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

by C. M. Owens

  I smile while leaning against him. I swear I’ve never been with someone so honest. It’s refreshing.

  In a moment of sheer abandon, I tell him, “I want you to stray from the safe zones.”

  He groans while picking me up, and the next thing I know, my legs are wrapped around his waist, his hands are on my ass, and his stride quickens as he briskly walks us back.

  “Thank fuck,” he whispers softly before kissing me.

  Annnnd… I giggle. Yep. I’m a big goofy giggler. Shit.

  He smiles against my lips, and I slide his hat off before moving it between us, so I can fist handfuls of his blonde hair and pull him to me to kiss him harder. His soft growl has chills spreading up me. I swear he sounds so feral and sexy when he makes noises like that.

  “I think you love testing my control,” he says in a deep tone that has my core warming up.

  I sure as hell love the fact that I test his control.

  “Are you going to carry me all the way back?” I ask, giggling again when he speeds up even more.

  “Yep.”

  I glance over my shoulder, surprised by the fact we’re not too far away, and I can’t fight back the smile that spreads across my face.

  “FUCK!” a guy yells from somewhere close by.

  I jolt in Thad’s arms, startled, and a girl screams as something loud crashes inside a house. Oh shit. That sound is coming from my house.

  Thad quickly puts me down, cursing under his breath as he sprints toward my house with unnatural speed. My heart thuds in my ears as I run as fast as I can, trying to catch up.

  Just as Thad jerks open the door, a guy goes sailing outside, looking as though he was just catapulted out of the house. Thad narrowly dodges him, and his eyes light up, seeming to glow yellow as he stares inside.

  My eyes flick to the guy who is lying haphazardly on the ground, and my stomach roils when I see his body. His veins are black, and there’s a knife in his back. What’s worse is that I recognize him.

  That beast of a man left with Alex and Jenny.

  ***

  THAD

  Jenny is sobbing in the corner, curled in a ball amongst the wreckage as Wendy the bitch smirks at me. Her unkempt red hair is disheveled and even wilder. Blood stains her hands, her necklace is glowing, and she looks like she’s hungry for more blood.

  The motherfucking anointed. I just found the slayer. Fuck me.

  I really, really did not see this shit coming.

  “Here, boy,” she says, whistling and acting like she’s talking to a dog. “Been waiting for you.”

  Fucking bitc—

  “Thad!” Roslyn’s voice has me whipping my head to the right, and my eyes widen as she races toward me.

  “No!” I yell, but something suddenly slices through my stomach.

  I jerk out the knife and toss it away just in time to dodge the hand flying at my face. Thank fuck she wasn’t holding the knife. I’d be suffering the effects of poison if she had stabbed me with it instead of throwing it at me.

  This bitch took out an ogre, sent him flying from the room, so I’m not surprised when the fist I dodged smashes through the wall. Speed and strength like an immortal.

  Fuck.

  I don’t usually hit women, but…

  I swing, but she’s fast, and she kicks me in the stomach. My breath leaves in a rush as a sense of weightlessness catches me off guard. It takes a second to realize I’m soaring through the air until I crash against the far wall, feeling it moan and buckle against the impact.

  Oh yeah. I’m gonna kill a bitch.

  All I see is a flash of red hair, and my eyes widen too late, seeing the knife come down. Just as I prepare to shift into something else, another flash of hair catches my eyes. Only it’s not red hair. It’s almost-black hair.

  A garbled cry resounds through the living room, and I roar as I leap up, standing behind Roslyn. Wendy stumbles backwards, her eyes wide in horror as Roslyn’s back stays to me.

  “You should… No… Why aren’t you…” Wendy’s words trail off, but I zero in on her, taking advantage of her distraction.

  Something inside me snaps, and in less than a blink, my hands are on Wendy’s neck. She gasps, struggling to breathe, and I hiss when she stabs my hand with a knife I never saw coming.

  The blood spills, and red taints my vision. Pain sears through me, and I start losing feeling in my right hand as my veins slowly start to feel the bite of the poison in her touch. I’m forced to drop that hand, which causes it to rip when she keeps hold of the knife still attached to it.

