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Monroe helps me up with Cooper, cradling me in his arms and not letting me walk as he carries me to the shower.
“I want you to bite me and let me feed you too. Cooper is going to wash your body and hair. We’re going to massage you and make sure you don’t crash hard after everything today.” Monroe bends his neck, keeping me firmly in place, just letting Cooper attend to my body as he tends to my hunger, my heart, and my mind. Moments of passion with Monroe always end with cuddles and food and everything I could ever want from him. It doesn’t matter where we are or what we’ve been doing beforehand, Monroe’s always consistent and safe. He always ensures that regardless of who I’m with, they also take the time to treat me like the most special woman in the world. And to them, I am. They’ll never let me forget it.
“What do you think, Cooper? Should we camp out here the rest of the night or see if we can sneak back to one of our suites?” Monroe murmurs the words, playing with my wet hair. “I don’t know about you, but the idea of making a blanket fort with our girl and just cuddling her until sundown sounds like bliss.”
“That does sounds amazing.” Cooper tilts my head to kiss me. “Right, Hayley?”
I flutter my eyelashes, my body giving into the desire just to lose myself to the love and let it carry me away. “It’s all I could ask for. You guys mean everything to me. I hope you know that.”
“We do,” they say in unison.
If only we didn’t have to worry about the rest of La Vega and whatever bullshit Alexander and the leadership comes up with.
“I don’t want you to worry about anything from now on, little bird. This will all be over soon.” Monroe shuts off the water and adjust me in his arms as Cooper wraps a towel around me. “We’re taking down the leadership soon. Alexander will fall with them.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and force myself to smile. He makes it sound so easy.
If only it didn’t sound like the most difficult task in the universe.
If only I knew we would succeed because something has to give. The fighting has to stop. If it doesn’t, there won’t be anything left. La Vega will crumble to rubble. Our future here will be lost.
Chapter eight
Hayley
Power Play
“WordontheStripis that the leaders are up to some bullshit. They had invited all of the main hotels for a meeting and then canceled at the last second. Now it’s been utter silence. My cousin suggests we start barricading. He thinks that they are putting together an army.” Monroe sits across the table, resting his hands on the top.
I sit on Knox’s lap, sucking his arm as I drink to my heart’s content. I’ve already drunk blood from both Monroe and Cooper, and it seems as if I can never get enough. I don’t know if it’s the pregnancy or what, but I’m afraid that I’m going to end up draining one of them in the process.
I ease away and wipe my mouth with the napkin, staining it red. “I wonder if Alexander had warned the coven at Esor. Do you remember how they put up the fences?” It has been weeks, but Monroe said more places are doing it.
Monroe taps his fingers. “Yeah, I have Walcott getting a team together. We’re issuing an eviction to all the vampires in the shadows of the Bella unless they have proven themselves as allies.”
Knox lifts his arm again, encouraging me to drink more. I flip my gaze to his, giving him a long look. He knows my concern. He has promised me time and time again that none of them will let it happen, but I still feel nervous to continue past the point of having to bite multiple times to get the blood flowing more. Now is one of these times, since my bite mark coagulates.
“We’ve also issued an invitation to our closest allies, inviting them to join us until we figure out what the fuck the leadership has planned. We are stronger together.” Sawyer ruffles his fingers through his hair. He turns to Cooper. “Any word from the Whiskey? Do you think they will follow through?”
I shiver at the thought. Even though I killed Lawrence, I still can’t help feeling the fear arisen from my stay outside of La Vega. I know that not all vampires are like that monster, and I know we need as many allies as we can get, considering that the leadership might be opening to vampires outside of La Vega, but it still doesn’t sit well with me. There are far too many treacherous people who only want power and blood.
“Yeah, they’re good for it. They think that the leadership will try to expand out and take their territory, so they’ll do whatever it takes.” Cooper nudges me with his foot under the table. “I think the fact that Hayley took out Lawrence really gave them the help they needed. Some of the shadow dwellers stood up and banded together. All of the donors freed from the blood farms have stepped up as well. They’ll be ready when we call.”
“And what about the renegades? There has to be a way we can lure them out and get them to fight. I suspect there are a lot more than we realize. If they threaten that leadership more so than we do, it will give us the chance we need to end them completely.” Knox shifts his arm, pulling it away from my lips. He kisses me sweetly, distracting me from the fact that he just cut me off from his blood. I know I shouldn’t feel so annoyed, because I’ve obviously been drinking a lot, but the beast inside me growls for more.
Sawyer holds his arms out, sensing my lingering hunger. “Come here, my insatiable dhampir. I have plenty of blood to offer you.”
Knox doesn’t even get a chance to brace himself before I launch from his lap and practically crawl across the table to join Sawyer. Am I an animal? Maybe.
Monroe’s laughter fills the air, and he stretches out and grazes his fingers across my cheek. “Damn, little bird. Let me double up on some gen. pop. You can devour me again next.”
Heat flushes through my face, and I stick my tongue out at him before licking across the puncture marks on Sawyer’s arm. He uses his fangs to make it easier on the both of us, though I know Sawyer would prefer for me to just tear right into him. He wears my bite marks for as long as he can like a badge of honor. He’d probably wear a shirt or something that says he survived a dhampir’s hunger if he could.
“You can prepare yourself for later. I’m almost done. I think I just need to eat some real food too.” I press my lips to Sawyer’s arm again, filling my mouth with blood. Swallowing, I lick my lips and use my fingers to stanch the bleeding. I need to work on my self-control. I know this. None of the guys would say anything, but I don’t want to consume more just because I want it and crave it.
“I got you covered, my showgirl. Lots of extra iron for you. It might help.” Cooper slides me a plate full of leafy spinach and beef, the salad looking amazing. He is the best cook out of all of them, probably because he is recently transformed.
Sawyer takes the fork and stabs it into the chopped steak, offering it to me. I take a bite and close my eyes, savoring the flavors.
