by T. S. Ryder
"No." Scarlet shook her head. "You're right, it would take more than just your wealth to change the world, but you could change thousands of lives. But I think this is a conversation for another time. Where am I going to sleep?"
A slow smile curled Max's lips. There was a gleam in his eye that made Scarlett's heart beat faster and a flush rise in her cheeks. So he was hoping to change her mind on the no-sex rule. That must be why he’d chosen such a racy play. She lightly smacked his arm.
"Don't you recall the rule I made about—"
"I remember," he interrupted. "But did I agree?"
His hand rested on her knee, sliding her skirt up her thigh. Scarlett had to stop herself from shivering at his light touch, a fire lighting in her belly. What would Hao say about this? Was it turning too much into a confidence scheme? Her insides quivered when Max's hand stopped inches too soon.
No, because I'm not using my relationship to steal anything. We're just redefining the rules of our agreement
"You agreed," she said, but her voice trembled with desire. "I suppose one tiny exception wouldn't hurt—"
Max was on his feet in an instant, hiking her skirt up so he could spread her thighs around his hips. His mouth was on hers, turning her into hot jelly, but Scarlett didn't care. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his mouth closer. She loved the sensation of his hard chest against her.
He easily lifted her from the stool and carried her up the loft stairs to the bed.
Chapter Four
A sliver of light peeking through the blackout curtains woke Scarlett. She yawned and rolled over. When she didn't bump into a big, strong man, she patted the bed, looking for Max. Nothing. Cracking an eye open revealed she was in the bed alone.
Odd. In the three months that she and Max had been together, he had never gotten up before her. The man liked his sleep.
Yawning, Scarlett climbed out of bed and hunted for the clothes she'd shed the previous night. It still amazed her that, even after three months, Max was just as wild in bed as he had been the first time they were together.
Together in bed, she corrected herself. He's great to have some fun with but it would never work long-term between us.
She tried to ignore the pang of regret that hit her when she considered that they'd only keep up this charade for another seven months. Though Max clearly enjoyed having her company (especially at night, a voice in the back of her head whispered) he hadn't made any indication that he was looking to legitimize their relationship. Not that she wanted it legitimized. She still held the belief that nobody had a right to be as rich as Maximillian Barnes when there were children going hungry or drinking dirty water, and that was a deal breaker for any relationship they could have.
But maybe if I was part of this world, I could encourage more change to happen…
With a groan, Scarlett shook her head. Above all else, a gentlewoman was logical and precise. She did not throw out her hard-earned reputation and skills for flights of fancy. A man like Barnes could have any woman he wanted. He was probably only sleeping with her because she’d told him that she wasn't going to.
Men who had everything were like that. As soon as they were told no they wanted the shiny new toy, even if they hadn't so much as glanced at it before. Scarlett was just that, a shiny new toy, and she was fine with that because that was all Max was to her as well. At least, that was what she kept trying to tell herself. Even if that wasn't the case, how much change could she encourage?
She yanked on her clothes–designer jeans and a tailored top Max had bought for her; he insisted that if people were going to believe she was his fiancée, she had to look the part, and that meant wearing socks that cost fifty dollars each–and left the bedroom. Maybe Max was in the kitchen helping Vanessa make breakfast. It surprised her that a man with as much muscle on his body as Max had a mostly vegetarian diet, but she hadn't seen him eat meat since she arrived. Eggs and dairy products were all staples, but no meat.
Her musings were cut short by the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned, smiling–and found herself staring down the barrel of a semiautomatic gun. Adrenaline flooded her system and she had to force herself not to run. The man holding the gun was wearing a black ski mask, and as Scarlett raised her hands to show she wasn't armed, he shoved the gun into her stomach. Her heart clenched and she swallowed back a curse word.
Has Madoc finally found out who I am? This wasn't necessarily him–she'd already be dead if it was, wouldn't she? Stay calm.
"You're not going to give me any trouble, are you?" the masked man asked.
She shook her head.
"Good."