  Biting back the burning pain, I use my other hand to twist her neck, snapping it with barely any effort. I growl as the life fades from her eyes, and I immediately regret ending her life too soon.

  I’d love nothing more than find out how many more out there are like her. Jenny is her fucking cousin, so I need to be worried about that.

  I glance down at my hand, watching in relief as the black veins slowly disappear, and the piercing pain dulls. At least the poison dies without the touch.

  “Roslyn!” Jenny screams from behind me.

  I spin around just in time to see Roslyn drop to her knees. My heartbeat echoes in my ears, and my blood grows cold in my veins as a heavy, sinking feeling settles on my chest. Blood is flowing from her stomach where a knife is sticking out. I never knew she’d been stabbed.

  In all the chaos, I never smelled the sweet scent of her blood amongst the fear, rage, and death that is tainting the air. All the beasts inside me rage, beating against my skin to be unleashed as I rush to her side.

  Chapter 11

  ROSLYN

  It hurts so bad that it almost doesn’t hurt at all. I don’t know if that makes sense or if deliria has kicked in. But I know one second it felt like a slash of heat stole my breath, then I felt pain all over—hot, burning, suffocating pain.

  “Gage! Fucking get here now! Roslyn’s house!”

  Thad’s voice is barely audible, because all the sounds are so distorted. Is he on the phone?

  A metallic tang gags me, and I cough, spitting out something warm that seems to be trying to drown me.

  “Fuck!” Thad’s voice sounds tortured and panicked, and I force my eyes to open.

  It’s blurry, like staring through a very unfocused camera lens, but I manage to make out the outline of his face, and I weakly reach up. Why can’t I talk? What’s that weird gargling noise coming from me?

  “Shh, sweet girl,” he coos, smoothing my hair back, even though I can barely feel his touch.

  I’m so damn cold right now.

  “The fuck happened?” a guy demands, which has Jenny’s sobs reaching my ears. I wish she’d go away. She’s too loud, and it’s the one sound that is carrying too easily.

  “Get her out of here,” Thad snaps. “Gage, get us to Dray. Now.”

  I can’t tell if Thad is panicking or if he’s mad, but his voice breaks. I weakly squeeze his hand when he threads our fingers together, and my stomach lurches for some reason seconds before I feel something tingling me to my core.

  Black fuzzy dots speckle my vision until they consume me. The fight inside me to stay awake ebbs as the need to sleep takes precedent. The last thing I hear is some bloodcurdling roar that seems to vibrate through me, a raw, desperate, and heart-wrenching sound that oddly enough seems to soothe me.

  ***

  THAD

  “You have to calm down!” Gage yells just as we materialize in his house.

  Calm down? He’s fucking crazy!

  “Wake up, love. Wake up!” I plead, desperate for her eyes to open.

  Her skin is cold, her limbs are lifeless, but she’s still breathing. Gage works hard to put pressure on the wound, leaving the knife in place so the wound doesn’t open up even more.

  “Sierra,” I growl, glaring at him, and he takes a deep breath before dematerializing from the room.

  Ella is suddenly materializing across from the bed, her eyes wide in horror as she stares at Roslyn�
��s still body.

  “What the hell happened?” she gasps, moving quickly to try and grab some towels from the adjoining bathroom.

  “The anointed.” The broken whisper leaves my lips, sounding so foreign and nothing like me.

  I just met her, but I can’t watch her die. For fuck’s sake, I wanted to change her. Now I hate that I let them talk me out of it. She’d already be healing if she was immortal.

  “Oh shit.” Sierra’s voice finds me before I see her, and she rushes around to the side of the bed.

  She moves quickly, her hand going to Roslyn’s neck, and a threatening rumble escapes from me, forcing her to jerk her hand back. It takes me a few breaths, but I finally nod toward her, leashing the beasts within as my skin begs to be set free.

  “Do it,” I bark, and she glares at me before leaning down, listening to her breaths.

  “It’s dangerous, Thad. She’s lost a lot of blood.”

  “She’ll die if you don’t at least try,” Ella says, now standing close behind me, and for once, agreeing with me wholly.

