

## TRES: Part 1

## Ancient Warriors, Modern Women, Waking Desires

TRES by Jules River

Published by 2Rivers Publishing

Copyright 2017 Jules River

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without

Permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law

For permission contact :

2riverjules@gmail.com

Cover by Rebel Edit & Design

# Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Bonus Chapters Part 2

About the Author

Stay Connected

Acknowledgements

~Prologue~

Germania, AD 315

**F** our days after defeating Roman General Titus Quintus Dives Demetrias, the warrior chieftain Warin, respected and feared as "The Fist That Protects," received a missive regarding a pending attack. With his brothers, Dunstin and Cenric, he set out to meet the informant at an abandoned castle near the Elbe River, a two-hour ride from their encampment.

When they arrived just past midday, the door of the burnt-out fortification hung open to a dilapidated hall where the high ceilings crumbled and birds roosted in the rafters. The smell of beeswax overpowered the dank musk of the structure, and as they stepped inside the warriors found a circle of burning candles on a large granite platform.

In the center of the ring of candles lay a piece of parchment. The brothers had a bad feeling, but drew their weapons and moved forward cautiously to read the parchment. As soon as they entered the circle, chanting arose from the darkened rear of the hall. As one, the brothers turned to the sound, and stood side by side with weapons at the ready.

_Tingling_.

That's how it started. They felt tingling throughout their bodies.

While their minds fought furiously to identify the danger, their limbs became heavy and frozen. A hooded figure came before them, and slipped the drawn weapons from the warriors' hands, one by one. They were helpless to stop him.

Their heartbeats became sluggish as thickening blood pumped ever more slowly through their veins, as if it were mud flowing through their bodies. In but a moment, the mud turned to clay, and the clay to marble.

All the while the chanting never ceased, until the warrior brothers were as solid as the stone platform upon which they stood.

The hooded figure, with a grim smile upon his youthful face, turned and disappeared into the mists of time.

## ~1~

"You don't want to double cross me, Mr. Bhat. That would be an error on your part," As two rough unscrupulous looking men came in the back door and flanked Mr. Bhat.

Faye gestured behind her. "My friends wouldn't like that very much," She warned the shady black market dealer in the back room of the low class Indian brothel.

Faye was still holding the dagger she had come to purchase. She had just handed over the payment in a small woven bag full of cash as they had agreed on before the meeting. She didn't have time to be excited about finding the dagger she and her family had been looking for the entirety of their lives. The sounds of raunchy sex seeping through the thin dirty walls made her skin crawl nearly as much as the dangerous men standing before her.

Mr. Bhat had insisted her two companions wait outside the backroom. She had known it was risky to go in alone, but she was confident that her two security men would protect her if she were unable to protect herself.

"It is worth more to you, I think. I want double the price for the dagger." He jerked his head, telling his men to move toward her. The two men started around the stack of crates that separated her from them.

"Jake," Faye called over her shoulder, not taking her eyes off of the men coming toward her.

Jake and Dale shoved the door open immediately.

"Ma'am?" Jake asked as he and Dale took in the two new men and moved in front of Faye. Dale pulled his jacket to the side while putting his hand on his hip, revealing the gun on his belt.

Mr. Bhat's men stopped instantly. Then they went for their own guns. Apparently, Mr. Bhat had thought she would be easy to double cross.

Jake and Dale had their guns drawn before the two goons had their hands on their weapons.

"Dale, I've got these two, you take out Mr. Bhat back there." Jake tossed his head toward the sly-looking criminal.

"My pleasure." Dale turned his gun on Mr. Bhat. The red dot went straight to his heart and fixed there.

Mr. Bhat looked down and saw where the bullet would pierce his chest. He looked back up at Dale, assessing if he had it in him to shoot. The calm deadly glare Dale returned gave him a clear answer.

Mr. Bhat sneered in indication for his men not to pull their guns, "No need to for this to get messy." Changing his tactic, he said in a light, joking tone, "You can't blame me for trying. No hard feelings." Spreading his hands wide, "Enjoy yourselves of what we offer here, we have something for everyone."

"I'm taking the dagger for the already inflated price we agreed upon. You have your money; our business is concluded. Good day, Mr. Bhat." Faye said sternly with disgust and distrust clearly written on her face.

She wrapped the dagger back in the fabric and stuffed it in her oversized shoulder bag, then she headed into the darkened hallway, which stank of incense and unwashed bodies. Jake and Dale covered their exit behind her. Faye was glad to be out of the heavy stench of the building to breathe fresher air again.

The three of them jumped in a cab and headed straight to the airport where Faye had a private plane waiting.

"That was a rush and a little scary," Faye said, pumped up on adrenaline.

"We're just glad you weren't hurt and we were able to do our job," Jake answered calmly.

"I'm so excited, my family has been looking for this dagger my entire life."

Faye couldn't wait a minute more, she called her sister on the way.

"Come on Mira, answer the phone, I just found something wonderful." Faye sighed impatiently as the call went to voicemail.

"Hi Mira, Faye here, just found one of the 'Big Three' and you decide not to be available, anyway call me." She hung up, mumbling, "Fine, Lyra will find out first."

She speed-dialed her twin, "Hey Lyra, I did it!" Faye continued in hushed tones, "I found the dagger. It has the Latin word 'Tres' engraved on it. What do you think three means in all of this? It was crazy, I found it on the black market—big surprise there—in some hole in the wall in India. We almost had to shoot our way outta there."

Lyra, in her typical, no-nonsense manner, stated, "Where are you now? We need to meet. Does Mira know?"

"I'm about to catch a plane out of India, headed to New York -- oh hold on, Mira's calling."

As she switched over to Mira, her big sister instructed, "I need you on a plane to Germany asap."

Faye sarcastically replied, "Hi, Mira, nice to hear from you, too. By the way, I've got the dagger."

"Hello, little sister. That's great." Mira started in a sickeningly sweet tone, then she snapped, "Now get on a plane to Germany, I have procured a castle that contains the statue. I'll text you the details. And Faye, I am really happy you found the dagger."

Smiling, Faye hung up, switching back to Lyra. "Well, 'Ms. Large and In Charge' just told me to get to Germany immediately. She found the statue."

"I know, she texted me," Lyra clicked off, abruptly hanging up on Faye.

"Well, how do you like that?" Faye grumbled to herself as she hung up. "They couldn't even bother to be excited after all these years and they have the most annoying habits."

"Ma'am?" Jake asked.

"Change of plans, guys. I'm going to Germany. You can either fly with me or catch a commercial flight back to the States. It's your call, the job's finished."

Jake and Dale looked at each other before Jake answered, "We'll catch a flight to the States."

"I bet you're eager to get home. Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure, I'll answer if I can, ma'am."

"Do you like your job?"

"Absolutely. We get to see the world, use our specific set of skills sometimes and the pay's real nice in the private sector."

Faye smiled, "You guys are great to have around. I appreciate your specific set of skills. Thank you."

Dale nodded in acknowledgement.

"Call us anytime you need us, ma'am." Jake said with a grin on his handsome face.

## ***

Once Mira was off the phone with her sister, she stood in front of the life-size marble statue of three stunning warriors. It was shockingly realistic. Every line, every muscle on their bare chests and every detail of their faces stood out in perfect relief. They appeared so alive, it seemed as if they would respond to her touch.

Mira could not resist reaching out, running her fingers along the scar on the fiercest one's face, down his neck and onto his huge muscled chest before flattening her hand over his heart. The look of this warrior, the angry expression on his roughly attractive face, the scars on his massive beautiful body, all called to her deeply as a woman. She half expected to feel his heart beating. She gasped as she realized how warm the marble felt and quickly pulled her hand away, chastising herself for letting her imagination get away from her.

What some might call a premonition, she suddenly had a feeling they rested on the cusp of a life-altering adventure, that something exciting was rushing toward them. She shook off the feeling.

Still with many arrangements to make before her sisters arrived, Mira began to walk away, yet was unable to resist the pull of the compelling stone warrior before her. She stopped and looked into his eyes, attracted in a way she could not understand. Minutes passed. Finally, shaking her head as if to release herself from a spell, she turned and left the room.

## ***

Warin, the warrior Mira had touched, felt such pleasure it was painful as he watched her walk away. He had been drawn to her the second she walked into the office the first time. Infatuated almost. It had been days since a maid had dusted; therefore, touched him or his brothers in their stone form, but they had never felt anyone's touch before now. And for Mira to be such a comely woman. . . His reverie was abruptly interrupted when his brother Dunstin's thoughts loudly came to him.

_By the agonizing groan you let out when she stroked the scar on your ugly face, your thoughts said you_ felt _that. Did you? How did it feel?_ Dunstin asked.

_Something is happening. This is different. It must have to do with this woman, Mira_. _I did feel her touch and it was everything you could have imagined,_ Warin told his brothers.

_She spoke to a sister, that found a dagger. I hope her sister is as lovely as she. I would bet my sword arm we too can feel. Do you think it could be my dagger?_ Cenric speculated.

_I wouldn't get my hopes up, but I agree something different is happening. I hope she has more than one sister,_ Dunstin added _. She's a real beauty. Good thing you're already rock hard. Wouldn't want you to embarrass yourself._ They all chuckled in their minds.

Dunstin continued, _She seemed drawn to you, she barely looked us over._

_I too am drawn to her since the moment I saw her, I would say unnaturally so. I feel a change coming._ Warin admitted.

For whatever reason, they still could not understand, Warin and his two brothers, Dunstin and Cenric, had been cursed seventeen hundred years before by an unknown sorcerer. After all those centuries had passed nothing had happened like what happened with Mira.

The curse turned their bodies to marble, but left their minds aware. They could see what was in front of them, and hear what was within hearing. They could not feel when touched, until now.

It was a special kind of hell.

The brothers could also hear each other's thoughts if they concentrated hard enough. Their companionship is all that kept them sane these many long years. That, and the hope of freedom. They had given up the hope of vengeance a long time ago.

Over the years, they had learned German and later English and a smattering of other languages through glimpses of the world as it moved on around them. Then, six decades ago the warriors had been placed in the private office of their previous owner's father, who eventually passed away leaving everything to his son, the last owner of the castle. For the past thirty years, this office which held the latest technology in abundance had allowed them up-to-date knowledge of the world today.

Suddenly, they had television, music, and eventually computers. The German collector and businessman had been an insomniac workaholic and had the televisions on nearly twenty-four hours a day. He constantly watched the news and markets from all over the world, especially Europe and the United States. They had nothing else to do but learn and absorb all the changes the world had made. It's amazing what you could learn when all you did was listen for seventeen hundred years.

Some of the conversations the brothers had with each other when discovering or discussing some modern technology, like the first time they saw airplanes on television, were quite exciting or at times heated. They were not excepting of the advances of the world at first, but they had time to get used to them and had eventually decided to embrace them and be ready if the chance to be free again ever occurred. Their plan was to adapt and survive. Learning gave them something to focus on other than their stone prison.

After the German collector died in his office several weeks ago, from what they gathered by the conversations held in front of them, they were now in the possession of the beautiful Mira and her family. That gave the warriors hope. Mira seemed to know at least a little something of their curse, since she had been actively seeking the statue—them.

## ***

As Faye and Lyra pulled up to the castle, they were filled with quiet excitement. The sisters were getting closer to their goal. A journey set upon by their late father, Dr. David Banks, a renowned archaeologist.

Twenty-five years ago, when Mira was a baby, Dr. Banks had found an ancient codex when he was excavating a medieval site in Rome. The book told of a sorcerer's curse on three brave warriors, how they were tricked, and how the sorcerer stole their weapons as their bodies turned to stone. It was written the sorcerer was later robbed of the weapons – the sword, the axe, and the dagger – and they were eventually scattered across the globe. As the curse played out the warriors would remain frozen until they were reunited with their weapons, and it hinted at other things that would have to be done as well. They had yet to find the missing pages that told of the tasks.

That was the mystery Dr. Banks could not resist trying to solve. Even after his death, his daughters had continued his cause, after all they had helped him their entire lives.

Once the twins, Faye and Lyra, were born, both their parents were deeply ensconced in finding the statue, the weapons and figuring out the curse. David and Virginia Banks took their three little girls on every exploration with them. The girls had the run of the archaeological sites their parents were a part of. Growing up the sisters learned all about and worked with their parents in the family business of buying and selling antiques. They went to all the museum exhibits and fundraisers with their parents from the time they could walk.

Tragedy struck when the Mira was six and the twins were only five, when their mother was killed in a car wreck in Frankfurt, Germany. Their father never completely recovered from her death. He dedicated his life to breaking the curse, sometimes almost to the point of neglecting his girls; they were always well cared for, but emotionally he was not always available. He was often preoccupied with his work. His daughters knew it was his way of dealing with the grief of the loss of his wife and partner.

The Bank's sisters now had the statue and the dagger. If only their father had lived to see how close they were to undoing the curse. None of them were sure they believed anything would happen, but their father had spent most of his life trying to reunite the artifacts. Regardless, the daughters would work to find the remaining weapons, and when nothing happened, they would donate the collection to a museum in memory of their father and mother. For them it was about achieving their parents' dream, a way to honor their parents' dedication and work.

At the sprawling front steps, Mira met her sisters with a hug. They were often snarky with each other, like sisters could be, but they cared for each other and were very close. The driver brought the luggage in while the quiet, capable-looking housekeeper directed the bags upstairs; then they were introduced to the dedicated household staff, who had all been employed at the castle most of their lives and were grateful to have been kept on by the new owners.

Mira took her sisters directly to the statue, down the steps to the private study. The study was a spacious room with vaulted ceilings. The floors were smooth marble tiles with earth-toned Persian rugs scattered about. The walls were mirrored, giving the windowless room an even larger feel and magnifying the treasures within. It had fast become Mira's favorite room in the castle; she spent most of her time there because oddly enough she didn't feel alone.

It was a unique room; several oversized televisions and computer monitors were attached to the walls on either side of the entrance. Two desks, a dozen feet apart, faced each other on the back wall. In the center of the room large, luxurious cream velvet sofas, separated by an ornately carved low table, formed parallel sides of a roomy seating area that, with the addition of twin leather club chairs on opposing ends, still managed to feel cozy.

The warriors were angled in the far corner of the room, flanked by other pieces of priceless art and objects. The clever placement of statue, furniture and mirrors ensured the entire room could be viewed from any angle.

As soon as they walked into the well-appointed study, Faye and Lyra's gazes were drawn to the statue. They stared for an astounded moment before they drifted over to the statue. Never had they seen anything like it, of such quality and fully life sized. They circled the figures, just fascinated by the superb detail of the fine-looking warriors caught in a pose, at the ready. Each had an arm raised with an empty hand that looked as if it should be gripping a weapon and a fierce look upon their faces.

