Reckoning: A Reverse Harem Tale (Mountain Magic Book 3)

by Dakota Brown

  "I wonder if they are more accepting of magic users," I said quietly. The picture was dated more recently.

  "Steppes are difficult land to live in. Would be silly of them to reject someone who could mean the difference between life and death." Nikolai shrugged. Nikolai was half Tatar and half Russian and had spent time both on the Steppes and in Russian cities.

  We worked our way back in time, and details got more speculative, though Nikolai filled in a lot of information. Quietly. As we approached his time, details in the exhibit about magic became more prevalent. His hand clenched on mine as we read details of how the Renaissance had affected that part of the world.

  He growled softly, muttering about stupid humans, though I saw him studying the descriptions intently. Maybe looking for mention of people he knew?

  "Here." He pointed. "Roza Orlov. Court mage." He curled his lip.

  "Orlov?" I questioned.

  "Cousin."

  "Ah."

  Doc stood close, listening, though he watched the people around us while Nikolai read.

  "Did not go well for her." He pointed at one of the documents. Not long after she had stabbed Nikolai in the back, the war with the Tatar was won and the magic purge took its toll on the Russian courts. "She did not enjoy her success for long." Nikolai laughed. "It says she gained ascension after the previous court mage mysteriously vanished. Few records of that individual remain." He snorted.

  I squeezed his hand and leaned against his arm.

  "We should leave," Doc said quietly.

  "Why?" I turned to look at him then followed where he was looking.

  "Huh, wonder what she wants?"

  That got Nikolai's attention. "Adriana followed us here?" He frowned.

  "Apparently," Doc replied.

  "Well, is obvious she knows we're here. I would like to finish reading this. See how much they got wrong." He smirked. "I do not think we're in danger. Currently, anyway."

  Nikolai turned back to the documents in front of him and I stayed twisted around, watching the other mage approach.

  "Touring the city?" Adriana didn't even pretend she was there by chance.

  "Neither Sofia nor Nikolai have been here before," he answered. "Why are you here?"

  "How are you alive, Roy? You haven't aged a bit, either." Adriana crossed her arms, not answering his question directly, but it was clear why she had followed us.

  He shrugged. "Just lucky, I guess."

  Nikolai pulled me on as he finished reading. Doc and Adriana followed.

  "You don't look that much older, yourself."

  "Yes, but I have aged. It's been thirty years, and no one should have made it out of that alive. Your magic isn't that strong."

  Nikolai muttered something I didn't catch but I glanced at him. He was studying something about the war between the Russians and the Tatar. Maybe he was looking for references to his friend Peter?

  "I didn't get hit when the building came down and was able to get out before the smoke overwhelmed me. I got lucky." Doc kept his tone mild, but I could sense his annoyance through our pack bond.

  "Why didn't you find me?" She actually sounded a little hurt.

  It was my turn for my hand to clench. Nikolai pulled his attention away from the exhibit and turned toward Doc.

  "Maybe I didn't want to answer your questions." Doc smiled slightly. "We had accomplished our goals and I moved on. I don't usually stay in one place for very long."

  "Why?"

  "Life of a cowboy," he drawled.

  Ed and Allan wandered back over, though I saw both of them stiffen as they recognized Adriana.

  Nikolai and I stepped up to either side of Doc, though our hands were still joined behind his back and we made it very clear with our body language that he was quiet spoken for.

  Adriana's eyebrows rose and she glanced between me and Nikolai then back to Doc. "Seems you have settled down a little."

  He shrugged. "For a while." He slid his arm around mine and Nikolai's backs.

  "Something tells me my initial instincts about you were correct. You're not really a mage, are you?" She said it casually, as if it didn't matter to her, but I could sense the intensity behind her question.

  "Perhaps this is not best place to be talking about any of this?" Nikolai suggested.

  We hadn't exactly drawn an audience, but we were getting curious glances.

  "Of course," Adriana agreed. She turned her attention my mage. "I still want to know more about you, as well."

  Pink lights flashed in her eyes as she pulled on her magic. I thought she was using some sort of sensing spell.

