Page 30

Harlow

Tuesday Afternoon

Dark Haven Library

“ C ome on,” Drake said to me and Hiro, who surfaced just after the lunchtime confrontation. He led us to the elevator without further explanation. Hiro and I shared a glance but didn’t argue, stepping inside. “We’re going to take back the third floor.”

“What, really?” I questioned, turning to face him. He was way too tense for it to be as simple as that.

“You need medication and Layne is starting to slip into one of her episodes. The staff is still functioning so it would be a smarter move for you to be back where you belong. I can’t promise we won’t be right back to group therapy and shit like that, but it’ll give us a chance to see what’s going on.”

I felt guilty for not realizing Layne was getting bad again. She’d been off, but we all had.

Between the demons, the battles, half my men coming in and out, and the hallucinations, I was a mess.

Drake was far more observant than I’d given him credit for.

“This is because of the sacrifices, isn’t it?” I questioned. After we stopped the last one, he’d found another, also with black hair, green eyes, and a strong jaw.

That’s where their similarities fell short, but it was still obvious what Vane was doing.

The fact he’d left it for Drake to find on his rounds was telling. Even if we didn’t know where he was hiding, Vane was watching us.

“In part,” he agreed. I appreciated that he wasn’t straight up avoiding this conversation anymore. “But I’m also tired of not being able to be with you guys or fuck when we want.”

Hiro made a noise that had Drake smirking. The two of them were ridiculous but I hoped things progressed soon. Hiro was different now, more sure of himself.

It was hard because as Hiro gained confidence, Roman was steadily losing it. He would barely look any of us in the eyes at this point.

“I’m also hoping it will draw Vane out,” he admitted. “The asshole will die on the spot, but at least we’d have access to him.”

“You keep saying ‘we,’” I pointed out. He grimaced at me and I laughed.

“Monty?”

“Ivar,” he corrected. “It’s not a friendship, so don’t get your hopes up. But we do have a common goal now.”

“You’ve embraced your demon side more,” I said. “It’s nice. You shouldn’t hide from what you are.”

He turned then, not saying anything, but I saw a small smile on his lips before he could escape me.

The elevator opened and my heart broke at the common room and hallway in front of us. Both were littered with debris and broken furniture.

“It looks like someone was tearing down the world to find us,” Hiro said in a hushed voice. He was as stunned as I was.

“They were,” Drake said solemnly. “I couldn’t even describe the amount of demons we’ve sent back to Helheim at this point.”

“Is it safe now?” I asked.

Fear wasn’t one of my favorite emotions. I’d felt it far too much lately. I hated the vulnerability of being fragile yet coveted by the monsters in my life.

They wanted me locked safely away, told me I was too important. Yet, I couldn’t figure out why I mattered to Helheim so much.

Hel had said I was chosen to help keep the portal closed, but apparently, she wanted me to fix this with no information.

Ignoring the chaos, I power walked down the hall and pushed open my door, shocked to see it still the same as I left it.

“You were warded already, remember?” Drake said. “Our room is fine, theirs not so much.”

Hiro’s choked gasp had us both heading for his room. He was on his knees, hands holding torn pages from his journals. They spilled out from under his bed and scattered the floor, page after page torn from its binding.

“Years of our words, just gone,” he said. The pain in his voice had me dropping down next to him and pulling him in for a hug.

Those journals were a connection point to the most important person to him for most of his life. Now they were ripped away and damaged irreparably. I couldn’t fault him for grieving the loss.

“I’m sorry,” Drake whispered, a hand resting on Hiro’s head for a moment before he let go. “They’re locked out of the floor now. We’ll salvage what we can.”

“What are you doing here?” Nurse Drew’s voice was full of venom, and it startled us from our moment.

“We live here,” Drake said with no hint of emotion in his voice.

“Not anymore,” she said. “You need to go. Now. This floor has been marked as abandoned.”

