Chapter 20

Carissa woke feeling actually refreshed. She was still in the penthouse owned by the twins. After spending all night talking with Lucy, she was so tired that she gladly accepted the offer to sleep in one of the guest bedrooms. She worried about Cujo, but Lucy assured her that Graham would stop by her townhouse to take care of him.

The sun was now setting, and it was curios to Carissa how she hadn't really missed the daylight. When she'd been held as a captive in the lab, she had no concept of night or day. Once free, she'd been too depressed about Kylie and overwhelmed about everything that she still hadn't really noticed. Pierce had explained to her during their night out at the concert that Carpathians slept during the day. So apparently the whole sun burning a vampire was probably true. Although now she understood the difference between a Carpathian and a vampire.

Carissa got out of the enormous king size bed and went to a nearby window to look out at the city. With the sun setting, it was beautiful. The colors of red and orange seem to stretch on forever.

"Good evening."

She whirled around to find Pierce in the doorway. As always, he was handsome, his thick, short black hair like something off the cover of a romance novel. He looked every bit like the brilliant business man envied by top executives around the world. He casually leaned against the door, and Carissa noted he was wearing a silk blue shirt with dress trousers. This time, she knew it was him and not Samuel almost immediately.

"Perhaps I could fool you if I did wear jeans one day," he said softly, those warm brown eyes watching her closely.

Carissa smiled a little. "I don't think so. For some reason, I just know I can tell either of you apart now."

He nodded. "You are connected with us and each day your senses are beginning to awaken."

"You mean as in being Carpathian."

"Yes. How are you feeling? Have you eaten anything?"

"Um, Lucy gave me some tea last night."

"Good."

She was surprised. "Good? I thought you'd scold me for not having anything else."

Pierce tilted his head. "The tea was infused with nutrients. She made it especially for you."

Carissa should have known. Lucy seem to just know everything. She glanced at the window as the sun was still showing. She noted he was still on the other side of the room, away from the brightness of it, his feet planted in the dark shadows of the doorway. The sun probably made him uncomfortable as she remembered on the night of the concert he explained they had to sleep during the day. Apparently the sun really could hurt them. It was understandable why people wouldn't know the difference between vampire and Carpathian with both having that same issue. "There's only a little light left."

"Yes, it's a beautiful view. I have you to thank for letting me actually feel an appreciation for it."

"But…it's the sun." Didn't it hurt him to even look at it?

Pierce was about to say something when Samuel suddenly came up behind him. "Here, allow me." Before Carissa knew what Samuel was doing, he shoved Pierce into the sunlight. Carissa gave out a gasp and covered her mouth. But when nothing happened, Samuel began to laugh. "You thought he was going to fry." He winked at her. "There are times, I admit, I wish he would."

Pierce narrowed his eyes. "You practically scared her to death."

"You never did have a sense of humor, my brother."

Carissa lowered her hand. "I-I don't understand. I thought the sun would harm you."

"We can tolerate some sunlight, such as early morning or evening," replied Pierce, still glaring at his twin.

She looked at Samuel. "You were teasing me."

He grinned.

Carissa folded her arms across her chest. "That wasn't nice." She looked away before she began to smile but Samuel was there next to her in an instant.

"At least you were concerned about him. That alone shows progress. And I live to see that beautiful smile," he said in a low voice as he turned her gently toward him. "You can't hide it from me."

His fingers were gently encircling her lower arm, and Carissa felt a jolt of excitement race through her body. Samuel was certainly not shy as he leaned in close to her. But then she became conscious of Pierce standing near the window, not far behind Samuel. He was watching them with steady eyes. Carissa suddenly felt uncomfortable, like she shouldn't be paying attention to only Samuel. She lightly pushed him away.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, walking toward the bedroom door. "I better go home and check on Cujo."

"Carissa," said Pierce, "we need to talk about some things."

The thought of talking about how the three of them could be intimate together was not something she wanted to face. "I just need a little more time."

