Royally Enraged: A Reverse Harem Fantasy (Her Royal Harem Book 4)

by Catherine Banks

  “It was a weird interaction,” Sharla said, standing beside Leona. “He seemed to idolize you and Ezio.”

  “I’m sorry. My business always ruins our fun,” I grumbled.

  Sharla patted my shoulder. “Let’s get another—”

  Sharla’s words were cut off as a huge explosion went off outside of the bar, breaking the glass windows and shaking the ground.

  “Ezio!” I screamed, racing around the panicked bar patrons, most having ducked down and covered their heads. I didn’t bother waiting to see if Sharla and Leona would follow. They could protect themselves. My only concern was Ezio.

  I jumped through the broken front window and searched the street for him. There was a smoking hole in the center of the street, I guessed that was where the bomb had detonated.

  “Ezio!” I screamed, my ears still ringing from the blast.

  Wind from above pushed down at me. I jerked my gaze up and glared at the dragon hovering there. It had to be Steven, since they’d just stepped outside together. In his paw, I saw Ezio’s unconscious body.

  I roared and shifted into my dragon form, leaping up into the air before I’d fully shifted. Teeth bared, I flew at the dragon, ready to tear him to pieces and get Ezio back.

  He backed up, eyes wide with panic, and then shifted back to human form and dropped to the ground, holding Ezio in his arms.

  I landed, but stayed in my dragon form, snarling and growling at him.

  He set Ezio on the ground. “I grabbed him and tried to get clear of the bomb, but he got hit by some debris,” he told me. He took several steps away and raised his hands, palms out.

  I shifted back to human form and knelt by Ezio. “Ezio,” I said, trying to keep myself calm. “I need you to wake up. Someone could hurt me.” I wasn’t actually worried about myself, but hoped it might incentivize him to wake up.

  He had several cuts that were already healing, but nothing that should have knocked him unconscious. I lifted his head gingerly, feeling around it for a lump or blood, but found none.

  “He’ll wake up in a few minutes,” a deep voice said.

  I spun around, crouched over Ezio’s body and snarled, my teeth lengthening and thickening into a wolf’s fangs.

  He looked like a cross between Nico and Brayden. In his hand he held a metal staff with a silver glowing orb on the end of it. Mage.

  I tugged on my bond with Nico, but he’d shut it down so tightly that I wasn’t sure if he could feel it. I tugged on my other three bonds, hoping they would all come.

  “Who are you and what the fuck do you want?” I snarled.

  He smirked. “You don’t know who I am? Why, is Daddy dearest keeping secrets?”

  “I don’t know you or your dad,” I said. “Why did you hurt Ezio? What do you want?”

  “Sweet, sweet, Jolie,” he said, beginning a slow walk around me. “You’re so naïve. My brothers and father must really be keeping a lid on my existence. It’s sad really because if you’d been prepared, you could have prevented this.”

  He lunged for me, and I covered my body in scales and grew wolf claws. Nico popped into existence at my side and put a shield up, which his weird doppleganger leapt away from before touching.

  Nico held his staff and glared at the guy. “Are you hurt, love?”

  “No, but he knocked Ezio out somehow. There was an explosion and Ezio won’t wake up,” I said.

  “He’ll be fine,” Nico assured me, still not taking his eyes off of the attacker.

  “Brother!” the guy said and smiled wide. “I thought provoking your mate might force you to make an appearance.”

  Brother? He really was related to Nico.

  Nico held his glare a moment longer and then turned to face me. His eyes were red, from crying no doubt, and glimmered with fury. “Can you teleport to the den?” he asked me.

  I set my hand on his cheek and said, “I’m not leaving you.”

  He smiled and turned his head to kiss my palm. “I wasn’t suggesting you leave me. I just need to know.”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “Where are the girls?” he asked.

  “Inside the bar,” I answered, keeping a wary eye on Nico’s brother who stood with his arms folded, tapping his foot, and glaring at us.

  “Sharla! Leona!” Nico yelled. “Here, please.”

