Taming the Beast

by Alicia Montgomery

  Sebastian knew how cops worked. Small town cops, big city cops. Most of them turned a blind eye, whether it was because they were crooked or simply too jaded.

  “Also,” Liam interjected. “We’re not using legal means to find her. In fact, our PI is working with some hackers to find out her location. They can tap into security cameras all over the country and run face recognition software.”

  “Smart,” he said. “But definitely illegal.”

  “This is why we’re doing it on our own,” Grant said. “Now, will you help us?”

  Sebastian glanced at the phone, but the screen had gone dark. Not that it mattered. The woman’s face was burned into his memory, and he doubted he could forget it.

  “All right. We’ll have our lawyers sort out the details. I’m sure you have someone you can call at this hour. But we need to get started on this op.”

  ***

  “What the fuck is going on?”

  Sebastian looked back at Aiden James, his right-hand man. “Fuck if I know.”

  He and Aiden had been in the Marines together, and as soon as Sebastian started Creed Securities, he knew the first man he wanted to hire. Aiden James was loyal and would go through fire for him, just as he would for Aiden. They had been through a lot together, and he was the only one who still talked to him after what happened in Afghanistan. Years of training and combat, however, didn’t prepare either of them for something like this.

  “Those, guys…” Aiden shook his head. “They’re definitely military. Marines, and maybe a few SEALS. But it’s like they got their fear switched off or something. Maybe they’re using some type of experimental drug?”

  Sebastian grunted in agreement. There was something fishy going on. He should have known. Seeing the “team” Fenrir had brought in alone should have warned him. Three women, Henney, Vrost, and a third man. Not that he didn’t believe women could handle the simple retrieval op, but they certainly were a ragtag bunch. With all the money Fenrir Corporation had, he’d have thought they could afford some real muscle. Then there were the strange animal sounds he heard coming from the warehouse. They were faint, and none of his men seemed to pick up the sounds, but he was sure he heard them. They sounded like big dogs, barking and snarling.

  Aiden shook his head. “This is not going the way we want it.”

  Sebastian was skeptical of their plan, at first, but it was a good one. His snipers took down the guards in the back, and then the Fenrir team went in. His team went out front and distracted the rest of the guards. They were expecting two dozen or so men, but it turned out they were hiding more. Did those men just appear out of nowhere? Their surveillance didn’t show any additional forces, and there was no way they could have snuck in that many guys without them noticing.

  “Where do you think those guys were hiding out?” Aiden asked as if reading his mind.

  Sebastian thought for a moment. “Remember when we raided that farmhouse in Kundul?”

  Aiden’s eyes lit up in recognition. “They dug a basement,” the other man stated. “I don’t think their asset is anywhere near here, though.”

  No way. She was here. He didn’t know how, but he knew it.

  Find her.

  “What did you say?” Sebastian snapped his head back to Aiden.

  “What, man?” Aiden gave him a confused look. “I didn’t say nothin’.”

  Fucking hell. Sebastian gritted his teeth. His body was hot and cold all over at the same time like he had ice running through his veins and someone set fire to his skin. That voice inside him. Shit. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as a pressure began to build behind his eyes. He thought the voice was gone, long ago, thanks to a lot of medication and therapy. Memories flooded back into his mind. The hot desert air and gritty sand. He gripped his gun so tight his knuckles went white. No, this was not the time to have another episode.

  The voice from the communications unit in his ear interrupted his thoughts, and he was grateful for the distraction.

  “One sec,” he said to Aiden, lifting a finger. “Grant,” he answered. The CEO was staying in their communications station, coordinating efforts with his team so that they wouldn’t have too many voices in each other’s ears. “There were more than the two dozen we expected…” he explained. Grant answered, saying his team hadn’t found the woman. “I think they have a basement. They might be hiding her there, too. I’m gonna go in.” He shut off the comm, not wanting to hear Grant tell him to stay away. The CEO was unusually protective of his little scientist, but Sebastian didn’t give a shit. He was not going to stand down knowing she was still in danger and the Fenrir team couldn’t find her.

