Demon's Touch: A Reverse Harem Tale (Mountain Magic Book 2)

by Dakota Brown

  I wasn't sure it worked, but he tore his attention away from Doc and met my gaze.

  He asked something that was probably the equivalent of 'ready.'

  I nodded.

  Our magic spiraled around us again, tingling through us. My eyes widened when Nikolai leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.

  Chapter 4

  Sofia

  I wasn't sure how long we stood there, the magic connecting us as whatever spell Nikolai had cast worked, but when the magic finally released us, my legs trembled and my limbs dragged at me. Nikolai stepped back and dropped his hands, though he grinned and winked at me.

  I smiled, though he hadn't really kissed me so much as pressed his lips to mine, as if transferring the languages through the contact. Maybe that's what he had done.

  "It takes a little while for the language to fully integrate," Nikolai explained in Russian. "You should be able to understand me right away, but speaking properly will take a little practice."

  I nodded, grinning. It wasn't that the words translated to English in my head, so much as I automatically just understood them like I did English. "Neat!" It came out in Russian, and I clapped my hands over my mouth.

  He laughed. "Your accent is atrocious."

  "Because yours is going to be any better?" I grumbled that in English.

  "Perhaps," he answered slowly.

  Oh, I was so wrong. Russian colored the way he spoke the word, and it pleased me to no end.

  Nikolai arched an eyebrow. I just shrugged, trying not to grin.

  A low growl interrupted us. We both turned sharply.

  "Ed," Doc warned quietly.

  The werewolf subsided, but both blond werewolves glared at Nikolai.

  "You have werewolves, too?" He said that slowly in English, as if testing the words as he spoke them.

  While I enjoyed Doc's heavier western drawl, and Ed and Allan's light one, I could listen to Nikolai speak all day and I'd never get tired of it. Of course, I never got tired of listening to Doc, either. If I could find a way to do it without it being totally weird, I'd have to see if I could get him to keep the accent even if he learned to speak without it.

  Clearly, I would have to work on mine, however.

  "Uh, yeah, we're one big happy pack," I replied.

  "Don't look terribly happy." To his credit, he didn't step behind me, but he probably wanted to.

  "Well, you know, possessive."

  He nodded.

  "So, Ed," I pointed at the lighter colored werewolf, "Allan." I pointed at the slightly darker blond wolf. "And you've met Doc. Everyone, this is Nikolai."

  "Hello," Nikolai ventured hesitantly.

  Ed growled again, turned, and stalked out of the room. Allan huffed and followed his brother.

  "Would you like something to eat?" Doc glanced at both of us.

  "Please."

  I nodded.

  "Is there a shirt I can borrow until I repair mine?" Nikolai touched his back where the knife wound had been, fingers tracing the scar.

  Doc, not looking completely happy, though less upset than the werewolves, dug in his dresser and tossed one of his T-shirts to the mage.

  "My thanks."

  "Sure. Sofia, would you mind making something? I would subject Nikolai to my cooking, but he did just recover from being poisoned. I'd hate to poison him again." Doc half smiled at his joke.

  "Okay."

  After studying the shirt for a moment, Nikolai pulled it on, and I couldn't help but notice the way his muscles bunched and rippled as he put the shirt on. It was one of the many plain T-shirts Doc owned. This one was blue. They were similar enough in size that Doc's clothing would probably fit Nikolai, though we might need to take him shopping.

  I paused on my way out the door. Nikolai literally had the clothing on his back and that was it. Well, and his magic. He didn't even have knowledge of the world today. He had probably already figured that out, but it couldn't be a good feeling.

  "Do you not have servants?" Nikolai followed closely behind me, glancing over his shoulder. Doc stalked after us.

  I didn't know if the guys were picking up some vibe I was missing or if they were simply acting protective, but I didn't sense any ill intent from our guest.

  "Servants? Um, no?"

  He sighed, though I got the impression it was from his lack of knowledge, not our lack of servants. I could have been wrong, though.

