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Authors: Noa Xireau

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BOOK: Three Kings for Sarah
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The ancient vampire returned her hug with enough force to
let her feel his love. He’d always treated her as a fragile human, despite the
fact that here, in her world, she could have killed him with nothing more than
a glance. Strangely enough, she had always felt safe and protected when she was
with him, but today, everything felt weird. Hiding her face against his
shoulder, she wished things were different. When he took a deep breath, she
lifted her head in time to witness his bloodshot eyes looking straight at the
three men standing behind her. Even without seeing them, she knew a silent
communication was happening. A cold prickle traveled over her skin. Samgar gave
a short nod before kissing Sarah’s head.


Ahora mi niña es tu turno de luchar por lo que más amas
.”
And with that, he vanished with the wind, just as his murmured words had done.

Sarah put on the pendant and planted her hands firmly on her
hips, staring at the place where her uncle had stood a second ago.
Now, my
little girl, it is your turn to fight for what you most love
, he’d said in
Spanish before he disappeared. She wasn’t sure what he’d meant; although, she’d
guessed from the beginning that something was off. When Duncan cleared his
throat she inhaled slowly, making an effort to keep her voice calm and clear.

“Okay…” She turned to face them. “And now, you’re going to
explain why you’re really here.”

“You already know why we’re here. Today is―”

“Today is the second of January,” she interrupted, turning
to glare at Duncan.

He flinched and shook his head.

“And you aren’t here to bring me love, hope and joy,” she
added.

“Well, that isn’t exactly true.” Gedeon’s low, suggestive
tone made her whole being tremble in anticipation, but the idea that he assumed
he could manipulate her with seduction annoyed her even more.

“Oh! Is that so?” She injected her voice with extreme
sweetness, pursed her lips and blinked at them with immense, innocent eyes
until even her calm vampire started to fidget. “Then I suppose we should take
it inside to…have our…you know…” She winked coyly.

The men exchanged uneasy glances. However, before any of
them had an opportunity to react, an increasingly enraged rumble surrounded
them, coming from nowhere in particular, and the earth came alive under their
feet.

God, not again!
She looked around frantically. Her
mates were in danger! She needed to protect them in case her strengths weren’t
enough to endure the attack this time. Her heart pounded painfully at the idea
of what would happen to her men if the creature trapped them in her world.

“Inside!” she shouted.

But all three of them fell unconscious to the ground.

* * * * *

Gedeon woke up with a groan. His head felt as if someone was
enjoying a Chinese New Year’s party, complete with parade, fireworks and all,
inside his skull, while his wrists were firmly secured to the wall.

“It’s going to pass in a few minutes.”

The sweet angel’s voice had a calming effect on him. He
cracked his eyes open to check his surroundings. He was inside a cozy, one-room
cabin with Duncan—still out for the count—on Gedeon’s left and Xiu tied to
another wall. He crossed glances with Xiu. When Gedeon tried to free his hands
the other man shook his head in silent warning before returning his attention
again to the woman, who was preparing what smelled like hot chocolate in the
small kitchenette. Gedeon watched the steaming cup shaking in her trembling
hands and understood why the Aztec warrior stayed serene, accepting their
capture instead of fighting his restraints. After reaching out with his senses
to make sure that whatever danger they had been exposed to on the outside had
disappeared, Gedeon rested his head on the wooden wall and forced himself to
relax.

“Do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Ask,” she replied without even glancing at him.

“The reason we’re tied naked is because you want to have
your kinky way with us?”

The cup landed with a hard thud on the countertop. She spun
around, gaping at his crotch as if she hadn’t even noticed until now that their
clothes had disappeared. He relished the fact that her cheeks acquired a
crimson shade while his body seemed to recover from the aftereffects of his
abduction under her startled scrutiny.

“Ah, I see… You made a Freudian slip… or slips, you made our
clothes disappear without being aware because your subconscious wanted us
naked.” Gedeon chuckled, amused at her bewildered expression while the corners
of Xiu’s lips rose ever so faintly. “But hey, babe… All three of us?”

Sarah stamped her foot and glowered at him. “Well, I…had to
be sure you weren’t hiding a weapon, right?” she snapped, raising her chin in
an absolutely cute manner.

Gedeon lifted his brows, looking to his groin, where his
large shaft stood high and proud, prepared for battle. “You know, I’m not so
sure about that.”

A loud, angry growl made him glance at Duncan in alarm, and
Gedeon barely escaped the man’s big, sharp teeth.

“Leave my mate alone!” Duncan snarled, more wolf than human.

