Wicked Souls: A Limited Edition Reverse Harem Romance Collection

by Rebecca Royce

  Although I was already missing the grunts and growls I’d gotten so accustomed to.

  But words were more than welcome.

  Creeper (Magnus)

  We followed after Lily and Jack, knowing this was a lot of information for her to deal with.

  Honestly, she was doing incredibly well. Not that I’d expected anything less.

  Lily had endured so much in life, survived the streets and found a way to live. Was it in the best conditions, no, but she’d managed.

  We’d asked Dezikiel if she could come to the Academy early in order to get her out of shitty rentals, but his hands were tied. We needed to wait until she was eighteen. Those were the rules.

  Angels.

  Pretentious, righteous dicks.

  I was a little bummed Jack had been the one to first see her as himself. She’d obviously grown closer to him quickly, trusting him now that she knew who he was.

  Not that I really cared. Our job was to protect her. That was all that mattered.

  Bug was awfully quiet, toying with the elastic band around his wrist like usual. He was always on edge and antsy, something I never understood. Jack was the Alpha of our little group, the strong, determined one. Chumley was the one closest to Lily, having watched that much Netflix with her, and he’d spent time with her over meals and whatnot.

  Bug, he’d hung around at times. He’d spent the majority of his time with her when she was relaxed, normally reading or listening to music. Her calm demeanor in those moments were good for him apparently, at least that’s what Jack had said.

  Me? I’d mostly been the one who watched over her when she left the house. Walking the streets with her, learning about the human world.

  We reached her room, not having spoken a word. It was a comfortable silence, and we all naturally filed into the room after her.

  I headed straight over to the window, glancing out into the gardens out the back.

  Bug joined me, sitting down in the reading nook and pulling his legs up.

  Chumley sat on the end of Lily’s bed as she collapsed onto it, and Jack just stood back, folding his arms.

  “Well… that was eye-opening,” Lily sighed as she stared up at the ceiling.

  “How are you feeling?” Chumley asked.

  “I don’t know. Kinda numb I s’pose,” she said as she drew in a deep, steadying breath.

  “It’s a lot to take in. Probably not as difficult as being hellhounds born of Hell and thrust into this world,” I said as I folded my arms. That hadn’t been easy. We were Hellhounds, not humans. But we’d had to learn how to be like them.

  And for some reason, we could take on these strange, fleshy human forms. I preferred my hellhound form, and my skin prickled just at the thought of shifting into it.

  “What was it like for you guys?” she asked as she rolled onto her stomach to look at Bug and I.

  “Well, we were created that day with only one purpose. To protect you. But as we came into being, Angels snatched us up and took us into this white room. Our bodies were forced to take on these more human forms, and they used their divine magic to alter us. They taught us speech and gave us some idea of how we were meant to act. And then we were shipped here in order to learn everything and be more human-like. All the while our projected forms watched over you,” I explained.

  “That must have been weird for you guys,” she mused, frowning at me.

  “It’s just how it was. We accepted it, since our duty was to protect you, and if we didn’t conform with their desires, they would destroy us,” Chumley spoke up from his seat on the bed.

  “Destroy you?” Lily looked taken back by this.

  “We’re expendable,” Bug mumbled near me as he toyed with his elastic band. Lily noticed this but didn’t say anything.

  She seemed troubled by this statement, and Jack shot us a look.

  A look that told us to shut our mouths on these things.

  Of course we had to shut up about this.

  But I understood. I didn’t want our Lily panicking by it all.

  “I still can’t believe I can finally talk to you all. I feel like I’ve known you all for so long, and yet I barely know you too,” she pursed her lips, her brow creasing ever so slightly.

  “Well, why don’t you ask us whatever you want?” Jack suggested as he moved to sit on the end of the bed with Chumley.

  “Why do you guys use the nicknames I gave you?” she started with, and I snorted.

  “We got used to them,” Jack shrugged.

