Sever the Crown: Vampire Reverse Harem Complete Series

by Mysti Parker

  I couldn't fucking wait.

  Ravana’s screams stopped, and she paused to glare at me while I laughed so much at her it hurt. Her blonde hair had come undone and fell in frizzy curls in front of her face. Dirt streaked her cheeks and red dress. Her yellow eyes were wild and unhinged. She looked the part of the mad queen in every way possible, and it was damn glorious to witness.

  "You.” She jabbed a finger at me as she stalked forward. “You think this is funny? Let's see what you think of this.” She cut her gaze behind me and called, “Get me some cameras and that brunette reporter from VTV."

  Someone hurried off with a little squeal.

  So I was to be publicly executed, then. Would it be death by fire like Ashe’s sister? That strangled the rest of my laughter. But death would be too easy for me when they could use me for food. Maybe they’d keep me chained and feast on me from time to time like a farm animal. Shit, she’d already bitten into me while I had tried and failed to escape. Tasting me, maybe? No, she had something else planned, something that sent a shudder up my back. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.

  It didn’t take long for the news reporter and her crew to set up their camera in front of me. All of them were dressed in their finest, and I thought I remembered seeing the VTV reporter at the ball with a bloody Marie in each hand and a woman between her legs.

  She stood in front of me and faked a smile into the camera, her image reflected back in the camera’s view-screen. The queen stood tall next to her, put back together once again, not a dirt streak or stray hair out of place.

  “Layla Colfield reporting live at Queen Ravana’s request,” the reporter said. “What would you like to tell your loyal subjects?”

  Ravana placed her hand over the space where her heart would be if she had one and blinked into the camera like she was fighting back tears. “My beloved Alessandro has been taken from me by a woman and her rebel sidekicks who wish to cause the entire Southern Clan harm by staging a coup.”

  In a postage-stamp square on the corner of the view-screen, several photos of Wren flashed in all of her different disguises. They looked like they’d been taken with security footage.

  Shit. With pictures and with what the queen was saying, her die-hard loyalists could hunt Wren down.

  “She’s failed repeatedly and has grown desperate,” Ravana continued. “Just tonight, she planned on destroying all of you—and me—with nuclear weapons. I stopped it, because I alone can protect you.”

  Oh god, please. That was the biggest pile of horse shit I’d ever heard, but the way she was selling it, her subjects were surely buying it. She was a much better actor than Cordero, though I wasn’t so sure all of it was an act. Behind her back, she’d clasped her hands so tightly that her knuckles had gone white.

  “But in the process, she…she took Alessandro.” Her voice broke. “So I took something from her in exchange.”

  “And how do you want to make the exchange, Your Highness?” Layla tipped her mic toward the queen.

  “Easy enough. These rebels kidnapped my beloved Alessandro. Being the fair and honest ruler that I am, I’m willing to turn over the rebel they left behind after the attack tonight for Alessandro’s safe return.”

  She swept around to my back, and the cameraman tilted the camera toward me tied to my chair.

  From behind, Ravana yanked my hair and jerked my head to one side. She ripped the bandage off my neck. I tried to let out a warning growl, but through my gag, it sounded like a groan.

  In the camera’s view-screen, Ravana smiled. “It’s simple. Bring Alessandro back to me. Or this lovely young man becomes my next mate.”

  No. No, I absolutely would not. No way in hell. Panic screamed louder than the roar of my blood, drowning everything else out. Bile hit the back of my tongue. I fought with the bonds at my wrists, but they only seemed to squeeze harder. I had to get out of here. I had to run, and if she caught me again, I’d find a way to off myself. Then I’d get to see Sasha again, which was infinitely better than being Ravana’s mate.

  My mind buzzed so loudly that I missed what Ravana and the reporter said next. But the next moment in the view-screen, Ravana’s fangs extended. I watched in utter horror. I didn’t want this. Suddenly I knew exactly how Wren must’ve felt when Disaster tried to force her to give him a blowjob. The helplessness. The mortification. I’d been furious just hearing about it.

  But there was no try here. Ravana would bite me.