"But we can't wait any longer," said Samuel.

Carissa swallowed hard. "I thought you said I had all the time I needed.."

Pierce interrupted her. "To go to the Carpathian Mountains."

She let out a breath. "Oh."

Samuel nodded. "We are not leaving without you. Lucy will take care of Cujo while we are away. He'll be in good hands, we promise."

"So," she paused, "you are saying you want to leave now?"

Pierce sighed. "I would rather wait, but unfortunately we need to go before our prince in person to explain what is happening with Morrison. They actually penetrated one of our company systems and used it to spread viruses to other businesses."

"Can't you just call him?"

"I have a blood connection to him so I can instantly communicate with him. But we feel it's very important we appear in person."

Carissa expected him to continue, but when both twins were silent, she suddenly got the point. "And more importantly, to present me in front of him."

"The bond between the three of us will not be easily accepted," said Pierce in a quiet voice.

Samuel shook his head in irritation. "The SongMaker will confirm it."

"SongMaker?"

"The oldest Carpathian we told you about," replied Pierce in a gentle voice.

"Oh. Why do they call him the SongMaker?"

"His purpose is to teach our children as well as soothe the mind. We have the greatest healers when to comes to the body, but the SongMaker can repair the mind as well. When he sings, it gives even the most distant hunter a moment of peace from the calling of the darkness. His voice uncovers memories, sometimes long forgotten."

Carissa bit her lip. Everything was moving too fast. She felt like suddenly she was leaving her world. When they said nothing, she knew they already could feel everything she was thinking about. So to hell with it. She might as well take a giant leap and let it all out. Lucy had given her more confidence about moving forward.

"I'm scared," she blurted.

"As are we," said Pierce softly.

"You are?" Carissa asked with surprise. She thought both of them were so sure of themselves. They were strong and invincible.

"We are when it comes to you," said Pierce. "We want you to be safe, to be accepting of us, and-"

"To be happy," finished Samuel looking intently down at her.

Carissa suddenly noticed how close he was to the bed. "Um, can we go into the other room?"

"Of course," said Pierce, "we did not intend to make you feel uncomfortable here." He gestured to the door and she walked out into the hall. He followed, with Samuel close behind. They were both worried and hopeful with the fact that she'd decided to sleep at their home during the day.

She stopped when she got to the large living room. The sun had disappeared by now and she gazed out one of the enormous windows. The city lights twinkled and a beautiful moon was rising. "I suppose I could get used to this view," she murmured.

As usual, Samuel didn't hesitate and walked right next to her. "I chose this location," he said with some pride in his voice. "There is no other building that overlooks over the entire city at this height. I had to spend weeks convincing Pierce it was the perfect home for us."

When she looked at Pierce in question, he sighed. "I would have preferred something more rural or country. Something that is closer to the earth."

"We have to be close to the business world," insisted Samuel.

"In a high rise above the earth with little protection from the daylight," said Pierce with a hint of sarcasm.

"It was easily fixed." Samuel grinned again at Carissa, that boyish smile making her heart do an odd flip. "Just a few secret compartments and a few tons of soil."

Pierce rolled his eyes. "It would have been much simpler if we'd stayed outside the city."

"Yeah, that makes sense. Two brilliant businessmen living in the country."

Carissa looked back and forth between them. "Are you both always like this?"

"Like what?" they asked in unison.

Wow, this was definitely going to be a challenging relationship. They were both complete opposite from each other. Samuel stood casually next to her in jeans and a cotton shirt, not understanding why anything had to be taken so seriously. He seemed to be more impulsive, making quick decisions.

Pierce had a cool elegance about him. He appeared to be more cautious, taking his time to think through decisions. And he was fairly conservative, not willing to take any large risks.

She's quiet, said one of them.

And she's closed off her mind.

Definitely not a good sign.

Carissa couldn't help but smile. "I can hear both of you."

Samuel shrugged. "At least you smiled again."

