“Sit your asses down, ahora mismo!” Brianne snapped as she paced her room at Zeum. “I agreed to stay here and provide blood for you, but you both are making that very difficult. I can leave right now, and arrange with Jace to donate blood so I’ll never have to see you again.

Cael’s heart skipped a beat, leaving him dizzy at the mere thought of never seeing Brianne again. It would kill him if she walked out of his life for good.

“Please don’t go,” Cade replied as he leaned against a wall.

The warrior’s suites were set up the same; a small living room, kitchenette, and a bedroom with attached bathroom. Brianne’s was no different. Cael assumed visitors would get a basic room with a bed, but he was glad to see Brianne was given the same comforts as the rest of them.

“It’s no excuse, but I’m overwhelmed with emotions I can’t control,” Cade continued.

“You haven’t tried to control them. Neither one of you,” Brianne countered. “Look. I like you both and would like to get to know you, but I refuse to give either of you the time of day with the way you’re acting. Here’s the deal. Neither of you can interfere if I’m spending time with the other. I like you both equally and have no idea who I will choose. If anyone.”

Cael lowered his head and wrung his hands like a child being chastised for bad behavior, and then really listened to what his mate was saying.

And then suddenly everything clicked into place.

Cael knew he would stand aside if Brianne chose Cade. He was programmed to give his mate what she needed and wanted. Knowing it was his brother made the acquiesce easier to stomach for some reason, even though he hoped to eliminate Cade from the competition.

“I will not seek you out when we’re apart, and I will not interfere when you’re with Cade,” Cael vowed. “I never intended to make this decision more difficult for you.

Cade gave Cael a look they’d shared a thousand times before, and Cael knew they were on the same page. They’d use every trick in the book to win her and undermine the other, but they would not fight nor interrupt each other like before. It would be easier to sneak into the Underworld and assassinate Lucifer than stay away from Brianne, but Cael would try, even if it killed him.

“I, too, must apologize for my behavior,” Cade added. “And, to make it up to you, I’d like to take you on a date this evening.”

Cael’s body lunged forward to attack. How dare the traitor ask her out before he had a chance to go on a proper date with her. Brianne raised an eyebrow and stared his way, a scowl on her face.

Releasing a heavy sigh, Cael sat back down, resting his arm on the back of the sofa. “That was much better. I know this is difficult, but I will walk away from both of you if we can’t agree on this. Cade, I would love to go out with you. What did you have in mind?”

“Do you like sushi? Shiro’s is the best in town. I say we start there then see where the night takes us. We can go to Confetti Too, or another realm bar to dance. Whatever you like,” Cade replied.

Having his leg cut off with a dull spoon would’ve been more pleasant than watching his brother ask his Fated Mate on a date. He knew exactly where his brother wanted the night to take them, and the urge to pummel the male into the ground was unmistakable. But, he made a promise, and he would honor it, no matter what.

Brianne wrinkled her nose. “Sushi isn’t my favorite, but I love teriyaki, so long as they have that, I’m golden.”

“Where else would you like to go? The world is your oyster, and I will give you anything you desire,” Cade promised.

“Well, since you put it like that…I’ve been craving Greek,” she admitted.

“Greek sounds perfect. I don’t go out to eat often, but I’ve heard about a realm-owned place where you can relax without worrying about glamour the entire evening,” Cade stated, and Cael’s molars ground together.

Could his twin be any more accommodating and thoughtful? He was supposed to be an insensitive jerk so Brianne would hate him. Truthfully, Cade was the most considerate and caring male Cael knew. Those weren’t traits he’d learned, but something Cael always admired about his twin.

“I love Eliades’s. If you’ve never been, I say we go there,” Brianne replied.

The way she sat forward, eyes sparkling with excitement, made Cael harden with a burning need for the alluring female.

“Then it’s a date. I can’t remember being this pumped to go out to dinner,” Cade admitted.

Cael took a note from his brother’s playbook to show his vulnerability when he courted Brianne. The way she looked at Cade made Cael jealous while, at the same time, he panicked at the idea he could lose Brianne to his brother. Cael’s courting method needed to improve if he was going to woo Brianne.

Game on, he thought as the romantic wheel began to spin.

Cade pushed Brianne onto on the bed. Dinner turned into an ultimate test of his patience. His mate was right about the Greek restaurant. The meal was incredible, but he didn’t give a shit about the food when she sat across from him, moaning as she devoured the Moussaka.

His mating brand throbbed and his cock was a steel pole in his pants. Dessert couldn’t have come fast enough, but Cade couldn’t deny Brianne the Baklava when she enticed him with her pouty face. He’d give her anything she asked to watch those full lips pucker. Of course, he imagined them around his cock, but still, it was sexy as hell.

