Lords of Mayhem

by Angelique Anjou

  “Laine?” Anya asked uneasily.

  He looked at her and a shiver skated through her. After a moment, she dragged her gaze from him and looked at Zavier and discovered that he’d taken on the form of a complete stranger—no doubt someone he’d seen in the city. Unnerved, she studied them for several moments, but she couldn’t think of any reason why they would be noticed as they were now beyond being strangers and she was a stranger if it came to that. She looked at Legion again. “Say something.”

  He looked surprised. “What would you have me say?”

  Anya sucked in a steadying breath. “Don’t talk. You don’t sound human,” she added at his look of confusion.”

  Trying to shrug off her uneasiness, she turned and headed into town. They fell into step on either side of her, studying everything they passed with a keen interest that was almost as unnerving as her thoughts because she realized they were recording everything.

  The more she discovered that they were capable of doing the more uneasy they made her. Despite their strange voices and ‘foreign’ mannerisms and speech patterns, it was easy to fall into thinking that they were just as human as she was when they didn’t show her just how un-human they actually were by doing something no human was capable of. They looked human—or at least Legion did. If they’d only displayed the minor capabilities of telepathy, telekinesis and so forth that some humans had, it would’ve been easier to accept. No doubt it would still have taken some getting used to when she didn’t know any paranormals personally, but the capabilities of even the strongest of human paranormals was negligible enough that, when they used their abilities, it was merely a little startling.

  She didn’t know of any who had the ability to morph into something, or someone, else entirely, though.

  Although she’d struggled to suppress it, the memory of Legion’s offer to change his appearance so that he looked like Jeremy returned to haunt her. She supposed she’d believed then that he could do it or she wouldn’t have been so upset. At the time, she’d been too devastated about the entire suggestion to think much beyond the way it had made her feel.

  She wondered now why he’d offered. He’d asked if it would make him more acceptable to her if he looked like Jeremy. Why would he be willing to do that, she wondered? She might have thought it didn’t particularly matter to him what he looked like, but she’d come to realize that he was as linked to his physical appearance as anyone else—maybe more so than a lot of people. Despite the apparent stigma of his childhood because of his appearance, he’d clung to it as an integral part of his identity. Even Zavier had. He’d changed the color of his skin and hair, but he hadn’t changed anything else and it was obvious now that he could have.

  There was only one explanation that came to mind and Anya found she wasn’t willing to accept it. She just couldn’t believe she mattered that much to him. He had attached himself to her with grim determination almost from the first, informing her he’d chosen her as his mate, but she hadn’t put a lot stock in that. As flattering as it was to be singled out by a being so obviously superior in every way, she couldn’t see that she was exceptional enough to warrant it. She wasn’t even particularly exceptional among her own kind.

  She thought she was generally considered ‘pretty’ but she certainly wasn’t beautiful. She was smart. She’d done well, graduated high in her class, but she was a long way from being a genius. She’d always thought her figure was probably her best asset and thought it was a little above ‘ordinary’, but she knew there were plenty of women who had as good a figure as she did.

  Why her? And why was it important enough to him that he was willing to adopt the form of her late husband only to please her? Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose if he wanted her to care about him? Or did that not actually enter his mind? Was that unimportant to him as long as she accepted him?

  She realized he’d been right to accuse her of arrogance when she’d decided he just didn’t feel what she considered ‘human’ emotions. He wasn’t insensitive or unfeeling, despite the fact that his superiority made him oblivious to the needs and suffering of the ‘lesser beings’ he’d come to live among. Maybe he had shut himself off from a lot of his emotions, but then he could hardly be despised for it considering what he must have endured.

  Was that what made her important to him? Not love as she thought of it, but a need he hadn’t realized he had until she’d somehow triggered the urge?

  Not very flattering. Not that it mattered. He couldn’t stay—neither of them could.

  Zavier’s motivations were even more confusing that Legion’s. She thought she could understand both the conflict between them and the fact that, despite the constant irritant, they also couldn’t bring them themselves to stay away from one another. They were brothers, twins, and the only two, as far as they knew, of their race left. Those were all very strong reasons to pull them together and, of course, almost the same things kept them at odds.

  She didn’t know why Zavier had chosen to show her what he had, maybe so that she’d understand them a little better, though she suspected he’d thought the memory would turn her away from Legion. His perception of the event, no doubt, was that he’d been brave and strong and Legion, by comparison, had been weak. Legion had also been hurt pretty badly, though, and her perception was that he’d been very manful considering how young he was.

  Truthfully, although at the time she’d been too eaten up with the green monster to focus that much on the plight of the children, the memory of it made her hurt for both of them. Obviously their unique abilities had ensured their survival, but they still hadn’t been much more than babies. They’d needed nurturing, guidance they hadn’t gotten, the sense of security any child needs from the belief that they have someone watching over them.

