Dragged Under: A Dark Reverse Harem Omegaverse Romance (Seven Book 1), page 6
I take the warm bowl and inhale deeply with a satisfied groan. My stomach rumbles loudly, but I’m too hungry to be embarrassed.
“Eat while it’s still hot, Gabrielle.” Ryth passes me the spoon and scoops soup into my eager mouth.
I swallow and smile broadly. “Is this chicken noodle soup?”
Ryth’s answering smile is amused as he says, “It’s similar. It’s Hell’s version made with granro, which is essentially a mutated chicken.”
“A what?”
“Granro,” Zander says with a laugh. I open my mouth to ask if it’s safe to eat, but he beats me to it. “It’s perfectly fine for demons to eat.”
“I’m not a...”
I trail off before I can finish that sentence, because it’s not true—I am a demon now. It’s so easy to forget, because I don’t really feel any different.
Shaking off the morose thoughts, I finish my soup in record time and down the water Ryth hands over. He takes the empty glasses from me and leaves without a word, pushing past Branh again as he goes. I’m not entirely sure why he’s just standing in the doorway, but it’s sort of irritating. Instead of asking him, I ask the important questions instead.
“Are we topside again, or still in Hell, and how do we prevent the lesser demons from attacking us again?”
“We’re still in Hell in a small town called Frakulo,” Zander starts. “We’ve relocated to another den of ours—a hideout, if you will. This one has a barrier around it, so it’s a little more secure than the previous one.”
“A little? But—”
“Look,” Branh says as he steps farther into the nest, “things are about to get crazy. We’re still down three of our brothers, and the culling starts in two days’ time. We have no idea where they are and how to find them, not to mention we’ve divided up our manpower to keep you safe while the two of us head out to search. Add to that the fact you need to not die during the trails and that you’re in no way ready for the culling... Let’s just say your odds aren’t looking great right now. You need a crash course immediately, because we don’t have time to ease you into our world, no matter how much my brothers want to.”
Ryth comes back in just as Branh finishes his depressing speech about how unprepared I am for the future. As I glance at Zander and Ryth, I can tell by their grimaces that they don’t quite agree with his approach, but they’re not planning to stop him. Branh’s right, though, even if I hate to admit it. I have no idea what I’m doing. I didn’t even know I was a demon until a week ago, or however long it’s been.
“In two days, the culling begins,” Branh continues. “This is a fight to determine who will claim a council seat for themselves. The council works directly for the lord of hell, the current lord being Cain, enforcing his commands and ruling over hell at his bidding. It’s a highly coveted position, one of great honor and status. That’s why the culling consists of three trials, each more challenging then the last.
“There are seven seats, and each represents a sin. This means that for a group like ours that’s missing pride, sloth, and wrath, another top contender in the culling is eligible to fill in our empty spots on the council if you don’t bond our remaining brothers before the third trial.”
Wait, what?
“I have t-to mate with your three brothers?” I stutter, my face no doubt paling at the thought.
“Yes,” is all Branh says like my world isn’t imploding.
Sure, I’ve read plenty of reverse harem books where the main character ends up with like, six or seven dudes, but I never thought it would happen to me. Three demons were already more than I had ever planned for, and now there will be six of them?
I know I’m lust and all, but that’s too many dicks and not enough me.
My body heats up just thinking about it, and I mentally berate myself for being so weak-willed. “Okay,” I say slowly. “Okay. So we need to find your three brothers, then? In two days?”
I’m deflecting, but I don’t fucking care. I’m not thinking about taking six dicks at once right now, because my hussy self is salivating at the thought while my brain is taking a fucking time-out to process that.
“Yes and no.” Zander hesitates. “We’re looking for all three of our brothers, yes, but wrath won’t be easy to find, so we’ll focus on pride and sloth for now.”
I shrug, even though I know there’s more to the story then they’re letting on. With everything else going on, I’m not going to push for answers, and I’m also not looking for a repeat of that dominance shit Branh pulled on me last time. “How are we going to find these two?”
“That’s the tricky part,” Ryth says with a frustrated grunt. “We separated to search for a sythica, and since the six of us are already bonded as brothers, we’re hoping they sensed our newly formed connection with you and are already on the way.”
“If that doesn’t work, then what?” I ask with a frown.
“Then we wait until the culling.” Zander brushes a lock of hair off my forehead tenderly. “We made plans to gather for the culling if we couldn’t find each other before then. While not ideal, they’ll have to bond with you during the thirty-minute allotment before the trial begins.”
“And by bond, you mean biting?”
“And knotting.” Zander winces slightly.
My mouth drops open and I struggle to find my words for a second. “I can’t take two knots in thirty minutes. It doesn’t even deflate in that time!”
I want to slap the guilty look off Zander’s face, because I just know that whatever he’s about to say will piss me off. “There are ways to... disengage sooner without permanently damaging the omega.” I narrow my eyes and he rushes on. “We need every advantage we can get, and a bonded sept is a stronger sept. No one knows what the trials consist of, so we need to be prepared for anything. Bonding with you gives us a leg up over the other competitors.”
