Into the Darkness Read online

  Into the Darkness

  The Goblin King - Book 1

  Written by Michael Clement

  http://www.michaelclement.me

  https://facebook.com/MichaelClementAuthor

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  Copyright © https://selfpubbookcovers.com/BravoCovers

  All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  All Rights Reserved

  Copyright © 2019 Goldenfire Media, LLC

  Books written by Michael Clement

  The Goblin King

  Into the Darkness

  Blood of the Fae

  Swallow the Bones

  Bury the Ashes Deep

  Midnight’s Broken Promise

  Touch Me Bloody

  Take Another Bite

  The Dragons of Nagon

  Conquering Her Darkness

  Master No More

  Broken By Pride

  The Bloody Road to Heaven

  The Coldness Within

  My Lady of Bones

  Lost in the Dark

  Murdering Her Light

  Blood in the Sky

  Tormented Desires

  Other Novels

  Blood Covered Kisses

  Awakening Her Beast

  Definition

  Menagerie: A collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition.

  ...Google Dictionary

  Goblin Sister-wives : See Menagerie.

  Quote

  One woman was good… Ten would be better.

  Bazal… before he married his first wife… and reconsidered.

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  Author Notes

  Thank you for taking a look at my new series!

  Bazal just kind of jumped out of my head. I wanted to write something that mixed litRPG and harem in the same world that I wrote Tegan’s Books (Blood of the Fae). I’ve really enjoyed writing this book, and I hope that you enjoy reading it.

  If you are like this series or any of my other books, please consider joining my newsletter . Don’t worry about me flooding your inbox with email. I tend to spend most of my time writing, and very little promoting my works. It is a failure of many authors. We just have a super hard time leaving the worlds that we create to interact with this one. Lol.

  Speaking of advertising, reviews on Amazon and Goodreads are very important to independent authors like me. It is one of the only ways that Amazon will introduce my stories to others. A review only takes a few minutes, and it makes a major difference. So, please tell other people what you like, and dislike about my books. It is the only way that I will know if you dislike something. Focusing on what my readers like is very important to me. Enough said about that.

  Go, and enjoy Bazal’s adventure :)

  - 1 -

  “I’m leaving in the morning, Bazal,” Brynn told me. I looked up from drinking my coffee, not understanding my brother’s estranged wife.

  Seeing my confusion, she added, “Abigail and I are going back to Ashmouth to live with my parents.”

  “Brynn,” I croaked, setting my coffee down hard, “Justin will come back.”

  Brynn’s face scrunched up, and I could see tears in her eyes.

  “Justin is never coming back, Bazal. Not now, not ever.”

  Then, she added, “I won’t let him.”

  “He’ll grow tired of her,” I tried to explain. “He loves you.”

  “Just like Justin grew tired of me,” she snapped. “I don’t want a man who ‘grows tired’ of his wife.”

  Brynn’s face grew bright red, and I could sense tears coming. “I would have understood if he had brought her home to live with us. Wizards have multiple wives, everyone knows that. And, I knew who--and what--he was when I married him.”

  A heavy tear fell from her left eye, as she croaked out, “But, abandoning Abigail and me…”

  Her words trailed away as she turned and looked out the window.

  Sighing, I reached out and put my hand on top of hers to comfort her. It had been two months since my brother had abandoned his family for another woman.

  “I’m sorry,” I told her, hating my brother. Justin hadn’t deserved Brynn.

  Her hand shifted, and suddenly, she was clutching mine. And, I could feel something between us change.

  Brynn’s hand in mine was warm… fuck, really warm.

  And, her deep, brown eyes were burning into mine.

  A drip of sweat broke out and trailed down my back, making me feel like a horrible brother. I had always been attracted to Brynn. She was beautiful, strong, and confident.

  Well, at least she had been. Then, my fool of a brother knocked all the confidence out of her, over the last three years.

  My left knee began to twitch and wiggle as I looked at her hand.

  Her wedding ring was missing.

  And, she was clutching my fingers like I was the last man on earth.

  I wanted her.

  I knew it.

