FULL NOVELXO Chapter 36
BELLE
We pulled up to Liam’s father’s house in record time.
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The drive was honestly a bit terrifying–Liam sped the entire time, nearly running over several people, and took back roads to avoid any busy streets where we might be spotted.
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The house was surrounded by giant gates–the type you would expect to see at a celebrity’s home, put there for their privacy and safety.
There was a man in a uniform waiting for us at a station next to the entrance to the gate. He let us through the moment he saw Liam’s truck.
We drove up the long private driveway and up to one of the biggest houses I had ever seen.
In fact, it was so big that it didn’t even really look like a house at all–it was more like a mansion. disguised as a sweet little beach house, painted in whites, blues, and creams, but also probably had at least twenty bedrooms.
Liam stopped his car in front of a massive garage. It was open, so I could see the six vehicles inside. of it–a Tesla, Porsche, and Lamborghini all casually parked next to each other.
This was where Liam had grown up? I knew his family had money, but this was more than just money; this was power and prestige..
I swallowed, suddenly feeling extremely underdressed.
Grayson had given me some of his clothes to wear back at the hotel–a black T–shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants that I had to roll up six times to be able to walk in–since I only had my waitress uniform from the other night.
I hadn’t minded how big everything was on me when he had given me the clothes, but now I felt tiny, like I was drowning in fabric.
“I wish I was wearing something else,” I muttered. “I don’t even have shoes on.”
“It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing because if anybody looks at you for longer than five seconds, I’ll rip their eyes out,” Grayson replied, his voice jagged.
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Liam opened his door. “A real charmer you got there, Belle,” he said as he stepped out of the car.
Grayson bared his teeth at him.
I reached for the handle of the door next
to us, but Grayson grabbed my hand, stopping me.
“Who else is in the house?” he asked Liam.
“What?” Liam replied.
“I smell three people inside. Who are they?”
Liam’s brows rose in shock. I was shocked too. He could smell them from all the way out here?
“My parents,” Liam responded. He looked at the house. “And my sister, probably, but I’m not sure.”
“Laila is here?” I hadn’t seen my friend since the night Adalee attacked me. A sense of relief filled me, knowing that I would get to see her before Grayson and I left.
All of a sudden, the door to the driver’s seat of the vehicle was slammed shut by Grayson. Then he quickly pressed the lock down to keep Liam out of the car.
“What the hell?” Liam asked, watching us from the other side of the window. He held up the key in his hand. “You know I have the key, right? I could get in if I wanted to.”
Grayson ignored him and instead unexpectedly turned me around in his lap so that I was straddling him, giving me his full attention.
He gently grabbed my chin and turned my head so I couldn’t look away from him.
“I need you to listen to me, okay?” he said, his tone serious. His thumb started to stroke the skin of my chin.
I nodded slowly. “Okay.”
“We’re about to meet one of the most notorious vampires of all time,” he started. “And he’s invited us to his home, in his territory.
“I don’t know what his intentions are, but I don’t trust him. And I don’t trust him around especially when I’m already on edge.
you-
“If I could, I would lock you away and keep you all to myself for the rest of eternity.” His hands. squeezed my hips roughly and then slowly traveled up and along my rib cage.
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His jaw was clenched so hard that I was worried it was going to pop. I couldn’t help but shift against him, feeling my blood go hot, my breathing getting deeper,
“I need you to stay with me,” he continued. “My wolf is extremely close to the surface. If anything happens to you…”
He took a deep shuddering breath.
play with me. I want you by my side at all times. Take more
than one step away from me, and I can’t promise I won’t murder every single person in that house, Friend or not.”
The intensity coming off of him at that moment made my stomach tighten. “Okay. I’ll stay with you.”
He continued to stare at me.
“I promise.” I framed his face in my hands and put my forehead against his, leaving a short kiss on his full lips. “I won’t leave your side,” I whispered against his mouth.
He hauled me even closer to him. “No matter what?”
“No matter what.” I looked back at the house, suddenly feeling uneasy. “Are they…Will they have red eyes?”
Grayson nodded slowly. “The Blackwoods are descendants of the Mortars, so they can change the color of their eyes as they see fit. But, yes, their eyes are naturally red.”
He must have been able to sense how worried that made me feel because he quickly said, “But you have nothing to worry about because I’m not leaving your side cither. No matter what.
“No one is going to come near you. I can promise you that.”
