Slade (Venom Series) Book Two

by Kristen Middleton

  Slade grabbed Sheriff Caleb’s wrist, and snapped it.

  He screamed in agony and pulled it away. “You’ll pay for that, you shithead!”

  “Such language… Sheriff. What kind of example are you setting for these girls? Come on,” said Slade, grabbing Melody’s elbow.

  Sliding over, I followed her out as the sheriff continued cussing out Slade from inside of the vehicle.

  “Wait, come back! What about your parents?” hollered the sheriff.

  I turned around and gave him the finger.

  “Where is Liam?” asked Melody, still holding her nose as we moved farther away from the squad car.

  He removed his T-shirt and tossed it to her. “He’ll be fine. Put that on your nose.”

  Caleb got out of the car and raised his hands in the air. His wrist, obviously now healed. “Look, I don’t want any more trouble.”

  “Are you kidding me?” muttered Melody. “Does he not know when to just give it up?”

  “You’re going to get a shitload of trouble if you don’t get back into that car and drive away. Liam should just about be –”

  A loud roar cut him off, and we watched in awe as Liam sprang from the woods behind us and slammed into the sheriff. Caleb landed on his back, holding the lycan’s massive jaws away from his face.

  “Get him off of me!” cried Caleb, trying to punch his snout.

  Slade ignored him. He crossed his arms over his chest and let Liam have his way.

  I stared in horror as Liam’s claws ripped into the sheriff’s uniform, and within seconds, blood was everywhere. Caleb continued to fight back, however. He opened his mouth and tore into Liam’s fur with his fangs.

  Liam howled in pain and then attacked the sheriff with his own razor-edged teeth, gashing the hell out of his shoulder.

  “Please stop them!” I screamed as they continued, fighting savagely. “This is insane!”

  But still, Slade did nothing as they continued to battle, rolling on the ground in a whirlwind of fur, teeth, and blood.

  “This is insane,” sobbed Melody, turning her back. “I can’t watch this!”

  “Okay enough, Slade!” I begged, grabbing his arm. “This has to end!”

  “Why?” he asked, frowning. “He’ll just continue to hunt you down. Let Liam take him out. Can’t you see he’s winning?”

  “Winning? Slade, it’s not even his fault. Caleb said that his daughter’s life was threatened by Faye. That he had no choice. I know who Celeste is and I believe him,” I answered quickly. “You have to stop this!”

  “From what I’ve heard, she isn’t exactly a helpless little girl,” he answered. “I think he was just giving you a line of bullshit.”

  Caleb let out a painful screech.

  “Please, stop them! Slade! Look, maybe we can get some information from him about our parents or… or even Susan!” I begged. “I need to hear it from him if he knows exactly what happened. Please!”

  Melody spoke up. “She’s right. If Caleb dies, we won’t know anything.”

  Slade let out a deep sigh and then in a blink of an eye, was pulling Liam off of the sheriff. Liam growled and struggled, but eventually relented.

  Caleb slowly stood up and put his hands on his knees. He was bleeding everywhere and his clothing was ripped to shreds. I couldn’t believe he was even alive. “Thank you,” he panted, trying to catch his breath.

  “Tell us about Susan and our family!” I yelled. “Are they alive? Or, are they really dead?”

  He didn’t reply.

  “Sheriff, please answer me!” I hollered, taking a step toward him. “You told us you were only trying to keep your daughter safe by capturing us. You obviously have some heart. Please, we need to know if our parents are alive or dead! I just saved your life, for God’s sake!”

  “I heard that they’re all dead,” he replied, his voice hollow. “I’m sorry. I had nothing to do with it.”

  My eyes filled with tears. “All of them? Susan, too?”

  He nodded. “Your parents’ bodies were disposed of. Susan’s body was found in the woods and they’ve reported it on the news already.”

  “No!” I choked, sinking to my knees. I began to cry. “Not Susan! That bitch! I’ll kill Faye myself!”

