Savages a reverse harem.., p.6
Savages: A Reverse Harem (Vengeance Book 1), page 6
“Baby, this is going to hurt,” Athens said as his face suddenly filled my vision.
“Shit, your eyes,” I murmured as he offered an impish grin and put those silver eyes on my stomach. He took scissors and cut my dress in the center, peeling away the bloody fabric. No, it’s cool Athens. I didn’t love that dress or anything. Thank the gods I wore a cute lace thong, though. I mean it wasn’t that I cared what they thought, but come on, no matter who it is, everyone liked to look good naked!
“Gray,” Neo drew my attention as he held my other hand. I stared up into his eyes that seemed to be getting even darker, swirling with a darkness that felt like ice against my skin. He seemed to be shimmering like a wave of dark water. I squeezed his hand in comfort.
Look at me, comforting others with a bullet lodged in my stomach. Friend of the fucking year right here! Once again, not that, they were my friends but it’s the principle.
A scream tore from my throat as Athens placed a large hand on my stomach. A searing sharp pain began to delve through my abdomen. Oh shit, it did hurt! I also took the time to marvel that his hand literally almost covered my small waist. Guess who’s workout plan is showing progress? Mine bitches.
“Dude, Athens,” I growled after minutes of agony. “Hurry the fuck up.”
Rhodes laughed in a strained voice, “Shit. You’re tough.”
I could feel Athens’ silver strands moving through my stomach and surrounding the iron bullet. I groaned as he pulled it up through the muscle. I almost puked, but instead kept it together. Okay, so I may have let tears fall down my face in thin ugly streaks. My makeup was probably ruined, which was a damn shame because I looked fantastic before this.
On a completely unrelated topic, it seems that Athens is a metal mage. At least, I couldn’t remember any other magic users that could control metal with this amount of ease. I was pretty impressed and would have said so, if I wasn’t in pain.
“You owe me a fucking drink for not screaming like a bitch,” I attempted humor. Rhodes just kept watching my face with an indiscipherable look.
“You did scream--”
“Shut it,” Neo growled at Athens.
I felt myself smiling. A deep cry came from Ashford and my eyes found the red shadow releasing his body, it went limp. I could tell he was still alive, but past that the room began to go blurry.
“Rhodes, heal her,” Neo murmured.
I was suddenly in his arms as Rhodes left me. My eyes flickered shut as a snarl echoed through the room. Now, that didn’t sound like a dragon to me. Weren’t they supposed to roar or something? Crap. What sound did dragons make exactly?
Before I could open my eyes, I felt a warm tongue, like an animal, touch my stomach. What in the ever loving christ... nope too late. The darkness didn’t care about my shock. My eyes fell shut.
Chapter 14
Gray
When I woke up, my body instantly began bitching. I let out a groan as I flung myself up, flipping open one eye and coming face to face with Adyen. His dark hair was freshly washed with some water droplets still present, but his face was smooth and shaven. It made those amber eyes brighter and more dangerous looking. I could even smell the cinnamon drifting off him in warming waves.
“Wow,” I stated lightly as if it wasn’t weird to wake up to him. “Hell of a way to wake up.”
The big guy broke into a smile, “Seems like your sense of humor was saved, lil brawler.”
He handed me coffee and I nearly kissed him. Instead, I took it and offered him a shy smile.
“You’re my favorite now. Thank you for the coffee.”
“I literally pulled a bullet out of you, baby!” Athens exclaimed from the door with unmasked shock. Both men were dressed in sweats and freshly showered, but still looked sleepy and cute. I liked them like that.
God damn them. No, I didn’t. I didn’t like them at all.
I rose a brow and ignored my inner conflict, “Is that coffee, Athens? No. It was you saving my life and very much not as good as coffee.”
He groaned and walked back into the other room. I stole a look at Adyen. His eyebrows were drawn, but his gold eyes sparkled. It reminded me of something.
“Oh, holy shit. You’re a dragon, aren’t you?” It dawned on me as I lightly punched his shoulder. That earned me a brilliant smile that I found myself enjoying.