I’m fuming. They want to risk my vagina for their brothers? Am I reading that right? Because fuck no. Fuck no.
“Hello, love.”
The deep voice has us all whipping around to face the stranger in the doorway.
“Impossible,” Branh says, hazel eyes flaring wide.
“How?” Zander questions with a gasp.
“There’s no way,” Ryth murmurs with a shake of his head.
“I go by Xavier,” the black-haired, silver-eyed male says with a smile as his tail thrashes behind him. “I’ll answer your questions after I finish bonding with our lust. My power is being drained too quickly, and I can’t afford to waste any more time. Leave.”
I can do nothing but stare after my three mates as they offer this stranger a small bow and leave the two of us alone in the nest. Despite the brief flare of pain in my chest, I scramble to my feet, suddenly nervous, yet giddy.
Somehow this demon seems familiar to me, but I can’t place his face. I know I’d remember someone like this, though, because he’s stunningly beautiful. He’s not someone you can forget, yet this moment almost feels like déjà vu.
What the hell is going on?
Chapter 10
Wrath
Gabrielle is even more beautiful in person. The dreamscape didn’t do her justice. But as much as I would love to stand an admire her for hours, my time is running out. Already this body grows weak as my power wanes, and the only reason I’m able to stand before her now is due to the claim I made in the dream world. Without it, this form wouldn’t be possible.
I close in on Gabrielle, ignoring the way she shuffles away from me. It’s easy enough to scent the nerves wafting off her, and I can’t say I blame her for her apprehension. I’m a stranger to her, our time together nothing more than a forgotten dream.
“There is no time to ease you into this, my love, and I’m truly sorry,” I say with some small amount of regret, but it won’t stop me from doing what I’m about to do.
“What are you—”
I cut her off with a searing kiss. Wrapping my arms around her, I tug her into my body, and I know she can feel the hard press of my cock against her belly. As she gasps for breath, I invade her mouth with my tongue, nearly humming with delight as the scent of her nerves give way to arousal.
I don’t think I could ever get tired of this woman. It doesn’t matter if ten years go by or three thousand—I’ll love her till the end of time.
“I’m already close, so this will be quick,” I gasp as I pull away from her mouth and lift up her hips until she’s hovering over my cock. “Once our bond is solidified, we can take our time getting to know each other’s bodies as much as we like.”
With my free hand, I liberate myself from the confines of my pants while my tail wraps around her waist.
“Wha—”
She’s cut off a second time as I thrust into her without warning. Her moan is the sweetest sound, and my dick twitches in response. My mate’s heat envelops me, and I can’t help but groan as I pull free.
I slam back in just as my knot starts to bloom. Two thrusts are all I’m getting out of this mating, but I know if the situation was different, I’d be fucking her for hours. I remember the days of limitless stamina. And while part of me hates that I can’t prolong this moment and drown her in pleasure like I used to, I know there simply isn’t time.
So with the same hand I used to free myself, I pinch her clit hard enough to make her squirm on my dick. I grind into her pussy until I’m seated to the base, then pinch her clit a second time, and that’s all it takes to send her over the edge.
Gabrielle throws her head back as her walls clench around me rhythmically. My knot fully blooms inside her, and I take the offering she’s presenting me with her beautiful neck on display, biting down hard enough to draw blood. I come with a grunt as my seed fills her pussy while her blood fills my mouth.
She screams as a second orgasm chases the first. It’s only when she clenches down on my cock for a fifth time that I finally release my jaw to lap up the trail of blood my claim on her pale skin.
A long moment passes as she pants from the exertion before leaning into me with a sated sigh. I feel the moment her body goes lax, and I offer her a little rumble as I settle back amongst the bedding. Her quiet snores warm my heart, and I can’t help but pull her into my chest and hold on tight.
I take a few breaths to slow my racing pulse and breathe in my mate’s scent, enjoying the simple act of holding her in my arms at long last. Then, with a heavy sigh, I push my selfish desires aside in favor of sating the curiosity I just know my sins are brimming with.
“Sins,” I call to the three males standing just outside the door. They’ve been there since I kicked them out of the nest, standing guard and watching our backs as they’ve been trained to do.
As soon as they enter, they offer me another small bow of respect, and I tilt my head in their direction. “Am I correct in assuming you have your prior memories, then?”
“Yes,” Branh, ever the serious and stern sin, says with an expressionless face. “Every cycle it comes to us on our fiftieth year, sir.”
“Good.” I wave my hand flippantly as I say, “Then you know I despise formality, especially between our sept.” He says nothing, but I let it go. He’s a stickler for formality—always has been—and it’s not worth the argument it would take to get him to stop. “And how much have you explained to Gabrielle?”
“Your timing is impeccable,” Zander says with a grin. It’s good to see that three thousand years haven’t changed his easy smile, even after all the heartache and pain he’s been dealt—pain we’ve all been dealt. “We were just starting to discuss you and her role in your life.”
I hum noncommittally. “As soon as she awakens, I’ll take it from here.” Once all three sins nod their acquiescence to my command, I pick up a strand of my love’s hair and twirl it around my finger with a little smile on my face.
She’s the only being to ever touch my heart, the only being to soften my smile.
