13
Lucas loved the feeling of his knuckles crushing against Triel’s face. It hurt, but damn, it was the best kind of hurt. Triel stumbled back, his eye already red and swollen. He put up fists again and came at Lucas with more force. When he punched, it was like being hit with a brick. The punches hurt, but Lucas took them like a man. Tasting his own blood was just part of life sometimes. Lucas waited for another opening and when he saw it, he came forward with his right fist and connected to Triel’s nose again. This time Triel put a hand to his face, leaving him vulnerable. Lucas punched once, twice, and ready for the third one that would definitely knock Triel on his ass when he heard Vince whistle and call his name.
Lucas turned and saw Vince waving is cell phone. As he turned back, one of Triel’s hard fists came at him. It hit Lucas in the cheek and knocked him back a few feet.
“We’ve got to go!” Vince screamed.
Lucas heard Vince but couldn't look away from Triel. He wanted to kill him. He wanted to shift and tear Triel’s throat out. Lucas made it one step before Cooper was there, his big arms wrapped around Lucas.
“Fuck off, Cooper,” Lucas growled.
“We have to go. Debbie’s having the baby…”
Cooper whispered it but for all Lucas knew, he could have been screaming in his ear. Lucas froze and looked at Cooper.
“The baby?”
“Yes. Right now. Dr. Carane just called Vince. He said she went into labor a few hours ago and it’s progressing fast.”
“Why the fuck didn’t he call sooner?” Lucas yelled. He broke from Cooper’s hold and ran toward Vince. “What the fuck?”
“I don’t know, son,” Vince said. “Just move.”
“What the fuck are you doing?” Triel called out.
Cooper spun and pulled his gun. He had it between Triel’s eyes. “If you want your crew to be safe again, then you’re going to get back on your fucking motorcycles and get out of here. We’re riding through for something. Don’t ask what. Got it?”
“Cooper,” Vince bellowed.
“He’s right,” Lucas said. “Listen to him, Triel.”
Triel touched his face and nodded. “If there’s anymore blood…”
“Hurry,” Vince said.
The three got on their motorcycles and sped away. They kicked up rock and dust and Lucas looked back one last time, and through the hazy cloud he saw Triel touching his face, tending to his wounds. Lucas looked down at his knuckles and saw they were bleeding and raw. They hurt like hell, but it didn’t matter. He was done taking shit from everyone. From other crews. From within his own crew, too.
It wasn’t the first time the thought crossed Lucas’s mind to kill Vince, but it was definitely the most serious. Hell, he could do it right now. One shot… they were in Oreno territory… nobody would know…
Lucas gripped the handlebars tighter and stayed focused on the ride. They needed to get to Dr. Carane right now. Debbie was having the baby. That meant her life was at the highest risk of ending ever. And for the life about to come forward…
Lucas felt his heart racing. Take away all the bullshit and he was about to be a father.
The ride should have felt like hours, but it didn’t. They cut along the dirt road that lead to the doctor’s house and compound. Vince led, with Cooper next, and Lucas was right behind. The motorcycles bounced on the uneven ground and rocks. Each bounce hurt Lucas’s knuckles. When they pulled up to the house, Dr. Carane stood on the porch. His white coat was bloody, along with his hands. He had a bottle of whiskey in his hands.
He was shaking his head.
That was all Lucas could see… the doctor shaking his head.
He dove off his motorcycle and ran to the steps.
“Is she alive? Is the baby okay?” Lucas called out.
“Just wait a minute here,” Dr. Carane said.
“Fuck you, man.”
Lucas jumped up the steps and Dr. Carane put an arm out. The doctor was strong, but he was nothing compared to Lucas. Lucas barged by him, spinning the doctor around. Dr. Carane swung the whiskey bottle and it hit Lucas in the back of the head. The bottle shattered and Lucas stutter-stepped to the right. The entire porch spun once but Lucas didn’t fall over. Instead, he turned to face the doctor and felt the emotion overwhelm him.
“Shit,” Vince yelled. “Back away, Carane!”