  Sierra tightens her lips, but suddenly they part, making way for the fangs that shoot out. I fight all my instincts that beg me to stop her, fight the parts of me that sense Sierra as a threat instead of a friend.

  Ella clamps her hand on my shoulder when another growl rumbles free.

  “I’ve got him,” she tells Sierra.

  “They’re definitely not mates,” she says randomly, pissing me the hell off.

  “What?” Ella asks.

  “Just fucking do it already!” I snap.

  Sierra bends swiftly, and Ella tugs me back when I lunge out of instinct, reminding me how strong she is despite her fragile appearance. I wince and roar when Sierra’s fangs sink into the flesh at the curve of Roslyn’s neck to her shoulder.

  Gage is suddenly behind me, helping Ella restrain me as Sierra draws back, spitting out the blood in her mouth.

  “Fuck, she tastes really good,” Sierra groans, stumbling backwards in an effort to put space between herself and Roslyn.

  My blood boils, even though Sierra is showing tons of restraint as she wipes the back of her mouth with her hand. Using her bitten venom to change someone makes the lycan inside her crave fresh blood.

  Ella releases me just as Gage does, and I rush back to Roslyn, watching the wound that is still leaking blood. She should be having some sort of reaction by now, damn it.

  “Why isn’t it working?” I bark, pushing my hands against the wound again, trying to slow the blood.

  Her heartbeat is getting weaker. Even with immortal hearing, I can barely catch the feeble thumps that are growing slower by the second.

  “I don’t know,” Sierra whispers, confused.

  I lean forward, stroking her cheek with my bloody hand. This is my fault. She’s fucking dying and I can’t do anything about it.

  “Get Zee. Or where the fuck is Dray?” I ask, my voice crackling as desperation and guilt weave into the words.

  “Dray is too far out,” Gage says softly. “I’ll see if Zee can try changing her. But if Sierra’s venom didn’t work—”

  “Just get him!” I yell, or try to yell; it’s barely a choked whisper.

  I hear the rustle of wind as he disappears from the house, and I thumb Roslyn’s lips, leaning down to kiss her forehead, and feeling my gut clench when the chill of her skin hits me.

  Something closes around my thumb, and I jerk back, but my hand stays in place. Eyes closed, Roslyn is sucking my thumb, groaning as her hands weakly come up and pull my hand closer.

  I suck in a breath of surprise when she moves her lips to the open wound, sniffing and seeking, then latching on and sucking the blood straight from the source. My heart pulses, feeling the heady rush of blood-sharing, but the surprise and panic inside me override my body’s normal reaction to the act.

  “It’s working?” I ask Sierra, listening closely as Roslyn’s heartbeat grows stronger, even as she stays unconscious.

  Sierra looks as surprised as me. “No. I’d feel her. There’s no connection at all. The change didn’t take, or she’d be screaming in pain right now. And your blood would disgust her, no offense.”

  It’s hard to be offended when I’m so fucking relieved. Roslyn is breathing stronger, her heartbeat is gathering strength, and her color is slowly returning as well. But she’s latched onto my hand like she’s starving and I’m a meal.

  Her head is still back on the pillow, her eyes remain shut, and the soft little sounds of pleasure she’s making are actually driving me a little crazy. I keep my hand where it is, because for whatever reason, it seems to be what’s making her better.

  Blood drizzles down her chin as she gets more aggressive, sucking harder as she tries to get her fill. I have no idea why that looks so hot right now, but it sure as hell does.

  “The hell?” Zee and Gage ask in unison as they appear in the room, but I don’t even bother glancing their way.

  Ella steps closer, just as I lean forward, brushing my lips against Roslyn’s forehead, feeling her skim warming back to normal. I almost sag in relief.

  “Her wound is almost healed,” Ella says, sounding just as astonished as I feel.

  I finally tear my eyes away from Roslyn’s face, trying to ignore how damn good it feels to have her still suckling the blood from my hand, and turn to look down at her side.

  Ella tugs the knife free, having to put forth effort since the skin has already started closing around it. My eyes widen in disbelief as the wound seals shut almost immediately.

