Phoenixheart: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Rogue Witch Book 7)

by KT Strange

  He was watching me when I looked at him. He didn’t glance away, a sort of quiet resignation in his face. When he passed me a drink later, his fingers touched mine, and he bent his head to my ear.

  “Meet me out, tonight?”

  I swallowed hard, my throat going tight.

  “Y-yeah?”

  He held my gaze for a moment until a small, secret kind of smile spread on his lips.

  “Make him work for it,” Cash muttered when Eli walked away. When I laughed, Eli’s shoulders tensed.

  “I think I can do that,” I said, sighing in contentment as Cash wrapped his big arm around me and pulled me in tight. Before the guys went in for the night, Charlie sized me up, tossing a glare over his shoulder at Eli before kissing me so hard that I backed right up against the side of the van, Charlie’s bulk pinning me there.

  “I got this weird feeling like he’s gonna take you and run,” Charlie said. “If we were any kind of creature other than werewolves, I would believe my gut.” He tapped me on the nose and gave me a crooked smile.

  “I’d never let him steal me from you,” I promised him. He closed his eyes with a sigh, and kissed me soft.

  “I know, sweet girl, I know. Never did understand what good thing I did to deserve you, but…” He shrugged, pulling away when Ace stuck his head out of the van and glared at him.

  “Give them space,” Ace said, before offering me a shy grin. I blushed, hard. I’d been naked in front of all of them, so why was this moment so embarrassing? The slow build to it was killing me.

  Finn dusted his hands as he walked toward the van; he’d just finished pouring sand on our fire pit. He swept me up into his arms, one hand hooking under my butt and lifting me to kiss him. I moaned, wrapping my arms around his neck to hold steady.

  When he got done giving me a kiss to last out the decade, his blue eyes were dark as he surveyed me.

  “A man’s first bonding is a serious thing,” he teased, “he better not fuck it up or I’ll never let him hear the end of it.”

  I giggled and he put me down.

  “I’ll be gentle on him,” I promised. Finn laughed and ducked inside the van, sliding the door shut after him.

  That was it. Over at the fire pit, Eli sat, looking off into the darkness. My breath hitched in my lungs as I walked toward him. Just as I got to him, he reached out, and pulled me down into his lap. I squeaked.

  “I owe you an explanation,” he said without preamble. My throat contracted hard. His face was so serious. Did he? Did he owe me a reason, or many reasons, for why he hadn’t done what the rest of the pack had done?

  “We’ve talked about this,” I said, trying to be gentle. “You told me why… that the pack was in danger, that you didn’t feel worthy.”

  “Yes, but-”

  “No buts.” I put a finger to his lips and he stilled, gazing down at me. The intensity and focus in his eyes threw me for a second and I took a breath. “You are enough.”

  “I realize that now,” he cleared his throat. “Feeling like an idiot… for not trusting myself with your heart, when you did from the very beginning.”

  “Eli…” I bit my lip. He used his thumb to stop me, smoothing over the teeth marks.

  “Didn’t you? You trust me, us, to not murder you in your sleep from the very first day. Then you fell in love, although I think maybe I was there before you were…” He closed his eyes and tilted his head back. “Fuck, I’m not finding the right words for this today.”

  “How about,” I said, mustering up my courage, “you just say, ‘Darcy, I wanna be yours. Will you be mine? Forever?’”

  He went still and I couldn’t breathe.

  “It’s easy,” I whispered. “Just like that.”

  His chest moved, before the sound registered, and he started chuckling.

  “You do this thing,” he said, “you make everything so complicated and simple at the same time. You showing up threw our world into chaos, but at the same time you saved us. You did it to me when I beat the shit out of Jake Tupper. You stopped time for me, and saved me.” He paused, and moved to kiss my cheek, then the soft lobe of my ear. I went still, in case a sudden movement scared him and he ran, or something. Instead of running, he pulled me in closer, shifting me in his lap until I pressed right up against his chest. “I wanna be yours,” he repeated my words, “and I know you wanna be mine, forever.”

  I shivered.

  Hearing it from him? Whole different game from when I’d imagined him saying it, in my head. It was intense, to say the least, and it was making me tremble every time I ran my mind over the memory of his words.

