Soul Sentinels 3: Nehi and Menna (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “I met Set and Sab seven months ago,” Zara said with a smile. “They knocked my feet right out from under me the moment I set eyes on them. I haven’t looked back since.”

  Lavinia glanced at Nina.

  “I met Pen and Paser about a month ago. They saved my life. I was being targeted by the demonic and didn’t even have a clue. I had no idea that such evil existed. The shadow demons had been invading my dreams, but for some reason weren’t able to steal my soul, but not because of want of trying.”

  “They invaded your dreams? How?” Lavinia asked.

  “A better word would be nightmare. Each night I managed to fall asleep I would feel evil surrounding me and there were phantoms’ hands tugging at my chest. I actually felt as if my soul was being ripped out of me, but I always managed to wake up before that happened.”

  “Oh. God.” Lavinia covered her mouth with her hand. She’d been having similar dreams for the past week, but since she hadn’t been able to afford to buy enough food and had been skipping meals she’d put those nightmares down to hunger. Fear skittered up her spine and she shivered as cold permeated her to the depths of her bones.

  “You’ve had those dreams?” Zara asked frantically.

  Lavinia nodded.

  “For how long?” Nina asked.

  “About a week.”

  “We need to tell the guys.” Zara stood and then hurried toward the door.

  “Wait!” Lavinia drew in a deep ragged breath and hoped her next question didn’t offend the two beautiful women. “Your men said you were demigods, too?”

  “Yes, we are.” Nina nodded and raised her eyebrow at Lavinia expectantly.

  “Are demigods like vampires?”

  “No.” Zara came over to Lavinia, took one of her hands in hers, and sat on the floor next to the sofa. “God, your hands are like ice. Are you that scared?”

  Lavinia swallowed audibly and nodded, but then shook her head. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

  “We understand.” Nina moved from the armchair and sat near Lavinia’s feet being careful of her sprained ankle. “We were where you are not that long ago.”

  “You were human?”

  “Yes, and we still are human, with just a bit more added into the mix,” Zara answered.

  “Like what?”

  “We have fangs, which you already noticed when En and Men got pissed at Mit and Wen for flirting with you.” Nina grinned.

  Lavinia wanted to ask her more about that, but she would wait. She needed to know other information before coming back to ask about those two sexy men. Plus, she didn’t want the other women to know she was attracted to them.

  “Do you have to drink blood?”

  “No.” Nina patted Lavinia’s shin. “The only time a sentinel will drink blood is when they’re grievously wounded or claiming a mate.”

  “Oh. Thank God,” Lavinia muttered and then relaxed even more.

  “I was terrified about that too when I first met my mates, but let me tell you that having their fangs inside of you while they’re…well you know, is the most amazing experience.”

  “Are you talking about sex?” Lavinia asked Nina.

  “She is,” Zara answered when Nina couldn’t seem to. “It’s hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it, but I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough.”

  Lavinia opened her mouth to ask what Zara meant, but Nina began talking again.

  “We are way faster, stronger, and healthier than we were as humans. We hear, see, and smell exponentially better. In fact Paser said we can smell better than a wolf, see better than an eagle, and run faster than a jaguar.”

  “We don’t even need to run at full speed to be invisible to the human eye,” Zara interjected.

  “Are you talking preternatural abilities?” Lavinia held her breath while she awaited an answer.

  “Yeah, I guess we are,” Nina answered and then laughed. “I should have picked up on that. I’ve read dozens of paranormal romances with those explanations in them before.”

  “So have I and I’d say Lavinia has, too.” Zara quirked her brow.

  Lavinia nodded.

  “Do you have books or an e-reader?” Nina asked.

  “E-reader,” Zara answered.

  “E-reader. I actually won it in a raffle, but I only have a few books on it because I never have enough money left over after paying my bills.” Lavinia lowered her head with embarrassment. She felt a little like something the cat had dragged in, in the presence of these two beautiful women. They were both so stunningly gorgeous, Lavinia felt downright dowdy and plain.

  “I only had a few on mine,” Zara said as she brushed her blonde hair back off her face. “Set and Sab both gave me a five-hundred-dollar voucher after we were mated.”

  “Wow, that was generous.” Lavinia felt a pang of envy. Not only were Zara and Nina gorgeous they were also mated to two handsome sexy men, demigods.

  “They’re the best,” Zara said in a dreamy voice and from the look in her eyes and the soft smile on her face she was deeply in love with her men.

  “My mates bought my e-reader already full of erotic romance stories and gave it to me on our one-month anniversary.” Nina smiled and then wiped her eyes as the tears welled. “They’re so romantic and sweet and loving. They’ve both completed me in ways I could never have imagined.”

  “You’re both very lucky to have men like that.”

  “You are, too.” Zara met her gaze.

  Lavinia shook her head and blinked as tears burned the back of her eyes.

  “Did you know that Mit and Wen were baiting En and Men?” Nina asked.

  “About what?” Lavinia frowned.

  “You,” Zara said.

  “Why would they do that?”

  “Because Men and En are your mates,” Zara and Nina both stated at the same time.

  “Wait! What? No.”

