Page 22 of Ivy and the Deathstalkers

“Just a toxic bitch and your worst nightmare if you don't get to the point.” Man is she going to be a hard one to get through to.

King snorts. “You don't know what you are, do you? What about your parents?”

Sitting up in her chair, she stabs the knife into her desk. “My parents are dead. They were both human assassins. I have no clue why I am the way I am, but I’ll tell you one thing. You cost me the man that killed them and took them from me. The only two people to ever give a shit about me. Even when they couldn't touch me, they still tried to give me the world. You have two minutes left, now get to the fucking point or get the fuck out of my house.”

KC’s bravado slips for a moment. “Stanley?” She nods, and he continues, “That man is responsible for more deaths than you'll ever know. He tried to wipe out an entire race. The six of us are the last of our kind. Or at least we thought we were until Jax stumbled across you. Since I'm on a time crunch, I'm gonna be blunt. You’re a matriarch. You are the offspring of two full-blooded deathstalkers. Being a matriarch means you have more than one suitable mate. In your case, you have six. We’re here to take you back to our clubhouse and get to know you.”

She burst out laughing, and it is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard in my life. She wipes some tears from her eyes. “There is no way I can be a deathstalker shifter. I can't shift, I have no inner beast as you call it. It's just my…fluidsare toxic, lethal. So tell me another story. I haven't laughed so much in years.”

I clear my throat, I touch King on the shoulder. He nods, giving me the go ahead. “Deathstalker matriarchs can't shift. However, to defend themselves, they were believed to have certain other abilities. Such as the toxic nature you exhibit. Only deathstalkers can handle that venom without succumbing. It was the goddess’s way to ensure our female species was protected. And we are your mates. If you'd like, I can prove it.” I hold out my hand for her dagger.

She raises an eyebrow, but hands it to me. Quickly before she can pull her hand back, I flick the blade across her hand. With the other hand I grab her hand before she can pull away. I lick the blood off her hand.What a fucking mistake. This is holy fuck my dick is so hard I don't think it's gonna stay in my leathers.

My scorpion surges forward, and then in the most guttural voice I never knew I had comes the word, “Mate.”

She yanks her hand back and jumps to her feet. I see a bit of panic in her eyes. All I can do is smile. Her blood is an aphrodisiac, and I need her now. As I start to advance, KC grabs one arm and Cree grabs the other. Somebody whispers in my ear, not sure who, but I instantly calm down.

However, I'm still panting, and the need to get to her is almost overbearing. Somehow, I manage to control myself. If King and Cree weren’t here, I’m sure it would be a different story.

KC practically shoves me into a chair and tells Cree to keep me there. He keeps his hand on my shoulder which keeps me from doing what I want to do. Which is bend her over and fuck her raw.

KC steps to the edge of the desk, but doesn't advance. “I think what my secretary brother was trying to say with that little demonstration is if what we say isn't true how could you explain that?” He points to me and I know he's referring to the raging hard-on that I cannot hide.

“I…” She stammers as she practically falls back into her chair. She pulls her purple hair out of her face, almost like she's trying to rip her hair out. She seems lost and confused. My scorpion whines… Interesting, I never knew he could do that.

“I don't want to call you Death. Could you please give us another name to call you? I know this is a lot and five minutes is not enough time to explain a lifetime of what you obviously were never told. But there is no way two humans could be your parents. You are a matriarch of the deathstalkers,ourmatriarch. Let us find the answers and Stanley. Because he is responsible for this, I know he is! If he killed your parents, he was probably trying to get to you.”

She just nods. Then finally, she says one word, “Ivy.”

Chapter 17

Ivy

Ileave my office in a daze as the three deathstalkers who claim to be my mates follow me like little ducklings. Their claim may hold water, but I can’t even think about that right now. It’s information overload. All the things KC told me. If I thought findingamate would flip my world upside down, nothing could have prepared me for the bombs fate would drop on me tonight.

Six mates.

My parents aren’t my parents.

They died protecting me.

I’m not sure I want to know what other revelations these guys have for me. There’s no going back now, though. I may notwantto know, but Ineedto.

I walk right past the three that waited outside, not even looking at them as I head straight for the house. I vaguely hear the murmurings of a hushed conversation, but I don’t catch any words. I leave the door open behind me and make a beeline for the kitchen, pulling down a bottle of Crown Royal, forgoing the glass, and chugging straight from the bottle.

“Is she ok?” one of them asks. I think it’s Neo, but I’m not turning around to check.

“I think King broke her,” someone responds.

“I did not. I’m sorry I had to tell her the way I did, but she didn’t give me a choice.”

“What’d you do?” Jax growls. I know that growl. It sends tingles straight to my clit.

“What I had to,” KC snaps. “She wasn’t listening. She was going to kick us out and we’d never see her again. I couldn’t let that happen. So yeah, maybe I was a little too blunt, but she needed to know. Hopefully, whenever she snaps out of it, she’ll realize that, and we can have a more productive conversation about everything.”

Pulling the bottle from my lips, I screw the lid back on and take a deep breath. He’s right. It was a lot to hear, but I wouldn’t have listened if he had told me any other way. Sometimes I need someone to be brutally blunt to get through to me. Guess fate knew what she was doing giving me him as a mate.

Turning around, I face my mates. All six of them. Fuck, they’re hot. How did I not notice that earlier? How can anyone think clearly with them around?

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