Red Satin Lips (12 page)

“I’m right here…and you can’t tease me and leave me hanging…”she pouted and tried to move, but they held her down as they played with her.

“Hush, we need to touch and hold you Tamara,” Lars stated but said nothing more as he leaned down and sucked her nipple into his mouth.

She squeezed his shoulder tight as he nipped and played with her nipple. “So round and big, I love when they get all hard for me. When I find the person responsible…”

“Lars, I think it’s bigger than just me,” she whispered as Tamara ran her hand over his bald head. “I was just an added bonus to them till I got too close.” She met his gaze.

“What do you mean you got too close? You know something?” Both men stopped their petting and focused on her.

“I know a lot of things, just as you do and decided not to tell me.” She sat up and glared at Lars. “You thought I wouldn’t look into you mind. You weren’t going to tell me about the poison were you?”

“I don’t see why you’re getting so upset. We just thought it was best to keep that to ourselves. We don’t need you any more stressed out then you are.” Lars lifted her hand and kissed the top of it. “So what do you know?”

She was hurt that they wouldn’t share with her, wouldn’t mark her, but Tamara kept that buried deep where they wouldn’t see it. The only thing she could hope for was that after this was all over they would open up to her. “The same as you, he’s an ancient and has a grudge against your grandfather, but he’s someone we or your family is close with. They know too much from the things that have been going on.”

Both men didn’t say a word, she knew they spoke to each other, but left her out of the conversation and once again she was left out.

Closing her shirt, she managed to button it before they once more turned their attention back to her. “What you say makes sense, but we’ve had many in our home this last week so it could have been anyone,” Lars said and frowned as she slipped to the side of the bed.

“Really, well that is your opinion, I guess. I think I’ll take a nap, close the door on your way out.” She slid under the blanket and turned on her side.

The one thing Tamara hated about being pregnant was the stupid emotional roller coaster, because right now she wanted to just leave, but knew she couldn’t.

Sliding down behind her, Lars wrapped his arm round her and pulled her back into his larger frame as Gage came around lying down in front of her with a frown on his face.

“We hurt you?” Gage brushed her hair out of her face, but she swatted his hand away.

“Go down and visit your family, Gage, I’m fine,” she snapped and tried to pull the pillow over her head, but he wouldn’t allow it.

He yanked the pillow away from her. “You’re lying to us now?”

“Excuse me?” She sat up and glared at him. “You have the nerve to accuse me of lying when you keep things from me, you leave me out of the conversation and don't trust what I say!” she waved her hand at the door. “Go, just leave me alone.”

Both men refused to move. “You’re upset because we didn’t include you in our conversation?” Lars sat up and leaned against the headboard as did Gage, both of them staring at her. “Come here Tamara. Let us hold you. We’ll try harder to include you, but some things we feel you shouldn’t have to worry about. It’s our job to protect you. We work things out in our mind going back and forth with each other.”

For a large black man, Lars was one of the gentlest men Tamara had ever seen, but when pissed watch out. She grinned and shook her head at him. He actually had a confused look on his face and she could not stand it.

Crawling back onto his lap, she framed his face between her hands. “Maybe I’d like to help too? I’m a great problem solver or so I’ve been told.” She kissed his full lips softly. “I just want to be included.”

She released him and leaned over to kiss Gage. “I love you two, you’re all I have. But sometimes it feels like I’m alone even with the two of you in the same room. You didn’t even realize I was dressing myself earlier until you stopped talking to each other.” She pulled the blanket up around her and rested her head onto Lars’ chest.

“Let me sleep for a little while, then we can do downstairs,” she mumbled as her eyes closed. Each one of her men ran their hands up and down her body, just caressing her as if she was a baby.

“Sleep, baby, we’re not going anywhere,” Gage whispered and kissed her cheek.

****

Reaching over, Gage rubbed Lars’ shoulders as their woman slept curled up in their laps. Her hair was a mess, but she looked like an angel sleeping.
“With her being pregnant, we’re really going to have to try not to upset her, but she is right. What we did was rude,”
Gage said leaning over to place a kiss on his cheek.

