Demon's Touch: A Reverse Harem Tale (Mountain Magic Book 2)

by Dakota Brown

  Ed shuddered, eyes going wide in fear.

  "Sofia, maybe you do what I am. He will respond better to you."

  Nikolai stepped away before I called my magic, standing back by Doc. Even so, as soon as I touched my magic, I could feel Nikolai as if he were standing next to me, hands on mine.

  I gasped. "What the hell?"

  "It is resonance," he muttered tightly.

  "I didn't feel that when we traded languages."

  "No. It takes once or twice for energies to sync." He sounded resigned.

  I wanted to look at him, to try and figure this out, but Ed needed my attention, so I tried to tune Nikolai out. It helped that he was across the room, standing next to Doc. As soon as my thoughts turned to him, it was as if I could sense Doc, too.

  Doc sank down into a chair, groaning softly. "Fuck." Obviously, he sensed the magical resonance, too.

  "Yes," Nikolai agreed.

  I glanced at Allan and got up on my knees, leaving one hand on Ed. Allan's eyes widened when I put my other hand on his shoulder and pushed magic into him.

  "Whoa," he whispered.

  My magic flowed through all of us, connecting us. It was erotic, as if all of them were connected with me, drawing Nikolai's magic into all of us, along with my own, but it was more than that. It pulled us together, joining us, burning through us. I used that connection and focused on the wild energy that belonged to Ed and tugged. He was buried deep, but once I found the way in, he clung to me and I drew him back to us.

  Ed took a deep shuddering breath, and I clutched him to me as tears sprang to his eyes.

  Doc came over and sat next to me, putting his hand on Ed's arm above the wound. Having all of us touch completed the pack, but not quite. Nikolai was missing. I had joined him to us, and we needed him now.

  I looked over my shoulder at the mage.

  His eyes were wide, and he looked like he wanted to refuse. We could all sense the acrid bite of his fear through the swirl of magic joining us.

  Ed shifted under my hand, and I turned back to him. He stared at Nikolai as if he didn't quite know what to do.

  "Ed," I whispered softly. "Talk to me."

  He looked at me. "Sofia, I was so lost."

  "You're here now. We found you. We'll always find you." Tears wet my cheeks.

  "It was magic," Nikolai said. "Evil magic."

  Ed winced when the Russian mage spoke, and the queasy unease he felt washed through us, but I wasn't sure what triggered it. Was it Nikolai, or the mention of magic?

  Ed sighed. "This is quite the light show," he said, changing the subject. Maybe not ready to talk about it.

  My lavender motes danced with Nikolai's dark blue and twirled around the room, darting in and out of us. Ed was right, it was quite the show.

  It was beautiful. "What's happening?"

  "You used your connections with Ed to bring him back," Nikolai answered, though the hesitation in his voice made me think that wasn't the full answer.

  "You should come over here," I finally demanded. I couldn't take it any longer. I needed him to touch me, to touch us, to complete whatever we were doing.

  The others agreed, even if it was just because they wanted to the incompleteness tearing at us to end.

  "I cannot."

  That fear again. It was stronger than Ed's. Did it have something to do with the mage who had nearly killed him?

  Though it was one of the harder things I'd done recently, I broke contact with the others, got off the bed and went over to Nikolai.

  He backed away when I reached for him.

  "This is a bad idea."

  "So is dating three guys, one who happens to be my teacher." I smiled at him. "What's one more bad idea?"

  Nikolai arched an eyebrow. "I had wondered if that was considered acceptable."

  "We're all adults," I said, dismissing the improperness. "It's not as bad as it could be." I was starting to tremble with the need to be physically touching my pack, not just touching them with magic.

  "You're willing to share your magic with us, but not touch?"

  Nikolai shook his head. "You called my magic. I did not stop you. Maybe I could not have." He shrugged.

  I held out my hand. "Join us."

  Both of his eyebrows rose, and he touched my wrist. The contact jolted through us, and I sucked in a breath, but the reason Nikolai had touched my wrist distracted me enough that I stayed focused on my task instead of throwing myself at Nikolai like I wanted to.