  I growled softly, but Nikolai blocked her.

  "You seem awfully confident discovery won't cause you problems," Nikolai lowered his voice.

  "People know who and what I am." She shrugged. "I'm not worried about discovery. I fight for our rights."

  Nikolai shook his head and gestured toward the exit. "If you want to talk, we should leave."

  "Where are we going?"

  Nikolai glanced at Doc, who shrugged. "Dinner, perhaps."

  She nodded acceptance.

  It would be dark by now or I would have suggested that we go someplace like a park where there were less likely to be people close enough to overhear our conversation. Though, I supposed, there was a spell for that.

  Ed and Allan trailed behind us as we headed out of the museum.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Doc made good on his promise to take us to the sixteenth street mall. My luck with restaurants and never having to wait for a seat held and we got seated right away at a restaurant claiming to have the best cheesecake. They certainly had a wide variety, and I debated skipping dinner and going straight to the dessert.

  I ended up ordering pasta. Doc ordered the same thing though he and Nikolai had a lengthy discussion about various dishes which Adriana watched with interest as it became quite clear the Russian was not familiar with most of the stuff on the menu. We sat on either side of Doc. Ed sat on my other side and Allan sat next to Nikolai. Adriana sat between the two werewolves.

  She acted at ease, but I noticed her shoot uneasy glances at the two werewolves now and again. They had put us in a corner of the restaurant and Nikolai discreetly cast a spell that would muffle our words to anyone not at the table or standing right next to us so we could talk freely if we wanted to. Adriana watched him with interest, but didn't otherwise comment.

  Once we ordered food, we fell into an uneasy silence. She seemed to be waiting for us, and I knew we were waiting on her.

  Finally, once our drinks arrived, she took a drink and leaned back in her chair, head tilted slightly, almost regal in her demeanor as if she viewed supplicants.

  "We want to help you, you know. The Andersons have needed handling for a long time now."

  "Then why do you not handle them?" Nikolai grumbled.

  "The demon, of course. They have not yet done anything worth risking other mage lives over."

  Doc's water glass shattered in his hand and his growl vibrated through me. Blood dripped through his clenched fist, mingling with the spilled water on the table. Adriana's eyes went wide as she jumped in her seat. Either she had discounted what they had attempted to do to me, or didn't consider it that important.

  Both Ed and Allan glared at her.

  Nikolai quickly cast another spell and the spilled water, blood and broken glass vanished. Then he made a show of casting a healing spell over Doc's already closing wounds, before he put his hand over Doc's wrist. I pressed up against the vampire's other side.

  Nikolai's magic tugged at me, though we had managed to get some of our reaction to the resonance between us under control, my stomach still tightened and I had to concentrate on my anger to keep from losing my focus.

  My mage glanced at me, winking before he turned his attention back to Adriana.

  Doc was so pissed off that he didn't even react, though he had to have felt it just as I did.

  "Perhaps you are unaware of what
they've been up to recently?" Nikolai said voice low.

  "We keep some watch on them, but we only have so many resources," Adriana replied defensively.

  "They wanted Sofia to host a greater demon," Doc growled through clenched teeth. "Nearly succeeded, too."

  Adriana blanched. "How far did they actually get."

  We all traded a glance before I shrugged. At this point I didn't think it mattered what she knew.

  "Let's just put it this way," I said. "Much of my education came from the greater demon. She was kind enough to leave me alive long enough for Nikolai to figure out how to send her home. Nikolai has taught me the rest of what I know."

  Adriana's eyebrows rose. "You were able to release the binding on a greater demon?" She directed that at Nikolai, "and you were able to resist being pushed out of her mind?" The last was said toward me.

  "The demon was just as interested in going home as I was in staying alive, so she worked with us. The Andersons didn't think we'd manage it and we tricked them into leaving me with Nikolai while he figured out how to unravel the spell."

  "How did you do it?"

  Nikolai rolled his eyes. "Unraveled the spell."

  "But how?" she repeated.

  "You are not skilled enough to do it. No sense in teaching you."

  Burn, I thought to myself, fighting a smile.