“
We’re used to speaking this way. It will take time, but I will make a conscious effort not to do it in front of her. She thinks we don’t believe her about who is doing all the killing and if she is right, God help that person.”
He smiled and ran his hand through her hair. “
Wait till she meets the rest of your family tonight.”

“I still can’t believe my Ishka pulled that crap earlier. Honestly, Lars I’ve never seen her act like this before.”

She moaned and curled up closer to his body. “
Calm down, you’ll wake her if she senses your anger. As for your grandmother, well I’m afraid she did the same thing to me when I first met her.”
He turned and laughed at the expression on Gage’s face.

“She did what? I swear I’ll...uggh.”
Gage ran his hand through his hair.

“
You’ll do nothing. It’s her way of testing us, seeing if we’re right for you, but she could have done it at a better time as far as Tamara is concerned. Who will show up tonight for supper? I’d like Tamara to have a relaxing night.”

“I have no idea who will be here. The whole family is coming in when they heard about the threat to our woman. Are your folks coming?”
He asked leaning his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

“
My mom will be here tonight, but my father is choosing to stay with my grandfather right now. Have you heard anything from Tamara’s father? When I contacted my folks to inform them about the shooting, I asked them to inform Michael, but no one has seen him since this morning.”
Following Gage’s lead, Lars laid his head back and closed his eyes. It was the first time in a week he could actually relax and not have to worry about a threat to them.

“
Nothing, he’s been acting strange ever since the house was destroyed. I have to agree with Tamara on one thing. It is very strange that not one of us have been invited to his estate during this whole mess. He offered that one time, knowing we would refuse him, but nothing since.”

The rapping on the bedroom door had Tamara jerking into a sitting position. Lars ‘eyes popped open and noticed how she flinched as she tried to scurry off the bed. “Easy Tamara, you’re still not ready to stand up. Let me get that, you relax.” He placed her onto Gage’s lap and glared at the door, but frowned when once again. Maxim was there with Gage’s father.

“I think all three of you should come downstairs. Something is unfolding on the news,” Gage’s father said.

“Wrap her in the blanket, she should see this,” Maxim said before they turned and left.

“Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be worse than my mother dying?” She rubbed her face on the blanket and looked so lost.

“There is no sense in thinking the worst,” Gage tried to reassure her as he wrapped the blanket tightly around her and placed her into his arms.

“Gage is right. Don’t borrow sorrow till we know. We’ll deal with this together.” They made their way downstairs. In the massive family room, people he had never met nodded to them as they parted letting them make their way to one of the couches.

The sixty inch TV was on when Lars saw the pictures of the massacre at the Bob Evens they had been at. Everyone in that dinner had been killed. From what the bottom of the screen scrolled, over sixty people so far…

In his arms, Tamara whimpered as tears rolled down her face. “This is my fault. We should have never left.” She looked up at him and he shook his head.

“No! This is not your fault, if anything Gage and I picked the dinner. You had no idea where we were going.” Lars sat down next to Gage when he looked up at the TV behind the cop lines. “Gage?”

“I see him, but why is he? There, look at his eyes?” Gage looked down at Tamara who was leaning over to get a closer look.

“I’ve never seen him like that. Is there any way we can get that blown up?” Tamara looked to Maxim, who nodded.

At once a freeze frame of her father appeared on the TV and a cold child seemed to fill the room. Murmurs and whispers, the names Ose, Nergal, Baal.

Lars jumped as his phone went off in his pocket. He kissed the top of Tamara’s head and placed her in between himself and Gage. “I need to get this. It’s my father.” She nodded as he dug out his phone and opened it.

“Are you seeing this? Your grandfather and three other elders want to see Tamara now.” His father’s voice was rough and demanding as he issued the order.

Hearing the order, Gage snarled and pulled Tamara into his lap. “She goes nowhere off this land.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t and won’t bring Tamara there. She is safe here and this is where she will stay till this is over.” Lars placed his hand over the phone. “Could they come here? It might help solve this if we know what is going on, Gage.” He looked at Gage, then at Maxim, knowing that nothing was approved unless he authorized it.

