Emerald Vows: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Marked Souls Book 3)

by Sabrina Shelley

  “Thus,” Nico gestures down the massive table, where it looks like a revolution, a lover’s quarrel and a fist fight are all about to break out all at once.

  “But tell us about your family, Rory love!” Rose licks her fingers clean and shoots me a cheery grin. “You’re not a Blake—no, too pale…And not a Welch either—not pale enough.”

  “My mother was Johanna Bright,” I blurt out, since everyone I’ve met in this magical side of the world seems to have known my mother.

  It’s only after the words leave my mouth that I realize Nico has been shaking his head and mouthing no.

  “Johanna Bright’s daughter…” Rose pats her lips with her napkin, then turns to her son. “Dear me, love. What has that silly little heart of yours gotten itself into now?”

  “So…you knew my mother, then?”

  The entire table has gone quiet now—like all the dozens and dozens of Nico’s kin just heard my mother’s name and dropped what they were doing to listen in. There’s only one true emotion in the room now: suspicion. It’s amplified dozens and dozens of times over, all up and down the table, and it’s tinged with a second emotion: fear.

  “Oh, yes,” Rose says thinly. “And your father too, love.”

  “My father?” That’s the first time I’ve heard that. I barely knew my own father—and now, I might be able to get even more answers than I ever bargained for. “How did you—”

  “Mm,” Rose cuts me off with a curt little hum. “Well, I think you had best be going now, I think. Would be best.” She gives Nico a hard look, then waves him over for a kiss. “Thank you so much for stopping by, love. We won’t speak of this again, then.”

  “Wait!” Something about my parents obviously set Nico’s mother off—and while I’m desperate to know what, there’s a bigger priority now. “Rose—there were magical sapphires stolen from vargr lands, and Nico says he has reason to believe that you have them now.”

  “Ah, no, sorry, love,” Rose hoists me up out of my chair and attempts to guide me out with a firm press of her palm against my back. “No time now—I don’t recall—”

  But I dig my heels in, and Nico is sure to cut us off before she’s able to sweep me out the door.

  “Mother,” Nico says levelly. “The sapphires. We need them. It’s important. Why don’t you just hand them over and we’ll be on our way?”

  Rose opens her mouth once as if to chastise Nico. She closes it, then opens it again as if to tell him a clever lie.

  “Because I don’t have the stones anymore, love,” Rose tells us finally, shaking her head tiredly and slumping down into her chair.

  “What?!” Ryker’s roar is so loud as he stands that the whole room goes silent at the sound of his voice.

  “Please, Rose,” I say, trying to smooth over Ryker’s frustration—even though right now, I’m feeling plenty of frustration of my own. “If you don’t have the sapphires…do you know who does?”

  “Of course I do, love.” Rose pats my hand soothingly, then points to Xander. “Sold them to this lad’s parents some five years ago, is what I did with them.” Her gaze turns into a sharp scowl and her voice is suddenly full of bile. “Tell me, shifter, how are the esteemed Mr. and Mrs. North doing these days?”

  I look to Xander, feeling hopeful still. If his parents have the stones…surely he can get them from them instead, right?

  But as his dark eyes meet mine, I realize that I couldn’t be further from the truth.

  Xander

  Shit has just gone from bad to all hell breaking loose, and not just from the revelation Arendale’s mother just dropped on us. The overwhelming feeling of suspicion that’s permeating the room makes me feel like at any moment, someone’s going to grab Rory and throw her overboard if she doesn’t get off this damn houseboat quick enough herself.

  I don’t even bother acknowledging the ranting of the vargr and roughneck or the way I can feel Arendale and Connelly’s eyes boring into me. I barely even hear the sound of Arendale’s mother’s voice as she tries to figure out what she said wrong.

  All I see right now is the smile on Rory’s lips, the brightness of her gaze. She’s looking at me in a way I’ve never seen, as if I alone am the one who can solve all her problems.

  Hope. That’s the look in Rory’s eyes right now.

