Crystal debated stopping long enough to rip her dress off. She could wad it up and shove it in her purse in case she needed it later, but she’d rather just throw it away. She wanted nothing between her and the world. Only the fact that it didn’t slow her down kept her from discarding it.
She ran on instead and splashed through a puddle. She let out a delighted yelp from the sensation of water and mud on her foot. It tickled her senses. She left it behind, angling down a narrow hill and not slowing until she burst out of the tree line and jogged up onto the shoulder of a dirt road. She slowed to a stop and took in several deep breaths.
The damp night air was filled with flavors. Earth, wet and freshly turned by worms and other insects seeking moisture and air. The sharp tang of fear from an animal being stalked by a nocturnal predator, as well as the musky scent of that predator. She pulled it in and let it coil in her nose and throat. A fox, she decided. Something other than the coyotes she’d left behind.
Other than a soft rustle of trees and fresh growing leaves, the forest was quiet. The wind faded, leaving the air still and moist. She luxuriated in it and closed her eyes to pull it in. Crystal stood still on the side of the road and centered herself in the nature around her. This was what she was meant to do. Where she was meant to be. Free. Wild. Untamed.
She reached for her dress and started to pull it up when reality caught up to her. She couldn’t do that. She was a human being. A person who was part of society. She had school and class and, one day, a job and responsibilities. Sure, she hoped she’d be able to turn into a wolf whenever she wanted and run with her pack, but that would be a blessing and a gift, not a way of life.
She sighed and let her dress fall back down. No, she was a young woman who had a life to return to. She had friends and a mother who needed her. And she had her other family, her pack. But how long would they humor her if she couldn’t shift and join them fully? Hank might wait forever, but the others? She doubted it.
She let out another sigh, this one borne of frustration, and turned to look around. It was still quiet, almost deathly still. The wind had died and she heard nothing save her own feet brushing the grasses and weeds. Something about it seemed odd. Shouldn’t there have been noises? Insects, at least? Maybe frogs or birds? Or had she spooked them into silence?
Crystal frowned. She’d run right past deer, coyotes, a raccoon, and a few other nighttime animals. Why would they wait until now to be bothered by her? She turned again and peered into the shadows of the forest. Had it been quiet near Hank’s trailer, too? Was this how it was at night so close to her and her new friends?
Or was something else out there? Another Beast? Or had Clover lied about the one she’d defeated? She sniffed the air again. There was another scent on it. A stink of metal and machinery. Crystal lowered herself, squatting at first and then putting the fingers of one hand against the ground. She craned her neck and used all her senses. Her nose twitched as she imagined she caught a whiff of that deadly herb Hank had told her about. Nightshade.
Her breath hissed between her teeth and she spun back to look into the woods she’d come out of. Could she run back to Hank’s trailer and bury herself in his arms? Pretend she’d never left? It would be better. Safer, at least, to be there than out here, surrounded by hunters.
They were here, she knew that now. She tasted a touch of stale tobacco in the air, either exhaled or maybe just the stink of a man’s clothing. She glanced down at her arm and saw the white fur. She was so close. She just needed to change. Needed to make herself shift so she could run like a wolf and escape into the forest. No man or beast on two legs could catch her then.
The sound of someone—or something—snuffling came from the woods between her and her pack. She twisted again but didn’t see anything. She heard grunting. Grunting a strangled growl. Something was out there with her. More than just the hunters; it was something primal, like her. Yet not like her, for she was terrified.
She winced as her feet cramped and snapped. Her hand on the ground contorted and felt like she’d plunged it from a pit of glowing coals to a pit of icy water. Rather than be frozen by fear and pain or examine what had happened, she dug the sharp claws of her toes into the ground and lurched ahead even as she pulled herself along with her left arm.
She took three explosive strides before she straightened up to run with just her legs. Her feet pounded across the hard packed dirt road, kicking dirt behind her and driving her to run faster. She had to get away; that was all she knew. Later, once she was free, she could circle back to Hank and the others.
