Hunger Awakened (The Feral Book 1)

by Charlene Hartnady

  “Not going to happen.” Flip, her eyes were filling with tears. “Please leave!” she half-yelled.

  “But we—”

  “Go!” There was a sharp edge to her voice. “I don’t want to be with you. I don’t want to move to your home or have your eggs. I eat eggs, remember?” She needed him gone and right now.

  “Okay.” Talon stood up. “I’m sorry to hear that. Take care of yourself, Vicky,” he spoke softly. “Are you sure …?”

  “I’m sure!” she snapped. “Just go!”

  Talon nodded once. He turned slowly and began to walk, almost dragging his feet. For a second she was tempted to shout to him to stay but she held back, pursing her lips together instead. Thankfully he didn’t turn around, because if he had, he would have seen her tears. She was an idiot. The biggest idiot alive.

  Chapter 24

  One month later …

  There was a knock at her door. Vicky hated that she still thought of him every time her phone rang. Every time someone knocked.

  Every time. Without. Fail!

  All the time. Too often. Even now when she’d ordered herself a pizza ‒ she deserved it after this morning’s workout at the boxing gym ‒ yes, she still went and still thought of him.

  Pathetic!

  She hated that she harbored feelings for someone who saw her merely as a vessel. A business decision really. Someone to repopulate his species.

  There were positives to the whole thing. If she really looked hard. At least Talon had been honest, unlike her ex …

  She pulled the door open. “Jeff.” Vicky frowned as she caught sight of him. His facial hair, make that his hair in general, was overgrown and scruffy. His shirt untucked. His eyes bloodshot. He looked nothing like himself and it caught her off guard.

  “Hello, Victoria.” Jeff smiled. He looked exhausted. He looked like shit.

  “Oh! What are you doing here?” Her tone was clipped.

  “I really need to talk to you, please.” He widened his eyes. “I have a business opportunity you’ll definitely be interested in.”

  “I’m not interested.” Who did this asshole think he was? Vicky began to close the door “Thanks for thinking of me but—”

  He slipped his foot between the door and the jamb, so that she couldn’t get it closed. “Bitch,” he growled, using his elbow to barge his way in.

  Vicky stumbled back. Jeff’s eyes had this wild look. The door slammed behind him as he advanced on her. “You must be so happy? So proud of yourself.”

  “What are you talking about?” Vicky took a step back for every step he took towards her.

  “I told you I didn’t want our marriage to end.” He stabbed a finger at her. “That was your choice.”

  “Yes, forgive me for not being able to move on after you had an affair. I tried. We went to counseling." She could see that she wasn't getting through. "You had sex with someone else. Forget sex, you started a full-on relationship."

  “Who would blame me? Did you actually look in the mirror back then? Lard-fucking-ass. Yet,” he looked her up and down, “look at you now. Just look at you. You must be loving every goddamn minute of this. Seeing me in the gutter.”

  He looked nuts. Completely off his rocker. It terrified her. “Have you been drinking?” She couldn’t smell alcohol. “Do you need me to call you a cab?” She needed to get him out of her house.

  “You leave me and get back in shape. You’ve always had a decent pair of tits and now you’ve got an ass to match. If you think divorcing me means I’m any less married to you, you’re wrong.”

  She didn’t like the way he was looking at her. Like he owned her.

  “Please leave.” Her voice shook.

  “You spoke to that fucking, lying bitch,” he muttered. “All the same. Can’t believe you bought her bullshit. Then again, you always were so gullible.” He said the last more to himself.

  Vicky didn’t like where this was going. “Can I call your brother? Michael—”

  “You were the one who told her to press charges,” he spat, sticking his finger in her face. “She’s too stupid to have come up with something like that on her own. I might go to jail. Fucking jail. Me.” He widened his eyes. “Do I look like a criminal?”

  “You hit your fiancée. You could have hurt your child.” It was wrong to goad him right now, but she couldn’t stop herself. Jeff was an even bigger prick than she ever realized.

