STORY EXCERPT

She caught movement in her peripheral vision and felt her mouth drop open when two very tall, very muscular, handsome men appeared out of nowhere, and then they were striding toward her purposefully. Their jaws were set in determination and they looked like what she imagined warriors from the past would look like. They both reached up and over their shoulders and as they pulled their arms back to the front, she saw that they were each holding curved, sickle-like swords in their hands, and the sword blades had a golden glow to them.

“Let her go,” the one with brown hair demanded as he looked over her shoulder at the evil man gripping her so tightly.

The only way she could describe the shrieking sound that hurt her ears as the man laughed was evilly demonic. When the hand on her shoulder gripped even harder, Nina had to grit her teeth so she wouldn't scream in agony again. She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw so tightly she wondered if she would crack a tooth, but dental work was the least of her worries right now.

A breeze superseded a swishing sound, and when she opened her eyes, it was to see the black-haired man standing in front of her with his sword across his body as if he'd just slashed the air. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw that the shadow in front of her looked like it had been cleaved in two as it writhed and shrieked as if in pain. How that was possible, she wasn't sure, because the shadow wasn't even substantial enough to be solid, but now wasn't the time for questions. If she got out of this with her life intact then maybe she would start to ask.

The man behind her wrapped his free arm around her neck and began to squeeze. Tears poured down her cheeks and although she clawed at the arm strangling her, it didn't seem to affect the guy trying to kill her.

Nina felt the man hurting her jerk and she somehow knew that she wasn't the one causing him to hurt. His roar of pain hurt her ears but then to her relief and surprise, the arm around her neck fell and the grip on her shoulder ceased. If she could have stayed upright, she would have, but she fell to her knees, coughing and gasping as she tried to fill her burning lungs. Her throat was so sore, and even though she felt as if it had been crushed, she could feel her chest expanding and contracting each time she inhaled and exhaled.

When she turned her head, her mouth gaped in horror. The man who'd been holding her had been nearly sliced in two by one of those wickedly sickle-shaped swords, but what scared her beyond reason was that there was no blood and he was still standing.

Nina tried to push to her feet so she could run, but she was trembling so much and feeling weak with fear that she nearly fell flat on her face. She caught herself at the last moment and somehow ended up on her ass. When the evil guy turned and looked at her, her breath stuttered in her throat and she felt frozen with terror. He was smiling at her, but it was the most maliciously evil smile she'd ever seen. The brown-haired man stepped up behind him, and with a fast slice of his sword, he decapitated the evil man.

Nina stared in horror at the macabre scene, and when she heard the screaming, she covered her ears to try and block the horrid sound out. The head rolled toward her and stopped about a yard from where she was sitting on the ground. Acid roiled in her stomach and she turned to the side as she vomited, heaving until there was nothing left to come up.

Darkness closed in around her vision and she pulled in great gulps of air as she tried to remain conscious. Swiping a hand across her mouth, hoping to remove the vile taste, didn't help, and she realized her eyes were closed.

The darkness receded and when she heard movement, she opened her eyes and watched with fascinated horror as the body and head turned to ashes. Silence reigned, a slight breeze blew the ash away and for the first time since the horrible screaming had stopped, Nina realized she'd been the one making all the noise.

The two men who'd saved her took a step toward her and before she could stop it, a whimper escaped her mouth. Both men stopped and with slow deliberation, lifted their arms up, the golden, curved blades of their swords gleaming in the soft light of the street lamp she only now became aware of.

She wanted to get to her feet and run as far and as fast as she could, but she was still quaking so much that she felt as weak as newborn foal. She squeezed her eyes closed, waiting for the death blows, but when nothing happened she forced her eyelids up.

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.

ADULT EXCERPT

Paser swept her from her feet and moved toward the bed. He gently lowered her to the mattress and then his fingers were on the hem of her shirt. He pushed the material up, exposing her lower belly. The brush of his fingers on her heated skin made the muscles on her abs twitch.

“You are so fucking soft.” Paser groaned and then he lowered his head, licking across her stomach, leaving a wet trail which caused goosebumps in his wake as the air in the room cooled her heated, damp flesh. Paser lifted his head, gave her a gentle smile and then pulled her shirt up over her head. When his eyes snagged on her bra-clad breasts, her first instinct was to cover her nakedness, but she held still and let him look. If they were going to be her mates, she would need to get used to being naked in front of them.

“Abso-fucking-lutely gorgeous.” Pen growled, drawing her gaze.

Nina's breath hitched in her throat when she looked at Pen. While Paser had been kissing her belly, he'd taken the time to remove his clothes.

He had wide, muscular shoulders, defined pecs, bulging biceps and a narrow waist. The hair between his pecs made her fingers tingle and she wanted to know whether it was as soft as the hair on his head or coarser, and she would find out soon enough. She let her eyes wander down over his thick, brawny thighs before taking a deep breath and gazing at his groin. Her heart flipped over when she caught sight of his long, thick cock and she licked her dry lips.

“Lie down, sweetheart.” Paser gently pushed on her shoulder and she obeyed his directive without a qualm. He got up onto the bed beside her and pressed his lips to hers.

Nina smoothed her hands over his shoulders, the back of his neck, and threaded her fingers into his hair. He tasted different, but just as good as Pen did, and she never wanted them to stop kissing her. No matter how many times their lips met hers, she knew she would never get enough. She wanted to crawl in under their skin and worm her way into their hearts, like they had already done to hers.

She felt the bed dip near her feet and then the button on her jeans was tugged open, before they were pulled down over her hips and away. Goose bumps raced over her skin and she shivered, but not because she was cold. The total opposite was the reason she was trembling. Her whole body was on fire.

“Please,” she whispered against Paser's lips.

“We will, sweetheart.” Paser kissed over her shoulder down her arm, and then over the top of her breasts. She didn't even notice he'd unclipped her bra until she felt the straps sliding down her arms.

She startled when large, warm, manly hands smoothed up and down her shins, getting higher and higher with each pass until the tips of Pen's fingers brushed against the edge of her panties.

“I can smell you, baby. You smell so fucking sweet.” Pen kissed her hip before laving the tip of his tongue over the flesh-covered bone. A giggle escaped before she could stop it, but it didn't seem to bother him any.

She held her breath when Pen's thumbs hooked into the waist of her panties and slowly pulled them down. The air left her lungs in a gasp when Paser cupped a breast in his hand and licked over the hard peak.

Her eyes fluttered closed and she arched her chest to get more of the exquisite sensations humming through her body. When Pen's hand cupped her naked mound, she cried out in shocked pleasure. She hadn't been expecting him to do that, but now that he was, she wanted more. He didn't press hard, but the slight pressure on her wet cunt caused her clit to throb and cream dripped from her hole.

“I can feel you,” Pen gasped as he maneuvered between her legs. “I can feel how much you want us. Your little clit is throbbing right along with your heart.”