by Sue Lyndon
She started to protest, but a firm look from Jaxon made her fall silent. If she disobeyed, she knew exactly what to expect. Her behind still stung from the spanking and whipping she’d received today, and she didn’t want to add to it, and the thought of getting spanked on her soapy wet bottom left her hot with shame. After a deep breath, she turned around and got onto her hands and knees, hoping they would be quick about it. Though they’d just claimed her in every way imaginable, holding still in a vulnerable position while they washed her privates felt far too intimate. Besides, she was a grown woman and could do it herself. She considered telling the brothers to hand her a cloth or a sponge, but a raised eyebrow from Wolfe had her pressing her lips into a firm line. She closed her eyes, willing them to get on with it.
Finally, they started cleaning her, but they seemed to be in no hurry.
Jaxon spent his time rubbing the sponge over Ava’s sex-swollen nether lips, as Wolfe slowly worked a soapy cloth over her ass. She trembled on her hands and knees while they tended to her, making sure she was completely clean before allowing her to turn around and sink down in the water. She flushed under their gazes and tried to focus on enjoying the simple pleasure of being submerged in warm, fragrant water.
She noticed Wolfe was starting to look fatigued, which didn’t surprise her, given that he was probably normally long asleep by now. The sun had risen higher in the sky, and it would be midday soon.
He reached for her, brought her hand to his lips, and kissed it. Affection shone in his dark eyes, and she found herself forgetting about her earlier embarrassment and smiling at him.
“I must go to bed now, little slave. But I will see you tonight.” He kissed her hand once more before departing her bedroom, grabbing his clothes off the floor on his way out. Her breath caught at the sight of his firm buttocks as he walked across the room though, and she found herself glancing at Jaxon and wondering if his ass was just as muscular. Though she’d seen them naked, she hadn’t gotten a good long look at either man from behind yet.
Jaxon, of course, had witnessed her blatant ogling of his brother, and he chuckled deep in his throat. “Would you like me to parade across the bedroom so you can inspect my ass, as well?”
“Please, Master?” She grinned and splashed water at him. “Perhaps you can also stop in the middle of the room and try to touch your toes.”
He growled and gave her hair a slight yank, but the glint of humor in his eyes revealed he was only teasing. Then he surprised her by releasing her and stepping into the bath opposite of her, and when he sank down suddenly, a wave of water splashed into her face. His playfulness lifted her spirits, especially after days of his quiet brooding on the road.
His legs rested alongside hers, though because of his height, he had to bend his knees considerably to fit in the bath, while she could stretch her legs out straight and her toes didn’t even come close to touching the foot of the tub. She watched in fascination as he submerged himself completely in the water and came back up, rivulets of water cascading down his chest.
She started to reach for him, only to freeze at the sound of a bloodcurdling scream coming from outside. Ava thought it sounded like a woman, but she couldn’t be sure.
Jaxon jumped from the tub and hurried to get dressed, without bothering to dry off first. In the hallway, she heard the opening of a door and heavy, fast footfalls. Wolfe must have heard the scream too. She stepped out of the tub and grabbed a towel, wrapping herself in it as she ran to the window.
Chapter Ten
“Mother!” Wolfe ran outside into the midday heat. He hurried to the fallen form of his mother. A basket of food had spilled out in front of her, the contents splattered on the stone walkway. Another basket filled with dresses rested beside the mess, though the contents were mostly still in order, as if she’d been trying to protect the basket of clothing in particular. He knelt and helped her move into a sitting position.
“I’m fine,” she said in a quiet tone, but worry clouded her gaze. He’d seen this particular anxious expression cross her face before, and a chill went down his spine.
“Tell me what you saw, Mother.” He grasped her hand and pulled her to her feet, just as his fathers and Jaxon rushed to the scene.
She glanced at each of them in turn. “There’s a small army headed this way. They will arrive in three days as dawn is breaking through the trees.”
“An army?” Jaxon asked. “Are you sure?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Quite positive. Has my sight ever been wrong?”
