Phoenixrise: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Rogue Witch Book 5)

by KT Strange

  Finn was starting to feel better by the time we got to the edge of the city, and when he pulled his shirt up to check on his injuries, the burn marks had faded so much that they were turning into shiny pink stretches of skin, all sign of blisters gone. I didn't think I'd ever felt such strong relief.

  “I don't like taking his charity,” Eli repeated himself when we pulled up in front of the building. He stared up the large building, mostly reinforced stone, the guy's new home (for now). Wolfe said the whole thing had been earthquake proofed in the last building renovations. That was a relief, living on the coast. I smiled to myself. It was nice to be worried about 'normal' dangers like earthquakes again. I felt myself slipping back into pre-Phoenixcry-Darcy mode, back when I was just trying to fit in as a mundane college student and not tossing lightning bolts around.

  Maybe those mundane dreams of working at a record label weren't impossible after all. Even if they were going to be amended to include me dating a band made up of werewolves.

  A doorman greeted us at the end of an inky-black carpet, and opened the door to the foyer.

  "I really don't like this,” Eli muttered. I elbowed him hard, and he stared down at me in wide-eyed shock.

  “Stop being ungrateful,” I hissed.

  Ace looked like Christmas had come early, staring up at the soaring ceilings and the brilliant chandelier. I was slightly less blown away by it. It was the kind of grand entrance that would have greeted anyone who walked into a witch council member’s house. The guys had never lived in luxury though, so it was a special experience to watch their faces.

  Cash was playing it cool, like he wasn't at all impressed by the fancy elevator’s art-deco, inlaid wood mosaic,, but he kept checking it out. Eli was glaring at the floor, Finn looked exhausted but hopeful when the doors of the elevator opened up right inside the penthouse itself. Charlie coughed.

  “Holy shit,” he said, “pictures did not do it justice.”

  “Don't get used to it,” Eli said, taking a cursory look around the open plan living area, before clearing his throat. “Take your shoes off though,” he said, and I hid a smile behind my hand as he pulled his boots off and left them tidily by a pair of closet doors. I caught Finn's eye and he grinned back at me, following his brother into the living room.

  “You sure you don't wanna stay here?” Finn asked. I knew they wouldn't be able to leave the topic alone for long. “Look how nice it is.”

  He wasn't wrong. It was gorgeous. Sparkling-clean windows showed off the city skyline, and the textured wood floors glowed in the recessed ceiling lights. The penthouse roof was almost two stories high; even the kitchen had cupboards that seemed to go on for days.

  “Good things you guys are wolf shifters, not cats or something. I'd forever be chasing Ace off the top of those cupboards,” I commented.

  “Hey! Would not!” Ace had flopped on one of the couches in the sunken living room, belly first. He lifted his head and made a face at me. “I would not.”

  “Would too.” Charlie breezed by on his way into the kitchen. He'd been checking out the master bedroom. “We're gonna have to split up tonight, unless we want to move one of the other beds into the master,” he said. “Oh, hey, that grocery delivery came,” he said as he opened the fridge. “Good, we won't starve.”

  “Wolfe thought of everything.” I leaned against Finn and he kissed the top of my head.

  "Almost. He probably didn't order enough hotdogs. He has no idea how much meat we can run through,” Charlie said.

  “He has Frank for reference,” I countered.

  "Frank's not a full-grown wolf,” Finn said before leaning down to kiss me slowly. “Stay the night,” he urged me. “I don't feel right about you going back to your dorm so soon.”

  A sense of safety settled over me. There was a 24/7 doorman and a security guard downstairs. We were high up. Creston had no idea where I was, and no way of tracking me magically. Max wasn't even back at the dorm yet; Wolfe was still unsure if it was safe for her to return. It wouldn't hurt for me to stay, and it felt especially wrong leaving after we'd become so deeply enmeshed in one another’s lives.

  They might be attached, but having you here is hurting them as much as it's helping them, my brain piped up. Finn's face clouded.

  “Sweetheart?” he asked.

  “HOLY SHIT THERE'S A BUTT WASHER IN HERE!” Cash's voice echoed back to us and Ace jumped off the couch.

