Krystal Le Beau

by V. A. Dold

  Lifting his head, he spit a line of blood from his mouth. If she thought he was angry before, she was mistaken. Hatred burned in his gaze. She'd never seen such hatred. Ever so slowly, a malevolent grin tugged on his lips. God help her. This was going to be bad. Really bad. Krystal wriggled, pushing at the ground, trying in vain to get out from under the crazed man.

  Her feeble attempts only made him grin more. “Time to die, little bitch.” Leon wrapped both hands around her throat and began to squeeze.

  That was when he made his mistake. Leon shifted his torso and rose up to better his leverage. That gave her the opening she needed. Reaching between his legs, she grabbed his junk and twisted for all she was worth.

  Leon screamed until his voice broke. With his mouth hanging open in silent agony, she twisted more. His eyes bulged and rolled to the back of his head. An instant later, he collapsed onto his side. The move gave her the freedom she needed to gain her feet.

  Krystal knew his tortured balls wouldn't keep him down long. Scanning the ground, she prayed for a weapon. There! A fist sized rock. That should do the trick. Bending to dislodge the stone from the soil, she glanced at Leon. He was still curled in a ball with his back to her, cradling his manhood.

  Gripping the stone tightly, she swung at Leon's bent head. The beast never saw it coming. The rock impacted the side of his head with a satisfying smack. Dang, it! The bastard grunted but remain conscious. What was his head made of titanium?

  Raising the rock again, she swung with all her might. He grunted again, then deflated in a full-body slump. He was definitely out now. Spinning on her heel, Krystal took off running for the tree line as fast as her injured ankle would allow.

  Almost to the very edge, she glanced back to assure herself she wasn't followed. Satisfied that the coast was clear, she focused on the trees again and saw a shadow move. A big shadow. When it darted toward her, she screamed. With her arms cartwheeling, she dug deep furrows in the earth with her heels as she tried in vain to stop her momentum and reverse direction.

  “Krystal, stop! It's me,” Doug assured as he came into view.

  It took a moment for his words to penetrate the fear in her mind. “Doug? Oh, Doug!” She changed direction yet again, throwing herself into his arms.

  “Shh, I’ve got you,” he crooned, stroking her hair. “You’re bleeding, how badly are you hurt?”

  “It’s just a cut, and it’s almost healed,” she murmured against his chest.

  “How did you get a cut on your forehead?” he asked gently.

  “He… he attacked me. He tried to… to kill me!” Her shrill stammers erupted between racking sobs, the intense rollercoaster of emotions she’d held in check exploding from her like lava spewing from a volcano.

  “Who attacked you,” Marcus and Simon growled as they appeared next to them.

  “We heard what sounded like a fight while on patrol. Is that blood? Are you hurt?” Simon growled.

  “Leon is the stalker, he’s the one I was fighting. And I’ll be fine.”

  Doug stopped stroking her hair for a second. “Who is Leon?” Apparently, the pause had been him searching his mind for an identity.

  “Lucas's new ranch hand,” she answered with terror in her voice.

  She felt his head lift higher as he looked around. “Where is he?”

  “Behind that hill,” she pointed in the general direction. “I bashed his head with a rock.”

  Tender hands gripped her upper arms and set her away from him. “Stay here. I need to take a look.”

  She gripped the front of his shirt as terror surged. “No. He could wake up. He could be waiting for you with a knife or a gun. We need to get out of here.”

  He held her. “Did you see a knife or a gun?”

  “No, but I didn't give him the chance to pull a weapon on me.”

  “Tamaali, I'm the sheriff and a tiger. Do you really think he's a threat to me?”

  “You're not indestructible. Never underestimate insanity. And believe me, that bastard is insane.”

  “I believe you. But you need to trust that I'm not a reckless man. I'm always prepared, and I never enter a situation rashly.” He stared into her eyes until she nodded.

  “I'll be right back.”

  “And I’ll be with him,” Marcus snarled. “Simon, can you stay with Krystal?”

  “Sure.”

