Hers From The Start: A Collection of First In Series Reverse Harem Page 6

  "There's a couple of ways we can do this," Zeke said, relief clear on his face. He hadn't wanted to drag the conversation out either then. Always a good sign.

  "And they are..."

  "Dependent on how willing you are to seal the mating bond first," he admitted sheepishly.

  Ah. That did make sense.

  "I thought that was sealed the moment I met you all anyway?" I asked, genuinely curious. From everything I'd heard and seen, that was the way mating worked. I met them, they met me, no more denying it.

  "Yes and no."

  "Are you going to explain that?" I asked once he'd lapsed into silence again. That might get a little annoying if he kept doing it.

  "The basis of the bond is there, but there's still some...erm...resistance there."

  "And you think it's me? Hmm." I examined my feelings about the bond, trying to determine if he was right or not. I didn't think I was blocking the bond. But maybe I was. I didn't really know them. I had no reason to trust them. That counted against them in some ways. But I also respected the bond. All paranormals did. This was my chance to be a part of a team. To have other people at my back and not have to worry about sleeping with one eye open.

  No way was I going to block that. I'd be stupid to.

  "I don't think it's me," I told him, having explored all of my options as thoroughly as I could.

  "Are you sure?"

  I nodded. "Is there a chance it's one of you?"

  My bet would have been on Charlie, and I didn't blame him. He hadn't exactly met me properly yet. At this stage, I doubted it could be Mika or Jacob, both of them had expressed too much interest. And Zeke was bringing it up, so it seemed unlikely it was him either.

  "I suppose it could be." His reluctance was so palpable I could almost snatch it from the air.

  "It's understandable," I reassured him. "None of you actually know me. I'm a complete wild card as far as you know."

  Zeke chuckled. "That's what you think. But we're well aware of who you are, Rhianna. We were very close to finding you before the end of the world came."

  "You were?" I felt my eyes widen but did nothing to stop it. I hadn't had any clue they were so close before the end. Not even a weird being watched feeling.

  "Yes, we were just trying to work out how to get into the university you were at, but they have surprisingly tight security."

  I laughed lightly. "They really didn't. I wasn't supposed to be there myself, but managed to forge my way in," I admitted. I figured it was safe to admit that now it didn't matter. It wasn't like there was anyone about who could tell me I was wrong for doing that. They were either dead or had bigger problems. To be honest, I had the latter too.

  "They must have tightened it after that, because we couldn't even get jobs there."

  "Maybe it was the predators in you?" I waggled my eyebrows, hoping it came across as teasing more than anything else. Though there was probably a little bit of truth in what I was saying. Humans hadn't known of our existence, but they were able to sense things about us at times. Particularly those who might have more paranormal blood further back in their family trees.

  "I considered that. You have the fae allure to help you too."

  "That I do." A thought crossed my mind. "Why wouldn't an incubus' powers work on me?" I asked Zeke. He might not know the answer, but if I didn't ask, then I'd definitely never find out.

  "When did you come across as incubus?"

  "In the facility. He won't be a problem again. I kind of..." I looked at my hands, still confused about what I'd done to make someone explode. I needed to stop thinking of him in terms of a person though, it was playing havoc with my guilt. He'd been attacking me and all I'd done was defend myself. There was nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all. No one could blame me for it. Except myself apparently.

  "Do you think it's the mating bond?" he asked.

  "I doubt it, not if it's incomplete as you said."

  "But you did say your friend was a succubus?"

  "Izzy, yes."

  "Could she have cast some kind of repellent over you?"

  I frowned, not sure what to make of that. It seemed like the kind of thing Izzy would do if her sister suggested it. But not on her own. It would make some kind of sense though. "I guess she could have," I said. "She didn't know what else was mixed in with the succubus, so casting might have been a possibility."

  "She wasn't very powerful then?"

  I thought for a moment. "I think she was, but she never showed it much. Her twin sister was the more powerful of the two of them."

