by Lia Davis
I could feel Phenex in the room but didn’t know where he was until Mom stared at the back wall behind us. "Phenex?"
"Good evening Alpha."
It was hard to not laugh. The fatigue was setting in, and I was getting loopy. I put my face in my hands and tried not to let my shoulders shake as I laughed.
Mom narrowed her eyes, then look at Ami and her two mates before studying the rest of us. "I take it you are Ami’s mate?"
"No, Alpha." Phenex’s voice was void of emotion and matter of fact. "I’m a mate for all three of your daughters."
The niswi exploded and Mom stood with her mouth open like she didn’t know what to say. Poppy came over to her, ignoring the niswi, and draped an arm around Mom’s shoulders. "Don’t think too hard on that one." Poppy turned Mom away from us and walked her to the window. They spoke in hushed tones too low for our sensitive hearing to pick up.
Randell reached out and squeezed my shoulders. Paw walked over and glared at him. I started to stand but Randell tapped my shoulder to tell me to stay put. Randell’s tone was quiet but powerful. "Voss." Time for a testosterone dance.
Paw raised a brow. "How long?"
"Longer than I wanted to admit. At first."
Paw glanced at me then back to Randell. "What does that mean?"
Randell sighed and pulled on my hair to make me look up at him. He held my stare as he said, "I didn’t want anything to change." Then he met Paw’s gaze. "But it doesn’t have to. I will continue to be the triplets’ sentry, their head sentry. I might be mated to Tala, but that doesn’t mean I’m incapable of protecting all three."
Harper raised her hand. "Same."
One by one all our mates put their bids in on swearing to protect all three of us, even the ones that weren’t actually sentries. My heart warmed. Meda straightened with pride and grabbed my hand. I took Ami’s and felt her love for all of us.
Paw then looked at Kevin over my shoulder. "I know who you are. Kane knew the instant I mentioned the name from your application to attend the University."
"Noted," Kevin said.
Voss nodded and glanced at Ami, then Harper and Noah. Paw frowned, then shook his head and moved back in line behind Mom, who was done talking with Poppy.
Mom shook her head. "I don’t know where to begin. Poppy reminded me that he and Lilipad warned us of the day you three would come into your full powers. Well, use them. You’ve always had them. Anyway, we were prepared for that. Expected it at any time since you started training at ten. But the matings? I thought I had a few more decades before that happened."
She glanced to Poppy then the niswi. "I was scared for several reasons today. First, that the demons followed us around—without us knowing—and waited for the one time I stepped away from my mate and sentries to go to damn bathroom! They rushed into the restroom, grabbed me and teleported me to that mansion." She pointed to me and Kevin. "Which, by the way, I heard Kevin bought for Tala?"
"For all of us." I waved my hand out to my group of extended family.
Mom put her hands on her hips. "How is that supposed to work?"
I knew what she was asking, because she knew damn well how it would work. "We will continue to finish school and live on campus while we do it, most likely. Then we’ll make a decision after graduation. We haven’t had time to figure it all out."
Her features softened. "Okay. Finishing school is good. The second time I was scared today was when I heard your voice in my head. I gave orders that you three weren’t to be told because I knew you would come."
Dad wrapped an arm around her and made her sit in a nearby chair. "The girls are as stubborn as you are." He stood and addressed the room. "We lost one of our own. Elijah. Voss, Quin and I will go speak to his parents and let them know that he will be honored as a hero, all the more because he saved the High Alpha’s life. It is something all sentries know when signing up for the job. They give an oath to protect the High Alpha and her family. Elijah will be remembered."
A lump formed in my throat, and I desperately wanted to go drown in my water. On the heels of that thought, my three mates flooded the mating bond with their love, like psychic hugs.
Dad glanced down at Mom. "That’s all. You can go back to the dorm."
Meda glanced at me, and I looked at Ami. We nodded at the same time then stood to face our mates. Meda said, "We’re going to stay here tonight. Mom’s wolf is going crazy. She needs to know we’re safe."
Meda and Ami walked their mates to the door to say their goodbyes. Randell was the first to pull me into a hug and kiss me. As much as I wanted to cuddle up to all three of them, Mom needed her girls. "I’ll be at the dorm tomorrow after classes."
He leaned in and nipped at my ear lobe. "Love you."
Shocked, I jerked my head back to stare into his eyes. I knew he did, felt it through our bond, but to hear him say the words made my heart swell. I framed his face and kissed him quickly. "Love you, too." I reached to my other two mates. "All of you."
After pressing his lips to my forehead, Randell stepped aside. Kevin pulled me into his arms and kissed my neck. "Goodnight, Love."
"Night."
Fenton was next. "Love you. See you tomorrow."
I hugged him tight and held him for several moments before releasing him. When my guys walked out the front door, Poppy came up to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "You girls are growing up too fast."
"It has happened a little fast." I rested my head against his chest.
"It’s a good thing that you girls are staying with your Mom tonight. She’d never admit it, but she needs it." Something in his tone gave me pause.
I glanced at him and a vision popped in my head. It was a flash of scene and mirrored the one I’d had of the attacks on both the campus and the manor. "Something is coming." My vision hadn’t happened yet. I’d thought we’d deflected it, but no.
He nodded. "Don’t tell your parents yet. At least not tonight. No need to stress your mom out more." He turned and cupped my cheek. "Continue to train. The power of Hell is always open to you girls. Use it to grow you powers. Whatever is coming is big. I feel it."
