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  Chapter 1

  My hands brushed over the soft cotton and linen of the shirts in the closet as I tried to decide what to wear. It was, after all, going to be an important evening, and I had to strike the right balance between formal and laid-back.

  It had been just over three weeks since my ladies and I had returned from Dalgar, the magical frozen realm that had been suffering under a curse imposed by an evil Drakrez venturer. We’d found out the venturer had plans to spread his curse throughout the rest of the magical realms in the Grymm, and we’d stopped him just in time. We’d also thwarted his attempts to take over Bioniin where my lover, Astrea, came from.

  Before we’d killed him, we’d discovered the venturer had a spy who was helping him from Bioniin, and we’d passed the information to Astrea’s father, our good friend, Master Greggin Javreen. Greggin was an influential and wealthy citizen of Bioniin, and he’d informed the local constabulary about the spy.

  A few days ago, he’d left me a note saying the mole had been caught, and as thanks, he wanted to invite my ladies and me to dinner at his mansion.

  Finally, I decided on an exquisitely-tailored light-blue, linen shirt. Only a few months ago, its price tag would’ve been enough to feed me for several weeks, and the thought of spending that much on an item of clothing would’ve made me sick. But since I’d inherited a magical inn with access to a series of different realms, money was no longer an issue.

  Not only had I amassed a huge amount of wealth through inter-realm trade, but the Multiverse Inn itself was officially open to guests, and I was raking in thousands of dollars with every reservation.

  The spooky-looking building seemed incredibly out of place in the small-town, suburban neighborhood of Arcton, Oregon, but the inn had a legendary reputation among ghosthunters and paranormal enthusiasts long before I’d inherited it. Now we were fully booked for months in advance.

  I tucked my shirt into my tailored pants, then I slipped on a light-gray blazer.

  The delicate tread of footsteps made me turn around, and I broke into a wide grin when I saw who was standing behind me.

  “Does this look okay?” Astrea asked with a shy smile.

  She was wearing a simple yet elegant dress in a shade of blue that was slightly lighter than her eyes. Her auburn curls were piled on top of her head, and a couple of spirals hung down to artfully frame her pale face. She wore very little makeup and no jewelry, but the simplicity of her outfit suited her perfectly.

  “You look gorgeous.” I smiled and drew her toward me.

  Her body relaxed as I wrapped my arms around her, and she leaned her head against my chest. She felt as small and fragile as a bird, and a wave of protectiveness washed over me as I thought about the evening ahead.

  Astrea was an only child, and that made her a very wealthy heiress in Bioniin. The restrictive social norms of the realm meant Astrea’s independent spirit and inquiring mind had set her apart, and she’d always been expected to submit to a marriage to a gentleman of equal social standing.

  But Astrea had never wanted that. She’d been happiest when experimenting and working on new inventions in her father’s workshop. Her magical sorcen blood had gifted her with the power to visualize how machines worked. The magical sorcen people were subjugated in Bioniin, and, for most of her life, she’d kept her heritage hidden.

  Her father had always had a soft spot for his daughter’s unconventional and independent nature, and he’d encouraged her experiments. When she’d run away from Bioniin and joined my ladies and me on Earth, he’d supported that decision, too.

  Her mother, on the other hand, was entirely different.

  Lady Cassapi had been insistent that Astrea should follow social convention, make an advantageous marriage, give up her experiments, and become a proper wife. It was partly because she cared for her daughter and wanted to see her well provided for, but my beautiful inventor would never be happy with a life like that.

  Since she’d left, Astrea and I had met with her father once, but we hadn’t encountered her mother yet. Lady Cassapi had threatened to disown her daughter because of her behavior, but I was hoping the coming evening would be both a reunion and a reconciliation.

  Greggin’s wife had never been my biggest fan, and I couldn’t imagine her opinion had improved since her daughter ran off to join me.

  Not that Cassapi’s opinion mattered to me.

  Astrea was happy, and that was the most important thing to me. I didn’t give a shit whether Lady Cassapi liked me or not, but I wanted the night to go well for Astrea’s sake.

  My auburn-haired lover tilted her face up toward me, and her blue eyes were filled with worry behind her small, oval-shaped glasses.

  “Do you think it’ll be okay?” she asked in an uncertain voice.

  I kissed the top of her head. “It’ll be fine. Your father supports you, and your mother will come around. Eventually. Either way, you’re safe here, and you’re free to live the life you want. It’s up to her now if she wants to set her opinions aside to have a relationship with you.”

  Astrea nodded, inhaled deeply, and pulled away from me.

  “We’d better go soon,” she murmured. “One of the many things my mother can’t stand is tardiness.”

  “I’ll add it to the list,” I chuckled.

  My auburn-haired inventor laughed, and we both made a move to the door of the suite.

  It burst open at the same time, and the five other ladies who lived in my magical inn piled into the room in a whirlwind of color and perfume.

  They were all glamorously dressed for the evening ahead, and each one was so beautiful that, for a moment, I was certain I’d wandered into New York Fashion Week.

  Kaz, my Enchanted lover, wore a strapless lavender silk dress. The color matched the amazing halos of her hypnotic violet eyes, and it contrasted against the waves of her long, black hair.