They could easily make out wrist and bicep cuffs as well as the tops of daggers sticking out of their boots and strapped to their thick belts. The first one even had on a large ring. They were shirtless, but had what was probably supposed to be leather strapped across their chests, most likely to hold their larger weapons, that none of the warriors in the statue had. Other than that oddity, the detailing was exquisite, with even the eyelashes and facial hair visible. All three of them wondered who could have been such a skilled artisan.

The warriors' stone eyes seemed to shine with intelligence, as odd as that seemed. One could easily imagine them being dipped in a thin layer of white chocolate, the detail was that amazing. Too amazing really. They had never seen anything like it before.

Luckily Mira had made an offer on the castle and another directly to the accountant handling the sale. The piece would be priceless on the open market, and they would never have been able to afford it then. They had a single hand-drawn rendering of the statue from the only time it had been on the market in the last two centuries, after which it had disappeared from public view. Convincing the accountant to sell the castle fully furnished was the only way they could have acquired such a priceless statue.

Just as one warrior beckoned Mira, Faye and Lyra were also drawn to one man in particular, and each sister seemed unable to keep from deferentially touching the statue that called to her.

"The drawing did not do prepare me for this stunning masterpiece," Mira commented.

Faye chuckled, "No, it didn't. Do you remember when we first saw the drawing when we were little girls and we each picked a warrior. Mine was this one." Faye reached for Cenric's face, which appeared to have a five o'clock shadow on his strong jaw.

Lyra reached for Dunstin's exceedingly bulging bicep just below his arm cuff. She wondered what type of metal the cuffs would have been made of.

Mira and Lyra gave a slight laugh, before Lyra said, "Yes and this one was my guardian. He was going to be my big teddy bear. He doesn't come across as being very cuddly though."

"Oh yes, I remember. You were so cute and sweet. What happened?" Mira asked.

"Har Har." Lyra responded dryly.

The twins gave each other strange looks before Faye asked, "Do they feel warm to you?" Mira and Lyra agreed, "Yes."

Mira speculated, "Maybe there is something to this curse. We believed in it once."

Faye ran her hand down Cenric's back and exclaimed, "Wow. Just, Wow!" She eyed the muscled statue longingly, then realized how ridiculous she felt over a statue. "I mean, look at the craftsmanship. Can you imagine what they would look like in real life?"

Lyra grudgingly pulled her hand away from Dunstin's chest, which she had been skimming with her fingertips, absently measuring his width with her hand. She flippantly replied, "They would be big, taller than average, if you like that sorta thing. They would have practically been giants in their time, the statue is obviously an exaggerated version if it is in the image of the real men. Yes, the craftsmanship is remarkable, I've never seen anything like it before," She tried to downplay their attractiveness and her reaction to the statue, especially to the one particular warrior.

She was drawn to him in the oddest way. She thought back to the time when she was a child; her father allowed her to hold the ancient codex for the first time to study at her leisure. She had never wanted to let go of it. Everything having to do with the warriors seemed to have a magical quality.

After they all pulled their gazes away from the warriors, the sisters sat down on the couches in front of the statue. Faye pulled the dagger from her shoulder bag and unwrapped it from the velvet covering. Lyra took the dagger for a closer examination, being very careful with the blade.

Lyra inquired, "You said you almost had to shoot your way out with the dagger?"

"Yes, I would have, for sure. Good thing I took Jake and Dale with me. They stepped in just in time. Those guys were planning on double-crossing me," Faye explained.

"I didn't realize you had taken security with you. I'm glad you used the company we usually use. So, you were able to get Jake and Dale this time, that's great. You know they're from Texas, right?" Mira asked.

Faye nodded.

Mira went on with a dreamy look on her face, "Jake is my favorite, but Dale is a close second. I just love those Texas guys."

Faye and Lyra said simultaneously, "Don't we all." Then the three of them burst out laughing, before they got back to the business at hand.

The dagger was wicked-looking, as long as her forearm and open hand combined. It had an extremely sharp blade and an ornate handle. Engraved on the blade near the hilt was the word 'Tres.'

Mira looked at the dagger and noted, "The dagger is of Germanic origin; however, the engraving is clearly Latin. Which doesn't make sense because they were mortal enemies at that time in history."

Faye piped in, "Unless the curse has something to do with the engraving or someone added it later after it had been stolen."

"Yet another mystery," Lyra said, "Only time will tell, hopefully." Then she laid out what business plans she had for them. "I have several leads on the sword and the axe; fortunately, they are relatively close. There is a silent auction four nights from now in Brussels, and the next morning I have set up an appointment with a private dealer in Amsterdam. Then later that evening a museum in Prague is ready to make a trade of some of its artifacts in storage. They all have something that could be one of our pieces."

Mira decided, "Faye and I will go."

Lyra agreed. "You two can handle that while I stay and take care of other business. I will have a tech team come to update, well, everything. Just looking at the desks, I can tell those computers are more outdated than I would like and I must have high-speed internet." She was busy looking at the computer system, internet and cable. "Luckily, it's not as bad I would have thought. The old guy had this office fairly well hooked up to modern technology. Anyway, if I have time, I will also work on trying to figure out what the three tasks are that must be done to keep the warriors free, _if_ they can be released from the stone, or whatever is supposed to happen."

They all agreed with the plan, then decided they would go freshen up before they came back with a bottle of wine to catch up with each other; they had each been in different locations for the past few months.

## ***

Cenric and Dunstin were the ones who suffered after Faye and Lyra ran their eager hands over them.

Dunstin spoke to his brothers in what passed for excitement for him, _They have the dagger and_ _did you hear that? They are actively searching for our other weapons and they know of the curse._ Then he grumbled, _if you like that sorta thing... She liked it all right. Teddy bear? Just wait until I'm free, that ill-tempered, long-legged wench will admit she liked it._ Then he moaned as if in pain, _Oh, but I had not remembered clearly how exquisite a woman's touch was. I'll show her my exaggerated version._

Warin sighed _, We know what you mean, Dun. Keep your lust to yourself. You're giving me a headache. Who are these security men from Texas? But more importantly what are these three tasks that must be completed to keep us free?_

Cenric excitedly stated _, I don't know, there is much to these women we don't know. We have learned more from the three sisters in minutes than we have learned our entire incarceration. They have renewed my hope of freedom. Ah, my dagger, I could almost feel it in my hand again. The temptress with curly hair and green eyes is mine. I can still feel her hands on me. Just think, they could be back in just a few days with the axe and sword to free us. Then, what, we have tasks to complete so we can stay free?_ He sounded eagerly hopeful as well as thoroughly put out _._

_Yes, Cen, they could, or it could take longer. We must have patience. After all, we have waited this long. They are well on their way to freeing us from this hell of a prison. It would appear they plan on completing the tasks. I would like to know why they wish to free us. I don't trust them, even though they have been drawn to us since they were children. It is fortunate you two chose the other sisters, I claim the eldest one, she will have the answers I seek, among other things._ Warin staked his claim without missing a beat.

## ***

Mira was the first sister back to the study; she carried a bottle of wine and glasses. She was glad to see Lyra was next to return, she wanted to speak to her alone.

"So, what's up with Faye and that cage fighter she has mentioned several times? Have you heard anything about that situation? I know he's fighting tonight, that's what reminded me."

"I was going to ask you the same thing. What is her deal? Yeah, I mean the guy is hot and a real badass." She rolled her eyes before she continued, "but he was accused of beating up his last girlfriend," Lyra added, "I met him once, he did seem really sweet and into Faye, but you never can tell. All I know is she went out with him with a group of friends a couple of times. She even went to watch him fight not long ago."

Just then Faye sashayed into the room.

"Hey, you don't mind if I put on a fight, do you? I wanted to watch Rob Wills in his MMA fight tonight with Santiago Ramirez. I have money on this fight." She turned on the large TV's flanking the doors, and scrolled until she found the fight. "The previous owner really liked his cable channels, I'm surprised he has all of these. I figured I would have to stream it off of my tablet."

Mira and Lyra gave each other a what-the-heck look.

Then Mira asked Faye, "OK, so what's the deal with you and this Rob guy? He seems to have a bad reputation, and since when did you start betting on fights? You don't have a gambling problem, do you?" She gave a little nervous laugh and joked, "It's like I don't even know you anymore," trying to keep the mood light and not put Faye on the defensive.

Faye laughed, "No, I don't have a gambling problem. No twelve-step program needed. I knew you two would freak. Seriously though, look at him, that's a fine-looking man letting out some serious aggression right there," as she pointed to him on TV. "Oh man, can he kiss. Rob absolutely has a thing for me. He asks me out all the time, he's so sweet, and such a gentleman..." She saw the worried looks on her sisters' faces, so she decided to stop making more out of it than there was and relieved their anxiety. "But I'm not feeling it. I like him as a friend. Oh, and his ex-girlfriend was crazy, she was beating on him, so rather than hurt her, he called the cops. She accused him of hitting her, so they arrested him as well. She was taken in for a psych evaluation last I heard. He really is a nice guy. And he always wins. You gotta like a man who's hot and looks so good when he makes you money." She laughed. "We're just friends, but I do enjoy watching him fight."

Lyra exclaimed, "Why didn't you start with that? Mira was worried about you. We know what a simpleton you can be sometimes, especially when it comes to men." Trying to keep a straight face, she subtly stepped behind the sofa, putting distance between herself and Faye.

Mira almost spewed wine on the pretty cream-colored sofa at Lyra's comment. Faye just gave Lyra a dirty look, then shrugged, admitting Lyra was not far off, before they all burst out laughing. Then they sat down to watch the fight and enjoy a couple of glasses of wine. They cheered and yelled during the fight, thoroughly getting into the moment.

During the fight, Lyra said, "Well, he really does have some mad skills, he's nice to watch, I'll give him that. He has a great physique too."

"Santiago's not bad, either, look at all those tats on that muscled back. I'm not usually one for tattoos, but he sure wears them well," Faye added.

An awed Mira exclaimed, "Yes, he does. Did you see how Rob kicked Santiago in the head with that jump-spin kick? That was impressive. Faye, friends would be good, but just friends, though. Right, Faye?" Faye and Lyra both laughed and nodded in agreement.

After the fight, Mira and Lyra decided to get some much-needed rest, and went upstairs to bed. It had been a long day, and the next few days were going to be busy.

## ***

Cenric, who had been boiling, was somewhat less angered about Faye's insistence the fighter was just a friend. None of the brothers were happy with the women taking so much pleasure at watching the fighters.

Having felt Cenric's displeasure, Warin said _, You would have no worries, Cen, you could best him with very little exertion._

_Yes, brother, Warin is right. You have more brawn, and you are faster than him too,_ Dunstin assured him _._

_I know, my only concern was that she liked him, but I know she will like me more,_ Cenric arrogantly stated. _At least now we know they like big men. Strong men who can fight, like us._ he added optimistically _._

_I am surprised that these women ogle men like they do. They sounded like men themselves talking. That must be part of women's equality we have heard them speak about on the news,_ Warin mused _._

_Yes, very polite men,_ Dunstin joked, causing them all to chuckle _._

## ***

Faye stayed behind; she needed to make a phone call. She wanted to call her friend Rhonda who she hadn't had a chance to talk to in weeks. When Rhonda answered, she put her on speaker while she looked through the papers Mira had set out on the desk.

"Hello, Rhonda. How are you, girlfriend?" Faye asked.

"I'm good, stranger. What have you been doing? We've been playing phone tag for weeks."

"I know, it's been crazy with me, lots of traveling. So, tell me how are things going with you? Are you still seeing that mechanical engineer, Tucker?"

Rhonda laughed, "Yes. He seems to be one of the good ones. He has potential to be _the_ one."

"You sound happy. How long have you been seeing him?"

"Three months. I know it's early, but I've never felt like this with anyone else and he seems to feel the same way, but he's sometimes hard to read."

Faye sat down at the desk and gave her friend her full attention.

"If you're happy, I'm happy for you," Faye said sincerely. "How is it different with him?"

"It's hard to explain. We both want the same things, we have chemistry, he brings me coffee in the mornings, he makes sure I don't forget to eat when I'm busy. I don't know it's lots of little things I guess. What about you? Have you met anyone of interest?"

"He brings you coffee? Why haven't you married him yet?" They both laughed.

"No, I haven't really met anyone I could see myself spending much time with. I've been so busy with work and traveling so much, I haven't been in one place for long. Sometimes I feel like I'll never find anyone." Faye said dejectedly.

"Come on, you're really young and beautiful. You have plenty of time, you're still carrying your v-card. Are you even ready to settle down? Do you know what you want?"

"Thank you. Yes, I think I am. I want some normal in my life."

"Explain what normal means to you."

Faye thought about it before she answered, "Well, I want a home, not just a house. I want someone to care about me with the same intensity as I have for them. I want three children, so they can be close like am with my sisters. I want to put down roots. As great and interesting as my life has been, normal and roots is something I've never experienced before."

"All of that is very doable. Hey, I have an idea. Tell me what would be your idea of the perfect man for you?"

Faye laughs, "I don't know. Someone strong." She glanced over to the statue. "He can't be weak in body or mind. If I have more of a backbone than him, forget it. I'll walk all over him, and while that can be satisfying short term, I couldn't stand it and I wouldn't be able to respect him. We definitely would have to have chemistry like you said."

Rhonda agreed, "Yes, you're a passionate person. You wouldn't do well in a bland relationship. What else?"

"He would have to want to settle down and have a family as well. You know being faithful and all that business. He'd have to be sensitive to a point. I don't want someone who cries at the drop of a hat."

They laughed.

Rhonda said, "Remember that guy you dated in college? The one that cried anytime you disagreed with him or you were too busy to see him. Why did you go out with him for two whole months?"

"Oh, yes, because he had an uncanny ability to find the most amazing shoes. He was great to go shopping with, but I didn't want to deal with his drama during finals. In all fairness, he never actually cried, but close. It was bad enough afterwards, he called whining for weeks after I broke up with him. That was the last soccer player I ever dated. Absolutely not someone like him. I need a good rousing fight every now and then, and not someone so emotionally sensitive."

Chuckling Rhonda told her, "Yes, fighting then making up is so worth it. Well now you know what to be on the lookout for in a man. Just make sure you're open to him when he comes along."

"The opportunity will not be missed," Faye said happily. "It's getting really late here, and I feel jet lagged after all the traveling lately. Thank you for talking me through this. I really am happy for you. Call if you need anything."

"No problem, that's what friends are for, and same here, take care."

They hung up. Faye looked to the statue again, and gave a heavy sigh, before she went off to bed.

### ***

Cenric had listened intently to Faye's phone conversation. It was enlightening. His brothers stayed silent. He was surprised they didn't take the opportunity to tease him in some fashion as was their habit.

