Marked By Lies: A Reverse Harem Series (The Marked Series Book 1)

by Paige Orr

  I can hear her heartbeat from here as I turn the corner, using the shadows around me to hide my presence as she nervously monitors her surroundings. Surely whatever she’s up to can’t be good and the right thing to do would be to let Cailean know, but something keeps drawing me to her as she maneuvers her way deeper into the house.

  After a few more moments, she finally stops in front of one of the doors, checking around her one last time before slipping inside. Knowing the layout of this house almost as well as I know my own, I know that she has slipped into Cailean’s study and due to the wards on the windows; she has no other way out.

  Taking my time I approach the door before leaning against the wall across from it silently waiting to see what she plans to do. With my heightened hearing, I can make out her searching through the office cursing under her breath, which causes a smile to tip the corner of my lips up. After what seems like ages, I hear a sound of triumph before the telltale sounds of a safe lock being turned.

  Intrigued now with what she could be after, I wrap myself in shadows before phasing through the wall. Keeping myself cloaked, I stand in the corner of the room, watching her intently as she shuffles through the items in the safe.

  I take a deep breath to try and figure out what she is, but the scent isn’t anything I've smelled before. If she was a shifter, I would have been able to smell her alternate form and even though her beauty is otherworldly, she doesn’t act like or smell like a Fae.

  I can hear her heart beating from my spot across the room, meaning she isn’t a member of the undead either. At first, I was positive that she was human, but my gut is telling me she’s definitely more. I‘m never left stumped like this, which just makes this little songbird all the more fascinating.

  Her entire body turns rigid, and it’s only then that I realize I've been slowly making my way across the room to her and I stop in my track, holding my breath to avoid discovery. I know it’s silly to think she can see through my shadows when no one else can, but her being an unknown has me being more cautious than I would have been with anyone else.

  I can see her lips moving as she slips something into her pocket from the safe and I strain my ears trying to hear what she’s saying, but something seems to block me. My heart rate speeds up as her eyes slowly track around the room as if she’s following something before they abruptly stop on me, widening in shock that I can feel mirrored on my face.

  Chapter Five

  Melissa

  I stare at the male standing in front of me in disbelief as the ghost continues to groan at me. Usually, I would have kept ignoring the nuisance, but this job is too dangerous for me. I thought I would turn around to find no one there and that this would just be another one of the ghosts' ruses to get me to acknowledge him, but boy was I wrong.

  “I told you there was someone in here with you! He was being a real creep, sniffing at you like an animal. See I can be useful to you so you should really stop ignoring me. Think about how much help I could be with gathering information and being your lookout.”

  At this, I turn towards my stalker with a frown but as I open my mouth to have a go at him for being such a pain in my ass; I remember that I’m not alone. This is why I’m not supposed to answer them, I’m never getting rid of him now that I’ve confirmed that I can see him.

  Not only that, but the fine specimen of a man who’s just caught me rifling through a Fae Prince’s safe is starting to look at me like I’m not playing with a full deck. I give the stranger a wry grin as I slowly start backing away from him and his expression turns to one of amusement before he suddenly disappears, popping up behind me, and causing me to stumble back into his powerful chest.

  “Where do you think you’re going little songbird? Any other time I wouldn’t give flying fuck about why you’re stealing from that bastard, but with everything going on I find your presence rather suspicious.”

  I gulp past the lump in my throat before trying to step away from him, but his arm comes around my middle and it’s like I’m being pinned by a steel bar. I wriggle against his hold to no avail until I feel his nose touching the side of my neck, accompanied by the sound of him taking a deep breath.

  What the ever-loving fuck is wrong with this dude. I thought my ghostly stalker was just being an ass when he said this nut job was sniffing at me, but it seems I was wrong again. This is why I hate dealing with the supernatural! It’s strange enough for a human to know about their existence, but for some strange reason, I always seem to end up surrounded by them. On top of that, this situation is looking utterly shit for me.

  I silently thank Nika for her idea to turn one pocket of this dress into a smaller version of a portal that leads to the safe in my house. Right now that’s about the only thing I have going for me since even if I’m searched, they won’t be able to find anything on me. That doesn’t mean I’m safe though, most likely I’ll be handed over to the Prince and from what this guy said there must be something bad going down between the Fae.

  So not only have I been caught with my hands in the cookie jar, so to speak, but more than likely they’re going to think I’m involved in whatever shit show is going on. I seriously don’t understand how I always get myself into these kinds of situations, but I need to make them understand I’m not a threat to them.

  “Silence isn’t helping your case little songbird, why don’t you be a good girl for me and tell me why you’re in this office, snooping through things that you shouldn’t be.”

  Letting out a deep sigh, I hold my hands up in defeat. Even if I tried to fight my way out of this situation, it would be like batting a fly away for this guy. I might not be the smartest person, but even I know trying to fight a Fae would be suicide.

