The Beast Within

by Lisa Renee Jones

  But what was he to do?

  He’d watched his wife die once. How was he to look her in the eyes every day for eternity having failed her yet again? Having let her sister die?

  She’d blame him. Maybe even hate him. He couldn’t live with that. “The women go free.” It wasn’t a question but a confirmation. He was going to accept the terms Adrian had offered.

  “No,” Des said. “I won’t let you do this.”

  “He’s right, Jag,” Marisol called out. “Not even Salvador can bring you back this time. Not if you give yourself freely.”

  Jag looked at Karen, her lips trembling. “No,” she whispered.

  But even as she said the word, he sensed her terror of losing her sister. Felt her pain. He couldn’t choose himself over Eva. He couldn’t.

  He opened his mouth to say as much when the air kicked up in a sudden rush, dirt lifted. In a flash of light, Salvador appeared to Jag’s right. Adrian growled, his face twisted in fury before his beast showed itself. He no longer hid behind the shell of a man.

  “Enough is enough, Adrian,” Salvador ordered. “This has gone far beyond acceptable.”

  Adrian turned to him, and the two powerful beings stood toe-to-toe in the center of Knights and beasts. “You’re not allowed to interfere, Salvador.”

  “Nor are you, but still, you are here,” Salvador countered. “I’m simply leveling the playing field. This is between your Segundo and Jag.”

  “I’m here to do what Segundo can’t. To take Jag’s soul.”

  “You can’t take what he doesn’t give freely.”

  “I know the rules,” Adrian said. “I am well within my rights.”

  “By using manipulation.”

  “This is nothing new,” he said, a snide smile sliding onto his face. “I am evil, Salvador. This decision is Jag’s to make, not yours.”

  “Then you won’t mind if I share a few little details with him so he can make an informed choice.”

  Salvador turned toward Jag, but Adrian wasn’t pleased. “Attack!” he yelled. The beasts started forward, and Jag and his Knights prepared to battle. Salvador’s eyes lit with white light and he turned to face their attackers. His hand waved over them, a barrier forming, shoving the beasts back. Only a few beasts remained on the Knights’ side of the barrier—those holding the women, along with Adrian.

  Adrian roared with anger, his fists balled in front of him. “You cannot interfere.”

  Salvador ignored him, turning his attention back to Jag. “Know this, my friend. Eva will have another life. If you do this, you will not. This will be the end for you. I cannot pull you back.”

  Jag absorbed the words, trying to figure out what to do. Trying to understand the meaning of all of this. But there was only the pain of what would face him tomorrow. Of knowing he’d failed Karen once again.

  Adrian snapped his fingers at Segundo who pushed the hair off Eva’s neck. He then showed his extended teeth. Jag looked at Karen, torment in her face, fear in her eyes.

  “Make your choice, White Knight,” Adrian said. “Will you choose your own life over the woman’s?” He narrowed his eyes on Jag. “Better yet, let’s allow your wife to decide who dies today. Which will it be, Karen? Eva or Jag? Who lives and who dies?”

  Fury ripped through Jag. “Stop it,” he yelled, digging his sword into the ground and dropping to his knees. He wouldn’t allow Karen to live with the guilt of that choice. He’d felt the stain of guilt far too long himself. It was a poison his wife would never endure.

  “Take my soul,” Jag said, lowering his head between his shoulders, defeated. “I give it freely.”

  Adrian walked to stand in front of Jag. “Look me in the eyes and give me your soul, White Knight.”

  Jag was shaking from head to toe, cold with the moment, with the reality of what he was doing. Still, he forced himself to do as ordered. Forced himself not to look at Karen, not to respond to her cries to him.

  “Take my soul,” he said, looking into the deep pits of evil that were Adrian’s eyes. “I give it freely.”

  Chapter 20

  Seconds that felt like hours ticked by as Salvador watched Adrian hold out his hand, his invisible grip reaching for Jag’s soul. Jag clutched his chest, face contorted in pain.

  And Salvador knew he had to put a stop to this.

  He hesitated, troubled by the price he would pay. Seconds had already passed. Too many. Salvador had to make a choice.