Grayson started to purr quietly, making my eyes snap up to meet his and my body relax into him.
I was worrying him. And, Lord knew, when Grayson was worried about me, things tended to get Intense pretty quickly. And not in a good way.
“I’ll be fine,” I said, trying to soothe him, rubbing my hands on his arms. “I just don’t like the Iden of being surrounded by all of those red eyes after all of the night terrors I had. But I’ll be fine. I’m not worried.”
Lie. I was terrified.
I studied Grayson’s eyes which were currently a dark red, both his wolf and vampire sides staring back at me. Liam’s eyes were also red. I tried taking in some deep breaths.
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7.040% 12:46 If I could get used to the two of them looking like demons straight out of hell, who was to say I couldn’t handle more, right?
“That’s what your night terrors were about?” Liam asked, suddenly swinging the car door open.
I gasped. “You could hear that?”
Liam scoffed as if I had just insulted him. “Of course I could hear it. I’m a vampire, remember?”
A low growl ripped through Grayson’s chest. He hugged me closer to him. “How does he know about your night terrors?”
His gaze snapped to Liam. “How the hell do you know about my mate’s night terrors?”
“It’s not what you think “I started to say.
“I know about them because I could hear her screaming bloody murder every night when she was staying with me. You know, after you abandoned her and left her homeless with nowhere to go?” Liam explained.
hang
Grayson’s body started vibrating with anger as his chest grew wider, stretching out his T–shirt. He looked down at me with livid eyes. “You lived with him?”
Well, shit.
I swallowed. I had very intentionally not brought up my time spent staying at Liam’s apartment, knowing it would just cause issues. “Well, yes, but it’s-
“For how long?” Grayson bit out through gritted teeth.
“T–Two months,” I replied stiffly. “But I didn’t want to, I swear! And I got out of there as soon as I had enough money for my own apartment. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.
“And where would you have rather I slept, outside in the cold, or inside in Liam’s very nice, very safe apartment?”
“You were sleeping in the same house as a fucking vampire, Belle. That’s the furthest thing from safe.”
I threw my hands up defensively. “Well, it wasn’t like I knew that! And aren’t you technically a vampire now too? And I sleep in the same bed as you.”
Grayson abruptly grabbed my head, making me gasp. He tilted it to the side so he could examine my neck. “Did you bite her?” he demanded from Liam. “If you fed from her, I swear to God—”
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I scoffed, pushing him away from me. “No, he didn’t bite me-
“I’m not asking you.” Grayson shoved me behind him.
My mouth fell open in shock. Rude.
“Humans often don’t remember when vampires feed from them. In fact, they release a venom that makes you keep going back to them, addicted to their presence like a drug.” He glared at Liam.
“It’s what makes them so deadly.”
“I would never feed from her,” Liam fumed. “She’s my friend. I only ever wanted to help her. I took care of her when no one else did.”
Grayson lunged forward with me still on his lap–probably meaning to strangle my friend–but I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck, stopping him.
“I’m okay,” I whispered into his neck. “I’m okay. He never touched me. He wouldn’t even think about touching me like that. I promise.” I leaned back to look at him, giving him a small smile.
“There’s only one person who has ever put his teeth in me without my permission, and that was you.”
I expected him to return my smile at my joke, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, his hand gripped my jaw–not hard, but definitely stiff and unyielding.
A small ring of red formed around his irises and then slowly bled over the black that signified his wolf until it was completely covered. His vampire was in charge.
“That is how it will stay,” he snarled. “Mine are the only teeth that will ever pierce your perfect skin.”
His hand skimmed down to my jaw until it was loosely wrapped around my neck, his thumb running over my pulse. He was so close to me I could feel his breath fanning over my lips.
He stared down at me with so much intensity, so much longing that I found myself leaning into him. “Take another step, boy, and my teeth will be sinking into you next. Right over your throat.”
Grayson didn’t look at Liam as he spoke. I hadn’t even noticed Liam getting closer to us, taking slow, careful steps.
I knew he was only concerned for my safety, but I wanted to tell him that he needed to stop messing with Grayson when he was in such a state as he was now. He was going to get himself killed.
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Thankfully though, I saw him pause his movements out of the corner of my eye.
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Grayson grunted. “We will only be here for one night. The plane is already on its way.” I wasn’t sure if he was saying it for my benefit or for his own.
After checking our surroundings, he lifted me into his arms once again and stepped out of the car.