Stunned, Gedeon stared at Duncan but before Gedeon could
react or answer, Duncan’s mouth was stuffed with a piece of flower-patterned
cloth and his glowing silver eyes, full of hurt, stayed glued on Sarah as he
fought fiercely against his restraints.

Instead of retreating from the wolf in terror, she put her
hands on her hips. “Down, doggy,” she ordered in a firm tone.

Gedeon cringed in sympathy, as Duncan looked at her,
slack-jawed.

“Good puppy. That’s my cute boy.” She praised him,
scratching him behind the ears. “And now you’re going to be quiet and let me
rest for a while.” She spun around and went back to the kitchen for her cup of
chocolate.

All traces of his wolf gone, Duncan glanced at Gedeon. “
Did
she really order me to be quiet and scratch me behind my ears?”

Gedeon struggled to keep a straight face, hearing the
disbelief through their mental link.

A loud bang had them turning to look at Sarah, who stood in
the middle of the room, looking forlornly at the broken cup and thick chocolate
splattered all over her trousers and the floor.

“Sarah, baby, are you okay?” Gedeon restrained himself.
Appearing at her side would only frighten her and make things worse.

She nodded, rubbing her upper arms with her hands. “Yes, I…
I’m tired, nothing else.”

“Sit down, darling. You can clean it later. Just sit down
now,” he told her, worried she’d faint and hurt herself in the fall.

She followed his orders absently, walking over to the sofa
situated in front of the fireplace. Gedeon shared a silent groan with the
others when she took off her jeans and sat down on the couch, covering herself
with a woolen blanket. Leaning back, she looked forlornly at the flames.

“Sarah?” He wanted to hold her, make her feel everything
would be fine.

“I’m dying, right?” she asked, looking unblinkingly at him.
“That’s the reason you’re here.”

“We’re here to…” Gedeon gulped hard, his mouth suddenly
feeling as if it was full of sand.

“You’re here because my uncle is afraid that once I’m dead,
the evil is going to escape to your world,” she said.

Her sad smile made his heart feel as if it were bleeding.

“You aren’t going to die! I won’t let you!” His whole being
shook. He wasn’t going to see her die, no matter what he had to do to keep her
alive and at his side.

“There’s no way around it, Ged. He’s unyielding, while I can
feel my own weakness increasing day by day.”

“Then return with us to the real world.”
Please, baby,
please!

“The real world?” she asked sardonically. “This is my real
world, Ged! I’ve been living here my whole life. I’m not even sure I could
manage to survive in your world.”

“You’ve been there with me!” he protested, beginning to feel
sick.

“I’ve merely been in your dreams….that’s not the real
world!” She shook her head, her brow slightly knitted.

“If you’re dying here, what does it matter if you take the
risk to survive in my world?” he asked, trying to ignore the intense pain
threatening to tear apart his heart.

“Because if I die here, at least there’s an opportunity to
retain the evil trapped in this place, and there’ll be no victims around for
him.”

“If you die in this place, I’ll die here with you.” Xiu
spoke up, his dark, velvety voice calm and composed.

Sarah raised her head. “You can’t stay here!”

“We can’t return and leave you here, either.” Gedeon
exchanged a glance with the Aztec warrior, thanking him silently for his help.
No words were required to understand that they needed to work together to
convince her.

“Why not? You have no attachment to my world!”

“You’re my
Centehua
. I’m bound to you. If you stay,
I’ll stay.”

“If you’re going to be stubborn, I’ll throw all of you out
of my world.”

“You can’t do that until we’ve tried to find a solution,”
Gedeon shouted.

“You can try but I am acquainted with the path. I’ll always
be able to return,” Xiu added.

After a tense moment, Sarah touched her forehead with both
hands and lay down on the couch. “I’m so exhausted,” she murmured. “He’s
getting stronger and stronger. It’s almost as if he’s draining me, a little bit
at a time.”

“Rest… Tomorrow is another day. We’ll be here to help and
protect you.”

Although the Aztec’s words were meant for Sarah, Gedeon
found them reassuring, as well.

She gifted Xiu with a faint smile. “Your voice is so
melodious and hypnotic; I feel as if I could get lost in it. It’s a real pity
how stingy you are with your words. I could listen to you talk forever.”

Gedeon nodded to the man, urging him to keep speaking.

“Rest. I’ll speak until you fall asleep or tell me to stop.”

Sarah giggled. “You’re unable to talk that long.”

Even Xiu’s chuckle was as modulated as a tenor’s voice, “If
my
Centehua
wants my words, who am I to deny her wish?”

