Page 45

Gio

By the time the three of them were all back in the bedroom, the sun had fully set and Gio felt strong.

He’d consumed a bag of blood while Carter and Mila had a light snack even though he hadn't been hungry. He wanted to be at full strength before exchanging souls with Mila. He didn’t tell her, but he was a little nervous.

It was one thing to share souls with Carter, a powerful alpha wolf shifter, but Mila was a delicate human.

Perhaps not as delicate as others considering how her aura seemed to be supercharged, and she was able to draw from him and Carter. He wouldn't be surprised to find that she had mixed heritage somewhere in her lineage.

Now the three of them were on the bed staring at Babette where Babette had made herself comfortable on some of the pillows.

“Babette, you can’t stay,” Gio said firmly, giving Mila a sidelong glance. “Please.”

“How about you sleep with Aunty Bec?” Mila said, reaching for the dog. Babette made a huffing sound but snuggled into Mila’s arms.

“I’ll be right back,” Mila said.

They watched her disappear out the door. Carter tilted his head, and Gio knew he was listening to her walk down the stairs. When he chuckled, Gio raised an eyebrow.

“Bec was grumpy until Mila pushed Babette at her. Bec made a cooing sound and took the dog. She said something like best dog ever and shut the door in Mila’s face,” Carter explained. “She’s on her way back up.”

Mila walked through the bedroom door with an amused expression on her face. “I think I might have to share custody of Babette with Bec.”

Gio didn’t like that. An unreasonable amount of protectiveness rose up in him. “She can adopt her own dog, she doesn’t need to steal yours. I’ll speak to her.”

Mila pushed him to the bed. “Gio, I’m being silly. Bec is my best friend. She won’t steal my dog.”

“Sorry,” Gio said with a grimace. He didn’t know how to explain his emotional state, but Mila seemed to understand.

“I’m here, we’re doing this,” she murmured, taking one of his hands in hers.

Carter moved behind him and draped his arms over Gio’s shoulders. “Let’s get settled on the bed.”

Gio watched energy move across auras. “You can’t see it, but her aura is shining bright. It’s trying to spread into my aura, as if Mila is trying to feed me.”

Mila looked shocked. “I’m sorry?”

Her statement/question made Gio chuckle. “It’s a nice feeling. Like sitting in front of a cheerfully crackling fireplace.”

Mila looked doubtful but still nodded her head. “I’m so hot I’m on fire!”

Carter positioned them on the bed until they were sitting in a three person circle, all holding hands.

“This feels like I should be chanting,” Mila joked.

“No chanting,” he said. “Simply try to be relaxed and don’t let go of me.”

Mila’s expression turned serious. “I won’t let go,” she promised.

Gio closed his eyes and focused on finding Mila’s soul. The fire analogy wasn't entirely wrong. He reached deep inside of her and found her soul bright white with heat. As he gently separated a piece from it, he felt heat building inside of him.

Mila’s hand tightened on his, and her breath hitched. “That feels weird.”

Carter let go of Gio. He felt the bed shift and then Gio could tell he was embracing Mila. That helped Gio because her aura’s efforts to feed him were more directed with Carter.

The piece of soul he pulled from Mila into himself melded into his soul eagerly. His body heated up in a way he’d never experienced before. If he didn’t know better, he’d think it was a sudden fever!

With less care, he pulled a piece of his soul off. It hurt, but he ignored the pain. With care, he pushed it into Mila and nudged it against her soul. As should happen, her soul accepted it and the link between them snapped into place.

Power flooded into Gio. It was so much it almost hurt. It made him think of the first time he accidentally touched a live wire. Electricity was brand new, and he wouldn’t have survived if he hadn’t been a vampire. Mila was a reservoir of power looking for rivers to flow into.

Mila sucked in a breath. When Gio opened his eyes, he saw her looking at him with wide, sparkling eyes.

“Oh, wow!” she exclaimed, pressing a hand against her chest.

“Is that a good wow or a bad wow ?” Carter asked.

Mila tilted her head so she could smile up at him. “I can feel your love. It's pouring into me. You’re protectiveness. Your possessiveness. I can’t make out words, but it’s almost like both of you are whispering happy words in my head.”

Carter made a happy sound and hugged Mila. “I can feel you too. It’s like your aura is trying to feed me power. It’s weird because it makes me feel stronger and more powerful than ever before, even when I first linked with Gio.”

“I'm feeding you power?” Mila asked, surprised. She turned her eyes to Gio. “What about you?”

