Claiming: A Reverse Harem Series (To Tame a Shifter Book 2)

by A. K. Koonce

  “Kreedence.”

  Twenty-Three

  The Painful Truth

  We land and the men stay in their beastly forms. Darkness hangs thickly, pushing terror into me from the lack of light. My palms shake and magic pulses from my fingertips in streaming colors of white. I kneel, settling my palm over the soft grass. The power within me twirls and with a final push I let the light spread into a halo around us. It shines warmly, acting as a lamp. Mood lighting. The dim light hangs a mood of anxiety over the shadowy surroundings.

  Into the distance are houses. No lights illuminate the structures but my magic casts glimpses of the homes, the siding and the little fences that surround them. It’s such a flimsy little picket fence that encloses the nearest house. They spent all that time on appearance rather than safety.

  They should have built it for safety. They need that today of all days.

  The back of Sinister’s hand brushes mine just as movement glides along the darkness in front of me. Anger rips through me the moment I lay eyes on the demon. I screwed up enough in the past to know he’s going to take everything away from me.

  Everything until there’s nothing left.

  After tonight, he won’t hurt me anymore.

  “You always were the slowest learner, Arlow. Three days. It took you three days to get here. Fucking hell, Arlow.” Kreedence’s head shakes slowly as he tsks at me.

  Chaos lunges forward. He’s so dark he becomes the night. It all happens so quickly. Massive wings extend, shadowing out the meager amount of light. Sharp teeth made to devour unlatch to do just that.

  Fuming smoke seeps from his snout as his jaw spreads wide, poised above the demon. He embraces Kreedence’s frame with jagged teeth and strong jaws. He’s almost done the deed.

  How fragile the monster of my past appears right now.

  “Stop.” My hand tenses and I have to really push against my magic to shove Chaos away. It shocks me that I do it. That the massive dragon is forced back with a reckless wave of my hand.

  But I did it.

  Because Kreedence is my monster. He’s my demon. He’s my fucking problem.

  And I want to know what all of this was for.

  “Where’s Agatha?”

  The demon’s thin lips curl as he looks up at the looming dragon. The hatred in his features makes me try to remember what I liked about him. He was handsome when he smiled. When he forced the appearance of charm into place, he was alluring. Right now, he just looks … disgusting.

  I hate him. I hate him for more than anyone will ever know.

  I hate him for making me hate myself. I hate him for making me so fucking confused about my own emotions. I hate him for more than the physical violence he’s caused.

  “I locked her in the cellar of a nearby house.” His long fingers push through his inky hair as if he’s trying to compose himself. “The crafty bitch was more trouble than she’s worth. I should have found another way, but I knew you cared about her.”

  Goddess, does he want someone to pity him right now? Is he really complaining about his job as a kidnapper—a mage napper?

  My arms fold slowly, and I still try to think this through. He wanted me to come after him. He flat out said I wasn’t ready for whatever it is he’s preparing me for.

  “She said she wanted to know what you saw in me. She fucking grabbed my d—” I throw my hand forward and a stream of blinding white light crashes against his mouth. It halts his speech instantly as the breath is knocked from his lungs.

  His eyes grow wide as he heaves for a breath.

  I waited so long to prove my strength to him. And I’ve waited just as long to give him what he deserves.

  “What is all of this for, Kreedence?”

  He composes himself. His palm pushes through his slick hair once more. He levels me with a gaze that feels affectionate almost. Disgustingly affectionate.

  I can’t help but wonder what thoughts put that look in his eyes.

  “You’re worth more than you know, Arlow. More than your simple mother ever taught you. I taught you that magic you’re using so freely now. That was me.” A small sting of rage kisses his words like he might let the mask slip away.

  “You may have prompted her power but it’s hers, Kreed. She owns it completely. You might be sorry for that.” Sinister tips his head up, unphased by the aggression that’s burning in Kreedence’s eyes.

