Death Untold: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (The Witch's Rebels Book 5)

by Sarah Piper

  “I think,” Emilio said, reaching for the bottle of whiskey once again, “we’ve got ourselves a plan. A damn good one. And that calls for another round.”

  Everyone cheered and banged on the table, laughter exploding like fireworks once again. And for a minute I closed my eyes and soaked up all the warmth and let myself believe this was home. That we were all part of a big, crazy, obnoxious family celebrating a holiday dinner that we’d make last all week.

  It’s almost enough to ease the pain of our reality.

  “Personally, I think it calls for a group hug,” Haley said, rising from her chair and waving everyone close. “Come on, guys. You too, grumpy demon over there. Bring it in.”

  She was talking about me. I got up and joined the knot of people that’d formed at the head of the table, never losing sight of Gray.

  I stood as close as I dared. I caught a hint of her scent, a touch of her sweater brushing along my forearm as I reached in to hug Ash. But all I could think about was touching her. Holding her in my arms. Pressing my lips to her forehead and promising her that everything would work out. That we’d be okay, just like always.

  I couldn’t do that, though. Couldn’t even graze her skin without burning her. It was the ultimate fucking punishment.

  And after everything we’d been through together, all the shit we’d somehow come out on top of, this would be the thing that would finally break me.

  The others let out another collective cheer, the celebration kicking back into high gear as more hugs and more booze got passed around, and I grabbed a jacket and one of the hounds and slipped out the back door unnoticed, out into the snow-globe night where I could temporarily lose myself in the backwoods, breathe in the icy-fresh air, and—for a little while, anyway—pretend I wasn’t dying inside.

  Twenty-Three

  GRAY

  The morning after our insane feast, the hounds and I found Elena in the kitchen at dawn, cracking dozens of eggs into a huge bowl. The sun was giving us a rare show, the snow finally letting up a bit, and the light streamed in through the kitchen windows, illuminating her like an angel.

  After everything Emilio had told me about what they’d gone through—about what Elena had lost—it was hard to look at her without getting choked up.

  “I know I look good from the back,” she called over her shoulder. “But damn, girl. Take a picture or something.”

  I laughed, the knot of emotion loosening. She’d probably scented me long before I’d even approached. It was hard enough to sneak up on a regular shifter, never mind a cop shifter.

  “Girl, did you even go to bed last night?” I asked.

  “I did. But I was wide awake an hour ago, so I put on the coffee and got to cooking.”

  “Again?”

  “Honestly?” Elena laughed. “I love cooking. Besides, it’s easier than doing dishes.”

  I glanced around the kitchen, taking in the mountains of dishes piled up on the countertops, plates and mugs practically spilling out of the dishwasher. Other than Reva, we’d all gotten a little tipsy last night, caught up in celebrating Emilio’s recovery and enjoying a little fun before tackling the challenges ahead.

  “You want some help?” I asked her.

  She looked at Sunshine and Sparkle, panting and excited, and then at me, taking in my puffy coat, snow boots, and the huge, fur-lined hat I’d found that made me look like a Russian soldier. “Looks like you three already have plans.”

  “I promised them a walk in the woods this morning.” I scratched behind Sparkle’s ears, and she let out a little yelp of pleasure. “But I can be back in fifteen minutes to chop or wash or whatever.”

  “No, Gray. It’s a beautiful day, and who knows how long it’ll last. You need some fresh air and alone time.” She offered me a warm smile, then nodded toward a basket covered with a towel. “Take two blueberry muffins to go.”

  I reached for the basket. “Two? These things are huge.”

  In response, she leaned her head out the kitchen doorway, calling across the dining room to a pile of witches in the living room, most of them crashed out on the air beds and sleeping bags they’d brought back from the supply run. Elena had set some of the beds up in the basement downstairs, but most of them had wandered back up here sometime in the middle of the night. It seemed they’d gotten used to close quarters in prison and didn’t want to be separated.

