Hearts Unleashed: A Limited Edition Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Collection

by C. D. Gorri

  “I remember, Ava, I’m not stupid. A man has been asking about you and I wanted to warn you.”

  Ice filled my veins. When I slouched my wound ached. I sat straighter and asked, “Did he give a name and what he wanted?”

  “No, just that I remember you telling me about your ex when you first started working for me, and I think it’s him.”

  This could not be happening. I didn’t want to think about why he was here, or what he’d do if he found me. This was messed up.

  “What did you tell him?” I finally said once I collected my thoughts.

  “Nothing, I swear….” He fell silent on the other side and my stomach dropped.

  “What did you tell him, Derek? I’m not angry, but I need to know if he’s coming here.”

  I heard Derek swallow. “He introduced himself at golf this morning. He was talking to my parents about the pictures you took for his magazine. I didn’t know who he was at first. We might have said you were hiking this weekend to get your shots for your portfolio.”

  I cringed and silently swore at him. “It’s okay, thanks for telling me. I have to go.”

  “I’m sorry—”

  I ended the call before he finished his sentence. Rage flooded my veins. I was careless and now he’d found me.

  “Is everything okay?”

  No, my ex found me. I didn’t know what to do. Instead I said, “Nothing I can’t handle.”

  When the ranger finished dressing the wound, she offered me half her sandwich and a jacket she found. She wasn’t pleased when I said I had to go back on the trail. I mentioned that if anyone seemed suspicious and was looking for me; she had to call the police.

  As I exited her cabin, I walked through the parking lot. It was Sunday and most of the hikers would be leaving. Some spots were already empty, with more hikers on the way to their cars. But there was one car I could never miss. The black Lexus parked beside my car.

  My car was old and dirty. I ambled around another car and approached my car suspiciously. I found a card stuck to the window, held down by the wipers. I removed it from the window and read the back; XOXO. I knew it was him, he always ended his notes that way.

  My heart raced inside my ribs and I spun around, searching the parking lot. I peered through the tinted windows of his car. On the passenger seat was an open map book with a shell casing.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Tyler

  In our naked state, Miles and I followed her bloody trail. It left me concerned for her wellbeing to have lost so much blood. But what left my chest hurting was Claw biting her. We despised those who attacked humans. Were-animal bites left humans either dead, or turned into the animal which bit them. I did not want Ava turning into a saber. This was not how I envisioned our relationship starting. My claiming her should not result in her turning into one of us; especially if she never wanted to in the first place.

  Just thinking about what might have happened left my hands itching, and they morphed into powerful claws.

  “Easy there, tiger,” Miles said as he stepped in front of me. “You’re going to scare the hikers.” He raised his hand to his ear.

  I nodded and pointed to a copse nearby. Carefully, we hid between the trees and dark shadows.

  Miles bumped my elbow, and I followed his line of sight. Lying in the middle of the hiking trail was Ava, giving a couple of hikers a fright when she moved while they assessed her. I smiled and my heart fluttered—she was alive but hurt.

  “He scratched her,” Miles confirmed. “She will stay human.”

  Relief washed over me as I watched the hikers assist Ava along the trail toward the ranger’s cabin.

  We stealthily moved with her, ensuring her safety. I readied to pounce, naked, on top of anyone who hurt her.

  She stayed in the ranger cabin for a while, then just when I itched to storm the cabin she emerged bandaged and her cheeks rosy. But what stopped me from approaching was the expression she wore; she was afraid. She searched the cars, removed a card from one car, and paled when she saw the black Lexus.

  I wanted to go to her, but Miles held me back. There were hikers exiting the trails and heading toward their vehicles. We couldn’t risk exposure.

  We followed along the parking lot but kept to the rough terrain where they wouldn’t see us. Ava removed something from the first car and pulled something out of the trunk. A gun.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Ava

  I dusted glass off the back seat and popped the trunk. I needed to break the back window, I couldn’t waste time going back to the village for my car keys, especially since I didn’t know where it was.

