Nameless Darkness: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (The Raven Book 1)
Page 19
Patrick swerves off the road, tires spinning as burnt rubber permeates the air.
“Bloody fooking witch!”
“What the hell Patrick?”
Balor growls and Mac’s face is staring out the window.
Fucking Morrigan. I groan internally. It’s like she’s setting us up to fail. I don’t know what her end game is. She’s trickier than the leprechaun glaring daggers at her.
I almost warn Patrick to just keep on driving, but he rolls down the window.
She’s standing in the middle of the road wearing a pristine white pantsuit. Her jacket ripples as she walks toward us, the hint of breast showing she isn’t wearing anything underneath. Her nipples pebble against the wind. Okay, a thin pantsuit. Her red-lipped smile is devious and I’m reminded again how much this creature puts me on edge. Her perfection is a flaw in itself, her skin like porcelain. Each curve made to entice men, to enslave them.
Not this man. She isn’t Bette.
“Gentlemen.” Her voice cuts me to my bones. I resist the urge to frown or grimace. She’d see right through me. Hell, she can probably see right through me as it is.
“Morrigan,” Trick replies, his accent thick.
“I see you’re all alive.” Seems she knew about the attack on us. I can’t help my sneer. She could have at least warned us.
Balor growls again, looking formidable in his shredded clothing and dreads.
Morrigan tsks, raising a brow in challenge. That is one fight I’d pay to see. I wouldn’t even know who to bet on.
“Now boys. There is much at stake here. No need to be facetious.” It’s very obvious she’s seeing this conversation as something else. Because I’m sure not one of us was teasing her. “There’s a campground close to here. I’ve set you up in a cabin. You’re welcome.”
And at what fucking price? Our debts are already adding up.
“What’s the cost Morrigan?” I almost don’t hear Mac voicing his concern. His tone is low, tired. Again, that drain wearing on him.
“Don’t worry, it’s near a lake.” She swipes her hand dismissing him, but also not answering his question.
“Morrigan.” My voice is just as tired as Mac’s. “What are you after?”
I expect her to act offended, maybe even dramatic. Instead, she peers off into the woods, her eyes unseeing as they glaze over. Her face drops and those lips frown. I’m leery and I don’t know if I’m ready to believe her. Yet when her shoulders slump I know we will go. Even if she’s acting, we will still go.
She reaches into her breast pocket and pulls out a slip of paper and hands it to Patrick. Then she walks away without a damn word.
“What’s it say?” I break the silence.
“Well. She clearly travels differently than us. This isn’t near here at all.” He sighs before tugging at his beard. “We may as well check it out. At least we have somewhere to sleep tonight.”
I look around at the lot of us. Yeah, we are going to need clothing too.
The truck rumbles back to life and I lay my head back against the window, letting the cool glass ease my spirit. But as I glance back down to the angel in my arms, I come face to face with ethereal violet eyes that stare right through to my soul.
Bette’s Blunders
The Sluagh - They present as a mist or a fog. Which are two different things. I know that now. Mist is a fine sheen you can still see through. Fog? Nope, you can’t see through that shit. They are the souls of the damned, those too rotten for Hell and yet have some kind of moral compass no matter how fucked that is. Hey, we all have a fine line. These poor ghosties have been stuck babysitting my fine beast Balor for a long fucking time. Oh, and I wouldn’t recommend touching them, they don’t like to be touched. It’s a wee bit acidic.
Casseus - I don’t know his history. I picture him as a naughty playboy pirate leaving heartbreak in his wake, but I know something even more rotten lives deep in his soul, I know because I touched it once. And my inner darkness loved it. He’s been leading the Sluagh for centuries, alone, and he can turn into a freaking raven, which is pretty fucking cool. He wears this cape I secretly adore and can wrap himself in shadows.
Balor - He may look intimidating and he’s got a pretty bad reputation. But I’m not fooled. I know his time in isolation has changed him, softened him. He wears an eye patch and says what’s under there is pure evil. I haven’t found the confidence to ask him about it. Once upon a time, he was a king. Not a great one and he tells me he was born from the deepest depths of the sea.
Mac - When I think of a pretty boy, that’s what I think of when I see Mac. He’s got this crooked smile that melts me and he’s an actual god of the sea. He’s caring, thoughtful, and probably the most genuine person, ahem god, I’ve ever met.
Patrick - Didn’t know leprechauns were real, or that they were incredibly sexy, and carries axes. They do. I think he’s the last of his kind and I don’t think he has an actual pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. He drinks a lot and smells like spice. I hate to admit that it intrigues me. There’s a fire in his eyes, an intelligence that lies behind the mask of his sarcasm.
Morrigan - I don’t know much about her. She’s supposed to be this legendary god. But I’ve never been one for studying lore. A small failure on my part. She seems nice, but something tells me there is more to her than meets the eye.
Tuatha Dé Danann - Storytime. Once upon a time, a race of beings invaded Ireland and they were called the Tuatha Dé Danann. Too-ah day du-non. Seriously, say that ten times fast. Anyway, so this race of gods shows up in Ireland, they invade. A dick move if you ask me but I’m still new here. They chill for a while and leave. Now sometime between them being in Ireland and then moving to America, they breed with... creatures. Yeah, seriously, that’s some bestiality shit right there. So these offspring are neither god nor human/animal/foliage. These fuckers are freaks. They’ve also gone into hiding after their descendants killed off a few gods. I’m going to have to add to this as I learn more. But right now, I know enough to not really be interested.
Fae - And now the offspring of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Apparently, they are pretty magical based, wielding the elements. Think fireballs and snow storms. Maybe. I’m not sure yet. Anyway, to keep their magic going they kidnap humans, consuming them. I’m going to need more information on this eventually because it’s weird. Either way, they need to be stopped. They also want to be known and worshipped. This is bad. Can you imagine the havoc that would create? Either way, one of these assholes broke my neck so they are already on my shit list.
The forgotten Fae - Patrick is a sneaky, sneaky leprechaun. He calls these creatures his pets and feeds them his blood. I’m just glad they are on our side. These forgotten Fae are the pretty much the magic no one wanted. Think about that and what the Tuatha did. They took the worst aspects of themselves and flung it into the world. Creating the boogeymen of lore. I’ve only met one, and it looked like a damn bug with knowing eyes. I didn’t like it and I’m not so sure I want to know more about it. Yet I have a feeling that isn’t going to work out so well for me. I definitely haven’t seen the last of the forgotten.
Stay tuned as I update this.
Author’s Note
Hello my darlings! I’m not a huge fan of cliffhangers so I’m hoping this was tolerable. Don’t worry Book 2 is in the works and things get a little steamy.
Maybe a lot steamy.
I hope you find that slow burn love I did with these characters. I wanted Bette to be the embodiment of the things we regret, the things that embarrass us, or break us down. I wanted her development to prove to the world how you can overcome mental hurdles and be the person you want to be.
Want more? Follow me on Facebook where you can connect with me and get updates on the next book! There’s also this Newsletter thing where you can get bonus material! All I ask for is your patience as I learn the ins and outs of all this marketing hubbub!
This is my debut Reverse Harem Romance! I hope you loved it and if
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