Untamed Beast

by Jaden Sinclair

Water splashed into his face. Cold water. It helped with clearing the fogginess and taking away the blurriness. When it all cleared the sight in front of him wasn’t the one he would’ve preferred.

  “Such a body,” Vintina said. She reached out and touched his chest with one hand, and with the other held it out. He saw a hand place a large knife in hers. Walking around him the hand on his chest followed, moving down to his ass, squeezing it then back up to his back. “Oh, the things I can only imagine you can do with it. The power you hold.”

  Thorn kept his mouth shut and kept his body as still as he could. However, when the tip of that knife touched his back he couldn’t stop from flinching. It burned against his skin. Burned as if it might have some copper on it.

  “I remember the night you fucked my daughter. Oh, how I envied her. Was she good?” She stopped in front of him, that knife at his stomach. Her other hand slid up the middle of his chest all the way up to his throat where she closed it, trying to cut off his air he supposed. Her face twisted as she squeezed the air off, then she shoved him away and her hand went down, inside his jeans, cupping and squeezing his dick. Thorn jumped, but he didn’t make a sound. That seemed to just piss her off. Removing her hand from his pants, Vintina took a step back and swung wide with the knife, slicing him right across the stomach. That had him groaning. “Begin.”

  Someone dumped more cold water over his head and it burned the large cut across his stomach. From the smell of it, it had to have salt in it. She stood in front of him and the first shock hit his back. Thorn held back the yell and held his breath just waiting for it to stop. It did, and he let out his breath, breathing hard and fast.

  “Higher,” she ordered. “I want him screaming.” She sliced at him again, then held her hand up. “What’s this?” touching his chest, right over the top of his flat left breast. “You’ve been marked. I know what this is. I’ve seen it on your guys before. So,” she chuckled, “My bitch has marked you as her own. Figures her tainted blood would surface with you.”

  Thorn looked down and sure enough, he did have a small bite mark on his chest. Just seeing that small mark and something inside him started to change. Now he felt like an ass not letting Katrina help him with his heat. But what really had him wanting to kick his own ass was the fact that he knew things were starting to change between them. He no longer wanted to get even but he wanted to protect her. Wanted to put his past as far behind him as he could and start over, maybe with her even. Funny how when you’re faced with death you think about things you’d do differently.

  “Again,” Vintina ordered.

  Taking several deep breaths, Thorn braced himself for the next shock. The guy behind touched him and volts raced in his body. He stiffened, clenched his teeth and fought with everything he had inside. It lasted only seconds, but it felt like hours.

  “More,” she said. “Higher.”

  Thorn was gasping for breath now. When he was touched again, the volts much higher, he couldn’t hold it back. He yelled, tossed back his head, body shaking with each volt that pulsed through his body. It stopped and she cut him again, right over the long gash at his stomach.

  “Again,” she said, her eyes lighting up.

  And again, he was hit, and once more he yelled out, then it all stopped with a loud bang. Unable to hold himself up, his whole body would’ve fallen if it wasn’t for the chains at his wrists holding him. Struggling to catch his breath, he raised his eyes just as the bitch turned around.

  “Katrina!” Vintina gasped.

  “Let him go,” Katrina ordered.

  “You know I can’t do that, dear.”

  “All our life you have tortured them and used them. You let the hate you have for a few of them do this to you. If you hated them so much then why did you have me?”

  “Put the gun down, dear, and we’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything you want to know, including about your father.”

  “No,” Katrina said and shook her head. “I’m done listening to you and your bullshit. Let him go.”

  “This animal can’t be left to live, you know that.”

  “I will shoot you, Mother, if I have to.”

  Vintina smiled. “No, you won’t.” She turned fast and plunged the knife into Thorn’s stomach. It stole his breath, burned from the inside out and pain raced in him. He wanted to yell out in pain, but couldn’t. When she pulled it out what little strength he had seemed to go with the knife.

