Falling For Them Volume 2: Reverse Harem Collection

by Nikki Bolvair

  I let my arm drop lower, and my hand circled my wrist as I sent a glare his way. “Eighteen.”

  He lifted a cell phone out of his pants pocket. “Hold on.”

  Turning away, he put the phone up to his ear, then glanced back to guardedly watch me. What did he think I was going to do? Take my whole hundred-and-thirty-five-pound body and charge him? I had muscle, but not much. Plus, I was innocent! I had magic, yes, but so far, the worst I could do was pelt him with sandals. And what? He believed I had the strength to do something to his tall, muscular frame? He was crazy. In fact, I wasn’t sure I wanted him as my teacher.

  Whoever he spoke to caused him to grunt in agreement before he clipped out a goodbye and ended his call. He clenched the phone in his hand and frowned. Boy, he needed to work through some anger issues.

  “So, you’re new,” he said, giving me a once-over.

  I tensed, ready for another strike, but this time his eyes squinted with new curiosity. He shook his head, dismissing his thoughts, and gestured to a desk in front of the classroom. “Take a seat. I want you to tell me what happened.”

  I side-stepped him and cautiously made my way to the desk, afraid the quickness of my movements would anger him. I slid into the chair. Anger at him brought on my snarkiness, so I shot my own question back at him. “Don’t you keep up with current events? It seems like everyone was notified except you.”

  I tensed after I spoke, mad at myself for provoking him. He only grunted, though, and took a seat on the desk, his arms folded.

  “This classroom”—he gestured around—“is typically used for research, not for light talent training. That class is in another area of the school. But because of your restraining bracelet”—he nodded to the silver bracelet around my wrist—“a change was sent from the council. I believe your father—”

  “He’s not my father,” I stated, my fingertips tracing an imaginary drawing on the desk. But even as I said the words, warmth filled my chest with the misinterpretation of Phillip being my father.

  “O-kay.” He drew out the word, as if unsure how to handle my interruption and tapped his fingers against his thigh. “Well, he received some information of unrest within that area of the school and felt it best to navigate you to safer ground.”

  My fingers unconsciously glided across the smooth desktop, my gaze still on him. “You mean place. Safer place.”

  He shrugged. “So, I received you.”

  My lips twisted, fingers coming to a stop. “It doesn’t seem like a safe place. I was in here for a whole minute before I made my presence known.”

  He grunted. “There’s a ward on this room. So only certain people can get through. I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

  I went back to my tracing, and he straightened, still frowning. “But since you’re here instead of in class, why don’t I go over a few things with you?”

  My palm flattened against the hard surface, unsure about him, but nodded. Maybe he had some answers for me. “Okay.”

  He nodded. “Do you have your mark yet?”

  I shook my head. “Nope.”

  “Okay. How long has it been since you received the light?”

  My lips pursed, eyes shifting to the side as I counted the hours, before I glanced back to meet his gaze. “Um, a little over twenty-four hours?”

  His eyes grew large. “Twenty-fou—how do you feel?”

  I shrugged, not sure why he would ask me, and continued my finger tracing along the desk surface. Was he concerned with my mental state? “Fine.”

  “Anything new happen since then? Little things that seem to be different? Not quite you?”

  I considered it for a second. “Not really. Unless you count shimming into my bedroom last night after I made a wish to be in bed. Other than that, no.”

  “Did you think of your bed when you made the wish?”

  I focused back for a brief second before answering. “Actually, I thought about going home, to the valley where I live, but shimmed to my mom’s cabin instead.”

  He nodded, as if he knew exactly what happened. “Makes sense. The restraining bracelet will only let you go places sanctioned by the council. It works like one of your human police anklets used on criminals, but clearly with a more fashionable design. The only difference is ours is more efficient.”

  My eyes narrowed. “So, I’m a prisoner?”

  His eyes crinkled. “Not you.”

  My fingers drummed against the desk.

  He cleared his throat. “Back to my question. Anything else unusual going on?”

