Krystal Le Beau

by V. A. Dold

  While she inched the bullet out, Doug and Leon danced around each other and not in a good way. Leon attempted to take another bite out of Doug, ducking and dodging her man’s teeth and claws while searching for a nonexistent opening. Each time the wolf got too close, the tiger raked its sides and face. At the rate they were going, Leon would be nothing but ribbons of flesh when they finished.

  She’d made good progress with the lead, and it was nearing the surface when every hair on her body stood on end. It seemed Leon had realized he couldn’t beat a beast three times his size. The tiger had no weaknesses he could capitalize on. At least the beast had no weaknesses. Doug, the man, had a huge weakness. Her.

  With that thought, she kept an even closer eye on the action. As long as Leon focused on Doug and not her, she could get the lead out, so to speak. Leon circled Doug again, but this time, the combatants fought their way her direction. Ah hell, she should have known her luck wouldn’t hold. On Leon’s next pass, she realized he was within striking distance of where she sat. Twelve feet still separated her from the men, but that was nothing for a wolf shifter. And his furious gaze was no longer on Doug. It was locked on her.

  Nick and Derick crouched in readiness. “If they get too close, step in and take the wolf down,” Nick said to his brother.

  Krystal knew Nick and Derick were new to the whole vampire thing and wasn’t sure they understood shifter speed, and she wasn’t going to die. Not here. Not now. She had a mate to claim. She hadn’t endured the mortification of her mother parading her in front of countless drooling wolf shifters to give up now.

  Watching Leon’s body language and eyes, a rush of adrenaline had Krystal on her feet. There was no doubt about it, his target had switched to her. Without a weapon, she was no match against either Leon the wolf or the man. When his body weight began to shift right, she leapt left.

  Simultaneously, Doug rammed his massive tiger head into Leon’s side, cracking ribs and catapulting the wolf at her like a heat-seeking missile.

  Nick and Derick made a grab for the wolf but missed the mark.

  Son of a—could her luck get any worse? Diving and rolling, she landed on her back with her feet pointing at the incoming projectile. Timing his descent, she kicked out with both feet, her heels colliding with his wolfy face, whiplashing his head back and away. It wasn’t until she regained her feet that she realized how stupid that was. If her aim had been even slightly off, she could be less one foot right now.

  Leon howled in pain, flailing about as he tried to clear his ringing head and get his feet under him.

  She tried to back away from his downed form, but she couldn’t quite dodge his spastic movements. Chancing a step to her left, her ankle was kicked hard, and she fell on top of the enraged beast. When his head jerked around to snap at his attacker, she avoided his teeth but took a nasty hit to the face that darkened her vision. She was near blacking out and temporarily blind, but she would also be dead if she stayed where she was. Pushing with all her might, she put space between her face and his snapping jaws. Every fiber of her being screamed for her to get away, but she couldn’t see which way was safe.

  Blinking hard to clear her eyesight, she managed a blurry image of dingy gray fur and teeth. Lots of long sharp teeth, but not enough clarity to manage a safe escape. So, instead, she dodged Leon’s hot breath again. Was that blood trickling down her cheek?

  “Damn it, Derick, get her off the damn wolf,” Nick yelled.

  “I’m trying,” Derick snarled back.

  Krystal prepared for additional painful wounds when Leon widened his jaws to bite off her entire face, but Doug was there. Strong arms peeled her from the downed wolf and whisked her away like an avenging angel. Lowering her legs to the ground, he placed his body between her and Mr. Snappy Teeth.

  Maintaining his human form, Doug snarled when Leon rolled to his feet.

  “Make one more move, and I’ll end you.” Pointing at the tree trunk she’d vacated minutes earlier, he demanded, “Sit over there. I’ve gone easy on you up to this point. But try anything, and you’ll see what a tiger can do when it’s in a killing mood.”

  Glowering, Leon slapped at the dirt on his jeans and limped to the tree. His acquiescence didn’t fool her. Her eyesight had cleared enough that she could see the glitter of reckless thoughts in Leon’s eyes. That idiot was going to do something stupid.

