through with white, brown eyes like Tyler, and was
shorter but still fit and lithe.
“You
mean because of the complete opposites in looks?” she asked and Rosalie nodded.
“Yes,
but it’s more than that. Their personalities are perfect opposites, yet
completely complimentary, too. One will be more intelligent, the other stronger.
One will be more protective, and the other will be the more affectionate. Think
of it as having everything you could ask for in a man split into two, so that
you don’t miss out on anything.”
Laura
looked over the men again and watched the way their mouths turned down in
disapproval. She wondered if their disapproval was over what Rosalie said,
though they weren’t correcting her.
Tyler
and Brandon had moved closer now, and Laura giggled a little to see the
similarities in the two sets of twins.
“Wow,
you guys have strong genes.”
The
men shuffled their feet and looked anywhere but at her. Hmm, they did say that
the truth hurt, but why would such a compliment be a bad thing? They were
beautiful, all of them.
“Am
I missing something?” she asked the group as a whole.
Scott,
the bigger twin, looked at her and answered her question.
“Rosalie
has just left off the most important thing about perfect pairs. The bloody curse.”
Rosalie tsked loudly and held tight to Laura’s arm. She was
going to have bruises tomorrow if the woman kept up that hold.
“It
is not a curse! Just because you both stupidly followed your gonads rather than
tradition does not mean it’s a curse. She’s still out there, you just have to find her.”
Both
men rolled their eyes and a rather stunning adolescent woman ran up.
“Dad,
we need you for a minute.”
Scott
smiled apologetically and bobbed his head.
“Nice to meet you.”
Jack
saluted and headed off as well, following the girl who was sprinting off toward
the side of the house.
“What’s
their problem?” Laura asked , confused by the multitude
of emotions she felt radiating around her.
The
men had seemed possessive, jealous even, and sad. She turned toward her guys
for more details. Brandon and Tyler looked at each other for a moment before
Tyler stepped forward.
“Perfect
pairs only have one mate. A woman they share that is made only for them.”
When
he paused for breath, Laura inhaled sharply, pain clamping down on her chest.
He couldn’t be serious.
Tyler
continued. “But Scott and Jack chose not to do that. They both married and had
kids with women that have made them miserable. And we…” He paused again,
looking back at Brandon before continuing, “are not going to make the same
mistake.”
“Are you telling me that you expect me to...do what, exactly?”
She shook her head and blinked several times. She couldn’t actually
be listening to this, or understanding it correctly.
“You two can't both want me!”
Her voice had risen in both tone and pitch, and for the first
time in her life, Laura was feeling hysterical. They had to be kidding.
“Of course we do.” Tyler's tone was so smooth and placating, she
began to laugh. Then she snorted and giggled. Very elegant.
She pried herself away from Rosalie's grip and staggered toward
the house. She felt woozy and numb. She couldn’t stand up straight.
Renee came toward her, grabbing her and gently maneuvering her
so that she ended up sitting on the porch.
That woman was awesome.
“Can you believe... ” Laura wheezed, grabbing Renee's hand and once again feeling
intoxicated. Maybe there was something in the air out here.
“What?” Renee asked, sounding excited and interested.
“Your brothers say they both want me. This has to be some sort
of cruel joke, because it’s not possible.”
That sobered her pretty quickly.
What was it—“make fun of the fat sister” week?
Renee smiled kindly at her, like one would when explaining
something to a child.
“Why would it be a joke? You're beautiful and kind, and if that
magnificent aura you give off is
Learning to Kill: Stories