Infuse (Infernal Council Book 1): A Reverse Harem Romance

by Maya Nicole

  Everyone stared at me, awaiting my answer. "I'll go with her." An entire village was missing, not just the council member, so it's not like I could refuse.

  "And while you're gone, we'll move into the castle since you have already done so."

  Samara stood abruptly and smacked her hand on the table. "Absolutely not. That would require a council decision, and the entire council is not here."

  "Then, I guess you better be packing your bags and leaving because this is the king's home, and you are no king."

  "This is my home. Did the council make a decision all those years ago that it wasn't?" A few council members shook their heads. "I didn't think so. As for Valentino, he's staying here. He's my guest."

  She surprised me. I expected her to kick us out, and maybe she still would, just not in front of the others.

  "So you're going to go through with your father's wish of marrying him?" the vampire asked.

  I couldn't see Amari's reaction behind me, but I could sense that he tensed. I looked over Samara's head at Nicolas. He paled before a scowl fell across his face.

  I guess she hadn't told him about us.

  After the meeting was over and the other council members left, we filed silently into the dining room.

  It was as if Lilith had never been in the castle. The servants were bustling around, bringing us drinks and setting the table. It was an odd feeling having everything seem like it once was when it was so very far from it.

  "Shouldn't we be concerned that the servants might poison us?" I asked as I watched Amari eye his glass of wine with suspicion.

  "They are tied to whoever has control of the castle. They're loyal to me now. I think." Samara and Nicolas were sitting across from us.

  Nicolas and Amari were both abnormally silent. I knew it was because of the marriage bomb that had been dropped in the council meeting. At least we didn't have to deal with their bickering.

  As the servants brought us food, I finally decided to ask some pointed questions. "So, why is your hair purple now?"

  Samara nearly choked on her food. Nicolas cleared his throat. "I don't see how that's any of your business."

  "Everything's my business. Witches are the only ones that can change things those colors." I took a bite of the meat on my plate and chewed slowly. It was tender and delicious. The royal servants always did know how to cook a good meal.

  "I'm not a witch. It just… I woke up one day, and it was like this. It was probably the stress of losing my parents and my brothers." Samara moved her food around on her plate. "And even if I was a witch, what would it matter?"

  "Yeah, Val, would it matter? It's not like you two are married." Amari stabbed at the food on his plate and then viciously chewed once it was in his mouth.

  I shifted in my seat. "It would be nice to know what we're dealing with." I looked at Nicolas. "What's your deal?"

  He narrowed his eyes at me as he chewed his food. "What do you mean, what's my deal?"

  Samara sighed and put down her fork. She looked between all three of us with a frown on her face. "We need to start being civil towards each other. I know it's going to be hard, but we really can't afford to be fighting."

  "I'm not the one that has issues. Maybe you should let them go at it." I wiggled my eyebrows. "I like to watch. You evidently do too."

  Samara's face turned pink, and she grabbed her wine glass and gulped half of it.

  "How about we make a truce? We try to get along and not fight over spilled nuts?" I offered.

  Amari and Nicolas grunted. They were more similar than even they realized. Samara nodded her head.

  It was all easier said than done. I wanted to forgive her for vanishing, but my heart didn't.

  Chapter 5

  Amari

  Many say gargoyles are coldhearted; that not only are our bodies made of stone, but so are our hearts. That might be partially true.

  My family was cursed centuries ago when my great-great-grandfather made a mistake. His mistake? He cheated on a witch. Everyone knows you don't fuck with witches.

  Now, every firstborn male was cursed to a life of turning into stone because he couldn't keep his dick in his pants.

  I've gotten used to being cursed over the years. It's an inconvenience to have to be stone at regular intervals, but otherwise, being a gargoyle is easy. You sit. You watch. You wait. Protect. Kill. Repeat.

  I've seen a lot in my years. People tend to forget that we're even watching, so they say and do pretty ridiculous things in front of us.

  It's how I first met and fell in love with Val.

  During my first week as a gargoyle, after I'd turned a quarter of a century old, he'd stumbled upon me in the garden. Since I was newly turned, my duties included keeping watch over the perimeter of the estate.

  The roof and doors were left to those more attuned with their powers.

  He was drunk out of his mind and had sat down in front of me. He lamented over nothing going his way. Then he pondered if gargoyles could feel anything, and he began stroking me behind my ears.

  He came to me night after night until, one night, I was finally tortured enough. I shifted, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and kissed his anguish away.

  The anguish I now realized might have very well been for Samara.

  I knew the second I laid eyes on the two of them that there was history. I'd never seen Val react that way to anyone before. He was lucky he had clothes on when he caught sight of her, otherwise, he would have been naked in the hall.

  The sex we had after Samara saw us together was mind-blowing. At first, I thought it was because he was riled up over the confrontation. Now, I was pretty sure she had something to do with it.

  I couldn't exactly blame him. She was gorgeous and had this air of power and confidence surrounding her. Her hair was a little unnerving, with it being purple and all, but that body of hers was meant to be underneath a body like mine.

  If I was into women at that moment. And I definitely wasn't.

