Page 13

Audrey

“ L ittle mate, your mom and sister are here.” Cassian shakes me slightly, and I blink my eyes open to find him smiling down at me. “Good morning.”

I return his smile easily, even if I wish I was still sleeping. “Good morning is right.” I roll onto my back, and when I don’t see Brenden, worry courses through me.

“Shh, it’s okay. He’s downstairs eating. I swear he’s done nothing but eat since the two of you bonded with Nex. It’s like he’s trying to make up for the days he didn’t eat all at once.” Cassian chuckles as he pulls me into his arms, and I snuggle into him .

“Wait. Did you say my mom and sister are here?” I pull back enough to see his face, frowning when he nods. “Why?”

Cassian’s body shakes with laughter. “Probably because they want to see you. Wraith let everyone know that you and Brenden bonded with Nex and were doing better. Lucifer, of course, appeared in the house immediately, but Wraith sent him packing. Or so he tells me.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “Like, last night? Or this morning?”

“Last night. He managed to tell everyone else to wait until today to bother you.”

I snort. “So my dad showed up while I was getting railed by Brenden and Donovan. That tracks.”

“Hey, they weren’t the only ones doing the railing. I was assisting Donovan in his railing.”

“By railing his ass? Yes, I’m aware. I was there.” Laughter spills from both of us.

I had a lot of sex with my mates last night in lots of combinations. Brenden might not be the only one trying to make up for lost time.

I sigh, realizing I’m going to have to get dressed to see my family. It’s not that I don’t want to see them. I just know they’re going to have questions, and they’re not going to like my answers.

“Tell them I’ll be down in a minute. I’m just going to freshen up first.”

Cassian kisses me quickly before setting me on my feet. “I’ll let them know. I love you, little mate.”

I grin as warmth fills me. “I love you, too.”

I spin on my heel, knowing if I stand here any longer, I’m going to climb on his cock and take it for a spin. I’d rather not have to explain to my mom and sister what took so long.

Taking care of business in the bathroom, I head for the closet to grab something to wear.

It’s packed with clothes since we added some of Cassian’s last night. He’s officially moved in and has his own room, but like the rest of us, he expects to spend most of his time in the bedroom we all share.

Nex hasn’t moved in yet, and I can already feel the distance weighing on our bond. But if I was able to put up with Cassian not being close for months, I can deal with Nex not being here for a few days.

Last night, I informed Wraith he was in charge of getting Nex moved in. He agreed but didn’t seem to be in a hurry to make it happen .

My mates are just as pissed off at him as I am.

We bonded last night, but it’s almost like the bond knows something is wrong.

A pang of pain rushes through my chest, reminding me of the remnants of sorrow that still remain.

Rejected mate syndrome is a thing of the past, but as I guessed, going forward isn’t going to be as easy as bonding with Nex.

It’s nothing compared to the blanket of suffering I carried around for days on end. This I can deal with, and I’ll have to because I’m not ready to forgive him.

I’m not even ready to consider forgiving him.

Deciding I need to be surrounded by my mates today, I grab one of Brenden’s T-shirts and a pair of Cassian’s sweatpants that I can tie tight enough to mostly stay up. They’re baggy as hell, and I’m sure I look like a child playing dress up, but it settles me to wear their things.

I pad down the stairs, finding my mom and sister sitting in the living room and talking with my mates.

As soon as Brenden’s eyes find me, he’s up and out of his seat. He used his vamp speed to make it to me in a second, dipping me down and kissing the hell out of me. I’m grinning when he sets me upright once more, finding my mates and family grinning at us.

It’s not just me who’s happy to see us doing better.

Each of my mates comes over to kiss me before Wraith leads me to the couch.

“Brenden and Donovan are coming with me to meet with Lucifer. I’m sure he’ll stop by to check on you again at some point, but hopefully, it’s after he helps get the new dorm building put up. But if you need us, all you have to do is text us, and we can be here in a second.”

I pat his hand. “I’m okay, Wraith. You don’t have to worry about me anymore.”

“I’m always going to worry about you, trouble. Enjoy your time with your mom and sister.” He kisses my forehead before joining Donovan and Brenden. They step into the shadows, here one moment, then gone the next.

“And I have souls to judge.” Cassian shoots me a wink. “I’ll be harder to reach, but I’ll get any texts as soon as we’re out of session. Behave.”

With one last kiss, he heads for the door, leaving me alone with my sister and mom.

“It’s so good to see you smile, Audrey.” Mom’s eyes fill with tears as she tugs me to her for a hug. “I was so worried.”

Wren snorts. “You were worried? You weren’t here when it happened.”

“I really am doing better. Lucifer was right. Completing the bond made the rejected mate syndrome disappear like it had never been there.” I shrug as if it’s no big deal, but I can tell neither of them is buying what I’m selling.

“I’m a little surprised you forgave him so easily,” Wren admits, and I wince.

Here we go. I prepare myself for the judgment I know is coming.

I clear my throat before moving to sit on the coffee table across from them so I can see both of them at once. “I didn’t forgive him, Wren. I made the decision to bond with him independent of forgiving him. I may never be able to. I just don’t know yet.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not sure I’m following.” Mom tilts her head to the side as she considers me. “Wren filled me in on some things, but maybe it’ll make more sense if you start from the beginning.”

