“Use me,” I said. All eyes turned to me. I held my hand up against whatever protest Wick was about to give and ignored Tristan’s deep growl. “We feed false information to some humans about the big, bad Carus, being alone somewhere. Maybe more than one norm and then set them loose. With his psionic skills, he’ll read the information straight from their minds. He’ll know by now his possessed norms weren’t successful in capturing me. So if he wants to feed on the buffet that is my supe energy…” I waved to indicate my body in a way that would make Vana White proud. “…he’ll have to come himself.”
“Did you just refer to your energy as a buffet?” Clint asked.
“Don’t be jealous. Doesn’t suit you.”
Clint grunted.
“What if he doesn’t come and sends a hundred humans instead of twenty to capture you?” Tristan asked.
I shrugged. “I doubt he will, not when his first group failed, but if he did, we’d take care of it.”
“They’re only humans.” Lucien flicked his fingers up in the air.
I wasn’t going to touch that comment. Some supes were technically human, too, just not normal. Some said Shifters descended from the beast goddess, Feradea.
“Why would he risk coming after you?” Wick asked.
“Um…hello? Energy buffet?” I waved my hands around my body again.
Wick cleared his throat. “I meant, why would he think he’d get you when his humans could not?”
“He doesn’t need to drag me anywhere. He could feed off me on-site.”
Tristan and Wick growled at the same time, then glanced at each other and stopped. Tristan folded his arms. “He’ll have to think he can best you in some way.”
“We could tie her up in an abandoned warehouse near the ocean,” Clint suggested. Somehow I didn’t think he was interested in capturing the Kappa anymore.
“He will send more humans,” Wick grumbled.
“No,” Allan objected. “He wouldn’t. The humans wouldn’t be able to transport her. Once they undid the restraints, Andy would best them all over again. But if she was tied up, and we told the humans we drugged her or Lucien commanded her to stay, the Kappa could gain entry into the warehouse and feed off her without any struggle and minimal expended effort.”
Tristan and Wick exchanged a glance. They wore almost identical dark expressions. If they banded together, I might lose my resolve.
“Use me,” Tristan said.
“Can you mind speak to the others?” I asked. “We’d have to bring in your pride. Let me do this. It will work.”
“Whatever lifts your skirt,” Clint said.
Tristan and Wick looked less convinced. Unease radiated off them and swirled in a heady mix that stuck in my nose and made me sneeze. Allan handed me a tissue.
Wick clenched his jaw and refused to make eye contact.
Tristan’s mouth turned down and his calculating gaze darted around the room. “Is this what you want to do?” he asked.
“No. But I don’t hear any better ideas.”
“Perfect.” Lucien clapped his hands, making us jerk and look in his direction. “We need to select humans. Allan—make arrangements for the warehouse. Clint—bring in the girls. The dumb ones.” He snapped his fingers, slipping right into the Vampire Master stereotype.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“[We are] poor silly half-brained things…with the aspirations of angels and the instincts of beasts.”
~Arthur Conan Doyle
Some girls might actually fantasize about being strapped and chained to a large table in the middle of nowhere with a quartet of handsome males—Vampire, human servant, Wereleopard and Werewolf—looking down at them. I was definitely not one of those girls. First, with such a variety of supes, there had to be a joke in there somewhere and it bothered me that I couldn’t figure it out; and second, it was way too reminiscent of my previous experience with a smelly Werehyena named Mark. He’d strapped me to an operating table to play knives with my skin.
I shivered. At least this time I was clothed and no one planned to rape me. There’d been nothing sexual in the Kappa’s attacks.
“Are you okay with this?” Wick asked, his face full of concern. “It’s a bit like…”
“Mark? Yeah, I’m aware.” His expression touched me, but not as much as I thought it would. Part of me liked that he hurt a little. Because the “Christine” incident still stung. The petty, ugly part of me, of course.
“Who’s Mark?” Tristan demanded.
I turned to the Wereleopard. “I’ll tell you all about it after this mess is over.”
“I’m holding you to that,” he said, smoothing down my hair.
Wick snarled at Tristan.
