Page 26 of Their Offering

“Little one…” He stopped talking when I looked up at him. He let out a defeated sigh and raised his chin. “What do you need?”

I backed up to the wall and slid down to the floor. In an instant, both of them were on either side of me. I felt so safe between them that I started to cry again. Nicholas stroked my shoulder while Aiden kissed the top of my head.

I sat up and took a deep breath before speaking. “I honestly thought I had imagined the entire thing. I thought I was crazy. There was no way something like that had actually happened. I just knew I was losing it. Then I found the note….” I trailed off and wiped some tears away. “I felt so stupid going back and waiting for strangers to show up. I was angry you left me here for days, questioning my sanity. I slept with a guy the next night and felt absolutely nothing.” Both brothers tensed up, and Aiden growled. “Then with two more guys.” They both growled this time, and I smiled at their unexpected possessiveness. “But still, I could only think of you guys. Isn’t that insane? So, I went back, hoping to find you or something to help me find you, but….”

Aiden placed his hand on my cheek and turned me to face him. “I amsosorry. We had things to deal with for your safety. If we’d just come back a little sooner….” He looked so sad.

I put my hand on his arm. “You came just in time.” I looked at Nicholas. “You guys saved me.”

They both nodded softly, and we sat silently on the floor a little longer.

“I’m still so tired,” I finally said. “Come to bed with me, both of you. Please, I don’t want to be alone.”

The twins helped me up and into my room. I didn’t want to get dressed, so they tucked me into bed and laid down on either side of me. Their bodies melded with mine perfectly as I drifted off.

“What did you mean you had to do things for my safety?”

“We can talk about that later, little one. For now, get some rest.”

With that, I fell asleep.

Chapter 13

Nicholas

As I laid there, watching Lilly sleep, trying my hardest to keep myself from waking her up and shoving my cock deep inside her, I couldn’t help but admire her pale beauty.

Seeing her under that piece of shit at the portal—ourportal—killed me. I wanted to destroy the man who’d laid his hands on her, but she was our priority.

Aiden and I took care of Lilly, getting her back home and cleaned up, while Keir took Austin back to Hell to put him somewhere until we figured out what to do with him.

Lilly’s chest rose and fell smoothly; she was deeply asleep, her soft snores filling the room. I smoothed a piece of hair to the side, out of her face, and she stirred, nuzzling into my hand. I chuckled, her sleepy affection warming my heart. Her kiss earlier had caught me off-guard. She’d been attacked, yet wanted me to touch her anyway.

Aiden stirred next to her, and he opened his eyes to find me awake. “Everything okay?” he asked sleepily, before sitting up on his elbow and tilting his head to the side. He was observing, waiting for me to tell him my thoughts, just as I had a million times before. He’d always been able to read me.

“Everything’s fine.” I nodded and rubbed my hand over my face. “I’m just thinking.”

“About what?” my twin asked.

“Her,” I said, gesturing down at our sleeping beauty. She looked so peaceful lying there, despite all she’d been through.

“She’ll be okay,” he assured me.

“I don’t know.” I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest, my back against the wall.

“What’s there not to know? She’s fine. We saved her. She’s safe now, and we aren’t leaving her again. We’ll protect her.” Aiden sounded so matter-of-fact and sure.

“Is it fair, though?” I asked him.

He gave me a puzzled look. “Is what fair?”

“That we get her while Keir watches? She gets us while Keir refuses to give her anything? Is that fair? To either of them?”

Aiden scoffed. “You act like her getting us means she drew the short straw, brother.” He rolled his eyes. “Keir has his reasons. You know that. It's not our place to push him. If he won’t be with her, we will. She deserves to be loved. She’s been through enough.”

I recall Keir telling us a bit about Lilly’s past, how men hurt her and used her so her mother could get her fix. He refused to give us any details, but what he did tell us shook us to our core.

“She’s been hurt before,” Keir muttered on our walk back from the portal.

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