School for Stolen Secrets: A Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance (Academy for Misfit Witches Book 2)

by Tara West

  Ladon unstrapped the sling of eggs from his chest and laid them in a bassinet beside their bed, then joined them on the rug before the blazing fire. When Teju handed her a goblet of wine, she sipped, feeling warm and safe. She was lucky to have them here with her, all alive.

  “We were going to wait until Maiadramas to do this.” Draque pulled her into his lap.

  She clung to him. “Do what?”

  Pulling out a small blade, he handed it to Teju. “The bonding ceremony.”

  Her breath hitched. Though she’d been afraid of bonding before, she wanted nothing more after nearly losing her mates. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.” Ladon knelt, taking her hands in his. “If you’re ready.”

  She nodded eagerly. “I am, but this means I’ll be in your thoughts, right?”

  “And we’ll be in yours,” Draque said.

  “Oh, Draque.” She tightened her hold around his neck. “You already are in my thoughts every moment.”

  “And I’ll teach you how to control which thoughts are projected to us and which are kept secret,” Teju added.

  She cupped his cheek. “Thanks. I know I’m not always the best student, but you’re an excellent teacher.”

  He kissed her palm. “You don’t know how much it means to me to hear you say that.”

  Hey! Don’t I get a say? Thelix hissed.

  Fuck, you picked a hell of a time to come back.

  Clearing her throat, she twisted her fingers in her lap. “I need to warn you about my siren. She’s mouthy, and she insists on having a say.”

  Teju leaned into her, licking his lips with a forked tongue. “Tell your siren if she agrees, I’ll be sure to reward her.”

  Thelix swooned. I agree! I agree!

  Serah chuckled. “She’s going to hold you to it.”

  He laid a hand across his heart. “I’m a dragon of my word.”

  Hurry and get this ceremony over with, Thelix urged.

  Draque beamed. “Let’s get started.”

  He took the blade from Teju and pricked his thumb, then dunked it in Serah’s goblet of wine. His brothers did the same.

  “Just a small prick, sweetheart,” he said.

  She looked away and flinched when she felt a sharp sting, followed by a trickle of blood. The cool wine on her cut felt good.

  Teju waved his wand over the goblet. “Fair goddess, we ask you to bond us in spirit and soul, four hearts beating as one, four lives forever entwined.” Glowing red sparks shot from the goblet and cascaded over Teju’s hand as he drank, then passed the goblet on.

  When it was her turn, she eagerly drank her mates’ blood. A funny tingling sensation originated in her gut and spread through her entire body, giving her renewed energy.

  Can you hear me? Draque’s voice was in her head.

  Before she could answer, Thelix interrupted. Hurry up and lick our pussy.

  Serah’s hand flew to her mouth. Sorry about my siren.

  That’s okay, Teju said, his eyes glowing deep gold as he lifted her shirt over her head. I think I know how to quiet her down.

  The wine had gone to her head, blurring her mates’ thoughts as she lay naked on the furs, their hands and mouths roving over her, pinching her nipples and caressing her thighs. She’d never felt more alive or more horny in her life. Every nerve ending was on fire, her pussy thrumming and swelling with each touch.

  You’re so beautiful, Ladon thought and took her nipple in his mouth.

  A goddess, Draque said, kissing her neck.

  When Teju planted his face between her thighs, her siren groaned. Just lick us already.

  All three of her mates chuckled.

  You’re right, she is mouthy, Draque said.

  Damn right, Thelix giggled. Who do you think taught Serah how to use her mouth?

  And we appreciate all you taught her, Draque answered.

  Ohhh, Thelix cooed. I think I’m going to like being in their heads more than yours.

  Look what you started, Serah groaned. Teju kissed her inner thigh, swirling his tongue up her leg until he found her sweet, dripping center.

  He licked, and Thelix finally shut up.

  Serah sank into the soft fur rug, legs spread wide while Teju suckled and fingered her clit until her pussy swelled so much she was near to bursting. Thelix gasped and groaned, but otherwise said not a word as Teju licked until her world spun, and she fell over the edge, her orgasm thrumming every nerve ending.

