Chapter Ten
In one word: fun. It was fun. Despite being fearful in the beginning, Freya found herself relaxing when she noticed the twins were on the ground, stretched out on poufs, and Tara and Tanya were both near her. They were bantering back and forth, and the body language of both girls was relaxed.
They watched the first film with ease, but Tara dozed off during the second one, and even her eyes seemed to droop when the third started.
She woke up with a jolt. The TV was still on, the screen frozen with the last credits.
They had all fallen asleep in Evelyn’s living room, and for some reason, she didn’t want to go home.
For the first time since she could remember, she had slept a few hours undisturbed.
No nightmares, no memories, nothing to disturb her peace.
Maybe she should go home ... but then again, the boys were sleeping on the floor, she might step on them accidentally ... and where was Tara? She tried to remember but couldn’t.
If I leave this chair, I’ll end up waking them. But I can’t sleep here, what would Evelyn think?
From what little she knew of her neighbor, she probably wouldn’t mind, but still...
The air was warm, but there was a coldness around that clung to her. Maybe it was the knowledge that she had slept soundly in a strange environment. She tried to scan the darkness but couldn’t see anything but shadows and figures.
And that was another wake-up call. Just hours ago, she was in her house, with every light on and fearing the darkness. Now, she was comfortable in a living room full of strangers, with only the pale moonlight to show the way.
Should she return home?
Someone snored in their sleep and she laid back, snuggling again. Just a few hours couldn’t hurt...
****
On the floor, the twins smirked. Used to catnaps, as soon as she started moving, they opened their eyes, focusing on the dark.
Their heightened senses felt her flight instincts, and they had the feeling she wanted to bolt.
But she didn’t. By snuggling again, she showed she trusted them.
And they felt humbled by her trust. They didn’t dare move at all until she was sound asleep again, but after that Ciaran got up and carefully covered her with the blanket Nanna always had on the couch.
Their shifter bodies were warmer than a human’s and nights tended to get chilly.
Declan was clearly fighting the urge to lie down beside her, but when Ciaran resumed his pouf and closed his eyes, he sighed and tried to sleep as well.
They both felt their wolves’ restlessness but suppressed them by sheer force of will. They had their mate nearby, safe and warm, nestled in the blanket they had provided. For tonight, it had to suffice.
The next day, they were long gone when Evelyn gently woke the girls up. Tanya had already hopped on to the shower—she was used to running in the mornings—but Tara was still rubbing sleep from her eyes.
“Get up, baby girl. Time to go and smell the sweat.”
****
Still flustered for falling asleep in her neighbor’s house, Freya refused breakfast and almost ran out the door to the safety of her own house.
Closing the door behind her, she was nearly hyperventilating, but with exhilaration.
She’d done it! She had fought her fears and did something as normal as watching movies and eating popcorn at her neighbors’ house.
Not that she had eaten a lot ... she almost never ate popcorn without caramel. With butter? Thank you but no thank you.
“Come on, sleepy head! Move!” yelled Tanya’s voice through the window, and Freya jumped up and ran to the shower.
Half an hour later, they were facing the windows of the gym, still closed. It was simply called “Fitness Hour” and she wondered if it was on purpose so that all genders would find it appealing.
“Come on, baby girl. Work is waiting for us.”
“What, now? I thought we were just seeing...”
“Lousy place for sightseeing.” Tanya burst out laughing. “It has been closed for a while, and I want to put my personal touch on it before opening. Hope you don’t mind cleaning, because today we’ll have lots to do.”
She didn’t, actually. Invigorated by a good night’s sleep, she felt better than she had in years. And who knew? Maybe she’d actually get some sleep in her own house tonight, instead of the neighbors’.
Room after room, it was all empty and deserted. Tanya explained that the twins had gone to pick up everything needed to get it up and running, but they needed to clean it thoroughly first.
So, on they went, cleaning and scrubbing until the place was spotless. And not a moment too soon, as the horn of a truck sounded in the front and suddenly the place was bursting with activity.
Seeing the twins carrying heavy weights made her pause, and the first drop of uneasiness crept in. They were in exceptionally good shape, even she could see that, but how on earth could they carry all of that alone?
But then she saw them pairing up to carry the furniture and she released the breath she was holding. They were helping one another. Of course they were.
By the end of the day, the gym was almost ready to open.
They decided to stop for the day and went to the local dinner to eat some burgers.
And that’s when the uneasiness crept in again.
Obviously, the cousins were close. Their bantering and bickering were off the charts, making her feel like a third wheel, an outsider.
But when she found herself sitting between the window and Declan, her breathing became erratic.
He was close. Too close for her comfort.
“Hey, baby girl. You okay?”
Blessed Tanya. She felt something was off and came to her rescue. Lifting her eyes from her gloved hands, she looked at Tanya and realized they were all looking at her. Being in the spotlight made her hyperventilate again, her panicked eyes never leaving Tanya’s.
“Are you okay, little one?” frowning, Declan tried to reassure her by putting his hands on top of hers, but that made her hyperventilate even more.
“Out. You need fresh air!”
How she left the corner and found herself outside, she would never know, but Tanya was beside her, resolutely taking away her scarf and using a magazine as a fan. The twins were two steps behind them, worry in their faces.
“You okay, baby girl?”
“Yes...” she croaked. “It was ... it’s ... warm in there.”
“And you’ve dressed as if you were in Alaska. Take off the scarf and the gloves, baby girl, it’s not that cold.”
Ah, but the scarf and the gloves were part of her armor. She couldn’t take them away. Then they’d all see the blood, the dirt underneath...
****
“I think we’ve done enough for today, don’t you think?” said Tanya, conversationally. And through the mind-link: “Leave. She’s already feeling overwhelmed.”
“She needs us,” growled the twins.
“She needs space. She needs to get out of the hole her mind crept to and then she’ll return to us.”
They retreated two steps, but continued to hover over them, until Freya seemed reasonably okay to return inside. This time, she sat nearer to the door, and her eyes never left her plate. No one ate much after that, and after a while, they went home.
Freya locked herself in her house and didn’t come out for the rest of the day.