He was pleased with her wants, and if he could have moved, his chest would have been puffed out after her description of her ideal man. He was certain he could fill that position easily. It seemed he and Faye had similar pasts in that they rarely lived at home and they had similar desires for their future. A future he now had hope in getting. He too longed for a home and family, a good woman to take care of and warm his bed at night and to care for his children.

His entire adult life before he was cursed was spent going from one battlefield to the next. He too had traveled more than he had been home, and when he had been home they were busy working diligently on battle plans late into the night and getting themselves and their men ready for more battles with hours and hours of practice and training every day. He didn't get to spend his time having a family. They still found time to lay with women often, but it was meaningless, simply scratching an itch.

Faye was a woman he wanted to talk to, know her dreams and goals. He would claim this woman as his own.

### ***

The next morning Lyra walked into the office with her long, bed-tousled hair, still in her little sleep shorts and fitted tank top, a cup of coffee in one hand, laptop in the other, and a bad attitude plastered all over her face. She sat down and started working away on her computer, sipping her coffee. She certainly got the men's full attention looking beautiful in her natural form.

A few minutes later Mira came in, looking conservatively sophisticated with hair perfectly styled, dressed in a demure pencil skirt, a fitted cashmere sweater and heels, also carrying a cup of steaming coffee. She picked up her laptop, sat on the couch, started working. She never said a word to Lyra.

Shortly after that, Faye came dancing in wearing fitted, low-rise yoga pants, a snug little half shirt showing off her flat tummy, her hair a gorgeous curly mess, music blaring on her phone.

That's all it took. Lyra jumped up with a snarl on her lips, snatched the phone away from Faye, turned off the music, stomped back over to her computer, and continued to work.

Faye yelled, with a frown on her face, hands on her hips, "Hey! Why did you do that? I was dancing."

Lyra gave Faye a long Don't-make-me-smack-you look, and said succinctly to Faye, "Your loud, obnoxious dance music and your annoying dancing are a rude distraction first thing in the morning, while I'm trying to work."

Faye did not take that very well. She walked up to Lyra, turned her music back on and started dancing in Lyra's space. That's when the yelling started.

After a moment, Mira could not take it anymore. Always the referee, she got up, walked between her sisters, handed Lyra her coffee, Faye her ear buds, and pointed in opposite directions. "Stop acting like children."

The twins obviously didn't like being admonished by their older sister, especially since what she said was true.

Faye complained to Mira, "Can you believe her! She's so rude in the mornings."

Mira just gave a quick laugh, "You're the one who messed with her before she had finished her first cup of coffee." Which explained everything.

Faye walked off, mumbling about grumpy people with their coffee addictions.

## ***

The warriors quite enjoyed watching the little show that morning, as well as the sisters as they worked in front of them most of the day.

"This was the best view we've had since being turned to stone," Dunstin said.

"I couldn't agree more, brother," Cenric agreed.

Warin watched Mira as she smiled when she spoke on the phone to clients. He loved the way she paced, the calm sway of her body, and her natural elegance. Her sisters looked to her for guidance, and she seemed to take care of them all. She had an inner beauty, as well as being gorgeous on the outside. Everything about her called to him. She belonged to him already; she just didn't know it yet.

"It sure makes the time passing easier," Warin said.

Cenric loved how laid back Faye always looked, her smooth way of moving, how she would just break out in dance or song as the mood struck her. She was vivacious and energetic, and this often overflowed to her siblings. She was a happy, likable person. She was pure sensuality. He wanted her desperately.

"How long must we endure this sweet torture?" Cenric moaned.

Dunstin couldn't keep his eyes off Lyra's smooth, waist-length hair that she braided and unbraided repeatedly, and her constant circling of the room with such efficient movement. She was so organized, reserved, precise, uptight, and a little standoffish. She was sexy as hell. He could not wait to see her respond to him. He had no doubt she would make him work for the honor, but he would have her.

Eventually Faye and Lyra left to shower and change, coming back looking just as professional and polished as Mira. On several occasions throughout the day each of the sisters wandered over to the warriors, stroked an arm, a face, or a chest, driving the stone men crazy with want, but loving it all the same.

_Oh, don't stop there, sweetheart. I will be returning the favor as soon as you free us_ Cenric promised.

_That's a promise I too intend to keep._ Warin confirmed.

_They don't stand a chance once we're flesh again_ , Dunstin assured his brothers.

The next day played out similarly, except on one of Faye's spontaneous dance breaks in the evening, all three of the women jumped up and danced. It was very sensual, as if they were each dancing just for their warrior.

Afterward the sisters laughed, hugged and had wine together, reminiscing. They spoke about their unique childhood and unconventional education. How much they enjoyed traveling all over the world with their father and oftentimes a tutor to archaeological sites. What wonderful skills they learned, such as Taekwondo in Korea, Latin in Rome, how to prepare fine cuisine in France, and they each spoke at least one other language, to name a few.

They also talked about how much they missed their father, how happy he would be that they were making progress on his life's mission. Their conversation was a little sad, yet held an understated happiness, and contentment with where their lives had brought them.

The three warriors learned much about the three sisters in those few days.

## ~2~

Mira and Faye prepared to fly out in search of the remaining two weapons. First on the list was the silent auction in Brussels. While Lyra waited at the castle for their computer equipment to be upgraded, she caught up on family business and continued looking for leads to the missing axe and sword.

Much of their antiquities business could be done via email or phone, using private couriers when dealing with reputable establishments. Fortunately, their father had been well-established before his death, and the sisters had been immersed in every aspect of the trade from a very early age.

They were exceedingly good at their jobs, and their business thrived because of their talent and hard work. However, when dealing with unknowns in the antiquities business or with outright black markets, it just had to be done in person, and could oftentimes be dangerous. That is why they used ex-military for security from the same reputable company each time they needed extra protection, which lately turned out to be more often than they preferred.

Their father had justified dealing with objects on the black market as a necessity. He used to tell them, that piece could be lost forever to the world if honest people like themselves didn't buy them and bring them back to the public. The sisters didn't like it, but agreed.

After the slightly obscene expense of purchasing the castle and its contents, which included an extensive collection of rare paintings and statuary that included the warriors—the sole reason for the purchase—the business needed tending. Lyra was thinking ahead and working on replenishing their funds; she had a feeling they were going to need it and to complete this endeavor it would be costly.

Mira, Faye, and Lyra had coffee together that morning in the seating area of the office. They could not keep from glancing at the statue.

"We need to discuss a plan on how you two are going to handle the shady people who will be at the auction in Brussels. This one is not exactly on the up-and-up, being held by a private collector who deals mainly in black-market merchandise," Lyra said.

"Also, we need a plan to outbid the competition, which we expect to be fierce, and to get out in one piece with the weapon, if this truly is the sword we're seeking," Faye added.

"I called in a six-man security team to meet us in Brussels. If we do have trouble, we will have backup to handle it with us. I'm sure the security there will be heavy; it's when we leave that could be tricky," Mira said.

"We will have six men, we could bring four in with us and have two stay outside to follow us or wait at the airport," Faye suggested.

"Or you could take two men inside, have two men follow in a separate car and have the other two at the airport," Lyra said.

Once they talked out their options, and they had a solid plan of action, Mira and Faye got ready to leave for Brussels, hugging Lyra goodbye.

"You two be careful and call me when you know something," Lyra told them on their way out.

After Lyra's sisters left she changed into yoga pants and a tank top, pulling her long hair in a high ponytail that hung almost to her waist. Once back in the office, she immediately started making calls to various clients regarding consignments for specific pieces they had acquired and were ready to ship. This was relatively fast and somewhat easy money for them.

After hours of phone and computer work, Lyra needed to stretch; she was very tense with her sisters going to that particular auction. Being in the same room with the statue was calming, yet somewhat unsettling at the same time. It seemed to draw her eye constantly, always beckoning Lyra to seek its nearness, to touch it fondly. She never quite felt like she was alone in the office; it wasn't a bad presence, but a comforting one.

Lyra was waiting for an important call, so rather than go to the gym to relieve her stress, she sat on the plush Persian rug in the middle of the office and began to stretch her tense muscles. She started with splits in both directions, then worked her way through a series of yoga poses that concluded with the extended scorpion pose, which always calmed her mind as it stretched her spine.

After she meditated a bit, Lyra walked over to the statue, to Dunstin; she didn't know his name, but this warrior always drew her attention, even as a child from the drawing of the statue. Studying his hard, beautiful face closely, she ran her hand up and down his arm.

She began to wonder aloud, "What were you like? What could you have done to be cursed? Were you even ever real? If we can, should we set you free? Were you bad men who deserved to be turned to stone? This could all be a mistake." After a few more moments in thought, and frankly admiring him, Lyra turned to leave the office with so many questions unanswered. She needed to change and eat lunch, and be ready for the tech team that would arrive that afternoon.

## ***

Dunstin was not the only one enthralled with the sensual woman stretching and moving before them. It had been years since they had been in the same room with a woman so young and vibrant and to see her do something so beautiful and graceful was too tempting not to watch.

Dunstin growled _, You had best not be watching her. I have staked my claim for her._ All the while knowing they could not help but watch either. When she came over and touched him, and looked at him as she had, it was wonderful torture, but her words unsettled him. He was certain his brothers were disturbed, too.

It was confirmed when Cenric asked, _What if they all have second thoughts about freeing us? She could change the others thoughts about breaking the curse._

Warin responded, _They are women with strong minds; their thorough plans for this evening prove that. They would research our history if they have doubts. Have faith, brothers. They will set us free._

## ***

After lunch Lyra went back to the office. The computer technicians who arrived were two handsome men around her age, and they could not take their eyes off Lyra. They also were huge flirts with her as they installed the new equipment. By the time they were finished she knew Killian and Werther were native to Hamburg. They were fresh out of college and handsome in a boyish kind of way, but not nearly so appealing as the men in the statue. Lyra enjoyed flirting as well as the next woman, when she had the time and inclination. This was one of those days.

Killian, the taller and more brazen blond, put on the charm when he asked Lyra, "It is _Ms_. Banks isn't it? Please don't break my heart, and tell me you are married or in a relationship."

Lyra glanced sideways at them and gave a slight laugh, "Oh, come on. No, I am not." She flirted back, "Why? Are either of you married? I bet both of you have wives at home and a half dozen kids already."

They both looked horrified before Werther, the darker, stockier tech, spoke up, "I could be soon, if you would go out with me tonight."

Lyra gave them her serious face, "Ah, sorry, I'll be too busy for a while. I'm here strictly on business. Besides I'm not in the market to settle down and have a half dozen kids."

"Well neither are we. Come on, beautiful girl, surely you could find some time to go out with us? Everyone needs to live a little." Killian begged sweetly.

"What do you do for fun around here anyway? What would going out with you entail?" she asked, genuinely interested.

"We like to dance and drink at the clubs. You would have fun, we would make sure you did," Werther assured her.

"I can tell you are a wonderful dancer, you should join us," Killian praised.

"Really, and how did you come to that conclusion?" Lyra asked skeptically.

"You have a dancer's body and you move so beautifully. You like to dance, admit it."

"That's really more my sister's thing." She discouraged.

"You have a sister? Bring her too, the more the merrier."

Lyra was not sure she wanted to encourage them, even though they were cute and probably would be fun to hang out with. She could not keep from glancing at the statue while she contemplated their offer, before she decided, "No, she's not here now, and I am way too busy, I'm working under a deadline," she fibbed.

"At least let us exchange numbers in case you change your mind," Werther proposed as a compromise.

"All right, that I can do." Lyra leaned over the desk as she reached for her phone. She happened to glance in the mirror as she did, only to see both guys as they completely checked out her bottom. She just rolled her eyes, and thought how easily led men could be, then chuckled to herself, before she turned with a broad innocent smile on her lovely face and looked back to them. She entered their numbers into her phone, and they urged her to call them if she needed _anything_.

"You could give us your number as well." Werther suggested.

"That won't be necessary. I have your numbers if my plans change."

Once they left, Lyra chuckled, "They were fun." Smiling, she immersed herself in work once again, completely forgetting the interchange ever occurred. Even though Lyra was the least approachable of the sisters, she still had men hitting on her wherever she went. Sometimes when men flirted with her it was a bit annoying, with her not being a people person and preferring to keep to herself. Her sisters had often told her she came across as being rude sometimes, but she wasn't one to worry if people took her the wrong way.

## ***

Dunstin was enraged the entire time those boys were there. He had to watch Lyra flirt back while they made advances toward her, and stripped her naked with their lust-filled eyes. He was relieved she did not accept their offer to go out. If he were not a statue, they would have known Lyra belonged to him. She would not need their phone numbers. When he was freed, he would make sure she did not flirt with anyone but him. The way she looked toward him before she declined to go out with them, made Dunstin think she already had an idea that she belonged to him. That thought appeased him somewhat.

Cenric took the opportunity to torment his brother, _Looks like Lyra likes to tease. I hope you'll be able to handle her._

Warin teased, _You'll have to take her in hand right away, lest she go running to another._

_Laugh it up now,_ was Dunstin's grumpy reply. _Don't think you two will have it any easier with her sisters. Do you think men will not act the same way around them? Do you think they do not flirt as well?_ That effectively put Warin and Cenric in bad moods as well.

## ***

Mira and Faye walked into the silent auction, stopping at the top of the four sweeping steps that lead into the intimate ballroom. They stood gazing over the small gathering a moment. They took note of the competition, the glass display cases along the walls that held the items to be auctioned, and the larger items beside them that didn't fit in the cases. They even noticed the waiters who carried trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres. They found the host and his personal bodyguards, and identified the rest of the heavily armed security circulating around the room.

Faye commented, "Looks like the usual rough crowd we were expecting."

Mira responded, "So far, no real surprises. Let's hope it stays that way. There are a few new faces, as predicted."

Getting out would not be the problem, but getting home with the treasure and their virtue intact was always an issue. The sisters loved every opportunity to dress up, and they did not go unnoticed as they made their appearance on the landing in sleek, fitted designer gowns enhanced with heavy beadwork. They were stunning, long curly hair perfectly in place, plunging necklines exposing copious amounts of cleavage, extreme slits showing off toned legs in sky-high heels. They were dressed to distract. It was an old tactic, yet effective.

There was not a man in the room who did not stop to look them up and down with want in his eyes. Mira and Faye were quite a distraction in a room filled with many more men than women. The men in that room may have worn tuxedos, but they were no gentlemen. They were sharks who took what they wanted, either by fair means or foul.

But Mira and Faye were always discreetly armed. Jeweled daggers tucked neatly in as decoration for their long hair. They knew how to use the tiny weapons and were not afraid to do so if necessary. Two of their security team waited just outside the ballroom in the corridor, on alert for signs of trouble. The host was obviously cautious. He didn't allow any security in the main ballroom other than his own.

Taking deep breaths, they slowly descended the steps, then they began to wade through the sharks with smiles on their beautiful lips and shrewdness in their eyes. They nodded at a few people they had seen before, but did not know as more than a passing acquaintance.