  Nikolai stayed silent, but I could see him looking around curiously. I wondered how the guys' cabin compared to what he was used to. Clearly, it wasn't the palace or castle or whatever he had lived in back in his own time, but it was a nice cabin. Most of the lights were off, though the lamp by the couch and loveseat was on. Doc didn't seem to need light at all to see easily, and Allan and Ed didn't need much more. They had probably left the light on more for me than anything.

  Nikolai studied the lamp but then the window caught his eye. Though it was dark outside, he walked over to it. He touched the glass, pressing his fingers against it, before looking out. The living room overlooked the valley, and the lights from the small town and the college glittered in the distance.

  I flipped the light on in the kitchen. I could navigate the cabin in near darkness, but I needed light to cook.

  Nikolai came in and studied the light fixture before frowning, his gaze sweeping over the appliances. His shoulders sagged.

  "Grab a seat."

  He did, studying the table. The werewolves padded into the kitchen. Ed laid down near the refrigerator. Allan laid down near Nikolai. Doc leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, studying Nikolai.

  "What do you like to eat?" I had no idea what to make for a Russian from the fourteen-hundreds.

  "I shall have to be adventurous, I suppose."

  I glanced at Doc. He shrugged.

  Ed got up and stuck his head in the fridge. He touched a package of hamburger with his nose before glancing up at me.

  I rubbed his ears, and he dropped his jaw in a wolfy grin.

  "Hamburgers it is."

  "Do you think you're up to telling us what happened to you?" Doc's voice carried its normal friendly cadence.

  "Yes."

  I got a glass of water for Nikolai and handed it to him.

  He glanced at me, hesitated as if trying to figure something out, before he nodded. "Thank you."

  "You're welcome."

  "I am…" He paused before shaking his head. "I was high mage for Prince Ivan Vasilyevich. Quite a nice post, but not without dangers. We are—were fighting off Mongols and were often out in field, but earned place at court finally, as the fighting began to settle down."

  "Is that how you got the scar across your chest?" I squished the ground meat into individual patties and threw them on the griddle. It would have been better to use the grill, but I didn't want to miss the story.

  "Yes, unlucky blow. Fortunately, Peter was there to save me."

  He didn't elaborate, and I saved that question for another time.

  "With many mages dying in combat, I needed to train others and had several students. One in particular, Roza, showed quite a lot of promise."

  I wasn't sure if Nikolai was lost in his memories while he spoke, or if he was ignoring the werewolves. Both of them perked up when he mentioned students.

  Doc glanced at me. I shrugged.

  "Turns out, along with quite a lot of promise, she had quite a lot of ambition. Ivan was a friend of mine and it was highly unlikely he would replace me. I was popular with many of the nobles, despite my mixed heritage. Father was a Tartar invader. Mother a Russian noble. She killed him escaping from his camp and made it back to Moscow. It is rather fortunate I turned up with magical abilities, or my life may have been quite different and likely much shorter.

  "Roza somehow devised a nasty trap, stabbed me in back, and well, now am here." He took a drink of the water.

  Doc pushed off the wall and went into the living room, returning a moment later with the broken knife. He put it on t
he table.

  Nikolai shuddered. "How did you come to be in possession of that?"

  "I stole it from some mages," I explained. "They kidnapped me, and I used it to escape."

  Nikolai smiled.

  Knowing he would ask, I continued as I flipped the burgers. "I actually used it to block a spell, which is how it got so damaged. I've had it for about a week, and I was poking at it with magic and I think I unlocked it."

  "Thank you both for saving me. I appreciate it. Though, I don't know what to do with myself now." He stared at the table again.

  I made a burger for him, since I doubted he would have much experience with them, then I made one for myself and brought them both over to the table.

  "You guys hungry?" I looked at the wolves.

  They traded a look before giving me the wolf equivalent of 'no duh.'

  Laughing, I put a couple of burgers on plates for them. "Floor? Table?"

  "They can eat on the floor. The chairs aren't really big enough for wolves," Doc said as he went over to the refrigerator and pulled out a protein drink.

  I put the plates down, petting both of the wolves, before sitting at the table. Doc joined us. Nikolai watched me while I picked up my burger and took a bite. He did the same, eyes raising.

