by T. S. Joyce
“Fight, Colt!! Fight or I’ll finish this! Don’t let this asshole shame you. Lock him up!”
Candace blew out a breath, half her attention on the fight happening thirty feet above them, half on the man who was snarling louder beside her. When he gritted his teeth, his canines were too long.
“There is no money happening for you if you go two on one against him,” she warned. “Seriously. Settle.”
A gorilla fell from the rafters, and for a horrifying second, she thought it was Torren. But a moment later, Torren landed on all fours right beside him, buckling the flooring beneath his massive knuckles with a deafening crash. He pulled himself easily out of the rubble and went to blows with Colt. Their gorillas were similar sizes, but Torren kept the upper hand, didn’t even look like he was trying.
The man beside her gritted his teeth and let off a bellow. With a smattering of pops, his silverback broke out of him.
Crap, crap, crap!
He charged Torren, and now the shit had officially hit the fan.
“Torren!” she screamed.
He jerked his attention over his shoulder just in time to catch Dax’s weight full on his back.
She’d always been proud of her control over her animal, but that went out the window now. Mine. He’s fucking mine. Mine, mine, mine! Roaaaar! Her body broke, and oh it hurt for the instant it took. Bones broke, muscles snapped, teeth elongated, claws pierced her paws.
Colt was back in the fight now, wailing on Torren as he went to battle with Dax. Two massive gorillas on one, but Torren was a beast. He didn’t show any pain under the blows. He didn’t even flinch when Dax sank his teeth into his shoulder blade and ripped backward to inflict maximum damage. He just kept fighting, ripped Dax’s face off him as he twisted, eyes now focused on Colt. The shift between his fights with each were smooth and lightning fast.
Dax was hanging off his back while Torren was still engaged with Colt. There was no honor in Dax fighting two on one and going after an exposed back, so Candace bolted for him and pounced, claws out. She latched onto his ribs, surprised at how thick his skin was. It was hard to find purchase with her claws, but she sank her teeth into his side as hard as she could—so hard her jaw hurt.
Dax roared and released Torren, and then with a big, meaty hand, he reached over his shoulder, grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, and yanked her off him. She was airborne and then hit the wall.
Vyr. Vyr! Vyr can you hear me? she screamed in her mind. Torren needs you!
She didn’t know what made her do that. Perhaps it was the instant and intense pain of crashing through the wall, or the desperation she felt seeing two gorillas at war with the man she cared about.
Vyr terrified her, but he loved Torren and she was no match for silverbacks.
Ignoring her bruised side, Candace forced herself up onto all fours. Her ribs were probably cracked. Limping, she ran back to the fight. It smelled like blood. The overpowering scent of iron made her dizzy. Torren was on Dax now, but Colt was taking advantage of his exposed neck. He could kill him like this! She attacked Colt and just went vicious. Biting, clawing, she pulled him away from the fight and distracted him enough for Torren to focus on Dax. She was slammed to the ground, and time slowed. Eyes blazing like blue fire, Colt lifted his arm into the air and slammed it down toward her face. And right before he made contact, he was ripped backward through the wall of the sawmill, wood planks blasting out with him.
Candace winced as splinters from the exploding wall rained over her. What the hell?
When she turned, Torren was standing over her defensively, and Dax was ripping an old rusted blade from one of the machines. He swung it at Torren’s throat, but Torren stood on his hind legs and ducked easily out of the way of the jagged, razor-sharp teeth.
Vyr, Vyr, Vyr. Vyr!
She roared and stalked Dax. Colt was still outside, and she couldn’t even hear him anymore. All she could hear were the grunts and snarls from the warring gorillas facing off. She crouched beside Torren and pulled her lips back from her teeth with a long, warning hiss. Swing that fuckin’ blade one more time, and I’m gonna light you up.
