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

by Dakota Brown

  After a time that seemed to go on forever, yet was over in an instant, the flood slowed to a trickle, and the clearing was devoid of the lavender sparkles. I brimmed with power, yet it was important somehow that the motes returned to the clearing I stood in.

  It didn't take long before a few started flickering around the trees, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  That felt like all I needed to do in the clearing, so I slowly followed my connection with Doc, back to actual consciousness.

  He had fallen silent, and when I opened my eyes in the physical world, he simply stared at me, watching quietly.

  I didn't speak, looking around at the world with extra perception. I could see the energies the trees around me emitted, feel the aura of energy around Doc that bled into me where we touched. I could see my lavender motes pulsing into him and the connection in the energy he shared with Ed and Allan. Maybe it was from drinking their blood, maybe it was from being part of their pack. I wondered if I would form those sorts of connections with the guys.

  The energy within me sat quiet for a moment. Then it surged, demanding to be used.

  I gasped, clutching Doc's hands.

  His eyes widened slightly, but he remained calm, gripping me back. He spoke again, low and steady. Although I still couldn't understand the words, they resonated deep within me. I had taken a lot of energy into me and now had to release some of it, or I felt like I would burst. Frantically, I looked around for a safe place to direct the power.

  The first thing that drew my mind was Doc's beaded bracelets. They practically begged for me to pour energy into them, and I obliged, carefully, until they were full. I still had more, what could I do?

  Plants...the plants needed energy.

  Shutting my eyes, I breathed out and fed them some of the excess. Finally, I sagged forward, exhausted and also exhilarated. I had done magic, and I still held some of the lavender motes inside me. An amount I could maintain, without feeling like I would explode.

  "Sofia?" Doc whispered.

  "Yes."

  "Are you okay?"

  "I think so."

  He took one of his hands from mine and brushed some of my short hair out of my face. His hands felt cool on my hot skin, and I slowly became aware that I was drenched in sweat.

  The quality of the air had changed. I no longer felt the slight breeze from earlier. It was still, quiet, safe.

  I opened my eyes and raised my eyebrows.

  "Oh, wow."

  "Quite impressive. How do you plan on getting us out?" He grinned, showing me he wasn't concerned. I was a little worried as I studied the wall of pine trees that encircled us. The trunks touched, so that there was no gap between them.

  I leaned back, tipping my head to see the trees reached high above us. We could probably climb out, but it wouldn't be easy.

  "Doc, I did magic. Like, a lot of magic."

  His grin widened. "I saw. Well done. How do you feel?"

  "Except for being trapped in a circle of trees, great."

  He nodded as if he had expected that. "Do you want to talk about what you experienced?"

  "Maybe. Not yet."

  He accepted that quietly and climbed to his feet. He tugged on the hand he still held, and I stood, though I wobbled, light-headed. Doc held me against him, and I put my arm around his waist.

  "Think you can convince a few of the trees to make a doorway for us, or are we going to have to climb?"

  He didn't sound nearly as daunted by that thought as I felt.

  "I think I can. I just need a few minutes to rest."

  "We have plenty of time. Do you think you can access your magic again, without my help?"

  "Maybe. Might take a few times practicing."

  He hugged me tighter. "Good job. I wasn't sure if that would work."

  "Thank you."

  "Of course, Sofia."

  Since we had some time to kill, I brought up another subject that I had been wondering about. "Does it really not bother you, seeing me with Ed or Allan?"

  "I thought it might, but no. I've had several years to get used to the idea of sharing everything in my life with them. This… seems natural."

  "Will you tell me how you all met?"

  "When we're together. It's their story as much as it is mine."

  "Thanks."

  He looked at me, and I reached up, putting one hand behind his neck and tugging his head toward mine.

  Mischievous smile on his face, Doc bent and pressed his lips to mine.

  I had meant to give Doc a quick kiss and then work on opening a door for us to get out of the trees, but when his lips met mine, the magic in me surged again, wrapping around the two of us, spinning through us, joining us temporarily.