  "That's the only explanation I can think of."

  "I'll take it then. At least if I encounter a second incubus, we know I'll be alright."

  "That is reassuring."

  "We've gotten side tracked again," I pointed out.

  "Only because we're working through the things we need to know for this to work," he pointed out. "Anything else?"

  I shrugged. "I'm fae. I have fae powers. Soon I'll be able to shift into a wolf. Which admittedly is pretty cool."

  He smiled at me. "I'm glad you think so. But we shouldn't rely on you being able to shift."

  "Good call."

  "What are your objectives?"

  "To get out of bed while we make a plan?" I teased. "It doesn't feel right to be doing this while under the covers."

  "Fair point. Would you like some tea?"

  "You have tea?" I was sure my eyes lit up. It had been so long since I'd had milk that I didn't even know what to do with his offer.

  "We have powdered milk too..."

  "You definitely are my mate," I replied happily. Tea. With milk. I was going to be in heaven.

  "I'll give you a moment or two. Just come down the hall when you're up to it. I'll have the tea ready for you."

  He rose to his feet, giving me a lingering look as if hating to leave me.

  I gave it a moment or two before getting up myself. I was still wearing my underwear, as grimy as that was, so I could have gotten up with him, but I didn't think he'd left me to it because of my potential nudity. Being my mate probably made him more inclined to want to see me naked after all.

  A large t-shirt sat on a chair next to the bed, along with a tiny pair of sleep shorts. I wasn't about to complain though. They were clean, much like the bed. And I wasn't going to start complaining about clean. I slipped the clothes on, regretting the state of my undergarments in the process. It felt wrong to put new over the old, but there was nothing I could do about it until I asked one of the wolves where I could get my own stuff washed.

  The door creaked slightly as I pushed it the rest of the way open and stepped through into the dim hallway beyond. Sunlight was scarce here, whereas it had lit up the bedroom. I just had to hope the kitchen had a big window too or else we'd be restricted to candle light. Never fun, even with more sensitive paranormal sense like we all had.

  Voices came from the room beyond, and I ventured towards them, hoping it wasn't some other party who'd decided to make their base here. That would be awkward to say the least.

  "I'm not mating with her," a man shouted. It wasn't a voice I recognised, which meant it must be Charlie. I was right about him being the one blocking the bond then. At least I had that going for me. I did like being right.

  "So you're going to mess it up for the rest of us?" Jacob sounded upset and part of me wanted to go to him and make it better. I didn't like the hurt in his voice.

  "No..."

  I reached the doorway and stopped in my tracks, looking in at the four wolves sitting around the table, each with a mug of steamy tea in front of them. A fifth cup sat in front of an empty chair. That must be mine. But as much as I wanted it, I wanted to observe them in their discussion first.

  Zeke looked up from where he was silently observing them all and met my eyes. Oops. It hadn't taken me long to get busted then.

  To my surprise, he raised a finger to his lips in a shh-ing motion. I dipped my head and sunk back into the shadows.
<
br />   The hurt which had been so obvious in Jacob's voice was also obvious on his face. Though the man I assumed must be Charlie looked every bit as frustrated by the circumstances as Jacob was upset.

  "I think you need to give her a chance, Charlie. None of us picked this," Mika reasoned.

  I knew I shouldn't let them, but his words stung. It was as if everything that happened to us at the facility didn't matter in the slightest.

  "Why should I? It's not like she's been anything but trouble for us," he seethed.

  My mouth fell open. Was he seriously going to go there? I hadn't asked them to come after me. I hadn't wanted anyone to come after me. I'd just wanted to live my own life and try to forget some of the mistakes I'd already made in my life.

  "It was the Queen who..." Jacob started.

  "Yes, and it was her that ran away in the first place. Don't go forgetting that just because she used her allure on you," Charlie spat out.

