The morning sun shone in through the open window that should have been covered by the curtains. A light groan escaped Chel as she tried to cover her eyes from the offending sun’s rays. ”Should have closed the curtains, Lander,” she moaned. Her words were soft as she did not want to wake up either of the men in her bed. A light grin crossed her lips as she thought about the situation that she had found her life in despite what everyone had hoped for her. Chel sat up slightly while pushing the arms off of her in an effort to get some moving room. Leaning back against the headboard of their large bed, she looked down at Lander on one side and then Orrin on the other. She was not one for being sentimental, but the twins that shared her bed made her feel that way. A light kissed was place on each of their foreheads before the huntress picked her way out of the bed.

Hand grabbed for her clothing to be quickly thrown on while sneaking out of their bedroom. Her two mates were heavy sleepers for the most part, and Chel wanted to get some food going before they were stirred for the day. She raked her fingers through what hair was on top of her head to put it into a bun at the back. It was easier to manage since she had shaved the sides of her head recently to keep her image clean. ”Eggs it is,” she mumbled under her breath.

Again, Chel was not the domestic type but for her twin mates it was worth the effort. Eggs were broken with contents put into a frying pan. There were at least a dozen eggs that were put in for cooking. All three of them ate quite a bit considering how active they were in their hunting lifestyles. She wondered as the fire was lit for the frying pan what the twins’ mother would think of her making food for her beloved sons. Despite her protest they still decided to stay with her. They chose her despite what their mother wanted them to do. It still baffled her as to why high ranking twin males of the Clan would pick her, but at the moment she was not complaining. They were ridiculous fools, but they were her’s.

Chopsticks were used to scramble the eggs in the sizzling pan to make a large yellow mess. Once they were done, she poured the contents into a large bowl. Slabs of bacon were thrown into the same pan to be cooked up quickly. Everything was thrown in the same bowl to be picked out of as they so pleased. Sometimes it felt like she was mated with man children, but they provided their amusements.

Neither twin heard their mate as she got up from between them, not even when she spoke to one of them directly in fact… not that Chel had spoken loud enough to wake either of them given how deeply the pair could sleep.

Twins were something of a social status within the Jiyu clan and it afforded Orrin and Lander some luxuries in life given their position – not to mention they were bonded to the same spirit; a Hydra no less. The pair prided themselves on their strength and their position as two of the best hunters of the clan; their mother, like most of the clan, had high hopes for both the boys and it showed in how the pair carried themselves – heads high, grinning, confident in their own ability and self-worth.
But the twins were headstrong, ambitious and had their own minds as well and when they had first set their eyes on Chel both had agreed that no matter what the cost the woman would be their mate. Their mother hated their choice; a lot of the clan had not understood it either but their mate was their choice and both had made it extremely clear that they wanted her and no one else. The Gods help anyone who tried to change that…

It was the smell of cooking bacon that woke the pair; Orrin growling in pleasure at the smell while Lander snarled angrily at the light now attacking his eyes – of the pair the latter had never been a morning person, not until he had had something to eat at least.
Rolling over and sitting up Orrin grinned as his brother put a pillow over his head to block out the light; the pair were extremely close, you had to be to share a mate after all, but that did not mean that they did not act like children… As such Orrin saw an opportunity to wind up his morning hating brother… by smacking him in the head with his own pillow before pushing him off the bed with his foot…
”Rise and shine sleepy head!” He called cheerfully before he let out a yelp and leapt off the bed, his brother’s pillow skimming past his face as Lander retaliated.
”BASTARD!” He roared, fighting the covers that had wrapped themselves around his body as he had rolled off the bed. ”I swear I’m going to tear your head off one of these days Orrin!”
”You’d have to get up first brother.” Orrin grinned as he swiftly threw on his clothes and darted out of the bedroom before his twin could retaliate further.

