Descendant of Blood

  Descendant Of Blood

  M. Sinclair

  Copyright © M. Sinclair, 2019. All rights reserved.

  No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  *Fantasy Reverse Harem*

  Vegas and her mean swear a lot. As well, please be advised that the book contains darker themes such as gore, assault, PTSD, and violence. Additionally, sexual themes are suitable for mature audiences +18.

  Contents

  Description

  Prologue

  Nova

  Nova

  Rowan

  Nova

  Everett

  Nova

  Nova

  Nova

  Fox

  Nova

  Ramsey

  Nova

  Cassian

  Nova

  River

  Part II

  August

  Rowan

  Nova

  Nour

  Nova

  Everett

  Nova

  Nova

  Nova

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek

  Follow M. Sinclair here:

  Also by M. Sinclair

  The Union of Love & Madness

  Description

  My father is a serial killer. No big deal. I promise. Me? Upset? No. Never. In fact, it would be really easy to pretend that the man never existed in the first place… if it wasn’t for the bodies. What bodies? Only about 200 of them. Like I said. No big deal. What’s worst? He has had a dual purpose for killing them and it isn’t just because he’s a sadistic monster. No. It is far worse than that. And if all of this wasn’t enough to deal with… I had eight men in my life.

  Yes. Eight. So how am I supposed to handle this? Who knows? Most likely it will end in blood and chaos. Wish me luck!

  Join Nova on her 9 book series adventure! This Fantasy slow/medium burn RH contains several dark themes that readers should be aware of: swearing (I know surprising, right?), gore, violence, assault, PTSD, and sexual themes suitable for +18. Additionally, this book does have mature m/m themes that develop over time.

  Want instant updates? Join Sinclair’s Ravens on FB!

  Prologue

  Nour

  I sat up in my makeshift bed, my heart beating rapidly as sweat dampened the back of my neck. My breathing was rough and those horrible images flashed through my brain like a recorded tape. It was moments like this that I hated my powers, hated being a god. Growing up I’d momentarily wished that I was stronger. More god than human. But I saw the price that cost. I saw the lack of humanity. Every time I saw my father. Every time I went home.

  Which was why it was so damn hard for me to figure out how Nova was so human. The woman was strong but not heartless. She was able to snap from clinical to impassioned in seconds. She was filled with passion and loyalty. It was a confusing combination and fucked with my head. She was a wild fierce thing that was small enough to fit under my chin. In my arms. Safe and fucking protected.

  I know I sound irrational. These emotions hadn’t come out of left field though. No, this summer they’d developed, slowly and dangerously before I’d had to rip myself away from her coven.

  “Nour,” she laughed softly at my words as we walked along the garden path of the community centre. There was a very light drizzle but nothing terrible. No storms. No thunder. It seemed as though the earth naturally moved around her. Even now she looked like…well, I’d almost say Persephone, but the real Persephone was a total bitch. No really. Horrible woman.

  I wished to tell Nova the truth so badly. I’d practically forgotten about my job here, so caught up in this woman and her stunning eyes. I wanted to take the little witch and protect her from all the bad things outside of her soft, rainy community.

  Take her away from John. I hated that bastard.

  “Don’t say my name like that, moonbeam,” I winked. “You’re going to give me a heart attack.”

  A flicker of interest flashed through her eyes before she looked away. Always looked away. Despite my job being to find the descendant, I found myself oddly suspicious of this damn community. It was sleepy and rainy with beautiful people, but there was an odd chord to the environment and it started with her father.

  “Little one.” The man walked towards us with an easy gait. My hands were tucked behind my back in this god awful suit I wore. I hated clothes like this. They felt uncomfortable, unlike Nova’s ease. Her little pastel sundress and heels caused everyone to notice her. Fucking everyone.

  “Hey, Dad.” She offered a tight smile. It wasn’t my smile.

  “What are you two doing?” he asked curiously with a fake smile. “I thought you would be inside with John.”

  Fucking John.

  “I was showing Nour the gardens,” she explained. “He has an avid interest in herb growth.”

  No, sir. I have an avid interest in your daughter. Specifically, ripping off that little dress.

  “That’s nice.” He offered me a shoulder pat. “I need you inside, though. We have a few announcements. Okay?”

  “I’ll see you later.” She offered me a small smile.

  “Absolutely,” I gritted as her father led her away. I knew I’d see her later, though, because the two of us always walked under the moonlight in the forest. She didn’t sleep well and neither did I. That was my time with her and I had no idea how I’d survive the nights when I had to leave here.

  I knew it wasn’t just her father that made me want to protect her, but it had started there. Now, these dreams were making it so much worse.

