by Jessica Snow
"This shit is getting too deep for me," said Kevin with a shake of his head. "I think Ashley is on a major acid trip."
Surprisingly, Kat found herself agreeing with Kevin. Guardians, Wardens, vampires, wolf-bitches with PMS problems, she just wanted McKenzie, her father, and her old life back.
But despite her desire for normal life, she would still want Liam in it. The golden-haired hunk was just too damn sexy for his own good. The way he made her feel and worked her body, made Kevin seem like a twenty-three-year-old virgin. Figures that right when I was about to have mind-blowing sex with Liam, this bitch, Elizabeth and Kevin would burst in to ruin the moment, Kat thought with annoyance.
Kat was ashamed as soon as the thought ran through her mind. There were more important things to worry about at that moment than sex with Liam. Grabbing her coat, she began making her way towards the door. "This reunion has been great and all, but I need to leave. I have a sister that needs saving."
Ashley’s next words froze Kat in her tracks. "McKenzie is fine."
"Says who."
Ashley was tight-lipped. "My sources."
"Do your sources have a name?”
Ashley shook her head.
"Fuck your sources, then. My sources say she’s in the hands of a sadistic outlaw fucking vampire. Liam already tried to control me to ‘protect’ me, and I’m sick of that shit, so don’t you try it too. And in case you haven’t figured it out, my inner bear gives me more strength than ten of you would have. I don’t need any protecting." Kat continued her way to the door. "I’m out of here."
Kat heard the sound of shuffling behind her just as she was about to reach the door.
"Ashley, no!" Elizabeth shouted.
Kat whirled around with surprise, just in time to see Ashley flying through the air like an arrow, her foot extending out in front of her. A second later she slammed into Kat’s belly with tremendous force, knocking the wind from her lungs. Kat hit the floor with a grunt, flat on her back. She looked up to see Ashley standing over her, with her gun pointed at her head, her face a grim mask. "You won’t be going anywhere, sister."
Liam sped down the highway in his Porsche, his pulse pounding in his ears. After receiving the urgent message on his cell, Liam had to leave Kat in the hands of her friends. He figured Kat would be safe for a time with the chick in the cat suit. Ashley had seemed hell bent on protecting her anyway; she just had the wrong idea about Liam being a threat.
A part of Liam worried about the presence of the guy, Kevin, but he trusted Kat. Besides, Kat had a lot more to worry about than an old flame showing up on their doorstep. And honestly, the guy seemed like kind of a worm. He pressed his foot down on the gas, speeding towards the Greyson factory. A minute before, he had seen a squadron of police cars scream past in the same direction. A huge plume of black smoke could be seen rising in the sky.
"I can’t believe the psychotic bitch did it," Liam cursed angrily as the winds ruffled his golden hair. Crystal had taken her revenge too far. First with Kat’s sister, and now lashing out at Liam’s family. A part of him feared for his parents, mostly for his mother. He did not care what he had done to hurt Crystal. It did not give her the right to do something like this.
And if he found out that anything had happened to his parents, Crystal’s bony ass would be severely sorry. Luckily for them all, it was a Sunday, and though the meat factory operated seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, it was unlikely that they would be there. Still, Liam had to be sure. Neither of his parents had answered their phone when he had called to check on them.
Several minutes later, he took the off-ramp that would take him to the Greyson business. Right as he turned onto the main road, he spied a roadblock manned by the authorities. Not wanting to be stopped and searched, he made a U-turn and went off into the opposite direction.
To get to the factory he was going to have to take a back road that was seldom traveled. Once he found the dirt-covered road, he picked up speed, his tires kicking up dust along the way. He was so focused on getting to the factory that he didn’t notice the large, red pick-up truck approaching from a side road until the last minute.
"Oh shit!’ Liam shouted, his eyes going wide while he violently turned the steering wheel to avoid the collision. But it was too late.
The truck hit the right side of his Porsche head on, sending the vehicle tumbling off the road, where it flipped over three times before fetching up against a stand of trees with a crunch.
