Descendant of chaos, p.1
Descendant of Chaos, page 1
Descendants Of Chaos
M. Sinclair
Copyright © M. Sinclair, 2019. All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
*Fantasy Reverse Harem*
Vegas and her mean swear a lot. As well, please be advised that the book contains darker themes such as gore, assault, PTSD, and violence. Additionally, sexual themes are suitable for mature audiences +18.
Contents
Description
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Cassian
Chapter 5
River
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Rowan
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Everett
Chapter 10
Fox
Chapter 11
River
Chapter 12
August
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Cassian
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Everett
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
River
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
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Description
Stay away from mages.
It was a singular phrase my father had ingrained in me from the time of my birth.
Sorry, dad. I have a feeling that is going to be a f*cking problem.
You have to understand… my life has been bland at best. Everything in my life, every single day, has been scripted, organized, and neat. Calm, cool, and collected. The problem? It wasn’t real.
I wasn’t like the other witches in my father’s coven. I had a chaotic storm growing inside of me and the moment these mages stepped into the picture, it began to escape. My perfect image of my life shattered. Everything seemed to pale in comparison to them. Their magic was exotic and powerful. Their pull on me nearly… well, magical.
But what are these men hiding? Why are they in Seattle at my high school? More importantly, what in the heck do they want with me? I have a feeling nothing will ever be the same after meeting them.
They say it only takes a singular moment to change everything.
No one tells you what to do after!
Join Nova on her 9 book series adventure! Book 1 contains a very small cliffhanger that simply pushes the plot along. This Fantasy slow/medium burn RH contains several dark themes that readers should be aware of: swearing (I know surprising, right?), gore, violence, assault, PTSD, and sexual themes suitable for +18. Additionally, this book does have mature m/m themes that develop over time.
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Prologue
There were few moments in my life where words escaped me.
I always knew what to say and what to do.
I had been raised to look someone in the eye to gain respect.
I’d been raised to be the next leader of Seattle’s witch coven, the largest in the country besides Los Angeles.
Because of this upbringing, I didn’t like to feel naïve or unknowledgeable about…well, anything. I was well aware that witches weren’t the only magic users on Earth Realm. We just tended to have the largest population. Unfortunately, today was showing me just how naïve I was. How isolated I’d been due to our teachings and the members of my community.
When I was faced with the reality of these other magic users, I was speechless.
In part, it was because of the singular phrase my father had ingrained in me from the time of my birth. It was simple, yet so much more complicated now.
Stay away from mages.
Sorry, dad. I have a feeling that is going to be a fucking problem.
I didn’t want to stay away from them and I hadn’t even talked to them yet. And so what if I didn’t want to? What if I couldn’t? What if their dark unnatural pull had everything inside of me churning into a chaotic storm? A tsunami of emotions flooding my system? What if I wanted to metaphorically plunge into an ocean of the unknown?
They really didn’t seem disagreeable with the concept and neither did their magic.
I had been so used to a witch’s magic which smelled of raw earth and herbs. It was delicate and almost floral in nature. Even the most powerful of us had magic that only felt like the lightest breeze.
Well, except me.
That was exactly why I kept my powers locked away. It embarrassed my father. He called them explosive, rash, and uncontrolled. Because that didn’t hurt my confidence or anything. Asshole.
I think that was why I liked these mages. Their magic, while not agressive, felt like a fucking bulldozer of power that had me gasping for breath. It felt good. It felt alive. Like I’d been struck by lightning. Suddenly, everything looked different.
Suddenly, my life had faded into gray and only they stood out in bold Technicolor.
If Instalust was a thing, I would have just experienced it with their magic. No doubt. My magic floated around inside of me waltzing to Titanic’s theme song.
Gross.
Anyway, it didn’t matter. I shouldn’t feel this way and it was just another example of how I was so different from my father. Why, he probably was still hesitant to hand me any responsibility despite his promise that I would be the one to replace him. Well, less of a promise and far more of a muttered “Sure, we’ll see.”
Could I lead a coven without a good hold on my magic? Guess we’d find out!
So, what made mages so “bad” in my father’s eyes? You see, mages and witches were fundamentally different in a singular way - the origin of our magic. Witches, both male and female, used Earth’s natural magic to form their desires and intent. We were successful herbalists and gardners. We could shape a land mass over time or populate a barren forest. It was a peaceful, delicate, almost demure power and yet somehow, we were the most powerful magic users on Earth Realm.
According to my father.
