Charming Devils: A Bully/Revenge Reverse Harem Romance

by Katie May

  “Hhmmm,” I hum. “So do all of your friends touch your titties or just some of them?”

  “You did,” she retorts, a pink tint to her cheeks. “And stop saying titties. It’s gross.”

  “You don’t like titties?” I flutter my lashes at her innocently. “Big titties? Little titties?”

  “I hate you so fucking much right now,” she snarks, shoving at my shoulder.

  “Orange titties? Pink titties?”

  “Oh my god! Stop!” She brings both of her hands to her cheeks and ducks her head. “You’re such a bitch.”

  “A bitch with titties,” I say, because I honestly can’t help myself.

  “Okay, we need to have a girls’ night, and soon,” Mariabella states decisively. “I’ll tell you all about my…err…friend, and you can tell me what the hell is going on with you and those assholes. Do we have a deal?” She holds her pinkie finger towards me, but before I can link it with my own, she pulls away. “And no saying titties ever again,” she adds firmly.

  “Titties. Titties. Titties. Titties. Titties. I think I got that off my chest,” I say with a pointed look down at my boobs. I swear her eyes are going to get stuck in the back of her head with how hard she rolls them.

  “You’re lucky I love you.”

  “Luck has nothing to do with it.” I wink at her before placing my laptop back into my broken backpack and shoving both inside my gym locker. “It’s my natural charm.”

  Mariabella’s right.

  The guys are acting stranger than usual, which is saying something, considering that all four of them are eccentric enigmas.

  The second I enter the gym, Cassian and Elias step towards me. The former throws his arm around my shoulders, pulling me against his chest in a possessive move, while the latter links his fingers with my own. I blush at the inquiring stares from the other students, attempting to duck my head and cover my face with my free hand. Some of the guys stare at me with decidedly leery expressions, while others appear wary. And the girls are either confused, angry, or jealous.

  Lucas slides in front of me instantly, gently grabbing both of my wrists and pulling my hand away from my flaming cheeks. His glacial blue gaze freezes me in place as he whispers, “Don’t hide. Queens should never hide from their subjects.”

  Before I can comment, he gives me one last unreadable look—a look that I would almost describe as wistful—before storming away.

  At one point during dodgeball—the worst game in existence, where I simply hide behind Cassian and Elias, grateful that they’re on my team instead of against me—Karsyn walks over, wraps a muscular arm around my waist, and kisses my forehead. Mariabella’s eyebrows practically climb up her forehead as the rest of the class whispers amongst themselves. I can already hear their probing questions now.

  What is going on?

  Why is she touching and flirting with all of the guys?

  Is she sleeping with them all?

  Slut.

  Whore.

  Trash.

  Witch.

  It’s funny, because most of them are true.

  But I don’t care what they think about me. At least, I tell myself that I don’t. I’ll own my sexuality and everything it entails. If that means sleeping with more than one guy when I feel like it, then so be it. I won’t apologize for being who I am ever again. There’s nothing wrong with liking sex, and I hate that most women get shamed for it while men are celebrated. The double standards in society never fail to infuriate me.

  The only Devil who isn’t affectionate with me is Lucas, but I can feel his eyes on me throughout class.

  When the bell finally rings, I change quickly into my normal clothes and begin to head towards sixth hour, unsure if I should wait for Cassian and Lucas, the only two Devils in the class with me. Is that something we do now? Walk to class together? Fuck, why am I so confused?

  “Peony.” I’d recognize Emmett’s voice anywhere as he creeps up behind me.

  I spin towards the football player as he towers over me, looking unkempt and haggard for the first time since I’ve known him. Out of my peripheral vision, I see Mariabella linger near her locker, offering me support if I need it.

  “Emmett,” I say, unsure how to speak with him. We went on one disastrous date and haven’t really spoken since. I think a part of me is still mad at him for the way he touched me when we kissed. Though…I have to wonder if I played some part in that. Did I lead him on? Did he think I wanted the kiss to go further? At the time, I was just proving a point to both myself and the Devils. Maybe I’m the one in the wrong because I used him. “Are you okay? You don’t look too good.”

