Deadly Secrets: Paranormal Reverse Harem (Dark Realms Book 1) Read online

  I ran into Marion in the hall, wearing one of the few dresses she owned. She gave me a quick once-over. “You’re not going like that, are you?”

  Even living in the ass end of everywhere, Mum always looked as though she’d been recently plucked from the seaside, fresh-faced and clean. It was as if she wore a shield the red dust couldn’t penetrate. She seemed impervious to the dry air that sucked the moisture from all living creatures. Her skin glowed rather than lined and shriveled like everyone else in the town. Marion had inherited Mum’s effortless grace and knack for staying fresh and clean. My lack of what she thought of as personal care was a constant source of her frustration, despite her only being twelve.

  She grabbed my hands and examined my dry skin, then shook her head. I took my hands back. “You look ready to go.”

  “And you don’t.”

  “This is all I’ve got clean.”

  “Because you dump your clothes in a pile on your floor and forget to put them in the wash.” She placed a hand on her hip. “Honestly, Malachi.”

  “If it frustrates you so much, you could put them in there for me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I heard from Katrina that Shacks was going to tell Norella he doesn’t want to see her anymore.”

  I leaned back against the wall and folded my arms across my chest. “Since when has this concerned you?”

  “He’s always preferred you.”

  “That’s got nothing to do with you.” This was not the sort of conversation to be having with my much younger sister, who kept her ear to the pulse of the social world more than I bothered to do.

  “Mum was married by your age,” she said as she scuttled along behind me.

  “And she didn’t live in Ladec back then.”

  “Mrs. Levin said the older you get, the less likely you’ll attract a good man.”

  I spun on her. “What is going on with you? I thought you didn’t want me to ever marry.”

  Her big brown eyes glued to mine, but she couldn’t find words to answer me.

  “What is it, Marion?”

  “A harvest truck hasn’t been around in a long time. They will come soon.”

  I sighed and ducked my head. “Come here.” I held my arm out so she could slip in underneath, but her head was already up to my lips. “We have our plans, remember? There’s the bunker and—”

  “And how reliable has that been in the past? Myles will tell.”

  I hugged her. “Honey, there’s no point worrying about something that may not happen for a long while. And by then Seb and I will be too old for them to care.”

  She wormed out from my hug. “You’re wrong. What will Mum do if you go?” In a weaker voice she said, “What will I do?

  The stubborn line on her lips told me she wasn’t prepared to listen. It was the same look her father, Gustav, would make when he was trying to teach me something I wasn’t interested in listening to. Although I was mostly interested in everything my stepfather had to say. He was that sort of guy.

  “Next dance, I’ll find something better to wear, but if you think I’m going to marry Shacks, you’re sadly mistaken.”

  “But he’s so good-looking.” And this was definitely not a conversation I was going to have with my way younger sister. There were so many ways a guy was not good for a woman. At some point Mum could fill her in.

  “No more talk about Shacks. In fact, if you want to get there at all, there’ll be no more talk, period.”

  She smiled and took my hand, pulling me into the kitchen. Seb was finishing off a piece of toast, giving us a quick look before he downed the last of his water. He dumped his mug and plate on top of the other dishes in the sink, then leaned in and gave Mum a kiss on the cheek. “See you when I see you.”

  “Will we see you there?” It was cheeky of me to say that, especially in front of Mum, but Mum had once been a teenager and had two grown children and one almost there. If she didn’t understand adolescent hormones by now, she’d slept through her life.

  He stabbed two fingers in my direction, an indication to say he was the one who’d be watching me, and headed out the door.

  “You’ll look after your sister, won’t you?” Mum said as she rinsed the plates in the sink.

  “Of course.”

  “But I’m going to be dancing with my friends for most of the night,” Marion said as she eyed me. A not-so-subtle hint that I was to not worry about her and get on with my own fun.

  I headed around the table, replacing Seb’s kiss on Mum’s cheek with mine. “We’ll have fun, don’t worry.”

  Although the sun had set and the temperature dipped, it was still hot out, and I regretted wearing my jeans even if the walk to the village center was short. Marion soon spied friends and deserted me to walk the rest of the way by myself. Reilay had not long had a baby, so I wasn’t expecting her at the dance, which reduced the number of females I was happy to spend any length of time with to nil.

  It looked as though everyone from the village had come tonight. Peter, Samuel and Clark were already playing a tune on their instruments, which would rotate to another few people at some point later on in the night. Most people in Ladec learned to play some form of instrument because it made the days more enjoyable. The kids would often fashion flutes from the wood that came by supply truck. It’s something Gustav had taught Seb and me when we were young, and I in turn taught Marion.

  A hand snaked around my waist. Judging by the way it caressed across my back, I knew who it was so refused to look around.

  “You’ve scrubbed up, Mac.”

  “You’re not too bad yourself.” I didn’t bother looking at Shacks. Instead, focused on the oldies who were dancing a lively jig.

