5. Catalina
FIVE
catalina
“My turn.” A hiss reached my ears, then a harsh grip at my neck.
I found myself on my back staring up at the ceiling beams. The grip around my throat squeezed, cutting off oxygen. With my good hand, I clawed at the fingers digging into my throat.
Jax’s upside-down features blurred. I couldn’t breathe. My eyes felt like they’d pop out of the sockets.
Not too long ago, I’d been stretched out between the twins like this, but they’d been fucking me instead.
“Jaxon,” Asher snarled, gripping his wrists, but Jax didn’t release me.
Dots blurred my vision. What would he do with my dead body? Peter wouldn’t know what happened to me—I would just disappear.
I could feel each beat of my heart.
The skin at the side of my throat burned and darkness crept over my sight. His fingers loosened.
I sucked in a gasping, burning breath. His release of my throat spread numbness along the column of my neck. On the heels of the dullness came painful pricks like pins were being stabbed into my throat.
The front of Asher’s body pressed over my body. He’d stretched over me to grab his twin who stood along the length of the bed. He straddled my waist, eyes focused on what would be his mirror image if it weren’t for the shorter hair. Their hands hovered over my head and a droplet of my blood dripped onto my cheek. The slow glide of my blood tickled as it traveled toward my ear.
They were too still as they stared at the blood on Jax’s fingertips. Fangs exploded from their gums. Jax’s eyes flashed red and his head lowered.
Screaming, I hiked my shoulders to protect my neck. It went against the initial instinct to bare my throat.
“You will not bite her,” Asher hissed. “Not until you can control your anger. You gave up your claim to me. She is mine.”
Jax had a ‘claim’ to me . . . when did they have this conversation?
“She is a traitor,” Jax spat. “We dispose of them. Hon m?ste do .”
“ Nej .”
Jax wanted to dispose of me. My pulse bounced erratically. I peeked up at him. His features settled in an angry cast. A muscle ticked on his jaw.
“I will not kill her, but she needs to talk.”
I never should have let my curiosity force me to peek at the fucking urn. That’s what got me here. I never planned to give it to Calliope, and it was my luck that the temperamental vampire was the one that caught me snooping.
If I’d gone straight to them when I’d arrived, none of this would have happened.
Asher released his grip on Jax and sat back. He braced on his knees so his weight wasn’t fully settled on me, but I could feel the press of his thighs.
I flicked my wide eyes to Asher’s curled mouth. The earlier threat disappeared from his expression. His white, loose silk shirt fell open, exposing the curve of his muscled torso. As always, he reminded me of a pirate.
Like he should grace the cover of one of those smutty historical books.
Nope, couldn’t go down the road of admiring his beauty. That would lead to lust, and I wouldn’t give in to him.
Still, the smooth glide of his pierced cock sliding in my pussy couldn’t easily be forgotten.
Asher’s thighs tensed and his eyebrows wiggled as he stared at me knowingly. He could smell my sudden desire. My cheeks heated and I scowled.
Squeezing my thighs together sent a spike of pain down my broken leg and I gasped.
Asher pursed his lips.
“We can’t have you whimpering with every graze.” Asher straightened and stared down at me.
“She doesn’t deserve the blessings of our blood.”
For once, I agreed with Jax. I didn’t want anything from any of them.
Asher dropped his gaze to his brother. “I understand your aversion but you were outvoted. She stays.”
Jax hissed at his brother, his face set in a scowl and so much anger in his eyes it could have lit me on fire. He glared down at me and I could see in his eyes that he wanted nothing more than to kill me, right here and now. Asher cleared his throat and Jax hissed again.
“Fine, but I’ll do it.” He brought an arm forward and ripped his teeth into his wrist, holding it out to me. Light reflected off the bright red liquid. Before it reached my lips, I turned my head. It smeared across my cheek.
“Pet, be a good girl.”
I clenched my teeth tight to bite back my retort.
“I’ll hold her, Jax.”
Asher gripped my hair, and his large palm clasped my jaw. I couldn’t fight to pull away if I tried. My neck pinched as he forced my head sideways, so that Jax’s wrist could reach me.
“Open up.”
I glared up at Asher. He settled more of his weight on me. His fingers dug into my cheek. The pressure turned agonizing, but I fought against the force. I managed to hold on until it felt like my jaw would break.
I finally opened my mouth with a cry.
Asher’s fingers flexed in my hair.
“No—” My shout was cut off by Jax’s skin pressing to my lips.
My lips became wet from blood and the sweet taste exploded on my tongue. I held back my urge to suck down his sweet, familiar taste. Laying there, I glared at them both over his arm.
“Suck,” Asher ordered.
I hummed my ‘no’ against Jax’s arm.
Asher sighed, his lips turning down. He plugged my nose.
Not this again. I didn’t move my eyes from Asher’s. He believed I was sent here to betray them. My heart thumped painfully. Although he hadn’t physically hurt me and went as far as to protect me, he didn’t believe me innocent. I’d become a true ‘Pet’ in his eyes.
And that knowledge viced around my chest with thorny vines, opening a new wound.
