Page 12

Audrey

O ne upside to the rejected mate syndrome is I really can’t stress too much while I wait for Donovan to arrive with Nex.

I’m not sure how he plans to get Nex here, but I don’t really care as long as he shows up and bonds with the two of us.

This isn’t how I want to bond with anyone—especially someone I don’t know if I’ll be able to forgive. But I also know there’s no chance of forgiving him while I’m falling apart, which is exactly what I’m doing right now.

This is the right choice, even if it’s the only choice.

I lie back on the bed, facing Brenden .

He’s why this is the only choice. I refuse to lose him because of Nex’s actions, so he’s going to man-the-fuck-up and bond with us before it kills my vampire mate.

I stiffen, feeling the exact moment they step into the room. Forcing myself to relax, I roll onto my side to find them standing just inside the doorway.

“Nex.”

He bites his lip, eyes moving between me and Brenden. “Audrey.”

Donovan sighs, shoving Nex toward the bed. “You have two jobs, incubus—bond with Audrey and Brenden and make sure they feel good. Don’t fuck this up. If you do, you’re not going to like the consequences.”

Then he’s gone, leaving a blushing Nex standing there by himself.

He shakes his head, refusing to meet my eyes. “This is what you want?”

“Yes, and no. Yes, because it needs to be done. No, because if I could feel something more than absolute agony, I’d be really annoyed with you right now.

” I sigh, knowing my words aren’t helping his uncertainty.

“I don’t know exactly what Donovan told you, but I need to make some things clear to you before we proceed. ”

When he nods, I continue, “This doesn’t mean you’re forgiven.

This doesn’t mean we’ll ever have a relationship.

It means you’ll be in our lives, and we’ll be the ones to decide how that goes—not you.

You’ll live with us because we’ll need you close, but that doesn’t guarantee a damn thing when it comes to us.

Bonding with you is a means to an end. We’re about to go to war, and I can’t do that with how I’m feeling right now.

Brenden isn’t able to do anything on his own.

He’s going to die if he doesn’t bond with you, Nex, and you’re the one who did this to him. ”

“I know.” Nex finally lifts his head and meets my gaze with his sorrow-filled eyes. “I fucked up beyond belief, and I know this bonding has nothing to do with me. No guarantees and no expectations. I told you I’d do anything to make this right, and this is the first step.”

His eyes drift to Brenden, his breath stuttering. “Donovan said he wouldn’t be able to consent to bonding with me. You’re sure this is what he’d want?”

I follow his gaze, finding Brenden looking up at me. His eyes are still hazy, and it’s clear he’s not really here with us. I fucking hate it .

“It doesn’t matter what he wants. I won’t let him die. That’s something else you need to be aware of. He might hate both of us for this, but I’m selfish and willing to make this decision if it means keeping him here with me.”

I stare at Brenden for another moment before slowly pulling off his clothes and then mine. I turn back to Nex to find him licking his lips as his eyes rove over both of us.

“This isn’t going to be like it was the night we were together.

I’ve had zero desire to have sex since we discovered that you’d walked out on us.

I don’t know if I even can, but no matter what, this has to happen.

You do whatever you have to do to make it work, but I also don’t want you touching Brenden.

It’s my understanding that you don’t need to touch him to bond with him.

You should be able to bond with him while I fuck him and you fuck me. Is that correct?”

Nex nods. “Yes. I’ll be able to send my incubus magic into him as he comes—even if it’s not because of me. But he will have to come. If he’s not responsive, are you sure he’ll be able to perform? I can use my magic to help him along if I need to.”

I’m glad to hear that I’m right. I know I’m already violating Brenden by having Nex bond with him without consent, but I refuse to allow anything more than that to happen when he’s not in his right mind. That’s a decision he’ll have to make on his own.

I scoff, reaching over, wrapping my hand around Brenden’s soft cock, and stroking him. Within seconds, he’s hard as a rock. “That won’t be a problem. There’s lube in the bedside table. You’ll need it.”

“I’ll grab it, but I’d like to at least make sure you enjoy it, Audrey. I know this is a means to an end, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself.” I hear him move behind me, grabbing the lube before climbing onto the bed.

“As long as it doesn’t involve you touching Brenden, you can do whatever you want to me. I make no guarantees that it’ll help anything, though.”