  She knew it.

  Fuck, the whole town knew it.

  After my half-brother abandoned her, I had stayed and taken over the payments on the house. I just couldn’t let Brynn and Abigail become homeless.

  Beggars were exiled from the Light. It would have been the death of them both.

  And I loved her.

  “Brynn,” I whispered, unable to talk.

  Slowly, she leaned over, bring her tear-stained face close to mine. Suddenly, I could smell cherry blossoms, leaking out of her dark brown hair.

  Brynn touched my face and then...

  She kissed me.

  I didn’t move at first. It felt like cheating on Justin.

  But, her lips tasted so soft and sweet.

  Brynn’s hand slipped around my neck and pulled me closer to her, eliminating the space between us. Before I knew what was happening, she had shifted off of her chair and onto my lap.

  My brother’s wife felt… oh so wrong on my lap.

  But, at the same time, she felt soft, and oh so feminine.

  Her full breasts pushed into my chest, reminding me how long it had been since I had held a woman.

  I could feel her skirt bunched up against my stomach, and…

  Oh shit.

  Brynn’s hips shifted, just a little, grinding into my growing erection. Both of her arms were wrapped around my neck, and her kiss… was magic. Her tongue slipped into my mouth, tasting me. It was soft and delicate, and her mouth tasted like cherries.

  Justin had left her.

  His ring was still on the table, as was the note absolving their marriage.

  It wasn’t a
goodbye note.

  Instead, the parchment was a legal document explaining that she was no longer Mrs. Hawkins anymore. And, that she was obligated to move out, or pay the rent that was two months in arrears.

  Fuck it.

  Fuck Justin. He had been a fool.

  I slipped my hands around Brynn, trying to keep them off her ass, and on her waist.

  But, she wasn’t having that. Brynn let go of me for a second, never breaking her kiss. Grabbing my hands, she slid them lower.

  Oh, God.

  Brynn wasn’t wearing any underwear. Her ass felt exquisite under my hands. I had wanted to touch it for three years, ever since she had married Justin. But, I had kept my distance. She had been my brother’s wife.

  Her fingers slid back into my hair, and then she ground her hips against me again, and this time, I could easily feel her womanhood through my pants.

  “I want you,” she murmured in my ear, making my erection nearly burst through my pants.

  Climbing off of me, she took my hand. “Come with me.”

  I couldn’t breathe.

  And, then… the baby began crying.

  - 2 -

  I looked away, towards the nursery.

  When I looked back, Brynn had moved closer to me.

  Sighing, Brynn climbed back onto my lap.

  “Come with us to Ashmouth,” she insisted. “As, my husband.”

  I swallowed hard.

  Husband?

  Fuck.

  I wasn’t sure about that. Brynn was Justin’s wife. Just thinking about fucking her made me feel dirty inside.

  Brynn saw my reluctance.

  “Bazal,” she murmured. “Please.”

  Dammit.

  She kissed me again, ignoring her screaming daughter in the other room. Her hips shimmied against my manhood again, making it almost impossible for me to say no.

  God, I wanted to fuck her. Every brain cell in my body wanted Brynn. But, taking her, right now, while Abigail was squawking, wasn’t going to happen.

  I didn’t want her to leave Savannah or travel through the Darkness to Ashmouth. And, she had said please. I never could say no, when a woman said, please.

  I wanted Brynn. More than anything else in the world. If I didn’t say yes--right now--she would leave, and the opportunity would never come again.

  “Alright,” I murmured, not believing what I was saying.

  Brynn smiled and kissed me again, then she climbed off my lap to retrieve her daughter.

  My niece.

  Brynn sashayed out of the room, making her skirt swing from side to side.

  I watched her ass the whole way, then I looked down at my wet pants. Apparently, I hadn’t been the only one excited about the forbidden kiss.

  Because, fucking--or wanting to fuck--your sister-in-law... was just that, forbidden.

  But, Justin had divorced her before he left. She didn’t get any say in it, and I knew that his leaving had burned a hole inside of her soul.

  Marrying her wouldn’t be the smart move.