  She dived toward my neck and sank her fangs in.

  Unbelievable pain tore through my body. It flashed bright warning lights behind my eyes. I flailed, but there was nothing I could do, nowhere I could go. The lights dimmed the longer she drank, but the pain didn’t. It felt like poison melting through my bloodstream and eating through my organs. This was what it felt like to die.

  Then, finally, she was done. The pain eased but just a little. My body started to go limp. My eyes wouldn’t stay open, but I had to hear more of what she had to say. I forced myself to stay conscious.

  “You have twenty-four hours,” she said. “Bring Alessandro to the Hillview Sanitorium, or Zac Palmer becomes my new mate.”

  Twenty-four hours. That was both too long and not enough time. I couldn’t expect to be saved by Wren after she’d found out I’d wanted her killed. Her sorrow had crashed into me after Hawk told her. She’d never forgive me for that, would never trust me. Would never believe me if I told her that Wren murdering Sasha in the recording and the Wren I’d come to know were two totally different people.

  I didn’t understand how though.

  Still, I’d had plenty of opportunities to kill Wren myself…and hadn’t. I saw the goodness in her, her vulnerabilities, her capacity to love with her entire heart. But after what I’d done to her, a complete betrayal of trust by hiring Hawk, she could never love me. I wouldn’t blame her one bit for leaving me here.

  “Oh, did you have any final words? How rude of me. I should have asked earlier.” Ravana ripped the gag from my mouth, her nails scratching my skin in the process.

  I glared up at Ravana. “Fuck you, bitch.”

  Laughing, she flicked my nose. “You will, and you’ll love it.” She turned to the camera. “There will be no cameras. This is to be a private exchange. If you don’t do as I say, or if Alessandro is hurt in any way, you’ll never see this man again. Choose wisely.”

  I was sure Wren already had.

  Chapter Three

  Wren

  The silence was deafening when Margaret turned off the TV, as though seeing Zac get bitten had paralyzed us.

  Archie came bouncing by my feet chasing his jingle ball. The soft tinkling sound was enough to pull me from my stupor. Without a word, I went straight for the door that led out of the bunker.

  Marlowe blurred over to me, blocking the exit.

  I bared my fangs. “Get out of my way. I’m going to get him, with or without you.”

  Marlowe bared his right back. Fire swirled in his eyes. “Yes, I know. But this isn’t a surprise attack. We don’t have that advantage here.” He blinked hard, and when he opened his eyes again, they were back to their original cinnamon shade. “They will do everything in their power to capture you. And they will if you go barging in there without a strategy in place.”

  “You need more help than just us,” Charles said as he half sat on Margaret’s desk. “We can mobilize the Royal Knights within a couple hours.”

  Vincent nodded. “We’re ready. Just tell us when and where.”

  Archie jumped to the top of the sofa and sat at attention as though he were part of our planning committee.

  Ashe tried to pet him and barely missed a clawed swat from Archie’s paw. Frowning, Ashe sat beside Charles. “With Doreen in the picture, the Knights won’t be enough. What about Angelo?”

  Marlowe shook his head. “We’ve already enlisted his help once and got an angel feather which we already used for a miracle. He won’t come to our aid now unless he thinks it’s for the grea
ter good. He’s not likely to consider this exchange as benefiting mankind, especially now that the world isn’t on the brink of ending.”

  “Then we’ll go, too,” Talia said as she and her brothers materialized right behind us from a portal. The skin on her face was nearly perfect.

  Vivian stumbled out of Talia’s portal just before it closed, looking a little green. “Just don’t ruin the makeup job. That’s some of my best work. Seriously.”

  Talia smiled. “It’s wonderful. Thank you.”

  The two of them shared a lingering look and soft smiles that suggested they’d connected on a deeper level than friends. Good for them. Everyone needed all the love they could get these days.

  Hawk cleared his throat as he slowly stood from the chair by the TV. “If you give me a few hours, I can gather enough weapons to put a real hurt on them.”

  “We can handle this without you,” I hissed. His betrayal had cut deeper than I’d imagined.

