Page 14 of Three's A Wrap
“I’m getting to that part. Also, call me Seb,” he says, flashing a grin. “I was on an archaeological dig in Egypt and fancied myself a card sharp. Lady luck and the card tables were my first love, and I did well for myself too. Until one night in Cairo, when agent took offense and accused me of being a cheat. He’d heard tales of another tomb, so labyrinthine that people would get lost within it. He had a handful of his men lie in wait to ambush me. I’m sure you can guess the rest.”
I blink, knowing I probably look like a fucked-up owl, but hello? I’m mated to an ancient being and a gambler from the eighteen hundreds.
“Right. And how was the bracelet supposed to work?” I ask, gesturing at the now massive gold cuff on Ausar’s arm.
“That was my fault, I think,” Seb confesses, his brows pinching into a scowl.
“How?”
His face clears as he moves to sit beside me at the head of the bed, tugging me so I lay against his chest. “After I was left for dead in the tomb, I ventured through the tunnels for days until I found the throne room, except it didn’t look like it did yesterday.”
“My power was much greater then,” Ausar offers.
Seb waves a hand in the air. “There was far more gold and opulence everywhere.”
“What happened?” I ask, wondering why there were only a couple gold pillars left when I was there.
“I was injured and half dead by the time I made it to him, is what happened. In saving me, he sacrificed part of his magic. After a few years, I fell for the big dope,” he grins, and kisses the air in Ausar's direction.
It makes sense, as sometimes mate bonds can grow from love alone.
Ausar laughs in response, and the corners of his eyes wrinkle with laugh lines.
“Then why the bracelet?”
“After about a hundred years, his power started failing, but when we found out about you, we knew that you could free us all.”
I stiffen and tilt my head to look up at him. “What do you mean you found out about me?”
Ausar clears his throat and my gaze tracks to his. “The gold and trappings are tied to my magic, you see. I performed a spell seeking out any other potential mates, hoping that he or she would free us from my sister’s prison. I spent a great bit of my power to send my arm cuff to the location.”
“Leaving him dormant, which is how you saw him in the throne room. But I think I woke him up too many times before we tried to find you,” Seb reveals.
“Oh, my gods,” I breathe, my hand going to my chest at what they've been through.
“I performed the spell during Samhaim in the hopes of increasing the cuff’s abilities, not knowing what era you’d be born. However, it’s possible my sister’s curse impacted the magic,” Ausar muses, rubbing a hand over his smooth purple jaw.
“Every few years I would grow so lonely that I’d wake him. He’d stay with me for as long as he could, until he had to go into stasis again. After a while, I got pretty creative with how I'dwake him up,” Seb says, with a lascivious wiggle of his brows that makes me giggle.
It’s truly astonishing that he was able to wake Ausar at all if he really did spend the last of his magic to find me.
“Eventually I found the fastest way, which is what you saw.”
I bite my lip and can't help but snicker at the knowledge of how my mate casually brought a dead guy back to the land of the living one blowie at a timefor years.
“And you have powers because…” I ask, staring up at Seb expectantly.
“I pushed more magic than I should have to save him and after, I couldn’t let him go.”
Butterflies take flight in my stomach when Seb squeezes me to him, and I catch Ausar’s gaze and realize how there's not a hint of jealousy between them. Just love. My men truly love each other. It's clear from the way they tend to answer questions for each other and the soft subtle looks between them.
“And now you have saved us both in return, Chloe,” Ausar continues.
The butterflies increase in tempo. I frown suddenly, wanting to feel them both, wanting both of their touches on me. Getting to know them, seeing their love and how they’re so ready to share it with me, is more than I could have ever asked for. I’m so happy, and it makes me want to strengthen our bond.
“Come, Ausar, our mate needs us,” Seb announces, rubbing a hand down my side gently.
“How did you know?” I ask, my hand going to my throat at how sultry it sounds.
