Feral Craving

by D. C. Stone

  In a foul mood, he slipped into his sneakers, his body not backing down from its demand. The showers, his hand, his imagination weren’t doing the trick anymore. Mackenzie’s lush curves, her smart-ass mouth, and her mind gripped him by the balls—literally. He tossed open his door and stepped out, past Tyler who, coming out of his room, lifted a hand. Tyler had this look on his face, knowledge in his eyes, as if he knew what was going on. Bari forced himself to keep walking. He went down the stairs leading to the basement and entered the weight room. He pushed himself on the treadmill, worked his muscles to exhaustion on the weight bench and still as the sweat poured down his face and soaked through his shirt, he didn’t feel anywhere near calm. His mind and body were confused with what he wanted and what he recognized he couldn’t take. To top it off, the more he pushed himself to stay away from her, the darker the burn inside of him became, almost as if the beast lurking within didn’t like that idea one … little … bit.

  She hadn’t let up on him, calling and texting him, and even though he ignored them all, the need, the craving he had for her wouldn’t go away. After long days of pushing himself to the brink, he fell into bed only to have his dreams filled with Mackenzie.

  Chapter Ten

  “Please don’t tell me you’re gonna get hung up on him again.” Mackenzie turned to Bethany. Her friend stood there, hands on her hips, sleek platinum blonde hair brushing against her shoulders as she shook her head. Dressed in a long purple tunic, black tights, and mid-length black boots, Bethany gave off a cool aura of confidence and beauty.

  “Beth…”

  “Don’t Beth me.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  “Like hell I don’t.” Bethany took a seat at the counter, and Mackenzie tried like hell to keep her face a mask of calm when inside she felt anything but. What she felt was unlike any other reaction she had with any other man. She knew Bari, understood him better than most. He had this magnetism that drew her in, called out to her.

  “No, Beth, I don’t think you do.” Mackenzie was miserable she couldn’t move on. “Do you think I enjoy this? Enjoy knowing that the years of our friendship were worth nothing more than a quick fuck? Do you think I don’t want to get him out of my head? Out of my system? Believe me, Beth, I do.” Mackenzie tossed the towel down on the counter and reached for a mug, setting it under the espresso machine as she started working on Bethany’s drink. Catching the dark coffee grinds in the silver cup, Mackenzie locked it to the machine before hitting brew. The machine steamed, and the steady flow of dark liquid flowed into the cup. Setting the mug in front of Beth, Mackenzie felt her friend’s hand come down on her own and hold her. She didn’t want to look up, didn’t want to see the pity or even understanding in Bethany’s eyes, but damn if she could resist. Glancing up, she met Bethany’s hazel gaze.

  “I do get it, Mac. I’m sorry, I completely do. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

  “He’s different, Bethany.” It wasn’t a lie, something about Bari did seem different, but that was far from how she believed he would treat her. Hell, he already made it clear he didn’t want her around. Why couldn’t she just let him be? She dropped her head in her hands and shook it in frustration. “I have to know.”

  “I know, Mac. Just be careful, for both of your sakes.”

  The ding of the bell broke the moment, and Mackenzie lifted her head, her heart slamming in her chest as she recognized the man from Bari’s house. Standing above six foot, the man oozed sensuality and danger. He walked with purpose, his stride and aura commanding attention as soon as he entered the shop. His black hair sat tied back in a short ponytail at the base of his neck. The strands gleamed under the light, a color of midnight, and a black so deep that sucked in all the colors around him. Speaking of colors, his eyes—a green so pure, so clean—stared back at her. His eyes reminded her of the deepest part of the rainforest, an area undiscovered, and one filled with predators that would make anyone, even this man himself, shake. Right now, those eyes held her, a slight frown line creasing his brow.

  ****

  “Mackenzie, right?” Tyler arched a brow and took in the distressed state of Mackenzie. He knew who and what she was to Bari. They all came back to Nantucket for a reason, and this woman was part of it.

  Mackenzie wiped a hand under her eyes and nodded, shooting him a hesitant smile. “Yes, I remember you from Bari’s. I’m sorry, but I didn’t catch your name.”

