She squinted at the dark road ahead. Had she taken a wrong turn somewhere? She seemed to be on the road to nowhere.
A shadow flashed in front of her car. Layla screeched to a stop, her panicked eyes darting in all directions.
Did she hit something, someone? An animal? A person?
She could see nothing in front of her car. Her headlights illuminated only a short distance ahead. That person or animal might have been flung to the side upon impact.
Gulping, Layla opened the car door and stepped out apprehensively. She checked her hood and bumper and saw no blood or dents. There was nothing under her car either.
She was about to hurry back to her car when she felt all the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Something was behind her.
She turned around very slowly. A pair of red eyes loomed above her.
Layla opened her mouth to scream but no sound escaped. A clawed hand clamped around her throat and lifted her off the ground.
She stared into the face of a wolf. But the hand around her throat was human.
Layla let out a strangled cry. It was the beast, the beast from Mad Max’s costume party.
Venom’s words rang in her ears.
It’s not a mask.
Layla stared at the beast in horror. Venom was right. That was no mask. And no costume either.
The beast snapped his jaws at her, and ran a claw down her body. Layla froze. Was he going to eviscerate her?
Layla stared into those blood red eyes and saw the creature’s eyes cycle between human and wolf.
“Let me go,” she wheezed, praying that he was still human enough to understand her. “Please...”
The beast loosened his grip around her neck. He blinked and his remaining human eye turned fully feral.
With a growl, he yanked Layla to him and pressed his fangs to her neck.
“No!” Layla screamed. “No! Get away from me! Help! Please...help me!”
Those monstrous red eyes glowed with hunger. Layla fought as hard as she could, kicking, scratching and punching him.
But the beast was inhumanly strong. He held her in a vice-like hold and she could see those deadly fangs lengthening.
With a horrible cry that sounded both anguished and euphoric, the beast sank his fangs into her neck.
Layla almost passed out from the excruciating pain. She raised her fists and continued pummeling the monster blindly. Her blouse was soaked with her own blood as the beast drank her blood in greedy, messy pulls.
She blinked hard, refusing to let her eyes close. Her vision was beginning to waver, and she thought she could see lights coming towards her. She imagined the sound of a car’s revving engine and she thought she heard Dean’s voice.
She must be hallucinating.
Those circles of light grew bigger and nearer, blinding her.
Layla gasped and struggled with renewed vigor. No, no! She was not going into the light! Not yet. She still had so much life to live, so many things to do…
Screaming, she lashed out in defiance and fury. The monster bellowed and released her suddenly.
Layla reeled, and a pair of strong arms caught her.
“Dean…” She gasped at her mate.
Dean shoved her behind him as the beast charged towards them. But Zack leaped onto the monster’s back with a roar and tackled him to the ground.
But the monster would not stay down.
Fixing those crazed red eyes on her, the monster let out a laugh that sounded eerily human. He reared up and lunged at Dean.
Dean unsheathed his claws and slashed at the creature. Blood spurted in an arc but the monster didn’t slow down. Snarling, he ran straight at Dean with murder in his eyes.
The monster was going to kill Dean to get to Layla.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Once Dean saw Layla’s car in the distance, he had bolted out of the car without waiting for Zack to stop. He could see his mate struggling as that grotesque monster held her in his clutches.
Dean attacked the monster with the full force of his wrath and pulled Layla away. She was hurt and dazed but he couldn’t attend to her. He had to fight and destroy the enemy.
But what exactly was he fighting?
Was this hideous monster a shifter?
Dean had never encountered a shifter that could survive in this form before. It was sheer torture to be trapped in a state that was neither fully beast nor human. To be stuck in a half-shifted state was terrifyingly agonizing and fatal. The shifter would die a slow, horrific death.
But this creature didn’t seem to be in pain. His movements were quick and sure, and he seemed to have triple the strength of an ordinary wolf shifter. The creature’s scent was a confusing mix of shifter and something else.
Just what kind of monster was this?
The monster sniffed the air and snarled. He prowled towards Layla, grunting and growling.
Dean fended off the relentless attacks but he was being forced back. This strange, monstrous creature was incredibly fast and strong. Dean used his body to shield Layla as Zack charged from the side and tackled the monster.
Dean immediately went to help his brother. Together, they managed to bring the creature to his knees. But the beast didn’t remain down for long.
With a terrible roar, the creature slammed Dean to the ground. Zack rushed forward, shouting at Dean to move. Dean pushed himself up and saw the monster swing his powerful arm at Zack.
Zack’s head snapped back as he flew towards a tree. With a groan, Zack fell in a heap at the bottom of the tree. Dean yelled to his brother, and Zack responded by lifting his head. Zack looked dazed but he still managed to croak, “Look out!”
Dean ducked just in time. The crazed beast lurched forward, swinging his hairy fist like a sledgehammer.
Dean slashed at the monster’s face and drew blood, but the beast simply shook the blood away and kept attacking.
Dean fought back but the beast was unstoppable. He flew at Dean and slammed him to the ground again and again. Dean saw sharp, dagger-like fangs descending from the monster’s mouth.
The monster was far stronger than any shifter Dean had ever encountered.
