Compassion Be Damned: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Last Hope Book 4)

by Rebecca Royce

  I couldn’t let myself cry. That wouldn’t solve anything. Titus said Katrina said to hurt me. So they weren’t anything anymore. They were hers. My plans not to cry stopped. I held onto Bonney and let myself. Real tears, sobs, I didn’t try to hold back.

  I wasn’t brave. Not really. Not when it came down to it. I was lost. I didn’t know where I was going or even where I’d been.

  And now I was all alone.

  Bonney slowed, and I sucked in the tears I’d been letting loose. I had to think, and I couldn’t do that when I was losing it. I had gold left that Aspen had given me. She must be really important if so many shifting birds were going so far out of their way to try to help her. Bonney slowed to a walk and eventually stopped altogether.

  I looked around. There was absolute nothingness all around me. Vast emptiness and the beating sun. How was I going to take care of my horse? I didn’t know anything about her except that she’d helped me twice now.

  I dismounted because I didn’t know what else to do. It hadn’t escaped my notice that we were right where the raven Jamie had told us not to go. I rubbed at my eyes. What was I supposed to do now?

  I really had no idea. For the first time since escaping the Sisterhood I was entirely alone. Not to mention, the guys who had started to capture my heart were gone. Oh, who was I kidding? They were already in there like they’d been lodged in my psyche without me even knowing it. How did that work? I put my hand on Bonney to steady myself.

  They were in trouble, and I was powerless to help them. I stared at my hands. They were healing vessels and yet nothing happened around them to indicate they needed assistance. I couldn’t use my powers unless Divinity turned them on.

  I stared at the sky. “You’re done with me, huh?”

  I walked away from Bonney who stomped her back feet. It wasn’t lost on me that I had no idea how I was going to take care of her. The guys had known how to do that and horse care hadn’t been covered in our brief time together. I forced myself to stand up straight. This was going to be okay. I would figure out whatever I had to.

  No, I wouldn’t. I’d never been self-sufficient. Not one single time in my life. Even when I was locked away, someone else had been taking care of me. I was worse than a child. I was a totally helpless adult with a horse I wanted to take care of, and I didn’t have the slightest idea how to do so.

  A sound behind me had me whirling around. Bonney whined, and I didn’t blame her. Surrounding us, or more aptly me, were three demons.

  I stared down at my hands just to confirm what I already knew, my powers were nowhere to be found. I forced my gaze upward. They were ugly demons. Unlike others I’d seen, they walked on two feet and were about the size of a human. The raven hadn’t lied. Death was this way. I’d ridden right into it.

  Demons sometimes came in trios. Or pairs. They basically came in every way imaginable. The big problem was that they existed in the first place. And that I was so completely unable to stave them off.

  “There is something familiar about this. Like we’ve done this before.” The one closest to my left spoke first. He sounded like a snake. That seemed to be a bit of a universal truth when they spoke. For all of them except the incubi. Not that I’d ever met one of those.

  I was new to all of this. Learning through a book had absolutely not prepared me for how horrific this was going to be.

  I wished I had the five guys behind me, ready to form an alignment to protect me from whatever they could. I straightened my back, a sense of déjà vu running over me. That was either something the demon was doing, or he and I were both suffering from déjà vu

  I didn’t suppose it mattered. This was all going toward a painful end right now. And my whole problem with the Darkness wasn’t going to turn out to be much at all. I was going down, just like every other regular human on the planet.

  I put my hands on my hips. At the very least I could fake gumption with the best of them. “So how do we do this? I must tell you three, you aren’t getting much in terms of powers. You can kill me, but taking me over isn’t going to give you any abilities. And it turns out not to be so easy to do.”

  “I…”

  A strange sound caught my attention. It was almost like… I couldn’t quite place it, but the demons didn’t like it, each of them covering their ears. We all turned toward it. The noise was loud but not bothersome, not like the effect it was having on the demons.

