Realms and Rebels: A Paranormal and Fantasy Reverse Harem Collection

by C. M. Stunich

  A high laugh burst from my mouth, and Efrain grinned. “Guess this bed’s only made for one.”

  “Efrain, get off her, you heathen,” Nelson said, grabbing Efrain’s shoulders. He and Oral hauled Efrain up.

  Oral offered a hand and pulled me up. “You all right?”

  “I’m fine,” I said, brushing at my skirt.

  “Got any left for me?” Oral asked.

  I sighed and gestured to the other cot. Besides the two cots, there wasn’t much to the shack, just a counter with a camping stove, a dish rack and a sink with two gallon jugs of water beside it.

  “You really stay here when you’re hunting?” I asked.

  “Sometimes,” he said. He lay on the edge of the cot, propped up on one elbow. “Want me to cuddle you like Efrain did?”

  “It’s not cuddling,” I said, arranging myself on the edge of the bed. It was still a tight fit, but he didn’t take up the entire bed. He had turned on his side to give me more space, but that required me to lie facing him. His eyelashes were long and dark, curling downwards as he watched my mouth.

  “Whatever it is, I want it,” he said, his voice low.

  That same sense of power I’d felt before swelled inside me. After a lifetime of training with other witches, where power was only measured in the ability to do magical tasks, it was intoxicating. This was not magic, not the power of being a witch. Rather the power of being a woman. It was a power built on contradictions. Though it was my own, these men had awakened it when they looked at me the way they had, wanting me. It was both exhilarating and terrifying, made me feel both powerful and helpless to control it.

  I lay my hand on Oral’s side, letting magic flow into him. Now that I’d done it a few times, it had become easier.

  Or maybe because you care about them more…

  I wanted to deny that thought, but there was no getting around it. Even though I was now sure I could call Efrain a pig with no irony whatsoever, I had shared more than magic with him. We’d shared experiences, dangers, hurt and healing. Oral was sweet and funny, and had held me through the night. And Nelson had shared his home with me, not to mention that moment I’d put aside for later consideration.

  A shadow fell across the open door, and there he stood. Efrain still sat on the collapsed cot, and Oral lay beside me, his hand resting on my hip.

  “Thank you,” he said, a smile forming on his lips. “How about you let us show our thanks with a little gift of our own.”

  “What’s that?” I asked. My mind immediately latched onto an idea, but I wasn’t sure that’s what they meant, so I tried to imagine something else they could give me when all they had was themselves.

  “Let me show you,” he said, tugging gently at the fabric of my skirt. “I call it…the gift of my namesake.”

  “And them?” I asked, my eyes meeting Nelson’s.

  “You’re a greedy little thing, aren’t you?” Efrain said with a smirk.

  “That’s not what—” I started to protest, my face flaming.

  “I already gave you my word, so they’ll have to be enough for today. Not as fun, is it?”

  “I’m not going to do that with any of you,” I said. “That’s for the first member of my collective.”

  His face split into that wolfish grin. “Guess I’ll have to watch and make sure they don’t get out of line.”

  “They?” I asked, gulping.

  Nelson’s green eyes met mine, almost glowing with heat. “I was taught to always repay a favor,” he said. “Especially to a witch.”

  “Since you’re a witch, isn’t this the norm for you?” Oral said. “Think of us as your collection for the day.”

  “Collective,” I corrected, my voice faint. Of course he was right. My parents had several houses, and when they all went off to spend time together without the kids…I tried not to think about it.

  But I had to face it now. I had three men practically begging for my favor. Nelson knelt beside me, his mouth claiming mine, his arms around me. Oral’s hands and mouth took more liberties as they roamed over my body. As Nelson’s kisses moved to my throat, Efrain stood over us, proudly exposed, as if wanting me to know exactly how much self-restraint it took to oversee without participating.

  I reached for him, but he shook his head. “A promise is a promise,” he said, his voice a low rumble in the tiny shack.

  “I didn’t make you promise not to touch me.”

