Archaic (Reverse Harem 2)

“Where the hell are they?” I ask.

“How am I supposed to know? I’ve been taking care of you,” she says.

“We need to go find them,” I say. “Clarissa’s in danger out there.”

“If she’s with Toshi, what does it matter?” Penny asks. “Come lay back down. You’re still hurting.”

“I need to go find Clarissa.”

“You need to lay down.”

“I need to not be taking orders from an opossum.”

“I should’ve killed you when I had the chance.”

“Like you could,” I say with a growl.

I try calling out to Clarissa in my mind, but she’s nowhere to be found. I’m clutching my stomach as my body heals from the inside

out. The only thing I can smell is Penny. With her trashcan scent and her ruddy taste in my mouth. I hate it. Being around her.

Smelling the change in her attitude. There’s a reason some Primal species never interact. Like Dragons with Cats and Wolves with Opossums. They can’t stand the smell of one another. It’s too distracting to their senses.

Penny’s too distracting to me, and I need to get rid of her.

“Go get me something to drink.”

“I’m not your slave,” she says.

“You want to help me? Get me a drink,” I say.

“Not until you ask nicely.”

I growl at her, and she scurries, squealing as she runs. I’m done taking orders. I’m done listening to people and Primals bark at me. Being kicked out of my pack affords me one luxury, and that’s complete control of my surroundings.

I

’m in no condition to go out in search of Clarissa, but Toshi better be ready when he gets back.

I take the water Penny brings to me and slam myself down into a chair. Hiro comes slinking out of the kitchen from the other room, and I roll my eyes. Fucking Cat. I can hardly tell half the time when he’s there. Camouflaging his scent and creeping around with his light feet.

And then there’s the admission Toshi says he made in Thailand. A phrase none of us have unpacked. I don’t trust him. Not as far as I can spit.

Then again, I don’t trust Penny either.

Yet here I am, sitting in a room with them. Smelling their scent and tolerating their presence and wondering why the fuck Clarissa isn’t answering me.

“Where the hell are you?”

Two hours pass before my wounds finally heal. I stand up from my chair and head for the door as Hiro dashes in front of me.

Without a word, I grab his robe. Pulling him toward me with my teeth bared. No one is getting in my way. I can’t smell Clarissa or Toshi, and I know that Cat has done something with her. Has taken her somewhere to try and level the playing field. He was just as upset as I was over her and Theo’s interactions, and I am not going to let another Primal take advantage of Clarissa’s fragile emotional state.

“Get out of my way,” I said with a growl.

I toss Hiro to the side as Penny grabs my ankle. She’s gnawing at me with her razor-sharp teeth, and I kick her off my leg. She goes squealing through the air and hits the wall before sliding down to the floor. I rip the door open and take another whiff of the air in the hallway before proceeding to the elevator.

I can hear them calling after me, but it’s no use.