Clint rolled his eyes and exchanged a glance with Allan before speaking. “The straps and chains aren’t secure. You can pull out of them anytime. When he gets here…”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll try the bowing thing and if that doesn’t work we move to Plan B.”
Clint nodded, trailed a finger down my face and spun to stalk out of the room. My skin crawled. There was no need to go over Plan B. It was simple annihilation.
“Be good, kitten. Be strong. We have your back.” Allan pinched my cheek before glided with vampire grace out of the room behind Clint, leaving me with Wick and Tristan. My heart fluttered. I always made fun of heroines in books who managed to fall for two guys at once, and now I found myself in a similar predicament. In my defense, my feras were as much at fault for tearing me in two directions as my heart.
Tristan leaned down to kiss me goodbye, but a loud, very unsubtle growl, stopped him. He glanced up at Wick. “Could you turn around?”
“No,” Wick said with a flat voice. He might be a little pissed at me for not falling over myself to offer an apology, but he hadn’t relinquished his claim on me yet.
Tristan grunted and pulled back. He pushed his forefinger along my lips. “We’ll be close.” He straightened and looked across the table at the Werewolf, who vibrated with anger.
Wick shifted his weight, and gestured with his hands for Tristan to get a move on. When Tristan didn’t move, Wick glared at him, narrowing his eyes. They’d gone yellow, wolf angry. “I’d like to speak to Andy alone.”
Oh no! I didn’t want to speak with Wick alone. Not until I could figure out what the hell I felt. I didn’t want to make things worse between us.
The Wereleopard smiled. “What makes you think I’ll give you privacy when you gave us none?” He crossed his arms.
Thank you, Tristan! Then two sets of yellow Were eyes focused on me. Uh oh. I squirmed in my…seat? Table bed? “Come on, guys. You’re making me uncomfortable. Could we continue this later?”
Wick huffed and leaned down to plant a chaste kiss on my cheek. “Use your internal voice to call us. We won’t allow anything to happen to you.”
“For once we agree on something.” Tristan nodded at him. They exchanged another look, but one less malicious. They stalked out of the room, making sure to keep more than an arm length between them.
They wouldn’t go far; instead, they would stay within telepathic range. It was handy being able to communicate to the group without raising a vocal alarm. I only hoped the Kappa wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop with his formidable psionic skills.
****
When I participated in high school soccer, we often played late in the evening or in all-weekend tournaments, meaning we had to catch sleep where and when we could, generally in cramped seats, bleacher stands, or on the sidelines curled up to the ball bags. I became renowned for developing this skill into an art form.
For some reason, my old expertise failed me on this occasion. Not that I wanted to sleep while waiting for a Kappa to come suck out my energy, but at least relax. Instead, I stared at the dilapidated warehouse ceiling with its exposed pipes and rusted metal with my rapidly beating heart as a musical backbeat. Cold and stagnant air carried a faint smell of fish, this place probably used as a cannery at one time. The coastal w
inds gusted against the ocean-side wall of the warehouse, making its presence known, but not growing in strength; no storm tonight. Aside from the wind and the occasional drip of water, the warehouse provided an eerie silence.
I adjusted my position on the table, trying to find something more comfortable. My legs and butt went numb within twenty minutes, and my back prickled, indicating it would soon follow. If the Kappa showed up right now, I couldn’t slip my shackles and jump off the table quickly. I’d more likely fall on my face in a crumpled tangle of sleeping limbs.
Wiggling my toes and fingers, I worked to get blood flow back to my extremities. With no way to track time, I guessed it had been at least an hour since the boys left me. How long is this going to take?
I didn’t dare call out and ask. Not when a maniacal Kappa with psionic skills lurked about.
Team Lucien hadn’t thought this part through. What if I needed to go to the bathroom? Oh no! I squeezed my eyes shut. The very thought evoked the need. I flexed my thighs and tried to squeeze my knees together. Now that the thought occurred, I’d think of nothing else unless I found something to distract me.
