Elizabeth and the Thunder of Dragons: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (RH Fated Alpha Book 6)

by Ava Mason

  It was my right to do it. My anger spilled out and my heart rate peaked.

  I had to do it.

  For those who had suffered under his command as Alpha.

  For my pack.

  For my parents.

  And now…

  For Aaron.

  Yes.

  Shithead Scarface must die.

  I leaned over and gripped his shirt. His eyes opened and I slammed my palm over his mouth, still gripping his shirt. The knife in my hand could clearly be seen.

  “Shhhh…. Don’t say a word, or I’ll have to kill your stupid girlfriend, too.”

  His eyes went to the knife and then they widened.

  “You bastard. You have no idea how often I’ve dreamed of this day. You killed my parents in cold blood. You killed your own son today, and yet, I don’t see a tear marking your cheeks.” I leaned down. “I just wanted you to look me in the eyes before you died, so you would know that I came for my revenge.” Then I slammed the knife into his neck.

  He sucked in a breath, looking surprised for a second as his blood drained onto his bed. And then… his lips twisted up in a smirk. He gurgled out, clutching at his sheets, his voice raspy. “I thought you’d come for me one day, little bitch.”

  Then he pulled a gun out from behind his pillow and shot me.

  11

  Pain seared through my body and I staggered backwards, falling onto a bench against the back wall. Suddenly, the room was filled with guards and the naked woman next to Garrett jumped up with a yelp. “What the hell, Garrett! I was sleeping.” Then she noticed me. “Who are you? And what are you doing in our room?” She didn’t even try to cover herself.

  The guards, all five of them, looked like they’d just drug themselves from their beds, but they all had rifles trained on me. I dropped the knife and clasped my shoulder, grateful I’d knocked the gun to the side. The bullet in my shoulder was throbbing in agony. It should be healing, instead, the pain was spreading to my chest.

  “Xander, get her.” Garrett had dropped the gun, and his voice was strained. He had his hand clasped over the wound in his neck and I cursed myself for not stabbing him deep enough. The woman looked at him, finally noticing that blood was getting all over the place. She screamed.

  Fuck, she was annoying.

  “Hold still.” A guard stepped forward, frowning at me. If I could just heal… Fur erupted on my fingers and the back of my neck but the guard cocked his gun and pointed it directly at my head.

  “Don’t shift.” His face was stern, his gun was steady. “Stand up, or I’ll shoot you in the head. There’s no healing from that.”

  My shoulder was burning and the woman was beginning to sob. I moved to my feet, groaning in pain. Garrett must have silver bullets in his stuupid gun.

  “Jade, will you shut up!” Garrett yelled at the woman. “And go get some clothes on. You’re flashing everyone.”

  Jade, still sobbing, scrambled out of the bed, pulling their blanket with her. She wrapped it around her, then fled the room. Garrett’s hand was helping staunch the wound on his neck but blood was still draining down it.

  “Damnit.” He struggled to get out of the bed. “Xander, lock her up. I’ve got cuffs in my top drawer.” Xander moved to the drawers and pulled out the cuffs. Then he approached me but Garrett, who had finally managed to get out of bed, pushed him out of the way. I fell back onto the bench, trying to get as far away from him as possible. He stood over me, appraising me with a grim smile. His face was pale but I could tell that he was healing. “She came for me, boys, just like I told you she would.” His eyes met mine. “You must’ve heard about your boy, Aaron.”

  “He’s not my boy, he’s your son.” I spit the words out, my rage and grief threatening to swallow me whole. I can’t freaking believe that I had that chance, and I missed hitting anything that didn’t kill him instantly. “You don’t even care that he’s dead.”

  “He wasn’t my son anymore. He discarded his whole family the day he fell for you. The day he chose you over the pack, you little slimy bitch. I can’t believe that you would betray your whole pack. Kill your own parents. All because you couldn’t wait to be Alpha.”

  His lies cut deep and I cried out. “That’s not true. I saw you. You killed them.”

  Garrett punched me across the face. “Liar! I loved your dad like a brother.”

