by T. S. Joyce
He bit the inside of her bicep almost hard enough to break skin, and then he crawled up her body, maneuvering her toward the middle of the bed, his lips inches from hers. “Turn over.”
This was the part she’d hated with Justin, but with Beast, her big, dominant man wouldn’t hurt her. She trusted him, and right now, her inner lioness was more present than she’d been since Apex stole her away. Kiera was flushed with need. She pushed up and kissed him, pushed her tongue past his lips and then sucked hard on his bottom lip. She even let off a warning growl. Be gentle. When she released his lip, Beast smiled in that wicked way of his, and he looked so damn proud of her.
Warmth pooled in Kiera’s middle as she slowly turned over onto her hands and knees. She thought he would pull the lion breeding shit immediately, but Beast had other plans. He squeezed her ass firmly, then ran his hand up her back. Kiera’s instinct kicked in, and she bowed her spine like her happy lioness urged. He leaned over her, one arm locked beside hers, the other petting up and down her back, massaging her, kneading her, setting her on fire, cell by cell. He ran kisses along her shoulder blades, one to the other, biting, sucking, rasping against her sensitive skin with his three-day beard. Kiera was already purring, rocking back and forth slowly, tempting him, tempting herself. She could feel the swollen head of his cock if she rocked back far enough, right where she needed him.
Beast used his knee to spread hers wider, and before she was even settled, he slid into her from behind, stretching her as he grunted and rested his forehead between her shoulder blades. This wasn’t the primal, painful bucking it had been with Justin. This was slow and steady, moving together, his fingers intertwined with hers as he warmed her back with his torso. He grasped her other hand and pulled it between her legs. She could feel him there, moving within her. His kisses were still soft on her shoulder, but he was ending them with a teasing bite every time he pushed all the way into her.
She’d never been able to come like this, but Beast was working her toward release at a shocking rate. Every stroke brought such an intense wave of pleasure, she moaned at each peak, just before he eased back and pushed into her again, building more and more pressure until she was blind with how good he was making her feel. He pressed her hand harder between her legs and clamped his teeth on her shoulder, then released her.
“Fuck, Kiera, I’m close.”
She didn’t have time to say, “Me, too,” before the first pulse of her orgasm clenched around him.
“Beast, Beast, Beast,” she whispered helplessly as he reacted.
Beast reared back and slammed into her, faster and faster, his hand gripping hers hard, his torso flexing against her back as he moved.
A snarl ripped through him as he thrust into her hard, his teeth rough on her back. He released her skin and slammed into her again, his release throbbing right along with hers. He didn’t roll off and leave her cold, no. Beast rocked with her until he’d dragged every aftershock from her. It was like he didn’t want to lose this connection, and she got it. She didn’t want to think this might be their last time together, but she didn’t know what would happen today.
It felt as if her life was on this runaway train that was unstoppable now, and there was this terrifying possibility that they wouldn’t survive the crash. She hated the uncertainty.
“Shhh.” Beast positioned her to her side and lay behind her, curled his big, strong body around hers and pulled the blanket over their hips.
Kiera swallowed the growl she didn’t realize she was making and, muscle-by-muscle relaxed into the strength of her mate. His arms were so powerful around her, his body so hard against her back. He lifted her hair up to fan the pillow and buried his face against the back of her neck. With a sigh, he murmured against her skin, “I love you, Kiera.”
Kiera gritted her teeth and glared at the wall because that was it. That was his just-in-case goodbye. That was him telling her the thing she needed to hear before he left her here to hope and pray he wouldn’t bleed out under the jaws of the monster who had clawed up his face and taken his pride.
Well, fuck his goodbyes.
She didn’t know how she was going to do it, but she was going to that meeting. Beast had weeded out the Blackwings’ help, and now hers, too, turning himself into a one-man wrecking crew against an entire pride. Screw that. That’s not how mates worked. That’s not how lions hunted.
This wasn’t just his battle, and she wasn’t going to live with what-ifs on the chance her badass Beast didn’t take down the Tarian Pride.