  Both ran from the bar to dash inside Nico’s shield. Sharla knelt at Ezio’s side and inspected him.

  “You have to talk to me eventually,” Nico’s brother said. “I won’t stop until you do.”

  “Don’t test me, Klaus. Have you spoken to your brother?” Nico asked, his lip twitching as he held in a snarl.

  “Brayden?” Klaus asked.

  Nico nodded.

  I turned and stared at Nico in shock. Brayden was his brother? He hadn’t told me that! Why was he keeping secrets? What the hell!

  “No. Why? What did he do this time?” Klaus asked.

  “He’s on my kill list,” Nico told him. “He tried to steal my mate and forced her to forget me.”

  Klaus’s eyes widened. “He was the one trying to steal the siren throne?”

  Nico nodded.

  Klaus looked at me. “You’re the siren princess?”

  I nodded.

  He sighed and said, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t going to hurt her. I didn’t realize it was you that was involved. Had I known, I wouldn’t have frightened your mate.”

  “What do you want?” I asked him.

  Klaus ignored me, focused on Nico. “I need to talk to you, Nico. There are things happening and—”

  Nico cut him off. “I don’t have time for this. Dad’s dead. I’ve got shit to do.”

  “What?” Klaus asked, his face void of emotion and his tone neutral.

  “Dhampirs killed him,” Nico said and cleared his throat as emotions built in him.

  “When?” Klaus asked.

  “Today,” I answered and slipped my hand in Nico’s.

  “I’ll find you again later,” Klaus said. He looked at me and then met Nico’s glare. “Keep her close.”

  He disappeared the next instant.

  “Teleport us to the den,” Nico ordered me.

  “Wait!” Steven yelled. “I need to speak to the prince!”

  Nico dropped the shield and staggered forward a bit. I stood before him, letting him lean on me in a way that appeared he was simply cuddling me and kept him from looking weak.

  “Come with us,” I told Steven. “If you try anything, I’ll kill you.”

  His eyes widened and he nodded before jogging over to us.

  “Everyone put a hand on each other. Steven, pick up Ezio,” I said.

  Everyone obeyed and I teleported us to the den, just outside of Dan’s house. Dan threw open the door and growled, eyes fixed on Ezio.

  “Easy,” I ordered Dan. “Let us explain everything.”

  “You’re bleeding,” Dan growled.

  I was?

  “It’s a superficial wound,” Nico said. “It should stop bleeding in a moment.”

  “Why are you so weak?” I asked him softly.

  “Used a lot of power too quickly just before you summoned me,” he explained.

  “Where are the rest of the guys?” I asked.

  “Helping my people prepare for my father’s funeral,” Nico said.

  “Dan, can you take Nico to our room?” I asked.

  Nico started to object, but Dan put his arm around Nico’s waist and pulled Nico’s arm around his shoulders. “Don’t argue with your mate. She’s got that crazed look in her eye,” Dan whispered.

  Thor stepped out of the house, glaring at Steven.

  “Thor, can you take Ezio inside?” I asked.

  I tugged on Rhys’s bond and he tugged back.

  Thor took Ezio and frowned. “What happened?”

  “Mage,” I said. “Nico said he’s fine and will wake up soon.”

  Thor nodded and left.

  “Rhys is on his way,” I told Steven. “You can
wait in the dining room until he arrives.”

  Steven nodded and followed me inside.

  Martin stood from the couch and hugged Sharla.

  After getting Steven to the dining room, I returned to Martin and Sharla. “I’m sorry,” I whispered and looked at my feet. “I didn’t mean to put your mate in danger.”

  “It wasn’t your fault,” Sharla said.

  “Just being around me is dangerous,” I said.

  Martin pulled me into a hug. “It’s alright.”

  “We’re good?” I asked as I rubbed my face on his shirt.

  He rubbed the center of my back and nodded against my hair. “Yeah.”

  “What’s going on?” Rhys asked as he entered the house.

  I pulled away from Martin and rubbed a hand down my face. I was so tired. I hadn’t realized it until now. “A friend of Mawrth’s said he has to tell you something and it’s dangerous,” I explained. “He’s in the dining room.”

