Free Immortally Theirs by Ann Cory

 
     
     
     
    Chapter One
     
     
    Shayla McDormand smoothed her hand along the sleek banister as she climbed the stairs. The hem of her nightgown trailed along the crimson velvet carpet that had lost its plush feel over time. Much of the wallpaper and fixtures around the manor showed heavy wear. In many ways, it reflected the way she viewed herself.
    She’d inherited the property from her parents after they had passed away. The gesture came as a surprise, considering their lack of communication since she’d left home. And the fact she never came back to visit. Not that she wanted to be perceived as a bad daughter or ungrateful for all they’d done for her while growing up, but once she’d left, she’d promised never to return.
    And here she was—another broken promise in a long line of them.
    The first day she’d stepped through the doors, guilt consumed her. Her mother’s perfume scented the air, as did her father’s pipe tobacco. Old feelings from her childhood resurfaced. She should’ve visited instead of punishing them. Looking back, she knew they had only moved there to offer her a better education and a safe place to grow up. But the cruelty she experienced on her first day of school shattered any and all hopes of fitting in. Her classmates had deemed her a freak. Shunned her for living in a haunted house where the previous owner hated children. Treated her as though she didn’t exist until graduation day, when she finally left to start over.
    Sure, there’d been ghosts. Some even became her playmates.
    Twelve years later, there were still ghosts, but none from her childhood.
    The ambience of the house fit the bitter adult she’d become. It almost suffocated her. By the end of the first week, she thought the depression would consume her. And she’d probably have given into the darkness if it hadn’t been for Armand Coudray and Bastian Trabor , her vampire lovers who knew no boundaries when it came to pleasures of the body. They’d saved her from…well herself, really.
    It was the evening before All Hallows Eve. The same night a year ago, they had appeared to her.
    At first, she’d feared the vampires, afraid they would hurt her. But it didn’t take long before she looked forward to their visits. They made her laugh, and were gracious with compliments. Made her feel loved and wanted, as if everything was going to be okay. It was hard not to fall for their charms, or the way they catered to her every need.
    Bastian had seduced her first, but later that same night, Armand had made his presence known. She’d awoken in a haze, happily wedged between two luscious hard bodies. It had been perfect.
    Rare was the morning when she didn’t feel sated beyond all reason and comprehension. Soon the depression lifted and she looked forward to each day with a renewed spirit.
    For almost a year, they’d become an important part of her life. Spoiled her rotten. Left her beautiful gowns once made for queens. Brought her breakfast in bed and often fed it to her. Drew hot baths. Read her stories. And best of all—pleasured her. Sometimes separately, but the most memorable of nights were when they were all together. Bodies rocking, swaying, moving as one. She didn’t ever want to come down from the rapturous highs they took her to with their hands, mouths and cocks.
    But once again, a shadow of gloom hung over her. The vampires wanted a specific answer. An answer she didn’t want to give, an answer that would change her world—mortality and all.
    Although sex with the dreamy vampires was phenomenal, her feelings for them went deeper. She genuinely cared for them both and couldn’t picture her life without one being a part of it. So when they told her she needed to choose which of them she would marry, it felt like a ton of bricks on her shoulders. She’d become used to their presence, their quirks and mannerisms, and the feeling of completeness that she’d never experienced before. To not have one by her side