Page 20 of Ouch! My Vampire Doms Keep Biting Me
He resumes walking, and I keep pace, my hand in his.
“You saw us with a woman,” he finally says as we take the last set of stairs down to the basement. “Were we clothed?”
Something compels me to answer. “No.”
He leans past me. His breath hits my neck as he whispers in a low, raspy voice, “Did you see us bite her?”
I shiver and slam my mouth closed. I want to say more, I want to tell him exactly what I saw. But the way my body responds to his, unbidden, keeps me silent. I can’t give myself away. I have to be stronger than that.
We move through the dark basement. The lights remain off, but Will navigates us past tables and shelves without issue. Maybe he can see in the dark. I bet he can. He easily tugs the bookcase from the wall, revealing the secret entrance, and ushers me through.
“From your lack of surprise and the fact you were a little voyeur last night,” he says, “I gather you’ve already found this entrance to our home.”
There’s no chance for me to respond, because sitting on a couch off to the side is none other than Xander. His short blond hair is not quite as unruly as Will’s. It looks like it would be thick between my fingers. His jaw tightens and he looks up, using one finger to mark his place in the book he holds.
“I see you’ve found our little mouse,” he says, his dark gaze flicking from me to Will.
“You,” Will says, pointing at him, “made me think I was going insane.”
Xander focuses on the place where Will’s fingers intertwine with mine. “We don’t keep mice as pets, Will. They’re vermin. They move in without invitation and nibble away at everything.”
“Please,” I say, my face hot again. Not with embarrassed arousal this time, but with pure shame. “I’m sorry. I know that staying here was wrong. I just…I don’t have anywhere else.”
“You cannot remain here,” Xander says. “It’s out of the question.”
I look between the two of them, from Xander’s angry expression to Will’s thoughtful one.
“She can stay tonight,” Will says.
Xander glares at him.
Will squeezes my hand. “What? You’re telling me we’ll throw this girl out onto the street at midnight? She can stay one night.”
“She’s already been here for, what, four nights? Five?”
I nod and look down.
“Christ, sheisa scared little mouse.” Xander makes a scoffing sound. “And what, pray tell, are we going to do with her? We like our women submissive, not cowardly.”
I feel my hackles rise at the wordcowardly. But maybe Xander isn’t wrong. I ran from home like a terrified rabbit, panicked and fearing Dale’s retribution and reach.
“She’s brave enough to ask sanctuary from two vampires,” Will says.
“It only means she’s more scared of what’s waiting for her out there.”
“Exactly.” Will stands taller. “I’m not going to put her back out there tonight, defenseless.”
I should be bothered that they’re speaking about me like this, like I don’t have a voice in what happens. But in this instance, I really don’t. This is their home, their library, and I’ve been squatting in it.
Xander frowns harder. “Well, we can’t fuck her. She’s not our type. We don’t do damsels in distress.”
Damn, that hurts. It shouldn’t hurt, but it does. I was turned on by this guy, but not anymore. He makes me feel so small.
“We’re not fucking her,” Will snaps. “We’re giving her a sofa to sleep on. Did you know she’s been curling up in the bloodycupboards?”
Xander is quiet for a moment, but his face betrays no emotion. He stands up, throws his book to the coffee table, and stalks away. Not turning around, he says two words: “One. Night.”
8
