~Aurora’s Point of View~ As I walk toward Mason I can only think about that night I tried to kill myself. If I had, I wouldn’t be here right now. But my stomach sinks thinking that I never would have met him. Had three amazing years being his girl. I’m so fucked up and twisted. “How could you keep this from me,” he asks, when I’m within earshot. I look away, completely ashamed. There are no words to fix this, to repair the absolute carnage I’ve caused. “I started to tell you so many times. But you looked at me the way I always wanted a male to: with so much love. Not even lust just… admiration. You never did anything but make me feel absolutely wanted and loved. I never knew that could even be, I certainly never saw it with anyone in my family. My parents were chosen mates and they were never overly affectionate. It’s no excuse. I’m selfish and I just wanted what time with you I could get,” I say, hating myself but it’s the truth. He runs his hand over his face as a tear falls d
~Javed’s Point of View~ Just when I think years away from my sweet intended were torture, having her here still without her wolf is somehow worse. Her body is more than that now of a woman, her curves have filled out and her hair is longer and full. Her cheeks have a bit of rosiness but her eyes are still very much that of a girl. Her innocence and purity are very much still there. She even has a little pudge in her belly that my hands desperately want to caress. My kind rarely gets excited or physically turned on over other species so everything about her is quite foreign to me. But the one thing I can never, ever forget even for a second is her fragility. Her human body that I can’t be rough with, that I can’t take for granted. One wrong move and I could snap bones that won’t easily heal and will cause her great pain. But moreso, as she displayed tonight her emotional side is one I certainly don’t know how to handle. Of course she would fall in love, I’m such a fool to be naive
~Aurora’s Point of View~ I toss and turn for the couple of hours left before dawn, not believing this is my life now. Laying on a bed so soft and comfy it’s like being on a cloud. That I’ll get to live in this insanely beautiful house. And only get to be with the love of my life after dark. The entirety of how I ended up here is just so bizarre. If Brenna wasn’t such a slut we wouldn’t have bounced from place to place. When Matthew found us, she was working as a stripper and it was truly a low point. We were in a grocery store one morning after she’d been out all night, fighting over cereal when he just seemed to appear out of nowhere. He was drawn to her right away and of course she apparently only saw him as a meal ticket. A means for us to get somewhere better. But if I’d never come to the Midnight Protectors pack, none of this could have been possible. If I find Javed then I could be free to mate Mason and be a mom. But if I hadn’t met Javed I wouldn’t have fled to the other pac
~Aurora’s Point of View~ When it's minutes before dark I’m dressed and waiting, though everything in my gut feels rotten. I’m certain Matthew is going to make me stay with him, that I won’t be able to see Javed. Now that I’ve been back in our home, around him… Leaving will be impossible. As much as I’m already missing Mason, this feels right. Javed feels right. The lull in my head has subsided for now and I’m grateful. It was really driving me nuts for a while. I feel like myself again, at least for now. I get lost standing on the deck, leaning over the railing staring out into the ocean. I want to believe my wolf did in fact save me today, that’s she already guiding me in some fashion. I smell my mate before I feel his arms wrap around me, his lips kiss my cheek from behind. Leaning back into him, he secures his hold. Being in his arms is as easy as breathing, but then again it was like that with Mase too. Goddess, will I ever be able to stop comparing them? “How was your day? Ot
~Javed’s Point of View~ ~Twenty-Five Days Later~ “I suck at this! My body just doesn’t want to cooperate. I absolutely have no rhythm,” Aurora giggles, as I catch her for the tenth time tonight. Her laugh lights up my entire being, and it makes every night I had to spend away from her worth it. Though that’s easy to say now. We’re so impossibly close to having her wolf. The last week we conned the Alpha into giving her a 2am curfew and it's just been harder and harder to let her go. She insists on rolling around in my bed below ground before I take her home and it thrills me to no end. We’ve kissed ourselves into a frenzy on more than one occasion but I always stop when she’s obviously desperate for more. Before it’s impossible to turn her down. Teaching her to dance has been something I’ve longed to do, not to mention it’s an excuse to dress her up. She now has dozens of dresses and more shoes than she’ll probably ever wear. Once I learned her sizes I may have gone a bit overboa
~Aurora’s Point of View~ *I can’t wait to see what he’s got! Make him take his pants off,* Lucy shouts, distracting me. If I ever thought Mason was an impossible horn dog, I can’t even imagine what his wolf would be like. Sometimes they’re like that but I wasn’t sure mine would be. WRONG! “Javed…” I trail off, as his tongue laps between my legs. My voice is weak, barely a whimper. It’s still so bizarre to feel the coolness of his whole body, even his tongue. When we’re kissing it's nice because I’m usually a sweaty mess. But this… This is a different level. He hums a bit, and I gasp at the sensation, arching my back. My hands are on my nipples, rolling them in my fingers. I’ve never been more desperate for full, real sex than I am right now. Tomorrow can’t get here fast enough. While of course I'm going to try and jump him tonight, I know he won't go for it. People at the pack have been teasing me that I’ll be too tired after my shift to do the “deed” but that’s bullshit. The