I hugged him tight. "Together we’re strong."
"Yes." Poppy kissed the top of my head and dematerialized. I glanced to my sisters who had heard what he said. Their eyes darkened.
Meda said, "We’ll be ready."
"Hell, yeah, we will," Ami added.
"We will." I glanced at Mom. "But tonight we have a slumber party with mom. Bad horror movies, popcorn, pizza, and whatever else we want."
Epilogue
Pain ripped through my soul. I heard Calista call out to me, but I was bound to Hell and couldn’t go to her. Then, her screams echoed in my mind. Her pain became mine. Until finally, nothing.
I fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face. My only daughter was dead. It was worse than when I’d lost Emerson, my true mate, many years before. I broke into sobs, then screamed out my rage. "Curse you!"
The door to my bedroom opened, and I turned and met the dark powerful stare of the demon lord I’d been forcefully mated to. Calista’s father. Lucifer's brother.
Of course he wasn’t my true mate. Not like Emerson was, even though I‘d despised the crazy-ass wolf before he’d been murdered, ripped from me the way Calista had been. My soul was raw, tortured, the wound of losing my daughter a gaping, bleeding hole of misery.
My new mate had claimed me the night he took me from Phenex, the night I arrived in Hell. I‘d eventually accepted his mating to stop the torture. He’d had a millennia to perfect his torturing techniques.
"She’s gone!" Our daughter. My soul burned with anguish and rage.
He crossed the room and pulled me to my feet. His dark eyes swirled crimson as he tried to control his own rage from losing Calista. He’d doted on the child, a surprise pregnancy that had delighted his immortal heart. "I grant you passage to leave Hell and the ability to use my powers as your own to avenge our daughter’s death."
/> As his words left his mouth, I felt the chains that had bound me to Hell for almost two decades fall away. I was free to leave. That wasn’t all. His dark magic flowed through our bond into my veins, growing and strengthening me.
He turned to leave the room. When he reached the door, he glared at me over his shoulder. "Do not betray me, Trinity."
Dying to know what happens next? Pre-Order Dead Air now and don’t miss the explosive finale of Academy’s Rise.
Dark Water is a steamy Reverse Harem paranormal romance novel set in the Collective World. Please see the suggested reading order for the Collective World below.
Please note, Academy's Rise -- Hell Fire, Dark Waters, Dead Air -- can be read as a stand-alone trilogy. The below reading order is only suggested.
Welcome to the Collective World
Coven's End
Kane
Voss
Quin
Jillian
The Complete Series Bundle
Academy's Rise
Hell Fire
Dark Water
Dead Air
Lucifer's War
Coming soon...
About Lia Davis
Lia Davis is the USA Today bestselling author of more than forty books, including her fan favorite Ashwood Falls Series.
A lifelong fan of magic, mystery, romance and adventure, Lia’s novels feature compassionate alpha heroes and strong leading ladies, plenty of heat, and happily-ever-afters.
Lia makes her home in Northeast Florida where she battles hurricanes and humidity like one of her heroines.
When she’s not writing, she loves to spend time with her family, travel, read, enjoy nature, and spoil her kitties.
She also loves to hear from her readers. Send her a note at [email protected]!
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Also by Lia Davis
Paranormal Series
Shifters of Ashwood Falls
Bears of Blackrock
Dragons of Ares
Gods and Dragons
Dark Scales Division (Co-written with Kerry Adrienne)
Shifting Magick Trilogy
The Divinities
Witches of Rose Lake
Coven’s End (Co-written with L.A. Boruff)
Academy’s Rise (Co-written with L.A. Boruff)
Singles Titles
First Contact (MM co-written with Kerry Adrienne)
Ghost in the Bottle (co-written with Kerry Adrienne)
Dragon’s Web
Royal Enchantment
Marked by Darkness
His Big Bad Wolf (MM)
Their Royal Ash
Tempting the Wolf
Hexed with Sass (part of the Milly Taiden Sassy Ever After World)
Claiming Her Dragons (Part of the Milly Taiden Paranormal Dating Agency)
Contemporaries
Pleasures of the Heart Series
Single Titles
His Guarded Heart (MM)
About L.A. Boruff
L.A. Boruff lives in East Tennessee with her husband, three children, and an ever growing number of cats. She loves reading, watching TV, and procrastinating by browsing Facebook. L.A.’s passions include vampires, food, and listening to heavy metal music. She once won a Harry Potter trivia contest based on the books, and lost one based on the movies. She has two bands on her bucket list that she still hasn’t seen: AC/DC and Alice Cooper. Feel free to send tickets.
Visit L.A.’s website and subscribe to the newsletter, or follow her on Facebook.
Also By L.A. Boruff
The Unseen War (Paranormal Reverse Harem) https://laboruff.com/books/unseen/
Coven’s End (Complete Paranormal Reverse Harem co-write with Lia Davis) https://laboruff.com/books/ce/
Academy’s Rise (Paranormal Reverse Harem co-write with Lia Davis) https://laboruff.com/books/ar/
Valentine Pride (Complete Paranormal Reverse Harem co-write with Laura Greenwood) https://laboruff.com/books/valentine/
The Firehouse Feline (Paranormal Comedic Reverse harem co-write with Laura Greenwood and Lacey Carter Andersen) https://laboruff.com/books/the-firehouse-feline/
Southern Soil (Sweet Contemporary Reverse Harem) https://laboruff.com/books/southernsoil/