  Shacks leaned down and smelt the nape of my neck. I prickled to move away from his nose and his arm, now wrapped around my waist, but doing so would earn me a smirk. Perhaps Marion had been right about him dumping Norella. He was a terrible flirt, but huddling up to me like this was taking the flirting a little too far, especially since Norella was in my line of sight, which meant we were in hers.

  “You’re saving the first dance for me, I hope,” he said.

  “Your first would be with Norella, I’m sure.”

  Not too far from me was Tanner, busy laughing with some of the other boys. He was my escape plan.

  “Norella’s no longer my priority.”

  My heart slowed a beat. I glanced in Norella’s direction and our eyes met. Oh, god, busted.

  “Does Norella know this?”

  “Not yet, but she will by the end of the night.”

  “Before or after you sleep with her?”

  He laughed. “Like I say, she’s not my priority anymore.”

  I was jerked aside, then my nose was tickled by Norella’s voluminous hair as she spun to Shacks. “What are you doing, Shacks?” Her shrill voice carried well over the music. But Norella had never cared about being the week’s gossip.

  “Hey, babe, it’s a good thing you’re here. We need to talk.”

  Was he really going to say it here and now? And what a terrible line to use. I hated Norella, but no woman deserved a public dumping with such little feeling.

  “Talk,” was repeated in a higher decibel. “What do you mean? Are you with her now?”

  The word her came out sounding like a weapon. “Are you sleeping with her?”

  My face flushed up as a lot of people looked our way. Norella would like nothing more than to announce to the whole village I was a sneak and a slut, stealing her boyfriend.

  “Norella, hon—”

  “Don’t you dare.” She smacked his hand away before he managed to soothe her with a pat. I shouldn’t have been surprised that she rounded on me. “I knew you’d do this. You had your chance and you screwed it up. But you couldn’t let me and Shacks be happy, could you? Because you’re a vengeful bitch.”

  Norella had stepped closer to me, so Shacks pulled her back. “That’s not how—”

  “Shut up.” She wren
ched herself from him.

  Marion appeared between Norella and me. “Shacks doesn’t want you because you’re the bitch.”

  “Marion.” I didn’t need my kid sister sticking up for me. That was my first thought. I was also bothered by how savvy she’d become in social circles and awkward situations compared to me.

  Seb, as always, appeared wearing a frown. He grabbed both Marion and me by the hands and hauled us out of the limelight. “If you don’t mind, I’ve got business to attend to and you’re interfering with my night.”

  How was it my two younger siblings had just pulled me out of an embarrassing situation? Seb glared at me. “Take it elsewhere if you can’t sort things out discreetly.”

  I folded my arms. “Excuse me. That was not my fault.”

  “Grow up, Mac.” Seb dropped my arm, then turned and disappeared back into the crowd.

  “He’s right, you know. I told you Shacks was going to dump Norella.”

  I’d lost my appetite for this conversation. “Forget it, Marion. I’m heading home.”

  “But you can’t. Tomorrow is your day off, which means you’re allowed to stay up late and have a good time.”

  “Haven’t you got other people to marry off?”

  “No, because I only have one sister.”

  That sucked the argument right out of me. “Stop it. Okay? Just stop all of this.” I swept her close and kissed her forehead. “I’m going to head home. You are going to have a good time, and be careful.”

  Before she could complain any more, I pushed through the crowd. But I didn’t get very far before someone linked my arm and swept me aside. When I saw who it was, I wrestled myself free. “Shacks, let me go.”

  “Wait, listen, we need to talk.”

  “No, you and Norella need to talk.” He continued to pull me away from everyone else, not listening to a word I said.

  “Stop it. Shacks. Would you let go?”

  Finally he did, but only because he’d managed to draw me away from the crowd. “I need to tell you that it’s always been about you.”

  “Huh?”

  “I only went out with Norella because…well, I wasn’t really into her. Not like I was with you.”

  “Why are you saying this?”

  “’Cause I want you to know.”

  “We’re not getting back together.”

  “We don’t have to get back together. But we could…you know, enjoy ourselves.”

  I pushed him in the chest. “You’re a piece of work.”

  Seb wasn’t as big as my brother, but he was still big compared to me. So, instead of moving backward, like I planned with my push, he grabbed my arms and pulled me in so he could wrap his arms around my waist. “Please, Malachi. Just listen to me.”

  I struggled to get free of him. “Jesus, you’re not going to propose, are you?”

  That shocked him into letting me go. “Marry? Bloody hell, Mac. You’ve got to be joking.”

  “I don’t understand what this is all about.”

  “A harvest truck is coming.”

  I turned to stone. I felt my mouth open but nothing came out.

  “I heard Myles and Renit talking. He sounded pretty pumped as it’s the first time they’ve bothered to let him know. He thinks it’s a sign they’re seeing him as a responsible and trusted citizen to the capital. He thinks they’re more likely to listen to his request for a resettlement to Fortescue.”

  I barely heard Shacks rattle on. Finally, when my mind snapped out of its shock, I interrupted his prattling. “When?”

  “He didn’t say exactly, but soon.”

  “How soon? Like tomorrow, the next day, next week?”