  “I think I found something, boss,” Zac, one of his newer recruits, said as he jogged towards them.

  Sebastian motioned for two more of his guys to follow him, Aiden, and Zac, then barked orders at the rest to secure the area.

  Zac led them to the back of the warehouse. “I was searching for more of those guys, and I found this.” He pointed to the ground, where there were metal doors buried underneath some recently-cleared gravel.

  “Good job, Zac,” Sebastian said as he reached down and grabbed the rope tied to the doors. With a firm tug, the doors flew open, revealing a set of rickety stairs. “Let’s go.”

  The stairs creaked under his weight, so he went down slowly. They led to a tunnel, one that was crudely built, but still, it was large enough for two men to walk side-by-side. There was a light at the end, so he didn’t need to flip on his night vision goggles. He turned back and signaled to his men to follow behind him, then crept forward slowly, his weapon at the ready.

  His heart beat a tattoo onto his ribcage as he walked forward. He could practically taste the danger. As the end drew nearer, he breathed deeply, willing his heartbeat to slow down.

  The room that the tunnel led to was larger than he’d imagine, and there was a single, swinging lamp overhead. His eyes immediately zeroed in to where the light was shining. On the floor was a small, curled up figure. Though he hadn’t seen the figure’s face, he knew who it was.

  “Fuck!” he cursed as he strode towards the center of the room. His boots were loud as he clomped his way in. He normally moved much quieter, but he couldn’t contain himself. The anger building up inside him was threatening to explode.

  He knelt down and gently touched the tangled brown hair. Brushing it aside, he held a breath as he looked at her face for the first time. Christ, she was even more beautiful up close and in person. The picture didn’t do justice to her incredible skin. The rage began to boil when he saw the bruise on her jaw.

  “Boss…” Zac warned.

  Sebastian’s head snapped up. Ten men were approaching, their weapons trained on them. “Take them down!” he ordered.

  His men raised their own weapons—the real ones, not the tranquilizers—and aimed. He closed his eyes, readying himself for the sound of gunfire. It was a sound he hated since it brought back all the memories of his time in the Marines, but he would endure it to protect her. He waited, but there was no sound of recoil or the blast of bullets. Instead, there were loud thuds as ten bodies hit the floor.

  “What the fuck is going on?”

  His men looked confused. Did Grant call in reinforcements?

  A soft voice from across the room gasped. A small figure barreled past his guys and knelt beside him. It was one of the women from Fenrir. She had taken her helmet off, and strawberry blonde hair fell past her shoulders. She reached down and touched the woman’s face.

  “Jade…”

  Nick Vrost had called her Dr. Cross. Was Jade her name? Beautiful. Just like her. Sweet Jade.

  As Sebastian tried to move Jade, the rattling of metal caught his attention. His eyes trailed down to Jade’s wrists and ankles. Thick metal cuffs were wrapped around them, connected to chains bolted to the floor. Something inside him roared with fury, and he wanted to tear those chains apart.

  “Who the fuck would do this?” He tossed one of the chains aside. �
�Zac!” he yelled at the younger man. “Go find a key. The rest of you, see if there are any tools around we can use to break these chains.”

  He looked back at the women, and saw the redhead had Jade’s head on her lap, tears rolling down her cheeks. They were obviously friends.

  “You’ll be okay, Jade. Don’t worry, I’m here,” the redhead said, then looked up at him. “Why isn’t she waking up?”

  Sebastian quickly looked around him and saw the syringe. No, wait, there were several of them on the ground. Fuck, were they trying to kill her? “Drugged, I assume,” he said, feeling the distaste in his mouth. “Jesus, how much did they put in her system?”

  Another woman had approached them. She was a short brunette, and something about her face and bright green eyes look familiar. “Is she…”

  The redhead nodded. “She’s…alive.”

  “I’ll go ahead and get Dr. Faulkner,” the brunette said before she tore out of the room.

  “Boss!” Zac bellowed, running towards them at full speed. “I think I found ‘em!” The young man tossed a set of keys at Sebastian, which he caught in his hands. He quickly unlocked the shackles with the keys, trying not to stare at the redness around her wrists. Something inside of him wanted to burst out of his skin and tear the place apart.

