I sink rapidly into a land of lust. My morning’s a repeat of our erotic night. Though, he’s different today, less tentative, and more assertive. I’m less glass-like it seems.
During a shower, we explore the realms of our carnal love beneath the rainfall. Fervent currents pass through me with every stroke. My skin shivers and moans cut from my throat I’ve never made before. A low growl rumbles in Nathan chest. His grip on me tightens, nails digging into my thighs. I hiss from the sting. He blinks, and his demon flashes in his eyes, changing his ocean blue into midnight with gray edges.
Even though he warned be about it, I assumed that if I saw it, I’d be prepared, but I prove myself wrong, hearing my worried gasp and experiencing the pang when I rip away from him. I take his hand to calm the beast and ease the pain. He grumbles, and I can tell he’s grateful, but I notice the glimmer in his eyes that, in a way, rejects the serenity.
“Thanks,” he mutters. He pulls back the shower curtain and nods for me to go. “I’ll be out in a second.”
I step out and wrap a towel around myself, feeling drained and in need of a nap. I take in a deep breath and go to Nathan’s bed. He’s out within minutes, and I lay on his bed, watching him zip back and forth from the closet to the bathroom. Clothed, he comes to the bedside, pulling the covers over me. “I’ll be back. Go to sleep. When you wake up, call me. I’ll take you home to see your mom.”
I yawn. “Where are you going?”
“I need to make a few phone calls. Something’s happened at the office, and I need to check on the business.”
“What business?”
“My father’s and mine.”
I turn onto my side and struggle to keep my eyes open. “You own your own business?”
“Yes. A high-profit manufacturing company. We can’t afford for things to go wrong. And I need to handle some family issues.” He looks over at the door. “Watch some TV if you want. I’ll be back soon.”
I watch him go to the door. Someone’s on its other side waiting for him, but I can’t see who. My eyes refuse to focus on anything but the back of my lids, so I pull the covers over my head and give in to sleep.
The darkness is darker than normal―a deep abyss placed in front of me on my journey home. The emptiness stares back at me, daring me to dive in. Not knowing what’s below, it seems as if I would fall forever―a never-ending plunge. I retract, shaking my head as if it were a person requesting my response.
Strong hands grab me around my arms, pulling me near. My person who was created for only me. Night-blue eyes pierce through me, and I hold my peace as they observe me. They aren’t evil or managed. It is what they stand for that makes them frightening. I try to speak, but my words get caught in my throat, choking me.
The darkness crawls up from the abyss. It creeps toward us. I point behind Nathan and motion for us to head in the opposite direction. He reaches out to take my hand and nods toward it. I pull my hands behind my back, refusing to go. Nothing good can lie in what you can’t see.
He smiles wickedly, snatching my hand. His are fire, scorching us. A knot grows in my throat, making it harder to breathe. I clutch it, dropping to my knees from the struggle. He watches me as I crawl backward, shaking my head.
Prowling toward me, his dark eyes reflect his confusion, though he doesn’t speak. I beg him with pleading eyes not to go, to not make us go. He lowers, eye level. He’s beautiful, but it’s the wrong beauty. He’s beautiful because he is supposed to be, not because of the way I see him. His longer hair in the front is slicked back, and the shorter hair has sharpened into needle-like points, threatening a poisonous prick. His head slowly tilts from left to right as if he’s trying to figure me out. Taking in the surrounding air, he backs away, his face losing all expression as the darkness creeps up behind him. Keeping his gaze fixed on me, he soaks it up, desiring to be consumed.
I struggle to climb to my feet. I try to shout “No!” but nothing escapes.
Nathan’s mouth curls into a fiendish grin. He’s satisfied and leaps, flipping backward into the darkness.
The choke is gone. I suck in a breath. Hunched over on the ground, I call his name, but he doesn’t return. I scream for him again, and I’m answered by a thunderous bang. I look around, trying to place it, but nothing shows. It booms, growing louder, shaking the ground.
Screaming over the blaring pounds, I cover my ears and crumple to the quaking earth.
