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

by Laura Greenwood

  Slowly, my frozen body was turned to face my betrayer. I shoved my best friend to no avail. I knew I wasn’t strong enough on my best day to budge the beast of a man, but I shoved him again and again and again. The blatant sorrow written on his face was the only reason he let me continue.

  "You said I was safe!" Sobby screams ripped out of my mouth. Being a girl is incredibly unfair sometimes, especially when extreme anger means tears and sobbing. There wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it. "You held me! You made me feel things. Things I haven't felt in so long, things I shouldn’t feel!" I pounded on his chest with useless fists. I was too upset to even attempt to make my hits effective. "I have to get away from you." I turned and grabbed my bag. "Where are my guns?" I asked in a low, severe voice.

  "I put them in my safe,” Elias replied.

  My breath left me in a rush. I couldn’t get to a gun. I was defenseless again. Without a weapon, I was useless against Elias and Anthony, who could be anywhere in the house. I swore when I began training that I’d never be vulnerable. I still know how to kick ass.

  "Riley, you are safe," Anthony called from downstairs. His voice grated on my nerves, and my head pounded again.

  "Fuck off, Anthony!" I screamed. Elias, still blocking my exit from the bathroom, flinched. "You can fuck off too. You can fuck right the fuck off!"

  Elias closed his eyes for a second, my words cutting him. I ducked under his outstretched arms and ran down the hall, heading for the front stairs. I hoped that Anthony was still in the kitchen, and I’d be able to slip outside before he could catch me. Twisting my bag around me, I carried it crossbody so I’d be able to run.

  Chapter Three

  I was inches from the front door when a hand grabbed my bicep. I rolled my arm and tried to jerk away, but when the hand moved from my arm, it grabbed my wrist. I stopped and tried to appear defeated. Sagging my shoulders, I lowered my head and faked panting.

  I glared over my shoulder at Anthony's unique eyes. "Let me go."

  "I can't, Riley. It's time you knew what happened five years ago."

  I glared at him and begged the universe at large to grant me the ability to melt his brain with my mind.

  That shit is going to work someday, and then I'll feel guilty for melting someone's brain.

  “Fine. What do I need to know?” The smartest thing I could do was play along and hope they'd lower their guard.

  Elias chose that moment to come down the stairs on my right, chest still bare. "Come into the living room. I'll tell you the truth. I'll tell you everything." With Anthony holding on to my left hand, I was in the perfect position. I punched Elias as hard as I could with the limited range Anthony gave me. I hit him, closed fist, right on that magnificent penis that had rested on my ass a few hours before.

  That rotten, conniving bastard didn't even flinch. He just grabbed my right hand, and the three of us walked, hand in hand, into the living room. How was he not writhing on the floor? They pushed my shoulders down until I sat firmly on the couch, before backing up, both standing sentry in front of me. I slipped my bag of clothes down beside the couch.

  Anthony looked at Elias and shrugged. "Any idea where to start?"

  "How about the beginning?" I answered for Elias. My bravado was failing, and I was beginning to feel scared again. These men were most likely the reason my children were gone. I was convinced they’d killed my family, and I sat in front of them, vulnerable and unable to seek justice for my boys. They reduced me to a quivering mess.

  Elias cleared his throat. He seemed scared. "Riley, we have a long, unbelievable story to tell you. All I ask is that you hear us out. First and foremost, your children are safe. They're happy and well cared for. At this point, they're probably more than a little spoiled."

  The possibility of my children being safe made my heart soar. I clung to the idea and wished fervently for it to be true. Tears pooled in my eyes. What about Michael?

  Anthony stepped forward. "You said to start at the beginning, and I'm going to, but the beginning is much earlier than you might imagine. I promise the long back story is necessary for you to understand everything that's happened." I pursed my lips and crossed my legs. As I slouched against the couch, I folded my arms over my chest and raised a single eyebrow. I spat as much bitch body language at them as I could.

  "Early in the thirteenth century, in the land now known as Peru, an ancient god named Inti lived among his brethren. Legend says that Inti became bored with his kinsmen and decided to create his own race of people. The stories vary on how he was able to do this. Some say he created the Inca with the magic of the gods, and some say the Inca were the children of Inti and his wife. We don't know for sure how the human Inca people came to be."

