Not Quite Whole by Kaye Draper

Author:Kaye Draper
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: reverse harem, harem, urban fantasy, whychoose, why choose, shapeshifter romance, shape shifter, tiger, leprechaun, ogre, phoenix, siren, monster hunter, intersex character, non-binary, nonbinary, bisexual romance, poly romance, polyamory
Publisher: Kaye Draper
Published: 2021-06-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

The little shack town just off the crumbling road that led to Golding wasn’t a memorable place. Just like any other shack town, it was comprised mostly of cobbled together buildings and shelters made of stone, boards, petrified wood, and whatever else the desperate denizens could scrape together to hide from the harsh, gritty wind and the roving herds of monsters. But one thing set this place apart from the others like it that sprang up from time to time—the bar in the middle. The shabby gray building was made of petrified logs that, according to the history books I’d read in Theo’s office, had once been towering kings in the massive forests that had supposedly covered the pacific coast.

A weird melancholy swept over me every time I came across the massive remains of the old trees. What had forests looked like back then? Had the trees really been taller than the tallest buildings in Westhold? Had the deep shadows of the wild places really been filled by quiet, harmless creatures that weren’t constantly starving for prey?

I shook myself. It didn’t matter now. All of that was as dead as the eyes of the people we passed. Most of them were outlaws, people who had done something bad enough or stupid enough to get kicked out of more civilized places. The rest of them were just batshit crazy—people who called themselves anti-establishment or survivalists, but in actuality were just dumber than your average dumb ass.

No one chose to live like this unless they were brain damaged.

Angel paced at my side, his footsteps silent and his gold eyes watchful. He was probably tasting the subtle energies of the place in a way I couldn’t, assessing. I had tried to make him stay home, but he was just as stubborn as my own cranky ass. So here we were.

I stopped in front of the door to the bar, feeling eyes on us from the nearby hovels. “You’ve got your blades?”

He huffed at me impatiently. “Sam. It’s not like I haven’t sweet-talked criminals and low-lives before. I did manage to get by all on my little lonesome before my big, scary sabertoothed cat started protecting my virtue.”

I growled. “Just don’t do anything stupid.”

He followed me through the door with a whispered, “You mean don’t do anything you’d do?”

I paused for a second to let my eyes adjust to the dim interior. It was stuffy, and the combination of smells was like getting hit in the face with a two-by-four—woodsmoke, burnt food, sweaty bodies, the reek of cheap tobacco. I resisted the urge to paw at my poor nose. Squaring my shoulders, I walked to the rickety looking plank that served as a bar, Angel a silent, graceful presence at my side.

No one here could mistake either of us as regular customers. We were both dressed in subtle, muted shades and simple clothes. But our clothing wasn’t threadbare and worn. I had guns and knives strapped to me like they were my favorite fashion accessory.

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