  I was aroused to a degree that was getting painful, but the two wolf pawprints on my wrist that I had most certainly not gotten tattooed there were seriously distracting. One was an exact match in color to Nikolai's dark blue magic, and the other lavender like mine.

  I gripped Nikolai's hand and flipped his arm over so I could see the underside of his wrist.

  He had matching prints.

  We met each other's eyes, and for a moment, the rest of the world faded away as the physical contact and our magical resonance drew us closer. I think the only reason I didn't kiss him then was because we both knew Ed needed us.

  I tugged on Nikolai's hand, and he reluctantly followed me to the others. He stood behind me, hands on my shoulders while I settled back next to Ed and put my hands on the two wolves.

  Doc touched me, and our magic flared again. His cool, yet intense energy joined us. Then Ed's puppy-like enthusiasm and Allan's more reserved energy flowed through the magic that connected us. The tug of the forest called. For a moment, all I wanted to do was run, feel the ground beneath my paws and the scents in my nose. Nikolai's energy was that of a raging snowstorm, Doc's a cool desert night, and mine, spring after a rain shower.

  Once we were all full of the mingled energies, I released my magic.

  The circle of energy we had built dissipated. I sagged down on the bed, suddenly exhausted.

  Nikolai sank down on the floor, but kept his hand on my shoulder, and Doc stayed sitting, touching me and Ed.

  None of us wanted to let go of the contact.

  Ed finally broke the silence. "What the hell just happened?"

  "I have no idea," I answered. "Nikolai?"

  "I don't know."

  "No?"

  "Well, yes, I have an idea, but it would only be guessing."

  "Guess away," Doc ordered. "You know more about any of this than the rest of us."

  "Am I the only one with a couple of extra paw prints and a lot more color?" Allan stared at his wrist.

  "No." I looked at my wrist again. Now I had five. Dark blue, lavender, sky blue, steel gray, and black. The color of mine and Nikolai's magic, and the color of the other guys' eyes.

  Doc took off his bracelet and held out his wrist. His tattoo had changed to match mine.

  Ed swore as he studied his wrist.

  "Nikolai?" Allan asked.

  I could sense the mage about to deny it, so I grabbed his hand off my shoulder and held it out for everyone to see. It matched as well. I ran my fingers lightly over his tattoo.

  He gasped. "Perhaps you could…"

  I let go of his wrist.

  "Thank you." He didn't sound like he meant it, but I knew that's what he wanted.

  "So, what did we just do?" Ed prompted.

  "Sofia called our magic, or innate energies, and used them to draw you back, but then took it further and joined ourselves together in something akin to your pack bond. It would not have worked if there had been any true disagreement." Nikolai again sounded resigned.

  "You don't sound particularly happy," Allan said.

  "I was trying very hard not to intrude on your lives more than I had to," he replied. "Now you seem to be stuck with me."

  "You said it yourself, Nikolai, if there had been any true disagreement, we wouldn't have been able to do what we did. You're part of our pack now," Allan insisted. "You're stuck with us."

  "Thank you," he whispered softly. Though he sounded uncertain, he also sounded sincere.

  "Guess that's what you get f
or letting Doc chew on your neck," Ed chided lightly.

  I could sense Nikolai's embarrassment.

  Doc laughed, and Allan grinned.

  "Perhaps," Nikolai finally answered.

  "Are you okay, Ed?"

  "I think so. I just… Now I'm scared to change," he admitted.

  "We'll be with you," I said before grinning mischievously. I leaned over and kissed him.

  After a moment, he reached his uninjured arm around me, pinning me to his chest as he kissed me. He growled softly and rolled until he had me pinned to the bed.

  I yelped in mock outrage before giggling.

  His stomach rumbled louder than his pleased growl, and I laughed harder.

  He sighed.

  "You know, I don't know if anyone has had breakfast," I said.

  "The pizza has worn off," Ed admitted. "Maybe I'll just eat you instead." He bit my neck.

  I tried to yelp indignantly, but it came out as more of a gurgle as my brain decided it was done being restrained. I clawed at his back, bucking slightly under his weight. Distantly, I hoped I had spare clothing here, because between the magical energy turning me on earlier and Ed now, my panties were soaked. I didn't want to go around smelling of arousal all day.

