The True Beast (A Full Moon Mercy Novel) (shifter / MC romance)

by Ana W. Fawkes

  “Fucking asshole!” Lucas screamed.

  The driver of the car laughed and then pulled out a handgun. Before Leah could react, Lucas slowed down and let the car ahead of them. He cut to the right and then sped up again. The driver of the car looked in the mirror and hit his brakes. Lucas had no choice but to swerve around the car and pass it. This put Leah right in the line of fire. A few seconds later the sounds of a gun being shot echoed.

  Leah closed her eyes and winced, hoping Lucas could keep her safe. She trusted him… with everything. She felt her hands tightening around his stomach, feeling the hardness of his muscles.

  The bike moved to the left, then to the right. The moves were sometimes smooth, other times they were jerky, leaving Leah wondering if they were going to crash. When Lucas took a wicked right turn, she opened her eyes and finally cried out. They were now going down an alley. At the end were a set of woods, probably close to one of the many back ways of Mercy. Leah heard the sound of brakes squealing and knew the car was going to follow them.

  Lucas turned his head a little and screamed, “Hang on tight!”

  The motorcycle sped up even more. The alley sped by in a blur and when Leah saw the end of the alley quickly approaching she wasn’t sure what Lucas’s plan was going to be. The sound of a gun echoed again and Leah winced, waiting for a bullet to tear through her body and kill her. When she opened her eyes, it was just in time to see a bullet hit Lucas’s right shoulder. She saw his leather tear, but Lucas didn’t move. It was as though he didn’t feel it. Or maybe he just didn’t care.

  Lucas was out of the alley and then cut into a small clearing going straight into the woods. This made the ride very bumpy and uncomfortable. He had no choice but to slow down. Leah knew if he kept riding so hard and fast he would crash the motorcycle or at the very least, damage the motorcycle. Lucas then cut to the left and spun the motorcycle around.

  “Get off,” he ordered Leah.

  She hurried off the motorcycle and Lucas sped a few feet forward and then killed the engine. He climbed off the bike and looked around. The sound of the car running was just off in the near distance. It was obvious the car couldn’t make it into the woods, but that didn’t mean it would satisfy the driver who had been shooting at Lucas and Leah.

  Lucas rushed to Leah and pointed to a grassy area. “I want you face down. Don’t move.”

  “What’s happening?” Leah asked.

  “Just do what I say. Son of a bitch… this is…” Leah watched Lucas freeze and sniff the air. “Get down now.”

  Leah moved and fell to her belly. She wasn’t sure if she was actually hidden or not. She could still see Lucas. A few seconds later she saw a thick man stepping into the woods. The man from the car, the gun still in his hand.

  “There you are,” the man said. “Thought you boys liked to fight.”

  “Fight?” Lucas asked. “Ambushing me with a car and a gun? When I’ve got someone on my motorcycle. That’s a fight?”

  “Where is that little lady?” the man asked. “Hope I didn’t hit her with a bullet. Those were meant for you.”

  “She’s fine,” Lucas said. “She took off in the woods. I’ll have to find her when I’m done with you.”

  The man sniffed the air and started to laugh. “She’s still right here.”

  Leah started to shake. Could the man really smell her? If so, did that mean he was…

  “Let’s find her,” the man said.

  He pointed the gun at the ground and started to shoot. The bullets were close to Leah but not close enough to hit her. She looked through the grass and then she made eye contact with the man. He had the gun pointed right at her. She could see the small black dots of his eyes as they flared.

  “Now that’s a meal,” the man whispered.

  Leah refused to move. She had to obey Lucas. She had to believe he would protect her, like he said he would. Leah moved her eyes and saw Lucas take a step back.

  What was he doing?

  Lucas came forward and jumped. Leah gasped as she watched Lucas’s clothing fall from his body as he shifted into the massive wolf he was. His rippling muscles thickened. Hair grew from his body. His head changed shape, his teeth becoming long and sharp.

  He hit the ground and charged into the man’s gut. When Lucas hit the man, the gun flew from his hand, sailing into the air and disappearing into the woods. The man left his feet but before he hit the ground, he was a beast. A wolf that was wide and round, resembling the human shape of the man.

