Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Resolutely, he turned his attention back to rehydrating his own meal. The little Mistress they had been sent to protect might be beautiful, but they were only there to guard her—nothing more.
SEVEN
MIRABELLA
“Well, that was delicious.” Lynx smiled as he pushed away the bowl of questionable looking stew he’d chosen for his meal from the little white cubes he’d brought.
Miri didn’t think what he’d chosen looked very appetizing or delicious—it had a distinct sour-gamey smell that wasn’t at all appealing. Also, the big Monstrum had only eaten half of it. But maybe he just wasn’t hungry.
She had been happy to polish off her own choice—the pepperoni pizza was even better than the homemade pizza her father had made for her when she was little. And Saxon’s steak and baked potato had looked and smelled good too.
But they were all finished eating now and Miri supposed it was time to think about sleeping arrangements.
“Well,” she said, rising to collect the paper plates the food had come on so she could throw them in the recycle unit. “I guess it’s time to start getting settled for the night. This is a pretty big place—I’m in the Master Suite but I have two guest rooms you can use.”
“Two guest rooms?” Saxon said, frowning. “Lynx and I never sleep apart.”
“Oh, uh…sorry,” Miri said blankly. “I didn’t realize your relationship was like that. I thought…never mind, I don’t know what I thought.”
Lynx laughed.
“I think you gave our Lady the wrong idea, Brother,” he said to Saxon. “We’re not in a sexual relationship,” he told Miri. “That is, we don’t touch each other sexually.”
“But I thought…earlier Saxon said about, uh, ‘sharing’ a female with you…” Miri shook her head. “I’m confused.”
“Lynx and I are Bond-Brothers—we’ve been together since we were young,” Saxon growled. “But we don’t take pleasure in each other’s touch—we just need to share a female.”
“Because of the Bond we formed,” Lynx explained. “It doesn’t physically hurt us to take a woman separately, but it does feel wrong. Both our pleasure and the pleasure of the female we’re sharing increases exponentially when we hold her between us. It’s almost like…every touch is multiplied…every kiss is magnified.” He sighed wistfully. “Of course, it’s been a long time since we had the pleasure of holding a female between us.”
“Lynx…” There was a warning in Saxon’s low growl, as though he was letting his Bond-Brother know that he was right on the edge of saying too much.
Miri wished she knew what Saxon was trying to keep secret. Was it about the girl they had somehow killed? Had they “loved” her to death? If Lynx’s equipment was anywhere near the size that Saxon’s was, she could certainly see that happening!
“But…the two of you sleep together even if you don’t have a, uh, female to share between you?” she asked, deciding to leave well enough alone.
“Yes—it strengthens our bond. And it feels wrong to sleep apart,” Lynx explained. “Though of course for tonight at least, we’ll be sleeping with you, Mistress Mirabella.”
“What?” Miri pushed away from the table, staring at both of them with wide eyes. “Huh-uh—no way!” she exclaimed. “You swore you wouldn’t try anything when I let you out of that cell!”
“We’re not breaking our oath, my Lady,” Lynx said honestly, opening his golden eyes wide.
“We just need to sleep on either side of you in order to cast an Aura of Protection,” Saxon growled. “That’s fucking all—nothing else.”
“Aura of Protection? What in the universe are you talking about?” Miri demanded.
“It’s a kind of shield that bonded Monstrum can generate when they hold a female between them,” Lynx explained earnestly. “Basically a combination of our energy that can deflect any kind of attack and keep you safe all through the night.”
“So…in order to form this ‘shield’ I have to sleep between the two of you?” Miri asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Exactly.” Lynx nodded. “And…” He hesitated. “I works best if the three of us are unclothed, though I understand if that bothers you.”
“You must think I’m stupid.” Miri glared at them. “You really think I’m going to take off all my clothes and get into bed naked with the two of you and trust you that nothing is going to happen?”
“We’re asking you to trust our word that we won’t touch you inappropriately,” Lynx said earnestly. “You’re being stalked by a killer and this is the strongest protection you can get. In fact, Saxon and I were chosen for this assignment over every other Kindred and Monstrum warrior because of our ability to cast the Aura of Protection over a female who sleeps between us.”
“I don’t believe this!” Miri threw up her hands. “I can’t believe you actually expect me to swallow this story!”
“Look, little Mistress…” Saxon sat up from his slumped position at the table and glared at her. “Are you beautiful? Yes—fucking gorgeous. “You’re a little thin for our taste, but your tits are perfect—round and plump and extremely suckable. But having said that, are we here to fucking molest you? No.” He shook his head firmly. “We’re here to do a job—a job that only we can do. Which is cast a fucking Aura of Protection over you and keep you safe, in case this fucking killer somehow sneaks in tonight and goes for you.”