Realms and Rebels: A Paranormal and Fantasy Reverse Harem Collection

by C. M. Stunich

  A short cab ride later, Adrian escorted me into the gallery, his hand on my lower back. Heads turned as we passed, but I ignored the attention, focusing instead on the pine floors and deep blue walls, which created a dramatic backdrop for the art.

  Each painting was a study of the male figure, but everything was distorted so that you weren’t always entirely sure what you were looking at. As I admired the harsh brushstrokes, the sense of movement, a tall woman with blond hair approached Adrian and wrapped her arms around him. My chest burned as I watched him kiss her cheek, and the sensation wasn’t from the passed hors d’oeuvres. No, it was the mysterious woman with the tanned skin and captivating eyes who was clearly familiar with my Adrian.

  I rolled my eyes. I’d never been one for jealousy, yet here I stood, ready to tear her limbs off. It made me admire Declan, Adrian, and Elias that much more for accepting and adapting so easily to the idea of sharing me. Apart from that first night when they argued over who was dating me, they’d shown minimal signs of jealousy. In fact, I loved spending time with them one-on-one as much as I did when we were in a group.

  “Katerina, I’d like to introduce you to the artist—and my cousin—Elena.”

  The vise on my chest loosened, and I nearly laughed aloud as I extended my hand. “So nice to meet you. Congratulations on the great turnout.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled, and now that I wasn’t ready to throttle her, the resemblance was obvious. “Adrian is the true artist in the family. If I could ever convince him to show his work, he’d be incredibly successful.”

  I arched an eyebrow at this revelation. It didn’t surprise me that Adrian appreciated art—that much was evident from his career choice and the passion with which he and Elias sometimes debated various pieces. But creating something beautiful with passion and abandon was different. I had yet to see that side of him, and I wanted to know more.

  “It’s just a hobby,” he grumbled, but I didn’t miss the subtle lift of his chin.

  “It doesn’t have to be,” she said, snagging a champagne flute from a passing waiter. “Anyway, I’ll leave you two to enjoy. Don’t forget to show her your piece.” She winked then added, “Nice to meet you, Katerina.”

  “You too,” I said, and Elena submersed herself in the crowd.

  I sipped my champagne as we wandered through the gallery, admiring a painting of shoulders, a study of torsos, even elbows. With some of the pieces, it was immediately obvious what was on display, but with others, it took a moment for my brain to process the body parts out of context. Like the image currently before me.

  I tilted my head to the side. Was that… No, it wasn’t what I thought it was, right?

  “You’re wondering if my dick is as big in person as it is on the canvas.”

  “This is…is this your piece?” I gulped, realizing how ridiculous it sounded after the fact.

  Adrian leaned closer, grazing my ear with his lips. “It is.”

  “I, um, wow.” A trail of fire blazed from my head to my toes, and I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.

  It was all too much—Adrian’s taunting, the way he hovered behind me, his…piece. I gulped. I’d never wanted anyone so badly in my entire life, and I’d never resisted my attraction this long. Afraid if I stayed I’d do the one thing I shouldn’t, I sought refuge in the restroom.

  A second later, the door opened, and Adrian stepped inside, sucking the air from the small room. He captured my mouth with his, and I couldn’t fight it anymore. When it came to this dominating yet caring man, I was powerless.

  He grasped my hips, pulling me snug against him before sliding his hands down to cup my ass. When he lifted me, I didn’t hesitate to wrap my legs around his waist. As close as we were, I craved more; I craved his bare skin. I wanted to know what it felt like to have my breasts pressed against his hard chest, his length buried deep within me. For all my restraint the past few weeks, this man was going to break me.

  Instead, he broke the kiss. “I don’t—” he panted “—want to end up—” another exhale “—like Drake.”

  My brows pulled together, my brain struggling to catch up. “Corban Drake?”

  He nodded, tucking a stray hair behind my ear, and I found his composure maddening. “I refuse to be a man you’re willing to sleep with but prefer to know nothing about,” he said, echoing my own words.

  “Oh,” I exhaled.