  “No takebacks,” he said. “And you are a greedy little witch. Have I said that enough yet?”

  My attention was captured by Oral’s hands on my bare skin, and I closed my eyes and let the sensations wash over me. There was no rule about this. I wasn’t supposed to talk to shifters, but no one said anything about kissing them. And if there had been a rule against it, it wouldn’t have mattered. If breaking rules felt this good, I was going to break every single one of them.

  13

  At dark, we stopped a little ways from the clearing. We didn’t want the wolves to scent us, even though they were still in human form. We sat on a log and ate some deer jerky from Efrain’s backpack. He and Nelson had gone scouting and apparently gotten into a fight, and they weren’t speaking. I didn’t have time to worry about their squabbles, though.

  I was trying to make out my grandmother through the trees. The clearing had filled with wolves, or rather, their human counterparts. I had to put Robin in my hood so he wouldn’t go crazy, but he was still squirming with irritation, sensing my distress. Below, the wolves were chatting and eating under a pavilion like peaceful, civilized witches who would never dream of sacrificing a sacred life. They had families, kids, and teenagers, including a super handsome boy with glossy black hair and a whole lot of swagger.

  “That’s the future king,” Nelson said. “At the eclipse, he thinks he’s taking over.”

  “We’ve got news for him,” Oral said, rubbing his hands together gleefully.

  Efrain frowned and studied the group. I did, too. Most of the adults were under the pavilion, and though I spotted an old lady or two, I couldn’t find my granny anywhere among them.

  “Where’s Granny Golden?” I hissed.

  “Maybe she already escaped,” Nelson said, glaring at Efrain like he thought his brother was going to throw her into the fire himself.

  “They’re not going to let her hang out at their party and mingle,” Efrain said.

  “Then wouldn’t this be the perfect time to rescue her?” I asked. “We can break in while they’re partying. If she’s in a silver cage in their basement, and they’re all here, she’s probably unguarded.”

  “We don’t have the key,” Efrain said. “Unless she’s a shifter and can turn into a bird and fly out between the bars, the best bet is to wait until they bring her to the clearing and then attack.”

  “The four of us against a whole pack?” I asked, mulling it over. “Okay, sounds like decent odds.”

  Oral grinned and squeezed my hand. “If those sound like good odds to you, I’m sticking by your side.”

  “That’s a good way to impress a lady,” Nelson muttered. “Hide behind her.”

  “I’m a great shield,” I said. “You should all hide behind me. No one will get hurt that way.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” Efrain asked. “This is an ambush. There’s no fun without a fight.”

  “I’m going to scout for a lookout again,” Nelson said.

  “I’m going, too,” I said.

  “Someone has to stay here,” Efrain said.

  “Then I’ll stay,” Nelson said. “You go.”

  “I’m going with Cayenne,” Oral said.

  “Pussy,” Efrain muttered.

  Oral just grinned. “They say you are what you eat.”

  “I’m going to look at the lodge,” I said. “See if I can find any sign of her. If a couple of them are bringing her, then we’ll only have to protect her from a few wolves instead of the pack. I’ll put a shield around her so they can’t hurt her.”

 
Efrain frowned, but at last he nodded. “Okay. Oral, if anything happens, squeal like a stuck pig.”

  “Got it,” Oral said, snapping his fingers. “I’d say I could do a coyote song, but with my shifting abilities…”

  He did not seem at all embarrassed by this admission. I’d have died of shame if people teased me about my lack of magic. Not that they could, but if I’d been weak, I wouldn’t have gone around talking about it.

  With a promise to meet up in an hour, we split up. In the clearing below, a band had assembled on stage and struck up a jam. Kids my age were dancing in front of the stage in brightly colored dresses. The good-looking future king was dancing with a tall black girl; a girl in a powder blue princess dress jumped around with an Asian girl in a royal blue mini dress. A pang of homesickness struck me. I should be with my own family right now, dancing around a fire and ushering in the eclipse that was just starting to nibble at the edge of the moon.

