Becoming: A Reverse Harem Tale (Mountain Magic Book 1)

by Dakota Brown

  I leaned back on my elbows and stared out over the water, mesmerized by its beauty.

  "It's all yours," Allan said.

  "Oh my," Victoria whispered.

  It took me a moment to catch on that Allan wasn't talking to one of us. I turned and gasped.

  Sparkles flitted here and there. The bright Colorado sun reflecting off of faery wings.

  A swarm of them descended on the leftover food, and it vanished in short order. Even the crumbs vanished from the reusable wraps.

  In moments the air was still, and I felt empty inside at their absence.

  Only a few minutes passed before the air was again filled with sparkles.

  "Just sit still," Doc whispered in my ear.

  I should have been surprised at his abrupt return, but I was focused on the flashes of light, and it just felt natural that he would be there.

  He took my hand and let me lean against him while he opened my palm and held it out, my hand on his.

  After a moment, one of the sparkles settled in my palm. The wings stilled, and I saw the tiniest person I had ever seen standing there.

  I risked a quick look at Victoria. Allan had her hand in his, and she had also attracted a faerie. Ed lay on his back and sparkles danced all over him. Clearly, they were comfortable with the brothers already.

  The small person in my hand moved, and I looked back at them.

  "Hi," I whispered.

  They curtsied and took to the air again.

  "They're very delicate. Don't move suddenly."

  Doc's breath tickled my neck, and I shivered slightly. I had already figured that out. I turned my head slightly to look at Doc and was startled by how close he was. My heart skipped a beat.

  He leaned forward, not quite looking at me and nodded. "Just stay still."

  Doc supported me while I remained as quiet as I could. I wasn't sure how he held so motionless as he held my hand out. I relaxed against him and before long, the tiny sparkles covered my hand, and then my arm. I grinned at the small tickles of their feet as they walked on my skin and tugged gently on my hair.

  I barely dared breathe, afraid to damage them. I wasn't actually sure Doc was breathing.

  After a few minutes, the whole group leapt into the air, and they danced around in a colorful display of sparkles and then vanished.

  "You can breathe now," Doc whispered in my ear.

  I gasped.

  He laughed.

  "That was incredible." Victoria beamed.

  "Yeah." Incredible really was the only way to describe that experience.

  After another moment, I realized I was still leaning against Doc and straightened. He didn't say anything, just stood and offered me a hand.

  "We should probably get going," Doc remarked once we were all on our feet.

  Ed and Allan carefully cleaned our picnic site before Victoria and I could even offer to help.

  The three guys put their backpacks on. Doc and Allan led the way, with Ed again trailing behind us.

  No one spoke. The magic of the moment was more than enough to fill any silence.

  Chapter 6

  Sofia

  By the time we made it back to Doc's truck, I was exhausted. I barely remembered climbing into the back seat between Ed and Allan. I woke up leaning against Allan as we came to the roundabout into town.

  "Sorry," I muttered, cheeks warming.

  "Not a problem." He patted my hand.

  "Why don't you take these two ladies for a good dinner and then make sure they get back to their dorm," Doc suggested.

  "Sure, what do you two like?" Allan replied.

  "What's good. Burgers?" I answered.

  "Oh, Erica's Burger Bar has that great all you can eat salad and pasta bar to go with the burgers. Let's go there," Allan exclaimed.

  With as much as I had eaten at lunch, I couldn't imagine being hungry, but my stomach growled at the mention of food.

  "Sounds great," Victoria agreed.

  Doc stopped the truck in the small downtown area, and we all got out.

  "You're not coming?" I looked at Doc, surprised at how disappointed I felt.

  "I've got a few things to do." He smiled as he pulled away.

  "Does he just not eat?" Victoria asked.

  Though neither of the guys looked uncomfortable, I was standing close enough to Allan to feel him shift slightly before he answered. "He eats, just not a ton. Different metabolism."

  "Gotcha." Victoria didn't press, and the guys relaxed and walked with us to the burger joint.

  Though the place was crowded, they had a table for us, and we went right in.

