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

  The two men stood still and quiet, watching her intently, and it took her a few moments to realize that their hands were now empty. Neither of them held their swords. Her gaze wandered up over their muscular bodies and although she didn't like it, she couldn't seem to help the way her body reacted to their handsome faces and brawny frames.

  “We won't hurt you,” the brown-haired man said in a low, calm voice, slowly lifting his arms until he held his hands up, palms out in a classic defensive pose.

  A bubble of laughter nearly choked her when she swallowed it back down. There was nothing defensive about him or his friend. They could probably snap her neck with a click of their fingers if they so wished to.

  “Are you hurt?” the guy with the darker hair asked.

  Nina opened her mouth but the word rolling across her mind wouldn't come, so she shook her head. She didn't care that she'd just lied to them. She didn't know them and after what she'd just seen, she wanted to leave, get to her apartment, lock the door and hope that she'd just had a very bad dream. Now that the danger seemed to have passed and the adrenaline was waning in her system, her shoulder was throbbing so much she wasn't so sure that her collarbone wasn't broken. When she felt something warm trickle over her skin, she swiped at it and then looked down at her wet fingers uncomprehendingly.

  Blood marred her fingers and the edge of her palm, and although she tried to remember how it got there, her mind was still too frantic to work properly.

  She snapped her gaze to the two men when she heard them both take another step toward her and she gasped with pain as she placed her hand back on the ground, trying to scuttle away from them.

  “You're hurt.” The man with the brown hair stated the obvious, but she remained mute.

  “Let us help you,” the other said as he crouched down in front of her. “I'm Paser Ebo and he's Pentu Chatha.”

  What the hell kind of names are those?

  “You can call me Pen.”

  Nina stared at him blankly, but she took in every detail of their features, just in case she got out of this so she could report them to the cops. She wasn't sure these two men were bad, but they certainly weren't angels. They had, however, just saved her life.

  Pen's hair looked like it was dark brown, and although she shouldn't have been able to see the color of his eyes in the dim light, she could tell that they were green. He was wearing a faded pair of denim jeans and a black T-shirt, of which the arms were stretched taut over his bulging biceps.

  Paser's hair was darker than Pen's, the black tresses a little longer than collar length. When he tilted his head, she was able to see that his eyes were a warm, soulful brown. He was wearing black jeans and a white T-shirt that seemed to set off his dark hair and bronzed skin. The contrast was striking. Both of them were stunningly handsome and no matter how hard she tried to draw her gaze away from their gorgeous manly visages she couldn't seem to.

  “What's your name, love?” Paser asked.

  Nina opened her mouth to answer, but when only a squeak came out, she had to clear her throat several times before she tried again. “Nina.”

  “That's a pretty name, Nina…” Pen looked at her expectantly and she swallowed around the constriction in her throat before replying.

  “Nina Page.”

  “Don't be scared of us, Nina. Let us take care of you.” Paser held a hand out toward her and she eyed his large hand before lifting her gaze to his again.

  When she looked into his eyes, she could see kindness and sincerity. There were creases at the corners of his eyes as if he laughed a lot, and she felt as if she had known him for a long time.

  Nina gave a mental snort and wondered if she'd completely lost her mind. Maybe she had and everything she'd seen tonight had been nothing more than the dark recess of her mind conjuring up a gruesome nightmare.

  She decided that if this was real and she wasn't having a nightmare then she was well and truly insane, and the only way to find out was to touch. If she could feel then she had to be awake. Right?

  Yes, but you can feel when you're dreaming, too, you idiot. That's why dreams and nightmares seem so real and you wake up gasping for breath and your heart racing.

  Nina dug her nails into her thigh and bit her lip to keep her gasp of pain contained. She gazed from Paser to Pen and back again. They didn't look frustrated or angry as she stared. Neither of them moved as they waited to see what she would do next.

