by Becca Van
“I can feel what you are feeling. In fact, I felt fear just before you both woke up. Why were you scared?”
Pen lifted his head and looked deeply into her eyes. “You don’t remember?”
“Remember what?”
“You were sick, Nina.”
“What?”
“We thought you were going to die,” Paser said. Nina heard the anguish in his voice and felt the lingering emotion of both of their fear.
“How did I get sick? All I remember is feeling very, very horny and you both making love to me.”
Pen and Paser took turns explaining that she had been out for three days and nights. She could hear the anxiety in their voices and the distress they'd endured over her.
Tears burned her eyes. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you through that.”
“Don't apologize, baby. We should be the ones apologizing to you. We are the reason you got sick in the first place.” Pen ran his fingers through his hair.
“How do you figure that?”
“Your body has gone through the transformation because we mated you,” Paser answered quietly, his chin dipping toward his chest as he lowered his gaze.
“Did you know I would get sick?”
“Not really,” Pen replied.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Zara went through something similar, but Set and Sab called on Ra to heal her. They couldn't handle watching their mate go through such torture.”
“It can't have been that bad.” Nina smiled. “I don't remember it and I feel fantastic. Please don't blame yourselves. I agreed, wanted to be your mate. Even if I'd known I'd get sick, I wouldn't have changed my mind.”
“Are you sure?” Paser asked.
“Yes. Don't dwell on what was. It's in the past.”
Paser cupped her face and met her gaze. “I love you, Nina Page.”
Nina swallowed around the lump of emotion constricting her throat and tried to blink the tears back. “I love you, too, Paser Ebo.”
Paser leaned down and kissed her passionately. His tongue twirled around and glided along hers. By the time he lifted his head, they were both breathless.
Pen stood, clasped her hand and tugged her to her feet. “I love you, baby.”
The tears of happiness wouldn't be denied anymore. She smiled tremulously as she looked at her mate through the moisture. She had to take a couple of deep breaths before she could speak. “I love you, too, Pentu Chatha.”
“I know you do, baby. I can feel your love.” Pen smiled, and all the concern and fear he'd harbored in his heart washed away.
“I can feel you, too.” Nina turned and held her free hand out toward Paser. He surged to his feet and threaded his fingers through hers. “I can feel both of you.”
“We are going to spend a lot of time loving you, sweetheart.”
“Good. I can't wait.” Nina smiled and kissed both her men lightly on the lips. “How did you guys get the glass pyramid roof under water? How did you get this…base under a lake?”
“We didn't.” Paser grinned.
“Then who did?” She frowned with confusion.
“Ra did.”
“Are you kidding me?” Nina asked, but she could tell by their expressions they weren't. “Did he use his godly powers or something?”
“I would presume so, but we weren't here when he built it.”
“Where were you?”
“We have no idea,” Pen answered.
“What?”
“We had just been transformed into sentinels, sweetheart. Apparently we slept for three long days.” Paser tugged her into his arms and held her tight against his chest. Pen moved up and pressed his front against her back.
“Ha, that sounds familiar.”
“Shit!” Pen frowned. “I'd forgotten all about that.”
“Well, I suppose that's to be expected since you're all so old. Senility might be setting in.” Nina giggled and then burst out laughing at the incredulous expressions on her mates’ faces.
Pen and Paser started chuckling and they full-out laughed. The sound of their deep basses sent shivers of need surging to her core, but she pushed her lust aside. She was so happy and in love.
Right then, she was floating on a high. She felt almost euphoric with joy and love.
God, it was great to be alive.
“We need to pull some clothes on,” Paser said after he'd regained his breath and moved toward the chair where his and Pen's clothes had been draped.
Nina sighed with disappointment as they both dressed. She loved seeing their muscular chests, shoulders, arms and legs. They only had boxers on when they got out of bed, and as much as she wanted to ask them to strip again so they could make love, she was too hungry for food.
Her stomach was still growling up a storm, begging for nourishment.
“Come on, baby.” Pen held his hand out to her. “We need to get you something to eat.”
“Okay.” Nina clasped his hand and let him lead her out to the kitchen. She decided to broach the subject of going out with them each night while they ate.
Chapter Eleven
Paser sat back in his chair, contented to watch Nina. She'd devoured the roast beef sandwiches he'd made as well as the fruit he'd cut up.
“Are the others out hunting?” Nina asked after taking a sip of her tea.
“I wouldn't call it hunting, but yes,” Pen answered.
“Including Zara,” Nina asked.
Paser had an idea where Nina was heading and hid his smile. He could feel her excitement through their bond.
“Yes.” Pen narrowed his eyes at Nina, but Paser knew it wasn't because he was angry. His friend was trying not to laugh at their mate's roundabout way to get what she wanted. To hunt with them.
“Did Set and Sab train her?”
“Yes,” Paser answered calmly. Inside, he was roaring with laughter. Their mate was sneaky when she wanted to get her own way. He loved her so much and would do anything to make her happy, even train her to become a sentinel if that was what she wanted.
“So?”
“So what?” Pen asked.