“Who are these men that are coming?” Wolfe asked.
“I don’t know. I can’t see their faces, so I don’t know if they are River Men, elves, or humans. But they are armed with swords and knives.” She brushed off her skirts and reached for one of the baskets she’d dropped. “Here, this is for Ava. A few dresses that should fit her. Two pairs of shoes too. I’m assuming you two have come to your senses and mated with her already?”
At that moment, Ava appeared in the doorway, wearing the same raggedy dress she’d had on when Jaxon had brought her home. Wolfe exchanged worried looks with his fathers and Jaxon. An army was coming here, to their homestead. Concern for Ava and his dear mother rose to the forefront of his thoughts. No matter what, the women must be kept safe.
“Yes, Mother,” Jaxon said, urging Ava to join them. He put an arm around her. “Ava has become our mate. I apologize for any distress it caused when I announced she was my slave. Yes, I’d bought her in a village but—”
“Your son saved me, ma’am,” Ava interrupted. “And both Jaxon and Wolfe have treated me with nothing but kindness. I, um, hope you’re all right. Did you take a hard fall?”
His mother finally smiled. She stepped forward and passed the basket of dresses to Ava, who accepted them with a look of awe. “I knew my sons would soon take a human as a mate, for I had a vision of it happening. But I didn’t know how it would come about, so I was a bit angry with the stubborn boy when he announced you were his slave. All is well that ends well, though. That’s a human expression, is it not?”
Ava returned her smile. “Yes, it’s a human expression. Thank you for the dresses and shoes. Wait, did you say you had a vision?” Confused, she glanced up at Jaxon and then at Wolfe.
“Our mother has the gift of sight,” Wolfe explained. “And she fell down just now because she saw something disturbing. She says a small army is headed this way and will arrive in only three days.”
“I thought the war against the River Lord was over?” Ava’s eyes widened and she peered through the trees, as if expecting the army to storm across the landscape at any instant.
“The war is over, and the River Men and elves who fought with the River Lord have been vanquished from our lands. The only River Men still remaining are the slaves that were freed, and many of them have followed the Banded home to work as their servants.” Wolfe paused and considered the possibilities. “I suspect it’s a human army. Perhaps seeing you walk into their village, brother, has set them off somehow. Perhaps they felt threatened.”
“Only the hunters from my village dare to venture in the forest, but they usually only travel in groups of two or three. Sometimes they will bring back news from the Banded men they meet in the forest. No one in the village besides the hunters has seen a Banded man before. I can’t imagine an army of humans daring to enter the woods. It’s never been done before.” Ava frowned and clutched the basket tighter to her chest.
“In the old days, large armies of humans joined together to push the Banded off their lands and drive them further into the forest. It has been done before, but not in ages,” Durran, Wolfe’s dark-haired father, said with an increasing frown.
“This is a grave threat and unprecedented in these times. We will send out a call to arms to our settlement and neighboring settlements. The human invaders will be vanquished. None of them shall be left alive,” Luke said, running a hand through his silvery blond hair.
“Agreed,” the rest o
f the men said.
Wolfe took note of the worried look his mother exchanged with Ava and said, “Our house is more fortified. Mother will stay in our house with Ava, and any other females who wish to seek refuge there.”
“Agreed,” both his fathers said.
In a matter of moments, it was worked out that Wolfe and Jaxon would travel to the nearest Banded homesteads with their call to arms, and send out messenger doves to several further homesteads. They could assist in gathering weapons from the closer homesteads, while the settlements further away would hopefully answer the call and arrive with all the weaponry they could carry.
It pained Wolfe to say goodbye to Ava only a short while after claiming her, but it couldn’t be helped. He and Jaxon took turns embracing her and kissing her, and then they set off through the forest, while his fathers presumably went about preparing to send the messenger doves out to the Banded who lived more than a day’s journey away.
