Chapter 25
Twenty-Five
IZZY
“Wait…what?” I blink at Grayson, certain I heard him wrong.
His voice is scratchier than normal, so maybe he said…something else. Anything else.
The tips of my vampire’s ears turn pink, a sight I never thought I would see. “Errr…”
“Let’s just say that there are magical defenses around the covenstead designed to keep people away,” Ethan interrupts, giving Grayson an unreadable look.
Grayson blushes even deeper and turns away.
Seriously, what the hell happened?
Before I can give voice to my question, Ethan gently takes my shoulders and guides me back just enough to look me over.
“What happened? Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” Urgency laces his tone, and his eyes are almost frantic as they flicker across my body.
“I’m okay. I promise.” Quickly, I tell the two everything that happened—my kidnapping, my meeting with the Trinity, the deal with Delaney, Soraya’s strange helpfulness, Ansel’s appearance—
The thought of Ansel makes me glance over my shoulder. Why is he just hovering behind me? He knows he’s a part of this—a part of us—even if everything is currently convoluted and confusing.
But when I glance down the hallway, I don’t spot any sign of Ansel or Soraya. My chest pinches.
Did Ansel leave because he had somewhere to be? Did he feel uncomfortable around the other guys? Did he think I wanted him to leave? Feelings I can’t quite name or articulate twist deep in my gut.
“He left a little bit ago,” Grayson rasps out.
“Oh.” That’s all I can say.
Everything—including my feelings for Ansel and the others—is so damn confusing, but now isn’t the time to untangle this particular web.
I have Grayson and Ethan standing in front of me, alive and breathing, and I’m desperate to hear everything.
Time is ticking, and each hand of the clock feels like a minuscule blade slashing at me.
Quickly, I herd the two men inside the room and close the door, leaning against it. Ethan and Grayson watch me silently, their gazes intense, though the former appears nervous. He repeatedly fidgets with the sleeves of his too-long shirt and shifts from foot to foot.
Speaking of…
“What are you wearing?” I ask Ethan, lifting an eyebrow.
The black long-sleeved Henley looks like something Emery would wear, as do the black jeans.
“Mine,” Grayson says simply, as if that explains everything.
“Okay?” I volley my gaze between the two men, wondering if any of them would be willing to fill in the blanks, but they simply continue to stare at me.
I guess this interrogation will be the equivalent of pulling teeth. Great.
“Can someone tell me what’s going on? What happened? Is everyone okay?”
Ethan bites anxiously on the tip of his thumb as Grayson answers.
“Don’t know. We left to find you.”
Ethan lowers his hand back to his side. “And I kinda have been stuck in my wolf form until just recently, so, yeah, there’s that.
I’m not feral or anything. Not like Christian— I mean, fuck.
I shouldn’t have said that. Sorry. I think I’m just nervous and freaking out and confused.
And I really, really want to talk to my brother, but when I tried to call him, he didn’t answer.
Oh god. I’m a dumbass. I should’ve left a message.
I didn’t want to because I thought he would freak, but I totally should’ve said I was okay. ”
Ethan facepalms himself. “Total dumbass. But god, it’s so good to see you, Izzy. I was so, so worried. And—” He cuts himself off, swallowing. “It’s just good to see you.”
Shadows linger in his eyes, and I can’t help but remember the confrontation before everything went to shit.
I learned that a year or so ago, Ethan was a drug addict and an alcoholic.
He drove home, despite being under the influence, and crashed his car into Desiree’s father’s house.
This resulted in thousands of dollars’ worth of damage and Emery in the hospital.
Emery healed, of course, but the pack was forced to make a deal with Desiree’s dad or Ethan would risk a prison sentence.
It’s something we will have to talk about but…later. Everything will come later.
“I’m so happy you guys are here,” I whisper, stepping away from the door and turning towards Grayson first.
His eyes turn hooded, laced with desire, as I push up on my tiptoes at the same moment he lowers his head. The kiss is soft and full of unspoken promises for the future. Tingles race up and down my back as my lips move with his.
As soon as he pulls away, I flick my gaze to Ethan. He’s watching us, standing perfectly still, but his eyes swarm with hope and a desperate type of yearning.
I can practically feel his wolf close to the surface. His body is coiled with an energy I can’t explain, a quiet force that pulls at me, propels me closer.
I take a breath, step towards him, and for the first time, press my lips to his.
Ethan’s kiss is nothing like Grayson’s gentle one. It’s fierce, urgent, like he’s been holding himself back for far too long. Yet despite the desperation of his kiss, I sense something softer, something buried beneath all that raw intensity.
