Chapter 11
Zed
“ I can walk, you know,” my mate growls adorably up at me.
“I know,” I reply simply, blinking down at her before turning my attention back to the spicy vampire. Her mate. My best friend... or so she says.
I can see how I’d choose to be friends with someone like her. She’s not afraid to speak her mind, she’s very protective over my mate, and can hold her own.
“This is ridiculous,” she huffs.
“I think it’s the least ridiculous thing that’s happened tonight,” Frankie says, tossing me a look over her shoulder before her gaze darts away. “Like the fact he’s still naked—that’s way more rediculous.”
I don’t understand what is the big deal over being without clothes. It’s just skin, a body. Clothes look very restricting.
“I refuse to wear the garments. My mate should be wearing them. While I am okay with people seeing my naked flesh, I am not okay with others seeing hers.”
My cock hardens at the thought of her body beneath mine, the way I felt buried deep inside her hot, pink hole. For the first time since waking up in that cell, with no memories, having her in my arms felt right, felt familiar. Like I’ve done so a million times before.
Even after a week of my mate coming to see me, spending hours sitting and talking to me, none of my memories from before have come back. Not a flicker or flash. She’s given me a rundown of every second we’ve spent together before I died, yet I don’t remember any of it.
It infuriates me. I want those memories. I’ve been robbed of them. I’ve spent countless hours with this woman, and I want to remember all of them.
Until then, I’ll do as we agreed and make new memories with her.
I, however, am not looking forward to meeting her so-called other mates. When she opened the cell door, I had all the intentions of being on my best behavior. I wanted out, I wanted to be with my mate every moment of the day, not locked up where I could only see her when she came to visit me.
Then she told me about her other mates, that I have to share her with more than the red headed vampire. A feeling I don’t know, or don’t understand, filled me until I snapped. I was overcome with the need to mark her, to show the world she’s mine. And if anyone tries to take her from me, I’ll kill them with my bare hands and watch as the life leaves their body.
Sadly, my mate seems to frown upon killing. Shame. I have a very strong feeling it would be a lot of fun. She did however agree to let me harm those who harm her. I’ll take it.
Frankie snorts. “Oh, my friend. My best best friend. I can be sure all the men in the room we’re about to enter—except Zack— has seen her naked more than once. And me?” Frankie smiles. “I have plans to get her all to myself once you're settled in. Just a heads up.” She winks.
A growl rumbles deep in my chest as I hold my mate closer to me.
“Frankie, stop, you're getting him going,” Abby sighs heavily.
“It’s fun.” Frankie laughs.
“My anger amuses you?” I scoff.
“No. Your jealousy does,” Frankie corrects.
Jealousy. Is that this feeling of wanting to murder these mates of hers?
“Are you sure I cannot end the lives of all your mates and keep you to myself?” I ask Abby.
She looks up at me with wide, horror-filled eyes. “No, you cannot!”
“Shame,” I mutter.
“Zed, please.” Her tone turns pleading. “Don’t be like that. If you do, you will be sent back to the cell.”
“Yeah, caveman. Be a bad boy and Mommy will send you back to your room.” Frankie grins.
I’m not sure if I want to kill her, or not. The idea of not having her around doesn’t sit well. I guess she can stay. Not that I have a choice.
“Does killing people only count for your mates? What about these people?” I look around at the gaping creatures staring at us as we enter the large brick castle.
“That means everyone, Zed,” Abby growls. I raise a brow at her. I do love this side of her. It makes me hard. Everything about her makes me hard. I’m always fucking hard.
“Should my cock always be like this?” I ask, blinking down at her.
“Fucking hell,” Frankie cackles. “I love this new Zed. The shit that comes out of his mouth.”
I frown. “That is appalling. No shit has come out of my mouth.”
Abby groans covering her face with her hands as Frankie laughs so hard I think her head might explode.
“What is so funny?!” I growl.
“Nothing, big guy. Keep being you,” Frankie wheezes.
Abby laughs, and I stare down at her with a frown.
“Sorry.” She smiles. “You're just so cute.”
Cute. That's a good thing, right?
“You can put me down now,” Abby says as we come to a stop next to a door. I take a moment to look around. It’s a lot nicer than the cell I’ve been in. Hopefully the bed is more comfortable as well. The ground was almost a better option compared to the one in my cell.
“No.” I look back down at Abby. “I’ll place you on a bed.”
“Zed, really it’s okay. I can walk.”