  He shrugged and lowered his head. “Fine.”

  Marlowe laid a hand on my shoulder. “We need to be a united front now.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut then nodded and went over to Hawk. He lifted his eyes to mine. The hurt I found there burrowed into my anger until it crumbled.

  Silently, I reached up and cupped his cheek in my hand. “Can I trust you?”

  He offered the slightest of smiles. Then he lifted his arm and showed his tattoo. “This isn’t something I take lightly. I’d have asked to remove it already if I didn’t want it…if I didn’t want you.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.” Hawk leaned in and kissed me so sweetly and tenderly it brought tears to my eyes. He whispered in my ear, “I love you. I’d die before I let anything happen to you.”

  “Okay. Then let’s strategize, Mr. Thinker,” I said, turning to Marlowe.

  He went to the desk, sat, and started tapping on the computer. “We only have a few hours until sunrise.”

  I shook my head. “He may not have that long.”

  “They’ll keep him alive as long as we have Alessandro. Ravana can probably tell he’s still alive with her tattoo. We’ll all get a good meal and get out of these party clothes. I know it’s hard, but you must use this time to rest and refocus. I’ll map out the area so we can get our bearings. If possible, we’ll get Zac and kill Alessandro at the same time.”

  Margaret came forward. “If I may offer a suggestion.”

  “Go ahead,” Marlowe said, not looking up from the computer.

  “Well, your mother, before facing serious situations, would”—her gaze bounced between me and the guys—“spend some time with each of her mates.”

  I knew exactly what she meant, of course, but did she mean all at once? I didn’t think the guys would go for that.

  Luckily, she clarified what she meant. “She would have them visit her one after the other, in case you’re wondering.”

  “Oh, I was wondering, all right,” Charles said with a grin and wink.

  “Am I supposed to pick who’s first or…?” My mind swirled with indecision. Any choice could affect the dynamic for better or worse. We didn’t need extra jealousy added to an already tense situation. The witches, Vivian, and Vincent were all there, too, conspicuously trying to look as though they weren’t paying attention.

  Hello, Awkward, my old friend.

  Marlowe opened the desk drawer and pulled out the straws we’d used for deciding who’d do what at the cult party. “Let’s keep it fair. We’ll draw straws.”

  “You kept those?” Ashe chuckled.

  “Yes, I thought they might come in handy, and well…” Marlowe shrugged and smiled as he held them out to me.

  I came to the desk and took them from him. Ensuring I was far away from Charles’s ever-watchful eyes, I mixed the sticks behind my back and arranged them carefully in my fist so they all looked the same length at the top.

  “We’ll go in order of when I found each of you. Shortest goes last—get your mind out of the gutter—longest goes first, and the second longest goes second, et cetera,” I said, holding them up to Ashe first. His smile and the heady desire in his eyes were already undoing me.

  He held my gaze as he drew the first straw. It was the shortest.

  “Damn. Oh well, save the best for last, huh?” He nudged Charles. “You’re up.”

  “I got this,” Charles said and whipped out the next shortest straw. His exaggerated pout prompted me to kiss his cheek.

  Marlowe was next. He drew the third longest. “Looks like we’re going in backwards order. Plenty of time for me to shower and get the makeup off.”

  Hawk grinned as he chose the longest straw. “No makeup here. Shall we, Your Highness?”

  “We shall,” I said and took his outstretched elbow as we headed to the elevator.

  We didn’t even make it all the way down to my suite. Somewhere between levels four and five, Hawk had my panties ripped off and my skirt bunched around my waist, with my back pressed against the wall of the elevator.

  “Let me apologize the best way I know how.” He unfastened his pants and drove his dick into me as he yanked the top of my dress down and latched onto a nipple.

  I was vaguely aware of him carrying me from the elevator into my suite. We ended up in the shower, where I flattened my palms against the wall. He gripped my hip with one big, strong hand then slid the thumb of his other hand into my ass, adding that unique and sensitive pressure as his dick sank into my pussy. He fucked me until I was delirious. After we washed each other, he left the bathroom, but we shared a smile that told me I would always enjoy makeup sex with him immensely.

