It didn't take long for Audrey's emotions to switch from fear and frustration to something else.
Something that released sparks of heat from her heart and sent flames creeping down her body.
For one thing, she soon noticed how good it felt being wrapped in arms so lean and strong, but shealted in soft, velvety skin.
The way her delicate body merged with his, all six foot or so hardness of him, sparked exhilaration to her senses.
She felt the thrum of his beating heart against her own, moving in tandem with each other as if they were opposite ends of the same engine, powering one gigantic machine.
So close they stood with barely an inch of cloth between them that they might as well had been one.
Electric current sizzled over the places where they met, connecting them with static nodes, spreading chills down her arms.
And, dear God, his fragrance was something else entirely.
Just the right amount of muskiness and sandalwood mixed together to make a natural blend that she would forever attribute to him.
Though different from that of his twin, it left the same taste on her tongue; sweet and savory, and wrought ecstatic havoc to her ironclad resolve.
She wanted to be close to him. Just as much as she needed to steer clear.
This acute awareness of someone had never happened before.
Not even with Nickolas, if she was sincere.
No, her relationship with Nick was one of comfort and kindness, of balance and companionship. They complimented each other in ways that seemed impossible but bearable.
Alphas Tristan and Deckard flourished disorder in her. A wildness beyond what she could ever control.
Their mere presence attacked her both physically and emotionally. Their reach went far beyond her comfort zone, streaking to places and desires buried deep within her. To her long dormant cravings and fierceness.
Could they actually be her mate? Two of them all at once for just her? The equation sounded improper.
Mighty men, each powerful in their own right. Ferocious and hot. Forget that they looked the same. Every other thing about them contrasted in the most obvious possible way.
The thought of being with them was scary. And beyond exciting.
Being their fated mate could only be possible if she were a werewolf.
And Audrey was most definitely not one. She should know. She'd lived for more than twenty years without any issues or confusion about her nature as a human.
All these was just some misunderstanding she needed to set straight for her to move on with her peaceful life. Her planned future with her true love, Nickolas.
It took all her willpower to detach herself from Tristan. Immediately, something deep within her protested and she shivered when she looked up to meet his gaze on her. Eyes clouded by something that ignited the flames yet again.
"Are you ok?" His voice, normally tinted with humor and carefreeness, flowed with sincere concern.
Audrey had to put a little more distance between them before she could speak. "No, I'm not."
He raised an eyebrow, luscious lips hinting at a smile. "You want me to hug you again, right? You know you don't need to ask."
She gritted her teeth, looking everywhere else but his face. "I didn't ask for it before."
"Let's not forget how you clung to me like your lifeline and the good number of minutes you spent crying on my shoulder. Your arms almost squeezed the life out of me. I'll be bruised for days."
"I won't be here, all distraught and afraid, if you and your brother hadn't interrupted my wedding and abducted me to this woods." The frustration in her voice stemmed from so many places it was almost overwhelming.
Tristan shrugged. "You didn't give us much choice. The sight of you for the first time almost killed us. You won't understand what I mean."
She shook her head. "That would just join the long queue of things I don't understand at the moment."
A cold gust of wind slammed into her and she shivered, wrapping her arms around her body. The night was brewing up to be a cold one.
Tristan considered her for a bit before shrugging out of his suit jacket. His every movement fluidic and pleasing to watch.
He threw the jacket around her and put her arms through it like it was the most natural thing in the world. It covered her with more room to spare.
Audrey would've liked to protest but his residual body heat warmed her up immediately. Her breathing calmed as she inhaled his scent. Somehow, a good chunk of her anger dispersed.
"Hope you don't expect me to thank you. You're the reason I'm here, remember?"
His head cocked to the side in thoughts. "You don't strike me as the ungrateful and rude type. I conclude that you're simply reacting to stress and the growling from your empty stomach. You could start a record label with your bowels."
Redness creeped over her cheeks and she looked away. "I'm not hungry." A lion chose that exact moment to growl from her midriff, startling even her from how wild it sounded.
Tristan didn't miss it. His smile broadened and, with a speed that took her by surprise, swept her off her feet and into his hands. Bridesmaid style.
"What the…put me down. Let me go this minute!" She struggled within his hold. The wall of muscle around her didn't yield.
He started walking, carrying her weight with so much ease that it seemed negligible. "Relax, princess. The woods is already too dark for you to see the creepy and poisonous snakes crawling around everywhere. You ever been bitten by a snake?"
Audrey shuddered just from thinking of it. Her arms involuntarily tightened around his neck. "No."
"It's quite a painful experience. Believe me." He looked down at her. In their current positionings, his face was so close that their noses lightly caressed each other. His voice fell to a whisper. "I like how you feel in my arms."
Her heart jolted as if being plucked like the strings of a guitar by an invisible hand. There was a note of vulnerability in his voice that disturbed her. That reached out to her.
But she didn't want to be found. Her heart belonged to someone else, and it would take more than the impossible from these men who ruined her happy moment to change that.
Even as Tristan bore her weight without any complaint or stress from his body, through the thorns, trees, bushes and wildness of the darkening woods, she swore to guard her emotions until morning.
For when morning came, she would do everything within her power to be free of them, to barnish every blossoming desires for them and return to where she felt safe and in control.
Back to Nickolas.
Mate bond or not, she would never be seduced by the twin Alphas.