  “That brat is not mine! It’s not!” he yelled.

  Good. Maybe one of her neighbors would hear. Although, it was the middle of a weekday. Everyone would be at work.

  “You are the reason my business is in the toilet and the reason she left me. How else did she know about that message I sent you.”

  This was typical Jeff. Blaming everyone but himself. “Maybe you shouldn’t beat up on women. Maybe you shouldn’t lie and cheat. You brought this on yourself. What happened to you? You were always a dick, but this is a new low.”

  “Dick. You want dick?” He gripped himself. “I can show you dick. The way I figure, you owe me and I’m still your goddamn husband!” He was shouting.

  Jeff gripped her shoulder, he pushed her towards the living room area. His other hand was still between his legs. When he went to push her again, she reacted, blocking him with one hand and punching him with the other.

  Ouch! It hurt without the gloves. Jeff staggered back. If nothing else, the look of shock on his face was payment enough for the throbbing of her knuckles. The blood that dripped down his chin was the cherry on the top. That gave her sweet satisfaction.

  It didn’t last. “Bitch!” Rage warped his features. “You’re going to pay for that,” he snarled as he lunged for her.

  Vicky side-stepped and kicked at his knee. Jeff also moved, deflecting the blow somewhat. She still connected though and he howled, back-handing her. It was hard enough that she tasted blood, but not so hard as to dull her senses. Vicky had a feeling she was going to need each and every one of those to get through this. Jeff outweighed her by a ton.

  The door crashed open. As in, it hung off one of the hinges. Talon roared as he entered the room. If she had thought Jeff’s eyes were wild, she was wrong. Talon’s were … feral. His species was aptly named. Within half a second, he had his hand wrapped around Jeff’s throat. Had Jeff dangling like a puppet. Talon was squeezing enough to block the air to Jeff’s lungs but not so hard as to break his neck. Jeff choked, sputtered and kicked. All useless at the end of Talon’s long arm.

  Talon turned his gaze to hers and it softened somewhat. “Are you okay?” He assessed her, his eyes moving up and down.

  “I’m fine.” She nodded.

  “Are you sure?” His gaze moved to Jeff. “I see he is bleeding. Did you hit him?” Talon sort of smiled.

  Jeff was making choking noises, his face was red, his eyes wide.

  “Yes.” She nodded. “I kicked him as well.”

  “I’m glad you have been practicing,” Talon said, pride evident in his voice. Despite everything, his obvious approval warmed her.

  Up until now, Jeff had been grabbing at Talon’s hands. Now they fell away, his eyes clouding. The red of his skin turning to more of a blue.

  “You should let him go, unless you want him to die.”

  Talon’s eyes hardened. “I do. He was going to hurt you and for that he must give up his life.”

  “As much as I would love to see you strangle him to death, it is considered a crime. You can’t murder him.” She shook her head.

  Talon shrugged and let go. “If it is a rule, then so be it.” She knew that would work. He was a stickler for following the rules.

  Jeff fell into a crumpled heap on the floor. For a couple of seconds, Vicky thought he might be dead. Then he took a breath and another. They sounded ragged and wheezing.

  “What do you want me to do with him?” Talon asked. “I can take him back to my home. Deal with him there on my terms. Our rules are harsh when it comes to males like this. He’ll wish I killed h
im clean and neat.”

  “No, please,” Jeff croaked, his breath coming in labored wheezes. He began to crawl towards the door.

  “No, that’s fine. He will most likely go to jail soon anyways. I just want him out of my house.”

  “No problem.” Talon picked Jeff up using one hand around the back of his neck. It was impressive to watch. Jeff scrabbled wildly with his legs, trying to find purchase. Although he was yelling, it came out sounding like more of a croak. Vicky couldn’t find it in herself to feel sorry for him.

  Talon said something to Jeff that sounded very much like a threat. Something along the lines of taking him home, hanging him by his balls and killing him slowly if he ever went near her again. Jeff was crying – tears and all ‒ by the time Talon closed the door.

