Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88048 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“It sounds like your parents were a true love match,” Lynx remarked.
“They were. See?” She had a small golden locket around her neck which she unfastened now. Stepping up to the bars, she showed the inside of it to Lynx. Saxon looked too, peering over his shoulder.
Inside was a small but sharp image—a 3-D rendering of two very happy looking people. The female had pale skin and green eyes with long blonde hair and the male had dark brown skin and laughing brown eyes the same color. They were looking at each other with complete love and trust and when Mirabella tilted the locket a little, they seemed to lean towards each other, as though they were about to share a secret.
“They look very happy together,” Lynx said softly.
“They were.” She sighed deeply and closed the locket, letting it rest in the hollow of her throat again. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. I don’t even know you.”
“Well, we’d like to get to know you if you’d let us—and we’d like to guard you—that’s our mission,” Lynx told her. “But you’ll have to let us out of here or we won’t be able to protect you.”
“Well…” Mirabella gave them a considering look. “I’ve always heard that the Kindred were protective of women. I’ve just never seen any like you two before.”
“That’s because we’re Monstrum Kindred—we come from a parallel universe,” Lynx explained. “But we’re still Kindred and we still serve the Goddess, which means all female life is sacred to us.”
She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
“All right then. Do you swear by your Goddess not to try anything if I set you free?”
“I’ll give you my oath.” Lynx dropped to one knee and put a hand over his heart. “Mistress Mirabella, I swear by the Goddess—the Mother of All life who created us all and whom we serve—that my Bond-Brother and I are here only to protect and defend you. As long as you are in danger, we will stay by your side. Nothing will get to you unless it goes through us first. We will be a living shield to keep you from harm.”
“Oh…” Mirabella’s green eyes got wide. “Really?” she asked, rather breathlessly.
“Yes, really,” Saxon growled.
To Lynx’s surprise, his Bond-Brother also dropped to one knee beside him.
“Not a single drop of your blood will be spilled unless we’re dead at your feet, little Mistress,” he said gruffly. “That’s our oath of protection and we don’t take it lightly.”
Mirabella seemed to make a decision.
“All right,” she said, pressing a button somewhere outside the cell. “But just remember—this isn’t the only trap in my panic room. I have weapons and other ways of hurting you if you break your oath.”
“You’ll have no need of weapons or traps,” Lynx promised her as he stepped outside. “May I?” He held out his hand.
Mirabella gave him her own hand, a look of uncertainty on her lovely face.
Lynx leaned down and kissed the backs of her delicate fingers gently.
“To seal the oath,” he explained, as he raised his head.
Saxon came out behind him and also reached for her hand, but he only bowed over it briefly before releasing it.
“Well…” Mirabella took a deep breath and then seemed to focus on Saxon’s hurt arm. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get that taken care of.”
And she led them deeper into the maze.
FOUR
MIRABELLA
Miri wasn’t sure what to think of the two huge Monstrum warriors who were now apparently her personal guards. When she’d been watching them standing outside her building, she’d been frightened but intrigued. The big dark one—well, they were both huge—but the one called “Saxon” was a bit bigger and seemed to have no manners at all. He was rude and growly and sarcastic and his pale blue eyes burned with anger…or maybe he had some hidden pain, Miri speculated.
The light one—Lynx—had beautiful manners and a deep, purring voice that reminded Miri of a big cat. His golden eyes and long golden-brown hair were gorgeous and his manner set her at ease.
Maybe too much at ease—be careful who you trust, Miri! she told herself. But so far neither of them had jumped her—they had just kissed her hand and now they were following her docilely enough to the main part of her fortified panic room. She comforted herself that if they got out of line she could always hide inside Beelie again and operate the many traps and weapons the place was armed with from inside his golden bulk. The two warriors might be huge and muscular—she felt like a child beside them—but she wasn’t completely helpless.
“Well…here we are,” she said, as they left the long maze of metal corridors and entered the living area at last. It was fairly roomy, even if the furnishings were antiquated. There was an entertainment screen that doubled as a vidscreen and holo-wall synths that could make the walls appear like windows showing anything you wanted outside.