A Beast For The Eyes: A Steamy Shifter Romance (A Ravenswood Romance Book 2)

by Jada Turner

  Lucas laid Veronica onto the bed. As they kissed, she could feel the form of his sculpted body through their clothes. Her hands wandered across his back and down to his waist.

  He sat up, straddling her with his knees. He pulled off his tie and with it he bound Veronica’s hands to the cold iron bars of the headboards. Fear and excitement rushed through her core. He tore open her blouse, exposing the smooth curves of her womanly form. He kissed her neck and Veronica could feel that his canine teeth had become long and sharp. She felt goosebumps form all over her vulnerable skin.

  His kiss began to wander down her collarbone and across her chest. When he arrived at her bra, he ripped it in two with his teeth. Veronica instinctively flinched away. Her heart fluttered as his tongue began to lap at her hardening nipple. She could feel the tickle of the dark hair that was beginning to appear on his face.

  “Oh Luke!” she moaned in excitement.

  He ripped his shirt off exposing the chiseled body of a Roman god, covered in a growing layer of fur. He tore away her pants and underwear in one motion, leaving her completely exposed. Fear mixed with ecstasy. The anticipation was unbearable. She was frightened of the wild animal above her, yet at the same time she could feel herself getting wet.

  His pants ripped as his muscles bulged. He ripped them away, revealing the pink flesh of his fully erect cock surrounded by the slick black fur that covered the rest of his body. Veronica gasped. She hadn’t realized the transformation would have such an effect on the size of his manhood. She trembled as his now furry hands ran up her sides, past her breasts, and up to her wrists. His tongue had the texture of a dog’s as he licked her neck, gliding his dangerous fangs gently across her neck. On her belly she could feel his engorged cock as hard as steel with a glistening drop of anticipation.

  “Take me,” Veronica whispered.

  Suddenly, he thrust his cock deep into her, finding no resistance against the slippery walls of her cave. She could feel herself stretching to accept the girth of his battering ram and he thrust in and out, possessed by the wild animal passion now surging through his throbbing veins. His sleek fur tickled her skin, from her tight nipples to her inner thighs. She looked into his face, still recognizable to her but unmistakably wolf-like. His snout had become elongated, whiskers had grown on his upper lip, and his ears were now pointed and protruding from the mass of fur that had been his hair.

  The sensations were overwhelming. Veronica felt a light headed, giddiness as though she may faint. She awakened with each thrust as he penetrated deeper into her core than she had ever believed possible. With each push, a shuddering wave of warm pleasure washed over her, emanating from her dripping pussy. She became lost in the frightening bliss and pulled her knees up to her chest, granting him full access to her womb. She could feel his cock stiffening even more as blood surged to it in preparation for his beastly orgasm.

  “Oh God! OH GOD!” she screamed pulling hard at the restraints that bound her to the bed. She felt every muscle in her body tense up, on the verge of her own ecstatic release. Suddenly, she felt a shudder in his loins as a surge of warmth erupted from the tip of his cock deep within her. The shot came with amazing force and she could hold back no longer. A flash of blinding light stole her vision as her entire body convulsed in the pleasure. A contraction from deep within her core sent her own warm juices gushing over his cock. She felt weightless and lay with her eyes closed. He lay down upon her with his sleek fur, the two panting heavily and savoring the calm feeling of bliss.

  Chapter 2

  Veronica awoke to light shining through the windows. She turned over to Lucas’ side of the bed, only to find it empty. For a moment, she wondered if last night had really happened or if it had all been a dream. Then, she noticed the bedroom door was open and she could smell the sweet aroma of coffee and sausage wafting in.

  “Good morning,” Lucas said, flipping the sizzling sausage patties in the pan. Veronica came up behind him and put her arms around his waist. “I hope you’re hungry.”

  “Famished,” Veronica said. She gave him a kiss and took a seat at the counter.

  “How would you like your eggs?” he said, pouring her a steaming cup of coffee.