“Well, unmark it,” Hiro bit out. “This is our place, our home. Fuck your rules.”

“Don’t speak to me that way!” she yelled, loud enough Drake moved between us and her. “It’s off limits!”

“Why are you still here, then?” I asked, narrowing my eyes on her. The woman was hiding something, and it had nothing to do with us. “What are you not telling us? Seems like you’re keeping secrets.”

Her eyes flashed with anger at my taunt. Nurse Drew’s fists clenched and the bitter scent of deceit filled the air.

“If I was, it wouldn’t be your business,” she said as she tightened her sweater around her, practically sticking her nose in the air. I laughed openly at her haughty attitude.

“Who marked this floor off-limits?” I asked.

“Vane still holds authority here, young lady,” she said. Now the venom was right back in place. Her loyalty was clear.

“He holds no authority here anymore, I assure you,” Drake said. There was an amused inflection in his voice that had her rounding on him.

“Don’t speak ill of the man who gave you ungrateful brats a fucking home,” she demanded like she had any right to push us around.

“Learn your place, Drew. You will bring our medication and do your duties here, nothing more. You hold no power over us or where we go. We won’t need an escort. And if you can’t handle such simple instructions, I’ll have you permanently removed,” Drake said in a deadly calm voice.

She laughed. At first it was amused, then slowly slipped into uncertainty when he didn’t relax his stance. His arms were crossed and his cold eyes were trained on her. He wasn’t backing down.

Several emotions flipped through her expression from annoyance to fear.

She finally stepped back and walked away, her heels clicking on the floor before it was quiet again.

“Something’s up with her,” I said. “She’s hiding something here.”

“All the more reason to stick it out. I want you to tell me if you see anything weird.”

“No, you’re not leaving again,” I growled in frustration.

Why was he taking all of this on himself?

“Harlow, I have a job to do now. I’m keeping this place running and making sure those who need out, can get out of this fucking place while they still can. I can’t be here every second, but I will be here as often as I can. When I said I wanted more time with you, I meant it,” he argued, begging me to understand. “But right now, I have to go.”

“Why? What is making you do this? You’ve never been the caring and generous sort,” I argued.

He flinched at my words, but it was so short-lived I almost questioned if I saw it.

“I do care, Harlow. There’s humanity in me,” he said. The quiet pitch of his voice had me deflating.

“I know you do about some things, like us and your mom, but this place?”

“Is my home,” he admitted. “I’m half demon, I was born and raised here, I’m not letting it fall because of this bullshit.”

“I can respect that,” I said. Arguing would be pointless. Drake was borderline indignant and that alone showed how much he really cared about this place. “And your mom?”

“She’s safe,” he said. “I’m bringing her down here. She can have the empty room.”

He was already edging toward the elevator again. There was conflict in his eyes but also determination.

The argument was over, and he’d continue to do what he planned. I hoped he kept up his promise to us.

“We’ll get things cleaned up and ready for her,” Hiro called after him. His voice was hollow, and I wrapped my hand in his, forcing him to not leave me behind as he walked down the hall.

Drake had to do what he had to do. Having a task might just keep my mind off it.

In a way, I was glad his mom would be moving down here.

It’d give him more of a reason to stay.

It was so fucking hard to keep them all safe and functioning. Drake wanted to isolate and run away, Monty was dealing with his own rebellious demons, Kol was protecting the building and running his own men, Roman was shutting down, and now Hiro was falling into his feelings.

I wouldn’t change anything about finding my mates, my pack, but to say I was overwhelmed was a fucking understatement.

“You don’t have to fix me, Harlow,” Hiro said. The blunt words had me looking up to find him staring into my soul. “I’m fine. At least, I will be. You don’t have to run yourself down. You’ll go crazy trying to keep your pack happy. We’re half crazy and half monsters. We’ll never be settled all at once.”

“How? What?” I stumbled over my words. Was I talking out loud again?

