Page 76 of Taste Me

Except, the very thought of it leaves a sour taste in the back of my throat.

Maybe this isn’t going to work after all.

Because just as my mates seem intent on me choosing them, I want them to have a choice, too.

If Zyran isn’t the type of vampire to be pinned down, then I’m not going to tell him what to do.

But would I be able to live like that? To wonder where he is at night when I’m with one of his brothers?

That wouldn’t be fair to anyone, not Jasper or Kor, and certainly not me.

I should reject him right now. I stare at his back, watching how the silky shirt ripples around him, as I try to form the words.

They don’t come—because I don’twantto reject him.

Spirits. What am I going to do?

I struggle with my jealousy as Zy leads us through a cozy living room and then into a kitchen. “I don’t have a bar like at the penthouse,” he explains as he sets his keys on the counter. “Not even a butler’s pantry, but I make do.”

Jasper has his hand secured around my hip as he easily holds me against his side. If it weren’t for his support, I would likely fall over. My knees still feel like jelly.

Plus, it helps my sanity not to hear the screams of the dead that are still raging like an echo chamber in this region.

“What are you talking about? This is basically a bar instead of a kitchen,” Jasper says.

He’s not wrong. Various liquor bottles are lined up in glass cabinets where dishware should be. There are rows of shakers and stirrers, as well as shot glasses.

Zy points at the lonely stove. “I cook, sometimes, when I have a—um, guest, who eats food.”

I can’t see his expression behind his sunglasses, but he adjusts them as if it’s a nervous tic and goes about making three drinks.

It doesn’t take a genius to know what he means.

Just like I suspected, he brings girls here, and likely often.

When he hands me a pink drink with a cherry, I decide to rip the bandage off. “So, you fuck around a lot?”

Jasper had already been taking a sip of his drink and he snorts into the glass. He takes out a handkerchief to dab away the mess. “Damn, Issy, you don’t mince words.”

I could say it’s because I don’t have practice with words, but the truth is I don’t want this to linger. If he’s going to fuck around, then this needs to be dealt with one way or another.

Zy waves his brother’s comment away. “She has every right to know what I’m like. Yes, I have fucked around a lot, but that’s over now that I’ve found you.”

I raise an eyebrow, definitely feeling skeptical of that. “Just because fate introduces you to your ideal mate doesn’t mean you’re going to change who you are.” I glance at Jasper as I take the cherry out of my drink. “Plus, if we went through with this, you’d have to share me with your brother.”

“Brothers,” Zy instantly corrects, pulling my attention back to him. There’s a little smirk on his mouth and it forms a dimple.

Spirits. I want to stick my tongue in it and then lick him.

“Kor is your fated mate, too,” Zy continues as he swirls the ice in his glass. He has a tube of something red that he pours into it.

Blood.

My body is instantly hot as I watch him empty the contents. “That doesn’t sound very fair,” I say, continuing to talk so I don’t do something else, like try to bite him. “You mean to share me with two other men, but you think you’re going to stay loyal to me in return?”

He nods as if that’s a simple idea. He takes a sip of his bloody concoction before responding. “Of course. Believe it or not, I’ve thought a lot about what my mate might be like.” He smiles again as he seems to look toward the ceiling in thought. “Delicate. Beautiful, of course. Sexy as fuck and wields a feisty spirit to match her powerful magic. A mate who can keep me in line and be my equal instead of being dominated.” He runs his tongue over his lower lip. “One who likes me buried deep inside of her when Ibite.”

I realize I’ve made a little sound when Jasper steadies me.

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