  But I really liked her. Part of me even insisted that I loved her.

  Brynn came back into the room with Abigail. The infant was squawking and fussing. The little girl had a fine set of lungs, and right now, she was hungry.

  Usually, Brynn fed her daughter in Abby’s room, but today… the rules had changed.

  Brynn sat down on the couch and watched me as she unbuttoned her blouse.

  My erection snapped to attention again, which was embarrassing with Abby in the room.

  I watched each button pop open until, there, in front of my face was Brynn’s light brown breast. Her nipple was erect, and Brynn’s chest was flushed, as she guided her daughter’s mouth.

  I wanted to be that mouth.

  Brynn’s eyes never left mine, as Abby ate her breakfast.

  “I traded my dowry for a wagon and a Kwon Dragon,” she said, as Brynn looked away finally.

  Shit.

  She was really serious about returning to Ashmouth.

  I forgot about the baby.

  “Brynn,” I said, “That’s at least a month in the Darkness.”

  “That’s why I sold the apartment and bought a wagon,” she said, smiling down at her daughter.

  Then, she gritted her teeth, as Abby bit down too hard.

  Silenced filled the room.

  “I’m leaving with the caravan tomorrow,” she told me. “Everything that I want to bring with is ready to go.”

  I looked around, suddenly noticing the boxes here and there. I had gotten home late last night and hadn’t noticed the changes.

  Shit. I had to learn to pay more attention to my surroundings.

  Brynn lifted Abby off of her breast, distracting me again, as she patted the little girl’s back.

  A furious burp rippled out of the child’s mouth.

  Then, Brynn exposed her other breast, as she lowered Abby to it.

  I stared in fascination.

  Brynn’s breasts were beautiful, not too big, or too small. And, they had freckles on them, which I liked. She smiled at me as she fed her daughter, knowing that her first breast was still uncovered.

  “Bazal,” she said. “You’re a trained wizard’s apprentice. You can make this trip easily.”

  A naggy itch popped into my devious mind.

  “Is that why you are asking me?” I blurted out, barely thinking.

  Brynn scowled at me.

  “You are such an idiot sometimes,” she hissed, as she covered her naked breast.

  “You stayed,” she pointed out, “and took care of my daughter and me after your fool of a brother left us. You paid our rent--and back rent--bought food, and supplies for Abby. And, not once did you try to sleep with me.”

  Fuming, the annoyed woman looked down.

  “I like you,” she ground out. “I always have.”

  That was news to me.

  “Like like?” I asked.

  “I wouldn’t have asked you to marry me if I didn’t.”

  Or, was I just convenient? I wondered.

  “I bought you a book,” she added, nodding at the kitchen table.

  A package lay on the table, wrapped in brown paper and secured with twine.

  Intrigued, I picked it up and untied it.

  I nearly dropped the book that was revealed.

  Inside was a grimoire. The spellbook was old and travel-worn. But, the pages had been waterproofed and enspelled to resist wear and tear.

  Amazed, I flipped it open and quickly paged through it.

  Seventeen spells.

  “The first spell is the most important,” she murmured.

  I glanced up at her. She was blushing.

  Turning back to the book, I returned to the first spell.

  Tame Familiar.

  I blinked at it.

  And, then I looked back at my sister-in… nope, fiancee.

  Fuck, that was weird.

  “Wizards tame women…” she mentioned, blushing harder.

  My erection popped back into place, which embarrassed the fuck out of me with Abigail in her arms.

  It was true. Most mages were unscrupulous bastards who saw nothing wrong with enthralling a woman, twisting her mind so that she would do… anything… they demanded.

  I swallowed hard, imaging Brynn doing… everything that I had always thought about.

  “It will strengthen your ma,” she whispered.

  I looked up at her and then looked down again at the book.

  Taming a woman made her share the power in her soul. The stronger willed the woman, the more power available.

  And… Brynn was the daughter of an Archmage.

  “Look at me,” she insisted, using the capital L in look. An Archmage’s daughter would know what that meant.

  It meant, look at me with your mystical vision.

  Look at my soul.