A whoosh of air was all that alerted me Ezra was coming and, regrettably, it wasn’t enough to help. I was abruptly flipped and shoved onto my mattress with a heavy brute of a Vampire on top of me. Grunting, I tried every possible way to get out of the hold, and almost managed once with a knee to his groin, but he succeeded in keeping me contained. He was too fast, remarkably powerful, and damn muscled for a Vamp. I hadn’t been able to beat him in hand-to-hand once yet.
I closed my eyes in defeat, pinned under him.
There was no way I could get away with these three in the room. One of them, possibly, if I had been smart and kept distance between us. I had almost got my gun back, until Pearl had snatched it away, but there was definitely no way of escape with all three of them here.
Blinking my eyes open, I stared up into Ezra’s narrowed, spring green gaze.
He hissed softly, “What the fuck’s going on, sweetheart? What have you done that you’re so scared of us?” His head cocked, his words quiet. “I’ve done many things that could get me in trouble. Especially after my mate died, but never once did I fear what you guys would do to me if you found out.” He paused, grinning, and then drawled, “You’ve been naughty. Fess up, and I promise it won’t be as bad as you’re imagining.”
A little hysterical, I laughed. “Oh. It’s bad. You’ll kill me. Instantly. Same as Jack or Pearl. Or any other King or Elder.”
Ezra snorted. “I should have been killed eleven times by our Laws.” He winked. “I’m still here.” Truth.
“I’m not even going to ask what you’ve done, Ezra,” Pearl muttered. “I can only imagine.” She sat on my bed beside my head, gun still in hand. “Plus, you’re smart enough not to be afraid of us.” Golden eyes dipped to me. “But you, Lily, what have you done that has your common sense taking a leave of absence?”
“God, this has got to be good,” Jack mumbled, sounding almost excited. He sat down on the other side of my head. “Ezra’s right. Just tell us. As long as you haven’t killed any of the munchkins, I can pretty much guarantee this isn’t as bad as you’re thinking. We probably wouldn’t be able to hide a dead imp, since the parents would be squawking about their missing brat too much.” He smiled. “You never know, though.”
Oh, dear Lord. I choked on tears. “God, I love you guys,” I shook my head, “but this one’s even worse.”
“Tell us,” Ezra purred soothingly, but his grip had in no way loosed on my wrists. “You know you aren’t getting away until you do.”
Fat tears trickled across my temples as I looked back and forth between them. Eventually, I stared at the gun. “I’ll tell you if you promise to make it as painless as possible.” Maybe, a bullet to the brain, like how Dominic had died, would be the way to go.
Jack muttered, “We’re not going to kill you, Lily. Calm down.”
Pearl placed the gun far away, on my nightstand, her implication clear.
“Sweetheart,” Ezra coaxed gently. “Just open your mouth and tell us.”
I gurgled, and then laughed deliriously under him. “Funny thing you should mention mouths.” Clearing my throat, my chuckling died a short death as I peered into those spring green eyes that were hooded just so I wouldn’t be scared, but he wasn’t fooling me. “Jack. Pearl. Come in real close. You won’t want to miss this.” Might as well add some humor to my impending death.
Jack and Pearl bent closer, placing their heads next to Ezra’s, all their foreheads touching.
I sighed, staring at them only inches away. “Now, pay attention to my mouth.”
Three pairs of eyes lowered to my mouth as I opened it slowly.
My bitty fangs descended.
Chapter Thirteen
Brown, gold, and green eyes gradually widened, then opened wider, just like their mouths were, uncannily, in time with my fangs descending.
Staring at them, I tried to gauge how they were going to kill me. I had lied to them terribly, but I hoped that because they loved me they wouldn’t be too brutal. As the minutes ticked by and my friends remained silent, their jaws slowly closing — even though their eyes stayed as big as saucers — I decided they would be swift about it. I didn’t believe they would be deliberately cruel.
I tried smiling, but they just stared at my fangs. “Well, how are you going to off me? A bullet or injection?” Those were the two I bet they would choose from.
“You’re a hybrid,” Pearl murmured in immense shock.
I nodded. Um, yeah. That’s what the fangs meant when I also went furry.
“They’re so tiny,” Jack whispered, lifting a hand, and he touched my left fang.
I flinched, glaring.
“Don’t ever touch the fangs, man,” Ezra whispered heatedly.
“Why?” Jack asked, finger hovering over my fang, but he lowered it again.
Before he could touch me like that once more, I nipped his damn finger, using a little of my Vampire speed. Fangs were very sensitive. A soft touch felt like an intimate caress.
He yelped, and stuck his finger in his mouth. I had made him bleed.
“Told you,” Ezra murmured absently.
My eyebrows came together, rolling the drop of Jack’s blood in my mouth. “You’re right, Ezra. Watered-down.” Odd, that.