The Immortal Compromise (The Mortal One Series Book 3) (4 page)

Chapter 6

NICO AND OLIVIER stood in the kitchen, discussing vampire politics. I came around the corner and they instantly stopped talking. It bothered me to no end, but when I looked at them, my annoyance faded. They were both such good looking men. I was so lucky to be able to have them in my life, if nothing more than eye candy.

“Good evening,” Olivier greeted me. His eyes sparkled and I smiled.

Nico nodded in my direction and then towards the wine cabinet. He had put a few new bottles up there.

“Hi.” I walked over to the wine and grabbed the corkscrew. I wondered what the plan was for the night. The last few nights, it was like this. Olivier would come over, it would be all about politics and I was to just entertain myself around the house. It wasn’t bad, but I was ready for something a little more exciting.

“What are your plans for the evening?” Olivier asked.

I poured some of the pinot noir into a glass and took a sip. “You tell me.”

“How do you mean?” Nico asked.

I shrugged. “I would like to go into Paris, have a nice dinner, and go dancing or do something fun.”

“Oh,” Olivier commented.

Nico shook his head. “I’m so sorry. We have been planning and talking and organizing these past few nights and you have been expected to stay in and entertain yourself. Of course. Let’s take a break from all the business and enjoy a night in the city.”

I smiled. “That’s great.”

“Will you join us?” Nico asked, turning his attention to Olivier.

Olivier’s surprise showed across his face. “If I am invited, then absolutely.”

I raised my brow in Nico’s general direction.

“We are going out in the city. It is important that people see us together. I want all vampires to know that you are protected not only by me, but also Olivier,” Nico said.

I smiled. “Okay. I’m going upstairs to change.”

Finally, some fun while in Paris. I walked into the closet and picked out a pair of black heels with a thick buckle to make it more comfortable for dancing. I also picked a closed toe design since I would have to wear tights if I wanted to stay warm through the night.

I then slid into some black tights and put on a short skirt on top of it. I paired it with a low scooped blouse to show off my cleavage and then sat on the edge of the bed so I could buckle the heels. Then it was into the bathroom to do something with my hair and apply some makeup.

It wasn’t long before I headed back downstairs and Olivier made a cat call as I entered the kitchen. I smiled, Nico didn’t.

“Ready?” Nico finally asked.

Olivier and I both nodded and we went outside to where Olivier’s SUV was parked.

“I’ll drive. I know a great nightclub right off one of the main boulevards,” Olivier said and caught the keys from Nico.

It was a quiet drive. The men weren’t talking about politics because I was in the car. The silence was unnerving, so I brought up another topic.

“The two of you haven’t provided me with an answer on bringing Jen to Paris for a visit,” I said casually from the backseat.

Nico turned around in his seat to look at me. “No, we haven’t.”

“So…?” I asked.

“Have you spoken to her?” Nico asked.

I shook my head. At one point, Costin took my phone to prevent me from making calls to anyone. Once we moved to Paris, Nico gave me phone privileges back, but it was thick with a certain level of trust that I wouldn’t go and do anything stupid, like calling friends in Florida.

“Start there,” Olivier chimed into the conversation. “Call her, talk to her, and see if there is an interest.”

“And if there is?” I asked.

“Then we will see about flying her here for a week or two,” Nico said.

I smiled. “Great!”

“We must all be on our guard during that time, Dylan,” Olivier said.

“I understand,” I said.

We pulled up in front of the nightclub.

“Umm,” I said, before any of us got out.

“What’s wrong?” Olivier asked.

“Food?” I asked.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Olivier said. “Where would you like to go?”

He asked the question like I was supposed to know the restaurants by heart. I looked around and found a little bistro that had a walk-up counter. “It’s fine, I can get a slice of pizza over there,” I said, pointing across the street.

“Are you sure?” Nico asked.

I nodded. “It’s fine.” I wanted a nicer dinner than a slice of pizza, but they don’t eat, so it would be weird to go into a fine dining restaurant where they would just stare at me while I ate a four course meal.

We all got out and I headed across the street for pizza. I got the slice, paid, and headed back to the men while I took bites into the cheese. It was stringy and the sauce was oozing, so I held it out from me so it didn’t drip. It wasn’t as good as what I could get in Italy, but it would work because my stomach was starting to growl.

“They serve alcohol, right?” I said, peering into the club.

“Thirsty?” Olivier asked, smiling.

“Funny.”

“Of course they do. It’s a nightclub.”

I nodded. Stupid question. But I hadn’t been to one in Paris yet. “This line is ridiculous,” I said, staring at the mass of people waiting to get in. As we stood there, more people joined the end of the line. I finished the last of the pizza and tossed my napkin into the nearby trashcan. I then dabbed at my face to ensure there was no marinara that decided to leave its mark on me.

“Follow me,” Olivier said. Nico and I joined his side and we walked to the front of the line, past the bodyguard with a nod, and then into the club.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that little mind trick. It was a good one to have, particularly on nights like this. The club was dim with the exception of where colored lights flashed across the bars and the dance floor.

“What do you want to drink?” Nico asked.

