Grave Sight | A Reverse Harem Romance

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕆𝕟𝕖 ℍ𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕕 𝔽𝕠𝕦𝕣

My mom's arms were crossed over her chest as Merlin walked inside the house. He wore a black suit with a fire truck red tie, and instead of greeting my mom, he nervously fiddled with the cuff links. His eyes skittered to me, then back to my mom.

I raised my eyebrows as I slid earrings into my ears, feeling the eyes of my three men staring at my naked back.

I was dressed up - something I rarely did. The red dress matched Merlin's tie, hugging every curve of my body and leaving my back bare. It was long - long enough to where I had to wear heels. Well, I was wearing wedges. I didn't want to die.

The three men at my back were not happy about my choice in dress, since it wasn't for them. But it was the only red dress I had, and I actually forgot about this whole mage thing until Merlin messaged me and stated he was on his way.

I was a bit preoccupied when we were talking about it last.

My mom decided that she wanted to be there when Merlin put my heart back in my chest, mostly because she didn't trust the guy as far as she could throw him. By the look on his face, he knew that too. Either that, or he had really bad indigestion.

"You look great," Merlin said, blatantly ignoring my mom instead of acknowledging she was standing near me.

"Thank you," I said. He looked pretty good too, but God help him if I said that. While the last time I saw him, he looked ordinary, dressed up he looked quite the opposite.

His eyes found my heart in its container on my kitchen table, and any possible attraction I may have felt towards him in his suit melted away the moment he suddenly looked wistful. An organ in some liquid should not make someone look like that.

"I'm going to have to touch your chest," he said, finally tearing his eyes away from my heart to look at me, then the three men standing sentry at my back.

"That's fine," I said.

I didn't need to look at them to know they were fighting the urge to argue. But hey, if it got them rowdy for later...

"Nova," Kyler warned.

I smiled innocently at them from over my shoulder, which caused the two who couldn't feel my emotions suspicious.

I couldn't even be alone in my own head. Just how far did that empathy go, exactly? It seemed like he could feel every single emotion that I felt. It was amazing and terrifying all at once.

My mom stood by silently, probably making Merlin nervous as hell as he unscrewed the lid to the container holding my heart. When his hand touched my heart, I half expected him to moan because of that expression he had earlier, but instead he simply picked it up and studied it for a moment, all business. It was like a switch was flipped, and the fanboy Merlin was pushed back into the recesses of business Merlin's mind.

He glanced behind me for a moment as he placed his right hand over my chest, right above where my heart should be beneath my skin. It pulsed in his hand, and he took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and became still.

That feeling of his magic poured over me, and I couldn't help but question why it felt so kind for a death mage's magic. It tickled the small hairs across my body, cooled my skin, and relaxed me to a point I wished I would have sat down before he started.

I closed my eyes, my breathing becoming slow and even. It took only moments for me to feel the now unfamiliar pulse in my chest.

I opened my eyes again, and my heart was gone from Merlin's hand. He pulled his hand away from my chest and motioned to me, moving aside for my mom.

She placed two fingers on the side of my throat and waited, then her lips curled up into a smile. The first one I saw from her since Merlin arrived. She had been too busy looking menacing to smile at anything anyone said or did.

Honestly, I felt no different, besides the fact that I had to get used to my heart beating again. My powers didn't feel like they drained back to how they'd been before I lost my heart. If anything, I felt stronger.

That was scary.

"Thank you," I said, my eyes finding Merlin's. "I know you wanted it..."

He shook his head. "Actually, you coming with me tonight is probably more beneficial in the long run than having your heart."

A part of me wanted to ask what he was going to do with it if my mom hadn't interceded, but another part of me told me to keep my damn mouth shut. It didn't matter what he was going to do with it. My heart was back where it was supposed to be.

I shrugged. "Either way."

He smiled gently, then offered me his arm. "M'lady."

"For fuck's sake," Lucian murmured.

I pursed my lips to keep from grinning as I took Merlin's arm.

"Will you be here when I get back," I asked my mom.

She winked. "I'll be in the hotel about a mile south from here. I'll come visit soon."

"Okay." While the circumstances weren't the greatest, I was glad she was staying for a bit before flying home. "Make sure you call Sam."

"Who do you think booked the hotel room," she asked, her grin coming full force now.

Oh, gross. That smile told me everything without her having to say a damn thing. I didn't need to know she was banging it out. I was glad she was feeling well enough for that, but ew.

I curled my lip up and started pulling Merlin to my door.

"Oh!" I opened the door and leaned back so that I could look at Kieran, Lucian, and Kyler. "It's been a while, so if one of you can supply me with some blood when I get home, I'd appreciate it."

Merlin eyed me. "I could-"

"No." The chorus of voices made me burst out laughing as I pulled Merlin through the door and shut three angry men inside my house.

As if the door could save him.