Carl snorted “Why have fake bitch, when we can have the real thing.” He moved before she could react, gripping the back of her neck and shoving her hard, her face smashing into the side of the crumpled car. He did it again and again, enjoying the wet sucking sound when her nose and a few other things broke. Blood flowed down her battered face. This was the look he was after. He dropped her body into the dirt by the opened, car door. He seriously doubted anyone; even those fucking idiots who have his woman would recognize her.
Well, maybe with dental records. He whistled as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his hands clean from her blood, casually striding over and behind a large batch of bushes and trees. He pulled his mobile from his pocket and sat down on a fallen log, and then placed a call. The trap was set; it was time to throw in the bait and watch the fish roll in. It wouldn’t be long now.
Chapter Twelve
Arial fought off the attempts of her men, trying to lure her into the cold looking water of the picturesque lake. It was surrounded by a mix of native and pine trees like a shielded curtain.
No way was it hot enough to go swimming, but if they wanted to, she had no objections. Much to her delight and amusement, they bickered over who was the quickest swimmer.
To settle the debate, they stripped off and raced each other to the lake. Arial laughed, enjoying the show of her two men and their powerful bodies, naked and running before diving off the small jetty, and then swimming to the other side of the lake and back again.
She tidied their tossed clothing and sat on one of the deck chairs to watch her afternoon’s entertainment. A smile played on her lips. She had never felt this at ease, this comfortable and happy all rolled into one. It was a feeling she never wanted to lose.
Ben was half a head in front of Steve, which no doubt would drive him to push harder to beat his friend.
She jumped at the sudden buzzing of something she sat on and tore her eyes off her men to search for the vibrating object. She sat on Steve’s trousers. She lifted her arse off the seat to retrieve his pants, fishing out the insistently buzzing phone.
It was on silent. She set it aside and let it ring; she knew voicemail would get the message, so didn’t worry and went back to watching the race. Steve took the lead, but not by much; he pushed to reach the shore, finally yelling in triumph when he slapped his wet hand on to the wooden post of the little jetty.
“Ha! Always knew I was faster.” Steve’s victory voice was breathless.
Ben scoffed, his gaze seeking out hers and winking. “Yeah, buddy, in more ways than one. I’m sure Arial can bear witness to that.” Arial giggle, and then slapped her hand over her mouth as Steve’s glare turned from Ben to her. She couldn’t help but break out into fully fledged laughter.
A rumble came from Steve’s chest when he pulled his powerful body out the water. Arial’s laughter stopped as he stalked forward, like a lion hunting his prey. She gulped, but couldn’t take her eyes off the way the water droplets ran over his sculptured muscles.
He pounced and she shrieked when he fell on her, shaking like a dog, half drenching her in lake water before nuzzling in at her throat, licking and nipping erotically, while she wiggled in laughter under him.
“You’re as bad as Ben is,” he breathed against her throat. She swore the heat of his body mixed with the dampness caused a billow of steam between them.
“No, I…didn’t…say…any mufffmm…” Her protest was cut short by Steve’s mouth covering hers, kissing her deep and hard, all laughter gone as her arms wrapped around him, moaning into his mouth.
He pulled back and she opened her eyes to see the wicked gleam in his eyes. “Guess, I’m going to have to prove I’m not the fastest after all, I’ll…”
The phone vibrated in her hand again, making Steve pull back and glance down with a frown.
“Sorry, I sat on it.” Annoyed the ringing disturbed their fun, Steve sat back and she sighed as he took the phone, glancing at the screen. “Mermaid, sorry, I have to take this, but there is one good thing about having two men in your life.”
“I get to be the hero and come to the rescue.” Steve climbed off her, but Ben was quick to take his place.
“Jerk,” muttered Steve, walking off with a wink. He jabbed at the touch screen, lifting the phone to his ear.
Ben flipped him off, before pulling Arial into his arms. “Humm, you see beautiful, he may be faster at some things, but I do it long, hard and slow all night.” He breathed in her hair, his hands searching out other places, caressing the side of her breasts before taking them in hand through the fabric of her light, floral dress.
