Savages: A Reverse Harem (Vengeance Book 1) Read online

  “Tell me who did this to you,” he whispered through a tight jaw. He used the hand not holding my wrist to brush against my hip softly. “Please.”

  Shit. Could he feel what his touch was doing to me? There was a deep rooted connection inside of me, flaring to life in response to his animal. Unlike Rhodes and Taylor, I didn’t bother telling him to not touch me. I wasn’t sure why exactly, except that I knew I could trust him. He wouldn’t hurt me. He also wouldn’t ask to be in my space though, either. He just expected me to be okay with him being there. In my air. In my space. As if he fucking owned it. As if he had a right to it.

  Maybe he did.

  What the fuck was I saying? Had I lost my damn mind?

  “It doesn’t matter anymore,” I responded breathlessly. I was shaking, just slightly, because his overwhelming presence was everything I should fear. Everything.Yet, I couldn’t remove the desire building through my system and my power urging me to touch him. My fingers twitched to spread across that massive chest. I prayed I wouldn’t have as strong of a reaction to the other boys in private, but knew that was probably a lost cause. The fact that I had even noticed them to begin with spelt trouble for me from the start.

  “Fuck that,” he rasped out. “You flinch every single time someone touches you.”

  “Let it go,” I stated evenly, my voice nearly catching.

  “Only for today,” he demanded softly. “You’re going to tell me. Soon.”

  I let out a dark rumble, “You do not get to decide that, Adyen.”

  The searing hand dropped from my wrist and lifted my chin with a commanding force, “I am going to kill whoever did that to you. Understand?”

  Oh man. Part of me totally wanted to punch him for speaking to me like that, but the other part of me was swooning. Who was this intense warrior man? Willing to avenge my honor and kill for me? ME?! I must have died. If he only knew what I was capable of.

  Maybe I had died and gone to Gray’s fantasy land? Yes, that made far more sense. I pressed my lips together with a dark smile.

  “Can’t kill the dead, Adyen.”

  His eyebrows shot up as I escaped his grasp with a quick turn. I gave him a light punch in the side for emphasis and escaped through the rain. It was only then that I realized I had forgotten my journal. Fucking shit. Today was not my day.

  Chapter 8

  Adyen

  “Bloody hell,” Rhodes murmured darkly. “You think she killed whoever did that?”

  I shrugged, but watched her from across campus. I had her leather journal under my arm. I was waiting to see how long it would take her to come demand it from me. I wasn’t hiding it at all and I knew she had seen it in my hand.

  “Bastard seemed to deserve it, as far as I am concerned,” Taylor grumbled.

  My eyes focused on her. She was currently talking to a group of girls. One of them was in tears across the table from her. A soft look came over her face that I had yet to see anywhere else. It was odd seeing any softness cross that beautiful face.

  “That is probably why she offers protection to all these girls,” Rhodes mused while twirling his pen in a distracted fashion. Our spot across the courtyard allowed us direct access to see Gray in her garden of black roses. We probably looked like creeps. We had abandoned the pretense of homework long ago to watch her.

  “From what?” I wondered out loud. “Bobby seems pretty harmless.”

  “I don’t trust him,” Taylor stated softly. “Kid’s brain is all dark and messy.”

  “I still don’t see him being a threat,” I explained with quiet certainty. I didn’t get a good feeling from him either, but did he seem dangerous enough to threaten the population of women here? No. The threat was not him.

  Neo walked over with Athens. They had finished a class early. Athens’s eyes were bright as he announced some news.

  “Rumor around campus is that Gray’s birthday party is tonight.”

  “Fuck. Today’s her birthday?”

  Rhodes grimaced with a grunt, “We should have known that from the file.”

  “I bet you feel like a jerk, Rhodes,” Taylor chided in amusement.

  I found it amusing but also worrisome. I had pushed her today. Now, I was holding her journal captive. Those eyes found mine from across the courtyard once more. I could feel that both Rhodes and I were becoming more restless as our animals began to show signs of acting out.