  “Scrambled is fine,” she smiled. “You know, I really do get it all. A perfect gentleman and a perfect animal.”

  “It was good, then?” Lucas asked.

  “Oh Lucas, it was like nothing else I’ve ever experienced in my life! I was terrified and thrilled all at once.”

  Lucas nodded, placing the patties onto the breakfast plates.

  “So, I- I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  “What are you talking about, darling? Of course you didn’t hurt me.” He looked at her with a furtive glance, then back to the pan. “Don’t you remember it?”

  “Not well,” he shook his head. “I can only remember bits and pieces whenever I’ve transformed.”

  “Well, I’ll never forget our first time together on a full moon.”

  “Veronica,” he said. He stopped cooking and looked directly at her with a solemn expression on his face. “It was stupid of me to do that. I should never have let you stay. I can’t- I can’t control myself when I change. I put you in danger. When I woke up this morning, I checked to make sure you were breathing. I can’t do that to you. If anything ever happened-“

  “Love,” Veronica said rising to stand beside him, “it’s okay.” She threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss. “It was my decision to stay. You were an animal, but you were still my Lucas. You should trust yourself more.”

  “You’re sweet, Veronica,” he said. “But it’s not like you think. The beast is in me, but it isn’t me. I- well, have a look at this.”

  Lucas handed her a newspaper. It was already open to an article with the headline “Wolf Monster Slays Five, Wounds Officer.”

  ‘Early this morning, police responded to a desperate 911 call in the upper 7th District,’ Veronica read. ‘When they arrived on the scene, Officers Thomas Kincaid and Erick Darrow discover the bodies of two adults and three children brutally murdered in their home. The officers soon discovered the perpetrator, 33 year old Darrington resident Isaac Poplawski, still on the premises. Poplawski suffered from Wolfman’s disease and was reportedly in his altered state when officials arrived. The officers opened fire when Poplawski charged at them. Officer Darrow sustained serious injuries from the attacker and was rushed to Darrington Central Hospital where he remains in critical condition. Poplawski, who had no prior criminal record, was pronounced dead on the scene.

  ‘These murders represent the first attack in the previously peaceful 7th District. As the epidemic spreads, many residents are fearful that it will not be the last…”

  Veronica stopped reading and looked at Lucas.

  “That could have been me,” he said. “I have no control over myself during the full moon.”

  “Darling,” Veronica said putting her hand gently against his cheek. “They always show the worst of it in the papers. For every one like that, there are hundreds of others living peacefully. Don’t despise yourself. I know you and trust you.”

  “I wish I could make it stop,” Lucas said. “I’ve heard people talking about a cure. They call it Moonshade. It’s a potion that you can buy on the black market that makes it stop. I looked for it, you know. I searched everywhere. It was a wild goose chase. Nobody knew anything.”

  Lucas slammed his fist on the counter so hard the plates jumped into the air, landing with a clatter.

  “Who did you ask, love?”

  “Everyone,” Lucas said quietly. “The lower 12th District, the dive bars on Scuffle Row, the kids on the street corners… I’m lucky I didn’t ask a narc, I guess. They lock you up and throw away the key if they catch you trying to buy it. Whether it exists or not.”

  “But why would it be illegal?”

  “They don’t believe it will work forever. They think it’ll make it harder to find the Wolfmen. They’d rather have us killed than al
low us to take a dubious cure.”

  “Well, what if I tried to find it for you?” Veronica asked.

  “Absolutely not!” he shouted. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. That’s very sweet of you to offer, but it’s too risky. You’d be talking to dangerous people in shady places. Best case scenario, you get arrested. Believe me, I already looked and it doesn’t exist.” Lucas swept his strong hand gently over her forehead, sweeping back a lock of her auburn hair. “Promise me you won’t go looking for it.”

  “But, darling-“

  “Veronica, please. Promise me.”

  “Alright, love. I promise.”

  Lucas placed a tender kiss upon her lips.

