Page 5 of The Vampire’s Soul (Moretti Blood Brothers Romance #14)

ELLA

E lla’s head swiveled, almost falling off her shoulders, as she took in all the enormous warriors while Mack led her through the castle.

His hand gripped hers.

“Make it obvious, why don’t you?”

“What?”

“Unbelievable.”

Ella glanced up at him, frowning while he continued muttering.

“You females would be screaming from the rooftops if males ogled you the same way. Such double standards. Jesus.”

A young vampire winked at her as he passed, making her cheeks warm. Fortunately, Mack didn’t notice as he strode through the halls, angrily tugging her along.

Was he jealous? This was new, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Or he might just be angry because she’d shown up without telling him.

“Meeting in thirty,” a humongous male said, not bothering to stop as he strode past with immense purpose, leaving behind him a surge of energy.

Woah.

“Yup,” Mack replied, then stopped at a door, pushing it open.

Wait.

Just.

A.

Minute.

Ella froze, then turned, taking in the male's back. Her mouth dropped open as she recognized the dark curls familiar to every vampire on the planet. Swallowing with a loud gulp, her eyes lifted to Mack’s. “Oh, my God.”

It came out a whisper.

“Huh?” Mack’s head turned. “Oh.” He looked so unimpressed while her heart thumped away in her chest.

“That’s the prince.” She breathed the words as if they were magical.

“Yup.”

Holy hell.

“Prince Brayden.”

Mack nodded and nudged her hip, but she peered around his body and watched as the prince strode around the corner.

Then he disappeared.

“Oh, my god. Prince Moretti .”

“Yes. Ella. Please. Get your little butt inside this room before I carry you in there.”

Jeepers creepers. The prince. Every little female’s crush.

She’d just met—well, seen—the prince.

In real life.

A huge grin spread across her face as she glanced up at Mack once more.

He simply rolled his eyes, then surprised her by leaning down, scooping her up and carrying her inside what appeared to be a small and non-descript meeting room.

As she let out a short squeal and grabbed his bulky shoulders, the door banged closed behind them. Mack was a strong vampire and wouldn’t drop her, but she wasn’t going to miss a chance to get her hands on his sexy muscles.

She noticed, as he placed her back on her feet, that he was wearing a black Moretti army T-shirt.

“Yes, very exciting. It’s the prince. Now. Why are you here?”

Ella frowned and crossed her arms. “I answered you already. I wanted to see the castle. See where you worked. See you. ”

Mack had flown her across the country to be closer to him. What was wrong with her visit?

Ella bunched her mouth. There was something different about him. His brother was now running his gym, but it looked like Mack’s role in the army was bulking him up even more.

Sitting on the edge of the table, Mack gripped the wood and nodded. But he didn’t look at her.

The familiar rejection Ella associated with this male rose to the surface. I’m such a dork. As if he wanted to see her the moment she arrived. She should have waited for him to come to her.

“Sorry, I should’ve asked. I was just excited.”

“I’m working. I wasn’t expecting you, that’s all.” Mack finally lifted his eyes and ran a hand through his hair.

His eyes are different, she thought, noticing how dark they were.

Were they always so sparkly?

Letting out a sigh, she moved to sit beside him on the table, and it creaked. Ella jumped at the same time Mack did, and they bumped into each other.

She giggled, her hands landing on his chest while he steadied her hips.

“Still a klutz, squirt?” He grinned.

“Hey, I’m not the one who weighs a trillion pounds, muscle man.” She slapped one of his biceps, blushing further.

“You’re as tiny as ever. You should eat more.” Mack tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, and she almost stopped breathing.

They’d been so close growing up. As neighbors, they had played in the same backyards, been at the same parties because of their parents, rode their bikes at night in the street along with other kids.

Mack had always helped her when the chain on her bike fell off.

Once he’d carried it back to her garage on his shoulder, which she’d thought was so sexy.

Ella had propped herself up on the bench, letting her legs dangle while he added some black sludge—probably had a real name but that’s what she called it—and fixed it.

“There you go, squirt,” Mack had said.

