Dirty Angels: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Lilith and Her Harem Book 3)

by May Dawson

  "Good," Dani said.

  The six of us quickly followed Dani down the hall to an elevator at the end of the hall. She pulled open a fancy silver gate, rolling her eyes. "Dad and his flair for the dramatic. He got this from a condemned movie theater."

  "It's a nice touch," Ryker said. "Really makes me feel like I'm descending into Hell. But you know. Rich person fancy hell."

  The six of us loaded onto the elevator, so close that I found myself pinned between Ryker and Nimshi, barely able to breathe between their hard bodies. I inhaled their cologne and that boy-scent they each had, something special to each of them, an intermingled scent of summer grass and sawdust and dark coffee and cinnamon.

  "Sorry," Nim whispered into my ear. His voice was low and husky.

  "You don't have to be sorry. It's crowded," I said.

  And then I felt the hardness rubbing against me even through his jeans.

  "Really?" I demanded. "We might die tonight."

  "That just makes it worse," he said.

  I tried to shift slightly away from him, but it made me rub my ass against his hips. Nimshi bit down on his lower lip. I was making things worse.

  Ryker stared over my head into Nim's eyes. "Watch yourself."

  "Don't be a hypocrite," I said, because I could feel him as he pressed against me protectively. "Good grief. What is wrong with you guys?"

  "You," Ryker said bluntly.

  "Isn't the adrenaline a distraction?"

  Ryker shook his head.

  "For once," Nim said, "I agree with my big brother."

  "Don't," Ryker warned him.

  The elevator lumbered to a stop. The doors opened, and the six of us tumbled out into a sleek, teak-lined corridor. A wooden door blocked our way, with a touch pad next to it.

  Jacob held his hand out as if he were feeling for magic around us. Then he knelt in front of the keypad, and Ryker handed him the duffel bag he'd carried in for him. Levi knelt next to him, too.

  Jacob said, "This would be easier if I could have just asked them for the combination."

  "I thought you hated using your powers," I said.

  "I'd make an exception for them," Jacob said. "They gave me the creeps."

  "Finally. Someone sees through them," Dani said. "They're so nice with strangers."

  As Jacob, Levi and Ryker opened the panel beneath the alarm system and hooked up their spoofer, a small blue unit, to the wires, I asked, "What did they do to you, anyway?"

  "You mean before they stole my soul?" Nimshi paced, his arms crossed over his chest, glancing toward the elevator.

  "Yeah. Even before that, you wanted to run away for a reason, didn't you?"

  "I ran away to find Wendy," he said. "I always wanted to know where I came from."

  "Did you know about—?" I indicated his three brothers, currently gathered around the alarm panel, breaking in to save his soul.

  He shook his head. There was a fleeting expression of regret on his face, before it turned back to his usual smug insolence. "I guess Wendy didn't want me corrupting her three sweet, innocent boys."

  "Tell her about our dog," Dani said.

  "She doesn't want to hear about the dog," Nimshi said.

  "No sad dog stories," Ryker shook his head. "They make Levi cry."

  "Shut up." Levi slugged Ryker in the arm.

  Ryker rocked slightly on his heels, bumping Jacob, who was working on the wires for the door. Jacob shot them a look that was pure irritated-big-brother. Ryker and Levi exchanged a glance full of amusement.

  "See, my parents didn't want a dog. But Nimshi was obsessed," Dani said. "One day there was this dog outside that was running loose, and it got hit by a car right in front of our house. We heard the brakes screeching and then this dog screamed...it sounded like a person. Just so scared. My parents weren't home."

  "Neither of us could drive yet," Nimshi said. "But we borrowed one of the cars in the garage. I wrapped the dog in a towel."

  "It kept trying to bite me," Dani said.

  "That dog always liked me best," Nim said. "Good taste. So, we drove into town, to the vet. Dani had stolen one of Mom's credit cards long before that."

  "For emergencies," Dani said.

  "Like Godiva chocolates, concert tickets, and veterinary expenses," Nim added.

  The two of them were smiling at each other, loosening up as they told this old story.

