"Come on," Alice chirps, taking my hand. "We want to show you something." Her small fingers are cold around mine, but the touch sends warmth through my chest.
Jasper follows us up another flight of stairs, his presence steady behind me. Their room is at the end of a long hallway, and when Alice throws open the double doors, I catch my breath.
The space is massive, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the forest canopy. Gauzy white curtains flutter in the breeze from a partially opened window. A huge bed dominates one wall, draped in rich fabrics in shades of deep blue and silver. The sight of it makes me blush, especially when I realize its obvious purpose for a couple who never sleeps.
Jasper chuckles softly, clearly sensing my embarrassment. "Your emotions are delightful when you're flustered, darlin'."
"Jazz, don't tease her," Alice scolds, but her golden eyes sparkle with mischief. "Though you are absolutely adorable when you blush."
"I'm not-I mean, I didn't-" I stammer, which only makes them both smile wider.
"Your heart is racing," Jasper observes, moving to sit in a plush armchair while Alice perches on the bed, patting the space beside her. "We make you nervous."
"Not nervous exactly," I manage, carefully sitting next to Alice. "Just... aware."
"Aware?" Alice's smile turns knowing. "Of what?"
I feel my cheeks burn hotter. "You know what."
"Say it," Jasper encourages softly, his accent thicker than usual. "Your emotions are already screaming it."
"You're both... I mean, I find you..." I bite my lip, studying the intricate pattern on their carpet. "Attractive. But you're together, and I would never-I mean, it's not like-"
"Breathe," Alice giggles, taking my hand again. "We know. We've noticed how your heart races when Jasper speaks, how you watch me move. It's flattering, really."
"And completely natural," Jasper adds. "We are, after all, designed to attract humans. Though your specific attraction to both of us is... interesting."
"Oh god," I groan, hiding my face in my hands. "Can we please talk about anything else? Like the weather, or world peace, or literally anything that isn't my embarrassing crush on a married vampire couple?"
Their combined laughter-Alice's chimes and Jasper's honey-warm chuckle-fills the room.
"If it helps," Alice says gently, "we find you fascinating too. Not in quite the same way, but... there's something about you. Something special."
I peek through my fingers. "Is that vampire-speak for 'you smell tasty'?"
Jasper's laugh deepens. "No, though you do smell wonderful. It's more... you see us. Really see us. Not just what we pretend to be, not just what we are, but who we are."
"And you're not scared," Alice adds, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. The casual intimacy of the gesture makes my breath catch. "Even now, alone in a room with two vampires who just acknowledged your attraction to them, your primary emotion is embarrassment, not fear."
"Should I be scared?" I ask, then laugh at myself. "Never mind, that really is becoming my catchphrase."
"Come here," Jasper says softly, guiding me to lie back on their ridiculously comfortable bed. Alice immediately curls up on one side of me, while Jasper settles on the other, both careful to maintain a respectful distance despite our close proximity.
Their combined scents envelop me-Alice smells like vanilla and something crystalline, if crystals could have a scent, while Jasper carries notes of leather and honey. It's intoxicating in a way that should probably worry me, but doesn't.
"Your heart is doing that flutter thing again," Alice teases gently, propping her head up on her hand to look down at me.
"Can you blame me?" I manage, hyper-aware of being sandwiched between two impossibly beautiful vampires. "This is... surreal."
Jasper chuckles, the sound reverberating through the air. "Your emotions are all over the place. Attraction, comfort, nervousness, trust... and something else. Something you're holding back."
The ceiling suddenly becomes very interesting as I avoid both their golden gazes. Their quiet patience eventually breaks me.
"I..." I take a deep breath. "I have been talking to someone. With red eyes."
The admission hangs in the air. Neither of them seems surprised.
"We know," Alice says softly. "Not James or Victoria. Someone else. Someone who's been... careful with you."
I turn my head to look at her, surprised. "How...?"
"I see flickers," she explains. "Moments where your future goes completely dark, then returns. But not like with the wolves-this is different. More deliberate, like someone's being cautious about being seen."
"He's not dangerous," I say quickly, then amend, "Well, he is, but not to me."
"All vampires are dangerous," Jasper says, but his tone is gentle. "Especially those who feed naturally. But..." he pauses, choosing his words carefully, "your emotions when you think of him are complex. Trust, affection, fascination. No fear."
"He could have killed me the first day," I whisper. "He chose not to."
