Page 27

Audrey

W hen I wake up the next day, I have no idea how much time has passed. At least not until I glance at the clock.

Holy shit.

I’ve been in bed for almost twenty-four hours, which is probably why my bladder feels like it’s going to explode and why my stomach feels like it’s trying to eat itself.

Throwing back the covers, I jump out of bed and hustle to the bathroom but note that none of my mates are still in bed.

I use the bathroom and wash my hands before heading for the closet.

I went to bed naked last night, too tired to worry about putting on clothes.

I’m sure none of my mates would complain if I came downstairs with no clothes on, but that just seems like a bad idea—especially considering how my family likes to just stop by.

While we’ve been preparing for the battle against Michael, Mom and Wren have been staying with Lucifer.

With Wren getting ready to go to Olympus to wake the gods, I guess we don’t have to worry about finding her a new place just yet.

And I have no idea what Mom plans to do now.

Will she also want to return to Olympus?

I bite the inside of my cheek as tears threaten.

Shit. I hadn’t really considered that before. She might want to be there when her dad wakes, and I can’t even blame her for that.

Sure, part of me feels like everyone is abandoning me, with Wren and Diana going to Olympus, but I know that’s not true. They just have lives of their own.

I need to make sure to ask about Olympus. Maybe I can just pop in for visits from time to time or something .

That reminds me, I have questions for Cassian’s mom and aunts, too. Hopefully, he can put me in contact with them.

Grabbing one of Wraith’s button-down shirts, I pull it on without a bra and roll up the sleeves. I grab a pair of panties and throw on some leggings before gathering my hair into a messy bun.

I really don’t feel like putting in more effort than that, so I head downstairs. Figuring they’ll be in the living room, I head down the stairs.

Their voices trail up the stairs, telling me I’m on the right track as I hurry down. I pause on the last step, a smile painting my lips as I watch the five of them move around the kitchen. They seem to be cooking together, which is kind of adorable.

“Firecracker!” Brenden sets down whatever he’s doing and hurries over to pull me into his arms and kiss me.

He carries me to the kitchen, setting me on the counter out of the way before going back to his task. Wraith, Cassian, and Donovan all take a moment to stop what they’re doing to come over and press a kiss to my lips .

Nex, meanwhile, keeps at his task until I clear my throat. His head jerks up, and I curl my finger at him.

He looks nervous as he sets down the bowl he was stirring, moving around the rest of my mates to come to a stop a few feet from me. “Good morning, gorgeous.”

“I’m not sure we can call this morning,” I say, gesturing to the clock that reads two o’clock. “Now, all my other mates gave me a kiss, but you didn’t. Why not?”

“I…umm…” He looks perplexed. “I didn’t know if that was allowed.”

I roll my eyes. “Get your ass over here and give me a kiss.”

A smile lights up his face as he cages me in his arms, and I lean backward until my back hits the wall.

Then he’s kissing me, and he’s all I can think about.

The kiss is deep and sensual, and now all I want is to get him into my bed.

My legs loop around his hips as I grind my core against his erection.

He lets out a long, drawn-out groan as he pulls back. “As much as I’d love to continue this, we need to eat.”

“Fine, but we’re going to continue this after we’re done. We have a bond we need to complete,” I tell him as I unwind myself from around him.

“Oh, I want in on that,” Brenden calls.

Nex flushes, ducking his head as he moves to pick his bowl back up.

“Do you hear that, gentlemen? You’ll have to keep yourself occupied while Brenden and I bond with Nex again.”

There’s a little bit of grumbling, but they’re all smiling as they agree. All they want is for me to be happy.

We end up having a feast of pancakes, waffles, French toast, omelets, bacon, sausage, ham, and hash browns. I eat twice as much as I usually would before I call it quits.

My eyes meet Nex’s across the table, and I grin. Brenden has me in his arms in seconds before he’s racing up the stairs. Laughter follows us, and so does Nex.

I feel nervous, which seems odd since I’ve already bonded with Nex once. Maybe it’s because our relationship still feels so new after he spent so long fighting it. Or maybe it’s just because I feel like I scheduled sex.

Brenden tosses me onto the bed, and I let out a startled laugh. He’s on me in seconds, tugging at my clothes until I’m naked beneath him .

Then it’s my turn to help him pull off his clothes so that by the time Nex joins us, we’re both naked and ready.