  I shook my head, and he gestured to my hands. “Do you draw?”

  My fingertips stopped tracing imaginary lines, and I stared down at them. “I, uh…”

  “Let me get you some paper.” The teacher twirled his finger, and paper and pencil appeared on the desk top. “Sometimes talents could just be a new skill or much much more.” He gestured to the items when I didn’t immediately pick up the pencil. “Draw while we talk. You might be surprised at the result.”

  “Uh, okay.” I picked up the pencil. smooth and thick against my fingertips like a real one should be.

  “Ask me questions,” he insisted as he sat and watched me draw.

  “How many people here in Flag are Lydents?” I kept my head down and concentrated on my work while he explained.

  “We’ve a fairly large group here. Other states have their own council, but the Supreme Council is in Massachusetts. They rule over this country.”

  I paused my drawing. “Do they know about me?”

  He smiled, and for a moment, he didn’t appear threatening. “Yes, they know about you. At least, they do by now.”

  I went back to my doodles and asked him another question. “What about my mark?”

  His brows rose as he pulled back. “What about it?”

  “Well, I don’t have one. And I learned in the other class today that you’re supposed to have one after you turn thirteen.”

  He shrugged. “You’re right, but this whole situation is new to us. The only thing I can speculate is it’s probably because the person who gave it to you hadn’t received theirs yet. Maybe the light stays the same age as the giver? It was Philip who gave it to you, right?”

  My heart stung at the sound of his name. “Yes.”

  He jumped up from his spot and went over to the computer. He typed on the keyboard and muttered to himself before speaking. “Philip Everly was due to gain his mark in two more days.”

  He leaned back in his chair and turned to me. I gaped at him in silence, dumbfounded by the information.

  “You know what they say…” he continued with a sly grin.

  “What?” I stared at him in confusion.

  His mischievous grin almost made me regret asking. “The more time you spend with someone, the greater the likelihood you’ll have matching marks.”

  I was taken aback. If that were true, maybe I would get one matching my stepbrothers’ and their friends’. “Really?” My gaze narrowed suspiciously at him. “And why would you say that?”

  His expression became mortified as he jerked back. “Not for my benefit.” He waved a dismissive hand. “It’s just what the kids say, not a proven fact. So, don’t you worry your pretty crown about it.”

  My lips twisted. “It’s head.”

  “Crown, head,” He waved the careless hand again. “It all means the same.”

  “Huh, fine. How about you? Do you have a mate? Or a group bond?”

  His expression darkened, and he turned back to his computer, ignoring my question. “Keep drawing.”

  I sighed and did as he ordered.

  Zoning out, I hadn’t noticed Mr. Teacher slide up beside me until the scent of mint lingered. I peered up at him sideways. “What’s your name?”

  “Hooks.” He nodded to my drawing. “Let me see.”

  For the first time, I stared down at my drawing and looked at it. Shock froze my pencil in place.

  A woman, holding a baby, stood next to a man. T
he couple smiled. But what caught me off-guard was absence of pencil marks around the center of the woman’s and the child’s chests, giving an illusion of a glow. The man, on the other hand, did not.

  The paper slid from my fingertips as Hooks took it. He studied the paper. “Do you recognize them?”

  “No. Do you?”

  “Maybe.” He folded and pocketed the drawing. “But you know what this means?”

  “That I can draw?”

  He shook his head and walked back to his desk. “You’re a Pathist Imture. Or a PI. You gain visions through your drawings that others need to see.”

  My eyes narrowed as I stared at him, trying to connect the dots. “So, that picture you had me draw, was that something you needed to see?”

  He never glanced my way as he gave me a one-word answer. “No.”

  Then he lifted his hand, rotated his finger, and I found myself in a diner, sitting in a booth next to Baxter.

  Wide blue eyes turned to me as his mouth hung open. “What the hell?”

  I frowned, glancing to the fries on the table. The damn man shimmed me out of the room. And how did he know where to send me?