  “It’s Tyler. I’m a friend of Bari’s. Been with him for the better part of eight years. I don’t know how anyone can stand it.” The side of his mouth tipped in a grin. He turned toward Bethany, who had yet to say a word. Tyler knew why, remembered her outburst the other night and fought to keep his smile hidden. Leaning down, his lips whispered against Bethany’s golden tendrils. “Hello, Bethany. I hope you’re feeling better.”

  “Tyler. I am. Thank you.” Bethany’s sweet voice floated up to him, a slight red blush spread over her cheeks. She slipped off the stool and grabbed her wallet, sending the impression of a mouse trying to outrun a cat. Okay, he’d let her run.

  For now.

  “I need to get back to the hospital, Mac. I’ll … I’ll call you later.” The words came out in a rush.

  “Okay, Beth.” Mac turned a questioning gaze toward Tyler, and he shrugged.

  “Oh, Bethany?” Tyler’s head turned as she rushed past him.

  Bethany paused, and he watched her brace herself and let out an audible breath. “Yes?”

  Tyler let the grin he had been fighting flash out and saw her entire body tense. “I have a few things I need to discuss with you. Mind if I stop by the hospital later? I think I remember where your office is.”

  He chuckled as something akin to fear crossed Bethany’s face. “Sure,” she croaked, “I’m looking forward to it.” She turned and practically ran out of the shop. Little liar, he thought with an amused grin. He turned back toward Mackenzie and grinned at her entertained expression.

  “Good to see you and Bethany are making friends.” She chuckled and shook her head. “If that’s what you can call it. I’ve never seen her run so fast.” She grinned. “What can I get for you?”

  He glanced up to the menu above their heads. “Actually I’ll just take an iced green tea to go, please.” Mackenzie nodded and turned to go get his drink ready. Mackenzie looked like he saw her in Bari’s head, exactly how he heard the male describe her and everything needed in order to make sure Bari came out of this on the right side. Petite, yet strong, her long black hair tied up in a makeshift ponytail, the end of it worked through the elastic band again in a messy bun. Her green eyes danced with different emotions, one he recognized as caution before anything else.

  Mackenzie seemed at home in her shop, confident in her abilities and had a system set up that showed fortitude in what she did. She moved with a smooth grace that was timeless, as if she’d once been a regal queen in England. Taking the to-go cup she placed on the counter, he tossed a five-dollar bill next to it before turning to head for the door. Her soft voice reached him just as he opened it. He turned to face her, his own brows rising in response. “What was that, Mackenzie?”

  “Do you know?”

  An intriguing question with more than one answer. Tyler decided to stick with the one that would make the most sense. She had more of a part in this than she realized and needed to understand. “I know exactly who you are, Mackenzie. The question is, do you?” With that hanging in the air, he pushed open the door and stepped out onto the sunny streets of Nantucket.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Look at him sitting there moping like a chick.”

  “I know, right? It’s really pathetic.”

  “He might need an antidepressant or even some flowers or some shit. And oh, someone should make sure to take his gun … just … in … case.”

  “Or I could beat the shit out of him.” This from Alex.

  Bari heaved out a deep sigh, shook his head and while he had decided to
ignore the rest of them and refused to give them any attention, he’d had enough of them talking like he wasn’t there.

  “Enough! I’m in the fucking room, assholes! And you,” he shot a glare at Mackenzie’s brother, “Don’t you have a home?”

  Bari tried to focus his attention back on the game when a body blocked his view of Call of Duty. Cursing, he about bit down on his tongue as Tyler stepped in front of him. “Is it true? You’re moping?” The groan building up in his chest broke free. He felt like a chick, sulky and off kilter because the one person he wanted, he couldn’t have.

  “No, Sir, I’m not moping. In fact, before you stepped in front of me, I was playing Call of Duty.”

  The male didn’t move. Tyler kept his eyes on Bari, studying him, seeing far too much. Bari repressed a shiver and ignored the uncomfortable sensation slithering down his spine.

  “Yeah, he’s playing video games. But he’s sucking at it.”

  He tossed a glare at Tony. “No shit? Bari sucking at video games? You’ve always been a master at COD,” Tyler responded.

