by Kim Faulks
The pain melted under the pressure inside as the slow roll turned purposeful. Ghost lifted his head from the bed, then his shoulders, until he cradled my chest against his. He reached further inside me, stretching my walls until my pants turned to whimpers.
More. Harder. I was caught in the vice of his hands on my waist as his hips rose up to meet my downward thrust. I dug my nails into his shoulder, riding that wave inside as heat spread throughout my body. The rhythm turned frenzied, the friction creating a new flame.
I gripped him harder, burying my face against his neck and breathing his scent in deep. He was here, in my soul, in this moment. I’d known it all along. My wolf was mine.
Mine.
I opened my mouth, my teeth not as sharp as his. The flame turned to wildfire and tore though my body. His flesh was soft under my mouth, his blood sweet under my tongue. I marked him as mine and cried out against his body.
My Ghost answered with a cry of his own. The screech of an owl tore through the night answering the call of the wild. His arms tightened around me, holding me in place as the fire ebbed inside. My body was numb, but my mind raced.
Soft kisses rained down my neck. He pulled me down to the bed beside him. His hands working the remaining buttons of my dress, spreading the fabric aside to reveal my torn petticoat. I lifted one arm at a time, shrugging out of the sleeves, then lifted my hips as he dragged my dress free.
There was no need for words, our touch spoke loud enough. I shoved the slip down my shoulder and eased the ruined fabric free. Ghost dropped his head, brushing his lips along my collar. I dropped my head backwards, sighing with the heat of his breath on my skin. All those years he waited for me at the edge of the forest, coming closer, coming for me. Had he always known we would be together? Had I always been the prey in this hunter’s eyes?
He lifted his head, impaling me with those blue eyes as though he knew the questions that crowded my mind. Yes, he’d always known. He’d always loved, just as somewhere inside I knew I’d always loved him.
Ghost dropped his head to my neck, opening his mouth wide, trailing the line of my throat with pointed fangs as he whispered. “Mine. Always mine. To love. To protect.”
He gripped the petticoat and dragged it from my hips, leaving me bare under his fingers. I stared at the thatched roof and trembled. His touch was light. Even though I’d already given myself, merely being naked to his gaze was bringing me undone. He lowered his head to my breast. The heat of his tongue resurrected the image of him between my legs. My nipple hardened and desire swept away any shadow of fear.
Ghost eased his thigh over mine, then followed with the other, spreading my legs wide as he knelt above me. He gripped my hips, jerking my ass from the bed. I wrapped my legs around his waist. He was my anchor. The penetration was sudden. He speared me and I floated in the sensation tightening my thighs, pulling him harder against me with each slow thrust.
I dropped my gaze to the spot where our bodies joined. His length slid from me slowly, only to ram inside. The violence stole my breath, washing me away with the hunger for more. His body glistened under the warm glow of the fire. His chest tensed and his abdomen rippled with each powerful motion of his hips.
A growl tore through his lips as his fingers dug into my hips and his gaze nailed me to the bed. The sound was dangerous, demanding.
“Mine.” The word slipped from his lips as I clawed for a hold.
I answered his growl with one of my own as my need turned savage and feral. “Yes, I’m yours and you’re mine. All mine Ghost.”
He lunged forward. The bed quaked under the force as he slammed his hands on either side of my body. I felt every straining muscle, every shudder of his powerful body above me. His eyes captured mine as he repeated. “Mine.”
The crack tore through the air, something hard struck Ghost. Lightening tore through the blue eyes, before he slumped on top of me. I couldn’t breathe. Crushed by his weight, I didn’t sense the movement until the shadows shifted in the cabin and my brother stepped into view.
His smile was sickening, sliding over Ghost’s body. “No, Gretel. You were mine first, and you always will be.”
Hansel lifted his arm, laying the barrel of the rifle against his shoulder. The breech of the gun glistened in the soft light of the fire, coated with blood. Ghost. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, reaching for his head. My fingers slipped. I probed the torn edges of the wound, heart sinking at the depth of the gouge. I closed my eyes and prayed.
