Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates

Kaye:

"He really is like you," Jenny said as she looked at my daughter, then at me.

The three girls had been so helpful, Lucy, Jenny, Sage. I thought Helanie was lucky to have found such friends. I hadn't had many. The ones I thought were my friends turned out to be the fucking rapists. And by that I mean my cousin.

I shook my head, trying to pull my focus back to the main thing, surviving the day. I had a clean pamper on my shoulder, another in my hand, and one balanced on my head.

I had asked the girls to let me handle the babies, and now I regretted it. It wasn't easy. These babies weren't toys. I could only imagine how women manage both babies and work. And by work I mean house chores too. That's the toughest job in the world.

The three sat in the corner, giggling and laughing whenever I messed up and had to call them for help. I guess it was also my way of trying to control the anxiety I felt about Helanie and what was happening in Emmet's dream world. I was really, really worried.

After a while, I finally finished. I grinned at the girls, reminding them, 'I'm not just some ordinary man. I can take care of my babies.'

If I had sisters, they would've been like these three. I mean, they were my students, but at that moment, honestly, I felt like a brother and they were my sisters. And we were this close to starting a fight.

"Yeah, you did an amazing job—getting our help so many times," Jenny teased, while Sage shot her a look.

Jenny was always a little outspoken. She got too comfortable too soon. I didn't mind. Like I said, they were my little sisters.

"Anyway, I'm done here," I announced.

As soon as I said it, the ground beneath me shook. I caught the looks on their faces too. Even they knew something wasn't right.

The three looked petrified. Even the babies started to wake up.

"You take care of them. I'll go outside and check what's going on," I said, rushing off the bed and grabbing the rest of the wipes to throw away.

As soon as I reached the window and dropped them in the trash can, my eyes landed on the view outside. I could see something in the distance, moving through the trees and coming toward us, toward the freaking mansion.

"What is it?" Sage asked, probably realizing I had noticed something.

I kept staring until I saw a hand reach over the trees and shove them aside.

"That is an ogre," I voiced.

As soon as I said that, I turned and watched Lucy's eyes widen.

"An ogre?" she whispered, instantly getting up from the bed, but Jenny held her hand and made her sit down.

"It's okay. I'm calling Penn and the others to tell them there's incoming danger," Jenny said, but I gave her a hand gesture.

"It's alright. Don't tell them to come toward the ogre. I'll take care of this myself. Tell them to stand guard at every entrance and exit," I told Jenny before I rushed for the door.

I grabbed a sword from the side. Bullets would do little or no damage because they have very thick skin. Specific kinds of swords were needed for them, and thankfully we'd laid out weapons around the mansion to be on the safe side.

I grabbed the three-faced sword, the one that could strike both eyes and between the brow at once. That's how they die easily.

As I rushed downstairs and headed for the door, I noticed the warriors getting on board, casting glances at me. Gavin reached for me as well.

"Oh fuck, that is a big thing," Gavin commented from behind me, and I tightened my fingers around the handle of the sword. Thankfully Gavin had also come out with a weapon of his own, a bow and an arrow aimed for the eyes and the middle of the eyebrows.

"I got this," I whispered before I started to run toward the ogre myself.

The ogres were relatively smaller than giants and also slower, but they were very strong and stubborn. Unlike giants, you couldn't reason with them. They were just senseless, mindless, brainless monsters, and I didn't want it getting closer to the mansion, so I had to tackle it while it was still far away.

I reached him and swung my sword at his ankle. At the same time, he swung his arms, but he was too big, and he took his time doing it. As I struck his ankle, I heard him screech, but he was quick to get back on his feet again.

I ran behind him, striking at his back again. He was massive, but not as big as a giant, like I said. Crawling between his legs wasn't an option, I'd have been stuck for sure. Big enough to tower over the normal population, but not impossible to face.

I hacked at his back, and he swung around even harder. Each time he did, I jumped, rolled across the ground, and landed farther away, keeping my distance. He let out a guttural roar that shook the world beneath me. I had to brace myself just to stay on my feet.

The way he stomped up and down in anger, like a stubborn toddler throwing a tantrum, made the ground quake, sending shivers through the nearest area.

I tightened my grip on the three-faced sword, ready to strike again. The ogre finally stopped thrashing and turned toward me. This time, our eyes locked, and it was clear he wasn't going to hold back. His face twisted with rage.

"AHHHH!!" He screamed.

I screamed back, sprinting toward him. I charged, swinging the blade low, slicing across his shin. The three edges of the sword tore through his skin.

He roared in pain, thrashing his arms, and this time, as I tried to roll, he actually caught me in the leg. I hit the ground fine enough, but the pain was unbearable.

Groaning, I forced myself back to my feet, just in time to see him charging at me at full speed.

It was do or die.