  With the wolf’s blood staining his skin and hair, Doug folded his arms, glared down at Leon, and demanded, “Who sent you?”

  A crunch of cowboy boots on the dry ground and a string of curses announced Lucas and Kensie’s arrival. Kensie rushed to her side as Lucas joined Doug. The instant Doug’s focus turned to Lucas, Leon made a bid for freedom. It was a short-lived effort, as Doug easily tackled the shifter, knocking Leon unconscious with a single punch.

  If ever there was a wolf shifter who needed killing, it was Leon. All it would take was a bite or slash to his throat. Doug’s long fangs and powerful jaws could clamp off an artery to end Leon’s life without breaking a sweat. Hell, her mate could give him one vigorous shake and break his neck. But somehow, she knew he wouldn’t do that.

  Nick glanced from Doug and Leon to smile at her. “It looks like things are under control here. We need to get back to our posts but won’t be far if things go sideways.” With a wave, the two vampires were gone.

  With the vampires gone, Krystal watched Lucas stomp toward Leon, stop mere feet from his unconscious body, and cross his arms over his chest. “Why didn’t you kill him? I would have put him down like a rabid dog.”

  “My people believe in love and redemption. We only take a life if no other option presents itself. There is always the possibility that an opponent will choose to correct their behavior and choose a higher path. We allow them that chance. When humanity reaches the fifth density, you will understand that.”

  Lucas shook his head. “If you say so. But I’ll have you know, the law clearly states that anyone who attacks one of the royal family is sentenced to death. As my cousin, Krystal, is royalty, he’s going to die one way or the other.”

  “Regardless, it won’t be by my hand.”

  With Leon out of commission and Lucas guarding him, Doug turned his full attention on Krystal. Horror filled his heart. She was covered in blood. How had he missed that? Standing a few feet away, he watched as Kensie worked on his djairi.

  Doug used both hands to rake back his hair. What the hell was wrong with him? His djairi was mortally wounded, and he hadn’t noticed. Leon had clouded his judgment in unforgivable ways. Krystal had to recover so he could beg her forgiveness.

  “Hey, Doug. Dumbass is awake again. What do you want me to do with him?” Lucas asked.

  “Give me a moment.” He crouched beside Krystal and looked Kensie in the eyes. “How is she?”

  “Much better than I expected.”

  “Thank God. I have to leave for a minute, but then I’ll be back.” He brushed a kiss across Krystal’s forehead and returned to the other men. “I’ll ask you one last time. Who sent you?”

  “I did,” Lucinda declared as she emerged from the tree line and walked over to them. “Of course, that was when I still had my powers.” She glared at Lucas. “After your dear father stripped me of my abilities, I tried to call him off. He ignored my calls.”

  When Lucinda turned on her heel and bore down on Krystal, Doug leapt in front of her, blocking her path. “You will deal with me.”

  Lucinda’s brows popped, and her nose wrinkled. “Get out of my way, mongrel.”

  Grinning at her misplaced insult, he leaned into his would-be mother-in-law. “Actually, I’m pureblood. You and all wolf shifter kind are the mongrels.”

  “Hey! Leave the rest of us out of the name-calling,” Lucas groused.

  “I meant no offense to you or your family, Lucas. I simply spoke the truth. You’re a mixture of several beings, which on Earth is defined as a mutt or mongrel. But that is neither here nor the
re. With the exception of Krystal’s mother and her lapdog over there, I’ve found all wolf shifters to be wonderful people.”

  Lucinda sputtered. “How dare you.”

  “Lady, you have no idea what I would dare, and I assure you, you never want to know what I’d dare to do to those who threaten my djairi.”

  Lucinda’s lip curl. She looked him up and down. “My daughter will mate with a cat over my dead body.”

  Laughing, Lucas pointed Krystal’s discarded pistol at Lucinda, “That can be arranged.” He smiled at Krystal and lifted her gun for her to see. “I found your favorite gun lying around in the dirt. Do you mind if I use it?”

  She smiled back. “Be my guest.”

  Snarling at Lucas, Lucinda folded her arms and narrowed her eyes.