“Don’t act like we don’t have you figured out.” Hiro laughed. “I’m fine. Really. I mean, as much as I can be in this fucking mess. But I’m finding my place in the world for the first time. I’ve got you and Drake which I never would have thought possible. All I need now is a fancy weapon to kill demons with.”

“I can actually help with that,” Drake said. His voice had me jumping and turning around with a glare.

“What the fuck, I thought you left,” I growled.

“And miss this cute little heart to heart?” he asked innocently. Hiro threw a broken table leg at him, and he dodged. His eyes darkened, making the beta cower under its intensity. “Don’t make your alpha punish you.”

Hiro’s eyes went wide, smile dropping as his cheeks burned. He glanced at me, but I blew out a breath, fighting off the lust at the scenario painted in my mind.

“Okay, first, that’s fucking hot. I should have known Hiro was the type to want a Dom,” I said. Hiro laughed but it was more hysterical than before. “And second, how can you help?”

“Warded weapons. They won’t be as effective as yours.” He pointed at my boot where mine was sheathed. “But it’ll keep you all safe. I’m not giving Layne one for obvious reasons, but I trust you to be safe.”

He pulled a dagger out of his pocket, a leather sheath over the blade, and handed it to Hiro.

He took it and tucked it in his back pocket.

“Thanks, Drake,” he started but one raised eyebrow from our half demon had him correcting himself in a shaking voice. “Thanks, Alpha.”

“Good boy,” he said before leaving us for the second time.

“If you judge me, I’ll kill you,” Hiro mumbled halfheartedly but I was the last person who would judge him.

“Don’t worry, Drake wouldn’t do that in front of anyone else,” I said. “I’m not judging. Though, I will admit I had some very dirty thoughts thinking about you two. I bet you’re sexy as hell when you submit to him.”

“I wouldn’t know,” he admitted miserably. “I can’t get out of my head to go any further. How do I get past this?”

“I’m not the person to ask for real advice like that,” I started, distracting myself by picking up some of the other broken furniture and depositing it in the trash pile he’d started. “When it was me, I chose to take my body back. I was tired of people taking things from me, and so I decided I was going to have sex on my own accord and went and told Drake to fuck me. It helped that it was him, honestly. At the time there was no connection between us. It was simply sex.”

“How’d that turn out for you?” he teased to lighten the mood.

“Well, he did decide I was his after that, and bit me, so I still won in the end.” I laughed before sobering. “Trauma is a spectrum. We don’t all cope the same and we don’t all heal at the same rate. Letting Drake take control might help you move past it. Then it’s not your decision but you’re still safe.”

“Will you be there?” he murmured. “With me and Drake?”

“Of course,” I agreed. “It’ll be such a hardship to fuck both of you at once.” He laughed at my sarcasm and relaxed. “Even if you don’t want me to join in, I’d be there for you.”

“I want you to join in,” he clarified. “And... thanks,” he offered, but I didn’t say anything back since I could tell he was mulling it over.

We worked side by side for a few hours, taking back our floor. I was covered in dust and sweat by the time we finished.

“I’m going to shower,” I told him as I tossed the last bit of trash in the pile.

“I think I’m going to journal in my room,” he said.

My sweet beta was still in his head, but I wasn’t worried. He had a lot to work through, and I couldn’t fault him for doing it on his own.

As I climbed in the shower, an icy chill went down my spine and the scent of an impending storm filled the air, cutting through the scent of my body wash. A smile spread on my lips as I let the spray of warm water chase the chill away.

“Monty?” He was in front of me so fast I gasped, reaching out for him to brace myself. “Dude, I have hallucinations. You can’t just jump in like that.”

“But it’s so fun,” he taunted.

I could immediately tell something was wrong and bit back my frustration at Hel for making our lives here miserable. She was the supposed queen of that realm yet seemed to ignore the problems creeping from it into ours.

He was her commander, not the one who should fix it all.