  Instead, I was alone in the woods with a man I hardly knew, though I couldn’t deny I wanted to know more. It would be incredibly hard to leave him and his brothers when I had gotten Granny back. I had to prepare myself for that. For thanking them and walking away, back to my neat little life with my peaceful little coven and my sweet little intended. For never seeing Oral’s goofy grin and Nelson’s blazing eyes and Efrain’s infuriating, irresistible smirk. I knew that no matter what happened, I’d always remember this day and the night before. Always long for more.

  How was it possible to miss home and, at the same time, want so badly for more than it offered?

  “Penny for your thoughts,” Oral said.

  “I was just thinking,” I said slowly. “That I’m going to miss you guys.”

  “Aww, hell, it doesn’t have to be goodbye,” he said. “You can have me in your collective any day you want, not just today.” He gave me a wink, and my face warmed at the memory of how much I’d enjoyed having him for a day.

  “I couldn’t do that,” I said. “I’d feel like I was using you.”

  “I’m here for the using,” he said, holding aside a branch so I could go by without being scratched. I had to hand it to these rough boys, they sure knew how to make a lady feel special in a way that warlocks didn’t bother with. Not that I needed a man to hold aside a branch, or open a door, or catch me when I tripped. It was the fact that they knew that but did those things anyway that made me feel special and cared for.

  “Witches put a lot of thought into their collectives,” I said. “We might have more than one relationship, but there’s nothing casual about it. It’s very deep and meaningful. We respect each member of our collective and take into account their feelings about other members.”

  “Sounds exhausting,” Oral said with an easy grin. We skirted around a small log cabin and kept going towards the lodge on top off the hill.

  “Okay, from what I’ve seen, it can be tiring,” I admitted. “But if you choose wisely, it doesn’t have to be.”

  “Well, I get along great with my brothers,” Oral said. “So we’d be the perfect collective, I’d say.”

  “Really? Because it seems like Efrain might have trouble sharing.”

  “Nah,” Oral said. “He’s the middle child, so he acts out for attention. Trust me, we’re all used to sharing. I just usually get the leftovers.”

  “As long as everyone is comfortable with their place.”

  “With you, maybe it would be different,” Oral said. “Since you’re not from our valley, and you don’t see me that way. Although I guess now I’ve told you, so maybe you do.” He scratched the back of his neck, ducking his head.

  “You don’t want to be in a witch’s collective,” I said. “You don’t even like witches.”

  “I like one,” he said. “And if we’re going to go there, your people don’t think much of shifters.”

  We passed another cabin, also empty, and kept climbing.

  “Okay, that’s true,” I said. “But maybe it’s time we get rid of those old prejudices.”

  “You sound like Dr. Golden.”

  I pulled up short, a little out of breath. “You know my aunt?”

  Oral laughed. “Everyone knows Willow Golden. She’s the only doctor in the shifter valley.”

  “Right,” I said. “Of course.”

  I didn’t know why I was surprised that he knew my aunt, the only witch-shifter around. Our worlds seemed so far apart, but now I was reminded that we lived just over a mountain from each other. It wasn’t so far after all.

  “Wait,” I said. “If you know my aunt, does that mean…is Efrain’s Violet my cousin who disappeared years ago?”

  “If Dr. G is your aunt, then that would be a yes.”

  I wanted to mull that over, but I had more important things to worry about. We came into view of the lodge just then after having passed several more log cabins. It was dark inside, with no lights in the windows.

  Suddenly, my heart thudded hard in my chest. What if she wasn’t there? What if they’d already…sacrificed…her. I’d never hold her hands again, their fingertips and palms thickly calloused from working, their backs soft and wrinkled as a tissue paper. I’d never see her beaming smile that made her eyes squeeze all the way closed, never hear her halting, wavery voice recount an adventure in another world or the heartbreak of an earth-shattering betrayal. My eyes burned and my knees threatened to buckle with the weight of my grief.