  Krystal watched anxiously as Doug and Marcus disappeared behind the hill. She couldn't help the wild scenarios racing through her mind. Doug beaten and bloody, Doug lying helpless on the ground while she waited for him to return. Doug stabbed, then shot. With each passing moment, her thoughts spiraled further out of control. Though she tried to tell herself if she fought her way out, it would be a walk in the park for a man like her mate. But her mind rejected all common sense, insisting he was in danger and she had put him there.

  Her entire life, she’d protected people from her mother. Usually, that protection required that she sacrifice what she wanted, pushing her friends away, and taking the brunt of her mother’s wrath. So, this attack was nothing new. She was tired of living in fear of Lucinda and didn’t want to push Doug away anymore.

  Shaking off the fog of panic, she forced her mind to think clearly. Hadn’t her uncle defanged her mother? Of course he had. No one could defy Uncle Isaac. His power was unmeasurable. Come on, Krystal, think of this logically. Leon arrived weeks ago. That meant her mother had hatched that plan back then. Lucinda may be batshit crazy, but she had never put her daughters’ lives in danger. Leon must have gone off script from what her mother had planned.

  Simon put his arm around her shoulder. “You’re thinking too hard, cousin. They’ll be fine.”

  “I know that, but I’m still scared. I think Leon is insane, his instability frightens me more than anything.” What they needed to do was end Leon’s reign of terror. Be that through human means or shifter. Once he was no longer a danger, she was free and clear to move forward with Doug. Taking a deep breath to calm her frayed nerves, she told herself, this would be easy peasy.

  Simon snorted. “I’ve seen Leon, he doesn’t have a chance.”

  Just as she felt empowered and sure the situation with her stalker was over and done with, Doug and Marcus crested the hill. Alone. Where the hell was Leon? Horror froze the breath in her lungs. Did she kill him?

  Not only were they alone, they were running full out across the meadow. When she threw out an arm to stop Doug from pulling her into his arms, he skidded to a halt a few steps from her. Tears swam in her eyes. “I killed him, didn't I?”

  A muscle twitched along his jaw. “No, Tamaali. You did not. He wasn't there. I found signs of the struggle and blood splatter, but Leon was gone.”

  He watched the love of his life emotionally crumble. Her gaze darted this way and that, expecting Leon to jump from the shadows. As her fears gained a foothold, her breath came in gasps, and tears flowed down her face. If he didn't do something quickly, Krystal would bolt from him again.

  Simon stepped back as Doug stepped into her space until all she could see was him and hauled her into his arms. His mouth hovered a breath above hers. “You won't run from me again, Krystal. Not now, not ever.” He sealed his declaration with a kiss.

  “Come on, Simon, let’s search the area for Leon. These two need a little alone time,” Marcus insisted and moved into the shadows.

  Doug tilted his head, slanting his lips over hers, coaxing and tempting until she was kissing him back. Her body softened against him, though he could feel the chaos in her thoughts. He cupped the nape of her neck and deepened the kiss, demanding she fully return to him. “I won't let him come between us. Leon is nothing but an inconvenience that I will rectify. He wants you to be afraid. Don't give him that power over you,” he murmured right before he took her mouth again.

  When her heart rate increased until it sounded like thunder, his tiger cuffed happily. Krystal's fear made the tiger anxious, itching to rend an
d tear someone to pieces. Amorous Krystal made his tiger playful and cuddly. Doug didn't know his tiger could be cuddly. His beast’s playfulness spilled over into him until he found himself nipping at her lower lip. When she giggled and nipped back, his beast sat up, its interest piqued.

  “Now that I know who is breaking into my house and defiling my clothes, I'm no longer afraid. I can handle a twerp like Leon. The only reason he got the jump on me tonight was because I wasn't expecting it.” She tightened her arms around his neck, melding their bodies until they became one. Doug was precisely what she imagined her knight in shining armor would be. He was big, strong, protective, thoughtful, patient, and hot as hell.

  She explored his mouth as he tasted hers. Krystal was in heaven, afloat on a cloud of pure feeling. At first, she thought she was imagining the earth moving under her feet. But then she found herself cradled against Doug's chest, held securely in his arms.