  Gently, he picked her up and lifted her into his arms. His skin prickled where their bare skin touched, and his nose was suddenly filled with a heady scent. Vanilla, mixed with cherries, like his favorite milkshake from his childhood. It was delicious and made his head buzz for a moment. She let out a soft moan, and the sound of her voice shook him out of his reverie and soothed him. Her head rolled back, her soft cheek laying on his chest.

  “Hey, what are you doing?” The redhead grabbed his arm, but he ignored her. Sebastian continued to stare down at his precious package. Someone pulled the woman off him, and another soft moan from Jade made him shake his head. The doctor. Fenrir had a doctor standing by. He had to take her to him.

  Sebastian walked out of the basement, towards the hallway where the Fenrir team must have come from. He brought Jade closer against his chest, but not too tight. She was so small and fragile, he feared he would break her. He took his time, not just because he didn’t want to jostle her in case she was injured, but also because he was dreading when he would eventually have to let go of her.

  Outside, the scene was chaotic, but he didn’t pay them any mind. He went straight to the van where the doctor was waiting. The older man in glasses was already preparing his medical equipment.

  A younger man approached him, reaching for Jade. “Let me help you with her, sir.”

  “Fuck off,” he growled, whipping Jade away from him. He didn’t want anyone else touching her.

  “Mr. Creed, I’m just going to bring her to Dr. Faulkner,” the other man said, raising his hands in defense. “Mr. Anderson said he’d like you to come in for a quick debrief.”

  “It’s all right, Miller,” Dr. Faulkner called to the other man. “Mr. Creed, will you bring Dr. Cross, here, please? I’m her doctor. I need to examine her and make sure she’s metabolizing the drugs they put in her. Otherwise, I’m going to have to start detoxing her system.”

  He nodded, but his teeth were still gnashing at the thought of letting go.

  “Place her here, please…that’s it, just be gentle when you lay her down,” the doctor instructed.

  Sebastian deposited her on the bed carefully, slipping his arms out from under her.

  “Thank you,” Dr. Faulkner said. “Now, I believe Grant is waiting for you?” He looked at Sebastian meaningfully.

  That was his cue to leave. It took all his strength, but he pivoted away from them, but not before he took one last look at Jade. Even as he walked away, he could still smell her cherry and vanilla scent.

  Chapter Two

  Three weeks later…

  “I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Jade said with a frown. She was not happy. The dress she was wearing was too tight, the thong panties were riding up her behind, and the heels were too high. Oh, why did she let Meredith do this to her?

  Meredith rolled her eyes. “You’re here. Get over it.” She gave Lycan a once over. “And you look hot.”

  “Meredith! Jade?” Lara said as she came up behind them. “Um, wow!”

  “I know, right?” Meredith gushed. “You’re welcome.” The blonde gave an exaggerated bow.

  “It’s just that…I’ve been asking you for months to let me give you a makeover!” Lara pouted. “And now I miss it!”

  “Well, you were a little busy,” Jade retorted. “How is Liam?”

  The witch blushed at the mention of her fiancé. “You know I had to…spend some time convincing him to let me have this bachelorette party.”

  “Don’t be jealous, Lara,” Meredith said. “I had to twist her arm to let me strap her into that dress and put some makeup on her. Et voila! My masterpiece.”

  The Lycan scientist was wearing a peach lace bustier dress that pushed up her breasts without being vulgar. While the lace went below her knees, the underskirt stopped about halfway, giving a teasing view of her thighs, while the sky-high heels not only added height to her petite frame but also elongated her legs. She wore minimal makeup, just enough to emphasize her thick brows and pouty lips, while her long, brown hair was styled in sexy waves down her back.

  Lara looked like she still couldn’t believe her eyes. “Jade, you look gorgeous. You’ve been hiding this the whole time?”

  The scientist gave her outfit another pained look. “Yeah, well, don’t expect me to wear this every day now. I only did it because it was a special occasion.”

  “How did you convince her, exactly?” Lara asked Meredith.

