Waking the Beast

by Lacey Thorn

  Of course he did. Her vision was nothing compared to what was probably happening to him. “Did you grab a phone yesterday?”

  “It’s on a charger in the bathroom.”

  “I contacted a friend of mine, Professor Mueller. He gave me his number and told me to call him last night. I think he’ll be able to help us. If not, his daughter will.”

  “What is he a professor of?”

  “Anthropology, but he has a degree in biology as well. And his daughter Jess has multiple degrees. Last I knew, she was working R&D with a pharmaceutical company.”

  “You trust them?”

  “She’s brilliant, Tah. I know she’s done research that involves using animal blood in humans with hemophilia to see if it will help their blood clot. If anyone can help us figure out what’s going on inside of you, it’s her. And Professor Mueller is the one who helped me find you.”

  “He’s the one you went to Africa with?”

  “Yes.” She nodded.

  “Call him.”

  Abby eased out of his arms and stepped into the bathroom to grab the phone. She punched in the number from memory and wasn’t surprised when it was answered on the first ring.

  “Abby?”

  “Hello, Professor.”

  “Good Lord, girl. You scared me to death. Why didn’t you call last night? Did anything happen? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. We just got a little sidetracked.” She did her best to ignore the way Tah lifted his brow at her. She wasn’t telling the Professor they’d had sex instead.

  “Is he with you? Is it safe to talk?”

  “He is, and it is. I’m not keeping any secrets from him. Do you think you can help us figure out what’s going on?”

  “I’ve already put a call in to Jess. She’s married now by the way. Her relationship is interesting, to say the least. But I think they’ll be able to give you some of the answers you’re looking for. I contacted her last night. They’ve agreed to meet you at the cabin. Do you remember where it is? How to get there?”

  He was being vague, and that had her worried. Was he still afraid someone was listening in? Those watching eyes he’d hinted at in the forum conversation? Or was he just being overcautious?

  “I remember.”

  “Good. Don’t say anything else. We’ll meet there. Don’t worry about anything you might see or hear. Just go to the cabin. You’ll be safe there.”

  “Professor?”

  “I have to go, Abby. We’ll talk later. Be safe.”

  The phone clicked in her ear.

  “Abby?” Tah drew her attention to him. “Is everything okay?”

  “We need to head to Colorado,” she said. “There’s a cabin there. Professor Mueller wants us to meet him and Jess there. She’ll be bringing her husband with her. The Professor said they’d be able to help us. It was interesting.”

  “Interesting?”

  “I don’t know. He didn’t really say much. Just to go there and we’d be safe.”

  “Was someone watching him?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “He’s always been a bit paranoid, or at least I thought so. But he swore the whole time we were in Africa he could feel evil eyes watching us, and now I know Harlan was there following me. So maybe he’s not so paranoid.”

  “Did he say anything else?”

  “He told me not to worry about anything I might see or hear.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine, Tah.”

  He let out a low grumble. “Why don’t you take a bath and soak some of the soreness out while I get our supplies together. I’ll leave some clothes out for you while I go grab breakfast.” He ran his eyes over her body reminding her she was still naked while he’d at least pulled some jeans on, though they were pretty snug around the bulge at his crotch.

  “There’s no way you’re horny again,” she sputtered up at him. “We had sex twice, and I gave you a blow job just a bit ago.”

  “Reminding me of that isn’t going to help it go down,” he grunted, reaching down to adjust himself.

  “Is this normal for you or…?”

  He laughed. “I’m not sure what’s normal any more. But I’m telling you if you keep walking around twitching that fine ass and shaking those gorgeous boobs, I’m not going to be responsible for my actions.”

  She sighed, caught between wanting him and knowing her body wasn’t ready for him again yet.

  “Abby, I can smell you want me.” She blushed at that reminder. “But I can also sense you’re uneasy. Did I hurt you?”

  She shook her head. “I’m just a little sore.”

  “Soak. Relax. I’ll pack up and grab some food. We’ve got a long trek today on the bike.” He looked like he was debating whether to tell her something or not, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

  “No secrets, Tah. If you want whatever this is to last, then you can’t keep anything from me.”

  He jerked her to him, one hand going under her chin and lifting it. “Whatever this is? Are you that scared, Abby? I know what I feel. I know I go crazy when you’re not here, when I can’t see you or touch you. My whole world at the moment seems to be revolving around you and the primal feelings I have for you. Any secrets I have are merely to protect you. Everything I am is all for you. That’s the only thing I am sure of right now.”

  “Tah—”

  Anything else she might have said was lost in his kiss. Her chest flattened against his as he lifted her to him. She automatically brought her legs up to wrap around his waist, her hands gripping his shoulders and holding on.

  He’d been a part of her life when he was only a thought, a dream. Then he’d grown tangible when she’d discovered a name and found him. At that point, he’d become a man to fuel her dreams and fantasies. She’d listened to him laugh, watched him smile and joke with friends, and seen him snarl in anger when someone got out of hand in the bar. But one thing had stayed the same the entire time. She’d always been in love with Tah.

