Lilly's Torment [Beyond the Veil 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Honor James

  “Was she talking to me?” Gav asked with wide eyes. “Holy hell, may need to rethink our partnership to something a little more.” He chuckled. “Anyway, over here, you have the regular weapons that you’ll be responsible for maintaining and checking. Each weapon is logged out and in religiously. These are all ones that have seen fire, been through tests or any number of things, so they need to be cleaned and checked before going back into the vault on the dressing room level.”

  He guided her along. “The various sniper and sub-auto weapons are in here. Testing and firing ranges are through there. And this is where you will get to play.” He swiped his card and let her into the large room that took up nearly half the floor.

  She grabbed one of the sub-auto weapons and followed along. Grinning like an idiot, she said, “Sorry, but since I was totally embarrassed, I need to fire a weapon. It’s a thing of mine,” she teased. “And for the record…” She pulled on her protective eyewear and ear wear. After ensuring that the weapon was fully loaded and ready to fire, she smiled over to them. “You both looked amazing with nothing but ties and silk scarves around your ankles and wrists. But lots of shadow,” she teased, winked at them, and began to fire the weapon.

  Both men just plugged their ears and waited as she ran through the magazine. “Well, Ax didn’t mention that part,” Gav said. He passed her an extra mag when she popped the other out.

  “Didn’t see how it was pertinent to the conversation. Besides, I gave enough details that she fully embarrassed herself without any additional input from me,” Artaxias said, plugging his ears once more when she lifted the weapon.

  After she was finally finished with the shooting, she nodded. “It is pulling a bit to the left. I can fix that.” She pulled off her protective gear and looked to both men. “I should tell you something.” She felt that confession was good for the soul. “I’ve been dreaming about the two of you for a very long time. I don’t understand it, I really don’t, and to be honest, I thought that I was just dreaming of unattainable men, but then I saw you, and yeah.” She shrugged. “I’m nowhere near the type of woman that you guys likely go for, so if this is going to make it weird between us, please tell me now and we can have someone else assigned to me.”

  They shared a look before Artaxias rolled up his left sleeve. He unbuckled the leather cuff with intricate gold inlay and pulled it off. Holding his wrist out to her he didn’t say a word. He just looked to her and seemed to be waiting patiently for her.

  “Oh my.” Lilly reached out and touched the intricate design on his inner wrist and asked, “This is amazing. What does this mean? I’m confused.” She looked up at one and then the other. “I’m confused, what does this mean?”

  “When each of us from the realms comes of age and into our abilities or powers, depending on race, we receive a marking. Each marking is unique, special, denoting who our mate is. Some translate directly, others are more cryptic. Because of the lack of females in the realm, in most cases there are two or three males per female in a mating. Sometimes more,” Artaxias told her. “It’s a sign of who our mate is to be and can be followed or ignored, depending on the female.”

  Her knees wobbled and she grabbed for him. “Uh.” She was at a loss for words. “Does that mean…?” She swallowed, hard. “Does that mean that you and I are supposed to be together? Then why do I dream of you both?”

  Gavriel undid the silver clasps holding on his emerald cuff. He pushed his sleeve up and held out his wrist to her. “Artaxias is the older of the two of us, but I’ve known him since I was a child. When the mark appeared just after puberty, he showed me his. We didn’t know where or when we’d ever meet you. Or if we ever would. But the Fates apparently like pushing us around like pawns on a board only they know the rules to.”

  “Well, I have to tell you that I’m actually happy to have you,” she admitted. “I am actually pretty happy to have you both here before me now. I’m scared spitless, to be honest, and I want to get to know you both. Just because Fate gives a dictate, it doesn’t mean anything, right?” she asked, even as she stroked her thumb over both of their brands.

  “Only if you stop petting the predator in the room,” Gavriel said, jerking his head toward Ax. “Getting him all revved up may not end well for anyone in here. Especially since you’ve not consented to being our mate. So while I’m digging the petting, you may want to stop egging on the guy with the big fangs.”

