Soul Sentinels 2: Pen and Paser (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Becca Van

  She crawled onto the bed, pulled her knees up close to her chest and hugged the spare pillow. Before too long, she was drifting off to sleep.

  The moment Nina became aware of her surroundings, fear skittered up her spine. The all-encompassing dark felt sinister with evil intent. She turned frantically, looking for any source of light to show her the way out, but there wasn't even a speck of illumination.

  Her breathing escalated until she was taking shallow, noisy, rasping breaths and her heart was beating so hard all she could hear was her own blood whooshing in her ears. She held her breath, trying to listen for any noise, but she didn't hear anything. Sweat beaded on her brow and between her breasts, and her legs began to shake as fear took hold.

  The air was thick and each time she drew in air, she felt as if her lungs were being clogged with thick, acrid smoke. Although she was cold because of her terror, she was also hot. Her skin was covered in a sheen of perspiration and she knew her fear was a semblance of reason for that reaction, but it was also because the air surrounding her felt as hot as she imagined Hades would be.

  As that thought coalesced, terror tried to grab hold and if she could see where she was, she would have turned tail and ran, but how could she flee when she couldn't even see her own hand in front of her face?

  Nina reached over and pinched her left arm with her right hand and bit her tongue to hold in the yelp of pain. She didn't want to alert anyone she was here because she had a feeling if she did, she would never get out, but she couldn't just stay here in the inky blackness for the rest of her life. She lifted both arms, placing her hands palm out in case she came up against a wall or some sort of obstruction, and took one step. When she didn't encounter anything in her path, she took another step and then another, shuffling her way along in the hope of finding a door or window she could escape through.

  All of a sudden the hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her whole body quaked, but she couldn't let dread take over until she was a sniveling basket-case, so she took a breath of hot air and released it slowly. Her lungs burned and the rank stench of sulfur assailed her nose, nearly choking her with the rotten gas, but she was able to control her gag reflex. If by chance she wasn’t alone, she didn't want to give whoever was in here with her the pleasure of showing the trepidation she was feeling.

  Nina forced herself to keep moving slowly, determined to find her way out of the dark abyss, keeping her eyes wide open intent on finding a means of escape, but when she heard what sounded like the scrape of a boot on the ground and she shook so hard she could hear her teeth clacking together.

  She must have blinked, because at first there was nothing but oily black everywhere she looked, and then, out of nowhere, two red dots appeared in the distance at least half a meter higher than her head. At first, she thought the dots were her way out, but when they disappeared for an infinitesimal moment before reappearing again, she began to back away.

  The grating sound of evil laughter assaulted her ears like long fingernails being dragged down a blackboard, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt she was no longer alone. Horror slammed into her from every which way, and though she couldn't see, she wasn't staying. She spun on her heels and ran as she'd never run before in her life. Her arms and legs pumped up and down, adrenaline surging through her system to aid her flight. The raucous laughter sounded again and she whimpered when she felt a hot breeze against the back of her neck.

  Her skin crawled with pain as if fiery talons had been raked over her flesh, and yet knew she hadn't been touched and thought that maybe she had indeed lost her mind. She grabbed hold of that thought and held on to it, deducing that her imagination was playing tricks on her after the stories she'd heard over the last twenty four hours.

  She glanced back over her shoulder, and although she couldn't see the two red dots anymore, she kept right on running. That was until she slammed up against what felt like a brick wall. What little air she had left in her lungs whooshed out and she fell to her ass with her bruising thud. The inky blackness swirled around her seeming to thin out before her very eyes and mixed with wisps of red, lighting the area around her with a demonic glow.

  That's when she saw him, standing off to the side with his arms crossed over his massive chest and a malicious smile on his face. As she stared at him in shock, she took in his handsome visage.

  He was so big he was well over seven feet tall, and so muscular she was sure he'd put Hercules to shame. His hair was as black as night and reached his shoulders, but it didn't matter that he was good-looking. She could feel the evil radiating off of him. If she could have stopped herself from doing it, she would have, because when she looked into his bleak, malevolent eyes, she wondered if she was completely mad. In the depth of the soulless gaze was mayhem, torture and murder, and she was sure she heard the echo of screams.

  When he took a step toward her, the ground beneath her ass vibrated and she whimpered with terror. She tried to pull her gaze from his, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break the spell she was under. She must have moved her arms and didn't remember doing so, but was glad she had when her skin burned on the hot ground beneath her. The pain was enough to break the trance she'd been in and she was able to scuttle back on her hands and feet. A moan of despair escaped her mouth when her back connected with a hot rock wall. When she felt a tugging sensation in her chest she looked down.

  A cry of pain left her mouth as agony seared her chest. It felt like someone was trying to rip her heart out. Two handsome faces appeared in her mind's eye and she wished she could touch them one more time. She hadn't even realized how important Pen and Paser had become to her in such a short amount of time, until her life was in jeopardy. Now that she'd probably never see them again, everything seemed to come to her with such clarity and she would give anything to spend just one more second with them.

