Protecting Hope: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Bloodmoon Series Book 1)

by Briana Alisandra

  Protecting Hope (Bloodmoon Series)

  By: Briana Alisandra

  © 2020 Briana Alisandra. All rights reserved.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1: Hope

  Chapter 2: Hope

  Chapter 3: Hope

  Chapter 4: Hope

  Chapter 5: Christian

  Chapter 6: Hope

  Chapter 7: Wyatt

  Chapter 8: Hope

  Chapter 9: Hope

  Chapter 10: Christian

  Chapter 11: Hope

  Chapter 12: Hope

  Chapter 13: Knight

  Chapter 14: Hope

  Chapter 15: Hope

  Chapter 16: Christian

  Chapter 17: Hope

  Chapter 18: Hope

  Chapter 19: Hope

  Chapter 20: Hope

  Chapter 21: Hope

  Chapter 22: Christian

  Chapter 23: Hope

  Chapter 24: Christian

  Chapter 25: Christian

  Chapter 26: Knight

  Chapter 27: Hope

  Chapter 28: Hope

  Chapter 29: Hope

  Chapter 30: Hope

  Chapter 31: Hope

  Chapter 32: Wyatt

  Chapter 33: Kane

  Chapter 34: Knight

  Chapter 35: Hope

  Chapter 36: Knight

  Chapter 37: Hope

  Chapter 38: Hope

  Chapter 39: Hope

  Chapter 40: Hope

  Chapter 41: Wyatt

  Chapter 42: Kane

  Chapter 43: Hope

  Chapter 44: Christian

  Chapter 45: Knight

  Chapter 46: Hope

  Chapter 47: Hope

  Chapter 48: Hope

  Chapter 49: Wyatt

  Chapter 50: Francesca

  Chapter 1: Hope

  Ugh. The place already reeked of booze. I could smell bourbon before I even opened the front door. Four o’clock and Ray was already starting.

  I’d had some foster parents with drinking problems in the past, but Ray was by far the worst.

  My foster father was sitting on the couch looking at the TV in the living room when I came in.

  “Where’ve you been?” he asked, not bothering to look away from the screen.

  I closed the front door. “School.” Duh.

  I wished I could stay there. School was better than being home with these people.

  Teri, his wife, wasn’t any better. She didn’t have a drinking problem, but she made me deal with her husband.

  She got home from work at three and went straight to her room everyday. Only came out to eat dinner once it arrived.

  I get that the asshole was abusive, and I felt bad for her. But it’s hard to feel bad for someone that’s basically using you as a stand in. She knew how the creep had been looking at me and she let it happen. It was like she was throwing me to the wolf.

  Mark my words, if he puts even one finger on me I’m going to punch the fuck out of him.

  “There are dishes in the sink that need doing,” Ray said. “Some from last night. Thought you would have done those by now.”

  I growled to myself. Lazy ass. I’m not sure if he knew this, but the foster system wasn’t a maid service.

  I walked into the kitchen and groaned at the mess. This was going to take forever.

  I dropped my bag onto the table and went to get it over with. I had a lot of homework and didn’t want to spend my night cleaning up after the pig.

  When I went to wash the dishes, the soap was out. I checked underneath the sink and there was none so I went to the living room with the empty bottle of soap. “There’s no more soap.”

  He looked at me like I had two heads. “What you telling me for?”

  “I can’t wash dishes without soap.”

  “Then get some.”

  “I don’t have any money. You use it all on booze.”

  “You have any idea how much the roof over your head costs? And you want money too? The hell’s a matter with you kids?”

  I took a deep breath. Don’t explode Hope. Don’t explode.

  “Get some dish soap the next time you hit up the grocery store for your bourbon and I’ll do the dishes. Okay? Awesome.”

  I went back to the kitchen to put the empty bottle on the counter and grab my bag from the table. When I turned around, I jumped. Ray was standing right in my face, anger all over his face.

  “You think you can talk to me like that?”

  I grimaced at his breath. It was awful. Alcohol and just the natural bad breath he always had. Someone needed to get him to a dentist or all his teeth were going to fall out. I was pretty sure there was something dead in his mouth.

  “Can you please get out of my face? Boundaries.”

  There was nothing worse than bad breath. Disgusting. It made me cringe.

  “You need to learn to respect young lady.”

  Respect for him? You need to earn respect. Being older than me didn’t mean you automatically got it.

  I had zero respect for this man. If you could even call a person that hits his wife a man.

  “I think I’ve been pretty respectful Ray.”

  “Well now there you go. Calling me Ray. When what you should really be calling me is Daddy.” The grin on his face told me exactly what he meant and it sent a jolt of nausea to my stomach. Followed by pure rage.

  I clenched my hands into fists. Don’t do it Hope. I’ll get sent to live somewhere else. I’ll have to change schools again. Hell he could even press charges against me and land me in juvie.

  The system wasn’t always kind to foster kids. They didn’t always believe us over the parents. They might take Ray’s word for it.

  “You are a fucking pig!”

