AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 20
Drake
Seeing Darren escortPiper's parents out was a surreal moment. My and Allister’s parents weren't overly attentive. They were rich aristocrats, so as long as we promised to marry the women they chose for us and didn't create any bastard children, we could do whatever we wanted.
To see Piper's parents treat her like she was just some cash cow made me furious, so much so that I had to excuse myself back downstairs to cool off. I paced the floor of the basement with angry strides and dragged my hand through my short hair every half a dozen steps or so.
The others were busy getting ready to leave, but Allister sat there on his bed and watched me with concern.
"Stop it already, you're making me dizzy,” he said with a sigh. “I know you're pissed. We all are. We heard what they were saying to her."
I paused in my pacing to stare at my brother, my breathing hard and my nostrils flaring. "It's just so demeaning. So inhumane. I mean, we're vampires for fuck's sake, and even we thought they were out of line." I let out a rough laugh. "I mean, who does that? And to their own child?" I rubbed a hand over my face and shook my head for what had to be the hundredth time.
"The same people who raised you," Wynn commented from where he lounged on his bed.
I spun around to face him and glared. "What did you say? Do you want to get knocked out?"
"Do you really think your parents were that different?” Wynn's head lulled from one side to the other as he arched a brow at me. “Think about it, they wanted you to marry who they wanted, and that meant whoever benefited them. Financially, socially, and so on. It's not much different than what Piper's parents were trying to do to her except they were far more devious about it and..."
"Total dicks," Rayne inputted with a snarl. He acted like he wanted to rip their heads off their shoulders rather than sending them on their way after being worked over by Antoine.
I was right there with him.
"I can't believe we just let them go," I huffed and punched my fist into my open palm. "We should have eaten them for dinner."
Wynn scoffed. "And how do you think that would have gone over with Piper? Oh, yes, Piper, we have a lovely vintage from your parents. Now, please, open those delicious legs of yours and let me stick my cock in you." The prat sat up and fluffed his open neck shirt as he rolled his eyes at me. "Yes, I can see that going over really well, can't you?"
"Fine," I snapped as I stomped toward him, "then we should have snapped their necks. That'd solve all of their and our problems."
Marcus made a disgusted sound. "Such barbarians."
I spun on my heels and pointed a finger at the brute. "Like you have any room to talk. You're Antoine's enforcer. You wanted to get rid of Piper from the beginning. You have no room to judge me."
"Get rid of?" Marcus shook his head. "No, fire. Yes, she's... distracting."
The others hummed in agreement. Even I couldn't argue with that.
"Yeah, a tempting distraction, but one that we've already claimed as our own. We might as well make it permanent, you know?" I tried to urge my brothers to the same conclusion I had come to. Binding her to us was all good and well, but those bonds could be undone if one tried hard enough. It might deter Valentine, but it wouldn't stop him, not forever.
"You're wanting to make her one of us?" Rayne gaped at me, irritatingly having read my mind. "Are you crazy? She'd never go for that."
"How do you know?" I gestured at him aggressively. "Have you asked her? She might find it fun. Piper's not like the others. She's different. Fun. Sweet. Charming..." I trailed off and licked my lower lip. "Sexy as hell."
"And a klutz to boot," Allister pointed out with a grin. "Can you imagine her as a vampire? She'd try to bite someone and end up killing them because she tripped over her own fangs."
We laughed together and then grew quiet, each of us falling into our own thoughts. As I moved toward my bed, I went about gathering my phone charger and toiletries to pack in my bag. I had already grabbed my clothes for the trip, and Darren had put it in the car to go to the private airport. Since it was still day time, we had blacked-out windows for the car, well, limo, there were too many of us to drive a regular car. Plus, Antoine had a thing for limos.
I wondered if Piper has ever been in one.
The prospect of seeing her face when we got in the limo or even the private plane had my anger dwindling and me humming a happy song.
"What's made you so chipper?" Allister asked as he clapped me on the shoulder.
I lifted a shoulder and dropped it with a wink. "Just thought of something better to obsess about."
Chuckling, Allister shook my shoulders with an annoyingly vigorous force. "Ugh, if you weren't my twin, I'd murder you."
I shoved his hands off and threw my bag over my shoulder before pointing a finger at him. "Right back at you, bro."
