The Dark Monster (A Full Moon Mercy Novel) (shifter / MC romance)

by Ana W. Fawkes

  The thought angered Dr. Carane.

  Standing at the window, he drank from the whiskey bottle, thinking. Something had come to him earlier that day. It was a risky plan and probably very stupid, but love made people do stupid things. Dr. Carane was angry with himself right now because he had his chance. Lucas had been here and Dr. Carane had placed a knife to the man’s throat. All he needed was some blood. Maybe a piece of flesh. Nothing that would really hurt Lucas. But it could end all this.

  It could stop this pregnancy and it could return Debbie back to her old body. The only thing that wouldn’t change would be Debbie’s mind. She would forever remember what happened to her and she would forever fall into the arms of Dr. Carane.

  Debbie looked up at Dr. Carane. She put her hands to the cage she used to gain access outside, and she nodded. (Dr. Carane would never keep her outside in a cage permanently. Not a woman this beautiful.) She bit her lip, looking dirty and seductive. Dr. Carane dropped the bottle of whiskey and rushed to the door. In a matter of seconds, he and Debbie came together in a deep kiss. She then took his hand and moved as fast as her body would allow it. He loved being dragged like this. He loved the feeling of being so desperately wanted and needed. It was something new to the doctor. Yet, he still had complete control over Debbie because without him, she would die.

  She took him to the bedroom and Dr. Carane helped her strip from the waist down. He tried to touch her gently, wanting to feel all of her skin, her body, seduce her and show her true passion, but her body wouldn’t have such a thing. These were instinctive urges and Dr. Carane was happy to help. He positioned himself behind her and thrust deep into Debbie. It didn’t last long, but the first time usually didn’t. Her body was in too much need and Dr. Carane couldn’t control himself.

  After they were done, he sat next to Debbie and touched her hair.

  “He was here to see her,” Debbie whispered.

  “I know, sweet love,” Dr. Carane said. “That’s okay. We don’t need him. We have each other.”

  “You really love me?”

  “Of course I do,” the doctor said. “With all my heart.”

  “But… look at me.”

  “You’re beautiful, Debbie. Full of life and an understanding that nobody else has. I’ve loved you for some time. Trust in me.”

  Debbie groaned and touched her stomach. “I just want this to end.”

  “I can make that happen,” Dr. Carane said.

  “That’s what they all say. From that bitch, Mandy, to Lucas, to that whore of his in the other room. Even you. You all tell me it will end. When?”

  Dr. Carane hugged Debbie tight. He needed to ensure she knew he loved her. “It will end on its own when it’s time. Or I can help.”

  “How?”

  “I need blood or flesh from Lucas,” Dr. Carane said.

  “He was just here.”

  “I know. I couldn’t do this without you, Debbie. I need you to tell me what you want.”

  “Do you have to kill Lucas?”

  “Hardly. I just need blood or flesh.”

  “What’s that going to do?”

  “To make it simple,” Dr. Carane said as he stared into Debbie’s eyes, “I’m going to force the life out of your body.”

  “Will that harm… it?”

  “What it will do, my sweet love, is make sure you survive. Then we can be together. I can take care of your body with my hands. I can take care of your pleasure with my body. And I can take care of your soul with my love.”

  Debbie swallowed and nodded. “Please. Yes. Please. This feeling…”

  “Say no more,” Dr. Carane said.

  Debbie didn’t speak again. She put her hand to the back of the doctor’s head and pulled him down for a kiss. The kiss was never just a kiss, and soon Dr. Carane found himself climbing on top of Debbie. He had never made love to her like this before. This was new and different. This was becoming romantic. It was so real. And it made sense. If Lucas wasn’t going to be man enough to care for Debbie, then Dr. Carane would do it. And perhaps if Debbie - and Vincent - wanted it, he could take care of the problem next door. With the simple command, Leah’s life could end too.

  *

  Vince sat at the head of the table, his hands in fists. A bottle was placed between his hands and he stared at it. The table was full and smoke hung in the air. The room was deadly quiet and somber.

