In spite of his bravado, his assurances to Harry, Noah’s body was screaming at him. His chest burned, his one remaining lung working overtime. Despite his calm exterior, Noah was in the worst agony of his life – physically and emotionally but the adrenaline, the need to get to Lila was all-encompassing.
Just be alive, sweetheart, please. Fight, Lila, fight…I’m coming for you.
Charlie parked the car behind the old children’s home and pulled Lila from the back seat. He’d taped her mouth so she couldn’t scream. After he’d taken her in and laid her on the floor of an empty room, he took the tape off.
‘Scream all you want, no-one will get to you before I kill you. There’s no point, there’s no hope now, Lila.’
He grabbed his backpack and pulled out a gun and a knife. The knife was stained with blood. ‘Whoops,’ he said, grinning nastily. ‘Better wipe Tinsley off of this before you get it.’
Lila’s temper exploded then. ‘You killed innocent people Charlie, and my whole life I’ve been defending you from people saying that you’re bad news, that you’re bad and mean and scary. I defended you!’ She started to cry now. ‘I loved you, Charlie, not as a lover, but as a friend, as a brother. You were my person.’
She was sobbing and to her amazement, he scooped her up and held her. ‘That’s all I’ve ever wanted to be, Lila, is yours. Yours alone.’
‘You stabbed me,’ she whispered and he nodded.
‘I did. And I’m going to again, Lila, you understand that now, right?’
Lila drew in a breath and when she pulled away and met his gaze, she smiled. ‘I know. I know, baby, it has to be this way.’
Charlie’s smile spread across his face. ‘It does.’ He wiped her tears from her cheeks.
You fucking deluded psycho…’Charlie, if we’re going to die today…then surely we should celebrate us before you cut me open.’
A frown crossed his face. ‘What do you mean?’
She smiled and leaned forward brushing her lips against his. Would he fall for this? Her heart was thudding madly. She looked up at him from beneath her lashes. ‘Fuck me, Charlie…let’s go out on a high. Fuck me good and then I promise, I won’t fight you.’
He stared at her and she couldn’t tell if he would go for it but then he reached for the knife. She held her breath then he severed the tape around her feet, around her hands. He tore open her dress and placed the tip of the knife against her belly.
‘I swear, if you’re messing with me, Lila, I’ll stab you so many times they won’t bother to count them…and then I’ll do the same to your fucking Doctor.’
Slowly, Lila lay back and spread her legs. ‘Fuck me, Charlie…please….’
With a growl he yanked the zipper on his jeans down and shoving her legs further apart. Playing along, she reached for his face. ‘Kiss me, baby.’
He ground his mouth down on hers and Lila kissed him back…and then clamped her teeth down on his tongue hard. Charlie screamed and rocked back, and Lila jammed her foot hard into his exposed groin, then kicked him in the face and rolled out of his way. She scrambled to her feet and went for his gun but he grabbed her leg and dragged her back toward him.
‘You fucking little bitch! I warned you, I warned you.’
God, he was strong but Lila, fear and anger raging through her, managed to fight him off again as he swiped at her with his knife. The tip of the blade caught the soft skin of her belly and she cried out.
‘You’ll scream for me again and again before I’m done, you whore,’ Charlie was getting the upper hand again as he grasped both of her wrists but she twisted away from him and ran through the old derelict house. The back door hung open and she headed toward that, would have made it too but she didn’t see the hole in the floorboards and her foot disappeared into it, her ankle snapping with a loud crack. Lila did scream then as loud as she could because she couldn’t move and Charlie was advancing on her, the knife glinting in his hand.
The pain in her ankle was making her light-headed but as Charlie dropped to his knees beside her, she tried to move. Charlie just laughed and to her horror, he pressed his face to the cut on her abdomen and lapped at the blood with his tongue.
‘Does your cunt taste as sweet as your blood, Lila?’
‘Fuck you, Charlie.’
