Phoenixburn: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Rogue Witch Book 3)

by KT Strange

  We stumbled to the bottom of the slope, gasping for breath. Turning, I stared up at the base, what little I could see of it through the trees. Round after round of ammunition was hitting it. There was a soft thump noise, and fire blossomed high and hot into the sky.

  The heat of it was palpable, sinking into my skin and warming my face. We froze, collectively, as the mortar on the rocks cracked, and began to melt.

  “Purty,” chirped our tiny guest. I turned to look at her. She was pointing, her eyes wide, a brilliant smile on her small face. I shuddered at the thought of what would have happened to her, us, if we’d been in there. How in the hell they’d made the place, stone, burn and melt like it was wood. . . I clapped Finn on the shoulder, hard.

  “Let’s go,” I said. I wanted to put miles between us and whatever was happening at the base. We needed to warn our guys, anyway.

  Fifteen

  Darcy

  Present Day

  For what felt like the first time, I actually missed the show. The guys didn’t ask me about it either when they got back to the bus, Max with them. I curled up in my new bunk, the sheets crisp and fresh, and slept, ignoring the noises they made out in the living area of the bus.

  A bigger tour bus meant that we each had a full bunk to ourselves, and since all the bunks were twin beds we couldn’t snuggle in the back like me, Ace, and Finn normally did in the little tour van. I missed the closeness more than I realized and, honestly, I don’t know how Chelsea and her guys had handled being apart.

  I slept, dreaming of the guys, their hands just out reach.

  The bus rocked me awake, the low rumble of the engine greeting me. Light crept in under the privacy curtain on my bunk and I inhaled slowly. It was daytime already. I didn’t want to move. Silent tears leaked from behind my lashes.

  I rolled over, onto my belly, and slept again, exhausted.

  A hand stroked over my hair and I grumbled, burrowing my face into the pillow.

  “Hey, sleepyhead.” Max’s voice was gentle. I lifted my head up enough to glare at her over the line of my arm. I had my pillow snuggled under my head, fingers curled protectively around it. The curtain was pulled back just enough for Max to perch on the edge of the bunk. “You okay?”

  I swallowed.

  Was I okay? I shook my head and moved over an inch. She sighed and slid in next to me, curling her taller body around mine.

  “You and your boys are stupid,” she said. “But I think you know that.”

  I gave a silent nod.

  “They were awesome last night,” she added. “We talked a lot. Me and Charlie. He’s great, you know? Like he knows so much.” Her voice dropped down to a whisper. “He’s crazy old. Like, what, he was born in the ‘70’s or something? Did you know that? But he looks like he’s our age. Werewolves are so lucky. Lady werewolves would never need Botox, ever.”

  I had to smile at that and she nudged me.

  “There’s a smile from my girl.” She sounded so affectionate that my heart gave a painful squeeze.

  “I don’t know why but it’s like we keep missing each other in the dark.” My voice was rough with sleep. “And I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve never seen a healthy relationship up close and personal—”

  “Me and Craig were healthy,” Max interjected. “Sorry. Go on.”

  “I just feel like I’m holding my breath, waiting to jump off the high dive board and then, as I’m falling, I find out there’s no water in the pool.” It sounded so stupid out loud, but it was a relief to give voice to how I felt, to paint a picture with words. Max was quiet.

  “Hmm. . .” She squirmed around then rolled onto her back. The two of us barely fit in the bunk. “I think you’ve got a lot of good stuff going for you.”

  “People want to kill us.”

  “Yeah, that’s not on my list of good stuff, but we’ll get to the bad things in a minute,” Max said, trying to keep her voice light and failing. “Listen to me. You’ve got five amazing guys who are falling all over themselves to love you—”

  “Eli isn’t.”

  “What did I tell you about listening.” Max’s voice turned irritated and I groaned, hiding my face in my pillow.

  “Sorry, sorry.”

  “That’s better. Okay. Five guys, they love the pants off of you even if you don’t see it because you’re not watching them watch you. Cool career doing what you want and hopefully you’ll not suck so bad and you get a job at the end of the school year.”

