Page 103 of Mama Si's Paradise

“Oh.” That was the best I had.Oh.

“Master Grey has two brides—that’s me and Amita. Zoe and Gretchen are Master Emil’s brides, and Paris and Mariposa are Master Tristian’s,” Cynthia said.

Ten.There were ten of them—all those women I’d seen in the morning. They were all the brides of those men, the same men who’d scared me shitless with just the way they looked at me.

“You don’t mind?” I wondered. “Sharing your partner like that and being in this place—youreallydon’t mind?!”

“Like Cynthia said, we live like queens. And our masters treat us with much more respect and dignity and love than any other man I’ve ever come across in the human world,” said Vera.

Even Lucinda nodded. “Absolutely. One hundred percent.”

“What about the blood? Do theybiteyou?” They all nodded, smiling. “And?! You don’t find that horrifying?”And disgusting and nauseating and all things bad?

“Of course not!” Vera and Cynthia said at the same time, while Lucinda just looked at me like I might be green or something.

“It’s a privilege to feed my master. Knowing that my blood keeps him alive fulfills me. It’s the least I can do,” Vera said.

“They take so little,” Cynthia whispered. “And it feels so, so good…” She sighed with her eyes closed.

It definitely didn’t look like I was going to fit in with these women if that’s what they thought.

“What about Valentine’s brides?”

“Oh, Master Valentine is the youngest. He’s barely twenty-four years old. He just got his dragon about a month ago, so this is the first time he’s actually competed for a bride,” Cynthia said.

“They usually don’t get brides for the first fiveor six years, so he’ll be alone for a little while longer,” Vera said, but Lucinda snorted.

“He’s not alone. He spends most of his time out there—what, you thinkhunting animalsis all he does in the Woods?”

“Lucinda!” said Cynthia dramatically, covering her mouth as she giggled.

And Lucinda grinned. “He probably has all the townswomen lining up to suck his?—”

The door basically burst open. A miracle it didn’t come off the hinges completely as Valentine came through, looking like he was on the brink of setting something on fire.

Vera, Lucinda and Cynthia were already on their feet, bowing their heads to Valentine. Meanwhile my ass was glued to the damned chair as I gripped the armrests and looked up at him, tryingnotto be glad that he was here. Trying not to feel safe in his presence, especially now that I knew what the hell was waiting for me if I stayed here.

He barely glanced at the women as he stepped closer and said, “Are you done eating?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

He came around the table and offered me his hand. “Come on. I want to show you something.”

The women were all looking at me through the corner of their eyes, and I’d be a damn liar if I said I wasn’t glad and absolutely relieved that Valentine was going to take me away. A break was what I needed.Right now.

So, I grabbed his hand and let him lead me outside the dining room without a word.

Twenty-Five

Their words spunaround my mind still. I didn’t pay attention to where I was going, just let Valentine lead me to a dark hallway. His dragon wasn’t on his shoulder right now but behind us, moving so silently, like he was a damn shadow on the walls.

“What’s the matter?” Valentine said after a minute. “Did they upset you?”

“What—no, no, of course not. They just…” My voice trailed off when it dawned on me that he could literally hear my heart beating. “We just talked. They told me about you and your brothers. Andthem.”

Valentine threw me a look. “And?”

“And nothing. They’re happy. They allwantto be here.” He’d already said as much, but it still surprised me. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that they’d willingly accepted to be offered as child-bearing subjects and blood-vending machines for vampires.Vampires.

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