  There was plenty running through Vince’s mind at that moment, but the most important thing was to make sure Seth had a proper burial. He may have been the weakest of the club and he may have really botched killing Leah, but he was still a member of Full Moon Mercy. Death wasn’t supposed to come to the club and when it did, it was hard. Especially murder.

  Vince looked up at the table. “We have a lot running through our bodies right now, don’t we?”

  Everyone nodded.

  Vince looked at Lucas. His eyes were cold and deep. Being connected so deep made it so Lucas could sense a lot of what Vince thought and felt. That was okay though, Vince wanted it. In his mind and heart, he now had a son. The one thing he and Mandy could never conceive, he now had.

  “What happened to Seth wasn’t an accident,” Vince said. “We aren’t going to walk with hearts that believe so. This was murder. A bullet took his life. A bullet that should have never been fired.”

  “A bullet that was part of a set up,” Lucas said. “And a bullet I take responsibility for.”

  “No,” Cooper said. “No, bro, don’t do that.”

  “I am,” Lucas said. He looked at Vince and Vince nodded.

  Vince didn’t mind letting Lucas dig this emotional hole deeper. Emotions made people weak. Even people who were beasts. There was time when Lucas seemed so lost and confused, it made Vince wonder if the shifter would ever be able to sit at the head of the table and command a crew.

  “We were set up,” Lucas said. “Reckingdune knew what we were doing and made it look like we took back on our deal with the Oreno. That’s why the bullets started flying and that’s why our brother Seth is gone now.”

  “It was an ambush,” Zayne said. “A fucking ambush.”

  Zayne’s face was still messed up with thick cuts that were scabbed and bubbly. He had been somewhat of a loose cannon since that day with the Oreno crew. He wanted revenge for his face and Vince had tried to keep a close eye on Zayne, hoping he wouldn’t do anything too stupid.

  “It was what it was,” Vince cut in. “And it’s done now. We will deal accordingly, as needed. This is not a day to leave our hearts heavy but to leave our hearts in memory of all the time we had with Seth. Perhaps we can honor him by remembering what our brotherhood means to us. There are enemies all around us. The Reckingdune had made it clear they want a war. The Oreno are not to be trusted, but with our current deal, we are safe.”

  “Plus,” Lucas said, “they’re not dumb enough to come near us after what they did.”

  “Right,” Vince said. “So, today, right now, we say goodbye to one our brothers and we reflect on the brothers we still have with us. And how important it is to respect that brotherhood. To listen. To understand. Full Moon Mercy is not weaker with the passing of Seth. We are stronger. We are closer now. Not that I want to take a moment away from Seth and his memory, but I have claimed a son of my own, finally.” Vince reached for his bottle and lifted it. The rest of the table did so. “This is for Seth. But it’s also for Lucas. I’ve claimed him as a son and that means the bond within the club is stronger. The blood we have is now shared and that means one day Lucas will sit here in command and the future of Full Moon Mercy will continue.”

  The table cheered and drank. Everyone looked at Lucas and nodded, giving respect to the new son of the club. Vince could sense in Lucas the exact same Lucas could sense in him. This wasn’t what Lucas wanted. He had resisted it for so long. But when that one bullet threatened to take Leah’s life, Lucas caved for her health and protection. That was okay because this was what the club needed. Vince needed to c
laim Lucas to make it stronger.

  Vince whistled and the table calmed down.

  “Now, it’s time we rise and we honor our brother. Lucas, I will pass the torch to you, son, on this one. You lead the way.”

  “Cooper rides next to me,” Lucas said.

  “Fair enough,” Vince said. “I ride behind solo. And the rest behind me.”

  Everyone stood and left the room. The attired was black. Everything had to be black. From the leather cuts to t-shirts, to pants and boots. It all had to be black. They were all to wear black sunglasses and were forbidden to remove them during the ride and the ceremony for Seth. That was because, as shifters, their eyes were going to be changing from human to animal to human the entire time. They all needed to be close together to keep anyone from losing control and shifting. Burying one of their own was indeed like burying a brother.

