Night Aberrations - An Adult Paranormal Romance (Night Aberrations Series)

by Nelson, JD

  I turned around to find a questioning look on his face. Sighing, I rolled my eyes. “Don’t ask. You know, I think I can see a mortification pattern developing between us.”

  He laughed. “Quite, little one, quite. Now if,” he quirked an eyebrow toward the jacket, “you are ready. I would like to introduce you to the rest of the warriors before dinner is called.”

  Soren showed me the house and the grounds while we waited on the others to arrive. I was very nervous to meet them. After the frigid reception with the staff (except for Cedric, of course), I really hoped that they would be friendly.

  Soren put his arms around me from behind and whispered in my ear. “You have me, Emelie.”

  I put my shield back up for the forty-billionth time. “Thanks for that. I really appreciate you taking me in to your home. You didn’t have to.”

  “Nonsense, Anders was a treasured friend. How could we not? We will always protect you in any way we can.”

  I felt another twinge of bitter disappointment at his words, and then silently berated myself for it. What was I expecting, a declaration of love? I was reading way too much into his actions. Sure, he said he dreamt of me, and he slept naked with me, but he could sleep naked every day of his life for all I knew. In addition, there was that whole pesky engaged thing in between us.

  “Here they come now.” Soren walked to the edge of the tree line and sighed deeply. “Oh, for the love of the Norse. Brace yourself, Emelie.”

  I got “Wh—” out before I was bowled over by a huge silver and black wolf-like creature. I panicked and started screaming like a banshee. The wolf, noticing my distress, decided licking my face with his giant tongue would remedy the situation.

  “Get it off of me!” I yelled to Soren and tried to buck the creature off.

  “That is enough, Fenrir!” He boomed.

  I’d never seen Soren truly angry before. With his red eyes glowing and electricity sparking dangerously around him, he was both terrifying and awe inspiring.

  The wolf, apparently sensing his immediate demise, stepped to the side, and I scrambled up, brushing dirt and leaves from my clothes.

  “We’re so sorry. Our friend got overly excited when he saw you were here. We so rarely get visitors.”

  I looked up from my filthy sweater to find two tall, dark, and handsome males between Soren and the wolf—who was now wagging his tail like a well-behaved retriever and wearing an adorable grin—the mutt.

  The males looked very similar to one another. They both were very tan with short-cropped black hair and emerald green eyes. They had to be dark elf brothers. “It’s okay, but I think I just realized that I’m more of a cat person.”

  The brother on the right stepped forward and shook my hand. “You must be Emelie. We’ve heard so much about you. My name is Viggo, and this is my brother, Jakob.”

  “It’s nice to meet you. Soren, I thought you said there were three people that you wanted me to meet?”

  “I’m starting to regret that decision.” He replied, and then turned to glare at the wolf. “Are you done, Fenrir?”

  I gasped when the wolf turned to a male with a pop. He was blonde, gorgeously muscled, and naked.

  You know, a girl could get use to all these gorgeous, naked males.

  He was tall just like the others, but with ice blue eyes and shaggy light-brown hair. I don’t think I’ve ever thought of a male as mouthwatering before, but if he was on the menu, I was definitely hungry and my fangs were letting me know it.

  He extended his hand. “Hi there, call me Nils.”

  For one excruciatingly long moment, I thought I would bite him. I wanted to taste him; I needed to taste him. My brilliant response to his introduction was to growl.

  Luckily, Jakob snorted and it distracted me. Thank goodness. Maybe it was the adrenaline still pumping in my veins, but Nils made me hungry for his blood like no one else ever had before.

  Viggo laughed. “Emelie, the face you’re making is hilarious. You look like a starving person who’s had a steak put in front of you.”

  Okay, that was just embarrassing.

  Nils put his arm across my shoulders and led me towards the house. Leaning against me with a wistful look, he whispered, “I thought you were going to snack on me. I must be losing my charm.”

  I laughed. “Oh, I don’t think you’re in any danger of that.”

  Humor twinkled in his blue eyes. “Good. Come on, Em. I’m starving myself.”