~Javed’s Point of View~ “You really should--” “I’m not leaving you,” she whispers, curling into my chest. I don’t at all like the idea of her spending the day wasting in my dark little hole but I also selfishly don’t want her to leave. It’s still at least two hours until dawn so I quickly wiggle away from her and dash upstairs. My hands are completely full of everything I think she may need for the day when I return, though I don’t know how to sort out the bathroom situation. I got her a portable climbing ladder just in case but letting her come and go while I slumber makes me feel too vulnerable. She giggles when she sees me trying to steady all the food and water on a small corner table. I then cover her with a heavy quilt and get back in bed with her. “I’m so spoiled,” she whispers, and I can tell she’s moments from sleep. My maker is literally the only female who I’ve shared the day with since becoming vampire. It’s an enormous amount of trust to give another. Vampires si
~Aurora’s Point of View~ I sit with what I know must be a dumb expression on my face. I’m suddenly realizing more and more that there’s so much I don’t know. Are people specifically not telling me things? Just when I think I’m finally fitting in, finding my forever home, I feel like an idiot. Were there witches and fairies at Midnight Moon too then?? Did Mason know?? He never even remotely said anything. I never noticed anyone doing anything weird. I don’t think so anyhow. I mean, yeah I saw wolves around all the time and the occasional other animal but I never went out with them at night hunting. I assumed the other animals were real, or even just visitors. When Javed leads me away from the party, I stare at him desperate for answers. Lucy doesn’t know what to think, she’s just as confused. But she hasn’t been around long enough to have been paying attention to such things. Did I even know such creatures existed? Maybe. Then again I always knew vampires were real but until I met
~Aurora’s Point of View~ When we’re outside what I remember to be the palace where Setareh lived, my eyes are wide. The place is now deserted, and completely dark. But there’s a very eerie feeling over the place and it’s absolutely nowhere I want to go. My eyes quickly move to Brenna, and I have to wonder if this will make her freak out. “They added onto the place over time but I’ve been here over the last couple of decades out of curiosity. There’s one thing I never quite told Javed and there’s no time like the present,” Artoosh says, as we all turn to stare at him. Javed especially looks puzzled. He and his father have grown so close that I can’t imagine them having any secrets. Artoosh waves for us all to follow him and I hold the hands of both my mates and make a face. *What the fuck is this place,* Mase asks, over mind-link. Lucy paces in my mind as if she should be ready for a threat but with three vampires by our side any threat in here should be what’s scared. *Javed’s
~Twenty Years Later~ ~Aurora’s Point of View~ “This could never get old,” Mase says, as I lean back into him. I gaze out at the insane view, wishing I could see it in the daytime. We’re perched on a flat sliver of rock overlooking the Grand Canyon and it’s breathtaking even in the darkness. Thank the Goddess for shifter’s night vision. Lucy immediately perks up my ears at all the different sounds of animals below. Just when I think Javed has shown me all the beauty this world has to offer, when I think I’m stunned, we visit somewhere we’ve already been but I fall in love with it all over again. Javed sits in front of me, and as usual I’m happily squeezed between my warm and cool mates. “I promised Rosie and her mate I’d take them out tomorrow night. They’re looking at the Maldives. Which probably means they’ll need a babysitter,” Javed says, a lazy smile on his face. Grandparents. We’re grandparents now. How fucking bizarre! Eleven so far and counting. Some days I can barel
~Aurora’s Point of View~ ~A Year And A Half Later~ “We don’t have much time,” I whisper, as I grind on Javed’s hard thickness. When he looks at me like I’m the only female in existence, like I’m his goddess, nothing else truly does exist. Except when you’re a mother of six pups and ohh, you have another mate in the house that literally always knows what you’re doing. Not only can he hear you, but he can feel you through the bond. And his parents are always around. And my parents and brother. Goddess I miss the privacy of the beach house I knew I should have asked to go tonight. “Yes, Javed, ohhh right there,” I whisper, as he grips my hips and pumps into me. *Hmmm, this is incredible, but do you know what would be better…* Lucy says, moving my thoughts where she wants them. I run my nails down Javed’s chest, drawing a bit of blood as she makes me see what she wants. What she dreams of, and I literally can’t focus. She’s been bringing this up for months but lately it’s every s