  "We had to leave the dog overnight at the vet's," Nim said. "But that was good, because it gave us time to strategize. Our parents were not dog people."

  "They're not good people," Dani said. "Good people like dogs."

  "Well, good people may not necessarily like dogs," Nim said. "But I'll tell you what they don't do. They don't let you keep your dog after all, let you name it Paddy and put a dog house in the back and get all attached."

  "And then," Dani finished, "When a local witch who deals in exotic drugs—which our parents run into New England as their primary business—double crosses them, good people do not stuff that witch's soul and personality into your beloved dog."

  "Paddy was never the same," Nim said. "It took us a while to figure it out. When we found that witch's shit in a bin in the pool house, because Dad hadn't had the chance to get rid of it yet. And while we were trying to figure out how to reverse their spell, they let the dog out."

  "I find it highly suspicious," Dani said, "That poor Paddy got hit by a car for a second time."

  "I think it was Mom," Nim said. "I think Mom ran over Paddy."

  "Dad's always the charming one," Dani said. "Mom is the one who gets things done."

  "Well, that is chilling," I said.

  "They always liked Nim better," Dani mused. "Because of his raw power."

  "They don't like me much now," Nim said. "Take heart. You get to be the favored child."

  "Because I'm the only child."

  "Details."

  "We're in," Jacob said, standing up. The door in front of us slid smoothly to one side.

  In front of us was a long room that looked almost like an office, with expensive executive furniture and art against the walls.

  "One of you stay out here and watch the elevator," Jacob ordered. "Let us know if we've got company."

  "Got it," Levi said.

  The rest of us headed into the next room. There was a vault in one corner, and Jacob headed straight for it. He knelt, unslinging the duffel bag from his broad shoulder, and began to root through his tools.

  "I can see why you like him," Nim said. "He's handy."

  "Yeah, that's why I like him," I said absently. I was staring at what looked like a web made of metal and cable across a satellite receiver, big enough to hold a man if somehow some giant spider affixed him there. "I've seen one of these before."

  I wracked my brain, trying to remember. And then the memory bloomed: my chest tight with panic, the taste of acid in the back of my throat, the boys' swords bright in the dark of the asylum. A captured ghost had screamed from the web, wracked with agony. "We have to burn this place down."

  "The asylum." Ryker said. "Ghost-web."

  Dani shivered. "Is there a ghost in there now?"

  "No," Ryker said. "It's not on. You'd be able to tell if there was a ghost trapped in there. Screaming. Writhing. General agony."

  "I'm not surprised they have one. They love all kinds of supernatural tech," Nim glanced at Dani. "Any idea who they might have trapped here? Or who they might be planning to trap?"

  She shook her head.

  Nim stopped at a long table against one wall of the room; it was stacked with bills. He flipped through a bundle and stashed it inside his jacket. "Allowance money."

  "You should take two. They've stiffed you for a while," Dani said.

  "So should you," Nim said. "You have to come with us tonight."

  "Of course I am," she said. "You don't think you're getting rid of me that easily, do you?"

  "Are you a witch?" Ryker examined an enormous shield on the wall, a beaten metal shield that l
ooked like it had survived the dark ages.

  "I'm a good witch," she said. "More or less."

  "More or less," Ryker repeated.

  "I could be useful," she told Ryker. She turned to Nimshi, and there was an edge of desperation in her voice. "You are going to take me with you, right? What do you think they're going to do to me?"

  "We're not going to leave you in danger," Nim promised her.

  "Of course we're taking you with us," Ryker said gruffly, putting a hand up to stop Dani's spiral. "We'll figure out what to do with both of you down the road. But no one's going to abandon you."

  "You said that like you've thought about it," Dani accused him.

  "Sorry," Ryker said. "Our kind doesn't usually trust your kind. But I'm trying."

  Levi said, "They've got a Final blade over here."

  I joined Levi. He stood examining a display of swords. There were five swords hanging up in a wooden rack, and although they were all different—a heavy broadsword, a delicately carved Samurai sword, a long dagger—there was none I could identify at a glance as magical.