  As I toweled off, I looked up to see Marlowe’s reflection in the mirror. He was shirtless with just a loose pair of athletic pants on. His wavy hair was still damp from his shower, no makeup either. Just the way I liked him.

  I walked up to him and kissed his scarred cheek. “What can you do for me, demon lover?”

  Marlowe’s fangs dropped as fire swirled in his eyes. Black, leathery wings tore through the skin on his back and unfurled, almost spanning the length of the bathroom. I stared in total awe. Truly a devilish yet beautiful sight. He swooped me up and sat me on the sink, then spread my legs before he knelt and buried his face between them. My eyes flared wide as I felt his tongue flick against my clit. Then it elongated and slithered into me.

  “Oh! That’s new too,” I said, gripping his hair as I closed my eyes and enjoyed his devilish tongue, articulate enough to find and stroke my G spot.

  He circled my clit with his index finger at the same time, and ten seconds later, I came totally undone. My screams had barely died down before he stood and sank his dick into me. I clung to him with my arms looped around his neck and kept my eyes closed to simply enjoy how amazing he felt inside me.

  By the time Charles and Ashe were done with me, I fell dead asleep and more relaxed than I ever thought possible. I woke up ready to show them all I could be the queen they needed me to be. If we got the chance, tonight we would end this. One way or another.

  ****

  We jumped out of the portals on the other side of the locked gate that led to Hillview Sanitorium. Our boots crunched on the gravel when we landed. The abandoned tuberculosis hospital was like something you’d see out of a horror movie. And I didn’t like it one bit. Not because it was clearly haunted – misty blue spirits darted past broken-out windows and traversed the cemetery to the east – but because it had too many walls, too many opportunities for an ambush.

  “Why here of all places?” Ashe asked, scowling as a bat flew too close to his head.

  Lights blazed behind us. I looked over my shoulder. A couple of news vans – one from VTV and the other from a local human station were parked outside the gates. Camera flashes went off in a flurry of snaps as we turned to face them.

  “I thought this was supposed to be a private exchange,” Charles said, growling.

  “Since when does the media respect privacy?” I smiled then as an ide
a wiggled its way into reality.

  My aunt had made a stupid mistake, revealing the location of tonight’s transaction. She must have been really desperate to have her Spanish lover back. But she would want this whole thing to happen quietly. We knew too much.

  “Mi cabra me está esperando,” Alessandro said, snarling. “Ella arruinará tus palitos de pescado.”

  Hawk kept a firm hold on him, housed within a straitjacket that Talia had enchanted with a spell which made it impossible for him to tear. We’d given him just enough Devil’s Breath to keep him compliant so he wouldn’t run away.

  “What the hell did he just say?” Ashe asked.

  Hawk laughed. “I think he said his goat is waiting for him, and she’ll mess up your fish sticks.”

  “Shut up!” he hissed in an accent that sounded more Mobile than Madrid. “Take me to my queen!”

  “You’re not even Spanish, are you?” I asked.

  Alessandro fought against the straitjacket. Hawk shook him until he went still.

  “I’m at least a quarter Spaniard, bitch,” he spat. “Can you say the same?”

  “No, and I don’t really care. Why all the pretense? Just be who you are.”

  “It was the only way I could get her attention,” he mumbled. “I was just a vampire kid from Athens.”

  “Greece?”

  “Georgia.”

  We all looked at him. He could have been a model with his pretty face, dark shaggy hair, and pale-yellow eyes. Though I was sure he didn’t score too high on the IQ scale, I doubted his accent was why my aunt kept him around.

  “Melody Songsmith!” a reporter called out. “Can you answer some questions for us?”

  “Let’s get this over with,” Ashe said. “Ignore them.”

  “Hang on one sec. Perhaps we can use them to our advantage.” I walked up to the gate with my best stage strut and smile. I made sure every camera got a good look at me – the real me, without the disguise. I was counting on Ravana not having total control over the media. It was a risk I was willing to take.