  I interrupted. "I meant to start at the beginning of why you took my family! Why are you rattling on about ancient civilizations?" I eyeballed the door and tried to judge if I could get out before they’d catch me, but I couldn't see how I’d make it. They'd surely capture me.

  "Ri-Ri," Elias said, trying to placate me.

  "Do not call me that! You no longer have the right to use a pet name with me. Get on with it. Tell me whatever you need to tell me so I can leave." Yeah, right. I'm not getting out of here alive.

  Anthony continued, "There’s so much information that you don't know. You'll be overwhelmed, and most likely, you won’t believe us. But I promise you, whether you believe me or not, I'll tell you the truth.” He backed up a few steps. “I'm going to sit down so we can talk without me standing over you like a kidnapper, but I warn you, even if you get out the door, even if you get outside, I'll find you and drag you to safety. I'll do everything in my power to keep you from harm, but at this point, you’re in too much danger to leave."

  My eyes were so narrowed my eyelashes almost blocked my view of Elias. "Get me a cup of coffee. This is bullshit, and I'm going to need it." My energy waned. If they were going to put me through this, they could at least caffeinate me.

  Elias jumped up, willing to do anything that might soften my heart toward him a bit—even though it wouldn’t help. Asshole.

  "Continue," I snarled at Anthony.

  He sat on the sofa beside me, so I scooted to the far edge. I couldn't shake the perception that all wasn't as it seemed with him. He was too... much.

  “Right. The Inca were created by Inti. Inti was the god of the sun. Inti’s brother was named Supay, and Supay was the god of the underworld, Ukhu Pacha. The Incas believed, and their descendants still believe, that Supay’s underworld was literally under the world, the land of the dead lay under the Earth’s surface. The story goes that Supay grew jealous of his brother’s creation and decided to make his own. Supay’s creations were fed at the spark of life from the legendary underground springs. You see, the water of Ukhu Pacha was life sustaining. It didn't make one immortal, but it granted an incredibly long life. Additionally, Supay used magic from his underworld kingdom to create his people. He intended them to be faster, stronger, impervious to disease, as well as long-lived.”

  Enough was enough. “You’ve essentially kidnapped me, trapping me in this house. You tell me my children are safe, mention nothing about my husband, then proceed to tell me a fairytale?” I stood and gripped my head as a bolt of pain shot behind my eyes. “And I keep getting these crazy headaches! I'm leaving. If you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me.” I brushed past Elias as he entered the room with a fresh cup of coffee.

  Leaving Anthony sitting on the couch, I marched defiantly to the front door and jerked it open to find Anthony standing outside. “How'd you do that?” I was in a horror movie. Reality was subjective. “You didn't have time to go from the front living room, through the kitchen, out the back door, and around the house.” I backed away from the front door until my ankles hit the steps, where I plopped gracelessly. Tears threatened to fall again. He was impossible. How could he move like that?

  “That, too, I'll explain, beautiful Riley. Please, come to the living room. I’ll even
explain your headaches.” He crowded me, trying to help me up. I pushed his proffered hand away and glared at Elias's outstretched hand.

  “We did this for your own good. Once you know the entire story, I believe you'll stay with us willingly.” Elias's voice was thick with regret.

  I heard his sorrow, but I was so angry I couldn't meet his eyes. I whirled around and stalked to the living room, again defeated. That was the second time Anthony moved impossibly fast around me. Maybe I have a brain tumor. That would’ve explained the headaches and Anthony’s superhero speed.

  No longer trying to come off like a fierce bitch, I sank down on the couch, defeated. “Go on.”

  Elias took up the ridiculous story. “So, Supay created a race of people that scared the hell out of Inti’s people. Physically, they were exactly alike, but they soon differentiated themselves as the superior race. The Inca began to hunt them. They'd gang up on them and kill whenever possible. They were hardier and longer lived, but not invulnerable. Inca history says that they called these people the Supay, after their creator. They labeled them demons and forced them into hiding.” Elias dropped his head and rubbed his neck. His expression was chagrined as he continued.

