Chapter 7
At dawn both Aurel and Reyes fell into a deep sleep and Nadia sighed in relief. Staying awake had been harder than she thought, but she pushed through. No matter how much she enjoyed them and even though she knew they were different, she couldn’t stay. It didn’t matter that they whispered sweet nothings in her ear telling her how much they cared about her and how much they wanted her. It was all talk. They hadn’t asked her to stay, and she hadn’t expected them to. They could have any number of women they wanted and for a night they chose her, the girl with curves they wouldn’t disappear.
She had her night of fun, but it was time to go while she could. If she didn’t she was afraid she’d beg them to keep her, and that was too desperate even for her. It was a one night stand, with two amazing men who rocked her to the core. Never before had she experienced anything like making love to them both, and she would never forget them.
She lifted Aurel’s arm and sat up laying it on the bed. There was movement behind his closed lids but he didn’t wake up. She slid off the bed and looked at them sleeping. Both of them were gorgeous and she was lucky to leave with the memories of their night. She grabbed her clothes and tiptoed from the room. No note, no goodbye. She would disappear as if she had never even been there in the first place. She did what she had come to do, and now she wanted to go home and drown her sorrows.
In the hallway she slipped on her clothing and pulled her hair from her face before she stepped into her shoes. They felt rough against her skin. She had bruises and scratches all over her body and ached in ways she never dreamed, but it didn’t matter. The physical pains would go away and then the only thing that would be left was her vivid memories.
She walked down the hall and then down a set of stairs she didn’t even remember. She shook her head and cringed. She needed a hot bath to soothe the pain away. Her eyes filled with tears when she walked down the stairs. She opened the door and went outside.
“Shit,” she said when she realized she hadn’t called a cab first. She called the directory and found a number to call a cab. Then she had to walk to the end of the driveway to find the address. She shook her head realizing she hadn’t planned her escape well. While she waited on the cab praying they wouldn’t wake up before she was gone, she called the airport and scheduled her flight home. Then she called the hotel and they told her they could send her things back to her in New York so thankfully she didn’t have to go back there first.
She heard the crunch of gravel and knew it was the cab. She was almost home free and she bit her lip nervously. Would they be mad she left or would they be grateful she took it upon herself to let herself out? A part of her wished it would be the first. If they were angry she left than it meant she meant more than a night of fucking to them.
No. I will not let this bring me down. It was fun, but now it’s done. The yellow car drove slowly towards her, and with one last look at the house she smiled and wiped her tears. She wouldn’t allow herself to be sad. She knew what she was getting herself into, and it was exactly why she was going home, and back to her boring life. It was safer that way, and no one got hurt.
Chapter 8
Reyes woke up first as usual. He rubbed the spot where Nadia laid and found the sheet cold to the touch. She was gone. His eyes shot open and he sat up. Even her scent was fading from the room. He jumped out of bed and blurred downstairs hoping she had made herself at home and found the food Aurel kept around for the humans. But in his heart he knew she was gone. Just like that she had left them. He shook his head and growled. He sniffed the air by the door. There was a lingering scent of her and her—tears. She left upset.
He went back upstairs trying to figure out if either he or Aurel had hurt her. But he couldn’t think of anything. She had cried, but for what reason? Was it because she left thinking something awful or because she didn’t want to leave? If she left because she thought they would want her to; that would be easy enough to fix. He hoped. But if she left because of them, because she was freaked out about all the things they did, than he knew they’d lost her.
“Aurel wake up!” he said on the verge of panic. Never before would he have felt so emotional about a woman, but with Nadia it was different. He’d marked her and she left. It was tearing him a part and he wanted to get to her and find out why she left them. Why she left him.
Aurel opened his eyes and looked to where their mate no longer was and he shot up. “She left.”
“Yeah, she left but we’re going to get her back.”
Aurel shook his head sadly. “I tried to wake up, to stop her, but I wasn’t able to pull out of my need to sleep. It fucking sucks. I let her walk right out of here and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about. I could feel how much she didn’t want to leave, and how much it hurt her, but she didn’t think we wanted her to stay.”
“But we marked her, and she submitted to you.”
“Only because it was in the moment. She has no idea what we really are and she didn’t know what it meant when we marked her. She probably just thinks we’re a couple of guys who got off by drinking blood.” He shrugged. “Either way we are going to New York. And then we are going to tell her she is ours and that she is never going to leave us again.”
