Taming the Beast

by Alicia Montgomery

  Jade nodded. “I’m sorry. So sorry,” she choked. “Sebastian…”

  “Ethan was a fucking bastard,” he began. “He beat me, yes, but I didn’t care. Because as long as he took out his anger on me, he didn’t touch Momma. Then, I grew up, got big, and he beat up on me less and less, as if he knew I was gonna snap one day. And I did. When I saw my momma lying on the floor over there,” he motioned towards the kitchen. “She was bleedin’. Losing the baby. My sister…” His throat closed from all the emotion, and he couldn’t continue.

  Tears streamed down Jade’s cheeks, and she sobbed as she wrapped her arms around him.

  “I almost killed him that day,” he said when he finally found his voice. “I ran away because I would have finished the job another day. So, I joined the Marines. And…” No, he couldn’t talk about his capture. That was pain for another day. “Why the hell are you with me, Jade?” he asked. “I’m fucking broken. I’ve hurt you twice. And I’m a bastard, like my father.”

  “No,” she protested. “Listen to me. You are nothing like that man. Not the bad parts of him. You protected your mother and saved her from more beatings, something no child should ever have to do. And yet, you still cared for your father, in your own way.” He tried to protest, but she silenced him by placing a finger over his lips. “Connie knew, and she told me. And it’s okay,” she tipped up his chin. “It’s okay if you love someone, even if they were a terrible person. Because people are not all black or white or good or evil. Sometimes we’re in-between.”

  Emotions he’d never felt before bubbled up in him, fighting and clawing at him. Hate. Love. Despair. Confusion. Amazement. How could Jade still be here? How could she want to be here, knowing how fucked up he was? “You followed me here,” he whispered.

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  With a throaty groan, he grabbed her by the shoulders and bent his head towards hers, his mouth seeking hers in a desperate kiss. Jade opened up to him eagerly, their lips, teeth, and tongues clashing together. He pulled her closer, seeking the warmth and comfort of her body.

  Jade’s hands clawed down his shirt, fingers fumbling with the buttons. No, not here. He got to his feet, hauling her up with him. Slipping his hands underneath her, he lifted her up, the skirt of her black dress riding up her thighs as her legs wrapped around his waist.

  Sebastian walked them out to his truck, pinning her against the side. “I’m sorry, darlin’,” he rasped. He unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants, taking his already rock hard cock in his hand. “I can’t wait.” Pulling her panties to the side, he entered her in one stroke.

  “Sebastian!” she cried, her arms winding around his neck.

  “Sweet Jade,” he whispered in her ear as he fucked her against the side of his truck. “God, you’re incredible.” He thrust in deep, seeking comfort in her, the pain slowly ebbing away from him until there was only pleasure and Jade.

  “Harder,” she begged. “More.”

  He grabbed her neck and pressed her forehead to his as he pumped deeper into her moist heat. Jade’s cherry vanilla scent surrounded him, making him feel dizzy and buzzed. Making him forget.

  “Jade!” he cried out as she flexed her inner muscles, grasping at his cock. She bit into his shoulder, the little hell cat, letting out a moan of pleasure against his skin. It didn’t hurt, didn’t even pierce his skin, but the sensation of her teeth marking him made him lose control. His cock twitched and shot his load deep into her just as her pussy clasped at him, signaling her own orgasm. He shuddered uncontrollably as he filled her, emptying himself into her until he was spent.

  Jade peppered soft kisses on the side of his neck and shoulders. With a deep sigh, he let go of her, slipping out of her and placing her on her feet. She braced herself against the SUV, her breathing ragged. Her hair had come undone from its neat bun, her lipstick was smeared, and her pale skin was painted with a pretty blush. Fuck, he wanted her again.

  Seemingly getting back to her senses, Jade pulled her skirt down and tried to put some semblance of order to her hair and makeup. Sebastian tucked his cock back into his pants, zipped up, and straightened his shirt.

  With a rough growl, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him, planting a firm kiss on her lips. “Let’s go back home,” he said.

