Entwined, page 1
Entwined
Dear Darkness Book 5
Leah Steele
Entwined by Leah Steele
Copyright © 2024 by Leah Steele
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review, and except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
For permissions contact:
leahsteeleauthor@gmail.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Cover by Pretty in Ink Creations
Contents
This is an ARC copy.
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Foreword
Ravenmaster’s Rules of Killing
1. Raven
2. Jasper
3. Raven
4. Raven
5. Jasper
6. Raven
7. Raven
8. Raven
9. Raven
10. Raven
11. Raven
12. Raven
13. Jasper
14. Jasper
15. Raven
16. Raven
17. Jasper
18. Raven
19. Jasper
20. Raven
21. Raven
22. Raven
23. Raven
24. Jasper
25. Raven
26. Raven
27. Raven
Note from Leah
Books by Leah Steele
About Leah Steele
Please note this is an ARC copy. The formatting might not look exactly right. There might also be sections that are changed by the time it gets published. I hope you enjoy!
<3 Leah
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Foreword
Please Read!
The Dear Darkness series is a reverse harem themed book, meaning the female main character will end up with three or more love interests. Our FMC is a true psychopath and as such doesn’t feel emotions or pain the same way the rest of us do. And trust me, she experiences several traumatizing situations. She is self-proclaimed as “emotionally dead” inside. Well… she used to be.
Seeing as how this is a series, it is highly suggested that you read the four books that come before this one.
This is the fifth book guys. If you don't know what you're in for by now… perhaps revisit the previous TWs.
Ravenmaster’s Rules of Killing
The first rule of killing: Don’t let anyone see you…
The second rule of killing: Don’t keep any evidence connecting you to the crime.
The third rule of killing: Don’t tell anyone.
The fourth rule of killing: Don’t leave any evidence behind.
The fifth rule of killing: Don’t bring any devices with you that can track your location. Unless it’s one of mine.
The sixth rule of killing: Don’t leave a body behind to be found.
The seventh rule of killing: Always make sure you control the circumstances.
The eighth rule of killing: Always come out on top.
The ninth rule of killing: Make sure at least one of your men is involved.
The tenth rule of killing: Make sure to clean your workroom when you’re done.
The eleventh rule of killing: Make sure no one can overhear you when making plans.
The twelfth rule of killing: Never leave your Raven behind.
The thirteenth rule of killing: Don’t forget to spice things up from time to time.
The fourteenth rule of killing: Always have a contingency plan in case something goes wrong.
The fifteenth rule of killing: For every murder, Raven gets at least four orgasms.
The sixteenth rule of killing: If you touch our woman, you die.
The seventeenth rule of killing: Love your Ravenmaster from now until eternity.
The eighteenth rule of killing: Cherish your Raven, forever more.
Chapter 1
Raven
Oxygen masks drop from the ceiling of the plane, dangling in front of our faces like a warning of tragic things to come. Jasper doesn’t hesitate. He reaches for one, but instead of putting it on himself, he holds the mask to my face, the plastic biting into my skin as I push him away. He needs to put his own on; I can take care of myself, even if I do appreciate him putting my life above his. Goosebumps pebble along my skin, the temperature dropping drastically as the air rapidly gets sucked out the window.
We pitch to the side, and Jasper's head cracks against the wall of the plane moments before he wraps his arms around me. The strength of his grip loosens a fraction of a second later, but somehow he still holds me to him as we fall to the floor and the mask is ripped from my face. I'm not sure if it's the hit to his head that makes him black out or the lack of air. But I'm trapped underneath him and unable to look.
The plane seems to straighten, but right as I notice it, it sounds like it's being wrenched apart, metal screaming into the air. We're thrown around, bouncing against the floor like kernels of popped corn. Until suddenly, everything goes quiet.
The silence is eerie. Unnatural after what we just went through.
What even fucking happened?
I'm not even sure how long we were tossed about, the air being sucked out the window. But now everything is calm.
"Remi," Grayson shouts. He makes it to my side with a thud as his knees land on the sparse space next to me. He helps roll Jasper off me and immediately cups my cheek, searching my body for injuries. Somehow, I'm completely fine. Jasper accomplished what he set out to do, he protected me. Even if it was at the cost of himself.
Grayson helps ease me into a sitting position, and I immediately shift to check on Jasper. He seems to be breathing fine, but there's blood dripping from his hairline, which worries me.
Knowing Jasper and Grayson are at least alive, my gaze darts up to scan the rest of the plane. You’d think with all the turbulence and then the depressurization that it would look like a disaster area, and perhaps with more time in the air it would have, but everything seems to be mostly in place. Although that could have more to do with not much being loose in the cabin.
