The Werelion Tycoon’s Forgotten Mate: Howls Romance

by Kyle, Celia

  “I’m saying it’s going to be easier to just do it now,” one of the men said. “The quicker the better. We shouldn’t take any risks.”

  “Do you know how fucking heavy she is?” the woman snapped. “She would be almost impossible to move, even for the four of us.”

  “I just think you are risking the whole plan.” He glared at her. “Too many fuck-ups. Just do it, and then you know you’ve gotten your revenge. The longer you wait, the more likely he’ll catch up with us.”

  “He won’t catch up with us,” she hissed. “He’s a fucking fool! He couldn’t stop Carlos, and he can’t stop me. He just doesn’t care enough about her to keep her safe, and that’s the sad fact here.”

  Avery’s breath burned. The drug was still clearing from her mind and what they were saying was not exactly clear… But it was coming into focus pretty quickly.

  “Just do it!” the other guy snapped. “How long have we fucking waited?”

  “You really want to do it in the van?” she snorted indignantly. “This is our best vehicle. It’s incognito everywhere. Cops don’t even think about stopping it. Can you imagine the cleanup?”

  One of the guys took a look around, his gaze resting on Avery for a second. He saw her eyes were open and winked at her. She shuddered.

  “Yeah. I guess I see your point there. I don’t want to be scrubbing blood out of the cracks.”

  Avery still wasn’t completely sure what they were talking about, but that was mostly because she just didn’t want to understand. She tried to control her breathing and not hyperventilate. What was best for the baby right now? None of the pregnancy books had discussed what to do if you found yourself kidnapped by murderers.

  “We have the camera set up.” The woman played with her own fingers. Her nails extended into claws as she thought about her plans. “I still haven’t decided on a live feed or a slight delay, but we might as well stick with the plan.”

  “Yeah.” The guy sat back, flexing his muscles inside the too-tight shirt. “You’re right. I’m just itching for revenge.”

  “You think I’m not?” The woman’s tone and voice suddenly became menacing. She had been fearsome before that, but the quiet malice that infused her now was far more disturbing.

  “Do you really think I don’t want to rip her fucking throat out right now?” She leaned forward, getting right into the guy’s face. “How difficult do you think it is for me, having her sitting there, not just alive and well but full of his fucking cub while Carlos lies in goddamn fucking pieces!” Her voice became a shattering roar that made everyone try to jump away.

  “Pieces.” She let her voice drop, low and heavy with a growl of pain. “Elias left him in fucking pieces. There wasn’t even enough to bury. How the fuck do you think that makes me feel?” Her voice rose to a shriek again and her eyes glinted gold. She was mad. The rage of the predator had taken her over.

  They’re going to kill me! Avery realized. They are going to murder me!

  Elias would be alone again. His worst fears would rule his life. Tears ran down her cheeks as she thought of his pain. She couldn’t bear it.

  Her hands crept around her belly. He would never know his cub. The baby she had protected so fiercely would never be born. From the moment she had woken up, this child was the only thing she’d had to hold on to. The one thing that was hers, the one thing she could trust.

  “Oh, you’re awake, princess.” The woman looked over, pure hatred written on her features.

  “Careful, Filipa,” one of the men warned. “Didn’t we just discuss this?”

  “Oh, come on, boys.” Her mouth pulled into a truly terrifying smile. “There’s no rule about roughing her up a bit. Is there?”

  The men laughed as Filipa advanced on Avery. The fake ambulance bounced on the uneven road, but Filipa kept her feet. She stood over Avery, looming like a dark, vicious storm.

  “I can’t wait to kill you.” Filipa leaned forward, grabbing at Avery’s shoulder. Working on instinct alone Avery reached out and grabbed Filipa’s hair, tugging on it as hard as she could. Her captor screamed and tried to pull away, but Avery wouldn’t let go.