  I couldn’t blame them. Now that I had my rebels back under the same roof, I didn’t want to be separated from them, either. The five of us had crashed in the room Emilio and I had shared, Ronan taking a sleeping bag on the floor, lest we accidentally bump toes and start a fire.

  “Haley!” Elena shout-whispered, as if that wouldn’t wake up the entire room. “Haley! Get dressed.”

  “Hmm?” came the groggy reply, and like a litter of kittens piled up in a box, the rest of them stirred, too.

  “Get up, girl,” Elena said, and Haley’s head finally popped up from the pile.

  “I’m up, I’m up.” She stifled a yawn, slowly getting to her feet and picking her way across the floor. “What’s going on?”

  “Gray needs your help outside with the hounds,” Elena blurted out, and I almost smacked her. “I don’t want any of you wandering out there alone. Even during the daylight hours.”

  “No worries. Give me five minutes.” Haley stretched, then disappeared into the bathroom.

  “What is wrong with you?” I asked the minute Haley was out of earshot. “I thought you said I needed alone time!”

  “You do—alone time with your sister. You have to tell her, loca,” Elena said. “You keep putting it off, and you’re going to miss the chance and regret it forever.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, but Elena was right. If anyone knew about regret, and potentially rocky sibling reunions, it was her.

  Still, I wasn’t ready. Telling Haley she had not just one but three sisters, that I was one of them, that we were all part of some ancient witchcraft legacy, that our mother had tried to kill us… The conversation was a lot more involved than dropping one simple truth-bomb about a long-lost sister.

  “Aren’t you happy that she’s your sister?” Elena asked, cutting right to it, as usual. “Don’t you want her to share that joy?”

  “I’m thrilled,” I said, because I truly was. “It’s just that… I don’t know. I guess I keep waiting for a sign from her. Like some kind of guarantee that she’ll feel the same way.”

  “Oh, Gray.” Elena wiped her hands on the towel tossed over her shoulder, then cupped my face. “How could she not?”

  I shrugged. I know it seemed obvious to her, but I’d been alone for so long, I felt totally clueless about how female friendships worked, let alone sisterhoods. Sophie was the first and only female friend I’d ever really had, and I’d kept her at a distance, too. It was kind of ironic that she was the one to bring Haley into my life. And though Haley and I had gotten pretty close since Sophie died, I had no way of knowing how she truly felt about me.

  What if it totally freaked her out? Or worse—what if she already knew we were sisters, and didn’t want to tell me because she didn’t want the burden that came along with that? The obligation?

  What if she didn’t want to claim me?

  “No, no, no. Don’t do that.” Elena whipped me on the butt with her towel, recapturing my attention. “You’re overthinking it, Gray. You need to just tell her, get it all out, and let things unfold naturally from there. Haley will listen. She’ll—”

  “Listen to what?” Haley appeared in the doorway looking as fresh and perky as if she’d already downed half a pot of coffee. She was all bundled up, just like me, her cheeks pink, her eyes bright. We looked like a pair of snow-beasts about to embark on an Arctic adventure.

  “I’ll… tell you outside,” I mumbled. My heart fluttered with fresh nerves, but they weren’t necessarily bad ones. Just… nervous ones.

  Brilliant, Desario. Really.

  Haley shrugged, then spotted the basket
on the counter. “Ooh, muffins!”

  “I already got one for you.” I laughed, catching Elena’s eye. Yeah, it was time.

  Thank you, I mouthed.

  Elena winked, then shooed us all toward the back door, Sunshine and Sparkle practically peeing themselves with excitement.

  “Brunch will be ready in an hour,” she said, “so don’t go too far. I’m counting on you two to referee the bacon plate. You know how guys are about their meat.”

  Haley cracked up. “Gray is the expert on guys and their meat.”

  Holding back a laugh of my own, I shoved her out the door before she could make any more jokes about my arrangement with the guys.

  “Don’t knock the meat-lover’s sampler platter until you’ve tried it,” I said.

  “Knock it? Seriously? Girl, I’m over here trying to figure out where to order my own sampler platter.” Haley giggled and linked her arm in mine, and together we followed the hounds into the woods, Elena’s laughter trailing us all the way there.

