Evans, Gabrielle - Hell's Tempest [Fatefully Yours 4] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) by Gabrielle Evans Read Free Book Online

face as he roared with laughter.
    Vapre growled, crawling out from under the table with every intention of seeking payback on the little imp. The second his head rose above the tabletop, food came flying at him from every direction.
    The room erupted into raucous laughter, and Vapre retreated back under the table. His lovers and friends were much too pleased with themselves, and it just wouldn’t do for them to see the huge smile that stretched across his face.

Chapter Five

    When the laughter finally died down, everyone pitched in to help get the kitchen clean and sparkling. Echo tossed a dishrag in the sink and sighed wearily. “I’m taking a shower and going to bed,” he announced. “Syn, Jinx, there are new movies by the DVD player. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
    Jinx looked at Fiero uncertainly as he shifted from foot to foot. “Could you please start the fire before you go to bed?” he asked in his slight British accent. “The weather says there will be more snow soon, and it’s a bit drafty tonight. I’m sorry to be a bother.”
    Though the vampires were coming around more every day, Echo still hated that they felt they were a burden. He’d have to see what he could do to fix that—starting with getting them out of that damn basement. He glared across the room at Syx and Vapre where they stood near the back door. They’d said they would have a room ready by the end of the week, but he hadn’t seen them lift a finger to make good on their promise.
    “Not a problem,” Fiero answered genially. “Let me wash off real quick, and I’ll be back down to get it going before bed.”
    Everyone began moving, heading off to clean and do their nightly rituals. “Wait!” Myst called. “I still want to know what these guys are.” He pointed to Pax, Sage, and Jet where they were huddled together beside Echo.
    Echo looked at them and held his hands out in a “let me have it” gesture. “I’m prepared to be amazed.”
    “Well, we’re kind of like Gage,” Pax said slowly. “Only, we don’t become half and half on the full moon. We shift into full wolves.”
    “I thought you smelled like a dog,” Onyx said, then bit his lip and hung his head. “That came out really wrong,” he muttered under his breath.
    Echo chewed on the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Poor Onyx was always sticking his foot in his mouth. It was kind of endearing once you realized that he wasn’t purposely being a dick.
    “What is it with you and puppies?” Vapre asked around a chuckle. “And speaking of dogs, where the hell is Gage, anyway?”
    “What do you want to do to Echo right now?” Hex asked as he cocked an eyebrow.
    “Oh!” Comprehension dawned, but then Vapre’s brow wrinkled. “But they were together.”
    “Yeah, they were together, but it wasn’t exactly private or appropriate for what Gage is doing to his little mates right now.”
    “I would love to be doing something very inappropriate to my mate right now,” Onyx mumbled under his breath, and the entire room exploded into laughter.
    Echo chuckled along with them before returning his attention to the men beside him. “So, you’re, what, like shape-shifters?” True, a few months ago, he would have either thought them crazy, or lost his head completely and done something embarrassing. Now, it wasn’t much different than watching the weather change from day to day.
    “Yep.” Jet seemed neither proud nor ashamed of the fact. It just…was.
    “Can I see?” Echo had seen Gage transform on the full moon, had seen his own mates shift during times of distress, and even witnessed Sony’s enormous growth spurts, but this was something new. “A real animal,” he mumbled under his breath.
    “Can we do it tomorrow?” Pax hedged. “It’s a lot harder when we’re tired, and I could probably sleep for a week right now.”
    “Oh, sure.” Echo hadn’t thought of that, and why would he? He couldn’t turn into an animal or anything cool