“Remember what I said,” he whispered. “I would die for you, Leah. Nothing will hurt you.”
“Lucas… I… I think I…”
Leah’s lips fluttered a few more times and then she was asleep.
Lucas gave her a few minutes to slip into a comfortable sleep before climbing from the bed. He put his jeans on and nothing else. Looking at his leather on the floor, Lucas grabbed it and put it on the back of a computer chair in Leah’s bedroom. Having no t-shirt to wear made him think of Debbie. She probably ate his t-shirt by now. It wasn’t as much of a joke as Lucas wished. Debbie was in a bad spot.
Lucas looked over his shoulder.
So is Leah…
He left the bedroom and went to the window in the kitchen. Lucas lifted the blinds and the window, smelling the cool night air. He looked out to the spot where he had stood. That’s where something had been waiting for Leah. She’d come so close to being killed…
Rage filled Lucas and he left the apartment and the building. He touched his bike and let his senses take full control. The smell of the air. The sound of anything around him. Even the taste of the air.
It was too quiet for Lucas’s comfort. Silence brought back memories. Silence allowed the mind to think a little too freely.
In the distance, Lucas heard the rumble of a motorcycle.
Was that part of Full Moon Mercy?
Was it some asshole with a motorcycle working through a mid-life crisis?
Or was it part of another crew?
Lucas went back into the building and Leah’s apartment. There was nothing he could do right now. Plus, he had a naked woman in bed. Any man - or beast - would be a fool not to have that be first priority.
10
Vince woke with a groan. His back hurt. His legs hurt. His head hurt. Last night hadn’t even been a big drinking night. Just some more of the usual shit with the club. Scouting around members. Digging for dirt. Trying to mentally plot out the coming trip through the Oreno territory to get to the doctor that could possibly help Debbie.
Vince reached across the bed and found it empty. He hated waking and not having Mandy next to him. He rolled to her side of the bed and smelled her pillow and space. Her sweet scent lingered in the bed, leaving Vince groan again. He wished Mandy was in bed with him right then. He could use the distraction and the release.
Rolling to his back, Vince sat up and sniffed the air.
He smelled something that was almost as good as Mandy.
Coffee.
Climbing from the bed, Vince stretched and yawned, letting a deep growl emerge from the pit of his stomach. Sometimes he would stand at the bedroom window and look out to Mercy and wonder what would happen if he just jumped from the window and shifted. He could storm through the town and find a really good morning meal. Better than eggs and bacon… and even coffee.
But such were the fantasies strong men had to hold back on. Vince loved the town and the motorcycle club too much to do anything like that. Bad enough he was in shit with the Reckingdune crew. Some garbled, bullshit conversation ten years ago was now back, biting at his heels. Those assholes wanted more land, and more food. Who didn’t, right? That was the name of the game. The territory was about control and about food. Full Moon Mercy had the rare ability to control themselves, mostly. If the Reckingdune crew had the chance to come into Mercy, it would be an instant bloodbath. The town would be picked apart, piece by piece, person by person, until the wolves were fat and full and true terror spread through the state and across the country. Times had changed, even in the past ten years. Ten years ago a mass killing could take days to spread as news. Hell, there was usually enough time to clean things up and spin a story. Some tragic accident. Or, if things went right, there was nothing to look at when people came.
Today’s world operated much differently. Information was shared with the click of a button on a cell phone. A picture could be taken and shared across the world in a matter of seconds.
Information was good, but damn, it was scary. Never in his life did Vince think he’d have to worry about this kind of stuff for the club.
“Hey, sweet love, I have your breakfast ready.”
Mandy’s voice purred and she stood in the doorway wearing a red silky robe. It hung from her left shoulder just enough to make Vince shake his head.
“Are you naked under that?” he asked.
Many pulled the knot and let the top show just enough that she was nude under the robe.
“Breakfast first,” she whispered.
“You’re my dessert then,” Vince said and smiled.
