18. Vampires and Ice Cream

Chapter 18

Vampires and Ice Cream

" Y ou know, this is really good," Talon said, after licking his spoon clean before dipping it back in for another taste. Meanwhile, I was still living in the twilight zone. Because after this terrifying threat of now being owned by two Vampire brothers, I hadn't said another word on the drive.

But this didn't mean I hadn't tried to resist every time they touched me in the back seat of this car. And after snatching my hand back out of Victor's for the third time, he had finally had enough. The threat was loud and clear when he bit my fingers, slowly applying pressure until I stopped trying to fight him.

"Good, now behave, Nessa," he demanded, making Talon smirk as he slapped his hand down on my thigh lightly before tapping me there and saying,

"She learns quick, at least."

I swear, I was going to have to learn how to growl because these two were pissing me off, fangs or no fangs. But in the end, there was no growl or screaming blue murder. There was only the silent treatment. Something that continued when I was ordered out the car and found myself sandwiched between two large Vampires as I was walked toward an elevator I recognized.

Meaning I was soon back in their fancy penthouse lair.

However, instead of their fangs tearing into me the second we made it inside their home, something else happened.

They fed me ice cream.

As in, when I refused to sit down after being given yet another order to do so, I was rid of Talon's leather jacket, finding it pulled down my arms in one swift move. Then I was picked up and deposited on one of the bar stools in front of the kitchen island. I had Talon to thank for this, and I then had Victor to thank for dishing me out three huge scoops of ice cream into a bowl and setting it down in front of me.

I had looked down at it then back up at him twice before shaking my head, still refusing to speak.

"Okay, lesson number two, Sweetheart, if you want to give me the silent treatment, that's fine, I am sure we will find other ways of getting sounds out of you. But as for not eating, well, that you will find you won't like the outcome of." I gaped at Victor when hearing this because there was just too much to process.

I didn't want to know about the ‘other ways' he spoke of when trying to get sounds out of me. He gave the bowl a pointed look and I knew this was my last chance.

So being too scared to find out what he would do, I picked up my spoon and started eating, giving him a scathing look as I did. Unfortunately, it was one he completely undermined the strength of as he tagged me at the back of the neck, pulling me closer, and he kissed my forehead, telling me,

"Still fucking cute."

I swear I nearly hit him with my spoon but when I turned, I found Talon had taken the seat next to me and had his own spoon in hand. He even tapped it to my own and said,

"Cheers." Then he began to dig in to what was left in the tub as Victor chuckled and left the room.

What the fuck was going on? How was it possible I was sitting here expected to eat ice cream next to the Vampire who kidnapped me for the second time? But it also made me wonder, if this was all so normal, then just how far could I push this?

"I need my bag," I said to Victor the second he came back into view without his suit jacket.

"Why?"

"My friend, she will be worried about me if I don't message her. She might even call the cops like last time," I said, shooting Talon a look and making him wink at me like this was all one big game. In fact, life in general looked like one big game to him, and it made me wonder if the guy ever took anything seriously. Well, clearly the other brother did, because he leaned his weight against the back of the couch and folded his arms as he looked at me.

"And I would like to know exactly what it is you would tell her and what your reasons would be for not going home tonight?"

I swallowed down the lump forming in the back of my throat at just the thought of spending the night with the brothers.

"That I met a hot human man and decided to spend the evening partaking in safe sex with no blood play involved, whatsoever," I said, making Talon scoff.

"Sounds fucking boring to me."

I refrained from answering that one, despite wanting to say, ‘Of course, after all, what is sex with a little maiming?'

"How about we keep it simple?" Victor suggested, his tone holding a hint of humor, like he found what I had said funny.

"Okay, how about I met up with an old friend who just moved to the city and I'm staying over her place to help her unpack?" I offered, knowing Stacey wouldn't buy it anyway because I never mentioned any ‘old friends' from my past.

"Alright, I can't see the harm in it," he agreed, making my heart beat faster.

Would this be my chance to call the cops? The next thing I knew he was walking toward a control panel on the wall and making demands about having my bag brought up to the apartment. Something that didn't take long, because soon a man I recognized was entering through the door and I couldn't help but react. I scrambled out of my chair and strangely did exactly what I done that night… found safety behind the Vampire who ended up taking me.

But as I cowered behind Talon's large frame now, he seemed just as surprised as he had done that night to find me gripping onto his T-shirt, shaking behind him. He glanced down at me over his shoulder for a moment, looking like his brother as he raised a dark blonde brow at me.

However, he didn't say a word to this. Instead, he spun his chair, forcing me to let go as he was now facing me. But before I could retreat, he wrapped his big arms around me and tucked me to his wide chest, letting me feel every hard, taut muscle for myself. And he did this all without a single word. Not even mocking my fear or making me feel foolish about going to him for comfort. He just did this like it was his job to protect me and the most natural thing in the world.

Again, I couldn't understand it. It was like it happened without thought, like it was instinct that he would keep me safe just like last time. That must have been it, the memory of having that big brute come at me with a knife in hand and having Talon be the one to tell him to put it away.

"Something I should know?" I heard Victor ask, coming to stand next to us, and I sneaked a peek from where I had buried my face in Talon's T-shirt. The scent of him again near made me dizzy. It was fucking addictive. Would his brother smell this good? I was almost too afraid to find out, knowing that if he did, then that was double the amount of a dangerous addiction.

