by Katie May
“Tense.” I snort once at the absurdity of that word. “They’re butchering us.”
“And what will they do if they discover the truth about you?” Dracula cocks one dark eyebrow as his shrewd eyes narrow imperceptibly. “They won’t kill you, Violet. At least, not right away. Some will wish to use your powers for their own purposes. Others will hope to get favors from Lucifer and Hera, unknowing that the former wishes that you were dead and the latter is unable to confess to being your mother.”
Shifting on the uncomfortable seat, I drill my dad with a penetrating glare. “This doesn’t make any sense. I’m a vampire. I drink blood.”
Once more, it’s Dimitri that answers. “You do.” He nods, moving from his spot in the corner to stand beside my father, who still reclines on the couch. He’s every inch the graceful, elegant predator with his frosty ice-blue stare and his pure white hair pulled back into a severe ponytail. “Your birth father, Lucifer, is the creator of all monsters, including vampires.”
“Are you saying that Lucifer is a vampire?” I gape, struggling to understand their words. This entire thing sounds insane. Half of me wants to believe that Dracula’s pulling one over on me. Any second now, he’ll break into peals of laughter, point a finger at me, and say, “Gotcha.” Maybe this is part of the Roaring. Maybe this is how they’ll finally break me.
“Lucifer is a demon. Not just any demon, but the devil himself,” Dimitri corrects. “But, yes, he does drink blood.”
“You’ll come to discover that you’re stronger than the average vampire,” Dracula adds. “Faster. Smarter.” Okay, yeah, that one gets a snort out of me, but Dracula continues on as if I hadn’t interrupted. “You’ll discover, over time, that you have more powers as well.”
“Like what?” I whisper. I don’t even want the powers I have now, let alone new ones. Both humans and monsters alike fear those that are different. And frankly, I like my heart in my body and my head on my shoulders just as much as the next person. I don’t want to die because of who my parents are.
But unfortunately, life isn’t always fair.
“Your mother is Hera,” Dimitri says. “She’s the Goddess of Marriage and Birth.”
I groan low in my throat, dropping my face into my hands. “Please don’t tell me that my superpower is popping out babies left and right. I don’t think my vagina can handle that.”
Dracula looks slightly queasy, but Dimitri rolls his eyes. “No, of course not. But it could explain why you have more than one mate.”
“Mate?” My father sits up abruptly, glancing between the two of us with narrowed eyes. “What the hell is he talking about? When did you get a mate? Or mates? I’ll rip his balls straight from his body! Or their balls!”
“Dad,” I warn, “stop it.”
“You do realize I’ve been called Vlad the Impaler for a reason, right? And it’s not because of my sex skills.”
“Oh my god, Dad, seriously?” I cover my mouth to keep from vomiting, especially when he exchanges a conspiratorial wink with Dimitri.
“A little murder has never hurt anyone before,” he says lightly, eyes already gleaming at the thought. I wonder what he’d do if he discovered Dimitri Gray had just face fucked me the day before in the headmaster’s office. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be so “buddy buddy” after that.
“We’re not murdering my…errr…mates.”
“So you admit you have them.”
“Nope! We’re not doing this! Fuck, Dad, you’re so embarrassing.”
“Embarrassing.” Dracula pouts and reclines back on the sofa. “I’m a pretty damn cool dad.”
“You give me emotional whiplash,” I counter immediately. “Sometimes, you’re saying stuff like ‘cool dad,’ and other times, you’re snapping my neck.”
“It’s called tough love,” he responds petulantly. “Have you heard of it?”
“Enough of this,” Dimitri interrupts, taking another step forward until he’s between us. “We need to get Violet back to the arena before her hour is up.”
“Does this mean I beat the second round?” I can’t help but ask, and when Dimitri nods once, I release a deafening squeal. “Fuck, yes! Violet for the win!”
Dracula pinches the bridge of his nose—the gesture reminding me eerily of Vin—and shakes his head sadly. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Nothing, because you chose me and you can’t return me now.” I stick my tongue out at him.
“I wouldn’t want to,” Dracula says, surprising me with his earnestness. “You’re my daughter, and I love you.”
My heart stutters to an abrupt halt at his words before taking off once more with a vengeance.
“I don’t know what the third game is,” Dimitri cuts in, lips tightening into a thin line. “They haven’t told me any details about it, which only makes me more suspicious. You need to keep an eye out, Violet. A lot of the people here—including the monsters in charge of the Roaring—would like nothing more than to see you dead and Dracula punished.”
“What’s new?” I ask dryly. “They—”
I never get to finish my sentence.
The room around me begins to rattle, pictures flying off the walls.
“What the hell?” I squeal as my chair topples to the side, propelling me to the ground. Immediately, Dimitri is crouched protectively over my body just as the room explodes in flames.