  I walked around and ran for the front door. I could walk and get away from Ray without breaking a sweat. He was drunker than drunk and was stumbling with each step as he followed after me.

  I opened the front door and slammed it behind me before taking off down the street.

  When I got far enough from their house I slowed down to a walk. I looked around at my surroundings. It wasn’t the best neighborhood. I could be trading one creep for another out here.

  This sucked. I had so much homework to do and now I was going to be stuck outside for a few hours. I wasn’t going back there until I knew for sure Ray was asleep. I couldn’t focus in that house. Even when he was being quiet it was impossible.

  I couldn’t even breathe in that house. It was like he stole all the oxygen from the air. Living there was a nightmare. But I had lived in even worse homes. Compared to them, Ray was a breeze.

  Ten homes in seven years. Fuck. I really missed Mom.

  I tried not to think about it too much. It was the past. You can’t go back, only forward. No point in dwelling on it. I lost so much. Thinking about it only made me sad. And I had enough sadness going on in the present as it was.

  I picked up the pace when I felt like someone was following me. Being a foster kid, I had pretty great senses. I was always aware of my environment, and right now I was sure someone was following me.

  I was about to take off in a sprint when I heard laughing behind me. I’d know that musical laugh anywhere.

  Kane.

  “Kane, you ass.” I turned around and shoved him in the chest. Pretty sure it hurt my hand more than it hurt his chest.

  He put his arm over me and walked with me. “It was just too easy. You’re so fun to mess with.”

  “Thanks. I’ve got enough goi
ng on right now.”

  His smile quickly turned to a frown. He looked down at me with concern. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  I shook my head. “It’s nothing. Just the assholes I live with.”

  He let out a breath and bit his lip. He never knew what to say to me when I had problems with my foster parents. I think he felt helpless. So did I. “Maybe you should talk to your social worker. Get placed somewhere else.”

  “It’s fine. I’ve been in worse homes. Trust me. At least they feed me here.”

  I saw a flash of anger on his face before it was replaced with a look of sadness. I hated that look. Pity.

  His hand tensed into a fist. I grabbed it. “Hey, chill. It’s all good. Two more years and I’m free from all of this. I’ll be on my own. My life can finally begin.”

  I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of here. Things would be perfect if I could just be out on my own.

  We kept walking together. “Besides, if I get moved, I’d have to leave you behind too.”

  I met Kane last year when I moved in with Ray and Teri. We became good friends fast. He was amazing. He never looked at me like I was trouble. He was the kindest guy I’d ever met. He wasn’t painful to look at either. He stood a whole foot over me and had dark brown hair and eyes. His skin had a natural tan to it. He was the definition of tall, dark, and handsome.

  But he was just a friend. The best friend I could ever ask for. I would never want to jeopardize that.

  “Fair point.” He smiled at me. “Listen, I’m starving. Let’s go get something to eat.”

  I glared up at him. “That’s what you said last time and you ended up just watching me eat. I’m not stupid Kane.”

  “I would never call you stupid. A stubborn girl, yes. But not stupid.”

  “You don’t have to buy me dinner.”

  “I know I don’t have to. I want to.”

  My stomach growled. I was pretty hungry. I didn’t have much of a lunch and who knew if there would still be dinner when I got back to the house.

  “Fine. Thanks. One day I’m going to buy you dinner. You know, once I have a job and money.”

  The fuckers kept every dime they got from the state for themselves and booze.

  “I have no doubt. You’re going to buy me a steak the size of my head one day.”

  Yeah. One day when I was out of this hellhole that was my life. One day couldn’t come soon enough.

  Chapter 2: Hope

  Kane walked me home after we got done dinner. I managed to get most of my homework done at the diner. At least now I wouldn’t have to go to bed at two in the morning again.

  All I had going for me was school. It was hard to keep up when I had to keep changing schools, but I managed. Nothing was going to stop me from going to college. Not even Ray and Teri.

  Mom wanted me to go to college. She wanted great things for me. I wasn’t going to let her down. I hoped that in some way she’d see everything I accomplish.

  I wasn’t exactly religious, but I did believe that this life wasn’t it. That when we died we went somewhere magical where we could be happy. That’s what got me through losing Mom. Picturing her in some little cottage, surrounded by beautiful flowers and trees. Waiting for me so we could be together again.

  When I got to the house, the front porch light was on. The light in the living room was on too. I could see Teri sitting on the couch next to Ray. She was talking to someone.

  “The drunk is still up?” Kane said.

  “Yeah. Someone’s here.”

  Kane looked through the window. “Wonder who.”

  “I don’t know. I should get in there and find out.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. Thanks for dinner and for the walk home. I owe you Kane, a lot.”

  He smiled. “You don’t owe me a thing. Glad I could help Hope. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I hugged my friend before walking up the steps and unlocking the front door. When I stepped inside, my stomach dropped. It was Janice, my social worker.

  I looked at Ray and Teri. Teri looked like she had been crying and Ray looked like a teenager that just got scolded. My eyes went to Janice, who smiled at me.