  He led me through several doors and seated me at the head of a long rectangular dinner table, sitting so close to me that our legs touched. The others filed in after us.

  Soren sat on my other side, giving Nils looks that would probably kill a normal male. Nils was far from normal; he was intensely male, intensely sexy, and had a side of mysterious wildness that really made my mouth water.

  I didn’t realize that I was staring at him until Soren kicked me under the table. Embarrassed, I mumbled, “I’m sorry” to everyone and closed my eyes until I was relaxed enough to will my fangs back into their proper place.

  Viggo caught my eyes when I reopened them. “Don’t be embarrassed, Emelie. All elves have moments of weakness. With all the magic now coursing through you, I can imagine it’s very hard to control your new impulses.”

  Nils smiled suggestively. “Yeah Em, if you bite me, I won’t hold it against you. I prefer a more direct approach.”

  In a flash, Soren grabbed Nils’s head and slammed it on the tabletop. I shrieked and toppled backward in my chair, graceful as ever.

  Soren crouched down beside me with a concerned look. “Are you okay?”

  With an addled smile, I answered him. “As soon as I pick the mahogany splinters out of my ass, I will be.”

  Laughter erupted from the rest of the table and I laughed along with them. I thought to myself, ‘It is what it is’.

  After an awkward dinner full of not so subtle innuendo from Nils, and Soren’s occasional muttering about him being an imbecile, I noticed Jakob was about to go outside to smoke. I asked him if I could bum a cigarette and found that both Soren and Nils strongly disapproved of the habit. They were shooting chastising glares at me as I walked out the door with Jakob.

  “You’ve got a couple of ardent admirers in there.” Jakob observed.

  “You think so, I’m not so sure. I’m almost positive that Nils is just horny and looking for someone to sleep with, and Soren keeps himself at a distance from me at all times. I hardly think either one of them will be whisking me away for some happily ever after anytime soon.”

  He raised his brows. “You don’t?”

  I looked in the French doors and saw them finishing a terse conversation that ended with Nils looking pissed. Soren looked…well, like Soren. Damn, that male was cool—nothing fazed him.

  “Oh, I don’t think that Soren likes me that way. Nils, on the other hand, might like me, but he seems like the playboy type. I don’t date players. Besides, it’s all moot anyway. You know who I have to marry.”

  “I do, and it’s a damn shame. I want this ridiculous war between our people to end, but it’s unforgivable that you’re the one who has to pay for your parent’s mistake. Honestly, I don’t know what they were thinking when they ran off.” He offered his cigarette pack to me.

  I waved it away. “No thanks, I don’t smoke. I just wanted some air.”

  “Hmmm. Don’t think they’re admirers, huh?” He chuckled.

  I sighed. “I don’t know what to think. Any ideas?”

  He ground his cigarette butt under his heel. “Nope.”

  “Me either.”

  We walked back inside just as Cedric brought in coffee. I accepted my cup and perched on the edge of a wingback chair next to Soren. He leaned toward me once I had settled. “Emelie, I have to leave for a few days.”

  Alarmed, I yelled. “Why?”

  Every eye in the room turned to us. “Sorry.” I mumbled.

  “I have to follow up on a lead I received. I think I might b
e able to find the doppelgänger.”

  “Oh.” I was glad he was close to getting some answers, but I didn’t want him to leave. What if that thing hurt him?

  “Awwwww,” Jakob and Viggo chorused.

  “Should I go pack your Hello Kitty Band-Aids with your daggers?” asked Viggo teasingly.

  Nils rolled his eyes.

  Shit. They must be the two black elves with telepathy Soren had mentioned before. “Alright, that’s enough. Stay out of my head, why don’t you?”

  Soren was smiling like the cat that ate the canary.

  “What?” I asked, uncertain. He hardly ever smiled; it couldn’t be a good thing.

  “Nothing, never mind, I’ve invited your mother’s friend, Katrine, to stay while I’m gone. I think she may be able to give you a boost with your Norn magic.”