  Katrina screamed and squeezed the trigger. One shot rang out and it sounded ten times louder than what it was. Vintina stiffened right in front of Thorn. Behind her, he heard the pounding of feet, then hands were on her arms. The gun dropped from her fingers just as her mother slowly slid down to the floor. Katrina went down as well, then she screamed at the top of her lungs, her eyes glued to her mother’s now slumped and lifeless body.

  “I miss you already,” Katrina whispered in his ear.

  Thorn opened his eyes and jolted up in the bed. He started to fight against the tube down his throat and reached up to pull it out, only something very heavy came down upon him and pulled his hands away.

  “Nurse!” someone yelled. “Help! We need some help in here!”

  Thorn kept twisting against the hold on his arms. He kicked out, the blankets going down the bed. He growled, tried to change to get extra strength, but he couldn’t. He also couldn’t see that well either, so he had no clue who was on top of him.

  Something stuck in his arm. He snarled, turned his head and tried to lunge at the one who stuck him, but couldn’t.

  “Easy son,” he heard a deep male voice, but his brain wouldn’t process it. “Calm down and we’ll take the tube out.”

  “He’s bleeding,” a woman said.

  “I know, but you won’t be able to check him until he calms down.” The drug started to take effect. He began to feel relaxed. “Don’t fight it, just relax. Get the tube out, please.”

  Hands touched his face, turning his head back to the left. “I need you to listen, do you understand me?” Thorn blinked several times, trying to get his eyes to focus, but they wouldn’t so he just nodded. “I know you can’t see me right now. It will pass. Now, I want you to take a deep breath and when I tell you, blow out hard. I’ll pull the tube out then. All right?” He nodded again. “Okay, deep breath now.” Thorn took a deep breath. “Out.” And blew it out. She pulled the tube all the way out. Once free, he started to cough. “Good. Yes, take several deep breaths it’ll help.”

  He continued coughing. The body and hands that were holding him down eased off and then a bright light flashed in his eyes. Next thing he felt was something coming over his face and into his nose. Oxygen.

  “Better?” a hand touched his forehead. Finally, his brain processed the voice. His Father.

  Thorn nodded, and opened his mouth but he couldn’t speak.

  “Don’t try to talk right now,” Kane said. “Give yourself some time. You’ve been down and out for a while now.”

  “How—how long?” He struggled to speak and it was a raw, raspy sound.

  “Almost a month.”

  Thorn turned his head and frowned. “Month?”

  “You’ve been in a coma for a month,” Kane said. “And it’s been driving your mother nuts. She just stepped out to get us something to eat when you suddenly woke up. That’s going to make her happy. Here.” Something cold touched his lips. Thorn opened and ice dropped in. The coolness helped to ease the raw feeling in his throat.

  “Katrina?”

  “She left,” Kane said then heaved a deep sigh. “Night after you slipped into the coma. Thinks she’s bad for you and that you’re better off with her gone.” Thorn fisted his hands into the bedding. “Yeah, I sort of told her that was bullshit, but she didn’t listen.” The anger must’ve shown on his face. Kane grabbed hold of his wrists and put a hand on his chest. “Don’t. You listen to me and you listen carefully. Don’t go there with your anger. Right now, you are to focus only on yourself. Get out of here, back on y
our feet and then together we’ll find her.”

  Thorn shook his head and closed his eyes. “No,” he rasped out. “Over.”

  “Can’t say it’s over if it never started.” Thorn opened his eyes and looked up at his father. “Something has to have started for you to say it’s over. However, that doesn’t mean she isn’t the one for you either, and you’ve just been stubborn. Kind of runs in the blood, huh?” Thorn opened his mouth only to have Kane cut him off. “Save it. Your mother is going to be coming back and she isn’t going to be happy if you’re out cold again. Get out of here, then decide what to do about Katrina. Deal?”

  Thorn nodded and closed his eyes again. He was starting to get tired again, but wanted to stay awake for his mother. Lucky for him she didn’t take too long in coming back.