  She was getting into the kissing when he lifted his head, moving his delicious lips beyond her reach. “Hey! I wasn't done.”

  “Sweeter words, I've never heard. But we're standing on your cousin's porch, and I can hear him moving about inside. One last kiss, and then we need to go in before he comes out.”

  Before she could utter a word, his mouth was on hers, hot and demanding. Okay, she could go along with that plan. But then the kiss ended almost before it began. Krystal was genuinely frustrated, and she didn't like the feeling at all.

  Chuckling, Doug lowered her feet to the porch decking. “Don't worry, Tamaali, there's a lot more of that to come. Right now, we have to speak with your cousin about Leon.”

  Glowering at him despite his assurances, she touched her swollen lower lip with a trembling fingertip. “Your kisses should come with a warning printed in bold letters. Be sure you have a minimum of thirty minutes of uninterrupted time available before embarking on an encounter with Doug Dansby's kisses. Failure to follow said directions will result in high blood pressure and frustration without relief.”

  Doug barked out a laugh. “I'll make sure we have at least that much time when I kiss you again.” Resisting the urge to ease her frustration, he reached for the doorknob instead.

  Blowing out a shaky breath, she preceded him inside, coming face to face with a furious Lucas. “Umm… good morning?”

  “Where have you been?” he bellowed, stomping toward her from the other side of the room. “I heard someone moving around the house in the middle of the night and found you gone. Is that blood? Why are you bleeding? Kensie, check her over and make sure she’s okay.”

  Krystal held up her hands and waved Kensie away. “Calm down. I’m fine, I had a twisted ankle that’s healed already and hit my head on a rock. I’m not bleeding anymore and the dizziness subsided.”

  Doug pulled her closer, positioning his body in front of her, forcing her cousin to deal with him, and snarled. “She was with me.”

  “Then you can tell me why she left the safety of this house in the middle of the night and returned with blood all over her face.” Lucas snarled, going chest to chest with the sheriff.

  “More importantly, you can explain to my djairi how you missed the fact that you hired a wolf shifter without knowing it?” Doug snarled in a quiet, scarily calm tone. “While you’re at it, explain to her how his stalker tendencies slipped through your background check. Assuming you did a background check.” With each syllable, his growl deepened to menacing.

  “Dial back the alpha orders, Lucas,” Krystal demanded. “I suggest you stop aggravating my djairu. He’s a Bengal tiger and could wipe the floor with your wolfie ass.”

  “Okay, boys, that's enough. All of this chest thumping shit is very unattractive. Krystal and I don't care whose is bigger. Put your dick's back in your pants and sit the heck down,” Kensie insisted as she pushed Lucas into a chair.

  Krystal hid her grin when Lucas scowled at his mate but was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. Taking Doug's hand, she pulled him over to the couch.

  Kensie perched on the arm of Lucas's chair and clasped her hands together. The prim look was in complete contradiction to the vulgar words that had just spilled from her mouth. “So, Krystal, why don't you tell us why you got out of bed and left the house?”

  When Lucas started sputtering, Kensie held up a finger. “Not a word.”

  Lucas huffed out a breath and crossed his arms. That was a man pout if Krystal had ever seen one, and with four brothers, she'd seen plenty. “Let me start by showing you a text I got earlier.” Digging in her pocket, she pulled out her phone and brought up the text. Then she leaned forward to hand it off to Kensie.

  Lucas asked me to contact you.

  Sheriff Dansby injured by your stalker.

  We are in the meadow behind your cabin.

  After reading the three short lines, she frowned and handed it to Lucas.

  Lucas's brows pulled together, then they pulled even tighter. No doubt he reread the message a second time. Finally, he looked her in the eye. “I don't understand. I never left the house, so there's no way I found Doug injured. And I certainly didn't tell Leon to contact you.”

  Krystal reached for her phone when Kensie held it out to her. “Yeah, well, I didn't know that, did I? There was no reason for me to doubt the text, so I got dressed and went to the meadow expecting all of you to be there. Only, it was a setup. Once I realized that, I telepathically contacted Doug for help. In the meantime, Leon ambushed me, and I had to fight my way free.”

