“I missed you, sister.”
“I missed you too.”
Tears stung my eyes. I refused to let them fall. I was a warrior. Not some crybaby bitch.
“I think you’re ready,” Adara announced.
Reaching into her back pocket, she handed me a piece of paper. I unfolded it and read it a few times. Bittersweet emotions clogged my throat as I finally let the tears flow from my eyes. I folded the letter and handed it back to my sister.
“Who?”
“Revy, let me give you some…context.”
“Who?” I demanded.
Adara looked at me warily and uttered a name that had the power to change everything.
“Daniel Farrell.”
“Okay…give me the context.”
My leg jumped, foot tapping out a fast tempo, as Adara told me everything she knew. From the moment she read the letter to Daniel confessing before she killed him, nothing was left out.
“Dammit, Adara,” I mumbled. “Didn’t they teach you to kill the target after you got the info?”
“Whatever,” she laughed with a roll of her eyes. “But, here’s the thing, Revy, I don’t think he did it alone.”
“What do you mean?” I asked before swallowing a mouthful of sake.
“Daniel was many things but a mastermind? Nah, I don’t think so. Think about it. What did he have to gain?”
“The land,” I answered quickly before a question popped into my mind. “But, how would he have known you would have come here? How could he have been sure that a Mashall would show up to claim the land?”
“Exactly!”
Smirking, I tuned out Adara. Wolf’s words looped through my mind. And, just like that, everything became clear.
Fuck Sasha.
Fuck Trevor.
Fuck whatever anyone thought.
Adara couldn’t figure this out on her own. She needed to dive deep into the mind of a crazy man. She needed to take a walk in his shoes and find what made him murder the only woman that truly loved us.
This wasn’t a job for the Green Dragon Queen.
No.
This was a job tailor-made for Revy the deranged.
CHAPTER 21
REVY
A few days later, the vibration of my Harley between my legs took some of the edge off. I was hornier than ever…literally a bitch in heat.
Crossing over the Mashall arch, I gunned it towards the family house. My wolf cooled it with the fucking growling. It was always like this on Mashall land. Oh, she was still present, but at least now I could have a conversation without her scaring the shit out of everyone I came across.
Turning the bike off, I hopped up the stairs and knocked on the door. This may have been the family house, but it was now Adara’s home. Plus, after walking in on her and Alonzo fucking several times, they kept the doors and windows locked.
After a few moments of shuffling on the other side, the door swung open.
“Hey, Revy.”
“Hey, Simba,” I replied, brushing past the man fucking my sister. “Where’s the Dragon Queen?”
“Alonzo.”
“Huh?” I asked, raiding the fridge.
“My name is Alonzo, and your sister isn’t here. Don’t drink my beer.”
Popping open said beer, I took a long swig.
“Where’d she go?”
“Don’t know. Don’t know when she’s coming back. You can wait though.”
“Why, thank you,” I said, sitting on the counter. “Thank you for allowing me to wait for my sister in my grandmother’s home.” Alonzo just laughed. “What?”
“I’m on to you, Revy,” he muttered, reaching into the fridge and grabbing a beer. “You’re not as crazy as you want everyone to think.”
“Huh?”
“If you can ‘huh’ then you can hear.”
“I’m sorry,” I stated, my voice laced with sarcasm. “Have you met me? Have you seen my fucking wolf?”
“I was there when you were Awoken, remember? Something I’m destined to do with you damn Mashalls. Cheers!” He clinked his bottle against mine. “Your wolf is a beast, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Half the shit you do is for attention. You feel in the shadows, and you do whatever you can to get people to notice you.”
I squirmed on the counter as my wolf grumbled. Alonzo was getting way too close to the fucking truth.
“Shut it, Simba.”
“Reckless. Angry. Defensive. You remind me a lot of myself…before I met Adara.”
“Really?”
Is that hope in my voice?