“Yep,” He sighed while reaching up slowly to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I could feel that it had curled just slightly in my sleep.
“That’s really cool, actually,” I chirped. “So, you guys are sorta badass, right? I mean if you’re part of SE and from the Horde? You have to be, right?” As if I didn’t know how fucking badass they had to be…
Rhodes came to the door and paused my thoughts. Was the man ever not hot? He looked comfy and sleepy. Oh my gods, did they sleep here? I sorta loved that. It was like my own harem.
Taylor barked out a laugh from the other room.
“That was a loud thought, baby girl.”
I blushed for once as my ears heated, “You didn’t think it would be good to tell me that you read fucking minds, Taylor?!”
The man in question moved to the door, “I can’t usually read yours, but you broadcasted that particular thought loud and clear.”
I narrowed my eyes and scowled, “You keep that to yourself.”
“Wait, but you were looking at me,” Rhodes concluded with curiosity. “Why don’t I get to know?”
I grinned and looked back at him, evil glinting in my eyes, as I pounced.
“Yes, I was looking at you,” I stated coyly, “...and you don’t get to know, just like how you didn’t tell me that you were a jaguar.”
I chuckled as his eyes widened and I nearly broke at his expression. Did he seriously think I didn’t put that together? I mean, true, he seemed more reserved and pulled back from his animal nature. That would mean I had an extensive ‘dream’ of a massive cat sealing my injury shut with its’ tongue. I almost broke into giggles if it wasn’t for the fact that it was really sweet. Not that I would admit that. Also, ew, I didn’t giggle. Ever.
Rhodes narrowed his eyes and sauntered forward, all that deadly predator hotness moving toward me. I tilted my head up, curious to what he would say, or maybe do? A girl can dream. I almost hit myself on the head at that thought. When he crouched down to be even with me, there was a glint to his expression that made me smile with excitement.
“Did you like what you saw kitten?”
I offered a coy smile, “If you keep calling me that, you will never find out.”
He laughed as Neo walked in with a calm expression, but eyes darker than usual. I offered him a smile. He simply crawled onto the bed as Athens joined us as well. I felt Neo move closer, but he didn’t touch me. I appreciated that he understood the unspoken boundaries.
“What happened to Ashford?” I asked suddenly. My eyes went wide as they stuck on Taylor. The man’s emerald gaze was caught on mine. A dangerous smile formed on his lips.
“He’s not dead,” He assured me quietly. “But he will be out of your way for some time.”
I swallowed hard as thoughts of retaliation from Damon filling my mind. Fuck. Why had they wanted to kill me? That wasn’t part of our deal. It also frustrated me to no end.
“You need to report them,” Rhodes started. My temper flared up quickly because of how concerned I was about our very delicate balance.
“I don’t need to do anything,” I began simply my emotions emptying. “I will talk to them.”
“You’re not going near them,” Adyen growled out softly.
I ignored how his eyes flashed gold and spoke evenly, “That isn’t your decision.”
Neo’s hand grasped mine and I moved my gaze his direction. He met me with an even, but knowing gaze. I worried my lip and pulled my hand away. It was hard to be around Neo. It was far too intense for just waking up and not having finished my first cup of coffee.
“I need to mull this over,” I explained quietly. “Thanks for healing me and spending the night, but I need some time to think.”
I really was thankful, it would have been a pain in the ass to pull out the bullet myself.
“Gray,” Adyen began his voice rough. I knew what was coming and I really did understand. They were probably worried because they thought I nearly died. I suppose I would be worried also. I was more worried about why they were trying to kill me. Ashford knew very well what that iron bullet would have done if I were a weak fae, which he assumed me to be.
Rhodes let out a noise in his throat but spoke, “We will leave for now, but at least have dinner with us later to talk about what your options are?”
“Maybe.”
He sighed, but stood up to walk toward the door. Taylor offered me a frustrated look as Neo squeezed my arm gently before leaving. Athens didn’t look too worried, but pressed a kiss to my forehead that caught me off guard. Adyen didn’t leave at first.
