The bed dips as Niko finally crawls next to Evangeline. He leans over her, and I meet him in the middle. The kiss is sweet, soft, and nothing like it was moments ago. The hunger for one another has been sated for now.
“Good night, Zephyr. Do try to sleep.”
“I’ll be fine,” I assure. It’s not confirmation that I will be getting good sleep tonight, but it seems to satisfy Niko. He drapes his arm around Evangeline, snug between us, and pulls her closer. She moans softly before laying her head against his chest. A few minutes later, their breathing evens out. Fast asleep.
Good.
Sleep hasn’t been easy for me since the Nephilim escaped their mountain prison. My body can’t rest, not completely, because every little movement and noise have me jumping out of bed. It’s no different tonight.
I listen to the soft snores of Evangeline and Niko, which lure me to sleep. It’s not a peaceful one, but it’s enough. After the third time waking up, I give up on sleeping entirely, getting lost in my web of complicated thoughts. All to do with the woman snuggled between us.
Despite knowing better, I roll onto my side, unable to resist the pull of her. Evangeline hasn’t stirred muchthroughout the night. She’s still nestled against Niko, her cheek resting peacefully on his chest, one of his arms loosely wrapped around her. At some point during the night, the blanket must’ve slipped. It now lies bunched at her waist, leaving her breasts fully exposed to the cool morning air. Her nipples are taut from the chill—or maybe from memory of last night.
My gaze lingers longer than it should. I can’t stop the flood of images from last night: Niko’s mouth on her, the way her back arched, the sounds she made as he licked and sucked those same sensitive peaks. My body responds instantly, heat tightening low in my gut, even as I force myself to stay still. Watching her like this—soft, flushed, utterly undone—feels dangerous. But I don’t look away. My cock twitches in interest.
I’m uncertain how long I stare at her, but I’m jolted out of the hold she has over me when I feel another set of eyes boring into me. I was so distracted, I didn’t sense his change. It’s early. Far too early.
“You should be asleep,” I say before forcing my gaze away from Evangeline to lock eyes with Niko. His red hair is a tousled mess, sticking out in unruly spikes as if he ran his hands through it all night. Shadowed circles bruise the skin beneath his eyes, evidence of too little sleep and too many thoughts.
“I could say the same for you.” His voice is hoarse from sleep.
Silence stretches between us long enough that I think Niko might have fallen back to sleep. But then he shifts, careful not to rouse Evangeline, and angles his bodytoward me. “I saw you watching her.” A smirk plays on his lips.
“I’m watching both of you.” I keep my voice neutral, not daring to give anything away. “We are in the middle of a war, and both of you need to stay alive.” It’s not the only reason I’m watching them, and Niko knows it.
“Bullshit. You don’t even believe your own lies.” Niko knowing me better than anyone else is usually a quality I love because he’ll know how I’m feeling without me having to say it, but I find myself annoyed with it now.
“What are you insinuating, Niko?” My voice comes out harsher than I intend, but Niko doesn’t back down.
His face softens, and he reaches for me. His hand scorches my chest, reminding me he’s mine. Reminding me what I have to lose. “You know, if you ask, I’m sure Evangeline would let you court her.”
“You speak as if it’s that easy.”
“Isisthat easy, Zeph.” The urgency in his voice gives me pause. “You are not your parents. What happened to them won’t happen to us. You need to know that.”
“And how can you be certain of that?” I snap, losing the ability to control my emotions. “You can’t promise that, Niko. No one can.”
“So you’ll let your fear lead you for the rest of your life? That is no life at all, Zephyr—and you know it.”
Niko’s voice cuts through the quiet like a blade, sharp with frustration and something far more painful underneath. The truth, just not one I’m willing to face right now. The intensity between us spikes, loud enough to stir Evangeline. She shifts beside us, her brow furrowing as she lets out a soft, restless sound. We both go still,watching in tense silence until she relaxes back into sleep, her breathing evening out.
The stillness that follows is damning. My chest feels too tight, my pulse too loud in my ears. Because he’s right. Gods damn him, Niko is right. And yet, being right fixes nothing. Means nothing. It doesn’t change the dread that coils low in my gut, or the weight pressing on my chest every time I look at her and wonder if I’ll ruin this—ruinus.
He can’t reassure me. No one can. Not when the real threat is me.
I’m the variable. The fracture. The one flaw in an otherwise impossible, delicate bond. If I give in—if I lose control—this whole thing shatters.
And I can’t live with that.
I won’t be the reason we break. I’m the product of my parents. Their love poisoned them, rotting them from the inside out until their love turned to jealousy and vengeance. It literally killed them.
What if those same feelings live in me?
“Zephyr?” Niko cups my face, pulling me back to the present. “You aren’t your parents. Don’t deny yourself another mate. I know we were all meant for each other. You just need to trust yourself and me.”
“I do trust you, my love.” That was never the problem.
The smile on his face tugs at my heartstrings, and I can’t help myself. I pull him in for another kiss, needing his lips to ground me. A low growl leaves the back of my throat, but with Evangeline sleeping between us, I won’t take this further.
