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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I woke with a stretch and felt Shepard’s hand stroke over my side. His fingers lingered on my hip, tracing small circles.

“Good morning, mate,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “Do you want any pain relievers again?”

“Morning,” I murmured as I considered his question and realized how sore I was. My thighs ached when I moved my legs, but so did my shoulders. “I’m not sure yet. I think moving around will help.”

“I promise not to be so rough next time.”

Thoughts of the previous day filled my head. I hated that Effora had tricked us and that Orphia was one step closer to getting what she wanted. How many more days until my family returned?

I opened my eyes to stare at Shepard even as I felt Cross move behind me.

What in the hell was I going to tell my parents? Vampires are real, they’re trying to take over the world, and, oh, by the way, I’m in a committed relationship with one. And a shifter too.

“Why did that upset you?” Cross asked, kissing my shoulder. “Did you like it rough or are you upset that you’re stuck with Shepard for life? I can help with both.”

Shepard shot Cross a dirty look.

I laughed, thankful we could still find humor.

“I’m not upset about being your mate, Shepard,” I said when my laugh died. “I realized that what’s become very natural for me to accept might not be easy for others to accept. Normally, I wouldn’t care what other people think, but this?” I sighed.

“You’re worried about your parents,” Shepard guessed.

“A little. They’re good people, and I don’t think they’ll have a problem with the fact that I’m dating a werewolf or a vampire—well, maybe a little about the vampire, but that’s only because of the bad reputation and current news.

“But the key part is that it’s an ‘and’ instead of an ‘or.’ I don’t know how they’re going to feel about their only child having two husbands in a state that doesn’t allow polygamy.”

Shepard's eyes flashed gold, and if I were to guess, Cross’ had gone black as well.

“Trust us to make good impressions when you’re ready to introduce us,” Shepard said. “Maybe say we’re friends first so they can get to know us, and we can go from there.”

“Once they meet us, I think they’re going to embrace us like you have,” Cross said.

Having their unconditional support helped ease some of my fears. They snuggled me until I heard the bedroom doorbell.

“I give Vena ten seconds before she attempts to break down the door,” Cross said.

“I’ll say five,” Shepard said.

Cross and Shepard both chuckled.

“What are you laughing about?” I asked.

“It took less than three,” Cross said.

“I thought this room was soundproof,” I said. “How did you hear?”

“The vibrations of her ramming into it,” Shepard said.

I pulled up the covers. “Open the door before she hurts herself.”

Shepard padded over to the door with a stretch and opened it. “Did you hurt yourself?” he asked Vena.

“No,” she said, rubbing her shoulder.

“Next time, wait for someone to open the door,” Shepard said.

“I didn’t hear the doorbell, so I wasn’t sure if you heard it.”

Shepard slid back into bed, and Vena grinned at us.

“A little Supernatural Everly Sandwich again? Anything interesting happening under those covers? I need a S. E. S., too, but with a V in the middle. Get it? Cuz my name starts with a V, and it’s in the middle cuz?—”

I chucked a pillow at her. “Nothing is happening here. Get your mind out of the gutter.”

She frowned. “I knew you weren’t having kinky sex. Seriously, Everly, you need to try it. I need to live some of my unfulfilled fantasies through you. I mean, you got both. A vampire and a wolf. The first time that’s happened in history. Get on it so you can give me the deets.”

I heard Anchor say her name from the living room.

“Don’t worry, babe, my S. V. S. will stay unfulfilled. At least by people, but sex toys are still game, right?” she called.

He didn’t answer. She grinned. “He loves me.”

“Is there a reason you’re here this early?” I asked.

“Yeah. Your men have been holed up in here with you, and we need to talk about what happened last night.”

“You mean how you cut Everly in a vampire nest?” Shepard asked. “I thought we agreed a pin poke in the thigh.”

“I did do that, and it didn’t work.”

“It worked. We were delayed,” Cross said.

“Oh. Sorry about that, Ev. But we need to talk about how Orphia has all our pictures and shows them to new recruits. How long until the protesters know that Everly and I are public enemy numbers one and two for vampire oppression, along with all the werewolves and Cross.”

“I’ll call Hugh for an update and see about what we can do,” Shepard said, slipping from the bed and revealing a bit of my bare hip in the process.

Vena grinned. “Nice bruise, Ev. I know how you got that one. I can even tell you the page number of that position in The Joy of Sex.”

“Get out before I ask Cross to toss you out.”

She shrugged and followed Shepard out the door.

“Was there anything that happened at the meeting we don’t know about?” Cross asked me.

“Not that I can recall. It all happened very fast.”

“Many things happened fast yesterday.”

“Yeah, they did.”

“You seem okay, and you say you are, but I’m not sure many people would be if it happened to them. Both at Effora’s house and at the meeting. And it all happened in one day.”

