The Alphas' Bliss (6 page)

Devin

I
looked out of my office window at the dance floor, sweeping my eyes over the bodies gyrating to the bumping music the DJ played. Awareness skidded up my spine and an electrical buzz made the hair on my neck stand up. My heart skipped a beat and I felt weak in the knees for a moment. It couldn’t be. My mate. My mate was somewhere on that dance floor.

I looked over the dance floor with a more critical eye. I focused on every blonde on the dance floor, but nothing happened. I noticed my friend Reardon on the floor dancing with a tiny brunette. Her hair almost reached her ass. She had on a pair of tight jeans and a black sweater that molded to her curves. When Reardon spun her around and she faced me, the shock that ran through me was almost painful. It was her, she was my mate. After all these years of waiting, longing, I found her in my own club.

Who was she to the vampire? Girlfriend? Lover? Food? To hell with all those. She was mine and he could take a hike. I ran my hand through my hair and debated what I should do. Go down and introduce myself? Invite her and Reardon up?

I decided to go to the floor and see what I could feel. Was she vampire? Fae? What kind of Were being was she? I knew instinctively she wasn’t wolf. She was too small to be one of mine.

I turned from the window, heading out of the door. The minute I hit the stairs I got sight of her again. I focused all my senses on her, breathing deep. Human was the first scent I picked up, then vampire. That could just be because she’d been dancing with Reardon. I worked my way down the stairs, deciding to get closer. Her laughter was sweet and light, making me a little light-headed.

A few people stopped me to chat as I made my way across the floor but I couldn’t take my eyes off my mate. I needed to get to her, touch her, claim her. I needed to hear her voice say my name.

I finally made it to within ten feet of her and her scent. Sweet vanilla filled my nose and I was instantly hard as a rock. I watched her for a while, dancing first with Reardon then Dante. She never left the dance floor. She was sensual and sexy and she was mine. The brothers were longtime friends but that little brunette was
mine
. Time to go find out who my mate was and confirm she wore my mark.

Bliss

I
was on the dance floor having a great time, laughing and being spun round and round by Reardon. Suddenly my wrist was grabbed and I was pulled into a solid male body. I looked up to find a very handsome blond, bearded face with bright blue eyes staring down at me. A pair of curved fangs were just visible below the upper lip, the tell-tale sign of a wolf. The low rumbling growl was another. I immediately took a step back, the grip on my wrist tightening.

“Where’s your mark?” he growled softly.

I shook my head, once again trying to back away from him, tugging on my wrist. Thankfully, Reardon was there in a split second.

“Devin, dude, what the fuck? Let her go. That’s my sister you are manhandling.”

The bright blue eyes flashed but never left my face as he growled, “You don’t have a sister.”

Reardon shook his head. “She’s Micha’s mate and he’ll be down here in five seconds flat if he sees you touching her. Let her go.”

The deep growl sounded again. There was this strange electrical current, much like the one that passed through me the first time Micha touched me, running through my body. The mark hidden under the bracelet my parents asked me to never remove was warming against my skin, the longer this Devin held onto me.

“Where’s your mark?” he asked me again.

I twisted my right wrist showing him the Celtic dragon. He shook his head. “No, the other mark.”

“I have no other mark,” I said trying again to pull away from him.

He laughed, it was a deep rough sound. “Don’t make me search you baby, cause I will. Now, be a good girl and show me your other mark.”

“Take your fucking hands off my mate. Now!” The angry words were barely above a whisper but the threat they held would have any lesser male wetting himself. I could feel the anger, the rage, coming from Micha in waves against my back. I turned my head to look up at him. His eyes were blood red, his fangs fully extended.

The fingers holding onto my wrist slowly loosened. I wrenched myself away turning into Micha’s arms. Micha pulled the wrist that Devin had been holding onto up to his lips, kissing it gently. “Did he hurt you sweetheart?”

I shook my head no, pushing myself closer to Micha’s body. The familiar vibration, or zing, as I like to call it ran through me as I came into contact with him. “I’m ok.”

“What the hell did you think you were doing Devin?”  Micha asked angrily.

“Guys, let’s take this to the private booth please. Everyone is starting to stare. We are in the middle of the dance floor.” Dante was the voice of reason among the two angry males.

“Come up to my office,” Devin said as he started for the staircase that was barely visible in the corner of the dance floor. Micha tucked me under his shoulder as he escorted me up the stairs. He kissed my temple a couple of times and squeezed me gently. I was frightened of where this little meeting was going to lead. Nothing good was going to come of it. I knew it in my bones.