  My white-blonde witch, Prinna, wore a gauzy green number that emphasized her tanned skin and willowy limbs. She’d paired it with stacks of gold bracelets and pendants that jangled slightly when she walked, and a shimmering bronze scarf dangled elegantly from her slender neck.

  Izzie, my mischievous pirate lover, wore a pair of sleek leather leggings that hugged her toned thighs. Her brown hair hung down her back, and the metal cuffs and beads in her Viking-style braids sparkled in the soft light. She’d chosen a fitted white blouse and a pair of thigh-high boots to complete her outfit.

  When she saw me admiring her, her bright blue eyes danced, and she shot me a flirtatious grin.

  “Like what you see?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Always.” I winked.

  Farrah, my beautiful dark-haired lover to Izzie’s left, pouted playfully.

  “And what about me?” she asked with mock sulkiness.

  I chuckled and surveyed her outfit.

  Her warm brown eyes and long, curly hair were enhanced by a luxurious dress of deep purple that rustled with every movement. The purple made her golden-brown skin look like it was glowing, although that might also have been a side effect of my light-bending lover’s magical abilities. Her dark eyes were lined with kohl to make them stand out even more, and her lips were painted a dark, crimson red.

  “You look beautiful,” I told her.

  She smiled and curtsied theatrically.

  Finally, I turned to Sigrid, the latest addition to our group.

  We’d met her in Dalgar, and she’d helped us track down and beat the evil Drakrez venturer who was destroying her homeland. Even though she was the same age as me, she’d already suffered a huge amount of loss, but her positive attitude and unshakeable kindness still shone through.

  I hadn’t seen Sigrid in anything other than thick sweaters and knitted dresses yet, and the sight of her in an evening dress sent a pleasant warmth dancing across my skin.

  She wore a midnight-blue dress with a fitted bodice and a full skirt embroidered with silver stars. Her pale skin gleamed beneath the fabric, and her long, golden-blonde hair shone like the sun. She’d added a touch of glittery bronze eyeshadow and mascara, and I couldn’t help admiring how naturally beautiful she was.

  A small giggle from Prinna told me I must have been staring at Sigrid, and I quickly cleared my throat.

  “You look great,” I said to the golden-haired woman.

  Sigrid flushed and batted the lashes of her gray-green eyes.

  “Thank you,” she replied in her slightly-Scandinavian accent. “You look nice, too.”

  The six stunning women in front of me were all so different, yet each of them was staggeringly gorgeous in their own particular way. The expensive eveningwear only served to emphasize their beauty, and for a few seconds, all I could do was think how fucking lucky I was.

  Only a few months before, I’d been a low-paid architectural intern fresh out of college, and I’d lived in a cramped studio apartment with no immediate prospects of improvement.

  But since I’d inherited the inn, everything had changed. I’d made a fuck-ton of money in the Grymm, and that had allowed me to repair and revamp the sprawling, crumbling building and open a thriving business. Most importantly, though, I’d met six wonderful women, five of whom had become my lovers, and I could no longer imagine my life without a single one of them in it.

  My eyes drifted to Sigrid again.

  Her gray-green gaze met mine and sent a pleasant tingling sensation up my back, then she bit her lip and smiled. It was pretty clear we had a definite connection, but neither one of us had made a move yet.

  I didn’t want Sigrid to think I expected anything from her, and I wanted to give her plenty of space and time to get used to her new life with us.

  “Saaaaaam,” Farrah whined and dragged me from my thoughts.

  My light-bending lover pouted teasingly, put her hands on her slim hips, and raised an expectant eyebrow.

  “Alright, we’re going,” I chuckled and gestured to the door.

  “Don’t we need coats?” Sigrid asked suddenly.

  I shook my head. “Bioniin always seems to have great weather, no matter what it’s like on Earth.”

  “Plus, it’s not a long walk once we get there,” Astrea added.

  “And, it’s not as if we have to head into the cold out there first.” Izzie nodded to the window.

  It was early December, and Oregon was now in the icy grips of winter.

  Kaz wrinkled her nose. “I hope there’ll be snow soon. I’m sick of how wet everything is.”

  My Enchanted lover hated the rain, but she adored snow, and her excitement was infectious.

  “If it snows, will it be as cold as it was in Dalgar?” Farrah asked as we filed into the hallway.

  My dark-haired woman had come from the desert realm of Maardox, and after one visit to Dalgar, she’d decided she never wanted to go back.

  “Not around here,” I reassured her. “And anyway, the inn’s nice and warm, so you won’t have to go out into the snow if you don’t want to.”

  That seemed to placate her, and we all quickly made our way up to the fourth floor.

  I’d been intrigued by the eleven rooms at the top of the building because, unlike the rest of the inn, all of them had a unique-looking door and an individual key. My intrigue had turned to excited amazement when I’d discovered they could transport people to a series of entirely different worlds.

  There were some days when I still couldn’t fucking believe it.

  We walked along the hallway until we reached the brass-colored metal door to Bioniin, but before we could go in, my phone rang.

