23. Reverie
Chapter 23
Reverie
W rapped up in their warmth, I only regretted that Nathan wasn’t there with us. His presence would make this night perfect. I heard the floor creak as if someone were taking a step.
“Did you hear that?” I asked the guys.
“Hear what?” Zane asked.
“I thought I heard something over by the door.” I untangled myself from their arms and got up to look around, Zeke joined me.
“I didn’t hear anything.” Zane rose from the couch. Zeke opened the door and walked out into the hallway. I followed behind him, but neither of us saw anything. We entered the apartment as Zane was walking out of the kitchen. “I checked the entire apartment. Nobody’s here but us. Did you two see anyone?”
“No, I’m probably just being paranoid.” I was a little jumpy after our talk. Shaking off those feelings, I smiled, “Now that everything is out in the open, I’ve got my appetite back! Let’s finish the pizza and decide when we’ll tell Chloe.” I grabbed another slice and sat down.
“I’m on board with finishing the pizza, but I’d like to make plans to complete our bond,” Zane said, basically bouncing in his seat.
“I agree. I want to complete our bond before you’re taken to initiation. Even though you can’t communicate with Nathan now, if you gain more Faction and we develop our abilities, maybe your capacity to communicate will strengthen. You can check in on him, and we can keep track of you,” Zeke said seriously.
“Wow, I can’t believe I was worried about y’all‘s reaction,” I smiled thankful these two had come into my life. “I hope you’re right because I don’t think I’ve slept more than a few hours since Nathan was taken.”
“Maybe you need to be the meat in a twin sandwich,” Zane winked. “I think I heard somewhere it was the cure for insomnia.”
I really hoped he and Nathan never decided to join forces. Those two were hard enough to handle individually; together, it would be a losing battle.
Zeke frowned at his brother, “Let’s not freak her out before she bonds us.”
I smiled mischievously, “I love sandwiches.” These two needed to know they couldn’t fluster me that easily.
Both guys turned simultaneously to look at me. It was a little freaky when they did that. I started to squirm a little bit at the intensity in their eyes. Maybe they could fluster me that easily.
Zane smiled slowly, “Could she be any more perfect for us, brother?”
“I don’t think so,” Zeke said, without taking his eyes off me.
Deciding a change of subject was in order, I said, “I’m a little nervous about purposely trying to bond without the ritual. Although I agree we need to do it sooner rather than later, I would like y’all to meet my parents first. I want to do it right this time, and if we appear in their living room, at least you’ve already met.” I grinned at them.
“That can be arranged. I have a friend who found his Faction here at the Academy. They stayed for advanced training, and he can create portals. I’ll talk to him in the morning and see when we can go.” Zane pulled me in for a kiss.
“Let him know it’s urgent, and we’ll owe him a favor. We need to complete our bond ASAP. I want her as strong as possible before Emberhold takes her.” Zeke finished his beer, then stood and began cleaning up.
Zane walked into the kitchen to grab another beer for us, and I followed sitting at the island. “I hope everything goes well, and I’ll be strong enough to communicate with Nathan. It’s painful being away from him."
Sliding me another beer and handing one to Zeke as he sat beside me, Zane said, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I miss the ornery guy.” He leaned down and rested his elbows on the island across from them.
I smile at him in affection, “I bet he misses y’all too.”
Zeke started laughing, “I’ll take that bet. That’s probably the one thing he’s enjoying about initiation, not seeing us drool over you.” His laughter died, and he looked at me with so much heat that I felt my face warm. Zeke leaned over and slowly pressed his lips to mine as if he was savoring his ability to do so. Ending the kiss, he said, “As much as I want you to stay, if you want us to meet your parents before we bond, you better let me walk you back to your dorm.”
“I hate to agree with him, but I’m not sure I’d be able to resist forcing the issue if I got my hands on that luscious ass.” Zane smoldered my way.
I turned up my beer, needing to cool down, “Yeah, you’re probably right.” These two were gorgeous. I couldn’t blame Kristine for trying to bond them. I could blame her for being a raging bitch, but not her desire for these guys.
We finished cleaning up and left the guy’s apartment heading to my dorm. I inhaled the crisp air into my lungs as we meandered down the path. None of us wanted to end our time together.
Zane walked slightly behind me, and glancing back, I saw his eyes glued to my ass. I stopped abruptly, and Zane ran into me; he smirked and wiped imaginary drool from his mouth, “No one could resist staring at an ass this fine, so I make no apologies.” I laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him beside me.