We walked into Devin’s office and I absently noted that I could see the whole dance floor from the large window that served as a wall behind his desk. There was a conference room table with comfortable looking chairs. Micha led me to one of them.

“Speak Wolf,” Micha insisted simply after he seated me.

Devin ran his hands roughly through his shoulder-length blond hair. Looking over at me, he shook his head, paced from his desk to the door, then strode back again.

“Damn-it Wolf! Start talking or I’m going to kick your ass for touching my mate.”

Devin grunted at Micha’s words, but stopped pacing right in front of me. Reardon and Dante came to stand on each side of me.

“Are you sure she’s your mate?” Devin asked with a wicked smile.

“Fuck you. We are outta here.” Micha extended his hand to me.

“The minute she hit the dance floor I felt the vibration. It pointed straight to her. Somewhere on her body is a crescent with a star in the center. Haven’t you found it yet?”

All eyes turned to me. I wanted a hole to open up in the floor and swallow me whole. They’d lied to me. My guardians had lied to me. I looked up at Devin and that zing rang through me when our eyes connected. He slowly walked toward me, going to his knees before me.

“Show them baby,” he pleaded with me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, finding my voice, finally. “Your kind tried to kill me when I was only twelve years old. They kept me for three days, starved me, beat me, then finally slit my throat and left me to die in a dirty alleyway. Even if I had such a mark, why would I want to belong to a wolf?”

Devin’s eyes flashed electric blue, focusing on the barely visible line that ran across my throat. As the single tear ran down my cheek, he thumbed it away gently. Micha’s low growl broke the silence of the room.

“I can promise you that I’ll do everything in my power to find those who hurt you and lay their fangs at your feet. We have a few rogue packs and I’m so damn sorry you were hurt, but you would never so much as suffer a slight bruise at my hands baby. I’d die first.”

“Bliss. My name is Bliss, and you’re too late. My brother, Brass, found the three wolves and did exactly that. Their fangs sit in my jewelry box.”

Devin turned his head and looked up at Micha. Micha just shrugged. “It wasn’t sanctioned by me. He went out on his own and took care of it. I say good riddance.”

“Show them the mark Bliss,” he insisted.

I took a deep breath and unclasped the strings of fine rope silver which completely covered the mark on my left wrist. I looked up at Micha, holding his gaze as I began to explain.

“They told me it was a gypsy’s mark. They joked that my mother must have been a gypsy and my vampire father fell in love with her. They bought this bracelet to hide it. They made me promise to never take it off. They told me vampires despised gypsies and it would just cause trouble if anyone saw the mark, so I kept it hidden.” I turned my wrist up so that everyone could see the crescent with the small star in the center.

Micha let out a howl that would put any wolf to shame and a lamp crashed against a wall. A litany of curses and damnations flowed freely from him against his Aunt and Uncle. I jumped at the explosion of anger, scared. He stalked toward me. Devin stood up, standing in front of me.

“Move or I’ll break your fucking neck Wolf,” Micha’s voice wasn’t his. It was guttural, mean and it scared the hell out of me.

“Calm down. This isn’t her doing Micha. Don’t hurt her,” Devin bravely put his hands on Micha’s shoulders, squeezing them hard.

Devin stepped aside and Micha stepped up to stand directly in front of me. Our legs were almost touching. He loomed over me, resting his hands on the arms of the chair. I heard wood creak under the tight grip.

“Which mark came out first?”

I wasn’t sure I understood the question. I just looked up at him a little dumbfounded. He shook the whole chair. Growling. Flashing his fangs at me.

“Which fucking mark appeared first? Mine or the wolf’s? And don’t fucking lie to me,” he demanded again.

“Together. They came out together, at midnight on my twentieth birthday. It was very painful, they burned.” I quickly wiped the tears that had fallen, looking up at those blood red eyes. “Micha...”

He closed his eyes and shook his head. He pulled away from me, crossed the room then turned back to us.

“Take her home,” he instructed Dante and Reardon. They came up on each side of me, taking each of my arms and lifting me from the chair. I looked over at Micha, but he wouldn’t look at me.

“Micha, please!” I didn’t know why I was begging but I’d beg, if it meant he would look at me.

He shook his head, keeping his eyes diverted. “Go home Bliss,” he said simply, walking over to the wall of glass and looking out over the dance floor.

