Phoenixburn: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Rogue Witch Book 3) Read online

  My whole body ached. A thin line of light fluttered beside me. I was in a bunk, and the curtain was pulled across. My stomach rolled over in my gut, a feeling of looming dread over me. I took a long, slow breath to settle down. Had we partied or something late last night and I'd passed out on the Glory Rev bus? The low sound of a TV, somewhere off to the left and at the back of the bus, filtered in.

  Underneath me the bus rocked, and Max sighed, her arm curling around my waist as she snuggled in beside me. I patted at her hand. I had to pee, and my legs were screaming to be stretched out properly.

  Squirming out of Max's vise-like grip, I pulled the covers back up over her shoulders and stood in the hallway. A low snore greeted my ears and a familiar arm hanging down from one of the bunks with a tattooed sleeve on it told me that Seth was asleep. Definitely the Glory Rev bus. I was in a long t-shirt, my feet bare. I wrinkled my nose and poked my head out of the privacy curtain, squinting in the sudden bright light.

  Finn scrambled to his feet, Cash a half-step behind him. They'd been sitting on the couches, Chelsea curled up against Aaron in a big captain's chair.

  "You're awake." Finn loomed over me, his fingers settling my shoulders.

  "Where are we?" I leaned against him as the bus swayed, going around a corner on the highway. "Where's—”

  "The rest of the guys are in our van," Cash said, hanging back. He grabbed a bottle of water off the counter and handed it to me. I let Finn hold me as I drank from it, my throat parched. My skin felt tight and sticky. Chelsea and Aaron were watching me quietly.

  "Did I fall asleep here last night?" I asked, confused. That eerie feeling of something big, bad, overwhelming, was still there in the back of my mind and I couldn't shake it off. "I think I need a shower."

  "Towels are in the back lounge," Aaron said casually. Finn's fingers skated along the length of my arm.

  "I brought your bag in," Finn murmured, "Do you want help?" I gazed up into his blue eyes, but I felt Cash's stare, hot on my skin too.

  "No, I'm good." I pushed away and ignored Finn's crestfallen look. I wanted to just be alone, for a little bit. "I'll wash up and then, maybe, is there something to eat?"

  "I'll make you a sandwich." Cash was already opening the fridge. I saw a wide grin split Chelsea's face and she burrowed into Aaron, her shoulders shaking silently. Finn touched my cheek with hesitant fingers.

  "Whatever you need," he said. I nodded and took another deep breath, inhaling the soft, subtle minty scent of him. I needed him to be close, but also needed to be on my own to shake off the bad dreams haunting me.

  The hot water sluiced away the fog still clouding up my mind, and dressed properly in my own clothes, I felt braver and more calm. Max was still asleep, but Finn made the perfect snuggle buddy on one of the couches. As soon as I was in his arms, his face was pressed into the top of my head, a sigh escaping him. Cash sat across from us, eyes on his phone. The smell of toast and baking cheese filled the air, and my stomach rumbled.

  "Charlie says they're stopping for gas. They're ahead of us by like, forty-five minutes." Cash looked up as I settled into Cash's embrace.

  "Hmmm," I said, resting.

  "We're gonna leave you guys, go watch TV in the lounge with the rest of our band," Aaron said as Chelsea unfolded herself from his lap. He held her hand as they walked by us toward the back of the bus, although I could see Chelsea's lingering gaze on me. Things were so quiet, like the world was holding its breath.

  "I don't feel good." It was the truth. My muscles were sore. I couldn't remember moshing or anything even remotely close to it the night before, so it wasn't like I had a bang-over or something. Finn's warmth was soothing some of the ache that the shower hadn't touched.

  "Last night was rough. You were tired," Cash said with a shrug of his shoulders. I watched the landscape roll by behind him. The rock of the bus was nice, at least. I glanced to the front, where a privacy curtain hid Horse at the wheel of the bus. He was a nice guy, but I hadn't talked to him much and, honestly, it was good to have some quiet time with two of the pack. I wished Ace was there, and Charlie with some wise-ass jokes, though. Even Elias's grumbling would have been welcome.

  Everything was just too . . .

  "You guys are so quiet." I looked at Cash and then up at Finn. His arms tightened around me.