  And I’m going to be the one to crush it.

  “It’s out of the question.”

  I’m no stranger to being a solitary man facing opposition. I’ve always relied only on myself to accomplish my goals—you can’t trust anyone if you want things done right—and in the process, it’s made me a lone wolf. A predator others steer clear of. So it shouldn’t faze me that five pairs of eyes fill with fury at my words.

  Even the vargr, who so adamantly didn’t want to come to this very place, is against me. I’m the odd man out.

  But it’s a statement of fact. In this case, the odds are exponentially higher that the moment we stop foot inside the North estate, we’ll be handed over for treason. By my own family.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Rory turns quickly to Arendale’s mother. “Sorry for my language—”

  “—Oh no, dear, go on. Fuck is my favorite word.”

  I’d laugh at the absurdity of this situation if Rory wasn’t headed my way, pointing her finger in my face.

  “What happened to we’ve got this? We, Xander!” The look of betrayal in her eyes stings more than it should. I mean, I’ve seen it there before. I’ve put it there. Plenty of times. But this time, after she’s just started trusting me again, it fucking hurts to tear apart what we’ve rebuilt. I know there will come a point of no return when she won’t be able to forgive me anymore.

  And maybe that time’s now. Because there’s no way I’ll lead this little party straight into my parents’ lair, stones or no stones.

  “How much did you sell them for?” Rory demands, spinning back to Rose.

  “Oh, my dear.” Rose chuckles, though she’s shifting from foot to foot, looking like she might be the one to throw Rory off the boat. She’s clearly uncomfortable with Rory’s lineage, something that makes me trust Arendale’s family even less. “It’s not money magical peoples buy and trade for. It’s power.”

  I clench my jaw. Precisely. And power has always driven the Norths. More than money or prestige or even family.

  Without a word, I stand and grab Rory by her upper arm, pulling her toward the door.

  “Where the hell do you think you’re taking her?” Drew demands, rising and striding after us.

  Christ. Rose just told us she sold the stones to my parents. I get they all want me to fall in line and hunt them down. But I can’t. And I am not having this discussion in front of these people.

  My grip tightening on Rory’s arm, I turn slowly, and with one look, I silence them all, including Rory herself, who stops struggling against me.

  “I’m talking to Rory. Alone.” My dark tone leaves no room for objection.

  And we disappear out the door onto the deck of the houseboat.

  Rory jerks her arm away from me the minute the door slams shut and strides to the rusted railing. She grips the rail tightly, her knuckles turning white as she stares out at the sea where the sun is falling quickly into the horizon.

  I want to reach out to her, tell her everything, make her understand that it’s killing me to tell her we can’t go forward on this fool’s errand any longer. In this moment, I envy Arendale his ability to so easily show Rory what he’s feeling.

  I won’t apologize for this, though. This is where it ends. She’ll have to find another way to uncover her mother’s secrets. The stones are as good as belonging to the Chancellor himself if my parents have gotten their hands on them. And they’ve had them for five years? It all makes sense now. I mean, I knew my parents had to have accomplished something great in the eyes of the Regime. I’ve watched from a distance as they’ve steadily grown in prestige and esteem. A prime example to citizens of the benevolent Regime on how serving their
leaders can give them everything they ever wanted. Now I know why.

  For whatever reason, the Regime prizes these sapphires. It’s clear that the Norths acquiring them is directly related to them being one of the most powerful families in existence these days.

  “Rory…” I begin. “I need you to understand.”

  She whirls on me, emerald fire blazing in her eyes. “Understand? Understand what, Xander? That you told me we’ve got this, that you supported me? That after everything we’ve been through and as many reasons as I have not to trust you, I’m fool enough to trust you yet again, only to have you prove why I shouldn’t have all along?”

  Her voice cracks, and her eyes glisten. Fuck, now I’ve gone and made her cry. I just want to pull her to my chest, promise her that everything will be okay and make her look at me like she believes in me again.

  But instead I cross my arms over my chest. “It’s pointless. There’s no way they’ll just hand over the stones.”