“Come on sister. Let’s get you home,” Dante said tucking me under his arm. “Let’s give them time to beat the hell out of each other in private.” He joked but I couldn’t bring myself to laugh.

Why was Micha angry with me? I didn’t do this. I hadn’t asked for this. I didn’t know that the mark meant I was also mated to a wolf. Would he send me away now?

He truly hadn’t wanted a mate anyway. He was still mourning his first mate and hadn’t wanted another. Would he send me to live with a bunch of wolves who terrified me or just send me back to Henry and Bethell? They had, after all, deceived him when they told him I was his mate. I was his, just not his alone. Did all this mean I was also half wolf? Oh god, was I half wolf? I couldn’t bear it.

“Wait,” Devin called. I pulled from Dante and Reardon and turned around to look at Devin. His blond hair stood on end from running his hands through it. He walked up to me, took my head between his palms and kissed me. It was light and quick but it had me catching my breath.

He pulled away, tracing my bottom lip with his thumb. “I’ll see you soon mate.”

I cringed when Micha growled from the corner, but Devin only smiled.

“Let’s go Bliss,” Dante said taking my hand again and leading me out the door. I didn’t want to leave Micha but he was the one who was sending me away. I took one last look at both Micha and Devin, then let the guys lead me away.

Micha

I
waited till Bliss was out of the room then I reared back and punched the son of a bitch wolf in his mouth.

Devin grabbed his bleeding lip staring at me like I was a mad man. “What the hell was that for?”

“For putting your damn paws on my mate!” I growled pacing away from him before I hit him again. The fucker had a hard ass jaw. I shook my hand to ease the ache.

“Don’t you mean our mate?” he said moving his jaw back and forth. I’m sure I hadn’t broken the damn thing but the night was still young. I glared back at him.

“You should have come talk to me before approaching her. She’s now fucking terrified. Nice job asshole.”

“Fuck that! So you and those damn warriors can barricade her in that grotesque mansion in the freaking woods? I don’t think so. I had to know Micha. You know what that pull is like. Or is it less so because she’s your second mate?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t make me hit you again Devin. I’ve considered you a friend over the years but I would kill over that female.” I surprised myself by admitting that to him, but it was nonetheless the truth. Bliss was mine and I’d never let her go.

“Then, we are in agreement because I’m willing to kill to have her, even if it’s you Vampire King,” Devin declared. He would be a worthy opponent. We were the same height and build and rumor had it he was a damn good fighter. Wolves weren’t born into their positions like vampires. They fought to the death for them. Devin had become Alpha over the entire wolf population almost fifty years before and he’d never been challenged for the position. He was that good of a ruler and fighter.

“Are we going to start a war over a female?” I asked him seriously. It’s not something I wanted to do, but what was the alternative? Give her up? Fuck that. She was mine. I sat heavily in one of the chairs at the table, leaning back, watching Devin.

He took a seat opposite me, running his hands through his blond hair leaving it standing on ends in all sorts of directions. “She’s not just any female to me Micha. She’s my life mate. Unlike you vampires, capable of having more than one mate in your lifetime, I only get one. I get a single chance to find the one, get her to accept me and claim her.” He held up one finger to stress his point. “One chance, that’s it. She’s my chance. The minute she walked onto the dance floor my blood became alive. The mating current sizzled through me until my eyes landed on her. When I took her hand it was like a lightning bolt shot through me. She’s my one.”

He rubbed his face with both hands roughly. “The pull is driving me crazy. Even now, I want to go to her. I know where she is and I want to go to her. I want to claim what’s mine, Micha. What are we going to do about this? I’m not backing down, going away or letting her go,” he stated plainly, seriously, with a wealth of heart.

I nodded. “Understood Devin. I don’t know. My first point of business is reassuring her that I’m not going to send her away. The second is a little tête-à-tête with her guardians, which I will take care of tomorrow night. You are welcome to be there. I’ll text you their address.” I got up from my seat and extended my hand toward him. He took it with a smile.

“See you tomorrow night. I look forward to hearing what her guardians have to say.”

“Yeah, me too,” I agreed.

“Oh, and text me Bliss’ phone number,” Devin called before I walked out the door.

“Fuck you,” I growled as I walked out of his office. I met my two warriors in the hall and we all dematerialized back home.