“They will be allowed to come, but be warned, if they mean her any harm, they will not be able to step onto this property,” Maxim announced and turned to Gage’s brother, Herick. “Have the conference room here in the house ready. She does not need to go outside in her condition.” Herick nodded and left.

Uncovering the phone, Lars repeated what had been said and within seconds his father and grandfather appeared in the room with the other three men. He flipped the phone shut and looked to Tamara who was clutching Gage tightly, shaking her head.

“I can’t do any tests now Lars. I can’t even stand up,” she whispered, watching as Maxim introduced himself and some of the men around them.

“Look at me, baby,” he reached over and placed his finger under her chin until he had her full attention. “Do you really think I would let them hurt you? I’m sure they just need to see you and talk to you, that’s all.”

“No, it’s not. We will need a sample of her blood and a patch of her skin to determine what she is made up of,” Alton, Lars’ grandfather said, standing behind the couch, glaring at her.

“We will find out if you brought this wrath down on us or not.” With that last sentence, Gage snarled and stood. The whole room seemed to fill with tension at once.

“Enough!” Tamara yelled and held out her hand to Gage. “I’m sorry. It's obvious you believe I had a hand in all of this. I was hoping the rift between you and your son had disappeared, but I guess I wasn’t so lucky.” Tamara cried out as she stood, but didn’t fall. Her gaze met Ishka’s for a minute. “Now you see what I was talking about,” she whispered and Lars noticed her lip tremble.

Before he could move closer to her, Ishka was there hugging her. “You are family now,” Gage’s grandmother said and turned to glare at Alton. “I know you have lost a lot these past few days, but hasn’t she also? Why hurt her until you know the truth. She’s carrying your grandchildren.”

In all is life the words that came out of his grandfather never shocked him more. “Not if she is what we think she is. I will have nothing to do with this woman if she has any part Baal in her.”

Tamara jumped back and would have fallen if Gage hadn’t caught her. “You need to leave now. The other council members can do the testing. You do not need to be here and you are no longer welcome here,” Maxim said, coming up to his grandfather.

His grandfather disappeared in an instant. “I’m sorry Lars, but I won’t allow that kind of threat in this home. They are just looking for someone to blame and I’m afraid it’s your mate.”

Inside him his own personal beast raged to break free, but Lars refused to allow it out as he turned to glare at his father. “Is this why you came here? You believe what grandfather has said?”

“I’m sorry, but if she even has a trace of Baal in her…she can’t be trusted and won’t be allowed in our home,” his father declared, drawing a cry from his woman.

Chapter Nine

Tamara shook as she made her way to the conference room. Ishka walked right next to her, holding her up. Her heart was shredded into a thousand pieces right now and she couldn’t even look at Lars.

The one thing she didn’t want to happen was happening. His family was drawing the line between her and them. Let alone the fact her father could actually be…she couldn’t even say the words.

Maxim held open the door to the meeting room and smiled at her. “Not to worry, all will work out, you’ll see.”

All she could do was nod as Ishka helped her sit. Both Gage and Lars sat beside her as one of the council members stepped forward. “I’ll need a piece of your skin from the inside of your thigh, and then I’ll take a blood sample.”

Nodding, Tamara slid the blanket apart allowing him to have access to her right thigh. The procedure only took a couple of seconds, but she still felt as if she had been violated somehow.

Lars and Gage said nothing, but watched everything as the man stepped back with her DNA. “We’ll have the answer in a few hours. Do you have any way to contact your father?” he asked and she shook her head.

“He does not answer the number he gave us and there is no bond between them,” Lars answered for her.

The man frowned. “If he is her father, there should be a natural link.”

She shook her head. “There is nothing, believe me I’ve tried to contact him a few times, but there is nothing. If you will excuse me, I’m tired. I think I’ll go lie down.” She tucked the blanket around her and went to stand, but Gage scooped her up into his arms.