Royally Entangled Read online

  Royally Entangled

  Her Royal Harem, Book One

  Catherine Banks

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  Also by Catherine Banks

  About the Author

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 Catherine Banks All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Cover Reveal Designs.

  Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, by photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher of the book.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or by any other means without the permission of the author is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized printed or electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Turbo Kitten Industries™

  P.O. Box 5012

  Galt, CA 95632

  www.turbokitten.us

  Catherine Banks

  www.catherinebanks.com

  www.turbokitten.us/catherine-banks

  Chapter 1

  I never expected moving into a new apartment would land me in the center of a supernatural harem.

  But then, how could I have? I hauled my measly two boxes of possessions up to the second floor, seemingly ordinary apartment. Well-kept. Clean. The manager, Ms. Patty, clearly took pride in her building.

  Two thousand dollars a month worth of pride, I reminded myself as I unlocked the door to my new home. It had to be worth it.

  When I walked in the door, something felt…wrong. I couldn’t pinpoint what, though. Ms. Patty had overseen the furniture delivery the day before, and looking around, I could see everything was placed where I had asked.

  Why, then, was unease clenching in my gut? I bit my lip, set my boxes down, locked up behind me, and took a look around the apartment. It didn’t seem anyone was here or had messed with anything.

  Maybe it was just in my head. After what had happened back in my hometown, it wasn’t really any wonder I felt on edge. But as long as Demarcus didn’t find out where I was, I should be okay.

  I would be okay. Especially, if I kept the necklace my grandmother had given me on. It made me feel safe and always reminded me of my grandmother, who I missed very much.

  I wondered what my neighbors would be like. There were nine total apartments, but three of them were vacant currently. When I had asked what the tenants were like, she had just laughed and said, “They’re all best friends…for now.”

  I had no idea what she had meant by that.

  Things had been a bit crazy in Jinla with the four main Other clans at war. The mages, dragons, werewolves, and elves had been at war for decades now, but humans like me had no idea why. Jinla was the hub for Others since the four clans had their headquarters based here. Just on my walk from the train station to here, I had seen two elves, a goblin, and two guys I was fairly certain had been werewolves. Grandma thought I would have been afraid of Others, after being attacked by some, but I knew that there were always bad apples in the bunch and I couldn’t blame an entire race of Others for one or two bad beings. Plus, I had dated a couple Others and they had been the most loving beings I had ever met.

  The four Other clans were ruled with monarchies, unlike the President of our human democracy. A few hundred years ago, we had had a king as well, but now the President worked with the Others’ Kings to ensure we kept peace between all races. The Others had huge areas in Jinla for their headquarters, but also a lot of land outside this city. There were entire states owned by one of the Other clans.

  After putting my clothes away and popping a frozen pizza in the oven, I turned to my favorite past time, video games. My gaming console was just in sleep mode, so I woke it up and launched my current favorite game, Ghost 2. One of my clan members had already created a chat lobby, having been on an hour earlier due to different time zones.

  “Yo!” I said in greeting.

  “Jo!” several male voices responded.

  I didn’t have many friends in person, but I had a great group of about ten online friends – my best friends. We talked about everything. Some people didn’t understand it, but my virtual friends were the closest people I knew. We had met in person a couple of times, but most of our interactions were through our headsets and in the games.

  “Jo, did you see the specs for the new hard raid?” Dragonknight asked. He wasn’t really a dragon or a knight, but that was his gamer tag. We created our own gamer tags, or gamer names, when we signed on to the console for the first time. Mine was not creative at all, Jolie. Yep, just my first name.

  I took my pizza out of the oven and settled onto the couch for the evening.

  “Yep, it looks hard, but I’m ready for the challenge,” I replied.

  Three hours later, I realized that I had in fact, not been ready for the challenge. We said our goodnights and I collapsed onto my bed, waking up with barely enough time to make it to my first day of work without being late.

  When I got to work, I rushed into the huge building, and the receptionist pointed at a map off to the right. “Room twenty-one.”

  There were over ten floors, and I was glad I only had to go to the second floor.

  I had landed a writing position with one of the most popular gaming companies. It was a huge honor and a nice pay increase from my last job.

  “You must be Jolie,” a man in jeans and a “vampires drool” t-shirt said.

  “I am,” I replied and held out my hand.

  He shook it and motioned for me to follow him. “Your desk is right over here. Someone will be by in a bit to walk you through the processes we have here.”

  Once I got started, the work and its processes were simple enough. The day flew by, and after a full day, I clocked out and headed back towards my new place.