  “She may touch all she wants, runt.” Artaxias hissed through his much longer teeth. “I knew I should have refused the job of keeping you alive all these years.”

  Lilly grinned and shook her head. “I happen to really like petting you, and what do you mean, mating? Did I mention that I’ve had less than zero explanation on what is happening? All that I know is that there are several races out there, but other than that, I’m totally lost.” Instead of stopping the petting, she continued, because she liked it far too much.

  “There are Luhpyne, Vhampire like our large friend here.” Gavriel tipped his head to indicate Artaxias. “There are Ahnjel and Spirytes like myself. The Luhpyne are what your race would call werewolves. Vhampire, well, relatively obvious.” He grinned at her. “The Ahnjels are sort of like the biblical mentions of the Angels, but the warrior caste more than the little cherubs in diapers. And the Spirytes are witches for the females and warlocks for the males.”

  “Mating,” Artaxias continued the lesson, “is when a pair, trio, or whatever combination, bind their souls together in a ritual older than time. It’s older than your world or our realms. Some claim it is older than the universe itself, though, since they also claim that the Gods themselves started it, I’m unsure how that could be true. It’s more than marriage, more permanent and lasting. Since the very soul is bound, it’s on an intimate level. A level that no one can break unless through death of one of the mates.”

  She really loved the way that sounded, a great deal. “But I’m”—she looked down at herself and pointed out her very obvious curves—“I’m not exactly rail model thin. You guys are. Wow. You are stunning. You are amazing but I’m…” She shrugged. “Well, I’m me,” she whispered. “I really love the way that sounds, though. God, I can’t tell you how good that sounds to me, but yeah.”

  “There is nothing wrong with you in the least,” he said with a frown at her. “How could you think such a thing? The women of your race who are so thin as to show bone through flesh need to be shown a buffet once in a while. They obviously have no idea just what those of the races prefer. Which, if you are not getting my meaning, is a woman such as yourself.”

  Lilly actually blushed, hard. “Are you just saying that because I’m really, really good at creating weapons?” she teased him, her thumbnail lightly raking over both of the insides of their wrists. “By the way, I really and truly want to know what could come of us, too. After we have gotten to know each other, that is.”

  “And we will,” Artaxias said as his phone rang. Digging out the phone, he put it to his ear. “Yeah. Uh-huh”—he frowned—“When? Where? Right, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Yup.” He hung up and looked at her. “I need my arm back.”

  “What’s up?” Gavriel asked. “And you can keep my arm.” He smiled at Lilly.

  “Dead body close to the line of the Veil. The captain wants me out there to ensure that no one encroaches without authority. That and the ME doesn’t want to go out there at all and is hopeful my presence will reassure her enough.”

  Gavriel snorted, then laughed and waved a hand. “Sorry buddy, but you’re not what one would call the reassuring sort.”

  “Shut up,” Ax growled before snapping his teeth at him, making the other man jump slightly. Snorting out a laugh, he winked at her. “That never gets old.”

  “Asshole.”

  Lilly frowned and shrugged. “Maybe I could come along with you. Especially if it’s a woman. Sometimes having a woman around is the better solution than just having one large, overly sexy male around. Sorry, but you really
are. Large. And, holy God, sexy.” Okay, so Lilly could use some pointers on how to be less obvious, but seriously, they were hunks!

  “I doubt Briar will appreciate you running around, declaring how sexy we are. She doesn’t much like us,” Gavriel said, looking at the clock. “I have a meeting on the twentieth floor I need to get to. So you two have fun and keep her from jumping back and forth over the border, would you?”

  “Depending on her reaction to the residual energies, that may not be the only issue. Which is part of the reason the doctor doesn’t like going out there.” Ax looked at her. “Body armor, three blades minimum, and two guns, one as backup.”

  “You know, I’ve never been near the Veil,” she told them and quickly suited up in body armor and weapons. Even though she talked a mile a minute, she found herself easily doing what was needed in order to get ready for this excursion. “What do I need to know about the Veil?” she asked in a no-nonsense tone of voice.