  Kane left them alone, and Thorn didn’t try to hold back. Once he saw his Mother, he lost his control and just broke down. Jada was right there, wrapping him in her arms as best as she could with him in the bed.

  Not since he was a little boy did he cry in his mother’s arms, and here he was doing just that. She didn’t say anything either. Didn’t lecture him or point out how stupid he was for going to get Katrina when she decided to go back to the house. Jada didn’t judge, she was just there for him. And when he finally stopped crying she cleaned his face and all evidence of it, just as she had done when he was little and didn’t want his father to know he had been crying.

  She sat down and he stared up at the ceiling, taking deep breaths, pushing any more tears that might come away. Jada also took his hand and Thorn gave it a squeeze.

  “What now, Ma?” he asked in a low, still raspy voice.

  “What do you want to happen, Thorn? That is the only question you need to answer,” Jada said.

  He turned his head to look at her, and damn if another tear didn’t fall down. She reached forward and wiped it away. “I don’t know,” he whispered.

  “Sure you do. You’ve always known what you wanted in life. Just because crap has landed in your lap, a bit messy this time, doesn’t mean you still don’t know what you want.”

  “Was easier then.”

  “What’s made it so hard now?” He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Jada reached up, brushing some hair off his forehead. “Thorn, you’re not a little boy. That ship sailed so long ago, even before I was ready to start calling you a man. Like so many of us, you’ve had your heart broken by the wrong person and now the right one has come and gone. If you want her, then go and have her.”

  “Not that easy.”

  “Sure it is. You got a lot of your father in you. He takes, why the hell can’t you?” That statement had him smiling then. “Listen to me, and you listen closely. You feel like shit from the inside out and it has nothing to do with the wounds. I understand that. If she is the one you want, then I’ll do everything I can to help you bring her back.”

  That had him shaking his head, “No. she comes back on her own or not at all.”

  Jada smiled then. “Stubborn shit, just like your father.” He started to have trouble keeping his eyes open. Jada put her hand on his forehead, stood up and kissed his cheek. “You need to rest. Heal. I’m not going anywhere until you’re out of here.”

  Thorn nodded and gave into the need to sleep.

  * * * *

  Jada waited until Thorn was in a deep sleep before leaving his room and joining the others. Kane was pacing the waiting room. He couldn’t stand being in hospitals still, and she didn’t blame him.

  “How’s he doing?” Kane asked her the second he saw her.

  “Sleeping again.” She bit her lip and looked around. Spotting Logan and Dannie sitting together, she moved around Kane and went up to them. “Have you heard anything from her?” she asked Dannie.

  Dannie shook her head. “Nothing. All she did was send me a bag with a few things from when we were kids.”

  Jada bit her lip, thinking.

  “What’s wrong?” Logan asked.

  “She might be his mate,” Jada said. “And if she is, then she needs to come back or he’s going to slump into a depression. Kane did when I left him.”

  “How the hell were you able to leave him?” Logan asked.

  “Don’t ask, long story.” With hand on hip, Jada started to pace around the waiting room, tapping a finger on her lips. “We need to get her back. Any ideas where she might have gone?”

  “No.”

  “Well, we need to find her. I’m not going to let another damn girl fuck him up like the first one did,” Jada stated, turning and walking away.

  Now, Jada was good at finding things and people, but there were also a few times that she needed some help. This happened to be one of those times. Walking away from everyone, she brought out her cell phone from her pocket, dialed a number and waited. The wait wasn’t long.

  “Chase, feel like doing some searching?” Jada asked, the second the other line was picked up.

  Chase Sexton sighed on the other end. “Hello, Jada, yes, we’re doing good. Thank you for asking.”

  Jada rolled her eyes. “Come on, like I don’t know that. Kane calls just about every day.”

  “What do you want?”

  “I need your help. I don’t have the time or the resources to do this one myself.”

  “Jada,” Chase sighed. “You know that we both agreed the last time was going to be the last time.”

  “This is different.”

  “That’s what you said the last time.”

  “Chase,” she groaned and he laughed at her.