One of the doors open. “I thought I heard your voice.” My attention snaps over to a blond man. His eyes widen when he sees me. “Holy shit.” He looks me up and down. “You’re fucking massive.”
“Thank you.” I grunt.
His brows shoot up to his hairline.
“Zed. Please, let me down,” Abby insists, but I ignore her, pushing past the blond man and heading into the room. “Where is a bed I can place you down on?” I stand in the middle of the room frowning, seeing no bed in sight.
“In my bedroom. This is the library-slash-hang out spot,” Abby grumbles.
“Ahhh. Abby?” another man says my mate’s name. I turn with her in my arms to face him. He’s tall with dark hair and a scowl on his face. “Everything okay?” He looks as if he doesn’t trust me.
“Everything is fine,” I tell him. “I’d never harm my mate.”
“Yeah...” he says slowly then looks at Abby. “Wanna tell me why he’s carrying you?”
There’s a gasped yelp from somewhere in the room. “And why the hell my brother is standing naked in the middle of the room!”
“Zed. Really, please. Put me down, and put on some clothes.” Abby starts to wiggle out of my arms. I growl, scowling down at her.
“Stop that. You're going to hurt yourself.” I frown.
She grabs the back of my head, yanking it down. “Then put. Me. Down.”
With a huff of protest, I do as my mate asks and place her on her feet.
“Isaac, baby, I hate to say this, but your brother's dick is so much bigger than yours.” The blond man who answered the door chuckles.
“What the fuck, Luke?” the dark haired man exclaims, scowling at the blond.
“It’s true.” Blond man waves his hand towards my cock. “It’s even hard.” He looks up at me. “ Why is it hard?”
I shrug. “Always is around my mate.”
He grins. “Can’t argue with that.”
“Stop talking about my brother’s dick! Abby, Frankie, someone please make him get dressed.”
Brows furrowing, I look around the room to find a girl sitting on a couch, covering her face with a pillow. There’s a boy sitting next to her, mouth parted with funny bug eyes, as he stares at me.
“Here.” Frankie tosses me a new set of clothes. “Now.”
Sighing, I do as she asks. Only because I don’t enjoy all the strange looks I’m getting.
“Shame,” the blond one—Luke, I think his name is—says.
The one named Isaac slaps him upside the head. “You're going to pay for that later.”
“Oh, Daddy, I’m so scared.” Luke grins at Isaac.
“You’re his father?” I frown. “You look so young.”
Luke laughs, grinning wide, but Isaac answers for him. “Don’t mind him. He’s an asshole.” Isaac looks over at Abby. “He’s really not himself, is he?”
“No,” Abby answers. “But that’s okay. He’s perfect the way he is.” She smiles up at me, and something funny happens in my chest. I don’t know if I like this odd feeling.
“Zed, I want you to meet everyone. This is Luke. This is Isaac, the one I mentioned was your brother.”
“Brother...” I say slowly, eyeing the man up. Then look at Luke with a smile. “It’s s shame he’s not your father. I could have been your uncle.”
“Oh, he has humor.” Luke chuckles. “I like it.”
“Thank you.” I nod.
“This is Noah.” Abby laughs, shaking her head before turning to another man. He’s tall too, darker skin than the other guys with short curly black hair.
“Nice to see you again, Zed.” He smiles. I can already tell he’s too nice to kill. Shame.
“And this is Leo. One of your best friends.” I turn around to face another blond guy.
“Hey, man.” Leo smiles. “It’s good to see you alive.”
“It’s nice to be alive.” I grin, then look to Abby. “So, these men. They’re the other mates you talked about?”
“Yes,” she replies carefully, searching my eyes.
I take another look at them, images of them touching her, kissing her, fucking her fill my head and a low, deep growl sounds in my chest as that feeling I’ve come to learn as jealousy burns bright.
“And you’re sure I cannot kill them?” I ask her, fists clenching.
“I am very sure you cannot kill them,” she growls right back. And my cock gets hard again.”
“Stop that.” I scowl.
“Stop what?” she asks me, looking confused.
I grab her hand and place it over the bulge in my new pants. “Making this hard.”
“What the fuck?” Luke laughs. “What is going on here? Is this a joke?”
“Nope.” Frankie grins wide. “This is the new Zed. I love it. I think I’ll keep it.”
Abby’s face turns bright pink. “Are you okay?” I ask her, cupping her face. “You're turning pink. Is that one of your powers?”
She closes her eyes and smiles. “No,” she says softly.