  My cheek exploded in pain as my face snapped to the side. I looked back at him, growling. “The whole pack knows the truth. You never loved him. You never loved us. You only loved yourself. And when you couldn’t get your way by making Aaron the next Fated Alpha, you came in the middle of the night with your cronies and you killed them.”

  He laughed, vicious and cruel. “Is that the story you’re telling? You expect us to believe that? I wasn’t even there.”

  “It’s the truth.”

  “Then how come I got a phone call from your dad, saying that you’d gone crazy and had killed your mom. He begged me to come save him. He even wanted me to save you, to help you. But after I saw what you did to your mother, I knew you had to die.”

  “That’s a lie!” I hated him, him and his lies. “What did you do to my mother?”

  “You’re the one who slit her from her stomach to her neck. How could you do that?”

  “No!” I pressed my hand against my eyes, trying not to picture it. “How could you? How could you do that to her? She always took care of everyone, took care of the pack.” My necklace began to pulse hot and blue swirled against my neck. Garrett’s greedy eyes went straight to it.

  His feet were unsteady as he took another step forward, leaning down so that he was inches from my chest. I growled, covering my hand over it, warning him. “Don’t touch me.”

  He slapped my hand to the side, then grabbed the top of my shirt and ripped it down, exposing my bare chest to everyone in the room. His eyes lit up at the sight of the necklace. Clasping the diamond in his fist, he yanked the necklace over my head. “I’ve been looking for this. You stole it from my family.”

  The magical blue wisps of magic disappeared, as if sucked back into the diamond. He took a few steps back, falling back onto the bed and stared at it in disappointment. I took advantage of his distraction by shifting, then I attacked, jumping for his neck. Bullets erupted from their gun, flying through the air and my side exploded in pain. I fell to the ground, writhing in agony.

  My ears were ringing and my shoulder was still aching from where I was hit with the silver bullet. I could smell my blood and knew that it was bad. I’d been sprayed with several rifles. That was never a good thing. I tried to shift back into my human form but my whole body was weak. I tried to get up, to do something. The bottom half of my body couldn’t move. I was so fucking tired but I managed to drag myself forward. I considered calling for my clan, for my guys, but I knew it would only put them in danger. Besides, it was too late anyways.

  He walked over to his drawer and lovingly placed my necklace on top. Then he turned towards me. I crept forward, using my front paws to pull myself across the carpet. He gave me an incredulous look and I showed my teeth. If I could just heal enough to use my lower feet. I could use the last of my energy, bite him in the throat, get him in the right spot… I knew I could kill him.

  I still had the will, so there had to be a way.

  He laughed. “You still think you can beat me?” He bent over, clasping onto the fur on my neck, and he whispered discreetly in my ear. “You look just like your dad, right before I killed him.”

  Then, gripping me tight, he kneed me in the stomach. I howled as pain shot through my body. Then he kicked me, right in the shoulder where he’d shot me with a silver bullet. I flew back, crashing into a TV stand. The TV fell forward, hitting me on the head before it bounced across the floor, breaking. I lay there, panting and in pain; my lower legs still wouldn’t move. The room was dizzy.

  He came after me again. “This is for my son, for making him fall in love with you.” Then he stomped on my h
ead, over and over with his bare foot.

  I lay on the floor, allowing him to trample my head. The pain was growing more and more numb. I smiled to myself, happy. In a strange sort of way, it was fitting that Aaron’s love for me was what angered Garrett the most.

  Aaron had loved me. All my guys loved me. And that was the best thing that anyone could’ve ever given me. I had more than anyone else in this room, and so nothing else mattered at this point. I’d hoped to bring justice to my pack, but I’d have to settle for the love of the men I cared about.

  “What are you smiling at?” He stomped on my head again, screaming. “What the fuck do you have to be happy about? I’m going to kill you, don’t you know that?”

  I could barely feel anything. My vision was cloudy but I could see his feet as he walked back towards his bed. “Well guys. I need to take care of this right now. We can’t have her trying to hurt anyone else in the pack, can we?”

  I tried to lift my head, to shift back in my human form, to give him some last words of wisdom. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say, but it sure as hell was going to be funny. Either that or piss him off so bad that he’d hear my words echo through his head for the rest of his stupid, lame life. But I couldn’t move anymore. I was too friggin tired.