  "Get whatever you want, our treat," Ed stated.

  "Thanks," Victoria answered. "We'll buy next time."

  "Sure," Allan said easily, though I got the impression he intended to disagree in the future.

  The guys both got large burgers and the all you can eat salad bar. Having seen them eat at lunch, I didn't think there would be leftovers.

  I got a much smaller burger and the salad bar, and so did Victoria. My stomach was grumbling constantly by the time our food showed up. None of us spoke about the hike, instead, focusing on classes.

  By the time everyone was finished, I felt stuffed and my eyelids drooped, despite the nap on the ride down the mountain.

  "This has been a great day, thank you," I said.

  "Yes," Victoria agreed. "Thank you for including me in your adventure."

  "They liked you," Ed remarked. "You'll have to join us again."

  I grinned and nodded along with Victoria.

  "We should get back," I said reluctantly. "I'm exhausted."

  "That thin mountain air and a good hike will do that to you." Ed grinned at me. "Let's go."

  Allan paid the bill, and we headed out into the cool evening. "The temperature does shift rapidly here," I said as I pulled my jacket out of my backpack.

  "It does," Allan agreed. "I'll follow."

  The last he said to Ed, who nodded.

  I wondered what he meant, but he dropped back before I could ask. Ed walked with us toward the dorms. I knew Allan was behind us, but I didn't see him. Interesting.

  Victoria either didn't notice, or didn't want to comment on it because she brought up one of the classes she shared with Ed that I wasn't in this semester, and they talked while we meandered down the sidewalk.

  Most of the shops were getting ready to close, and the sun was below the mountains, though it wasn't dark yet. I heard an owl hoot and Ed froze, head tilted as he listened.

  Victoria waited and so did I, not sure what was going on.

  "Sofia, could you call Doc please," Ed asked. His normally cheerful tone was flat.

  "I don't have his number."

  "We'll have to fix that. My phone is in my right pocket. Grab it, lock code is ten ten, call him. He has a shortcut on the home screen."

  I had never expected to hear anything like fear in Ed's voice, but I heard it now and didn't question him as I stepped closer and slid my hand into his pocket. He didn't move, muscles tense, alert and watching around us.

  A few other small groups moved on the sidewalks. Otherwise, there weren't a ton of people out. With it being a small town, that didn't surprise me.

  I unlocked his phone and pushed the icon that had Doc's name under it. The picture was a truck. Allan's icon was a wolf. I happened to notice he had my number on his home screen too, with a geode as the icon. Interesting.

  "What's up, Ed?" Doc answered the phone.

  "Um, it's Sofia."

  "What's wrong?"

  "I don't know. We're just heading back, and Ed got all worried about something and told me to call you."

  He swore. "I'll be right there. Just stay put. Stay on the line."

  "Sure."

  "I heard," Ed grunted.

  Allan came up behind us. "He coming?"

  "Yeah," Ed replied.

  "Sofia," Doc said on the phone. "Are you anywhere near Sam's Curios?"

  I glanced at
the businesses, "Um..."

  "Yeah, we are," Allan replied, clearly able to hear Doc through the phone. "She's not going to like it."

  "We'll apologize later. Just get there. I'm a few minutes away." I heard his truck start in the background.

  "What's going on?" Victoria asked, voice quiet.

  The guys didn't answer, just ushered us across the street. Ed opened the door for the shop.

  "They're about to close," I pointed out.

  "It's okay. Go in." Ed actually pushed on my arm.

  We entered, and Allan made sure the door shut behind them, then stayed in the entry way.

  My arms tingled, and I rubbed at them.

  "Can I help you?" An older woman came out from around the counter. She had silver hair, though her face was smooth, and I thought maybe she was younger than her hair made her look. She wore a plain green T-shirt and jeans, and she frowned when she saw Ed and Allan.

  "Boys?"

  "We were being followed. We'll leave as soon as Doc gets here."

  "I thought Mr. Cassidy had a truce with them." She folded her arms across her chest.

