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

by Ana W. Fawkes

  “What do you want then?” Grunn asked.

  The tension was already starting. Vince could feel that something was going to explode, and soon.

  “Let’s work out a payment,” Vince said.

  “No,” Lucas said. “We keep the newborn.”

  “Like hell,” Grunn said and he reached for his gun.

  Lucas stepped at Grunn, without an ounce of fear in his body.

  “Fuck,” Vince bellowed. He grabbed Lucas by his leather. “Let me talk to my son for a minute.”

  “Son?” Grunn asked and smiled.

  “Fuck you,” Lucas said and spit at Grunn’s foot.

  A man next to Grunn stepped forward and when Lucas saw the man, Vince thought that was it. The way Lucas’s eyes lit up, something had snapped.

  “Come with me,” Vince said. He pulled Lucas back. “What are you doing?”

  “I feel it,” Lucas said. “Vince…”

  “No, son, you need to calm down here. We can’t just demand things. We will keep what’s ours here. There’s a plan…”

  Lucas wasn’t looking at Vince. He was looking at the man next to Grunn.

  Fuck.

  *

  It was him.

  That was the only thing that went through Lucas’s mind. It was him. The man next to Grunn was the one who had done it all. Lucas knew it because the connection matched up. The way he felt when he touched Debbie’s stomach was the same connection he felt right now staring at the man.

  “It’s him, Vince,” Lucas whispered. “The one next to Grunn. That’s the guy.”

  “What are you saying? Grunn set us up?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t know.”

  Vince looked back and then at Lucas again. “Shit. Don’t do anything stupid here.”

  “I’ll try not to,” Lucas said.

  They approached Grunn again. Vince put his hands out and smiled.

  “Are we good?” Grunn asked.

  “Look. We’re all done with this happening in and around our town. We need to take care of the problem and then worry about the rest. Okay?”

  “The blood is Saal,” Grunn said. “That blood stays the same.”

  Lucas looked at the man out of the corner of his eyes. He was quickly drawn in. He then stared at the man, feeling that connection, that intense feeling. His mind replayed it all. That wild night with Debbie. The way she clawed at him and screamed his name. Then it occurred to Lucas that by then Debbie had already been with this man. In his mind, it was like getting the leftovers of a rival crew.

  Lucas’s anger rose.

  The man wouldn’t look away either. His eyes were guilty as hell. He looked ready to bolt from the scene.

  “… we talk this all out…”

  Vince’s voice droned on.

  Grunn came back with a demand. Vince tried to keep the peace.

  Lucas found himself inching closer to the man. He wanted to grab the guy and throw him to the ground. His hands were shaking by the time he made the decision to just go for it. There was no shame in dying with honorable intentions. As he reached for the man, his mind told him not to do it. What about Leah? Who would take care of her? Who would love her? Who…

  Lucas grabbed the man, but the man had been expecting it. He quickly turned and pulled out a gun. Lucas pulled back and tried to throw the man. The trigger was squeezed and the sound of a gun going off now brought both clubs to draw their weapons.

  The bullet didn’t come close to hitting Lucas. As the man flew into the air, he shifted. Landing on the ground on four paws, Lucas took a deep breath, ready to do the same.

  “What the fuck?” Grunn yelled.

  “That’s him,” Lucas said. “That’s the one who did this.”

  Grunn looked. “You? Chris?”

  The wolf showed its teeth.

  “Lucas, stay calm,” Vince warned.

  “Fucking can’t do it,” Lucas said.

  “Everyone stay calm,” Grunn said as he pointed his gun at Vince.

  Guns were everywhere and it would just take one nervous finger to start this war.

  The large wolf was feet away. It looked ready to run.

  “He did it all,” Lucas said. “I feel the connection. We can’t let him get away.”

  “I’ll serve punishment,” Grunn ordered. “Nobody else moves right now.” He looked to his men and started to nod.