  “What!?” He went barreling down the hallway, laughing as Charlie chased him. Eli glanced at us and then threw his hands up in the air.

  “It's a fucking bidet,” he said. Finn laughed, the sound thicker and more healthy than it had sounded all day.

  "Let them have fun,” Finn said, holding me close. “You never know what tomorrow's gonna bring.”

  “Uh huh,” I said , smiling up at my first mate (and arguably my snuggliest). “I'm staying tonight.”

  “Well that's good because I wasn't going to let you go. I'm a bit old to be turning into a kidnapper,” Finn said, eyes sparkling. I caught Eli staring at us, a fond expression forming on his face before he noticed me looking at him. He glared at me hard.

  "One thing, though,” Eli said as he walked toward us.

  "Oh?"

  “You really should rethink moving in with us.”

  My mind stuttered for a moment. The rest of the guys I could understand, but Eli was pissed at me half the time, and I swear he didn't think I should be touching Finn when he was so injured.

  "Eli,” Finn demurred. Eli ignored him walking right up to us both and standing in front of me. His shoulders settled. His eyes drifted over me, and his voice dropped low.

  “You belong with us, your pack. Sooner rather than later. It's safer if you're here with us, where I can keep an eye on you,” Eli's words sent an odd thrill of heat through my belly, and then a flare of indignation. I shifted my weight, and Finn let me go when I pulled away from him.

  “Is that so? Keep an eye on me? Last I checked it was you guys who don't eat your vegetables or —"

  Eli moved so fast I didn't have time to protest when he bent down, mouth catching mine. My hands came up, gripping the front of his shirt, and for a second I wasn't sure if I was going to push him away or pull myself closer. His tongue slid over my lip, followed by the graze of his teeth. I gasped and yanked back.

  “You can't just kiss me to get me to shut up,” I said, heart racing. Finn slipped behind me, his hands coming to rest on my shoulders to hold me still.

  “Sometimes we tend to be a little more like wolves than men,” Finn admitted. Eli's eyes were hot on mine, and I shivered. I had not expected that to be our first kiss. Blood was pulsing through my veins. What had brought that on?

  “Yeah, still, you need to ask first,” I stammered. Eli smirked and his gaze cut away before flicking back to me.

  “You're a pack of trouble, Darcy,” he said with a shake of his head before his expression melted into something more serious. “And I think it's time you understand your place within our pack.”

  “My place?” If he thought for a minute I was going to be some meek woman now that I was mated with most of the pack, all of the pack except him, he had another th —

  “You can't just leave us. Our heart is with you, you are our heart,” Eli said. “I didn't really have a time to bring this up earlier, what with all the fire and lightning, but we need you.”

  Ohhh.

  The way he said it dissolved my anger as his true meaning became clear.

  “If something happens to you,” Finn cut in, his embrace enveloping me, his chin resting on top of my head.

  “I don't want to leave Max alone,” I said.

  “So she can live here,” Eli shrugged. “It's not like we don't have the extra room.”

  “But... I think she kinda hates you, like a lot, last time I checked,” I said, feeling confused and pulled in two different directions at once. Was it really that easy? I took a breath and then shook my head.

  “I'
m not ready for that kind of commitment,” I said. Eli closed his eyes for a moment and then he looked hard at Finn.

  “You explain it to her,” he said, “because obviously I'm not making myself understood. She needs to learn a lesson about how packs work.”

  My lips were still burning from Eli's heated kiss, but I did understand him. He just didn't get I needed to be there for Max, and I couldn't ask her to uproot her life and move in with the band just because. Enough had changed for her as it was.

  “I'll be over here all the time,” I said. Eli shook his head and started walking away, toward the hall that led to the master bedrooms. Finn held me tight as Eli disappeared, and we could hear the rest of the pack talking.

  “Darcy —”

  “No,” I whirled on Finn. “He doesn't get to do that. He doesn't get to... ignore me, and glare at me, and act like I'm a pain in his ass all the time, and then make some heartfelt plea to have me come move in with you guys. I need to have my wishes respected, Finn.”