  Filipa roared and shoved into Avery, pushing her into the wall. Avery jerked Filipa’s hair again, screaming in rage and fear as she refused to let go. With a roar of fury Filipa began to shift.

  Avery screamed in horror as the massive lioness appeared right on top of her. Her grip on the woman’s hair slipped away as the long tresses were replaced by a short, velvety coat. Avery threw both hands out, raking with her nails. When she felt the indents of the lion’s eyes, she dug her fingers in as hard as she could.

  The lion roared, rearing on to its hind legs. Avery twisted under her, still screaming as the lion’s claws came for her.

  At that moment, the ambulance bounced hard on the road. The driver must have become distracted by trying to follow the action in the back. The two guys were thrown from their seats on to the floor. The massive lioness jolted up and down and her powerful shoulder smashed into Avery, hurling her against the wall.

  Avery felt nothing as the impact came. She only surrendered to the dark void that claimed her for the second time that day.

  Chapter Fifteen

  For a few seconds, everything around him simply ceased to exist. There was only Elias and the empty desk in the entire universe.

  He tried to tell himself everything was fine. She just went for coffee or to the bathroom. Ordinary, everyday things crowded in on him and tried to make sense.

  It didn’t matter, though. None of it mattered. The voice of common sense had no place here. She was gone and his instincts told him the worst had happened. A cat’s instincts were never wrong.

  He only stood there for a few seconds before Galen appeared behind him. He was on the phone in less than a second, ordering security to sweep the building. While Elias continued to stare at the empty chair, Galen started calling in his wolves.

  “Elias.” Galen shook his shoulder. His friend made no response.

  “Elias!” Galen’s voice dropped into a bone-thundering growl and Elias’ eyes snapped up to his face.

  “She’s gone.”

  “We’re going to find her.” His phone started to beep immediately, and he grabbed it.

  After a quick back and forth, Galen shoved the phone back into his pocket.

  “She’s not here. Let’s hit the street!”

  Elias’ lion awoke in his blood. It seemed to light him with incredible, raging fire. He didn’t notice the ride down in the elevator or the multiple phone calls Galen took on the way down.

  “We got her,” Galen said as he hit the street. “They are still using suppressors, but that can’t hide them all completely. Also, we can smell Avery.”

  “She’s afraid,” Elias whispered, knowing how the scent of fear lay thick on the wind.

  Elias paced on the street, absently moving in the direction of the scent, which was very faint now. He knew Galen’s people were on it and that he would be chasing after her soon, but he couldn’t help but prowl.

  When Galen’s car was brought up from the underground parking lot, the driver was shocked when Galen made him get out to drive himself. Leaving the bewildered driver on the curb, Elias and Galen took off into the streets.

  Elias worked the phone now as Galen’s entire network called in with sightings. They made note of how the vehicle looked like an ambulance but had subtle differences they should look out for.

  They began to move out of the more populated areas and Elias’ fear grew. What if he didn’t get there in time? His lion begged to roar and stride down the street, racing after its prey, but he kept it quiet. The car was faster, even if it did nothing to relieve his frustration.

  Cars pulled smoothly out of side streets, flanking them. Galen kept in contact with his pack, getting them to move in on the ambulance so it couldn’t pull away.

  “What do we do?” Galen asked. “It’s your call. Do you want to tail them until they stop?” />
  “They might kill her.” Elias’ hands gripped the dash of the car. “Whether they notice us or not, they might kill her.”

  “What’s our choices?”

  “Ram them.”

  Galen slid a glance at him. “Are you sure? If we go off the road, they might turn the car over—”

  “We’re out of options!” Elias screamed. His lion had come tearing into his throat, impossible to restrain. “Every second we waste her life is in danger! They won’t stop. They want her dead. We risk killing her in the accident or we give them plenty of time to slit her throat once they realize they are being tailed. That’s the grand sum of our choices.”

  Galen stared ahead; his hands gripped to the wheel. He held it so tightly it looked like he might break it as he gathered the courage for the next step.