Lucas lunged forward as the doctor jumped off the porch. Lucas’s shoulder blasted through one of the pillars on the porch. Still in the air, Lucas felt his body lose control. His clothing fell from his body as he grew bigger and bigger. His heart swelled and it only commanded the change even more. By the time Lucas hit the ground, it wasn’t with two big feet. It was with four massive paws. He snapped his head back and saw Dr. Carane scrambling to his feet. Lucas stepped toward the doctor.
“Lucas! Stop!” Vince ordered.
Lucas showed his teeth. He wanted to tear into the doctor’s flesh.
“That’s a goddamn order!”
Lucas opened his mouth.
“Son! I’m giving you a direct order!”
Lucas looked at Vince. Maybe he’d end it all. Right here. Take out Vince. Take out Dr. Carane. Take out…
“I have to tell you all something,” Dr. Carane said. “Please. Just listen to me.”
“Where’s the damn baby?” Vince asked.
Dr. Carane put his hands out. “The baby is healthy. The baby is alive. It’s a healthy boy.”
Vince looked at Lucas and smiled.
A boy…
“And Debbie?” Vince asked.
“She lost a lot of blood, but I am taking care of her,” Dr. Carane said. “I have… what I’m about to say is not my fault.” Dr. Carane looked at Vince. “Vincent, you and I know each other well. I cannot be attacked…”
Vince pulled out his gun and pointed it at Lucas.
“I’ll blast him between the eyes if he moves at you,” Vince said. “Now talk.”
“The baby is alive. Healthy. Not a flaw. Except… it’s not Lucas’s son.”
“What?” Cooper asked.
Lucas growled.
“I’m sorry,” Dr. Carane said looking back at Lucas. “It’s not yours. That day you were here and I cut your neck… I needed your blood for a test. The baby is not yours. I’m sorry.”
Lucas looked at Vince. The color was gone from Vince’s face. Lucas stood up and felt his body going numb. Head to toe. It took him a good minute to realize he was back to human form and standing there naked.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Lucas said.
“Son, get dressed,” Vince said. He walked to Lucas and guided him to his clothing. Lucas dressed and felt robotic. Like he wasn’t in control of his own movements.
“So it’s not Lucas’s?” Cooper asked.
“It’s not,” Dr. Carane said. “I can show you the blood tests and results.”
“So why the fuck did she look like that?” Vince asked.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Lucas repeated. He looked at Dr. Carane. “I felt it. I felt… a connection.”
“I’m sorry, Lucas,” Dr. Carane said. “It wasn’t the connection of father and son.”
“Then what was it?” Vince yelled.
“The connection of beast… and beast.”
Silence fell and Lucas’s blood was suddenly cold. His hands slowly rolled into fists. His body started to shake.
“Say that again,” Vince said.
“That baby is a beast,” Dr. Carane said. “Part child, human, yes. But also part beast. A shifter, like you three.”
“No,” Lucas whispered. “No. That can’t be then.”
“It is,” Dr. Carane.
“So someone else from our club…?” Vince asked.
Dr. Carane shook his head. “This is a different kind of blood. It’s darker, thicker. I’ve tested your blood, Vincent. I’ve tested Mandy’s blood. I’ve tested Lucas’s. When you patch in and take your oath, there’s a blood oath…”
“Fu
ck,” Vince said.
“So this isn’t Full Moon Mercy blood,” Lucas said.
“I’m afraid it’s not,” Dr. Carane said.
Silence fell again and Lucas looked at the house. He lunged for the steps and Dr. Carane went after him. The doctor managed to lock onto one of Lucas’s legs. Lucas dragged the doctor up two steps and looked down at him.
“Don’t kill her,” Dr. Carane said. “Please…”
“Are you serious?”
“Lucas, please…”
“Let my fucking leg go, man.”
Dr. Carane opened his hands.
“Christ, stand up and get yourself together,” Vince said. “Tell me what the hell is going on right now.”
Lucas rushed to the front door and turned. Vince and Cooper were right behind him, Dr. Carane at the top step. His face was pale, drained, confused.
“He’s in love with her,” Lucas said.
“What?” Vince asked.
