“So why have you invaded my shower if you don’t want to join me?”
“Thaddeus,” I tell him.
“Argh. Let me guess; you tried to leave.” I nod and suddenly, I hear the shower turn off.
Orion opens the glass door, reaches out, and grabs the towel next to me on the sink. He wraps the towel around his waist and stands there for a second, then pushes my legs open to stand between them, making me look at him.
“You’re safe here, Evelyn. You don’t need to run. Thaddeus isn’t so bad once you get to know him,” he says.
“He destroyed the world. How can you say that? He has killed innocent people, Orion,” I snap back.
Orion sighs. Before he can say anything, the door handle twists and snaps off, landing on the tiled floor with a loud clunking noise. Thaddeus steps in and leans on the door as if he has no worry in the world. I hold my breath as his eyes watch us and the position, we are standing in.
“We will be leaving in the morning. You should get some sleep before sunrise,” he says, watching me. He looks at Orion, his eyes roaming over his mate’s body, and I can see the lust in his eyes. Is he insatiable? He has spent all night in the room with Ryland. Orion steps back, grabbing my hand, pulling me off the sink. Thaddeus doesn’t move from the doorway; he just turns so we can walk past. Orion tugs me toward their room, and I stop. Thaddeus runs into my back, nearly knocking me over.
“What’s wrong?” Orion asks when I refuse to go any further.
“I’m not sleeping in there with them.” I hear Thaddeus growl. It is a guttural sound, primal. My hair stands on end, and I shiver.
“You will be sleeping in the room, Evelyn. I won’t have you trying to run off again,” Thaddeus says, pushing me toward the door.
“No, no, please, I won’t run,” I tell him as he drags me into the room.
Orion puts on a pair of pants. He then walks over to Thaddeus and places his hand on his shoulder. “Let her sleep in the living room. I will watch her,” he says, reassuring Thaddeus.
Thaddeus eyes me for a moment and finally lets me go. “If she escapes, I will hold you responsible,” he warns, and Orion nods. After the rather tense moment, Orion drags me out of the room.
“What time is it anyway?”
“A little after two. Go hop on the couch; I will get you a blanket and pillow.”
I walk over to the couch and flop down on it. Orion walks out, putting a comforter over me and handing me a pillow. I feel a fog roll over me as Orion sits on the couch, flicking the TV on. He scrolls through the channels until he finally sets on some movie in a foreign language.
“Sleep. I won’t leave, I promise,” he says, placing my feet on his lap and covering them with the blanket. My mind gets foggy and my eyelids heavy as I feel exhaustion wash over me. My eyes close, and I am plunged into the darkness of sleep.
T
haddeus
When the sun rises, I am awoken by Ryland, moving in his sleep, his hand reaching out for me. Sitting up, I rub my eyes. I can hear Orion rustling around in the kitchen. Throwing the blanket off, I open the bedroom door.
Orion puts his finger to his lips, making me look over at the couch. I can see Evelyn still fast asleep with the comforter wrapped around her. Slowly, I approach the couch, bend down, lifting her head to sit down, and remove her pillow.
Her scent is making my mouth water, and longing fills me. I just want to hold her, yet doing that scares me. Evelyn is so fragile, and sometimes I forget she is merely a human. I can practically smell her humanity.
At first, I had my doubts that she was human. Never in history has a human being mated to a supernatural being, yet here she is, living proof that nothing is impossible.
I listen to her breathing and heart rate, brushing her hair from her face, and she turns to roll in her sleep, her face rubbing my crotch. I try to shift, but she continues to move, trying to get comfortable. My dick is hardening as it twitches under her. This delicate little thing does not know the effect she has on me, even while sleeping.
Orion walks over, leaning over the back of the couch to check on her. Looking up, he kisses me softly. “You won’t break her. She isn’t as fragile as she looks, Thaddeus,” he tells me, and I nod, looking back down at her.
Leaning down, I inhale her scent; she shifts, her eyes flutter open, and I find myself lost in her hazel eyes, mesmerized by them. I hear her heart rate rise, the blood pulse through her veins, and practically see the cogs turning in her head.
She sits up, alarm on her face, but she can’t pull her eyes from mine, like she is unsure if she should run or freeze. Ryland walks out, snapping her attention to him.
I know he woke up from feeling her fear. She will feel the bond they are forming slightly, while he feels her completely, and I can feel her fear through him.
“I won’t hurt you. I just wanted to be near you,” I tell her.
She looks at me curiously. I watch as she gets up, instantly missing her contact. She walks over to Orion and I feel jealousy surge through me.
I understand she has been around him more, used to his presence in a way. Yet it doesn’t stop me from feeling anger at him. Orion hands me a plate, raising an eyebrow, and I shake my head, shaking off the feeling that comes over me.