  We ate in silence. Though it was quite late, we were all hungry, and the food disappeared quickly.

  "Nikolai, you can stay with us for now," Doc offered after we had finished. "It would be terribly unfair to turn you lose on the world as it is right now." He smiled.

  "My thanks. I will try not to be too much of a burden."

  "You can repay us by teaching Sofia magic."

  Nikolai looked at me and frowned, a faint hint of panic crossing his face before he shook his head. "I can't," he replied.

  "Why?" Doc's voice had taken on a hint of danger, though at the moment, Nikolai looked more afraid of me than the vampire.

  "Surely she's already trained. She's an adult."

  "It's a long story we'll tell you later, but she's not."

  "I see. I suppose." He looked confused again but finally shrugged. "I do not train people who are already in relationships. Is unnecessarily complicated. Nearly got me killed. Twice. I was not even trying to interfere in their relationship." He sipped his water.

  The wolves both growled.

  "Guys, we'll talk about it later. The poor guy has had his entire world turned upside down, and I'm sure we're all tired. Let's get some rest," Doc said.

  "Doc, do you maybe want to show Nikolai how to use the shower and everything? Spare toothbrush, things like that?"

  Doc's eyes widened, and I wasn't sure he had considered the implications of Nikolai's predicament until just then. The Russian mage was handling himself well, but there was almost nothing familiar for him in the modern world.

  "Yes. Ed, Allan, which one of you wants to give up your room?" Doc stood.

  The two wolves looked at each other before Allan huffed and nodded.

  "Nikolai, wait here a moment, and I'll get some clothes for you," Doc ordered as he left the kitchen.

  The mage nodded, pressing his hands together on the table and staring at them.

  I couldn't even imagine how he felt. I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed. He shot me a grateful look.

  Doc returned quickly, a pile of clothes in his arms. Nikolai followed Doc out of the room.

  I sighed, exhausted. "Come on, guys. Let's go to bed."

  The wolves padded along behind me, and I climbed into bed. Ed lay with his head on my chest, and Allan trapped my legs. They left one side open for Doc, but it was almost an hour before he joined us. He curled up around me, his face buried in my hair. The wolves were solidly asleep, but I woke up.

  "He going to be okay?"

  "Probably. He doesn't seem like the type to give up." Doc kissed my neck.

  "Starting shit?" I grinned.

  "I'm exhausted. You're exhausted. I just wanted to kiss you, and you're trapped under a couple hundred pounds of werewolf." I could hear the smile in his voice.

  "Damn."

  He laughed.

  "But you're right. I'm beat."

  Doc slid his hand under Ed and hugged me against him. "Good night, Sofia."

  "Night."

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  As usual, the wolves were up before me the next day and Doc had stayed curled around me, holding me until I woke. The smells of breakfast were probably what had pulled me out of one of the deepest sleeps I'd managed since I'd found out why the magic mafia—my term for the local group of black market mages—was after me.

  "Morning," Doc mumbled into my hair.

  "Were you waiting for me to wake up?"

  "Maybe," he drawled.

  "You don't have to, you know." I felt bad keeping him.

  "I like waking up with you in my arms, and I didn't want you to wake up alone." He nuzzled my neck.

  "I like it, too," I replied a little breathily, heart fluttering in my chest.

  "Good." He trailed kisses along my jaw.

  I rolled over to face him, tangling my legs in his and burying my hand in his hair, pulling him in for a kiss.

  We enjoyed each other for a moment, but it didn't take long before we broke apart. My stomach was growling despite the late dinner, and we both wanted to make sure Ed and Allan hadn't traumatized Nikolai too much.

  After a quick trip to the bathroom, I joined everyone in the kitchen. Nikolai was sitting stiffly in a chair against the back wall, watching. He looked uncomfortable wearing Doc's jeans and T-shirt, but they fit well enough. Maybe a little tight across the shoulders. Doc stared at a tea kettle, boiling water for tea. I was glad he was a tea drinker. I hadn't been able to touch a latte since Alex had spelled me with one when they had kidnapped me.