  This behavior didn’t bother me as much. I was very much used to acting on animalistic impulse. Dragons are taught to foster that. Shit, even members of Rhodes community were taught to engage our animal and act on their will, occasionally. Unfortunately, our leader thrived on control and rarely listened to his jaguar.

  I predicted it would cause some serious problems. I mean my dragon was telling me to throw Gray over our shoulder and take her to the fae lands. Would I? Not yet. At some point though? Most likely. I had no patience.

  “We should find out where it is going to be at,” Rhodes commented lightly.

  Neo spoke up finally, “It’s at a club in the downtown district.”

  Before I could say anything, the gates opened to the campus and sent a loud metallic sound over the grounds. Gray’s eyes snapped up from the crying girl to the large dark SUV entering into the long driveway. Instantly, Gray dismissed everyone from the table including her friend Esme. They scattered. Quickly. Efficiently. Practiced.

  My prediction was that this was the threat.

  I was instantly up, as the doors of the large car opened. Bobby, a stupid smile on his face, got out and behind him were four other men whom I had seen before. Rhodes put a hand on my arm as the car drove away and all five men approached her table. It was painfully obvious that the four of them, excluding Bobby, were fae.

  “I don’t like this,” I growled out as one of the men sat next to her. He sat very close and caused her to flinch. Nope, I didn’t like this at fucking all. The final straw though? One of the men, nearly my size, grabbed her neck in a commanding nature and forced her to look directly at him. All of that fight, that spark, in her eyes had disappeared.

  Rhodes was across the grounds faster than I was.

  Chapter 9

  Gray

  We lived in a complicated world. The academy wasn’t well liked by many because we had a secret. Well, several secrets. All of them surrounded the ‘gifts’ that our students had. These talents, while not directly stated, made us different enough that human instinct told the rest of society that we didn’t fit in. Mera Academy was for those of us with gifts and talents that wanted to be safe. For those of us that didn’t want to be outcasts. We weren’t here to develop our talents. We were here to go to college in a safe environment void of violence.

  It wasn’t like we had families to keep us safe.

  We were a small group. Our female population even smaller. It left us in a vulnerable position. Specifically, vulnerable to men who knew our secret, like the ones in front of me. Bobby, sitting on the far end, was essentially a punching bag to these four. Graduates and now huge donors for the academy, these four seemed to relish in using their status to harm others. I would tell them that, but I was afraid they would direct their attention elsewhere.

  Instead, when they came onto campus for meetings, which wasn’t very often, they would bully me. It kept them away from the other girls. It made them feel like the strong tough guys they thought they were. The cost to me? Some measly PTSD from my years of extensive abusive. So yeah, I lied to Rhodes when I said no one bullied me anymore. These guys most definitely did. I let them because it saved other women here.

  “Gray,” Damon smiled as he pet my throat in a possessive grip. “I heard it’s your birthday today. Is that true?”

  In any other situation, I would have called Damon attractive. Actually, all four men were beautiful in the way fae tended to be. It was a raw, primal beauty that vibrated with dark power. Ivory skin, tall, lethal muscles, and dark hair with glittering eyes. It was the stuff books were written about, if you disregarded the evil sadistic flair. You know, the one where the guy gets off on hurting women? Yeah. The fucking one that has Damon’s name branded all over it.

  “Yep,” I murmured as Bobby ignored all of us. His eyes on the brown table and his jaw clenched. Stupid. I knew he was the one who told them about my birthday.

  “Want to celebrate?” Talon asked with a leering smile as his hair fell in dark waves around his face. Gods, no. You creep. The last thing I wanted was to celebrate with Talon.

  “Not particularly,” I responded simply.

  Damon smirked his dark eyes sparkling with excitement.

  “Ashford and Kennedy once shared a girl on her birthday. I am positive they would love to again.”

  I snarled as he tightened his grip. I tried to keep cool, but I was positive that he wasn’t asking or gauging my interest. Kennedy chuckled, but Ashford looked over his shoulder at the sound of approaching footsteps. A dark smile appeared on his face.

  “Are these your boyfriends?” Ashford asked as his eyes glinted maliciously behind his glasses.