  Then there was the squirrel. There was something about him that rubbed me the wrong way. I wasn't sure what it was. All I knew was that when he was around, my panther was scratching to get out. My panther never scratched to get out.

  When we ran into each other in the hall when he was carrying his bag of nuts, my panther almost forced its way out. It wanted to chase him down and rip him apart. Luckily, that didn't happen.

  Now, I was forced to go on a rescue mission with the woman who was way too attractive for her own good, and her trusty sidekick, who carried a waist pouch with his nuts in it.

  Who the hell carries a waist pouch?

  "Is that a hell horse?" I stopped and stared wide-eyed at the magnificent beast before me.

  He seemed to sense my thoughts and looked right at me. Hell horses were rare in the civilized portions of Inferna, most living on the outskirts and avoiding demons.

  "Buttercup is fiercely protective of me and will only allow you to ride him if I give you permission. And I won't, so don't ask." Samara was dressed in tight-fitting pants and a shirt that hugged her chest. I couldn't keep my eyes off her breasts.

  I was a man, after all. Just because I dipped my dick in Val didn't mean I didn't have eyes.

  "I don't want to ride your horse. He probably couldn't handle me." At my words, Buttercup turned his head back toward me and huffed a cloud of smoke in my face.

  I coughed and then laughed. I liked Buttercup; he had a personality. They were the best transportation there was, besides having your own wings.

  Nico, as Samara like to call him, brought over Buttercup's saddle and strapped it on him. The horse nuzzled him, and he looked over at me with a smirk on his face. I snapped my teeth at him.

  Val was busy putting the saddle on his horse. I had offered to do it for him, but I think he was trying to show off.

  I was definitely still upset that he hadn't told me they were set to be married. The only redeeming facet of that was that it was an arranged marriage. It still didn'
t stop me from feeling a little worried, though.

  They all climbed on the horses, and I walked beside the powerful creatures out of the stables. We were headed to the Black Forest. It had once been considered the safest forest and was a playground for shifters. More recently, there had been reports of strange creatures lurking there.

  With one giant leap, I shifted to my panther. I shook my body out and stretched my limbs. I hadn't shifted in a few days, so my muscles were firing to run.

  I looked over at Samara to see her reaction. She was looking at me with wide eyes. I knew I was beautiful; the look in her eyes just confirmed it.

  My fur was as black as night and was so smooth that it appeared shiny, like the surface of a tranquil lake. I flicked my tail in the air and then took off running after Val's horse.

  I liked to ride horses, but I would be more useful as a panther. I had a well-trained nose that would smell danger before we even came upon it. Even though I was cursed, there were benefits to being a gargoyle. All my senses were even further heightened than they normally were.

  I didn't let anybody know that. Not even Val.

  We traveled in silence down the path next to the castle. Then along the outskirts of the village before we arrived at the edge of the Black Forest.

  The panthers didn't call this particular forest home, but many shifters did, including most of the wolves.

  We took off down the path through the trees towards the village of the missing demons. They were a quiet bunch, keeping to themselves and never stirring up issues.

  I could smell something was off in the forest, but couldn't quite put my paw on it. Plus, my panther kept getting distracted by the faint whiffs of squirrel that invaded my nose. I hoped he was smart enough not to shift when I was a panther.

  It took about an hour along the path in the forest to get to the village. We slowed down and stopped at the edge to tie up the horses.

  I sniffed the air and smelled absolutely nothing. There was no one around and there hadn't been for several days.

  We went down the main road and stopped at the inn. The door was slightly ajar, and I nudged my way inside, Val close behind.

  It was like they had just stopped what they were doing and left. There were papers scattered across the desk, a drawer open with money sitting inside, a partially full cup of water sitting on the counter.

  We left the inn and walked next door to the bar. Val walked in first.

  The same thing in this place. Drinks and food left half-eaten.

  We stepped back out into the road and gathered in a circle.

  "This place is freaking me out," Samara said, her eyes scanning and re-scanning the road and buildings.

  She looked down at me and then rubbed her hand across my head. She might not have liked me as a demon, but she couldn't resist the urge to pet me. I was half tempted to lie down right there in the road and give her my belly.

  I bet she gave the best belly rubs if the soft strokes on my head were any indication.

  "Where could they have gone?" Val rubbed his chin. He was watching Samara pet me and raised his eyebrows.

  Don't ask me a question.

  "Did anything smell amiss to you, Amari?"

  Fuck. I didn't want these two strangers to know I could talk while like this. I liked the silence that being a shifter provided me.

  "Smelled normal to me. I couldn't really catch any smells besides the food." My voice was much different than it usually was. It sounded foreign in my ears. "And a squirrel."

  Nico's eyes widened. "You can talk in this form?"

  "Well, I'm talking, aren't I?" It was such a stupid question for him to ask. Clearly, I could talk. "It's because I'm a gargoyle."

  "I thought being a gargoyle was supposed to be a curse." This guy was something else.

  "It is," I growled. Samara snatched her hand away. Damn it, I had been enjoying the behind the ear scratch she'd been giving me.