"Because you fascinated him," Alice guesses. "Like you fascinate us."
Their sweet, cool scents mix with the afternoon air drifting through the windows. I can feel them breathing-unnecessary for them but comforting for me-taking in my own scent, my pheromones, the subtle changes in my blood flow as we talk.
"I won't tell you who he is," I say firmly.
"We won't ask," Jasper assures me. "But we will worry."
"And watch," Alice adds. "As much as we can, though he's clever about staying in my blind spots."
We lapse into comfortable silence, the forest view creating a private world for just the three of us. Their cold bodies bracket mine like precious bookends, and I find myself relaxing despite the serious conversation.
"You really aren't afraid of anything, are you?" Alice muses, playing with a strand of my hair.
"I'm afraid of plenty," I counter. "Just... not the things I probably should be."
"Like lying in bed with two vampires while confessing your friendship with a third?" Jasper's voice holds warm amusement.
"Exactly like that."
The afternoon light creates a dreamy atmosphere in their room, time seeming to slow as we lay together. Alice shifts closer, her movement like liquid grace, while Jasper's presence on my other side radiates a calming energy that contradicts the electricity in the air.
"Your scent is intoxicating when you're like this," Alice murmurs, her nose trailing along my neck. "Every emotion creates a different note." Her cool breath fans across my skin, making me shiver. "There's vanilla when you're calm, something like honey when you're happy, and right now..." she inhales deeply, "something altogether more intense."
Jasper's fingers trace patterns on my arm, each touch sending sparks through my skin. "Your emotions are just as fascinating," he says, his accent thicker than usual. His other hand comes up to cup my cheek, turning my face toward him. "Usually, being this close to a human is torturous, but you..." his thumb brushes across my lower lip, making my breath catch, "you feel like peace."
A small sound escapes me as Alice's fingers thread through my hair, gently turning my head back toward her. "Listen to her heart," she says softly to Jasper. "Like hummingbird wings."
"I can feel how much she wants us," Jasper responds, his cool breath mixing with Alice's as they both lean closer. "How much she trusts us, even knowing what we are."
Their sweet scents envelope me-crystal and honey, winter mornings and summer storms. Alice's fingers trail down my arm while Jasper's hand slides to my waist, both of them touching me like I'm something precious, something to be savored.
Small, embarrassing sounds keep escaping my lips as they continue their exploration, never crossing boundaries but making every touch count. They murmur to each other about my reactions-my racing pulse, my quickened breath, the way I arch slightly into their cold touches.
"She's never been touched like this," Alice observes, her lips brushing my ear. "Every sensation is new."
Jasper hums in agreement, his fingers tracing my collarbone. "Every emotion is so pure, so intense." His other hand tangles gently in my hair. "Trust, desire, embarrassment, wonder-all mixing together like colors in a painting."
Time loses meaning as they continue their gentle exploration, their touches remaining respectful but deeply intimate. My skin feels like it's humming, every nerve ending alive with sensation. Their cold touches brand me like ice that burns, and my mind goes completely blank except for feeling.
Eventually, Jasper pulls back slightly, though his hand remains on my waist. "We should stop," he says gently, his voice rougher than usual. "This is overwhelming you, and we don't want to push too far."
Alice makes a small sound of protest but also retreats, her fingers trailing through my hair one last time. "He's right. Though you're absolutely enchanting like this-all flushed and breathless."
The ride home is quiet but comfortable, filled with meaningful glances in the rearview mirror and small, secret smiles. My skin still tingles where they touched me, and my mind keeps replaying every moment, every sensation.
At home, I practically run for the shower, turning the water as hot as I can stand it. I need to wash away their scent before meeting Embry-wolves have keen noses, and I can't explain why I smell like vampires when I'm supposed to have spent Saturday studying.
As I dress for hiking-sturdy boots, comfortable leggings, layers for the changeable weather-my mind keeps drifting back to that dreamy afternoon in their room. My fingers trace the places their cold touches lingered, and my cheeks flush at the memory.
The doorbell rings-Embry arriving for our hike-and I give myself one last look in the mirror. My cheeks are still pink, my eyes bright, but hopefully he'll attribute it to excitement about the hike.
Still, as I head downstairs, I can't help but wonder if this is what it feels like to live between worlds-carrying secrets like precious gems, each one catching light differently, each one holding its own kind of danger and beauty.