As they made the rounds of the display cases, looking at the items to bid upon, they saw the sword. Excitement coursed through their veins. They knew it was the sword they sought, and they knew better than to show their elation. They had experience holding their poker faces, keeping their emotions hidden, a skill learned both by actually playing poker with their father as they grew up, and by shrewdly dealing in this business for so long.

They casually walked past their treasure and placed several bids, one on the sword, three on other items they would like to have for resale. They had champagne with their host and several other men until the bidding ended. The overly suave host, William Blankenship, considered himself quite the ladies' man, and was trying to charm them into staying for a private party after the auction. Mira and Faye respectfully declined the invitation. They did not care to be a part of his 'private party,' as they had the distinct impression they would be the entertainment for Blankenship and a few of his oleaginous friends.

The party continued while the bids were tabulated, and the high bidders were handed a card confirming their win for each item. Those who did not secure a bid were asked to leave. Both Mira and Faye were given a card.

Mira noticed a group of men leaving, and one held her attention. His odd eyes held a quiet disdain as he looked at her dismissively. He was a distinguished man in his early to mid-40s, with a very noble look about him. Despite his fashionable attire, he had an aura of antiquity about him. Something about him was oddly menacing, and it was clear he had no regard for the sisters. She knew that man would be trouble at some point. The fact that she was sure he knew she held the winning bid on the sword had her concerned. Discretion was always of utmost importance at this type of event.

Mira discreetly nudged Faye to look at the intriguing man, so she too would be aware of the threat. Faye gave a slight nod of understanding.

Eventually Mira and Faye were called to a private room to watch as the sword and the other item they had purchased were packaged for immediate transport. Rejoining their security team, the sisters got in the limo waiting to take them to a small, private airstrip; they would travel to Amsterdam by helicopter and overnight there before their morning appointment with a private dealer. On the way, their security let them know they were being followed.

They had anticipated something like this happening, and had an extra security detail outside the gate of the airfield, ready to waylay any who sought to keep them from leaving. Their two sets of security teams were in contact with the other team at the airfield, and kept them apprised of what to expect. As they drove through the gates and onto the runway with their newly acquired treasures, gunfire was exchanged. Thankfully there were no injuries, at least not to their own men.

As soon as they arrived at the hotel in Amsterdam, they called Lyra, even though it was very late, early morning actually. They didn't want her to worry.

"We made it to Amsterdam fine," Mira said, "And we have the sword! We also had an unfriendly follow us and shoot at our security. We need to try to figure out who he is."

Lyra asked, "Did you see him?"

"Yes, he was giving me a murderous look after we won the bid. He was a handsome man in his early 40s with a distinct Roman look about him. I'm not sure how he knew we won the bid, either. I think he will be a problem."

Lyra agreed, "Yes, it sounds like it. I will do some digging and see if anyone knows of anyone else actively searching for the sword. I'm glad you two are safe. Good luck tomorrow." Mira started to say, "We'll call you tomorr -," but Lyra hung up before all of the word was out of her mouth.

Mira looked at her phone and rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Faye shook her head, lightly laughing, "I'm glad I'm not the only one she does that to."

## ***

Mira and Faye met with the dealer before lunch and luck was most definitely on their side...or something. The two sisters only kept two of the security team with them. They would normal only keep them when dealing with shady people. Since they had the sword and someone else wanted it bad enough to shoot at them to get it, they decided to play it safe. The sweet older gentleman was pleasant, and had tea ready to serve when they arrived. The sisters took an instant liking to him, and enjoyed a cup of Earl Grey while they chatted.

"Mr. Michelson, you have a lovely home," Faye said sincerely.

"Thank you, I do enjoy it here. It is a nice place to retire, but I am sure you are wanting to talk business." Mr. Michelson smiled as he uncovered several items on the coffee table.

They had found the axe.

"I think we can come to an arrangement, Mr. Michelson. This is exactly the type of artifact we were hoping to find," Mira said demurely, struggling to contain her excitement. After a price was agreed upon and funds transferred, Mira said with true warmth, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Michelson. If ever we can be of assistance to you, please feel free to contact us."

"The pleasure was all mine. I am the one who was fortunate enough to spend time with you lovely, young ladies," Mr. Michelson genuinely relayed. Saying their goodbyes, the sisters took the limo back to the helicopter and went straight to the castle in Germany where Lyra, the statue, and the dagger awaited.

On their way, they called Lyra and told her the good news and asked her to cancel their appointment for that afternoon with the museum in Prague. The excitement was very high on the journey home.

Mira said, wonderingly, "Doesn't it seem that suddenly all of this was way too easy? I mean, we have been looking for these four items for years, and now out of the blue they all practically drop into our hands in a matter of days, really."

Faye agreed, "It does seem as if it was meant to be, almost like fate, if you believe in that kind of thing. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Let's not worry right now. We should celebrate instead."

"Yes, you're right, we should celebrate. This has been a long time coming. After all, we have spent years searching and researching, and now it's paying off, that's all." Mira smiled, feeling more comfortable with the situation, but having that feeling again that their lives were about to drastically change.

## ~3~

Lyra took some time that morning to again research the reality behind the legend of the three warriors who were turned to marble. They had trouble in the past finding any information on the warriors, but Lyra was able to find some new and interesting information when she searched. It only entailed hacking into a few places. She was baffled that they had not been able to get this information years ago, although she had never looked into their history herself. Steven and Todd did the computer research for their father and had continued for them. Lyra made a mental note to ask their assistants about where they had searched. Steven and Todd had always come through for them. It was unlike them not to be able to find information, even hard to find information.

She struck gold. What information she was able to uncover was extensive after not being able to find anything for so long. It told of successful men who were well respected, honorable, and powerful. Warin Faust was the name of the eldest brother; he was called the 'Fist that Protects' by his people and he was his clan's warrior chieftain. His two brothers, Dunstin and Cenric Faust, were his seconds-in-command, each with his own area of responsibility. Warin was the chieftain over thousands of men, commander of one of the largest armies at that time, with his brothers at his side.

They were not conquerors; they were fighting to keep their people's freedom. He and his brothers were noted for fairness, and for providing well for their fighting men and their families. They were also known for constant training and superior skills that made them victorious in battle, time after time. They had starting their training at an early age with their father. Lyra was duly impressed. They certainly looked the part of leaders and great warriors.

Someone had gone to a tremendous amount of time and energy gathering all the information on these men. The information came from many different sources. One of the most noted sources came from the writings of a healer who had gone to battle with them. He had many first-hand accounts in what was basically his journal from that time. Whoever had gathered this information had also spent countless hours translating the old text. Lyra was stumped why she or her father had never been able to find any of this information or these sources before now.

Lyra stood up from her desk, and walked over to the statue to admire the three figures. "Well apparently, you were real men, which I always thought, I've just never been certain about any curse. It would seem you were the good guys. You have quite the reputation for kicking ass and taking care of your own. You were a pretty big deal in your day." As she walked around them and scrutinized their faces, she thought to herself that it seemed perfectly natural to talk to the statue. "So, who's who? I wonder." As Lyra's phone rang, she reluctantly pulled her gaze away and got back to work.

When Mira and Faye arrived that afternoon, Lyra was waiting at the massive front step as Mira had. They all felt a nervous excitement; unbeknownst to the sisters, the warriors felt it, too.

The sisters were all talking at once.

Mira said, "The trip was a raging success."

Faye said, "We absolutely must celebrate."

All the while Lyra implored, "Come show me the new lovelies!"

They all but floated into the castle, carrying the newly acquired weapons with them.

Once they were in the office, Mira and Faye's eyes went straight to the statue; the pull was that strong. They wanted to touch the statue, but they both resisted. They each had a weapon to admire when they sat in the seating area, and they began to study them carefully.

The sword had etched on its blade the Latin word 'Liberum,' meaning free, and the axe had 'Robustissimi' etched on its blade, which meant warriors. Each one of them kept glancing at the statue.

To keep from going over to the statue Lyra told her sisters, "Today I dug a little deeper into who these guys were supposed to be and I was actually able to find out more this time, a lot more. It was surprisingly easy, I can't imagine why we haven't been able to get this information before now. I needed to, because, you know, in case there really is something to this curse, I wanted to make sure we would not be inadvertently letting loose a few Attila the Huns on modern society."

"Well, what did you find out?" Faye asked, getting irritated that her sister would not just come out and tell them.

"Admit it, I'm brilliant," Lyra told Faye.

Mira droned, "You're brilliant, Lyra."

Lyra smiled and started slowly to further annoy her sisters, "Well, apparently, they were kick-ass warriors who were pretty much in charge of the armies. Big armies, not just a couple hundred guys, more like thousands. The oldest one, Warin, was the warrior chieftain and he was known as 'The Fist that Protects,' which is not very original if you ask me, since that's what his name means."

Mira agreed, "Right, Warin means protector, and Faust means Fist. I think it's fitting."

"Well, it is, it's just not very original," Lyra complained.

"Is there more?" Faye encouraged.

"Yeeess, they were known for providing well for those in their charge. They were also successful, very respected, honorable and powerful. Oh, and fair. Yeah, not only did they have mad fighting skills, they must have been pretty smart, good with strategy, because they won all the time. Dunstin and Cenric were Warin's second in command, they each had their own army under their command as well. Dunstin was the middle child, and Cenric was the youngest. They were roughly 30, 29 and 28." Lyra finished her recount of her findings then said, "I wonder if they had any of the typical characteristics? Like Warin -- I'm the oldest, I make the rules. Dunstin -- the rules were made because of me. And Cenric -- the rules don't apply to me."

Mira laughed, "Well they sure apply to us."

"No, they don't. I make the rules." Lyra said in all seriousness.

"Whatever, baby girl," Faye laughed as she tweaked Lyra's cheek, then she said, "Wow, they were just a few years older than us. Can you imagine leading armies? I mean, I'm not saying I couldn't do it, I would probably enjoy some of it, I'm just saying I don't think I would want to, the military is just too rigid for me."

Both Mira and Lyra looked at each other and burst out laughing, then Mira said, "Yes, you would have been great in the military except for how regimented it is. You would be off fighting one minute, then next your crazy mind would be dancing to music only you could hear, trying to start a flash mob or something."

Faye said in all seriousness, "Well there is that." All three of them laughed and were in full agreement.

Once they settled down, Lyra inquired, "I wonder if the weapons fit in the warriors' hands. I mean, if you look at them, each has a hand that looks like it had been holding something, and they are posed like they were ready for a fight and the codex did say they needed to be reunited with their weapons."

Faye agreed, "I had noticed that, too, and wondered if the weapons would fit once we found them."

Mira declared, "I'm not sure I'm ready to find out yet. Hey, I thought we were going to celebrate!" And she jumped up, singing, "She put de lime in de coconut, she drank 'em bot' up," dancing her way to the kitchen to make the drinks.

Faye looked at Lyra and smiled, "Oh, this is going to be a fun night! We both know Mira doesn't cut loose often, but when she does, she's hilarious."

Lyra smiled back and they started singing along, as they danced out to help Mira with the drinks.

Once they had filled glasses, and a full pitcher on the coffee table in the office, as well as shot glasses, limes, salt and a bottle of tequila they'd been saving for a special occasion, they put on the music and started drinking, laughing and dancing together.

The sisters had changed into cute, low-rise sweats, and little tight tees. "Time to relax and celebrate!" Mira said.

Faye and Lyra spoke in unison, "Oh, yeah!"

Faye had dance-mix tunes on with some great music from when they were in the high school dance team for the few months they went to a private school, for the short time they stayed in New York. That school had a great dance team. They talked about their time in New York that year. They recreated several dance routines. They were off at first until they fell into sync following Faye's lead, laughing all the while. They drank some more and celebrated finding the weapons.

## ***

When Lyra had walked over to the warriors and spoken aloud about her concerns, they had worried. But when she told her sisters what she had found out about them, they were extremely relieved that the women would not have issues about trying to find a way to free them.

The warriors talked at once when all three of the weapons were brought into the room. It had been seventeen hundred years since they had last seen the sword, dagger, and axe in the same place. In an uncharacteristic show of excited cheerfulness, they all three spoke and exclaimed at once,

Look, that is my sword! They can free us now!

They found my axe! Come to me! I taste freedom!

Our weapons are together again, they should be able to undo the curse!

They were exuberant, hoping the sisters were about to free them from their marble prison with the weapons, but after Mira's cold feet they realized they would not be freed, at least not right then. They were still hopeful and excited.

_I am relieved that Lyra's sisters did not have their own issues with freeing us,_ Cenric said.

Dunstin agreed, _I had begun to wonder if they too would have concerns._

_I knew once Lyra told them what she had found out that the other two would not have issues with releasing us,_ Warin stated, satisfaction lacing his tone.

Impatient as they were, when the sisters started dancing the brothers were surprised, thoroughly entertained and content to remain silent stone observers for just a short while longer.

The brothers had never seen dancing like that; when the televisions had been on they showed mainly the news, but it was surprising how much commercials revealed. After hearing in detail about all the horrific side effects, the brothers agreed they would most likely never take any prescription medications. They certainly had no need for little blue pills, especially now.

Cenric moaned, _Such sweet torture._

Dunstin replied, _They can torture me like that anytime._

Warin sighed, _It won't hurt us to wait a bit longer. Damn, have you ever seen anything so alluring?_

The brothers were completely enslaved as they watched and listened to the sisters celebrate. Suddenly, getting free was even more important to them; they were ready to live. Freedom itself was not the only thing they wanted desperately. They had been taken with the women's beauty at first sight, but now they truly liked and respected them. They each wanted to learn all about their woman. The brothers would do whatever it took to claim what they thought of as theirs.

_I have a need to be free now even more than when we were first cursed,_ Dunstin told his brothers.

_It's more than a need_ , Cenric said. _We have never been able to feel anything until these women touched us. They have to be able to free us._

_I think they are part of ending the curse. They have importance to us, in more ways than one,_ Warin speculated, before he decreed, _From here on out we speak only English, we want these women to understand us well, and that is their native tongue._

Both Dunstin and Cenric agreed.

## ***

After the sisters wore themselves out dancing, they fell back on the couches and did a shot of tequila. Lyra was sitting between her sisters. Faye and Mira looked at each other mischievously, then they both licked a finger and touched Lyra on her arm. They laughed hysterically when Lyra gave a full-body shudder of disgust, screamed "Groosssss!" And slapped at them both while she tried to get away before her sisters playfully attacked her.

Faye had her in a headlock, messing up her hair, and Mira was tickling Lyra. Lyra was screaming, thrashing, elbowing, and laughing.

Faye let out an "ugh" when Lyra elbowed her in the stomach.