“Ask him.”
“It’s true, yes,” Dr. Carane said. “Yes. I am in love with Debbie. We’ve come together through all this. I kept her alive and now there’s life… and it’s not the life you all thought. She’s going to need help. For the rest of her life. Raising a baby into a boy into a man. A baby, a boy, a man that can become a beast.”
“This gets deeper and sicker by the second here,” Cooper said.
“Yeah, I see that,” Vince said.
“Just don’t kill her,” Dr. Carane said. “Please. I’ve helped you all. I’m asking for one thing right now. Please.”
Lucas opened the door to the house. “I’m not promising a thing.”
Lucas went into the house and could smell it all. Blood, birth, new life. He could smell Debbie, too. He went straight to the bedrooms. His eyes caught sight of the room where Leah had stayed to heal. The memory came and went as Lucas went to the other door and opened it to find Debbie sitting up in bed holding a baby. It wasn’t the scene Lucas expected. In his mind, he swore he’d see a lot of blood and perhaps Debbie’s dead body. She had somehow survived the birth and she looked good. Tired, but good.
“Lucas,” Debbie said. Her arms gripped the baby tighter.
“You feel okay?” Lucas asked.
“I’m alive,” she said. “I have a baby now.”
“A baby that’s not mine.”
Debbie swallowed hard. “Look, I don’t know…”
“You’re a stripper and you obviously like to sleep around. I’m not going to pass judgement on that, Debbie. None of that is my business or care right now. That baby isn’t mine but it’s part of a bigger war. A war that you won’t understand. But your life is changed forever.”
“I know that,” Debbie said. “Aldis told me some stuff.”
“Aldis?” Lucas asked with a smile. “Unbelievable.”
“He didn’t abandon me. He helped me. He loved me. He kept me alive.”
“That's fair enough. Tell me about your debts.”
“Debts?”
“Don’t fucking play games with me,” Lucas growled.
He heard footsteps and looked back to see Cooper, Vince, and Dr. Carane coming to the room. Debbie stiffened, but she calmed the moment Dr. Carane rushed to her side. He touched the baby’s head and nodded at Debbie.
“There’s someone trying to attack us,” Lucas said. “Because of your debts. Money. Drugs. Just tell me what’s going on.”
“I had problems,” Debbie said. Her eyes filled with tears. “Okay?”
“Please,” Dr. Carane said. “She just gave birth. This is such a fragile time for her.”
“Screw that,” Vince said. “She put everyone in danger. We lost a brother because of this mess. And it’s not even going to help Full Moon Mercy.”
“Vincent…”
Vince turned and threw a fist. It went through the wall with ease. He pulled his hand out with pieces of the wall and dust.
“I’m so sorry,” Debbie said as a tear fell down her cheek. “I didn't know…”
“Stay in order here,” Lucas said. “Okay? First off, these debts. How much?”
“A lot,” Debbie said. “I found ways to survive. That’s about it.”
“The night you started feeling pain and left the strip club, there were guys there looking for you. Since you ended up with us, it looks like we’re helping you get out of your debts.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“She can’t pay debts,” Dr. Carane said. “She’s a mother now.”
“Just know that we’re going to settle it,” Lucas said. “What I’d like to do is throw you back to them, Debbie. You and your fucking baby.”
“Stop this,” Debbie said. She shut her eyes. “I can’t hear this.”
“That’s what we’re going to do then,” Vince said. “Give her to those who want her. She means nothing to us.”
“You can’t,” Dr. Carane said. “I’ll kill you…”
Lucas laughed. He put a hand out to stop Vince from attacking the doctor now. “Just shut up and listen to me. You’re not going to be given up, Debbie. We’re going to take care of that for you, okay? You need to just stay here. With your baby.”
“What the hell are you doing?” Vince growled at Lucas.
“Cooper, Vince… Dr. Carane, let’s chat privately,” Lucas said.
Cooper touched Vince’s shoulder. “Come on. Take a breath.”
“Fuck,” Vince said.
They left the room. Dr. Carane was hesitant. He stared at Lucas, trying to be tough, but his eyes were weak. The doctor was weak. A genius man in some ways but the fear of losing Debbie took its obvious toll on him.