‘My pleasure…’ He reached under her dress and yanked her delicate panties off with one motion. Lila rammed her legs together but he just grinned, his hand burrowing between them. Lila screamed as loud as she could, more out of desperation than hope.
The door, the front door, was kicked in and a whirlwind of fury threw himself at Charlie, knocking them both flying.
Noah. ‘Oh my god,’ Lila whispered as her lover wrestled and fought with Charlie. Charlie punched him hard against the chest, against the wound and Noah was winded. Lila dragged herself up on one foot and dived to help Noah, throwing herself bodily at Charlie while Noah recovered his composure. Noah roared as Charlie grabbed Lila by the throat and raised the knife to kill her; Noah grabbed Charlie by the back of the head and dragged him away. Lila scrambled for the knife Charlie had dropped and swiped at the man as he got away from Noah and went after her. Lila and Charlie tumbled to the floor and for a second, it looked all over.
The knife in Charlie’s hand was driven hard at her – just as Charlie’s throat exploded and covered Lila in blood. The knife dropped from his hand and he slumped, very, very dead to the floor, his eyes bulging from his head, staring straight into Lila’s.
Noah lowered the gun – the gun that Charlie had forgotten about – and dropped it to the floor. He came to Lila immediately and they held each other.
‘It’s over now, my darling Lila. It’s all over.’
And for once, she was glad to hear those words…
Epilogue
Lila and Noah stepped from the plane and took a limo back to their penthouse. The flight from Australia had been a long one but they’d enjoyed the luxury of business class and managed to sleep most of the way.
Tinsley’s funeral had been both sad and joyful. Her family had shared their memories of the lovely young woman and had embraced Lila, Noah and Harry as a part of their family.
Now, as they lay together in their bed, Lila and Noah finally believed they would be okay. Noah was still recovering and Lila’s broken ankle was in a cast, but they were healing. Noah stroked her face, drinking her in.
‘You are the love of my life, Lila Tierney.’
‘And you the love of mine, you wonderful, wonderful man.’
Noah smiled as she chuckled. ‘What?’
‘I’m thinking that before, I was always wondering what’s next, and it was in fear of the worst happening. Now I’m thinking, what’s next knowing it can only be good.’
Noah laughed too. ‘In that case,’ He rolled on top of her, his cock already hard against her thigh, ‘I only have one question, Miss Tierney.’
She gasped as he entered her slowly and smiled. ‘What’s that, Dr. Applebaum?’
Noah kissed her tenderly and grinned as they moved together. ‘Well, Miss Tierney…what’s next?...
The End.
The Billionaire’s Wings Of Thunder
An Alpha-Male Billionaire Paranormal Romance Thriller
By Michelle Love
Desire. Secrecy. Dilemma
Eden Fontaine is a man on a mission as he seeks out his betrothed bride whom he’s allowed to live a normal life up until the time he has come to make her his wife and begin their new life as legendary shifters.
Alyssa Devlin is living a normal life in Cloudcroft, New Mexico with her over-protective parents. She’s kept a secret from them. She has a boyfriend and they’re planning on moving away together.
When Eden finds out what’s happened and that she’s fallen in love with another, he speeds up his plans and decides he wants her to fall in love with him and choose him over the other man.
Kyle Stephens is Alyssa’s boyfriend and first true love. He’s not about to let her
go and finds her love for him takes him into the paranormal world the three have to move onto.
Twists and turns fill the pages of the full-length novel, ‘The Billionaire’s Wings of Thunder’. Get ready for steaming hot romance, sizzling heated scenes, and a look at an existence where the unreal becomes real.
CHAPTER 1
ALYSSA
My heart beats hard in my chest as Kyle pulls me through the forest of tall pine trees. A large, dark shadow follows us from above the trees. I keep glancing up to see if it’s still there. It seems impossible.
Another clap of thunder fills the surrounding air. How strange. I didn’t see any lightning. There’s no rain and the only wind comes from directly above us.
