Ezra was an intermittent growling mess once out of his dad’s eyesight.

On the plus side, no one tried to intercept us as we made our way to our bedroom.

On the downside, when we entered said bedroom, he went all loco-Vampire-freaky.

As soon as the door shut, his eyes glowed, and maybe a heartbeat later, I was dizzy and sitting on the bed with my back resting against the headboard. Jack and Pearl were lying on the bed being bums and watching TV, and they both froze as I thumped next to them. Eyes wide in shocked wooziness, I stared at the Vampire whose eyes were glowing fiercely as he growled continually, his movements too damn smooth — his predator peeking out to say hello — as he lifted the blanket over me, tucking it tightly around my legs and meticulously fluffing it up to my shoulders.

Jack started to tap my shoulder, more than likely to ask me what the hell was going on, but his face suddenly glowed green as Ezra’s attention snapped to him. His fangs fully bared, his growl rumbling more deeply than before. Oddly, the bone structure of his face was even more sharply defined, somehow appearing more beautiful and deadly at the same time. Intelligently, Jack’s hand retreated before he touched me. Ezra’s growl continued a moment longer at that lower tone, definitely a warning of sorts, before it went back to the only-just-scary growl…right before he gently placed his hand on my shoulder, pulling me forward to place a pillow behind my back.

He straightened, his head cocking. Reached to lift the blanket higher on my shoulder and brush a few stray strands of hair off my face. Slowly, his head slanted toward Pearl and Jack. He growled that deeper tenor before saying in a musically creepy tone, “Don’t touch her.”

They both nodded.

Finally, blinking past my dazed astonishment, I found my voice. “Ezra, I’m alright.”

He only stared at me.

Talking in a soft voice, one people use specifically when someone’s going off the deep end, I said, “Really, Ezra. No one hurt me. They only talked—” I squeaked when he was suddenly in my face, a finger over my lips.

“My dad had you,” he hummed, the tone just shy of hypnotic. “One time, you called him seriously scary, but that doesn’t even begin to describe him. He didn’t get his reputation by being…nice. The things he’s done, the things he’s taught me, are not anywhere kind enough for nightmares.” His head cocked, the movement all Vampire. “Don’t ever be that naive again, sweetheart. If he’s ever upset with you, hit him with every ounce of power you have,” he leaned forward until our noses touched, “then…fucking…run.”

My lips pinched under his finger. “Antonio was there. He would never let him harm me.”

Ezra growled so loudly the sound actually vibrated against my entire body.

I wasn’t one hundred percent sure how to handle this situation. All I had were Shifter experiences to go from. If I had to compare the two, which truly weren’t all that far apart — between the four Mystical factions, Vampires and Shifters were the two predators of the group while Mages and Elementals were the gentler of our people — his reaction was extremely similar to the way a Shifter would behave after feeling a loved one had been threatened. Hoping I was right, risking his predator seeing it as a threat, I acted to try to calm him the only way I knew.

Shifter style.

Inhaling heavily, I cautiously pulled my hand out of the blanket and rested it on his cheek. Then hit him with a dose of soothing Shifter magic. His growl sputtered as he blinked a few times. I whispered, “I was fine. I know when to run. And that wasn’t the time.” Brushing his finger from my mouth, I bent forward and placed my lips gently against his slightly parted ones. “Shh. It’s alright, baby. I’m right here. I’m fine.” I kissed him softly. Once. “Calm down.”

His breathing became pants against my lips as we stared one another in the eyes. Again, I hit him with another dose of soothing magic. His whole body trembled, his growling quieting, no longer loud enough to rock the air around us. Shakily, he stated, “You scared me. When I heard my dad order you off the phone…fuck, I was so scared.” His nostrils flared. “Promise me you’ll do as I said if your instincts tell you he’s too angry.”

That was a no-brainer. “I promise.” Cahal was one scary mother-fucker.

His eyes holding mine captive, Ezra’s growl turned into a purr, and he tilted his face into my palm, kissing it softly before rubbing his cheek against it, then he moved fluidly — like he floated — over me to lie between Jack and me, half his body resting over mine. With an arm and a leg firmly wrapping me tight under him, he rested his head on my lap. He closed his eyes, the glow disappearing even though his soft purr didn’t.

Pulling my other hand out, my heart melted as he shuddered once and buried his head further against me, his grip unbreakable, and I started softly petting him. Fingers moving slowly through his almost dried hair, I began working the tangles out, running my other hand over his muscled back. We’d had one hell of a roller-coaster ride between having ‘the talk’, our sexual frustration, and then the inquisition. Now, we were free to just…be.

His Vampire seemed to like the gentle motions, because when I stopped for the barest moment to peer at Pearl and Jack, the purr turned into an ill-mannered growl until I started caressing him again. Then he went back to purring. My lips curled at the badass Vampire’s churlishness. It was a bit adorable, which I never thought I would say about a powerful predator.

As I continued to stroke him, my eyes moved to Jack and Pearl. They were staring at Ezra. I decided they appeared a combination of freaked, confused, and a bit uncomfortable — as if they were witnessing something they shouldn’t. That last one was more than likely because they were observing what Ezra and I kept private, our more intimate discussions only ever happening when we were alone together — normally between lovemaking sessions.