  “I promised her I would stop singing the song that doesn’t end if she’d let me give her a makeover,” Meredith explained.

  “And then how did you get out of Fenrir?”

  “Oh Lara, don’t you know? They let me out now if I’m good!” A few weeks ago, Meredith broke into Fenrir Corporation’s offices hoping to steal some new tech or corporate secrets to sell to the highest bidder. Unfortunately (for her), she was caught and detained by the New York Lycans. They gave her a choice: be shipped off to the Lycan Siberian prison or stay in New York and serve the clan. As a Lone Wolf, Meredith had no clan to call her own anyway. So, instead of living out the next ten years in the wastelands of Siberia, she decided servitude to the New York Lycan clan was a better option. Currently, she was helping protect Jade, who had been the target of a kidnapping attempt by their enemies.

  “But you’re still wearing your ankle monitor, right?”

  The blonde Lycan stuck a foot out. The ankle monitor was there, but tonight, it was decorated with sparkly pink Princess-themed stickers. “Yeah, I can’t do anything about that. And I can only go out if Jade needs protection and no one else can take her. So, I decided she needed protection on the way to this boutique on 5th Avenue and the makeup store.”

  “I don’t know why I let you do this,” Jade grumbled. As she attempted to walk, she nearly stumbled and had to grab onto Meredith. “It’s impossible to walk in these things!”

  “Oh shush. You’re a woman, you’ll figure it out.”

  “Ladies,” Frankie Anderson came up to them, dressed in a cute, vintage-style red dress and matching heels. As she looked Jade over, her mismatched blue-and-green eyes sparkled. “Oh wow, Dr. Cross? You look great!”

  “Thank you, Lupa,” she replied, using the traditional honorific for the female heads of Lycan clans. Frankie was married to New York’s Alpha, Grant Anderson, but she was also Alpha in her own right to the New Jersey clan.

  “Alynna and I are already at our table,” she said warmly. “Let’s go.”

  Frankie led them to a VIP table cordoned off in the corner, where her sister-in-law, Alynna Westbrooke, was already waiting for them.

  “There’s the beautiful bride!” Alynna waved happily at Lara, and immediately put a tiara on the othe
r woman’s head and draped a sash that said “Bachelorette” across one shoulder. “Let’s get this party started!”

  “I think someone’s already started the party,” Meredith said, making a drinking motion with her hands.

  “Hey! I’m a new mom, and this is my first time out in months!” She took a swig of red wine. “Woohoo!”

  “How many have you had?” Lara asked, shaking her head.

  “Two!”

  “Two glasses?”

  “Two bottles!” She grinned. “Lycan metabolism, you know! I need just that much to get me happy. But I’ll burn it off in an hour or two when I have to go back to the ol’ ball and chain!”

  The rest of women settled down, and a handsome Lycan waiter brought them more drinks (including non-alcoholic ones for Frankie and Lara) and snacks. It was early yet, so Blood Moon wasn’t very crowded.

  “Here you go, ladies!” Alynna moved over to the other couch and sat between Jade and Meredith. She passed them both shot glasses filled with a clear gold liquid. “I’m afraid with these two knocked up,” she motioned to Lara and Frankie, “it’s up to us to try and bankrupt Blood Moon tonight. Don’t worry, though, I hear the owner’s loaded!” Blood Moon was a well-known hotspot, at least for Lycans, and Fenrir Corporation was actually a silent partner of the club.

  Jade gave the glass a delicate sniff. “What is it?”

  “Oh my God, this is top shelf tequila!” Meredith exclaimed. “Oooh, we’re gonna get smashed tonight!”

  “Put those metabolisms to good use ladies!” Alynna raised her glass in the air.

  “I don’t think—”

  “Oh, come on, Jade,” Meredith placed the glass to the other Lycan’s lips. “Live a little.”

  Jade wrinkled her nose. “This smells vile.”

  “You’ve never had tequila before?” Meredith asked incredulously.

  The brunette shook her head.

  “Oh, you’re in for a treat.” She gave Alynna a wink. “Ok, here’s what you do. First, put some salt on the back of your hand, grab one of those lime wedges…”