“One of the things you have to love about the military is that they give you the best toys to play with. Unchain her.”
“You can’t just come in here and tell me what to do.”
“Your right.”
Roger pushed his chest out. Dev raised his gun and shot him in the leg. He screamed as he fell to the ground his friends raised their hands and moved backward. One ran for the back door of the shack.
“He’s dead anyone else want to escape?”
“I didn’t do anything wrong. My friend invited me to a party I came.”
“Does this look like a party? Or do you always go to parties where naked and abused women are tied to the bed.”
“Is that a trick question?”
“Evil and stupid.”
“Man, she likes it. She wants it. They are always willing.”
“Are you telling me that my wife asked to have all of you gang rape her? That she was begging Roger to shoot her?”
“Are you crazy? She’s fucking married, and you shot her! Were you planning on killing her?” He stared at Roger. “You were going to kill her.”
“I’m not buying the act, but it was a nice try.”
“Look I didn’t know I swear I didn’t.”
“Jerry you’re lying. Your dick was so hard for Marissa when I told you who she was.”
“Shut up Roger why should I have to die with you? I’m not deep into this shit like you are. You never told me you were going to kill the B…”
“Because I knew it wouldn’t matter to you.”
Another one fled out the back door.
“I like our numbers three to one. I’m going to give the three of you a sporting chance since you like to play games of life and death.”
“Hold on love, Lore is coming in to free you.”
He walked in the door wearing nothing but a pair of jogging pants.
“Those first two were fun to play with. Unfortunately, they stopped twitching to soon.”
He searched the room until he found the keys to the chains in a duffle bag.
“I should have thrown them away.” The sneer in Roger’s voice could be heard.
“You’re right. You might have died easier if you had.”
Lore undid the chains and slid one of Dev’s tees over her.
“Your mate said an angel gave you this.” He handed her the small vial Eden had pressed into her hand.
He turned without another word and walked out.
“Walkout the back door.” He motioned the gun towards the door.
Roger went to turn but instead dove for his duffle bag and the gun that Lore never touched. Dev hit him upside the head with the butt of his gun.
His two friends ran for the back door only to stop screaming in fear.
He pulled Roger up by his throat and shoved him towards the back door stopping to take a look at Rissa. She still held the vial Eden gave her cupped in her hands.
“I’m fine.”
The sound of her voice calmed him down. It was the only thing that was keeping him calm. He wanted to shoot them all when he first walked in, but she had caressed him keeping his body at ease even as his animals demanded blood.
“Are you sure.”
“Yes, go do what you need to do.”
He stepped out onto the stairs where the three of them huddled together as two full-grown panthers growled at them with the intent to scare them and laugh about it later. They never got a chance to look at each other in animal form. They were magnificent, handsome even in some platonic those are my brother’s way.
His lips curled into a smile because Rissa was laughing at him.
“The panther on the right is Lore, the male that released Rissa from the chains.” Lore was a little bigger than Ben. But he was bigger than Ben in his human form. “The one on the right is Ben. You didn’t get a chance to meet him.”
“The military approached me telling me some bull about men being able to change into animals. I laughed at them. Men can’t change into animals, I told them that and now I’m telling you that. That’s impossible.”
“There was a time in my life that I thought it was impossible for a man to treat a woman the way you treated my mate. Turns out we were both wrong.”
“Jerry, you and your friend here get a chance to live. My friends are going to give you a ten-minute head start. If you can avoid them, you can live. What are you waiting for? Times a ticking.”
They took off heading toward the trees.
“Why don’t we go around front where we’ll have a better view.”
*~*~*~*
Rissa was sitting up in the bed listening to her body slowly shut down. It wasn’t like she could go anywhere else. She was dying, and she knew it. The only thing that might help was the vial in her hand.
Eden told her she would know what it was for when the time came. It was for right now, but the problem was she wasn’t sure she was meant to survive. If she lived would she be a burden on Dev? How much would this tiny little vial fix? It didn’t look big enough to fix all her problems. What if it did fix them and all she had to do was live with the memories?
The memories shouldn’t be a problem, but they were. They were crowding around her like the spirits of the dead who wanted nothing more than to drag her into the grave with them. Was dying blissful peace or was there a colder or hotter hell behind death? One more blistering for her inability to escape it.
That was one of the questions she had.
“Mate.”
What about her mate? What would it do to Dev if he walked back in here to find her dead? He was giving her the space she needed by waiting for her to be the first one to make contact. She could feel his worry it reached out to her and wrapped her in bubble wrap if only bubble wrap could keep her safe. Dev, on the other hand, kept keeping her safe. He kept coming after her and he always would she had no doubt about that.
Would it be right to keep him that position? They military was never just going to let her go, and neither was the government. What right did she have to make his life miserable?
“Mate.”