  Regret, and no small amount of sadness shone in Finn's eyes.

  “I know what you mean, but I think... well, doesn't matter. C'mon. Let's check out the guest bedrooms, yeah? Find you a place to sleep tonight.”

  My stomach dropped.

  Find me a place to sleep tonight? Because Eli wouldn't welcome me into the pack's bed? The unspoken message was clear, and I grabbed Finn's hand tight.

  Twelve

  Darcy

  I didn't end up sleeping on my own. Finn curled up with me in one of the guest bedrooms, while the guys were scattered between the master and the other guest suite. Nobody had the energy to move any beds, and instead passed out without much more talk. I woke up the next morning to Finn's warmth, and a buzzing at the intercom.

  A package had been delivered for us. Still in my grubby clothes from the day before, I went down to the front desk feeling rumpled and way out of place. There, a large box, stamped with the logo of one of the big cell phone companies. I signed for it, and ignoring the curious looks from the doorman at my disheveled appearance, rode back up the elevator. By the time I was up, Finn was already awake, standing with Charlie in the kitchen. Both of them were in nothing but their boxers holding cups of coffee, and I tried not to shamelessly check them out. Finn's injuries were faded to pale, white patches on his skin. He smiled wide when he saw me.

  “There's our girl,” he said. “What'd you get?"

  I kicked off Frank's shoes in the foyer and padded into the kitchen with the box. It was big enough to be awkward, and I set it on the counter.

  “Dunno, but I'm guessing it's from Wolfe.”

  Charlie passed me a blade and I sliced the box open as Finn nursed his coffee. It smelled so strong, the scent of it was waking me up. When I peered into the box, my eyebrows shot up.

  “Phones,” I said, pulling out one of six.

  “He's like a sugar daddy,” Charlie mused, grabbing one for himself. “I hope he doesn't ask for sexual favors.” He laughed when I poked him in the chest. “Hey, don't feel me up,” he said with a grin.

  “He seems to take looking after his namesakes pretty seriously,” I said as I passed Finn a phone.

  “Phones?” Ace walked into the kitchen area, stretching as he went. “We have phones?"

  “Yeah, our undead bestie hooked us up,” Charlie said, tossing Ace a box. “We need to get him a card for the holidays. What do you think he celebrates?"

  “June 14th, World Blood Donor Day,” Cash chimed in as he joined us, giving me a quick kiss before reaching for the coffee.

  “Where's my brother?” Finn asked as I opened up the phone. It was weird to be excited about something as material as a phone after everything that had happened, but I let myself go with it. Things couldn't always be panic and firefights, right? Eventually life would settle down, hopefully right away, so I could get back to my internship and my guys could get back to music. They weren't the same when they weren't performing regularly. I didn't like watching the hardness that crept over them when they couldn't sing and play. The stage was their sanctuary. I'd do anything to get them back up on one as soon as possible.

  “Out for a run,” Charlie said with a smirk as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “Working off the 'night,’” he mocked, making air quotes with one hand.

  “He means working off his raging hard-on,” Cash snickered. Ace paused from opening his box and then smirked.

  “Well maybe if he wasn't an asshole, he would've had someone to take care of it this morning,” Ace said, uncharacteristically crude. My face went hot.

  “Okay, no, I am not... like, a morning problem solver. I fix a lot of things but —"

  “C'mon doll, you know you love it when I —” Finn pulled me into him and nuzzled the side of my neck. Instant heat ran along my skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps in its wake. The other guys were watching me, and I felt so exposed.

  “Noooo,” I said, pulling away. “I'm covered in dirt, and I'm pretty sure someone's blood. I need a shower, clean clothes, and new shoes. Not sex.”

  “Sex makes everything better,” Cash offered. “Seriously, it's my go-to.”

  I cocked an eyebrow at him and his cheeks turned pink.

  “Only with you, now, forever,” he amended. “I mean, back before when —"

  Charlie shut him up by smacking him upside the head.

  “Quit while you're only five feet behind, not a mile,” he said. Cash growled at him.