  My twin has the ability to go into the past, anyone's past, anywhere as long as he had the intention to do so. It was clear. Easy to see. And the only trouble he’d ever run into had been when the person doesn’t want him to or in the case it was really bad. Me? I got stuck with foresight. I know, it sounds cool, but it fucking sucked. Nothing was clear about the future. Ever. It was mutable. Instead of one clear path, I ended up having a fucking run through in my head of all these different possibilities. The past three evenings, since arriving on Friday, every single one had been focused on Nova.

  I grunted.

  Nova. Nova. Nova. I ran a hand through my hair. My twin slept on the other couch. Frankly, I was surprised the mages were even allowing us in the same space as Nova let alone allowing us to sleep here.

  But you knew her first.

  Yet, I’d still lied about who I was. Now she didn’t trust me. I didn’t know that for sure but I could tell she struggled. All I could do was stare and follow her around like a kicked puppy that had its favourite toy taken away - her affection and friendship. I’d had her friendship and trust. She wasn’t bullshitting about that seashell collection. It was fucking stunning. Like her smile when she’d talked about going to Bora Bora. The woman had an entire Pinterest board on exactly what she wanted to happen there. I couldn’t deny though, the vacation looked fucking relaxing and the image of her sprawled out on a beach chair in a little swimsuit turned me the fuck on.

  That wasn’t new, though.

  When we’d leave the community for the day - just to escape because John and Earnest never paid attention to her when they didn’t need something - I would subject myself to the fantasy that we were together. The two of us. I also became possessive as fuck. It nearly caused a few problems. Not with her, of course. She barely noticed but I almost hurt a few humans permanently.

  This past summer I’d only been in the area because it was a
possible location for the descendant. Yet, I’d managed to spend three months with the woman and never gleaned so much as a hint of anything different about her to indicate she might be the one I sought. I realize now that she had been holding everything in like a tightly corked bottle.

  That bottle had been opened now, and it was fucking amazing.

  But every time I closed my eyes, the host of possibilities that could await us were horrible. All of them concerned the god realm. When she stated she wanted to handle this situation with Earnest first, I couldn’t contain the relief. It gave me time to figure out what the hell was happening.

  A noise in the kitchen gave me pause. Someone softly hummed. I was nearly positive it was her. I’d yet to really have any alone time with her and, despite this opportunity, I felt like a complete chicken-shit. With a grunt, I stood up and walked through a few rooms to reach the kitchen. I nearly groaned at the sight that greeted me.

  When I’d met Nova this summer, it was easy to ignore my attraction to her. Sort of. Okay, that’s a total lie. But she made it easier on me because she was always dressed very conservatively and made a point out of avoiding in my space. I was offended at first until I realized she was tangled in that stupid fucking betrothal. When I’d found out what he had done to her, I nearly lost it. I’d never thought I had a temper, but I found myself painfully protective over the little ray of moonbeam.

  Right now, though? Right now she wore a pair of spandex shorts that perfectly framed her ass and long legs. Her lean waist was covered in a tight tank top and her hair was tousled in a messy knot. She lifted her wrist as two mugs landed on the counter and filled with coffee. I snorted. She smiled before turning around and meeting my gaze.

  Those fucking eyes.

  “Nour.” She smiled as the dawn light began to creep across the floor.

  “Moonbeam.” I smiled.

  “Why do you call me that?” she asked with interest.

  “Because of your eyes,” I answered honestly.

  “Oh.” She smiled as her ears turned red. It was so fucking adorable.

  “Why are you up so early?” I asked sincerely as I sat down at the small kitchen table. She followed suit and passed me a coffee. Her little nose looked slightly red at the tip. Her eyes had dark shadows under them.

  Was she getting sick?

  Her sigh was soft as she ran a hand through her hair. Thick and far longer than the summer, her roots were a dark raven-colour that faded down to pale silver and back through the blue spectrum to reach that dark storm cloud-cover color. It was beautiful. I usually didn’t give a fuck about hair. Her skin was a golden colour that highlighted the black tattoo that ran down her left bicep. An intricate piece of Egyptian artwork, it had a twisted crocodile that seemed to be crawling out from her arm and downstream to a jackal that sat baring its teeth at a long thin necked cat sitting atop a scarab.

  She was fucking surreal.

  The thing that really got me? Her eyes. The same ones she hated because they made most people “uncomfortable.” They were reflective in nature. The unusual characteristic made it difficult for her to take pictures. More than that, they were nearly hypnotic. The outside edge was rimmed with the same rich navy of her hair and faded into a lightning-strike white. The little witch with lightning in her eyes.

  Before I’d learned her name, that was exactly how I had thought of her.

  “I haven’t been able to sleep well.” She slid my coffee cup across, one sugar and no creamer. Clearly the woman had a near-perfect memory.

  “Because of your father?” I asked, folding my arms on the granite countertop. She faced me and her brow dipped as if she was truly considering my question.

  “No,” she whispered. She ran a hand through her hair. “It's my magic. It won’t settle.”