  Chapter 3

  The snow crunched under Veronica’s feet as she made her way down the sidewalk. There were few footprints in the newly fallen powder and she saw even fewer cars driving on the salted roads. It was a little before noon, but the air was bitterly cold on the exposed skin of her face. Her breath came out in little clouds.

  She knew of the places that Lucas had mentioned but had never been to any of them. They were sordid places infested with crime and breeding grounds for Wolfman’s Disease. It was so bad in the 12th district, police refused to go there on the night of a full moon. That was as good a place as any to start, she thought to herself. Veronica located a map of the transit system and found the route to take her down into the 12th district.

  While she sat waiting on a frozen metal bench, she fingered the tiny pistol in her pocket, loaded with a single silver bullet. She had purchased it when she first learned Lucas was a Wolfman. It had been impossible to believe at first. He was so caring and gallant. But after he told her the truth, she could see the animal nature hidden deep within his eyes.

  “It doesn’t change anything between us, darling,” she had told him. “I love you just as I’ve always loved you.”

  It had changed things between them, though. Veronica found herself fantasizing about him transforming. She became obsessed with the idea of giving over her body to the wild ravishing of an untamed beast. She had played the situation through in her head countless times and ways. Last night had been better than all of her fantasies. It still didn’t seem real.

  Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Veronica thought she caught a glimpse of motion. She snapped her head in that direction, but saw only a deserted intersection.

  Soon, from the other direction, she heard the rumbling of the bus nearing the stop. Its wheels slushed across the asphalt as it came to a screeching halt before Veronica’s bench. With a hydraulic hiss, the bus knelt and its door swung open, close enough that Veronica could feel the heat from within. She took one last look back down the empty street, then mounted the stairs into the musty interior.

  Chapter 4

  Half of the seats on the bus were empty. The other half were occupied by a diverse collection of faces. Near her sat a man in a fine double breasted pea coat reading a paper and giving off the strong odor of aftershave. The man had folded the paper in such a way that Veronica could see the same story Lucas had shown her only a few hours earlier. Farther back, an old woman bundled in layers of dirty coats and a head scarf slept with her face against the window. As Veronica scanned the crowd, she made eye contact with the shockingly white eyes of a dark man in a hooded sweater and quickly looked away.

  Veronica stared out the window as the bus made its sojourn down the winding streets. The 2nd District was lively as people walked the streets in their Sunday clothes, running errands or going out to lunch at one of the charming cafes. At this stop, the bus began to empty as a half dozen passengers stepped out into the cold.

  The bus rolled away from the 2nd District and climbed the ramp onto the interstate. Veronica tried to think back to the last time she traveled this way. It had been many years ago, before the quarantine. Either way, it was at the far edges of her memory.

  The bus meandered its way through the modest but clean 5th district, depositing still more passengers before returning to the interstate. As it passed through the 7th District, Veronica began to see abandoned houses with boarded up doors and windows. As it traveled through the 9th district, two underdressed children on bicycles stopped to stare at her through the bus window.

  When the bus finally reached the 12th District, Veronica was one of only three passengers. She exited alone and surveyed the unfamiliar streets.

  The main road of the 12th District was short. She could see a couple dive bars, abandoned storefronts, and a tiny grocery store with barred windows advertising the lottery. People were milling about on the sidewalks. This place was totally unfamiliar to her, but given the District’s reputation, she didn’t want to appear lost. She began walking down the street towards where she saw the most people.

  “Hey, sweet thang!” called a group of young men as she passed. “Oh, come on baby! Where you going?”

  She scanned the people she passed. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was looking for. Getting to the 12th district and asking around had been the extent of her plan.

  She saw women, scantily clad for weather approaching men in front of an apartment building. Men sat on stoops smoking casually from glass pipes. It seemed like everyone turned to stare at her. She marched ahead, thinking about Lucas and clutching the gun in her pocket.

  “Uptown girl!” called a man on a street corner. She took it as another cat call and began to walk past. “Whatchu need, baby? Looking for that head change?”

