The Netherworld's government. It was a good question that Beth also wanted to answer to.
The man laughed and answered for Gabriel. “The Council? They're weak and divided. My father sits on the council as the werewolf faction leader, and he's had no luck bringing the other leaders together to form any kind of unified front against them. Warlocks are manipulative and power hungry. Dis, their leader, plays them for fools, spewing out nothing but lies in order to keep them pacified. The council spends so much time worrying about being exposed to humans that they don’t see the threat amongst them."
Tell us how you really feel.
The room fell into silence at his declaration.
“I'm going to stay here with Lila,” Gabriel said, breaking the silence to give orders. “Beth will go with Kaleb and Declan will take Natalie.”
Declan! That’s his name! Wait, Kaleb...?
She didn't know how she felt being handed over to Kaleb. Biting her lip to keep from opening her mouth, she went over her options. She could request going with Declan instead but held off. Kaleb was probably the best option, but she didn't know how she felt about being left alone with him.
She clamped her jaw.
The three men stepped outside a minute later. Lila went back into the kitchen; Beth and Natalie followed.
“Are you okay with this plan?” Beth asked her.
She nodded. “I trust Gabriel.”
“But what about Declan and Kaleb? Do you trust them?” Natalie asked.
“Yes.”
Nodding, Natalie said, "Then that's all I need to know.”
Beth blew out a harsh breath. “I’d much rather pack a bag and take off to the beach for a few weeks. I could fly down to Florida and see my parents.”
Lila shook her head. “And what would happen to your parents if the warlocks found you there? They're not just in Maine, they're all over the place from what I understand.”
Beth sighed. She couldn't afford the flight to Florida anyway. She was just trying to find a way to get out of being around Kaleb.
“I don’t want to go with him,” she bit out finally.
“Why?” Natalie asked her. “Kaleb's always been nice to us.”
She shook her head. She hadn't told Natalie what had transpired between them when she'd taken her to get her car two year earlier. She hadn't told anyone about that night. It was too embarrassing.
Neither Natalie nor Lila prodded her for more information, thankfully.
“You're on vacation this week, right?” Natalie asked Lila.
Nodding, Lila said, “Yes. When are you supposed to go back?”
“This weekend. I haven’t called out in the last three years so I don’t think they’ll say anything if I’m gone for a few days. I just hope it’s not too long.” Natalie worked in the physical therapy department at the hospital as both Beth and Lila.
“I lost the eight hours I picked up today. I'm supposed to work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday next week,” Beth said.
“You may have to call out or put in for a leave of absence.”
Natalie shook her head. “We can't all go out on leave."
“Let’s cross that bridge when we get there,” Lila advised. “Maybe it’ll be okay since you’re surrounded by people?”
Beth groaned. She had been trying to save money, not lose it. She’d be damned if she missed another day. What could happen while she was at work? The probability of getting jumped by some magical madmen was slim to none in her opinion.
She turned when the screen door opened. The men came back into the house. Declan waved Natalie over to where he was while Kaleb headed straight toward her. Lila left her there to join Gabriel in the living room.
Beth leaned against the counter, arms wrapped around her center as Kaleb approached.
“You'll stay with me at the bar,” he declared. “We’ll have to go by your place and get your stuff.”
She nodded. “That’s fine.”
“Say your goodbyes, and we'll head out. I’ll follow you, and then we can take my truck.” She didn't know how she felt about leaving her vehicle behind, but she didn't say anything to him.
Beth hugged Lila before grabbing Natalie, who had still been discussing plans with Declan.
“Are you okay?" Beth asked her.
Natalie nodded. “I am. We're going to go to Boston."
“Boston?”
“Yeah. Something about the Council,” she said with a shrug. “I’m just going to go with it. If I think about this too much, I may lose my nerve.”
Beth frowned. Natalie had to be terrified, but she hid it well if she was.
Hugging her goodbye, Beth said, "Text me.”