He spun her around, clapping a hand on her shoulder while keeping the gun buried in her ribs. They marched down the hallway silently. Scarlett let the man set the pace, not wanting to set him off. There was no hesitation in his hold on the gun. He was clearly a professional. Even if she could disarm him, he'd have friends around. She wouldn't make it to the front door before getting gunned down. Especially if they had been sent by Madoc.
Soon they were in the kitchen. Vanessa and Max were both kneeling on the floor, their hand behind their heads. A look of relief crossed Max's face when she was put beside them. There were two other men holding guns on them, and one of them slipped out of the room after nodding to the others.
"Are you all right?" Max asked under his breath.
Scarlett nodded, then glared at the two masked men. "So why are you here? Robbing the place?"
The one who had brought her in laughed. "Nothing gets past you, does it, sugar?"
His companion chuckled as though the man had made a hilarious joke. Scarlett straightened her spine, looking the two men up and down. These men, at least, thought that this was a robbery. Perhaps it had nothing to do with Madoc after all. Scarlet thought of the beautiful tiara in Max's safe. Her hands clenched as she realized that these brutes would not respect the workmanship or sentimental attachment it held.
"You are barbarians," she said narrowing her eyes. "You come in here with guns, terrorizing us. Is that part of the thrill? Do you also like kicking puppies and making babies cry?"
"Listen, sugar, you keep that pretty mouth closed or I'll find a proper use for it," her captor said, toying with the zipper on his pants in a suggestive manner.
Scarlett's stomach churned, but she clenched her jaw, refusing to give in to her fear. Max growled deep in his chest, the sound shockingly animalistic. Both guards turned to him, pointing their weapons at him.
"Got something to say?"
"Men like you are the reason society will fall," Scarlett interrupted, as Max opened his mouth. She had the uncomfortable feeling that he would say or do something that would only end in violence. "Men conflating violence and sex, contributing to the sexual objectification of women—"
She bit back the rest of what she was going to say when a gun was pressed to her chest. Her heart dropped, feeling like it had stopped beating for a moment. The eyes staring at her through the ski mask narrowed and the man grabbed a handful of her hair.
"Shut your mouth. You sound just like that Kitty Cat burglar. I tell you," he continued, releasing her and stepping back, "I'd like to find her in a house. I'd turn her over a table and show her what sexual objectification is! Maybe I'll practice on you, sugar."
He reached for her breast but, even as Scarlett shied away from his hand, a deafening roar rang through the kitchen. Max surged to his feet, his mouth wide open. Scarlet stared in fascination and horror as fangs sprouted in his mouth, one pair from the top, the other from the bottom. The roar continued as brown fur sprouted over his body and his already muscular arms swelled to three times their size.
In seconds a gorilla was on the two men. Giant hands grabbed their throats. One was thrown across the room, while the gorilla–Max–bit into the other man's neck. There was a crunching noise. The man screamed. Max threw him into the cupboards, splintering the wood. The second gunman scrambled to his feet, pointing his weapon wildl
y. Max launched himself across the room, a clenched fist colliding with the man's face.
He crumpled and Max pounded the man's chest, swinging his arms above his head, bringing the backs of his hands down. Scarlett couldn't look away as the man’s ribs cracked. The man's chest collapsed like a sinkhole. The gorilla still pounded the body.
At the sound of a gun, Scarlett's mind reeled. She couldn't breathe. Max vaulted across the room. Grabbed the other gunman. Snapped his neck. Dropped the body. Turned to her.
Blood dripped down his abdomen. He'd been shot. As the gorilla–massive, covered in dark brown fur, with a patch of silver on his back–came towards her, she scrambled away. The gorilla stopped. His form blurred, changing back into the Max she had come to know.
It was all too much for Scarlett. Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head, and she gladly collapsed into unconsciousness.
Chapter Five
Scarlett clutched a blanket around her shoulders, shivering. She hadn't stayed unconscious long, just long enough for Max to make a sweep of the house. She woke to him carrying her to the sofa in the den. If it wasn't for the blood dribbling from his side, she would have been tempted to think it was just a dream.