  Chapter Twenty

  They stayed another night in Maysville, much to Connie’s delight. Jade thought she was a warm and wonderful woman, and she obviously loved her son very much. Sebastian was incredibly lucky to have a strong and loving mother. He, of course, adored her and she was happy to see this other side of him. The three of them had a quiet dinner at home, then went to bed early.

  The next morning, they flew back to New York. Connie promised to visit them soon, hinting that she’d love to see Jade again. The older woman didn’t prod either of them about their relationship, and for that, Jade was grateful. She wasn’t sure herself what they were, and Sebastian made no indication if he thought they were in a relationship or not. She supposed they were lovers or friends-with-benefits, but whatever was between them seemed much more than that. It frustrated her keen, scientific mind, as its instinct was to put labels on things, arrange them neatly in little boxes. But her emotions refused to be categorized or organized. The cyclical arguments led nowhere, so she just decided to ignore them for now.

  After they touched down, Sebastian brought her home. She thought he was dropping her off, but he marched her up to her apartment, unloaded all her dirty clothes from her carry-on, and ordered her to pack—they were going to spend the night at his place. Normally, the caveman act would have turned her off, but on him it was sexy. And she spent the rest of the night showing him exactly how turned on she was.

  Jade showed up to work the next day, feeling surprisingly refreshed. The lab on the 33rd floor was much quieter without Meredith and Lara, not that there was much activity in there these days. She had hit a wall in her research. She’d read all the texts twice, backwards and forwards, and even ran various translation programs to try and decipher what they meant. There was only way to discover how the mages were controlling humans, and that was to talk to someone with direct knowledge on the subject. That meant she had to talk to Daric.

  She decided to go and see the warlock and try to get him to help her with the texts. The warlock was probably not going to cooperate, but she could try. She took a printout of the text she needed to ask him about and headed to the basement level under the pretense of checking on the newer version of the power dampening bracelet.

  “Hi Meredith,” she greeted the Lycan, who was standing outside the metal door that led to Daric’s cell.

  “Jade!” the other woman cried. “Have you come here to save me?”

  “What’s wrong?” Jade frowned. “Did Daric hurt you?”

  “You mean Hobo Jesus?”

  Jade laughed at her descriptive moniker for Daric. He did very much look like a hobo with his long hair and beard.

  “I mean,” Meredith continued. “Save me from boredom! Do you think you can bring me my princess chair here?”

  Jade laughed and patted her friend on the shoulder. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Meredith’s brows drew together. “Say…did you do something different?” She grabbed a lock of her hair and sniffed it. “New shampoo? Or face cream? Girl, you’re seriously glowing.”

  She swatted her off. “I’m not…I mean…” God, what should she say? “I’ll tell you later, okay?”

  “Fine,” Meredith said. “Now, what are you doing here?”

  “I have to check on the bracelet, make sure it’s working. I cleared it with the Beta,” she lied, mentally crossed her fingers.

  “All righty.” Meredith punched a code into the door and pressed her palm on the sensor.

  “Has he said anything at all?”

  The blonde Lycan shook her head. “Hasn’t said a word since the last time you were here.”

  Jade waited for the door to open and then stepped inside, Meredith s
tanding just behind her. Nothing much had changed since her last visit. Daric sat in the same spot on his bed, his eyes fixed on the wall.

  “Daric,” she called softly.

  He gave her an acknowledging nod. “Doctor. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  “I want to make sure the bracelet is working.”

  “Oh, it’s working,” he sneered, raising his hand. “I’m still here, aren’t I? But what else?” Haunted blue-green eyes stared at her.

  It was as if he saw through her, and it sent chills down Jade’s spine. “I want to ask you something.”

  “You can ask. Doesn’t mean I will answer.”

  She took a deep breath and came closer to him, unfolding the piece of paper she had tucked away in the back pocket of her jeans. “Here. This text. It refers to a source.”

  He looked at the text and made a motion to grab the paper, but instead, brushed his hands over hers.

  Jade quickly jerked away from him, but his large hands held on to hers. His touch was like a hot poker, sending raw power through her. A snarl came from somewhere deep in her chest.

