by Lane Hart
“No, not just me. I’ve got Harper. And if you ever go near her again, I’ll end you in horrific ways you can’t even imagine.”
“She’s stronger…than you’ll ever be. You won’t be in charge. She will!”
“Good,” I reply. If he thinks my ego is threatened by her power, he’s dead wrong. I love Harper and would do anything for her, even serve her, if that’s what it comes to. But it won’t, because I know her. Our magic has mingled and surged together, parts of our souls intertwining. There’s nothing but caring and decency in her.
“You and the other masters have until sundown tomorrow to pack up all of your shit and leave quietly.”
“The other sups will revolt; they’ll push against you until you break.”
“I won’t break, but for once, I will treat the shifters and vamps like equals who get to have a say in how they want to live within the rules.”
“Only fear controls them.”
“You’re wrong, old man. Compassion works too. And I can’t wait to prove you wrong,” I tell him before I walk away, hoping I’m seeing my father for the final time.
I have no clue how the actual logistics of running the academy will work. All I know is that it’s time for me to step up. Right now I just want to see Harper, make sure she’s really okay after everything she’s been through.
Before I get to the second-floor landing, I swear I can hear her moaning for me already.
The sounds get louder the closer I get, making my teeth grind together, assuming the idiot vampire is already drinking and fucking her again. But Drake is sitting with his back against her door and his hand in his pants, taking care of himself.
“Who…” I start as I come to an abrupt stop a foot away from him.
“Rowan,” the vampire mutters.
“You can’t be fucking serious!” I exclaim.
“He’s human again,” Drake rushes to add just as Harper’s cries reach a crescendo.
“Thank fuck,” I grumble while running my fingers through my hair. “How did that happen?”
“No clue,” he responds. “And your twenty questions are ruining my boner.”
“Get your hand off your dick.”
“Why?” he asks as he looks up with a smirk. “Because you want to touch it?”
“You’re disgusting,” I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest as I debate whether or not I should bust in on Harper and Rowan.
Would I have wanted him to interrupt my and Harper’s first time? Fuck no. Guess that means I’ll wait out here and listen to them screwing just a few feet away.
“That’s not technically a denial,” Drake points out.
“You’re on thin ice, vampire. Don’t push your luck,” I warn him.
“Or what? You won’t let me bite you again? We both know you’re not gonna let me drink from Harper, so…”
“So what?” I ask.
“So she’ll convince you to bleed for me.”
“Whatever,” I grumble because he’s right. Anything Harper asks me to do and I’ll do it. What can I say? I’m witch-whipped. I was halfway there before we slept together. Now? Her wish is my command.
“Do you top or bottom?” Drake asks next.
Reaching up, I rub my aching temples, my head threatening to explode from waiting for Harper and Rowan to finish while dealing with the annoying vamp. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“Oh, come on. Even if I hadn’t heard the whispers, I felt the proof in your pants.” Then, he finally removes his hand from his waistband, drawing my eye to the spot, which is when I see the crown of his cock sticking out. He’s baiting me, which is not something a completely straight, hetero man would ever do. So, I finally cave and answer his question.
“Both.”
“Both, really?” he immediately responds, sounding stunned but not revolted. “I would’ve bet money that an arrogant, controlling prick like you only liked to top. Do you give head too?”
“Occasionally.”
“Damn,” Drake drawls. “Aren’t you full of surprises?”
“I’m tired of hiding. I don’t have shit to be ashamed of.”
“Good for you,” he says. “And the next time I drink from you, I’ll let you decide how you want me to return the favor.”
“Seriously?” I ask in disbelief with my eyebrow arched.
“Unless you don’t think your witch would approve.”
Crouching down next to him, I reach over and give his cock a confident squeeze through his denim before I tell him, “Not only do I think Harper will approve, I think we could convince her to join us.”
“Fuuuck,” he groans, thrusting his hips up into my grip before I let him go.
