Beautiful Moves: A Motorcycle Club, Shifter, Romance (Shifting Steel Book 3)

by Stephanie West

  Ella had lost herself to a force Wolf could barely fathom. She saved him. Now, it was his turn to save her. No one else could do it. And it had to happen soon. The hotel was starting to come down around them.

  Wolf battled against Ella’s immense strength, putting one foot in front of the other. He looked down and noticed he was bleeding again, but pressed forward any way. His wolf surfaced giving him strength, until he finally got to the point where he couldn’t go any further. The stinging, suffocating, sensation of Ella’s gift was too much.

  Wolf watched what remained of Drake explode and whip violently around the theater. Yet still Ella raged out of control. He had to reach her somehow.

  Wolf took a deep breath.

  “Hey, Princess,” he bellowed with as much force as he could muster, his beast tinging his voice.

  Ella turned blank eyes toward him. Their beautiful hazel depths suddenly filled with sorrow.

  “I’m sorry he killed you,” Ella mumbled, torment twisting her beautiful face.

  The despair she felt manifest in her power, and Wolf felt it grip his heart. It was as emotionally painful as it was physical.

  “Beautiful, I’m not dead. You saved me. But you gotta calm down. I’m here to take you home,” Wolf called out to the woman he loved, trying to break through the nightmare she was trapped in.

  “Wolf?” Her brow furrowed as she blinked. The power eased to a low roar, and all the churning debris crashed to the floor, as Ella stared at him in confusion. “Wolf, your face.”

  Dammit. Wolf realized he’d shifted, as he ran his tongue over his elongated canines.

  “You’re one of them,” Ella whispered.

  Her power no longer held him back, so Wolf pressed forward. But he had to approach her slowly. Ella was wary. Wolf couldn’t blame her. Ella had been blissfully ignorant of Shifters, until the worst of their kind revealed himself, and plunged her into absolute terror.

  “Not exactly, Beautiful. Remember I told you we’re all weird. I wanted to tell you about it, but I had to go rescue that little boy.”

  “You found the boy?”

  The caring side of Ella shone through, even in her confused state. Wolf moved closer, forcing his beast to recede as he did.

  “He’s just fine,” Wolf replied as he stood at Ella’s feet. “Please come down here, so I can hold you. I’ve been out of my mind,” he entreated as he reached out for her.

  Ella dropped into his outstretched arms with a heart rending sob. Wolf squeezed her tight as she trembled uncontrollably.

  “I don’t know what’s going on,” she heaved as she pressed her face into his neck.

  “We’re going home, Princess,” Wolf husked, relief nearly overwhelming him.

  He cradled Ella in his arms, ignoring the pain in his chest, and headed for the emergency exit. The others eagerly followed. Once outside, amidst the mass of people and fire engines, the group quickly moved toward the road.

  “Trip and the other ladies are waiting across the street with some of my men,” Bastian stated.

  Suddenly six jackals, dressed in plain clothes, barred their path.

  “Neck tattoo,” Ella whispered as her power spiked.

  Wolf zeroed in on the jackal with the neck tattoo. He may not have been the one to pull the trigger, but he’d been there that night in the desert. And the man was just as responsible for Ella’s torment. Wolf took a step forward then stopped. He didn’t want to release Ella, but he couldn’t help the others fend off the bastards while still holding her.

  Coso and Bastian’s men melted out of the crowd, surrounding the jackals.

  “Think very carefully about your next move, Chase. Drake is gone.” Coso informed the jackal with the neck tattoos.

  Chase shrewdly considered Ella, then all the other Shifters. Wolf could see the man playing out what would happen if he chose to follow in Drake’s footsteps. The jackal could call in back-up, but would they arrive in time? Chase had already witnessed what Wolf and his friends were capable of. The jackals might outnumber the desert wolf and feline tribes, but the gifted women tipped that scale.

  “Perhaps it was time,” Chase replied.

  “Indeed.” Coso nodded in agreement. “His head got a little too big.”

  “I don’t have that problem. And I know when to leave well enough alone,” the jackal wisely replied.

  Apparently, Chase wasn’t the idiot his alpha had been. Wolf wasn’t sure if he could forgive the bastard as easily as Coso seemed to, but now was not the time or the place.