  "This one." Levi tapped the hilt of a plain, leather-handled sword. Its blade was narrow and gleaming. "A final sword is made from first metal—from when the world was born—and blessed by an angel and a demon. It's a rarity."

  "And why does it have that terrifying name?" I asked.

  "A Final blade can kill a demon or an angel." Levi glanced over his shoulder at Nimshi, who joined us, his hands in his pockets. "Or an immortal."

  "Welp," Nimshi said. "I think we should probably just bring that with us. I don't think my parents should be trusted with nail-clippers, forget a Final blade."

  "We're in," Jacob said. He frowned, rubbing his hand across his neck, as the vault door clicked open. "Something just bit me."

  "Oh my God," Dani said. She turned to face Nim, who looked back at her in terror. "They did it. They actually used the spiders."

  "Excuse me?" Jacob asked.

  "I thought it was just talk," Nim said. "They were obsessed with these spiders, mantle spiders. They live in Hell."

  Nim was at Jacob's side in a few quick strides. Jacob froze, holding very still, as Nim pulled his collar down in the back. I stifled a scream at the sight of an enormous red-and-orange spider. Its long, translucent legs were spread across the back of Jacob's neck, its hooked legs sinking into his skin and raising red marks.

  "Just don't panic," Nim said.

  "I'll save panic for if it turns out we don't have a plan," Jacob said through gritted teeth. "Well? Do we have a plan?"

  Dani bit down on her lower lip.

  "It might be time to panic," she said.

  I saw something red and orange running across the floor toward me, and I took a quick step back involuntarily. Ryker grabbed my shoulders, steadying me. As the spider reached us, he stomped on it.

  "They don't bite demons," Nim said. "Hold on."

  He ripped the spider off Jacob's neck. Jacob hissed in pain.

  "I'll take care of the spiders," Nim said. "They're tormenting spiders. They don't actually kill you. They just cause pain."

  "Just," Levi repeated.

  "They're very good at it," Jacob groused.

  "Can you fix him?" Nim asked, jerking his head at Jacob.

  "I've been trying since I met him," I said. I wrapped my arms around Jacob, trying to ignore the creepy feeling that kept running up my spine as I imagined phantom legs crawling over my skin.

  "Always a smart-ass." Jacob caught me around my waist. He kissed me like he drew strength from me, his eyelashes fluttering closed. His face was pale, the lines around his mouth etched tightly, as if he were in agony. I rested my hand on his cheek, feeling our tongues intertwine, feeling the spark of energy and warmth in my chest that flowed through our bodies to heal him.

  I pulled away, kissing his lips quickly one more time after I broke off our deep kiss. I took his shoulders in my hands and turned him hard, pushing him away from me. I pulled down his collar, exposing dozens of angry red bites, each one glittering with painful venom left beaded across his skin.

  "Keep them off me, please," I begged as I pulled the collar down lower to kiss Jacob's bare shoulder. His skin healed as my fingers and lips traced their way over his skin.

  Jacob shivered, as if the venom had done something to him, but then the last bite healed over. I rubbed my thumb over the place where it had just been. It seemed as if my power to heal them kept getting stronger with time.

  With time, or with love.

  But I wasn't about to say all that cheesy stuff, especially not here.

  "Someone get my soul's little box, please," Nim said as he scooped a spider off Ryker's jeans. "I'll take care of our spider friends."

  "This feels too easy," Ryker said.

  Nimshi winced, shaking the spider off his fingers, and then stomped on it. "You only say that because you haven't been stung yet. I guess I've got one thing on this earth convinced that I'm human after all."

  "Here," I held my hand out to him.

  Nim let me take his hand in his, looking at me curiously. I pressed a quick kiss to his stung fingers. Then an impulse overcame me. I kissed his fingertips again before drawing them into my mouth, swirling my tongue around the spot where the bite had been.

  Nim groaned, the sound full of frustrated desire. His green eyes were intent on my face. "All right, that was worth it."

  "Purely pragmatic." I squeezed my hand in his before I dropped it. "You should be all better now."

  Just then, there was a faint hiss from the sprinklers up above. I looked up to see faint puffs of pink smoke beginning to curl into the room, and I breathed a familiar scent. Like apple pie.

