Sever the Crown: Vampire Reverse Harem Complete Series

by Mysti Parker

  Ashe could always make me forget who I was for a little while. While I rode his dick and drank from him deeply with long, hungry gulps, we were an indomitable force of nature. But at the same time, I was just his woman. He was simply my man. One of them, anyway.

  With a satisfied sigh, I extracted my fangs from his neck and licked his blood from my lips. Ashe threw his head back, coming hard as my own orgasm rolled through me in dizzying waves. He finally slowed to a stop and let me gently down to my feet. My ankle had all but healed except for a faint ache deep in the bone.

  We took turns washing each other after that, grinning stupidly like two naughty teenagers fucking in our parents’ shower.

  “Think they heard us?” I whispered while soaping up his chest.

  “Don’t know. Don’t care.”

  I thought about that as I slowly washed his abdomen.

  “What is it?”

  “Just wondering how all this is supposed to work in the long run.” I glanced up at him, suddenly embarrassed admitting how inept I was at juggling time spent with mates. “I wish that I could ask my mom if I’m doing this right. I mean, somewhere along the way, she made some mistakes, and it cost her everything. What if I’m screwing it all up?”

  Ashe took my face in his hands and searched my eyes. “Tell you what. I’m in this for the long haul, and I’m relatively sure that Charles and Marlowe are too. We won’t fail you. You still have mate four to, uh, woo? And the fifth mate to find. If they’re not up to par, then you erase their tattoos and find someone who is. But I’m sure your mom and dad knew what they were doing when they chose your mates.”

  I closed my eyes and let my forehead fall onto Ashe’s shoulder. “You really think my parents knew what they were doing? Three of the five have kidnapped and nearly killed me. What if they’d succeeded?”

  “Don’t waste time what if-ing everything to death. Besides,” he said as he took my hand and guided it up and down his hardening dick. “I think I’m ready for round two.”

  ****

  Ashe and I sat together on the couch, holding hands between us, dressed in clean clothes that the Knights had provided. Vincent and the others had been waiting below the clock tower in a sun-proof van that was fully stocked with extra clothes, blood, and all sorts of supplies their queen and her mates might need. Nothing fancy, mind you, just some black jogging pants and plain white T-shirts. I was just thankful for clean underwear free from fish and sand.

  Marlowe took on his SFBI no-bullshit attitude as he paced in front of us. “That settles it. We’re taking Wren, and we’re going back to the bunker. If you want to come with us, we have to blindfold you.”

  Hawk rolled his eyes. “You don’t see the flaw in that little plan?”

  “He already knows where it is,” I said.

  “Shit. Of course, he does,” Charles said around a cigar he’d just lit.

  “Fine.” Marlowe perched stiffly beside me. “So much for a secret hideout.”

  “If he’s going to be my mate, he’ll need access to it anyway.”

  “Well, are you?” Marlowe asked him.

  “Am I what?” Hawk countered.

  “Are you going to be her mate?”

  “I think that’s between me and her, don’t you think? But right now, she and I have business to finish. That comes first. Or do you want your little lady to burn in eternal hellfire?”

  “How do you know about that?”

  “I know all kinds of shit. But she’s going to fill me in on what I don’t know if I help her get that special feather.” Hawk made a quote gesture with his fingers.

  “You don’t owe him anything, Wren,” Ashe said. “We can help you get the feather.”

  “Hawk has connections that none of us do.” I looked pointedly at Marlowe, who up until now was the most connected guy I knew.

  “And?” Charles asked.

  “And I know just who to ask,” Hawk said. “Now, let’s go see this bunker of yours.”

  “What about your grandfather?” I asked.

  A familiar voice rang out from the stairs below us. “I’ll stay with him.” Vincent appeared on the landing a second later.

  Hawk looked at his watch. “Took you long enough. Did you hear those two fucking like rabbits?” He leaned his head toward Ashe and me.

  Vincent was silent for a moment then cleared his throat. “Go with them. Get the celestial’s license back so Wren can get the feather. And then let her erase your tattoo and leave her the fuck alone.”