When I pull away, I can’t meet either of their eyes. I want to—no, I need to—but the weight of everything has me in knots.
I can’t believe I just kissed them in front of each other.
What was I thinking?
Even as doubts plague me, I find that I don’t care. They’re mine. Both of them. I don’t know when I’ve come to that conclusion or if it’s always been inevitable and I just wasn’t paying attention.
Grayson hasn’t moved from where he’s standing, his jaw tight, and I know he’s processing everything. And Ethan… Ethan is watching me with an expression I can’t read, his wolf restless, a flash of something wild and unfettered flickering in his gaze.
They turn towards each other, and their eyes lock for a brief moment, tension crackling and sparking. The air is heavy, thick with unanswered questions.
An entire silent conversation occurs between the two men before they turn towards me, and the confusion in their gazes quickly transforms into hunger. Desperation. A wanton sort of need.
Heat rushes through me, and my nipples pebble instantly.
They both stalk forward like men possessed, Grayson at my back and Ethan at my front. The latter claims my lips once more, the kiss hungry and possessive. A second pair of lips trails up and down my neck.
I moan and instinctively tilt my head to the side, granting Grayson better access. This new position also deepens my kiss with Ethan. His tongue prods at the seam of my lips, demanding entrance, and I open eagerly.
Grayson’s hands reach underneath my shirt and brush against my sides. Goose bumps pepper my skin—the heat of his touch a startling contrast to the cold air.
“Is this okay?” he rasps in my ear.
I pull away from Ethan’s kiss just enough to say, “Yes.”
My voice sounds thin and reedy, even to my own ears. I can barely suck in a full breath.
Grayson tugs my shirt over my head and tosses it aside. Ethan’s gaze immediately dips to my breasts encased in pretty black lace.
He swallows, his eyes hooded. “Fuck me.”
“Isn’t she fucking perfection?” Grayson asks as he nibbles on my earlobe.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, Izzy,” Ethan says, his tone almost reverent. He swallows again and reaches for my breast, pausing with his hand a few inches away. Hesitation etches itself across his face. “May I?”
“Touch me, Ethan.” I twist my head to meet Grayson’s piercing blue eyes. “Both of you.”
As if that was all the permission he needed, Grayson eagerly claims my lips once more, his hands roaming my body. Ethan cups my breast with one hand while the other traces patterns up my bare side.
“I never knew what I was missing until you came into my life,” Ethan confesses as he pushes the cup of my bra down.
His fingers immediately tweak my nipple, and I moan, wrenching my mouth away from Grayson’s.
“You were this…breath of fresh air, as cliché as that sounds. But it’s the truth.
For so long, I struggled to even get through the day.
I wasn’t sure I was strong enough. But then you came along, and I suddenly had the air I needed to breathe.
I didn’t need anything else. Only you, Izzy.
Only ever you. I’m fucking addicted to you. ”
His words cause unexpected tears to prick my eyes.
“Ethan…” I whisper, my toes and fingers curling simultaneously.
My sweet twin lowers his head to my aching breast and captures my nipple, sucking deeply. When his teeth graze the sensitive nub, I buck my hips, searching for friction that doesn’t yet exist.
“Fuck, that feels so good,” I say, reaching for his head and tugging it even closer.
Grayson pulls the bra cup down from my neglected breast and begins to play with my nipple, and the rough calluses of his fingers feel fucking amazing.
Then Grayson releases my breast and steps away.
“Enough,” he orders, his voice hoarse, and Ethan immediately lifts his head, a frown on his face.
Is this too much for my vampire? Does he not want to do this with us?
I search Grayson’s face desperately but only see lust reflected back at me. Lust and need.
The sight causes my heart to pound a little faster.
Grayson moves to sit in an armchair in the corner of the room, and he casually crosses one leg over the other. His hard erection strains against his jeans as he watches us.
“Ethan, stand behind her,” Grayson continues, and his husky voice sends a thrill through me. “Unhook her bra.”
Ethan makes a strange whimpering noise but goes to do as instructed. He tosses my bra onto the ground beside my shirt.
“Good boy,” Grayson says, and another sound escapes Ethan—a combination between a moan and a whine.
Holy fuck.
Does Ethan…like being ordered around? Does Grayson like doing the ordering?
A surge of heat rushes through me and dampens my panties.
“Why don’t you play with her pretty nipples for me?” Grayson instructs, his voice a gravelly coo.