Pierce sighed. "We have a lot to learn with regard to keeping you happy. Somehow, I don't think us arguing is always going to make you smile."

"True," agreed his twin, "but I'm sure we can think of other ways to make her happy."

Carissa felt another wave of heat pass through her body and she looked away.

Only to meet Pierce's smoldering gaze from across the room. An image of her kissing him in front of her home that one night passed through her mind. She could feel his arms around her while his mouth invaded hers.

Stop, whispered Pierce in her mind, you are killing me.

I disagree, said Samuel, your thoughts are natural and you should embrace those feelings.

Carissa swallowed hard and looked back at Samuel. She could feel his desire, and for a moment she dared to look into his mind. She saw herself in bed with him in a passionate embrace, both of them naked while he lowered his head to claim her lips. His body was on top of hers, and he was impatiently nudging a knee between her legs. Samuel's hand was trailing downward, his fingers seeking Carissa's most intimate, secret place…

Carissa's body was now on fire. Breathing heavily, she glanced back at Pierce who was having a similar reaction, except his arousal was even more obvious within his trousers. Two incredibly, handsome men wanted her right now.

And she was an inexperience virgin.

Suddenly she was terrified. How would she know what to do with one of them, let alone two? How would this relationship work? Biting her lip, she backed away from both of them.

"Carissa," said Pierce softly, "you do not need to be afraid of us. We will not let our physical desire go any further than you wish."

"How do I know that?" she asked with a trembling voice. "My own body responds to both of you. All it would take is for one of you to…to start something." If that happened, she would be completely lost. Part of her was excited by the thought while a voice inside her head worried they would be disappointed with her lack of experience.

The twins looked at each other, a silent message passing between them. Samuel was now the one to back away. He raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. "You have our word, Carissa. Nothing will happen without your complete consent. Both mind and body."

She tried to calm herself. Samuel moving away helped her breathe a little better as her body cooled down. "I still haven't forgiven either of you for keeping so much information from me. And I shouldn't have learned some of the truth from Tyrell."

"We know," replied Pierce with regret in his voice.

"It was wrong of us," agreed Samuel, "but there will be times you need to trust us with your protection. That vampire is not necessarily a friend, Carissa."

"Tyrell is not a vampire. And you didn't let me finish." She shook her head. Lucy was right, they reacted with emotion when it came to her. "I know you were both only trying to protect me. What you don't understand is that I have to know everything when it comes to decisions about me. Within any relationship, there has to be open communication. I need to be involved in everything when it comes to all three of us."

Samuel frowned. "When it comes to your safety, we will not take any chances."

"I don't see how keeping silent on the fact that both of you are my lifemate helped in keeping me safe."

"We didn't understand what was happening. We had to figure things out ourselves."

"And I should have been right there with both of you when it was happening. You should have told me immediately."

Pierce sighed. "Can you deny that you were already overwhelmed enough with finding out about the Carpathian world?"

"No, but holding back information doesn't make it any easier on me or our relationship. Don't you see? It hurts things even more because it causes me not to trust either of you."

The twins looked at each other. She's right, said Pierce on their private link.

I have a feeling she is always going to be right.

Carissa cleared her throat. "And I don't like it when you privately communicate about me to each other." The tension in the room hung heavy in the air.

Then Samuel broke it. "If I stop communicating with him privately, then you're going to hear me complain about him all the time."

Pierce let out a sharp breath. "And I won't be able to stop myself from putting him in his place."

"See?" Samuel now had a hint of amusement in his eyes. "We're communicating with you about this decision."

Carissa tried hard to not smile. "I don't think we need to talk about this anymore. I think I'll hear enough arguments between the two of you enough as it is. So I think it's fine to go right ahead for both of you to argue some of them privately. But promise me you'll talk to me first when there's anything important going on."

Samuel looked thoughtful. "Does that include decisions about which one of us is right?"

Carissa couldn't help herself and let out a laugh. He winked at her as Pierce gave him an annoyed look. She shook her head. "Why do I get the feeling you will always be the one causing mischief?"