  “I don’t have--” Or shit maybe I did?

  Instantly, Ashford was caught up in a hold by Athens. The hold was practiced and showed the restraint of a trained professional. It looked as though he had done it a million times before. I had always thought of these brothers as huge, but in the twin’s easy hold, I wasn’t so sure. Athen’s jaw was clenched tight. Neo had an impressive hold on Kennedy. Who knew the shy twin was capable of that? Scratch that. The more time I spent around Neo, the more I realized he was shielding what I assumed to be a larger reserve of power. How deep that power went? I had no idea.

  I would have made a remark but both men were laser focused on Damon’s hand. The hand that was more of a strangled grip on my throat. Fantastic.

  “What is this?” Damon asked with mirth.

  I grimaced as I caught the gaze of Taylor. Oh, carrot top had a bit of a temper in an unsurprising turn of events. He rounded the table, flying over it with agility, and grabbed Talon by his neck. “You’re going to want to get your hand off her now, understand?”

  Talon snarled, but Taylor rolled his eyes and yanked him off the bench. I had nearly forgotten about his hold on me as well. It was terrifying that I had let Talon out of my watch for even a moment. The guy was creepy as fuck. My eyes went to Bobby who looked shocked. I tried to swallow, but Damon still had my throat.

  “Touch me and I crush her throat,” Damon offered with a devious glint. Of course, he was enjoying this. I looked up behind him to find Adyen. I had seen the man heated, but this was different. He was furious. His eyes burned into mine and I couldn’t look away. Instead, I just made sure not to move. I really wasn’t interested in bruises.

  Rhodes stepped toward the table and I repressed a shiver. Clearly, I had underestimated these men. It was clear that Rhodes was a very powerful, lethal, and dominant predator in his shifter form. Like really, really deadly. He moved easily, like he was stalking his prey, and circled the table to stand behind me. I felt his hands on my shoulders, warm and comforting, as Damon looked up at him with humor.

  I nearly flinched at his hands on my scars, but instead of rejecting the touch, I accepted it. I would take pity over my wind pipe being damaged right now. Plus, Rhodes’s hands felt good on me.

  “Release her,” He stated quietly. His voice was deceptively soft.

  “Why?” Damon offered a dark laugh. “I have a deal with her. She’s very much okay with this.”

  “I don’t give a fuck what your deal is,” He responded as if he was discussing local weather. “This is unacceptable.”

  “You’re not SE, so calm your shit. She’s my girl.”

  “Are you his girl?” Rhodes asked quietly as his hand smoothed over my skin. I tried to answer, but couldn’t fully breathe. Instead a pathetic wheezing of my breath came out. Good job, Gray. Adyen nearly lost his shit over that noise. I just knew he would be growling a lot when I met him.

  “Well, Mr. Hollingworth, I am SE and this is my team,” Rhodes stated taking out a badge with black raised edges and silver metal plating. “Unless you want to get the Horde leadership called, you will release her.”

  Fucking Supernature Enforcement? The Horde? Yeah. That would be just my fucking luck. I always fucked myself over somehow. I nearly just let Damon choke me at that point. These guys were essentially the FBI of the fae lands and it seemed they were specifically from the Horde.

  Out of all three realms in the fae lands… the Horde lands was number two on which to avoid. Honestly, I hated all of them. But really? SE from the Horde? Let us give it up for irony.

  Damon’s hand released my throat as he let out an annoyed sound. Instantly, Adyen was on him, punching him directly in the stomach, and pulling him up by his hair. I appreciated it... but then, I didn’t. I knew the consequences would be far worse if he got in serious trouble.

  “Resisting arrest,” Adyen murmured hitting him again. As oxygen flooded through me, I began coughing a lot and I couldn’t get out what I needed to say to him. I swallowed hard as Adyen pulled him up against his chest and locked his massive arm around Damon’s neck.

  “Hollingworth, we are contacting the Horde,” Rhodes explained and took his hands off my shoulders. I suddenly felt cold without them.