  A creature appeared before me. Or maybe that was the wrong word. I gulped. It was more like a… being. A giant entity with the head of an elephant and the body of a human except this human had four arms. I took a step back. It didn’t feel threatening in the same way the demons did, but instinct had me darting back.

  Bonney, by contrast, didn’t budge. Maybe she didn’t notice the elephant-headed new addition to our group?

  He swiped out one of his arms and the demons that had appeared vanished, dust in the wind. They were there one second and gone the next.

  “That trouble is gone.”

  It took me a minute to register the spoken word that came from the being who had just banished the demons. His voice was low, almost like a base instrument. It was as though my brain had to first understand the language.

  “Yes.” My voice was soft. “Thank you. For doing whatever you did.”

  “Why are you here? Again?”

  There was that word again. “I don’t understand.”

  “No, you don’t. And that is fine. Why are you here? Why are you here?” The fact that he asked the last question twice probably meant it was very important.

  I wished I could give him a good answer. “I’m afraid I don’t know. I… I had to run from some people who were taking care of me. They were overtaken by a powerful… I don’t know what she is.”

  “Yes.” I wasn’t sure, but the elephant may have nodded or maybe he just jerked his head. “That is unfortunate but also not new. What happens now is what matters. Listen to me closely, there are many forces at play here. There always have been. I am not the first you have met to tell you this. And that is because, Krystal, you are not a Sister per se. Or at least that is not all you are. These are the end of days.”

  I had no argument there. “Yes.”

  “Or maybe they’re the beginning and maybe it can be. Where do you want to be, Krystal?”

  That was such an interesting question. “I want to be safe.”

  “Safety is an illusion. There is no safe. Where is safe to you?”

  I’d never met her, not personally, but this whole time I’d pictured where I had to be it had been Anne’s Sisterhood I’d imagined.

  He pointed with one of his hands to Bonney. “Tell the horse to take you there.”

  With a poof he was gone, leaving flowers in his place. I walked slowly over to Bonney. She hadn’t reacted at all and my horse had been running from danger. Had she not seen what happened?

  I pet her head. “Bonney,” it was worth a try, “I want to be at Anne’s.”

  The world spun.

  I woke up with at least a dozen people staring down at me. Blinking, I tried to quickly sort out what had happened. My head throbbed.

  An older woman bent down. “Are you Krystal?”

  I leaned back on my elbows. “The last time I checked. I’m… Yes, I’m Krystal. Where am I?”

  “You’re at the Sisterhood, child. We’re not sure how you’re here. It shouldn’t be possible.”

  A face I did know appeared in my vision. It was Mika. Her eyes were white, and they’d not been the last time I’d seen her. She gave me her arm and helped me to sit up. I took a better look around. I was on the ground, and the people who stared down at me were all Sisters. They all had white eyes, that was the only way I could tell. Behind them were a large group of guards.

  Heat infused my cheeks. I was suddenly acutely aware of how dirty I was and the fact I really had no idea what was going on. “Is this Anne’s?”

  “It’s a Sisterhood,” a blonde woman answered me. “
You came in on a horse, unconscious. Before we could get to you, you fell off and here you are.”

  Mika spoke again before I could. “That’s Teagan. Next to you is Daniella. Do you remember me? I’m Mika. Anne isn’t here right now. And you’re Krystal. The real Krystal, not the demon doppelganger.”

  The blonde—Teagan—put her hands on her hips. “You’re dead. So what are you doing here? How is this possible?”

  “Teagan.” The older Daniella hissed out a breath. “Easy.”

  She shook her head. “No, we’ve been fooled by someone who looked like her before. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, I deserve to be possessed. I’ve seen you die. So start talking.”

  I struggled to my feet. If I was going to be interrogated I was doing it on my feet. “I can’t, really. The ravens said you couldn’t see me but there was one future in which I got here and here I am.”

  Teagan shook her head. “No. You’re dead.”