"That's an understatement," muttered Pierce.

Samuel leaned back against a nearby wall. "You have no idea how lucky you are, Carissa. Without me, life would be positively boring if you were only with him as a lifemate."

"I think he has a number of strengths that also keep you out of trouble."

Pierce looked smugly at his twin. "Her intelligence is the reason I love her."

Love? Carissa felt a warm wave of emotion in her chest. How could anyone love someone so quickly?

"We are lifemates," he answered.

"The three of us," Carissa murmured. "I still don't understand how you can't be jealous of each other."

"Neither do we," replied Pierce. He looked away, almost as if he was embarrassed. "In truth, I don't like to think about it, or at least from a logical standpoint. The thought is repulsive to share my lifemate with my own brother."

Carissa hesitated. But since he was being so honest, she might as well ask the question. "Do you, I mean, have feelings for him too?"

Pierce met her eyes. "I will always love my twin." Then he added, "No matter how much he annoys me."

Carissa felt her heart beating fast. "So you and him…"

Pierce gave her a shocked expression. "No! Never in that way."

Samuel laughed. "Touching his identical twin in an intimate way is not in his definition of love."

"Unless it means touching as in giving him a good beating," replied Pierce in a cool voice.

"I'd like to see you try."

Carissa held up a hand. "Okay, okay, I get it. I just needed to know. It's all very strange. How could this happen?"

"We have no idea," said Pierce. "Somehow, he and I share a soul."

"Which is why you are complete opposite," Carissa said as she sat down on a nearby couch. She was beginning to feel slightly relaxed. She was relieved that they were finally being open about some things. While she didn't like to think about the situation, especially when it came to being intimate, it felt good to get her fears out.

Well, except for the part about her being a virgin.

Pierce raised an eyebrow and she cursed herself. She'd let that particular thought escape before she had a chance to close off her mind from them.

"We already knew," said Samuel in a light tone.

She folded her arms, hugging herself. "You did?"

"Yes, and as long as we are having open, honest communication, then you should know it doesn't matter to us."

"But, you've both had so much experience…"

Pierce sat down on a chair across from her. "We've lived hundreds of years, Carissa. You have not," he soothed.

"I'm actually pleased you haven't been with anyone else," said Samuel.

Carissa looked up at him. "I guess that's probably true, isn't it. I think about the women you've been with and it makes me upset."

"They meant nothing."

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better either."

"That's not what he meant," Pierce volunteered for his brother.

"What do you mean? Did he actually love one of them? Wait, did you?"

On their private connection, Samuel chuckled. And to think she said you kept me out of trouble. Seems like you are the one not helping us, dear brother.

Pierce ignored him. "We did not love anyone else. But when we had emotion, we truly cared about others."

"And what about after you lost your emotion?"

"It was our honor to treat humans with respect," replied Samuel. "And no woman could ever fulfill the emptiness we felt, Carissa. I have dreamed of you my entire life."

She was quiet for a moment. While this was hard to believe, she had more hope now. Maybe this was all meant to be. She shoved aside her insecurities and lifted her chin. "So, if we leave for the Carpathian Mountains, how will you travel there? I mean, the plane has windows and there will be daylight at some point when we have to cross the ocean."

"Graham will make arrangements for, shall we say, cargo to be loaded onto the plane."

Her eyes widened. "Coffins?"

Samuel grinned. "Black with red velvet lining. And a gothic cross on the front."

Carissa's mouth dropped open.

Pierce rolled his eyes. "He's teasing you again. But we will have the refuge of soil within the containers."

Feeling like she'd been duped yet again, she glared at Samuel.

Then she laughed. "That was so not funny."

"It got you to smile again."

Author's note: Sorry everyone. Was in Boston last week alnd going to Seattle next week. So yeah, the travel schedule has been a little tough lately for work. Any reviews would help motivate me to keep going! - Anne