by Milana Jacks
After my mate bolted, I licked my fingers clean. My eyes rolled back at the taste of her sweet pussy. I smirked, reached for soap, lathered my dick, and jerked off. Twice. Although the water got cold, I relaxed, threw my head back, and imagined licking her pussy. Yeah, life wasn’t so bad after all. I might wanna live if only to taste her pussy.
Of course, she didn’t feel the same way and had left, horrified she’d gotten wet on my fingers. But she had enjoyed it, and as soon she came to terms with the idea that it was okay to enjoy it, she would come back. For lunch and breakfast at… I glanced at the clock. Ten. But before that, I needed to have a chat with Hasel. “Hasel!” I hollered.
Footsteps approached. “What now?” the beast on the other side of the door asked.
“Tell Hasel I wanna see her.”
“Do I look like the postal service?”
“No, you sound like my personal bitch. Go get her.”
“Fuck you.” Footsteps retreated.
“Hasel! Haaaaseeel. I can do this all night long, motherfucker. Hasel. Hasel!” And I kept hollering until Hasel barged into the room. She rounded the bath and wiped her hands on the green apron over her body. “What?” she barked.
“Need to talk to you about Sienna. Sit.” I pointed at the chair.
She narrowed her eyes. “Is that how you talk to your mother?”
Fuck me. “Would you please have a seat?”
Hasel sat, hands in her lap. “I’m not your bitch, boy. My mate is long dead, and when he was alive, he knew his place. Don’t tell me to sit. I’ll sit when I want to sit.”
Well, damn. “You’re right. No disrespect.”
“Mm-hm. Now, what you want?”
“A bigger room with a bigger bed.”
“Oh, okay. We’re planning on expanding in a few years. You can pay now and get a bigger room built for you.”
“There must be a family room in this community. I barely fit on the bed.”
“I’ll get you furs, and you can sleep on the floor.”
“Nope. Two beds, then, put together to make one big one. And also a private bathroom for the duration of my stay.”
“Boy, you’ve lost your brains. I ain’t running a hotel here.”
“I need a bathroom.”
“There’s one around the corner. A big one.”
“Are you telling me the bathroom is shared?”
“That’s how they did it. The humans in this community. This is man-sector, east is women and children. On our side, there’s one room with a private bathroom, but you can’t have it.”
“Why not?”
“I reserve the room for breeding.”
“For paired beasts.”
“For Mayhem and Reagan.”
I scrubbed my beard. Fuck, this thing itched. Hasel snorted and got an ancient grooming kit from the closet. “Let me clean you up.”
“Sienna’ll do that.”
“I’m surprised she hasn’t already. She ran to her wing like her skirts caught fire. What did you do?”
“None of your business.”
“Everything under my roof is my business, especially that girl.”
I tilted my head. “Why?”
“Her dad.”
“What of him?”
“He’s gone undercover for us.” My eyebrows shot up. She continued, “Yes, yes. A human man working for the beasts to uncover Men of Earth. It’s remarkable.”
“Why is he doing it?”
“He’s a good man and sees that the future of his people is not with those crazy men but with us.”
That good man was also a skilled male. I didn’t know him, but I’d asked about him. For one, he single-handedly raised a girl out in wilderness. This meant he was a sole provider for the two of them. No help from anyone, no community, just him hunting, gardening, and changing diapers when she was little. When I attacked him, he hadn’t run. Knowing I was stronger, he’d fought back. “And the girl?”
“She’s under my care.”
“Sienna is under the impression her dad is looking for her. She has no idea he’s gone undercover, does she?”
“We had to keep it that way, or she’d go out there on her own.”
Some things weren’t adding up. “You’re blackmailing him.”
“Me?” She pointed a finger at her chest. “Oh no, not me. I follow Mayhem’s orders, and he follows Alpha Beast. Alpha Beast asked me to keep the girl safe and in the community while her father works to bring him Tom, their leader. The hunters are here for her protection. She’s followed at all times.”
“And if she wants to leave?”
Hasel shook her head. “I can’t let her, or I lose this home.”
“Shit.”
