by Mia Faith
I shifted into a lion, in remembrance of my father. The man he killed. Rushing toward him, I bit down as hard as I could on his leg, thrashing my head around as I ripped it off, the cartilage and bone cracking between my powerful jaws. The taste of blood mixed from my own blood from earlier, and I almost couldn't tell the difference. Almost.
“Stop!” Elias yelled, back in his human form.
But there was no stopping me. I lunged forward, aiming for his face this time, but before I could do anything, there was another lion blocking my way.
It wasn't Deacon. It was Elias. His other form.
He wanted to kill him. I knew he did.
But I wanted to kill him too.
“Both of us,” Elias growled.
And I knew that's exactly the way it had to be.
Together, we turned toward El Monstruo - The Monster - and showed him exactly what sort of monsters we were.
His men, those from earlier, fled. The only two that remained were Juan and Gabriel, both watching as we tore open the abdomen of their leader. We took turns biting and gnawing, not eating his flesh, but destroying it. Killing him slowly. He fought against us, screamed out in pain, just as I imagined both of our parents had done as he killed them too.
Finally, his body stopped moving, the ground was soaked in blood.
He was dead.
The monster was dead.
And Elias and I were both alive.
Chapter Twenty
AVA
There we were, on our hands and knees, naked and covered in blood. Yet, my eyes fell on him and all I could think about was how badly I wanted him. I'd heard that after a kill, the excitement can be too much, that it can make you crazy to mate. And it was true. Very true.
The look in his eyes conveyed the same feeling. Animalistic, raw, and full of lust. We stared at each other for a long while, blood dripping from our chins, before Gabriel said, “We should get back.”
He was right, but my body quivered with need. Glancing down, I could see Elias' erection, proving that he was just as hard and ready as I was.
But the boys were right.
I stood up, feeling a bit wobbly, but Elias caught me in his arms before I fell.
“Thank you,” I said, staring up into those green eyes. “For everything.”
“Thank you for not dying,” he said, winking at me.
Cocky son of a bitch. But I smiled and so did he.
He helped me to my feet, and that's when I heard a sound coming from the cabin.
“What's in there?” I asked, looking to Gabriel and Juan.
“I don't know,” Juan said with a shrug. “We've never been here before.”
Another sound. A baby crying. Before anyone could stop me, I rushed toward the cabin, pushing open the door. It was locked, but it was so use against my lion/bear strength I kicked it open and stepped inside to find women chained by their necks with silver, babies in some of their arms.
I looked at Elias and he looked at me.
“Are you here to help us?” one of the women asked, staring up at me with such fear in her eyes.
Kneeling down, I asked her, “What was he doing to you?”
But there was no time for answers. Men would be coming back, more men than we'd dealt with so far. And we needed to get all of them free.
Chapter Twenty-One
Elias
Arturo was dead when we got back. He bled to death from Ava's bite. Deacon was pacing the warehouse when we came in, and when the door opened, he appeared ready to shift.
But when he saw it was us, his eyes lit up and filled with tears. I can't recall ever seeing this man cry, not like this, but in that moment, he rushed the room and embraced us, not even paying attention to the women and babies coming in behind us.
“We should go, just in case they try to find us,” I said.
Deacon nodded, finally seeing those who came in behind us. He gave me a questioning look, but I didn't say anything.
Ava nodded. “He's right.”
She walked away from us, and at first, I couldn't figure out where she was going. But she went over to her bag, the one she packed earlier when we set out on this mission. “I'll be quick.”
She rushed into the bathroom with a handful of clothes. I couldn't blame her, being naked in front of everyone was probably uncomfortable for her, even if she looked amazing. I was almost sad to see it covered up. God, I wanted her. That girl knew exactly how to drive me crazy.
I also needed to throw some clothes on, but not because I felt insecure or uncomfortable, but just to make it easier to get around. “Me too,” I said, reaching for my bag. “Gabriel can fill you in on what happened.”
Deacon turned to the Gabriel and Juan, and I slipped into the bathroom. As the door opened, Ava protested until she saw it was me.
“Shhh,” I said, sidling up next to her in the cramped bathroom.
“What are you doing, Elias?” she said, laughing and slapping my chest playfully.
“I needed to see you without your clothes on more time?”
She rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face. After that kiss earlier, I couldn't wait to get with her again. Even with our bodies covered in blood, there was nothing more that I wanted than to kiss her again. I had my chance, and I took it.
Leaning down, I pressed my lips to hers. I feared she might pull away, but she didn't. Instead, she grabbed me by the back of my head and pulled me closer. My body was pressed against hers now, my erection harder than before. Her rubbing up against it didn't help matters either.
“Ava--” I said, pulling away, but she nibbled my lip and pulled me back into her.
“I thought I might have lost you earlier today, Elias,” she said. “And it killed me. When you didn't come to save me, I feared they had you.”