Liam groaned as he crawled out of the vehicle, the sound of his car’s dying engine sputtering in his ears. He had hit his head during one of the flips and it hurt. Badly. Dimly, he heard approaching footsteps and muffled voices.
"Should I end this?" he heard a deep voice say.
"No, of course not," said a feminine voice. "I have great plans for him."
"Should let me smash his pretty face in," the deep voice grumbled.
"You’ll get your chance, don’t worry," the feminine voice soothed. Liam knew that voice, but his head hurt so bad he was having a hard time remembering whose it was. He saw small feet step in the line of his blurred eyesight and a shadow block out the sun. The figure knelt next to him, its face drawing close to his own.
Even with his blurry vision, Liam recognized Crystal’s sinister smile. "Well, hello, traitor."
Chapter 34
Crystal slapped Liam across the face, sending his head jerking to the side and stinging his skin. "You betrayed me!" she yelled, her eyes blazing with rage. "Made me look like a fool in front of our entire pack!"
Liam arms and back hurt from being strung up by a rope that was tied to the barn ceiling. Sweat dripped down his face and glistened on his naked chest from the bonfire that raged close by in the middle of the barn floor, made specifically for his discomfort.
Slowly, Liam brought his gaze back around to stare into Crystal’s angry gold-specked eyes. "Given what you’ve done so far, it was no less than you deserve."
Crystal slapped him again. This time Liam did not budge. "How dare you!"
"How dare you!" Liam snarled back. "Burning down my family’s business and giving McKenzie to a vampire who drained her dry and discarded her lifeless body in a dumpster. She was just an innocent human girl with her whole life ahead of her. You had no right to do what you did!"
Crystal paused, her expression brightening. "She died? That’s great news! I honestly did not think she would be discarded so soon after giving her to that purple-eyed vamp, but then again those vamps sure know how to drain a slut dry." She clucked her tongue with disapproval. "And I had every right to do what I did. It’s bad enough that that bear bitch stole you from me, but then to come home and find her sister making out with my brother? I could not tolerate it. It was too much of an insult. So, I gave her away to a vampire that I know traffics in human girls—free of charge." She laughed. "I sincerely hope that your whore is crying her eyes out over it right now and that she blames you for it."
Crystal’s last comment hit close to home. Unable to control the rage building inside, Liam spat in her face.
With a scream of fury, Crystal delivered a solid punch to his nose as well as several kicks to his midsection, coming very close to delivering a nasty blow to his family jewels. He barely twisted aside in time.
Liam laughed mockingly, though her attacks had hurt a little. "Is that the best you can do?"
Crystal opened her mouth and raised her fist to deliver more blows, but was interrupted by a deep voice.
"Let me show you how it’s done." Jerle, who had been standing in the barn doorway with a beer in his hand watching the entertainment, stalked forward, tossing his can into the fire. "I’ll handle this snot-nosed golden boy," he growled. "He won’t be talking shit when I’m through with him.”
"Try not to kill him," Crystal muttered and stepped aside. "I’ll need him for later."
"I won’t make any promises." Jerle stepped forward with an eager grin, his fist balled.
Liam held his h
ead high. He would not show fear.
The first blow nearly knocked him unconscious. The second one did.
"Enough!" he heard Crystal shout when he came to some time later. "It’s time to show him what he gave up."
Jerle paused mid-swing...reluctantly. But then he simply drew back his fist again.
"I said enough!" Crystal repeated sharply.
Jerle let out a grunt of disappointment at being told to stop. "I should have killed you," he growled, "but it will be more fun for you to watch me take everything from you, Golden Boy. Your life of privilege is over." Then with a laugh, he walked to Crystal’s side.
Liam groaned. His head felt like a swollen bowling ball. He knew the jealous Jerle had taken great pleasure in rearranging his face. Fortunately for Liam, his werewolf regeneration was slowly taking effect, easing the pain of Jerle’s savage beating.
To his disgust, Jerle and Crystal began removing their clothes. Once naked, Jerle bent Crystal over, facing her towards Liam. Then with a grunt, he entered her and began pounding away.
