N. Walters - Strands of Love

Sam took a deep breath and forced her gaze away from the Hunter brothers. There were a few other people around, mostly men, although she did see the occasional woman. In the distance she could see more people working in the fields and tending animals.

What she didn’t see were power lines or telephone towers. Come to think of it, there weren’t any electric lights or even outlets in the castle. It was all like something from several hundred years ago.

She swallowed hard and looked back toward Darian and Jace. Sweat shone on their broad chests and shoulders as they continued their deadly dance. She thought about the weapons they had—knives and swords. She thought about the tapestry she’d seen yesterday morning floating in midair in spite of the dead heat.

Oh God. It was true.

All of it was true.

She really was in another place, another planet or dimension. She wasn’t quite sure which. Another world was probably the best place to put it. Javara. They’d all told her as much but she hadn’t really believed it. But this place, these people. It was too much of an elaborate setup to be anything but real.

There was no way they could have taken her somewhere else so quickly, not somewhere like this without leaving the country. And, really, why would the Hunter brothers turn up in the middle of nowhere Texas and kidnap a penniless farmer? It didn’t make any sense. There was nothing in it for them—certainly not money.

Feeling slightly nauseated, Sam slid down the side of the barn until she was sitting in the dirt. She lowered her head and sucked in a deep breath. She really was in another world.

Worry hit her hard. Would she ever see her farm, her home again?

“Sam?”

It was only when she heard her name she realized the clang of metal had ceased. She looked up to see both men staring down at her with concern in their eyes. They really were in earnest when they said they wanted her to stay here and marry one of them.

Sam thought of the pledge Darian had already given her, offering himself, his life and his brother’s, offering her love and devotion. But he couldn’t love her. Neither of them could. They didn’t really know them any more than she knew them.

Her breathing was getting faster and it was getting harder to take in enough air. Her vision dimmed.

She was plucked off the ground and into a strong pair of arms. Neither man seemed to notice her size and weight and carried her around as though she weighed next to nothing. She knew without looking that it was Jace who held her. Amazing how quickly she’d come to know each man’s touch.

Darian stood beside his brother. “Breathe, Sam. Take a slow, deep breath.” His voice was low and soothing. She wished she could tell him she wasn’t losing her mind, just coming to accept what should be totally unbelievable.

She followed his instructions as best she could and was grateful when her vision cleared.

“Bring her inside,” Darian ordered, but she shook her head.

“No. Outside.” She always did better outside than in. She was afraid if they took her inside the castle walls might close around her. “This is real,” she managed to get out. “All of it.”

Jace’s arms stiffened around her. “You finally believe.”

She nodded, not sure what else to say. It was all too strange, like something out of a book or movie. Not the kind of thing that happened to an ordinary woman like her.

Darian took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “The tapestry brought you here for a reason, Sam. The magic only brings a woman who has the potential to thrive here. It’s up to you if you stay or go.” His expression darkened. “There is only one chance. Three days and you must choose. There is no changing your mind once it is done, so be very sure.”

In three days—no make that two days if the time counted from when she’d first found them on her land—she’d go back to her farm and they’d remain here. She’d never see them again. Her heart ached and she trembled. She had to go back. She didn’t belong in this world where the people lived like something out of a medieval tale, except for the whole “sharing her bed with two men” deal. She really didn’t think a ménage à trois had been commonplace back in Medieval England, but who really knew.

“I need to walk.” When she had something on her mind it always helped her to walk. Back when they’d still owned horses, she’d ridden.

Jace set her down, but she felt his reluctance, the way his arms tightened briefly before he released her. “We will go with you.”

She didn’t argue with him. She didn’t know this world and what potential dangers lurked beyond the walls of the castle. Sure as she was standing here, they didn’t train with those lethal swords for nothing. She nodded. “Okay.”

Darian touched her arm and nodded his head off to the right. “If we go this way, you can see the fields. There is a lake just beyond.”

The farmer in her was curious to see what they were growing. “Lead on.”

With Jace on one side of her and Darian on the other, the three of them headed toward the lush fields and the men working them.

Both men fell in beside her as they walked. She sensed their awareness, the way they scanned their environment constantly monitoring it for danger. That was something ingrained in them, totally natural, like breathing.

Warriors. Both men truly were warriors.

It was hard to wrap her head around their culture. “Don’t men fight over having to share a woman?” The question popped out before she could stop it. Usually she liked to brood and think when she had stuff on her mind. Of course, this wasn’t a normal situation.

“Our history tells of a time when there were as many women as men, but something happened. No one quite knows what, but there were less and less girl children born each generation.” Darian brushed her hand with his before twining their fingers together. “Men fought. Brothers killed brother,” he continued. “It was a bloody time in our history.”

Two of the male workers in the field called out to the brothers and they waved. Sam wondered what crop they were growing, but didn’t ask. She had other questions she needed answers to first.

She couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for brothers and friends, all wanting the same woman. And the poor women. It had to have been hell for them too.

“What happened to change that?” How did a society evolve to accept a ménage à trois as normal?

“Survival.” It was Jace who spoke. The low timbre of his voice sent a shiver of desire through her. “It was a matter of survival. Too many of the young men were dying in the fighting over the women. The most powerful families got together and came up with the idea to allow one woman to be claimed by up to three brothers. She had to marry one of them and only he can claim her children as his own, but they might very well belong to his brothers. As well, each brother has at least one night each week alone with the woman. That way no one is left out and everyone is happy.”

They left the open fields behind and entered the woods. It was darker here, the sun not penetrating the thick growth as easily. Sam felt the cold seeping into her bones. Neither man seemed to notice even though they were both bare chested.

“That’s a lot to ask of a woman.” Physically it wouldn’t be easy to keep up to three men satisfied. Emotionally it would be even more difficult. How did a woman choose? And what if she really didn’t like her husband’s brothers?

Darian gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “We understand and respect that fact and treat our women well.”

“The decision was a long, long time ago and women are raised to expect it, just as we are.” Jace’s voice was flat and matter-of-fact. “Our history is divided into the time before the tapestry and the time after.”