  “But you guys have your own names?” she clarified.

  “Yes, we were born with hellhound names,” I said with a nod.

  “So, Jorkan, Krodan, Magnus, and Tolrun,” she nodded her head at each of us as she said our true names.

  “We prefer our nicknames,” Chumley smirked as he laid down on the bed next to her.

  She gave him a disbelieving look before chewing her lip.

  “Did you take turns watching over me?”

  “Yes, we each had assigned days or areas with you. I mostly watched over you at home, while Creeper was your out and about watcher, which Bug would assist with. Chumley handled home stuff too when I couldn’t, or we’d team up sometimes. Won’t lie, we stopped sticking to our assigned days and areas the more time we spent with you,” Jack admitted.

  “Must’ve been boring after a while. I’m not that interesting,” she chuckled.

  “No, we didn’t get bored. It’s what we’re meant to do,” I stated.

  She just cocked her head at me, those bright emerald eyes soft and sweet.

  I shifted under her gaze, a strange flutter in my chest making me avert my eyes.

  “So, what do you guys do then? Just study here? What do you do in your free time?” she asked.

  “We mostly study and watch over you. Chumley loves watching TV shows, but he normally does that with you,” Bug spoke up. He was laying down in the nook now, his knees pulled up as he rested back against the pillows there.

  “What about you?” she asked, focusing on Bug.

  “I like to read. Humans have such incredible imaginations. You can explore every inch of this world without ever leaving the mansion,” Bug smiled, his movements halting as he spoke about his joy. I’d noticed reading was the one time he didn’t seem so agitated and on edge.

  Lily smiled at this, before looking at me again.

  “And you?”

  I shrugged at first, but those emerald eyes bore into me until I caved.

  “Music, I like music,” I mumbled. Why did it matter anyway?

  “Do you play anything?” She was giving me a curious look now, and I unfolded my arms, jamming my hands into the pockets of my black hoodie.

  “Piano,” I finally said.

  “Wow, that’s so cool!” she grinned, and I shifted uneasily at her excitement and joy directed at me.

  “What about you?” she asked as she turned to Chumley. “Anything other than TV?”

  “I like food,” Chumley chuckled, and Lily just giggled and nodded.

  “Don’t we all,” she grinned, before focusing on Jack and arching a brow at him.

  “Studying. I spend most of my time learning. Like Bug, I read, but not fantasy stories and such, I read to learn. History, psychology, everything that I can,” Jack said.

  “If you guys are watching over me and studying, how do you have the time to do all this?” she said, frowning as she eyed us all.

  “We don’t sleep,” Bug said as he played with his elastic band again.

  The whacking against his skin had annoyed me for so long, but it kept him from freaking out like he used to do when we first came here, so I ignored it now. He clearly needed the weird thing. Jack had suggested it after reading some psychology books and human brain stuff.

  Not that I understood it.

  “Wow.” Lily was awestruck by this. “You don’t even nap.”

  “We’re creatures crafted in Hell, sleep is not something we’ve been engineered to need,” Ja
ck stated.

  “That’s so weird,” Lily murmured. “So, you say you were created in Hell, does that mean you have no family?”

  “Just each other. And you,” Chumley sighed as he clasped his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling.

  Lily looked a little saddened by this.

  Why would such a thing matter anyway? Humans were difficult to understand, and our Lily was more human than demonic we’d realized. Having grown up amongst them, she wasn’t like us.

  But there was something truly special about her, something we’d sensed as soon as we’d come into being.

  And it was more than being the daughter of a Prince of Hell.

  No, Lily was much more than that.

  Ten

  No family. That must have been lonely. But then again, they’d only really been around for the past four years.

  That still blew my mind.

  I sat with the four of them, talking and learning about them. I felt comfortable with them, safe and welcome.

  It became clear that Jack was like the eldest brother, the leader of them all.

  Brothers was something I’d asked about, even though they didn’t resemble each other. They’d just shrugged, not really knowing. But they sure acted like brothers.