  Lucas took a chance and threw himself at Grunn. It was a suicidal move, taking down the President of another crew. But Lucas didn’t intend on killing Grunn. He wanted the gun off Vince and when he went to the ground with Grunn, he threw him aside and then shifted into a wolf. When the bullets started coming at him from the Saal crew, they were hot, they stung, but they didn’t threaten his life.

  Chris lunged over the parked motorcycles and set off. He was fast and fierce, his paws throwing up dirt. Lucas knew it had to be instinct guiding him now. With the infant born, he could smell the body and blood.

  When Lucas looked back he saw the onslaught of gunfire. Nate and Cooper were hurrying back to the motorcycles, shooting as they did so. Two of the Saal guys were hit and on the ground. Ian stood defiantly, not afraid of death.

  “Fuck,” Vince yelled.

  Lucas met eyes with Vince and then turned and started to run. He hated to leave his brothers like this, but Lucas wanted the kill. He wanted to tear the throat of the man who set all this up.

  Within minutes Lucas felt the ground rumbling under his large paws. He looked back and saw Vince, as a wolf, chasing him. Vince caught up and Lucas felt the bond between he and Vince stronger than ever now. Father and son, they were nothing but power and muscle. Their senses were mastered, better than ever when they ran together. Vince moved to the right and Lucas to the left. They were now moving in an instinctive hunting pattern. They were going to box in the other wolf and then pounce.

  Through the flat land and beyond, they were quickly out of Mercy and deep into Oreno territory. One thing was for sure, Chris has some damn speed on him. Lucas figured by now they would have caught up to him, but that wasn’t the case at all. They didn’t first get a hint of Chris’s close scent until they were just minutes from Dr. Carane’s property. A clump of fur had been stuck in a low branch and when Lucas ran by it, he inhaled the scent and it charged faster.

  He then saw Chris, just ahead. The wolf had impressive size but he was starting to slow. His energy draining as his body tried to manage too much at once.

  Lucas cut more to the left and ran faster, finally catching up to Chris. The wolf turned its head, showed it teeth, and snapped at Lucas. Lucas had his distance but that meant he didn’t have a chance to make a move. Lucas then started to smell the other guys in Full Moon Mercy, the ones waiting at Dr. Carane’s. They were getting too close now. Lucas tried to move to the right and Chris snapped at him again.

  Frustrated, Lucas knew he needed to just take a chance and make a move. If Chris got to the newborn there was a chance he would simply kill his own son, just for the sake of making sure nobody could have the infant. As Lucas tried to move to the right again, he slowed enough to give Chris a small lead. He would then need to get close behind and just pounce. But that meant nothing could be in his way to stop him, block him, or make him miss.

  As Lucas prepared himself to jump at Chris, he spotted a blur to the right. The blur came straight at Chris, and to Lucas’s surprise, it was Vince. Vince must have ran far ahead and waited for the opening to run straight at Chris. When Vince hit Chris, they both were suddenly gone. The sound of running ended and was now the thundering roll of two massive wolves. Branches shattering all around, Lucas stopped and looked in the direction of the two monsters. He hurried and found Vince back in human forward as he stood over Chris’s body, also in human form. Chris was unconscious but breathing.

  “There,” Vince said. “For you, son.”

  Vince had cuts on his face, chest, and arms.

  Lucas walked to Chris and stared down at his body. He showed his te
eth and slowly opened his mouth.

  Come on… Lucas thought.

  He couldn’t kill a sleeping man. No way.

  “Do it,” Vince said. “He deserves it.”

  Chris’s eyes fluttered and Lucas waited patiently. His patience paid off when Chris finally opened his eyes. When he saw Lucas over him, Chris’s eyes went wide with fear. Lucas came down with his mouth and bit Chris’s throat. His neck snapped and he was dead.

  Lucas backed away and stood up. He shifted back into a man, blood running down his chin, dripping to his chest. He just stared down at Chris.

  “It’s done now,” Vince said.

  “It’s done,” Lucas whispered.

