Dangerous Influence (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 5) Read online

  Literally.

  She couldn’t move.

  “I love you.”

  He said the words that always brought so much peace to her heart. Having both men was a blessing, and she couldn’t get much luckier.

  “I love you too, Master.”

  He grinned. She learned.

  Flynn’s mouth took hers, and as it did, he tore her leather skirt from her body.

  She gasped into the kiss, but didn't stop his mouth from plundering hers. Jolie wanted this and so much more.

  “Who do you belong to?” he asked, releasing her lips. He was so close to her, she could feel his breath on her cheek.

  “You. I’m yours.”

  He pulled her toward the bed, surprising Jolie. She didn't expect him to move her there so quickly, but she was ready. Using the key in his hand, he unlocked the cuffs.

  “Strip out of what’s left of your clothes. I want you to leave the boots. I happen to like them—a lot.”

  “I picked them for you.”

  He was aware.

  Jolie began removing the bustier, and when she bent over, the crop crashed against her behind.

  She moaned. “Flynn.”

  He struck her again. “What’s my name?”

  “Master.”

  He moved closer, rubbing his body against hers. The shirt tickled her skin, and the leather of the pants did nothing to hide his erection.

  Flynn was hard and ready.

  Jolie wanted him in her.

  “I want you to lie face down on the bed. I want you to be ready to count.”

  She knew this was payback from her punishing him.

  “Yes, Master.”

  He waited. When she was in position, he took the first swing. The sound filled the room, as did her gasp.

  “One.”

  Flynn ran his fingers over the vicious red mark. It was fading fast. Unlike his, hers wouldn’t stay for long.

  He should enjoy it while he could.

  He struck again.

  “Two,” she whispered, her body heating up.

  “Do you want more?” he asked, leaning over her body. As he whispered in her ear, his black inky hair tickled her cheek.

  “Yes, please.”

  He didn't hesitate.

  He cropped her again.

  Jolie moaned in pleasure. She had been so stressed taking Flynn into Mulduk’s playroom. Now she could relax.

  They were safe.

  Flynn wasn’t harmed.

  He was in control.

  Then she thought about what she’d learned from Nathaniel and Mulduk.

  The Tueur was going to make their move after tomorrow.

  It was like a cold towel was thrown over her libido.

  Her body went stiff.

  Flynn ran his fingers over her back, and he could immediately feel the difference in her. She’d gone from fluidity to steel straight.

  Something was wrong.

  “Jolie?” he said, sitting beside her. “Am I hurting you?”

  She didn't reply, and that worried him.

  Rolling her over, he forced her to stare into his eyes. He could see the pain and misery, and he didn't understand why. “Did I cross some line?”

  He was learning too.

  “Oh, Flynn, I did something.”

  He stopped moving.

  He didn't understand.

  What could she possibly do? What could she have done to make her this upset?

  “I can’t do this.”

  He dropped the crop like it burned his hand. “Okay. Then we won’t do it.”

  The tears came.

  “I don’t want to disappoint you.”

  He lifted her chin with his big hand. “Hey, baby, you don’t disappoint me, or Jacques. We love you. Do you need him? I can call him.”

  She shook her head. “He’s going to be pissed.”

  Flynn pulled her into his lap and held her against him.

  “I’m sorry I just ruined our moment,” she said, her mouth against his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

  He held her, getting that feeling of panic deep within his stomach. This wasn’t right.

  He could tell.

  “Why don’t you tell me what you did? We can go from there.”

  She had no choice.

  Jolie had to trust someone.

  It would always be her mates.

  “Mulduk said the Tueur wants to end my pregnancy.”

  He was aware. He was there when the vampyre told her. They just didn't know why.

  “Go on, baby.”

  He lovingly stroked her flesh.

  “I called Nathaniel.”

  “From the council?” he asked, a little surprised. They didn't generally contact the head of the societies, only because they weren’t really liked.

  Most vampyres were afraid of Jolie because of Death.

  “I asked him why the Tueur was after me. He didn't know why, but he told me something. I should have told you and Jacques, but I wanted to get tonight over with.”

  He waited.

  “Go on, baby.”

  “There’s a contract out on me, and the day after Christmas, it begins. I only have one more day before they make their move.”

  He wanted to be sick.

  Flynn wanted to rage around the room and destroy everything. There was no way he could let those bastards hurt his mate or their children.

  Flynn would be her armor.

  He had to see his child born.

  There was no way he was going to let his little one not be brought into the world.

  “I should have told you both.”

  “Yes, you should have, but I understand why you didn’t. You needed to be focused. You wanted to go head to head with Mulduk without a fight.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not mad at you.”

  She looked up at him. “Flynn, you have to believe that I don’t do things to upset you both. I simply had to handle this. I had to push it down, and Jacques would lose his mind.”

  “Oh, he’s going to lose it, Jolie. He’s not going to be happy when this comes out, but he loves you. We’re scared. We don’t want to lose you.”

  She held onto him. “I’m scared too.”