  Bari tossed aside the controller, giving up on any chance at getting back in the game. It was pointless now, and with everyone seeing right through his mood, he couldn’t seem to snap out of it. She had been on his mind constantly, and he had to admit, he missed the shit out of her. He didn’t just miss her body or touching her, but he missed other things, such as her smart-ass mouth, her joking ways, her smile, and her mind … and missing those pieces of her made him uncomfortable. Yet knowing who he was, recognizing the dark presence inside him, he couldn’t bring himself to go after her.

  “Yeah, we’ll I’m a little off my game, a little preoccupied, you know, ‘dealing’ with some shit, bro.” Liar, liar. He glared at Tyler while trying to keep the things he was dealing with quiet from Alex. He really didn’t know how the cop would respond to the fact that he was currently chilling with a bunch of Justice Demons. Yeah, that’d go over real well.

  He heard Tony snort next to him.

  “A little off his game, he says; hell, even Bethany can beat him.” Bari shook his head and dropped it as Mike announced to everyone that Bethany had sat down with him earlier and defeated his pathetic ass in Call of Duty. She stomped on his already beaten ego and didn’t just get the better of him in COD, but whoop the ever-loving shit out of him. His mood didn’t turn too sour at this little revelation because at least he was happy Mike hadn’t mentioned that it had been her first… “And it was Bethany’s first time playing the game.” Fuck… He tossed a tight smile at Mike and flipped him off.

  “Thanks.”

  Bethany clearing her throat brought his attention back to her, and the room went quiet. “Perhaps, Bari, you need to go see Mackenzie. It’s much bigger than you think, and I think it’s definitely time you two have a chat about what happened all those years ago.”

  Tyler decided now was the time to jump on the bandwagon apparently. “You shouldn’t doubt yourself in your decisions to think or feel anything anymore.” He heard Tyler in his head. You are a Eurydice. Then out loud, Tyler added, “It is time to take charge of your life … in every aspect there is.”

  Bari frowned at Tyler’s cryptic words, confused as warning bells rang at the mention of that night being bigger than he thought it was. Was she insane? Did she think it didn’t mean the world to him? He opened his mouth to ask just where she got such lovely opinions of him, but Bethany leaned down to whisper something to Tyler, who nodded. Bethany turned and walked out of the room, dismissing him. His brows drew down and he stood, intent to go after her but Tony’s palm came down on his chest and held him in the chair. “Bro, seriously, let’s play. Let her be for a bit.”

  Bari studied Tony’s eyes and nodded, turning back to the game. He needed to get through this so he could get a bit of his pride back. Then maybe, just maybe, he’d go get the girl.

  ****

  Locking up the shop, Mackenzie pulled the door shut and secured the deadbolt before turning toward her car. The night had already rolled in, the streetlights above casting eerie shadows in places. She hated this, hated losing herself to work until such late hours. The shops around her had closed, most people nestled away in their homes. Nantucket was beautiful during the day but at night, the area became almost a ghost town. She hesitated at the front step to her shop and glanced back inside, wondering if she should call Alex. Not taking precautions all those years ago had backfired and broken her. She chewed her bottom lip and looked at her car parked about a block down the street, her eyes scanning the surrounding areas and the path she would need to. “Get a grip, Mac.” Pushing off the door, she gripped her bag and started the short trek to her car. Her mother had already picked Byron up; he was spending this Friday night at her parents’ house so she knew what would be waiting for her at home. Nothing. Nothing, but silence. The idea didn’t sound too intriguing. “Damn it.”

  With the waves crashing on the shore only a few hundred yards away, any sound she was trying to pick up on from the shadows was taken over by the rumbling growl. Her eyes darted around, picked each shadow, searching. Her fear rose, breathing shallow, her heart slamming into her chest over and over again. “Oh God, not now.” The panic attacks were infrequent as of late, but when they hit, they hit with the force of a hurricane. She picked up her steps and tried to get to her car, knowing she’d feel better about breaking down inside the safe confines of her vehicle rather than out here where she was an unprotected target.