That meant she had to fly. She had to run faster than she’d ever run before. If she could do it on four legs instead of two, there’d be no doubt. She’d already gone from bookworm to track star. Now she needed more. She needed to be a wolf.
“Please,” she hissed as she leaned forward and forced her thighs to pump against the ground harder to keep her from falling. “Help me!”
Her eyes and feet changed when she needed them. Now she needed the rest of her body to do what she needed it to. For once, just once in her life, she begged her body to listen to her. Dress and purse be damned; she knew she could find a way out of them as long as she could shift.
She lifted her arms forward and threw herself into the air…only to be stunned by the impact.
She rolled and felt her dress rip while dirt and stones scraped at her. Her purse was torn away, the strap breaking after rubbing her shoulder and neck raw. When she came to a stop and tried to push herself over and up, she realized the weight that was resting on top of her. She looked up, blinking and trying to see through the hair on her face.
There was a shape on top of her. She could barely make it out other than the white grinning teeth. Teeth with points at the end.
“Crystal!” hissed the man on top of her. Except it wasn’t a man, she knew. Not anymore.
“Chad,” she groaned, as though using his name would make a difference. How had he found her? For that matter, how had he escaped in the first place? “You’re supposed to be locked up!”
“They told me,” he raved. “Told me to find you. Told me I could have you. I just had to lead them to you! Lead them to your dirty friends!”
Crystal blinked as his words sunk in. She bucked, driving the surprised man off her and sending him sprawling. She rolled and put her foot down, digging in with her claws and lunging forward to get away. She hadn’t shifted, but she also hadn’t returned to looking like a norm. Her strong legs propelled her away but she was stopped almost before she started. Her dress ripped further, the skirt tearing before it caught, and the rest of her remaining shoulder strap tore free.
She stumbled and kicked, trying to roll out of the dress and escape. Chad was there, grabbing her legs and yanking her back. She kicked at him, her feet striking his legs and belly. He ignored the punishing blows and fell forward, trapping her legs beneath him. Crystal beat at his head and shoulders with her hands and then reached down to try and push herself out from beneath him.
Her head bumped against something that stopped her. She jerked her gaze up and saw a man staring down at her. A man with a shotgun. It was Chad’s father, Barnaby Dixon. Her eyes went wide and she looked around while Chad scrambled to get a better grip on her. She saw Stephanie’s dad and the other man, as well as two other men she didn’t recognize at first.
She focused on them for a moment and the early morning darkness grew brighter. She sucked in a surprised breath through her nose—not that she could see better all of a sudden, but because she recognized one of the men from posters she’d seen around town. County Sheriff Bill Eaton was one of them.
“Good job, boy,” Barnaby said, forcing her attention back to him. His strong lawyer’s voice was gone. In its place was a softer version that had a hitch in it.
“Let me have her,” Chad panted.
She could feel his erection behind his pants as it pressed against her thigh. Even worse, she could feel the wetness that had soaked throug
h his pants. It made her want to vomit. No, it made her want to kick him in the balls and rip his pecker off. Then she would vomit.
“We need to see what you found here first,” Mr. Edgerton said.
Crystal’s eyes widened. If they looked close, they’d see her feet and hands. They’d see the fur. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Relaxing and trying to just be normal had always worked before. A white light flashed, making her squint in spite of having her eyes shut. She gasped as the pain flared in her feet and hand, telling her that her bones had returned to their natural state.
She blinked her eyes open, fighting back the triumphant smile that tiny amount of control meant. She lifted her head and stared down as a powerful flashlight played across her body. Her breath caught in her throat as she followed it down and saw her upper torso on display. Was that fur or just light reflecting? She blinked, uncertain.
“Move off her, son,” Barnaby ordered.
Chad huffed and whimpered before he shifted his weight and crawled to sit beside her. He reached out and started petting her arm and moved up to her hair. Crystal cringed and tried to scoot away from him.
