Sever the Crown: Vampire Reverse Harem Complete Series

by Mysti Parker

  “I can’t afford to be afraid. Not now,” I said, raising my head to meet his gaze. He had such beautiful cinnamon eyes, full of warmth and knowledge. “If I let fear get to me, I could make a wrong move or not act in time, and one of you might—”

  “Don’t think like that.” Marlowe cupped my face in his hands. “You focus on the here and now. One step at a time. Just like you’ve done your whole life. We’re in this together, okay?”

  “Thank you for being amazing.” I hugged him tight, then pulled back and traced a finger down his neck and across his collarbone, watching as a trail of goosepimples followed on his skin. “Speaking of together, I think we’re overdue on some alone time. How about you come to my bed before we set off on the next do-or-die adventure? We’ll spend the day sleeping next to each other.”

  He smiled. “Just sleeping?”

  “And other things.”

  Looking over my shoulder to see that Ashe and Charles were conspicuously keeping their backs to us, I pushed Marlowe up against the sink and unfastened his belt.

  “Wren, what are you doing?” he whispered.

  “Shh, just a little preview of our date night.” I found his very hard dick and squeezed, then stroked him slowly, while his hand worked its way under my shirt and bra. He found my nipple, squeezed and pulled it in time with my stroking. The sensation worked its way through my core and pooled between my legs. It wouldn’t take much coaxing for me to bend over and let him take me right on the table in front of mates one and two.

  But that would have to wait. So far, I’d only had sex with one of them at a time, and honestly, that’s how I liked it. Though, trying a little voyeurism could be fun.

  He kissed me hard and groaned. “Holy hell, I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “Do you mean it?”

  “Absolutely.” And it was true. I loved him hard, like I did Ashe and Charles and was coming to love Hawk. Maybe I really could love five men equally.

  His abs contracted, and his hips bucked just before he came into my palm. I withdrew my hand carefully and washed off the evidence in the sink as he refastened his pants.

  Laughter echoed from upstairs. That seemed like a good sign. I took the blood pouch from the microwave and kissed Marlowe on the scarred side of his face. He still flinched a little anytime I touched his burned skin, but less than before. He hadn’t worn his mask for a while, either.

  “I’ll bring this up to him,” I said.

  “Later, gorgeous,” Marlowe said, smacking my ass when I turned to go.

  On my way up the stairs, Charles looked up from where he sat reprogramming Hawk’s various remotes and winked. Ashe gave me an air kiss as he propped his feet on the coffee table. I wiped the smile off my face before I returned to the loft, with Archie bounding up the stairs as I went.

  Phineas was now sitting in a rocking chair, wrapped in a blanket, with Hawk sitting on a stool beside him. I handed Phineas the blood pouch, and he took my hand, giving it a squeeze as he smiled at me.

  “Thanks, hon,” he said, then took a long, slow sip from the straw. “This is good. Temperature is just right.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Hawk stood and motioned for me to take the stool instead. I sat while he stood and leaned against the bunk bed frame, arms crossed.

  “Marlowe good?” he asked with a grin.

  “Yes, indeed,” I said and stuck my nose in the air like Archie had done. Speak of the devil, the cat trotted over, rubbed against my leg, and jumped onto my lap. He turned around a couple times, then stretched out along the dip between my thighs.

  Hawk chuckled. “I bet.”

  “So my grandson is mated to the rightful queen of the Southern Clan,” Phineas said with a grin.

  “The queen who will end the world, you mean?”

  He leaned forward in his chair and studied my face. “I swear I saw you in my vision. But you looked different.”

  “How so?”

  He shook his head and settled back into the rocking chair. “I don’t know, different is all.”

  Different as in wearing a disguise maybe. “Can you tell me anything else about the vision?”

  Closing his eyes, he rocked and tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair. Hawk stood up straight, looking nervous, as though afraid Phineas might sink into another coma.

  Finally, the older man started talking. “It was near total devastation. I’m not sure how exactly, except that most life on the planet was gone. Cities and towns abandoned. Bones…everywhere. But there were still little pockets of life. Mostly underground. I caught brief glimpses of tunnels and cages and plants under lights.”