Nex licks his lips, already ripping his shirt over his head and tossing it to the side. He stalks toward the bed, losing his clothing along the way. When he makes it onto the bed, he’s naked.

“I’m going to ask one last time because I need you to be sure. Is this what you both want?”

I roll my eyes. “If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t be standing here.”

Nex nods but doesn’t immediately join us. “I still have a lot to make up for.”

“You don’t—“

“I do,” he says, cutting me off. “You might not think so, but I do. Until I can forgive myself, I will continue using small acts to make amends. I know it isn’t much, but it does make me feel better.”

When I open my mouth to argue with him, Brenden slaps his hand over my mouth. “If that’s what you need to do in order to move on from the past, then we’ll accept that. Plus, who in their right mind is going to turn down a hot breakfast and coffee every morning? ”

I bite Brenden’s palm, but he doesn’t even flinch. I lick it instead, and he finally lets it fall away. “But you will be joining us for breakfast from now on. No more making food and running.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Nex smirks as he climbs onto the bed, kneeling at the foot.

I run my eyes over his broad shoulders before straying down his torso to where his cock rests between his thick, muscled thighs.

I never would’ve guessed that my professor was this built the day I met him.

He hides a lot beneath his professor’s clothes, but I’m grateful for it.

If all those thirsty students knew exactly what he was packing under his clothes, they’d be trying harder to get into his pants.

But he’s mine and Brenden’s, not theirs.

“Come and bond with us, Nex. I don’t like the hole in my chest from when the bond broke. I need you to make it go away.”

“It’ll be my pleasure,” he assures me before his eyes find Brenden. “Do you have any preferences about how this goes?”

Brenden shakes his head. “All I care about is showing both of you how much I love you while we bond with you. ”

Nex nods slowly, his eyes moving between the two of us. “I’d like to bond with the two of you separately if you wouldn’t mind.”

“That’s fine with me. Do you want me to leave so you and Brenden can have time together?” I ask, already climbing off the bed.

“Oh, no, gorgeous. That’s not what I meant. I want both of you here, but I want to fuck both of you so we can bond one at a time. Not that our first bonding wasn’t great, but I’d rather feel one bond at a time.”

I lower myself back onto the bed with a nod. Brenden settles against the headboard, stroking his cock as Nex crawls up the bed to hover over me.

A rush of Nex’s power courses over me, and I throw my head back with a moan. My pussy throbs, begging to be filled as my nipples pebble with need.

Brenden groans along with me, and I want to turn to see if he’s just as turned on as I am, but I can’t force myself to look away from Nex.

“I love you, gorgeous. Even when I was pushing you away, I loved you more than I’ve ever loved anyone.”

Before I can respond, his lips slam into mine. He lowers himself slowly, allowing me to adjust to the weight of his body slowly. I wrap my legs around his hips as his cock slides between my wet folds. Tilting my hips, I move along his length and work both of us up as he devours me with his kiss.

When we break apart, we’re both panting. “Please, Nex. I need you.”

“So impatient,” he says with a smirk, but he reaches between us and notches his cock at my entrance. “Are you ready, my love?”

“So ready.”

Then he’s pushing inside me, spearing me on his length. None of my mates are small, but none of the others are as big as Donovan. But Nex is pretty damn close, and he splits me open so good.

My back arches off the bed, my hands plucking at my nipples as moans spill from my mouth.

All I want is for him to punch into me, fill me up, and then fuck me hard and fast. But Nex seems like he wants to take it slow as he works himself inside of me, an inch at a time.

By the time he’s fully seated, I’m begging him to move.

“Please, Nex. Fuck me. Fuck me hard. ”

He just chuckles, pulling out slowly before pushing back in just as slowly.

“No. No. No.” There’s a bit of a whine to my voice that I hate, but I’m so desperate for him. “We can do it slowly later. Right now, I want to be your mate. I want you to bond with me. I need you to fuck me and make me yours. Please, Nex. Please. Please.”

Brenden chuckles. “You might want to give her what she wants. If you don’t, she’s liable to take over for you. She’s really not known for her patience. Plus, it feels so good when you give in to her demands.”

“Yes. Listen to Brenden. He’s smart.”

Nex lowers his head to kiss me once more. “One day, I’m going to spend an entire day making love to you—fucking you so slowly that it’s going to drive you crazy.”

“Okay. One day—just not today.”