  Chumley was the most talkative and cheery, while Creeper was the most quiet. Bug had opened up, and he reminded me of someone with ADHD with how he was always on edge and fidgety, and when he started telling me about some of the stories he read, his words got rushed and he became quite the chatterbox.

  Creeper remained somewhat on the outskirts, mostly watching. I got the feeling he learned a lot from watching others.

  We spoke for quite some time about various things, including what the Academy was like to attend.

  Mr Baron handled power and magical classes. Teaching the students how to hone their powers and abilities.

  Miss Sage was a weapons expert, a demon-born herself that excelled with all weapons. She could pick up any weapon and become a master of it in just an hour. She was also very good at hand-to-hand combat. She handled the combat and defense classes, and weaponry.

  Then there was Dezikiel. I knew he was something special. Angelic, which the boys agreed with. I had a feeling they knew more, but they weren’t telling me.

  Dezikiel handled all the lore and history, all the theory side of our studies.

  The more they told me about it all, the more I began to wonder if they were teaching us to fight for a reason. To protect ourselves? Apparently when our powers awoke, we became more trackable for some reason. More wanted and hunted, at least that’s what Jack said.

  I had a feeling there was more to it than that.

  Time flew by, and the boys ended up taking me back to the dining hall for lunch. Only the students came as the teachers were busy organizing other things.

  I was curious about the others, and I made sure to sit next to Hadley so I could talk to her and her sister. I wanted to know just what they all were.

  “Hey Lily, are you settling in okay?” Hadley asked, her wavy brown hair pulled up into a high bun, while Diane’s had been let out. They looked remarkably similar with their olive skin and dark brown eyes, although Hadley looked older, with a more angular face and high cheekbones, while Diane had a heart shaped face and little dimples when she smiled over at me.

  “It’s going well. Still wrapping my head around everything. I can’t believe Xander is an actual demon. Does that mean he’s possessing someone?” I asked, something that had been bothering me from earlier.

  “Yeah, but the body has no host. He claimed it as soon as the guy died of heart problems in the hospital. He was only nineteen. Xander had only just been cast out from Hell, and he was searching for a young body to possess, someone close to his own age. You see, damned souls get tortured in Hell, but sometimes, one of them gets turned into a demon. In rare cases, they retain their more mortal soul, and get cast out of Hell for not being a pure demon. The High Council picked him up immediately. They can find demonics who retain their souls easily somehow. They sent him straight here. He’s the only one like that. Apparently, before he died, he was a frat guy and player, ended up running over some poor girl while he was drunk, and then he hit a tree and died. So that’s how he’s here,” Hadley shrugged as Diane leaned forward to snag some of the sliced fruit on the table.

  “Wow, that’s crazy,” I breathed. Guess no one had secrets here. I wonder if Xander cared that Hadley was so willing to just tell me everything.

  “He’s not the first true demon to come here. He actually doesn’t have any grand powers except for possession. Demons aren’t as strong as you may think,” Diane added from over Hadley’s shoulder.

  “What about you guys? If you don’t mind me asking?” I asked carefully.

  “Our mother was a witch. Our father died when we were young. She made a deal with a crossroads demon to have us, wanting us to be our dead father’s children. Her deal was granted, and she fell pregnant, just like good old Mary,” Hadley snickered. “But I guess she didn’t read the fine print, because we’re both part demon, part witch,” she shrugged.

  “So, angelics and demons are real, I’m guessing most other supernatural creatures are too then?” I sighed, thinking about that ‘Supernatural’ show I’d watched with Chumley.

  Were the crossroads demons just like good old Crowley?

  “Yep. Witches, werewolves, vampires, you name it, they’re real,” Dianne grinned from the other side of Hadley.

  Wow. This day was only getting more and more enlightening.

