Wicked Souls: A Limited Edition Reverse Harem Romance Collection

by Rebecca Royce

  “Patrolling the glyphs and ensuring the barrier remains intact are the most important things. I’ll give you a map of the island with the location of each glyph marked. Beyond that, your time is your own.”

  I held my tongue. Clearly, she had no idea there was a ghost lurking around this tree. I didn’t want to alarm her without investigating the issue first, and a glance at Razik and Salem told me they were just fine remaining mum on the issue too. Perhaps they were curious for the same reason I was. There had been something about her. Something I didn’t want to share with just anyone.

  “You’re welcome to audit any of the classes,” Cassandra continued. “Just please don’t fraternize with the students. If you ever feel drawn to any of them, we’d prefer you not act on it until we can verify a soul link. April and Deva Rainsong are in close contact about the use of the hounds. The school is designed to allow for mating between Bloodline and the higher races, but we don’t encourage it. The hounds are the ones who ultimately determine the best matches between two souls, and we trust their choices. But the school is here first and foremost to train the strongest members of the Bloodline.”

  I couldn’t say whether I would be drawn to a student unless the mysterious woman I’d just seen was one, but after catching sight of her, I highly doubted I’d have any such urges with the others.

  “You just mean don’t fuck the customers,” Salem said. “Which is not a problem. I think Razik, Errol, and I are fully capable of taking care of each other when the need arises. No need to disturb your precious Bloodline.”

  He flashed me a challenging stare, and my eyebrows shot up. I couldn’t help but smile, which only seemed to irritate him. His taunt turned into a scowl that made me wonder if he’d even meant it. Did he think I wouldn’t like him?

  Razik laughed. “Don’t worry, Cassandra,” he said. “I’m sure we can manage our energy levels on our own, like Salem says.”

  She seemed relieved at his assurance and nodded. “Good. Then Andrew will show you to your rooms. Dinner’s served at six.”

  We fell into step behind Andrew, who led us into the house through a set of french doors. Taking a detour to the front to get our things, we then marched together up the wide staircase.

  “Tell me you saw her.” I couldn’t contain my curiosity any longer and broadcast the statement to the other two Shadows.

  “Clear as day. I’ve never seen a ghost before, but I don’t know what else to call her,” Razik said.

  “Whatever she is, she sounded kind of bitchy. Not sure I want to know more,” Salem said, but an undercurrent of curiosity still tinged his voice.

  “Let’s meet after we get settled in,” Razik said. “I want to make a round of the island tonight in shadow form, maybe we’ll see her again and will have the chance to find out her story.”

  Salem’s irritated voice chimed in. “I wasn’t joking about replenishing. Whatever that tree is, it sapped my strength with that touch. If that’s how this is going to work, we need to get used to each other fast because I don’t see another option for refilling our wells. I’d like to get it over with.”

  For all Salem’s scowly, prickly nature, his eagerness to get busy didn’t sound so much like a need to “get it over with” as something else. Like he couldn’t admit to himself that he wanted what he wanted. I couldn’t pin him down, but decided his attitude was just part of his personality. I didn’t mind it. I always enjoyed a challenge.

  Andrew led us to a third-floor landing and motioned down a long hallway. “Take your pick. Two have an adjoining bathroom. The other has a private. There’s a fourth room fitted out as a lounge. That door at the end leads to the stairs to the widow’s walk on the roof. You can take wing easily from up there. This floor is all yours and will be off-limits to anyone else. Cassie’s hung up a bulletin board in the lounge with the map and a schedule for you three to work out your shifts. Mealtimes are also listed, and there’s always more than enough food. Otherwise, that’s about it. Any questions?”

  I figured now was as good a time as any to fill in a couple blanks. “Does the tree always look the way it does, or does it change with the seasons?”

  Andrew nodded slowly. “I figured you guys had to be curious about that. It was crafted using dragon and ursa magic, so there’s a bit of the seasons powering it. It changes with them. On Winter Solstice, it’ll turn all frosty. The leaves don’t fall, but they gradually turn to icy blue.”