  “Somebody’s grumpy,” Hawk said with a raised brow. “Don’t you think the queen ought to decide whether I’m worthy or not? She might want to take me for a test drive. Know what I’m saying?”

  The rest of my mates glared at him, and a low rumble swept the room.

  I jumped up from the couch. “Okay, first of all, we do not talk about me in the third tense like I’m a whore to be passed around.”

  Hawk pinched his lips shut and averted his eyes. Maybe I was a little more intimidating than I thought. Good. We could work with that.

  “Secondly, the only thing I want to drive right now is Birdie. And by god, I mean to do just that when we get back there.”

  Marlowe opened his mouth to protest, but I whipped my hand up to stop him.

  “I will drive my car. I will not get caught. You will not keep me penned up constantly, or I’ll go insane and take you all down with me.”

  Hawk leaned forward. “Question.”

  “Huh? Oh.” Hands on my hips, I rolled my eyes. “What?”

  “If I can get us a meeting with an important someone tonight, I’ll let you drive us there. Deal?”

  Hawk liked to make deals. And he had sexy eyes. The prospect of driving around with him alone both terrified and excited me. So much so, I got goosepimples and wet panties at the same time.

  I had to play it cool, though. “Sure. If you can arrange that, I’ll drive.”

  “With your Knights close behind you,” Vincent said. “You get in, do what you have to do, and get out. The less interaction, the better. We don’t want you burning in hellfire, Queen Wren, but our grandfather’s vision is no joke.”

  I nodded, not really needing a reminder of the end-of-the-world stakes. “So long as I can just get away from you kids for two minutes. Can we go now?”

  I headed out the door. Archie, or Duke, as Hawk called him, trotted along behind me. The guys followed like lemmings. Hopefully I wouldn’t lead them all off a cliff to their deaths. Or to the end of everything.

  ****

  Night came too soon. But for the first time in a long time, I wore a new wig. This one had long, straight brown hair with thick bangs. Green contacts and fake freckle makeup completed the look. Vivian helped me with some new false eyelashes and acrylic nails. She also chose my wardrobe.

  Looking at myself in the mirror, I nodded my approval. “I’m impressed.”

  The leather skirt, ankle boots, and thigh-high black tights went well with a burgundy tank top that matched Hawk’s eyes. I think she picked that color accidentally on purpose.

  Vivian clapped her hands. “Yay. You’re so good with disguises, I didn’t know if I could pull it off. But I guess life on the road living in dressing rooms seriously taught me a thing or two about fashion.”

  My smile faded. “Let’s see if I can pull off not burning in hellfire or ending the world. That’s the real challenge.”

  “If anyone can do this, you can. I’m sure of it.”

  “I’m glad one of us is.” Before I could stop myself, I gave her a spontaneous hug.

  She responded with a little, “Oh.” Then she hugged me back. “Be careful out there. But have fun. You deserve a little downtime too.”

  Talia met us outside my suite. “You look great!”

  Despite her recent vacation with her brothers, dark circles still shadowed her eyes. Perhaps sleep had eluded her since getting caught up in Doreen’s chaotic game.

  “Thanks to Vivian,” I said.

  “
Really?” Talia, at nearly six feet tall, smiled down at my petite Royal Knight slash makeup artist. “Maybe you can give me a tutorial. I can’t figure out contouring at all.”

  “Can’t you just…” Vivian wiggled her fingers as though casting a spell.

  Talia laughed. “I could, but it would take concentration to hold it. And our mother always said it’s best to take care of yourself without magic so you won’t look terrible if you ever lose your powers.”

  “She sounds wise.”

  With a shrug and an eye roll, Talia admitted, “It was about the only useful thing she ever taught us. But if you have time, I’d appreciate the help.”

  Vivian ducked her head. “Sure, I’d love to. You’re so pretty, you don’t need makeup, though.” She looked up at me with wide eyes. “Not that you need it, Queen Wren.”

  “If I want to hide my identity, I do. But I know what you mean. I just hope my...date appreciates your hard work.”

  “He’d be blind not to notice,” Talia said and yawned.

  After all these two young women had gone through, they deserved some down time too. “You two just hang out here and have a girls’ night.”