“Did I ever tell you how much I love your breasts?” Ben nuzzled into her neck, placing a kiss over her pulse point before sliding lower. Arial’s mind grew hazy with all the touching and kissing, and she could only manage a, “Uh, huh…”
“Ben.”
His head jerked up at Steve’s bark of his name. It also made Arial blink and glance up at Steve. Instant worry flowed through her, killing the romantic mood in a split second. Steve’s lips were pressed into a thin line, tight with anger. “We’ve got a problem.”
Ben pulled off her, and Arial swung her legs around in the long deck chair. “What’s wrong?” Arial asked first.
Steve sighed and sat down on the chair opposite, gathering her hands in his.
“Arial, we need to tell you something, but don’t worry, nothing between us has changed. Remember you’re ours to protect. We will not let anyone hurt you again, ever, is this clear?”
She swallowed and nodded, but still felt slightly dizzy with confusing thoughts and the sudden change of pace.
“What’s happened?” Ben asked.
“I didn’t want anything to spoil this day, but some things need to be dealt with. When you first came to us, I asked a trusted friend, who also specialises in security, to track down your asshole ex and keep an eye on him. I ordered my friend to make sure he didn’t try to do anything stupid, like try and find you.”
She didn’t realise she was trembling until Ben wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her into his lap while her mind processed what Steve told her.
“You’ve known where he is, okay, but what does it have to do with now?” It hit her; ice slid through her veins at the thought. “He’s trying to find me, isn’t he?”
Steve glanced at Ben and Ben’s arm which was around her waist tightened slightly. “The man on the phone was the security agent. Your asshole ex has slipped the surveillance and has been spotted in Melbourne, asking questions trying to find you.”
“Don’t worry sweetheart, he won’t.” Ben added with firm assurance. “There is no way we would allow it to happen. Remember, your safe with us.”
She sighed. Yes, Carl was a major asshole, and though those feelings of worthlessness at his hands held memoires lodged in her mind, she was no longer the same person. Everything she held dear and trusted were right here, close to her.
“I don’t know why you’re frowning so much, smile lines are much better on your face. I do trust you. So what if he’s trying to find me, there’s nothing he can do about it.”
Her heart lit with pleasure when Steve’s frown turned upside down, showing exactly how gorgeous he really is. “You’re a most amazing woman, and I love you.”
“I know.” She grinned cheekily. Ben’s chest rumbled with his laughter.
“Sorry but we need to cut our little holiday short and head home. The sooner Ben and I let your asshole ex know you are not available, he won’t come looking for you again.”
“As long as we get to come back for a longer visit next time.”
Steve’s grin was infectious. “Done deal, baby. We’ll go deal with the trash and then we can stay here as long as you like.” Laughter bubbled up when Steve pulled her out of Ben’s arms and into his, kissing her breathless. Ben crowded in at her back, taking over ravishing her mouth when Steve broke away.
No, she wasn’t going to let anyone take away
the way she felt now, because facts never lied. The fact was, she loved and was bonded to the most amazing men in the world.
* * * *
Barely ten minutes into the trip home, she had fallen asleep snuggled into Steve’s side. “We’ve got to stop wearing her out so much.” Ben said softly, glancing in the rear view mirror at their sleeping one.
“You swear off sex for a week and see what it does for you. I’m sure she’ll be much better rested if there’s only one of us making love to her.”
“Like fuck that’s going to happen, stop making up stupid ideas.”
“Then, how do you suggest we stop tiring her out?”
Ben racked his brain. “Extra vitamins, stamina training?”
Steve snorted. “That’s even more stupid. I like her all soft and round and fuck if I’m going to change it, but the vitamins sound like a good idea and middle of the road.”
Yeah, he adored all her soft curves too. He sighed as he flicked on the headlights. He could do an ocular partial shift and easily see in the dark, but it was always important to keep up the appearance of normality around humans, and it could draw unwanted attention from the cops.