  “Alright, sweetheart, we'll go shopping. We all need new things anyway,” Finn said after a long gulp of his coffee. “After we finish coffee.”

  “Yesssss,” Ace hissed as he sprawled on the couch and started setting up his phone. “Candy Crush downloaded.”

  Charlie and Cash squabbled over the last of the coffee, and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. Everything felt so normal, finally.

  Maybe it would even last.

  Eli returned from his run while I was in the shower, but wasn't joining us for our excursion. He and Charlie had a call to make to the label, and the two of them would meet us later in the day if we were still out. I promised to bring them both back new pants and shirts, since Eli was almost the same size as Finn, and whatever fit Ace would also fit Charlie. They'd borrowed some clothes from Wolfe and Frank, but couldn't wear the same t-shirt for the entire week.

  The fresh, late-autumn air filled my lungs as we hit the streets of downtown Seattle. Our borrowed apartment was painfully close to great shopping. It was a damn good thing I was student-poor or I'd spend all my disposable income.

  “Target,” I insisted, tugging on Finn's hand. My ankle was feeling better, and I needed to replace Frank’s shoes with ones that actually fit if I was going to be up for a major shopping expedition. I still had clothes back at the dorm, but I would need things to tie me over until I went back, and the guys had pretty much nothing. While I'd been showering, an envelope had shown up by courier containing a prepaid VISA card and instructions from Wolfe to not stress about the money, that we could pay him back later by babysitting Frank for him.

  It was hard to take his charity, but the guys so desperately needed it until we could figure what to do about things like bank accounts and ID cards. Starting over from scratch was painfully hard.

  “It's not like we haven't done this before,” Finn reminded me at one point that morning. It was true. The pack seemed to be masters at picking themselves up and moving on with their lives after losing everything. The only things they seemed really broken up over losing were their musical instruments.

  We managed to get out of Target without spending all of our money, and I had new black flats that were comfortable enough for walking, and I'd changed out of my trashed clothes from the woods. I disposed of them in a nearby garbage can.

  “We should've ordered a car service,” I said with a smile as we walked up to Macy's. “We could've sent all our bags back.”

  Cash grinned at me over his shoulder.

  “Who's fancy? One
night in a penthouse, and she's already got delusions of fortune.”

  “Hey, you guys are gonna hit number one in the charts, and play stadium tours, and all that,” I said airily. “You'll keep me in a lifestyle that I'll happily become accustomed to.”

  Finn's fingers found mine, wrapping his hand around mine as we walked into Macy's and I smiled up at him. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and he looked more relaxed than I'd seen him in ages.

  “I'd like that,” he said, bending his head to whisper in my ear, “Keep you happy, satisfied, in our bed, always.”

  “Finn,” I hissed, because the other two guy had heard him, Ace's expression dreamy, Cash's thoughtful, like they were playing that fantasy out in their heads.

  “Hey — excuse me,” a girl in her early twenties stepped in front of Cash, her eyes wide. “Aren't you Cash Legend? From Phoenixcry?"

  He glanced back at us, and her gaze followed, her mouth dropping open when she realized that half the band was standing there in the entrance to Macy's.

  “I guess I might be,” he said, shooting her a cocky grin. She almost melted away on the spot.

  “Ohmygod, I don't have... I don't have anything, but could you like, sign my arm, or something? Please? Could we take a selfie? All of you?” Her eyes slid over me like I was invisible.

  “I can take it for you guys,” I said, and tried not to smile when her gaze flicked to where Finn was holding my hand. I stepped forward. “You have a phone?"

  “Uh, yeah, thanks,” she mumbled, frantically digging it out of her purse.

  “We're not going anywhere,” Ace said, spying a cash register. “I'll go see if they have a pen or something.”

  “No, like, a photo is way better,” she said as she passed me her phone. Her fingers wound through her hair, resetting the blonde waves. The guys clustered around her, and she slung her arm around Cash's waist so tight that his eyes widened for a moment before I took the photo. “Thank you, oh my god, thank you,” she blurted out when she got her phone back and saw the photo. “Could you like, say something for my Instagram?"