Dangerous Sacrifice (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 6) Read online

  How could she not?

  Everything he’d said lit a fire in her, and drove her wild. Jolie needed to change the subject, and fast.

  “Are we still going out tonight?” she asked, hopefully. With the men, who knew?

  “I didn’t feel anyone approach the house, so yes, we’re taking you out. We’re going into town, and you can get your shopping on, but you have to use cash only.”

  “Yes, Dad.”

  “Well, maybe you can call me Daddy later in bed. That might spice things up.”

  She pinched him. “Not in front of the children, Daddy.”

  He pushed up from the floor so fast, and with so much strength, the Jolie was up and off his body. Flynn rolled, making sure he caught her in his arms.

  She gasped as she tumbled until she realized she was safe. With Flynn, she always would be.

  “I’ll never let you get hurt.”

  Jolie believed him.

  As she nuzzled his rough cheek with her own, she wanted to purr. “Mmmm, Flynn, you smell really good this morning,” she whispered into his ear before nipping it with her teeth. “I think I like a sweaty mate.”

  He grinned.

  “Well, if you want to join me in the shower, I would be more than honored.”

  “Want to wake Jacques?” she asked.

  “He needs to stay with death a little longer. He was up well past dawn patrolling. He’s taking this guardian thing seriously.”

  She noticed.

  “Is he avoiding me?” Jolie asked. “I feel like he is.”

  He said nothing.

  “You know something, don’t you?” she asked, sniffing out a secret between the two men.

  “Nope.”

  “Liar.”

  “Yep.”

  Jolie laughed. “Want to share?”

  He looked vastly uncomfortable at her questioning.

  “What?”

  “I told him we’d not speak of this with you. He’s embarrassed about something between us.”

  “Is it about me?”

  “Jolie.”

  “Flynn.”

  “It’s about the babies and my blood, and I can’t say more. Please don’t push for answers. We worked through it, and we’re good.”

  Jolie knew that if she pushed, he’d cave. Flynn wouldn’t lie to her, and she understood the predicament he was in being stuck between them.

  She touched his cheek. “You’re a good man and so is he. I’m blessed.”

  “I agree. Feel better?”

  She laughed. “Yes, I do.”

  “Know what would make me feel even better?” he asked. “Let me tell you. I’d love if my woman would let me feed our child in the shower as she helped me get all soapy.”

  “I can do that. Will you get me all soapy in return?” she asked.

  “I think that can be arranged if you promise to behave. By behave, I mean the total opposite—just to be clear.”

  Jolie laughed. “You better behave. I’m the innocent one and the vestal virgin.”

  He found that amusing until she twisted his nipple through his shirt to shut him up.

  “Christ! You’re mean today. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the mate.”

  “Flynn…”

  “Scouts honor,” he said, mimicking a Boy Scout. He saluted her right before he chased her into the bathroom.

  She managed to stay out of his reach, and she knew that was only because he let her. As he prepped their shower, he slowly stripped out of his clothes.

  Jolie watched.

  Suddenly, she wanted to taste him.

  “You will,” he offered. “You can taste any part of me that you’re so inclined to devour. Think South,” he said, pointing at his erection.

  “FLYNN!” Jolie giggled and slapped at him as she stepped under the hot water. As she warmed up, Jolie could feel him watching her from not far away.

  Old Flynn was more hands on, and new Flynn always tracked her as if waiting for her permission. When she turned to look at him, he was standing against the shower wall, observing her with piercing blue eyes.

  It stole her breath.

  “Have I ever told you that I love your eyes?” she asked, enjoying the water as it caressed her chilled flesh.

  “Which ones?” he asked, forcing them the dark black.

  Jolie knew the answer to that. “The sexy blue detective eyes that I fell in love with, but the badass demon ones are pretty hot too.”

  He grinned. “I don’t think so, but I think your eyes are far more spectacular. Lots of people have blue, but I don’t think I have ever seen lavender eyes ever before.”

