Gabriel’s POV
Oh, Goddess.
What if she knows?
She would have said something by now, right?
I looked at Aria and held my breath. I could feel Nick and Annie were tense as well.
Should I tell her who he was? How do I do that? She just learned about her past. I could see she was confused and afraid. How do I tell her this? What should I do? I needed to make a decision.
“No,” she sighed, and I let out a breath I had been holding. “I have no idea who he is and what he wants with me.”
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
“It doesn’t matter what he wants with you, because he is not getting you,” Nick growled.
Aria looked down at her hands and sighed. I think she didn’t believe that he would not get to her.
“Aria,” I called her. “You are safe with us.”
She didn’t look up at me, but she nodded.
“You know I can feel what you feel even better now,” Nick said. “And I know you don’t believe you are safe here.”
She looked at him and sighed. “I am scared.”
“There is something else,” Nick said and leaned toward her. “I am not sure what. But I can feel it.”
She got off the sofa and walked over to the window.
“I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me,” she said quietly. “As long as that man is looking for me, I am not safe to be around. I am afraid for the people around me, for you.”
Before Nick and I could speak, Annie gasped.
“You want to leave,” she said angrily.
Nick growled loudly.
She turned to look at us and nodded.
“No!” Nick and I yelled at the same time.
She flinched and looked down.
Nick got up and started walking toward her before I could stop him. Shit. He was going to scare her even more.
He grabbed her and wrapped her in a hug. She tensed and tried to get away from him, but he tightened his grip. I started to walk toward them to push him away from her, but he spoke before I could reach them.
“You are not leaving me,” he said softly. “You can’t leave me, Aria.”
She relaxed a bit and wrapped her arms around Nick.
“I won’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to the three of you because of me,” she said quietly.
“And I wouldn’t be able to live without you,” Nick said, not letting go of her.
“The mate bond is too strong, Aria,” Annie said. “You and Nick would be in pain if you left.”
Nick let go of her and kissed her forehead. He led her back to the sofa and she sat back down.
“Annie is right,” Nick said. “Now that I shifted the bond is stronger, it would be painful for us to be apart.”
“But what if something happens?” she asked quietly.
“Do you really think that fucker can go through the two of us?” I said. “I am a powerful warlock, Aria. Nick is a powerful hybrid. He can’t win against us. And that is without the hatred we feel for him. With this hatred, I could kill him just by looking at him, trust me.”
“Hey, what about me?” Annie interfered with a smile. “I am a strong she-wolf.”
Aria chuckled and looked up at the three of us. “Thank you, guys. I feel safer around you. But if at any point he threatens either one of you, I will give him what he wants.”
Nick growled and started shaking. I put my hand on his shoulder to calm him down a bit.
“He will not get a chance to threaten us. He will not get a chance to get to you. You will not have to give him anything. It will not come to that,” I said firmly, looking at her.
She took a deep breath and nodded.
Nick calmed down a bit and ran his hand through his hair.
“Maybe you should stop saying things like that in front of Nick,” I teased. “I would like to keep my furniture intact.”
Aria laughed and shook her head. “This mate bond thing is really something.”
“It is everything. You are everything,” Nick said. “And that is the reason you will not leave me, and I will make sure you are safe.”
She smiled at him, and Annie sighed.
“You two are so cute,” she said lovingly.
Nick chuckled and shook his head. “Nate says we are strong and dangerous, not cute.”
“Yeah, man,” I teased. “Wrapping yourself around Aria and purring was so dangerous. Vicious, really.”
The girls laughed and Nick frowned. “I’ll show you vicious Richardson.”
I gave him a big, challenging smile and Annie laughed. “How about you show him vicious tomorrow? It’s 1 am.”
“Yeah, guys. We need to go to bed,” Aria said and started getting up.
Before she could I pulled her down.
“The four of us need to agree on something,” I said seriously. “From now on Aria and Annie are never alone.”
“Why me?” Annie interrupted me, surprised.
“Did you see what that man did?” I asked her. “I am not letting him get to her or to you.”
“Victor doesn’t want me,” Annie said and looked between me and Nick.
“No, but you still need to be protected, Ann,” Nick said. “That man is sick, and we can’t be sure what he will do to get what he wants.”
“The guys are right, Annie,” Aria said quietly. “I don’t want him to hurt you.”
“Fine,” Annie agreed, but I could see she wasn’t too happy about it.
“Okay,” I said. “That means no more going to the city alone. No more going to the store alone. You can go, but Nick or I have to go with you. Everywhere. Are we clear?”
I looked between Annie and Aria. The girls nodded.
“Great,” I smiled. “Now we can go to bed.”
Annie and I stood up and started walking toward our bedrooms.
“Aria,” I heard Nick calling her. “Can I talk to you?”
Annie smiled at me, and we went upstairs to give them some privacy.
Nick’s POV
“Aria,” I called her. “Can I talk to you?”
I heard Gabriel and Annie walking upstairs, giving us some privacy.