They’d all thought the fighting was over, but it seemed war was about to visit their doorstep. He briefly considered hiding his mother and Ava at another homestead in the forest, but he didn’t like the idea of being too far from them to protect them. There was no telling the path that the humans would take on their way to his and Jaxon’s home.
He clenched his jaw and ran faster, his twin mirroring his actions.
They would die to protect what was precious to them.
* * *
Ava tried not to appear nervous, but it was difficult when the two men she cared about more than anything were preparing to fight in a battle. She stood at her bedroom window and watched as dozens of Banded men practiced their sword fighting, dug trenches, and constructed platforms hidden in the nearby trees for their best bowmen to use.
She turned and forced a smile at the women who were currently sharing her bedroom with her, three young Banded females who’d come along with their mates, as well as her mother-in-law, Katrine. The other bedrooms in the house were being shared between the dozens of men who’d arrived to answer the call to arms, and those who couldn’t fit in the house were staying in the tents that had been erected in the clearing surrounding the house.
Since Katrine’s vision showed the army—presumably, a human army—showing up at this precise location, it seemed the humans must be tracking Jaxon specifically. She felt a surge of guilt, wondering if this whole predicament was at least partially her fault, because the humans in her village wouldn’t have known about Jaxon if not for him coming to buy her off the auction block.
Her stomach twisted at the thought of any harm coming to her mates. They had only claimed her once, yet she knew in her heart that she cared deeply for them. If it wasn’t love she felt for the pair of Banded brothers, she didn’t know what else to call the emotion. They had given her everything she’d always wanted, yet her future—and theirs—rested upon the outcome of an impending battle. What if all the strong men from the village came and they outnumbered the Banded?
She tried to push her worries away and ventured down to the kitchen. Katrine followed her and they silently began to prepare the evening meal—a massive pot of chicken stew, two dozen berry pies, and as many loaves of bread as they could shove into the oven.
Tomorrow. The army was set to converge on this hillside tomorrow. Ava gulped and blinked rapidly, not wanting to cry. She had to remain strong and set a good example for the other women, most of whom seemed more frightened than she was.
Had Katrine glimpsed a vision of the battle’s outcome? She cast a sidelong glance at her mother-in-law, but didn’t dare ask the question. She supposed if Katrine had had any such visions, she had shared them with her mates.
“Thank you again for the beautiful dresses, and the shoes, too,” Ava said to break the silence.
“You are most welcome, my dear. I wore those a long time ago and I’m glad they fit you, though I suspect once this battle is over, your mates will take you to a dressmaker for some newer clothing.”
“New clothing? The dresses you gave me are nicer than anything I’ve ever worn, and I’m truly grateful for your kindness.”
Katrine smiled and patted her on the back. “I am glad you like them, Ava. And I am glad my sons claimed you already. Jaxon is lucky I didn’t box his ears over that slave nonsense.”
Ava laughed and turned at the sound of heavy footsteps entering the kitchen. It was Jaxon, Wolfe, and both their fathers, all sweating from the exertion of training and preparing for battle.
“Dinner is almost ready,” she said. “I believe we’ve made enough for everyone, though one of you will have to carry the pot outside. Katrine and I thought it might be nice to eat on the log benches behind the garden.”
“Wonderful idea,” Jaxon said, and a short time later, he carried the huge pot outside while the rest of the women brought out the bread and berry pies, as well as the bowls and spoons.
All those who’d answered the call to arms gathered around for dinner. Ava handed each man a bowl and scooped a generous serving of the chicken stew, while Katrine handed them small loaves of bread and another Banded female passed out the servings of berry pie. Once everyone had gone through the line, Ava prepared herself a plate and joined her mates on a bench, squeezing between them.
“You’ve done an excellent job making our guests feel welcome these past few days, Ava,” Wolfe said.
“Yes, you have,” Jaxon said, “and we can’t thank you enough.”
“I only wish I were entertaining for a more pleasant reason.” Her mood grew somber. “The battle is tomorrow morning. I am trying not to worry, but I cannot help it. What if you are outnumbered?”