“I will.”
Kaleb drove behind Beth, trying to keep up with her wild lane changes and ungodly speed in the small Volkswagen. The woman drove the little car like she was trying to win a race.
He stayed close behind her, assuming they were going to the same apartments she'd lived in a few years before. He wasn’t entirely positive, however. For all he knew, she could’ve moved since then and he didn't want to risk losing her.
Two years ago, she'd awoken the beast inside him. His beast was always closer to the surface, but he’d seen her, smelled her, wanted her. His teeth had inched down from his gums, and the last thing he'd wanted was for a human to see him partially transformed with a raging hard-on.
She'd been so delicious, and for the first time, he felt completely out of control. He'd always found her attractive, but there was something about her that night. She'd stirred his instinct. And since then, she'd been the one he wanted.
Now he was going to be stuck with her for God knew how long. How was he supposed to keep his beast in check? He'd scented her arousal in Lila’s living room right before he transformed. The sweet smell assaulted his nostrils as he changed, calling to his beast. His instinct.
He needed her gone before the next full moon.
When she pulled into the apartment complex, he followed, parking next to her in a spot marked guest.
She hopped out of her Volkswagen and headed toward the steps, apparently believing he was going to wait for her in the parking lot.
Nope.
He jumped out of the truck and followed her upstairs to her apartment. It was the same place he'd watched her disappear into two years before. She didn't say anything as she opened the door, but once they were inside, he saw how tiny the place was. His small apartment looked massive in comparison.
The kitchen was no more than a nook attached to a small living room that held a narrow couch and a small television across from it. The area was clean with soft feminine hues of crimson and gold.
The scent that struck him as he stepped inside had him grasping her arm.
“What?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at him as he stopped her.
“There's someone-”
“Hey, Beth!” A petite woman exclaimed coming out from one of the narrow doors. “Who’s your friend?”
The girl was perhaps five feet tall, no more than a hundred pounds soaking wet, and at least five years younger than Beth. She also had the craziest looking eyes he'd ever seen. She bounced closer to them, clad in a bright red kimono.
There was also a massive lizard sitting on her shoulder.
Beth cringed back at the sight of the reptile, bumping into him to put some distance between them. Her curvy bottom hit his thighs and his dick jumped.
“Hey, Quinn. This is my friend Kaleb. Kaleb, this is my roommate Quinn. And that's her iguana, Barry.”
Quinn giggled. “Not Barry, silly. His name is Simon.” She stroked the lizard.
He doubted Beth cared what the thing’s actual name was. When the girl stepped closer to them, the lizard hissed at them. Quinn tilted her head, glancing from the lizard to Kaleb. She frowned.
“He doesn't like you," she stated.
Kaleb never had an issue with animals before. Snakes? No problem. Rats? Cool. But the lizard staring at him with beady little eyes and sitting o
n Quinn’s shoulder gave him the heebie-jeebies. “The feeling's mutual.”
Quinn tsked. She was standing in front of them, her little body blocking their way into the rest of the apartment.
“Now that's not very nice. Simon likes Beth,” she insisted.
The lizard hissed at Beth.
Beth’s hands were in front of her in a defensive posture. “Good, Barry. Stay over there.”
“Oh, that's interesting,” she said, her voice irritatingly soft and airy. “It doesn't look like he likes you today either.”
Beth giggled nervously. She reached behind her body and slapped at his arm, searching for his hand without taking her eyes off the lizard. He closed his hand over her much smaller one and allowed her to pull him behind her. Squeezing around her roommate, she kept as much distance between herself and the lizard as physically possible.
Quinn followed them.
“What are you two doing today? I was going to have some people over later and I was wondering—”
“Sorry, not today," Beth said as she yanked him into her bedroom and slammed the door in the girl’s face.
“What in the—" he started before she slapped her hand over his mouth. Holding her finger up to her lips, she silenced him.
