Shattered Illusions_An Urban Fantasy Reverse Harem Read online

  Oh boy, he doesn’t know what’s good for him. I feel my nostrils flare, and I try my best to steady my breathing in an attempt to calm down. It’s not going well.

  “How is it a trap? Dimitri wouldn’t send us if it was,” I protest, despite the fact I have no idea if that’s true or not. Something in my gut tells me it is, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that trusting my gut tends to be a good thing to do. Most of the time anyway. It didn’t work so well the night I got turned if I’m honest.

  “So dense.” He shakes his head and turns away from me. I grab hold of his arm and squeeze tightly. No way is he getting away without answering.

  “What?”

  “Hunters and vampires work together all the time. How do you think you got caught in the first place?” His face is filled with rage, and I wonder if this isn’t about me at all. Plus, while I want to deny what he’s saying is true, I don’t think I can. The only thing that makes sense is that it’s a set up.

  His eyes bore into mine, locking our gazes for the first time. Wishes he could let his revenge go.

  Oh. That’s surprising. Of all the secrets I’d have guessed at, letting this go wasn’t one of them. But I like it. Mostly because it makes him seem far less angry. Or not less, but it’s clear not all of it is directed at people outside of him. Some of it is how he feels about himself.

  I reach out and place a hand against his arm. “You can let it go,” I say softly, even surprising myself. I’ve never had a reason to be this soft before. But he’s certainly bringing it out in me now. Even if he is being a bit of a dick.

  “What—”

  He’s cut off by a shrunken whizzing past his head and sinking into the brick of the building next to him. Uh oh. Not good.

  I spin around, years of practice meaning both sai are in my hands, my feet braced a hips width apart. Which I always found a weird measurement. Everyone’s hips are a different size after all.

  I look around, trying to locate where the projectile launcher is. I hope it’s not who I think it is, or we may be royally screwed. Ravi was good at hunting. Probably as good as I was. Had been. Whatever I count as. His kill count is high though, that’s not up for debate, and now he’s set Bram and I in his sights.

  He won’t be alone either. Hunters are never sent alone. Okay, Dimitri’s right then. There’s no chance what happened to me wasn’t a trap. I’ll deal with that later. If Ravi’s here, then it’s likely Lily is too. Those two like to work together. But that does have its advantages. Mostly because I now know what we’ll be facing. And that I can take Lily in a knife fight.

  My sharpened eyesight picks out a shadow against one of the nearby buildings, and I nod towards it. Bram looks at me in surprise, but I shake my head. I can’t, and won’t, explain now. I don’t want either of the hunters to know I’m on to them. If they haven’t figured out it’s me at all, then I may even be able to take them by surprise.

  “Hello, Ashryn.”

  There goes that plan. I turn slightly, feeling Bram do the same to the other side. While he may not like me, at least he’s willing to work in a team with me. Lily’s cherubic face, complete with gold curls and freckles, greets me when I have. She’s got one of those faces that’d fool anyone into thinking she was weak and innocent. I never envied her that. She often gets used as bait for that very reason. Men are often still men, even if they’re vampires. Though I’m starting to think some of the best men I’ve ever met are vampires. Odd how things work out.

  “Evening, Lily.” I spin my sai as I talk in an attempt to remind her I’m not to be messed with. She knows how highly trained I am. Though I know it won’t work. She’s got the same level of training I do. And hunters don’t back down. It’s a point of pride.

  She sneers at me rather than responding. How charming. And quickly follows that with a lunge in my direction.

  I guess we’re starting then. I raise my right sai, blocking her attack and turning it away from me. I steady my breathing. Half the success in a knife fight comes from being able to keep calm. She uses the momentum to spin around and slash at me with her left knife. Hers are thicker than mine, and far less elegant. It’d still hurt if I get cut by one, but they have nowhere near the amount of grace my sai have, and that will give me the advantage.

  She stabs this time, trying to take me off guard, but I use the cross guard to block it. This is what I like about sai. They’re attack and defence all in one. Plus, everyone seems to underestimate the side prongs. And those things can do some serious damage.