Following the smell of bacon Orrin let out a small grown of hunger before he slid his muscled arms around his mate’s waist, burying his face in her neck. ”Sod the eggs and bacon I’ll just eat you up you smell so good.” He growled seductively. Suddenly something hard hit him in the back of his head and he jolted away from her with a yelp, glaring as Lander pushed him away with a hand, pulling Chel into his embrace to kiss her firmly on the lips.
”Good morning gorgeous, thank you for the breakfast.” He winked.
”You eat all of that Lander and you’ll be too fat to catch me next time I hit you with a pillow.”
”Keep talking Orrin, I’ll always be quicker than you regardless of how much I eat.” Lander replied snidely as he spooned a hefty portion of breakfast onto his plate and sat at the table. ”Have we been assigned a mission yet?”
”How in the heck would I know? We share the same bed remember you dolt?” Orrin replied with a roll of his eyes, winking at Chel. ”Clearly I got the brains as well as the good looks.”
Dream on brother. Dream on…”

lA heavy sigh escaped the demon hunter as she heard the twins begin to stir. Despite noting the childish routine of their waking, she couldn’t help but smile. Few were sure as to how the match up came about for the three. Even now Chel was unsure of really how they had become a mated group. The twins were quite the celebrated duo in the Clan. Their status was elevated from their rather divine birth, though they never really wanted any of the responsibilities to come along with it. Mother of the rare twins wanted much for her children. Chel was not one of those things she had wanted. She leaned on the kitchen counter as the concerns replayed for the millionth time through her head. Things were pushed away at the sound of the men making their way towards her.

Noises got louder as the morning hating Lander attempted to take revenge (again) upon Orrin. Hearing these kinds of threats were normal for the mornings where the group had to get up rather on time. Chel knew that if she had not gotten up before them, then there would never be a chance for them to meet the Matriarch at their allotted time. She knew that the twins respected the Matriarch, but it was not exactly their favorite to play politics.

A warm loving smile crossed her face at the feel of Orrin wrapped around her waist as well as her entire form. The warmth form his body helped push the insecurities away all over again. Her arms moved to hold him as she did not want to be parted from his embrace. Chel was not known for her sense of affection. Yet, when it came to Orrin and Lander there was no holding back on her part. The huntress lifted her hand to lightly trace Orrin’s jaw line. ”We did that already last night. This morning we have to get breakfast.” Eyes closed tightly as Orrin reacted to something that Lander had done. It was quite normal for their household.

Chel was forcibly moved into the other man’s arms. Again this had become something normal in their pattern of transferring the woman between the pair. She couldn’t help but put her hands up in Lander’s hair as they kissed good morning. It still made her blush like an innocent girl when they would ever address her beauty in their eyes. ”Well, I can’t let me handsome men starve in the morning.” Chel did what she could to minimize the smile on her face as they all finally took their seats at the table.

”Alright, my loves, that’s enough. Please eat and be quiet as I tell you the plans for the day.” The huntress took her portion and picked it lightly while keeping an eye on the pair. Usually they could settle down when food became finally involved. ”The three of us are going before Matriarch Uial for our assignment. There are a few things that we must address on the Clans behalf. Apparently there some situations that only you two have the ability to handle at the moment.” The ego was being stroked lovingly for her mates, and she enjoyed seeing them feel pleased with themselves. Besides, they were insanely attractive with brilliant smiles.

She watched the pair before touching their arms with each of her hands. ”We need to be on our best behavior. And when I say we….I mean the royal we…as in you two. I say this lovingly.”

Orrin chuckled at his mate as she replied. ”Never stopped us before.” He muttered moments before Lander stuck his oar into the situation.
For all the bickering the boys did it was clear to see that they cared for one another and that they were utterly devoted to Chel; the rest of the village could look at them in disbelief all they liked – the twins loved her with all of their heart and nothing could change that. They were seen as high ranking, they were seen as miracles – it was as much a blessing as it was a curse for the boys; but it was also the reason they had been so attracted to Chel. Isolated from the rest of the world by the village and further isolated by their mother they had grown up knowing they were special but they had also grown up without anyone knowing them. It had made them close to one another, of course it had, but it had also made them bitter towards the rest of the world – the only thing anyone ever saw was their looks and status, they were never seen for themselves… until Chel came along. Not even their mother could truly tell the pair apart but no matter how hard they tried Lander and Orrin had been unable to fool Chel… and they had adored her for that.

While Chel would never be able to tame the wild men entirely their adoration and devotion towards their mate did tend to temper their ways and when she asked them to eat and be quiet that was exactly what they did. Very few people got to see them in such an intimate fashion and so never really saw how the men were with their mate; had anyone seen the way she could lead them they might not have believed it!
As she stroked their egos the pair looked at one another and grinned widely, Orrin winking at Lander who chuckled and flexed a bicep in response. ”Naturally.” Lander replied as he shovelled more eggs and bacon into his mouth, devouring his breakfast swiftly; his attitude immediately picking up now that his stomach was no longer empty.