  But there was no real debate. He’d pay the price dealt to him, most likely a longer sentence to his duty in this realm of existence. What was another century in his world?

  He would live through it so that Jag could live, as well. Jag had unselfishly offered himself in place of another and that deserved a reward. It also proved what Salvador had always known. Jag was a worthy leader. An important part of this war. And Adrian’s form of evil couldn’t be allowed to survive.

  Decision made, Salvador lifted his hand and shot a white light at Adrian, knocking him off his feet. Jag fell to the ground as Salvador looked at the Knights. “Take him to the house and tie him down. And do it well.”

  He faced the beasts holding Karen and Marisol captive, prepared to turn them to dust, but they’d already flung the women to the ground, making their departures. His attention went to Segundo, who still held Eva.

  Adrian pushed to his feet. “Let her go,” he said to his second before squaring off with Salvador. Marisol darted for Eva pulling her away from Segundo.

  “Take your beasts and leave before I turn them all to ashes,” Salvador ordered.

  “Surprise, surprise,” Adrian said, evil in his voice, in his eyes, even in his smile. “The great Salvador broke the rules. Too bad you hesitated. He’s too far gone. He’ll be mine in another sunrise anyway.”

  “We shall see,” Salvador said.

  “Yes, we shall,” Adrian said, and he disappeared.

  Segundo ordered the Darklands retreat, but not without a long pause. He stared at Salvador, his eyes narrowed, greed radiating from his core. In that moment, Salvador knew Segundo had taken the bait he’d given him earlier that day. Segundo now knew that Adrian needed him and it was burning a hole in him, making him hungry for power. The kind of power Adrian possessed.

  Good news in the midst of a lot of bad. Salvador wanted nothing more than to see Adrian’s army come unglued from the inside out, and Segundo was the key to that.

  Salvador turned to find Karen approaching, and he met her halfway.

  “Hello, Karen.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I know your voice.” Her expression registered awareness. “You’re the one who whispered to me in my dreams.”

  “Yes,” he said. “And you did well. Jag might not realize it yet, but with your joining, the becoming of mates, he has learned much about himself. He now knows the beast doesn’t control him. He controls the beast.”

  Eva screamed and Karen turned to see Rock carrying her toward the house. “Your sister will live,” Salvador said, before she could ask, drawing her attention back to him. “But she will not be as she was. She will be like these men, a Knight in a war against evil. She is special, your sister, strong beyond your understanding of her. Trust me to save her. Right now, you must focus on Jag. He needs you. I’ve only offered you a chance to save him. He is still in danger.”

  Her expression flashed with surprised and renewed fear. “I don’t understand.”

  “His soul is stuck between worlds and reclaiming it means reclaiming every emotion, every bit of pain he’s ever experienced. He won’t want to do that. Love him enough to bring him home to you.” He touched her shoulder. “You are his mate for all of eternity, Karen, immortal like your sister soon will be. Like Jag already is. Be the light that will guide him. He is needed in this war. Bring him back, Karen.”

  “I will,” she said, determination in her face.

  “It won’t be easy. He will…” Salvador hesitated, trying to choose his words with caution, not to scare her. On the othe
r hand, he had to prepare her for what she faced. “He will not be himself. He’ll say and do things to hurt you. The dark side can be persuasive. Adrian will fight hard to possess Jag’s soul.”

  Her lips firmed. “He can fight but he won’t win. I’ve waited too long to find Jag again to give him up now.”

  He studied her a moment. He believed she would, indeed, defeat Adrian. “Go to him and leave Eva to me.” He gave her a short nod. “I bid you good luck.”

  Karen walked to the house, the wind blowing the shirt around her legs. Jag’s shirt. The man she loved more in this moment than she’d have ever thought possible. He’d given his life to protect her. Willing to give up his soul to save Karen from a loss. But what he didn’t understand was that living without him would have been unbearable. She needed him.

  And now he needed her more than ever, and she wouldn’t let him down.

