Heroc smiled and set the tray on the table. “Come and have something to eat.”
She was totally at a loss for words at his nonchalance. She was in bed with his brother. Didn’t he care? He’d had his hands all over her last night too.
Abrah rolled from the bed, not bothering to cover his nakedness. She couldn’t help but admire the taut muscles of his first-class butt or the thick furrow of muscles in his back as he raised his arms and stretched.
“Did you bring enough for all of us?”
Heroc nodded at his brother. “Of course.”
Abrah padded into the bathing chamber, disappearing from sight and leaving her to deal with Heroc on her own.
“Well this is embarrassing.” She could feel her cheeks getting warm. She might be a modern, independent woman but this situation was far outside her experience.
“Why?” Heroc walked to the bed, his gait fluid and silent for such a large man. Both men moved like that, reminding her of a big cat on the hunt. “You are a beautiful woman. How could Abrah not want you?”
He shocked her totally by dropping a warm kiss on her lips. Her mouth fell open and he swooped in to deepen the embrace, teasing her with his tongue. Her skin began to tingle and her pussy muscles clenched. What was she? Some kind of slut? She’d just had sex with his brother.
Audrey pulled back, totally shaken by her reaction.
Heroc frowned. “What is wrong? Are you sore? Was Abrah too rough?” He looked as though he would hit his brother if he thought that was true.
“No! No. He wasn’t rough at all. It’s not that.” She didn’t want to be the cause of a misunderstanding and possible violence between the two men.
He sat on the side of the bed next to her and picked up her hand. “Then what is it? Surely Abrah explained to you about our world.” Heroc brought her fingers to his lips and pressed a kiss against her knuckles.
What had he told her? Both brothers would compete sexually for her favors. She hadn’t really believed him. She opened her mouth to speak and shut it again. What could she say? She didn’t understand these men or their world.
“It does not matter what I told her.” Abrah stepped out from the bathing chamber. He sauntered over to the side of the bed and picked up his pants, pulling them on. “She is going home as soon as the tapestry arrives.”
It felt like an accusation of the worst kind and a sliver of guilt pierced her. But why should it? She hadn’t asked to be brought here. “I have a life,” she began.
Abrah ignored her as he yanked on his boots and tunic. The warmth from their time together dissipated quickly, leaving her feeling cheap and easy.
“Tell me about it.” Heroc put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her against his side.
“What is the point of talking?” Abrah lifted a four-foot sword from the wall. And how had she missed seeing that? He swung the blade easily in his hand, cutting it through the air several times. “She is leaving. Fuck her while you have the chance.” With that, he turned and strode from the room, leaving her alone with Heroc.
Tears pricked her eyes and she blinked hard to push them back, but one slid down her cheek. She tilted her head against her shoulder, brushing it away.
“Here now.” Heroc lifted her onto his lap, being careful to keep her blanket tucked around her. “No need for tears.” He used the corner of the blanket to wipe away a second tear.
He shook his head and sighed. “Forgive Abrah. He feels things too deeply and hides it behind anger.”
Audrey wasn’t sure she agreed with Heroc’s assessment of his brother’s behavior, but he did know him better than she did.
He tilted his head to one side. “You do not believe me.”
She shook her head. She couldn’t lie to him. “He made his position very clear.”
Heroc stood and strode to the table with her in his arms. “You must eat to keep your strength up.” He sat and pulled over the tray. “How about some bread?”
He was being so sweet to her she had to eat something even though her stomach was in knots and her headache was threatening to return. She picked up one of the thick slices of bread and nibbled on a corner. Flavor exploded on her tongue and she gave a moan of pleasure. How long had it been since she’d eaten anything?
Her stomach growled when the food hit it and she took another bite. Heroc pulled a wooden cup with a steamy liquid in it toward her. “I thought you might enjoy some tea.”
Audrey really wanted a cup of coffee. She’d hadn’t gotten used to her new status as a tea drinker yet and missed the punch coffee gave her. She knew that tea had to be her new beverage of choice if she hoped to get strong and healthy again. She just had to embrace the situation and make the best of things. Heroc had gone to a great deal of trouble to fix the tray of food for her and she truly appreciated his efforts. “That’s wonderful. Thank you.”
He lifted the cup toward her lips and she took a sip. “Careful,” he warned. “It’s hot.”
The warm liquid hit her stomach, releasing some of the knots in it. She took another nibble of bread.
“You eat and let me tell you about my home.”
Suddenly she wanted to know all about this place and the men who lived here. “Dannon Keep, right?”
Heroc nodded and grinned. “Very good.”
She felt like a prized pupil and a strange sense of pride filled her. To cover the unexpected emotion she took another bite of the delicious bread. There were slices of what looked to be a white cheese so she put a piece of it on top of the bread and tried it. Her eyes almost rolled back into her head it was so delicious. She had some more.
“It is only my brother and me now, and our people. Our father is dead these past three years and our mother and brother died of a fever this past year.”
