Changing Beauty (Book 2) (The Deadly Beauties Live On)

by C. M. Owens

  My voice trails off, and Thad’s face is transformed by an instant grin.

  “I’ll pay him back for that. Don’t worry. But he’s right; I really should be there right now.” His eyes roam over me again as he groans. “Even if it is fucking painful.” His gaze meets mine as I blush on freaking cue, and he winks at me. “I’m not going to let our first time be rushed. I’m going to take all the time in the world with you later.”

  My stomach clenches and my mouth dries with that promise hanging in the air. He tosses a shirt toward me, snapping me out of my haze.

  “I ruined yours. Put that on so we can swing by your place.” He watches me as I smile over at the shirt, eyeing it and considering saying to hell with getting dressed. I really want to finish things right now. “And hurry before I change my mind. Gage won’t be the only one they send after me.”

  I quickly tug the shirt on after hearing that, because I sure as hell don’t want anyone seeing me. Thad is pulling his shirt over his head when I look over, and my breath seizes in my throat.

  “What happened?” My voice is a strained whisper when I see blood staining the bandages on his shoulder.

  He frowns as he glances at it, and he shrugs while peeling away the bandage. “I forgot about that.”

  There’s nothing there? I mean… nothing at all.

  I stand, letting his shirt drop to my thighs and tickle against the flesh as I move quickly to close the distance between us. He doesn’t move as I come to look at his shoulder.

  Upon closer inspection, I see a small, white line, almost like the mark from a healing wound. But that blood was fresh.

  “What happened?” I ask, again, completely confused.

  He shrugs as though it’s no big deal. “I had a scratch and forgot to take off the bandage.”

  My eyes move to the bandage he has clutched in his hand. It’s hard to see it now, but I’ve already seen it, and I saw a lot of blood for a scratch.

  “I bleed easy,” he says with another shrug, as if he’s reading my mind. Then he grins while waggling his eyebrows, his usual flirty and fun self coming back to life. “I like the fact that you care though. And I really like seeing you in my shirt.” His gaze heats as his eyes run down the length of my body, and he bites his bottom lip before adding, “Any chance I can get you to wear it tonight?”

  I laugh lightly while rolling my eyes, and he grins before reaching around and slapping my ass, shocking me into an embarrassing squeal.

  “I’ll be right back. I need to make a call, then we’ll go.”

  He jogs out of the room, tossing the bandage in the trashcan beside the door. My curiosity slams back in, and I move to the discarded gauze that has definitely been stained with a lot of blood.

  That’s when the scent hits me—the same scent I smelled before I fell asleep. Honey laced with pheromones. I almost collapse, feeling the hunger and desire flame inside me, and I glare at the bloodstained gauze with a twisted sense of need—two very different types of needs.

  I lick my lips, feeling a stir inside me again, and I slowly reach for the gauze as my mouth waters.

  “We’re about to head to Roslyn’s house.” Thad’s returning voice snaps me out of my trance, and I stumble back from the trashcan like I’ve been slapped.

  The hell is wrong with me? I’m a sick, sick freak. Blood hasn’t ever bothered me or done that to me before. I almost… I wanted… Oh, I’m going to be sick.

  “Shut the fuck up,” Thad says to whoever is on the line, but he sounds more amused than angry.

  I take several deep breaths, holding back the urge to vomit. No way can I explain what just happened if he asks me what’s wrong.

  His voice stays in the living room, and I battle the weird war inside me. I. Am. A. Freak. And I need psychiatric help.

  “You ready?” Thad asks from the doorway, prompting me to look up and see the confused concern in his eyes as he studies me.

  How…

  “Do you have another closet back there?” I ask, pointing toward the hallway where he originally headed, happy for the distraction.

  He’s dressed differently now, looking like sex on legs yet again. His dark jeans are intentionally frayed in random places, and his black shirt says “Fuck Off” on it as though it’s a statement.

  I’ve never had a thing for guys wearing hats, but Thad is wearing a black hat backwards, and I swear I’ve never seen anything sexier.