Mandy closed her robe and Vince followed. He scooped his breakfast into his mouth, ignoring the fake taste of the food, keeping his eyes on Mandy’s ass as she moved around the kitchen of their house. When he finished, he stood and lifted her off her feet. She cried out, but Vince didn’t care.
Almost an hour later, he emerged from the bedroom feeling really good. Nothing like a hot breakfast, hot sex, and a hot shower to get the day started right. In his jeans and leather, Vince was comfortable, but he was also in the mindset of business. He stood at the counter and poured another cup of coffee for himself as he thought about Seth.
The guy had really fucked up by not killing Leah.
Now Lucas was pushing Leah and Debbie closer together.
Vince smiled. He’d heard from a couple of that guys that Debbie tried to kill Leah. Whether it was petty bitch stuff or a hunger attack, Vince wished it would have happened. Maybe. If Lucas had found that Debbie killed Leah, that could definitely send Lucas off the deep end.
“What a fucking mess,” Vince whispered.
“What’s a mess?”
Vince turned and saw Mandy standing behind him. “Nothing, love. Nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me,” Mandy said. “Your mind is racing right now, Vincent.”
“Vincent? Am I in trouble here?”
Mandy put her hands to Vince’s face. “Did Lucas show up last night?”
“No,” Vince said. “I didn’t think he would after what happened with Ian.”
“Yeah. Heard he had a breakdown.”
“I guess you could call it that. Some men go for a bottle when they breakdown. Ian decided to wipe out some people. Now that’s a fucking mess.”
“It was taken care of,” Mandy said. She kissed Vince’s chin.
“But I worry about Ian. Those urges. That sense of revenge and hate can drive a man to crazy things… but a man living with the heart of beast…”
“I know,” Mandy whispered. “It’s instinctive, isn’t it?”
“Something like that.”
Vince’s cell rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw it was Cooper.
“Shit,” he whispered. Vince hoped there was no more of a mess with Ian. Or Lucas. Or Debbie… or Leah… or Seth…
“Cooper, what’s wrong?”
“Went out for a ride and just saw something interesting,” Cooper said.
“What’s that?”
“There was an accident coming down the ridge. Car hit a deer. Charlie’s there right now, alone.”
“Okay. Do we care about this?”
“The accident? No. But the deer… we have a problem that it might solve.”
“Shit,” Vince said. He smiled and nodded. “I’ll be there in a few. Make a phone call or two. Gather up Ian, Seth, and Lucas. Get their asses there. We’ll be the friendly clean up crew for the mess that’s there. Make sure someone brings a pickup truck. I’ll give our good friend, Chief Charlie, a call right now.”
Vince ended the call and Mandy looked up at him. “Something wrong?”
“Taking care of a hunger problem,” Vince said.
“Does it involve Debbie?”
“Yeah,” Vince said. “She’s at that point now. We have to start acting, and fast. She tried to attack Leah last night.”
“Poor girl,” Mandy said. “Doesn’t even know what she’s feeling.”
“Which one?” Vince asked wit
h his lip curled. “Debbie? Or Leah?”
Mandy sighed. “Both of them.”
Vince kissed Mandy deeply for a few seconds and then broke the kiss. He left the house and called Chief Charlie while he walked to his motorcycle.
“Vince, I can’t…”
“Keep everyone there,” Vince ordered. “I have some guys coming to help out.”
“Wait a second. Do you know these people? They’re locals, Vince. They just hit a deer. The car is totaled.”
“That’s fine. I don’t care about the people. I care about what they hit.”
“What the hell are you talking about? You know, after what one of your guys did last night…”
“Consider this a payback then,” Vince said. “We’re going to clean things up.”
Vince hung up on Charlie as he said something into the phone. Vince really didn’t give a shit what Charlie had to say. Right now, it was about keeping Full Moon Mercy safe. That meant taking care of Debbie, Lucas, and if everything would fall together, Vince could finally take care of Leah once and for all.