His chest pressed against mine. His breathing was slow and even. I wrenched my head up to my brother. The smug bastard smiled. “I must admit, this little act has caused me some problems. I had to track you through the forest for the last two fucking days, and now I’m, well, fucking pissed.”
The glint in his eyes filled me with the cold edge of fear. Something shifted in the darkness behind him. I followed the movement as Adams stepped into the faint glow. His smile was slippery and beady dark eyes shone under the fire. I suppressed a shudder, remembering his hands between my thighs. “I want what I paid for, little girl, and I want it now.”
I planted my heels against the bed and tensed my stomach to shift my buttocks along the mattress. My wolf whimpered on top of me. I held him tight and slid out from underneath him and whispered against his ear. “I love you, Ghost.”
My legs trembled as I climbed from the bed. I didn’t try to cover my nakedness. I didn’t hide my hatred. My wolf had turned me into a different woman. One that would bow to no man ever again. I brushed the hair from my eyes. “If you’ve come to take me back, then you’ve wasted your time. I’m not going with you.”
“Oh?” Hansel wrenched the gun from his shoulder and aimed the muzzle at Ghost. “I think you’re coming with me, all right. And I think you’ll do whatever the fuck I tell you too from now on, starting with Adams here.”
I dropped my gaze. Inside I was shaking, my thoughts racing. I clenched my fist, feeling the sharp sting of my nails pierce the flesh of my palm. “Lower the gun, Hansel. Lower the gun and walk out of here.”
My brother’s eyes widened with the threat. “Or what, sister? Are you going to take it from me?”
“Stop messing around, Conray. Get the little bitch out here and on her back. And this time, I’m not leaving until I got my money’s worth.” Adam’s snarled. His eyes glinted with the glowing embers of the fire.
“No.” My hands trembled with the urge to cover my body. I shook my head. “Please, Hansel. Don’t do this.”
“It’s okay, come with me and Adams will go away.” Another step had my brother lowering his eyes, seeking out what I knew he’d wanted all along. His lips told lies, but I’d felt his cruel hand on my body. I stared at the gun and knew I had to get them out of the cabin anyway I could. I reached up with trembling fingers to cup my breast. My nipples hardened under my fingers. Hansel’s lips parted with the movement.
I knew what lay in the filthy recesses of my brother’s mind. “We shared everything didn’t we? We shared the womb. We shared a crib. We even shared our mother’s breast. Do those thoughts keep you awake at night, brother?”
A nerve at the corner of his eye twitched. Even from here I could hear his harsh breaths. “All those years, sharing everything. Did you think I’d share my body? Did you imagine me coming to you in the dead of night?’
The twitch tightened the skin, making him squint. I took another step forward, keeping my voice low. “Tell me, brother dearest? Is that how you imagined we would be?”
He stumbled backwards his gaze dropping from my hand to the juncture of my thighs and hissed. “Yes.”
“Conray, we had a deal,” snarled Adams.
“Shut up. Wait your fucking turn.”
Whatever it takes. Those words rebounded inside my mind. Whatever it took to keep my wolf safe. I strained to hear the sounds behind me. There was only silence in the cabin.
Hansel’s gaze shifted to the open door. Hurt clenched my heart. I dragged his focus t
o me. “Was it about the money, brother? Or was that just a way to control me forever?”
He yanked his gaze to me as a growl echoed behind me. My heart thundered at the sound. The sound grew louder, tingling the hairs on my arms and sending a jolt of fear through my veins. I stepped forward, keeping their focus on me.
Something scraped the ground, the soft padding of paws filled my ears. I held out my hand, keeping my gaze fixed on Hansel. Ghost stepped up to brush my bare thigh. My hand drifted over the hard slope of his head. My fingers dug into the fur of his neck, then over his shoulder as he stepped in front of me.
My brother’s eyes widened at the sight, then scanned the darkness around him. “Where did that beast come from?”
My wolf snarled, taking a step with me. “He’s always been here, Hansel. Always been here waiting for me. We were meant to be together. And if there is one thing my wolf loves more than me, it’s a game of predator and prey.”