  Katrine, I’d heard of her, of course. My mother talked about her like she was a sister, but I’d never met her. “Okay, that’s good.”

  Nils, not able to be less than the center of attention for long, piped up that we should play some cards. He, of course, suggested strip poker, but in the end, we settled on regular poker, which I sucked royally at (no pun intended) because of my poor ability to shield. I alternated between playing cards and stoking the fire for a couple hours until I could no longer keep my eyes open anymore.

  Soren shook me awake sometime later and took my hand. “Come on, sleepyhead.”

  I managed to make my way out of the parlor and stumble my way up the stairs to the bedroom with him before collapsing face first into the bed.

  There was a sudden sharp knock on the bedroom door and I jumped up scaredy-cat-like. Soren laughed heartily at my expense, he was still shaking his head when he opened the door and stepped outside.

  I could only make out a few of the words Nils was saying to Soren through the door—none of which I felt were appropriate for any situation. However, Soren seemed to be purposely raising his voice so I could hear their argument. That was nice; it kept me from actually having to get off the bed in order to eavesdrop.

  “Nils,” I heard him say sternly. “You are wasting your time here. She’s given you no sign that she is interested in you for anything more than friendship. You, of all people, should respect that she is betrothed, and you know damn well that even if she weren’t, I would claim her myself. She was my chosen one before Kristian was born; I shouldn’t have to tell you this.”

  Never in my wildest dreams would I have even considered that Soren had really been my Fated, it was too good to be true.

  The doorknob rattled and I quickly put on a face that feigned innocence.

  Soren reentered the room as if nothing was amiss. He laughed, grabbed my booted foot, and gave it a yank. “At least take your shoes off first.”

  I grumbled, as I pushed myself upright. “If I have to.”

  Under the guise of taking off my boots, I watched him as he walked to the other side of the bed and got undressed, carefully folding his jeans and t-shirt and laying them on a chair. Thankfully, he left his boxers on this time.

  I took off my own jeans, but couldn’t find a place to put them that didn’t involve me traipsing half naked across the room, so I threw them on the floor and climbed under the covers, snuggling right up to Soren and his now familiar warmth. Sleep was instantaneous.

  In what felt like seconds later, he woke me by reaching to turn off the bedside lamp. I protested this annoyance by whining at him like any mature adult would do in my situation.

  “I’m sorry to disturb you, your majesty.” Soren joked in a reverent tone.

  “That is not funny on so many levels, Soren.” I groused.

  He turned to face me and I mimicked him. I could barely see his lips move in the darkness. “I will miss you when I leave tomorrow.”

  Even though I heard Soren say he was my original intended only minutes ago, I was still surprised by his admission. I tried to think back to any romantic signs I’d overlooked leading up to this. He was a little more touchy-feely towards me, but that was typical of any creature from the Norse and certainly did not always equate love. Actually, he’d never shown any of his other emotions to me, besides lust, pity, sarcastic humor, and anger. I’d assumed he just didn’t think of me that way because of my youth, or my impending marriage. Jakob was right.

  His hand snaked up and stroked my cheek. “Are my attentions unwanted, Emelie?”

  That question sparked an internal debate between right and wrong that I knew would never have a real winner. I knew I should say yes; I was fated to Kristian, after all, but I couldn’t. There was only one answer I could give Soren. “No, I welcome your attention.”

  What can I say? I’m a glutton for punishment.

  He rolled us until he was on top of me and said, “Good.” before taking my mouth with his.

  I don’t remember much after that moment. The second his lips touched mine, his magic bombarded me and my own magic came to life. The connection between us was so intense, I felt like I was drowning in it. I started to hyperventilate and Soren broke the kiss, pushing himself onto his hands and knees to give me some room to breathe.

  “Emelie, I’m sorry. I got carried away.”

  I answered him in a small breathy voice with my eyes still tightly closed. “It’s…okay…I wanted…you.”

  He lay down beside me and pulled me into the crook of his arm. “Sleep, love.”

  Love. I smiled; I still hadn’t opened my eyes. “You say that like I have a choice.”