  “You aren’t even willing to find out!”

  “Can you give me one good reason why I should do this? Why we should risk everything?” I demand.

  “Am I not reason enough?” She scoffs and looks away. “Wait. Don’t answer that. I’ve seen the answer to that plenty.”

  I blow out a breath, frustrated. I need to make her understand, but she can’t get past the betrayal. And I don’t blame her.

  “Look. I know you have no reason to trust me. Believe me, I know. But I need you to know that I’m not taking this decision lightly. I have very good reasons.”

  “Well?” Rory throws her hands out to the side. “Hit me with them.”

  Gathering my thoughts before I speak, I pace the deck, each step causing planks to creak and moan as if the very floor of the boat might fall through at any second. The only good thing about visiting my parents would be the upgrade in accommodations. Though it’s just as likely they’d throw us into a dungeon while they summoned the Regime.

  I might as well get the hardest part out of the way.

  “My parents hate me,” I grit out between my teeth, stopping my pacing to see what Rory will say to that.

  Her eyes cloud over. “I’m sorry, what? I think I may have misheard you.”

  I shake my head. “You heard me right.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense. You’re the Commander of the Night’s Watch. One of the most esteemed younger members of the Regime. You come from one of the most important families and are carrying on the family tradition. What’s not to like?”

  I don’t miss the sarcasm in her voice. “Was, Rory. I’m an outlaw on the run now, remember?”

  She looks at me incredulously. “Is that what you’re worried about? What your parents will think?”

  That doesn’t even begin to cover it. Fuck, I didn’t want to have to get into this with Rory, but it seems like it’s the only way she’ll listen to me.

  “I’m sure it comes as no surprise to my mother and father that I’ve turned my back on the Regime.”

  Her gaze narrows, her brow furrowing, as she tries to make sense of those words.

  “But you’ve always been a loyalist. I mean, look how far you climbed. Even the Warden himself knows how loyal you are—he trusted you to betray your own guardian bond.” She looks up at me accusingly, then shakes her head as if she still can’t decide who I’m loyal to.

  It’s time to put a fucking end to that.

  I grip her shoulders. “I’ve never been loyal to the Regime.”

  There. It’s out in the open between us. Something I’ve wanted to tell her from the start. But it was too dangerous. I had a part to play. A part I’ve been playing all my fucking life.

  Rory stares at me like she doesn’t know who I am, as if everything she thought she had figured out is shifting and reforming in her mind.

  “Tell me, Xander.”

  When she finally speaks, it’s soft and gentle, but a demand nonetheless. In spite of the circumstances, I smirk. Of course it’s a demand. I’d expect nothing less.

  “No,” I start, “I’m not worried about what my parents will think. Being an enemy of the state will only confirm what they already suspect about me. And I long ago stopped trying to prove my worth to my family.” I sigh and drop my hands from Rory, turning to lean on the railing myself now.

  “For as long as I can remember, it was drilled into my head that my family was elite. That we’d earned respect over many years, and that there was a tradition to uphold. I’m old enough to remember when the Regime came into power, but not old enough to have experienced much of the world before it. It was also part of my upbringing that magical peoples were superior to humans.”

  Rory snorts derisively. “Yes, your feelings toward Drew couldn’t be more obvious.”

  I ignore the jab and continue. “But in the early days of the Regime, there was a split. It wasn’t always like it is now. However, it was no secret around the North estate which side they fell on. It’s no secret for anyone. My parents threw their support toward the Chancellor. You see where it got them.”

  “And you?” Rory joins me at the railing, and she’s watching me curiously.

  “I disagreed. Vocally, for a time. Then I discovered the hard way that detractors wouldn’t be tolerated. That any son of Senator Alexander North IV would be a Regime man through and through. So I learned to keep my mouth shut. To fall in line and be exactly what my parents expected.” I pause, cutting my eyes toward Rory. “I never fully convinced them. Too much rebellion in my youth.”