  “What did you think I meant?”

  I felt like the walls were closing in on me. “I don’t know. You caught me off guard. One minute we’re tearing each other’s clothes off, and the next you’re talking about another man. And for the record, I didn’t have sex with him.”

  “Hmm,” he hummed with a smirk as I slid down his body. “I’m glad to hear that. Anything else you’d care to share about that night? For the record.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest, uneasy with the line of questioning and mad at myself for letting down my guard and nearly having sex with Adrian. “Is this a date or an interrogation?”

  “A date.”

  “Then don’t bring Drake into it. I’m happy to listen about your job but not if you’re going to treat me like a suspect under investigation.”

  He groaned and slumped against the tile wall. “That wasn’t my intent. I just can’t stop thinking about it. His blood alcohol content was below the legal limit, and there were no substances in his system, yet he acted drugged. Why?”

  I treated it as a rhetorical question.

  “I need something, anything, to make sense.” He stabbed his fingers through his hair. “That night with Drake doesn’t make sense, and neither do these forgeries. Declan, the auction houses, my boss, the insurance companies, they’re all counting on me to stop this thief, and I thought for sure she would have attacked again by now.”

  She? He’d never mentioned that before.

  Suddenly struck by how exhausted he seemed, I put aside my exasperation, my fears, and made a decision. “Come on.” I tugged on his arm. “Let’s go back to your place.” When he didn’t move, I said, “I’m not trying to get into your pants, I just want to…cuddle.” The word sounded foreign, a luxury I’d never permitted myself.

  At least, not since Jeff. He was the one person I’d felt comfortable touching for extended periods because I knew his powers were strong enough to withstand mine. But it was short-lived—the more emotionally manipulative and verbally abusive he became, the more he withheld his touch unless it benefitted him.

  As Adrian peeled back the covers on his bed, I regarded him with a mixture of trepidation and awe. Just as I’d imagined, he’d stripped down to boxer briefs, and my mouth went dry as I scanned his incredible body. I’d become so reliant upon my enchanted necklace, it wasn’t until I climbed beneath the sheets, clad only in his T-shirt and my thong, that I realized how precarious the situation was. Tonight would be a test of my restraint as well as the strength of my charmed talisman.

  “Katerina,” he said in a sleepy voice. “You do understand what cuddling entails, right?”

  “Yes,” I squeaked when his large, warm hand wrapped around my hip and pulled me to him.

  Tucked into his side, surrounded by his scent, his strength, I didn’t want this to end. Not tonight, not tomorrow, not ever. I wanted to share his bed, his heart, his life. And I wanted that with Declan and Elias too.

  I began listing the pros and cons of telling them about my powers, when Adrian said, “Sleep.” His breath was warm on my skin, and my body and mind accepted that one word as permission to relax.

  The next morning, I awoke to Adrian’s large hand splayed across my stomach. I smiled but otherwise remained motionless, wanting the moment to last as long as possible. Now that I’d allowed myself the luxury of his touch, I invited it, reveled in it.

  But when his erection dug into me, I scooched toward the edge of the bed. We’d made it through a night of cuddling without engaging my powers; I wasn’t going to push my luck. If I stayed, there was no way I could resis
t his tousled hair, piercing eyes, and sinful body.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” He eyed me hungrily.

  “I’m meeting my friend Zia for brunch, then Elias is picking me up this afternoon.” I stood from the bed and bent to grab my clothes.

  “Wrong answer.” My body vibrated from his commanding tone and the sharp sting of his palm hitting my ass.

  Oh fuck. As he massaged the skin, I looked toward the ceiling as I reminded myself of all the reasons I couldn’t stay. He turned me toward him, gripping my hip possessively while his other thumb traced my bottom lip. Why did I crave his domination?

  I sucked his finger into my mouth, swirling my tongue around the callused skin. His answering groan made me grin, and I wondered which of us would lose this battle for control.

  “Stay, please.”

  I shook my head and backed away, knowing it was the right thing to do. “I’ve already stayed longer than I should have.”