  Her eyebrows really rose at that. "I am one of the more powerful mages in the States."

  Nikolai waved his hand dismissively, currently every inch the court mage in posture and attitude. I hadn't seen him act like that in quite some time, so I was certain it was deliberate.

  "Where are you from, Nikolai? No one has heard of you."

  "Course not." He didn't elaborate.

  Adriana clenched her jaw, but her attention strayed to Doc and she tensed.

  I ran my hand up his forearm, before folding my hand over his clenched one. He took a deep breath and relaxed marginally.

  The food arrived, interrupting our conversation. We ate for a while in silence before Ed finally broke it. "Did you follow us just to tell us again how you couldn't help us?"

  Adriana shook her head. "Nikolai seemed certain that he could take their demon away from them. I wanted to know why." Her gaze strayed to Doc and her eyes narrowed. "And I needed more answers about Roy."

  "You don't need anything," Allan said a distinct growl to his voice as well. "You just want information."

  Ed and Allan had finished their dinners and Ed eyed mine speculatively. It tasted good, but the conversation had stolen a lot of my appetite, so I passed my plate off to him. He grinned. Doc handed his plate to Allan, and the werewolves dug in.

  "You are werewolves?" Adriana asked hesitantly.

  Ed nodded.

  "Where is your pack?"

  Ed tilted his head as if he didn't understand the question. "Sitting at the table with us."

  "No, your other wolves. Werewolves rarely, if ever, are on their own."

  "It's just me, Allan, and the mages. We're a pack. Doc rescued Allan and me from the foster system. Sofia and Nikolai joined us more recently."

  "How did you end up in the foster system?" Adriana frowned.

  "Our family was attacked on a camping trip. Ed and I survived. Our parents didn't. Relatives couldn't take us. We managed," Allan finished the story.

  "I see." Her tone indicated that she was still confused. However, she dropped the questions.

  Another uneasy silence followed, broken when the waiter came to see if we wanted dessert.

  "You do." Allan grinned at me.

  That settled, everyone ordered cheesecake, though I probably wasn't the only one that wished Adriana would leave.

  When dessert arrived, I took a bite. "Oh, this is good." I moaned a little, which got all the guys to stare at me. I ignored the heat in their gazes, partially because of our unwanted dinner guest, and partially because the cheesecake was that good.

  "Yes. Is truly made from cheese? Delicious." Nikolai stole Doc's piece.

  "Hey," Doc protested.

  "Get another. I have been missing out on this entire life."

  Doc laughed and gestured for Nikolai to keep it.

  The werewolves finished quickly, and Adriana grabbed the bill before Doc could. "Least I can do. Now, since you seem to think you can, once you rescue the demon, call us and I will have people move in to arrest the Andersons. If you change your mind about relocating, don't hesitate to reach out. Try to keep the damage to a minimum." She directed the last comment at Nikolai.

  Adriana put cash down for the bill and left.

  We stared after her for a minute before I burst out laughing. "She doesn't know you, but she's already figured out you're destructive."

  Nikolai snorted, passing the last of the cheesecake he had taken from Doc to the werewolves. "She is not wrong."

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  We were all exhausted when we made it back to Victoria's house. She and David were home and playing cards with her parents.

  "Have fun?" Victoria grinned.

  "Yes. The museum and dinner were great." I didn't mention Adriana tracking us down at the museum. They didn't need to know.

  We all found places to sit, though I ended up sprawled in Nikolai's lap while Ed and Allan shared the other couch with Doc.

  They finished their card game, then Jasmine stood. "Let me show you where you can sleep. I'm sure you're all tired."

  I nodded for everyone.

  "We have a couple of options, but Victoria said you guys were used to sharing?"

  "It's a werewolf thing," Ed offered. "We talked the mages into it. Now they're just used to a puppy pile."

  Jasmine's eyes widened slightly though she smiled at Ed's phrasing. She glanced at Allan, who nodded agreement.

  I was surprised they had told her, but it was probably just as easy that way.

  "We have a guest room with a queen sized bed or we can set up a few air beds. David stays in Victoria's room when he stays over, but we can kick him out, if you want to sleep in there, Sofia."