  A loud grunt from behind me catches my attention, and I look behind me, concern for Bram the main thought in my head. And my main downfall. The moment I turn, I see him fall to the floor in a crumpled heap. But that can’t be right. Ravi is nowhere near, and he can’t be doing anything like that from this distance. Or so I think, until I see the small dart sticking out of his neck. Anything that can knock out a vampire is a bad sign. A very bad one.

  “Rookie error, Ashryn,” Lily says from behind me, a sadistic chuckle coming from her. But I don’t turn around. I already know what’s coming, so what’s the point? At least knowing explains why she hasn’t bothered attacking me while my back is turned. She’s nothing more than a distraction. As always. Must get boring for her.

  A small sting at my neck tells me what I need to know, and whatever it is they’ve drugged us with courses through me. Blackness descends in a mere instant. Eurgh, this doesn’t feel good in the slightest.

  Epilogue

  My eyes sting as I blink furiously. Which is good. I think. They can’t sting if I’m dead. Well, dead, dead. Wait...can I die more than once? Die and come back I mean. Which admittedly, makes no sense, even in my drug addled brain.

  Oh yes, drugs. I can just blame those. Yay for drugs!

  No, not yay. What is wrong with me?

  My vision comes into focus, and all I can see is metal. It’s almost like a box. Actually, I’m pretty sure it is a box. A box, me and Bram. He’s glaring at me slightly, but that’s nothing new. Though it’s not as serious as before. Maybe I’m growing on him.

  “Where are we?” My voice is raspy. I’m going to blame the chemicals in my system again. It seems like the logical explanation.

  “How the fuck should I know?” he snaps.

  “Alright, sorry,” I reply, clutching at my head. It’s a stupid question, even I can admit that.

  We lapse back into silence, which is uncomfortable to say the least. It’s stuffy in here, and there’s tension beyond what I can imagine.

  A crackling fills the room and we both jump. But I’ll be denying that if I ever actually have to tell anyone what happened here.

  “Good morning, Ashryn and...friend.”

  The familiar voice sends a shiver down my spine. I very much doubt this is going to end well for the two of us. I’m glad I’m not alone though. Even if it is Bram that’s with me, he’s still a lot better than a lot of options.

  We say nothing. Mostly because there isn’t anything to say, but also partly because I think we both know the other person can’t hear us anyway.

  “It’s time to play a little game. There’s an hour until dawn. Which is going to get you first, my hunters, or the sun? My bet is on the sun, but Ravi seems to want to prove me wrong.” The voice sounds amused, which only increases my uneasy feeling.

  I exchange looks with Bram, whose expression clearly mirrors how I’m feeling.

  There’s a loud clunk, and I jump, before pushing to my feet so I’m standing. I’m not sure why that makes me feel better, but it does. Stronger, and more confident, both of which can only be a good thing at the moment.

  We both turn in the direction of the sound, to find a wide opening in the side of our box. We exchange glances again, and Bram nods at me. I pat myself down, more from habit than anything else, and I’m surprised to discover I still have all my weapons. They must be really confident they can take us.

  More fool them.

  “Oh, and
Ashryn?” the voice asks, and despite myself, I move towards where I think it’s coming from. “I think running turns you into the prey.”

  If you want to continue Ashryn’s story, you can pre-order Broken Illusions now!

  Broken Illusions

  What happens when the hunter becomes the hunted?

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  Everything was going so well for me before I became a vampire. Now, I've got a target on my back, and my main ally is a vampire who still hates me.

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  Why did it have to be Bram sent on a mission with me?

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  My name is Ashryn Barker, and I'm now what I once hunted.