She’d been a rogue all her life, but this is where the winds changed. This was where the breeze became the hurricane.
She picked.
She picked him, picked motherhood, picked the crew, picked Kane’s Mountains, picked happiness.
Kiera. Picked. This. Life.
This was the beginning of their story, not tapering toward their end. Fuck endings and fuck Justin for drawing just-in-case goodbyes from Beast’s lips.
She was finally, finally ready to put down roots, but it was no life without Beast, who had showed her so much about herself already. He steadied her and made her feel invincible. He made her feel like everything was going to be okay, and it had been a long damn time since she’d hosted those thoughts. She’d got a taste of good, and she wasn’t going back.
She needed Beast.
And even if he didn’t realize it yet, he needed her, too.
Chapter Fifteen
Kiera wrapped her arms around her stomach and drew her knees up to her chest as she leaned back against the wall, right by the toilet. She glared at the porcelain. She hadn’t gotten sick, just felt like she could. This is the part of pregnancy she didn’t enjoy.
“Kiera?” Beast rumbled, knocking softly.
“I’m okay,” she said shakily. She still felt light-headed and weak, but that would pass soon. It always did.
The door creaked open, and Beast peeked in with a worried frown marring his face. “The baby is still making you sick?” He came to kneel in front of her and pushed her hair out of her face, then lifted her chin and checked her eyes. For what, she didn’t know.
“I looked it up. Morning sickness is supposed to be over at three months…right?”
Kiera laughed weakly. “Everyone is different. Some people have it their whole pregnancy. And the term morning sickness is also bullshit. It can happen at any time in the day.”
Beast scooted closer between her spread legs. “How do I fix you?”
God, he was so cute. He was this muscled-up, scar-faced titan, and she’d never seen a more worried look on anyone’s face in her entire life.
“I think I need something to eat. I have some crackers in my purse.”
“Crackers? No.” He shook his head like he was offended. “You need pancakes and bacon and steak and waffles and anything you and the baby want.”
Kiera leaned forward and rested her forehead against his chest. His heartbeat was pounding. “I’m not going to die from this, Beast. The crackers will help until I can get a bigger meal.”
Beast bolted away so fast she almost face planted between her own knees. The man blurred—blurred!—into the other room and was back in seconds, ripping into the package of saltines with his teeth like an animal. He shoved three at her, turned, and strode toward the door, hesitated, then jogged back to her and placed the entire package into her hands. “Water,” he murmured. “You need water.”
Kiera watched in amusement as he rushed to the sink and filled a glass. “Ice?” he asked in a panicked voice.
“No, plain is fine.”
“Shit,” he breathed as he handed her the glass. He backed up a few paces and stared down at her with wide eyes, his hands on his hips. “I feel like I need to…I need to…”
“There’s a pancake house a couple doors down. Waffles sound good.”
“I’m gonna do that. I’m gonna get you more food. Don’t move. Or move if you want. I’ll be back. Do you need a blanket?” He shook his head hard.
“You look really pretty, even when you are pale and sick.”
Kiera giggled. “I love you, ya big old worried brute. Extra butter and syrup.”
“Right,” he said, shoving his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans. It dragged the waist of his pants down enough for her to see the lowest two abs of his eight-pack.
“Uuum,” he said before he left, looking around and patting his pockets like the thought he forgot something. “I’ll be back. Extra butter and syrup,” he murmured as he strode out the door.
Well, he’d sure distracted her off her nausea. She stood carefully. Both key cards were still sitting on the counter, which meant she was definitely going to have to let Beast back in when he returned. At least he’d given her the perfect opportunity to call for reinforcements.
Kiera pulled her phone out of her back pocket and texted Dustin, who had programmed the entire D-Team’s phone numbers into her phone at some point with nicknames for them all.
Big Dick Dustin.
Emma Perfect Titties.
Anal Gland, which she guessed was Logan.
Winter the Splinter.
Best Friend Werepussy. That one was apparently Beast.