  The room cleared out and Vince sat alone. He knew he wouldn’t be alone for long. The door opened and Mandy came walking in. She was dressed in a long black dress that hugged her curvy body tight. Her long, perfect face had a solemn look to it, matching her black hair perfectly, along with her dark eyes. She slowly walked to Vince. He turned in his chair and waited for the love of his life to come to him. She stood before him and offered her hand. Vince took it and kissed it. He watched then as Mandy’s eyes flickered from their dark state to a bright yellow color for a second before returning to human form.

  Vince smiled.

  “You know how to make me feel at peace,” he whispered.

  “Not a peaceful day for us,” Mandy said.

  “Don’t say that,” Vince said. “Seth was a good man and a tough beast, but he wasn’t cut out for this life. Maybe it’s by better judgement that this is happening. Teaches lessons all around.”

  “Such as?”

  Vince stroked Mandy’s hand. “Seth was weak and he would have ended up dead no matter what. He failed to complete a simple task I asked him to do. And his death shows and proves to the rest of this club that we may be immortal in our hearts as beasts, but we are as mortal as humans when we walk among humans. It’s pretty hard to take in, isn’t it?”

  “You have a way with words,” Mandy said. “But it makes me scared. Very scared.”

  Vince stood and slid his hands around Mandy’s waist. “Me too, my love. Me too. But this death will stay fresh in our minds. We need to seek necessary revenge and then welcome the birth our bloodline.”

  “Lucas’s bloodline,” Mandy said.

  “No, my love. Lucas is my son. If he were to die, that child would be mine.”

  “Vincent…”

  Vince smiled. “No. I would never suggest Lucas’s death. I’m just telling you how much this means to us. You and I. Lucas is now the son we never had. It’s coming together for us and for the club. We’re stronger now, starting with this moment.”

  Vince gently kissed Mandy and he took her hand. He led the way from the conference room and stood as the rest of the MC made a path for their President. Lucas stood at the front of the line, holding the door open.

  It was time to say goodbye to Seth.

  4

  Lucas rode with nobody and nothing in front of him but the open road. It was freedom pounding against his face, the call of the motorcycle engine, but nothing inside Lucas felt free. Emotions were high and would remain that way until Seth’s death faded. Everyone was ready to enact on revenge, yet they couldn’t because of Leah and Debbie. Both women were problems Lucas created. He may not have cared so much before, but right now the anger and guilt really got to him.

  With Cooper next to him Lucas felt okay.

  Through the streets of Mercy it sounded like thunder. That thundering sound drew attention, but it quickly faded. Toward the outskirts of the small town was the large cemetery. The front portion was made up of more current plots. The back part of the cemetery housed graves hundreds of years old. It was also where Full Moon Mercy had their own spot reserved, if need be, for their fallen members. They were buried with a small black cross and nothing more. The initials of the fallen were on the back of the cross and FMM written on the front.

  Lucas rode along the rocky path through the cemetery. So much death made him shiver and think of his own mortality. A bullet could kill a shifter. The right bullet at the right spot and it was all over. It made him think of Leah. If the bullet that tore through her back was just an inch up, down, left, or right, Lucas would have been burying Leah too. And then there was Debbie. Her fate would be decided during the birth of Lucas’s baby.

  When Lucas sped up, rocks and dust kicked up behind him. Cooper was quick to follow suit. He cut his front wheel to the left and waved at Lucas. Lucas nodded and slowed down. His emotions were trying to win this battle. And if Lucas lost this battle, it would ensue a war. Not emotionally, no. It would be a war on the outside, right within Mercy and perhaps within Full Moon Mercy.

  The line of motorcycles and hearse continued to an already dug grave. It was up on a small ridge, giving a nice sight of Mercy. Anyone at the front of the cemetery could look up and see everyone attending the funeral. They’d see nothing but black and motorcycles.

  Lucas started the line of parked motorcycles as he stopped. Cooper stopped next to Lucas and Vince came to the other side. President was always first.