  “Teagan.” A voice called from behind me and everyone turned. I’d seen the woman who was walking through the door once before. It was Anne. She was older than the last time I’d been around her, but her face was the same and her eyes sharp, assessing. Five men walked behind her. Her guards. They’d changed everything.

  “I’m not going to back off this. I’m all for Divinity surprising us, but this is too much. She is not alive. I’ve seen her die. I watched it.”

  Anne held up her hand. “Krystal. Hello. Would you like some tea?”

  “Anne?” One of the guards spoke to her. “I don’t think you should bring her in the house?”

  She shook her head. “Malcolm, I have a major demon who has recently taken up residence beneath the house again. I think anything that could go wrong in that house would have by now. Besides, Bob doesn’t let threats near him. He eats them first. He hasn’t come out to address her. That means he’s unconcerned with this. Come with me. Everything can be made better with tea.”

  Teagan let out a huff, but Mika put her hand on my back. “I could use some tea. How about you, Krystal? Don’t worry. Occasionally, Teagan forgets the lesson she learned which is that sometimes destiny is changed.”

  “Destiny, yes.” Teagan stormed ahead, calling over her shoulder. “Not things that have already happened. The past is set. We don’t change that.”

  Hordes of ravens danced in the sky above us. I didn’t see one with a white feather, and I had no way of knowing if any of the others I’d seen were up there. Five guards, one with an eye patch, ran past us, chasing the practically running Teagan.

  Daniella shook her head. “Something is amiss. But Anne’s right. Before we go any further, tea would be a wonderful idea.”

  I told them all of it. From the time Aspen pulled me out to the time I woke up on the ground, I didn’t leave out a detail. Not even things I might have better left private. Groups of Sisters walked the grounds outside. In the room with us were what I’d come to think of quickly as the major Sisters. They seemed to be Anne, the Sister Superior, Teagan, the Prophet, Daniella, The Teacher, and Mika, The Oracle. Each one of them had a guard with them. Their One.

  The sun shined outside and it streamed through the window.

  This should have been relaxing.

  It absolutely was not.

  Mika nodded. “The details are right. I’ve seen the Darkness. It is as she described it. She’s not possessed by it, and we know Katrina is possessed. She is speaking things we know that she couldn’t otherwise know. Not to mention Titus and the others. They are the ones who took me.”

  “They’re lucky they didn’t get here,” Mika’s One spoke through clenched teeth. “They’re dead men.”

  She sighed. “Neil, if they were coming to make amends we’d have to let them. That’s the right thing to do.”

  “Screw the right thing.”

  Anne held up her hand, and everyone hushed. “I have to agree with Mika. Krystal’s story is resonating as truth to me.”

  “That’s nice.” Teagan was very still. “Except she died in that room. The Darkness killed her. Tried to possess her and instead, killed her. I watched it. The future changes. The past does not.”

  Daniella took Teagan’s hand. “Isn’t it possible that was one future? That could have happened. And then it didn’t. You didn’t get the new vision?”

  A muscle twitched by her eye. “Possible. Unlikely. But possible. Something is wrong.” She rubbed her arms. “You all need to trust me. I’m not saying she’s evil. But what she says… it doesn’t add up.”

  I leaned forward. “Sister Teagan.” I was formal on purpose. “I agree with you. I’m not right. I don’t know what it is either. But I won’t hurt you or anyone else here. I’ve had… odd experiences. I had to heal a demon. My powers don’t come on when they should. I don’t understand it either. But I’m here. I was led here. And I left five very good men, who I ache for, behind to get here. They held off to save me. There has to be a reason.”

  Her eyes seemed to twinkle in the sunlight. “Then let’s figure out what it is.”

  Mika nodded. “And get back your men.”

  “Darkness to light, Sisters. Always. We must never forget.” Daniella spoke in a soft, sad voice.

  Anne nodded. “Never. Whatever has happened to you, Krystal. You’re here. That’s something.”

  I nodded. Somewhere out there five men battled Katrina in their minds. The world was ending. And elves, an elephant-headed man, a magic horse who was now gone, and shifting birds had brought me here.

