Page 24 of Daring Her Vampires (Embracing The Bond #12)

Chapter Fourteen

Luca

“ L uca, are you alright?” Sally asks, but all I can do is stare.

I woke to my sexy mate delivering me breakfast in bed.

The plate was filled with pancakes, bacon, hash browns, and sausage.

She wore a silky little nightgown that skims the tops of her thighs.

I was torn between eating the food and eating her.

Begging was on the tip of my tongue. She has burrowed under my skin, and I want nothing but her.

What I didn’t expect was the announcement of a baby in our family, and I wondered if my dirty thoughts had somehow impregnated her.

My dad left a sour taste in my mind, and I never thought I would be a father.

He was a shit role model. After becoming a vampire, it was the last thing on my mind.

Finding Sally brought life to our lives, yet I still didn’t imagine having children.

Picturing a little girl with blonde hair and Sally’s beautiful green eyes makes my heart race.

“Boyfriend,” she snaps, her hands on her hips. “You and Atlas need to know when to speak the fuck up.” She is braced beside the bed, and I look up from the food.

“I’m probably going to be a bad influence,” I rasp, placing the tray on the other side of the bed.

“I’m going to encourage her to be violent.

” I wrap my arms around Sally’s waist, turn her, and yank her onto my lap.

“She’s going to learn every way to kill a man.

I won’t let her date until she’s twenty-five.

She is not allowed to be away from us until then.

I will protect her, and the man who the universe picks for her better be careful.

” Sally grins, and I kiss her lightly. “You will give her your strength and humor. Atlas will show her how to track, and she can join the business.”

“First off, I doubt she will let you dictate who and when she can date,” she says, sliding her arm across my shoulders. “I agree with the rest. She will be a force.”

“Could you tell when she will come?” I ask.

“No, but it didn’t feel like it would be too long. She will never arrive if you guys don’t start begging,” she teases.

“I’ll beg right fucking now.” I grin and smack her ass.

“Big talk. When are you going to back it up?” She touches the tip of her tongue to the corner of her mouth.

“Tricks, I’m ready when you are,” I drawl, rubbing her ass.

“Sexy as fuck,” she whispers, leaning close, her breasts grazing my chest.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Atlas says from the doorway.

“He was happy,” Sally says, smiling at him.

“I knew he would be. Your phone hasn’t stopped making noises since you came in here, and I sense vampires, and dragons closing in.” He shakes his head. “I know you love your family, but when Fredrick is dead, we are going on a trip. Alone.”

“I love to travel, but I also love guests.” She bounces off my lap, skipping toward the door.

“Tricks,” I call, and she twirls. “I don’t care if you walk around naked in front of us. Actually, I would prefer it, but no one else gets to see your body.”

“Oh,” she whispers, looking down at herself. “Right.” She hurries to the closet. “We definitely should implement a naked day.” Her head pops out, and she grins. “We would make lots of babies if we did.” She wiggles her eyebrows and disappears.

“Fuck, she’s two handfuls of wild,” I say, sharing a grateful grin with Atlas.

“Put a shirt on,” she orders, and I stand.

“Works both ways,” Atlas says before shutting the door.

I drop to my haunches beside my suitcase and pull out some pants and a shirt. Casual clothes aren’t my usual attire, but I go with jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.

“I haven’t seen you in jeans,” Sally says, walking out fully dressed.

“You won’t see it often.” I dress quickly, and she watches. “You look delicious in everything.” She’s wearing tight jeans and a baggy sweatshirt.

“Thanks, boyfriend.” She bends over and flips her hair forward. I watch her in fascination as she wiggles back and forth. She stands and pats her hair. She notices my attention and says, “It’s the best way to get body in your hair quickly.”

“If you say so.” I have to admit, her hair looks good.

“Where is she?” We both look at the door.

“Uh-oh,” she mutters, and I meet her gaze. “Saphira’s annoyed.” She sprints to the door, and I follow.

“Why didn’t you call?” Saphira asks as Sally saunters into the room.

“I’ve been busy?” Sally smiles brightly and moves toward her.

“I mean,” Saphira waves her hand toward Atlas and me. “I get it, but you’ve been ignoring your phone. I thought something horrible happened. I had to learn from Serenity what was going on.” She looks over her shoulder at the vampire. “They thought I knew.”

Ryker is standing with his mate. I’ve been cautious around the vampire. He’s very old and lethal looking. The knives strapped to his chest look well-used. I know I am dangerous in a fight, but I’m also smart. I’d heard whispers about the king of vampires. He’s not to be fucked with.