  Lucas took his helmet off and turned to see the hearse as it pulled up to the grave. There was nobody there to speak. No religion could fix what had been done. Whatever came after the last living breath was an unknown. It was something they all feared but something they were prepared for. The guys made a line around the entire grave. They watched the back of the hearse as it was opened and a black coffin was slid out. It was propped up over the grave on a machine that would eventually lower it before being buried.

  Vince stepped forward and touched the coffin first. He nodded and Lucas came second. After Lucas nodded, the rest of the crew stepped forward and they all placed their hands on the coffin. They stood like that for a few minutes before Vince backed away first. Lucas followed second and the rest followed.

  “We say goodbye today,” Vince said in a rough voice. “We say goodbye to a member, a brother, and friend. A man who had our back when we needed it. And a man who sacrificed his life for Full Moon Mercy. Never forget that. Never forget the cut and the leather. What it means. What we would do for it. Take your time, guys, and when we’re all ready, we ride back.”

  Vince took a deep breath and walked back to his motorcycle. He put his helmet on, climbed onto the ride, and waited. Soon, one by one, the members of Full Moon Mercy did the same. Lucas ended up as the last one standing there, staring at the black coffin. It meant more to him than he could explain to anyone. Beyond the existence of death and what happened to Seth, it was what Seth knew. What Seth confessed to Lucas. That Vince had wanted to kill Leah. That Vince had ordered Seth to kill Leah. That Seth couldn’t do it and now he was dead. Lucas had no proof of what Vince wanted to be done because Leah was alive, and the one who could speak of it couldn’t because he was about to buried six feet down into the Mercy ground.

  But that didn’t mean Lucas would forget it.

  There was revenge to be dealt with, and that included Vince.

  Lucas finally turned and the first thing he did was look at Vince. He then lowered his sunglasses, a small act of defiance, and stared at Vince. Vince remained a stone, even though Lucas knew he could pick up on how he felt.

  Lucas then pushed up his sunglasses and went to his motorcycle. Vince started his bike first and the rest of the crew did so. This time, Vince led the way and they all returned back to the clubhouse. The club that covered up the business of the motorcycle club was already open and people were showing up for a night of drinks and fun. It would be a night where many of the members would go and find some relief.

  As the crew piled back into the clubhouse, Vince stood with Lucas and waited. Cooper and Zayne lingered, both standing with their arms crossed.

  “You need to talk to them,�
� Vince said to Lucas as he nodded to Cooper and Zayne. “Their minds are going wild.”

  “We all are,” Lucas said. “So many wars out there, Vince. So many we don’t understand. So many to fight at once.”

  “Then we fight them,” Vince said.

  “How? How do you stop the Reckingdune crew? You pissed them off. They want revenge.”

  “Then you kill until they stop,” Vince said. He inched closed to Lucas. “What else?”

  “Can’t touch Oreno until Leah and Debbie are settled.”

  “That’s not my fault,” Vince said. “That’s yours, son. You fix that.”

  Lucas puffed his chest out and really saw himself hitting Vince. Before anything could happen, he heard Cooper whistle.

  “We have company,” Cooper said.

  “Shit,” Zayne said.

  “Stay put,” Vince said.

  It was an undercover police car, driven by Chief Charlie. The car came down the narrow alley and the brakes squealed as the car stopped. As Vince walked to the car, Lucas was right behind. There was no way in hell Lucas was going to let Vince talk to Chief Charlie alone.

  “Chief,” Vince said. “What do we owe…?”

  “Vincent,” Chief Charlie said. “Lucas.”

  Vince looked back and smiled a forced smile.

  “Chief,” Lucas said.

  “Heard of your burial plans today,” Chief Charlie. “I’m sorry of that.”

  “We all are,” Vince said. “Tough lesson for the crew.”

  “Word has it…”

  “No words,” Vince said. “We have our own ways of dealing with this.”

  “More blood. More death,” Chief Charlie said.

  “It’ll be handled in a different town,” Lucas said. “No blood will be shed here.”