Page 277 of My Unexpected Mate

“ARIA!”

She flinched, and we looked in the direction of the stairs that led up to the second floor. A few moments later, a terrified Nick came running downstairs. He was pulling a hoodie over his head, and he was looking around frantically. When his eyes landed on us, he visibly relaxed for a second, but then his eyebrows furrowed in anger.

“Why did you leave?” he asked, walking toward us and pulling Aria away from me. “I was afraid you were gone again.”

“Sorry,” she said, rubbing Nick’s arms soothingly. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“You should have,” he said sternly. “You can’t do this to me. I almost had a heart attack.”

“Same here, man,” We heard a voice behind us. “Your screaming could wake up the dead.”

Mike was standing behind us, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

I laughed, and Nick rolled his eyes at Mike. He nuzzled his head into Aria’s neck and took a deep breath, calming himself.

“Did you have breakfast?” Mike asked.

“No,” I said. “We were talking.”

“We should make something,” Aria said, running her hand through Nick’s hair. “We have a guest.”

“Yes, we do,” a new voice interrupted us. “And I didn’t plan on waking her up with screams.”

All of us turned around to see Patricia standing behind us with Petra. They were smiling at us, but the dark magic coming off of Petra made my insides churn. I know she was on our side, but her magic unsettled me.

Aria’s POV

The woman standing behind us was pretty. I think she was around Patricia’s age, maybe a little bit younger. She was tall and skinny. She was wearing a black, floor-length dress. She had vibrant blue eyes, and her hair was fiery red. I could see wrinkles around her eyes and mouth.

She was smiling at us, but I could feel her dark magic, and it was making me feel uncomfortable. I squirmed in my seat, and both Nick and Gabriel grabbed my hand. I guess they felt it too.

“Good morning,” Petra said with a small smile.

Mike, Gabriel, and Nick remained silent. They were looking at Petra, and I could see they were trying to read her. They didn’t trust her or her magic. I understand that, but she came here to help.

I smiled brightly at her and stood up. The guys tried to pull me down, but I ripped my hands out of their grip. Nick growled, but I ignored him. I walked over to Petra and Patricia and extended my arm.

“Hi, my name is Aria,” I said with a smile. “Thank you for helping us.”

Petra smiled back at me and took my hand in hers. Her touch sent shivers down my spine. I could feel the dark magic on her skin, and I wanted to run. But I stayed. I kept a smile on my face and turned around to look at the guys.

Nick and Gabriel were glaring at me. They were not happy that I was close to Petra. Well, too bad. They would have to trust her if we wanted her help.

“Petra, this is Mike,” I said, pointing to him. “And these are Gabriel and Nick.”

Petra smiled at them, and they gave her a stiff nod.

I sighed internally. I need to talk to them alone.

I looked at Patricia, who immediately understood what I wanted her to do.

“Alright,” Patricia said. “Petra, should we go to the kitchen and make coffee?”

Petra nodded, and they left the living room.

As soon as they were out of sight, I turned to the guys. “What was that?”

“I don’t trust her,” Nick said, frowning.

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