  Twenty-Four

  GRAY

  The snow out back was hip-deep in parts, and though Haley and I had to push ourselves to plod through it, it was no match for the hounds. They bounded around like a couple of pups, carving figure eights in the thick layers of white as Haley and I fought for every breath. When we finally reached the shelter of the backwoods, the snow leveled off, and we scouted around for a good place to take a muffin break.

  “There,” she said, pointing out a huge nurse log lying in a copse of trees, mostly untouched by the snow.

  We sat on the log side by side, unwrapping the muffins while the hounds waited at our feet, their hypnotic eyes fixated on our every move.

  “Haley,” I began, at the same time she said, “Can we talk about the hounds?”

  We both laughed, then she said, “I’m sorry. You go first.”

  “No, it’s fine. They’re kind of new to the family. Courtesy of Sebastian.”

  She hadn’t spent much time with them yet—other than for a few brief hours with Emilio last night before dinner, they’d hardly left my side since we’d all escaped the warehouse.

  “So basically, they’re your jailers?” she asked.

  “More like my protectors,” I told her. “And my friends. I don’t think that’s how Sebastian intended it, but that’s how it worked out. Right, girls?”

  They wagged their tails and licked their chops, probably thinking I was about to hand over the muffin. Not happening.

  “Their cuteness is definitely in the eye of the beholder,” Haley said, narrowing her gaze on them. “But I have to admit… they’re kind of growing on me.”

  “They have that effect.”

  “Can I…?” She held out her hand, tentatively, and Sunshine nudged it with her nose.

  “Be my guest. Looks like they like you.”

  She stroked Sunshine’s muzzle, and of course, Sparkle wanted in on the action too. Soon they were competing for her affection, plodding around the woods in search of sticks and rocks and other gifts for their new friend.

  Sparkle came back with a huge, snow-packed pine bough about the size of Haley herself, and we both cracked up.

  “I’m so honored, Sparkle,” Haley said. “What a beautiful gift. I shall treasure it always. From a great distance.”

  The sun peeked through the clouds overhead, rimming the snow-covered pines around us in a golden glow, and a calmness came over me. The sound of my sister’s laugh filled me with pure happiness, and suddenly I felt lighter, knowing that the moment was right.

  It was time.

  “I need to tell you something, Haley,” I said softly. “It’s important.”

  She stopped petting Sparkle and glanced up at me, expectant. “Everything okay?”

  “More than okay. You’re… you’re my sister.”

  “Oh my God, I’m so glad you said that.” Her eyes filled with emotion, and she leaned over to pull me into a hug. “I feel the same way, Gray. I know we got off to a rough start at Norah’s place, but that was just growing pains, you know? We make a kickass team. Remember that time at the morgue, with that security guard? I wonder what he’s—”

  “Haley.” I pulled out of her crushing hug and grabbed her arms, blinking the happy tears from my eyes. She was such a crazy witch, in the best possible way, and she was mine. All mine. How did I get so lucky? “Listen to me. You’re my sister. My real sister. As in, we have the same biological parents. The same blood. The same grandmother—Deirdre.”

  Haley’s eyes widened. For a moment, she went totally still. She didn’t breathe, didn’t make a sound. I held my breath, too, worried she was about to bolt on me, or laugh, or just… not react at all.

  But then she just started laughing again, happy tears like mine streaking her cheeks, and I let out a big, fat sigh of relief.

  “Sisters?” she asked, bewildered. “But… how?”

  How? I wanted to make a sex joke. Like, Well, Haley, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much…

  But I couldn’t. Our mother hadn’t loved our father. She’d murdered him. She’d made four babies with him, and then snuffed out his life, nearly snuffing out ours, too.

  “There’s… more,” I said.

  Haley was still beaming. “I’m all ears. Tell me everything.”

  “No, I mean more of us. Our parents had four daughters. Somewhere out there in the world, we’ve got two other sisters. We were all separated as children and raised separately to keep us safe, because there’s this whole prophecy thing and our mother wanted our magic and… God, this is a long story.”

