Falling For Them Volume 2: Reverse Harem Collection

by Nikki Bolvair

  Power resonated in James, and his fingers prickled as the numbness slowly faded. His hands warmed as magic seemed to build in his body. Did Eric get this kind of sensation on the boat? Luckily, there was somewhere for him to put the energy building up in his body. He only hoped he didn’t hurt her, as he pushed this new found power into her healing wounds.

  “Here goes nothing...” Taking a deep breath, he moved his hand from her arm to the wound on her stomach, pushing hard.

  Power left him quickly, making him dizzy. His upper body swayed, black dots dancing in his vision. Adrian moved to hold him up. They both closed their eyes as the glow Mirror gave off became a brilliant flash.

  Eric came back into the room minutes later, with a tray of food. Looking at the three of them, his jaw nearly hit the floor. James’s skin glowed with vitality, and his eyelids no longer drooped. His twin didn’t exude a sense of hopelessness anymore. Most surprising of all, the hole in Rhea’s stomach closed, showing not much more than a slightly raised scar. “What happened?”

  “We did it. We were able to use Mirror to combine our power, which I channeled into healing Rhea.”

  “She’ll be okay?”

  “I hope so. We need to wait for her to wake up, now.” Adrian grinned, obviously relieved as well.

  For the first time since Rhea became injured, Eric stopped worrying she would slip away from them. He set the plate down, and then slumped into a chair, exhaustion seeping into his body, as he no longer worried about her survival.

  James snagged some cheese from the tray set on the bed. “I love her,” he announced.

  Both his brothers scowled at him as Adrian replied, “She’s off limits.”

  “What? You can’t be serious!” James shot out of his chair, glaring at his twin.

  Years earlier, the twins made a pact about girls. If one of them liked the girl, they could pursue her. If they both liked her, she became off limits.

  From his seat in the chair, Eric grimaced. “I agree. None of us get her.”

  “You, too?” Adrian asked.

  The healer’s heart sank. Almost losing her made him realize he wanted to get to know her better. Wanted the opportunity to court her.

  “We could always ask her if she prefers one of us to the others?”

  Eric shook his head immediately. “No. I don’t want to risk losing the two of you as well.”

  Both of his brother’s faces showed the desire James knew reflected on his own. “What if she didn’t need to choose?” he asked in a small voice.

  “What do you mean?” His big brother’s brow furrowed in suspicion, but he watched him with interest.

  “I mean, there’s a chance we’re only friends in her eyes, or,” he shuddered, “Her brothers, but on the off chance she held a romantic interest in all three of us? What if we didn’t make her choose? If we all courted her? I could live with sharing her with the two of you, as long as I knew she’d be mine as well.” He rubbed the back of his neck, admitting, “Not long after the plague swept through the kingdoms, it became apparent men greatly outnumbered the women. Although not as popular now, a few of the smaller kingdoms still practice and fully support polyamory. A relationship with all of us wouldn’t be unheard of.”

  Adrian watched Rhea, her chest rising and falling under the thin blanket. “All or nothing?” he asked, making sure he understood his twin correctly.

  “Yes. All or nothing. I want her in my life, but not at the expense of the both of you.”

  Glancing at his twin, he frowned thoughtfully. “I’m in. We can at least ask her.”

  Watching Rhea too, Eric flicked his gaze between them. “If we agree to this, we need to make sure we constantly communicate. None of us are exactly well versed in relationships.”

  His heart leapt with hope at his brother’s willingness to go through with this. They were all drawn to her, and the worry of her not being in his life gave him physical pain in his chest. “We can make this work,” he finally agreed, not allowing any room for doubt.

  ~

  As Rhea woke, the first thing she noticed was a cracked and faded ceiling. She tried to clear the fog from her head by wiping her eyes.

  “She’s finally waking up!” One of the twins bent over her, blond curls obscuring his eyes.