Fuck yeah, it was, but I would never admit it. If my new favorite person to annoy could offer me any insight on dealing with Wolf, I’d shut my mouth and take it.
“Yeah,” he sighed. “Before her, Lion was unpredictable. He’d take my body for days. I once tried to choke my brother to death. Sound familiar?”
“Yeah, but how did Adara help?”
“She didn’t fix me if that’s what you’re asking. She just made me want to be…better. She deserved more than a maniac for a mate.”
Silence stretched between us as we drank.
“Your wolf doesn’t trust you. That’s why you’re having so many problems.”
“I figured that much out, Simba. Now, I’m trying to figure out how to get her to trust me.”
God, I hoped he had an answer. It was exhausting fighting Wolf for dominance all the time. I was so fucking tired.
“I found common ground with my monster. That was Adara. We both wanted her happy and protected. We talked, and he wanted to be settled in a Pride of his own. Not the one my father and his father had built. Adara is that Pride. Once I proved to him that she was our highest priority, that I would do anything to keep our family together, he stopped fighting me. That sense of family now extends to you.”
Canting my head, I studied Alonzo. I found that hard to believe.
“Talk to your beast. Ask her what she wants. Find a way to make her trust you. Good or bad. You have to decide.”
“I heard that before. Do you know Mama Terrell?”
“Of course I do,” he answered, draining the rest of his drink. “She’s my maternal grandmother.”
“Really?” I questioned with a smirk.
“I’m not a sharer, Revy. I don’t open up to people, but you’re different,” he said with a shrug. “You’re my sister.”
It didn’t hit me until now that Adara had given me something precious. By owning who she was, she had given me a family. All I had to do now was figure out how to keep it.
If I actually wanted to.
CHAPTER 22
TREVOR
I was a bundle of nervous energy as I walked into my house. Tonight was the grand re-opening for The Thirsty Howler. With the help of Alonzo Leones and Andrew Bayer, the place looked great. My bank account? Not so much.
Alonzo was happy to give me a discount. But, Andrew added on what he called the “love tax.” After Changing and ripping into each other, I opened my checkbook, and we got to work. In less than a week, the place was ready.
I had spent most of the day putting the last minute details on the place and was rushing home to eat and change out of my filthy clothes. If the business went well, then in a few months I could add on a kitchen. Something I had wanted to do for years but was always shot down by Daniel.
Walking through the door, I tossed the keys on an end table and rounded the corner. I stopped dead in my tracks.
“Rev?” I asked cautiously, taking in the scene before me. “Whatcha doin’?”
Turning around to face me, I was shocked by the beautiful smile on her face.
“Baking!”
God, she was adorable with her hair pulled up in a messy bun, flour, and frosting dotting her cheeks. She had found a dark blue apron from somewhere, and she held a whisk dripping with chocolate in one hand.
Moving on bare feet, she came closer to me. “Try something.”
My eyes darted around the
space. My kitchen was a wreck. Revy was a tornado wherever she went. But, what caught and held my attention were the delicious desserts covering every counter and table.
Snatching a cupcake from a platter, I stuffed the whole thing in my mouth.
“Whoa,” I muttered as the white chocolate and raspberry flavor exploded in my mouth. “This is good.”
“You think so?”
For the first time ever, I saw uncertainty in her eyes. Everything in me shouted help her, protect her, take care of her.
Squaring up to her, I cupped her hips before brushing my lips against hers. Her body trembled against mine as I tried to kiss away all of her insecurities and swallow of all of her doubts.
That was the reward. Any time she showed me a little piece of herself, I’d give her affection. Not the fucking she used to beg for but kisses and caresses. I was slowly getting her addicted to my attention and showing me the parts of herself she hid from the world.
“Yeah, Rev,” I whispered. “You did good.” Releasing her, I cut a huge piece of chocolate cake, placed it on a plate, and grabbed a fork before turning to face her. “So, you throwing a party or something?”
“Hmm?”
