Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Text copyright ©2018 by the Author.
This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by LATIN GODDESS PRESS INC.. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Sassy Ever After remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of LATIN GODDESS PRESS INC., or their affiliates or licensors.
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Sass Got Your Tongue
Sassy Ever After
Bella
Roccaforte
Cover Design by Fantasia Frog
Edited by Christine Formack
Proofread by Chelly Peeler
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Chapter One
Adrenaline pumping through her veins is the only thing keeping her from collapsing. Each thump of her heart is an explosion resonating in her ears so loud, she can barely hear her hunters. Riley’s unsure how much longer she can keep going, she’s been running for hours. She spies a tall tree ahead and makes her way up quickly and shifts to human form to use her witch power to go invisible, one of the easy spells she can do without her amulet.
Four panthers speed under her past the tree. Where are Davis and Thomas, she looks and listens for them. They were leading the charge but aren’t with the others. She remains perfectly still on high alert.
Her heartbeat begins to regulate and her other needs come to the forefront. She has no idea how many days it’s been since she’s eaten and she desperately wants a bath. She wonders how it’s possible they aren’t able to smell her.
She relaxes into the cradle of the tree on watch and exhaustion gets the better of her. With her magical protection in place, she drifts off into a twilight sleep.
“Where the fuck is she?” Davis’s rough voice startles Riley from her light sleep.
A small bit of bark falls from the tree, landing beside Davis. Riley cups her hands over her mouth to silence the gasp that nearly escapes.
Davis spins around, looking for the source of the sound but sees nothing.
“It’s like she’s vanished,” Thomas says defensively. “One minute we were chasing her, then next we lost her scent.”
“That’s because she shifted, you idiot. I told you we had to keep our eyes on her we’d lose her.” Davis paces in the circle. “I should’ve killed her when I had the chance.”
Thomas presses his lips into a tight line, “You know the timing was bad for that. The Pride would’ve protected her. If they had known we had her in the cage...”
“I’m the goddamn Alpha of this pride!” Davis bellows and wraps his hands around Thomas’s neck. “If you want to remain Beta, you’ll fucking find her.” He releases Thomas and paces, running his fingers through his long black hair. “I want her dead.”
“I know you’re angry, we’re going to find her. But you know as well as I do that if you kill her, it’s not going to be good for you or the Pride,” Thomas warns.
“It’s going to be worse for us if she takes that recording to the Council.” Davis pins Thomas with a cruel look, “Besides, I’m smarter than that.” He shrugs, quirking his brow, “Her death would be an unfortunate accident.”
“An accident…” Thomas is dubious, “Like your brother? How many ‘accidents’ do you think you can get away with?”
Davis growls, “As many as I need to.”
Two light beige panthers approach, Davis demands, “Shift.”
Riley watches as two of her closest friends shift into human form, her heart sinks at the thought of Noah and Eli being on Davis’s side, but she knows they have no choice.
They shift, Noah begins to speak with his head lowered in shame, “She’s gone. We completely lost her scent.”
“You’d better fucking find it,” Davis balls his fists at his side.
“We’ve spread out searching for her,” Eli says with uncertainty, “We’ll find her.”
Davis grabs Eli by the neck and slams him up against the tree Riley’s perched in, “If you don’t find her, you’ll be taking her place in the box.”
“We want to find her just as much as you do.” Eli chokes out the words.
“Davis,” Thomas tries to back him down, “Let’s get moving, she’s gaining ground on us.”
“Because these morons lost her.” Davis tightens his grip on Eli’s throat.
“No, because she’s fast and cunning,” Thomas corrects him. “We have to think strategically, where would she go?”
Davis releases Eli, “She has nowhere to go but to the Council.”
“I don’t think that’s her intention. She knows she’s lost the Pride. You’re the only family she has left and she’s not going to you.”
“You!” Davis barks, approaching Noah, “You know her, where would she go?”
Noah startles and thinks for a moment, “I don’t know...she used to talk about Peru.”
“Peru? Why?” Davis asks.
“Because she heard rumors of her mother having a sister there, one none of us knew about,” Noah answers.
Peru? Riley questions in her mind, she doesn’t remember ever talking about Peru with Noah.
“Name, I need a name,” Davis demands.
“She never mentioned a name,” Noah shifts nervously on his feet. “After…” He lowers his head, “After the accident, she wanted to find what family she had left.”
“I’m her family,” Davis says with a sick smile.
Noah lowers his eyes with no other response.
“All right, we need to figure this out. We’re heading north, Peru is south,” Thomas says then pauses in thought. “We should follow up on that.”
“We will, but she’s close, I can feel her,” Davis insists. “We keep looking, if she makes it out of Mexico we’re fucked.”
“If she makes it out of Mexico that means she’s not going to the Council,” Thomas points out.