“How are you here, Lucifer?”
I pin Branh with a look. “This shadow of mine is to be referred to as Xavier. She isn’t to know who I really am yet. That will come in time. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” all three of my sins reply at once.
“As for your question, I’m here because Lust made it to the first dream, as I’m sure you’re already aware.” Zander confirms this with a simple nod, so I continue. “I claimed her in the dreamscape, and while comparatively weaker than a true bond between us, it was still enough to give me a boost in power. Enough for me to create this shadow and teleport to her.”
“And now?” Ryth questions, his slate eyes glinting with hope. “Will this claim hold? Will it strengthen you?”
“Yes and no,” I say with a frown. “Since this body is nothing more than a shadow of my true self, I’m at half power, maybe less. The bond will stay, but our connection is weaker in nature until my real body can override the claiming with Gabrielle. But at least now this shadow is able to exist without weakening and disappearing.”
“And the culling?”
“What of it, Zander?” I say as I take in my mate’s scent.
It’s been so long—too long—since I’ve been able smell her enticing aroma of lavender and smoke. So long that I’d nearly forgotten it completely. And the warmth of her body wrapped around mine soothes something deep inside me at last. Feeling my fingers gliding through her hair is an experience I never thought I’d miss, but when you’re cut off from everything for three thousand years, you start to miss the little things.
The few dreamscapes Lust was able to visit in her previous cycles were always the same—no scent, no warmth, no textures. It was a cruel gift I bestowed upon myself, knowing she would never remember me, knowing she wouldn’t even know who I am to begin with, and knowing the small taste of her in the dreamscape would never compare to the waking world—the real world.
But I couldn’t not visit her. I had to know she was safe, if only for the moment, with one or more of my sins. The thought of that bastard continuing to hunt her down cycle after cycle is enough to drive me mad. So to see her in the dreamscape filled me with such hope. It made me desperately hope that this cycle was the last, and that my sins would finally free me and the bastard would finally be stopped. It made it all that much harder to bear when years would pass with no other dreams and I had to acknowledge that she was dead.
Slaughtered, all because of me.
“Are you planning to participate?” Ryth’s question cuts through the darkness of my thoughts, and I blink away the emotion before I rage.
“In?” I ask.
“The culling.”
“I don’t know what that is,” I reply, and it’s true. There was never such a thing as the culling during my time as hell’s lord and master.
Before I acquired this shadow form Xavier, my real body was kept in some sort of stasis where my consciousness was wideawake while I remained immobile. But this awareness was limited to the inside of my prison where my body was, and still is, being kept. This means I’ve been unaware of hell’s happenings. I’m not even sure how many years have passed since my betrayal. All I know is that my connection with hell is unstable, the world is unbalanced, and I desperately need to fix it.
Ryth spends the next couple hours catching me up on all I’ve missed as best as he can. He at least gives me enough information so I’m not completely in the dark.
Finally I manage to answer his original question. “Yes,” I murmur, sliding my fingers across Gabrielle’s face and smiling when her nose twitches in her sleep. “Who better to claim Wrath’s seat then the original Wrath himself?”
“If you compete in the culling, aren’t you worried someone will recognize you?”
My smile widens into a wicked grin. “I’m counting on it, Branh.”
“But that puts Gabrielle at risk,” he says.
I scoff with a shake of my head, gaze returning to my love tucked against my side. “She’s already at risk. All of you are. That won’t change until I’m free.”
My Lust shifts in her sleep, and we all go silent to watch her. I hum under my breath as my eyes grow heavy. It’s been a trying day, and I could use the rest. Besides, I wouldn’t mind the excuse to cuddle with my little mate, hogging her all to myself until I’m satisfied. Though I have a feeling I’ll never be satisfied; I’ll always want her. Need her. Love her.
That’s something that time will never change.
“I’ll need to sleep often to conserve my energy,” I mumble as drowsiness slowly consumes me. “Protect us while I’m recharging. For now, mark the door with my blood. When I awaken, I’ll reinforce the entire barrier around the den and try to locate the remaining sins.”
“Can you find your body?” Branh asks.
“No,” I slur, closing my eyes. “It’s too heavily concealed.”
And then I succumb to the waiting darkness.
Chapter 11
Lust
The moment I woke up, my new mate introduced himself as Xavier and knotted me again. I didn’t even say no. Honestly, this Lust shit is fucking with my head. I was a virgin up until a week ago, and now I’m screwing four demons daily, sometimes twice daily.
I thought I’d be beating myself up over it, since society teaches us that monogamous relationships are “normal” and being with multiple guys at once is “slutty.”
Well, fuck society, because I’m having the time of my life.
Though things would be significantly better if we didn’t have the culling to worry about and a horde of lesser demons hunting us. I’m trying not to think about those details too much. It’s a good thing I’m great at compartmentalizing my thoughts and emotions.
“What are you thinking about, love?” Xavier murmurs as he plays with my hair again. It’s becoming a habit of his, and I can’t say I hate it.
“The culling.”
“Ah, yes.” He sits up and pulls me into his lap since we’re still knotted. “It’s about time some things are explained to you.”