Mira squeaked, "Ouch, she has her claws out now." As Mira and Faye laughed, they jumped up to get away from Lyra's wrath.

Lyra stood panting, sulking, and fixing her hair. "You two suck!"

Mira and Faye said simultaneously, "But do you?" then they laughed even harder when Lyra blushed brightly as she mumbled under her breath.

It had been a while since the sisters had a chance to laugh and just act silly with each other like when they were kids. Life had been so serious since their father's death, and they had worked so hard to complete his dream. They too had become obsessed like their father.

"We're being so ridiculously immature, but I don't care, we have been under a tremendous amount of stress. We deserve a night to cut loose," Mira told them, then hiccupped.

They continued to tease and joke with each other quite a bit, which reminded Faye she had a new move she wanted to show them. They asked the staff to bring a fighting dummy in from the castle's fitness room and Faye showed them a new defensive move she had seen and been working on a few weeks earlier.

"You take a running jump up from the person and wrap your leg around the neck, then twist them down to the ground, giving a quick punch to the face as you go," Faye explained.

She and Lyra tried it a couple of times each.

Faye said, "Cool, right, but I'm having trouble getting up the height I need. I need to push off something first. A hallway, or a wall would work best, but there are too many nice things on the walls in here to do that."

Mira gave her the idea, "Use the back of the couch to push off for now."

Faye agreed, "Yes, I think that'll work." She tried it, and it worked and was effective. A bonus was it looked awesome, too. They all took a few turns and got the move down. They added to it each time they did the move, and they gained confidence with each attack. Soon each sister had added her own spin to the move, trying to best the other.

The buzz had mostly worn off, after all of their activities, and the girls were ready to wind down.

Faye held up the dagger, and decided to see if it would fit in one of the warrior's hands. She walked around the statue slowly, looking carefully at the hands. When she came to Cenric she tried the dagger in his hand. It slipped into place as if it had never been apart.

Faye exclaimed, "It fit! Try the other ones!"

Mira picked up the sword, Lyra grabbed the axe and they walked over to the statue. Each of them slipped a weapon into a warrior's hand. The sword belonged in Warin's hand, while the axe went to Dunstin.

The sisters looked at each other and the statue, with just a touch of apprehension clouding their features. Quietly, almost reverently, they spoke aloud the trio of words engraved on the weapons.

First, Mira said, "Liberum."

Then Faye followed, saying, "Tres."

Lyra finished, with, "Robustissimi."

Free. Three. Warriors.

Then they waited, and they waited, and they waited some more, but nothing happened. Not a crack, absolutely nothing. No puff of magic, no quaking earth, no crumbling stone. The three sisters stood as still as stone themselves, as still as the three warrior brothers, each waiting with bated breath for the unbelievable to occur. And after a time, each let out the expectant breath she had been holding, and the brothers did the same, even if they could only do so in their minds. They were beyond disappointed.

Faye's shoulders slumped as she echoed what they all believed, "I really thought something would happen. I don't know what, but something."

The others quietly nodded in agreement.

"It's late, I'm going to bed," Mira told them.

The sisters hugged each other tightly and slowly left the room, each of them giving one last glance back at the statue.

## ***

The brothers were impressed with the sisters' skills with the dummy. The sisters had a good relationship and the brothers could relate, because that was how they had been when they were younger. They still razzed each other often. It was good to see the sisters were happy.

The excitement was strong when Faye started toward them with the dagger, and once each of the three was reunited with his weapon their expectations ran rampant, only to be dampened and crushed when nothing happened. The brothers heard Mira and Lyra agree as the sisters walked out the door.

They didn't know what went wrong. No one knew what went wrong. They each wondered if they were supposed to have done something as well. The disappointment was so overwhelming, not one of them could bring himself to speak. In stoic silence, they held their emotions in check, but it was an appalling blow to their resolve to remain strong. Each had thought he would be feeling his woman's soft skin beneath his touch by then.

It had been well over an hour since the women had retired for the night.

And then,

Tingling.

That's how it started. Tingling, then faint vibrations. The vibrations became stronger, until they became great pulses, swiftly pumping from once-still hearts, like a river cutting through stone canyons. Blood flowed through veins, in great waves, filling and warming tissue, sending life to every fiber of their beings.

Tingling.

And that's how it ended.

The Warriors were jubilant. Stiffly they stepped off of the marble platform that had held them prisoner. Each one first looked himself over, then gave each other a hardy pounding on the back in a man hug.

Their skin was flesh once more, their lungs were filled with breath, their joints unfroze, their limbs could move again. And move they did, straight out of the office, up the castle stairs, and onward to the hall of bedrooms.

Once again, the warrior brothers were on a mission. This mission was strictly for themselves.

## ~4~

Seventeen hundred years was a long time to live without living. As the warriors started up the stairs, they had to use all of their control not to savagely take that which had recently become what they most wanted in the world.

Restraint, honor, and discipline were foremost on each of the brother's minds. Warin led the way silently. Words were not needed between them. The brothers each had the same code.

Their former skills came back as though they had just awoken from a night's sleep. They gestured with hand signals as they stealthily stayed to the shadows, quietly opened doors, each looking for the object of his desire.

The first few rooms they came to were empty. Cenric opened one door and saw an empty bed, but a light was on in the attached bathroom, and he could hear a loud blowing noise. He took a few steps inside the bedroom, and through another door he caught a glimpse of Mira reflected in a mirror. Quietly, he stepped back out and gestured to his brother that this was the room Warin was seeking. Warin nodded in understanding.

Warin slipped into Mira's bedroom, engaging the lock as he did so. He stood with his back to the door to calm his breathing and control his excitement. It would not be long before he would touch her skin, feel her flesh warm beneath his hands, and move as he had not been able to do for so many centuries. He would be patient.

He was able to see Mira's profile through the open bathroom door; she was wearing a short, pale-blue silk negligee that molded her curves perfectly, barely covering her sweet ass. Just then Mira turned off the blow dryer and brushed through her hair once more before she turned to go to the bedroom.

As soon as she walked through the bathroom door she was grabbed from behind, one hand around her waist, the other over her mouth. She struggled and tried to scream to no avail, until her self-defense training kicked in. Mira went limp to throw off her attacker, then threw her head back for a head butt, stomped down with her foot and jabbed her elbows in the ribs behind her. Her attacker was taller than she expected so her head only slammed into his chest, she was barefoot so her heel did little to her attacker's booted foot, and her elbows did not even get a grunt out of the brute holding her. He was completely immovable. She felt his strength with every flex of the large muscles that surrounded her.

She didn't know that she could have gone so far as to have stabbed him and he would not have let her go, Warin thought. His desire to touch and hold her was so strong, he was determined to hold on no matter how she struggled. He had every intention of taming her.

It all happened within seconds before Warin put his lips to her ear and gently caressed her waist; she instantly stilled. Warin could not believe how perfect she felt. Her womanly scent had his head swimming. He wanted to bury himself in her soft warmth, so much so his hands were shaking, as he whispered, "Be calm, Mira, I mean you no harm. I would to speak with you."

His voice was deep, rich, and rough, it caused butterflies in her stomach, but it eased her fears somewhat. Something about his touch and gruff voice was outlandishly arousing, yet non-threatening; it made her body ignite and her mind think of deep, drugging kisses. Just the way he said her name was a caress, almost hypnotically possessive. She mentally shook herself, then nodded her head. Warin slowly removed his hand from her mouth and Mira tentatively turned her head to look at him. She had to see who affected her in a such a way.

Warin could not resist tasting her, and quickly took possession of her lips. As difficult as it was, he was gentle as he rubbed his lips to hers. He sucked her bottom lip between his teeth and licked her lip, he could not release her from the kiss before tasting her mouth, at least for a brief moment. He didn't want to stop, he almost didn't. His male ego was pleased that she was accepting of him and did not fight him. He was quaking with the restraint it took to pull his lips from hers. He had never felt a need so strong such as the need to possess her.

Mira was stunned and aroused. She still could not tell who it was with the light from the bathroom shining from behind his head, leaving his face in shadow. Something about him put her at ease as much as it unsettled her. She was appalled at herself for responding to a stranger as she had, and to further her shock she hadn't wanted him to stop.

Unable to believe her reaction to this man, and trying to regain some semblance of control, she shakily demanded, "Who are you?" Then, more forcefully and in better control of her emotions, "Let go of me!"

Keeping her close to his body, unable to completely stop touching her, he did not let her out of his grasp, but let her lean away from him slightly. She looked toward the bedside lamp and nodded, silently asking permission. Then slowly she turned in his hold, reached out and clicked on the light, only to gasp as he was illuminated.

She had to look up to him he was so tall, at least six-foot-four, probably taller. He was a full foot taller than her. He had short, dark-brown hair, strong facial features, nice lips surrounded by a trim mustache and goatee, which enhanced the masculinity of his face. He had a two-inch scar on his right cheek, just below the outer edge of his eye; that must have been painful at one time. Surprisingly the scar did not take away from his attractiveness. If anything, it enhanced his dangerously good looks, she had to restrain herself from tracing it with her fingers. He seemed to be nearing his prime, somewhere around 30 years old.

Her thorough appraisal continued down his strong corded neck to his chest, bare except for the thick leather straps that crisscrossed his bulk, past sculpted abs and low-slung leather pants, to tall leather boots.

He was beautiful in a rough, all-male way . . . and familiar. Her mind didn't want to acknowledge who she saw standing before her. It couldn't be, nothing had happened, but it could be no one else, with that scar, those clothes, that face.

She continued to look at him in awe, then met keen blue eyes that were watching her with equal intensity.

"You're Warin Faust, aren't you? The warrior chieftain." She spoke this in a hushed and stunned voice, already knowing the answer, but needing to hear his confirmation. Unable to hold his stare another moment, she followed his brawny arm to the firm hand at her waist. He was still caressing her, keeping her body on edge.

"Yes, you know me. You have touched me enough of late to know me well." To ease her confusion, he said, "You and your sisters did free us, only not as instantly as assumed it would be."

Mira blushed as she looked up searchingly at his face and lips, and then her eyes again roamed the rest of his magnificent body; she could not keep the appreciative look out of her eyes. His shirtless chest with a smattering of manly hair was even more appealing in the flesh than it was in marble. She thought the statue of him beckoned her touch, but the reality was so much more. She had to clench her hands to keep from running them all over him.

Warin was greatly pleased with the looks she gave him. He had not forgotten what a woman looked like when she wanted him.

Mira was so stunned, she did not even try to filter her reaction to him. Her mind was racing, there were so many questions rushing through her, but all she could do was openly stare at him.

She was finally able to calm her reaction to him slightly, slow her crazed mass of thoughts and start to think more clearly again. It was difficult with his hands constantly touching her, kneading her hips where he held her, not letting her get more than arms-length away from him.

When she found her tongue the questions came in a jumbled rush, "What was it like? What happened? Why were you cursed? How do you speak English fluently? What is your native language? I mean, we have researched, and we are relatively sure you spoke Old Norse. Have you really been cursed for seventeen hundred years? Were you in pain? And if so, all this time? What are the three tasks that must be performed to completely undo the curse? What are your plans now? Why did you kiss me? Wait, where are your brothers?" Then she started to struggle to get to the door, worried about her sisters.

He tightened his grip, "Easy, _minn kona,_ your sisters are safe with my brothers. Come, sit with me." As he gestured toward the bed with a tilt of his head, he pulled her down close to him, nearly in his lap, still holding her waist with their bodies partly turned toward each other. His knee between hers. She gave him a weary look, as she asked him, "They wouldn't hurt my sisters, would they?" She stayed, and waited for him to speak.

"They would hurt them no more than I would hurt you."

"That's not an answer," She said anxiously.

"Have I hurt you, Mira?" He asked in a voice that was meant to seduce.

He could not still his hands on her. He needed to touch her as much as he needed to breathe. He wanted so much more. He wanted to strip away the clothing that blocked his view of her beautiful body, he wanted to taste her all over, he wanted to feel her all over him.

"No," she answered slowly, clearly affected by him.

He tried to focus so he could concentrate on what she had asked, but chose to answer only a few of her questions.

His response sounded easy and calm. "No, we were not in pain, aside from mental anguish. We have been stone for seventeen hundred years. I know not of the tasks of which you mentioned. You and your sisters will help us."

He had questions of his own.

"Are you a sorcerer or are you and your sisters working with someone? Why have you been trying to free us? What do you gain from our release?" He asked as though he were interrogating her.

She was distracted by his thumbs rubbing circles on her sides, his hands lightly squeezing her, and she expected nothing less of a warrior from his time to demand what he wanted. She only hoped that all he wanted right now was help deciphering the tasks. As tempting as he was, she was not ready for anything more, yet she was afraid if he pushed to hard she would not have the will to resist his advances. Instead she concentrated on his questions rather than his hands as best she could.

"No, I'm not a sorcerer. So maybe that's not as crazy as it sounds. Our father found a codex telling of your curse. He died three years ago, and we are finishing his work. We never thought we would gain anything from releasing you from the curse, as we didn't even really believe in the curse. However, having a complete set of a written prophecy and all its artifacts could be most lucrative if we wished to sell, though we would not have done that to our parent's memory."

Warin was temporarily satisfied with her answers, but still had many questions. He was uncertain if he could trust her. He sure couldn't trust his own judgement concerning her in his current condition.

Mira had questions too. "Why did you call me _minn kona_? What does it mean? Is that Old Norse?" She was fairly certain of its meaning and its origin, but wanted confirmation and clarity on his meaning.

"Yes, it is Norse. It means 'my woman.' You are my woman, Mira." He spoke with authority.

She gave a little nervous laugh, "Ha, we don't even know each other. I can't be your woman, and you could be going back to your time."

He didn't like her answer. He pulled her close to him and possessed her mouth with his. Warin was laying her back on the bed. He planned to show her she was his woman in the basest way possible. She would yield to his seduction.

Before he had her on her back and she lost all control of her wayward body, Mira turned her head, breaking his kiss.

"No, Warin. I'm not ready for this."

"You'll be ready for me when I take you." He promised as he kissed her jawline down to her neck.

She had to fight her own body's needs to make herself stop him.

"I said no. Surely you don't mean to force me. If you do, I won't help you. And you need my help, Warin."

Warin stilled, then he kissed her lips again, hard. He growled in frustration as he pulled back from her.

"You will finish what you started, for your parents at the very least. Now tell me about these tasks," He demanded as he took away her leverage over him.

## ***

When Warin had entered Mira's room, Dunstin had slipped into another bedroom. From the hallway, he could just make out Lyra's long, straight hair strewn across the pillows. Moonlight shining softly through the open curtains made her enticing form visible in the darkened room. Silently he closed the door behind him, and made his way over to the bed.