“So you understand why I’m concerned about you and what you’re doing with her. I don’t want her forced to stay. It is better if she lives here of her own free will.” Hasel tried running a comb through my beard. It got stuck. “We keeping it or cutting it?”
Unsure, I didn’t answer. Instead, I said, “But you’re not concerned about Zarik.”
“Zarik’s mate is dead. He’s not looking for a bedmate, he’s looking for a companion.”
“He needs to look elsewhere.”
“Sienna enjoys his company. She won’t admit it, but she smiles often when they’re together.”
“Hasel?”
“Yes?”
“I will kill the male.”
“You’ll rest and recuperate your mind and body. Leave the girl alone.”
“Sienna is mine.”
Hasel’s eyes softened. “Can’t be. The meds have you confused. We presume she is a fallen beast’s mate.”
“I am the fallen beast. I live.”
Hasel gasped, thrust her chair back, and stood. “Priest is no more,” she whispered.
“Hear.”
“She ran from you.”
“Yes.”
“What in bitch’s holy pussy are you doing? You will compromise the mission. Alpha Beast will chop our heads off.”
“Don’t be dramatic. He isn’t a head chopper.”
“Oh, but you don’t know. While ya all were busy fucking up the raid in that community, Men of Earth attacked his mate.”
All the blood drained from my body. I couldn’t breathe as I waited for Hasel to collect her own breath. “Speak!”
“Rey barely survived. But they moved up to the ship while Alpha has a replica of his father’s fortress built right on the water in Beast City. Mayhem caught him some Men of Earth, and rumor has it, he chopped off their heads and put them on the city gates. We keep Sienna safe here in their community while Sienna’s father works to deliver Tom, the leader of Men of Earth. Such was the agreement.”
“I want to know the details of this agreement.”
“You can ask your Alpha when they collect you.”
I sat up. “Have you called me in?”
“The supplies come in three nights, and you can leave with the boys who do the drops. Other than the weekly drops, I have one line I can use in case of an emergency. It’s a beacon that activates a response from Vice’s battleship. The fleet responds in full force. Don’t make me use it.”
“That will be all.”
Hasel put a hand on her hip. I knew that gesture. Fuck me. “Boy, are you dismissing me?”
“No, no. Have a seat?”
“Who are you, Torrent? Who is your father?”
“Ah. That.” I contemplated a lie. My father had read the rites of passage for many of Alpha Nie’s enemies right before their heads were cleaved off. He was Nie’s most loyal follower and had enjoyed hunting Mayhem’s people for over a hundred years. “I am Torrent, son of Siam, High Priest of Tineya.”
Hasel didn’t blink when she said, “You’re a spoiled highborn. I’m not surprised you’re speaking down to an ol’ bitch like me. But beware, son of Siam, I won’t take your orders.”
“I outrank you.”
“Everyone outranks me. And yet here I am, tasked by t
he Alpha Beast himself to keep a precious girl safe. He didn’t order me. He asked me.” Hasel walked to the door.
“Thank you,” I said.
“I understand you’re frustrated.”
I grunted. “I have one more thing to ask. How are Alpha’s babies? Are they born yet?” I held my breath, remembering the pregnancy was a tough one.
“The heirs are coming. Alpha Beast is at the end of his patience. Sienna’s dad will deliver his enemies, but only if we keep his child safe and away from harm. You are the reason she runs. You are the reason she screams in her dreams at night. You mustn’t tell her who you are. Not yet, anyway. The girl is safe here. But out there on her own? She won’t survive a single night. And if she runs, you can’t chase after her.”
Chapter Nine
Sienna
I ran down the hallway, unsure where I fled. The walls wavered, and I felt like the world would collapse on me. But I kept moving, through the sanctuary and into the east wing’s main room. Everyone startled when I burst in. Momma Jo stood from the sofa. “Child! What’s the matter?”
I couldn’t give voice to my worst nightmare. Like a fish out of water, I opened my mouth and closed it. I couldn’t possibly tell her I’d let the beast man do those things to me. And worst of all, I couldn’t tell her about a brief moment when I had enjoyed it. My stomach rolled and acid rose, made its way to my throat. “I’m gonna be sick.”
