Soul Sentinels 1: Set and Sab (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Zara licked her lips and nodded. “Okay. Where am I?”

  Setau shifted in his seat as if he was uncomfortable but his gaze never wavered from hers. “We brought you home with us.”

  “And that is where exactly?”

  “Near Provo.”

  “How the hell did you get me here? I don’t remember anything.” Zara glanced toward the door when it was pushed wider and saw Sabu walking in.

  “Oh good, you’re awake. Dinner’s just about ready.”

  “Dinner?”

  Sabu nodded. “Yeah, you were out all afternoon. That shot of painkillers the doc gave you must have been potent.”

  Yeah, and waking up every night scared out of my wits didn’t help.

  “I guess so.” Zara glanced about as the two men watched her avidly. When she didn’t see any windows and the amazing paintings on the far wall opposite the bed, she squinted. They looked like Egyptian hieroglyphs. That explained the different names. They had to be from Egyptian origin, but their English was perfect without the hint of an accent so maybe they had been born in America.

  Zara grimaced when she moved her right arm. The throb had been an almost bearable dull ache, but now it turned into sharp piercing pain. She looked down at the cast that protected her broken bone, not remembering the doctor wrapping her in the plaster. Although it wasn’t that heavy, it felt like it right now when the break was so fresh. No doubt by the time she was ready to get the cast cut off she would be used to it. It was going to be cumbersome and awkward for her to do things since her right hand was dominant but she would manage. She was so used to doing things on her own and the thought of asking for help…well, that just wasn’t her. She was going to have to learn to do things with her left hand.

  “You’re in pain,” Setau stated. “Sab, where are the pain pills?”

  Sab reached into his pocket and withdrew a small clear bottle.

  “I’ll get you some water.” Set rose and moved toward what she presumed was the bathroom. He came back moments later with a glass of water and nodded at Sabu.

  Sabu tipped two pills into her cupped palm and Setau handed her the glass after she shoved them into her mouth. Moments later she handed the empty glass back to Setau.

  “Thank you, Setau, Sabu.” Zara pushed the covers aside and swung her legs over the edge of the mattress.

  “Call me Set and him Sab.” Set jerked his thumb to his friend.

  Zara nodded and then shoved to her feet. She drew in a deep breath as the world around her swayed. Her wrist and arm throbbed. Carefully she brought her right arm up close to her chest.

  “Here.” Set gripped the elbow of her right arm, supporting her as she took a few steps away from the bed. “Okay.” He nodded at Sab.

  Zara turned her head to look at Sab and was pleased the wooziness in her head was gone. Sab held a blue piece of material with black straps attached to it and then he walked up behind her.

  “The doc said you’re to wear this for at least a week. It will help support and keep your arm still and having your wrist higher than your heart will help alleviate the pain.” Sab reached around her from behind and maneuvered the sling into position before securing the straps. “Is that okay?”

  Zara nodded. She wasn’t sure if her voice would come out clear and concise right at that moment. The heat emanating off the two men standing so close to her was doing strange things to her body. When she inhaled deeply, she wished she hadn’t. The aroma of sandalwood coming from Set had her body sparking with desire and when Sab moved from behind her, his cinnamon scent wafted to her nose. Smelling one of them was bad enough but now that she had the combination of their manly fragrances in her olfactory senses, she felt like they were consuming her and they weren’t even doing anything.

  Her pussy clenched, causing cream to drip out onto her folds and panties. She was damn glad she’d worn dress pants to work today rather than her usual skirt because she would probably have juices running down her thighs.

  When she heard a low rumbling sound coming from Set she glanced up at him from beneath her lowered lashes and her heart stopped beating for a second before it slammed painfully against her rib cage. His eyes had changed from green to a glowing yellow hue and his lips parted as his canines elongated.