  She knew that if she was awake that she couldn't sit on the cold ground all night and there was no way in hell she wanted to remain outside after what had happened. Come to think of it, she didn't want to be alone at all.

  What she needed was a couple of stiff drinks and answers.

  However, she wasn't really sure she wanted to hear their replies if she got to ask the questions.

  What the hell had the shadow been? What about the man they'd killed? He—it—hadn't even bled when cut by those wicked-looking swords, but it hadn't died straight away, either.

  A shiver of fear raced up her spine. Something was really wrong with what had gone down. She'd felt the evil in the air right down to her bones. She hoped to never see anything like what she'd seen again, but she had a bad feeling this was just the beginning.

  She wondered how long Paser would hold his hand out toward her before dropping it and walking away. That thought sent disappointment into her gut and she wondered what the hell was wrong with her.

  Nina had never reacted to any man the way she was reacting to Pen and Paser, and although that intrigued her, it also worried to hell out of her.

  If she didn't know any better, she wondered if she was being set up by one of those shows that punked people to get their kicks. She glanced about her, trying to see if there were cameras hidden anywhere, but drew a deep breath when she knew she was just grasping at straws.

  Nina decided that if she had indeed lost her mind then she might as well enjoy the ride. She met Paser's and Pen's gazes and slowly reached out to take Paser's hand. The moment their skin touched, fire sparked into her veins and she drew in a ragged breath. Pen offered her his hand, too, and when their skin connected another spark of desire heated her blood.

  They helped her to her feet and she would have fallen if Pen hadn't quickly released her hand and snagged her around the waist.

  “I knew you were hurt.” Paser frowned at her with concern.

  “Will you let us take you back to our home so we can help you?” Pen asked.

  Nina shook her head and licked her dry lips. “My apartment complex is just around the next corner.”

  The moment the words left her lips she cringed. She didn't want these men knowing where she lived. She didn't know them and the adage of them being axe murders flitted across her mind, making her giggle hysterically. They'd already killed one man tonight. They could have their sights set on her to be their next victim.

  “Shh, Nina. I promise you're safe with us.” Pen brushed the hair back from her face.

  “I don't…” Nina squeaked when Paser swept her off her feet, up into his arms and against his warm, hard chest. “What are you doing?”

  “I don't want you walking until we're sure you haven't broken anything.” Paser met her gaze.

  Nina knew she hadn't broken any bones because she didn't like pain, and knew if she had she would be crying like a baby. She inhaled deeply and nearly moaned when she caught a whiff of Paser's sandalwood scent. The cologne or body wash mixed with his natural smell nearly had her eyes rolling back in her head. The combination had the effect on her like she imagined an aphrodisiac would on a nymphomaniac.

  Pen moved closer, and when she inhaled through her nose, she whimpered as the desire coursing through her blood ratcheted up another notch. He smelt different to Paser but just as good. He had a more earthy smell to him with a hint of pine fragrance. The combination of the two had her pussy clenching and cream dripping onto her folds. Thank goodness they didn't realize the sound she'd made was because she was turned on. It wo
uld have been damn embarrassing if they had.

  “We'll have you patched up soon, sweetheart,” Pen said as he stroked a finger down her cheek.

  “We can't take you back to your place, Nina.” Paser glanced about the park and street. “It's not safe.”

  “What…what's going on?”

  “We don't have time to explain right now, love, but I promise we'll explain everything soon.” Pen nodded to Paser. “Let's get out of here.”

  Paser grunted in acknowledgement and then he was moving.

  Nina blinked. Everything was a blur and the cool breeze rushing over her skin caused her to shiver. She blinked again and gasped when she opened her eyes. Pen was standing in front of large double metal doors that were the entrance to a small beach house, somewhere she'd never been before. She could smell water and trees, and as she looked about, she had no clue where they were.

  The medium-sized beach house gleamed in the rays of the rising sun. She'd never seen such a well-kept house. The paint on the outside was an off-white color and looked fresh with the blue-tinted window surrounds.