  Suddenly, a light went off in her head. This could be her chance.

  She turned back around to the man. He was a short black man, with a puffy jacket and an eye frosted over with cataracts. If he was a narcotics officer playing a drug dealer, he was doing an Oscar-worthy performance.

  “Yes, I am looking for something. It’s for a friend of mine. He needs it for the moon.”

  “Aw, hell no!” he said shaking his head and putting his empty hands up. “Lady, I ain’t nobody got nothing for your friend. You take him right down to quarantine.”

  “I heard about something that can help him. Moonshade. Have you heard of it?”

  The white-eyed man sucked in his bottom lip and looked silently far down the road for a few seconds.

  “I don’t know nothing ‘bout it.”

  “Do you know who might?”

  “Don’t believe in it myself,” he continued.

  “I have money.”

  The white-eyed man sighed.

  “How much?”

  “Fifty dollars.”

  “Now look,” he said. “I ain’t promising nothing. I know a guy who might know ‘bout something like that. Just maybe.”

  “Would you take me to him?”

  She pulled out three bills. He swiftly counted them and put them in his pocket.

  “Aight, follow me.”

  The white-eyed man led her down the street that led away from the main road. He limped slightly as they walked uphill through less trafficked streets. In a short while, they arrived at an apartment building on the corner of a block.

  “Wait here,” he said.

  He pressed a button on the panel by the door. There was a click and he soon disappeared inside.

  Veronica stood in the cold, looking up and down the streets. She felt immediately foolish for giving a stranger her money and letting him walk away.

  She became aware of the uncomfortable feeling of being watched. She looked up at all the windows of the five story buildings that surrounded her. Some had their blinds drawn, others partially open. She couldn’t see any eyes looking back at her. She thought about Lucas’ quest for Moonshade and wondered if it had brought him to this same intersection.

  She caught another glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye: a black figure moving in the alley across the street. When she looked, it was gone. She sighed. The whole adventure was putting her on edge.

  Ten minutes passed. Veronica was considering leaving when she heard a noise behind her. The white-ey
ed man stood in the open door and motioned her to come in. She took a deep sigh and followed.

  Chapter 5

  The apartment building was very old, built sometime around the turn of the century. The electricity and plumbing, which had been added later, were on the outside of the walls. Stained wainscoting ran waist high around the walls under a dirty, faded floral wallpaper. They climbed past an old man who smelled strongly of liquor as they mounted the creaking staircase.

  At the top landing was a single door. The white-eyed man tapped a short, deliberate pattern on the door and it swung open. A tall, beefy man stood in the door. He gave Veronica a blank stare, before stepping aside to allow them both in. Veronica’s heart raced as the door shut behind them.

  The room was illuminated by the daylight filtering in through the window blinds. The room was sparsely furnished with a bare hardwood floor. In the center of the room was an impressively large desk, chipped and scarred from years of service. Behind the desk sat a thin man with sunglasses and corn rows in a cheap, but well-tailored suit. His held a smoldering cigar in his ring covered fingers. Veronica suspected from his manner of dress that this man was a pimp.

  For a moment the room was silent. The pimp took a drag from his cigar and exhaled leisurely. Veronica felt that it must be her turn to speak first.

  “Um, hello. I’m Veronica,” she began.

  “Quincy tells me you come to my corner looking for Moonshade,” the pimp said motioning to the white-eyed man.

  “Well, yes. It’s for someone very close to me. Do you know where I could- I mean, do you have any here?”

  “Ain’t deal in no Moonshade,” the pimp said.

  Veronica’s heart sank.

  “That’s okay. Um, do you know who does?”

  “Reason I don’t deal in it is, for one thing, ain’t no way to test it. Not unless you associate with folks who got The Sickness.” He leaned forward and looked at her over the rim of his shades. “I don’t associate with folks who got The Sickness. Second reason is it attracts a breed of clientele I do not wish to attract. And third thing is, cops don’t like that Moonshade. And, for the most part, I don’t get too many problems from cops.”