“Come on, we’re going in,” I say since the sounds have died down in the bedroom. I straighten up and then turn the knob to go right on in without knocking.
“We need to talk. All of us,” I say to Harper and Rowan who are both naked with their arms and legs still entangled, but thankfully no longer fucking.
Harper
I should be furious at Kingston and Drake for busting into my room without knocking mere minutes after Rowan and I were together for the first time. But I’m too blissed out to care.
“What do you want to talk about, Kingston?” I ask while grabbing the corner of my bedding to pull over my chest. Or at least I try, but Rowan refuses to let me go, so I sort of cover both of our upper bodies.
“First of all, I’m glad to see Rowan as a human and not an animal in your bed. How did that happen?”
“Magic,” I tell him with a grin.
“You used magic to make him shift back?” Kingston asks in disbelief.
“She did,” Rowan replies without looking over his shoulder at the warlock.
“Wow. That’s…unheard of.”
“Not anymore,” Drake mutters. “Harper is one wicked little witch. And I mean that in the best possible way.”
I smile at the vampire and then look to Kingston again since I’m assuming that’s not all he wanted the four of us to talk about.
“Could you go ahead and get to what was so important you couldn’t knock?” Rowan huffs. He finally lets me go after he places a kiss on the tip of my nose and then sits up. I do the same, placing my back against the headboard while Rowan pulls the bedding over us so that the only thing the guys can see is our shoulders and higher. Not like they haven’t already seen it, but still, it’s easier to have a conversation when I’m not sprawled naked in bed.
“The coven masters are out,” Kingston says, causing my jaw to drop. “I told them they had to be out of their apartments by tomorrow night.”
“Really?” I ask.
“You actually think they’ll listen to you?” Rowan asks.
“I do,” Kingston answers without any hesitation.
“Let me guess,” Rowan starts while scratching his beard. “You’re going to be in charge.”
“No, we are,” he replies.
“We as in you and Harper?” Rowan asks in confusion. But that would be ridiculous. I’m not even old enough to drink, much less be in charge of…anything!
“No, we as in the four of us,” Kingston says, his finger pointing to each of us in turn.
“No shit?” Drake asks with a playful shove to Kingston’s shoulder.
“No shit,” the warlock responds with a roll of his green eyes. “All of the big supernatural groups should get a say in how they live and work and learn instead of letting the warlocks decide. Rowan can represent the shifters and Drake the vampires, unless they want to elect someone who is less of a jackass, and I’ll represent the warlocks.”
“What about Harper?” Rowan questions.
“She’s already the most powerful witch, hell, the most power supernatural being in centuries. She deserves to be our ruler, our queen,” Kingston says which is so absurd I can’t even verbally respond.
“So, we’ll be her servants, the ones who carry out her orders?” Drake asks.
�
�Why not?” Kingston says with a shrug of his shoulders. “She already owns your body, Rowan’s heart and my soul. I didn’t think it would be much of a stretch for us to look to her to have the final say on all academy matters.”
Reaching up to hook a finger in the collar I still wear around my neck, I blurt out, “Can someone finally get this off of me?”
“On it,” Rowan says before he gets up and starts getting dressed. “I’ll go get some bolt cutters from the guardhouse.”
“Everyone should get to come and go whenever they want!” I exclaim. “There’s a big difference between making us prisoners and trying to protect us.”
“See,” Kingston replies with a grin. “You’re already making decisions and changing things around here.”
“So you’ll do it?” I ask him. “You’ll set everyone here free?”
“No, we will do it,” he agrees. “From now on, whatever you say goes, sweetheart.”
Epilogue
Harper
Two years later…
The academy may look the same as it did the first day I stepped on campus, but in reality, everything is different.
Sure, we still educate supernatural teenagers, keep track of the entire population of magical beings, defend them and protect ourselves from the rest of the world. All students and employees, who are now paid for their services, are allowed to leave the property. They always return to their dorm rooms too. Some of the older sups decided to get jobs outside of the grounds and live in apartments or houses away from the academy, which we, the council members, fully support.