  “You’re starting to sound like Kane.”

  “Will you stop jerking me around here? I really need your help.”

  “Does Kane know?”

  “He doesn’t need to know. I’m doing this for Thorn.”

  “He’s awake?”

  “Yes, and hurting, but it has nothing to do with the wounds. It’s a girl.”

  “Always is.” Chase sighed again. “So what do you need me to do for you?”

  “I need you to help me find Katrina Scott and need this fast.”

  “Always do. Nothing is simple with you, never has been.”

  “I’m not going to let another hurt him again. This one is his mate. They just need a small push.”

  “Jada, a push from you is like a big shove, and have you forgotten what happens when you push, because I haven’t. I still have the scars.”

  “Hey, I told you to stay put and you didn’t. And stop bringing that shit up. It was years ago.”

  “And my body still hurts.”

  “What do you want me to do, beg?”

  “Begging would be good. It would be different since you never beg. Or do you?”

  “God you are such a dick!”

  This time he chuckled. “Finally, you see the light.”

  “Are you going to help me?”

  “You, no, Thorn yes. Him I like better.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled and looked over her shoulder at Kane. “Please make it fast. I want her found before he’s out of the hospital.”

  “Let me see what I can do.”

  “You’re the best.”

  “And you’re still a pain in my ass.” The phone went dead and she quickly put hers into her pocket.

  “I know that look.” Kane came up to her with a stern look on his face. “Don’t meddle.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.” She made to walk past him, only to have Kane grab her arm and stop her.

  “I mean it, Jada. You fix this and it will crush his pride.”

  “I’m not going to fix it. I’m just going to find her then let Dannie know where she is. Her sister can push her to come back. He’s hurting, Kane, and it’s my job to take the hurt away.”

  “You can’t fix everything woman.”

  “No, but I can fix this, and I will.” She looked down at the hand still holding her arm. “You mind? I need to go back to him. Made a promise that I’m not going to leave his side until he gets out.”

 
“You are impossible,” Kane growled, letting her go.

  Jada grabbed hold of the front of his shirt and brought him down to her level. “Yeah, but you love me anyway.” A quick kiss and she was walking back to sit with Thorn.

  Chapter Eleven

  “You are one hard woman to find.” Logan slid into the booth that Katrina was sitting in, right next to her so she couldn’t slide right back out and leave.

  Katrina dropped her spoon of soup and turned in the seat, mouth open in shock. “Apparently not hard enough. How’d you find me?”

  “Oh, I didn’t, but Thorn’s mother did. She just let me know where to go. I’m impressed you’ve managed to stay a good step or two ahead of me for longer than what I’d ever thought you’d be able to.”

  “Go back to Dannie. I’m fine.”

  “Yeah, that’s why you look like shit.”

  A waitress came up then. “Get you anything?” she asked Logan.

  Logan looked down at what Katrina was eating and shook his head. “Yeah, how about bringing us three of your biggest cheese burgers, some fries, and three strawberry milkshakes.”

  “You got it.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Ordering food. Dannie’s hungry and so am I. From the looks of you, I’d say you haven’t eaten good in weeks.”

  “I’m fine, and what do you mean Dannie’s hungry?”

  “Order yet?” Dannie slid into the booth, right across from Katrina.

  “Yep,” Logan answered. “You take care of it?”

  “Bill is paid, and her bags are in the car,” Dannie said.

  Katrina shook her head. “I’m not going back, so the two of you just get back into your damn car and leave. This shit isn’t done with and I’m not going to put Thorn or his family in any more danger. End of story.”

  Logan snorted, “Please. This is Thorn. He’s one mean ass son of a bitch.”

  “And has gotten meaner since you’ve been gone.” Dannie added.

  “Doubt that,” Katrina mumbled.

  “You look like hell, Kaz,” Dannie stated. “Bags under your eyes as well as dark circles. When was the last time you slept?”

  Katrina rubbed her face and slumped in the seat. “Why are you here?” she groaned at Dannie.