  “That sounds fun,” Vivian said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “That is, if you don’t need us to escort you upstairs.”

  “I know my way around. Have fun.”

  When I stepped out of the elevator, Hawk was waiting on one of the sofas in the lobby. My mates sat close by, no doubt to keep an eye on him. He looked completely unperturbed, thumbing through a VTV Guide.

  Two of the warlock brothers - Thaddeus and Theodore - were at a table nearby playing cards.

  Thaddeus nodded in appreciation when he spotted me.

  Theodore whistled. “Looking good, Queen Wren!” He focused on his cards and shook his head. “Bro, this hand is as crappy as the last one. You sure you’re not cheating?”

  “I’m sure. Cheating is Charles’s department.”

  “Hey! I resemble that remark,” Charles called out from across the room.

  Hawk glanced up as I walked up to him, then did a double take. “Wow…”

  Charles whistled. “Wow is right. Ready to go?”

  Marlowe and Ashe stood, but I waved them off. “Nope, I’m driving and just with him.”

  “With the assassin who just kidnapped you hours ago.” Marlowe glared at Hawk. “I think not.”

  Charles gave him a friendly pat on the back. “No worries. Some of the Knights and I will be following right behind them.” He wore the same leather duster and fedora he wore the night I met him. A cigar stuck out from his front pocket. It gave me chills, remembering how helpless I’d been lying numb in the silver cage he’d held me in. But then he smiled and winked at me, which made me remember how helplessly in love I’d fallen with him. Strange, yes, like some sort of vampire Stockholm syndrome, but compared to everything that had happened lately, it was definitely not the strangest.

  I cleared my throat. “Fine. See? All set. Uh, where are we going anyway?”

  “To a bar in Timberlake where we’ll meet up with a certain individual.” Hawk leveled a no-nonsense stare at Charles, as though daring him to pry.

  “I’ll be there having a drink to make sure this certain individual plays nice,” Charles said.

  I could not get out of that bunker fast enough. I zipped up the stairs and out into the hangar, where I skidded to a stop. Birdie was right there waiting for me…and so was Zac along with Travis. Zac took one last swipe of a chamois across Birdie’s hood and wiped some sweat from his brow. Birdie gleamed under the fluorescent lights. She was back to her original peacock blue. I wanted to hug her but didn’t want to mess up the nice wash job.

  Travis stood from where he’d been shining up a wheel. “Good timing. Just replaced the tags and got her cleaned up for you. Zac-man here wanted to surprise you.”

  “Surprised?” Zac opened the door for me. But I caught the quick, icy glare he gave Hawk. I figured he still didn’t trust him after kidnapping us, not that I blamed him.

  “Definitely. Is this why you buggered off?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” Zac said, glancing at Hawk again. “Thought you might like to enjoy her in her birthday suit for a change.”

  “I thought you and Travis were watching Stranger Things or something.”

  “We watched a couple episodes. Zac got a little queasy when the Demogogs ate that one guy.” Travis flicked his hand at a bucket of sudsy water. It floated up and poured itself out over a drain nearby.

  “Yeah, well, you cried over it so I guess we’re even.”

  “Dude, harsh!” Travis laughed. “Sure is a nice car, Queen Wren. See ya’.”

  It was good to see Zac and Travis having a little guy time. We’d all been on the run too much to relax for very long. I climbed into the driver’s seat while Hawk let himself into the passenger side, his expression harder than it had been seconds ago.

  Smiling, I turned the key and savored the purr of Birdie’s engine coming to life again. Charles, Vivian, and some of the other Knights pulled up behind us in an SUV. It wasn’t exactly the me time I’d wanted, but I’d have to take what I could get.

  “Nice ride,” Hawk said as we pulled out.

  “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” As soon as we hit the highway, I hit the gas and opened her up.

  Hawk’s eyes flared wide as he grabbed the door handle but just as quickly let it go and casually propped his elbow on the armrest. It was the first hint of any kind of fear I’d seen from him. I clearly had a lot to learn about this huge man who loved his cat and grandpa but killed people for a living.

  I laughed. “Might want to put your seat belt on.”

