Page 61 of Last Shot at Love

I knew what they were seeing. Cerulean had marked me during an act of sexy dominance and the pattern of the rings on my skin reflected that.

A trail of sucker rings circled my neck before trailing down between my breasts. The mate marks looked a lot like a collar and leash.

Lifting a hand, I stroked Cer’s jaw as he languidly sipped my blood and trickled his venom into me. I rested my right hand on the table, allowing everyone to see the claiming marks that circled my wrists like blue ringed bracelets.

Even without being able to see the line of blue rings that trailed from my hip to my thigh, the rings wrapping around my ankles, or the marks he’d left in far more intimate places… it didn’t take a genius to understand that I’d been restrained and at his mercy when he’d marked me.

I hadn’t been in control… and I’d loved every second of it.

Cerulean had bound and marked not just my body, but my heart, too.

My hips wiggled on his lap at the memories, eager to have him do it again.

“Cerulean, if you’re done showing off, maybe you could introduce me?”

A stranger settled in my vacant chair.

Reluctantly, I pulled away from Beryl’s neck. I kept my arms tight around her waist, holding her against my body and nuzzling her neck.

I fought to steady my breathing. It wasn’t just the taste of her blood that was driving me insane. The fact she’d wanted to show her rings—the marks I’d left on her while claiming her as mine—had me painfully hard.

My beast wanted us to push her dress over her hips and breed her right there, and I was having a hard time remembering why that was a bad idea.

Beryl seemed unsure of what to do, but allowed me to continue holding her while I tried to calm my pacing beast. This wasn’t how I’d wanted our first outing as a mated couple to go.

“Forgive my brother. He’s always been on the clingy side—it’s an octopus thing.” I rumbled a warning as he shook Beryl’s hand a fraction too long. “I’m Lapis.”

My brother would never make a move on my wife, but he loved to get a rise out of me. He knew I was newly mated, and therefore slightly unstable, so he was going to see how far he could push me.

“Well, this is turning into quite the family reunion,” Beryl blurted out.

I snickered, but she’d cringed in my arms the moment the words left her mouth. Pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder, I tried to ease her discomfort.

Beryl was the type to think her words over carefully before speaking, but I’d noticed in the last few days she was speaking more freely, and not overthinking every word before she said it. I loved her open honesty.

Lapis laughed and leaned back in his chair. “I like her, brother. It’s a shame you met her first.”

It wasn’t until Beryl squeaked that I realized I’d tightened my arms around her middle a little too tight.

“Sorry, darling,” I whispered, easing my grip.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lapis. Cerulean didn’t tell me you would be visiting.”

Beryl’s smile was genuine, but she’d switched to the same cool, professional voice she’d used with Timothy. No doubt because of the two men seated across from us who watched her every move like wild animals waiting to attack.

Beryl was ignoring the vampire men, so taking my queues from her, I ignored them as well.

Everything was perfect.

Why did they have to ruin it?

Her thoughts drifted into my mind, and my heart ached. I’d wanted this evening to be wonderful for her, and the vampires’ appearance was threatening to ruin it.

I refused to allow that to happen. If Beryl didn’t want them here, then they weren’t going to stay. I opened my mouth, preparing to tell them they needed to leave, but the older vampire spoke first.

“Married? He’s your husband?” His green eyes darted between Beryl and me.

Beryl lifted her chin. “Yes, he’s my husband.”

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