Dunstin longed to run his fingers through her hair, wrap his fist around its length and bring her beautiful mouth to his, yet he only lifted the strands to his face and breathed deeply of her feminine scent, rubbing the silky hair between his fingers and thumb. The perfect features of her face drew his attention; she looked even more youthful in slumber. Next, he noticed her lovely breasts in a snug lacy camisole, and her flat stomach. She must have been warm, as not only was her upper body exposed, but one smooth leg as well. He could not resist skimming his hand down the extremely long limb to the high arch of her dainty foot.

Lyra started to stir, so he gently leaned over, holding her in place with his upper body, and put his hand over her mouth. When his big bare chest made contact with her scantily covered warm body, it gave them both a jolt.

Instantly awake, her eyes snapped open. She struggled and yelled as best she could with his hand muffling the sound.

Dunstin talked to her, quietly in his rusty rumble of a voice. "Be at ease, I'll not harm you."

Caressing her arm with his free hand, he soothed, "Shush, my beauty. Shush, Lyra." He spoke and stroked her as if he were gentling a spooked mare.

That's when she started fighting him in earnest, kicking him hard and repeatedly on the back of his leg with her bony heel, until he captured her legs with the weight of his own. She dug her nails into his chest, and bit the hand that covered her mouth. He pushed his hand a bit farther into her mouth, extending her jaw so she could not bite down as hard. He was rough with her, and Lyra gave him a killing glare laced with fear.

Dunstin sternly growled, "Enough, Lyra, you will cease to fight me."

As he sat up on her, straddling her hips, he quickly removed his hand from her mouth and wrestled both her punching hands in one of his and held them above her head. She was obviously furious at being restrained. He was so close to losing his discipline right then, with her warm, soft body beneath his, he had to take deep calming breaths until he had his emotions and body under control once again. He didn't want to hurt her in his lust-crazed state. With the feel of her satiny smooth skin and the feminine scent of her, along with her moving beneath him, it all challenged his willpower mightily.

Lyra felt his desire against her and instantly stilled to stare at him, speechless. She could make out in the dim light that he was one of the warriors from the statue, and her guess would be this was Dunstin, by his strong facial features she had begun to know so well. Even in the dark she could make out how bulky his muscled body was as well as his intense stare. She was still as angry as hell and fearful of him. Anger and fear, however, did not keep her from raking his flesh-and-blood body with her eyes. She was uncomfortable with the reaction she was having to him. Her heart was pounding, her breath was erratic and she had a burning in her body at the feel of all that masculinity covering hers, so she eagerly hid behind her anger. She did not even go over the is-that-really-you part, but started in on him right away.

"How dare you come into my room while I'm asleep and manhandle me! Just because you _were_ a statue and you're from another time does not mean you can get away with this kind of behavior. I will not put up with it! Now get off of me, you ill-mannered behemoth!" And she gave a body shake trying to dislodge him, and kicked the bed for good measure.

Dunstin just looked down at her and laughed. It was a rich, deep sound. He even put a bit more of his weight on her to really aggravate her.

"Lyra, my lovely, you're not in a position to be giving orders. If you're sweet, I'll let you rub your greedy hands on me in the flesh this time." He wanted to tease her after her comments when she had first seen him in statue form.

Lyra was embarrassed and so tempted, his laugh had shot straight through her body to disturbingly tickle at the apex of her legs, but she was not about to show it, and she was also spitting mad.

"Greedy hands? I have _no_ desire to _ever_ touch you. You arrogant Neanderthal. Get. Off. Of. Me." She spoke in a calm, icy voice.

She was driving him crazy, he wanted her so badly. Right away he realized he enjoyed making her angry, because she was damned sexy when she was angry. Her skin flushed, her eyes sparked, and her breathing became labored, causing her breasts to expand over the top of that tight little sleeping garment that barely contained her ripe breasts and showed off her straining nipples.

"Neanderthal, eh? You want to touch me as badly as I want to touch you," he said as he leaned forward and captured her lips with his. He was not gentle, he was in too much need to be gentle with her just then. He kissed her until she softened for him, he nipped her lip and slipped his tongue in when she gasped, making her taste him and learning her textures.

She was overwhelmed by the feel of him on top of her and his exotic taste. When she whimpered in the back of her throat, he pulled back and looked at her with lust-filled eyes. If he did not stop now, he would not be able to stop at all. He was certain she would hate him if he took what her body was agreeable to, but her mind resisted, because her body was more than willing to give into him now. Yet knowing he needed her mind as well as her body, he made the painful decision that he would be patient. Winning her would be half the fun.

## ***

Cenric found Faye sleeping in the room across from Lyra. It was pitch black in Faye's room, but with the light from the hallway he saw she was uncovered completely. She looked amazing, in a curve-hugging tank top and lacy panties that were doing a poor job of covering her bountiful bum. He could smell her clean, intoxicating scent the moment he walked in the room and closed the door. Her womanly scent aroused him so much he felt lightheaded. He ached to touch every inch of her lush body with his hands, his mouth, his body.

He made his way to Faye in the darkness, and while reaching for the bed, he ended up placing his hand on her stomach. His blood quickened, and his heart pounded faster at the feel of her supple body under his hand. She was silky, warm and womanly. He could not keep from stroking her stomach, moving up to skim the bottom of her breast.

Faye started to awaken, Cenric slipped his arm around her waist to hold and calm her. Faye grabbed the shoulder of the arm he had wrapped around her, then twisted and turned, tossing him over her onto his back as she rolled on top of him and tried to punch him in the face. Before she could punch, he had her by the back of the thighs, rolling her under him with a growl, pinning her down, and attaching his lips to hers in one smooth movement.

He nibbled, licked, and pressed her to open for him. In between each kiss he tried to calm and coax her, "Faye."

He stroked her lips, "Kiss me."

He licked, "Open for me." When she responded to him, he drank from her lips thirstily.

"You know me," he said as he rubbed his body against hers, "Now feel me, skin to skin."

"Who are you?" Faye asked between his kisses.

"Cenric, your master."

Cenric was out of control, she was responsive to him, beyond tempting; he had no thoughts of stopping until they were both sated.

Faye was very aware of every place his hard body touched hers. She could feel the size of his big body, his large, hard muscles. The feel of him on top of her, moving against her, was extremely arousing. She was unable to hold back the moan that escaped from deep in her throat. The intensity of the way he made her feel filled her with trepidation, and she did not even know _who_ this Cenric was that was making her feel that way. She was embarrassed at her brazenness toward this stranger, but was powerless to stop kissing him as desperately as he was kissing her. His facial hair rubbed her face in a delicious way.

He was moving too fast, and started lifting her top, and trying to remove her panties, and she just realized what he had said, _My master?!_

Suddenly, it was all too much for her. She reached out, feeling blindly around as she continued to respond to her intruder. Her unsteady fingers wrapped around something solid on the nightstand, then she did the only thing she could do. She cracked the lamp over his head.

## ~5~

When Faye cracked Cenric over the head with the lamp, he yelled and rolled half off of her, holding his head. It stunned him just long enough for her to scramble out from under him and sprint for the door. He was up shaking his head and coming after her when she opened the door and ran a few steps, running headlong into Dunstin, who had stepped out of Lyra's bedroom to see what the commotion was about.

Dunstin instinctively grabbed Faye with one massive arm to keep her from falling, just as Cenric caught up to a stunned Faye. She stared with open mouth at Dunstin in the hall light. Faye could not believe how tall and well-built this stranger was who had caught her. He looked an awful lot like one of the men from the statue. Then Cenric took hold of her, turning her toward him and keeping her in his grasp to prevent her from running again. Faye looked up to Cenric, a bit wild-eyed, not believing her own eyes.

_How could the statue be real? It didn't work. How are they really here?_ Faye thought in confusion.

She scanned Cenric from the top of his short, light brown hair, his strong arms, past his mouth-watering abs, and down to the tips of his booted feet.

He was tall, at least six-foot-three; his large, lean body had well-defined muscles everywhere. He seemed longer and leaner than his brothers. She also noticed several scars on his beautiful body, which served only to make him manlier, and to her, more appealing. When her gaze made it back up to his face, to a strong jaw with a shadow of a beard and attractive angular features, and lips that were made for kissing, she could see he was all male.

Faye saw intelligent, expressive hazel eyes that were looking her over appreciatively, much as she had looked at him. He held her and enjoyed the feel and sight of her in the light. He absently stroked the inside of her arm where he held her. Then he picked her up and took her back to the bedroom. She struggled only slightly at being picked up, too shocked by the fact the statues were real living men to do much fighting.

"Cover that lush body of yours in front of others; no one is to see it but me, not even my brothers. You will not run from me again. You would not like the consequences, Faye." Cenric lectured her, acting possessive as he roughly squeezed her for emphasis, while he was telling her what to do.

Faye finally found her voice, "Who do you think you are? Oh, right. My master, telling me to cover myself and not to run from you or else."

She dared him, "Or else what?"

Cenric would normally have acted on her dare and shown her his dominance over her by thoroughly pleasuring her body; however, unexpectedly he was feeling an unnatural exhaustion.

Wearily he said, "You need your rest, there is much to talk about tomorrow. Now sleep." As he laid down with her on the bed, her back to his front and his arms wrapped around her, Faye struggled frantically trying to get up.

Cenric shook her, held her tighter and growled, "Sleep." He spent his waning energy on holding her.

"Just what exactly do you think you're doing? You're not sleeping with me. Do you really think I could just go to sleep after . . . you, him . . . you here?" she stuttered out, as she turned toward him and gestured toward the door and to him in her bed.

"First you, you accost me in my sleep, then I realized what you are, which one are you by the way? Warin?" She said this to aggravate him, knowing full well he was Cenric, the youngest of the brothers. "I mean that was all quite shocking. Now you expect to get in my bed, and you want me to sleep? Without any explanation, whatsoever."

She paused, then said with finality, "I don't think so."

Cenric turned her toward him, kissed her languorously, trying to lull her into doing what he wanted. He was having a hard time staying awake. After a moment, she jerked her head away, glaring at him furiously.

Cenric heaved a heavy sigh, "You and your sisters released us. It took some time to go from solid stone back to living flesh again, and it's exhausting, Faye. I am Cenric. You know I'm Cenric. Now go to sleep, woman. I can barely keep my eyes open. I need rest. Your questions are tiring."

"Why do you think you're going to sleep here? This castle has many bedrooms. You, sleeping here, is not an option, _Dunstin_."

"Dammit woman, I'm Cenric and you well know it. Don't trifle with me," he warned drowsily, as he continued to murmur, "I will not take the chance of losing you, you must be a part of ending the curse." He sleepily mumbled, "Valuable."

Faye huffed, "I will not allow you to sleep with me in my bed. Now get up!"

She received no response, so she gave him a hefty shake, only to get a soft snore out of him. She took that opportunity to try to ease out of his grasp. He tightened his hold in his sleep. She studied his handsome face and noticed the red mark and slight bump where she had given him a good knock in the head with the lamp.

_He really must have been tired, he didn't even take off his boots,_ she thought.

Her hands were resting on his chest, and she couldn't resist rubbing them over the smattering of hair lightly covering the broad expanse. His scent was masculine, soothing as well as exciting. His textures were fascinating to her. He was hard, smooth, and rough, all at the same time. Faye tried to ease out of his arms again, only to have him tighten his hold again. She felt the comforting and relaxing beat of his heart, felt the rise and fall of his breathing and started to close her eyes.

_I must surely be in shock or dreaming or really drunk_ , she thought, as she drifted off to sleep.

## ***

Dunstin was about to lose his tight grip on his self-control with Lyra when he heard a bang and his brother's muffled yell. He grabbed Lyra and rushed to the door, taking a step into the hall, only to have Faye run straight into his chest.

Lyra saw her sister was upset, and called out to her, "Faye, are you all right?" Faye did not even seem to hear or see her as she gaped up at Dunstin, then Cenric, and barely struggled when Cenric picked her up and carried her back to her room.

She noticed how Dunstin suddenly became very tired, but she didn't care, she was worried about her sister with his barbaric brother.

He pulled Lyra back into the bedroom with her fussing and throwing insults at him the entire way.

"What is that ancient throwback doing with my sister? Let me go, you hulk! You must be too simple to know what 'let me go' means."

The odd exhaustion was getting to him, and he had had enough of Lyra's sharp tongue and useless struggling.

Dunstin shifted Lyra in his hold and grabbed her by her upper arms, forcing her up on her tiptoes, and gave her a little shake as he harshly told her, "Behave, you will not make trouble, _kona_ , or I will tie you to the bed. I must rest."

Fear flashed in her eyes. Lyra did not say anything else; he had scared her with his tone, rough handling, and the threat of restraining her. Being tied up was not an appealing thought to a moderate control freak. She was not sure if he would really hurt her, he certainly could, and he was huge and really scary when he wanted to be, like now. Dunstin had been rough with her already; she decided to tread carefully with him, at least for now.

Dunstin felt drained; it had taken much from him to become flesh again. His only thought at that moment was to keep hold of Lyra while he took a much-needed rest, even if he had to scare her to do so. He didn't like seeing her fear him, it wasn't in her nature to back down, but for now he relied on her not knowing that he would never hurt her. She didn't yet know that he would let her get away with most anything with him.

He laid down with Lyra, he on his side, her on her back as stiff as a board, with his leg thrown over both of hers and his arms around her, effectively trapping her.

He leaned in and gave her an open-mouth kiss on her neck, giving her a lick and a suck before he pulled away, causing her entire body to convulse at his touch. He chuckled as he remembered how she responded in the same way when her sisters had picked on her earlier, before he rested his head on the pillow, breathing deeply of her until sleep found him.

After she listened for a while to his deep breathing, Lyra tried to sneak away from him, but he only wrapped himself more securely around her. Lyra laid awake for a long time, affected by him, the kiss, worried about what he wanted from her, though she enjoyed looking at him while he slept, and the way he felt wrapped around her.

She looked at his short, dark-brown hair, the thick arch of his matching eyebrows over what she thought she remembered to be blue-green eyes when she got a glimpse of them in the hall. His cheekbones were well-defined, as were his strong jaw and chin. A slight lump in his nose indicated it had been broken in the past, and his lips were full when they were not drawn tight in a disapproving line. He had a small scar in the bottom center of his lower lip that went into the dimple in his chin. An unbidden thought came to her that she wouldn't mind tracing it with her finger, which would fit perfectly in his dimple.

She continued her study of him, even his thick neck was muscled with veins bulging. He was broader of shoulder than his brothers. Lyra had noticed when they were statues that Dunstin was massive, Warin was huge and stocky, and Cenric was large and leanly muscled in comparison.

Dunstin was the broadest of the brothers, with him and Warin about the same height at around six-foot-four or -five. Warin was a combination of both his brother's body types, being nearly as broad as Dunstin and almost as lean as Cenric. They were all impressive, to be sure. Lyra could see one side of his extensive chest, shoulder and arm muscles. He was so wide across the shoulders, with arms that were usually seen only on dedicated body builders. The cuff on his arm looked like gold. She could not see his abs at the moment, but knew they were sculpted.