  Her steps quickened as she made her way to the bedroom, finding Rinehart at the top of the stairs, guarding the door. Des exited the room. “Karen,” he said with a nod.

  Another time, her skimpy attire would have bothered her. Now, she didn’t care. These men were Jag’s brothers in battle. They had become that to her, as well. Today, they shared a common cause, and she would be there with them all the way, until this war was no more.

  “How is he?” she asked, stopping in front of the two Knights.

  Des hesitated. “He’s…resting.”

  She started for the door. Des stepped in front of her. “You can’t go in there, Karen. He’s not himself. Once Salvador—”

  “Salavador sent me to him,” Karen said, cutting him off. “I have to see him.” She started to pass him.

  Des stepped in her way again, shaking his head. “Salvador must not know how bad it is. I can’t let you in there.”

  “Salvador knows. I know.” She gave him a direct look, letting him see how firm she was in her decision. “I do appreciate your concern, but I have to do this. He needs me, Des.”

  “Then I’ll go in with you.”

  “No,” Karen said, rejecting that idea. “I have to do this alone.”

  Des stared at her, his expression concerned. “I’ll be right here if you need me. Just yell.” He stepped out of her way.

  Rinehart spoke up. “We’ll be right here.”

  Not a man of many words, when he did choose to be vocal, Karen had already figured out, she should take his words to heart.

  Their protectiveness meant a lot to her, as she knew it would to Jag when he was himself again. Karen gave them both a nod and then inhaled. Time to bring Jag home.

  Karen stepped into the bedroom, the door shutting behind her, to find Jag was tied down on the bed. Locking Jag in the room was one thing. Tying him up was another. Outraged, she started to turn away, determined to find Des and demand an explanation.

  “My woman has come to save me, I see,” Jag said, his voice a taunt. “My pure, precious cariño.” Laughter bubbled from his throat.

  Though Salvador had warned her Jag would be different, she hadn’t truly believed it. She turned back toward him, suddenly okay with his current state of submission.

  “I am your woman,” Karen said, walking toward him, and stopping at the side of the bed. “The one who loves you.”

  “If you love me, you’ll untie me.”

  “Because I love you, I can’t. Not until you’re back to your normal self.”

  “I am myself.”

  “Then tell me you love me.”

  “I’ll tell you anything you want me to tell you if you get naked first.” His gaze raked her breasts.

  She drew a breath, the ache in her heart hard to ignore. Having him treat her in a nasty way hurt, regardless of the reason. “I love you, Jag,” she said, willing to say it as many times as it took to get through to him.

  “Ahhh. So sweet. Let me taste how sweet. Give me a kiss.”

  Though she didn’t like how he requested the kiss, it seemed a good idea. She had connected with him beyond simple conversation. She leaned over Jag, stopping just before their lips touched. “I won’t let you leave me.” And then she pressed her mouth to his.

  For several seconds, they lingered like that, breathing together. He seemed to absorb her as she did him. He seemed to really feel what she did, the closeness, the perfection of their union.

  But it was short-lived success as something changed. Laughter bubbled from his mouth. Evil. Menacing.

  She pulled back to look into his eyes, her stomach twisting and turning as she saw the darkness there. She touched his cheek. “Come back to me, Jag,” she whispered. “I know you’re in there.”

  “If you want me, cariño, come and get me, but take your clothes off first. I want you naked or not at all.”

  He still called her by an endearment, and she clung to that. The man beneath the monster still knew her as someone special.

  She stiffened her spine, reaching for courage. Undressing for the man she loved and undressing for the soulless monster trying to control him were two different things. But making love did seem the best way to stir the emotions she needed in him.

  Slowly Karen stood before him, undoing the buttons on the front of the shirt. When it fell to the floor, the air-conditioning chilling her skin, the heat of his gaze warmed it back up. He devoured her with his eyes, sweeping them over her with a primal hunger. Ripe. Potent. Charged with lust. It aroused her, which she found a bit frightening. How could his dark side turn her on? But then, she reminded herself, no matter what, this was her man, her mate. The one she was meant to be with.

  “That’s a good girl,” he purred, his voice silky smooth and devious. “Now, untie me so I can touch you.”

