Before he could respond, Zane propped himself up on his elbows, a mischievous gleam in his eye that spelled trouble.
“You want fangs, do you, little girl?” He flashed me a ridiculous, theatrical grin. “I’llgive you fangs.”
His dropped into place with exaggerated slowness, like a vampire in one of those old horror movies where the camera zooms in on the reveal. He even hissed for effect.
“Okay, Dracula Wannabe.” I fought back a laugh. “Dial it down.”
“Too late,” he purred, crawling toward me on his hands and knees. “You invited me in, damsel. You’re mine now.”
I gave him a look, then turned to Koa.
“Bite him.”
With a wicked grin, Koa moved like lightning, launching himself at Zane with a growl and knocked him flat on his back. They wrestled like overgrown puppies, all mock snarls, and woke up Brumous, who took a look and rolled onto his back with all the grace of a capsized canoe.
“Sure you don’t want to touch, beloved?” Koa called as he pinned Zane in a headlock.
“May I, Zoodle?”
Next to me, Casimir stiffened.
“If you dare, little fraidy cat,” Zane smirked around his fangs.
Not wanting to miss my chance, I reached out carefully, touching the side of his left fang. It was smoother than I expected, almost like polished ivory. Then I tested the tip and—
“Ow!” I jerked back, staring at the ruby-bright drop welling on my fingertip.
Casimir had me in his lap before I could blink, my wrist captured in his vise-like grip as he examined what had to be the least threatening injury in history.
“I told you not to!”
“Easy, Mr. Tall, Blond, and Trigger Happy,” Zane chuckled. “It’s hardly a carotid geyser.”
Scowling at him, Casimir drew my finger into his mouth. The warm swipe of his tongue sent a completely different kind of shiver through me, one that had nothing to do with pain and everything to do with the intense look in his eyes as he tasted me. Fireworks exploded behind my ribs and, when he released my finger, I found it hard to remember what we’d been talking about.
“You still haven’t shown me yours,” I reminded him once my brain rebooted.
“Why?”
“Because I want to seeyou.” I softened my voice, but kept the playfulness in it. “Allof you. Even the parts you don’t always show.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked, but I saw understanding in his green eyes. I wasn’t just asking to see fangs. I was asking him to let me in.
There was a moment of silence, broken only by Zane and Koa’s continued scuffling in the background. Then, with a slow exhale, Casimir dropped his fangs.
It wasn’t as effortless as Koa’s display or as dramatic as Zane’s performance. His was a conscious choice, a deliberate lowering of defenses that cost him something.
Like his brothers’, Casimir’s fangs were long and slightly curved, wickedly sharp, but somehow almost elegant. Fitting for him. He held my gaze, waiting.
“See?” I smiled. “That wasn’t so bad. You’re all bite, no bark.”
Casimir snorted, shaking his head, but there was a hint of something lighter in his expression. A tension I hadn’t realized he’d been carrying seemed to ease from his shoulders.
It should have been frightening, this reminder of what they were, what they could do. Instead, it filled me with a sense of safety I hadn’t known in years.
Then inspiration struck.
I scrambled to my feet, standing before the three of them with hands on my hips. The movement caught Brumous’ attention, and the wolf lumbered over to the spot I’d vacated between Koa and Casimir.