A light up ahead caught his attention. Ben slowed the car, but easily saw beyond the reach of the headlights as they drew closer. Someone crashed their car into a tall gum tree.
“Shit, look there’s a body by the passenger side door.” Steve and his lion vision must have spotted the body of a woman laying by the car at the same time. Ben rolled the car to a stop and pulled the hand brake. Steve had already untangled himself from their still sleeping Arial. He left the motor running with the heater on, it turned chilly outside.
Steve was out first, mobile in his hand calling the emergency services while Ben hurried to the woman, hoping she was still alive. He dropped to his knees and carefully felt along the woman’s back, checking for broken bones. He felt the rise and fall of her chest and heaved a relived sigh as he gingerly rolled her over.
“Fuck.” Shock rocked him to his core. She was battered and bruised, a large cut along the side of her head where blood ran down and matted into her blond tresses. There was something familiar about this woman, even with the blond hair tinged red and stuck to the side of her face; it was hard to make out her features with all the swelling.
“I don’t like this.” Suspicion laced Steve’s tone while he leaned over Ben’s shoulder. “This doesn’t make sense. To me, she looks remarkably like bulimic Belinda, but these injuries are not ones you get in a car accident. She’s been beaten.” Ben nodded in agreement. The minor dent in the car was nothing, even if she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. A chill ran down Ben’s spine, they both felt it, something dangerous.
A door slamming made their heads turn sharply and the BMW’s engine revved and they saw a figure of a man behind the wheel. “Fuck, it’s a trap!” Steve voiced it before Ben could. Tires screeched, and the car sped off in a puff of burnt rubber.
“Arial!” Ben’s heart rate shot up in a second; he moved to run after their hijacked car, but Steve gripped his arm, yanking him to a halt. A veil of rage dropped over his vision. “The asshole ex has our one, let me the fuck go!” He struggled against Steve’s grip.
“Calm down and think clearly for a second. First, the ambulance is on its way to help Belinda. Clearly, we’ve been played by the asshole. No more fucking pussy footing around. He’s taken our one and this time, we do it our way. It’s time to meld and take this fucker out once and for all.”
His lips twisted into a grin he knew would curdle milk. Fuck yes, it didn’t matter if it was dark and the car was speeding. Their beasts contained their one’s scent embedded into their soul, there was no place the asshole could hide her. It was time to meld. There wasn’t any need for words while they strode into the trees, casually removing their clothing as they went. Steve took the lead holding out his hands to his meld partner. Ben put his on Steve’s, closing his eyes, feeling the energy start to build and flow between them. Hearts, minds and bodies merged into one. Legs, feet, and wings flowed free while their melded Gryphon rose into the night sky. Amazing as it was to feel the wind through feathers and claws, their sharp eyes scanned the distance, easily picking up the scent. Their thoughts centred on one thing, finding their one and destroying the person who took her from them.
Chapter Thirteen
Arial jolted awake at being suddenly and violently thrown across the back seat of Steve’s car.
“Well, the sleeping bitch is finally awake.” A familiar, sarcastic tone said from the driver’s seat. Dread washed through her, making her stomach churn at the sound of Carl’s voice. What the hell was he doing driving Steve’s car! What in the blazes was going on? Her head churned and she felt slightly dizzy. It couldn’t be true, it was one big, fucking nightmare. She rubbed her eyes and blinked again, but still she knew the outline of his face from the faint lighting of the car’s dashboard. She glanced out the window into the darkness as the car sped along the road.
She swallowed, trying to moisten her dry throat before talking, “Carl?”
“Who else, you stupid bitch; I finally caught you. Baby, this time I’m not playing nice.”
“Where are Ben and Steve? How did you get the car; what the hell is going on?”
“Shut up, bitch!” Carl spat with such venom, she cringed back into the plush interior. “I ask the questions here and you answer them, got it. You’re nothing but a fat whore, slutting it for two men. Clearly, I didn’t teach you your place the first time. Oh, but I will, little slut, I will.”
