Mates of the Realms: The Complete Collection: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Box Set

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Mates of the Realms: The Complete Collection: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Box Set Page 23

by Lacey Carter Andersen


  Her body began to tremble. To shake. The brightness of the demon-realm grew brighter.

  Kneeling down, she touched the white sand, her heart racing. Whatever this power was, she couldn’t contain it much longer. It was begging to be released, but she didn’t know how. Her fingers curled into the sand. She waited, but the magic continued to build inside of her. More demon bodies hit the ground. More Hunters let their bright powers fly through the air to hit their targets. Some demons reached the Hunters, trying to fight through their shields, but the Hunters were untouchable.

  More magic struck them. More bodies fell.

  There was so much death. So many lives lost.

  Her heart constricted. More tears rolled down her cheeks.

  She commanded the powers to help her. To help the demons. But it continued to build inside her.

  “What do you want?” she shouted. “Help me! Help them!”

  But the whispers only grew louder.

  She screamed, the sound torture.

  Rising to her feet, she made a choice. A decision she could never go back on. If she couldn’t save these demons, she would die with them.

  The portal was behind her. The path clear. And yet, she walked away from it.

  Her feet caused the ground to vibrate with each step she took. The foreign magic brimmed around her like a golden smoke.

  She hated that she didn’t know how to use it, hated that it was trapped within her.

  Elle slammed into her chest. Her wailing baby clutched in her arms. Brian’s arm grasped in her other hand as he cried. Blood coated the woman’s face. Even her twin horns were painted in blood. “Take the children!” she shouted. “Save them!”

  Suddenly, the baby was clutched in Sharen’s grip. She looked between the baby and the woman.

  “Please,” her words seemed to vibrate through the air. “You’re our last hope.”

  Golden life blossomed from Sharen. It washed over the baby and spread out.

  Sharen gasped. The warmth of the magic was like nothing she’d felt before, like she was giving birth to something alive and precious, like the baby in her arms.

  The golden light spread out, coating the lands.

  The Hunters fell, one after another, until all were lying upon the sand.

  Silence reigned. The silence of disbelief.

  She looked to the demons who still stood and counted seventy-two. “The others...” she whispered, hating that her eyes burned. “I couldn’t save them.”

  The bodies that littered the ground shimmered before they turned to ash. There was no breeze, and yet, the ash scattered and vanished within the sand.

  Elle took her baby back, her eyes wide. “We... lived. Sharen, we lived! I thought it was impossible. I thought it was over.” She rocked her baby. “We need to go, now. Before more Hunters come.”

  Sharen looked to the Hunters who littered the ground. Were they dead? Had she killed them all?

  What’s done is done. Elle is right, save those you can.

  “Yes." Sharen took a deep fortifying breath. "Yes. You're right. We have to go,” she choked out the words.

  Her heart ached to focus on the lives that had been lost, but her head made her turn and start back toward the portal. One of her students lay upon the ground. She stared at the body. His chest rose and fell.

  A strange hope filled her. She hadn’t killed all of them. She knew she should be worried that so many of her enemy had survived, but she was thankful beyond words that their blood wasn’t on her hands.

  Like the others. Like Smith and Samantha.

  She looked back, grateful that demons trekked up the hill behind her. There were a handful of children, and some women and elderly, but only a few of the massive warrior demons had survived.

  Most of them were injured. But all of them looked terrified.

  War wanted death, and it got it, no matter if the person was old, young, big, or small.

  She swallowed hard. When she reached the portal, she took a deep breath. “I’ve never taken this many demons over before. I think... I think it would help if we held hands.”

  The demons obeyed without question, lining up behind her.

  When everyone was connected, she took one last look at the beat-up survivors. What would she tell the others when they saw how few had survived? She imagined their disappointment, feeling it deep within her soul.

  It would kill them all to know how many lives had been lost that day. She just hoped that they could forgive her for her failure.

  Taking a deep breath, she looked at the portal. It was time to face her people.

  Without hesitating a second longer, she stepped through.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Sharen came through the portal and started forward, her head still spinning. She needed to get out of the way, to make room for the others. No matter that she couldn’t see where she was stepping.

  When she hit the box, she crumbled to the ground. Blinking for a moment, she realized her hand was lying in something wet and sticky.

  The room slowly came into focus. And her heart stopped.

  No one was there, but it was obvious that there had been fighting. Blood was everywhere. On the floor. The walls. And all the equipment.

  She climbed to her feet.

  Someone gasped behind her. “What happened?” It was Elle.

  She didn’t have time to answer. Where were her demons? Where were Alec, Kade, and Ryder?

  Tearing through the room, she searched every blood soaked corner of the warehouse. Crashing into her office, she looked, hoping against all hopes that they were there.

  But the warehouse was empty. Not one person remained.

  This couldn’t be happening. She stumbled back into the main room. The demons she had saved were standing in the center of the room, gathered together like a frightened group of animals.

  Numbly, she walked past them and erased the realm address on the demon-stone. Instantly, the portal vanished.