  By the time she finally floated back to earth, her mates were stroking her legs and neck, making her hum with delight.

  Draque inserted his finger in her mouth. What was Thelix saying about your mouth?

  We will show you, Thelix purred.

  Serah and Draque switched places. Taking his cock in her hand, she slurped up and down, teasing the sensitive spot with her tongue and then taking him deep down until he filled her mouth with his seed.

  After swallowing, she turned to his brothers. Who’s next?

  They both held up hands. Crawling over to them, she took turns sucking one hard, glistening cock, then the other. Teju was the first to lose control, pulling out and pumping his cock until he spilled his seed over her breasts. After wiping up his mess, he kissed her tenderly and fell on the carpet.

  She bent over Ladon, sucking him deep while Draque fucked her from behind, bursting at the exact moment Ladon came down her throat and orgasm claimed her.

  After rinsing her mouth with several gulps of wine, she straddled Ladon, and he toyed with her breasts, twisting and pinching her nipples until she panted with desire.

  Fuck him hard, Thelix urged.

  She planted her palms on his shoulders, riding him hard until her pussy contracted and throbbed, milking him as he spurted inside her.

  He handed her over to Teju, who made love to her tenderly until they were both singing each other’s names.

  Bone tired, she draped a hand over her forehead and nestled in the crook of Ladon’s arm, dozing and waking, making sure her mates were close by. After all they’d been through, she wasn’t sure how she could ever leave them again. Bonding with them was exactly what she’d needed to feel safe.

  “WELL,” DRAQUE WHISPERED to Teju after they closed the door to his private bedchamber. “Did you give the wand to our fathers?”

  “I did.”

  “What did they say?”

  He grimaced. “They refused to discuss it with me.”

  “Of course they did. Guess we still can’t be trusted with secrets.” Their parents’ lack of trust in them was mostly Draque’s fault. He’d been the only brother to flunk school. As the alpha, he should have led by example. Well, all that was about to change. Next semester he was going to focus on his studies, on making his parents proud and being the brother and mate his family deserved.

  “Honestly, I don’t think they know what to do with it yet,” Teju said.

  Draque’s blood ran cold. A weapon that powerful should have been destroyed. “I don’t like this. Our hatchlings haven’t even been born, and our parents have a wand that can annihilate the world.”

  Teju leaned against Draque’s dresser. “At least our parents hold it instead of Goldenwand.”

  A thought occurred to Draque, one he was almost too scared to voice aloud. “Who says he hasn’t learned of the curse already?”

  Teju’s features hardened. “Even more reason he needs to be killed.”

  “I agree.”

  A visible knot worked its way down Teju’s throat as he swallowed. “Do you think our parents will use it?”

  “I don’t know. Do we even know how far the curse reaches?”

  “No.”

  Draque closed his eyes when a wave of dizziness overcame him, and he heard the same distant voices that had been plaguing him since he was brought back from the dead.

  “Are you okay?” Teju gripped his shoulder.

  Banging on his ear, Draque tried to quiet the whispers. Where were they coming from and who were they? “I’v
e felt different since I crossed the veil.”

  Teju steered him to the bed and forced him to sit down. He shined his wand in Draque’s eyes.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “Anything different. What is it you’re feeling?”

  “I don’t know. It’s kind of like I’m stuck between two worlds.” He didn’t want to alarm anyone, but there were times when he felt like his spirit was going to float right out of his body.

  “You lost a lot of blood.” Teju checked his pulse. “Once you get back your strength, you’ll feel better.”

  “I feel fine, just different.” Draque shrugged. “It’s hard to explain. Dying changed me.”

  The door opened and Serah came in, her beautiful nude body bathed in the soft glow of candlelight. She looked like an angel.

  “As long as you will still be mine,” she said, holding her arms out to him.

  She must have heard the last few words he’d said. “Always.” He patted the mattress. Come to bed with me.

