Realms and Rebels: A Paranormal and Fantasy Reverse Harem Collection

by C. M. Stunich

  “Sarah,” Nick said quietly. I looked up and tried to smile, but he’d known me too long. “What happened while I was gone?”

  I shook my head. “Nothing. I’m just thinking.”

  “About?”

  I didn’t want to tell him. Even if he wasn’t interested in me, he’d be upset to hear that I was going out with Gary on Saturday. He was already irritated that I was going out with Tom, and Tom was one of his friends.

  Nick sat down and put his arm around my shoulders. “Talk to me, Kitten. What’s wrong?”

  Hearing him use my nickname eased my tension. “It’s nothing, Nick. Really. How was your talk with Tom?”

  He knew I was trying to change the subject, but for once he let me. “Fine. We’re okay now.”

  Nick sniffed and then bent down, sniffing my cheek. “Gary kissed you!”

  Hell puppies. I’d forgotten about his sense of smell. No doubt Gary hadn’t. “Uh, yeah, he came by while you were gone.”

  “Of course, he’d come by when I was gone. He probably waited until I left. What did he say to you? Why did he come by?” he asked as he pulled his arm away and turned to face me.

  What the hell was I going to say? I couldn’t lie to him. “It’s not important.”

  He stood up. “Then I’ll go ask him why he had to wait until I was gone.”

  I jumped up and grabbed his arm. “Nick! Please, just wait. You don’t need to talk to him. He just…”

  “Just what?”

  I released his arm knowing he was going to storm away as soon as I said something. “He asked me out on a date.”

  I’d never seen Nick so mad, well, except the time when we were four and I’d stolen all of his underwear as a practical joke and he’d had to run through the house in only a shirt. “What did you say?” he asked in a soft voice.

  Calm was not good. Calm preceded the storm. I pulled out the only card I had to keep him from being mad at me. “He said you told everyone that we’re only friends and that you’re not romantically interested in me–that you’re only interested in guarding me.”

  Nick’s entire body went still. His nose quivered as he inhaled my scent and tried to discern my feelings. When I looked up at him, I saw fear in his eyes. He turned and headed towards the gym. “I’ll see you in fourth period.”

  “Nick!” I yelled.

  He ignored me. I threw my hands up in the air and headed towards my third period. I just couldn’t win. First, I finally got dates with attractive guys and now, my best friend was mad at me.

  Third period drug on endlessly, but I was hesitant to go to fourth period which I shared with all three of the guys confusing me right now. Cherry put her arm around my waist as I stood, looking towards the fourth period classroom door. “What’s up, Sar-bear? The door scaring you?”

  “I’m having a guy dilemma and I don’t know what to do.”

  “Maybe I can help,” she said as she pulled me out of the walkway and against the side of the soda machines.

  “You know Tom asked me to dinner tonight already. Well at lunch Gary asked me to dinner and a movie Saturday. Now, Nick’s acting mad even though he’s told his friends that he’s not interested in me romantically. I don’t know what to do and I don’t get it.”

  She exhaled loudly. “Sarah, Nick has been gaga over you since kindergarten.”

  I couldn’t tell her the truth about our relationship so she wouldn’t really understand fully. “He’s just my friend. That’s even what he tells everyone.”

  “He’s probably realizing that you’re not the little girl who needs to be saved by him anymore. You’re turning into a woman and now other guys are noticing, too. Just put it all aside and have some fun. Go on your dates and don’t let any of them get you down. Besides, there are plenty of girls wanting those three guys. You should be happy you finally have their attention.”

  She was right. “You’re right. I’m going to have fun and forget the drama. I hate drama.”

  She hugged me once and headed to her classroom next door to mine. “That’s my girl.”

  I walked into the classroom with my head held high and sat down in my chair beside Nick. He looked at me, but I flipped my hair towards him, letting it create a wall separating us, and faced the other way. Gary smiled at me from across the room and I smiled back. Tom tapped my shoulder, and I turned around to face him. “What’s up?” I asked cheerfully.