  “Look buddy, I’m only here to get something for a client. You don’t have to restrain me, I know I wouldn’t stand a chance against you so I won’t struggle. I’m guessing you’re going to question me, so could I at least take a seat? These heels are fucking killing me”

  He’s silent for a moment, thinking over my request before slowly releasing his hold on me. I brush my hands down my dress to straighten it out before squaring my shoulders and confidently walking around the desk. Sliding into the seat, I cross my legs before looking at the stranger with my eyebrow raised.

  He chuckles at my display, causing me to bristle, before walking around the desk to lean against it in front of me. Well, there goes the space I was hoping to keep between us. Not only that, but he’s now between me and my bag which has Mercy, one of my trusty Sig Sauer P320’s. A hush falls over the room as we both study each other, waiting to see who breaks the silence first. That changes though when my ghost starts to talk in my ear, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin. I can’ believe I forgot the fucker was there, even for a moment.

  “Damn girl, you could cut the tension with a knife. Don't you think you should stop giving him bedroom eyes though, it’s not exactly smart to flirt with death like that, trust me.”

  I look up to the ceiling, praying for patience before turning back to the stranger who’s watching me much more intently than before. Stupid fucking ghost had to make me look even more suspicious, I swear if I get out of here without being killed for my stupidity then I’m going to wring the ghostly bastard’s neck.

  “If you’re quite done being scared of your own shadow, why don’t you tell me the real reason you’re here little songbird.”

  “I did tell you the truth, fuckface. It’s not my fault that you don’t believe me. It’s not like I'I'm going to give out my real name when I'm out on a job, so it's not like I can prove it to you. Due to client confidentiality, I’m not going to tell you what I’m here for either, so it looks like we’re at an impasse.”

  It’s probably a ballsy move to talk to him like that, but if I’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that you never show a supernatural when they’ve got you rattled. He cocks his head at me as he thinks over what I’m saying before finally coming to a decision.

  “Well,
the only other way you could prove it is by giving me your name so that I can get someone to check out your story. Surely if you have nothing to hide, then you won’t mind”

  I can’t stop myself from laughing at the audacity of this bastard. The only thing I can think to do is to call Nika. She has a burner phone for emergencies, so if I call that and ask her to confirm my story, then at least someone will know what’s happening with me.

  “Yeah, not going to happen, buddy. It’s not exactly the smartest move to give you my name when I don’t know what you plan to do with the information you can dig up on me. Instead, why don’t you give me your phone and I'll call someone who can confirm it for you. Call it a compromise.”

  I watch as he reaches into his pocket, before grudgingly handing me his phone. I can feel his eyes on me as I type in the number and hit the call button before putting the phone on loudspeaker. The call only rings a few times before she picks up and I’m glad that her protocol for answering on this line is to never say names.

  “Hey bitch-tits, did you get what you needed for your client?”

  “Yeah, I got it, but unfortunately I’ve run into a bit of a problem. You’re on loudspeaker right now and I have a Fae standing in front of me who doesn’t believe what I’ve told him, so I said to him you could confirm that I’m not lying.”

  I look up at the guy holding the phone towards him to motion for him to ask his questions. I can hear Nika’s wary sigh through the line and I know that she’s going to kick my ass for getting caught, but with any luck I’ll be able to get out of here with the Prince being none the wiser.

  “For such a smart woman, you can be awfully fucking stupid girl! Well, mister, ask your questions. I’ve got other clients that need me.”

  “Alright then, the question is rather simple, is this woman a private investigator who is searching for an item for a client. Anything else doesn’t matter to me, there’s no love lost between me and Cailean.”

  “Dude, if she was going to come up with a lie to tell you, then I’m pretty sure she could have been more creative. Now if that’s all you wanted to know, then I’m rather busy. Oh yeah, I’m going to slap you one for getting yourself into this shit slut, good money or not I told you it was a suicide mission!”

  With that, she hangs up, and the stranger looks at me in amusement. I’m glad that he finds my impending beat down so funny, but I don’t have the time to let him enjoy this moment. Looking down at my watch, I realize that I’ve already been in here for over twenty minutes and I know it won’t be long till someone finds us here.

  “Look dude, there’s your proof that I’m not bullshitting you, so what now?”

  “Well, I think we can come to some sort of agreement, don’t you?”

  “I don’t exactly have much of a choice, so why don’t you cut to the chase.”

  “It’s quite simple, really. We can keep this little… incident, between us and all you have to do is a job for me. I’ll even throw in the bonus of getting you out of this place with no issues with whatever you slipped into your pocket.”

  “Well, that all seems a little too easy, so what’s the catch?”

  “No catch, as you probably already know, my kind are unable to lie.”

  “That may be true, but that doesn’t mean you can’t twist the truth. Like I've already said though, I don’t have many options so what about I’ll agree to hear your request tomorrow but I still have the right to tell you no if I think it’ll be too dangerous for me, I am only human after all.”

  His brow furrows at that which leaves me feeling confused, but I don’t have long to wonder about his reaction when the sound of footsteps reaches my ears. I scramble to my feet, looking around the room in panic before grabbing my bag from the table and rushing towards the window. Just as I’m about to open it to get out that way, I feel his arms wrapping around my waist again and my heartbeat speeds up in anxiety.

