Soul Sentinels 2: Pen and Paser (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 13

  “Shut up!”

  “No!” Nina shouted back. “You can torture me and kill me, but you will never win the battle you're waging. Those men fighting your demons love each other and the sun god, Ra. They know what is right, what's good and most importantly of all, they know what love is. You will never know what it's like to have someone care for you, the gentle touch of a hand, the love of a brother to stand at your side. You know nothing but violence and evil, and because of that, you won't win. I love my men with my whole heart and they love me right back. I would die for them and they would die for me. Can you say that about any of these poor, tortured souls? Of course you can't. You don’t know what love is. You're pathetic, Apep.”

  Nina was breathless by the time she'd finished her tirade, and though she cringed over goading the leader of the underworld into killing her, she wouldn't have changed anything that she'd said. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that her guys would take a sword for her just as she would for them.

  She looked down when she felt warm moisture trickling over her skin and saw that her clothes had slashes in them and her skin was also cut and weeping blood. She didn't remember getting cut and wondered if the shadow demons had done that when they'd wrapped around her.

  When she heard Apep step forward, a strange calmness washed over her. She was no longer afraid. Not of him and not of dying. What worried her was how her mates would survive if she died, but she knew the other sentinels and Zara would do everything they could to help them through their grief. She didn't want to die. She'd only just met her mates and wanted to spend the rest of her long life by their sides, loving with them, fighting with them and caring for them.

  Once more, their handsome faces filled her mind. The more she thought of them, her love for them and their love for her, the warmer she felt. They were so handsome and good and just. No wonder Ra had chosen them and their friends to fight against the demon shadows and their leader. Their hearts and souls were attuned to helping others and keeping them safe.

  Nina gasped when Apep's huge hand wrapped around her throat and squeezed. She didn't fight him because she knew it was useless to fight someone so much stronger than she was. When he squeezed harder, she relaxed her muscles and poured all the love in her heart up and out toward her mates.

  Apep roared in pain, which had Nina snapping her eyes open. The dark, dank chamber was illuminated to every corner and the light was so bright it nearly hurt her eyes. She moved her eyeballs from side to side, trying to see where the light was coming from, and would have gasped if she'd been able to. It was coming from her.

  From the look on Apep's face, he was in agony and the grip he had around her neck loosened slightly, giving her a chance to gulp in air. The stench of burning flesh assailed her nostrils, and she wanted to gag but didn't. When she saw smoke wafting up in front of her face, she realized that it was Apep's flesh that was burning.

  Nina tried to move her arms. The demon god was still controlling her somehow, but it didn't matter because as she continued to pour her emotions out toward her mates, she felt them in her heart and they sent her all the love in their hearts. The longer they fed each other, the stronger she felt and she was finally able to move. Whatever spell or curse Apep had had on her was broken and she was free.

  She didn't even think about what she was doing, but the moment her hands wrapped around Apep's thick wrist, she knew she had done the right thing. He screamed as if he was in agony and tried to pull away. Nina gripped him harder and coughed when smoke entered her mouth, nose and lungs, but she hung on.

  A cry left her mouth when a fist slammed into the side of her face, and for a moment, all she could see were dark pinpricks and the light faded, but she clung to Apep with all her might. Her skin began to itch just below her shoulder blades, and even though she wanted to back up to the rock wall and scratch the interminable painful itching, she tried to ignore it.

  She was more aware of her mates than she had ever been and felt like they were standing right next to her, offering her their strength and their love. The darkness in her eyes diminished and when she looked up into Apep's eyes, she saw fear. Fear that she was going to kill him. Fear that he and his minions wouldn't win this fight of good versus evil. Fear of her.

  Apep managed to get away from her hold, and he turned to flee.

  The bright white light began to change color into a deep golden hue. Nina had no idea what was happening but wasn't about to hang around to find out. Apep had just reached a hole in the rock wall and as he stepped through it, he seemed to vanish into thin air. Nina decided it was time to try and get the heck out of here, wherever here was, and she raced toward the entrance.

  She didn't make it. Just as she was about to step through the cavity, the golden light got so bright she had to close her eyes, but she had no intention of stopping her flight. She put her hands out in front of her so she didn't go slamming into the rock wall but didn't slow her step.

  A loud oomph left her lungs when she slammed up against something big, warm and hard. She tried to stop her forward momentum but she was going too fast. Her outstretched arms bent at the elbows and she ended up with her forearms resting on whatever she'd come into contact with. Her eyes flew open, ready to do battle with Apep's shadow demons or Apep himself again. She wasn't going to give up.

  She was determined to get out of here and back with her mates where she belonged.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Why can't we get in?” Pen shouted, and then grunted as he ran at the door again. Pain radiated into his shoulder and down his arm. He stepped back, not willing to give up until he had Nina in his arms, until he knew she was safe.

  “I don't know,” Paser replied just as loudly. He ran his fingers through his hair and began to pace agitatedly.

  “Can't you feel it?” Zara said as she, Set and Sab moved closer to the closed gym door.

  “The evil?” En asked with a frown before nodding.