She stopped eating and stared up at Heroc. Pain was etched on his handsome face. Pain she readily understood. “I’m so sorry. I lost my mother to cancer. It was only the two of us.”
“You are alone?” He seemed truly distressed by that news.
“Yes. But it’s okay,” she hastened to reassure him. “I’ve always depended on myself. Always knew I couldn’t depend on a ma—” She broke off before she finished not wanting to insult him, but he finished her statement for her.
“You knew you could not depend on a man.” He shook his head. “What is wrong with the men of your world?”
“Nothing. I just take care of myself.” And why that suddenly felt very hollow and lonely, she didn’t know. She’d always lived that way.
Heroc rubbed his large hand up and down her spine. “Even the strongest needs someone to lean on occasionally.”
“Even you?” He was strong and, she had no doubt, very capable of taking care of himself.
“Of course.” His eyes widened and he seemed truly shocked by her question. “I have Abrah and, before that, my family.”
“But no woman,” she pointed out. Most men had trouble making commitment.
He pulled her closer to his chest and rubbed the bottom of his chin against her scalp. “No, no woman. As I’m sure Abrah told you, women are scarce here and brothers must share one if they are blessed enough to find one who will join with their family.”
“He was serious about that?” She admitted to herself she’d thought that had been nothing more than a line designed to get her into bed.
Heroc tipped her back until she was resting against one broad arm and staring up into his face. His long, black hair was tied back, framing his incredible face, which was perfect except for the slight crook in his nose. Abrah’s face was a slightly rougher version of his younger brother’s. His usually smiling mouth was now a firm line of displeasure. She certainly had a knack of pissing off the Dannon brothers.
“Yes. It has been this way in Javara for hundreds of years.”
“How did it happen?” She freely admitted she was curious about this place. She’d probably be freaking out if she didn’t know she’d be leaving in three days, closer to two now. But bot
h men had been adamant on that point and she believed them.
That in itself was shocking. But she tucked that thought away as Heroc began to explain.
“No one knows why it happened but more boys began to be born and far fewer girls. Within a few generations there were not many females left in our world. Men were killing one another, brother against brother and friend against friend. It was a bloody time in our history and threatened our entire existence.”
He rubbed his fingers over the curve of her cheek. “Men would have killed for the right to claim you.”
She shivered and he pulled the blankets more closely around her. “But not now?” Audrey couldn’t wrap her mind around the idea of someone killing in order to bed her.
“Not usually. Men share a woman now. Brothers can claim a woman between them. One for every three brothers. If there are four brothers they can claim two women if they can find them. Sometimes they even share among four if the woman is willing. Other families also have the right to challenge another if the woman is not claimed.”
“That sounds…” She didn’t quite know how to explain her thoughts. It was so different from the monogamous culture in which she lived. But even in her world people cheated and slept with others.
“I know there are many other cultures that do not live the way we do. That much has become obvious over the centuries, as tapestry brides have been brought here from many other worlds. It may seem strange to you but it is normal in Javara, a matter of survival.” He picked up her cup and brought it to her lips. “Drink before it grows cold.”
She automatically opened her mouth and took a sip of the tea. She couldn’t quite place the flavor but it was surprisingly good. Audrey pondered what he’d told her. She supposed any culture would do what it had to in order to survive. After all, humans had adapted over the centuries as well, the cultural norms changing as the state of the world did.
Heroc placed the cup back on the table. “Women are treated well here. Abuse, if it becomes known, is not tolerated. Women are too precious to us.” He ran a single finger down her neck and over her collarbone. The blanket slipped and was resting just above her breasts, a slight curve showing over the edge.
“Only one brother can claim the woman as wife. It is always her choice. The children are all his even though they may be sired by his brothers. Each brother gets one night a week in her bed.” His fingers dipped lower, pushing the blanket in their wake and exposing her nipples. He touched one with the tip of his finger. “Although some families are more fluid than that, sharing as they choose.”
She swallowed hard as her nipple puckered beneath his touch. “I’m not staying,” she reminded him.
His smile was gentle. “But I have more than two days to change your mind. And I have hope.” Before his words had sunk in, his hand closed gently around her breast and he kissed her, stealing the breath from her lungs.
Chapter Eight
Heroc savored the feel of Audrey beneath his lips and his hand. She was everything he’d ever wanted—intelligent, sensual, kind and giving. Her reaction to the loss of his family had been genuine. She knew what it was like to lose a loved one.
He still couldn’t believe she was alone in her world. What was wrong with the men there? They didn’t deserve such a treasure. Didn’t know what to do with it. But he did.
He deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue over her lips and through the slight opening. She tasted of tea and bread and cheese. Of desire, hot and potent.
He had wanted to kick Abrah’s ass when he’d stalked out of the room after making his cutting comments. He’d made Audrey cry and the memory angered him. But he understood his brother better than Abrah understood himself, knew Abrah wanted her to stay so badly he was afraid to reach out and take what was in their grasp. The tapestry had not yet returned and, until it did, Heroc planned to do everything in his power to convince Audrey to stay.