  Lucas exploded to his feet. “Leon attacked you!”

  “He did, but he came out of it worse than me. I left him out cold on the ground holding his balls.”

  He turned on Doug. “Is he dead? Tell me he's dead.”

  Grim-faced, Doug shook his head. “He was gone by the time I got there. I found blood splatter, but that was all. Marcus and Simon heard the fight and showed up as well. We left them to search the area for Leon.”

  “Son of a bitch!” Lucas began pacing, dragging his hands through his hair. “If they don’t find him, we go hunting at first light. The women will stay here with my little brother, Rylon. He can keep them safe if Leon gets past us. I want that bastard dead.”

  Doug nodded calmly, “I couldn't agree more. But you must know one thing that Krystal left out. Leon was likely sent here by her mother.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Lucas's glare landed on Krystal. “Is that true?”

  She shrugged. “The timing is too perfect. Right after my mother learns about Doug, Leon showed up looking for a job. A wolf shifter, Lucas. Do you really think it was a coincidence?”

  Lucas stopped pacing. “No.”

  “And then there is his scent. That wet dog meets old spice stink of his was his way of covering his natural scent. When he came after me tonight, he smelled completely different. Why would he cover his scent from the very beginning if he wasn’t sent here to cause trouble?”

  “Good point. He hid his shifter status from the get-go. Whatever was in that stink he wore must have had something in it that wiped out his shifter scent. I sat across my desk from him when he interviewed for a job and never scented shifter on him once. And now, Leon’s special cologne is going to complicate tracking him. We now have two scents to look for. I’m calling in reinforcements. I have to talk to my father, anyway. He will want to know about Lucinda’s part in Leon’s attack. While I have him on the phone, I’ll ask for help from the family. Marcus and Simon are here for Sheena’s protection, we can’t count on their availability.”

  Doug leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “How long will it take them to get here?”

  “If I call now?” He checked the time. “They'll be here by ten a.m., eleven at the latest.”

  “Okay. Until then, I'm staying here. As long as Leon is on the loose, Krystal will be protected,” Doug insisted.

  “Agreed. I'm going to make that call and then return to my nice warm bed. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and I'd rather
tackle that with more than three hours of sleep.”

  “I know you only have the one guestroom, and that's Krystal's. Do you mind if I sleep out here on your couch?” Doug asked nobly. He wouldn't assume privileges with Krystal prior to their bonding, especially under her cousin's roof.

  Krystal rolled her eyes at him. “You're not sleeping on the couch. I'm sure you can behave like a gentleman while sharing my bed.”

  When Doug looked to Lucas for his decision, Krystal snarled at him. “You did not just brush off my decision in favor of my male cousin's approval.”

  Unsure what to do, Doug glanced between Lucas and Krystal helplessly.

  Laughing, Kensie got to her feet. “Relax, Sheriff, it's not the nineteenth century. Women no longer need the male head of the household's permission to be with a man. Just keep Krystal safe while you both get some sleep. That's all we ask.” She walked over to Lucas and kissed his cheek before waving goodnight to them and heading for her bedroom. “I'll see you in a few minutes, mate.”

  Lucas grinned as his mate walked away. “What she said. Get some sleep. I'll talk to you in the morning.” Then he headed to his office.

  Doug watched him go. No doubt, he was calling his father. “Are you sure about sharing your bed?”

  Krystal rolled her eyes and got to her feet. Holding out her hand, she said, “Come on, big guy, I promise to be a good girl. The temptation to ravish you is great, but I'll keep my hands to myself.”

  Frowning, he took her hand. “Was that sarcasm I heard?”

  Krystal's brows popped in mock surprise. “Me? Sarcastic? Never.”

  Sixteen

  Krystal rolled her eyes in exasperation as she sorted laundry to start a load. Sheriff Doug wasn’t kidding when he said that as long as she was in danger, he would ensure her protection. Even now, he just agreed to help Lucas with the cattle so he would be close by. He’d only agreed to that limited separation from her so he could watch for Leon while driving cattle.