  “What happened?” Rhys asked, his voice a deep growl as he touched the side of my head.

  “Talk to him first. Then, I’ll tell you,” I said. I rubbed a hand down my face again.

  “Go to our room,” Rhys whispered and kissed my cheek. “I’ll be up as soon as I’m done with him.”

  I nodded and then scowled as I looked around the room. “Where’s Leona?”

  “She snuck off with Thor somewhere,” Sharla said and smiled. “I doubt you’ll see her the rest of the night.”

  I laughed and shook my head as I made my way up to the second floor and then to the room we used while staying at the werewolf den. Nico lay on the bed, still clothed, but asleep.

  As quietly as possible, I climbed into bed with him. He stirred slightly, slid an arm beneath my pillow, and then spooned himself around me. Within a minute, I was fast asleep.

  Chapter 3

  Jolie

  Johann’s funeral was short and emotional. Mages burned the bodies of their dead, so my four mates and I stood and waited until his body was gone. Nico stayed longer to take care of some stuff, but sent us away.

  Back at the house, Deryn turned on a movie, and pulled me down onto his lap. He nuzzled my neck and asked, “What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”

  “Nico never told me he has brothers,” I whispered. “He never told me Brayden is his brother.”

  Deryn’s head snapped up. “Trident Douche?”

  I nodded.

  “He didn’t tell us that. Are you sure he’s—”

  “He confirmed it when talking to his other brother,” I said. I took a deep breath and whispered, “It made me realize that there is a lot I still don’t know about you guys. I’m a shit mate.”

  His arms tightened around me. “No, you’re not. We’re just very secretive. It comes from years of training by our parents. We don’t mean to keep secrets or things from you.”

  I paused the movie since we weren’t watching it anyway and straddled him so I could fully face him. “Tell me something about you that I don’t know,” I requested.

  He thought about it and asked, “Have I ever told you about my mom?”

  “No,” I said, focusing intently on him. I had wanted to ask about her before, but was worried it was a heartbreaking story and didn’t want to upset him or Dan.

  “Mom was full of fire. She was always working on something and was adamant that things got done, if she believed in them. Dad and Mom became mates when they were sixteen. Her parents were pissed, but Mom put her foot down and told them two more years didn’t matter. She loved Dad and that’s what was important. When Dad became alpha, they praised their match, which irked my mother so much.

  “One day there was an attack on the den. Vampires. Mom didn’t want to let everyone else fight while she just sat back and worried. You remind me of her a lot, actually. Anyway, she went out of the house to help fight and protect the weaker wolves in the pack. The vampires ganged up on her, and before Dad or I could get to her, they killed her. Dad went crazy, murdering everything he saw. I was lucky enough to get the wolves away, so there were no casualties on our side. Dad mourned her for months, probably longer than that to be honest, but that’s what I saw.”

  “How old were you when she died?” I asked softly, linking our hands.

  “Eighteen,” he said. “Dad keeps a smile on his face, and I know the pain isn’t as bad for him now, but to this day, I hear him talking to her.”

  I couldn’t imagine losing a mate after so long. The pain I felt when our bonds were severed was torture enough, but for them to actually die…

  “Dad loves you, Jolie. You’re the daughter he never had. You saw it the day we came back from Atlantis. He keeps pushing me in training and is pushing the rest of the pack as well, preparing for war. He told me that if someone steals you again, he’s going to be ready to ‘knock their fucking doors down and take you back.’”

  Tears burned in my eyes, threatening to fall, but I blinked them back. Dan was amazing, and I needed to do something for him. To show how much I appreciated him.

  Deryn pulled me forward, hugging me tightly, and rested his forehead on my shoulder. “That’s why I hate that you put yourself in danger so much. I can’t lose you, too. I can’t watch you die, while I’m unable to help you. But, you keep getting hurt. You keep rushing into things. I love you, Jolie. I love you more than anything else in the world.”

  I snuggled closer to him and whispered, “I love you too, Moon Moon.”

