Transcend (Celestial Academy Book 3): A Reverse Harem Romance Read online

  Transcend

  Maya Nicole

  Copyright 2019 © Maya Nicole

  All rights reserved.

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

  For permissions contact: [email protected]

  This book is currently available exclusively through Amazon.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real people, living or dead, businesses, or locales are coincidental.

  Cover design by www.OriginalBookCoverDesigns.com

  Edited by Karen Sanders Editing

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Playlist

  Author’s Note

  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

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Coming Soon!

  Coming Soon!

  Social Media

  Other Books by Maya Nicole

  Playlist

  Cloud - Elias

  In My Veins -Andrew Belle

  Symmetry - SYML

  At My Weakest - James Arthur

  Rescue - Lauren Daigle

  Birds - Imagine Dragons

  Blackout - Freya Ridings

  Skin - Rag'n'Bone Man

  Tennessee Whiskey - Chris Stapleton

  Silence - Marshmello

  Author’s Note

  Transcend is a reverse harem romance. That means the main character will have a happily ever after with three or more men. This book also contains male/male romantic encounters, as well as several romantic encounters together as a group.

  Some scenes may trigger some readers due to PTSD flashbacks, abduction, bullying, and a relationship with a teacher in a college academy setting.

  Recommended for readers 18+ for adult content and language.

  Chapter One

  Breathe in. Breathe out.

  The words played on repeat in my head as I focused on the movement of my chest. My skin felt sticky and hot. I could feel the scar knitted together on my chest as each breath stretched the scar tissue. The scar that had closed over the wound that had taken part of my heart.

  It had been over a month since my mother stabbed me in the chest and then sent a hell serpent to finish the job. The hell serpent had failed. Lilith had not.

  It had been over a month since she took my dad.

  I desperately wanted to find him. Lilith was beyond psychotic, and the longer she had him, the worse off we would all be. No one knew where they were exactly. Hell, probably. None of the archangels wanted to go on an expedition into an unknown realm. Especially when there had been no sign of Lilith since that night.

  Where else would she have taken him?

  I gripped the sides of the lounge chair. We have to find him.

  "Cannonball!" My eyes popped open behind my sunglasses as Olly ran past me and jumped into the pool. Water splashed over the sides and onto me. I jumped up from my chair.

  We really needed to have a talk about mimicking movies. It was all fun and games until someone got hurt. Like he was about to.

  "Damn it, Olly!" I wiped the water from my skin that had just started baking at the level I wanted it. I walked to the edge of the pool and put my hands on my hips. "You're going to pay for that!"

  Asher's laugh grabbed my attention, and I looked over at him laying a towel on the chair next to mine. He had his hair pulled back in a small bun at the nape of his neck and his aviator sunglasses shielded his eyes. I'm sure they were twinkling with glee over Olly's assault.

  "Did he get you all wet?" He cocked an eyebrow as he pulled his shirt off.

  I bit my lip and perused his well-defined chest as he threw his shirt on the chair and pulled his sunglasses off. What was I mad about again?

  "Someone got me wet." I plopped back down on my chair and watched as Asher walked to the edge of the pool.

  He looked over his shoulder at me and gave me a shit-eating grin before jumping into the pool, sending more water in my direction.

  Dick.

  I couldn't stop a smile from turning up my mouth. Smiling made me feel guilty, but Asher, Olly, Tobias, and Reve had made it their mission to get me smiling again.

  I let out a sigh and laid back again, the moment of glee over as quickly as it began. How could I pretend to be happy when my dad was missing and so many had died?

  The hell serpent might have been dead, but that wouldn't bring back the hundreds that were in its path to get to me. Media coverage of the incident had been sparse in the days following the attack.

  Chinese President Calls for Investigation into Military Mishap

  Shanghai, China - An investigation is underway in Shanghai, two days after an experimental drone killed 243 people and injured hundreds more. China's armed forces are taking responsibility for the jetliner-sized aircraft that malfunctioned during a test flight, entering a densely populated area of Shanghai.

  Ironically, most structural damage is to the Changzheng Hospital, which is affiliated with the military. Losses are estimated in the billions.

  How many other incidents had the angels been able to cover up over the years? If they could cover up a giant monster flying through the air, who knows what else they were hiding.

  Water splashed over the side of the pool, ripping me from my thoughts. Asher was trying to dunk Olly under the water. When his attempts failed, they both put their arms over the side and looked up at me.

  "Why don't you join us?" Olly ran a hand through his wet hair, making the brown strands stand on end. "I don't see how laying in the sun is relaxing."

  "The weather is perfect for sunbathing. Besides, I jumped in a while ago." It really was perfect. Mid-eighties was excellent summer weather. I had been spending too much time indoors.