  Doc glanced at me, lifting an eyebrow. I nodded.

  Allan and Ed were busy making a mountain of food. I really did wonder how Doc managed to afford to feed them sometimes, but then he didn't eat much himself, so maybe it balanced out.

  Ed saw me, and his eyes sparkled. He came over, grabbed my hand, and tugged me to my normal chair before planting a kiss on my cheek.

  I happened to glance at Nikolai. His eyebrows were raised and his eyes bounced from us to Doc.

  Right, so we were going to have to have that conversation sometime soon. Oh well.

  Allan dropped a Sofia sized helping of pancakes, bacon, and eggs in front of me. Ed brought me juice, and Doc put a mug of black tea with a little sugar in front of me. They always took care of me, but this was a little over the top. Either they were as glad my parents were gone as I was, or they were feeling extra possessive.

  Except then, Ed went and did something really weird. He invited Nikolai over to sit next to me. I really didn't think he was trying to hook me up with the Russian mage, even though the behavior was similar to when he was trying to hook me up with Doc. I traded a confused look with Allan, who shrugged. Finally, I just decided I might not actually ever understand Ed and just went with it. It was his spot he had given up. Doc sat next to me, a slight frown on his face, and Allan sat on the other side of Doc like normal.

  Nikolai didn't say much, just watched what we did with our food before also eating. Doc had also given him a mug of tea, and Nikolai sipped it thoughtfully.

  "So, what are we doing today?" I leaned back once I had finished as much food as I could eat. The original plan had been to head to the lake, but I guessed that had changed.

  "You, Nikolai, and I are going to head to town and get him some clothing and boots. Believe it or not, it will snow in a couple of weeks," Doc answered. "Ed and Allan are going to stay here and burn energy."

  I raised my eyebrows. "No way."

  "Always snows before Halloween, and it's almost October."

  The weather had cooled significantly since I had arrived only a few weeks ago. The air had a bite to it that it hadn't had when we first arrived, and I was finally starting to remember to dress in layers.

  "And then
we're going to stop by the college and see if we can get Nikolai permission to audit classes for the rest of the semester. Maybe call him an exchange student or something. He needs to start getting used to the world as it is now, and that will be a decent place to start. I need to get him an ID, too. I know someone who can help. We will get that sorted this week."

  "College?" Nikolai ventured dubiously.

  Doc nodded. "Also, Nikolai, you need to understand, you cannot under any circumstances tell anyone you're a mage, or mention that any of us aren't human."

  "I cannot?" He frowned. "Why?"

  "You have a lot of history to catch up on, but the short version is that shortly after you vanished into your magical prison, the Renaissance happened. The church turned humanity against the supernatural world, and those who didn't go into hiding were killed. It's only been recently that any supernatural beings have reemerged, and it's still not safe."

  "Oh." He stared at his hands for a moment. "I will, of course, not say anything."

  "There's a lot more you need to know, but for now, just pretend you're a friend of mine from Russia. Maybe instead of a student, I'll say your visiting and wish to observe American classes. Then you can shadow all of us."

  "I will attempt to be unobtrusive," he offered tightly.

  Nikolai was clearly unhappy, but I could think of a lot of reasons why that might be, so I didn't question him.

  Chapter 5

  Sofia

  "How do you do it?" Nikolai asked when we stepped outside.

  "Do what?" Doc glanced at the Russian mage.

  "Go out in the sunlight."

  "Oh. I'm only half-vampire." Doc opened his door and climbed in the cab.

  Nikolai stared, his gaze darting between Doc and the pickup. "What…I don't even know what to ask right now." He sighed and rubbed his forehead

  "It's called a truck," I explained. "Here, you can sit up front so you can see better."

  Nikolai jumped when Doc turned the diesel on, glared at the vampire, then followed me to the passenger side door which I opened for him.

  He awkwardly climbed in. Not admiring Nikolai's very fine ass while he got in was impossible with the way the borrowed jeans fit him, and I just hoped no one noticed my attention.