  “Sharen?” Elle asked, sounding concerned.

  “We need to get you guys to the refuge. I don’t know what happened here, but I don’t think we’re safe.”

  They seemed to accept her words. As she led them out into the alley, they followed closely together. She rushed them across the road on the other side of the building and led them to the parking lot.

  Four demons stood around the buses, smoking and chatting.

  When they saw her approach, they stiffened.

  “Sharen?” one of them asked.

  “Get these people to the refuge,” she commanded.

  She could tell they wanted to ask questions.

  “Now.”

  They snapped into action. Helping the people load the buses.

  “Did you see anything?” she asked, Charlie, knowing the answer before she spoke.

  “See anything?”

  “Anything strange?” she pressed.

  He shook his head. “We’ve been here since you left. Why? Is something wrong?”

  “We were attacked,” she said the words without emotion. “Don’t come back here after you drop them off. Stay at the refuge.”

  She turned, heading back toward the warehouse.

  “Sharen!” Elle caught her arm. “Where are you going? You saw what happened there. They killed everyone. You need to come with us, where it’s safe.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can.” The woman pressed, bouncing her baby as she began to fuss.

  “You go and protect your children,” she whispered. “But I can’t stop until I know what happened to my husbands.”

  Elle’s eyes widened. “Sharen, you know what happened.”

  She jerked her arm from the other woman’s grip. “I don’t know what happened.”

  I’ll find them. And I’ll find who did this.

  “Think about it. Someone knew where and when you were coming to get us. Someone knew where your headquarters were.”

  Sharen stiffened. “Wha
t are you saying?”

  “I’m saying that you were betrayed. By someone. And until you find out who, you can’t trust anyone. You can’t go looking into what happened, because chances are you’ll end up dead too.”

  It took her a long minute to answer. “Thanks, Elle. Now, go take care of your little ones.”

  “Please, Sharen.”

  She smiled, a smile that was so sad it seemed to break her heart. “I don’t have a choice.”

  Turning, she started back toward the warehouse.

  Elle is wrong. No matter the danger, I won’t stop searching. I can’t believe my demons are dead. I’ll find them, and I’ll punish the people responsible for this.

  As a cool wind teased the air, she watched as dark feathers seemed to rain down from the sky. Looking up, she swore she saw a shape, but when she blinked, there was nothing but clouds.

  Her hands curled into fists. There was one thing Elle wasn’t wrong about. Someone had betrayed her.

  And that someone was going to pay with their life when she found them.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ryder groaned and pressed his fists against his eyes. A headache that was like a raging bull pounded through his mind. He stiffened when he felt wetness.

  Drawing his hand back, he blinked into the small light that hung far above his head. When his gaze focused on his hand, he saw dark blood.

  Memories came back to him, sharp and horrible. He sat up in a rush of movement, and his hands shot out, striking the bars of the cage that imprisoned him.

  Gritting his teeth, he willed himself to bend the bars, but they didn’t move. Not an inch. His breathing grew faster. He shuffled closer to the bars and pressed his face between them.

  They were in a dark building with only a few bulbs dangling overhead. The only thing within the room were row after row of cages. Some of the shapes within the cages looked familiar, but he didn’t spot his brothers among them.

  He opened his mouth to shout for them, when he heard a noise. A whispering. Straining his ears, he listened closely.

  “Sharen made it through the portal.”

  “Good.” The voice that spoke caused every hair on Ryder’s body to stand on end. It held power and darkness. Something that went beyond the deep, raspy quality of it. It was as if Ryder’s very soul recognized something terrible about the man who spoke.

  “But there was a problem.” The other person whispered. The woman’s voice was gentle, almost familiar. “Some of the demons survived.”

  “Survived?” The man’s voice held nothing. Not surprise. Not anger. Just acceptance. “How is that possible? A group of frightened, weaponless creatures defeated the entirety of the Hunter army?”

  “I... it appears so.”

  The man didn’t speak for a long time. “She used her powers. It’s the only possibility.”

  “That was my thought,” the woman rushed out, too quickly.

  “And she’s getting stronger.”

  Ryder heard footsteps, someone pacing back and forth.

  “That cannot be allowed,” the man said. “Something must be done.”

  “But, you see, that’s why I imprisoned her people. She’ll have to come here. She’ll want to save them.”

  There was another long time when no one spoke, before the man’s frightening voice came again. “I will consult the Fate. If Sharen becomes too powerful, I will be forced to kill her and her demons, regardless of the cost.”

  “Yes, my lord,” the woman whispered.

  “Either way,” the man continued. “When she gets here, we’ll have a very painful surprise waiting for her.”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  Ryder heard the sound of a door opening, then closing. He waited for several long minutes, then began to whisper his brothers’ names.

  No matter what, they couldn’t allow Sharen to step into a trap.

  But even when his whispers turned to shouts, his brothers didn’t answer. Nor did the bars on his cage bend.

  End of Book Two

  Betrayed Hunter

  Mates of the Realms: Mortals

  Book Three

  Chapter One

  A few hours before the attack...

