“You’re sharp as a tack.” His thumb stroked against the inside of my wrist. “I have no doubt that you’ll figure it out in no time at all, which is about how long it’ll take me to get us home.”
I had no idea what he was talking about until I found myself standing in an unfamiliar living room a blink of an eye later. My head was woozy and my knees weak, but my brain was still working fine. It only took me a split-second to understand what he meant and the implications. Jareth truly was a vampire, with the ability to teleport. If I had to guess, I’d go with telepathy for how he’d been able to communicate with his brother. And if all that was true, then odds were good that he’d been telling the truth about destined consorts...and me being one.
4
Jareth
Narkissa blinked a few times as if to clear her head, then her eyes swept the room. Her brow crinkled just the slightest amount, but I was watching her closely. Drinking in the sight of my gorgeous consort and desperately trying not to throw her over my shoulder and teleport to our bedroom. I had no doubt I would be able to seduce her into our bed, but that wouldn’t bode well for us in the long run. She needed time to adjust, and I would always do my very best to give her anything she asked for—as long as it didn’t involve her safety or our children’s.
“You’re rich.”
It was a statement of fact, but her words sounded like an accusation.
I glanced down at her designer gown and shoes, as well as the diamonds in her ears and around her slender, succulent neck. “True,” I agreed. My fingers toyed with her diamond pendant for a second before brushing along her collarbone and up to the small, round marks that would make her mine forever. She shivered at the touch, and I bit back a satisfied smile. “Is wealth something you are unaccustomed to?”
Her eyes fell to her outfit for a beat before returning to meet mine. “No, I suppose that’s clear by the way I’m dressed and the car I was driving. It’s not really the money itself that bothers me.”
She hadn’t pulled away from me when we arrived. I didn’t think she’d even realized how relaxed she’d become in my arms. But if my groin didn’t get a little distance from hers, all my good intentions would fly out the window.
I stepped back and dropped my arms, but grasped one of her hands and gently led her over to a couch. I took the seat beside her, staying close since I couldn’t have her on my lap. She half-heartedly tugged on her hand, but I didn’t let go. I at least needed to be touching her. “I’m not sure I understand. Will you please explain it to me?” I requested softly.
“I don’t like what money does to people,” she grumbled after a short stretch of silence. “It makes them shallow and arrogant.”
I chuckled, and she glared at me adorably. “We all have our moments, but with three brothers who make it their mission to be a pain in the ass, my feet stay firmly planted on the ground.”
Narkissa cocked her head to the side and studied me curiously. “You don’t sound very bothered by the fact that your brothers make your life hell.”
Laughing again, I shook my head. “I should have been clearer. We drive each other nuts, but we also love and respect each other. There is no one I would trust more—with the exception of my consort—than my brothers. Although the rest of my family comes close.”
“The rest…?” Narkissa looked confounded by my answers, and I wondered what her life had been like before me.
“My father has seven brothers, and they all have multiple children—so I have a lot of cousins, mostly boys. Though we’re all basically as close as siblings.”
“Wow, I didn’t think families were like that anymore. My mother said my ideas of a happy, close family were silly.”
I frowned, angry with the woman who’d tried to squash the sweet dreamer inside my consort. The longing in her voice had told me all I needed to know, and I silently promised to make her hopes and wishes come true.
Braeden tells me you found your consort. The voice of my youngest brother, Ren, popped into my head. His tone was mischievous, and I held in a sigh, annoyed at the interruption.
Go away.
We want to meet our new sister. Is now a good time?
Before I could respond, Braeden and Ren appeared in the room, their faces split with wide grins.
“Hello, I’m—ow! Son of a bitch!” Ren’s introduction was interrupted when I used my vampiric speed to move so I was instantly standing between them, holding their ears.