  “You see, Supay’s creations couldn’t eat the same foods that Inti’s people could. The Inca people ate plants and animals, like any other human. But the Supay could only gain adequate nourishment from one thing: blood.”

  “Okay. And?” Both men gawked at me like I’d sprouted a second head. They’d told me a ludicrous story about ancient gods and demons as if it could have anything to do with my family. Then they’d told me that an ancient Inca god created a race of vampires. My shit-o-meter was full. I supposed they expected me to run screaming from the room, but all I wanted was to get this story done and move on to the miniscule chance that they’d take me to my kids.

  “What are you two staring at? So this dude created vampires. That’s great. What the fuck does that have to do with my family?” I narrowed my eyes on Elias. “Get to the fucking point, and get there in a hurry.” My bravado waned, hard as I tried to keep myself psyched up. I was desperate.

  Anthony leaned forward. “The popular term for the Supay is vampire. They aren't a fairytale or an ancient Inca legend. They’re real, and they walk the Earth beside you day in and day out.” He shifted in his seat, uneasy.

  “Okay. Sure. Whatever you say. Vampires are real. So can they walk in the sun?”

  “Yes,” said Anthony.

  “Can they eat people food?”

  “Yes, but it won’t sustain their life. After a few days, they'll begin to feel sick, rather like a human feels with the flu,” Elias replied. “It’s more like it won’t really hurt them, but it also doesn’t help. Some Supay even develop a taste for it.”

  “And they look exactly like you or me?” I questioned, disbelieving.

  Elias and Anthony gaped at each other, at a loss for words.

  The point they were trying to make clicked. I smacked myself on the forehead. “Oh, right, I get it. You two are vampires, aren’t you? You’re The Supay.” I laughed, my voice dripping venom.

  “Yes, Riley. We are. We’re descendants of the original line of Supay. Actually, we're two of the three remaining pureblood male Supay.” Anthony glanced over at Elias, and both of them had pain splashed across their faces. “There’s still several females, but we’re the only males.”

  Elias moved close to me, too close for comfort, the desire of the morning long forgotten. “Actually, he misspoke. We’re the last two remaining male pureblood Supay.” I cocked my head and glared at him.

  “Riley,” he continued, “Michael was the third member of our brotherhood. None of us are related by heritage, but we grew up together and were closer than any brothers I’ve ever met.”

  Anthony moved to my other side and clasped my hand. My eyes glued to his fingers covering my own while my mind raced, and I didn’t register that a man I feared and hated was holding my hand.

  “Was? You better not be taking this ludicrous story where I think you are taking it.” A sob stuck in my chest. Those infuriating men were attempting to tell me something my heart and brain refused to hear.

  Elias put his arm around my shoulders. I never figured out why I allowed him to, as I was still too angry with him for betraying my trust. With one hand on my chin, Anthony turned my head toward him. “Yes. That’s what we're saying. Michael is dead. He died the day he disappeared.”

  Pain. What a ridiculous word. Four tiny letters to encompass an ocean of agony. The enormity of the emotions trying to burst from my chest couldn’t be described in four letters. I wanted to scream. I wanted to kick, and hit, and annihilate everything around me. I wanted to knock the pearly teeth out of Elias's mouth and poke out Anthony’s unusual, unbelievably sexy eyes.

  I didn’t do any of those things. My mind went into a meltdown that would require a sedative to end, but my face betrayed none of those emotions. In the end, I stood and grabbed the cooled cup of coffee. Walking stiffly to the kitchen, I put the coffee in the microwave. The boys watched, hovering in the kitchen doorway like mother hens. As the microwave beeped, I turned to them with death in my eyes. “Take me to my children.”

  “Riley, it isn't that easy. Like we said before, you are in a significant amount of danger,” Elias replied, wringing his hands and stepping from foot to foot.

  He wouldn’t have been so worried about me accepting them if they intended to hurt me. Or maybe I was trying to convince myself I wasn’t going to die.

  I added cream and sugar to my coffee and sipped it delicately. The warm liquid was a comforting friend. Alone and scared, I shared a kitchen with two what? Vampires? Men? Alien pod-people? Whatever or whoever they were, they were my first lead in five years—my only lead. I would play along with anything if it meant seeing my boys.