  The other twin swam into view, and she guessed it to be James as he touched her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Does anything hurt?”

  “What happened?” The skin across her stomach pulled tightly, making her grimace, but otherwise she seemed fine. Or, she would as soon as the fog cleared from her head.

  “You got hit with one of the projectiles from the other ship,” Adrian said.

  “And where are we now?” This didn’t appear to be the ship.

  “At an inn. The city we came to port in is only about a half days walk from the castle.” James lifted the edge of her tunic, running his fingers gently over her stomach. “It might scar, but I did the best I could do in such a short time.”

  She ran her fingers along her stomach, over the raised edges of her recent wound. “How long was I out?” Did James use his power to put her to sleep again?

  “Not long.” Eric’s voice floated across the room, even though she couldn’t tell where he stood.

  “How long?” she repeated, fixing a glare at James.

  He held his hands up in a surrendering gesture. “I didn’t put you in a faux sleep this time. Your body reacted to the rapid healing by making you sleep. You slept for the rest of the journey. You did wake a few times, though.”

  “You don’t remember waking up? You disembarked the ship on your own.” Adrian leaned over the head of the bed, staring at her upside down.

  She shook her head, searching her memories. “You sure I was awake?”

  Adrian grimaced, disappearing from her line of sight. “I’m honestly not sure how lucid you were at the time. You don’t seem to be in a ton of pain anymore, though.”

  “And you saved the ship. The captain decided not to throw us overboard because of your heroism.” James sat gently on the edge of the bed.

  She glanced at the wall, shrugging. “Someone needed to get rid of Eric’s extra power, and I had the safest means of doing it.”

  “The captain still said he was grateful to you,” Eric replied.

  Rhea searched the room, trying to figure out where he hid. She finally caught his silhouette sitting near the window, the early morning light casting an eerie glow over his features.

  “What about you? You helped extinguish the fires.”

  From the window, he chuckled humorlessly. “My abilities paled to the flashiness of yours, and I didn’t attract attention like you did. No one really knows I took the fire. Their awareness focused on you standing at the railing. Your skin nearly glowed, you took on all the extra power.”

  Frowning, she tried to recall the events, but everything seemed fuzzy. “I didn’t hold onto the extra power. Mirror fed me enough to boost my natural ability.”

  “Either way, people now know you for a mage.” His shoulders drooped.

  “Frankly, I’m surprised I made it this far without attracting attention for it,” she admitted.

  James rested his palm on her cheek, and she assumed he wanted to check her for a fever again. He already checked her three times since she woke up. What would it take to convince him her temperature wasn’t going to suddenly spike?

  James ducked down close to her head and met her eyes. “Get some sleep. I know you’ve done nothing but sleep for the past few days, but rest is what your body needs to help you heal the fastest.” His lips brushed against her hair, nearly touching her forehead. She tried to stay awake. As he said, she slept for days. She didn’t want to sleep some more, but her eyes drooped, too heavy to stay open.

  ~

  The sun shone almost directly overhead when Rhea finally regained her strength. She stood up, jamming her feet into her boots. Eric purchased something new for all of them to wear after she gave him her money pouc
h.

  “We should head out and figure out the best way to get into the castle.” Mirror rested on her shoulder, nuzzling her cool head against her cheek.

  Gathering their bags, Eric stood and looked around. “We’re ready. Remember, don’t push yourself.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Good. We should go out this way.” Eric stepped out of the room, gesturing away from the stairs leading to the main floor.

  As he took a deep breath, James muttered something about never leaving the ground again.

  A large window stood at the end of a dark hallway. Lifting the latch and swinging it open, Eric said softly, “Down we go.” He slid out the window, turning slowly to ease himself out. Dangling from the window by his fingertips put him not far from the ground. He dropped the last few feet and then waited for the others.