To that end, he fed her, comforted her and talked to her about his life here in Javara. He wanted to hear all about her world and what her life was like there, but that would have to wait. The quickest way to build a relationship with her was through touch and sexual desire. Heroc wasn’t about to miss the opportunity that had presented itself.
She needed a gentle touch after the shock she’d had. It was only last evening she’d almost lost her life to the storm. He shuddered at the thought of finding her near lifeless body lying in the dirt. Thank the gods for Carn and his canine senses.
Audrey made a slight whimpering sound and he tightened his grip around her, continuing to kiss her, to explore her sensual mouth. The fire crackled in the hearth warming the air around them. The wind continued to whip up outside, but in this room only the murmurs of lovers and the occasional gasp could be heard.
They were cocooned in a time out of time. Heroc gave thanks for the inclement weather. It would keep news of Audrey’s arrival from spreading to other families until it was too late. She’d either be returned to her home or claimed by one of them before any other castle knew of her arrival. That might be selfish of him, but he didn’t care. Audrey had come to them and it was with them she belonged.
He released her breast and tugged the blanket from her grasp. She clung to the fabric, her knuckles tightening until they turned white, and then she slowly released it. He broke the kiss, wanting to examine every inch of her.
Bruises still smudged her delicate skin, ranging up and down her arms. There were a few on her stomach, but what concerned him more was how slender she was. “Have you been ill?”
She shrugged and glanced away, peering into the fire.
He caught her chin between his fingers and tugged her gaze back to him. “Tell me.” It was a demand, one he couldn’t stop himself from making. The thought of her being ill was more than he could bear.
She absently rubbed her chest as if it hurt. “I had some minor health problems and ended up home in bed. Nothing serious.”
Heroc felt certain she was downplaying what was wrong. “How long ago?” She must have been sick a long time to be so skinny.
“A few days.”
His jaw dropped and he quickly shut it. “Should you be out of bed? Does anything hurt?” He wasn’t sure what to do and wondered if he should send Abrah for their healer.
She touched his jaw, her fingers sliding along the thick cords of his neck. “I’m fine. Just a little tired and undernourished. The doctor told me to rest and take better care of myself. I was actually taking a few days away from work when I landed here.”
He frowned, wondering if there was more she wasn’t telling him. “That does not explain why you are so slender.” He rubbed his hands up and down her ribcage.
She looked uncomfortable beneath his regard but she answered him. “I’d been working hard for a long time at my job. I hadn’t been taking good care of myself.” She offered him a smile that fell flat. “I got too caught up in getting ahead and making money.”
“This money is your means of barter?”
“Yes.”
“Having a lot of it is important in your world?” Heroc couldn’t imagine anything being more important that a female’s health. Where would the next generation come from if all the women were ill?
“Too much so.” She sighed and he could sense her struggling to find the right words. “I live in a world where I have to work to get money so I can buy shelter and food and whatever else I need. Our society is a fast-paced one, always pushing harder and faster. If you slack off work there is someone waiting to take your job from you. If that happens you can end up hungry or homeless.”
She laughed, but Heroc could hear the bitterness beneath it and it hurt him. He hugged her to him, cradling her head on his shoulder. “Our worlds are very different. Money does not matter so much here.”
She raised her head. “Then how do you live?”
He smiled at her, more than happy to tell her about his home. “Dannon Keep and the lands surrounding it give us everything we need to survive. The castle itse
lf is small compared to some but it is well built. We are more isolated than most but that means there is not much threat from others. The lakes and rivers are filled with fish, the forest and mountain teeming with game. We raise some animals ourselves and till the field for the rest. We have orchards filled with fruit and keep bees for honey.”
“You and your brother do all that?”
He laughed at the amazement in her voice and reached out to tuck a lock of her curly hair behind her ear. “No. We are the lords of the keep. We have many families that live here and we all work to bring prosperity to the land.”
“Wow.” She frowned and he rubbed the lines between her eyes. Her eyelashes fluttered downward when she blinked and he admired her long lashes. “Your world seems much like mine about six hundred years ago, except for the lack of women, that is.”
He did not wish to talk about this barbaric world she hailed from any longer. Heroc could not imagine any man letting his woman work herself into ill health or allowing her to end up homeless or hungry. Unthinkable.
The time had come for action, not talking. Heroc shifted Audrey, turning her so she was facing him, her legs straddling his lap. She clutched his shoulders for balance as he untangled the blanket from her lower body and tossed it to the floor.
“Let me love you. Let me show you what it could be like if you stayed.”
Audrey didn’t know what was real anymore. Abrah was a thorough lover who seemed to know her body better than she knew it herself. He was a driven lover, but self-contained, intense. Heroc was more open, easier to talk to. She’d found it easy to answer his questions and found they’d prompted some of her own.
It had become more apparent with every passing second that this world was indeed real. There was no way she was in a dream this long and vivid. Perhaps she was in a coma but she honestly didn’t think so. However it had happened, she had to accept the fact that she truly was in this strange world of Javara with these two incredible men.
Fabric of Fate t-6 Page 9