I pushed her hair away from her face and looked into those dark, but beautiful eyes. I don't know what I did to deserve it, but this woman cared about me. And I cared about her.
“I had to be careful, I watched for the others, made sure they were far enough away,” I whispered, kissing down the length of her neck. “I couldn't risk it, but if there was any sign of him hurting you... I was there.”
“I know you were,” she said, grabbing my hair and forcing me to look at her. “We should get cleaned up.”
There was a shower in the far corner of the small bathroom, and Ava stepped inside, giving me a glance. “Shouldn't we--?”
But as I stared at her, naked and waiting, motioning for me to join her, how could I say no? I stepped into the shower with her, the warm water rushing over our bodies.
“We'll have to hurry,” she said, taking the bar of soap left from the last person who showered here, and running down my chest, my abs and finally, her hands grasped at my cock, cupping it in her soft hands as she washed me down. My head went back as she stroked me and washed me at the same time.
“I need you, Elias,” she whispered.
“I need you too, Ava.” I stepped forward, pressing her against the shower wall, and kissed her. Her legs wrapped around my body and I was thankful for nonslip flooring in the shower, because I was holding her up.
She pressed herself into me, and I felt her opening. I rubbed up against it, teasing her, but we had no time to tease. If we wanted to do this, we needed to be fast. Without a second thought, I let my primal side take over, plunging myself inside of her. She wiggled against me, gasping for air as I buried myself deep inside of her. It was such a relief to finally be sheathed inside of her - after all the teasing earlier and then the animalistic killing leaving us both feeling high and horny.
It was about fucking time.
And we were going to make the most of it, even if we did have to hurry.
Chapter Twenty-Two
AVA
He slipped inside of me so easily, it was like we were made for one another. My body was overcome with pleasure from the very beginning, the need nearly taking its toll on me. I needed this before I could go on, be
fore I could face whatever happened next. After all the emotion of the day, I needed to show Elias exactly how I felt about him.
And it would seem he felt the same way about me.
We'd only just met, but he got me in ways no one else did. His story was like mine, we were similar, yet different. He intrigued me, yet I understood him better than I did any man I'd met before.
And as he fucked me, I never wanted this to end. Whatever happened between us, I hoped that we'd be able to stay together. I didn't have to know him well to know I wanted to fall in love with this man, and honestly, it would be easy. No one challenged me the way he did, no one trusted my strength as much as he did. He didn't treat me like a damsel in distress or a child, and that was rare.
He saw me for me, and yet... He liked it.
And I liked him.
He felt so good inside of me, and our bodies moved in a perfect rhythm. The rest of the world was dead to us, it was just him and me and we were savoring the moment.
I shuddered against him, trying my hardest not to cry out his name. But it was hard, so fucking hard. Everything about him was just so perfect. My hands were entwined in his hair, and I felt myself pulling back, pulling his face upward to kiss me. I wanted those perfect lips on mine, wanted to taste his mouth. I wanted to kiss him all over, and while now wasn't the time for that, soon. I'd have to taste more of him soon.
But for now, I was happy fucking him, and my body was overcome with pleasure, causing me to bite down on his lip and cry out into his mouth as I climaxed, my body bucking against his as he continued fucking me. I tightened around him, spasmed around him, and I could feel him shaking and struggling to hold on.
And as quickly as it all started, he was finishing. He filled me with his seed, gripping my ass tightly and grunting as his mouth pulled away from mine. “Oh Ava,” he choked out, his eyes clenched shut as he came inside of. “God, you're amazing.”
He let go of me, gently, letting me slide back to my feet. Kissing me, he said, “I hope next time we won't have to rush or be quiet.”
“Me too, sweetie,” I said, feeling my heart fill with joy. “Me too.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
El Monstruo's people never showed up, as far as we know. Maybe what they witnessed scared them silly, or maybe they needed reinforcements. Hell if I know. After Elias and I made love, we slipped back out and left before we had a chance to run into anyone else.
Come to find out, the reason El Monstruo wanted me was for some sick breeding program. The women tied in the cabin were shifters, like me, with the ability to transform into more than one animal. I guess there's some sort of power in it, something the cartels wanted from us. He originally wanted Elias to join his ranks, much like Gabriel and Juan, but Deacon foiled those plans by showing up that night and beating his ass.
He thought he'd kill two birds with one stone - get revenge on Deacon while also adding to his collection. But like so many men out there, he underestimated me. He underestimated me big time. I wasn't one to just roll over and let him have me. Oh hell no.
I put up a fight. And in the end, I won. Well, technically WE won. Elias played a huge part in it too, obviously.
Elias left the motorcycle gang world behind, choosing instead to run off with Deacon and me. After all, the cartels were still out there and would love to find us. Easier said than done, though.
“I don't think I'll ever get sick of this view,” I said, standing on our balcony, staring out at the Sydney Harbor. Elias came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me.