  The jackals dispersed into the crowd, and Wolf’s group headed for the vans, before anyone else thought to detain them. Wolf gripped Ella tight against his chest. She was stunned and disoriented, but she was whole.

  “I have you,” he whispered as he nuzzled her hair. “I’m not letting you go.”

  12 Beauty’s Beast

  Ella

  Ella stared at Wolf in a daze, as the van bumped over the road.

  He’s here. How is that possible? She’d watched as Wolf was repeatedly shot in the desert. She’d seen him die.

  He’s one of those beasts. That’s how he survived. Ella recalled the image of the creature ghosting over Wolf’s face, the long fangs, and clawed fingers.

  Ella was so confused. She closed her eyes and attempted to gather her scattered thoughts. She couldn’t concentrate on the words Wolf whispered into her hair, as he held her tight. But his deep voice, filled with reverence, worked its way into her, smoothing over her ragged edges. His scent, and comforting touch soothed her fears.

  He came for you. He’s alive. Nothing else matters.

  “Wolf, you’re bleeding again,” Char said in dismay.

  Ella snapped out of her haze and looked at Wolf. She’d been obliviously smearing his blood as she stroked his chest. Wolf’s beastly nature might have kept him from instantly dying, but it hadn’t prevented the horrific injuries she witnessed. He wasn’t miraculously okay.

  “You should be in a hospital,” Ella cried.

  She scrambled off Wolf’s lap. He was incredibly pale. He grunted with a smirk, but continued to stare at her with glossy adoration.

  “Hurry, get to Coso’s,” Char yelled to the driver.

  Ella watched in trepidation as the blood spread, soaking Wolf’s shirt. She tore it open to see the numerous holes in his flesh. The worst one was over his heart.

  “He needs to go to a hospital,” Ella insisted again.

  “We can’t go to Outsider hospitals, Ella. We have our own healers,” Vick explained looking grim.

  Ella cried as she pressed against the wound, desperately trying to halt the blood pumping from Wolf’s body.

  “You can fix him,” Coso told her solemnly.

  “What? I don’t understand.”

  “You stopped the bullets before they ripped through him. You healed Wolf’s flesh as you pulled them back out. You gave us enough time to reach him. You did it once. You can do it again.”

  Ella recalled the horror of watching Wolf get shot. She remembered wishing for the terrible act to be undone. But that was it. She hadn’t done anything special.

  Ella looked at the man she loved, her eyes blinded with tears. It didn’t matter he was like the beasts who’d taken her. Wolf was nothing like those monsters. She had a second chance with him, and now it was slipping away.

  “Smile for me, Princess,” Wolf requested as he gave her a pained smile. “So glad you’re safe,” he coughed as his heartbeat faltered beneath her palm.

  Ella wasn’t sure what to do, but she had to try something, anything. She refused to lose him. Ella leaned into Wolf and pressed her lips against his ear.

  “I wanted to tell you this so many times. I thought I’d never get the chance.,” Ella whispered past the catch in her throat. “I love you, Wolf.”

  Rather than the anger and despair she’d felt in the casino, Ella let her overwhelming love fill her gift. As Ella poured everything she had left into Wolf, she pictured his blood vessels, muscles
and skin sealing closed. She held on tight, when Wolf’s back arched. Ella didn’t dare let up, even as darkness closed in around her. This time the void that greeted her wasn’t filled with nightmares, but hope, as she felt the rhythmic thud beneath her palm grow stronger.

  Wolf

  Wolf groaned with a yawn. He felt better than he recalled feeling in a long time, except for the crick in his neck. Wolf stretched and leaned back against the side of the cargo van. He smiled, feeling Ella draped over his lap. Wolf opened his eyes and looked down at the beauty. The sight of blood covering Ella, his chest, and the floor of the van brought everything that happened flooding back.

  Wolf’s eyes flew to the others riding in the back of the van. Char was kneeling close by, her eyes wide, and her mouth frozen half open. Vick, Tony, Jericho and Mark also looked dumbfounded.

  “Welcome back - again,” Coso managed to say, his eyes filled with awe.

  Understanding quickly struck Wolf. He reached down and rolled Ella so he could look at her face.

  “Ella. Princess,” Wolf husked with mounting concern, when she didn’t rouse. “Beautiful?”