  Also crying, Melody got down on her knees, and pulled me into her arms. “It’s going to be okay, Chels,” she whispered into my hair. “It’s okay…”

  “I want her to pay,” I moaned, my heart breaking all over again for my best friend. In the back of my mind, I’d already known that she probably hadn’t made it. But to hear that her body was found… that she truly was dead… it was like losing her all over again.

  “If you come with me, I’ll help you,” said the sheriff, taking a step toward us. “We’ll destroy her together. Celeste will help us.”

  “We’re not going anywhere with you!” cried Chelsey. “Stay away from us.”

  Liam, who was still in his lycan state, tried launching at Caleb again, but Slade held him back.

  Caleb looked at all of us. “Come on! Let bygones be bygones! We can help each other!”

  “Just get out of here!” hollered Slade, still trying to restrain Liam. “Or I’ll let Liam finish you off.”

  The sheriff looked frustrated as he turned and began walking back toward his car. “You’re all making a big mistake,” he said, turning back. “We could help each other. Get rid of her for good.”

  “You’re the one who made a mistake,” snapped Slade. “Now quit making new ones! Leave!”

  Caleb let out a weary sigh and then got back into the squad car. As he sped away, Liam changed back into a human.

  “Why in the hell did you interfere?!” he hollered at Slade. “You had no right to do that!”

  “The girls were terrified and didn’t need to see any more bloodshed,” said Slade firmly. “Plus, now they know what happened to Susan. Sorry, man. If it were just me, I’d have held him down for you.”

  Liam looked over at us, and we both stared at him, still in shock.

  He was buck-naked.

  My cheeks burning, I stood up and wiped the remaining tears from my face, trying not to look at him.

  “You two okay?” asked Liam.

  I nodded and stared at Melody to see her reaction. She was grinning from ear-to-ear.

  “We’re… very good,” replied Melody, a twinkle in her eyes. “How about you?”

  “Not too bad, considering I just had a car roll over me,” he said, cracking his neck. “I swear, that damn Caleb is lucky to be alive. He left me for dead!”

  “He’s definitely an asshole,” said Melody, still staring at him openly. “Glad to see that you’re healed, though.”

  “Me, too,” he said, turning to Slade. They started talking in low voices and I could tell Liam was still angry.

  “Oh, my God, I can’t believe he’s just standing there. In the nude,” whispered Melody, grinning and fanning herself. “I think I’m going to faint.”

  I had to admit that Liam looked like a bronzed Greek god standing there in the light of day, without a stitch of clothing on. But then again, Slade was next to him looking pretty buff himself. Broad shoulders, muscular forearms, and an impressive six-pack that had been hidden under his T-shirt. I could definitely imagine him on a poster or a calendar.

  Slade said something to Liam, who looked at us and chuckled. Then he changed into a lycan and bolted toward the trees.

  “Where did he go?” called Melody as Slade walked back over to us.

  “To get the car and… to get dressed.”

  My eyes widened. “You found it?”

  “Someone had it towed, probably Caleb.” He grinned. “Fortunately, the impound guy was easily persuaded into giving it back to me.”

  “Where is it now?” I asked.

  He waved his thumb at the road. “We parked about two miles back near a dirt road, under some trees.”

  “So, Liam is coming back for us?” asked Melody, looking toward the road.
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br />   “He’d better,” said Slade. “Did that guy hurt either of you?”

  “No, but he did something to us,” I answered. “I was pretty confused for most of the ride. I don’t know about you, Melody, but I couldn’t remember what happened after being in the hospital.”

  “I was pretty confused myself. But, then he started saying things that didn’t make sense,” said Melody. “And I think that’s when we both started remembering what had really happened.”

  “He charmed you,” said Slade. “I could tell he’d already done it once, back in town. You weren’t thinking clearly.”

  “That’s what I figured,” I replied. “The jerk.”

  “Yes, he was. Oh, look… here comes Liam,” said Slade, looking over our heads. “Hopefully he has pants this time.”

  Melody and I giggled.

  “GOING MY WAY?” asked Liam, smirking as he pulled up next to us. Unfortunately for Melody, he’d found some jeans, along with a new T-shirt. “By the way,” he took off his sunglasses and winked. “I’m driving.”