A satisfied smirk stretched my face as I watched her lick her lips repeatedly and her glazed eyes scanned my body. Beautiful Psychopath. If she weren’t careful, I’d take her right here on the kitchen floor.
Claim her.
Shut up, Wolf.
“Why are you baking so much stuff?”
“Oh…um…”
“Hey, Rev. No secrets. No shame. Just us.”
A pretty blush crept up her cheeks. “I talked to Wolf.”
“What?”
“Yep. The bitch and I had a conversation.”
There’s the fiery psycho I love.
“And?” I asked as she went back to whisking a bowl of chocolate icing.
“And she told me she was disappointed in me because I lost my way. That’s why I’m baking.”
I leaned against the crowded counter and ate my cake. One thing I had learned since we started trying to tame her Amarok was that you couldn’t push Revy. If you gave her the time to figure shit out in her mind, she’d bless you with answers.
“I used to love to bake with my grandmother. We’d spend hours in the kitchen baking muffins, bread, desserts. I can’t cook for shit. That’s Adara’s thing. But, I can bake anything. When Alonzo told me—”
“Wait,” I interrupted around a mouthful of cake. “When did you talk to Alonzo?”
“A few days ago.” She placed a platter of cupcakes on the counter and began frosting them. “He told me to find common ground. Wolf wants me to be myself. Nothing makes me feel more like me than this.”
“I’m proud of you.”
Another blush stained her cheeks as she focused on her work.
“I’m never going to be like Brenna—”
“Thank God.”
“I’m not going to be a homemaker or a picture perfect Shifter. I’m going to be reckless, loud, selfish, and a bitch. I’m going to do crazy shit for attention. I’m always going to be slightly wild—”
“Slightly?” I asked, brow raised.
“You need to know what you’re going to get if I decide to stay.”
My heart pounded in my chest. I didn’t even think she wanted to stay here…with me. I knew she and the beast were going back and forth and this shaky decision could change in the next twenty minutes. But, something I hadn’t felt in years took root in my chest and blossomed. Hope.
Clearing my throat repeatedly, I tried to control the trembling of my voice. “I don’t want you to be anything but happy.”
“Let me be me, and I’ll be happy. I can’t promise that you will be, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
“We need to celebrate.”
The fact that she even was considering staying here was enough to throw a damn parade.
“This is Hell Fire Valley. There’s not exactly a club to go partying or a shooting range we can go to.”
“Shooting range? Never mind. I’m taking you to the bar.”
“All the vodka I can drink?”
“All the bar you can tend,” I shot back.
A sinister grin split her face, and I automatically knew I had made a bad decision.
“Deal.”
CHAPTER 23
REVY
Tank eyed me suspiciously as I added a garnish on a glass filled with gin and tonic. I slid it over to the pretty blonde and took the next order, his eyes on me the entire time. Trevor had asked him to stay close to me. Was it because I had never tended bar before or so I wouldn’t scare the humans, we’d never know. I just knew that Tank was my new shadow.
“What?” I asked, pouring several of tonight’s specials, Pink Starburst Shots.
Trevor was smarter than I thought. He knew this town was crawling with humans looking to get closer to Shifters. So, he dubbed the grand re-opening of The Thirsty Howler “Ladies Night.” A bunch of horny liquored up women in one place? Yeah, the men—human and Shifter—would come banging on the door.
And, he was right.
It didn’t hurt that the place looked a million percent better. Trevor had gone with a rustic type feel for the bar. The walls were all faded bricks. The floors were reclaimed honey oak. The bar top was weathered steel. Old-timey lights swung from the ceilings, casting the place in a warm orange glow.
But the main attraction was the stage. The Thirsty Howler now let the local talent, and not-so-talented, showcase their skills. It was all teal planks and steel just like the bar and back bar.
Right now, Andrew Bayer, one of the not-so-talented, was ruining Bobby Brown’s Humpin’.