  I squeezed the weapon in my shaking hand. After I left Scott, I bought the gun and attended lessons. When I’d found out he was dating someone else, I kept the gun in case. Normally I avoided weapons, especially those that killed quickly, but for him I’d make an exception. I twirled a strand of my dark hair between my fingers, squeezing the gun in my other hand.

  Scott had found me.

  Why couldn’t he have moved on?

  I needed to get to him first.

  I couldn’t allow him to find the sabers. Especially after everything they’d done to stay hidden.

  I slipped the weapon inside the jacket pocket, grabbed the sandals and stepped into them. I’d lost my shoes during my swim and even though my ankle felt better, I couldn’t run on it.

  I glanced around the parking lot and noted a few hikers heading toward their vehicles. I closed my trunk and headed for the path.

  *.*.*.*

  My body ached, but I had to find Scott. As I walked around a bend a short distance from where I had camped on Friday, I heard voices up ahead. I hid behind trees, carefully peering around one of them. Up ahead, Scott leaned against a tree, speaking to two female hikers. They giggled at whatever he said and I rolled my eyes. He was not that charming.

  Un uneasiness spread through me. I felt someone watching me and glanced over my shoulder. A surge of excitement shot through my body. It was Tyler; broad shoulders, slim hips, and butt naked. I felt my cheeks heat watching him, and Miles, but I dared not glance lower. They hurried through the brushes, closing the gap.

  As Tyler neared, my heart fluttered inside my chest and I approached—meeting him halfway.

  “How did you find me?” I whispered, glancing over my shoulder but no-one could see us from our position.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “We need to leave, Ava. Miles and I can’t stay out here like this.”

  “Okay, but we have a bigger problem.”

  Tyler arched an eyebrow.

  “Remember when I told you about my ex, and that he wasn’t a problem.”

  “Yeah,” he said hesitantly.

  “He’s here.”

  Tyler peered over my head. “Is that him?”

  I nodded.

  “Is that why you have the gun?”

  “How did you know?”

  “We saw you. We need to go this way.” He pointed to the side. “There’s no way he can find our village.”

  “What if he finds it?”

  “There’s no way he can find it, Ava. I promise.”

  I followed closely behind Tyler with Miles behind me. It felt strange walking between two naked men. But I wasn’t thinking about that as we hiked away from the path and away from Scott. I wondered how Scott had found me. I hadn’t had my picture in any of the articles I’d given Derek, nor was I listed anywhere. I used my mother’s maiden name for the rental apartment and I paid everything in cash. I no longer used credit cards or anything that he could use to trace me. I’d stopped using contract phones, unless… Scott had managed to get my number from Derek.

  The muscles between my shoulder blades tightened, and I felt on edge.

  *.*.*.*

  By the time we reached their village, the sun had started to set. We had evaded Scott, yet I kept glancing over my shoulder.

  I followed Tyler to his hut, passe
d a crying woman while others hummed a tune I’d never heard before. I smelled incense burning and in the centre something wrapped in white material. I touched Tyler’s back as he stepped toward his hut.

  “What happened?”

  “I killed the man who took you,” he said nonchalantly, and entered the hut. “He was also killing the deer in the area. We can’t afford to attract the authorities. If any of them found out someone was hunting the wild animals, they’d descend upon us without thinking. We couldn’t have that,” he added gravely.

  I felt bad, but Claw was dangerous. He could’ve hurt me, and he threatened Tyler.

  “We will do a proper send off for his mother.” Tyler jerked his chin toward the crying woman. “Hopefully things will settle down.”

  Tyler stopped near the doorjamb and pulled me closer. He cupped my face. “I should’ve done this when I found you on the trail.”

