Page 48 of Twin Warriors

Cole just shook his head and sighed. Yes, he thought, his life had gotten very interesting today.

Cane went over to their bags, pulling out a few more supplies, before he placed the compacted cot box on the ground and pressed the button. The bed unfolded the same way the tent did and seconds later, they had a large bed taking up most of the space in the tent.

“That is still so cool,” Amy said with a huge smile on her face.

She helped him to the bed, biting her lip when Cole tried to stifle a pained groan as he lay back.

A wave of nervousness filled him, making him look over at Cane. His brother stood to the side, unsure of what he should do. They had never done anything like this before, having only slept in the same bed for the first few days of their lives, when they were still joined.

Amy stood, going over to him. Without a word, she took his hands and slowly led him to the bed. She climbed in, moving to lay beside Cole, and waited as Cane lay down on her other side.

Cole wished he could turn to hold her, to pull her into his arms and kiss her again, but the pain in his body made that impossible.

Instead, he reached out, pulling her hand up to his lips, and closed his eyes.

The bed shifted. He felt Amy turn on her side, before her gentle hand ran up his arm and rested on his uninjured shoulder. Her legs curled around his before she placed a soft kiss to his neck.

He reached out to Cane, to see if he had left, but found that his brother held their mate against his body, her back pressed into him and his arm’s securely around her waist.

“Sleep well, my little Sila.” Cole whispered, turning his head to press a kiss to Amy’s head.

“You too, Cole. Goodnight Cane.”

“Sleep well, Amy.”

With that, he closed his eyes and let the pain and exhaustion pull him into a deep sleep.

Cane lay still, holding his mate in his arms and listened as her breathing mixed with Cole’s as they slept. So many thoughts ran through his mind, making sleep impossible.

What if Iron did not agree for them to return to the compound. It had been their home for so long that he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. He had people he cared about, friends he thought of as brothers. What would they do if they were forced to leave? Where would they go?

He knew now that Amy would never leave the beasts or the symbiotes behind, so returning to Arusia was not an option. His kind would never accept them.

What of Cole? He was badly injured and needed to be taken back to the healers, but his stubborn brother would never leave a mission, no matter how badly he was hurt. Especially not if it meant finding Ice and Dio.

As the mate of their leader and close friend, Ice was like a sister to them. She was a strong warrior of Arusia, but she was also a kind, caring female that many looked to for guidance and support. It was because of her that the Iron compound took in females and children that needed help. It had been her personal mission to build the housing units that housed them, the scholar building to teach the children and even the large medical center where those that needed assistance could get the help they needed for no cost.

It was Ice that had given Iron the idea to build a research center where they could experiment with new and advanced enhancements for the warriors that lived there. As much as Iron was their commander, Ice was the heart of the Iron compound. They needed her back, and so did Iron. He had seen the stress take its toll on their friend over the last few weeks. He couldn’t imagine not knowing what happened to his mate, fearing she was dead every day.

He tightened his grip on Amy, pushing the thoughts of her lost to them away.

His mind took him to Dio. Dio was one of the few males in the Iron compound that was not an Arusian cyborg. Although he did have enhancements, they were not made of metal.

Dio came from a race called the Lasmox, a species that built their warriors out of synthetic flesh and organs grown in a lab. Lasmox soldiers were not meant to have emotions or self-thought, but the scientist that had built Dio had experimented with such things, resulting in a warrior the Lasmox military could not blindly control. When the truth about what the Lasmox military was doing to weaker races came to light, Dio had killed all those that he knew were involved with the atrocities and fled to a faraway star system. Lost in the desert for days, Dio had been weak and close to death when Cane and Cole had found him.

He could remember that day like it was yesterday, not the fifteen years ago that it truly was.

It had taken them a while to show Dio that the Iron militia was nothing like his own military, but finally, after months of patience, they had gained his trust. Now, Dio was one of their closest friends.

All the warriors on the compound worked in teams. Cane and Cole’s team consisted of the twins, Dio, Lace, Roam and Sena. They were the highest-ranking warriors on the compound and an unstoppable force when working together.

Dio and Sena were the only two of them that were not Arusian, but he trusted each one of them with his life.

The thought of having to give all of that up, of never seeing his friends again tore at him. He knew that Cole needed a home; a place where he felt needed and useful. Cane did too, but as the older of the two of them, it was up to him to make sure his brother was taken care of.

Now, he had a much more important person to care for. Amy. Their mate.

The only place he could think of where she would be safe, was at the compound.