by Simone Sinna
Except Linc’s maternal grandparents were probably the only were-devils alive who didn’t think ghosts were all bad.
“Larissa and Angel Karlssen were the most breathtakingly beautiful women we had ever seen,” Grandpa Ed had told them. “I’d have had Angel if she’d have had me. Of course this was before I fell in love with your grandmother, and after the war I was a different person. But my brother, Edmund, fell for Larissa and she for him. It ended up breaking both of their hearts.”
And bringing the curse on the whole were-devil population.
“It wasn’t Larissa or Angel,” Ed had insisted. “It was those bastard brothers.”
Which one of these did Lena descend from? She was just as his grandfather had described the sisters.
Lena couldn’t read his mind, nor he hers, but something connected. She turned and smiled.
“Everyone says I’m like my grandmother, but just in looks and only then with a bit of imagination. She’s stick thin. She’s a very strong woman. Me, I’m scared of just about everything.”
She had to be Angel’s granddaughter. Linc breathed a little easier. Maybe his brother was right. They all knew the prophecy, knew that to stop the contagious cancer, love had to win over other instincts. At least, that’s how their grandfather interpreted it. If Kael was feeling she was the one, maybe he was right.
There was only one real problem Linc had with this, and it wasn’t even the thought of swarming Karlssens and Magnussens. It was simply that the moment Lena had looked into his eyes he had been certain that she was the woman that he had been waiting all of his life to protect. So how could she be Kael’s “one” and his as well?
* * * *
“Do you believe in magic?”
Lincoln looked bemused.
Lena laughed. “Of course. You’re a scientist, aren’t you?”
“Wherever possible I look to science for answers,” said Lincoln cautiously.
Lena leaned over the edge of the boat and wondered at how relaxed and at ease she felt. Because of the bump on the head she had not been drinking, yet here she was with two very hot men who were complete strangers, and she felt she’d known them all her life. More to the point, she wanted them around in the future, though she had no idea what such a friendship would look like. Not that she was feeling exactly friendly. More like lust. Kael was just plain disconcerting. When he was close to her, she couldn’t think straight. It was as if he was her emotional other half that gave her permission to just be.
But then there was this other curious man, much harder to read, but all the more fascinating in his quiet contemplation. She was sure he was evaluating her but had no idea whether she was passing or not. Or even what she was being evaluated for.
“Well, the air here at night is magic,” said Lena, taking in the slightly salty breeze. The stars above her were starting to appear, and in the distance she could see a swarm of fruit bats. “I bet you don’t get too many nights like this down south.”
“No.” Lincoln’s soft voice was right next to her. She hadn’t heard him move. His arm brushed against hers as he stood next to her looking out beyond the marina. She felt an extraordinary sensation, so stunning that she pulled back and stared at him. He looked back, his eyes deep, black pools speckled with amber, holding her as if he was taking an imprint that would always be with him.
“And yes,” he said softly. “I do believe in magic.”
Lena had to stop herself shaking. It was the bang on the head. It had to be.
“I…I think I need to go lie down.”
Lincoln did not stop her, and she kept going to her room, even after she brushed past Kael below deck, and the same feeling went shooting through her. She knew Gabriella would tell her to go with the feelings, but right now, nothing made any sense, and it was scaring her to the core.
She had the first of what would be many dreams that night. There was a woman in white who smelled of roses and seemed to be floating. There was a sadness about her, and when Lena woke in the middle of the night, her cheeks were wet and the pillow soaked.
She lay in bed listening to the familiar creaks of the boat, the sounds of water softly lapping against the side. She was calling him before she knew what she was doing, and then when they both were there, standing at the foot of her bed, she knew she had sent two messages simultaneously though she had never done such a thing before and had not even known it was possible. One went to Kael, a cry to be soothed and loved. The other, to Lincoln, was to be held and protected, though she did not know what from.
They stood there wordlessly, both naked to the waist, Kael lean and Lincoln broad, taking up the entire of the doorway. Watching her in a way no one, not even Zac, ever had.
Lena sat up wide-eyed and pulled the sheet around her, aware she was wearing only her lace panties.
“We’ll leave if you ask us to,” said Kael.
“Or stay and just hold you if that’s all you want.”
Lena closed her eyes and felt her grandmother with her. Love isn’t easy but as essential to life as breathing.
She opened her eyes. “Be gentle,” she whispered.
The brothers looked at each other. Kael sat at the end of the bed, calm radiating from him as his hand rested on her sheet covered leg. Lincoln hesitated then sat beside her, an arm bringing her to his chest. It felt firm and solid, safe. She leaned against him as his hand went through her silky, blonde hair, lips kissing her forehead.
The electricity she had felt earlier now went through her in waves. Kael slowly pulled the sheet off her, tickling her legs as he admired her body. “You look like an exquisite art piece that touching might spoil,” he murmured.
