29
A PLEASANT WAY TO SPEND AN AFTERNOON
HENRY
R yan’s light blue eyes are full of amusement and he flicks his dark brown hair out of his face. Matt’s sitting next to him with his arm loped over Ryan’s shoulders, letting him relax against him. For now, Matt’s the dominant in their relationship and he’s wearing the same expression as his partner, eyeing me with interest.
“He fucked her.”
“Finally,” Ryan says. “He’s much calmer. You can see the tension easing.”
Matt laughs. “I wonder if Ivy thought that last night?”
I growl and the assholes collapse into a fit of laughter. I refuse to let this continue much longer, not least because Ivy will emerge from the bathroom. She might not understand they’re mocking me and not her, and she doesn’t deserve to be embarrassed by last night.
“Look, he’s smitten too,” Ryan teases. “I’ve never seen you in love, Henry.”
I grit my teeth. “You’ve seen it plenty of times.”
Ryan’s expression turns serious. “No, I haven’t. Not in all the centuries we’ve spent together. I’ve seen you fawn over women and you’ve been obsessed with more than one. But you’ve never been in love, Henry. Not once.”
Matt’s eyebrow rises, reminding me he’s younger than Ryan and doesn’t share all our experiences. The three of us have grown so close over the centuries that I’d forgotten he doesn’t know all my history, as I’d forgotten how it took me time to accept he wasn’t a threat to what Ryan and I share.
“So, this is a first for you too,” Matt sighs as he looks at his partner with the same devotion I feel towards mine. “She’s worth it, Henry. She’s perfect for you, and it doesn’t take a genius to see how special she is.”
I nod and pray they’ll take the hint and shut the fuck up before Ivy finishes getting dressed. She didn’t get much sleep and it seemed only reasonable to let her have a lazy morning—and when she finally staggered to the bathroom, I couldn’t help but smirk.
A promise is a promise and I’ve kept mine. Ivy’s been fucked until she’s sore and barely walking. She’ll be begging me to fuck her again by the end of the day.
“Well, the drama’s over and done with,” Ryan says, glancing at me with a look that says everything’s fine between us. “For now.”
I’m relieved to know my relationship with Ryan isn’t broken. We’ve known each other long enough to understand the viciousness of our nature and trust each other not to harbor grudges. Ivy must find it strange when we fluctuate from being murderous to being back at ease again .
Their extended visit is Ivy’s attempt to repair the damage she thinks exists in our relationship. She’s unaware we’ve already moved on and decided what happened was a minor inconvenience, and sooner or later she’ll accept the volatility of our temperaments.
Ivy emerges from the bathroom, dressed in comfortable leggings and a loose dress. We’ll be working on her clothing choices later. Lingerie used to be the only acceptable thing for pets to wear and my views remain traditional. She’ll learn to be comfortable in little more than thin lace around me. But in public, there’s not a fucking chance I’m letting anyone see my wife so intimately dressed.
“Morning,” Matt says, grinning like a fucking Cheshire cat. “Or is it afternoon, Ivy?”
She blushes. It’s adorable. Arousing. I want to kill him for making her uncomfortable.
“Did you want to ask something, Matt?”
His mouth drops as she saunters to the sofa and sits next to me, staring at him like he’s a misbehaving child who needs to be put in his place. Terrifyingly, she’s doing quite the job of it and if looks could kill, Matt would have turned to dust several seconds ago.
“Was Henry kind?”
I bristle and Ryan smirks. Ivy doesn’t break her gaze, staring Matt down and facing him without fear or apprehension. Her head tilts and she finally nods, releasing him from the mess he’d put himself in.
“Did Henry tell you?” she asks.
“No. Well, yes. But we knew he’d fucked you before he told us, Ivy.” Matt risks a glance at me and I shrug. “You smell different this morning. It’s hard to explain, but your scent’s changed. ”
Ryan rolls his eyes. “She’s not going to faint if you tell her. Ivy, when Henry came inside you, it marked you as his. None of us quite understand why your scent changes, but every vampire knows you belong to Henry now.”
Ivy looks at me and I shrug again. She sighs and shrugs back, nestling herself against me as I wrap my arm around her. I play with her hair and it’s another thing we’ll have to discuss later. She prefers it down and I’d prefer it tied back. Preferably into a ponytail, so I can pull it when I fuck her.
And I intend to fuck her. Regularly.
I’m still not sated after last night and my easy disposition hides the need building inside me.
Ivy’s driving me insane. She’s driven me to breaking point, and last night was a slight release in pressure. My needs aren’t met yet and I’m looking forward to taking her while teaching her how to please me. She’s more than earned the pleasure I’ll give her back and I’m far from selfish when it comes to her needs.