*
Seth woke up and found a naked woman next to him. Abby was on her stomach, hair in her face, the blankets just above the small of her back. She looked like an erotic dream. Seth pulled the covers down and admired the perfect curve of her ass. He sat up and leaned forward, looking between her legs, smiling.
It had been a wild night. Abby tried to match him with sexual fire, but what Abby didn’t know was that she would never match Seth. No matter what she did, Seth had something better and bigger to offer her. He had come damn close two times to storming the bedroom to shift because of how fast she had his heart pumping.
Seth needed last night. He now felt like a man again. Like a beast. The little mixup with Leah meant nothing now. It was a complete bullshit situation anyway. The club hadn’t voted on killing Leah, and they never would. Vince wouldn’t have the balls to sit there and want to off Lucas’s woman. If they were just rolling between the sheets to kill time and fulfill a need at night, that was one thing. But the way Seth felt when he saw Leah, it proved to him that Lucas had a deeper connection to Leah. Hell, looking at Leah getting into her car was like looking at Lucas. And Seth could never kill someone in Full Moon Mercy. Not Lucas, at least. He was almost like a brother. Sort of.
Gently touching Abby, Seth moved the hair from her face and then ran a hand down her back and cupped her ass. He slid his middle finger between her cheeks and gently massaged his way down to between her legs. With a few soft motions, Abby began to moisten. He curled his finger and slid back up, touching her elsewhere. That gained Abby’s attention. She moaned and stirred, opening her legs for Seth to enjoy.
“Are you awake, baby?” Seth asked.
Abby smiled and said, “No.”
“Good.”
Seth climbed over her and pressed against her. She smelled delicious already and he was rock hard, ready to go. With the tip of his erection touching her tender center, Seth began to push when his cellphone rang.
“Fuck,” he said. “Fuck, no.”
“Ignore it,” Abby said.
“I thought you were sleeping.”
Seth moved from the bed and found his cellphone. It was Cooper calling.
“This better be fucking good,” Seth said into the phone as he watched Abby roll to her back.
She cupped her breasts and arched her back, letting out a moan. She bent her knees and opened her legs wide, showing everything to Seth. He groaned, wanting to throw the phone against a wall and then jump on top of Abby.
“Put your pants on and meet me at the bottom of the ridge in five minutes,” Cooper said.
“What the fuck? Why?”
“Vince’s orders. We’re gathering food.”
“Food? What are you talking about?”
“You heard what I said, Seth. Hurry.”
“Cooper…”
“Oh, yeah, grab your pickup truck, too.”
“My truck? Why?”
“Pickup truck. At the ridge. Five minutes.”
The call ended and Seth squeezed his cellphone. “Fuck.”
“You have to go?” Abby asked. She let her breasts go and pouted her lips at Seth.
“I do, baby,” Seth said. “Work.”
“Work me…”
Abby slowly moved her left hand down her body and between her legs.
“Oh, come on,” Seth said. “That’s fucking torture, babe.”
“Yes, it is,” Abby said. “I’m going to do this all day, until you come back.”
Seth groaned and forced his boxers and jeans on. It was really uncomfortable, but sometimes the job called for this kind of thing. As much as Seth wanted to get in bed with Abby nothing mattered more than Full Moon Mercy. He kissed Abby on her forehead and then nuzzled one of her nipples for good measure, but he didn’t kiss her. He could leave Abby wanting him. No matter what she did with her fingers - or toys - it would never compare to what Seth could do to her.
On his motorcycle, Seth rode fast, the air pounding against his face, waking him completely up. He hurried to his small flat just a few blocks from the club. He switched his bike and leather for a hoodie and the keys to his pickup truck. It was a beater piece of shit truck that the club used when they needed to be quiet about something.
He sped toward the ridge and saw Cooper standing with his arms folded, leaning against his bike.
Seth stopped the truck and rolled down the window.
“What are we doing?” Seth asked.
“Waiting.”
“For?”
“Ian. Lucas. And Vince.”
“I’m the first one here?” Seth asked.
Cooper laughed and clapped his hands together.