“What?”
Adyen spoke quietly, “I am not letting this go, Gray. I don’t care if I have to lock you up to keep you safe. He shot you with a fucking iron bullet. You should be almost dead right now.” I felt my face pale because he was edging very close to the truth.
I let out a quiet snarl, “Do not pull that dragon bullshit on me, Adyen. I don’t need you to be protective over me. I’ve been just fucking fine on my own.”
He spoke with narrowed gold eyes that began swirling with black on the edges, “Like I said, this is not over. Get some rest, but don’t think that just because I leave this room, I am not protecting you.” The infuriating, stupid dragon left then.
What the fuck did that mean? Why did I like it? That is the better question. I groaned. Fuck these guys. I needed a good glass of wine and a girl’s night.
Esme peaked in once the door closed, “Holy shit, dude.” She had obviously overheard.
I smiled and drank my coffee as she joined me on the bed. I loved coffee. I also loved Esme. She snuggled next to me as silence fell over the suite. We were both dressed comfortably and she flipped on my television to watch some earth realm cartoons.
“Bomb ass party though,” she offered with a grin before the opening tune to Spongebob started.
I grinned in agreement. Yeah. We were lunatics, alright. One question plagued me though. How were people not freaking out about the dragon in my club?
Chapter 15
Gray
The shooting was all over the academy as I walked towards class. There were no mention of dragons, red shadows, or leopards though. Odd? Yes, I thought so as well.
However, I did notice people talking about me being shot. My stomach had a new pink scar that my body was turning a shiny silver as we spoke. It was one positive about my injuries, I suppose. This morning, I had decided to wear an oversized, deep blue sweater and leggings. It was casual, but I did get shot the night before so I figured people would understand. I even wore sneakers and oversized sunglasses. It was perfect for the type of overcast day it was.
“Gray,” Bobby called out as I passed. I pulled off my glasses and faced him.
He saw the anger there and rose his hands, “I had no idea--”
It wasn’t a Monday but I punched him in the side anyway, making him grunt. Usually, I would have stopped for more conversation, but I was angry. So, I turned and left. Oh, didn’t know? Right, Bobby. You had only arrived with them and had been talking to Ashford all night. A small sense of inappropriate betrayal filled me.
He called out to me, but I ignored him. I made it to theories and became instantly aware that Taylor sat with Adyen in the back of the classroom. Yes, all I needed was another class with them, right? Actually, I was almost positive that I could hear the twins entering behind me. Fan-fucking-tastic.
“How are we doing, Miss Gray?” Barney asked from the front desk. I smiled and walked up while pulling open my bag. I knew I hadn’t been to class, except once, but he wouldn’t stay mad for long. Particle Physics was my shit.
“I have finished all written assignments,” I handed him those, a large stack of data filled white sheets. Then, I pulled out my computer. “I will still take the exams, but I have developed that simulator we talked about over the summer to replace the several, smaller projects on the syllabus.”
Barney rose his bushy gray brows in interest.
“The student classroom simulator?”
I offered him an authentic smile, “The very same one. Look at this.”
The bell had rung, but our focus was on the laptop. I wasn’t naive about the leniency I was granted here. However, it came at the expectation of finishing stellar work. He was smiling by the end of the program and his deep blue eyes gazed up at me proudly.
“Do you care if I show it to the class?”
I nodded my consent and went to plug it in as the class opened up their work. I didn’t look at the boys because I was happy just being me for a few moments. The Gray who didn’t get shot, but instead was fantastic at school and beat up Bobby because he was a snarky bastard. I took a sip of my travel mug as the scent of jasmine tea drifted through me.
“Good morning,” Barney clapped with enthusiasm. “Please, pass forward your assignments. While I take attendance, Miss Gray is going to showcase a developed simulator she created for students in the classroom.”
I covered my face as a yawn broke and the class seemed amused by this. I supposed it did look odd that rumors of me being shot had been flying around, yet I was in class presenting new work. Mind you, it was a project that Barney had been working on originally. It went without stating that I could have graduated with a degree within a year flat, but had decided to stay for the safety of the school.