  Wolf’s hands quickly roved over Ella. He released a loud relieved sigh when he felt the steady beat of her heart, and the way her chest moved with gentle breaths.

  “I think she’s exhausted,” Coso offered. “Amazing, just amazing.”

  Wolf looked down at his chest and stomach. Even through the smeared blood he could see his wounds were completely gone. It was nothing less than a miracle.

  “Don’t do that to me again,” Char suddenly hissed.

  Wolf glanced up from Ella and gave his sister a lopsided smile.

  “I’ll try not to. And I love you too, Sis.”

  “Dammit, man. You had us worried.” Tony’s shoulders relaxed.

  “We heard the story, but seeing Cotton Tail in action was…” Vick finished the statement with a confounded shake of his head.

  “Here.” Char handed Wolf a bottle of water, then stared at Ella. “Even after she passed out, her power wrapped around you. We couldn’t get near you. It was amazing and frightening.”

  Wolf took a swig, then used some of the water to clean his chest. He studied what Ella had done for him, while leisurely stroking her back.

  Everyone silently reflected on what they’d just witnessed as the van rumbled through the desert. Wolf understood how his pack felt. He could hardly wrap his head around it either.

  Wolf recalled those moments where he wavered in and out of consciousness. He’d been desperate to hold on, but felt himself slipping. Then there was a dark-haired angel, whispering words of love into his ear. She enveloped him in a cocoon of bliss, and Wolf knew what heaven was like.

  When the van finally came to a stop in front of Coso’s ranch home, Wolf gathered Ella in his arms.

  “You’re going to carry her?” Char asked him incredulously.

  “Sis, look at me.” Wolf nodded to his side, just above his hip. “Even that scar from the knife wound a few years back is gone.”

  He was better than good. He felt like he could run a marathon if he had to. Wolf exited the van to find everyone but Iris looking worried.

  Wolf gave Iris a broad smile and carried Ella past his friends, to the bedroom Coso lent him. He undressed himself and Ella, as he filled the tub. Wolf sat down in the warm water, with Ella cradled against him, her face tucked into his neck. He tenderly cleaned the dried blood from between her delicate fingers and everywhere else, before tending to himself. He took his time. There was no reason to rush. Having Ella pressed against him, eased the anxious beast within. There was no way he was letting her go ever again.

  Ella

  Ella snuggled into the warmth and comfort of Wolf’s chest. The fine smattering of hair tickled her face as she ran her cheek over his peck.

  His chest!

  Ella tried to sit up, when she remembered what happened in the van.

  “Uh, uh. You’re not going anywhere,” Wolf husked as his arms snared her.

  Ella’s hands fluttered over his chest, but found no lingering injury.

  “I’m good as new, Princess.” He took hold of her chin and angled her face so she could look into his dark smoldering eyes. “So, you love me, huh?”

  “I do.” Ella nodded. She couldn’t believe he was here with her, and there wasn’t a mark on him. “I do love you.”

  Wolf’s eyes were bright. They were filled with love, even though he hadn’t said it yet. Wolf didn’t have to. Ella felt it, like she had when she healed him. In that moment, it was like their souls had touched, and that connection remained.

  “Even with the whole Shifter thing going on?” Wolf asked, looking suddenly unsure.

  Ella didn’t understand how someone like Wolf was possible. But she knew if it hadn’t been for his beast, he would’ve died in the desert, even with her help. Plus, it felt right. Ella wasn’t the only odd one.

  “Yeah,” Ella replied. “Who else could withstand an Ice Princess.”

  “I don’t know, you feel pretty hot to me,” he growled wearing a broad rakish grin.

  Wolf ran a hand below the blanket, along Ella’s bare hip. A heated blush worked up Ella’s chest and face, when she realized they were both naked. Her eyes widened when she felt Wolf’s manhood poke her thigh.

  Wolf paused with his large palm on her behind. His brows drew together, and something fierce entered his dark eyes.

  “Did he hurt you?” Wolf growled.

  “No,” Ella insisted with an emphatic shake of her head.

  She knew what Wolf meant. Drake had hinted at it, but never got that far.

  “Good,” he sighed, looking like a terrible weight had been lifted off his shoulders. “You are mine Ella,” he insisted.