”Us? Best behaviour?” Lander replied in mock indignity, one hand on his heart while Orrin placed the back of a hand to his forehead like some wounded maiden.
”As if we would be on anything else!” Orrin added.
”We’re wounded Chel. Wounded.”
”Is that really how little you think of us?”

Idiots. Both of them… utter bloody idiots…

Despite the time she had been with the twins the resistance to their flirtations was not perfected. Heat rose on her neck at Orrin’s words that was thankfully dissipated by the antics of Lander. Both were full of energy that morning even though they feigned exhaustion merely due to the time of day. Head shook a little as they got the bickering out of their system as she attempted to get all settled at the table. It was going to be a busy day for the three of them even with it most likely being a simpler assignment for them to accomplish. She was surprised that they were being sent out as quickly as they were considering it was not long from their last mission. Chel could admit that Matriarch Uial was on edge since the Voice spoke to the world as a whole. Even with that, the need of the common people didn’t slow down.

Several bites were taken as she watched Orrin and Lander feed themselves with a little more calm than previously. The huntress remembered how they had pursued her with the tenacity and grace of a charging bull. Neither ever seemed to have doubts about what they wanted. Both always were on the same wave length as the other. For some reason it had been focused on Chel. She still could not understand how others could not tell the pair a part. Their personalities were different even though they attempted to cover that fact up. They were one minded in many ways, but Chel could distinguish the other easily. She softly smiled at them before taking another bite.

It was just a shame that no one would tell that the twins were actually thirty from the way that they behaved. She licked her lips of any crumbles of food before sitting back in a flop at their little routine. Little devils that’s what they were. There was still doubt that they had been fused with a powerful beast of a hydra instead of little devil imps. It would have made more sense!

Head rocked backwards for her to stare at the ceiling as their act continued. ”Are we done yet? Or can we move on to our next scene to be performed for our Matriarch?” Chel lifted her head to look at them again with lifted brow as if to pretend to be annoyed. ”I’m going to get dressed. When you get care from one another for your wounds, I will expect you will get ready.” She shook her head again while laughing to put her plates on the counter. They would get cleaned later.

Chel slipped out of the kitchen before either could try to grab her for some nonsense. The huntress had learned quickly that they were a hands on type. Back in their bedroom, clothe armor was donned that was her usual MO. Blue fabric wrapped around her top like a halter along with blue loose trousers to be stuffed into books. A bo staff was strapped to her muscled back. Chel took pride in her well-defined muscles as they took a long time to develop and maintain. Rolling her shoulders, the woman waited for her loving mates to get their act together for them to leave somewhat on time for the day.

With breakfast now filling their bellies it was clear that the moods of the brothers was lifting (or at least Lander’s was – Orrin seemed fine regardless). There was no denying that the pair were good looking – tall, muscled, toned and tanned neither of them were deluded enough to believe that they were anything other than perfect. Women had been clawing at them for attention but no woman had ever caught their eye beyond Chel… when they had taken the marriage ceremony their mother had all but choked – not that either of them had cared; their mother hating their mate was merely an added bonus as far as they were concerned.

Snorting Orrin winked at Chel as he shoved the last of his breakfast into his mouth, picked up their empty plates and moved to wash up. ”Yes Miss.” He replied childishly, winking once more while Lander stood up to wipe down the table. They might act like children but their mate had somehow managed to domesticate them… to a point anyway.

For once the boys seemed in a charitable mood in terms of their punctuality (a rarity). With the kitchen cleaned up they had immediately dressed as instructed, the black leather armour they wore only accentuating their already defined muscles. If they looked handsome in loose fitting clothes they were utterly drool worthy in their leather. Twin daggers at their hips the pair took their places beside their mate, smiling warmly at Chel as they stood either side of her. Others might question how the relationship between the three had come about but they were proud of their little family and they would not have chosen another woman under any circumstances.

"Ready when you are."
"Best go and see what they need us to do now. Honestly it's a miracle this village survived so long before we were born."
"Too true brother! What would they do without us!" Orrin replied with a grin before they looked at one another, smiled, looked at Chel and said in unison. "Crumble most likely."