Nina rolled her eyes. “Come on, guys, you know what. I can feel you laughing through the bond.”
“You can?” Paser asked, awed that she was so in tune to them already. He didn't think Zara had been able to pick up on Set's and Sab's emotions as quickly as Nina was able to pick up theirs.
“Of course I can. Just as you already know I want you to train me.” Nina leaned back in her chair with a sigh, picked up her mug of tea and took a sip.
“Is that really what you want, baby?” Pen covered her hand and squeezed. “Don't think you have to do this if you don't want to.”
“How can you ask me that? I need to know how to fight these…things. I have never been so scared in my life as when you met me that night and when I was caught up in that nightmare. I felt so helpless and I don't want to feel like that again. I need to know how to take them down.”
“We'll keep you safe, sweetheart.” Paser leaned over and kissed her temple. He would give his last breath so that Nina could live.
“I know you will, but you can't follow me into a dream. Can you?”
Pen shook his head. “Not that we know.”
“So it only makes sense that I'm prepared and know how to fight. You can't invade my dreams and can't be with me every minute of every day.”
“She's right.” Paser sighed. He hated the thought of Nina fighting the demonic, but he and Pen couldn't follow her into her dreams. At least he didn’t think they could. He would feel a lot better if she knew how to protect herself in case there was ever a need. Of course, if the worst happened and she could defend herself, they would be able to get to her on time. He hoped.
“Okay,” Pen agreed after a few moments. “When do you want to start training?”
“No time like the present.”
Paser met Pen's gaze and nodded. They quickly cleaned up the dishes and headed to the large gy
m.
“Wow.” Nina's awed whisper as they entered the gym room made him smile. She looked like a kid in a candy store.
“Are those swords?” She pointed to the sickle-shaped swords hanging on the wall.
“Yes,” Paser replied.
“Are they glowing?” Nina squinted her eyes as she stared at the golden blades.
“Yes.” Pen walked across the room and plucked a sword from the wall before turning around to hand it to Nina.
“Why does the blade glow?”
“We think it's because of Ra.” Paser moved up behind Nina as she took the proffered sword from Pen.
“It's not as heavy as I thought it would be.” Nina lifted the sword up and down.
“Hold it like this.” Paser adjusted her grip and, when Pen moved back, moved her arm in arcs so she could get a feel for the weapon. “Always have the curved part of the blade facing away from you. If you have it toward you, the tip could snag on something and get stuck.”
“I'll remember.” Nina moved about when Paser stepped back. She looked so sexy swinging the blade from side to side.
“Okay. We'll come back to the sword at a later date.” Pen took the sword and hung it back on the wall. “We need to test your speed and endurance. Sometimes you'll have to move fast so that the demonic or the possessed humans can’t get a hold on you.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Go for a run on the treadmill.” Paser led her over to the machine, showed her how it worked, and then walked over to the weights. He and Pen added weight plates to the bars and began to lift. When Paser glanced at Pen, he saw his friend staring at Nina as she warmed up with a walk. Neither of them could keep their eyes off of their mate.
“Do you think the shadow demons will try to get to her again?” Paser asked, and he turned to stare at Nina again. She was jogging now and he couldn't help but smile when he saw that she was grinning. She hit the button on the treadmill and then laughed as the machine sped up until she was sprinting. She was beautiful. Even though she wasn't very tall, her legs seemed to go on forever. They were long, lithe and toned. Her ass was a nice handful, but was firm as well as being soft and plump. She was more than he could have ever imagined a beautiful and sexy woman to be and she was all theirs.
“I don't know. I hope not,” Pen murmured.
Paser looked over at him and tried to remember what he'd asked. He sucked in a ragged breath when his words came back to him. A knot of dread formed in his gut and he tried to dispel it, but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't be dislodged. He just hoped that it wasn't a sign of things to come.
* * * *
As Nina sprinted on the treadmill, she felt invigorated. She'd never been much of a runner. Of course, she'd practically walked everywhere since she didn't have a car and couldn't afford one. She was surprised to find how fast she could move, but what astounded her was the fact she wasn't huffing and puffing.
“Slow it down, now, sweetheart.”
She met Paser's gaze, but looked beyond him when she saw movement toward the back wall. She stumbled when she saw Pen lifting weights. The bar was packed full of metal plates, and although his biceps were bulging and rippling, he didn't look like he was having any trouble holding the huge burden.
“Whoa.” Paser snagged her around the waist with one arm and lifted her off the treadmill and against his chest. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Nina cleared her throat as she met his gaze and gave him a chagrinned smile. “I got distracted.”
“You can't afford to let anything to distract you in a fight, sweetheart. You could end up getting seriously hurt or killed.”
“Aren't I immortal now?”
“Yes, and we heal quickly, but we can still be killed.”
“How?”
“Decapitation.”
Nina covered her mouth with her hand. Just the thought of her mates losing their heads made her feel sick to her stomach and pain pierce her heart. The moment her hand touched her mouth, she gasped. She pulled her hand away and stared at the bead of blood on her palm near the base of her thumb. She looked up at Paser and lifted her hand to her mouth again. This time she used her fingers instead of her whole hand to explore her mouth.