  Wolf gripped the back of her neck, his fingers tangling in her hair, as his mouth crushed against hers. Ella frantically kissed Wolf back. The desperate need to touch him everywhere, taking over. She was no longer afraid of hurting him. Their tongues tangled, tasting, and exploring. When Ella felt Wolf’s fangs it didn’t frighten her. She wanted him, just the way he was.

  Wolf’s hand pushed between her thighs, and Ella spread them willingly.

  “I need you,” Ella choked out as he found her slick and wanting.

  She needed to feel him deep within. To be one with the man that was inextricably tied to her heart. Wolf rolled on top of her, caging her in his strong arms. Ella gripped him with her legs, her heels pressing into his flexing ass, as she encouraged him forward. Ella felt his thick hot shaft rubbing against her thigh. She wanted it elsewhere.

  “Not just yet,” Wolf informed her, then silenced her protest with a kiss.

  His fingers pressed into her needy wet depths, as his thumb circled her eager clit. Ella moaned into his mouth. She was so overwrought, his first touch nearly sent her over the edge. Wolf teased her, leisurely stroking his thick fingers into her clasping heat, while his thumb rolled casually around her clit. The spikes of pleasure were wonderful, but Ella wanted more. Her hands grasped at his shoulder, trying desperately to pull him against her, but he was too strong. Ella broke their kiss.

  “Please, Wolf. I need you to fuck me,” she demanded.

  Wolf’s eyes darkened, hearing the rare desperate curse fall from her lips. They held an intensity that both excited and frightened her.

  Wolf quickly moved, a feral growl rumbling in his chest. Ella’s world spun as he flipped her onto her stomach. Wolf pulled her up, his fingers digging into the fleshy part of her hips. His dominant bruising touch sent her reeling. It felt so wonderful to let go.

  When Wolf shoved his thick cock into her aching pussy, Ella threw her head back, a cry breaking free from her lips. Ella forgot just how big Wolf was, as his shaft pressed into her. In this position, she felt every inch of his girth, sliding over the bundle of nerves in her heated channel.

  Wolf hunched over her back. He found her clit, and began stroking her swollen nub. Ella shuddered from the delirious sensations wash
ing over her. His fingers made firm concentric circles, while his hips pulled back, only to thrust in deeper than before. Ella groaned into the pillow.

  “Fuck, Ella. Do you know how good you feel wrapped around my cock? So sexy. So tight, and wet.”

  Wolf’s lips skated over Ella’s neck, as he growled the dirty words. They made her even hotter. She felt another flood of moisture, as she clamped down on Wolf.

  “That’s it,” his voice came out a deep seductive growl. “I’m going to fuck this sweet pussy till your eyes roll back in your head. Then I’m going to lick every inch of you and do it all over again.”

  Wolf’s fingers tormented her clit, sending shards of pleasure arcing up her spine, as his hips picked up the pace. Ella collapsed onto the bed, under the force of Wolf’s possession. He followed her down, his muscular body pressing her into the mattress. Ella shoved forward each time he slapped into her ass. The headboard slammed into the wall with an erotic rhythmic thud. Ella panted, to catch her breath. Her hands clenched the blankets spasmodically. He really was making her eyes roll back in her head.

  She couldn’t hold it together anymore. The orgasm started as a tremble in Ella’s thighs, then moved through her like a freight train. Instead of letting up, Wolf thrust faster and harder, pressing past the seizing muscles of her vagina. Ella shook from the ecstasy lashing every nerve in her body. It was glorious and agonizing.

  Wolf reared back and pulled Ella up against his chest. One hand grabbed and massaged her breast, teasing her stiff nipples, while the other continued to torment her slick throbbing clit.

  “Who do you love?” he growled as his hips rocked, pushing his engorged cock into her spasming core.

  “You,” Ella moaned, as she gripped his wrists.

  “Who?” Wolf thrust harder, striking her g-spot as he pinched her clit.

  “Wolf,” Ella cried out as she peaked again.

  She writhed in ecstasy, the spasms squeezing Wolf’s invading cock.

  “Ella,” Wolf snarled as he found release, his explosive heat pulsing inside her.

  After a minute, Wolf pulled out and eased Ella onto her back, then came down on top of her. He was so unbelievably sexy. His strong arms bracketed her, and she felt safe. Ella reached up and stroked his stubbled cheek. Wolf’s dark gaze penetrated hers.