  Then he gives me that cocky smirk that shouldn’t drive me as crazy as it does, but I feel the flutter, forgetting everything else.

  “Yeah. I keep clothes in all the rooms. Come on, love. Before I lose control and pick up where we left off.”

  If that’s supposed to encourage me to get up… It doesn’t work. Our eyes lock again, and that static between us intensifies, becoming almost tangible. For a split second, I swear his brown eyes flicker to yellow and a dull growl emanates from his chest.

  But his phone rings, breaking the heady spell, and he curses while pulling it out.

  “Jerk,” he says into the phone, and I swear I hear laughing on the other end. “I said we’re coming.” He pauses, and then his grin splits his face as I stand up and tug on my shorts, sans my destroyed panties. “Wrong kind of coming, dickhead. But that’s your fault.”

  My face heats, and I feel the red crawling around on me as Thad’s chuckle breaks free, teasing me more than the crass words. I duck my head, walking out of the room, doing all I can not to brush against him.

  He continues chuckling and talking to the guy who I assume must be Gage. They apparently want him there pretty badly. Thad’s hand immediately goes to my waist, and I tuck myself against his side when we walk outside.

  It may just be next door, but I feel like I’m taking a long walk of shame in his shirt and my torn shorts. Yes. He tore the front of my shorts, yet I don’t remember that happening.

  Thad follows me into my house, and I stumble to a halt just as he puts his phone away. He tugs me against him as I stare at the girl who has made herself entirely too comfortable in my home.

  “You must be the roommate,” she says without missing a beat, her orange and red hair looking like flames from a wild fire.

  She stares over my shoulder, and her gaze flickers from me to Thad several times before she looks away.

  She’s clad in leather. Leather! Head to freaking toe… leather. Really? Her eyeliner looks like she tried to make her eyes appear black. She’s fit and athletic looking, but I doubt she’s the type to be in organized sports. Or maybe I’m being judgmental.

  “I am,” I finally say, irritated and trying not to get pissed. My blood pumps faster, and I force myself to calm down. I’ve never liked people bullying their way into my life, and she’s in my house. I don’t know why, but it’s really pissing me off.

  “You aren’t here very much,” Wendy states, but she sounds accusatory for some reason as she stands and moves toward the kitchen.

  At least her weapons aren’t lying around right now. Yes. Freaking weapons.

  Thad tightens his grip on me.

  “You’re pretty rude for an unwanted guest,” Thad tells her, his tone bored and taunting at the same time.

  Her jaw tenses as her spine stiffens, and she narrows her eyes at him.

  “You hang around a lot?” she asks, directing her question toward him.

  Thad laughs as though he’s amused now. “I see how they’re related,” he says, pushing me toward the wrong room.

  I don’t want him to see my actual room. It’s small and sad. I’d rather him think of me as sweet rather than boringly depressing.

  “Excuse me?” Wendy growls.

  “I said I see the family resemblance,” Thad explains as I rush to my room to get ready. “Annoying must be a family trait,” he adds, his voice growing more distant as I hurry inside my room.

  Petunias. Roses. Lilies. Sunlight. Ducks…

  I continue to recite calming things, needing to get my temper under control. The second I lose
it, I’ll black out. Then Thad will stay because he’s concerned, and he won’t go where he’s needed.

  I shut the door, blocking off the sound of their voices. But it doesn’t block out the sound of a door slamming and Thad laughing. I bypass makeup, since I rarely wear it anyway, and I opt to throw on a sundress and flip flops. I run a brush through my hair, slip on some panties, and practically sprint out.

  The sooner we’re out of here, the better.

  Chapter 9

  THAD

  I’m laughing at the door that just slammed, proud of the fact I could easily run off the bitch who felt like she was some sort of alpha. She has no idea what a true alpha looks like.

  She’s fucking crazy if she thinks I’ll let her stay in Roslyn’s home for one more day.

  Roslyn. Shit. She’s not even aware of what’s going on right now, and I can’t even begin to explain it. Hell, I still need to talk to the others. I especially need to talk to Sierra, because she needs to do what she said she would and change Roslyn.