  Flynn brought his mouth to hers in a gentle kiss. As the tempo increased, he knew what would make them both feel better. Flynn was still hard and needed her.

  Jolie was in his arms, and that made the predator surge to the surface. Now he had to protect her.

  With all he had.

  It would start here.

  “Let me make love to you,” he whispered, his mouth teasing her ear. “Let me take away some of the stress so all that is left is pleasure.”

  She whimpered when his fingers slid down her torso to the wetness pooling between her legs.

  “Let me give you peace, my love.”

  Her heart skipped. That was something Jacques called her. Flynn was blurring the lines more and more.

  “Yes, please,” she said, as he moved them across the bed.

  Gone was the roughness, and in its place was absolute tenderness. Flynn took her hands in his large one, and held them pressed to the bed above her head.

  She wasn’t his prisoner, but his willing captive.

  Slowly, he kissed down her body, teasing and lapping at her sensitive flesh. When she arched into his mouth, begging for more, Flynn was still able to feed the demons in him.

  He still wanted her.

  He still had control.

  Sliding lower, he glanced up her torso before setting her arms free. “Keep them above your head.”

  She obeyed.

  “Release the stress, Jolie. I’ll carry it for you.”

  She did as he asked.

  Jolie needed that reprieve, and Flynn was strong enough to handle it. He was her equal, and he’d carry her.

  Flynn slid all the way down her torso until she opened her legs for him.

  “That’s my good girl.”

  She shook at his words
. While he might be making love to her, Flynn was still in charge.

  She wanted to thank him.

  “You don’t need to,” he said, before flicking the most sensitive part of her body with the tip of his tongue. “It’s my job to take care of my mate.”

  He’d been in her mind.

  “How does this feel?” he asked, teasing her.

  It stole her breath. Jolie wanted it never to stop. This was amazing, and Flynn was giving her a precious gift.

  Peace.

  “More,” she begged, still keeping her hands above her head. Her torso was bowed, and her leather-clad legs were over his shoulders.

  “I really love those boots,” he muttered, right before devouring her.

  Jolie didn't have time to answer. Instead, she gasped as Flynn whipped her body into a frenzy. As she approached the edge of pleasure, he nipped her with his fangs.

  Jolie exploded in a wave of pleasure.

  Flynn watched her fall, and it was incredibly sexy. While he was still stirred up from earlier, he knew that some things had to come first.

  Her heart mattered.

  As Jolie tumbled, he stood from the bed. It was time to get naked. He wanted to bury himself in her warm body until he came. That was his goal, and he’d waited all night.

  As he pulled off the silk shirt, he could feel her eyes on him.

  “May I move now?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  Jolie moved toward him. Flynn was still encased in the snug leather pants, and she wanted him free in the worst way.

  She wanted to have fun.

  “I love your body,” she offered. “I love the angles, the thickness, and everything that makes you my mate.”

  “You like the tan. Who are you kidding?” he teased.

  “If you were pale, I’d still be attracted to you,” she promised, tugging the leather down. “In fact, I’ve never wanted another man quite like I want you.”

  Flynn didn't say anything. He was at a loss for words. In their relationship, Jolie was pretty adamant that neither man was ever loved more or less than the other.

  She believed she was fair.

  And she was.

  But this declaration said so much, and that was his Christmas gift. Often, Flynn felt like the odd man out, only because Jacques had centuries with her, and he’d had mere months.

  “Jolie.”

  “It’s the truth, and my gift to you. You were meant to be my mate. You were meant to be mine. At the end of our lives, I’ll have died knowing that I found perfection. I found my reason for being born.”

  That touched him.

  “Jolie.”

  “Make love to me.”

  He didn't hesitate. As she pulled his leather pants down, he stepped out of them. When he was free, Flynn pushed her back and onto the bed.

  Then he found his treasure.

  Spreading her legs, he sank home.

  She moaned.

  He moaned.

  Together, they became one.

  Flynn didn't hesitate. He began moving. In slow easy strokes, he claimed his mate. She filled his heart and soul as he filled her body.

  It was perfection.

  “Harder,” she whispered, showing him in his mind what she craved.

  As her mate, he held nothing back.

  He took her, and hard.

  Flynn allowed the need to take over, as his body found peace in hers. Their breathing, their moans, and her nails scraping across the flesh of his back, spoke volumes.

  It was perfection.

  “More,” she begged.

  He didn't let her down. As his erection repeatedly thrust into her welcoming warmth, she slipped into his mind.

  ‘We are one.’

  ‘Forever,’ he replied.

  The words tore her from the edge. Her orgasm rushed through her, spilling over and making her dizzy with joy. Jolie came, and Flynn didn't hold back.

  It was Christmas Eve, and they had plans.

  He exploded in her body, and she whimpered in need. Flynn knew what she craved, so he turned his throat.

  Jolie feasted on everything he had to offer. Seed and blood flowed into her, filling all the holes that fear had made.

  She was complete.

  Flynn stayed still as she took and gave.

  He was at peace.