“Tracey, it’s okay! Wake up. It’s okay!”
My eyes shoot open, and I shove the person shaking me away.
“Hey. Hey,” Taylor soothes, rubbing my shoulder. I groan, relieved. She sits beside me.
“Are you okay?” she asks, hands clasped around my arms.
I rub my eyes and grumble. So vivid and real that dream was. I hate to think the stupid phantasms—as my doctor would call them—are coming back, but that was too real; the choking, the eeriness, the blaze of his touch, the fear of my mate. I hate dreaming. When they’re this real, they always land me on a couch, talking to a stranger about my problems. Please don’t resurface, everything is finally okay. I push the thought to the far end of my mind and vow to never bring it up or think about it again.
“Tracey?”
“Yes. I just had a crazy dream.” I pull the covers up to my neck, realizing I’m still in only a towel.
“I’m sorry I walked in, but you were screaming. Nathan sent me to check on you. Once I knocked on the door, your pain flooded into me. I can involuntarily gain someone else’s sensations.”
Giving her a small smile, I say, “No, it’s okay. I’m fine. I guess I was exhausted.”
She stands from the bed, clasping her hands in front of her waist. “Understood. Since you’re okay, I’ll head out of here. By the way, thank you for choosing my brother.”
I narrow my eyes. “Why wouldn’t I choose him?”
“I know he’s included you in on all the details, leaving out the worst parts, but it’s because of the worst parts why you wouldn’t. I admit, he’s changed and is no longer the way he once was. This is a good thing for all of us. And you do something to him. Put that additional stitch in him that holds him together. You take the night out of his eyes.” She looks off, wringing her hands. “Just don’t misapprehend him. If he ever gets mad, just let him. Don’t try to stop him or calm him down. My brother is powerful and capable of doing things none of us knows the full extent of. He’s our family’s number one, and many people fear him because of the things he can do. So it’s best you not stand in his way.”
She’s freaking me out, standing there, pinning me with those bright, amber eyes. The longer she stares they slowly churn emerald. I hope whatever mood she’s feeling is a good one.
“I wish you still had the choice to back out and stay away. He should’ve warned you not to. He should’ve stayed away. But . . . you’re here, and I appreciate you putting a smile on my brother’s face.” Taylor pauses, looking behind her at the door. “Just don’t try to control him, Tracey,” she warns. “That may not end well for either of you.” She leaves, but not before adding, “Rest,” before she closes the door behind her.
I grip the comforter, slipping further beneath the sheets, pulling them over my head. I know Nathan’s strong, and I saw some things he can do. I promised him and myself I would help him, so letting him spaz out is out of the question. Why would I let someone I care about do something I know they would hate themselves for? He warned me, and I’m aware of his flaws. But why would she wish I could back out if she also thinks he’s not a danger to me?
I close my eyes with her words, he’s our family’s number one, and many people fear him circling in my mind. It’s impossible to ignore, and I’ll talk about it with Nathan later. I need answers.
The clock on the nightstand reads 12:40 p.m. I roll out of the bed and head for the shower to wash off Taylor’s words and that weird dream.
Nathan doesn’t miss a beat. Women’s shampoo and conditioner sit on the shower shelves this tim
e. I take them and spend longer than I intend in here, letting the water pound against my clean head. When my hair dries, these curls will be bigger than this bathroom without some product to tame it. I scavenge through Nathan’s drawers and cabinets and find a tube of gel I rake through my hair. Double checking myself in the mirror, I smile at the glowing girl staring back at me.
I leave the bathroom, gaze zeroing in on Nathan seated at his desk.
He doesn’t turn around as he says, “Hi, beautiful. You feeling better?”
A squirm takes hold of my stomach as I control the sudden urge to run to him. Eww, Tracey. Don’t act like that clingy girl just because you all did it. Yes, it was amazing, and yes, I missed him so much, and yes, he looks so hot from the back. But no! You’re not going to be that girl.
I coolly stride over to that side of the bed and sit across from him. “Hey. Yes, I am.”