  We gasped at the same time as our energies connected. Our hands tightened around each other until we crushed ourselves together, as if we could meld like our energies did.

  Doc growled deep in his throat and picked me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he held me tight as we kissed.

  I tangled my hands in his hair, wanting it down. I touched his hairband, and it fell away in my hand, his hair falling to his shoulders.

  "Neat trick," he breathed against my lips.

  I smiled.

  Doc lowered us until my back pressed into the ground. He leaned over me, lips still locked to mine. I left my legs wrapped around him, luxuriating in feeling him pressed into me.

  Gasping he leaned back. I let my legs relax and put my feet on the ground to either side of him. His eyes shined lavender over his normal dark color.

  He sank back on his heels and stared at me, chest heaving as he breathed as heavily as I did.

  "What?" I propped myself up on my elbows and pressed my legs against his.

  Doc shut his eyes and ran his hands down my thighs.

  I moaned, arching slightly at his touch.

  "Just need a minute." He opened his eyes and smiled tightly.

  I tilted my head, and he opened his mouth, raising his lip slightly to show elongated incisors.

  Shivering, I reached for one of his hands. It was scary, I knew the stories, but I also knew Doc. Tugging on his hand, I pulled him back to me. He gave in to me somewhat reluctantly, until he hovered right over me again, his eyes locked on mine.

  "It's a thing, right?"

  "Yeah, it's a thing. Makes relationships awkward." Doc smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. He was still worried I wasn't going to accept him apparently.

  "Well, you're going to have to get used to my weird magic things, so I'll get used to your vampire things."

  He parted his lips as if he were going to speak, and I pressed my lips to his. He groaned my name. "Sofia, are you sure?"

  I growled back, wanting his full attention. Wrapping my legs around him, I squeezed, pulling him down on top of me until his hips were firmly pressed to mine, his body crushing me to the ground. I knew he wouldn't mind a little rough handling, so I bit at his lip until he opened, letting me explore his mouth with my tongue. I lightly ran my tongue over his teeth, feeling the longer teeth, trying to let him know I was accepting him, even like this. He deepened the kiss, echoing my motions.

  Doc rolled us over on our side. I left one leg hooked over him, and he tangled his legs in mine. He freed his hand so he could slip it into my jeans, cupping my rear and squeezing me to him. He kissed my jaw, behind my ear, nibbled at my neck.

  I pressed against Doc, tilting my head back, giving him my neck.

  He hesitated.

  "Stop hesitating," I grumbled, strung tight and wanting release.

  "Sofia, I..."

  "If you say one word about being worried about me not being okay with this, or..." A thought occurred to me. Monday was going to be interesting. "About being my teacher, I'm going to bite you."

  "That was the thought that had crossed my mind," Doc whispered against my neck.

  "I think we're a little beyond that."

  "Maybe," Doc leaned back and met my eyes.

&nbs
p; I glared at him and made good on my promise, darting forward and latching onto his neck, hard.

  He convulsed against me, fingers digging into my butt and my back. He groaned something, but either it was in Navajo, or it was inarticulate. Somehow, he pressed more firmly into me. I knew I was pushing him a little. Maybe that was a mistake, however, it didn't feel wrong. The entire length of him pressed against me felt oh so right. I let go of his neck and hoped he healed as quickly as I thought, because I'd certainly left a bruise.

  I had a momentary thought of wishing Ed and Allan were there. Still, I needed to be alone with them sometimes, too. Doc just had the luck of being stuck in the tree ring with me while my magic went a little wild.

  It coursed through us again, and we both moaned.

  This time, he didn't ask me if I was sure, he nibbled down my neck. When I arched against him, he sank his teeth in, and my mind completely short circuited.

  I couldn't even keep track of the separate feelings coursing through me. I might have cried out, I might not have had the breath for it, I wasn't sure. Pleasure erupted in my core and spread all the way through me. My body trembled with its release, and I sagged against Doc, gasping for breath. He licked at my neck, and I whimpered in pleasure.