This meeting was something that felt different. Chel couldn't explain why it felt that way, but it was the message phrasing that plucked at the back of the huntress's mind. There was no sense to mention this to her husbands’ considering it would only get them riled even further up. The note had been from Matriarch Uial herself. Rarely did she pen her summons for missions. That fact alone pulled at the concerned thoughts at the back of her mind. Sometimes she could not bring herself to discuss such things with the twins when the three of them were together. Their protective sides sometimes got a little excessive whenever Chel became worried about things. She had to be cautious with expressed concerns, and it had to be with one at a time. Gaze slowly moved from Lander to Orrin. It was a gentle expression. They had picked her despite all the women that had been clawing for their attention. There had been obvious attraction on Chel's part towards the twins, but it had been their ridiculous humor and caring that had made her really fall in love with them.

The twins made it to their bedroom to get ready for their visit with their leader. Leaning up against the wardrobe, she watched them get changed. A sly smile presented itself on her lips. Despite the time they had been together, Chel still appreciated the muscles that were well formed on her husbands. When they were finally ready, they took up their usual places on either side. A chuckle escaped her even with her efforts to not encourage them. ”Yes! We would crumble to pieces if not for your presence,” she stated with an exaggerated eye roll. ”Though, I don’t know where I would be without the two of you.” This was not tainted with sarcasm or humor. It was a fact. Chel had been able to enjoy life more since Orrin and Lander had come into her life.

”Let’s see what we can do to help our People.” Leading the way, the woman move out of their home towards the Great Hall. It took little time for them to get to the Great Hall and up the tall stairway to the building. Massive doors were open to show the empty hall inside. Only Matriarch Uial was sitting on her throne that was perched on the dais and her twin brother Cole were there. Chel was surprised to not see Nymph, but then again there were things going on with the woman’s family. Their footsteps echoed while making their way to the base of the stairs that led up to Uial.

With the proper bow, Chel stood with the note sent for their summons. ”My lady, we are here as per your request. What is the mission that you have for us?” There was the hint of concern that the huntress truly felt in regards to it. No one in the Village had not heard the announcement from the Voice. What concerned her as well were the tired dark circles under Uial’s eyes.

”It is appreciated that you three came diligently,” she said, though there was a snort of derision from Cole as he sat on the edge of the table up on the dais. Arms were crossed over his chest as he looked down at Orrin and Lander. He was a stickler for rules, while the other twins were rather free with their interpretation of the traditions tying Jiyu together. ”As you know there are certain things necessary to help handle Revaliir’s current predicament. I cannot send more of the hunters out at the moment. We are already spread thin with the searches.” She adjusted in her seat as if she wanted to massage her neck from pain. Chel felt pity for her leader considering her personality had to be ‘on’ all the time. ”We have a demon taking up home in a volcano. This volcano has been dormant for quite some time, and now is starting to go active. There is a village on the side of the mountain that will be wiped out if not dealt with. I am sure that it won’t be difficult for the three of you to handle whatever this demon is, and capture it. We would like to use it for future ritual but also will protect the village.”

Chel looked to Lander first and then to Orrin. They would be the lead on such a mission. She was not as powerful as they were just from simple genetics. Their fusions were also on a higher level as well. It would be their decision if the three could handle such a task.

Of the pair Lander tended to be the more sensible – though it wasn’t all that often that either of the twins could hold such a title if truth be told. All joking aside the pair were acutely aware that it was unlike the Matriach to summon them to the Throne room in such a fashion – which meant that something serious was going on.
Of course they had heard The Voice but since it didn’t directly impact their lives neither Lander nor Orrin had really cared all that much. It was concern, a consideration but not something they would worry about until they were told to do so or until it impacted on their lives with Chel – it was literally that simple to the boys.

While Chel had noted the uniqueness of this meeting so had Lander and he had a feeling that from the obvious tension in his twins shoulders that even Orrin (happy-go-lucky as he was) had picked up on it. Matriarch Uial had called for them personally which meant that whatever she was asking them to go and do was dangerous; generally most if not all of their missions were dangerous as they were two of the strongest (the strongest as far as they were concerned of course) hunters the Jiyu had in their arsenal. But something about this sent warning signs in Lander’s mind and he glanced down at his wife; whatever this mission was he would have to weigh up his loyalty to the Clan against his love of Chel… and he already knew which of those tended to win.

