They had their own mill where they ground their grains, a stable filled with powerful horses, craftsmen who made furniture and other household goods. It was like taking a step back through time and seeing what a real ancient town would have been like.
She’d also noted what was absent. There were no power lines, no traffic, no horns blasting in the distance, no cell phones or computers, no televisions and no pollution. She couldn’t say that was all bad. She’d enjoyed the quiet and the fresh air.
But there were also no grocery stores, which meant no chocolate. There was nowhere to buy clothing. No hospital either. That was a scary proposition.
She looked around the room and smiled at the men who’d joined them for the evening meal. They were all members of the small troop of men who guarded Dannon Keep. But she’d learned that no one did just one job. One of the men carved wooden bowls and cups, another worked with the horses, and yet another made weapons. Tara and a young lad around twelve years of age bustled in and out carrying more platters to the table. The fare was simple, but plentiful. No one went hungry here.
“Have you had enough?” Heroc leaned closer to be heard above the genial chatter.
“Yes, thank you.” She put her spoon down and pushed the bowl aside. “It’s delicious.”
“What do you think of our home?” There was no mistaking the pride in his voice.
“It’s beautiful.” They stayed on the grounds close to the castle but from high atop the walls she’d seen a pristine lake farther inland and a thick forest filled with towering trees. A majestic mountain stood behind them, sheltering them from the rest of the world.
A man hailed him and Heroc turned from her to answer his question. She enjoyed watching both men as they interacted with their people. Both were well liked and that said a lot about them. But she noted the deference in people’s tone when they spoke to Abrah. There was no doubt that he was the master of all she’d surveyed today.
All the pressure was on him as well. Over and over again today, people had come forward, men and women alike, asking for advice, seeking answers to questions or help with some problem. Abrah dealt with them all. He showed no sign of impatience or anger at the myriad interruptions. Heroc was quick to step in and shoulder any responsibility he could.
Audrey was impressed with their home and with them. How could she not be? The keep ran like a well-oiled machine. Everyone knew their job and did it to the best of their ability because it wasn’t just their paycheck at risk but their very lives. Survival wasn’t easy in such a harsh land and if the crops failed or the animals got sick everyone paid the price.
She’d never met two men she admired more and she hated to have to leave them. But she did. Didn’t she? Of course she did. What would she do in such a world? Her skills were useless here. Tara ran their home and they had no need for an advertising executive. She couldn’t cook, but Dorn ran the kitchen and certainly didn’t need her help. She knew nothing about gardening or raising animals. Her skills might demand a high price in her world but in Javara they were worthless. That was a humbling thought and something to really think about.
“Is anything wrong?” Abrah frowned at her but she wasn’t concerned. She was beginning to realize that was his natural expression. The man certainly didn’t smile much. He shouldered so much responsibility she wondered who he turned to when it all became too much?
In the past, probably his father or mother. But they were both gone now, leaving him and Heroc to deal with the burden of all these people.
“I’m fine. Just a little tired.” Truly, the fresh air and walking had taken a toll on her. She wasn’t exhausted, just pleasantly tired. She tried to hold back a yawn but it escaped. She covered her mouth with her hand. “Excuse me.”
Abrah shoved his chair back from the table. Every eye in the place turned to them. Audrey tried not to feel self-conscious as she took the hand he offered and stood. He nodded to his men who were still dining. “The day has exhausted Audrey.”
She felt like melting into the floor at the knowing grins some of the men gave her. There was nothing nasty or lascivious about them. They were more playful, but still, they all knew she’d had sex with the brothers.
“Are you coming?” It took her a moment to realize he was speaking to Heroc and not her.
“Yes.” He stood and accompanied them down the hall to the stairs. Carn jumped up from his spot in front of the fireplace and trotted up the stairs ahead of them.
The closer they got to the bedroom the more the bread and soup she’d eaten roiled around in her stomach. Would they expect to have sex with her again? Did she want to have sex with them again?
Her body heated the more she thought about it and she was practically squirming by the time Heroc opened the door and waved for her and Abrah to precede him.
Carn loped toward the fireplace, where a fire cheerfully crackled, and wasted no time turning twice in a circle and flopping down onto the floor. He tucked his face into his paws and let out a gigantic sigh.
She laughed at the huge beast. He was much like his owners—large and ferocious-looking, but really he was a big softie. Not that she’d ever say that to either man. Or the dog either for that matter. They were all proud males.
“Seems like Carn is exhausted by today’s endeavors too.” She walked toward the window, not glancing at the massive bed. They’d already proven it was large enough for the three of them.
Abrah stripped off his shirt and hung it on a peg that had been hammered into the wall. There was a series of them near the bed for hanging clothing. She tried not to stare at his broad chest and thick arms. Really she did. But his body drew her like a lodestone.
“Audrey?”
Heroc had come up beside her while she’d been watching his brother. “Yes.”
He cupped her face, rubbing his thumb over her cheekbone. “Beautiful Audrey. Will you give yourself to us tonight?”
She sensed there was more to his request than her simply sleeping with the two of them. She swallowed her growing nervousness. “What do you mean?”
He feathered his fingers over her lips, sending shivers of desire down her spine. Her toes curled in her boots and her pussy clenched. She didn’t recognize herself around these men. Her body jumped to life at their slightest touch.
“We want to take you at the same time.”
She swayed as her legs went weak. He couldn’t mean what she thought he did. “That’s impossible.”
He shook his head and shot her a grin that was slightly wicked and filled with sensual promise. “Not impossible at all. There is a herbal concoction that will make it easy for you to take both of us.”
Okay, this was pushing the boundaries for her. Sleeping with the two of them one at a time was crazy enough but having both of them at once—which meant one of them would be having anal sex with her—was something she’d never even considered.
She glanced at Abrah who stood beside the bed, his arms crossed and his face set in his usual stoic expression. He expected her to refuse. Heroc, on the other hand, had hoped she might say yes.
That was the integral difference between the two men.
“Yes.” She blurted out the word that would change her life and forever bind her to these men in ways they couldn’t even imagine. Already she was too attracted to them physically. She was afraid the emotional ties would follow her back to her world.
She’d never trusted a man, let alone two, the way she trusted them. She was smaller than they were, trapped in a world not her own, a world where their word was law. If she refused them they could take her anyway and no one would stop them, would see it as their right.