  “No,” she said, offering nothing further. Walking to the end of the bed, she tugged his boots. “I’m the only one doing the touching.” Karen crawled on the bed and reached for his pants.

  “We’d both enjoy this more if you’d rid me of these ropes.” His voice softened, taking a gentler tone. “Set me free, cariño.”

  Her eyes went to his, and for just a second, she saw a flash of Jag, of the man who was her mate. It drew her in, even made her guilty for the ropes. She wished she could say yes to setting him free, but it was too soon. “I can’t. Not yet.”

  And just like that the evil returned. A flash of anger crossed his features before he yanked at the rope on his wrist. “Untie me!” Then he lifted his head and fixed her in angry stare. “I swear, I’ll make you sorry for this.”

  She jumped, surprised by the outburst; more surprised by the sinister crackle in the air. Shivering against the pure darkness closing in around her, Karen knew then that they weren’t alone. That man, the beast Adrian, was here. Maybe not in body, but in some other way. And he was feeding Jag’s anger. Feeding his desire to drive her away.

  Well, Adrian couldn’t have Jag. Not now and not ever. Her resolve returned as she worked to finish undressing him. “You can’t scare me. You can try but it won’t work.”

  “But you are scared,” he said, certainty to his tone. “I can smell it.”

  She ignored his taunt for the moment, sliding to the end of the bed and working his pants off his legs. Then she crawled back and straddled him. He was aroused and so was she. Her hand closed around his width, guiding him inside her body, just as she hoped she could guide his soul.

  Jag moaned as she took him fully, his lids heavy, his lips half parted as he looked at her. Then, knowing she had some semblance of control she addressed his taunt.

  “You were right,” she said, leaning down to press her hands beside his head. His hot gaze went to her breasts, and she felt it like a touch, her breasts aching, heavy. Her voice was hoarse as she reached for it, trying to sound stronger than she felt. “I am scared.”

  His gaze lifted to hers as if he hadn’t expected such a confession. “I’m scared of losing you,” she whispered, staring into his eyes, praying he could see the truth there. Praying that he could feel how much she cared.

  But nothin
g registered in his face, no acknowledgment, no emotion.

  Her chest tightened, ripe with the fear she’d just spoken of. “Don’t leave me,” she pleaded, and then brushed her lips over his. “We belong together.”

  She kissed him then, her tongue sliding past his lips, drawing a response. He made a sound deep in his throat and then hungrily claimed her mouth, tasting her as if she were an aphrodisiac he couldn’t get enough of. And he did want more. She could feel it in each stroke of his tongue, taste it on his lips. She wanted more, too. She wanted so much more. But Karen wanted forever, not just the moment. She had to be strong.

  She pulled back, her lips just out of reach. “Stay with me.”

  He was breathing hard, his intensity still bred of darkness but somehow more sensual. More alluring. A hint of the evil had slid away, replaced by desire. By their connection.

  But then he did something that shocked her. He lifted his head and his teeth, sharp now, nipped her lip, drawing a tiny bit of blood. He ran his tongue over his own lip and claimed it. And Lord help her, it was erotic. It turned her on. She should be disgusted but instead she wanted to move against him. To make love to him.

  Suddenly with a hard tug, his arms were free and he reached for her, pulling her mouth to his. “I have powers now, little one. Those ropes only hold me if I allow them to.”

  Before she knew what was coming, he was kissing her, deep and passionate. At the same time, he rolled her onto her back, fully claiming the control she had only moments before possessed.

  Karen was lost for a moment, drawn into a spell of desire. She could feel his powerful thighs frame hers, feel the weight of him press against her. And they were moving, bodies sliding together in unison, moving to a sultry tune only they could hear.

  But the passion stirred her heart. It reminded her of her cause, of her reason for making love to him. “I need you, Jag,” she whispered, desperate to hear him say the words back.

  His mouth moved over her jaw, to her ear, even as he rotated his hips against hers. “You’re close to coming,” he said. “Give me your pleasure, Karen. Give me all of you. I can make sure you never fear anything ever again.”