I landed right outside the door to my suite of rooms. When I walked in I expected to see Bliss but she wasn’t there. I followed her scent to her bedroom where I found her curled up under the thick comforter. She moaned in her sleep, kicking the comforter off. She was in one of my shirts, a white one this time that twisted around her body when she shifted. The shirt rose above her waist and I noticed she was naked underneath. I was instantly hard.

I went to the bed, leaned over and picked my mate up. She’d be in my bed while she slept. “Micha,” she said sleepily looking up at me while I carried her to my, no,
our
room. “Don’t send me away,” she begged in her half asleep state.

I laid her down gently against the plush pillows then quickly stripped. I climbed into bed with her, pulling her close so we were touching. She draped her leg over mine, bringing her core damn close to the steel hard rod that wanted inside of her. She rubbed her upper body against me, moaning low. “Please don’t send me away.”

“You are mine Bliss. I’m not sending you away,” I kissed her lips, softly, gently. She woke up slowly, responding to my kisses.

I was in pure unadulterated hell. I could smell her need. She was wet and wanting. Her plush little body was pushed up against my hard one. She was panting slightly, a slight tremor running through her body. She moaned again, shifting against me.

“Micha, I burn. What’s wrong with me?” She asked rubbing against me again. My blood burned for her. My fangs dripped in need. I began working the buttons loose on the silk shirt she wore. I wanted to rip the damn shirt open but I didn’t want to frighten her.

“I want to feel your skin against mine Bliss,” I told her hoarsely.

“Yes, please Micha. Please.” She practically purred the moment I cupped her breast. Her lips came in contact with my neck and she nipped at me. It had me groaning. I thumbed her nipple till it peaked but I couldn’t resist the temptation, so I gave in and lowering my head, sucked it into my mouth.

“Oh God Micha!” She called aloud, grasping my head tightly to her. I pushed her onto her back so I could get to the other breast and gave it the same attention as the first. I sucked it hard into my mouth, plying the nipple with my tongue, running my fangs against it, pinching it lightly between my teeth. That had her bowing her back off the bed and her legs spreading. If that wasn’t an invitation, I didn’t know what was.

I kissed my way down her silky soft stomach to the apex of her thighs. Her pubic hair was damp from her juices. She was dripping wet and smelled heavenly. I kissed each pubic bone, ran my chin against her mound, and then lowered my lips against her nether lips. I kissed her gently, tentatively and she nearly came off the bed.

“Oh!” She exclaimed, hips pushing against my lips. I pinned her carefully to the bed with my hands so as not to freak her out as I lowered my lips to her again. I ran my tongue through her slit picking up her juices and swallowing it down. She tasted like sweet vanilla. It was a taste I knew I would grow addicted too.

I found her hard little nub and concentrated on it. I teased it with my tongue, sucking on it, making her writhe on the bed madly. She gathered the sheets tightly into her fist and groaned loudly. I knew her climax was close. I pushed two fingers deep into her snug little pussy and curled them up against the wall of her cervix, rubbing gently as I sucked on her clit. She came a moment later with a loud scream of my name. I pulled my fingers from her, kissing my way up her body until I had my cock lined up with the outside of her soaking pussy. I pulled her leg over my hip again, pulling her against me so that we were perfectly lined up. I wouldn’t enter her but I could rub against her heat and wetness to get myself off. It wouldn’t take but a few strokes I was so worked up.

I gripped her ass cheek and began moving her against me. She moaned.  The position we were in had my cock right against her sensitive little clit. I’d make sure she’d come again. “God baby, you feel so good.”

“Micha…oh, Micha.”

She unexpectedly bit into the hard muscle right above my heart when she came causing me to come harder than I’d ever come before. I threw my head back and roared. It felt so fucking good to feel those little fangs pierce my flesh. I had to fight my instincts not to do the same to her. I would be inside her properly when I took her blood for the first time.

She drank my blood down until she was content. She licked the wounds closed then sighed happily. She curled into me, falling fast asleep. I smiled. Our little escapades always wore her out. I carefully extracted myself from under her to get a towel to clean us both up. A shower would be preferable but I didn’t want to wake her.

I suspected her transition heat was upon her. She moaned again in her sleep, squeezing her legs together. She would need to be taken care of again soon. My cock answered the call by hardening. I cleaned my seed from her belly and thighs, then climbed back into bed. I pulled her close once again, inhaling her sweet vanilla scent. I briefly got the scent of wolf but I chalked it up to her being in such close contact with Devin.

She called my name again, so I reassured her I was there. She sighed, then settled back down. I closed my eyes, letting sleep claim me.