I can’t remember a time I’ve felt wind blowing from above me. A small patch of flat terrain gives me a chance to look up again without worrying about tripping.
What the hell is that?
Shit, there’s two of them! They’re huge. I’ve never seen any bird so large. I tug at Kyle’s hand, trying to get him to stop.
I want to look at them, not run from them. They can’t be stalking us. They’re just birds.
His eyes are wide and full of fear as he looks back at me, still running. “What are you doing, Ally?”
“Let’s stop. I want to look at them.”
The look I get in return assures me he thinks I’m nuts. He keeps running, then a horrific shrieking sound vibrates down my spine.
I look up and see giant, black wings beating through the light blue sky. Kyle’s speed increases. I’m practically flying behind him. My feet barely touch the ground as he pulls me along.
The thing is, as weird as this might be, I’m not afraid. Kyle is, though, so I’m not going to try to stop him again. I don’t want him to feel like a fraidy cat.
His feet hit the ground with loud thumps as the wings continue to beat above us. The noise the huge wings make is so loud. I can’t help thinking how magnificent they must look.
The gate of our privacy-fenced backyard looms only a few yards ahead of us. As Kyle hits the latch to allow us into my back yard the sound stops.
They’re gone!
We both stop and look up, turning in a full circle. It’s as if nothing was following us at all. The sky is bright blue. Not a single bird flies above us.
Crap, I really wanted to see them. I was hoping I could get a good look as they flew over our yard. This is really disappointing.
Kyle looks back at me as we walk into the yard. “What the fuck?”
My eyes go crazy wide. It’s no secret my parents are the strictest people in the entire world. Make that the universe.
“Kyle! Language!”
He bends his head to speak in my ear. “Sorry, baby. But seriously, what was that?”
Shrugging my shoulders, I say, “I don’t know. But whatever those things were, they’re gone now.”
He tugs at my hand, pulling me further into the yard. “That was weird. Don’t you think it was weird, Ally?”
I roll my eyes. “Of course I think it’s weird, Kyle.”
“Isn’t it strange that when you kissed me the thunder of wings began?”
I laugh. “You kissed me, not the other way around.”
Suddenly I’m halted, his hands on my shoulders, and the twinkle in his sky-blue eyes captivating my attention.
“I asked you to go to Texas with me and gave you a ring, then you kissed me after you said yes. Remember, Ally?”
I nod, making him smile. My parents are not going to be happy, but I’m going to Austin with Kyle after graduation. Only three weeks away. I turn eighteen the day after, so I’ll be legal and they can’t stop me.
Right?
God this is scary. So much scarier than those birds were.
How could they have just vanished? Man, I wanted to see them clearly!
My hand is still in his. That’ll be a problem, as my father’s looking directly at us. He’s frowning.
I’m not supposed to be touching my boyfriend. My parents don’t think he is what he is. They think he’s a friend. A longtime friend, but only that.
When I was thirteen, I had to promise my parents I’d never engage in any relationship until I turned eighteen.
Ludicrous, right?
My dad yells out, clear across the large back lawn, “What’s going on, Alyssa?”
Kyle drops my hand. “Sorry, sir. Something happened in the woods.”
My younger, pain-in-the-butt brother, Scotty, approaches us, a smile on his mischievous face. “You’ve made Daddio mad, Kyle. Not good, dude.”
My mother comes out the back door, carrying a large tray, and Kyle sprints across the lawn to help her. “Please let me get that for you, Mrs. Devlin.” His voice is a mixture of middle America and the south.
His parents are from Texas. They moved here to Cloudcroft, New Mexico because his mother is a real estate agent who got a break in the tourist business our town has. She’s not my biggest fan.
Perhaps my parents’ lack of understanding of teenage romance is the reason. I’m not at all sure why she dislikes me, but she does. One time she even said my best friend, Laura, would be perfect for Kyle.