I skipped by her black sofa, knocked over the misplaced table, and bumped into Momma Jo. She shook me. Luckily, I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, so I didn’t vomit on her chest. “What happened?”
I gaped.
Momma Jo pulled me to her, and I leaned my head on her shoulder. She smelled of homemade soap. Her soft hand ran through my hair. “Let us go to my room.”
She walked me there as if I were five years old, by my hand. I followed her with wobbly knees. My legs weren’t mine; they simply carried me. Inside her room, the metal springs screeched as I sat on the bed. I stared at the wall. Momma Jo got a cold towel and dabbed my face, her kind eyes watchful and compassionate. “It’s that new beast, isn’t it?” She shook her head. “That ol’ fart shouldn’t make you care for the animals.” She spat. “They ought to care for each other like we do. Why has she put you with him?”
“There’s no one else.”
“And there won’t be for as long as I breathe. My daughters will refuse. They would rather die than help the monsters mend. Your daddy will come soon. Don’t worry.”
“In the meantime, I’m trapped.”
Momma Jo ignored me, a wistful look in her eyes. “He will come, and we’ll be waiting for him. This community is ready for a man.”
I frowned. “Daddy won’t stay, if that’s what you mean.”
“I think he can speak for himself when he gets here, don’t you?”
“Yes, but I know he hates the communities. It’s why we never lived in one.”
“You were alone because he hadn’t found the right woman. He will have a pick of any of my daughters. Any one of them will settle with him because it takes a real man to raise a daughter like you, and we need a real man. He will come, Sienna, and we will live again.”
“And the beasts?”
“Let me worry about the beasts. Tell me what happened.”
I hung my head, thinking. If she wanted Daddy, she’d want me to remain here, because he wouldn’t stay if I didn’t. I couldn’t wait for him to come. Especially now when I’d have to spend time with my nightmare monster. “He touched me,” I said.
Momma Jo turned up her palms and said a prayer. “Stay strong. God is with us.” She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, then looked around. “Let us cleanse you of the devil’s touch.”
Inside her bathroom, Momma Jo drew up a bath. She stripped me bare and scrubbed Torrent off me. After, skin red and raw, I knelt on the floor without drying. The cold seeped into my bones. I shivered. Droplets of water dripped on the stone floor. I watched them fall while Momma Jo read passages from the Quran. Once finished, she burned incense and chanted. She asked me how I’d chase my devil away. I told her, and she spat at all corners of the room to chase away the Shaytan, the devil.
Then she bundled me in a blanket and helped me onto her bed. I welcomed the softness of her palm when it touched my cheek and memorized the kind brown eyes as they crinkled at the corners when she smiled down at me. “There you go, child. All done. Forget your trespasses. Your feelings are normal for an inexperienced girl. I’m sorry your mother wasn’t around to teach you our ways, but I am here now. I will teach you everything you need so that you may be ready for the beast man.”
“I don’t want to go back.”
“I know. It’s difficult, but it must be done.” She walked the few steps to her nightstand and moved it to the side. She stomped on a stone. It flipped over. I leaned in to see. A tiny box hid inside a small hole under the stone. Momma Jo opened the box and got something. She sat by me and put an inch-long vial in my palm. The clear liquid inside swished.
“I don’t need that. I won’t sleep with him.” I said.
“Sometimes young girls become lustful and lie with the beasts. Then they wake up regretting it. The seed they take into their womb may become fruitful and breed more of the beasts. This medicine eliminates the seed.”
“I did not have sex with him.”
“No, but if given to a beast male, it will also eliminate him.”
I thrust the thing back to her. “I’m not very good with clues. I think you mean I should kill him.”
“Why, child, of course you should.” I gaped at her again. Hands on my shoulders, she shook me. My teeth rattled. She let up and, brown eyes wide, said, “You could be paired with him. What’s to stop him? There are no males here, no one to lead us, no one to say no. If not you, then it will be my Georgina or Joy or any of my girls out there. Don’t you understand? They will breed us, and more beasts will be born. Humanity will die. But if we don’t breed, they’ll leave us alone, go back to where they came from.”