She texted Big Dick Dustin because he always seemed down for a bad idea.
Beast is pushing me out of the meeting. I think he needs backup. Send.
The reply was almost immediate. No shit. We’re at the coffee shop across the street.
Kiera frowned. Wait, what? Beast told you to stay home. Send.
Hey remember that time Beast was the alpha of the Blackwing Crew?
No. Send.
Me either, doll-face. That’s why I didn’t listen. We camped out in the damn parking lot all night. I got a blow job. My neck is stiff from sleeping in the car though. I said stiff. Oh look, there’s Beast. Why is he running? Emma says hi.
Kiera blinked hard. Where did she even start on her response to that. Tell Emma I say hi back. Congrats on the BJ. I’m glad you didn’t listen because I think Beast is in trouble. He’s running to the pancake place a couple doors down to grab me some breakfast. Send.
There is protein in semen. You coulda had breakfast already.
Dustin. Focus. Send.
A couple minutes passed before the response buzzed her phone. How much trouble?
Bring in the crew and more kind of trouble. I have a bad feeling. Send.
Already done. I’ll light a fire under them to get here faster.
A wave of relief flooded through her. Dustin was all A-Team today.
Kiera began readying for the day, but she didn’t even have her hair completely fixed by the time a knock sounded at the door. Kiera smiled. Beast had probably sprinted to the café and bullied the staff to rush an order. It was so funny watching him worry so deeply over a little morning sickness.
There was another knock. “I’m coming,” she said with a giggle. Panicking alpha lion.
Kiera set her phone on the counter and pulled open the door. She gasped and startled hard before trying to shove the door closed as fast as she could. Justin slammed his hand on the edge of the door and shoved it open again. His hand was over her mouth before she could get a single screech out, but she wasn’t human anymore. She shoved him back and bolted into the bathroom. She slammed the door so fast she almost severed his fingertips. Desperately, she shoved her weight against the barrier and texted Dustin.
He—
The door rocketed inward, and it was all she could do to send that much. The first two letters of help, and dear Lord let Dustin understand the SOS. With the force of Justin’s entry, she skidded across the tile and banked off the wall, all while protecting her belly.
Justin was just as terrifying as she remembered. Green eyes turned a muddy gold, black hair, full lips, perfect nose, flawless, empty smile, cleanly shaven, and tall as the freaking doorway. Beautiful man with the devil in his soul.
“The girl at the front desk announced your location to the world, Kiera. You got sloppy.” His hand was tangled in the back of her hair, other hand over her mouth again. “Miss me, bitch?”
“Let go of me,” she yelled behind his hand. She struggled, but she didn’t want the baby hurt.
Justin smelled like arousal, which brought the nausea back. He cupped her belly with his giant hand and yanked her mouth to his so hard their teeth knocked. She screamed into his mouth and pushed, but Justin had adjusted to her new strength and wasn’t holding back now. Furious, Kiera bit his lip.
Justin grunted and yanked out of her bite, but the damage was done. Blood streamed down his chin.
She spat in his face. “I belong to Beast now.”
Justin ripped her sweater to the side to expose the mangled layers of claiming marks. Rage built in his gaze as he dragged it back to hers. “The fuck you are. My cub. My claim. You’ll come quietly, or I’ll end you both right in this fucking hotel room.”
He would do it, too. His voice rang with such conviction she knew he would hurt her beyond repair. And it wasn’t just her at risk. If she didn’t survive, her baby didn’t either.
A man in his forties with a thick gray beard appeared in the doorway. “We have to hurry.” He was built like a brick house, and his eyes were glowing lion gold. What the hell was happening? She’d expected the Tarian lionesses at the meeting. Not other male lion shifters.
Justin dragged her by the hair out into the hallway, hand over her damn mouth again, tempting her to sever it completely. The baby, though. The baby.
The hallway was lined with six men, all reeking of dominance, all with those tell-tale gold eyes that said something awful was happening.
“Kiera, meet the council.”
Oh. Shit.
