Event Horizon Threshold

by Kaitlyn O’Connor

They’d stopped, she discovered, by a waterfall. It wasn’t much of a waterfall, per se—barely more than a shower might spray, but it was more tempting than anything she’d seen in a while.

  Because there were three of the most amazing looking men busy bathing in the pool below it.

  And Paul.

  He was cut and well built, but he looked next door to emaciated beside the others.

  Aurek, Dylan, and Tor were so beautiful it was many moments before she realized they were stark naked.

  And she still couldn’t drag her gaze away.

  Pervert that she was.

  She thought she could have watched them all day. It was really disappointing when they climbed out to dry off.

  They noticed her staring.

  She dragged her gaze away with an effort, but Dylan, still stark naked strode toward her. “You should bathe now. The water is safe.”

  She struggled to look up at his face instead of the dangling bits, but she was hyper aware of that trio so close at hand. “I … uh … Well, it’s kind of exposed if you know what I mean?”

  He frowned and then straightened and looked around, hands on his hips.

  Oh god!

  “She will not come.”

  “Roslyn! Come!”

  Roslyn glared at him across the way. What did he think she was? A dog? Pant, pant, pant ….

  “Or I will come get you,” he added.

  She shot to her feet. “Fine!”

  Yes, she needed a bath, but it was broad fucking daylight! She didn’t want to strip down in the glaring light and let them see her as well as she’d seen them!

  She went in with her clothes on.

  They needed washing anyway.

  She looked up and discovered all three of the men were staring at her as if she’d lost her mind and they couldn’t quite figure out what she thought she was doing.

  Paul was smirking, but he got out, at least, and went off to put clothes on.

  “I need to wash these, too,” she muttered.

  “Good point,” Aurek responded and told Tor to fetch their clothing to wash them. “To bathe with nothing clean makes no sense.”

  “Exactly!” Roslyn said triumphantly.

  “You should take them off to wash.”

  She looked up at Aurek for a long moment and then glanced at Dylan and Tor, who’d returned with their clothing.

  “This is shy, yes?”

  Roslyn looked at Tor when he spoke, frowning. “Are … uh … you guys like … uh … maybe German? Or Russian? Or … uh … something like that?” She never had heard them speak that much, but it struck her then that they spoke English like it was a second language. They pronounced everything carefully and accurately, but ….

  The three of them exchanged a speaking look and turned their attention to the clothing they were washing.

  “Something like that,” Aurek responded.

  It was very unsatisfactory, Roslyn reflected, to bathe with clothes on—more even than she would’ve worked swimming.

  Aurek was right.

  It was silly to be so prudish as to miss a chance for a decent bath—especially when she had no idea when she might get another chance.

  Climbing out again, she went to her pack for her soap and washcloth and the tiny sample bottles of shampoo and cream rinse that she’d brought and headed back to the pool. When she got there the guys had climbed out and were trying to squeeze the water out of the clothes they’d just washed.

  Since they were occupied, she figured that was much privacy as she was going to get.

  She struggled with her wet clothes and finally managed to peel them off piece by piece and drop them onto the edge of the pool. Then she took her washcloth and lathered it and began to scrub.

  A loud splash behind her created a tidal wave that nearly drowned her. When she finished spluttering and managed to get the soap and water out of her eyes, Aurek had her washcloth and her bar of soap. He handed the soap off and began scrubbing himself down with her washcloth.

  “Hey! That’s mine!”

  Aurek looked at her, examined the cloth in his hand and then moved toward her. “I have scrubbed everything … except the back.”

  If that was an invitation well …. “Turn around. I’ll get your back.”

  He presented his back.

  And oh my god it was a beautiful back! She’d seen men whose chests weren’t that pretty!

  Well, Paul.

  And poor Marvin, she was sure.

  She glanced around for him on the thought and saw no sign of him. Was he resting, still? Or out trying to grab some specimens?

  He wouldn’t have left the campsite, she knew, but she supposed he could be behind one of the tents.

  “My back also.”

  Dylan dragged her mind back.

  Oh! These men! Why hadn’t she found one this pretty before? Like when she was young and … well, prettier than she was now.

  She wasn’t a ten then either—but young. Men always thought young was beautiful even on an ugly girl.

  She scrubbed his back and then his ass since he insisted and she thought it was a very nicely shaped and packed butt.

  She got to wash Tor, too.

  It was weird that Aurek didn’t seem the least perturbed by it.

  Then again …. That just went to show that whatever had inspired him to punch Tor the other day, it had had nothing to do with her.

  Aurek grabbed the cloth when she was done with Tor’s back, rubbed the soap across it and pulled her around so that he could scrub her back—all before she had time to even consider objecting.

  “I will wash the front also,” he offered a gleam in his eyes.

  She snatched the cloth from him. “I can do that part.”

  “You are certain? I do not mind.”

  She laughed. “Yes. I’m certain.”

  Shrugging, he picked her clothing up, examined the pieces and tossed her pants to Tor and her shirt to Dylan. “I will wash these.”