  They were both shifters, and Leah was front row for a fight.

  She couldn’t move as she saw Lucas circling the man, showing his teeth. The growl coming from Lucas was so deep that Leah could feel the ground shaking. Her body rumbled and she couldn’t believe that she found herself becoming turned on.

  The man from the car, now as a wolf, lunged at Lucas first. He bit at Lucas’s neck. Lucas used his immense strength and stood the other wolf up on its hind legs. Lucas’s paws wrapped tight around the wolf and the two tried desperately to bite at each other. The other wolf clawed at Lucas’s stomach, connecting. Leah saw the glistening of blood and then he threw Lucas back. Leah never saw Lucas go down like that before.

  Lucas rolled and hurried to his feet. The other wolf was right there, snapping at the back of his neck. He slashed at Lucas again, cutting more skin.

  Leah couldn’t take it anymore. She jumped to her feet and started to wave her hands.

  “Right here!” she cried out. “Come here you fat ass!”

  The wolf turned its head and showed all of its teeth to Leah. He took slow steps, his mouth slowly opening, the salvia thick and dripping.

  “That’s right,” Leah said. “Come chase me.”

  Leah took a step back. The wolf charged at her. She let out a scream and fell back. The thick wolf was then right on to of her. Its breath smelled like death and a glob of saliva fell to her neck.

  It opened its mouth wide, ready to make its kill.

  “Hurry,” Leah whispered, not speaking to the wolf.

  She was speaking to Lucas.

  A set of massive paws came down on the wolf’s shoulders and pulled. The beast was then off Leah and Lucas had control of the scene again. Lucas twisted and threw the other wolf. He crashed to the ground but jumped right back up, lunging at Lucas again. This time Lucas drove his heavy skull into the other wolf’s stomach. The wolf let out a cry and Lucas was on top of it. With one swipe, he clawed the wolf’s face. He then stepped back and Leah watched as Lucas became human again.

  The muscles relaxed. The hair disappeared. In a matter of seconds, he was Lucas again. He still had muscles but nothing like the wolf he had just been. His left side and stomach were bleeding.

  “Lucas,” Leah said.

  He put his hand out. “No.”

  The other wolf stood on all fours. It lunged backward and shifted back into the round man. His face was covered in blood.

  “Let’s fight then,” the man said.

  Lucas wasted no time at that statement. He ran at the man and quickly hit him in the face. The man stumbled back and with two more punches, Lucas had him on the ground. He hit the man three more times and finally backed off.

  “Get the fuck out of Mercy,” Lucas said. “And tell the rest of your boys to do the same.”

  The man kicked to his feet and collected his clothing. “You fucking dogs lied to us. All of us.”

  “I didn’t lie to anyone.”

  “You’ve killed,” the man said. “We want revenge.”

  Lucas showed a fist. “If I come back to you, man, I’m going to beat you to death.”

  The man took his clothing and hurried away.

  “Tell all your friends to come see me,” Lucas growled. He stepped back and grabbed his clothing.

  Leah remained still for a few more seconds and then slowly regained herself. The images flashed in her mind like exploding light bulbs. The sight of the two men becoming wolves. Their giant paws. Their claws cutting flesh,
bringing blood.

  “You’re bleeding,” Leah said to Lucas.

  He stood with no shirt on. Sweat glistened on his body, teasing Leah, tempting her to forget about the open wounds.

  “I’m fine,” Lucas said. “We have to get going. You’re going to be late for work.”

  “I’m not going to work now,” Leah said. “That guy just tried to kill you. And me.”

  “Don’t worry about him,” Lucas said. “That’s just a little ploy at revenge.”

  “You don’t even care…”

  “I do care,” Lucas said. “I care about getting you someplace safe. I’m fine.”

  “Lucas, you’re bleeding,” Leah said.

  Lucas touched his side and looked at his finger. “It’ll heal.”

  “What if it needs…”

  Lucas cut Leah off. He came to her and touched her arms, spreading some of his own blood to one of her arms. “You don’t get it. I’ll heal. On my own. I’m not… I’m not like you.”

