Free Hels's Gauntlet [Forbidden Legacy 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Heather Long Page B

win the girl.”
    “Finish the book. He’s fabulous. He even considers ripping out her ex-husband’s spine for her.”
    “Shouldn’t be hard, doesn’t sound like the douche has one.” Jude flopped back against the cushions and slung his feet up on the coffee table. She should tell him to put them down, but he had the book open to read again.
    “You shouldn’t have started with that one, anyway. It’s a huge payoff for those of us who fell in love with him years ago…”
    “Fell in love with who?” Jacob’s voice cut across the debate, and Cassie jumped to her feet. Jacob and Helcyon stood in the entryway, bloodied, battered, and absolutely beautiful.
    A squeal punched out of her, and she half ran, half skipped across the floor to throw her arms around them. She skidded to a halt when she caught sight of Helcyon’s arms. They were a patchwork of slices, cuts, and dried blood.
    “It’s okay, Cassandra. It looks far worse than it is.”
    She clapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. The copper scent filled her nostrils, and her stomach revolted.
    “Aww, hell.” Jacob spun her around and Jude shoved an empty wastebasket under her nose, and she threw up the coffee she drank.
    Mortified, she looked up under the damp hair falling over her eyes to see twin expressions of concern on their faces. “I’m okay.” But the scent assaulted her again, and she doubled over.
    “Go shower,” Paul ordered crisply as he strode into the room. “It’s the blood. Both of you. Go.”
    She didn’t get a chance to see their expressions, but Paul’s hand rubbed her back soothingly as she brought up everything she’d eaten in the last day and her wishful thoughts for food, too.
    Jacob and Helcyon hesitated, she could feel their reluctance to leave her, but Paul waved them off. Their slow retreat carried the sickening coppery smell with them, and she sank down to sit on the edge of the chair.
    A blissfully cold cloth pressed against her face and another draped over the back of her neck.
    “That’s some kind of nasty there.”
    She chuckled at the innocent rudeness in Jude’s voice.
    “Go empty it and clean it out. She might need it again.” Paul sent him on his way. Cassie kept her head down, the room swam around her whenever she looked up, but relief unraveled in her middle. Her men were okay.
    Hurt.
    But okay.
    “They are both fine. Helcyon’s injuries are largely superficial at this stage. His magic is healing him. A good night’s sleep and you’ll barely notice the healing scars. In a couple of days they will be completely gone. The Fae are very hard to kill.” Paul traded the damp cloths on the back of her neck.
    “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” She peered up at him from beneath the veil of her hair.
    “Old habits. We are trained that in combat, you must go for the killing injury, not the normal crippling one. They can fight through wounds that would leave a human crying for their mother. They can survive worse.”
    “And you Wizards are so delicate.” Her stomach stopped lurching, and an ache replaced the hard cramping. The sweet scent of vanilla tickled her nose, edging out the raw copper. Belatedly, it occurred to her that Paul soaked the cloths in scented water.
    Paul shrugged. “We are what we were made to be. When most of your existence is war, survival is imperative.”
    A bounce of motion announced Jude’s return as he hopped the sofa easily and put the clean trashcan in front of her and reclaimed his book. “We’re tough. We wouldn’t let someone tell our life mate we’re gay.”
    Cassie lifted her head and stared at Jude. Next to her Paul went still. “Who told her that Jacob or Helcyon was gay?”
    As one, she and Jude looked up at Paul and burst out laughing. Somewhere in her soul, the rocks weighing down her heart eased. The links to her men pulsed. They were nearby. Fatigue wore at Jacob, and concern. Helcyon seemed darker, grayer to the natural shimmer of light she