Sever the Crown: Vampire Reverse Harem Complete Series

by Mysti Parker

  I twitched my head, neither a nod nor a shake, because I wasn't. Not really, all these years later. Not now as we dropped lower and lower toward an old logging road. Sasha had had to hold me extra tight so I could sleep and help keep the nightmares away, something she did without question. I'd never told her what happened.

  The chopper touched down, and our pilot said something into his headset but I didn't bother listening. My fingers fumbled with the seat belt, and Wren dragged a bag out from under her seat and shouldered the strap. We hopped out one side, the whirring blades stirring up fallen leaves and branches into mini tornadoes.

  The pilot and Wren waved at each other, and the helicopter took off, leaving us stranded in the dark forest.

  "Try not to worry, Zac," Wren said, putting her hand on my shoulder. "You look pale. Frighteningly so, even for a vampire."

  Nodding, I looked up at the trees spearing toward the night sky. The stars twinkled down through the tops of them, which was always a sight that helped me realize how insignificant all my worries really were in the grand scheme of things. "I guess I wasn't expecting a forest so…"

  She cocked her head and smiled. "Filled with trees?"

  "In the middle of nowhere."

  "Oh. Well, we're not nowhere. I know exactly where we are." She patted her bag. "GPS. Hoover, the pilot, knows where we are, too, with his, and if anything weird happens with our tech, I have flares in here too. Some of the Royal Knights are on the way.” She pointed to another helicopter skimming the tops of the trees on the horizon. “Everything’s going to be all right. Promise. All you need to worry about is relaxing before we hunt so you don't scare away the bears."

  I looked at her like she'd lost her damn mind. "I'm not killing a bear."

  “Whoa.” With wide eyes, she raked her fingers through her hair. "I was kidding."

  "I wasn't."

  "Wow, tough crowd.” She strode across the logging road to enter the trees. “Remind me to never crack a joke around you to loosen you up."

  I easily caught up with her since she moved at regular speed. "It's not you. I'm just not a fan of places so far away from civilization."

  And help. When our armed rescue chopper was shot down by a militiaman who wasn't as dead as we’d thought, we'd been stranded until another could arrive. That was when my partners had bled out from their gun wounds, when help had been right there and then snatched away. My nose had been broken from the butt of a gun smashing into my head, and my shoulder had been dislocated afterward. I'd only had one arm to help them with their wounds while fending off more of the militia who kept shooting and creeping closer, their numbers seeming to multiply.

  Wren looked at me closely as we made our own path through the woods. "Far away from civilization is usually what animal hunting entails though. You've never been hunting?"

  "I used to go all the time with my dad."

  “And yet you hate forests?"

  I stayed silent since I wasn't willing to get into it right now.

  "It's okay. You don't have to tell me."

  There had been too much I hadn't told her, like how I'd wanted her wiped off the planet, and yet she still trusted me even though I kept secrets from her. She had such a humble way about her that was so rare, especially as a relation of Ravana's.

  "We had an FBI case go bad in a forest once," I admitted, but that was as far as I could take it.

  "I'm sorry," she said. "If I'd known, we could've gone to the park or something. Hunted a squirrel, maybe."

  "But you want me practicing with bigger game. Like bears."

  She grinned as she stepped on a twig and snapped it. "Not bears exactly but something bigger than a mouse,” she said. “Something that you have to hone your senses in order to catch, and something that could hurt you if you don't concentrate." She squatted next to a track in the dirt at the base of a fir tree and pointed. "Like whatever made this."

  On closer inspection, it had four teardrop-shaped toes spread farther apart than a bobcat’s. I'd seen it plenty of times with my dad when I was a kid. "A mountain lion."

  "Not a bear though."

  "But possibly just as lethal on the defense."

  "Possibly.” She stood and readjusted the strap on her shoulder bag. “I'm really glad Hawk's not here for this."

  "He'd add my nuts to Archie’s collar and then gut me without thinking twice if I touch one hair on this mountain lion."

