Archaic (Reverse Harem 2)

“Well, there you are.” She laughs. “I mean if you wanted a way out you didn’t have to make me race you up a tree. Good thing big bear is here, otherwise, we’d be scraping you off the arena floor.”

“I don’t think you would heal from that,” Theo says, setting me down on my feet.

“What were you thinking?” Sebastian roars as he trots toward Penny. “She isn’t a Primal. She can’t sprout claws or wings.

“Oh, come on,” Penny says turning and bouncing back up the tree.

“It’s not that scary and dangerous. She got a bad branch, that’s all.”

Just then, a harpy soars from the canopy, its wings wide in expanse, its face that of a woman. It circles around and clips Penny in the shoulder, sending her falling toward the ground. She reaches out and grabs onto a branch, hissing at the harpy and swiping her claws across its face. The harpy wails loudly from the pain, turning and flying off beyond the building.

“Uh, a little help here,” Penny says, hanging from the branch.

“Hold on.” Sebastian sighs, rolling his eyes. “I told you it isn’t safe.”

“I do this all the time,” she calls out.

“Not in the Amazon, and not with mythical creatures swooping out of the sky for an afternoon snack.” Sebastian groans, climbing up and helping her back to the ground. “Keep your feet in the dirt, it’s safer.”

“Maybe for the wolf breed, but for us Opossums, we like to see the world from a different vantage point,” she says proudly.

“Dead is definitely a different vantage point.” Sebastian laughs.

We all laugh, taking a break to have a real moment. I turn my head to find Toshi, to make sure he is included, but I don’t see him in the arena. Slowly my smile fades, and I turn, looking in the corners and up in the branches.

“Where is Toshi?” I ask carefully.

Everyone freezes, coming to full alert, looking around the arena, our backs facing each other. I carefully pull the knife from my waistband and crouch, waiting for whatever comes next. As the sound of footsteps come rushing up the hallway we all hold our breath, facing the door. As Toshi runs out, his head cocked to the side when he sees us, we all let the air stuck in our lungs escape. Sebastian throws his hands in the air and walks off while I sheath my knife and shake my head.

“Guys,” Toshi says, his voice frantic. “I can’t find Hiro, anywhere. I can smell him faintly, or at least his scent, but I can’t physically find him.”

“Where was he last?” Theo says with concern.

“We were checking out an old room with some books in it,” he says. “Down the hall. One minute he was there and the next, gone.

It’s dark so it’s hard to see in there, even for me as a cat.”

“Alright team,” I reply. “Gather up, we have a kitty to find.”

“Wait, wait,” Sebastian calls out, pointing up into a tree. “You mean that disappearing cat?”

We all turn and look up at the tree to the left. In its branches Hiro is there, laid back against the trunk, his eyes closed, a snore coming and going from his throat. I laugh, looking back at Toshi. He is red in the face, but relief quickly spreads over him. It looks like we are going to be safe.

Chapter 9

~ Sebastian

Ilook up at the old man, leaning against the tree, his arms crossed over his chest, shaking my head. Just like a cat to be sleeping on the job. I sigh and look over at Clarissa who seems amused by it. Suddenly, though, the smile moves from her face, and she turns her head, toward the entrance.

“ What is it ?” I ask in my mind.

“ There’s a sound, out in the leaves,” she says. “ Like footsteps, very faint.”

I slowly creep toward the door, squinting my eyes and listening closely. As I reach the opening I pause, an unfamiliar scent whisking through my nose. I look back at the others, noticing Hiro in the tree open his eyes wide and shift his gaze over to me. Before I can turn back, he springs down to the ground, and I am pushed down hard. I slide across the broken concrete, stopping at Clarissa’s feet. She looks down at me and then back up, screaming loudly as she lunges forward, wrestling a man in black, his eyes glowing green.

I shake my head back and forth, heightening my senses and kick upward, knocking the enemy off balance. I shoot to my feet, standing in front of Clarissa, baring my teeth and snarling. The cat smirks like Toshi always does and moves back into ranks with the other six ninjas.

“ Stay back ,” I growl to Clarissa. “ I need you to stay in one piece. We are in the middle of the Amazon. ”