  “I’ll tell you what everyone is, I bet you’ve been wondering,” Hadley grinned at me, tapping her nails on the table as her eyes lit up. “Paris and Wayne are twins, not that they look that much like each other. Their mother was held hostage by a demon and forced to bear his children. The demon had tried to ward the house so the High Council wouldn’t find him, but as soon as they were born, they swooped in.

  Thomas, Matthew, and Flynn were experiments. A witch was holding them captive, along with a demon, and was performing magical, weirdass experiments in hopes of creating some demon-humans that she could control. Didn’t quite work, and the Council stepped in as soon as they became demonics. They’re all pretty strong and good with weapons,” Hadley filled me in on all my classmates.

  “Might be an overload of information, don’t you think?” Jack said on my other side.

  “No, if I’m going to be studying here, I should get to know everyone,” I responded as I picked at my omelette I’d claimed from a plate with a few of them on it. It was quite delicious actually.

  “Well, after lunch, since it’s a Sunday and no classes are on, we’ll all be in the shared leisure room. You should come down if you want to get to know everyone,” Hadley informed me.

  “What’s the leisure room like?” I queried.

  “Chess sets, Playstation, there’s a mini cinema off to the side in an adjoining room. Sometimes we have game nights,” Diane spoke up before Hadley could open her mouth.

  I had to say, I was rather impressed with the idea. And judging by how the group all chatted over lunch, they were close. I guess when there were so few students, you did become close.

  “By the way, happy birthday,” Hadley smiled at me. “Don’t expect your hellhounds to celebrate, they’re still not quite used to human celebrations really. You should’ve seen them the first Christmas here!” Hadley snorted at the thought.

  “How long do you study at the Academy for?” I asked, more curious that she’d been here for four years.

  “As long as you want really. With us being witches, we’ve been here the longest, as our powers have many forms. We can learn various spells and whatnot, so we’ve been here the longest. I started when I was sixteen, as my demonic side awakened early. It normally happens at eighteen, but not for me. Diane came too, even though she’s a year younger than me. They figured we could both be trained at the same time, as we’ve been witches since forever. Our
demon sides just amplify them. Besides, our mother died when I was ten and Diane was nine. Crossroads deals have a price,” Hadley clucked her tongue.

  “I’m so sorry,” I murmured, noting that Diane had sat back and was frowning softly.

  “Don’t be. Mum knew the price and told us what to expect. She said the time was worth it, and she sent us to live with our Aunt before her time was up. Our Aunt taught us more about being witches before we came here,” Hadley shrugged.

  “Is it like ‘Supernatural’?” I asked.

  “I heard Eric Kripke struck a deal with a crossroads demon to get that show massive success. So he knew how it all worked. Sometimes I wonder just how real that show is,” Hadley mused. “But yes, after ten years, hellhounds come calling. Although, sometimes the bargaining can be made in a way to buy more time. I think Mr Kripke did, since he’s still kicking. Either that or he got a good crossroads demon. Maybe they worked out a different deal. Hell, maybe the crossroads demon spared him simply because he gave the real ingredients to summon a crossroads demon in the show. Imagine how many souls will be damned now.”

  “I wish she didn’t do it,” Diane murmured, causing Hadley to purse her lips and glance over at her.

  “Mom wanted us more than anything. She granted us life, and we need to be grateful,” Hadley sighed as she wrapped an arm around her sister’s shoulders.

  “I know. But I wish we could’ve had more time with her,” Diane mumbled.

  “I know,” Hadley said gently as she pulled her sister into her side.

  I chewed my lip, not sure what to say, but Chumley came to my rescue.

  “Wanna see the gardens?” he asked as he came up behind my seat.

  Some of the other students had drifted off after finishing their meals, and the hooded figures were tidying up the table once more.

  “Sure,” I nodded, casting Hadley and Diane a sympathetic look as I stood up.

  Hadley gave me a soft nod, and I followed after Chumley, noting that the others weren’t following.

  Guess some one on one time with my hellhounds would be nice.