Realms and Rebels: A Paranormal and Fantasy Reverse Harem Collection

by C. M. Stunich

  I didn’t wait for her to respond. I placed my hand at her waist and pulled her to me. Rachel licked her lips, causing a smug grin to overcome me. Without waiting any longer, I kissed her, starting out soft and increasing the pressure until she melted in my arms.

  “That was mean,” she said once we’d broken apart.

  “Do you feel better though?” I teased.

  Rachel nodded and took a step back, her hands going to the buttons of her shirt. Slowly, she unbuttoned, dropping it in a heap on the floor.

  My eyes locked on her naked body as she revealed it to me. The dips and curves were so different from those of my men, but just as appealing. My mouth went dry as thoughts of the two of us entwined assailed my mind.

  “Well?” she asked, an amused grin twisting her lips.

  I coughed slightly. “Yes?”

  “Are you joining me?”

  “Oh, right, yes.” I ripped off my clothes, only slightly embarrassed to have been caught staring.

  I didn’t wait long to shift into my dragon form and Rachel did the same, revealing her white majesty to everyone. I called upon the fire within me and felt my wings stretch out of my back. My hands grew into claws, the scales protruded from my skin, and my true form revealed itself to the world. I breathed in the crisp air and roared softly, almost like a chuckle. It’d been far too long since I had been allowed to shift. And now I have four mates to play with.

  As females, we were ever so slightly smaller than our male counterparts and a tiny bit daintier, if that could be a word used to describe a dragon. But all beauty paled compared to Rachel’s. Her scales shone, the orange firelight glinting off the white pearlescent scales.

  I nudged her with my head, hoping to give her the confidence she needed to go into the flames with me.

  To my surprise, she jumped up a little and opened her mouth, letting a stream of flames pour fourth. Her fire was unlike anything I’d ever seen. It shimmered in the air, the flames all possible colours I could think of. It held me transfixed. I’d truly never seen anything so beautiful.

  I gave Rachel another gentle nudge, hoping to encourage her to jump into the fire. The white dragon hesitated for a moment as she stared at the flames. The orange hue flickering on her skin almost made her seem like a normal fire dragon, but I didn’t care. I loved her the way she was.

  Majestic and beautiful, she jumped into the air. Dust fluttered up as she stretched her powerful wings and beckoned me to follow her. Without any hesitation, I joined her in the night sky. A dark red dragon appeared on my left and I gave my best dragon smile to Hector. He was magnificent. A king amongst dragons.

  Underneath me, the lighter shade of Martin came into view and I playfully spewed some fire his way. A crackle rumbled through his laughter and he banked to the side, avoiding my sparks.

  My stomach fluttered even before I could see him. I just sensed his presence everywhere I went. Even in dragon form, Todd looked a little bit moody, but that didn’t make him any less beautiful. The way his scales rippled across his back was mesmerising and the thought of being able to fly with them set fire to my heart. I loved them. Even if I hadn’t known them for that long, I loved them. They were my family and they’d protect me the same way I’d protect them.

  I roared into the night, fire blazing from my mouth. Hector nudged me with his wings and added his own flames to mine. Almost as planned, Todd and Martin joined their own fire, all different shades of red and orange dancing together. Just when I thought it couldn’t get more beautiful, Rachel’s white form joined in on this dance only we knew. More colours than I could even imagine whirled together in a beam of light that was as bright and powerful as the sun.

  That was what they were. They were my sun, my light, my life.

  The whole night, all five of us tumbled through the sky. Chasing stars, the last fireflies, each other. It wasn’t before long that we strayed from the other dancing groups and we found ourselves resting in a secluded part of the forest. So that was why the ritual was held here. Nobody would be wandering around here and accidentally be exposed to the hidden secrets of this world. No mere human would ever behold this spectacle of grandeur and beauty, this hidden gem of nature. My hidden gems.

  In the end, we stroke down on a small clearing in the forest. Hector set the ground ablaze and warmed the earth for us. One by one, my mates curled up around me, their tails and wings intertwining with mine. The fire in my chest crackled softly as I rested my head against Todd. He nuzzled into me and blew me a fire kiss. Hector curled up against my back while Martin wrapped his tail around mine. I stretched out my paws and pulled Rachel into the heap of dragon.

  Bliss. Utter bliss.

  With all four of them snuggled into me, scales against scales and paws on paws, I fell asleep. The morning sun cast a gentle warmth on our backs as it took us deep into our first mated slumber. When we woke up, the ritual would be complete and our bond eternal. I would be starting my new life as a mated woman, a life I had never wanted, but now couldn’t imagine not having.

  16

  The morning sunlight pricked my eyes open and I pulled the sheets over my head. The scent of cedar wood hugged me and I didn’t even have to look to remember I wandered into Todd’s bed.

  After the ceremony, things changed a little. Rachel officially claimed the guest room as hers and I got to choose whose bed I wanted to sleep in. All of them offered to stay on the couch if I wanted a night to myself, but that was just a crazy request. If I had it my way, they’d be all wrapped around me every night, but they all kind of shuffled away when I suggested the dragon hot pot. Their loss.