  “We’re going to ram them,” he announced into his phone. Several cars were linked on a conference call so Galen could coordinate with the rest of the pack.

  “Everyone, get clear, but be ready to move in.” Galen tossed his phone on to the floor and looked at Elias one last time.

  “We doing this?”

  “Do it.” Elias braced himself against his seat, holding on to the edge of the door.

  Galen accelerated, foot to the floor. The engine hummed as the big car came up beside the ambulance. With a sharp jerk of the wheel, he pointed the nose of the car into the side of the ambulance and gunned it.

  The big vehicle shuddered and swerved, but it didn’t stop. Tires squealed on the tarmac as both cars fought for control. Galen used the backlash movement to swing the weight of the car back toward the side of the ambulance, hitting it twice as hard.

  “Avery,” he whispered. Screams could be heard inside. He was breaths away from leaping at the other vehicle and tearing the metal open with his bare hands.

  Roaring with fury, Galen turned his mangled car back to the task and drove straight into the side of the ambulance, making it skid sideways. There was a scream from the driver’s seat as he finally lost control of the wheel and both cars shot off the side of the road.

  Elias flicked open his door, rolled out and dove toward the pavement. He timed the movement perfectly and the momentum only made him flip forward to come up on his feet. He spared a glance for Galen who was breathing hard and bruised, but otherwise okay.

  He hurried to the back of the ambulance, his cat making horrible little growls as he approached the broken doors. As they snapped open, two guys fell out. They were either dead or unconscious. Elias didn’t know or care.

  Because in the back of the van his worst nightmare was being played out.

  Avery was struggling in the corner, her arms up as she tried to defend herself. A massive lioness clawed at her, trying to get to her throat. Elias barely felt himself move as he hurled himself into the van, crossing the space between them in seconds.

  He grabbed the lioness by the scruff of her neck with his right hand and a huge lump of fur near her tail with his left. She snapped and snarled like an impudent house cat as he hoisted her and swung her in his arms, literally throwing her out the back of the ambulance and into the waiting swarms of Galen’s men.

  He knelt down, one hand coming up to Avery’s cheek. She had blood running down her forehead and she was sickly pale. He reached out and touched her belly, relieved to find the baby was kicking strongly.

  “Avery, it’s okay. We are going to get you out of here. There are spare cars. We’ll get you to a doctor—”

  “Elias?”

  He stopped to look into her face. Her voice sounded different, and it wasn’t just that she was injured and traumatized again.

  “Avery?”

  She looked up at him. Through the blood and the tears was a spark, a deep shimmer.

  “Avery,” he whispered.

  “Elias!” She leapt forward, throwing her arms around his neck. Pleasure streaked through him, so intense that the lion purred. She gripped him so hard he almost fell on to the floor with her.

  She was crying, great tearing sobs that sounded more like relief than fear.

  “Elias, God, is it really you?”

  His heart fluttered as he pulled back to look into her eyes. He saw that burning fire, the sharp and quick intellect he had always known, and the lion purred even louder.

  “Avery, you know me?”

  She nodded.

  “I remember, Elias! I remember everything! That woman was one of the ones who kidnapped me the first time. I think she was the one who hit me before they threw me in the river. You must have killed her mate… I heard them talking…” He was just staring at her, completely blown away by her beauty and the recognition in her eyes. “Wait, what? Why are you staring at me like that?”

  “I just… missed you so much. I can’t believe you’re really back.”

  She reached up, stroking his face. Her eyes were so warm and loving he felt something turning deep in his chest.

  His heart was being unlocked.

  “What are we going to do?” She cuddled close to him as he put an arm around her.

  “The first thing we are going to do is get a real ambulance in here… To check on you and that baby.”

  “Yeah.” She rubbed her belly. “Doesn’t that seem strange. I remember everything, but those few months in between are kind of like a dream.”