  His lips touched mine, and I didn’t hold back. I opened my mouth to his, our tongues tangling. An explosion of nerve endings rocked my body as his naked body twitched against mine. I quivered as his hands trailed down my waist, over my ass and forgot about our surroundings. I felt like I was the only person in his world. While he was the only one in mine. Just the two of us, together. I heard no sounds, apart from my beating heart, in tune with his. I only felt the heat from his body as it surrounded me, comforted me. And I kissed him with my heart, and my soul. When he ended the kiss, my eyes flittered open, but his were still closed. When he finally opened them, they glowed yellow, and a smile spread across his face.

  He licked his lips. “That was divine.” He closed the gap for a peck on my cheek and I just stared at him.

  My body felt like jelly. After a moment had passed, I remembered where I was and what we were doing. The sting of Scott being nearby left me cold and slightly bitter. Why did he have to come now?

  I glanced down, the door on the floor, ripped out of its hinges. I stepped over it and entered the hut.

  “I’ll fix it,” he said and pulled on jeans.

  Miles walked past and entered the hut next to ours.

  My cellphone lit up. There were a dozen messages from Derek and double the amount of missed phone calls. That man was impossible. I read the messages and instead of texting him back; I phoned him. When he answered, he wanted to know if I was safe and whether Scott had found me. I put his mind at ease saying I’d be leaving for the police station soon but before I ended the call I asked if Scott had ever held his phone. He’d said their phones were together at the table. He fetched something and had left his phone on the table.

  While I was busy speaking to Derek, Tyler had put the door back, but it hung skew. When I ended the call I laughed, and it put Tyler at ease because he laughed too.

  When my phone lit up again, I frowned.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I think Scott has my number.”

  The screen lit up followed by a chime, as if someone had a ‘Find my phone’ app installed and was actively seeking my phone.

  I glanced wide eyed at Tyler who understood what it meant.

  “If he’s coming here we need to prepare. We need to ensure he doesn’t find my village,” he said and stormed out of the hut.

  Tyler approached a man, informing him of the situation I had caused. I didn’t like that I’d brought Scott here and didn’t want anyone getting hurt because of me. I pulled on my second pair of hiking shoes and pocketed my pistol and knife. I couldn’t stay here like bait and wait for Scott to enter their village and shoot one of them. I’d rather lead him away and try to take care of this myself.

  Grabbing my phone, I exited the hut and walked around and away from everyone. The phone continued making that sound; I silenced it but kept it in my hand. I tried to reverse engineer the app, but it blocked me—I didn’t know how close Scott was.

  My phone vibrated. I stopped to see what’s going on, but the screen died. Twigs snapped behind me. I spun around and there he stood.

  “Ava, my sweet Ava. Do you know how long I’ve tried to find you.”

  “Get away from me, Scott. It’s been more than a year.”

  “No, you ran away—”

  “Because you hit me more than once.”

  “I’m sorry, babe. I truly am. Please, can we try one more time?”

  I shook my head, pulled out my weapon and pointed it at him. He raised his hands.

  “Tsk, tsk. I thought you hated guns.”

  “I’ve been training.”

  Scott stepped closer. I stepped back. He lunged at me, hitting the gun out of my hands. His shoulder collided with my chest, knocking the wind out of me. We fell to the ground with him on top. He grabbed my head, slamming it to the ground. My vision tunneled and darkness swallowed me.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Ava

  I awoke upside down. My blood rushing to my head, giving me a splitting headache. I watched Scott’s sneakers as he carried me. My head pounding louder with each painful step he took. I moved my arms, but they felt heavy and cold, he’d tied my arms behind my back, straining my shoulders while my stomach ached colliding with his shoulder with each step.

  “Please untie me,” I breathed. “I won’t run away.”

  Scott stopped. He tugged on my body; the ground moved, then the sky moved above me as he set me on my feet.

  Feeling rushed back into my arms and my feet tingled.

  “You can walk yourself.” He pulled on my upper arm, forcing me to walk beside him.

  “Why are you doing this? You can have any girl…” What I really wanted to say was no girl sane enough would stick with him. He was too possessive and saw women as toys for his enjoyment and whenever he pleased.