  “And the globes… There was one that didn’t match. What’s the deal with that one? Did it turn early, or is it a sign of blight or something?”

  His brow furrowed and he shook his head. “No, nothing like that. We don’t really know what it is. It’s been part of the tree since Spring and so far hasn’t caused any issues. April calls it the dragon globe because it looks scorched half the time and filled with ash the other half. Her dragons tried breathing fire into it to see what happened, but it didn’t make a difference. We decided to just leave it be unless it causes trouble.” His frown deepened. “Do you think it’s a security risk?”

  “I couldn’t say for sure. It’s an anomaly, for sure though, so it bears watching. We’ll keep an eye on it.”

  “Good,” he said, then departed back down the stairs.

  I glanced at my watch, then at the other two men. “Do you think the ghost is a threat? Should we try to investigate now or take care of other business?”

  Salem tossed a glance back at me as he headed down the hallway toward the room Andrew indicated was the lounge, though I doubted we’d do a hell of a lot of lounging while we were here. “I don’t know what the fuck she is, but we need to find out. They hired us to protect this place, so it would be stupid to assume she isn’t a threat. And that globe… It definitely had an aura like the ghost’s, white, not purple like the tree itself, or like Cassandra’s or our native auras. The purple indicates Void magic, and if the tree is infused with Void blood, it stands to reason it’d carry the same energy.”

  Razik peeked through one doorway after another then seemed to settle on the room Andrew said had the private bath. That left the other two with the adjoining bathroom for Salem and me. I didn’t argue. I had no problem sharing. Somehow Salem struck me as the kind of guy who’d be difficult no matter what, but I actually looked forward to finding out what made him tick. He may have been resigned to the idea of us relying on each other for replenishing our power, but I hoped to prove to him that he could actually enjoy it with the right mindset.

  I did a brief sweep of the room I chose for anything out of the ordinary but found nothing. It was simple yet comfortable, with a large bed, a chest of drawers, and a small closet. I peeked through the bathroom door and was impressed to see a large shower stall with an enormous bathtub beside it and side-by-side sinks. I didn’t foresee any issues sharing such generous accommodations. After the brief tour, I stowed my things then slipped back down the hall to the lounge.

  Inside, Razik’s dark head was bowed over a table, studying a map. On one side of the room was a small kitchenette featuring a sink, a small fridge, and a dishwasher. Cabinets with glass insets hung above, filled with a small assortment of dishes. Salem filled a coffee pot with water from the sink and started brewing a fresh batch. He’d stripped out of the dark sweater he’d been wearing and was now in short sleeves, dark tattoos twisting around his muscular arms.

  It hit me what was different about him. He seemed so much more human than most dragons I met. The way he carried himself, the way he behaved around other humans. Most dragons behaved like the superior race we were. He was far more standoffish, as if he felt threatened by authority figures, even resentful.

  Still, I thought the three of us made a pretty sweet little team, though I couldn’t know how well we’d work together until we actually got down to business. But before that could happen, we had more pressing concerns that both their auras made apparent. If we couldn’t coordinate well enough to fill each other’s wells, then we probably had no business being on the s
ame security team.

  I cleared my throat. “We can make it quick and business-like, or we can actually try to have fun with it. You know, break the ice.”

  Razik glanced up at me, his eyebrows tilting inward in confusion for a second before he caught on. Then his lips curled into a smile, and he stood up and crossed his arms. Behind him, Salem scowled again and leaned against the counter.

  “It’s not a fucking game,” Salem said. “It’s work.”

  “Sure, but there’s no law that says work has to be a drag,” I offered.

  “I like the way you think,” Razik said, raking his gaze down my body. Then he turned to Salem. “Lighten up. Maybe our pretty ghost gets off on watching.”

  He closed the distance to Salem, who stiffened and leaned back when Razik crowded close. I propped my shoulder against the doorjamb and watched, entertained by the way Razik took control. I had a feeling this move was meant as a sort of hazing ritual. Salem must have thought the same thing. He shot me a glare over Razik’s shoulder, but he was trapped. Razik tilted his head so his lips were close to Salem’s ear. I could easily make out his whispered words.