  “I’ll leave you to explain, Ax. I gotta go.” Gavriel grinned at her and snapped his band back on as he rushed out of the room.

  “When the Veil fell, it didn’t come down entirely. There are still remnants,” Artaxias explained as they headed for the elevator. “It wasn’t a solid sheet. We could come and go across it at all times. We mainly did that to check on your race and see your progress. Some even came to try and help in times of war, to ensure that the power hungry didn’t end up holding the reins.”

  Riding the elevator down, he looked at her. “As I said, it wasn’t a solid sheet, more like four distinct sections, one leading to each of our realms. We have a similar way to travel between each other’s realms. Those are mere passageways, like doors, from realm to realm, and not a Veil like what was created to keep you and us separated until you came of age, in a manner of speaking.”

  Leading her through the hall to the garage, he snagged a set of keys. “When the Veil that was protecting us from you and vice versa fell, it didn’t fully crumple. There are pieces left, a partial charge of some sort still trying to reform the entirety. Unfortunately it can’t, since the scientists that created it, or rather, their students, and the students of their students, are all dead. There are other scientists from the realms and Earth looking into it. If we can’t bring it down fully, there will always be that weird arcing.”

  Unlocking a large vehicle, he opened the door for her and then went around to climb behind the wheel. Artaxias put on his band before he got them moving and he continued to speak. “Some humans are very sensitive to the Veil, and others don’t even notice it. For those that are sensitive, it is like a strike of lightening going off within inches. The air charges and all the hair on your body stands on end. Some say it’s painful, others say it’s a tingle. Each reacts differently to it. Some get giddy and start hopping back and forth from this side to the other and back again in childish glee.”

  “How do you think that I will react? I’ve never been to the Veil. I’ve wanted to go, but I’ve only been in town for a small time and just haven’t had time to get my butt over there so that I could look at it, you know? I’ve heard that it’s totally beautiful, the shimmer when the sun hits it just right. I would like to see that.”

  “You’d have to be there early morning or late evening. The only time the sun hits it to fully reveal it is when it’s low enough at the right angle. At any time of the year, you need to be there either twenty minutes after sunrise or before sunset. We’re a little early in the day for you to see it. You’ll likely feel it, even those that say there’s not much to it sense it on some level.”

  “Interesting.” Lilly didn’t say anything for a very long time and finally she spoke again. “Do you think that you will ever take me across the Veil? To see your home? I would like to see what makes the two of you who you are. I would like to be able to know what makes you happy and learn more about what makes you you.”

  “If you’d like,” he said. “As our predestined mate, you wouldn’t require clearance. Not sure what you’ll make of Gavriel’s mother, though I will be interested to get your take on her. Even after all these years, she still thinks I’m his bodyguard. Kid hasn’t needed one in many years. A couple of situations notwithstanding, of course.”

  Lilly frowned, “Wait, huh? What do you mean? Keep in mind, I’m totally lost. Literally, I was put on a plane and told to come out here and had folders on the races. I lived in DC and there weren’t many of the other races there. They typically stay fairly close to the Veil for some reason, so what do you mean, you were his bodyguard?”

  “Before the Veil fell I was a mercenary, as are most of my people. Vhampires are very territorial, like Luhpynes. Which means either they need structure, or space. The clan I was born into were all fighters, mercenaries, guns for hire and so forth. I was hired by Gavriel’s mother when he was maybe six summers old, just after his birth father’s death. She still resides with her other mate, but the bond isn’t quite what it should be with the missing piece. Anyway, there was an attempt on his life as a child, and she figured he needed continual watching. So she hired me to trail him and watch him, and in time we became friends. I have many a story I can share with you that will completely and thoroughly embarrass him until his dying day.”

  She grinned at that and nodded. “That’s too cute. Is it like that?” Lilly’s mind switched gears on the fly. “If something happens to one mate, the other remaining living mates aren’t quite right after? If so, that’s very sad. I dislike that immensely, so please never let anything happen to you guys.”