  Their parents hadn’t been there to deal with the inevitable sibling rivalry, which seemed worse to her in their case because they’d also resented the stigma apparently attached in their society to the birth of twins, and the confusion of individuality. They were completely different, regardless of their physical appearance, but it was obvious most of the infighting was because they despised the fact that someone else had their face. They hadn’t been able to accept and enjoy it as so many human twins did, or at least seemed to. On the other hand, she’d seen as many who behaved much like Legion and Zavier did, striving to be as different from their twin as they possibly could and resenting anyone remarking on similarities.

  In their case, though, there’d been nothing and no one to referee and help them try to work out their resentment of one another, which seemed to have been compounded by a fear in both of them that their mother loved one more than the other—and she hadn’t been there to offer the reassurance they needed.

  Given their history, though, it was even more incomprehensible to her that Zavier had not only decided to stay but had willingly agreed to ‘share’ her—or that Legion had agreed to it.

  What was that all about?

  She could grasp that Zavier had decided she must be the ‘best’ if Legion had settled his sights on her. She could even have understood it if they’d decided to fight to the death over the same ‘territory’ given their history, and realized it wasn’t really personal, or anything to preen over. It would’ve seemed logical, though, if Zavier had looked around for ‘better’ so that he could lord it over Legion that he’d found a better mate.

  The arrogant assholes! Not that she hadn’t thoroughly enjoyed their vying for her attentions the night before, but the nerve of both of them to think that they only had to make up their own minds and it was a done deal!

  She’d told Legion she wasn’t interested in being his mate!

  And now both of them had moved in on her as happily as if they’d been invited!

  She supposed it was completely incomprehensible to them that she, a far lesser being, might not appreciate being the ‘chosen one’ of two such marvelous creatures as they were!

  She’d managed to work her anger up fairly wel
l until she abruptly recalled the conversation with Legion the night before and empathy instantly deflated the bubble of resentment. Oddly enough, his anger hadn’t unnerved her. She wasn’t certain if that was because she’d come to trust, however stupid that might be, that he would never harm her no matter how angry he might be, or if it was because she’d realized at the time that it wasn’t really anger but pain.

  Regardless of the fact that both of them seemed supremely self-confident—to the point of often seeming more like arrogant assholes!—there was a lot of bottled up anguish in both of them. Which was worse? Losing their parents at a time in their lives when they’d still desperately needed them? Or losing their home world, everything familiar, and any hope of a future among their own kind? It was hard to say, but she thought, given time, they would’ve been able to cope with the loss of their parents if they could have had the home familiar to them and found a mate among their own kind. Having a family of their own, she thought, and familiar surroundings, would have made it possible to set aside a lot of the hurt and focus on the future instead of the past.

  Maybe that was the driving need behind their determination to mate with her? It was the only option open to them, to find a new home and settle among beings that at least had a physical similarity. It was the closest they could come to ‘normal’.

  But why her?

  Because there was something about her that seemed to remind them of their mother?

  Also not flattering, but it was actually a well established scientific fact that humans tended to look for traits in a mate that reminded them of the primary nurturer in their life—sometimes in appearance, but most often temperament or personality traits, because to them that made them ‘right’ as a partner for their own children. She supposed she couldn’t quibble with that, but she also thought they could probably find a mate fairly easily that had some of the same traits, or maybe even more—a paranormal would be closer, she was sure. She was hardly that unique, regardless of what Zavier had said.

  She realized with a touch dismay that she didn’t actually like the idea that they might. She would certainly be better off if they did. She couldn’t really handle one alien. She certainly couldn’t handle both—not for any length of time.

  They would screw her to death in nothing else!

  Besides, regardless of how wonderful they were as lovers, and they were, she couldn’t settle for just sex—however fabulous. If she’d been willing to, she could’ve done that long ago. She needed more.

  Truthfully, although she wouldn’t have admitted it under torture before, it was Jeremy’s companionship she missed more than anything else. The sex between them hadn’t been fabulous except in the sense that it fulfilled her need for closeness to him. She’d loved him, desperately. She hadn’t actually needed to come when they had sex to feel complete. It had thrilled her just to give him pleasure.

  Maybe, she admitted reluctantly, if they’d had more time together that would have changed. Maybe she’d idealized their short marriage and it would’ve fallen apart in time. She didn’t know. She would never know now but, whether that was true or not, it had spoiled her. She wanted to love and be loved. She wanted companionship. She couldn’t see any reason to settle for less. She could have sex without any sort of commitment at all.

  She wasn’t happy when it dawned on her that, for the first time since his death, she was picking apart her relationship with Jeremy and examining it in a way she never had before, but since they arrived at their destination she was able to put it from her mind.

  Legion and Zavier surprised her by not speaking. Ordinarily, they were so indifferent to, or oblivious of, other beings that they did pretty much as they pleased—not surprising since there didn’t actually seem to be any consequences, to them, for doing just as they pleased at all times. She was relieved and gratified that they’d considered her feelings on the matter, though.

  She was still uneasy. Their interest in examining everything, it seemed to her, drew more attention than she liked. She wasn’t certain if it was paranoia or not, but she hurried to fill the mental list she’d compiled, paid for her purchases, and headed back.