Mages on the other hand were made of something far more alien and less molded, less organized. Rough, primal, and raw magic from the Fae realm. It was said they were half human and half Fae, whether born or created, a concept that thrilled my father because he liked the prospect of growing our population.
His dream? To be able to change humans into witches.
My biggest question about mages was simpler. Why the fuck were they here? At my school. During my senior year. On my coven’s pavilion.
Well, the children of my father’s coven anyway, but the difference didn’t matter much to me.
“Nova,” a concerned soft voice whispered into my ear. “What should we do? They shouldn’t be here. The humans will find out.”
I looked to the conservatively dressed woman next to me. Similar to many witches in our coven, she wore a simple dress with a pale blue collar that reached down to just above her knees. The cardigan she wore was wrinkle-free. Her hair, perfectly pulled back.
So neat. So perfect. So fucking annoying.
Still, it wasn’t my place to try to change them. I just didn’t roll like that. Even though my mom had been gone for some time, she had impressed upon me the importance of individuality. Something my father admonished me for constantly.
She was right, though. They shouldn’t be here. As witches, we had, for the most part, concealed ourselves from humans for hundreds of years. However, after the Salem Witch Trials, our female population shrank to a ridiculously small amount and we’d moved west. We had yet to be accused or burned at the stake in our new home, so our efforts at secrecy must have been working. Unfortunately, the isolation also mired the coven in the past. While my father stated it just wasn’t true, gender roles were as rigid as a stick.
I hated it.
Mages, though? They held themselves in a way that made them stand out. At least, this particular group did. I was starting to see why they were “trouble.” I was also starting to see how fucking plain vanilla and flat-out boring my community was.
Mind you, I had yet to speak a word to these men. I was just on a mental tangent.
With a deep sigh, I met the woman’s eyes and stood up. For the record, I didn’t know her name, which was probably terrible but, except for school, I was usually stuck in my house. At school, no one talked to me so I didn’t bother to ask names. Frankly, I didn’t care.
I had to handle this, though. It was my responsibility. I womaned up and began walking across the pavillion with my back held confidently straight. I ignored the pull of desire that felt like silk against my skin as I neared. It was like some exotic predator was rubbing all up on me. Except instead of it making me feel small like an ineffectual house cat, I felt like a powerful lion.
This was bad.
I could feel the population of seniors at our small Seattle high school staring at me. Humans and otherwise. There were still ten minutes before the bell. No one was eager to start the school year, choosing instead to enjoy the misty, rainy weather against their skin. I loved this weather. While most people preferred sunshine, the moisture fueled me like it fueled the Earth. I could fee
There was a slight chill to the air so I tucked my hands into the pockets of my long duster jacket. It contoured to my body, but the trench material went all the way down to my ankles so I left it open. My thigh-high boots, black leather with laces, were well broken-in. My A-line skirt pressed against my long lean legs, protected from the shifting winds by my coat. The forest green color matched the green lace accents on my black, long-sleeved sweater. It was a cute outfit and right now, confidence was key.
My smooth, silky bob sat just above my shoulders. The natural ombre colors began darkly at my roots, blended into a silver color, and turned a stormy navy at the ends. No one had offered a reason why my hair did this, but I had to keep my hair short because the longer it got, the deeper that blue became. I thought it was pretty.
My dad didn’t.
The man was a bastard on his best day.
Despite the cloudy weather, my eyes hurt a bit from the daylight. You see, I had very odd eyes. I am so not trying to do the whole “my eyes are so unique” brag but mine were actually very unusual. The outside edge was the same dark navy of my hair. As you looked closer towards my pupils, the color grew lighter and lighter until it was lightning-strike white. It made a lot of people uncomfortable.
Good thing I didn’t care how my eyes made these boys feel. It would make for a quick conversation.
“Hello, gentleman,” I drawled as I walked up to their table. Father had always taught me to start with the most formal of greetings until you determined someone’s comfort level. I really didn’t want to call them “gentlemen.” It was either that or “dudes.” Oh, well.
I quickly counted six of them, all manspread out like the jerks they probably were.
I know. Don’t judge a book by its cover. I swear, I wasn’t! These particular covers were gorgeous. But the smirks on their faces? They told a different tale. They sported those amused smirks that would surely deliver heartbreak. So, until proven otherwise, they were jerks.
“Oh, ho!” one of them chuckled softly. “It is so good to finally be graced by your presence, Esteemed Coven Leader.”
Ass.
But was he guessing or did he actually know who I was?
“I figured if you were going to stare that much, I might as well officially introduce myself,” I quipped, slipping my hands casually into my pockets.