She looked further down to his thick, muscular thigh and calf, which was thrown over her own long, slim runner's legs. She thought he had great masculine legs that fit his big body well. He didn't seem to have an ounce of fat on him. He was one finely put together male. After unsuccessfully trying again to escape his embrace, Lyra eventually let herself loosen up, taking big breaths herself to unwind, and finally fell into a deep relaxing sleep.

## ***

Warin and Mira heard a thump. Mira tried to jump up to go check on her sisters, but Warin stood up with her, pulling her against his chest and wrapping her in his arms, "All is well Mira, you will stay."

"I need to check on my sisters, let me go." She started to struggle with him.

He became frustrated that she wanted to leave him when he had been patient with her, and had not pushed her to yield to him as he so wanted. He grabbed her jaw and forced her to meet his piercing, blue-eyed gaze, and in an unyielding tone commanded, "You will do as I say. You will heed me." Then he kissed her forcefully.

Everything about him startled her, his kiss, the way he spoke to her, his hard body, his sheer size and strength, but she did respond to him. He plundered her mouth, he made sure she knew his taste, as he learned hers. He enveloped her in his male scent and strong embrace. Even as aroused as Warin was he started to feel extreme fatigue, in a way he had never felt before.

Their lips separated, he turned them toward the bed, and laid down, pulling her with him, half on him; he twined his legs with hers, gave her a fierce look in warning before he put her head on his chest, and wrapped his arms around her.

"What do you think you're doing? I thought you understood no," Mira said, starting to panic when he didn't answer and continued to hold her tightly on the bed. He had been relatively gentle with her so far, and she did not want to aggravate him further knowing his strength, until she knew more of his temperament. He was so big and strong, she was not ready to risk him losing his temper with her yet, as she sensed he had a fierce one. She had seen it in his eyes.

He murmured, "Sleep, Mira." And he started to fall into a deep sleep.

"You can't sleep here," Mira exclaimed, but he only pulled her more firmly into his grasp and sighed as exhaustion claimed him.

She wondered what she was doing, why she responded to him as she did, especially when he was acting like a commanding, well, what he was, an ancient warrior, from a time when men ruled and women did as they were told. She should expect no less. She knew there was no way for her to escape his hold. Mira was confused, tired and emotionally drained. She had no idea how they were going to deal with the archaic mentality of their warriors. One thing was for certain: good, or bad, it would have to be dealt with. She and her sisters were going to have to set some boundaries with them.

Mira listened for any other commotion outside, when she heard only quiet she started listening to the secure sound of Warin's beating heart and eventually joined him in sleep. The last thoughts that went through her mind, before the long unimaginable day ended and unconsciousness creeped in, was that she and her sisters had set them free, they had an obligation to help them end the curse.

But at what cost?

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## ~6~

Lyra slowly awoke from a wonderfully restful sleep. She was so comfortable, she smiled and stretched with her eyes squeezed tightly shut, only to freeze when she was clasped securely up against a very large, hard body that emitted an appreciative grumbling sound from deep in the chest. The sound was the sexiest thing she had ever heard, and it did funny things to her insides.

Just then the previous night came flooding back to her. Her eyes flew open, she gave the Neanderthal holding her a hard jab in the stomach with her elbow, eliciting a satisfying grunt from him. But he surprised her by chuckling while nuzzling her neck and asked her, "Are you always so pleasant in the morning, Lyra?" as he gave her another full-body squeeze.

It was disconcerting how he said her name in such a possessive way. "Stop squeezing me, you brute, I have to pee. Let me up," Lyra demanded in an angry tone.

"You will get further with me, my Lyra, with sweetness."

She looked at him with big, innocent eyes, "Let me up . . . please," and elbowed him in the stomach again. Dunstin just laughed, and let her get up. He watched her with lustful eyes as she walked around the bed to the en suite and slammed the door, clicking the lock loudly.

He could not keep the smile off of his face. He was going to enjoy the challenge Lyra seemed set on giving him. She was amazing, so strong in mind and spirit. Women from his time just did not have the frame of mind these women had. Her confidence and independence were very alluring.

In the bathroom, Lyra looked at herself in the mirror as she brushed her teeth. She was aggravated that she had a nice flush to her face from waking up with Dunstin. It really irked her that he affected her the way he did; if she was not careful she could fall for the big brute. He seemed to be able to handle her bad attitude, it even seemed to amuse him some. That in itself was annoying.

After she had freshened up and brushed her long silky hair, Lyra gave herself a disgusted sound for taking extra care with her appearance. When she left the bathroom, she glared at Dunstin all the way to the walk-in closet, again closing the door behind her. She quickly dressed in her comfy low-rise skinny jeans, a couple of layered lacy, fitted tanks and a pair of low-heeled beaded sandals.

Lyra came out of the closet at the same time Dunstin left the bathroom. They stared at each other for a moment. She noticed what he was wearing, and decided she would definitely be sending for some shirts and modern clothes for the warriors. It was too disturbing with them walking around in nothing but leather pants and boots, with straps of leather crossing their chests to hold their weapons.

Dunstin started to move toward her, so she quickly spun around and went to the door. Before she could open it, he pushed her up against it with his body, sliding her hair aside and put his lips against her neck, breathing in her intoxicating scent, "Good morning Lyra, you _will_ stay near me unless I give you leave. Do you understand me?" He kept his lips on her neck, and when she did not answer him he softly said, "Or we won't leave this room at all." He began kissing, and nibbling her neck, and rubbed his big body against hers.

"Fine," Lyra gritted out with clenched teeth, as she jerked her neck away from his tantalizing lips; she would have said whatever it took to make him stop, before she humiliated herself and let out a moan.

Dunstin had a hard time pulling away from her, she felt so good; he was certain he was affecting her. He did pull away, since she had submitted to him as he wanted, even though it was the tiniest bit. He did not want to break her, only gentle her to his touch, and his alone. He could tell he frightened her at times. He would use that fear when and if he needed to keep her in line, but he would never harm her. She didn't need to know that.

They walked out into the hall, his hand at the small of her back, "I must have sustenance. You will feed me, _kona._ "

She jerked her hair out from under his hand at her back. "Like so much hell! I might make you something to eat, but I will _not_ feed you. You're not a baby." Being that this conversation was taking place before her first cup of coffee, and looking for any reason to be angry at him, Lyra purposely misunderstood him.

"Oh, Lyra, one day you will want me eating out of your hand," Dunstin said with a smirk while caressing her lower back. Lyra just glared at him and increased her pace to the kitchen; she needed to get away from his unnerving touches. But Dunstin had no problem keeping up with her.

The kitchen was large, fitted with modern equipment but decorated in keeping with the age of the castle. There were two restaurant-quality gas ranges, two sets of double ovens, and the original man-height hearth that was large enough to roast half a steer. It had commercial refrigerators that looked like built-in cabinets and a huge rectangular counter-height table for an island, flanked by eight stools for comfortable seating. None of the appliances looked modern, and a free-standing butcher block with its heavily used surface showed vestiges of hundreds of years of knife cuts. It was a warm and friendly space, but a hard-working one as well.

When they walked into the kitchen, the chef and his assistant fell silent and stared at the warrior standing beside Lyra, appearing intimidated by his size and stern visage. She kindly told them both to take the morning off, and they hurried out of the kitchen. Lyra went straight to the coffeemaker and poured cups of coffee for both of them, then she started getting out steaks, eggs, fruit, and ingredients to make blueberry pancakes and fried potatoes. She liked to cook, even if it was for the Neanderthal.

### ***

Mira was startled from a peaceful sleep when she felt smooth, firm lips pressed gently to hers; she opened her eyes to Warin staring down at her. She was stunned by his male beauty in the morning light. She still could hardly believe he was here in the flesh.

Warin gave a flash of a warm smile. "Good morning, did you sleep well?"

His morning voice slid through her, making her insides flutter so much that she took a moment to answer.

Finally, she murmured haughtily, yet politely, "Yes, thank you. Would you mind moving? I would like to freshen up."

Warin's mood soured instantly at her tone. Slowly he leaned back away from her and sat up with his back against the headboard, watching her intently. Mira kept her distrustful gaze on him as she walked into the bathroom, closed the door, locked it, and leaned against it.

She closed her eyes and thought to herself, _What have we gotten ourselves into? These men are not like modern men; they are not tame or docile. I have a feeling they cannot be easily lead like most men we have met. How are we to handle them? Maybe we should put our feet down right away and set boundaries, but politely. Warin would not respond to outright orders from women. Yes, that is what we will do. I will have to let Faye and Lyra know immediately._ Feeling better now that she had some sort of a plan, she quickly got ready for the day.

When she walked out of the bathroom, Warin was sitting on the edge of the bed, and she told him in an authoritative tone, "You can freshen up in the bathroom. I am going to get dressed in the closet, then I would be happy to get you something to eat; I'm sure you must be hungry. Now, if you will excuse me," indicating the other closed door in the room, she walked to it and opened the door. He quickly took her arm, looked inside to make sure it had no other exits, then nodded and went into the bathroom only because it pleased him to do so.

After she was dressed, she came out wearing fitted slacks, a sleeveless mock turtleneck, and kitten-heeled sandals. Warin was waiting for her, chest bared with those damn tight leather pants and boots. If only she had a shirt that would fit him, so she would not feel the need to eat him with her eyes and touch that chiseled chest every time she glanced in his direction.

"Please follow me to the kitchen," Mira said, and led the way down the hall to the stairs. Warin quickly fell into step with her and held her upper arm as they descended the stairs, not letting go when they reached the bottom. He stopped her, turned her to him, "You do not have any plans of leaving my sight, do you?"

Mira somewhat flippantly replied, "Not at the moment," and tried to continue walking, but was unable when he did not move or let go of her upper arm.

Warin then warned, "I would not permit that. You are valuable to me."

Mira looked him in the eyes and said, "We have many things to discuss later." She wanted to talk to him about boundaries, and she did not really know what he meant by his comment, but he must have decided she understood, because he continued walking with her.

As they walked, Warin thought to himself _, I want to trust her, but I am not certain of her agenda. I need her, I want her as much as I have ever wanted anything. She has no idea what I would do to be able to stay with her. For me, everything revolves around her. I want her with an intensity that is beyond reason. I want to rebuild my clan with her, But I will not let that keep me from my duty to my brothers._

When Mira and Warin entered the kitchen, they saw Lyra at the island chopping potatoes while Dunstin sat watching her and sipping his coffee. They both looked up when Mira and Warin walked in.

Mira immediately walked over to Dunstin and held out her hand saying, "Hello, I'm Mira, I would bet you're Dunstin, it is a pleasure having you and your brothers as a guest in our home."

He gave her an odd look but shook her hand saying, "Hello."

Warin grinned at his brother when he realized what Mira was trying to do. She hoped her subtle reminder to them that they were the guests in her home would temper their behavior.

She then walked over to Lyra and gave her a hug, looking closely at her, silently asking with her eyes if she was OK, and said, "Good morning."

Lyra gave a slight nod, a mumbled, "Morning." and continued chopping. Mira still watched Lyra, and said quietly, "Well, introduce yourself and say hello, we must not be rude to our guests." Giving a follow-my-lead look, she whispered, "We must set boundaries with them politely."

Lyra rolled her eyes, looked to Warin and said, "Lyra, morning," as an introduction, then turned to the stove to cook the potatoes.

Mira sighed and walked to the coffee area and poured two cups, taking one to Warin. After she took a fortifying sip, Mira looked at all the things Lyra had out and started making pancake batter in a bowl. Warin and Dunstin nodded at each other, then continued to watch the women, enjoying the simple things like the satisfaction of drinking something warm, or being able to move at will.

### ***

Faye jumped up in full attack mode when she was awoken by a solid smack to her rear end.

Cenric was standing beside the bed with a mischievous grin on his face, damp hair, wrapped in nothing but a towel. "I have wanted to try out a modern bathroom ever since I saw one on television. They are marvelous! Get up, I'm starving."

Faye swiped her curly hair out of her stunned face, all the while ogling Cenric. She slowly got out of bed and rubbed her smarting behind, "Don't you ever smack my butt again." She normally woke up in a good mood, but not this morning. She walked to the bathroom, turned back over her shoulder, "No one touches my butt unless I say so."

Cenric started to drop his towel to put on his pants, still sporting that mischievous grin.

"Ugh!!" exclaimed Faye as she quickly turned and slammed the door.

Cenric thought she was the most sensual woman he had ever seen. She would belong to him. Not only was she so obviously a part of ending the curse, she was everything and more he did not even know he wanted in life. No one would keep him from her, not even Faye herself.

Faye was so aggravated with herself she thought, _I can't believe him smacking me on the butt turned me on so much. He will definitely pay for that!_ When she was done with her morning routine, she came out, ignored Cenric lying on the bed, and closed herself in the walk-in closet to get dressed.

A few minutes later she came out wearing tight jeans, combat boots and a Guns N' Roses fitted t-shirt. She still ignored him as she walked to the door to head to the kitchen.

"Wait, Faye," Cenric quietly commanded.

She ignored him but slowed her pace. Something in his tone made her think she should not push him too much, at least not yet. Now Cenric looked to be in a bad mood; he obviously did not like to be ignored. She smiled to herself.

They both stomped into the kitchen and stopped when they saw Dunstin and Warin sitting at the island drinking coffee and Mira and Lyra working at separate cooktops.

Mira turned after she poured pancake mix into the pan, "Good morning, Faye and Cenric, I'm Mira and this is \--,"

Faye cut her off. "I think we all know everyone here, Mira. They were a frickin statue for crying out loud." As she stomped to the refrigerator and pulled out grapefruit juice to match her sour disposition, she poured herself a glass. She continued to ignore Cenric, and walked over to the island, picked up the steaks, and took them over to the stove Lyra was using. Faye grabbed a skillet, heating it and seasoned the steaks before she smacked them into the pan to cook.

Lyra looked at Faye and asked her, "What's your problem?"

That's when Faye let her have it, "Well, let me tell you. I was woken up with a smack to my butt."

Lyra turned, with a bored look on her face, and said to Cenric, "Real bright, genius, now she's probably going to be like this the rest of the day. Thanks a lot." She turned back around and continued to cook as if she never said anything.

Mira admonished quietly, "Lyra!" But Lyra just shrugged.

Faye asked her, "Oh, so you're the only one who can be in a bad mood in the mornings?" It was obvious she was itching for a fight. Lyra would usually oblige her, but decided she did not want to make a spectacle in front of their _guests_.

The brothers just sat there for a moment, then Warin and Dunstin started laughing.

All three women stopped, turned, and gaped at the deep rich sound of the two oldest brothers laughing.