  He shifts from one foot to another uncomfortably, running a hand through his sandy blond hair and messing up his carefully styled fauxhawk. His dimples are nowhere to be found.

  “I was hoping we could talk…”

  “About?” I question, just as he frantically grabs at a strand of my hair, bringing it to his nose and inhaling. “Emmett, stop.” Using both hands, I shove at his chest, attempting to extract myself from his tightening grip.

  “Why don’t you love me?” he slurs, and the sheer intensity emanating from his eyes has me frowning.

  “I don’t understand what you mean,” I whisper. “We went on one date, it didn’t really work out, and we haven’t talked a lot since. We’re still friends, though. I think.”

  At my words, his jade green eyes darken significantly until they resemble a jungle during the dead of night. He takes a step closer, crowding me against the wall.

  “It didn’t really work out because you’re a slut who opens her legs for any guy who gives you a few dollars,” he hisses, and my head jolts back at the sheer venom in his voice. His words…his words I can handle. They’re cruel and demeaning, but they’re not anything I haven’t heard before. Granted, I didn’t expect for him to say them, but they’re not going to break me.

  His tone, on the other hand…

  They match the fire burning brightly in his eyes. His entire body radiates anger, so pure and volatile that it’s almost palpable. If someone dropped a match right now, I’d half expect the entire hallway to burst into flames.

  “What the fuck is your problem, Em?” Mariabella snaps, moving to stand beside me. She reaches forward and shoves Emmett back a few steps. Despite Mariabella being shorter by almost an entire foot, Emmett actually stumbles, almost as if he’s drunk.

  “You’re taking her side? Really, Mari?” Hurt briefly flashes in his gaze before it diminishes in a puff of anger. “You barely know her! We’ve been friends for fucking years! What the hell?”

  “Walk away, Emmett,” Mariabella warns darkly. “You won’t like what happens if you don’t.”

  “Fuck you,” he seethes, baring his teeth. He glances over Mariabella’s shoulder, towards me. “And fuck you, too. Dirty fucking slut.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Cassian and Lucas come around the corner, whispering softly to each other. Lucas spots us first, and his eyes harden instantly. Cassian freezes for a single moment before breaking into a run.

  “When a girl says no, you walk away, Emmett,” Mariabella continues, seemingly oblivious or choosing to ignore the fact that Emmett looks ready to rip her head off. For a moment, I worry for my best friend, and I allow tiny flames to dance in my palms behind my back. If Emmett attacks, I’ll be ready. “You’re drunk. Go home.”

  “Won’t have your pretty little bodyguard around forever,” Emmett taunts as he reaches forward and captures one of Mari’s perfect ringlets. She jerks her head back, anger swirling in her brown eyes. Emmett levels a penetrating glare onto me, one that makes me ill. “I’ll be back for you, my pretty flower.”

  “Hey! Asshole!” Cassian finally reaches us at the same time Emmett turns on his heel and runs away like the fucking coward he is. Cassian immediately moves to follow him, but Lucas grips his arm, pulling him to a stop.

  “Don’t,” he warns softly. “It’s not worth it.” A wide smile erupts
on his face, chasing the cold from his eyes, as he stares after Emmett’s retreating back. “The coward will get what he deserves sooner rather than later.” As if coming out of a daze, Lucas shakes his head before turning towards me and extending his arm like an old-fashioned gentleman escorting his girl to a ball. He ignores a fuming Mariabella completely. “Come. We need to get to class.”

  “Are you okay?” I ask Mari, ignoring Lucas for the time being.

  “Yeah.” Her jaw clenches. “I don’t know what his problem is. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Emmett drunk in his life.”

  “Some guys are just assholes,” Cassian replies as he slings an arm over my shoulder once more. I’m beginning to realize that out of all the guys, Cassian demands the most physical affection. Hugs, casual touches, chaste kisses. I’m sure if I would allow him, he would fuck me in front of the entire school, if only to prove to them that I’m his.

  And he’s mine.

  “You do see the irony of that, don’t you?” Mariabella retorts, giving him a narrowed-eyed glare. He scoffs.