Dax hesitated at a rumbling noise, and it took her a moment to place the strange sound. It was getting louder and louder, and suddenly, Torren wrapped his arm around her middle and spun her out of the way. A horrific crash sounded and then splintering wood was everywhere. Torren was moving so fast she couldn’t catch her breath, and in a matter of moments, she was up in the rafters with him. Below them, the Mustang had crashed through the wall of the sawmill. Dax was searching for something in the rubble. He picked up his cell phone just as Torren let go of the rafter and landed gracefully, saving Candace from the impact.
With grim determination written all over his face, Dax yanked the passenger door open and shoved his giant gorilla ass into the tiny car. With his arm and head hanging out the window, Dax, the gorilla, shoved his meaty middle finger into the air as Colt zoomed backward out of the hole he’d made. The memory of this would probably be funny tomorrow, but right now, she mostly wanted to kill them and set their car on fire.
“That went well,” Torren said sarcastically in that snarling, inhuman voice of his. He was staring at the hole with an exhausted expression. His arm was shredded and dripping crimson on the floorboards.
More stains on this place.
More mess.
More HavoK.
He arched his gaze down to her. “You scared yet, Wildcat?”
She was bruised, out of breath, limping, shocked, angry, and her eyes were now open to what a power-house Torren was.
But scared of this life she was melting into?
She hissed at him.
Hell no.
Chapter Nine
Torren had bolted.
That was the only word she could think of when he asked her to stay where she was in that sexy, snarly voice of his. Stay while he gracefully glided on all fours toward a dilapidated staircase. He didn’t take the stairs like a human, nope. He scaled the side of it, pulling himself up and up until he slipped over the ledge and made his way into the office on the second level. The big window was cracked, but she could still see his rampage and hear the deafening crash as he threw something against the wall.
He was king. She was going to dig in and do as much research about gorilla shifters as possible, but he’d gone to war with two massive silverbacks tonight and held his own. And then he’d shelved his rage—for her. But now he was losing it up there.
Her heart ached for him.
Inhaling deep, she closed her eyes and tucked her tiger back inside her. The clothes she’d worn would be shredded and useless, even if she could find them under the pile of rubble. She still tried, rummaging around for at least a shirt, but stopped when she found the two wads of cash. Cash he’d fought for. Cash he would give to his sister so she could hear.
There was another deafening crash above. He’d asked her to stay down here so she wouldn’t have to witness the rage that took the animal after a fight gone bad, but it was important that she see it.
Slowly, she made her way up the stairs, and at the top, she stared sadly at a big dent in the middle of the metal door. She put her fist in it. It was much bigger than her own knuckles—that of a silverback fist.
Pain. This was a man full of pain, and stuck in a life he couldn’t escape. Being king wasn’t all it was cracked up to be when the crown didn’t fit the man.
Candace pushed open the door and stepped inside. She hesitated. There had been a desk, but it was in splinters. There were holes in the walls and broken chairs, a broken bookshelf. The only thing left untouched was a charcoal gray couch where Torren sat, face in his battered, tattooed hands. He was human again, and his black hair stood up in spikes as though he’d ran his hands through it roughly. He was still puffed up, every muscle in his body tensed.
“I don’t want you to see me like this. Afterward…it’s hard.”
“Because of guilt?”
“
Most of the time,” he rumbled, not removing his face from his hands. “Tonight, it’s different.”
After the span of a few heartbeats, Candace made her way to him, pushed his shoulders back, and straddled his lap. She cupped his cheeks and searched his blazing green eyes. “Tell me.”
Torren was pale, and streams of drying blood ran down his chest from a bite at the base of his neck that was already closed, and well on its way to healing. Powerhouse. Powerful. Magic. The new Kong would be damn near invincible if he took his place at the head of the gorillas.
“You Changed,” he murmured, slipping his giant hands to her bare hips. He gripped her hard and clenched his teeth. “You Changed to defend me, and you were so fucking beautiful. Fearless. I got to see you for the first time. Tigress. Badass. Tiiiiny stripes. All orange and white, eyes blazing with the promise of vengeance for those gorillas. Why?”
“I told Dax to settle. That he couldn’t go two gorillas on one. He didn’t listen, and I wasn’t going to watch you get shredded.”