  "I, uh, I'll just share with the guys." I tried not to stammer too much.

  "Sounds good." She didn't act like it surprised her, so I just rolled with it.

  "We'll take the guest room," Doc said. "No need to go to any extra trouble. We do appreciate you putting up with us for an evening."

  Jasmine's smile warmed me. "It's no trouble at all."

  I reluctantly climbed off of Nikolai's lap and we followed her up the stairs. "In here. The guest bathroom is attached. If you need anything, don't hesitate to let us know."

  "Thank you," I said.

  "You're quite welcome, Sofia. It's been a pleasure meeting all of you. Get some rest. Pancakes in the morning."

  "We love pancakes," Ed replied, eyes glinting with excitement.

  "I'll make a lot." Jasmine sounded pleased.

  Once we were alone, Nikolai cast his sound barrier again. I groaned as his magic washed through me.

  "Do not think will need it, but still, can talk if necessary." Nikolai studied the bed, glanced at all of us and shrugged. "Cozy."

  "I can..."

  I cut Doc off. "Squeeze in with the rest of us. We'll fit." There was no way I was letting him sleep on the floor.

  He didn't argue, and before long we were all curled up in bed. Doc spooned around my back and Nikolai had pressed into him. I spooned around Ed and Allan lay on his other side. We fit. Barely. Still, I wouldn't trade these moments for anything. Especially since I had almost lost them.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  After waking up surrounded by my guys, followed by a fantastic pancake breakfast, and the general feeling that we were actually safe, I didn't want to head back up to Sunnyglade. I loved it there. Not being safe weighed heavily on me, however. I hadn't realized how much until I spent even a few hours away from it all. As we climbed into Doc's truck, the weight settled back around me.

  Nikolai might have sensed something because he kissed my hair and wrapped his arm tight a
round me. Allan had pressed against my other side and gave me a curious look. Maybe he caught the same sense of depression that weighed me down because he took my hand and echoed Nikolai's kiss on my hair.

  "It'll be okay, Sofia," he murmured.

  "Thanks." I snuggled into them.

  Ed reached across Allan and put his hand on my thigh.

  Victoria finished saying goodbye to her boyfriend and climbed into the front of the truck. We all waved and headed home. Now it was time for exams and busting our demon out of his shackles.

  Chapter 10

  Sofia

  "I feel like that was too easy," Victoria said at the end of a long week of exams.

  "Oh?" I for one was grateful for a quiet week.

  "Yeah. I think I passed everything. I wasn't stressed about any of my tests, and we weren't attacked all week long."

  I laughed. "Well, yeah. I guess I think I did okay, too." I hadn't told her we were going after Ash this weekend. The semester was effectively over now that exams were done, even though we had a final week of class to attend. "You're going home this weekend, right?"

  "Yes. Why?"

  "Just, um, probably a good idea."

  She cocked an eyebrow then shrugged. "Be careful, whatever it is."

  "As careful as I can be."

  We headed into the dorm and she grabbed her overnight bag and keys. I got my bag as well and looked around the room wondering if I would actually see it again. Our plan was dangerous. Leaving Ash in the Andersons' hands was even more dangerous.

  Hopefully this would work.

  "Hey, what's wrong?" Victoria asked as we headed back down to the parking lot.

  "Nothing. Sorry, Victoria, lots on my mind."

  "Yeah. I get it. Hey, like I said, be careful. You need anything, call, and don't hesitate to just show up. My parents like you and your guys."

  I blushed.

  "They really do. They think your guys are adorable."

  "Uh, thanks." I was glad that they, at least, had accepted us. My parents were starting to make noise about a Christmas visit. They wanted me to come and visit for the holiday. I hadn't yet asked if I could bring anyone along, nor had I asked any of the guys if they wanted to come. I really hoped I could talk my parents into coming here to visit instead, if we had managed to handle the Andersons by then. It seemed so far away compared to what we needed to deal with now. Not to mention, I hadn't even begun to go Christmas shopping for the guys. That was one disadvantage to dating so many guys. I wanted to get them all gifts.