“And your father was afraid he would be some crazed murderous monster,” Noah teases in amusement.
“I could be.” I blink over at him. “There’s still time.”
His eyes widen.
“I have no idea how to work with this,” Isaac tells Abby.
“Give it time,” she responds, stepping out of my hold to go over to him. She reaches up and cups his face. “One day at a time.”
Rage flares inside me and I spring forward, ripping Isaac away from Abby and shoving him against the wall. “Mine!” I snarl, baring my teerth.
“Bad dog.” I feel something slap my behind.
My head snaps behind me to see Frankie with something rolled up in her hand. “Put your brother down. Or I will have to lock you back up in your kennel.” She cocks a brow.
“Frankie.” Abby glares at her mate. “He’s not a dog.”
“He’s acting like an animal,” she points out.
Abby looks at me, her eyes flashing red, flames dancing in them. “Zed, you will put him down right now,” she commands.
I find myself doing as she asks in an instant.
Isaac curses, but I pay him no mind as I go back over to her. My brows furrow. “It upsets you that I put my hand on your mate?”
“Yes.” She crosses her arms. “I love them, Zed. Just as much as I love you. If you hurt them, you hurt me.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Then keep your hands off them. They are allowed to touch me. Kiss me. Anything I have given them permission to do. If you don’t like it, leave the room.”
“That would make you happy? If I left the room?”
Her face falls. “No. But if it upsets you to see me with them in that way, I’d rather not force you to see it. They have been through a lot when it came to me getting you back, and then again with me spending a lot of my time with you in the prison. They have been nothing but loving and supportive. I will not watch myself and not be affectionate with them on top of that. You will have to learn to deal. If you can’t, then we’re going to have an issue.”
“I’ll try.”
“That's all I ask.” She wraps her arms around me and the darkness inside settles. I close my eyes and inhale her scent. Home. She smells like home.
“Ah, everything okay?” the girl from the couch asks.
Abby laughs. “Zed, I want you to meet your little sister, Libby.” Abby takes my hand and brings me over to Libby.
The little dark-haired girl looks up at me with watery eyes. “I know you don’t remember me, but can I hug you?”
Brows furrow, I nod then grunt as she throws herself at me. I wrap my arms around her, enjoying her embrace.
“I love you. I thought you were gone forever. It wrecked me. There was so much I wanted to say, to do. I’m sorry, I’ll never be the annoying little sister again. Just never leave, okay?”
I look over at Abby, who has tears in her eyes too. Does Libby being upset make Abby upset? I don’t want either of them upset.
Libby steps back, and I cup the small girl’s face. “I will kill anyone who makes you cry,” I state. “Except my mate. Sorry.”
Libby laughs, a bright smile taking over her face. “Okay.”
Abby giggles, a smile on her face too. Both are no longer sad. That's good.
“So, does anyone want to tell us why Abby is no longer in the clothes she left in?” I look over at Isaac. He still has a scowl. I wonder if his face got stuck like that. Is he able to smile?
“I ripped them off her.” I grin proudly, showing him my claws. “Before I fucked her.”
Everyone but Isaac is looking at me with smiles on their faces. Did I say something funny?
“I need a drink,” Isaac sighs, going over to a shelf with a lot of glass bottles.
“You should show them your marks. Let them see you are mine,” I tell Abby.
Her face goes pink again as Leo frowns. “Marks?”
“It’s nothing,” Abby says quickly, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the door. “I’m going to take Zed to his room so he can clean up. We’ll see you after, okay?”
“I thought I’d have killed them by now,” I admit to Abby as she pulls me down the hallway. I, of course, go willingly.
“Stop with the murder talk,” she growls, shooting me a look I don’t like.
“Sorry.” I frown. “It’s hard to get these feelings to go away.” I rub at my chest.
Her face softens. “I know.” Then she gives me a funny face. “You really want to kill something, don’t you?”
“Yes.” I won’t lie. There’s this darkness inside me. I know I have to keep it down because I can not risk hurting my mate or making her upset. But I know the longer I ignore it, the more it will eat at me.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but tomorrow, I can take you to the torture chamber.”
“What’s that?” Liking the sounds of it already.
“It’s where the demons take very sick, evil people to... play with.”
“So, they are allowed to be killed?”
“Yes.”
“Then yes, I’d like to go tomorrow.”
“For now,” she sighs, hugging me tightly. “Let’s get you cleaned up and something to eat.”
“I do love food.”
She laughs. “Same, big guy, same.”