Fear shot through her when she felt the tips of sharp teeth. “What…”
“Don't panic, Nina.” Paser pulled her tighter against his chest, hugging her with both of his arms.
“Do I have fangs?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” She wailed her question and pushed against his shoulders. “Let me down.”
“What’s wrong?” Pen asked as he came to stand next to Nina.
“Nina just discovered her fangs.”
“Oh.”
Nina turned her glare to Pen. “Oh. Is that all you can say? Why didn't you tell me I would get fangs?”
“I thought Zara told you,” Paser frowned.
“She did.”
“Then why are you so surprised? Why are you scared?” Pen asked.
“I didn't believe her,” Nina whispered.
“Come here, baby.” Pen grasped her wrist and tugged her toward him.
He wrapped her in his arms and rubbed his cheek on the top of her head. The tension in her muscles dissipated and she sighed as she leaned against his chest. Paser pressed his chest to her back. She felt so safe and protected between her two mates and never wanted to leave. The hunger to make love to them again surged into her pussy, making her wet, but what she needed more right now was answers. She felt as if her life was out of her control and that scared her a little.
Nina didn't regret mating with Paser and Pen. In fact, the opposite was true. She'd found love. How could she deny them when they were already so firmly entrenched into her heart and soul? What she was having trouble with was how she felt as if she were floundering along with no direction because she still had so few answers.
“What's wrong, sweetheart?” Paser rubbed his hands up and down her arms in an offer of comfort.
“I just feel like I'm drifting with no direction.”
“Why?” Pen drew back and frowned at her.
“Because I don't know enough. My whole life has changed in the blink of an eye.”
Nina sighed when she felt a surge of pain in her heart and immediately felt contrite, because the pain wasn't hers. She moved out from between her mates so she could see their faces and frowned when she saw the blank expressions they'd assumed.
“Please, don't be mad at me.”
“We're not angry,” Pen said.
She reached out and clasped their hands, threading their fingers together, and hoped she hadn't hurt them so badly they wouldn't forgive her. “I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I don't regret my decision to mate with you. I love you both, so much.”
“Does that scare you?” Paser squeezed her hand.
“Sometimes. My world has been turned upside-down in a few short days. It's a lot to digest.” Nina drew in a ragged breath. “Don't think I don't love you or blame either of you. I'm so happy you came along when you did, because if you hadn't, I would probably be dead and wouldn't have never met either of you. I feel as if I'm going a little insane. There's so much I have to learn and I'm not sure I'll ever be enough.”
“Stop!” Paser snapped. “Get those thoughts out of your head right now. You're everything to us.”
“Baby, you are the most important person in our lives. How can you think you would never be enough?” Pen asked in a hoarse voice.
“I want to fight by your side. I want to be able to protect you if necessary, but I'm not sure I'll ever be as strong as you are. I've never had to battle anyone and the thought of not being able to do so scares the hell out of me.”
“Nina.” Paser cupped her face in his hand. “You are perfect.”
“No I'm not.”
“Let me finish,” Paser commanded. “I didn't mean that we have you up on a pedestal. We know you’re not perfect and god knows we’re not, either. You're p
erfect for us. You have so much love in your heart, and we are honored and humble that you've come to love us. The other stuff is inconsequential. You'll learn just like we did. You don't think we knew what we were doing overnight, do you? It took us years to become proficient with swords and fighting. We were slaves before Ra found us and turned us. The only fighting we'd ever done was the fight for survival.”
“Paser's right.” Pen released her hand and tugged her against him. “Rome wasn't built in a day, sweetheart.”
Nina sighed as she rubbed her cheek on his chest and inhaled his delectable scent. Paser moved in behind her again and she felt so warm, safe and protected between her mates.
“You're a lot stronger than you think.” Pen kissed the top of her head. “And from the way you handled that sword earlier, I'd say you're a natural.”
“Do you think so?”
“We know so.” Paser squeezed her waist. “You handle a sword better than I did when we first started on this adventure.”
“Thank you.” Nina closed her eyes and listened to the soothing thump of Pen's heartbeat. “Will I have to drink blood now?”
“Ah.” Paser turned her around and lifted her into his arms.
Nina clutched at his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his waist for balance. “What?”
“That's the crux of your worries right now, isn't it?” Paser asked.
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you just come out and ask, baby?” Pen questioned.
Nina buried her face in Paser's neck. “I didn't want to offend you.”
“Look at me, Nina,” Paser demanded.
She lifted her head and met his gaze. “Nothing you say or do will ever offend us. We're your mates and we are yours. If something is on your mind, then talk to us, damn it. We can’t help you if we don’t know what the problem is.”
Nina nodded.
“What did Zara tell you about drinking blood?” Pen ran a hand down her back and then squeezed her ass cheek.
Nina's arousal had gone back to a low simmer, but flared up again.
“She said that I wouldn't need to drink blood, but I might need to if I get injured.”
