The mansion that Ivanka, Mika, and Joseph share with their coven is huge and opulent. It looks like it might have been the home of someone in entertainment at some point, with a long pull-through driveway, and a stone façade that looks much like old castles in Europe.

Vincent and I are greeted by a too-thin human male, dressed only in black leather pants, who ushers us to a sitting room filled with priceless art and antique furniture. Dead-eyed, he asks if he can get us anything. Vincent asks for whatever the house is serving, and I ask for water.

The human bows and says, “Will you need privacy before seeing the masters?”

I make a face. What the heck does he mean?

Vincent puts his hand on my knee and says, “Yes, please.”

The human bows again and says he will relay the request. He shuts the huge, double doors before leaving us alone in the room.

I turn to Vincent. “What does he mean, do we need…”

Vincent’s eyes are black, his fangs extended. Oh.

“Vincent, this is not the time,” I say.

“It is the time,” he says quietly. “I need to reassert my claim on you, make it clear to the coven that you are not theirs with which to play.”

Mika actually severed my bond with Vincent temporarily when she assumed Vincent would die. She did it, supposedly, to save me, and her sire, Joseph tried to claim me quickly afterward.

If Vincent died and we were bonded, I may have died as well. As it was, I was willing to die for him, and our bond was restored as I gave my life for his, and he fed me to keep me alive afterward. Joseph still offered me a place in his coven, promising no harm would come to me if I joined them here.

Vincent leans in and kisses my neck, commenting quietly on how my skin tastes of salt. I am uncomfortable, knowing that this house probably has eyes, that this is Vincent’s strange way of trying to protect me in this house full of vampires.

His hand moves between my legs, his fingers playing there, my thin workout pants the only barrier between us. Arousal burns there and I feel my cheeks heat, embarrassed to be so turned-on here in this space, a house of vampires, so publicly displayed.

“Let me mark you as mine,” Vincent murmurs into my ear, his fingers digging into the sensitive place between my legs.

Vincent is never quite fully human to me. He is stiff and formal and otherworldly. But here, in this place, he is full-on vampire. His fangs extend and his eyes go black with lust and thirst. I can’t tell if it is an act, for the benefit of those who might harm me, or if he truly is overcome by his desire to drink my blood.

Either way, my body is responding to him, wetness seeping through my thin pants as he rubs me there. His sharp teeth scrape along my neck and I gasp as he moves down, pushing my sports bra off of my shoulder, biting into the skin there.

The moment he pulls the blood from my body, my hips arch and my mind is clouded. It is ecstasy, this feeling, this high that comes from being bitten. I give into it, letting him take what he wants, grinding against his hand until I come, crying out his name.

He pulls away, only long enough to push me to the couch and pull down my pants, exposing my wet, swollen pussy. I only want more, my anxiety over being in a coven of vampires gone. I push my hips up again in invitation. Vincent pulls free of his pants and shoves inside of me. He is not gentle and I like it. His teeth find sensitive skin right above my breast and he breaks through the skin once more, feeding as he pumps inside of me roughly while I cry his name again and again.

It is a quick pairing as he comes quickly, licking the wounds he’s created as he slows and pulls out. He pulls up my pants, adjusts my sports bra, and tucks away his impressive cock before slicing his hand and feeding me some of his blood.

“To give you back your strength,” he says quietly.

Once he seems sure I have had enough, he sits up and crosses his leg, looking around as if nothing has happened, as if we have not just had rushed, manic sex on the antique couch of this mansion.

Only moments later, the dead-eyed human comes in with a glass of what looks like wine for Vincent, and a glass of water for me. We thank him and he announces that the masters will be in in just a moment.

When Ivanka, Mika, and Joseph glide into the room, they look much like I remember them. Joseph is so handsome as to be pretty, with a head full of curling, brown hair. Ivanka’s blonde hair is loose and long, almost to the floor, and Mika’s is short and dark. They are a beautiful trio, all dressed in elegant clothing. The women both wear scarlet cocktail dresses, Mika’s short, strapless, and form-fitting on her lithe frame. Ivanka, curvier, wears a longer dress with a plunging v-neckline. Joseph is in a black suit, white shirt and matching crimson tie.

“I feel underdressed,” I say. “Vincent would not allow me to shower and change before coming here.”

“And you obey your master,” Joseph says with a bored smile.

“I suspect she rarely obeys anyone,” Mika says, sitting next to me, her hand resting on my thigh. Vincent growls almost imperceptibly in response.

Ivanka sits at Vincent’s feet, not caring about her gorgeous dress, apparently. She puts her fingertips on Vincent’s leg and strokes gently. “Oh relax, Vincent. Mika won’t hurt your little pet.”