Cenric stomped over to the island, giving his brothers a dirty look, and poured himself a glass of juice as they tried to stop laughing.

Dunstin ribbed Cenric, "Way to go little brother, your wooing skills are rusty."

Cenric didn't acknowledge his brothers and sat down to drink his juice, fixated on Faye who quickly turned back around, ignoring him.

Faye pulled out her phone, put on some music, quite loudly. She started to hum, then tapped her foot, until eventually she was dancing as she tended the steaks. Soon Mira and Lyra were shaking their butts, rolling their hips and shimmying their shoulders, dancing along with Faye, forgetting their audience -- as usual, having a great time. Before long, they were flipping food one-handed, twirling around while catching food the other tossed in their mouths, all to the beat of the music, and never paying any attention to the men in the room.

After the brothers watched the sisters shake, shimmy and gyrate to a couple of songs, they were in pain. Stomach hunger was no longer a concern, but they hungered still. The sisters were so natural, so sensual and uninhibited when they danced. It was very hard on any man not to be taken with them.

In no time at all the sisters had a bountiful meal fit for a feast and Mira decided, "Let's serve this in the dining room. Here, gentlemen, please take these plates; we will bring the food to you there."

Warin shook his head, "We will all eat here," and placed the plates on the island. He did not want to leave the sisters on their own. They were very clever women, and he did not yet know if he could trust them. He was not about to leave them alone.

Mira shrugged, and the sisters brought the food to the island table, and set places for everyone. They started to sit clumped together, but the men each reached for his woman and sat down beside her. After the dancing they had just been subjected to, the brothers needed to at least be near enough to the sisters to be able to touch them at will. They had years of no touching to make up for.

Lyra punched Dunstin in the leg when he pulled her right up against him, and he just grinned. Faye would not even look at Cenric; she continued giving him the silent treatment, which had him glowering even as he absently caressed her arm. Mira glared at Warin as he sat her right next to him with an arm around her waist. She was still peeved he had thwarted her plan to speak to her sisters in private. They had many things to discuss, first and foremost being what to do with these men.

They all started eating in silence, until the men tasted the food, and then they moaned in pure pleasure with looks of satisfaction on their faces. It had been so long since they had tasted food, and never anything as good as this meal. The brothers ate seconds of everything and thirds of some. The meal was almost over when Faye questioned, "Are we going to address the elephant in the room or just continue to ignore it? Am I the only one that finds this situation crazy?"

## ~7~

After Faye's remark, no one made eye contact for a moment, then Mira looked around the table, "Faye's right, we need some answers."

Just then the housekeeper came to the kitchen to let them know guests had arrived. Lyra answered, "Thank you, and please show them to the office." Lyra looked at her sisters, "I sent for Steven and Todd while you two were away. We could use their help."

"Good thinking, Lyra, they'll both be an asset in this particular circumstance. Let's just hope everyone can get along. Faye, you will need to keep this situation under control," Mira said while giving Faye a meaningful look.

Faye showed Mira her irritation, "And just how do you propose I do that? Never mind, I'll figure out something. Or I won't and it will work itself out."

Cenric gave Faye a questioning look, and threaded their hands together; she continued to ignore him.

Warin demanded, "Who are Steven and Todd?"

Dunstin gave Lyra an aggravated look, and Lyra gave it right back to him.

"What? They are professionals, our assistants, and they will be very helpful. There is still so much we must get done, in case you forgot," Lyra defended herself.

"We don't need help from outsiders," Dunstin insisted.

"They're not outsiders, they work for us, and they're familiar with the codex." replied Lyra. As they all got up to go to the office, the warriors stayed close to their women, feeling more possessive now than ever.

As soon as they walked into the office the sisters rushed to Steven and Todd to happily greet them. Lyra hung back slightly as Faye hugged Todd and Mira hugged Steven. Their assistants were about to kiss them on the cheeks when the women were suddenly yanked away from behind as Todd and Steven were shoved by Cenric and Warin.

The two warriors growled at the same time, "You will not touch her!" and "Unhand her!"

Mira said to Warin, "What are you doing? We are saying hello to our friends."

Steven asked, "Hey, what's going on here?" as he eyed the unfamiliar men.

Warin ignored Steven to command Mira, "You will not touch another man for any reason." He glowered as he held Mira closely against him, trying to calm down. Seeing her in another man's arms, about to kiss him, did not sit well with Warin. It was obvious he was about to commit violence; his reaction was so strong.

Faye tried to pull away from Cenric; when he did not let her, she elbowed him in the ribs, but that didn't even get a grunt from him.

"Cut the territorial crap." Then Faye asked sarcastically, "You're not about to piss on me, are you?"

He just scowled at her, and growled in her ear, as he subtly rubbed against her, "That's not what I'm about to do to you."

She rolled her eyes and resumed ignoring him.

Cenric had seen red when that man had touched Faye.

Dunstin looked Lyra in the eyes seriously, "Don't even think about it." As he pulled her into his arms, he continued quietly, "You don't want to test me in that way. I _will_ kill for you."

Lyra tried to relax in his embrace. She did not want her friends to get hurt. Lyra always thought Steven and Todd were relatively manly, but in the same room with the warriors, it was apparent how civilized and tame they were in comparison.

Mira realized how possessive and unsettled the warriors were so she tried to defuse the situation. "Warin, this is Steven and Todd. They assist us with our work, they specialize in research. They worked for our father before he passed away. Steven, Todd, this is Warin, Dunstin, and Cenric. They are...uh...well they...the statue...that is...they are...our friends. Yes, they are our friends, they are in a unique situation, and they need our assistance. Isn't that right, Faye, Lyra?" She looked to them for support after she stumbled her way through the introduction.

Faye didn't say anything, just shrugged as if in agreement.

Lyra said, "Sure," in her typical bored tone, not wanting to give Dunstin any satisfaction, yet not wanting to upset the brute further.

The tension in the room had decreased slightly, so Mira gestured to the seating area where they should all sit to have this conversation. Steven and Todd both wore looks of skepticism on their faces. Warin sat Mira next to him on one sofa, Dunstin and Cenric sat with Lyra and Faye on the other sofa, leaving the club chairs for Steven and Todd.

Steven was watching Faye closely.

Cenric noticed and kept his eye on him.

Mira started. "I trust your flight was uneventful. We are glad you could make it so quickly."

Steven said, "Lyra booked us first class. We were happy to get the call from her, but she was vague on the assignment we would be working on." As he glanced at Lyra, he smiled.

"Well, in short, we have acquired all of the weapons, and the statue."

Steven sat there staring, then he excitedly asked, "Where is the statue? It has been a long time since we've seen it, I mean a drawing of it. Where was it hiding?"

Mira told them about the castle with all its belongings coming on the market and how she had been looking into the previous owner's penchant for black-market goods, and how it had ultimately paid off.

Steven again asked, "Where is the statue? I have already noticed the weapons on your, uh, friends." He gave a derisive look toward the brothers. "What have they to do with all of this? Why are they wearing them and dressed that way? Are they actors in a play or something?"

The sisters looked at each other, then Lyra bluntly stated, "They _were_ the statue. The weapons belong to them."

Steven and Todd sat there stunned for a minute and then, both burst out laughing. Everyone else was looking at them, but they weren't laughing. Bored, Lyra pulled out her phone and started doing some online shopping at local men's clothing stores for proper clothes for the warriors that she would have delivered shortly, while the others waited until Steven and Todd calmed their laughter.

Steven wiped his eyes and chuckled, "That's a good one, you had us there for a second," nudging Todd in the shoulder.

Mira spoke up and told them, "It's true, it all happened just as the codex said it would. We suddenly found all of the weapons, reunited them with the warriors, spoke the words and voila, here they are in the flesh. Now we must figure out how to complete the three tasks in the next three months. That's why the two of you are here to help us."

Steven and Todd were no longer smiling, but took studying looks at the warriors, and looked at the sisters, trying to decide if they were pulling a prank on them. The sisters and the warriors were sitting patiently watching them, waiting for them to come to terms with this revelation.

Finally, Todd spoke up, "You're telling us that these men were the statue?" After the sisters all nodded their heads yes, he went on to say, "When can we get started? This could be quite difficult. Where is the codex? We need to start working on the tasks right away. I was saving the surprise I had for you until we arrived."

Faye went to get up to get the codex, but Cenric held her back, giving her a questioning look. She said, "I'm getting the codex," in a slightly pissy tone, not used to having to explain what she was doing and not liking it one bit.

He let her go and she walked up to one of the beautiful paintings, and moved it aside to reveal a safe. She retrieved the codex from the safe and placed it on the coffee table so everyone could see it, and carefully turned to the section about the warriors and where it mentioned the tasks they must completed within three months. Unfortunately, it didn't say what the tasks were.

Mira asked Todd, "What surprise?"

Before Todd could answer, Steven asked the sisters, since he was not willing or ready to talk to the warriors, "Do they remember who cursed them and why? That could be a big clue."

Todd stilled, particularly interested in the answer.

Mira looked to Warin, and he answered, "We do not yet know who cursed us, exactly, but we suspect it was our enemy, the Romans, trying to stop us from retaking our lands."

Steven replied, "Then we must research everything we can find on Roman sorcery and lore. Knowing one's enemy's capabilities and what drives them can be invaluable information."

Todd looked over the codex and then pulled out a matching piece of parchment and started to give a brief translation of the tasks to everyone. "Roughly, we have to find a talisman, a Roman talisman of resurrection, I believe. Next is a book, no, a spell maybe, of resurrection, then it refers to giving to the one who cursed them. I think it means to give the talisman and the spell of resurrection to the one who cursed them in the first place."

"You found the missing pages!" Mira exclaimed happily. Todd preened at her excitement.

Lyra said, "That's wonderful Todd, talk about perfect timing. You'll have to tell us where you found it later. So, would we be looking for a grave of the one who cursed them to give him the talisman and the spell? I mean, it's been nearly two thousand years. The sorcerer is unlikely to still be alive. Oh, I hope we are not supposed to resurrect him. Yuck, he would be all decomposed."

Mira said, "I believe I read something several years ago about a talisman of resurrection, but I have not heard of the spell; that's not really my field of interest. What about you all, are you familiar with the spell of resurrection?" They all murmured or shook their heads no. Each one was contemplating how they should proceed.

They discussed ways to move forward until lunch, which they ate in the dining room. The warriors were wanting to be alone with their woman, and as lunch was coming to an end, the housekeeper came and whispered to Lyra her packages had arrived and were in each of the sister's bedrooms as she requested. Lyra suggested they all retire for an hour before meeting back in the office to form a plan. Everyone was in agreement.

Steven and Todd were shown to bedrooms in a wing separate from the sisters' bedrooms. Lyra asked her sisters and the warriors to come with her, telling them she had something for them.

When they reached the hallway to their bedrooms, she said to the brothers, "I took the liberty of ordering some clothes for you. There are a few formal suits for each of you that will no doubt have to be altered, since we don't have time to have them custom-made, and a variety of casual clothes, clothes for almost every occasion. Oh, and all of the accessories, boots, shoes, watches, cufflinks, everything I could think of that you might need. Mira and Faye will help you two figure out what goes with what."

Then she took Dunstin to her bedroom to get some clothes on the man before she started groping him uncontrollably. Dunstin's half-naked body had her senses on high alert; she felt flushed and needy with every move of his spectacularly sculpted body. If she had to spend much more time with him in his current state of undress, she was liable to do something to embarrass herself, like lean over and trace his chiseled abs with her tongue, and that just could not happen. She did not even like the man. He aggravated her on every level.

As soon as they were in her bedroom, Dunstin swung her around and kissed her firmly on the lips, pulling her up close to his body, her hands flat on his hard chest. He kissed Lyra like a starving man at first, just needing to taste her and have his taste in her mouth.

She was shocked what his tongue was doing inside her mouth, and his intoxicating taste was making her dizzy with desire.

Not wanting to scare her, he slowed and softened the kiss. She kissed him back then, almost making him lose control; he wanted to take her so badly he was shaking with lust and restraint. His hands were rubbing up and down her sides, his thumbs started brushing the underside of her breasts.

Right then she jerked her head away and pushed with her palms on his chest. He forced himself to let her go, and stood there trying to calm his breathing.

Lyra stood a few steps away with her back to him, trying to compose herself. She started going through the clothes and, once she could speak normally, she rambled, "I think these jeans and this Ralph Lauren t-shirt with these boots will work for today. These are boxer briefs, they go on first before the jeans, and socks go on your feet. You know what socks are, right? You can step into the bathroom to change. Let me know if something doesn't fit." As she handed him the clothes, she methodically continued going through the rest of the packages as if she didn't still have his taste in her mouth.

Dunstin grabbed the clothes and stomped into the bathroom to change. Once the door was closed Lyra put her hand to her mouth, felt her kiss-swollen lips, and thought, _Man, am I in big trouble._

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# About the Author

Jules River has carried around all sorts of stories in her mind, after years of sharing romance novels with her Aunts and Grandmother, it was time to put her stories in writing. She would rather read a great romance or even a so/so one than watch TV any day. Now that her children were on their own, and Jules met a lovely author that encouraged her to publish those stories. With the unwavering support of her husband, her family and friends writing has become her new passion.

When she is not writing, or reading, she can be found taking care of her garden, horseback riding with her husband, or meeting up with her family or friends over a good meal, drinks and stimulating conversation.

Her first three-part serial novel Tres has been a wonderful learning experience. Jules has a series in the works about her beloved South Texas and the latest Oilfield boom, since it's something close to her heart, after growing up in the last boom in the 1970's and 1980's.

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You can find Jules River all over social media. She loves to interact with her readers, so please drop her note at:

Facebook.com/jules.river.2

Twitter.com/RiverJules

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**Free on** Smashwords Tres: Part 1

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## Acknowledgements

There were so many truly amazing people to thank that helped me with my first novel. First off, my undying gratitude to author Kennedy Claire for telling me I could do it, then she encouraged and helped me every step of the way. I would never have started much less finished without your inspiring words.

My lovely Aunt stepped into the very difficult role as editor; she fact checked, smoothed out all the kinks and turned my good idea into a nice piece of work, with the help from her talented husband. Thank you both, I am forever grateful. It would not be what it is without you.

My lovely mother and sister thank you for reading every version, giving back invaluable input, and always being there for me. This would have been an even more daunting task without my family and friends.

To my inspiration and backbone, my husband, the "real" Warin in my life, and my biggest critics, editors, and cheerleaders my lovely family, thank you.

To the wonderful people who support me by reading this book that I have put so much time and care into, thank you. This is for all of us that want to add some foreplay and romance to spice up our everyday lives. Without readers and reviews, publishing would be pointless, so again thank you. Please keep reading and leaving reviews. Authors live and die by your generous reviews. May all of you achieve your life's dreams as I work on achieving mine.

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