by Katie May
My good mood instantly soured, like bloated storm clouds ruining a perfectly good picnic at the park. Any talk of that sadistic fucker seemed to do that to me.
“What about him?”
“You killed a man, Lucas,” she prodded gently. And though she tried to keep her face impassive, I could see a glimmer of pain in her gorgeous eyes. Not because she missed him or anything, but because she remembered. Remembered all of the things he did to her before we arrived. Remembered the feel of his disgusting hands on her perfect skin.
“So did you,” I responded immediately, and her face shut down. Shattered. I quickly attempted to backtrack, rubbing my hands up and down her arms to soothe her tense muscles. She wasn’t ready to talk about the people she killed, and I didn’t blame her. But what she did was in self-defense, and the sooner she understood that, the quicker she could move on. I would be there for her every damn step of the way as she healed from what that sick fuck forced her to do. What he did to her.
Emmett’s face flashed in my mind.
Anger once more raged a war inside of me, but my love for this woman kept it adequately subdued. I wouldn’t dare give in to my primal instincts while she was near.
“Are you asking me if I feel guilty for what I did to protect you?” I questioned gently, and when she nodded, I couldn’t help but scoff. “I only wish I had killed him sooner.”
“What did you…?” She swallowed. “You never told us what you did with the body. What you did with the bodies.” She nibbled anxiously on her lower lip, as the horrors from that night cast shadows in her gorgeous amber eyes.
I smiled at her, one that was laced with maliciousness and darkness. One that had her eyes heating and legs squeezing my thighs in an iron vise.
“You’ll never have to worry about Emmett or the other again,” I vowed.
I’m pulled from the memory by a soft hand gently squeezing my own.
“You look dashing, Lucas,” Peony states softly, eyes traveling across my body. I practically preen at her attention, though I keep my face blank. Even after all of these months, it’s hard for me not to keep my cards close to my sleeve.
“You look as beautiful as ever,” I whisper, leaning forward to chastely kiss her forehead.
Mariabella stands in front of us beside Karsyn, while Elias and Cassian move behind us. Elias is partnered with Mariabella’s newest fling—that girl goes through more flings than Cassian did before Peony—while Cass himself is with Felicia.
I can’t help but notice the longing glances Felicia alternates between Mariabella and Peony. I know that over the last six months, she developed a crush on my girl, though her lingering feelings for Mariabella still remain.
Felicia will need to realize, and soon, that Peony will never be hers.
I refuse to let her go.
The thought of someone taking her from me causes me to tighten my grip on her hand. Peony glances over at me in confusion, her brow raised. When I don’t immediately explain my caveman actions, she rolls her eyes, though her lips twitch in the beginnings of a smile.
It isn’t long until the principal instructs us to enter the gym with our walking partners and take our seats near the stage.
Nerves like I never felt before cascade through my veins, very nearly stealing the breath from my lungs. My heart races as cold sweat drips down my spine.
And I don’t fucking sweat.
Ever.
It’s like someone is scratching sandpaper against my throat, slowly eroding the skin away.
For the first time in my entire life, I want to run.
But then Peony squeezes my hand and gives me a soft, reassuring smile, and the tension leaks from my body.
“You can do this,” she whispers. “You practiced this speech thousands of times in the mirror.” When I open my mouth to protest, her grin broadens, and it’s the most beautiful thing in the entire fucking world. “Don’t deny it. I heard you. Believe it or not, Lucas, you’re only human. You’re not this unfeeling robot. You’re allowed to be scared.”
You have no fucking idea.
...
Elias
On the stage in front of the graduates and parents, Lucas finishes up his valedictorian speech. He speaks curtly, succinctly, his cold gaze traveling over the people in the room. It’s not the impassioned plea I’m sure the school board hoped for, but it’s the best they’ll get from Lucas Scott.
My eyes drift to Peony sitting in the seat beside me, fidgeting with the sleeves of her graduation robe.
“Are you okay?” I lean forward to whisper, my lips grazing her ear. I take great satisfaction when her breath hitches ever so slightly and her neck arches, like an animal baring her flesh to an alpha.
“We’re fucking graduating,” she whispers back as Lucas continues to drawl on and on about new beginnings from the raised platform. “It’s just crazy how things changed so quickly.”
“Are you scared?” I query, because in all honesty, I’m fucking terrified. We’re going to a new school, with new people, and new fucking problems. I already know people won’t accept this unconventional relationship, but we decided unanimously that we weren’t going to hide.
“I know it’s silly…”
“There’s no reason to be scared,” I reassure her.
“It’s just with my mother…”
“Whom you haven’t seen since your grandma disowned her.”
“And your powers…”
I lightly squeeze her hand, pushing a tiny bit of heat into my touch. She gasps, not loud enough to draw attention, and gives me a bland look. I simply smirk at her in response.
“Everything will be okay,” I repeat. “Did you know that Cassian and I went to check out the apartment the other day? The landlady reminds me of your grandma. Super sweet. It’s only ten minutes away from school and fifteen away from the mechanic’s shop.”
I decided pretty quickly that more schooling isn’t for me. I spent three-fourths of my time ditching class, and I only returned when Peony did. I landed an internship at a mechanic’s shop in the area. At first, I worried Peony would be mad at me for not pursuing school, but I shouldn’t have underestimated my girl. She was positively thrilled and showed me how happy she was with that perfect body of hers.