  Using the same method as his older brother, James closed his eyes, swallowing hard. His hands shook as he lowered himself on the ledge, cringing as his fingers let go. He waited for the joint-jarring impact. When it didn’t come, he breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced up at his twin, dodging out of the way as Adrian quickly hopped down. He didn’t bother to lower himself first.

  When Rhea stepped up for her turn, she half expected the impact to hurt her wounds. Instead, Eric caught her, holding her a moment longer than necessary before he released her.

  “Why are we sneaking out the window?” Rhea questioned in a whisper.

  “Because Mirror confirmed our suspicions, someone kept watch over the inn after we arrived, downstairs in the dining area. We’re fairly certain they watched the building alone, though,” Eric replied softly, leading the way around the side of the inn.

  “They probably expect us to escape during the night.”

  “It would probably be smarter if we did,” James added with a sigh as he glanced at the sky. “By the way, when you magically burned out, Mirror became a regular bird. Why didn’t she change this time?”

  Rhea shrugged her shoulder, but then replied, “Because I didn’t magically burn out this time. I still possessed my power, and she’s a part of my power. If I died, she would die, as well, probably.”

  James puzzled over the idea of Mirror being linked to her power, but what she said made sense. He let the subject drop.

  The few people they passed on the streets didn’t acknowledge them in any way as they made their way down the street, continuously moving in the direction of the stones towering in the distance. If they didn’t run into any trouble on the way, it would only take a couple of hours to get to the castle.

  James and Eric glanced at each other for what seemed like the one-hundredth time. All three of them kept sharing fleeting glances, and it was driving her nuts. If they needed to say something, she wished they would come out and say it.

  When the twins glanced at each other again, Rhea sighed. “Do you have something you don’t want to tell me?”

  All three of them studied each of the others. She wanted to stop, to demand answers, but time ticked by, ever faster. The importance of their mission superseded all other desires, and in her heart, she prayed to the gods for them to succeed.

  When Eric and Adrian refused to speak, Rhea fixed her glare at James, knowing he’d be the easiest to break. “Well?”

  He cleared his throat. “I read a book a few weeks ago...”

  Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she needed more to go on than a book. “Go on.”

  “It talked about polyamory after the wars,” he rushed out, cheeks turning pink.

  “And?” She didn’t know for sure where he planned on going with this, and she was afraid to guess.

  “What my twin is trying to say, after we survive this, we all want the opportunity to court you.” Adrian smirked, clearly enjoying himself.

  James nodded in agreement and grumbled. “If you had given me a moment, I would have gotten there.”

  “Yeah, but we wanted to get there sooner rather than later,” Adrian shot back good-naturedly.

  A blush swept up her neck, turning her cheeks pink. “All of you? I don’t know if I can be in a relationship with all of you...” She trailed off regretfully.

  “Why not?” Eric’s hand found hers to pull her closer.

  “I wouldn’t be able to choose.” Her voice lowered to a whisper, and the twins moved closer to listen.

  “What if you didn’t need to choose?” Keeping his gaze on the road ahead of them, he squeezed her hand.

  She snorted in disbelief. “I doubt you’d enjoy sharing your future spouse with two other people.”

  Adrian shrugged. “Our options come down to share you or to lose you. The three of us may fight occasionally, but we’re committed to at least trying it. If it doesn’t work, we’ll back off. Try, and keep you with us is better than to lose you, or watch you court someone else.”

  She scrutinized them from under her lashes. This whole idea seemed surreal. She could keep all three of them? They’d all be okay with sharing her? “You’re absolutely certain all three of you are okay with this?” She glanced between them, watching their faces for any sign of discomfort. All she saw was hope.

  Eric squeezed her hand. “We discussed it already, and we want to try it. Would you be willing?”

  His earnest expression told her they truly believed it would work. “I’m willing to try it, as long as everyone promises to be open and honest.”

  The boys all agreed a relationship like this could only work with open communication.

