Thirty Nights Forgotten

Chapter 9: Nothing Special

Nick’s POV

I like being the first one to wake up in the mornings. Addy is definitely a night owl, but I’ve always been an early riser. Maybe it’s because I was raised that way on the ranch, but I’ve always been drawn to the peace and quiet of the sunrise.

But ever since I sealed my mate bond with Addy, the mornings allow me a chance to think without her analyzing my emotions. She can’t sense me when she’s asleep.

And now, without sharing a body with Nicholas, I find myself alone with my thoughts for the first time in a while. My thoughts, emotions, and memories are purely my own and no one else’s.

And even though it’s a relief, it also feels surprisingly lonely.

I haven’t even opened my eyes yet, but I can feel Addy’s naked body pressed against my side. Slowly blinking awake, I notice the dim light of the early morning sunrise streaming in through the mouth of the cave, allowing me to see Addy sandwiched between Nicholas and me.

But Addy’s body is turned to face me, with her arm resting softly on my chest. My gaze immediately lands on the wedding ring on her finger, and I can’t help but smile.

A white gold band with a circular diamond ensconced in a crescent-shaped ruby. The sun and the moon.

Her mate mark on her bare shoulder is turned toward me, like a black tattoo against her pale skin. It depicts the sun and the moon as well, and at first glance, one would think it represents Addy and me. But I know that’s not the case.

I am the sun, and Nicholas is the moon. The two halves of one soul mated to the same girl.

If the Curse of the Werewolf is broken, then why did Nicholas and I get separated again? As happy as I am to be rid of his nagging voice in the back of my mind, I don’t know what this separation means. I assume we’ll fuse bodies once again when we go back through the portal.

But at least with Nicholas being inside my body, a part of me still felt special. I’m not able to turn into a werewolf on the full moon anymore, but at least when I shared a body with Nicholas, a fraction of me was a vampire – even if that supernatural quality laid dormant with Nicholas. But still, I became something else on the full moon.

Without my Dark One in my body, what does that mean?

I guess I’m just a boring human named Nick Ourey. There’s nothing special about me.

Nicholas begins to stir beside Addy, so I need to put these thoughts aside before he picks up on them through the bond. We have a rough journey ahead of us – neither of them needs to worry about my self-doubt at a time like this.

“Good morning,” Nicholas says groggily.

Moving carefully, I slide Addy’s arm off of me and sit up.

“Morning. We need to talk about what we’re going to do until the next full moon.”

“Would you allow me a moment to wake up first? We cannot all be bright and chipper at dawn like you.”

Typical Nicholas. He’s never been one to mince his words.

“I want to have a plan figured out before Addy wakes up,” I say quietly. Addy is a heavy sleeper, so I’m not too worried about waking her up with our conversation.

“I think it best if we stay on the move.”

“If we’re near the castle, why can’t we go get help from your family there?”

Nicholas doesn’t answer my question. Instead, he takes his time to sit up, running his hands through his hair. I watch him for a long moment, and I wonder if I’ll ever get used to the idea of seeing myself in Nicholas’ body. It’s like a mirror image of myself, but I have no control over my movements.

“Hold on,” I say, picking up on his emotions through the bond. “It’s not safe at the castle, is it? You don’t trust your family.”

“I cannot be sure,” he sighs. “If Matthew ascended to the throne in my absence, then my very presence in the Demon Realm puts his claim to the crown at risk. I doubt he would welcome me back with open arms.”

“But he’s your brother. Can’t he be reasoned with?”

“You have met my brother,” he snorts. “Prince Matthew is nothing like the Matt back on Earth. He’s the exact opposite.”

“But it’s going to be risky spending the next month on the run. And even if we’re able to stay hidden, how will we find another portal? The one that leads to the ranch closed up permanently after the curse broke.”

“That is true,” Nicholas muses, looking deep in thought. “The portal we came through was conjured by that witch, Sybil. It’s not a recurring portal. I suppose we will need to find a witch to assist us. It should not be too difficult to find; after all, many witches in this land sell their services and skills for a price.”

“Okay, and how will we pay them? We don’t even have money to buy me a set of clothes unless they accept credit cards.”

Nicholas reaches over to grab his pants — well, my pants — and rummages around in the pockets for my wallet. Indeed, the only things inside are a library card, a credit and debit card, and $20 in cash.

“I suppose your Earth currency holds no value in this world,” Nicholas huffs, slamming the wallet shut.

“Look,” I begin, “I know you’re frustrated. You’re used to having unlimited money and servants and power at your disposal, but you don’t have that anymore. We’re going to need to get by on strength alone to survive, but I’m not a werewolf anymore, so I can’t really do that. You’re going to have to take the lead on navigating us through your world, and we’ll need to rely on your vampire skills to protect Addy.”

Nicholas opens his mouth to answer me, but at that moment, our mate begins to stir between us. As soon as her eyes open, she smiles sleepily at us.

“Good morning.”

Her back arches off the straw mat as she stretches her naked body languidly, but when her loving gaze glances between the two of us, I can feel both Nicholas and I get put at ease.

“Last night was fun,” she says with a wide grin. “Thank you both for that.”

“Anything to satisfy you, my love.”

“How’s your leg this morning?” I ask, glancing down at her bandage.

A frown crosses my face when I see her wound bleeding through the dark fabric.

“It actually feels a lot better today, but I think we’ll need to keep cleaning it.”