  “I was wondering where you wanted to eat tonight?” he asked as he leaned towards me.

  I shrugged. “I like pretty much anything. You pick, and I’m sure I’ll love it.”

  “Sarah,” Macy said from beside Tom. “You ready to get tossed today?”

  “Tossed?” Nick asked suspiciously. “What is she talking about?”

  Macy smiled at him. “Didn’t she tell you? She’s going to be the one who gets tossed up in the air at the game.”

  “Who’s tossing her?” he asked.

  “We are.”

  “Who’s catching her?”

  Macy rolled her eyes. “Stop being overprotective. We aren’t going to drop her. Or at least we’ll try not to.” she said with a wink.

  “You better not drop her,” said Gary. “I don’t want to have to reschedule our date Saturday night.”

  Nick tensed, and I heard his desk groan as he gripped it. Tom’s jaw clenched and I worried that he might cancel our date, but the teacher came in and began talking, saving me from whatever he was planning on saying.

  Class seemed to take forever as I sat, surrounded by the ever-increasing and choking amount of testosterone in the air. I just had to hope they didn’t end up fighting after class.

  The bell rang, and I sat numbly in my chair. I wanted to enjoy myself, but perhaps I should enjoy myself one guy at a time. I was single, so it shouldn’t matter, but I did feel bad.

  “Sarah,” Nick said softly. “The bell rang.”

  I stood and grabbed my backpack which I hadn’t even bothered to open during class. We walked to the locker rooms, and Nick stopped me as I reached for the door. “Sarah, what’s wrong? I’m sorry I’ve been snapping at you today.”

  I couldn’t look him in the eye. I felt strange and I wasn’t sure if it was just because of the guy situation or not. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

  “It’s my job to worry about you,” he whispered.

  I patted his arm and opened the door. “Only until I die,” I whispered.

  He tried to come in the door after me, but Coach Brown stopped him with a hand to his chest, her dark eyes flashing. “This is the women’s locker room, Nicholas. Kindly go to your own side.”

  I dressed numbly and dangled my pom poms beside me as I walked. Why did I feel so defeated when nothing had happened? If anything, I should have been thrilled!

  Cherry walked silently beside me as we headed out to the football field. The rest of the squad was in high spirits as we prepared for the game tomorrow. I dismissed my depressing thoughts and focused on our cheer. Despite the stereotyping I received, I loved cheer. It was fun. The girls formed a pyramid and then a circle of four friends stood on the top of the pyramid of girls as they prepared to toss me. “Let’s do it.”

  Two seconds later I was flying up in the air. I tucked my legs and arms in tight as I spun and then I landed back in my friends’ arms. The pyramid held strong, then slowly we all climbed off of each other. “Very nice,” yelled Coach Brown, her blonde hair blowing around in the wind as she watched us.

  The girls set me down, and I beamed triumphantly. At least until the dizziness and wariness set in, and I fainted.

  “Sarah!” Nick yelled at me. “Wake up.”

  I opened my eyes and asked, “Shouldn’t you be practicing?”

  “How can my team practice when half of them rush to your aid?” asked Coach Tanner, his hands on his hips, and his whistle dangling as he bent over me.

  I knew he was joking, since he was part of the pack as well and had probably run over first.

  “
I keep telling them to listen to you, but they see a pretty girl swoon and forget all about you,” I teased.

  Coach Tanner smiled and pushed everyone back. “She’s fine.”

  Nick helped me sit up and handed me his bottle of water. I gulped half of it down and smiled sheepishly. “I forgot to drink water today.”

  Coach Brown groaned. “You know you can’t let yourself get dehydrated, Sarah.”

  “Sorry, Coach,” I said after I took another gulp. Nick watched my face and seemed to think I was lying. I pushed his padded shoulder, ignoring the looks of the rest of the boys from the pack. “Go back to practice. I’m fine.”

  He left after staring at me another moment and joined the rest of his team who were whispering while watching me. I’d probably just earned six extra Guardians for the next few days.