  “I don’t know. They just told him they were heading our way.”

  “Oh, god.”

  Shacks swept me into his arms again. “That’s why I wanted to say this to you. I didn’t want to go without you knowing I’ve always had a sweet spot for you. You and only you. I could be married by now, but I’ve wanted to leave this place. You know that. So it was never going to happen. But I tell you, Mac, if you’d asked me to take you as my wife, I think I might have come damn close to doing just that.”

  “Oh, god.” I was stuck on those two lame words.

  “But it’s okay, ’cause we’ve still got some time. Tomorrow, the next day, who knows, but at least we can fill the wait with some quality…” He winked at me.

  “You want a goodbye screw?”

  “Now you’re talking.”

  I jerked out of his arms. “I have to go.”

  “Mac.”

  “No, Shacks. You should’ve looked to Norella for your parting fun.”

  I headed back through the crowd, my mind relaying one word, shit, shit, shit.

  Chapter 3

  I’d lain in bed all night staring at the pattern of the shadows on my wall. I had no one to tell about the coming harvest trucks. Marion would go to pieces. Seb would pack his bags and wait at the entrance to the village. Mum would spend the nights crying. But I was about to go crazy trying to think up emergency plans.

  Every family who wanted to keep their child had emergency plans. However, it was near impossible to pretend you didn’t have any children. The law stated all citizens were to record the birth of their children in a ledger filed in the mayor’s office. The mayor was then tasked with the job of informing the capital once a year of its growing population. Since Ladec was far enough away from the capital to make visits infrequent, many chose to ignore the legislation and refused to have their child’s birth recorded. But of course, given enough supported the capital, a child’s birth was recorded regardless of whether the parents came forth or not. Money bought faith. And shattered communities. So did poverty, so who was I to judge? We were held in the grip of the capital’s power. Besides, the arrival of the census people or harvest vehicles never followed a regular rhythm. This was the first time the capital had let anyone know they were coming.

  The town was divided multiple ways between those who supported the capital, those who couldn’t give a damn and those who actively rebelled—at least tried to, which basically meant attempting to hide all those of age, sending their oldest away into the desert to secure locations and sabotaging vehicles so the Collectors couldn’t leave. Pitiful attempts at disrupting the laws, but when you had little to use and few with the courage to do anything of significance, that’s about all you could do in defense. Some wanted their children to go. Seb argued these people were showing their children mercy by allowing them a better future. But how could he say that when no one knew what happened to those who were taken? Some, like Gustav, were resettled in places just as bad as the ones they came from—although he did meet Mum once he reached Ladec, a big plus in his eyes—if not worse than the place they’d been. Some were taken to the capital, but who the hell knew what happened to them once they got there? One thing was known for sure, families never saw each other again.

  I waited in my room, listening to Mum and Marion talk in the kitchen. I didn’t trust myself to keep my emotions in check, so hid out in my room. But given it was my day off, Marion would not let me sit in my room for long before disturbing me. Without knocking, she stuck her head around the door.

  “You awake?”

  “No.” I kept my eyes on the ceiling.

  “I thought we could climb Parky Hill.”

  “Today? You’ve got to be kidding me? It’s already too hot.”

  “Is that what happens to you when you grow old?” She came in and slumped down on my bed.

  “Depends on what you’re referring to.”

  “You get so boring.”

  I managed to peel my eyes off the ceiling and looked at her. She was right. This was my one day off and I was wallowing in my room when I had a little sister who rarely got to be with me anymore. Climbing Parky Hill had been our favorite thing to together when she was little. I used to take Seb up there all the time as well. Once you were up there, you could see the horizon for miles around. The expanse fel
t like an unlimited dream.

  I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. “You’re right.” If the harvest truck was on its way, we needed to make sure every moment counted, in case the worst happened and my plans failed.

  I patted Marion’s knee. “Come on, before it gets too hot.”

  I wanted Seb to come with us, but it turned out he never made it home. So it was just Marion and I who climbed the hill with two plastic water bottles to last us the journey. Ladec was built in the shadow of Parky Hill, so we didn’t have far to walk to reach it, but the climb was arduous even without the extra heat. Years of kids making the pilgrimage had worn a trail but it still took a lot of slipping and clambering over boulders to make it to the rocky outcrop that was the summit. But the view made the climb worthwhile.

  Normally the view made the climb worthwhile, but today there was something else on the horizon.

  The convoy of two left a line of dust, which stretched a trail for miles behind with no wind to clear it away. At this distance, the first vehicle appeared like an ant; the second was bigger.

  “There’s two of them.” Marion’s hand slipped into mine. “What does that mean?”

  I ignored her big-eyed plea for the truth and turned to face her, my hands gripping her upper arms. “Stay here. Promise me you’ll stay here.”

  “That’s a harvest truck, isn’t it?”

  “Don’t move until someone comes back to get you.”

  She shook her head.

  My hold on her upper arms tightened. “Listen to me, Marion. I want you to stay here.”

  “You’re the one who needs to stay here.”