The Gift.

14

"Jesse? Why do you have marks from all your brothers?" Esme asks as they are preparing to go to bed a few weeks after the marking took place. She runs her hands over his chest and traces the three marks that hadn't been there the last time she was intimate with Jesse.

Jesse grabs her hand and brings it up to his lips, after kissing it he answers her question. "Well, you did give permission to be with those that were in the room when we mated."

Esme looks at him with impatience, "Yes, but I also remember that vampires can only have one mate." Her lessons had emphasized certain aspects of vampire life. The first being you never, ever asked a vampire about when they were created. The second being that although very few vampires find mates, that if they do two things are certain. The first being that the mated ones will be faithful, absolutely faithful to their partner. The second being that they will only ever have one.

Jesse smirks at her. "Well, you did ask me about something else that night as well."

"Yeah, you said that you will do whatever the fuck you wanted." Esme smirks at his look of censure. Jesse manages to hold that look for a few seconds before it turning to a matching smirk.

"Well, I got to thinking about it. There is little that is taboo in the vampire world. There is no rule about only having one mate. And there is definitely no rules about your siblings being your mates. You've known for some time that I'm lovers with all of them."

Esme nods even as her smirk remains before she kisses Jesse's mates' marks. She thrills to the shudder he gives as she does. She is surprised by it though, since if any one other than the one to mark shouldn't be able to make the mark feel good like she just did.

"I know, I think that's the reason your maker was upset. He didn't like you spending your days and nights with your brother." Esme says and brings Jesse back to the present and out of the sexual haze he was in.

Jesse nods at her words. "I've always been close to Carlo, and the twins were always closer than most would have accepted. In time we all shared each other's beds. So, I decided if my mate can be mates with my brothers, then why couldn't I. So, I talked it over with Carlo and he was more than willing to try it. After it worked we both approached the twins and they were willing as well."

"I see, so my four mates also have four mates?" Esme says and proceeds to kiss Jesse further and that was the end of the talking until much, much later.

Two weeks before the day of the sacrifice Jesse and Esme were sitting in the study. Esme is reading a book that Carlo surprised her with the day before. 

Carlo, more than any of them hates going out in the sun, so the fact that he did that just to get her something special makes the book all the more precious to her.

Jesse is working on paperwork. The stuff never seems to end and he wants to take some time off to spend with Esme before the sacrifice.

They are interrupted by a knocking at the study door. After they both look at the door, Esme gets up and answers. "This came by special courier, Lady Esmeralda. He was emphatic that Lord Jesse receive it immediately."

"Thank you, I'll give it to him right now." Esme takes the sealed paper and shuts the door after the servant bows to her.

She looks over the paper and only sees Jesse's name on it and on the back a seal she doesn't recognize. She mentally shrugs as she hands the missive to Jesse. 

Jesse clenches his teeth and flattens his lips in anger as he notices the seal.

Seeing this, Esme asks, "Who is it from, love?"

"Someone that has left me alone for more than a century and I've been more than happy for him to do so." Jesse looks up from the letter as he breaks the seal, "It's from my father, the king."

Esme isn't sure if she should be excited or worried. From Jesse's expression she's leaning towards worried. "Should I leave and give you privacy?" Jesse usually likes having her in there with him. Since he spends long hours working it's a way for them to spend time together.

"No, but I do need you to help me calm down a bit." Jesse admits reluctantly. Even after all these years he's still angry with his father.

Esme doesn't hesitate. She goes around the desk and takes up position behind Jesse and wraps her arms around his neck. She is the only one he allows that close to him in that vulnerable position. He doesn't even like his brothers there.

Jesse opens the letter and reads it. The further he reads the less he likes what is written there. As he taughtens up Esme does her best to help him relax.

"What is making you so angry, love?" Esme finally asks when he doesn't volunteer the information. She doesn't think he'll tell her, but she thought she might as well ask.

"My father is ordering me to attend a party he is hosting. If I leave tonight I'll arrive just in time for the opening night. He has people he wants me to meet." Now Esme is the one to harden her body up at the news.

"My father, he's a fucking matchmaker. It seems that it is now my turn for him to make me a match." Jesse is beyond angry and it's only Esme's arms around him that keep him from throwing things like his desk around the room.

It is the feeling of her tears that calms him down. "Esme? What is it?" Jesse twists himself around and puts his own arms around his mate.

"He'll take you away from me," Esme cries.

"He can't, love. Don't you remember your lessons? Once the mate bond is made it can't be undone except by the two that made it."

"Yeah, those same lessons that said that there can only be one mate per vampire."

"Little one, he is only doing this because he doesn't know that I already found my queen. It's my fault. I didn't want him to know because I knew that if I told him that he would descend upon us and he would inspect you like a choice cut of meat. I didn't want that, but I never thought he would act like a matchmaker for me."

Esme gives a bitter laugh and as she does so the other brothers burst into the study having felt the anger and sorrow that Esme and Jesse both have given through the bond.

"Of course he is, you are his heir after all. He's going to want you mated before he gives you the throne."

Carlo stops at her words, "What the fuck is going on?"

The other two follow his example as they look at their distressed mates before them.

"The king has ordered me to attend a week long party he's throwing in my honor. There are some people he wants me to meet." Jesse says both bitter and angry as he explains what has both him and Esme so upset.

"Oh, shit." Desanto says with wide eyes.

"You'll miss my birthday," Esme says and the tears start coming.

"I should be back in time for your birthday and the sacrifice. Carlo, Desanto and Santo will still be here. I shouldn't be more than a week."

All four of the boys surround Esme and just let their love soak into her. "We will protect you and Benjamin will also be here to help you. Jesse will be back before you know it." Carlo tries to get Esme to stop crying.

"I know and I know that Jesse has been away for even longer periods of time before. It's just a feeling I have that something bad will happen if he isn't here for the sacrifice." Esme says and the boys all look at each other.

Jesse pinches his lips down in anger once more. "I promise, I will be back in time for the sacrifice."

Esme does her best to nod and stop crying but she knows inside that Jesse won't be back and something very bad will happen.

"I'll be back in one week, Esme, I promise." Jesse holds to his promises. He will be back unless he's forced by his father to stay back for some dumbass reason. And that reason won't be because of a female. He'll tell his father about Esme if he has too.

Once Esme is calmed down he leaves to pack his things then leaves before the night even falls. He has quite a distance to go and it will take him hours to get there even running full out and taking short cuts.