“It did. And I’m not okay with what Effora did or the people who were killed. But like Vena said, avoidance is my specialty. So, I’m going to focus on what I am okay with. I’m in an amazing relationship with the two men I love the most in the world. My dream of opening a bakery is coming to life because of the people who love me. And my best friend is going to try to become a vampire hunter.

“I’m not actually okay with that last one, but that’s life, right? Some good and some bad, all mixed up together.”

He wrapped me in his arms and kissed the top of my head.

“Don’t change, Everly. You’re perfect the way you are. And I promise I will never stop hunting Orphia and Effora for what they’ve done. They will pay.”

“Don’t go looking for trouble, Cross. It tends to find us anyway.”

He let me escape to the bathroom where I let the warm water wash away the past, the doubts, and whatever future fate had in store for me. When I was so pruned that I had no choice but to turn off the water, I went to explore the closet and find something fun to wear.

Cross spared no expense on the closet or what it contained. The array of suits his side contained had me shaking my head until I noticed a few jackets on the other side that looked larger in the shoulders. Curious, I peeked through drawers and found clothes that looked like they belonged to Shepard. Mine were neatly in the middle of theirs.

Smiling, I dressed and headed to the living room to find Cross, Shepard, Vena, and Anchor all staring at the TV.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s a press conference with the mayor,” Vena said. “Most of what he said is PR bullshit, but he’s finally telling people about the attacks and to not attend Night Club meetings.”

“He has to. There’s proof now,” Anchor said.

The chief of police took the podium after the mayor. “As you saw from the footage, vampires are not the friends they would have you believe. We are actively pursuing leads on Orphia Prince’s whereabouts and working with the DOS to arrest her and her ring of vampires.

“Again, do not attend Night Club meetings, and be aware of your surroundings. Even in the daytime, there are those who will aid Orphia and her movement.

“We’ve set up a hotline to call if you have information regarding Orphia and her people.”

The camera cut to a news anchor in the studio. “Our thoughts are with the families who lost loved ones last night.”

Rather than going to a commercial, footage of the aftermath of last night’s carnage rolled as the anchor continued to reiterate what the mayor and chief of police said.

“For your safety, do not attend any vampire support meetings at this time.” The anchor turned to a co-anchor, a grin replacing his serious expression. “Stew, I heard there’s going to be a lot of monkey business in town.”

Stew grinned. “You know it. The zoo is holding their annual celebration?—”

Vena reached over to grab the remote and turn off the TV.

“I can’t keep sitting here. I need something to do,” Vena said, standing. “You said Effora just up and left her house, right?” She looked at Shepard, who nodded. “And you have people watching it, waiting for her return?” Cross nodded. “Then let’s go stir up some trouble and see if we can get a reaction out of her.”

“What do you have in mind?” Shepard asked.

“A house raid for relics that pose a threat to humans.”

I snorted. “You just want the sex relic.”

She held a hand to her heart as if I’d wounded her, then grinned.

“I mean, that would be a nice perk, but I’m serious about stirring things up. Now would be the perfect time. Think about it. Effora took Shepard’s ring?—“

“You know?”

“If Anchor knows, I know,” Vena said.

“I told key members of my pack for the pack’s safety,” Shepard said. “However, if word spreads that I lost the ring representing the leadership of our Alphas for as far back as anyone can remember, I’ll need to answer to the pack delegates, and that’s a distraction we can’t afford right now.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t even considered that when Effora stole it. I’d been more focused on what Effora planned to do with it.

“Anyway,” Vena said, reclaiming all our attention. “Effora took Shepard’s ring to either give to Vivian or keep for herself. If she gave it to Vivian, that probably means Orphia has three of the four stones and will try for Cross’ next. If she didn’t give it to Orphia, I think she’ll try to use it to lure Shepard into having sex with her.

“Since we all think that Orphia and Effora aren’t working together, she probably didn’t give the ring to Vivian and is going to try for Shepard. So dangle your carrot by doing a house raid. I’m betting she has cameras all over the place, especially in that sex-fest room.”

My stomach churned at the thought, and I looked at Shepard.

“She wouldn’t record anything,” Shepard said. “It could be used against her as evidence of how fae use humans. Effora and her people are smart enough to hide what they do. But I’ll call Hugh about sending some agents to raid the house.”

“I want in on the raid,” Vena said.

Anchor and I said “No” at the same time.

“Where is your sense of adventure?” she asked him with a pout.

“We don’t need a relic,” he said. “Nothing needs to be rushed.”

“Says you. I have needs for some serious penetra?—”

Her phone sounded with her Orphia alarm, and I’d never been so grateful.

Cross pulled me to his side with a chuckle.

“How did you manage to live with her for so many years?” he asked me quietly as she looked at her phone.

“Lots of distractions,” I said. “And bribes.”