“Just go,” Lucas said. “I’m not going to hurt her. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Dr. Carane kissed the top of Debbie’s head and then walked out of the room. The door shut and Lucas walked to the side of the bed. He crouched down and looked at the sleeping newborn cradled in Debbie’s arms. He reached out and touched the baby’s soft head. His hand shook as he did so.
There had been a damn connection.
Lucas had felt it. He knew it wasn’t a lie. But the doctor was right. It was a connection through their blood as beasts, not as father and son. Lucas knew he could still claim the newborn as his own but he didn’t want it. He never wanted it.
“What are you thinking?” Debbie whispered.
“I don’t know what I’m thinking,” Lucas said. “You really fucked up here.”
“I know.”
“Do you remember anything about anyone?”
“Like what?”
“When we were together… do you remember that?”
Debbie’s cheeks flushed. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“It was… the best I ever had.”
“Better than the doc?”
“Lucas…”
Lucas smiled. “Just curious.”
“You heard what I said. The best I ever had. Ever.”
Lucas looked at the baby. “Anyone else memorable?”
“No,” Debbie said. “Most times I was either drunk or high, you know? I just wanted to feel like someone wanted me and that was the easiest way to get that feeling.”
“You love this doctor?”
“Yes. What he did for me… I mean, you too, right? But you never wanted me.”
“No, I didn’t,” Lucas said. “And this baby isn’t mine.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I will do everything I can to fix all this. Not because you deserve it, Debbie. It’s because my club deserves it. We’ve had people hurt and killed over all this. This guy collecting on debt… if it brings anymore heat to us…”
“Don’t say anything then,” Debbie said. “Okay? Just do what you have to do.”
The baby started to move its small neck. Its eyes flickered and slowly opened. Lucas looked at the newborn and couldn’t believe his eyes. They were like small marbles, with an orange and yellow glow to them.
“He kind of had no choice but to tell me,
” Debbie said. “Once I heard the baby cry and saw its eyes.”
“Shit,” Lucas whispered.
The baby’s mouth opened and let out what Lucas thought was going to be a whine. It was a whine, yes, but it sounded more like a newborn wolf. A whiney howl almost. Lucas stood up.
“You know the secret,” Lucas said. “The truths.”
“Yes,” Debbie said.
“But it’s not all what you think, Debbie. We’re all monsters of some sorts. Some darker than others.”
The newborn whined again and Debbie reached for her shirt. “I have to feed him…”
Lucas lingered and watched as Debbie lifted her shirt to reveal her thick, milk-full breast. Her nipple was long and hard. She offered herself to the newborn and it clung quickly and began to devour its mother’s nourishment. Lucas wondered how much of Debbie remained human now.
There was nothing left to say to Debbie. Lucas touched her shoulder and met eyes with her. She had been nothing but a wild night fling, a woman to take the edge off. A stripper that didn’t want cash but instead, Lucas’s body. Nothing else mattered now between them.
14
Leah grew restless. She had a feeling going through her body she couldn’t quite figure out. It wasn’t pain. It wasn’t fatigue. But it wasn’t right. She thought maybe this had something to do with Lucas claiming her, something she still didn’t quite understand. But the feeling didn’t make sense of that either. It was the feeling of being watched. The feeling that something was waiting just around the corner. That same feeling Leah had one night when leaving her apartment. Apparently the night she was supposed to be hurt.
She went to the bathroom and took a long, hot shower. It didn’t quite have the same appeal and enjoyment without Lucas in there with her. She closed her eyes numerous times and ran her hands up and down her body, pretending Lucas was there with her. Pretending that Lucas’s strong hands were cupping her breasts, touching between her legs, his hands moving gently but with force. At one point Leah found herself pleasuring her own body and she couldn’t stop. She kept her eyes shut tight and pictured Lucas the entire time. Once her pleasure crested and the urges subsided just enough, Leah left the shower and dressed.
The Dark Monster (A Full Moon Mercy Novel) (shifter / MC romance) Page 13