  I looked up at Hawk. He just shrugged.

  “So how was I involved?” I asked.

  “You were standing on a dusty road with your hands in your pockets. The wind was blowing through your long hair. And you were laughing, and singing, and you had someone bring you a young human boy in chains. You drank from him until he was so weak, he couldn’t stand. Then they took him away.”

  Hawk came over and squatted down beside him. “And you said Wren’s hair was long—was she wearing a wig?”

  “I don’t know. After that, it turned to a vision of you with that symbol on your arm, and I knew that symbol had something to do with it. I’m sorry I can’t be more specific.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll get you more food. You stay here and get some rest. We’ll go discuss what to do next.”

  Phineas finished off the pouch of blood and handed it to Hawk. “You should bring them up here.”

  “Who?”

  “The other mates. I’d like to meet them.”

  Hawk and I looked at each other. “Are you sure? You should probably rest instead.”

  “Rest? I’ve been lying in bed for a month. I think I’m caught up now, son.”

  I stood from the stool and gave Hawk’s hand a quick squeeze. “I’ll tell them.”

  The guys were already halfway to the loft by the time I got to the stairs. Vampire super hearing and all. Marlowe took my hand again, and we all stood around Hawk’s grandpa.

  “Phineas, it’s been a while,” Charles said, removing his fedora and giving a little bow as he placed it over his chest.

  “You know him?” Hawk asked.

  Phineas squinted at each of my mates. “Charles, right? Your dad and my son were both Knights, and they were best friends. I remember little Charles running around the mansion. Let me see…Ashley and Marlowe, right?”

  They nodded in affirmation, but clearly didn’t recognize the older man.

  “You two were too little to remember, I guess.”

  “How do you know all of them?” I asked.

  Phineas’s lips stretched across his gaunt face in a long, thin smile. “Because I helped your mom and dad choose them for you.”

  “You did what?” Hawk’s voice rose, making everyone flinch besides Phineas, who smacked his knee and laughed like he enjoyed riling up his grandson.

  “I said I helped them choose Wren’s mates. I became a royal advisor not long before Wren came along.”

  “You knew all along that I was supposed to be her mate?” Hawk paced away and then back again, his fists tight against his thighs.

  “I did. But I thought, like everyone else, that she was dead. I didn’t tell you for fear that your life could be in danger. Which, I suppose it is if this vision comes to pass.”

  Marlowe started to say something, but instead, a ball of fire seemed to bounce from his mouth to the throw rug by the bed.

  Ashe folded over the rug and suffocated the flame before it got out of hand.

  “I’m so sorry,” Marlowe said, putting his fist to his mouth as though he feared it might happen again.

  “Okay, what the fuck is the deal with the fire?” Hawk exclaimed as he picked up the rug, tossed it in the shower, and put it under running water.

  When he came back, Phineas grinned. “I figured you’d know by now, Marlowe.”

 
; “Know what? That I’m cursed with some kind of spontaneous combustion?”

  “No, son, it’s in your DNA.” He leaned forward in his rocking chair, his serious eyes aimed directly at Marlowe. “You’re only half vampire.”

  Marlowe just blinked at him. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “Your father wasn’t a vampire.”

  “What was he, then?” I asked.

  Phineas sat back in his chair with a sad shake of his head. “A demon.”

  My jaw dropped. A demon? Marlowe stood completely still.

  “Hang on,” Hawk said, stepping between them. “You’re saying you and Bronwen knowingly chose a half demon for Wren’s mate?”

  Phineas nodded.

  Marlowe wandered to the little dining table and sat in one of the chairs. He looked completely shaken. I went to him and knelt by his side, my hands on his lap.

  “You should...stay away from me, Wren.”

  “Never.” I took his hand and held it with both of mine. “A half demon or not, you can’t get rid of me.”

  “If this is true, it’s too dangerous for you to be with me. What if I set the bed on fire as we sleep?”

