“Why have you been sulking all day?” she says, her tone accusatory.
“I’m not!” But I answered too quickly.
Now she knows something is wrong.
She shakes her head and sits lightly at the side of my porcelain tub. “Always such a saucy girl.”
I glare. “I just want to be left alone.”
She rolls her eyes. “Might as well tell me, because we both know I’m not leaving until you do.”
I feel the urge to argue, but the desire dies as quickly as it came. Why not? At least I’ll have someone to tell me I was right to run away.
So, I tell her everything, not stopping until I get to the moment I ran from the Shifters. “Basically, I’m upset about nothing. I escaped being tied down by a man, just like you always told me to. Only, it feels a hell of a lot crummier than I thought.”
To my shock, she hits me on the back of the head.
“What the—?” I rub my skull, staring at her in confusion. “What was that for?”
“You had a pack of hot Shifters who wanted to marry you and you ran away?” She sounds incredulous. “I always knew you were a bit stupid, but this is ridiculous.”
My jaw drops. “You’re the one that taught me what it means to be a Mist Elementalist. To always travel and never stop. To use men to sate our needs but never love them.”
She sighs dramatically. “I never said to turn down a pack of hot men who are as wild and free as you are. Who you can explore with and experience the world with. And I sure as hell never told you to run from love. It’s such a rare thing for our kind, that if we feel it, we need to embrace it.”
“And you never thought to tell me all this?” I shout.
She shrugs. “How was I supposed to know you were the luckiest Elementalist in the world?”
I suddenly feel panicked. “But what do I do now?”
She shakes her head. “Honestly, I don’t know how I went wrong with you. Go get those Shifters!”
I rise from the tub and run to the window.
“Get dressed first!” she yells.
Whirling around, I shoot her a glare.
First I’m getting dressed. Then, I’m getting my Shifters.
Chapter Nine
I’ve searched the woods that I first met Gregory and his pack. But they are nowhere to be found. I’ve journeyed over the mountain, and discovered not a trace of them. On the other side of the mountain, where they pointed out their home, I see no trace of them.
No wolves hunt the woods. No den stands out from the rest of the tangled forest.
I’ve lost them forever.
When I reach a town that stands below a beautiful and elegant white castle, I hover over a tree and weep. My mist spreads out, cloaking the town and the castle. My sadness is a living thing, heavy and unbreakable.
I can’t believe I let them go. I can’t believe I may never see them again.
It’s nearly an hour before I gain some control over myself. My heart is broken. But I can’t remain here crying forever.
“Lica?”
My gaze snaps to the woods. Beneath me, Gregory and his pack are staring. All wear fine clothes, and all look utterly confused.
I sink down closer to them, hovering just a few inches above the ground. For some reason, I’m suddenly afraid to speak my thoughts. What if they reject me after I abandoned them?
“I—I.”
None of them speak. They just watch me.
Be brave. “I was a fool to leave. I know that now. But you were all right, I can’t simply forget about you. And the idea of sharing a den with you... it’s what I wish.”
Again they don’t speak.
“What?” I say, and again I sound angry instead of sad. “You don’t want me now?”
Gregory reaches out and touches my arm, slowly pulling me closer. “Are you certain you wish to remain with us?”
“I don’t want to be trapped here,” I say, slowly. “I want to have my freedom still. But I want this to be my home... I want my home to be with you.”
Gregory’s brows draw low over his inhumanely beautiful face. “But you won’t simply leave us again?”
“Never,” I whisper.
He smiles. “Then, my queen, why don’t we return to my castle? I think we need to make up for lost time...by making love to you over and over again.”
They forgive me! I laugh and hug him tightly for a long minute. And then, his words hit me.
Stiffening, I pull back away. “Did you say your castle?”
He points at the stunning palace that stands above the town. “My castle.”
My eyes widen. “Wait, you’re actually a king?”
He laughs. “That’s right.” Then he grins. “Which makes you our queen.”
“But... you’re wolves. I thought... I thought you lived in a den in the woods.”
They all laugh.
“Silly Elementalist,” Sebastian says, his tone kind.
As they lead me back to the castle, I can’t help but feel shocked. These wolfish Shifters can’t actually be royalty, can they?
I didn’t really believe them until we entered the castle. Servants nod at us as we move through the halls, and no one blinks an eye as they take me into a massive bedroom.
But at the bed, my shock turns to arousal as Gregory rips off my dress, shredding it in two with his bare hands. Suddenly, I’m standing in the middle of them, naked and feeling completely exposed.
“Have you ever had five men at once?” Gregory asks, grinning.
I feel a spark of defiance. “They weren’t quite as big as you all are.”
He growls in the back of his throat, and I’m tossed on the bed. “I know exactly how to handle a saucy Elementalist!”
Their clothes come off in a hurry, and then they’re everywhere. Eager hands cupping my breasts. Rolling my nipples. Fingertips stroking the folds of my womanhood.
My head spins as pleasure rolls over my body. God, this is amazing!
Sebastian kisses me. Two mouths find my breasts. And I feel... lucky as hell.