  "He does, except it doesn't include Sofia. She was in danger." Ed crossed his arms back and made it clear he wasn't budging.

  "So, you bring her here?" She did not look pleased.

  "We can't fight them all," Allan muttered.

  I glanced around the shop, trying to get some clue as to what was going on. It looked like a standard tourist shop, and I traded a confused look with Victoria.

  The door opened, and Doc slipped in. "Hello, Samantha."

  "Roy," she said shortly.

  "I'll get them out of here," he said.

  "Think hard before you break the truce, Roy. You fought hard for that." She glanced at me.

  Doc pursed his lips but shrugged. "Some things are worth it. Let's go. Ma'am." He touched the brim of his hat before we all left the store.

  It was almost truly dark now, and Allan and Ed stayed close to Doc, Victoria, and me.

  "You going to tell us what that was all about?" Victoria asked.

  I was too rattled to ask, so I was glad she had. They had all implied I was the one in danger–not Victoria and I, but me.

  "Yes. Let's go to the library. It's another safe space." The easy manner Doc had displayed earlier was gone. I couldn't read his expression, other than it looked hard. Allan and Ed were clearly worried, and I hoped they were going to tell us about what.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Despite several attempts, I hadn't yet made it to St. Giles library until now.

  Doc scanned his key fob at the entrance for after-hours access, and we went inside. The library was open to students late. In the evening, you had to scan your fobs to get in. I wondered if that was why Doc thought it was a safe place.

  The guys all relaxed by increments as we went deeper into the library, until Doc let us into a small conference room and shut the door. He sank into one of the conference chairs looking angry. Ed perched in another, attention focused on Doc. Allan paced at the end of the room.

  "What are we going to do?" Ed asked after a long silence.

  Doc sat up and sighed. "Hope they ignore this and move on."

  "Will they?"

  "No."

  "Shit." Ed punched the table, clearly agitated.

  "Easy, I don't need to buy the college a new conference table." Doc turned his attention to us. "Grab a seat."

  Victoria and I had stood nervously by the door. We sat when directed. I glanced at the door, then back at the guys, a little freaked out by their strange behavior. I was getting used to Ed's weirdness, but this was completely different, and all three of them were obviously unhappy.

  "So, what was that?" Victoria asked.

  Doc studied me for a minute before he finally spoke. "How much do you know about the magic underground?"

  I frowned. "The what?"

  "I was afraid of that." Doc shook his head and sighed again. "Damn it."

  "Wait, do you mean the black market?" Victoria stated. "Where they still exploit magic users and sell illegal spells and stuff?"

  "The very same," Doc replied.

  "Wait, that's real?" I frowned. "I thought that was just an urban legend."

  "We wish it was," Ed grumbled.

  "There's a small, but unfortunately powerful sect here in Sunnyglade. Fortunately, most of the time, they stay pretty quiet. Unfortunately, that means that the people who deal with such things are focused elsewhere, and we can't get rid of them."

  "You mentioned a truce?" Victoria prompted when Doc didn't continue.

  He tightened his lips again. "I'd rather not talk about that just now. Suffice it to say, it's probably not going to hold much longer. The two of you are in danger, because they've taken notice of you for whatever reason."

  "Could it be because of my activism?" Victoria twisted her hands nervously.

  "Your what?" Allan came over and leaned on the table.

  "I'm a supernatural rights activist. My whole family is involved."

  Doc's eyebrows went up. "Well, if they don't already know, I wouldn't let that get out."

  "Is Sofia in danger because she's my roommate?" If anything, Victoria's expression fell even further.

  For a minute, I wondered if it would be safer to let her believe she was the cause of the danger. The miserable expression on her face tore at me.

  "No," I murmured. "I think it's me."

  Everyone focused on me.

  "I can do a little magic."

  "Really?" Victoria straightened and stared at me.

  She probably didn't notice, but none of the guys were surprised. How had they known?