  Practically running now, tears falling down her cheeks, her breath came in shallow gasps and just as she reached for her door handle the memory hit her…

  Only three months into her internship with the law office, she agreed to a year of working in the Los Angeles office before she would be transferred to a closer one on the East Coast. Assigned to a stalking case, she and another attorney had been trying for weeks to find a weak link in the case the District Attorney had built up against their client. Nothing seemed to have been done outside of the client’s rights, and everything looked to have been locked down by the books. It was frustrating and causing the two of them to work well into the hours of early morning for weeks.

  When the calls and notes first started, she hadn’t been paying attention, passed them off as prank callers, wrong numbers, or at times she was too busy to pay attention. It escalated after that. Certain personal items went missing; first a bottle of shampoo, her planner, her hairbrush. She thought she was losing her mind at first, maybe the hours of the case getting to her. It wasn’t until one night that she had walked into her dark apartment at two in the morning when she really recognized something was wrong.

  Her entire apartment had been dark, unusual since she usually left the overhead oven light and a lamp on. She set her keys by the door and dropped her purse on the couch before she felt her way down the hall, searching for the switch. As she reached the hallway, a sliver of light peeked out from the door to her bedroom, the door cracked. When she pushed open the door, a red nighty waiting on her bed was the second indicator something was off. It was the blow to the back of her head that caused the fear to swell as blackness dimmed her vision…

  “Mackenzie!” Strong hands gripped her shoulders and shook. She lifted her gaze and focused on the shadow hovering above. “Mac, can you hear me?” Tyler’s face swarmed into her view, and she looked around, finding herself curled against the side of her car, keys clutched in her hand, body trembling.

  “Tyler?”

  His breath of relief was audible. “Yes. Are you okay? What are you doing on the ground?” He loomed as she tried to get her mind in the present, instead of the past. “Can you stand?”

  She shook, the nausea in her stomach threatening to make an appearance, but her breathing slowed and calmed. The good news was she could make out more of Tyler’s words above the pounding in her head, the same pounding that matched her heartbeat. “I think so.” Tyler helped her stand but didn’t remove his hands from her waist as she leaned against the car. Glanci
ng around, they were the only two on the block, and there wasn’t another car around. She frowned, a sliver of fear sliding up her spine, and as soon as it did, Tyler released her.

  “Ho—why are you here? How did you get here?”

  Tyler regarded her under wary, guarded eyes. “I was passing through, Mac. Taking a midnight stroll, literally, when I saw your car and you huddled beside it.”

  “A midnight stroll?” She switched the keys in her hand like her brother taught her, making sure the sharp ends pointed out and slid a few inches away from him. Tyler’s eyes followed the movement before he took a step back.

  “Yes, Mac, a stroll. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.” His lips twitched as she turned toward him, her posture one ready to fight. His eyes moved constantly, seemed to take in every detail.

  “I’m fine. Thank you for checking on me.”

  His eyes said he believed she was anything but fine, but he nodded. “Okay, Mac. Get in your car. Do you need some help home?”

  She frowned at his demand and shook her head, reaching over to slide her key in the lock, her eyes still on Tyler. “I’ll be fine. Thank you again, Tyler.” Pulling open the door, she quickly got in and shut the door, locking them all as she slid the key in the ignition. Her heart threatened to come out of her chest, the panic attack refusing to leave. She put the car in gear with shaky hands and pulled away. Mackenzie glanced up to the rear view mirror, looking for Tyler, and blinked, searching around, but she didn’t see him anywhere.

  Chapter Twelve

  Bari doubled over as they appeared. Christ, that threw him off balance, made his body feel like Jell-O, caused his head to spin. Mike’s rumbling laughter came from the side, and Bari fought the urge to wipe that smirk off his face with a check to the gut. When his team had suggested some time away, a visit to New York City, Bari believed the trip would involve hopping in a car. He should have known with all they had thrown at him the past few weeks, it wouldn’t have been so easy. Who would have realized that, being demons, they’d have the capability to transport themselves to different places? Bari didn’t have his own ability to transport as he hadn’t recognized his demon, whatever that meant, so hitching a ride along with the crew had been the answer. Apparently—he glanced up—they had the ability to mask their presence as well. The crowds around them seemed to not see them, but being in New York, anything could happen.