As the night unfolds, I suck more cocks than I ever imagined. The Shifters enter every part of my body, bringing me orgasm after orgasm. And the sense of being desired, worshipped, and loved makes me feel ridiculously alive.
When I finally close my eyes, surrounded by naked Shifters, I decide that the rest of the Mist Elementalists are idiots. I’d take this over my freedom any day.
Magic in Her Harem
~ A Dragon Shifter Romance: Three Serials ~
Stolen by Her Harem
Serial #1
Chapter One
Tori
Creeping into a dragon’s sacred temple has got to be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done. But if I don’t take something of value, of real value, my brother is dead.
Yeah, I know what everyone would say. My brother is a loser. A gambler. And that I’ve gotten him out of trouble way too many times in my twenty-five years of life. They’d probably even call him a coward for letting me go here alone while he sits safely tucked in our village.
But there’s something people don’t know about my brother... he’s not a bad guy. He’s just not very bright. And as much as I wish things were different, I love him too much to watch the men he owes money to beat him to death.
So, I think, taking a deep breath. It’s official. I’m doing this. Whether I want to or not.
I rise from my crouched position beneath the shadows of the woods. I’m at the base of the temple. Almost close enough to touch it. If I’m going to steal something, I just need to get inside.
So move, Tori. Pick up your feet and finish this thing.
From here, the structure looks even more intimidating than it had from far away. It’s pure white, other than the green vines that cling to the sides of it. There are no windows or doors that would allow a human to stroll into the sacred space. But I have a plan for that.
Continuing to circle the temple, I come to my best option. A tall pine th
at grows to just ten or twenty feet beneath the lowest window. My gaze moves from the window down, down to the ground far below. I say a silent prayer that I don’t fall. A drop from that height would mean instant death.
Taking a deep breath, I shoulder my pack higher and move to the tree. Allowing my claws to grow long, I dig them into the trunk of the tree and begin my slow, steady climb up. It’s times like these that I don’t mind that I’m a freak. A human twisted by magic. The villagers say it was a curse against my whore of a mother, but I think it was probably a strange blessing. These claws have saved me from more dangerous situation than I can count.
And hopefully they’ll save my brother’s life today too.
The bark crumbles beneath my hands. My claws sink deep with each inch I’m climbing. My bare feet scramble for purchase as I move higher... if only I had claws on my toes too.
By the time I reach the top, the morning sun has moved higher in the sky, and its rays have grown more intense. I’m dampened with sweat beneath my brown, leather shirt and pants, and my nearly empty pack feels a hell of a lot heavier. But I’ve made it.
Here comes the hard part.
A soft breeze blows. It bends the trees, shaking it slightly as I cling to the top. My breathing comes in and out faster. I will not fall from this high up. I won’t.
Swallowing, I look to the white wall of the temple. I can do this. It’s not that far of a jump.
Damn it. I hate that I don’t jump yet. That I’m scared. That my whole body has started to shake.
Think of your brother. Remember that you don’t have a choice.
Afraid that I’ll climb right back down if I wait another second, I tense, brace my feet against the trunk of the tree, and pull my claws out of the wood a little. Then, as a streak of white terror blinds me, I leap.
My hands hit the temple first, but instead of sinking right in, they scratch against the stone, and then I’m falling. Every horrible moment of my life flashes before my eyes as my claws drag along the stone looking for purchase. I’ve imagined my death more times than I can count. Usually by starvation. But falling was never on my list.
Suddenly, my claws catch an edge between stones. And I smack into the wall, hanging on by one hand. Even though I’m trembling, I reach up and run the claws of my other hand along the stone until I’m holding on with both hands.
Taking several deep breaths, I look between the ground, still far beneath me, and the window too-far above me. Damn. I’m in the shittiest spot possible, so I better get going.
I continue to climb up the wall. It’s harder than climbing the tree. The stone has less places to dig my claws into. But slowly, painfully slowly, I make my way up. When I come to the window at last, I pull myself over the edge and onto the ledge.
Sitting for a long minute, I rub my face with my hands and thank the Gods that I’m still alive.
Glancing at the sky, I frown. This is taking longer than I expected. Dragons tend to sleep in, at least that’s what I’d heard, so I planned to have stolen what I needed to and been gone long before they awoke. Not that I had a clue where their dens were, I just knew they came to the temple frequently enough that they must be close.
And then there’s my brother... had his debtors found him yet?
Gritting my teeth, I look inside the temple. Freezing, my eyes widen. It’s a massive room, with white pillars on both sides of a path. The path looks as if it’s lighted by a brilliant golden light, but it’s probably just windows above the space. Windows that bathe everything in a stunning glow. And along the path, small tables contain massive jewels encased in glass. The wealth of just one of the gems... my brother and I would be set for life.
My gaze travels up the path. On a dais, a jeweled throne stands empty. And in front of it, encased in more glass, is something unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s like a light. Power. Magic.
I jump down from the window ledge and land without a sound, then I start moving. My bare feet are silent as they sweep the group with each step. I walk past the jewels that line the path. For some reason, I can’t even turn to look at them. My gaze is glued to the glowing light on the dais.