I could no longer hold my breath—I gasped, and Jax’s sweet blood spread on my tongue. A second later, I helplessly swallowed once as I gulped on oxygen.
Asher’s lips parted and his eyes became half-lidded. He liked watching me like this, I could tell.
His stiff cock pressed into my belly.
Jax lifted his wrist and as soon as my mouth was free, I spit the pooled blood I managed to collect. Red sprayed across their faces in little droplets and some of it dropped on my face.
“Kill me or leave me alone,” I said, panting.
A muscle jumped in Asher’s jaw and he swiped his thumb across his cheek. He looked at the smear of blood. The perpetually upturned corner of his lips twitched.
I waited with bated breath. Would he finally end my torment? Adrenaline worked its way through my system. My fight or flight had fully activated.
At this point, they couldn’t do any more damage. More than anything, I thanked my distrustful instinct that hadn’t allowed me to disclose the fact that I had a brother—my only weakness.
Asher suddenly burst into laughter, his sharp fangs peeking from behind his lips.
I sucked in a breath.
Jax didn’t seem to find the humor in the situation like Asher. He hissed and rubbed the back of his hand across his face, sneering angrily.
“Ungrateful whore.”
My heart stuttered and tears flooded my eyes. I’d been trying to hold them back this entire time, but his hateful words unraveled me.
I was a whore. I’d given in to their bite when I knew better.
Asher stiffened while I lay limp under him.
“Out,” Asher hissed, his weight lifting off me. They volleyed insults back and forth in their language.
Swiping at the tears that trickled free, I gulped in breaths, but nothing abated the pressure that settled on my chest.
The door slammed, but I didn’t move.
“Catalina.” Asher’s voice held a gentleness that destroyed the progress I had made with my tears. The bed dipped and his arms slipped under my body. He lifted me with ease, settling me higher on the bed.
I leaned against the headboard, squeezing my eyes shut, counting back from ten. Asher hovered near my face, so close that his nose grazed mine. I jerked back so fast, the back of my head hit wood.
Wincing, I swallowed hard.
He cupped the back of my head gently and pulled me towards him.
“If you drank more, you wouldn’t need these.” His knuckles rapped against my arm cast.
I winced. It still hurt, but I couldn’t deny the insufferable agony had abated slightly.
“What happened to you?”
“You think I betrayed you, so why are you trying to take care of me?”
Asher went quiet and he moved to the edge of the bed. The mattress was clearly good quality because it didn’t dip under his massive body. He arranged my legs straight and the movement didn’t hurt as much as before.
“I don’t know what to believe, Catalina,” he murmured. “You admitted that Calliope sent you to us.”
I pursed my lips.
“You didn’t hear me out.” My voice cracked and I paused to clear my throat. “She asked me to bring it to her, but I wouldn’t have.”
“I want to believe you,” he murmured with his gaze unfocused. “Everything would be simple if I could compel you. Then there would be no doubt.”
He may as well kill me now if he thought this way.
“I get you have trust issues, but your vote of confidence is really appreciated,” I said sarcastically.
“I’ve seen too much to believe without questioning.”
I clamped my lips shut. Even after I explained, he didn’t believe me. Sure, it didn’t look good that I’d been snooping around, but hadn’t I garnered a little consideration?
His fingers wrapped around my good wrist and then something soft tickled my skin. My eyes rounded on the fuzzy cuffs leading to the other side that he held.
“Don’t worry, Pet, they’re brand new, just for you.” He lifted his arm, taking mine with his, pulling as he hooked it around the sturdy headboard bar.
I jerked against it, but the wood wasn’t fazed.
My heart pounded in my chest and I jerked again. The edges dug into my wrist.
“Don’t,” he murmured. “You’ll hurt yourself.”
But I couldn’t stop. I wanted to get out of the tight grip.
The vampire that captured me held me in place, shackling me with his grip and wouldn’t let me go. He’d kept me there as his emaciated body lay over mine, cutting off my breathing. While bugs skittered over my skin.
“Shh. Shh.” Asher pressed his cheek to mine. His nose grazed my ear and he licked the sides of my neck.
A shiver coasted down my spine. His warm tongue lapped against my throat. I hadn’t felt the scratches Jax left until Asher brought attention to them.
“I can relax you,” he whispered against my throat.
His arms caged me, and he hovered over my restrained body. I shuddered while my pussy responded to his words and tongue.
My body begged me to give in and open my legs. To have him fuck me and bite me all over.
His head lifted from my throat, mouth smeared with my blood. His head lowered to capture my mouth with his.
I bit his lip and slammed my leg, the one in the cast, up, hitting him right between the legs—again.
Asher dropped to his side like a rock, cupping his dick.
“Don’t touch me.”
He stood with his shoulders hunched forward, shock widening his eyes and pain furrowing his features.
“Catalina,” he chastised, his tone strained.
“Let me go,” I ordered.
“I’ll return at sunset,” he said, backing away with a hitch in his usual glide.
“Asher,” I shouted. “Let me go.”
My voice bounced off the walls, echoing.
I screamed again, ignoring the agony ripping through my abused throat.