  She slowly nodded, but couldn’t help but slightly doubt this plan. Did they really want this? They really wanted to share her? To ensure she stayed with them, these three amazing guys decided to sacrifice their own opportunities for monogamy. She found it difficult to pinpoint a single special thing about herself, and they wanted to choose her.

  With a bounce in his step, Eric walked ahead of her. Right then, he seemed happier than she’d ever seen him.

  Watching all three of the boys, her breath caught, and she slowed. What if they said they all wanted to be with her, but in reality, ended up driving each other apart. She couldn’t be responsible for breaking up their family. Her throat burned as tears threatened to fall. Biting her lip, she glanced around. Searching for somewhere to escape. She needed to figure out what to do.

  Shrubs, bushes, and trees surrounded the road to the castle, providing suitable coverage for her. Before she could change her mind, she turned to the trees. “I need a minute.” She spoke quickly, hoping the boys wouldn’t notice the panic in her voice as she started off the road.

  Eric stopped, concern infusing his voice. “Rhea, you okay?”

  “Of course.” She waved him off. “I need a moment” She dashed through the trees. When her lungs burned, she finally dropped to the ground, scraping her back against the bark of a tree as she leaned against it.

  A familiar weight settled on her shoulder, and Mirror cooed at her, brushing her head against her cheek. Cool feathers against her skin, helped her get herself under control.

  “What do I do?” She didn’t really expect her bird to answer. Her eyes widened in surprise when Mirror stretched her wings out, flattening her feathers to create a flawless surface.

  The three guys stood in the middle of the picture, arguing and gesturing at the trees.

  “I feared this would happen. They aren’t as okay with the idea as I hoped they would be...” She held the bird, sniffling hard.

  The image wavered as Adrian came into view, glaring at his twin. “You had to go and open your big mouth, didn’t you?”

  Her heart stuttered as she gasped at the scene unfolded in front of her.

  James frowned. “Would you prefer she never knew all three of us desire her?”

  “Knock it off, both of you!” Eric growled out, fire leaping into his eyes.

  “Now you scared her off. How do we fix this?!” The anger in Adrian’s expression didn’t let up as the ground rumbled underneath them.

  Flames slid down Eric’s arms. “Ad
rian, stop this.” He was ready to fight his brothers.

  James shoulders sagged. “Is there any way to salvage this?”

  Desire for their wellbeing fought with her desire for them. “I can’t let them fight. They might hurt each other.” Taking off back the way she came, she pushed her legs as fast as she could. As she reached the clearing, flames erupted from the ground. Without stopping to consider her actions, Rhea clasped Mirror to her chest as she pulled power from the air. She ripped the magic away from them, unwilling to let them destroy each other.

  Air leaving his lungs in a rush, Eric dropped to his knees. He wheezed, his lungs refusing to draw oxygen back in. The twins turned to find Rhea bent over, trying to contain their power. The flames seared through her, and her bones vibrated as she attempted to contain it all.

  “Stop fighting,” She glared at both of the boys, unbelieving of the lengths they took while arguing with each other.

  Adrian took a step in her direction, suddenly realizing what he’d almost done.

  The same idea clearly occurred to Eric as he choked out an apology.

  “If I release your powers, will you both stop fighting?”

  Both Eric and Adrian nodded their heads. The disappointment on both their faces told her they knew it.

  Magic slowly trickled back to them, making them gasp for breath. Her tunic let off smoke, a testament to the amount of power she held on to.

  James took a step closer to Rhea, laying a hand on her shoulder. “I apologize. We do want you to give us a chance. If you do, we promise to try not to disappoint you again.”

  Rhea searched his face, gauging his sincerity. “I don’t know if I can take another fight like this,” she admitted softly.

  “Let us prove to you it won’t happen again.”

  His brothers nodded in agreement behind him. Standing up, Eric moved closer to her. “Perhaps we should agree to put this decision on hold until after our business with the king is concluded. All of us are running on little sleep, and I imagine we’re all pretty stressed out.”