  Movement from the right draws my attention, and I almost groan when I see Roslyn walk out in a semi-short, flowing sundress that just makes her look even sweeter. Her face is flushed, looking sexy as fucking hell; her lips are still a little swollen from earlier; and her dark, long hair is hanging loosely over her shoulder.

  “A dress?” I ask incredulously, already adjusting myself in my pants.

  She frowns as she looks down, and I swear she’s looks even more tempting when insecurity flashes across her face.

  “You don’t like it?”

  Ah, hell.

  “I fucking love it. Therein lies the problem,” I point out, enjoying the heat that slithers more across her chest. I can almost feel her from here, and I’m nowhere close to touching her.

  There’s a loud clatter of noise, and something that sounds like a heavy book drops in the room where Wendy stomped off to. A few muttered curses reach our ears, and Roslyn groans.

  I’m assuming that’s Jenny’s room, since Roslyn went the other way to change.

  “Let’s go before she comes back out,” she says, and I take her against my side to guide her out.

  That dress… Yeah. My eyes are glued to the bottom of it, noticing how easy it would be to lift it up, bend her over, and fuck her like an ani—

  “I guess Jenny is already at the party,” Roslyn says, and my eyes reluctantly leave the bottom of her dress to find her sweet stare.

  “I’m sure she is,” I say absently, not really giving a damn about the roommate who has apparently invited a bitch to hang out in their house—a bitch that indeed acted like a bitch to Roslyn.

  I thread my fingers through Roslyn’s, enjoying the smile that immediately forms on her lips. The walk is long, considering I can’t cut through the woods with her. I don’t want to drive because I’m not in any hurry to get there.

  Roslyn talks idly about school, and I listen with a smile. She seems excited about classes, something so human that would typically annoy me to discuss. But with her, it seems riveting.

  The lake comes into view as we make a turn, and her eyes settle on the water. I’m almost tempted to just set on the lake beach with her and enjoy the moonlight. But someone would come looking. After all, there are a few bloodthirsty crazies out here right now, and it’s too risky to keep Roslyn out in the open.

  Even though most of the attacks seem to stay isolated in the woods, it doesn’t mean we’re safe out here. And Roslyn… Roslyn is a beast’s dream come true. Which reminds me what I need to talk to the guys about.

  I’m fairly sure I’m fucked, and I’m positive there was something else released from purgatory. Something I never even fucking considered.

  As we close in on the loud, thumping music, Roslyn’s grip tightens on mine, and she leans in closer like she’s a little intimidated by the massive house. Even with all the soundproofing, the music is still thundering loud enough to escape just barely.

  I smile down at her when she starts nibbling on her lip, suddenly seeming tense.

  “You don’t party much, do you?” I ask, grinning at her as she looks up with those sweet damn eyes.

  “No. I… I’m not really all that social. Large crowds make me nervous.”

  I let go of her hand and pull her to me, putting my arm around her shoulders.

  “No reason to be nervous. I’ve got you. I need to speak with the guys about some work stuff, but I’ll make sure you find Jenny first. I swear I won’t be long.”

  She tenses more, and I half wonder if it’s because she doesn’t want to be around Jenny, or if it’s because she doesn’t want me leaving her. My ego decides it’s the latter of the two, and I hold her to me even tighter.

  “I swear it won’t take long at all,” I repeat, loving the way she fits against me.

  Which is why I need to find the guys. And Sierra.

  We walk up the steps of Kane’s house, and she sucks in a deep breath. The windows allow us to see the crowd inside, and it’s definitely a big crowd. And everyone looks like they’re already halfway drunk.

  Humans.

  “This place is huge,” Roslyn says, awe rolling off her tongue.

  Good. If she likes this place, then she’ll love some of my homes.

  As soon as the large doors open for us, the wild party’s volume blares to its full potential, and Roslyn cringes against me. I pull her in, despite her obvious hesitation, and she follows reluctantly.

  Everyone is dancing, or talking, or making out. It’s like college and high school exploded in here. Well, new age college and high school. I missed out on all this shit.