  “Yes, but it's more than I've ever felt before.” Zara moved closer to the door and placed her palm on it. She gasped and snatched her hand back. When she turned around to face them, the fear on her face and emanating from her body was palpable. “The evil is so thick I'm almost choking on it.”

  “I can only feel what we normally do,” Set said before gently moving Zara aside and then he, too, placed his palm on the door. He shook his head with confusion. “It doesn't feel any different than when we're facing the shadow demons.”

  Pen stepped toward Zara and would have grabbed hold of her hand if Sab hadn't knocked his away. The other man glared at him so hard he probably should have shriveled up and died, but he didn't care. All that mattered was saving his mate. He ignored Sab's glare and the low growl he let loose and concentrated on Zara.

  “What do you feel?”

  “The evil is thick and oily like it normally is, but there's also heat and ice. I can't decide if I want to shiver or fan myself. When I touched the door, it was as if a physical pain manifested in my chest and the evil oiliness was seeping into my body, heart and soul. It was really hard to fill my lungs with air.”

  “Fuck!” Paser snarled. “Do you think Apep is in there?”

  “I don't know,” Zara whispered fearfully, “but this is more than we've ever dealt with before.”

  “Maybe we could punch through the wall,” Mitry suggested.

  “Let's do it,” Pen agreed. “We can't do nothing. We have to get to Nina.”

  Pen shoved Set and Sab out of the way and, without any thought, punched through the plaster wall. He didn't even flinch when he felt the skin on his knuckles split and start bleeding. Nothing mattered but Nina.

  Paser moved to his side and joined him. His fist punched after his. It took them three punches between the both of them to get through to the other side, but the moment Pen's hand went through the second piece of Gyprock, he had to bite back a howl of pain. He'd come up against what felt like a brick wall, and since he wasn't human and stronger than any living creature
alive, it shouldn't have stopped him from going through the barrier.

  Paser cursed as his punch followed Pen's. “What the fuck is going on?”

  “I think Apep is doing this.” Zara's voice cracked with fear.

  Pen had never been so scared in his life. He'd thought Nina being sick had been fear-inducing, but that was nothing compared to the terror he was feeling right now. If Apep had their mate…He couldn't complete that thought. He couldn’t even contemplate losing Nina. It would utterly destroy him if he did. It would destroy both him and Paser.

  “Ra!” Pen shouted. It was time the sun god helped them out. There was no way Pen, Paser or any of the others could get into the underworld. They had no idea how to and had never even tried to, but if he needed to visit the bowels of hell to save his mate, he would do so without a qualm.

  “Ra!” Paser yelled and turned in a circle as if expecting the sun god to appear at their summons.

  Pen roared with fury when their summons went unanswered. Panic warred with rage in his heart. He, Paser and the others had fought for Ra for thousands of years, and now that they needed him like they'd never needed him before, he had the audacity to ignore them. Something inside of him broke in that instant. He wondered if the trust and loyalty he'd had for Ra over the millennia had been misdirected. Pen gripped his hair and tugged. He felt like he'd been betrayed and the only thing keeping him sane was pain, pain and anger that seemed to escalate each time his heart beat, each time he took a breath.

  “Why won't he come?” Zara asked, the last word ending on a sob.

  Set and Sab pulled their mate between them as she cried.

  Pen felt like an asshole because he knew Zara was hurting, worried for her friend, but that was nothing to what he was feeling. She had her mates with her and they had her. He couldn't listen or watch the loving interaction without doing or saying something he may end up regretting.

  He turned away and strode toward Ra's temple. His heart was thumping hard against his chest and he was breathing heavy. He didn't pant even when he was fighting the shadow demons.

  Pen knew Paser was following, but he couldn't acknowledge his friend right now. They were closer than ever before thanks to Nina, but she wasn't here and he was having a hard enough time dealing with his own pain, fear and grief, and didn't need the connection he had with Paser and have to deal with his friend's pain, too.

  The moment he entered Ra's temple, he yelled his name again. He stood beneath the lightening sky and called to his deity until he was hoarse. Paser's voice joined his, but Ra remained silent. Pen sank to his knees, aware of Paser doing the same, and then he bowed his head and prayed. He prayed like he'd never prayed in his life.

  Just when he was about to give up hope, he felt a tingling warmth in the region of his heart. He looked inward and when he saw the spark of pure white light, he knew that Nina was still alive.

  He brought her face to his mind and the love he had for her filled his heart.

  “I can feel her,” Paser whispered hesitantly, as if scared his voice would break the slight connection they could feel with their mate.

  “So can I.” Pen reached over, clasped Paser's shoulder and squeezed. The moment his hand touched his friend, the bond with their mate grew stronger.

  When he heard a rustle, he looked toward the door and found the other sentinels and Zara standing against the wall.

  One by one, the other sentinels stepped forward to surround him and Paser. They placed their hands on their shoulders, arms anywhere they could reach. Zara ducked under Set's arm and leaned back against him and Sab before she reached out and placed her hands on the top of Pen's and Paser's heads.

  Pen jolted as love and warmth surged through his body and from the way Paser shuddered, he felt it, too.

