Chapter 28 I NEED SPACE
/Edlyn/
His warmth seeped into me.
His scent wrapped around my senses.
Moon sighed dreamily in my head.
“This is nice,” she said.
“This is nice and stupid,” Vamp hissed. “Our vampire soulmate is literally watching this like a live show this will make him show himself.”
I pressed my eyes shut because both of them were making my brain trip over itself.
Nelson stroked my back slowly. Gentle. Comforting.
“You can sleep. I am right here. Nothing will hurt you.”
And the worst part.
I believed him.
Or at least part of me wanted to.
His arms stayed secure around me. His breath warmed my hair. And the tiny tremble I felt in his chest told me he had been way more scared than he wanted me to realize.
But the darkness behind him…
The pair of glowing vampire eyes hidden in the shadows…
The charged silence of a man who kissed me like he owned my soul…
Yeah.
Sleep was the last thing coming tonight.
Nelson’s arms were too warm. Too solid. Too… everything.
And my brain was doing backflips because one soulmate was cuddling me like his emotional support teddy bear while the other soulmate was literally hiding in the shadows of my room like a smug supernatural menace.
So yeah. I needed Nelson out. Now.
“Uh… Nelson?” I whispered, poking his chest gently.
He didn’t even move.
“Nelson,” I tried again, a little louder this time.
He just tightened his hold on me like he thought I was trying to escape him in my sleep.
“I’m staying,” he mumbled, voice half-asleep, half-possessive. “You’re shaken. I can tell. Just rest.”
“No, no, no,” I muttered under my breath. “This is not, this cannot…” Moon control your man I begged.
“I like him here,” Moon sighed.
“We literally have another mate crouching in the corner,” Vamp snapped. “Kick wolf boy out before King Fangs decides to commit a homicide.”
I inhaled sharply and slipped my hands between us, pushing a little.
“Nels… seriously. You should get some sleep in your own room.”
“I’m fine here.”
“You’re not. Your room has a whole… king bed. And… pillows. And air. Go enjoy that.”
He didn’t even budge.
Instead, he lifted his head slightly and looked down at me with that stubborn, overprotective glare of his.
“You think I’m leaving you alone after the way you screamed?”
Oh great. He heard that. Of course he did.
Kill me now.
“It wasn’t that bad,” I lied with the confidence of someone who absolutely knew it was that bad.
He arched a brow.
“You sounded like someone was ripping your soul out.”
Moon winced. Vamp groaned. I pretended to die internally.
“Okay, yeah,” I said quickly. “It was scary. But I’m fine now. Really. I swear. You don’t have to babysit me.”
“Not babysitting,” he muttered, pulling me right back into his chest like I was being confiscated. “I’m staying.”
I pushed at him again, a little desperate now.
“Nelson. Seriously. Please. I… I need space.”
He froze.
Just a beat.
Just long enough for me to feel his heart drop before he covered it with a tight jaw and a nod.
“Space,” he repeated quietly.
My chest squeezed. I hated that I hurt him. I hated how soft his eyes went when he looked at me again.
“Alright,” he said softly. “If that’s what you want… I’ll go.”
He let go of me slowly. So slowly it felt like he was peeling himself off a gravity field.
He stood, running a hand through his hair, trying to pretend he wasn’t stinging like hell inside.
“I’ll be across the hall if you need me,” he said, voice low and a little rough.
“I know,” I whispered.
He gave me one last long look. Warm. Wounded. Protective. Something more.
Then he stepped toward the door.
And in the corner of the room, Luca’s presence sharpened like a blade, watching him leave with this silent, territorial satisfaction that made the air electric.
Nelson’s hand rested on the doorknob.
He glanced back at me again, like he wanted to say something else.
But he didn’t.
He just whispered, “Goodnight, Edlyn,” and walked out.
The moment the door clicked shut behind him, Moon exhaled.
Vamp snarled, “Finally.”
And from the shadows…
Luca stepped out with a smirk that screamed trouble.