He was her mate. She closed her eyes and leaned into her arms as their time together flowed through her memories coming fast followed by smiles and laughter. There was him holding her the first time she woke up. Then there was his incredible scent that drew her to him. He was good to his core. It was so unfair for her to have to give him up.
The vial in her hand pulsed with energy, with life. When she first received it the substance inside was a cloudy, milky white. Now it was jeweled tone catching the light in the room and refracting it.
Death would be so easy, to lie down and never get back up again. Life was hard because she would have to face Dev, face Lore, and Ben. They would know what he had done to her. They saw how he had beat her. No, this time he hadn’t defiled her body, but they would know it happened to her before at his hands. She would have to hold her head up and know she was more than one bad experience in her life or one bad period in her life.
She had to believe she was worthy of being loved. That’s what it boiled down to. What did she really believe?
She lowered her head and watched the vial in her hand and when she could no longer linger in the abyss of not knowing she flicked the lid open. Her tongue came out to lick her lips before she tilted her head backward and let the warm liquid slide own her throat.
That vial must have been bigger than it looked because there was more liquid in there than she thought. She laid back on the bed and waited. There was heat running through her body touching every inch of her until she began to tingle. It felt like she was being rearranged, cured, or made whole.
Maybe something entirely different was happening to her. Whatever it was in this minute she approved of it. Without thinking she pushed to her feet and walked across the room. She looked down her legs were healed. She ran to the bathroom there wasn’t any sign of the abuse she went through.
Elation fought with sadness. Part of her was thr
illed to be healed, but another part didn’t want to risk forgetting what she had gone through. She didn’t want to easily trust.
“Never forget.”
Her lion self was right they would never forget.
“Rissa?”
She ran into the other room at the sound of Dev’s voice.
“You’re healed.”
“I am. Physically and mentally. Why is he still alive?”
“Because he’s not my kill, he’s yours. Lore and Ben took care of the other four. When you were captured both times, they hurt with me, hurt with you. This time I was able to direct us to you, but there was nothing they could do. They deserved to kill the ones that caused them such pain. You deserve to kill Roger. He made your life miserable. I know this isn’t the human way, but you’re not human anymore. If you leave him alive, he’ll just do it to another woman.”
Her mind stumbled over itself. Kill the man who was behind the heartache and physical pain of her adulthood. To have a chance to show him that she wasn’t weak and the other women he hurt weren’t weak. She could demand her own pound of flesh.
She walked up to Dev and hugged him from behind. “Yes.”
She stepped in front of him. “Watch very carefully.”
She pulled Dev’s shirt off and fell to all fours. Her body began to break apart and reassemble itself until she stood in her lion form. She stretched before opening her mouth to show her teeth she was magnificent, and she knew it.
“You have ten minutes I’d run if I were you.”
He ran out the front door dragging his leg behind him as he made his way to his car. He patted himself down looking for the keys. Dev stood against the door frame with his keys dangling from his fingers.
“Eight minutes.”
He took off for the woods. Rissa rubbed herself against Dev until he said “Now.”
She took off after Roger all the ways she could torture him flowed through her mind. When she found him, he had climbed a tree. He must not know that lions could climb and kill from trees.
“You’ll never get me up here. But I’ll get you. When I get down, I’m going to hunt you down and kill all your friends one by one. Then I’m going to skin you alive.”
She stared at him with her golden eyes. It amazed her that when she saw her reflection that her eyes had changed color too. As she looked up at him, she realized she didn’t want to torture him. That would make her like him. She simply wanted justice for herself and all his victims. His death would do nicely.
Using her hind legs, she jumped into the tree.
“How the hell did you do that?” He screamed as he fell out the tree.
He got up and started running she chased him down pouncing on his back. She ripped his throat out and left the body. She ran until she got back to the shack where Dev, Lore, and Ben waited for her. She went inside before she took her body back. She shuddered when she thought of what she did, then she put on Dev’s shirt and walked outside
The Jeep was waiting when she came out
“How?”
“Talon,” he replied. They loaded up. He placed her on his lap and covered in her in what she now thought of as her blanket. She burrowed deep into his chest and said nothing as they took off.
Chapter Twenty-five
She almost wanted to cry when she opened her eyes and found herself staring up at one of those fancy hotels, the kind with room service and doormen. The kind people went to when they went on big vacations. She knew there would be other dingy motels in their future until they got where they were going but if she had to look at one of them right now she might just scream
Dev got it. He didn’t have to ask or poke around in her mind, he just got it. Once again, she was amazed at how he was totally the right male for her.
“The hotel was willing to let us enter the back door after they realized you were royalty that was almost killed, which meant you weren’t properly attired.”
“Dev.” She smiled at him and couldn’t say much else.
“You are royalty. You’re my lion queen. Be glad I haven’t decided to make them bow when you walk by.”