“I’m not a squirt anymore, if you hadn’t noticed.” Ella had said, jumping down, hoping her miniskirt flapped up and flashed her panties.

She’d been trying to get his attention for so long.

Now she was a grown vamp with breasts and still Mack didn’t show any interest. Except, she was sure there was more than just friendship between them.

Ella took the bike.

“I noticed.” Mack reached over, tucking her hair over her ear. She’d waited that night for him to do more while the dumb bike felt like a mountain between them. His eyes held hers for a long moment, the air heating until she felt the fire on her skin.

Then he’d moved an inch closer, the bike pressing against her legs, but Ella didn’t care.

This was it.

He was going to kiss her!

“Mazzini!” a voice called—his father’s.

Mack blinked, turned toward the street and yelled back. “Coming.”

When he faced her once more, only the remnants of their chemistry lingered. Then vanished when he rubbed the top of her head. “Keep it greased, squirt.”

Stupid bike.

Mack had never complimented her before, not in the way he just had in this non-descript office inside the Moretti castle. Miles and miles from Seattle and their childhood street.

The way he looked at her with barely restrained hunger had a shiver running over her skin.

It had been months since they last saw one another, but Ella could sense something had changed in him. Was it because of the circumstances they all found themselves in?

The world in chaos knowing vampires existed?

If Mack was working for the king, and she now knew for sure he was, then he’d know a lot more about what was going on.

But it didn’t take inside knowledge to see what was happening right in front of you. Or online.

She’d been nervous traveling. Outside the airports people were holding up boards with Vampires are the Devil’s Curse , and Demand the Govt to Cage Them. It was horrible to think these people wanted her dead for nothing more than being who she was.

For centuries, vampires had existed and never harmed humanity. No more than any other animal—or humanity themselves.

They didn’t hunt humans, although they did consume their blood to survive. It was done humanely—for the want of a better word—by managing blood banks and procuring it kindly.

Once they understood, would their world calm down? Would it be safe to live as one and walk the earth together as many vampires dreamed of?

Perhaps she should live for today and not have any regrets? The only one she’d have was not letting Mack know how she felt.

That she wanted him.

That she thought he was her mate, and that he did too, but had thought of her as his little squirt, not wanting to cross the line as friends.

Ella knew she looked cute. Wearing a pair of tight black jeans and a blazer with a fitted tank underneath, which showed a healthy amount of cleavage, she gave him her best sexy smile with a tilt of her head.

“Thanks. You look pretty good yourself.”

Mack’s eyes dipped to her lips, then down to her breasts.

Finally.

It’s like his goggles had come off and he was finally seeing her.

Then he cleared his voice, and her heart dropped.

“You can’t be here, Ella. We’re a target. I wanted you close, so if something happens, I can get to you fast. But you need to stay at the house.”

“Like a prisoner?” She blinked.

“No. Like someone who is just minutes away, so if things turn to shit, I can come for you.”

Right.

But not as a female you that you want, and I’m an idiot all over again.

Then his words connected to her frontal lobe, and she pushed away all romantic thoughts.

“Are we in that much danger? I’ve been watching the news, but do you think they’ll follow through on their threats?”

To hunt us.

To put us in cages and treat us like monkeys.

To experiment on us.

To enslave us.

“Someone said they could make us their slaves,” she said, her eyes bugging. “How? We are stronger.”

Mack growled. “Over my dead fucking body, Ella. No one is going to hurt you. Please stay at the house where I know you will be safe.”

“Okay.” She nodded.

“I have a meeting with the warriors and the prince.” Mack led her out of the room. “Teleport back to the house and I’ll come by tomorrow.”

Tomorrow.

Right.

Not tonight.

As they walked back down the hall toward the entrance, something occurred to her. “Is your family coming to Maine also?”

Because surely, if he wanted those he cared about close, that would include his brother and parents. Wouldn’t it?

Mack kept walking and didn’t answer.

“Mack.”

He ran a hand over his face. “No.”

Before she could inquire further, two very pretty females headed toward them, smirking. Ella flicked her gaze between them and Mack. God, if one of them was his girlfriend, she would die.

