Ava blinked at her in surprise. “You don’t have to do that, Kelly.”
Kelly scoffed. “Fuck her, Ava. She’s not going to talk about my best friend like you’re some sort of rabid beast. Like she has room to talk!”
Ava couldn’t help but smile at Kelly’s attitude. She was angry, too, and she adopted some of Kelly’s fierceness. Enough of this shit, she decided. Her mother’s words came to her in that moment. It was time to accept what she was and embrace it to her advantage. No more feeling sorry for herself. It was time to start acting with the power she held deep inside, even if she didn’t understand it. After all, she was ‘the marked one’, and she stood, giving Kelly a wink, and left the office, with her friend gaping at her.
Chapter 27
The brutality of the evening rush had been worse than expected, with Kelly, Ava, and Rhonda running and rushing the floor for hours without breaks. As the band began their sound check, the place finally started to clear out, and Ava found it a perfect time to have a seat at the bar, watching Lil work.
Checking to make sure no one was listening; she asked quietly, “You hate me, don’t you?” She kept her tone and her expression stern as Lil hesitated in her movements but didn’t look up.
“I don’t hate you, Ava.” Her voice was tight. “You’re certainly not at the top of my list of pals right now.” As if it was a peace offering, Lil gave her a reluctant smile and poured a shot for each of them. Holding up her own glass, Lil growled, “Here’s to bullshit.”
Ava seconded, “To bullshit!” She tilted her head back and tossed the liquor down her throat. She slammed the glass on the bar, and Lil chuckled softly as she went about her business with the patrons.
Ava swiveled in her seat, taking in the clearing diners and the incoming partiers. “Are you just gonna sit there, or are you going to help?” Rhonda asked snidely with a disapproving look at Ava before she turned to run a list of beverages to Lil.
“I’m on it.” She slid from the seat, grabbing a tray of beers to deliver and ignoring Rhonda’s bad attitude. She was likely on the rag; it was what usually made her so irritable.
As she delivered the drinks, Ava took in the sight of the band, which had a country sound reminiscent of the classic southern rock. She ran orders and mingled as the band played hit after hit. They were pretty good and had the crowd going. With a break in orders, Ava and Kelly stood by the bar, listening and swaying to the music for a moment, when Lil stopped moving mid-pour.
Ava watched her anxiously, her head popping up and her eyes glowing softly. Her face twisted with rage, and Ava followed her stare to the entryway, her eyes widening as about a dozen men strode through the door. They were in their mid-twenties and early thirties, as far as Ava could tell, wearing black leather coats and jeans. They had varied beard growth and appeared rough like bikers. They certainly weren’t locals, and Ava’s eyes shot back to Lil as she grabbed the shotgun from behind the bar.
“Lil, what are you doing?” she asked cautiously, her heart skipping a beat.
“Ava, go to my office and climb out the window. Now!” Lil spoke through her teeth in a firm and strangely calm voice.
Not one to ask questions, Ava slid around the edge of the bar, between patrons, aiming to get behind the counter and break into a run for the office. Her eyes fell on a single man, walking through the middle of the others, and she noted the way they moved for him, clearing a path. His command and the respect he demanded exuded from him. As she stared at him, no longer moving, she saw that he was clean shaven, showing his chiseled facial features and his jet black hair was short and well kept. His jeans and tight white shirt showed every muscle, and his strength was obvious in the width and the carriage of his shoulders. And to top it off, he amplified sexual appeal that drew the gazes of every female in the bar.
Ava tried to tear her eyes away as they traveled up his bare arm, covered in tattoos that ran all the way beneath his sleeve, reappearing on his shoulder and neck. Now, her heart thumped so hard it made her lightheaded, and she wanted to run but felt rooted in place. She heard Lil telling her to go, ever more forcefully, but she was transfixed. The tribal tattoo was in clear view now as the man’s gaze fell on Ava. She instantly panicked.
Lil raised the shotgun, pointing upward, and fired. Everyone in the bar ducked under tables and some cleared out, heading for the patio to avoid the men lurking in the doorway. “Bar’s closed!” she shouted. “Everyone out!” Ava didn’t turn from glaring at the man, but he hadn’t even winced when she fired the shot, completely unaffected and without fear.
He moved closer, his limbs moving loosely, and Ava finally unglued her feet, trying to bolt around the bar. She wanted to put space between them so she could run for the hall and Lil’s office. But she wasn’t fast enough, and she was weightless for a split second before the wind was knocked out of her, her body slammed into the wall like a rag doll.
She felt a formidable grip on her neck, like a vice, and the man had her pinned almost two feet off the ground. His enormous frame stood more than six feet tall, and his icy blue eyes bored into Ava’s as she stared down at him, unable to breathe.
His head turned so he could stare at Lil. “Put her down,” Ava heard Lil say with a warning tone. Ava saw her point the shotgun at the man, cocking it and ready to fire.
Ava felt like he was choking her, and she gagged as she tried to catch one small breath. The edges of her vision were blurry, but she could see Kelly cowering, trembling, and as she struggled against this man’s strength, she saw all of his friends phase to wolves. They rushed forward, and Lil growled, ready for the attack.
The leader smiled, showing perfectly straight white teeth. “Come on, sis. This is no way to welcome your brother back in town.” His voice was deep and smooth as brandy.
“Put her down, Blaez, or I swear I will blow you to hell and back.” Lil’s growl was feral, and yet, her voice sounded so far away. Blaez’s grip tightened around her neck, and she tried in vain to pry his fingers from her throat as her vision clouded with white spots. From her angle, she could only see a glimpse of Lil and Kelly, and she worried for their lives. She had enough sense left as her vision faded to realize that this was her vision, and she hated herself for not understanding.
As she passed out, her last thought was, I’m sorry, Caleb. I should have known.
******
Lil faced off against the entire pack, keeping her human form but letting the monster out. Her eyes glowed, her teeth grew long and sharp and she raged at the group, brandishing the shotgun as they closed in.
“Drop her!” Lil cried, and she barely even noticed Kelly jump at the sound of her deep, determined voice. She fired, and one wolf went down, the others gnashing their teeth in rage. She fired again, and a second dropped with a dog’s whine.
But three of them hit her at once from the side, knocking her to the ground, and two of them phased back to human, pinning her to the wall. She saw another three pacing around Kelly, who whimpered, and Lil roared at being powerless to help her.
Blaez chuckled and bowed at his sister. “Sorry, Lil, this one’s mine.” Lil watched in horror as he dragged Ava behind him, gripping her by the hair, calling over his shoulder on the way out of the bar, “Grab the gun, boys, and let’s get out of here. And Lil, tell my baby brother I said hi!”
STAY TUNED FOR MORE!
THE MARKED ONE SERIAL CONTINUES WITH...
BOOK 2 - A SCENT OF BLOOD - OCT 30TH
BOOK 3 - OF ALLIES & ENEMIES - NOV 2014
BOOK 4 - NOVEMBER 2014
BOOK 5 - NOVEMBER 2014
About The Author
I am wife to my high-school sweetheart and mother to two rambunctious boys. I love writing titillating stories about gorgeous sexy men and women.
Aside from being an outlet for my creativity, being an author gives me the flexibility to be the mother and wife my family deserves.I love to read paranormal & contemporary romances as much as I love to write them.
Paranormal
romances are my favorites, but I'm into all kinds of books. In fact when I'm not writing (or carpooling and such) I will normally have a nice cup of coffee and my head buried in a book.
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Imprinted By The Alpha (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (The Marked One - Book 1) Page 14