  Roslyn lunged for the panties and bra Aurek was dangling from one hand, stubbed her toe, and smeared herself down his chest when she fell.

  He helped her up, brushing at the water down her front while she was trying to fight him off and cough up the water she’d swallowed.

  Naturally, her nipples stood to attention.

  “What is this?” he asked, grabbing one in each hand and giving them a ‘honk’.

  Roslyn gasped, slapping his hands away. “As if you didn’t know!”

  A look of confusion flickered across his features and disappeared. He turned from her and washed the clothing he still had and climbed out. Tor and Dylan took the other laundry and, after casting several enigmatic glances at her, followed Aurek.

  It didn’t occur to Roslyn until she managed to break the spell those three backsides cast upon her that they’d just walked off with every stitch of clothing she had brought to the pool.

  “Damn it!”

  She presented her back and focused on washing her hair, trying to figure out how she was going to get to her pack without an audience.

  One would be bad enough.

  But everyone was going to be gathered around the campfire waiting for her.

  Nothing came to her and, unfortunately, her hair was just long enough to cover the top half of her breasts.

  There was no hope for it she realized when she’d finished washing her hair.

  Thankfully, although both Paul and Marvin had joined the others around the fire, neither of them more than glanced at her.

  Aurek, Dylan, and Tor froze in place and watched her as if they had been turned off.

  It was all she could do to remember how to walk with them staring at her.

  Well, since their wonder wands rose to salute her, maybe turned off wasn’t exactly the right word?

  Zen meditation?

  She felt her face flaming with color.

  She thought that might have warmed her up a lot.

  Snatching her pack up, she turned her ass up
for their inspection and crawled inside the tent.

  She’d considered backing in, but she didn’t want to be too obvious, and she also didn’t like the idea of presenting the pendulums for their inspection.

  She was disturbed enough she really didn’t want to come out again even after she’d dressed, but she knew Aurek would either come to get her or send one of the others.

  And she was actually hungry.

  Aurek said nothing as he handed her an MRE, a plastic spork and a bottle of water.

  “Feel better?”

  Roslyn looked up and stared at Dylan in surprise. He’d hardly spoken ten words to her before the … nightmare. She supposed she’d shaken him screaming like she’d lost her mind. She managed a smile. “Yes. Thank you.”

  He smiled back at her and nearly knocked her socks off.

  She realized she’d barely even noticed Dylan and Tor after she’d looked at Aurek. He’d dazzled her. Totally scrambled her brains.

  She did recall thinking all three were exceptionally handsome and well built, but somehow they had been overshadowed.

  Because they allowed Aurek to overshadow them, always deferred to him, she supposed, because he was alpha leader.

  Crazy.

  If she’d seen either one of them alone, she thought she would’ve been completely bowled over.

  She was bowled over—now that they’d captured her attention.

  Now she could fantasize about all of them, she thought wryly.

  At least it was something pleasant to occupy her mind.

  The world they’d discovered had lost its rosy glow. It was beautiful, but it was also deadly. Earth was, too, she supposed, but her deadly things were known, had been discovered by earlier generations, and could be avoided in general. Gretchen’s death had emphasized the nothing they knew about this one.

  Now she found it hard to get that out of her mind, the potential lurking danger, long enough to appreciate the beauty she could see.

  She didn’t know why the guys seemed to have decided that she needed them to survive, but it was certainly true, and she would be eternally grateful that they were guarding her.

  Aurek decided they should stay a day and rest before they moved on.

  She was glad for that, too.

  Even though both Marvin and Paul objected, neither one complained too loudly and she thought Aurek would have ignored them anyway.

  He generally did.

  There was something to be said for a man that was designated leader actually leading.

  Sure he was a dictator, but he was a benign one as far as she could see, and she didn’t currently feel up to demanding her freedom to get dead in some horrible way.

  The nice, but really bizarre thing about it was that the guys took turns cuddling her all night.

  Not that she felt like objecting!

  Having a muscle bound blanket laying between her and things that might want to eat her was really nice.

  It was just … strange.

  And actually she was a little outdone about it.

  Not one damn one of them tried to get her pants.

  Not even Aurek, damn it!

  He didn’t even kiss her again.

  She supposed she should have let him play with her nipples since he’d already found them, but she just wasn’t comfortable with being sexual so publicly.

  She wasn’t ‘in’ to being watched or being exposed where she might be ogled.

  They got up early the following morning, earlier than usual, ate, packed everything up and headed out.

  It was nearly dark by the time they reached the outskirts of the abandoned city, but they kept going until Aurek found a building that seemed sound enough to house them. It was roofless, of course, but they had the tents and the security of high stone walls around them so that they only had to watch one opening for possible attack.

  Poor Marvin died in his sleep.

  Paul announced it by having hysterics, bounding out of the tent screaming ‘help’!

  Chapter Seven

  Aurek, Dylan, and Tor surged to their feet instantly, flinging their food containers away as they did so and grabbing their weapons. When they’d searched the entire perimeter with their gun barrels, they discovered Paul was dancing at the tent flap, gesturing inside. “It’s Marvin! I think he’s … uh I think he’s … he might be dead.”