  “Those’re panty-dropping words, mister,” I said, poking him in the chest and trying to lighten the moment. He grabbed my finger, and kissed the tip of it.

  “I was going for heart-melting, but your panties’ll do just fine.” He laughed quietly. I leaned up and kissed him slow, and deliberate.

  “Put your money where your mouth is, and I’ll believe it,” I said. His eyes flickered as he looked down my body, his arm tightening along the small of my back.

  “Alright then, sweetheart.”

  Twenty-Two

  Darcy

  Eli’d been planning things, that much was clear. He lifted me to my feet and tugged on my hand, pulling me away from the van, and toward the woods.

  “Want a little privacy, that’s all,” he said when I gave him a questioning look. From the intensity in his eyes, he didn’t want to talk much, and I wasn’t in that kind of space either. Instead I followed him, until we stumbled to a spot where he’d spread a thick blanket down, two pillows, and another folded blanket resting on top of it.

  “In the middle of the woods?” I asked. He smiled in the darkness.

  “I’m old school, what can I say?”

  I blushed hard. Oh. This is what wolves used to do with their mates… because their mates were wolves. Not witches like me.

  Before I could descend into a ridiculous pity party and ruin the moment, Eli bent down and kissed me hard, his fingers sliding into my hair and tugging my head back. I moaned, going up on my toes to meet him, panting helplessly when he pulled away.

  “C’mere,” he said, holding my hand and tugging me to the blanket. I kicked off my shoes and went down on my knees as he followed me down, his boots joining my shoes on the ground. He pulled me over him, slipping onto his back. I felt shy, like we were being watched, but I knew he’d have sensed it if someone was out in the woods, being a creeper.

  I’d always be safe in his arms. My heart fluttered anxiously in my chest as he looked at me, his chest expanding as he inhaled my scent.

  “I’ve been wanting this forever and holding you at arm’s length,” he said, his eyes half-lidding. “That ends now,” there was a growl in his voice, a burning intensity that had me reaching for his shirt. He caught my hands instead, wrapping the fingers of one of his hands around my wrists easily. I made a noise of protest that died when he swatted me on the ass, heat cracking right through me.

  The promise in that touch had me shivering. Was this really happening? He eased me over onto my side, and I let my eyes close and relaxed on the blanket, resting my head on a pillow as he held my wrists captive.

  "Every time I take you, from now, you'll remember this moment," he said those husky words washing over my skin like live electricity. I inhaled sharply, and he kissed the side of my neck, stroking away the strands of my hair there.

  His hands, strong, and confident, helped me out of my clothes, but even in the night air he didn't give me a chance to get cold. The warm blanket surrounded us as he moved over me, his mouth pressing soft kisses down my lips, down my throat until his teeth dragged over the soft curve of my collarbone.

  It was then he finally let go of my wrists, and let me touch him. I explored, seeing with my fingers, as his rough clothes brushes my naked body under the blanket. When my hands pawed at his clothes, he sat back, and I watched through slitted eyes.

  His shirt went first, the
play of moonlight dripping down his chest. I couldn't help it- I reached out, letting my fingers drag along his belly, the ripple of muscle under so much warm, perfect skin. The dusky trail of hair that shadowed under his belly button right into his jeans had me squirming.

  Fuck, I was such a slut now, but like, in the best way.

  Eli watched me as I touched him, his eyes glittering with arousal, letting me unbutton his jeans and flick down his zipper. I reached inside, getting my hand on the hard length of his cock through his boxers.

  His eyes fluttered shut and he groaned, head tilting back, hips thrusting forward.

  "You're so hot," I murmured. He let out a throaty chuckle, and rolled his hips, pressing into my hand several times before pushing me away.

  "Enough," he said, shucking his jeans down his legs, tossing them to the side. He lowered himself slowly, shifting me until my thighs parted for him.

  "I'm not," I said, my face going hot. "I'm not really..."

  "Ready for me, sweetheart?" He kissed me. "You think I'd take you before you were ready?"

  "Maybe," I whispered, my hips lifting up to meet his, the warmth of his erection heavy against my belly. He cracked a smile, and I felt his fingers slip between us.