The young man’s eyes danced with amusement as he sighed. “That really wasn’t needed.”
My face turned darkly serious. “Actually, it is. You are going to enlighten me on why a group of mages are enrolled in a high school near one of the largest witch covens in the United States.”
I felt them tense as my magic swirled, first around me and then around them. I wasn’t touching! Just intimidating. A bit. As my magic explored theirs eagerly, one man’s face grew painfully intense. The group of them settled into a disquiet calm as they all exchanged odd, furtive glances.
Huh?
So either I scared them, or I missed the boat entirely.
I sighed. “You know what? It’s fine. I don’t care. Just please remember the humans do not know about us or about you. I would be thrilled if that status could be maintained.”
All of them just watched me intently.
This. Was. Awkward.
I finally turned on a spiked heel and began walking away. One of them called after me. “What’s your name?”
I turned back, lightning-white eyes staring. “Nova.”
The mages exchanged immediate, frustrated glances but I had gone.
I made my way back towards my coven and shot a prayer up to the Maker that they would behave.
I really didn’t have time to babysit a bunch of bad boys.
Chapter One
My schedule was fairly light this year, considering I’d completed all requirements to graduate last year. I’d only stayed in school because, let’s face it, what the hell else was there to do? As I exited English Lit, an odd energy swept over me. I didn’t need to look up to know it was one of them. His massive shadow eclipsed mine as I pretended to not notice him. Instead, my eyes scanned over a document my cousin had sent me earlier that morning. He was the future coven leader of New York. Recently, he’d experienced several incidents of missing witches.
I just didn’t understand how that was possible. Despite our power feeling passive, it was fairly difficult to out-power a witch. It would be like going against the Earth itself. Nature bent to us in a way you could only understand if you were a witch yourself. Of course, that was assuming the alleged kidnappers were human. When it came to other supernatural beings, we were sorta screwed, and not in a good way.
“It’s not nice to ignore someone,” a deep husky voice whispered against my ear.
I halted my forward momentum and looked up to meet a pair of stunning eyes. A light almond-brown speckled with green. You didn’t see true hazel eyes very often. When you did, it sort of took your breath away. Like now. My mouth opened and the words tumbled out before I could stop myself from being rude.
“Ignoring someone would suggest they had attempted to talk to me and I chose not to answer. I don’t consider stalking me and standing in my space a qualifying interaction.”
His full lips twitched as his eyes examined my own. An odd look filled his face before he shuttered it. The man was massive, nearly 6’5”. Considering I was only 5’6”, that shit was impressive. I had the distinct feeling this man was older than an innocent eighteen. His chiseled features and the dark shadow on his jaw easily suggested early 20s. Even his hair was far more sophisticated than most of the guys here. Shaved short on the sides, a rune shaved in behind his left ear, before blending into silky dark hair on top. His hair looked thick and I imagined running my hands through it while he unbuttoned his, Sweet Christ...flannel. This was some sexy lumberjack shit right here.
Very disconcerting.
He put a rough, tanned hand out. “Fair enough. My name is River. Unlike Fox’s earlier statement, I do think introductions are necessary. Plus, now that you know my name you can’t say we haven’t talked. So, technically, ignoring me will be difficult.”
Cheeky. I liked him.
I met his hand and was immediately surrounded by the scent of rain. His smooth, controlled power rolled over my skin and it seemed to soothe everything inside of me. I didn’t understand how mages worked, so I pulled my hand away, feeling unbalanced. His magic didn’t feel dark or unnatural. Just different. I suppose, logically, it made sense since he was from a different realm.
My chest hurt at the concept of all the places that had gone unseen. I’d never traveled outside of Earth Realm. I had to admit it was depressing. Like really fucking depressing. My father didn’t like to travel where he wasn’t top dog.
“That’s very polite of you,” I noted cautiously. “However, I do maintain the right to ignore you.”
River’s smile was a bright flash of perfect white teeth. A pleasurable chill swept across my skin. I lied. His magic, while soothing, had a dangerous, predatory flair to it. It was totally turning me on.
I was weird like that.
My entire life I had avoided those thoughts. My darker instincts. I was a good witch. A good girl. A leader. Yet, part of me didn’t think I was. At least, I wasn’t built to be. Thoughts of darkness seemed to swell inside of me when I wasn’t focused on my control. Thoughts that craved chaos, destruction, and violence had grown over time. Thoughts that craved blood and war spread like wildfire if I gave it fuel.
These men seemed dangerous, like my thoughts. I liked that.