  Chapter Five

  At the smell of food, my stomach growled. Like I’d been in the diner all along, I picked up a fry and dipped it into the ketchup. “Hi, Baxter.”

  “Car, you’re not supposed to shim in front of people,” he whispered, his head whipping around to check if anyone noticed.

  I glanced around as well while I munched on the fry. Nothing seemed to be out of sorts. “It wasn’t me.”

  His wide shoulders relaxed when he realized no one was staring at us or had even noticed.

  “They probably thought it was the flash of a camera,” I reasoned, grabbing another fry. “Why are you here?”

  Finally convinced no one saw me drop in, he stretched his arm behind me on the back of the booth and scooted closer until my head barely met the curve of his underarm. “Meeting up with Colten for a quick lunch break. He’s not here yet, though.”

  He grabbed a fry for himself, the arm across my shoulders so close his dangling fingertips brushed my shoulder. The movement of his fingers against the cotton of my school uniform made me hyper-aware of every touch. I wanted him to do it again. I leaned forward to pick up another fry just to feel the sensation of his fingers when I leaned back once more. As if he knew what I was trying to do, Baxter slid his arm off the back of the booth and curved it casually around my shoulders. As his fingertips drew circles on my upper arm, I sank back into him, enjoying his touch.

  Did Baxter like me the way Colten did? The way I liked them?

  “By the way, what was with you leaving and not coming to dinner? The guys and I popped in to see what was wrong, but you were passed out. I guess the change really did take a lot out of you.”

  I scrunched my nose at him. “I shimmed for the first time by accident. Didn’t know how to get back. Fell asleep. I slept so long this stupid silver bracelet decided to shim me right onto the teacher’s desk this morning.”

  At first, he tried to keep his expression neutral, but then a grin tugged at the corners of his lips, causing a laugh to break through. He hugged me close. “I wish I’d been there. I would’ve loved to see how that played out.”

  Heat filled my cheeks as I rolled my eyes, and I nudged him in the side with my elbow. “It was not pleasant.”

  A few more minutes went by and no Colten. Baxter decided not to wait and ordered us food.

  After the waitress left with our orders, he leaned to the side and pulled out his phone to check it. He shook his head and put it back into his pocket. “Wonder where he is.”

  “Maybe he got caught up with work stuff,” I reasoned. “By the way, what do you two do?”

  His blue eyes lit up. “We work at the animal sanctuary up the road.”

  My brows scrunched up. “The one in Williams?” I’d heard about it but never visited.

  He nodded. A lock of hair fell from his hairdo and curled up on his forehead. “Yeah, the two of us like working with the animals, and it’s convenient when we need to shim out at times to check in with our WT.”

  “What’s that?”

  His voice dropped. “It stands for Warrior Team. When you go through the training, you’re assigned to a team. We have to check in every once and awhile.”

  “Oh.” I glanced around the diner, recognized it as the one in Flag, and wondered how Baxter made the trip so fast. “How do you come here for lunch if you work in Williams?”

  Blue eyes shifted to mine and widened as his hand came up and gestured between the two of us. “You just did it. Why couldn’t I?”

  I smiled. Of course, shimming. I turned my gaze away and pushed at his hand, but he grabbed ahold of it. I spun back to see his blue eyes light and friendly. He surrounded me, his arm around my shoulders as my body turned toward his, and my hand nearest to the table caught by his own.

  “I like it when you smile.”

  Once more heat rose in my cheeks. “Thanks. You have a pretty good one yourself.”

  “I wouldn’t call it pretty,” he drawled with a smirk as his thumb traced along the sensitive skin of my palm.

  “What would you call it then?” My voice came out slightly airy.

  He leaned in closer to whisper, “Unforgettable.”

  My cheeks bunched up as I giggled. His arm moved from around my shoulder, his thumb brushing along my cheek, but I hardly noticed as I put on my best police officer impression. “I retract my statement, sir. Let’s start over. You have an unforget—”

  His hand at my cheek curved around to the back of my neck, and his head dipped, his lips cutting off my next words. His firm hold gave me no leeway as he coaxed my lips into playing with his.