~Aurora’s Point of View~ “I think he’ll surprise you,” I say, trying to be upbeat. *Of course he will,* Lucy chirps, practically half asleep. It’s literally taking all my energy, cause I’m fucking exhausted. It’s just after two in the morning and while I’d love nothing more than to stay with my vampire lover, I know my family is also waiting for me. I’d mind-linked Mase to tell him I was going to the beach house when Javed first came, and he understood that meant I may not be home. “Just come at dusk with an open mind, okay,” I say, as Javed kisses my forehead. I look back at the Midnight Protectors packhouse which is mostly dark and quiet. “You say that like I’m not already a fool at your mercy,” he teases, his eyes lighting with mischief. Lucy bats her eyes playfully as if he can see her. Goddess I miss that so damn much! His impossibly sexy flirting. I’d melt if I had even an ounce of energy left in my body, but I simply don’t right now. He walks me to the door, and kisse
~Javed’s Point of View~ ~Three Weeks Later~ “This is bullshit Hassan, I’m fine. I would never, ever hurt her, let me see my Aurora,” I growl, ready to rip his head off. “Tsk, tsk, that hostility is why you need more time,” he says, wagging his finger at me. I’m nearly ready to punch a hole in the wall when suddenly everything stops. Time seems to stop. I draw a deep breath and catch the familiarity of what I know can only be … my father. Just last week when I was coherent enough to understand, Hassan told me what happened. I simply still can’t believe it but when I think about Setareh in those early days, I know it in my black heart to be true. This is the very level of cruelty that she aspired to. Forcing me to remain by her side all these years knowing that the only creature, the only person who ever loved me was nothing but a pile of bones, descended into absolute madness by her hand… As if she didn’t fuck him up enough in his human life. When he thought she loved him and bo
~Aurora’s Point of View~ I can’t for the life of me understand if this is some kind of psychological torture bullshit, but for probably ten minutes the vampires have been doing literally nothing but standing on the beach watching us. Some freakish curiosity? Jealous of what they could never have? A true mate? A beating heart? But there’s nothing we can do. Mase’s dick is still inside me, neither of us really wanting to move. I know he’s sure as hell not letting me out of his grasp. *What do you think they’re doing,* I ask, over mind-link as I rest my head on his chest. *I wish I fucking knew. This is stupid, fucking dumb,* he says, and it's obvious his level of irritation has spiked. Out here he’s not a Gamma or a fierce fighter, a father or a son. He’s just a blood bag. Our question gets answered pretty quickly when two new vampires practically fall out of the sky and stare at us. Mase has since tied my bikini back on, not that it really freakin’ matters. But if it helps him
“Just one night Mase,” I whisper, as I look up at him from the floor of the walk in closet. The carpet in here is impossibly soft and it smells more like Javed in here than anywhere else. I’ve already decided I’m staying in there, naked and rolling around all night. Goddess knows if this carpet could talk… “Baby I can’t just leave you out here unprotected. If something happened to you I’d never forgive myself,” he says, not backing down. “There’s a panic room in his office where he’d slumber for the day, it’s fireproof, all that. I can go down there if I have an issue,” I insist. His chest growls slightly and I can’t blame him. The idea of Mase raising four pups on his own is in fact terrifying. I’d never want that. But I need this. “Surely there’s a hotel or something on the island, that’s the best I’ll do. I have to at least be that close if you need me,” he says, running his hand through his hair. He looks so damn sexy, he’s gotten a lot of sun today. We stare at each other
~Aurora’s Point of View~~One Month Later~“Goddess, I’ve never been so happy to see a familiar face,” I sigh, as I practically lurch myself at Matthew. I have literally no idea where my pups, mate and family are but I could care less. Being cooped up in a wagon with pups that have way too much energy is anything but ideal. Sleeping in a tent is hell on earth and I’m convinced we’ll have to stay at Midnight Protectors for a year because I am NOT making that trip again any time soon.That journey is a HELL of a lot better in a vampire’s arms. Even when I first went to Midnight Moon I did travel by horse and we did the trip in two days. This … was over a freakin’ WEEK.“Glad to see you sweetie,” Matthew says, rubbing my back.He abruptly clears his throat and pulls back. “Guessing the guy looking at me like he’s going to rip my head off for touching you is Mason,” he says, shaking his head and laughing. Just then his pups descend on me and I scoop one up quickly and coo at it. Ohh, I
~Aurora’s Point of View~ ~Two Years Later~ “Colton! You knock it off,” I snap, as I drop the laundry basket and watch as the clothes go all over the place. I make a face but then look down at the chubby cheeks of my two month old angel Violet and smile. “I’m gonna get you,” Rosie shouts, as she continues to chase her brothers. Closing my eyes, I count to ten. When they pop back open, Lucy is trying to calm me down but it’s useless. Mase has been out all morning doing Goddess knows what and I’ve been alone with four pups on nearly no sleep!! “Fuck this,” I whisper, as I turn and walk straight into the pantry and shut the door. I instantly curse that there is no lock on it, but none of our doors have locks. I close my eyes again and let my forehead thunk against the wall. *It’s gonna be okay, some days will be hard,* Lucy coos. A tear falls down my cheek as I recall the pains I had last night, Javed’s pain. It’s truely fucking horrible and I just can’t understand how it doe