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Chapter 8
Rayne
As I watched Piper's expression turn from contemplative into full-blown panic, I wanted to reach out and comfort her, to tell her that it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. However, my reaction to her thoughts only reminded her that I had been listening... again.
I wanted to hate myself for it, but my power was part of who I was. I couldn't turn it off. And at this particular moment, Piper was thinking far too loudly for me to ignore her, not that I had wanted to.
Piper had been on my mind ever since she came to work for us. I just couldn't get her out of my head. At first, it had only been a perverse curiosity, as a new human toy to torment and runoff. When she didn't back down, not even when she found out we were vampires, that curiosity turned into something more.
Now, I couldn't stop thinking about her for a whole other reason. I wanted to see her. I wanted to be near her. To smell her scent. To touch her hair. Kiss her.
It had been a mistake to kiss her and taste her blood even if it was to save her from Valentine because now, I wanted more, not just her blood though I wanted that as well. I was a vampire for crying out loud. But I also wanted to feel her lips against mine, to hear her heart quicken as I pressed her to my chest. That soft body of hers had melded into mine so perfectly that I had woken up from a dead sleep dreaming of her. Yes, it'd given me more than one embarrassing awakening that had not gone unnoticed by my brothers.
"Dude, uncool." Drake shook his head and slipped off his chair. "At least fucking pretend not to listen. She's not used to this yet."
"I can't help it," I muttered as I leaned my forehead against the cool tile of the countertop. "Her thoughts are just so different."
"How so?" Wynn asked. His black hair was all I could see from my position.
"Faster for one," I huffed a laugh, "and chaotic. She jumps from one thought to the next like nothing I've ever seen."
"So, like how she talks?" Allister pointed out, and we couldn’t help but laugh, a thankful reprieve from the tension.
I sat up and stared at my brothers, a serious tone coming over my voice. "She's freaking out. I don't know if she's going to want to do it."
"Of course, she’s upset." Drake scoffed and waved a hand around at us. "None of us reacted positively the first time we found out we were going to live forever, and none of us had a choice. At least she has one and the time to think about what to do."
Allister inclined his head to agree with his twin. "Exactly. Give her time. We have a week. Then she can decide."
"But Antoine isn't going to want to wait that long. We need to prepare," I argued and dragged a hand through my messy hair, making it even worse. "If she's going to be bound, then we need to do it soon, so she has time to adjust."
"You mean for her to freak the fuck out even more." Drake snorted and rolled his eyes. "That's all well and good, but this isn't an easy decision. She's not dying. She could very well tell us all to fuck off and get another job."
We quieted at that thought. None of us wanted to see Piper go, especially not me... or Wynn. We were both already emotionally invested in her, and the twins were well on their way. They liked her for her spunk and her smart mouth. Plus, she was hot. I couldn't disagree with them for any reason they had for liking her.
At least they hadn't tasted her yet, not like I had. If they had, they'd already be head over heels for her.
Piper's blood was like nothing I'd ever tasted before. It wasn't good or bad, but it also didn’t have that neutral flavor that some humans had when they straddled the moral line. No, she was like dark chocolate, sweet with a bitter after taste that you think you don't like but keep ending up coming back for.
And oh, did I want more.
"So, should we go talk to her?" Allister asked. "I could be persuasive in our favor."
"No way." I jumped in and slammed my hand down on the counter. "We're not forcing her to pick us. This is her choice. If we take that away from her..."
"She'll resent us for the rest of her long, long life." Wynn let out a remorseful breath. "We must let her choose and deal with the consequences as best we can."
While Wynn spoke as if he was leaving the decision up to her, he already had a plan in his mind to help her move her decision in the right direction, one that I could get wholeheartedly behind.
As I backed away from the island, I shoved my hands into my pockets and started for the kitchen door. "I'm going to go take a shower. Get some of the basement’s stink off me."
My brothers waved me off as if they hadn’t even heard me. They were all too caught up in their own thoughts to care about what I was doing. Perfect for me.
I headed up the stairs two at a time, listening for the sound of my other brothers. Marcus was still downstairs watching some nature show while Antoine, of course, was in his office... but with Darren.
My face reddened at the sounds they weren't trying to hide during their exploits. You'd think after all these years that I'd be used to it, but it still embarrassed me all the same. I blamed my parents. They were highly religious and thought that anything to do with sex was a sin. Even having it to make babies was borderline sinful in their eyes. If you're going to procreate, you better not enjoy it.
Fuck that.