“You wouldn’t, would you? You’re a ride-or-die girl, aren’t you, Candace?”
She nodded once.
“Fuck.” Torren gave his attention to the side, but she pulled his face back to her.
“You pulled Colt off me before he got to my face. You protected me, too. You’re a ride-or-die too, aren’t you, HavoK?”
He smirked and let off a single humorless laugh. “I think you knew that before you saw me defend you. Because of Vyr.”
“Vyr, and now me. You gonna make me safe, Torren?”
“You’re so fucking safe around me, it’s ridiculous. Anyone who messes with you? They’re in trouble. I won’t have much control over what I do to them.”
She rolled her eyes closed at that oath. “I haven’t felt safe since my dad died. I’ve been on my own, in this world I didn’t prepare for.”
“The club?”
“Yes. I was a good girl, and now I’m not.”
“Fuck that noise. You’re good enough, Candace. If you were your old self, you wouldn’t be here, taming a riled-up silverback shifter in an old sawmill. You wouldn’t have gone teeth and claws first after a dominant shifter just to protect a wreck like me. You wouldn’t have looked twice at me.”
“You’re wrong.”
“I’m not. I wouldn’t have let you. I think what you’ve been through has toughened you up. It’s conditioned you to match me. I wasn’t sure, but I think after tonight, you won’t be walking behind me or in front of me. You’ll be perfectly comfortable right beside me. Won’t you?”
She ran her nails down the sides of his head and smiled when he was the one who rolled his eyes closed and made a satisfied rumbling sound deep in his throat. “Bad Boy from Damon’s Mountains. Are you saying we match?”
“Bad Girl from Vyr’s Mountains. I think the person you are now is maybe the person I need.” His grip tightened on her waist, and he dragged her forward onto his hard erection. “Any softer, and I would be too scared to draw you into my life. Any harder, and you couldn’t tame the monster inside of me. And that’s what you’re doing…right? That’s why I’m Changed back now and settled. Why I’m not beating myself up, wondering why I can’t be less fucked-up like other shifters. It’s why tonight is easy. Why I feel fine being just who I am.”
“If you weren’t this. If you weren’t HavoK, I don’t think I could feel safe like I need to. I’ve chased every boy away because they made me feel like I needed to pretend to be normal, and good. You’re different. I don’t need money, Torren. I can take care of myself. My love language doesn’t include lavish presents. It’s feeling safe with someone, and comfortable being in my own skin. It’s having someone accept me, even the gritty parts.”
A slow smile stretched Torren’s lips. “I understand. I’m the same.”
“Date number three.”
Torren’s slow smile was wicked and understanding. “One. Dinner with my crew.”
“Two,” she played along. “You saw me at my worst in the club, and then a movie and cuddling in the private room. Maybe that isn’t what some people would call a date, but we’re different. And I used to be ashamed of being different, but for some reason, with you, I’m proud to be what I am. Because you’re like me and I don’t have to apologize.”
“Mmmm,” he murmured low, looking proud. “Date number three. The fight. You saw me at my worst. You didn’t run like I was afraid you would.”
“I’m not a runner. Never was.” She rolled her hips against his, and he groaned and dug his fingers into her waist. He rocked, meeting her movement. Sexy. Monster.
“I’ll make a promise to you, okay?” she whispered.
Torren leaned up and kissed her, sucked her lip and released her. “Okay. Promises.”
“I’ll come to every fight. I’ll have your back. I’ll handle the money. I know people. I have connections through the club. I can set up fights when you need them. I’ll print my own HavoK T-shirt, for me. Pink logo on a black shirt, and I’ll wear it proudly. I’ll advertise for your fights and make sure they’re as organized as they can be. I’ll keep what happened tonight from happening again. I’ll make fair fights. I’ll be your teammate and make sure you never do this alone. Because I see you, Torren. I hate that you have to do this. I hate the scent of your blood. Hate that the floorboards downstairs are stained because of your pain. But what good will it do if I ask you to stop? I understand now that I’ve seen you fight. You telling me is one thing, but seeing it is different. To hold your ground and stay off that gorilla throne you have to do this, don’t you? You have to fight to keep HavoK stable. To keep sane, so you can continue the work you do protecting Vyr from the world, and the world from Vyr.”