  As if sensing my distress, Oral’s hand closed around mine. He gave me a sideways smile. “We’ll find your granny,” he said. “She’ll be just fine.”

  “Thank you,” I said, drawing a steadying breath. “Let’s go see.”

  Oral balked. “Now?”

  “When else? We’re here and I don’t see any guards. Let’s check it out.”

  “You want to break into the pack leader’s house?”

  “Where’s that big brave boar I saw earlier?” I asked, squeezing his hand this time.

  “I think we left both of those back at the clearing.”

  “I think not,” I said. “But if you’re too scared to go with me, you can stand guard.”

  “No way,” he said. “I’m not letting you go in alone.”

  I rolled my eyes and gave him a grin. “Then what are we waiting for?”

  We crept up on the house from the back. It was huge and silent, looming under the moon, which was being swallowed by the red shadow of the earth.

  “What’s the plan here, Little Red?” Oral whispered.

  “Let’s try the door,” I said. Witches pretty much never locked their doors, if they even had locks. From the little community gathering I’d witnessed earlier, I didn’t think wolves would have much more security than we did. I crept up the back steps quietly, though the house had a deserted air to it. It would have been nice to have one of my dads’ mage magic, because in this case, I needed more than elemental magic to find my granny.

  Robin squirmed in my hood, which I pulled up to quiet him further. He slept at night, but I was keeping him up with all the activity. “Get ready to help me out, little guy,” I whispered.

  Oral reached in front of me and turned the knob, pushing the door inwards and flattening us both against the wall beside it. Nothing happened.

  “I’m going in,” I said.

  “You can’t.”

  “Did you think I was just going to open the door and walk away?”

  I pushed past Oral and stepped into the house. A board creaked under my foot and I winced, waiting for a wolf to leap out and gobble me up. But nothing happened.

  “Let me shift,” Oral said. “I can smell anything.”

  “As a pig?”

  “We have excellent scenting ability.”

  “Really? I’d think as an animal that literally wallows in its own filth, that would be a slight disadvantage.”

  “Do you want to know if we’re alone or not?”

  “Yes, please,” I said.

  Oral peeled off his clothes with practiced speed, and seconds later,
a large boar was trotting around the room. After circling the large, open floorplan once, he shifted back into a man in front of me. I wondered how long it would take me to stop dropping my eyes to check out their bodies when they shifted.

  Oral grinned. “No one here,” he said. “Ninety percent chance there’s no one upstairs. But there’s a basement. We can check that.”

  “You got all that from one go-around?”

  He scratched the back of his neck and grinned. “Not too shabby for an animal that wallows in its own filth, huh?”

  “Sorry I said that,” I said. “Let’s check the basement.”

  Oral headed for a door on the side of the kitchen, which turned out to be a pantry. The next one opened into a gaping blackness. “You don’t happen to have a flashlight hidden anywhere in that ridiculous skirt, do you?”

  “Better,” I said, opening my palm and summoning a flame. Its flickering light barely illuminated the top steps of the ladder in front of us.

  “This is it,” Oral said, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

  “Yep.”

  “I wanted to say something,” he said, grabbing my hand again.

  “No goodbyes,” I said. “We’re going to get Granny. That’s it.”

  I held the light aloft while Oral crept down the ladder. I crept along with him, facing forward so I could watch his back. We descended into a dank basement, where I held up my flame. It was just a basement. My heart sank.

  “She’s not here,” I said.

  “Let me make sure,” he said, dropping into a crouch and letting his boar out. He trotted to a short door in one dirt wall. I opened it and followed him through a short tunnel into another room, this one with a table and books. No silver cage. No torture chamber. No old woman.

  We stepped through an open doorway into a basement bedroom. It even had a window. I cursed, disgusted. We’d wasted all this time coming here, only to find the house empty. I was about to turn back when my eyes fell on a door in the side of the bedroom. In a normal bedroom, it would house the closet. My heart hammered in my chest as I grabbed the doorknob. I squeezed my eyes closed, praying we’d find her just on the other side.