“Oh! And are you going to give me only words or is there
something else you’re going to give me?”

Gedeon winced at her sassy tone, and Duncan began fidgeting
again.

“I’ll tell you one of the best-guarded secrets of my former
world, the real history of the Aztecs, one of the most powerful civilizations,”
Xiu promised, using an enticing, low tone.

Even Gedeon could feel the shadow-walker’s voice, vibrating
deep through his body.

“Are they talking dirty or is it just me?”
Duncan
asked through their recently discovered mental link.

Sarah directed a narrow-eyed stare in his direction.


Shit! Did she just hear me?”

“Well, it seems you’re going to require some training at
using the channel, pup.”
Gedeon shrugged.

Sarah directed her attention back to Xiu, asking in a
whisper, “Yes, please! Tell me about…the world you once lived in.”

Chapter Four

 

“Is her sleep deep enough?” Gedeon asked Xiu, regarding the
still form on the couch. Even in her dreams her concerned expression wouldn’t
leave her. His fingertips itched to erase the fine lines between her brows and
his lips moved with the silent promise that everything would be fine.

“As long as we don’t interrupt the energy frequencies in the
cabin, yes,” the shadow-walker explained. “Her wards will wake her as soon as
too much power is used in her vicinity.” The rope around his wrists fell to the
floor.

“Neat trick.” Gedeon lifted a brow. “Would you mind freeing
my hands too? Maybe you’ll need to tie me back again before she awakes. If I
rip the rope to shreds, there’s no way we’ll… Well, maybe there is,” he
finished dryly, watching how the spilled chocolate just disappeared, as if it
was being absorbed by the wooden floor. “Didn’t you tell me we shouldn’t alter
the energies around us?”

“While she’s asleep, I can use her powers. As long as I
don’t take too much or do something that goes against her beliefs, she won’t
even stir.”

Gedeon’s eyes narrowed into thin slits. “Provided you don’t
abuse that ability and don’t cause her any harm,” he warned slowly, an implied
menace dripping from every word, “I suppose it can come in handy if we must
battle against whatever awaits us outside.”

“Listen well, vampire!” Xiu stopped in front of Gedeon,
their faces barely inches from each other. “Because this is the one and only
time I’m going to warn you. I don’t like threats, I don’t like finger-pointing
and I don’t like you. You don’t need to trust me, the same as I don’t trust
you. However, take into account that if I wanted you dead right now, I could
kill you in the blink of an eye—here or in the real world.”

Enough is enough!
Gedeon hissed with extended fangs.
The rope split in a hundred pieces as he lowered his arms slowly and without
effort. “You’re old enough to know you should never underestimate an enemy.”

“I’d never underestimate a vampire. You can be sure of that.
Although you’re forgetting that this is my world, and while my power here is at
its highest, yours is at its lowest. And we both know that even in the real
world I’d be an adversary worthy of your concern,” Xiu replied without moving
an inch from his position.

“I’ll die if necessary, but I’m not going to let you hurt
her.”

“She’s my
Centehua
, my only one! I could never harm
her!” Xiu spoke between clenched teeth. “From now on, her world is my world and
my life is her life.”

“Then it seems we’re having a problem, because she’s my
destined
Shangrile
, my blood mate.”

A feral growl made Gedeon glance at Duncan, who, even though
gagged, still managed to give the impression he wanted to kill them both.

“And as it seems she’s Duncan’s mate too,” Gedeon said
slowly.

All three glared at one another, their muscles tense,
Duncan’s and Gedeon’s fangs and claws extended, while Xiu’s eyes turned
absolutely black. Gedeon could hear the blood pumping wildly through the other
two men’s veins, preparing their bodies for battle.

“We need to reach an agreement. First, we ought to
exterminate the threat to Sarah’s life. Then we can sort this out amongst
ourselves,” Gedeon finally said, breaking the silence.

“You’re right, vampire,” Xiu acknowledged. Relaxing his
stance, he retreated one step, giving Ged enough space to remove the piece of
cloth from Duncan’s mouth. “Destiny has a reason for everything. If having three
mates increases Sarah’s chances of survival, so be it.”

“Destiny’s a bitch.” Duncan grunted coughing. “She’s
probably laughing her head off while we’re here…” He stopped, gawking at the
pieces of cloth Ged held dangling in front of their noses. His Adam’s apple
moved visibly as he swallowed. “That’s what she put in my mouth?”

“Mmhmm.” Gedeon was as fascinated as Duncan. The wad of
flowered material turned out to be five pairs of lacy, G-string panties. He
extended and turned each and every one of them to inspect it from every
possible angle.
Hell if my
Shangrile
isn’t a sexy little tease!