“Your fangs are out. Does that mean you’re going to bite me?” Brianne asked, and Cade didn’t miss the hopeful glint in her eyes.

He came down on top of her and settled his hips between her legs. The position brought his cock in contact with her hot center. Resting his weight on his elbow, he cupped her cheek in his palm and lowered his lips to hers. Brianne sank into the kiss with enthusiasm, moving her lips against his.

When his lungs burned from lack of oxygen, he broke away and pressed kisses across her mouth then down her neck. She moaned, and Cade couldn’t resist returning to her lips. Deepening the kiss, Cade’s heart skipped when she became aggressive in her exploration of him. He nearly lost his seed at the slip and slide of their tongues.

Sooner than he wanted, Brianne broke away and gazed up at him as she released a sigh. “I’m glad you suggested going to a hotel. I can enjoy you without fear of being interrupted,” she confessed as she caressed his cheek.

“It’s best if we don’t talk about my brother. When we’re together, I want your undivided attention,” Cade stated.

That was the worst part for him. He loved his brother, but it burned to think that his mate was thinking about another male. Every instinct he possessed told him he should be the only one on her mind.

She tugged him closer. “Then feel exactly how much I want you.”

He groaned when she pressed her molten core closer to his shaft. Wet heat reached him through the layers of clothing separating their bodies. He leveraged himself on his elbow and looked down at her. She held his gaze, and he saw her vulnerability.

Brianne came from a proud breed of females that didn’t form long-term bonds with anyone, and yet she was considering it. It would go against everything her kind believed, and he was making that harder for her. He resolved to stop acting like a jackass. She didn’t need more pressure from him.

He ran his hand up her side and paused beside her breast, hands shaking with nerves. Cade was hundreds of years old, yet this night was one of the most important of his life. It was the first step to earning his mate’s heart.

He slid his hand inside her blouse and cupped her breast. He gently squeezed the sizeable globe, and Brianne arched into his grip. Cade slipped his thumb inside her bra and found her hard tip. He gripped her nipple between two fingers, pinching and pulling her flesh. Brianne quickly became crazed, but he continued at a leisurely pace that was killing him.

Biting his lower lip, she murmured, “Te necesito, Cade. Don’t torture me.”

Cade’s body ignited. He loved his wild and uninhibited harpy. He wrapped one hand in Brianne’s luxurious hair while the other continued to torture her turgid peak. She arched again, pushing more flesh into his hand as her wings extended at her sides. When Brianne ground against his cock, her heat seared his body, branding him all over again.

Cade groaned and latched onto her hip as she thrashed beneath him. He pushed his groin tight against her, wishing he had the power to make their clothes disappear. Putting any space between them right now was intolerable.

A cool breeze told him the head of his cock escaped his pants, eager to get down to business. He thrust his lower body making his cock rub deftly over her swollen mons. After several hard strokes, her eyes went wide, and he realized she was close to climax.

“Clothes. Take them off, and hurry. Or, make me cum then make love to me,” she demanded.

He kept moving and held her tightly, relishing her whimpers. When a tingle began at the base of his spine, he jumped to his feet and ripped his shirt over his head. His attempt to drive her to the edge almost backfired on him.

“Mmmm, you felt so damn good,” Brianne murmured as she hastily removed her clothes then fell on the bed, naked.

Her wings fanned out at her sides, and Cade paused, looking his fill. It seemed like an eternity since their first time. The sight of her almost made him weep. She was exquisite with her flawless skin, shiny hair, and large breasts.

“You’re still dressed,” she complained.

He expected Brianne to continue the erotic play without him, but instead, she spread her legs, giving him an eyeful as he finished undressing. He took his time, wanting to tease her. Apparently, it worked, because she grabbed her breasts and squeezed. Cade’s cock jerked at the sight, and she smiled seductively as she tugged on her nipples. Her hands moved lower, across her abdomen and continued further. He quickly dove onto the bed, grabbing her hands.

“My turn,” he husked.

His balls were ready for release, aching as much as his mate mark. He stared at the center of his universe, between her beautiful legs. The hair on her mons was shaved close and gave him a perfect view of her glistening clit. The scent of her arousal was his drug, and he inhaled deeply. Arousal rushed through his veins like an injection of heroin. He was addicted from his first dose of Brianne.

He prowled up the bed and settled between her legs. His cock pulsed against the comforter, urging him to forget the foreplay and pound into her sweet heat. Cade had to have a taste before he indulged, and dipped his head to taste her nectar. His tongue swept through her folds, lapping her juices. Brianne writhed against his mouth, urging him on. Instinct took over, and Cade attacked her engorged nub, sucking it into his mouth with fervor.

He ran his hands up the inside of her legs, spreading them wider. His fangs shot out, cutting his lower lip. His need for blood demanded action. Nothing prepared him for the experience of Brianne writhing beneath him. She grabbed his hair and pulled him tight against her sex as she lifted her hips. Cade was consumed with everything about her as he feasted on her body.