  "It's not possible for fae to use allure on their mates," Mika pointed out calmly. "The pull towards her has absolutely nothing to do with that, and you know it. You even said you felt it when we met her."

  I leaned back against the wall, using its solidness to support me. Hopefully Charlie would at least give me a small chance. I didn't want to be at odds with one of my mates.

  "Excuse me," Zeke said, getting to his feet. He didn't wait for the other wolves to reply. I didn't think he needed to. As far as I could tell, the only person who'd be able to overrule him was me. Or my mother, but she wasn't exactly within order giving distance.

  He walked from the kitchen and out through the door, latching his hand on to me as he passed, pulling me with him. I went instantly. It was better than standing there and listening as Charlie spurted more hate in my direction. Somehow, I didn't think it was all to do with me, or the bond we shared. There'd likely been another reason for it. Maybe he'd started a relationship with another fae before he'd left the other realm, and the end of the world had quite literally torn them apart.

  Jealousy bubbled up within me. I didn't like that thought. At all. It was like poison through my veins, infecting every part of me despite all my attempts to stop it. There was something slightly ridiculous about being jealous when the four wolves were all mine.

  "Are you okay?" Zeke whispered once he'd come to a stop.

  "Yes," I replied, just about managing to keep the tears from my voice. I wasn't normally someone who cried a lot, but Charlie's words had really hit home. I was a little resentful for that.

  "He doesn't really mean what he's saying," Zeke assured me.

  "I'm sure he does," I replied. "But that doesn't mean it’s true."

  He cocked his head to the side, studying me intently as he tried to work out whether or not I was right.

  "What do you mean?" he asked.

  "Charlie means every word he's saying. He has too much conviction not to. But that doesn't mean his words are true, or that he'll always mean them."

  "I see you were a philosophy student."

  I scoffed. "Hardly. I was studying English. It offered far more mental stimulation." The philosophy degree had been a little too geared towards the human state of mind for my liking. I didn't mind humans. I'd been living in their world after all, but sometimes their theory thinking was so single minded it baffled me.

  "Aren't they one and the same?"

  "Some might think so." I beamed at him, pleased he seemed to understand the reasoning I hadn't needed to explain to him.

  "So, you think Charlie means what he's saying?"

  "No. I know Charlie means what he's saying," I corrected. "I just need to prove to him that what he's saying isn't true." Which sounded easy, but I really had no idea where to even begin.

  Zeke sighed. "I'm not sure you'll find it as easy as you think," he said.

  "Maybe not. Pair him with me when we go back to the facility," I suggested.

  "I don't think that's a good idea..."

  "Why? Do you think either of us would risk the mission and our lives just because he doesn't like me?"

  Zeke shook his head.

  "Good. Then you'll pair Charlie with me."

  "You're a very stubborn woman, Rhianna," he whispered, the mood turning somewhat more intimate than it was before.

  "I know," I replied, my voice raspy.

  He leaned towards me, his frame filling the space in front of me. But it didn't make me feel crowded. Far from it. I knew what was going to happen between the two of us now, and I welcomed it. I might be stubborn, but I knew what was good for me and denying my mates definitely wasn't it.

  Neither of us said a word as we drew closer to the kiss. My lips parted and my breath shortened.

  It became too much for me, and I reached forward to grab his shirt and pull him towards me. I took control, planting a kiss on his lips and arching my body into his.

  Zeke's arms snaked around my waist and pulled me closer. His heat warmed me in more ways than one and I hated knowing we'd have to stop and put our plan into action soon. There wasn't any time for the other fun we could have. Though I would admit it would have been weird to have that fun with Zeke before the bond with Charlie was sealed. Some things just needed to be done in the right order.

  I pulled away, looking up at him with eyes I was sure were glazed over.

  "We need to get going," I said.

  "I know." there was a note of disappointment in his voice. Like he was as upset as I was by the loss of our moment together. But, as much as I hated ending it, I knew we had to.