  "I don't think so." His thumb stroked through my folds, and I cried out at the electric feel of it, his rough touch on my clit right away. It was too much, overwhelming my senses, and I cried out, squirming in desperation as he teased me again, smooth circles of his fingers on my clit over and over. "You're getting so needy for it," he said, layers of satisfaction in his voice when he slipped two fingers inside of me. I didn't even cry out, just gasped instead, and he kissed me, swallowing the noise.

  Every touch was so intense, his weight heavy on me and pinning me to the blanket. I raced to the edge, encouraging as much as I could with tiny movements of my hips, as much as I could. And then I was right there, his lips on my throat, his teeth dragging hard over the faint scar that Finn had left on me, so many months ago.

  I screamed, my arm curling around his neck, keeping him close as the world upended and pleasure overwhelmed me from all angles.

  His fingers eased up, his touch gentling, and I breathed hard as he nipped at my neck again.

  "Good girl," he praised me, which made my cheeks heat up again.

  "I'm supposed to be the one thanking you," I said.

  "Nah. Making you feel good? It's my pleasure. And it's my job," he said with a satisfied smirk. I felt sleepy, swoopy, and cherished as he lay over me, gazing into my eyes. I took a breath and relaxed, snuggling into him. He pressed a kiss to my forehead, then my nose. “Turn over,” he rumbled softly.

  “Hmmm?”

  “Over,” he urged me, until I shifted onto my side. He spooned me from behind, his cock slipping between my thighs. I sighed, and arched my back. He groaned in response, his hand slapping lightly over my stomach and pressing there, holding me still. He started moving, slow rolls of his hips, fucking between my thighs. I was soaking wet for how hard he’d gotten me off minutes before, and wasn’t sure if I was really up for more when his cock dragged right over my entrance. The touch sent a shiver of energy up my spine and I squirmed. “Right there?” He asked me, knowing damn well he was right as he fucked into my thighs again, this time the head of his cock catching inside me. He pressed deep, pulling me back onto his cock as I moaned. “You make me so hard, sweetheart.”

  He pressed on my shoulder, pushing me down on my front. He moved behind me, his hand slipping under my belly to lift me up onto my knees. I didn’t protest, just went with it, so ready for him to just fuck me into the ground. With a groan, he thrust inside me. I dug my fingers into the blanket and shuddered as he fucked me hard and fast, heating my blood.

  His hands on me, holding me still, told me just how much he needed this, more than I did. My breath was coming in short, shallow pants, and I whimpered when his palm rubbed over my mons, teasing my pussy with each thrust.

  “You’re going to come around me,” he said, sounding wrecked. “I want you to wake the guys up with how loud you scream.”

  “Uhm,” I mumbled, trying to keep my legs under me as his thrusts pushed me across the blanket. “I-“

  “Darcy, come for me, doll,” his voice was a commanding rumble, his fingers catching my clit between them. I jerked, so close. He touched me again and I cried out, squeezing down on him hard. He let out a feral-sounding growl and I felt the air on my neck, no the back of my neck, right at the top of my spine. His teeth clamped down on me, and then he bit down hard. I screamed, pain, and pleasure, flooding through me. Eli’s arm was the only thing steadying me, holding me against him as his hips gave a few frantic, last thrusts before he went still.

  My breaths shook in my lungs as he held me, and we stayed like that for several moments, the feeling of connecting with something greater than myself clicking into place inside me. He finally let me down, curling around me, and tugged the blanket up over my body.

  The forest was quiet, nothing but the sound of his pulse in my ear, and our quiet breathing.

  A giggle escaped me and Eli shifted behind me.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I dunno I just… feel kinda giddy.” I rested my head against him and shifted, so I could look up at him. He had a lazy, content smile on his face. “You’re grinning too,” I pointed out.

  “Didn’t realize it’d feel this good,” he said with a shrug. “Finally having you… making you mine.”

  “You don’t listen when your brother talks?”

  “He just talks so damn much…” He chuckled and bent down, kissing me slowly, soothing my fizzing nerves and the buzzy feeling that was right under my skin. I sighed. “We should get back,” he said after a moment, sounding reluctant.