Liam tore his eyes away from the unwanted sight just as Jerle grabbed Crystal’s small breasts and Crystal’s head bobbed forward. The smack of flesh and the sound of Crystal’s pleasured cries and Jerle’s grunts filled the room.
Liam wished his hands were free to cover his ears to block out the awful sounds, but he was forced to endure the audio torture. The sounds of their graceless, loveless fucking seemed to go on forever, until finally, Jerle delivered a final brutal thrust and Crystal let out an ear-piercing shriek that made Liam cringe.
"Did you enjoy the show?" Crystal asked, walking up to him with a contented smile. Her bony body was covered in sweat. "You got to see what you were missing."
Liam stared at her in disgust. "It was nothing I ever wanted in the first place. Are you done yet?"
Her evil smile chilled his blood. "Oh, I haven’t even started."
"Need to have your pet wolf beat me some more before you kill me, eh?" asked Liam. "Why not just get it over with now? It will save me from having to look at you anymore."
Liam braced for a nasty blow, but Crystal just threw back her head and laughed. "I have something far greater in store for you. Tonight, when the full moon is in the sky, I will gather all of Jerle’s people around a bonfire outside and we will sacrifice you." She giggled a maniacal laugh and leaned in closer. "But that’s not even the best part. We will cook you, and then eat you." Slowly, she snaked a finger down Liam glistening belly and grabbed hold of his balls. "Best of all, I will eat the tastiest part of you." She gave them a squeeze and smacked her lips.
Horror filled Liam’s entire being as he stared into her mad eyes. She was worse than a man-eater now. Crystal Lilly had gone cannibal.
"So, let me get this straight," Kat asked, munching on a piece of chicken. "You were trained from a young age, by these Warden people, to protect me?"
The four were now seated at Liam’s kitchen table. Kat had had several dozen choice words for Ashley for kicking her and pointing a gun at her, and most of them had been dirty. But eventually, they had talked things out enough that the gun was now holstered, and Kat had a chance to ease the hunger that nagged at her again.
Ashley nodded. The girl was watching her intently as if she was afraid Kat would somehow vanish from her sight.
Kat shook her head. "I just don’t believe it. How come you never told me this?" All she had ever known Ashley was good for was partying.
"I took an oath."
Kat chuckled. "My whole life has turned into one unbelievable mess. First I find out I’m a werebear, and then I find out that you’re some sort of ninja—"
"What the hell?" Kevin interrupted. Kat’s ex sat across the table from her, disbelief showing in his eyes. "You’re a werebear?"
Kat crunched a chicken bone to powder in her teeth, startling him. "Yep."
"No fucking way." Kevin shook his head. "No such things exist."
"It is very real, Kevin. I shit you not. Don’t you remember how easily I manhandled you?"
Kevin nodded, eyes widening.
"Well, that’s why."
"Is werebear some sort of new, freaky-ass term for someone who’s a beast in bed, Kat?" Elizabeth asked. "Or have you gone bat-shit insane like Ash?"
"I wish I was crazy," Kat muttered. "Then I would have a perfectly good explanation for all the craziness that’s been going on in my life."
Liz frowned. "Like what kind of craziness?"
"Well, for starters, some bitch kidnapped McKenzie."
Elizabeth’s eyes widened. "No way."
Kat nodded and quickly relayed everything that had happened to her, including her werebear awakening, her dalliance with Liam the wolf and the vampires.
Elizabeth made a face when she was done with her story. "I hate to say it, Kat, but I think you’re just as loony tunes as Ashley here." She shook her head sadly. "It’s so sad. Both my friends are going to be committed at the same time and I’ll have no one."
Kat glared at the blonde. "I’m not crazy. My life just is.”
The front door banged open and everyone jumped up from the table in surprise.
Zack and a girl, who must have been Carly, rushed in out of breath. "Kat! Liam has been taken by Crystal and she’s going to kill—"
Whatever Zack was about to say was lost when Ashley rushed forward and grabbed him by the throat, knocking Carly to the side.