“We’re really doing it,” she whispers dazedly.
I lean forward to claim her lips with my own, tasting her cherry chapstick.
“We’re really doing it, baby girl.” I reluctantly release her and begin to walk towards the stage, where Cassian and Karsyn already joined Lucas. Whispers break out amongst the students and parents as we stand side by side, staring down at a confused and flustered Peony.
Lucas’s lips curl into a grin that isn’t entirely pleasant.
“Peony, will you come up here, please?”
...
Peony
What the fuck are they up to?
My heartbeat increases from a trot to a full-on gallop as I join the four of them on stage.
Unbidden, my mind travels to a different night when they called me onto a stage…
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” Lucas begins, his voice drifting over the crowd like an icy wind in December. Cassian, Karsyn, and Elias all wear matching smirks, which only ratchets up my unease and suspicion. “We decided we’re going to start a new tradition.”
I gape at him—at them—wordlessly as they all turn to stare at me. And then, in perfect synchronization, they drop to one knee.
People begin to gasp. Some even begin to scream in shock, crying that this is immoral. I hear someone sobbing in joy, and I don’t need to look to know it’s Mariabella, eagerly snapping pictures on her phone.
“We made a lot of mistakes in our life,” Cassian begins as the rest of the room fades away.
“But loving you has never been one of them,” adds Karsyn.
“We promise to love you until our very last days,” Elias interjects with a soft smile.
Lucas reaches into his pants pocket and grabs a small ring bo
x, slowly pulling open the lid to reveal a silver band encrusted with four diamonds. One for each of my men.
“Will you marry us?”
Someone shouts that we’re going to hell. Another person actually lunges for the stage, before he mysteriously falls to his ass, his pants now on fire. Christian smirks evilly from where he stands with a crying Nana and a beaming Polo.
On the screen that previously displayed the graduates’ names, it now plays the lyrics of a song I’ve never heard before. I recognize the sultry, husky voice as Cassian’s.
“Step by step, it’s hard for me to accept. You jumped in my life. And all of the pain melted away. No time. For regrets. Never looking back again.”
As the song plays through the speakers and tears fill my eyes, Cassian smiles shyly.
“I wrote this the day you returned,” he confesses. “I didn’t understand why until now. I think a part of me always knew that everything would lead to this.”
It takes me a long moment to realize that I still haven’t answered Lucas’s question. I don’t know how it’ll work, a marriage between me and four men, but maybe the hows don’t matter, only the whys.
And the why is pretty damn simple—I love these men, and against all odds and reasoning, they love me in return.
A red-faced, furious principal begins to storm towards the stage, the scene almost an exact replica of that night five years ago.
But now, everything has changed.
Now, I have so much love in my life, I’m afraid my heart might actually burst.
“Yes,” I whisper. “Yes, I’ll marry all of you.”
As Lucas slides the ring onto my finger, a wide, genuine smile splitting his face in two, I realize that all of the pain and heartache of my past led me to this moment. To the four of them.
We may be going to hell, but at least we’ll be together.
Now and forever.
Just one crazy witch and her four charming devils.
About the Author
Katie May is a reverse harem author, a KDP All-Star winner, and a USA Today bestselling author. She lives in West Michigan with her family. When not writing, she could be found reading a good book, listening to broadway musicals, or playing games. Join Katie’s Gang to stay updated on all her releases!
Also by Katie May
Together We Fall (Apocalyptic Reverse Harem, COMPLETED)
1. The Darkness We Crave
2. The Light We Seek
3. The Storm We Face
4. The Monsters We Hunt
Beyond the Shadows (Horror Reverse Harem, COMPLETED)
1. Gangs and Ghosts
2. Guns and Graveyards
3. Gallows and Ghouls
The Damning (Fantasy Paranormal Reverse Harem)
1. Greed
2. Envy
3. Gluttony
4. Sloth (Coming Soon)
Prodigium Academy (Horror Comedy Academy Reverse Harem)
1. Monsters
2. Roaring
Tory’s School for the Trouble (Bully Horror Academy Reverse Harem)
1. Between
2. Beyond (Coming Winter 2020)
Supernaturalette (Interactive Reverse Harem)
1. Introductions
2. First Dates
3. Group Outing
4. Game Night
CO-WRITES
Afterworld Academy with Loxley Savage (Academy Fantasy Reverse Harem)
1. Dearly Departed
2. Darkness Deceives
Her Immortal Legacy with Elena Lawson (Time Travel Paranormal Reverse Harem)
1. Chasing Time
Darkest Flames with Ann Denton (Paranormal Reverse Harem)
1. Demon Kissed
1.5. Demon Stalked
2. Demon Loved
STAND-ALONES
Toxicity (Contemporary Reverse Harem)
Blindly Indicted (Prison Reverse Harem)
Not All Heroes Wear Capes (Just Dresses) (Short Comedic Reverse Harem)
Charming Devils (Bully/Revenge Reverse Harem)
Goddess of Pain (Fantasy Reverse Harem)
Torn to Bits (Shifter Reverse Harem)