It was to be expected, supernaturals were hot-blooded, highly sexual beings. I had similar trouble with my father, who refused to realize his little girl was all grown up, but thankfully my sexual escapades were fewer than the boys’, and they usually took place outside of my family home. Whether supernatural or human, I got the feeling parents were always parents and they didn’t want to see their babies smacking nasties with someone.
With that in mind, I gave my usual warning. “If I’m staying over tonight, please, please try and keep your ladies out of my room.” I had, more than once, woken to their extras climbing into bed with me. Of course one swift wolf bite to the ass took care of the problem, but really … wrong on so many levels.
Maximus swung me onto his shoulders. “Tonight we’re all yours, Jessa babe.” The vampire was so tall I swear the air was thinner up there. He rounded out the last little section of free land and as he moved up onto the massive wraparound deck of their house, he dropped me to my feet.
“You better mean all mine in a completely non-sexual, unkinky way, Max.” I knew all about vamps and their freaky sex requests. “I have stamina but the four of you might possibly kill me.”
Tyson and Jacob started snorting out their laughter, and before I knew it a plethora of sharing suggestions were being tossed around.
“I’m going to miss you two,” I said. There would be bloodshed soon if they didn’t shut up.
Braxton moved then, and before I could blink had the two brothers locked in under his muscled arms. “You two have six seconds to stop talking or you’re going to stop breathing.”
Called it.
We walked across the front deck. Their house was a huge dwelling. The boys had built it together using blood, sweat and a bit of magic. I noticed that one of their black Range Rovers was parked out the front, probably still there from last week when Jacob had headed out of Stratford to help the other fey round up a few imps which had been causing trouble in New York City. Most families had cars but they were only used to leave town or if there was a call for a mass evacuation. Within Stratford, we walked everywhere.
I followed Braxton into the house and through the long hall which opened to their spacious and open-plan living room. Everything in this place was built to cater to large men. The rest of them tumbled through in a wrestling heap. I dropped onto the soft leather sofa, trying to switch my mind off. I couldn’t believe what had happened tonight. I had a sister. A freaking sister. Not something you expected to find out at twenty-two years of age. I cursed my mother and father. Mainly my mother though. I just knew this was mostly to do with her.
“Are you okay?” Braxton’s warmth wrapped around me, pulling me from my worries. “Want to talk about it?”
I wrinkled my nose, my eyebrows scrunching as I glared at him. “Do you want to talk about it? Why did you go all Dragonheart on us back there?”
His features hardened and all of a sudden he looked so fierce. I almost wanted to drop my eyes at his show of dominance, but I managed to stay where I was. “The look on your face when your father made the announcement,” he said, “was one of complete betrayal.” His blue eyes were not as hard as the rest of his face when he locked me in his gaze. “And pain, I could literally feel the hurt and pain bleeding off you. My dragon decided that no one hurts his Jessa.”
“Not to mention the council continues to feed us bits and pieces of information,” Jacob said, flicking his fingers out to light the large hearth fire which was the center of the room. It was icy this time of year, early November, although most of us didn’t worry too much about the cold. “I’m starting to think we’ve been a little too lenient with them. They should have already started training us, passing along the information we’ll need to be council leaders, but they aren’t. What sort of leaders will we be if they just hand us our mantle and throw us to the sharks at twenty-five?”
They had a point, and it was something I knew my father was uncomfortable with. “Dad said Kristoff doesn’t want to spread the network of information too far at the moment.”
Jonathon had never really been clear about what the council’s worry was, although after the meeting today it probably had something to do with the prison breakouts and dead fey. Suffice to say, something was whacked out in our world at the moment. Something we had no idea about. I had that tight feeling low in my gut. Prison breakouts, dead fey, mysterious sisters … what the actual fuck was going on?
“That’s the shit we’re talking about,” Tyson said as he used his magic to smash a bowl against the wall and then reform it back to perfect. It was his stress reliever when he was upset. His eyes were flashing with threads of gold but were still mostly brown. “We’re not just anyone. Spreading information to us is what they’re supposed to do.”
Jacob grinned then. “So, Jessa, your sister’s kind of hot, don’t you think?” The jackass struck again. I knew him well enough to know he was simply trying to release some tension.
She was hot, in an innocent, I’m-still-a-virgin way. But I was so not having this conversation tonight. “For that you will get me some food now, or I’ll tell Stella that you were with her and her sister on the same night.” Stella was the most competitive fey I’d ever known. If she found out he’d never hear the end of it.
“Damn, that’s low.” He got to his feet and moved toward the kitchen, calling back to me. “And for the record, your sister has nothing on you, you’re as fucking gorgeous as they come. It’s a shame you’re off limits, but I’d rather be your best friend forever than lover for a moment.” Truth. Jacob was not giving me a line. His sincerity was clear, and I could scent truth. This was not a skill every shifter had, but I was very good at it.