  My heart was in my throat, my magic buzzing beneath my skin as I thought of our mother again. Even the hounds picked up on it—they bounded back over to me, pressing against my legs, sniffing all around.

  “It’s okay, girls. Mama just needs to chill.” I blew out a frosty breath, then steadied myself, waiting for my magic to settle. When it did, I turned to Haley and told her the whole story—as much as Deirdre had told me, anyway: The Silversbane Prophecy, and our mother’s visions about it during her pregnancy. The four of us. How she’d desperately wanted our magic. How Deirdre believed she’d killed our father. Our near-drowning at her hands, and all the ways our lives had irrevocably changed as a result.

  “Drowning…” Haley closed her eyes, her voice soft in the winter air. “When I was younger, I used to have this recurring dream. There were four little girls—sometimes I was one of them, and other times I’d be watching them like a movie—you know how dreams are weird like that. Anyway, the girls were always dressed in white, and we were always walking through the woods. Sometimes we’d pick berries, or build a tree fort, or look for cool rocks. That part was slightly different each time, but the dream always ended the same way. Whether I was one of the girls or just an observer, we’d reach the river, and then one by one, we’d vanish. I was always the last one left standing—or I’d watch the last one standing, and she’d become a spitting image of me. And in that moment, I’d be overcome with this feeling of such loneliness…” Haley shook her head. “Sometimes the feeling would stay with me for hours after waking up. Like, some part of me knew that something was missing.”

  “Something was. All of us—we were missing from each other.” I put my arm around her shoulder, and we bent our heads together, our breathing synchronized.

  “I grew up with good parents,” she said. “But they died in a car crash fairly young. My mom’s mom—Nona—she raised me after that, but she passed away when I was a freshman in college. I couldn’t afford the tuition. I ended up in the Bay—like a lot of witches without a family.”

  “You had a family, though. We both did. We just didn’t know about each other.”

  Haley nodded, snuggling in closer. “I guess that’s why I ended up joining Bay Coven. I wanted that family. That sisterhood. It didn’t turn out exactly as I’d hoped, though.”

  “But it did,” I said. “Never mind Norah. You got Sophie out of the deal. And Delilah and R
eva and all the others. And after that, you got all the sisters you kept safe in the prison.”

  “No, you’re right.”

  “You also have me, Hay. And guess what? Now that I’ve found you, I’m not planning on letting you out of my sight again.”

  “And I can’t escape you, even if I wanted to.” She reached down to pat Sunshine’s head. “You’d send these two to hunt me down.”

  “Don’t tempt me.”

  We sat in silence for a moment, both processing things in our own ways. I sensed Haley had a million more questions, as did I. Deirdre might be able to fill in some of the gaps, but the last time I’d seen her was when I’d come back from the realm with Emilio. Once we knew Emilio was out of the woods, she’d said her goodbyes, telling me she had to check in with Sebastian and would be back when she could.

  I hadn’t heard a peep from her since.

  “There’s a lot more that Deirdre hasn’t told me yet,” I said, “but we’ll figure it out. We’ll find the others.”

  “We’re sisters,” she said, her smile widening. “I still can’t believe it. And we’ve got two more.”

  “Do you think they’re in a coven?” I asked. “Or practicing magic at all? I wonder if they’re in Washington, close to the Bay. Deirdre said we’d all be drawn there eventually, but right now it’s like looking for a needle in—”

  Two low, dangerous growls stopped my stream of consciousness babble, raising the hairs on the back of my neck.

  “Sunshine? Sparkle? What’s going on?”

  “Do you feel that?” Haley held out her hands, then hopped off the log, looking around the woods as she rubbed the chill from her arms. “It’s like it just dropped by about twenty degrees.”

  “Now that you mention it, yeah.” My breath, which had been a thin white mist all morning, was now a dense cloud. I stood up and peered through the trees, looking for a patch of sunlight I was sure had been there seconds earlier.