“Good.” His Mac’s on, and a pen is clutched in his hand as he jots in his notebook.
I pull myself away. In my designated drawer, I find something to throw on. It’s an almost magnetic pull that draws me back to him, and I’m unable to stay away any longer.
I wrap my arms around Nathan’s neck and kiss his cheek. “What are you doing?”
“The figures for the new office opening in a few months.” He lifts my right hand and kisses my palm. “My father needs them done by tomorrow, but I won’t be available.”
“You work for your dad?”
“Eh, I own half and him the other.” He drags the mouse over a blue print slowly rotating on the computer, and dimensions and area costs appear as he does.
“Are you in school?”
“Not right now. I go back when I get bored.”
I straighten, leaving my hands resting on his shoulders. “You graduated?”
“From universities a few times. My degrees are in majors mostly related to business.”
“I’m going to college. Haven’t decided which one yet. My desk at home is crowded with late applications and requests for me to go to a few of the schools here. I usually have my ducks in a row, but I’ve been procrastinating.”
“We can start in the fall after you graduate. We’ll look into a few schools and what you want to major in before your break is over,” he says without looking up from his work.
“Yeah, that would be nice.”
He shakes my hand from his shoulder. “Sorry, your touch is distracting me. It’s potent today. Have you figured out the entirety of your speech yet? You have to have it done by Monday, right?”
“Well, don’t you know it all? I’ve got the beginning and middle. I don’t know how I’m going to close it, though.” I draw my lips to the side, letting the thought of my speech resurface. I’ve been so spaced these last few days.
“If you’d like, I can help you out with it before the week’s out. You’ve got some great points, though. It’s sounding good.”
Giggling, I say, “Surfed through my brain, have you?” He doesn’t reply, and I leave him to his work. My phone alerts me to a text. It’s Mom, checking in. I respond that all is well, and I’m at a friend’s house. I scroll through my phone, looking up ideas that could help me with my speech. Many bring up friends and families, and how hard it can be to separate ourselves from these closely knit relationships. It seems like Nathan’s family is one that’s sewn tightly together. And apparently, he holds an important part in it. Their number one, as Taylor had put it. It’s time I become more acquainted with everyone. “Nathan? I think I’m ready to meet your family.”
He turns in his chair, a half-smile forming on his face. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Why not? I am going to be a part of it, right?”
“You’re already a part of it.” He turns back around. “Give me a couple minutes. We’ll do a meet and greet before I drop you off.”
I grab the remote and sit on the floor, leaning against the bed. The TV flicks on without me doing anything. “Thanks,” I mutter. This ability doesn’t surprise me as much as him turning dead people to sand.
“They don’t have to be dead,” he says, low and amused. “And they more so turn to ash.”
“Save the details, Nathan.”
Hours pass. I watch MTV’s Catfish and wait for Nathan to finish. Just when the fourth show in its marathon’s coming on, he sits beside me, face stressed.
“What?” I ask.
A sting of regret sticks in his eyes. “Don’t be mad,” he states. “I can’t stay with you tonight.” I peep a sound, and he cuts me off. “I’ll be there when you wake up, but there are a few things I need to take care of tonight. I’ve ignored them a little too long, and it’s getting out of hand.”
“Okay, so I’ll come with you,” I say convincingly.
“You won’t want to.”
“Why not?”
“You’ll be uncomfortable. The bond will take effect tonight. It’s why I regret not being able to be there.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because it happens sometime after. I can feel it coming on, like a demanding pull to you. It’s why your touch is driving me crazy today, an overpowering of something, yet I require it. Anyway, it won’t be painful, but the pull may be a little unbearable for the two of us. Your need for me may cause a sting in your chest, something like before, but you should be able to control it.”
My stomach knots. I don’t like the thought of him leaving. Like I’m unwanted.
“If you call me, I have no choice but to come. But I need you to understand I have something I need to handle and it can’t go on past tonight. I’ll check on you and will come by when I finish.”