  She clung to him, wanting to sink into his warmth and just be…be a part of him forever. As he had morphed from dream to reality, her love had morphed from something pure and ethereal to the carnal need of a woman for her man. And he was. Hers.

  His lips moved down her neck, and she swore sparks flew through her when he licked over the bite he’d left.

  “Mine.” The words rumbled from his lips, and she felt the vibration in his chest. God, the things hearing that did to her.

  “Yours,” she moaned.

  Her agreement seemed to satisfy him. He clasped her midriff and braced her weight while she unwrapped her legs from his waist, holding her while her feet slid down until they reached the floor once more. She leaned against him for a long moment, his hands gliding over her skin, soothing and caressing.

  “Go,” he told her. “I can’t leave while you’re standing here with me, and we need to get on the road.”

  She sighed and moved away. She’d just reached the bathroom door again when his next words stopped her.

  “Abby.”

  She turned to him.

  “I’m going to need you again tonight.” He licked his lips as his gaze devoured her, and yet, there was something more in his eyes. He was upset. For wanting her? For needing her? Or for knowing that he wouldn’t be able to fight the need tonight? It didn’t matter to her.

  “I’m going to need you too,” she whispered. A grin tugged her lips as she heard the purr rumble up from his chest behind her. She was definitely going to need him too.

  Chapter Six

  From the journal of Abby Lane

  The Professor knows I’ve been sneaking away from camp. He called me into his tent tonight, and I was afraid he would send me home. I can’t go yet. There are more questions I need to discover the answers to.

  Instead, he shocked me. He knows what I am searching for! He introduced me to one of the other students traveling with the group. She is always with him, and now I know why. She's his dau
ghter, and they know the legend of the paka watu. Jess has been searching for information on another legend, one about wolves, and has come across bits and pieces of the cat people in her research.

  We share so much in common. I feel as if she is my soul sister, both of us immersed in legends of the past and the belief that they are more than stories, more than tall tales spun before a fire to entertain. We believe. For the first time in so long, I am not alone.

  Professor Mueller and his daughter will help me. She’s hit a dead end on her project and wants to work with me. I promised her I’d help her too. We spent the evening chatting as if we’d been friends since birth, instead of meeting for the first time mere hours ago. She is by far the most intelligent woman I’ve ever met, and I can see the pride in her father’s eyes when he looks at her. Would my father have glanced my way with the same expression? I’d like to believe he would have.

  Professor Mueller has warned us to be discreet and watch where we are when we talk. I’m realizing he is a bit paranoid. He swears there is evil out there and it is watching us closely. He urges us to be careful.

  Jess and I laugh, but we relent at least in where we speak. We’re in the same tent now, and she’s joined me on my nightly forays to visit with some of the bushmen. They seem drawn to her blonde beauty and effervescence. It makes them more receptive to talking with us. She seems to have that effect on people. Where I am more quiet and introverted, she is bubbly and outgoing, very much a people person.

  One thing is certain. This trip was meant to be. No matter what answers I find here, or if I only find more questions, I have found something I didn’t even realize I was missing. I’ve found family in Jess and Professor Mueller. They have both accepted me into their inner circle as if I’ve always been there. Jess says it is because I share their passion, and it makes me just as crazy as they are.

  * * * *

  Abby paused with her shirt above her head at the knock on the door. It wasn’t like Tah to knock on the door, but who knew how much food he was bringing back with him this morning. He’d certainly burned a lot of calories with her the night before.

  She pulled the T-shirt he’d purchased over her head. They definitely needed to talk about his taste. Her jeans were snug and sat so low on her hips she was afraid to bend over for anything, in case she ended up mooning the room. And the T-shirt, though plain, was v-necked, giving anyone who cared to look a great view of her cleavage, which she had in spades thanks to the curve-hugging bra he’d purchased. But God, it felt so good against her skin, along with the matching panties. He’d even thought to pick up some thick white socks.

  She cautiously pulled open the door and felt her stilted greeting dying on her lips as she took in the two men standing there, the two very big men.

  “Uhhhh,” the dark-haired one glanced at the number on the door before looking back at her. “Is this Tah’s room?”

  It only took her brain a few seconds to place them. Logan and Reno, the two buddies always around Tah at the bar. He must have called them. Why hadn’t he told her that?

  “He’ll be back in a minute.” She went with her gut and held the door wide, inviting them in. Obviously, Tah trusted them or he wouldn’t have called, told them where he was, and had them join him. “Come on in. You can wait for him here.”

  Neither of them looked comfortable, and she almost laughed. They didn’t realize who she was. She couldn’t blame them. She’d gotten a glimpse in the mirror earlier. The last time they’d seen her she’d been in her normal baggy jeans and sweatshirt, her hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail, and glasses perched on her nose. Now she wore the clothes Tah had picked up for her, which left none of her curves hidden. Her hair was long and loose around her, the curls still damp from washing it. And her glasses were gone, no longer needed as her sight kept getting better.

  Plus, she glowed from the time she’d spent with Tah. From his touch, his warmth, his love, or his bite? It didn’t matter. She glowed with how he made her feel. Cherished. Precious. Needed. She didn’t think anyone had ever needed her in her entire life. But Tah needed her.