Cole’s limbs sprawl out in all directions right in front of the cockpit, and Vander is in one of the captain's chairs. He's the only one with a mask covering his face, which he rips off as he unbuckles his seatbelt.
"Reginetta, are you okay?" There's a shakiness in his voice, born of panic and fear. I can't blame him after he thought he lost me in the bombing, or when he saw me get kidnapped in front of him when I was a child. Doesn't mean I don’t want to flinch when he's acting like a helicopter mom.
"I'm fine, Vanner." I stand and pat his cheek when he reaches my side. He grips my face and plants a kiss on my lips, giving me no option but to kiss him back. When he pulls away, I stare into his gaze. "Seriously, I'm fine. Jasper held me to him, and I barely felt it when we hit the ground. There might be a few bruises, but other than that, I'm not hurt at all."
He stares at me skeptically, but lets me step by him to check on Cole. My hacker boyfriend groans, reaching a hand down to where I shot him. It wouldn't surprise me if the pain is flaming up from the healing wound. It's not a stretch to imagine it got jostled in the landing.
"You know," I start, a teasing tone dripping from every word. "You didn't need to crash a plane to one up me in declarations of love."
Cole sputters out a laugh that cuts off into a groan. "I wouldn't risk hurting you, Luv. You're too precious." He reaches up a hand and bangs on the door to the cockpit.
It opens a moment later, revealing the pilot, face drained of color. In fact, he might be a little green, but that could simply be a trick of the lighting. "We need to get off. I'm not sure what caused the malfunction, but there's always a chance something blows up."
He doesn't wait to reach for the door, throwing it open to reveal a grassy area. Certainly not what I was expecting. I'm distracted from watching him when Vander lifts me to my feet from where I'm kneeling next to Cole.
"You heard him; we need to go. Grayson, grab Cole's electronics bag. I'll grab the weapons bag and toss it out to you, then I'll carry Jasper. You good to get yourself out, Cole?" Vander instructs us in the calmest manner, like he's used to giving commands in high-risk situations. Not that I feel any kind of rush. We're safe on the ground.
Smoke billows past the open doorway, the blackness of it making me reconsider. Okay, perhaps we should get off. There's a fuel tank somewhere on here, and I'd hate to be close by if it ignites. I reach for Cole's grip, helping him to his feet, and put his arm around my shoulders.
"I'm fine, Raven. Only a limp at worst. We can check your love mark when we get a chance. I need to see what we can salvage before we leave. Let's get you off first though," he says. We walk to the opening and he holds a hand out to assist me with deboarding.
Once I'm on the ground, I g
"What's the look for?" Cole asks, staring down at me. Apparently, he has that same damaged trait in his personality.
"You said you'd get me off."
The most panty melting smirk spreads across his face. "Oh, don't you worry, Luv. I'll take care of that as soon as we're settled." He gives me a wink before disappearing into the plane.
Smoke billows in my face, dark angry puffs making me hack out a cough. The sound of sirens draws my attention to the area behind me. I find the pilot trying to flag them down, waving his arms frantically. As if they couldn't find the downed plane without his help. What a fool. Although, few know how to keep calm in a situation like this one.
Taking in more of our surroundings, I find we're still within the airport perimeter, even if we haven't stopped on the runway. I can't fault the pilot on his skills though, we aren't far off from it. He overshot the tarmac and skidded through a grassy field, leaving deep grooves from the tires.
Grayson steps next to me, the backpack and a duffle bag slung over his shoulder. "Fuck. You don't think they'll ask to see what I'm carrying, right?" He shifts his weight like he's nervous. I can see why. I know exactly what's in the bag, and if anyone saw, they'd question why someone needs to carry that many firearms, much less why they'd be worried about taking it off a crashed plane.
Right as the thought crosses my mind, a sparking sound draws my attention from the aircraft. I turn in time to see a small flame flicker to life. Shit. Seems the fear of an explosion is more serious than I gave it credit. I slip my hand into Grayson's, wanting to bolster his grip on remaining calm.
Vander emerges with Jasper thrown over his shoulder, and he even turns around to make sure Cole makes it out, too. I bite my lip, a small flutter in my stomach akin to worry making itself known. I swear to fuck, if they made it outside the plane for it to explode and swallow them up... I'll never forgive them. Or stop hunting for a way to make them suffer in the afterlife.
Thankfully, my fears don't come to fruition. They make it to our sides at the same time the emergency vehicles screech to a stop, the first responders spilling into view and jumping into action. With the threat of the fire reaching the fuel, they don't pay us much attention. Which is good because someone in a dark SUV pulls up behind them.
"Let's go," Cole rasps, limping to it. He doesn't even glance over his shoulder to make sure we're following.