  "I was thinking a lot worse.” Grinning, she patted my arm, and then seemed to catch herself. “Oh, I forgot I wasn’t supposed to make jokes. Damn, I really suck at being all serious and shit.”

  “Yet another thing that marks you as different from Ravana. Can you picture her out here like this?”

  “Hell no.”

  Ravana was the worst domestic terrorist I’d ever known, but she wasn’t listed as one despite killing thousands and nearly blowing up the whole damn world. She had her hands in too many pockets…and other places. I was ready for her to be dead.

  We’d gone far enough now that the forest canopy completely blocked the tiny bit of light I’d relied on to see. My eyes suddenly burned and tingled as the forest around us lit up in a monochromatic gray with faint red lights nestled in the trees and darting away from us on the ground.

  “This is strange,” I said, and wiggled my fingers in front of my face. They were lit up with a cool blue aura. So was Wren.

  “Night vision, yeah. You get used to it. Living creatures will show up as red heat signatures. The undead will be blue.”

  “This will definitely take some getting used to.”

  “Let's follow these tracks and see where they lead,” Wren said, walking much quieter now. “While we do that, don't just rely on smell, sight, and sound. That's what you normally do as a human, but as a vampire, taste and feel are just as helpful. Taste the air, feel the shift in wind first, and then the effects of that on your other senses second."

  "How do you know that if you've never been human?"

  She shot me a sheepish smile. "Google is my friend."

  "Taste the air. Feel the wind.” I nodded. “Got it."

  Our steps fell into a steady rhythm as we followed the tracks. I tried to match Wren's nearly silent steps, but that would also take practice, it seemed. She must’ve taken lessons from Hawk on how to move stealthily combined with all her years on the run. The wind calmed the farther away from the logging road we drew, so I stuck out my tongue to taste the air instead. And felt utterly ridiculous doing so.

  Wren caught me licking the air and laughed, then slapped both her hands over her mouth to stifle it.

  "What? You told me to taste the air. So I’m walking around with my tongue hanging out like a dog or a snake."

  "No. Sorry.” Her shoulders bounced as she bit back more laughter. “I should've shown you what I meant. You can flap your tongue around if you want, or you can just part your lips slightly and let the air enter as you move."

  "Oh. I’ll keep my tongue to myself, then.”

  She grinned. "I'll remember to show, not tell, next time. Rookie move."

  "You're doing fine." I looked over at her, and a strong current buzzed between us when she met my gaze.

  "I'm glad you think so because I'm certainly not giving up."

  I rolled my next question around in my head for a while as the tracks looped us around trees. "What if I had tried to kill you?"

  She went silent for a long moment. "You wouldn't be here right now, with me, hunting alone in the forest. You'd be dead. Either by my hand or my mates', and I'd be wondering what I'd done to make you turn on me when I trusted you from the very beginning."

  "Knowing the truth is better.” I nodded. “Maybe in some ways harder though.”

  "Not for me. I'm glad you're here and that the truth is out. We can work through it and repair us to whatever you want our relationship to look like."

  I glanced at her sharply. What was she saying? That she might actually want me as her fifth—

  The bree
ze shifted, the rattle of leaves quieted, and the air tasted different. Fresh yet musty, a little like damp fur. I turned to the west, a low growl vibrating my chest. Something alive was nearby. Maybe the mountain lion or maybe something else.

  "Easy," Wren whispered and held firmly to my arm. "Listen to me, Zac. We're going to walk in that direction, but you stick to my side while I talk you through the next steps. You're going to have to control yourself and hear me. No running off. Understand?"

  My throat burned and my stomach cramped even though I'd drunk an extra-large mug of O negative only a few hours ago. That blood type had proven to be my favorite after having sampled all of them. My lips peeled back and my fangs lengthened while I fought the urge to spring ahead.

  "Hey." Wren circled in front of me and reached up to take my face in her hands, effectively blocking me. "Put the fangs away. You don't need them yet."