  "Yeah, not much. Like, um, I can make plants grow, and um, I can move small things short distances, and, well, I never have a bad hair day." I blushed at my nervous rambling and stared at the table, clenching my hands. It was hard to admit. I'd been raised to hide my abilities. It wasn't safe for anyone to know, and now I was telling four almost strangers, but I felt I had to trust Victoria. My heart raced, and I tried to take a few calming breaths.

  "Wow. Cool."

  I shrugged, relaxing slightly with her acceptance. "I mean, the hair thing is handy. Really, it's just scary, because if anyone found out, I could be in real trouble. Well, I guess somehow, they did find out. What do I do?" I looked at Doc, trying not to cry. I was more scared than I could remember ever being.

  "First, I'll remind them that your disappearance would attract quite a bit of attention they don't want. I doubt your parents would quietly accept that you were gone. If that doesn't work, I'll have to try to renegotiate the truce to include you and Victoria. Until then, don't go anywhere alone. Call me if anything weird happens, and stay close to campus." Doc took a deep breath. "Any other questions?"

  Victoria glanced between Doc and Ed and Allan. "Won't you be in danger?"

  "No."

  I sensed there was more to Doc's answer, but I would accept it for now. I was too freaked out to ask any more questions anyway.

  "Let's get you two back to your room so you can get some rest. You should be safe there, as well."

  "Thanks," I whispered. "I'm sorry."

  "Something like this was going to happen sooner or later," Allan said. "The reprieve was nice while it lasted, and we're more prepared this time. Everything will work out."

  I was so tired and depressed from the extreme emotion swings of the day, I couldn't wait to crawl into bed and pass out. Fortunately, we didn't have to get up early in the morning tomorrow, and I could sleep in. I hoped we wouldn't be putting Alex in danger tomorrow. Somehow, I thought it would be okay.

  I leaned forward on the table and fought the exhaustion and tears, not wanting to cry in front of everyone.

  Ed's warm hand touched my shoulder. "It's okay, Sofia. We'll work through this. We'll help keep you safe."

  "You barely know me. You shouldn't have to be keeping me safe."

  "We want to help," Ed insisted.

  There really wasn
't anything else I could say without sounding bitchy, and I was grateful that I wouldn't have to figure this out on my own, I just hated putting them in danger.

  I dragged myself to my feet, and we all headed out of the library. I was very aware of the guys as we walked. They surrounded me. Doc walked next to me, and Ed followed right behind. Victoria was right in front, and Allan led the way a little ahead of us.

  "Hey, thanks for taking us hiking today," I said when we reached our dorm. "Except for the last hour or so, I had a really great time." I somehow managed a smile.

  Ed's face lit up, and even Allan and Doc looked pleased.

  "We did, too. We'll text you," Allan replied.

  We went inside, and I couldn't help looking around nervously, though I had never seen whatever it was that had bothered Ed and Allan. I should have asked what they had noticed. Victoria was doing the same thing, and we used the elevator without even having to discuss it. When we got to our floor, we both rushed to our door, and neither of us had to ask the other to check the room before we both sank onto my bed.

  "So, magic, huh?" Victoria smiled at me.

  "It's not much."

  "Still pretty cool."

  I shrugged. "I wish I couldn't right now."

  "Yeah, I get it. Well, we're on the buddy system for a while, we'll just have to sync up our schedules, and maybe we can get the guys and Alex involved, too."

  "Maybe. I really don't want to tell more people than we have to. The guys trusted us with a big secret today, and I think we can trust them. Well, we don't have a choice now. I don't want to tell Alex."

  "Yeah, I get it. I won't tell anyone either, and I'll keep my activist status on the down low." Victoria grinned. "Speaking of today, that was really amazing, wasn't it?"

  "Yeah, seems like a dream now."

  "They definitely like you." She nudged me with her elbow.

  "They like you, too." I stuck out my tongue, just to prove how mature I was in this conversation.

  "Yeah, not like that. Ed keeps trying to hand you off to Doc, but I get the feeling he and Allan really like you, too."

  "Well, if the magic mafia is after me, they probably won't want to have anything to do with me from here on out." I grumbled.

  "Magic mafia?" Victoria laughed.