Earth, p.1
Earth, page 1
Earth: Elemental Reverse Harem Quartet
Elemental Reverse Harem Quartet, Volume 1
Helen J Perry
Published by H J Perry, 2019.
Earth © 2019 Helen J Perry
This edition revised and reedited March 2022
All rights reserved.
Cover by ReddHott Covers
Editing by Pair of Nines
All rights reserved.
No part of this story may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations embodied within critical reviews and articles.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
This book contains sexually explicit content which is suitable only for mature readers.
Written in British English with mostly American spelling.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Disclaimer
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
EXTRACT: WATER (book 2) Beck
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About the Author
CHAPTER ONE
Nothing like a hound dog in London
Malka Selby
GLOBULES OF SALIVA dripped from menacing canine teeth. The enormous black dogs looked hungry, violent, and much too close for comfort. Heaven knows how I didn’t see them approaching before they came within five feet.
When I noticed them, it was too late. The dog duo rushed forward, tugging at the ends of their very long leashes, and their warm breaths smelled of raw meat, death, and decay.
I only had an instant to register my distaste before a sudden gust of wind knocked me off balance. It forced me to step back, to steady myself. The same blast of air brought the dogs to a temporary halt as if a solid but invisible wall forced its way between us. As a bonus, it blew the stench of their poor oral hygiene in another direction.
The reprieve lasted only a moment before the dogs lunged. It all happened so fast that I didn’t see the dogs’ owner.
My life flashed in front of my eyes, but I never discovered how it ended.
A man stepped between the slathering hounds and me, and not a moment too soon. His rapid hand movements blurred in front of him while I froze, helpless with terror.
The creatures slowly slinked backward. They appeared as stunned as I was, and that was when I saw each of them had their massive, powerful jaws wrapped around what you might call a stick. It appeared more like two giant dogs the size of horses chewing on baby tree trunks.
The man whose intervention had cut short my terrifying ordeal altered the course of my first twenty-four hours in London.
“Are you all right?” When he turned to face me, he looked about my age, early twenties. I expected heroes to be older. Like his clothes and his tightly curled hair, his eyes were almost completed black, a mostly dilated pupil surrounded by a slither of the darkest brown I’d ever seen.
“I’m fine,” I lied; I was shaken. “No harm done to me, but what about you? What were you thinking? Did you see the size of those teeth? They might have eaten you whole.” I talk a lot when I’m shaken. “They weren’t normal. Do you usually step into danger like that? And why were you carrying those logs?”
As if I was a wild animal in need of soothing, he raised his hand, palm towards me. “I saw the dogs from some distance away and noticed that you hadn’t seen them. I simply picked up the first things I saw lying on the street to use for defense.” His hands swept the space in front of him as he answered calmly. He didn’t appear shaken at all. Anyone would think battling rabid dogs was all part of an ordinary night out in London.
“Thank you.” Glancing over his shoulder, I expected to see the dogs and their owners, but they’d vanished, possibly taking a turn down a side street.
A second figure appeared alongside my savior, but I paid him no attention until he asked, “Do you need any help?”
Still trembling with fear and shock, I shook my head. “No, thanks. I’m fine.” Not fine at all.
“We can escort you to the station or stay with you if you’re waiting for a lift, if you want.” Apparently, these two men were together. “Don’t worry; we’ll make sure you don’t see those hell hounds again.”
Hell hounds? Is that the official name of the breed?
A fitting name. I’d never seen anything like them.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” I repeated like the part of my brain that controlled speech was stuck in one groove. There were no dogs within sight, so I readjusted my eyes to focus on the gallant men.
Two sets of concerned eyes watched me. I had the full attention of two handsome young men, so the night wasn’t all bad.
“Really, I’ll be okay. I’m staying in this hotel right here.” I nodded at the building to my left. We stood just a few feet from the door. “I don’t need to go anywhere. It was just bad timing that I met those dogs. A minute later, and I’d have been safely inside.”
At least chatting distracted me from dwelling on the lucky escape. And these men weren’t just any listeners but two distractingly hot guys. I refocused again to make sure they really were young, handsome, and gallant. To my mind, those things didn’t go together in the twenty-first century, did they?
“We’re staying in this same hotel.” My savior tilted his head and raised his dark eyebrows in surprise. An attractive smile formed on his appealing full lips. “Let’s get inside, shall we?”
I liked the way his tongue licked his lips after he spoke. I wouldn’t mind hearing him saying the same thing to me (let’s get inside, shall we?) under very different circumstances that also involved licking.
Chivalrously, he rolled his arm and bent his body in a slight bow as he said, “After you.”
Another freakish gust of wind blew along the street. I shivered and moved toward the door, fishing my keycard from my pocket at the same time. It was just after midnight, so the outer door was locked, or at least it should have been.