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The inside of Liam’s childhood home was even more spectacular than the outside. It was all big windows, white walls with matching furniture, and hard granite flooring.
As nice as it was, however, it somehow managed to feel both beautiful and unwelcoming at the same time. It felt cold and staged, nothing like what I was expecting from the place Liam grew up.
I was grateful that Grayson had allowed me to walk on my own as we stepped through the large double doors. He stayed close, though, his presence behind me like an unrelenting shadow.
Liam led us through the main foyer, lit by a chandelier and framed on one side by a winding staircase, and into a living room.
Three people were waiting for us–Laila and two red–eyed vampires who I could only assume were Liam and Laila’s parents. I could see aspects of both children in their facial features.
I had always thought Laila was one of the most gorgeous women I had ever seen, and now I knew why. I was immediately stricken by the beauty of her mother.
She had dark, golden skin that seemed to sparkle in the light, and her hair was pinned up in intricate braids, revealing her slender neck and sharp collarbones.
She wore a long, yellow dress meant to look casual but appeared chic and elegant on her slender form.
She was the sort of woman with a presence that demanded to be noticed and admired–maybe even envied.
The man standing next to her had the same demanding presence but, unlike his wife, whose captivating beauty was what made her unique, his allure came from his extreme size and intimidating posture.
He wasn’t as big as Grayson, but he might’ve given Kyle a run for his money. His hair was dark brown, almost black, with bits of gray starting to show with his older age.
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D40% I immediately noticed how well–groomed he was, the lines of his beard and hairline above his forehead sharp and precise.
This surprised me considering the fact that Liam preferred to keep his hair messy in a way that screamed boy–next–door and just–finished–messing–around–with–some–random–girl.
He was wearing black slacks and a gray buttoned shirt and was holding a half–full glass of some kind of brown drink–probably scotch or whiskey.
Unlike their children, who looked like perfectly normal humans, neither Mrs. nor Mr. Blackwood bothered to hide their vampire features.
Both had fangs peeking out from beneath their top lips and red eyes so bright they were almost too striking to look at directly.
They even had long claws protruding from the tips of their fingers, sharp and deadly.
I took a step back as soon as we entered the room, suddenly very aware of how small I was compared to all of them and how easily they could kill me.
I wouldn’t stand a chance against any of them; I wouldn’t even last a second in a fight.
I didn’t remember Liam being nearly as intimidating as his parents the night he saved me from Adalec and I found out he was a vampire.
My back met Grayson’s front as he stepped up behind me, wrapping a thick arm around my waist, pressing me to him tightly.
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Laila’s lips turned up into a bright smile as soon as she saw me. “Belle,” she breathed out, relief clear on her face as she jumped out of the large leather armchair she was sitting in and raced toward
- me.
She held her arms out, meaning to hug me, but Grayson stepped in front of me before she could
reach me.
“Absolutely not,” Grayson said to Laila sternly. He backed me up until I was sandwiched between him and the wall behind us, his large hands squeezing my hips.
I let out an exasperated huff. Laila was the last person he needed to be protecting me from. “It’s just Laila, Grayson. She’s my friend. She won’t hurt me,” I said to him.
“You said no matter what, remember?” he replied in a low tone.
“Well, yeah, but I’m kind of smooshed back here.”
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D40% 1247 He took a small step forward so that I wasn’t completely pressed against the wall anymore, but he didn’t offer me any more room.
“A room full of vampires, Belle. A room full of vampires. You’re staying right where you are.”
My forehead fell onto his back. This was embarrassing. “At least let me look at them. Don’t you want them to respect me?”
Grayson loosened his hold on my hips, allowing me to peck my head out from behind him. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, still keeping half of me behind him.
He had quite obviously staked his claim.
I looked at Laila. She was glaring at Grayson. I didn’t blame her, though. I wouldn’t like him either.
“Hi, Laila,” I said, giving her a small wave. “I’ve missed you.”
She looked back at me. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I’ve been so worried,” she took another step forward. Grayson growled.
“Too close,” he snapped.
Laila’s expression soured even more, if that was possible. “I don’t like you.”
Grayson stared back at her, unblinking and completely unaffected by her words.
His lack of response only seemed to infuriate Laila more. “Let Belle go. She’s not some dog you can just order around.”
To my surprise, it wasn’t Grayson who grunted out a response. It was Liam.
“Just leave it, Laila. Belle can be a part of the conversation from back there,” he responded, stepping up a few feet from Grayson and crossing his arms over his chest.