  "Jacob," I said, knowing he would recognize it, too.

  "Gas," Jacob said urgently.

  Everyone clapped their sleeves off their mouths as Jacob grabbed me, shoving me toward the doors. I was already turning to run for them.

  Levi looked over his shoulder back at us, his eyes widening, just as the doors rumbled to life, about to slam shut, sealing us in. I reversed direction fast, afraid I'd be crushed between the doors, my feet sliding on the slick floor.

  The doors closed hard between us.

  "Levi!" Ryker bellowed. Something had come after us. Whatever it was—the Company, the witches, both—Levi would face it alone.

  Nimshi lunged for the vault, as if he were afraid he'd lose his chance to get his hands on his soul. He turned back to us and held a crystal box aloft. It seemed to shine from within. Even with his elbow pressed over his mouth and nose, I could see the relief in his eyes.

  Ryker pushed a table over to the sprinkler, jumping on top of it. He yanked his shirt off over his head and wrapped the shirt around the head. He coughed and swayed for a second, trying to catch his balance.

  Jacob was already throwing himself across the room to the other sprinkler, shrugging off his leather jacket as he went. He pulled his shirt off in one fluid motion, jumping on top of the leather couch and wrapping the shirt around the sprinkler.

  "That won't hold it for long," Nimshi said. He put the box inside his jacket. "We have to get out of here."

  "I'm open to ideas," Jacob growled.

  Ryker jumped off the top of the table and took a clumsy step he never would have normally, almost falling. Jacob caught his shoulder to steady him. He squeezed Ryker's shoulder before he released, giving him a nod, as if he were promising everything would be all right.

  "They know we're here," Nim said. "Can you use your gift? Get them to let us walk out?"

  Jacob frowned, concentrating, but shook his head. "I can't get close enough to their minds. They aren't near yet."

  Jacob grabbed his bag and carried it to the door. "I don't know if Levi's able to help us from his side. I might be able to cut our way out of here, but it'll take time."

  "Great," Nim said. "At least it's some kind of a plan."

  A ceiling tile suddenly dropped out of the ceiling. We all stared at it, perplexed.
Except for Jacob, who lit his welding torch with a hiss and went to work with total focus.

  Hundreds of spiders rained down out of the ceiling.

  I screamed.

  "Not great," Nim amended. "We're going to move with a sense of urgency, okay, Jake?"

  40

  "They need to pick one," I said in exasperation. "Either gassing us like Turner did or dropping terrifying spiders on us. They're just going to let the spiders crawl all over our unconscious bodies?"

  Ryker swept me up abruptly, cradling me against his broad chest. He danced with me across the floor, stomping on angry swarming spiders. I put my hands on his broad shoulders, unsure if I should push him away or climb up higher.

  "Gallant," I told him, pushing away from his broad chest. "But as terrified as I am, I think we need all feet on stomping duty."

  "They don't sting you once you've passed out," Nim said. "They actually revive you then, so that the cycle can continue once the victim recovers. Usually in about an hour, to avoid causing permanent nerve damage."

  We all stared at him, and he said, "Listen, admiring dinner conversation about Hell's little oddities was a part of my life growing up. Okay? I didn't invent the damn spiders, don't look at me like that."

  "Any way we can play dead?" I asked.

  "I might be able to trick them." Nimshi said. "I'm not sure. It usually takes a certain amount of intelligence to be susceptible to lies. But maybe."

  "I can make you sleep," Jacob said without looking away from his welding.

  Ryker threw his head back in exasperation. "Fine. Do me. I'm the most dispensable right now."

  "I love hearing those words," Nimshi said.

  Ryker set me down on my own feet and took a step back. He took a deep breath, as if he were steeling himself, and then he lay back on the wood floor.

  The spiders swarmed over him. Ryker set his teeth, groaning, just as Jacob said, "Sleep."

  Nimshi passed his hand through the air with the same dramatic flourish I'd seen so many times in the demon's case.

  "Do you need the sparkle-motion hands to make the magic work?" I asked him.