  “You’re weaker than me right now, friend. Don’t tell me you don’t want this. Or would you rather go feral until we can find you a female? Maybe the ghost can somehow find a way to fuck your shadow.”

  The suggestion seemed to work. Salem’s aura flared bright, and Razik chuckled. My jeans felt too tight in the groin, and I reached down and cupped my erection, shifting my package to a less-constricting position. The sound of a zipper coming down across the room made my adjustment useless.

  Salem’s shaved head thunked back against the cabinet, and he groaned. All I could see was Razik’s broad back, his dark head tilted down, and his mouth still against Salem’s ear. One hand was braced against the counter and the other hidden between them, and his arm moved with slow, rhythmic motions that revealed enough.

  I stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind me, locking it for good measure, then made my way over to them. Razik pushed up Salem’s shirt, revealing a swath of tattooed skin, and bent his head, teasing his forked tongue over Salem’s nipples.

  Salem’s hostile glare followed me across the room. I didn’t understand his bald hatred; we’d only just met. But when I shifted my vision to view his aura, it told a different story. Not hatred toward me, but the opposite. His aura was tinged yellow with shame, as if somehow he believed himself unworthy of being our partner. Mixed in was the blue flash of awe. Over what, I wasn’t sure. Perhaps at what he realized was about to happen as I stalked closer.

  Razik was on his knees when I reached them, lips pressed to Salem’s navel. He held Salem’s erect cock loosely, palming his balls. I reached down and grasped his shaft and squeezed. Salem made a strangled sound, staring at me in disbelief.

  “What is it?” I purred. “We’re just three Shadows, seeing to each other’s needs.”

  “But I’m not… You two are…uh…” The words caught in his throat, but he managed to complete the thought telepathically. “I’m the son of two Unbound. Lawbreakers. You two are practically members of the Court. You’re friends with the fucking Void. I hate him.”

  Razik chuckled. “He’s just another dragon. Hating him is a waste of energy. All you need to think about now is how my dick is going to feel when I start fucking you.”

  Salem’s cock jolted in my fist, growing slippery from the fluid that escaped his tip. “Sweet Mother,” he muttered. “I didn’t expect you guys to get on board with the idea so fast.”

  “Why not?” I asked. “We’re a team now. That’s what we do. Or have you never worked with other dragons before?”

  His abashed look told me all I needed to know. Salem had truly been an outsider, which stood to reason if his parents had indeed both been dragons. That alone was an offense bad enough to warrant being punished by the Void. One dragon mating another was one of the worst offenses among our kind, before our laws were changed. They’d mated each other, rather than seek out human mates.

  The realization gave me new respect for Salem, and I took his face in both hands. His mouth was open, his breathing heavy from the attention Razik was giving his cock, but he met my gaze, feverish yet hopeful. “Forget everything you believed before tonight,” I told him. “The three of us are like brothers from here on out, got it?”

  His eyebrows went up, and the corners of his mouth quirked as he shot a quick glance down where Razik’s lips were wrapped around his cock. I shrugged. “Okay, maybe not exactly like brothers. But we’re a unit. We have each other’s backs no matter what. Our trio comes first.”

  “Wrong,” he grated out, and I furrowed my brow at him. He gasped, jacking his hips. He dropped his hands to Razik’s head, tangling his fingers into Razik’s dark hair. “I’m coming first.”

  Benedetta

  I couldn’t stay away, now that they’d arrived. When the trio had touched the tree, it had taken all my strength just to show myself to them, even more to speak, and it hadn’t lasted long enough for me to know whether or not they’d actually seen or heard me. Frustrated by their departure, I slipped up through the cold autumn air to the window of their floor, hovering at the sill and peering in. They were clustered on one side of the room in a strange embrace, naked limbs tangled. I closed my eyes and manifested inside the room with them, needing a closer look.

  What I saw made me ache to have a body again, to be able to insinuate myself between the tangle of muscled limbs, groping hands, and seeking tongues. I wanted so badly to be the focus of their attention. To be wrapped in those strong arms. Kissed with those lips, bitten with those teeth.