  "Just don't like sleeping without you," Finn said. I rolled my eyes and poked him in the chest.

  "Then why didn't you wake me up? Where did you guys sleep?"

  "Out here." Finn stood up when the little toaster grill on the counter dinged. "You want ketchup with your grilled cheese?" He made a hissing noise when he fished the sandwich out of the grill with his bare fingers. I had to hold back a giggle. He was such a guy in some ways, even though at his age, he should have known better.

  "Nah, I'm good plain, I don't like to hide the taste of my food behind tomato paste." I held out my hands for the plate as he passed it to me. Finn shifted, his chest expanding behind me as I took a first bite. "So good," I moaned. Finn sniffed the air and Cash gave him a pointed look.

  "That's her food. Hands off." Cash collapsed on the couch opposite from us and picked up his phone. Finn cleared his throat.

  "I didn't say anything," he argued as I took another healthy bite. It felt like I would never be full.

  "I can see it on your face, you're gonna steal her sandwich," Cash retorted. I was too busy eating to hush them both; besides, it was kinda funny.

  "You want a bite?" I offered Finn one corner of my sandwich and he hesitated before shaking his head. Cash rolled his eyes.

  "You want me to make you one?" He was up before Finn could answer and started pulling out more bread from one of the cupboards.

  "So uh. . ." Finn shifted against me, pulling me fully across his lap so my legs were bent and resting on his chest. I squirmed around and continued stuffing my face. It felt so good to just eat and fulfill my basic needs for once. No stress, no music stuff, no—

  I sat up.

  "Shit, Troy," I mumbled around a mouthful of carbs and cheese.

  "Swallow," Finn ordered, and I glared him. He snickered and looked away. "Just don't choke yourself."

  "Finn." Cash's voice was filled with warning as he put a second buttery cheese sandwich in the grill. I mentally tallied the odds of Finn letting me have that sandwich, and figured they were in my favor.

  "I need my phone." Had I left it in the bunk? I moved to get up but Cash waved a hand at me before going into the back and bringing my bag back for me.

  "What's wrong?" he asked as he leaned against the kitchenette counter, Finn holding my sandwich and politely not inhaling it as I dug through my bag for my phone.

  "He was pissed last night, there was some people that I forgot to give access to at the front door."

  Finn's free hand closed over my wrist and he gently pulled my hand from inside my bag.

  "It's taken care of."

  I frowned at him and he let me go. Cash snorted.

  "You should know better than to manhandle our girl," he said.

  "Not your girl," I answered back, pulling my phone out. One missed call from Willa. Well, that looked promising. My stomach sank and I flicked through the voice-to-text messages, losing all desire to eat when I did.

  Hey Darcy, it's Willa. I heard about last night and I know that you had a lot on your plate, but that kind of thing can't happen again. We had some publishers coming out to check out not just Jake's set, but the guys' as well, and the label ended up looking stupid. Troy wanted me to fire you but I talked him out of it. Please don't mess up with any more plus-ones, okay? Let me know if you need anything. Eli told me you crashed out hard last night and not to bug you, so try not to worry, but yeah, stay focused. You're doing a good job, everyone makes mistakes. Talk to you later.

  I locked my phone and sighed, my head leaning back against the couch.

  "For fuck’s sake," I murmured.

  "Don't worry about it, seriously." Finn was comforting, st
ill holding my sandwich.

  "You can eat that," I said. He raised an eyebrow at me, then glanced at Cash as if asking for permission. Cash snorted and held up his hands. In the next moment, my sandwich was gone, disappearing into Finn's mouth. He sighed with contentment and despite the work-stress, I had to smile. It was relieving some of that weird feeling of dread that was still pinching between my shoulders.

  "Social media is going crazy." Cash was looking at his phone again. I wanted to tease him that he was becoming Charlie's other half, but the curtain pulling back, and pale, exhausted Max appearing pushed my quippy remark from my mind.

  "I feel like I was run over by a herd of very angry, very fat puppies," she said. Her hair was sticking up over her forehead, the long layers tangled and half-tucked into the neckline of a clean shirt on one side. She'd obviously gotten dressed in the darkness of the sleeping quarters. Finn sat up, nodding at Cash.