  I understood that. I spoke quietly. “You know, we can still take those nighttime walks if you want.”

  Her lips quirked up into a smile. “Yeah? You would?”

  You’d better fucking believe I would.

  “I mean, I don't sleep very well either,” I noted. “My magic plays a movie reel of Final Destination shit on repeat.”

  “You’ve seen Final Destination?” She tilted her head amused.

  I offered her a small chuckle. “I’ve been on Earth realm for quite some time actually.”

  Instead of asking me about that, her mind conjured up the one fucking question I dreaded answering.

  “What do you mean? About the Final Destination thing?”

  “It’s my magic,” I spoke softly, my jaw clenching. “My brother? He has the ability to see into anyone’s past as long as he is in the same realm.”

  Her eyes widened at that as she paused all movement to listen. It was intoxicating having all her attention.

  “I have the ability to see into the future. I use that term loosely because everything is subject to change.” I sighed feeling more exhausted than before I’d fallen asleep.

  She searched my expression. “Would talking about it help?”

  I winced slightly. “Not positive you’d want to know some of the possibilities, moonbeam.”

  Her eyes darkened as she nodded. “You’re probably right.”

  She rounded the corner. I froze as she offered me a small shoulder hug before walking towards the door. “I may take you up on that night time walk, Nour.”

  Instead of answering, I savoured the feeling of her body pressed against mine. I swallowed the feelings of…actually, I wasn’t positive what I was feeling. The dawn light filtered into the kitchen and I shook myself.

  My future with Nova was the only thing which I felt like I had a small sense of control over. Maybe I’d just fucking focus on that for now.

  Nova

  “This is idiotic,” I murmured tapping my fresh manicure on the counter. I’d gone for a bold color. Purple. I know! Shocking. I think that the only color that had ever touched my nails before was pale pink.

  Clearly, I was feeling rebellious.

  “No one,” I continued, “and I mean, literally no one, is going to believe the two of you are high school students. I really don’t understand why school is even necessary in light of what is occurring. I mean, really. Doesn’t it seem a bit mundane?”

  River, the handsome freshly showered and shaved bastard, sighed. “You know why it’s necessary. Since your father has accused us of everything from kidnapping you to taking witches from his coven, it is better to keep to the status quo. We don’t want him to start looking past his anger over ‘stealing’ his daughter until we can make a trip up north. Until then, we have to chill.”

  You could steal me anytime, handsome.

  I offered River a narrowed glare. I had to admit it was a bit difficult because while I was a completely normal height at 5’6”, some of our group were giants. River was one of them. He leaned against the counter, all 6’5” of his sexy ass, and ran a large hand through his wet hair. Muscles flexed. I tried to not groan because the man was just hot. No two ways about it. I still had no idea how he pulled off being a student. He was in his early 20s and looked every smoking year of it. His jaw didn’t sport its normal shadow. His hair was a tad longer than normal on top, still far shorter on the sides. A healing rune hid behind his left ear. I wanted to run my hands through that silky hair…and all over his flannel-clothed body.

  I know. As if looks weren't enough the bastard had to dress like a sexy lumberjack. Today he had dark boots and jeans with a blue flannel that currently hung open, showcasing his ridiculous chest and abs.

  Like how is that fair?

  What if I just started walking around with an open shirt? Almost as if reading my mind, River tossed me a stunning smile that crinkled his hazel eyes. True hazel. A toasty almond-brown speckled with green.

  I realize I had been silently staring. My ears turned pink as I puffed out a breath and looked down at my coffee. At least my coffee didn’t fucking judge my awkward gawking tendencies. I scowled at my magic who was pulling a Scarlet O’Hara
wave and blowing kisses to River’s magic.

  River stepped forward and tilted my chin up, his eyes sparkling. I breathed in the scent of rain on his skin. His power exercised a ripple of control that crawled over my skin and soothed everything inside of me. There was a hidden predatory flair he held in check, but my magic could feel it. We could also feel something far darker lurking under the surface. Did I want to find out what that was despite it being possibly dangerous and lethal?

  Abso-fucking-lutely!

  I spoke trying to cover my embarrassment. “Why do we need to wait?”

  “Because who knows who he has up there on guard. He’s supposedly going out of town for the Paris coven’s conference this weekend. We can plan to go then.”

  I knew he was right, but I didn’t like it. I stepped away and looked at both twins who were unabashedly watching us. I would feel embarrassed but I didn’t owe either of them shit. One lied to me about being a demi-god, which I’d half forgiven him for, and one had stabbed me. Sorry, if I wasn’t over that yet.

  Bastard ruined my sweater.

  “And what is their cover story? ‘Oh them? No, those are just our massive friends that happen to grow upwards of seven feet.’ You think they look like they are in their mid-twenties? Call me obtuse. But I just don’t see it.’”

  Rowan chuckled and looked at River. “She’s right.”