  Zara nodded. Nina reached out and took hold of Lavinia’s hand. “We could tell you are attracted to them. You could barely keep your eyes off of them.”

  “They were in the same boat.” Zara moved from the floor to sit on the coffee table again.

  Lavinia knew she couldn’t refute the attraction that had been simmering between her, Men, and En, but that didn’t mean she was their mate. After seeing their aggression toward Mitry and Weni, she wasn’t sure she wanted to be alone with them at all. And not because she was afraid of them, but because of their possessive aggressive attitudes.

  She’d been dealing with asshole men her whole life and didn’t want to be treated like a kid anymore. Her mom had died a year after her dad had been killed in the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers on the September 11, 2001. Although she understood her mother’s grief at losing her husband, she had also started to ignore Lavinia. She’d been eleven years old and had been swamped by her own grief.

  Her mom had been estranged from her family the moment she’d married her dad. From what she could gather the snobby assholes hadn’t believed a fireman was good enough to marry their daughter. They had obviously been rich and stuck up and although Lavinia was glad she’d never met them, she had often wondered if her life would have been different if she’d reached out to her grandparents. She would never know now because they had been killed when their private jet had crashed a few years back. The thought saddened her that they had been so closed-minded and bigoted and ended up wiping their own daughter from their lives, just because her mom’s husband hadn’t been part of the elite social crowd.

  They’d not only lost the love and respect of their own daughter but had missed out on knowing such a kind loving man, let alone on seeing their only granddaughter grow up, but that was beside the point.

  Lavinia had learned to keep her feelings locked up tight inside of her so that she would never get hurt again. How could she open herself up to relationships with other people when her own mother had given up on her? Her mom hadn’t been able to look at her after her dad had died and she had practically willed herself into an e
arly grave.

  The pain she’d suffered from not being good enough to keep her mother alive had been almost unbearable to endure, but she had. It had been a living hell but she’d put one foot in front of the other, day after day, week after week, year after year.

  Lavinia’s dad’s parents had died before she’d ever been born and as far as she knew she had no other living relatives.

  “What’s wrong, Lavinia?” Nina frowned. “You look so sad.”

  Lavinia shook her head, pushing her thoughts aside. She didn’t want to dwell on the past anymore. She’d done enough of that over the years and it didn’t lead to anywhere but depression and grief. She’d learned to take each day as it came, doing as much as she could in the time she had because one never knew what was around the corner.

  She’d spent so much time in foster care she practically knew the system backward, but again she hadn’t been good enough. She’d been taken into home after home because of her small size, which made her look younger than she was, but as soon as the foster parents had found out she wasn’t the sweet docile kid she looked like, she’d been shoved back into the system.

  Looking back she knew she only had herself to blame because she’d acted up, but what child wouldn’t after losing both parents within twelve months of each other and realizing that they weren’t enough to keep one of their parents from wasting away with a broken heart?

  “I think it would be better if I went home,” Lavinia finally managed to say.

  “Do you really want that?” Nina asked.

  “The shadow demons have targeted you, Lavinia. If you leave they will likely succeed,” Zara stated in a hard voice. “You owe them your life already. Don’t you think you’re being selfish by not staying and getting to know them? For them to get to know you?”

  “You don’t know anything!” Lavinia yelled, the tears that she’d been holding at bay burned her eyes. She sniffed, but the moisture welled up and over her lower lids before spilling down her cheeks. “They won’t want to know me. Nobody ever does. My own mother willed herself to death because she didn’t love me enough.”

  Lavinia buried her face in her hands and sobbed. She hadn’t meant to say that, but now that it was out in the open she couldn’t retract it. She’d been taking care of herself for fourteen years. Surely she could continue to do so.

  How am I going to fight those demons? I have no idea how to kill them. I didn’t even know they were invading my dreams until Nina told me about hers.

  Can I leave those two men behind and never look back? Will I regret the decision to leave in years to come?

  What am I supposed to do?

  Chapter Four

  En was glad that Lavinia didn’t realize he and Men had returned to their apartment. If she had he may never have known how much anguish was buried deep in her soul. He nodded his head to Zara and Nina, and although they looked reluctant to leave, he sighed with relief when they quietly closed the door behind them.

  His heart ached at the pain he could feel emanating from his mate. He rubbed over his chest, trying to dispel the pain, and caught Men doing the same.

  “What are we going to do?” Men asked through their link.

  “Other than comfort her, I don’t know.” En couldn’t take another second of not holding Lavinia in his arms. He and Men hurried across to the sofa. He sat beside her and Men sat on the floor at her feet. She must have felt their presence because when Men placed his hand on her thigh she didn’t flinch, nor did she look up.

  Now that he was closer to her the pain she was feeling intensified until his whole chest ached. He groaned, clasped her around the waist, and lifted her onto his lap. Men moved from the floor to sit on the cushion Lavinia had been sitting on.

  “Shh, pixie, you’re breaking my heart.” En shifted her so that she was sitting on his lap sideways facing toward Men, but she clutched at his shirt and buried her face into the material. He ran a hand up and down her narrow back and sighed with relief when her tears finally slowed. When she shifted on his thighs he bit the inside of his cheek to contain his moan of need. The moment he’d walked back into the room her sweet womanly scent had surrounded and assailed his senses making his cock harden. When she moved she rubbed against his erection, making it harden even more and twitch in his jeans.