  “The only person who has the right to deny my bond is my djairi,” Doug declared as he looked at Krystal over his shoulder, purposely speaking loud enough for her to hear. He needed to know if she would stand up to her mother and back him up.

  Krystal looked her mother in the eye, then glanced at Doug and crooked a finger. “Come here, Djairu.”

  Cocking a brow at Lucinda, he hissed, “Make any threatening moves, and I’ll put you down like the mongrel you are.” Then he did as Krystal asked.

  When he crouched beside her, she caught the nape of his neck, dragged him down to her, and fused their mouths together. “You are mine, Doug Dansby. I keep what’s mine. Don’t ever forget that,” she growled against his lips.

  Doug was basking in the love of his djairi when a couple he’d never seen before entered the meadow. He jerked back and leapt to his feet, ready to defend his woman.

  The man held up a placating hand. “Relax, Sheriff, we’re Krystal’s uncle and aunt from Louisiana.”

  “Uncle Isaac, Auntie Emma!” Krystal called out excitedly.

  “Hello, my sweet girl,” Emma said as she took up the spot Doug had vacated at Krystal’s side. Smiled gently, she asked, “Kensie, would you like a hand or extra healing energy?”

  “No, thank you, Emma. I’m almost finished.”

  Emma got to her feet. “Excellent, in that case, we’ll talk when you’re done. Krystal, are you doing okay?”

  Krystal grinned. “Sure, just peachy. Kensie has the most amazing energy.” She sighed and closed her eyes as the healer worked on her.

  Doug and Isaac squared off with Lucinda. “And, what are you doing here, Lucinda?” Isaac demanded.

  Lucinda raised her chin in an effort to look down her nose at Isaac. “I came to take my daughter home.”

  “I told you to stay out of her life. I won’t tell you again,” Isaac growled.

  “King or not, you can’t dictate what I do with my own daughter,” Lucinda spat back.

  “Ah, but I can. Would you prefer that I take away your magic permanently? That can be arranged.”

  Lucinda took a step back. “You wouldn’t dare!”

  “But I would,” he assured.

  “And if he doesn’t, I will,” Luperca stated as she materialized next to Isaac. “Interfere again, and I will return you to your homeworld without a true mate, Lucinda.” Cocking one brow, Luperca looked at Lucinda pointedly. “Of course, that is a conversation that has been a long time coming, hasn’t it, Lucinda?”

  Horror flickered across Lucinda’s face right before she spun on her heels and ran.

  “Well, that was fun,” Luperca said sarcastically. “That woman makes the belief that I should love all living beings very difficult to uphold.”

  Sighing, she went to stand at Krystal’s feet. “Hello, my child,” she said in greeting to Krystal before turning her gaze on him. “Douglas, I see you are well.”

  “I am. How have you been?” he asked in turn.

  “Busy. Very, very busy. Which is why I’m here. I need your help. Both of your help, to be quite frank,” she clarified, looking from one to the other.

  Krystal looked at Luperca with a quizzical expression. “Our help?”

  “Yes. I’ve been waiting for the two of you to bond.” She glared in the direction Lucinda had run. “Which, if I’m not mistaken, will happen shortly.”

  Luperca watched as Emma came to stand beside her mate, Isaac. “Good morning, Luperca. To what do we owe this honor?”

  “Good morning, Emma. I came to prevent Lucinda’s interference and have a serious conversation with Douglas and Krystal. I have a very important job for them. It will take her entire family’s help and support to complete the task. But that doesn’t worry me, you are always supportive of your people.”

  “Of course we’ll help,” Isaac insisted. “Whatever you and she need, just say the word.”

  “I’m very relieved to hear that because I’m about to turn your world upside down.”

  Doug watched the trio as they conversed in quiet tones, their expressions serious, then he squatted down beside Krystal once more and took her hand.

  Smiling sweetly at him, she quietly said, “I’m not restricted anymore.”

  He smoothed back her hair with his free hand. “Restricted by what?”

  “My mother.”

  Catching the hint she was giving, Doug sucked in a sharp breath.