  He stepped into the spray and took the soapy sponge from her to wash her body and their children.

  Jolie shrugged. “When I was young, I hated them,” she said trying to ignore that feeling of panic that always flooded her when she discussed her youth.

  Flynn heard the twinge of fear, so he hugged her to his body to offer her peace. “Goethe?”

  She nodded. “I still have a dream now and again. It’s like that part of me won’t ever go away.”

  Flynn saw the worry. “You can tell me what’s bothering you, Jolie. I’ll do anything I can to heal you. Goethe can’t hurt you ever again. I promise on my life, and soul, that no one will ever hurt you like that again.”

  “I think that’s why he picked me because the rarity of my eyes, but then it made me think of something else.”

  “What?”

  She hesitated.

  Finally, she spoke, “Mathew.”

  That one name said it all.

  “Jolie.”

  “I know you and Jacques hate him, but he was like a child to me. I worry how he’s doing out there in the world. I don’t even know where he is.”

  He sighed.

  “You know, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Does Jacques?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is he okay?”

  Flynn wanted to wipe the memory of him from her mind, but he respected her too much. That would be stealing her control and power, and he’d never do that to someone he loved. Well, he would, but only if it was to protect her.

  There were boundaries he would cross for her safety.

  “How about I feed you, and we can discuss it later?”

  She knew he was stalling, but her children were hungry. “Yes, my love, feed me.”

  He leaned against the wall, his legs open and back braced for the onslaught of what was coming. Flynn loved this part of the day. When Jolie was hungry, it woke the darkness in him. Before becoming what he was, he’d always craved her touch.

  Now?

  Yeah, it was a million times stronger. Her mouth was like the siren’s song, trying to lure him into a plentitude of heated moments.

  Already, before she began, he wanted her.

  Jolie stood between his legs, running her fingers over his chest. She loved the fine splattering of hair. It called to her. While Jacques was hairless, much like most of their males, Flynn was an enigma.

  She loved the feel of him rubbing against her.

  So, she did just that.

  “Oh, Jolie,” he moaned, trying to focus on her and not the fact that her nipples were being teased to delicious peaks by his chest hair.

  He wanted to devour each one with his mouth.

  “I want to taste you, mate,” she whispered, calling the darkness.

  Flynn tipped his head, allowing her to find that sweet spot on his throat. When she did, and her fangs sank into his tanned flesh, he fell into the feeding.

  Jolie dined on him.

  The fact that he was a bottomless well of blood and sustenance made it easy. She didn’t need to worry about draining him dry. Still, she stopped before she was full. Jolie was still thinking about Mathew and Clariel.

  Slowly releasing his neck, she found his mouth. As they kissed, Flynn held her to his body with love and reverence.

  It made her heart quiver.

  This wa
s love.

  After fearing she’d be unlovable for so many years, she was completely blessed with not one, but two men who cherished her.

  Pulling free of his mouth, he stared down at her. His eyes remained blue.

  Hers had gone to black.

  Obviously, someone had a great deal of control. Jolie would enjoy breaking him of that later. She wanted her demon wild with lust.

  “Don’t let the outside fool you,” he offered. “I want to do truly wicked things with you, Jolie. Things that would make you blush.”

  She swallowed. Jolie couldn’t wait for that to happen. While he was distracted, she went in for the kill.

  “Again, I need to know if Mathew is fine.”

  Flynn blinked, laughed, and then shook his head. “You’re relentless.”

  “He’s like my child. Please, my love. Give me this gift. I’ll be able to focus on other things.”

  He gave in, simply because he was madly in love with his mate. She deserved the peace.

  “He’s fine, and so is Clariel. They have a little place where they rest during the day. You have nothing to worry about, my love.”

  “Okay.” If he said so, she’d believe him.

  He could hear the wheels turning, and Flynn knew she wanted to know more.

  “They’re in Paris.”