When I climb up the white stone steps and stop before the light encased in glass, it’s like my thoughts have turned to sludge. There’s something beneath the light. Is it... an egg? A golden dragon’s egg?
The urge to touch it is a need, not a desire. My hands shake as I lift the glass from it and set the glass box down onto the ground. When I rise, the light that radiates from the egg begins to dance. The colors change, swirling above it.
My fingers stretch out. Even this close, I can feel the warmth of the magic. It calls to me. Whispering in my mind. Begging me to reach just a little further.
I know how dangerous magic is. Especially dragon-magic. I know this egg is probably a trap.
And yet, I can’t stop myself.
I stroke the light and shudder. It dances over the skin of my hands, then travels up my arms. The light is so warm, so comforting. I feel the smile that twists my lips. I spin as a laugh bubbles from my lips. The magic moves around me, lifting the edges of my shirt slightly as I move. It tugs at my light brown hair, lifting it around me.
When I look back at the egg, the magic has spread hovering over myself and it. Smiling, I reach out again and pick up the jeweled item. The egg feels heavy in my hands, and it radiates a heat that’s almost painfully hot. And yet, I don’t put it down.
More whispers fill my mind. Happy sounds that make my heart soar. When the egg begins to crack, I can’t even feel fear or worry, I’m too transfixed. Will a baby hatch?
Instead, the egg crumbles in my hands, and with it, something comes exploding from the broken shell. It rises in the air above me, and begins to swirl like a storm of magic.
My happiness is gone. The warm light has stopped dancing around me. The energy of the storm is frightening. As its speed picks up, angry winds begin to pull at me.
I need to get out of here. Before whatever this is tears the temple to pieces.
But before my feet do more than inch backwards, the storm manifests into three pure, distinct lights. One red. One silver. And one blue. They freeze in the air, then shoot toward me.
I open my mouth to scream, and they dive into my mouth. I lift off the ground as the magic barrels inside of me. My arms spread. My legs spread. It’s filling every inch of me, and I know that any moment it will tear me to pieces.
And then, it stops. I hit the ground, collapsing onto my knees.
Beneath me, the white stone is blackened.
Soot blackens my palms as I turn them and stare in shock. I don’t know what the hell just happened, but I’ve never been so scared in my life.
Stumbling to my feet, my bag hangs from one of my arms, but strikes one of the glass boxes along the path. The glass shatters around me, and the gems go flying. With my heart racing, I reach down and grab whatever is in front of me, stuffing it into my bag.
I should take more. But I can’t. I need to get out of here. Now.
Suddenly, I hear the roar of a dragon. And then another. And another.
My heart stops. Is that one angry dragon? Or all three?
I start to run forward, crunching on glass beneath my feet. I’m halfway to the window when I realize I’m tracking blood. But I don’t have time to care, I need to escape. Now!
Reaching forward, I try to touch the sides of the window. But right in front of me, a massive eye fills the window.
Dragon!
I stumble backwards.
It roars, throwing its head back.
I turn, running across the room. I need to find another way out. Any way out. Even if I have to scale down the whole damn building.
The light from the windows above the path darken by a massive shadow. Another roar shakes the ceiling, raining bits of stone.
My pulse fills my ears. There’s more than one dragon.
I’m doomed.
Chapter Two
SIX MONTHS
EARLIER...
Ember
I am Ember of the Fire Dragon Clan, and I am the last of my people.
It wasn’t always this way. Once the skies were filled with my kind. But then, war erupted between us. Our possessive, jealous natures rearing their ugly heads. We could not share this world, even if it meant destroying it.
I was the only youngling of my clan, not yet able to take my dragon form. So, I watched from the safety of our lair as my people took to the skies in battle. For days ash rained from the sky and fire filled the heavens.
And then it cleared. The sky returned to blue, and yet, no dragon soared in the heavens.
It took a long time to accept that my entire clan was gone. It took even longer to accept that all the dragons were gone. It wasn’t until I turned twenty-one years and shifted into my dragon-form that I met two other dragons. Like me they were hatchlings during the wars.
And like me, they were lonely. We did not have the possessive blood-lust of our ancestors. In fact, we were tired of death and blood.
So, we came to a decision. Nothing was more important than the survival of our kind.
It took years to find the Dragon Egg of Fertility. And even longer to learn how to embed our essences in it. But we knew it would be worth it. When we brought a female of worth before it, she would be filled with our essences, as well as, the magic of the fertility egg. We would easily impregnate her, and she would carry within her belly the heirs of the Fire Dragon Clan, the Ice Dragon Clan, and the Water Dragon Clan.
She would be our everything.
All we had to do was find a woman strong enough to carry our entire future.
None of us knew who the woman would be, but we would not stop searching until we found the perfect female.
Because in her belly would be our last hope.
Chapter Three
TORI
I’m trapped. Every window I come to, a dragon already waits for me. All three of them are here. And I think they know what I did, because they seem pissed as hell. I’m about to pick a window and dive out of it when I hear a sound. Spinning around, I see a man standing in the center of the room.
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