Page 15 of Blood Lost

“Eli, Vik, this is Declan. Declan, this is Eli, and this is Vik.” She introduced them as if they were more than strangers who’d helped her out of a jam. I puzzled over what she wasn’t telling me. I guessed that my confusion was written all over my face.

Vik held out a hand as he stood. “Pleased to meet you. I hear you’ve been taking good care of our girl.”

I shook his hand, but words failed me. Our girl? What did he mean by that? Before I could come up with a response, Eli stood and shook my hand. “We can’t thank you enough for saving her life. I know this is a strange situation. Please, have a seat, and we’ll discuss it all over dinner.”

My gaze darted from him to Vik, then to Delilah and back. “An explanation would be nice. I feel like I’ve walked into the middle of the story here.” I took the offered seat and smiled when Delilah sat next to me. She scooted her chair closer and held my hand. After what Vik said about her being theirs, I expected one of them to have a problem with her being affectionate toward me. Neither of them seemed to notice. Most vamps were extraordinarily territorial and possessive. It was the reason the city was split into zones.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to be rude here, but I don’t understand what’s happening. You said they helped you with a problem and you asked them to call me. But you said she’s your girl. I’m not trying to step on any toes here, and I’m not a homewrecker, but I’m confused.” I figured laying it all out there would be the best start.

Vik scowled but didn’t speak. Eli laughed. “Forgive him; he’s cranky. It’s a long story, but yes, Delilah was in a relationship with both of us before she was kidnapped and shot. From what I can tell, that was when you got involved and turned her to save her life. Her amnesia was a product of the change, and you’ve been trying to help her remember her life before. Have I got it right so far?” He looked from me to Delilah, who laughed and shrugged.

“It sounds right to me, but I’m the one with amnesia, remember?” Her laugh warmed my heart. I hated seeing her sad because she didn’t know who she was. This was a welcome change. I would have given anything to see her smile this way all the time. I wondered what it would cost me. “All I know is that I’m attracted to all three of you, and I don’t want to choose.”

The three of them looked at me expectantly as if waiting for a response. I had no idea what to say about any of it. When I imagined my life with Delilah, it wasn’t exactly like this. I didn’t fantasize about sharing her. I knew that people could make that work, but I had no idea if I could be one of them. “I’m guessing the two of you are fine with that?”

Vik started to speak, but Eli stopped him. “I think it should be Delilah’s choice. I know that Vik and I care enough about her to do whatever it takes for her to be happy.”

“If you’d stop interrupting me, I was going to say the same thing. What Delilah wants, she gets. It’s that simple. We’ll work out the rest as details later.” Vik smiled at her as he spoke before turning and glaring at Eli. They got along well, but there was still some tension. I wondered if it would be possible to share Delilah’s time and affection.

“What about jealousy? How do you deal with that?” I couldn’t help asking the obvious question first.

“Well, usually the jealous party goes for a run or a workout. Or we have a fistfight about it when she’s not around.” Eli responded flippantly as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“Do you all live together in this situation, or does she have to move between houses every few days? I’m just trying to figure out the logistics of it all and decide if it could actually work.” I didn’t want to lose her, but I didn’t want to be blindsided by something I should have asked about in the first place.

Vik held up a hand. “Lately, we’ve been moving between places while Midnight is being rebuilt. I’ve already spoken with the contractor and made adjustments to accommodate you and potentially another. It seems our girl is a collector, after all. Once construction is complete, we will all live in the condo above the bar, Midnight. It’s where Delilah grew up; it’s her home. So, in the end, we’ll all be living with her unless she decides otherwise.”

I nodded, trying to process everything. “And this is what you want?” I turned to Delilah and asked her point-blank. From the look on her face, some of what had just been explained was news to her as well.

She wrung her hands and played with strands of her hair, trying to avoid answering. Her cheeks turned pink when she finally made eye contact with me. “I think so. There’s still so much I don’t remember. I think this could help. But I don’t want to lose you, Dec. I want us to do this together.” Tears formed in her eyes while she waited for my response.

“If I’m honest, I would do anything for you. But sharing with two guys I don’t know won’t be easy. We already have issues.” I stared at Vik, who was glaring at me. It was as if he was angry that I didn’t simply agree and fall in line.

“What issues?” Eli asked, sounding genuine in his concern.

“I tried for weeks to set up meetings with both of you to form an alliance. Neither of you would give me the time of day. Every appointment was canceled last minute with little to no warning. A few of them left me sitting in your waiting rooms for an hour before your secretary bothered to tell me you weren’t even in the building. So, yeah, we have issues.”

Chapter 19

Delilah

I couldn’t believe the way this day was going. I was on the verge of having everything I wanted or losing someone important. I needed to convince Declan to give this a chance. “Are you willing to give this a shot? I understand you three will have some things to work through. But I really don’t want to lose any of you.”

I wanted to claim them all right then, openly telling them that my soul was screaming that they belonged to me. Somehow that didn’t seem like the right thing to say. I could tell that Declan was intimidated, and I didn’t blame him. I was too. It seemed like Vik and Eli had everything planned out for me. But the way they talked, most of it had been my decision.

Hearing Vik talk about rebuilding Midnight triggered something inside me, and I got lost in a memory. My mother had run off again, chasing ghosts—my father, and left me with my uncle. Uncle Vinny. Oh, no. The memory of his death flooded me, and I felt strong arms pulling me up as I fell.

“Mo chroí? Are you okay? Is it a memory? Just breathe through it. I’m here.” Declan’s voice pulled me back into the moment. I blinked tears away and looked up at him.

“Thank you,” I whispered, then pressed my lips to his for a sweet kiss. I knew he was uncomfortable because he tensed up. I looked from him to Eli and Vik, who watched as if they had no idea how to help.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Eli asked cautiously.

“We can’t help you if you don’t tell us what you saw,” Vik growled. My memories of him were making more sense all the time. He was cranky most of the time. But I could tell that he sincerely cared about me too.

“I’m sorry,” I began, holding a hand up to Dec, who was about to tell me not to apologize. “I remembered Uncle Vinny, and with that, his death.” I turned to Eli and took his hand. “Please don’t blame yourself. I know you were the reason he was in the hospital, but you didn’t kill him. All of that was a lifetime ago, and I think I had already forgiven you for your part in it. I just wasn’t ready to remember that all of my family was dead.”

Vik growled and Eli pouted. I looked at Declan, and he was making a face too. “You three need to calm down. You know what I meant. Of course, you’re my family now. But my uncle was like a father to me. He raised me when my parents left. It hurts to lose your memories only to learn that your dad died a violent death.”