“And I can’t come with you?”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’ll be a distraction. It’ll already be hard enough for me to focus with us being bound, and feeling you need me and I can’t drop everything to be there.”
I get it, but what’s so important?
“You don’t want to know, Tracey.”
I meet his distressed gaze. I won’t fight him about it, but this will be the only time I’ll be staying away. “Fine,” I give. “Just come as soon as you can.”
He stands, pulling me up with him. “Of course. Maybe we could talk about you coming here once you finish school.”
“Living with you and your family? Wouldn’t that be imposing?”
“No. I told you, my family stays together. That’s why our house is so big. My oldest brother and his wife live here with their two children. My oldest sister, Taylor, and her mate live here. My youngest sister and her husband live here, of course, my other siblings, parents, grandparents, and aunt. Two of my cousins also stay here with their mates.” He knits his brows and threads his fingers through his hair. “There’s enough room for all of us to have our privacy and be comfortable, except in the summer. Notice how we’ve been in the house and not run into anyone. The house isn’t at all empty.”
He has a point. And that would explain why there are so many cars in their garage.
“It’s not something we have to talk about now, and you aren’t obligated to do it. It’s just a suggestion.”
“Okay, we’ll talk about it, and maybe go over that benefit.”
“Cool.” Nathan looks at his watch. “It’s after five. Let’s go meet our family. They’re waiting for you in the great room.”
“Great room?”
“Yes. Don’t freak out if people try to hug you. They’re nice, and only three of us are Burdened, so the others are a little smaller than my sisters and me.”
“Noted. Let’s go.”
The great room is far from Nathan’s room and holds all the meaning behind its name. About the size of a ballroom, an entertainment area, a meeting area, and an area for gathering with large couches sections it off. More people than I imagined sit around, talking and playing a virtual reality game on the TV. They look in our direction as if one of us said hello. I halt, holding my breath as they get up and hurry over to us. Nathan steps back and Tay
lor’s the first to hug me. A man who I suspect to be her . . . mate? He stands behind her.
“Hi, Tracey,” Taylor says, smiling. “Nice of you two to finally join us. This is my mate, Justin.” Justin’s slender, with long, black hair pulled into a braid lying against his back. He says, “Hello,” and waves.
We don’t shake hands with the opposite sex after meeting our mates. It’s uncomfortable until you get used to being a part of the family, Nathan tells me.
I remember the shock from Matthew and the jerk who grabbed my ass at the party.
Yep, that was because of the mating, Nathan says.
Noted. I wave. “Hi, nice to meet you.” A child with doe eyes and a button nose steps in front of Taylor. “Hi there.” I bend over to get eye level with her.
“Hi!” she chimes, bouncing on her toes.
“You are―”
“I know,” she interjects, “soo pretty. I hear it all the time. It’s nice to meet you. You are all Nathan talks about and all the time.” She puts her hand to the side of her mouth and whispers to Nathan, “You were right, she is cute. Don’t screw this up.” She winks at him before turning back to me. “Do you know―” she sings and gets cut off by a woman with dark-brown hair stepping in front of her.
“Okay, Cindy. That’s enough,” she says. “Hi, Tracey. It is nice to meet you. I’m Roseland’s wife, Ann. Roseland is Nathan’s older brother.” She moves to the side, revealing two children. “This is our daughter, Cindy, and our son, Curtis.”
“We’re twins!” Curtis blurts. “Nice to meet you.” He thrusts his little hand out, and I meet it. I forget about how I can shock him, but thankfully I don’t.
“Nice to meet you both. You are very handsome. And yes, Cindy, you are so pretty.” She giggles and thanks me with a hug.
Ann embraces me as who I assume to be Roseland steps forward. His children look just like him, with their deep brown hair and matching eyes. The three of them share angular cheekbones and prominent chins. He says, “Thanks for joining us, Tracey. My brother deserves to have someone on his side. Thank you for choosing him,” he concludes with a kind grin.
Plight: A Dark Paranormal Romance (The Sephlem Trials Book 1) Page 19