I blinked, my brows furrowing.

Then the full meaning of his words sank in.

Heat tore through my body like an inferno at the same time nervous embarrassment flooded my cheeks.

“I… we… I…”

I would’ve kept repeating those two words over and over like a broken record if Jerrett hadn’t stroked a knuckle down my cheek.

“Relax, Will. Just putting it out there. You already shared us once, the night we turned you. And it was incredible. This could be even better than that.”

My body unconsciously leaned into his touch. His words had left me so turned on I was a heartbeat away from climbing him like a tree and rubbing myself all over his naked torso, just to ease some of the desperate ache inside me.

What was it with these men? How did they manage to break down every defense, every barrier I had?

Because as crazy as the idea was, I was seriously considering taking him up on his offer.

But that’s not me.

Is it?

Jerrett must’ve read my expression again and seen the imminent existential breakdown as I grappled with this new, wilder side of myself. He tapped me gently under the chin before turning me back around to face the bowl of frosting I’d completely forgotten about.

“Back to working your magic, sweetheart. I’m still hungry.”

I gratefully took the escape he offered me, digging a butter knife into the frosting and slathering it on a cupcake with shaking hands. The brothers didn’t have any pastry piping equipment, but the simple act of spreading frosting into whorls and peaks calmed my frayed nerves. My hand was steadier when I turned back to Jerrett and offered it to him.

He brushed his hair out of his eyes then took it, peeling the wrapper down on one side.

I watched him anxiously, chewing on my lower lip. Kyle had always been really critical of my baking. He’d claimed his harsh critiques were all in the name of helping me improve, but after a while, I’d stopped offering him any of my creations because I didn’t want to be torn down every time I did. Since then, plenty of strangers had told me they loved my desserts, but worry still churned in my stomach as Jerrett took his first bite.

His mouth closed, but he didn’t chew. His eyes widened.

Worry turned to panic, and I ran through the recipe in my head. Had I left out some critical ingredient by mistake?

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to finish it if it isn’t good. Maybe I—”

“Holy shit! Fuck me! This is un-fucking-believable.”

His words were muffled by the food in his mouth, but the awe in his voice was unmistakable. He took another big bite, his blue eyes gleaming. A tiny bit of frosting hung on his upper lip, and I was struck by the sudden urge to lick it off.

I watched him devour the whole cupcake. It was probably incredibly rude to stare at someone while they ate, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the sight of him enjoying my creation.

I’d made that look appear on his face.

When he finished, he set the empty wrapper on the counter and looked up at me, the lock of black hair falling over his eyes again. “Well, that settles it. You can’t ever leave us now. Fucking good goddamn, Will, that was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten!”

I blushed, more thrilled by his exuberant compliment than I should’ve allowed myself to be.

“Well, I don’t have plans to leave anytime soon. At least not until we figure out what those shades are after and how to stop them.”

Jerrett’s expression darkened. He crossed the kitchen and sank onto a stool at the bar. “Yeah. About that. According to a werewolf friend of ours, there’ve been shade attacks in other cities on the east coast over the past several weeks. He didn’t have a ton of details, but this guy is well connected in the supernatural community. He’d know.”

My brow furrowed. I spread frosting on two more cupcakes, then brought them over to the bar with me, settling onto a stool next to Jerrett and offering him one. “You think those attacks are related to the one on me?”

“I’d bet anything they are. Shades aren’t all that common.”

I took a small bite of my own cupcake, trying not to notice the way Jerrett’s piercing blue eyes tracked every movement of my lips. Hell, I’d ogled him while he ate, so I could hardly complain if he did the same to me. It did make keeping my mind on the current conversation a bit difficult though.

Clearing my throat, I forced my thoughts back to the problem at hand. “Have the shades been attacking humans?”

“Both. A mix of humans and supernaturals. He said at least one victim had runes carved into them like you, but I don’t know if they all did.”

A chill worked its way down my spine. Jesus. That was horrific.

“What exactly are these things?” I asked.

Jerrett pushed his hair out of his eyes. “That’s the problem. We don’t really know. The word ‘shade’ is pretty much a blanket term for any resurrected creature that can take physical form. They’re undead. But what these shades were when they were alive? That, we don’t know.”

“But that’s an important piece of the puzzle?”

“Yeah, probably. Once we know what they were, we’ll have a better idea how to fight them. And maybe it’ll help us figure out what they’re after too. Then we’ll just need you to tell us where they are.”

My stomach flipped. Right. No pressure.

Jerrett leaned back, starting in on his second cupcake. After a few bites, he held the half-eaten confection out in front of him, looking at it almost wonderingly. “Good. Fucking. Lord. That might be the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

“Better than blood?” I asked teasingly.