  It wasn’t the first time Lucas spoke those words to Leah. When she first heard those words, they were sexy. They were coming from the mouth of a bad boy biker. But now, those words almost hurt Leah. She would never be like Lucas. Not unless he could make her that way… if it were possible.

  “I’m sorry,” Leah whispered. “I’m just scared.”

  “I know, baby,” Lucas said. “I’m sorry that just happened to us. That’s my life right now. Bullets aren’t supposed to fly in Mercy like that. Blood isn’t supposed to be shed so easily. But it is. It’ll all end soon though.”

  Lucas kissed Leah. When he tried to pull away, Leah touched his waist, some fingers touching his jeans, some fingers touching his bare skin. She didn’t want Lucas to go away and she didn’t want the kiss to end.

  They kissed for a little bit and Lucas finally moved away from her. “You’re not going to convince me. You have to go to work. I have to go to a meeting, babe.”

  Leah licked her lips. She could never forget the taste of Lucas’s mouth. Yet she could never get enough of it. It was a constant addiction, roaring through her blood. Lucas put on his black t-shirt and leather, then tended to his motorcycle. Leah touched her arm and looked at Lucas’s blood. There was something amazing and special about his blood. Her mind wondered if she tasted it…

  Leah caught her fingers slowly moving to her mouth. An inch away from tasting Lucas’s blood, a hand clamped on her wrist.

  “What the hell are you about to do?” Lucas asked.

  “I… uh…”

  “Christ, Leah. Were you trying to taste my blood?”

  “Maybe,” Leah said.

  “Why?”

  Leah didn’t respond. The color of her cheeks spoke loud enough. How juvenile an action to think she could take.

  “You think that’s how it works?” Lucas asked. “You taste my blood and then… you can shift?”

  “I don’t know,” Leah said. “Debbie…”

  “That’s different,” Lucas growled. “Don’t even put her in your mind right now. You need to focus on your job and nothing else.”

  Lucas started his motorcycle and Leah climbed on the back of the bike. Just as Leah thought, Lucas took her to her apartment. When she got off the motorcycle she saw him still on it, the engine running.

  “Are you leaving?”

  “I have to go,” Lucas said. “Sorry.”

  Leah looked around. Even in the daylight she still got that strange feeling.

  “Are you punishing me?” Leah asked.

  Lucas grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to him. “No. I’m going to kiss you goodbye and then you’ll have protection.”

  Lucas touched Leah’s face and pulled her down. Their lips and tongues met, leaving Leah wish it could just be this and nothing else. The simplicity of a kiss had so much purpose and meaning, and it did so much to her body.

  The kiss ended and before Leah could say a word the rumble of a motorcycle sounded. She quickly wrapped her arms around Lucas, fearing the worst.

  Lucas touched her hair. “It’s okay, baby. It’s your protection. Just one of my guys.”

  A motorcycle came around the building and a huge man, thick with muscle sat with black sunglasses on his face and a bald head exposed with no helmet on. Lucas nodded to the man and the man nodded back.

  “He’s going to trail you,” Lucas said.

  “Is he…?”

  “Yes,” Lucas replied with a smile. “And he’s very hungry and easily to piss off. Go get ready for work. He’ll be waiting.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I told you, I’ll protect you forever. No matter what.”

  Leah hated the feeling of Lucas letting her go. She hated watching him ride away. When she looked at the man who was sent to protect her, it made her feel cold. The guy was definitely dangerous. At least he was on Leah’s side.

  Hopefully.

  13

  Vince came back to the club and went straight to his office. It was busy with music, laughter, smoke, and booze, the kind of afternoon that any motorcycle club should have. The smells and sounds made Vince smile. This was what life was about. Brotherhood. Bonding. All the other outside shit was that… shit.

  He sat behind his desk and put his feet up then reached for the top drawer for a fresh cigar. Rolling it between his lips, Vince appreciated the taste of the unlit cigar while his mind thought about the traveling that needed to be done.

