Page 94

Colin

C olin’s awareness came slowly and stubbornly. His eyes were too heavy to open, but he was vaguely conscious of his legs being lifted, then placed back down, strong hands laid gently on his calves.

And the whispering.

“You’re gonna wake him.”

“I’m being careful. You’re hogging him.”

“I’m not hogging him. He fell asleep like this.”

“How long?”

“A few hours.”

Right. Colin had fallen asleep with his head on Dane’s lap—which, judging from the firm feel of a stupidly muscled thigh under his cheek, it still was—and now it seemed Fox had joined them, taking Colin’s lower half onto his lap.

Presumptuous ass.

“Well, he’s not asleep now,” the aforementioned presumptuous ass stage-whispered. “Are you, little lamb?”

Colin made some grumbling sound of acknowledgment, not yet willing to wake up enough to form words.

Dane’s thigh shifted under him, and the comforting weight of his hand left Colin’s head. Damn it. His petting had felt so good. “See? You woke him up.”

“’S okay,” Colin slurred, opening bleary eyes. “Probably would’ve happened soon anyway.” He blinked down the couch at Fox, who now had a firm hold of Colin’s ankles, as if Colin would bolt if he wasn’t restrained in some way.

Fox winked at him, clearly unrepentant for having woken him. “You left your hiding spot.”

Colin was too sleepy to get annoyed at the accusation.

He hadn’t considered it hiding . He’d just been…

processing, like he’d told Dane. The bite had been overwhelming but in a good way.

Which in itself was overwhelming. Because yeah, the pleasure from the bite had turned him on—he’d been expecting that part—but his reaction had been about more than that.

It had been about them . It had been about their scents and their bodies pressed against him, the low sounds of their encouragement, the hunger they’d shown for not just his blood but him .

He was attracted to them, he’d realized.

Probably had been from the moment he’d seen them.

Attracted instantly and fiercely and in a way he wasn’t used to.

That was what all that heightened awareness had been about, their larger-than-life presences.

He was a little rusty in that arena, so he hadn’t recognized it for what it was at first.

Which meant he had an opportunity here. For the kind of sexual relationship he’d once thought he’d wanted but hadn’t thought himself capable of.

An opportunity that had been made even more clear the next morning, when Fox had declared quite bluntly that he and Dane were both hoping for it to happen again.

It had been a lot to think about, okay?

“Not hiding,” he mumbled, stretching his neck, surprised to note he wasn’t sore from the awkward sleeping position.

“He was processing.”

Colin almost smiled at the defensiveness in Dane’s tone, as if he hadn’t accused Colin of the same thing only hours before. He had his hand back in Colin’s hair, toying with the strands gently.

It was all too endearing in Colin’s sleep-addled state. He needed to get a hold of himself. He tried to sit up, and Fox’s grip on his ankle tightened. “Don’t run away just yet.”

“I’m not,” Colin said, defensive. “I’m just trying to sit up.”

“But we like you right here.”

Colin rolled his eyes, but he didn’t try to shake free. “Then let me turn onto my back at least. Jesus.”

The grip on his ankle loosened slightly, and Colin shifted onto his back, only to find Dane staring down at him, his dark-blue eyes unreadable. “Hello,” Colin said softly.

And then his head was being lifted and a pillow placed under it, and he was at a better angle to see Fox smirking down the couch at him.

The full attention of both of them after a four-day reprieve was potent as hell, and it had Colin feeling testy. “What do you care if I’m around anyway?” he grumbled.

Fox shrugged, smirk still firmly in place. “Why wouldn’t we want you around? You’re nice to look at, and you smell good, and you don’t make too much noise.”

Was he talking about a person or a pet?

“He’s got questions for us,” Dane said from above Colin’s head, his hand once again brushing strands away from Colin’s temple.

“What kind of questions?” Fox asked, suspicion lacing his voice.

Oh, right. Colin tried to focus. “What does it feel like, the inner vampire?”

Jay called it his “inner beastie.” He’d described it once to Colin as having an imaginary friend in his head, one that stayed mostly quiet but got really hungry for blood about once a week.

It was a very Jay way of looking at things.

Fox began stroking Colin’s ankle in the same gentle rhythm Dane was stroking his hair, the two of them in sync at either ends of his body. “You know the whole thing with the angel and the devil on your shoulder, guiding you to good or naughty deeds?”

Colin smiled a little at the image. “Sure.”

“Well, it’s like that,” Fox said. “A devil on your shoulder, except it’s inside your very skin instead.”

“Which part is the angel, then?”

Fox grinned at him, white teeth flashing in the lamplight. “There is no angel, slayer. That’s the whole problem.”