“What the fuck, bro?” Seth called out. He slammed his hands against the steering wheel. “I had a fucking woman in bed. At her place, too. Fuck, man. You’re a real asshole, Cooper.”
“I know,” Cooper said.
A second later the roar of motorcycles sounded.
Everyone was getting close.
11
Lucas took the call and hurried to the club so he could grab a t-shirt to wear under his leather. He took Leah with him to the club and put her in his room. She would be safe there. There was no protection at her apartment and Lucas didn’t trust a damn thing around him. Everything felt wrong. But that would soon pass once they got Debbie taken to the doctor and out of everyone’s worry.
At the bar, Lucas greeted the late morning with a quick shot of whiskey.
Lucas saw Ethan and Zayne sitting at the bar, probably still drinking from the night before. They looked strung out and high.
“You two, don’t fuck this up,” Lucas said. “You two are to protect Leah for me while I’m gone. Nobody comes in this club. Leah doesn’t leave that room. Got it?”
“We got it,” Zayne said.
“Thumbs up, bro,” Ethan said.
Lucas grabbed a glass from behind the bar and filled it with ice. He filled the glass with water and put it in front of Ethan and Zayne. Lucas then took the bottles of beer and tossed them behind the bar. They hit and shattered on the floor.
“Drink some water,” Lucas said. “Sober up and help me.”
Lucas left the club and was back on his bike. A couple minutes later he met up with Ian and Vince. Lucas sped up and cut in between Vince and Ian, making the order right. He knew it would piss Ian off and that was just fine with Lucas. After what Ian did with his emotional massacre, Lucas could take as many cheap shots at him as he wanted.
They met up with Cooper and Seth at the bottom of the ridge and then started to ride up. A minute or so later, they found the accident scene. There was Chief Charlie, an ambulance, and an expensive car with the front end destroyed.
“Shit,” Lucas said as he pulled to the side of the road. He looked at Vince. “Why’s there an ambulance here?”
“Let’s ask Charlie,” Vince said.
He got off his bike and walked to the scene. H
e shook hands with Charlie and then walked to the open ambulance.
“Everyone okay?” he asked.
Lucas stepped next to Vince and saw a man sitting next to a woman on a stretcher.
“Christ, what happened?” Lucas asked.
“My wife started to complain of a headache,” the man said.
“We have this under control,” one of the paramedics said.
“Sure you do,” Vince said. “Just checking here, that’s all.”
Lucas looked over his shoulder at the car. They must have been speeding quite a bit for the damage done. Lucas still hadn’t seen the deer. He could smell blood though. It smelled good.
“I hope you and the wife are okay,” Vince said.
“Thanks,” the man said. “Goddamn deer jumped out of nowhere. Thought it was going to come through the windshield.”
“As long as you’re okay,” Vince said. “We’ll make sure your car is towed and I’ll make sure Chief Charlie stops at the hospital. The less you worry about the better.”
“I appreciate that,” the man said.
“We have to go,” the paramedic said.
Vince and Lucas backed up. The doors were then shut and the ambulance sped off.
“You just made Charlie look like a lazy prick,” Lucas said.
Vince smiled and said, “Your point?”
Lucas shook his head and Vince let out a laugh. He then led the way to Chief Charlie.
“Where’s our feast?” Vince asked.
Charlie looked disgusted as he pointed to the wooded area next to the scene. “Deer must have been running up the ridge or something, I don’t know. It’s messy.”
“That’s good,” Vince said. He then looked at Zayne and said, “Get ready to lift.”
“Sounds good,” Zayne said.
“Want me to back the truck up?” Seth asked.
“Great idea,” Vince said. He grabbed Lucas by the arm. “Let’s check this out.”
They both walked to the side of the road and sure enough, a few feet away was the mangled carcass of the deer the car had struck. It’s hind quarter was ripped apart but the heavy middle of the body was intact.
The True Beast (A Full Moon Mercy Novel) (shifter / MC romance) Page 7
