Page 36 of Claimed By Monsters

For some reason, I want to smile. I just feel so happy staring up at the men. Like something is settling deep inside me, content. If I was a cat, I’d be purring.

“You know, I’ve been told I’m good at sex,” Cain jokes, “but I’ve never made someone pass out before.”

“I didn’t pass out. Not exactly.” I sit up slowly.

Raven immediately hands me a glass of water. I smile at him gratefully and he blushes.

“I had a vision,” I explain, taking sips of water. The urge to cuddle close to the men is overwhelming. I just… I feel safe with them. “I’ve never had one before.”

North’s face grows a bit… shuttered. “You never had it until now?”

I shake my head.

North nods, patting my shoulder. He seems sympathetic. “Raven, Cain, you two have got this.”

He kisses the top of my head and then stands and goes into the kitchen, rooting around in the cupboards. It doesn’t look like he’s actually trying to do anything. More like he’s just trying to distract himself. His jaw is clenched, and his back and shoulders are drawn together, hunched.

Is North upset?

“Did I do something wrong?” I ask, looking over at the other two.

Cain shakes his head, smiling. Raven puts a hand on my knee. “No, never. You couldn’t do anything wrong.”

I raise an eyebrow at him. Cain chuckles.

“So this was your first vision, huh?” he asks me. “How do you feel?”

“Um… exposed.”

“That would be the towel.”

“Very funny. No, I mean…” I shake my head. “Vulnerable. Like I need to feel safe.” I don’t know how to say that the three of them make me feel safe. “Like when you’re in the shower and somebody rips open the curtain.”

Cain nods. “It does feel like that, yes. Especially when you’re looking at your own past or future instead of seeing something from the present. Or someone else’s past or whatever.”

Raven also nods, in agreement.

“The more you do it, the more used to it you’ll get,” Cain assures me. “It’s just like anything else, practice makes perfect. If you’ll excuse the metaphor…” He winks. “It’s almost like having sex for the first time. When you first have sex you’re so overwhelmed, it’s all too much. And you can’t really control yourself or be very good at it. But the more you do it the better you get at it, and it still feels good, but it doesn’t overwhelm you. Make sense?”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” I finish off my water. Raven takes it and sets it aside. “Were you guys able to make any progress on research?”

The two men look at each other sheepishly. “We were looking after you,” Cain says. “You were out for an hour and a half.”

“What?” It doesn’t feel like I was out for that long. How did that happen? The vision felt like it was only a minute.

Cain nods. “Yup. Visions never feel as long as they really are. When Raven and I were searching earlier for the gem, it felt like only a few seconds.”

“And you three didn’t… do anything during that time?”

“How could we? We had to keep an eye on you and make sure you’re okay,” Raven says. He sounds completely serious, as if it never even occurred to him or the others to do anything other than look at me and keep an eye on me.

Wow. It feels almost like I’ve been hit by a truck. These three really are devoted to me.

What am I supposed to do with that?

CHAPTER 12

We spend the rest of the day doing research, trying to find where this Aurora Gem would be based on the building Raven and Cain saw.

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