  “I love her, I do, but she’s…” she searched for the right word to describe her mother.

  He found himself smiling. She was adorably speechless. “The evil witch of the west?”

  Krystal choked back a laugh. “More like the devil incarnate. But she is my mother. There’s a saying, you may love someone and not like them? Or something like that. Anyway, that’s my relationship with my mother in a nutshell.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Doug’s voice was gentle, his eyes even more so. “No daughter should ever have to feel that way about her mother.”

  “Thank you. But don’t worry, I was over the mother-daughter relationship a long time ago.” Taking a breath, she smiled brightly and whispered, “I love you, Doug Dansby, and I don’t want to spend one more day without you.”

  His heart simultaneously ached and soared, as if his emotions were riding a rollercoaster. He was torn between worry and excitement. “I’m sure you mean what you’re saying but, Tamaali, you’re injured. The Bonding rites can be… vigorous. I’m sure you’ll need to recuperate for a day or two. Won’t you?”

  “Pfff, I’ll be perfectly healthy in, what, Kensie?” She turned her head to look at her cousin’s mate and waited for an answer.

  “Two minutes, give or take,” Kensie answered as she continued to stitch Krystal’s wound psychically, never losing her focus.

  Doug flowed into her thoughts, loving her, cherishing her, grateful she was choosing him. At the same time, his tiger purred joyfully.

  Krystal bit her lip adorably and gave him a sexy smile. Are we really going to do this today? She asked telepathically.

  He cupped her face with both hands. Absolutely. I’ve been ready since the moment I laid eyes on you. But first, we need to go over the bonding ritual and whatever you do when mating. I think we need to combine the two.

  Yeah, I guess we need to figure that out. Her nose scrunched up. Do you think it’ll work, seeing as our claimings are so different?

  Of course, it will. If we have to, we’ll do two separate claimings.

  “Excuse me,” Doug called out to the Luperca and the shifter royal couple. “If I may ask, do you know what we need to do to complete the bond? Do we combine our two claiming rituals?”

  Luperca shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. As a fifth density being, your bonding rites supersede Krystal’s claiming. You can do both if it pleases you, but you only need to do the one.”

  Turning a delicate shade of pink, Krystal said, “Thank you.”

  Clearing his throat, Isaac glanced at Lucas, then Doug. “Are you two good here without us?”

  “No problem, Dad. But before you go, what should I do with the trash?” he asked, nudging Leon with his booted toe.

  “Secure
him in the barn. I’ll have an interrogation team retrieve him later today. I want him questioned before I make a final decision of what to do about Lucinda’s behavior.”

  Every geographic area of the world had hand-selected and specially trained shifters who acted as interrogators when needed. The last thing a shifter who had committed a severe crime wanted was to be turned over to them. Talking wasn’t an option.

  Emma raised a hand and waved. “We’ll see you all at the main house when the…” she paused to wink at Krystal, “festivities are completed.” With that, the king and queen of the shifters left with Luperca to discuss her needs.

  Eighteen

  Kensie opened her eyes and rocked back on her heels. “You’re as good as new. You did a good job working that bullet out. It was smart using the same wound it drove through upon entering your body. That minimized the damage.”

  Krystal shrugged. “It only made sense. The pain would have been unbearable forcing the bullet out any other way.”

  Doug helped Krystal to her feet, then held out his hand to Kensie. “Thank you, Kensie. I owe you more than I can repay.”

  She waved him off. “This is just another day in the life of the Le Beau clan.”

  Lucas yanked Leon to his feet. “You two have fun, we’ll see you at dinner.” With a suggestive wink, he grabbed the back of Leon’s neck and marched him from the meadow with Kensie at his side.

  “Finally, alone,” Doug teased. “I love you with my entire heart and soul, Krystal Le Beau.”

  Brushing dirt and grass from her clothing, she smiled at him. “What are you going to do about that?”

  “I’m going to rock your world.” Without warning, he swept her off her feet.

  She squeaked in surprise. But he just grinned, entirely pleased with himself as he strode across the meadow, heading straight for her cabin, “I can walk, you know.”

  “No.”