Lena felt as if she had spent most of her life falling short of anyone’s assessment as a woman. For reasons she couldn’t fathom, these men seemed to like her just as she was. Kael read her thoughts and grinned. Both hands rubbed up and down her legs, alternating between a firm massage and a light tickle that set off goose bumps. Lincoln edged himself behind her so she could use him to rest against, and in doing so he was able to bring his arms around her, holding and protective, but then moving over her breasts. Lena had seriously considered having them reduced. But now as Lincoln made clear his appreciation, any lingering anxieties evaporated. He moaned with pleasure as his hands massaged her, circling her nipples and watching them harden and lengthen under his touch. He sank his lips into her hair, her neck and ears, nibbling and licking, savoring the taste of her.
Kael edged his fingers under each side of her panties then slowly pulled them down. Lena closed her eyes, wondering at how she had ever dared to let herself be so wanton. But each moment was more delicious than the last and seemed to be so right. She felt more at ease and comfortable with these two men than she ever had with Zac, even though he was family and she had known him all her life.
Kael, having removed her panties, stood and dropped his own briefs, his cock long and hard as he peeled a condom over it. Then he knelt between her legs, easing them apart as he licked the inside of one inner thigh and then the other. The feeling of his tongue tickling within an inch of her pussy but not going closer kept her on the edge. She hadn’t ever known she could stay suspended like this for so long and in such a state of pleasure.
Lincoln brought his lips over hers, a hot breathy kiss that became deeper and more insistent as he pinched her nipples. Kael moved his lips over a nipple, biting gently and then harder until pain and ecstasy seemed to blur and become one. It heightened her desire, and her pelvis was starting to grind as she increasingly wanted them to take her completely. Lincoln eased out from behind her to find a condom. Lena lay back on the pillow, and Kael pushed up her legs, his mouth now coming over her mound and searching out her clit.
Lena groaned as Kael dipped his tongue into her slit and tasted her pussy juices. His fingers on her lips separated them fully so he could access her with his tongue, pressing deep inside. The feeling was delicious, the writhing of her pelvis in time with Kael’s licking
and thrusting creating an ever-increasing spiral until Lena moaned that she needed him inside her.
Kael tried a finger first, tentatively and gently, but deeper than his tongue had been, then sat beside her as Lincoln on her other side trailed his fingers over her slit and ran his tongue over her. But swapping again, Lincoln returned to kiss her lips and breasts as Kael knelt closer and eased his cock over her slit.
“Are you sure?” he whispered.
Lena had never been so sure of anything in her life. As they joined they both gasped, Lena wanting to suck him deeper and deeper into her, body and soul, as Kael, thrusting with a need that seemed to take him by surprise, brought them both to climax within less than a minute. Lena gasped as it coursed through her, but almost immediately wanted Lincoln, too. She pulled gently away from Kael and, pushing Lincoln onto his back, sat astride him, lowering herself onto the firm shaft that was more than ready.
The change in position and man sent Lena off again, as desperate for Lincoln to fill her as she had been Kael. It took longer this time, but again it seemed they were matched and in synchrony. Lincoln following her signals, and pulling her hips down onto him, he pushed harder. She arched back, and, squeezing, they both came, shuddering until they were finally spent.
There were no more dreams on this night, just a deep, peaceful sleep. It would be the last for many months.
* * * *
Over two thousand miles south of where Lena was sleeping, Auntie Kate was also dreaming. Since her mother had first dreamed of the were-devils’ curse half a century earlier, her family had helped the were-devils and ghosts make sense of the signs. Mixed blood of the original people as well as ghost and were-devil blood gave her mother and her, both seventh children in their families, an ability to see the future and sense things others could not. Mostly it was a blessing, but as Kate had watched her friends at Tarrabah die it had become a curse. She had left for Hobart, no longer able to bear the pain of a species unable to save itself.
More often than not the warnings had been misinterpreted. Two generations had passed and if the were-devils were to survive the cancer that was eating away at their population, something would have to happen soon. On this night Kate dreamed of a blonde woman, and in the morning, when she turned to read her stones, the ghost stone, an opaque rock from the quarries in the south, was glowing. In her hand it was hot, and she wondered if the tides were turning and the curse was going to rebound as had been foretold. Was this to be the saving of the were-devils or the annihilation of the ghosts?
Chapter Three
The sun had been streaming through the porthole for the best part of two hours when Lena felt the boat rock. Realizing the significance of the movement, she gently extricated herself from between Kael and Lincoln, grabbed a robe, and slipped out of the cabin. Zac and Wilson were coming down the steep stairs from the deck.
“You’re back early,” said Lena, stating the obvious as she bought herself some time.
“The scent’s gone again,” Wilson grumbled. “It’s like they can vanish into thin air.”
Zac grabbed a packet of cereal from the cupboard over the sink and threw it at Wilson. Opening the fridge he pulled out a bottle of milk. Wilson was getting bowls.
Lena took a deep breath. “You’d better grab an extra two of those.”
Zac looked at her and frowned.
“I have guests,” said Lena, sounding a good deal more confident than she felt. The door opened behind her, and Zac and Wilson stiffened.
“Zac, Wilson,” said Lena. “Meet Lincoln and Kael.”
It was not often that Lena felt tiny. Leaning against the fridge in the kitchen with these four men standing about her, she wondered if this was how her more petite cousin felt all the time.