“I am happy to take care of that for you,” Nicholas smirks mischievously.

I roll my eyes. “You said it yourself that we need to keep moving.”

“That is true. I have a feeling that more demons will come searching the area, so we should get going and stay ahead of them.”

“But I’m hungry,” Addy pouts. “What will we do about food?”

“There are nuts and berries we can scavenge in these woods as we walk, my love. I will not let you starve.”

“And what about my medications?” Addy asks, glancing at me with a worried expression on her face. “We didn’t bring them with us, so what will happen if I’m not on them for a whole month?”

The look on her face makes my stomach do an uncomfortable flip. I reach out my hand to grab hers, rubbing comforting circles on her skin with my thumb.

“It’s going to be tough,” I admit. “You were sick for a long time before you got to where you are now, but you made it through that. You’re strong, Addy, and Nicholas and I will be able to help carry you if you start to feel fatigued.”

“Perhaps it is best if I carry her,” Nicholas adds, giving me a pointed look. “You are strong, but you’re human strong. Not werewolf strong.”

I’m trying not to let that get to me, but he’s right. I’m not strong enough to carry Addy through the wilderness for hours and hours every day.

“You two get dressed,” I say quickly, trying to change the subject. “We should get moving.”

“I know of some old ruins that we can hide out in tonight,” Nicholas answers. “If we head out now, we should get there by late afternoon.”

We set out on foot, and Addy and I collect nuts and berries throughout the day to keep us fed. There is one strange-looking fruit we encounter that I’ve never seen on Earth, but Nicholas assures us it’s edible.

It didn’t take long for Addy to grow tired, so Nicholas carries her on his back until we reach our destination. Fortunately, we don’t run into any danger on our way there, and I feel myself starting to relax.

When we finally reach the old ruins, they sit at the bottom of a wooded valley near a small river. As glad as I am that we’ve found water, I don’t like that we don’t have a good vantage point in this part of the forest.

I feel exposed – even more than I already am without my clothes on.

“You two should go wash up in the stream,” Nicholas says, interrupting my thoughts. “Light One, I can practically feel your aching feet through the bond.”

He’s right. My feet are all blistered from walking on rocks and twigs all day long.

“I better get a turn with the shoes tomorrow. Those are my shoes and my clothes, remember?”

Nicholas waves me off dismissively as he sets to work on building a campfire. My annoyance begins to creep up, but as soon as Addy slips her hand into mine, I feel myself growing calmer in her presence.

How does she have that effect on me?

“Come on, Nick. Let’s go get something to drink.”

We head silently down to the flowing creek hand-in-hand. I can feel her fatigue radiating from her body, and I know she’s trying to stay strong for my sake.

Once we reach the stream, Addy begins to take off her clothes and lay them out on the rocks.

“Here, Addy, let me help you down.”

She nearly trips stepping into the water, but fortunately, I’m able to catch her in time. Through our bond, I can sense her lightheadedness, so I scoop her up into my arms and carry her into the water.

The water is deep enough for us to submerge up to my chest, but Addy refuses to let go of me.

“You’re always catching me when I fall,” she whispers, smiling wearily. “Remember when I fell out of the truck into your arms?”

The memory brings a wide grin to my face.

“Yeah. And I’ll always be here to catch you.”

Addy shifts in my arms to where she wraps her legs around my waist. Her arms hug my neck, burrowing her face against my chest. There’s no s****l motive behind it – she’s just looking for comfort.

I know Addy more than anyone. Perhaps even better than Nicholas. Addy is a sensual person, and she shows her love for Nicholas and me through s*x.

However, right now, she’s showing the vulnerable side of herself – the side that is chronically ill. She has come so far, but some days are still tough for her, and today is one of those days. I don’t need our bond to know that she’s exhausted, and given everything that’s happened over the past twenty-four hours, I don’t blame her.

“Nick?”

“Yeah?”

“How does it feel, being separated from Nicholas?”

“Honestly? I feel free. He can be really annoying with his snobby comments in the back of my head.”

Addy lets out a weak little giggle against my chest.

“It was feeling a bit crowded in there,” I chuckle. “But also…”

“But what?”

Addy leans back, looking at me with a concerned expression.

“Growing up, I always had an inner wolf. It wasn’t really a separate consciousness from me, but it was still a part of me, if that makes sense? Nicholas is chatty and annoying, but now that both he and my wolf are gone, I feel a little…”

“Empty?”

I nod.

“I’m not exactly sure how this curse works,” she whispers. “I’m not sure why you two were separated when you came back through the portal, but I’m guessing you’ll rejoin bodies when we go back through.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right.”

“Then I want to make the most of our time together, with the three of us, like this,” she says with conviction. “Doesn’t it feel right, when the three of us have s*x together?”

As much as I hate to admit it, she’s right. She’s absolutely, 100% right.

“Yeah,” I nod. “It’s like we can feel even more pleasure than when it’s just the two of us.”

A smile breaks out across Addy’s face, and I can’t help but feel my heart melt a little at the sight.

I know she wants the two of us, Nicholas and me, and I understand all the reasons why.

But when she leans forward to kiss me, this kiss is just for me, not for him.

All she needs from me right now is to hold her close. Our relationship goes beyond s*x, built on years of friendship that she and Nicholas don’t share.

And there’s a small part of me, the jealous part that I’m not proud of, that likes having a piece of Addy that my Dark One never will.