Outcast

Outcast DEMONS OF DARK HAVEN INSTITUTE BOOK THREE JARICA JAMES Copyright © 2023 Jarica James All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in book reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Edits by: Dee’s Notes Cover by: Jodielocks Designs Contents Blurb and Triggers 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 Chapter 20 Epilogue Want More? Also by Jarica James Blurb and Triggers Dark Haven has fallen . . . and now Harlow must fix it. Harlow Devoe gave everything to Dark Haven and the monsters that lurked there. And it’s only the beginning of her troubles. Helheim is nothing like she expected. Hel hadn’t just betrayed her, but the entire realm as well. Her own people are slow to trust her and the only way to prove herself is to let go of the humanity she’s always known. The gods are angry, the demons are turning the world to chaos, and Harlow has no other choice but to close the portal and end the madness. Harlow has never had it easy, and her afterlife is no different. She’s been given an ultimatum that could cost her everything she’s fought for. Can she figure out how to save both worlds and herself, or will this truly be the end of Harlow’s reign? If you like gritty plot, steamy moments, enemies to lovers, and characters who are just a bit different, then you’ll love Reject. Demons of Darkhaven Institute series mixes mental health and the paranormal world. Triggers include religious trauma, on page hallucinations, psychotic episodes, mentions of SA, and violence. Chapter One Harlow Mist distorted my vision. It was heavy and thick, hanging in the air, filling my lungs with each breath. I shivered against the cold. I was naked but somehow hadn’t gotten hypothermia yet. Even my bare feet smacking against the frozen ground weren’t blue yet. Apparently sacrificing myself to a realm I never cared about came with a perk or two. Tiny crystals of snow and water clung to my eyelashes and obscured my view. Not that there was anything to see. It was a sea of mist and ice that had no beginning or end, an endless walk I had no choice but to continue. I’d stopped once and learned my lesson. Something hid in the mist, waiting to strike. The huge creature slithered closer the moment I stilled. On instinct, I ran and when I looked back, I was alone again. That was hours ago, but if I continued, they stayed out of sight, and that was a lesson I only had to learn once. The downside? If I kept moving, I was isolated completely. There were no hallucinations to keep me company, and the hardest part was the realization I may never see my men again. Monty was gone, and if they killed the others, what was stopping them from finding him and doing the same. Kol had a chance of being reborn . . . but did Drake? I’d begged Loki to take Roman’s body back. Hiro, however, was an alter. There was no guarantee he’d be able to make it through to the afterlife in whatever form Loki gave him. I trusted the god more than anyone else to help, he’d taken a shining to us, and I prayed that’d be enough for him to get creative. A low rumble shook the ground, pitching me forward onto my knees. They hit the ice with a crack and pain radiated through my cold limbs. My teeth ground together against the ache, and desolation settled into my chest. I wanted to cry, and it took several steadying breaths to calm myself down. A level head would keep me alive . . . or whatever I was. An acrid, warm stench tickled my nose and it was in that moment I’d realized I’d lost valuable time. My body tensed and it took every ounce of courage to look behind me. I was met face-to-face with an all-white creature. It looked like a giant, terrifying beetle. Beady eyes stared down at me and pincers taunted me. It was the serpent behind it, the size of a building and twice as long, that really scared me. Staying still had been my downfall, so I was on my feet in seconds. I lurched forward, sliding on the ice as I aimed to put distance between us. The deep rumble and scraping as they followed me meant they no longer cared if I moved or stayed. I knew nothing of this land, but I knew if I let them catch me, I was dead. Again. A streak of red caught my eye, and when I glanced over in pure panic, I saw none other than my favorite trickster god staring back. “Loki!” Relief would be an understatement. He didn’t speak as his kelly-green eyes sparkled with excitement while he glanced behind us at the predators trying to make me their next meal. As quickly as he had arrived, he was gone again. The rumbling had stopped and a small squeak had