  She crawled under the blankets, holding a hand out to him. Tomorrow your grandmother is examining you, and that’s final.

  Fine. Draque relented with a groan while taking her in his arms. No use arguing with her, especially not when she might use her new telepathic ability to nag him about it.

  When Teju and Ladon joined them, his family was complete. One day their eggs would hatch, adding to their happiness.

  He held her close as she fell asleep. Staring at the bed’s canopy, he hoped his return from the dead wasn’t temporary, that he would be able to grow old with his mate and brothers and his family would be safe from those who wished to do them harm.

  EPILOGUE

  SITTING IN A TREETOP, Rem picked a mouse tail out of his beak and spit it on the ground. The griffin army had been reduced, by how many he had no idea, since he couldn’t count past ten, but there were definitely more than that. Since Master Eagleheart had been killed by the red dragon, they all looked to him as their leader, and he couldn’t be happier. Eagleheart had been cruel and unkind. He hadn’t loved Rem. He’d crushed Katherine’s worm, and Rem had wanted to make the worm his familiar.

  Raising his talons, he waited until the griffins stopped squawking and then began his speech. He had no idea what to say to them, but it didn’t matter. They were dumb and would agree with anything he said. “Griffin family,” he said.

  They broke into a cacophony of noise, rattling the tree branches, some of them even falling out, hitting several branches on the way to their death, too stupid to flap their wings.

  He raised his talons higher, and they eventually quieted.

  “Red dragon killed master.”

  They screeched louder, wailing and banging their beaks against tree trunks. More griffins fell to their deaths.

  Rem was glad his master was dead, but he dared not tell the griffins that. He’d already forced a tear, pretending to be sad over his death.

  “Rem know you scared,” he said, hissing until they quieted again. “But Rem will be new master. Rem will fly to place where we soar free and eat many foods.”

  They shrieked so loudly, he could barely hear himself breathe.

  “And then,” he added, slipping master’s charred wand from under his paw and slashing it through the air as if he was slicing open the red dragon’s heart, “we grow strong and plan revenge against dragons and witches.”

  The roar of the griffins was deafening, and Rem’s heart soared. They were cheering for him. They loved him. He loved being loved, and he would not let them down. He would give his last dying breath to make sure they took revenge on all dragons and witches. And he had the wand to do it.

  The End

  Look for Book Three, Academy for Courting Curses, May 2020

  Dear readers, I hope you are enjoying my dragons and sirens as much as I love writing about them. If you could, please leave a review where you purchased this book. Your reviews help other readers find my books, so indie authors like me can keep writing. I don’t care if it’s short and simple. All that matters is that you leave a review. Thanks so much!

  In the meantime, enjoy a sample from my completed fun and naughty PNR series, Eternally Yours. Book one, Divine and Dateless, won the eFestival of Words Best Romance. Book two won the Coffee Time Romance Book of the Year. I promise plenty of panty-melting fun.

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  Divine and Dateless

  Eternally Yours, Book One

  Tara West

  Chapter One

  DAMN, THAT HURT.

  I grabbed onto the bathroom counter and slowly pulled myself up, stumbling around a bit before I steadied myself against the wall and turned off the faucet. That's when I got a good look at my reflection in the mirror.

  Omigod!

  Despite the fact that my reflection was a bit blurry, probably due to how hard I’d hit my head when I fell, my hair looked like an electrified mop. I couldn't go on a date like that! Roger would take one look at me, accuse me of faking my profile picture, and make a dash for the elevator. As if I wouldn't have a hard enough time explaining why I was five years older and five (okay, ten) pounds heavier than that Bahama bikini photo.

  I sighed when I thought back to the girl getaways I used to take with Jodi, Trista, and Sheri. Those had been amazing times: margarita binges, detox shakes, size-five bikinis, one-night stands and ribbed condoms. I’d taken that photo after an amazing night with the Swede, Rolf or Sven or something like that. His name didn't matter. What did matter was his size-thirteen shoe and big hands, very big hands. Speaking of that beach fling, we could have made a long-distance relationship work, if only he'd spoken English, or at least hadn't pretended he couldn't understand me.