He thrust his tongue inside her tight channel, pushing deep while allowing his fangs to scrape her sensitive skin. Her cry of pleasure was music to his ears. Removing his tongue, he lapped and sucked the spot that needed him most. His tongue’s vampiric speed had her bucking and thrashing on the bed.

Cade inserted his finger deep into her core, and she cried aloud, “Cade, please, don’t stop. I’m close.”

“I will always give you what you need. I can please you like no other. Never forget you’re mine,” Cade declared and continued his torture.

Giving her what she wanted and needed was a biological imperative for him. Cade inserted a second finger then another, thrusting deep until he couldn’t take anymore. And then he struck. His fangs sank into her clitoris, making her arch off the bed. She screamed, and her muscles clamped around his fingers as her orgasm exploded through her. Her fingernails dug into his scalp, and her wings lifted her off the bed. Brianne’s eyes rolled back in her head as pleasure consumed her.

Fire exploded through Cade’s mating brand, robbing his breath. He wasn’t a fan of pain during intercourse, but the agony wracking his body didn’t diminish his desire for his mate. Instead, Cade focused on Brianne’s face as she came, awed at the beauty of her rapture.

“Goddess, you’re magnificent,” he whispered as he watched her while her orgasm waned. Her satisfied grin was enough to make him want to stand up and pound his chest in triumph.

“I don’t know what you did, mi leoncito, but I need you inside me,” Brianne demanded and reached for him. Without hesitation, she pulled him up for a kiss and once again her soft, silky lips met his.

Brianne’s hands traveled over his back and down his arms. Her mouth followed the path, taking him to Annwyn. Nothing was more erotic than his mate enjoying his body. Her gentle touch trailed down his torso then he cried out when she suddenly pinched and nipped his nipples.

Brianne continued downward, and her small hand encircled his aching shaft. A moan escaped his throat. He wanted to feel her lips around his cock, but he had other plans before that happened. Bringing her mouth back to his, he sucked her lower lip.

The emotions coursing through his body only heightened the experience. The sensations Brianne’s touch elicited were something new. His nerve endings felt raw and exposed, but he wouldn’t change a thing about the experience. His previous sexual dalliances paled in comparison, and never garnered such desire.

He grabbed his length and rubbed the head through her slit, coating his shaft in her copious juices. With one hard thrust, he sheathed his cock deep inside her channel.

“Ay dios, eres maravilloso . You fill me to the point of pain,” she gasped then quickly added, “I love it.” Her words brought a smile to his lips, and his moan matched hers.

“I was made for you. You will find that you will crave my fangs and my cock,” Cade declared as he moved inside her.

Brianne lifted her hips and met him thrust for thrust, demolishing his intent to take it slow. Her panting breaths told Cade she was nearing orgasm again. Her eyes lidded and her lips parted while her wings fluttered every time she got close to climax.

“That’s it, love, take what you need. You are hot and so very wet,” he whispered and reached between their bodies, tweaking her clit.

“Yes, Cade, just like that. Don’t stop,” she shouted.

She screamed out his name as she came, and that was his undoing. Unable to hold back any longer, thick ropes of seed jetted inside her womb. For a brief moment, Cade wished she would become pregnant with his child. Maybe then her choice would be simple.

“You are my world, Brianne,” Cade murmured, as his orgasm continued. Covered in sweat, they gasped for breath as their pounding hearts beat together in unison.

“You say the sweetest things. I’m certain it’s the mind-blowing orgasm talking right now,” Brianne replied as Cade worshipped her breasts. She arched, shoving more flesh into his mouth. “I noticed the long climax last time. Is that a Fated Mate or vampire thing? I don’t recall this happening with other males,” she divulged.

“Don’t ever mention another male, unless you want them to die. And, it’s both my vampire heritage and because of you,” Cade replied. “This happens to us after we find our mates. We have longer releases and can impregnate our mates. It’s like breaking the seal.”

Brianne wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’d say we obliterated that seal, mi leoncito. Mmmm,” she reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck and sinking her fingers into his hair.

Cade checked his watch. It was just after midnight, and he had to work. “I would love to stay here all night, but I’ve got patrols in a bit,” he stated, tenderly kissing her.

He wished more than anything they could stay in the hotel room forever, just the two of them. No fighting, no decisions, no choices. Just him and Brianne, pleasuring one another until the end of time.

“But you haven’t fed. Guess that means we’ll have to go on another date soon,” Brianne murmured as she nipped his lip.

“Oh, I didn’t say we were leaving right this second,” Cade husked as he began moving his hips again. Spanish endearments rushed from Brianne’s lips, soothing Cade’s soul as he ravaged his mate’s body and drank his fill.