A couple of them were smiling cruelly, but most of them watched her with dead eyes, or hatred in them, as Justin dragged her past. Justin hadn’t brought his pride of females to hunt her. He’d brought the damn council. These men were law, and they were allowing this. Helping even.
Angry tears burned her eyes, but she blinked hard to keep them to herself. Justin and this council of assholes didn’t deserve to see her emotions.
Her phone was lying on the floor of the bathroom, Beast was getting breakfast, and clearly, Dustin hadn’t seen these men roll up because he would’ve been here. She tried to stall, but Justin pushed her faster and shoved her through a door that led to an emergency stairwell. She had no control down the flight of steps because Justin was dragging her, and the silver-bearded council member was now helping him. Fucking lions.
“You’ve been so good at hiding, Kiera,” Justin gritted out low. “So good. I’ve been obsessed with finding you before the baby is born. None of my females pull this shit, and maybe that’s why my lion is so damn interested in keeping you. Or maybe it’s the baby, and fuck you after you have it. I haven’t decided yet, but you’ll be registered to me by tomorrow. Stupid bitch thought you could register to a crew. Seriously? You’re a lion now, clearly. I can smell you. Fur and dominance, and listen to that gorgeous snarl in your throat. My claiming mark worked. I gave you your lion back, and this is how you repay me? By taking my cub,” he yelled into her ear.
Kiera hunched her shoulders in pain. She still wasn’t used to the sensitive hearing. Justin shoved her out of the emergency exit. The alarm blared but he and the council didn’t seem to care. A mud-brown Yukon sat waiting for them. The man in the front seat looked as grim as the others. All the doors on this side were open, but she wouldn’t get in there. Kiera buckled her legs and struggled against Justin’s hold. His hand went so tight in her hair she thought he would rip it out. When he got too rough, Kiera screamed against his hand as loud and long as she could. He barked out, “Stop it!” and jerked her head to the side painfully.
As she locked her legs against the sides of the door, she bit him on the meat of the hand. There was yelling, and suddenly, something hard knocked against the side of her skull. She was stunned with the blinding pain, and the world blurred around her. She fought still, but she didn’t have v
ery good control of her limbs. Not when her ears were ringing like this. Warmth trickled down the side of her face and got in her eye.
Mindlessly, she murmured, “Beast,” but there was no way he could hear her terrified whisper.
Justin and the others muscled her into the SUV. When she sat sandwiched and limp between the alpha of the Tarian Pride and the silver-bearded council member, she knew it was over.
She’d been naïve to think Justin would have a rational conversation in the meeting Dustin had set up. Beast would’ve, but he was a good man. As she lifted her bleary gaze to Justin, who was licking her blood off the ring on his right hand, it was all so clear. Beast had never been the monster everyone thought he’d been. Justin was.
Now and for always, she would be registered as his pride, his female, his property. He would break her slowly and discard her as soon as she gave him a cub.
As buckled her seatbelt, and watched the city blurring by out the window, her heart broke.
For a blinding moment, she’d had hope that everything would be okay. She’d held happiness in her hand. In her hand. It had been in her grasp, and it had been so beautiful.
But she’d just lost the war for her freedom before it even started.
Chapter Sixteen
Beast smiled at the little baby onesie in the glass display case. It was green and said Momma’s lil Waffle Maker on it. It was so damn cute he had to swallow a purr. Subtly, Beast looked around to make sure no one had been watching the dumb smile stretch across his face. Good thing the D-Team wasn’t here. They would rib him relentlessly if they knew how badly he was falling apart just thinking about watching Kiera’s pregnancy, watching her belly grow, feeling the baby, taking care of them…holding it.
He hoped it was a girl. No, a boy. No…a girl. Gah, he didn’t care either way.
He would do anything for his mate and her child. Anything.
Over the past day, he’d had bouts of insecurity about his ability to keep them safe, but that was done now. He was coming back to them no matter what. The draw was too big. Kiera was offering him this perfect life he’d always dreamed about but that had always stayed just out of reach.