  Hell, under different circumstances it would have been easier to just kill Debbie. They could make her disappear in a second and nobody would give a shit. She’d be some missing stripper and the case would slip away into nothing. But the life… damn, that life… it was right there inside her. The closest thing Vince could have to his own blood being true. The only thing he needed was for Lucas to work with him. To listen. To obey him.

  Vince laughed.

  Lucas didn’t listen. He didn’t obey. He was a renegade. He followed his own heart, wore the leather proud, and didn’t give a damn about a thing as much as he loved the club and everyone in it. Vince wondered if Lucas’s heart was just perhaps a little too pure… maybe even a little too human… but that was impossible. Not with the size of Lucas as a wolf. Not with the ferocity he had when he was angry.

  Lucas was a beast.

  Vince just wanted Lucas to his own.

  After putting his head back, Vince felt his eyes grow heavy. Before he could fall asleep, he felt something touch his leg and between his legs. When he sat back up he saw Mandy leaning against the desk, her hand cupped around him, gently squeezing.

  “Figured that would wake you,” she whispered. “And keep you up.”

  “Yeah,” Vince said with a smile. “That’ll keep me up for sure.”

  Mandy took her hand away and folded her arms. “I heard there’s a bloody mess downstairs.”

  “Had to feed her, my love,” Vince said. “The urges…”

  “I know,” Mandy said. “It’s getting close to being too late.”

  “I know,” Vince said. “We’re sitting down soon to sort it all out.”

  “You can’t just blast through and get her to Dr. Carane?”

  “You’d think that,” Vince said. “If we run through some of the Oreno, how do we get back? Better yet, we have to find a way to get Debbie there safely. It’s not like she could climb on the back of a motorcycle, right? She can’t run. This shit…”

  “Okay, I get it,” Mandy said. “I just… I don’t know. I look at Lucas and he looks so confused right now. You’d think he would be happier. I know knocking up a stripper probably wasn’t on his agenda, but he’s going to have a baby.”

  Vince took Mandy by her hands. “He hasn’t gone through what we’ve gone through, baby. That’s all. If he did. If he knew the pain and feeling of being let down so much… he’d understand it then. I’m taking care of this. Plus, his little distraction isn’t helping.”

  “Well, she’s not going anywhere,” Mandy said. “Even if you try to kill her.�
��

  “Watch saying that,” Vince said. “Okay? I’ll handle my business the way I need to do it. I just wish Lucas would let me…”

  Vince lost the words for a second. He swallowed and looked to the floor.

  “What?” Mandy asked.

  “I wish he would let me in,” Vince said. “Let me claim him. So I can protect him. So I can love him the way I want to. He could be my son then. And this baby can be all our blood. Together.”

  Mandy ran her hands through Vince’s hair. “Is that what this is all about?”

  “It’s about Lucas and that baby,” Vince said. “That’s what it’s about.”

  Vince stood, towering over Mandy. Vince knew his size didn’t threaten Mandy. If need be, Mandy could probably take out Vince… if he let her.

  “Then take care of it,” Mandy said. She touched Vince’s face. “Get this meeting done and get Debbie to safety. Maybe then when she’s gone, Lucas will calm down. He can come to terms with his life, maybe even with Leah. He’ll see it. He’ll know that being with a human isn’t the right thing to do. I mean, look at his life, right?”

  “You always know how to calm me down,” Vince said.

  Mandy touched between his legs and squeezed. “And bring you right back up.”

  “We’ll save this meeting for later,” Vince said.

  “Of course.” Mandy kissed Vince’s neck.

  Vince left the office and walked down to the bar. He knocked on the bar and a fresh beer came sliding to him. He scanned the bar and picked up on everyone but Lucas there. He knocked on the bar again and Cooper looked at him.

  “Where’s Lucas?”

  “Ran out,” Cooper said. “He’ll be back.”

  “Alone?”

  “You hoping?”

  Vince drank from his beer and pushed from the bar. He walked to Cooper and put a hand on his shoulder. “When he comes here, the meeting starts.”

  “You got it,” Cooper said. He lifted his beer bottle and tapped it against Vince’s.