  He kissed her. “It’s kind of like a dream to me, too.”

  “Elias—can we go back to Greece? As soon as possible? I want to see the beach where we met, stay in that same hotel. Can we?”

  “Yes.” He grinned fiercely, man and lion in perfect harmony. “I can’t wait. Let’s go back to Greece.”

  She snuggled closely to his chest, looking up to kiss him on the lips again.

  “We can have a real honeymoon,” she whispered.

  “And a wedding.” He laughed.

  “And a baby,” she whispered, wrapping herself around her belly. Her smile was soft, sweet and content. Elias knew he had everything he had ever wanted.

  Given back to him for the second time.

  Epilogue

  The cool breeze from the ocean was sharp with her clean, salty scent. Over and under it were hints of sweetness, pineapple, coconut and melon coming from the nearby buffet table.

  Avery leaned back in the beach chair, feeling the warmth of the sun from the last dying rays as they played over the water. As she blinked into the sunset, she heard the band start to play.

  She looked over her shoulder and saw Elias walking toward her, striding along the beach in tan pants and a white shirt. Half the buttons were undone, revealing strips of tanned muscle as the breeze tossed the edges over his hard body.

  The smile on his face was wide, satisfied as the proverbial cat. As he pulled off his sunglasses, his gold eyes shone in the firelight as sparks began to fly.

  “You found them,” she whispered as he stopped by her chair.

  “It wasn’t easy.” He grinned. “But I did. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, just as you left me.” She smiled up at him. He laughed.

  “It’s always nice to know how you are, my love.” He kissed her gently. “But I wasn’t talking to you.”

  She laughed as she leaned back into her chair, letting Elias pick up their baby daughter from her lap.

  Avery watched him pick up Minette, standing up to follow them along the beach. Elias held his daughter up above his head until she gurgled happily, reaching out for him with excited squeals. He brought her down to his chest, snuggling against her, kissing her on her baby soft hair.

  He stopped by the fire and the three musicians sitting on the other side nodded to him and began to play.

  They had come back to Greece as soon as possible after the attention from the kidnapping died down. There was a messy legal tangle involving humans and pride politics that had to be decided before Elias could leave. Christos was more than capable of running the pride, but first they had to hunt out every single one of Filipa’s accomplices.

&nbs
p; Luckily, she had been mostly working on her own private vendetta. In the initial coup, Carlos had support. Once he and the few lions that headed the movement were killed by Elias, pretty much only Filipa and a few die-hards were left.

  It still involved the full support of both Christos and Galen to hunt out the bad apples and deal with them. Elias didn’t want to head back to Greece knowing there was still possible danger to his mate, and he swore he would never let anything happen to Avery ever again.

  Within a few weeks, they had been ready to leave, and Galen bid them goodbye with happy smiles and gifts for the baby. Everyone knew what Elias had gone through, and his friends would have done anything to ensure he was back with his mate and his soon-to-be-born cub.

  They had intended to pick up their holiday right where they left off, but it soon became obvious that Avery just wasn’t capable of the same adventures when she was coming close to full term. Their more energetic endeavors had to be shelved while Avery got her strength back for the remaining months of her pregnancy.

  That meant both of them were able to enjoy long hours of lying together in bed, eating, sleeping and talking. It was such an indulgent pleasure just to be together again, and neither of them complained about being cooped up.

  Avery soon made Elias’ famous daily foot rubs part of the bargain again.

  Once Minette was born and she and Avery were declared fully healthy, they found they still didn’t move far from their comfortable rooms. Adventurous spirits they might be, but newborn babies were quite an adventure by themselves.

  The wind stirred Avery’s long white skirt, brushing her hair against her ears. Elias had been looking for the same group of musicians who had played on the beach the first night they met. Over the past few months, he had not been able to find them, but tonight, by some random chance, he had tracked them down.

  Playing for coins at a nearby market, they were only too happy to come and play on the beach when Elias hired them for the night.