  "Give her my sandwich," he said. "You hungry, Max? We've got grilled cheese."

  Max wrinkled her nose and nodded.

  "Sounds good." She schlepped over to him and flopped on the couch next to Cash, poking him until he moved over and gave her enough room. Cash's expression was amused, and my heart warmed at how he made space for her and passed her a water bottle. "God, how long was I out for?" She squinted into the light as she looked out the window. "Everything hurts."

  "Welcome to touring," Cash said with no animosity. Finn laughed, low and quiet. "At least you slept well." Cash got up and put her grilled cheese on a plate, handing it to her. She sighed with happiness as she dug into it, eyeing me over her food.

  "Is the service always this good?"

  "Mmhm," I confirmed, enjoying Finn's ever-present warmth as he rubbed my shoulders slowly. "Pretty much. Most of the time. Except when they start arguing." I smiled up at Finn to take the sting out of my words. He rolled his eyes and kissed the end of my nose.

  "You're a handful." Finn's voice was a low thrum in my ear as he kissed the side of my face, and then the curve of my ear. I sighed, relaxing. Max politely averted her eyes, but Cash was staring at us, a clear hunger in his expression. I shivered against Finn.

  "I think I'm gonna go watch TV with the Glory Rev guys and Chels," Max said as she wiped her fingers clean. Her eyes slid over me and Finn, a playful smirk on her face. "You kids be good," she teased as she got up, swaying with the movement of the bus.

  "No promises." Finn's tongue flicked out and licked over my ear. I pinched him and he pulled back, growling. "What?"

  "She's in the room," I hissed. Chagrin flickered over his expression and Cash snickered. Max giggled and disappeared behind the curtain.

  "He's just used to pack being around whenever he gets a little amorous." Cash kept his voice low as the Glory Rev guys greeting Max floated up front to us.

  "Yeah that's great, but Max isn't pack," I pointed out. "As far as she knows, you guys are just really open-minded normal human dudes." Guilt nipped at me. I'd have to tell Max eventually. That was probably what was bugging me. I hated keeping secrets from her, especially one this big.

  "She's yours," Finn argued, voice muffled as his mouth found a soft, sensitive spot on the side of my neck. "That makes her ours."

  "Yours?" I pushed him away, glaring. He looked confused for a moment and Cash laughed, holding his arm across his gut.

  "Not like that," Finn insisted, "like. . . family, you know? Like, uh, like Elias is my twin, not like she's ours like you're ours. Fuck."

  "Oh shit, I can't," Cash breathed hard between his words, laughing. "It's like you've turned into Ace."

  Finn snarled at him and Cash went quiet, although he was still laughing silently, his shoulders shaking.

  "Fucker," Finn muttered, and turned to me. "Darce, she's your best friend, pretty much the only family you've got now, right?"

  "I understand, Finn." I reached up and kissed him, quieting any further explanation. I got it. I did. She wasn't theirs as in a mate, not like me. She was theirs like she was pack. The thought warmed me through and through. These men? This pack of werewolves? They were perfect. I couldn't ask for anything more than guys who were willing to protect someone, keep them close, just because she was my friend.

  Finn's mouth was perfectly warm on mine and he relaxed, his fingers carding through my damp curls.

  "I love you," he breathed reverently when I broke our kiss. He pulled me in to rest against his chest, my fingers splayed over where his heartbeat pulsed beneath his t-shirt and the firm muscles of his chest. I closed my eyes and let my head loll under his chin, soaking in his heat, and the soft scent of him. The sense of doom which had been hanging over me since I woke up faded somewhat, and I relaxed.

  When I opened my eyes a crack, I saw Cash watching me, a look of contentment on his face.

  "What're you so pleased over?" I asked. He shrugged one shoulder and tilted his head so he could gaze out the window behind him.

  "Everything," he said. Finn shifted me, pulling me tighter, and I felt his face burrow into my hair, a full body sigh rolling through him. "Just," Cash paused and looked back at me, a smile teasing at the corner of his mouth. "Just everything."

