Chapter 11

**Nova**


I'm not sure what to do with myself. The guys are discussing finding a new home for us and how we plan to afford all these new things we need to stay together. My brain is trying to wrap itself around this swirling change in my life. For most of my life, I lived in a crowded sterile room with dozens of my kind, but now I was in what I'm guessing is an average apartment.

The home I lived in growing up was so different than this. My home was comfortable enough but not extravagant. We enjoyed being outdoors so most of our windows were simple open spaces that allowed a constant flow of fresh air. Many of us had small jobs that helped contribute to the community. A small number had the task of visiting other sections to attain items we needed such as special herbs. Some herbs helped curb the desire for blood and helped keep things in order. We had the ability to be monsters but our leaders made sure we kept a civilized society.

Those of our kind that could not conform would be killed or imprisoned. Now that I think of it...I wonder what happened to those who had been imprisoned? Were they taken as well or killed instantly?

"Nova?" The sound of my name has me jolting back into awareness.

"Yes?" Asher moves to stand in front of me and I have to crane my head to look up at him.

All these men are so tall.

"Are you hungry?" He asks.

His voice is soft but there is this lingering low growl sound that never stops no matter how he speaks. It makes me shiver every time I hear it.

"I-" I hadn't been paying attention to my hunger.

Chase's blood sharing had curbed my appetite, but I ate his breakfast items out of pure curiosity not because of hunger.

"I'm alright." I give Asher a reassuring smile and he returns it with a slight upturn of his lip.

Not exactly a smile but close to it.

"I am going to scout for a new place for a while. Will you be alright with the incubus?" He asks and I catch the slight growl at mentioning Chase.

I guess he isn't a fan of the guy.

"I'll be fine." I nod at him.

He watches me for a long minute like he isn't sure what to do next. I don't know what to do either so I watch him right back. Suddenly his eyes begin to change and his breath hitches soon after.

"What?" I ask him.

He kneels in front of me and smirks. "Your eyes change colors to match mine."

I stare wide-eyed at him but I don't have a chance to reply before he leans closer and runs his nose along the side of my neck. He breathes in deeply before I feel him nip at the soft flesh making me jump.

"Why did you do that?" I ask reaching my hand to my neck and pulling it back to see a small amount of blood.

"It's to remind everyone that you are my mate." He says just as Chase walks into the room.

Asher growls with annoyance and pushes back up to his full height.

"I'm going scouting for a house. Take care of our mate Incubus or I will kill you." Asher storms toward the front door without another and slams it behind him.

Chase chuckles before turning to look at me.

"Well, sweetheart. It's just you and me. What should we do about that?" His playful smirk has become familiar already and it made heat dance along my skin.

"Do you need me?" I ask him.

There is so much I don't know about my mates but he seems to flourish through sexual touches. They have asked about my feeding habits, but I have yet to learn theirs.

"I always want you." He says as he moves slowly toward me. "But when you fed on me, it worked wonders on my hunger. No one has ever been able to do that to me."

"How often would you need to...feed?" I ask him.

He sits next to me on the couch but not close enough to touch me. I turn and tuck my foot under my leg so that I can face him fully.

"It depends, but now I'm not sure. Like I said you gave me so much I don't know when the urge will come again." He smiles brightly like I had just given him an amazing gift.

"So you don't need me in that way anymore," I say nodding to myself.

I guess that is useful since I'm not fully aware of the needs my other mates have. Do they each need a certain amount of time alone with her? What do they expect in the way of sexual gratification? For her, simply biting someone was a sensual feeling and everything that followed was only an extension of it. Intimacy was mostly focused on feeding.

"No, I will still need you." His voice has lowered and that heat I felt a moment ago grows more intense.

I look at him with confusion. "But you said that you no longer need to feed off me."

"Yes but I am a sexual creature sweetheart. I will always desire more even if it isn't needed." His eyes are hooded and it causes the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.

"I don't understand." How can he want more of something when he has had enough?

He doesn't say anything more. Instead, he reaches out and brushes his fingers along my arm.

"So soft," he mutters to himself.

I don't move while he feels my skin. I'm curious to see what he will do next.

It doesn't take long for him to move closer to me. He slides closer to me and before I know it he has pulled me onto his lap. I let out a sound of shock not only because of the sudden movement but by his strength. He has settled me on his lap with my legs bent on either side of his hips and his hands sit on my waist. Just like Asher, he leans toward me and runs his nose along my neck. His chest vibrates and I feel his breath against my skin as he laughs.

"That wolf marked you. So possessive, but I'll let it slide for now." He pulls his head away and fixes his eyes on mine. "I want a taste of you."

I blink at him but I'm not sure what to say. He doesn't seem to need anything from me when he covers his lips over mine. In an instant, it feels as if an intense pulse shoots through every part of me. I gasp in shock and he uses that opportunity to deepen the kiss. It's like nothing I've experienced before, but I think I like it. The trouble comes when I let my thoughts melt away and my fangs extend without thought. The sudden metallic taste of blood has me jolting away from Chase and a sense of panic replaces the pleasant feeling from a moment ago.

"Chase, I'm so sorry." I rush out and quickly cover my mouth.

Now he is the one to look confused. "Why are you apologizing?"

"I took blood from you," I say.

He just chuckles. "So? You didn't hurt me and even if you did I'm sure it would have still felt good. I don't mind a little pain with my pleasure."

He does a dance with his eyebrows that looks funny but I'm too much in a panic to be amused.

I quickly climb off his lap and begin pacing in front of the couch.

"I can't just let go like that. I could seriously hurt one of you." I tell him. "Do you understand what I am? I'm a predator. A killer. If I don't hold onto my self-control and ask for permission then I could go too far. Consent is an anchor, reminding us not to take too much. Not to kill but I didn't ask! I let myself feel too much. This time it wasn't dangerous but next time it could be. What have I done?"

Chase looks worried now as he watches me walk back and forth. "But you have us to feed on. That should keep you from hurting anyone right?"

"I don't know. I have always been under someone's control so I never worried about becoming too wild. Now that someone isn't continuously monitoring me I'm not sure what I might do." The images of the horror I could cause flash in my mind at a mile a minute. "What if I take too much and kill one of you?"

My stomach rolls at the thought and I rush to the kitchen just as my breakfast comes right up. This isn't good.

"Nova! Are okay? What's happening?" Chase asks but I can barely hear him.

Something's wrong...I can't tell what it is but my heart has started racing twice as fast.

Pain shoots down my spine and I cry out. My legs become weak and I crumble to the grown. What's happening?