  He held me tightly while I shook, legs tangled in mine, arms pressed against my shoulder blades. I leaned into his chest and trembled as all my nerves tried to reset themselves.

  We lay there for a while until my breathing finally calmed and my head cleared a bit. I felt drunk, satisfied, safe.

  "Doc," I said after a long silence between us.

  "Yes, Sofia?" He slurred his words, sounding a little drunk himself.

  "How do the guys keep from jumping you, if that's what it feels like?"

  He laughed and then cleared his throat. "I can tone it down a little bit. I might have hit you a little hard."

  "Not complaining."

  Doc kissed the top of my head before releasing me. "We might want to see about getting out of here before Allan and Ed come home and freak out."

  It occurred to me that I had no idea how much time had passed since we'd begun the process of me accessing my magic.

  I rolled to my side and slowly got to my feet, still lightheaded.

  "Oh my gods, I'm soaked," I tugged at my jeans, trying to adjust my underwear a little.

  I glanced at Doc. He also stood and his eyes glinted, still showing a hint of my lavender over his obsidian. He smiled, pleased with himself.

  The bruise I had thought I left on his neck was gone, so clearly, I was right about his healing. I touched my neck where he'd bit me.

  "Mark will be gone in an hour or so," he assured me.

  "Well, that makes things easier."

  He nodded, and looked down rubbing the back of his neck.

  Knowing he still felt uncertain, I gave him a quick hug before going over to the trees.

  I put my hand on one of the trunks and studied it, thinking I knew what to do, and a little worried that I didn't.

  Doc came over and put his hands on my shoulders.

  I twisted around and looked up at him, smiling. "I'm going to get us out of here before I lose all willpower and tear your clothes off."

  He raised his eyebrows, and his lips twisted into a smirk as he backed away. Once he stood on the far side of the small circle, he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the trees, watching.

  I felt the magic vibrating in the small clearing, pulled some of it to me, and pushed it into the tree.

  Would you please bend aside so we can get out?

  I hadn't expected an answer, and I almost lost the connection when I got one.

  Why do you want to leave?

  I have to do things in the world. I will come back.

  Acceptable.

  The two trees in front of me shifted, forming an opening just big enough for me and Doc to squeeze through.

  Ed and Allan were staring wide-eyed at the circle of trees when we climbed through the opening.

  "What'd you do, piss off a dryad?" Allan blurted.

  Ed got a sly grin on his face. "Whatever they did, they enjoyed it. Thought you were going to do self-defense training."

  My cheeks heated, and Doc cleared his throat as he ran a hand through his now rumpled long hair. I had no idea what had happened to his hair tie.

  "We started with accessing her magic. It seems to have worked."

  "Did accessing her magic involve giving her mind-blowing orgasms?" Allan was grinning.

  "Uh, that might have been a side effect," I muttered. "Damn your noses, anyway."

  "We don't mind. I just want a turn, too," Allan said, sliding his tongue along his lips.

  My knees wobbled. Apparently, I wasn't completely recovered from what Doc had done to me.

  "Yeah, that'd be good," I grinned, though I wasn't sure I could handle any more at the moment.

  Light danced in his steel gray eyes. "Should I schedule that with Victoria?"

  "Don't you dare," I squeaked.

  All three of them laughed.

  "Ugh!" I threw up my hands and stalked toward the cabin.

  Chapter 20

  Sofia

  Climbing into Doc's truck with the guys to head back to my dorm room was almost unreal after the amazing weekend. I was both looking forward to taking a step back and seeing how I felt in the morning after some time away from the guys, and dreading being alone.

  Well, Victoria would be there, but it wasn't quite the same.

  Monday, I would have to break things off with Alex. Not that we had done much together. He needed to know I had chosen my pack. Tonight, I had to face Victoria. She had been completely supportive–in fact, she had been quite enabling. It would still be an interesting conversation.