  The shapeshifter entered Sharen’s office with the ease of someone who belonged there. He smiled and looked at his reflection. He’d taken on the face of a demon who worked for The Rebellion, one who just happened to have been killed on his way to work by a group of angels.

  His smile widened as he moved to Sharen’s desk and started rifling through her belongings. He found plenty, but nothing he could use. Nothing discussing The Immortal Ten or shedding light on what Sharen knew about her role in the war.

  Frowning at his inability to find anything, he settled into her chair, placing his booted feet on her desk. Caine would not be pleased if he returned with nothing.

  So what do I do now?

  The office door opened and a pretty, young blonde came in, staring down at a pile of papers in her hands. She seemed entirely unaware of his presence as she headed for the desk.

  Such a bad thing to be so unobservant. Dangerous even.

  But a second later, she glanced up, then down, and then back up again, her eyes widening. “Henry, what are you doing in Sharen’s office?”

  Henry, is that this demon spawn’s name?

  He shrugged. “Relaxing.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “No one ever goes in here.”

  Fuck. He took his boots down from her desk. Before he’d watched the angels slaughter his target, he hadn’t bothered to study the demon. He’d just taken his place. Now, he had no idea how to mimic the man, and the last thing he wanted was to tip off their enemies before the attack.

  I was supposed to use this body to get information and then help catch them by surprise. I had better be successful in at least one of my missions.

  “I know I shouldn’t have come in here,” he said, trying to soften his voice in a way he hoped was similar to the demon. “I just needed a few minutes to myself.”

  The young woman took a step back. “That’s all you have to say? What’s wrong with you?”

  He rose from his chair. This was not going according to plan. Not at all. He couldn't give his father one more reason to kill him. “Nothing. I apologize for going where I shouldn’t have.”

  She took another step back. “O—okay.”

  Oh, why couldn’t you have been one of those simple humans who ignore their instincts when faced with evil?

  He moved around the desk, trying not to alarm her any further. “What’s your name?”

  Her eyes widened. “My name? You’re not Henry.”

  And you just signed your life away. Funny.

  “What makes you think that?”

  She trembled. “Because Henry and I are dating. Henry and I were supposed to meet for breakfast this morning, but he never showed up. So, who are you? What are you?”

  He leaped towards her. She dropped her papers and turned to run. Her fingertips brushed the door handle when he reached around and covered her mouth.

  She screamed, but his hand muffled the sound. His grip tightened around her body, holding her easily. She was no match for him and he barely felt her struggles. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered. “I’ve got a lot of pent-up up anger. And guess what? I’m going to take it out on you. I’m going to make you wish for death, but I won’t give it to you. Not quickly any way. And when you’re past the point of being anything but a shell of beaten flesh, I’m going to take your life.”

  He killed the woman slowly. First punching her face enough times to be sure she couldn’t scream. And then, when his energy was finally spent, he stuffed her body into the closet. Smiling down at her, he thought of the way she’d looked when she was still alive. His body shuddered. His bones cracked and skin shifted, and then, he looked like the woman.

  For a moment he felt relief, and then he thought about his failed mission and about Caine. Every ounce of relaxation beating the woman had brought him di
sappeared in an instant.

  “Father will not be pleased when he discovers I learned nothing about their knowledge of the Immortal Ten,” he told her dead body, glad to finally have someone to talk to. “The great Caine will likely come up with a new and terrible way to punish me. His failure of a son.”

  He started to pace, growing more and more agitated. “He doesn’t care that I’ve got everything planned... three perfect locations to put our precious bait, both the Hunter and angels in place. And that I thought of the only way to take the demons without killing them. No, all my father will think about is that I returned from her office empty handed.”

  He scowled. “I preferred being Greg Manthen to this retched role. He was a man of power and position. He was a man who slept when he wanted, ate what he wanted, and killed what he wanted. Now, I’m what... shifting from one fucking demon to another. Slinking around in the shadows of The Rebellion. And all for what? My father hints at what his goal is, but doesn’t care enough to just say it.”

  And it must be something important! Otherwise, he wouldn’t be going through all this trouble. He’d just grab her with the others.

  His nose wrinkled. “You have no idea how stressful it is to have The Judge of all of mankind as your father. It makes every day an awful one.” He glanced at her again. “Not as bad as the day you’ve had, of course.” Chuckling at his own cleverness, he felt a little better.

  Time for the bloodshed!

  Closing the closet door, he whistled under his breath as he made his way back to the main room of The Rebellion’s hideout. Soon the attack would come, and every one of these bastard people would become pawns in his father’s game. Caine, The Judge, the immortal being responsible for where people went when they died, would remain in power forever. This he was certain of.

  DARLA LOOKED DOWN AT her dead, broken body lying in the closet. Even in death she remembered how painful her last few moments of life had been. And now, her spirit was angry. If the creature who had killed her knew she was a witch, he would’ve been more careful about how he disposed of her body, and about what he said when he thought no one could hear... but he hadn’t. And now, she had a chance to do one final act before her spirit left her body.

 

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