  Surprisingly, Rory laughs. “Rebellious? You? I think anyone in the Regime would say you walk the straight and narrow.”

  “Which is exactly why I’m a wanted man now, right?” I gesture at my jeans that are starting to dry and cake with salt from the sea. “I did follow the straight and narrow, though. Until you came along.”

  “But that’s not all of it, is it?” Rory puts her hand on my arm, and I feel electricity crackle through my veins at her touch. “It’s not just the guardian bond.”

  She says it like a statement of fact. For so long, she’s questioned if my actions are only because fate dealt me the hand of bonding with a rebel witch. If there’s anything between us other than that. But right now, it’s as if she senses there’s more to the story.

  I turn back to her, and in spite of everything that’s happened, I give in to my need to feel her against me. Taking her by the hips, I pull her close until her hands lift up to rest on my chest. But she isn’t pushing me away. She’s waiting.

  “It’s not,” I affirm. “Even if you hadn’t stumbled into my arms, quite literally, my path was already decided. Years ago. I found a way to placate my family and accomplish my own goals at the same time.”

  “Biding your time,” she whispers.

  I nod. “Keep your enemies close. Watch and wait. And when the time is right, strike. That was my plan.” I give her a wry smile. “You just so happen to have the amazing talent of shaking up carefully laid plans. My own included.”

  It’s a huge thing, this admission. Even to Rory. I’ve never trusted another soul with my true intentions. Yes, there were—are—other people in the Regime who I suspect use the same methods of infiltrating the Regime. Killian Connelly, for one, though I can’t be entirely certain of his motivations, not with his special knack for creating ambiguity.

  But I’m not the only one who worked inside the Regime, biding my time just like Rory said.

  “So you aren’t just following me on this mission because you have no other choice? Because you’re my guardian?”

  “Rory Bright, I’d have no choice but to follow you even if I weren’t your guardian,” I murmur, holding her tight. “But no. I may not have chosen your particular timing or methods, but windows of opportunity are unpredictable. I’m here with you because you and I—we’re on the same side, whether you believe me or not.”

  Slowly, her eyes searching mine, I feel her begin to relax into my embrace, her hands softening on my chest, her bod
y leaning ever so slightly closer. Then she nods.

  “I believe you. But I swear, Xander,” and at this, her eyes become determined, “I can’t keep questioning you like this. I have to trust you. There’s too much at stake for us to be divided.”

  “I agree. So trust me on this.”

  She shakes her head, and I feel the last bit of hesitation rise up. “When is it too much? I feel like I should have given up on you a long time ago. But here I am opening up to you again. Trusting you. And I might get hurt again. There will come a point where there’s no going back from it, Xander.” She says it like it’s inevitable, like she’s waiting for it.

  “I hope it never comes to that, sweetheart.” I brush a lock of hair behind her ear. “But I it does, you’ll know.”

  She studies me more intensely than I think she ever has, as if she wants to see my very soul. Then something in her expression changes again, and I know. She still thinks there may be a time when she can no longer trust me, but that time isn’t now.

  The wind whips up of the sea, blowing her raven hair out behind her, and I don’t think Rory has ever been more beautiful. I look down at her sparkling emerald dress that makes her eyes shine an even deeper green. And I realize this is the most alone we’ve been since the night in the alley, and that doesn’t even really count considering we were on an escape mission.

  Yeah, there may be dozens of people just on the other side of the splintered wooden door across the deck, but in this moment, it’s just Rory and myself. And she’s looking up at me in a way I thought she may never again.

  So fuck it. This woman is mine, and I’m going to claim her. Maybe not in the way I want to, but for now, she’s in my arms, and I’m not going to let the opportunity pass me by. I’m done biding my time where she concerned.

  “I love you, Rory.”

  And before she has time to respond, I crush my mouth to hers. I don’t know if it’s the crazy emotions abounding on this boat from the empaths being everywhere, or if it’s the weight of my confession, but a tide of passion crashes around us as if we’re being turned head over heels in the depths of the sea.