  “I’m a reformed man now, Mari.” He ruffles her hair like a parent would a toddler. “Get with the program.”

  With one last glare at my…umm…boyfriend? Friend? Acquittance? Enemy? Mariabella turns towards me and offers me a one-armed hug.

  “I need to go. See you at practice.” She glares at the guys, waves goodbye to me, and then stalks down the hall towards her sixth hour. I swear she’s the only person alive who would dare to go toe to toe with the Devils.

  And live to talk about it.

  Maybe Karsyn will beat their asses if they ever disrespect her, or maybe they know how much she means to me. Either way, Mariabella is immune to their wrath.

  I wrench my gaze off of my friend and focus on Lucas, surprised to see his arm still extended the same way it was a minute ago.

  “Shall we?” he asks, and after only a moment, I place my hand in the crook of his elbow and allow him to guide me to class.

  Chapter 48

  After cheer practice, I exit the school to see all four guys waiting for me in front of Elias’s Jeep. Even Karsyn, whose football practice got canceled when the head coach came down with the flu.

  My eyes wander over all four of them, marveling how lucky I am to…

  To be dating all four of them.

  The thought slips into my head unbidden, and I immediately try to stomp on it, refusing to stop until it’s nothing but guts and blood. Because I’m not dating all of them. There is one Devil that I refuse to even think about like that—Lucas fucking Scott.

  “Hey, baby!” Cassian’s eyes glimmer like we’re sharing an inside joke. I suppose, in a way, that we are. I bite my lip as I remember how his cock felt sliding in and out of me, how his huge hands felt tangled in my hair and pulling at my breasts, how his lips felt on my skin.

  “We thought we could hang out for a little bit,” Karsyn confesses as he pulls me against his chest. Is this going to be our thing now? Casual, intimate touches? Despite years of ingrained hatred towards the Devils, I can’t deny how badly I want this. All of this.

  “Like a date,” interjects Elias as he slides his fingers through his shoulder-length hair. He grabs an elastic off of his wrist and quickly piles the silky strands into a bun at the nape of his neck. I don’t know which look I find sexier on him—the unruly, disheveled one that makes me think of bad boys and motorcycles, or this one, where only a few wayward curls frame his strong jawline and chiseled cheekbones.

  “A date,” I repeat as Lucas wordlessly takes my backpack from me. “With all of you?” My eyes drift to Lucas before I can stop them, and he winces. It’s barely perceptible, a slight twitch in his features, but it’s enough for me to see that my words unwittingly hurt him. But like always, he covers up his emotions with a droll, almost bored look.

  “I can go somewhere else, if you wish,” he states expressionlessly.

  “If you wish,” Cassian mocks with an eye roll. “What century is this, man?”

  Lucas stiffens ever so slightly as he smooths a hand down the front of his pressed sweater. I can still see a visible chili stain near his collar, and I wonder if that bothers him. For as long as I’ve known him, he refuses to look anything less than immaculate. It must be hell for him to walks around school with that hideous red stain.

  “There’s no need to be a Neanderthal.” Lucas steps forward and brushes at Cassian’s shoulder, removing a tiny piece of lint. “I simply wanted Peony to be more comfortable.”

  “Comfortable my ass—”

  “No, it’s fine,” I blurt before an argument can ensue. “You guys can all come with me back to my house.”

  I slide into the backseat of the Jeep before anyone can protest, hugging my backpack to my chest. Karsyn moves to sit on one side of me and Cassian on the other, caging me between their warm bodies. Lucas gets the passenger seat, no surprise, while Elias drives.

  “Your house,” Karsyn mumbles as he digs through his backpack, grabbing his history textbook. I’m pretty sure he mentioned that he has another test tomorrow in that class. “Where those shirtless guys walk around?”

  All four of them stiffen, even Lucas, who is trying his damn hardest to pretend like he’s not eavesdropping.

  “You mean my step-grandfathers?” I ask, internally wincing at the term. It’s still strange as fuck to think about them like that. I know they are way older than they look, but it’s hard for me to wrap my head around that when they look like models in their mid-twenties. Besides, I’m still pissed at them for keeping the truth about them being Bloods a secret. I haven’t talked to them since their explosive confession, where my entire world tilted on its axis before nose diving to its untimely end.