  “That’s fine. You know, I was almost worried that you’d be free-balling it,” said Slade, walking around the car to the passenger door. He opened the door and we all got in.

  Liam handed Slade a T-shirt. “With this heat? Hell, no. Things would be sticking to the seat that shouldn’t be. Now, if I was on my motorcycle... wouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Thanks for those disturbing images,” said Slade, pulling the T-shirt over his head.

  I pictured a naked Liam, on a Harley, his hair flying in the wind, grinning like a lunatic, and had to laugh. “Would you wear a helmet, at least?”

  “I doubt they make one big enough for my head.”

  My eyes moved to his skull. “You do have a big mug.”

  He laughed. “Oh, I thought you were talking about something else.”

  I groaned. “That was really weak.”

  Melody giggled. “You’re so bad, Liam. But, funny. You make things bearable.”

  “It’s a gift,” he replied, lowering his sunglasses. “Stick around for the next show and I’ll be sure to wow and amaze you.”

  “And that’s only if he keeps his pants on,” added Slade.

  “Slade,” he said, deepening his voice. “You know… there can be only one.”

  I smiled.

  “One what?” asked Melody.

  “One comedian in this here band,” said Liam, his voice back to normal.

  “I don’t get it,” she said, looking at me. “Do you?”

  “Have you ever seen the movie, The Highlander?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No. Is it new?”

  “It’s old,” said Slade. “And one of Liam’s favorite movies.”

  “Damn right,” said Liam. “You need to watch it.”

  “Definitely,” said Melody. “I just love comedies.”

  “It’s not a comedy,” he replied. “Although, the Kurgan laughs his ass off as he’s terrorizing his victims. That’s probably the only laughing involved with that movie.”

  “He’s the bad guy?” she asked.

  “Yes,” said Liam.

  “Is it gory?” she asked.

  “Not as gory as what we just witnessed,” I said. I told her about the movie.

  “And that’s your favorite movie, Liam?”

  “Definitely. I’ve got it on DVD,” he said. “I’ll play it for you when we get back to the castle. You’re going to love it.”

  “I can’t wait,” she said.

  I looked at her and she grinned mischievously. I knew that she normally hated those kinds of movies, preferring romance and comedy. From the look in her eyes, I knew she just wanted to get him alone. Smiling, I shook my head and stared out the window. If chasing Liam got her mind off of the crap going on in our lives, more power to her. I could worry enough for the both of us.

  WE CONTINUED DRIVING toward the hangar where we were to meet the rest of the band. I closed my eyes and listened to Liam and Slade’s banter, now feeling comfortable in both of their presences. How could I not? They’d saved us, and not just once… but twice, now. It would have been so easy for them to have left us with the sheriff. But, they’d risked their own lives to rescue us, once again. As far as I was concerned, now we owed them our lives.

  “Hey, did you girls want us to stop somewhere to change?” asked Liam after a while. “I forgot all about that.”

  “It’s okay,” I answered, touching my jeans. “My clothes are dry and I’d just as soon wait for a shower before changing them.”

  “Me, too,” said Melody. “We’ve already wasted so much time with that sheriff, anyway. Let’s just get to the hangar.”

  “Okay.” Liam looked over at Slade. “We are a little behind schedule. I’m surprised Bradan hasn’t sent you a message asking where we’re at.”

  Slade took out his phone. “Actually, I sent Sean a text an hour ago to let him know what was happening.”

  “He reply?” ask Liam.

  Slade frowned. “No.”

  “That’s a little troubling,” said Liam.

  “I’m sure they’re fine,” replied Slade, shoving his phone back into his pocket. “If something was wrong, one of them would have found us by now.”

  I leaned forward. “Does Faye know where the hangar is?”

  “No,” said Slade, glancing back at me. “So, there shouldn’t be any surprises when we get there.”

  “That’s good,” I answered, closing my eyes again. “I’m getting tired of surprises.”