I had no more than fifteen minutes before I either had to admit defeat and call the guys for a bathroom break or pee myself. Obviously, I’d prefer the former option, but if the Kappa was watching, it would tip him off. We needed him to believe Lucien had confined me as punishment. If Lucien’s minions let me powder my nose, it would look suspicious. Lucien had a reputation of humiliating those he punished. He made them suffer.
Looks like I’ll have to pee myself. And I wore my nice Brazilian thong today, too.
A scraping sound echoed from the far corner of the room. It startled me and dispelled any further bathroom thoughts. Why couldn’t I smell anything? The scraping got closer, inch by inch, echoing off the wall. A deep breath dragged in from across the room, raspy and shallow. The faint scent of ocean water finally wafted to me as confirmation. The Kappa had come to play.
“Carus…” Its voice slithered around me, sounding distinctly male, but that might be too big of an assumption. “So nice to meet you.”
I lifted my head off the table and looked at what could only be described as a humanoid turtle, slicked with a sheen of slime. Standing around the same height as Tristan, I’d put him at six feet, and almost the same in width; not fat, but muscular and broad with a circular body shape. The brown outline of his shell peeked around his body. His feet and hands appeared the same shape as a turtles, only man-sized. Did walking upright come natural to him?
“Wish I could say the same,” I said. “You have me at a bit of a disadvantage.”
A wheezing sound emitted from the Kappa. Laughter? “Just the way I like it.”
I didn’t even want to entertain what else the Kappa liked.
“So which one are you?”
“Pardon me?” The scraping got closer.
“Well, you’re not wearing your color-coded headband, so I have to guess which mutant turtle you are—Donatello? You look like the bō staff type.”
The wheezing sound grew louder, vibrating against my ear drums. “You joke at my expense. Not very nice.”
I frowned. There was something odd about this whole situation. Didn’t feel right. Maybe I wasn’t used to polite targets. They usually slung curses at me. “And why are you here?” I threw back at him.
Without commenting, the Kappa drew up closer, now only a few feet from the end of the table. Close enough. I twisted my wrists and in one fluid motion jerked my hands out of the restraints and hopped off the table. The Kappa’s eyes widened.
“My name is Andy.” I bowed. “Pleased to meet you.”
The Kappa grunted and bent in a stiff bow to mirror my own. It looked forced, as if he struggled against a compulsion. Maybe he did. “Tamotsu,” he said, grinding his teeth.
The water sloshed out of the weird bowl-shaped construction on the top of his head and splattered against the concrete floor. When Tamotsu straightened, he eyed the watery mess with a deep frown.
Set me free, Tamotsu’s jarring voice rung in my head and I felt my body move forward without conscious thought. Hand me the water.
There was a bottle of water under the table. If plan A worked, I had to fill the bowl so the Kappa would be under my control. If I gave the water to the Kappa and he refilled his own bowl, he would remain free. Free to rampage the Lower Mainland and cause more innocent deaths.
Forget what you know, Carus. Set me free.
The compulsion to do what he asked burned my muscles; a bitter flavor coated my mouth like stomach acid. I chose not to fight it; instead, I’d use the momentum to approach the Kappa without raising his suspicions. Picking up the water bottle, I moved toward Tamotsu.
That’s it, he said. Free me.
I nodded, like a brainwashed norm and stumbled toward him, maintaining the act as his voice curled around me. Tamotsu made another wheezing sound and motioned me closer with his hands, but instead of gifting him with the bottle, I avoided his clutching grasp and reached up to empty it in the bowl.
STOP!
His voice sank into me like claws digging into soft flesh. My hand with the bottle froze midway to the bowl on his head, suspended in the air like an offering on an altar. What the fuck? The compulsion was stronger than before…before I went along with it…before I gave him access to my will. I’d played right into his hands.
Help! I tried to call out to the guys, but my thoughts bounced back at me, as if an invisible shield surrounded my head blocked the outgoing message. Help me!
My cries echoed in my brain.
Fuck.
The Kappa’s mouth twitched and he snatched the bottle from my hand. His fist swung out from nowhere and smashed into my right temple. My body whipped around in a clumsy pirouette. Then something solid impacted with the underside of my jaw. I flew through the air. Skin stuck to metal and ripped as I skidded to a stop on the commercial flooring.