  "You're going to get wrinkles," Asher teased. I watched as Olly turned towards him, grabbed him around the waist, and then flung him back into the water.

  I shut my eyes again and let the sounds of Asher and Olly horsing around fade into the background. I was just starting to feel the much-needed burning sensation of the sun again when I felt the sun disappear.

  I cracked an eye open to find Tobias and Reve standing above me. They both had intense expressions on their faces.

  "Like I was saying, the Dodgers are taking it all the way this season." Tobias pulled off his shirt and folded it neatly. "And when they do, it'll be time to pay up."

  "They'll make it to the postseason, but then choke like they usually do."

  Both my eyes were open to watch the display in front of me as Reve removed his shirt. All four of them were a sight to behold when shirtless. It was like I had my very own Magic Mike cast. I was sure they'd have stripped if I’d asked.

  I definitely needed to ask.

  I still didn't quite understand how they were all mine. This summer was giving me man overload though.

  "Isn't there anywhere on this damn campus where I can get some peace and quiet?" I grumbled.

  I loved them, but I was sick of hearing about baseball all the damn time. Some women might join their significant others in their love of the game. I just didn't see
the appeal besides it being a nice way to fall asleep quickly.

  Los Angeles Celestial Academy might be situated on twenty acres, but they never strayed farther than twenty feet from me it seemed, despite there being hardly anyone on campus for the summer.

  Silence met my ears and a small smile formed on my lips as they got the hint that I wanted them to shut up about baseball. Finally, some peace.

  It was short-lived.

  "Reve, there's really only one solution to this problem we're having." My eyes popped open and I watched as Tobias and Reve reached over me and shook hands. "Count of three?"

  I let out a shriek as their hands reached for me. I tried to scramble off the chair, but Tobias took my left side, and Reve took my right. They lifted me like I weighed nothing and walked in sync to the pool.

  They needed to stop ganging up on me. Unless it was in the bedroom. I was all for that.

  "I'm going to kill-" They tossed me into the pool, the water gliding over my sun-kissed skin. I sank below the surface and came up spluttering.

  "What was that, Dani?" Reve laughed before jumping in. He came up and slicked his dark hair back. "Want to see a neat party trick?"

  Tobias sat on the edge and dangled his feet in as I swam over to the side. "If the party trick includes kicking your asses, then sure."

  I turned to face Reve, but he was gone. Or at least his body was. I could make out his head by the water droplets floating in the air. He moved towards us, the water drops moving with him. It looked like a movie special effect where the rain stopped mid-air.

  If the dream demon thing stopped working for him, he could always start a career in Hollywood.

  "You promised not to use any of your abilities on campus," Tobias warned. They had gotten into it several times over the past few weeks over the same issue.

  Reve let out a grunt and reappeared. "There is no one here. Even if there was, how would they know if they can't see me?" He rolled his eyes and then smirked. He grabbed Tobias's legs and yanked him into the pool with us.

  "Reve has a point," Olly said, appearing right next to us. "There's no one here to see anything."

  He grabbed me around the waist and turned me towards him. On instinct, my legs wrapped around his waist, and I rested my arms around his neck.

  "Do you think of anything else these days?" I gasped as he lifted me enough for my breasts to be out of the water. He planted a kiss right on the top of my cleavage.

  "He has a one-track mind." Asher swam up behind me and put his hands on my waist and his mouth next to my ear. "And right now, this bikini is not helping."

  I arched back into Asher as Olly moved his mouth to mine and parted my lips with his tongue. This was definitely my preferred way of keeping my mind off things. I wasn't going to complain about being sandwiched between two hot, wet men.

  Asher's lips trailed down my neck to my shoulders as I moaned into Olly's mouth. Our tongues tangled in a hot kiss that made my skin heat more than the sun. I was surprised the water around us wasn't boiling from the amount of heat in the kiss.

  "Danica, your phone is ringing," Tobias's voice snuck into my lust-filled ears where the only sound I could hear was my heart beating, not the incessant bells of my phone alarm.

  "Crap," I moaned, pushing away from Olly and Asher. I swam to the pool ladder and climbed out, feeling like I weighed three times what I usually did. Leave it to gravity to remind me that I had the weight of the world on my shoulders.

  I grabbed my phone and turned off the alarm. I had a meeting with Sue Whittaker to discuss my options since my guardian placement exam showed what she called "a complete incompatibility" with being a guardian angel.

  I wasn't surprised. I wasn't an angel. In fact, I was precisely fifty percent angel and fifty percent demon. Despite Rafael experimenting with angel blood transfusions, it always went right back to fifty-fifty.