  Soren had already left when I woke the next morning. In his place, I found a beautiful flower, a Lily of the Valley, arranged on his pillow. As I lay staring at it, I racked my brain to remember what it meant. I was almost positive that in the Language of the Flowers book my mother used to have, it said that it signified the return of happiness. Perhaps that was a little wishful thinking on my part, but how often does a gorgeous male kiss you senseless, expect nothing in return, and still leave a flower for you to wake up to in the morning?

  I reached over to pick up the bloom and realized it was pinned to a note. It said simply, Await my return.

  “Morning, Sunshine.” Nils said, as he came in the door—without knocking, I might add.

  He stopped when he noticed the flower I was holding, and became visibly upset. I must have been right about the meaning.

  I was almost on the verge of panic when, strangely, he sniffed the air and then became obviously relaxed. I took that as a good sign.

  “What’s up, Wolf?”

  “I’m supposed to teach you magic 101 today, but if you’d rather stay in bed, I could be coaxed into joining you. You do look like you could use a little breakfast.”

  He sat opposite me so that his neck was in my direct view. Against my will, my fangs sprung out. He was purposely trying to get me to bite him. What a jackass.

  “Nils, I can’t.”

  “It’ll be fun.” He urged in a sing-song voice.

  “For me, maybe. What would you get out of it?”

  He motioned to his raging hard-on. “Maybe you’ll help me get rid of this?”

  “The hell I will.” I laughed. “I am not helping you get rid of that.”

  “It’ll be fun.” He reiterated in song.

  “Nils take that ‘thing’ somewhere else. You’re trying to plant your proverbial flag pole in virgin territory over here.”

  “I think you just gave me an aneurysm, Emelie. Fuck, you’re hot.”

  Nuh uh, he was the hot one. I was about to have a heart attack over here.

  “Look degenerate; go so I can get dressed.”

  He tsked me. “No parting gifts? I was willing to be your breakfast, Emelie. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself, even just a little bit? Where’s that American hospitality that I hear so much about?”

  Oh, he was playing dirty. Well, you know what they say. I gave him a lusty, fanged smile and leaned close into his neck. “Wolf, you want a parting gift, do you?” I whispered, slowly.

  Cautiously, he n
odded.

  “Okay, I want you to go to you room, put your hand on that enormous, hard cock and stroke it for me.”

  He swallowed.

  “I want you to imagine my fangs deep inside your neck while you are deep inside of me. Do you think you can do that?”

  “Right fucking now!”

  “Then, go.”

  He disappeared and I fell forward onto my hands, laughing. Nils was such a horn-dog. If he actually showed up later for what he called Magic 101, I really, really hoped he would be sans erection.

  —Chapter Four—

  I don’t know what could be taking Nils so long. I waited under the tree for him for half an hour before I started picturing him lighting candles to set the mood for his masturbation and giggling hysterically to myself. I was probably going to Hell for what I did to him, but damn if he didn’t deserve it—the perv.

  After another few minutes, I gave up on him. I didn’t have all day. I closed my eyes and tried to remember the steps Soren told me to take to cast enchantments. Let’s see? Relax your mind, let the energy surge through you, and release the power built up—thinking of nothing, but what you want to accomplish. That sounded simple enough. I’m sure I’ll find a way to screw it up somehow.

  “Hello, Emelie,” said a familiar voice from behind me.

  I shrieked and pivoted around. “Kristian, you startled me!”

  He held his elegant hands up in surrender. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  “It’s…okay,” I panted, still trying to catch my breath. My heart was racing out of my chest. The connection that we’d had before was back and it seemed amplified by a thousand, now that I had some of my own magic.

  I kissed his cheek, enjoying the frission of electricity that raced across my lips when they touched his skin. “I didn’t expect you to visit so soon, I thought that you would be out enjoying the daylight.”

  He smiled at me somberly. “I am out enjoying it. How would I have been able to have the joy of seeing your beautiful hair in the sunlight if I were not here? You were made for the light, Emelie.”