Three
Ezra
“What have you done?” Erik shouts at me as I carry the girl into the house.
“I didn’t mean it,” I say in a panic.
“Thank god you caught her in time,” he says as I run to the couch and he pushes all the pillows out of the way.
“I think she must have hit her head. I don’t know why she won’t wake up.” It’s then that I finally take a breath as I lay her on the cushions. That’s when I catch the sweet scent. “Oh god.”
I take a step back as the smell of her blood surrounds me and my mouth begins to water.
“Shit,” Erik hisses as he comes up beside me.
I turn to him and see the recognition in his eyes. This is what we’ve been after for the past week. Ever since the theater and we caught the sugary scent of cotton candy mixed with something unexplainable.
“Does that mean…” I swallow then try to think through all of the things running through my mind. “Is she the one?”
“But for which one of us?” Erik says, and my eyes narrow.
Does he mean to say that we’ve both mated to her?
“Maybe we should call Bishop,” I say, clenching my fists at my side.
“Maybe we should,” he agrees but plants his feet in front of me.
Is he challenging me? Suddenly I’m looking at my brother in a whole new light and I can’t help but think that this is the mate bond coming into play. I’ve never so much as spoken a harsh word to him.
All our lives we’ve only ever had each other. When Bishop created us, we were given a new family, but deep down we had a connection above all others. This isn’t something I can sweep away because a woman falls off our wall, but something inside of me has been on edge for weeks and it feels like it’s coming to a head.
Just then I hear footsteps coming up the backstairs and I turn in time to see Bishop and Kane coming through the door.
“What’s going on?” Bishop says as he looks between us then looks at the couch. “I got a call from your housekeeper that you were going to shoot off some fireworks. She said she ran out of here angry and you both just laughed. Could you two possibly attract any more attention to us?” He stops once he gets to the couch and sees the young woman there. “Who is this?”
“That’s my Juliet’s old roommate, Dove,” Kane says simply and all eyes go to him. “I met her when she came to the house. Juliet says she was kind to her.”
Kane crosses his arms over his chest and that’s all he has to say. He’s a man of few words, but right now I could use more than that.
“Okay, but why is she here?” Bishops looks around before he goes over to the couch and sits down on the edge next to her.
“Don’t touch her,” I say in a low voice that’s far deadlier than I expected it to be.
It surprises Bishop and he leans back, holding his hands up where I can see them. “Ezra?” he asks as he slowly stands up. “What is this woman to you?”
Erik steps between Bishop and me so quickly I don’t see it coming. “She belongs to me,” he says, and anger rises inside me.
“She’s mine!” I shout, and Erik turns around to face me. “I scented her first in the theater.”
Heat rises inside me and I’m not prepared for it.
“Don’t do this,” Kane says, breaking his silence and stepping forward. “I think you both should calm down.”
“If Kane is the voice of reason, I think you both should reconsider your position,” Bishop says, but Erik and I don’t budge.
“Is this possible?” Kane asks Bishop under his breath, but we all hear him perfectly. “Can two vampires share a mate? I’ve never heard of this.”
“I don’t know,” Bishop admits, and he moves in front of Dove as he comes over to where we are. “We need to talk about this. There will be a way to work this out. You two are closer than any vampires I’ve seen, and that includes mated couples.”
That gives me a moment of pause as my eyes move from Dove to Erik.
“In my almost two hundred years I’ve never met twin vampires. All of our senses are heightened when we are turned, and I don’t see why your connection would be an exception. You two shared something that most people never gain with another person, so it would make sense that the one true mate you both would need would be shared between you.” He sighs as he begins to pace. “I have to be honest with you two,” he says as he stops in his tracks to face us. “I don’t know if this will work. This could be the one thing that could rip you apart. But I know that if you don’t give this a chance then you’ll regret what comes next.”