Lincoln offered his hand easily. There was a moment of hesitation, but first Zac and Wilson gave him and then Kael the briefest of connections. The tension seemed to raise the temperature several degrees.
“What the…?” Zac started to say.
“Lincoln and Kael saved me from drowning,” said Lena quickly. “And took me to the hospital. The doctor said I needed someone to stay with me overnight.”
Wilson looked amused. Zac sounded skeptical. “Really?”
“Your cousin’s a great cook,” said Lincoln easily. “It was a pleasure.”
Lena almost giggled, blocking her thoughts from Zac but only just in time.
Zac was holding the milk carton so tightly that it suddenly folded in half and milk spurted everywhere. Lena welcomed the diversion, letting the giggle loose as she mopped up the mess.
“We were thinking of having breakfast in town,” said Kael. “So we’ll leave you guys to it.” He looked at his brother, and then they both gave Lena a peck on the cheek.
“Dinner?” Lincoln asked.
Lena smiled shyly and nodded. She may have been blocking her thoughts but, judging from Zac’s expression, her smile had given her away.
“Who the fuck are they?” he asked as soon as the boat rocking told them the two men had disembarked.
“Mind your language, Zachary Karlssen,” said Lena, folding her arms. “I told you. Lincoln works at the university, and Kael is a singer.”
“You let two complete strangers stay overnight? What the…well, what were you thinking?”
“I’m twenty-seven years old. I can make up my own mind,” said Lena.
“Where did they sleep?”
Lena glared at her cousin. “None of your business.”
“Wow,” said Wilson, lying back, putting his arms behind his head and his feet on the table.
Lena pushed Wilson’s feet to the floor. “You can mind your own business, too.”
“They give me bad vibes,” said Zac. “If it wasn’t…well, I know we would smell them and they don’t have white streaks in their hair, but I swear they’re were-devil in every other way.”
“Shut up,” said Lena. “You just can’t bear the thought that I’m really not coming back to you this time. You don’t own me.”
“I don’t trust them.” He looked at Wilson, and the two of them headed up on deck with their breakfast, leaving Lena shaking.
* * * *
“Just what did you make of that?”
The Tremain boys were well into a plate of bacon, eggs, hash browns, sausages, and tomatoes at a local café before Kael broached the topic.
“Trouble,” Linc replied with a mouthful.
“Lucky we dyed our hair,” said Kael. “I’d say they sensed who we were but couldn’t smell us and didn’t know what to make of it. Doesn’t make any sense. I sure as hell smelled them. Definitely none of the finer aromas of Lena to counterbalance them.”
It didn’t make any more sense to Lincoln. When they’d found their father on first arriving in the north, he’d given them an in-depth tutorial on ghosts that included everything from how to avoid them to how to kill them. He had made it clear that when he’d first arrived in Queensland nearly a quarter of a century earlier, he had been able to detect them and they him. They had thought Lena just hadn’t cared what they were. But Zac and Wilson had made it abundantly clear that the only place better for were-devils than the endangered species list was on the extinct one.
Yet they hadn’t attacked, and not just because Lena was there.
“I don’t have any rational answer,” said Linc finally. “Might be time for a visit to Dad.”
When Lincoln had taken the position at the university research lab it had not been with any intention of finding their father. Their father had disappeared from their life when their mother and sisters had died from the were-devil’s contagious cancer, and though Linc had missed him for a while, in the end he had decided his father had been weak and that they were better off without him. His maternal grandfather had been good to them, and his father’s brother, Tilman, had in his own way offered guidance and hope. Though Tilman’s research had come to nothing, he had inspired Lincoln into a research career which in turn had led him to believe the
answer was not where Tilman was looking, but with the Hendra virus, tantalizingly similar to the one involved with the were-devils’ curse. When he arrived though, he learned that the early research on the Hendra had been carried out by another Tremain, who could have only been their father.
“He was pretty weird,” the gray-haired lab manager told Lincoln. “In the end he was asked to leave. He was practically living here. Too unreliable, and…well, things went missing. Particularly after he’d been asked to leave.” They had watched Linc for a while, probably expecting him to be either weird or a thief as well.
The brothers had only been in the area a week when Torq found them. They hadn’t recognized him at first. He had lost a lot of weight. He was probably their height but thirty pounds lighter, his cheeks gaunt hollows. There was a grayness to his skin. It looked like he had never shaved or cut his hair, which was now completely white, and though his hair was neat enough, he looked very unusual.
“Dad?” Lincoln had said in amazement.
“Do they know you’re here?” he had asked urgently.
Linc had looked at Kael. Neither had had a clue what he was talking about.
“The ghosts,” Torq whispered, looking around him. “Have you seen them?”
When they said no, or not that they’d known, he had been relieved and then insisted he take them to dinner. It had been a weird night, and they had not felt the need to follow it up. Now Kael shrugged. “If you want to. We know where to find him.”
Torq had taken up residence on a remote, uninhabited island that was little more than rocks and a few trees. There was no fresh water, so he had it to himself, carting water for the minimal needs he had from another island nearby. The Tremain boys had access to a motorboat, so with breakfast finished this was where they headed. Hopefully Torq would have an explanation for why Zac and Wilson had not tried to tear them apart.