  With four mates in one house, I had plenty of choice who to cuddle. Hector had his hardcore work-out days at the beginning of the week and his special juice made him a bit flatulent, so I avoided Mondays with him. Todd liked to do late-night hacking every Saturday and hardly got any sleep, so I snuggled him on different nights. On Tuesdays, Martin had his call time with his mother so I avoided his room as not to be bombarded with questions and demands of how to take care of her special boy. Rachel had her cranky moments scattered throughout the month, so it was always a little hard to tell when she was and wasn’t up for cuddles. Luckily, I knew my best friend pretty well so it didn’t take me long to figure out when I needed to stay out of her way.

  In the past two weeks of being mated, I hadn’t had one night that I didn’t want to be curled up next to one of my mates.

  “Morning,” Todd greeted me from his desk. He was eagerly tapping away at his computer. Right, I saw how it was. No morning cuddles for me.

  “Eurgh.”

  Todd chuckled. “Hector made breakfast again.”

  “Double eurgh,” I muttered, remembering the first time.

  “I thought you’d say that.” He threw something at me and I gingerly peeled back the sheets to see.

  “A protein bar?” I raised my eyebrow.

  “It was that or trying the latest thing Rachel and Hector thought up for H.E.C.”

  “Good choice,” I murmured, ripping open the packaging and sitting up so I could chomp on the bar.

  “We’re going to have to go out there at some point though, apparently Martin has big news about Realms&Rebels.”

  “Oh, are we finally going to get input into the levels?” I asked, thinking back to the grand prize of the tournament. Then again, I’d already won more than I ever imagined by coming here.

  Todd shuffled uncomfortably. “We’ve sort of always had that.”

  “What?! And you haven’t told me until now?” I crossed my arms dramatically, forgetting that’s what was holding the sheet up. It dropped to my waist, giving Todd an eyeful he was sure to enjoy.

  “Your anger would be much more effective if you weren’t naked.”

  “Yes, I assumed it would be,” I replied, but didn’t make any move to cover myself. The look in Todd’s eyes was well worth the lack of anger.

  “Have you told her yet?” Hector shouted through the door.

/>   I rolled my eyes. This flat was far too small for anything resembling privacy. It was a good job they were all my mates, or I’d be embarrassed by some of the noises I made.

  “No!” Todd hollered back.

  “Cover up your dick, I’m coming in!” Hector shouted.

  I hid my face in my hands. Why did he have to be so brash?

  He barged into the room with Martin and Rachel loitering behind him.

  “Come in everyone.” I waved around and was surprised when none of them realised how sarcastic I was being and piled in.

  “Morning,” Rachel greeted me, leaning in for a soft kiss.

  Okay, I could forgive them for the intrusion.

  “What’s going on?” I demanded, and not a moment too soon. Hector looked as if he was about to explode from excitement.

  The guys exchanged glances and Rachel just rolled her eyes.

  “They’ve been bursting at the seams all morning,” she muttered, but I could hear the sibling-like affection in her tone. She’d adapted to being one of the guys quicker than I expected.

  Not that she was one of the guys. She was more of a girl than I was after all.

  “We’re going to Barcelona!” Hector’s glee could fire up the sun.

  “We’re what?” I wasn’t sure I’d heard right.

  “Going to Barcelona,” he repeated, cocking his head to the side as if not quite getting my confusion. “Spain,” he added.

  “I know where Barcelona is. What I don’t get is why?” I looked around at them all, but the other three just looked bemused. This was Hector’s thing then. That could mean anything from H.E.C actually launching to he really wanted to eat crema Catalana. I was never sure with him.

  “For the Realms&Rebels tournament.” He said it like I should know exactly what he was talking about, when in reality, I was just drawing a blank.

  “The what?”

  “You agreed to be our fourth, remember?”

  OH! That’s what he was on about. “I didn’t realise we were going abroad for that.”

  “Technically we don’t have to,” he said. “But I thought it’d be fun for us to go. The others agreed.”

  “I wouldn’t say agreed,” Todd muttered. “More, you gave us no choice.”

  I smiled to myself. That sounded about right.

  “The tickets are booked,” Martin said. “We’re going in a month.”

  “A month?” I squeaked. That didn’t seem like much time at all. I needed to find my passport and fire knew where I’d stashed it while we were moving.

  “I have it already,” Rachel told me. I didn’t need to ask for clarification, it wasn’t surprising she knew where my legal stuff was. Sometimes I wondered if I’d have gotten this far in life without her.

  “Right, so, Barcelona.” I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Who randomly decides to go to Spain?

  “Yes!” Hector bounced up and down on the balls of his feet.

  “Can any of you actually speak Spanish?”

  Todd and Martin shook their heads. Rachel didn’t have to, I knew she’d taken German in school.

  “Si!” Hector responded brightly. Though Todd’s accompanying head shake had me wondering if it was true or not.

  “Guess I’d better brush up myself then,” I muttered, but really, I was happy for a chance to spend some time away with my mates. Hector bounced out of the room with Martin behind him shaking his head. How they all became friends without me was a bit of a mystery, but I was glad they found each other. I loved that they all had genuine friendships going on.