  “Calm yourself little songbird. I can make sure we aren’t found. And we can discuss the finer details when I get you out of here. Now I need you to stay silent. I can only hide our presence, I can’t hide any noise you make.”

  Just as the handle turns, the surrounding shadows fall over us both, blocking my sight and I have no choice but to trust this man as he guides me forwards closer to the sound of two men talking. The sound of the door closing, muffling the voices causes me to release a breath I didn't realize I was holding as the shadows drop away.

  Chapter Six

  Elias

  I watch as Cailean paces behind his desk in frustration at being no closer to finding any answer about the missing Fae. I lean my back against the wall as I watch my friend losing control of himself, and I hate that I can’t do anything to help him with this. I’ve never seen him so stressed out before, especially since in public he has to seem like nothing can touch him.

  Over the years, I’ve seen Cailean’s position slowly tearing him apart and I’ve felt absolutely useless. All I can do is take some of the immense stress off of his shoulders. Being the advisor to the future king of our people isn’t a simple task, but I know that there is nowhere that I’d rather be.

  Since he’s been tasked with finding the missing Fae though, things just seem to be getting worse for him. We’ve investigated every avenue and turned up nothing. I’ve never even heard of something like this happening before, making all this even worse. I’ve done everything I can to keep the whispers in house, but I know it won’t be long before word of what’s been happening gets out to the rest of our people and it will be Cailean’s head on the chopping block.

  At this point, I don’t think we have any other choice but to bring someone else in to help us with this because we’re fucking lost. The issue with that though is finding someone that we can trust that won’t leak any of the information. Before that though, we should probably contact the Unseelie, even if it is the last thing that any of us want to do.

  Surely if Fae are being kidnapped though, then it can’t only be our people, it wouldn’t make sense for us to be the only ones targeted unless it’s an Unseelie faction who are to blame. Broaching the subject will not go over well with Cailean, but at this point what choice do I have?

  “Cail, I know this isn’t what you want to hear. But you're going to have to talk to Zaphyr. Either people are being taken from both sides, or it could be down to the Unseelie, but we won’t know until we ask. There are too many lives at stake to let your pride rule you, especially since the culprit seems to be upping the ante.”

  He throws himself down into his chair, letting out a sigh of resignation before roughly dragging his hands through his hair. I hate seeing him so defeated, but until we catch whoever is to blame, I know there’s nothing that will cheer him up.

  “I know! I just hate that I have to go to that bastard for help, you know he’ll hold this shit over us for fucking years.”

  I take a moment to think over the last thing that's holding him back before finally answering him.

  “That may be so, but with the new reports we’ve received tonight, we're left with no other choice. I’ll get in touch with one of the guards and ask him if Zaphyr turned up tonight. The sooner we get this over with the better for us all.”

  I don’t wait for his answer before pushing off from the wall and heading out into the hallway. I take a moment to compose myself before heading towards the room that our guests are waiting in. As soon as I walk through the doors, people begin to surround me and I try my best to politely excuse myself before making my way over to the main doors and the guards stationed there.

  When the guards notice me approaching they snap to attention, awaiting my orders and I motion for them to be at ease.

  “Good evening. I need to see tonight's guest list. Also, have you lads seen the Unseelie Prince in attendance tonight?”

  While one of the guards goes to get me the guest list, I watch the other one as he fidgets in his place. You can always tell when someone has been assigned to guard one of these events for
the first time. Not only does the guard in front of me barely look old enough to be barely trained, but he also hasn’t learned how to keep a poker face yet.

  “I’m sorry sir, but our shift has only just started. The two who were here before us should be in the break room if you need to find them.”

  As soon as the boy finishes speaking, his eyes swing towards his partner, silently begging him to hurry. Luckily for the inexperienced guard, his partner comes back over a few moments later with the guest list, handing it to me before he retakes his position at the door. I nod my thanks to him before leaving them to their work as I make my way over to the closest table.

  Taking a seat, I flick through the guest list, stopping at the Unseelie section and letting out a breath of relief when I see that the Prince did turn up tonight. Discreetly, I check out the rest of the room, looking for any sign of the surly Prince before finally spotting his aide surrounded by a group of women. Rolling my eyes, I get to my feet and make way towards him, not surprised in the slightest that instead of being with his Prince he’s decided to flirt up a storm.

  As I approach the group, I clear my throat catching Morpheus’s attention, and when his eyes land on me they go from being warm and inviting, to cold as ice and filled with hate.

  “A moment of your time if you would be so kind Morpheus, it’s rather urgent.”

  I wait patiently as he extracts himself from his group of admirers and makes his way towards me with a sneer on his face. I turn on my heel and begin walking to a quieter place in the room where we won’t be overheard by prying ears, and I hear him grumbling under his breath as he follows me.

  At least he didn’t tell me to fuck off. Things will be a lot easier for us all if we can learn to put our differences aside to make sense of this all. It’s difficult to put aside centuries of hate, but we have to for the sake of our people. Once we are far enough away from everyone else, I surround us with a soundproof bubble that not even supernatural ears could penetrate and brace myself for the conversation ahead.