  “We’ll have lots of time together, just you, and me,” I promised him. “But being with the pack right now… it feels like that’s where I need to be.” They were calling me, subconsciously. I needed to be with all five of them.

  Eli helped me up, helped me dress, but left his shirt off, slinging it, and the blankets, over one shoulder, the pillows under his arm.

  I slipped my hand into Eli’s and we walked through the woods, in a sort of glowing, comfortable silence, back to the van. A familiar figure sat by the dark fire-pit, and stretched before moving to stand. It was Finn.

  He glanced from me, to Eli, to me again and smirked.

  “Finn,” Eli’s voice was so low it was basically just a growl.

  “How’d you do it?” Finn asked, and my cheeks went hot.

  “Finn!” I smacked him on the arm. “Not now, asshole.”

  “Why, babydoll, you don’t like me talking about how my brother finally unbent and claimed you?” He scooped me into his arms as I protested, wicked grin on his face. “Where is it?” He nuzzled the side of my face, kissing my ear. I tilted my head back, squirming.

  “Stop it,” I said and Eli rumbled a warning to his twin.

  “Nah, I wanna know, where’d he bite you.” Finn’s eyes, so bright blue, sparkled as he ducked his head to meet me gaze. He bit his lip, his fingers trailing down the side of my neck. “Right here?”

  It tickled and I laughed, shaking my head.

  “Stooo-op!”

  “Finn.” Eli’s hand worked between us, wrapping around my waist as he pressed up behind me.

  “It’s too late for a werewolf sandwich,” I whispered, Finn’s fingers still questing, teasing up under my neck.

  “Never too late for one of those,” Finn said, catching my mouth in a kiss. “Where’d he bite you,” he whispered a second later, into my ear. Eli, for his part, was being a traitorous bastard and wasn’t letting me go. It felt more like he was holding me there for Finn. I shivered.

  “Can’t you like, read his mind? Finn!” I yelped when he nipped at the side of my neck, his teeth scraping my sensitive skin.

  “You guys are animals,” Ace said. I looked up. He and the rest of the pack were crowded at the side door of the v
an. Cash shook his head slowly at Finn. Charlie just raised an eyebrow and rolled his eyes.

  “You should be ashamed, falling on her like a pack of dogs. You oughta have better manners than that,” Cash said, swaggering toward us. His arms slipped around me and he plucked me like I weighed nothing, right out of Finn and Eli’s grip.

  “Hey!” I kicked my legs in mid air as Cash held me close.

  “She’s tired. Haven’t you noticed how exhausted she looks?” Cash flipped Finn and Eli the middle finger, and hauled me into the van. I yelped and smacked at him.

  “I have legs, I can walk!”

  “This is better though,” Cash said, settling me down on the bed. The way he looked at me, his eyes glowing, had my heart pounding in my chest… not from arousal, but from something else. He climbed over me, claiming the far side of me. “Get comfy, it’s going to be a tight squeeze tonight.”

  I sighed as the rest of the guys piled on and around, managing to squeeze their bodies until we were all snuggled up on the back bed.

  “We need a bigger van,” I complained in the darkness as someone pawed at me gently, someone else pulling a sheet up over me. I wouldn’t need a blanket, not with all the heat the guys were throwing off.

  I closed my eyes, my last thought trying to keep me awake, but sleep was too insistent. Still, my brain wanted me to remember, that as soon as I woke up, I had a mission to undertake. I had my pack, and they had me, but there was only one last thing that we were missing… the thing that only I had the power to give them… if I didn’t die trying, anyway.

  Twenty-Three

  Darcy

  Waking up in Eli's arms, surrounded by the pack, Cash curled tight against my side, and Charlie snuggling up on the other, there was a certain kind of rightness humming in my veins. It was early afternoon. I sat up, making the guys shift and groan as they woke up.

  "How long did we sleep?" I asked, as the sun peeked in through the curtains.

  "Forever," Ace said with a yawn. "I'm starving." He got up, giving Finn room to move, and space for me to squirm out of the puppy pile we were making on the bed. It groaned under us, definitely not meant for six people. We’d made it work though.