She turned around and smiled. “Sure.”
Goddess, she was so beautiful. Her long hair was in a messy bun and a few loose strands were touching her neck and shoulders. Her green eyes were the color of the summer forest, and I could look at them forever. Her lips were kissable, and I couldn’t wait to know what she tasted like. And she was all mine.
I was staring at her without saying a word for a bit too long, I guess. Maybe I drooled a bit as well. I hope not.
She looked down and chuckled. “Nick?”
“Sorry,” I said. “I was just thinking how pretty you are.”
She laughed and my heart skipped a beat. “What did you want to talk about?”
“I wanted to apologize,” I said.
“For what?”
“For shifting like that,” I sighed and sat back down on the couch. “I wanted to do it differently. I wanted to do it when you were ready.”
She walked back and sat beside me. “It’s okay, Nick. I am sorry you had to see that. I wish I didn’t have to put you through that.”
Goddess, she was so selfless. She had this horrible experience, and she was sad because it hurt me.
I took her hands in mine and she flinched slightly. I rubbed the back of her hand soothingly.
“No, love. Don’t be sorry. I am sorry you had to go through that,” I said. “And I will make sure nothing bad ever happens to you. That is my job now.”
“Thank you, Nick,” she said and looked up.
“Can I ask you a favor?” I said.
“Sure.”
“I know this is going to be hard for you, but please don’t be afraid of me. And Gabriel,” I said. “We both love you and we wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”
She sighed and nodded. “I know that. It is just hard. Sometimes I can’t control my body’s reactions. I know I shouldn’t be afraid, but I am.”
“I know, love. I will wait as long as it takes for you to be comfortable. I just wanted you to know that you shouldn’t be afraid of me,” I said and continued to rub the back of her hand.
I could see that my touch was calming her down. Despite her fear.
“I am sorry,” she said quietly. “I wish I could be the mate you need.”
A single tear rolled down her cheek and my heart broke.
I pulled her in my arms, not caring about her fear. She needed me. And the bond will make her see that.
I hugged her tightly. She fitted perfectly in my arms. She was made for me.
“No, love. You are everything that I need,” I whispered in her ear.
She pulled back from me and wiped her cheeks. “Thank you, Nick.”
“No need to thank me, love,” I said and caressed her cheek with my thumb.
She smiled and I got up. “Okay, time to go to bed.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I will see you tomorrow.”
We walked to the front door, and I turned to her. I hugged her and kissed her forehead.
“Good night, love,” I said. “Lock the door.”
“I will,” she smiled. “Good night, Nick.”
I turned and walked towards my house. Goddess, I wanted to stay with her. I will have to talk to my parents about living at Gabriel’s. I can’t be away from her. Especially now that there was somebody out there that wanted to hurt her, and now that Victor knew about her.
Does he know about Gabriel as well? Why didn’t he try to take them already? What is he waiting for?
I will have to talk to Gabriel about this. And figure out a way to tell Aria the truth. We can’t wait much longer. She has a right to know.
I unlocked the front door and stepped inside. My parents were sitting on a couch, watching a movie.
“Hey, sweetie,” my mom said. “Where have you been?”
“At Gabe’s,” I said and sat on the sofa.
“How is Aria?” my mom asked with a big smile on her face.
My parents were so happy when I told them she was my mate. And my mom couldn’t stop talking about how pretty she was.
I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. “Not so good.”
“Why?” my mom gasped. “What happened?”
I told my parents about what happened to her. They listened to me carefully. I could see the pain and worry in their eyes.
“That poor child,” my dad said when I finished.
“We have to protect her,” my mom said with tears in her eyes.
“Oh, we will. I will,” I said firmly. “But that’s not all.”
My parents looked at me confused.
“There is more?” my dad asked.
I nodded. “She is Gabriel’s twin sister.”
My parents gasped and shock was written all over their faces.
“What?!” my mom muttered.
I told them the whole story. About what Grace had done. All about Victor and Cora. About the prophecy and the power Aria and Gabriel had.
By the time I was done, my parents were sitting there, speechless.
“Does she know?” my father asked after a few minutes of silence.
I shook my head. “Gabriel wanted to wait to tell her.”
“She has a right to know,” my mom said, frowning.
“I know. And we will tell her. We just need to find a way to do that. Especially now,” I sighed.
“We will help you,” my dad said. “We will find out everything we can about Victor and Cora.”
“Thank you, guys,” I smiled. “You are the best parents ever.
“And we will help you protect your mate,” my mom added. “Right, Peter?”
“Of course, Linda,” my dad smiled at her. “She is our family now.”
I smiled at my parents and stood up. “I am going to bed. See you in the morning.”
“Good night, sweetie,” my mom said.
I walked upstairs, took a quick shower, and brushed my teeth. I put on boxers and got under the covers.
I dreamt only about Aria. Her green eyes were looking up at me. Her smile was only for me. Her small body was pressed against mine. I had never been more peaceful.