  Men clasped her wrist and then laced his fingers with hers. En stared at the contrast of their skin. His and Men’s skin was so much darker than her pale delicate flesh, but having the connection to her, although only slightly physical, looked and felt right.

  “What’s wrong, little one?” Men asked.

  Lavinia’s head snapped up and she glared at Men. “Why do you call me that? I’m not a child.”

  “Did I ever say you were?” Men’s expression was stoic, but En could feel his amusement at the feistiness in their mate’s gaze.

  She didn’t answer but shook her head and sighed as she wiped the tears from her face.

  “I don’t call you that to be disparaging, but since we’re so big compared to your small frame, you remind me of a pixie, as En said. I’ve never given another woman a nickname and I do so with affection.”

  “Really?” Lavinia’s breath hitched and another emotion appeared in her gaze, chasing away the sadness.

  “I feel the same way.” En smiled when she met his gaze. “When I call you pixie, it isn’t meant to be derogatory.”

  “So what should I call you two? Giants?”

  En sighed with relief when the corner of her lips quirked in amusement. He cupped her face in his hands and stared deeply into her eyes. “You may call me anything you wish, Lavinia.”

  Her breathing sped up and he knew it wasn’t because she was upset or angry at him or Men. As he watched her, her pupils dilated and the scent of her musky arousal grew stronger. He didn’t even realize he’d breached the gap until his lips met hers. He groaned before he angled her face to a tilt and then he was kissing her as if he were starving for her. And he was. She was his mate and she had already burrowed into his heart, mind, and soul. He swallowed the small whimper of need that escaped her mouth and delved his tongue in deep. She tasted so fucking good, he couldn’t get enough and didn’t want to break the spell that held them both entranced. When her small cool hands landed on his cheeks he growled and even though he loved having her touch him, he wanted, needed her hands caressing all over his skin.

  His tongue twirled around and along hers and she answered, dueling with him in the carnal rapaciousness that held them both in its grip. He wanted to strip her clothes from her body and sink into her wet heat, but it was way too early for his mate to even contemplate making love. En eased the kiss to a slow, less hungry pace until he was sipping at her lips and then with reluctance he lifted his head.

  When he saw her face he nearly lost control, but after taking several deep breaths he pushed his hunger for his mate down deep. Her eyelids were heavy with passion, her eyes hazed over with lust, and her cheeks were flushed. She was so fucking beautiful all he wanted to do was kiss her again and again.

  He had to look away when she licked her lips as if savoring his flavor on her tongue and when he met Men’s heated gaze he knew his friend was hanging on by a thread. His fangs were elongated and there was almost a feral glow in his eyes.

  “Get a grip,” En said. “Your fangs are showing.”

  He didn’t know if Lavinia turned to look at Men because En was, but when he felt her tense he held his breath, hoping she wouldn’t scream and run away. The last thing he and Men wanted to do was scare her, but it seemed it was so much harder to control their urges when in the presence of their mate.

  He heard her draw an audible breath and some of the tension left her petite body. “Does that hurt?”

  “What?” Men frowned.

  “Your fangs.” Lavinia slowly reached out and touched the point of one of Men’s teeth.

  En held in a chuckle when Men’s eyes nearly rolled back in his head and he bit off a groan.

  “Sorry.
” Lavinia snatched her hand back and curled it into a fist.

  Men gently grasped her wrist, unfolded her fingers, and then brought her hand back up toward his mouth. “You didn’t hurt me, little one. You can touch me anytime, anywhere you want.”

  Lavinia moved her finger back to Men’s mouth and traced over one fang and then the other. En realized that Men was holding his breath when he held totally still like a frozen statue and he couldn’t stop the chuckle from erupting from his mouth.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Look at him, pixie. He looks like he’s being tortured.”

  “You said it didn’t hurt.” Lavinia glared at Men with accusation as she lowered her hand.

  Men clasped his hand around hers and stared deeply into her eyes. “It doesn’t hurt, love. In fact the total opposite.”

  “What?” She frowned.

  “It feels good,” En whispered in her ear and smiled when she shivered. She may not know them very well, but she was just as attracted to them as they were to her.

  Men brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it, making sure not to hurt her with his teeth. When he lowered their clasped hands he leaned forward and stroked a finger down her cheek. “Do I get to kiss you, too?”

  “I…um…” Lavinia blushed and her breathing escalated again, and although En was sitting with her over his thighs, her side pressed against his chest, he could still see her eyes and the longing in her gaze was obvious.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” Men released her hand, clasped her waist, and lifted her from En’s lap and over to his own.

  The moment her slight weight was gone En wanted it back. He wanted her against his body warming his skin as well as his heart and soul. He shivered as his body cooled and his heart clenched with despondency. When he realized what he was feeling, he pushed those feelings aside. This wasn’t about him or Men. It was about Lavinia and her needs. He hoped that she would stay here with them where they could keep her safe, but if she chose to leave they would follow her. To the ends of the Earth if necessary.