  I peeked at her. She had two fingers in the air, ticking off her points.

  “You can do magic.”

  “I—”

  “Darcy.” Max rolled onto her side, propping her head up on her hand. “I really need you to shut the fuck up and for once in your life, be positive.”

  My mouth snapped shut and hurt flared in my chest. Her eyes softened.

  “I get it. You were never good enough for your family. I really understand. But don’t you see? You’re not just good enough for these guys, you’re almost too good. They feel like they don’t deserve you, and think that’s half the reason you and Cash keep doing this back and forth dance that’s driving everybody crazy.” Max snuggled in close and hugged me tight with one arm. Her chin rested on the top of the my head and she sighed. I could hear her voice right through me. “Pretend that there’s nothing else going in your guys’ lives. No hunters. No family maybe or maybe not stalking you. No unicorns making your bestie forget her memories. No powers that keep flaring up just ‘cause and nearly electrocuting everything. No Jake Tupper. Even if all of those things were gone, you guys would still have a hard time.”

  I thought about it as she listed off every item that was eating at me.

  “I. . . you’re right,” I said into the neckline of her shirt. It was a Phoenixcry shirt, I realized, and I couldn’t help but smile. The guys were really spoiling her, giving her every bit of merch they could put in her hands. I liked the fact my best friend and my guys were getting along, although it made me a little sad that she seemed to fit with them almost better than I did, platonically at any rate.

  “It’s hard enough to keep things right with one man in your life. Add four more, and I honestly don’t know how you do it.” She sighed. “All that dick though. . .” she sounded so wistful that I burst into laughter.

  “Really? That’s what you’re thinking about?” I sat up, grateful that I was short enough that I could sit up in the bunk. Max couldn’t and none of the guys could either. She gave me a cheeky smile that had a bit of sadness hanging at the edge.

  “Look, it’s going to be a long dry spell for me,” she said with a shrug. “You done being mopey? Ready to face the day?”

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “Well, we drove all night, so we’re almost to the next city. The guys don’t really want to leave the bus for obvious reasons.” Obvious reasons being murderous humans who were looking to slaughter a pack of werewolves. Got it. I nodded as she spoke. “So, I guess we’ll just get there, park outside the venue, and hang out in the green room.”

  She looked out around the edge of the curtain.

  “I can’t believe I have to leave this behind and go home,” she added after a minute.

  “Is that really a good idea?” I asked, remembering my panic when that hunter had pinned her to the wall. Max shrugged.

  “I can’t stay with you guys forever. Seventh wheel, y’know? And I gotta go home and finish my degree. Unlike some of us, my last year of college requires me to actually go to class,” she teased and poked me in the soft curve of my gut. I grumbled at her.

  “Alright. Go away.”

  “You’re gonna get dressed.” It was a demand, not a question. I rolled my eyes.

  “Yes ma’am.”

  She made a face.

  “Ma’am is for old people. Alright. Get dressed, and maybe I’ll arrange some private time for you and Cash.”

  “Please don’t, I just want to. . . not go there with him right now.”
/>
  She frowned at my words.

  “What happened?”

  I hesitated for a moment and told her, my voice hushed.

  “Like I said, we’re not good at being together without offending each other. I kissed him and he said it was a mistake—” My phone rang, interrupting me. Max eyed the offending piece of technology, and patted me on the arm.

  It was Willa.

  I groaned and answered it. Max slipped out of the bunk to give me privacy, the curtain falling back into place.

  "Hello?"

  "You sound like shit."

  "Thanks Willa."

  "How's the new bus? By the way, the beefed up security is costing an arm and a leg, so please tell me they're at least hot guards?"

  Just hearing her voice was like talking to an older sister; comforting and embarrassing all at once.

  "I'm not really—" I wasn't sure how to explain to her that with the band occupying all my thoughts, I didn't have time or energy to check out security guards. Plus they were always older, and probably had families.

  "Yeah. So. This isn't really a social call, but it kinda is. Troy's asking questions, and being a dick about those plus-ones—"

  "Still?"