  The demon’s head shakes slowly as he looks from Chaos glaring down on him, the fuming smoke that’s drifting from Kain’s snout, the cruel glint in Rime’s eyes, the closeness of his own brother at my side. Support surrounds me. More than it has in my entire life.

  Kreedence may have initiated my magic, but these men awoke my confidence in myself. My magic was useless with the self-doubt and hatred that Kreedence instilled in me.

  And he’ll never understand that.

  He walks closer, his palm grips my hair in one swift move and he jerks me back. My neck strains from the force of his strength.

  Sinister shifts. He was so adamant about not being a shifter but the moment he needs it, he turns right into that hellhound I loved so much. Sharp teeth and fuming fur lunge forward. Kreedence side steps the beast. Big paws lash into the dirt when he lands. Roars of fire and ice crackle through the night but I raise my hand for the three dragons to stand back.

  I force a steady breath through my lungs. I cling to some small ration of calm and control within myself.

  Kreedence shoves a wave of sparkling red magic through his fingertips. It sears toward Sinister like an arrow. It twirls through the air with slashing intent. Instead of dodging the blow, the hellhound opens his mouth wide. Fire emits from within him. It’s just a glimpse of the flames that make him. And it’s gone a quickly as it came. His jaw snaps shut just as the magic enters his mouth. White smoke exhales through his nose. A long pink tongue laps against his lips as his eyes narrow on his brother. The demon dog looks pleased with himself and stalks closer on leisurely steps.

  But this is my fight.

  My fingers fist into my palm before releasing the magic within me. It blooms out with too much force. It clashes through the night in waves of bright white. It knocks Kreedence back. He falls hard to the dirt. I stumble, righting my footing enough to realize I’ve also shoved all four shifters away with that blow.

  Kreedence staggers against the ground before finally standing. A small cut lines his lower lip but instead of blood seeping out, scorching light emits from within. The slice through his features reveals the heat that lives inside of him.

  The sight of it distracts me slightly but I take a single daunting step closer to the man I’ve avoided for years. I take another and another and another. Until I’m staring up at his face lined with ugly anger.

  “What was all of this for, Kreedence?” My words are spoken through clenched teeth. The muscles in my arms tense with the magic poised in my fingertips. The air snaps with the possibilities of what could happen if any one of us makes a brash decision.

  His hand raises, nearly brushing my hair like he might push it back from my face. His fingers barely touch that lock of hair when golden light drops down to the ground in a liquid form. The burning acid strikes against Kreedence’s hand and he pulls it back with a groan. The muscle of his jaw tics as he glares up at the dark dragon who’s watching the demon’s every move. Big bright eyes are above, watching and waiting.

  Chaos lingers. The others are just shifting movement in the dark, but acid highlights every one of Chaos’ sharp teeth as he waits with patience. If Kreedence makes one wrong move the beast won’t hesitate to swallow him whole.

  Smoke wafts from the back of Kreedence’s hand. With a snap of his fingers the acid’s gone. He turns his hand this way and that, checking the now smooth, unblemished skin. Carefully, he wipes his brow with that hand as if it was only a minor inconvenience in his perfect life.

  Goddess I fucking hate him.

  What would cause him to go through all this trouble for a mage w
ho didn’t even know how to use her magic all those years ago?

  What does he need me for?

  Tension snaps through the air as he leans in just a fraction closer, his chest brushing mine in a suffocating way. Too many dark memories accompany the feel of his body near mine. My lungs press for air as if I’m only seconds away from being tossed right back where I was all those years ago. I’m stronger than I was then.

  I just have to have answers. I need to know more before someone does something rash or stupid. The odds of that happening are rising by the second, I can tell. Kreedence’s closeness is setting everyone on edge. Chaos is one fuming breath away from clamping his jaws down on the demon. It’s been too long since Chaos had a proper dinner and it’s starting to show.

  Kreedence’s breath meets my skin as he whispers low and sensually into my ear.