  Zara tugged from his hold and ran for the open bedroom door. Fear skittered up her spine and rapid panicked breaths panted from her mouth. She was only a couple of steps from the door when a fast moving blurred shaped raced past her and the door slammed shut. She must have blinked because when she focused again, Set was standing in front of the closed bedroom door with his arms crossed over his chest and his legs shoulder width apart. He looked like he was ready to do battle and she knew she didn’t stand a chance of winning if she went up against him.

  She backed away and shrieked when she bumped into a warm, hard body. Her whole body shook as the fear racing through her veins tried to consume her, but if she was going down she wasn’t going down without a fight.

  Zara shifted, lifted a foot and although she knew she probably wouldn’t do much damage the distraction might give her to edge she needed to escape. She brought her bare foot down on top of Sab’s as hard as she could and then squeezed her eyes shut as shards of pain radiated up her leg.

  “Enough,” Sab growled and then she was lifted from her feet, up against his chest.

  She wiggled, kicked, and flailed her left arm, landing a few wild hits and kicks but whatever she did didn’t seem to make any impact. She froze when firm yet surprisingly gentle fingers gripped her chin.

  “Stop fighting, Zara. We don’t want you hurting yourself. Neither of us will ever hurt you, baby,” Set said in a calm, soothing tone.

  Her chest rose and fell quickly from her exertion and from her fear, but when she saw what looked like sincerity in his gaze, her breathing began to calm.

  “What do you want with me? Who are you people?”

  “Shh,” Sab whispered. “We’ll tell you everything soon, but right now you need to eat.”

  Zara decided the best course of action was to placate the two men for now. She would bide her time and when the opportunity presented itself, she would make her break. She relaxed her tense muscles and nearly sighed with relief when Set released her chin and Sab lowered her feet to the floor.

  “Come out to the kitchen and we’ll introduce you to the others.” Set strode to the door, opened it, and walked out.

  Zara followed, taking everything in as she moved. She walked through a comfortable living room all the modern conveniences and then out another door into a long dimly lit hallway. The walls were a bright blue color interspersed with the occasional hieroglyph and although she would have loved to stop and study them all, she didn’t. She wasn’t here to admire the art on the walls or the men, or whatever hell they were. She’d given in to get the layout of the place and find a way out.

  Instead of following Set into the room he’d just entered, she stopped in the doorway and glanced at the other six men chatting. All eyes immediately moved in her direction and she tried to take a step back, but couldn’t. Sab was right behind her and if she didn’t want to touch him again, the only direction she could go was forward. After the last encounter with both him and Set touching her at the same time, she figured that moving away from him and Set was integral to her sanity and her libido.

  Why the hell she was reacting to them when she had no idea what they wanted with her, she didn’t know, but until she knew the answers to her questions she was going to make damn sure they didn’t know that the mere sight of them turned her on.

  A psychologist would have a field day with her if she explained she was lusting after her captors. She could practically hear the shrink’s voice in her head. You have what is called Stockholm syndrome. It’s a natural defense mechanism in a stressful frightening situation where the captured becomes attached to the captor.

  Zara snorted and then ducked her head when the men looked at her speculatively. The room was big enough fo
r her to skirt the outside without coming close to any of them, so she sidled along the wall, keeping them all in her vision.

  “Zara, come and meet everyone,” Sab said as he entered the room and walked toward the large dining table. She could see the kitchen part of the room across the other side and although there were dishes piled up on the sink from whoever had cooked, she could tell it was normally kept spotless. The appliances looked brand new, the stainless steel finish gleaming under the bright fluorescent light.

  “Zara?” Sab frowned and held his hand out toward her.

  He wasn’t close enough to touch her but as far as she was concerned he was still too damn close. She didn’t want to touch him again and shook her head as she pressed herself back against the wall.

  The other men turned away and started loading their plates with food. Zara hoped that Sab and Set would do the same so she could run.

  “There’s nowhere to go, baby,” Set said calmly as he took a step toward her.