Colin tapped his fingers on his wrist, considering. “You’re speaking too metaphorically,” he eventually said. “What does that mean, exactly?” He was looking for some goddamn specifics.

“It’s different for everyone,” Dane explained.

“For some vampires, it’s like a literal voice inside their head.

Ours rarely speak though. It’s usually just an…

intensified push, leaning toward our baser instincts.

They like when we feed, obviously. They like when we fuck.

” He hesitated. “They like when we touch you.”

The harsh thump of Colin’s heart caught him off guard. “Me?”

Fox’s hand moved down from Colin’s ankle to his foot, kneading there. Colin fought back a moan, but from the way Fox looked at him, he knew Colin wanted to. “Yeah, you,” Fox purred. “Our devils like you, little lamb.”

Colin tilted his chin up to look at Dane for confirmation, who nodded, smiling down at him softly.

“Huh.” Colin’s cheeks heated. “Interesting.”

Fox’s thumb dug into Colin’s arch, and now Colin did moan. Fox grinned. “Our turn.”

Colin did his best to gather his dignity. “Excuse me?”

“You think we’re just gonna do this little interview for free? You’ve got your questions, we’ve got ours. Like, why do you wanna know all these vampire details?”

Colin’s brow furrowed. Why wouldn’t he want to know every vampire detail?

“I’m curious,” he told them. “How could I not be? Plus…” It must have been the hair petting, or the foot massage, or maybe both combined, relaxing him enough to admit it.

“I want to make my own comic. A vampire comic,” Colin clarified.

“More like a graphic novel. I’m not interested in drawing heroes in spandex.

I want to draw the monsters.” He caught Fox’s eye.

“The devils. All the vampire stuff, it’s just…

cool,” he finished, maybe a little pathetically.

“You think vampires are cool?” Fox teased, preening like Colin had been personally complimenting him and not just his species in general.

Colin scowled down at him, embarrassment over admitting his aspirations making him grouchy. “ Most vampires, yeah. I’m still adjusting to the fact that you two are just big, youthful-looking geriatrics.”

Fox shot a confused look at Dane, who only shook his head. “Don’t ask.”

“Okay.” Colin cleared his throat. “My turn again. This is sort of clarification. You two are bonded to each other?”

Dane’s thigh tensed underneath him. Colin glanced up, but Dane’s expression didn’t give anything away, other than a slight tightening of his jaw.

“Yes,” Fox answered tersely.

“Okay… What’s that like exactly? You can feel each other’s feelings, right?”

“The broad strokes,” Fox explained, his tone softening just the slightest. “Not every minute detail.”

Colin waited for more, but the twins clearly weren’t feeling very forthcoming. Colin pressed on. “And your devils like to be close? Physically?”

“They’re happiest when we’re near each other.” Fox shared a glance with Dane. “Sometimes touching is nice, but it’s not necessary.”

Colin nodded, thoughtful. That tracked with what he knew about Jay and Alexei. Although, touching for those two seemed to be very necessary. Codependent as all fuck, one could even say. He’d have to talk to Jamie too, get another perspective from him. “And—”

“Our turn,” Fox cut in, squeezing Colin’s foot in reprimand. “How much sexual experience have you had exactly?”

Jesus, that was blunt. Was this payback for Colin’s prying? Clearly their bond was a touchy subject, based on how Dane seemed to react to the questioning. He hadn’t said a word during that entire exchange.

Colin shot a frown at Fox, who met it with a blank look. He sighed. “Enough experience. I’ve had sex.”

“But you didn’t like it?” Dane asked quietly.

“I didn’t hate it,” Colin clarified, weirdly pleased that Dane was involved in their conversation again. “I just… It wasn’t what I wanted.”

“What did you want?”

“It’s my turn again.” Colin ignored Fox’s scowl. He wasn’t going to let an opportunity to be nosy go to waste. “You two have been bonded from the beginning?” he asked. “Like, you were turned at the same time?”

“Yes,” Fox said shortly. “What did you want it to be?”

Colin didn’t even bother protesting the turnaround. “I wanted it to be…overwhelming.”

A slow smile grew on Fox’s face, and his hand traveled from Colin’s foot back up to his calf, stroking gently. His touch had warmth pooling in Colin’s belly. “And do you find us overwhelming, little lamb?”

“It’s my—”

Fox waved a hand, cutting Colin off. “I’m done with the questions game. You can ask us more tomorrow.”

They stared each other down. Colin was intensely aware of both firm bodies underneath him, the weight of their hands holding on to him. He could brush them off, he knew. They’d let him run off again if he wanted. They’d stop prying if he told them to fuck off.