“A Cosmo,” I said.

“A what?” he asked, looking confused.

I smiled. “A vodka Cosmopolitan. The bartender should know what that is.” I couldn’t imagine that the bar scene here would be that much different from Florence. They should be used to getting American drink requests and the Cosmopolitan had reached global appeal decades ago.

Olivier and I stood awkwardly at the edge of the dance floor. He looked like he was going to ask me to dance a few times, but then took a step away from me. I wasn’t a mind reader, but it looked as though he was having his own internal struggle. He was trying to be good, but my guess was it was about as hard as me trying to keep my distance from him.

Luckily, Nico returned with my Cosmo. “They knew what it was,” he said, handing it to me.

“You sound surprised.”

He shrugged. “I guess because I never heard of it.”

“Well, you don’t make a habit of going to the bar, since you have no reason to.”

“True.” He looked over at the dance floor and made a gesture with his hand. I accepted and he whisked me onto the dance floor.

He kept me tucked into his arms for most of the songs. We swayed back and forth to the hard techno beats and he pulled out some moves that surprised me. I gasped when he dipped me and he smiled.

“Your eyes are sparkling,” he said as he pulled me tight against his hard chest.

“I’m having fun,” I smiled.

Olivier came out to the dance floor and touched my shoulder. He wanted to cut in and have a dance.

My body responded to him and as I looked at Nico and then Olivier, the image that Olivier planted there several days appeared. I was in the center of the bed with them on my sides. My hair was sprawled across the pillow and I had a hand on each of their bare chests.

“Dylan,” Olivier said, sliding his arm around my shoulder. His eyes met mine and they burned with raw need. He slowly guided me off the dance floor with Nico close behind.

“
Mia mortale
, those kinds of thoughts are very dangerous out in the open,” Nico said.

I blushed and tried to think of anything else. I resorted to counting to 100 in my mind so my thoughts could be hidden.

“We’re leaving,” Nico announced finally and headed out of the club with me following quickly after him and Olivier right behind me.

Once we got in the car, I started to ask questions and was silenced immediately.

“Not in the city, Dylan,” Nico said.

Olivier was the one that shed more light on what was going on. “Anyone can hear us if they are tuned in. We need to be cautious about what we say and what you think.”

“Oh,” I said, sitting back in the seat. I stared out the window, watching the Paris skyline slowly disappear. The night was going so well, and then one little mortal thought ruined it all. I was sure Nico was just waiting to tear into me for having such thoughts and Olivier for being a part of them.

We rode the rest of the way to the house in complete silence. I wanted to ask a thousand questions, but didn’t dare. My gaze never left the glass window. My throat was parched from the alcohol, the dancing, and the lack of water, but I didn’t have the chance to get a bottle of water before leaving the club. As we finally pulled into the driveway, all I could think about was pouring an ice cold glass of water.

“What the hell was that?” Nico asked as we entered the house.

“I...I..,” I stuttered. I didn’t know how to explain the vision. It popped into my head faster than I could control it while dancing with the two of them. It had been buried somewhere in my mind for almost a week now since Olivier had suggested such a thing in the bedroom.

Nico took a step closer and signaled for Olivier to do the same. Both of them were within breathing distance of me.

All I had to do was reach up and I could touch them. Both of them. The vision appeared again, this time with Nico kissing me and Olivier sliding his mouth down my neck. I blushed again, unable to stop it.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Nico asked. I wasn’t sure if he was asking me specifically or if it was just one of those open questions. The idea of getting a glass of water was disappearing as I struggled to deal with this.

I stared at him, as did Olivier.

“You want him?” Nico asked, with a subtle nod to the vampire next to me.

I looked down, not wanting to meet eyes with anyone.

“Answer me.”

“I want both of you,” I said quietly, not sure it was actually said out loud.

“Fuck, Dylan. I don’t know what to do about this. We need to show a united front to Paris. I am the sovereign and Olivier is my second. It could affect everything if people find out that I cannot control my pet or my second in command,” Nico said.

I prickled a little at him calling me his pet instead of his wife. While it was technically true, it didn’t make it any easier to hear. He was viewing this as a political issue more than anything else.

“It may be my fault,” Olivier said.

Shock exploded over my face. I never expected Olivier to take any of the blame. He was the bad boy, the one that was always trying to seduce me away from Nico.

“Explain,” Nico said.

Olivier took a deep breath and ran his hand over the stubble that was growing over his chin. “When you were at the blood oath, Dylan gave me a tour of the house. I hadn’t been given a room at the time, so I suggested that I sleep in the master bed with the two of you.”

It was Nico’s turn to be shocked. “Sleeping in my bed is something that interests you?”

“Sleeping in the bed with Dylan is something that interests me. If you were in there as well, I would not be opposed,” Olivier clarified.

I was suddenly watching a tennis match, my head turning back and forth between the two men to see what their reactions were.

“Do we need to settle this?” Nico asked.

“How do you mean?” Olivier asked, his shoulders squaring instinctually.

“Nico?” I asked, wondering if there was going to be some kind of fight to the death in the middle of the living room.