We keep the conversation light. We don’t need to, but the three of us know Ivy is still concerned after my reaction to Ryan—and this is a performance for her as much as a pleasant way to pass an afternoon.
Admittedly, there are much more pleasurable pursuits. Especially now I’ve fucked my wife and have no concerns about her innocence. She needs time to learn and explore, and I’m going to make damn sure Ivy gets to experience the extent of the pleasure and pain I can give her.
In time.
When she’s ready.
Ivy’s mine, but she still isn’t ready for much of what we’ll do. There’s no rush, but I’m fucking desperate for her submission to deepen. I want her on her knees, begging for my cock, willing to crawl and submit to my every command. I want her fucking dripping for me and I want her so well trained that the sound of my footsteps or voice makes her wet.
I want her to wear a collar and let me leash her. The thought of it sends a shiver down my spine that runs straight to my cock. Damn, the thought of Ivy in nothing but my collar has me rock hard in seconds and I wish she was ready for me to fuck her again.
My weight shifts and Ivy repositions herself, either missing or ignoring the erection straining to get out of my trousers. I let the conversation wash over me, trying to put the image of her naked and collared out of my mind.
I fail, miserably—and resort to convincing myself I’m thinking through the intricacies of the design I’ve had made for her. I decided on rubies to match her ring, something elegant and detailed but not fussy. Ornate but functional. Feminine but strong.
“Henry?” she asks, snapping me awake from my almost wet dream.
Ivy sits up and stares at me like I’ve lost my goddamn mind, concerned something’s horribly wrong.
“Sorry, I was thinking about something else.”
Ryan and Matt smirk. Both aware my thoughts are as filthy as sin—and I’d bet a small fortune they’d divined them with unnerving accuracy.
“I was asking if everything was alright,” she says, quietly.
I arch an eyebrow, confused.
“After yesterday. With Ryan. Between you and Ryan and Matt.’
I nod and relax, finally catching up with the conversation I’d missed out on while I was fantasizing about her. The two assholes opposite let their smirks widen as we exchange glances and silently decide we’re going to give Ivy all the reassurance she needs.
“We’re fine,” Matt says.
“It’s normal for vampires to be possessive over their partners, Ivy. I get possessive over Matt. He’s the same about me,” Ryan adds.
“We’ve not seen Henry do this, but he’s never been married before and we’ll have to get used to him being more of a dick than usual.”
I growl and they laugh.
I roll my eyes and pull Ivy against me again. “You’ll get used to this, lea. Vampires are vicious and spats happen regularly. They’re often violent. But when it’s over with, it’s over. Everyone moves on unless they decide they want to spend the next few centuries fighting.”
She stiffens.
“I’m not pissed about what Henry did,” Ryan says, completely calm. Almost dismissive. “I’d have reacted the same if it was the other way around. Honestly, Ivy, I’d probably have been worse.”
Ivy lifts her head towards me and asks if this is as simple as we’re making out.
“I’m not angry about what Ryan did. I was hurt. You trusted him, but it makes sense. I understand it and I’ve accepted it. There’s nothing left to fight about.”
“But he has my…”
Our eyebrows rise in unison.
“Don’t you want to know what he knows?”
I shake my head and tell a partial lie. “Ryan won’t tell me because they’re yours, lea. He’ll tell you what he knows if you ask him—and one day, you’ll share them with me. Willingly. Repeatedly. And I look forward to discovering that for myself. ”
Ryan shrugs. “My lips are sealed, Ivy. I’m happy to discuss it with you, but not Henry or Matt. And I won’t let Matt take them if he drinks from me.”
Technically, it wasn’t a lie. I don’t give a shit if it isn’t quite the truth and I’ve avoided hurting her by giving a carefully crafted response. A politician’s answer. It’s smooth and slick, a lie hidden in its truths.
I’m desperate to know what Ivy shared with Ryan and to experience her emotions and memories as if they were my own. I’d do almost anything to have her open up to me like that, and it’s not going to happen any time soon. I’m going to have to earn it from her—and that will make it all the sweeter when she finally gives in.
This is about Ivy.
She needs to know we’re all okay and that she’s safe. And if telling a lie like this makes things easier for her, then it’s a sin I’ll commit over and over to keep her happy.
“You’re not angry?” she asks, darting her gaze between us.
“No,” we reply in unison before bursting into laughter.
“We’ve been friends a very long time,” Ryan says. “There’s not much left unsaid between us.”
Matt coughs and everyone’s eyes snap to him.
“There is one thing,” he says, tentatively. “I hate to ask, Ivy, but I need to know. How did you get out of your room? I locked it and it’s bothering me. It feels like you’re hiding something.”
She shrugs.
