Audrey couldn't suppress a gasp of surprise when she walked back into the house.
Alright, the darkness of the house before should be for the creepy vibe she'd gotten about the place at first.
But now, with the lights turned on and everything around her thrown into better visual perspective, she had to admit that the place wasn't bad at all.
The front hallway seemed to go on forever before branching into an open living room with a woodsy theme going on. Great chandeliers hung down from the ceiling high above, and most of the furniture was of a beige wood brown.
One side of it, the curved part exactly, looked out into a walk-path leading off to what glistened like a lake under the half moon of the night sky.
A fire already burnt hot in the fireplace below an imposing mantelpiece. Audrey chose the spot in front of it as a good vantage point to access the rest of the room.
Her eyes strayed around for a moment, taking in the subtle touches of free masculinity in the room, before landing on the coat rack that had snatched the skirt of her dress earlier.
Heat traveled up her cheeks, sparks blossoming inside her chest as she relived what had transpired afterwards. The soft kisses down her neck…the vibration of his voice through her body…his electrifying scent…his intense presence….
Audrey shuddered, clutching the jacket tight around her shoulders.
Tristan smirked from his leaning pose against the door. "Relax. My big broody twin is not here."
Audrey looked away, her face getting impossibly redder. Could he have read her mind? For a brief moment there, she'd forgotten about him, about where she was and the circumstances that led to it all.
Tears pricked her eyes, her sorrow and fear threatening to shatter her into pieces once again, but she resisted. Crying would do her no good now. She needed to return to her life for things to return to normal.
"There's something I can't understand."
Tristan raised an eyebrow at her words before sauntering over to settle on the cushion beside her, a long leg unavoidably brushing against her shoulder.
She couldn't say it was uncomfortable, him being near like that. They'd hugged for close to five minutes earlier, hadn't they? Sitting so close was practically nothing.
Nothing that should require her shoulders to lean slightly to the left to rest against him.
"Ask me whatever you want." He loosened the buttons of his shirt, exposing parts of him that caused Audrey's airflow to loose momentum for a minute. "I'll do my best to be as gentle as possible." This last bit was a soft whisper somewhere close to her head.
Audrey refused to abandon her train of thoughts for the sultry. "How do you know I'm your mate? I mean, surely you and your brother must've felt something before causing mayhem at my wedding."
"Like I said, you wouldn't understand."
"Make me understand!" She wanted to scream that out with conviction, with the entire weight of her confusion, but she couldn't.
The couch barely squeaked behind her before Tristan stood a few inches in front of her. Gone was the humor and airiness. Something about his face, the set of determination to his chiseled chin and spark of intensity in his focused eyes, caused her heart to race.
"Get up." His voice was firm. Thick.
"What?" Was that a tremble in her voice.
"You want to understand, don't you?" What was it about his voice that struck her as exciting? "Get up."
Audrey, unable to hold in her nerves anymore, jolted to her feet. She came up just to the crook of his chin, and had to look up to meet his eyes.
Long fingers rose up to brush locks of hair behind her ears, to caress her cheek. She found herself leaning into it, savoring the way the pad of his palm felt against the smoothness of her face, ignited by the way he looked over her and gazed down at her like she alone existed in the universe.
"What do you feel?"
He asked a simple question, one that she couldn't sincerely answer to because that would surely contradict everything she was trying to prove to them, that there was certainly a connection from somewhere deep.
She couldn't tell him that when he wrapped his arms around her, her chest exploded with heat. She couldn't tell him that she wanted to know what his lips would feel like against her own.
How would she be able to admit that she'd never felt this way even for Nickolas, never had this much conflict controlling herself around anyone else but Tristan and his twin, Deckard?
"You don't have to say anything." He rubbed his warm palm down her back. "I know how irresistible I am. You wouldn't have been able to help yourself even without the whole mate thing going."
"Someone is arrogant to fault." Christ, why did he feel so good against her?
"I hear it's part of my appeal." He sighed into her hair. "We couldn't help ourselves when we saw you up there on the altar. I don't know how to explain it because I've never felt that way before." His chest expanded under her cheek as he inhaled deeply. "It didn't help that you are a knockout in that wedding dress. Like an angel come to life, with curves and slopes in just the right places."
When he chuckled, the vibration of his body seemed to travel into her own, releasing laughter from her as well. For a brief moment, the whole thing sounded ridiculous even to her own ears.
Her, Audrey Holland, the book nerd who could spend twenty hours of each day behind closed doors with a few large books for company, the mathematics geek who understood numbers better than people, was possibly a werewolf and mated to not one but two alphas?
How did her fate turn out to be this way?
What would become of her now? It seemed her entire life and beliefs had been thrown into disarray, pure chaos and unpredictability. Nothing seemed certain anymore. It was overwhelming.
She preferred her life simple and in order. Getting married to Nickolas spelt that out down to the last letter.
But with the man whose arms were wrapped around her now, nothing felt real. With the man who scared and triggered her senses at the same time, nothing would ever be the same again.
She loved Nickolas, there wasn't a doubt about that fact. But the twins…her body and soul couldn't resist them, craved them like a meal she'd never tasted before.
She was so confused. Disoriented. She needed someone to set her back on course. To bring her back to what truly mattered.
"I want…I need to see my aunt, Marissa."
"Okay." Simple but sure.
She pulled back in shock to stare into his face. "Are you serious?"
He nodded. "Send her the address to this cold, harsh castle in the morning."
Relief flooded her chest, but then a thought occurred to her. "What about Deckard? I don't think he would agree to that."
Tristan shrugged. "Decks doesn't agree to much. He'll be in a murderous mood for a few days afterwards, but it can't be helped. You'll simply keep out of his way until he calms down." He cocked his head to the side, his face going mischievous. "You don't have to worry. I'll keep you safe and warm." He released her. "My bed is big enough for two."
"No, thanks. I won't be here long enough to need your…protection." Just one night, exactly.
He smirked. "I highly doubt that."
Audrey refused to consider the confidence in his voice.