He raised a pierced brow, his expression wicked in the dim light. “Depends whose blood it is, sweetheart.”

Warmth flooded my veins again. I was starting to feel like a hormonal teenager with a crush… or three.

To distract him, and myself, I blurted, “Can I ask you a question?”

He set the cupcake down and crossed his arms over his muscled chest. “Sure, Will. Shoot.”

“Why do you guys only drink from blood bags? I mean, I’m sure they’re better than nothing, but… well, you know. They’re…”

“They’re not the same,” he finished for me.

“No. I mean, I’ve never had fresh blood. But even I can tell it’s not the same. Why is that all you drink? It’s not like you’d have to kill someone to drink their blood, right?” A flush crept up my cheeks. “According to Google, some people might be pretty into that. They said it feels really good.”

Jerrett nodded. He took his time answering me, his gaze never leaving my face.

“You’re not wrong. Most vampires prefer fresh human blood. You’ll know by now that the bagged shit is just that. Shit. But it’s good enough. It keeps us going, right?”

I ducked my head thoughtfully. “Yeah, it does.”

“And we can still enjoy human food. Even if it doesn’t quite satisfy the body, it satisfies the mind. Don’t ever underestimate the importance of that.” His eyes lit suddenly. “Hey, can you make tiramisu sometime? I haven’t had that in fucking forever.”

“Sure. You probably have all the ingredients on hand. Yuliya keeps your pantry insanely well-stocked.”

Jerrett grinned. “She did that for you, sweetheart. Sol told her you like to bake, and she might’ve gone a little overboard conjuring things.”

A laugh burst from me. “Holy shit! I guess that makes more sense than you guys owning cupcake tins.” Then I swallowed. “Jerrett? You didn’t answer my question.”

“Hmm?”

“Why don’t you drink fresh blood?”

“Because of Mal.”

His jaw snapped shut the moment the words were out of his mouth, like he wished he hadn’t spoken.

I bit my lip. “Malcolm doesn’t want you drinking blood? Why?”

Jerrett eased out a breath, dipping his finger into the frosting on his cupcake and licking it off.

“That’s his story to tell, Will, not mine. I hope he does tell you someday. It’ll help you understand why he is the way he is.”

“You mean grouchy all the time?”

“Ha! Some might call it stoic, but yeah. Grouchy works too. He’s not mad at you, Will. Ever. When he gets like that, it’s because he’s mad at himself.”

“Mad at himself for what?”

Jerrett rubbed the back of his neck, his palm covering the tattoo that ran along one side. “He made a mistake a long time ago that I don’t think he’ll ever forgive himself for. He’ll probably spend the rest of his life trying to atone for it.”

Pity and unease twisted my stomach into a knot. The rest of his life? That could be hundreds, thousands of years. What could he possibly have done that would require that much penance?

I opened my mouth to ask another question, but Jerrett shook his head. “I can’t tell you more, Will. Mal is my brother, and I respect the fuck out of him. He’s too hard on himself, and I wish he could see that. But I’m not gonna go around spilling his secrets.”

My jaw eased shut. The teasing gleam still flickered in Jerrett’s blue eyes, but his expression was serious. The way he stood by his brother so adamantly made warmth bloom in my chest—both for the man in front of me and for Mal.

“I understand.” I leaned back, nodding. “Thanks for talking, Jerrett. It means a lot.”

His playful demeanor returned, and he scooped the remaining half-cupcake off the bar. “Sweetheart, anytime. And you throw in delicious shit like this on top of the pleasure of your company? Well, you’re never gonna get rid of me now.”

A ripple of pleasure washed over me. He said the words as lightly and easily as anything, but he couldn’t know how much they meant to me. It’d been so long since I’d been flirted with, appreciated, or wanted. It made me feel special—maybe not to the whole world, but to a blue-eyed vampire rock star with a wicked tongue and a big heart.

And that was enough for me.

I grinned. “That’s okay. I’m not in any hurry to get rid of—”

The sound of footsteps on the stairs reached my ears, and I broke off, cocking my head. Jerrett heard it too and was on his feet before Sol and Malcolm burst into the room.

“What is it?”

Jerrett’s voice was sharp, the hunter in him rising to the surface.

Sol inhaled deeply, and I blushed at the hunger that swept over his face at the scent of my cupcakes. I kind of wanted to sit around feeding these guys for days, just watching the expressions on their faces while they ate my creations.

Then again, maybe there was a better way to put that sexy, hungry look on his face.

“Thomas just called,” Malcolm answered, ripping me from my thoughts. “There’s a problem in the subway lines. Goblins have been getting out of control, attacking commuters and disrupting trains.”