The joy that the hockey game brought me held over for the next few days. I was in higher spirits than I’d been in a long time.Bouncing down to breakfast one morning, I was singing to myself, and was caught off guard by Armand’s sudden presence in front of me.“Oh! Hi! I didn’t see yo there. How are you?” Armand hadn’t been around the mansion much lately. I had heard rumors that he had been seeing someone new, and that the tension with the vampires had increased some, causing him to be gone more.“Good morning Beryl. I’m well, thank you. And you?” He seemed distracted, not really looking at me, but off into the distance, contemplative.“I’m great. Ready for a good day!” I couldn’t keep the joy from leaking out. He chuckled a bit at my exuberance. He looked at me fully now.“I’m glad to hear it. Just be careful when you’re off the grounds for awhile. Things are unsettling lately, and I’d like to know you’re sa
NicholasI could tell that all three of us felt it when her collar bone broke, and then again when they knocked her out. The rage roaring through my mind was almost as loud as the roar that erupted from me as I felt her pass out.I was in the middle of a death match with two heavily built vampires, and could see that Cheney and Brian where in the same shape. My rage took over and in a moment of blind fury, I reached out and crushed the windpipe of one of my assailants.I could see to my right that Cheney was dispatching with his combatants as well, “Cheney, can you get to her?” I shouted over the chaos whirling around me.“I’m trying! Damn it, they just keep coming!” He roared back at me, throwing panicked glances over his shoulder in Beryl’s direction.“Brian??” I couldn’t see him, but could sense him behind me somewhere. “I’m covered up! They’re fucking everywhere! Where is the rest of the guard?” He yelled b
Nicholas:We watched impatiently as our father broke one vampire after another, getting bits and pieces of information from each of them.We knew they’d taken her to a farmhouse on the edge of the city, we just weren’t sure how many were holding her and which direction they’d gone.We also didn’t know who had called the rear guard away from their posts. They’d been called away with the correct code words, which could have only come from someone close to us. But right now, rescuing Beryl was the main priority.Finally, after what seemed like forever, our father turned to us. “She’s to the east in an old abandoned farmhouse. There are animals still on the property, so look for livestock. There should be about five of the holding her for now, but they will be moving her soon, so you must hurry.”“Take ten men, just to be sure, but bring her back unharmed.” He had apparently not heard that she had already be hurt.
In the swirling darkness I could feel them. Without seeing them, I could tell them apart from how they felt against my skin, my fur.Brian was soft against me, gentle, like a breath of fresh air. Cheney felt like worn down sandpaper, rough, but it was comforting in a way. And Nicholas, he felt like a heated blanket on a frigid winters night.In the darkness of my mind, I began to dream. I could see their faces, in both human and wolf forms. I could feel them touching me, hands caressing my skin, the nuzzling of their fur covered faces against my sides.The heat within me grew with every gentle stroke. Bodies began to meld together, and I became unsure of who’s hands, lips, teeth were on me. They were everywhere, almost overwhelming, but it was the most intense pleasure I’d ever felt.Their hands roamed my body, exploring every inch of me. I opened to them, mind, body, and soul, holding nothing back.&
The triplets and Armand continued with frequent secret meetings for the next few weeks. There was a considerable bit more guards stationed around the mansion and grounds as well. They were taking the attack seriously and seemed to be trying to prevent another one.Even through the traumatic experience, and my continued anxiety over the kidnapping, I could feel the shift in the triplets feelings towards me.In the hallways, instead of ignoring me, Cheney and Nicholas would smile and nod, even stopping to ask how I was a few times. Brian and I spent more and more time in the gardens just outside of the mansion, deciding the forest was a bit too far away for now.As much as I enjoyed the shift in their attitudes towards me, the interactions always seemed a bit awkward. I thought maybe it had to do with the dream I’d had about them but didn’t want to bring it up with any of them.One afternoon, after o
I could feel the warmth of his eyes on me, and I enjoyed it. “Good, that’s good. You know, we won’t ever let that happen again, right?” The fierce warrior took over his features then and I felt the truth in his words.“I know.” Breathless now, my words were no more than a whisper. We sat together like that, in silence for a bit longer, neither of us knowing what else to say, but soaking in the closeness of each other.After a while, he sighed. “I’ve got to go. More meetings and all that.” He looked genuinely upset at the thought of leaving me, so I just smiled and rose to my feet. “See you later then?”“Definitely.” We smiled at one another a last time and he left the room. I waited a few minutes, alone in the quiet, pondering all the changes that had occurred over the last month or so.After the heart to heart talks with the triplets, I was feeling surprisingly good about my place in the world. 
Lightheartedness turned into lightheadedness as Armand had a guard escort to my room. He was obviously in a hurry to leave and didn’t have time to deal with my near hysteria.The guard that walked me to my room, Devin, was patient with me though, seeing my panic and assuring me that I would be safe. “The boss is leaving some of his personal guard here at the house to watch over you. You’ll be fine. We are more than prepared for anything they throw at us now.”He talked quietly, but moved me quickly through the house, the sense of urgency obvious. “Where are the triplets?” I asked him, wondering if they would be staying with me or going with their father.“They’re on location.” The reply was short, clipped, and confused me. I didn’t know what that meant, but when I turned to ask, Devin pushed me towards my bedroom door, and cut me off.“Stay here, rest. It’s going to be a long night, so you should just try to g
Nicholas:As I watched Beryl confront Anna, standing taller than I’d ever seen her stand before, something inside of me clicked. I felt it like a bolt of lightning. I loved her, she was my mate.The shock of the realization shouldn’t have been so profound since my father had been harping on it for almost a year now, but it hit me hard.I smiled, letting go of the denial. I relished the feeling of my face being able to form a smile like this. It was still new to me, and I was only still able to do it when Beryl was around, but it felt amazing.I was tired of hiding my true feelings, but I had no idea how to tell her. I had been so awful to her before. What if she rejected me because of how I had treated her?Anna was awful to her because I had let her be awful. The torment Beryl had gone through was my fault. Why didn’t she hate me?After our lunch together that day, I decided I had to tell her some