“What’s going on?” I asked as I lathered shampoo in my hair. He watched as I cleaned myself, not answering until I was rinsed and using conditioner.

“Being away from you is hard,” he admitted. “I’ve got so many fucking problems to deal with and Hel is angry that I’m planning to kill Vane when I find him, but being away from you is fucking infuriating. My body feels weaker, tired. Even my mind suffers. You’re all I can think about. This bond is strange.”

As if he couldn’t help himself, his shadows were slowly moving toward me. Like the need to touch me was consuming him.

Then, with a feral snarl he was moving toward me. Monty backed me into the corner of the stall. Shadows blocked the light, but I rested my hand on his chest. Knowing he was there, solid, didn’t make the sensory change so hard to adjust to.

“I’m here whenever you need me,” I promised my demon, letting him breathe in every part of me as his shadows touched every inch of my body they could reach.

The cold caress had goose bumps erupting along my skin.

“This rebellion. It should have never happened,” Monty growled. “I don’t like being defied, but Hel thought it appropriate to teach them a ward against me. So they can block me from them. Hiding like cowards in a fucking hole.”

My mind absorbed his words and the need to protect my mate had me mulling over all the possibilities.

“Do we have blueprints?” I asked as an idea hit me square in the chest. “We could mark all the places you can’t go and narrow them down. Then someone can burn them out like fucking rats.”

He let out a low rumble that rocked through me as his fingers teased up my inner thigh.

“My little human, I knew you’d be perfect for this role,” he said as he nuzzled into my neck, his nose skating over the flesh as if he were re-learning my scent. “You’re a natural.”

“I don’t even understand what my role is.” My words cut off on a gasp as he slid his slender fingers into my pussy, pumping them in and out so I had to cling to him to keep upright. My hands rested on his shoulders as he hunched over, crowding me. Each thrust of his hand lifted my feet from the tile floor and I closed my eyes and let the pleasure rock through me.

“You’re doing it beautifully. Becoming a part of this place, of me. Someday you’ll forget what it feels like to be human and embrace your connection to Helheim. But for now, I’m going to keep you close,” he said.

We both knew it was a lie. He’d be off again, like Drake, but I’d be here all the same when he returned.

Shadows wrapped around my arms and legs, lifting me in the air and spreading my legs wide so his face was at my exposed pussy. Something clamped down on my nipples, pinching and teasing them right as he thrust his long tongue into my core, tongue-fucking me with enough fervor I was tugging on my restraints and crying out.

Pleasure swirled around me as the scent of Monty and sex filled the air. It was heady and delicious, and I drank it in while he devoured me.

My first orgasm was slow and steady, my alpha building me up expertly.

While I was still shaking and riding his mouth, he sent a shock right into my clit and his slick coated finger slid into my ass. The warring sensations forced me into a second orgasm, this one shattering me completely. Only when I was done shaking did he lower me while pulling out his cock.

His shadows pushed down on me until I fell to my knees for him. It should scare me but I knew Monty would never break me beyond repair.

“Stick out your tongue, little human,” he ordered as he stroked himself. I followed his order, opening my mouth and sticking my tongue out right as he came, groaning my name like a curse as his warm release hit my tongue. “Swallow me down, Harlow.”

I swallowed once before licking my lips clean. My hands were still held tight so that was all I could do. He leaned down and brushed his cold lips over my cheek.

“Thank you, little human.”

With that, he was gone along with my shadows. It took all my strength to stay upright.

Even as I struggled to find my breath and my composure, I felt better than I had in days.

There was some truth in his words. His absence had left my brain foggy and my body tired. It wasn’t until he’d swept into my life just now and disappeared again that I realized what it was.

Not only were we bonded, but somehow I’d grown as dependent on him as he was me, feeding off of his energy much the way Drake fed from mine.

Maybe it was in my head, but the thought was oddly reassuring.

Like it was with Kol, the connection to Monty was strong and strange. They consumed me, owned me, and I longed for every fucking second of it.