  Ed rumbled, pleased with himself.

  I did cry out indignantly when he leaned back, sitting up and grinning at me.

  "But I think maybe I should eat something. Feeling a little weak, after all." He crawled out of bed. I had wondered if he was dressed. Turned out, he was wearing pajama pants. They did nothing to hide his arousal.

  Frustrated, I threw a pillow at him.

  He laughed but continued to head to the kitchen.

  "Werewolves and their stomachs," Doc laughed.

  "Pot, kettle," I called up the old saying, fixing my gaze on Doc. "You just get to eat and have fun at the same time."

  He opened his mouth as if he was going to deny it, but then realized he couldn't, so he just shrugged instead. "It's convenient."

  "Eating is fun," Allan breathed on my neck. "Especially after you hunt it first," he whispered, voice low.

  The primal joy in his voice tightened my stomach, and his breath on my neck sent tremors down my spine.

  I turned to face him.

  He kissed me gently on the lips before crawling backward off the bed. "He destroys the kitchen if I don't supervise."

  "Are they trying to torture me?" I groaned, flopping back onto the bed.

  "Maybe you're fun to torture." Doc's eyes shone with his smile.

  "If you leave, too, I'm going to…" I didn't even know what to threaten.

  "Going to what?" He stood up.

  I just stared at him. He was really going to leave?

  "Cry?"

  He laughed. "We do need to discuss what we're going to do about the Andersons."

  "I don't bloody want to think about Alex right now!"

  The highly amused expression on Doc's face wasn't helping any. He headed for the kitchen. Nikolai had already vanished, leaving me alone in the bedroom, frustrated but also grateful that we had managed to call Ed back from whatever dark place the Anderson's magic had put him in.

  Grumbling, I followed the guys into the kitchen. At least they could feed me.

  Ed and Allan cooked while Doc sipped on tea, leaning against the wall.

  "Where's Nikolai?"

  "He went for a walk," Doc replied.

  "Is he okay?"

  "He's got a lot on his mind." Doc shrugged. "I think he'll be okay. We need to talk about a few things, though. The Andersons. Nikolai."

  I sank down into my usual chair. "What are we going to do about the Andersons? Alex outright threatened us. If they find out Nikolai is a mage…" I trailed off.

  "Yeah," Doc replied.

  Ed and Allan filled the table with food. Ed sat next to me, and Allan took Doc's normal seat. They both sat closer than normal.

  I leaned over until I touched shoulders first with Ed, and then with Allan.

  "How do you feel about Nikolai?" Ed tilted his head to the side.

  "Uh." What did I even say to that? Sure, I was attracted to him. He was easy on the eyes, nice to me and all, but the thing that was pulling at us was our magic resonance. Wasn't it?

  "I mean, I like him. I guess. I know Doc likes him." I smirked at the blushing vampire, and shoved food in my mouth to avoid having to continue babbling.

  "We need him to train you," Doc continued. "Sam said we would lose you to him if he did, though."

  The thought of losing my pack brought tears to my eyes, and I couldn't talk around the sudden lump in my throat for a moment. "I would rather figure it out on my own," I managed to choke out, "than lose any of you."

  "She said it was already too late," Doc added. His expression remained neutral, and I wasn't sure what he was thinking.

  Ed and Allan both looked worried when they glanced at each other, then at me.

  "Sam seems to say a lot of things," I grumbled. "I certainly don't feel like I've lost you." I twisted my arm until the tattoo on my wrist was exposed. "Besides. What does this mean, other than that we're all pack?"

  "We can't ask him to train you and expect the two of you to not get involved with each other. Nikolai and Doc made that pretty clear yesterday," Allan said.

  Though I was worried about what the guys might be suggesting, I couldn't help the sly smile that crossed my face. "I'm sorry I missed that."

  Doc cleared his throat and stared at the ground.

  "So, you just want to hand me over to him?" I said once the silence stretched.

  "No!" they all declared together.

  "Then what?"