“That’s not a chance I’m willing to take,” Davis says with certainty.
“We’re not going to find her standing here,” Thomas says and shifts.
“Shift,” Davis demands of Noah and Eli, “And find her.”
They all shift and head north. Noah lingers behind and looks up into the tree where Riley’s hiding.
She stills in place, afraid to breathe. He knows she’s there and he didn’t give her up, a risky move she won’t forget.
Conflict burns in his expression, his desire to live battling with his love for her. He lowers his eyes and slowly marches north toward the others.
Riley relaxes slightly, exhaling the breath she had been holding. She remains invisible for fear that they’ll circle back and see her. The sound of big cats screeching streaks through the air like lightning. They found something, and she’s relieved it isn’t her. Her stomach rumbles at the thought of them making a kill, they’ve been in pursuit of her for at least a
day and everyone’s hungry.
She begins her descent down the tree but remains cloaked. She curses the fact that she can’t use her witch power in panther form. But getting out of here faster is a risk she has to take.
The scent of the hunting party gets stronger, they’re coming back this way. She drops her invisibility spell and begins to shift.
She’s frozen in place when she hears Davis’s voice, “I knew I smelled something rotten here.”
Riley turns around, refusing to show any fear, “Is your breath backing up on you?”
“Cute, as always.” Davis takes two steps toward her. “You’re completely surrounded, there’s no talking your way out of this.”
“I have no intention of using my words,” Riley puts her hand on her hip, trying to think fast. “The big words would be lost on you anyway.”
Davis shifts into panther form and stalks toward her, his menacing growl shaking what’s left of her resolve.
Riley’s faster, more agile than he is. The question is, can she shift and be out of here before he pounces?
She goes invisible again and jumps to the left, hoping to evade his attack. She isn’t fast enough and Davis catches her side with his claw. Riley cries out in pain, trying not to lose focus. She rolls to the left and quickly reviews her options. Without her witch’s amulet, she’s reduced to small spells. “Damnit,” she hisses involuntarily at the pain in her side.
Davis spins around trying to track her scent, which just became easier with the blood dripping from her wound.
“Fuck it,” Riley cries out as she drops the spell and shifts into her panther form. She takes off running. She doesn’t know what direction she’s going, just that it’s away from Davis. She hopes that he was bluffing about her being surrounded. As a matter of fact, she’s sure of it. Her sense of smell is keener than the males in the Pride.
She’s drawn to the smell of diesel fuel, there could be safety in a populated area. Surely, if it’s a truck stop, a naked woman begging for help would be a sure bet. She pushes harder toward the smell. She breaks through the trees to find an abandoned train yard. Her hope sinks to the ground with her heart. She’s exhausted, hungry and isn’t sure how much longer she can keep running.
The sound of footsteps draws her attention. She turns toward him growling, more than happy to take on this traitor. He never stood up for her when Davis locked her up and she won’t soon forget that. Noah’s little display at the tree niggles at the back of her mind, but she doesn’t have time to decide whether he can be trusted or not.
She shifts to human form to have her say before she’s killed. “I trusted you. You were supposed to be my best friend.” She shakes her head. “And now what? You’re going to hold me here for Davis so he can make sure I have an ‘accident’ like my mother?” She makes quotes with her fingers.
Noah remains in cat form but shame clouds his expression.
“Oh yeah, I wouldn’t want you to use the Pride link to talk to me, then the others would hear your thoughts. We can’t have that now, can we?”
Noah shakes his head and looks down at the ground, hanging his head.
Riley can feel the ground rumbling with the sound of oncoming trains and Davis. “I hope you enjoy watching him kill me, I hope you remember how you lied to me. I hope your heart breaks into a million pieces every day thinking of how Davis killed your mate and then killed me. How many more have to die in the name of Davis’s power?” She wants to leave him there, looking pathetic, but she just can’t leave until he’s answered for at least part of what he’s done. “What do you have to say for yourself?” she demands.
Noah’s body convulses and he begins to gag. Riley looks at him, “That’s it? You’re going to throw up? So gross.”
She leans down on all fours to shift while he’s occupied with losing his lunch. “Goodbye, Noah, enjoy your miserable life.”
Noah makes a purring sound deep in his throat that demands her attention. She pauses and flashes a glance in his direction. Happiness and disgust spiral through her watching her amulet dangle in his muzzle from the gold chain.
She takes five cautious steps toward him, wondering if it’s some kind of trap. Noah sees her hesitation and drops the talisman on the ground and backs away, lowering his head in submission.
She can hear Davis drawing near and can’t waste time worrying about the contents of Noah’s stomach coating the chain. She picks it up and turns to run, holding on to it tightly.
Davis is less than ten feet from her and closing the distance fast.