“Shit!” Duncan exclaimed between clenched teeth.

“Mmhmm,” Gedeon agreed distractedly, imagining how Sarah
would look with one of those sexy garments.

“I told you, destiny’s a bitch. One woman for three…cocks,”
Duncan grumbled.

Gedeon couldn’t resist the urge to follow Duncan’s and
Xius’s scowling gazes down to where their proud shafts were competing for
attention, each one in its own style.

“Well, I’d say three more clouds just appeared on the
horizon.” Gedeon sighed wryly, scratching his chin. Turning to Duncan, he
crumpled the silken underwear in his hand and went to release him.

“Don’t!” Duncan snarled.

Gedeon lifted both brows in surprise.

“If you let me loose now, I’m going to fuck her! I can’t
control the urge to claim her. It’s…I’m not in control of my wolf right now.”
The extended canines made the growled words almost unintelligible.

“Okay, one thing after another,” Gedeon muttered, pinching
the bridge of his nose. “The only thing binding you is the rope around your
wrists—if you lose control, you’re going to free yourself anyway.”

“Mine have silver threads. Our girl is a smart one,” Duncan
replied dryly.

“It seems so.” Gedeon grunted, gazing at Sarah’s sleeping
form. “How long have you known her?”

“I met her for the first time three months ago.” Duncan shut
his eyes and leaned his head back.

“You knew her?” Xiu asked straight-faced.

Duncan nodded. “She came to me…in my dreams.”

“You too?” Xiu addressed Gedeon.

“Yeah.” He glanced broodingly from Sarah to the
shadow-walker. “You?”

The shadow-walker shook his head. He didn’t say anything but
Gedeon could feel the warrior’s hurt. Strangely enough, Gedeon didn’t feel
jealous.

Looking to Duncan, who had his face contorted in pain,
Gedeon asked, “What did she tell you about herself?”

“Actually… Nothing.”

“You didn’t recognize her at the hospital.” Gedeon
remembered Duncan’s lack of reaction to the woman in the bed and was intrigued
by his indifference to their mate.

“No. She was in my mind, in my dreams… I could smell her,
feel her…even taste her… Her face, however, was always blurry, as if there were
interferences when I looked at her.”

“Did you sense her illness?” Xiu asked.

“Sometimes I could sense her fatigue or sadness, but no…not
really.” Deep lines formed on Duncan’s forehead. His fists opened and closed
but he kept his eyes shut.

“Duncan, what’s going on?”
Gedeon asked through their
mental link.

“She’s my mate. I’m supposed to take care of her, to
fulfill her every need. Look at me! Even now, I’m here, tied to this fucking
wall because the only thing I can think about is claiming her
,

Duncan confessed, hitting the wall with his head.

What could Gedeon say? That he understood? That Duncan
wasn’t alone anymore? That they were going to share their mate and live happily
ever after? Gedeon addressed the shadow-walker instead.

“Do you think visiting our dreams could be the cause of her
growing debility?”

The man shook slowly his head. He crossed the room to Sarah
and crouched down at her side to contemplate her. “Dream-walking isn’t that
exhausting. She should be able to recover between one experience and the next.”

“Could she be right about what she said? Could this
being…this ‘thing’ be draining her?” Gedeon asked.

“I’ve never met or heard about someone with the skill to
drain a dream-walker in his own dream.”

“And in the real world?”

The shadow-walker raised his head abruptly. His expression
grim, he stared at Gedeon and Duncan.

“Fuck!” Gedeon and Duncan cursed in unison.

“That would explain it,” Xiu murmured, more to himself than
to them.

“What would it explain?” Gedeon demanded harshly.

Xiu’s gaze grew hard. “Earlier, when we were outside… There
was a current of energy. It felt odd—it was neither hers nor from the entity.
It felt more…human, worldly, if you understand what I mean.”

“Then it’s true—someone is draining her power and sending it
to the creature, correct?”

The shadow-walker nodded.

“How close would they have to be to drain her?”

“Quite close.” Xiu scowled. “They’d have to be in the same
building, if not in the same room or even touching her.”

“Shit, it must be someone working at the hospital or someone
very close to her.” Duncan cursed. “Samgar?”

“No, he loves her. I’m sure of it. The elderly woman is like
a high-powered antenna for emotions—through her, I can feel the intensity of
Samgar’s devotion to Sarah. I don’t think any of them would betray our girl,”
Gedeon explained, shaking his head.