  Not to mention I was supposed to be dead. I shivered. The safety of Anne’s wasn’t what I’d expected it to be.

  Chapter 10

  Titus

  I knew this feeling. My head was foggy and it was like… well, it was as though I couldn’t quite count on controlling everything I thought, said, or did. Because Katrina had cursed me. Why had I thought we’d managed to push through this hell?

  Krystal.

  I’d sent her away. She was safe. Tears I never shed—because as a child I’d learned that they did no good—moved through my soul. She’d been, for one glorious moment, the idea that there could be a future. There could be a purpose. There could be love the way that Mika had said the guards were meant to love the Sisters.

  I’d adored her like that from the moment I’d seen her, and then some. She was everything.

  And the men who were like brothers to me had felt it, too. Even Ryland, who was always adverse for the sake of being adverse, had fallen head over heels.

  I sat on the ground. I had no idea where any of them were. We’d never split up before, but I’d run as though I could race this curse out of my body. If it put distance between Krystal and me then it was worth it. I wouldn’t hurt her.

  Not for anything in the world.

  Oh, but you will.

  The evil Katrina’s voice in my head was the last thing I ever wanted to hear.

  In a sudden pop of sound, a woman appeared before me. She wore all white, which matched her hair and the silver of her eyes. She’d come out of thin air, and I darted to my feet, able to fully control my own movements for half a second. Relief at being able to do so nearly took me back down to my knees.

  This was a Sister. I knew it from the eyes, but I’d have known it without them, too. She had… power. It flowed all around her and even powerless as I was, I could feel it move through me like a wave of pure heat that somehow didn’t scorch.

  Magic rarely made sense. Power even less so.

  “Titus.” She looked all around her as she spoke to me, up, down at the ground, whirling around. “You know me?”

  I swallowed. Katrina, absent from my head for the second, let me answer her. “I know you’re a Sister and you should get away from me. I’m cursed and controlled by an evil entity.”

  “I know this.” She put her hands on her hips and regarded me steadily. “But Katrina has no power over me nor does anything possessing her. She never will and never could. I am what comes before her and what will remai
n after, whatever happens to this world. I am the original Sister Superior. They invoke my name down here in my honor and give it to the strongest Sister. That’s obviously Anne.” She smoothed out her long skirt. All the Sisters wore them, and they all had different designs. “I haven’t been down here in I don’t know how long, and I shouldn’t be now.”

  Another poof happened and this time a man strode toward us. “Then why are you?”

  The woman rolled her eyes. “Brother Reed. Why wouldn’t you be here causing problems?”

  He nodded toward me. “Titus. Are you clear headed?”

  “I know you. We went looking for you.” That’s what we’d been doing when we found Krystal. “You’re Reed. The Raven. You shift. I’m seeing shifting ravens all over the place.” I sounded like an idiot. “What exactly is going on?”

  Sister Superior stared straight at Reed and spoke as though I had not. “Of course he is clear headed. Katrina can’t bother him when I’m around. You know that.”

  Reed threw up his hands. “Excuse me for being concerned for your safety, Sister Superior. What are you doing down here? Or have you forgotten the rules? Celestial beings don’t set foot on the battlegrounds.”

  “The rules seem to have gone out the window on this one, Brother Reed. I had to see for myself what is happening. Your former brothers are causing a mess and there are other forces at play. I can’t for the life of me figure out what has happened to Sister Krystal.”

  I had to jump in, and they needed to listen. “I sent her off. Why? Did something get her? Katrina overtook us. I couldn’t have Krystal hurt. The horse ran off. Did the others go after her? I pulled myself away to save her.”

  The Sister’s face fell, some of the hostility disappearing from her face. “Whatever is happening with Krystal, it has already happened. Had already happened long before she fell into your path. Amazing she did at all. You should have all been together, but once you were taken by the Darkness that way closed off. The true love that should have helped bring light back to the world ended. Unfortunate, but more common than not right now.”