“I don’t think I can do this.” I put the vial back into her hand. As I did it, Momma Jo’s gaze hardened. “Your daddy would want you to do it. He must be a part of Men of Earth, and the new Prophet Tom is training him. That’s why he hasn’t come yet.”
“Daddy is a loner. He’s not into movements.”
“My old man wasn’t either until he saw there was no other way. Together we stand stronger, and Tom has showed us the way. You were put here in my community by God’s hand. He picked you to do his work, and it is my duty to show you how.”
“If the beast dies, they’ll kill me.”
She cradled my face. “That ol’ cow is giving him medicine of her own. Right?”
“Right.”
“Nobody will know which one you gave him. It will make him sleep and not wake up. He is a sick beast. He could’ve come here sick. After you give him medicine, you leave as if nothing happened. They will find him in the morning and do nothing about it but burn his body. You won’t be suspected.”
Chapter Ten
Torrent
Crimson taste in my mouth. The cold stone against my cheek. An arrow sticking out of my neck. Jamie and Vice falling into the ground in the middle of the sanctuary. Men of Earth began chanting. I presumed they prayed. I tried to crawl out of there. A foot pressed on my cheek, and I howled in pain. Somewhere out there, Felicia howled. Jamie didn’t respond. Had they killed him?
The guy with his foot on my face picked up my arms and dragged me down the steps. He left me there to watch as the other men brought out large sacks. They piled the sacks on top of Nedr’s dead body, poured gasoline over the pile, and lit him on fire. Just as well. He’d find our Great Mother and be at peace. As the fire burned away the sacks, the contents spilled out. It was bones. They clicked against each other as they fell. I squinted my tired eyes. Those were someone’s remains, skeleton pieces. Two whole skeletons, one in each sack.
A skull rolled out. The jaw
protruded, large canines still intact. Beast skeletons. Why would they do that?
Now, I had my answer. Men of Earth had come prepared, might have anticipated the raid. They collected the bones of our deceased so when the beasts descended on the community to investigate what had happened, they’d find bones and think Felicia and I had died.
Two sets of bones and one male burning made three. Inside the hole, they got rid of Vice and Jamie. After they cleaned up, they loaded me and Felicia into a truck and drove us away. Everyone thought we’d died. For a while, we believed Vice and Jamie were dead too, but then we overheard them talking about Jamie, so we knew he’d made it. It gave us courage to move on. Still, we knew Jamie wouldn’t even think to look for us.
I tightened the tape around the new dressing. Wound still raw, I winced in pain and swiped a hand over my sweaty forehead. I eyed my leg work. It wasn’t as pretty or as well wrapped as Hasel’s, but it was the best I could do on my own. Now I just had to figure out how to cut my hair. I liked it buzzed as it made for easier maintenance, but a braid would have to do. I combed and braided it, then did the same with my long beard. The end of the beard braid rested on my chest. I picked up a mirror and winced at my reflection. Damn. Sienna would not fall for this guy, and real hairless Torrent didn’t stand a chance. Shit. But again, it would have to do until we got picked up from the community.
We? She wouldn’t join me, and if she did, with her father still alive, I’d face charges for kidnapping her.
I threw the mirror across the room. It shattered.
I knew the rules. Pairs should not be taken. They should be registered. That day at the lake, I should’ve flown back to Beast City alone. Vice would have arranged the pairing, suited me up, and advised me on a price for my mate. He and Jamie would’ve ridden back to Big Bear with me so I could claim my pair. If approached differently, her father wouldn’t have shot me. He’d have taken the money and given me my mate.
I couldn’t go back in time. I was here, and I was broken. Unworthy. Bitter. And humiliated.
She was here too. As beautiful and pure as their God could hope to create a human female. All blonde curls and sweet, innocent eyes. And mine. What had I done to deserve her? Nothing remarkable. Her life and mine would be ten times easier if I’d just died out there in the desert or if the Men of Earth had burned my body that day at Dewlyn’s community.