  “Someday you’ll realize, you’re nothing to me. You never meant anything at all to me, beautiful. I know how I fucked you up inside, but I never got to tell you that that was the only pleasure I ever found in our pathetic fucking relationship.” The cruelty in the smile that tilts his lips is the final blow.

  It cracks my restraint.

  Power strains within me and my fingers arch against the demanding feel of it. My hand moves on its own accord. It shoves hard against him. He stumbles with that fucking smirk widening against his mouth. Dark magic builds within me, shoving out in waves as I take another step closer to him. Once more my palm collides with his chest. Instead of pushing back, it pushes into him. It slices right into him like a knife.

  Just like he taught me.

  My lips part with shock and he mirrors that emotion. Both of us stare down at my hand sunken into his chest. Heat stings my palm, but I push the pain away and fire out my own dark magic. It drifts through him, making his face twist with agony. I do it again and again and again until something strange happens.

  Slick, hot blood slides down my arm in thick streams. The heat of his body subsides until all I feel is warm blood. His groan rumbles along my fingertips. Strong hands slip against my bloody arm, but I guide him back, step after step until he slams into the nearest tree.

  The light behind us barely touches his features now. Dark shadows fall across his crimson eyes. I’ve looked up into this man’s face so many times in my life.

  But I’ve never had the power in our relationship like I do right now.

  “I never knew you had it in you, beautiful.” Blood dribbles from his mouth. It streams down his throat.

  Glinting sparks of fire burn along the edges of his skin where my hand’s sunken into him. Just beneath his ribs I keep my palm pressed into him. He heals too quickly. He and I both know not even this is fatal. That sparking fire is trying to heal his wound. But my magic burning within him won’t allow it.

  “Tell me what this was all for, Kreedence.” The edge to my voice doesn’t waver. My words are spoken with more strength than I ever knew I had.

  Short, shallow breaths fall from his open mouth. It’s a rattling sound of life.

  “You shouldn’t have done this, Arlow. I could have helped you.” Shaking coughs rumble through him and into me as I hold my hand in place. “She—she’s going to ...”

  A strangled form of a breath escapes him as an emptiness sets into his gaze. I stare at that emptiness for a long time. Minutes pass while I stare into the shine of his eyes.

  His eyes that were always filled with so much rage hold… absolutely nothing now.

  Nothing.

  He’s gone. Him and the power he thought he held over me is gone completely.

  “Low.” Chaos’ hand is gentle against my back. Wetness continues to stream down my arm, making my skin cold despite the warmth of the blood.

  I pull my hand back. His body thumps against the grass as he hits the ground. My gaze watches him as if he might come back to life any second. It’s almost like I’m waiting. Any minute now, I know he’ll come right back.

  A shaking feeling starts to tremble through my palms, but it isn’t magic this time. My slick fingers dig into my skin as I fist my hands before the confusing emotions really show. I refuse to let them show.

  My jaw clenches and I turn stiffly. Four men watch me with careful scrutiny. The glow of the light highlights the concern on their faces and I can’t help but wonder what it shows of my own features. I force my chin a little higher.

  “Arlow.” Kain takes a step closer but I turn away from all of them.

  “Agatha’s somewhere here.” I hate the way my voice just shook.

  Houses are spread through the neighborhood. Dozens of them all huddle close together. Their family is here somewhere.

  And so is my friend.

  Twenty-Four

  The Mage and Her Dragon

  Pale, white magic shines bright, tinged with a blood red color in my palm as I race past house after house. None of the perfect little homes have a cellar.

  Fuck, what if he was lying? What if he hurt her? What if he killed her?

  “Low, I can literally feel your anxiety. Get your pretty panties out of a bunch and come get me out of this shit hole.” My friend’s words are muffled and tired sounding.

  Rime turns toward the sound of the mumbling words and as he reaches and pulls open a frail wooden door, my magic burns brighter. Light spills across the ground until it falls over the delicate lines of her face.

  My breath catches. She’s just as she was days ago.