  Protect…must…protect.

  She whipped her head around. Who said that?

  “Keep your hands to yourself, warlock,” Meredith warned.

  “The Doctor asked me to read some interesting texts she brought,” he stated, drawing his hands back.

  “You don’t need to read with your hands, yeah?” Meredith shot back. She then looked at Jade. “What’s going on? You said you just needed to look at the bracelet.”

  “Meredith, please,” Jade said.

  Daric’s blue-green eyes zeroed in on Jade. “Seems like you didn’t heed my advice, Doctor.”

  “Advice?” Jade asked. “Will you tell me what this means? What’s the source?”

  “It doesn’t matter now,” the warlock said. “When Stefan finds out, he will take you and use you to control the monster.”

  “The what?”

  “Dr. Cross!” Nick’s sharp tone cut through the air. “What are you doing?”

  Jade shot to her feet, scrambling away from Daric. “Mr. Vrost…I was just…checking on the bracelet.”

  “You need to consult me before you come in here,” Nick reprimanded. “What if you had gotten hurt? Meredith, I told you no one was to come in here without my express permission.”

  “Sorry, Mr. Vrost,” Meredith said, then shot Jade a glare.

  Nick rubbed his forehead with his palm. “All right, well, Miller is outside, ready to relieve you,” he said to Meredith. “Go and take your break.”

  “Yes, Mr. Vrost,” Meredith nodded. She grabbed Jade by the arm and tugged her out of the room. “You owe me, girly,” she hissed. “Whatever you have to tell me better be juicy.”

  Jade sighed. “Let’s go get some lemon curd muffins.” She hoped she wouldn’t regret telling Meredith about her and Sebastian.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The rays of early morning sun streaming through the windows hit Jade’s face, waking her up from her dreamless sleep. She blinked, let out a groan and rolled over, carefully peeling Sebastian’s heavy arm off her waist. Looking over at Sebastian, she saw he was fast asleep. He looked calm and peaceful, and she was glad. In the past week, he’d had two nightmares. Both times, Sebastian got out of bed, took a hot shower, and then paced around the loft until morning. She didn’t say anything but left him in peace instead. During those times, there was an unease from deep within her, an uncomfortable feeling that wouldn’t leave her alone and wouldn’t let her sleep. She waited in the dark until he came back, and she welcomed him eagerly.

  Reaching for her phone, she checked her email and her messages. She went through them in order, reading the oldest first and marking which ones she planned to reply to later and trashing those that didn’t need her attention. The last message in her inbox was from Nick Vrost.

  Meeting at 9 am at Fenrir with myself, Grant Anderson and Sebastian Creed. Your attendance is required. We will be discussing important matters.

  Jade’s heart pounded in her chest. Did the Alpha suspect something was going on between her and Sebastian? Fudge. She thought they were being discreet. Since they got back from Tennessee, Sebastian assigned his other employees as her security detail because he didn’t need an excuse to see her anymore. She’d been staying at his place since then, going back to her apartment only to get fresh clothes. Did someone see them and report them to Grant?

  As her Alpha, Jade had no choice but to follow his orders, if they were for the good of the clan. Human and Lycan relationships were tricky. Finding a Lycan mate was much easier, of course, but, realistically, it wasn’t possible for everyone. There were protocols in place, and it was often up to the Lycan to decide when they would tell their human partner the truth. It wasn’t a requirement to tell someone, as long as you could keep it a secret. Her stepfather, for example, had no idea that Fiona was a Lycan and they’d been married for a decade.

  If a Lycan did want to tell his or her human partner, they would have to petition their Alpha and the Lycan High Council. They conducted extensive background checks and investigations, and then the Council and Alpha would make the final decision. It was a complicated matter, but for the most part, it was a mere formality. In the entire history of Lycan and human relations, there were only a handful of times when a human partner posed a risk of exposing their secret. Usually, they were met with a dose of confusion potion, which made memories unreliable. But, most were happy to sign an NDA and kept quiet. After all, no human wanted to feel the wrath of shifters who could snap them in two, so they kept their mouths shut.