His eyes were narrowed on his father, who was sipping his drink and watching our interaction with dimmed interest.
How I ended up with two overly–protective, supernatural men was beyond me.
Jeffery Blackwood’s eyes fell to mine as if he could sense my gaze. He regarded me for several long seconds, looking me up and down and then licking his whiskey–covered lips.
“I’m fine, Laila,” I cut in, forcing my gaze back on her. I gave her what I hoped looked like a genuine smile, even though I was terrified of the way her father was looking at me from across the room.
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“I don’t mind. He can’t help it.”
Before she could respond, someone else spoke.
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“So the little werewolf lover running around my town ended up being the queen of the supernatural, huh? You would never have been able to tell from the looks of her.”
I veered back. Ouch.
“Alpha Grayson Stoll,” Jeffery Blackwood continued, his voice deeper and more dangerous than I had been expecting.
He approached my mate and offered him his hand once he was a few feet away, careful not to get too close. “Or is it King Grayson Stoll now? Do you have a preference?”
“I prefer you don’t insult my mate or refer to her as the ‘little werewolf lover,“” Grayson growled, ignoring the man’s outstretched hand. “You will call her Luna or nothing at all.”
Liam’s father’s brows rose. He waited a few more moments before finally letting his hand fall back to his side. He cleared his throat as he eyed Grayson’s large form.
“I must admit, I’m used to being the biggest man in the room. This is quite the change for me. I’m Jeffery Blackwood, leader of the clan of Evergreen for the last forty years. And this is my wife,
Elizabeth.”
His wife stepped beside him, smiling, showing off her sharp fangs. She bowed her head slightly in greeting. It didn’t escape my attention that she didn’t say a single word.
Grayson didn’t respond, only staring back at them with a stone face. I had to hold myself back from throwing my head back and groaning. This was already a mess.
Jeffery was good at hiding it, but I could still tell that Grayson’s indifference toward him was off–putting for him. He continued talking.
“Your mate has caused quite the uproar in our town. I was happy to give her a place to stay and keep her safe for the last few months, despite not knowing who she really was.
**You can imagine what a shock it was to discover her history with you–and now the former king of vampires.” He looked at me. “You’ve been very busy, Luna.”
My head tilted in question. Did he really just say he took care of me for the last few months?
“Actually, the way I remember it,” I began bitterly, “It was Liarn who took me in when I had nowhere else to go.
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“If it were up to you, I would have been unemployed, homeless, and on the next bus out of here less than twenty–four hours after arriving in Evergreen. You never wanted me here.”
I was surprised by my own boldness. But there was something about this man that made me Immediately dislike him. And I wasn’t about to let him lie to my mate just because he wanted to be on his good side.
The air in the room dried up. Everyone seemed to hold their breath as they waited for a response.
“That true?” Grayson asked, his voice deeper.
“I was wary of your mate’s presence in Evergreen,” Jeffery answered, never losing the casualness in his tone. “And no one can deny that I was right in my worries.
“She has single–handedly brought the current and former king to my doorstep. However, I can say now that I am glad to have had her stay here, knowing who she is. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
Liam scoffed. “You beat me up when you found out she was living with me.”
I gasped. “What?” I remembered coming home to him sporting a black eye the first month I was staying with him, but he had just told me he had been in a bar fight. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Liam shrugged, keeping eye contact with his dad. “Wasn’t the first time my father lost his temper and took it out on me. And I’m sure it won’t be the last.”
Grayson was incredibly stiff in front of me, tension beginning to coil his muscles. I knew it was time to change the subject before he did something stupid like shift.
“Do we know where Azazel is now?” I asked.
“Still in Evergreen, unfortunately,” Liam answered before his father could.
“He’s evaded our attempts to try and contact him or he’s used the power of the Mortars to talk his way out of any interaction we’ve managed to have.”
“He will not be able to get to you here. We have the best security money can buy and clan members stationed outside, ready to defend the house if need be,” Jeffery said.
The sky outside was pitch black. It was getting late, and all I wanted to do was curl up in bed next to Grayson and sleep for the next few days.
Grayson looked down at me with concern in his dark eyes. “Liam,” he said. “Is there a room we can stay in for the night?”
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stay in for the night?”
I leaned into Grayson a bit more. The bond between us that I had hated so much just mere days ago now made me feel safe and loved. He could feel my exhaustion and knew what I needed.
Liam nodded. “Yeah. Follow me.”