And since we’ve made all these changes, the academy has been overflowing with new memberships, sups looking for our help or a place to stay during tough times like the full moon.
My magic continues to grow, which is somewhat scary because I don’t know what I did to deserve so much raw power. I do know that I will never use it to hurt anyone, not unless they really deserve it, like Voss. We haven’t seen or heard from him or the other masters since the night Kingston kicked them out.
The guys and I took over their apartments, each of us having our own, even though we usually all end up sharing Rowan’s enormous bed.
Why do we all end up in his room? Well, because that’s where I prefer to sleep, so Kingston and Drake usually slip under the covers at some point in the night, either before Rowan and I get naked or sometimes during the act.
If there’s any jealousy among the guys, no one ever brings it up or acts out. There’s never any fighting, only the occasional curse when one of them has to wait his turn. Sometimes Drake and Kingston do their own thing while I’m with Rowan, and it’s so hot I come multiple times from just watching them.
I always find myself getting one-on-one time with each of my guys throughout the day. Maybe that’s why our unique dynamic works, even at night. Rowan always knows what I need, Kingston takes care of my every want, and Drake is the comic relief that’s a welcome change of pace at the end of busy days dealing with serious supernatural problems.
Like today…
“Zaine, this is your third offense reported by your roommate. What do you have to say for yourself?” I ask the barely twenty-year-old mischievous warlock who is sitting on the other side of my desk, the one that used to be Voss’s. Zaine, the trouble-maker, reminds me so much of my brother. Hugo and I were writing each other letters regularly before he was released from prison. Now we have no idea where he is. Not even a finding spell has helped us locate him. He has the address here, though, so maybe one day he’ll show up.
Zaine shoves his fingers through his blonde hair that needs a cut and says, “Cash has a stick up his ass. I’m just trying to help the vampire remove it.”
“By filling your dorm room with a bunch of bats?”
The warlock snickers. “You’ve seen the video; the dude was fucking hilarious trying to swat them away as they swarmed him! And it’s not like any of them were rabid or anything.”
“Cash was bitten ten times, Zaine!” I exclaim. “Not to mention that Drake had to deal with a few bites of his own when he wrangled the bats into cages.”
“Serves the bloodsuckers right,” the kid mutters. “Besides, they’re immortal.”
“You’re old enough to go out on your own now. So, if you want to stay on our campus, you need to stop messing with Cash. You know that the council does not allow intolerance of different species. What you’re doing to your roommate is considered a hate crime and will result in a stiff punishment.”
Again he snickers, most likely at the word stiff. Getting the shifters, warlocks and vampires to all get along now that the coven masters are gone is still a work in progress. We insisted on changing up the dorm accommodations to try and help, no longer allowing same species to room together. We have to make an example of those who still don’t obey our rule to treat others with respect.
“So, what’s it going to be? Four weeks of laundry duty? Kiss Cash’s ass a hundred times? Just tell me so I can get out of here.”
“I’ll need to consult with the rest of the council first,” I say.
“Great,” Zaine huffs with a roll of his eyes. “I can’t wait to see what Drake comes up with as my punishment.”
“It won’t be left up to Drake solely. There are three more of us, and the decision will be made by the majority. I’ve already called them in, and they’re on their way. Until we reach a verdict, you can carry all the bat cages to the backyard and release them.”
“Fine,” he grumbles as he gets to his feet and strolls out of our shared office. Kingston, Rowan, Drake and I all have a regular rotation of dealing with the daily issues. We meet up at lunch time to discuss anything that needs to be put to a vote. Surprisingly, even Drake takes academy business seriously.
Not that you would know it right away when he blows into the room using his superspeed and has me out of my chair and straddling him on one of the sofas before I can blink.