I smiled at the soft chuff beside me. Hansel’s brow narrowed. He glanced from me to the wolf. “What are you saying? You’re in love with a fucking animal?”
I shook my head, taking a step in front of my wolf. My hands shook. Fire lashed inside. “No, brother. I’m in love with a wolf. You are the only animal inside these woods. And, if I’ve learned one thing since being freed from that prison, it’s that I can fight.”
Adams lunged, slamming into my brother’s chest. The force knocked Hansel backwards. The gun fell from his grasp and hit the ground. I lunged, wrapping both hands around the smooth wooden butt of the weapon as Adams fought to wrench it from my reach. “I want what I damn well paid for!”
The fat, disgusting man twisted the barrel. The force wrenched my wrists. I tried to hang on, but my fingers went numb from the twisted position of my hands. Lifting a foot, Adams kicked me in the belly, wrenching the gun free.
Adams lifted the muzzle in the air. The blast was instant, tearing through the night. Hansel grunted and stumbled backward, nearly stepping into the fire. His white shirt bloomed. Petals of crimson spread to drip to the ground. My brother dropped to his knees with a bewildered expression.
“You’re mine, you fucking bitch!” Adams lunged, grabbing my arm. His grip ground the bones inside, making my legs go weak. The snarl behind me filled the air. Ghost was a blur of white against the night. He leapt, sinking his teeth into the soft fleshy arm. A mighty shake of Ghost’s head ripped the pudgy fingers from my arm. A second shake of the wolf’s head drove the fat man to the ground.
Savage snarls followed the sickening tear of flesh. I clapped my hands to my ears. Still, Adam’s screams pierced my brain. Ghost dragged Adams along the ground, shaking him from side to side as though he were made of sawdust. Cloth ripped, flesh a second later. Something flew through the air to plop at my feet. I slid my hands to my belly as I stared at the outstretched hand.
Never again would those fingers touch me. Never again would I feel his knuckles against my cheek. Adams deserved it all. I lifted my gaze as Ghost turned his head to pierce me with those blue eyes. Blood and fangs.
Hansel lifted his hand toward me, eyes pleading. “Gretel.”
I closed my eyes to his call. This man was no longer my brother. He was no longer my blood. His cries were like talons on my soul. I strode to his side, working saliva into my mouth. I drew breath and spat, hitting him on the cheek. “Father would be ashamed of you. He’d be disgusted.”
Tears slipped from the corners of his eyes, mingling with drips of saliva. I remembered the letter in my father’s pocket. The letter meant to remind me I had someone to fight for and someone to die for.
My voice shook as I leaned down, making sure he heard every word I said. “You could’ve been the man our father wanted you to be.”
He shook his head, then coughed. The blood brightened in the dark, flowing faster. “He left us to die.”
“No, he left us to survive. You never did understand, did you? Money is worthless if we don’t have someone to love. Our father was that for me, and so was Ghost. Our father’s death gave you the opportunity to be a man, money or no money, house or no house.”
The musket lay behind us. I stepped forward and shook my head as he sought out the weapon in the dark, then turned to me. “Mother.”
I gripped his shirt, pulling him close and growled through the pain. “She was dead to me a long time ago and now, so are you.”
The savage snarl of Ghost filled the air behind me. I knew what he wanted, but this kill was mine. “If he moves, eat him.”
My voice sounded strange, cold and dangerous. I bent and picked up the rifle, shoving the breech against my shoulder. Ghost’s snarl filled the air as I raised the barrel. My hand trembled. All I saw was my brother. His lips slid back and eyes glinted as he spoke. “He paid me two thousand dollars to hurt you. I should’ve let him kill you for free.”
His words were a stake through my heart. I lowered the barrel as the savage snarl tore past my head. Ghost was a flash of white against the darkness as he hit Hansel in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Hansel’s screams turned my stomach to water until all that was left was the guttural growls of my wolf. Black smoke drifted from my brother’s torn remains. I shivered, sensing evil. He was always full of hate for me, that hate was born from pure evil. I stepped back, letting Ghost have his fill and whispered. “You should’ve left when you had the chance, Hansel. Now you never will.”