Right here.

Right now.

Ella spent a lot of time on social media because of her job and as the women got closer, her brows dipped. Was that...?

“Hello, Mack Mazzini.”

“Bri. Madison.” Mack nodded and grabbed Ella’s hand, attempting to lead her away, but the redhead stepped in his way.

“Introduce us to your friend.”

“Nope. In a hurry,” Mack said, but Ella tugged on his hand.

Brianna Giordano.

She had a huge Instagram account that Ella followed.

“Don’t be rude. Hi, I’m Ella.” She got her hand free and reached out eagerly to meet the female. She was Commander Craig Giordano’s mate.

The most famous warrior in the royal army. He had quite the fan base, which must drive his mate crazy.

“Hi, Ella. I’m Bri.”

“I know.” She grinned. “I follow you on Instagram.”

And TikTok.

Also, Pinterest and Facebook.

“Oh cool. I’ll follow you back. This is Madison.”

Mack groaned, but they all ignored him.

“So, how do you know Mack?” Bri asked.

Madison gave her a friendly smile, then slid her cheeky gaze to Mack. They were clearly all friends and enjoyed making him uncomfortable.

“We grew up together,” Ella replied.

“Did you? ” Brianna smiled, darting her gaze between them.

“Nothing to see here, ladies. Ella is visiting from Seattle.” Mack attempted to move them on.

And failed.

He’d also lied.

“He flew me out.” Ella smiled, feeling these two might be allies. While she appreciated him bringing her to Maine and protecting her, she didn’t care for the idea of being locked up in a house a few miles away and being ignored.

Unless an all-out war broke out.

No.

He didn’t get to dictate what she did with her time.

“Did he ?” they both chimed, grinning at one another.

“Jesus Christ,” Mack mumbled. “I have an SLC meeting to get to. Say goodbye.”

Brianna completely ignored him and looped her arm through Ella’s, then proceeded to walk away from Mack. He looked so bewildered she couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her.

“Go. Go to your meeting. We’ll keep Ella company. Bye Mack.”

Madison took her other arm, and the girls waved while Ella glanced over her shoulder at the gaping male. The three of them burst out laughing when they heard him say what the fuck just happened.

“Don’t worry about him. My mate will be demanding his presence in about five seconds.” Brianna patted her arm. “Four, three, two...”

She was right, because next minute they heard Mack growl and say, “Goddamn it, Brianna!”

When she looked around again, Mack had teleported away. The space now empty, but his annoyance lingered. Ella couldn’t help her smile.

“Now that we have you to ourselves, you must tell us everything,” Madison said. “Were you lovers?”

Oh boy.

“We need drinks for this conversation.” Bri announced. “And Willow.”

“Definitely.”

“The princess?” Ella squeaked.

“Wait until you meet Isabella. She is adorable.” Madison squeezed her arm on the other side.

Ella felt like she’d just been adopted and had no choice in the matter. If these were the end of days, she’d come to the right place. It was all so exciting. Seeing Prince Brayden, the warriors, their mates, and hopefully the rest of the royal family.

Imagine if she met the king?

Oh, my God!

Ella just wasn’t sure how to answer all the questions they were going to ask regarding Mack and was worried she was going to be a boring guest. After all, she didn’t have any juicy stories to tell.

Not really, anyway.

The last thing Ella wanted to do was admit she had a crush on the warrior. He’d likely been charming the pants—literally—off all the females in the castle.

To her, Mack was the most gorgeous vampire in existence. Sure, she was attracted to other males, but there was something about his tall solid frame, thick forearms, and wavy brown hair that stirred a delicious mix of arousal and warmth within her.

More so, it was as if his heart spoke to hers...or perhaps she really was just infatuated with him.

Today, though, it seemed Mack felt the same way. Not infatuated, but lust. There was a raw sexuality about him that was far wilder than the last time she’d seen him.

The way his hands had felt on her hips still burned where he’d pressed his big fingers into her.

God, she wished he’d touch her more.

Or had she made a huge mistake coming out here?