I’m not holding out hope for much of anything during this encounter. It would be nice to feel good, but is it even possible with the amount of anguish inside of me? It’s better to have low expectations.

Nex frowns, and I can tell he doesn’t want it to be like this just from the look on his face, but that’s too fucking bad. He sets the lube onto the bed, crawling up until he’s hovering over me—careful not to touch Brenden in any way, which I appreciate.

“I’m going to kiss you now,” he tells me, pausing to see how I’ll respond, but when I just lie there, he leans down and brushes his lips across mine.

A spark of electricity sparks where our lips touch, shifting out into my body and shocking me. No, not literally.

When he pulls back, I can’t help chasing his lips and the sensation. It’s the most I’ve felt in days. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him into another kiss. I must pull harder than I thought because Nex ends up splayed across me, lighting up my body in every spot we touch.

Okay, maybe bonding with him won’t be so bad after all.

My body practically vibrates as desire rushes through me. I kiss him desperately, wanting oh so much more of this feeling.

Should I feel bad that I’m now desperate to have sex with a man that I kind of hate? Even if he is my mate?

Fuck it. I honestly don’t care.

Nex finally breaks free of my hold, breathing heavily as he stares down at me. “Audrey? ”

“It feels good. Don’t stop.” I try to drag him down for another kiss, but he shakes his head and starts to pull away. A whine spills from me as I reach for him again. I told him I don’t want him to stop, so why is he stopping?

“I’ve got you, Audrey. Let me take care of you.” Nex slips down my body until he’s kneeling between my legs.

I lick my lips as he lowers himself further, his hands gripping my thighs and pulling them apart.

My back arches when his hot breath brushes along my pussy.

It’s like I’m feeling everything tenfold after feeling nothing.

Each little touch is erotic and sends me closer to the edge before he’s even really touched me.

My hands drift down to sink into his hair as he licks from ass to clit before sinking his tongue into my wet cunt and fucking me with it. His magic rises, rushing through me as his nose brushes my clit, and I’m already done for.

I scream out my orgasm as Nex continues to fuck me with his tongue. My body undulates beneath him, another orgasm already building as my magic rises to tangle with his. When he lifts his head, his beard is glistening as he smirks .

“One more, gorgeous. I want you to come on my fingers. Then, you’ll ride Brenden while I fuck this gorgeous ass of yours. How does that sound?”

I shiver at the picture he paints in my mind, and all I want to do is make it a reality. “Then you best get to it.”

I didn’t say I was going to make this easy for him, did I?

Nex seems to take this as a challenge, his fingers pushing inside of me with a bit of a pinch.

Then his mouth is closing over my clit and my eyes fall shut once more.

With each thrust of his fingers, they unerringly find my G-spot.

Before too long, I’m riding his fingers as moan after moan spills from me.

“Almost there,” I pant. “Please, Nex. Please.”

He adjusts his hold on my hips, and his fingers seem to hit me differently as another wave of his magic washes through me. I buck against him as my back comes off the bed, a silent scream on my lips as I come harder than I had the first time.

This time, he doesn’t fuck me through the orgasm. Instead, he lifts me up onto wobbly limbs and helps me straddle Brenden, whose cock is rock-hard .

My eyes find Brenden’s, and I swear I see a flash of desire there as I lower myself onto his cock.

It’s there and gone in a second, so I’m not sure if it’s wishful thinking or if it really happened.

Either way, I know my mate would never turn down a chance to have his cock buried in me, making me feel less like I’m taking advantage of him.

Once I’m fully seated, Nex’s hands fall away, and the sensations that have been working through me completely disappear.

“No,” I cry out, sitting there in horror.

“Shh, it’s okay.” Nex is suddenly pressing against my back, and a sigh of relief falls from my lips as the sensations return. “I just needed to get situated so I could do this without touching Brenden.”

Nex presses me forward until I’m lying flat against Brenden’s chest, making sure to keep his hand on my back.

A glance over my shoulder shows Nex has placed pillows between his and Brenden’s legs to keep him from touching my vampire mate, and that sends a flutter of warmth through me at him, making sure he sticks to his promise.

Just as quick as it appears, I squash it down. It changes nothing .

I hiss when the cold lube dribbles down my ass crack. Nex offers no apologies as his finger finds my puckered hole, slowly working it inside of me. My eyes fall shut at the stretch, his fingers working me open.