  10

  Declan wrapped his arm around me, and I snuggled into his chest, overcome with contentment as we surveyed the skyline from the rooftop of our building. The past few weeks had been amazing, more than I’d ever dared hope for, and I was beginning to believe maybe it could last.

  “You seem happy,” Declan said.

  “I am,” I admitted, perhaps more to myself than him.

  His eyes softened. “That’s all I want, all I’ve ever wanted.”

  I smiled up at him, amazed that this incredible man had made it his mission to please me. From offering me a place to live to encouraging my dreams, he showed me what it was like to be loved.

  Love, I thought, finally admitting it to myself. This wasn’t lust or even like; it was love. I’d known Declan the longest of the three, but my feelings for Adrian and Elias were just as strong.

  Still, fear lurked in the back of my mind, often keeping me up at night. Would they want me if they knew about my powers? I was too afraid to find out, and I was enjoying myself too much to risk it. Instead, I found myself adopting some of Elias’s impulsiveness, shifting my focus to living in the moment instead of trying to control the future. And right now, in this moment, I wanted to show Declan what he meant to me.

  I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck, and he dipped his head to mine, exploring my mouth as if we had all the time in the world. Every brush of his lips was an unspoken promise of a shared future together. I wanted it, and I wanted him.

  As his hands slid over the skin of my stomach, I delved my fingers beneath his shirt, exploring the ridges of his muscles. He shuddered beneath my touch, and I knew his desire mirrored my own. We’d been teetering on the edge for months, and I was finally ready to fall.

  “Please,” I begged as he cupped me through my lace bra.

  “Please what?” He slid his hands over my skin, driving me wild. Eyes hooded with lust met mine, seeking confirmation.

  Unable to resist any longer, and not wanting to, I said, “Make love to me.”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” He grinned.

  We rushed back to the apartment in a blur of lips and hands, barely through the front door when Declan peeled off my shirt. The enchanted necklace was hot on my bare skin, but it was nothing compared to the inferno building within me. Declan’s shirt was next, yanked over his head in one fluid motion before his hands returned to my hips.

  He leaned his forehead to mine. “Do you have any idea what you do to me? I’m at your mercy, completely captivated by you.”

  I stilled, my conscience kicking in and overriding my desire. As much as I wanted to give in to the moment, he had a right to understand the risks of being with me. Enchanted necklace or not, Declan deserved to know the truth about my powers.

  Apart from Jeff, I’d never told a soul about my powers. It wasn’t until he’d revealed his own abilities—speculating about mine and promising to help me understand them—that I finally relented.

  I sucked in a deep breath for courage. “Declan, I need to tell you something.”

  He placed a finger to my lips, silencing me. “I love you too.”

  Was it possible for the heart to soar and plummet at the same time? He’d said the words I longed to hear, but he’d fallen for an illusion. If he knew the truth about my powers, would he love the real me?

  Glass shattered from somewhere within the apartment, and we froze. Suddenly on high alert, he held a finger to his lips, signaling me to stay quiet. My heart was pounding, ears straining for any sound.

  Declan crept forward but stopped when a figure appeared in the hallway. She stepped closer, and even in the dim light from the kitchen, I knew it was Zia. My stomach dropped, and as I took in her slumped posture and dazed expression, all I could think was how similar her behavior was to my own when I dated Jeff. Eerily similar, actually, from the frequent moments of melancholy I’d witnessed when we’d meet for lunch or coffee the past few weeks, to the way she jumped at any sudden movement or noise.

  As if my thoughts had summoned him, Jeff emerged from the shadowed hallway, and I prayed he was a hallucination. Drunk on his own power, he was as tall, dark, and sadistic as I remembered.

  My brain begged me to scream—or better yet, run—but my feet remained rooted to the spot. Logically, I knew he couldn’t possibly be controlling me since Zia remained in a deep trance. Physical contact wasn’t required to place or keep his subject in a hypnotic daze, but he could only exercise his power over one person at a time. Despite knowing all that, I continued to behave as if I were under his spell.