  On my walk home, I put in my noise cancelling headphones and sent a message to the group chat with the clan. Without telling them any information that could get me in trouble, I hinted at the awesome games I’d gotten a sneak peek of. Just as I hit send, something slammed into my side and carried me across the intersection. I gasped and looked up to find a man carrying me and a bus barreling past where I had just been walking. He’d saved me from being hit by the bus I had not seen or heard.

  How cliché of me to have my nose down and almost get hit by a bus!

  He smiled down at me and said something, but I couldn’t hear him. I took out my earbuds and asked, “What?”

  “I asked if you were okay?” he repeated with a wide smile, setting me on my feet.

  He was drop dead gorgeous. Dark brown hair, blue eyes, nice cheekbones and jawline, and muscular, not too buff, but his chest was defined even through his shirt. I mentally checked to make sure there wasn’t drool dripping down my chin.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  He set me on my feet and I brushed myself off and smoothed my clothes do
wn.

  “I’m glad,” he said softly.

  “Thank you, again,” I said and started to walk away, still in shock.

  “Wait,” he called and caught up to me.

  “Yes?” I asked.

  His biceps looked incredible in the shirt he had on. It hugged his shoulders and chest, and was cut in the perfect spot to accent his biceps. Had he lucked out in finding the shirt to fit like that, or did he just make everything he wore look amazing? His dark hair was styled up, his beard and goatee perfectly shaped to his jaw. The clothes he wore were nice, definitely more expensive than the skirt and V-neck t-shirt I currently wore.

  “Well, I did save you and I think I deserve a date,” he said and stuck his hands in his pockets, thumbs outside of them.

  A date? This sexy male wanted to go on a date with me? Hell yes!

  “A date, huh? What would this date involve?”

  I was glad I came off cool and composed, despite my brain trying really hard to fry itself with the fact I had almost died and this delicious being was talking to me. It had been a few years since I’d had sex, and he was making me think all kinds of dirty things.

  “Dinner and dessert.”

  The way he said dessert made me shiver in delight. I definitely wouldn’t mind some dessert that involved him.

  “Okay,” I agreed, keeping my drool in my mouth.

  “Great! This way, milady,” he said and bowed.

  “May I know the name of my savior?” I asked with a fake accent, staying in line with his “milady” comment.

  “Rhys. And you, milady?”

  “Jolie.”

  He stopped and held out his hand.

  I looked at it a moment and then asked, “Clan?”

  His smile disappeared. “I wouldn’t save you just to hurt you.”

  “It’s been a rough few years,” I replied stiffly and avoided looking at his eyes. It would take me an hour at least to explain all of the misfortune that I had experienced. And, I really didn’t want to go over what had happened last year, the reason my grandmother had given me the necklace.

  “Dragon,” he whispered.

  Thank the Goddess.

  I shook his hand and met his eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m not racist. I don’t care what you are. It’s just—”

  He kissed my knuckles and smiled. “I understand.”

  We resumed walking and I felt his eyes on me as we moved down the sidewalk. Dragons were notoriously observant, so I didn’t let it bother me.

  “Where would you like to eat?” I asked.

  “Me?” he asked, his eyebrows raised. “I don’t think a woman has ever asked where I wanted to eat before.”

  I chuckled. “Well, you saved me, so I owe you dinner.”

  “What about here?” he asked and indicated the restaurant beside us. It was a nice Italian chain restaurant that served amazing breadsticks. We had one in my hometown.

  “Great,” I agreed and opened the door for him.

  He grinned and walked in.

  “Thank you,” he said softly to me.

  “You’re welcome.”

  The hostess seated us quickly and ordered our food as soon as we sat down. The restaurant was a bit slow, which was good for us.

  “So, Jolie. What were you doing when you didn’t see the bus racing towards you?” he asked and snapped his breadstick in half before eating it.

  Texting my video game clan.

  “Texting some friends,” I said somewhat truthfully. “I just started a new job today and had promised to message them afterwards.”

  “Oh, you’re new to town?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Just moved in last night.”

  “I wish I had known. I would have taken you on a tour instead of to dinner,” he said. His brow furrowed a brief moment and then he smiled. “Maybe I’ll stop you from being hit by a car tomorrow and can convince you to go on a second date.”

  I laughed.

  “Let’s hope I don’t need rescuing again. Once in a lifetime is enough for me.”

  “You’re human, right?” he asked softly and tilted his head. His nostrils flared as he drew in my scent.

  “Mostly.”

  “Mostly?”

  “I am, like, a thirty-second Gorgon,” I admitted to him. The most famous Gorgon of all, Medusa, was a distant relative of mine. At least, that’s what my Grandma had told me. Generally, it wasn’t something that I brought up right away, but I wanted to be honest with him right up front. I was hoping it might get me into his bed tonight. No, stop that, you dirty mind. You are not sleeping with someone you just met. I’d never had a one-night stand before, not that I was against it, I just hadn’t had one before. But, I didn’t want to start my life in Jinla with one.