After clearing my throat, I began to softly whisper to them what had happened. Skimming over the more physical details, and further skimming over our intimate discussion throughout our time in Antonio’s office, I got to the point of why Ezra was acting as he was. Jack’s and Pearl’s expressions varied from fear to wariness as I spoke. And all the while, Ezra gradually pulled me down lower on the bed until I was flat on my back with a heavy Vampire over me, his purring only diminishing when he actually fell asleep with his face in the crook of my neck.

“Do you trust what they said?” Pearl asked softly so she didn’t wake the troubled Vamp.

“Yes,” I whispered, still running my hands through Ezra’s hair. “Their answers were truth.”

Jack eyed me, having stayed quiet the longest. “What aren’t you telling us?” He slanted his head toward Ezra. “That was something else entirely.”

Resting my cheek against the top of his head, I inhaled his scent heavily. I wasn’t going to lie to them, and at the same time, I hadn’t told them initially because I wasn’t sure how they would handle it. But Jack had figured out something was askew. “I asked him to be exclusive. To have a real relationship.” Their expressions carefully stayed the same, not giving me much to go on. “He said he had already been thinking about it,” I rubbed my cheek against Ezra’s head, “This is him not hiding his emotions.”

Jack ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t say I didn’t see this coming.” He stared at the bedroom door. “But why did he fly in here the first time, pissed the fuck off, go immediately to the shower, only to come out in a mildly better mood?”

My lips pinched. “We have…a little issue…with jealousy and I told him we weren’t doing anything…intimate…until we figured out what we’re going to do relationship-wise.”

Jack’s lips twitched. “That explains the shower.”

Pearl cocked her head. “You sure about what you’re asking for?”

I sighed. “We’re practically already doing it. I just want it agreed on.” I wanted him to be mine.

Golden eyebrows rose. “I think you know what I’m talking about.” She gestured around the room. “I’ve never seen him like that before. When he first came in, he was floating.”

Ah. “Like I said, we’ll have a little issue of jealousy to work out in the beginning.”

Both gave me a look.

My eyes narrowed. “Okay, a big one, but that doesn’t mean I don’t stand by what I want.” I paused, and gradually began to grin, staring at Jack. His expression became instantly wary, so I asked sweetly, “Jack, can you help me with something?”

“What?”

I plucked at my shirt. “I need a man’s opinion on what’s,” I imitated Ezra’s deep voice, “sexy and seductive.” I rolled my eyes. “He pretty much said my clothes suck.”

Jack gurgled, and quickly cleared his throat. “I could probably help you with that.”

My smile grew. “Perfect.”

Sometimes things work out perfectly.

Right after Ezra left for kitchen detail the next morning, Elder Merrick called the room to tell me he had a meeting to attend and wouldn’t be available for our training session. So I had jumped on the private time and tried to wake Jack up, ready to have him help me with my clothes dilemma. He had groused unintelligibly for a few minutes while I tried to wake him, but had woken fully when I dragged his ass out of bed where he had been snuggled up, all nice and warm next to Pearl. He hadn’t much appreciated hitting the cold floor.

But we had gotten to work…sort of.

“What about this one?” I asked, holding up a pair of jeans almost identical to what Ezra wore yesterday, only girl-style, and a strapless silver shirt. “I really like it.”

Jack pounded his head against the wall. Literally. We had been at this for a half-hour. He, I was finding out, was like any other man I saw in department stores being dragged around by a woman. The look of pain was barely masked.

The only difference between him and the other men I had observed was he didn’t lie to hurry me. He kept vetoing every outfit I pulled out of my closet, in effect making this process much longer than it should have taken.

I shook the garments. “Ezra wears pants just like these!”

“Ezra’s a guy!” Jack sighed, grabbing the jeans from my hands. “Jeans can, at times, be sexy on a woman, but they’re always hot on a man.” Frustrated, he tossed the jeans onto the pile in the closet. “You don’t want at times. You want always.”

I chucked the shirt, enjoying the thud it made against the wall. “He said not to take it offensively, but how can I not!” I cracked my neck. “I like my damn clothes.”

Gently, Jack’s eyes closed, and he rubbed his temples. “He’s a full-blooded Vampire. He has different interests to you.” Brown eyes slowly reappeared, and he stared. “At least he was honest and man enough to tell you the truth of what he wants.” His gaze hit the pile of clothes on the floor.

I blinked, thinking I was missing something. “Jack, you doing okay?” He had been acting much better these past few weeks, so I had assumed he was, but now, I wasn’t so sure.

He rubbed his chin and sighed. “Yeah, I’m fine.” After another sigh, he looked at me. “I’m sure he won’t care if you wear your own clothes most of the time, he just wants to see you dress for him every once in a while.”

I watched him for another moment, gauging his honesty. I had sniffed the air, and he hadn’t lied, but he hadn’t told the truth, either. His scent was somewhere in the middle.

When it didn’t look like he was going to elaborate any, I grumbled, “Just tell me what guys like.”

He rested against the wall. “If you’re going for the fuck factor, you need a dress. Extremely short and showing lots of cleavage. But nothing too gaudy, so you can wear it anywhere.” His eyes skimmed me from head to toe, not sensually, his regard purely analytical. “Black. Or red, like the color of your hair.” A pause. “Vamps like hooded robes, so possibly add that for effect.”

I snorted. “I’m not wearing a damn hooded robe like his.” I tapped my chin, thinking this through. “But maybe I could come up with something a little Shifter-Vampire.”