  That was the moment Nina realized she'd virtually given up, and renewed determination filled her soul. If she wanted to have a chance to be with Pentu and Paser, she needed to fight for them.

  She envisioned their faces and the emotions that had been in their eyes when they looked at her, and gasped with recognition. The love they had for her had been evident if she'd only cared to look. It didn't matter that they'd only just met. It was like she’d been hit with a bolt of lightning. They were meant to be together and she wasn't about to let some evil guy take away her chances of being loved.

  For the first time in her life, Nina let the walls around her heart drop, and when she did, the emptiness in her heart filled with warmth. To her surprise, the inky black-and-red fog began to dissipate and her surroundings began to lighten. She looked back up to where the giant, handsome man with eerie red eyes had been, only to discover he wasn't there.

  The tugging at her chest lessened, as did the pain, and her body jolted as hope filled her heart.

  For the first time in her life, Nina felt as if she was lovable just like anyone else, and her childhood dreams came back to the fore. She didn't care that they all still had a lot to learn about each other. All that mattered was that she open herself up to the possibility of love instead of hiding behind the walls she'd erected at a young age. From what she'd been told, they had a very long time to learn about each other, and what better way to do that than if she mated with them?

  Her trepidation was unwarranted, from what Zara had told her, and once she was mated with Pen and Paser, they would do everything in their power to protect her and make her happy. She wasn't sure she was in love with them yet, but she definitely had strong feelings for them and she'd be a fool to turn her back on something that could end up being something special.

  She'd let her fears of being hurt rule her for so long it had become a habit. It was going to be hard to keep an open mind and heart, but she needed to see where this thing between her, Paser and Pen could go.

  The epiphany was enough to jolt her back to wakefulness, and the moment she opened her eyes, it was to see Pen and Paser each h
olding one of her hands and stroking her arm.

  “Are you all right, baby?” Pen asked, a frown of concern marring his face.

  “Yes,” she answered, mentally cursing when her voice cracked.

  “Are you sure, sweetheart?” Paser brushed a strand of hair back from her face.

  “I think so,” she replied, and then to her horror she burst into tears.

  The last twenty-four hours or so had finally caught up with her and she couldn’t keep the emotional storm that had been building from bursting free.

  Pen lifted her from the bed, plonked her in his lap and surrounded her with his arms and body heat. The tears flowed hard and fast, and no matter how much she tried to stop them, it was impossible. She cried so much her eyes became sore and puffy, and she had trouble drawing air into her lungs.

  Paser moved in behind her, pressing his front to her back, and for the first time since she'd fallen asleep, she felt safe and cherished. It took a while, but finally her tears stopped, her neck occasionally spasming with each hiccupped breath she drew in.

  “You were screaming, Nina. Did you have a nightmare?” Pen kissed the top of her head and she nodded as she snuggled into him.

  “Do you want to talk about it, sweetheart?” Paser began to knead the tense muscles in her neck.

  “Have you ever seen Apep?” Nina felt both men tense at her question and she couldn't help do the same. She wasn't sure she wanted an answer to her question, but she couldn't go around with her head buried in the sand. She wasn't so sure her nightmare had actually been a nightmare and there was only one way to find out.

  “No. Why do you ask?” Paser began kneading her muscles again.

  “I think I may know what he looks like.”

  “What?” Pen shouted his question. He leaned back slightly and cupped her face in his palm. “Look at me, Nina.”

  She couldn't deny his command, and while her eyes and nose were no doubt red and her face blotchy, she found herself obeying him. He stared deeply into her eyes and she shivered in reaction to what she saw in their depths. There was lust and love, but the most prominent emotion she could see was concern. “Tell us what happened.”

  Nina cleared her croaky throat and then told them about her nightmare.

  “Fuck! I don't like this.” Paser rose from the bed and began to pace. “Apep and his demons don't usually attack during the day.”

  “So you think this was an attack on me?” Nina shivered with fear.

  “Yes.” Pen's voice drew her gaze. He was grinding his teeth so hard the muscle in his jaw was twitching.

  “You know what worries me?” Paser asked as he looked at Pen.

  “What?” Nina asked, but both of the men remained silent. She knew then that they were hiding something from her but she wasn't about to let them. If she was going to be their mate and help them fight evil, she needed to know everything she could so she was better prepared if she ever came face-to-face with Apep and his demons again.

  She shoved Pen's arms from around her, scrambled from his lap and from the bed before planting her feet on the floor, hands on hips as she faced them.

  “You need to tell me.” She glared at them for good measure, hoping that they would see things her way. Although she knew they were keeping their thoughts to themselves to protect her, information was the key. She needed to know anything and everything she could so that next time she faced the god of the underworld, she would be confident in her fight.

  Pen sighed and nodded at Paser before meeting her gaze. “Apep never does his own dirty work. He always sends one of his peons to do it for him.”

  “And?” Nina asked, because she knew there was more.

  “From what we’ve learned over the years, Apep has never appeared in any of the nightmares.”

  “So you've just said twice.” Nina relaxed her stance and sighed. “What aren't you telling me?”