  What amazed her was that the out-of-place-looking, metal doors which didn’t have a lock or a handle. Those doors were an ugly contrast to such a beautiful house and carefully maintained gardens. However, that wasn't what had her staring at the doors. At first she couldn't work out what was missing from them, other than the way they were so different to the rest of the property. And then it hit her. There was no keyhole or handles. She wondered how they were going to open one of the doors but didn't have to wait very long. If she hadn't seen Pen press his finger to a small pad under a bit of plant foliage and then him reaching for the concealed notch to open the doors, she would never have known the lock was there.

  There was a lake to her right that sparkled under the illumination of the moon. She sighed at the peacefulness of the scene and the tranquil noise of water lapping against the shoreline. Frogs croaked in amongst the tall, thick reeds near the water's edge and she even heard the quacking of a couple of ducks.

  When she looked up, she could see that the sun was just lightening the horizon in the east and wondered where all the time had gone. It had to be close to seven a.m., if not later, and although she knew that time had seemed to freeze when she was confronted by those things, she hadn't been aware that hours had passed by.

  Nina didn't really understand why she was being so complacent, but she didn't want to be alone after facing those…things, and there was something about Pen and Paser that drew her to them. It wasn't just because they were handsome and muscular. There was more to it than that, but as she pondered the why of it, the only thing she could come up with was their aura of power and authority. She'd never been attracted to any man like she was to these two, and even though it was way out of the ordinary for her to be so spontaneous, she couldn't seem to help herself.

  Pen opened the doors and stepped back to allow Paser to carry her inside. She blinked with fatigue and tried to take everything in, the route he carried her, but she was so exhausted that each time she blinked, her eyes remained closed a little longer.

  Even hearing other voices wasn’t enough to rouse her from her exhausted stupor, and with a sigh, she gave in and rested her cheek on Paser's shoulder.

  Chapter Two

  Paser could barely manage to take his eyes off Nina. The moment he'd seen her in the clutches of the demon-possessed body, his heart had raced with fear. Not because an innocent was in danger, although that had been part of it, but because he'd known that she was meant to be theirs.

  What worried him the most, however, was the fact that the possessed human hadn't been one of the innocents that Apep's minions usually targeted. He had no idea how the hell the underworld leader had managed to channel his powers to use on those less worthy but it was a big concern. For all they knew, there could be thousands of demons roaming the streets looking for souls to steal, and if that were the case they could be in deep shit. There were only the eight sentinels in total, including him and Set, and they couldn't be everywhere at once.

  He wished the other gods had sentinels to help out, but as far as he knew, they didn't. Ra was the only god to have recruited humans to help fight against the underworld and had never mentioned the other gods to him or his friends. He wondered if the other deities even cared about their fight to keep humanity safe.

  If Apep's shadows were capable of possessing the less-savory humans, it may not take him long to convene enough to take over the world. They needed to set up a meeting with Ra, the sun god, and warn him about their worries. Hopefully Ra would have a solution or information on what needed to be done to stop Apep from accumulating hordes of evil followers. Maybe they could talk Ra into convincing the other gods to step in and start recruiting their own sentinels. It would certainly make their lives a hell of a lot easier.

  “Is she all right?” Pen asked as he opened the door to their apartment.

  “I think so. She's fallen asleep.” Paser smiled down at the precious bundle in his arms. She looked so small, fragile and angelic with her flushed cheeks, creamy skin and petite yet surprisingly curvy body. His cock stirred, not for the first time tonight, but he pushed his lust aside. Right now, they needed to make sure that Nina wasn't badly hurt.

  He strode through their living room and straight for his bedroom, and gently placed her on his bed after Pen had pulled the covers back. “We need to remove her clothes and shoes.”