I started it up and gave my body a stretch. Shit! My injury still hurt. I winced, but kept my eyes on the laptop, ignoring the growl from Adyen that echoed in the back. The simulator took a few minutes and an enthusiastic clap followed that made me smile. I still didn’t look at the boys because I didn’t really want to see their reactions. I was exhausted and, for once, feeling fairly non-confrontational. I know, crazy shit, right?
That was the problem with friends, though. The more people who cared about you meant the more people worrying about you. Talking to you. Asking you questions. Exhausting.
“You can sit down now, Miss Gray. Good work.” Barney said with a smile. I was happy that it wouldn’t be necessary for me to frequent this class very often. All five sexy SE Horde warriors in one class? No, thank you, I wouldn’t be able to focus with one or two, let alone all five.
I gathered my bag and traversed to the back of the classroom. Finally, I looked up. Yeah, I nearly choked on my tea. It was priceless. Why had I avoided this? This was like some personal entertainment.
Neo and Athens were both looking at me with raised eyebrows. Only after a moment did Athens offer me a sly grin and wink. Adyen gave me a head nod as Taylor whispered ‘Good job baby girl’ which earned him a scowl. The best though? Rhodes. Those pale green eyes were lit up with questions. Hungry curiosity. Didn’t curiosity kill the cat?
“How did you--”
I turned and patted his hand, “Don’t worry, Rhodes. I’ll show you sometime.”
Athens chuckled at my patronizing tone that made Rhodes shake his head. Honestly, it felt good. See? I wasn’t just the girl who beat people up and wore nice clothes. I was smart as shit. Thank you very much. I supposed it helped that I wasn’t human and restricted to the way they thought about the world.
It was around an hour later when I realized class was over. I looked up from the game of hangman I had been playing with Athens, to see someone standing in front of me. My head looked up to catch a gaze I was unfamiliar with.
“Hi Gray,” The young man offered with a soft smile that made his brown eyes warm. “I just want to say I was really impressed with the simulator today.”
I sat back and smiled, looking at the way his uniform fit his muscular lean body. He was cute in that boy next door way with his wavy blonde hair and tan skin. I knew he had more to say, but I went along with it. I could tell he was an earnest guy. It didn’t surprise me because I could tell he was some type of shifter. Probably canine, but I had been wrong before.
“Thanks,” I offered sweetly. “What's your name?”
I heard something behind me, but the man just answered, “Jordan Web.”
“Well, Jordan, it’s great to meet you.”
He blushed, but offered a bigger smile, “Yeah, for sure--”
I could see it on the tip of his tongue, but then I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders. I nearly chuckled. God damn possessive bastard.
Taylor spoke, “Ready to go, baby girl?”
Jordan rose his brows at the hands on my shoulders, “Oh, I didn’t realize...”
With a sigh, I shook the hands off to stand up. I realized Jordan’s height towered over mine as I placed a hand on his shoulder. I tried to hold in my grin as someone with a growling problem practically jumped over the row in agitation. I smiled, “Let’s talk later, cool?”
Jordan nodded and left quickly as my eyes sought out the men behind me. Neo and Athens hadn’t done anything, each sitting on one side of me with amused, but innocent expressions. The other three? Yeah. They were being a fucking issue.
“What was that?” I asked with a raised brow. Taylor looked pleased, Adyen’s eyes were on Jordan, and Rhodes was once again the winner of best reactions because he looked jealous. Gods, why were emotional displays on him so enjoyable? Probably because he was always striving for control.
“What did I do?” Taylor asked with feigned innocence that didn’t match the glint in his eyes. His red hair was messy today in that way only men could perfect.
“You know he was working up the nerve to ask me out,” I reasoned, crossing my arms. All of their attention went to my chest as I nearly snickered. Score: Gray 1, Boys 0.
Rhodes’s expression morphed into humor, “You shouldn’t be with a guy who has to ‘work himself up’ to anything regarding you, kitten.”