  “Fucking shit,” Gage says under his breath.

  “We don’t even heal that fast,” Zee adds, stating the damn obvious.

  “What the hell is in your blood?” Sierra muses, coming closer.

  I look at Roslyn, frowning as she slowly pulls her lips away. I immediately miss the contact as a soft sigh passes her lips, and she drifts off into what seems like a peaceful sleep, never once opening her eyes even though I want to demand she does.

  “It’s not like this is the first time someone has drank my blood,” I say distractedly, wiping the remnants of red from her lips. “This sure as shit hasn’t ever happened.”

  Roslyn subconsciously moves into my touch, and I stroke her cheek. I’m as confused as I am relieved.

  “Thad, I think we need to talk,” Gage says quietly, but I don’t look away from the girl who stupidly stood between me and a psycho killer. It’ll be a miracle if I don’t spank her perky little ass when she wakes up.

  “So talk.” My tone is riddled with distraction, but it doesn’t deter him.

  “Away from her.”

  I snort derisively. “If you think I’m leaving her, then you’re as dumb as I used to think.”

  I’m fairly sure I hear him roll his eyes.

  “Thad, she might be able to hear us right now.”

  “We can dust her memories,” Ella points out. “If Sierra’s venom didn’t take, it’s not like we have any other choice.”

  This time, I do look up. “The venom had to have worked. She wouldn’t have healed so quickly. Maybe she’s not thrashing around in agony because she’s unconscious.”

  Sierra quickly shakes her head to refute that. “There’s no way she’d be unconscious through it. The pain wouldn’t knock her out; it would torture her by keeping her awake. And again, your blood would be disgusting.” She sighs while running a hand through her hair. “Thad, the venom didn’t work. The only way it couldn’t work is if she’s already immortal. Or at least destined to be immortal. The only time I’ve heard of venom working against an immortal are the creature gods. Such as in Kane’s case, for example. But other than that, bitten venom is useless on other fey.”

  That’s almost laughable. Roslyn is beautiful, sure, but she’s not heading toward immortality. The girl is too fucking sweet to know anything about our world.

  “She’s on her own. She’s lived in foster care, yet no strange reports were ever made. She’d have to be unaware of our world,
considering how young she was when she went into the system. There’s no way she’s immortal.”

  My argument is met with several scrutinizing gazes, but Gage is the only one with the balls to vocalize his thoughts.

  “The mauling, Thad. Her foster father was abusive—you said so yourself. And he was killed in the woods pretty damn viciously. We already know the hybrid werewolf-slash-witch can shift even though she’s not immortal. We also know that she’s very strong, and that she’s in the area. And she’s been feeding off immortals.”

  A growl rumbles in the room, and it takes me a second to realize it’s me.

  “You seriously think she’s killing people? You think she’s running around and brutalizing bodies the way we saw? Then you haven’t spent one second with her the way I have. The girl fucking blushes when I flirt with her. She’s not a heartless killer.”

  He starts to speak, but Ella beats him to it. “Call Dice and Karma. They were on their way back. His mom apparently doesn’t want to be found, because he can’t get any leads on her. Let’s have Karma take a look at her.”

  Zee hesitantly pulls out his phone. “I’ll send a picture to Kane. We’ll see if Reese identifies her as his wolf witch.”

  The second I leap to my feet, Ella is immediately cutting me off from Zee. “Stop, Thad. If you believe she’s really not the hybrid, then it won’t matter if he sends a picture. I have spent time with her. I’m totally with you on the fact she’s genuinely, adorably sweet, and there’s no way she’s the beast slaughtering her way through the woods at random.”

  For the most part, Ella is just placating my anger, and I know it. But she’s also being honest, because she really did spend time with Ros. It’s bullshit, but I turn away, not protesting when Zee snaps a picture to send to Kane.

  “It’s possible she’s a succubus,” Sierra says suddenly, and I groan while dropping my head back. This is going to be a long night.

  “She’s not a succubus. I repeat; she blushes when I flirt. You seriously think she’s packing a closet of seduction in one touch, when the slightest bit of sexual innuendo has her cheeks turning crimson?”