  Would she have to reveal her secret to Sebastian? No, it was too early. Besides, she wasn’t even sure what she and Sebastian were doing. Well, she knew what they were doing, (namely, each other) but other than that…She shook her head. Going down that path made something in her chest ache, and an unfamiliar sensation was stirring in her middle.

  Ignoring the feeling, she walked over to the closet, grabbing her clothes for the day. After a long, hot shower, she made a decision. Denial would be the game. Or at least, ignorance. She was sure Sebastian would agree with her. If anyone from Fenrir was following them, he would have known, too. But, all this time, they’d been careful. They never saw each other at the office nor spent any time in public together. She usually went straight from the office to his loft and back again to the office the next day. They didn’t even eat out, preferring to have takeout or delivery at his place. No, she was paranoid. But just in case, she was going to have to be smart.

  Sebastian was still fast asleep, and she didn’t have the heart to wake him. She scribbled a note, explaining she was going to head home first and that they should arrive at Fenrir separately, so as not to arouse suspicion. Discretion was the key. She placed it over his phone, kissed his cheek, and headed out the door.

  ***

  The private elevator stopped at the executive floor, and Jade stepped out, feeling one hundred percent confident.

  “Jade!” exclaimed a familiar voice.

  “Lara?” Jade ran into her best friend’s arms, pulling the witch in for a hug. “I’ve missed you so much!”

  “Me too! Sorry, we just couldn’t get away,” Lara explained.

  “Hey, Jade.” Liam embraced her in greeting.

  “Hmph.” She pouted as she pulled away from Liam. “I’m not sure you should stay married to him, Lara. Not if you’re going to be moving to San Francisco and leaving me behind.”

  “Aww, Jade,” Lara laughed. “We’ll be coming here as often as possible, at least until the baby comes. And you know we can always video conference.”

  “Fine,” Jade relented. “You better be taking good care of her,” she said, giving the San Francisco Alpha a warning glare.

  “You haven’t given me the shovel talk yet, so I suppose I was due,” Liam joked.

  “How is everything, by the way?” Lara asked as they walked towards the main waiting room of the executive floors. “A
nd what are you doing up here?”

  “Everything’s…great,” she said with a slight smile. “I have a meeting with the Alpha and Beta this morning.”

  Lara’s eyes narrowed at her. “Hmm…there’s something different about you today. New lipstick?”

  Jade groaned inwardly. “I’ll tell you when we’re alone, all right?” She glanced around her and saw Nick, Cady, Alynna, and Alex leaving Grant’s office. Behind them, a bell dinged, signaling the arrival of the elevator.

  The witch’s eyebrows shot up. “Did you—”

  “What the hell is this, woman?” Sebastian’s voice boomed across the room. He strode angrily towards her, waving a piece of paper in the air.

  Jade blinked. “It’s a note,” she said. “A private note,” she whispered and shot him a glare.

  “I know what it is,” he growled. “But what the hell is it about?”

  Jade gave an exasperated sigh. “Don’t you know what discreet means? I wrote that in the note. I even underlined it.”

  “Like I said. What the fuck is this shit?”

  Jade felt a headache coming on, and she massaged her temple with her palm. Did he hit his head this morning? Looking around her, she saw everyone was staring at them. “Can we please talk about this later?”

  “No, we’re gonna talk about this now.” He balled up the paper and threw it over his shoulder. “You creep out of my bed without telling me and all you leave is this goddamn note?”

  “Sebastian!” Jade warned. She prayed that the earth would swallow her up right then and there. “Please, stop talking.”

  “You think I’m keeping you a secret? That I’m hiding the fact you’ve spent every single night in my bed for the past few days? And we’re going to slink in here separately like we’re ashamed of each other?” He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her to him.

  She gasped, her eyes blinking at him in confusion.

  “Sweet Jade, you’re no secret. And I’m plenty proud.”

  Jade let out a yelp of surprise as Sebastian kissed her hard, right in front of everyone. She sighed and then leaned into him, opening her mouth so he could dip his tongue into her