  "Once he gets a bug up his ass, he doesn't drop it. It's not just that though either, he noticed that Finn tweeted that thing?"

  I closed my eyes tightly as Willa talked. Fuck. Fuck. I was so unprofessional. And now the label head knew just how unprofessional I was.

  "Is this thing with you guys serious?" Willa's voice was warm, at least, and business-like.

  "Serious enough," I answered, deciding honesty was the best policy.

  "I'm going to be honest with you. You're on social media so you know that the fans are getting pretty protective of what they see as their band. So just be careful, okay? Be professional at shows. Tell Finn to stop pawing at you in every photo you guys take together. If I have to call him I will. This is a new thing for the band, they're blowing up huge, and I've got a some pretty big news." Willa took a deep breath, and I could hear the smile in her words. "They just got invited to play Wrecked next year."

  "What?!"

  Wrecked. Wrecked? Wrecked was the one tour you wanted to be on. The summer tour hit all the hotspots in North America, plus Europe, and the biggest rock bands and pop acts had graced the stages at the anchor events in Los Angeles, New York, and London. I felt like I couldn't even get enough air in my lungs.

  "Darcy, you're wheezing. Breathe. Breathe, okay?"

  "Wrecked. They got invited for Wrecked. Holy shit. They're going to freak out."

  "Yup. So just enjoy everything, let them know that Dana Sims, you know—"

  "The founder of Wrecked, yeah, I know her." My stomach was fluttering. Wrecked. Wrecked. It felt like a dream come true. Any band ever wanted to be on Wrecked. Literally one year a band's lead singer had gone to jail because he'd tried to sell his three year old kid to get on the Wrecked lineup.

  "She's coming to the show. And she's a rockstar’s daughter."

  Right. Dana Sims’s dad had been one of the ‘60's rockers, and when he'd OD'd she'd used her inheritance to start up Wrecked in his memory.

  "She's kinda weird about people she thinks are groupies," Willa finished.

  "Makes sense considering who her dad was." I tried not to be offended at the fact Willa was implying I acted like I was a groupie. It’s just business.

  "Yeah. So, no pawing. Okay? Tell Finn to lay off and he can get all up in your business as soon as you're back in the bus. Got it?”

  “Got it. Thanks Willa.”

  “Good. Talk to you soon.”

  The call went dead and I stared at my phone for a few moments. Wrecked. Holy shit.

  “Guys!” I rolled out of my bunk, fighting the privacy curtain. “Guys! We’re playing WRECKED!”

  Sixteen

  Darcy

  Thumping, hard beats shook the floor, lights flashed across the mob of people. Pressed between a large beefy man, and a woman with very sharp elbows, I looked for one of the band. I’d gotten separated earlier, pretty much as soon as we’d arrived at the after-party. The show that night had gone over great, I’d dodged Finn’s attempts to snuggle me (and the sad puppy-dog eyes he’d shot my way were something we’d need to have A Talk about later), and so far, so good with Dana Sims.

  The band was going to be on Wrecked. The thought of it was still buzzing through my veins. The tour lineup was always incredibly curated, and you couldn’t do a buy-on like most major summer touring festivals.

  “Hey.” Ace’s voice was a low burr in my ear as his arm snuck around my waist from behind. I looked up over my shoulder at him and he grinned at me. “You look like the cat that ate the canary.”

  “Cats? Do you even like cats? I mean, you and Finn both sound like one when you get all rumbly.” His hair was all messy and I had to fight the urge to fuss with it until it laid straight. He looked a hell of a lot more rock’n’roll than he normally did.

  “I like you better than cats.” Ace shrugged and hugged me tight, pressing his mouth to my temple. His breath was hot on my skin, his body warm and firm under his clothes. His heart was beating a rapid thud in his chest, just under my hand where it rested. “Why are we talking about cats? I came over to see if you wanted a drink.”

  “Not that kind of drink, but yeah, a Coke or something. How’s Dana?”