  I grabbed Todd’s shirt from the floor and pulled it over my head. With a quick kiss and a brush through his blonde hair, I left him to his hacking. I tugged Rachel behind me, hoping to spend some girl time with her.

  “Hector and I came up with a new recipe, do you want to ta—”

  I quickly shut her up with a kiss, hoping to distract her enough that she didn’t make me drink another concoction. They weren’t healthy or exciting, but the two of them were really into it. According to Rachel, they could be taking over the market any time now. I dreaded the moment I’d walk into a store and see the horrific lava dragon logo everywhere. Poor dragons, they didn’t know what was coming their way.

  “Morning,” Rach giggled, pecking me gently on the nose.

  “Hi,” I breathed, happy I managed to get her thoughts off of the H.E.C stuff. “So, we’re going to Spain?”

  “Apparently. I wonder where my sunglasses are?”

  “Maybe with my passport?” I teased, both amused and touched that she actually kept track of my stuff long before we even got in a relationship.

  “Oh shush, you love me for it.”

  “That I do, that I do,” I grinned, kissing her again. Somehow, I got everything I never wanted but I was glad that I did. It was everything that I needed and more.

  “My turn?” Hector shouted from the kitchen, his super senses somehow picking up on what was going on.

  “Your turn will be in Barcelona!” I hollered back, laughing as I heard his disappointed grumbling. I caught Martin passing us by in the hallway, without a doubt running away from the stench in the kitchen, and I pressed a soft kiss on his lips. He melted in me, his strong hands holding me by the waist.

  “I’ll see you in a bit,” Rachel chuckled, leaving me to it. I curled myself against Martin’s chest and stared up at his dark brown eyes. He smiled gently, his eyes lighting up as he did. Just from the look in them, I could tell just how much he loved me. They all did.

  “Did you know about Spain?” I asked, wondering just how rogue Hector had gone.

  “Yes, I got the invite however Hector took it upon himself to sort everything out.”

  I nuzzled into Martin, my head resting on his collarbone. He was the perfect height for me and there was a safety to his arms that left me warm and fuzzy.

  “You want to try my smoothie?” Hec called from the kitchen, appearing with another red drink.

  “Run!” I shouted, tugging Martin along to get away from the horrible concoctions. He laughed out loud and we fled into his room. With a grin, I fell down on his bed and hugged my mate. With four of them, there wasn’t ever a dull moment and I loved it. Between the hacking, the gaming, the tender moments and the exciting ones, my life wouldn’t ever be boring. As reluctant as I’d been to find them, now I never wanted to lose them. I loved them and the life they were giving me. Fiery Hector, broody Todd, gentle Martin, and loving Rachel.

  Against all odds, Dragon Soul had become my home.

  The End

  Thank you for reading Fifth Soul, if you want to read more stories about Dragon Soul, why not check out Torn Soul. Or if you want more reverse harem, you can find links to both Arizona and Laura’s titles here:

  http://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/arizona-laura.html

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  About the Authors

  Arizona and Laura are two European authors who created the Twin Souls Universe. Outside of book world, they’re also good friends and share a love of How I Met Your Mother reruns and tasty food.

  Arizona is a LGBT and paranormal romance author who is often outshined by her plant in the celebrity stakes. She dreams of worlds of dragons, vampires and wild love affairs.

  Laura is a USA Today Bestselling author of paranormal and contemporary romance. She drinks far too much tea and has a weakness for French macarons.

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  A Nightmarish Mystery

  L.C. Hibbett
and N.M. Howell

  A Nightmarish Mystery

  The following novella is a bonus story to the Cats, Ghosts, and Avocado Toast series by L.C. Hibbett and N.M. Howell. For those of you who don’t know the series, it’s a fun slow-burn reverse harem cozy mystery that follows Price Jones, an unsuspecting young vegan who is thrown into a world of witches, ghosts, and hunky shapeshifting cats. It’s a fun play on the reverse harem genre. We’ve received numerous requests to spice up the series, and this novella is our answer!

  This story can be read as a stand-alone, but it is written to fit between books two and three in the series. We won’t give anything away, but we encourage you to pick up the series and follow the sweet and funny story of Price and her guys in their, well, let’s just say “less nightmarish” world.

  For those of you looking for more sexy times, we hope you enjoy!

  1

  Lights flashed red, green, and blue, nauseating me as I spun, disoriented. The lights were blinding and the noise deafening, strange and flamboyant music thundering in my eardrums. I squeezed my eyes shut and felt frantically around me for something, anything, crouching low, desperate to figure out where I was. Adrenaline filled my veins, waves of panic and dread crashing through me.

  “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I am Kat Herrington, and it is my pleasure to be your host for this evening’s show.”

  Applause and screaming sounded all around me, growing louder by the second. Where the hell was I?

  A deafening blast sounded, and I stumbled back, crashing against a hard surface. My hands felt frantically behind me, running up and down a smooth hard wall. The familiar sound of knuckles on glass met my ears through the constant cheers of what sounded like thousand people surrounding me. My breath came and ragged gasps as I pressed my body firmly against the glass, my hands shaking as they made their way to two corners on either side of me.