  "I guess we're asking you if you want to date him, too," Doc said when no one else spoke up. "Or maybe, more accurately, if you can talk him into training you, whatever happens between you two will be fine with us, as long as we get to keep you, as well."

  "Oh." Though I had desperately wanted to kiss Nikolai earlier, I had dismissed it as the resonance. I still wanted to touch him, but it was easier to ignore, since he wasn't in the room. The guys were right, though, there was attraction between us. Even if it was just the magic. "I… What do you think?" I looked at Ed and then Allan.

  "I would rather lose you to Nikolai than the Andersons," Allan admitted. "At least he'll teach you how to avoid becoming a host to a greater demon, but I'd rather not lose you at all."

  Ed didn't answer, and I focused on him. He had his jaw clenched, and he stabbed at the eggs on his plate but didn't actually eat any. In fact, he hadn't touched much of his food compared to normal.

  "Ed?"

  "I agree with Allan," he added slowly. "We need Nikolai. We aren't giving you up. If you can convince him he has to share with us, then I guess it's okay with me." He stared at the table, his hands clenched.

  "You're not okay with it," I stated, leaning against him.

  "I just need to get used to the idea," Ed replied. "It was my idea to share you with Allan and Doc in the first place. I can let Nikolai in, too. Besides…" He grinned, looking closer to his normal cheerful self. "It looks like I don't have to try and convince you to get our pack tattoo." He ran his fingers lightly over my wrist.

  I shivered, but returned his smile to him.

  "What about you?" Allan took my hand. "How do you feel about the idea?"

  "It's kind of sudden. Besides, maybe he just wants my boyfriend and not me." I wanted to laugh, but I didn't quite manage it.

  Doc buried his face in his hand and sighed. "I don't think he's actually after either one of us."

  "You sure about that?" Allan teased Doc.

  Doc just sighed louder.

  "I'll talk to Nikolai," I agreed finally. "We need to figure something out. I'm not positive this is really the answer, but if that's what we have to do, then we'll just have to decide what everyone is comfortable with."

  "You know, it's not like we're asking you to date Alex," Allan said grinning at me. "Nikolai is nice. He seems to like you, and Doc sa
ys he's a good kisser, so it can't be all bad."

  "I'm going to strangle you," Doc muttered through his hand.

  This time, I did laugh.

  Ed relaxed. "He's said he will fight for us, and he really has tried to keep his distance from you. It's not his fault, either. Let's just make the best of it and keep you safe from Alex. Besides, he's kind of growing on me." He went back to eating his breakfast, and Allan did the same.

  I glanced at Doc. He studied me, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

  "What?"

  He shrugged. "I'm glad we found you."

  "I've turned your entire lives upside down." I glanced at Ed's bandaged wrist, guilt twisting my stomach. That was my fault.

  Doc set his tea on the table and came around behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders, massaging them gently for a second, before he leaned forward and kissed the top of my head. "Worth it."

  "Yeah," Ed agreed around a mouthful of food.

  Allan nodded his agreement.

  "If you're sure," I murmured, wondering, again, if maybe I should just leave.

  Doc tugged me out of my chair and pulled me against him. He brushed his fingers across my temple and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before kissing me.

  I lost myself in his embrace for a minute, enjoying his firm body pressed against mine, his mouth devouring mine.

  "We're sure," Doc breathed when he leaned back.

  Before I could decide if I was going to kiss him again or step away, Ed and Allan hugged me from behind, squishing me between the three of them. I rested my head on Doc's shoulder, content for the moment.

  Chapter 13

  Sofia

  It didn't take me long to find Nikolai after I left the cabin. He sat, leaning against one of the aspens nearby, and looked out over the valley. I had thought I might talk to him later when he came back, but the guys had encouraged me to go find him and talk with him.

  I still wasn't sure how I felt about this, but I didn't want to lose any of them, and clearly, at least some part of me had claimed Nikolai as my own.

  "Hi." I switched to Russian. It was pretty damn cool that I could learn a language that fast.

  He glanced at me before patting the ground next to him.

  I sank down to the ground, sitting cross-legged next to him, not quite touching the mage.