“Looks normal to me,” the man with the pistol said.
Mr. Edgerton shook his head. “I saw hair.”
“Yeah, she needs to trim her pussy,” the other man said.
“No,” Barnaby said in a voice that sounded closer to his usual powerful tone. “I saw it too. White fur. It disappeared before the light hit it.”
“You sure?”
Barnaby and Robert both nodded.
“Sounds like he done good then. Best give him what’s coming to him.”
Crystal’s breath caught in her throat. Were they really going to just give her to him? She shook her head and started to struggle. Barnaby’s foot stomped down on her shoulder, driving her into the ground and making her cry out in pain. Mr. Edgerton stepped up and jammed something in her belly. It burned like fire and made her scream and thrash.
She stopped a moment later as the fire faded to a warmth that began to spread across her abdomen. She lifted her head and looked down. There was nothing to see except a tiny prick of blood. How could that be responsible for so much pain? She looked up and saw Mr. Edgerton put a cap on a syringe and shove it into his pocket. They’d drugged her with something.
She sniffed, remembering the earlier scent. The smell was stronger. Strong enough it nearly made her gag. How had she missed it before?
“You can’t,” she whimpered as Chad stroked the side of her cheek. A tear ran down her cheek. “Please.”
“You done good, Chad,” Mr. Dixon said. “Damn shame about this. I’m sorry this had to happen.”
Chad looked at Crystal and grinned. He opened his mouth, showing his changing teeth, and leaned forward. A concussion slammed into Crystal and made her entire body jerk in spite of the poison racing through her body. Her senses were assaulted while she tried to make sense of why everything was spinning around her. She smelled sulphur and copper. A stink of blood that was joined a moment later by the stench of an emptied bladder. She felt a cool mist chill her body before the growing numbness warmed it away.
Crystal blinked her eyes open and looked. Chad’s body thrashed on the ground twice more and lay still. His head was misshapen and his face seemed elongated. One eye stared at her but it had lost its focus and glazed over. They killed him.
“Burn the body,” the man with the pistol said. “And take the bitch back. They’ll smell her and follow. We’ll kill all of the godless sons of bitches.”
###
**Part Six**
Chapter 1
Crystal smiled as the sun warmed her face. She’d been cold for so long but now, with the sun driving the dark clouds away, she could be warm again. Her skin tingled as she lay under it, warming her body and adding a tan to skin she’d been too embarrassed to show before.
Not anymore. Now she relished being naked. Clothing was stifling and restrictive. It made her itch and got in the way when she needed to shift. Or it would get in the way, if she could ever figure out how to shift fully and properly.
And then there was Hank. She let out a satisfied moan at the thought of feeling his skin next to hers. His flesh was so warm and firm, he filled her with love and need. He’d more than filled her in other ways too. Ways that left her too sore to stand on her own without help.
Where was Hank? For that matter, where was she? She’d been sleeping with Hank after they’d—she frowned as the memories started coming back. She’d shifted partially and freaked out. He stopped, more than halfway through their lovemaking, and gave her space to calm down. He’d been in misery, she found out later, but he’d done it for her. Because he loved her. Because they were mates.
What about the others? Ember, Adrian, Gwen, and their leader, Guntar. She couldn’t even think of any grassy hills near where the pack was staying. They had a clearing in a small forest. A pasture was a mile or so away through the woods, but that was it.
A cloud blew across the sun, blocking the light. Crystal frowned and tilted her head slightly, trying to reach for it. She struggled to open her eyelids but they felt so heavy. She wanted to sleep, but the ground was hard and it made a funny noise when she moved. Grass didn’t sound like that.
She managed to flutter her eyelids up enough to see a dark shape above her. She gasped, pulling in air through her nose. Her mouth wouldn’t open; something held it shut. Something that pulled at her skin but wouldn’t release her.