The End
Keep reading for a taste of Beast
Book 1 of The Submissively Ever After Series
CHAPTER ONE
The bedsprings creaked, dragging me from oblivion. I followed the sound all the way to the surface, hovering just out of reach of reality. Warmth spread from the base of my neck. The tension melted away with a sigh. It was all just a dream—one crazy ass dream. Connor, my ex, cheating with Hannah, my so-called best friend. Leaving town in a car that died after the first two hundred miles, then hitchhiking. The green car. Everything. I licked my lips. My tongue stuck against my mouth, thick and dry. Just a dream.
"Belle. I need you to wake up now."
I opened my eyes at the sound of a voice. No one called me Belle, not since my mom died. White-washed walls crowded my vision. Specks of dust danced on the tip of my nose. Even the dim light hurt my eyes. I eased them closed, seeking the darkness once more. "Just a little more sleep."
"No more sleep, Belle."
Pain tore along my arm, shaking the fog from my mind and wrenching me awake. I jerked my eyes open and stared at the hold on my arm. There were too many pieces of my memory dancing behind my eyes. I forced my mind to reconstruct the broken fragments as I stared at the man beside me. Somehow, he looked familiar. One curl from this thick brown hair fell to land in the middle of his forehead. I searched his brown eyes, drifting down the sharp ridge of his nose to soft, full lips, then skirted his wiry body.
"Who are you?"
The muscles of his jaw bulged, his lips tightened, then curled as he forced a smile. "I’m Mark."
Mark. The name settled in my mind and felt true. The green car. The tree. I recalled him smiling. I searched for the woman who’d been with him—What was her name? Nala—and licked my lips. They tasted bitter and somehow, also sweet, like berries. He reached toward my face. Skin touched skin, just the briefest glance, before I jerked from his touch. "Get away from me. Where am I?"
"You're safe. For now."
Safe. I shook my head. I couldn’t put my finger on why, but I didn’t feel safe. My focus settled on the clothes I wore. My fingers skirted the dress. The color was almost black. I blinked and stared, trying to shake the fog in my mind. My thoughts were slow and heavy, trapped by what I wore. The woven threads were hard under my fingers. The filigreed skirt turned to smooth satin covering my stomach and breasts. Midnight blue billowed over my legs to cover the single bed. I opened my hands and turned my palm over, staring at the long sleeves. "What have you done to me?"
"Nala changed your clothing, that's all. No one e
lse has touched you. I promise."
I wrenched my gaze up and snarled. "You drugged me."
He nodded and sadness clouded his eyes. "We had to. I'm sorry, Belle. You would never have come with us if we didn’t."
Come with us? "Where am I?"
I waited for him to answer and for the fog to clear. Both took their time. Mark stared at the wall, unwilling to meet my eyes. "Before I say anything else, I want to tell you a story."
I could feel the corded muscles in my neck bulge. "You want to tell me a fucking story, Mark? Tell me where you've taken me? Tell me how to get out of this place. Tell me where my damn clothes are!"
My arms and legs still felt heavy, but fear made me move. I slid from the bed, keeping one eye on my captor. My feet hit the wooden floor. The room was small and dirty. Thin strips of peeling paint hung from the ceiling overhead. I stumbled to the window.
The derelict room was made colder by the crowding trees and bleak winter sky. White wisps of fog lingered, forcing me to squint to see towering trunks which hemmed me in. Behind me, Mark kept talking in soothing tones that reminded me of my therapist. I gripped the chipped window frame and pushed my body against the glass, straining to see as far left as I could. A waving green ocean of pine needles was all I could see. I wrenched my head to the right. There had to be a way out somehow.
Mark's droning voice dragged me into the room. I couldn't take anymore. I couldn't stand the noise. "Shut up. Why can't you just shut up?"
I wasn't that girl who cried, or played dumb, leaving others to pave their way in this world. I was the loner, the soldier. I was the survivor. But as the green sea wavered outside the window, I realized I was none of those things now.
I was a captive.
I squeezed my eyes closed and tried to think. Midnight Mountain Range was the last thing I remember. I could be further east, or south. Think, dammit.