  She blushed as they took in the obviously slept in bed. She wondered if the room smelled of sex to them or if it just smelled that way to her.

  “You can have a seat at the table.” She waved her head in that direction as she hurriedly pulled the comforter up and over the mussed bed.

  She could feel their eyes on her as she moved about the room, making sure everything was picked up and ready to go when Tah arrived. She found his dirty jeans under the edge of the bed and bent to pick them up. Her cotton panties were peaking out of the pocket.

  She gritted her teeth as her anger fought with arousal. He’d had her panties the whole time! Why did that thought make her sigh a little bit inside?

  She felt a smile tug at her lips. He’d had her panties the whole time. Knowing that shouldn’t turn her on. It really shouldn’t.

  She heard the roar just before the door burst open as Tah crashed in. She went to her knees, turning to face him as Reno and Logan came to their feet.

  “Tah?” Logan questioned, and Abby could see the shock on his face.

  Tah’s lips were peeled back in a grimace that allowed a full view of his elongated canines as he backed toward where she knelt, a growl rumbling in his chest.

  He snarled as Reno started to step forward, stopping Reno in his tracks.

  “What the fuck, Tah?” Reno ground out, frustration and confusion showing on his face.

  She stood up, barely making it around Tah before she found herself grabbed around the waist and hauled up against his chest. She grasped his shoulders to hold on as her feet dangled off the floor.

  “You really need to stop doing that,” she huffed, and the growl deepened. “And quit growling at me. You invited them here. What did you expect?”

  “I didn’t expect to come back and find them here in this room with you, while your lust filled the air.” His voice resonated with anger.

  She punched his shoulder without thinking. “Are you accusing me of something? Put me down! Put me the fuck down, right now!”

  He gave her a contrite look as he inhaled, and she knew he could smell beneath the anger to the underlying hurt. He thought she might want someone else. As if that were even possible. Not for her. There would never be anyone but Tah. He gingerly lowered her until her feet touched the floor again.

  She stood in front of him, hands fisted on her hips and glared up at him. His jeans were still dangling from one hand, while her panties were tucked inside the fist of the others.

  “I let them in because you obviously called them, though I wouldn’t know that since you conveniently forgot to let me know. Secrets, Tah. I tried to warn you about that.”

  “And your lust?” he demanded, and she did her best to ignore the discreetly cleared throats behind her.

  “I was trying to make sure we weren’t leaving anything behind. I found these under the bed.” She jiggled his jeans in her hand before throwing them at his feet. “And guess what I found in your pocket?” She dangled her panties up from one finger, no longer caring what Reno or Logan thought. She was good and pissed now. “Trust me, I’ll never make the mistake of getting a little mushy or turned on by the thought of you doing something like this again.”

  She went to storm past him to the restroom, if for no other reason than to slam the door and give herself a few minutes to calm down and deal with the embarrassment she was sure to feel soon. She’d just dangled her panties in front of him, while his buddies looked on. But of course, he didn’t let her go.

  She found herself trapped against the wall again, with him pressing tightly against her. And why were her legs always lifting to wrap around his waist when he did that? She really needed to work on that little reaction. He took the panties from her, and she did her best not to react as he stuck them in the pocket of the jeans he was wearing now.

  “You have got to stop just picking me up and hauling me around when you don’t
like something. I’m not a damn toy.” And damn it, she needed a few minutes to pull herself together.

  He rubbed against her, his cock hard and heavy against the seam of her jeans. His head dropped to her neck, and she swore he gave a soft purr.

  “Tah,” she whispered his name. “You have to trust me or nothing else matters.”

  “I’m sorry, Abby,” he said as he ran his lips over her skin. “I do trust you. I swear.”

  His kiss was quick but thorough before he skimmed down to her neck again and nudged her shirt over to lick over the bite. She shuddered against him as tremors went off inside her. She wanted to hug him close, to touch him back, but she fought that need. It helped her to hear his friends moving restlessly, reminding her she and Tah weren’t alone.

  “Tah.” She pressed back toward the wall, not really putting distance between them, but letting him see her need was there for him.

  He looked up at her, and she almost gave in to the desire she saw in his eyes. But there was more there, and that was what she needed to address right now, for both their sakes. There was fear, and that emotion should never be seen in a man such as him. He should fear nothing, least of all what she sensed he did fear. He had been afraid she’d rejected him, and that was something that would never happen. Better to tell him now, to show him always, then to allow the fear to grab hold and perhaps give someone a way to hurt him.

  “Never doubt me again,” she warned him, her voice soft and firm. “I need you. Only you. There will never come a day when that changes for me. I am yours.”

  She was lost in a pair of brown eyes with golden flecks that seemed to swirl and recede as he shuddered and fought for control. She rubbed his shoulders and almost moaned at the sound of a purr working up from his chest.

  “Mine,” he growled.

  She sighed, dropping her head forward to rub her forehead against his. “Even when you piss me off beyond good sense,” she agreed, “I’m yours.” She patted his shoulders again. “Now put me down. And what did you do with the breakfast you were going to get?”