  Charles cast puzzled glances between Marlowe and Phineas. “There had to be some advantage to choosing a half demon for Wren, right? No offense, Marlowe. You’re one of us, but I’m just trying to figure this out.”

  “You’re right,” Phineas said. “Bronwen suspected it wouldn’t be long before Ravana tried to take over. She wanted at least one mate for Wren who would have special abilities that could help her keep the throne. Of course, he had to be at least half vampire for the mating to work. We found you, Marlowe, and promised your mother a great sum of money if she would keep you safe until adulthood. That meant, of course, not telling you about your father. When Wren came of age, we planned to tell you everything. Unfortunately...well, I don’t have to tell you what happened, but the plan fell apart.”

  “And my mother died poor.” Marlowe’s hands flexed under mine, and a muscle in his jaw ticked.

  I understood then why Marlowe’s mom had been so cruel to him, not that it was at all justified. She was left with a child she never wanted and then didn’t get the payout she had expected.

  Marlowe lightly touched the scars on his cheek as though he had realized the same thing. “But...who is my father? Where is he?”

  “That, I don’t know. Your mother didn’t even know his real name. It’s common for demons to take on human or other forms to seduce women. Most of their progeny die at or before birth.”

  “But...how can I control that part of me, if I know nothing of his identity?”

  “Rain.”

  “What? That makes no sense.”

  I looked between them. Angelo had mentioned something about rain to Marlowe. There had to be a connection.

  Phineas pointed to his own temple. “To control the fire, you think of rain. The rest of your abilities, you will need to concentrate very hard on in order to perfect them.”

  “What other abilities?”

  “Let’s just say, once you get the hang of it, you won’t need to save up frequent flyer miles anymore.”

  Marlowe’s eyes went wide, and he looked down at me, completely bewildered. “I can fly?”

  “Not yet, but you will, if you work on it hard enough. Perhaps you can stay here, and I can try to help you get started while Wren goes to look for her fifth mate.”

  Marlowe met my gaze, and I immediately nodded. “That’s a great idea,” I said. “We’ll be okay. Vincent can stay here and help keep any fires under control.”

  “Okay.” He gently held my face in his hands and kissed me. “I love you. Please be careful.”

  “I will.” I stroked his soft, curly hair and then stood, suddenly realizing the obvious as I turned to Phineas. “So, you know who my fifth mate is?”

  He nodded.

  “Well? Who is it?” Ashe asked. “We need to find him as soon as possible.”

  “His name is Benjamin Leeds. He was near Timberlake the last I heard. Came from old money. He was set to inherit the family estate, a former mansion turned vampire funeral parlor.”

  “Leeds?” Charles said incredulously. “They’re as stuffy as a summer whorehouse in the bayou.”

  Phineas shrugged. “Stuffy, maybe. But well respected. They handled nearly every royal funeral since the founding of the Southern Clan.”

  “Do you have an address?” A weird mix of emotions ran through me at the prospect of being so close to finding my fifth mate. For one, it would mean I was that much closer to being able to destroy the rest of my mother’s killers. But it would also mean having to take her place on the throne, a job that everyone around me except me thought I was qualified for.

  “Got a pen?” Phineas asked.

  “We don’t need one,” Charles said. “I know exactly where to go because I have the five-pointed star map. It’s not far from here. We should be able to go tonight.”

  Footsteps pounded up the stairs. Hawk whipped out a gun and pointed it at the man who appeared on the landing.

  “Put it down, big brother. You texted me, remember?” Vincent waved him off as though more annoyed than worried about getting shot. He headed straight for Phineas and hugged him. “Hey, Gramps, you feeling okay?”

  “A little peaked, but nothing I haven’t dealt with before.” He squeezed Vincent’s biceps as Vincent pulled away. “You been doing more training?”

  “Yes, actually. I’ve joined the Royal Knights.” He slid a dark look toward Hawk who holstered his gun and crossed his arms. “I see you’ve met the queen.”

  “Mm-hmm. She’s as beautiful as her mother.”