The twins smiled at their wife as she added that she would have been lost without them and they bent down to kiss her on her cheeks lovingly, both placing a hand against the small of her back reassuringly as they let her lead them to the Great Hall to meet with their Matriarch and undoubtedly her brother… with the stick up his arse and a butt load of bugs to boot.
As expected there was Uial and beside her was Cole. They bowed to the Matriarch with flourishing, elaborate bows – they were behaving, they were respectful but neither could quite stop themselves from adding that little bit of humour to their movements, everyone in the clan was far too serious – someone had to liven things up a bit!

As soon as Cole made the snort both twins glanced at him and sneered; the three had never got along, not ever – it was meant to have been Cole who took over the clan not his twin sister and yet there she sat in his stead; a fact that Lander and Orrin found more than a little amusing. They had never wanted the Throne – too much being tied down involved in that nonsense but both of them found great joy in knowing that the Dragon had chosen his sister instead – it probably knew there wasn’t enough room for it given the amount of twigs up his backside making him a stiff, miserable sod.

Orrin and Lander looked at one another and the pair silently communicated a multitude of things with one another without moving even an inch. As one they turned their heads back to their Matriarch and broke into large smiles.
”You wish is our command.” Orrin said with a grin.
”We will bring the demon back as requested. Anything to alleviate the burden on your shoulders, though we could offer a massage as well.” Lander said with a wink.
”We’re very good at them, aren’t we Chel?”
”Maybe when we get back, you can have one too Cole if you like, loosen you up a bit, dislodge that branch of yours.” Lander added, throwing his wife over his shoulder unexpectedly as he and his brother laugh, turned and bolted from the room before anyone could say another word.

Chel closed her eyes while taking a deep breath as her husbands amused themselves with an over the top bow to their Matriarch. She found them funny, but at times they liked to poke at Cole that could only create problems. Lips were pressed together hard as she made attempt to hide her smile. This was not the time to give them encouragement. The huntress glanced up to see that Uial had given in with a smile that showed her amusement of their actions. Great, the wife thought, internally laughing. Chel looked at them both from the corner of her eye before giving them each an eye roll. Idiots.

She remained quiet, though her focus went between Uial and Cole. Cole was not known for being lax with any sort of rules or regulations. He never liked Chel’s husbands considering they were quite the opposite of everything he represented. Even with Cole getting married, he only relaxed when around his wife. It was odd since she was an outsider, which in turn broke the rules of the clan. Chel was certain that this was the only rule he had ever broken in his entire life. Either way, Lady Nymph was nice enough. Her people had swarmed the village for a while during the wedding, and just as suddenly disappeared. The three had found great amusement in the chaos. They enjoyed the food and drink that had been provided. It was a spectacle that most likely would never happen again in their lifespan. Chel had known of the twins’ mother’s disapproval even further on those days. She had chosen to block it out to enjoy a celebration with the two men she loved dearly.

When Orrin finally gave their answer, Uial visibly sighed out of relief. Her face broke out into a grateful smile. There really was no knowing what direction the twins would go. This time she did not hold back from a light laugh as the pair went back and forth. ’Thank you; all three of you. This will make things much easier for me and the entire leadership. As for the massage….I think I can have some help from somewhere else.’ Uial leaned forward with elbows leaning on her armrests before winking at them. Many had come to see Michael who was an angel that tended to visit the Matriarch often. It was unknown if something had become official, but the woman was happier than she had been in years since her husband had died in battle.

Before Chel could bow for their exit, she was hoisted upon Lander’s shoulder to leave the room. It was quite sudden to leave her with a small shriek of shock. There was no stopping the two once they got a thought into their head. Unfortunately for most, there was not telling what those thoughts were between them. Few had the opportunity (beside Chel) to get to know those. She held on to the back of his shirt as they ran down the long staircase to the main level. When they finally did stop, Chel grabbed Lander’s well-toned ass before wiggling out of his grasp to stand on her own two feet. She hid behind Orrin to escape potential retribution that would most likely follow. ”Let’s get packed and our horses to head out. We can’t take much time on this expedition because there is no telling what may come from this current status of Revaliir.” She continued to hide at Orrin’s side while they moved back to their home. ”I’m not really sure what these gods are doing considering all these break outs.” It wasn’t often that Chel complained about the deities, but she was getting concerned about their world and the life she had with her loves. She would not tolerate any threat to her living with them.