I grind down on Brenden, needing the friction against my clit as Nex preps me to take his cock. I drift in a cloud of pleasure, coming back to myself as Nex notches his cock at my ass.

“Are you ready, gorgeous?”

“Yes,” I whine, pushing back against him in invitation.

Nex takes me at my word, pushing into me slowly. My eyes roll back as I continue to grind down on Brenden’s cock.

Usually, when I take two of my mates like this, I get to be a pillow princess and lay there while they fuck me. That’s not going to be the case with Brenden still out of it, so as soon as Nex is fully seated, I take over.

I fuck myself on their cocks, ecstasy racing through me as my pussy pulses around Brenden. Lying here and waiting to be able to move has me already teetering on the edge.

My magic reaches out and laces itself with Nex’s once more, ready to complete the bond .

They feel so good inside of me, and while I’ve enjoyed letting my men fuck me, I might need to take control more often. I hold the power as I drag the three of us toward climax, and it makes it so much hotter.

I work my hips harder and faster, ready to come. I’m buzzing from head to toe, and it’s only then I realize I no longer feel the anguish of the rejected bond at all.

Joy and fear rush through me as I stare down at Brenden, who’s still unmoving beneath me. This has to work.

“Come for me, gorgeous. Come all over our cocks. Soak us.” Nex’s hand comes down on the side of my ass, and I scream as I come.

My body locks up, no longer able to move as my body shakes, pleasure rushing through me from head to toe. I’m so lost in bliss, I almost forget to have my magic bond with Nex’s. His hips stutter, and I know his orgasm isn’t far off.

“I want Brenden to come in my mouth,” I tell him, and he jerks me off my mate’s cock, lowering me between Brenden’s legs—all while still fucking my ass.

The moment my lips close around Brenden’s cock, he comes and fills my mouth. I moan around him as it sets off another climax, and this time, I pull Nex over with me.

Nex’s magic twines with mine, and I feel the bond lock into place before his magic courses through Brenden, who jolts upward as I swallow his cum.

“Fuck,” Nex hisses as he slams into my ass, his cock pulsing and filling me with cum.

I sit up, dislodging Nex, so I can cup Brenden’s cheeks. “Brenden?”

“Fuck, I love you, firecracker,” he murmurs, leaning in to kiss me. “I’m not angry with you. I never could be. I’m sorry I left you. I didn’t want to…I just couldn’t.”

I feel the bed shift behind me, but I ignore Nex as I exchange kisses with Brenden. It still feels like there’s a hole in my heart, but it’s nothing like it was before bonding with Nex. I can only assume it feels similar for Brenden.

Finally, breaking away from my mate, we both turn to look at Nex, who’s hovering near the end of the bed.

“Thank you for bonding with us, but as I said, this changes nothing, Nex. Brenden and I are going to shower. I want you gone by the time we get out. One of my mates will contact you about moving in. Now that we’re bonded, hopefully, Wraith won’t lose his shit when I suggest Cassian moving in again. ”

Nex nods, dropping his head, but not before I see the tears in his eyes. “I understand.”

He says nothing as the two of us climb off the bed, walking away without glancing back. It’s not quite the same way he left us, but it makes me feel vindicated in leaving him there by himself, knowing he’s not welcome with us.

But it also hurts my heart, and I find tears welling in my eyes.

Yes, this is so much better than it was, but I don’t want to feel like this about Nex. I want to hate him for what he’s done for us, but I don’t think I can. That doesn’t mean I forgive him.

As Brenden and I climb into the shower, I turn back to him. “Are you sure you’re okay? I know I shouldn’t have let him bond with you when you couldn’t consent—”

“I would have,” he assures me. “I could hear everything you and the others discussed. I just couldn’t respond. It was like I was there, but not. You’ve done nothing wrong. You saved us.”

Sobs shake my body as I cling to him, so grateful that he believes I made the right call.

We might no longer have to deal with rejected mate syndrome, but something tells me nothing is going to be easy from here on out.

Once I’ve calmed down, Brenden tilts my chin back so he can meet my eyes. “Can we make the shower quick? I’m fucking starving.”

I snort out a laugh, more tears spilling down my cheeks as we help wash each other.

Whatever comes, I’m willing to take it—no matter how hard it is—because it brought my mate back to me, and that’s honestly all that matters.