  “Did you really wake Gramps up?” Vincent asked me.

  I felt a little embarrassed at the way everyone looked at me so reverently as though I’d performed some mind-blowing miracle. “Not really. It was a celestial’s feather.”

  Vincent’s eyes went wide. “Are you serious? Do you know how hard it is to get one of those?”

  I laughed. “Uh, yeah, I’m aware.”

  “And you used that one miracle on Gramps?”

  “Yep.” Why did the truth feel so awkward sometimes?

  Vincent came over, dropped to one knee, and took my hand in both of his. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I’m forever in your debt.”

  Hawk rolled his eyes, making me feel even more awkward.

  “Really, that’s not necessary. Just call me Wren. Please. And no need to bow or kneel.”

  Vincent stood back up, giving my hand a final squeeze before letting it go. “Well, thank you anyway. We’re very grateful, aren’t we, Hawk?”

  “We are,” Hawk muttered. “Maybe some of us more than others, considering what she went through to get it.”

  “What do you know about gratitude except for being thankful when you cash a check after a hit?” Vincent asked.

  Hawk’s eyes narrowed, and if I didn’t know him better, I might’ve backed away. “Yeah, and the first time you have to decide whether to take a life in a battle, it’ll be decided for you, because you don’t have the balls to do it.”

  Phineas hung his head, shaking it as though he had witnessed this kind of conflict before. This rift between the brothers ran a lot deeper than I realized.

  Hawk and Vincent both crossed their arms and refused to look at each other. They looked a lot alike. Vincent had a slenderer build, but they both had the same pout, like two boys with their fangs caught in the blood jar.

  I stepped between them. “You two can decide who’s got bigger balls later. We have a job to do.”

  Phineas burst into laughter. Charles, Ashe, and Marlowe joined in. Hawk and Vincent finally cracked identical smiles.

  Hawk even chuckled a little. “I know how to thank my queen.” He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around me, then kissed me like no one was watching.

  “Remind me to thank you properly later,” he whispered, playfully nipping my earlobe with his fang.

  Phineas l
ooked up at us and nodded, his smile one of pure satisfaction and pride.

  ****

  Vincent stayed behind with Phineas while the rest of us drove out to the Leeds’ property. The house was a two-story white brick Antebellum-style home with large white pillars on the front porch. Much of the yard around it had been converted into a parking lot, which was half full. A lit sign out front read Leeds Funeral & Memorial Home.

  Creepy organ music echoed from inside as we climbed the porch steps. The door swung open, almost as if on its own. The smell of plastic flowers, ashes, and cheap perfume wafted out, making me second-guess our hasty trip.

  I squeezed Hawk’s hand. This reminded me of one of those bad horror movies where you scream at the girl, “Don’t go in there, you idiot!”

  But we had to. My fifth mate could be in there somewhere, though I had yet to feel the fifth section of my symbol lighting up. I kept looking at it every few seconds.

  “Maybe he’s out for the evening or living somewhere else now,” Hawk said.

  “For his sake, I hope so.” Ashe waved his hand in front of his nose. “It reeks of fake everything in there.”

  A trio of scantily clad female vampires stumbled out. One held a mostly empty wine bottle, while the other two splashed wine from their glasses as they walked by us.

  “He was such an asshole,” one of them said.

  “Yeah, but he had such a fine ass,” another one said, then guzzled wine from the bottle.

  “He liked doing me in the ass. It was terrible,” the third said.

  “Mm-hmm,” they all said in unison.

  Hawk and I looked at each other, lips pressed together to hold back a laugh.

  “Can’t say I know how they feel,” I said.

  “You’re welcome.” Hawk squeezed my butt as we stepped inside a red-carpeted foyer filled with overly ornate tables, vases, and flowers, while cheap, rusty folding chairs lined the walls just outside of each parlor.

  “Behave, new lovebirds,” Charles said, removing his fedora as a well-dressed woman with sad eyes approached. “Good evening.”

  She wore a brass name tag that read Bonita Leeds.