  After a moment, he pulled back, dark eyes full of desire when they met mine. My lips tingled as my heart thumped. “Why now? Why after—”

  He shut me up again with his lips, more insistent this time. My whole body tingled. His lips left mine, and he whispered in a rough voice, “I’ve always wanted to, but I probably shouldn’t have. We’re encouraged not to get involved with anyone until we give ourselves some time to find our mate.” My heart raced in my chest at his confession. “But, Carly, I don’t care. Not even knowing that you’ll be mated to others.”

  I swallowed. “Why do you think it will be someone else and not you guys?”

  He pulled completely away, leaving me cold. “Because of your brothers.”

  “Stepbrothers,” I corrected, trying to reason with him.

  “Marks will never match you with a sibling. Plus, you don’t like them like that.”

  Pain stabbed at my heart. Yes, I did. And we weren’t really siblings.

  “And the guys and I already decided not to be a family unit.”

  My hopes deflated. Why couldn’t anything go right?

  “But that doesn’t matter. Nothing matters now. We’re damned if we do, and I’m damned if we don’t.” He sighed and picked up my hand once again. Toying with my fingers, his eyes became hopeful. “Carly, will you go on a date with me?”

  Ignoring the pain of my hopes for all of us being together washed down the drain, I tried to rejoice in the knowledge Baxter Holt liked me. The tall, athletic guy who set off tingles when we touched and who stole my heart at his first smirk. My stepbrothers’ friend.

  I mustered up my best smile. “I would love to go on a date with you.”

  He grinned, and when he leaned in for a brief kiss, the tingles came back.

  Someone cleared their throat.

  We both turned quickly to find Colten standing there with heat in his gaze. His husky voice vibrated across my skin. “Is there room for one more?”

  “Yeah,” I croaked, and slid closer to Baxter to make room.

  Colten’s lips turned up into a grin as he squeezed in beside us. “We always knew you were trouble.”

  “The best kind,” Baxter affirmed. My cheeks flamed.

  The waitress cam
e back with our food, and Colten ordered lunch for himself. As we all ate and after I told them about my first day, Colten slid his hand under the table to my skirt-covered knee and gave it a gentle squeeze.

  I turned to find his liquid gold eyes staring back at me. “Glad you’re here.”

  “Me, too,” I answered.

  I wanted to say fuck karma and screw the mark as I lay my head on his shoulder and grabbed another fry. And I would, all it would take was a little faith and hopefully a myth: that my mark would take after those where I spent the most time. I had today and tomorrow to spend as much time as possible with them if I wanted to make them mine.

  Chapter Six

  After we finished eating, Colten suggested I go back with them to the animal sanctuary.

  “Don’t I have more classes?”

  Colten smirked. “Haven’t you learned? The band will shim you back if you need to be there.”

  Baxter snickered.

  I blushed, remembering this morning. “Fine. Okay.” I wouldn’t turn down an offer to spend more time with them. The band would shim me like Colten said.

  The three of us walked out of the diner and over to the side, where a slope of green grass lead down to a line of trees growing at the bottom of the holler. A street ran along the other side. A warm breeze stirred up, causing the pine trees down below to sway. Baxter and Colten grabbed my hands.

  “Ready?” Baxter asked as he and Colten guided me down the slope.

  “For what?”

  We neared the bottom, and both guys tightened their hands. Colton glanced down at me. “Get ready to shim.”

  With a brief twinkle of bright lights, we disappeared.

  Shimming into a wooded area on a dirt trail, we walked toward a truck parked not far off.

  “We have to drive?” I stared at the four-wheel drive truck. “I thought we were shimming there.”

  “We can’t exactly shim out of work,” Baxter reminded me as he pulled the key fob out of his pocket to disarm the alarm.

  “Yeah,” Colten agreed from the passenger door he held open for me. “It would raise eyebrows if we were gone and our vehicles were still in the parking lot.”