“Even if we are outnumbered, we are stronger than humans, and we are expecting them. The trenches we dug around the perimeter of our homestead have been covered with grass. Many of those in the first wave of battle will fall into the pits and die upon the spears sticking up inside,” Jaxon explained.
“My brother speaks the truth, little slave. You have no cause to worry yourself,” Wolfe said. “If the humans vastly outnumbered us and happened to catch us by surprise, that would be different. But we’re prepared and we will slaughter every last one of them. If they dare to attack our homes, we won’t think twice about killing them. Tomorrow, we will show no mercy to our enemies.” His tone turned colder as he spoke, and his eyes gleamed black with murderous intent.
Ava repressed a shudder and sent up a prayer to the Goddess to keep her mates safe. She dreaded the impending morning. She hoped the battle ended quickly and that the Banded were indeed victorious.
“You must promise us something, little human,” Jaxon said.
After swallowing her last bite of stew, she peered at her mate of the light. “What’s that?”
Wolfe squeezed her thigh, and her gaze traveled to him. “You must promise not to go near the windows or venture outside tomorrow morning. Not until the battle has ended and we clear all the women to leave our house, when the victory horn is blown.”
“I can’t even watch out the window?”
“Ava…” Jaxon said, his tone firm. “The curtains will be drawn and you must remain far from the windows. The other women, including our mother, will be given the same order. We will not have you risking your safety, and as this is your home, you must set a good example of obedience for the other women who’ve come with their mates. Do you understand?”
“Ava, do you understand?” Wolfe asked, squeezing her thigh harder when she didn’t immediately answer.
“Yes, Masters,” she finally whispered, even though they weren’t in the bedroom.
Heathra, one of the Banded females, approached and collected their dirty bowls, then scurried away as if sensing she’d just interrupted an intimate conversation.
“We mean it, Ava,” Jaxon said. “The house will be locked from every entrance. We plan to board the windows on the first floor up tonight as well. It’s important that every female remain inside until…”
“I said I understand,” she said, keeping her
tone quiet. Even though it would be difficult not to peek out her bedroom window when she heard the first clash of swords in the morning, she would try her best to obey. “I will focus on keeping the Banded women calm.”
“Thank you, Ava,” Wolfe said, grasping her hand and kissing it.
Jaxon leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead, while Wolfe rubbed her back. Though Wolfe was usually just waking up at this time, and Jaxon was usually headed to bed, they both looked tired. All the Banded who had arrived, those of the light and of the night, were mostly forgoing sleep in order to get ready for the battle. Apparently, Banded could go several days without a wink of sleep during times of emergency. She hoped her mates, as well as the other men, managed at least a little rest on the eve of the fight.
Finally, Jaxon and Wolfe rose to their feet and joined the Banded men who were already working to board up the windows. The enemy would arrive in the early morning, and there was still work to be done.
Ava left the cleaning up of dinner in the capable hands of the other women, while she and Katrine gathered as many medicinal herbs from the garden as they could. They also prepared a makeshift infirmary downstairs, laying out cloth bandages and readying the space in case any Banded were wounded.
Ava closed the door after they finished.
She prayed they would have no need for this room.
Chapter Eleven
Ava tried not to flinch each time the clash of swords rang out or an agonizing scream ripped through the air. The fighting was punctuated by the loud growls of the Banded men, which she imagined probably intimidated the humans who’d arrived. Katrine had had another vision of the enemy and confirmed they were human, and though Ava hadn’t dared look out the window to confirm her suspicions, they certainly must have come from her village.
It was easy to imagine old, rich Thomas being so enraged at losing an auction to a Banded man that he assembled a group of village men to help him seek revenge. She wondered if the old man had joined in the battle, or if he’d simply enlisted the village’s best hunters. He’d probably offered them a share of the plunder, leading them to believe Jaxon’s home likely contained countless coins and jewels, ripe for the picking. She released a frustrated breath and exchanged a glance with Katrine. The older woman offered her a calm smile and then turned to resume comforting one of the young Banded women.