  “The bonds getting stronger,” Pen said in a hoarse voice. He glanced up at Set, Sab and Zara, and smiled, not giving a shit when he felt tears roll down his cheeks. The moment the others touched him and Paser, the link to Nina snapped back into place.

  He bit back a sob when he felt her love for them seeping through his pores into his skin and flowing into his heart.

  “She's drawing on our strength, on our bond and our love,” Paser said, awe in his voice.

  “Don't pull away,” Pen ordered the others. He closed his eyes and centered his entire being on Nina.

  He felt her anger and fear, but then the fear just seemed to evaporate. The anger grew, as did the love and purity of her soul until it was streaming through his body. The power flowed and rose until he wanted to shout with joy, but he didn't want anything to break the renewed connection he and Paser had with their mate.

  Pen grit his teeth when he felt pain, but he knew it wasn't his. It was Nina's. He wanted to howl with fury, but he didn't. He contained his rage and centered his being on the love between the three of them and the love he had for his comrades. His whole body seemed to fill with power, his muscles growing hard as blood pumped through his veins. There was a massive surge and he swore he heard a scream of agony and fear, but it wasn’t Nina's, nor had it come from anyone in the room with him and Paser.

  Nina was winning the battle she was waging and he knew he would have her back in his arms, between him and Paser, very soon. It was the most humbling experience in his long existence. He'd thought he knew what love and caring was, but he hadn't, not really, not until Nina had come into his life, and when he had her back in his arms, he was going to make sure she knew how much he loved and cherished her.

  He knew the moment she won her battle and turned to flee, but when he felt her awe, he wondered what was going on. The moment he opened his eyes and met Paser's gaze, they smiled at each other, but then Pen's smile faded. If Apep and the shadow demons had taken her into the underworld, he wasn't sure how they would get her back, but as that thought crossed his mind, his diminishing belief in Ra surged to the fore again.

  Ra wouldn't have sent Nina to them only to be taken away after only just mating her. He closed his eyes in contrition and prayed to Ra, praying that the god would forgive him his moments of doubt.

  “Do you think it was a test?” Paser asked.

  Pen's eyes snapped open again, and even though his answer had been on the tip of his tongue, it never found voice. The room was awash in the brightest glow he'd ever seen. His heart flipped and he gasped air into his lungs.

  “What's happening?” Zara asked in a whisper, but no one answered her.

  A crack of thunder boomed, vibrating the entire compound. A streak of lightening hit the top of the glass pyramid through the thin layer of water covering it and then shot down straight down, hitting him and Paser. His mouth opened on a scream, but more from shock than pain, although no sound emerged from his lips. Every single one of them was bathed in a mixture of white and gold light.

  He didn't notice when the others had stopped touching him and Paser until they began to back away from them. Pen wanted to get to his feet, but he was too awed to move. Warmth encased his body in a loving embrace and he blinked to keep more tears from spilling down his face. He was sure he'd only had his eyes closed for a brief moment, but when he opened them, he was looking at his mate and Ra.

  Ra had Nina cradled in his arms as if she were a precious babe. He took a step toward him and Paser, and then he knelt. He kissed Nina's forehead and, with the utmost care, handed her over to them. Pen and Paser moved so their bodies touched, side to side, and cradled Nina between them.

  Her clothes had slashes in them and were covered in blood, but she was breathing and he couldn't feel any pain coming from her. She was sleeping deeply and calmly as if she hadn't just fought against shadow demons and the evil god. She looked so peaceful and content, and there was a slight smile on her lips.

  “Safe,” she sighed and snuggled deeper into him and Paser.

  “Your mate is strong, pure and worthy, as are her mates,” Ra said in a strong voice. “She fought hard and well and conquered the leader of the underworld.”

  Pen
swallowed around the lump in his throat and nodded. He had no idea what his mate had been through, but after he and Paser made sure she wasn't hurt and she was rested, he intended to find out.

  “Her heart is full of her mates and their friends.” Ra rose to his feet and looked at the other sentinels and Zara. “Your women are strong and more sensitive to the demonic than you are. Listen to them and learn from them. Each of you have or will be tested.

  “The final confrontation is near and it's up to you all whether the battle will be won.” Ra once more met everyone's gazes, then he bent over and stroked a finger down Nina's cheek before he straightened again. As he backed away, his body became almost transparent and then he faded completely.

  “That was…” Zara's voice carried to him and Paser.

  “Is she all right?” Mitry asked as he strode over to them.

  “She seems to be.”

  “Is she unconscious?” En asked as he came to stand beside Mit.

  “She's sleeping.”

  “What the hell happened to her?” Zara asked as she hurried over and then knelt. She brushed Nina's hair back from her forehead. “She's covered in blood but I don’t see any wounds.”

  “I think Ra might have healed her,” Set said as he and Sab came up on either side of Zara.

  “What I want to know is how the hell the demonic were able to get in here,” Weni snarled.

  “You're right.” Menna frowned down at Nina. “The protection Ra put in place shouldn't have been able to be breached.”

  Pen was worried about that, too, but he was more concerned for Nina. He felt as if they had failed her. If they hadn't left her alone while he and the others had been out fighting, she wouldn't have been hurt. “We failed her.”

  “We did.”