  Cherry helped me up and shook her head at me. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

  I leaned against her. “Sorry, Apple.” I always used different fruit names for her as a joke. This one earned me a shoulder punch.

  I finished Nick’s water bottle and felt better. We went through our routines again and the toss was as perfect as the first and I didn’t faint afterwards. After changing and freshening up for my date, I walked out to find Tom surrounded by Nick’s pack. I pushed my way through them and linked arms with Tom. “Ready? I’m starving.”

  The pack stared at me and then eased away from him. Tom smiled. “I’m ready.”

  I waved to Nick. “Bye, Nick. See you later.”

  He watched me go and for the first time I was actually nervous. His eyes were filled with an anger I had never seen before. Luckily, he wasn’t looking at me. Tom led me out to the parking lot and to his car, a shiny Audi. “If you hadn’t arrived when you did, things might have gotten ugly,” said Tom.

  I slid into the seat and waited until he walked around and climbed in. “What happened?”

  “I was teasing Nick and he took it the wrong way. The pack got offended on his behalf, and I think yours as well,” he explained.

  “You know what they are?” I asked, mouth agape.

  He nodded and chuckled. “Yes.”

  “What did you say to him?” I asked curiously.

  He smiled. “That he wasn’t that great of a Guardian if he let you pass out from dehydration.”

  I sighed. “No wonder they were so angry. You should know better than to poke an angry animal.”

  Tom laughed. “You’re right.”

  He backed out of the parking lot and drove to my favorite steak restaurant. We got a table as soon as we walked in and I couldn’t help but inflate as girls from our school stared jealously when I sat at the table with Tom. We ordered and then he turned his full attention to me.

  “So, what are you?” I asked with a smile on my face.

  He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest and emphasizing his biceps. “Interested in you.”

  I smirked. “You know what I mean.”

  “That is information you will have to wait to find out.”

  “At least tell me if you can read minds.”

  He laughed. “Unfortunately, not. I wish I could read your mind.”

  I blushed. “No, you don’t.”

  He leaned forward across the table and said, “I wish I knew what you were thinking when you look at me like that.”

  “I’m thinking that you are way too attractive to be talking to me,” I admitted. “And that I like the other girls getting jealous when they see me with you.”

  “What do you think about me?” he asked.

  I felt a slight headache starting and blinked twice before answering. “That you’re handsome, smart, and athletic. And, I would love to see you shirtless.” I gasped and clamped my hands over my mouth. Why had I just said that?

  He smiled and sat back. “Okay, I promise I won’t ever do that again, unless it’s an emergency.”

  I glared at him but wasn’t really mad. Two kinds of beings could force you to answer truthfully, dhampirs and vampires. Werewolves were immune to their tricks and a human, who was taught how, could block them. “You’re a dhampir, aren’t you?”

  He nodded. “I am.”

  I exhaled. “That wasn’t nice. I would have told you that, eventually. Well, not that last part.”

  He reached across the table and picked my hand up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  I smiled. “You didn’t. You just startled me. So, what do you think about me?”

  His thumb ran over the back of mine lightly as he spoke. “You’re gorgeous, smart, and athletic and I’d love to see you shirtless, too.”

  I smacked his arm playfully while laughing loudly. “You’re incorrigible.”

  He grinned from ear to ear, his smile dazzling. “You like it though.”

  I didn’t want to ruin the playful setting, but I needed to know what was up. “Why now, Tom?”

  He shrugged. “I think fourteen is too young to date. I wanted to wait until you were fifteen before I asked you out.”

  “You’ve never even shown interest in me before,” I challenged.

  “How could I with Nick hovering around you all the time?”

  “Good point,” I admitted as I looked down at the table. I didn’t like the fact that Nick was upset, but it bothered me more that he wouldn’t talk to me about it. I also knew that he was somewhere nearby, waiting to see if anything happened that he’d need to rescue me from.

  “Are you sure you want to be out with me?” he asked softly.

  I looked up at him and smiled. “Yes, I’m sorry. I just worry about Nick.”