“I agree, and after I spank her ass for doubting our feelings we are going to make love to her—together.”
“Are you okay with that?” Aurel asked.
“Yes, nothing would make me happier. Both of us have to be inside of her to complete the bond fully.”
He and Aurel packed their bags, planning to stay in New York until they convinced Nadia to come home with them and left the house in a rush. They planned to drive straight through. With the dark tint on their windows they’d be safe as long as they filled the gas take again before the sun rose.
* * * *
Nadia sat at her desk, much like she had before and every night after her two nights away. She’d come back and no one was surprised she couldn’t even take a vacation, but no longer cared when others mocked her need to constantly worked. She was heartbroken. It was her fault. She could have stayed. At least until they told her to leave, but instead she thought leaving would protect her heart. She was wrong. It had only been two days and she had barely been able to sleep. She cried nonstop and her manuscripts were getting ruined by her tears. Inside and out she slowly fell apart.
There was a knock on her door and her assistant walked in. “Nadia why don’t you go home. I’ll get this tonight.”
“No I’m good.”
Her assistant walked further into the room. “No really, people are talking. I don’t want you to lose your job. Go home and finish your vacation.”
She nodded relenting knowing her assistant was right. “Okay, I’m going. I’ll call and check in though.”
“That’s fine just scoot.”
She stood and walked out of her office. She needed to sleep and maybe drink her sorrows away. She knew she shouldn’t be so hurt over two men she had just met, and never intended to see again, but she felt like she was missing a part of herself, and it didn’t feel good. She ached and crying did nothing to ease the pain. She had a feeling only two men, who weren’t just men, would be able to take her sadness away.
On her way home she stopped for ice cream and wine; her two best friends. When she pulled into her driveway she sighed. Coming home wasn’t the same. Not when she wished she had someone—two someone’s—to come home to. She wiped away her tears and opened her car door. Cradling her ice cream and wine in her arms she stood and then kicked her door shut not caring if she scratched the paint.
She walked to the door and juggled her things in her arms, pulled out her keys and carefully unlocked her door. Inside she went straight to the kitchen. Something in her house felt strange and she shivered. Shrugging it off she used her elbow to flip on the light and screamed. Her ice cream and wine would have fallen to the floor if Aurel hadn’t caught it using his super speed. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. She wasn’t sure what to feel.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Her first instinct was to be pissed to cover up how much they scared her. “You can’t just come into my house without my knowing. You scared the shit out of me.” Her heart raced and she watched as Aurel set her comfort on the table.
“Now you understand hand we feel?” he replied harshly.
She reeled back as if she’d been slapped. “I did you a favor. I left before you had to tell me to leave.”
He stepped in front of her, but didn’t touch her. She could feel his tension but she held her ground.
“You did us a favor you say? How do you think we felt when we woke up and you were gone? No note, nothing. You left me—you left us.” He pointed to Reyes who had yet to say anything.
“I—I figured the night was over and it would be easier if I left.”
He stepped closer and his body brushed against hers. He softened as if he could hear how much it had hurt her to leave. Her heart thudded in her chest and her pulse raced. She tipped her head back to look him in the eyes.
Reyes stood from the table looking pissed—and hurt. She glanced at him but had to look away. The guilt was strong and a part of her realized she had hurt them both. But how was she to know?
Aurel cupped her jaw and tipped her head back. “You’re ours Nadia. You don’t get to walk away from us—unless you don’t want us.” He rubbed his thumb along her jaw and she shivered. “Please say you want us. We need you, and even though you don’t realize it you need us too.”
She nodded. “I do need you.”
Aurel sighed and kissed her then, but it was short and sweet. He stepped away and let Reyes take his place. He stepped close but he didn’t touch her. His eyes were shadowed and rimmed in red. He was hurt and apparently more sensitive than he let on. Instead of waiting for him, she wrapped her arms around him and sobbed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to get hurt, and I was afraid you wouldn’t want me for more than one night.”
His arms wrapped around her and then Aurel was at her back holding her. They comforted her and told her how much they wanted her and they told her that if she every left them again they would spank her ass. She shivered sort of liking the idea. But more than anything she loved being held—by them both.
THE END
Paranormal Romance
By: Jennifer Mckenzie