Secret Heart: Other Realm, Frost Family Series, Book 3

Lock 12

Aiden eyed the new man with a very sudden spike of interest. He was black, a little darker than Willow herself, with very close-cropped black hair. His eyes were a dark brown and currently filled with mixture of something very akin to agonizing pain and hilarity. The man continued to laugh, though there was a layer of sorrow in his laugh.

Boy-toy? Aiden repeated in his mind.

...Oh, shit! This guy is the 'toy' Prophecy spoke of?! Aiden straightened, rising to his feet, attempting to stare the other man down. His opponent met him head on, stiffening, dark eyes glittering in challenge.

Blinking, Willow came back to herself. She pushed out of the new man's arms, jumping to her feet. She was shorter than both men and neither seemed to notice her movement. She twisted her head back and forth, taking in the tension hanging in the air between the two men. Honestly, if the two ripped off their shirts and started banging their chests, Willow wouldn't be surprised at this point.

Standing directly between the two men, she raised her hands up. Clearing her throat, she fought to keep her voice steady. Internally, she was having a panic attack and freaking out so bad, she didn't know how'd she'd ever be able to calm down from it all. But, right now, she seemed to be the only one who wasn't three wrong words away from throwing a punch. So she forced her voice, body language, and expression to stay in steady...calm...control.

"Alright, I know how this looks. But both of you need to calm down, okay? This is not 'Wife meets the Mistress'."

Aiden's gaze flicked down to her, a strange expression on his face she couldn't place. "I didn't realize I could even jokingly be considered your wife." Willow's face flushed, but another voice made her turn her head away.

"Willow, what the hell is going on right now?" Hearing him say her name very nearly undid her. Her lips trembled, hands in the air shaking as she tried to think.

Aiden noticed, seeing how close she looked to breaking down. Stepping forward, he placed a hand on her shoulder, making her jump and lift her face to his. He saw the tears shinning behind her eyes. He blinked, taken aback by the sheer vulnerability she was showing him. It made him uncomfortable. If not for this situation, he knew Willow would never reveal this side of herself to him. But, at the same time...

A part of him, nonsensical as it was, simply wanted to take her into his arms and let her know he was here, by her side. It made his stomach clench and he fought to shove such emotions down. It was nonsense! Willow couldn't stand him and he had no want to get any closer to her. Their relationship was fine just as it was; distant, barely-tolerated acquaintances.

Andrew watched the two, spying a light of something in the other man's eyes that made his hands clench into fists at his side. "Willow," he started again, trying to keep his voice soft. "What is-?"

"Hurry, hurry! The toy is here and we have to save Mommy!" A new, young voice broke into the fry, making the other three shift their attention to the first floor doorway.

Bren blanched. Standing in front of the couch were two people he didn't expect together, in a position he'd never have pegged them to be in. Even worse, there was a complete stranger as well. One who was glaring with rage at Bren this very moment. "Prophecy, stay right here, sweetheart," he ordered.

The girl remained quiet, dropping his hand and not chasing after him as he continued forward. Her dark blue eyes took in the entire scene, watching with an expression of weariness far beyond her years.

Bren moved forward, going a little slow, very uncertain about the stranger. His gaze took in the firm hand Aiden had at Willow's right shoulder before lowering to Willow's wide, panicked eyes. "Willow...is everything okay? Do you...require assistance?"