  “Yeah, and I had a lot of them. But,” — he shrugged, — “you got away.”

  I rolled my eyes. I stopped, gave him my meanest look. “I really liked you at first, Scott. But then you tried to own me. If you take me, understand I’ll do everything in my power to get away from you. Please, just untie me, go away, and I won’t call the cops.”

  He slowly shook his head. His menacing expression left my body cold. His haunted stare pierced straight through my face.

  “I can’t do that. You need to be punished.”

  I kicked his shin and ran in the other direction. I ran as fast as I could manage with my aching ankle. It was difficult because of my hands behind my back. I dashed off the path, down the mountain, and just when I thought I got away, a weight landed on top of me. I hit the ground hard. My head smashed into the dirt, tasting the earth. The last thing I thought was he was going to kill me.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Tyler

  “Where is she?” I yelled for all to hear. The hut was empty and her hiking boots gone. She went after him. Alone. My beast rippled under my skin, pleading for release. Soon!

  She didn’t want her ex coming to my village. I loved how she thought of my people, but she was stubborn; we could’ve done this together.

  “Miles,” I called him over and Blaze followed.

  “Help me,” I growled and told them the rest of the story. “I know none of this is her fault, and it’s not our fight. But we need to help her. He’s put her in the hospital before, I don’t want her hurt.”

  My saber growled. He didn’t like that she was with the man who had hurt her before.

  We needed to bring her back.

  Now!

  The three of us shifted into our beasts and followed her scent. We sprinted down the mountain and picked up her scent. We followed the trail and found some blood—her blood. My beast snarled at the discovery. He hurt our woman. We needed to stay focused and continued following her scent until we reached the hiking trail.

  Darkness surrounded us. The smell of the earth and damp leaves around us as the world sped past us. Her scent was stronger the farther we ran on the hiking trail. I didn’t care if there were hikers; I had to find Ava before Scott hurt her.

  The doors of the black Lexus stood open. A ma
n bundled something into the backseat, slamming the door.

  I growled. The man glanced up, frozen to the spot, then fumbled for something behind his back. He turned around, aiming his weapon at us.

  “No!” yelled Ava from the backseat. She squeezed her body between the two seats as she stared at me, shaking her head.

  It was then I realized she saw my true form, my saber. She’d glimpsed me in the dim light of the oil lamp, but now she saw the real me under the bright street light. Would she accept this, accept me? She mouthed the words ‘you’re beautiful,’ giving me the boost to get rid of this guy.

  A deep guttural sound came from the back of our throats, warning him.

  “What the?” Scott said, his hand shaking. He fired his gun.

  It missed Blaze, who snapped his jaws. I lunged at Scott. We tussled. He tried to push me off but I was too big. He managed to move his hand and I felt the steel against me. Shots rang off. I opened my jaw and went for his jugular. I wanted him dead. When another round of shots hit my body, I let go of his neck, staggered to the other side of the car, and fell.

  Miles jumped over me, landing on Scott.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Ava

  After my second hospital admission, I’d learned my shoulder could pop out of the socket easily with barely any pain. I needed to get free of Scott. The moment he climbed into the car and started it, I’d be dead. I twisted my arms, my shoulder popped, my arm went limp, and I slipped my arms under my legs and over to have them in front of me again. I slammed my shoulder into the front seat; it popped back in place and I clenched my jaw until the pain subsided. I hadn’t done it in a while and it was a shock to my system. My vision tunneled from the sudden burst of pain while my head throbbed and continued to bleed. I was not having a great day.

  I watched the three sabers approach while Scott aimed at Tyler. I recognized his furry body, but it was the look in his eyes; glowing yellow and filled with concern—for me. He seemed worried about something… I didn’t know why? He shuffled his paws and dropped his head. I caught the despondent line on his shoulders. A flurry of emotions swirled around me, he was concerned for my safety but also worried about what I thought of him in his saber form.