  "Want me to go with you?" Tobias hoisted himself out of the pool and made his way towards me. I licked my lips as water droplets skated down his skin.

  After toweling myself off and sliding on my shorts, I looked over at Tobias again before pulling on my tank top. His brows were drawn together. I let out a puff of air and slid my feet into my flip flops.

  "It'll be fine. I don't think it's a good idea for you to poke the bear any more than you already have." I slid my phone into my back pocket and put my sunglasses on the top of my head.

  "I'll go," Olly shouted from the pool. "We can hold hands the entire time. She'll love that!"

  "I can go in my phantom form and mess around with her a bit." Reve sat down on my empty chair. "But that might give away that I've been the one fucking around with her shit the last few weeks."

  I put my hands on my hips and looked down at him. "Michael told you to knock that off because he didn't want to have to listen to her screeching at him."

  He grinned and shrugged. "That wench insulted all of us. Plus, she's taking out all of her insecurities on poor Tobias here. Think of it as repentance for her sins. If it makes it easier."

  When we had returned from Shanghai, Michael sequestered me to the campus. As unhappy as I had been, the dean had been even more so. Sue had been livid with having not only me back but also Tobias and Asher. To top it off, Michael had given special permission to Reve to be on campus.

  I had thought Sue's head was going to explode with how red she turned at the news that a demon would be staying until further notice.

  "I'm sure I can handle myself. If I can survive a knife to the chest, I think I can survive a tongue lashing from a bitter old woman." I touched my scar through my shirt and plastered a smile on my face. "Be ready with alcohol and pizza, just in case."

  I made my way across campus to Ariel Hall and up to the second-floor administrative offices. It would have been faster to get a ride with one of the guys, but sometimes it was good to walk instead of flying everywhere.

  It was quiet since there were only a few staff members on campus for the summer. I turned the corner leading to the dean's office and nearly collided with a mountain of a man with long blond hair. Michael had a phone plastered to his ear and a pensive look on his face. He held up his hand in silent greeting before stalking back down the hall.

  The dean's office door was closed, so I sat in one of the chairs outside the door and watched Michael pace back and forth down the hall.

  I felt sick. If the archangel was here, it couldn't be good. The meeting was supposed to be just Dean Whittaker and me.

  "Next time, please try not to kill them... Well, obviously if it is spitting fire, kill those... You should be able to handle one of those, Ham... They torture souls, so what if we torture them?... Don't give me a lecture about my moral compass!" He ended the call and then turned to look at me. "Sorry about that. Chamuel can be a pill."

  I nodded. Anytime Michael was around, I felt like I was in the presence of a major celebrity and could hardly find words. It might also have been the fact that he was one scary-ass angel that looked like he could remove someone's head with his bare hands.

  "More demon attacks?" I managed to ask as he raised his fist and knocked on Sue's door.

  I stood as he opened the door to the office. He looked back at me and gave me a curt nod.

  Demons had been coming through the barrier to Earth more and more frequently over the last month. Usually, it was only a few and nothing like the attack at the abandoned mall. Still, demons coming to Earth had disaster written all over it.

  Just ask the two hundred and forty-three people who died in Shanghai.

  "Michael, what a pleasant surprise," Sue said as we walked into her office. She didn't sound like it was a pleasant surprise at all.

  "Well, as you know, I receive notifications of all meetings and interactions logged in the system for Danica now." He sat down in a chair and crossed his legs. "So imagine my surprise when I get a notification on my phone that you've scheduled a meeting without my consent or notifying me personally."

  Sue opened her mouth
to speak, but Michael held up his hand. She sat down in her chair and moved some papers around on her desk. I took a seat next to Michael.

  What was he, my Heaven-appointed advocate now?

  "You said you want to speak to me about incompatibility with being a guardian angel?" I couldn't help but smile as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

  She let out a strained laugh and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Well, yes. It seems your test results yielded no results for the four guardian angel paths we have here."

  "Oliver doesn't have a path, either." I folded my hands in my lap. He was an archangel. All the paths were his. "I will just take whatever classes he is taking."

  "Oliver Morgan is an archangel, Ms. Deville. This is hardly the same thing. It will be rather difficult for you to participate in the Advanced Healing Techniques course when you have no healing powers."

  She looked at Michael to gauge his reaction. He sat silently next to me. She took his silence as permission to continue.

  She looked back at me and picked up her pen. "You are not an angel. It's time for us to all acknowledge that your attendance here is at a detriment to angels who earned the right to call themselves guardian angels."

  I looked over at Michael, who looked bored with this entire exchange. Shouldn't he be saying something? It was his idea for me to stay here in the first place. No wonder Lucifer didn't like him. My dad would never let someone speak to me the way Sue was.