  He cocked his gun, then his feet went over to me. He bent over me, and I could see his face. “Tell your father hello for me.” Then he put the gun to my head.

  “Stop.” Shayne’s voice was clear throughout the room. The gun at my temple lowered and Shayne spoke again. “What’s this?”

  Garrett stood up and I breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s that bitch. Robert’s daughter. She came in here, just like I said she would, and tried to kill me.”

  Shayne squatted down over me, a look of horror on his face. “Damnit.” He looked at Garrett. “You going to bring her before the tribunal?”

  “Why should I? Everyone in here saw her do it. I have witnesses.”

  “Good, then it should be easy to convince them.”

  “Tell me why I shouldn’t kill her now? Just get it over with so the pack can finally move on.” Garrett put the gun to my head again. I could feel my body starting to heal, could hear bullets as they fell from my body. My back was finally healing and I could twitch my lower feet. But it still wasn’t enough yet to attack him again.

  Shayne put his hand over the gun, lowering it. “You’re right. The pack needs closure from this horrible event. You need to give it to them. Show them what she’s done. Make her confess her sins before the pack. They need to hear it from her. And unless she challenges you for pack Alpha, you can put her down legally.” He emphasized the word challenge, and I knew he was trying to tell me something. “Otherwise the council may go after you.”

  Garrett brushed his words away. “They won’t go after me, I’m the one who gave them their power in the first place. What if she tries to escape, or tries to kill more of my guards? Who knows how many of them she’s killed just trying to get into here.”

  “Owen notified me that he found Kaylan tied up in the garage. I found Jett tied up on the stairs. I don’t think she’s killed anyone.” He cleared his throat. “Of course, it’s up to you, Alpha, but I would imagine your guards could watch over a little thing like her.” His voice carried disdain. “And it’d be nice for the rest of the pack to see her humiliated, like you like it.” Shayne laughed and Garrett joined in with him, and the sound of it made me shiver. I didn’t want to know what he meant, but I had a feeling I was going to find out.

  Garrett leaned back over me and ran his hand through my fur. “Would you like that, little bitch? I think Shayne’s right. Let’s see what the Council has to say about you.”

  His hands on me repelled me and I’d healed enough to shift, so I allowed the magic over my body. I was naked now, but I didn’t care. He wouldn’t stroke me like that in front of everyone.

  He fell back on his butt but reacted quickly, jumping forward. “Well, you certainly have come into your shifter power, I’ll give you that.”

  I moved my head and tried to speak.

  He leaned closer, putting his ear to my mouth. “What’s that?”

  “Challenge.” I managed to huff out. “I challenge you as Alpha. No Council. Just you and me.”

  He jerked to his feet. “She’s challenged me. Probably the dumbest move I’ve ever seen her make; she never was a bright one. I’ll break her in two.”

  Shayne smiled. “Perfect. Then you can prove to everyone how weak she is. Just give her a couple of days to heal. You wouldn’t want the pack to think you were being unfair.”

  Garrett frowned, thinking. “Fine. But put a collar on her.”

  Xander moved forward. “Do you want her kept at Elias’?”

  “No, I want to keep my eye on her. Put her in the basement. But I want you watching over her. Go get your Taser. If she tries to escape, hit her with that.”

  Xander left and Garrett turned towards Shayne. “I want her kept naked for when I want to show her around. Tell the pack to line up, wake them up if necessary. I want everyone to see my new prize. Then she’ll have two days to recover, that should be plenty of time.”

  “Yes, Alpha.” Shayne reached into his pocket and pulled out a collar. Apparently he’d expected this and came prepared.

  “Alright, now everyone out of my room. I need to shower. Get this disgusting blood off me. Send someone in here to clean this blood up.” He paused and his shirt fell to the floor beside me. “And tell Jade to meet me in the shower.”

  The guards stomped out of the room and I saw the rest of Garrett’s clothes fall to the floor. Then I heard the shower come on and he slammed the bathroom door.