  Lucas looked up and saw that just ahead no more than a couple hundred feet was the property line for Dr. Carane’s. They had gotten that close. Lucas turned his head and realized he was alone with Vince. This was an opportunity, but it came with no weapon. Vince looked at him, his eyes shining in a way as though he knew everything running through Lucas’s mind.

  “We need to get back to our brothers,” Vince said. “Make sure everyone is alive.”

  Lucas needed to hear no more. He jumped, shifted, and hit the ground running as a wolf again. Vince ran alongside him but this time Lucas didn’t have to focus on chasing down Chris. Instead, he wondered how he was going to get Vince alone so he could kill him.

  20

  Leah woke and instantly felt like she had been drinking for hours. Her eyes were crusted, her body sore. She sat up, rubbed her neck, looked around the bedroom, and fully expected to be well into the middle of the night. It had to be, right?

  When Leah grabbed the clock off her nightstand, she was shocked to find it had only been an hour since she arrived in the apartment. Leah hurried to stand and put her arms out. She had balance. Her legs moved. Her eyes were focused.

  She was normal.

  She was back in her apartment and it was okay. It was normal. Leah left her bedroom and went to the bathroom. She turned on the faucets and watched them sputter for a second before turning on. The water was clear. Cold was cold. Hot was hot. She lifted the toilet seat and saw a small ring around the top of the water from the toilet not being used. She tore open the shower curtain and all of her shampoos were right where she left them. Something inside her told her this would never be her home again, but it was still nice to be in the apartment. Considering a bullet had torn through her body and should have taken her life, a walk through the apartment was just another gentle reminder of what she had lived through.

  Leah washed her face in the sink and then grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste. It seemed so dumb to get excited over brushing her teeth, but for Leah, this was her toothbrush and her toothpaste. It tasted like minty hell but oh well, her mouth would be fresh.

  Fresh for Lucas.

  Leah smiled a foamy, rabid like smile and then laughed. Toothpaste spit at the mirror and she left it there. She rinsed her mouth and left the bathroom. She needed to go see the biker outside and make sure he was still waiting. She wanted to know what was going on with Lucas and to know when he would be coming over. Leah couldn’t wait to cuddle up in her bed with Lucas’s strong arms wrapped around her. She would never have to have that feeling of being alone again.

  Three steps from the bathroom, Leah froze in place. The door was slightly open. Leah rushed to the door and pushed it shut. It had been barely open. Had she forgotten to close it? Leah quickly engaged the locks on the door and turned around. Everything in the apartment was fine. Nobody in the bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen, or the living room. There was nowhere else really to hide.

  Plus, Leah had protection…

  Leah pushed from the door and ran back to the kitchen. She grabbed the cord to the blinds and pulled. They fluttered up and Leah almost pressed her face against the glass. She saw the motorcycle, but she didn’t see the man on it. Leah moved to her toes and bit her lip, figuring the guy had to stretch his legs.

  Leah then saw the guy’s legs, and the rest of his body, on the ground. She let out a gasp and stepped back. She hit something and jumped. Before she could turn and before she could scream, arms were around here.

  “Ssshhh…” a voice whispered.

  Leah felt a tongue flick her ear. She lost feeling in her legs and started to throw elbows. Her fight or flight kicked in and this was fight… fight…fight… Never before had Leah felt this kind of feeling go through her body. Maybe it was because of what Lucas had given her.

  She managed to break free of the arms around her. She turned to face her attacker, wishing it was some kind of romantic gesture from Lucas, but it wasn’t.

  It was a far cry from Lucas.

  “No…”

  It was the only thing Leah managed to say before she saw the barrel of a gun and that was only followed by darkness.

  *

  They were outside Dr. Carane’s house. The rest of the guys had been sent back to the clubhouse to relax and start their night. What needed to be done next didn’t really concern the entire club nor did it need their presence.