  Her yellow eyes glowed preternaturally in the night, and the breeze tossed her platinum hair across her forehead. She was so damn beautiful, she almost made me forget about my thirst. I balled my hands into fists and ticked my gaze over her shoulder. I was so thirsty, and whatever I'd sensed was probably getting away.

  "Zac." She tilted my head gently so I'd look at her. "We're not going anywhere until you put those fangs away."

  "No," I snarled. "Let me go."

  She moved closer, filling my vision, and touched her thumb to the dimple in my chin with enough pressure to make me open my mouth. Then she leaned in and flicked her tongue across the fronts of my fangs. Her lips grazed mine as she did, and I swept down just to feel their softness again. Just a brush, an addicting one. Then I slid my fangs up so I could kiss her harder, and a sexy-as-hell moan came from deep inside of her. A new kind of hunger eclipsed the other within seconds. This one was even harder to control.

  So I didn't.

  I gripped the back of her head roughly and blurred us against the nearest tree. My hips ground against hers as I claimed her mouth. Her moans grew louder while she melted against me. Her chest rubbed against mine, and I snaked my hand up underneath her black tank top to see if her nipples were as hard as they’d been when I'd fed from Annie. They were even harder. I pinched and teased both of them while I pressed myself against the heat between her legs.

  She wriggled a hand between us and stroked my throbbing dick. "Oh god, Zac. Please."

  I felt like a wild animal as her fingers tightened and I continued to buck. I wanted to be inside of her. I wanted to taste her. My maker. My queen.

  Glancing down, I saw her tattoo pulsing in the darkness. Only four sections. I wasn’t her mate. She hadn’t asked. If her guys found out about this, let’s just say I might have the shortest undead life on record.

  “What is it?” she asked as I realized we’d both gone still.

  “Your mates.”

  “Do you want this or not?” Wren ran her tongue across my lips, and I lost all logic.

  She unbuttoned my jeans while I undid hers, and then I slipped my hand down her panties to dip my fingers inside her. She squirmed and cried out as I worked them deeper and rubbed the heel of my palm against her clit. She was soaked, and I could already taste her desire on the air. It wasn't enough though. As she freed my cock from my jeans and boxers, I followed her panties down and knelt in front of her, replacing her hand around my cock with my own.

  Fuck, I was hard. I couldn't remember ever being this hard. I stroked myself nice and slow while I roamed my gaze up her bared stomach to her perfect tits peeking out from underneath her bunched-up bra and tank. She discarded both of those quickly, her eyes flashing with hunger as she stared down at me. Her body trembled, and the smell of her craving intensified.

  "You’re looking at me like I need to hang on to something," she said.

  I smoothed my hand across her stomach and licked my lips as I leaned closer. "Might not be a bad idea."

  Grinning, she grabbed two branches above her and lifted her legs to wrap around my back, bringing her wet pussy closer to my face.

  I dove in with my fingers and tongue, drenching my hand, her inner thighs, and my face. She rocked against me, her cries making me impossibly harder. I took my fingers from her and jerked myself off with her wetness while I continued to devour her.

  The branches cracked overhead. Seconds before they crashed down, I scooped Wren into my arms, pressed her against the trunk, and slid my cock home. I went still while we stared into each other's eyes, while trust wrapped around us in a complicated web.

  "That could've been a disaster," she said with a sly grin.

  "I know." I pulled out slightly and then pushed in even deeper. With a growl, I rested my forehead against hers, needing to say what I was going to say before I lost myself in her. "I won't ever let you fall, Wren."

  "I know." She grazed her fingertips up my jaw. "Because you never have."

  She kissed me, tasting herself from my tongue, and any control I had snapped. I fucked her like a madman, hiking her thighs up around my waist, and pressing her against the tree so hard, more cracks sounded like the roots were about to give. Night birds flew over our heads, likely startled as Wren's moans grew in volume and the cracks in the tree grew more and more frequent.

  Wren threw her head back and cried out, and her pussy pulsed around me. My balls tightened at the feel of her orgasm. A flash of electrical energy zipped down my spine, and I came so hard I thought I might pass out.

  When the world came back into focus, Wren was kissing along my jaw, her arms locked around my neck.