The cold metal urged me to stay down and enjoy its refreshing touch, but the wheezing supe behind me had other plans. I staggered to my feet, swayed, lurched to the side and then turned around to face the Kappa. My feras screeched in defiance and the beast awoke. My vision wavered. I caught myself from falling and blinked rapidly until only one Kappa existed in front of me.
The Kappa twisted the cap off and filled the bowl on his head. He tossed the bottle to the floor at my feet, where it bounced off my shins and rolled, coming to rest against the spares I’d brought.
“Now, my sweet, I feed.” His eyelids drooped, hooding his eyes, as he sniffed the air. He moaned and shuffled closer. A scaly hand clutched my arm, one clawed finger at a time enclosing around my exposed skin. “So potent. So strong.” His forked tongue slithered out, tasting the air before caressing my shoulder, and then I felt it, his pull on my energy, as if he sucked me dry like a Vampire overcome with blood lust.
No! I screamed inside my mind.
Tamotsu pulled harder at my energy as I remained frozen and incapacitated by his compulsion. With each passing second, my essence drained through his contact with my skin.
“That’s it,” Tamotsu’s slithering voice continued to roll over me and reinforced the compulsion. “Give me more. Give me all.” He reached forward and gripped my other arm.
The beast inside me stirred, and instead of suppressing her, I let her rise up. Shaking the grogginess from Tamotsu’s drain, she surged for dominance, breaking her chains, breaking my control, and with it the Kappa’s. My skin folded in on itself, bones cracked, pain lanced, and I watched as Tamotsu shrank in size before me.
Stop! The Kappa ordered.
I twisted my wrists around and grasped his arms as I continued to grow and stretch, skin peeling back to reveal my demonic appearance. Tamotsu lost his smug reptilian expression and his eyes widened as he drooped immobile under my grip. He still held onto my arms as they changed, thickened and lengthened, beneath his hands.
My wings spread out as the transformation completed
and I roared.
The Kappa screamed.
I dropped my head and focused on his face, wondering if I could bite off his head and then spit it out.
No! Tamotsu’s compulsion brushed like butterfly wings against my fortified brain. I shook it off and laughed, a deep rumbling sound. I stilled when my monstrous bellow filled the room and shook the building. Pleased with the sound and its effect, I laughed again. Fear wafted off the Kappa in heavy clumps of sweat-laden air, sickly sweet and delicious.
I inhaled deeply and licked my lips. My claws dug into his flesh, puncturing his scaly skin—so frail. With a bit of extra pressure, I could snap his bones. The sudden burst of blood in the air filled my nostrils and I tightened my grip.
Break his bones and pick them dry.
Tempting, so tempting. Raising Tamotsu up, I held him at eye level. “Give it back.”
The Kappa’s eyes widened. He nodded and energy flowed into my body, at first in hesitant trickles, then, as if some dam broke, it flooded my senses, pounding into my brain like storm waved against a rocky shore. I staggered back, but kept a firm grip on the Kappa with my claws. If I fall, he’s coming down with me.
My head cleared and I straightened up to look at the now drained Kappa, appearing older somehow and more wrinkled. Shriveled. Weak.
Prey.
Kill, my beast shrieked. When Tamotsu cringed, I realized I’d said it out loud, echoing the beast. Control slipped in and out of my grasp. I spun the Kappa upside down in my hands and shook him like a rag doll. The water plummeted from his head bowl and splashed onto the floor against my dragon-esque feet. His stench of fear mixed with pain tasted succulent on my tongue. The Kappa stiffened in my arms, and I threw him to the ground.
When I pressed my right foot down, the talons of my feet slid off his shell, but pierced the scaly hide of Tamotsu’s legs. Good enough. The sound of bones cracking rang in my ears like delightful carols. I reached down and sank my claws into his shoulders before hauling him up to throw him against the wall. He bounced off it and lay limp on the ground.
My tongue, with a mind of its own, licked my lips. Kill.
Beast Coast (A Carus Novel Book 2) Page 23