A little while later, when Piper was fast asleep in my bed, I heard a voice inside my head.We need to talk.Recognizing the thought as Antoine's, I slid out of bed. I pulled on my pants and shirt as I stared lovingly down at Piper. The moonlight pouring in from the windows made her creamy skin look like it was glowing where the sheets didn't cover her. When I leaned down to kiss her forehead, she let out a small sigh and snuggled deeper into my bed.
Reluctant to leave her, but knowing Antoine wouldn't give me much of a choice, I padded across my bedroom and into the hallway. There, Drake and Allister were coming out of their rooms as well. Both were only in pajama pants, our house sigil visible on their chests, they took one look at my disheveled appearance and smirked.
"Fuck off," I told them, before walking toward Antoine's room.
"What?" Drake teased, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "It's not our fault you didn't wash your activities off before coming to the meeting."
"So?" I shoved him off of me with a scowl. "What I do in my private time is that, private."
Allister snorted, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "Coming from the guy who doesn't know the definition of it."
Drake chuckled. "He has a point."
"I don't care," I countered, and shoved open Antoine's door. "And if you value your nuts, you'll leave it alone."
The second Drake walked into Antoine's room, he announced, "Rayne finally screwed Piper."
"Geez, took you long enough." Wynn clucked his tongue from the couch where he sat in a pair of silk pants and a button up shirt. Of course, he'd be dressed up for this meeting.
I shot the lazy vampire a glare before taking my place on the arm of the couch. "What's this about?" I asked Antoine, who leaned against the post of his bed.
Antoine didn't answer but waited until everyone was seated and accounted for. The twins stood over by the wardrobe, while Marcus barred the door like usual as if he were guarding us from leaving. Darren sat on the bed, prim and proper in his white and blue striped pajamas.
I admit, I tried to listen to Antoine's thoughts. I wanted to know if he was pissed that Piper and I had slept together, but as usual I only heard what he wanted me to hear and right now he didn't want me to hear anything.
"This situation is worse than we could have imagined." Antoine stared off into space as if none of us were really there. "This isn't just some test to see if we have strayed from Boris's lifestyle."
"Well, of course not," Drake scoffed, brushing his thumb across his nose. "We know what this is about. Valentine. He threw a hissy fit ‘cause he couldn't steal Piper as his new toy and now wants us to pay."
"True." Antoine nodded, finally meeting our gazes. "But it's about more than that. I believe that he, Boris, is trying to bring us back into the fold."
"What?" I straightened, my eyes widening with surprise. "He can't do that. Can he do that?" I glanced around the room, my heart pounding in my chest.
"He can try," Drake growled, his whole form tightening up.
A sick feeling twisted in my stomach and I had to take slow, shallow breaths to keep from upchucking or passing out or both. While I focused on that, everyone's thoughts became a chaotic blur, filling my head until I couldn't pick one out from the other.
"Quiet." Antoine's voice rang out through the room, the force of his power instantly quieting the space and the voices in my head. Everyone looked to Antoine for guidance. He'd led us out of hell, so if anyone could keep us out of here, it would be him.
"Now, I understand your concern." Antoine's eyes drifted over to me briefly. His thoughts a soothing comfort to ease the rumbling turmoil in my chest. "I promised you years ago when we left this place that we would never be under our master's thumb again. We are our own house. Coming here was a diplomatic choice, but it was that...a choice. Boris might have made us, but he does not own us. Not anymore." He paused for a moment, his face clouding over with darkness. "We paid that price."
Wynn snorted. "Ten times over."
"Precisely." Antoine inclined his head.
None of us spoke for a moment. I didn't need to peek into their heads to know what they were thinking, because I was thinking it too.
That day when we first requested to leave our master's house and become our own was one that left a scar on each of us. Boris didn't just demand payment for one of us, but all of us. Each one of us had to pay their bit of blood and flesh, even a part of our sanity, to be free. The fact that any of us came back here after what we went through to get out was laughable. But I guess that proved how much we all cared about Piper and keeping Valentine as far away from her as possible.
Allister stepped into the middle of the room, his arms tight across his chest as he spoke. "Vampire law states that once abjured, our master cannot command us back into his home. We are here because we have made it so, not the other way around. Which means he cannot force us to stay. We have to want to," Allister finished with a confident grin.
"Pfft, bloody likely that's going to happen," Wynn snorted and shifted in place. "I'd sooner fall on a stake than stay here."
"Agreed." Antoine nodded and the rest of joined him.
"So..." I sighed, a bit more relaxed about the conversation and where it was headed. "What other surprises do you think our dear old daddy has in store for us?"