  "Yeah." She kissed up the other side of my jaw. "We should’ve done that a long time ago."

  I smiled down at her, my whole body loose and rubbery. "I thought about it often."

  "You did?"

  I nodded.

  "So that's why you didn't kill me?" she teased with a wink.

  "No." I placed my hand over her unbeating heart. "This is. And this." I tapped her temple. "And maybe just a little of this mouth." I kissed her, but it wasn't filled with raw hunger like it had been. It was softer, sweeter. "I haven't been with anyone since Sasha."

  I regretted saying that the second it was out of my mouth. No woman ever wanted to hear about someone's dead wife right after sex. Especially under such complicated circumstances. Talk about a mood killer.

  “Sorry.” I pulled out and away, unable to look at her. “Shouldn’t have said that.”

  “I disagree. You’re finally being honest with how you feel and think now.” She stepped forward and took hold of my shoulders. “I want you to be more open with me about whatever you need to get off your chest. Anything. Okay?”

  I could do that. I could be honest with her. That was the least I could do.

  “Yeah. Okay. Are you sure I won’t get castrated for what just happened?”

  Wren kissed me softly. “No. They know how much I…” She smiled and shrugged then gathered her clothes and shoulder bag from the ground.

  “How much you what?”

  “I’m your maker. We have a strong bond. That’s all. According to Marlowe’s research, it’s not uncommon for a maker and their progeny to have sex.”

  “Oh.” It had to be more than that. I’d fallen for her way before she turned me, even while my plans to kill her were still hanging on by a thread. I picked up my clothes, noting the tree we’d fucked against now tilted at a dangerous angle—and then paused. A strange feeling slid across my awareness. Not a change in wind or a smell but a prickle at the base of my spine and up the back of my neck. We were being watched. Possibly hunted. But beyond that feeling, I couldn’t say by what.

  Wren shared a glance with me, and I knew her well enough by now to know that she felt it, too, even though her expression didn’t change.

  We dressed quickly, pretending to shrug it off until we knew more.

  “We’ve probably scared away your prey,” she muttered, straightening her shirt, “but let’s keep going in the same direction anyway.”

  Silently, we made our own path
through the thick trees, and all the while, my senses went on high alert. Wren’s too. She stepped without any sound, her sharp gaze riveted to the night around us. My ears picked up the buzz of insects and night critters too far away to smell.

  The feeling of being watched intensified.

  After several minutes, we came upon a small wooden shack, its chimney empty of smoke. My stomach flipped end over end at the sight of it because it looked eerily similar to the one the militiamen had holed up in. It wasn’t—this was a completely different area of the country—but the resemblance twisted my nerves and snapped them taut. It was like I was reliving one of the worst days of my life.

  I sniffed. The area smelled like humans and vampires and things I couldn’t identify, none of them nearby.

  As we stood there gauging what to do next, the door creaked slowly open, all on its own. Pitch-black crowded within, and no one stood inside.

  Unease dragged down my back. I looked to Wren who reached for my hand and took us a step backward.

  “We should—” I started.

  A gunshot cracked through the night from several miles away, but it might as well have been right next to me.

  The breeze shifted and carried the scent of fresh blood.

  I snarled, but before I could lunge in that direction, Wren tightened her hold on my hand and angled herself in front of me with a fierce growl.

  Because from the darkness of the shack, a terrible shape emerged.

  Chapter Eleven

  Wren

  The thing dropped a lifeless corpse that rolled down a little incline and stopped about ten yards away from us. Zac growled and lunged forward, but I blocked him. The mountain lion hadn’t been shot. It had been ripped almost apart, its front half and back half lying in opposite directions.

  “Listen to me very carefully,” I whispered. “Run.”

  “What is it?”

  “Shut up and run.” I spun him around to face the way we had come and started running. He ran beside me for a couple of seconds, until I picked up speed. Damn it – he was still going at a human pace. We didn’t have time for a lesson on vampire speed. Even if we ran at full velocity, our chances of outrunning this thing were slim to none.