  Shayne sighed and whispered. “Elizabeth, what were you thinking?” Then he wrapped a chain collar around my neck. “Can you walk?”

  I nodded and he pulled out a leash and clipped it to my collar. “We can’t talk here, but the Council is not your friend, so good call on that. It’ll be better if you shift into a wolf again, but when they come for you today, you’ll have to be in your human form.” He rubbed his eyes, exhausted. I felt bad that I’d put all this on him.

  I put my hand over his. “Don’t worry about me, Shayne. I can take care of myself, okay?”

  He looked into my eyes, searching. Then he nodded. “Just do what they tell you to do, it won’t be too bad. Believe me, it’s better if you just deal with it, than if you fight back. Save your strength.” He gave me a serious look and I understood what he meant. Save my strength for when I would kill Garrett.

  I shifted into my wolf and Shayne led me out of the room.

  As he led me down the stairs, I noticed that someone had cut out the guard I’d incapacitated earlier. I grinned, thinking about how funny that must’ve been.

  Xander met us halfway down the stairs, giving me a vicious smile and gripping the Taser tightly. He followed us to the basement, flipping the Taser in his hand the whole time; I knew that he would be happy to use it on me.

  The basement wasn’t so bad. The carpet still had that new smell, mixed with sweat and beer. We passed a large TV room, with several shifters passed out on the sofa. Some I recognized, but they were mostly ones I’d never gotten to know very well. They’d always seemed to be hanging around Garrett and never had much interest in me. The TV was still blaring and empty pizza boxes and beer cans were littered all over the place.

  We went down a long hallway of where I assumed a lot of the shifters slept. Shayne led me all the way to the end and paused at the last door and opened it. The room was empty except for a small bed with a couple making out on it.

  As soon as Shayne saw them, he paused, rubbing his forehead. “Come on guys, get out. Go find somewhere else to do that.”

  They scrambled to get their clothes on but he yelled at them impatiently. “Just get out.” He reached down to grab a pair of jeans, then threw them at the guy. “Take your clothes with you.” He pointed at a lacy pair of underwear, waving his hand. “Don’t forget that
.”

  The girl, red-faced and trying to cover herself, grabbed it, and the couple fled the room. As soon as they were gone he gave me a grim look and motioned for me to go inside. “Welcome to your new castle, princess.” His voice was sarcastic but he gave me a wink while Xander’s face was turned. I trotted inside, trying not to breathe in too deeply. Apparently, the couple had been here for a while.

  Shayne took the leash off me, leaving the collar on, then turned to Xander. “I’ll send someone to take out the silver bullet. And I’ll make sure she’s fed. But don’t give her any clothes. He’s gonna want to keep her naked.” He got into Xander’s space, his voice a low growl. “If she claims that anyone touched her or harmed her in any way, that’s gonna look bad on the Alpha, okay? So if I get a hint that anyone’s touched her, they will answer to me, is that clear?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Then he turned away from me, sighing. “I’ll make sure another casket is brought out. I don’t have much hope she’ll last.” His face was dark and I knew that he was just saying it to look loyal to Garrett but, damn, the feels that came with it was so harsh. Which I totally deserved. I had a glimpse of Xander’s sly look before Shayne slammed the door shut.

  It took only a few minutes before Xander opened the door. I had no wish to hang out on the bed where someone had just been having sex, so I’d settled for a warm spot on the carpet, right where the light from a small window shone through. As soon as he came in, shutting the door quietly behind him, I jumped to my feet and showed him my teeth in a low growl.

  He leered at me. “Well, now that, that kiss-ass is gone, I can get a better look at you.” He circled me. I didn’t move, except to follow him with my head. I wasn’t going to be intimidated by this idiot. “So you’re the old Alpha’s daughter. They say you killed your own parents and cut up their bodies. Is that true?”

  I lowered my body in a warning stance, ready to jump if he tried anything. He held up the Taser in his hand, grinning. “Just so you know, this hurts like a son of a bitch. Trust me, we got this on the black market, too strong to be sold in the U.S. Not American approved.” He looked me over. “Though, a bitch like you might like something like this. I hear you also like a little pain.”