It's easy enough to catch up to him with how badly he's limping. I can't help but wonder if he's exaggerating the injury. "How the hell did you get a vehicle here so fast?" I hiss under my breath.
He peeks over at me. "The fourteenth rule of killing: Always have a contingency plan in case something goes wrong."
The driver steps clear of the vehicle and beelines for Cole. He whispers in his ear, so low I can't hear. After getting directions from my hacker genius, he strides toward the chaos, leaving us behind as if he's some kind of Marvel agent ready to clean everything up behind us.
What kind of life have I found myself in the middle of?
Can't say I don't enjoy every moment.
Vander doesn't seem surprised by what's going on. He's already settling Jasper in the backseat while Grayson tosses the things he's carrying in the rear. We aren't far behind them, and Cole has more bags he adds to the mess. Vander climbs into the driver's seat and Grayson takes the seat next to him, leaving the back seat for the rest of us.
Am I the only one who missed the memo?
"Are you sure we should leave without getting Jasper seen to?" I eye the man warily at a loss for anything I can do for him.
"He only hit his head, Luv," Cole murmurs as he opens a laptop from the bag he slung over his shoulder. I swear he pulls the devices from thin air. For some reason, I feel like this is one I haven't seen before, but they all have the same slick black case, so I could be wrong.
"He could have bleeding in his brain," I quip, my fingers itching for something sharp. I don't want to hurt him too badly. But he could use a fork in the thigh right about now. Grayson turns to peer at me, a coy smile gracing his lips. My nerves seem to be frayed because everything is setting me off right now. "What are you smiling about?"
"It's nice to see you showing so much emotion for one of us. I enjoy knowing I've rubbed off on you."
Grayson only seems to get more amused when my gaze narrows on him and a growl rumbles from deep in my chest. Why did I think keeping multiple men tied to me was a good idea?
Cole sighs like he doesn't want to take a moment away from his laptop, but he's doing it anyway. He balances it on his knees, but is still able to twist his torso so he's able to cup my cheeks and force me to face him. "Trust us. None of us would risk the fallout of your anger if anything happened to Jasper. He's basically our brother now, even if he's not blood. If we thought he was at risk, we would’ve asked one of the paramedics to check him out."
The seriousness in his gaze says he's not bullshitting me, and something I can't name settles in my gut. A calmness takes over. He'll be fine. I only need to wait for him to wake up, then I can punish him for making me feel things I'd rather not experience.
Chapter 2
Jasper
The harsh sound of cursing brings me close enough to the surface for me to fight off the heavy sleep, wanting to keep me captive. Not in this lifetime will I let anything separate me from my love when she might need me. The panic from my last few moments of consciousness floods me once more, and I bolt upright. "Little Bird!"
"I'm right here," she soothes.
The fact she sounds so nurturing tells me everything I need to know. Her cool palms frame my face, and I blink away the fog covering my sight. My gaze instantly lands on her. I search for any wounds, and when I don't find any, the ice freezing my heart shatters, allowing it to pound twice as fast to make up for it.
Reaching out, I wrap my hand around her neck, using my grip to drag her to me, needing to kiss her more than I need my next breath. She tastes like black smoke and fury. Probably a mix of the crash and her pent-up emotions. We'll need to find her someone to kill before her urges catch up to her. I don't like what the risk to all of us will do to her control.
Her tongue dips into my mouth, a neediness demanding she tries to consume me as much as possible to ensure I’m not hurt. Something I'm sure she's not even aware of. One thing about my little bird being so disconnected from her emotions is that I'm able to read her better than she ever could.
I’m a Raven expert, her caretaker, her Ravenmaster.
I might not be the only one, but it doesn’t belittle my title in any way, shape, or form. She’s mine and always will be.
Drawing away, she lets out a tiny moan, one she probably doesn’t even notice. My fingers flex, reminding her who’s in control right now. And it’s not her.
Another curse reminds me of what woke me up in the first place. “That son of a bitch hacked into our plane,” Cole bites out. You can hear the promise of death in his voice. “He caused a short in the electronics around the window, causing a temperature difference which made it crack.”
“What about all the smoke?” Grayson asks.
“Obviously, it was another issue he caused. I haven’t found the proof of it yet, but I know it’s there. Whoever he has working for him is quickly becoming my nemesis. I’d want to kill them if I wasn’t so impressed.”
“How do you know it’s not the Tulip Broker himself?” Little Bird questions, attempting to turn to face him, but I tighten my grip on her neck, not wanting her attention off me.
Cole scoffs, not even glancing up from his computer. “This is the skill of someone who dedicates themselves to the craft. That bastard doesn’t have the brain capacity to learn the intricacies behind coding like this.”
It doesn’t pass my notice that he’s bragging about himself in the same breath, and I’m sure everyone else picks up on it too.