  Legion and Zavier obligingly took her packages and carried them, although they looked torn between disapproval and confusion over the entire thing. The moment they settled in the back seat of her car, they dropped their ‘disguises’ and began to unload the packages and examine everything. They didn’t ask what they were or what they were for, which surprised her until it dawned on her they’d probably ‘filched’ the information from her memory.

  “Yes, I know—primitive,” she muttered when she caught Legion’s gaze in her rearview mirror. “I have to wonder if you compare everything to your own world or the others you’ve visited.”

  “Our world,” Zavier responded promptly. “The others were more primitive even than this one.”

  “Well it’s a damned shame you have to settle for so much less than you’re used to!” Anya snapped irritably.

  Zavier met her glare with a look of amusement. “We are accustomed to settling for less,” he murmured provokingly.

  She returned her attention to the roadway, folding her arms irritably since she’d programmed the computer and didn’t actually have to guide the car. She heard the rattle of the package and a moment later, he slid his arms over the seat and around her. “This world has one definite asset the others lacked, though,” he murmured against her ear, closing his lips around the sensitive shell and prompting the eruption of a frantic herd of goose bumps all over her. Heat blossomed inside of her despite her residual annoyance.

  She pushed his arms away. “I’m really not interested in sex. I had enough yesterday to satisfy me for a while,” she lied, although, ordinarily, that would’ve been a statement of fact. She didn’t have a particularly strong libido, at least she’d never thought she did.

  He ignored the rejection, cupping one breast and unerringly capturing the nipple between his thumb and forefinger—not that difficult since it had stood erect the moment he nuzzled her ear. “But we have not completed the mating rite.”

  Chapter Twelve

  That comment effectively dampened Anya’s enthusiasm. Pushing his hands away, she turned in her seat to look at him. “You aren’t ser ….”

  Apparently, he considered it an invitation. The moment she turned to face him, he speared his fingers through her hair and dragged her close enough to trap her mouth beneath his. She didn’t struggle or try to evade him because he took her completely off guard and by the time it occurred to her to try she’d lost much interest in doing either.

  He didn’t kiss at all like Legion did—or taste the same—but he was just as devastating to her senses, scattering her wits and turning her into a mindless mass of rioting sensations.

  If her stomach hadn’t taken that moment to complain of neglect, she wasn’t certain how far it might have gone, but since it did, it effectively distracted both of them.

  Zavier looked so disconcerted she might have laughed if she hadn’t been embarrassed.

  “I’m going to expire if I don’t eat something,” she muttered. “I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday.”

  Consternation flickered in both men’s eyes as they exchanged a glance. “This is true?” Legion demanded, although it was clear he was both confused and doubtful.

  Anya felt her face heat. “No, it isn’t true,” she said testily. “It’s an exaggeration, but I need to eat. I feel weak and a little sick.”

  Zavier looked displeased. Legion didn’t look very pleased with the information if it came to that. “This conveyance is too slow.”

  Anya uttered an irritated sigh. “It’s plenty fast enough.” She was on the point of informing Legion that it was something he should get used to since humans didn’t travel at the speed of thought, as they apparently did most of the time, but then there was no reason for them to get accustomed to it. “We’re almost there,” she added instead.

  They not only didn’t look a
ppeased, they both studied her as if they thought she might drop dead somewhere between the car and the house while they trooped inside with the food she’d bought. She headed to the kitchen. They followed.

  When they’d settled the packages, she began to sort the contents, grabbing a skillet out and setting in on the stove top. “You said you didn’t need to eat, but do you want to?” she asked, turning to them questioningly before she put away the extra steaks she’d bought.

  They eyed the bloody slabs of meat suspiciously. “We will eat,” Zavier decided for both of them, earning a narrow eyed glare from Legion, although he didn’t disagree.

  “This is animal flesh?” he demanded.

  Anya shrugged. “Sort of—I guess, yes. It was never part of an actual animal, though. We require protein, but they haven’t slaughtered animals for it in decades. The flesh is grown in factories. I’ve heard it tastes the same, but I wouldn’t know. I just know that it tastes better than the reconstituted meals everyone in the cities eats. Very primitive,” she added sarcastically. “But then, the country is very backwards since the war. Actually, I suppose it was always a little behind modernization, but we managed.”

  With a mental shrug, she set the extra steaks beside the skillet and turned the heat on. That instantly caught their attention and they moved closer to examine it—getting in her way. Rolling her eyes, she focused on putting away the remainder of the food in the food locker and refrigeration unit, nudging them out of her way when she’d finished and the cooking unit, she decided, was hot enough to cook.

  After seasoning one of the steaks, she dropped it into the heated skillet. Dragging out another skillet and a knife, she moved to the sink and began chopping up the vegetables she’d chosen into thin slices that would cook fast, then washed and drained them. She met a wall of flesh as she turned from the sink and discovered Legion and Zavier had followed her to watch.