“Nothing,” Tank muttered, his brow scrunched in confusion.
“Spit it out.”
“You’re pretty good at that, Rev.”
“Hmph,” I grunted, sliding the shots down to a group of women that were definitely not human. I just couldn’t place their scent. “I’m good at everything I try.”
And, for the first time since I met him weeks ago, Tank laughed. It was vibrant and booming and infectious.
“God, I’m glad Trevor chose you,” he muttered.
“Yeah, lucky you.” Sarcasm laced every word as I drew another mug of beer.
Grabbing my wrist, Tank yanked me to the side of the bar.
“Hey!” a customer called out.
“Fuck off,” Tank growled, scaring the shit out of them.
“I don’t like being pushed around, Tank,” I warned.
Quick as lightning, he dropped my wrist, lowered his eyes, and exposed his neck.
“I apologize.”
“We’re good.” I watched the tension ease from his body. Standing straight, he looked me directly in the eye, his own churning silver. “What?”
“We are lucky, Revy Mashall. So. Fucking. Lucky.” Tank sighed, running a hand over his beard. “You’re our only shot of surviving. So, chin up, chest out, sweetheart. You’re the queen of this Pack now.”
“Whoa! I haven’t even said I was going to stay. I might go to Arizona or some shit.”
“Welp,” he drawled. “Looks like we’re moving. I always liked the desert. Dry heat and shit.”
“The Pack hates me,” I hissed.
“We’re the Farrell Pack, Revy. We hate everything.”
“This is bullshit.”
“Yeah, well, it’s your bullshit now. Look, don’t worry about the rest of them. I like you, and that means something ‘round here.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Think of a Pack or Pride or Crew as a tree. The Alpha is the root. Everyone else is the branches. When the root is sick, it poisons the branches.”
As Tank continued to ramble on, I watched as Brenna walked through the bar with several other wolves. They were laughing and smiling. Cheering their Alpha on for a successful grand re-opening. I wasn’t fooled. I was on to that group of bitches.
I wasn’t m
ad because she wanted Trevor. He was a grown ass man and had made his choice. No amount of pushing or manipulation would change that. No, I was furious for another reason.
Hands clenched tightly, I held back Wolf as a conversation I overheard a few hours ago replayed in my mind
“He ruined it! He fucking ruined our bar,” a man complained.
“Daniel woulda never let this happen. Welcoming humans in here,” sneered another.
“Everybody, calm down,” Brenna’s voice soothed the growling beasts. “It’ll be over soon.”
“You were supposed to take care of this! I thought by now you’d be queen,” another man growled, he sounded sick…not as sick as me though.
“Don’t blame this on me!” she whisper-screamed. “And keep your fucking voice down before they hear us.”
“You said you were going to mate Trevor and keep us safe.”
“That was before that Mashall bitch came around,” she spat. “That was the final straw. It is time.”
“I’ll gather our allies,” a voice I recognized as Thomas rung out.
“Good,” Brenna stated. “Now, let’s get ready to celebrate.”
“The fuck are we celebrating?”
“The beginning of the end for the last Farrell wolf.”
“Hey,” the same customer called out, yanking me out of my thoughts. “We’re thirsty over here!”
Whipping my head in his direction, I glared at the drunk frat boy.
“We gotta problem?” I growled.
“No, ma’am,” he whimpered, hands in the air and I hadn’t even taken my gun out the holster. “No problem at all, ma’am.”
I turned my attention back to Tank, trying to recall any bits of his speech.
Wife, Wolf grumbled. He had a mate.
“Where is your mate?”
“With the other half of our Pack.”
“Where’s that?”
Tank closed his eyes, his body vibrating with tension. When his lids flickered open, wetness was pooled against the rim.
“In the belly of the Green Dragon Queen.”
CHAPTER 24
REVY
Five days.
Five days since the grand re-opening of The Thirsty Howler.
Taming Revy Page 6