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Turning around, I look toward a group of our soldiers. “Sweep every inch of this mansion and the grounds around it,” I command. “Stay armed and alert at all times. There could be more of those rats hiding in the basement.”
“Yes, Sir!” they chorus loudly and immediately set off to carry out my order.
“I wish I could go see Rory this moment,” Oliver says in a lowered voice so that only Simon and I can hear him. “She must know that we’ve captured the monsters who’ve haunted her dreams these past months.”
“She must know that Vaughn peed his pants,” Simon adds. “She must know he’s nothing but a weak, pathetic loser of a man.”
I scoff. “She hit him hard enough to make him bleed and pass out. I’m sure Rory already knows how weak he truly is.” A quiet sigh escapes me. “But, yeah. I can’t wait to go to her. Let’s clean up in here and complete this mission. Then, we’ll go home to her.”
My brothers’ faces brighten at once. With a nod, they walk away and enter Vaughn’s mansion.
We’ve finally rooted out the traitors. Rory can finally feel safe and at peace. A deep yearning to see her erupts in my chest, so I tell myself the same thing I told my brothers.
“Just be patient for a while longer and you’ll be with her soon,” I murmur to myself before striding forward to finish the job.
27
Aurora
My brush glides over the canvas, leaving smooth, wet streaks of red against golden yellow. The sunset scene I’m painting comes from the memory of an evening stroll on a Californian beach.
My hand pauses over the canvas. I hesitate before adding a touch of paint to the scenery because my mind is distracted by a hundred different thoughts.
I haven’t seen Seth, Oliver, and Simon in the last two days. They’ve been so busy with the mission to capture the senator and everyone related to him that they didn’t even get the chance to come home to rest.
Anxiety nibbles my gut. I sent them several texts since this morning but they haven’t replied to any of them yet.
“If they don’t get in touch with me by tomorrow, I’m going to see Valerie,” I mutter to myself, putting my paintbrush down. No matter how much I try to distract my mind, I can’t stop worrying about my mates.
I’m about to get back to my painting when a familiar sound comes in through the partly open door of my bedroom. Pricking my ears, I listen hard.
It’s them! I realize, catching the sound of boots falling on the hardwood floor.
Pushing my chair back, I spring to my feet and hurry out of the room.
The sound of Oliver and Simon’s voices reaches my ears as I get closer to the staircase. I’m so eager to see them that my feet fly down the stairs.
I come to a skidding halt as I reach the living room. “You’re finally home!” I shout and run toward my mates.
I fling my body into Seth’s open arms. Bringing me closer to him, he hugs me tightly.
A gasp escapes me as his powerful arms squeeze me against his hard chest. He suffocates me but I stay in his embrace. Even though he doesn’t speak a single word I can feel the storm of emotions raging through him.
“How have you been, love?” Simon’s deep voice sounds in my ear as I feel a pair of hands on my back. “Did you miss us at all?”
I try to step back but Seth doesn’t loosen his hold on me.
“You have no idea how worried I was,” I say but my words are barely audible. My face is squished against Seth’s chest, making me sound funny.
“Let her breathe, Seth-bear,” Oliver says, coming to my rescue. “I know you’re excited to see Rory but do you have to fucking squeeze the life out of her?”
Seth’s arms loosen at once. Stepping back, he looks down at me with a worried expression. “Did I hurt you?” he asks.
I shake my head and smile. “You can never hurt me.”
His hand reaches out to caress my cheek. “Sometimes, it hurts to hear you say things like that,” he says with a pained look in his emerald-green eyes. “It hurts how much you trust me.”
An amused grin lifts the corner of my lips. “What’re you talking about?” I say, hitting his arm playfully. “Of course, I trust my mates.”