  “Captivated by the guys. They’re good talkers. I’m not, but with Cash and Finn in the band, I don’t need to be.” Ace seemed to want to linger, holding me close. I strained my neck to see where the band was. I could just spot the back of Dana’s locked, black hair as she gestured animatedly to Cash. He looked good, the flicker of lights on his skin, lighting up the stubble he always seemed to have no matter what the time of day. He threw back his head to laugh, and my heart clenched hard.

  “He’s in love with you, the big idiot,” Ace said with such affection as he followed my gaze. Ace rubbed his cheek against the top of my head and sighed. “But then you’re easy to love.”

  "I'm gonna melt and then you'll just have a Darcy-puddle to deal with. Stop being so nice." I let him hold me, safe and away from the band, somewhat anonymous in the crowd. There were more than a few famous faces at this after party, and the boys weren't so big that they were being mobbed.

  Especially with Dana talking to them, most other people kept at least a few feet of buffer space between them and Phoenixcry. The power she wielded was something to behold.

  "I'm never going to stop being nice to you, Darce," Ace said, and he looked around, a cagey expression on his face. "C'mere." He stepped backward, pushing through the crowd, tugging me with him. The party venue was some old, converted brewery, with exposed beams and poured cement floor that screamed 'industrial tryhards designed this place'. Ace smirked when he turned a corner, tugging me into a dark dead-end. Shadows enveloped us, and he pressed me into a whitewashed wall.

  "Gotta take advantage where I can," he murmured and kissed me. A shiver ran along my spine, prickling the back of my neck as his mouth teased over my lips. We'd been practicing, as it were, and Ace's game? It was getting strong. My fingers curled around his biceps in the privacy of our little space, the thump of music blotting out everything except this moment with him.

  "Shouldn't you be schmoozing?"

  "No one cares about bassists," he kissed me again between words. "I used to care. Don't really care right now. I wonder why?" His mouth spread into a teasing, happy smile. "Maybe cause I get all the Darcy-time, and the guys get stuck talking to assholes in other bands."

  "And Dana. She's not an asshole."

  "Who?" Ace's fingers traced over the side of my neck, brushing the almost-healed mark he'd left on me. "I don't know of any girls who exist in this world except you."

  My face was flushed.

  "Oh shut up, you smooth bastard." My words were half-moaned as he bent to kiss the mate-spot on my neck and I didn't mean a single syllable.

  "You kiss me
with that mouth? Dirty girl, if I were Eli I'd say you needed to be taught a lesson." Ace flicked his tongue out and I gasped as it washed over my skin.

  "H-he what?"

  "Lesson. Eli's that kinda guy, all stern faced and crossed arms, thinks girls need a few swats every now and then to keep them in line." His kisses were raising a trail of fire along my collarbone, down my decolletage, and my head thumped softly against the wall he had me pressed into.

  That thought, the image of Eli rolling up his sleeves, popped into my mind and I moaned. Ace pulled away, just a few inches, a wicked smirk on his face.

  "Oh shit, you like that." He lifted his finger to run it across my lower lip and I lunged forward to bite him. He yanked his hand away with a soft yelp.

  "Don't tease," I said. "And don't—don't make those kind of comments. How do you know what he likes?"

  "Why don't you go ask him and see if I'm lying?" He chuckled and stole another kiss from me. It was hard to catch my breath when he pressed his hips into mine and kept me pinned against the wall. Thank god we were away from the crowds.

  "I miss sleeping next to you," I said, lacing my fingers together behind his head. He closed his eyes and let his forehead rest against mine.

  "It was the best part of my day," he admitted. "I almost wish we had a bus like Chelsea's with a bedroom in the back. You can get an extra large bed put in them, wall to wall. We could all pile in there, curl around you. Keep you safe, keep you warm." His voice grew wistful. "Be like it was when I was growing up, except with our own mate instead of just us, grumbling at each other and accidentally kicking each other in the face."

  My phone buzzed at my hip and I groaned, reaching down for it. A text from Max flashed across the screen.

  911 girlmergency, it read. By the open bar.

  I must have tensed because Ace pulled away to give me space.

  "I gotta—"

  "It's fine," he said, "Want me to come along?"