  “Apep was sent to the bowels of hell and has been trying to escape for millennia.” Paser grimaced as he crossed his arms over his chest.

  “You've already told me this. Well, Zara did, anyway.”

  “What Zara didn't tell, because she probably doesn't know, is the reason Apep has never materialized in the dreams or tried to steal souls himself, is because he was never strong enough,” Pen explained.

  Nina gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Once more fear tried to swamp her as frissons of alarm raced up her spine, sending goosebumps of horror over her skin.

  If Apep was now able to infiltrate dreams and during the day, did that mean he was nearly strong enough to escape from the underworld?

  Chapter Six

  Pen wanted to run to Ra's temple and seek out the sun god, but from the horrified expression on Nina's face and the way she started to shake, she needed him and Paser more than ever. He hadn't felt fear in so long, and now that it was surging through his system he wasn't quite sure how to handle it. He wanted to hunt down the demonic and wipe them from the face of the earth and the underworld, as well as their evil ruler, but he couldn't.

  He had often wanted to ask Ra why he didn't just go into the underworld and slaughter the evil, but he wasn't sure the sun god would ever answer him, so he'd kept his mouth shut. However, now that he'd met his mate and she was in danger, he wanted to rage at all of them for the continuous struggle over good versus evil.

  Pen shoved to his feet, clasped Nina by her shoulders and pulled her against his body. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tight.

  “Am I going to die?”

  Her whispered question tore his heart in two and for the first time since he was a young boy, tears burned the back of his eyes. “No. We won’t let them get you, baby. Paser and I will do everything within our power to keep you safe. I would give my own life before any harm came to you.”

  “Don't say that.” Nina drew back and met his gaze.

  He hated seeing the tears in her eyes and fear in their depths, but until the threat of Apep and his demon shadows were no longer, there was nothing he could do to wipe it away.

  “Why didn't we feel the surge of evil like we normally do?” Paser asked the question that had been in Pen's mind ever since Nina had told them about the attack.

  “I don't know.”

  “What are you talking about?” Nina asked.

  “Usually we can sense evil and are drawn to it, but we didn't this time.” Pen hugged her tighter, but made sure not to squeeze too hard in case he hurt her.

  “What does it feel like?”

  “It's dark, thick and oily. Almost like what you'd imagine sludge would feel like, but it's also hot and oppressive, making it difficult to breathe,” Paser explained.

  “That's exactly how it felt to me.” Nina nodded. “How do you deal with that night after night and remain sane?”

  “It was hard at first,” Pen said, “but after dealing with the demonic for thousands of years, you train yourself to become immune to the affects. In a way, I suppose we numb ourselves to the sensation.”

  “Do the others feel the same things you do?” Nina moved from Pen's arms and sat on the edge of the bed.

  “Yeah, I think so.” Pen crossed his arms.

  “How could you not know?” she asked with a frown.

  “We used to talk about it all the time when we first became sentinels making sure we all felt it so we could follow and fight evil, but I guess we've become a little complacent and just stopped talking about it anymore.” Paser frowned as if thinking about what he'd just said.

  “Do you think you could have become immune to the sensations?”

  “We still feel evil whenever it's prevalent, but I suppose we could be more invulnerable after fighting for so long,” Pen admitted.

  “Why would I be targeted?” Nina asked.

  Pen cleared his throat and glanced at Paser.

  “Didn't Zara explain about the demons targeting the innocent?” Paser asked.

  “Yes, but she also said that the demonic could be acquiring their
army through the not-so-innocent.”

  “Yes, but the more pure the innocent the person's soul is, the stronger the shadow demon will be.” Pen sat down beside Nina.

  She frowned at him and then Paser before meeting his gaze again. “Are you telling me the only reason I've been targeted is because I'm a virgin?”

  Pen felt his cheeks heat, and he wanted to look away from her intent gaze but didn't. “No, baby. An innocent doesn't have to be a virgin.”

  “What? That doesn't make sense. If a person has lost their virginity then they're no longer innocent.”

  “Not necessarily, sweetheart.” Paser knelt on the floor and placed his hands on Nina's thighs.

  Pen wanted to strip her down and make love to her, but talking to her was more important than his physical needs. Plus, she hadn't gifted him or Paser with her acceptance yet and until she did, they needed to keep tight reign over their lust.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Just because a person has had sex doesn't mean they're not innocent anymore. The term innocent can be used in relation to a person's heart and soul. It's what's inside that matters.”

  “So why me? Besides the virgin bit.”

  “You radiate goodness, Nina. Your soul is so pure, and you practically glow with it.”

  Nina snorted, but when she met Pen's eyes, he made sure she knew he was being sincere and not just feeding her a line.

  “Pen's right, sweetheart. You are the epitome of pure and good, but not because of your sexual experience or lack thereof.”

  “How can you say that? You don't even know me,” Nina said.

  “Have you ever deliberately gone out of your way to hurt anyone?” Paser asked.

  Nina sighed with what sounded like exasperation. “No.”

  “I'll bet the exact opposite is true,” Pen said.