  Six

  Ace

  Playing a show was the absolute last thing I wanted to do that night. Maybe that made me a coward, but Darcy had nearly gotten hurt the night before and Max had definitely gotten hurt. The only thing that made me feel better as we pulled into the venue parking lot was that it would be our last time in the small van. Chelsea’s tour bus was coming in a few hours to meet us, and we’d be able to move into Glory Rev’s bus right after that. Darcy and Max (for as long as she was with us) would have security on them 24/7, because the bus had to be guarded as part of the rental contract between the label and the bus company.

  Chelsea was right about one thing, hunters hated official authority attention on them. With that in mind, we were going to make things as uncomfortable as possible for those assholes to even get near us.

  And if they somehow got through? I was ready to rip some throats out. Not a lot got my blood pumping except for Darcy and playing music. The thought of one of those murderers near our mate drove me near crazy.

  “Hey.” Charlie nudged me as we piled out of our tour van. “You’ve got Eli’s scowl all over your face.”

  Eli turned from where he was stretching and looked at me.

  “Nah, he doesn’t.”

  “Yeah, he does,” Charlie retorted. I rolled my eyes and sighed, trudging over to where Glory Rev’s bus was parked, their engines still running to keep the air-con going and all the other systems a big tour bus needed on. A guard, Chelsea’s, was leaning against the side of the bus, a lighter in his hand. He gazed at me for a split second before looking past me. Seeing him there gave me some comfort. He wasn’t a match for a hunter, or a werewolf, but at least he would sound the alarm if necessary.

  Anxious to see Darcy, I stepped through the open door and went up the stairs. Chelsea was curled up with a book, her feet in Seth’s lap. I nodded to them.

  “She’s in the back,” Chelsea said with a smile, knowing what I needed before I could even voice it.

  “Thanks. Hey man,” I greeted Seth as I passed by. There was a lounge-type room in the back of the bus, past the bunk area. Some musicians turned the space into a mini recording studio for working on the go. Some had a big king bed for their groupies to sprawl on after a show. Glory Rev had a private sitting area with couches, away from the bustle of the front of the bus. Journalists, bloggers, radio people? They might end up in the front of the bus, same with the odd groupie or mega fan, but only band members came back here. Horse, and Chelsea’s bodyguard, saw to that.

  Cash glanced up at me as I pushed back the curtain. The couches formed a u-shape, open toward the doorway, the dark leather plush and welcoming. Tinted windows along each side of the bus had their curtains pulled back so we could see out but no one could see in. It felt contained, like a den, or a nest, perfect for keeping our mate safe and a
way from any dangers. Darcy was leaning against Finn’s side, the low background noise of the TV mounted in one corner covering the hum of the bus’s engines. Finn gave me a brief smile, but Darcy—

  My eyes lit on her and she smiled, broad, if a little sleepy, and stood up to wrap her arms around me.

  “Missed you.” Her voice was quiet into the neckline of my shirt as my hands ran up her back to tangle in her long, loose waves.

  “You okay?” I asked, Finn’s eyes narrowing at me as he looked up at me, over her head. Cash’s lips pressed into a thin line.

  Right. So we weren’t talking about last night. Message received guys, loud and clear. I hid my annoyance so Darcy wouldn’t pick up on it and kissed her slowly. She sighed into my mouth and pulled away, tapping me on the nose.

  “You have a good ride? This bus is amazing. I still can’t believe that Glory Rev are letting us stay on it just cause Chelsea likes hers better. That’s so—wow.” She shook her head. So, that’s the story we were going with. Cash made a little neck-slicing motion at me with his finger and I glared at him. As if I was going to tell her why we were really shaking things up.

  “Slept like a baby without these two assholes snoring and taking up space,” I said, hugging her in tight then pulling her down to sit. She melted into me, tucking her knees up against my side, her sock-covered feet slipping under my thigh.

  “You sleep like a baby anyway,” Cash muttered, and Finn pinched him, making the brunet growl in response. I ignored them and focused on Darcy. Cash could make all the comments he liked; when I was close to her, nothing mattered. Beside, he didn't really mean it anyway.

  I watched her for a few moments as she stared up at the TV, a movie on that I didn't recognize. There were cheerleaders, I think.

  "Max asleep?" I asked.

  "Mmhmm," Darcy said, and frowned. "She's slept forever. I should wake her up. We got crazy sweaty in the crowd last night."