Page 40 of Blood Lost

Eli’s idea seemed plausible. We could get in the condo without anyone knowing if Scott was distracting the hunters. Then Eli could have different employees bringing us what we needed every day, and no one would get suspicious. It would be a lot easier than having someone try to shop for four people for two weeks at a time. We could even order things online and have them delivered. I didn’t realize how much I had missed online shopping while we were hiding out here.

“Wouldn’t it be better just to have Scott come here? Then we could leave in his car, and yours wouldn’t have to move.” I thought it was a decent idea, but three growls were the first reaction I got.

Vik shook his head. “It won’t work, Myshka. If the hunters have someone watching the place, they’ll see him come in and realize what we’re doing.” He pulled me into his arms and rubbed my back. “I don’t particularly want to live at Eli’s, but since Midnight isn’t completed yet, we don’t have much choice. He has the best security system.”

“If we go somewhere obscure to meet Scott, we can switch cars without anyone seeing. And since the windows are tinted dark, no one will know who’s in which car. Kayden might have both followed.” Dec rubbed the back of his neck.

“They won’t be able to follow us into the parking garage at my building. It’s underground and you can’t get in without a badge and retina scan. I’ll have to call when we’re on our way and let them know I’m bringing someone new.” Eli explained, “Otherwise, we won’t even get in. They’ll treat it as a hostage situation and kill everyone to get me back. I don’t exactly want that.”

“They’d think the three of us would kidnap you?” I asked, shocked by the thought.

He shook his head. “Just him. You and Vik have already been scanned. I’m not taking any chances with my family. We’ll make sure everyone gets in who needs to, and no one who doesn’t.”

“So, I’m the odd man out, huh?” Dec laughed, “Nah, man, it’s okay. I understand that you three were together before. I appreciate you looking out for me.”

“What’s left to do here?” I needed to do something besides waiting to see if this plan would work. I still had a very bad feeling about it. I wished that I could explain why.

“We need to pack what we want to take with us. But only the essentials. The computers are staying. Just a backpack that we can carry quickly when we switch cars.” Eli turned to Vik. “Do you still have those packs we used when we went hiking back in the day? You seem to have the rest of our gear hidden out here.” He smirked at the memory.

Vik nodded. “They’re in the storage area in the garage. I’ll grab them. I think there’s only three of them.”

“That’s okay. I don’t have anything of mine here. Unless you guys want me to bring the clothes back with me, Scott could use them if he wanted.” Declan offered. My poor, sweet love had been here with me for so long without any of his belongings. It broke my heart. It would be the same way at Eli’s unless someone brought him stuff. I would make sure to call Steph myself when we got there to see if she’d mind bringing him a few things from his place.

“Yeah, you and Scott are about the same size. That’s a good idea.” Eli agreed.

I hated that this situation came up, but being forced to hide was a peek into what living together would be like. It wouldn’t be easy to keep three guys in line, but I didn’t mind. I knew when it came down to it; they would band together to take care of me. I wanted the fairy tale, though. I knew we’d never have kids and that was okay with me. But I wanted the cute little house with a fenced-in yard. Maybe a big puppy to occupy us. I missed Midnight—what I could remember of it, anyway—but I think being turned made me realize that living above a bar forever wasn’t really what I wanted.

Hmm, maybe I should talk to the guys about this. I know that Vik had the bar remodeled and adjusted the plans to accommodate Declan. Maybe we could just stay there part-time and find a house to relax in. I shrugged away the idea when Vik handed me a backpack. I grabbed Declan’s hand and pulled him with me to my room to pack. If he wasn’t bringing anything, he could keep me company.

“What have you been staring off in space about for the last ten minutes?” He asked after the door closed. I dropped the bag on the floor and walked over to him.

“I was just thinking about how unfair all of this has been on you. Because I lost control—whether it was my fault or not—you had to give up everything. It’s not right.” I pressed my lips to his gently. “I owe you an apology and a thank you. For everything.”

“I think I can come up with a way for you to make it right.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I laughed. Leave it to him to make my serious confession into a joke.

“I’m being serious. I hate that you had to deal with all of this. The other two seem to be used to this kind of thing, but you are the nicest guy I’ve ever known.” I kissed him chastely again.

“Oh, no. You think I’m a nice guy? Damn. I knew this was too good to be true.” He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

“What? I don’t understand. Being a nice guy is a bad thing?” I raised on my tiptoes and pressed another gentle kiss to his cheek.

“It is. See? You’re already treating me differently. How long before you just toss me all the way in the friend zone? I can’t take it. It’s devastating.” His mock horror, and the fact that he started tickling me, had me laughing so hard I was in tears.

“Okay, that was mean. Maybe you’re not as nice as I thought.” I swatted his hands away so he’d stop tickling me, then grabbed them and pulled him close again. “Or maybe you’re just what I need.” He leaned down and pressed his lips gently to mine before parting them with his tongue. I wrapped his arms around me, then fisted my hands in his hair. Dec’s hands slid down to cup my ass, and I jumped up, forcing him to catch me.

Chapter 48

Declan

I knew we had some time to kill before meeting Scott, but I hadn’t followed Delilah to seduce her. Although, that may have been her plan all along. She was a naughty girl like that. And I couldn’t get enough. With everything around us, maybe this release was exactly what we both needed. A moment in time when nothing else mattered. I took this opportunity to give that to her. When she jumped at me, I caught her and carried her to the bed, laying her back gently. I pulled my t-shirt off and climbed on top of her.

I moved slowly, teasing her with my kisses, refusing to rush this. I knew that she needed to forget the world and I was determined to make that happen. I ignored the knock on the door, kissing and caressing Delilah, so she didn’t answer either. I didn’t expect the door to open and to have an audience. I was so caught up in her lips that I didn’t realize what had happened until Vik cleared his throat.

“Go away,” I demanded, “unless you’re here to help our girl get off. Then get in here and strip.” From her response, I could tell she was interested in the idea. I knew that she’d been with Eli and Vik together once but wasn’t sure if that was something she wanted to do again. I expected him to close the door and leave. I didn’t even look in his direction, keeping my attention focused on Delilah.

The door softly clicked as it closed, and I thought we were alone again. I trailed kisses from Delilah’s mouth to her shoulder, ripping her shirt off and tossing it aside. When the bed shifted, I jumped. I’d expected to see Vik with the movement, but Eli surprised me. “I didn’t know both of you were at the door.” He smirked.

“If you’re not into this, love, all you have to do is say so.” Eli offered. Delilah’s eyes were wide with desire, and she licked her lips. She wasn’t going to tell them to leave.

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