  “Don’t need it.”

  “Suit yourself.” We rounded a right-hand curve at a speed most would call suicidal. But I knew Birdie’s limits. And I always wore a seat belt.

  The force from the turn took Hawk by surprise and tossed him into me. His head hit my shoulder, and he caught himself with a strong hand on my thigh. My tattoo flashed bright blue, sending a jolt of electricity through my body straight into my core. He must have felt it too. Hawk sat up and rubbed his arm, then flexed his fingers. He looked up at me with a half-angry, half-surprised frown.

  “Is that how it feels all the time after you mate?” he asked as he put on his seat belt. “Because that’s enough to drive a man insane.”

  “No, thankfully. It’s like a steady, warm buzz and only seems to flare up when there are strong emotions or during…you know.”

  “I’m a big boy. You can say it. During fucking.”

  “Yeah. But we’re not quite there yet. I’m not even sure you’re right for this job.”

  Hawk arched an eyebrow. “My job is why I’m here. To get you whatever you need so I can get back to work.”

  “Just who do you kill, anyway? We talking mob hits, political targets, assholes who beat their girlfriends?”

  He huffed. “That’s for me to know. Take a right on Third Street.”

  We wound up at a dive called the Smokey Boner, which was just as uncouth as the name would suggest. Smoke rolled out the front door as we entered. The smell of grease, bourbon, and sweat hit me like a slap to the face.

  And I loved it. It felt kind of like home.

  A disco light spun over a little karaoke stage by the bar, where a guy in a cowboy hat belted out an old Hank Williams song.

  “Pitchy,” I mumbled as we wound our way through the room. Over each table hung light fixtures created with wine bottles hanging down at various heights. Some were broken, with jagged ends and bare bulbs. I wondered how many of those they lost in bar fights.

  Charles wandered in behind us and settled in a seat at the end of the bar where he could clearly see the entirety of the venue.

  “I don’t see our contact yet,” Hawk said, scanning the dim, smoky room.

  The deejay made an announcement over a crackly sound system. “All right, you ladies in the house. Don’t be shy. We’ve had men up here all ni
ght. No offense, fellas, but we need something easier on the eyes.”

  I’m not sure what came over me. Maybe it was the exhilaration of driving Birdie again and being pretty much a captive for weeks now.

  I raised my hand. “I’ll sing!”

  The deejay motioned me up. “We’ve got us a volunteer. Come on up here, little lady!”

  I started for the stage.

  “What are you doing?” Hawk whispered harshly as he took my wrist. Another jolt shot through me from the tattoo. His energy felt different, dangerous, and fucking hot.

  “Whoever we’re meeting is late. I haven’t sung in ages. One song, and I’ll be right back. Okay?”

  Charles gave him a look and nodded toward the stage as though saying it was no use arguing with me.

  Hawk growled and let go of my arm. “Fine. Go sing some shitty song and get back over here.”

  “Thanks, I’ll try not to hurt your ears too much.” I tiptoed and gave Hawk a peck on the cheek.

  Both our eyes went wide. It was yet another spontaneous decision that felt right in the moment. I walked up to the stage and took the microphone from the deejay.

  Charles grinned and winked at me, lifting his bourbon in deference.

  “What’s your name, little lady?” the deejay asked.

  “Wr— It’s Melody. Melody Songsmith.”

  “Okay, Miss Melody, what would you like to sing?” he asked in that patronizing tone deejays often used with total novice or drunk-off-their-ass singers. “You look like a Taylor Swift kind of gal.”

  I grimaced and heard Charles laugh. Hawk still wore a dumbfounded look as he slowly lowered himself to a seat at a nearby table.

  “Do you have Juice Newton’s ‘Queen of Hearts’?”

  The deejay blinked, then fumbled with his keyboard. “Yeah, maybe, let me look. Okay, there it is. You sure about this? It’s from the eighties.”

  “Just play it.”

  He started the music. The lyrics came up on the screen, but I didn’t read them. Didn’t need to. This had been a favorite of mine since I was a kid playing my mom’s old radio and the cassettes we managed to drag around with us from one hiding spot to the next.