  She leaned against him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she rested her head on his shoulder. “Do they miss me?”

  It hurt to ask, but she needed to know in order to let it go. Jolie didn’t want to suffer not knowing the rest of her life.

  “Clariel does. She misses her family, but she’s loyal to Mathew. She knows that if she leaves, he’ll do something stupid.” Well, stupider than what he’d already done.

  IF that was even possible.

  “I wish…”

  “No.”

  She knew he was right. “I know, my love. It’s the mothering instinct in me. I want to heal him.”

  “Sometimes, Jolie, you have to let people go. Look at your brother. You had to set him free, and that hurt.”

  “It did.”

  “Mathew has a lesson to learn. You can’t try to kill the primus’s mates. That’s the sub lesson. The main one is that betrayal is a huge NO-NO.”

  “Can I ask a favor?” she asked.

  “As long as you’re not going to ask if he can come back into our family because hell will freeze over first.” Flynn knew that if the vampyre was near, he’d hurt him.

  “Flynn.”

  “I’ll kill him, Jolie. He’s far safer away from me. Where the human part had compassion, I’m carrying this mark, and it’s making it hard to be gentle. One touch, and I’d hurt him.”

  She knew he was telling the truth.

  “Actually, that wasn’t what I was going to ask.”

  He relaxed.

  “Then ask away, my sexy little mother-to-be.”

  She nuzzled his neck to put her scent on him. “What I was going to ask was that if something were to happen to him, that you’d let me know. I don’t want to spend my life wondering if he’s okay, only if he’s not.”

  “Yes, but you’ll know. Clariel will come home if something happened to him. She loves you. You’re still a mother to her.”

  And he was like a father.

  “Can I have more blood?” she asked, changing the subject. It was her way of hiding. At least she could avoid the pain with something that gave her pleasure.

  He’d never tell her no.

  Flynn would give her his eyes if she asked for them. Jolie’s happiness was paramount to him.

  It was clear she was hurting, and he wanted nothing more than to ease that pain.

  Talking about their family had upset her.

  Today, she was getting out, and that was supposed to be fun. Flynn wanted to keep it a happy memory. Jolie deserved that and so much more.

  “You never have to ask,” he offered, sensing their other mate waking. “Feed our little ones.”

  Jolie’s fangs slid into her mouth again, but this time she greedily took the gift he was offering. The second his blood coated her tongue, she felt a million times better. As she slowly sipped from his throat, Jolie placed his free hand on her stomach, so they could share in the feeling of their child.

  Flynn’s heart skipped as the babies moved beneath his palm.

  ‘Hello, little one,’ he whispered into his child. ‘I will love you until the end of time. I plan to protect you, and we’ll hunt together.’

  He felt the joy from his little growing baby.

  Jolie felt it too.

  “I can’t talk to them,” she said, after freeing his throat. “Vanth mentioned that they’re listening to me, but still…”

  He wanted to share that with her.

  Flynn wanted to cheer her up.

  “Slip into my mind. Go to the darkest part, and be silent,” he said, staring into her eyes.

  As he changed, it pulled the darkness from both of their bodies. She vamped out, and he released the demon in him. As they stood there, his mouth found hers, connecting them.

  Jolie slipped into his head. Once there, she waited.

  ‘Little ones, your mother is here.’

  Jolie felt the joy.

  She felt their acknowledgement.

  It stole her breath.

  It made her cry.

  ‘She loves you so very much, and she’s fighting so hard to get you born. Our little girls are very lucky.’

  Jolie listened to the sounds in his mind. They weren’t words, but emotions.

  It was beautiful.

  ‘Azriel, we love you.’

  Jolie broke the trance and wept. “That was so special to me. You’ve given me a gift that I’ll never forget.”

  He hugged her to his body as he wrapped a warm towel around her.

  “It’s okay, baby,” he offered. “I’m glad I could share that with you,” he said.