“She is,” Ryan says, sitting up and paying attention. “Ivy, the security cameras went down before you left the room and we didn’t get it back up until after we got you back. What happened?”
Ivy sits up and her heart races in her chest. Ryan’s right, she’s hiding something and she’s staring at me, searching for a way out of this. She bites her bottom lip and she knows she’s caught, pleading with me to understand as the sense of anger and betrayal rises inside me.
Her fingers dig into my forearm and my eyes snap down, watching her clinging onto me.
Fuck, she’s not looking for a way out. She’s looking for reassurance. I won’t punish her for whatever happened.
“It’s okay,” I whisper. “We need to know to keep you safe, lea. We’ve been through quite enough in the past few days and there are no consequences for whatever you’re frightened of telling me. I promise.”
She nods, but her pulse doesn’t slow.
Ivy’s still shaking when her lips part and she tries to find a way to tell us whatever the hell it was that took her out of her room. She’s still scared and I don’t like it. I fucking hate it and we’re going to be working on building up the trust between us.
“Damon,” she says. “My father’s head of security.”
Ryan leans forward, and his eyes snap to mine. I know exactly where this is going, and Ivy doesn’t need to say anything more. But she’s continuing because she thinks this is a confession and it breaks my fucking heart.
“He opened the door, Matt. He said he didn’t have the time to explain, but I had to come with him or else I was going to die. I’ve known him since I was a child and I trusted him.”
She holds back a sob, and Ryan nods, encouraging her to finish. For all our goddamn sakes.
“And I did. We were going to hide in the woods, until it was over. I wasn’t running away. I promise I was coming back,” Ivy blurts out and there’s panic in her voice. She’s afraid I’ll lock her in the dungeons again and I pull her against me, reassuring her she’s safe and we’re secure. “They caught up with us and he held them back, Ryan. He stayed in the castle so I could escape and…”
Ivy bursts into tears and sobs against my chest. I cradle her and stare at Ryan, telling him this damn well ends now. We’ve got the information we need and it wasn’t what we thought it would be. I’d assumed one of Rowan’s coven got to her and she somehow escaped. The presence of the man who’s stopped protecting her father is surprising and intriguing—and he got through our security in the middle of a fucking war. It suggests we’ve got a massive fucking problem we’ll have to deal with.
“He’s not dead, Ivy,” Ryan says, gently.
Her head snaps up and she shakes it furiously.
“There’s no way he could have survived, Ryan. There were too many of them. He couldn’t have…”
“He did,” Matt says. “We found several piles of dust in the room you escaped from. There was no trace of human blood, Ivy. We’d assumed it was the result of vampires fighting, but it sounds like Damon took out several vampires on his own and then disappeared.”
He fucking abandoned her to her fate.
He should have gone after her if he was so damn keen to keep her safe. Especially when he’s capable of exterminating the vermin from Rowan’s coven. Instead, he left Ivy unprotected, and it almost got her killed.
I’m going to find the fucker, and I’m going to kill him myself.
Even if he saved her life, he jeopardized her safety and I don’t give a shit what his excuse is. There isn’t one. Not one good enough to satisfy the anger raging inside me.
“It’s okay,” I say, half to Ivy, half to myself.
She whimpers and rests her head against my chest .
“We’ll find Damon.”
We’re damn well going to find the cunt, and I’m going to make sure he pays for daring to put my wife in danger. I’m going to enjoy every fucking second of agony that the bastard suffers. It’s going to be painful—but not for me.
“Do you think he was working for Rowan?” Ivy asks.
Matt and Ryan exchange worried looks. We haven’t considered this possibility and it’s not inconceivable. Rowan might have sought Damon out, seeking to use his insight and manipulate Ivy’s trust to attack me. What we found could have been a carefully staged rouse, and Damon could have been trying to lure Ivy into the woods so she’d be caught.
Ivy’s eyes widen, and she stares at me, pleading with me to answer her question. She’s so achingly beautiful when she’s like this, and my selfish, cowardly heart doesn’t have it in me to break hers. I smile and run my fingers down her face, soothing her as I decide a lie is kinder than an uncertain truth.
“I’m sure he wouldn’t betray you. But we’ll need to find him and work out how he got in here.”
Ivy nods and exhales loudly, collapsing her weight onto me as all her burdens have been lifted. I wrap my arms around her, holding her close, and she sighs again.
We’re going to have to deal with Damon.
We’re also going to have to deal with Rowan and his coven.
We’ve got the time we need to track the cunts down and make them pay for even daring to threaten my mate.
The girl whose heart is mine and is the reason I exist stares up at me and she’s as much mine as I am hers. She’s more beautiful than any jewel and a masterpiece more exquisite than any ever crafted—and the girl who’s perfect for me surprises me again as I realize she feels the same about me.