  Vince made it clear that Dr. Carane and Debbie would remain in place and take care of the newborn. He warned them of the Saal Five intention to get the bloodline. That would take a war, and after today’s battle, the Saal crew needed to lick their wounds. Two of their men were shot but not mortally wounded. Another two were bloody and bruised. Full Moon Mercy didn’t walk away unscathed either, but they were in a much better position.

  Vince lit a cigar and put his head back in relief. He smiled.

  Lucas stood like ice, his hand ready to pull out his gun and do this. All Lucas would need is the right backstory. That could be simple… what if Chris wasn’t actually dead? What if he got up and came back and shot Vince? What if…

  The thoughts seemed to come way too easily for Lucas. His heart raced and ached at the same time. Justifying this murder in his mind made it a possibility to occur. The simple reason was that Vince tried to kill Leah. That was the only thought that mattered. Let alone all the other stuff he brought to the club recently.

  “You know, son,” Vince said, “it’s days like these we really feel good about what we do.”

  “Yeah,” Lucas said. “But are we ready for Saal to come back?”

  Vince smiled and looked at Lucas. “We’ll plan it out. Maybe the good doctor in there can help us change blood.”

  “You really want the doctor and Debbie together?”

  Vince shrugged his shoulders. He stepped forward and faced the house. Lucas slowly took a few steps and was behind Vince.

  “What the doctor does with his pants down isn’t my business,” Vince said. “As long as it doesn’t touch what’s mine.”

  “Agreed.”

  “I’m sorry for what you went through in all this,” Vince said.

  Lucas touched the gun and swallowed. He slowly pulled it out. He wondered if Vince could sense all this. They were deeply connected. Vince had claimed him. That had meaning. Real meaning.

  “I’ll survive,” Lucas said. “We all will survive. That’s what we do in the club.”

  Lucas lifted the gun. His hand shook but only for a few seconds. This was meant to be. This was the right decision. This had to be done.

  He tried to kill Leah. He’ll do it again…

  “You’re a good man, son,” Vince said. He blew out a ring of smoke. “And a hell of a beast.”

  Lucas put his finger to the trigger and was ready for this.

  He started to pull the trigger and Vince’s cell rang. Vince looked down and if Lucas had shot, the bullet would have went into Dr. Carane’s house.

  Vince took the call as Lucas stood with the gun still on him.

  “What?” Vince yelled. “What are you…”

  Lucas lowered the gun. Vince slowly turned, his face pale, his eyes wide. He pointed to the motorcycles and started moving. Lucas didn’t move. He refused to right now. This needed to be ended. Maybe he would just challenge Vince…

  “We’
re on our way,” Vince said. “Keep him alive! I need goddamn answers to this…”

  Vince ended the call.

  “We can’t go yet,” Lucas said.

  “We have to,” Vince said. “Come on.”

  “No. I’m not done here…”

  Vince ran to Lucas and touched his shoulder. “Dammit, son, look at me. She’s gone. She was kidnapped.”

  Lucas looked at Vince. There was honest care in his eyes now. A deep concern. Maybe even love.

  “Kidnapped? Who was kidnapped?”

  Vince opened his mouth, but Lucas knew before Vince had a chance to speak it.

  Leah…

  “Leah,” Vince said. “I’m sorry, son, but she…”

  Lucas heard nothing more. He pushed Vince out of the way and ran to his motorcycle. He looked at Dr. Carane’s house and envisioned it burning down.

  Maybe that’s what needed to happen to everything.

  It all needed to burn down.

  Then the ashes would blow in the wind and Lucas could start over.

  But first, he needed to find the woman he loved and save her from whatever hell was waiting. Men or monsters, it wasn’t going to be easy.

  Don’t miss the next book in the Full Moon Mercy series – THE DEADLY ALPHA

  The war continues… everywhere.

  Leah is gone, stolen.

  Leah can’t function with the love of his life. And soon he has nowhere to spread his rage except within Full Moon Mercy.

  This is the book where secrets are exposed, the past comes back, and by the end, not everyone will make out alive.

  Connect with Ana:

  www.AnaFawkes.com

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  On Twitter @AnaFawkes

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.