  “We’re not mated yet so if anything did occur now, you’d never notice. But yes, when one of a mating is killed or dies, it changes things. The balance is thrown off and while they can still be happy there is usually some anger, resentment and other emotions,” he explained. He slowed the vehicle and spun it onto another road, speeding up as he took them down the ramp to the highway. “He hates the fact that I don’t seem to forget anything he’s ever done. He claims I have faulty memories or am taking creative license in the telling. I’ve never once done so, which I believe really irritates him.”

  That had her smiling and shaking her head. “I like it,” she admitted to him. “Well I hope that when we all get to know each other, we will all figure out just what life might hold for us, and we will be able to see if we think that a mating would be a good thing or a bad thing between the three of us. I’m just curious, though. How would that work? Would you guys trade off nights or something?”

  “Not sure what you mean.” He shot her a frowning look once he’d changed lanes. “What are you talking about, Lilly?” he asked with a curious tone. He shot her another look and smiled. “I think I missed something there, so clarify it for me if you would.”

  “You know.” Lilly was blushing again. Dammit to hell and back again. “In the bedroom,” she mumbled and suddenly found her jeans really damn fascinating. “That’s my question, when we…well, you know. How would that work?”

  He burst out laughing and seemed to be having trouble getting himself under control. After a time he got himself sorted out. “Sorry. I had a feeling you meant that, but I had to hear you say it.” Artaxias shook his head. “As mates, we’d be together at all times unless you wanted specific time with one of us. Does that adequately answer your question, or should I go into much more intimate detail?”

  “Please don’t. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that two such hot guys want me. I mean, it’s a lot for this wallflower to take in.” She knew she wasn’t ugly, but she wasn’t exactly the first girl asked on a date or to dance or any of that fun stuff.

  “You are hardly a wallflower. Yes, I know the term, though I will admit I had to look it up when I first heard it. If the human males here cannot appreciate you for the beauty you are, then it truly is a shame. You will find that the males of the realms are not as stupid as your human males appear to be, Lilly.”

  “Well, I don’t care about the others of the realm, just you guys,” she said w
ith an honest shrug. “I think it’s going to take some getting used to, though, to be honest. So bear with me? Be here for me when I need and want and need you?” She knew she’d said need twice, but damn it was worth saying.

  “You’re repeating yourself.” He looked her way with a smirk. He knew what she was thinking again. “But we will be there for you through it all. So you needn’t worry, Lilly. Just ask questions when you have them. Be blunt and straightforward with us and we’ll be the same. We don’t lie and will expect the same courtesy from you. So whatever you ask, know you will always get the unvarnished truth.”

  “Oh I know that I am, but you boys are totally worth repeating,” she admitted bluntly. “And don’t worry, I know no other way to be than blunt. Well, there is shy and backward, but you seem to understand that mode for me as well, and I appreciate the hell out of that. As for that, I don’t lie. I will tell you like it is, like it or not. Sorry but that’s how I’m built.”

  “Good.” He nodded. He turned onto an exit ramp. “We’re about ten minutes from the scene. Anything you want to know before we get there?” he asked. “Any questions you want to throw out now so you don’t suddenly spout them off in front of witnesses?” His lips were curling up, blast that man!

  “Yeah, what kind of kill are we looking at?” She wouldn’t lose her composure. She might seem like she would with how she had been acting, but Lilly was actually very, very damn good at what she did and had earned herself a name for being as stoic as one could be.

  “It was a little unclear from the reports. And since Briar, the ME, won’t go near the body until one of us is between the Veil and the body…” He shrugged. “Best guess is that the body was shredded, but we don’t know if it’s one of the races or another one of those human whack jobs with the metal claws.”

  “God, I hate those,” Lilly mumbled. “All right, so why do I have a feeling that I’m here to deal with the ME? Is he afraid of you boys?” She hadn’t met Briar yet, she had nothing to go on. “I mean, yes, you guys are like whoa holy hell huge, but still it doesn’t seem right that they would be afraid of you.”