“Come on, perv. It’s getting late, and you’ll need your rest if you’re going to meet my parents tomorrow.”
Zane turned serious, “I’ve heard a lot about them. Our parents always talked about the bravery and loyalty of the Hawthorne Faction. I always thought of them as superheroes.”
Zeke grabbed my other hand, “Our parents gave all the credit to your parents for holding back the Dark Factions, so the Aurathions that wanted to escape had the chance.” He raised my hand and kissed it gently. “Mom cried when she told us about Adelaide losing two of her men. Those stories are why Chloe sees your mom as a hero.”
“I think she should come with us tomorrow. I want to introduce them to her anyway. We can let her in on everything then and get her help finding answers.” I was excited to come clean with her. That girl was special, and her friendship was important to me.
Zane grinned in Zeke’s direction, “She’s going to lose it. This might be the only time she’s ever been speechless.” They both started laughing.
I smirked, “I wouldn’t count on it. Chloe never runs out of things to say.”
As we rounded the corner of my building, still laughing, Oren stepped in front of us.
“You shouldn’t be out so late, Miss Hawthorne. You need your rest if you’re going to help with my class tomorrow.”
The man was everywhere I turned. It was starting to worry me a little, especially since I felt the tingling start up with his abrupt appearance. There was no way this guy would be a part of my Faction, tingles or not.
“As you can see, we’re heading that way, Storm. Maybe you should take your own advice and get some rest. You’re not getting any younger.” Zeke narrowed his eyes.
“That last part was just mean. In all fairness, you’re not much younger than me.” He gave the twins a menacing smile, “You should be careful walking back to your apartment. I’ve heard that it can be dangerous around here for Passives with no abilities this late at night.” Whistling, he turned and walked away.
“How in the fuck were we ever friends with that dick,” Zane growled out through clenched teeth.
“He didn’t used to be such an asshole.” Turning to me, Zeke said, “I don’t like how he looks at you. Let me know if he steps out of line even the slightest bit. I’ve about reached the end of my tolerance with him, and Passive or not, I will fuck him up.”
I reached up and cupped Zeke’s face with my hand. “I appreciate the sentiment, but you know I can handle him.”
He turned and kissed the palm of my hand. “I know you can, but defending our Nexus is my privilege. You wouldn’t deny me that, would you?”
I swayed toward him, entranced by his words, “Do you know how sexy I find that?”
“I called him a dick, that’s sexy, right?” Zane pouted.
I turned to him and standing on my tiptoes, kissed his plump lips, “It was, you are the King of Sexy, Zane Moon.”
Zeke grabbed my hand, laughing at his brother, “Come on, your highness, and let’s get our Nexus to bed. She needs her rest because we have a busy day tomorrow.”
We finally made it to my dorm, before I could enter, Zeke grabbed the back of my neck with his large, calloused hand and pulled me toward him. He leaned down, and I parted my lips in anticipation of his kiss. He softly rubbed his mouth against mine, gently biting my bottom lip, and breathed me in. Zane stepped up behind me, and I felt the heat from his muscled chest seep into my back. He leaned down, lightly nipping my neck, then tenderly kissing it better. Zeke slowly deepened the kiss as Zane began sucking and licking my neck with more intensity.
I moaned, and Zeke swallowed the sound licking into my mouth. I felt my nipples harden and clit pulse in time with Zane’s attention to my neck. Zeke placed his large, warm hand over my pussy and gently squeezed me through my pants as Zane brought his hands around and cupped my breasts, rolling my nipples between his fingers. My head fell back against Zane as Zeke rubbed two of his large fingers directly over my clit.
I felt Zane push his large erection into the crease of my ass, rubbing back and forth slightly. I was overcome with sensation, and even though I didn’t want the pleasure to end, I felt my orgasm wash over me.
I was relaxed and drowsy and didn’t protest when Zeke picked me up and carried me into my room. He pulled back the covers while Zane undressed me, pulling his shirt off and slipping it over my head. After they both tucked me in, I was already falling asleep but felt each of them place a kiss on the top of my head.
I awoke abruptly to find Pantar spread out beside me, partially hanging off the bed, snoring slightly. I’d been dreaming that Nathan was fighting beside some huge guy in what looked like a roman coliseum. As I felt my breath even out, I prayed that my Psycho was well and that bonding with the guys would strengthen me enough to communicate with him. I snuggled back into Pantar’s warmth and pulled Zane’s shirt over my nose. Breathing in his scent, I closed my eyes and drifted back asleep.