The beast held Dean down and raised his massive clawed hand. He was going to tear out Dean’s throat.
Dean stared up at his killer’s blood red eyes as he tried to block the blow.
He saw those red eyes widen a fraction.
That was the only warning he got before a bright flame flared above him and the monster howled in pain.
Dean staggered away as the beast rolled on the ground, howling in agony. The fur on the creature’s back had been burned away and Dean saw pale, human skin underneath.
Dean looked up to see a red dragon circling overhead.
The dragon turned suddenly and swooped towards them. Immediately, Dean ran to shield Layla from the dragon’s flame. “Get down!” he yelled to Zack.
To his surprise, the dragon didn’t spew fire at them. The great dragon simply flew low enough for Dean to see that there was a human rider on its back.
The rider stood up and leaped from the dragon’s back. He landed soundlessly in a crouch a few feet from Dean.
Dean watched the man warily as he straightened up.
The man was tall and broad, and his short, blond hair shone like a halo.
Dean found himself unable to move or speak as the stranger strode towards him.
The man stopped and looked straight at him. They were both the exact same height.
“I apologize,” the stranger spoke and glanced at the beast behind him. The creature had stopped howling but remained on his hands and knees. “I shouldn’t have let Damon out of my sight. He’s just been turned, so he can’t control his hunger yet. Damon is a guest in my house, so he’s my responsibility. I should have kept a closer eye on him.”
Stunned and shaken to the core, Dean could only stare at the stranger, who wasn’t a stranger at all.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Dea
n swallowed and said hoarsely, “Max.”
The stranger raised a brow. “Yeah.”
“You are Max Howell...”
“No,” Max said impassively. “I am Mad Max, or just Max. I go by no other name.”
Dean stared into the man’s piercing blue eyes. There were lines at the corners of those eyes now, and the face was older, more rugged and scarred. The man before him was in his early forties, and he looked at Dean with wariness and skepticism.
There was no sign of recognition in his eyes.
“It is you. You’re Max!” Dean blurted out. “You’re our brother!”
Dean was aware that Zack had staggered to his side but he kept his eyes on Max.
“You’re Max,” he repeated. “Max...”
Max’s blue eyes flicked back and forth between Dean and Zack. His face remained expressionless. “I am Max,” he said at last. “But I am not your brother.”
Dean took a step forward. “What happened to you, Max?” he said. “You...you don’t recognize us?”
Max’s eyes narrowed but he said nothing.
“You are Max Howell,” Dean said. “Our big brother. I’m Dean, and this is Zack. Don’t you remember us?”
“How can I remember you if I’ve never met you before?”
Dean reeled back as if he had just been punched in the gut. “We’ve been searching for you. We never stopped looking for you. All these years...” Dean sucked in a painful breath and his eyes widened suddenly. “You...you thought that we gave up on you? That we just forgot you ever existed? Is this why you refuse to acknowledge us? Max, we never...”
Max held up his hand. “I really don’t know you.” There was no rancor or resentment in his tone. He was simply stating a fact.
Dean shook his head in shock and disbelief. “No, Max, don’t...”
Max smiled apologetically. “Look, I’m not who you think I am. I’m not the Max you’re looking for.”
Max shrugged and gestured at the beast. “I just came for him. I’m sorry he hurt your...mate. But Damon is not a killer, a monster. He’ll be horrified at what he did. But I doubt he can even remember this night.”
“What is he?” Zack said.
“Damon was a werewolf, but he was recently attacked by a rogue vampire and turned against his will. He’s a vampire-werewolf hybrid. He can’t control his urges yet.”
When Max looked impassively back at them, something snapped in Dean. He lunged at Max and grabbed his collar. “How could you? How could you do this to us, to Dad? Dad died a broken man. He blamed himself for your disappearance. Why didn’t you come home, Max? Were you afraid to face the music? You fucking coward!”
Zack tried to pull him back but Dean pushed his claws up against Max’s throat and screamed, “What is wrong with you? Wake up, Max! Wake up, and grow the fuck up! You ran away as a teenager, but now you’re a man. Are you still in denial? You won’t even acknowledge your own brothers?”
“I don’t know you...”
“Stop fucking saying that!” Dean roared and threw a punch at Max.
“Dean, stop! Stop it!” Zack and Layla grabbed Dean and dragged him away from Max. “Don’t do this...”
Max massaged his jaw and there was a brief flash of anger as he stared at Zack and Dean. “You should get your brother home,” he said to Zack.
“Look at me!” Dean shouted. “Don’t you walk away from us! You ran away because you’re a coward! You left us and you never bothered contacting us. And now, you act as if you don’t know us! What the hell! Screw you, Max!”
Zack clamped his arms around Dean to stop him from attacking Max. Max kept his eyes on them but his face betrayed nothing. He showed no emotion at all. No joy, guilt, sadness or anger. It was as if he was made of stone.
“Let’s go, Dean,” Zack snarled in his ear. “He’s not Max.”
Dean rounded on his younger brother. “What are you talking about? Are you out of your mind? That’s Max! That’s our brother.”
Zack shook his head. “No. He’s not our brother. We are just strangers to him.”