  Jacques leaned against the wall, watching his mates. “What are we sharing? A shower? Is there room for one more?”

  Jolie glanced over at him, and she was still crying.

  “My love, what’s wrong?”

  She told him everything.

  Jacques’s eyes went big. “Is that really possible?” he asked. “You can hear them?”

  God!

  What wouldn’t he give to have that moment with his child?

  The answer was everything.

  “I can, and Jolie did too.”

  “Oh.”

  Flynn knew his mate wanted to be part of this, so he offered it up to him. “Would you like to hear baby number two?” he asked. “I can give you that gift, too, if you let me.”

  He smiled. “I would love to hear her. Does she know me?” he asked.

  Flynn nodded. “They know all of us. Even though your child has my blood, she already loves her father. You have her heart.”

  Jolie wanted to cry more.

  She knew Jacques needed this.

  They all did.

  Jolie turned off the water and slipped into the robe Jacques was holding. Flynn did the same.

  “What do I have to do?” he asked, getting excited. This was another miracle. “How do you do it?”

  “It’s a demon thing, and you just have to do what Jolie did.”

  He gave him the instructions.

  Jacques stood in front of his mate, his green eyes blinking in eager anticipation.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  Jacques nodded. “I’ve never been more ready.”

  Flynn began. He felt Jacques enter his mind, and they both slipped into their darker sides.

  As their eyes morphed, Jacques moved through the darkness and found the silence in Flynn’s mind.

  He waited.

  Flynn knew when it was time.

  Moving close to Jacques, he heard Jolie gasp when he pulled his mate against his body. As his mouth sealed over his, Flynn hoped that this didn’t cause issues.

  This method was the only way he could
share with him. They had to be physically joined. That meant sex or a kiss.

  Jolie stared at the two men as they were locked together. She’d be lying if she didn’t admit that it was the hottest thing she’d ever seen. Flynn held Jacques in his arms—their hair mingled—his one hand held him in place as his other remained on her belly.

  She wanted to combust.

  Where the hell was her camera?

  Certainly, she wanted to preserve this moment for the rest of their lives.

  This moment would be revisited later.

  Flynn helped Jacques navigate through the darkness of his mind until they connected.

  ‘Baby number two, your father is here.’

  There were waves of joy washing over Jacques. He couldn’t believe it. Granted, she wasn’t speaking, but he could sense her feelings, love, and emotions.

  ‘Daddy loves you,’ Flynn offered.

  The peace exploded around them as the other baby reacted to Jacques’s presence around her.

  She felt sweet.

  Gentle.

  She felt angelic.

  As Flynn slowly began pulling them away, the kiss continued. When Jacques surfaced, he froze in surprise. He didn’t know Flynn was kissing him.

  Hell!

  He didn’t know he’d been kissing him back. All he could hope was he didn’t cross some line. After all, they’d had this conversation before.

  Instead of stopping the kiss, he reached for his mate’s mind.

  ‘Why?’ he asked.

  ‘You wanted to talk to your child. This is the only way I can give you that.’

  He would have believed that, only they were still kissing past that miraculous moment.

  ‘Is that all?’

  “Absolutely not. You’re my mate. You’re my family, and you’re half my heart. I’m sharing love with you.’

  Slowly, Jacques pulled away.

  Their eyes both returned to normal, and Flynn remained holding his mate in his arms.

  Neither spoke.

  There was that lingering feeling of hesitation, wariness, and fear.

  Jolie broke the silence. “Holy sexy men,” she stated. “I don’t know who to jump first.”

  Flynn waited, hoping Jacques would be okay. At one time, his mate had wanted to have sex with him, and now, Flynn had pushed them further down that road with a kiss.

  “Angelique,” he said.

  Jolie stared at him. “What?” she asked.

  “That should be our daughter’s name. I don’t want her going by ‘baby number two’ any longer. I want to name her Angelique. She’s a perfect little angel.”