  "We shouldn't put this off any longer than we have to. For all we know, there's still going to be people alive in there. We owe it to them..."

  "I know," Zeke acknowledged. "Which is why we're going to help."

  "Do you know what the facility is actually for?" I asked. I'd not managed to figure it out while I'd been captive there, and that seemed very odd to say the least.

  "No. We've asked at the sanctuary, but no one we've talked to has any clue either."

  "You don't think..."

  "No," he interrupted firmly. "It's not got anything to do with the people running the sanctuary."

  "You know that for sure?"

  "They have their own way of making energy, and I can assure you it has nothing at all to do with witches."

  "You've seen it?" I whispered.

  "Yes. But I also know the people running it. They're two of the most trustworthy people I've ever met."

  "And there's no necromancers there?" I asked nervously.

  A guilty look flashed over his face. "Yes, there's necromancers there. One of the people running the place is a necromancer, but she was thrown out of society for not practicing properly."

  I studied him intently, trying to work out if he was telling the truth, or if it was just a way to placate me. I didn't really know why I was in denial about any of it. I knew he wouldn't lie to me. It wasn't in his best interests and it certainly wouldn't be good for our bond if he lied. I wasn't even sure if it was possible to lie to a fated mate, though I'd never heard of that being the case. If lying weren't possible, it'd cause a whole number of issues. I'd just have to hope that the feelings he had for me already were enough to stop untruths from being an option.

  "I promise, Rory is as honest as they come, and then some. If she found out about necromancers doing this, she'd be on it even faster than we are."

  "Hmm."

  "She's mated to a shifter too," he prompted.

  "Okay, a little more promising."

  "You'll like her, I promise."

  "If you say so." I still wasn't so sure. I'd never met an actual necromancer, but Izzy had told me enough stories about them for me to be wary. They didn't sound like good fun to be around and my past two weeks had done nothing to help with that opinion.

  Zeke sighed. "You'll see when you meet her."

  I nodded. I hoped he was right, but I'd reserve judgement for now.

  "You said the place used to be a witch hunting base?" He tapped his
chin thoughtfully.

  "I think so. I saw their symbol on the wall before I..." I didn't want to relive the killing bit.

  A knowing look crossed his face. "Maybe it's some people hurt by the hunters trying to get their own back?" he suggested.

  "No, doesn't make sense. Why harm the witches if they want to get revenge on humans?"

  "That does seem a little bit odd. They definitely weren't human, right?"

  "No, they didn't feel like humans."

  "Okay, then I guess all we need to do is try and work it out while we're there." His words came with a finality to them, and I knew he was calling an end to the conversation. No more discussing the facility until we were coming up with a plan.

  Such a shame. I did like a good conspiracy theory.

  "Right, I guess we need to go make a plan then."

  "We should." He didn't wait for me to respond and instead paced off back towards the kitchen.

  I guessed that was where I was going too.

  Chapter Six

  "I can't believe I got stuck with you," Charlie muttered.

  "Of course you did, how else would you warm up to my sparkling personality?" I replied. It wasn't exactly a picnic for me being with someone so passive aggressive and not with the other wolves who seemed to actually like me.

  "I don't want to know your personality at all."

  "Your loss," I responded, trying to ignore the sting his words caused. I could understand being a little resentful of the bond, but this was bordering on ridiculous. I didn't choose who my mates were, just like he had no choice over me. That wasn't how it worked. And for the most part, that was fine by me. It was just this one bit...

  "Why are you even here?" he demanded.

  "Well right now, I'm here because this was the part of the plan Zeke assigned to us." I waved my hand at the land stretching out below us. I would admit the hill really was a good spot for looking down at the facility without being seen. I could see how Jacob and Mika had only been caught when they wanted to.

  "Not what I meant," he replied, flipping over onto his back.

  I sighed. Did he really think now was the right time to get into this?

  His silence stretched between us and it dawned on me that yes, he really was going to get into this right now.