  All three men gave him a look that should have shocked him to silence, if not calm, and actually did, and then put their weapons down and headed to the tent.

  Roslyn stayed where she was, struggling with the urge to cry.

  He should never have come, she thought. He was in such bad health, she couldn’t understand why they’d even allowed it. They had to know.

  And it was all just too much for a heart already diseased and failing him.

  Tor came out of the tent a few minutes later, cast Paul and angry glare and then reported that, yes, he was dead and there was no way to help him.

  Paul sat down and wept. “We’re all going to die in this godforsaken place!”

  The guys ignored the drama, settling where they’d been seated before Paul had screamed help instead of telling them Marvin needed help.

  She supposed she could see their point.

  They were already low on food and Paul had alarmed them, for nothing, and they had thrown their food down.

  And now had nothing.

  Roslyn handed hers to Aurek. “I’m not hungry … now … anyway.”

  Dylan took Paul’s and, after a moment, Tor took Marvin’s.

  “I don’t suppose you could give Paul a shot like the one I had?” Roslyn asked after a moment.

  Tor glanced from her to Aurek.

  Aurek sent Paul a look that was more a promise of retribution than pity, glanced at Roslyn, and finally shrugged.

  Paul not only refused it, he leapt up and took off.

  Roslyn surged up to follow him, but Aurek grasped her wrist. “It is not safe. Stay. If he does not return soon we will hunt for him.”

  Roslyn nodded and settled again. “What are going to do with Marvin’s … with Marvin?”

  Aurek seemed to consider it. “We will bury him here and move our camp closer to the center of the city.”

  Roslyn was upset. She thought they ought to try to take Marvin’s body back, but they’d already established that none of them had anyone waiting for their return.

  Well, Gretchen had determined that.

  All in all, it seemed like the best thing to do … at least for the near term. Hopefully, Paul was wrong and some of them would make it home again and be able to tell where Marvin was buried if it was deemed reasonable to retrieve his body.

  That seemed very unlikely if it cost much.

  Poor thing.

  He was beyond caring, now, though, and he had actually seemed pretty happy to be a part of the team.

  She hoped he’d enjoyed the time he had.

  At least he’d died in his sleep. That had to be better than what had happened to poor Gretchen.

  It didn’t particularly help her feelings, though, and she struggled when they’d finished packing up to focus on the job she’d been hired to do.

  It was a little easier as they moved further into the city and she began to notice things about the architecture that reminded her of things she’d seen before.

  Was it just because it was ruins? Were all ancient civilizations pretty much the same—or at least had some similarities?

  She tried to envision the people that would have built it.

  Was it the builders of the gateway? Or their forefathers?

  Either way ….

  She thought they must be similar to humans. Mankind hadn’t just grown larger brains and more intelligence, they’d developed opposable thumbs and that had made advancement possible. So it seemed very likely that they were built very similar to humans, bipedal, arms with workable hands—maybe five fingers or less or more.

  She studied the doorways that were intact enough to determin
e the height and asked one of the guys to stand in the doorway to give her a sense of their height.

  Apparently, they’d been relatively the same size, as well.

  Everything she saw said humanoid to her.

  Paul joined them, to her relief, as they progressed—well her. She’d stopped to examine a series of raised relief designs on a building and the guys had moved off to survey the area for any threats.

  “Sorry,” he muttered uncomfortably.

  Roslyn shrugged. “I’m not pissed at you. The guys are. But I understand. I was upset, too. Poor Marvin.”

  Paul’s expression tightened. “I doubt they’re pissed. Nothing really affects them.”

  “That’s hardly fair,” Roslyn said.

  Paul gave her a look she found hard to decipher. “I’m damned if I can figure out why they’re so … ‘in’ to you. I thought Gretchen was prettier and she was a good bit younger. You aren’t fucking them so it isn’t the sex.”

  Roslyn gaped at him, feeling very much as if he’d just slapped her, wondering why he’d just assaulted her when she couldn’t think of a thing she’d done to warrant his anger and contempt.

  She couldn’t even think of a response.

  Well, she thought of some low, juvenile ones—oh yeah? Well fuck you, too!—but nothing really defensive to such an attack.

  She wasn’t even sure she understood what the attack was about.

  He was pissed off because he thought the guys liked her when she hadn’t seen anything to suggest it? They’d been polite and they’d protected her, but it was their job after all.

  The kisses—well, or kiss—she wasn’t really clear on why Aurek had kissed her and, try though she might, she couldn’t say that he’d ever been in any danger of losing his head so she’d been left with the unpleasant conclusion that he just wasn’t that ‘in’ to her and neither Dylan or Tor were even that interested.

  Or was Paul pissed off because he didn’t see her as good enough to be a rival for their attention?

  Then again, maybe he was just upset, period, and, like a lot of people, he looked for vulnerable spots in others to twist a knife into any time he felt bad about himself?

  “I … uh … I don’t think they’re that in to me. And I don’t think it’s you. I don’t think they’re gay,” she managed finally. “And … and they’ve kept both of us alive. It’s their job.”