She must have realized she was touching him then because she jerked her hand away as if he’d burned her. Scurrying away from him, she acted as if he was as bad as the reptile.
He stayed quiet, patient enough to wait to ask her about the nutty roommate until they got to his truck. He leaned against the door as she flitted around the room, grabbing a backpack from under her bed.
The room was tiny but it suited her. Her furniture was nice, not too old and all the pieces were a dark cherry. The comforter across her bed was a deep crimson and appeared to be silk. He could just imagine her laying on that bed, her curvy body languid and spent...
Beth jerked open the closet door pulled a few shirts off hangers. She grabbed shoes from the bottom of the closet and tossed them toward the bottom of her bed. She went to the dresser next, opening drawers and throwing clothing on the bed next to the bag. Biting her lip, she turned to survey what she had. Another drawer opened, and panties went flying. He never thought the first time he'd get to see her panties, she'd be chucking them across the room.
“You have a place I can do laundry, right?" she asked him.
"Yeah, I got a washer and dryer.”
The answer seemed to satisfy her.
“Turn around.”
"What?” he asked, sure he heard her correctly, but unsure why.
“I'm going to change out of my work clothes. Turn around.” She put her finger up in the air and twirled it.
He turned, putting his back to her and stared at her bedroom door.
There was rustling behind him as she changed her clothes. He heard her hop a few times and he grinned to himself.
“Okay,” she said after a minute. He turned to find her wearing a pair of army green leggings and a navy long-sleeved USM t-shirt. There was a picture of a husky on the front.
When she turned and bent over, retrieving her sneakers from the floor, she left nothing to his imagination. Her round, perfect ass was in the air, encased in skin-tight spandex. Groaning inwardly, he pressed himself against the door to keep himself from coming toward her.
What he wouldn't give to keep her in that position, sans leggings, her upper body pressed against the mattress. He wanted to see her fists clutching the blanket, her lithe body writhing beneath him and he buried himself inside her heat...
It was going to be a long three weeks.
3
It didn’t take Beth long to tug on her sneakers and finish packing. After she got everything she needed from her room, she shooed Kaleb away from in front of the door and opened it, peeking out into the living room for her roommate.
The room was blissfully empty.
Quinn was a primary reason why she was tired of renting. She was paying twice in rent for what she could be paying for a mortgage. If she could save up enough for a down payment, she could buy the house she wanted and then she wouldn’t have to tolerate a roommate. Especially a freaking crazy one.
She jerked open the door the rest of the way and high-tailed it to the bathroom. Kaleb followed behind her, his eyes scanning the room as if searching for a hidden reptile.
The stupid iguana freaked her out. It had never hissed at her before, but it was always looking at her. She didn’t know what it was. Logic told her it was just a stupid lizard, doing stupid lizard stuff, but there was something about the little monster that gave her the heebie-jeebies.
Beth went into the bathroom, grabbed her toiletries and a few other necessities while Kaleb stood behind her in the doorway.
He seemed to be catching every little movement she made; his eyes never left her. If he wanted to stare, she’d give him something to stare at. Feigning innocence, she bent over at the waist to grab her hair products from under the sink. His gaze burned into her ass and she chuckled to herself. Maybe the sight of her legging-clad hind end made him uncomfortable, and perhaps it didn’t, but turnabout was fair play.
Beth didn’t tempt him for long. Hurrying, she zipped up the bag and slung it on her shoulder. “Let’s go,” she told him, stepping out into the main room and turning toward the front door.
Her stomach jumped into her throat at the sight of Quinn standing there. It was as if she’d appeared out of thin air. Her head tilted, she gawked at them with wide eyes. A large black bun sat on the top of her head that looked as if it was about to fall off. She’d changed out of her kimono and into a set of bright pink footy pajamas. The iguana remained perched on her shoulder, hissing.
Freaking nuts.
“He really doesn't like you today,” she said, her voice eerily monotone.