Mika leans in and sniffs me. Her sharp fangs elongate and she runs those sharp teeth against my earlobe, giving me shivers. “You smell of desire,” she whispers. “Did Vincent fuck you like a good little pet? Did he reestablish your bond? I think so.”

Her grip on my thigh is tight, probably tight enough to bruise, but I do not squirm. She scoots closer, her body aligned against mine. “I do like the feel of a woman’s body,” she says sensually. “I would not mind fucking you, as well.”

“She is claimed,” Vincent growls.

“So jealous,” Ivanka says with a laugh. “Share, Vincent.”

“No,” he says.

Joseph, lounging in a high-backed, red, velvet chair, watches the exchange with mild amusement. He says, “It is good to see you, Amy. We have been waiting for you to seek us out. Though I must admit I had hoped you would come ready to join our coven.”

“I came to explore a partnership with you,” I say.

Let me do the talking, Vincent says in my mind. The bond is always stronger when he’s fed on me, allowing us to talk telepathically.

Joseph narrows his eyes and rubs his chin with one hand, as if he can sense our psychic conversation. “What sort of partnership?” he asks.

“I need to explore the depths of my abilities,” I say. “So that I can defeat the warlock who wants to wipe vampires and other supernatural creatures off the earth.”

“Perhaps we do not need an untested witch to be our savior,” Joseph says.

“I am not untested,” I say.

“Oh, little human,” Ivanka says, “You have no idea what you are capable of. The very small bit of power you have shown is only a sliver of what you could be, with the right training. I can smell it on you, the base power awaiting release.”

“I could fuck it out of you,” Mika says with a snake’s smile.

“Or we all could,” Ivanka suggests. “It has been a long time since I have had Vincent’s magnificent cock inside of me. I could feed from your breast while he impales me like some massive, wretched beast.”

She bites her lip and raises her eyebrows suggestively.

“Mmmm, yes,” Mika says. “The five of us could have such fun.”

“She is mine,” Vincent says. “She is not to be touched.”

“So you speak for her?” Joseph asks.

“Of course,” he says. “I’ve left my mark all over her. You cannot touch her, and she cannot be compelled.”

“You are such a stick in the mud,” Ivanka says. She stands, but only to straddle Vincent where he sits. She grinds herself against him, her ample breasts in his face. “Don’t you remember how to have fun?”

“I can actually attest to the fact that he does not, in fact, know how to have fun,” I say. “However, an orgy with a bunch of vampires – even ones as nice-looking as all of you – is not on my fun list, either.”

Joseph laughs at this. “Well, I am sure the girls will leave the offer open, should you change your mind.”

Ivanka crawls off of Vincent, his cock hard and tenting the front of his pants. She crawls over top of me and into Mika’s arms. They engage in a deep kiss, so intense that I am not sure it is just an act for our benefit. What a strange trio.

Joseph looks at Vincent. “Let me be blunt. I am curious about this witch. As you know, the three of us were witches once. Powerful ones. And I do know that there is reason to prepare for war. Having a strong, trained witch at our disposal would be of benefit, no doubt.”

“’You offered her training and safety,” Vincent says. “You asked nothing in return.”

Joseph tsks as Vincent, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “You know better than that, Vincent. There is always a price.”

“She will not pay it,” Vincent says. “She has been through enough at the hands of creatures and yet she seeks to help save us.”

“That is admirable, yes,” Joseph says. He appraises me. “Little witch, we can help you, you can sense that?”

I nod, swallowing the nervous lump in my throat.

“What price would you pay to unlock what your fellow witches would keep bottled up?” he asks. I feel my eyes go wide. He quirks an eyebrow. “You do not trust them. I can sense this. They have not yet allowed you to explore this exquisite talent, to open up that flower and make it bloom. I can do this for you.”

“Amy, do not agree to anything,” Vincent says sharply.

“Maybe there is nothing of real value that I wish from you,” Joseph says. “Maybe curiosity leads me down this path. Or altruism.”

Vincent laughs but it is mirthless. “Altruism is not a word in the vampire language.”

“I disagree,” Joseph says. “You have shown it several times with regard to this human pet. You helped her save her human lover. You saved her when he attempted to take her life. There is no real reason to intervene in human matter, or to save human lives. What is that but altruism?”

Vincent says nothing. Joseph sits forward, almost looking like he can see into Vincent’s head. I could go there myself, see what he is thinking, but I do not. Not in this moment, when he does not need a distraction.

“Do you love this human?” Joseph asks.

Vincent scoffs. “Love is also not in our vocabulary. I claimed her blood and her body. That is all.”

Joseph tilts his head. “Hmm.”

I am distracted by the make-out session going on next to me, the two vampire women humping each other, hands exploring, body parts exposed. Ivanka’s fingers are inside Mika and Mika’s fingers are tweaking Ivanka’s exposed breast.