  Their mating didn't happen like he planned, but he still found peace in her arms. He still found that release.

  When she finished feeding, she set him free. Staring down at her, he saw love in her eyes.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She cuddled against him. “We should go home. I need Jacques too.”

  Flynn knew that once they did, he had a choice to make. If they told their mate everything, how would he react?

  Deep down, Flynn knew what he had to do.

  Protect his family.

  No matter what the cost.

  ∞ Chapter Sixteen ∞

  When he got her home, she was so much calmer, and Flynn was glad. After they made love, he called their mate to warn him they were returning.

  When they arrived, he and Jacques would have to have a discussion. While Jolie was his mate, so was the male vampyre. They were a unit, and he couldn’t keep Jacques out of the loop. It wouldn’t be fair to him.

  He couldn’t do that to a person he loved.

  So, Flynn bit the bullet.

  He was going to approach the vampyre and spare Jolie from having to tell him.

  “He’s going to be angry,” she said, from the seat beside him. Her fingers were twined with his as he drove.

  “Yep.”

  “He’s going to want to hurt something.”

  “Yep.”

  “Flynn…”

  “I want you to take a bath and give me some time with him. I can talk him down, but you need to stay out of our way. If you don’t, it’ll only be worse.”

  Oh, he knew how volatile Jacques was going to be, and he couldn’t blame the man. Jolie called the council and didn't tell them. While Flynn got it, Jacques wouldn’t be happy.

  At all.

  He’d see it as her risking three lives—hers, and the two little babies.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “I love you,” she said. “There would have been a time where I insisted on not telling him. There was a time when I thought that I had to carry this family alone. I see how wrong I was. You and Jacques have been carrying the weight at my side.”

  “It’s what couples do. He’s going to be mad, he’ll want to rage around, but he’ll get over it. Trust him.”

  “I trust you both.”

  Flynn hoped he could pull this off.

  As they pulled into the garage, Jacques was sitting there on one of their bikes. He was smiling and looked at peace.

  Flynn hated what was coming.

  “My love,” he said, hugging her. It wasn’t lost on Jacques that his mate smelled like Flynn. They’d had sex.

  He lifted a brow when she cuddled against his torso.

  “I missed you both.”

  Flynn approached and hugged his mates. “We missed you too, Jacques.”

  “We can go in, have some wine, and open some presents. I’d rather not talk about tonight. It’s the holiday. Let’s celebrate.”

  Jolie looked over at Flynn.

  “Go take a bath, baby. I’ve got this.”

  She didn't hesitate. Instead, she headed inside.

  That alarmed Jacques. His mate hadn’t gotten excited about the prospects of presents.

  His stomach dropped.

  “Flynn, what’s going on?” Jacques asked, as his mate led him outside. Flynn’s arm was over his shoulder, and there was tension there.

  It made Jacques nervous.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “We need to talk. I wanted to do it outside of our home.” Yeah, why wreck the place and give the family reason to talk?

  “This makes me nervous.”

  “It sh
ould. Then it’s going to make you mad.”

  Flynn led him to some trees, far enough away from their home.

  “I don’t like this. You’ve blocked your mind from me.”

  He had.

  Jolie had too.

  There was a good reason.

  “I need you to have a seat,” Flynn said, pointing at the log. “What I’m going to tell you is going to piss you off. You can rage around out here, but once we go back inside, you’re going to have to be in control.”

  Jacques stared at him. “That is very ‘man of the manor’ of you, Flynn.”

  Maybe it was.

  Flynn had changed, and maybe that was meant to be his role. Who could say?

  All he knew was that he needed to handle this situation and now.

  “What I have to say is going enrage you. It’s going to freak you out, and you can’t take it out on Jolie.”

  “Very well.”

  Flynn stood in front of him as Jacques took a seat.

  “Before we went to the club, Jolie made a call. She contacted Nathaniel to find out why she was being hunted by the Tueur.”

  Already, he didn't look happy that she’d been in contact with a council that hated them.

  “And?”

  Flynn told him everything. Before it was even out of his mouth, Jacques was up. He began pacing back and forth. His eyes had bled black, and his fangs were out.

  “She didn't tell us?”

  “No.”

  He was pissed.

  Jacques stormed to the nearest tree and put his fist through it. The hole and the popping of bones told the tale.

  “She didn't tell us? She kept secrets?”

  Flynn watched and waited.

  “I want to hurt someone. I want blood!”

  Yeah, that’s why they were doing this out here. “I’m aware. I felt the same way.”

  He approached his mate, angrily.

  “You knew?”

  “I just found out.”

  Flynn shared it all.

  Jacques howled in anger.

  There was no doubt the entire house heard it. Flynn only hoped they had enough sense to stay away, letting him handle this. If not, it would get ugly.

  Anyone who approached Jacques at this point would be asking to die.

  Jacques grabbed his mate by the front of the shirt, tearing it. “She crossed a line. I’m going to tell her that this is enough. She is playing a dangerous game.”

  He couldn’t let that happen.

  Flynn stopped him.