  One had a shaved head, a sun-kissed complexion, and dark tattoos winding across his shoulders, arms, and chest. He seemed to be the target of the other two’s attention, hesitant at first, then giving in entirely while they pleasured him, his rough moans reminding me of my old lover’s.

  The one on his knees looked world-weary with thick, black hair that brushed his shoulders and fell across his forehead as he lowered his mouth onto the first one’s beautiful cock and sucked as though savoring his favorite meal. The third was the largest, a glorious, sculpted masterpiece of dragon flesh, skin and muscles unmarred with any markings or even hair, aside from the perfectly trimmed and styled wave combed back from his high forehead. He and the tattooed one kissed while the tattooed one dropped his hand and tugged at the fastening to the other’s pants, soon freeing his hard cock and grasping it in his fist.

  They looked like Ked, each in their own way, be it a rough, gravelly voice, or a hungry glint in the eye or a tilt of the mouth, but were also nothing like him. They reveled in their shared pleasure in a way he never had. He’d always taken lovemaking so seriously, but these three seemed to be having fun with it, and I wanted in on the fun.

  But they couldn’t even see me now, much less touch me. Still, as they stripped each other and stroked each other, heat built deep inside me. I moved closer, able to scent their manly musk as I leaned a hip against the counter beside them.

  I could touch myself, so as I stood there watching, I pulled open the lace bodice of my dress and plucked at one nipple, pretending it was one of them sucking on it. With my other hand, I gathered up my skirt until I could dip fingers between my thighs, into the wetness they’d caused.

  They were dragons in the truest sense, hungry for the magic they could only give each other through the release they worked toward. If only I could touch them, I could give them mine too. I’d happily let them take as much from me as they wished. Impulsively, I reached out, touched the cheek of the tattooed one. My fingers passed through, but there was still a sense of his energy crackling around him. He tilted toward me and let out a shuddering breath, as if somehow he sensed my presence.

  “Do you think she’s watching us?” he asked.

  “If she is, she’s getting a show,” said the broody one from his knees. He stood, and without a word, they shifted positions. The big one hooked a
n arm around the tattooed shoulders of the one with the shaved head, and they resumed their kiss, chests pressed tight and their hips tilting against each other. Their cocks were two stiff, smooth rods trapped between their bellies. The broody one moved behind and slid both hands down his friend’s tattooed back until he gripped him by both ass cheeks and squeezed. Then he dropped to his knees again, burying his face between those two muscular cheeks and delving in with his tongue.

  The resulting moan caused my core to clench and spasm, and I tore my eyes away from the sight to look at the man it had originated from. His dark eyes flashed with an inner fire, fixed on the place where I stood. I could almost imagine he was looking at me, even though I knew better. I touched his cheek again, then leaned closer, fingers still between my thighs, stroking slowly.

  “I am here,” I whispered against his ear. “I want to come when you do.”

  He groaned, and his eyes fell shut. “Fuck me, Razik,” he demanded. “Let’s give her that show.”

  Elation and pure pleasure flooded me like wildfire when the other one—Razik—stood again, and in a fluid thrust sheathed himself in the tattooed dragon’s ass.

  The trio lost themselves in each other, the tattooed one sandwiched between the other two, being fucked from behind and fondled and kissed from the front. He held tight to the big one, who dropped his hand between them, grasping both their cocks together in a huge hand and stroking.

  I stroked myself in time, matching them breath for breath, until my cry mingled with theirs as the three of them climaxed with harsh grunts and grinding hips.

  My orgasm was an ending, at least. A resolution, but it felt nothing like what I’d witnessed. Like my incorporeal body, my climax lacked substance, lacked truth. It lacked energy.

  I wanted more.

  They disentangled themselves and silently cleaned up then dressed, as if what they’d just shared was no more than a transaction, despite all its passion. I wasn’t ready to leave, so I stayed and watched them return to their separate business. Razik bent over a map on a table, then called over his shoulder, “Salem, pour me a cup too. Errol, you want coffee?”