  “Hello Hope.”

  “What’s going on?”

  She gave my foster father a dirty look as she stood up and came towards me. “Hope, you’re being moved.”

  Shit.

  “What? Why?”

  This house was shitty, but most were. I just didn’t want to have to start at a new school again. I was used to the kids here and my grades were outstanding. For once I felt like I was ahead of my classmates. I didn’t want to mess that up.

  Janice smiled. “We found a family member.”

  I didn’t know what to say. Mom never mentioned any family, so I assumed she didn’t have any. And she never told me who my father was so I had no way of getting into contact with him. I was alone in this world for so long. Hearing that there was someone that I was related to left me speechless.

  “What?”

  “You have an aunt.”

  “I do?”

  “Yes. Your mother’s younger sister. And she wants you to come stay with her. She lives in Salem Point, Connecticut.”

  I made a face. “That’s kind of far.”

  I was going to have to start over, again. New girl, again. I was so tired of constantly moving around.

  “Yes. It’s a big move. But it’s the final move, Hope.”

  She was right. This could be it. And this woman was my mother’s sister. A person that knew my mother before I even knew her. She probably had stories that Mom would have never told me. Especially not when I was nine.

  I knew I should be happier, but my life was always in shambles. It was hard to recognize when something good was happening to me.

  Janice smiled at me and squeezed my shoulder. She really was a nice lady. It wasn’t her fault that the system was so broken and I kept ending up in shitty homes. “Get your things packed and we’ll head out.”

  “I’m leaving tonight?”

  “Yes. We have a flight to catch.”

  A flight. This was really happening. I was getting out of the system.

  I was free.

  I went to my room to pack up the little bit of belongings I had. Not much.

  As I packed I thought about Mom. She never even mentioned she had a sister. You’d think she’d mention something like that. It made me wonder, why didn’t Mom want me to know about her?

  Chapter 3: Hope

  The plane ride was nerve wracking. I had never flown before. Mom and I lived at the same spot my whole life and we never went on many vacations.

  It was just so remarkable. Like a plane is heavy as shit even without people and luggage on it. How the hell did it stay up in the air? It was so surreal. Like magic really.

  After we landed, we went straight to get an Uber. I only had one bag so it was just a carryon.

  It was an hour drive to Salem Point. We stopped at a fast food restaurant on the way to get lunch. Then we drove the final half hour to get there.

  I was nervous, which was off for me. I didn’t usually get nervous. I was used to meeting new people and starting all over again. After so long you learn not to care as much.

  This time was different though. I wasn’t just meeting some stranger. I was meeting my mother’s sister. My aunt.

  This woman was my family. Possibly the only family I had left.

  I was going to be staying with her until I graduated high school. What if she didn’t like me? What if I didn’t like her?

  I mean she was related to Mom. She couldn’t be too bad. That was another reason I was nervous. What if she looked too similar to Mom?

  I wasn’t sure if I could handle living with a person that looked just like Mom. Just thinking about Mom made me feel depressed.

  I looked at the town as we drove through. It looked small. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

  I guess it would be easy to me
et new people. I sighed, Kane coming to my mind. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to him.

  I would find him on social and send him a message. He was a really good friend to me. I was going to miss him. He was the only thing I’d miss about my old home.

  When we pulled up to the house, I sat forward in amazement. The house was huge. Way bigger than the house I lived in with Mom. And a lot nicer than the houses I stayed in since then.

  “Wow, this is really nice,” Janice said. She smiled at me as we came to a stop.

  I got out of the car and took my bag with me. It was kind of a good thing not having much stuff. Easier to pack up quickly. Things tend to get stolen a lot too.

  I guess I didn’t have to deal with that anymore.

  Not being a foster kid was going to take some getting used to.

  I followed Janice up the steps and onto a porch. A porch. I lived in a house with a porch now.

  Janice rang the doorbell. I waited anxiously beside her. I think she could tell how nervous I was.

  When the door opened, I held my breath as I stared back at the woman before me. I felt relief. She didn’t look like Mom. She had light brown hair and blue eyes. Mom had dark brown hair and brown eyes. I looked like her.

  She wasn’t as tall as Mom either. She smiled at me. “Hello.”

  “Hello.”

  “You must be Gemma,” Janice said. “I’m Janice. We spoke on the phone. And this is Hope.”

  Gemma looked me over in silence. She held out her hand to me. “It’s very nice to meet you Hope.”

  I looked at her hand for a moment before placing mine in hers. “You too.”

  “Please, come in.”

  Janice and I walked into the house and into the foyer. This house was gorgeous. I wondered what exactly Gemma did for a living. Did she live here all by herself? Did she have a husband? Kids?

  So many questions ran through my mind.

  “Can I get you anything to drink or eat?” Gemma asked.

  “Could I trouble you for some coffee?”

  “Of course. No trouble at all.”

  I followed Gemma to the kitchen. Another massive room. There was a table on the right side of the room and an island with bar stools on the left closer to where the counters and appliances were.