  Talon turned back to her, his eyes solemn. The only thing Vicky could think of was what a sad, sad excuse for a woman she was. Her heart still beat faster at the sight of him.

  “Are you sure you are okay?” His eyes bore into hers.

  “Yes.” The inside of her mouth felt a bit raw at the back where her molar had sliced her cheek open and her knuckles still throbbed, but otherwise she was fine.

  “Good.” Talon walked to the door.

  “Wait.”

  He turned back.

  “Thank you for helping me,” she blurted.

  He nodded once. “I will fix the door.” Talon lifted it back onto the hinge. “I see the wood is cracked, I can get you a new one. I’ll fit it while you are at work.”

  “No, that’s fine. I’ll take care of it.” She exhaled. “What were you doing here? How did you know I was in trouble? How did you know I’ve been practicing, like you taught me?” Vicky had more questions, but she forced herself to stop there.

  Talon shook his head. “I would rather not say. I don’t think you would understand.”

  “Try me.”

  “I have been watching you.” He said it so matter-of-factly.

  “Watching me how?” He was right, she didn’t understand. “Why would you watch me?”

  “If I can’t be with you, then I must be near you. It is my duty to keep you safe.”

  “You don’t have to watch me and follow me. In fact, there are human rules against that sort of thing. Anyway, a duty is a hardship.” She hated the idea of him having to carry out some stupid duty. Maybe another silly rule or regulation of theirs?

  “Trust me when I tell you that it is no hardship.” Talon shrugged. “You will never know I am there unless there is a situation and it can’t be helped. Like today.”

  “But why? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “To make sure that you are always protected. You are mine, Vicky.”

  “Argh!” She massaged her temples with the tips of her fingers. “Here we go again. You can’t follow me around. I’m not yours Talon. We spoke about this. I’m not a possession. I’m a person. You can’t own me.”

  “Why not?” He frowned. “I told you how things work with my people. It’s not that I own you like I would a possession. A thing. You are not a thing to me. It doesn’t work like that. I am just as much yours as you are mine. I need to be close to you, even if I can’t ever have you. Maybe you were right and we are too different for that to make sense to you.” His jaw tightened.

  “But you wouldn’t be able to be yourself, to shift and to be amongst your people. You wouldn’t have a life.”

  “I am okay with that, as long as you are happy and safe.”

  “No, I want you to be happy too, Talon. You can’t follow me around and be happy. You just can’t.”

  Talon shrugged. “It is true that I would be happiest at your side. I’ve had this tightening in my chest since you sent me away but seeing you, even from afar, makes me warm inside. If you insisted that I went back to my people, I would honor your wishes but … my life is with you one way or another. If you sent me away, I …” He looked up at the ceiling. She could see that he was trying to come up with the right words.

  “You’d be sad?”

  “Yes.” He nodded. “I would be sad. I miss you, Vicky. I would miss you even more if you sent me away.”

  “Why couldn’t you have said all this when you came here last time? You told me you wanted to impregnate me. That the only reason you wanted me was so that I could continue your species.”

  Talon shook his head. “I was so excited at everything the elder said that I rushed here to share it with you. I pretty much told you what he told me. I hadn’t thought things through very well. I’m not even sure I ever want to try to have children again, because of what happened to Lark. I should not have said that.”

  “When I asked you about feelings, you said they weren’t important.”

  “They’re not.” He made an anguished noise. “This is coming out all wrong, all over again. We belong together. I don’t feel happy unless I have you at my side. The thought of another male …” He made that growling noise she’d grown to recognize. “If that is what you want though, I will have to accept it.”

  “It’s not what I want.” She smacked the side of his arm. “I love you. I’m so in love with you that I can’t think straight. I’ve spent the last few weeks thinking you saw me as a … way to continue your species. As a—”

  “That’s not it at all. I was so happy we could be together. Love …” He looked thoughtful. “Is that the warm feeling I get when I look at you?” He cupped her cheek. “The tightening in my chest?”

  She nodded. “I think it might be. We humans call it love.”

