Gabriel’s POV
“Will you stop pacing around?” Annie sighed. “You are driving me crazy.”
I just couldn’t calm down. I wanted to talk to Aria. Apologize and explain. But I could feel Nate was on edge and nothing good would come of my insisting on staying in the room with them.
So, I went downstairs into the kitchen with the intention of helping Annie with dinner. But I couldn’t focus and ended up almost burning the sauce she was making. She almost threw me out of the kitchen.
“I am just nervous,” I mumbled.
“She is fine,” Annie said. “I am surprised she lasted this long.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, my eyes narrowing.
“I would have broken down much, much sooner,” Annie said and turned to look at me. “I am amazed at how she managed to keep it all together.”
She was right. Aria’s whole life turned out to be one big, fat lie. She was in danger. She was scared. And she never complained. She never told us. She had been keeping all of that inside. Until she couldn’t anymore.
“You are right,” I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
Annie nodded and turned back, getting the plates out of the cupboard.
“Is dinner ready?” Nick asked, walking into the kitchen with a big smile on his face. “I am starving.”
My eyes immediately went to Aria, who walked in behind him. I let out a relieved breath and ran toward her. I picked her up and wrapped her in a tight hug.
“I am so sorry,” I whispered. “I love you.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and chuckled.
“It’s okay,” she said.
“Thank Goddess you came downstairs,” Annie said. “He was driving me crazy.”
Aria started wiggling in my arms, and I placed her back on her feet. I cupped her cheeks with my hands and looked her in the eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“I am,” she said and gave me a small smile.
I kissed her cheek and let go of her.
We walked to the table and sat down.
“Do you need help, Ann?” Aria asked her.
“No,” Annie said and turned around slightly to smile at Aria. “Don’t worry, A. Just relax. I will do everything.”
Aria leaned back in her chair and gave a small smile to Annie. She was not crying anymore, but I could see she was still hurting.
Jacob, Blake, and Cassie walked inside the kitchen.
“Hey, honey,” Cassie said and walked over to Aria. “Are you okay?”
Cassie wrapped her arms around Aria from behind.
“I am, Cass,” Aria said. “Thank you for being there for me.”
“We will always be there for you, Minnie,” Jacob said and sat down at the table.
“Thank you, Jake,” Aria said. “I am really sorry.”
“Why?” Jake asked her and raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“I don’t want to be a burden,” Aria sighed. “I shouldn’t have broken down like that.”
“You are not a burden,” I said, somewhat angrily.
How could she think she was a burden? How could she be sorry for showing her emotions?
“Gabriel is right, love,” Nick said and took her hand in his. “You are not a burden. And you should always tell us how you are feeling and what you are thinking.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Minnie,” Jake added.
“I am surprised you lasted this long, A,” Annie jumped in. “I told Gabriel I would have cracked much sooner. You have been pushing your emotions back and you shouldn’t have.”
“You are right, Ann,” Aria mumbled.
“Don’t do that again,” I told Aria. “Talk to us. Don’t hold back anymore, please. We love you and we want to help.”
She looked up at me and smiled. “Okay. I will.”
I smiled back at her and placed my arm around her shoulders. I pulled her to me and kissed the top of her head.
Annie started serving dinner. She made pasta with pesto sauce and garlic bread.
“Should we wait for Mike and Jack?” Cassie asked.
“No,” Annie said and sat down at the table. “Mike texted. They will be late. He said we should eat.”
We nodded and started to fill up our plates. Annie was an amazing cook. Everything was delicious.
“When will you be leaving?” Nick asked Annie with his mouth full.
Annie looked up at him and laughed. “Maybe you should swallow first.”
Nick frowned and started chewing faster.
“Where are you going?” Aria asked, looking between Annie and Nick.
Cassie stopped eating as well and looked at Annie. I forgot that they didn’t know about the trip to find Patricia.
“Mike, Jack, and I are leaving tomorrow morning to find Patricia,” Annie told Aria.
Aria’s eyes widened. “What?”
“We decided it would be best for the three of us to go,” Annie explained.
“Why?” Aria asked her. “It could be dangerous, Annie. I don’t want you to go.”
“Nothing will happen to me with Mike and Jack,” Annie said.
“She will be fine, Aria,” I added. “Don’t worry.”
Aria turned to look at me. “But why her? Why does she have to go?”
“Because I want to, A,” Annie said, and Aria looked back at her. “Mike, Jack, and I don’t have magic. The rest of you do. You need to stay here and practice. We need to go and find her.”
Aria frowned and looked down at her plate.
“You have to call us all the time,” Cassie said.
“Don’t worry,” Annie smiled. “Gabriel already made me promise to call him every day.”
“Twice,” I added sternly.
Annie laughed and nodded. “Yes, sir.”
I shook my head and continued eating my dinner.
“When are you leaving?” Aria asked Annie.
“Mike said around 7 am,” Annie responded.
Aria nodded and continued eating.
When we finished eating and praising Annie for the awesome meal she made, Nick took Aria’s hand in his and pulled her up.
“You need to rest, love,” he said. “Let’s go to bed.”
Aria nodded and started following him.
I stayed to help Annie clean up before walking upstairs to my bedroom.
Aria’s POV
“Shower or bath?” Nick asked me when we walked inside our room.
“Shower,” I said.
“Good,” he smiled and kissed my cheek. “You go first.”
I smiled at him and walked into the bathroom. I closed and locked the door behind me before taking my clothes off. I turned the shower on and waited for the water to warm up.