  She’s the same. Unharmed. Safe.

  “You’d think for such a nice neighborhood they’d renovate this crawlspace into something more than just a possum shit infested sewer pipe. A cellar my ass.”

  She’s completely the same. Aggie is still complaining even as she stands on wobbling legs from the small cellar in the ground.

  With one hand she dusts off her white skirt. With the other hand, she shoves a glass bowl toward Rime. “Here make use of your muscle and hold this.”

  Water sloshes over Rime’s hands and his brows lower as he gives the beady eyed fish a look of confusion. Bobble’s scales expand as his face presses against the glass and an anxious look widens his eyes. Rime looks from the fish to me and back to the fearful fish again.

  Without a word, Chaos pokes Bobble’s back, descending the creature into the safety of his water once again.

  And I stand staring at the woman who doesn’t appear phased by any of this. The emeralds on her right hand shine as she continues to brush away the filth on her skirt.

  “Are you all right?” I hate how small my voice sound.

  I hate that sound of uncertainty so much.

  Her hazy white eyes lift until she’s looking up at me, unseeing but prying with her sight all the same.

  “Are you all right?” She turns the question on me. I stare at her without response. She takes only a few steps toward me before wrapping me in her arms.

  The blood coating my dress taints the fabric she was so adamant about cleaning just a moment ago. Her body crushes against mine but I can’t seem to lift my hands to her. The feeling of warmth and comfort are all there and yet I can’t process it. There’s too much confusion and anger within me.

  “You’re all right.” Her voice is a whisper, nothing more than gentle reassurance. Small hands sweep back and forth against my back.

  From over her shoulder my attention shifts from Rime, to Chaos, to Sinister, and then to Kain. The four of them stand stoic in the darkness. The white light shines over the shifters’ bare skin and their quiet features, but I don’t even process that they’re men at all in this this moment. They could be fuming dragons and hellhounds and I’d still look at them just the same.

  I’ve spent so long putting on a charade for the whole world to see that I no longer know the right thing to say or do in this moment. I release the waning magic in my palm. It fades out into drifting spec of color before disappearing entirely. Darkness settles in its place.

  Her hands slip away slowly, and a big palm pushes against my hip.

&nb
sp; “Come inside and get cleaned up.” The hesitant sound of Kain’s voice is something I’ve never heard. He’s always so sure. Always so thought out.

  Right now, he doesn’t sound sure of anything.

  “Inside?” That word among all others stands out.

  He looks up at the big white house with the perfect pink flowers and the manicured lawn.

  “This is my mother’s house.” He lifts his hand.

  I stare up at it before my gaze trails down to the open cellar door.

  Kreedence locked Agatha away in the one house in this community that was tied to Kain…

  I’ll have to lead you where I need you. I need you willing and I need you ready. You’re not ready yet, beautiful.

  Those words circle around and around within my mind even as Kain leads me into the house. The openness of the house all displays dark rooms. Probably a kitchen and a dining area but I really can’t seem to focus on any of it. A floral smell meets my lungs but all I can do is keep my hand locked in Kain’s. All I can do is hang on and let him guide me.

  On quiet steps we trail through the house, down a dark hall and into the first room on the left. Cold tile meets my feet. A window allows a hint of moonlight into the room. It shadows Kain’s body as he moves through the space. He opens a white cabinet and I follow his movements as he pulls on a pair of jeans. I watch everything he does but I’m not really watching either. I’m going through the motions.

  Light flickers and I look up in time to find Kain gently blowing a puff of smoke onto a candle. The smoke ignites against the wick with sparking fire.

  Suddenly I’m seeing him. I’m seeing the details of the moment again. His tongue rolls against his bottom lip. The golden candlelight is warm against his face. There’s a brightness in his emerald eyes. He looks innocent and pure.

  And he holds my hand while I’m covered in blood.

  Because I murdered someone who promised he cared about me.

  But worst of all… he never truly loved me.

  He never loved me.