  “What danger?” I frowned down into the cup.

  “There are rules. We have laws and a governing body. There are good and valid reasons behind most of our laws, but some are extreme.” Elias rolled his shoulders and let out a grunt of exasperation. “The main rule is that we're to never, under any circumstances, tell a human about the Supay. This rule is punishable by death.”

  I rolled my eyes, unable to continue the interested act. “Punishable by death? So if anyone finds out you told me about your mysterious race of vampires, you’ll be killed?” I’m going to get serial murdered before this day is over. I wondered where they had the other bodies buried—I probably wasn’t the first. I surreptitiously glanced out the kitchen window to see if I could find any freshly tilled dirt.

  “I know you’re still skeptical, but Elias and I are here to help you. We’ve been watching over you since Michael died.” Anthony’s face was too intense. Not only was I worried about being ax murdered, I was also creeped out at the thought of him peeking through my curtains to watch me.

  “You’re a freaking stalker, I get it. Whatever, moving on. You said you could also explain my headaches?” I rubbed my forehead, remembering the stabbing pain.

  Anthony lowered his eyes. “I’m so sorry. Your headaches are my fault.” He walked into the kitchen warily. “I have an ability. Most Supay don't have any special abilities aside from the obvious. I am, however, able to calm humans.”

  “Calm humans? Like, give them warm tea and sing them a lullaby?” I snorted.

  “In a manner of speaking, yes.” Anthony took my hand and concentrated on my face. My eyes darted around the room as my head hurt again.

  I cleared my throat. “Are you trying to choke me with your mind? That doesn’t work. I’ve tried. On you.”

  He chuckled. “No, I’m trying to exert calm over you, and it still isn’t working.”

  My shocked eyes landed on his. “What do you mean it still isn’t working? Oh my god, I thought I was having an aneurysm at my house, and you’re telling me that was you? How? And stop doing it, it hurts!” Not that I believed his story, but if somehow he was doing it, he needed to stop immedi
ately.

  He backed away from me. “I don’t actually know. I sort of focus, and I can feel chaos. Once I can feel the chaos, I push calm emotions onto the chaos. With you, I can feel your chaos, but my calming has no effect except to give you headaches.”

  My jaw unhinged. “I’m flabbergasted, Anthony. My husband and children disappeared, and I never got past it, not in the slightest. Then out of the blue, you show up and flip my meaningless life on its ass. Now I’m being told you’re both vampires. Oh, and vampires exist!”

  I flailed my arms around in consternation. “Michael is dead, but hey, he was a vampire, and my children are alive, safe, and are also vampires?”

  I stopped flapping my hands and paced the kitchen. “Oh, yeah, by the way, Riley, nobody can calm your ass down! I don’t know how to react! I don't have the first clue what to do. I’m incredibly confused. I’m angry and hurt. Elias, how could you lie to me for so long?” I leaned against the counter and ran my hands through my hair.

  A stray thought entered my head, and I voiced it without thinking. “What else exists? What about elves or werewolves? Maybe Cthulu is real too?”

  Elias, quiet during my tirade, entered the kitchen. “Elves and werewolves exist, as well as a host of other creatures. Cthulu goes by Chris, and he’s a nice guy. We had drinks in Wurzburg.”

  Panicked laughter burst from my mouth. I gasped and bent over, clutching my stomach. My knees wobbled and tears streamed down my cheeks. It was too much.

  “Riley, I realize it’s a lot to take in, but it’s not a joke.” Anthony seemed offended by my mirth.

  “I know, I know. But, guys, seriously. Cthulu? Come on! My emotions currently are junk, you’ll have to get over it.” I rolled my eyes and sighed. “We have to come to some sort of resolution. I need some sort of proof of both the vampire thing and my children.”

  Elias pulled out his phone. “Daniel and David are safe with my sister Tammy. She’s raised them since the day they left you. She’s unable to have children of her own and has treated them as if she gave birth to them herself. I know that may not be comforting, but at least you know if they couldn’t be with you, they're cherished.” He swiped through several pictures before turning the phone to me.