Nightwork Nora Roberts Novels & Stories

The city of Aethelgard never truly slept, but at 3:00 AM, its pulse slowed to a low, rhythmic hum. For Clara, this was the hour of the "Shadow People." She lived alone in a cramped, third-floor walk-up—a space that always smelled of old cedar and damp plaster. It was the kind of apartment where the floorboards groaned under the weight of nothing at all, and the shadows in the corners seemed to have a depth that defied the laws of light.

Perfect. Trash bagged. She moved to the living room. Worked. Doctor's invisible shift — patient group Q&A. Research papers. Northridge was a teaching hospital. Keeping up with the latest literature was the only way forward. Adrian got home past midnight. Living room lights were on. His first thought: Nora was still awake. But the room was empty. Just the coffee table. Covered. He washed his hands. Walked over. Picked up a sheet. Nora's research notes. Draft paper. Loose-leaf binder. Sprawled across every surface.

They may back a rack of cookies from the grocery store or mix up the premade bags of cookies, but no one does everything from scratch like her. For the rest of the day, I work on homework and take a bath so I am ready for school in the morning. When I go to bed, I don't let mom shut my door all the way and I make sure she keeps the side lamp on. Somehow though, in the middle of the night I wake up and the door is closed and the lamp is turned off. Hearing an odd sound that is coming from the closet, I refuse to lift the covers and keep my eyes closed instead. I lay perfectly still and wait. When I don't hear another sound after a while, I go back to sleep.

And for that fragile stretch of night, our chaos bent toward her peace. The grey light of dawn slipped through the warded windows of Aurelian, soft and reluctant, as though even the sun wasn’t ready to face what came next. I blinked awake first, the weight of bodies pressed against me, the heat of fire that wasn’t mine lingering faintly in the sheets. Nora was in the center of it all.

She had seen her brother, Ryan, stay up late when he was working hard on his projects, and he would also fall asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow when he came home, especially when he had just taken over Pierce Group, which was a mess at the time. Nora was conflicted now that he had fallen asleep. ‘It’s already dark now, and he’s so tired, so he’ll probably sleep until very late at night, or even until tomorrow morning. Should I let him stay overnight at my place, then? ‘But we would be all alone, and he’s so shameless, so it’s very dangerous for me to let him stay the night. What else can I do? ‘He’s so tired. Should I wake him up and drive him away like a cold-blooded witch? I’m

Ryder commanded. After a long gaze, the warrior nodded stiffly. Ryder released him, watching as he vanished into the darkness. Then, with a final glance at the towering packhouse, Ryder disappeared into the early morning dark. ……Inside the Packhouse – Nora’s Struggle….. Nora woke and sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the outside window. She had managed to sleep last night. Several thoughts ran through her head that refused to be silenced. She replayed last night’s events over and over. The way Alex had stared at her, the way his voice had softened just slightly when he ordered her to get back into bed.

Tears slipped down my cheeks. Then Victor appeared. Standing in the distance. Watching me. He wore a cold, detached expression. My heart felt torn apart. The dreams tangled together until my head throbbed. I jolted awake with a gasp. Darkness still covered the sky. Beside me, Nora slept sprawled across the bed like an oversized lady. One arm stretched out, one leg hanging off the mattress. She looked like she had no worries. I couldn't help smiling. Carefully, I pulled the blanket over her. Then slipped outside.

NORA Workload has been intense since the cut down of staff, Nora knew it was going to be hectic but never expected it to be on the extreme. She hasn't had six hours sleep in a week now and hasn't gone home in three days which is so unlike her. She looks so pale and haggard, all she needs at the moment is a cold running bath, a proper massage, and a long sleep which is impossible because they all have a target to meet up and they agreed they could do it if they put all hands on deck, it's too late to back out now.

She smirked and said, “Is it true? Did you forget it again, Lux? Huft … you always forget about it again.” “Hahaha … found out, huh? I'm sorry, Rosa." Rosa sighed as she listened to her best friend's words. On the other hand, Rosa showed a worried face and she said, “Alright. Anyway, I'm used to it. Btw ... did you feel tired from your work last night? Is your body okay?" "Of course. My body is not a problem, really. Don't worry too much about me. The work wasn't too hard. Do you know?"

A comfortable silence settled over them as Anna worked, but Audrey noticed a thoughtful expression on her friend’s face. After a while, Anna’s movements slowed, and she took a deep breath. “Audrey... there’s something I need to tell you,” she said, her tone hesitant. Audrey glanced at her in the mirror, noticing the tension in her expression. “Go on,” she said, her curiosity piqued. “Last night, around midnight, I woke up and saw Nora staring at a photo on her phone,” Anna began, her voice soft but filled with unease. “I couldn’t see it clearly at first, but when I got a closer look… I couldn’t believe my eyes.”