They live three houses down from each other. I just about had a shit-fit with her words. But Kyle stopped me from acting like a freak in front of his mother and father.
I let him know exactly what I thought about that once we left the confines of his family home.
Kyle’s help with my mother’s burden seems to have helped. My father’s frown has turned into a slight smile. Not an entire one, though.
I jog up next to Kyle. Just to test the waters with my parents. I run my arm around his waist and place a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for helping my mom, babe.”
My father shoots me a look, but Mom stays cool. I need to get them ready for our news.
Wow. Our news. That sounds weird.
The touch of his lips on my cheek sends chills down my spine, and not for the reason you might think. I know it’s about to explode.
“Hey! What the hell?” Dad yells.
Kyle further surprises me. “Mr. Devlin. We have something to tell you.”
“No, we don’t.” I try to stop my true love from getting himself annihilated.
When Kyle’s sky-blue eyes meet mine, I melt into his side.
Damn, I love this guy!
“Mr. and Mrs. Devlin,” He raises my hand, the one with the ring on it. “Ally is moving with me to Austin after graduation.”
The next things happen in a blur. My father goes for Kyle’s throat. Scotty and Mom blindside Dad, taking him away from my one true love.
“Dad!” I scream as I pull Kyle back from the monster my father has become.
My father is usually a very calm man. He and my brother look a lot alike, with tall, soft brown curls, and light green eyes. This attack upon my boyfriend, while anticipated by myself, was not expected by my sweet Kyle.
“Mr. Devlin,” Kyle says. “Please don’t think I’ve any bad intentions with your daughter. I love her with everything in me. I want to marry her one day. It should be after I’ve made something of myself, which is exactly what I will do.”
My ears are burning. Did he just say he wants to marry me?
I turn to him. “Kyle, you don’t have to explain.”
A pat on my hand from my mother lets me know she has things back under control.
Thank you, God!
“Seems like some things have gone unnoticed by your father and myself. We’ll discuss this new information in private. For now, we need to eat,” she says with the soft comfort her voice always brings.
My mother is from Connecticut, with jet black hair and eyes of blue. She and I stand five foot two. We’re almost identical. I think she’s much prettier than I am, but she says the same of me.
“Thank you, Mom. There’s no need for this,” I say as I take a chair at the table on our patio. Kyle pulls out the chair next to mine, planting himself in it.
Just
to piss my father off, I take Kyle’s hand. Kyle looks at me with his eyebrows cocked. “You sure about this, Ally?”
I look at my father directly in his eyes. The horrible part is that he looks right back into mine. “Get used to it, Dad,” I hear myself say.
Shit, am I really doing this?
“I love Kyle. The rest of my life will be with him.”
To my complete amazement, my father smiles at me. “How wonderful, baby. You couldn’t have chosen a better man. Kyle, I expect you to take good care of my daughter.”
Scotty chokes on his cherry cola, and I give him a go-to-hell look. “Sorry, Sis,” comes from his mouth as he dabs at it with a paper napkin.
Unbelievably, my mother starts doling out potato salad as Dad cuts the brisket. We all eat in silence. My spidey senses are on overload.
Something is not right. Things are too calm!
The silence is deafening. I can’t take it anymore. “Mom, there’s a dance on Saturday. Kyle asked me to go. His band’s playing at it.”
Mom jerks her fork, loaded with meat, toward my father who sits next to her. “Don’t ask me, dear.”
Reluctantly, I look at my father. He smiles at me.
Didn’t see that coming.
“Sure, you can. But only for a little while. I want you back by ten. You do remember you have a curfew, right? I mean, you seem to have forgotten our deal about no relationships until you’re eighteen, so I have to ask.”
Kyle answers for me, “Mr. Devlin, I can assure you she’ll be home by her curfew. And just to let you know, we haven’t broken your no-dating rule.”
His Sweet Torment: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 104