Riley spots an open car on the train barreling through the yard. She pushes harder toward it. Davis swipes and barely misses her back paw as she leaps into the car.
She shifts to human form midair and takes the talisman in her hand and spins around, firing a bolt of energy at Davis, blowing him back on his ass.
She lands with a hard thud against metal wall of the box car. She says a silent thank you to Noah and wishes she could take back all the ugly things she said to him, but saying too much at the worst time is her downfall.
She waves her hand, closing one of the doors on the train car and goes to the other side of the car. Do I jump and run?
They could be on this train now, making their way toward her car. She’s under no illusion that she’s out of danger. She watches as the scenery speeds by. A train whistle wails in the distance.
A knowing smile stretches across her face. Double back and head west before heading north, she thinks to herself. It will take her longer to get out of the territory, but buy her some time to rest and eat.
Riley slides the chain over her head and shifts to panther form. She watches the passing train closely, hoping to find another open car she can jump into. Half the train has gone by and there’s nothing, no open doors. She’s going to have to jump onto one of the connectors.
She counts in her head, timing each break passing by and finally before she runs out of train, jumps to the connector.
Her paws hold onto the metal but without thumbs, holding on is a challenge. She leaps up onto the top of the car and crouches down, pressing as flat on the roof as she can.
As the train car passes through the train yard she just came from, the smell of death hangs heavy in the air.
“Noah.” His name crosses through her mind as she passes by his limp body lying in the grass next to the train tracks.
Chapter Two
Ryder winds along the mountain roads with dread growing in the pit of his stomach. He pulls off the road to the familiar hole-in-the-wall Jake’s. He parks his bike and takes in the scenery while stretching his legs. He huffs a laugh, looking at the same trucks that were in the parking lot when he left three years ago. Not much changes around here, he thinks, walking through the door of the bar.
The scent of something unfamiliar catches his attention, “That’s new.”
“Well, look what the cat dragged in.” Peyton tackles Ryder before he can make it all the way in the door.
Ryder hugs Peyton, “Hello, brother.”
Peyton steps back, looking Ryder up and down, “Look at you starting to fill out.”
Ryder eyes Peyton’s pot belly, “I’m not the only one.” He widens his eyes, laughing.
“Eh, being mated to a woman that loves to cook will pack the pounds on faster than you can say lickety split.” Peyton laughs and leads Ryder to the bar. “Let’s get you a beer.”
“I’d love one.” Ryder sniffs at the air, trying to identify the new scent.
“What are you doing?” Peyton ask then turns to the bartender, “Jake, two beers!”
“You got it!” Jake leans down into the cooler.
“There’s someone new around,” Ryder says, looking for confirmation.
“Oh, yeah.” Peyton thinks about it for a moment, “New bartender. She’s pretty hot.”
“Yeah, and you’re pretty mated,” Ryder reminds him.
“Doesn’t mean I can’t look.” Peyton laughs and takes the beer from Jake.
“Welcome home,” Jake says, giving Ryder his beer. “You staying long this time?”
“Only as long as I have to.” Ryder watches for Peyton’s reaction.
“It’s good to have you back, things have been a little too quiet,” Jake says, tapping on the bar, “But no fights.”
“No fights.” Ryder holds up his hands in surrender, “I only fight for money now.”
Peyton pulls his lips to the side in disappointment, “Seriously? Mom’s going to be pissed.”
“Mom doesn’t need to know.” Ryder takes his beer and ticks his head toward a table.
Peyton joins him, “When are you going to settle down and stick around?”
“Hmm.” He taps his finger to his chin, “Never.” He tilts the bottle back, taking a drink, “I like my life. No attachments, no strings, no one nagging me, except you, Mom and Dad. It’s perfect.”
“So why are you even bothering to come home?” Peyton’s patience is waning.
“Because Dad asked me to,” Ryder admits.
“So that means something to you, but not when Mom asks?” Peyton asks.
Ryder’s reminded that Peyton was always Mom’s favorite, probably because he did whatever she said, “Because Mom didn’t have a solid argument why I should come home. You really don’t need me here for some big family picnic.”
Peyton looks at Ryder with surprise, “And Dad did?”
“He sure did, he said, ‘Just be here to stand with the family’.” Ryder takes another drink, emptying his bottle. “Something about this being some special anniversary and everyone coming into to town.”
“Yeah,” Peyton shakes his head, “It’s the pack’s one hundred fiftieth anniversary. Members from a bunch of packs from all over are coming in for the celebration. Mom’s a damn mess with Aunt Barbara coming into town.”
“Shit, Barbara, she’s the one with the hair?” Ryder makes a weird motion over his head.
“Yeah,” Peyton laughs, “They all have hair.”
“Never noticed.” He motions for Jake to bring another round of beers.
Sassy Ever After: Sass Got Your Tongue (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 1