“And I don't think I'll ever get sick of this view,” he said, kissing the back of my neck gently.
“I sure as hell hope not,” I said, turning toward him. His hair had finally grown back, it was long again. I loved it. “Because you're stuck with me.”
“And I couldn't be happier about that,” he said, kissing me.
There was a knock at the door.
“Did you--”
“Yeah, I invited Deacon over for dinner,” Elias said. “Him and his new girlfriend.”
“She's not his girlfriend,” I said, laughing as I walked toward the front of the condo.
“So he says, but I see the way he looks at her. Exactly how I look at you, I'm sure.”
Whether or not Deacon was my father, it didn't matter. He filled that role for me, and hopefully one day soon, maybe even get to be a grandfather. Not that we were trying or anything. We were still getting settled and the wedding was months off.
“Well, I'm just glad he's happy, that's all,” I said, opening the door. Deacon had found himself a stunning Australian woman, and I actually kind of liked her. She wasn't my mom... but then again, no one ever would be. He admitted that himself.
As weird as things were now, I honestly had to admit I was happy. My parents were never coming back and the nightmares haunted me from time to time - some of them of El Monstruo's corpse, others of what he probably did to my parents - but Elias was there for me. Elias understood more than anyone else.
I had a family again, and we all had something to live for again. So yeah, things were good.
They were really good.
The End.
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A Secret Baller’s Baby
By Alicia Black
Copyright © 2016
Chapter 1
“Tinaya. You are never going to get him to do an interview. Everyone is trying to get Dustin Bird, but he is not speaking to the press.”
“I am not the press.”
“You might as well be. Haven’t you done commentary on him before?”
She nodded to her co-worker and friend. “Yes, but I never brought up the scandal with that model. I am just there for sports. My dad would kill me if I went into all of that at a game.”
“Well, it is hard not to. Secret babies, married women, it is all very juicy. I want to know if it is true and how I can get involved.”
Tinaya shook her head and sighed out loud. Camille was a bit mad, but she had to admit that Dustin Bird was nice to look at. She rather liked to see him run up and down the court. It was a perk of her job that was better than money, but she at least had to try to be a little professional about it.
“Trust me. You don’t want any of that.”
“Trust me Tinaya, I do!”
She laughed and put her jacket on to fight against the cooling temperatures of autumn. “Girl you are a mess today. You can come down there with me, if you want.”
“You aren’t going to get past security and if you do, he isn’t going to talk to you.”
“Well I have to try, don’t I?”
“If you really want him to talk to you, get him alone and unbutton that shirt a little bit.”
Tinaya couldn’t believe her and she pulled her jacket closed. “I am not going to objectify myself for a story Camille.”
“I don’t know about all of that, I am just saying with those ta-tas, let them out and see the results. A man like Dustin wouldn’t be able to resist.”
She was not really thinking about it, but there was some truth in her words, though Tinaya would never admit it. Instead, she waved her friend off like she was crazy. “I will see you afterwards. Drinks?”
Camille nodded. “Yeah, how about the Glass Factory? It is supposed to be a good place that just opened up right down from their training building. You could just run over after you are done.”
Tinaya agreed. She didn’t leave her office with a good feeling that she was going to get the exclusive that her boss was hoping for, but she was still going to try. The idea of having a drink and a friend to finish the night off with made her feel a little better about her chances. It wasn’t part of her normal job, but Tinaya was not just going to be a pretty face with famous brothers talking about the game. She wanted to get to the truth of some of the biggest stories in basketball. That was her real goal and getting an interview with the leading point guard of the Golden State Warriors that no one else
could get, was a good way to help that all out.
***
Nothing ever goes as planned though and when Tinaya finally got down to the practice courts there was no one there but a janitor. She deflated instantly, sure that she had missed her chance.
“Sir.”
The old man turned around and smiled at her in a way that made her own grin less warm. “I was wondering if any of the players are still here?”
“You don’t look like one of the groupies I catch in here after practice.”
Her back straightened with the suggestion and she shook her head. “I am not one of the groupies Sir. I work with ESPN as a commentator.”
He looked surprised. “Oh yeah. Well good for you.”
She didn’t know how to take his answer, but she waited for him to tell her if anyone else was around. “So are any of the players still here?”
He shrugged and went back to his cleaning now that he knew she wasn’t going to work something out with him like others had offered. “Some of them might still be in the showers if you are brave enough to go in there.”
Tinaya thanked him, but she didn’t quite know if she was brave enough to go in there. She had to though and tried to gain a little courage. Her hand almost went to her shirt front to take her friend’s suggestion and she was mad at herself for even thinking about it.
Pushing open the locker room door, she saw a couple men in several states of undress and she felt her cheeks getting warm. All of them were nice specimens, but she was there for one thing and she was trying to remember suddenly what that was.