She swallowed dryly, remembering the pounding hands, the sound of bones cracking. How could somebody as gentle as she knew Max to be also have that level of violence in him? Beating a man to death with his bare hands…
He was protecting me, she reminded herself, for what seemed like the millionth time. That was the only reason she wasn't running, screaming, to the police about what she had seen. The thought of what could have happened if Max hadn't been there made her feel sick, and she had to close her eyes and breathe in deep to avoid passing out again.
This is ridiculous. I'm not some swooning woman from the Victorian age who succumbs to the vapors.
But at the moment, she half-wanted to be able to collapse back into oblivion. There were things that she just didn't want to think about that had happened that day…
Max turning into a gorilla was at the top of her list.
Maybe I was hallucinating because I was so afraid. Maybe I'm not remembering clearly now because I'm in shock.
She pulled the blanket tighter around herself when Vanessa came into the room, shaking her head. Without a word, the elderly housekeeper checked Scarlett's pulse and temperature, then clucked her tongue. Scarlett suddenly wondered if she could also turn into a gorilla and beat people to death and shied away from her, stomach starting to churn.
"Don't be afraid," Vanessa crooned, patting her hair in an oddly comforting gesture. "You're safe with Max, dear."
Scarlett swallowed hard. "He can turn into a gorilla."
"Yes."
"How long have you known?"
"Since he was three. He is in full control of his abilities, Scarlett, and I can promise he would never harm you. He's a gentleman. He wants to see you, if you'll go to him."
Scarlett shivered. What was a gentlewoman supposed to do in this situation? Well, go and see her lover, of course. Perhaps it was time to stop being a gentlewoman. She closed her eyes, trying to quell the queasiness in her stomach. If she didn't go to Max now, would she ever be able to look at him again? Could she go to him, though, now that she knew what he was capable of?
"I know this is frightening," Vanessa said, patting her hand. "And you're in shock. It's a lot to witness all at once, especially after we were attacked and had guns pointed at us. But Max is a good man. You have seen that for yourself. He could have had you arrested that day you tried to rob him, but he thought you deserved a chance to explain yourself."
"He wanted a fake fiancée," Scarlett muttered. "And then he seduced me."
Vanessa shook her head. "I've seen the way you look at him. He didn't have much seducing to do."
Well, that was the truth. There was no use denying it. Scarlett sighed, unfolding her limbs. She wanted answers, if nothing else. Like when Max had been planning on tell her that he could turn into a gorilla. If there were others like him. If it was contagious, if she was going to start sprouting fur now.
She wasn't going to get those answers if she refused to see him.
Scarlett pulled the blanket tighter around herself as Vanessa led her back to the kitchen. Max was lying on the table. He was too tall for it, and so it had been pulled over to the counter so his feet could rest on there. He was shirtless, a pack of bloody bandages pressed to his abdomen. Scarlet glanced around. The attackers were nowhere to be seen.
"So what are we going to tell the police when they come?" she asked, trying to bolster her quailing courage.
"They're not going to come," Max replied. His skin was awfully pale. Despite herself Scarlett stepped forwards, wanting to help him. "I have… friends who will take care of… what happened."
"Friends."
Vanessa bustled over to him, carrying a bottle of rubbing alcohol and fresh gauze. "Stay still, Max, unless you want us to tie you down. This is going to hurt and I don't want to cause more damage."
"I can stay still." Max's gaze didn't leave Scarlett. "You asked me why I need all the money I have. Well, situations like this are on the top of my list. I need the resources to be able to cover up… what I am."
The hesitant look in his eyes had Scarlett straightening. She realized she had been huddled into herself, and took a deep breath to calm herself before swinging around a chair to sit next to him. Vanessa was peeling back the soiled bandages, but Scarlett refused to look at that. Blood made her queasy. How Vanessa could be so calm about it, she didn't know.
"What exactly are you?" Scarlett asked, her voice no-nonsense and far more confident than she had thought it would be.