She laid in his arms. The way he treated her stunned her, in his eyes she truly was royalty.
They left the Jeep running and entered the hotel.
“What about the Jeep?”
“We’re leaving it.”
She nodded it was time to get another vehicle. They took the elevator up to their room which was several doors down from Lore and Ben who each had a private room.
When they walked inside, there was a living room with a bathroom off to one side and a bedroom off to the other side.
“This is too much.”
“No, it’s not. We may be out to help the underserved but believe me, we do enough jobs for the rich that we could retire today and never want for anything. The hotel sent up a change of clothes for you on the house.”
“Why?”
“Royalty.”
“When you’re done they have several boutiques in the hotel that carry expensive and moderate clothing. They will be expecting you and your two bodyguards to come and shop.”
“Bodyguards?” Her eyes widened as her brows shot up.
“Lore and Ben have decided they will protect you while I sleep. According to them the only time my eyes have closed was when I have been injured.”
“Dev—.”
“I’m fine I promise. Right now, I want you to take a shower I know you want one .”
“Are you sure?”
“I am, go. Use all the hot water, I don’t care.”
Her lips turned up as she remembered the first shower she took when they were together.
She stepped under the spray of the hot water pouring over her skin. There were going to be days like this. She remembered how hard it was the first time she recovered from being abused, but she didn’t have Dev at her side then.
Everything that happened ran through her mind, but the one thing that stayed was crawling outside and being made to lay I her own waste. That thought and image didn’t want to go away it was promising to haunt her at night and when she least expected it.
Stepping out of the shower she started to draw a bath. She shook her head and refused to wonder just how much he paid for this room. One toe in showed the bath was hot. She sucked in her breath and slid into it. The heat helped to make her feel clean. It scrubbed her skin of the eyes looking at her and the hands touching her as they waited for everyone to show up.
Maybe a bottle of liquor would purge her mind from the remembered fear, the understanding that today she would die. Closing her eyes, she laid back on the side of the tub enjoying the water.
“Rissa?”
His voice sounded sleepy making her concerned about him.
“You’ve been in there for a while, I’m just checking.”
“I’m coming out now.”
She pulled the plug and grabbed a towel. All it took was one look at him to make her heart stutter. He was exhausted, and still, he was trying to push himself up from the bed.
“No.” She climbed over him before she wrapped her body around him. “It’s time to sleep, don’t worry I’ll make sure you stay safe.”
And she did.
*~*~*~*
She smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror. She eventually got to go shopping with Lore and Ben as her bodyguards. It was fun. They made sure everyone jumped to do her bidding and let it be known they would be reporting back to her king what happened in the stores.
Dev would have to find a way to leave a thank you behind for the hotel and its staff when they left.
“Are you ready?”
“I am. Where are we going?”
“I’m taking my queen to dinner.”
She slipped her arm through his. They left the hotel and once again were walking. They could have taken the courtesy car the hotel set up for them, but she wanted to enjoy the stars.
“I don’t know any of the constellations. I know their names but wh
ere they’re located in the sky is a mystery to me.”
He pointed out the big dipper making sure she would always know where it was.
“When we get to our home I’ll make sure you know them all.”
“I can’t wait to see this magical land of ours.” The smile on her face wouldn’t leave as she dreamed about their land and their house.
When they walked into the trendy restaurant, she knew it was a place that catered to others. She stuck out her wrist, and the maître d winked at her before he verified her reservations then Dev’s. He took them to a table where Talon and Zayro were already sitting.
“I’m happy that you decided to stay with us.” Zayro stood and gave her a hug before smiling at Dev.
“I’m happy with the decision I made too.”
The waitress came and brought their food. Dev took a look at Talon who shrugged.
“I thought I’d get a head start on dinner.”
Rissa put her hand on Dev’s leg and waited for him to relax.
“Thank you.”
Talon smiled at her. “You’re welcome.”
“How did the angel know?”
“She’s an angel. Seems the females have gifts just like you do. No one knows what she’ll be able to do. At one time she was human like you and I. All I know is she woke up one day and told her mate they needed to craft something special for a female shifter. I was smart enough to stay out of that one.”
“Please give her my thanks.”
“I will, but I have a feeling you’ll be seeing her again.”
Dev eyed his plate before he finally took a bite. “This isn’t bad.”
Talon looked at Rissa. “You’re welcome.”
She laughed and put beef Wellington on the list on things her mate would eat.
“What’s next?” Dev looked at Talon.
“You go on.”
He nodded, the male was keeping secrets, but he didn’t blame him. Knowing the future wouldn’t help them because they still needed to live it. He wanted to ask him about Lore and Ben, but he kept silent. If he didn’t know, then he could do everything in his power to make sure their lives turned out as well as his did.
Dev's Mate (Shifters on the run Book 2) Page 15