“He’s lying! He’s just pretending,” Dean snapped.
“No.” Zack pointed at the beast. “Max is like...him. This beast, Damon...he won’t be able to remember or recall what happened tonight. You heard what Max said, and I don’t think he’s lying. Max said that Damon would be horrified if he knew what he had done tonight. It’s like there are two Damons, and the one we encountered tonight is just a warped, distorted version of the real Damon.”
Zack paused and went on sadly, “I think...Max is like that.”
“No...”
“This is the distorted version of the real Max.”
Dean sucked in a painful, shuddering breath. What Zack said made perfect sense but he didn’t want to believe that Max was lost to them forever.
Dean turned to see Max helping Damon off the ground. When Damon swayed on his feet, Max grabbed Damon and threw him over his broad shoulder.
It was clear from his actions and words that Max cared for this beast called Damon.
Max had come searching for Damon and he was going to bring him home. But he didn’t even throw a backward glance at Dean and Zack. They were nothing to him.
“He really doesn’t remember us,” Dean said in a broken whisper.
Max raised his head and gave a sharp whistle. A large shadow glided across the sky and blocked out the moon completely.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Layla looked up and saw that red dragon again. The dragon made a swift descent and landed smoothly in front of them.
Layla stared up at the magnificent red dragon in awe and shock. This was the dragon in the picture! She had done an exact replica of this red dragon for the cake. She’d even remembered the color of his eyes correctly. Emerald green.
Layla lowered her hand from her neck and stepped forward. The dried blood on her hand felt sticky, but she wasn’t bleeding anymore. The puncture wounds had closed quickly and she hadn’t lost that much blood. She was more in shock than in pain.
She had heard the exchange between the brothers, and she could feel her mate’s anger and hurt. Why was Max doing this? Why would he disown his brothers? He didn’t seem like a bad guy to her.
Max was throwing Damon onto the dragon’s back. When Max swung himself up, Layla ran forward and cried, “Wait!”
She wasn’t letting him leave without an explanation.
“Why...” she began.
Max inclined his head at her. “Miss Layla, you got to meet the birthday boy after all.”
She stopped short. “What?”
“Your cake.” Max smirked. “Don’t you recognize the dragon on your cake?” Max patted the dragon’s side and snorted. “He’s not so good-looking up close, right? I think he looks better as a cake decoration.”
The dragon turned and spat a small flame at Max. Max waved good-naturedly. “Get yourselves home.” His smile disappeared as his gaze moved to Zack and Dean.
He looked like he was about to say something. But he clenched his jaw tight and turned away.
At a word from Max, the dragon spread his powerful wings and launched himself into the air.
Layla ran forward as the dragon soared towards the clouds. Max still owed her an explanation.
She went to Dean and put her arms around him. “You okay?” she asked softly.
“I should be asking you that,” Dean said, staring at her neck. “He bit you...”
“He didn’t take that much blood,” Layla said. “I think he didn’t really know how to take blood from a vein. No real damage.” She smiled bravely and indicated her stained blouse. “This looks worse than it is.”
Dean took her hand. “Let’s go home.” He turned to Zack and said, “I’ll take Layla’s car. You...”
“I’ll be right behind you,” Zack replied.
They drove back to Dean’s house and Zack came in with them. “Renee and Noah are with Kim,” he explained to Layla. “I’ll just give them a call to l
et them know I’m here.”
Zack would probably be here the whole night.
Dean pulled Layla to him when Zack went to the kitchen to call Renee. Layla heard Zack speaking quietly to his wife.
They held each other in silence for a long moment. Dean tilted her head to the side to inspect her neck. “Shall I call a doctor?” he asked anxiously.
“No,” she said. “Really.” She pressed his hand to her neck and said, “Feel for yourself. I’m not bleeding. The wounds have closed up.”
“Layla...”
“I just need a bath. I’ll feel better when I’m all cleaned up. I’ll wear one of your t-shirts,” she said, kissing him on the jaw. “Will you make me something to eat? I’m hungry, and I’ll be even hungrier after my shower.”
He kissed her. “Of course.”
Layla went to the master bedroom and took her time in the shower. Zack and Dean were probably talking in the kitchen right now. The brothers had a lot to talk about.
Layla had no doubt that Mad Max was their long-lost brother. The physical resemblance was uncanny. Max, Dean and Zack had the same brilliant blue eyes and golden blond hair. And their features and build were so similar.
Yet Max had no memory of them at all. Max felt no affection or hostility towards them. They were like strangers to him. Yet Layla saw that Mad wasn’t an unfeeling man. He cared enough for that beast Damon to come after him.
So what had caused him to forget his family?
Was he...mad? Was he really Mad Max?
Layla sighed as she stood under the shower.
Her heart ached for Dean and Zack. To find your brother and lose him all over again was just too cruel.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Layla whirled round when she heard someone coming into the bakery. Her eyes almost bugged out of her head. “Mr Max!” she exclaimed.
“Yup, it’s me, Mad Max.” He grinned and Layla was struck by the familial resemblance. The three Howell brothers had similar rakish, boyish grins.
Billionaire Chef Bear: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Beast Bears Book 2) Page 9