As soon as the warm water touched my body my muscles relaxed. I stayed in the shower until the water ran cold. I wrapped a towel around my body and brushed my teeth.
I wanted to put my pajamas on, but I realized I had forgotten to bring them with me.
“Shit,” I muttered quietly.
“Love?” Nick’s worried voice came from the bedroom. “Is everything okay?”
I guess I wasn’t as quiet as I thought.
“I forgot my pajamas,” I said.
“Oh!” he chuckled. “Wait a second.”
He knocked on the door, and I opened it a little. He looked down at my body through the opened door. He smirked playfully and handed me my pajamas.
“Thank you,” I said as I felt my cheeks heat up.
I closed the door quickly and I heard him laugh. I shook my head and put on my pajamas.
I opened the door and walked inside the bedroom. Nick was lying on the bed. One of his arms was under his head and he held his phone in the other. His eyes immediately darted to my bare legs.
“You are a sight for sore eyes, my love,” he said, not looking away from my body.
I rolled my eyes and chuckled. “Are you going to shower?”
“Yes,” he smiled and jumped off the bed.
He walked over to me and kissed my lips gently. I melted under his touch and immediately wanted more of him.
He broke the kiss too soon and walked inside the bathroom.
I sighed and walked over to the bed. I got under the covers and laid down on my back. I can’t believe I broke down like I did. I was always very good at keeping my emotions inside. I was always good at keeping my thoughts to myself. I had no idea what happened to me today. I guess it was just too much. And being around Jake and Cassie made me feel safe, and it allowed me to express my emotions. They were always my safe place, and I could always be myself around them.
I heard the door to the bathroom open, and I looked at Nick.
He was wearing gray sweats only. I could see little drops of water running down his naked chest and disappearing into the waistband of his pants. He was perfect. I started breathing faster and I could feel tingles in my lower belly.
He was drying his wet hair with a towel, and he still hadn’t looked up at me. I was glad he didn’t. I was staring at him shamelessly, and I knew my cheeks were bright red.
“You know I can smell your arousal, right?” he said suddenly and looked at me with a lustful smirk on his face.
My eyes widened. Shit.
Can he really do that, or was he lying?
He tossed the towel into the bathroom and walked over to the bed. I watched his muscles contract in complete awe.
He leaned in and placed his hands on either side of my head.
“If you keep looking at me like that, nothing will stop me from taking you tonight,” he said in a deep husky voice.
It only made me want him more. I could feel something wet between my legs.
“Fuck, Aria,” he said as his eyes blackened.
He leaned in and kissed me. It wasn’t as sweet as before. It was desperate and filled with passion. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to me.
He groaned in my mouth and spread my legs so he could lie between them. His hand started roaming my body gently, and I felt sparks fly all over me.
I moaned in his mouth which made him pull away from me.
He looked down at me as he breathed heavily. “We have to stop, love. I won’t be able to control myself if we continue.”
I nodded and looked down at his perfect chest. I traced the outline of his muscles with my fingers. He was soft and hard at the same time.
“Fuck,” he growled. “This doesn’t count as stopping.”
He watched my hand and his breathing picked up.
I raised my hand to cup his face and I brought his lips down on mine.
“I want to be yours soon,” I whispered, my breathing fast and irregular. “Completely.”
I really wanted to. I think I was ready now, but I didn’t want to rush things. I had a hard day, and I didn’t want him to think I did it just to feel better. I wanted him to know I needed him just as much as he needed me. He was my mate and I wanted to accept this bond completely.
He growled and pulled me to his body, kissing me even harder than before.
After a few moments, he stopped kissing me and laid down beside me, panting hard.
I turned to look at him and smiled.
“You changed me, you know,” he said, looking up at the ceiling. “Not just me. Gabriel as well.”
“How?” I asked him, confused.
“We were hollow before you,” he said. “Gabriel was filled with rage and guilt over losing his grandma. I was lost and drunk most of the time. We spent our days drinking at the club or at home and fucking random girls.”
My heart clenched painfully at his words. I could feel jealousy building up. I knew he had girls before me. I told him I wouldn’t judge him for his past, and I won’t. But I couldn’t help this feeling.
He turned to look at me and smiled. “Don’t be jealous, beautiful. You are all I need now.”
I looked at him confused. How did he know I was jealous?
“I can feel your emotions, remember?” he smiled and cupped my cheek. “You can feel mine too. You just need to focus.”
“Oh,” I smiled. “I guess I forgot.”
He smiled at me and rubbed my cheek with his thumb.
“What did I do?” I asked him.
This time he looked confused.
“How did I change you and Gabriel?” I explained my earlier question.
“You gave us a purpose,” he smiled. “You gave us something to care about. Gabriel thought he was alone in this world. He thought he was to blame for losing the only family he had. And then he found you. And it gave him a purpose. He wants and needs to protect you. I guess that’s why he is too much at times.”
I could understand that. He blamed himself for Claudia’s death. I was his second chance at a family, and he couldn’t lose me too, just like I couldn’t lose him.
“What about you?” I asked him.
“You gave me something to love,” he smiled. “I have never loved a woman before. I’ve never loved anyone except my parents and Gabriel. But I love you. And I couldn’t be happier with you in my life. I am not sure what I did to deserve you, but I am not losing you.”
I smiled and turned my hand to kiss his palm.
“Gabriel and I weren’t the nicest people before you,” he continued. “We were ruthless. We enjoyed making people suffer. But you changed that. You made us better people. And nothing and no one will take you away from us.”
He leaned in and kissed me, making my whole world spin.