Her heart went from barely beating to thundering in her chest. Crystal stiffened and reached for the thing on her face. Her hands stopped within an inch as some kind of cord tugged at her wrists and kept them at her side. Her eyes opened wide and her nostrils flared as she began to pant through her nose. The dark shape above her was a man. Not just a man, but the man she’d seen holding the pistol and keeping Chad under control.
Chad! She remembered him reaching for her. Smiling at her. He wanted her. And then he fell. His blood and brains splattered in a fine mist on her. He twitched as she stared and then laid still. Forever. Dead. Not just dead, but dead by the shotgun in his father’s hands.
She whimpered and struggled again, pulling against the cords that bound her hands, feet, waist, and chest. They burned her skin when she rubbed against them. Not only from rubbing, but there was something else about them that burned her. She whimpered again and laid still.
The man sneered at her and backed away. Light burst into her eyes from the overhead light bulb he’d been blocking. Crystal squinted and blinked, trying to adapt to the intensity.
“She’s awake,” the man said. “You want to test her now?”
“What’s the point?” a tired voice said. She recognized him without looking. Barnaby Dixon, Chad’s father. He sounded different, though. Not just tired, but weak. Defeated. Served him right—he killed his own son!
“We need to be sure,” Robert Edgerton said. He was one of the other elite members of society. His daughter was also in love with Crystal, but that happened entirely by accident. Crystal wondered what Stephanie would think of her dad if she could see him now.
“Fine, then do it. She’s seen too much, regardless.”
“It’s a shame, such a good-looking girl,” Robert said. “A friend of my daughter’s, too. Terrible loss.”
“Yeah,” Barnaby snorted. “Poor you.”
Robert turned on him. “Mind your words! What happened to your son was the devil’s work, to be sure. He was claimed by the Beast and it could happen to any of us. But we must be strong. All of us must. You did the right thing—God’s will—and your sacrifice will not be taken lightly.”
Barnaby dropped his gaze to the ground instead of responding. Robert turned away from him and looked down at Crystal again. He shook his head before picking up a gleaming knife from a shelf along the wooden wall.
Crystal glanced around, too terrified to think of what he was going to do with the knife to dwell on it. She was in a small room with w
ooden walls and a slanted ceiling. The taller wall at the higher end of the slant had a wide wooden door in it. She couldn’t see the ground but the sound of Robert’s boots scuffing and the smell of damp dirt made her guess there was no floor, only ground beneath her.
She could see the wooden table she was on. It creaked as she shifted, but the sounds didn’t betray any weakness she could feel. Between the table and her was some sort of plastic fabric. A tarp, maybe? She didn’t want to guess what its purpose was.
“You look scared,” Robert said as he looked down at her. He shook his head and held up the knife. “This is a silver alloy knife. If we’re right about you, this is going to burn and you won’t heal like you normally do. If we’re wrong…well, then I’m sorry. This will still hurt.”
“Get on with it,” Barnaby grumbled.
Robert frowned and glanced at Crystal’s eyes. She shook her head and tried to scream for him to stop. She couldn’t make out her muffled words behind whatever they’d used to gag her. She knew she had to stop him. Had to find a way to convince him to let her go. The silver would hurt; she knew that much from touching Stephanie’s necklace. She struggled but that only made him put his free hand just above her breast to hold her still. She pleaded and begged behind the gag but his gaze was on her body, not her eyes.
Chapter 2
He lowered his hand and pressed the knife into her shoulder. The blade stung like a hornet when it touched her and then it got worse as he pressed down and broke the skin. The knife felt like a burning coal burrowing deeper into her body. She screamed into the gag and tried to shift out from under it. There was no escape from the pressure and the agony.
He pulled the knife back, ending the assault but not the pain. Crystal’s breath hissed through her nose and she didn’t feel like she could get enough air. Her heart hammered in her chest and everything looked blurry from her tears. She blinked and tried not to cry but she couldn’t even bite her lips to stop herself.
Claimed by the Beast Bundle Page 38