"Damn," the brown-haired teen girl whined as she eyed Ashley’s latex outfit. "Talk about a pissed off dominatrix."
"Who are you, wolf?" Ashley snarled in Zack’s frightened face.
"Ashley, let him go!" Kat snapped. "Stop being psycho. He’s one of the good guys."
"Listen to Kat, Ash, and let the boy go," Elizabeth pleaded. "You have already committed enough felony assaults for the day."
"No," Ashley replied stubbornly. "This boy and this girl are wolves. They are not to be trusted."
"Let him go now!" Kat demanded. "If what he is saying is true, we have to go help Liam." It was bad enough McKenzie was being held by a vampire, possibly dead, and her father was being held captive as well. As angry as she had been at Liam, she could not stand by and let another person she cared about get hurt. “Crystal is a psychopath! Liam might die!"
Ashley shrugged carelessly. "So, what? He’s part of the reason why you’re in this mess in the first place. Besides, I refuse to help a wolf."
Kat looked around with desperation. She didn’t have time to deal with a fanatic, and she didn’t want to get shot trying to get away. Going to have to get a little nasty. Without warning, Kat reached out and grabbed Kevin, pulling him into a tight chokehold.
"Kat!" Kevin gagged, "what the hell are you doing?"
"Let Zack go so he can take me to where Crystal’s keeping Liam, or I’ll snap this asshole’s neck!" Kat threatened.
Ashley stared at Kat. "You wouldn’t."
Kat lifted him off his feet while he kicked weakly, his face going red. "Just try me."
"Kat, please don’t do this!" Elizabeth cried out. “He’s a complete waste of skin, but you can’t kill him!”
“Hey!” Kevin protested weakly as he clawed at Kat’s hand.
Kat ignored them both. "Now, Ashley!"
Ashley stared at her friend long and hard. Finally, she sighed. "Alright, I’ll let you go."
Kat sighed inwardly with relief and dropped Kevin, who fell away from her coughing and hacking. Holy shit, I thought I might actually have to do it.
Ashley released Zack and began making her way to the door. “But I’m coming with you."
Chapter 35
"Please stop!" McKenzie cried with desperation, her face covered in sweat.
The crack of the whip filled the torch-lit torture chamber. McKenzie screamed, her throat already raw. The pain was unbearable. Each lash felt like she was being flayed alive. A feverish chill had set into her bones and her limbs trembled involuntarily. It felt like she was going into shock. She struggled weakly
against her bindings, iron shackles that suspended from the ceiling keeping her in place.
Beside her, Annabelle and Daisy were also shackled, their eyes wide with terror, their backs bloodied from the torture they had endured. They too had begged for their torture to end, but apparently, Cole was a psychopath that fed off the pain of helpless teen girls.
Cole smiled as he circled around her bleeding body, fondly caressing his whip. "Why should I stop? This is so much fun.” He stepped around to stare at her, running the whip between her breasts. “You, most of all, should have enjoyed the pain and torture your two so-called have friends endured," Cole said, eyeing Daisy. "They have both caused you so much pain and humiliation already. Surely, they, of all people, deserve this."
McKenzie shook her head. She had no idea how Cole knew those things. "I don’t care what they did to me. They don’t deserve this."
Cole quirked an eyebrow. "Really? He walked over to Daisy, who whimpered. "What if I told you that this one delights in every lash that lays open your flesh? Then he turned his gaze to Annabelle who let out a small cry of fear. "Or that this one secretly delights in seeing the blood drip down your back?"
McKenzie stared at the two girls and shook her head. "Even if that’s true, I don’t care. What you’re doing is not right."
Cole opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of creaking metal interrupted their conversation. It was the purple-eyed woman, peeking through the cell door. “Are you done with these girls yet? Lord Viktor grows impatient for his new brides." The woman’s gaze roved over the bloody flesh of the teens dispassionately, her eyes flat and dead.
They are all completely mad, McKenzie thought. She still did not know whether to believe Rosie about Cole and Purple Eyes being vampires, but they certainly were monstrous.