I am a little turned on, though I would never admit it in a court of law.

“Just a taste,” Ivanka begs, turning to me, fangs extended. “Just a taste, little witch, so we can get off together. Help us.”

“Yes,” Mika hisses. “A taste of your sweet blood, Amy, witches blood. An aphrodisiac.”

Joseph says, “Enough, girls.” It is a command. Both Ivanka and Mika sit up, straightening their dresses, leveling hungry stares on me.

“I could consider this training, in exchange for your protection when war comes,” Joseph says.

I am about to agree to this when a word comes from Vincent. Think. As an investigator, I have never taken a single thing at face value. I should not take this offer as such, either. There has to be more to what he wants. I look at the two women, then over to Joseph, and while I feel that they truly are curious about my powers, I sense that there is some ulterior motive, squirreled away to be used against me at a later date.

I cannot know, though, unless I dip inside their minds. It is a risk, of course, because Mika is a talented telepath still. She, of the three of them, retained some of her abilities after turning.

I dip a careful toe into the proverbial water, starting with Joseph. As if he expected me in his mind, he has slammed the door on my seeing anything other than what he wants me to see – amiable curiosity.

I move to Ivanka, but her thoughts are still clouded with lust and hunger and anger. She is angry that I will not give her just the taste she needs to finish things with Mika. She wants to come, wants to feed. She is nearly crazed with bloodlust, and ready to walk out the door and murder the first human she sees.

And Mika, the moment I am in her head, her eyes go wide.

“You dare try to crawl through our thoughts?” Mika asks, her voice low and menacing. “While we give you an offer of assistance with only one simple request attached?”

Joseph’s head snaps toward me. He stands. “Get out,” he says.

“Wait, what?” I ask.

“Get out,” he says again. “You are not welcome to rummage through our minds like some kind of thief in the night. It is rude.”

I laugh. “Rude?” Rude is trying to get me to fuck all of you like I’m some whore.”

“A whore who fucks vampires on my couch,” Joseph says. “In my home.”

“Do not call her a whore,” Vincent says. He takes my hand and we stand. His teeth are bared.

“Do not test my hospitality,” Joseph says. “I do not have to let you in my home, Vincent. You have repeatedly broken our laws, flouted our ways. You have her now but you may not keep her. Be wary.”

“She is mine,” he says once more.

“Very loosely,” Joseph says. To me, he says, “Amy, there will be a day when you will want my help, badly. You are a rare gem an I would treat you as such. You have my word, but I cannot abide such an invasion as you have made tonight. Leave my home and do not come back until you have learned some manners.”

With that, the human is there, opening the huge doors, ushering us out into the night.

Once we are back in the car, Vincent says, “They know you are powerful. He will let you come back.”

“I am exhausted by vampires and their games,” I say. “What if I don’t want to go back?”

“You heard them,” Vincent says. “Your kind are not allowing you to reach your full potential as a witch. I do not know why, and I believe that Joseph can sense that in you. Otherwise he would never allow me near the house. He tolerates me only because he knows you are with me.”

“But can he really help me? I can’t play these games, Vincent. I won’t do it if it will not net me the result I need.”

“It could,” he says. “But they will play for keeps, Amy. They want you. Make no mistake about that.”

“Oh, that would be hard to mistake, Vincent. I think the lusting and talk of wanting to fuck me pretty much proved they want me.”

“They want more than your body, Amy,” Vincent says. “They want your brilliant mind and they want whatever powers lurk there under that creamy skin.”

I don’t have an immediate answer for that. I know I am in over my head. I know I need their help. They are not wrong, Faye and Alexis, the only witches I know, have done nothing to help me further understand the extent of my abilities. Why, I do not know, but I feel strongly that I need these vampires to help me. Even Faye herself said my path needed to cross with theirs. Perhaps she, too, knows that they are what I need. Maybe, in her strange way, she is nudging me toward something more than what I can become on my own?

It seems so odd, of course, that three vampires would have any bearing at all on the fate of a witch.

“We need to go back,” I say. “I need them, I think.”

“We can go back,” he says. “They will expect us back. But if we go, you cannot get into their heads and you absolutely have to let me speak for you.”

“Deal,” I say.

Vincent takes me home, walks me up to my apartment, and kisses me on the forehead. It is a sweet gesture from a vampire who has mostly lost touch with his human side. I lean into the kiss, relishing this small thing.

“I am sorry I was so overcome there,” he says quietly as he pulls away. “That was likely uncomfortable for you.”

“It was…different,” I say. “But I liked it.”

“It was necessary,” he says. “For many reasons.”

I nod, biting my lip.

“Goodnight, Amy,” he says.

He’s gone before I can respond.