  I wondered about the size of Roger's hands. Did he have a strong grip like my surly Swede? Or were they perfectly manicured like my last date, Craig the hair stylist, who was one wax and peel away from escaping the closet of denial and giving his very religious grandma a heart attack. If only Craig had listened to me when I suggested he come out to his granny and then smooth things over by offering her a free pluck and color.

  I tried to slick my hair back in place, but the strands felt as unmanageable as a wire brush. What the hell? I hoped that shock hadn't done any permanent damage to my follicles. I had just spent a small fortune at the salon for auburn highlights and a deep conditioning treatment. No more putting it off: next paycheck I would go to the drugstore and get another blow-dryer. This wasn't the first time it had zapped me, but it was definitely the worst.

  I whirled at the sound of a knock on the door. Was Roger here early? I stumbled out of the bathroom and checked the microwave clock in my cramped studio kitchen. Six thirty-six. He was twenty-four minutes early! What was I going to do about my hair?

  I rushed to the kitchen sink and splashed some water on my hair and tried again to push it down, but it must have been spring-loaded because it popped right back up.

  More knocking. This time it was louder and more persistent.

  What the heck, Roger?

  The guy wasn't exactly making a good first impression.

  "Okay, okay," I groaned as I grabbed a hair band from the gym bag I kept by the front door.

  I read somewhere that keeping a packed gym bag in a convenient location was good motivation to keep on a steady workout schedule. So far, it was working, because I'd been steadily going to the gym once every two or three months.

  I did my best to tie my hair back while trying to tamp down my aggravation as the incessant knocking grew ever louder. Grabbing the door handle, I exhaled slowly. I was so tempted to tell Roger the date was off, but I was haunted by the echo of my mom's familiar nagging voice.

  “You're too picky, Ash. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Perfect is a fairytale. Settle down before all the decent ones are taken.”

  I laughed as I recalled being in my early twenties when my mom had en
couraged me to be pickier about whom I brought home. But that was ten (okay, fifteen) pounds ago, and that was way before Travis dumped me for his forty-seven-year-old law school professor. Lately, as long as the guy had all his teeth and a functioning penis, Mom was trying to rush me to the altar.

  The unremitting knocking turned into all-out banging.

  Damn, Roger! As if I don't have enough problems with my neighbors.

  I was so aggravated, I didn't even bother to check the peephole before jerking open the door.

  "Is that really necessary?" I growled before I got a good look at him. But then I did get a good look at my date, and my jaw practically hit the floor. Wow, he looked nothing like his profile picture.

  Tall. Check.

  Wavy, dark hair, and a strong jawline. Check.

  Impossibly blue eyes. Check.

  Broad shoulders and rippling, tanned muscles. Double-check.

  I tried to strike a casual pose as I leaned against the doorframe, but I feared I would melt all over the floor in a puddle of lust instead.

  Mister, you can bang down my door any time.

  He arched a dark brow while eyeing me with a smirk. "Ashley MacLeod?"

  "Everyone calls me Ash, but yeah. So sorry. I wasn't expecting you for another half hour. I had a bit of a blow-dryer accident." I smoothed an errant lock of frizz behind my ear. "I'm not ready."

  "They never are." He laughed.

  And just like that, a bubble burst in my chest. I should have figured him for a Casanova. I was sure he went out with a different girl every weekend. Then again, judging by the confident tilt of his chin and the way those stone-washed jeans clung to his thick legs (and that bulge beneath his zipper), I was fairly certain each of his dates ended in mind-blowing sex. I was also thinking I wanted to end our date the same way, because Casanova or not, I was getting tired of buying batteries.

  "Right." I pushed back another strand of hair, which immediately popped out of place. "Maybe you should wait in the downstairs lobby. There's a soda machine. Don't drink the coffee. It's usually a few days old." I took a step back and prepared to close the door.