appearance.

And they’re both mine,I marvel.Sort of, anyway.

Nolan and I haven’t yet spoken about finalizing our bond. The last thing he said to me on the topic was that he’d never reject me, but he wouldn’t force me to accept him either.

“You told me the other day that you were never formally welcomed into Gold and Garnet,” Kaspian murmurs. “It’s something I should have realized from the first day we met—you don’t wear our House colors.”

My brow furrows. “Gold and Garnet?”

He nods. “You’re also not tattooed—which a lot of mercenaries choose to do over wearing a symbol. But the fact of the matter is, you have neither.”

“It doesn’t have to be something permanent,” Bane adds as he steps forward.

Then he pulls a dagger from a holster on his hip. It’s the knife he let me use to eviscerate Klas last year. I frown as his thumb runs over the gold handle and the garnet gem on top.

“I wear this everywhere,” he tells me. “That’s how I show my House affiliation.”

“And I show my affiliation by carrying around this,” Nox says, taking a tiny vial out of his pocket. It’s clear with a gold cap and appears to be filled with blood. “It’s Kaspian’s.”

“Kaspian’s…?” I trail off, trying to follow what he’s saying. “His blood?”

Nox nods. “Vampire blood is powerful in the right circumstance. Especially when combined with certain toxins.”

That makes sense. While I haven’t seen Nox play much with chemicals, I’m aware that he’s quite the wizard when it comes to the art of alchemy. Specifically, the kind that can be combined with weapons.

“I’m a little more old-fashioned.” Nolan’s deep voice captures my attention as he pulls a gold chain from around his neck. There’s a charm on the end—a bloody bullet. “This used to represent my first kill as a mercenary,” he tells me, his thumb brushing the charm. “But I changed it last year.”

I blink at him.He can’t mean…

“It’s the bullet from when I shot you,” he says, making my lips part. “A memory I’ll never forget.”

I… I don’t know how to respond to that. Which seems to be an ongoing conundrum between us. His truths continue to leave me speechless. Because I’m realizing there’s so much more to Nolan than I could ever have anticipated.

He’s dark.

Broody.

And yet, there’s a tenderness to him that he seems to reserve for me. But it’s not a normal kind of tenderness. It’s the kind of tenderness associated with keeping a bloody bullet—one that was originally meant to kill me—as a keepsake.

“Mine is also a little more old-fashioned,” Kaspian tells me, his lips twitching. “But maybe a little less… violent.” He brings one hand out from behind his back to show me the ring on his finger. “It’s a House heirloom, one meant for the king.” He shrugs one shoulder. “I also have some Gold and Garnet weapons, ones I carry with me often.”

I’m not surprised by his tokens. They’re all very Kaspian-like to me.Although…“I’m shocked you don’t have a Gold and Garnet three-piece suit.”

He smirks. “I do, actually. But it’s atrocious and you’ll never see me wear it.”