Max smiled wanly. "You know how there is a trend in paranormal romances to have the love interest be able to transform into an animal of one kind or another? Werewolves, werebears, etc.?"
"I don't really read romances. I prefer biographies and the classics, like Shakespeare."
"Of course you do." Max barked out a laugh that sounded more like a cry of pain. Sweat beaded his forehead. "Well, I'm a weregorilla. It's all completely voluntary, so you don't have to worry about me turning into a bloodthirsty monster."
"Gorillas aren't monsters," Scarlett said automatically. "They're gentle and shy."
"I'm not a gorilla, though," Max replied, his voice and gaze both soft. "And I'm not human. I'm… I'm not sure what I am. My mother was a shifter like me, but my father wasn't. He never wanted to hear anything about where she came from, and so I never… she promised that she'd tell me when I turned eighteen, but…"
"But she died."
"Yes. And I don't know her side of the family that well, so answers are hard to come by."
"And I am going to turn into one now, too?"
He shook his head. "It's genetic, not a virus."
Scarlett hesitated, then took his hand. He was the same man as before, wasn't he? "Shouldn't we get you to a hospital?"
"He'll be fine, dear. I was a doctor in my younger days, and my hands are still steady enough to remove a bullet." Vanessa held up something. There was blood all over her latex gloves and Scarlett closed her eyes. She felt the color drain from her face.
"I'll be fine," Max assured her, squeezing her hand. "I'm not human. I heal at an incredibly accelerated pace."
"You were shot."
"Not the first time," Max grunted, as Vanessa poured rubbing alcohol directly into his wound.
Scarlett thought she was going to faint again, and it took all of her strength not to vomit. She kept telling herself over and over that a gentlewoman did not release bodily fluids in the presence of others. She didn't care if she didn't feel much like a gentlewoman at the moment. It was all that was keeping her stomach contents in place.
"You've been shot before?" she blurted.
"I told you was in the marines for a while." Max panted, sweat coating his pale face. "Once I got separated from the rest of my squad. Took a bullet to the back. It was healed before I
made it back to the others. Had to come up with one hell of an excuse as to why I had a bullet hole and was soaked in blood but didn't have a scratch on me. The bullet was later removed from where it was lodged in my heart. Right in it. I should have died, but weregorillas are damned hard to kill."
"Please don't curse," Scarlett said automatically. Her mind was racing at this new information. This all ought to be impossible, yet treating it as reasonable fact was the only way she could think of to process it. "So this wound will be healed in a few hours?"
"Less, since Vanessa removed the bullet and stitched me up."
"I see."
Vanessa slapped some gauze onto Max's abdomen and began cleaning up the mess. Max lay still, panting with pain, though the pallor on his cheeks was already retreating. Her hand was still in his, and Scarlett stood, using her free hand to stroke his hair back from his face.
"So is this why you needed a fake fiancée?"
Max's massive shoulders tensed. His eyes flickered open. "Is what?"
She hesitated, then gestured vaguely around the kitchen. "What happened here today? Were those men after you? Or were they just robbing you? Did they know you were…"?
Max shook his head. "I don't think so. But how they got in is of concern. I have security measures… I'll have to look into that. Maybe I'll fire my whole security team, in case it was an inside job. This is one of the drawbacks of not being able to call in the police, you have to do all your own investigations—"
"Is it because you can turn into a gorilla?"
No answer.
Scarlett took her hand from Max's, her head starting to spin again. "The reason who don't have a real fiancée. A real girlfriend, even. Is it because you can turn into a gorilla?"
"Yes." Max stared up at her. "Vanessa is the only one who knows, aside from my mother's family. I couldn't tell anybody else because I know that once they find out what I am, they'll be afraid. They'll leave. And when somebody is so afraid of me that they leave, then maybe they'll tell somebody else, and my secret will be out. Now, maybe I'm rich enough that I can protect myself from public knowledge. But what if somebody in the government decides that I'm a threat simply for existing? What if… so that's why I can't tell anybody."