  Doc would ward our dorm room tonight, and then I wouldn't see them again until the next day. I had quietly promised Allan some time alone the following weekend, and we had also agreed to talk a little on how we wanted our interactions to work.

  I sat in the back with Allan, Ed sat up front, and Doc drove. When we were turning onto the main road from the small dirt track that led to Doc's cabin, I remembered I wanted to hear how they had all met.

  "Do you mind telling me how you all met?"

  Ed twisted around and looked at Allan before they both shrugged.

  "I guess we should start our story with how we became werewolves. Not sure if you're completely familiar. The condition is hereditary. It's also, um, contagious I guess is the right word. People don't always survive their first change, but if they do, then they're a werewolf, or whatever type of were," Allan explained.

  "Yeah, I knew about that part."

  "Great, just making sure. So, we were born normal humans, with normal parents, and we loved to go camping as a family. When I was eleven, and Ed was ten, we were camping one summer in the mountains not too far from here. Our family was attacked by werewolves. Our parents were killed, but we survived somehow. We ended up in the foster care system. To this day, I don't know how we managed. We had decent foster parents. Unfortunately, the whole werewolf thing put a spin on our lives, and we didn't want to get found out."

  "Wow," I said. "That's terrible. Did anyone ever catch the werewolves that attacked your family?"

  "No, not that we know of," Ed replied. "We were just trying to survive, so we weren't really able to do a whole lot other than keep each other sane."

  "By the time I met Ed and Allan, the trail was several years cold, and we really couldn't find anything out," Doc added.

  I didn't sense any leftover angst about the event, which surprised me. They had been young, and things seemed to have worked out okay for them.

  "Did you not have any other family who could take you?" I asked before really thinking about it. If they did have family, obviously they hadn't wanted a couple of teen boys. I kicked myself mentally for asking.

  Ed turned around and faced forward, shrugging.

  "We aren't sure why they wouldn't tak
e us, so basically no. We don't have any contact with the rest of the family anymore. You and Doc are our family, that's all we need," Allan said.

  I took his hand and squeezed, surprised to be included and a little intimidated by it. "So how did you find Doc?"

  "We came across Doc after four years of trying to hide what we were. He was out hiking, or hunting deer or something, and we had gone for a run. Shortly after we found Doc, our foster parents caught us sneaking out to go run. Of course, they thought it was something illegal and got real strict, which we couldn't deal with and get the kind of exercise and food we needed. And of course, we had to change every once in a while. We were worried about getting involved in school sports as an outlet, so we tracked Doc down again and begged him to take us.

  "It took another six months, because he had to get a job and prove he had a stable place for us to live and all that... He fostered us after that. And now we're pack."

  "It never would have happened without a few favors I had to call in," Doc said. "We managed. We had to get Ed and Allan away from human foster parents. It really is impressive that they managed to remain undetected. That's why I work at the college, though. Needed a stable job for the process, and I convinced someone at the college to give me one."

  "That had to be a pretty big adjustment," I said to Doc.

  "For all of us. I tried to get them to let me find a were family for them to join. Ed wanted me, and I guess Allan did too."

  I laughed. "I know something about Ed getting what he wants."

  Ed grinned at me.

  "Yes, when he gets his mind set on something, he usually figures out a way to make it happen," Doc agreed.

  We spent the rest of the ride in silence. I couldn't think of anything else to say, and they didn't seem inclined to talk anymore. I hoped I hadn't upset anyone too much.

  "Ed, Allan, stay with the truck. I won't be gone too long," Doc ordered when he parked in the student lot near the dorm.

  I gave Allan a hug and kissed him deeply. His eyes glinted in the low light, pleased. Then I crawled partway into the front seat and kissed Ed the same. At that point, it was just as easy to slide out the driver's door, since Doc still had it opened. He smiled at me and grabbed my backpack out of the bed of the truck. I took it from him, and I think he only let me because we were on campus and it might look a little strange otherwise.