“Sorry, Barry,” Beth muttered. She went to step around her but stopped when she realized she wouldn’t be able to get past her without being in leaping distance from the lizard.
A broad, toothy smile crossed Quinn’s face, and Beth wondered if the girl was just having repeated seizures. “Are you going somewhere?” she asked, still smiling.
She reached behind and waved her hand, trying to find Kaleb’s arm. He grasped her hand and warm, strong fingers closed around hers. She wasn’t going to think about why his presence was making her feel better. What had she been thinking when she let the girl move in to begin with?
“Yeah, I’ll be gone for a while,” she rambled, a fake smile plastered on her face. “So, have fun! No need to hold back. Throw a party or two!” Beth giggled. The sound was so unnatural it made her cringe.
“Oh.”
“Excuse us, Quinn. We really have to be going,” Beth said, attempting to get around her again.
This time Quinn moved back enough to let them squeeze past her. Beth pulled on Kaleb’s hand and all but sprinted to the door.
“It’s okay, Simon,” she heard Quinn say as they went out outside, “everything will be just fine.”
Beth shuddered as soon as they were outside. She was halfway to the stairs when she realized she was still holding Kaleb’s hand. Dropping it, she stepped in front of him and hurried down the steps.
She took one last lingering look at her Volkswagen as she climbed into his truck. It felt like she was leaving everything behind. Sadness and anger filled her. Her entire life was flipped upside down, and she was expected to sit there and take it.
Kaleb didn’t say a word until he was inside the truck, doors closed, and he was pulling out onto the main road that would take them to the bar.
“Your roommate is fucking scary.”
“Thank you!” she exclaimed. “Andrea told me I was just paranoid. She said I should try to understand her. She seemed so normal at first. Just a nice girl, on her own. Now I’m terrified I’m going to wake up in the middle of the knife with her standing over my bed, watching me sleep.”
Mentioning Andrea created an aching hole in her chest. Taking a deep breath, she f
orced herself to think of something else, but not before saying a quick prayer that she was okay. There wasn’t anything she could do, and it frustrated her.
Kaleb brought her back to the present. “I could see her doing that. What’s up with the lizard?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t have him when she moved in and then two days after she’s in and on the lease, she has this thing on her shoulder. I swear, she could go take a piss, and she has the thing just perched there. She never puts it down.”
“How long has she lived with you?”
“Six months now. There’s another six on her lease,” Beth said. “It just makes me want to move that much more.”
“You’re moving?” he asked.
She nodded. “Well, I will as soon as I can finish scraping together this down payment. I want to buy this little house out on Tyre Road.”
“Which one?”
“The blue cape cod.”
It was a cute little house. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, and everything she needed. Some repairs needed to be done, but she had a good relationship with the current owner - they worked together - so they were sitting on it for her.
“I know the one you’re talking about,” he said glancing at her. “I could see you living there.”
She laughed. “I could too.”
He pulled into the alley a minute later, parking behind the large bright green dumpster. She hopped out of the truck, taking her bag with her and followed him to the back door.
He unlocked the door and held it open for her. She turned and went up the stairs. It was hard to believe it had been two years since she’d been there before. Kaleb stepped behind her.
“It’s unlocked,” he told her when she reached the top.
She pushed open the door and stepped into his apartment. It was precisely as she remembered. Same mismatched furniture and large screen television. This time she noticed a gaming system sitting in front of it.
“Werewolves playing PlayStation? Who would’ve thought it?” she said.
He chuckled. “You can stay in Gabriel’s room. I’ll change the sheets for you.”
She followed him into the bedroom. It was dreary and his possessions sparse. The walls were a dull white. The bed was large, covered in a thin black blanket. There was a single maple dresser pressed against the wall, a nightstand with a silver desk lamp, and an old winding alarm clock with the two bells on the top.
Wild and Untamed (Netherworld Series Book 4) Page 5