  “SO, LIAM, YOU must go through a lot of clothing being a lycan?” asked Melody a little while later.

  He grunted. “Yeah. That’s why I hate shopping for clothes. Most of the things in my closet end up getting ripped to shreds.”

  “It doesn’t stop you from spending thousands of dollars on your wardrobe,” said Slade, opening up the glove compartment. He pulled out a pair of dark sunglasses and put them on. “Those jeans you had on the other night at the concert… weren’t you saying you paid three hundred bucks for them? They didn’t seem to last very long.”

  “I wasn’t expecting a fight that night. As far as the jeans go, I have an image to maintain. Hell, so do you. You should be spending more than me. You never have to worry about your pants coming off,” laughed Liam.

  “You’re just full of jokes today,” said Slade, shaking his head but smiling.

  “I owe you after letting that asshole go back there. I need to relieve some steam some way.”

  “God, that was horrible. He nearly killed you,” said Melody. “I couldn’t believe he ran over you with the car like that. That must have hurt.”

  Liam smiled grimly. “Yeah, it pretty much sucked. Lucky that I had shifted. I probably wouldn’t be here right now.”

  “Do you turn into a lycan often?” she asked.

  “If I do, it’s usually at night.”

  “When the moon is full?” replied Melody.

  “Not always. I like to shift when it’s late and there aren’t many people out. It doesn’t have anything to do with the moon being out.”

  “What does it have to do with?” she asked.

  “Freedom. The freedom to break away from everything and have fun.”

  “So, what do you usually do for fun, when you’re like that?” asked Melody, leaning forward.

  “Run. Hunt. Explore,” he answered.

  “Fuck with the other animals,” added Slade, smirking.

  He grinned. “That, too. Mainly, it gives me some time to let go of whatever might be stressing me out.”

  “You must really enjoy being a lycan,” she said.

  “It’s who I am and have always been. I’m just fortunate that I can control it. Unlike werewolves. They’re the ones who are at the mercy of the moon.”

  “That would be harsh,” I said, thinking about it. “They must have a hard time with that.”

  “I’m sure. From what I’ve learned, they can’t control their actions very well, either. Thankful
ly, I’m always in complete control.”

  “Huh. Do you know of any werewolves?” I asked.

  “No. I did encounter one once. About three years ago. He attacked me without reason.” He sighed. “It didn’t end well.”

  “Did you have to kill him?” asked Slade.

  “I left him pretty wounded, but alive. When I went back the next day, his body was gone. I’m pretty sure he made it.”

  “So, do you have other lycan buddies that you hang out with?” asked Melody, trying to lighten the mood.

  “When my brothers are in town, we usually get together and do our thing.”

  “What’s your thing?” asked Melody.

  He grinned. “Usually, raising hell.”

  “How many siblings do you have?” she asked, intrigued.

  “Three brothers and a sister.”

  “Do you get to see much of them?” asked Melody.

  He hesitated. “Actually, I haven’t seen my sister for a couple of years.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad,” she said. “You miss her?”

  He didn’t answer right away. When he did, I could tell by the look on his face that it was a touchy subject. “Yep, I miss her,” he answered, turning on the stereo. “We should be at the hangar soon.”

  “Cool,” replied Melody. “I can’t wait to get to Ireland. I take it that we’ll be on a private plane?”

  “Yes. My oldest brother, Aiden, owns the jet,” said Liam. “I called him yesterday and he was supposed to arrange a pilot to fly us to Dublin. Let’s just hope that Bradan didn’t charm the pilot into leaving before we get there.”

  “Where is there?” I asked.

  “Billings,” said Slade. “We should see the sign in a couple of minutes.”

  “Good,” said Melody, sitting back. She closed her eyes and yawned. “Wake me when we get to the airport.”

  “Me, too,” I said, yawning myself.

  “Will do,” said Liam, his mood still heavy. He turned up the volume on the stereo and we slept the rest of the way.

  “WE’RE HERE,” I told the girls, waking them up.

  “Cool,” said Melody, yawning.

  “Is that our plane?” asked Chelsey, pointing.