Victor had his arms folded and I looked up when I heard Talon say, "That will be all, Andras."

"So?" Victor pressed, and as Talon looked down at me, he told his brother,

"Let's just say she didn't receive the best first impression of our friend."

"And what the fuck does that mean?" Victor snapped, making Talon sigh, all humor gone.

Then, as if he knew the memory would be a chilling one, Talon started running his fingers up and down my back as he told him,

"She was introduced to his knife before she was introduced to his hand."

Victor released a growl so deadly, I flinched in Talon's arms.

"I will kill him!" he snarled like some wild animal, but before he could storm off toward the main doors, Talon's hand shot out and landed on his brother's chest.

"Calm, Brother, he never got close, for she did as she does now, knowing I would protect her. He didn't know at the time who she was to us," Talon said, making me wonder what he meant by that… who I was to them?

"He is not to go near her. I will not have her frightened by him again," Victor stated and, once more, for bloodthirsty kidnapping Vampires, they seemed awfully concerned with my state of mind. Shouldn't they be relishing in my fear? Laughing like malevolent villains and rubbing their hands together in evil glee? When was the torture to begin?

Talon didn't say anything to this but instead simply looked down at me and tipped my chin up.

"You want to finish your ice cream sitting in my lap?"

My eyes grew wide and I shook my head, telling him no. He smirked, then patted my ass, shocking me at his familiar touch.

"Then back to your seat, little one."

I did as I was told, just in case he changed his mind and made me sit on him. Because there was no way I would survive that without responding to him the way I wished I could do freely. He was the most dangerous temptation, and I was Eve being offered a bite of the apple.

"What is your friend's name?" Victor asked me, walking toward me with my phone in hand.

I began to panic, knowing that I couldn't give him Stacey's name because I needed to keep her out of this. I needed to keep her protected in case they thought to use her against me in some way. Despite the fact that they hadn't hurt me yet, I couldn't say the same for anyone else, because hadn't Victor been the one to easily threaten witnesses or had he just said that to get me to comply?

I didn't know for sure, so I wouldn't chance it. Which is why I told him the name of a girl that hadn't worked at the store since last summer.

"Beth, her name is Beth." Then I held out my hand, ready to take my phone from him, but he simply held it up to my face. I didn't have to question why for long as my cracked phone screen illuminated to life as my face unlocked it.

"Hey, that's private," I complained, making Talon laugh.

My look must have said it all because he told me,

"Your private life is now a thing of the past, babe, so if I were you, I would get used to it and just give us what we want." Then he went back to his ice cream and ignored my outraged astonishment.

"Beth, you said?" This came from Victor who had come to stand in front of me with his hip cocked side-on to the island.

"Yep," I said, trying not to let my voice sound as strained as it felt.

"You mean the same Beth you last messaged over a year ago to cover one of your shifts, that's the friend who is going to be worried not to hear from you?" I swallowed hard but didn't answer.

No, in the end the only sound I made was a squeak of panic when I felt his hand fisted in my hair as he pulled my head back. It didn't hurt, but it shocked me enough to be frightened of him as Victor's face now loomed over my own.

"Never lie to me again, understand, pretty girl?" I swallowed a hard lump named fear down and nodded my head with the little movement his hold on me would allow.

"Name?"

"Do you promise not to ever hurt her?" I asked, needing to know or I would never give up her name. And for some reason, I trusted that Victor was a man of his word once he gave it.

"She means something to you?" he asked in return, making me nod, tears forming in my eyes telling him just how much.

"Then she will find no harm come to her at our hands," he told me and once again, I didn't know if it was foolish to do so or not but I trusted him in this. Enough to tell him,

"Stacey… Her name is Stacey."

"She the one you live with?" he asked, making me close my eyes and nod yes, hating that I could be putting her in danger by doing so.

"Good girl, Firefly," he said again, kissing my forehead once more after stroking back my hair that he had knotted in his hold. Then he walked away from me, going back to my phone and typing out whatever message he thought fit. I couldn't help but wonder what excuse he had given her. And if it had been the one I suggested, would she buy it or not? Damn, I should have told her everything. We should have come up with a code if this ever happened again. At least I would have had an address to give her. One that she could have given to the police.

Christ, I was an idiot.

"Why you not eating?" Talon asked, making me look down at my bowl and back to him.

"Erm…" I had no answer, but Victor did as he walked up behind me once he was finished with my phone. And I noticed his tie was missing and his black shirt was now rolled up at the sleeves, showing off his strong corded forearms.

A fact I could study in detail considering he put his arms around me. Then he gripped my wrist, dug my spoon in and guided my hand up to his mouth as he crowded in around me.

His head came over my shoulder and I watched in shock as he put his lips around the spoon, purposely taking away only half of the ice cream. Then he hummed in my ear before bringing the same mouthful to my lips, expecting me to finish what was left after it being in his mouth. Christ, I never thought sharing ice cream could be so damn erotic, especially when his deep voice was issuing yet another order.

"Open those pretty lips for me."

I shot a look to Talon to see he was now watching this play out with great interest. The spoon going to his mouth without even looking at it. The way his jaw moved as he worked the ice cream around his mouth fascinated me. And stranger still, it also had me opening my own mouth, complying with Victor's sensual demands.

"That's it…" he said before whispering down at me…

"Now lick it clean for me, baby."