Red and orange consume the entire room, spouting like errant fireworks. They hiss and stutter as the room begins to vibrate. Smoke enters my nostrils, and I bring my shirt up to cover my mouth and nose. Dimitri remains on top of me, his body protecting me from wayward objects. Each grunt and hiss of pain destroys a fundamental piece of me.
And when he goes silent, my entire heart shrivels into a messy ball of emotion.
“Dimitri?” I whisper, my throat burning from the smoke. The ceiling above shows nothing but a myriad of flames, each one creeping closer to where I’m lying.
With Dimitri’s body over mine, I can only move my head, and I can’t help but turn to where I last saw my father.
Dracula’s eyes are wide with terror, his lips slightly parted. In the center of his chest, protruding from his heart, is a god-blessed dagger.
My sob gets lodged in my throat as I begin to tremble all over.
“Dad?” I whisper, tears cascading down my face. “Daddy?”
The flames are getting closer and closer, and I know with painful certainty that I’m going to die. Very few things can kill a vampire. God-blessed items, for one. Beheading. A wooden stake through the heart. And…fire.
Hands trembling, I cup Dimitri’s pale face, noting the blood on his forehead from where a wooden beam has hit him.
“You stupid asshole,” I say softly as I brush away the flyaway strands of his white hair. For the first time in his life, he doesn’t look perfect. He looks dirty and disheveled and broken. “Why did you protect me?”
I press a chaste kiss to his forehead as I wait for death to claim us all. Unbidden, my eyes travel back to my immobile father, and the tears begin to fall faster. A gripping, consuming pain wraps around my heart like a coil of barbed wire. With each consecutive squeeze of the organ, the points dig into the flesh until I’m weeping blood.
I vaguely see men in black entering the room from a shimmery portal, but sleep is threatening to drag me under. It’s impossible for me to resist the seductive pull.
One woman stands out from the rest, her features so familiar that I can’t help but blink repeatedly up at her. Her tall, slender frame pauses above me as her snakes slither and hiss.
“Medusa,” I murmur sleepily, and her smile grows.
“Child.” She crouches so she’s at level with me, her eyes spewing pure malice. “We need to talk.”
EPILOGUE
MASON
The walls continue to close in on me as I rapidly spin the dial on the combination lock.
“Come on, come on, come on,” I murmur to myself. Blood drips from an open w
ound on my arm, and my face is littered with nasty scratches. One of the walls reaches my side, its sharp prongs digging into my ribs, and I release a pained yelp, stumbling away. Of course, that only makes my back hit a wall made entirely of burning red embers.
Time is running out. I know that as surely as I know that if I don’t get the combination right, I’m going to die in this fucking room.
I refuse to leave Violet—after all, I’m nothing if not a stubborn asshole.
Finally, I place the last number in the lock, and the walls immediately stop moving. To my left is a wall made up entirely of keen nails. To my right is one laden with knives. Behind me is my favorite—the burning one—and in front of me is one dripping in poison.
The air around me begins to spin rapidly, like a silver tornado has plowed through the room, and I release a breath of relief when I’m deposited back onto the stage.
“Fucking hell,” I murmur dazedly as the audience chants my name. I’m not gonna lie, hearing their cries does wonders for my ego. With a cocksure grin, I raise a fist into the air, and the crowd practically creams their pants.
Mr. Pumpkin shuffles to stand beside me, his face red and blotchy and dripping with sweat. I’m surprised it’s not Dimitri here to greet me, but I can only assume that he is with Violet.
Which means my girl has finished the second challenge.
Relief like no other washes away the tension from my shoulders.
I need to find my Pinkie pronto and finish what we started yesterday. If that means I have to see Vin’s cock, then so be it. Hell, I’d even be willing to stare at Frankie’s garden hose if that’s what she desires.
Speaking of the devil…
Frankie waves me over from the side of the stage. After Mr. Pumpkin announces my victory, I saunter after him with my hands shoved into my pockets. Vin is already leaning against the Academy wall, covered in soot and looking worse for wear, but otherwise fine.
“You were cutting it close, Mason,” Frankie says, shifting uncomfortably on the grass. Unlike me and Vin, Frankie doesn’t have any cuts on him that I can see. A part of me is sort of jealous that the bastard is basically impenetrable.
“How much more time did I have?” I glance towards the audience who is cheering as another competitor—this one the Bog Monster—materializes on the stage.
“Less than two minutes,” Vin snaps. He repeatedly runs his fingers through his dark hair as his eyes glare at a spot on the wall.
“What’s your problem?” I finally ask, his agitation causing me to become jittery. I don’t even know what’s the matter, and already, I’m thrumming with excess energy. The tension that had previously dissipated has returned with a vengeance.
“Violet hasn’t returned,” Frankie murmurs, and I swear all of the blood drains from my face, leaving me cold and empty.
“What?”