“And rules,” Vena said absently. “Guys, you’re not going to believe who commented on the mayor’s press conference.” She looked up at us. “Vivian, the cat lover. His user name is a little on point. There’s a linked video promising the truth about the real power struggle between werewolves and vampires.”

She grabbed the remote and mirrored her phone to the TV so we could all watch as she clicked the link.

Vivian’s face came on screen. His long black hair was pulled back, showing more of the black makeup he liked to wear. Even though he looked the same at first glance, he wasn’t. The crazed look in his dark eyes had an extra edge to it. He looked like a man pushed to his limit.

A shiver ran through me.

Cross’ hold on me tightened comfortingly as Vivian’s lip curled in a sneer.

“Orphia, the self-proclaimed leader of the vampires, wants you to believe she’s my kind’s champion and unsung hero. She’s not. She’s a power-hungry cunt, who has drunk an infant or two dry for an appetizer.

“Shepard, the Alpha-king of the werewolves, wants you to believe werewolves don’t have a mindless grudge against vampires. Oh, they do. It’s in their DNA. Literally. Werewolves were created by the fae to protect what the fae craved most—humans—from vampires who were slowly culling the number of their favorite meals.

“Wolves were made to kill vampires. Made to kill…us.” Vivian smiled, showing his fangs, and reached up to tug his hair free. In doing so, we all saw the blue ring he wore on his thumb.

Shepard growled, and I grabbed his hand, holding it in mine.

“Vampires kill humans. Fae feed off of human desires. And werewolves have to breed with humans to make more little baby werewolves.

“Do you see the problem? Otherworlders all want a piece of the humans. But these days, we vampires aren’t allowed to drain our victims dry as we want. We’re forced to fight over the scraps we’re allowed.

“And Orphia isn’t happy about that. But she has a plan.

“She intends to cleanse this world, sending all otherworlders back to the fae realm except for the vampires and the humans. All she needs are four little stones and one powerful relic. Once she has it, she will unleash a feeding frenzy to rival the last one the humans call the black plague.

“You think we’re not dangerous? Watch and learn the truth.”

He reached off-screen and pulled a young girl toward him. She didn’t utter a word as he roughly tipped her head and bit down hard.

I closed my eyes and buried my head in Cross’ neck, only hearing the wet noises as Vivian fed.

The TV clicked off, and the sound stopped.

“Holy shit…” Vena breathed.

Lifting my head, I looked at Cross. His concerned gaze met mine. I saw the worry he had for me and more.

“Not all vampires are monsters,” I said softly.

“No, but Vivian is,” Vena said. “And he just confirmed what we’d been guessing. I mean, it all lines up with what we know. Orphia’s drive to get the rings. A private party contacting my grandparents about finding a missing relic. They disappear after reading the book that contains information about the rings…and the portals to the fae world.”

We all shared glances. Shepard looked like he was about to explode.

Although we’d guessed it, hearing it confirmed felt different. More real. More imminent.

“I still say we raid Effora’s house,” Vena said. “They hoard relics. Maybe the one Orphia is looking for is there.”

“Doubtful,” Cross said. “She wouldn’t have left it behind, and she wouldn’t hand it over. She would never agree to leave the human realm.”

“If she doesn’t support Orphia and her plan, why give Vivian the ring? And why does Vivian still have it?” I asked, trying to make sense of it all. “I don’t understand what his angle is. He basically called Orphia out and exposed her plan. How does that benefit him? How does it benefit her? Does he plan to give the ring to Orphia, or is he up to something else?”

Shepard stood and walked over to the window to look out as Cross answered.

“If this was just about having humans to feed on, I’d say he would give the ring to Orphia even if he’s angry with her. She was the one to turn him, after all. But the only person Vivian has ever been interested in is Adriel, not the humans they fed on. I doubt he’d give Orphia the ring just for a feeding frenzy.”

“Then what was the point of getting the ring from Effora?” I asked.

“Stirring the pot,” Vena said with a shrug. “It’s what I would do if I were Vivian. Make everyone chase after things while he’s living his best life feeding off people.”

It still wasn’t adding up for me. Cross said Vivian only cared about Adriel. How could he be living his best life without Adriel?

“It’s his revenge,” I said, suddenly understanding. “He’s getting back at the wolves for what happened to Adriel. He was wearing Shepard’s ring so that the packs know Shepard doesn’t have it anymore.”

Shepard’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it.

“Yeah?” He was still looking out of the window. Had I not known what just happened, I wouldn’t have thought much about the call. But his already stiff shoulders tensed further.

“I understand.” He ended the call.

“What was that about?” Vena asked, but Shepard was already answering another call.

This time, he walked into the study and closed the door.

“Did you hear anything?” Vena asked Anchor and Cross.

“The first call sounded like a pack delegate asking about the ring and warning him there could be challenges,” Anchor said. “Not sure about the second one.”

“You mean challenges from idiots like MC?” Vena made a barfing motion, which made me want to sympathy barf for real.