“Fuck, I’m starved for you,” he says as his tongue flicks up the side of my neck while his hands creeps up underneath my shirt.
“First, we need to decide on a punishment for Zaine,” I start. “And then, you better enjoy your lunch because today is the last time you’ll get to drink from me for months, maybe years…”
Drake’s hands and mouth freeze before he pulls back to look at my face. “Zaine is easy. Make him Cash’s bitch for the rest of the year. Now, what do you mean today’s the last time I can drink from you for months or years? You planning on going somewhere?” he grits out.
“No, I’ll be right here.”
“Then what’s going on? Are you pissed at me? I didn’t do it, whatever it is that you think I did.”
“I’m not pissed at you, Drake,” I assure him, grasping the sides of his concerned face to plant a kiss on his lips while mine are still smiling. “I just can’t take any chances with the babies.”
“Babies?” the widening of his eyes is comical. “You’re…We’re…”
“Not yet, but I’m ready to be a mother, if Kingston is ready to make me one.”
“If Kingston is ready to make you one what?” my warlock says as he saunters in the room, exuding the confidence of a hundred men. He’s still teaching classes in addition to helping handle academy business, and he looks every part the professor in his dark slacks and blue button down, the sleeves of which are rolled up to his elbows.
“A mother,” I respond simply over my shoulder, enjoying the same startled, motionless expression on his face.
Once my words have a chance to sink in, he takes it in stride, literally, strolling over to the sofa where I’m still straddling Drake’s lap, all while his hands reach down to unzip his pants. “I’ve been ready for this for two years,” Kingston says with a grin. “Let’s do it!”
“Not yet!” Drake exclaims while simultaneously undoing his own jeans and using his other hand to tug my panties aside to fill me with his fingers, making me gasp. “Harper said I could drink from her one last time. Can’t have y
ou knocking her up before her iron count rebounds. I want our kids to come out as healthy little bastards.”
“Dammit,” Kingston says as he strokes my hair, pushing it back into a makeshift ponytail before bringing the head of his lengthening cock to my lips. “How long does that…take?” he asks on a hiss as my tongue licks a circle around his crown.
“About a month,” Drake answers while, ever so observant, he rubs his now damp fingertips over my clit the exact same pattern.
“I’ve waited two years. Guess I could wait…oh fuck…thirty more…days,” Kingston struggles to say thanks to my head now bobbing up and down his length. “God, I love you, woman.”
I hum around his thickness because I know he does. All three of my guys love me so much they would do anything for me – even share me.
“I’ll stay inside of you until the fucking stick turns blue,” Kingston promises, bending down to kiss my forehead sweetly without pausing in his thrusts down my throat.
“Looks like I’m late and you’ve already started the meeting without me,” Rowan says, announcing his presence from the doorway where he shuts and locks it, ensuring no one will interrupt us. Not that anyone can get through to the fourth floor without the code. Installing a door at the top of the stairs was one of the first things the men insisted on when the four of us moved up here.
“Sorry,” I pull my mouth off of Kingston to tell him with a wince.
“It’s my fault. As soon as Harper mentioned she was ready for me to knock her up, I got hard as a rock and couldn’t wait,” Kingston explains.
“She is? You’re ready?” Rowan asks me in rush.
“I am,” I agree.
“Oh wow,” my shifter mutters while stroking his beard. “I guess…I guess I shouldn’t be all that surprised. It’s a miracle we made it two years.”
“No shit,” Kingston agrees. “Drake’s taking his last hit from her before we start trying next month.”
Drake’s only been drinking from me once every few weeks anyway because Rowan and Kingston insist too often isn’t good for me, even though Drake always gives me a shot of his own immortal blood afterwards. Kingston steps in all the other times, not seeming to mind being sucked by the vamp in any way, shape or form. Outside of the bedroom, the two of them argue over silly things like an old married couple. I’m starting to think the banter is a foreplay of sorts which will only grow stronger over the next few months while they’re stuck with each other.