  “Interesting,” he replied with a smirk.

  “What do you do for work?” I asked him, leaning on my elbows on the table to give him a nice view of my cleavage. I didn’t flirt often, and I wasn’t great at it, but I could get by.

  “I’m an architect,” he replied.

  “That’s really interesting,” I admitted.

  “It can be, yes.”

  “Do you enjoy it?”

  He nodded. “I like creating things.”

  Our meals came and we ate and chatted. I ordered some wine and before I realized it, I was a bit tipsy. Okay, I was drunk.

  “Where to next?” I asked with a warm smile, feeling warm all throughout my body.

  “There’s a bar right around the corner,” he said. “Want to go get some drinks?”

  He led the way out of the restaurant and I stumbled when we walked down the sidewalk.

  “Easy,” he said with a chuckle and put his solid arm around my waist, so his large bicep fit into the curve of my side. I had to resist the urge to explore the muscle with my hands.

  “Sorry,” I said with a soft laugh. “I guess I had more to drink than I thought.”

  “Would you prefer to go home?” he asked, stopping and leaning against the side of a building, right next to the alley.

  I leaned into him, my breasts pressed against his chest, and whispered, “But I haven’t had dessert yet.”

  His eyes sparked and he leaned down, lightly brushing his lips over mine. “Dessert does sound good right now.”

  I pulled him down and kissed him deeply, sliding my tongue into his mouth, and wrapped my arms around his neck.

  He picked me up and I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist, our kiss never breaking. He walked down the alley until we were hidden from view, and a distance away from the large trashcan we were using to block us from the sight of passersby. I dropped my legs long enough to let him unzip his pants and put a condom on. He lifted me up again, pushing me against the wall, and slowly entered me, moving my thong to the side to do so. He was big, but not too big. When he was completely buried in me, he moaned and whispered, “You feel amazing.”

  I moaned and moved my hips with his.

  He growled and clamped his mouth over mine, stroking his tongue across mine in sync with the pumping of his hips. My orgasm hit after only a couple of strokes and I squealed into his mouth as we continued to kiss. Stars danced behind my closed eyes as I floated on euphoria that continued as he didn’t stop.

  I had forgotten how great sex was with dragons. This male was an alpha and the safety and security he made me feel as his arms held me and we became one for a short time, was euphoric in and of itself.

  Another wave crashed over me and my fingernails dug into his muscular shoulders.

  He nipped my neck gently, my hips bucking against him as he did.

  He moved faster and harder, orgasms tearing from me one after the next, but soon he lost his rhythm as he orgasmed.

  We broke our kiss, both panting and satisfied.

  “Wow,” he whispered.

  “Mmhm,” I replied, euphoria and the alcohol making me beyond happy. This town was starting off wonderful.

  We got dressed and I stopped him at the edge of the alley. “
Thanks, for tonight.”

  “Going to pass on drinks?” he asked with a smirk.

  “I think dessert satisfied me plenty.”

  He bowed elegantly and kissed the knuckles on one of my hands. “Then I bid you goodnight, milady.” He held out a business card. “And I would love to hear from you again.”

  I took the card and curtsied. “I shall call upon thee, good sir.”

  He bent and kissed my cheek. “Seriously, call me. I’d love to take you out again.”

  “Okay,” I said with a nod.

  Chapter 2

  During my morning commute, I hummed along to a song, thinking about my date last night. I would wait at least two days before calling him, if I did at all. He was sexy, but he seemed like he might be super protective, which I didn’t particularly like.

  That sex had been great, though. Or perhaps that was just because of how drunk I had been and how long it had been since the last time. No, it had been good, and he was damn sexy.

  After almost getting hit by a bus, I had done some research and found out there was a great public transit system in town. Now, I was on a bus instead of getting hit by it. The buses were clean and most of the people riding were dressed in business casual clothes. I felt underdressed in my jeans and t-shirt, but this was my preferred attire and work didn’t care what we wore since we didn’t have visitors. Plus, as a videogame company, we were more about the games and less about impressing suit-wearing corporate types.

  My stop was approaching, so I stood up, picking up my backpack from the floor by my feet as I did. The doors opened, and the man next to me snatched my backpack and ran off the bus.

  “Hey!” I screamed after him and jumped down and onto the sidewalk

  Something blurred as it rushed from behind, whizzing past me, and then knocked the purse snatcher, er, backpack snatcher down. I jogged forward and the blur turned out to be a handsome man with bulging muscles. He turned to look at me, his foot holding the criminal down, and smiled. His eyes were amber, which told me immediately what he was.