  “We call it …” He made a weird kind of twittering noise. “You should go and paint your chest now.”

  “Paint my chest?” What on earth…?

  Talon nodded. “It is customary for a female to paint her chest before a male mates her.”

  “I’m not ready to take such a big step.” Vicky laughed. “I was thinking we could spend lots of time together. We need to get to know each other a whole lot more. There is so much I don’t know about you.”

  Talon smiled. “Maybe we could practice mating until such time as you are ready.” He lifted his brows. “Maybe you will allow me to stand at your side and to warm your bed until then. I would like nothing better than getting to know everything about you.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. “We’ll kiss too.”

  “I have a feeling there’ll be lots of kissing.” She threaded her arms around his neck. “I can’t believe you’ve been shadowing me all this time.”

  “Well, I have.” Talon made another twittering noise. “That means I am in love with you, Vicky.”

  There was a loud meow. Olly rushed over and snaked between their legs. He rubbed against their calves, purring loudly. “It looks like someone might have missed you more than me.”

  Talon reached down and stroked her cat. “I missed you too, Olly.” Then he made that rumbly noise from deep in his chest. It made Oliver purr louder. The tom arched his back into Talon’s hand.

  “Looks like my cat approves.” Vicky smiled.

  Chapter 25

  Great wings flapped noiselessly in perfect unison. Feathers glinted in the late morning sun. There was a group of them. Ten or twelve, with one who stood out at the head of the formation. He was the leader.

  Even though they were still far away, she knew it was Talon.

  Her heart raced faster and she found herself grinning like an idiot. He’d only been gone for three days. You would swear it was three months. It was hard to imagine how her life had changed in such a short time. Just a few months ago, she didn’t believe love existed anymore. She’d lost all hope. Now look.

  The group came closer and closer before slowly descending and landing. It amazed her how silent they were, considering their enormous bulk. Must be the soft pads on those giant back legs. Talon hovered in the air for a few more seconds before landing as well. His head turned to her. Those amazing eyes of his catching hers. Her stomach gave a clench.

  Then he raised his head and screeched on
ce. The sound deafening, commanding. It lifted the hairs on her arms and the air buzzed with energy. The now all too familiar sounds of cracking filled the air as they changed back into their human forms. It took all of two seconds for the transformation to happen. If she had blinked too long, she would have missed it.

  Talon yelled a couple of commands. Vicky wasn’t sure exactly what they were because she was too busy ogling him. She didn’t think she’d ever get sick of just looking at him. All that bronzed skin and all that hard muscle. To think he was all hers.

  Talon turned towards her, the males he had just commanded scattering. The grin on his face had her breath catching in her lungs. She smiled back and waved.

  Talon was right. This place was rustic, barren and desolate, but he was also right in that it was beautiful and untouched. It was also, as of recently, her home. It was going to take some adjusting but she knew she was going to be happy here. Her home was wherever he was. The big, gorgeous shifter striding towards her was her home, her heart, her everything.

  He broke into a jog as he got closer. Those intense eyes of his on her. His smile was gone, he had that pinched, brooding look she knew really well.

  “Did you miss me, Bright Eyes?” she asked as he swept her up in his arms.

  “Did I ever.” His voice was deep, his vocal cords still thick after the shift. She squealed as her feet left the ground and his arms banded tightly around her. “I need to get you back to the tower. I need you so badly.” He kissed her hard and deep.

  “I need you too.”

  Then he was pulling away and changing. Shedding his human skin easily. The air felt like it shifted as he did. With a screech, Talon lifted her off her feet, carrying her carefully in his outstretched talons. Flying had become one of her new favorite things. That and sex. Good thing he was in agreement on both counts. They did both regularly. The sex, oh, the sex. Sometimes hot and heavy and others, tender and slow.

  Right now, she could feel his urgency. The same feelings ran through her. But first … she squeezed her eyes shut, feeling queasy with nerves. On the one hand, he was going to be ecstatic, but how would he feel about the other topic she planned on bringing up?