  “Weird,” I murmured as I fished it out of my pocket.

  I wasn’t expecting any calls, and everything to do with guests and bookings went through Clara, the general manager I’d hired.

  But when I saw the caller ID, a smile spread across my face. It was the BMW dealership.

  I’d bought my first luxury car from them. Then, I’d ordered an SUV with enough room for all of us to go out together.

  With all the customizations, the final price for the SUV had come to over a hundred and seventy thousand dollars, and it still amazed me that such a large figure barely made a dent in my bank account.

  I swiped my thumb over the screen to answer the call.

  “Hello,” I said.

  “Sam, hi,” a familiar voice replied. “It’s Pat from the BMW dealership.”

  Pat had sold me the first car, and he’d been so helpful and informative that I’d asked for him specially to deal with the SUV.

  “I’m calling to let you know the car’s ready to pick up,” the salesman continued.

  “That’s great news.” I grinned. “And it’s early!”

  Pat laughed. “For a loyal customer like you, I pulled some strings.”

  “Thanks,” I chuckled. “I’ll swing by tomorrow to pick her up.”

  “Wonderful,” Pat replied warmly. “I have to warn you, she’s a beauty!”

  “I’m looking forward to seeing her,” I said. “Thanks for calling.”

  “Sure thing,” Pat said. “See you tomorrow.”

  “See you then,” I replied. “Bye.”

  “Bye,” Pat said.

  I hung up and told my ladies the good news.

  “So, we’ll be able to all go out together?” Farrah squealed.

  I nodded. “We can take a day trip somewhere to explore the local area. We’ve spent so much time in other realms, but we’ve barely even been out of Arcton.”

  “I’d love to see more of your homeland,” Sigrid said with sparkling eyes.

  The golden-haired woman had asked us so many questions about the realms we’d visited in the Grymm, and she’d been fascinated by the different places on Earth I’d told her about, but we hadn’t had a chance to do any more exploring since coming back from Dalgar.

  When we’d traveled to the frozen realm, we’d had some VIP guests staying as a sort of test run of the inn and our cooks. Since then, it had been a flurry of activity to try and smooth out the last few problems and bugs.

  Between the Greens’ visit and our official opening a week ago, I’d hired more staff, employed Clara as the general manager, had the driveway repaved with added guest parking, and hired a bartender for the newly built bar in the parlor.

  We’d also secured the building permits for a garage and workshop that would serve as Astrea’s new laboratory.

  My new cars were fucking expensive, and I wanted to look after them properly. It also gave Astrea a dedicated space for inventing. I was hoping the work would begin in the next few weeks, and I’d also hired some landscape gardeners to come and sort out the untamed grounds of the inn in preparation for spring.

  I was drawn from my thoughts by Izzie rattling the handle on the door to Bioniin. It creaked open a second later, and we all stepped inside. My pirate lover had the incredibly useful gift of being able to open anything, and that could range from complicated locks to parting crowds.

  “I’m excited,” Sigrid whispered as her gray-green eyes darted around the room.

  Like all the others on the fourth floor of the inn, it was sparsely furnished with a queen-sized bed, a heavy wooden trunk, and a wide dresser. Most of the furniture had been decorated with the brassy metal that was so common in Bioniin, and although there was nothing spectacular about it, it was very different from what Sigrid was used to.

  The door clicked shut behind us, and we waited silently for whatever magic linked the two worlds to work. As usual, there was nothing to indicate we were traveling to another realm until the soft sound of voices drifted up the stairs to meet us.

  I glanced at Astrea. “Are you ready?”

  My beautiful inventor took a deep breath, and then she nodded.

  I led the six ladies out of the door, and the voices from downstairs grew loud enough to make out the slightly Irish accents and refined tone that was so common among the citizens of Bioniin.

  We padded down the maroon-carpeted stairs, then we walked around the corner into the bar area of the Twin Crest Inn.

  The people sitting at the polished wooden tables of the bar all wore well-made, expensive-looking clothes and elaborate metal jewelry or headpieces. Several pairs of eyes turned to look at my ladies and me as we stepped into the bar, and a gentle murmur of surprise rippled across the room at the sight of Lady Astrea Javreen. But everybody was too polite to say anything to our faces, even though Astrea’s mysterious disappearance had caused quite a stir several weeks before.

  Raiko, the mustachioed bartender, was wiping down a free table, and when he straightened up and saw us, he gave a friendly smile.

  “Greetings, Master Woods,” he called out and then nodded to the six ladies. “Madames.”

  His impeccable politeness and professionalism never faltered for a second, and I waved warmly at him.

  “Hi, Raiko,” I said. “Any messages?”

  Master Javreen still didn’t know exactly how I traveled between the different realms of the Grymm, but we’d been able to communicate easily enough by leaving messages for each other at the Twin Crest Inn. When we were waiting for news of the mole, I’d made a point to pop by every other day to check for messages.

  “Not recently, sir,” the bartender replied. “May I offer you and your ladies a drink?”

  “Not right now, thanks,” I said.

  I led the six ladies out into the street, and Sigrid gasped as she laid eyes on the city for the first time.

 

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