  “You mean your grandma…and them?” Cassian seems to be struggling to wrap his head around it. “They actually have, you know, sex?”

  “For the love of… Cassian! Can we not talk about my grandma’s sex life? Please?” I implore, throwing my hands up in the air.

  “Is that normal for witches and warlocks?” Lucas asks from the front seat, effectively ending any suggestive comment Cassian might’ve made. “Having harems? Or as the case may be, having significantly younger harems?”

  “No.” I shake my head slowly. “At least, not that I’ve heard. Most witches and warlocks are monogamous. And to be honest, the triplets actually aren’t younger than my grandma.”

  “What do you mean?” Lucas demands as the other three volley their heads between us. It’s easy to forget that I haven’t yet shared all of the gory details being a witch entails. “You told me that the only immortal witches are vampires.”

  “Vampires are real? As in, the sparkly, stalking kind?” Cassian asks, agape.

  “You mean Bloods,” I correct Lucas. To Cassian, I add, “No. Not in the way that you’re thinking. Bloods are witches corrupted by dark magic, requiring them to drink blood in order to survive.”

  “So you’re saying that your grandma’s boyfriends…husbands…whatever they are…” Karsyn begins slowly, as if struggling to comprehend a difficult math equation, “are these Bloods. These vampire-like creatures.”

  I stare from face to face, honestly surprised by the anger I see reflecting back at me.

  “Yes,” I admit at last, and a flurry of curses accompany my single-word declaration.

  “You told me that they’re evil,” Lucas snaps. “So are you telling me that you have three blood-sucking monsters in your house at this very moment?”

  “That doesn’t sound safe, Peony,” Karsyn adds seriously, his expression grave.

  “They wouldn’t hurt me,” I snap adamantly, shocking myself with the strength of my conviction. And just like that, another piece of my anger tapers off and transforms into dust that catches on the breeze. It’s shocking how much anger and hatred I held in my chest, but to finally lose another bit of it is freeing.

  Because despite everything, I trust the triplets. I don’t believe they’d ever hurt me. From what I’m told
, they never killed anyone anyways, just used them. How is that any different from what I’m doing…what I did…to the Devils?

  “Enough about that,” Elias says calmly, winking at me in the rearview mirror. I smile at him gratefully. “I’m hungry. How about we stop for some fast-food?”

  “No tacos,” Cassian blurts instantly. He makes a face and rubs at his stomach. “Please, for the love of all that is good and holy, no tacos.”

  “Bad experience?” I question.

  I swear his face actually turns a little green. “We don’t talk about that day.”

  We stop at a burger joint, and the guys order about ten burgers to split between the four of them. I choose to get chicken tenders instead, with a side of ranch dressing and some fries. Lucas smirks at me when he hands me back my food in the car, and I can’t help but smile back.

  He freezes, Adam’s apple bobbing, as his eyes drop to my lips. A need so strong that it leaves me breathless pours from his gaze before he quickly looks away, as icy and impassive as ever.

  As Elias pulls back onto the road and begins to drive us towards my house, I notice Karsyn once more bent over his textbook, his burger sitting forgotten on his thigh. I nudge his shoulder inconspicuously.

  “Hey, you okay?” I ask softly, and he glances up with a tentative smile.

  “Yeah. Just stressed as hell about this exam. I need a scholarship to college, especially now that I don’t have the football one…” He trails off, cheeks tinting pink, as my own insides tighten into thousands of knots. Guilt stabs my stomach, twisting like a knife until my guts and innards spill onto the ground for the world to see. “Hey, don’t look at me like that.” He leans forward and plants a tender kiss to my lips. “I told you. It’s okay. I deserved everything you did to me, and I’m not even mad.”

  “You know…” Cassian begins casually from the other side of me. “You still haven’t gotten your revenge on Lucas and Elias yet. That’s not fair, baby.” He pushes out his pouty lip.

  “I got beat up,” Elias points out, rubbing at his cheek where there’s still a slight yellowish mark from his fight with Emmett.