  Snap out of it, my brain screamed. But nearly a year of being subjected to his capricious whims had conditioned me to retreat within myself.

  “What do you want?” Declan asked in a steady voice. “Money, art—”

  “You don’t have what I want,” Jeff cut him off. “You never will.” There was an evil glint in his eyes as he turned them on me, sweeping over my disheveled hair and smeared lipstick, lingering on my sheer bra and my half-buttoned jeans. I shuddered at his blatant leering, completely violated.

  “And now I’m going to make sure of that.” Jeff stepped closer, his voice menacing.

  He issued a command to Zia using a tongue known only to magic, and I listened with horror as he ordered her to attack Declan. Once the words were spoken, she had no choice but to obey. And such was the strength of his hold, that she would stop at nothing to carry out his command. If I didn’t intervene, one or both of them would end up dead.

  I couldn’t stop Zia, but maybe there was another way to protect Declan. And that was how I found myself saying, “Don’t waste your time on him. He was just a…distraction.” I inched closer to Jeff, trailing my fingers along my collarbone as I simpered, “I missed you, baby.”

  Declan’s jaw dropped, and I felt the backlash from my betrayal as if I’d been physically wounded. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the one who needed convincing, Jeff was. And the sooner he no longer viewed Declan as a threat, the safer Declan would be.

  While Jeff stared at me unblinking, Zia lunged for Declan. Despite her small size, she was quick, and they grappled briefly until she hit him over the head with a lamp. Declan fell to the ground with a sickening thud, and in that moment, my heart stopped.

  All I could focus on was Declan, his body lying motionless on the floor. Yet, I forced myself to remain where I was. I had to make Jeff believe my feelings were genuine before he could do any more damage.

  Seemingly appeased, Jeff commanded Zia to stop before ordering her to stand guard, like a dog. He marched over, grabbing my arm roughly and gripping so hard I knew the skin would bruise. Hit by the smell of cloves, my stomach heaved, and I stole one last glance at Declan as Jeff dragged me down the hallway behind him.

  He slammed the door to my bathroom, locking us in and turning on the shower with unnecessary violence. “We have to get you clean,” Jeff muttered. “We have to remove any traces of that filth.” This was over the top, even for him.

  I tried to fight back, to use my powers, but
I couldn’t. I was too afraid, too…weak. Tears of fear and frustration streamed down my face as he shoved me beneath the shower head still clothed.

  “You’re mine, Katerina,” he growled. “You’re mine, and you always will be.”

  He began scrubbing my body, the water growing increasingly hotter until it scalded my skin. Despite the steam billowing out of the shower, a chill crept up my spine, a sure indicator that he was attempting to engage his powers against me. I closed my eyes to block out the onslaught of emotions, disgusted by the feel of his hands on my skin.

  “Look at me.” He grasped my chin roughly between his fingers. “Swear to me that you don’t love him,” he demanded.

  Declan, I thought. My heart ached at the reminder of him unconscious and alone. And Zia—she didn’t deserve Jeff’s abuse any more than I did. Unlike them, I had the power to stop him. I just had to find the strength to use it.

  “Katerina,” he growled. “You know what happens when you disobey.”

  He peered into my eyes, demanding the confirmation I’d always willingly given, but this time was different. This time, I refused to give in. I was stronger than him. I was stronger than this. And I could feel myself breaking free of his control.

  The necklace.

  Water.

  “I told you. He was a distraction, nothing more.” I stepped closer, out from beneath the flow of the shower, placing my hands on his chest. I forced myself to maintain eye contact even as my skin crawled.

  By now, most men would have relaxed limbs and glassy eyes. But Jeff wasn’t most men, and this wasn’t going to be easy. He knew what I was capable of, and I had to overcome his resistance and put him under my spell, all without him ever realizing what was happening.

  He held my gaze, and for a brief moment, I caught a glimpse of the man he could have been. The man I’d once believed him to be until I met the monster beneath the polished veneer. My power grew with every passing second, his limbs relaxing as a dopey smile overtook his face.