  He chuckled and kissed the side of my neck. “Are you hungry?”

  “Just a bit more cuddling?” I requested.

  He fell to his side, pulling me with him, and we quickly tangled our legs together. I let him wrap the top half of my body up in his arms. We lay like that for who knows how long, only separating when Nico cleared his throat.

  “I, uh, sorry, but can I borrow her?” Nico asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

  I stood, and Deryn smiled.

  “You know you don’t have to ask,” Deryn said.

  Nico nodded, linked our hands and teleported us to his bedroom.

  “What’s up?” I asked him. “How are you holding up?”

  He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, and I noticed the bags beneath his eyes. “There’s so much to deal with during this transition period,” he said. “It’s just…a lot.”

  “What do you need from me?” I asked, stepping closer to him. “How can I help?”

  He smiled down at me and pressed his forehead to mine. “Honestly, I just wanted to lie with you a bit.”

  I tugged his hand and climbed onto the bed. He took his shoes off and climbed on after me. I waited until he laid down on his back before snuggling up against his side and resting my head on his chest.

  “I love you, Nico.”

  He wrapped one arm around my side and squeezed. “I love you, too.”

  “Do you want me to play with your hair until you fall asleep?” I asked, already reaching up.

  He snuggled closer to me with a happy smile and nodded.

  I ran my fingers through his hair, my fingertips feeling along his scalp as I did. It wasn’t long before he was asleep and softly snoring. I tried to climb out of the bed, but his hand snatched out and grabbed my wrist. “Please…don’t leave,” he whispered, his eyes fluttering open.

  I hurriedly climbed back onto the bed and snuggled into him. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll stay with you as long as you want me to.”

  “Forever,” he whispered. “Forever sounds good.”

  “Forever and ever,” I whispered back.

  “I’m what?” I screeched, staring at Nico in disbelief. We’d woken up the next morning and the bags beneath his eyes were thankfully gone now.

  “You’re Queen of the Mages,” Nico said again. “Since I’m King now and you’re my mate…”

  “Oh,” I breathed.

  He chuckled and said, “It’s not the end of the world. There really isn’t that much that you need to do.”

  �
�I just…” I didn’t finish the sentence. I was going to say I hadn’t planned for this to happen so soon, but Nico hadn’t planned for this either. His father being murdered is what caused it.

  He wrapped his arms around me and said, “I know. It’s going to be okay. We’ll get through this together, right?”

  I nodded, turned, and smiled at him. “Right. What do you need me to do?” I asked.

  “Tomorrow, I need you to come with me to speak with the elders of the mages and start learning about my race,” he said. “There’s a lot that you don’t know, and I want you to be prepared.”

  “Nico, why didn’t you tell me that you had siblings? Or that Brayden was your brother?” I asked him, stepping out of his hold.

  He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t know until we were restoring your memories. I felt his magic and the bond we shared then. He’s my half-brother and Dad never told me about him. I confronted Dad when we returned, and he confirmed that I have not one or two, but six half-siblings.”

  Six? Wolfsbane! That was a lot of unknown siblings.

  “And why didn’t he tell you before?” I asked.

  “Because he’d left on not-so-good terms with the women and had only stuck with me and my mother. So, most of the women hate me and my mother,” he explained.

  “You don’t think one of them could be responsible—”

  “It’s a possibility,” he said with a nod. “Especially if Brayden hooked up with Justina. She is a dhampir, after all.”

  If they’d joined forces, it could be a very, very bad thing for us.

  “Hey, stop fretting about the future. We’re going to just focus on today and what needs to get accomplished now. Right?” he said.

  I nodded and stepped into his arms. “You are lucky you’re pretty,” I mumbled into his chest.

  He laughed, a true laugh, and I felt my heart soar. It was the first time I’d heard that type of laugh in a week at least.

  “He is rather pretty,” Deryn teased from the doorway.

  “What’s up?” Nico asked him, turning away from me.

  “Just came to get you for food,” Deryn said.

  I finished getting ready and then followed them to the dining room where a huge feast was ready.