The air around her felt restrictive while she struggled to suck in slower, calming breaths. Where were Ben and Steve, did Carl do something to them? Oh, god, think Arial. I can’t let him get to me. Sticks and stones can hurt. Not his words. They can only harm you if you let them.
She clung to everything she learned and grew to believe. He would never drag her back down into the pit of despair again. Staring at him, she realised he held no power over her anymore. Her men loved her. Her men…anger bubbled up overriding the fear. “Where are my men, you asshole; if you’ve harmed them in any way.”
“I said shut the fuck up! I didn’t give you permission to talk, slut!”
Oh, hell no! She wasn’t going to be talked to like this by anyone. She wasn’t afraid of the asshole ex.
“I don’t need your permission, asshole, and that’s exactly what you are, a first class dirt under my shoe, asshole! I have a better life and men who love me, so you shut the hell up. Stop this car right now!”
Carl slammed on the breaks, flinging Arial forward over the centre console. Carl grabbed her hair. She screamed as pain ripped through her scalp, Carl pulling hard, yanking her into the front seat. Relief was fleeting when he let go of her hair, and then pain exploded across the side of her face where he slapped her hard, jerking her head back and thrusting it against the passenger side window.
Dazed, she tried to focus through the haze of shock and pain. “You’ve gotten fucking lippy since you’ve been away. Did you really think it would be that easy to leave me? You really are a lot dumber than I first thought. You’re mine, bitch, I don’t let go of what’s mine.” He hissed, gripping the steering wheel and accelerating again. “Put the fucking seat belt on, I don’t want to get pulled over by nosey cops.”
A loud scream of an eagle suddenly boomed over the car, making her and Carl jump with sudden fright. Eagle! Her heart picked up with sudden hope; this meant at least Ben was alright.
“What the fuck is that?” Carl tried to peer out the window and up, in the direction of the noise.
Ignoring the pain, Arial grabbed her seat belt and tugged it around her body, clicking it into place while noting Carl’s wasn’t done up.
She gave a dry laugh. “You really have no idea who you’re fucking with asshole, my men aren’t ordinary. They’re coming for me and will tear you to shreds.”
Carl snorted. “Those two fucking pansies, I…” A garbled, choked sound came from Carl�
�s throat as two massive, razor sharp claws curled around the car, piercing the metal and shattering the front side windows. Glass fragments rained down on them both and a huge, Whoosh, whoosh sound rushed through the now opened windows with the swirling wind. Two more claws did the same with the back of the car; the engine revved loudly and Carl screamed when the entire car lifted off the ground.
Arial gripped tightly to the door’s arm rest while they went up higher and higher into the air. Four claws—this could only mean one thing—her men finally melded! Excitement and adrenaline pumped through her veins, making her feel giddy. She leaned forward to look out the front window to see the lion’s body move into the head of Ben’s eagle; two eyes peered down at her, and then let out another screech. It floored her to see them both turn into a lion and eagle, but this was even more magnificent. This is what they were building up to, and she was so proud of them. She would have expressed it, if not for the current situation, which is why they melded into a Gryphon in the first place.
Fear and panic showed in Carl’s wide eyes and his higher pitched voice. “What the fuck is that thing!”
“That ‘thing’ is my Gryphon. Kidnapping me put you on top of their shit list. I’m their one, the soul and heart that beats for them. I warned you my men weren’t ordinary.” She leered menacingly at Carl. “You are so fucked now, asshole. I told you my men would tear you to shreds. Wait until they get those claws around your stupid neck.”
“No, no, no! This isn’t happing. Make it stop. Tell them, tell that…that thing to put me down!”
Her sense of power and worth surged through her. “Oh, no, asshole. I give the orders here and you fucking take them.”
She was glad she belted up as the car swung sideways when her Gryphon changed direction. The car leaned forward, and her stomach pitched when they suddenly dropped. Through the front window and by the light of the waxing moon, she saw they were headed for an open paddock surrounded by National Park native trees. A few meters from the ground, the car dropped. She clung tight feeling the BMW’s suspension making the car bounce against the earth.
Between Feather and Fur (Gryphon Melds #1) Page 12