  “Isn’t it his job to worry about you?” he asked teasingly.

  I laughed. “Yeah, but I guess it kind of goes both ways. Today has been a rough day for us both.”

  “I bet, especially with you agreeing to go out with Greg.”

  “Are you mad?” I asked as I tried to perceive his emotions.

  He shrugged. “Not at you. I wish he hadn’t asked you out the same day I had, but I’m not upset you said yes. It’s not like we’re in a monogamous relationship. It’s only our first date after all.”

  “Thank you,” I said as my shoulders relaxed.

  He kissed the back of my hand. “You worry too much.”

  Our food came, and we ate in silence. I felt strange and wasn’t sure why or what was causing it. Tom paid for the bill and then drove me home. I was surprised when he walked me to the door, but also extremely nervous. I’d never kissed a boy before and all of the teen movies showed boys kissing girls when they dropped them off.

  Tom opened the door of the house. “I brought her back safe and sound and even in one piece,” he yelled inside and then shut the door.

  I laughed and hugged him. “Thank you for dinner.”

  He kissed my cheek. “Thank you for coming.” He looked at me a moment and then asked, “Will you go out with me again?”

  I probably should have thought it over, but my mouth said, “Yes,” before I could think.

  Tom kissed my cheek again and said, “Goodnight, Sarah.”

  I waved as he walked away. “Night, Tom.”

  I watched him drive away and then turned to go inside, running into a warm body. “Have fun?” Nick asked.

  I stepped back from him and swallowed my alarm. “Yes.” I walked around him and found the entire pack, which consisted of sixteen males ranging from the age of ten to fifty, waiting for me.

  Greg winked at me from the back and then disappeared. Thornton walked up to me, sniffing my face and neck. “He didn’t bite you, did he?”

  I shook my head. “No, Father.” He wasn’t really my father, but after my parents were killed by a vampire, he and the rest of the pack had taken me in. That was also when Nick had been assigned to be my Guardian. We were only six at the time.

  “Hm, I’m surprised he didn’t try to kiss your lips.”

  I growled at him. “Dad!”

  He smiled, and I realized he was teasing m
e. “Go on up and shower. I made the boys wait so you’d have hot water.”

  I kissed his cheek and walked up the stairs with Nick on my heels. “What did you two do?” he asked.

  I stopped in front of the bathroom door and turned around. “Weren’t you following us?”

  Nick ground his teeth together. “No. Thornton forbade me from following you on your date.”

  “So, it wasn’t you that gave me that weird feeling then?” I asked in a whisper.

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  I waved my hand. “Nothing. Never mind. We just ate dinner and then came back.” I pushed open the bathroom and said, “Oh and he told me he’s a dhampir.”

  I slammed the door shut and started the water. Boys were so frustrating.

  2

  I walked down the stairs the next morning and headed towards the fridge. The table was covered in food, but I preferred a light breakfast to the eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, and ham the boys ate. The kitchen was full with all of the pack starting their day. I ran my hand through Trent, our youngest member’s, curly red hair. He smiled up at me and I smiled back.

  “Will you play this weekend?” he asked softly.

  “Of course,” I said as I grabbed an orange. On the weekends I played with the younger kids and spent most of my time running away from them.

  “Don’t faint again tonight, Sarah. I don’t want to have our team lose just because half of them ran off to tend to you again,” said Dad.

  I grabbed a bottle of water and showed it to him. “Yes, Thornton.”

  “I’ll be coming to the game tonight,” he said, much to everyone’s surprise. “The Others will be with me as well.”

  I swallowed nervously. The Others were the Alphas, the leaders, of the nearby packs. “When do they come into town?”

  Nick finished his food in one last gulp and drew closer to me, sensing my fear.

  Dad smiled. “They know you, Sarah, none will hurt you.”

  Nick ran a hand down my hair. “You’re pack this time.”

  I pulled away from him. “I’ll never be pack, Nick. So, stop.”

  The pack stopped eating and looked at me. Dad frowned angrily. “Sarah—”