Annie Nicholas: The Alpha

A touch on her hand drew her attention back to Sugar. “You stay as long as you need. Sisters stick together, right?” She used to always say that to Sugar when they were kids. When their parents would leave them alone and scared at night so they could go out to parties, she’d snuggle with her twin and speak those words.

Spice nodded. “Yeah—” She tried to choke back the sob but it won the battle and came out. Turning her back to Sugar, she covered her face with her hands and swallowed back the other sobs that threatened to burst from her. Tears were for weaklings.

Arms wrapped around her from behind and hugged her close. Her sister leaned her head against hers. “I’ve missed you so much. Don’t leave me again.”

A pressure built inside her chest. If she spoke, the dam would break. It hurt.

“Spicy?” Sugar’s voice carried an echo of the little girl she used to be.

“I won’t.” She spun around as the tears poured from her and grabbed onto her twin. “Never. I’ve missed you too.” Oh, how she had. She’d let shame get between them but wouldn’t let it ever happen again.

She wiped her face on her sleeve as Sugar hurried to retrieve a box of tissues from the bedside table. The king-sized bed took up most of the room and a set of crossed swords adorned the wall above it. “What’s with the decor?” Spice took the offered box and used one to blow her nose. “Thanks.”

“Daedalus made those ages ago. They’re…special.”

She quirked an eyebrow at the weapons. “How?”

Sugar stared at her. “He told me in confidence. You should ask him, I’m sure he’d tell you.”

The door creaked open, and the vampire stuck his head in the room. “Tell her what?”

Her twin’s face bloomed into a beautiful smile as she spotted him. He grinned back like a love struck fool and walked to stand next to her. She wrapped her hands around his arm. “She was asking about your swords.”

No doubt they were in love. It made things worse.

“Tell her,” Sugar coaxed.

“Umm…” He glanced at Spice. She could see a touch of animosity toward her on his face and knew it must be because she’d voiced her opinions in front of everyone. “A long time ago I preyed on any kind of human that crossed my path.” He rubbed the back of his neck, then his scalp. “There came a point when I made a decision to stop. I created these swords to defend the innocent and atone for my past. They’ve become a symbol for my clan and those who follow my teachings.”

“Who do you prey upon now?” She crossed her arms over her chest. How old was he that he used swords?

“The willing.” He gestured to Sugar. “The occasional evil doers, there are always plenty of those.”

Great, not only handsome but he had a conscience. “Who decides whose evil?”

His eyes narrowed as he glared at her. It made her soul shrivel up and hide in a corner. “I do.”

She swallowed with a mouth gone dry. “Oh.”

“Stop it. Both of you.” The command in her little sister’s voice snapped them both to attention. “I’m not a child, Spice. Being with Daedalus is my choice. I love him.”

The anger in his gaze dissolved when Sugar spoke those words. Any hope to save her sister disappeared with it.

“I know you’re both in love. That’s the problem. He’s going to ask you to cross over, to become vampire.” The way she jerked her hand on his arm told Spice she’d hit the bull’s-eye. He’d already asked her.

“I-I haven’t accepted his offer.” She stepped closer to him. “Yet. I need to think about the consequences first, but it will be my decision. Not his and not yours.” Her twin faced Daedalus. “Spice is staying for a while. We’ll need to shuffle people around.” She didn’t ask him, she told him.

Pride swelled in Spice’s chest. Maybe she worried for nothing.

Eric chuckled to himself as he watched Sugar push her sister to her bedroom. Spice was in for a surprise. Her twin had changed since she’d left.

“I want the red pieces.” Daedalus handed the bags of food to a hungry Tyler who hurried to the kitchen with it.

Katrina followed him. “Do not gobble all the noodles this time.”

“What color do you want to be?” Daedalus asked.

“I don’t think I’m going to play.” Eric sat on the couch next to Robert and rested his right ankle on his left knee. If Spice freaked out over a vampire, how would she act once she found out he was a werewolf?

Daedalus smiled and rubbed his hands together. “I love Risk and anything to do with world domination.”

Sam sat by the board game and set some pieces for play. “Eric’s got other things on his mind.” He pointedly stared at Sugar’s bedroom door.

“Really?” Daedalus stopped placing his game markers. “There something to like in that woman besides looking like my fiancée?”

The question irked Eric. No one should judge Spice by her prickly exterior. She’d had a hard life. He knew since he’d witnessed most of it. Leaning forward, he faced the Nosferatu vampire. “I don’t think you’re qualified to make any judgments about her.”

His eyes widened at Eric’s pointed remark. He tilted his head as if seeing the Alpha for the first time. “Maybe not.”

“Don’t mind him, Daedalus. He’s been acting weird since she walked through the door, almost lost control of his inner beast when he helped to take off her jacket.”

Daedalus remained quiet until Sam finished setting the game. Then he glanced at Eric. “You need to get laid.”

Eric chuckled. “That’s your answer for everything.”

“It usually works. If you would just choose a mate from the pack you wouldn’t be having so much trouble.”

Robert, who sat next to him, nodded.

“You’re agreeing with him?” Eric twisted to face him.

“Not that sex cures everything, but the Ayumu pack is so unhealthy because Michael refused to take a mate. You shouldn’t follow the same path. The pack needs an alpha female to help you lead.”

“We need to stop thinking of them as Ayumu. They’re just as much as Omega as we are. I haven’t met anyone in the pack I could love.”

Daedalus groaned. “Sometimes you have to take one for the team. People marry for politics. This is the same thing. Your one year grace period is over. No matter how much you patrol, you won’t be able to stop dominance challenges among the females of the pack. Once they’re done, they’ll expect you to mate the winner.”

“Don’t tell me they’re still challenging. They promised to wait until the full moon.”

“I interrupted one on the way to get Sugar.” Daedalus shrugged. “You’ve stalled for a year. Time’s up.” He glanced at the master bedroom door, then winked at him. “I’ll go check on the girls.” With preternatural grace he stood in one smooth motion and left the living room.

Katrina and Tyler carried small cardboard boxes of food to the game table.

“Cashew chicken.” She handed him one of the boxes with chopsticks. “Red curry beef.” Robert reached for it as she named it. Katrina’s voice faded into the background with the others as they ate.

Crazy urges stampeded through Eric’s head. He wanted to barge into the master bedroom and see what they were doing. The king-sized bed would easily accommodate the twins and Daedalus. Women threw themselves at the vampire all the time. Why wouldn’t Spice? He didn’t need to be telepathic to read Daedalus’s mind when he saw the sisters hugging—identical twin ménage.

“If Eric has to mate within the pack that means Spice should be free game.” Sam’s words interrupted his thoughts as if slapped by a wet glove.

He grabbed the thick, muscled, short man by the scruff and pinned him to the floor. Moo Shu Gai-Pan spilled onto the carpet. “No one touches her. She’s mine.” He stared at each of his original pack mates, then released Sam.