  “What do you want with me? I don’t even know you. Please, just let me go?” Zara mentally cursed when moisture burned her eyes and although she tried to quell the tears they overflowed and trickled down her cheeks.

  “You’re in danger, Zara.” Set took a step closer.

  “No shit,” she snapped, glad that his statement had turned her fear to anger.

  “Not from us, honey.” Sab moved along the wall. He stopped mere inches from her but didn’t try to touch her.

  “We know about the dreams, Zara,” Set said in a quiet voice. “What you don’t know is that those nightmares you’re having aren’t nightmares. They’re real, baby.”

  Zara wasn’t sure whether to laugh in his face or run from him screaming. Her heart was racing and her breathing escalated. “What?” she managed to ask after licking her dry lips.

  “When you feel like someone is trying to tug your soul from your body. That’s real. We are soul sentinels, Zara. It’s our job to fight the shadows from the underworld and keep them from stealing a person’s spirit.”

  Zara’s legs were trembling and she wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to continue standing. She had no idea how these two men knew about her nightmares or how they played out, but then she remembered they had been in the diner the same time she had been that very morning. She’d told Mathilda about her nightmares and they had obviously overheard her.

  “Good one, guys.” Zara tried to laugh but it came out sounding a little hysterical. She looked for a way out but with both men on either side of her and the others sitting at the table, the way to the door was blocked. She spied a steak knife at the elbow of one of the other men and hoped she was strong enough to use it with her left hand.

  She took a deep breath, pushed off the wall and rushed to the table, grabbing the knife in a tight fist and then quickly moved away from the table and the other men. When she looked back at Set and Sab they hadn’t moved from their positions near the wall.

  “You don’t want to do that, honey. You could cut yourself.” Sab stared into her eyes. She clutched the knife tighter and moved her arm up in front of her to defend herself against a possible attack.

  “Let me—ˮ Zara didn’t get to finish because an arm wrapped around her waist and the knife was plucked from her grasp. The arm was removed and the heat at her back gone. She spun around to look daggers at one of the other men as he sat back in his seat. He smirked, winked, and then started eating.

  Zara screamed loudly and long. She screamed out her rage, her fear, her confusion, and her lack of control. By the time she was done her throat was sore and her voice would no doubt be hoarse if she tried to speak.

  “Feel better?”

  Zara glared at Set, ignoring his question. If she hadn’t just made a fool out of herself she would have screamed again. Set and Sab moved in to either side of her and without another word guided her to the table. She sat and stared at the empty place setting. If she hadn’t had one of her arms in plaster and a sling she would have crossed them over her chest.

  Set and Sab dished out some of the meat and vegetables onto her plate and filled her glass with water. She picked the glass up and drained it.

  “Have you ever heard of Ra?”

  Zara looked across the table at the man who had spoken.

  “I’m Nehi, but everyone calls me En.”

  Although she didn’t want to acknowledge him, her mom had brought her up to be polite so she nodded to him.

  “Have you?” En prodded.

  “Yes. He was an ancient Egyptian sun god.”

  “Is. I’m Menna. Call me Men.”

  “Mitry.” He held his hand up. “Mit for short.”

  “Weni,” he said. “Wen’s the nickname.”

  “My name is Pentu but Pen is my normal moniker.”

  “I’m Paser. I usually do most of the cooking.”

  Zara glanced at each man as they introduced themselves. Although she still had no idea what was going on, the more time she spent with them the easier she felt. The fear was gone and she couldn’t help but notice how handsome they all were, with their bronze and dark-colored skin and dark shades of hair. Each man had broad shoulders and ripped muscles from what she could see but the only two that could get a reaction out of her were sitting on each side of her.

  “Ra stands up for the little people. He hates to see injustice, abuse, and greed.” Set picked up her fork and shoved it into her left hand.

  Zara looked down at her plate and saw that the roast beef and vegetables had been cut up into bite sized pieces. She glanced at Sab and he winked at her, before looking at her plate. “Eat, honey, I can hear your belly growling.”