A group of people on their way out of the hotel held the door open for the three of us, making the white square of plastic redundant. The polite action by these strangers made me wonder how easily people who weren’t guests could just wander into the hotel. It didn’t bear thinking about. And then I stopped thinking about that because the elevator was waiting for us with the doors open.
“We’re on the third floor. You’re welcome to come to our room for a drink if you want some company while you get over the shock.” The sultry voice of the other guy issued the invitation as we entered the small square box. His warm breath caressed my ear.
“But I don’t know you.” I hit the button for the third floor.
My erogenous areas tingled with arousal.
My brain should have sent me danger alerts about entering a hotel room outnumbered by two strange men. Instead, it occurred to me that being ravished in a hotel room by wild boys was far preferable to being savaged by wild dogs.
“My name’s Charlie,” said the dark handsome savior with the fast hands. And broad shoulders. And intense dark eyes. “And this is Neal.”
“Now you know our names, and we have beer,” Neal added, like they were a double act.
“I’m Malka, and I like the sound of a beer. I mean, I like the taste of it too. If you want to talk about beer drinking, I’m all for it.”
Leaning against the wall of the elevator with his thumbs hooked in the top of his low hanging jeans, Charlie flashed a seductive smile. “Well, Malka who likes beer, that’s put us all on first-name terms. Just say if there’s anything else we can do to make you happy.” He carried on grinning: all milky white teeth contrasting with his warm acorn skin.
Undress?
My brain flooded with inappropriate ideas before I thought of an answer that I could share.
“You should send a message to a friend telling her where you are. That’s a way to make sure you’re safe.” Neal’s suggestion endeared him to me. I’d gotten the measure of him already. A thoughtful and kind man with a smoldering, sexy friend.
I didn’t have a phone and couldn’t text anyone, but it wasn’t something I’d often admit to. I didn’t want people to think of me as pathetic or a freak. The fact was, I was the only adult on the planet without a mobile phone. I’d acknowledge the weirdness of my situation only to my closest friends. Me and technology, we didn’t get along. Maybe I should have been born at least a century earlier. And in the current situation, I could do without the strangers believing I was vulnerable.
&nbs p; Shrugging in what I intended as a carefree way, I said, “I’m on the third floor as well, so it wouldn’t be too far out of my way to stop by for a sociable drink with you guys. And my instincts tell me you’re good people.”
We arrived on the third floor. Charlie led the way, and I followed his swagger along the corridor to their room.
“Malka—it’s an unusual name.” Neal walked beside me. He must have noticed that I had fixed my gaze on his friend’s arse, but he didn’t comment on that.
“I guess it might be. I’ve met a few women with the same name while I’ve been traveling, but none in England. The name’s Jewish and means queen.”
“Are you a Jewish queen?”
I laughed. “I wasn’t raised as any religion. I’m not sure about my ancestors. I expect they were Christian, as most English people are. And I went to a Christian school.” And I hoped we’d leave my background there. I didn’t like confessing to either a privileged education in an elite private school afforded by only the richest families, along with the fact of my criminally absent parents. It was all too out of the ordinary.
“Sounds much the same as us.” Charlie swiped the plastic keycard. It didn’t work. He tried it again and then again. The third time brought success, and he switched on the light as he led the way into the room. He sat down on one of the two beds and pointed to the only chair for me.
These dudes were easy to get along with, and as we were all staying in a budget hotel at King’s Cross, we had plenty in common, for sure. They were British, judging by their accents, and about my age.
At least they had two beds, which was lucky for them.
Betty and I had to share a bed. We’d only pitched up at the hotel a few hours earlier, searching for a room when we arrived straight off the train in from mainland Europe. It was dusk, and the hotel only had a few rooms left. We had no choice but to take a room for two sleeping in the same bed. Still, Betty was my dear friend from school, and we’d just spent years traveling and roughing it together. This wasn’t the first time we’d shared a bed.
“Beer? Or something stronger?” Neal offered. He’d trailed in behind and remained near the door to rummage through their luggage. He held up a bottle and a bottle opener. “We’re prepared for most things, so long as it requires alcohol.”
From where I sat, I had a good opportunity to watch him. Neal was just as fit as his friend. Appearance-wise, they looked like a couple of magazine fashion models. The sort of guys who would have no trouble tempting different women back to their rooms every night. Yet, I’d found them making their way back to their hotel room empty-handed, or they would have been if they hadn’t met me outside. And they didn’t seem arrogant, which I associated with guys who looked like that.
After kicking his shoes off, Charlie lay back, stretching out on the bed. “Or, if you prefer, not so strong? We’ve got bottles of water.”
A pack of nine sat on the desk beside me, unopened and still wrapped in aqua-blue plastic. I couldn’t miss them.
“I’ll go for a beer, thanks. It’s after midnight. Don’t you think it’s rather late for people to be out walking their dogs?”
“Dunno.” Charlie placed his hands behind his head, which was only slightly raised by his pillow. His T-shirt rode up, revealing washboard abs. “I’ve never had a dog.”