“She hasn’t fucking returned yet,” Vin snaps. “Most of the competitors did ages ago, including Vanessa, but Violet hasn’t arrived yet. Even Cal and Barret made it out a few minutes ago, but I have no idea where they disappeared to.”
The area above the stage glimmers brightly, and a body gracefully rolls from the portal. Jack—or is that Hux?—smiles brightly at the crowd, his dark hair brushed back into a man bun. When has either of them ever worn a man bun?
As the audience dies down and Hux/Jack makes a beeline towards the Academy, Frankie waves his hands to capture the man’s attention. Hux or Jack glances once at our group and smirks before stalking away, whistling an unfamiliar tune.
“What the fuck?” Vin glares daggers at his retreating back. “That was weird, right?”
“Very fucking weird,” I agree, staring after our friend suspiciously. “Did something happen between Violet and them?”
“Not that I know of.” Vin rubs at his chin in consideration. “But even if they had a fight, Hux would be buying out grocery stores of chocolate right now while Jack would write her some stupid-ass poem. Neither of them would ignore her—or us.”
“Fuck, where is she?” I tear my gaze away from Hux/Jack and focus once more on the stage. Above, the final countdown begins.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
“Come on, baby,” Vin murmurs, eyes clouding with pain. “Come on.”
Seven.
Six.
Five.
“Pinkie…” I whisper.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
The audience roars once more as a loud buzzer resonates through the open clearing.
“And that concludes Round Two of the competition!” Mr. Pumpkin screams, his voice lost in the jubilant noise of the crowd.
“She’s not dead,” Vin whispers hoarsely, shaking his head rapidly. “She’s not dead. I can feel that.”
“Then where the fuck is she?” I ask. “Are you fucking positive she didn’t make it?”
“I was the first one out.” Vin’s face is deathly pale, and his hands shake by his sides. “I’ve been standing here. Waiting. And waiting. And waiting.”
“Enough!” Frankie steps forward until he’s between us. “She’s still alive, okay? We know that much through the mating bond.” It’s the first time any of us has talked so candidly about it in front of the others.
“We’ll find her,” I whisper resolutely. Because if some fucker decided to take my girl…he’ll pay. They’ll all pay. “No matter what.”
“No matter what,” the other men echo, steely determination etched across each of their faces.
We may be men, but we’re monsters first and foremost. And us monsters? We kill those who dare to hurt what belongs to us.
We’re going to get Violet back.
Or we’ll die trying.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This is always so tough to write! Each book takes a team, and I have the best one.
First, I would like to thank my family and author friends. This is probably getting a little redundant, but I seriously have no words to express my gratitude towards you guys. You guys are amazing.
My alphas and betas…thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all the time and effort you put into my stories. Ellen, Ash, Kelly, Rachel, Katie, Kerry, Dara, Haley, Angie, and Nina. You guys are rockstars.
Thank you to Meghan for your amazing proofreading skills and for being able to get me in last minute.
Thank you to Logan Keys for creating this amazing cover and being so incredible to work with.
Finally, I would like to thank you, the reader, for continuing to stick with me. I hope you love Violet and her mates as much as I do.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katie May is a reverse harem author, a KDP All-Star winner, and an internal bestselling author. She lives in West Michigan with her family and cat. When not writing, she could be found reading a good book, listening to broadway musicals, or playing games. Join Katie’s Gang to stay updated on all her releases!
ALSO BY KATIE MAY
Together We Fall (Apocalyptic Reverse Harem, COMPLETED)
1. The Darkness We Crave
2. The Light We Seek
3. The Storm We Face
4. The Monsters We Hunt
Beyond the Shadows (Horror Reverse Harem, COMPLETED)
1. Gangs and Ghosts
2. Guns and Graveyards
3. Gallows and Ghouls
The Damning (Fantasy Paranormal Reverse Harem)
1. Greed
2. Envy
3. Gluttony
Prodigium Academy (Horror Comedy Academy Reverse Harem)
1. Monsters
2. Roaring
Tory’s School for the Trouble (Bully Horror Academy Reverse Harem)
1. Between
2. Beyond (Coming Winter 2020)
Supernaturalette (Interactive Reverse Harem)
1. Introductions
2. First Dates
CO-WRITES
Afterworld Academy with Loxley Savage (Academy Fa
ntasy Reverse Harem)
1. Dearly Departed
2. Darkness Deceives
Her Immortal Legacy with Elena Lawson (Time Travel Paranormal Reverse Harem)
1. Chasing Time
STAND-ALONES
Toxicity (Contemporary Reverse Harem)
Blindly Indicted (Prison Reverse Harem)
Not All Heroes Wear Capes (Just Dresses) (Short Comedic Reverse Harem)
Charming Devils (Bully/Revenge Reverse Harem)
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Foreword
RECAP
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Katie May