  Zara put some beef into her mouth and moaned as the succulent juicy tender morsel filled her mouth with delicious flavor. She chewed quickly and swallowed before meeting Mit’s gaze when he started speaking.

  “Ra saved our lives. If it hadn’t been for him we would have been long dead.”

  “That’s true,” Men said. “We would have been flogged to death.”

  “We stepped in when an elderly slave was whipped so bad the skin on his back was ripped to shreds,” Pen said.

  Zara could see the fury in his eyes and when she looked at the others they looked just as angry.

  “Our masters didn’t like that we’d stood up for one of our own,” En said angrily. “We were about to be whipped to death, but the sun god stepped in after the first few lashes.”

  Set placed his hand over hers. She’d rested it on the table and didn’t even notice she’d clenched it into a fist until his hand covered hers. Sparks of lust shot through her body and when she tried to tug her hand away, Set clasped her wrist, gently pried her fingers open, and threaded his with hers. Heat raced through her blood, warming her from the inside and she felt her cheeks warm, too. For some reason she knew if she tried to pull away again, he would let her and yet the thought of not having his skin touching hers made her feel empty.

  Zara kept her hand in his loosely, not bending her fingers around the outside of his palm because she didn’t want to give him any ideas, but when she met his gaze briefly and saw the desire in his eyes, she knew he already had lots of his own. She looked away and turned to see Sab was watching her intently and as she clenched her other hand into a fist she had to bite her tongue so she wouldn't cry out in pain. Sab must have seen something in her face because he placed his hand on her back between her shoulder blades and caressed up and down.

  “Relax, Zara. You're safe here.” Sab smoothed his hand over her shoulder and down her arm, being careful not to move the straps on her sling.

  A shiver raced up her spine and although she tried to hide it she knew she hadn’t succeeded when Sab gave her a sexy smile and winked at her. Zara needed to get control of herself and the only way she could think to do that was if she prompted the others to finish the rest of the story.

  “What did Ra do?” she asked and mentally cursed when her voice cracked on the last word. She cleared her throat and th
en tugged at her hand so she could take a sip of water but Set didn’t release her, and Sab half stood before shifting his chair even closer to her. Her mouth dropped open when Set lifted the glass and held it to her lips. “You can’t be serious?”

  Set raised an eyebrow but his expression remained stoic. His eyes never wavered as he tipped the glass against her lips. She had two choices. Open her mouth and swallow or keep her lips pressed tightly together and end up having the water dribbled down her chin and onto her chest. The bastard knew exactly what he was doing. She chose the first and swallowed the water but glared angrily at Set the whole time.

  He took the glass away, placed it back on the table, and smiled as if he’d just won a huge victory and she guessed he had. He’d managed to bend her to his will without saying a damn word, but Zara vowed that would be the last fucking time she relented to his dominance.

  Zara looked at Sab when he started to speak and she glared at him when she saw the gleam of amusement in his eyes, but he ignored her pique.

  “Ra healed the elderly man and then with a flick of his wrist released us from the whipping posts and tethered the overseers to the poles. He berated them over how we had all been treated and then gave them a dose of their own medicine. He also stripped the pharaoh, giving the orders for all his worldly possessions to be distributed amongst the poor. When he was done he whisked us away to the fade, a place between living and death. After he made his offer to make us sentinels, he brought us to where we are now.”

  “Did you say pharaoh?” Zara closed her mouth when she realized it was hanging open and then swallowed loudly.

  “Yes,” Wen answered.

  “How old are you?”

  “We were enslaved to help build the pyramids,” Mit replied.

  Zara shook her head. That was over four thousand years ago. How the hell could they be that old?

  “How old are you all?” she asked in a hoarse voice.

  “We are nearly five thousand years old.” Set squeezed her hand gently.

  “But… How?”

  “Ra made us immortal, honey.” Sab shifted in his seat and turned toward her a little more. “We are what you’d call demigods.”