“I’m sorry,” Sally says, grabbing Saphira’s hands. “I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“I wouldn’t say no,” she replies, yanking Sally close. “I wasn’t there with the witch. Whatever you need to do to stay safe, do it.”

“Thanks.” Sally hugs her and steps back. “Where’s my phone?” She spots it on the counter and quickly picks it up. “Oh, shit. Logan messaged.” The clicking is loud in the silent room as her fingers fly.

“I didn’t know you worked for Shade,” Atlas says, and I look at him. I follow his gaze to the dragons, Kingston and Maverick. “He told me he introduced you to Saphira.” This is news to me.

“Introduced isn’t right,” Kingston says. “He shoved us in this direction and gave us an address.”

“He didn’t inform us why,” Maverick adds.

“I wasn’t aware of your employment until you got here,” Kingston continues. “I’m not surprised. He’s a secretive fucker. I know he has numerous shifters working for him.”

“He seems to know a lot about everyone here,” Atlas says.

“I think we need to meet the man,” Ryker says, leaning against the wall, pulling his mate close. “I don’t know who the fuck he is.” I don’t think he likes being left in the dark.

“Good luck with that,” I mumble.

“He’s very private,” Maverick says.

“Our mom is closer to him than we are,” Kingston informs us.

“Do you know what he is?” Serenity asks.

“No.” I cross my arms.

“Anybody?” Ryker asks, looking at all of us.

“No, but I have my suspicions,” Kingston says.

“Great,” Ryker drawls. “Another one.” I frown, and he explains. “Most of us didn’t know what Heath was. He kept it a secret until recently.”

“It’s hard to forget the scent of a snake,” Atlas says.

“We knew what he was,” Maverick says.

“I’m still pissed about it,” Saphira says. “I’m his friend, and he didn’t tell me.”

“He had his reasons,” Sally mutters, her attention still on her phone.

“Are you done catching up on messages?” Ryker asks. “We’d like to discuss the witch.”

She holds her finger up. “One sec.” I almost laugh at her disregard for the deadly vampire.

“Of course, in your time,” Ryker drawls, his eyes crinkling. I don’t care how old he is; if I thought he was disrespecting our mate, I would try my best to kill him. He looks at her with affection, much like everyone else. I think Sally could get away with murder, and they would battle with her.

“Alright.” She puts away her phone. “Logan gives his blessing. He’s not sure he wants to be present when she’s here, but he told me to do what I must.”

“I already called her,” Serenity mentions. “She’ll be here tomorrow night. Mara still believes that she owes us. That is the only reason she agreed.”

“What is her power?” I ask.

“I knew you would ask, so I got permission to talk about it. Witches don’t like their spells discussed outside of their world.

They keep to themselves, so her help is unusual.

” Ryker motions to the couch and guides Serenity.

Everyone gets comfortable, and I sit in a chair, pulling Sally to my lap.

Atlas stands behind us. “When Mara touches a person or object, she gets a vision. That is the simple explanation,” she sighs, leaning against Ryker.

“Every memory and emotion of the person she touches, she can see. The worst part is she feels it. If she holds an object, in her head she can see everywhere it’s been and every person that held it. ”

“That sounds miserable,” Saphira says.

“It is. She wears gloves now to avoid any contact,” Serenity replies.

“She must still feel horrible for what happened in the Games,” Sally says.

“I know many in the family distrust her, but I feel nothing but sympathy,” Serenity whispers, and Ryker wraps his arm around her. “No one knows why she had to do it.”

“You do,” I guess.

“Yes. I won’t betray her confidence.” She lifts her chin.

“When Ryker turned me, I gained some witch powers. She helped me adjust. My deluded magic is nothing compared to hers. She was born with spells and always knew what she is. We got close, as close as she allowed. Since she moved, she has distanced herself.”

“We gave her your address, Sally. You are neutral ground for her. We told her you were a rabbit, and she wanted you to be present,” Ryker explains.

“That makes sense,” Sally says, leaning against my chest. “My powers are similar to some of hers.”

“Allie must be alright with her seeing her memories and all the emotions attached to those memories,” Serenity says.

“I’ll ask, but I’m sure she will be fine,” Atlas says.

“She wants him dead,” I add.

“I know all of the family would like to be here, but that’s not happening.

River requested firmly to be present, and to Ava, that she not be.

Ava agreed to stay away with Kerian. She knows what River went through and doesn’t want to stress him unnecessarily.

” He sighs. “Micah didn’t ask politely. He informed me he would be here for his best friend, and if I resisted, he would chop my balls off. ”

“Ahh…bestie,” Sally hums.