  I didn't need to get into the specifics of just how being a gargoyle was a curse. It wasn’t like I had a choice of how often I could turn to stone. I had to do it daily or I would be stuck in stone forever.

  The last thing I wanted was to be one of the ones that sat idle on a rooftop until danger appeared. Some might want that, I didn't.

  I took off down the main street, annoyed with the rodent. I was usually a temperamental beast as it was, but as a panther, I couldn't tolerate much.

  I came to a row of houses and jumped up on my hind legs to push open the door. Inside, it smelled stale. I went to the chest of drawers in the bedroom and began sniffing around inside.

  "What are you doing?" Samara's voice came from behind me. I turned my head in her direction.

  "Locating some scents." What did she think I was doing? Trying to find a pair of underwear?

  She opened up a closet door and pointed to a hamper. "There's a pile of dirty laundry."

  My whiskers twitched, and I made a grumble in my throat. "I really don't want to have to smell that."

  "It will give you a better scent, don't you think?"

  I knew she was right, but the non-animal part of me wanted to hurl. I wasn't lost to my animal like some were. What did she take me for, a wolf?

  I walked over to the hamper, and she tilted it down so I could put my head inside. I took a long inhale and committed the smell to memory.

  "Let's go."

  We left the town since there was no use in us staying. Everyone was long gone. Instead of going back the way we came, we followed the road through to the other side of the village. There was a large swath of flat land devoid of trees, and on the other side was the Black Forest again.

  I put my nose to the ground and began sniffing.

  They were in their tents. Val was in our tent, and Nico and Samara were in theirs. It didn't seem like those two were a thing, but I saw the way he looked at her, like she was his world, but also like his heart was utterly broken.

  I was curious about what their deal was. They seemed to be abnormally close for a male and female, so why weren't they together?

  I sat in front of the two tents, looking out at the forest. My body was hardened, and all of my senses were focused on protecting the three demons in the tents. Even though I really didn't want to protect the squirrel, Val had requested that I stop being such a dick. I was still going to be a dick, but maybe I would treat him with a little more respect.

  Until he brought out his nuts, then I could make no promises.

  I could hear Val's breaths change as he drifted off to sleep. Not long after, the squirrel began lightly snoring.

  My eyes scanned the forest. One thing about gargoyles was that while in our stone state, all the crucial senses were heightened. I could hear the smallest rustle of leaves far away. I could hear a spider crawling on the trunk of the tree. I could see creatures deep in the forest with their glowing eyes lit by the moonlight.

  In the faraway distance, I could hear a storm coming. It would arrive in about fifteen minutes. I didn't need to worry; storms didn't affect gargoyles. It was one of the benefits of our curse.

  I was starting to relax a bit, feeling that we were safe in the forest when I heard Samara moving in the tent. It was doubtful that even the squirrel could hear her move with how careful she was.

  But I could. I could hear the sound of her clothing moving against her skin as she approached the flap in the tent. What was she up to?

  She exited the tent and stood behind me. I was sure she was considering what she was going to do. I wouldn't put it past her to try to throw a blanket over my head. Val had tried that once.

  She moved in between the tents, going into the trees behind us. I stayed where I was and listened. She walked about twenty feet and then slowly began moving in an arc, thinking she was staying hidden.

  She wasn't aware that I could see her clearly. If she looked back at the tent, she wouldn't be able to see it. Her eyesight wasn't good enough. As she took off in the direction of the storm, I released myself from stone
and followed quietly behind her. I stayed low to the ground and in the shadows of the trees.

  She was relatively easy to spot with her purple hair. It contrasted sharply with the blackness of the trees. Every few feet, the moonlight would hit her hair just right, and it would glow an iridescent purple. It was beautiful. I wanted to run my fingers through it and let the smooth waves fall through my fingers.

  It was wrong for me to be following her, but I didn't quite know what she was up to. If she had to go to the bathroom, she would have just gone in the bushes behind the tents.

  The farther we got, the more my panther felt uneasy. It wasn’t safe for her to be out in the open like this, especially with the approaching storm. She knew the dangers the storm held.

  The trees became denser, and when I spotted the perfect tree, I climbed it. Jumping from branch to branch, I continued to follow her. A few times, she stopped to listen, and then she continued toward the small clearing ahead.

  She stopped and stood still. It was almost like she was in a trance and waiting. The storm was getting closer, and I hunched down on a branch, waiting to see what the hell she was doing.

  I could see the lightning strike as it drew nearer. I considered leaping from the tree and dragging her ass back to the tent. If she was in a tent, she would be protected. Outside, she was a sitting duck.

  I was pretty certain she had a lot of light in her. I could tell by the way she smiled and how her eyes sparkled when she laughed. That had to be what drew the lightning straight for her.

  The lightning struck ten feet away.

  She didn't move a muscle.

  She looked calm considering she was about to be hit by a lightning bolt. What the fuck was wrong with her? She had appeared fine throughout the day and before going into her tent. Had Nico done something to her and caused her to lose her mind or her will to live?

  I was about to leap from the branch when I heard a small bark-like sound from the branch next to me. Squirrels sounded like dying chickens.