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  Buy Now: http://books2read.com/BrokenIllusions

  More by Laura Greenwood

  Ashryn Barker Trilogy (urban fantasy/reverse harem)

  #1: http://books2read.com/shatteredillusions

  #2: http://books2read.com/brokenillusions

  #3: http://books2read.com/tarnishedillusions

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  The Paranormal Council (Paranormal Romance)

  #1: http://books2read.com/thedryadspawprint

  #2: http://books2read.com/thevixensbark

  #3: http://books2read.com/thenecromancersprey

  #4: http://books2read.com/thevampiresbark

  #5: http://books2read.com/thewitchsstripes

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  Thornheart Coven (Paranormal Romance)

  #1: http://books2read.com/witchspotion

  #2: http://books2read.com/witchsspark

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  Fated Seasons: Winter (Paranormal Romance/Reverse Harem)

  #1: http://books2read.com/savingeira

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  Fated Seasons: Spring (Paranormal Romance/Reverse Harem)

  #1: http://books2read.com/chasingaledwen

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  Beyond the Curse (Fantasy Paranormal Fairy Tale)

  #1: http://books2read.com/awakeningbeyondthecurse

  #2: http://books2read.com/cloaked

  #3: http://books2read.com/accursed

  Short Story: http://books2read.com/betrayedbeyondthecurse

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  Children of Cursed (Fantasy Paranormal Fairy Tale)

  Short Story: http://books2read.com/clipped

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  Blessed (Post Apocalyptic Paranormal/Reverse Harem)

  #1: Fae Blessed – Coming Soon!

  #2: http://books2read.com/wolfblessed

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  ME Contemporary Standalones (Contemporary/Reverse Harem)

  #1: http://books2read.com/sweetaboutme

  #2: http://books2read.com/kneelforme

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  Rats: Tori (Streampunk/Reverse Harem)

  #1: http://books2read.com/rulerofrats

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  Seven Wardens, co-written with Skye MacKinnon (Urban Fantasy/Paranormal/Reverse Harem)

  #1: http://books2read.com/fromthedeeps

  #2: http://books2read.com/intothemists

  #3: http://books2read.com/beneaththeearth

  #4: http://books2read.com/withintheflames

  Spin-Off: http://books2read.com/throughthestorms

  * * *

  Twin Souls Trilogy, co-written with Arizona Tape (Paranormal Romance)

  #1: http://books2read.com/soulshift

  #2: http://books2read.com/soulswap

  #3: http://books2read.com/soultrade

  * * *

  Dragon Soul Series, co-written with Arizona Tape (Paranormal Romance)

  #1: http://books2read.com/halfsoul

  #2: http://books2read.com/tornsoul

  #3: http://books2read.com/fifthsoul

  * * *

  Harem of Misery, co-written with A.K. Koonce (Paranormal Romance/Reverse Harem)

  #1: http://books2read.com/pandoraspain

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  Paranormal Council Standalones (Paranormal Romance)

  -http://books2read.com/hislostbear

  -http://books2read.com/spellboundsecondchance

  -http://books2read.com/underherspell

  -http://books2read.com/catchinghisladybird

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  Standalones:

  -Reaper (urban fantasy romance): http://books2read.com/animareaper

  -Assassin Princess (fantasy romance): http://books2read.com/assassinprincess

  -Hidden (dystopia/reverse harem): http://books2read.com/hiddenrapunzel

  -Ocean’s Serenade, co-written with J&L Wells (Paranormal Romance): http://books2read.com/oceansserenade

  About the Author

  Laura really needs to get around to writing a better biography. She's great at doing them for her friends, but not so much for herself. Until then...she's a USA Today Bestselling Author of Paranormal, Reverse Harem & Fantasy Romance...the romance being the important bit! From kelpies to dragons, and princesses to bakers, there's a wide range of heroines, with one thing in common: they know how to look after themselves. (But the romance is fun too!)

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  When she's not writing, you can find Laura reading, cooking, baking or binge watching one of three TV shows. Or Pitch Perfect. She's been known to watch that a couple of times in a day.

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  You can check out Laura's Website here: www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk

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  Or join her Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/theparanormalcouncil

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  Stalking Links

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  Facebook Group: http://facebook.com/groups/theparanormalcouncil

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  Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/authorlauragreenwood/

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  Bookbub: http://www.bookbub.com/authors/laura-greenwood

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  Website: www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk

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  Mailing List: www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/mailing-list-sign-up.html

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