Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 121146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 606(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Celia blinked and turned her head, trying to see what was holding her down. It was so dark she could barely see anything, though. What was going on here? Where was she?
She stretched some more and realized she was naked. Her bare breasts were rubbing against something hard and warm. It made her nipples tingle when she took a deep breath.
There was something equally hard and warm at her back. Even stranger, the two somethings seemed to be moving—they were expanding and contracting in a regular rhythm—almost like…
Like breathing, Celia thought. What in the world…?
She wiggled again and the warm, firm thing in front of her stirred with a low rumble.
“Lelka?”
Celia knew that deep voice—it was Fierce, she realized suddenly. The Dark Twin was bare and he was pressed against her naked body! Which meant that Hold must be the warm, firm thing pressed against her back!
Panic rushed through her and Celia began to struggle. She pushed against Fierce’s broad, bare chest, forcing a choked groan from his throat.
“Hey—take it easy on the fucking ribs!” he protested hoarsely.
“Celia?” It was Hold’s voice coming from behind her. The Light Twin stirred, his broad chest rubbing against her back. “Are you feeling better?” he asked.
Celia only fought harder to be free of them.
“What are you doing with me? Why am I naked? Let me go!” she demanded breathlessly. Bad memories filled her head—close escapes she’d had during her years in foster care. She had to get up—had to get away!
“Be still!” Hold’s usually mild voice cracked like a whip in her ear.
Celia was so surprised at the Light Twin’s tone of command that she instantly froze in place. Her head cleared a little, the bad memories of her past fading somewhat.
“Hold?” she asked uncertainly. “What…what’s going on?”
“You nearly fucking drowned and froze to death at the same time—that’s what’s going on,” Fierce growled, answering for his brother. “And that was after you woke a hibernating V’ranna. You don’t do things halfway, do you, sweetheart?”
Suddenly everything rushed back to Celia—the huge, roaring beast crushing Fierce in its grip as she cried and kicked it to make it let him go…Hold pushing her aside and telling her to get away…stumbling backwards into the freezing cold water…
And then, nothing until she had woken in the twins’ warm embrace.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “But I’m still confused—why am I naked?”
“Because letting you stay in that soaking wet warm suit would have killed you.” Hold, speaking from behind her, still sounded stern. Celia wondered if maybe this was his “doctor voice”—the one he used on recalcitrant patients. “I don’t want you moving until I examine you,” he went on. “Fierce and I aren’t trying to molest you or take advantage—you needed our body heat to warm up.”
“We nearly fucking lost you, lelka,” Fierce added. There was a depth of emotion in the normally sarcastic Dark Twin’s tone that Celia had never heard before. He cleared his throat. “Also, it would be nice if you didn’t punch me in the fucking ribs anymore. They might be broken,” he said, sounding more like himself.
“Oh…I’m so sorry!” Celia exclaimed. Looking up at the Dark Twin, whom she was facing, she could see he was looking down at her and his eyes were glowing faintly in the dimness.
“’S all right,” Fierce told her. “We’re just glad to have you back with us in the Land of the Living. For a minute there, Hold thought your heart had stopped.”
“Did it?” Celia turned her head as well as she could to try and look over her shoulder at the Light Twin.
“If it did, it was only a momentary pause.” His eyes were glowing too—it must be a Kindred trait, she decided.
“Well…I feel better now,” she offered uncertainly. “Can we all get up now?” Now that she was fully awake, she felt awkward about being naked between the two of them. It was like she was the soft, squishy filling in the middle of a muscular man sandwich.
“Let me see…” Hold murmured. One of the arms draped over her side moved and Celia felt his big hand stroking up and down her arm. “Hmm…your skin still isn’t as warm as I would like,” he said. “No, I think we need to lie here together a little longer.”
“But…I’m naked,” Celia protested. In fact, her bare breasts were pressed against Fierce’s broad chest and her ass was being cupped in the curve of Hold’s big body as he curled around her.
“Yes, but we’re not—we only have our shirts off,” Fierce growled. “Don’t worry, lelka—we won’t do anything you don’t want us to.”
“Try to go back to sleep. Or we can talk if you want, to pass the time,” Hold murmured in her ear.
“Um…well…”
There was no way she was getting back to sleep, Celia thought. If she even had been asleep before—she thought it was more likely she’d been unconscious.