“However, it could be somebody related to them, someone they
trust enough to let him or her be near or even alone with Sarah,” Xiu said.

“So…what do you suggest we do?” Gedeon asked, already
running through the possibilities.

“We must return and hunt down the son of a bitch who’s
draining her. Remove him and whoever is helping him. See how we can restore the
power she’s lost. Take her with us to the real world and, once she’s safe and
out of danger, we’ll kill the fucking creature,” Duncan stated without batting
a lash.

“The being is energy. There’s no physical body, just
powerful, otherworldly energy,” Xiu informed them somberly. “You can’t kill
energy.”

“But you can transform it, can’t you?” Duncan asked.

“I’m not sure… I suppose… Einstein said so… The idea could
have potential.”

“I think I might know how… I mean, maybe there’s a chance to
restore her power,” Gedeon murmured.

The others stared eagerly at him.

“Do you recall the moment she gave you her hand in the
clearing?” Gedeon glanced at Duncan. “It was as if she was draining you. Maybe
she’s capable of recovering her power by taking energy from other people. Could
that be a possibility?” He looked at Xiu.

Instead of answering straight away, the shadow-walker
brought his hand close to hers, careful not to touch her. “You could be right,”
he said slowly.

Suddenly, Xiu’s eyes rolled back and went blank. Gedeon
shifted uneasily. The clock was running too slowly for him. After almost two
minutes, Xiu began to blink.

“You were right; she’s able to take the energy and it has a
real effect on her health. Her heart is already beating more vigorously.”

“Already? In such a short time?” Duncan asked, obviously
surprised.

“Well…not exactly.” Xiu’s lips rose slightly. “At the
hospital, we are still touching her, remember? She’s draining our bodies—not
much, and considerably slowly, but enough to restore herself little by little.”

“Can the energy she’s taking cause a problem for us?” Gedeon
didn’t really care, as long as she was recovering, but it was something to take
into account.

“As long as we eat regularly and keep our bodies strong and
healthy, no. I don’t think so. We only need to be cautious with the
palm-to-palm contacts. But if you’re aware of it, you can block the flow of
energy,” Xiu affirmed.

“Are we talking about eating regularly here or in our
world?” Gedeon wanted to clarify.

“It will be enough for Duncan and me to return every two or
three days to get a good meal there. In the meantime, we should be able to
restore our energy with whatever we can find to eat here.”

“And me? I noticed you didn’t include me in your little
plan.” Gedeon clenched his jaw.

“There’s not much on the menu for you here, is there?” Xiu
returned Ged’s glare.

Gedeon had to fight back the urge to hurt someone. There was
no need to elaborate. Sarah was too frail for him to take her blood; the shadow-walker
obviously had no intention of offering his neck, and Duncan couldn’t sustain
Ged for long without growing weak.

“All right, I’ll leave at the end of the night,” Gedeon
agreed, keeping a straight face.

“It could be for the best. Maybe Duncan should go with you.”

“Why?” Duncan growled.

Gedeon nearly growled with the wolf—he sure as hell didn’t
like the idea of leaving his mate alone with the shadow-walker, not after the
way the man had been confronting Gedeon.

“Protecting her isn’t enough. We must discover who’s
draining her. As long as he’s awake, Gedeon can check the minds of those who
come in contact with her and you”— Xiu nodded toward Duncan—“you could look and
ask around. I can’t dream-walk in the real world as long as I’m here. I’ll have
to go back tomorrow night to check people’s dreams.”

“Concerning these energies you’re talking about, do they
have a smell I could identify and trace in the human world?” Duncan asked.

“Maybe. I experience it as having something like a flavor;
however, my sense of smell isn’t as good as yours. You should have a walk
outside and see if you can trace something strange,” Xiu proposed.

“That could be a problem.” Duncan grunted. “I’m still kind
of…out of my mind,” he admitted with a starved stare toward their woman.

“I could teleport you outside, the same way she did to bring
us inside the cabin,” the shadow-walker offered.

Duncan shook his head. “I’d still keep trying to return. A
closed door wouldn’t hinder me.”

“I would,” Gedeon stated firmly.

“You sure? You realize what will happen. There’s no chance
the wolf won’t fight you.”

“Yeah. I’m aware.” He ran a hand over his chin and sighed,
glancing at Duncan’s wrists, which were raw from his silent struggle with the
rope. Things wouldn’t be easy, but his woman came first.

* * * * *

“Triple fucking shit!”

Duncan’s words echoed in Gedeon’s thoughts as they stared at
the three orange-red moons shining brightly in the sky.

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