  Immediately, a dark user I know steps into view. He’s from the Somage, and I stiffen. We’ve already determined the Somage can’t be trusted.

  “Alex,” I say with a smile, trying not to let him know I’m not overly fond of his presence and alert him to our suspicion.

  Zee catches my eye, moving toward us with a blonde on his arm—not Jenny. He dismisses the girl on his way, and he nods toward the right, alerting me to the presence of several other Somage members off to the side.

  I don’t make any conspicuous moves, and I only view them out of the corner of my eye. I also notice Kimber’s not in here.

  “Didn’t know you guys were hanging out in Pine Shore,” Alex says, bringing my attention back to him.

  Roslyn bristles, and I notice Alex’s eyes training on the small amount of cleavage her dress is showing off. A growl tries to emerge, but I barely manage to hold it back.

  Fuck.

  I’m used to having so much more control over myself.

  “Yeah. Decided to come check out the scene,” I say with a shrug, tugging Roslyn in front of me, spinning her so that her back is to Alex.

  She looks up at me right as I slide my hands down her back, keeping my eyes on Alex. He cocks an eyebrow, but I don’t let a single expression cross my face, somehow managing to look bored as I wait on him to speak.

  “Same for us. Heard there was possibly some trouble in the area.”

  The vagueness we use in front of humans… Sometimes it can be exhausting to have a conversation without having the actual conversation. Soon I won’t have to hide words from Roslyn.

  Roslyn melts against me as I start running my hand up and down her back, keeping my other planted on her hip. Zee is smirking as he joins us, but Alex doesn’t notice him before speaking again.

  “I came to speak to Kimber, but she appears to be absent,” Alex says, looking around once more.

  Apparently he thinks Kimber will give him details of what we’ve found. It’s amazing how stupid they think we are.

  “Kimber is out,” Zee says, the lie rolling off his tongue with effortlessness as he steps closer.

  Alex cocks an eyebrow while turning to face him.

  “I didn’t think you guys were letting her out of your sight these days. Considering she left us, I assumed you had her under lock and key or something.”

  “I thought the same thing,” a
gruff voice says, and I inwardly cringe. Fucking ogre. I can tell from the sheer brute size of him.

  Roslyn looks over her shoulder, but stays pressed against my front, observing the scene quietly. This is not what I planned on happening tonight.

  The last time I felt like beasts inside me wanted to claw their way to the surface was when I was still a new immortal and learning control. Right now everything in me is screaming, begging to all surface at once, and every protective instinct is demanding I get Roslyn out of here and hide her away. Fuck me. This is bad.

  “She’s out,” Zee says again when I don’t offer any words. “She and Gage had something to do. No idea when she’ll be back.”

  I’m too busy worrying I might fucking roar or something if I open my mouth to help Zee out. That would be a little hard to explain.

  “Gage,” the ogre scoffs, shaking his head in disgust. “It figures she’d abandon us the way he did. It’s not as though we’re beneath the queen’s fucking circle. We were once the most revered group—”

  I clear my throat loudly as Alex widens his eyes, glaring at the fucking idiot who cuts his words short. Ogres are big, strong, and so damn stupid.

  “Human, Dumbass,” Alex growls, keeping the register too low for Roslyn to overhear.

  I realize Dumbass isn’t his real name, but it suits him.

  “Oh fuck,” Dumbass says, turning a little pale. I roll my eyes, and decide to get Roslyn away from them before she hears too much too soon.

  “Queen’s circle?” she asks the second we step away, looking all too amused.

  “It’s a nickname. One we don’t like,” I lie, shrugging it off as though it’s nothing.

  Zee seems to manage to get Alex to leave, taking the rest of the Somage with them. It was probably an easy feat after Loose Lips almost fucked us.

  I spot Sierra just as she and Deke come in. She has twigs in her hair that he’s pulling out, and I groan inwardly. She apparently had to shift, which means they ran into problems. Fuck.

  “I need to take care of something. Think you can hang out with…” My voice trails off as I sniff the air, immediately finding the familiar stench I’m looking for. “Jenny,” I say, pointing to her roommate.