Torren swallowed hard and murmured, “I think you see me very well.”
“Okay. Then I accept you, Torren. All of it. I accept the gritty parts and the soft parts. I accept the protective parts, the loyal parts, and I accept the things you have to do as a man to stay steady. You’re perfect to me.” Her eyes burned because his chest was heaving and he looked so emotional. “I. Accept. You. I’m not running. I’m here. I’m right here.”
Torren was shaking now. He ripped his gaze away from hers and then back. “My turn. When you dance, I’ll be your bodyguard. You have bills to pay, you got in a hole, you have your dad’s medical stuff to take care of, and I’m not asking you to quit what you’re doing just to make me comfortable. You aren’t telling me to quit fighting, so I accept you back. I’ll be quiet. I’ll talk to Carl about hiring me as security, and if he doesn’t, I’ll still show up every night and make sure you’re safe. Make sure you always feel safe. Make sure no one touches you. I’ll collect your money after you dance because you shouldn’t be on your knees doing that. You’re a fucking queen, Candace. If I ever see your crown slipping, I’ll always straighten it back.” Torren swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple dipping into his thick, tattooed neck. “You’re perfect to me.” He kissed her gently, then eased back by an inch and whispered. “I. Accept. You.”
Chills rippled up her body, and inside she went as warm as magma. It was a strange sensation, but the best feeling she’d ever had.
She didn’t have to be ashamed. She didn’t have to be anyone other than herself with this man. They were both flawed, but lucky for them, both of their demons played well together. And that’s what finding a mate was, right? It was being able to be real with a person. It was giving two middle fingers to that instinct to hide. It was stepping into the light, flaws and all, and staring that man in the eyes and daring him to leave, knowing he wouldn’t. She wasn’t too much for him, and he wasn’t too much for her.
She’d never felt such a sense of belonging than she did right here, in this moment.
He pulled her close, their bare chests creating warmth between them. He slid his hand up her spine to the back of her neck and gripped it, hugged her tight.
With a happy purr, she nuzzled her face to the uninjured side of his neck. And on a whim, s
he nipped him. Just a hint of teeth, and then she released his throat. My big silverback. My man.
Torren yanked her back, and then his lips crashed onto hers. His hips went graceful, rolling his hard dick against her. She was already wet and prepped for him, so three more pumps, and she was done with playing. Candace lifted slightly, gripped his thick shaft, and slid over him slowly, watching his focus on her intensify as she did.
“Fuuuuck,” Torren rumbled, one hand hard on her hip, guiding her, and one hand gripping the back of her hair.
When he bucked and went deep on the next stroke, Candace was already gone. She took all of him so that he hit her clit just right. The sharp pain was back in her chest, but just for a moment, and then it was that warm sensation. Ecstasy. She rocked faster, kept him deep, teased him as his muscles twitched. He pulled her closer, and he moved against her, hips meeting hers time after time.
He felt so fucking good inside of her. Perfect. Like everything. He really was her match.
Needy sounds escaped her throat every time he bumped that right spot. Torren was being gentle. Oh, she was smashed against him, but he was pure power and could crush her. He was staying in control, being just rough enough to keep it fun.
“Oh, God, Oh, God, Candace!” he gritted out.
And then suddenly, she was flipped to her back on the couch, and Torren was even deeper, thrusting so hard, so fast, ramming her upward until her head was at the arm rest. Holy shit, he was beautiful. Muscles rippling above her, abs flexing against her stomach as he stroked into her. Big rutting beast of a man losing control over her. Faster, faster, deeper, and the sounds in his throat said he was close with her.
He grabbed her hand and slammed it on the armrest above her head, pinning her in a submissive position, but she liked it. She snarled and arched her back as her body exploded around him. Torren yelled out as his dick throbbed hard inside of her, matching her release. It was so intense she closed her eyes and gripped his hand as hard as she could.