  Damon met my eyes and I felt fear push through me in a violent icy wave. Nope. That couldn’t happen. If he went back to the Horde, then he would tell everyone where I was. He would be given back free reign after being released to the dark fae. I wouldn’t be here to defend the women attending this school. In fact, Damon would probably bring along more individuals just like his brothers.

  So, instead of letting Rhodes continue, I said something that made the boys furious.

  “Let them go.”

  All at once, multiple voices started objecting. I just kept my eyes on Damon and repeated myself. Rhodes leaned over the table and forced me to look up at him with a long tan finger. I would have slapped it away, but we had bigger issues.

  “This is SE business now,” he explained. His voice was clinical and eyes blank.

  Oh. SE business, you say? I wouldn’t know anything about that. Fucking laughable.

  “You report him and I will claim mate status with Damon. He will be essentially untouchable, unless you go back to the Horde for permission. By that point in time, both of us will be gone.” I hissed.

  I was making a massive assumption about their true reason for being here and betting that they didn’t want to lose track of me. I also was taking a huge risk by admitting to them how much I knew about SE. I was essentially confirming what they probably assumed about me, them being from the fae lands and all.

  Rhodes snarled as his eyes flashed gold, “Why would you do that?”

  Damon chuckled softly, “Maybe she likes it.”

  Adyen punched him in the side, causing him to groan as I snapped out, “Don’t push your luck.”

  I kept my face perfectly blank, “Rhodes, release them now. You do not understand the situation.”

  Those pale green eyes scanned my expression as he let out a foreign harsh word.

  “Let them go.”

  “The fuck?” Taylor sounded furious, but I kept my eyes on Rhodes. God, he smelt good. I tried to ignore the way his expensive cologne seemed to wrap around me in a blanket of safety. I swallowed and tried to ignore how much my throat hurt. It would heal in a day or so, even without using my powers.

  “See you tonight,” Talon stated with elation as the four of them were released. I could hear threats being made, but all of them scampered back into the estate like the little bitches they were. I noticed Bobby trailed after slowly. I finally lowered my eyes from a furious Rhodes and turned back into the table. An exhale pushed through my lips as I kept focused on the task at hand. I had to explain myself, but say as little as fucking possible and move on.

  “Do. Not. do that again. Ever.” I started off looking at the five men around me. Rhodes stood over me, unlike everyone else who were sitting, and kept his gaze locked on mine with an indecipherable expression.

  “Are you crazy?” Athens practically yelled. “He could have killed you!”

  My eyes narrowed on his, but I didn’t offer him a response. He knew damn well that Damon wouldn’t have been able to kill me like that. I wasn’t in the mood for fucking dramatics. Instead, I moved my hands from my throat causing a deep growl to come from Adyen. I reached into my pocket, pulling out my phone to check the camera. I had deep bruises lining my throat in the shape of Damon’s hand.

  Happy fucking birthday to me.

  Chapter 10

  Neo

  Gray sat at the table with her camera set up against her purse to apply makeup to her bruises. I was transfixed. Her eyes, usually fiery, were empty and cold. Absolutely empty. It was like a switch.

  I knew Adyen saw it because he sat across from her with fury in every part of his body. I knew he could still hear the fae assholes scampering about campus. Hell, I could hear them and hearing wasn’t even something I did all that well in comparison to him. Yet, none of us moved. None of us said anything.

  Finally, she tossed her makeup in her purse and brushed out her dark hair. Athens was speechless as he watched her gather herself. I could tell he was outraged, but more surprised at her compartmentalization. Taylor was incensed, probably having read through their thoughts and intent as well as hers. Rhodes? I could tell the man was barely hanging on. That's saying something because he was fairly known for his control. Although it seemed Gray had a very large impact on Rhodes animal and continuously drew out reactions from him that no one else had ever managed. She probably didn’t even realize the significance of how he interacted with her in comparison to anyone outside of our team.

  “Gray,” I whispered calling her attention as those navy eyes snapped to me. “What was that? How often does that happen?”

  I saw her eyes melt for just a moment, the blue softening, before a coldness took over again. She spoke quietly, “That was nothing you need to worry about.”