Page 84 of Blood

“But I need to talk about something serious with you.”

“And you don’t want my cock around for the conversation?” I surmise. “Are you afraid it’ll...reveal classified secrets? Because I can assure you, my cock is very trustworthy.”

“No. I mean, yes. I mean no! Ahhh! Your cock is distracting me.” She dramatically throws her arm across her eyes. “Put it away.”

“Um...”

“Put pants on!”

Oh.

Quickly, I run to Violet’s bedroom, where all of us have been keeping some of our clothes. The rest of mine are in the apartment right next door to Lucifer’s.

I stumble into a pair of gray sweatpants that Violet once told me should be “illegal”—whatever that means. The pants have never hurt anyone before.

Anyway, once my cock is neatly tucked away, I head back into the living room.

Violet still has her arm draped over her eyes, but when she hears my approaching footsteps, she tentatively squeaks out, “Is it gone?”

“I didn’t cut it off, if that’s what you’re asking,” I reply nervously, unsure of what this strange and intoxicating female wants from me.

Slowly, reluctantly, Violet lowers her arm so she can see me clearer. A rosy flush paints both of her cheeks as she heaves out a sigh. “That’s not any better!”

“I’m...confused.”

“Gray sweatpants should be made illegal. It does horrible things to a girl’s libido.” Her face is almost as red as her lips, and molten heat swirls in her vivid blue gaze. She sensually licks her lower lip as her gaze trails over me, stopping at my bare feet and ending at my chest. “Mama likey.”

“Um...” Did she hit her head? Is that why she’s calling herself my mother?

Violet blinks repeatedly, as if coming out of a daze, and then begins to shake her head. She stares at me a second longer before abruptly throwing herself onto the couch. “Why do you have to be so sexy, Barret?” She sounds almost frustrated by the fact, her voice a cute growl more befitting a kitten than a tiger.

“Sorry?” I move to perch on the armrest beside her. She immediately leans into my side, and a sense of rightness I never felt before floods my body, spurting through my veins like lava.

I’ve never realized how lonely I truly was until Violet Dracula came into my life, with her cocky smiles and sassy attitude. I had Cal, of course, and I love him, but it’s nothing compared to what I feel for my mate. What Cal and I have is completely different compared to what I share with Violet—and what Cal has with her.

Cal is my best friend and lover, but both of us can agree that our relationship formed out of necessity more than anything else. We were trapped in detention for our so-called crimes, and a relationship bloomed out of the carnage. A part of me wonders if we would have even noticed each other if it hadn’t been for that.

Then Violet came along, and we both definitely did notice her.

How could we not, when she was everything we ever wanted in a romantic partner?

When she’s near me, all the demons crowding my mind dissipate, if only for a moment. Her lightness is a balm I hadn’t even realized I needed. One smile from her is capable of slaying any monster.

I inhale her flowery scent—no doubt from the body wash Memphis supplied us with—and wrap an arm around her shoulders, forcing her farther into my embrace.

“Tell me what’s bothering you, Cheese Curd.”

“I have something I need to tell Cal.” Her voice is a hushed murmur, slightly muffled from where her lips have pressed themselves against my skin. “And I don’t know how he’s going to take it.”

Ice travels down my spine, freezing my joints into place. “What is this about, exactly?”

“His family.” That one word has every muscle in my body stiffening. Fear bangs against the outside of my consciousness, begging to be let in, like skeletal hands scratching at a window.

If there’s one thing that’s capable of completely destroying Cal, it’s any mention of his family.

Years ago, Cal discovered he had the power to strengthen mate bonds between monsters—he would feed his power into the bond a little at a time until it bloomed and flourished. He was one of the only half-incubus-half-fae monsters in existence, which made him a cupid. The cupid, both rare and powerful. When the monster council discovered what he could do, they murdered his family and sentenced him to one hundred years in detention at Prodigium Academy. To this day, Cal doesn’t know why he was punished for a seemingly innocent act. He blames himself for the death of his family. He only recently received his freedom when he won the Roaring, alongside me and the rest of Violet’s mates.

“What did you discover?” I ask in a tremulous voice.

---