In time to rehydrate my drying mouth, Neal handed me a bottle of lager and a bottle opener. I levered the metal top loose from the bottle and gave the opener back. Taking a big glug from the bottle, I downed half of it in no time. “If those dogs got closer without biting, I’d have died from dog-breath intoxication. They should’ve been wearing muzzles. What breed did you say they were? Do you think they’re on the dangerous dog breeds register?”
“I’ve no idea. They were too big to be pit bulls.” Neal perched on the very edge of his bed with his knees wide apart and two beers in his hands, one apparently for Charlie.
“Didn’t one of you mention a dog breed before?” I asked. I thought they’d called the dogs by a specific name, but the word had fallen from my memory. They exchanged glances and didn’t answer.
“You know, while we were away, we spent many a night telling stories around campfires on beaches.” Neal shifted his weight on the bed. “I’m not suggesting we light a fire in this room, but we’d be more comfortable if we put the pillows and duvets on the floor. It’d be cozy.”
Charlie swung his legs around to place his feet back on the floor. “Great idea, Na—, Neal. more comfortable and closer.” He stood up and threw his bedding into the pit between the beds.
“I’m all for it,” I agreed. Anything to get off the plastic chair that was designed to be cheap and robust rather than stylish and comfortable. Dropping down next to Charlie, I made myself at home on his bed linen pile, which involved sitting right up close to him. I was aware of the warmth of his arm next to mine and the faint pleasant scent of cologne.
Before joining us in the makeshift pit of cushions, Neal got up and gathered more drinks, both beer and water. He put them on the floor at the foot of his bed. “We might need sustenance within arm’s reach.” Not only was he a practically minded and attentive gentleman, I decided he was every bit as sexy as his friend.
Charlie leaned forward to accept a beer bottle opened by Neal. “I like the way you’re thinking. Cheers, mate.”
When he sat down opposite me, Neal stretched his long legs out beside me, on the other side from Charlie. Neal picked up my feet and removed my shoes, putting them to one side. He placed my feet, still in their socks, onto his lap.
Attempting to control my emotions, I focused on what had brought me to their room. “Wouldn’t it be unfortunate to be killed by a dog just a few feet from the safety of my hotel?”
Neal’s fingers pressed firmly against the bases of both feet as he rubbed them. “You were never in any danger.”
How do you know that?
I merely purred as his fingers began to work the soles of my feet. Instead of telling him how much I liked what he was doing, I said, “Says the man who stood by and watched but did nothing.” Intended as friendly banter, my teasing may have sounded harsh. “Hey, don’t worry. I wouldn’t have saved you from a rabid brutal beast, either. The man who stepped in front of those dogs needs a sanity check.” I nudged Charlie in the ribs and realized we were actually leaning on one another. “If your friend wasn’t there, I think they’d have had my throat.”
“You do know hardly anyone dies from dog bites? Especially not in England. The dogs were more than likely going to lick you all over before I gave them those sticks to chew on.” Charlie picked up a bottle of water and pushed it into my hands. “Water before more beer.”
I couldn’t disagree with that wisdom.
Neal passed me my second bottle of the amber nectar, again lid still sealed firmly in place. After all the bad stories I’d heard on my travels of drinks being spiked, I appreciated seeing sealed bottles. I felt safe with these guys.
“If there’s any dog who’d want to lick you all over, it’s my mate sitting beside you,” Neal said.
“Fuck off, Neal. I’m not a dog.”
My heart beat a little faster. I ignored Charlie’s rebuff and asked Neal, “He’s good with his tongue, is he?”
Neal flashed a cheeky grin. His eyes sparkled. “If there was going to be any nuzzling involved, I think it’s Ch—, Charlie, who’s your man for the job.”
As Neal stuttered, the temperature in the room rose a couple of degrees. A warm breeze circled my neck; I thought the hotel room air conditioning must have clicked on.
Neal might have tapped into my horny brainwaves with his comment, but I could raise the ante.
“Only Charlie? My friend Betty’s gone off to spend the night with two guys she met this evening.” Lucky Betty. “I don’t think one of the guys was going to be left out. In fact, isn’t there a saying, ‘one man’s good and two men are better’?”
Charlie turned his head towards me, which put his mouth very near mine. “I’m not impressed by a friend leaving you alone in London like that, where you might be attacked and eaten by wild beasts.”
“You just said hardly anyone ever dies because of a dog bite, as if I was at more risk of being run over by the night bus.” My body might react in the usual way to how gorgeous this man looked and smelled, but the feminist in me refused to let any man tell me women need to take additional precautions for our own safety simply because we were women. Even if I had enjoyed him being gallant and chivalrous. “Anyway, she didn’t just abandon me. She asked me if it was okay. We were only in the bar next to the hotel. A girl should be able to walk from one building to another, just a few yards, at any time of day or night.”