So I do. I start way back at the beginning when Nex was nothing but hot Professor Novak, explaining the push and pull between us and Brenden before ending with the day we woke up alone in bed with nothing but a note from him.

Mom shakes her head. “I can understand why you haven’t forgiven him and why you might not be able to. But if that was the case, then why bond with him?”

“Why?” I snort. “Because I was lost in an abyss of misery because my mind and body thought he rejected us. We’re planning a war, and I felt nothing beyond sorrow for more than two seconds at a time. Because Brenden was catatonic and not eating. He could’ve died.”

Wren hums, her face carefully blank. “That was something I was curious about as well. Brenden wasn’t there. How did he mate with Nex?”

“I’m not sure that what happened with Brenden is any of your business, Wren, but he initiated a bond with Nex that night the three of us were together. If Brenden wants you to know any of the other details, that’s up to him to decide.”

Wren looks affronted. “Since when do you keep things from me, Audrey?”

My brows shoot up. “Is that a game you really want to start, Wren? I wasn’t the one who started keeping things from my twin, was I?

And as far as Brenden is concerned, that isn’t your business.

That’s Brenden’s business, and I’m not just going to tell you everything about my mates because you’re my twin. ”

Wren’s eyes flash with anger, her mouth opening—to argue with me, I’m sure—but Mom cuts her off.

“Enough, girls.” She doesn’t yell, speaking in her normal tone, but it’s enough to shut both of us up.

“Wren, Audrey is right. You’re not entitled to know what happened to Brenden.

Audrey, maybe try not snapping at your sister when you want her to back off.

You’d think you’d know one another well enough by now to know what will set the other off.

Or maybe you did it on purpose. Either way, that’s enough. ”

Fuck. What is it about my mom that makes it so easy for her to make me feel guilty? She’s right though. I was baiting Wren, and we all know it.

“I’m sorry, Wren. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that,” I tell her with a forced smile.

The smile might be forced, but my words are truthful.

I’m sorry for talking to her like that. I just didn’t want her to probe too deeply into the Brenden of it all because I know she won’t approve of the choices I made.

I can already see the judgment in her eyes for what I’ve done.

Wren gives me a sharp nod. “I’m sorry, too. You’re right. As much as I’d like to know everything going on in your life, when it comes to your mates, I shouldn’t expect to know everything.”

“Thank you, girls.” Mom pauses. “Are you sure this was the best idea, Audrey?”

“Honestly?” I shake my head. “No, I’m not sure, but all the options were shitty, and this seemed like the least shitty.”

Mom considers me for a moment before nodding. “You know you’re tied to him for life, even if you never forgive him?”

“I am, and I don’t regret my decision.”

Wren tugs a hand through her red curls. “I just don’t understand how you can bond with someone you don’t love, let alone someone who betrayed you like he did.”

“And you don’t have to, Wren. All you need to know is I made the right decision for me and my situation. Maybe we’ll eventually be able to work everything out with Nex, but even if we don’t, I’ll never regret this decision. ”

“And that’s all that matters,” Mom says as she smiles. “All we want is for you to be happy, and if this works for you, then I’m happy for you.”

Wren scoffs. “I’m sorry, Ree, but I just don’t understand how you could do this to yourself.”

It hurts to hear her words, but they’re better than I expected from her.

“You don’t have to understand. My decisions don’t affect you or your life in any way.

You don’t have to understand it, but you have to accept it.

Mainly because it’s already done, but also because you’re my sister, and I want you in my life.

But that’s exactly what this is—my life. ”

Tears fill her eyes as she forces a smile, giving me a small nod. “Using my own words against me, Audrey? Dirty pool.”

“What are you talking about?” Mom frowns as she glances between the two of us.

“I never wanted her to marry Michael,” I admit.

“I kept quiet about it for a long time, but when I finally brought it up with her, Wren told me I didn’t need to understand it, that I just needed to accept it.

Because I’m her sister, and she wants me in her life, but that she’s the one who makes the decisions about her life.

She always wanted me to tell her what I thought, but I needed to understand that it didn’t mean she’d make the decision I wanted her to. ”

“Neither of you mentioned that.”

Moving to sit on one side of Mom, Wren scoots over until she can lean against her other side. Mom sighs as she wraps her arms around both of us, holding us close.

“That’s because you didn’t need to know. We’re grown-ass women who should be able to handle our shit without needing our mom’s help,” I tell her with a laugh. “We were trying, anyway.”

That sends us into peals of laughter as we cling to our mom, and that’s how Lucifer finds us a few minutes later when he pops into the room.

“Oh, I guess you are doing as well as your mates said you were.” Lucifer winces. “I’m sorry. I just needed to see it with my own eyes. Enjoy your girl time.”

Then, he’s just gone again.

“Fates, he’s so weird and nothing like I thought he would be,” I say with a laugh, and Wren nods.

“The stories make him sound all scary and shit.” Wren shakes her head. “He’s squishy, not scary. ”

Mom laughs. “I never would’ve thought he was Lucifer that night, but I guess the stories have it all wrong. I guess I didn’t do too bad when choosing your father, did I?”

I roll my eyes. “As if you had anything to do with choosing him as our dad. You got drunk and slept together, then whoops, you’re having twins.”

“Yeah, Mom. Don’t try to play it off like you planned it.” Wren grins, and I know we’ll be okay.

Neither of them may agree with or understand why I decided to bond with Nex, but they still love and support me, and what more can I ask for?