  Pen nodded and took one of her small feet into his hand, pulling her black shoe from her foot. Paser did the same with her other foot and then he let his eyes peruse her small frame. Although she wasn't very tall, her legs were long and toned under her blue denim jeans. Her hips were rounded, her belly flat and her waist was small. Her breasts were full and perky, not too big for her petite body, but what drew his gaze more than anything were her rosy, lush lips, long black eyelashes and thick, silky shoulder-length black hair. She looked like a damn pixie compared to him and Pen since they were so much bigger than she was.

  With a sigh of resignation, he reached for the buttons on her shirt and started to undo them.

  “We should leave her jeans on.” Pen helped him release her arms from her shirt before pulling it away.

  “Fuck!” Paser snarled when he saw the bruising on her shoulder. It was already a deep black-and-blue color and there were trails of blood on her bra and breast.

  “Do you think that asshole cracked her bone?” Pen asked.

  “I don't know. Maybe we should have taken her to the hospital.”

  “Yeah, but she doesn't seem to be in a lot of pain.”

  “She could be one of those people who have a high tolerance,” Paser said. “Let me get some water and disinfectant so we can clean her up. We don't want her getting an infection.”

  Paser turned toward the bathroom and, after he had what he needed, hurried back to Nina. He cleaned the cuts and blood, and then applied some ointment before covering the gouges with some Band-Aids. Just as he placed the cloth and bowl onto the bedside table, Nina moaned and began to move restlessly. As he reached out to take one of her hands in his, she bolted upright in bed and screamed so loud and long there was no way the other sentinels hadn't heard her. However, he didn't care about that. What he cared about was that Nina was having a nightmare and was scared out of her wits.

  Her eyes were wide open but he could tell she wasn't really here and still locked in the terror of her dream. Pen sat on the bed and lifted her into his arms and onto his lap. She fought his friend, her arms flailing and her legs kicking as she tried to fight off her imaginary assailants.

  Paser crawled onto the bed, too, caught her wrists and carefully restrained her so she couldn't hurt herself. The door to their apartment burst open and slammed against the wall, and then the others crowded into the room. Pen wrapped his arms around Nina's shoulders, hiding her bra-clad chest from the others’ gazes. Paser grabbed the hem of his shirt, tugged it up over his head and then draped it over Nina's should
ers and chest.

  Nina tensed and stopped fighting, and Paser could tell by her panting breaths that she had awoken. He was glad she had, but hated that she'd been so scared.

  “Is she okay?” Zara asked as she pushed between Set and Sab, moving closer to the bed.

  “I think so,” Paser managed to answer just before Nina lifted her head from Pen's chest to look toward Zara.

  “Hi, I'm Zara.” Zara smiled and Paser could tell by the way the smile didn't reach her eyes that she was concerned for Nina.

  “Nina,” she said in a hoarse voice.

  “Why don't you all leave so I can help Nina?” Zara suggested.

  Paser didn't want to leave Nina, but when he saw her look down at her bare arms and cotton-covered chest, her cheeks flamed with embarrassment and he decided it may be better to give her some time to compose herself. The reprieve might help him and Pen in their chances of wooing her. So far, she'd been accepting of their help and presence, but he wasn't sure she would remain that way when they told her what they were and what it was they were fighting against to keep humanity safe.

  With a sigh of resignation, he glanced at Pen and nodded. With a last, lingering look at her gorgeous yet bemused face, he rose and followed the others out, closing the door behind him. He headed straight for the kitchen, set a pot of coffee brewing and began to prepare for breakfast.

  “Is she yours?” Mit asked.

  Paser glanced at his friend and nodded. Mit smiled and waggled his eyebrows. “She's a pretty little thing.”

  “Keep your damn eyes to yourself,” Pen snarled as he ran his fingers through his hair.

  “What crawled up your ass?” Nehi frowned.

  “He's feeling a mite jealous,” Paser answered. “I am, too.”

  “You don't think any of us would try and encroach…” Nehi paused when Pen shook his head.

  “Sorry, I don't know why I feel so possessive but I can't seem to help it.”