“Same,” Gio said. “It’s as if you’re a generator pumping power into me. You produce so much, I could probably go days at a time without consuming blood.”

“That’s good, right?” she asked.

“That’s unheard of,” Gio said, leaning forward. He put his lips to hers, keeping the touch light in case she didn’t want to do anything. Sometimes humans were exhausted after a soul exchange. If she wanted to sleep, he was ready to snuggle her all night.

Mila opened her mouth and forced the kiss deeper. Gio moaned as magic flowed between them.

“Oh wow, I can feel you guys kissing!” Carter said. Gio broke off the kiss to see Carter touching his lips with a pleased expression.

Gio focused inward. The soul bond between him and Carter was far more intense and stronger than it had been previously. “I can feel your wolf. He’s so happy.”

Carter nodded. “I can feel Mila too. She…” he paused and closed his eyes. Then he grinned big enough to show teeth. “She wants to be eaten out!”

Mila gasped. “Carter! You can’t just say something like that!”

He raised an eyebrow. “Am I wrong?”

“Well, no,” Mila said, her face bright red and her aura flaring like a flash bulb. A horrified expression covered her face. “Can you read my mind?”

Carter shook his head. “No, not really. It's like I can hear something in my head if you’re thinking it really intensely. You had a very vivid picture in your mind of Gio going down on you.”

Gio raised an eyebrow. “She did?”

“You didn’t see it?” Carter asked.

“I could feel her desire, but I didn’t get any images,” Gio admitted. “It’s common that bonds work differently for different people. I can feel your emotions and your wolf clearly, but Mila is so bright that when I try to sense her thoughts through our bond all I get is power and heat.”

“What about you, Mila?” Carter said. “Do you feel anything through the bonds?”

Mila looked over their heads as she thought about it. “I think so. There aren’t words or pictures, only feelings. Happiness, attraction, and protectiveness.”

“I’m feeling all three,” Carter said. “And I’m sure Gio is too.”

“I agree except for one little thing,” Gio said. “Attraction is much too mild a term for what I feel.”

Mila opened her eyes and focused on him. “Oh?”

“Irresistibly alluring, seductive, and captivating fit much better,” he said.

“Those are good words,” Carter agreed. “Leave it to the vampire to find all the good words.”

“I have many more words,” Gio said, his voice dropping low and husky. “But I’d much rather do than say.”

Mila’s pupils had gone wide, and her mouth was parted slightly.

She probably didn’t realize it, but she’d leaned far forward.

There was very little distance between them so Gio pressed his mouth to hers again.

Lust roared to life between the three of them.

Mila moaned into the kiss and Carter gasped behind her.

The bed shifted as Carter moved out from behind Mila. Without Carter’s bulk holding her up, she fell flat on the bed. Gio followed her down, never breaking the kiss and using one arm to hold up the weight of his upper body.

Mila was wearing a robe while both he and Carter were naked. While they kissed, he parted her robe and cupped one of her breasts.

“Gio, move to the side, I need to get to her pussy,” Carter demanded, pressing against Gio's hip.

Reluctantly, Gio broke the kiss so he could shift his body to the side. The moment he was out of the way, Carter grabbed Mila’s ankles, pulled her legs apart, and dove face first between her thighs.

“Carter!” Mila gasped, probably startled by his sudden movements.

“Carter isn’t home right now,” Carter said, his voice muffled against her sex. “He’s visiting nirvana. Leave a message, and he’ll get back to you.”

Mila tried to laugh but gasped instead. Gio stretched out next to her and watched her eyes roll back as Carter worked his mouth on her.

She turned her head and looked at him, mouth open but no sound coming out. He put his face close to hers and placed a gentle hand on her cheek. “Do you want more kisses, bellezza ?”

“Please,” she begged.

Propping himself up on an elbow, he put his lips to hers and reached for a breast with his free hand. With their new bond, he could feel her growing passion and Carter’s enjoyment.

His cock was hard and weeping, but he ignored it. He wanted to be kissing Mila when she came the first time. Maybe he’d be inside her for the second or third climax.

He tasted blood, and his entire body went a little haywire. He must’ve sent a shock of power through their bond because Mila’s entire body twitched, and Carter gave a muffled cry. Realizing what had happened, Gio ended the kiss.

“I’m so sorry, bellezza !” he said, hoping to see forgiveness in her eyes. “I didn’t realize my fangs had descended. I didn’t mean to nick you.”

Far from being outraged, Mila grabbed a handful of his hair. “More,” she demanded and turned her face away from him, baring her neck. She pressed his face to her flesh, demanding a bite.